Klee Irwin

Have you guys seen the infomercial for Dual Action Cleanse? There's a half hour of this! The best thing on tv. Hands down. It should win an Emmy.

Hole Shot?

Yeah buddy. So I finished my first race since June 9th on Saturday. That felt good. I didn't do too shabby either. And as the title suggests, I got the hole shot as well. I took advantage of a weakened, lethargic field and without effort, surged to the front. 20 meters in I looked at Brian with baffled amusment and shrugged.

So I drilled it for two thirds of the first lap and then methodically got passed by 7 dudes.

I sorta forgot how to race for an entire hour.

The fitness and skills are there, I just have to pull my head out of my ass and race. The speed of the Pro/1/2 race isn't much different from the cat 3 race, it's just like 2 laps longer. If I was more focused and dedicated, I think I could have finished in top 4. There will be pics and video shortly over at Madcross.org.



Speaking of focus and dedication, I'm eating a slice of cana de cabra on mini toasts along with a bottle of tempranillo. Now that's some good shit. Next time you see a goat, hug it and tell it "thank you for making delicious cheese out of your milk." And then feed it a tin can or whatnot.

I unfortunately had to work on Sunday and couldn't race. It's too bad because it was a greasy, muddy mess. I did bottle handups for Brian and took a bunch of crappy pictures.





Monday I was off and drove to Viroqua for their Monday night cross race series. It's a pretty layed back, low key deal. It was still all slippery and muddy, which was nice. I settled in 2nd or 3rd wheel for most of the race and made my way to the front about half way through. A local guy passed me with like 3 laps to go and I didn't really contest the victory. I figured it was bad taste to beat the locals. He legitametly passed me and gapped me though, and I don't in any way want to dilute his win, but I didn't exactly give him a hard time passing me, and i didn't try to stay with him. So I got second place, $15, a pound of coffee, and all the chocolate milk I could handle. Sweet.

Now I have this to deal with.

Next race I might try some video.

Surly, 2 Ways

A couple posts ago I alluded to Mary's Surly Cross-Check commuter bike. Well, it's all finished and she's been commuting for a couple weeks on it now. It turned out really nice in my opinion, and she loves it. Here are some pics.

Surly bikes are based out of the Twin Cities where, coincidentally, Surly Brewing Company is located. While on my way through after visiting my parents earlier this week, I stopped and picked some up. In the beer geek world, its sort of a big deal. I picked up some Bender, Furious, and SurlyFest. It's unique in that they come in 16oz 4-pack cans. Surly is unequivocally the best canned beer made, and Furious is one of the best IPA's I've ever had.

Do You Know What's Painful?

Cyclocross. Holy moley. So the season didn't quite start out the way I wanted, but that's ok. My first race in the cat 1/2 field lasted all of about 15 minutes. I DNF'ed after 2 laps. I had a pretty crappy start, and played catch up for half a lap, then easily blew by a group of 5 on an uphill drag. Then I found myself in noman's land until we regrouped and I led the group around for a lap until I popped. Rumor has it my heart rate was 205 at one time.

So the season started like last year's.

I'm optimistic about the season. I won't ever be competing at the front of the race, but I'll have some good battles with other "also rans."

Brian put in an impressive race finishing an effortless 6th in the cat 3 race. It must be his newly implemented theory on tire psi. Or it could be the training and incredible amount racing miles he has in his legs.

So after the race I headed to Grand Forks for like 36 hours. It was nice seeing the family.

More pics and video can be found at Madcross.org.

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I was going to do this in two seperate posts.

