tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44481971120167446042012-01-29T05:10:18.774-06:00Cycling and the good it does for me.Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.comBlogger1841100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-92059719035256600492012-01-02T16:00:00.001-06:002012-01-02T16:15:22.434-06:00

Shot some emails around earlier this weekend and got some takers for exploring the shores of a very low Saylorville reservoir this morning. I got up early, and made a thermos of hot tea with honey and some soup in case I got hungry. Scott Sumpter, Kyle Sedore, Taylor Webb and I all met at the Lincoln Access boat ramp at 8 AM and headed north along the shore. With temps in the 20s and the wind

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-13886389871085664122012-01-01T23:00:00.002-06:002012-01-01T23:19:50.609-06:00

Been spending a lot of time the past few weeks on my Mukluk trying to get ready for the Triple-D Adventure Race coming up on January 15th. This has been greatly complicated by the lack of snow and 40 - 50 degree temps we've had throughout most of November and December. I've been making due by riding the Mukluk everywhere I can and on any surface possible. 30 mile pavement rides, sandbar

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-65386504089337265462011-09-18T22:20:00.000-05:002011-09-18T22:20:33.522-05:00

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-854442137086045062011-09-13T21:59:00.005-05:002011-09-13T22:22:59.001-05:00

Lots of changes here at the House of Zen. While work is preventing me from getting in a lot of long rides this year, it hasn't prevented me from riding, or making some changes to the stable. My beloved 1990 Paramount has been sold to a local rider who fits the bike much better than I did. A bittersweet goodbye, but when a bike isn't right for you, you don't ride it, and all bikes deserve to be

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-23863274036354432392011-06-25T18:59:00.006-05:002011-06-25T19:17:53.580-05:00

When I was at Connecticut Yankee Pedaler, I took out a Catrike Mushashi on a test ride while my wife was testing Catrikes. One ride made me remember why I liked riding around on my recumbents so much. I had toyed with the idea of bringing home one of the Mushashis that CYP had in stock, but we decided that one new bike purchase was enough for the day. So, a few weeks later, an opportunity

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-88199570682229948622011-05-03T07:30:00.004-05:002011-05-03T07:54:43.152-05:00

I have received emails regarding the photographs that were taken during TIV7. I wanted to answer those questions here.If you took part in this year's race, you are welcome to any photos that I have taken of you. The ones posted to my TIV7 set on Flickr have been resized so they uploaded quickly. I have higher res versions that you are welcome to use for personal purposes.All I ask in return is

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-62450401852148186742011-04-29T06:27:00.000-05:002011-04-29T06:28:28.385-05:00

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-15100361804867854512010-12-08T20:02:00.004-06:002010-12-08T21:16:31.735-06:00

It's been a while since my last post. For the few readers I'll summarize the reason for the lull in one word - numbness. The nerve issues that I suffered during and after TransWisconsin have basically left me unable to ride more than a handful of times up until a month or so ago. The first two weeks back required me to look at my hand when holding a sandwich or a glass of liquid to ensure that I

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-70949467694881062992010-06-28T20:29:00.004-05:002010-06-29T22:13:44.619-05:00

Some people have recently accused me of being a little too Type A when it comes to my cycling prep. With that in mind, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that my Thursday AM packing routine consisted of nothing more than loading my bike on the top of the Explorer, throwing my backpack in the passenger seat and tossing a cooler in next to it. I had been riding around town with my

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-86259979526234768582010-06-27T08:02:00.004-05:002010-06-27T08:22:09.606-05:00

I am back from Wisconsin. Unfortunately, I only rode slightly over half of the route before I pulled out of the event. I'll have some write ups for the event coming over the next few days, but one of the items I brought back was a good case of ulnar and medial nerve irritation that makes it difficult to use my right hand. In the meantime here are some photos from the trip. I'm already making

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-41335381857537762522010-06-15T23:04:00.004-05:002010-06-15T23:26:51.314-05:00

Have the packing pretty much done. Missing some small, non-essential stuff, but the important stuff is all taken care of. I'm sure some experienced bikepackers could whittle this down a bit more. I'm still hoping that I can figure out a way to mount the stuff sack so that I can completely remove the racks from the Fargo and shave a few pounds off the bike. Here's a quick breakdown of stuff I'm

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-59138142728154197012010-06-14T23:19:00.005-05:002010-06-14T23:48:49.825-05:00

I'm in the final stages of prep for The TransWisconsin. After what I can only describe as a complete blast to my physical systems and psyche in Kansas two weeks ago, I was really close to withdrawing from this event. After taking some time to reset myself, I decided that not going would be the worst thing I could do. So here I am, feeling less prepared than I want to, but ready to take on the

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-74525519988139498192010-06-14T23:12:00.004-05:002010-06-14T23:19:11.404-05:00

I'm behind on a lot of things right now, including race reports. They're coming. Brief summary:TransIowa V6 - Made 1st checkpoint @ mile 44 by 2 minutes. Out at mile 59Almanzo 100 - Finished in 6:51. Good enough for 57 out of 267.Chequemegon 100 - Got lost at mile 45. Saw black bear cubs. Enjoyed every minute.Dirty Kanza 200 - 4:15 to 1st checkpoint @ mile 58. Out at mile 85 with chills and

