I went to Arizona, escaped the weather - I feel good about it!

IT, is being out of Wisco when it is cold there and snowing. 

Guilt.  Guilt is a funny thing.  Generally, I think guilt is for left handed people.  A G is a letter that looks ok when written by a left handed person. Not sure why that it is, but I kinda like it that way. Any way, as I said - no guilt over the whole thing here.

It finally turned to winter at home. I saw it coming, so I got the hell out of there. Cannot really say I have anything good to say about winter thes days. Everyone out there should realize that snow and ice are actually water in a few of its various frozen states. I don't want to go all science on everyone, but in order for water to get into that state the temperature has to be below freezing. WTH?  Wake up everyone, cold is not comfortable.  I am not making this stuff up either, right here on the Smithsonian Web Site it agrees with me.  When water freezes, it is cold out!

We are going to dominate this trail.

So Arizona it was. Pretty much certain that it wasn't going to freezing water and slapping that stuff down on me there. Loaded up the family, mountain bike stuff and supercross watching paraphernalia and headed to the frequent flyer website. Cashed it all in and beat it to AZ.

Before you go all J. Alfred Prufrock on me, just remember...it's cold in Wisconsin. Damn cold. Freeze your boogers cold. Humans just were not meant for that kind of cold. If we were, we would have a lot more hair. And don't start with the "where's your hair dude jokes". If I could grow a mullet again I would. Dang that was a hairstyle for the ages. In fact, I saw a chick with the most spectacular mullet, maybe ever, just yesterday. Yep, kinda makes you want to go and listen to some Journey or old Metallica right now. (not that newer shaved head Metallica either).  Go down the stairway at my house, and you will see a picture of me with a mullet.  I wasn't even trying back then, and I had one.  If I could grow one now... Because, a BB gun is a good gift, a football is not.

So, Arizona. Sunshine, cactus, girls with less clothes on, MTB riding, burritos, more riding, sunshine and burritos. Yes, I did put up burritos twice. I just put it up twice, because putting it up 5 times would be really redundant.

We really didn't have a huge plan when we left, but we did have MTB shoes , sunscreen and a credit card along for the ride. So here is the summary of the days.
Wednesday - MTB ride, Mexican food
Thursday- MTB ride, Mexican food
Friday - MTB ride, Mexican food (I think it is a law or something there)
Saturday - MTB ride, Mexican food, Supercross race.
It was nearly the perfect few days. There was more that went on, but if you want to bail out now - you pretty much have it from there.

I am a simple person.  Give me a 2 wheeler, some sun, some Mexican lunch everyday - and I am pretty much pink.  Throw in my family and friends to do it with, and I am all topped. 

I think it is a law there or something.

We rode a few different rides.  (Even though I can eat the same burrito over and over for lunch, I do like some variety in my riding.) 

South Mountain!  I hear pointing is the way forward.

South Mountain.  I have been there a few other times over the years.  We use those trails for testing in the winter all the time.  I remember riding there back in the day, when Gary and I were working on Genesis Geometry.  (That is showing my age again.)  But, I got to show it all to Liz and the girls, so I got to be the one that knew all the routes.  I kinda like being mister know it all, in case you hadn't caught on to that yet.  Liz and I found a trail I had not ridden on the 3rd day, and for good reason.  Turned out to be an hour long hike a bike.  Ah, the joys of a new trail.  Regardless, it was super fun.  Did I mention how much I like the Remedy I was on?  Geez.

Black Canyon trail.  I cannot say enough about how much fun it is.

Black Canyon trail.  Wow.  What a difference.  Where South Mountain is rocky and technical, Black Canyon was super flowy and huge amounts of fun.  We rode a loop called Little Pan Loop.  It was beyond cool.  If you go, bring the Remedy and do it counter clockwise.  There is a super payout in the second half of the ride with 30 minutes of flowing downhill.  Brilliant.

Looking forward to doing it again.

Now off to Brussels Belgium for work for the week. No riding, but it will be nice and cold and rainy.  Can you say "I wish I was still in Arizona riding my MTB", of course you can - you just did to yourself.

Self Explanatory.

Out till the next one,

Joe

 

It's National Oatmeal Day!

Surely this is a holiday on the level of Christmas, or way more than my birthday or even more than National cold cereal day. 

National Oatmeal Day is exactly 2.24 times better than Trekworld.  National Oatmeal Day is nearly 4.32 times better than my birthday.  National Oatmeal Day is much better than Christmas, precisely 2.67 times better.

