These days, there's so much doom and gloom in the news that it's hard to see the positive side of things. It's crazy to look at news sites like MSNBC and see how many positive stories there are (almost none). So as your news source for things beer, bikes, and big wheel related - here is some sunshine for a cloudy day:
The lovely folks at New Belgium brewed up a tasty treat for Valentine's Day. It's called Lips of Faith and you need to go to the Brewery to check it out. It's very tasty - I'll be enjoying a bomber's worth tonight.
It comes topped off with this retro NBB bottle cap. The current cap has the new fat tire bike logo.
2-wheeled logic: On road rides, the mind tends to wander a bit. For many, this is the best time to be creative and to help put things in perspective. One thing that I often come back to is how the slower you go, the more you see. I 1st realized this when I was doing a bike tour from Flagstaff to LA. On the long straight stretches of highway, billboards in the distance become an object of fascination. As the billboard approaches, you REALLY think about what is being promoting in front of you. It's kind of like how a word said over and over again makes no sense. For example, I remember a billboard advertising $2.99 Prime Rib (I was riding towards Las Vegas, you see). This is obviously an attempt to attract budget-minded folks to a casino where they will likely drop a good portion of their life savings at the craps table. I get it. But then you think a bit deeper about the whole baiting advertising mentality of Las Vegas and it's rather dissappointing. It made me happy to be riding a bike as I was having these thoughts - rather than driving a huge motor home getting 6mpg as my blue haired, snow bird wife sat quietly knitting in the big luxurious captain's chair passenger seat.
Bicycle touring is a life-changing experience and I highly recommend it. Not that I'm THAT old, but when I did it, there was no GPS, we had no cell phone, and we used free AAA maps instead of the internet. Today's technology makes things really easy. In fact, all you need is some free time these days....and your technological toys. Plug your destination into a GPS, select 'travel by bike' and let the machine do the work. Your loved ones can follow you with a GPS tracker and call you anytime via cell phone. Get to a resting place and plop down your credit card for a room for the night. Have pizza delivered via internet order - right to your hotel room. None of this was possible 10 years ago. Crazy huh? All this is making me excited to get out on another tour. I think the next plan is the 500 mile, multi-day singletrack trek of the
Colorado Trail. This time, we'll have GPS and cell phones - for sure.
Recently, we posted
the big wheel back flip performed by Motocross/Rally star Travis Pastrana. You can imagine how this rocke our world - being that we're at the forefront of the big wheel industry. Last night, this stunt was featured on MTV's
Nitro Circus - a JackAss-esque show about stunts. I was also very impressed with the slip n slide loop de loop. I'd recommend watching this show as they have some great UAR obstacle ideas and you'll likely get a head start on your competition my mastering these moves. I do not recommend the 'jumping out of a plane without a parachute' stunt. That's just just plain silly.
We head to Nashville tomorrow to plan yet another UAR. I've never been to Nashville before, but many very cool people have very cool things to say about the place. One of my favorite bands,
The Kings of Leon, are from there. I recently read that they are actually 3 brothers and a cousin. This makes me like them so much more. We're planning on checking out some music while we're in town and I'm trying to get Jackie to bring her tight fitting Wranglers. I'll wear my western-style suit. We're planning having the UAR start outside the Country Music Hall of Fame - it's only appropriate, right? Should be fun - new city - new people - new bars. Nashville here we come!
So folks...keep your chin up. These hard economic times will pass. Everything is a cycle and we've got no where to go but up.
It's been an interesting week at the UAR compound. I had a once in a decade cold that lasted 5 days. I'm not going to complain about it - just the opposite in fact. The thing about being sick is that it makes you feel so different (in a bad way) than how you normally feel. I guess I took for granted how good I typically feel from day to day. It doesn't take much to throw our bodies completely off. And to think that when people are 'training', they're under the assumption that all systems are running 100% and they're looking for minuscule gains. Throw in a stuffed up nose that wont allow air to flow or goosebumps up and down your back from a fever - and you're pretty much done. And speaking of goosebumps and being sick, here's something totally sick - of a different nature (warning - it's pretty gross and involves larvae). But now, I'm happy to say I'm entering the finishing chute of this cold. It's now time to enjoy the beautiful Colorado weather.
The NAHBS is happening now. Jackie and I got to go last year and it was incredible. I was in heaven. The cool paint jobs, intricate welds, and overall artistry made me fall in love with bikes even more than before. The show has been great at making custom builders famous world wide. It's largely due to the show that Vanilla Cycles has a over a 5 year wait. Our friends at BlackSheep won the best Titanium bike last year and we can't wait to see what they come up with this year. Below is a peek at their booth this year. Stay tuned to the bikewebs for photos.