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-68295841332100832132010-04-23T09:15:00.004-05:002010-04-23T10:30:08.396-05:00

Tossing this here in case anyone is interested and so I don't forget anythingMulti-toolAvid Torx toolside cutterselectrical tapezip tiesquick linkhunk of chainbottle of chain luberagrubber glovesspare shoe cleatspare brake padsextra bottle cage boltsbottle of advil6 tubes6 c02 carts and inflaterpatch kit100 oz water bladder4 water bottles4 light batteriestwo headlightsone tail lightcell

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-54913854910071766562010-04-23T00:30:00.003-05:002010-04-23T00:36:13.119-05:00

Last minute prep for TI is just about complete. Thomson post is installed, computer is installed and set properly. Rear rack removed. Bolts checked and tightened. Driveline cleaned and lubedLater today will be the finish of the charging, list checking and packing phase. Need to install some fenders too.Saturday will be the ride phase. Sunday will be the finish phase.

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-81360099349169669142010-04-18T20:30:00.004-05:002010-04-18T21:12:42.376-05:00

Bike is getting closer to being ready. I should have my Thomson setback post in the next day or so and the construction will be complete. Still up in the air on the rack. If I can snag an Ergon BC2 or BC3 yet this week, the rack will stay home. I've double wrapped the drops in order to try and keep hand fatigue at bay. I also moved the hoods down a bit further on the drops so the brakes are

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-89135605112443338122010-04-06T08:50:00.003-05:002010-04-06T08:59:42.849-05:00

Lots of stuff going on the last month, but not a lot of typing. Gonna just slap some stuff down so the 2 people that are reading this can see what I've been up to.Ramped up the mileage over the last two weeks and have been feeling pretty good, if a bit tired. I didn't worry about whether it was gravel or pavement. Seat time of any sort is paramount right now to get the legs in shape. Capped

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-16904384593518162192010-03-13T16:59:00.005-06:002010-04-06T08:50:48.802-05:00

Earlier in the year, Ben Shockey put together plans for a weekend of long hard rides in the Decorah area. Since I wasn't going to Tuscon this year, I thought that this would be a good way to kick up my training for this year's endurance calendar. I sent an email off to Ben and reserved a space for the weekend. Out of the eight or ten takers, only three ended up making the trip: Drew Wilson, Kent

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-62853231327521525082010-03-07T12:30:00.004-06:002010-03-07T12:57:49.366-06:00

Met up with Blackford, Squirrel and Reagan at Rasmussen's for some Moffit Lake loop action this morning. Only the four of us showed up so we headed out south of town on 63rd. It took about 2 miles for me to figure out that I was gonna get put in the hurt locker. Squirrel and Regan on 23c's and Rick just being Rick this year. Everyone but me on the big ring from the start. I was OTB by the time we

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-55484618583483157732010-03-06T13:39:00.003-06:002010-03-06T13:42:41.502-06:00

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-12713361906970099832010-03-05T19:31:00.009-06:002010-03-06T13:32:51.600-06:00

I'm clearing some bikes out of my house. Not because they're broken, or in poor shape, but because these bikes don't fit into the riding I'm discovering that I really enjoy. The first is being sold because it's a size too small for me. If it wasn't for that, I'd probably hang onto it. Due to the size issue, I don't enjoy riding it. The second bike is being sold because it's being replaced with

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-79697474668779871042010-03-03T19:59:00.004-06:002010-03-03T22:42:41.105-06:00

The tagline for the second running of CIRREM was Hesitation is Devastation. It turned out to be quite appropriate. I and my house guest, rochester resident Drew Wilson, headed out to the Cumming Tap around 8 AM. We signed in, snagged a plate full of breakfast and socialized before the race started. It was great to see and talk to some folks in person for the first time in almost a year. After a

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-29514208309102700242010-02-23T19:44:00.007-06:002010-02-23T21:17:16.819-06:00

By mileage and time on the trainer, I am sure that I have more time on the bike so far this year than I have in years past. For whatever reason, I don't feel that I'm as prepared for the upcoming race season as I should be at this point. I'm sure part of it is consistency. I'm not riding as regularly as I would like to be right now. I see a lot of people out putting in regular rides on the

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-35690114285327355152010-01-31T20:48:00.006-06:002010-01-31T21:20:12.132-06:00

Left BWW at 1:30 PM today with a ton of other guys. Blackford, Basso, Waugaman, Mason, Huerter, Wild Bill, Bach, Doughty, Ryan VH, and Osborn (think that was everyone). It was Chad's ride, but he didn't really have a solid route planned. Seemed like everyone turned to me to ask where we were going and what the pace was gonna be. We headed out of town on 60th St towards Booneville Road. It was

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-26087148843456037472010-01-24T20:51:00.004-06:002010-01-24T21:26:04.551-06:00

I left the trailhead behind the Cumming tap this morning at 8 AM sharp. No one else showed up for the planned metric century. I wasn't too surprised as the winds were blowing at 20 MPH and no one else really needs to get outdoor miles this early due to their event schedules. I pulled the bike out of the truck and got down to business. A 1/2 mile of pavement followed by a quick mile jog north got

