It's That Time Again...

Team Hot Dog is proud to announce the Third Annual

Bike, Beer and Beef Festival
July 4, 2011 @ 10am
Waterford, MI.

Yes, you read that right....Team HD has somewhat of a little tradition going on. What happens is this: 1) We meet up at Shaun's House around 10am and BIKE out to Holdridge, maybe do a lap or maybe just hang out at the Gas Station and drink tons of root beer... 2) We pedal back home, open up the cooler and recover from our 4oish mile ride with some BEER...and 3) we fire up the grill and toss some BEEF on there.

That's pretty much how it's always been and that`s how it will continue to be. So if you think this sounds like fun, don your weiner jerseys, hop on the 'oll trusty bicycle and join us. We ask that you bring your own beer, bring a dish to pass and some meat or grill type of items. Plan on a relatively easy 40ish mile backroad ride and if it's anything like last year, it's gonna be hot.

For our entertainment, we can watch re-runs of the Annual Nathans Hot Dog Eatting Competition on ESPN. It`s gonna be AWESOME! Post up and let us know if you can make it, what you can bring to pass along and what kind of beer you're drinking!

- Steve

The Prodigal Son Returns!

Live a phoenix rising from the ashes, here the hell I come! Bronchitis and Pneumonia for the second year in a row can only keep me down for so long. After a few shots to the ass, blood tests, breathing treatments, x-rays, steroids, and anti-biotics, I can say I'm done goofing around. While I still might have a cough, I'm getting back on the fucking bike.

First of all. Congrats Jrad. I can't wait to see the very first baby trailer assembled with Chris King hubs. Should be pretty pimp.

Second of all. Congrats to all of you Lumberjacks. I'll never try that race, cause well, I like biking too much and want to continue enjoying said activity. I give you all major props for that though. You guys are hard core.

Thirdly. (Yes, I'm talking funny. It's called 5 Sierra Nevadas) I just wanted to call attention out to the next few events on the HD agenda... all events I'm eagerly looking forward to, and I hope all of you out there in wiener blog world are too.

a) Ride Around Torch
Sunday, July 17, 2011.... it's gonna be here before you know it. I know coach and myself, along with Larry plan on doing this sucker. Nice little 62 mile road ride around some long lake thing. We're gonna camp that weekend too. As we get closer to the event, more details will present themselves. Look for them in your local wienerschneitzel.

b) Team Tree Farm Relay Race
Saturday, July 23, 2011... I'm pretty sure we are close to fielding 2 teams. Team 1 will consist of Myroo, Jrad, Coach, and myself. If Jrad and Myroo could give me the green light, I will register our spot. Team 2 could very possibly consist of James, David, and Tim. We need a 4th. Hint, hint Larry! I'm pretty sure Coach will bring his tent, I'll have my grill, and we will once again enjoy one of the funnest bike weekends of the year. Let me know if you are interested. Please!

c) Ore to Shore
Saturday, August 13, 2011... Yeah. I don't think much words are necessary. Year #5 for thd. Should have our largest contingent ever up there this year. Don't be the one not going.

That's it for now! Looking forward to the next few weeks back on the bike. I've missed you guys, and am healthy enough to get back out there again!

The Lumberjack 66

Team Hot Dog rolled into the Big M in true Rock and Roll (McDonalds) style for the 2011 Lumberjack 100. Granted, there weren't any screaming fans, chicks asking us to sign their b00bs, paparazzi or any of that cool stuff. Having Shaun's Dad's R.V. was a real nice perk to have at the course, no question. We tossed our coolers in the pits, caught the pre-race meeting and then headed a few miles down the road for the roll-out. I don't think any of us had breakfast...Who really needs breakfast before racing 100 miles anyways?

The 7:00 start came fast and furious as Myroo, JRAD and I quickly settled into the back of the pack for what was to be a long day on the bike. Our strategy was going to be "slow and steady" and it worked for the first lap. The course was in great shape, the weather was amazing and we were feeling good. About halfway through lap 1, we somehow stumbled upon Shaun's number plate (#227) on the trail that looked all beat to hell. We dropped it off at the aide station and hoped that he was still out there and that he wasn't attacked by the Udell Hills Sasquatch. Once we rolled into the pits, we took a nice and easy break, filled up our bottles, re-applied generous amounts of Chamois Butt'r and then I spotted my parents who came down to visit. Seeing them there gave me all the mental boost I needed to get back out and give it all I had.

Shortly after we left the pits, I jammed on my rear break and it made an awful squealing noise. I had heard this noise once before when my brake pads had completely worn out. Sure enough, that was the case. Who needs rear brakes anyways, right? No problem....what else could go wrong???

So, if a tree falls in the woods on top of 2/3'rds of Team Hot Dog, would it make a sound? JRAD and I came disastrously close to finding out on our second lap. As if our heart rates weren't already elevated from riding, a random tree branch (and by branch, think small-car size) decided to fall within inches of us. About 10 miles later, we were passed by the leaders who were on their last lap. A little demotivating, to say the least but we weren't out there to win the damn thing...We just wanted to finish. After fueling up on some oreos and coke at the aide station is where my knees really started to tell me my day was over. I threw a couple of hints and facial expressions to JRAD for the remaining miles and I think he understood exactly what they meant.

