nothing to say - but sure like to talk

A good 3 hours, A very good ride even with rain and 30 some degrees. There were some hills to keep you warm.

Ferraro's in Action!

Quartez with dad (Thunder Head) in tow on the third lap at the 6 hour Heel Of A Race in Chapel Hill. Dad got 4 laps and Quartez got 3, 9.1 miles per lap. Very cold and rough, tight single track. Single speed of course, TH did the first lap fixed but the log crossings almost proved fatal, so he had to switch to SS for the remainder of the race . We were not in the hunt for a win but we had fun and that's the main goal. Quote of the day, somebody asked Mrs.Thunder Head (mom) why ride single speed? Her response..."Separates the men from the boys..."

State Government Lunch Ride

Friday, lunch time... sandwich? Nah, hit the dirt. A windy day in the low 40s with flurries blowing was perfect for a quick lunchtime spin on the Monocog fixie. I can leave my office at the J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center and connect the four state campuses of JIRDC, Broughton Hospital, the North Carolina School for the Deaf, and Western Piedmont Community College.

The four campuses in Morganton occupy some of the most beautiful land in Burke County. The rolling pastures were once farmed to feed the residents of Broughton and NCSD. This picture was shot from the back of the Jim Richardson campus of WPCC looking over the NCSD campus toward the Linville Gorge.

The pastures in between the campuses are connected by double-track. Although not technical, the scenic paths serve up some short, steep climbs for a good, short workout. This tractor path leads up to the fields behind Broughton's old livestock stables.

Hay bales in the fields behind Broughton. A careful look at the horizon behind the hay will reveal the cupola of the Avery building of Broughton Hospital. Broughton opened in 1883 as the first of the four facilities to occupy this land, and the Avery building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

"She thinks my Redline Monocog Flite 29er Fixie's sexy..."

Division WW treats anxiety-based gram-counting disorders. The patients live on wards CF, Al, and Ti. My friend KJ has been involuntarily treated so many times he gets his meds for free, but he refuses to take them.

Double-track on the Broughton campus.

The old railroad grade between NCSD and Broughton. Trains used this spur to deliver coal to power the two campuses.

A short quad-buster behind the North Carolina School for the Deaf. NCSD was established in 1894 and boasts examples of some of the same historic architecture as Broughton.

A tractor path connecting the campuses of NCSD and WPCC.

Road connecting the back part of WPCC with the new Jim Richardson campus of WPCC.

A gravel path behind the horse pastures of the Exceptional Equestrians stables at JIRDC. The J. Iverson Riddle Developmental Center was founded in 1963 and built on former farmland of Broughton.

Hey, a hard ride deserves a little siesta afterward! Your tax dollars at work...

6 hour Fix

Descending Pilot Ridge road from 221. is the steepest road in Pisgah.
Hike a Bike via Ant Ext, yea thats snow!

KC's new 26er fixie soon to be 96er Fixie

Mondays Mixup

Skid Stop descending Globe Mtn Road, plenty of light left!

Descending Globe

Blowing Rock,32 miles 4:20 time to get their via Fixed Gear 36x16

Total time back to start 6:30 with 62+miles.

Old Geezer on the Edgemont Rd @ base of Grandfather Mtn!

Start Adeko rd: the parking spot!

More Time Trialing

Amy and Jim represented TRC one last time for 2008 at the Speedway Charities Time Trial Championship at Lowes Motor Speedway in Concord, NC on Sunday, November 9. Instead of the normal 10 mile distance that their summer series races, this event covered 13 miles over 9 laps.

Amy continued to have good results at LMS, placing first in her age group with a time of 39 minutes and change. She raced on a Cannondale modified into a ghetto TT ride with considerable input from Chris at TRC.

Alas, Jim finished dead last in the fixie division with a time of around 37 minutes. He did add some speed gear to his TRC Soma, but to no avail. However, he did improve on his average speed from the previous race in October.

The newly fixed TRC Redline Monocog made an appearance at the race on its way to a dirt session at Hobby Park the next day. Maybe Jim should have raced it instead.


And then there were four... in an effort to continue her quest for world TT domination, Amy scored a Jamis Trilogy TT frame kitted out with Dura-Ace components from a season-end sale by the Toshiba cycling team. It will be taken by Chris's shop next week for a TRC mojo infusion.

Fixed Fever

Jimbo and his nice monocog 29er Fixie! Front brake only!
Old Geezer and his new old,rattle can custom G Bike!

Red Univega, custom Fixie! Nice to See a person put together his own ride!

Article 3 under section 13 states:

Fixed gear riders must be able to build, operate and maintain his or her own steed of choice.

no where to ride ?

Tablerock Cycles country.

From the Top of Table Rock

Ever hear folks claim that there are no good places left to ride? They may just not be looking from the perfect perspective. Seems like there has to be somewhere in them thar hills to take a fixed gear 29r. Even" Tucker" and a couple of strangers out for a hike have that figured out.

Foundations

All Western Civilization can thank this crew at times for keeping the world safe for fixed gear cycling. Keep it simple - keep it real - find out for yourself what is true and what does or doesn`t work. Sounds like a dag gum conspiracy to re introduce sanity to a gear shifting gramophobic species.

As a child Quartez seemed to be normal. He got all of his shots,played video games,drank his milk,etc. But then - (and all of you parents take note please) He got out of school early and came in contact with fixed gear bicycle riding.

It`s always Halloween in some worlds. And it doesn`t seem to hurt a thing. Live and let live might work if Sheriff "Billy"only ran for President. He already rides a single speed - just get control of the media, raise some funds, and who knows? political correctness might shift to a new paradigm.