China Sucks

So, I know all of you know better than this, but never, ever buy a bike that proudly displays the "Made in China" sticker on the frame for yourself, your kids or a loved one. And for the love of God, don't even buy one for your closest enemy. I know that some may be produced under "tight control of standards" by well-known US companies, but many of the rest of them are just flat-out junk.

I decided to do a co-worker a favor last night and give a once-over of his Made-in-China-bought-at-Meijer Schwinn Tourer bike. He's really gotten into the sport and loves the exercise, and we chat often about cycling. However it appears he's also one of those guys that has never once oiled the chain or adjusted anything since his purchase last August. But still, good for him for loving every one of the 650+ miles (according to his odometer) he's put on it so far. But now I'm going to have to tell him, it's time for an upgrade.

His wife is going to hate me.

I spent two hours on that bike last night and it's still not dialed in like any decent bike should be. Almost every bolt needed tightening. The stem wasn't even straight and true with the fork. (of course, this could have been built by Mikey, the pre-pubescent zit-faced high-schooler working at his minimum wage job assembling bikes with no cares in the world.) Or he WAS in an accident a few weeks ago and probably never got back to straightening it.

Anyways, I swear every time I squeezed the brake levers, they'd move somewhere else out of line. Every pull resulted in a different reset position. It was driving me crazy. Of course, I don't even want to talk about the insane limitations on being able to adjust the gears.

I know he will appreciate the work put in, but man it was brutal.

Now, I know, even the cheapest of bikes has their place in someone's heart (I've had my share of them as a kid), but for cryin' out loud, if you can't help it, don't ever put one of these things in your garage. I was actually amazed that when I rode it around last night giving it it's last check, I felt like a circus monkey riding in a show. I don't know, it could have been my outfit. I guess I'm just used to bikes that fit much better and have a decent geometry about them and good quality parts.

Of course, that all comes at a cost, but having that experience last night, makes me really appreciate what I have and just reaffirms (for me anyways) that I'm willing to work that extra weekend or graphic design job in order to afford a better ride for my wife or kids.

By the end of this, I was very disappointed in the Schwinn name and what I experienced.

 

And for that, I say "China...you suck."

2012 Barry-Roubaix

I was super excited going into this race. My first "official" race as being part of the Rapid Wheelmen Team. Also a bit nervous since I had only been back on the bike for a few weeks since being out of commission for awhile, but excited nonetheless. I knew I wouldn't be winning anything, but wanted to ride well enough to be happy about it.

The most riding in one "sitting" I had done was the 28 mile Recon ride of this course just the week before and we took frequent stops. I was pretty blowed up.

So, anyways I ended up pretty happy about my overall performance (never got off the bike except for the last sandy section which is pretty unrideable anyways), and never lost my head. Was good with hydration and nutrition, so I think I am confident in how to prep for races going into the future. Good thing it's very early in the race season so I have some time to get more miles under me.

Not so happy about overall time and place, but I guess it could have been worse. I could have been one of the 24 mile rider chuckle-heads out there walking up the paved hill leading to the finish. At least I wasn't that weak.

Time: 2:45:12
Place: 120 out of 129 in my age group

So, put this in the books as my first (completed) MTB race. Fine.

One row of cars with racers preparing. If you look to the left of the red guy in the road, those are "daa germannzz"... or as Remus put it "dicks". They parked right next to him and wouldn't give him the time of day, nor move out of the way when he needed access to his car. Funny.

Wave 3 view from the cluster. It was a cluster too.

The Three Musketeers.

Here you can see me actually finishing in THIRD place. (the pros finished their 62 miler at the same time I was finishing my 36 miler. FAST! At least I got to see them finish up close and personal.)

Memory Tour, Sturgis edition

It's picture time. (this is the longest blog post to date, sorry...)

I had taken Blue Bomber with me to my parents this weekend. I kind of knew which destination I wanted to reach (out towards Marty's parents house) because there were some good hills to climb there, but then I got sidetracked a bit on my way back through town. There were some areas of Sturgis that I ended up visiting for nostalgia's sake so half the ride was an urban trek into the memory banks. Enjoy...

Funny map. I was all over the place, including rail road tracks.

This is a park entrance (used to be privately owned) right next door to Marty's parent's house. Marty and I used to go sledding down the (then) dirt drive in the winter time. It was fast and the curve at the bottom was a fun challenge.