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-69196866521595993272010-01-19T21:57:00.006-06:002010-01-19T22:15:16.130-06:00

Had a good group show up on Saturday morning. Managed to get them all inside where it was warm before all 10 of us took off around 8:45 AM for parts north and west from my house. Had four riders peel off at Granger due to time or other constraints. The rest of us took in an incredible display of atmospheric optics due to all of the ice in the air and then soldiered on to Woodward. Courtney, Billy

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-78465034679994979412010-01-14T23:17:00.002-06:002010-01-14T23:21:45.764-06:00

Commuted to work by bike 7 of the last 9 days that I've been back to work. 25-ish mile loop of town on the MTB with Squirrel, Blackford, Courtney, Bob, Terry and Nick last night. 100K gravel ride planned for this weekend. Only two days on the trainer so far. Life is good. I've sent out FB invites for the ride on Saturday. Feel free to show up at my place. Leaving at 8:30 AM.

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-64362078621270657292010-01-10T21:20:00.003-06:002010-01-10T21:28:16.527-06:00

Registration for the Dirty Kanza 200 opened last night at 11:01 PM CST. The field of 150 riders (expanded to 160) was filled in right around 12 hours. I was fortunate enough to get in for the third year in a row. Looking over the confirmed rider list, I see a lot of strong riders. I expect that the eventual winner will have been run through the wringer by the time he or she crosses the finish

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-50031495509819055002010-01-01T15:15:00.002-06:002010-01-01T15:22:23.586-06:00

Up at 6:15 AM on New Year's Day. Met a group at Hy-Vee on the corner of 74th and University for breakfast and then off to Steve and Nancy's place for a 2 hour spin on the trailer with eight other people. Good way to start the year. I still despise trainers.

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-67962480504072094902009-12-06T19:54:00.002-06:002009-12-06T20:25:57.276-06:00

Met up with Squirrel and Jordan for some "urban" putt-putt this morning. Left the house at 9 AM with a thermos of coffee and a flask of whiskey in my camelback in case we got cold while riding around. Boogied downtown on the pave trail, talked briefly to Luggs and Mike Baker and then hurried downtown. Heck of a good time was had by all of us. We rode along the south side of the river amongst the

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-91238667249629124452009-12-05T22:19:00.003-06:002009-12-05T22:47:33.440-06:00

Spent four or five hours this morning helping out with the course setup and management for CITA's Sycamore 8 Trail Run. I woke up later than I intended this morning and had to hustle to make the setup meeting time at 7 AM. I was greeted by a flat front tire on my Karate Monkey so I grabbed a set of platform pedals and a pedal wrench and headed out with my Singlecross in the back of the truck.

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-20395181786551215032009-12-01T22:26:00.005-06:002009-12-01T22:51:07.724-06:00

Met up with some guys from the Rasmussen and All 9 Yards bike teams tonight for some gravel goodness. 5:30 PM, temps in the 50s (if we were lucky) and a nearly full moon made for good times. The group broke into two not too far into the ride with those of us out for base building taking a right, while those intent on world domination kept on going ahead. We never saw them again. RickB, KrisK,

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-63053223184545478722009-10-03T16:13:00.002-05:002009-10-03T16:25:05.124-05:00

CIRREMRagnarok 105Trans-Iowa v6Almanzo 100Dirty Kanza 200Farmhouse ClassicFlint Hills Death RideGLGA24 Hours of Seven OaksHeck of the NorthTime to start training.

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-60015239954911416932009-09-22T20:38:00.005-05:002009-09-22T21:42:47.703-05:00

Spent Friday night through early Sunday afternoon at Whiterock Conservancy for CITA's second Ales and Trails event. Whiterock is 4300 contiguous acres of oak savannah, prairie, and farmland near Coon Rapids, Iowa. If you are a fan of the outdoors you owe it to yourself to spend some time there. We filled our weekend with camping, mountain biking, a 45 mile gravel road race, a few beers and an

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-45407622821313099932009-09-14T18:42:00.004-05:002009-09-14T19:11:51.566-05:00

Once I was able to put the job behind me on Saturday, I had a good remainder of the weekend. My former coworker, friend and fellow cyclist Lacey had a camping party to celebrate her birthday on Saturday. She swung by my house and we took off for a relaxing ride to Prairieflower campground near Saylorville Lake while our spouses drove up to the campground. The ride pace was good, the conversation

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-69968170779729938712009-09-11T21:35:00.007-05:002009-09-14T18:41:45.442-05:00

Labor day weekend brought about the 7th installment of the 24 Hours of Seven Oaks. I had been thinking about this event for a couple of years after seeing other people's race reports. A gracious Jacob Naumann had invited me, Mike Lebeda, and Ken Tague to form a 4 man team for the event. The shop's light, fast guys had decided to form a team with enough horsepower to keep the 4 man trophy in our

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-7493697799692146302009-09-03T22:13:00.003-05:002009-09-03T22:18:54.483-05:00

It's time to clear some space in the garage. I love this bike and waited for 3 years to buy it. Now that I've had it for a year or so, I've decided that it's a bit too small for me. It's too nice of a bike for me to race, so it needs to go to a good home56 cm 1990 Schwinn Paramount OS.Waterford built frame and forkCandy Apple Red and silver in Waterford Flade PatternFull 9-speed Dura-Ace

