NEHSCA Rocks

I have been involved with NEHSCA...the New England High School Cycling Association since September. A bunch of friends reached out and asked if I would like to get involved. I honestly didn't know too much about NEHSCA. I had heard a lot of positive feedback but I have been pretty enmeshed in cyclocross and Lacrosse for the last five years. I have been coaching Girls LAX for a while. I love it. Youth sports are so rewarding. As my daughter headed to High School I knew my time as a lacrosse coach and board member were over. But I loved my time coaching and being involved in youth sports. So when the chance to be involved with a youth mtn biking league popped up I was all in. And it has been amazing. I have been so impressed by all the people involved. To me that is what life is about. Build community, give back, be involved, volunteerism. 

I got into mountain biking in the early '90s in Northern California. One of my first lessons was bumping into Marylin Price the founder of Trips for Kids in the Marin Headlands. I have probably told this story before so I apologize if you have heard it. But I was flying down a fire road at warp speed. I came around a corner and there was a lady hike a biking up it. I got around her fine but it had bad optics. I was in control but out of control if you hear what I am saying, She yelled at me. I felt bad. So I walked back up and talked to her. She gave me a bit of a lecture but then invited me to tea. I met her that week for tea and learned more about life in that hour than I had in my years up to that point. And I became a HUGE Marylin and Trips for Kids fan, evangelist and supporter. And I became a better mountain biker that day. 

So fast forward 15 years later to when we relocated to New England from Norcal and I thought my life and bike addiction were over. Who knew it was only getting started. But everything I learned I put to work here. It is how I became so adept at building community in the #NECX. And it has been my bellwether since. So when the opportunity to be a part of NEHSCA came up I was all in. I was so stoked to join an organization whose mission was to get more kids on bikes. I met up with my local team the Wild Ones for a cool night ride and a cyclocross practice. It was so fun. Made me feel like a kid again. Then I got a call from one of the co-founders that my friend had been in a motor vehicle accident. He is the promoter of Secret Squirrel and one of the raddest dudes in New England. His truck was totaled. He needed help. In my world when a friend needs help you jump at the chance.

So we put the word out. And the NEHSCA kids and parents and coaches stepped up big time. We met up at the course and helped rake and groom the course. Mike showed up and just was so amazing. I signed my daughter up and myself as a co-coach. I had promised Syd we would have a fun day and have hot cocoa. I didn't mention mountain biking. One of the NEHSCA girls let Syd borrow her bike and we did an impromptu NEHSCA girls ride at Secret Squirrel. It was beyond inspiring. Seeing these young girls and their moms shredding inspired me so much. This is how I see the future of NESHCA. Girl Power. Giving back. Being a part of the community.

And yes, I have a bias towards CX and gravel. I am sort of an imposter on the mountain bike. I can fake it ok. But my first love will always be CX and adventure/gravel. Seeing these kids shred on a CX course was so rad. We have been talking about doing a NESHCA CX Series. I think it would be beyond cool. CX and Mtb just go together. Like peanut butter and fluff. 

I am so stoked to be a part of NEHSCA. We have a rad fundraiser coming up on Monday, December 16th from 7-9pm at Hale in Westwood. It is going to be a night with Jake Wells. We will have a film screening, Q&A and raffle. Rumors have it we will be raffling off two entries to Rapstutisa and a Lauf Gravel Fork! We hope to see you there! Register on Bikereg or hit us up and we will see you there! Here is the info Unknown Country

Putney (Rules)

Putney. The name harkens Valhalla. Mecca. Insert Hallowed Ground moniker here. It is one of the oldest continuously run cyclocross races in the United States. It has soooo much history. When I first joined HUP United over ten years ago all the OG spoke of it with reverence. There should be a Putney focused application to join HUP United. It should be simple. Have you raced Putney? How many times? Who did you get in the van with? Did it snow? Was it a mud pit? Is it the greatest race in all of the #NECX? What did you eat at the Co-op? What did you buy at the Co-op? My CX season has been a fairly "lost season" I have done two races (including Putney), promoted one and am about to promote another and am the ringleader of the Zank SSCX series. As David Lee Roth once said my CX season has been pretty much all "smoke and mirrors" I blame it on field hockey and a wonderful life I am blessed to live but that does not give me the luxury of racing CX every weekend. But Putney is a race I do not miss. It is like D2R2. If I can I go. So with that said here are my rules for Putney:

Rule number one: ALWAYS GO TO PUTNEY or West Hill CX as it is officially called.

Rule number two: ALWAYS GO TO PUTNEY.

Rule number three: ALWAYS GO TO PUTNEY. 

