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Don's Sunnyside Blog

• March 07, 2010
• 8:37

  ECHO TO VIENNA

   » ‎ Don's Sunnyside Blog

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  Yesterday was a long day full of wonderful experiences. Due to my reoccurring bicycle disease, Jim, Ben and I decided an almost 4 hour drive to Echo would be be worth it to do a 2 hour mountain bike race. That means 8 hours in a car and 2 hours on the bike. Now where is Echo anyway. It is out in North Eastern Oregon, not really close to any mountains, nor trees nor anything that one would think would make good mountain biking, but then we would be wrong. The guys out there have become friends with a farmer who has allowed them to use the land he can't farm to put in some trails. These trails go up and down these these gullies that are not suitable for wheat or vineyards and are perfect for mountain bike trails. The great trails in addition to 65 degrees and sun made for a perfect day. Now when you include the Sunnyside Team all having a great time along with all of the other friends in the Mountain bike world (That is means all of the people who mountain bike race in Oregon) it is like a big party. When the last finisher crossed the line to a standing ovation you know this is a great sport.Now my back report. Last fall I ruptured a disc. I was off the bike for 2 full months, and though I did manage to race at cross nationals I really didn't do any real cycling until January. This was my first real test. I was over 20 minutes faster than last year, my back was a little sore but not unusually so, and I managed to pull off a win. Last October, when I was having a difficult time climbing stairs, I wasn't sure if I would be able to do mountain bike again. I am still not out of woods and maybe I never will be. I will rest my body more than I used to, but believe me this was sweet.Now on to Vienna. We had to rush home as Ben needed to get back to his family and I needed to go and hear the Vienna's Boys choir (Thanks to Sanna Phinney). What a joy that was. It is hard to believe that boys that young could sing so well. This is not like your usual children's choir, this is like seeing and hearing seasoned professionals sing but they are 10 years old. It was interesting to note the multi ethnic look of the choir. These were not all tow headed boys that filled the Boys choir in years past but children with roots from all over the world. This also showed in the music that they sang. Of course many songs from Austria ( how could you not from the land of Mozart and Straus), but also music from Native Americans, India, Pakistan, Korea to just mention a few. I do have one question for my readers, what is deal with sailer suits for children and Austria? The Vienna's Boy Choir all wear them and so did the children in the sound of music. Austria doesn't even have a port. You never hear of the might of Austrian Navy sailing the 7 seas. Just curious. I may have been tired when I finally got to bed last night but it was all worth it. Next week we are off to Mallorca for 10 days. I will keep you all posted.Don
• 8:37

  [nt]

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• February 26, 2010
• 17:56

  HISTORY IN THE MAKING WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH

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  This week at the Olympics something very special happened for me, Sunnyside Sports, the USA and of course all of the skiers who have ever skied for the USA in Nordic Combined. Four very special skiers won the silver in the Nordic combined event, earlier in the week Johnny Spillane won a silver in the normal hill individual event with Bill Demong and Todd Lodvick in 4th and 6th, and yesterday Bill Demong won the Gold in the large hill, with Johnny Spillane the silver. This is huge. The first Gold ever for the USA in any Nordic event. Before this year the USA had won only one nordic medal ever, Bill Koch's silver in 1976. This year the USA won four medals. Why the personal connection. Well back in the day, the 70's to be exact, Bend had it's own Olympian, Mike Devecka. Mike was a friend of the store and we helped him out more than once with his Olympic career. If you look in the photo you will see 4 bibs from 4 Olympics. He skied on his own the last years of his career. The US ski team wanted younger skiers, he just happened to be the best in US so we helped raise some money to get him to Europe to compete. Later in live he became a bike racer, a father to another Olympian and now he lives in Colorado. Still a friend and still comes by when he is in town. We followed the Olympics back then hoping that Mike would have the luck, the wax and the strength to win an Olympic medal. He never did but he still had a great career.Years later (the 90s now), I was invited to Steamboat Springs to watch a Nordic Combined World Cup. I had never seen one before and was quite excited to see the event my good friend Mike did all those years. It was quite fun to watch, but the interesting thing was there was a young group of Americans there, Billy Demong, and Todd Lodvick among them. They did quite well for being so young and we were all sure the future was there. But Nagano, Salt Lake City and Torino didn't pan out as expected no medals. Vancouver has changed all that. This is not a miracle on snow story, this is a story of hard work and our racers becoming the best in the world. They were not underdogs they were favorites. If you watched last night you may have noticed the US skiers had some pretty long jumps. The weather then changed and some of the other good skiers did not even come close. The US team had the luck this year. I have seen events where the same has happened to the US team. This is an outdoor sport. So we had the luck, the fast wax and fast skies and the athletes who have really put in the time to become the best in the world. I have followed these guys for 15 years and it is so cool to see these guys do what Mike tried to do all those years ago. Mike should be proud and so should all of those athletes that came before. I don't really care about a dynasty, I just think it is cool that a sport that has been so special to me and to Sunnyside Sports has had the exposure on the TV and that all that hard work has payed off.
• February 14, 2010
• 18:48

  Cline Butte

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  I am going to Mallorca next month for my 8th time, and when I go I always stay in the same town Puerto Pollensa. I have been asked by friends - don't you get tired of the same roads? - Well I don't. We manage to find new roads, new cafes, and we always like to return to our favorite places. I like to remind these friends that I have lived in Bend for over 30 years and I still love to ride the same trails and roads, ski the same hills and loops, eat at the same cafes and do all of this with the same friends.
  I am not saying I don't like new things. I loved going to Meissner ski area this year and skiing some new trails for the first time. A couple of years ago I couldn't get enough of the new funner trail. I like both. This week I went someplace new for me, the top of Cline Butte. When I first moved to Bend we used to wonder what all those towers and buildings were. There were stories about super secret radars etc, but truth is I never had a reason to go up there, the road is gravel, so not so good for a road bike, and I don't really like driving my car that much.
  36 years later I finally made it. The local mountain bikers put some pretty radical trails there some years back, so radical that local legend, Carl Decker, broke his back on one of the more tricky descents. That put me off trying those trails.
  Things change though, a couple of years ago a new trail system was put in at the base of Cline Butte, it is called Maston. There is a nice pretty flat 11 mile trail, about 1 hour on bike. I like a little farther, so I took Phil's suggestion and rode a fairly new single track to the top of Cline Butte. It is sweet. The last 15 minutes is pretty grueling,as it follows the road.
  Once on top you can see most of Central Oregon, it is a great view. There are a few choices for going down. I stayed away from the one where all the riders had full face helmets and full armored pads. The one I took was single track, with a couple of mandatory drops. I had to walk around two of them, but it was still a fun trail, and it was someplace new. Pretty cool after living here so long.
  Thanks for reading.
  
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• February 08, 2010
• 20:41

  Kitties on my lap

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  We have three kitties, Rupert, Alex and Ariel. Alex is the perfect lap cat, always on a lap,mine, Kathy's,a student, someone's. Rupert is a doer, we don't know what it is he does, but he is pretty busy. His main job is to save us from the evil white cat from across the street. We are pretty sure it must be evil or Rupert wouldn't spend so much time keeping us safe. However at 8 pm every day it is lap time for Rupert. We have two laps available most days in our home, but Rupert has to be in the same lap as Alex, and Kathy is the chosen lap. Sometimes they are on top of each other, sometimes spread out, but always together. Alex is small, Rupert is big, in fact twice as big as Alex. Tonight Kathy is out so I am the lap, that is what that photo is -Alex and Rupert. I feel honored to be so picked.
  Ariel is, of course, off by herself. That is how she is. I can't really go to bed, two kitties are just too important to disturb.
  
