Agonotheta

January 22, 2008

Z-Team Uniform

Last summer, the captain of my cycling team told me that our team would be getting new uniforms and would need a design. Since he knows I'm a designer, he asked me if I wanted to help with it. I, of course, jumped at the chance since I have never designed a uniform, but have plenty of opinions on what looks good and what doesn't.

Over the summer and early fall, we had a "committee" that met a few times (usually over pints of the frothy stuff) and came up with several ideas. The one we decided upon is below.

My ideas were having argyle, having it be on only one sleeve and I came up with the large chainring that goes from the back to the front and also in the logo.

I'm really excited. I had a blast and I think they are going to look great. At the very least, I know they are going to be miles and miles ahead of the old uniforms.

I'll be sure to post a picture of the actual uniform when I get it in a few weeks.

January 17, 2008

Project: Complete

July 17, 2007

Cyclelicious

Here are some great sites I've found recently featuring amazing photography set in a beautiful city with a great cycle culture.

http://cycleliciousness.blogspot.com/

http://copenhagengirlsonbikes.blogspot.com/

Here's the flickr page with just the photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/16nine/

"I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five. Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailer? We are getting soft... As for me, give me a fixed gear!" -- Henri Desgrange

February 16, 2007

San Fran

Tomorrow I head off to San Fran to watch a couple stages of the Tour of California and visit my friend who got married last summer. Should be a lot of fun. Also, I should have some sweet pics to post.

October 11, 2006

Fixed on a Fixie

My mom thinks I'm obsessed. My sister says I'm crazy. But for the last couple months I've been looking for a third bike. Yeah, that's right, a third bike. A fixed gear or fixie. Why? I want something besides my nice, expensive road bike to commute on. But beyond that, a fixed gear is very simple mechanically. Since it only has one gear that is attached to the rear wheel you must continue pedaling while in motion even when slowing down. Oh yeah, slowing down. It typically won't have both front and rear brakes. Sometimes it will have a front brake, but not always. If you have to slow, you do so by using your body weight. This provides many advantages such as aiding in pedaling technique and strength, since you cannot shift on hills. I may end up building my own since I know exactly what I want, but I'm having a hard time finding it.

Here are some cycling links I've found recently that I wanted to remember:

http://www.shaundeller.com/ - fashionable cycling hats that don't have advertisements all over them...and they're made from recycled clothing. I ordered an 8 panel wool hat.

1 Less Car Clothing - "a couple of guys (and a girl or two) in the back of a tattoo shop with a screen printing kit and some pretty damn good ideas." I'm going to order the Crown shirt.

http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/ - fixie paradise

http://www.reloadbags.com/ - messenger bags and hip cycling gear

August 15, 2006

In Floyd We Trust

Sorry for the lack of posting. Once again I've been doing a lot of riding and not much else. But I found this cool site that has some awesome quotes about Floyd Landis after his Stage 17 ass-whooping he delivered to the pro peloton. Just in case you've been living under a rock for the last three weeks, I'll fill you in on his situation. Apparently, he tested positive for (not a high testosterone level) but a low epitestosterone level which upset his T:E ratio. You may not believe him that he didn't dope, but I do.

My favorite quote would be from his wife, Amber:

“He’s in every aspect the toughest man, ever,” Amber says seriously. “Physically tough, mentally tough, he’s just one tough bitch.”

July 13, 2006

Ouch!

Wow. It has been a very busy summer. Thus, my lack of writing. Last month I rode almost 400 miles on my bike which included the Utah MS150. I also had a girlfriend for a short time before we decided that we were better friends and broke it off. But the biggest news is that on July 3, I got in a pretty bad crash on my bike. Besides the usual scrapes and bruises I had a grade two tear of the AC ligament in my shoulder. It didn't require surgery, but it incapacitated my right arm for about six days. It was only on Tuesday of this week that I was able to even brush my teeth with my right arm. There's still a lot of pain and I can't lift much weight with that arm, but at least I can go to work. I'm happy though, because today I got a raise and tomorrow will be my first day back on a bike since the accident. Also, next week I'm heading to San Francisco to be in a friend's wedding and spend a few extra days exploring the city.

May 25, 2006

Farmer's Tan

May 22, 2006

112

That's the number of miles I rode on Saturday. I also like saying 181 kilometers because it sounds like a lot more.

Anyway, as I said last Friday, I was only planning on riding 70 miles. But when I got to the 35 mile station it was only 9:30 in the morning and I was still feeling pretty good. So I decided to keep going and do the whole century.

May 19, 2006

Il Giro

Sorry I'm not posting all that much. The summer is in full swing which means among other things, Grand Tours. If you don't know what that is look at this wiki. When I'm not at work, cycling, or sleeping, I tend to get stuck in front of the computer or tv watching as much as I can. The first of the Grand Tours, the Giro d'Italia happens every May and is currently in full swing. It's a lot of fun to see Lance's rivals fighting once again. It was impressive to see Lance's reign of domination in The Tour, but it also got rather boring. This year, the field is wide open with several riders, including a few Americans, with a great shot at winning.

Besides Grand Tour watching, I've been training for a 70 mile ride that happens tomorrow and the MS150 that happens June 24 and 25. If you'd like to sponsor me go here. Of course, it goes to a great cause and I'll no doubt be thinking of not letting you down as I ride 150 miles over two days.

