Kona update 1

I'm leaving Kona today so while I'm killing some time at Lava Java I'd thought I'd start my Hawaii updates.


Of course it is obvious that when in Hawaii you go to the beach and get pummeled by waves. This is magic sands beach. Sometimes the sand disappears to expose the rocks.


LT Smooth and a hula dancer at Hugo's on the Rocks. Good food and entertainment.


The days leading up to the race are spent working on the athlete's bikes. One way to have me work on a bike is to write down what you need and tell me you love me I guess. Thanks Alex, I think?


Another way to get work done is to buy me some new board shorts. Jeeze Rachel, for some reason the shorts look big enough for both of us to fit into.


My view from my office for the week.


The Kona race bike of choice ready to rock.


I've had the pleasure to help out Dave Orlowsky. While not a champion athlete at Kona (actually everyone is a champion who finishes this race), he does hold a notable distinction in Ironman's history. Dave was one of the original guys to do the very first race in 1978 and after 30 years decided to do another one. Dave is a retired Milwaukee police officer and trained his butt off to try this silly little thing again called a triathlon that started here 30 years ago. Back then he borrowed a Sears Free-Spirit bike and used some cut-off jeans to bike and run in. Ouch! For his 2nd Ironman he had the latest technical clothing and a Cervelo carbon bicycle. What an evolution in technology.

HAWAII TIME

ALOHA TO ALL! HAWAII IS GOING WELL. HOT AND HUMID. FUN TIMES, FUN TIMES.

WISH SOME OF YOU WERE HERE WITH ME (N.Y.?)

DJB

Back from Vegas-Heading to Hawaii

Well hello,

The latest update to be had is that I got back from the bike show in Vegas last Friday night. Although I was gone almost a week, it seemed to fly by. I headed out a few days early and spent some time at the Dirt Demo with the guys and Julie from Placid Planet Bicycles ( the shop I used to work at). It was nice to see them and do some test riding with Bill and Kenny. Thanks for letting me crash with you Bill (I mean sleep on the couch at their hotel. Not literally crash a bike or something).

Monday night we went to a Cirque de Soleil show. This is my second show I've seen and it an amazing performance to behold.

The rest of the week was "meet and greet" with our sponsors of Team Type 1 and also to see about some potential new sponsors from within the bike industry. Lots of walking around and looking at new stuff too. Got to catch up with a bunch a friends from within the bike world as this is where everyone comes together at one time every year. I'm actually amazed that I've met some really great people in my line of work. Makes me appreciate what I do.


Kenny trying out an electric bike. He probably had fun until his friends saw him on it.


The Fizik booth had some incredible gelato!


The Kona Hei Hei 2 9. My favorite bike of the test rides.


The bike with the longest model name. Also from Kona.


A real grocery loader upper. Again from Kona. Known as the Ute. I want one!


Another important bike from Kona known as the Africa Bike. These bikes are donated to parts of Africa in which they make a huge difference especially for health care workers. It allows them to travel a greater distance and see more people on a daily basis. Riding a bicycle is four times faster than walking. Using a bicycle helps a person carry five times the amount they could while walking.


Inside the Venetian. One of the large shopping and places to stay in Vegas.


This performer stands completely still. Still as a statue. If you leave a tip at her feet she may give you a little subtle wave and wink. Curious little kids usually get wide eyed when they investigate the statue only to have it wave at them then go completely still again.

In a couple of days I'm heading out to Kailua-Kona, Hawaii for the Ironman World Championships. I'm looking forward to Friday night around dinner time to stick my toes in the sand and listen to the waves crash on shore. Ah yes, working for a living. Wish me safe travels!

Aloha,
DOUG

Schuler's new bike - thank you!

Schuler got a new mountain bike. I may appreciate this more than him. Now I don't have to worry about fixing the old GT Zaskar with the triple triangle anymore.

Cheers,
DJB

You Tube Findings

Man! YouTube can waste a lot of time.

