It's time I come clean.

I have something I need to get off my chest. It's time I come clean. I have been leading a double life, this is not the real me you see on these blogs. I really don't ride bicycles, I really don't do much of anything at all. I created "MrDaveyGie" The pictures are from my neighbor's bike riding, I loan him my camera, he returns with pictures of his bike ride I think he rides too much. He doesn't even know how to turn on a computer. Below is the real me. I hope you will still come back, that we can still be blogger friends. I don't have real friends. You are all I got.  Below is the real me So Sorry for this.

































































































































APRIL'S FOOL. I'm so bad.




You have a good day.




Dave, ummm I think. ;-0

Letter and Picture from my daughter,

Dad

Cole says you should use one of these 2 pictures for the "crying baby face" on your blog. He's happy to help.

Melissa

So now I have a new "crying baby face" my grandson Cole. Way to go Cole.

My mind said no, my legs said go.

I thought to myself at work today, this will probably be a day off the bike. It has been 6 days in a row bicycling, and I could feel the lactic acid in my legs. 3 days on dirt for 190 miles and I don't know how many pavement miles. However after I got home from work I fell asleep for 15 minutes on the couch watching Judge Judy. Woke up, and the legs said Let's GO!!! So go I did, felt good, felt light, felt zippy. Pavement always feel fast on a road bike, with 23cc tires, when the last two days I have been riding knobbies in the dirt.


Oh see the little crying baby face? That is going to start growing bigger and bigger. I am going to be whining. Starting on April 5th for three weeks I won't be riding a bike much except for maybe a couple of days. Work, work work. Due to work requirements I will not have any free time. It happens every year twice. We will be on shutdown and installing new equipment, tuning and enhancing existing controls with long hours and long weeks. Oh well, maybe I'll buy myself a Pugsley afterwards.

So over and out, and don't pout.

Dave

Another day of playing in the dirt.

Doing the 62 miler metric century in the dirt again today. That makes #7 for the year so far for the "Cup-O-Dirt" challenge. Pushed the pace wanted to burn the legs some. It never warmed up like the weather man told me it was gonna. I was dressed a little light, very light wool tights, light Merino upper and a wind breaker, the wind was vicious and chilling. I was out in open field from mile 15 to mile 45 so the wind had it's way with me. Left knee is swelled up a bit. It'll learn to come along with the rest of my body parts or I'll leave it at home. :-) Back to Monday Friday work cycle, why can't I just win the lottery?

Here is a fort the motorbikers built out on their trails. My son Caleb being one of them.

I think this guy has enough wood for heating. Actually it is a lumber mill in Graf Iowa.

So that's all folks.

Thanks for stopping have a good week.

Dave

I tried to get help

Yes, I asked, for someone to take my camera away. Nobody did. So I was out filming again. Slow getting started today. Feeling sluggish. Finally on the saddle at 10:00. Riding CycleX headed out of town, on trails and gravel. Spent some time riding the MotorX trails hoppppping some jumps. Still crazy after all these years. Rode 35 miles out and turned around. The wind was furious on the way back, standing on the pedals at times going 9 mph. It felt like I was riding through molasses 12 inches thick.
I made a video of me going 10 miles in one minute. Yes I know hard to believe, that is why I filmed it for proof. The other film is for my daughter Melissa, the nerve of her, she said that film of me riding MotorX trails couldn't be me, I mean, good grief, your 57 years old dad. So here is proof.
Ok I am going to surf the net for a real helmet cam. There is no turning back now. Video express I am. I am LQQKing for some zest tomorrow, and ride. Ok ok, I promise, no filming tomorrow.
Thanks for visiting,
Dave

Somebody take this camera away from me

Ok, I promise I am going to stop this video filming soon. I think. Riding pavement today. I love the mixture, and pavement is part of that mixture. Tom from up north, is thee pavement jockey, (Hi Tom) He will endure snow riding, on fat tires for survival but pavement roadie is his main line. He does a lot of it.

Took my broken spoke rear wheel down to Joe, my wrench, (Hi Joe) and it was determined the wheel is wore out, where the brake pad hits the rim, it is quite cupped. So new wheel on order, spoke replaced on the old wheel and that was my ride tonight.

