Pete Basso Blog

Out Of Business

2009-05-13T14:13:00.003-05:00

After much ribbing from the rest of the bloggers, I've decided this blog is out of business. A blog can easily become a full time job! I don't have time anymore to keep up so I've moved to FB.

You can find me on Facebook under Pete Basso (Des Moines).

Turkey Day Ride

2008-11-21T18:03:00.005-06:00

Thursday - Nov 27th, 2008
(8am to ??)

The Center Trails -
Meet in Pool Parking Lot

Even this turkey is going to be there...

A pre-ride meal, gobbling up
snow during last year's ride!

Do You Need An Appliance?

2008-11-07T10:28:00.002-06:00

Check my Swap Meet Blog for some great deals on kitchen appliances. We just finished remodeling the kitchen at the house and need to sell our existing appliances. They were all new in 2004 and in good shape. Take a look!

Finally...The Media Presents the Facts

2008-11-05T22:36:00.001-06:00

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

"Exercise the Demons"

2008-11-03T19:46:00.009-06:00

In your highest pitched Robin Williams voice repeat after me, "It's time to exercise the demons". All year long I ride Denman's and pass a specific tree that is down just towards the end of Denman's. It is the one that you ride through, (it has been cut so you can ride through it), that has a trunk that is about 30+ inches thick. That damn tree has been taunting me for about 3 years!! It keeps eye-balling me and calling me names like, "pansy", "yellow bike bitch" and "Obama supporter". (Ok not the last one, I just made that up because I knew Bratz would be reading). Anyway, there hasn't been a single ride that I have passed this tree without thinking about the day that I will hop that thing and "clean it". So far there are only two guys that own the rights to the that tree; one of them is Pottorff and the other is John Conlan. Two dudes that know how to handle their bikes. I've tried it about 4 times in the past couple of years but never successfully; always ended up on my back.

Well tonight the temp was a perfect 76 degree, tons of sunshine, leaves on the ground with vibrant colors all around me. The vibe was right. Riding this time of year isn't about speed or training, it is about fun and improving your bike handling. This is the time of year that you should be pacing through the woods leisurely practicing your turns, carving through the tight stuff, improving handling skills over obstacles and getting more confident while straddling the steed. This is the time of year you should be falling every once in a while trying something that pushes you out of your comfort zone. That's when you get better as a rider. I love this time of year!

Tonight was perfect, everything was clicking and I felt like I couldn't miss . My lines were great and the efficiency was tight. Riding with ol' Capt'n Lou and Collier we were just cruising having a great night. Coming to the end of Denman's I spotted that tree looking at me out of the corner of its downed trunk. This time, however, he lunged at me as if he wanted to pick a fight! I became enraged and decided tonight is the night I'm going to own him!! I paced up to it and at the last second had a little reservation creeped into my head causing me to get distracted. I popped my front tire up and lifted with my rear. The bike went over but I didn't manage to get my rear end back far enough...over the bars I went.

I dusted myself off and looked back, that damn tree was now laughing at me. I jumped back on the bike immediately going back for a second run. Lou was mumbling something from the other side of the log but I was focused and heard nothing. I was locked in on clearing this thing. I picked up a little speed, checked my confidence level and pulled the front tire up while jerking the rear end of the bike up. I pushed my bars forward and allowed the seat to slide in front of my crotch. Both tires landed equal..."cleaned it" and I let out a scream even Howard Dean would have been proud of.

As I rode away I turned and gave the tree the peace sign, he smiled back knowing that we both just became better friends. That demon no longer lives inside me, mission accomplished!

Now, I don't care who you vote for tomorrow,
just make sure you get out and vote!!

State Cross Race Recap

2008-11-02T19:51:00.011-06:00

2008 Iowa State CX Championships

Carl Buchanan, (Rassy Teammate on the run-up)

All 9 Yards hosted the State CX race yesterday in Altoona, IA. What a perfect day it turned out to be; temps in the 60's and the sun was bountiful. They had some great food on hand and great music. If you haven't ever heard Chad Vandelune's wife, (Dorothy), and her band, (The Rubber Tramps), play then you are missing out. She has an amazing voice to compliment an equally great band. Check them out sometime. JJ Bailey was there with camera in hand interviewing various racers, check out the video. The vibe was the usual fun atmosphere with great people and competitors everywhere. Even Thad Neil and his Dad came to the race. Good to see you both. Thad get on your bike and join us next year! I'm convinced that the IA CX scene is constantly growing and getting better all the time.

On to racing - I upgraded earlier last year as a Cat 3 roadie. I thought that Cat stood equal for the CX season, but when I went to register yesterday for the Cat 1/2/3's it was then I realized that I'm my racing license says "Cat 4" for CX. Had I known this I would have raced the Cat 4's yesterday. Oh well, gotta race with the big boys sometime.

I took some time to survey the course with Carl Buchanan, (recent upgrade to Cat 3). We took our time to figure out the lines and see where the challenges were going to be. This course was a drastic difference from last weeks course. Mostly a grass course with a few tight turns and some pavement. Two barrier sections and a very small amount of loose gravel. Definitely a roadie course and very little technical stuff. I liked the course but it wasn't my favorite and didn't play to my strengths. Wouldn't matter anyway.

The race started at the bottom of a short paved hill allowing for the race to sort itself out a little bit. We got to the first barrier and it bottle necked quite a bit. Steve Robinson was to the left front of me causing me to hit his back wheel as he brought the bike back down from lifting it thru the barriers. Then we jumped on the bikes and I was locking up with Steve Bullerman through the first 180. Rob Versteegh and I were side by side going thru the second section of loose gravel. Thru the backside of the off camber Ryan Legg was trying to pass but having some difficulty. Ryan finally got around me only to lose a rear wheel in a slight wash out. He regained his composure and jumped back in with us. I noticed that Brian Eppen, (Mercy), was off his bike and having some wheel trouble. As we hit the first grass climb Eppen went by me like I was standing still, man that guy is strong. Eventually Ryan caught up again but this time went into a corner hot and at the wrong angle. This time the wash out put him out of the race with a bent rim. Me on the front of the course but off the back of the peloton

Through the back of the course and up the second grass climb I gave up another spot but remained in the top 8 or 9. I was feeling pretty good going through the start/finish. Lap two was pretty felt good but towards the end my stomach started to have some problems. It slowed me down pretty quick and the rest of the race I just faded. For a minute there was a voice telling me to stop and go to the bathroom but I wasn't going to do that. Once you stop you never seem to get going again. I just wanted to fight through the issue and keep the bike rolling. Somewhere around 2 laps to go I got my legs back and things started to roll again. I was able to catch a couple of people but only because they had popped themselves.

