a foot poked out of the clouds

yeah, sometimes its hard to get going again. It was a tough couple of days for my wife, family, and friends. as I sat in the Cleveland Airport, sort a numb and a little drunk I just stared at the sky. You know the sky looks different in Ohio. I've lived in philly longer than any other place in my life. I'll always see myself as a buckeye, not that I was born in Ohio but the most formative years were there. The years I lived in the farm house did the most to me.

That house is my personality.

I am a cyclocross racer. I love to ride. and as I sat eating a cheese sub, watching the ephrata crit through the open door, I just relaxed and soaked it all in

My legs came back for the race. Again I attacked, an instigator. You would not be able to tell from my results: 10th RR, 7th TT, 9th Crit and 5th GC. sounds sorta like some conservative finishes. but I rode like I was a jarred hornet. I really enjoyed the crit, got in a 4 man break and worked it over some, made some tactical errors and, oh well, Happy with the motor, working on the brain. I love riding off the front of a road race, to attack a down hill, to sit and coast, tucked in hovering off the front of the race. I'm figuring it out, don't worry. I hope to soon have another victory or two this year. I hope.
that's a picture from my first race as a cat 3. The Race around the Lake? somewhere in Ohio. Yeah, I know, I gotta get off the hoods and down into the drops when I sprint. I got second, missed first by 4 or 5 inches. I did not feel like doing a training crit tonight so I did my intervals out the bike path, I think I ate 10,000 gnats. no toasting tonight, friends. dlowe.

April 26th, 2009

most of the time I don't have trouble with words, and expressing myself. Tonight I am. My wife's mom had a very serious stroke today. I'm very sad, she was a beautiful, sweet woman.

Huff and Puff

I miss my favorite bike. I sold it a while ago, you know how it goes, sooner or later they have to go. Its one I want back, to keep forever. I'd have a garage full by the time I'm 67. I wasn't riding it and I wanted the bike to get used by someone so up on ebay and into a box. It was a fast, light, fun bike to kamikaze everything on. It was a nice, classic, Schwinn Homegrown.

This music goes out to Mr. Lindsay Crawford, who? Well a few years ago I raced Gila, and on the 3rd day I'm in a group pedaling to survive, the smartest and strongest rider in the group was Lidsay. At the end of the day, picking through the results I notice that his race age is 67! This guy was killing me. Well if your doing what you love does age matter that much? I'm sitting on my ass trying to get ready to some ass kickin' fun racing today, if you hear some funny sounds leaking out of me it just that I am humming a nice tune courtesy of Mr. Rodriguez. The music is good, his story is a bit, CBS Sunday morningish but anyway its just good. cheers, dlowe.

Discover Rodriguez!

tact purring

the tread of choice for today's ride, buzzed me out and around for a bit this morning.
I got a photo off while waiting at the top of the climb. That's Anthony, and George is just that little spec making his way over the crest.
more post ride talk, drinks, and just enjoying our friendships.

Oz, did a nice pepper shot of vodka for his birthday.

It could of been just typed/printed out. But I appreciate the label. I saw the yellow package in the mail as I turned into the driveway finishing another good ride. I missed seeing bill callahan play so I could go race. I got his cd and two of his books of art in that package. For me. You see I am an original nerd. I've always liked Mr. Joey Sweeney but I have to say I am so disappointed in his latest endeavor. He does Philebrity. Its just a bunch of paste and clips of whats going on about town. A little bit a sass and not much else, common Joey step it up, your moving close to the bottom of my blog clickin and checkin things out list. Here's Joey:

So Joey you move down the list and Mr. phattire.net Michael O'hara, your moving up to the top, excellent photos, and good vibes on the new bike postings. cheers, dlowe.

3's a Charm and done. Tour of Batenkill

Sweeping the last bit of dirt, grime, used cliff shots packages and dirty socks outta my car. Also getting the last notes of Batenkill finished off.

1. I'm sorta a race number freak. Some numbers look and feel heavy/slow/fast to me. 569 is medium, now if it was 549 that would be faster, and 517 that would be blazing. 595 or 585 slowwww!.

2. The course: The dirt is not bad, not bad at all. There is a good hard corner on one of the dirt down hills you hit overly fast, I'm not exaggerating, and plenty of dudes and dudettes bit it here, and hard. Think broken bones, punctured lungs, concussions, and helicopter rides to the hospital. With close to 1500 riders hitting that corner you know its going to eat some of us up.

3. Entry fee $45. Not too bad but the pay out $500-10 deep-125 100 70 50 30 25 25 25 25 25 for a field of 125 is low. That's $5125 to the race.

