Doug Berner

2011 in pictures

2011-12-31T14:22:00.000-08:00

Oh great! New Year's Eve is tonight. It's my least favorite thing to participate in because as long as I can remember I'm that guy at midnight with no one to kiss. I end up being like the character Cyril in the movie "Breaking Away'. After the Cutters win the big race, Cyril has no family or girlfriend to celebrate with in the crowd of well wishers so he is left to celebrate in lonely awkwardness.

So, I'm highlighting a few moments from 2011 and sharing them with you in awesome awkwardness

I don't know if anyone has noticed how crappy my SONY camera has become over the year. It has a focusing issue or something in addition to that dirt spec on the inside of the lens. I will not buy another SONY camera. i really liked the Olympus camera I had before. Hopefully I can get a new camera sometime in 2012 for some better photos.

Cheers and Happy New Year.

Two wheels

2011-11-14T20:53:00.000-08:00

Root, Rock, Reggae a success!

2011-10-31T13:33:00.000-07:00

ROOTS, ROCK, REGGAE was a blast. It's always good when a group actually gets together for a little hi-jinks in the dirt.

I'm not sure what T-Brown was thinking when Linsey dared him to ride a blue sled down the embankment.

When he is not managing the dark side, my friend Darth like to unwind on the weekend with a little riding now and then.

Why? Because it was there!

WYE OAK

2011-09-28T16:06:00.000-07:00

Music lives! I'm a fan after two songs. WYE OAK! Turn up the amp until the tubes crunch. Sprinkle with reverb and delay. Play with feeling and controlled unpredictability and you get the band Wye Oak.

More end of summer

2011-09-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

Here's some more stuff from British Columbia and Nevada and points in between while traveling to Ironman Canada and 70.3 World Championships.

The mtb trails in Penticton are one of the best kept secrets.

kvr trail. Parts of it are open to motorized traffic. While its nothing diffilcult its interesting to imagine how they built a railroad bed in such rugged country.

Taking a nap in Montana.

Okanagon Lake in the background from the kvr trail.

Penticton's water reservoir. Would have never know it was there. Beautiful ride to get there.

We should get Rachel back on the team. She makes me look good.

I had to turn around which makes me crazy because I want to know where it goes.

I get excited when riding sweet trails.

Anyone know where this is?

Commuting to the Vegas race expo in 103 degree heat, Why was the expo 14 miles away from the race hotel????

Lake Las Vegas and the desert.

Athlete's hanging out at the truck. Just like the good old days (aka the Keith Meyer days!). it rarely happens anymore for some reason.

Roll out of bed to see the swim start.

Watching the Colorado flow by.

I love when the land's hugeness is right in your face.

LaSal mountain loop road where Kokopelli trail crosses the road. I decided to jump on Sand Flats road which is just a little bit further down.

Rest stop on I-70.

I'm off to Hawaii for another Kona World Championships. Not sure if my POS computer and disappointing camera will survive the trip but I will try and post at least on sunset picture at least. Thanks for reading even though it took forever for me to post something. Post a comment to let me know someone is still checking my blog. HA!

FFFFFF FALL!

2011-09-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

Jeezum Crow it turned to Fall the other day. Here's me subjecting you to the end of summer in my pictures. Off to Hawaii soon so I should get these photos off my computer.

Stopped in Rochester for a mini family get together and was introduced to my Grand Niece, Sophia (daughter of my niece). She's already lived in London and currently in Dubais. A world traveler and she's not a year old yet.

Dog's are fun!

Went for a rip on a dirt road I haven't been on in about 10 years. We used to call the ride "sickness and death." It was rejuvenated and part of the course for the Lake Placid Leadville Qualifier.

Play ball!

One room school house that's been there forever in Lake Placid. (Averyville to be exact).

Henry's woods.

I like this photo

Best bike shop around.

Best bike shop crew around.

Lake Placid expo.

GONE ADVENTURING

2011-08-12T06:32:00.001-07:00

Instead of updating the blog with pictures from my travels to Lake Placid, I've decided to hang up the "GONE ADVENTURING" sign in the window. Heading to Black River Falls, WI area to explore the trails and dirt roads.

Idaho and points in between

2011-07-03T18:16:00.000-07:00

My office for the week. Ironman Coeur d' Alene. I like showing up each morning to the office.

I'm not sure what they are promoting but I like the rig.

The network of OHV, ATV, Motorcycle trails, and Forest Service roads in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho were very cool. The mountain biking trails are there too. I finally found some good riding after asking a local. I should have asked years ago. I did a ride bi that was like a good wine. It ended with a nice finish. I nice downhill singletrack finish back to town after a lovely climb.

In the moment of a ride, a trail sign is a welcome sight sometimes just for the peace of mind that you are on the right trail.

Buffed out trail near Butte, MT. This might be part of the Continental Divide Trail. I don't recall.

The view from the Continental Divide Trail, Butte, MT.

Old lime furnaces to look at from frontier days. Helena, MT.

Travel Log

2011-06-22T22:49:00.000-07:00

Arrived in Coeur d' Alene, ID for Ironman Coeur d' Alene. Had some nice time driving truck from Wisconsin.

Got off the Interstate and its mind numbing boredom and traveled Route 12 through a large part of Montana.

Lunch while driving through Montana.

Great trail riding one morning on my way through Helena. Trail access is a short ride from downtown.

Canfield Mountain Trails outside Coeur d' Alene

Which bike is not like the others

St. George, UT

2011-05-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

Boy, its been quite sometime since I’ve done an honest to goodness blog update. I had intentions to write this winter but I had been reading other blogs and was so impressed with the writing that I felt I couldn’t bring myself to write my own drivel. Some of favorite blogs are written with such brutal honesty and they wear their soul on their sleeve. I heard a quote somewhere that said, “No one cares about the shit you didn’t do!”. I think we all know people who talk about what they are going to do but never do. ANNOYING! Because I wasn’t doing anything, I felt couldn’t write about anything.

I’m not going to worry about telling you too much about my winter other than I got myself into a “funk” and couldn’t dig myself out. Let’s call it that seasonal disorder/boredom thing if we need to label it. Hopefully the feeling of being “fat and lazy” and “unaffective” can be behind me. I’m trying not to let work things bother me. I can’t do it all. Especially when it sometimes feels like hard work goes un-rewarded or noticed.

This is a picture of my mom and dad that is in the room at her home (not sure if they call them nursing homes anymore). It's tough to know that my mom's days are probably few. Old age dimentia has really set in so visiting her is tough since I can't tell if she even recognizes her children anymore. I like this old-timey picture because it's nice to think that they were once newly married without 5 children. Now there are grandchildren and even the first great grandchild this winter. They did a good job.

I’m looking forward to what is ahead. Now that I’ve started the traveling season I feel better and get accustomed to the little adventures I get to face everyday. I’ve become a wanderer over the years and like it. (I think I would have been a good cowboy in the old days.)

The first event for the Timex Team was Ironman St. George. I had that childlike excitement to fire up the truck and drive out to Utah. Wisconsin spring was non-existent so the thought of sun and heat was welcomed (be careful what you wish for).

On the way through Wyoming I wanted to stop and ride the Happy Jack Trails but when I pulled into the parking lot I saw folks pulling skis out of their cars. “No mountain biking here for at least another month”, one skier told me. He said he skied last year until May 20th and there is more snow this year.

One thing that kept my head above water this winter was the acquisition of a motorcycle and the intentions of loading it in the truck to take with me. After a winter of preventitive maintenance to learn how the moto operates and getting my license in April, I was finally living the dream. St. George has a bunch of public land to ride with a motorcycle so I carefully took my mountain bike skills to the throttle-assisted-bike. I had a blast and can’t wait to progress further with the moto skills.

St. George has great mountain biking. Mostly open desert trails . Even though my fitness wasn’t really ready for it I did several rides and Chris D. came down to hang out for a few days and sleep on my thermarest pad under the hotel room desk. HA!

I blew up from the heat on one 4 hour journey. Not sure what happened but I just felt like I was not acclimatized to the heat. Imagine wanting to find some shade for two hours and finding none. I actually felt I had to partial out my energy so I wouldn’t become a statistic involving a heat related emergency. I’m glad at least I was riding with Chris in case something went wrong.

ADVENTURE! That’s what I’ve been wanting. One evening I had 2 hours before some dinner plans so I went for a quick rip on the moto. The excitement of mini-accomplishments changed when I realized, just after taking this photo, I had a flat rear tire and was 12 miles from town. I decided to ride it out with periodic insertions of Co2 (which really didn’t help) rather than change the tube in the desert heat. I faired just fine in retrospect. (Note to self: DON’T forget the Slime sealant next time.)

Here’s the reason for the flat.

We fix all two wheel things here!

Our two pro women in the race did well with a 2nd and 5th place. Most of the competitors looked cooked at the finish line. The dry heat took a lot out of people. Didn’t matter if you were a seasoned pro or an age grouper.

I’ve got some more photos coming. I’m traveling to Texas for the next Ironman in a week. Thanks for reading so far and check back for more from the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Texas.

Greetings, St. George, UT

2011-05-04T11:40:00.000-07:00

G.S.D.

2011-04-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

SOMEDAY, SOMEDAY, I PLAN TO UPDATE THE BLOG.

REAL QUICK... I'M NOT DEAD, I HAVEN'T RUN OFF AND GOT MARRIED, STILL HAVE ALL MY FINGERS AND TOES, AND PLENTY OF CLEAN UNDERWEAR TO LAST ONE MORE WEEK.

THE BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE ME FOR MONTHS IS TO USE THREE SIMPLE LETTERS. G.S.D.

ONLY A FEW KNOW WHAT G.S.D. MEANS AND THEY ARE IN THE G.S.D CLUB. G.S.D. PREVENTS ME UPDATING THE BLOG.

CHEERS,
DJB

27 Degrees (awesomely awkward, awkwardly awesome)

2010-12-22T08:20:00.000-08:00

A little more practice with the motorcycle this past weekend on a sunny, 27 degree day.

Swedish Biathlon Team wax truck.

Check out Awkward Family Photos.com for more photos like this.

Happy Holidays

2010-12-18T15:26:00.001-08:00

HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND ALL THAT STUFF!

What visitors might call "Lame-Bachelor-Apartment-Christmas-Decorating".

Projects to occupy time

2010-12-06T09:08:00.000-08:00

Brrrrrrrrrr. One last spin around the neighborhood before it snowed to warm up the bike a little. I look a little puffy with all the layers I'm wearing.

Working with Jack to take apart the front end of his 1976 Yamaha. With my tools and our two heads we shouldn't screw it up too bad.

I really put my head into my hobbies.

Hendrix playing Voodoo Child, Hey Joe, and Sunshine of Your Love (Cream). So good. Why do kids listen to that Beiber kid?

Great time working on the bike today

2010-11-27T15:41:00.000-08:00

What is so relaxing about taking things apart?

It was a Saturday spent with tools and tunes. Reminds me of my days as a teenager working on my bicycle in the garage with a Rush cassette on the boom-box.

What started as the first time for me changing the oil and filter and cleaning the air filter turned into a few other things. I noticed the front wheel didn't exactly spin smoothly so I decided to see where it was hanging up. I thought maybe it was dragging on the brake pads. I cleaned up the spacers and seals on the wheel which seemed to do the trick.

I can't find the bolt I'm supposed to loosen to ensure I have oil pressure (oil check bolt) so I hope everything is fine. Might have to go to the moto shop and see if they can show me if they have a Yamaha on the floor.

