INDIE SERIES 2011

Some info, including a tentative schedule, just came out regarding this year's Indie Series. Find it here. Looking forward of course to the Bellingham race July 24th, and very intrigued by the Methow race (Methow Cycle and Sport Challenge--June 25th) which takes place at Loup Loup Ski Area. Gots to get my climb on. Of course Leavenworth is always da' bomb (June 4) and man oh man, I can't wait for summer.

AIN'T NUTHIN' BUT A GALBY THANG, BABY

John and TC on the Mullet bridge, the kind of bridge I like: wide as heck, no more than a foot off the ground. Nice.

I dig that creepy smile I'm rockin'. The ill-fitting glasses too. Behind me is da' boyz: Glenn (Ricky) Gervais, Titanium Cancellara, Johnny Boy Clark and Professor VanderStaay.

The handsome Glenn (Ricky) Gervais pretending to do something important to his seatpost. I dig his new Radio Shack jersey. I hear black is the new black.  

Glenn rocks the Mullet bridge.

AND PEOPLE WONDER WHY SO MANY CYCLISTS ARE DOPERS

Sign on the Soos Creek Trail encouraging cyclists to succumb to performance-enhancing drugs.

Oh, and in other news, check out my story in today's Seattle Times about Camano Island.



RIDIN' AND SHOOTIN' WITH THE HD HERO

Got the HD Hero camera for Christmas and so far have used it more for photographs than the HD video. The video’s great but HD doesn’t work with MovieMover and since I’m not the overly eager techie geekmeister-type, I’ve not pursued it too much re: what one has to do to convert the MVI files to AVI or viceversa. (Or something therein related.) But I have been getting a bang out of the photos it takes on rides. Granted, 90 percent of them come out like this …

... or like this...

... but since they’re digital it doesn’t matter because I can just toss them.

When I'm out for a ride, I mount the camera to my helmet, set it to take photos every 10 seconds and forget about it for the next hour or so. With an 8 gig disk, when I get home I’ve got like 900-plus (literally) photos, of which about 30 are keepers.

Here's a cool sequence toward the end of last Saturday's ride on Old Fairhaven Pkwy where we usually try to push it as hard as we can. Scott demonstrates why we call him Titanium Cancellara.

Scott is in yellow, just ahead of him is John.

I skipped a shot so this is 20 seconds later; Scott is still just behind John.

10 seconds later, Scott has already opened up a huge gap.

Ten seconds later, I've passed John but Scott is already in the next county. I've got no chance. All in the span of what--20 seconds? (I think he's got one of those motors Fabian C. was alleged to have used at Flanders and Roubaix last year.) 

I’m eager to use the camera this spring and summer on the road bike to get some cool shots for my book. Speaking of road riding, I got out on two road rides this week! Boo-yah, plus one bag of chips, as the kids say. (Or maybe I just imagine them saying that.)

GALBY RIDE PHOTO ESSAY (as it were)

Scott Young, John Clark, Glen Gervais and Steve Vanderstaay at the top of the Wall. (Which we had the good sense not to ride.)

Steve and John make the turn at the blue rock to head up to the towers. (Which we never made it to; we descended Whoopsie Woodle.)

My shadow on Whoopsie Woodle. Damn nice shadow, innit?

The gang before the second half of Whoopsie Woodle, the half where at some point I inevitably damage my manhood failing on this minor drop that's not even all that difficult.

Steve disappearing ahead of me on WW.

Ever the time trialist, Scott even rests in an aero position.

At the bottom of Three Pigs, we say good-bye to Glenn; great to have him along today!

 And there goes Young!

Scott, as usual, stoned on the ride. Actually, that's not true; he's narcoleptic and falls asleep from time to time.

Here my crew is negotiating a peace settlement with Steve Noble's crew which includes Dave Flemming and Val Thompson. Luckily, violence was averted.

 And thus we cruise back to town via the newly opened Pattle Point Bridge. A super duper ride!