lame excuse.....

I have no internet.......No blogging for a bit.......sorry! Who reads this jargon any rate!

Soon.......promise

Bacon

todays ride

3 hours @ an average of 264 watts..........
including 2...... 45min tempo intervals at 301 and 306 watts respectively......
this is insane considering last year I was struggling to finish just one 45min session let alone two...........
today was amazingly easy, and fun......
and its great to see and feel the value of a complete year of racing and training.
Its the first time ever that I've been able to ride year round.........and I think the watts speak for themselves..............

Words of wisdom for anyone wanting to race a bike for a living, from someone who has always learned by taking the scenic route.........
First of all, learn to be comfortable being broke, and second, move somewhere that you can ride year round, third get a coach and I'll tell ya the rest when I figure it out...
so at the very least
Have fun doing it,
It may turn out the journey is more fun than actually b...ing pro.

Good luck

current events

This is my SRM power control V........I prefer to call it the "almost pro" meter.........or "little box of pain and suffering" at any rate I just got the little money sucking zone keeping machine back from its yearly service..........315.00 later it has fresh batteries and a new LCD display, the finest calibration, and is ready to inflict its insidious torture starting bright and early tomorrow morning.........ooooh yeeeaaahhhh............. I'm so excited...........read that like E-Or from whinny the pooh and you'll understand how I feel.

Now here is something to get excited about...
Its not your typical XC or enduro racing machine
This bike is about fun
and that's that.

Pink Hydraulic lines............awesome.

26lbs of heavy weight fun.

I am amazed at the predictable drifting this bike possesses.....A good friend told me it was like surfing "the POW" in the big mountains.......and I would have to agree.........."who needs traction when you can surf?".............. and since
I can't ski this winter............ You better bet your balls I'm going to surf the dirt on my MOOTS.

a nice day and tired legs

Good morning!

Lets go for a ride.....

Up panoramic highway......

And down to Stinson Beach

Keep riding along the lagoon

Check out the ocean view from Bolinas


Now lets get going...don't want to be late for work...again!


Up the beautiful but bumpy-ass bolinas fairfax climb.

almost to the top...

Another couple miles along ridgecrest and I'll top out at 2000'


Then I'd better blast the descent, because I'm gonna be late.....



GOOD DAY!

Organic bacon

This blog is turning into homework..........If only I could wright while pedaling I'd be able to post a kaleidoscope of blogs everyday....any rate as you can see I've changed the name of my blog...........don't ask why, ya know, maybe I just felt like it. Hence Bio dynamic bacon is taking to root.

You might be asking what in the hell is bio dynamic bacon? Its a fancy term for the way bacon should be........from a real pig...... engineered by nature and put into action by an exuberantly spasmodic pig launching its earth sodden load into an accepting swines fallopian tube on direct orders to procreate. Bacon............. Nothing added..........nothing taken away..........the way a pig should be. What most people think of as bacon isn't even food and I wouldn't touch the stuff with a dogs asshole.........do a little research why don't you? Its your body that has to figure out what to do with it. Would you like to know where 80% of American bacon comes from? Since you most likely won't do your homework then heed my words..... If its not organic don't eat, yes even bacon and yes, especially bacon. Sucker.

Bacon and me
My friend Dana used to call everything bacon and so I adopted the term prefacing it with "eat organic." Then filled out an entry form for my first road race as a cat 5 and listed where it specified team name "team eat organic bacon." After each lap that I was leading, the commentator would announce "here comes Kris Lunning off the front racing for team...uh? eat organic bacon?" and it stuck like the gristly fat of a swines fat rack. This should clear up why I use the word bacon randomly on this blog just in case any of you thought i was a little weird...........I most likely am............and wouldn't have it any other way.

Since organic doesn't really mean shit anymore I figure I should change it to bio dynamic......Bio dynamic is for all intensive purposes the way food ought to be grown....in balance with the earth to the best knowledge that us pitifully wasteful humans are capable. In theory there is no waste of resources or energy year in and year out. The system is perpetual...and most importantly in equilibrium with us and the planet.........The food this system creates, including bacon, Is loaded with good stuff our supermarket fare is lacking and tastes out of this world. Think you know what a carrot taste like............try a bio-dynamic carrot..........after that rocks your world, try the bacon.

Tired of being a supermarket slut.........lunner.

I don't have any swine, so this is one of my hens from when I lived in Teton Valley ID. My friend Dave still tends to the flock.