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• February 04, 2010
• 11:57

  Sinus Infection

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  In this photo I do not have a sinus infection I have a happy infection. It seemed wrong to put in a photo of someone (me) with a bad headache. I guess the good thing is I have never had a sinus infection, an ear infection or even a throat infections since at least grade one (that is canadian for first grade). I was sick plenty my first year of school and then my doctor took out my tonsils. I didn't miss any school for about 4 or 5 years. I heard about sinus and ear infections but I didn't have clue as to what that was. When I got a little older those mysterious illnesses popped up again as my friends started having children. Children it seems live with those infections all the time. So here I am at 59 years old experiencing something new. I would kind of like to jump into that photo, 72 degrees, and no infection. Maybe this is a new way of natural healing, get a photo of when you feel great and just transform your self into that person. I do feel somewhat better today so I am off on a walk with my sweetheart, we may see the mountain lion we saw the track off, that could scare me out of the infection. I started to learn French the same day I got my sinus infection, so I associate French with a headache. I hope that is short term though because I am enjoying learning French. On another note we have been watching a series on Canadian History we got from Muffy. She used these to teach Zoe and Tosch about Canada. Though the United States and Canada share a common history, it is different enough that we have learned quite a bit. The first post Columbian European settlement in North America was an English settlement on Newfoundland. I never new that. Unfortunately the early history of the native americans and the euros is much the same in both countries. We are only up to around 1700 so we do have a ways to go, I am sure there will be many new and interesting things to learn. Thanks for reading and take care.Don
  
• January 20, 2010
• 19:37

  AVATAR BLUES

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  Kathy and I went to see Avatar the other day. I thought it was super cool. I have this memory of Kathy and I sitting in front of a Safeway grocery store with a petition for people to sign warning them of the greenhouse affect and us trying to get them to ban aerosols so this wouldn't happen. Most looked like us like we were from outer space. We fought for a lot of things back then, like saving our Redwood Forests, not driving so much, etc. We were radical conservationists. Now the biggest movie of all time is about that same subject. Our off the wall concerns of the 60s is now the subject ot the biggest movie ever. I am not sure that is a good thing. What it means is that we were right but we were not effective in stopping global warming. It is nice not to be thought of a radical conservationist but as someone who has real and proven concerns about our future.However that is not what this blog is about. It is about the "Avatar Blues". People who have seen this movie go home depressed because they think the planet Pandora is so beautiful and reality is not. I heard the craziest quote, some teenager wished we had 3D all the time. Is that child on a computer all the time? Like I said I loved this movie, I liked the theme and yes I though Pandora was awesome... but I love the desert, and I think where I live is even more awesome then Pandora. I think our world is more awesome. I think our world is worth saving also. The photos are random, they are places I have been the last year. People who have Avatar Blues need to go outside, go for a walk, though I would recommend a mountain bike ride down some fast trail to wake up their senses and to see and feel what our 3D world looks and feels like. Take care.Don
• January 10, 2010
• 8:01

  BEING CANADIAN

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  It is now official I am a Canadian Citizen. I wrote about this last Spring and today I found out is now official. I am pretty well chuffed about this. I am not sure exactly why. My mom grew up in Canada and met my Dad when she worked in Waterton Park and he worked in Glacier park after WW II. They got married and lived in Montana just south of the Canadian Border. I have many early memories of of crossing the border to see all of my Canadian Relatives. I started school in Canada. I remember saying zed and finding out it was the same as Zee. I went to Calgary for the 88 Olympics and thinking this was part of me, but not thinking it would be anything more than a thought. Last year Canada decided to do something about all the Canadians that were made to renounce their Citizenship when they became United States Citizens. I fit into that because Mom was a Canadian when I was born. I am not sure what I will do being a Canadian. I might race in the Canadian National Cyclo Cross championships, I may travel to Cuba, I doubt I would move up to the great white north but it could happen.It is ironic that when we had Bush as president I was ready to move to a country that was closer to my politics and Canada was a choice. Now that I am Canadian it is their government that I don't agree with. I guess it shows one that staying home and trying to affect change is better than running away. It feels good to have what I have felt for a long time official. Don
• January 07, 2010
• 5:55

  RIDING WITH FRIENDS

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  Last Sunday morning I got a call from Jeff Burnard. I haven't seen Jeff for a few years, I think it was at a cross race in Portland in fact. Jeff is one of the founders of Mrazek Bicycles. Though they haven't made any bicycles for a few year most of us locals know the name from one of our most popular mountain bike trails.I keep track of Jeff through is uncle who I have been racing with for the last 10 years. When Jeff comes to town he likes to call his friends and go for a ride. What a better way to reacquaint oneself with old friends than doing something we all like to do. So bunch of us showed up, Mike from Hutches, Phil and his son Eric, JP, Alex and Carl, who both used to race with Jeff on the Mrazek pro team. Out to Horse Ridge we went. It was quite balmy for early January, almost 50 degrees. The trail was in perfect condition lower down and then there was a bit of ice, not bad just enough to make it interesting. Sand Canyon was in perfect condition. Of course I see Carl out riding all the time. It would be a lie to say I ride with him but our paths cross frequently in the woods, at races etc. I do get out with Phil from time to time. Us old guys have to stick together. I haven't ridden with Alex since he was a teenager (now he is married with children). He still flies down the hills. I don't know if he remembers but I once taught a mountain bike class at COCC that was enrolled in. I wonder if he learned anything that day. It was a fun day, good to get out with some guys I haven't been with for years.I was telling this story to a friend and he asked if the Phil I was riding with is the famous Phil. I said if you mean the guy who's name is on our most popular trail system, yes.I have know Phil from the beginning of our central Oregon trails. I had the honor to ride Phil's trail a day or so after he built it. He called a group of friends to check out his latest project. I have had the honor to help him build a couple of trails. Yes Phil is a real guy. Next spring we are going to have a meet Phil night at Sunnyside Sports . Deschutes Brewery with supply us with some Phil's Trail Ale and you will get a chance to talk to the mythical Phil. Take care,Don
• January 01, 2010
• 6:24

  NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS?

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  My Mom asked me and Kathy last night if we had any New Year's resolutions. I realized that I don't make New Year's resolutions. I like to think that I am very present in my life and everyday I am doing the thing I want to do at the moment. This doesn't mean I don't look to the future and have goals, it does mean I am not looking for a day to change some habit and become a better person. I try to do that everyday. I have a goal, for example to weigh 155 pounds. This would allow me to race faster, be healthier and weigh less than Jacob. I have not been very successful in this goal for different reasons. One is a food group I am fond of called cookies. I seem to hover around 160. I think I would have made it this year, but then I hurt my back and I was not able to do any long rides this fall. I know I could have eaten less but it just didn't happen. Still that is not a New Year's resolution because it is a goal I have everyday. I hope I do not need resolutions that would make me a better person as I work hard at being the best I can be everyday.I do have wishes for the New Year. Good health for me and everyone I know, more time spent with my sweetheart, continued success at Sunnyside Sports, and hopefully a trip to see my friends in Scotland. I guess I could add World Peace etc... but that is something I consider everyday. I am looking forward to 2010 (the first time I have written the year) as I get ready to enter my 7th decade. I hope to spend more time with the friends I have and hopefully meet new friends. Happy New Year ! everyone and I would like to think your resolutions or wishes come true.Don
• December 28, 2009
• 15:01

