Michigan State Championships CX Video

Team Hot Dog - Addison Oaks State Championship from David Le Clear on Vimeo.

RECRUITMENT TIME!!

ATTENTION! ATTENTION fans of Team Hot Dog…

Do you like to ride your bike? Do you like to drink beer? Are you looking to join a team or club to further your biking excitement? Well then, look no further than Team Hot Dog! We are looking to add to the fun group of “hot doggers” we already roll with, and are hoping you become part of that group.

We don’t require much in order to join the team. You don’t have to race expert or semi-pro, shave your legs, or weigh your chicken. Good friends, good fun, and better beer after the ride is what we are all about. And don’t forget about an occasional hot dog. All we ask is that you participate in at least three events (race or organized ride) throughout the year, and roll our jersey (which you’ll have to purchase) while doing so. Public humiliation in a hot dog costume may or may not be included.

What’s in it for me?  You may be asking yourself.  Well, a cool Team Hot Dog kit for starters.  A great group of people that love to bike.  You’ll never have to look for a group ride again… we do plenty of them, all year long.  We race alot, so you'll always have someone to hang with before and afterwards.  Our after parties are epic.  A few of us work at bike shops, some of us are really fast, some can build/fix a bike in our sleep (or hungover), a couple of the faster wieners even make the podium. We’ve got tons of experience… and all of that just motivates the hell out of us to keep going and make each year better than the last!  We. Just.  Have.  Fun.  Camaraderie is #1 over here at tHD.

Some of us race quite a bit, some, not at all.  Mountain bike, road bike, cyclocross, singlespeed, 650b... we roll it all. We’re just looking to expand our group.  We're also looking to get our 2013 kits ordered soon, so if you want in, let us know ASAP!  Think you got what it takes? Please e-mail Coach or
HotDogHimself to get the party started. Please e-mail the following information to us:

•       A brief summary of your biking past
•       Why you would like to become part of a team
•       Your favorite beer

Thanks for your interest!

2012 Iceman Doneth!

Figure the video is every where else on the web... might as well put it here too.

Rocket Island...err Ore to Shore

Our video from Ore to Shore weekend. Hot Dog and I need to tighten our chin straps. Enjoy!

2012 Ore 2 Shore Complete

Wow what a weekend!  Just keeps getting better and better.  tHD came, saw, and destroyed the O2S as well as the UP.  What fun that was.  My mind is still trying to play catch up, processing it all....

I'm too tired to post pics or really report on anything.  I'm still trying to google everything David said over the weekend for accuracy.  At any rate, here is how we all did:

Shaun -- 3:02
Helmet -- 3:05
Gary -- 3:18
Shaun's Pops -- 3:24
Coach -- 3:25
HD Himself -- 3:46
Jrad -- 3:58
DLC -- 4:24
Cheryl -- 2:30 (in her very first ever Soft Rock!  Great job!!)
Matt -- Train tracks 1, Matt 0 (Don't worry, happened to Coach before)

Anyways.  Great job everyone!  See you all at the next big ride or race.

Specialized Carve

Well it happened..... I hit puberty as well as upgraded. You can be happy for for me in one or both areas.  Rather than going to a 2010 Niner EMD frame or Specialized Rockhopper, I decided to skip a few ranks and go with the 2012 Specialized Carve and I must say it was an excellent choice. I may have spent more than I wanted but I was taking the advice of Jeff Cooper Jeff Cooper.  It feels alot lighter and it just has a better feel to it.


Look at that beauty.....

Shimano Hydraulic Disc Brakes...I'm not used to the wider handle bars but I was told to give it a try and I did notice that I had alot more control but it did add some stress to the forearms. I a debating maybe cutting a 1/2 to 1 inch off each side. I also still have my old Thompson stem and monkey lite handlebar I could put on there.

 Nice Rock Shox lockout fork...29 x 2.1

Shimano XT Shadow

On the maiden voyage she handled great. At one point I forgot how awesome the brakes are and went over the handlebars but that's neither here nor there. All in all its a nice ride and cant wait to pop its group ride cherry.

Thanks to all that assisted.  Good luck at Ore to Shore tHD.

Nobs.