The smiley kiwi is at it again, and it looks like I will be breaking out the assoss and saddling up soon. Coach upton has kindly posted my training plan for the next 3 weeks, He loves to torture and..............He's fired, F-ing asshole. Kidding....just when I was getting used to sitting on my ass.

I'm ending my 4 week rest period with a week of mostly raw food, no coffee, and no refined sugars. I'm going to try and keep the refined sugars at bay for the long term but miss my coffee and will take that up immediately. Just recharging the synapses. No ill side effects yet....only day 3 but its going smooth. I find the the raw/vegan diet difficult only because there are crap options for food everywhere I look. I've concluded over the last three days eating is mostly out of boredom and for pleasure and I've been surviving just fine off simple raw foods and relatively low caloric intake.....I just crave the crappy food because its what I'm used to and I've programmed myself that way. Oh, and the smell of pizza surfing through the evening doesn't help as it burrows its savory spines into my nostrils.

Any rate I look forward to eating more crap, Its easy. Just wanted to see what it was like to do this for a week........Someone even told me I was less of a man bitch than before...go figure.

Time to ride

Update

I know, I suck at updates.............not much to say.........its the off season....it started two weeks ago,

I've got two left.

Sleeping 11 hours each day

eating whatever I want

kinda boring

can't wait for base training, its amazing how strong we get from it

gelato...I haven't been eating enough! Bacon!

Everest challenge was a blast, put it on your calender, might be the most fun I've had at a race all year. close call.


half dome on the way home from bishop.

Maybe I'll feel more inspired soon.

peace

Winters road race

Winters CA, its 106 degrees, maybe "winter" is actually the best season to ride your bike in this quaint and cute scorching solar heat sink ghost of a town. Arrived with ambition, rode like a warrior, made the break with six of the best nor cal amateurs, Then after putting a minute and a half on the field, my body shut down and melted like ice cream on a pile of steaming dog shit.

I was lucky because the stink of my withered and collapsed piss poor performance eventually reached my teammate chris turner who in turn, with inflamed nostrils, ripped a set of quadriceps out of his shorts and crushed the field like rotten worm infested tomatoes.

Turner took 5th

On a positive slightly vulgar note, I have reached a landmark in my progression as a cyclist this season. For perhaps the first time I raced aggressive while still managing to leave my junk in the trunk. No need to throw it all out on the table. You've seen this act before, its become a second rate dime a dozen showing for the masses. Usually I race as if it, (it being my junk), grew 2 inches a week, and I felt the need to share and compare it with everyone, well, not this time........maybe next season, when I'm slapping you all in the face.

For anyone confused by my Metaphors , I'm saying that I didn't burn all my matches in one big bang........and then hang on for sloppy seconds like I usually do.....I raced as aggressive as I needed without wasting energy and I made a smart tactical move with all the right players. Then my body said "no..........I don't want to...........Its time for the onset of heat exhaustion, dizziness, lack of power, and a slight chilling in the face of an ambient air temp of 106 degrees."

Its the end of the season. I'm not racing well. I'm tired. I've raced my heart out and drug my junk all over ca, and the western states since Feb.............These are not excuses they are facts and while being physically spanked I'm burn'n up a fire and getting ready to start putting miles in the pain bank for next season. In conclusion I've come the sad realization that my junk doesn't quite measure up. Not yet anyways, but I think the potential just needs to be realized...see you all next February............I would suggest wearing a face mask next season........to avoid being slapped by any flailing appendages.

Until then Ciao.......Oh I almost forgot.......a picture. this one has nothing to do with this post...its me rolling through the finish line after doing a days worth of work to set chris johnson up in the field sprint for 5th place. We conveniently missed the break which contained ned overend on a 13lb bike and a bunch of paid athletes from the Kelly benifit team.

empty promises

Hey all..........thought I'd share a little introspective piece, here it is............... I want to make it clear that my favorite activity as of late is sitting and starring at the wall. It can be quite soothing meandering in an out of the lumpy labyrinth of latex paint and drywall spackel. Between the seams of sheet rock and joint tape my Synapses fire like lead out of a sinking barrel of goat shit. At my current capacity brain activity is as inactive as a post ejaculatory, overweight, 28 year old punk Nintendo playing male with emphysema and high blood pressure. I can't even imagine the person described above ejaculating in the first place, nor do I want to. The simple thought of aerobic activity could send such a person into cardiac arrest or cause a catastrophic explosion of their carotid artery. And the smell.......? The putrid stank of over crisped and scorched partially hydrogenated tempura, that's my brain silly, and I'm drowning in it. A sad state of being if i might say so myself. I think I may have a mild case of dementia ............and if people were concerned of my well being than they should bring me lots of beer, cookies, Pete's coffee, and Kombucha.........or send me to the coo.koo..house!