  MEISSNER SNOW PARK LIKE A HOLIDAY

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  First a disclaimer. I am one of only two, possibly three people who have had season nordic passes at Mt Bachelor every year since the Nordic Area opened all those years ago. I don't even remember what year that was maybe 1976 or so. I have always supported the mountain and have coached up there since 1993 through The MBSEF. I have also dreamed of skiing closer to town on trails that were not on a mountain but through more rolling terrain. Meissner was the area I dreamed of. Tumalo Langlauf Club helped realize that dream a few years ago when they raised some money and bought a real groomer. Sunnyside Sports from the beginning has supported the grooming at Meissner. We pledged $10,000 the first year they started the grooming. With the purchase of the new groomer we will give more. This year TLC bought another groomer that is bigger and more reliable. They also cut some new trails. I can't even remember the names of all of the new trails but today I skied them for the first time. I was skating today as that is my favorite technique and the conditions were perfect for skating. I only skied new trails and was out for almost 2 hours. It was like being on a ski holiday in Canada or Europe. These trails rock. They are fun (kind of like our mountain bike trails), not too hard but still with some stiff climbs. Mt Bachelor was packed today, and yes the small parking lot at Meissner was pretty full but it was relaxing, only 15 minutes from town and again great skiing.If you haven't tried the new trails and experience what the new groomer has done stop by the next time you go to skiing. Remember to have a State Snow Park Permit (you can buy one at Sunnyside Sports), and as the sign in the photo says leave a donation. Grooming ski trails is an expensive operation. Take care and enjoy the snow.Don
• December 24, 2009
• 7:21

  POST CYCLOCROSS - SKI SEASON

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  Cyclocross season is over for me, though the pros are in Europe getting ready for the big event - worlds. I decided I could go out and try the mountain bike. The rides were short but very fun. I went out to Horse Ridge three times. The first day it was close to 55 and quite warm, the next day started out warm but then this cloud came by, the temperature dropped 10 degrees and it started to snow. The next day was probably a perfect ski day but I had arranged to go to Horse Ridge with Serena, Ben and Renee. It turned out to be my favorite condition, two inches of fresh snow on hard dirt. Somewhat slick but extra fun. Except for the cold feet afterwords it was a perfect day. I had to throw in some photos of some pies Kathy and I made. The one for the Team cyclocross party is my all time favorite. It has the distinctive smoke stacks which was the backdrop of the Nationals race course, you can see the crowd and the racers. Kathy is amazing. I have also done my share of skiing. A couple of days with Mary and Mike, Serena joined us for one of those days. The skiing has been very good, though last Saturday for the Nancy P's classic race the conditions were horrendous. I like the change of seasons. I like to ski, and do my winter mountain bike rides. This year the mountain bike will even be more fun as I missed the fall season.I am planning a trip to Mallorca this spring, if you are a reader and are interested please email me at donoso@bendnet.com . We will be going in early March. Don
• December 18, 2009
• 5:40

  Interview on Cyclocross Magazine.com

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  Interview with me on CX Magazine. This interview was done a few days before my race last week. I was quite honored that Jason picked me for this piece along with being interviewed by Heather for the official guide for Cyclo Cross Nationals. I liked the format with the slide show of me doing what I do and a few slides of me racing. The interview took almost two hours but he had to make it a piece that would not just appeal to my Mom and Kathy. I was intrigued by the content. Of all the the questions I answered these were the ones that he thought most interesting.Mainly, as I said I feel honored that feelings and thought that I have are appealing to others. I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I enjoyed being the centerpiece. I have to admit my ego is well chuffed about being recognized. Next year I have more goals, one is not to be injured. Two is to get a medal and three is to race two national championships, Canadian (I should be a Canadian citizen by then) and our in town.Don
  
• December 13, 2009
• 21:09

  2009 Cross Nationals what a 4 days

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  Well the event we have been waiting for is now over. I remember going to a get together for Tom Vinson (USA cycling event coordinator) about a year ago and now we will wait another year for a repeat. I can't say this years race was what I was expecting, but it was a fantastic experience. From checking out the course with Chad and Renee (the snowy photo), to having Mary and Mike warm up in our tent and us getting to be in the Pit for them, to all of the Sunnyside Team mates hanging around, lending a hand, taking photos, racing, it was just a fantastic experience. I think everyone on the team had good performances and, if they are like me they want to improve. What we can't improve on was Team Spirit, we have that dialed. There was not one other team out there that had the support that we had. I would rather have all that than a medal, though both would not be a bad thing. Tomorrow is a day to test the back skiing and get off the bike for awhile. I am already looking forward to next years season though. Thanks to everyone for making the last four days so memorable.
  Don
• December 10, 2009
• 18:48

  TEARS IN MY EYES

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  I was overwhelmed
  at the start of my race today. I had messages from friends as far away as Scotland and I would swear half of the crowd was cheering for me. I literally had tears in my eyes at the start line. That was a new experience. One is supposed to be full of adrenaline not tears. My start was OK I was in reach of spot number 5 and I was feeling like I could really handle the snow. Then bam down I went after hitting a rut of solid ice. Whoa I said take it easy. I was holding my own and really starting to reel a couple of riders in (in fact I had just passed my friend Ron) and I was feeling very solid on the corners. My back was holding out and my legs were ok. I was really accelerating out of the corners, trying to be like Ryan Trebon. I had two more in sight and the next one was just around the corner when boom again. I had take a different line down this drop to get by the next rider and I hit another solid ice rut. This time I bent my rear mech (for my brit friends), I got my pit bike but I had lost my momentum. I finished strong but I just didn't have to catch those guys again. Starting this race was a victory for me. I didn't see the results, but with some luck I may have cracked the top 10. No, riding a trainer will not get you a national championship if that is all you do, but it will allow you to start a race in your hometown in front of a huge crowd and be competitive. This race was one of the best things I have ever done. I didn't take my doctor's advice nor my PT's advice. I knew there was a risk, there is always risk in racing one's bike on solid ice. I will say for who I am and what I do it was way worth it. Thank you for all your encouragement. I heard every one of you if you were out there cheering, and I thought of my friends in Scotland. Bike season is over for me for the year. I am already looking forward to next year though.DonPS Thanks to Rich Wolf and Linda Topping for the photos.
• 9:13

  5 hours and counting

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  So why do I write this blog anyway? Do I think I know so much that I have to let it out? I really am not sure. What I do know is I am writing this one for myself. I have decided to race, I have spent some serious time on a trainer this fall and early winter, I have ridden outside 6 times since October 1st. So what exactly do you expect in this race? These are the thoughts that go through me head. So first of all, assuming I am correct and racing will not re injure me, starting this race is a victory for me. 6 weeks ago I was pretty sure I would not race this year. When my leg strength came back and pain went I started to think maybe. When it stayed away and the practice barricades didn't aggravate anything I was pretty sure. Now I am just waiting at home for the big moment. I do think a top 5 is in reach. It will be hard . I will have to have all my skills on top of my game and my legs will have to answer to each call to go. I will have fun. The course could not be better suited for me. Not many dismounts, slick corners and a couple of drops. I will write the second half of this this afternoon. Don
• December 06, 2009
• 6:21

  THE BLOG I DID WANT TO WRITE

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  Sunday December 6th, 67 days after my ruptured disc. Here I am racing my bike again. The morning after and I feel great. Tired legs and sore throat (from shouting all day long). Back feels great and no shooting leg pain. I am probably not healed 100% and I still plan to be careful but I did have a lot of fun yesterday. Everything from starting conservatively, passing most of my fellow racers ( I started last and finished 5th), passing many of the 100 racers in the younger group in front of me (I just wish they would practice in the mud once in a while) and feeling like I can still ride a bike. That was outdoor ride # 6 since September. It was a chance but one I wanted to take. After my race I got to watch the rest of my team race and of course the pros. I was in the pit standing next to Chris Horner (he was pitting for his girlfriend) and I got a couple of photos of the pros racing. Ryan Trebon gave it everything he had but ended up third. Veronica is the picture of concentration at the start of the women's A race. I feel very proud to be in the pit for two women ( Serena and Veronica) in the A race and one man (Matt). Those men and women are so fast to even start with them is amazing.Kathy asked me this morning if I am even more excited about Nationals now. I am not more excited just more confident I can do well. I am not sure how well as one race does not make me ready. I will rest the next few days and start with my head high.Thanks for reading and thanks to all for all the support I have had. One more comment. I have never wanted this injury or my blogs about it to me a melodrama. Being injured and recovering is a small thing in our world. It has been fun to do this and share though. I had more fun racing yesterday and was more proud of my 5th place then of many wins I have had. I wouldn't change this fall for another because of all the things I have learned about myself and about the support I have gotten. Don
  
