Dirty Kanza 200

Oh yes, it is growing near. This Saturday in fact, in case you didn't already know that. Peeps are getting excited and I most certainly am one of them. Sure, any race gets my juices going. But, this is epic, this is the DK200. And this is in my back yard (literally, I live out in the Flint Hills).

No, I am not a participant this year. I completed this beast of a race in 2008. Right now I am content to say I am a finisher, but each year it gets harder and harder to say no. Maybe I am starting to forget all the pain and suffering one must endure to reach the finish. Maybe I'm do for another epic test of willpower. Maybe next year I'll be back at the DK200.

Fancy Creek

Well, I got back in the saddle and made my return to racing yesterday at the Dirty Little Secret put on by the fine folks at Big Poppi. The trail was better than I remembered. It was at this trail that I did my very first mountain bike race 5 or 6 years ago. As for the collar bone, I certainly can't use it as an excuse. Sure, it was sore. But the pain was nothing I couldn't fight through. The legs on the other hand, well they were pretty lackluster. The trail also beat me up pretty good. I hadn't taken into account that I had also lost a fair amount of upper body strength. There wasn't much to lose to begin with, but whatever I had is surely gone now. There were other forces working against me as well. I lost my right contact during my pre-ride lap. I suppose depth perception isn't all that important in a mountain bike race, is it?

Anyways, the race was phenomenal. Aaron and the crew went above and beyond to put on a good time. Socks were given at registration (which for aspiring race promoters, I thought was way better than another t-shirt). BBQ was ready the moment you finished up. And sweet swag was raffled off at no extra charge.






Randy and I made the trip from Emporia, while Aaron and Dusty also showed up to represent High Gear. It was a good thing Aaron was there to at least put in a decent performance on behalf of the rest of us! Congrats to everyone that showed up.

One heck of a fine day

Some days are just good. Yesterday was definitely one of them.

Wake up and work on trails. I suppose not everybody enjoys working on trails, but it is necessary. I love it though. Almost as much as riding a bike. Especially if it is making new trail, it makes me feel like a little kid!

Next, watch the Tour of California. If I'm not riding bikes, then watching people race them is a pretty darn good alternative. You can catch all the action of the ToC here.



And finish the day by strapping on a light and joining the Thursday Night Community Ride. Riding with good friends and folks from the community. Then headed home in the dark. Simply blissful.

Need a say more? One heck of a fine day.

Adventure Monkey Tour

Round two of Adventure Monkey Tours is complete! The weekend was pretty fantastic albeit we could have done with some slightly warmer weather. Wind I can deal with, that's always gonna be there. But, I thought for sure we were done with the cold!



Perhaps not amber yet, but these waves were rockin' in the wind. It was a beautiful sight, one of many we saw throughout the weekend.



This pretty much sums up Bobby. Always enjoying life. He was able to join us for our Friday ride, we all sure wished he could have stayed the whole weekend. It doesn't matter where you're riding as long as you've got this guy along!



The Superfly needed a rest.



Navigating a creek crossing and getting a little taste of former DK200 glory.



Stopped at an old cemetery along the route. There were headstones for Civil War and even Mexican-American War vets!



Trip wouldn't have been complete without a trip to Bummy's in Elmdale. Gary was serving us up. The lady who runs the store is 94 and has been operating the place since 1947. Simply amazing.



These are some ol' time malt makers. This place used to be a butcher shop and malt stop. It definitely served us well with some of Milwaukee's Best brewskies and chocolate milk. Not a malt, but refreshing none the less. Make sure to sign up for our fall tour here!

High Gear campfire ride

Had our first fantastic campfire ride of the year. Hopefully more will follow over the course of the summer. About 15-20 came out to turn some laps at Raunchy Randy's Racecourse. After grilling some 'dogs and chowing down a few of us continued the fun well into the night with some night riding. Bobby, Dustin, and myself topped the night off by rolling out sleeping bags and sleeping under the stars.

Big ol' thanks to the fine folks at High Gear for providing the food and setting this little shin dig up. I'm ready for the next one!

p.s. sorry no pics, I was to busy riding!

Go by bike

That's right, if you didn't already know shame on you, May is Go by Bike month. That means it is beautiful out and you should be riding your bike everywhere that's possible. There are the obvious health and money saving incentives, but if that isn't enough High Gear is going to sweeten the deal.

Simply take a picture of yourself, your bike, and the place you commuted to (ie. work, school, grocery store, etc.) and email it to info@ridehighgear.com and you will be put into a drawing for a $25 gift certificate! I know, I'm going crazy from excitement myself!

Go to the High Gear website if you want to read the parent post. So go ride your bike already!

Slowly but surely

Thank you Shawn and Scott for putting the hurt on me. Got in a decent little ride with a few of the fella's and it proved to be quite taxing on the legs and the collar bone. I get a little overzealous sometimes and forget I'm only 3 weeks into this thing.

But, it is healing nicely, albeit slower then I would like. Just in time too as there are some great things on the horizon. Namely next weekend's Adventure Monkey Tour. Check out the website for more information on the weekend of a lifetime!

Sorry Doc

I know doctor's always want to play it safe and are going to give you their best advice on how to not advance an injury you may have. But, they told me I would be in a sling four weeks and not riding until 6 weeks. 3 weeks in and I put 30 miles in on some nice Flint Hills terrain.



It wasn't the toughest the Flint Hills has to offer, but the sign in the photo does read "minimum maintenance..." and that particular stretch did make a DK appearance once upon a time. Needless to say, it was rough enough for a broken collar bone. As things look now I will be making it back on the trails in no time. Which also means racing soon! (hoping for a comeback at Fancy Creek!)

I regret to inform you all that I did not get the job with Trek Travel this summer. I was a little bummed at first, but I couldn't be happier to continue my work with Adventure Monkey and racing for the best team in all the land!



I also made it up to see mi madre this weekend. I went up with my brother and the most beautiful girl in the whole world. She was pretty tuckered on the way home. That girl can sleep through anything.