I will be dragging my melting carcass through the rest of the season and after about 4 more races I promise to get back on the blog wagon......As of late, creativity has been elusive similar to my motivation. The motivation scale in this case is predominantly leaning towards a bottle (Uh? six pack) of beer and a bag of kettle korn, a jar of peanut butter, some chocolate chips, coffee, pizza, and everything bad for me. A vision quest and a cleanse are in order for the off season.

I'll keep you updated, until then............This is my pet chicken. Behind her is the rooster. He's a real cock.

One of these is not like the other.

Taco salad, and no that's not sour cream, it veganaise. Veganaise is like non disgusting mayonnaise. Its made from cold pressed grapeseed oil...........Try it....its no foo foo...creamy and tasty goodness.














Homeade blueberry scones.............Killer..........I made them myself...........with walnuts......can you believe that........good before, during, and after a ride.




















Pink assos six day kit...........priceless.

Back to real life

I'm sure your all tired of looking at my ass in assos....What follows is about all I could manage in this run down, abused bike racers state of mind.

I had the good intention of posting this about two weeks ago after returning from the Elkhorn Classic, a fun little stage race in the hidden gem of a mountain town called, Baker City. However, I've been a bit blah, expired, flat, deflated, basically combine all that in a blender and drink it with straw extracted from the trash receptacle of your local waffle house. Don't have a waffle house? Well, if your ever traveling through Arizona in the twilight hours, sleep deprived and craving the nastiest resemblance to food that could possible be concocted, then the waffle house is your place. Oh, I forgot to tell you "keep a soft spot in your heart for that sweet little 65 year old meth head," she's missing most of her front teeth. The remaining teeth, clinging tenaciously to their sockets, resemble craters of the moon dripping with sulfuric acid. She actually was cute, in a very poor representation of humanity sort of way. Quite sad but if you can imagine all that, then you know how I feel.

Now that I've "been" home from the elkhorn classic for a couple weeks and I'm done trudging through the blah-ness, I have finished the chore of revising and updating this post to reflect my current state while still portraying the way I previously felt. Make sense? I didn't thinks so.......Any rateI was falling like an unripened, worm infested apple, but now that little rotten apple is being transformed into fresh pressed apple cider......In the not so distant past, when I was a falling apple I felt gravity ripping at my skin beckoning my soul into the dismal puddle of daily routine. Collecting pieces of my scattered life, like a blind man searching for fire ants, I drug my way out of the bi-polar wave that is bike racing. I know I keep jumping from past to present tense, but who cares, if its not entertaining then don't read it. The ups and downs have been about as graceful as a mad cow riding a skate board. Galloping like a four legged rocket up an imposing mountain pass, the bovine drags its voluminous balls tearing off chunks of skin and flesh as they're caught in the cracks and crevices of the rough road of life. Eventually after vicious moments of intense focus and excruciating effort a moment of weightlessness is attained. The summit......whew....I worked so hard.......concentrated and focused with all my might. In this fickle moment gravity is momentarily subdued, and consequently my skin is forever lost. Shortly after the endorphins start to fade, a peaceful reflection begins......and then.....the cow dives, nose first, picking his way down a pot hole and gravel strewn descent. Exponentially gaining speed, blind folded with one hoof tied to its tail, it shrieks as its orderly single focus mind is strewn into scattered mosaic of lost reality.

If you made it through that then maybe you have an insight as to what its like to be a cat one bike racer or maybe you just think I'm a bit strange.

In in effort to please my most diligent and faithful Reader, (I won't mention his name, however, he frequently comments on my posts), I'd like to give a big fat.....................




















Bo0!ya!..........I care about the needs of each and every one of you, some more than others. I also understand some of yall are lexicographically impaired and visually inept. You have demanded more imagery of the photographic sort. From here forward I hope to satiate the thirst of your fledgling cerebral synapse's and saturate the theater of your imagination, assuaging your lacking inability to piece together the puzzles of my run on sentences. Where I fail to paint a clear picture, I hope with the most sanguine of intentions that my photographs pacify your needs.

Woody.........that little bit is dedicated with love to you.

Hopefully all eyes that read this will realize I didn't take these photos with a straight face. They are meant to be Humorous and I am a little bit embarrassed, but who cares. Yes, I know I'm a dork and I'm a little vain, but the only thing serious about this post is that I love Assos. A few reasons for this post are as follows:

I wanted to express how I feel about Assos bibs.

