b2 work week success.

Strolling through downtown Ann Arbor at 8:00 AM there is a mass of bike riders two weeks ago (that would be bicycle fool) outside of city hall. Embarrassed as I was for driving my car on such a celebration, I had to see what it was all about. There it was, local bike shops and owners and tons of commuters to celebrate bike to work week / curb your car Fridays. When you are race bikes sometimes all you think about is training and racing and miss the simple things no matter how in touch you are. I ride a lot, but riding to get groceries, to the Post Office or for coffee is such a concept in reducing the carbon footprint and making the world a better place…well I bought a bike trailer for such activities. Mayor (Ann Arbor) Hieftje spoke at this Bike to Work Day Rally and personally promised me that he will overturn a city ordinance that prohibits bike cabs in Ann Arbor. Ann Arbor Latin for Tree City prides itself on being “green” does not allow bike cabs, however it did feel good to hear him compare Ann Arbor to Madison, WI and Boulder, CO. Look for a bike cab on the streets of Ann Arbor in the future. Give a shout if you want to get paid for exercise and while meeting fabulous folk and freaks alike at night pedaling around. Check out riding to work and other bike activities in your neighborhood, it will change your physique and maybe your life.

fellow walkers.

I never ride muddy trails. I don’t. There is no point in shitting were I play, let alone shitting where anyone may play, that is not to say I never took a leak outside and in France I think everyone does, but I am in Ann Arbor today. So I am riding a local loop (a huge mishmash of interconnected trails) and come out on a trail exit…there is this sign and a ton of branches in the way.

I get off my bike to and begin clearing the way. A woman sticks her head out of her house and starts screaming at me. Then she comes out in full. Judging from her bark I am waiting for a gun. I begin to talk smack back and realize what good it is going to do. She does not know how to respond to my knowledge of trail erosion and maintenance other than that she was a "framers daughter" and yet somehow acknowledges bikes are allowed on the trail which adds to her duality of nonsense. I leave no trace. I don’t need a fight. I’ll come back another day or under the stealth of night. Peace. Dan k.

wander wonder.

Look out. Loop wonders. Wanders. It never ceases to amaze me the amount of beauty cities can have. In Ann Arbor there is about 30 miles of trail, you wouldn’t know it just by looking. You know it by exploring. It is not what you can give to your city, but what your city can give to you. And you might be sitting reading this blog, but it is better than talking shit about racing. I have never been nor will I be a sarcastic mofo. Yeah I want you to race, but I must know where I have come from, where I am going with a tad bit of exploration if it is to be a tasty cake. Look out. Wonders. 30 Miles of riding, training in my own backyard. It is time to reinvent myself, keeping the core, never forgetting about the past. 30 miles of loving in my backyard. Yeah, Michigan has its downs, but finding beauty in the valleys, as in a recession is punk. I said it and it is any surprise, let’s just say it and get it over with and get onto business. We are in a recession. When it is time to shine, it will be shown, until then I think I will get a tat of a beer logo on my leg and talk smack…on second thought…I’ll just shut up.

I was riding days ago and I ran into whom…an older dude, he looked a bit disheveled. It was clear he had fallen, crooked helmet, some scraps and bent over inspecting his bike. His chain was broken. I thought, just ride past. The sun was setting and I was just getting started on a 3 hour tour. I stop just after passing him slightly. Some small talk. I ask where he lives; he is troubled and takes me up on my offer to push him home. Up and down the hills here in Ann Arbor, away from my local loop wonder... I say to myself, “self, what is it going to hurt your pushing this guy home; there are more days to train.” He was on a Trek. Riding a Trek and Fisher is like a brother hood, the fact that is a mountain bike is deeper than any road camaraderie could ever reach. Mountain bikers help one another out and prefer adventure over exercise as a whole. I would have offered even if the guy was on a Specialized but would have lectured him the whole time about their crappy manufacturing practices. As I am pushing this guy home, (he has no chain, I have no tools on local loops) turns out this guy’s name is Ron Olson, and although I never met him, yet I was instrumental in the sale of his bike through my best friend Shawn. Ron is the head or chief of Michigan Parks and Recreation in Michigan or the DNR. And now I am pushing him home rather than training and that is punk, albeit first, last or DNF in a race, it is early in the year.

Ron goes to one of his DNR parks this past weekend and does a mountain bike race. He f’in loved it. He loves the people. He loves the sport. If the head of DNR loves the stuff I love to do at his parks, that is the punkest. More bikes. More trails. I think I will look him up at least once a month for a ride, turns out he lives a half mile form my house. I’d love to trade a second place for 10 more trails. As far as racing, like I said it is early. How did you shine today? Look out. Wander. Wonder. In your own backyard.

ha. hell. humor. hellrider style.

The following is pure fiction. I have been ugly and slow my whole life. I am far from pretty.
The following is not fiction. I am not the guy in the photo on the right. He is my friend Jason, apparently he is metro-sexual, hence the water with a "M'. However we both are convinced that biking is a way of life. With that said, Act 1.
-Jay was a Territory Representative for Trek Bikes.
-The 29ercrew is a team of riders across the country that ride Fisher 29er’s.
-Travis at Trek manages the team.
-Dan Kotwicki, that is me, a team rider for the 29er crew who races but did not race the first couple of races.
-John B is a mad owner of Trek, who keeps it real by stoking the gang. He is about the only Republican I like.
Imagine the pressure to produce sales despite the pure love of cycling-the two forces are opposed to a degree. I mean we all got bills to pay. The following is a make believe email for the love of it all in a mad corporate world.
-----Original Message-----
From: John B <mailto:john_bxxx@trekbikes.com>
To: Jay M <mailto:jay_mxxx@trekbikes.com >
CC: Travis O <mailto:travis_oxxx@trekbikes.com>
Sent: Sun, 20 Apr 2008 16:06
Subject: What is with this Kotwicki character?

I noticed that there is only one member of the 29er Crew who hasn't raced yet -- Dan Kotwicki from Ann Arbor, Michigan. What's the situation with this guy? I can see he clearly has good looks, a great personality and several of our Michigan dealers indicate that he is perhaps the single biggest factor in keeping Fisher 29er sales up during the last quarter. However, there have been two races now in Michigan, one race in the NUE series and Sea Otter is now complete. He hasn't attended or raced in one of these events.

Gentlemen, can I ask you -- are we in the habit now of comping and giving bro deals on bikes to anybody off the street? I'll remind you per our discussion at the last sales meeting, now that we have cut the Lemond brand free, we are all going to have to work harder than ever to make our numbers. Trek Bicycle Corporation is one of a few American manufacturing companies holding up this fragile economy. We can't afford to have even one wrench left in the machine. Please address this situation a.s.a.p.

J.B.

p.s. Moncel, Armstrong was supposed to make the Afghani Ladies WSD Yak Butter Tea & Bike Fitting Symposium in Kabul this week, but he is going to be tied up at some running race in Boston. So, I'm going to need you on the first plane out tomorrow. We've drop-shipped 30 of the new Top Fuel WSD Mixte Frames to our dealer Bike & Buzkashi in SW Kabul. Ken Derrico will be there to set up the bikes. Be mindful that we've shipped the new mixte style because the Afghani ladies have issues with their burkas riding up on the top tubes of the regular frames. It was a real problem with dealers there last year. Apparently, two customers of a dealer in Kandahar province were stoned by the Taliban when their burkas rode up on the Equinox Tri bike model during the Eid al Adha Festival Ladies Tri and Mutton Roast, exposing a portion of their ankles.