  
  
  
• November 29, 2009
• 16:29

  Happy Don and bunny hopping

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  Went out today with Serena on the National's course. I put the photo I promised last time-me smiling. So far so good. I hope it snows. There is not enough technical stuff the way it is. I like more of a challenge. There are a couple of side hills that would be tough in the snow. That being said it is still a fun course with lots of curbs. I am sure they will do something to mitigate the curbs (I wished they wouldn't), but even if they do it will be faster to bunny hop. I have bunny hopped 16 inches, I can do 12 inches most of the time and I can bunny hop a curb at full speed all day long. Not many 60 year olds can, not many women can. It is fairly easy to learn, but like anything it takes practice. I practice every year and if there is an obstacle in the course I will practice that day to get my timing down. If you are coming to Bend get your Bunny Hop in order. Take care.Don
• November 25, 2009
• 17:55

  TIME LINE OF HEALING

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  As most of you know I have been recovering from an extruded disc these past two months. It started with a very sore leg that I first noticed when I got off a long flight from France. I hope it ended on November 1st when I quit feeling any pain in my leg. My recovery started with a visit to my friend Dr Steve Ireland. He did some quick tests, asked some questions and sent me over to the MRI room. Sure enough an extruded disc. I am thinking surgery, he says no. Go get a cortisone epidural shot right to the spot (L-4/5). So then it is to Dr James Nelson. He is another doctor I know as he was in my ski class a few years back. In we go to the procedure room and in goes the needle. WOW! That was very painful. I have to say that James was great. He talked me through the pain, and when it was done I felt a lot better. The pain was pretty much gone but my right leg felt as if the muscle had been removed, back to Steve. Dr Ireland explained to me a nerve will repair its self about 2mm per day. My nerve was from my back to my calf so that is about 200 mm. That would mean 100 days. Ok time to be patient. It is hard to be patient when all year one race was on the top of the list, US Nationals on Dec 10th at 2:15. But patient I was (mostly anyway). I have been on my trainer doing exactly the same workouts I would have doing out of doors. I started on my trainer before I went to any doctor and each time I did a workout I felt better. I could walk around for around 1/2 hour, instead of 2 minutes.I put Nationals out of my mind and put my mind to healing. I asked Steve to prescribe both acupuncture and Physical Therapy. He told me I would heal anyway but if I wanted to try those he would accommodate me. Thank you Steve. I then started three days of PT with Tim Evens at Rebound and two days of Acupuncture with Almine Barton every week. I asked Almine about healing and acupuncture. She told me that she had seen statistics that said it would help me heal 65% faster. That would be about right for me. I was thinking three months is how long it would take so this would mean it would take about 2 months.I have done all the exercises Tim has given me. I have ridden out of doors three time since October 1st. I have had no pain for 24 days. I have decided to take some steps to see if I am ready to race. Steve nor Tim agree with me, but as I said in my last blog I have realized it is my decision. Today was the first test. I ran over 2 barricades 5 times (10 total) and then I went and rode the Nationals course 5 times. Right now I feel great, tonight when I sleep will tell the tale. That is when I always feel the worst. I know this is a gamble, but every time I go for a ride it is a gamble. I do jumps, ride some pretty crazy stuff for a 58 year old. I will be extra careful though. I do not like what I have gone through and I really can't afford to do all this therapy again. In my next blog if you see a photo of me riding with a big smile then you will know all has gone well. Thanks for reading.Don
  
• November 19, 2009
• 15:28

  DECIDING ON RACING OR NOT

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  In the photo you can see Mike mounting another tufo cyclocross tubular.  Cross season is hot and heavy at Sunnyside right now. We have three weeks until Nationals. This year is different, most would be done with cross with the finish of the cross crusade but with Nationals it is a different story. We have a race Thanksgiving weekend, then The GP races in Portland the next weekend with Nationals in Bend the 10TH through the 13TH. Mike and I will be gluing many more tyres on in the next three weeks.
  So what about me? I was hoping my doctor or my physical therapist would tell me I was 100% and give me the all clear. That is not going to happen. I am the one who will have to decide, I am the one who knows how I feel, the progress I have made and what it means to me.
  Right now I feel 98%, I am not sure if I ever feel 100%.
  Ok I have been on my trainer keeping in shape, but I haven't been in a race since the beginning of October
  If I do race will I be disappointed if I don't go well, will my back withstand a race? Maybe my back is fine. Is sitting harder on me than riding?
  I could keep asking all these questions but in the end I will not know, not even if I wait a year. I still have three weeks to decide, and only I can do that.
  Thanks for reading, Don
  
  Connected by MOTOBLUR™ on T-Mobile
  
• November 13, 2009
• 15:03

  New fancy phone

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  I have a new fancy phone, it is Motorola Cliq. This is not a blog about how cool this phone is, it is a blog about the new world we live in. I like to write timely blogs about current events. I am not really into Twitter, nor Facebook. I like to talk (Write in this case too much). I am at work and I have enclosed a photo of Seth, he doesn't really like to have his photo taken, but he managed a smile anyway. I think that is because he likes work. Somehow we manage to have a good time here.
  When I was younger we thought it was crazy that Dick Tracy could talk on his watch. Now everyone not only talks but has GPS, camera and I don't even know what else. We have been trying to keep Sunnyside Sport on the cutting edge of keeping our friends informed. It has to do with being real as opposed to Marketing. We do things and I want you to know about it.
  There are a couple of examples of what I mean in the National Cyclocross Guide.
  One there is a photo of a racer in one of the ads for another bike store, his bike was here at Sunnyside getting worked on.
  Another instance of real in the same guide is something I am proud of. There is an article about the Local Racer Spotlight. The local racer was me. There are a lot of locals in town racing their bikes and to pick me I feel is an honor. It is also real. No amount of marketing will buy what that article gives us.
  So that is what I am trying to do with my new phone. More blogs and more current information on what we are up to is what my plan is. Thanks for reading.
  Don
  
  
• November 11, 2009
• 14:55

  Mitchell Stevens

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  I remember the first day Joanne came in to Sunnyside *. She was new to town and was looking for some shoes. She was a bike racer and she was on a Portland team. Mitchell was a baby. She road raced and soon after the first visit joined the Sunnyside Team. Karen and I talked her into coming to a cross race, she was reluctant but because we were her friends she said yes. Was it love at first sight - NOT. She really didn't like cross. That being said Joanne is one tough woman and after a season or two of love/hate, and the realization that she did not do well in the heat (summer road racing), and the persistent pestering of Karen and I (we love cross) Joanne came around. So then we would go to cross races and sometimes Mitchell would show up. It was up to the team to keep an eye on him while his Mom road around in circles in the mud. He would yell and cheer for us all. I used to love him (a 5 year old) shouting out my name. Last year he decided it would be fun to do some time trialing on the road, and then this fall why not cross.I have been to only a couple of races this year, none of the ones that Mitchell has gone to. That is what I have missed most about this season, not seeing this young man do what we love to do- cross. When I found out Mitchell won the state championships I can't deny there were tears in my eyes. I was able to help him out once this year at a practice session. I was crippled at the time, but to see the concentration on his face when he was doing what I asked of him was amazing. I hope to help him out more, and to watch many more races. These photos of him are perfect. The pain on his face as he reaches for the win last Saturday and the joy on his face as he gets to stand on the podium, proudly wearing his Sunnyside Jersey. We are his team and have been since the beginning. I am so proud to be his teammate. Don *Sunnyside Sports is just Sunnyside to us that hang out there.
  