We got back into the pits with minutes to spare before the lap 3 cut-off time. Sure we could have gone back out but my knees were shot and jrad was feeling the burn. They were serving Burritos and Founders All Day IPA...What would you do? After stuffing my face and sharing a beer with my Father on Father's Day Weekend (AWESOME!), my folks headed back home and we headed to the campground to de-stink in Sand Lake and sacrifice the Tubed Meats to our swollen pro-racing bellies.


I'm excited that I FINALLY, after 3 years of problems, got a chance to start this race. Bummed that I didn't get to finish it but I consider that motivation for next year. As we were slamming down what could have been the best Cinnamon Roll EVER at the Kozy Kitchen the following morning, an ominous photo was perched over our heads signaling that it was yet again time to "RIGHT THE SHIP!"
- Steve

Motivational Music

It's only Monday and I'm already having a hard time focusing on my job. We just got our final email from Rick regarding the Lumberjack 100 and it triggered the little butterflies...Not really sure why I'm so excited to torture my body again like I did at Hanson but I can't wait! So in honor of my pre-race excitement, here's a little motivational music for y'all!



You were expecting Monty Python, weren't you? Wheeee!

tHD Cures Diabetes Again!

For a second year in a row, Team Hot Dog has raised over $1,000 for the American Diabetes Association in it's quest to cure the dreaded Diabetes. David, James and I spent months hassling our friends, family members and co-workers for donations and my thanks goes out to all of you who gave in to our repeated requests and donated.

In true tHD fashion, I forgot my cycling shoes and ended up delaying our start about 45 minutes. With the threat of severe weather in the air, James and I considered switching to the 35 mile route but decided to stay the course. Once on the road, we had a challenging time navigating the 65 mile lap due to the extremely poor signage. The weather wasn't much of a factor apart from a little mist and fog but the sun finally came out for the last 20 miles. The highlight of the day had to be our time in Hell (and the puns that followed). The highway to hell, the ringing of Hell`s Bells when we arrived, being tired as hell, and the big hill from hell that we had to climb just to name a few!

All in all, we pedaled just over 71 miles (bonus miles from being lost) and enjoyed the traditional Carabbas post ride meal. It always feels great to cross the finish line and to have everyone cheering for you. The event had some flaws this year (poor signage being the biggest) but I have a feeling that I'll be back for another ride! I hope you consider joining us...

- Steve

I Scream, You Scream...We All Scream For BEEF!

When we came up with the idea for a Back road Burger Ride, our critics laughed at us. They told us that it couldn't be done. But they underestimated us. They did not count on our sheer grit, determination and the lengths of stupidity that we would go through when it comes to beef. We set out to prove them all wrong and this is our story...

To train for a ride of this magnitude, we knew that we needed a proper pre-ride dinner the night before. This consisted of 10lbs of Steak, Chicken and Baked (or was it re fried?) Beans. Pre-Ride hydration came in the forms of copious amounts of Coors Light, of course! But the thing that gave us our edge was the double-scoop of Ice Cream courtesy of Kalideascoops Ice Cream Parlor.


After a late night of Hockey viewing, the morning came quickly and we all donned our spandex to prove the world wrong. Our goal was to make it from the PLRA Parking lot to Downtown Milford for a Burger and a Shake @ The Burger Joint. A spirited pedal got us into downtown Milford an hour early so we chose to burn off some more calories from the previous nights massacre and headed to the Milford Hike/Bike trail. A quick decision from Shaun to try a different route led us right into the fabled Milford Singletrack that chris-crosses the trail. I think we were all surprised with how much fun this little gem turned out to be, complete with some workers, stabbers and scenic vistas.

But we had to keep our eyes on the prize so when we finished up the roughly 6 miles of sweetness, we pointed our wheels back in the direction of The Burger Joint. In all of our spandex glory, we proudly walked up to the counter and ordered up our feast. I ordered up the Fungus Burger and a Strawberry shake. To all of our surprises, the burgers were double-pattied, totaling 1/2lb of meat madness. Big mushrooms, Swiss cheese and a few strips of bacon made this easily one of the better burgers I have ever taken down. The double-patty proved to be too much for the unseasoned JRAD and Shaun, but I managed to put it down. (Rookies!)



Nothing about this ride was difficult UP TO THIS POINT. Digestion started to set in, we had been sitting and stuffing our faces, causing our muscles to tighten up. On top of that, the temperature was starting to hover right around 300 degrees. With 20 miles left to go, and 1/2lb. of beef sweating out of our pores, it was a merciful spin to the finish line. As we were leaving the city limits of Milford, I went to sprint around Shaun and JRAD so I could crush them and the sheer weight of Beef, Beer, Ice Cream and Kalideoscoops caused my chain to scream "UNCLE" and snap in half. The Team Mechanic got me back up and rolling thankfully but we had plenty of offers for help from several people including a fellow cyclist who pulled up, rolled down his window and said "What`s up, F*%$*rs?!?!?"

At the end of the day, it's hard for me to determine if I burned more calories than I took in. I`m pretty sure I didn't. Just to make sure, I headed back to Kalidascoops. Great day for a ride with good friends and good food. We'll do it again soon, I`m sure!




- Steve

A whole lotta options...

Just a quick post to let everyone know what's going on this weekend ride-wise...Saturday, were meeting @ 10am at the Murray Lake trailhead for a lap. Nice and easy roll so come on out.

Sunday, most likely around 10am, were going to meet @ the plra parking lot, head towards Highland Rec for an A loop and then roll into Milford for a burger.

Hope to see you all at some point this weekend!
-Steve

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