Meanwhile, there was a serious race going on up front. Tony Nichols and Brian Eppen were fighting it out head to head. On the last lap I moved over to let them by, I wanted nothing to do with getting in the way. I was watching them trade off corners and seeing if one of them was going to attack before the finish. Neither could get away from the other. As I approached the run up I stopped at the top to see the finish at the top of the next hill. Eppen led out and Tony attacked at the bottom of the hill. Brian held strong and managed to keep Tony at bay by a wheel length. What a great race that was. I finished out my lap and ended up in 13th out of 23 racers. Surprisingly there were five DNF's that night. Congrats to Oakley Rob who had some problems early on in the race. He rode really strong and caught back up and passed me in lap 4. He went on to take 7th overall. Nice job!!

Thank you again to Amy and Adam Buchanan for the hand-ups, you guys rock. Also, Pig for robbing a vehicle to get a water bottle, setting off the alarm, and not letting that stop him to get me some water!! Nicely done! To all of you guys cheering us on as we suffered through the race. CX is really cool because you can't just stop, there's too many people watching you!! Its a great motivator. I think I'd rather come in last then quit a race.

Great job to Paul Jensen and A9Y group for putting on the race. Glad to see that Lane is healthy and back on the bike, (he was in the hospital last week with an infection).

Not sure what other races are left in our area but I'm thinking about going down to KC on 11/16 for their Cat 4 Kansas State Championships, anyone interested in going? Let me know.

Results Found Here

Back By Popular Demand

2008-10-26T18:33:00.023-05:00

A Good Ol' Fashioned Race Report

We interrupt this educational week of political dialogue to bring you a Spooky Cross race report. JJ Bailey and Tony Nichols hosted another spooktacular event at Living History Farms.

Saturday Spooky Cross Race Report:Hollander doing his best Nancy Pelosi impression

After talking Pig and Kris "Kunze-by-Ya" into racing CX a couple of times this fall, we landed on doing the Spooky Cross event. Carl Buchanan has been having a really great CX season so we wanted to show our support for him and Louis DeWild. Due to the fact that I have had no high intensity training, (or much of any training for that matter), as of late I decided to enter the 3/4's race to limit the amount of suffering to 45 mins rather than an hour.

Rich Wince and Kris Kunze leading thru the Bean Field

The course was pretty wet due to all the rain on Wed, Thursday and Friday. Saturday brought about some perfect 60 degree weather. By mid-afternoon the course was beginning to dry up and get a little easier.

The starting line was 40 racers strong sporting some pretty strong talent; Ryan Legg, Carl Buchanan, Jerome Rewarts, late comer Mike Morrison and many racers from Nebraska. The first lap was a "prem" lap with Oakley Jackets as the reward. Well that's worth more than first place payout so I decided to go out hard to win the prem. Apparently I wasn't the only one with that idea; Ryan Legg, (strong Cat 2 on the road), went out fast. I stayed with him through most of the first lap but towards the end of the lap he began to get about 5 seconds on me. I made a decison at that point to pull back and try to recover so I could finish the race. Ryan went on to take the prem and I got first loser! With the first lap behind us, I throttled back and tried to recover while Carl Buchanan, (Rassy's), Mike Morrison, Jerome Rewarts, (A9Y), and a few other guys passed me through the top grassy field area. Once we dove back into the woods I attacked on the downhill hoping to make up some ground. At the bottom of the hill you take a left and begin to ascend up a sweet little climb with 2x4 barriers. The first part of the hill was rutted out, if you didn't carry momentum then you were dead in the water and had to run the rest of the hill. I found a nice line up the first part of the hill, passing a few more racers when suddenly I saw what I thought was Richard Nixon in a thong!! Seriously!! Back from the dead and dealing out $1 bills.

Squirrel making everyone laugh on the climb

Laughing at the creative genius we all affectionately know as Squirrel, I regained my composure and began pushing to the top of the hill. (By the way, it wasn't Nixon handing out the money, it was GW handing out more tax cuts...thanks for the reminder Andy). The next few laps were spent trying to recover and laughing as Squirrel consistently tried to feed me beers as I was climbing the hill.

Most of the race I was riding with Brian Abbott and Chad Bishop. Chad managed to get away from us on the second to last lap and was riding really strong. This guy has been amazing to watch this year, he has come from being a beginner to being a very strong, smart rider. Brian Abbott and I traded off the last two or three laps pulling each other, however, going into the last lap I was going to try to gap him on the hill. He was running the hill every lap which allowed me to put a few seconds on him. We went into the downhill with Brian leading, as we hit the bottom I knew I had to cut inside to keep my momentum to carry the first hill while squeezing Brian to the outside. As I cut inside I ran over a fairly large rock hiding in the leaves and instantly flatted. With half a lap to go I just rode the front flat to the finish and placed 9th overall.

Thanks to everyone cheering on the hill, Squirrel for distracting me with his awesome costume and not allowing me to think about suffering while climbing the hill, Lou Waugaman and Amy Buchanan for their tenacious hand-ups, Paul Buchanan for being my favorite Republican in attendance this weekend, and everyone else for the encouragement. It really helps to hear everyone screaming at you climbing the hills.

Sunday Spooky Cross Race Report:

Today's weather started out at 54 degrees and quickly dropped to 50 by 10am. The wind picked up with gusts reported to 45 mph. The wind helped to dry out the course and make for crazy conditions. Tony and JJ switched up the course today. Instead of going left at the bottom of the downhill and going up the climb, you went right, dismounted from your bike jumped the barrier, ran across the bridge jumped another barrier and started a muddy incline. At the top of the incline was a nice dry gravel road. With the wind at your back you almost didn't have to pedal. From here you dumped into a nice little technical section and up two pretty good climbs. Finishing through the woods and into an open field. The open field section was harder than any of the climbs because we were traveling into a slight cross wind that was raging up to 45mph.

After walking the course I decided to race with the understanding that I was just going to ride this as a "Sunday Ride". No pressure just have fun. One thing for sure - no hard first laps!! I wanted to race my own race and not worry about the others.

We lined up and I looked back to see what looked to be the same group as yesterday. Kris Kunze, Louis DeWild, Carl Buchanan, Bruce Reese and Steve Fuller all showed up in their DS5000 kits. It's always great to see so many teammates pimping the Rassy name!

