Speedwagon Photos

Yeah it's been about a month since the event, but everyone's favorite photographer hooked me up with some additional photos he snapped. Tom Robertson knows his bikes, and his way around a camera, when you combine them, you get tons of great cycling photos. Here is some of his work from Speedwagon. Feel free to sample his work at Tom Robertson Photo, and at Hellgate Cyclery.

First trip over the climb

Heading out with J "The Motor" Doll

Crossing the Flathead

Climbing

GDH

That's short for Goddamn Hippies, now before you go off thinking that I am some crusty old man who complains too much, keep in mind I am a crusty young man who complains too much. Anyway, I came across this article on the CyclingSnooze, and was forced to chuckle. Let's be honest here, I'm sure that a Pro Tour bike race produces a lot of trash that never finds its way into a garbage can, and three riders got singled out by an environmental group. Sucks to be them, I guess sometimes the luck of the draw is bad luck. Prior to today I had never heard of La Coalition Nature, but this seems like a PR stunt with a dusting of actual care for the general well being of the planet.

One of the cyclists who was singled out found it humorous, and said that "it's difficult to find a solution of the problem." Guess what in about three seconds i just came up with two workable solutions. 1.) Don't fucking litter, last I checked your jersey pockets won't self combust if an empty food wrapper is kept in them. 2.) Just get the kids from the local juvie to follow behind the race cleaning up any leftover trash (hey it worked at the first Red Bull Rampage). The other great piece of news is that Team Sky is starting to use bio-degradable bottles during races. Makes you wonder how long it takes these bottles to bio-degrade, is it like the new bags from Lays which apparently decompose in 7 weeks? What are the odds that one of these bottles begins to biodegrade during a race, leaking precious liquid fuel? Is there an online sports book where I can bet on this?

You ask who I side with on this. Personally I'm on the side of La Coalition Nature for a few reasons. 1.) We only have one planet, and it's already fucked up enough, so let's try to keep things clean. 2.) Professional athletes need to be reminded that they aren't above the regular folk. 3.) This article introduced me to the word "Walloonian", which for the time being is my new favorite word, I plan to use it in a sentence today. I just personally wish that the environmentalists had gone one better and gone after the entire peleton, and had a paddy wagon waiting for them at the race finish, and just start arresting people. I bet a bunch of rides would have dug that cause they would have been able to avoid doping control.

JedZilla

I think it was back in February I said I was going to try and get some actual content posted up at this site. Let's face it me rambling on about my rides, what I think about the world of cycling, and getting pissed off every now and again isn't a recipe for greatness. With that in mind I figured I'd start to interview some folks who I think more people should either 1.) know them, or 2.) if the know them, learn more about them. With that in mind I bring to you an interview with none other than JedZilla, a man who is a fixture in the Missoula riding scene. Here's the backstory in my opinion, Jed is the man, and if you don't agree with me, feel free to get off this planet. Enjoy the interview, and for the record, Jed chose to respond to my interview questions in green.

Jed getting his swerve on

You have 50 words to describe yourself to the world, go.

Sensitive, new age redneck who digs chili dogs and sunsets and whose favorite color is magenta. In reality, I am happily married to a wonderful mountain biker (member of Biker Bitches group ride) with two sons 4 and almost 2 years old. I own/operate ZillaState, a realty company.

How did you get into the wonderful world of bikes?

I am a recovering Texan and being from Texas I played high school football. I had knee surgery my junior year and biking was part of the re-hab process. After my first year of college ('81 -'82) I bought a Raleigh touring bike and rode it into the ground. I started road racing in '84. I eventually was a bike sub-rep in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi the early '90s. I went to the Fat Tire Festival in Crested Butte, CO in 1993 and moved to Colorado that fall to mountain bike and umm, work.

You have done a lot in the past as far as putting on XC and DH races in the Missoula area, how did you get into that?

I noticed that there were no mountain bike races being held in Missoula and I wanted to get the ball rolling since Missoula is home to some of the best trail riders in the world. Do you see yourself putting on anymore MTB races in the future?

Yes, I am working with a few folks on a project right now. The venue will be a different place than races held in the past. I will also be more of a "facilitator" than a promoter if this happens.

Just how long have you been enjoying the bike riding up here in Missoula?

I have been riding in Missoula since I moved here in 1997. I had one phone number when I rolled into town. I called the number and I was riding up Sawmill within an hour of parking my car in Missoula.

Are there any aspects of the “old days” that you still feel are present today?

I still see the "old school" camaraderie in the enduro/24 hour mountain bike racing. Where you are part of a community that camps and races. I remember my first 24 hour race at Moab; Kieth Bontranger and his family camped next to us. By the way, he really liked the Kettlehouse beer we had.

Word on the street is that you are a big time sponsor of UM Cycling, how did that happen?

Cycling and mountain biking in particular, have given a lot to me and presented opportunities I would have never dreamed of. My goal is to give back and help out when I can to Montana cycling and especially Missoula teams when I can. My main focus of sponsorship will be: Juniors, Collegiate, Mountain bike/ Cyclo-cross.

Do you have any hopes for the team and it’s riders over the course of the season?

