2013

I've got to say that 2013 was a very interesting year for me.  It was the first time I had an
empty house during the day and the luxury of filling my time in the manner that appealed
to me.  By spring time of that year, I had technically been riding for three or four years. 
And when I say riding; I mean a total of 200 miles for a season.  It wasn't something I even
 really enjoyed.  However, when the weather finally broke in the spring of 2013 and I only had myself to ride with, I started to do things differently.  That's when I started to enjoy myself
and my bike.

Going solo was the best thing to happen to me.  I got to plan my own routes; determine
my own mileage, and stop whenever I spied something that caught my interest.  When
I realized I was the Captain of my own ship, it all changed for me.  I started setting small
goals for myself.  Stupid shit, really.  Like, trying to beat my previous time or picking
routes that I normally wouldn't because of difficulty.  I started to see my bike handling
skills and stamina increase.  This only caused me to want to ride more.

When I saw the numbers 666 come up on my bike's odometer I realized I was only
 334 miles away from 1,000.  I had never set any type of goal when it came to riding
 but that got me pumped.  At that point I was determined to see those numbers before
the end of the season.  Oddly enough, it seemed the closer I got the harder it got.  An
early winter didn't help the equation any, either.  That was when my two favorite guddies,
Kimbabwe and Mully, stepped up and took me under their wing.  With their help I was
able to knock the miles down to 33 and I proudly did those alone.  To make the season
that much better, with those two clowns I was able to add an additional 32 miles
to my total the very last weekend of December for a final 1,032.  Not bad for someone
who never sets goals for themselves!

                      Gettysburg, PA. with Mully & Kim.  This was where I got my last 32 miles.

Shortly after this, Kim asked me, "What advice would you give to someone just starting
out?"  And I replied, "I'm the last person on earth they should be asking."  He asks, "What
do you think the one thing that really helped you was this year?"  To that I answered,
"Myself."  When I took control instead of attempting to keep up with others was when I
really started to enjoy myself.   Once I started to enjoy myself it became so much easier
to get on the bike.  Now, after the fact, I realized that what might have been the key for me
might very well be the key for others.  Riding a bike can be anything you desire because
you are the boss!  If you only want to ride a mile one day, then ride that mile.  If you want
to take a long; slow ride from pub to pub, then God damn, do it!  The only person
stopping you, is you!

And, that's what I learned in 2013.

To Spandex or Not To Spandex?

It's an age old question, I'm pretty sure.  Not one I ever expected to be confronted with.  But, by and by, I was!

It's kind of a funny story when I think about it.  My first experience with bikers in tights was impressed upon me by Kim.  In our early 20's he would roll up on a road cyclist in his shit box of a vehicle and holler, "Gear Queer!"  Yeah, you heard me.  I didn't pretty it up.  He'd shake his fist and beat his chest.  He was a BMXer through and through...argh!  I watched several transactions take place before asking, "What difference does it make if someone rides a BMX bike; mountain bike or road bike?"  "At least they're riding." I said.
I'll never forget his reaction: the way his head snapped around to look at me, or, the expression on his face.  The one that say's, "You are kidding me."  Not, "Are you kidding me?"  There is a whole world of difference between the two.  As if speaking to a child, he explains, "They wear tights."  Duh!  Since we both have short attention spans we quickly wandered off subject.  But, I never forgot that exchange.

You will never be able to imagine my satisfaction so many years later when he started getting into cross country mountain biking and road cycling.  In the over all scheme of things, it's a pretty natural progression.  Only so many people can ride BMX forever.  That's when you decide you love "riding," period.  You adjust but you don't quit.  I couldn't resist, therefor, to remind him of his past transgressions and ask him, "How do you like it?"  I really did enjoy rubbing his face in it.

Once he got into road cycling, it was over.  Spandex was no joke.  Right, wrong or indifferent, joking around about your tights was not funny.  And, Kim calmly explained to me, they are a necessary evil.  So, being the sensitive soul that I am, I busted his ass every chance I got.  When Kim and Mully would go out for a century I would call them ladies or homo's.  Sometimes, I would refer to them as girls.  Kim started to get pissed but what could he really say?  It's not cool now because it's me?  Kim is a lot of things but he's not a hypocrite.  He sucked it up and I laughed myself silly!

What I didn't realize was Kim's brilliant plan for revenge.  He bought me a cheap road bike and gave me a shitty whooped ass pair of spandex.  I was not stoked on this but I was curious to ride the bike.  So, I decided I didn't need the shorts in order to ride the bike.  I'd rather go without than look gay.  When I insisted on standing by my decision he just shook his head and said, "You'll see."

Six miles was my total that first day.  My bike was as heavy as a tank.  I wrecked at the first red light I came to because I couldn't unclip and I had a serious case of monkey butt.  Needless to say, I now wear spandex religiously.  I hate them.  I can't live without them.  All I can say is that is seems to be a common dilemma.  In the end, you discover that your pride can take the blow.  You suck it up.  Then the day comes when you are talking to a new rider and they tell you, "I'm not wearing the tights."  And you shake your head and say, "You'll see."

There is a moral to the story...