I don't even recall why I went to the site in the first place. Found some good RHCP videos. I like band's commentary and what Flea and John say is interesting. The comments about The Clash and Van Halen are spot on. Who knows why we like certain things? Sometimes you just know when something is honest and has integrity behind it. John Frusciante plays the songs a little different than the album versions. Just goes to show how music, aka Rock n Roll, can be played different. It's not set in stone. Rather, it's how you feel about it.

The last 3 Chili Pepper's album have been on constant rotation on my i-pod. I keep going back to them and find stuff to listen too. I have a friend who says they are not like they used to be. That is true. They improved. THe early stuff was something different that was important but they've grown in a way to compliment each other. The Chili Peppers could not be anyone else but these four (even thought they've tried with Dave Navarro).

Back from the South

Quick update! Returned from South Carolina and Pennsylvania via New Jersey mid-week last week. Not much to blab about I guess. Seemed like a lot of driving for 3 races but then again I'm so tired of driving around in the van that if I had to drive somewhere right now over 3 hours I might scream.

I spent all weekend excepting the fact that it was going to rain all weekend. I ended up doing some work in the shop and planning the upcoming work week. At this point we are looking toward next season and our plan of attack for the annual bike industry show in Las Vegas coming up next week. There's always fun involved with a lot of work too, especially the walking and standing under the fluorescent glow of a massive convention hall. Meet and greet baby!

I also have to get together some of the stuff we need to ship to Hawaii for Ironman Worlds this week. All my mechanic stuff and the whole Timex expo has to be shipped on a boat which takes awhile so we plan ahead. At last count I think we have at least 14 athletes qualify. I can't wait for Hawaii. Got some special plans this year while I'm there.

The other thing I've spent doing this rainy weekend (in addition to cleaning the bathroom in the apartment) is sitting in the coffee shop. I think I should go home now.

Cheers,
DJB

Olympics over

What am I going to do. The Olympics are over.

I just finished watching the closing ceremonies and looking back at all those memorable moments (Michael Phelps, Bolt, Shawn Johson, Natasia Liukin, Walsh and May (best event) Mens’ volleyball and so on). I’ve loved the whole Olympic thing since I was a kid. It’s one of those rare events where the whole world is paying attention and participating in the spirit of good sportsmanship and understanding. If only the world could maintain that for longer than 17 days. The world needs the Olympic spirit if only for those two weeks to remind us of what could be.

I recently returned from Utah a few days ago. Besides the team’s great results, good natured ribbing, and scenic mountain biking, I’ll remember Park City as a place where I watched some of those Olympic moments with our own multicultural team. and with a roomful of strangers glued to the television at the bar. Erupting in screams as Phelps wins another gold! (Team Type 1 had two guys from the team competing for their respective countries in Beijing).


Chris Davidson and I worked as the mechanics for the race. It was great to work with him again. The job goes smoothly working with guys like Chris Davidson and Eric Jellum. Chris lives in Salt Lake City and knows the trails in Park City. Although I only got in two good rides it was worth the effort. Good views, good times! Hard to breathe though at that altitude. I could only go one speed. Slow!










Ran into Sima and her husband Cory at the downtown Salt Lake City Crit. It’s always nice to catch up with people you haven’t seen in awhile. We shared some laughs when she was on Colavita/Cooking Light. She hasn’t changed. Still a bunch of laughs.


Stephanie was our liason when the team was in Taiwan earlier this year. She is going to school in California now and decided to come see us. She told me in Taiwan I was too serious so I had to convince her that I just tend to concentrate really hard. Ha!


Driving around the country the last 4 seasons I’ve noticed more wind-farms being erected. If you ever see those blades being transported on the highways they are huge.