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-7631376850172786612009-08-31T21:56:00.002-05:002009-08-31T22:08:17.808-05:00

24 hours of Seven Oaks is this weekend. I'm on a four man team with Jacob Naumann, Mike Lebeda and Ken Tague. Should be a good time, assuming my legs make a recovery from this past Saturday's gravel grinder.No Heck of the North for me this year. I really wanted to attend, but decided that I have some things to get done around the house yet this fall. I'll be keeping my eye open for race reports

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-91833134794065788972009-08-31T18:59:00.001-05:002009-08-31T22:10:32.757-05:00

I took Friday off work and headed over to Lincoln, NE to take part in the second running of the Good Life Gravel Adventure. http://cornbreadblog.blogspot.com/ and the rest of the Lincoln crew hosted a great event. We signed in at the MOPAC trailhead, heard a few words from Cornbread and we were moving around 6:10 AM. We headed east on the MOPAC trail for neutral rollout. However by the time we

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-89296703009928105102009-07-25T18:47:00.006-05:002009-07-25T21:06:14.631-05:00

So yeah. Haven't posted anything in a while. Not that there hasn't been stuff to post about, but I've been too busy watching the tour or doing other things to post a proper write up. Weekend of the Hy-Vee Tri, I worked one of the wheel pits for Rasmussen Bike Shop for the Pro races on Saturday. Nothing too stressful, just sit and wait for someone to get a flat. Great benefit is that we're out on

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-62997170780090798492009-06-01T15:00:00.009-05:002009-06-02T22:41:44.291-05:00

Cliff's Notes version: 20 hours in the saddle. 10th place overall. 17% finish rate. Epic.WARNING: Long race. Long report. You've been warned.Finish. One simple word with many meanings. 85 people started the 2009 Dirty Kanza 200. The Flint Hills topography, the 90+ degree heat, and the headwinds all combined to finish off 70 of the starters at various points along the route. In the end, only 15

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-91572232836183620782009-05-26T22:17:00.005-05:002009-05-26T22:36:53.950-05:00

Went for a ride around the neighborhood with my sister, brother in law and son on Saturday. Nice 30 minute easy cruise, looking at the houses and such. Plenty of bikes to loan a couple out for a while. My brother in law got the hang of the bar ends on my Long Haul Trucker fairly quickly and both he and my sister seemed to enjoy the cruise. I started on my next project tonight, which is getting my

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-3908735441573126152009-05-18T22:01:00.007-05:002009-05-19T22:08:29.003-05:00

This was the 3rd year for the Almanzo 100, a great 100 mile gravel road race organized by Chris Skogen of Rochester, MN. The number of participants has grown each year it has been held. On Saturday, May 16th, 88 people started the event. Rick Blackford and I arrived at Chris' house late Friday afternoon and hung out for a while, chatting with other racers and grilling up some food on a grill in

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-67390376537364757262009-05-09T05:14:00.005-05:002009-05-09T05:59:37.352-05:00

Build listA very special La Cruz frameAvid BB7 w 160mm rotorsSalsa Semi 29er Disc rims w Chris King hubsShimano Dura Ace rear mech (from parts bin)Shimano Ultegra front mech (from parts bin)Stronglight Pulsion carbon crank (from parts bin)FSA Platinum Pro Ti BB (from parts bin)Chris King solto voce headsetThomson Elite seatpostSpecialized Rival SL seatSpecialized bars and stemShimano 105

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-59176713828461992012009-05-04T20:22:00.006-05:002009-05-07T15:57:20.500-05:00

First off, thanks to Guitar Ted and David Pals for putting on one heck of an event. This is grass roots racing at its finest. These two men, the volunteers, plus the challenging course make this event a gem. A round of applause to everyone that showed up to ride, and an extra round for those that finished. The event would not have been the same without each and every one of you. I only talked to

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-66355522517190417082009-04-29T21:30:00.002-05:002009-04-29T21:42:59.626-05:00

Bike is ready. I'm as ready as I'm going to be. TransIowa Radio will be here. Audio updates from the organizers during the race. May be sporadic depending on how the race is going and how tired they are.If I remember, I'll try and send a Twitter update when I make a checkpoint.

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-2296735051713447092009-04-23T07:38:00.001-05:002009-04-23T07:38:54.325-05:00

Total mileage= 314Checkpoint #1 @ 40Checkpoint #2 @ 151Checkpoint #3 @ 217

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-72654197507609437582009-04-22T07:21:00.005-05:002009-04-22T21:44:04.561-05:00

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-91243446980965120132009-04-05T19:59:00.004-05:002009-04-05T20:37:01.666-05:00

++++=

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-13903672846064223832009-03-25T20:36:00.002-05:002009-03-25T20:49:47.829-05:00

A bad landing with the Karate Monkey at Summerset, poor packing/delivery on my Paramount, and some parts procurement issues have given me two damaged bikes to deal with and a case of the "fuck it"s this week. The Karate Monkey will rise from the ashes once I get a second set of Midge bars next week. They don't take direct, high-velocity contact with the ground well. On a related front, Shimano

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-14721532651590908072009-03-17T18:10:00.005-05:002009-03-17T18:35:05.685-05:00

About 45 days before TransIowa and I'm finally starting to ramp up my training. The 4 days I spent riding in Tucson were on a road bike, but the hills and climbing have transformed my legs into something much better than they were at this time last year, and better than the week before I left. After a few days off, I've gotten back into the groove with some mileage on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-69204805924066053852009-03-12T21:52:00.001-05:002009-03-12T21:54:15.259-05:00

Weather looks nice this weekend, and I should have the mountain bike back together by Sunday, so I'm heading out on Sunday March 15 to ride the CIRREM race route that I didn't get to ride on the 8th. Anyone else up for riding it in better conditions this weekend?