Rule number four: I swear this one will be helpful. Spikes IN! Always put spikes in your shoes for Putney. The run ups are loose and brutal. Often frozen. Always epic

Rule number five: Putney is NO place for filetreads. Even Resultsboy doesn't ride filetreads at Putney

Rule number six: One ALWAYS goes to the Putney co-op. It is right up the street from West Hill and is amazing. 

Rule number seven: You will heckle your friends and cheer on ALL the kids. Putney has an amazing family atmosphere. I have never seen anything like it. I get beat by ENTIRE families on an annual basis at Putney. 

Rule number eight: When in Vermont buy Vermont beer. It is special. I found Alchemist at the Co-op and about lost my mind. 

Rule number nine: Hang out. This is not a race you show up, pin up, race and go home. Spend time by the fire pit, go into the amazing West Hill shop, buy some wool tights. Live a little.

Rule number ten: Be nice. Seriously. A guy face planted in front of me on the run up. For some reason he couldn't get back up. His bike was stuck on his head. I reached down picked his bike off his fallen body and gave him a " Hey buddy you OK?" Let the leaders go through when you are getting lapped, high five your friends and rivals, don't crash a junior out, ring your bell, thank everyone. 

And that kids are my rules for Putney. Amidst the amazing hugs and high fives it was brought to my attention that rumors of the Zank SSCX Series demise had been greatly exaggerated. I blame myself. Or maybe Resultsboy posting that Ice Weasels last year at Medfield State was imminent. Who knows. But dear friends rest assured you cannot kill the Zank Series. There were 44 pre-reg'd SSCX riders at Putney. Honestly I have zero clue how many raced yesterday. But 44 pre-reg?! That is what I am talking about. Ice Weasels has about 108 pre-reg'd right now. Dare I say SSCX is a thing? Yeah sure why not. And there are a LEGION of people responsible for why this great series has grown the way it has. And Zank is really the founding father and guiding light of this Crazy Train. So my apologies if the wrong message got out there. Sorry for my absence. As LL Cool J once said Don't Call it a Comeback but I am back. I will be worshipping on the dark altar of SSCX with you my friends for the remainder of the season. If there are things you want for 2020 just hit me up. You know where to find me. But what I do know for 2020. We will be back! Radder then ever. This was always about the grassroots and we are taking that concept and rolling with it. Next year I propose we add in Midnight CX, Eco-Cross, and Ghosts. Those races have shown me some real radness this year and should be part of the series moving forward. High fives my friends and see you all at Secret Squirrel!

RI Red Rooster Ronde Redux

I love Rhode Island. There I said it. It is like the red-headed step child of New England. Everyone raves about VT/ME/NH....Mountains, lakes, ocean...blah, blah, blah. But RI?! Love it. Yeah it is sort of grimy and dirty. I did 5 years at Art School during the Buddy C years. Boston had the Bulger brothers Providence had "Buddy" I was (and still am) a country mouse. Rarely got out of my little town until I dropped into Providence in the late '80s. There wasn't any river fire. Unless the river was actually on fire....Great city though. And again I rarely got out of that small little bubble. RISD did have a cycling team even back then though. And I think I rode my bike to RISD beach one time before my bike was stolen and I gave up bikes until moving out West. So suffice it to say lots has changed since my days loitering around College Hill. 

My good friend Gewilli puts on a benefit ronde-style mixed terrain ride each year. I always miss it for some family commitment or another. But he always gives me the VIP tour of his route. Usually during the summer. It is a ride I look forward to every year. As I ease into my twilight years of cycling I really more and more just want to ride with friends. Racing? Meh. Never really was that into racing to be honest. Just don't have that edge to be competitive I guess. What always appealed to me about racing was seeing all the people. Most racers are like a reunion of sorts. But rides? That is what I live for. I met G at a bike path in Barrington. It is a bit south of Providence. The plan was to ride the route he had put together for this years RRRR. A teammate of his rolled up just as we were catching up. Did I mention the bike path? Holy crap. Every municipality should get down to Barrington and check this path out. It frankly has made me rethink everything I think I know about bike paths. So we roll out on these fabulous paths. 

