Lay a brick bitch

Tonight Bulls game. To watch some brick laying of a different kind. But this Sunday's tour stage is going to be fun. The weather looks good and I don't have to work-
Here is the specs for this weeks race......

Racers have 90 minutes to hit as many checkpoints within the mapped area (map and manifest provided at registration) as possible and collect a brick labeled with point value (2-x) and checkpoint code. If bricks are gone, write down checkpoint code for one point. One Point deduction for every minute over the time limit. Rider with the most points wins. Finish order settles ties. If you intend to win, you could be carrying 35lbs of bricks. Bring something to hold them, something to write with and something to write ON. I will not accept crumpled, sweaty, folded, illegible manifests. Neither would your dispatcher. Rookie. Pancakes and beer-mosas to follow, old-school TDC style. You'll have earned them. Volunteers to help set out bricks.
Oh hell yeah lets kick some ass-its everyone favorite thing to do.

spectacular lameness

Teamed up with the promise of a 5 hour 150.oo dollar night I chose bouncing over the crummy weather and a tour stage. Yep pretty lame. Well this craptacular weather has pissed me off and spent an hour on the revmaster today. It was just like doing the 11 mile loop. [Cough] Thats nine mile up there.

coming soon

The snow is melting and its in the 30's. Singletrack is out for now. But the next Tour stage is Sunday. The Royalty Race. This is the description as given by Erin....

The race is going to have a more ‘classic’ alley cat format –no set course, no set order for the checkpoints with the exception of the first. There will 7 checkpoints total, 5 of which will be given out 1 hour before the start of the race, the remaining 2 will be handed out at the first checkpoint. 2 bonus points will be awarded to the first rider to reach the first check point, while rider deemed to be the most courteous and chivalrous at the first check point will be awarded 15 extra minutes to finish the race (flowers would be nice). There will be a 2 hour time limit to the race and riders coming in late will be ranked last, making it far more important to finish on time than to hit all the checkpoints. Registration will begin at 7 a.m. Sunday Feb. 25 at 500 w. Madison and the race will start at 8 o’clock sharp. The finish will be at the Ravenswood entrance to Rosehill Cemetery. Out of Towners are encouraged to show up early and bring a map.

This one should be in my favor. We'll see.

snow cover

Friday Night worked the door here. Nothing exciting happened. Only a bagpipe guy from Guiness that surprised the Manager. I guess it was a toast thing or something. Except that no one could here a damn thing. It was just too packed.

We had some snow here on Friday Night. Saturday Morning I took Josh for his sledding fix and he had a blast. Belly Button hill had a good jump built from the older kids and Josh and his tube was all over it. He jumped some kid and then started trash talking and was sticking out his tongue and ran. The kid left him alone which was a good thing-he was twice Josh's size. I thought that I could probably take this kids dad if it came down to it. (thats Josh with gravedigger)

Sunday-the crew hit Cascade just above Madison and had some decent snow. By two o'clock the lines were nuts and I boogied. But the first 4 hours were pretty much non stop up and down and the lines weren't terrible. The usual craziness went down. Snow Boarding in the Midwest just doesn't do much for me anymore. Next Year I'll go out West. Its been a few years.

a little more.

-4 degrees. 5 more days (supposedly) until we hit the 30's. Ice City.

Skiing with the Prez.

We have at least a foot of snow. John and I went for the ski around the hood and out towards the Mesa. We didn't get to the Mesa. The snow was deep and we killed a flask of Whiskey in an hour and a half.

Happy Valentines Day.

+3 points

For every 2 degrees below 20 at race start gets bonus points.
The Island Getaway started a Humboldt Park Lemond-style. Running from the island in the middle of the lagoon. Some took the across the ice way and others took the bridge. From there, the main group headed toward Armitage and towards the first checkpoint. The first check point was on the north side of the Lincoln Park Zoo. The Island here was a raised cement island in the middle of a fountain. Here you were Lei-ed.
Then off to 1000 N. Halsted. This houses a spot a bunch of skateboarders decided to build an under ground in door skate park/ramp. Here you were shot. And were marked.
Side note: I won't take a route that takes me in view of the vehicle we drove down in. Unnessecary thoughts of how I could somehow get out of riding the next 25 miles trickle through my brain.
From there the next checkpoint was 222 N. State Street. (State and Wacker) where you were marked again. I dragged a Milwaukee guy through a couple of quicker streets than what the group was doing. He was impressed and was trying to tell me so and then I lost him. never to be seen again.
Off to Northerly Island. The wind and the cold on the Lakefront was pretty bad but you didn't have a choice in the matter. Northerly Island used to be Meigs Airplane Field before Mayor Daley bulldozed it for the reason he said was to stop terrorists from landing there. Now the Charter One Music Pavilion stands here. Here you were marked and given a name.
From there we went to The Japanese Garden behind The Science and Industry Museum. The only way to really get there was in the wind up the lakefront from the Planetarium to 57th Street beach. Under Lake Shore Drive and then sneak behind the museum and onto the lagoon island via two bridges. You had to know the name of the skipper from Gilligans Island so you could get your mark and get off the Island.
Then off to the ghetto- Racine and 55th Street. Sherman park. Grab a rubber ocean animal and get to 500 West Madsion. My route back took me through the Stockyards and the smell of cooked pig. Down Morgan St , in the summertime its where the Latin Kings hang out and then east on 31st where the Kings rivals The Disciples hang. Up Halsted through Maxwell Street Market and Greek Town. Madsion east to the Finish.
It was a real character building day.

Dammit

Why is this so wrong?

I don't think I know anyone around here who still drinks this.

chit

Zesty had to go to the emergency room for the pain in her belly today. She was thought to have appendicitis. Doctors like to scare the crap out of you. They gave her an IV, a Ultrasound and a CAT scan. Apparently she just needed to chit. Enough said. She's fine and well.

The Island Getaway Sunday.
If your old enough go here.

X-C Ski night ops

We have enough snow now to get some skiing in and we rode Stonehenge last night.
Five of us went and after the first five minutes everyone forgot how cold it really was. But when your shell is frozen stiff after about an hour you remember. At that point your pretty much as far as you could get from the car. Singletrack skiing can be treacherous and every hill seems tough. On a bike you buzz a couple miles of singletrack like nothing but skiing not so fast. Stupid -4 degrees.

Twin Six and Fat Cyclist

Brent and Ryan kick ass. They have come up with another killer jersey. Check it out. http://www.fatcyclist.com/

The Zesty One

negative

Well I hate to be negative but the feels temp is -14. That sucks. Flying with the birds on Johnny Spinner makes me want to gag but hell-the gym is getting emptier by the day. January 1st the place is packed for a month and now February hits and its a ghosttown.
So apparently Palos has been invaded by Polish speaking ATV riders. Its like waiting in line at any Midwestern Ski lift with them. Lets pretend not to understand english so we can do what ever the fuck we want. Oh by the way I'm Polish.
So bunch of Mountain Bikers have taken upon thenselves to stop the destruction by having the direct phone number to the Palos Division Forest Preserve Cops. Anyone see anything find Ed Bartunek at www.cambr.org He is Chicago's IMBA rep. Oh and he also keeps the showers up and running at 24-9. He loves heiniken (sp?) beer. If you see him get him one.
Lets kick some ass! Its everyones favorite thing to do. Zesty McGillacudy-ski out.

witness

the robopocalypse.

A Pair of Robotic Pants would be sweet. With Auto Pilot of course.

Aces

You'll have to smoke him if you want the Million.

Watch out for this kid; Dawg. He's a G.

Crazy ass shit.