I would say Bryce and Lindsy. I also have a challenge for UM Cycling "Podium (nationals)= Party"

Do you have a favorite MTB ride in Missoula, and how would you describe riding those trails?

There are a few: 1)Margie (my lovely wife) and I have a ride we call the "hour of power" which goes up the MOZ trail through Cox and then straight up the single track in Pattee to the saddle road and back. That is the limited time GRD ride, which has it all. 2) The Sidewinder to Sheep via Blue Point down the east fork to the Corridor is a good one. That was a date ride while Margie and I were "courting". I like the views and the epic-ness of it. 3). Stateline trail to Heart Lake in the Great Burn. I mention this trail as it is in danger of being shut down due to legislation. Please contact Senator Tester and let him know that we would like this loop kept open.

Describe to me your ideal bike and place to ride (time, money, wife, kids, and jobs aren’t issues you have to worry about in this dream scenario). Hmmmm, there are two rides in Colorado. 1) The Monarch Crest trail connecting to a series of trails getting you back to Salida, Co. 2) I can't remember the name of the trail but about a 6 hour ride out of Crested Butte. I have only done it twice and it was awesome! As far as a bike; I have been looking at carbon 29er hardtails. So, that would be my dream bike...

So there ya have it, big thanks to Jed for going along with my interview idea without hesitation.

Riding and Getting the Word Out

Once again another perfect April day results in me going and riding my MTB bike in the Rattlesnake. Working that long gradual climb up the old Marshall Grade then riding some of the Woods Gulch and Three Larch trails (big thanks to Laurel at MBW for letting me know the snow was gone). When all is said and done, I couldn't have asked for more out of two hours on the trail. I brought the camera along to try to capture some of the greatness that is mountain biking in Montana in April. It just seems like it is an ironclad lock that if I tried to recreate these pictures come the end of June there will be a whole bunch of the smoke in the background. Enough talking for now, pictures will do that for me.

Buffed out singletrack, you can't ask for anything more.

Top of Three Larch (or whatever the hell people call it)

Doing my best to work with the 10 second timer on the camera

In the world of bigger websites dedicated to bikes, Homie Gnomie over at DC was kind enough to post an email of mine regarding the whole Wilderness debacle outside Bozeman that I went on a rant about last week. Gnome even threw in his own two cents, which was a nice taste of logic that few can deliver as he does. Think what you may about a website that for seven years was dedicated to nothing more than bikes booze and boobies, but trust me those guys know and love bikes. It was nice to see the comments that had accumulated as of this morning of people who agree that the decision made was stupid. So big thanks to Gnome for getting the word out, I'm sure good karma will come back around for him in the future.

Other than that it looks like Montana's most well known XC man could be missing the first World Cup of the year due to Mother Nature. Not much you can do when a volcano decides to erupt, so this situation blows not just for Sam, but his whole team, who from the looks of things still have an ocean to cross. This has the makings to rival Planes, Trains, and Automobiles as one of the greatest travel stories if the Subaru-Gary Fisher folks manage to make it over there. I'll say a quick prayer to the travel gods for em asking the winds to change and blow all the ash somewhere else.

Breakfast for some MTB

The powers that be always pound this shit into your head, "breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Guess what that is only true when the breakfast is delicious, and gives you a happy belly for multiple hours. Half a grapefruit, a small bowl of plain oatmeal, small bran muffin, and some sort of fruit juice might be great on paper, but mark my words the only thing it does for you is make you want more food in 12 minutes. So how is it that I prepare for a few hours in the saddle, using one meal as my main source of fuel, with mancakes, some form of pig, and caffeine.

What's a mancake you ask yourself? Simple, cook up a pancake or twelve, keep the batter thick so the pancake is thick and fluffy. Once pancakes are cooked, remove and cover in a coating of peanut butter, cover peanut butter in powdered sugar. That's a mancake, it's got everything your body supposedly needs, tastes wonderful, and will keep those cranks a turning on the bike. As far as the pig goes, pick the form you like, cook it up, and enjoy. It's a scientific fact that foods like bacon and sausage make you ten time more mentally efficient, and thirty times more physically efficient. The caffeine part can be tricky because everyone has their own personal likes and dislikes. For me it depends on the time of the day and the mood I am in. Anytime that you wake up due to an outside force other than your body simply saying, "it's time to wake up", means hot coffee is a requirement. Other than that time of day, I am partial to soda (thanks Dad).

So in the end the moral of the story is that a proper breakfast is a good way to start the day, but tweaks need to made in order to make it part of your ride prep. The past four days of top end weather have resulted in many a hour in the saddle for self. And these ain't your mommas lolligagin hours, I'm talking about spending some time feeling your heartbeat in your eardrums. Fuel before each of these rides has been the same except for the number of mancakes prepared. So my gift to you today is the perfect pre-ride breakfast, which has helped me to pillage singletrack these past days, 2 mancakes, 4 strips of bacon, and a large glass of orange soda (hey it was free at Albertsons). Eat up, enjoy, and maybe later this week I'll provide you with my secret hangover remedy morning beverage.