For all you mountain bikers out there… When traveling on I-80 through Wyoming look for the rest stop with Abe’s bust (it’s a little East of Laramie. Exit 323. Continental Divide.) Two minutes off the interstate is a mountain bike trailhead for the Medicine Bow National Forest. Camping too! See the pictures below for the perfect place to stretch the legs a little.







The car trailer blew a tire on I-80 near Ashland, Nebraska. Of course you’ve never heard of Ashland, NE. Was fortunate to drive the car to the next exit to find a place that could mount a new tire on the rim. When it came time to pay the lady, she informed me that they only take cash. I only had the company credit card. When I offered to leave her my card while I went to find an ATM she politely said that wouldn’t be necessary. She was on her way home anyways and could just follow me to the truck stop where there was an ATM. I must admit it looked a little odd handing this woman $92 at the lunch counter of Cabby’s Truck Stop. While waiting for her husband to mount a new tire, I learned that she has a vegetable garden at her house that grows enough vegetables for the whole town to use. I asked her how the tomatoes were and she said, “perfect!” We also lamented about the fact the some of the bean farmers in the area were going to have to spray their bean crops because something was getting at the leaves. Either a bug or maybe a virus. They weren’t quite sure yet and I didn’t have a clue either. I suggested maybe get some ladybugs because that’s about all I know about gardening. She agreed that was probably a good idea.

I’m leaving in a few days for South Carolina. US PRO Championships in Greenville, SC. After that, Univest Grand Prix somewhere in Pennsylvania.

Cheers,
DJB

Driving to Utah

Hello,

I'm driving to Utah tomorrow for Tour of Utah next week. I'll try and catch up along the way. Staying in Park City and Chris Davidson assures me that we will be taking advantage of any free time for some sweet mountain biking.


Everytime I go by this spot along Lake Michigan near downtown Milwaukee, I remember Keith Meyer commenting, "this reminds me of the carribean Doug!"


Eric and I riding in Bend, OR with hosts Cheryl and Matt (taking picture).


One of the views while mountain biking in Bend, OR a few weeks ago.



KEEP ON RIDING!

Cheers,
DOUG

Update 1-

As promised here is some overdue blogging. Summer is flying by and once again I know what time of year it is based upon my travel to various races around the country. After the Nature Valley Stage Race (Minnesota), I had a some time in Milwaukee to get some bike riding in of my own and feel normal again before heading west.

Heading west meant 4 days of driving to reach Bend, Oregon. Driving out west is always exciting for me but it has become a little old over the years. I've seen most of what there is to see from all the major Interstates. Would love to take a new route now and then but the Interstates are the quickest way to travel most of the time. I brought my mountain bike on this trip to experience the riding in Bend but it was also fun to ride around various towns that I spent the night in along the way. One of those 10pm rides was to find something to eat for dinner on the 4th of July. The only place open in "somewhere" North Dakota was a chinese restaurant. The Americanized teenage daughter of the parents was a little fidgety because she was concerned about missing the fireworks with her friends. (Note to self: Chinese restaurants are open late on 4th of July as well as Christmas Eve.)

I mentioned that I bought a new camera. I made the purchase (no sales tax) as we left Bend, OR so I have no actual pictures from Bend. All I can say is that I have to go back there someday. Our host families were incredibly nice people. Us mechanics had nothing to worry about other than bike stuff. Great meals, great hugs in the morning, great conversations, great coffee...

I was fortunate to take my mountain bike on some fantastic rides. Someone once said it takes a lot to impress me. I've been feeling like that has been the case as of late. Riding my bike out there was some of the greatest trail riding I've done in awhile. For anyone familiar with Bend, I mainly stuck around the Phil's Trail area. I loved the flow of the trails, the smell of the pines, the dryness of the dirt sticking to my teeth. It was just what this guy needed. A little bit of adventure to psych me up and appreciate things around me. IT WAS FREAKING AWESOME!!! My last day there, Eric rented a mountain bike and we saddled up with Matt and Cheryl (his host family) for a day long trail ride. Probably my ideal day come true. Riding with a group of friends all day and ending it up with a well earned dinner at the local watering hole. Thanks Matt and Cheryl!