If you are a betting person, you are probably thinking that I am totally screwing with the math here.  Especially, given that I have said that Flip Flops are better than my birthday and I made a previous statement about the value and endorsement of daily burrito eating (exactly √45.63÷6.1 times better, but you have to divide that by the number of days since your last burrito to get an exact number - math is hard). 

So, enjoy your oatmeal day.  Go ride your mountain bike or your road bike or your motorcycle.  In other words, eating oatmeal is best celebrated by riding something with 2 wheels.  4 wheels is so gauche.

Cheers.

Joe

 

Decisions, Decisions!

PJ20 - You knew this was coming from me!

 
The scene at Alpine Valley.  Perfect night at a pretty cool spot for a concert.

 

#PJ20

You probably have already figured out that I am a pretty big Pearl Jam dork.  I was a Pearl Jam fan from the first album.  I cannot claim, as some people do, that I was a Pearl Jam fan when they were called Mother Love Bone - or some other point.  Good Grief people, if you are a Pearl Jam fan, isn't that enough?  Do you have to try to prove that you are more of a fan of Pearl Jam than me or some other person by claiming you have been a fan longer?  Are people really that insecure in their band worship?

So, somewhere this summer I learned that Pearl Jam was coming to Alpine Valley.  The problem was, on the weekend that the tickets were to be made available, I was going to be gone and I was going to be somewhere that did not have wireless access.  Ugh...  No problem, join the PJ fan club and there was a presale on the previous weekend.  So I did.  Problem was, that I completely spaced buying the tickets on the previous weekend - DWEEB!

The situation is, now I am a member of a fan club.  OK, I'm a big Pearl Jam fan (I think my Sirius Radio is stuck on that channel in the truck), but I am not the kind of person that joins a fan club.  Like Groucho Marx used to say, "I would never be a member of a club that would have me for a member".  But, I am a member.  I guess when they send out a mailer now, I will receive it.

So how did I get to the concert you ask?  Well, Len Zanni from Honey Stinger (len_zanni on twitter, check him out), came to the rescue.  He had an extra ticket on Sunday night and offered it up to me.  Wow.  That was super cool.

If you have not been to Alpine Valley, it is spectacular.  A natural outdoor amphitheater.  The slope of the hill is just right, the stage and roof project the sound really well etc...

I found the playlist for the concert online.  I added some of my own comments also.

01. Wash
02. The Fixer
03. Severed Hand
04. All Night
05. Given To Fly- (This may have been the highlight of the night, except they did play Yellow Ledbetter)
06. Pilate
07. Love Boat Captain
08. Habit w/ Liam Finn
09. Evenflow
10. Daughter/It’s OK-(This was pretty damn cool)
11. Leatherman
12. Red Mosquito w/ Julian Casablancas  (I have been hearing this song so much lately)
13. Satan’s Bed
14. Elderly Woman Behind The Counter A Small Town w/ Dhani Harrison  (Only problem was that I wanted Eddie to intro it with Longest-Title-In-The-Pearl-Jam-Catalog-Elderly-Woman-Behind-The-Counter-In-A-Small-Town-One-Two-Three-Four-Two-Three-...)
15. Unthought Known
16. New World w/John Doe-(Doe)
17. Black
18. Jeremy
ENCORE BREAK 1
19. Eddie improv/new song (performed solo by Eddie on acoustic guitar)
20. Just Breathe
21. Nothingman
22. No Way
23. Public Image-(Public Image Limited)
24. Smile w/ Glen Hansard
25. Spin The Black Circle-(dedicated to independent record store owners and customers)
ENCORE BREAK 2
Chris Cornell wishes Pearl Jam a happy 20th birthday
26. Hunger Strike {Eddie Vedder duet vocal}-(Cornell)
27. Call Me A Dog-(Cornell)
28. All Night Thing-(Cornell)
29. Reach Down w/ guests singing bg vocs-(Cornell)

(Honestly - I kinda liked Temple of the Dog, but I did not come to hear those songs.  I was fidgety during this, I just wanted the Eddy back with the microphone.)

30. Sonic Reducer w/ Mudhoney-(Bators, Blitz, Chrome, Magnum, Thomas, Zero)
ENCORE BREAK 3
31. Alive
Eddie thanks family, friends, and crew
32. Rockin’ In The Free World w/ lots of guests, friends and family-(Young)

BREAK LIKE THEY ARE ENDING
33. Yellow Ledbetter/Star Spangled Banner

Of course we all have our favorites, and they played forever, but I would have loved to hear Crazy Mary and my favorite - In Hiding.  As impressive as the Pearl Jam set was, what’s most remarkable is how every song, regardless of whether it’s a little known PJ track or a Public Image Limited tune, the audience knew every word to every song.  They knew every word, and they all sang along at the top of their lungs.  It was really cool, but I felt inadequate in that regard as I did not know every word.