4. Great run race, easy sign in, friendly people, nice towns and just in general cool vibe.

5. No results. You might want to take a friend who can double up and give you a feed, then zip over to the finish line to count where you come in at.

6. No marshals on the road, no motos, limited wheel support and no sweep vehicle. You could make some good dough on the side if you rented a van and drove the course pickin' up stranded racers and charge them $10 or so for a lift back to town. There is a yellow line rule, but your only danger from breaking it is a head on with a pick-up truck coming up the road at you while you try to jump the bunch and move up because your pack riding skills are so piss poor its the only way you can pass anybody.

7. Here is my best idea! How about when you buy/renew your racin' license you get a timing chip with it and use it at all USAC racin' events. PLEASE no more stupid outdated video camera and penciled in results. Promoters would have to use this system to qualify to be a USAC event. Just send a little email or call over to them: https://www.usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=171

8. With so many out of towners how about a neutral feed zone, with cappuccino and cookies, maybe a cold bottle of water too.

9. Dudes add a crit on Sunday and you'll have 1000 or so racers spending the night and add some more mullah's for your race fund. Its quite a drive for most of us. I want more racing for less driving.

I left the race feeling like it was a one and done for me, already, I can't wait to sign up to do it next year. cheers, dlowe.

REV'ed UP

Did Batenkill. So I'll have a few more post about the whole experience for you. First off, Well really Second Off. My wheels of choice. Revolution Wheelworks Rev-30. Here is a nice pic. from their web site. Nice and clean and pristine. Must of been shot in one of those big timey photo studios, ya know with Bowie playing over the bose sound system and half naked models prancing all about.

Well here are my photos for you:

a tad bit of road grime left on 'em. OK we see how they look, how did they ride? My choice tire was the Bontrager race X lite hard case 23mm tire. Plenty strong, and no I had no problem with the width choice. Held and gripped great on the paved road, as well as the hard pack dirt roads. Ran them at 105 lbs. and just road everything like a speed boat, meaning I wasn't too careful on my lines, other than staying out of the unpack dirt lines. I felt quick on them. As far as the wheels go, great choice. Strong and light, felt good when I had to stand and bear down on them to close gaps. Rigid and firm, which I like. Dependable and didn't feel like I had to baby them. They did not have a harsh ride, tracked the ground well, meaning they didn't do little skips and jumps or skittering across small uneven spot of the road. What you usually give up to get that kind of ride is flex, a sorta sogginess in support. These wheels did not have that feel. Would be great for a crit, or longer road race or cross. Heres to you guys at REV WW. Thanks for the nice ride. Time to load the Mp3 player up and get out for a nice zone 1 spin for a couple of hours. I've got some music for you to hear just need to get it into the music player and up for you. cheers, dlowe.

backporch

friends will always be friends, they will get married, have kids, become drunks, move away, maybe even return home again. Its the time sitting in the garden, crackin open a beer, or maybe some kind of mixed drink or sangria, with friends that really sinks in and makes life full and important. Put your feet up and enjoy the evening. As the sky darkens the lights begin to glow and you also glow from the booze. I'm on my way over to George's for a soft opening of his beer garden.
I've had a bad year on winning beer bets, but I don't mind. I sorta like picking out a new beer to pay off with. Well tonight, the fridge was empty, but my wife found a beer bet bottle in the attic chilling cool still. Took it with us to enjoy with some nice Thia food.

Not your standard hoyttie toyttie beer matching but it worked for me. Oh yeah, some bike stuff for you. I don't know why I did not just carry a little bottle of chain lube during really nasty muddy mtb races, and dump some on the chain every so often. Maybe stopped some of the chain Suck.

cheers, dlowe.

Gaffer tape band aid

As you can tell I am not much of a done guy. I am not blogged out yet. well here's another one for you. At work I try to wear my work gloves as much as possible, you know I want to keep my hands soft for my lady, but with all the last second, rushing around, I tend to not always get them on so once in a while I take a good chunk out of my skin. A quick stop at the craft service table for a corner of a napkin and a few wraps around the finger with the magical Gaffers tape I am good to go.

A shot from the set today.

I did some good racing this week. During the 35 lap crit yesterday, while riding in a big group of excellent to wacky racers, it seem all were happy to just wait for the sprint. I had a big yearnin to be racing cross. I like crits, but sometimes its the "just waiting for IT to happen" riding that's not real fun. When I got home from work, I had some nice photos waiting for me in my inbox. gotta love cross!

Photos:David Rainey

And then I got these from Geo K.

????

Cheers, dlowe.