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-45316234528445541762009-03-06T22:00:00.002-06:002009-03-09T18:43:53.186-05:00

I woke up drained, but not sore from Thursday's ride. We headed out to IHOP for breakfast and then back to Kirby's to change for the day's ride. The original plan was to ride out to, then up Kitt Peak and come back into town. General sentiment was that we would head out there and see what happened. My plan was to ride out, do as much of the 12 mile climb as I could and then ride back into town.

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-34260472205188627242009-03-05T23:00:00.000-06:002009-03-07T08:57:42.848-06:00

Despite the humor in the house, I think everyone had a bit of concern about today's ride, an 80-ish mile trek out to the top of Mount Lemmon and back, 52 of which was the ascent and descent of the mountain itself. We made our way to IHOP to fuel up, double checked everything on our bikes, and then headed out to meet PJ and Lou for coffee. Just before we left, Pig glanced down at my rear cassette

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-76375013891658120462009-03-04T21:00:00.000-06:002009-03-07T08:58:32.404-06:00

Got up around 7 AM, ate some breakfast and then headed out to meet Lou for coffee at the Starbucks in the UofA campus town area. Looks like there is an electric cable car that runs in the area, but it wasn't going on Wednesday morning. Plan was to head out towards Starr Pass and Gates Pass for a 40 miler with some extended climbing to warm ourselves up for Thursday's run at Mount Lemmon. Once the

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-930079810472245432009-03-04T08:19:00.009-06:002009-03-07T09:03:32.608-06:00

Woke up at 4:30 AM and left to pick up Rich and Lou to carpool to the airport for our 6:30 flight. A 2 hour layover in MPLS and a 3 hour flight to Tucson put us on the warm soils of Arizona around noon. The Tucson airport was a lot smaller than I was expecting. Evidently you're either flying into Tucson or leaving it (kind of like Des Moines). Snagged a rental car and headed over to meet Chris at

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-77693911040091222382009-02-26T22:02:00.002-06:002009-02-26T22:13:14.945-06:00

Temps ballooned into the upper 50s on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, giving me ample opportunity for post-work bonus miles. The two days of riding into and around after work with nothing more than a base layer and a wind break on have done wonders for my psyche. My legs weren't initially sure what to do once they were allowed to see the sun and have the wind directly on them. That issue soon

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-607834093013050892009-02-16T22:00:00.005-06:002009-02-16T22:09:55.446-06:00

A hard Metallica driven workout can do wonders for one's psyche. Just what I needed to clear out some mental cobwebs, and prepare for two tough races in May. I'm writing this here as a way to hold myself accountable for my resultsI am going to start TransIowa V and finish it inside of the time cut off. I am going to finish the Dirty Kanza in less time than it took me last year. I am in better

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-63723409558885924662009-02-15T18:38:00.003-06:002009-02-15T18:51:23.189-06:00

Met up with Webb, Sedore, Resse and Benson at 6:30 this morning for some snowy, gravelly goodness. Ended up with a little over 27 miles and 3200' of climb. With the Monkey waiting on a fork, I took the Singlecross sans studs. Once the sun came up and I could see the road clearly (since I was too dumb to bring lights), the ride wasn't too bad. The knee held up OK to the hills and the stress of the

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-33444474554102956752009-02-14T21:59:00.004-06:002009-02-17T06:46:18.080-06:00

Since Leadville is off the radar for the year, I thought I would look at other options for the summer. Think I'm gonna join the road guys this year to see what the paved side of life is like. To that end, I've got new road shoes and pedals coming thanks to Rasmussen's. I'll probably still run some of the IMBCS races this year when possible, but this seems like a good time to see how the other

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-15858862127544339782009-02-12T22:49:00.005-06:002009-02-12T23:14:58.748-06:00

Two hours at Lou's Garage tonight. Zone 3 and zone 4 ladder workout for two hours with spots of recovery after each interval. Knee feels fine. Legs feel like rubber after a week off and getting hit with an interval workout. I see what it feels like tomorrow and then decide on doing a snow ride on Saturday or sitting on the trainer in the basement. Oh, and I got my flush letter from Leadville

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-34798748960266764122009-02-10T20:33:00.002-06:002009-02-10T20:39:29.100-06:00

Preliminary rider list for Leadville was posted to the event web site today. My name isn't on the list for this year. I had really psyched myself up for riding the event, so I'm disappointed that I'm not going to be there this year. On the other hand, it opens up the rest of the year for pretty much anything that I feel like doing. Maybe this is the year to do some bike camping instead...