We all have bucket lists, and some of us have certain bands we wished we could have seen.  I have missed a few of my other favorite bands along the way, and some of them are not around anymore (Led Zepplin, Aerosmith...)  I did not want that to happen before I got to see Pearl Jam. 

I tweeted during the concert that I was not leaving until I heard Yellow Ledbetter.  I almost had to reneg on that.  They played Rocking in the Free World, and acted like that was it.  People started filing out.  We did also.  I was a little bit bummed.  Then, all of a sudden they were back on stage and Eddy mumbled through the opening lyrics of Yellow Ledbetter.  Damn.  That was something.

Just in case you are really wondering at this point what I am talking about.  Here is someones Iphone recording of the song at the end of the show.

 

If you do not like Pearl Jam, there is something wrong with you.

Out.

Joe

#Trekworld is nearly here, and it's a pretty swell deal!

We are exactly T minus 4 days from the start of Trekworld.  That title says it all.  It is an exciting day.  It is not the only exciting day in a year, but it is pretty much at the top of the heap.  Along the way in the next days, I will be putting up a bunch more about what is going on with Trekworld. It is going to be really exciting days.

But there are a few other great days in the year.  Some of them actually compare favorably with Trekworld, sadly - most do not.

• Christmas - Santa comes, you get to have wine before noon and feel good about it, wrapping paper, leg lamps, getting up early, falling asleep on the couch while in a food coma etc... Trekworld is 2.6X better than Christmas.

 

 

• The day the new phone book shows up in the mail.  Just think about it, you are somebody on that day.  That is the kind of spontaneous publication that makes people - btw.  Trek world is 2.35X better than the day the new phone book shows up.

• The first day of the Tour de France.  It is the greatest bike race there is, and is soon to be declared a global holiday, so that no one misses the racing action.  The best days of the TDF are better than Trekworld, but only by 1.23X.

• My birthday.  Most people want to celebrate it.  Trekworld is 7.65X better than my birthday.
• Wednesday - It's hump day.  Enough said.  Wednesday is 1.08X better than Trekworld.  Most really good things happen on a Wed.  

• Just about any Sunday in April is a pretty exciting day.  You get to watch the greatest races of all time.  Flanders, Roubaix, Amstel, LBL etc... Fabian Cancellara will be shredding big time.  Race days in April are exactly 3.47X better than Trekworld.

  

• Having a girlfriend/boyfriend is a pretty good day.  Unfortunately, that pales compared to Trekworld.  Trekworld is precisely 4.65X better than having a girlfriend/boyfriend.

• Winning an Olympic gold medal can be a pretty good day.  But until you have been to Trekworld, you just cannot compare.  Trekworld wins by 1.48X.

• Getting your drivers license when you are young is a pretty big deal.  Lots of songs have been written about the day.  The day helps you get to the girlfriend/boyfriend day.  But realistically Trekworld is 2.79X better than getting your first drivers license.

 

 What is Trekworld you say?  Follow along on the Trek Facebook page or with the Twitter hashtag #trekworld for the next week and you will see. 

I suspect that by now you are understanding that Trekworld is a pretty big day.  You can keep your Worldcup, your wedding day, your birth of your first child, your trip to Disney World etc...  Next time you win the lottery and are tempted to say "I'm going to Disney World", trust me - you know where you are going.

See you there.

Joe

 

 

 

 

The Big Gamble and My Heart-rate

Thursday was the biggest and baddest bike racing day in the history of bike racing.  That is a bold statement, I know.  How could I know that, you are asking?  Well, first of all I am older than dirt.  If you are older than dirt, you are just wise.   At least, wiser than I was when I was not this old.  There is something in that, just not wisdom. 

Andy getting after it.

It all started for me last year.  We knew we wanted to sponsor another team, we knew we wanted it to be a team based in Europe.  We had the RadioShack team as our team based in North America, we were ready to have a team based in Europe. 

While watching the Tourmalet stage last year, both John Burke and I made note that the crowd favorite was Andy Schleck.  I had met Andy on one of the rest days earlier in the race and I had to agree with the crowd that there was no question that he was a great rider with a great attitude.  The combination was convincing from the start and it had convinced the crowd on the mountain that he was their man. 