What are my plans for this weekend? Hmmm, ok I know, ride lots of bike. Think I will hit the dirt paths, pack snacks and stay out most the day(s).

Riding some MotorX trails on my bicycle.

Another video from my bicycle the other day with camera mounted on handlebars. This is where my son rides his Motor Cycle. It was fun, I want to come back and hit it harder after I familiarize myself with the jumps. Went and had my yearly medical manly check up, [cough-cough] no further comment. :-) Went out bicycling tonight on the pavement, flying around, had a blast, popped a spoke. Didn't have a spoke wrench to offset the rim warp. Loosened up my brakes, so tire rim would not rub, and kept riding. Just didn't want to stop.

Been working on my camera mount, took some more film clips on the ride tonight.

Well thanks for stopping hope you had a good day.

Dave

Goals

Was able to take the day off work and bike Metric Century in the dirt. I still have one more day to use up from last year's vacation. :-). I mounted my camera on the handle bars and taped this little video of me leaving town. I'm having fun filming, look out Steven Spielberg.

My bosses, boss asked me the other day what my goals were for this year. He was referring to bicycling goals. Last year he stayed tuned to my 52 dirt centuries goal. So he got me thinking. Seems in all the sports I've been involved in, setting goals and going after them have played a big part in my participation of that sport. Running, powerlifting, long distance swimming, all had specific goals and time lines.

So whatz are my specific goals for this year. I'm not sure. I do have goal #1, see below, as a generalized goal, and goal #2 as a specific goal.

Goal #1. Ride a bicycle as many miles as I can this year.

Goal #2. More important then goal #1. Do not let bicycling interfere with my relationships with those close to me. My "inner circle" my mate, children, and immediate family. That being said, all those mentioned above let this old guy go out and bicycle all he wants with no complaints.

Now, I gotta think about specific goals.

I just had a great idea.

I just had a great idea, take tomorrow off work, and ride a bike all day, country style. Hot diggity dawg.

2nd verse same as the first.

Still snow where the sun don't shine, say what!! 4 tracks in the snow, two of them are mine from yesterday.

Wasn't sure what to ride, where to ride, hung around the house this morning drinking coffee, putz'n with this and that. So around 10:30 I packed 80 ounces of fluids, a granola bar, and pop tarts and saddled up the CycleX go after another metric century in the dirt. Felt good, had great energy to keep the pace up, wasn't sure after a metric yesterday. Rode the back trails out of town, rode into Sageville, then Durango, Graf, by Epworth, and Farley and ended up in Dysersvile and turned around. A couple of farm dogs thought it was funny to chase me, I had enough jump start on them to stay ahead of em. At about 10 miles left I started realize I am running out of gas, then I noticed I was dragging my shadow along with me, so no wonder. So the weekend is over, back to work tomorrow, 130 miles in this weekend, in the snow, dirt and gravel. Feels good.

Thanks for visiting.

Dave

Had fun in the snow today. More later.

At first I was whining because of the fresh snow. Turned out to be breathtaking. Rode 62 miles of this, was one of those rides where all the body parts cooperated. Well I mean no knee pain, back, wrist, etc. the ride flowed. Rode to the town of Dyersville and hit the pop machine for return fluids. Actually saw a set of bike tracks, in the fresh snow, so I began to pick up pace to discover who else could be out here. I rounded a corner and that rider was coming back from his ride out, he had the bar mitts and equipment on indicating a "biker" I've seen him before, well before winter came, we nodded and kept grinding away.

Some of the gravel roads looked and felt like you were riding on a giant cracker covered with chunky peanut butter, it felt like it was going to suck the knobbies of the tires. Made for hard work.

This is the first time I tried the movie thing on my camera. Click the start button, the snow rocked on the single track area. I would like to get one of those helmet camera mounts, trying to hold camera in one hand and weaving through single track made me glad I had my helmet on.

What the $%#@ is all this White stuff

Woke to all this white stuff all over my back deck. Decisions, decisions, do I put the studs back on? Hmmm, I think I will go with the little knobbies on the XC. I've got parts removed from the big fat winter bike, don't feel like reassembly this morning. This might be "sporting"

The Urge,

I have this irresistible urge to follow the purple line tomorrow and then wander back on some other route. It's snowing out, and looks like it is going to continue I hope it doesn't bury the purple route. The XC is the bike of choice, and doesn't like deep snow.