It certainly doesn't hurt that these paths go right by the ocean and were in great shape. Maybe paving paths is the way to go. They certainly are more fun to ride. Anyway. We are rolling at a chill pace. Dive into some alleys and some easements and drop down onto the beach. G and I joke about running for CX. Yeah that ship has sailed as they say! We get back up on the road and I hear a noise every cyclist is very familiar. The sound of a bike scraping across pavement is very unique. I turn around and see Gewilli's teamie on the ground in the fetal position in the middle of the road. Bike is under him. And  car is pretty much on top of him but stopped thank god. I assume he got rear ended. What is that saying about assuming? Turns out he just hit the curb and then yardsailed. Thank god drivers in RI don't drive like Massholes or he would have been dead. Or at least under a car. The driver was very nice. Offered to transport him. He was fine thankfully. Some road rash but that is it. Gewilli and I rode him back to his car and bid him adieu. Gewilli and I are either the best people at triage or the worst. He kept asking if he should go to the ER. We were like were are the last people you should ask that!

The weather was a bit hot but not bad. The paths in some way reminded me of the Cape Cod Rail Trail but were way nicer. The transitions into towns was not the full crazed frogger action you get down the Cape. I saw the sign for Del's and asked G what it was. I asked him if it was "Italian Ice" Apparently as I learned that is a trigger for those from RI. We stopped in and I partook of that icy goodness. It is NOT an Italian Ice! But it is delicious.

We rolled from dirt sector to dirt sector. Made it to the RISD beach. Did a quick hot lap in there. Then rode to Roger Williams College. Shredded some cool trails. Stopped for a great iced coffee. Damn I could get used to this. We rode about 50 miles at a very gentlemanly pace. We talked mtbs and CX of course. But mostly just caught up and enjoyed the day of riding.

Gewilli is the best. Really one of my most rad friends. Super fun to ride with and loves bikes probably more than anyone I know. And loves coffee. Such a great day. Thanks Gewilli for the introduction to Del's and for such a great day on the bike!

Couch to D2R2

I wouldn't recommend doing D2R2 straight off the couch but sometimes life throws curve balls at you and your plans to do a full summer of "gravel" riding go up in one big dumpster fire. Don't get me wrong I had a FABULOUS summer. But I live in the flatlands. And am more of a woods rider than a gravel rider. I am great at braaappping around the woods for 2 hours. But a window opened and D2R2 was sitting there saying "chip you know you looooooovvvveeee gravel..." Honestly D2R2 is one of my favorite rides of the whole season. This was my third time doing it. The other two times were a mixed bag. I have learned from those past rides though and this year vowed to just enjoy it. No "racing" D2R2. No "crushing" D2R2. Just ride. Chill pace with a good crew. And then go full send on the downhills. That is kind of a D2R2 mullet that works great for me. 

 Gravel riding is blowing up. What started as just riding dirt on a drop bar bike has evolved into its own beast. Hey when Bikereg adds a tab with gravel rides you know your jam is legit! Shimano even just came out with a gravel group! And as much as I love the elegance of the term "gravel" it is sometimes a misnomer of sorts. But I guess D2R2 is a gravel ride. I like the term Road Randonnee better myself. I mean that definition above is exactly how I went about this year's rendition. For full disclosure I only walked ONE tiny bit of a climb that frankly was just as fast walking as riding. But those downhills. Oh my. I have had my new bike for about a year. This was the first time I was able to ride it on legit downhills in western mass and VT. Stiggy is the first carbon bike I have ever owned. It is a beast. As they say it is never about the bike but in this case it really is. I mean I am out of shape right now. Going from random 1 hour rides with 600 feet of climbing to 5 hour rides with 5,500 feet of climbing is no joke. And I am not a climber on my best day. The Stigmata loves to climb. And descends like a demon. Well maybe not a demon. I suspect descending like a demon would mean you overcooked turns and went straight into a tree. It is the most confidence inspiring bike I have ever ridden.

 But I digress as usual. We had a simple plan. HUP OG reunion. Somehow we got the band back together. I still can't believe it happened. Jimbo, Mike Salvatore, Stephen Jablonski, JZ and me. We opted into the 100k but ended up doing a sort of D2R2 choose your own adventure. One of the things I LOVE about D2R2 is how chill it is. No racer freak outs. No crappy attitudes. Just people of all sorts and levels of fitness on all manner of bikes. It is like a bike reunion. At breakfast I sat with a crew from Philly. It was on accident. But I am drawn to people like Philly like a moth to a flame. I mean they were a good looking bunch. I sat there eating my eggs and muffin quietly soaking in there conversation until I couldn't hold it in any longer and said 'You guys are from Philly aren't you?" The look on their faces was priceless. You would have thought I had accused them of having dog poop on their shoes.