Tim

Ore 2 Shore Through The Years

I was going through some photos and was able to pull together the last 5 years of Pre-Ore2Shore Mackinac Bridge photos. Looking forward to adding 2012's to this lost. See you all up there!

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012...?

- Coach

Team Hot Dog Invades Tree Farm

Yes, the time has finally come.  The video of our shenanigans wreaking havoc upon the Tree Farm's hallowed grounds is complete.  Please have any children leave the room before hitting play.

Oh, I also find that drinking a beer while watching improves the viewing experience.

2012 Novi Tree Farm Relay Race

Ok... that was AWESOME!   What beautiful weather, great trail conditions... and even better friends!  Don't think it gets much better than what we experienced today... (Unless you make the trek to the UP in 2 weeks!)

Wow, really.  Thanks to all you guys for coming out, kicking ass on the trails, and just having fun drinking beers, grilling meats, and ripping on me!

Here are a few pics I took from today's festivities...

Team Hot Dog - R.A.T. 2012

Here is a video that documents everything about our fantastic weekend adventure in and around Traverse City, Michigan.  Hope you enjoy.  The weekend was great.  For those of you that missed out, wish you could have been there.  Next year!

SAG Support

A picture or pictures are worth a thousand words...or so they say.  I'll use both anyway.

In the following picture, you'll find Hot Dog adjusting the tension on his shoes.  You'll also see the bag of strawberries he brought for everyone.  Oh, he also just got done fixing a flat.

James has a devilish grin going on.  Oh, and is that another tube in the back of Steve's chariot?

In this photo, Steve looks dejected.  Maybe that's because he's already had 4 flats and gone through everyone's spare tubes.

Here Hot Dog can be seen talking to the tree people.  They were explaining the perils of horizontal stripes and nobs.

So, what caused the leak.  The inspection is in full force.  That guy in the orange was awesome.  SAG support. I don't know his name, but he looks like a Bob.

So what's the verdict?  Well, aside from the brown bits of glass, Steve also managed to find a staple.  If you squint and stare long enough, you might be able to see it.

  Shaun shows Steve a technique on how to apply rubber.

That was a lot of work.  Now I'm all sweaty.

It's Pinhoti!

Could it be?  Yes, another video.  This one showcases our fun down Pinhoti 1 and some of Pinhoti 2.  My Pinhoti 2 footage sucked so there isn't much.  It's a shame because that trail was pretty sweet.  I put in what I could.  I think the first portion is actually a connector, I don't remember.  That's the problem with waiting 3 months before putting together a video.

Team Hot Dog Getting Their Groove On!

This little video comes to you from Bull Mountain near Dahlonega, Georgia.  This little adventure took place back in April during our Georgia trip.  The night before we met our pal Patrick.  He and his yellow riding T joined up with us on this fine day for a ride like no other.  There's not much else I can add.  I'll let the video do the talking:


Boom!

Georgia Trip Video

Figured I'd put these out here as well.

Bear Creek:


Raccoon Mountain.


Bring the cameras for the ride around torch.  I'm sure we'll capture plenty of shenanigans.

Bikes, Beer and Beef 2012

For those of you who are new-to or friends of Team Hot Dog and haven't quite grasped the time-honored traditions of our secret organization, may I introduce to you the famous Bikes, Beer and Beef. The concept is simple, we ride our bikes out to Holdridge and back (Bikes), we rehydrate at Shaun's place afterwards (Beer) and fire up the grill (Beef) with whatever concoction your little hot dog heart can dream of.

Here are a few examples of pure awesomeness from 2010 and 2011:
http://hotdogracing.blogspot.com/2011/07/another-bbb-in-books.html
http://hotdogracing.blogspot.com/2010/07/2nd-annual-bbb-is-in-books.html

The plan is to start from Shaun's house at 9AM on Sunday, July 1st, head out to Holdridge (easy pace back-road ride 40ish miles) and back. If you wish to participate, please bring a dish to pass. Bonus points for a creative hot dog inspired dish, however, feel free to pick up pasta salad, chips, desserts, whatever. This is a BYOB type of event so bring whatever types of post-ride hydration you want.