Negotiations for sponsorship of a team are never easy, and there were plenty of moments in that process where it did not look like it was going to happen.  In the end, Trek just wanted it to happen so bad that I did not let the challenges of negotiation stand in the way.  We worked and worked at it, and in the end – presto, Leopard Trek was born.

We have gone through some good times and some tough times with the team.  Fabian was the man in the spring time, but he did not win as much as we all expected.  The situation for the team at the Giro with Wouter's accident was a horrible time.  But they have always represented us as the sponsor in the most professional way.  They have integrity and they are our partners.  They are truly great representatives of Trek and it is an honor to be the sponsor.  But, starting a team from scratch is not easy.  All of the logistics and getting all the staff to gel and work together does not just happen.  It was a huge amount of work, and there were plenty of doubters in the cycling world.  My hat is off to Brian Nygaard (@nygaardbn), Kim Anderson, Ben Coates (@trek_ben) and all the rest of the crew.  It was a huge undertaking.  There have been plenty of bumps along the way, but yesterday made it all pay out. 

Andy and Frank in the race department at Trek last fall.

I remember when the Tour route was announced.  Andy told me that the stage to Galibier would decide the race.  He told me that the goal of the weeks before that stage were to stay safe and not loose time.  He told me all the way back then, that he would be attacking on that stage.  The night before that stage, I did not sleep.  I woke up in the middle of the night with my heart-rate racing. 

I sat down in front of a television from 2pm Central European time.  I did not leave that place to go to the bathroom, to get water to find food – nothing.  I camped out my space and did not relinquish it for anything. 

At 60k to go, Andy launched.  He did not look back, he did not hesitate, he did not wait to see if any other favorites would follow… He just manned up and took off.  I could hear right through the TV the rest of the GC contenders saying “That is futile.  He will never hold that on the descent… He will never hold that across the flat to the Galibier…We will bring him back on the slopes of the Galibier”  We all know that did not happen.

I remember Kim Anderson telling me a few weeks back that it was going to be a great race, and that the team is ready.  I trusted that he knew what he was talking about.  I walked around with a glow for days after he told me that.  He knew.

As I sat there watching, I was a nervous wreck.  In the later parts of the race a crowd of 35 people had gathered around with me.  Most were thinking that I was a lunatic.  I jumped out of my chair.  I chanted “Go Andy, Go Andy.”  I yelled at the television, convinced that I could make myself hear right through the screen.  I had Eurosport in German on the TV screen, I had Europsort in English going on the lap top, and I was following #tdf twitter search for even more info.  (There is no better way to watch a race than with a combination like that.) 

Brilliant.

I was freaked out during the stage.  I still am today.

The Tour de France is not over.  Anything can happen yet.  There is another hard stage today, and a TT on Saturday.  Alberto had a bad day yesterday, Andy – Frank – Cadel could have bad days today.  The TT is coming and Cadel/Alberto is a specialist at that.  No matter what happens in the rest of the race, yesterday cannot be changed. 

Yesterday, Leopard Trek showed they knew what they were saying and what they were doing.  Yesterday, they were just superior – period.

Out.  Watching racing.

Joe

 

 

It's TDF time - I'm in France - Vive la France!

It is a bit like calling out, "Help, I've fallen and cannot get up."  It is at the very least something akin to pass me some more of that butter for my croissant, my heart is beating way too slowly.  After all, we do take all of this fitness finagling way too seriously.  Me, myself and I that is.  Because in the end, it if floats we will race it.

So it is Tuesday.  Or rather, it is Friday and earlier in the week it was Tuesday.  The calendar just keeps doing that to me.  Wait a few days, another Tuesday will come around.  It is a circular thing.  When it does, you probably will not know where you are then either. 

There is a bike race going on in France, in case you have not recognized.  (That is a circular thing also...) I am not sure why you are reading this when you could be watching that.  Or at least reading something about that race, probably from people who are a lot funnier and better informed than I am about the whole thing.  Either way, THERE IS A BIKE RACE GOING ON!  

Each year I like to go to a few different stages of the TDF.  Last year I made it to the Morzine stage in the alps, just as comeback 2.0 was unraveling for Lance.  It was a tough time at that team truck, but it was still such a beautiful circus.  I met LIam from California there.  He and his Dad ride all over Europe together, and have a fun little blog to follow.  Check them out at Fathersontour.com. 

This is me meeting Liam last year at Morzine.  Check the Converse, those were nice.