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Here is the XO1 v3.0


Frame: Trek XO1
Fork: Alpha Q CX
Wheelset: Bontrager Race X lite tubular
Tires: Dugast Cotton Typhoons 32mm
Bottom Bracket: Shimano Dura Ace 7700
Cranks: Shimano Dura Ace 7700
Chain: Sram PC-991
Front Deraileur: what?
Rear Deraileur: Shimano Dura Ace 7700
Shifters/Brake Levers: Shimano Dura Ace 7700 right shifter, Shimano R-600 left brake lever
Brakes: Paul Neo-Retro
Cassette: Shimano Ultegra 6500 12-25
Headset: Chris King NoTreadSet
Handlebar: Ritchey Pro Biomax
Stem: Ritchey WCS
Pedals: Crank Bros. Candy SL's
Seatpost: Ritchey Pro
Saddle: Selle Italia SLR-modified
Extras: Bontrager gel cork handlebar tape, Swiss Stop GHP brake pads, FSA 42 tooth chainring, FSA carbon chainguides, Avid Tri Dangle cable carriers, Dura Ace cables/housing
Bike weight: 16.9lbs

Circa 1993 Avid Tri Dangles


No need for two chainrings


Why buy a $330.00 carbon SLR when you can make one out of a worn out saddle and some Krylon?


I like stickers


Dura Ace is so amazing. This deraileur has seen like 20,000 miles!


The backups


Sampson approves

I'm In...

And prepared to get my ass kicked. Follow the link and click on "Elite Male" in the pull down menu.

Yep.

What's up gang? Nothing too exciting going on in my neck of the woods. Work and cyclocross preparation have been all consuming. Last week I reached gastronomic nirvana by dipping a fried cheese curd into a vat of fondue. In that instance 2 positives equaled a big negative.

There's some exciting news on the bicycle front. We're in the process of building Mary a commuter/do everything bike. It's going to be super sweet. It's based on this. I'm working on the finishing touches to my cyclocross bike. I'll post some glamor shots next week when she's all made up.

I've added some new links to the sidebar. Bike Snob NYC is the best cycling related website in existence. Hilarious stuff. The guy brings his A game every post. CrossTalk is a cool site featuring high quality cyclocross videos. All the action is in the Mid-Atlantic or New England.

Speaking of cyclocross videos, add one part crappy dance remix of a wonderul 80's tune with one part overtly sexual music video, and a dash of world cup cyclocross footage and what do you get? The greatest youtube video ever.

Cheq 40 is coming up. I wonder if Brian will run into this guy?

Upgrade!

I recieved an email today from USA Cycling telling me I was awarded my upgrade. Fun fun. Now I just need to get faster so I don't embarass myself. Check out this form. That's what I'm talking about.

Is it Cyclocross Season Yet?

Yesterday I rode in a long sleeve jersey and knee warmers. The weather here has been crazy. Last week it was like 90, then it rained HARD all weekend, yesterday it was chilly. Today was back to normal with high humidity and temps in the 80's. The lawn and garden look awesome though.
It's 65 degrees with a nice breeze as I type this, and I heard the neighbor's AC turn on. That's sad.

I submitted my race resume to USA Cycling for a category upgrade request. Hopefully I get the upgrade soon, as registration for the National Championships opens September 15th at midnight. I'm also mulling over getting a UCI licence and racing some UCI races in Ohio and Iowa, although I'm not sure how you go about getting one. If I get the upgrade, I won't be able to hang with Wisconsin's best anyways, so I might as well race some bigger races, right?

On the equipment front the bike will stay largely unchanged from last year. New cables and housing, a bottom bracket, and probably some fresh brake pads is all she'll need. This week I'm gluing up some tubulars onto the wheels Brian and I built last winter.

Training is going as planned. My resting heart rate is insanely low, and LTHR is pretty high. Intervals start in earnest the beginning of September, and the barriers will be put in the yard after Labor Day. I'm sure one of these weeks Brian and I will start our little cross practices in the park. A few days ago I bought some running shoes as I'm going to incorporate running into CX training. Crazy. We'll see if it actually makes me faster.

Mary has the Chicago Triathlon this weekend along with Heathrow and Pammie. The pics are from last week's local aquathon.

