AREA MAN DIGGING THE SINGLE-SPEED

Feels odd not to be doing Sunday’s Mount Baker Hill Climb, but I think my racing itch has been scratched for 2009. This past year, my first as a full-on MTBer, I did nine mountain bike races—six of the Indie Series, an 8-Hour down in California, Test of Metal (aka, Test of Numbskullery), and Ski to Sea—and that feels like enough.

Then there’s the money thing that played into my decision not to do the hill climb. Indie series races are $30; Ride 542 is more than twice that. Feel bad pointing that out that b/c I do like the Charlie Heggem a lot and all that he does, but hmm, $75 is a lot of scratch.

In other news, I’m having a blast riding this rigid-fork single-speed. (Oh, did I mention that it’s a 29er too? See below post.) The simplicity is really cool and it forces you to rely on momentum and muscle to make it up hills. That's probably not something I want to do every time I ride, but for a strength workout, it’s pretty killer. I’ve got one Galbraith ride under my belt including a trip to the top of the Towers; that one had my legs shaking.

Finally, a shout-out to Beau Whitehead (http://paddlesurfnorthwest.blogspot.com/ ) who's heading to San Diego this weekend to compete in the Naish SUP (stand-up paddlesurfing) championships. Beau won four races in Seattle a couple weeks ago. Go Beau!

AREA MAN JOINS CULT OF ANNOYING 29er RIGID FORK SINGLE-SPEEDERS

Bellingham's Mike McQuaide took delivery yesterday on a Redline Monocog Flight 29er. (Not sure what to make of the cowboy hat or the guitar.) As he likes to tell people--even people who aren't the least bit interested in this sort of thing--it's a single-speed with a rigid fork. (Good for you, Mike. You think you're so special.)

Later that same day, McQuaide commenced riding said bike up at Galbraith with John Clark and Steve Vanderstaay nearly blowing a gasket, busting a gut, and blowing out his quads out rassling the darn thing to the top of the Towers. But McQuaide, who resembles a much better-looking and much younger-looking Johnny Depp, got the job done.

"This thing is either going to kill me or make me strong as a horse," he said later. (He then repeated that sentiment several times because he thought no one had heard him the first few times. They heard him; they just weren't interested. Could you blame them?)

In other news, area man's son--also known as area son (and as Baker)--returned to the skatepark, dropping in several times at the bowl, something he hasn't done for maybe a year-and-a-half now.

"I don't know why, but it all came back to me somehow," area boy is reported as saying.

Great to see his hawk pose again.