I'll elaborate more later regarding the Yamaha

2010-11-23T16:17:00.001-08:00

My first time in the heart of New York City, Brooklyn to be exact, I was shown around by my best friend Kelsey and her son Rafael. Rafa, one was cool cat. After bonding with Rafa at the playground in Prospect Park, later in the day I believe I averted a possible disaster when I found him walking thru the living room with a packaged dried hot pepper. He probably thought it was some candy. Noone seemed to find the importance in what I had done. I'm not sure if I could ever relax if I were a dad.

One of the athletes, Trista, took a cool photo of me working while in Clearwater Beach, FL for the 70.3 World Championships.

Okay a few things about the motorcycle. Yes, I own a motorcycle now. Yes, I am kind of nervous about its operation and don't want to injure myself. Yes, I am excited to work on it (Its got two wheels and a chain and brakes with nuts and bolts that hold it together so it's practically like a bicycle. It just happens to have stuff like an engine and various electronic doo-dads. So What!)

These pictures of Gannett Peak have been kicking around on my computer the last month or so. I've been reminiscing about climbing this mountain (jeeze, 1990?) after getting re-acquanted with some of the folks who I climbed it with. Keri told me a plane went missing in this area of the Wind River Mountain Range in Wyoming and it peaked my interest to find some photos of the mountain.

Happy Halloween (The Darth Jam)

2010-10-31T14:51:00.000-07:00

Whoa! My alter ego came out for Halloween. I told "Vades" no candy until you practice your Halloween Jam.

Slash hides behind his top hat. Bucket Head hides in his KFC Bucket. Los Straightjackets wears those awesome Mexican wrestling masks. Me, I prefer a plastic mask that fogs up so bad I can't see out of the clear plastic eye sockets.

New Things

2010-10-26T15:50:00.000-07:00

There's been a few new things with me lately.

I know it's not that much to get excited about but I have the first step done in getting a motorcycle license. My motorcycle permit was supposed to come in the mail about three weeks ago. Today, I had to go back to the DMV and explain that it hasn't showed up. The first guy I talked to was sort of a jerk about it. The next guy looked into it and agreed with me. He was able to get it done and I was out the door with the actual hard-copy of the permit. Why couldn't they just do that a month ago when I was there? I figured they would just use the picture that's on file so I didn't go in expecting to take a picture with hat head and looking so scumbaggish. Ha! Do I really look like that. Yikes!

This might be me. We'll see. Yamaha WR250r.

I decided to purchase some new roller skis and they arrived on Monday. After a mountain bike ride I took them out for an hour. These Pursuit roller skis from rollerskishop.com are superb. I haven't roller skied in about 5 years because my old skis I realize now were not as fun from being old and worn. The Pursuits seemed smooth and stable. With 105mm rubber wheels (instead of harder poly wheels) I was surprised how they handled cracks and irregularities in the road. On my old skis you had to watch those things or you'd crash. My worst crash was never on a bike. It was on roller skis. Hopefully there is still some time to get in some roller ski training before the snow comes. Even if I don't get in shape at least its another activity besides going for a run.

An athlete on the Timex Team burned some CD's for me which arrived in the mail today. Music is the best gift. Thanks Barry!!!!!

Took the time to learn some "jazzy" sounding chord voicings and progressions. It's been refreshing to learn some new things and applying them towards new things to practice.

Kona recap

2010-10-13T08:34:00.001-07:00

Something is wrong with this bike too.

Something is wrong with this bike too.

Something is wrong with this bike.

Kirill's Bike. A perfect team bike.

There are a few people I see a few times a year during my travels. Hanging with Kiki at the start is one of them.

PJ is another friend from the Lake Placid days that I see occassionally at events. He is working with Road ID these days.

Darrel is another guy I don't get to see enough of like I used to. If you've watched the Ironman broadcast, olympic coverage, Crankwerks vids you've probably seen some of Darrell's camera work.

The first triple amputee finisher. What's your excuse?

Team photo after post race brunch.

Cliff Jumping after post race brunch.

Kona Mornings

2010-10-05T18:58:00.001-07:00

Laughing while on layover

2010-10-02T11:27:00.000-07:00

On my way to Kona, HI. During a 3 hour layover in Denver, I ran into Keith and Brooke Meyer. I will see them there in about 8 hours. My flight is all over the country today. I also got this video off the Kona Bikes blog while waiting. I had to contain my laughter a bit in the airport.

Fun Weekend

2010-09-27T12:23:00.000-07:00

Here's a look at my weekend events.

Saturday and Sunday I got in two good road rides. Saturday was a bit cool (chilly), i.e. long sleeves and leg warmers. Yuck! By Sunday I'll be riding in Hawaii wishing it wasn't so hot. Anyways, stopped into the local Starbucks for a hot choco. I hate to admit it but I kinda liking our local Starbucks. It has free wi-fi now. Alterra has better coffee but it's sometimes too busy and they are discouraging people to hang out there too long. It gets a boat load of med students practically living there.

Saturday night I took myself on a date to see Junior Brown. I've seen him before and he kicks you know what. He did not disappoint. If you like good old fashioned honky tonk tunes mixed with the blues and wicked guitar showmanship you should check him out in your town. The drummer was fun to watch. I sensed that every night must be different for him and needs to be on his toes to follow Junior. The Bass player was solid too. When you don't notice the bass player it usually means he's good.

Sunday went over to Sun Prarie for the Cyclocross Grand Prix. Beautiful day. Good racing. It was nice to catch up a bit with some of the riders I know.

SRV in Japan

2010-09-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

I haven't seen these Stevie Ray Vaughan in Japan posting before. This version of "Say What" has a different tempo than how he usually played it. I wonder if that was on the spot or rehearsed? Either way these guys are so tight and could play off of what Stevie was doing. Makes the hair on my neck stand up listening to this.

Also found him doing a German tv version for comparison. If you break it down it's freaky the way he phrases and accentuates with the Wah pedal and his bending. Not to mention his TONE! Blows me away.

New Roller Board and other random stuff

2010-09-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

Hey,

I finished a couple of projects this week that required power tools and making saw dust. My days are so much better when it involves fixing or making stuff. "THE CASE FOR MAKING STUFF WITH YOUR HANDS!" One of them was a new shipping crate for the stuff we ship to Kona, HI for Ironman World Championships and the other was a new roller board.

I didn't take a pic of the shipping crate but here is the new roller board (A roller board is used to build ski specific strength ie. double poling). What do you think Randy? If I build another one someday I might tweak it differently but it seems to do the job.

Nordic skiers have been building roller boards long before Chuck Noris started hawking his "total gym" thing. So, no it's not like the thing Chuck Noris uses!

Speaking of Chuck Norris how about some jokes.
1. Chuck Norris does not wear a condom. Because there is no such thing as protection from Chuck Norris.
2. Some people wear Superman pajamas. Superman wears Chuck Norris pajamas.
3. Chuck Norris will never have a heart attack. His heart isn't nearly foolish enough to attack him.
4. Chuck Norris can set ants on fire with a magnifying glass. At night.
5. When the boogeyman goes to sleep, he checks his closet for Chuck Norris.
6. Chuck Norris doesn't breathe, he holds air hostage.
7. When Chuck Norris crosses the street, the cars have to look both ways.
8. Chuck Norris can slam a revolving door.
9. Chuck Norris can win a game of Connect Four in only three moves.
10. They once made a Chuck Norris toilet paper, but it wouldn't take shit from anybody.

This past Saturday was the Crank and Crawl gathering downtown.

Jack's new moto. I now have a partner in crime to talk about motorcycles with. We both are new to it. I'm shopping for a dual sport bike.

Would love to get the Kawasaki KLX 250s.

Getting ready for Kona. This year we have 15 athletes from the team who qualified.

I meant to post pictures of the truck ages ago. I think it will always be a work in progress because my ideas for efficiency change depending on useage.

My workshop, office, bike hauler, expo display hauler. Everything has a spot.

The race room is actually pretty comfy now. I like sleeping in it when I need some privacy. Traveling with people is not always my favorite thing to do for a loner like me.

Some of you may have noticed that I'm on the Facebook thing now. Total peer pressure! Why is it that I find Facebook annoying? When I do go on it I scratch my head about what to do with it. Someone should have told me maybe I shouldn't "confirm" anybody who asks. It seems really inane stuff I don't care about from some people. I saw on the news today that the kid who invented Facebook is about the 3rd richest person in the U.S.. How can that be? How does he get that much money from such a useless time waster?

Should I start in about people on their cell phones when driving? I'm in a mood I guess. I sort of compare it to mother's with kids that are smoking.

I should go now. I'm getting worked up!

Off to Hawaii in week! I will be missing a another visit by Rodrigo Y Gabriela to Milwaukee again. Aargh!

Mahalo,
DJB

2010-09-05T14:55:00.000-07:00

It was nice to be back in Penticton, British Columbia for Ironman Canada. I haven’t had this race on my schedule for about 3 years and it's one of my favorite places to explore. The views are amazing and the area has a unique climate well suited to fruit growing and wine production. It was also rewarding for the team to have some solids results. Viktor Zyemstev won the Pro Men’s race with 4 of the 5 athletes getting on the podium as well. Kyle and Janelle were also the best-placed Canadian Pros, eh!

This trip was particularly fun for me because I fell into a routine that many would consider a vacation, except for me its what I get to do for work. I think I figured out that the less social activities the better for my well being as it lets me explore the places I get to visit.

Essentially, I concerned myself with a daily schedule that looked like this. Up early with a leisurely breakfast on the deck of the restaurant to read the paper (The salmon run was the best its been for 100 years was the big news). A couple of times I went for a morning spin too. After that, it was off to the expo to work on our athlete’s bikes and generally hang around the truck. It often got extremely windy in the afternoons so it seemed like a constant job to make sure tents and awnings were securely staked down or put away. Once “work” was done I took advantage of the amazing riding in the area for 2-3 hours. This year I had my mountain bike too so it was nice to ride the road one day and then switch to the trails the next. I hope the pictures convey how nice it is to ride around there. Nice climbs and good scenery around every bend. I would have like a few more rides on the mountain bike trails. The area I was directed to is a maze of forest roads and singletrack but very little signage or anything so it was trial and error finding my way around. You could tell some trails were meant for downhill only but I wouldn’t realize that until I tried going “up” them. Throw in the fact that its open range for cattle and you never know what’s up ahead. One morning I had to do some backtracking since the herd I came across didn’t appear as though they wanted to move out of my way. I wasn’t too sure how well behaved those things are so I played it safe as I felt out numbered.

I often was just finishing the ride as the sun was going down and after a quick shower it was off to dinner and a nice glass of wine (I’m in wine country after all) with a book as my companion. I probably got a few looks as the lonely guy eating by himself but really I like it that way. In bed by eleven o’clock and I was ready to start again the next day.

I’m back in Milwaukee for Labor Day weekend then off to Madison, WI for Ironman Wisconsin. After that it’s off to Vegas for the annual bike industry convention (looking to see if I really need to go. I really don’t want to). Before I have time to be at home again in Milwaukee for much time, it will be time to pack for Hawaii for Ironman World Championships. Man, where did summer go?

Great shack for a burger the way you want it called Burger 55.

Nice roads to ride.

The KVR rail trail was a nice 3 mile warm up to get to the trailhead.

Okonagon Lake.

Saw this old Trek with Scott Drop-In bars on the rack. Back in the day that was a...unique bike.

Skaha lake.

Vineyards all around.

View of Penticton, BC.

Some More Lake Placid Catching Up

2010-08-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

After Ironman ended i stayed a few more days to continue catching up.

Like I mentioned in the last post, I spent time just hanging out at Placid Planet. Shane brought in one of his handmade guitars for me to play. The body is from a old beam out of a friends house in Massachusettes. It plays great. The wood is marred with worm holes which give it some character to look at.

Kelly pieced together a tall-mans-kid-bike. It's a 26" wheeled Schwinn inspired copy from a Giant frame he found. Tall guys can actually ride this thing.