I laughed and said I love people from Philly and mentioned I had gone to SSCX Philly. That broke the ice. We chatted a bit and recalled that amazing weekend. We sorted through who we knew and all that jazz and then it was revealed I was standing in the presence of the LEGEND who modified the Grail. Now this man is literally a hero. He somehow got his hands on the oft contested Grail that was stolen and restolen between PDX and Seattle over the years. It is basically a keg with a bunch of stuff on it. This gentleman is a legit metal artist. He welded a visage of Ben Franklin onto the Grail. It was amazing. The folks from Seattle weren't say as excited as us east coasters. I think it was one of the greatest moments in SSCX Worlds history and to meet the legend behind it was incredible. My D2R2 was already a huge success.

I wasn't really nervous about the ride. I assumed I was screwed. No riding. Hopped up on antibiotics because of dirty ass tick and just feeling less than fresh. But damn there is something about riding with a great crew like HUP that just washes off all of that BS and you just have gratitude for the moment and the ride ahead. The best part was seeing so many people I haven't seen since the Ronde. We rode with HUPster Meg and her sister for a bit. Then they dropped us like the old men we are. Bumped into my friend Seth in his CB kit. Saw the Team Awesome crew! The Firefly Crew! Meg and JD came out and said hi at Lunch. It was such a great day. I could do this ride every weekend.

At lunch we were feeling a bit less fresh and decided to do a the bail out option. D2R2 offers a ton of routes. Super long ones and super mellow family style routes. It is so well supported. They have garmin files of the routes, maps, people at aid stations. It is so rad. So we ate our lunch at a covered bridge in the shade right near a river. It has to be the most glorious lunch spot on a ride in history. We made the call to do the River Ride home. We ended up doing the same mileage but cut out about 2,000 feet of climbing. Was it all downhill? No but the River Road is incredible. 8 miles of twisting gorgeous hero dirt winding right next to a river. My only regret of the ride? Not swimming. It felt like if we went swimming we would never get back on the bikes though. So we weren't gonna risk it.

We got back to Deerfield and Mike took us on one last amazing choose your own adventure sector. Apparently there is a gravel road that goes through Deerfield Academy that is one of the oldest continuously used roads in the US. It went through a corn field and was fantastic. We got back to the start/finish all together and grabbed a cold beer. D2R2 goes all out. You get breakfast, lunch and dinner and FREE beer and a pint glass with your entry. That cold beer at the end of that ride with HUP OG was one of the best beers I have had. The best beer really is one you earn after a ride with great friends. And is cold.

We sat around together enjoying dinner and talking story about the ride. D2R2 is one not to miss. It is on my to do list moving forward. I wouldn't change much next year. Maybe swimming. Maybe getting a bit more riding in before. But I am ready to do it again this weekend. Thanks to all the volunteers who make it happen. It is an unreal crew that put this event on. It was a great pre-CX season reunion. So nice to see so many people having fun on bikes.

Seth rock the Cambridge Bikes kit! This kit in my mind is the best kit in the NECX. The CB team were like a horde of Visigoths. HUP and CB had such a great rivalry/friendship in the early years of the NECX.

Do Epic Shit is my new motto. Seeing Jimbo made my day. He is one of the coolest HUP dudes of all time. He's really the embodiment of what HUP is all about.

Mike, Jim, Stephen and JZ Thank you for dragging me around and making me laugh so much. That was honestly the best time I have had a D2R2. Such a solid crew. We need to ride more gentlemen!

Reset and Reload

I think I stole that from Claude Julian. Or Laird Hamilton. Not sure which. But I have been preaching that to the girls I coach for lacrosse for the past two years. Reset. Reload. Something bad happens. Reset. You make a mistake? Reset. Come to the sideline and reload with your teammates. Put the toxic stuff in a box. For a minute. For an hour. For a week. I do know Laird was a big fan of using a vacation as a mini-camp. Dude I am old AF. I need a reset every day just to keep moving forward. Yoga. Meditation. CBDs. Walking the dog. At some point your life becomes way more chill. Most people who don't know me think I am chill. I am the least chill person I know. I just hide it well. What I do know is I am damn lucky. And my family time is sacred. The Cape is one of those places that just heal me. I have been going there since I was a little kid. In my youth it was all about the Ocean. And shenanigans. Jesus I think back to some of the stuff we did as a kid and I am like how did I live to be this old?

Bikes saved me. Simple fact. Not sure what it is about it. Maybe the community. Or the space it creates for you. When I am on the bike everything just washes away. It is one of those unique things that require an odd focus. It is zen like in so many ways. This year has been brutal. So much going on. This vacation more than any of the past years was a reset. Not like I had a plan. Some of it is the new Stigmata. I am way past bikes having souls. But there is something about this bike. It has taken me a while to get used to it. But now? It is like a second skin. I can drift into it and lose myself after about three to four pedal strokes. This is the first time I have been able to ride it on the Cape. And I have to say I am more in love with this bike now than ever.