An we're off! The start was fairly mellow as I found myself sitting somewhere around 6th or 7th going through the barriers and up to the bean field descent. It dawned on my that I was feeling very good today. I was thinking to myself, I have more than what this group was offering at the moment so I punched it through the rutted out bean field, (its easier to ride hard through this stuff then to go slow). I got to the bottom and looked back to see a small gap opening. I attacked the downhill and opened up a bigger gap. Then came the gravel road where I was passed by Jeff Kluck, (winner from Sat). I was repremanding myself to stay disciplined by not trying to ride Jeff's race instead race my race. For the first three laps I rode in second position until Tim Yuska, Jerome Rewarts, (A9Y), and Geoff Perril, (Specialized Mercy), passed me. I kept Jerome and Geoff in sight the rest of the race but knew that Chad Bishop, (Harpers), and Carl Buchanan were right behind me. Other than watching Kyle Sedore shove Slim Jim's and Beer in my face on the climb, (making me laugh to the point of losing focus), nothing out of the ordinary happened till the last lap.

Climbing the back hill to the gravel with Carl Buchanan right on my tail

I looked at my watch and figured we'd have two more laps to go but crossing through the start/finish area the time board said "1" to go. I hunkered down and decided it was time to catch Geoff and Jerome. I was feeling good and felt that I could step up the tempo a bit, however, I wanted ride carefully in order to avoid a flat or mechanical. Through the downhill and over the bridge I kept looking back watching to see if Chad and Carl were gaining. They were keeping me in sight and not letting off the gas. Finally, on the last two climbs I tightened the screws and found myself gaining on Geoff on the first climb. Just as I was getting cross-eyed but catching Geoff, Sedore throws beef jerky in my face, I almost puked. Regaining focus and drilling the second hill I caught Geoff but Jerome had motored ahead. Chad and Carl not too far behind so I let Geoff lead through the single track. Geoff was showing some signs of fatigue and I didn't want to get caught by Chad so I went around Geoff. Geoff then drafted me through the crazy wind until about 100 yards from the finish where he made his move. I tried to match it but had given it my all in order to catch him. I just didn't have enough left to win the sprint.

Geoff Perrill edging me out on the sprint

Great job to Geoff for smart riding! I finished 5th on the day and in the money. I loved every minute of the race and the course. So glad I decided to race today rather than just going for a ride.

Thank you again to JJ Bailey and Tony Nichols for putting on a great event, great schwag, great people, and great course! Sunday's course was even better then Saturday's with a very mtb bike feel to it. The crowds on the hill were reminiscent of Snake Alley and really help to fuel the legs. Thanks to all the vendors, Rassy's, Elder Corporation, Oakley Rob and much more for the schwag. Also, thank you to Steve Flood for the hand-ups, I very much appreciated your help! I've caught the cx bug and hope to race next weekend at the State Cross race in Altoona, IA.

Pics ripped off from Squirrel, Julie Sedore, Andy Lueck, Blue Colnago and Bike Tech's blogs. Thanks!

A Lesson In Sharing The Wealth

2008-10-25T09:22:00.003-05:00

"Barack's Economic Plan"

The Fish Stinks From The Head Down

2008-10-23T21:24:00.002-05:00

The Democratic Joker

The Facts:

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's home district includes San Francisco.

Star-Kist Tuna's headquarters are in San Francisco, Pelosi's home district.

Star-Kist is owned by Del Monte Foods and is a major contributor to Pelosi.

Star-Kist is the major employer in American Samoa employing 75% of the Samoan workforce.

Paul Pelosi, Nancy's husband, owns $17 million dollars of Star-Kist stock.

In January, 2007 when the minimum wage was increased from $5.15 to $7.25, Pelosi had American Samoa exempted from the increase so Del Monte would not have to pay the higher wage. This would make Del Monte products less expensive than their competition's.

Last week when the huge bailout bill was passed, Pelosi added an earmark to the final bill adding $33 million dollars for an "economic development credit in American Samoa". Pelosi has called the Bush Administration "corrupt". She should know.

The Star-Kist matter was big news at the beginning of 2007, and the $33 million earmark was news last week.
Here are some links:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2007/jan/12/20070112-120720-2734r/
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/03/MNR813AHDN.DTL

...and the Democrats are worried about Palin being a "heartbeat" away from the Presidency. We should all be more worried about this joker being only two heartbeats from the Presidency!!

'Smears' About Obama Largely True

2008-10-22T23:41:00.002-05:00

'Smears' About Obama Largely True

Monday, October 20, 2008 9:32 PM

By: Lowell Ponte

Article Font Size

The Obama campaign says its candidate is a victim of “smears” — and has even created a Web site to fight such attacks.

But a Newsmax investigation finds many of the so-called smears are largely based in truth — and the Obama campaign uses half-truths, clever language, and ad hominem attacks to spin the facts.

Obama’s www.FightTheSmears.com focuses mainly on anti-Obama messages being repeated on the Internet and talk radio, the only media where Obama's ideological allies are not dominant.

These "smears" and the Obama rebuttals are often framed in lawyerly language that leaves much wiggle room in the candidate’s answers.

FightTheSmears.com also makes no attempt at objectivity, describing Obama’s critics as “pushing misleading research and distorted claims” because they are “ideologues” busy “spreading a ‘pack of lies’ about Barack.”

In a section of the site titled, “Who’s Behind the Smears?” visitors can see a chart naming seven groups and six individuals with lines that suggest multiple, sinister connections between them.

The people and groups named are real and are members of Washington’s small but conservative sphere of power and influence. The Obama conspiracy chart links all of these conservative individuals and groups back to the critics who dogged the “Clinton 1992 Campaign.”

This may come as something as a surprise to Hillary Clinton, as many of the “smears” against Obama first surfaced during her heated primary contest with him.

Newsmax reviewed 10 random claims and related rebuttals posted on Obama’s ever-changing FightTheSmears.com to gauge their veracity. Here’s what we found:

Claim No. 1: Obama's campaign is funded by the rich, big corporations and foreigners.

“Barack Obama was the only major presidential candidate this year to completely reject contributions from The Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs that have dominated our politics for years,” the Obama site says of the persistent online criticisms of its fundraising.

“Instead, this campaign has been owned by the more than 3.1 million everyday Americans who have donated in small amounts.”

Not so, according to campaign finance records. Nearly half of the $600 million raised by Obama to date has come from wealthy donors and special interests. Obama's allies months ago dropped their ad linking Republican rival “Exxon John” McCain to Big Oil after it came to light that Obama had taken far more money from Exxon-Mobil than McCain.

