O...bama

Need I say more. Peace. Dan k.

how many?

Depending how it is taken a better question to a Presidential candidate is how many bikes do you have and not how many houses do you have? When I am long and dead my vice of ‘many bicycles’ will be served well as some college kid in the year 2090 rides a 2007 Madone 6.9 to school and it is still considered a light bike at 14.4 pounds...but a house; I susppose ‘what is your carbon footprint?’ is a better question. How many McCain? A glutton for punishment and a running mate with a journalism degree. Call me crazy but I hold my elected officials to a higher degree of integrity and smarts, unless they are the Mayor of Detroit.

Now go vote but ask yourself this question after a crappie cross race, a lackluster kiss, a lay-off…ask yourself why the most educated people in the country…the people who have spent the most time in higher education, not the richest, but the highest number of PhDs…happen to live in California and New York. Why. Why do they. Why do they vote Democratic continually in the Presidential election? What is it that they know that the red states don’t know? What is it that the smartest people in the country know that is different? I am slightly smarter than the average bear however I know just enough to ask the right questions. Look that history up. Vote. Buy a bike and get your mind off that kiss or bad day at work. Good luck John…not really, however you need all you can muster. I think I’ll ride my bike to go vote. Which house will you be in? I can’t wait to redistribute some of your wealth. How about a bike for a house? Do some yoga for god sake.

wtf?

More…

i've been crossed!

They said it could not be done as frequently as they say the two day only sales that run every day on TV…every two days. They say all the time that you need to ride and ride often and other disciplines if you are true cyclist. “How many laps are we doing?” That was my question. The answer was 6 or 7. How can you start a race and not know how many laps you are doing I thought? That is how little I knew about what I was about to do. That is cross bike racing, perhaps the fastest growing area for racing bikes. From the start it was game on. 175 beats per minute (bpm) for 50 minutes…don’t try that at home without knowing you can do it. The reddish orange at the top is maximum intensity. Click pix to enlarge.

Lap 5 of six I fell off all the group when my handle bar snapped above the hood (the part that controls breaking and shifting) so I was stuck in one gear and rode it out. It broke cause it was a non-Bontrager carbon I assume….could have should have would have. Oh…and it was my first cross-bike race. It was off the hook. I loved every second. My brother Jay was right. Tough as shit makes you tough as nails. Totally like it more than crit racing on pavement. As fast as you can go on a bike, on grass, dirt, and get off and run through sand and obstacles with your bike carrying it on your shoulder when needed, no water to drink and no time to drink it if you had it. I have seen pictures of plenty of water and mud to run through though at other cross races. Seconds count. Drafting, technical skill and passion. It is all there. You got to want to do this. It is a clash between road and mountain. It is a cumulus cloud like no other as the high pressure meets low. It is pretty freakin’ cool. Cross bike racing. Try it. And for god sake do not buy a Specialized bike, the only thing they make in the U.S. is there catalogs. Every time you buy a bike you have chance to vote for what kind of world you want to live in, i.e. a greener one or a lame one. John B the owner for Trek might be a Republican but watch his 30 minute YouTube video regarding marketing which creates a false need of sorts to sell bikes v. filling a need for getting people on bikes that is already there by default and thus minimizing our carbon footprint. I recon the only two Republicans I like are John B and Collin Powell, both worked there way up through the ranks. Trek what can I do to get more people on Trek branded cross bikes? 13 days until you vote. Try that too. Vote for the D! Peace – Dan k.



FYI…
From: Store CustomerService [mailto:store_customerservic@specialized.com]
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2007 1:44 PM
To: dan k
Subject: RE: do you make one product in the US?

Dan,

Thank you for your e-mail. As of 2002 all manufacturing has been moved overseas, with the exception of our catalogs. Feel free to contact me again for any other questions you might have.

Best regards,
Kevin
_________________
Specialized Customer Service/Online Store
1137 South 3800 West
Salt Lake City UT 84104
877-808-8154

________________________________________
From: dan k [mailto:dkotwicki@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wed 9/19/2007 11:04 AM
To: Store CustomerService
Subject: do you make one product in the US?

do you make one product in the US?

Dan

bell's what?

What’s this? Michigan mountain bike racer Lummis’s leg at a race in September or October? Doubt it. Yeah. I am back to racing my bike and super stoked. 3 races in a row coming off a surgery 6 weeks prior and back to racing. More on the Bell's team here.

i'm thinking of starting a pedi-cab

High oil and high unemployment figures push Michigan into looking for alternative transporation to school than buses for children. One problem. It is not a Fisher. I'd settle for a Trek but com'on Gary you are so ahead of you time.

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.