For those unfamiliar with the "Cape" It is where this whole party started. Yes the Vikings were here first (on the east coast) Columbus did his thing (south of FLA) but the Pilgrims. Yeah those crazy bastards made this work. Landed in Provincetown. Not Plimouth Rock as the myth goes. God the Bay must have seemed like a godsend after the open ocean. The Cape is some kind of magical place. Not unlike the Redwoods in Norcal. It just has a smell and a vibe. The Forest is soulful. And feeds the soul. Nickerson State Park to me is Valhalla. I have been riding in there for more than a decade. On CX bikes, MTB bikes all of it. But this year on Stiggy it all came together. It is the ultimate over/under bike spot. A MTB is way overbiking. A OG CX bike is underbiking. A modern carbon CX bike with disc brakes and tubeless 40s? hahaha. Sweet spot man.

I rode a bunch. I luckily hooked up with my good friend Finn and his buddy John and got the locals tour. I kept getting lost and finding all the cool shit. I would stop on every ride and just smell the pine and touch the soil. I HATE rocks. And roots. It sucks. I guess if that is what you are into cool. I am not. Life is hard enough. I want my forest bathes to sooth my soul. I did have one rather exciting moment. I don't often flat (especially in this age of tubeless) but when I do I do it big time. I was flying down a sick dirt road. I hear what sounds like a gun go off. Ok. I stop. Rear tire is FUBAR'd. I literally laugh. Ok. Luckily I have friends who love me. And as much as I am a hamfist with very little mechanical ability my friends have always coached me on what to pack. In my saddle bag was a tire boot and duct tape (Thanks Michele) and a small tube (Thanks Scott!) Multiple CO2 chargers. I had this. I double booted that bad boy and rode like Baryshnikov the rest of the way home.

I tried to replicate my ride with the locals one day and it ended a bit lost and found-ish. But I am a Gemini with ADD. I live to get lost amigo. When I get lost that is when the fun begins. I think we all are a bit too obsessed with knowing where we are. I mean you are where are you are even if you don't know where you are. You aren't lost until you can't find your way home. I think I learned this surfing and being on the ocean. The ocean teaches you not to panic. You panic when your surfboard breaks in half in double over head waves you die. You panic when you snap your mast in half on your sailboard when it is blowing 25 knots offshore? You die. Well maybe not die. But shit will get real fast. And maybe then you die. So yeah bikes? Meh. Destroying one of your fave tires off the gridish? Improvise. Figure it out. Again. With a little help from my friends I was back riding in no time. And once again feeling so lucky for this biker life.

If you live near the Cape. Get down and ride. The roads maybe aren't my jam. The rail trail and all the great stuff off of it are life changing. Especially Nickerson. It has been my dream to do a CX camp in there. Get some friends and a few camp sites. Ride and hang for 3 days. It would be sick. Speaking of friends. So yeah my rear tire was done and dusted. And I of course brought zero back up. The Cape is all about tourists and bikes on the path. Tubeless CX tires are like a magic unicorn. But Sea Sports Cyclery had me covered. I drove up and scored a sweet Tracer tire and Stan's sealant. I prayed the tape on my rims would hold for one more set up. It did. I love setting up tubeless tires. If it  is the most rewarding thing you can do for a bike.

The new tire was a nice surprise. I assumed it would be horrible but was actually really nice. At this point beggars can't be choosers anyway. The other revelation from my vacation was visiting a new yoga studio. My wife completes me. I know that sounds weird. But she makes me a better person. Everyday. And yoga is one of the things she has gotten me into. The first time I tried Yoga it was in Danville, CA. Pretty sure Christy Turlington  went to the same studio. It was super chill. Non-heated. Yoga. Hippie style. When we moved home I resisted for a while and then started going to "hot" yoga with my wife. I mean it is "hot" in India. It makes sense to do yoga in a sauna right? Hahaha. My experience with hot yoga is sort of like how I race CX. Go in hot, wreck myself, curse life, battle back, take no prisoners, outlast the bastards. So when I finally joined my wife for yoga on the Cape I literally had to empty my cup. Check myself. 100%. Yoga is an opportunity. You think you know yourself but do you? We all hold so much baggage. This studio was unlike any I had been in before. Not heated. Average age? 68? But damn. Those yogis could lay it down. So impressed.

