Deep Fried.

Last Friday Angela and I made our first trip together to the Minnesota State Fair. We both managed to eat unhealthy; Angela even ate a Pronto Pupp. I also ate a Pronto Pupp along with macaroni and cheese on a stick, deep fried pickles, cheese curds, pizza, scotch egg, french fries, and cookies. I learned my lesson with the cookies... go big or go home. We went to the fair with Angela's sister and her husband, which means that you can all stop thinking that I ate all of this by myself. In grade school I was taught to share, so share I did :)! The next day I felt tierd, but I would of felt much more than that had I eaten all that food on my own. The rest of the weekend flew by; I worked. We are approaching the last week of our Back 2 School bike sale, which meant that a lot of our customers couldn't hold out anymore. Ben, Jesrin and myself were very busy!I enjoyed my day off on Labor day with Angela. We went for a beautiful two hour road ride and then I added on another hour on my own. After riding it was time to get some chores done around the house. I got done with what I wanted, only to realize that our fridge is not keeping my refreshments cold. Yeah, the fridge is going out, which means that it is time to shop for a new one.Have a good start to a short week everyone. Chequamegon countdown: is less 2 weeks.

State Fair

This is where I am going today, the Minnesota State Fair.

It has been a few years since I have attended deep fried food on a stick convention so I thought it was time to check it out again. The word on the street is my wife is going to eat a Pronto Pupp. Who can resist a Pronto Pupp?

Transition Time

Life is all about transition. For my life, there are transitions all the time. Currently I am adjusting to a little different training to prepare for shorter much more intense races, getting ready for ski season which is not too far away (big store switch over), getting ready for the next bike season, and having a busy life (which everyone has). Balancing my wife's schedule and my own is transition all together. With Angela having 14 hour days at her clinic and a couple night classes, spending time together has been a little tricky lately with our combined schedules. So the time that I do get to spend with her, I love.

Last weekend we were able to sneak away for a little bit. I raced the Seeley Lions Pre Fat Mountain bike race to get some intensity on a course similar to the Chequamegon course. The race went well for me, considering that I have trained my body for a much different style of racing. I finished well and felt stronger towards the end of the race. From the result of the race and a little time spent on the trails, I feel I have gained some valuable insight to competing at this years Chequamegon Fat Tire 40.


Thanks to Angela for standing out in the cold, yes cold, for the length of the race. Not to mention it was drizzling too. Here we are together after the race.

After the race, we joined Kyia and Kris at a local brickoven pizza place in Cable, WI. The pizza was great and the beer was cold!!! Yippy.

From the race, we left town to drive to Carlton, MN where we met up with a bunch of friends at a cabin. It is always a great time to eat, drink, and laugh late into the night.

Today I had a great early morning ride and stopped at Great Harvest to pick up some awesome breakfast bread. I think I could eat the whole loaf, but I'm holding myself back. Time to get a couple things organized for the end of the week and then off to the shop.

Final Decision...

Welcome to the Home of the14th Anniversary Seeley Lions Club Pre Fat Mountain Bike Race


After a long week of going back and forth on if I was going to race this weekend, I am going. I am looking forward to an intense race to get ready for the big show in a couple of weeks. It will be interesting though as I feel my body currently is not in the correct form.

I am also using this weekend as a nice get-a-way with my wife. No, we are not just going to another bike race. We are headed to cabin to spend the evenning with friends and family. It will be a knarly time. (I might even use the stream to recover my legs; I have heard it is cold.)

Off to spin my legs and then to the truck I go.

Good Luck Ben!

WOW....It's about time!

Time has finally hit me straight on the top of the head. I can not believe that the race season is as far along as it is, our Back 2 School sale is going on right now, and my wife has started her internship. This all means one thing for me; summer is almost over. I know that I have not blogged much at all, and I can't use the excuse of not having time so I don't know what to say, but something is going to change. With all that I have to say, I would be here for a few hours and I don't have a few hours. I would also assume, reading would get too long, so I am going to do it magazine style (like myself, I look at the pictures first) and then I go read the article. So have at it...




12 hour race race in La Grange, WI. Finished 3rd overall.



Camping trip wit the Williams family in Wisconsin. Very fun vacation, looking forward to next year!






















I have really enjoyed cheering my wife on at the many triathlons that she has competed very well in this year. I must say, it is nice being on the spectator side occasionally. She has had a wonderful first year and looking forward to next year, I THINK.
(Recently took 2nd in her class at the last tri. Way to go.)





Most anticipated event of the summer for me, National 24 hours of Nine Mile competing in the 12 hour solo division.








--> After 12:54 hours of riding!!! Just a little tired.










Finished 2nd overall at Nine Mile. Completed 144 miles. Very pleased with the outcome and only a few minutes behind first. Next year, 24 hour solo division. Thanks to Angela and my parents for their support at this race. Over the summer, Angela has dialed in my nutrition for these events to make transitions very quick. With her assistance, it has allowed me more time on the bike and I would not be able to do it with out her. Thanks for sticking it out the entire time Angela!



Thats all for now, check back soon, and I do mean soon this time.

Month of May- Where???

It's June already and I can't believe it. Seems like not that long ago that the skis were put away to make the shop full on bike season. Well, it is here. Bike season has been great in many ways. The shop is doing very well and we are definitely keeping busy. As for myself, training continues and I am eagerly awaiting the next race.
I do have to say that I am pleased with how the first race went overall, and I can't believe that it has come and gone already. Like other things, it seems not that long ago that my wife and I planted the garden, but it shows signs of growth already. That is really exciting!!
With a little time to reflect on my first attempt at the solo 12 hour discipline, I must say that I did very well. The many hours of training put in over the last 8 months and the nutritional experiments have definitely paid off in the long run (I mean the long rides)! The first race took place at the Reforestation Camp in Green Bay, WI. It's a great trail that really suits my riding style. For the duration of the race which consisted of 11 hours and 20 minutes, I covered 139 miles to finish fourth on the day. I was pleased with my result, but most importantly I am focused on what I need to do next time to better my result.
My Cannondale Team Scalpel was superb and so was my Cannondale Taurine. I had to start on my Taurine set up for the wet conditions and as soon as the rain stopped, then I was able to move over to the Scalpel of which I stayed on for the rest of the day. I must say that the bikes were dialed and a special thanks to my dad for making sure that everything ran smooth during the race. Great Harvest Bread Company of Waite Park, MN and Powerbar Nutrition kept me fueled for the entire day. Thank you very much, the day would have been a lot harder without your generous support.
(I also used my secret concoction a few times, RB:H20, ask me if you want the details.)
Over the last couple of weeks I have been taking care of a little overused knee. I guess that's what happens when you turn the cranks over 57,000 times. I will be ready for the next race though, which is now only 11 days out.
Check back soon... more posts and pics to come.

Nice and Short

I had this weekend off and I was going to make the best of it. I wanted to get some stuff done around the house most importantly, but I also wanted to get a good ride in with a good friend.
I didn't get everything done around the house that I wanted to, but I made use of the nice weather by getting some raking out of the way. (I think that I used some muscles that are not used on the bike because I am a little sore.) Before I started out with the house chores, I made my way done to Elk River to meet Horkey for a little mountain bike action. Wow for two reasons, it was great to get on the mountain bike and there were tons of people out. The trail was in great shape and I always say that I am going to drive down there more often, but I don't really care for driving to ride. Problem solved-- the North Loop Mountain bike trail received a little TLC today and it is open and looking great.
See you all out on the trail.