This is Liam this year.  Still riding up mountains with his dad.  Pretty cool.

This year, I am hoping to get to a couple of mountain stages where the up part of the race is such a big deal.  Not sure how that is going to go, but I am here in France and going to be for the month.  I will be starting out by going to the L'Etape du Tour, then going to our dealer event in Austria (I know that I said France and I also know that Austria is not France - Geez, after all you can barely get a bratwurst in France.)  After the dealer event, I will make it to the finish in Paris and then down to Madrid to visit my daughter who is living there (Once more a place that is not France.) 

It's kind of a long trip.  I have packed a couple of pieces of cycling kit and a few pair of converse and flip flops - oh, and of course a roll of duct tape.  You never know when you might need that.

L'Etape du Tour

Liz and I made our way to Alpe d'Huez to do the L'Etape du Tour.  This is the 2nd time we have done one of these.  It is a citizen race with 9000 of our closest friends over one of the big mountain stages in the Tour de France.  This year was up over the Telegraph, then over the Galibier and then up to the top of Alpe d'Huez.  Wow.  Not super long, but it was tough.

We were being taken care of for the trip by Trek Travel.  They really know how to put out a spread and make it work for everyone there.  We did a couple of nice warm up rides the days before the ride, and then they had us sorted for the day of the race.

That's a Trek Travel lunch after a ride.

To start with, there are 9000 riders at the L'etape du Tour.  This isn't the same amount of logistics as a local group ride or a local race.  The roads are closed, just like when the pro's ride that stage, and the pace is hard.  Our ride started out with a 10 k long down slope.  It made a left turn, and bang we were on the slopes of the Telegraph.  The climb was pretty cool.  All in the trees, and not really exposed.  Nice and cool.  There is a short down slope onto the Galibier, making those 2 climbs really just one long climb. 

The Galibier is incredible.  High up in the air, exposed everywhere, no shade, hot, tough.  I did not really get any pictures, but I borrowed this one from fathersontour.com to show how it is exposed. 

Pretty cool view from up top, and you can see the road snaking out below.

Liz was really tough on that climb.  It is long, and she has not had much chance to do any climbing this year.  She made it to the top with a smile on her face. 

Look closely and you can see the Galibier summit sign in the background. 

The descent off the Galibier was incredible.  Pretty scarry and fast at the top.  Very exposed.  But it was downhill for 30 kilometers all the way to the base of the Galibier.

The really freaky part was the tunnels along the road.  For the most part they were not too bad.  Reasonably lit, and decent pavement.  But there were more than just a few.  They seemed to get more poorly lit and poor pavement the more the route continued on.  Eventually, there was one that was long, and not lit at all.  You piled into the tunnel at a fast pace, and all of a sudden you were in pitch black.  You could not see the rider in front of you, only a vague outline.  People started hitting their brakes in panic.  A rider crashed, there were brakes squealing, riders screaming to slow down, other riders screaming to pedal on - terrified that they were about to be slammed into from behind.  It was not a great feeling.  Somehow, Liz and I both made it through the tunnel unscathed. 

Then we hit the bottom of Alpe d'Huez.  The road pitches up really steep at the bottom.  It is tough.  21 switchbacks that just do not seem to end.  The road flattens out just a bit in each of the switchbacks, but then angles up steeply again after that.  Up, up and up.

By the time we got to the Alpe, it was hot.  The climb is exposed to the west and the sun was baking it.  For us Americans that do not live where we can climb on our bikes, it was (Alabama) hot.  Had to be 100 degrees, and the heat was reflecting off the pavement in great waves. I saw an egg frying.  I saw a small person lying in the shade in the fetal position.  There were people walking from the bottom, no one was going very fast.  It was a death march up the climb.

On Alpe d'Huez.  Smiles all around.

We finished.  I knew we would.  Liz drove us to a respectable time also.  It was only 110kms, but it is a lot of climbing.  I do not know the total meters climbed, but it was more than 3.  We had a great time. 

I would imagine when the pros go over it next friday, it will be alot faster and it should decide the tour.  I cannot wait.

Out,

Joe

They start them really young in France.  These kids were suited up at the bottom of Alpe d'Huez one day, just doing a training day up the road.  Wow.

 

 

Summer and Bikes

I love bikes.  Duh, right?  Why else would I be here, and why else would you be reading this? 

But, what you did not expect is the combination of summer and bikes, or maybe you did.  Lots of time, to most people summer just means mowing the yard, the lake, a cold beer and of course bugs.  I get that also, although I do my best to avoid the mowing the yard part.  (What is the problem with a jungle for a yard anyway?). I can become sunburn and feed the mosquito's with the best of them. 