Wednesday was a day like any other day.  Kimbo had decided to ride his bicycle to work and I got the car to run errands.  Around 4 p.m. I get a distress call to retrieve him at his place of employment.  Apparently, he had stepped off a ladder and tweaked his knee.  Because it was bothering him he did not want to ride his bike home and possibly mess it up further.  Anyone knowing Kim, knows that the only thing holding his little bird legs together is bailing twine and bubble gum.  So, I toss the kids in the car and set out for Dryden.  Upon arrival, I offer to put his bike in the car but was instructed to leave it behind.  In a hurry to get home, I didn't think twice about it.

Thursday morning I agree to give Kim a ride to work.  I had a date to spend the day with two of my favorite ladies; Sara Diamond and Robin Nash.  The plan was to drop Kim off; pick up Sara, and proceed to Interlaken for the day's festivities.  Little did I know what was shortly in store for me.

Despite the chill and gloomy appearance, I was excited to get my day started.  I had my shit together and everything was on schedule.  I dare say I was a bit giddy!  As Kim and I began our journey, we joked and laughed at any number of stupid things.  Oh, yes!  It was to be a good day!

Still chuckling and being stupid, we spot a plethora of turkeys grazing in a nearby cornfield.  Kim says to me jokingly, "Hahahaha, drive straight through that field and hit those turkeys!"
I reply, "Hahahahaha, don't be stupid!"  "Look!  One is running out to the road to meet us!"  And, sure enough, one was!

We watched the big ass bird crossed the field till it got to the ditch where we saw him slow down.  What we didn't see was the turkey in the ditch who got scared by his buddy.  He leaps out of the ditch as if he's going to take off but couldn't quite decide which way he wanted to go.  That's when Kim says, "Hahahaha, hit 'em!"  At that exact moment the stupid bird chooses to fly straight into the windshield!  Smash!  In my astonishment I quickly pull over to assess the damage done to my vehicle.  I look at Kim to gauge his reaction to this event and he must have been holding his breath because the next thing he screams is, "FUCK!"  I, myself, didn't even know how to react.  On the one hand, I wanted to laugh my ass off.  But, on the other hand, my windshield was totalled! 

So, I did the only thing I could think of and kept my mouth shut.  I suppose this was a good thing because Kim was standing in the middle of the road waving his hands and repeatedly screaming, "What the fuck?"  I realized then that he didn't see the humor in the situation.  I, personally, felt like karma had just kicked me in the ass!  See?  That's what you get for all the joking around!  Who's laughing now?

Meanwhile, Kim starts looking up and down the road for the bird we thought we had pulverized.  Needless to say, the whole turkey herd had disappeared without a trace while he was screaming and shouting.  Even the dead turkey managed to drag himself out of the line of fire. With no trophy to be found, he plucks a few stray feathers out of the windshield and promptly says to me, "Fuck, I can't even ride my bike to work!"



And that, my friends, is the real moral of this story.  Not, fooling comes to crying or watch what you say, but... don't EVER leave your bicycle behind!

2011-WTF Happened?

November 20th , 2011

It's always interesting to sit back after time has passed and evaluate a situation.  This always seems like a good time to go over the could'a; would'a, should'as.  I had no idea that Kim breaking his leg would have such a huge impact on the STS team as a whole. 

The BMX season went into hibernation, and, if it ever came out I've yet to hear about it.

The real heroes on the team this year turned out to be Mully and Gehen.  Despite losing a valued rider they kept the wheel to the ground and covered many a mile on road.  Mully's moment of glory went mostly unnoticed.  In late spring he pulled a 173 mile day in the saddle.  The only thing keeping him from hitting his goal of 200 was the lack of daylight.  Due to shitty weather all summer, he never got the chance to complete his goal.  How many miles he logged all together this year, I have no clue.  But, I do know this, no one is more dedicated than Jamie Antosh.

I had the pleasure of riding to Dryden with Gehen sometime around June.  Followed by Awesome Austin and a busted up Kim we hit the Dryden Hotel for a few bevvies and peddled our asses back home.  It was our first attempt at filming a ride.  Needless to say, we have a lot of learning yet to do!

In August we moved headquarters to a better location.  We are now in closer proximity to the Cortland and Ithaca area cutting our travel time in half. 

Come October, Justin Austin was shipped off for basic training and Mattie G. had transplanted himself in NC.  Half of our production crew evaporated. 

Hanson also managed to break his leg riding park.  Although they had almost identical breaks, Hanson's recovery time was half of Kim's.

Hippy, Jammer, Jose and Josh did their own thing.  I hardly saw hide nor hair of them.

Monkey relocated to MD for a career opportunity. And, don't even get me started on Tommy B.!

Am I missing anyone?  As for myself, the summer flashed by in a blink of an eye.  By the time Kim was back on his feet fall had arrived.  I'm glad to say he is officially, "back."  At least, according to Mully.

It's been a very interesting year and I'm looking forward to 2012.  Although, things will be different, I have the utmost confidence they will still be kick ass!  I'm ready for whatever changes may come our way.  That's the beauty of the club.  Regardless of what happens, we always make the most of it.  And, we always will!  Maybe some things never change...