“The Obama campaign has complied fully with federal election law,” claims the Obama site, “including donor eligibility and contribution disclosure requirements.”

However, one giant loophole the politicians wrote into the law allows contributions in amounts of $200 or less with no donor identification. Obama claims that $300 million in campaign funds was given by these small donors, and he won’t release their names and addresses.

McCain has released his whole donor database, including those who have contributed less than $200.

Critics argue that the other half of Obama’s campaign haul — the part not raised from big corporate donors and special interests — came in a small flood of anonymous donations that might be foreign or corrupt, or both.

Claim No. 2: Obama has had a close, ongoing relationship with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers.

The Obama site acknowledges that its candidate and Ayers ”served on the board of an education-reform organization in the mid-1990s,” but maintains most stories about the links between Obama and Ayers are phony or exaggerated.

It does not mention that Obama and Ayers worked together on the board distributing millions of dollars with the aim of radicalizing Chicago schoolchildren.

Nor does the site acknowledge that Obama kicked off his first political campaign in the living room of Ayers, the former Weather Underground leader. (Obama is currently saying it was not the first event. There is no dispute that one of Obama’s first political events in his first run for public office was held in Ayers’ home.)

There is also no dispute the Weather Underground bombed the Pentagon the Capitol, the home of a New York Supreme Court justice, and a police station, among other targets. FBI agent Larry Grathwohl, who infiltrated the group, has recounted Ayers teaching him how to make bombs and saying, “In the revolution, some innocent people need to die.”

“Smear groups and now a desperate McCain campaign are trying to connect Barack to William Ayers using age-old guilt by association techniques . . .” says the Obama Web site.

Actually, McCain and Obama critics are questioning why Obama would continue to associate with a man who, as recently as 2001, said he did not do enough and wished he had bombed more.

Conservatives also note that if Ayers had bombed abortion clinics, the liberal media would brand him a pariah forever. What does it tell us about the liberal media’s and Obama’s judgment and values that they see nothing wrong with embracing unrepentant terrorist Ayers today?

Claim No. 3: Obama takes advice from executives of troubled mortgage backer Fannie Mae.

“John McCain started smearing Obama about non-existent ties to Fannie Mae in some of his deceptive attack ads,” says FightTheSmears.com. The site downplays connections between Obama and two former heads of the giant mortgage-backing institution — James A. Johnson and Franklin D. Raines — whose corruption played a key role in the current financial crisis.

But an editorial in the Aug. 27, 2008, Washington Post described Johnson and Raines, as “members of Mr. Obama’s political circle.”

Raines advised the Obama campaign on housing matters. Obama chose Johnson to select his vice presidential running mate. But because neither are advising Obama today, this Web site’s present-tense claim that he “doesn’t [not didn’t] take advice from Fannie Mae execs” is technically, if deceptively, true.

Johnson also reportedly helped raise as much as $500,000 for Obama’s campaign.

And despite Obama’s lack of seniority in the U.S. Senate, he pocketed more than $105,000 in political contributions, the third-highest amount given to any lawmaker, directly from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Obama’s Web site leaves all this unmentioned.

Claim No. 4: Obama has close ties with the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), a group suspected of massive voter registration fraud.

Obama’s site says the candidate was never an ACORN employee and that ACORN “was not part of Project Vote, the successful voter registration drive [Obama] ran in 1992.”

In defending Obama, the site resorts to smearing former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell — calling him a “discredited Republican voter-suppression guru” — for daring to fight the vote fraud so often associated with operatives of ACORN, among the largest radical groups in the United States.

As Newsmax has documented in ["Clever Obama Tries To Bury ACORN Past,"] Obama’s Web site is attempting to deceive when it says Obama was never “hired” to work as a trainer for ACORN’s leaders. In fact, he did the work for free from at least 1993 until 2003.

ACORN spokesman Lewis Goldberg acknowledges in the Oct. 11, 2008, New York Times that Obama trained ACORN leaders. And Obama worked as a lawyer for ACORN.

As to heading up Project Vote in Illinois, Obama said during a speech to ACORN leaders last November, "[When] I ran the Project Vote voter registration drive in Illinois, ACORN was smack-dab in the middle of it.”

Veteran journalist Karen Tumulty described Project Vote in the Oct. 18, 2004, issue of Time magazine as “a nonpartisan arm of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now” after interviewing its national director.

The co-founder of ACORN, former Students for a Democratic Society official Wade Rathke, described Project Vote as one of ACORN’s “family of organizations.”

Over the years, ACORN and its front groups, like the one Obama ran in Illinois, have registered more than 4 million voters. When authorities in Virginia checked ACORN registrations, it found that 83 percent were fraudulent or had problems. This, in theory, could mean ACORN may have created the opportunity for stealing more than 3.3 million votes in this November’s election, a margin far wider than that by which Obama is likely to win.

Claim No. 5: Obama has shown only wavering support for individual gun-ownership rights.

“During Barack’s career in the Illinois and United States Senates, he proudly stood to defend the rights of hunters and sportsmen,” says Obama’s Web site, “while doing everything he could to protect children — including his own two daughters — from illegal gun violence.”

But the National Rifle Association, it continues, “is distributing a dishonest and cowardly flyer that makes confrontational accusations and runs away from verifying them.”

Actually, the NRA does a meticulous job of laying out documentation, as Newsmax reported in September ["NRA to Fight Obama Over Gun Rights Flip-Flops,"] to show that Obama has supported handgun confiscation; the handgun ban in Washington, D.C.; a virtual ban on high-powered rifle ammunition; and many other draconian restrictions on Second Amendment rights.

If elected, wrote the NRA, Obama “would be the most anti-gun president in American history.”

Claim No. 6: A fervent supporter of abortion rights, Obama supports late-term and partial-birth abortions.

The Obama Web site dismisses such criticism as the work of “radical anti-abortion ideologues running ads against Barack.”

But as an Illinois state senator, Obama voted repeatedly against legislation to protect infants who, during a late-term abortion, were “born alive.” Such protection, he has argued, already exists in Illinois; it does, but is subject to the abortionist’s decision whether such an infant has a good likelihood of survival.

Nurses have reported instances in which surviving aborted babies were left by abortionists to die without water, food, or warmth.

Obama’s Web site notes that even the Republican author of one of these bills, former state Sen. Rick Winkel, has written that “none of those who voted against [his bill] favored infanticide.”