I'll just have to wait and see.

Later, and peace.

Dave

Sailing away

Did my route I ride on work days tonight's, was happy with the zip I had in spite of my Mc'Ride yesterday. I ran into John, and his amazing invention. He came into town to work for IBM, said he has other patents from inventions he's developed for other people, this one he said was for him. This sail bike could move amazingly well. If he was moving directly into the wind the sail would be perfectly parallel with the wind and offer very little resistance. Any wind from the side or back would greatly assist the forward motion. He said one time when the wind was right he 'sailed' 120 miles without pedaling. John was really nice to talk with and a promoter of bicycling in general. I will see him out there again. There is "Road Warrior" Ken on his bicycle, he is quite active in promoting bicycling and organizing group rides with Dubuque Bicycle Club. Which I am a member of and also Chain Reaction. Which reminds me I need to send my membership in for 2010 renewal.

Well hope your day had some fun in it too, and thanks for stopping in.

Dave

Mc'Ride The "Mc" is not Irish, it stands for metric century

Headed out in the fog at 9:00 this morning. Seat was not feeling right so at 5 miles out I decided to get off bike and make an adjustment. I changed seats yesterday, and was sitting differently. No problem I always carry a multi tool on country rides. I couldn't find it. Back to the house, found multi tool, made seat adjustment and headed out again. Felt a little sluggish, I could tell by my heart rate I was not working real hard. Psychologically I didn't have zip. so I thought I'll just keep a steady pace. Put some base miles in. Trail was in pretty good shape bike was riding well.

Trail was dry enough here, to ride easily.

I think this tree has a bad tumor.

Here the gravel was loose and soft, was hard to pedal through it. After about 40 miles, I got my mojo back. Picked up the pace, put my head down, grabbed the drops and started to work. I heard a dog barking, looked in that direction and saw a farm dog coming at me. I hollered loud and the dog slowed down, but kept advancing on me. I got off the bike and kept the bike between me and the barking dog. The dog started to get braver and moving closer to me. I brought out my secret weapon. I brought along for times like this. A dog biscuit, and threw it at him, he sniffed it for a bit, while I started pedaling away, mission accomplished. Rode perhaps 70 miles, on gravel and dirt. Odometer said 62 miles, but it also quit working several times, it has a bad connect and I would wiggle to reestablish the connection. Beautiful day, perfect riding conditions, gimme more, gimme more.

Thanks for visiting.

Dave

You gotta take care of the horses.

If you got a good horse, you gotta take care of her. So tonight I work on my ride for tomorrow. It needed it. Tires changed, brake pads replaced, cables adjusted, cleaned up drive train, etcetera.

Used to be I would not want to take a good bike in gravel. I modified a wore out road bike to ride gravel. Now my best bike if for dirt and gravel. 54 dirt centuries last year on this bike. I think the best thing you can do with a good bike is to wear it out. It's worth it. Take good care of it, make it last, but wear it out. I'm hoping for a good journey tomorrow. Going to head south west on a mix of gravel and trail. I have tomorrow off. My knee is bothering me some, but it needs to straighten out and come along for a ride. Oh and the weather forecast tomorrow simply RoCks...

Thanks for visiting

Dave

Views from a bicycle

Came home from work tonight feeling exhausted. Fell into a deep comatose state on the couch. You know those ones where you wake up and your face is distorted. Like a permanent dent in you cheek, couch impressions molded on your forehead. You feel close to death and can't wake up very well. So I thought I should take a day off from biking. I drank a half a cup of coffee and ate a granola bar, and said "get er done" Got my biking garb on, grabbed my IPOD and camera and saddled up.

Off into the park and river front areas I rode. Loved it. Had pretty good power considering the conditions I left in. I get this debate going between my mind and body. They don't always agree if a ride should take place. Daylight savings time kept the sun up a extra hour, I needed that after my unconscious condition that occurred on the couch.

I grow these giant sun flowers every year. They get about 12 feet tall and have a flower almost as big as a garbage can lid. They grow up over the deck and peak at us. I used to pick em and clean em, and soak em in salt water and then bake em. Now I let the birds have at em.