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-77403380270766923302009-02-06T21:20:00.004-06:002009-02-07T17:32:37.936-06:00

Decided to drive into work Friday since I was running a bit late, and I wanted to give the legs a break before riding to BRR tomorrow. Got out of my truck and walked into the office and *BAM*, down on a patch of ice on the sidewalk. Felt something from my calf up into my thigh as I went down. I waited a minute to get up, and then hobbled my way to my desk. Some ice during the morning, and a visit

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-44341887328063752402009-02-05T09:27:00.002-06:002009-02-05T09:29:28.233-06:00

I'm heading out after work for some riding while the weather is warm. I know Taylor is interested. If anyone else out there wants to join me, post a reply, call, FB, or email me. It's crossbike weather, so ride em if you got em.

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-7166302814579905682009-02-03T22:05:00.002-06:002009-02-03T22:09:27.143-06:00

Congratulations to my friend, endurance riding companion, and fellow Iowan Dennis Grelk on his 3rd place finish at the 2009 Arrowhead Ultra 135 today. I don't know how he does it.

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-44605570364577584152009-02-03T21:33:00.003-06:002009-02-03T22:00:04.280-06:00

Nothing terribily out of the ordinary going on, so no posts recently. been getting in lots of "subsistence miles" and getting longer rides in when time and weather permit. One of those long rides occurred on Saturday the 31st. With temps projected to hit the mid 40s, I took off from home around 6:30 to meet up with Tom, Scott, and Will at Tom's house and head towards the Booneville gravel loop.

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-8443429249784036602009-01-17T18:19:00.002-06:002009-01-17T19:33:44.388-06:00

Met up with nine others at Big Creek this morning to try and ride he snowmobile trails again. Brothers in crime included Sumpter, Blackford, Bach, Webb, Sedore, Resse, Bennett, Benson, and Squirrel. Squirrel, Bach and I met up with Sumpter and Blackford at 10 bells. Everyone else was running a bit behind. The trails were not as packed down as any of us had hoped, and the first sections of the

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-44772205027890137732009-01-16T06:57:00.002-06:002009-01-16T06:59:34.494-06:00

We're riding the snowmobile trails up at Big Creek on Saturday morning. Meeting at the main entrance by the dam. Should be good times. Will be good to get outside on the bike again.

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-74581325489032570262009-01-13T22:17:00.006-06:002009-01-13T22:27:00.363-06:00

45 minutes on the trainer tonight... might as well pound a spike into my head. I'm riding outside tomorrow.

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-56002286123624491262009-01-11T14:42:00.003-06:002009-01-11T14:50:46.776-06:00

Thanks to the timely prompting of Cornbread, I am now registered for the 2009 running of the Dirty Kanza 200. For some reason I recall 2008's registration opening on Monday, so I assumed the day was the same this year. I owe Cornbread a beer or two for the assist. :) I've been perusing the list of registrants today, and it looks like we're going to have a good number of Iowa riders in attendance.

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-63950880833784682122009-01-10T20:54:00.004-06:002009-01-10T21:07:18.631-06:00

This photo sums up today's ride fairly well. Kyle, Taylor, Bruce, Kurt, Jordan, Brad and I left my house around 10:30 AM for a planned gravel ride. Kyle called me at 8 to ask if we were still going. The 6" of snow we received overnight had a few people wondering if we were still going to ride. I had planned on heading out for a ride today, whether it was urban or rolling on gravel. I took a few

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-30693734147426751682009-01-08T19:40:00.003-06:002009-01-08T20:18:27.273-06:00

Been trying to get a little more consistent with riding now that the weather has taken a turn for the better. Got some post work urbana in with the squirrel, carlson, Rick, Conlan and the Gov'nor wednesday night. Icy bike trails and a cross bike without studs didn't mix well, so I decided to stick to streets for a good portion of the ride. Left work early to meet with a vendor a few blocks from

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-30361166021068919862009-01-03T16:22:00.003-06:002009-01-03T17:04:47.800-06:00

Taylor Webb and I took off around 8 AM this morning for a gravel ride. I opened the garage door to be greeted by Taylor's smiling mug and a layer of grey as thick as a Londoner's wool coat. After deciding on my ride for the day (the SingleCross) we were off. The wind was out of the east and helped to push us north and east to Woodward in about 75 minutes. We took a quick warm up and food break

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-18007113682551442252009-01-01T23:36:00.003-06:002009-01-02T00:07:40.306-06:00

I, and a number of other obsessed cyclists met this morning for the annual Degree Ride. This has been a traditional local New Year's Day ride for a number of years. A bunch of us meet at a local coffee shop and the distance for the ride is dictated by the temperature when we leave. If it's 0 or 100, we ride a century. Today's ride distance was 25 miles, and gave us a nice paved ride to Granger,

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-3365716623568563522008-12-31T16:37:00.004-06:002008-12-31T16:47:36.770-06:00

I wanted to take a moment and wish everyone, cyclist or not, a Happy New Year. I'm looking forward to many miles on pavement, single track, and gravel with my friends old and new, along with those I have yet to meet, in 2009.For those of you in the Des Moines area, The Degree Ride is tomorrow morning at 10 AM. The roads are clear and the weather will be nice. Get an early start on your 2009