May 11, 2006

Concrete is Hard

I took my first tumble on my road bike today at lunch. It wasn't too bad, scraped up my knee, elbow and palm, but the good news is my bike is cool. I will heal, but my bike can't. Also, I'm glad I wore my helmet because it has a dent in it now. Most days when I get out for a quick lunch ride I won't even take my helmet. My rides are more just to get out of the office and get my heart pumping a bit.

May 05, 2006

Work. Cycle. Sleep. Repeat.

For the last month I've been bombarded by negative forces. It has seemed that despite many good things happening in so many areas of my life there are still several factors that are bringing me down. But basically I've made it through all the drama by keeping my nose to the grindstone. I've worked hard, rode hard, and slept as much as possible. After all in order to make your muscles grow you need to push them hard and then let them rest. I'm hoping this same principle applies to life.

March 22, 2006

Spin the Black Circle

For some time I have been wanting to mix some weight training in with the cardio I regularly enjoy take part in suffer through. Due to some wise financial decisions I have had a significant amount of surplus cash, so I walked in and plunked down the full two years of membership dues to a brand new Gold's Gym that was running a pretty good sign-up special. But since I paid for the entire term of the contract they threw in a third year for free.

For over a month now, I have been going several times a week and am happy with the results I'm seeing. It feels very good to be lifting again and strengthening parts of my body other than my heart and my legs. That is until I discovered the spin class.

I peeked in the room where all of the top of the line spin bikes were located and thought I’d warm up on one of those rather than the regular bikes. A few days later, when talking with a friend, she invited me to join her in a class. Enthusiastically, I agreed.

That first class was very interesting. First, I had to get used to the bike. The shifter takes some getting used to, as do the handlebars. Second, I didn’t even think about bringing water. I worked my butt off and sweated a ton, but despite the annoying instructor (who looked as if she taught aerobics in the ‘80’s, hibernated for the ‘90’s and awoke in front of the class), I decided I’d try it again and picked up a schedule on my way out.

A week later I came more prepared. I brought water, a towel and my cleated cycling shoes. The instructor for this class was a lean, tone cyclist. She was very knowledgeable and fun to ride with, yet pushed the class very hard. I left excited for the next class.

It has now been over a month that I’ve been attending spin classes and I feel amazing. Last weekend, I took a spin on my real bike and felt stronger than ever. I climbed effortlessly, stood for longer periods and rarely got tired. Going into the spring season I feel very good with the work I’ve put in over the winter. I’ve lost some weight, toned up, and improved my fitness. Last week, a coworker who rides asked if I’d like to join her cycling team. It’s not a huge honor or anything, because anyone can join. But it is going to be fun riding with some experienced cyclists who can share their knowledge with me.

December 19, 2005

Hardcore

August 16, 2005

Exploring Downtown

On Saturday, I awoke early and set out on my bike at a good pace. My primary goal was to time the ride to my office so I could begin commuting there regularly. My secondary goal was to spend at least a couple of hours in the saddle of my bike. I achieved both. It took about 25 minutes of riding at an average pace, not pushing real hard, but not taking it easy. Once I left my office, I explored downtown. In the 20 plus years I've lived in Salt Lake I've never really spent any time just poking around looking for interesting things. I ended up spending about two hours on bike just cruising around the city alleyways, poking into as many nooks and crannies as I could. I found a lot of really interesting things and decided I would come back later that day with my camera and take some photos.

So, after about three and a half hours (achieving my second goal), I returned home. Upon returning, I called my friend Nate and told him to come over and bring his gorgeous 400+ horsepower Toyota Supra.

As usual, both of our cars were shined up and looking good. So, we went to several of the places I had found and had a little photoshoot of our cars. Thus, I present to you my favorites from our small excursion downtown.

July 22, 2005

Streaker

Was it just my imagination or did I really see a streaker running in front of the breakaway on the 18th stage of the tour last night?

At least I can say this for him, he's working to get some of that weight off.

July 20, 2005

Sore Balls

My physical therapist requested I give up running entirely until I am at 100%. It's sort of frustrating. As an alternative, he suggested I get into cycling. It's a lot more expensive than running, but once I get going I have no doubt I'll come to rely on it for strength training for my legs as well as providing the aerobic stimulation I've come to rely on the last year and a half.

To wit, I bought a nearly brand new Cannondale road bike on eBay yesterday for one-third its original cost. I've been doing a lot of research on bikes and decided if I could find one with low-miles, and a good gruppo (shifters, derailleurs, hubs, etc.) for a good price I'd buy it on eBay. So, you should begin to see a lot of posts in the future about my new hobby.

I'm going to ride so much my testes will be wishing they get cancer so they'd have to be removed. Haha, I know. That's not that funny. But since my dad has had cancer I get to make jokes like that.

July 20, 2004

Wear Yellow

I love Lance Armstrong! I believe in everything he stands for as a human being and a cyclist.

From the Lance Armstrong Foundation Manifesto:

My dad has survived non-Hodgkins Lymphoma for the last six and a half years. My dad Lives Strong.

I support Lance. I support my dad.

Get a LiveStrong wristband from any Nike store, cycling store, or from the Lance Armstrong Foundation website.