Had a few "small world" run-ins while in Bend too. Bill Warbuton from Lake Placid is a all grown up and living there. He is the only person I've ever sold one of my bikes too. I'm a tall guy which seems to make it hard to sell my bikes for some reason. Anyways, we had a good laugh about that one. He works for the ski foundation in Bend and has started a kids road biking program this summer. He said he tries to remember how he felt as a kid, hanging out in the shop I worked at in Lake Placid, and Kenny and I would talk to him which fostered his interest in biking. That Cannondale 2.8 series bike I sold him is still being ridden by his brother now and then.

At a coffee shop in Bend I ran into Amanda Balding and Luke McKenzie who are some pro triathletes I met while in Kona last year. Amanda is on the Timex team this year but was not at our team camp and Luke is a top pro in the world. What makes them interesting to me is they choose to spend a lot of their time living an adventurous athletic lifestyle together using a van as their home. (I too am attracted to such living. I even owned a conversion van very similar to theirs. For those who know of this van I'm sorry to say it finally is no longer. I've been storing it for awhile but had to face the reality that it was not worth it to fix it. The van has moved on to the scrap yard.)

Now I'm back in Milwaukee getting things arranged for some more trips ahead.

Now let's move on the picture portion of this update.


Coffee from Liquid Planet in Missoula, MT - Comes with a choco covered espresso bean - The names reminds me of Placid Planet Bike Shop


Eric wanted to buy some local Jerky at this gift shop. The lady said she was all out because "The kids going to Japan bought most of it." I don't know what she meant either. It's probably a way to get people into her nick nack store. Eric was considering a rooster lamp for his girlfriend. You would have loved it McKenzie!


Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'


Testing the self portrait capabilities of the new camera in North Dakota.


Out west the bike doesn't get muddy just a thick layer of dust.

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I like when I get to buy a new trail map.


I wasn't able to attend Lake Placid Ironman this year and see all my good friends such as Shane and Athena. Here we see Athena in the boat that Shane made on a beautiful Adirondack lake.


Erin Kummer's sweet set-up deserves a mention on my blog. Bike on Bike!


This is Gwen. Candice and Dave's baby. She is not available to rent yet as a "chick magnet".


I was pleasantly surprised to see that some trail work had been done while i was gone. The flooding along the river caused quite a mess. I'm not sure who does the trail work but a huge thanks to you. I don't own a chainsaw big enough for such work.


That's it for now from good ol' Wauwatosa, WI!

UPDATING SOON

HELLO! I WILL BE UPDATING SOON. I EVEN HAVE A NEW CAMERA, YES!

Where have I been?

I hope no one has given up on me posting as of late. More like, as of forever! I don’t think I’ve added anything since getting back from Taiwan, which in all honesty seems like so long ago. Even though I’m not sure what I even had for dinner last night, this is my attempt at a little updating from the last several weeks or should I say months.

(I misplaced my camera in Taiwan so I’ve been without one to post any pictures. I’ve scrounged up a few here and there from friends.


In Taiwan sometimes I felt like I had my own fans. Groups of folks were curious about a lot of things. Here I'm just doing some random adjustments.

After the Taiwan trip, Tristan and I drove the Timex truck out to Oceanside, CA for California 70.3 and then Carlsbad, CA for the Timex Team Camp. Camp was good and there are some characters on the team.

Back to Milwaukee for a bit then drove a Team Type 1 van down to Atlanta, GA to meet up with Chris Jones and Valery Kobzarenko to preview two stages of the Tour of Georgia route. We previewed the Brasstown Bald and Dahlonega days. Very pretty and mountainous are two words that come to mind. Met a local hotel owner in some town who offered us a discount on some rooms one night. That was very much appreciated.