This Can't be Good

From Velonews.com:

Contador plans Friday announcement
By VeloNews.com
Filed: August 8, 2007

Tour de France winner Alberto Contador has scheduled a press event this Friday in Spain, but says he will decline to answer reporters' questions after he reads a prepared statement.

Contador issued a release Wednesday notifying media of his plans to read a statement at the offices of Spain's national sports council - the Consejo Superior de Deportes - in Madrid.

Contador will be accompanied by Discovery Channel team director Johann Bruyneel.

Since winning the 2007 Tour de France, Contador has been the subject of heightened scrutiny regarding his possible involvement with Eufemio Fuentes, the Madrid doctor at the center of the Operación Puerto doping investigation.

While both Fuentes and Contador have denied working together, German anti-doping activist Werner Franke has reportedly provided investigators at the World Anti-Doping Agency with documents detailing the rider's work with the notorious doctor.

Contador's Wednesday news release did not state a reason for the announcement, and added that the Discovery rider "will not offer a press conference after the reading of the communiqué."

Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel

On its journey across the globe the little Chouffe wondered through beautiful hopfields. The overwhelming aroma of these little hop flowers such as Tomahawk, Amarillo and Saaz mesmerized him.

Back at home in the Ardennes he crafted a new recipe combining this dizzying array of hops with the depth and body of his favorite style "Tripel." Thus, our little Chouffe's new inspiration Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel was born.
Word.

A Day in the Life

No effects pedals here.

Presence of the Lord

This video sums up the festival nicely. Clapton, Winwood, Trucks, and Bramhall II. Presence of the Lord indeed.

Went Down to the Crossroads

Yep. Last Saturday Mary and I and her parents went to the Crossroads Guitar Festival. A week later I think I finally have my wits about me to blog about it. Needless to say, it was f'ing awsome!

Here are my highlights.

Bill Murray hosted the thing, and was hilarious introducing "Chicago's own, Eric Clapton."

Johnny Winter needed assistance walking out onto the stage, and sat slumped over in a chair, ready to die at any moment, but holy shit he could play fast. Quite the dichotomy.

John Mayer and especially Derek Trucks showed that 20 somethings can play a mean guitar.

Vince Gill. Who knew he could rock out?

Robert Cray is the man. And Jimmy Vaughan. Those guys know what they're doing. So smooth.

Jeff Beck was rip your face off loud. Crazy awesome!

When I think of Steve Winwood, I think of his organ playing, but he can play a mean guitar. He had the best guitar solo of the entire show on "Dear Mr. Fantasy."

So thats about it. It's stupid to write about a concert when you can see and hear it, so I'll post some videos. I'm pretty sure I'll never see anything remotely as wonderful as that ever again. Here's two reviews from the Chicago Tribune. Here's the main review, and the wrapup. Here's the MSN page. There's a bunch of videos there as well.

Very Nice!

Snickers Commercial

Here it is. My favorite commercial.

For Robb

I found a website where you can view archieved commercials from days of yore. It costs 5 GBP though. Here's a link to the very commercial that Mr. Lunak mentioned. I couldn't find it on youtube, unfortunately. It was hilarious when we were 17, but probably only mildly amusing today. I'll post a video of my current favorite commercial shortly.

Tomatoes!

The garden is rockin'! We've had fresh lettuce, spinach, and kale all summer, and beans and peas the last few weeks. The carrots and onions are coming along, as is the squash. My tomato plants are about 5 feet tall with a ton of fruit on them, and lots of blossoms.

Montana was really awesome. It was fun to see everyone. I ate a ton of great food including a six pack and a pound. There are TJs all over in Missoula. I drank some Bud Light for the first time since 1999. The riding was epic. I did a few hundred miles, including a good mountain pass, and a couple other 5-6 mile long climbs.

Yesterday was the greatest sporting day of the year. Wimbledon finals, Tour de France, Formula 1, and baseball. Unfortunately I had to work, and did not watch any tv.