Another long time riding friend of mine owns Placid Boatworks and builds some beautiful carbon fiber boats. It's always interesting to hang out in another kind of shop and to see how he and his crew does it.

One of the main reasons to stick around was to be shown some of the new mtb trails that the guys have been building. The long running tuesday night leaves from Placid Planet. I forgot how different the riding was. I've become used to the flowy fst stuff from traveling out West. Adirondack roots and mud was a slower pace that demanded more technical awareness. Of course when someone flats we all stop. Good commarderie. It's nice to know that sometimes 15-20 people will show up. In the lean years sometimes it was 3 or 4 of us.

After the ride we hit the summer concert series on Main Street park. Actual "young people" music being played out in the open. The town father's must be rolling in their graves.

The Wednesday night ride, which meets by the tree at the beach, has become an even bigger night to ride. It's officially called the "Booze Cruise". Show up with a 6-pack. No one gets dropped. Beer stops along the way. I was told up to 30 people show up but this particular night was kind of rainy. I was so pysched to hear that 30 people come. We tried for years to get rides going like this. I think back then we ruined things by being "racer" types. The crew there now is really behind doing trail work and just enjoying some good group rides.

Rest stop. Crack! Splish!

Another Rest Stop.

And another rest stop.

Leaving Lake Placid I made a few stops too.

Chapel Pond

Beer walls climbing area.

Spent a night at Jim's handbuilt house in North Creek, NY.

Jim and Pooch. It's a great place for morning coffee on the deck.

Thanks for reading! Cheers!

Catching Up in Lake Placid

2010-08-13T10:37:00.001-07:00

"In an era of Google Earth, Tom-Toms,MapQuest,Magellan's,GPS, Lonely Planet travel guides to Anartica, and 13 year-olds calling home by satellite phone..from Mount Everest, no less, just how does one become lost anymore?"

-Michael DiGregorio in BIKE

I've been meaning to do some updates lately now that I finally bought a new camera after my other one died. My most recent trip about 3 weeks ago was to Lake Placid, NY for Ironman Lake Placid. I've missed the last two years of Lake Placid due to other NRC races with the road team so I was excited to go back and catch up with my friends and one of the best places in the world. I like that Lake Placid is a little bit off the map. I appreciate that cell phones don't really work up there. I miss living in that small town atmosphere where you pretty know everyone on some level. It's a great place to get LOST. Lost in friends, lost in new trails, lost in good times from "back in the day".

Keep checking back this might take more than one post.

My first stop was to stay with Randy and Lisa. This was actually the fist time I got to meet Jonathon since he was born and like many boys he likes trucks. Randy showed me the trails he's constructed on land adjacent to the house. It was pretty cool to have some ski trail literally right out the back door.

Ken and Julie are the owners of THE BEST BIKE SHOP! If they don't have it you probably didn't need it. It was nice to be invited to the staff party. I spent some hours at the shop since many of my friends were working there and they have a good espresso machine. Kenny was probably glad to see me go and stop bothering the employees.

Placid Planet had a new door that was cool.

And...some big chainrings too!

Liquids and Solids" is a new bar/eatery opened up by some friends. Seems like all us mountain bikers ended up there several times after rides.

I ran into Dusty and Chrissy. Dusty and his sister Lori were some of the first people i met when I moved to Lake Placid in 1992. There mom has been reading my blog! HI!

Ironman week was wet. Not all the time but enough where I worked inside the truck most of the time instead of under the Ez-Up tent. Ironman race day was fun watching Special K, The Schultz, and Devon compete. Keith decided two days before to do it. This was Dave's first Ironman distance and Devon's 2nd or 3rd. Inspiring to see those guys having fun.

Keith

Dave

Me, spectating at the finish from the catwalk on top of the truck.

Kids are awesome

2010-07-07T15:21:00.000-07:00

This kid is awesome. Sometimes kids remind us how we should be greeting everyday. Rev up your engine, some fist pumps, blow a few kisses, then let the day rip.

Thanks to Erin Kummer for passing this one along.

Portland, OR and Coeur D' Alene, ID

2010-07-06T15:21:00.000-07:00

Higlights of my last 3 week driving adventure in the Timex truck.

Watching World Cup Games before checking out from hotel.

Driving through Montana. Truly Big Sky country. I always imagine what it must have been like in the frontier days.

Having to get the truck's transmission re-built in Portland, OR. Not a good thing. Hanging out with one of the athlete's for a day. Fun thing.

Renting a car to go to Bend, OR while truck was being repaired.

Mountain biking in Bend, OR. REALLY GOOD THING!

Finally getting to Ironman Coeur D' Alene a day late.

Setting up the truck with our new expo look. New tents, chairs, banners, etc. I was proud of the work everyone has put in to get it mostly dialed in. There will always be stuff to change but it was nice to hear some positive comments on our visual impact.

Seeing Chris and Linsey Corbin including mom and dad Pickell. Then watching Linsey win her "first" Ironman and breaking the course record to boot.

Driving back through Montana. Had to dodge some thunderstorms which always coincided with trying to go for a ride. At least I got to do some recon on where to go when I drive through again in August. I even found a rest area on I-90 that has some convenient rock climbing routes. It been a long time since I got that excited feeling when looking at rock. Going to dig around for my shoes and gear and perhaps Tristan and I can hit it on our drive to Ironman Canada.

Back to Milwaukee. Hot and humid. Summerfest Music Festival. 4th of July fireworks on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th of July.

Fathers Day

2010-06-20T21:37:00.000-07:00

I found myself thinking about my dad the other day. I'm not sure what sparked this particular memory but it keeps coming back to me.

I have fond memories of the times we went to get ice cream, usually in the evenings after dinner on a nice summer evening. It would still be light out when when we left the house but dark by the time we returned. Dad would say, "Want to go get ice cream?", and off we would go.

Going to Abbotts for a soft ice cream cone as it turns out was more than a tasty treat. To a kid it was spending time with dad on a summer evening with no worries in the world. I wish I could do that now. I wonder what he thought about it?

2010-06-09T10:22:00.000-07:00

"NEW YORK—An extremely clever and creative new thing will amuse the world for two and a half weeks in June, become passé by mid-September, and wind up as a trite and infuriating cliché by Christmas, sources said Monday. "Positive reviews on Boing Boing will signal the brief 'happy' phase of this exciting new thing's existence, about 11 weeks prior to the first backlash," said Wired magazine senior writer Stephen Levy. "I look forward to watching America fall in love with, make YouTube parodies of, sour on, forget about, and groan legitimately when hackneyed late-night talk show references are made to the thing."

Do you have the latest phone? What about the latest computer to replace that old one (old being 1 year old)? The coolest watch? I might be guilty of wanting the latest bike but if you were to look at my two bikes they are hardly the "newest" thing out there. A design that works is a design that will last.

I believe the Fender Stratocaster guitar (as well as the Telecaster) might hold the distinction of being one design that has stood the test of time. It's form-follows-function design has been unchanged since it was introduced in the 50's.

The original Timex watch is great too! I'd probably still be wearing it if I didn't work with TIMEX and have access to their watches.

St. George trip

2010-06-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

I thought I would finally get some pics up from the last trip before I head out again for Ironman Couer d' Alene.

Driving is not for SISSIES!

A quick ride in McDowell Mtn. Park in Phoenix.

A quick ride in Sedona.

Water bottle modification. It is a bit tight to fit the Di2 battery mount on the Ordu frame but there is a way to get a H2O cage in there.

Ironman St. George

CD came down from Salt Lake to hang out for a few days in St. George. We hit up the excellent trails in the area.

St. George scenery while out riding.

Desert Tortoise

Gila Monster.

Bikes in the hall again.

After St. George I met some folks in Moab for 2 days.

Erin in Moab (Porcupine Rim)

Stopped near Fruita, CO on the way to Boulder to ride with Erin and Bryce. The Kokopelli trailhead is literally right off the Interstate. You can see the Loma weigh station in the background. Racked on some fines there last year.

Close to the edge

2010-04-05T19:12:00.000-07:00

SERENITY NOW! SERENITY NOW! SERENITY NOW!

I'm not sure it's working.

Not trying to be rude

2010-03-31T07:29:00.000-07:00

I would just like to say that I'm not trying to be rude.

To all the kind people that have sent me e-mails reminding me that you want me to be your friend (FAcebook) and reminding me to join your professional network ("Link" something), please know that I'm not ignoring you I'm just scared of the unknown. I'll have to back burner those invites until I find some time to concentrate on those things.

I can't believe in this day and age we have to feel we need to apologize for not going with the flow of the hectic world of social networking. I learned that buzz phrase this morning.

If Rob Yetter is reading this. ROB! I will have to get back to you too. I went back through some messages and just recently saw your message. Nice to know you are out there. Awesome!

DJB

A weekend of livin' the dream!

2010-03-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

More work on the truck.

Inventory some parts finally Friday night. Still missing some stuff though to do a complete build. Aargh!

A little of this on Saturday.

More of this Sunday. I'm getting a good coat of dust on my teeth.

After a quick bite to eat with a friend Sunday evening, back at the shop.

Shane Kramer sent me a pic of his latest hand crafted guitar building talents. I believe its his first "colored" model. I love the black with gold hardware. I can't wait to maybe strap it on and plug it in this summer if he doesn't sell it by then. I very excited to hear all about it.

CD at Redlands

2010-03-25T22:22:00.000-07:00

Here is Thursday's winning Prologue bike from Redlands courtesy of Chris "at the office" Davidson.

Ahhhh, I'd rather be at the scene right now. Good old Redlands.

Oh no!

2010-03-25T16:32:00.000-07:00

Oh no, Roger does really read this! Ha!

What and Wish

2010-03-24T17:16:00.000-07:00

Ah my love! How are you today? I consider this one of my tools.

WIsh I was working on Will's bike (and Erin's and Matt's).

Working on the truck overhaul. Wish I had more moments but to be honest between answering all those e-mails from Roger (seeing if you are reading Roger) and being PLOWED by F.O.T. jobs, I get interrupted. You might be wondering what the F.O.T is? I can't really say but a few who read this know about being PLOWED. Wow, that Forstner bit is as big as my head.

A guys got to eat! Might as well make a bunch so I get more than one meal out of the effort. This time of year I never get a chance to eat properly.

I've got a little of this in. WIsh I had more.

A guy has to eat! (FInger in the Nutella).

Jonathon E. sent me this pick. Good use for the frame... I think. Did we ever think that was a nice bike? I can't remember. I can see a Cannondale Raven frame being put to that use too.

Awesome! I've been looking for a particular Pete Townshend/The Who poster for years. I can't find it but this was kicking around on my computer desktop. Artistic statement?

ORBEA #1

2010-03-22T15:06:00.000-07:00

Here's what the other bikes will look if I ever get more parts sent to me.

I've been trying to rush build two bikes for Oceanside 70.3 and the photo shoot. It takes way too long and too much energy and too much money to get things done last minute. It's one of my peeves. I'd like to vent about it but who knows who might be reading.

fun

2010-03-06T09:53:00.000-08:00

EMBED-Bicycle Ghost Rider - Watch more free videos

Finally some real work

2010-03-04T08:34:00.000-08:00

Sitting at a desk answering e-mails is the suckiest thing I do with my day! Yet here I am writing a blog entry. What the...?

I'm not sure "suckiest" is even a word. My spellcheck says it isn't. Could that be so?

FINALLY, I have some work to do that involves working with my hands in the shop. Since I have so many folks I never knew were looking at this blog (wow 7 comments from the last blog entry), I thought I'd share some sentiments about what makes a quality professional bike assembly. Douglas Jay Berner Professional Bike Assembly (DJBPBA). I put a good deal of care into my builds that you won't find from a regular factory assembly. I deal with athletes that make their living using the bike and the best part of my job is to make sure the bike functions the best it can and I believe that can start right from the initial bike build. I can usually tell by a rider's reaction who got one of my builds compared to most shop or factory builds.