The takeaway? This obsession with youth is madness. Yes. We all get old. If we are lucky. Slow down. Smell the flowers. Surf the earth. Reset and reload. You have all the tools you need. I am on the other side of mid-way to a century. How did that happen? Luck. I never thought I would get past 30. What does the next half of my century have in store? No idea. But I am wide open. I know what is important. It is the simple things. Pulling off the beaten path and finding some loamy pine covered single track that leads to a pond. We are lucky to have this biker life. I am blessed to be a part of this beautiful family. Peace my friends.

Laatste Ronde

"This was never about the money, this was about us against the system. The system that kills the human spirit. We stand for something. We are here to show the guys that are inching their way on the freeways in their metal coffins that the human spirit is still alive." -Bodhi 

That quote has been my mantra for the better part of decade. Honestly, that is how I have lived my entire life without even realizing it. When I first leaped into the bike industry way back in another lifetime most of the people I rode with and hung out with were rebels, non-conformists, dirtbags, trouble basically. I learned everything from them. When we decided to do the first Ronde de Rosey it was a reaction to the "system" and that system was a certain HUGE road race in NY that shall remain nameless. We had had enough of being taken advantage of and having to pay what at the time seemed like a King's ransom to "race" some of the nicest dirt roads in NY....So we decided screw the system. We aren't giving the people who are destroying the sport our hard earned money anymore. And we will do our own cool bandit version and make it better.

At the time no one was doing what we were about to do. It was pre-GPS, pre-Strava. And it was glorious. Were we the first ones to seek and enjoy the trails around these parts on CX bikes? Of course not. But we were the first ones to go all in. And to create a ride around the premise that you don't have to drive four hours from home and pay $100 to do a cool ride. Now don't get me wrong. Things have changed dramatically in ten years. There are so many legit gravel rides that are worth every penny you pay to register. I am happy to drive to VT and hand over my hard earned money to Rasputitsa or Peter Vollers or any number of gravel race promoters. The value proposition works with gravel. And they all get it. They treat the riders like kings and queens. And they all give back to the community. In the unmentioned road race you were lucky if you got scored correctly. And god forbid you flatted. No one was helping you...am I saying we ushered in a gravel revolution in New England? Maybe. The Ronde was never meant to be a race. It was meant to be an adventure with cool people. And meant to be a catalyst to grow a community and support a great cause in Bikes not Bombs. The first Ronde was just a bunch of rival CX teams smashing through the woods getting lost and breaking their bikes and loving every second of it. 

Over the years the RdR has gotten bigger. And has had its challenges. As its has grown so have we. We being Rosey, myself, Michele, Greg and all those involved. Over the years we have pissed some people off. I think it is impossible to build a community and put on an event without pissing someone off. But we have always tried to listen and to respect. I can still remember being chewed out by NEMBA about going through LLF one of the first renditions. This year was especially challenging as it seemed like it rained all Spring. We postponed which we have never done in the history of the RdR. But it was the right thing to do. The new date looked GREAT! Sunshine. Warm. Perfect. We all descended upon the Washington Square Tavern eager to set out on a great ride with a bunch of rad friends. HUP has always had a really strong showing. And this year did not disappoint. I mean look at that Team photo?! Damn. 

We rolled out from the Tavern as a team. Picked up some people out around BC and headed to the aqueducts toward Wellesley. Things got a bit dicey as we hit the first single track trails so we decided to split up into smaller groups. Team Super Wolf Blood Moon had to cut it short anyway. I had a lacrosse game to coach later that day. So the plan was always to cut the head off the route and do a RdR Lite. I am always amazed at how my friends Michele and Greg curate these routes. In the old days Rosey and I would go out and do ride, after ride, after ride with ribbons in our hands to mark the route. Now with strava heat maps and some trail wizardry and yes some trail blazing voila you have a kick ass route. This Ronde was one for the ages. Sometimes you get so used to a ride or route you sort of get complacent. I am a grizzled veteran of these rides. Nothing really surprises me. I mean if it can happen it has happened to me at this point doing gravel rides. But the gods tested us on this one I will say that. Maybe the God of Thunder was angry we postponed it. Maybe we forgot to sacrifice a goat. Who knows. But as we took the Weston rail trail toward Waltham I noticed the sky darken. I wasn't worried. The forecast was for a nice day. 

But as we rode along the trail it started to drizzle. By the time we got over the top of Prospect Hill it was now full on raining. As we descended the Greenway it was pouring rain. It was almost laughable at how insane it was. I mean water was pouring down the trail. All the granite and exposed roots made the trail insanely treacherous. We ping ponged off all the roots and rocks and just prayed we would not crash into a tree. As we rode down a group of trail runners were running up. They all were smiling and happy. Chatted with us. It was so cool to see a group of like minded trail users just laughing at these insane conditions. As we popped out onto the road we realized it was only just getting more intense. So Roger tapped into his local knowledge and we made a bee-line home to the Tavern. I don't think I have been that cold on a ride in May in my life. It wasn't Mt Shasta at the Lemurian cold. I almost died during that race but it was close. Didn't know you could get hypothermia riding in May. Weird.