Postpartum elation

oh the beers in the fridge, chill'n just some hot rod rye for my cool down and early to bed evening. The Team crit is down, I was up early, and me and the bike made our way out to ye olde office park to help get it on. I maned the day of registration. nice. Best part of the day was helping a young lad (I don't know his age but maybe he was 9) by showing him the dlowe method of pinning on your number. Got him pinned up nice, It doesn't make you any faster just a little more pro looking. And dudes, don't forget, when you catch those chance reflections of yourself in your total kit and accessories, we look like dorks. Hey ladies like my little socks? By the way did you notice they match my gloves and sunglasses? I'm a dork just like the rest of you.

I stood in the shower and watched the grey grime and soapy water roll down my clean shaven legs, followed its contrasting hue as its clouds dissolved and rolled down the drain. Good bye dirt. As my weekend of racing is done, I feel better than when I started, and looking forward to more. I did not win anything, or even come close this weekend. But this is for me.

Cheers mates! dlowe. #1

I make my bed.

Frankly speaking, I just got back from a good bed making. Convoluted? Confusing? Yep, that could be me. Well as you scratch your noggin I'll take a sip.... OK. Drove up to Batenkill and did the race. I did better then I expected but worse than I wanted to do. Kept making the selections on the climbs but around mile 52 or so got caught up in the co-mingling of classes, I was too far back and got dropped on some climb. Probably the longest I've ever chased to get back on but,... I did not get back on. Finished in the thirties I guess. I am really tired of bad/no results being posted. We left after changing, getting my wheels, eatin a egg and mushroom on a biscut and two slices of pizza. No results posted. lets move on to transponders, please. My trip was facilitated in almost the title of my blog manor "three french cops". I went with two Mambo racing dudes, who let me sleep on the floor, and argue the best way from Knights and Woodhaven road to the turnpike. Good dudes, who I did'nt scare with my choking sleeping sounds too much, I hope.

At Batenkill you make your luck, well the most out of it you can. Cause you need too. Its a cool course, nothing like flying down dirt roads on a road bike as fast as you can get it going. Keith Mambo saw the leader cart wheel in a nasty ugly way, me I saw a guy shoot left off the dirt road into a ditch like a spawning salmon. Still fun, and glad I raced it.

I saw steevo at the race and expired pop tarts at the Stewart mini mart store across from our motel.

Bonus. I think if you ramdonly place your finger upon the text of this blog the two words under your finger will be your punk rock band name.

Must go to bed. Have to get up for the team at 5:30, they need me.

I think I might do 31 blogs.

cheers to my mates. dlowe. 2

ha. its 11:26. made it.

real optical "flare"

I've had a few bad eggs in my family, you know the jerky person that somehow one of your siblings falls in love with. I get a long well with everyone in my family, just sort of silently right now. Right now its all good. Same with the neighbors. A lot of years of my life, grown up into my teens I lived on a farm with no neighbors, I loved it. We were somehow in the city but on a farm, with cows, a barn, a corn crib and a big field separating us all from our fellow humans that inhabite this planet.

Lee and I for the most part, became focused, saved and worked hard and ended up in a nice place. I don't take it for granted, we do have more than most peeps. She just left for a shoot, me, you can tell, I'm sitting on my ASS sipping some OK coffee and should get up and get going, Got a race in Cambridge NY to do.

I've got good neighbors, ones with some good personalities. Here's a box of Matzos they dropped off to us yesterday.

I really do love kids, they have three young 'ens, and I think all three of them are more mature, well behaved, intelligent human beings than I will ever be.
One day a couple of summers ago, I headed out my front door and looked up to see Tibet monks riding bicycles. Yep thats true. They were staying across the street. They all had smiles and rode up our road on an assortment of mis-matched riders and bikes. Weaving a bit, but pedaling strong. They did seem to possess some kinda of inner peace, you could see an out ward joy, maybe it was the religion, maybe it was the bike. Cheers Mates! dlowe. 3

outta the horse's mouth

the truth is, spring is my least favorite of the seasons. dumb allergies, and just a bit of riding through dumb legs. my neighbor hit my car and put a small but good size bubble in my bumper and told me, and paid for the repair. I gave the bartender a $20 and he said it was a ten, but at the end of the night the bar came up over, their sending me the Ten spot. I want to be a G-tree right now doing the Thursday night crit, but I'm not, .... saving it for Batenkill. I did ride for a couple of hours, with just some hills and some rollers, nothing special.

meandering a bit, around the gardens at Belmont Plateau. I keep trying to clear my mind, but you know, I got a restless foggy gray cloud floating around in the back of my head. Is it an ugly damaging storm or a well needed deluge of rain to quench a dry spell? Probable 'nothing at all. Sorry to be vague, I am really quite happy, but there still are some stones in my riding shoes. I'm headed to the fridge to meet a friend, umm his name Victory Wild Devil Ale.