As Brian wrote on his blog, our wives kicked ass in their triathlon yesterday. Mary was 14th out of 3919 overall, and 2nd in her age group out of 363. Heather was 21st in her age group, and 115th overall. Click here to study the results.

Independence Day

Have a happy 4th everyone.

Happy Birthday Lane!

Whitewater Race Days, and beyond

Well, my first omnium is in the books. I don't know what to say about it. There are several conflicting emotions going on.

Friday was a 20k individual TT- the "race of truth." Truth is, I'm not very fast. I rode the wife's tri bike with all the aero accouterments, and was 4 minutes down on the first placed rider. He's a major sandbagger though, as he beat the second placed rider by over 2 minutes. Brian bettered me by 4 seconds on his standard road bike. I think I was like 7th or so. The highlight was racing in the team kits.

Dr. Dingle payed a visit Friday night on his way to the "east coast." He spent the night and drove the rest of the way to Columbus, OH on Saturday. He has a funny story about trying to leave Rochester that is definately bloggable.

Saturday was the the Criterium. I had high hopes for the crit. 40 minutes of anaerobic suffering, just like cyclocross. Foolishly, I did no intensive warm-up and blew up about 5 minutes into the race. So that was that. I threw in the towel and called it a day. Brian found himself in a nice little group and did alright, ending up 15th.

Saturday night Mary, Brian, and I went and watched roller derby. That was crazy awesome. We will definately be back.

Today was the road race. 42 miles of a 6 mile loop. After our underachieving performances in the State Championships we were feeling a little cheeky. The pack, as usual, was super sketchy the first lap with guys loosing water bottles and others riding off the road onto the gravel shoulder. I hate the first few miles of road races. I wonder if Cat 3's ride like that? My guess is that they don't. Anyway, Brian found himself in a nice little breakaway on lap 2, and had about a minute's advantage on the field. With Brian in the break, I just took it easy.

The laps ticked by and Brian was still off the front with a decent gap back to the pack. I was just chillin' and feeling fresh as a daisy when, for no apparent reason, a guy 2 bikes ahead of me decided to break all laws of physics and fall over at 25mph. The guy directly behind him, and directly ahead of me, slammed on his brakes, and managed to avoid falling. I did the same, but the guy behind me thought it would be a better idea to just plow into my rear wheel. So my race ended early with a folded in half rear wheel.

I feel lucky that I didn't fall. There are few things I hate more then road rash. I also feel lucky that, since my bike stayed upright, I didn't break any other bike parts like a handlebar, shifter, or derailleur. I feel pretty frickin' unlucky though that I have a $625 repair bill to deal with. That's part of racing on carbon wheels though, sooner or later shit happens. I just wish it were later. There were really good sensations coming from the legs, and I feel I could have made a good result, but that's bike racing, I guess.

Brian's breakaway got gobbled up on the second to last lap, and he finished mid pack somewhere. He represented the Brown Bear well.

After the race we split a six pack and a pound. I also had a taco bravo.

Tonight we played disc golf at a great course less then a mile from my house. I forgot how fun that game is. We plan on making it a semi regular outing.

Tomorrow Mary and I were supposed to fly out to Missoula for Scotty and Kayla's wedding, but our flight got cancelled because of striking airline workers? So we're leaving Tuesday instead. Whatever. I respect organized labor's need to strike for whatever reason, I just wish it didn't hamper family plans. It's not often the entire Johnson clan gets together.

Maybe I'll blog whilst in Montana.

Alive and Well

Hello buoys and gulls. Long time no post. With all the projects around the house and yard, along with work, and trying to fit in bike racing and training, the ol' blog has been a little neglected. Sorry. Things are going well though. Lots of things to report.

Andy and Becca were here for the weekend a few weeks ago. We had fun, and I made Becca cry (I think from laughing) with a tasteless baby joke.

Mary's season started with strong showings in the first of many aquathons and triathlons. Her next race is an Olympic distance event this Sunday.