• November 06, 2009
• 11:20

  RECOVERY FROM A BAD BACK CAN BE FUN

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  As most of you know I have an extruded disc on my L-4. This means I have a lot of pain and weakness in my right leg. Not good for a cross racer. The deal is I don't want to be an ex cross racer I want to race again. I have been going to Rebound Physical Therapy Westside. They have a lot going on there, all of it good as far as I can tell. I have been going there to lift weights etc for about 5 years. There are always friends there and it has always been fun to go there. One of the reasons it has been fun is I have not been injured. Now that I am injured I thought it might be less fun, but it isn't. Now I am doing these seemingly easy exercises that turn out to be quite hard. Every time I show up Matt Lieto is also there, he doesn't have a traumatic injury like me, he has a nagging injury left over from a bad bike crash. What we both have found out is our injuries come from our bodies not using all of our muscles. It is kind of funny to see two accomplished athletes straining to get our hips to move. There is as much laughter as there is groaning. Tim Evens has been our PT. I first met Tim when he was just out of high school. This was in 1998 and he was a student at COCC. He, like a lot of us, was just getting into cyclo cross. I actually taught him how to mount and dismount. Now 11 years later he is helping me. I love stuff like that. He is really awesome at PT and I can really feel a difference after two weeks. I have also been getting some acupuncture treatments at Rebound. Almine Barton is the Acupuncturist that works there. She used to work at the Nike Athlete in Portland. She used to work on Nike Sponsored Athletes now she is working on me. Matt is also one of her patients. I get about 30 needles in me each treatment. The needles do not hurt, though I have noticed it is better to lie still once they are placed. Each time I get treated I feel just that much better. I am hoping it will speed up my recovery. On another note the race guide for Cyclo Cross Nationals is now online, there is a nice article about me in it. Check it out at Visit Bend . You have to scroll down a bit. I am hoping we will have snow like we did in the photo. Take care.Don
  
  
  
  
  
• November 03, 2009
• 6:52

  CROSS AND HALLOWEEN - ASTORIA

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  This past weekend I took a trip to Astoria with my team to see some cyclo cross racing. Halloween and cross are great combination. Mud, costumes and feeling of celebration is what prevails in this weekend of fun. From the photos you can see a race face on Gina, but then later we are on the beach dressed as Star Trek characters. Renee is wearing The Science Dress. I guess the characters that wore those dresses were science officers in the show. The cool thing about the fabric the costumes were made off is that it didn't breath and it wasn't waterproof. That must have taken some research. In the photo of me on my bike that was my first outdoor ride since I herniated my disc. I didn't seem to get anywhere though. I had a great time hanging with the team and cheering them on. I got to watch my group race and cheer on my friends. I won't say I didn't miss being out there, but it was also fun not having any pressure and being able to help with the bikes etc. I have had my best races in Astoria and next year I will be back racing. In the meantime I will continue to ride my trainer and try to stay in shape. Live long and prosper.
• October 26, 2009
• 15:19

  SUNNYSIDE'S NEW KIT AND NEW STAR

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  For many of us bike racers having our name in Velonews would be the high light of our career. I have been racing for over 30 year and my name was in Velonews once. It was an article about someone who I had helped. It was a nice recognition but deep down it would have been nice to have seen my name tied to a result.Though I will probably never get my name in Velonews connected to a result I have seen our new kit in Velonews the last two weeks. Serena Bishop, Sunnyside's newest star has been in the top three at the last two Cross Crusade races. She was the winner of last years Cross Crusade women's B division so this year she upgraded to A. Going from B to A is a very difficult transition. Winning to not winning in a word. Serena has not only made the transition but she has done it with a bang. She has been in the top 10 in all of her races (two thirds and two wins). She is also quite humble. If you read my blog you will see her's on my list of blogs I follow, it is titled Bend and Beyond. There is another reason our kit has been in Velonews. Our new kit looks great. It is the best kit in Oregon (according to Don and isn't that what this blog is all about). Jim, who is in the photo next to me, designed our kit. He put a lot of hours and sweat (and some blood) into our kit. I turned out great. I have my skin suit hanging in my bedroom giving me incentive to heal and get back out on the bike. On a personal note, I did some intervals yesterday and my right leg felt awesome. So I am headed in the right direction. I will be at next week's Cross Crusade cheering and helping. Don
• October 22, 2009
• 18:05

  INTERVALS AND MORE INTERVALS

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  Extruded disc or not I can still do intervals on the trainer in the shed. It doesn't sound like much fun but it is. I hate not being active and I feel really blessed that sitting on a bike that doesn't move wont' hurt my back. I tell my self I need to be in shape for Nationals in December, but I am really doing it because I like being in shape, I like the challenge and I like the music I listen to on my Ipod. It is weird having one weak leg though. I don't notice for most of the interval, in fact they feel normal. I like to use a higher gear for part of the interval though. I am still pedaling close to 100 rpm, but then I can tell my right leg is not quite as strong. I wish I could come up with some more really mind twisting new age reason why like to do intervals indoors when the mountain bike trails are at their best and the sun is that fall semi warm disc in the sky, but I can't. I think it is because I just don't like the idea of stopping and it is the best I can do. I do know I am glad I went to Mallorca this year, did the Scottish mountain bike holiday and even managed a trip to France this Fall. I also know when I get to hit the mountain bike trails I am going to be stoked. Maybe I will see you out there. I put this photo is so you know what I would rather be doing. Don
• October 13, 2009
• 6:50

  A BLOG I DON'T WANT TO WRITE

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  This last week has been pretty hard for me. After last weeks race (read my last blog), I realized I had something more that a sore leg. I went to see my friend Dr Steve Ireland and he confirmed it. After an MRI, and some more consultation it was discovered I have an extruded disc on my Lumbar #4. The fact that it is extruded and not protruded is somewhat good news as they seem to heal after time. My right leg has been about half to three quarters strength, and when I stand or walk I have sharp pains in my right leg. Riding doesn't hurt but I can't depend on the right leg either. My cross season could be over for the year. The deal is I am not really worried about that as getting my leg and back sound again. The shot has helped, even after one day the pain has changed from sharp to dull. I am going to get some acupuncture, and physical therapy. I have had so much support my friends that I realize what a great place I work and live once again. The ironic thing is I had already registered for Cross Nationals when I found all this out. It turned out it was important to be the highest category racer as that is how they will line us up at the start line. I have always been a category 3 road and cross racer because most of my race time has been a master and in cross I have always raced in my age group. I applied for an upgrade to Cat 1 and received it. So, injured or not and pushing 60 I am now an official Cat 1. Pretty cool I would say. As I said I can still ride my bike so off to some indoor intervals. They don't hurt and my back doesn't move. Don
• October 05, 2009
• 17:37