Lloyd Edward Stemen. Above the mailbox in that field, my brother still has a tooth out there that he lost while we played football in the snow. This happened during the 46-10 routing of the New England Patriots by "Da Bears" in Super Bowl XX.

This was actually what kicked off the accidental "Memory Tour". Miller's grocery store, an institution in Sturgis and where we did our weekly grocery shopping is going out of business. Signs in the windows say "20% off everything". That's it. Done. Corporate America ran her under, Kroger, BigK and Walmart taking the business away. Although, it is hard to be sad for them. The store hasn't changed in the least tiny bit since I was 5 years old. Lots of memories in that place for me. Low ceilings, narrow aisles. The best.

$4 gas got me thinking about this place. The old gas station we used to fill up at. It's been closed down for years (maybe 15-20), but I can still remember mom filling up the ol' Bonneville while I stared out the window at the sign advertising the price per gallon: $0.75. Big time back then. We'd fill up on Thursdays because the price would always jump a penny or two for the weekend.

Off to the High School. I was interested in seeing what the ball field looked like. The irony here in that this is where they hide the school's trash cans for the winter. The field was a disgrace, the worst I have ever seen it.

This is the view from my old station, first base. There used to be dirt base paths to/from home plate. I will never gather why they would get rid of those. Look at all the weeds in the dirt. The field is probably only 2-3 weeks from being used for HS baseball. By now, we'd have the field dialed in. Putting in hours of "practice" dedicated to making sure everything was edged just perfect and everything smooth and clean. Our field used to be the most well kept of all the fields in the county, including the Community College. Apparently no one has that kind of time any more for tradition. Sad.

Patti's old house near the tennis courts. Looks almost identical to what it did 20 years ago. Hard to imagine we started dating the fall of 1992.

This was another mind-blower. It has been 11 years since one of my closest childhood friends, Clay, died in a motorcycle wreck on July 4, 2001 racing home from work that day to make it to a family July Fourth party. He never made it there. It was at this point I realized that I had travelled right where he died on my ride earlier today. I still remember the last time I saw him. We were taking family pictures outside the church on our wedding day. I saw him drive by, I presume checking in on me. He wasn't invited as we had drifted apart in our separate ways. He would be in the accident just more than a month later.

R.I.P. buddy. Hopefully things are just as warm, bright and shiny where you are as they were on this March day here on Earth. Too bad we never got to enjoy a burger and beer to talk about man-stuff together. You shaped my life in more ways than you can imagine. We got in just enough trouble together to make being kids fun and memorable.

Right across from the cemetary is Dead Man's Hill. This used to be THE place to go sledding in the winter. I thought many things were bigger in my mind than they really are today because I was such a small kid back then. Nope, not here. Still intimidating. I couldn't ride down the steep sides on my bike. Too scared.

Bob James, a neighbor of ours where I grew up on the lake owned this store. I think it was called Sturgis Meat Market. I still remember going in there and smelling the raw meat in that place. Bob would come out to greet us kids wearing a white apron just covered in bright red blood. Looking inside, the place was a wreck. Some sort of ceiling/water damage, tiles and insulation crap strewn everywhere. This was one of those instances where the place seemed bigger in my mind.

Ahhh...the Strand Theatre. Still operational, I will take my kids here someday. I saw Saturday matinee movies like E.T., Pinocchio, Dumbo and 101 Dalmations here. Also, the first "adult" movie with my Dad, The Naked Gun 2 1/2. Ha ha When Whitney Houston died some memories of days gone by came back. Not that I actually cared that that crackhead died, but she did help me get my first

kiss during the 1992 film The Bodyguard here. I remember it so vividly. So...thanks Whitney.

You're still a crackhead though.

My first school. Park Elementary. Went here for kindergarten and first grade. Peered inside. Doesn't look like they use it any more. Everything inside though looked just like it did 30 years ago though. I still remember those porcelin drinking fountains and fixtures. I'd like to actually get in there one day to poke around.

At this point I decided to ride some railroads. Which was scary. Lots of sharp things to poke out my tires. I ended up safe, but ran across this. WTF!? Never seen something like this before.

Rode maybe a mile or so in the soft railroad bed. Kinda fun. Probably do it again.