Finally, it's not mandatory but it is strongly encouraged that you wear your Team Hot Dog kit during the ride so we get that whole scooter-gang vibe while we're cruising the backroads and biggest hills in Michigan. It also makes the blog photos look pretty sweet (see links above).

Hope to see all of you there!

- Steve

Bring Home the Patch Boys!

 

I'm sure you guys have a lot of running around to do before you make your way up north.  Just wanted to wish Coach, Cooper, Jon, Landry, and Shaun one hell of a race in the Lumberjack 100.  Hope you boys ride hard, have fun, drink beer, and score patch!  100 miles on flat land is nothing to sneeze about, doing basically 3 longer Icemans in a row is an entirely different animal.  We expect a full blog report from someone upon arrival home. GOOD LUCK!! (nobs)

Tour De Cure - 2012 Edition

Me @ Dunkin Donuts on the morning of the Tour De Cure:

Dunkin Donuts Speaker - "Thank you for choosing Dunkin Donuts, What can I get you to drink?"

Coach - "I'll have a Bacon, Egg and Cheese bagel on a Multi-Grain Bagel, an Iced Coffee with Creme and Sugar....and how about a Boston Creme?"

Dunkin Donuts Speaker - "Is that all?"

Coach - "Umm....(after some serious thought about another donut)...Yeah I guess that'll be it"

Dunkin Donuts Speaker - "That will be $XX.XX. Please pull around"

- Coach Drives to the window with bike on the back - 

Lady at Dunkin Donuts Drive Thru - "Oh you going biking this morning?"

Coach (as she is handing me my death bagel, donut and my coffee) - "Yeah I have a charity ride for the American Diabetes Association"

Lady at Dunkin Donuts Drive Thru - "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...."

So, at 7:30, I meet up with JRAD and David and head into Brighton High School to get signed in, get our number plates and line up for the big 62 miler. Surprise #1 happens when I reach in my registration packet and find THIS:

Quest for the patch...Complete? Apparently this is what the Tour De Cure gives out for 6 years of riding....I'm not complaining. So we line up for our official send-off from Ron Savage and he throws a shout-out to Team Hot Dog as we're rolling under the start/finish gate. Bonus!

The route took us on a spirited roll through Chelsea, the Pinckney Recreation Area, out to Hell and back to Brighton High School. But before we go any further...I introduce to you Shenanigans:

and MORE shenanigans...

Ok, back to the riding. We did ride quite a few miles, afterall. Would have been 62 but JRAD said "To Hell With Diabetes, I am going to add more miles!" So after I finally flagged him down and set him back on the right course, we were rollin' again.

The last aid station brought on some emotions that none of us thought would happen. It was a truly powerful moment that I was happy to catch on my camera...

As we rolled back into Brighton High School to finalize our Tour De Cure obligations, we met up with my co-worker Dave who rode the 25 mile course. I'd like to give a big shout-out to him for joining Team Hot Dog for this event. Sounds like he had a blast! As bummed as I thought I would be about Carabbas not catering the event anymore, the Chicken Tacos from Chili's kept my mind off it.

In all, Team Hot Dog raised $1390.00 to kick Diabetes' Ass. That was good enough for 6th place in the Club/Organization Team. I am expecting my plaque in the mail any day now.

Thank you to David, JRAD and Dave for participating in the event, fundraising and putting up with my overly"spirited pace" at times today. The rest of THD, family, friends and co-workers who stepped up, donated and supported us, THANK YOU AS WELL.

The Details:

 Hope to see you all next year,

- "Coach" Steve

Podium Dogs

You're all familiar with our logo. You've seen the jerseys, the header on the blog and the tattoo on John's ass. Yup, it's a hot dog on a podium. He's up there where he belongs with a hot dog in his hand and a beer in the other. And so was Gary, Shaun, JRAD and Cooper at this year's Fun Promotions Hanson Hills 100.

Cooler temperatures and amazing trail conditions made this race one of the most enjoyable endurance events I have ever participated in. Having a good pit crew (Thanks to Shaun's Dad and Cheryl) and plenty of support from friends on the trail kept me in good spirits. The first 50 miles was a relative breeze. Consistent 2:05 lap times was a welcomed surprise.