For example, I remove the screws that attach the rear derailleur hanger and the front derailleur braze on mount to the frame. Those bolts can sometimes vibrate loose. Since most athletes don't check them regularly enough, adding some blue loctite can eliminate that possibility of then loosening during a race.

I also like to cut the fork crown races so they are slotted. Why not absolutely necessary, it makes them tool free to install. If I have to replace one at a race it is easily removed with out having to carry the crown race removal or installation tools with me. Thanks to CD for this little pro trick.

Even Tristan had some busy work to do sorting the clothing. I remember a few years ago when we got rid of red/white/black color scheme to go to orange and was told we would be orange from now on. Look what color we are now. I wonder if the West Hill Shop in Putney Vermont still has the same jersey. If they do, then they win the award for keeping the same color scheme FOREVER!

Cheers,
DJB

Who's watching?

2010-03-01T16:29:00.000-08:00

Look what I got today. A nice new batch of Orbea's. Normally I would hesitate letting the athletes know but I'm going to see who reads the blog. (Guys and gals, before you start e-mailing me about your bike, there are no parts yet.)

SCREAMING GOLD

2010-02-25T16:50:00.000-08:00

BILL DEMONG WINS ANOTHER NORDIC MEDAL AT THE OLYMPICS. THIS TIME GOLD AND TEAM MATE JOHN SPILLANE JOINED HIM WITH SILVER. FIRST U.S. NORDIC GOLD MEDAL EVER.

AH MAN! UNREAL! THIS IS ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS I'LL REMEMBER WHERE I WAS WHEN BILLY WON GOLD. SITTING AT WORK. NO ONE ELSE IN THE OFFICE. SCREAMING AT THE COMPUTER SCREEN. ONE COMPUTER GETTING THE EUROVISION VIDEO FEED (fromsport.com) AND ANOTHER COMPUTER GETTING AN ENGLISH AUDIO FEED (linked from cyclingfans.com) AND SPLIT TIMES (nbcolympics.com).

THE ACCOUNTANT NEXT DOOR KNOCKED ON THE OFFICE DOOR TO SEE IF EVERYTHING WAS OKAY. FUNNY!

I MIGHT HAVE TO OFFICIALLY JOIN FACEBOOK SINCE THAT'S THE BEST WAY HE SAID TO GET IN TOUCH WITH HIM. YES, I SAID FACEBOOK.

PHEW!

Scared of NYC

2010-02-16T14:06:00.000-08:00

I'm heading to New Jersey tomorrow for a team get-together. Otherwise know as a team training camp. No physical training going on. Just everyone getting together. All the veterans and newbies getting their clothing and goodies. Pictures and media training. Meetings and discussions.

I have to admit something.

We are going to be right near New York City. I've never been to New York City even though I'm from New York State. In many ways New York City has nothing to do with New York State. I don't think I knew anybody that had been to NYC growing up. What I do remember, and what I need to admit, is that I'm scared of NYC. I really don't care if I ever see NYC in my lifetime.

I know this feeling stems from my childhood. One of my earliest memories is hearing of a place called NYC and a big word that coincided with this place. The word was "mugging." I didn't really know what a mugging was, but I pieced things together and it wasn't good. I was pretty it sure it involved someone bigger than you coming up to you on the street and asking for your money. If you didn't give it up you were beat up. Maybe knifed or maybe even shot. Those early media messages pretty much scared me. So even to this day as an adult I really question what does a place like NYC have to interest me.

I know, I know... its supposed to be the greatest place on earth or something. Really? Crowded sidewalks, traffic!

My good friend, the Greek Goddess Athena Fliakos, recently wrote on her blog...

"What do you do when you board a Bronx bound number 4 train to find a man with swollen joints, ashen skin, and a single raggedy rolling suitcase, a man passed out (but twitching), hunched over one crutch, saturated in his own vomit and reeking of cheap whiskey? What do you do the day after the President of the United States spins intoxicating rhetoric about the power of the American spirit, the compassion of the American people during his State of The Union address when you board a subway to find a fellow human being in desperate need? I found out today that most of us just ignore him. Or stare, shake our heads. Many of us step over him, around him, and startle with disgust when we realize that the wet streak running the length of subway car number 1160 is actually this man’s puke-drool, a rotting bile gurgling up from his throat. “Whoa, Caliban.” I whisper to myself, as I hop on the train. “Say, Caliban. Can you see?”

(READ THE WHOLE PIECE HERE)

This observation happened to take place in NYC which is a place I know she likes but it didn't help my anxiety concerning the inevitable moment that is approaching. The moment when, at this team camp, someone will make the announcement, " We are headed into the city. Why don't you join us Doug?"

Snow Play

2010-02-15T14:11:00.001-08:00

NBC?

2010-02-14T14:05:00.000-08:00

In case you didn’t know, I’m a huge Winter Olympics fan. I can’t stand to watch most typical sports on TV. But every four years I get to immerse myself in the Olympic dream and be one of those couch-sport-guys. Right now I’m pumping a fist watching women’s moguls and waiting for short track to come back on.

One of my favorite Olympic memories is of the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics and the Miracle On Ice hockey team. What perhaps is so memorable all these years later is the time spent in the living room watching the events unfold on TV with my mom. My mom typically does not watch sports. Certainly, she probably never watched a hockey game before or after those Olympics. But for those two weeks we were sitting on the edge of the couch, holding our breath. “DO YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES!!!!!”

Did anyone else make the following observation about the U.S. television coverage of the opening ceremonies? I felt like the announcing duo of Matt Lauer and that other sports guy were a let down. When every nation entered the stadium, they mentioned who the flag bearer was, their sport, and perhaps a little fact about the person. There was no such commentary when Mark Grimmette proudly carried our flag ahead of the U.S. delegation. They never even mentioned his name. It was as if they dropped their 3X5 note cards on the floor and didn’t know what to say. Seemed like the camera was more interested in where Shaun White was standing and what the snowboard ladies were doing.

Do you think there will be any mention of any of the Nordic sports? I miss having access to Canadian CBC coverage.

I was watching a news story about the two snowstorms that hit the Washington D.C. area this past week. Why is that snow storms are talked about as being bad? Apparently people are blaming the mayor because the city is still crippled from the snow and its removal. They budget for 15” of annual snow and they received somewhere around 50”. Hurray for mother nature! As humans we should realize there are some things beyond our control. Deal with it. Things could be a lot worse than some snow in the street. What about the Donner Party? (I recently saw a PBS documentary about that).

Even in Milwaukee the news stations treat a local snow storm as the lead story. As if the world is about to end. Live “on location” spots and everything. One story this week was about a guy up in arms that snow piles restricted views of traffic in certain locations. Once again… it snowed. DEAL WITH IT!

US Flag bearer

2010-02-11T11:19:00.000-08:00

'Papa Mark' Grimmette will carry flag for America

by Trey Kirby

Just a month and a half after qualifying for the Olympics, luger Mark Grimmette has been chosen to carry the flag for the United States at Friday's Opening Ceremony. The 39-year-old will be appearing in his fifth Olympics, and will be only the third luger to carry the flag for the U.S.
After being told that he had been voted to carry the flag by the 216 United States Olympic athletes, Grimmette was shocked. He told the Associated Press, "I'm still shaking. I was incredibly surprised when Brian [Martin] told me, and I'm still trying to process it all. To be the person leading the U.S. team into the Opening Ceremony is just such a great honor."
Grimmette – along with Martin, his partner – is the most decorated American luger in history. The pair won the bronze medal at the 1998 Olympics and silver at the 2002 Games.
Grimmette will be one of only four Americans to compete in five Olympics.
Grimmette, nicknamed "Papa Mark" for his age, is well-respected among American Olympians. Looks like all that flexing will come in handy when he's waving the United States flag.

Congratulations to Mark. Mark is a super nice guy from LP. I think his previous nick name around the Lake Placid crowd was the teddy bear. He is an approachable guy and I always enjoyed hearing about his travels. One time, some of my family came to visit me in Lake Placid. As we were walking into the bike shop I worked at to give them a tour, I ran into Mark in the parking lot. I thought I'd introduce him to my family. I introduced him as one of the athletes who had won an Olympic medal that winter (It was June). By coincidence he had the medal in his pocket (He was coming back from a talking engagement). It was a nice gesture by him to be able to show my niece and sisters a real olympic medal and explain a little about his sport. That is the type of guy he is. That is the type of place Lake Placid is.

Doug E Freshies

2010-02-09T10:01:00.000-08:00

Back from Utah

2010-01-24T16:33:00.000-08:00

Hey,

I was bit sad knowing how much snow was falling in the mountains outside of Salt Lake City and I had to get on a plane to fly back to Wisco. I feel very fortunate to have spent 6 days in Utah and to have been able to experience some of the best skiing I’ve ever done.

Last Monday I took an early morning flight from Milwaukee. Usually there are not that many people for a 6am flight but this time the line to check in and the security check were backed up so much that I barely made my flight. Seems like there should have been a few more people working. That's just my opinion.

I don’t mean to complain but on my two flights that day I was wedged in with some rather large people. I realize we all come in all shapes and sizes but why should I have to pay for a whole seat and then literally only get to sit in ¾ of it?

While waiting for the rest of the crew to show up in SLC, Chris D. came to pick me and we went to a favorite restaurant of mine downtown SLC for some good pizza. Eventually, most of the players arrived and we headed to the condo to wait for some of the other late arrivers.

Monday night we went night skiing at Brighton. Dumping snow and good friends. The lift ride was a bit brutal but the going down was sweet.

Tuesday was the all day epic at Alta. We had deep snow in the morning with clearing skies in the afternoon. I had a great time skiing, but more importantly I got to share it the my bros. It was a great day to remember. We even got to play with some new TIMEX GPS product. I think its alright to mention it. It’s a new wrist GPS that does so much stuff it boggled my mind.

I tried to take my skirt off so I don't think I sucked too bad. I figured if I fell it wouldn't hurt too bad. I did pop out of the binding once. Luckily, the ski was not buried but it was a struggle to "sidestep" the 5 feet back uphill to retrieve it. I had a little help from a passerby. I thought it was a guy so I said something like, "Thanks dude". Then I realized it was a woman and had to backtrack and say something even dumber like, "Thanks lady", even though she was probably 20 years old. Looking back, that was also the day I used the women's bathroom by mistake. I wonder if I hit my head that day?

I must admit that my legs were hammered after Tuesday’s ski. We were all feeling it, so Wednesday was a welcome day to transfer to the Marriot downtown and rest up for another day of skiing.

While my other mates had to work the Outdoor Retailer Show, Tristan and I took advantage of the bus system to get us up to Snowbird for more powder skiing in the morning. Once again I had a blast. I wouldn’t say I’m the most accomplished alpine skier. I stay within my comfort zone that’s for sure. I can’t imagine a better feeling than skiing in snow up to your knees and linking some sweet turns together. I imagine surfing gives you a similar feeling. It’s definetly addicting and I would live in a shoe box if I could experience that on a regular basis.

After a full day of being back in Wisconsin I’m glad to be home with my own bed, kitchen, and guitars but I do miss being in the mountains and seeing everything covered in a blanket of white.

2010-01-12T15:33:00.000-08:00

A weekend of skiing noteworthy-ness

2010-01-11T08:17:00.000-08:00

Hey,

What a weekend it was for skiing all over the world.

Tim Burke made history again! With his 2nd place in Sunday's World Cup Biathlon race, he became the first American to podium in a Biathlon Mass Start event. He was 2nd behind the great Ole Einar Bjoerdalen of Norway. Holy Cow!