  WRITING A POSITIVE BLOG ABOUT A BAD RACE

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  First of all I am not writing here about excuses. Steve Yenne started right in front of me and finished 6th and my fellow 60 year old Ron Strasser Started right next to me and finished 12th. I can keep up with Steve for a while and stay with Ron on a normal day. But I finished 37th. I don't think last year we even had 37 starters, yesterday it was nearly 80, and I passed 43 of them, I just needed to pass 30 more. With the big crowd in our field (again this is my fault as I am the one who introduced the rule to have USA cycling age groups in OBRA) Brad used a lottery system to line up the racers. I drew short straw and was on the last row. Again I was not the only one but I have to say I was unprepared. I was hoping for a call up from last years results (I was 5th overall), but it was not to be. I never really got going. I tried to be aggressive on my passing but I don't like to crash and I am not the best accelerator. I race best from the front. Go hard, fast on the technical and then go faster. In a crowd I can't go fast in the technical and my best tool is lost. I need to work on this if I want to continue to race. The deal is I have never started a cross crusade race when I wasn't on the front row. It was my turn to see how the hundreds of racers come every week to see if they can break into the 60s or 50s, so now I will be trying for the teens or the twenties. I had a lousy race but a great time. My teamies put in some great performances. Serena 8 in A's, Veronica 13 in A's, Chad a top 10 in the Men's masters B's to name a few. I also missed most of the wet sloppy snow we had in Bend, instead 65 degrees and sun. I will be back, I will be trying harder to move up and get those hard to find points. It will be hard though.
• October 01, 2009
• 5:17

  PEACE IN FRANCE

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  The last two weeks riding in France one gets a feeling of serenity and peace that I don't feel around here. We live in a desert with some weather extremes that makes Bend a great place to live, but we don't have that pastoral feeling that comes with living in an area with green fields, farms and forests everywhere. The farmhouses in France give off an illusion of hundreds of years of tranquil times. I say illusion because I know from my Dad that his France (World War II) is not the same as the France I just spent a relaxing bike holiday in. He told me once that the first 90 days of his time in France he expected to be killed every minute. It was a brutal time. Not just for our soldiers though. Every town has a monument or a plaque that commemorates "the dead children of the village". Most of the statues have names from both great wars of the 20th Century. The other telling tale that the timeless peace is an illusion are all the towers and fortified castles everywhere. Today they are a remarkable reminder of the past but then they were used and destroyed in the many wars that have plagued Europe since the dawn of time. I am fortunate to get to enjoy Europe in a time of peace. To ride the quiet small roads of France is something all cyclists should get to do sometime. It is also important to remember that it wasn't always this way. I have been what many would call a pacifist all my life. I was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War and I have been against all of the wars since. People have asked me what I would have done during World War II. I cannot answer this question honestly as I was not there. I do know that our country is not at peace now and the lost lives that occur every day in our wars are tragic. Thinking of all the young men killed in this utopia for cyclist called France makes me realize again that our world is very fragile and every life is special. I don't know if there is a lesson to be learned from France and Europe, I don't know if there will ever be an end to war. I do know that while I have time I will spread the word of peace and encourage others to go discover the peaceful, serene qualities of the roads of France.
• September 30, 2009
• 8:18

  HOME

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  I am home from France, in some ways it all seems like a dream, but while I was there it was so timeless and real. Not all trips work this way with me. This trip though gave the illusion to me that I would be riding the small country roads of France with my group of 13 friends for the rest of time. I forgot how many days I had been there and didn't know how many were left to go. Numerous stops for cafe, or aperitifs with my friends ended with the last one in the main square of St Cere. That is some of us pictured. One last group dinner and then it was an early morning back to Toulouse with our guide (agent) Michelle, a long flight home, and then a big welcome from my sweetheart, kitties and a house full of tomatoes. It froze last night and Kathy was busy picking as many tomatoes as she could. This is about half of what was left. On the flight to Frankfurt from Toulouse a great view of what I assumed to be Mt Blanc. Though flying pretty much sucks it is still worth the hassle. Riding country roads in France is something I would recommend to any cycling enthusiast. To be in a country where sharing roads is something that just happens, and where they have not done "curve corrections" on all the roads is a great experience. Being home is also great. Kathy was at the airport to meet me with her usual beaming smile, and even the kitties gave me a welcome as I walked in the door, though they were disappointed when I plopped in the bed next to Kathy and not them. I still have a few more France experiences I want to blog about so the France theme is not over yet. Thanks for reading and maybe you will be able to join us on a trip in the future.Don
• September 27, 2009
• 7:35

  FRANCE 2009, WHY ME, WHY NOW

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  France, Why me and why now. I am a pretty lucky person to be France this last 10 days (right now I am watching the World Road Racing Championships on live TV in my hotel room). Over a year ago the big cheeses of Sunnyside decided that it would be a good thing to have semi official Sunnyside Sports europe trips. These trips are low key, no sags, and full of fun. Last March we in Mallorca for a 10 day spring ride and now we are in St Cere in the Dordogne area of France with 13 friends of Sunnyside Sports. We stay in the same hotel every night, do a different ride everyday, and try all the food we can. Everyone is having a great time (as far as I can tell anyway) and we hope to have more trips in the future. I couldn't be here without the support from home. We have four Sunnyside employees here (me, Barb, Lew and Muffy). That leaves us low at home. We all know they are working hard while we are on the best holiday ever. I think this is important for our store. We have always been more than just a store. We want relationships with our customers that go deep. This is simply because we love cycling and want to express that love with all of our customer friends. So once more thanks to the ones behind that makes this possible. I have to make a special note to Kathy, my sweetheart for encouraging me to spend 10 days away from home with friends in another country. Maybe next time she will come along. Take care Don
• September 26, 2009
• 23:51

  LE GROTTE DE PECHE MERLE (CAVE PAINTINGS)

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  25,000 Years ago in France we had the first known graffiti artists. They went down in limestone caves and did some amazing artwork. My Mom thinks it was the height of artwork and it has all gone downhill since. The Paintings from the Peche Merle leaves one with a feeling of awe. The spotted horses are the most famous, but I think it is the simple outline of the hand that really hit home as to how ephemeral life really is. It is so real and so vivid yet the person who did it is 25,000 years gone. I wonder if he had any idea of the impact he would have on the world, how many people would be amazed at a simple handprint. The hand print in my blog is of a man, there is also one of a woman in the cave. The day we rode out to the cave was another gorgeous day in France. We had to leave early in order to get to the cave in time for the last tour before lunch. We made it with plenty of time. It was a long ride so a few of the group elected to take a taxi to the cave and then ride home. I liked the different choices of footwear the group choose to walk in the cave. This cave is twice as big as the more famous Lascoux and there are not as many visitors. They limit the number to 700 per day, but that only happens around 30 times a year. This time of year around 200 visit the cave daily. In Madrid I went to a reproduction of Altamira (the most famous cave paintings in Spain) and I was moved, but to see the real thing is an all together different experience. Maybe the highlight of this trip.Take careDon
• September 24, 2009
• 22:54

  THE REAL THING PHILIPPE LOUVIOT

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  Yesterday we went to dinner for Cassoulet at L'Entre-Pots. This is a nice cafe on a side street in St Cere. The owner is quite funny and accomodating. We went there a couple of days ago but we ate outside and I did not go in to see all the photos. Some of the people in our group had been in and knew he had something to do with the ONCE team of the 90's.Well he had plenty to do with that team. Philippe Lauriot was the National Professional Champion of France in 1990. He rode in and finished the Tour de France 6 times, he won stages in Paris-Nice and won the 4 days of Dunkerque. He now runs a cafe and is in to Harley Davidson motorcycles. We asked him if he still rode and he explained he worked too much and rode 100,000 Kilometers as a pro and 75,000 kilometers as an amateur. You can check him out on Wikpedia if you like - Philippe Louviot . I must say he was quite modest but very proud of his career. And the Cassoulet was the best we have had. We had to order it two days in advance so they could cook the beans and have everything ready. On to more adventures today.Don
• September 23, 2009
• 21:40

