Kona Quiver

After a solid week of rain around here (flash back to memories of living in Portland, OR), this weekend the sun has returned. It's a good thing that the sun is here but unfortunately the saturated mountain bike trails at the "Kettles" are closed until they dry out. I can only look at the mountain bike for another day. I know I can ride the road bike but I've been itching for some dirt again.

I did a little mountain bike cleaning this week. Here are my KONA's. Yeah that's right I have a quiver of Kona's. I just seem to like the way they ride. About a month ago I picked up a "King" and joined the whole dual-suspension/ disc brake generation. In addition, I have my old race bike, "Kula". Actually I shouldn't call it old. It still rocks although the drivetrain needs a few pieces. This bike has the best wheels ever. Nice, handbuilt, and light built by me that have seen many miles and are still going strong. Bontrager Valiant rims, XTR hub, DT 14/17 spokes, tied and soldered. Lastly is the "Hot" with custom stars and bars paint job. At the time a Reynolds 853 steel frame was hot! The best paint job I've had on a bike. The Hot has been converted to a single speed get around town bike.

Hey Davidson-see you in Missouri. Ha!

Cheers,
DOUG

Downers Grove

This past weekend was the final bit of racing for the Colavita/Sutter Home ladies. We were just outside of Chicago for the National Criterium Championships. It was a wet weekend for sure. I can’t recall so many crashes in a crit before. The team rode fantastic and set up Tina for the win. She came through with her unbeatable sprint and thanked the team for getting her there.



Me in the pit after one of the larger crashes.


Tina wins again!


Andrea doing her job well.


Alison stringing it out in front of the two best sprinters in the field.


Tina’s podium. Apparently she got champagne in her eye and couldn’t see anything.


There was celebrating that night even though Tina wasn’t there and Mackenzie had a fractured elbow. Andrea, Me, Mack, Nicole. Nicole played her part in the race. She didn’t back down when Brooke Miller tried to muscle her way onto Tina’s wheel. She ended up crashing because of it. Way to sacrifice! After the race I loved how she explained “I wasn’t going to let her (Brooke) have Tina’s wheel. No way!” (I’m sure Brooke may see it differently but that was Nicole’s job to sweep Tina’s wheel)


Yes, once in awhile we have enough time to go out and socialize.

CHEERS!

Summer in Milwaukee

I've been in Milwaukee a whole week now! Wow, that is close to being a record. A huge shout out goes to my friends Bill and Jen Koch. They were married earlier this year and Jen has a downtown apartment on the Eastside (cool part of the city) that she is trying to sell. She was gracious enough to let me stay there while I'm looking for a place of my own. So for the past week I've been living the hip urban lifestyle. The weather has been great so I've been enjoying the 40 minute bike commute back and forth to work. I can take all pavement or use the mountain bike or singlespeed to link up a few urban trail sections. Each day I also have the option of which one of the three Alterra Coffee places to visit (See their link in my link section).


Riding along the tracks is one unique piece of singletrack that a neighborhood guy decorates with disgarded junk and train artifacts. Not many people know about this piece of Milwaukee culture.


And then there is a section where cacti grow in Milwaukee. Really bizzarre stuff!


After the tracks and industrial building trail, I eventually ride along Lake Michigan past the Art Museum. Really cool commute I tell ya.



These were some pictures riding around the city the other night from the baseball game,


Wednesday night was Milwaukee Brewer game night. The cast of characters were Tom (the Boss), Eric (Blackhands), Me, Mackenzie (Eric's lady and Colavita rider), Alejandro (Argentina rider), Luca (Italy rider), Gustavo (Argentina rider) and Maryanne (Gustavo's wife visiting from Argentina). We all rode to the stadium. I love stuff like this whem it involves biking there.


Before we got to the stadium we stopped to meet some other friends for a backyard barbeque. The foreigners played american style football and started to get the hang of throwing a spiral.


Miller Park from the nosebleed section.


The gang! I'm not sure what Alejandro and Luca were yelling in their respective Spanish and Italian. Sometimes it's a hybrid of Spanish and Italian that only they understand.


The sausage race. I picked the Italian Sausage (number 3 to win). I believe it was the Brautwurst who won. Milwaukee is known for two things. Beer and sausage. Why not dress up as your favorite sausage and race? Makes sense to me.

I'm leaving tomorrow morning for the weekend's racing in Downers Grove, Illionois. The U.S. Pro Criterium Championships are Sunday and Tina is the top favorite again this year. Hopefully no crashes in the sprint this year. After that I be back to Milwaukee. Lots of jobs to get done around the office and service course. The rest of the race season for me looks like Tour of Missouri with the guys. Ironman Wisconsin. The bike show in Vegas. Ironman Hawaii World Championships. Ironman Florida. 70.3 Worlds in Florida.

Thanks for reading,

DOUG

More about Lake Placid

Check out Tim Chien's blog in my links. Good description of Lake Placid happenings from Ironman week.

It's all true about my good luck moniker (It's not true about being a Madonna fan though). I can elaborate on that topic even further. Yes, I do have a reputation as a excellent mechanic. Two Lake Placid friends, Karen Lieb and Tanya Deeks say they race better knowing I have looked over their bikes. Karen also feels that it is good luck if I zip up her wetsuit on race morning. I really should market myself somehow. (Berner's Check and Zip, Berner's Lube and Zip, Doug's Flipper and Zipper?)