My girlfriend is out of town...and I'm not racing today....I've drunk to much coffee.

To top it all off I was curious as to how my ass looked in my Assos shorts.

Ya know I spend a lot of time, while racing, starring at dudes asses. I'm not super thrilled about it but its sort of impossible not to when your stuck in the middle of the pel0ton fighting for position and trying to get a draft from the rider in front of you. Unless you're off the front your starring at some monkey's ass in Lycra.. On occasion I have been stuck behind completely worn out, shredded shorts. Shorts that are more transparent than the windshield of my car. At least once I've prayed that salty sweat from my helmet would drench my tainted eyes and blind me from this pro wankers exposed crack. With a little luck a touch of the tire would send me flying into the ditch where I could cleanse my cornea with gravely cow shit and swamp water. I wish I would have considered this before leaving the pristine jagged granite peaks and snowfields of my mountaineering days. Bye the way, you'all can thank me for wearing my new assos instead of the see through shorts described above. Your welcome.


....Here Is my ass in Assos...and yes in the sake of vanity...I'm flexing...... !


















I've also included a frontal view for those of you interested.......I do love these shorts!

ASSOS........... If you get a pair of Assos than you will end up throwing away every other brand of bib short that you own. After your first ride you will punch yourself in the gut 42 times and curse yourself out at the top of your lungs until your voice goes horse and you pass out. Its OK! You deserve It!....How many miles have you pounded out in sub-par chamois, punishing your precious undercarriage? Saddle sores and callouses erupting one after another like road rage on you bottom. Why did you not get a pair sooner?
Eight months ago I knew nothing about Assos. I'd seen them in Velo News adds and that's about it. Most of the time there was a half naked Euro dude flexing like our famous Austrian Governor, (the terminator), while straddling an invisible bike. This did not make me want to buy Assos. For the record Assos cares nothing about trendy hype or what is cool....They walk their own path creating products that they feel are simply the best. The add makes more sense when you put this into perspective. Its a little weird and completely an Assos theme. Assos doesn't follow trends. Most of their products haven't' changed in years and are still more comfortable and last longer than anyone else's. They have a cult like following. Its like a secret club. You buy one pair of shorts and you're hooked for life.
I was given my first set of Assos shorts eight months ago. Lucky me, Chad gifted a pair of 200.00 Uno's, a jersey, arm warmers and skin web socks. I thought to myself "Chads a great and generous person ," but then after wearing the Assos bibs on my first ride, I realized He's an absolute jerk. He killed the days of cheap shorts. I will now have to refinance my house to buy more shorts......I've been totally happy riding poorly constructed $100.00 or less bibs for the entirety of my life on two wheels. Once when I was a bit younger I went on a bike tour traveling 4000 miles in four months toting a pile of steaming youthful ignorance garnished with a orange safety flag and a single pair of non chamois shorts, commando style. What was I thinking? Ouch, ignorance is bliss, but Assos make sense.
I don't know how many miles I've put on my first pair of bibs. I expect it to be in the ball park of 2400 miles, or about 141 hours of use in 8 months. Most shorts only last me about 6 months on a program of about 100- 125 miles per week per short after which they are garbage. You know the see through ass crack style.. My old pair of assos, after 8 months in the rain, sun, mud, and sea salt laden ocean mist have lost a little shine but only compared to my newest pair of assos. After heavy mileage and abuse they are still more comfortable and in better condition than my week old Giorodana team bibs.

Check out this bee sting to the face...about 3 weeks ago during the sprint on the roasters ride....bang......!




I promise I will never post another self portrait of my ass.


Peace

This rant is dedicated to endorphin inspired lexigraphical compilation, assos, testosterone(self generated of course)and just a casual update.

I'm fresh off the Roasters Ride. Marin's infamous battle ground where riders gather every weekend sporting their convolutedly colorful team spandex whilst burgeoneing with the lateset and greatest hecho in china plastic pride. An ungainly organized mass, we meander awkwardly down the asphalt while glares of death and impatient honk missiles are viciously spewed from the throat of the traffic monsters. We head out of town, away from the gas demons, gaining inertia in anticipation of the slaughter fest to come. Egos begin dancing like little fairy's, giddy and impatient. They hide their determined eyes in the depths of dark sunglasses and prepare to throw testosterone bombs in each others face. An act of eliminating a week of pooling hormones and pent up stress. Each rider, fully embraced in the moment of an epic duel to either blow ones self to pieces or destroy the fragile bonds of tenacious pride that cause each and every rider to endure cataclysmic suffering. It is a rabid, brutal, and savage ride. Unlike a race, we don't use strategy, we don't help each other. The goal or at least mine is to slay egos, bury them, suffer like this its my last moment. Its not a stage race, I don't have to finish. Just suffer so that next time I'm racing I have something to relate to and the hurt-box becomes a welcome comfort.