Ok I still want to remove my studded tires on my cyclecross and put on the Racing Ralphs, plans are to ride lots of trail Wednesday for hour and hours, because I have the day off. :-)

Thanks for stopping in and good night.

Dave

35 Miles of road riding.

Got a late start on the bike today, I have a lot of stuff to do around the house and was hard to pull away to do what I've long ago decided was necessary, a bike ride. I've learned that to be who I am, feel good about life, and myself I need to take the time and enjoy some endorphins. It's the discipline I demand of myself. I've never done this for health reasons, I'm glad that occurs with pushing yourself, I do it, because I enjoy.

Stayed on pavement rode 35 miles, tried to push myself for all of it. I'm fried now, I hit it hard this weekend. When I walk up the stairs it feels like I have an extra 100lbs on my back. Just might have to take a rest day tomorrow, won't plan it that way, but will wait and see.

Everybody and their brother was out today. I had to practice my social skills with all the head nods as I passed dozens of bikers going the opposite way I was.

Cleaned up the mule, my winter riding machine, I think she's done for the season, she has done me well, we've rode a lot of ice, snow, and cold together this winter. We'll hook up again come December.

Tomorrow will come early with the daylight savings time change.

Peace and happy thoughts to you.

Dave

A dirt century today.

I was so prepared for rain, based on the forecast, that when it didn't rain, I was disappointed. Sometimes riding the rain can be fun if your dressed right you feel like your in your own little bubble. Brings on introspective thoughts. Like when you walk in a rain storm at night with a good umbrella.

The mud was something else, this is a the approach to a new bridge just finished last December that was destroyed in the floods of 2008. No gravel was put down yet, I had to walk through this for a 100 feet mud was so thick I had to carry my bike it would not roll in this muck.

Horsie looking at my mule. Rode the fat bike, was hard work, the fat studded knobbies behaved like suction cups in the soft lime and dirt roads. Did a metric century today, took 8 hours with the soft, soggy, sticky road conditions.

Doesn't this look like a creature crawling out of the rock wall or at turtle with one eye. This is a tree knob growing out of a cliff side.

Gravel roads were the best travel. Gravel was hard packed and made for faster travel then the muddy bike trails.

You don't see any ice in town, but there were plenty of stretches of ice in the valley areas. Studded tires handled the ice well, without them, most likely I would have biffed.

Here is a 4 wheeler path, was quite a variety of riding today. Had to hose me and the bike down when I got home. Zonked now, and experiencing a eating frenzy. My rule of thumb generally goes like this, what every calories I burn up on a ride, I eat double that amount.

Had a great time riding countryside today. Not sure what and where I'll ride tomorrow. Maybe pavement. I just know it will be somewhere.

Well thanks for stopping in. Hope you got to do something you like to do also today.

Dave

What to do, what to do?

The local bike club just cancelled their ride today. It's pouring outside. I can't decide what to do. Trying to decide if I should go bike riding, or drink another cup of coffee and then go bike riding.

Rainy days and Saturday

I sprayed water proofer on my rain pants, and jacket tonight. Will see if that will help keep the rain from eventually soaking me to the bone. Forecast is for a bunch of rain tomorrow. I want to get out and ride down gravel roads and explore the back roads in northeast Iowa tomorrow. I have a waterproof cap that fits over my helmet, and I'll wear a ball cap under my helmet to keep rain from pounding on my eyes.

The "mule" is ready to ride, my Trek 1600. I am leaving the Studs on. Thinking the valleys will still have ice packed on the trails. If not, it just means I got a better workout cranking the studs.

I'll have good music in my ears, and think about a million things. There is nothing else I'd rather be doing. Peculiar? Some would ask. Perhaps. But none the less I wouldn't change a thing. I am grateful I have the opportunity to do this.

Also I want to clean up from the Triple D race last January I was in. There are markers and orange warnings still up. Lance A. asked me if I would clean that stuff up, I will be glad to do it. I think it's good for all us bikers to do things that help give bicycling a positive image to the community.

OK that's it I have no more ramblings, have good dreams and good night.

Dave

Winter left Iowa today :-)

Warmest day in Dubuque today since last Nov 10th 2009. It's been a long winter, but I think Winter left today. It was no match for the longer days of sunlight. Shorts and fingerless gloves. First time for that in a long time. For some reason I think that made me ride faster. Or maybe I just felt faster. Rode around town after work until the sun went down.