Got out for a top notch ride following being pissed off Friday morning. Four hours of hitting dirt in two of Missoula riding areas can calm me down from just about anything. No need to bore you with details, I took some pictures from the ride, enjoy them and explanations. As far as the trail closing down in Bozeman, I got the idea to have a "funeral ride" where all who ride bikes on the planet are welcome to attend. I'd like it to be New Orleans style, so "When the Saints Go Marching In" can be sung. However, while discussing the idea with EMule last evening he said that the trails will are most likely going to be covered in snow and unrideable. Regardless if any of the trails which will be closed to the MTB love are rideable next weekend, I will try to put this together, and will post details here.

Crazy Canyon

30 minutes in and I'm salty enough for butterfly love

This is what a happy SSer looks like

Big thanks to the City of Missoula for building water fountains, than covering them up

Thats a wide COCK...pit

Knees Eye View on ride home

Losing 150 miles of trail

I came across this article on Dirt Rag today, its a little late, but still worth all the effort I will devote to this subject. There is an article from Billings Gazette written about the topic, and unfortunatly it looks like the story got passed over by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. For those who know me, you know I can complain about anything that pisses me off, and it may be in a long winded and over-blown manner, so with that I have just finished the last of my coffee, collected some thoughts, and will now go off the deep end. I apologize in advance for any language or vitriol I may direct towards certain individuals or groups, but in my opinion they deserve it. It looks like May 1 will be the cut off date for 170 miles worth of God's greatest gift outside of Bozeman. For anyone who attended the Race Across the Sky premiere here in Missoula this past March you have a stake in this because your money went to help to try and stop this.

The future of hundreds of miles worth of singletrack, and its availability to mountain bikers has been debated for years now (or at least since I moved here three years ago) in Montana. Politicians and other Bureaucrats want to designate lands as wilderness so they look environmentally friendly, and yet still want to find away to let the woods get logged. It's that basic please everyone mentality that they all have, and the only end result is that they look like standard political jackoffs who make too much money for the little work that they actually do perform. Organized groups do everything they can short of pulling down Politician X's pants and blowing them in the middle of town square to try to get what they want. The Politicians do whatever they want based on who gives them the most money or the best BJ. This time there is what I will call and innocent bystandard. The mountain bikers, who are shunned by the motorized trail users, because our bikes lack motors, and thought of as outsiders by groups who already have access to wilderness areas (hikers, etc). And now starting on May 1, mountain bikers are getting bent over the corner of a table, and having to take it raw from far too many groups, judges, and politicians.

First and foremost I wish to extend both of my middle fingers to The Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Montana Wilderness Association, and The Wilderness Society. You have fucked over mountain bikers as a whole because you want "solitude" to exist in this area. You can disguise your selfishness all you want by claiming the only thing you care about it preserving the land. That is a crock of shit, you wish to preserve the land for what you want to do. If you really wanted to preserve the land in its natural state it would be completely closed to any human activity. I have half a thought to go to over to these 150 miles worth of trail on May 2, with a string of pack mules, and a bunch of ghetto blasters, and crank up some Slayer. That will let you have your fucking solitude. Guess what people on bikes, motorcycles, or ATVs dont ruin solitude, other people (regardless of their mode of transportation) ruin solitude. Horses that shit all over the fucking trail ruin solitude, a pheasant that jumps out from behind a bush when you walk too close to it can ruin someone's solitude.

It is my opinion that as a whole mountain bikers are always worried about losing access to their sweet sweet singletrack that they will do anything they can to keep it. You want someone to clean up parking areas, tell the MTBers that if they dont do it their access is gone, I promise you that will be the cleanest parking area in the state. Need cheap labor to get some trail work done? Tell the MTBers if they don't do it the trail will get closed, that trail work gets done for nothing. The MTB crowd searches for solitude as well, just like the hikers. Last I checked getting out of the town limits to go ride trails by myself is not something I do to get closer to other people and be distracted by blinking lights and honking horns. Just because you read Into the Wild, and want to get back to the roots of nature, doesnt mean you have the right to fuck others over. If you want solitude buy a rowboat and paddle into the middle of the Pacific Ocean, I promise you that you will be left alone.

Another reason mountain bikers got fucked over in this whole decision is because mountain bikes were not considered when the first wilderness plans were drafted some 30 years ago. Never mind the fact that back in the day a group of soldiers rode bikes off road from Missoula to Yellowstone. Bike have been ridden off road for a long fucking time, before Frank Church was taking all of his 50 mile walks where the groundwork for his future wilderness protection work was laid. I've said it once and I will say it again, the original designation of what activities are allowed in Wilderness Areas needs to be revisited and changed. I promise you that a horse carrying a 200 pound person will do as much damage to a trail as that same 200 pound person riding a 25 pound bike.

Aside from that the mountain bikers (and cyclists in general) really need to come together to stop any more miles of trail being closed down. Write letters and emails to politicians, tells The Wilderness Society to piss off, write letters to newspapers, get mad and let the masses hear your voice, get others who live in other states to try and help the cause. If all that fails practice some good old fashioned civil disobedience. Go ride those 150 miles worth of trails your not supposed to on May 1! With that, I'm done being pissed about this for now, I'm gonna go ride my bike.