Summer means bikes.  Of course, everyday means bikes at Trek - but there is just something so much better about the combination of bikes and summer than say bikes and winter.  I know there are some of you out there who think that winter is just fine.  I'm not one of them.  I know that does not make me a very good midwesterner, but I cannot help it.  I would take 100 degrees over winter any day.  Besides, winter is supposed to be at the end of a plane ride to Snowbird, not in your front yard.  Seeing people on bikes always makes you smile, seeing people shoveling the snow out of their driveway almost never makes you smile.  (but this is taking me in the wrong direction.)

Back to the bike thing.  It's summer, and bikes are in full swing around here.  What follows is a few examples of the kind of bike frenzy there is at Trek in the summer.

Bike Show!

We had an internal bike show at Trek in the parking lot a week or so ago.  The call went out with a week or so notice, "bring in your bike, show it off, win a prize" - a fabulous free Bratwurst and a beer, it is hard to get away from our midwestern roots after all.  So on a Friday afternoon in the summer, this is what it looked like out in the parking lot.

Fancy 360degree photo app on the iphone

It was very impressive, people brought in just about any kind of bike you could think of.

It seemed to be a good direction back in the day, but nowadays you do not hear people talking about a tandem mountain bike very much.

A bike that carries a beer well is highly praised, even if the bike itself is a bit odd.

Jordan's 19lb race 29'er, of course you have to be in the race department to get your hands on the custom carbon sew up MTB wheels.

Somebodies sweet little dirt jumper.

My dad works at Trek.

The kid across the street from Andy in Toy Story 1 built this bike.

???

Eric from Project One loves old race bikes.  This one was actually one of Pantani's

When you need to get there fast!

When you need to get there really fast, a bike with a rocket attached is key.

It was a fun day.  That is just a sampling of some of the more interesting stuff.  It went on and on.  Good stuff.

New Race Bikes.

Speaking of bikes, the road teams got a few new race bikes as well.  There is a little bike race going on in the summer in France and we wanted them to enjoy a few new bikes also. 

This is the new scheme that RadioShack is on for the TDF.  It is a new color picker scheme that will be available in Project One.  You will be able to put whatever color you want into it.

Andy and Frank get to ride something new for July.  Maybe you will also.

If your the best rider in the world, you get to ride something like this.

Dang I love bike racing.

MTB trails

We have been very busy at the super secret Trek trails.  We have turned one of our favorite trails into a fantasticly fun little jump infested midwest version of A-Line.  This is a little video that the Trek MTB brand manager took from a helmet cam, while trying to follow Vance from the race department. 

 

Another view of the same trail.

  

time to go for a ride.

Out,

Joe

 

People call me Converse!

Ben Coates, one of our team liaisons who works with the Leopard Trek team is known as flip-flop.  That is because if there is no snow on the ground, he is wearing flip-flops.  I happen to love flip-flops.  I like the sound they make when you walk, I like the tan lines they leave, I like that it means it is summer etc...  I own lots of flip flops.  Maybe not as many as Ben does, but I own lots of them. 

That is a tan line!

But, alas I have had to concede that flip flops are not always perfect for my job.  Airplanes, walking around factories etc...  There is just a bit too much freedom in the flip flop.  (As my english friend Matt says, "America, taste the freedom!"  Not sure that is entirely appropriate in relation to footwear, but I said it nonetheless. 

Also, somewhere along the way I decided to be a little more grown up in relation to my job, so I have made the adjustment to reflect that in my footwear.  It's one of those little concessions that I have made along the way to being an adult. Along with not making motor sounds when I go down the hallway.  

The standard.

So, I fell back on what has been my 2nd favorite footwear in my life.  The Converse Chuck Taylor shoe.  What a fantastic shoe!  Comes in lots of colorways, so that I can decide what my mood is that day.  Black and brooding or sinister, grey as an accent, blue or red to show some passion, yellow if I need a pick me up, etc...  Yep, it goes like that.  Plus, they come in high tops, and low tops both.  It is a bit like a thermos bottle, the thermos bottle just knows if it is supposed to keep things hot or cold.  They are really versatile.  And, they are cheap.  The local Payless shoes always has them on sale for like $29US.  How can you go wrong?

They are a bit like what Steve Martin used to say about a trash bag, "Always, no never, no always carry a litter bag in the car.  It's not too big, doesn't take up too much space... and when it is full, you can just throw it out the window."  Of course I would not really do that, but I like it as humor.  On top of that, Steve Martin used to wear an arrow through his head in his stand up comedy.  That's funny.