When we got back to the Tavern we saw some other teams rolling in. Lots made the smart call and pulled the plug. Others suffered through the rain and did the full route. Hats off to everyone who endured those conditions. In a testament to people's skills no one got hurt, no one complained and everyone had a blast. At the Tavern I raised a pint of Fiddlehead and said Skol. Its been ten great years. I am pretty sure this is the last RdR. It is an amazing event. And one we all cherish. But it has run its course. We will of course still find ways to build and support this great community. And we will always support our friends at Bikes not Bombs. They do such important work.

A HUGE thanks to all the riders and folks who have supported the RdR. Major shout out to Rosey. That man is unreal. He has made this happen every year with a smile on his face. Always made everyone feel a part of the event and welcomed. A Huge thanks to our sponsors: The Washington Square Tavern, Mad Alchemy, Stan's No Tubes, Skratch Labs, WTB, Floyd's of Leadville, 3Cross, Feedback Sports, Ortleib. This Laatste Ronde will be the kick off of our farewell tour. Ideally this farewell tour is more Sabbath than Slayer. Keep posted for news on the 2019 Zank SSCX Series soon.

Valhalla I am coming

Dearly beloved, we have gathered here today to get through this thing called Life. Electric word life it means forever and that is a mighty long time. But I am here to tell you there is something else. If you don't like the world you are living in take a look around you at least you got friends.—Prince. 

Yes my friends you have friends. We have this crazy ass bike community. For richer or poorer. In sickness and in health. We made a blood oath the second we hopped aboard a bike. Any bike. All are welcome at our Church. Come in all sizes. Colors. Creeds. 29ers. 650b. FS. HT. Drop bar enduro. We are all but humble servants of the Dirt Church. 

This post was supposed to be the last post of 2018. Whelp. I had a pretty epic vaca. Not in the epic ride bro but in the epic I lived and loved it to the max. My family is my whole world. Only second to my friends. And if you are reading this you know we are friends. I love you with all my heart. I am sure we have suffered and wandered upon the same path. This post I have been saving for a special moment. And the moment is now. I live a blessed life. It is not without suffering and hardship. This year has been hard. But I refuse to call it a "bad year" I know lots of you have had hard years. I see it. And I am here for you. 100%. Not sure why 2019 feels so hopeful. But it does. I read a quote from a coach recently. I am a lacrosse coach. Girls U14. It is a hotmess. But he said it is not about winning or losing it is about winning and LEARNING. Yes. That nails it. This past year was hard. But I learned a lot. In that suffering came great knowledge. I fucked up. A lot. I was a bastard at times. Pain can do that to you. You lash out. You don't mean it but it happens.  You sweat the small stuff. It adds up. And maybe you lose focus on what matters. Luckily I have the best friends in the world.

So about this post. I have never been surprised. Literally. I know lots of people have elaborate bday surprises. Not me. Ok maybe that one time my dad gave me the keys to the Datsun. But it really wasn't a surprise it was more like "shit we don't have a present for you how about this rusted out car..." That car was cool don't get me wrong. So 2018 was hard. I know it was for you too. But in one of my more darker moments a reset of sorts was hit. I mean I did not see it coming. But one of my true friends and the love of my life got me good. 2018 I was a bit elusive. Not sure what that was about. Maybe I was depressed. Duh. And sort of retracted into myself. Sorry. My friends would ask to go on rides and I would be like nah I am busy. I mean I was but still. I missed my friends. I am a pack animal. Always have been. I love the idea of a tribal culture. I am part of a wolf pack. Even if at times I may go off on my own. You ever stay awake at night listening to Coyotes howl? They howl because one of the pack has been separated from the group.

I love my crew. It is a tight crew of 3 that morphs out to 6 that expands to infinity. But my wolfpack tends to be the Zank crew. I love my HUPmates and a bunch of others. But the Zank crew. Wow. We have so much history. We are all dads and of a certain age. We are warriors. Sure we may seem like boring old white guys but trust me. Love them to death do us part. So when Matt called me, texted me and guilted me via our WhatsApp thread I relented. I fidgeted. I cajoled. I tried to deflect and parlay a gravel ride. But Matt was insistent. No he did not say "Chip, you little bitch we are riding mtn bikes." But he basically said that. So it was on. We were riding Russell Mill. I joked about how Michele left me for dead on this ride last time and how much I HATE mtn bikes. But actually it was a great route. And Michele found some sick flow stuff in Billerica. Myette even lied that he had ridden it. Yeah I am gullible. I trust people. It is bizarre I never have been surprised before. 