True, but Obama’s site does not quote the rest of Winkel’s statement: “[T]heir zeal for pro-choice dogma was clearly the overriding force behind their negative votes rather than concern that my bill would protect babies who are born alive.”

Obama has a 100 percent pro-choice voting record according to NARAL Pro-Choice America; his rating from the National Right to Life Committee is zero.

How extreme is Obama on this issue? In the U.S. Senate, he has voted against bills that would prohibit minors from crossing state lines for abortion without parental notification.

"Look, I got two daughters — 9 years old and 6 years old,” Obama has said. “I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby."

Claim No. 7: Obama showed little interest or support for American combat troops during his overseas visits.

Doubts about Obama’s true support for the military cropped up during a campaign trip to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Europe.

A widely circulated e-mail, penned by Army Capt. Jeffrey S. Porter, described Obama's visit to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan: “As the Soldiers lined up to shake his hand, he blew them off . . . He again shunned the opportunity to talk to soldiers to thank them for their service . . . I swear we got more thanks from the NBA basketball players or the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders than from [Obama].”

Porter later recanted, sending a follow-up e-mail that said, in part: “After checking my sources, information that was put out in my e-mail was wrong.” He did not specify which information was wrong, leading Obama skeptics to suspect that this officer has been disciplined by his superiors.

Heading home, Obama touched down in Germany, where he “was scheduled to visit the American hospitals at Ramstein and Landstuhl.” But as The Washington Post reported, Obama “canceled the trips after being told by Pentagon officials that he could only visit in his official capacity as a senator, not as a candidate” and could not have his visits with hospitalized soldiers videotaped by the media.

Prominent liberal mainstream media reporters such as NBC’s Andrea Mitchell rushed to defend Obama, saying that the press had never planned to cover his visits to military sickbeds. But Obama canceled both visits and used his free time instead to shoot hoops, with the media recording his best shots.

Claim No. 8: Barack Obama is a Muslim.

FightTheSmears.com states bluntly that Obama is a Christian, not a follower of Islam.

In fact, Barack Hussein Obama’s Kenyan father was raised Muslim, though he reportedly was not religious.

His mother divorced and remarried another man, a Muslim from Indonesia. As a youngster in Indonesia, Barack Obama attended two schools and was registered at both as a Muslim. He received religious instruction in both schools as a Muslim, including studying the Quran. According to a childhood friend, Obama occasionally attended services at a local mosque.

Obama’s Muslim upbringing has been detailed in a 2007 Los Angeles Times report (reprinted in The Baltimore Sun) headlined "Islam an Unknown Factor in Obama Bid." Middle East expert Daniel Pipes has studied the question of Obama’s Muslim faith and says he is “lying” when he says he was never a Muslim.

It’s important to note that Obama’s Web site does not say he was never a Muslim. But in the past, Obama’s site and FightTheSmears.com did make the claim Obama was never a Muslim. Since that claim is obviously false, it is no longer used.

Obama says he became a Christian in his late 20s. He now describes himself as Christian. Until recently, he spent two decades as a member of a Chicago United Church of Christ congregation that embraces Black Liberation theology. Somewhat like the Roman Catholic liberation theology of Latin America, the Chicago UCC church preaches elements of neo-Marxist class warfare. It combines these radical socialist elements with black racialism.

Claim No. 9: As president, Obama would raise taxes dramatically for most Americans.

Millions of Americans recognize that Obama is likely to raise taxes. But like a good conjurer, who tricks you into watching his right hand while doing things with his left, the Obama Web site assures readers with a red herring.

The Illinois senator will not tax your water, as claimed in some fringe e-mails, FightTheSmears.com maintains.

What Obama will do, however, is tax businesses and capital gains more heavily, even though America already has the world’s second-highest business taxes.

“Now our opponents tell you not to worry about their tax increases” said former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson at the 2008 Republican National Convention. “They tell you they are not going to tax your family. No, they’re just going to tax businesses! So unless you buy something from a business, like groceries or clothes or gasoline . . . or unless you get a paycheck from a big or a small business, don’t worry. It’s not going to affect you.”

During his campaign, Obama has promised to raise various taxes that will fall on most economic classes, including the dividend tax, the FICA tax cap, the capital gains tax, the estate tax, and new taxes on gasoline.

He also called for the Bush tax cuts to expire in 2010, which will automatically raise taxes on most Americans. By letting the Bush cuts expire, Obama would produce a $2 trillion tax increase that some economists predict will rumble through the already weakened economy like an earthquake.

Claim No. 10: Obama was born outside the United States and is ineligible for the presidency.

The Obama Web site dismisses the claim that the candidate was born anywhere but in the United States as “completely false” and “groundless.”

As proof, the Obama’s campaign has produced a “certificate of live birth” from Hawaii indicating that Barack Hussein Obama II was born Aug. 4, 1961. Critics, however say the document could have easily been forged and is not a substitute for a certified birth certificate.

No reporter has been allowed to see the original certificate of live birth or its certificate number, which is blacked out on copies of it on the Obama site.

Skeptics note that Obama’s “Father’s Race” is identified on this document as “African,” a geographic and modern politically correct term rather than a 1961 racial designation. The standard term used on American birth certificates until the U.S. Census changed it in 1980 would have been “Negro.”

Former deputy attorney general of Pennsylvania, Philip J. Berg, a Democrat with mixed credibility (he has supported conspiracy theories involving 9/11), has filed a lawsuit to force Obama to produce a certified copy of his birth certificate. According to Berg, Obama’s paternal grandmother has said she was present at his birth in Kenya, after which his mother promptly returned with her baby to the United States.

If that is true, Obama could be constitutionally ineligible to be president

Obama Using 'Truth Squad" to Eliminate Free Speech

2008-10-19T10:08:00.004-05:00

Is this the guy you want for President of our great nation of freedom?

This nations newest reality TV celeb, Barack Obama is fighting to have free speech eradicated in states of Missouri and Connecticut. He is working with federal authorities in these states to target /arrest anyone who is using negative tactics to campaign agaist him. They are calling this the "truth squad", don't be fooled by this clever name, this is the "against free speech" squad. Kinda like the "fairness doctrine"

Watch this video below for your own good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIenDGSAdPA

Reed Rinderknect's Ironman Race Report

2008-10-13T21:12:00.004-05:00

Congrats to Reed, Doug Vanderweite and Steve Feltz for their efforts in 2008 Ironman. Each of them had very successful races placing very well. What a grueling race, I couldn't imagine how tired I'd be after this type of event. They did a great job representing our state of Iowa and Rasmussen Bike Shop. Here is Reed's race report as emailed to us yesterday.