You know, high top - low top - black - colors - not too expensive - wear them out and get some more.  Steve Martin could have said that.

This guy is a little more obsessed than I am, but not by much.

So I tend to wear Converse with just about anything.  Blue jeans, big baggy shorts, etc...  I am particularly fond of the long shorts and tall socks and high top Converse.  I know, your laughing right now.  Try it though, it just makes you feel good. 

I am on an airplane right now (low top grey - I'm dressed up).  There are lots of people around me with loafers.  I have never owned a pair of loafers.  I do not think they would look good with long shorts and tall socks though. 

I would say though, that neither flip flops or Converse make a very good bike shoe.

Surrender Dorothy!  Time for some oatmeal.

 

That is not a flip flop tan line.

Is the ringing in my ears bothering you?

Sometimes I feel my life is out of control.  It's not a normal thing, just sometimes it hits me that the record player is on 78speed when it should be on 33speed (I realize that I just lost most of the people that are reading this - trust me, it means that things are playing so fast that I cannot really understand the lyrics).

look familiar?

 

There are lots of factors that make me feel that way, my job is fast pace sometimes, my kids are adults spread all over the world, I have a new puppy at home that is terrorizing the house and already runs everything, I am not riding my bicycle enough, my motorcycle is dirty, the camper stands half remodeled in the driveway, there are 4 different house projects left half completed...  See what I mean? 

This blog entry is about a bunch of loosely (I mean really loosely) related topics.  Most of these are keeping me up at night.  No Caffeine necessary.

 

Steven Tyler is now a judge on American Idol

Here in the USA, there is a show called American Idol.  (I think it was actually stolen from the UK).  I know the show has been around for a while, but since I do not actually know where the remote is for the television at home, I have not ever watched the show. Reading the latest copy of Rolling Stone magazine via Zinio informed me of the depths that the Aerosmith front man has fallen to. 

I find myself daydreaming about what that must be like.  Steven Tyler, huge mouth nearly swallowing a microphone, scarves flowing off the microphone stand, snarling and telling the contestant they suck.  But I am reading that he is actually nice to the contestants.  I guess I need to give it a test ride.

This is how most of us think of Steven Tyler.

In addition to this heresy of Steven Tyler on American Idol, while at the dentist office the other day (wilting under the barrage of talk and questions from the hygienist while she has her hands in my mouth.  How stupid is that, btw...? - but I digress).  While sitting in the dentist chair, I heard a Motley Cru song playing on the Classic Rock station - followed directly by an Elton John song.  Jeez.  What has the world come to?

Yep, its pretty much like that.

 

People are buying/riding hardtails in USA

What is going on here?  For a long time, we have been convinced that the hardtail was dead in the USA.  Interestingly, the Europeans and Asians have never stopped buying them.  But in the US, the percentage of people buying hardtails has continued to drop.  For example, Trek offers quite a few more hardtails outside of the USA than it does inside the USA.  (Buy a plane ticket and take an empty bike bag if you are chasing a high end hardtail from a US zipcode).  But, amazingly, people are now buying hardtails in the USA.  Granted, they are all 29'ers, but they still have stiff rear ends.  Sometimes the future is not much different than the past. 

Is this dehydrated breakfast cereal hour, or is this Cleveland?

Or, this section could be called "If this is Tuesday, it must be Belgium."  This past week, I literally went to Belgium for a day.  It was not for a happy experience, but it was important.  John Burke and I went to the ceremony for Wouter Weylandt.  If you have read other stuff from me, then you know that the passing of Wouter was a tragedy that is hard to describe.  John put up a nice little blog entry about the day, so I will not try to repeat that. 

I will just say that the ceremony was excellent.  The ceremony was held in the huge church in the center of Gent, Belgium.  The church is one of those fantastic old churches in Europe that normally is the keystone of your tour through the city. There were easily 1000+ people there, and every single person was offered the opportunity to file through the church, pay their respects to Wouter and his family and take home a card to save and remember Wouter by.

Wouter had a lot of friends. 

 

I'm thinking of shaving my legs

I love bike racing.  If you haven't figured that out yet, I love it.  I watch it a lot, I listen to audio presentations, I read twitter feeds from racers, teams and races.  I spend a significant amount of money to support it, I am responsible for the race department etc...  Yet, I consider myself too old to be serious about doing it myself.  I ride a lot.  Almost every day, that I can.  On the weekends I ride with and get smoked by the racer groups.  I try and try, but I just am not as fast as them.  Maybe if I shaved my legs?