I haven't raced since the Gila....I even took 7 consecutive days off...and by that I mean on the couch off. I felt fat and lost. Penny less in ambition and pocketbook. Then two weeks of base training....a 12 min time trial, 30 min of tempo....more zone 2.....Boring...I needed to get out and cause pain, at least to myself. Warning! TANGENT approaching. In the simple polar terms of comfort and discomfort, I don't think its a good idea to forget how to suffer. Comfort to me is boring, and boredom leaves me in an unoccupied, directionless existence perpetually seeking more comfort...Guess what? Look around you...America is comfortable. America is boring, expressionless, lazy, and lifeless. Comfort belongs in a pair bib shorts...It belongs to Assos. If your able to be active, take advantage of it, embrace it, suffer on your own level, have fun, push the boundaries of your comfort. You might be amazed at what lies beyond. There are people in this world that don't get a chance to live comfortably. Human beings that live in a hole in the ground and get shit on by the rest of the world. Do them a favor and Don't invest in the numbing comfort of America...get out and experience the vibrance of the world you live in.

OK, back to today's ride.......i promise no more tangents.

I got my chance to be uncomfortable this morning and push my comfort zone. I unleashed a seismic explosion on the poor age groupers and cat 2/3/4/5 riders. I let them have it. Every time I attacked they just let me go... I pulled the entire group into the sprint at Nicasio and then turned the screws until they gave up. I left them to ponder the forces of continental drift while I took the sprint in Point Reyes, and the KOM at Olema. Finally I rode away into a false flat, towing one brave rider pegged at his limit. The likes of 20 riders couldn't catch me with 10k to go. Solo in your face...maybe next time...except I'm getting board and its time for the second half of the season. I'm going racing. I've outgrown this pond.

Still sitting here in my new pair of Assos bibs. Good thing they are intended for all day comfort....the only bibs I would ever spend my money on. The only company that doesn't build their shorts around materialistic image based marketing....They build marketing around the shorts....the shorts sell themselves as the most comfortable, most durable, best functioning shorts period.

Alright, I'm still sitting in my bib shorts, I've finished eating my huge bowl of hippie mix, granola and yogurt with lots of nuts and juicy ripe cantaloupe, and a splash of flax oil. Thank you Assos for you all day comfort. Thank you all for reading...If this post sounded at all egotistical, trust me, I know my place. I can feel the pain of everyone on this mornings ride....its the same feeling I have when I finish mid pack at an NRC stage race, or when Chris Horner goes casualy wizzing buy me as I'm drueling all over my top tube just trying to survive. Its all relative. Also check for my next post as It could be worth a laugh at my expense.

Rock Stars Moment of Glory

I'd like to say thanks to my friend Mike Sorrenson from silver city NM for making me look like a bike racer in this photo....As you can see, Lance is a few wheels behind me, Horner is smiling like he always does when he is in pain, Levi is right behind me,(yes I know its hard to see. He's tiny, but you can see his Astana gloves and his white shoe, tucked inbetween me and Floyd Landis...)....With exception to me this could be a photo from the tour de france........These guys are racing in the Giro right now!.....How f-ing rad to be the one putting them in a spot of bother.......Ha!


This photo, which by the way should be on the cover of velo news, is from the crit in downtown silver city. It was a great day of racing and tons of fun....The field was super strong, obviously, and a break never went away. Consequentially the pace was fast and aggressive with the field strung out single or double file. Amazingly the front of the group seemed to be chasing the tail of the snake like peleton around each corner for the entire 1:36 min, 44 miles. That means 170 riders were stretched out almost a mile long. I stayed in the top 3rd of the serpents gullet for most of the race....and on a few rare occasions made it off the front for some sponsor time, but for the most part I was just enjoying the view....I think its safe to say that i was going no where....just lett'n the scrapper in me shine for a moment. Its not often that I get to race with a roster like this.

Thanks again Mike, for my moment of glory.