Written by: Reed Rinderknect
Ironman 2008 - Kona, Hawaii

I went to Kona to race an Ironman and turned it into an adventure race!
I am going to try and be as brief as possible in this report, but in a
nutshell, it was a great experience and I enjoyed virtually every
moment, even walking through the Energy Lab at 100+ heat index. If you
enjoy the details, read on.

The morning pre-race went smooth and Doug, Steve, TJ, and I went to the
race start together. TJ was able to get us a room at the Specialized
house which was a lot closer to the race start. Getting your number
"stamped" on you was fun and the volunteers all day were amazing.

Put a few things in my bike and run bags and got my bike ready to go.
Found my family for a couple of minutes and just enjoyed the setting.
Had just enough time to pull on the Swim Skin and jump into the water.
Immediately after the national anthem, the cannon went off for the pro
race and right after that, all the age groupers sprinted up for the
starting line. About 15 minutes of treading water next to 1800 people
followed that.

My strategy was to get next to the pier and then get to the inside as
quickly as possible. That worked to perfection and I found clear water
and a good draft pretty fast. Basically, it was an easy, uneventful
swim. I tried to relax and enjoy the moment and never had to work hard.
I thought I would be about an hour to 1:03, due to wanting to really
start conservative and came out at 1:02. Transition was crazy with so
many excellent swimmers coming out together, but I got my cycling stuff
on and headed out on the bike. People were just drilling it from the
start, but I resisted and got a Cliff Bar and some water down in the
first few miles.

The bike course is not terribly difficult, but the heat, humidity, and
winds add many obstacles to the course. Marshalls were pulling over
5,10, 15 people and giving them drafting penalties early on the bike, I
had to pay very close attention to stay the legal 4 bike lengths away
from others as the course was crowded early.

The first 1/4 of the bike was probably the easiest leg until about mile
30, then a 15-20 mph headwind kicked up. We turned and started the 18
mile ascent to Hawi, the bike turnaround, the last 6 miles were steeper
and a huge headwind with even bigger gusts and crosswinds. I pulled up
along Doug about 3 miles from the top and we talked for a few seconds.
Someone cut him off at a water stop and he went down pretty hard. He
got back on and still had a very solid race.

After the turn-around in Hawi, we started the descent, which was with
the wind for a couple of miles, but huge, gusting crosswinds made the
ride pretty treacherous. I was riding Zipp 808 wheels that are very
aero, but catch those crosswinds. Several times I was blown 6-8 feet to
the side.

To put the level of competition in perspective, I got passed by 1 person
at my Ironman Race in Arizona in April, I passed about 125 people,
moving up to 7th overall off the bike....That guy blew up and ran a 4:46
marathon that day.

At IM Hawaii, I bet I got passed by 100 riders and I only passed about
100 that beat me out of the swim, so I netted about the same position
off the bike. Somewhere in the 300's overall, I think.

The rest of the ride was hot, humid and windy. I could douse myself
with water and beat blown dry in a few minutes. I felt great coming off
the bike and was excited to see what I could do on the run. The first
mile is so exciting as there are people everywhere. My calf felt good
for about 3/4 of a mile, then the tightness kicked in.....i actually
thought my race could be over for a few seconds. I changed my foot
strike and that helped a bit, found my family and re-grouped. I kept
running and tried to get some nutrition and get hydrated. The calf was
sore, but manageable, my stomach turned out to be the main cause of a
long day on the run. It shut down about mile 7 and I barely could get
down anything to eat or drink after that....even water wasn't going down
easily and when I tried Coke or a gel, I was gagging.

I went into survival mode at that point and after mile 10 I needed to
run 8 or 9 minutes and walk a minute of two. Without being able to
stomach any nutrition, I knew it was going to be a long run to the
finish, but I made it a few minutes before the 11 hour mark..(10:57) I
was please to break 11 hours, considering that I couldn't basically walk
on Wednesday night.

At the finish, I was able to see the whole family, which was worth the
pain. I was walked to get my medal and hat and then looked for
everyone. I found Kristin and Josh looking into the Med Tent for me and
walked up behind then and asked, "hey, who are you looking for?" I
walked around for 20 minutes and Dad got me a chocolate shake, which
tasted awesome. Grabbed my gear bags and bike and we headed home.

I really feel good today and credit that to my level of fitness before
the race and the "ironman shuffle" that I was doing the last 15 miles of
the marathon, so I didn't beat myself up too bad.

I look forward to my long rides of about 90 minutes in the future!
(instead of 5-6 hours). We will be spending a few more days in Hawaii,
then back to the mainland for 10 days before we head to Florida for
Kristin's race at IM Florida on November 1st. It is HER turn!

Thanks again for all the prayers, thoughts, and support!

Reed

Who Contributed to Taking Down the Economy?

2008-10-11T09:51:00.002-05:00

...and where are they now?

Here is a quick look into three former Fannie Mae executives who have brought down Wall Street.

Franklin Raines was a Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Fannie Mae. Raines was forced to retire from his position with Fannie Mae when auditing discovered severe irregularities in Fannie Mae's accounting activities. At the time of his departure The Wall Street Journal (http://www.wsj.com/) noted, "Raines, who long defended the company's accounting despite mounting evidence that it wasn't proper, issued a statement late Tuesday conceding that 'mistakes were made' and saying he would assume responsibility as he had earlier promised. News reports indicate the company was under growing pressure from regulators to shake up its management in the wake of findings that the company's books ran afoul of generally accepted accounting principles for four years." Fannie&n bsp;Mae had to reduce its surplus by $9 billion. Raines left with a "golden parachute" valued at $240-Million in benefits. The Government filed suit against Raines when the depth of the accounting scandal became clear. The Government noted, "The 101 charges reveal how the individuals improperly manipulated earnings to maximize their bonuses, while knowingly neglecting accounting systems and internal controls, misapplying over twenty accounting principles and misleading the regulator and the public." The Notice explains how they submitted six years of misleading and inaccurate accounting statements and inaccurate capital reports that enabled them to grow Fannie Mae in an unsafe and unsound manner. These charges were made in 2006. The Court ordered Raines to return $50-Million Dollars he received in bonuses based on the miss-stated Fannie Mae profits. (http://housingdoom.com/2006/12/18/fannie-charges/)

Tim Howard was the Chief Financial Officer of Fannie Mae. Howard was a "strong internal proponent of using accounting strategies that would ensure a stable pattern of earnings" at Fannie. In everyday English - he was cooking the books. The Government investigation determined that, "Chief Financial Officer, Tim Howard, failed to provide adequate oversight to key control and reporting functions within Fannie Mae." On June 16, 2006, Rep. Richard Baker, R-La., asked the Justice Department to investigate his allegations that two former Fannie Mae executives lied to Congress in October 2004 when they denied manipulating the mortgage-finance giant's income statement to achieve management pay bonuses. Investigations by federal regulators and the company's board of directors since concluded that management did manipulate 1998 earnings to trigger bonuses . Raines and Howard resigned under pressure in late 2004. Howard's "Golden Parachute" was estimated at $20-Million!