Cheers Mate!, dlowe. 4

dry it all up

whatta do you think, can non-ideas be ideas? cause I'm flat non'stickin, cracker mouthed, sandy mexico creek bed all Idea'ed dry up. The only reason I'm writing this is cause I need a blog #5 or I can't go on to #4 and then I won't accomplish my goal of 30 blogs in thirty days. and anyway what happens when I don't have a some new words for you when you click in, you'll miss my insight and the seconds of distractions I give you. Well I hope I motivate you all to do something more. I don't want you to end up like the goofy T-shirt wearing Kung Fu Necktie bartender that pulled a few pints for me last night. He might learn to look a customer in the eye, that I am there to drink beer, and he is there to get it for me, not cop some kinda creds on me. Alls cool, its a good place to drink and see some live music. Just being harshish. But it is nice to still know I've got some of that nice angry/ punkish attitude, even if its wrong. So yep its raining out, and I just spun on the indoor trainer. I'm nervous about the flyers/pens,,,,...Time for some pre-game beer and Cake! . Cheers, dlowe. 5

DaDa

I went to the bar with George last night. During our short car trips, somehow we hit upon some very in depth conversations. Last night I was sorta reved up by the lack of "Art" photographers out there. Plenty of images over the years that are full of emotions and meaning. These pictures mostly are documentarlly done. That the image/subject itself creates the expression of emotion. Why does photography lack emotions itself? I could think of only one photographer who did more with technique, emotion, and using the camera as a tool to reveal their emotions into the picture. Man Ray. Apparently born somewhere in South Philly, I'm starting to think somehow philly has small pinholes spots of creativity focused down on it from the outer space. Think, Sun Ra, David Lynch, Edgar Poe, Manoj Shyamalan, ect... I'm not from philly, born in Indiana, and kicked about abit, I settled here aprx. 20 years ago. I really love the

dumb/intelligent, clever/simple, contrast that make up philly. I have the Batenkill race coming up, and sometimes when I race I like to have a theme, a subject to fall back on to ground me, to run through my head as I race. Batenkill is Man Ray. well Emmanuel Radnitzky does not really have that ring to it does it? opps, what I was getting at here is show your art respect, digital photography is easy, simple to capture a clever/creative shot. Just put a little more of yourself into it if you can. Cheers, dlowe. 6

the tweetie bird...

.... is not really real. oh the little tattoo on the mid-drift of our young waitress is, but the "challenges of racin" is not. So sometimes I forgo all that racing is and just ride. Its all sorta crazy and for fun, right? The races on cobbles. Running carring your bike. Real pain from real broken bones and road rash. I don't mind giving up some fitness or speed to do what I want. I love to ride. Make it a death march, or you know when your in on the trainer I could be out on my cross bike hammering away in the rain day. Or just a nice Mountain bike ride with friends. Went out with Tony and Donny, both are new to mountain biking but are picking it up quick. We rode for a good bit at wiss. and then hit Main st. for a nice cold beer and a good amount of laughs. The building of the big Henry ave bridge.

Saw george , Harlan, and Brian J. at sometime out on there bikes. Just a good day. Here's to training. Cheers, dlowe 7

What a mixed up posting, oh well here is some more. Try out this album, its sorta like toady's post, ...? See you at the peep eating tonight at Dawsons St. Pub.

Discover Josephine+Foster!

Josefine Foster at Festsaal from nolicks on Vimeo.

confectionary lover

mmmm.... I really don't have much of a sweet tooth, more of a beer tooth, most of the time.




Today I went riding with Mr. Jeff Appeltans,

well mostly I followed and drifted back and he road away from me for most of the ride. The ride for me was'nt a bunch of short kidney punchie hills but a whole trip to a Mexico hotel and ending up in a tub of ice with my kidney gone. Still a great day on the bike. After the ride I lied on the couch for a little nap, my nap was so sound that I am not out at Local 44 drinking beer and watching Paris-Roubaix with my buds. Also, I went way past Dave Berson's passion for cookies and ate what I usually consume it two or three days. mmmm.... I like food. Got some buds coming down to ride some Mtb with me tomorrow, takin 'em to the Wiss. for a nice fun ride. Other wise the house is full of the smell of Cinnamon buns. I'm hungry. Cheers, dlowe 8