Tour of Georgia! When looking back at this year’s race it will be remembered for a few things. The Team placed 4 guys in the top twenty GC, At the Brasstown Bald finish, Moises finished 6th and the team had 4 or 5 guys that day in the top 17 (I may have some of the facts wrong but you get the idea). In the team overall GC we were 3rd. Just behind and ahead of some of the biggest teams out there.

The most memorable part for the staff was the truck breaking down in the center lane of I-85 in Atlanta traffic. I happened to be driving the truck and when traffic started to slow down (because it’s always congested in Atlanta isn’t it) I tried to downshift only to discover that the clutch was gone and I couldn’t get it into another gear. I wouldn’t say I was in panic mode (okay I was sort of) but what was I to do. I was coasting to a dead stop and thinking I was going to cause a multi car pile up. Fortunately, I did not end up as the nightly news story.

I was literally stuck. There was no way I was opening a door into the 80mph traffic whizzing by. I figured the only thing to do was call 911. While waiting for the police I did get a phone call from a friend who sensed my stress level and calmed me down. How she knew the right time to call was weird.

Talk about throwing a wrench into the gears. Having the truck out of service made the rest of the week a bit hectic. Trying to arrange the repair and getting a rental truck all the while tending to the race job was not ideal but to the credit of all the staff we got things done. Staff teamwork gets a reward.


The previous day the Health/Net car accidently rear ended the BMC car. Ed decided to be a little sarcastic so we attached a pillow to our bumper. This is me running to remove it since we only wanted to display such behavior for one lap. By the way this picture made it to the velonews website. I knew one day I'd get my mug in there. Thanks to my friends who saw it.

Beyond the Tour of Georgia things did not slow down. Logistically we had to arrange plans to go to the wind tunnel in North Carolina without the truck. Once again it got done somehow. While Eric and Chris did the wind tunnel trip I stuck around Atlanta to wait on the truck repairs and relax. Yeah right! There was no relaxing. I felt like I drove around Atlanta for two days. I don’t care for Atlanta at all. Never have and now definitely never will.

One of my zombie stories was trying to convince the front desk staff that it was okay with Tom Schuler if I went into his room. I realize they were just following policy but I kept it together and tried my best to name drop and use some humor. Eventually I appealed to the manager’s sense of being over worked and explained to her that I felt like I’d been up for 10 days without sleep. I even asked her that if I slept on the couch in the lobby, would they wake me up. After Kevin Livingston helped to explain the situation, I was given a key to the room. When I offered to get something for the desk staff they politely declined and in unison exclaimed, “ Go get some sleep!”

The truck was fixed and on it’s way to New Jersey with Eric. Next up for me? A week traveling the South (Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia) with some of the riders for a bunch of crits. Once again it was all about driving somewhere, racing, spending the night and driving to the next race. I did get to ride on a couple mornings, which was literally a breath of fresh air as I’ve had very little time to get any riding in.


Walterboro, SC - Man! Do I always look that bored? I'm not bored just observing every thing around me.


Here I am providing some info on the radio to the guys. I was probably saying things like, "The four man break is lapping the field", "Do not sprint for the Mavic wheelset prime. I don't want to carry them around in the van."


One of the highlights was catching up with the ladies from Colavita. I miss working with them so it was nice to hear they miss my skills too. Sniffle, sniffle!

After the last crit, I dropped the riders off in Atlanta (once again in Atlanta!) and Arkansas was the next destination. Fayetteville to be exact. The first day of driving was a waste. I think I only drove far enough to get away from Atlanta and had to pull over to take a nap somewhere in Alabama. Even after a 3-hour sleep in the van, I was only able to drive a few more hours before finding a hotel. That night I was in bed by 7:30 and woke up the next morning very hungry but refreshed.