Jim Johnson is a former executive at Lehman Brothers and who was later forced from his position as Fannie Mae CEO. A look at the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight's May 2006 report on mismanagement and corruption inside Fannie Mae, and you'll see some interesting things about Johnson. Investigators found that Fannie Mae had hidden a substantial amount of Johnson's 1998 compensation from the public, reporting that it was between $6-million and $7-million when it fact it was $21-million. Johnson is currently under investigation for taking illegal loans from Countrywide while serving as CEO of Fannie Mae. Johnson's "Golden Parachute" was estimated at $28-Million.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

FRANKLIN RAINES? Raines works for the Obama Campaign as Chief Economic Advisor.

TIM HOWARD? Howard is also a Chief Economic Advisor to Obama.

JIM JOHNSON? Johnson was hired as a Senior Obama Finance Advisor and was selected to run Obama's Vice Presidential Search Committee.

Wow, I just keep seeing the same pattern of bad choices. Proverbs 27:19 says "As water reflects the face, so does the heart reflect the man". Well I'm a firm believer that your friends are a good reflection of you. Obama's peer group seems to be a pretty dangerous group of people; Rev Jeremiah White, William Ayers, Franklin Raines, Tim Howard, Jim Johnson and the list goes on.

Just my thoughts.

Seven Years Ago Today

2008-09-11T08:43:00.002-05:00

Never Forget!

Just To Put Obama's Experience Into Perspective

2008-09-10T07:49:00.005-05:00

Think about this before you put your vote behind Obama:

You couldn't get a job at McDonalds and become district manager after 143 days of experience.
You couldn't become chief of surgery after 143 days of experience of being a surgeon.
You couldn't get a job as a teacher and be the superintendent after 143 days of experience.
You couldn't join the military and become a colonel after a 143 days of experience.
You couldn't get a job as a reporter and become the nightly news anchor after 143 days of experience.
But....

From the time Barack Obama was sworn in as a United State Senator, to the time he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory committee, he logged 143 days of experience in the Senate. That's how many days the Senate was actually in session and working. After 143 days of work experience, Obama believed he was ready to be Commander In Chief, Leader of the Free World .... 143 days.

We all have to start somewhere. The senate is a good start, but after 143 days, that's all it is - a start.
AND, strangely, a large sector of the American public is okay with this and campaigning for him. We wouldn't accept this in our own line of work, yet some are okay with this for the President of the United States of America? Come on folks, we are not voting for the next American Idol!

Armstrong To Make Comeback??

2008-09-09T21:01:00.002-05:00

This article taken from Cycling Magazine

Seven-time champion Lance Armstrong will come out of retirement and compete in next year's Tour de France, VeloNews reported Monday, citing sources close to the situation.

Armstrong

Armstrong, who will turn 37 on Sept. 18, will join the Astana team and compete in five road races, the sources told VeloNews.

He will compete in the Amgen Tour of California, Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia, the Dauphine-Libere and the Tour de France. The sources told VeloNews that Armstrong will receive no salary or bonuses.

Armstrong's manager, Mark Higgins, would not comment.

Sources told VeloNews that Armstrong's comeback will be the focal point of a story in the upcoming issue of Vanity Fair, to be published later this month.

Armstrong, who overcame testicular cancer he was diagnosed with in 1996 en route to his string of Tour de France triumphs, has remained active in the three years since his retirement.

In August he raced in the Leadville Trail 100, a 100-mile mountain bike race through the Colorado Rockies, finishing a close second to the six-time defending champion, Dave Wiens. It's the country's highest-altitude bicycle race.

Armstrong has also run the New York and Boston marathons and was set last month to run the Chicago Marathon in October.

Gratitude Campaign

2008-08-29T10:21:00.002-05:00

The Story of How It Got Started... (by Scott Truitt)

For the past several years as I've been traveling around the country, I've been approaching Soldiers in airports and thanking them for serving for us. On several occasions I have noticed that it felt a little awkward for both of us. There are several reasons, some of which I am even just now learning as I produce this film and talk to more Service Men & Women and Veterans. But they have always appreciated being thanked, and I have always felt better having expressed my gratitude.

I started to think that it would be nice if civilians had a gesture or sign that they could use to say "thank you" quickly and easily without even having to approach. I did some research and found the sign that we are now using.

Is this limited to the military? Not at all. If you look around you I'm sure that you'll find lots of people who are serving their communities, from local to global. If you appreciate their service, give them a sign. Say "thank you from the bottom of my heart."

IA State Crit Championship Recap

2008-08-25T06:59:00.005-05:00

Saturday marked my third time racing at the State Crit Championships in Pella, IA. Doug Klauhsen and friends sure do put on a great race. Well organized and fun.

We got there in time to see the Cat 1/2's start. A very interesting race; a group of three strong riders got into the break, (Jared, Sean Walker, Jason Landretti), when Lou Waugaman decided to attack and bridge up. He bridged up and the group began to roll. They never really got more then 10 seconds off the chase group. Towards the end of the race Lou saw the chase group start to catch the leaders and decided he'll have none of that!! He pushed the pace of the lead group faster but no one responded. They let him roll off the front and create his own break. Lou eventually lapped the field and won the race. Great job Lou!! Congrats on your second win this month and a great season.

Lou Waugaman - State Crit Champ 2008

The Cat 3 race started off in usual form with a fast start compliments of Mr. Chris Hansen. This usually gets the heart pumping and sorts the strong guys out. After Chris' attack his teammate and sling-shot artist Bryan Moritz attacked.

Our game plan was to cover attacks and launch counter attacks however, it seemed that everyone had the same plan. The first part of the race was spent covering small attacks that didn't stick. Finally, Big Daddy Jerome Rewarts of A9Y launched an attack with Bryan West, (Colorbiotics) and Karl Rosenberg, (HBA). Kris Kunze, (RBSDSK 5000), saw the attack and immediately responded forming break.

