Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Friday, August 2, 2013
The Tradition Continues...
Historians of tHD know that Team Hot Dog was born from the ashes of the Ore 2 Shore Mountain Bike Epic many moons ago. From the strength of the Perseid meteor shower and copious amounts of Jolly Pumpkin Beer, Hot Dog himself had risen and, well, the rest they say is history.
Here we are again, a week away from the 2013 Ore 2 Shore trip and I can safely say that I'm just as excited as I was back in 2007 for this weekend. The shenanigan level will no-doubt be high and we might even ride our bikes! Stay tuned to the tHD Facebook Page for updates on how everyone did at the race, who made it up to the top of Rocket Island first and what kind of Ice Cream JRAD chooses from Mom's Ice Cream Shop!
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013...?
On Your Left,
- Coach
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Arcadian Grit and Gravel 2013
Dawn was upon them. The familiar bite of anticipation hung in the air, soft, like a whisper. And so began another epic journey with Team Hot Dog's fittest and finest racers. Their chiseled frames shadowed the ground as the sun slowly rose above the tree tops. In a highly organized fashion, they loaded up the bus eager to begin the long drive north to beautiful Benzi county...oh wait, it was just me. Dawn had come and gone. It was more like 10 and slightly overcast. Spandex gives me a muffin top and a robin shit on my truck as I tossed the last of my gear in the cab. Then, after updating my playlist to include some of Shaun's suggested Nicki Minaj favorites, I was ready.
Arcadian Grit and Gravel. The second year for this fine event and my second year attending. I tried my damnedest to get a couple more wieners to bite, but they weren't having any. Memories from Mud, Sweat and Beers and visions of the Hanson 100 held them at bay. However, I was not deterred.
The idea was to get up North early Friday afternoon to do a bit of riding the day before the race. I was again staying at Crystal Mountain resort. A swanky little retreat in the heart of Thompsonville, Michigan. They make their own soap. Upon check-in I knew my plans were in jeopardy. The drizzle showed no signs of letting up so I decided to grab a bite and hope for the best. The perch sandwich on a pretzel bun was delicious.
After lunch my fears were realized. My planned ride, which was to be a 44 mile out and back of the Betsie Valley trail (http://www.betsievalleytrail.org/index.html) was cooked. I so wanted to make the ride and enjoy the scenery all the way to Lake Michigan. Deterred only slightly, I donned my wiener casing and drove to what I assumed was a trail head parking lot in downtown Thompsonville. It actually turned out to be a quaint community ball park where the local teenagers like to hang out and smoke.
The drizzle still seemed endless. But weather be damned, this was my vacation and I was going to ride. I slipped on my shoes, unloaded the bike, and put on my trusty back pack. As I threw my leg over the bike, a young man commented on my tights, informed me that it was raining, then took a long pull from his damp cigarette before wishing me luck. My ride lasted 8 miles.
Soaked, I was back at Crystal Mountain. Ready for a hot shower and anxious to apply the lavender mint conditioner to my golden locks, I quickly stripped down...I'll skip this part.
I ordered another Oberon and politely told the man next to me that I was not here for golf, but a mountain bike race taking place in Arcadia tomorrow. This was about the fourth gentleman to ask me how I played, excluding the bartender. After the fifth man asked me, who also happened to be the greens keeper, and was standing at the stall next to me, I simply said, "Not too bad. Shot seven over on the Betsie." When in Rome.
Soon my belly was a happy place, full with beer and medium rare ribeye. However, I opted for just one more Oberon before bed. Maybe two. Or was it three. I do know that three more folks asked me how I played. Funny, my imaginary round got better as the night went on.
Morning came quick. I stretched and slowly made my way to the bathroom where I proceeded to...I'll skip this part too.
I pulled into to Rosie's dinner off of the old Cadillac Highway. The bartender recommended the place as breakfast at the resort started a little too late for my liking. I had a race to attend even though it was still raining. The jovial locals inside greeted me warmly, commented on my bike and actually rode the local area themselves. I have to admit, Rosie's was one hell of a diner. The omelette was fantastic and so was the homemade bread. I will definitely get my pre-race fuel here next year as well.
To all you hot doggers at home, you really need to save a spot on the calendar for this race next year. It's a great ride through a great part of Michigan. I will be there in 2014 and hope to shed some more time. Maybe I'll even place third from last.