Old man river, the Mississippi. I did some laps around this area, just because I was digg'n the view.

Plans are to do some long rides this weekend. Hopefully in the country. I hear weather rumors of rain, followed by more rain. I can ride rain, would like to have better rain gear, will look into that. It seems that riding in the rain sooner or later you still get soaked to the bone no matter what you are wearing. The trails will be a mix of mud, snow and ice.

Saw other riders out tonight. Haven't seen much of that for most the winter. Some in blue jeans enjoying the nice day and riding easy, and the "serious bikers" with spandex and neon yellow and helmets. Distinct differences easily recognizable. I sometimes get this "secret race" thing going when I get along side other riders. Oh man, and his ego. I start to up the pace, and when they follow with the same, the fun starts. I pretend that going 20 mph and breathing through my nose in normal. In actuality I am dying and going to explode in 60 seconds or less. When the younger,well trained rider starts to pull away or a.k.a. kick my almost 57 year old butt, I realize that who ever said "age is just a number" ain't been old yet. But I give them a good run. At least I tell myself that. :-), and check my heart monitor to see if I hit a all time high.

Well glad you stopped in, and hope you had a good day, if not hope you begin steps to change that.

Dave

and the sign said long haired freaky people need not apply

Didn't know if I was going to have anything in the legs after the pounding I gave them yesterday. I felt a little zapped and was slow getting out the door, slow enough that I ended up finishing my ride in the dark. But you often can't tell what your ride will be like until you get on a bike and see. Tonight it was a blast. Had fun and good energy levels. Rolled through Eagle Point park over the river, through the cemeteries, and along the river. Its a good thing daylight savings time and the longer daylight hours after work starting this Sunday.

Looking forward to longer riding time this weekend. Would like to ride some cycle cross but I think the trails are going to be a mess. Snow melting, and frost coming out of the ground equals MUD. Will have to wait and see, but fortunately there are other options as well, like pavement or gravel roads.

Hope you took the time and had some fun today too, lata.

Dave

Dew IT!!

Stopping to do the dew. Had fun riding up and down hills. I have this 5 mile loop in my neighborhood that I like to ride 5 loops as hard as I can when I feel the energy. This "ride" is either climbing up a hill or going down a hill. I pushed each hill climb until my legs felt like they were going to burst, then I would catch up on Oxygen on the downside of the hill. Tried to time and pace each hill climb just right so when I got to the top there was no more left. Good rock&roll playing in my ear helped to create the endorphin rush. Was on my light weight road bike, with the skinnie tires. A bike that fits me just right. It was supposed to rain most the day, but I never felt a drop. Loved it.
Stopped up to visit ma and pa after the ride. My brother Mark and wife Sherry from Florida are staying there and helping out for now. They put a bid on a house in this county with 7 acres, decks, woods, out buildings. Beautiful. So if he gets it looks like he will be back in Dubuque. I hope he does. He will do his contractor business here in Dubuque, and his boys are running the business back in Florida.
So thank you for stopping I hope your day was a good one for you.
Bye
Dave

Rubber side down.

Don't be like this guy, keep the rubber side down. Well there was no worry about this happening to me tonight. I hung out on the couch and ate various concoctions of food.

Be safe, enjoy life's ride.

Dave

Roadie weekend

Signs, signs everywhere signs.


Oak trees over the Mississippi River.

This house was built in 1890, nice to see somebody restoring it. Notice the wood beams above the windows.

Was a little treacherous on road bike slicks in some places. Ice patches wanted to ruin my day, or perhaps many days. One of my biggest fears is busting myself up. Wouldn't it suck to have to sit a summer out from bicycling, because you broke a hip?

Rode three hours, hard pace. Road bike speed is still a new sensation after a long winter of fat tired biking. I used a heart monitor today, helps to keep the beat up, it lets me know when I am dogging it. Lots of hills. Felt good. Every day more ice disappears. Temperatures were in the 30s. I was cold for the first 10 miles. I knew if I kept pushing the pace I would warm up. Ended up being dressed just right.

Over and out, ride safe, have fun.

Dave