Check out the video below for a short behind the scenes video from the event. Timmy is wearing a dark blue Adidas suit. This race was in Germany wear the sport of Biathlon is huge. It is shown on primetime television and their athletes are very well known to the public. In the U.S. we have never done extremely well until now. The whole team has experienced forward momentum with new coaches and funding to help these US guys compete on the world level. It's exciting to see.

Tim Burke from J Teela on Vimeo.

In Italy, Billy Demong and another US skier, Todd Lodwick made history by placing 1 and 2 in Sunday's Nordic Combine World Cup race. Way to go Billy.

My weekend was spent in Cable Wisconsin attending the 24 Hours of Telemark. While I was not competing, I had an enjoyable time working with the set-up and tear down crew. It was not all work though. I got in plenty of skiing. Northern Wisconsin has tons of snow. It bought back memories of snowy Lake Placid winters. There were two highlights of the weekend. One was the excellent classic skiing conditions. It wasn't hard to find the right kick wax at -18 below one morning to watch the sun rise or to ski out onto the Telemark's vast network of trails at night where it was totally quite and still. The other highlight had to be cranking Hendrix's version of the Star Spangled Banner before the race start. I pegged the volume on PA system to eleven! (I'm waiting to post a video or two once my camera battery charges up so check back.)

Cheers,
DJB

Tim Burke makes history books

2010-01-02T12:50:00.000-08:00

A native Lake Placid friend of mine, Tim Burke, has made the history books as the first U.S. biathlete to reach the top of the World Cup rankings. HUGE! I know it has been a lot of years and a lot hard work.

Here an article about Tim's latest success that appeared in the NY Times.

He Shoots, He Skis, and Europe Takes Notice

By KATIE THOMAS

As an American in the biathlon, Tim Burke is used to being overlooked by the sport’s most passionate fans.

His German and Norwegian rivals are celebrities in their home countries, where biathlon is broadcast live on television and races draw up to 30,000 spectators. In Germany, he is perhaps best known as the boyfriend of Andrea Henkel, a two-time Olympic gold medalist.

So when Burke took first place in the World Cup standings last weekend — the first time an American has ever done so — his achievement stunned the sport’s mostly European fan base.

“They’ve always been at the top of these sports,” Burke said by telephone this week from Oberhof, Germany. “I think it would be like our Olympic basketball team getting beat by the Germans. I don’t think that would sit so well at home.”

Back in the United States, however, Burke’s achievement is being hailed as the culmination of a plan hatched four years ago to transform the Americans into world-class competitors. Aided by an infusion of cash from the United States Olympic Committee, U.S. Biathlon, the sport’s governing body, has made changes as momentous as hiring a new head coach, and as seemingly trivial as tinkering with the way that athletes hold their rifles.

Now, team leaders say they are hoping that Burke’s spectacular season will propel the team within reach of an even bigger milestone: becoming the first Americans to win Olympic medals in biathlon.

“The kind of consistent, strong performance that Tim has had this season really does give us more confidence than we’ve ever had,” said Max Cobb, executive director of U.S. Biathlon. “I think what we’re seeing now is the coming together of four years of really concentrated effort.”

The move to transform the program began after the close of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, where the Americans twice came tantalizingly close to winning a medal. Jay Hakkinen was in position to win a bronze in the 20-kilometer (about 12.4 miles) individual event but missed a target by a fraction and ended up in 10th place. Then, Hakkinen briefly held first place in the team relay, but his teammates lost ground and the Americans finished ninth.

Despite the disappointing performance, the team showed promise, said Mike English, the chief of sport performance at the U.S.O.C.

“We could see they were going through some much-needed change and they had a good, credible plan,” he said.

Since 2006, the Olympic committee has increased its financing of U.S. Biathlon from about $250,000 in the year leading up to the Turin Games to $1 million this year, Cobb said. The governing body’s total revenue has increased from about $1 million to about $2 million over the same period.

One of Cobb’s first steps was to hire Per Nilsson of Sweden as head coach. Other Europeans soon joined the team, including ski technicians from Germany and the Czech Republic. Cobb also promoted Bernd Eisenbichler, a German who had been the team’s head ski technician, to high-performance director.

Nilsson said the Americans were not necessarily deficient in shooting or cross-country skiing, the sport’s two elements. “They were pretty good in both but not good enough in any of them to be up in the top,” Nilsson said. “We saw that we had some work to do, for sure.”

For Burke, the change represented a renewed opportunity to make a name for himself after a series of setbacks. In 2002, Burke had hip surgery to correct a degenerative condition that doctors warned might end his career. In 2004, he had mononucleosis and had to sit out the season. And at the Turin Games, he failed to finish in the top 30 in any of the three events in which he competed.

Burke, who is 27 and grew up outside Lake Placid, N.Y., has always excelled at skiing. But as with other members of the team, his shooting has sometimes suffered. So in April, team leaders made one final change: they hired Armin Auchentaller, the former coach of the Italian men’s team, as a shooting coach.

Auchentaller began by taking a fresh look at every movement the athletes made as they switched from cross-country skiing to shooting — a crucial moment in the race because the competitors must lower their heart rate and get into position to take five shots at a target that is 50 meters (about 164 feet) away.

Burke changed his transition routine and practiced the movements as if they were choreographed. “I practiced 100 times a day,” he said. “I was doing the transitions when I was in my apartment, with my eyes closed.”

Since Auchentaller’s arrival, the Americans have shaved off one to two seconds from each transition, an improvement that can trim as much as 15 seconds off the longest races. Those seconds can move a competitor ahead seven to eight positions.

Given the relatively simple fix, “I’m surprised the amount of teams that aren’t working on it,” Burke said. But given his success this season, he acknowledged that some teams may try to catch up. “In fact, maybe over the Christmas break,” he said.

Despite Burke’s recent success, Cobb and others caution that biathlon is a notoriously unpredictable sport. “It is akin to batting in baseball; people get on runs,” Cobb said. “It’s really not uncommon for someone to be on the podium one day and to be 35th the next day.”

That is what makes Burke’s lead in the standings so meaningful, said Eisenbichler, the high-performance director. “This was not happening after one or two races, but after seven races and after one-third of the whole World Cup season,” he said. “This was a very important step for Tim, to show that he’s a world-class biathlete.”

If you haven't seen biathlon before, try to watch it at the upcoming Olympics. With the real time graphics it can be pretty exciting to watch the shooting range action and skiing. You never know what might happen. I doubt the US coverage will show it much but who knows. Having Tim as current WC leader might change their minds to show it at 2am in the morning. HA! As always, I bet Canadian coverage on CBC will show some. If you are lucky enough to live near the border...can I come stay with you for two weeks so I can watch more than just figure skating and hockey.

Along with Tim, there are several other Lake Placid Olympic athletes I'm proud watch compete at the world class level. Watch for them! Lowell Bailey is on the biathlon team with Tim. Haley Jonhson is on the women's biathlon team. Nordic Combined World Champion Billy Demong will be there. Andrew Weibrecht in Alpine skiing. Crazy sliders Mark Grimmett and Brian Martin, Olympic silver and bronze medal winners along with six World Championship bronze medals, will compete in their fourth Olympics together, going back to 1998. It will be Grimmette’s fifth, adding Lillehammer in 1994.

Cheers,
DJB

Irondequoit

2009-12-27T16:02:00.000-08:00

A trip home to Rochester, NY would not feel complete without poking around the "Great, Great, House of Guitars." I made my niece snap this pic on Christmas Eve after we went to church. The church I went to as a kid is conveniently located across the street. A few days later, I was back rummaging through the guitars.

BIG MARE

2009-12-22T08:41:00.000-08:00

We had quite an enjoyable Team Sports Christmas. Mary (Known by her kids as Big Mare we found out) kept us rolling with her hilarious and true stories. We were all in agreement that she should write a book. Chapters would be titled, "The Bus Highjacking", "Roaming the french countryside looking for a wedding barbecue", "Does anyone else smell something burning on the plane", "The Margaritas were so big we almost missed our cruise ship." The stories went on and on without much PC editing either.

Merry Christmas,
DJB

What the....

2009-12-21T13:51:00.000-08:00

Does my new haircut make my ears look bigger?

I invite you...

2009-12-19T08:29:00.000-08:00

I invite you to leave a comment. I'm not sure anyone else other than Chris Davidson reads this anymore. If I'm only writing for Davidson, then that makes it feel like a bro-mance and that's not what I'm going for here. HA!

Thanks for reading Chris!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS,

DJB

Have A Rockin' Holiday Season

2009-12-15T09:05:00.000-08:00

I made an effort to decorate at the office a bit. Can't you tell? The Christmas lights I put up around the desk. Nice Huh?

Jingle Bell ROCK! Happy Holidays!

Real Riding

2009-11-04T09:43:00.000-08:00

Hey there,

Check out this video of Amsterdam. Where riding bikes is expected for getting around. Young people all the way to older folks. Pretty girls on bikes too.

GO ON THE BIKE!!!!!!!!!!

DJB

No more summer- Kona memories

2009-10-24T17:04:00.000-07:00

i've been back from kona for 10 days. Summer seems like it's gone for 2009. Milwaukee has been mostly grey and cool. Here's looking back a few more images from the trip.

Of course the obligatory sunset-from-the-balacony photo. Every year I post the exact same photo. That tells you something about the weather there. It's always the same for the most part. It must be boring to be the local weather man.

This year was the first time I've ridden the course up to the Havi turnaround point. No that's not my bike I'm holding. I wouldn't be riding a tri-bike. Riding the course gave us all a new perspective on the race. In a car you don't notice the undulations in the road. It's not exactly flat. This ride was one of my top 20 rides I've done. We didn't turn around in Havi but took the right which climbs and climbs and climbs and climbs. Right Keith? While it was not actually my birthday that day, I considered it my b-day ride. To me, there is no other way to celebrate a birthday than a ride with good friends. I don't really care for typical birthday celebrations. Thanks to Brett, "the Schultz", and Special K for being there with your bikes this year. We got to do it again next year in the other direction maybe.

The beach. Playing in the waves turns you into an instant 8 year old. Until that huge wave comes along to pumble you into the sand.

Would you believe this bike received a lot more attention than expected. It's a small replica of our team bikes that Mark Andrews from Trek made as a side project for his 6 year daughter. He showed me pictures of her OCLV singlespeed bike too. What a cool dad and what a cool job.

Now you must remember this is what we do for a living. I was working in Kona. For example, networking is a popular activity in our industry. It might look like an evening spent next to the ocean with an open bar and delicious finger food but its getting the job done. Are we witnessing a big deal going down here? Brian from Sugoi, Bill from WTC, and the boss from Team Sports.

See! I'm working race morning along with Chris Davidson (Zoot Sports)

Women's Champ, Chrissie Wellington, at the finish line that night greeting Ironman finishers. Some of those people were shocked to get that honor. Class act!

The Champs. Craig Alexander and Chrissie Wellington.

Timex Athletes are class act folks too.

Mahalo for reading,

DJB

Ironman Spirit

2009-10-13T01:06:00.000-07:00

Hey,

Spending my last night in Kona. It's been a nice trip again. Sometimes I have to remind myself that even though I'm working it's not all bad. I could be sitting in an office somewhere pushing papers around. I'm pretty blessed to work with some great friends. I was going through some videos I took of the finish line and thought I'd share some with you before I left the island.

The Ironman is not like many others races. In many ways it is really much more than who won and who was the fastest. Many people have no dreams of winning but doing the best they can with what the day gives them. The whole family atmosphere is addicting. Especially the last three hours of the race.

A huge crowd assembles around the finish line to cheer on the remaining finishers that have been out there for 15, 16, and 17 hours. Its electric I tell ya!