That would probably make me feel like a cutter.

Kinda makes you want to go and rent the movie again. eh?

 

I have a single speed Fuel EX

I have a bunch of friends that ride SS.  I have had them, but in general they are built on hardtails.  In spite of the renaissance of hardtails that I noted before, I just do not do hardtails.  God made FS bikes, so why should I avoid them?  So, I built a SS on a Fuel EX frame.  It is a compromise, but it works.  The suspension does what it is supposed to do, in the same way that it does when you have gears.  Nice.  But, I have to make note that there still are not any gears to use to help get up that hill.  Given the fitness and age point above, I find myself looking for a button on the right side.  I find myself in the middle of the hill wondering exactly what I was thinking when I bolted this all together without any shifters. 

So maybe in the end I bolt some shifters onto the bike.  At least one. 

Arnold Schwarzenager is in the news for a baby out of wedlock

I don't really have anything more to say about that.

 

Do you walk to work, or do you carry your lunch?

I know that sentence makes absolutely no sense.  Sometimes other things don't make sense to me either.  It is the spring of 2011 - Yesterday I was at a sales meeting about how things are going with a few 2011 markets, today we are showing international distributors the 2012 lineups, later in the week I will be at a meeting to finalize the 2013 product development plans, early next week I will be at a R+D meeting which is more about 2014 and beyond.  

I want tickets to the Pearl Jam show at Alpine Valley

Yep, favorite band, playing at the end of the summer at the outdoor festival Alpine Valley.  Sounds like beer, sunburn, bee stings, long bathroom lines and Eddie Vedder belting it out.  Cannot wait.

 

cheers.

Joe

This picture has nothing to do with much else in this post, but I like it nonetheless.

Godspeed Wouter - We Will Miss You.

As I was going about my business in my office, someone said "Big crash in the Giro today.  A Leopard Trek rider has crashed."  My initial reaction was that "Oh, that is too bad.  If it is a bad crash, the team will have to be a rider down - already in the Giro.  Not good for their overall plan". 

Not in my wildest dreams, did I think that the story would go from that to the harsh reality of the situation. 

Next Ben called, "Joe...(his voice was breaking up and immediately I knew it was bad), I just spoke with Luca in Italy.  Wouter Weylandt has crashed, and he did not make it...."  I was completely crushed.  I had to sit myself down and choke back the tears.  I could not believe it.  This is not supposed to happen.  I think I sat there for a long time.  Unable to react, unable to process it.

Shock has settled on my office, and all of Trek.  There is no music playing, there is a lot less talking in the halls.  People in the office who have never met anyone from the Leopard Trek team are crushed.  I am having a hard time describing how heavy my heart feels, and I can tell there are lots of others at Trek that feel the same way.  I cannot imagine what it would be like to be with the team in Italy right now. 

As difficult as it is to be part of the team, that is surely nothing compared to how a few families feel.  Wouter's parents and siblings, his girlfriend who is pregnant with their first baby and all his friends in Belgium are surely completely devastated. 

Cycling is the most beautiful sport in the world.  The Giro is the kick off to the glorious summer race season.  We sponsor cycling, because it is such a fantastic sport and that cycling is such a life affirming activity.  I am shattered that any rider would die doing it, but for a young talented rider at the top of the sport to pass in such a horrible way is beyond that. 

I did not know Wouter well.  I have met him, along with meeting all the other riders with the Leopard Trek team.  I thought he was friendly and a good looking Belgian kid.  I thought he had funny hair.  I have a huge respect for what he can do on a bicycle.  I know that at Paris Roubaix, he looked deadly serious going into battle.

I suspect he loved cycling.  I do not think you can be a pro cyclist and accept all the dangers of the sport for just the money.  There has to be a huge amount of passion for cycling as a pro cyclist, because there are easier ways to make a living.  As this weeks event shows us, there are certainly safer ways.

There are 2 photos that I want to remember Wouter by.

This first one is fun to me.  It make Wouter look like a young kid ready to be part of an exciting new cycling team.  It speaks volumes on his pride and passion for the sport to me.

I had not met Wouter when this one was taken, but I am sure this is how he would want to be remembered - at the top of the sport on that moment with his arms held high - happy for the success he was achieving.

We all thought there would be more, but that was stolen away from Wouter, while doing what he loved.

Godspeed Wouter.  We will all miss you.