Took my time riding...looking for "artifacts". Nothing good enough to keep.

Cool shot of where I had been.

What the H could possibly be kept in the locked "treasure box" at the base of this?

Rocks

Quick update. Since my trip to the Lithotripter (kidney stone blasta machine), I have felt 100% better. By 9pm that same night I was at home eating a Jimmy John's sammich. So back on the bike I got after resting for the required 24 hours per doctor's orders. I lost 12lbs over the course of this month (much needed), however much of it I suspect was muscle.

Riding the trainer now. It hurts. But this pain is SO much better than the alternative. Planning a MTB ride this weekend near my parents house. Hoping its nice and muddy.

I'm back bitches!

My indoor pain-sweat-and-tears set-up.

Here is the busted up kidney stone I pizzed out. Imagine all those pieces put together

to form essentially one rock. It's still unfathomable to me that something this small

can cause the most unbearable pain I've ever felt in my life. Hoping my urologist can

pinpoint what the make-up of it is so I can change what I'm doing to cause them

so they never, ever come back again.

The Pursuit of Passion is also the Pursuit of Youth

Read this quote today. It really resonates with me. I think I'll keep it for my own.

I didn't think I had a problem with getting old, but something has been missing from my life. That is passion. A at certain point, you lose direction in life for what drives you and keeps you really happy. Inside.

Maybe I am getting old. I've lost my passion for what I do for a living. For where I live. Money. For all the crap I've spent money on that is now worthless to me. For some reason in previous years, I thought I needed these "things". They surround me. Everywhere I look.

Kidney stones and a back injury have me locked away in prison in my own home for three weeks tomorrow. Maybe its only more painful because its been on the most beautiful February's for riding I can ever remember. Sunny days. Dry days. Crisp and cool, but without precipitation.

I waited too long before January for doing something about my fitness and health. What I fear most it that the opportunity to be in great shape (not just good shape) for the first racing event of the season is slipping away because of my failure manage my spare time and keep myself healthy.

The passion that I speak of, that keeps me young (cycling), has been banished from my weekly worship. Church for a middle-aged man, who is getting slower, larger, and more angry as time goes on. That may seem like 3 seconds in the total picture of one's life, but I've come to realize every second counts.

My only other passion, family, keeps me sane. But cycling. I want it back.

I will get my chance. And by then, I won't let go.

Like a great friend of mine once said...."Keep Hope Alive." - MR

Immobile

Well, since my last post i had surgery last thursday night to place a stent inside me to prevent accidental lodging of a 4 x 7.5mm stone in my kidney. Its large enough that i shouldnt be able to pass this on my own. They dont want to break up the stone for another 3 weeks due to lots of swelling and irritation...go figure. The penis was created for efficient means of exiting fluids, not a path by which medical tools can enter the body. Took the rest of the week off and went back to work monday. As of thursday i was feeling well enough to think about getting back on the bike. Just then I felt the first stages of my back suddenly going out. Came home from work yesterday because of the pain. I can barely walk. So its off to the med center today...maybe they can tell me if this kidney related or not since there was quite a bit of blood on my urine last night. It has since cleared, but the crippling back pain is still there. To anyone reading out there...if i EVER complain of how "painful" a bike ride is, please bring me back to my senses by reminding me of this weeks worth of time. Ive never experienced so much excruciating, uncomfortable, piercing pain.

Happy Global Warming Day Yesterday

Well, I got in a night bike ride last night...22 miles. Had to...it was a beautiful 50 degrees out and it was only 4 hours away from being February. Part of my route was on the rail trail and there were some parts that were still iced over from snowmobiles, so I found myself pedaling with my right leg and unclipping and tri-podding it with my left.

No time to post the results, seems I'm now into Day 2 of dealing with a kidney stone. Went to the hospital last night shortly after I ate after the ride. I peed blood and the pain started about 10 minutes after that. It came on strong and intense, it almost had me in tears. Turns out I actually have 3 of them in there...two tiny ones forming and the other is about 4mm. Of course 5mm is the limit to where they have to blast them apart, so they sent me home to pass them. Nothing happened all day today.

As I type this now, the pain is back again, despite taking the entire day off and being on meds that make me sleepy. Guess I will be out of commission for tomorrow too until this thing passes. Ugh, this sucks!