I know of no other type of race that cheers on the last official finisher. The cutoff is 17 hours and this guy was brought home by the cheering crowd with less than a minute to spare.

While some may not make the official cutoff time, the Ironman family of finishers will still cheer for you. Wow! This guy was the winner of the "Biggest Loser" tv show and wanted to prove to himself he could do an Ironman.

Some folks push themselves to the limit just to finish. What other event are you greeted by a world champion at midnight? Craig Alexander and Chrissy Wellington were the big pro winners that day and both showed up to honor the heart and soul of the Ironman spirit. For several hours they placed finishing leis around athletes necks. It was awesome to see people's expressions as they were presented with a lei and hug from Chrissy. Many couldn't believe their eyes that she was taking the time to care about their finish. They both seem to be class acts.

The island spirit is all over the island. You can sense it all week, so it is fitting to end the race day with a prayer. Thousands of people in hushed silence and reflection on what the day has been. For the athletes it might have been about their personal race and what it took to get there. Families reflecting on loved ones support. New friendships formed in the heat of battle. It is really something that is good in the world... this Ironman stuff.

Just in case you didn't follow it race day here is Chrissie's finish line.

Alright then. Off to bed. i'll have some more Kona pictures sometime this week to post up so check back again.

Aloha! Mahalo!

Read Linsey's blog by clicking right here

2009-10-09T00:53:00.000-07:00

Kona has been hot. You pretty much stand around in the expo hoping to catch an ocean breeze. Any sort of breeze will do.

Here is a humorous blog entry from Linsey Corbin. She and her husband Chris are some of the best people I know and she has a great perspective on being a pro triathlete. I even made her photo montage. Click on my blog entry title. Yes, the one proclaiming in green letters to click here. I couldn't figure out how to make the link work but somehow I did it so you click on the blog title.

While I'll be cheering for many people on race day, Linsey is one gal we will be rooting for to have a great day out there.

MAHALO!

DJB

KONA BOUND

2009-10-02T10:16:00.000-07:00

Aloha! Heading off to Hawaii. Land of great sunsets and daily Lava Java Milkshakes. This will be my office view for the week.

Something Different For A Change

2009-09-29T08:57:00.000-07:00

Hey,

I've been trying to update for quite awhile now. I think I'll have to just start with this past weekend and at some point go back to the other stuff from the past few months. I should have a ton of photos to share from Utah and Colorado.

I got the call a few weeks ago to help Chris Jones while in town this past weekend for the Cyclocross Grand Prix in Madison. It was a pleasure to work with Chris. A true professional and a good friend.

Working the cross race was fun since it was not the same old routine I'm used to. As far as cross races go it was pretty easy for a mechanic. Typical weather for cross is mud and cold but this past weekend was relatively nice. Saturday was dry and warm. It rained a bit just before the men's race on Sunday which changed the conditions a bit but it wasn't soupy.

Cyclocross News was interested in the Focus bikes.

Chris rides Focus for the cross season. Focus is starting to make in-roads to the U.S. market.

Mechanic and Chris "Money" Jones.

For my techy friends out there, can you detect a modification to the brake to achieve some toe in with the brake pads?

Here is a little taste of the past. Back in August (I think) I stopped for the night in Boulder, CO and stayed with friends. Although my stay was less than 24 hour, it's always nice to be able to visit Boulder and get a ride in.

If you look up "cool" in the dictionary you might find a picture of Erin Kummer. She ROCKS! As a plus there was enough room to drop the truck in her neighborhood which is sometimes hard to do when you want to crash with friends.

Cheers,
DJB

Uncool Storm

2009-08-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

Hi,

I have tons of photos and vids to show sometime. Coming soon. Here is a little craziness from today.

STAY TUNED for the biggest and best update.

DJB

Ah Bend

2009-08-01T23:38:00.000-07:00

More from Bend

2009-07-30T15:18:00.001-07:00

A NICE SCULPTURE TO RUN ACROSS OUT ON THE TRAILS

SKELETOR LOG

MOVING THROUGH THE PELOTON TO THE BREAK

2009-07-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

Hey there,

Here is a quick re-cap of the last two weeks. Drove from Milwaukee to Bend, OR for the Cascade stage race. Long drive. Interstate driving is pretty uneventful so I decided to take highway 12 from Missoula, MT through Idaho on over to Oregon. That was a very scenic drive but it took me all day to drive only 400 miles as it was a twisty two lane highway through the mountains. Not sure if I'd do that again in the truck.

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Route 12 somewhere in Idaho.

I love coming to Bend. Always meet great people here. The race went well except for those darn Shimano shifters that keep crapping out. Fortunately, Ryan at Shimano Neutral helped me out with a couple of new ones while I try to bring them back to life.

Caravan Life

Hotel Life

Enjoying some time in Bend to do as much mountain biking as I can. Linsey Corbin hooked me up with her parents, Tom and Betty Pickell, so I've had a free place to stay and sleep. Hot weather here so trying to stay in the trees as much as the trails allow. Water, water, water!

Thanks Linsey! You Rock!

Riding the Deschutes River Trail in Bend, OR. Benham Falls then Bonking Falls.

Catching Up A Little

2009-07-12T11:39:00.000-07:00

I should have a lot more of this and that to update soon. For now I wanted to see if this might upload okay. It's from the Quebec City stage at the Tour de Beauce. I apologize for Gord's french. Enjoy the behind the scenes and the view from my "office".

Ah what the heck! I'll take a break from gluing some tubulars to update for all my loyal peeps! On my way back from Quebec I stopped for a sweet ride on the Kingdom Trails in East Burke, Vermont. All I can say is I needed another 3 days to ride more of the trails. I've often read about this place in magazines. They don't lie. If you are on the east go there soon. Tons of east coast singletrack. My 5 second movie does it no justice. This particular part was more hairy than it looks. It was slick and rooty with a big drop-off to my left. REALLY IT WAS TRICKY ONCE I GOT PAST THE CAMERA!

This picture of me and Gwen is from April. I stayed with Candice and Dave in Tucson and got to become pretty good pals with Gwen. A real cutie!

Got to love the front door parking. Early bird gets the worm. The overhang kept me out of the rain but my location meant that every hotel guest walked by and asked questions. I don't mind really, but if you choose to ask me if I can leave one behind for you or if they are for rent or some other witty remark don't expect a big guffaw from me as I hear that one about 3 times a day. If you are a bike racer and ask nicely chances are I can diagnose your problem. I had a blast helping out quite a few athletes that were at the race without their normal support or are a category racer and were blown away that I could help them out.

My pal Shane is starting to build some stringed instruments. I'm in awe. My stay with Athena and Shane wetted my desire to attempt bulding a guitar of my own sometime. This is the Telecaster style he made. In the evening we spent several hours "jamming" with 5 of us. Who knows if it was any good but probably one of the best times I've had. I was bummed when we went to bed. I could have stayed up all night. So much fun was had. Shane and Athena are like that. Good friends you can start right up where you last left off. I haven't seen them in more than a year. Maybe even two.

I joined Athena and Andrew at the station. They volunteer at a community radio station in Massachusettes where they live. We had another good time talking about being a Pro mechanic, Lance at the Tour, why Frank SInatra is cool and even got to bring in some tunes to play. I was impressed that their local station is all volunteer. They feel strongly about acting locally to bring about change. I have cool friends.

MY MOM!!!!! Enjoys her card night. I was told she is quite the shark. It was good to see my mom for a bit and visit her new home. It was a big change for her, but she seems to be getting into the groove and able to enjoy herself at some of the activities.

Cheers,
DJB

y

Working with your hands

2009-05-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

“Dilbert,” “The Office” and similar portrayals of cubicle life attest to the dark absurdism with which many Americans have come to view their white-collar jobs."

"High-school shop-class programs were widely dismantled in the 1990s as educators prepared students to become “knowledge workers.” The imperative of the last 20 years to round up every warm body and send it to college, then to the cubicle, was tied to a vision of the future in which we somehow take leave of material reality and glide about in a pure information economy. This has not come to pass. To begin with, such work often feels more enervating than gliding. More fundamentally, now as ever, somebody has to actually do things: fix our cars, unclog our toilets, build our houses."

"The Princeton economist Alan Blinder argues that the crucial distinction in the emerging labor market is not between those with more or less education, but between those whose services can be delivered over a wire and those who must do their work in person or on site. The latter will find their livelihoods more secure against outsourcing to distant countries. As Blinder puts it, “You can’t hammer a nail over the Internet.” Nor can the Indians fix your car. Because they are in India."

"If the goal is to earn a living, then, maybe it isn’t really true that 18-year-olds need to be imparted with a sense of panic about getting into college (though they certainly need to learn). Some people are hustled off to college, then to the cubicle, against their own inclinations and natural bents, when they would rather be learning to build things or fix things."

"A gifted young person who chooses to become a mechanic rather than to accumulate academic credentials is viewed as eccentric, if not self-destructive. There is a pervasive anxiety among parents that there is only one track to success for their children. It runs through a series of gates controlled by prestigious institutions."

"The trades suffer from low prestige, and I believe this is based on a simple mistake. Because the work is dirty, many people assume it is also stupid."

Try the link to this article by Mathew Crawford. It's titled "THe Case for Working With Your Hands. It explores why some of us are drawn to working with our hands and that maybe it is meant for us to except that. But, often the "hand" workers are viewed as lower class compared to those who e emphasis pure intellectual academic life paths.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24labor-t.html?pagewanted=1&em"

I remember growing up in school that I wanted to take shop class and auto class but those were reserved for the "not so bright kids." I think it is true when it was stated in this article, that “in schools, we create artificial learning environments for our children that they know to be contrived and undeserving of their full attention and engagement. Without the opportunity to learn through the hands, the world remains abstract and distant, and the passions for learning will not be engaged.”

How true is that statement? Kids know that the school environment can be contrived and undeserving of their full attention! I'm sure I learned a lot more than I realize from my dad and mom than I realize. Watching my dad fix stuff. Family camping trips. Does anyone feel like they learned much in high school? Yes, we learn the three R's maybe. I felt like I didn't start learning until I had experiences that were often associated with things outside of school. Boy Scouts, athetics, youth groups, etc. Actually doing things in the world. College seemed to open up the world of being on one's own and being a Outdoor Education major I was exposed to a way of teaching that is hands on and experiencial. My professors understood that riding the bus downtown with earplugs, to simulate being deaf, to purchase a candy bar offered more education with regards to adaptive recreation therapy.than the final exam with multiple choice answers.

Anyways, working with your hands is not a bad thing. I hope to get on "Dirty Jobs" someday.

DJB

Wheelie?

2009-05-27T13:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't had the time of late to do much updating. I think most of that had to do with not having much material to "blog" about. It's just day to day work that seems too mundane to write about. I realize many of you might like to know that I painted the inside of the trailer, or took out the garbage to the dumpster but who wants to read about that when there are great blogs out there to read.

That feeling has passed about 2 hours ago when I decided to build a wheel I promised someone I'd build up for him. Once I started building the wheel I realized how much I could say about the act of building a wheel. Mechanics like to wax poetically about this. But it is true, how it is such a learned skill that I bet not many of the younger mechanics in todays bike shops can do.

Is it a skill or an art. Probably both. Yeah, a machine can do the same thing on a mass production line but it's not the same thing. What makes a hand-built wheel so nice is the soul of the builder that goes into the final product. In it's basic form a wheel is composed of the rim, hub, and spokes. Assemble these together in the proper order and tension and its an amazingly strong structure capable of holding many times its weight. Rolling down the road, accelerating, braking, absorbing potholes...