  UTOPIA FOR CYCLING

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  We were riding along yesterday and Muffy said it was Utopia. She was correct for sure. We counted 7 small less travelled roads that all go the same direction.The most difficult thing is staying on course. Muffy tried a new method, she wrote on her leg the name of the next town on her leg. That is her studying the map so we wouldn't have to stop at each intersection. When we decided to eat lunch a picnic table seems to arrive out of nowhere. This morning we are going to Grotte de Peche Merle. It is a long way so we are getting an early start. When we went to our bakery (it opens at 6am) we found out it has twice as much food for all the workers in town. Instead of two types of quiche it had 5 types, it had more sweet types of croissants then we thought possible. In the top photo you can see St Cere from the local castle. It is a small town, not really a tourist destination at all. We all wonder why as it has some of the best riding we have ever seen. Take care Don
• September 22, 2009
• 23:15

  CASTLES, TOURS (TOWERS) AND MORE

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  Yesterday was a more difficult day than the first two. It seemed to us that the Kilometers were more like miles. 100 Ks in 5 hours. Part of the equations is how many times does the route cross a river. We went down to a river three times yesterday so that meant quite a bit of climbing out. Not to complain though. The climbs are all around 5 ks and so far not more than 7%. We climbed a total of 1700 meters yesterday (something around 5500 feet). We saw the Tour de Merle. A very old a ruined castle that was situated in the bottom of a canyon on a small island. It looked like a safe place to be in the middle ages. The turret was as perfect as the ones in Disneyland, only it is real. We were traveling in a rural area and though we had been looking for a place to get a cafe au lait for some hours (Muffy will tell you that I passed on one cafe thinking there would be a better one later), we didn't find one until we were almost done with our ride. We stopped anyway as that is why we come to France. We noticed they were replacing the rafters on the church in the plaza. How old were the old rafters we had to ask ourselves? 500 years. I really don't know but if look at the photo you can see they had been repaired quite a few times. There were a few unscheduled turns yesterday, but again everyone had a great time. Today will be a shorter ride with less climbing, tomorrow it is off to the Peche Merle, a famous cave with prehistoric paintings and then more castelet for dinner. Don
• September 21, 2009
• 21:47

  ANOTHER DAY IN FRANCE

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  We have had two riding days in France now. We are in Dordogne area of France enjoying the country roads and the food of France. My hat says it all. The roads over here are so perfect for bike riding one would think this is the capitol of cycling in the world (oh it is isn't it). On Sunday we were stopped in a some beautiful village there was a group of people our age standing in the plaza. One of them came up to us and started talking. They were having a class reunion and he just happened to be production manager for Mavic. That is how it is here in France. Yesterday we went to the magical city built into the wall of Rocamodour. On the way home we went to this fortified mill. It turned out the road kept on going so we thought we would explore. The rest of the day was one of exploration. Muffy complained that one of the roads we were on was only twice as good as the roads back home. We had to find a smaller less traveled road then. We saw a walled city, a suspension bridge that looked like it was for bikes until we noticed it was a car coming across. Magic is what it like riding over here.On a more serious note my friend Mary Ross, pictured on the top right had bike crash a couple of days ago in Portland. She will be OK but she is banged up pretty bad. She has been working in the downtown Bike Gallery. Go in and ask how she is doing. Send her good thoughts also. Take care.DonOh I forgot the other photo is of us Ritchey bike owners. They rock. As the airlines charge us more for bikes the Ritchey is the economical answer to a great travel bike. We are like a traveling ad.
  
• September 20, 2009
• 8:47

  FRANCE 2009

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  France 2009, Day one in the saddle. Yesterday was a day of travel for most of us. Sitting in jet planes and airports. I didn’t do much airport sitting as my connections were so close I was more worried about getting on the next flight. I managed as did everyone else and 14 of met in Toulouse, along with Michelle, Gilbert and the generous Truck driver.

  You see St Cere is 2 hours from Toulouse and there are not that many tourists in this part of France riding bikes. This means getting a shuttle is not the easiest thing. Barb and Lew though know Michelle. I met him two years ago on a trip over here and he suggested to us how it would be nice if we could bring some Americans over for a real bike holiday. He owned a hotel at the time and was trying to increase his business.

  This is the trip he asked for only he has since retired so we are at another hotel. He helped us arrange things though. Like the shuttle. I local bus operator and a local truck driver came to Toulouse to meet us. They were there and we all made it with our luggage. A miracle in a way. A relief for sure.

  We included three meals at out hotel in the trip. This lets everyone do there own thing in France for at least some of the time. The first meal was last night. It seemed obvious to have a good meal the first evening.

  What a meal it was. One of the best meals I have ever had. I can’t really even tell you what we had. Kind of a wild mushroom mousse to start, then Duck Magret for the main course, followed by a simple salad and a local goat cheese that was very smooth and then a chocolat fondant. A friend of Kathy said that the food of France brings tears to one’s eyes. He was correct. We are staying in a town of 3500 and we get a meal this good. Yes it took the usual two hours to eat it. This allowed us to meet our new friends Joe and Deborah, and of course everyone else to talk and get reaquainted.

  I was going to get up at 7 to put bikes together but I slept like a tired man and didn’t wake up until 8.

  The tale for today will go up on the next blog but it was an ideal day of riding in one of the most bike riding friendly places I have ever been.

  Don

  
• September 16, 2009
• 6:10

  THE END OF THE SEASON OR THE BEGINNING?

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  On Sunday I rode my 25th or so Sunnyside Century. There were around 40 of us enjoying the warm (for Bend) morning, a couple of showers and an almost hot afternoon. The Sunnyside Century started in 1972 and has been going ever since. It is the oldest Century in Oregon and it is a ride we are happy to put on. In it's heyday well over 100 riders would show up. It was the the big ride of the year for many. This was before The Oregon Bike Ride, Cycle Oregon, The Tour Des Chutes and all the other organized rides that we now have. It was also the end of the season for many cyclists. We would put away our cleats and start thinking about snow and skiing.Things have changed since then (at least for me). It is now the beginning of my favorite cycling season which is fall. Cyclo cross is just starting, and it will last well into December for most of us as Nationals will be the big event of the year. It is also prime mountain bike season. There will be some moisture from the Fall rains and the dew that forms with the cooler mornings. Instead of the end of the season it is the beginning. It is a good change for me. I am not good a waiting, I am good at doing. Waiting and worrying about snow is one of the biggest wastes of energy I have done. Now I just go out and enjoy the best time of year, the fall. Last year I had some friends from Wisconsin visiting for a early season ski holiday. We turned it into a mountain bike holiday as there was no snow. They had a blast and now want to come back for some more mountain biking.I am also headed to France in a couple days for a fall road bike holiday. We won't have perfect weather this time of year but we will have the pick of the cafes, bakeries and roads. I will be blogging about this trip the next two weeks so stay in tune for our France adventures. Don
• September 10, 2009
• 12:13

  STAYING FOCUSED FOR DECEMBER 10TH

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  Though the photo is out of focus I am staying in focus for my next big race, probably my biggest race since 1988 when I won a silver medal at the NORBA World Championships in the 35+ category. On December 10th in Bend Oregon we will host the 2009 National Cyclo Cross Championships. I will to be ready. I have had a few top 10 finishes but I am going to improve on that and finish on the podium. For me to do that I am focusing on that day. I haven't started to race cross yet as I want to race more later in the year, I have only been on my cross bike a few times and am still riding my mountain bike on some fun epic rides so cycling stays low key for as long as possible this year. I have been very consistent with a weight and interval program this year so I will be ready to step it up in the next three months. I will be ready. Today is September 10 and it is three months to the big day. Staying focused, being healthy and having fun, this is what I will doing the next three months in order to be ready. I am getting some help from Justin Wadsworth to fine tune my training, and from Rebound Physical Therapy with the use of their weights equipment. I appreciate all the help I have gotten and will get. It takes more than person to have a successful race and no one knows that more than me. Everyone at Sunnyside Sports has been encouraging me (and Damian, Mike and Jim) about the cross season. Of course Kathy is totally behind what I am doing, even if she keeps wondering if I am ever going to grow up.I wanted to state all these desires in public so they become more real to me. It means a lot to me that you are reading this and all of your energy will help me achieve my goals.Don
• September 02, 2009
• 6:13