So I have one of the worst weeks of my life. Why bother with the details. A legion of moms go through the same shit on the daily. My gender bender lifestyle is nothing special. But I kind of suck at it. I have tried my best. Done my best but that is all you can do. So in the worst space and week of my life I am like sure dude let's do this. Matt rolls ups amidst some bizarre backstory of where he is and what he is up to. Pam, my beloved, is acting super fucking weird. But I am so fucking blown out the dog could have been chewing on a zombie hand I would not even bat an eye. There is a lot of crazeeee happening that am. I am like what fucking ever. I do the dad shuttle and get the kids to school. I get home. Pam is weird. Both of them seem amped. I just settle into ok let's go ride bikes and fuck this bullshit of a week.

Matt may be a serial killer. We engage in senseless banter. Blah, blah, blah. Do not get me wrong. I love Matt. Straight up. Brother from another a mother. So we are cruising along in the Honda Pilot. And then we blow by the exit to Russell Mill. I am like "Bro, I know you aren't from around these parts and it is early but yeah...exit. Blown...." Myette gets all serious and says we are going to KT. I almost jump out of the car. Full fight or flight. My brain goes into hyper drive thinking about what bullshit I have scheduled and what bullshit I have to cover. Matt sees the look on my face and says open the glove box. Pam has it covered. I open the glove box and there are two cards. One from Pam and one from the kids. Both make me cry. Damn I needed this. No strings. No obligations. Just heading to VT and KT. KT kids is Valhalla. The poor Vikings had to endure a lot of horror for the mythos of Valhalla. It actually exists my dear friend. In VT. In Burke to be exact.

 I have always been on a teeter totter of the physical and the spiritual. It is where I feel most comfortable. I do think you can find the path of enlightenment through the palace of excess via the physical. Whether it was hockey as a kid, martial arts, surfing and then cycling. It is how I feel most at home. KT reminds me of Maui in the '80s. Somehow I convinced my then girlfriend now wife to go to Maui with me to windsurf. My GF did NOT windsurf. She chose to suntan on the beach and get absolutely annihilated by the sun. But Maui opened my eyes. It was perfect. It was the first place I had ever visited where I felt at home to be myself. KT feels that same way. It is built around cycling. You roll into town and you sense cyclists are welcome. The whole community thrives off cycling. So the whole drive up I am like ok KT the Valhalla of mtn biking. I am soooo riding my 29er. Matt planned everything. Rented me a party bike. Got the BNB dialed. I am pretty hesitant to give up my 29er. The bike shop that rents the bikes is so chill. I am NOT chill. Guy is like hop on it. I am like wow. Ok see ya.

 It is the perfect bike. I love hardtails. Will always love hardtails but damn I love a party bike. I barely rode a mile and I was sold. The Santa Cruz 5010 is an amazing bike. I mean literally I hopped on it and it was green light GO! time. We headed up to the trail head and then just shredded for two hours. Epiphany number 1. I do not hate mtn biking I just hate mtn biking on my shitty local trails. God damnit are the trails in KT amazing. It is like when you go to ski in Vail or Beaver Creek for the first time. You feel like a super hero. Full send. Full shred mode. My hesitation around renting a bike was totally unfounded. Do yourself a favor. Rent a bike. It was an eye opener.

Day one we do about two hours of super fun trails. We climb up onto the Chapel. I won't lie I am a religious person. It is hard these days in this country and climate. But I can transcend that. The chapel in KT is what has always drawn me to christianity. It is the same vibe I get in the woods or on the ocean. It is on a spiritual level. Not political at all. We bump into a super cool group of  ladies. Again, how often do you bump into 10 women on mtn bikes? All together. No dudes. They were so rad. I went into the Chapel as it has always been a life dream of mine to see it. In person was beyond what I had imagined. We roll out and hit more of the most amazing trails I have ever seen and then ride back into town to the BNB. The BNB is incredible. How it is so affordable is beyond me.

That night we walk five minutes down the hill to the Tikki Bar and a fun event going on. We make tie dye shirts. The next day we shred for another two hours of hero riding. I reluctantly hand the 5010 over. I seriously consider just leaving it on the rack and giving them my cc # for it. It is that great of a bike. I am a believer. I bend a knee at the altar of KT and Santa Cruz. 2019 I plan on getting up to VT more than I have in the past. This trip was the highlight of 2018. The greatest gift two friends have ever given me.