Last weekend Mary's parents came for a visit, which is always a good time. We ate lots of good food, and even had some greens from my garden.

Brian and I raced the State Championship road race on Saturday. Brian has a good recap over on his blog. I felt really good throughout the race, except for some cramping on the climb on the last lap. I gave 'er a go at the base of the final climb, which was fun. Normally I get shelled out the back of the pack in road races less then half way into the race, so it felt good to be competitive. Next up is the UWW time trial, crit and road race, where we'll be in full Team Brown Bear livery. Fun times indeed. The fitness is finally coming around, so I expect a decent showing especially in the time trial and crit.

My parents are coming this weekend. Baseball and triathlon spectating are in the cards, along with some good food.

Although I haven't been blogging I've still been scouring the interwebs for cool rare shit. Here's a link to a handmade French tubular tire maker. Francois Marie Boyaux makes world class tubulars, very similar to Dugasts, but 20% cheaper.

Every list I've ever seen rating the best beers in the world has Trappist Westvleteren 12 in the #1 spot. Every list. It's hard to get though, to say the least. Apparently you call the abbey, and some monk tells you what beer is available, and gives a time and date you can come pick it up. You give him the license plate number of the car picking it up. Naturally there is a one case per car limit. 30 euros gets you a case though, which is pretty reasonable for such a mythic beverage. There is an inn across the street from the abbey where you can get one or two though. These are the only legitamate ways to aquire this stuff. I figured since you can get a Cambodian baby on the black market, surely you can get a case of rare beer. Well faithfull readers, after months of searching, I found some. Belgianshop.com has them. $18 a beer and $450 a case, plus another $75 for shipping. Those are not typos.

Hell yeah.

Just for Becca

Not really just for Becca, but she called me out on the string of recent weak posts, so I thought I should create a legitamate blog post. Lots of crazy stuff going on here at Casa de Leedahl. Spring is in full swing in Madison, and the cycling has taken a back seat to home improvement and yard clean-up.

On the home improvement front, we're slowly remodeling our kitchen. There is a fresh coat of turquoise paint on the walls, replacing the dingy off-white stuff, and new modern cabinet hardware replacing the 1960's era brass stuff. You read that right. I wrote turquoise. We are also upgrading all the electrical outlets to GFCI units. There is a magical journey planned next weekend to the land of cheap Scandinavian furnature for a real dining table and chairs. That means our sweet outdoor table and chairs, which now occupies that space, can fulfil its destiny and get pooped on by birds outside (which, incidently, we have some cardinals nesting in a tree in our yard--how cool is that.) No pics of the kitchen yet. It will get its own blog post when it's complete.

Outside there are some exciting goings on. In honor of earth month, I installed a composter, which will diminish our already paltry amount of trash. It's conveniently right next to Sampson's dooley hole--his mucky guck/mung producing turd pit.

I also constucted an organic vegetable garden. Hells yeah! 80 square feet of carrots, onions, peas, spinach and lettuce are already in the ground. Tomorrow there will be green beans and various squashes with tomato plants in a few weeks, when the weather is warmer.

Our neighbors got seriously a giant dump truck load of wood chips from the city. By the looks of the chips, they're old Christmas trees, but anyway, he got about 200 times the amount he needed, and offered whatever we wanted to us. So we took advantage and redid all the tree beds, and all along the house by the bushes. It looks pretty sweet.

Tonight was "An Evening of Good Taste." An event put on by the local culunary school where you eat all sorts of gormet goodness with an open bar. I'm tired, and I've got the meat sweats, so I'll end this post shortly. Heather and/or Brian will have a more detailed post of the evening.

Tomorrow is the big one. The 115th year of Liege-Bastogne-Liege. My money is on Cunego, but my heart is with Chris Horner. We'll see. Watch it sometime tomorrow on Versus. Bill Dance will be sitting out tomorrow's race on an imposed "health break" because of a too high hematocrit level.