What Hot Dog Does...

Just a Little Tease...

Little sample of what found its way onto my porch this morning. You want to see more? Check out my Facebook post on the team page.

Winter Doldrums

Egats!! Mother nature is cruel. The last few weeks, mother nature had me outside spinning like a top on my bike in preparation for the big day. One weekend, 3" of snow, and temperatures straddling zero degrees have me grounded for now. I'm not feeling as enthusiastic as Gary, who somehow has the gusto to still get out there and get after it. Impressive.

So what does one do?

NOT SO FAST! I do have the trainer set up in the basement. Damn that is boring though! I'm heading back to the gym. I came down with shin splints last week after getting back into running. After a week of rest, I've armed myself with some new kicks, as well as some compression leg sleeves. Why am I sharing all this information with you? I have no idea, I'm motivated, and want to keep pushing. I'm hoping I still have time to be ready for the Corktown 5K a few weeks before BR.

I don't know how much more time I can spend replaying Ride the Divide, catching up on Jersey Shore, reading my favorite bike blogs or stalking other known local cyclists and their winter training regiments on Facebook.

Oh well. Some "sprinter" eh Cooper? Maybe the 40 degree mark will be again before we know it. Anywho, Barry-Roubaix is just like 40 days away. LETS GET IT ON!!

Question For You All

Lately I have been thinking of some new ideas, well at least new for me. Since we are in mid-sprinter (spring/winter) I am considering have the most modern piece (as seen below) of my bike serviced




I figure I have many options, listed below, that I can consider.

1. Try to overhaul the fork myself. Maybe I will have better luck with forks than seat posts.
2. Wait for it to break on a ride and let JRAD fix it as seen below.



3. Or take it up to Cyclethearpy.

Post your opinions. If you choose number 3 please specify who is best to handle the job.

Thanks and happy Sprinter!

Pilgrimage to the Beer Silos

The unofficial curtain on the 2012 mtn biking season lifted Jan 29 with tHD's annual trip to the beer silos. (Michigan Brewing Co.)

Sure, there was a small stop at the MSU Pavilion for the MMBA Expo and Annual Meeting. That thing went over like a fart in church. Shaun started his timer the second we waltzed in. It was great to see the usual accumulation of crappy bike parts, and the same congregation of dorks who post all over the MMBA forum. Tack on an additional 20 mins for some dude to decide if he wanted to buy Jrad's wheels, and we were back in the car headed for Webberville.

Once at the silos, we all ordered up a few of our favorite brews, ate some bar food, and started to do what we do best, talk shit while slightly intoxicated. Topics included: 2012 cycling goals, Barry-Roubaix, Jrad's new paint scheme, marriage and fatherhood, our trip to Northern Georgia, how to sneak an empty pint glass into a jacket without getting caught, and what broken blood vessels in one's face look like after yacking.

Finally, we drank all our beer and called it a day. Before taking off, it was time to assemble for our 2012 photo with the silos. I've included the last 3 photos to see how far we've come. We should all be very proud. I especially enjoyed the snow ball fight before getting back in the car. EPIC!



What's up next you ask? Well, Pactimo says our new kits will ship the week of 2/10! If everyone is down, I can once again open up my place for the release party. That's right! Coors Lights, 151 Rum, grilled hot dogs, spandex, and enough remote control copters to make one's head spin. Hope to see you all there.

In closing, I leave you with some art work I left on Coach's car as I left Shaun's house yesterday...

NOBS!

Happy Birthday, Hot Dog!

You just never know what you're going to find when you type in "Happy Birthday Hot Dog" into Google Image Search...This pretty much sums it up, though! Happy Birthday, HD.

Newest Edition

Hi... My name is Caden and I am the newest member of tHD. Here is a picture of me sporting some of my new gear thanks to Mr and Mrs Hot Dog!

My goals for the year are as follows.

-Eat
-Sleep
-Poop
-Maybe start walking at some point.
-Hopefully Mom and dad will get a trailer to pull me around in on bike rides!