Home frome the gila

Well, I'm home......and I'm a wreck. I raced my heart out for 5 days, drove 2200..miles(round trip), and drank gallons of starbucks coffee....I'm not going to mention some of the restaurants I ate at, lets just say it wasn't organic and my driving partner was a bad influence. I'm glad the drive is over. I still wish I was racing...after pouring everything I had into a five day stage race I feel kind of lost trying to figure out what to do afterward. Luckily I have a sinus infection....a little one...and I'm going to kill it.

I just raced with Lance Levi, and Horner........Holy shit, LOL that's something I never expected to do. Now the fun is over and I'm trying to make sense of it all......

First....Lance is the real deal....after racing with him for 5 min it's obvious, He is one of a kind, untouchable, a rider with genuine ferocity and pure determination. He is focused and aware, but on a completely different level than the rest of us......its as if his singular purpose or resonate frequency is fully realized and boldly expressed through each movement on his bike. Its like a great white shark as it attacks its prey. TV coverage of the tour de france does nothing to convey this.


Some quick highlights are......cresting the pinos altos climb and then passing the entire mellow johny's team...(lance included) then leading them out on the first descent.......I hardly pedaled, just wanted a clean shot at the descent, 170 guys on a narrow gnarly descent like this is not pretty and I didn't want to get caught out behind a crash or miss an acceleration. It was actually really cool because they couldn't hold my wheel on the decreasing radius turns and I'm sure they thought I was a lunatic for going so fast. Needless to say they all sprinted past me on the first little climb after the descent.....

Second highlight was riding the tt on my steel pegoretti with clip on bars....at first i was disappointed that I wasn't riding the Parlee,( the carbon braze on mount broke the night before I left for the race) but as it turned out using the pegoretti was pure motivation and in retrospect I think the bike performed better than I did.

Thirdly, not sure if that's a word..I got dropped on the first cat 2 climb of the last day. Then I decided to blaze the descent like a possessed grey squirrel from Marin. The tenacious little bugger that just stuffed his belly on table scraps from an overpriced breakfast eatery and is laughing in the face of civilized comfort while decisively evading cars as he dashes down cameo alto on his way to his little stand of conifers not yet overtaken by urban sprawl . That said its was a blast whipping in and out of the draft of the team cars(a skill honed on the slopes of teton pass) as they almost went off the road, (They were having quite a good time also, no cops to dish out tickets meant free time to rally the company car). I caught them all by the bottom, then It quickly blew to pieces on the way back up....Shit really hit the fan at a hemorrhaging ridiculous speed and our group of 70 was shattered into about 20 fragmented little groups.....this was a definite vision quest of a climb.....I just tried to stay conscious.

Gotta run.......the crit was great too......check back later.... addios

Copperopolis Road Race

An epic battle in the sierra foothills...five 25 mile laps....5 brutal climbs....and roads that look like leftovers from world war I. Oh and Levi Leipheimer.....need I say more. I have a great story to go with this one, when I find time I'll wright it.

I love my pegoretti

I can't begin to say how awesome this bike is...almost zero interest in ever riding a carbon bike again...steel is real and plastic is plastic.......The Marcelo is pure magic, descending, climbing, sprinting, training, riding.....get one before you can't...I want another.

Carbon is instant gratification, a sugar coated, caffeinated, euphoric, blast to the head. After half of an hour the buzz wears off and your left riding a piece of plastic held together with glue. A limp, flimsy, lifeless piece of mass produced Chinese assembly line garbage. Its price jacked up like a monkey on bananas laced with coke. Then sold to you by a bunch of over zealous, and probably overweight, marketing dorks who eat at McDonalds and place propaganda in your cranium about how its the best bike in the solar system because it uses special waffle wing-nut, aero-splunk, plastico carbon. right? Don't you realize? Just because your American doesn't mean you have to walk around in a drunken stupor stepping on your own tongue as you drool over the newest fad in bicycle marketing technology. Ride a well built steel or aluminum frame crafted from the hands of an artist and you will be happy for the rest of your days. Or buy a carbon frame from china...pay $3500......believe in what they tell you, (believe that trans fats don't hurt you, and cholesterol is bad, that's bullshit too)... It only cost them $300 and their gett'n rich and gett'n fat. ....then realize you just got ripped and feel sorry for yourself when you buy another one in two years. That's just my opinion....