Sincerely,
Arcadian Grit and Gravel. The second year for this fine event and my second year attending. I tried my damnedest to get a couple more wieners to bite, but they weren't having any. Memories from Mud, Sweat and Beers and visions of the Hanson 100 held them at bay. However, I was not deterred.
The idea was to get up North early Friday afternoon to do a bit of riding the day before the race. I was again staying at Crystal Mountain resort. A swanky little retreat in the heart of Thompsonville, Michigan. They make their own soap. Upon check-in I knew my plans were in jeopardy. The drizzle showed no signs of letting up so I decided to grab a bite and hope for the best. The perch sandwich on a pretzel bun was delicious.
After lunch my fears were realized. My planned ride, which was to be a 44 mile out and back of the Betsie Valley trail (http://www.betsievalleytrail.org/index.html) was cooked. I so wanted to make the ride and enjoy the scenery all the way to Lake Michigan. Deterred only slightly, I donned my wiener casing and drove to what I assumed was a trail head parking lot in downtown Thompsonville. It actually turned out to be a quaint community ball park where the local teenagers like to hang out and smoke.
The drizzle still seemed endless. But weather be damned, this was my vacation and I was going to ride. I slipped on my shoes, unloaded the bike, and put on my trusty back pack. As I threw my leg over the bike, a young man commented on my tights, informed me that it was raining, then took a long pull from his damp cigarette before wishing me luck. My ride lasted 8 miles.
I ordered another Oberon and politely told the man next to me that I was not here for golf, but a mountain bike race taking place in Arcadia tomorrow. This was about the fourth gentleman to ask me how I played, excluding the bartender. After the fifth man asked me, who also happened to be the greens keeper, and was standing at the stall next to me, I simply said, "Not too bad. Shot seven over on the Betsie." When in Rome.
Soon my belly was a happy place, full with beer and medium rare ribeye. However, I opted for just one more Oberon before bed. Maybe two. Or was it three. I do know that three more folks asked me how I played. Funny, my imaginary round got better as the night went on.
Morning came quick. I stretched and slowly made my way to the bathroom where I proceeded to...I'll skip this part too.
I pulled into to Rosie's dinner off of the old Cadillac Highway. The bartender recommended the place as breakfast at the resort started a little too late for my liking. I had a race to attend even though it was still raining. The jovial locals inside greeted me warmly, commented on my bike and actually rode the local area themselves. I have to admit, Rosie's was one hell of a diner. The omelette was fantastic and so was the homemade bread. I will definitely get my pre-race fuel here next year as well.
So now for Arcadia. I had checked out of Crystal Mountain and now had my feet firmly planted in Arcadia at the old Pleasant Valley Community Center. Otherwise known as race central. It would be a much better race central if they invested in a few port-a-johns. The community center has two bathrooms. Both had a line and after that farmers omelette I wasn't thrilled to be currently standing in the 5th spot. Somehow I manged to survive and got registration taken care of. I slapped the old number plate to the bike and was ready. Plus, it wasn't raining.
My group left the starting gate at 10:33. The route is a combination of a little pavement, gravel roads, sandy two track, and some absolutely awesome single track in the Arcadia Dunes trail system. The course isn't easy. The race traverses northern Manistee and southern Benzi county. They are covered in rolling hills. I think my favorite had to be the Taylor Road climb. Nearly 2 miles of fun. And when I say things like favorite and fun I mean dick and balls.
The Taylor climb comes just before you are dumped onto the single track portion of the race. Now this is some really nice trail. However, if you don't have your legs, it just saps the momentum right out of you. The trail itself flows great. And after you manage to recover a bit you can maintain a pretty good pace throughout and carry yourself through most of the climbs. However, there are a couple punchy buggers hiding in them woods. Perhaps the best part of the trail is the last part of the trail where you start seeing the danger signs and bails of hay stacked up against the trees you are whirling by at 20 plus mph.
After 2 hours and 36 minutes, I was back at the community center. I finished 8 minutes faster than last year. I placed the same. Second to last in my age group. One of these days I'll realize I'm actually in a race and not on a joy ride. However, until that day comes, I'm always happy just to cross the finish line and wave to my adoring fans. Yes, I have three.
Since my previous day was spoiled and I didn't get to see good old Michi gami, I rolled an additional two miles to the beach. It turned out to be a great day and I was now complete.