I guess I became nostalgic while building this wheel because I haven't had to build one in quite awhile. Probably the last time I worked full-time in a bike shop was when I built a wheel. These days most wheels are pre-assembled and offered as complete integration of spokes, hub, and rim specific to the manufacturers design. Wheels these days are really cool. It's just that the mysteriousness of a mechanic sitting as his bench and twiddling with the spokes in some artful way is gone.

I can remember the first wheel I built. Following a step by step description from a book. I can almost remember many of the wheels I've built at the bike shops I've worked at. I bet many of those wheels are still rolling along as someone's training wheels right now. I remember nights sitting at home with a pile of spokes and nipples lacing up a new pair of race hoops for myself (Dura Ace hub, Mavic rims, Double butted spokes).

The art is in the hands. The feel you get from the nipple engaging the threads. Quarter turns here, eigth turns there. Check roundness, check side to side. Bring it all together like a painter with a few brush strokes. Right in front of you a pile of parts becomes this thing that has a piece of the builder's soul in it. It's a strong statement, but you aren't a proper mechanic until you can whip out a standard 32, 3-cross wheel. Show me a 16 year old working in a shop that can do that. Show me a 25 year old shop mechanic. Actually, show me a 16 year old that is actually wanting to get his hands dirty in a bike shop. Don't get me started.

Want to talk about tied and soldered wheels? I've got a sweet set of mountain bike wheels still rolling. They might be 10 years old. Another time perhaps.

(How's that Davidson?)

Cheers,
DJB

I will update someday

2009-05-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hey ya'll,

Of course I've been busy! I will update better at a later date but just had to post this video for now. Chris D. is always good to work with and we had a little fun with Silver City, New Mexico's yellow town bikes. Nice one Chris.

We had intentions of collecting a bunch of the yellow bikes and putting them on the Kelly Benefits car one night but that never happened.

Hinders to updating

2009-04-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

To those who have been asking for an update, here is very brief taste.

Hinders to my effort to update are lack of motivation while my back is locked in muscle contortions making daily life less fun. Also, the extreme lack of computer hook-up. I've been in Tucson for a week and have not come across any free wireless.

Here is one day of AZ mountain biking near Phoenix at the old Cactus Cup trails. Nice trails specifically meant for fast trail riding. It says so on the sign. "Trails meant for fast riding and working on riding skills." It was great riding but tweaked my back from previous week again. Good camping at the park too. Watch out for snakes though. Once you see one, every stick seems to be a snake. Also the public service announcement on television about bee swarming season really messes with your head.

MY KIND OF TRAIL! YEAH BURNER, ER I MEAN BERNER! Most people spell my last name with a "u" anyways.

old and new

2009-03-28T18:08:00.000-07:00

Nothing against Orbea bikes but it's refreshing to work on other bikes once in awhile. The shop is loaded with equipment for the Timex Team right now. During my short time in Wisconsin, I put together a couple of bikes to get them out the door and to their respective athletes.

The equipement room is all aglow with the orange of Trek TTX's and Madones.

I haven't had my hands on the latest generation of Madones in years. I am impressed with this frame and am thinking I might need one. I like the simplicity of the BB-90 bottom bracket. Curious how the Madones ride.

Team TTX

Let's all admit that this bike may be coolest bike in the shop right now. Yes, it's an authentic 7-Eleven team bike. Tom Schuler's to be exact. The one he won the USPRO championships on back in 1986 (1987?). It was recently willed to him and arrived in a box. Ask Tom about it since its a great story.

Update after Taiwan

2009-03-25T06:16:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite host families. Jonathon picked me up one night during Tour of California for a little escape from the hotel. I had a nice visit to see the parents and then out for some local Fresno sushi.

The day before I left for Taiwan I went on a little mountain bike adventure. I prefer to call it an adventure because when I ride someplace I've never been before it seems a little more "out there". In this case, it was pretty out there. I rode it rather safe since it got into my head that if I screwed up I'm not sure anyone visited this area much too find me. It's about 50 miles outside of San Diego. Since I happen to be a former Boy Scout, I was prepared. Plenty of water, extra clothing, and even some matches in case I had an unplanned bivy. The wind was howling and the temperatures were 20 degrees colder at the highest point. In the picture I'm pointing to a dirt road at some point I had started out on.

Looking for a public restroom after one of the stages I stumbled across this temple.

This is my image of Taiwan. Every city looks like this to me.

Driving is somehow pretty orderly even with all the scooters everywhere.

During our "cultural exchange" tour we were taken to a place that had something to do with the important history of smell sticks. From what I can gather it was about incense and it's importance in religious ceremony. Our hosts tried their best to interpret in English what the Taiwanese tour guide was saying. Many people lost interest but I thought they were putting in a great attempt to share something with us that was important to them so I followed them around and just nodded my head as if I knew what was going on. I basically made up my own version of what we were looking at. This stump is a carving of one of the woods that is used in incense. Very old carving...I think?

This is the Tour de Taiwan tech portion of the blog for my cycling friends. These CKT bikes were nice looking. Very color coordinated. In case anyone needed to know if those wheels were tubular... it say so right on them.

Never have seen this White stuff. Taiwanese stuff made by Microshift.

One day the director asked for some help. Said they were not shifting well. I had go with it. Seemed like it didn't release from the cogs very well. He indicated this was the first race with the bikes. I did notice the drivetrain was built with some brake housing and the director said "hmmm, that's interesting."

Prototype rim made by Citek. Thin aluminum disks on a carbon rim.

One of the frustrated things about the Taiwan race is the bike racks we have to use. They don't fit modern bike tubes. I had to rig it up to work and most of the time the bikes were at a odd looking angle. Toe straps and Thule straps are my favorite items to travel with.

Never regret a ride

2009-03-04T08:29:00.000-08:00

Hey,

I'm off to Taiwan tomorrow for the Tour of Taiwan stage race. Last year that was a new experience for me. I'm sure at times I had the "deer in the headlights" look. It just seemed some things were done with out any common sense. I'll have a better idea this time of what to expect and look forward to it. The best part is the Taiwan people. Very nice people and hope I'll see some of the folks associated with the race from last year.

Up until 3 days ago I thought I was pretty much set to go but once I started packing equipment and my stuff I realized there were a million little things to do. What I thought would be a few hours in the morning packing turned into all day and several trips to the store for little things. Thank heavens for GPS. I'm beginning to really rely on that now. It's pretty busy here in San Diego and I'd go even more crazy if I didn't have the GPS to use.

While I'm almost set to go, I won't be able to take a breath until the bags are checked in and all I have to do is sit on the plane. I'm not the greatest plane traveler and prefer to stay in the States but a few big trips a year is okay. My back and hips are knotted up which is probably due to a little stress I put on myself.

Yesterday I brought the truck to Campagnolo North America to leave in their parking lot. They were very nice to let me drop it off for safe keeping while we are out of the country. The only thing was that I had to ride a bike 35 miles south to get back to the hotel. Although I was hesitant about having to ride the road on the knobby mountain bike tires, it turned into a great ride along the coast which involved a few chances to ride right on the beach and even on some dirt next to a railroad line.

My friend reminded me that a ride like is good for the head since it takes you away from the work world for a bit. All you have to think about is riding your bike and not the million things that need to get done. How true! It really legitimizes while I insist on having something to ride on the truck. They'd have to pay me a million bucks to leave a bike at home.

Someone sent me this picture from Tour of California. That's the documentary film crew sneaking up again and filming nothing in particular that Doug is doing. If they make the film someday, I hope it shows me doing something cool. Usually they seemed to catch me washing the hub caps on the car or tying my shoe laces.
I'll try and update from Taiwan,

DOUG

2009-02-27T19:05:00.000-08:00

I've been crazy busy since leaving Wisconsin on January 13th. Finally had a chance to take a day off the other day. The first one in a long time.

I tried to take a few short videos from the car one day during the Tour of California to show you what it's like at the office for me and the riders.

n

TofC Pic o the day

2009-02-13T21:28:00.000-08:00

Wow what a boring picture! It does convey the cold and gray that is engulfing California though. Wish i was headed up the pass to Lake Tahoe. The rain I'm working in is dumping snow in the mountains for some good skiing.

Tomorrow is the start of the race.

DJB

Grand Canyon or Jacuzzi?

2009-02-11T20:44:00.000-08:00

Is there anyone other than me, and one other guy I know, not on Facebook? That's all I hear about lately. Facebook friend this!

I'm in Sacramento, CA preparing for the first stage race of the season and one of the biggest on the world calender.

From what I hear it actually may be warmer in Wisconsin.

My hands are dry and cracking.

The haircut I got the other day was disappointing. I think the lady should have talked less and concentrated on work more. I usually do say, "just make it look good" , but perhaps that was too much artistic license for this particular woman.

In the hotel I'm at, the bathroom has a large tub or what is otherwise known as a jaccuzzi. There is no separate shower. The shower and jacuzzi are one in the same. There is no shower curtain and the step to get into the tub is a full stretch as if you are stepping into the Grand Canyon. Nothing like a naked wipeout to wake you up! It is strange showering with no curtain around you in such a large bathroom. Ridiculous design!

DJB

BUELLTON, CALIFORNIA-TEAM CAMP

2009-02-03T21:36:00.000-08:00

THIS JUST ABOUT SUMS UP THE LAST 3 WEEKS OR SO. IS BEING A PRO MECHANIC REALLY LIVING THE DREAM? I WONDER SOMETIMES.

PHOTO SHOOTS ARE NOTHING BUT A WHOLE LOT OF "HURRY UP AND WAIT"! I DON'T CARE FOR THEM. WASTE OF MY TIME. ONE OF THE WORST THINGS I HAVE TO DO AT CAMP.

I HAVE NO IDEA WHO THESE NEWLYWEDS ARE. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE FUNNY TO TAKE THEIR PICTURE AT THE TRUCK. THEY WERE NOT INTO IT AT ALL BUT THE GROOM'S MOTHER THOUGT IT WAS FUNNY.

THE BIKES.

BACK TO WORK!

CHEERS,
DOUG

Kid stuff

2009-01-10T19:34:00.000-08:00

Over the holidays some articles of my youth were found at mom's house. I have a complete set of school report cards from kindergarten through 12 grade. I'm not sure why my mom kept these but i guess that's what mom's do.

As you can see bikes have always been on my mind. I'm dating this drawing of my brother's Schwinn Ram Horn to about 1st or 2nd grade. Pretty good detail but not sure why I didn't add the banana seat?

This was my teacher's comments from Pre-Kindergarten. If you change some of the words and place them in a different context it is almost the same evaluation I recently got from my boss during our annual meeting.

We believe this is my newborn announcement pic. My mom doesn't know but it was in my folder.

Cheers,
DJB

Jaw Dropping

2009-01-10T12:25:00.000-08:00

Man, I suck playing guitar... compared to Gabriela. Wow!

Amazing stuff. Throwing some Metallica riffs in there too.

DJB

H-N-Y

2008-12-31T20:44:00.000-08:00

Jigsaw

2008-12-22T20:04:00.000-08:00

This is the song of the night I'm learning to play. It's taken me a year to really appreciate their latest album "In Rainbows". All the little nuances have clicked within my brain. When I try to play Radiohead songs I'm in awe how some songs take pretty simple ideas and turn them into amazing material. Some of the best versions of Radiohead songs are stripped down acoustic versions. If a song is that good stripped of all the electronic parameters it must be good. I haven't come across an acoustic version of Jigsaw Falling Into Space but this was a good concert shot.

invigorating

2008-12-19T08:28:00.000-08:00

How come I seem to be the only one at work today?

I think it's important to commute to work no matter what. But, is it easier to say it's too bad out to drive or too bad out to bike? I'm stumped. To me it's too dangerous to drive but fine for biking. Only two people said I was crazy to be riding a bike in this weather on the way into work. I must admit I did almost bite it a couple of times but what a rush.