The Marcelo, on the other hand, is like a teacher. You hate it at first. You challenge the teacher, try to outsmart it, but in the end you realize your wrong. The teacher has life experience, something that your youth and naivety have hidden from you. Trust. Learn. You arrogant little twerp. This bike was built buy the hands of a frame building god. His knuckles and fingernails twisted and drenched, dripping with artful creation and wisdom that's been gathered through experience. The marcelo blossoms with this knowledge and timeless skill, but you must learn it. you must let it teach you....because most likely you know nothing...let it blossom and it will erupt and ooze confidence from which you can launch the cagiest most fierce attack the riders behind you have ever seen.

I deserve to eat three mouthfuls of dirt and gravel, garnished with dog shit and bird doo doo, for every lame and thoughtless remark I made when I first got this bike.

sea otter road race

Moments before this picture was taken, I was following Levi's move up the "wall." I thought to myself "holy shit this is the move and I'm on it, just hold it." I held it like i owned it until my anaerobic system blew sky high. i just don't think a 170 pounder is meant to go up a hill that fast. I was doing over 600 watts, just to keep their pace. It was fun and now I know how fast those guys go uphill....wow..

Back in the pack left to chase all day towing a bunch of wheel suckers all the way...














We eventually got Ian off the front and he soloed the last two laps for 15 place....However the guy recorded in the results for tenth place got dropped jumped back in on the next lap, got dropped again and finally after completing two less laps than the rest of us weaseled his way in for 10th.....those electronic timing chips work great if you cheat. Loser. I'm happy with our effort ...we rode strong especial since we only had three guys. We rode at the front when everyone elese was ready to give up and go home and then sent a guy up the road... perfect...now if I could only hold levi's wheel....

food for cyclist

cardamom nutmeg, zucchini carrot muffins,some with chocolate chips

blue berry coffee cake....

a green curry

Brisbane circuit race

Up the hill......Down the hill......repeat for 75 min.....This was a fun one. I decided right off that I would practice being mr conservative for at least the first 30 min, since this is something I need to practice. Especially after waltzing into yesterdays Wards Ferry road, dropping my chain, getting dropped, time trialing a constant distance behind the group for the last half of the race, and then finishing by myself in 8th place feeling like a total poser. That's what I get for plastering my stupid ego onto every available sponsor position of my jersey and leading out the first 20 miles attacking at random while still responding to every attack from every effing rider.
compared to yesterday this race was chill. I kicked back, enjoyed the view watching everyone else attack and then get smacked in the face by the wind...shut down! I just analyzed and sat on my pillow whisked up the hill like and angel blown by the breath of a mythical Greek god. Then with about 25 min to go I was following a move. I was only wanting to get to the front but when the wheels in front of me suddenly stopped, I was left with no choice but to launch an attack. It was to perfect of an opportunity to pass up so I pinned it ripping a trench through the headwind and opening up a huge gap over the top. Meanwhile the field was strung out single file throwing daggers at each other trying to determine the pecking order in the draft train. While they were dulling their knives I was motoring a hard but steady tempo burning up the descent opening up my lead with no one to obstruct my line. The next turn up the hill I was all alone cruising @ threshold. Near the top i could see a small group break off from the peloton and I was hoping they would join me without towing the rest of the field, but by my third solo run up the hill the small group caught me and promptly put on the brakes...I attacked again and chris phipps went with me, but a couple of cal giant guys were glued to our wheels. I threw down one more time but all of our stop and go had given the field plenty of time to catch on and it was back to an 80ish rider field. At this point I decided to sit in for a few laps...then another break went up the road and after a few laps Chris Turner took to chasing. He drove the field for a lap, then slingshoted me up the hill again chasing the group of three by myself...............It was in vein, I didn't make it but my efforts helped close the gap and I settled in, holding my position in the front for the last lap, (I actually paid attention to the lap cards for the first time)













I'm not super experienced at finishes so I was kinda tentative heading into the final meters mostly just following wheels, kinda boxed in...not sure when to sprint...Then when I realized how close the finish was it was too late, I put my head down and rocketed past a bunch of guys but ran out of ground while I was still accelerating...I managed the lowest place on the podium...5th...I learned a lot and its great to get one for the team but I feel like I definitely let this one slip through my fingers...and these opportunites don't come often....Overall it was a great race, and the first time the whole team was together....check the team website for more details. adios for now. acracer.blogspot.com

Wards Ferry RR

This one was tough....Up, down, Up ,down, attack, chase, attack, chase, bump, pot hole, shit my water bottle, hill, bump, crash, attack, chase, narrow fast rough descent, hairpin, guys into the fence, dudes off the back, waterbottles flying, scattered, hill, me pulling, stupid, attack, chase, atack, bump, hole, rock, there goes a small group, I don't want to chase again. bump, attack, chase, just dangling up the road, thud, just three of us chasing now, oh just popped one, bang, ouch, climb, lost my chain, down to just one. Ian leaves me in the dust, I am dusted. chasing the pack, just in sight, Now I'm chasing Ian, whack, bump, deadly descent, repeat as Individual time trial for the next 25 miles, finish in 8th. Only 12 finished out of 30ish. Ouch.

