JDI_

Really dig those last two...

Don't come on here very often anymore... hope all are well and getting plenty of riding in. I was recently hit by a car, fucked me up real good. If you've ever had broken ribs, you know what I'm talking about. The other pain is nothing in comparison. Just wanted to reach out and say be safe out there...

119... damn, that is hot. Been training for the upcoming cross season, even though I probably won't have time to do any races. This whole year has been just training, no races. Sucks.

Poesia... you're killing it. So inspiring to see. Been a while since I posted in here, or to 12oz at all. I've been keeping busy, though. I recently finished up a six color screen print that is now available. Limited to 50 - signed and numbered. You can pick one up on my website. I'd love to post a photo of the print but I can't. The link file is too large, no matter what size I make the image to upload from my computer it's too large... you'll just have to go to the website and see it. Sorry...

Fist... thanks for the heads up. Fortunately, I live near Whole Foods and they have plenty of GF beer on hand. I drink cider more often, though. Stoked for the start of the Tour but bummed I don't have access to watch it. No cable and this computer is so old that any live streaming is like watching a slow running stop-motion film. Just horrible...

Well... hello there Soup - get the stick. It's invaluable for working out the kinks. You know you're doing it right when it's hurting... if that makes any sense. I usually roll around the calf and IT band till I find a particulalry sore spot, and then just dig at it. I also have one of those little massage balls that works awesome, but you can get the same effect with a tennis ball. It's phenomenal for working out kinks in muscles. And of course... the foam roller. Each one does it's own thing but I've found them all to be a great 'go to' when I'm having issues. Blah - cleat placement is so tricky and really personal. If you can afford to have someone professionally fit your cleats, do it. The measurements they take, the video to monitor fore/aft and all that wack-a-doo stuff really does make a difference. Also, insoles really help. You can pay around $125 for custom ones that are amazing, or you can go with SOLE insoles that are heat moldable and do a pretty damn good job. Insoles take a few rides to get used to but once you do, you'll notice a difference. If you can't afford a cleat fitting, definitely go with the insoles and work out your fitting on your own. It's a huge pain in the ass to do yourself, but it can be done. I'm still riding, just not as much due to work. I'm starting to ramp things up, though, thanks to the weather getting nicer and the desire to be fit come September for CX season. What sucks is that I live in Seattle most of the time and only get home to Portland a few weekends a month. Trying to learn all the good riding roads in Seattle has been a struggle, considering my work schedule, so I've been stuck with the same three loops since November. A little bored, but still getting out there. Hope everyone is doing good...

Moving tomorrow. Headed to Seattle. Well... kinda. Working up there M-F and then coming back home most weekends. Anyone is the Seattle area up for some rides, let me know.

Congrats on the win, Rubbish!! How was Hillsboro? Wanted to race so freakin' bad... I usually use Gatorskins for my wet weather training, and early season racing. However, this past year I tried out some other tires (the make escapes me at the moment) and found that I really like them. Not one puncture all year long, including the dreaded Northwest winter training. That's either me enjoying a bit of luck, or the tires being really good. Got a new job in Seattle, though I'm not completely moving there. The wife is staying in Portland and I'll come home on most weekends. Going to be tough. If anyone has any info on Seattle routes/rides... PM me. Thanks!

I have a ton of drawings, but sadly, no paintings. Been too busy with other shit. Hope to get back to some sort of normal life by the holidays... Hope all are doing well. JokerTRNSCND

I saw you at the front the whole race. When you started lapping riders I thought for sure you'd lose the other guy in the mix. 2nd is nothing to be shy about... awesome job!! You'll get that first place, soon. I bet it'll come this Sunday. Same kind of course as PIR. Just a raw power course. Weather should hold out for most of the week, and hopefully the weekend, to make the course fast. My race was pretty good. I was last called, so literally, I was two people form the back of the race upon starting. I stayed upright for the majority of the race, with the exception of rolling my rear tubular on one of the 180° turns, right by the bleacher. Just took it too fast, too tight. Was able to force it back on and finish, though. We had something, like, 75 guys in our field and I finished 43rd. So starting from the back and working my way up was fun. I did get to a point where I just couldn't catch the guys in front of me. It seemed like every time I turned on the heat, so did they. They just stayed 50 yards in front of me for the last two laps. So painful. I'm learning the A's are no joke... even in the masters. Saturday, the Ninkassi race, was awesome. Amazing course. Beautiful scenery. The course was up and down for an hour. My field was super small, maybe 20 guys. With a long uphill slog, for the start, I was at the back by the time we took the first turn. Passed a lot of guys throughout the day, though. With two laps to go I took the gravel turn way too hot and my front wheel slid out. The gravel chewed up my knee and elbow, really good. I pushed the pain aside and finished the race. First Aid was digging gravel out of my elbow, later. Yep, it hurt. Still had fun, though. Also broke my wrist on Saturday, but didn't find out till today. My season is probably over...

Rubbish... can't do the Wednesday night races. My race doesn't start till 8ish... I'm usually in bed by 8ish. The unfortunate circumstance of having a job that requires me to be there mega-early. I heard a few stories about the slashed tires... sucks because tubulars are not cheap to replace. Racing tomorrow and Sunday. Should be fun. I wonder with the few dry days leading up to Sunday if PIR will still be a shit-show. Love that race when it's muddy...

I can't remember if I mentioned it, but about three months ago someone stole a bunch of stuff off my SS mountain bike. Well, I replaced everything with bits I had, and some cheap stuff I got from friends. I then locked it up to the bike rack, in the bike storage area, where it was before. I thought, it's locked up, now, it'll be fine. Wrong. I went downstairs to ride it and not only was all the stuff I replaced gone, but so were the wheels. Fucking pissed. A bike that was locked up a few rows down had just about everything stripped off it except the frame, fork and wheels. The shitty thing is, other than the obvious, that I live in a secure building, you need a key fob to get in or out. To get into the bike storage are you need your front door key. So that means it's someone in my building, or someone that knows someone in my building. I'm hoping my homeowners insurance will cover the cost of replacing the bits with proper new ones... because I can't afford to buy that shit right now. And I'm missing a CX race right now... twice bummed.

From last year... but a really good view of what it's like to race CX in Oregon http://vimeo.com/16259685 Watching that LA CX race... where are all the people? All I saw were racers. No people yelling silly shit, no frites stand, no beer, no waffles... CX in LA, pfft.

Rubbish... what happened? I saw you in the race on lap one and then I saw you standing by the run-up a minute or two later. My race... well, I didn't have a call-up and I was totally fine with that. No pressure, just ride my own race. I was mid-pack most of the way through the first lap. When I got over by the team tents, along that gravel section, a guy in front of me went down and there was no where for me to turn and nothing I could do. I flew. I landed on my head and right shoulder pretty good. Rang my bell for real. Took me about three to four minutes to catch my mind and I got back on my bike... with a lot of help from random people. I had the whole course to myself for about a lap and a half before I started catching stragglers. Eventually Trebon caught me, then went down shortly after, then about ten other A's passed me and then it was over. Somehow, I'm still trying to figure this one out, I finished 49th out of 84 riders. Today, my head is pounding and I have severe neck pain. I keep thinking my collarbone might be broken, but it's hard to tell. Missing next weekend...

Didn't get to race this weekend due to being sick most of the week, prior. I was feeling good up until Wednesday. I had gone out the day before and done some hill intervals and felt really crappy. Just no energy and the legs were not responding. Should have known I was getting sick. Bummed to have missed the race, and the last five days of riding, only to now be headed out the door for four days of vacation. I'm going to be the lantern rouge of all the Masters-A Cross Crusade races, this year...