Here is another testimonial (names changed to protect any privacy issues)

"Dude
If I gave a victory speech at Placid, you would have been the first
person I thanked. I can't tell you how many mechanicals I saw out there on Sunday
including two guys throw their Derailleurs into their spokes...
It is a shame that you don't get the attention you deserve as a
professional mechanic but I want you to know that "Bee Lish" , "J Dizzle", and I couldn't have
reached our goals on Sunday without you and we really appreciate your work!
I guess people don't think about mechanicals until something goes
wrong...then you are the bad guy...not fun. You are appreciated by so many people, keep up the great work."

-Special, "Have you seen my ball", K

I didn't make this up for any self promotion but if you'd like my autograph I can arrange something. How about a TV reality series? Everyone else has one.

Seriously though, it is awesome to know that people appreciate something I do as well as all the other pro mechanics out there putting in long hours for not much pay because in the long run we love what we do.



Doug

Cast of Characters Chapter 3

During a 7-day stage race like Altoona, one day seems like the previous day (ie-Groundhog Day). Up by 7am, coffee/breakfast, load bikes, transfer to start, unload bikes, tire pressure, get caravan car ready, start line hangout, tell stories with other mechanics, 3-4 hour race in the caravan, load bikes, drive back to house, unload, wash bikes, change tires as needed, check over, lube, eat, shower, maybe relax, bed by 11am. It's not neccesarily all in that order. It depends on if it's a morning or afternoon start. Either way it's a long day for 7-days. I work with some nice girls and really appreciate when they notice that their bike worked well and they let me know that.


While sitting in the team car during a race one of my jobs besides wheel changes or bike changes due to crashes or flats, I help Jim pay attention to the race radio. When there are breaks up the road the officials broadcast the ride's numbers to each team vehicle. That way each team knows who is in the break and plan their strategies. Moving pieces like a chess game. My notebook shown here may look like chicken scratch but it is a log of that days events. Rider numbers, names, team groupings, bonus sprints, QOM placings, post-race drug testing. Like many mechnics you learn to listen to race radio with one ear and the rider radio with another ear in addition to taking a quick cat nap.


There are only a few times throughout the season where riders and staff can become normal people. These are fun times because the business of racing is off our minds and we can just relax. The last night of Altoona there was a host family barbeque. Besides Team Colavita the Expresscopy team joined us. I've worked with some of the Expresscopy riders before that were on Colavita or Quark so it was nice to all have a few laughs.


I should have used a little sunscreen while in the wheel pit. Red Face.



After Altoona we headed to Winston-Salem, NC for the week for a couple of crits in Charlotte and Winston. This is our host's dog Pielot who is one cool dog. He never tires out from dog play. It was nice to see this little guy again. The minute I walked in he seemed to remember how much fun we had last year.

Cheers

Cast of Characters Chapter 2

Julie and Kenny are the owners of Placid Planet Bicycles in Lake Placid. This is where I used to work for 10 years. During Ironman week the shop is open 24 hours a day. On the night before the race they have a staff dinner to unwind from such a hectic schedule. Funny, but working at the shop prepared me for a job as a pro team mechanic. Long hours and eating on the run. Although I don't work there, they always have invited me to come to the dinner to hang out with my friends from the local bike shop scene.


A shot from the Ironman. Lake Placid has one of the best spectator turnouts. There are about 2200 athletes. If each one has on average 4 family members that's close to 9,000 people hanging out. I bet there are even more than that though. More like 15,000 people on race day. All that in a town with a population of about 3,000 people and 3 traffic lights.


Fernando from the Navigators team at Altoona. He was probably messing with Eric's van.


Andrea has the boys listening intently to her story of how she tried to scare abear away that was trying to eat her last Cliff Shot while on a mountain bike adventure in rural West Virginia.


Colavita butt warming up for the Team Time Trial at the Tour of Altoona.



The ladies peloton.

Cast of Characters

YO!

Busy, busy, busy. That should be the title of the last 4 weeks or so (In addition to an unfair summertime cold that wiped me out for a week before that). There have been long days, long drives, short naps, short tempers, no wireless, no cell coverage and wonderful moments all wrapped up like an overstuffed burritto from Chipolte's.

Let me introduce you to a small smattering of the people I see and interact with that makes up my world. I'll probably be posting these in pieces so keep checking back.


Actually this is a picture of how the TIMEX truck should not look. I was shocked to see it in such disarray. Just had to vent for a second.


Here is a character that can do it all. Chris Davidson was working with the Lipton ladies at Nationals (Seven Springs, PA). He is shown here making sure Amber Neben was all set also.


The ladies before the start.


After Nationals I was off to Lake Placid, NY for Ironman Lake Placid. From right to left is Keith Meyer, his wife Brooke, and Brooke's brother Jay. Keith and Jay were Ironman newbies. I was proud of my bro Keith who finished with a very respectable time. I was proud of Brooke too. I don't want her mad at me. Great job Brooke!


The Ironman Lake Placid swim start. It always gives me chills. They say you have no idea what it's like until you actually do one.


MORE LATER,
DOUG

Tidits for now

Getting requests for an update. It's coming. It's going to be a huge one. For now here are a few tidbits.

This is a nice article by my friend Heather about racing as a mom. I'm sort of mentioned. Wow! I'm in an actual Cyclingnews article.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/2007/diaries/uswcdp/?id=uswcdp0710



Where's Waldo (me) in there. Hard at work or hardly working. You make the call. That's one of my bikes winning a race again (Tina Pic).

Cheers until later. Check back soon. I figure if I telling everyone I am updating soon it will happen.
DOUG