The decision to rock my camelback was made the night before and I think that made a huge difference in my performance. After 50 miles though, my back wasn't exactly thrilled with the added weight but I deployed my secret weapon, the Ipod. An eclectic mix of cool jams, Kenny G and Show-tunes fueled my third lap and kept my mind off the back pains. The third lap was as lively and spirited as Kenny G's Magic Flute and the trail was flowing like his epic hairdo.

XXC Magazine's Video of the Event

After I rolled into the pits for my 4th lap, the winner rolled through the finish line (yay I'm not getting lapped!). I tossed a whole slab of chamois butt'r on the 'oll gooch and headed back out for one last lap. I'm not going to lie, I did my fair share of "smelling the roses" on this trip but with the taste of a Sub-9 hour finish, I pushed on. I did my best to obtain that goal but I was a little far off....Ended up crossing the finish line at 9:13:07, beating my previous year's time of 11:24:40.



So no podium for me, but I feel like I got what I came for...Revenge!

Proof that Team Hot Dog is Bad-Ass (as if you really didn't believe it):

Next up for myself is the American Diabetes Association's Tour De Cure and then Lumberjack 100 where I plan on getting revenge there as well. There's also a huge race coming up called the Dirty Kanza 200 that Cooper's heading out this week for and I want to wish him the best of luck!!!! Fly the Wiener jersey with pride out in Kansas!

Until then,
"Coach"

Arcadian Grit & Gravel

Thanks to a buddy named Rob and another buddy named Vince I got wind of the Arcadian Grit & Gravel. Well, now that I'm back, I'll share my tale of high adventure.

I got on the road a little later than I hoped, but made it to Crystal Mountain resort mid Friday afternoon.  The weather was gorgeous and the resort was very nice.  I've never been to a resort before.  Unless the Holiday Inn counts.  Well, I have gone on a couple golf trips, but Lakewood Shores wasn't really a resort.  Well, maybe it was, but I was pretty hammered that whole trip.  Anyway, here's Crystal Mountain:

I checked in with the nice lady at the front desk.  She wouldn't let me take her picture.  However, my bungalow was the bomb.  It had a Jacuzzi.  Yes I got naked with a beer and enjoyed all its glory.

However, the brown trout overhead made me a little nervous.  So did his friends.  Didn't want them ending up in the tub with me.

Anyway, after I checked in, got my room, and lunch in my belly, I hit the local trails.  There were a few choices but I decided to try the Betsie River Trail.  It wasn't that challenging, but made for a fun, relaxing ride, which is all I really wanted with the race the next day....Greetings from the Betsie River Pathway:

After the ride I cleaned up, put on some snazzy digs and went to the Thistle Pub & Grill right across from my bungalow.  I hopped up to the bar, ordered a trusted friend, aka Two Hearted and began my beer intake for the evening.  It got bad when I opted for a 25oz Shorts Humalupalicious.

I had 3 more....   Then there was a frog.

Me naked in the Jacuzzi. 

Then I woke up.  It was race day!  I ate a good breakfast.  Evacuated my bowels.  Then packed up my truck and drove the 15 miles to the Pleasant Valley Community Center to use their bathroom.  Actually, that's were the race took place too, so it worked out.

I registered.  I was number 116.  How awesome is that?  Not very.  Numbers 115 and 117 both got prizes.  So 116 sucks!

The race was challenging.  17 miles of some good gravel roads, some good two track, some sandy gravel roads and some sandy two track.  The sand was a bitch, but I went with the right bike.  The mighty snatch rolled right through it for the most part.   What made the race really fun was the 10 miles of single track towards the end.  It was like one giant pump track.  If you maintained your momentum it was one heck of a roller coaster.  However, I was pretty gassed and lost it a couple of times.  But, it was still a blast.

After about 2hr 45min I crossed the finish line.  I had to stop in the woods to pee once and walked a few of the sandy two tracks.  I could have done better, but that's for next year.  I'll be going back.  I may save the humalupalicious for after the race though.

Oh and one more thing.  Team Hot Dog is kind of a big deal.  I met a fan named Emily.  She remembered the ride bikes, drink beer from Barry Roubaix.  She saw my shirt and just had to get my autograph.  However, I didn't have a pen so we had a post race meal together.