Fayetteville, AR was the host for the Joe Martin Stage Race. I like Fayetteville for some reason. It’s a small city and there is a bunch of back roads within proximity for riding. They also have a great burrito place. Flying Burrito is worth the trip. The race was fine from what I remember and got to hang with my pal Timmy who is running the Advil/Chapstick women’s team. Also got to catch up with Sue Palmer-Komar over some Cuban Burgers at their host house. Hey Sue!

Onto the Tour of Arkansas next. Russelville, AR for two nights and Fort Smith, AR for two nights. Glenn Chadwick won the race. Orbea gave us some blue 2009 frames to swap in for our current white frames. People were down home nice. I even celebrated my 21st birthday at a Fort Smith restaurant. The staff sang me happy birthday and everything. I have Ed and his big mouth to thank for that one. I know I look young but they were a bit too gullible. Or… maybe they were putting me on too! Hmm, something to think about.

One week in Milwaukee has gone by fast. Sleeping in my own bed is NICE. Making my own oatmeal in the morning is REFRESHING. Getting to ride my own bikes…PRICELESS! I feel more normal now that I’ve been getting some riding in. Even the mtn bike trails are rocking. The local set of trails has been expanded a bit. Sweet! I’ve claimed this past week and the remainder of this week as my own personal training camp. My goal is to ride everyday. So far so good. Today my legs were actually tired from yesterday’s ride. That feels good and I can’t wait to ride tomorrow.

In case your wondering, I have been doing some work in the shop too. But 5 weeks on the road (down south ya’ll), deserves a break to re-charge for the next block of racing. On Friday I fly to New Jersey (ouch!) to meet up with the truck. Arlington, VA, Lancaster, PA, Reading, PA and then Philadelphia, PA. After Philly it’s dine and dash to Minnesota for Nature Valley.

Enjoy Ya’ll



When are we going running?

Cool!

This is a great idea that these folks pulled off. Watch the video.



Here is another attempt in London.

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor

The Interview

I may be getting myself in trouble here but I was honored to be interviewed by the one and only Laura Tingle, a member of the Timex Multisport Team. I feel honored considering the many notable interviews she has conducted with some fantastic athletes. I was nervous at first but her top notch interview skills really makes one feel at ease.

To make this easier for you all I have reprinted the interview without any express written consent from Laura Tingle Inc.

The Doug Berner Special
Posted in Racing by Laura Tingle
Upon arriving at our team camp in Carlsbad, California, I found our team mechanic, Doug Berner, eating a sandwich in the back of the team truck. It was the perfect-o opportunity to ask him a few questions.

LT: What is the grossest thing you have ever cleaned off of a bike?

DB: Normally I would say pee, because that is gross, but even worse is when dead worms stick to the bike after it rains

LT: When was the last time you went skinny dipping?

DB: 8 years ago

LT: Care to elaborate?

DB: No

LT: Were you alone, or with other people?

DB: I am not a solo-dipper

LT: What is the best thing you have ever eaten while riding a bike?

DB: Cheese Whiz at the start of a bike race, it really intimidates people

LT: What is the biggest thing you have ever run over while driving the truck?

DB: Curbs and stuff, nothing exciting…ask me the coolest thing I have found in the road

LT: What is the coolest thing you have found in the road?

DB: I found a wrench, actually, two wrenches. I could almost create a new tool box with all the tools I have found in the road.

LT: What is the worst thing you have ever broken?

DB: When I was 6, I was playing the drums with my mom’s knitting needles, and I broke them. I didnt know what to do, so I just put them back and never said anything about it. I still feel bad about it.

LT: Who is a better truck driver, Keith Meyer, Tristan Brown or Ben Harper?

DB: Keith, because he is a master impersonater. All of the sounds that the truck makes, Keith can make, and if he cant make them, he practices until he can.

LT: Best nickname you have ever been given?

DB: For a long time I was called ‘Moose.’ Working with Keith you get a lot of nicknames, like, all of a sudden one day, he started calling me “DJ Jazzy B.”

LT: Dang

DB: Yeah, I know