I wrote this the other day explaining to a friend that riding a bike, even if it's cold and snowing out, is worthwhile.

"...there is plenty you can do when it's negative zero. First you must have to say to yourself that it's not cold. It's "INVIGORATING." Yes, it's too cold to sit on a ski lift but classic skiing you can get great kick with just polar wax. Granted not much glide. Also, you get really excellent icicles in your beard that makes for a dramatic entrance to the ski center. Little kids stare in motionless wondermint and mother's run away. Okay, you won't get an icy beard so leave tufts of hair exposed so your breath vapor can attach to the strands leaving a halo effect around the face which should include the eyebrows and eyelids.

You can commute by bicycle and have tourists in Lake Placid point at you and exclaim, "Look at that crazy person riding their bike in this weather! That should be illegal." Those folks were probably from New Jersey. On other sub zero days, you could stop at Starbucks in Wauwatosa and the girl at the counter says, "This one's on me." In this case, you either impressed the heck out of her with your manly biking brovado, laughing into the face of winter's onslaught. Or, she thought you were a pathetic chump without a car and this would be her Christmas good deed even though I enthusiastically gave her the ol' "IT'S INVIGORATING" line to convince her I like riding my bike. Women?"

Come to think of it last night at the grocery store the cashier asked if I was on a motorcycle. She saw my bike helmet in my hands. I replied, "No. Bicycle." She had to think about it longer than I expected. She responded with a dumpfounded, "oh', and in a subtle way slightly shook her head as she handed me my change. Have a nice night... as I rode out of sight. Ho, ho, ho...on donner, on blitzen, on kona,

CHEERS and GOOD SHOVELING,
DJB

Putting it out there for Christmas

2008-12-18T11:09:00.000-08:00

Okay, here is my attempt at spreading some Christmas cheer.

Yes, I often go home and wear a cowboy hat around the apartment. Who doesn't? It puts me in country mode in this case.

How does that saying go...if you can't laugh at yourself...

Did anyone else notice the squeaky floors? I can't stand squeaky floors.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS. HOPE I DIDN'T MAKE YOU CRINGE TOO MUCH!!

DJB

More Radiohead

2008-12-08T22:16:00.000-08:00

I won't say much about these two songs. Form your own opinion of Radiohead's great-ness.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

Hello,

I meant to post this picture of the family Thanksgiving. In the picture is mom, sisters, bros-in-laws, nieces, nephews and one dog.

Cheers

Guit-Steel

2008-11-22T10:28:00.000-08:00

If you ever get a chance to see Junior Brown... DO IT! I saw him in a club several years ago and was amazed. He plays small clubs on a pretty regular basis. I'm hoping he comes back to Milwaukee when I'm in town.

Milwaukee often has great bands playing here but I'm usually not in town. Happens all the time.

Doug in action

2008-11-19T09:13:00.000-08:00

Look who I found on YouTube. Doug in action at Philly.

DJB

3 meals

2008-11-15T13:54:00.000-08:00

I just realized how long I've been working on my computer at the coffee shop. Long enough to have had breakfast and lunch. I'm pretty close to dinner time. I might as well stay to make it a trifecta.

Living the dream.
DJB

Clearwater and music city

2008-11-12T18:10:00.000-08:00

I was down in Clearwater, FL for 70.3 Worlds. Nice weather and it was nice to see the triathlete gang. Within my cycling world there is the "road" scene and the "tri" scene. Both are circuses filled with great folks. The Timex team has great athletes and many of them are awesome people I call my friends. Timex posted some excellent results. 3rd and 8th in pro men. A couple of age group wins and several other podium spots.

Tristan, Erin, and I. Two weeks before this race Erin was crowned Amateur Exterra World Champion in her age group. While not exactly motivated to race the 70.3 event (she hadn't ridden the rode bike in months) she still managed a 4th place. What a great year she's had and hope to see more great things come her way.

Ian, Myself, and Hodges. While these guys may have not had the races they wanted, they still toughed it out. Hodges works at NASA so when you say things like, "It's not rocket science!", Hodges actually can say it is rocket science. Cracks me up.

Amanda, Myself, and Erin. I have a great job most of the time. Thanks for the laughs ladies!

On the drive back to Wisconsin, Tristan and I stopped in Tennesee for a mountain bike ride on the Tanasi trails which start at the Ocoee Whitewater Center, site of the whitewater events for the 1996 Olympics. Some great trails. Had a blast. Crashed a few times too. Ouch! A local joined up with us while out on the trails. With a strong southern accent and vernacular he said, "Hi, my name is Fenton Scruggs". Sounds made up but totally true.

Finally got a video to post. Not very exciting but worth it to view some moving pictures for once.

After the ride we continued driving and spent a night in Nashville. If you like music, this place has music playing in the clubs 7 nights a week. You can just walk up and down Broadway and hear what's coming out of the Honky Tonks. With 2 days until the Country Music Awards, things were getting busy.

Ernest Tubbs record shop. A piece of history right there in front of me.

Now that I'm back in the office, I've got several busy months ahead of me. This is usually the busiest time of year for me. Need to try and take it day by day and not kill myself over the eventual frustrations that arise when trying to work with deadlines and several vendors. The team will be using Shimano this year. It's nice to work with Shimano again. It's my role now to get the numbers together and get all the bikes and equipment ordered. Off the top of my head that's about 103 individual bikes that need consideration (not including the Timex team bikes). Wish me luck!

Cheers,
DJB

AS FAR AS I KNOW

2008-10-30T12:13:00.001-07:00

As far as I know, the Lake Placid crew is the first I've heard of anybody skiing. The toll road has 18-20". It's days like that I miss Lake Placid.

All this skiing talk got me in the mood to look at some skiing coverage from last year. If you want the definition of throwing the hammer down, check this out. Even though I don't know any of the Finish or Norwegian language (other than Hueva Huamenta), the announcers always make it seem like the most thrilling thing ever. Just hearing the commentary takes me back to the days of high school racing as those videos were the closest thing people could find of any coverage. Of course they'd be about two years old and not current at all.

A Foot in LP

2008-10-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

Hey,

I just heard from a Lake Placid buddy that they got around a foot of snow so I logged onto to the ORDA Web Cams to check out the view. I thought I'd share some awesome winter in October with you all. I can just hear the exclamations from the skiers out there hoping it is a sign of a good snow year.

This is the ski stadium at Mt. Van Hoevenberg. Looks like some activity on the right. Maybe Randy's Tracks?

The view of the ski jumps.

I'm heading to Clearwater, FL on Sunday for Ironman 70.3 Worlds so if it happens to snow in Milwaukee I'll miss it.

Cheers.

Nice Video

2008-10-26T18:49:00.000-07:00

Enjoy this short film I found.

Kona Awards, Friends, and Getting Sweaty

2008-10-18T18:17:00.000-07:00

The day after race day is the awards ceremony. It's a straight forward, ho-hum, affair. After a few words and acknowledgements, the top ten in each age group are called on stage. Not much to write home about here. A few highlights that made this year memorable...

Dick and Ricky Hoyt were inducted into the Ironman Hall of Fame. Yes, Ricky has cerebral palsy. As a baby, the doctors said he would just be a vegetable the rest of his life. Mom and Dad said that would not be the case. Ricky went to public school and has a college degree. To complete the Ironman, Dad swam while pulling Rick in a raft, then biked with Rick on a specially adapted bike, and then pushed Rick in a wheeled stroller. Rick gave a moving speech in which he described the first time he and dad did a running race. He said he felt like he wasn't even disabled while racing. A powerful message that should remind us all of our potential abilities in the world. Rick said he is proud to be the only vegetable to have done the Ironman as far as he knows and he prefers Rick to Ricky.

Check out the video of a historic Ironman awards ceremony. It hardly ever rains in Kona and certainly never during the awards which is held outside. Well guess what? It started with a sprinkle that made things a little wet but it stopped and everyone could deal with it. Then the rain came back in starts and stops. Eventually it started to rain hard and never stopped. I've never stood in rain like that before on purpose. Picture if you will handing out wooden bowls which were the trophies and athletes were turning them over to dump out the water that was accumulating in them. By the time Chrissie Wellington went to give a speech, the sound cut out. Mayhem ensued as the thousands of people decide they had enough and poured out of the venue while walking in ankle deep puddles. Only a few hardy souls gathered around the stage for the men's awards. See what I mean in the video.

After the awards ceremony, this year's industry/athlete party was put on by K-Swiss. Because of the rain it was a bit crowded inside. Good thing everyone is skinny. It was a good chance to casually catch up with folks. Chris Corbin, Luke "the head MacKenzie, Linsey "Corbin not Pickel" Corbin, Doug "ah nuts" Berner, Rachel "Splish" Ross.

What happens when the local establishments close for the night in Kona and no one wants to go home? Stand around in the parking lot for awhile until the police politely ask that everyone should leave. The Euro folks were shocked that a bar would close at 2am. Where they are from open until at least 4am. Who goes out that late?

One of the things I'd been looking forward to in Hawaii since January was a mountain bike ride with some friends to commemorate yours truly turning another year older. Pretty much my whole life has involved bikes so that's what I love do to celebrate certain milestones. While technically not the actual day of my birth I determined it didn't matter and considered the 13th this year as b-day. The trail is called Jurassic Park and involved a lot of loose-rock climbing but the downhill was the reward. I have to admit that there was more pavement than dirt involved on this ride but all in all it was pretty cool.

Kudos to Plow for joining me on this sweat-fest up into the jungle. (Yes I do have more than one friend but Tom was the only one to join in that day)

Aloha until next year!

Kona Finish Line

2008-10-17T03:49:00.000-07:00

The people's stories are numerous and varied. Because of the Big Island's magic, these stories seem to hover in the dense air on race morning, waiting for the next chapter to be written. The athletes are bonded by the common thread of wanting to finish but knowing they must overcome obstacles in their way.

For the pros, it may be to finish first and be crowned world champion. For the amateurs, it may be to make the podium in their age group. For most though, the story started with just making it to Kona and it's not about where they finish. The story is finishing.

Like the guy that had been trying for 16 years to qualify for Kona. He finished. Like Dave Orlowsky (above). One of the original 12 finishers in 1978. He finished another one. Weeks after signing a pro motocross contract at 16 years old, Ricky James was paralyzed in an accident. Now at the age of 20 he has returned to competitive motocross racing and decided to even give the Ironman a try. He finished.

The stories go on and on. People competing because they were told they wouldn't live long enough. Seventy year olds competing because it keeps them young. People competing in honor of lost loved ones. And so on and so on.

Whether they've finished in 9 hours or 17 hours, it doesn't matter. Crossing the finish line, at that moment, they all join a family. The family of Kona finishers. I've got to admit, it is one electrifying bundle of energy down at the finish line. It can make you cheer and shed a tear for those finishers.

The best party in the world on Ironman race day is at the finish line from 9pm until midnight. No better place to be.
I'm not aware of many of sports where the World Champion goes home to shower, eat, rest, and then comes back to cheer on the remaining finishers for 3 hours. Some of those finishers did double takes when they were given their lei's from Craig Alexander or Chrissie Wellington.

Craig Alexander, talking to the boss, helped us throw out Timex swag (t-shirts, hats, etc.)

Chrissie Wellington's enthusiasm was infectious. All smiles and excitement.

The Timex Crew

My boy Special K. He keeps the ball rolling in the right direction for Timex and deserves a lot of credit for his leadership qualities. And... he is a great friend, confidant, wing-man, jokester, and an Ironman himself (Lake Placid and Wisconsin).

The 17 hour cut-off was ended with a fire performer.

I think I have one more update to post so check back for the behind the scenes look at the awards party.

Cheers,
DJB