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-32179843226825066082008-12-28T21:00:00.004-06:002008-12-28T22:59:16.397-06:00

Been pretty quiet on the riding front lately. I've hit a couple of trainer sessions at Lou's, and snuck in cold, windy two hour mtb ride at Big Creek with Taylor, Sedore, Bruce and Kurt, but that's been about it. The holidays combined with a rather poorly timed head cold have even kept me off the trainer, let alone having a ride outside. Things are better now, and I hope that a streak of decent

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-19818735106955136792008-12-20T21:47:00.002-06:002008-12-20T21:56:56.449-06:00

Met Kurt, Kyle, Bruce and Taylor out at Big Creek this afternoon to ride the snowmobile trails. 30 minutes of attempting that and we figured out that the snow was not in the right shape for bike riding. We spent the next 90 minutes riding on the roads around the lake, and at some points, on the lake itself. The winds picked up while we were riding and the temperature dropped. By the time we

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-6054405808113935602008-12-07T11:05:00.005-06:002008-12-07T13:19:25.765-06:00

Has been a varied week on the biking front. Four days worth of commuting this week, despite the snow and the cold. This has kept me in shape, but cemented my decayed mental state with a good number of my coworkers. The good thing is that I really don't care. :) I felt like getting some extra miles in on Monday, so I met up with Kent and rolled down to the shop where Stirling remove a crank spider

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-43620506331780972982008-11-30T00:17:00.005-06:002008-11-30T12:53:22.652-06:00

On Tuesday, I met some of my fellow Rassy team mates along with some guys All 9 Yards for a 2.5 hour gravel grind. We headed out of Water Works park towards Cumming and Orilla and then back home through the Booneville gravel road and back in on surface streets. Scott Robinson from A9Y was rollin' single speed and we were riding a similar pace, so I rode with him and the other A9Y guys the entire

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-7096579199103760072008-11-24T22:22:00.004-06:002008-11-24T22:49:58.002-06:00

I was going through my mailbox tonight and was reminded about the results from this year's IMBCS. I managed to ride my way to a first place showing in the Sport Men's 35+ division. This was not due to any particularly good showing in any event, but making the commitment to race and finish in as many events as possible (you can't kill a camel easily, even in the mountains it seems). I missed one

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-21387616219256144082008-11-24T09:00:00.006-06:002008-11-24T09:39:40.250-06:00

Met Lou, Pete, Rick, Cam and one other person for a Sunday morning MTB ride. This is the second fall/winter I've been doing this and it's something that I look forward to. We spend an hour or so drinking coffee and snagging some breakfast before heading out for a couple of hours riding the Center Trails. Yesterday's plan was to ride my November metric century in Denman's. As we hit the trails,

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-43499672769692679192008-11-22T21:41:00.004-06:002008-11-22T22:18:00.044-06:00

About 50 or so riders showed up to take part in PRC's Cranksgiving event to collect items for the Food Bank of Iowa. I was hoping for more riders this year, but I think the snow that started falling an hour before the event scared a lot of people off. I watched the weather and decided to stick with my original plan and run my Cayne single speed for the event. The gearing is spot on for me and the

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-44174029979493869722008-11-21T22:02:00.004-06:002008-11-21T22:54:40.136-06:00

While we haven't received any snow yet, mother nature brought a bit of winter to the area this week. This morning's commute temp was 10F with a windchill of 2F. Thankfully the wind was mild and the ride into work did nothing more than burn my lungs. The days earlier week were better, with morning temps in the upper teens to mid 20s. The Long Haul Trucker was the bike of choice this week, other

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-48203205053705363922008-11-17T20:13:00.004-06:002008-11-17T20:18:22.436-06:00

It's official, I'm in. Column 1 of the Three Pillars of Insanity for the year.

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-20474799704991449502008-11-15T23:14:00.002-06:002008-11-15T23:17:15.855-06:00

167 days left...

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-83583641999567397192008-11-09T21:54:00.007-06:002008-11-10T17:34:21.630-06:00

Almost finished getting the Bacchetta Corsa in rideable shape again. New triple crank, new DA deraileur and a bit of adjustment are all done. All I need now are some chainring bolts. I was ready to sell it and put the money towards a different bike, but I think I'm going to hold onto it for a little bit longer. I think that we have some additional rides ahead of us before parting ways.On a

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-44376740279215214332008-11-05T22:39:00.004-06:002008-11-07T20:24:54.347-06:00

I am definitely sitting in an area of no movement right now. The beautiful indian summer weather is about to change to typical Iowa fall weather, with highs in the 40s, and lows in the 30s. The annual "adjustment of the clocks for no good reason" has just taken place too. Lights are now needed for safety, rather than seeing the road ahead. That will also change soon, and their beams will be

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-54354938502463961812008-10-26T22:03:00.004-05:002008-10-26T22:56:15.565-05:00

Took time this weekend to attend and race both days of Spooky Cross. This is a local event put on by local guys JJ Bailey and Tony Nichols. The second installment of this race took place in the fields and hills of Living History Farms in Urbandale, IA. This was my first 'cross weekend and served as a break in for both me and my new Specialized SingleCross. In preparation for the weekend's

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-63069117114390439042008-10-23T18:38:00.004-05:002008-10-23T19:13:31.189-05:00