movin on up

The following request to change your USCF category has been approved and processed by USA Cycling:
bacon - 2009-03-20 8:11
Member: Kris Lunning
License: Road Racer
Request to change category from Cat 2 to Cat 1

Madera Stage Race

Stage 1..Ben Hur hill climb....32.25, my 19th place finish was a whopping 3;37 off the pace of Ben jacues-Maynes...I guess that's why he was top 15 at the tour of California. The Parlee TT bike chad is letting me use for the year was amazing...a 16lb tt bike with disc wheel....Iit feels like a climbing machine, stiff, responsive, aggressive, and full of energy. only wish my legs did it justice....

Stage 2. a flat 10.3 mile tt.....it was another ride on the parlee and I felt better but still missing the power I usually feel in a tt. we calculated how fast I would have to ride in order to beat last years best time.....27.3 mph, and I beat that at 27.6mph, but with Ben's horse power, a new course record was set and I was left in the dust. 22nd place.

The afternoon crit was a blast....i think I might have attacked a bit to much, launching off the front to debut of the Above Category black and white. I proved my physical strength with the vengeful elegance of a Hyena feasting on the stolen prey of a pride of lions. However my racing IQ needs a bit of work. We were riding for Chris Turner and for the most part we were doing a good job as he conserved for the finale. With 10min to go Turner flatted. I wish my parents taught me to read, cause I still cant figure out what the lap cards say. it is the 2nd crit this year that I crossed the finish line thinking "shit, that was the last lap...." I never heard a bell, or saw the lap cards. This race was a lot of fun, but I raced like with my legs and left my head at home...I'm glad that at least my legs are feeling strong.

Sunday mornings road race rolled out of balmy 48*F barnyard full of cows, racers and a cloud embrocation. It warmed up quickly as we threw ourselves violently off the front of the peloton aiming to get away from the group... I through a bag of daggers at the peloton but came missed everyone eventualy setting Turner up as he walked right into the perfect escape group. They stayed about "2:30 up the road and the rest of us chilled.....Webcore eventually realed them in because their man in the break couldn't ride his bike and cartwheeled off the road. After the catch, it turned into a strung out war zone on roubaix style roads blasted by paleolithic crosswinds, terrorized by the strongmen ripping the cord of elastic and tearing the field apart. I was caught out a good distance behind with gaps opening up every 5th rider but managed to stay in the top 30. It settled through the feed zone and I survived the last lap to finish with the sprinters, but no kick left in my wasted legs.....top 20 overall....I'm content but not satisfied.. I want to be the one stretching the elastic....I want to severe it with my pegoretti.

Todays ride

3 hours.......with 30min temp 290-330, then 5x6 min @ 400-450......says the coach, mr Craig Upton, .......Yikes it was cold this morning, frost and ice on every windshield. Good thing Ian and I started it off with 4o min of climbing. The '1500 ascent to Pantol is a great way to get warmed up and sweaty while avoiding the cold damp air of the lowlands. Usually by the time we get to the top it has warmed significantly, but not today... By the time we finished blazing the brand new banked and burmed asphalt descent into stinson beach the warmth we had worked so hard for had evaporated. Extracted from our cores it flows like petrol through massive veins and arteries. Drowning electronic fuel injectors as they spew at increasing capacity to propel an oversize SUV burgeoning with children playing X-box fantasy games in the back seat to lunch @ McDonalds. As if that wasn't cold enough, whatever heat we could generate from riding tempo was lost along the frozen lagoon to bolinas....by the time we made it back to stinson to start our first interval we were thawing out, albeit slowly. I would love it if I only had to do two of these intervals, more than that and they just plain suck, especially after being sick, and loosing 5lbs in one week. Upton....I hate being your guinea pig, but you Efing never cease to make me faster. agh!!!!!!!!! 420....415....405......BONK!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......398 and horrendously sloppy to finish it off. Last time I nailed all of them at about 410watts...but the rath of sickness still lingers and I am weak....I pledge to the Holy chain ring gods and swear to the SRM demons that lurke on my digital display....I will do these @ 430watts............Mark my words....To be continued.......I'm wasted..