Sincerely,
DLC
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangster!
Jrad got me up at 5am this morning to come out and try the Beat the Train (http://www.beatthetrain.org/about.asp) ride downtown Detroit that starts at 6:30am from Historic Fort Wayne. (Our stomping grounds every October for the Mad Anthony Cyclocross race that many of us do and love so much)
I was tired. I was cranky. Could still feel the Oberons I had the night before. But once I got the bike on the roof rack, and pulled out of the driveway, I was ready to rock and had a feeling the ride would be pretty sweet. And it was!
Jrad and I introduced ourselves to Andy (super cool dude and ride founder) in the Fort's parking lot. Waited for and made small talk with a bunch of other riders, and at 6:30 we shoved off. Think there was like 20-30 riders, I can't remember... and people had road bikes, cross bikes, mtn bikes, and all kinds of other weird shit I hadn't seen. I hadn't ridden my bike in 3.5 weeks, recovering from a nasty sinus/respiratory infection as well as starting a new job, so I knew I wasn't going to feel real spry. Last time I rode was the ILRA group ride the Saturday after Barry Roubaix... yeah, I'm in bad shape.
The ride itself was awesome. Very similar route to the Tour de Droit, I think... but I'm no expert. Just with less people, was free, and we went faster and saw some cooler stuff that I hadn't experienced yet. Riding along the riverfront as the sun came up, a giant, lifesize Detroit Piston Brandon Knight bobble-head along said riverfront, attacking a Strava segment in some old cemetery, and hitting the Dequindre Cut and cruising by Eastern Market had to be my highlights. Jrad and I bailed once they hit Mexicantown for breakfast, due to time constraints, but I think moving forward we should make time for a morning margarita or 3 and some chips and salsa! Think we got in around 32 miles. Check my Strava data below, it happened.
http://app.strava.com/activities/50958463
Will I be back? Oh yeah, this was awesome. I strongly suggest we get more wieners out there for this one, you will not regret it. All the riders were super nice, and the pace can be as fast or slow as you want it... Andy does a great job organizing this. My only regret was not bringing along my Contour video camera to document the ride. I will next time, and I hope there are more of us. Anways, till next time... see some of you d-bags at PLRA tomorrow for Gary's race, and then Mud, Sweat, and Beers next weekend up in Traverse!
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
It's Hot Dog Season
It's Hot Dog season folks, spring has arrived. I know it might not seem like it, but trust me, it's here. I for one, have a lot of work to do. The winter doldrums encased in beer drinking, intense couch sessions, and reruns of Mork and Mindy have taken their toll. To make matters worse, I signed up for the Lumberjack 100.
So what exactly is the Lumberjack 100? I have no idea. However, when guys like Coach, and the effervescent Shaun Welch say it's hard, I know I'm f%$*^d six ways til Sunday. I only have 171.7 miles under my belt year to date. The race itself is more than half that total. Of course, you could have probably done that math yourself. Regardless, it's pitiful and I just punched myself in the nuts.
Goal setting is hard to do at this point since I have no idea what to expect other than an ass whooping. Of course my goal has always been just to finish regardless of what place. While I certainly hope to achieve that, shitting the bed is entirely possible after the first lap.
Anyway, spring has arrived and you'll be seeing all of your favorite wieners at a race, trail, dirt road, paved road, railroad crossing, donut shop, bar, or backyard bbq near you very soon.
Ride bikes, drink beer.
Sincerely,
DLC
So what exactly is the Lumberjack 100? I have no idea. However, when guys like Coach, and the effervescent Shaun Welch say it's hard, I know I'm f%$*^d six ways til Sunday. I only have 171.7 miles under my belt year to date. The race itself is more than half that total. Of course, you could have probably done that math yourself. Regardless, it's pitiful and I just punched myself in the nuts.
Goal setting is hard to do at this point since I have no idea what to expect other than an ass whooping. Of course my goal has always been just to finish regardless of what place. While I certainly hope to achieve that, shitting the bed is entirely possible after the first lap.
Anyway, spring has arrived and you'll be seeing all of your favorite wieners at a race, trail, dirt road, paved road, railroad crossing, donut shop, bar, or backyard bbq near you very soon.
Ride bikes, drink beer.
Sincerely,
DLC
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