Hit the Witmer Park Renegade Cross on Tuesday night. Not having actually tried cross racing before, it seemed like a good way to figure things out without the pressure of a race. About 25 people eventually made their way to the start line of our impromptu race course. Oakley Rob Versteegh did a good job of laying out the course. Hills, some sand, tight turns, an optional ramp, and plenty of

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-35368035416253528172008-10-20T21:34:00.006-05:002008-10-20T22:14:29.549-05:00

Left work early to meet Lou, Basso and Pig for some cross practice. Evidently I didn't leave early enough as I got a call on the way that they were done and heading home. Must be nice to be able to leave work at 3 on a nice day to go ride. Some day I might be able to do that. I almost turned around, but decided to head down for at least a lap of Denman's since the weather was nice and rain is in

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-44784062277255417702008-10-12T17:13:00.005-05:002008-10-13T16:30:51.884-05:00

Building stringersFooters on, and footings dugDecking on. Ready for approach armoring.If you see someone you know in these photos, and you ride, hike or walk the Center Trails at all, stop and thank them. A number of people donated a full day of their time to help rebuild and improve Rollercoaster on Saturday. A lot of work was accomplished, including repair or replacement of four bridges,

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-41098856758405123282008-10-10T08:49:00.002-05:002008-10-10T08:51:11.432-05:00

You: Distinguished looking professional man in your early 50sMe: Guy on a bike riding to workWhen: Friday morning, 10/10/2008You F***ING asshat. Thank you for passing me in the no passing zone approaching a stop sign. Thank you for forcing oncoming traffic to slow down so that YOU wouldn't hit them. I hope your secretary clocks you upside the head with your cup of of morning coffee and shoves

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-90465706990435304092008-10-09T21:04:00.006-05:002008-10-09T21:54:41.521-05:00

This time of year is always interesting. 39 or 40 degrees during the morning commute and 70 degrees on the way home. Tail winds both ways one day, headwinds both days later in the week. I love fall commuting. Tomorrow will make 3 solid weeks of bike commuting. 100th being open definitely makes the commute easier due to lower levels of traffic, and reasonable pavement quality. I've also been

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-14566192647748151872008-10-06T18:42:00.005-05:002008-10-07T20:47:37.731-05:00

I got a phone call from Mr. Bike Iowa and an email from Marc Hollander last night telling me that I had won a(nother) new bike. I will soon be the proud owner of a Specialized Tricross Singlecross. I bought a raffle ticket as part of the Cross Out Crohn's fundraiser. This is a local cyclocross race that is used to raise money for the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America. I have a good friend

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-32323775894070118682008-10-05T19:11:00.005-05:002008-10-05T21:57:48.605-05:00

Great ride today. 101 miles towards my October Hundy, and another 17 to get home from Adel for a total of 118 miles with slightly over 7800 feet of climb. Lots of hills, lots of combines, and lots of loose gravel at points. I took the LHT shod with the stock 37mm Continental Contact tires. There's an art to riding skinny tires on gravel, and I obviously have some learning to do. Flats were no

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-79941912410707361782008-10-05T18:37:00.006-05:002008-10-05T19:06:00.647-05:00

I should not be posting this right now. I should be in the hospital, fighting for my life. Between the skill of an unknown driver, my ears, and a now very large loan from the karma pool, I avoided turning left in front of the pickup truck that was passing me. I didn't hear him coming behind me due to the wind, and I didn't see him coming behind me because *I* didn't take the time to look over my

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-5801590579020114722008-10-04T21:11:00.003-05:002008-10-04T21:14:48.505-05:00

Here's the route for October's first dirty century.Leaving my house and heading south to Booneville between 6:30 and 7:00 AM. Call me on my cell if you want to join up along the way. Rolling the Long Haul Gravel Trucker on normal tires.

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-29557911827183200102008-10-02T21:32:00.006-05:002008-10-02T21:49:48.832-05:00

Tomorrow will be 5 for 5 on work commutes for the second week in a row. Woot! Another spread of bikes this week. LHT for a couple of days, Karate Monkey for a couple of days, Dahon folder for the first time. Sturmey Archer 3 speed and little wheels made for an interesting commute. Riding the Dahon definitely felt like more work than the single speed or any other bike in my current stable. The

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-80745136718961328482008-09-27T12:30:00.004-05:002008-09-27T12:35:24.856-05:00

Managed (for the first time in quite a while) to commute to and from work all week. 3 days on my single speed and two on the Karate Monkey. Having 100th street passable is really nice. Dealing with traffic on 86th in the morning was really starting to get on my nerves. I've noticed my appetite was unquenchable this week. I think even the small amount of extra riding is making some difference in

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4448197112016744604.post-7828321054844382442008-09-27T12:25:00.003-05:002008-09-27T12:29:59.319-05:00

Left the office early and took part in the fall Quarter Rage races. 30 minute ride down from the office, 20-odd minutes in the pain cave and we were done. All for $0.25. Can't beat that deal with a stick. Trails were in better shape than they were Wednesday, but there were still a few muddy spots. I need to work on riding log overs. I finished around 22:36 which was a lot better than I expected

Steve Fullerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04000254083516026697noreply@blogger.com0