The break dangled out in front of us for about 7 or 8 laps. I think it was never for than 10 seconds up the road allowing for Andrew Fagersten, (B2U), Adam Price, (Mercy), and a couple of others to bridge up. It is frustrating to see this happen but once these got in the break just about every team was represented and the chase group slowed allowing the break to solidify. I contemplated bridging but it didn't feel like the right thing to do with Kris already up in the break.

At this point Pig and I went on the defensive and just covered and moves that would happen from there. Chad Bishop and I rode the front of the chase group a majority of the remaining laps. Chad was working with HBA today and could've easy bridged to put himself in the break. He is a strong rider that has good instincts but played it safe today.

With about 9 laps left to go Scott Robinson, (A9Y), attacked the chase group. I chased and caught him. As I passed him I told him to hop on so we could form another break. The lead group was about to lap the chase group and I really didn't want to get caught in that mess. Scott's attack was very short lived which left me riding for a lap and a half on my own. I could see the peloton catching and decided I had a better chance to help Kris with a lead out at the end. However, that flier gassed me as my training has been awful the last few weeks. With two laps to go I could feel the cramps starting in my legs. I tried to spin them out but it didn't work. Before the third turn I pushed my way to the front to hit the hill first to try to lead Kris out. Unfortunately I took the turn from the inside and a little too fast causing me to have to apply some breaks. Standing up to sprint my legs locked up immediately and I was DONE. I spun over the hill thru the fourth corner to see B2U's big man Andrew taking the win with Kris Kunze getting fourth.

It was a great day to race and everyone did very well. The turnout was good and congrats to B2U for a very successful road season. They raced strong, executed well as a team and the results proved it. No three's team in IA was able to match them this year. Congrats to Bryan Moritz for winning the IA Cup Points race too.

Results of the race are here
It will be interesting to see who upgrades next year and who stays a three.

(Pictures courtesy of Bryan Moritz' blog)

Take Back America

2008-08-21T20:55:00.002-05:00

Whatever you do today, take 6 minutes and watch this video, it will be worth your time:

Lots of Items For Sale

2008-08-11T10:52:00.005-05:00

THE SWAP MEET STARTS HERE...

Trying to clean out some of my extra parts and pieces. If you need any parts like frames, forks, pedals, stems, bar ends or hubs CLICK HERE.

As is customary - offer the parts to the locals first then go to Ebay. Let me know what you need.

Godco - Pairety from Geico Insurance

2008-08-11T08:08:00.001-05:00

Pretty funny stuff...

Are You Worried?

2008-08-01T08:00:00.006-05:00

There has been a lot of news surrounding the use of cell phones and whether or not they will cause cancer in our heads down the road. I'm not sure who to believe but watch this and tell me if you think cell phone use is healthy for your brain. This blows me away.

Téléphone Portable + Maïs = Pop-corn - Vidéo

Tomorrow is the State Road Race in West Branch and the weather is supposed to be the hottest day of the year thus far. 108 miles in the Iowa summer heat....I think this will be a race of attrition for most. Good luck and see you there.

For some interesting comments and good ol' fashioned banter check here:

CX Season is Coming, Are You Ready?

2008-07-29T05:33:00.003-05:00

Coming soon to a CX course in the Midwest,
The Specialized Tri Cross Pro

Thanks to the boys at Rassy's, I was able to get hooked up with this sweet 2009 Tri-Cross Pro frame set for this seasons events. I couldn't find anything on line with pics other than this 2009 Tri-Cross triple that looks like it but not quite the same.

The actual Pro frame set has carbon rear stays with Zertz inserts shown below.

I ended up getting the 61cm model because of the geometry of the top tube. Specialized makes a longer top tube that fits my body style much better. Shown below are the rear stays with the zertz inserts. I've never ridden on these, should be interesting to see how they feel versus straight aluminum. Hoping they don't flex too much.

The E5 Aerotech Aluminum boasts a pretty high caliber carbon weave paint scheme. The top tub has been ovalized while the underbelly portion of the top tube is flat for holstering this baby while running with it.

I'm looking forward to getting this built up and out for a ride. I'll be selling the race ready Redline Conquest Team frame with Ritchy Pro Carbon fork for those of you interested in a sweet set up. It will have a red anodized King headset that comes with it. Size is a 59cm. Seems to fit smaller than that though.

My Peronal Subaru Ad

2008-07-16T19:17:00.009-05:00

My Subaru Ad

This is a picture from Ava and I's camping trip a couple of weeks ago. We went over to Timberline camp ground, (at the end of Ashworth), and spent some time with my bruthas from the Bible Study group I'm part of. We did a Daddy / Kids camping trip - t was a blast. We thought it was going to rain so I strategically pulled the Subie up to the tent and used it to fasten the rain tarp to in order to create a rain and wind block plus have an incline for the water to drain away from our tent. Pretty sweet....(but it never rained)!

We are going to do it again later in the summer, you should join us with your kids. It was a great time.

Here are the kids playing on the merry go round, they must have played here for 8 hours on Saturday.

Pottoroff has a hilarious post today, check it out. State roads is next week, did someone say it is a 108 miles? YIKES, that's got me a little nervous.

...and finally, a little Friday humor. I don't care who you are, this is funny!

I'm in the SUB CLUB!!!

2008-07-11T08:11:00.007-05:00

No, not that club, I know what your thinking...the Subway Sub Club? That's the wrong club.

Last night's Elkhart TT had some blazing fast times starting with Mr. Lou, (I finally showed up and annihilated everyone), Waugaman. Lou laid down an incredible time of 15:15, just one second off the course record set by Nick Frey at 15:14.

Conditions were great last night with temps in the low 90's and a 15mph wind. JJ Bailey broke the 16 minute mark by clocking a 15:53 with me on his heels at a 15:59. Just made the Sub-16 club by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin. I had to put my HR in my throat and sprint the last 500 yards to make the time. Wow, did that one hurt too. . JJ congratulated me by saying, "that's not a bad time for a fat guy". You have to know JJ to know how funny that was. I think I weigh close to 70lbs more than him. Another incredible ride was put in by Collier Schoefield clocking in at 16:09. This guy just keeps getting faster and faster every week.

The Death Squad was in full force last night as black dominated the evening. PRC came out and claimed the top two spots of the womens race. Great job to everyone who showed up and competed.

Looks like I won't make the trip to Clear Lake this weekend. It's my daughters birthday so we are going to celebrate all weekend. She is so excited.