  MCKENZIE PASS

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  McKenzie Pass is a must road ride if you are in Central Oregon. It goes over the original route between Bend and Eugene. If you take the main route (Santiam Pass) you may note there is a section called the Clear Lake Cutoff. That road is reasonably new. It was a boon to cyclists today when they built the Clear Lake Cutoff those many years ago. Route 242 (McKenzie Pass) is designated as a scenic highway. Though there is traffic when it is open the cars are usually not in a hurry and are not much of a bother to cyclists. Early in the summer the road is closed by snow so part of it rideable without cars.This summer they finished a long paving and improvement project. This means about 20 miles of the west side of the highway has brand new pavement. This is great for going west on 242. Before they paved it the surface was rough with many surprise bumps and potholes. Now it is almost perfect. If you go remember there is still gravel on the surface on some of the corners. This is because the road is narrow and cars tend to hit the shoulder and spray gravel on to the pavement. We (Muffy and I) went over last Sunday. Perfect weather, and not too much traffic. In the photos we have stopped at the bottom to have a Squirt. Bring some quarters if you go as there is Pepsi machine at Yale Camp on the other side. Route 242 is one of the few roads in Oregon that the Dept of Transportation have not ruined by their "curve correction" policy. This is reminiscent of Europe and the great cycling roads they have over there. It is a great ride in the fall because of all the color and less traffic. If you leave from Sisters and ride all the way over and back it is 75 miles, as it is an out and back you can make it any distance you want. We used to go over Santaim and back over McKenzie. For me the traffic on Santiam has become unbearable and with the new pavement on 242 the downhill is irresistible. Enjoy the best time in Bend -Sept and October.Don
• August 24, 2009
• 7:46

  HIGH CASCADES 100

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  I just finished the High Cascades 100 mountain bike race yesterday. My time was 12 hours and 11 minutes. I told myself before the start I would stop if it wasn't fun. It is hard to believe that one could have fun for over 12 hours of grueling riding but it was fun. It was also hard. In the photo with Chris Sheppard he is done and I still have 12 miles to go. I am drinking the drink that many pro riders drink when push comes to shove. Coca Cola. I don't really like soft drinks but if you a need a rush of energy a Coke seems to work.In the other photo Cass captured me finishing. It was good to be done.I was the oldest competitor in this years race. That is not really something I like. In fact I am used to being the youngest. I started school in Canada and then of you were 6 by the end of the year you started in you could start grade one. When we moved to the California they let me continue. I was always the youngest in my class. I also hung around my oldest brother's friends so I was way the youngest. I will be the youngest 60 year old in cross nationals this year.Being the oldest is kind of scary. Where did all the other 50 year olds go.I am not into flaunting my age. I did this race because I told Mike Ripley we needed a 100 mile race with mostly single track. He said yes, so I had to race. I don't like mountain bike races with gravel roads and some single track. This race even took me to some single track I had never been one before. We went through the Mt Bachelor ski area parking lots on this very sweet single track. So I was 5th in 45 + age group out of 12. I beat my predicted time by 15 minutes. Chris Sheppard missed his predicted time by an hour but hit my predicted time right one. I didn't crash once, my new Continental Rubber Queen front tyre saved me 4 times from crashing, and I passed 5 people in the last third of the race. I am well chuffed with my performance. I am sure where my energy comes from but I am thankful for it.I want to thank Barb and Muffy for being at the last aid station. At some point my motivation was that I would see them and they would make sure my bike and everything was OK. Thanks to Mike for joining me on another crazy epic and Cass for her smiling face and taking all those photos. There was one other person out there who was very helpful, Matt Lieto. I was thinking there were 6 of him. He was at all the aid stations, and I saw at least twice running in the forest. He was supporting his girlfriend Lea, who was also racing. A cheery face is a great thing when you are tired.Don
• August 16, 2009
• 7:46

  OBR 2009 PART 2

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  I am home from OBR 2009 and can now reminisce. We had one of the best OBR in memory (that goes back to 1988 for me). Every day was a perfect ride, lots of fun was had by the riders and the crew and we even raised some some money for the Williams Syndrome Foundation. Williams Syndrome is a birth defect that affect how the brain and body works.We started of in Heppner, you can see Zoe trying to ride a bucking bronco. We celebrated Barb's 60TH birthday with 3 cakes and a beautiful ornament. It decorated our Nitrogen tank the rest of the week.We had almost perfect weather. It rainied one day (though it dried out later) and it was cold one day. I would say that any one of these days could have been the best day. There were no long days on busy highways, nor really bad pavement. I love Eastern Oregon and always look forward to the trips on our side of the State. I love the mountains, the pine forests that transition into juniper forests to sage brush.I feel lucky that when I finish an OBR I get to return home to Bend and continue to be in the country I love best. The Sunnyside Crew has just about got this OBR thing figured out. There are 4 of us and we work as a team. We managed to fix some hard to find creaks, and do some temporary repairs (the rubber bands on the shift levers were a solution to some internal broken springs). Some sore knees were alleviated, and a few sore bottoms too.It is a pleasure to be able to help all those who need us and we hope to be able to continue this into the future.If you were on the ride thanks for coming and if you would like to join us next year check out our web page- OBR. This year both the Washington and the Oregon ride sold out in the first two weeks. If you want to see some more photos check out the Sunnyside Sports Face Book page. Thanks for reading.Don
• August 10, 2009
• 20:44

  OBR 2009

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  I forgot my camera wire so no photos until later. Two days into the ride and we have already had some adventures. Somehow we forgot three bike rentals, and Jake had to deliver them. A four hour drive with his dog Taylor. Taylor thought they were headed to Phil's Trail for a ride and a run. Four hours later it was dark and instead of a run it was a leash. She was tricked. As an after thought I had also forgotten my repair stand. Eagle eye Paul opened up the truck and the first thing he said was "Where is your repair stand?" Jake brought that also. The first two days of riding was pretty darn perfect. From farmland to pine forests to orchards to the John Day River. This is the Oregon I love and like. Tomorrow is one of my favorite rides, we get to go around the Strawberry Mountains. I have done this ride a few times and always look forward to the next time. Tomorrow is it. In camp yesterday there were a group of guys sitting next to our van. They told me they all read my blog. These guys all live in California. It is pretty cool to think that people I don't know read what I have to say. Cycling really is a small world and we like to connect with each other. Blogs are a way we can do that.No other interesting things have happened. Just hanging around friends and enjoying eastern Oregon. I will post some photos when I get home. Thanks for reading.D0n
• August 03, 2009
• 20:01

  SUMMER 2009 AND FRIENDS

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  It is now August, and it seems like a few days ago I was headed to Susan and Gary's for the annual 4Th of July party, summer seems to pass quickly. It has been hot, almost 100 every day for over a week. So hot we have use our air conditioning in the house. Some years we never use it, we use the Bend air conditioning system, open all the doors and windows at night and then close them up during the day.Today Zoe and Jake wanted to go on a Mountain Bike Ride with me. I have been doing mountain biking a long time but I have no feeling of importance, I just like to mountain bike. It is an honor for me to be asked to mountain bike with Zoe and Jake. Last week it was my nephew Georgy this week Jake and Zoe. I have known Zoe since she was 4, maybe 3 and Jake since he was 18. I have said this before but the first 10 years I knew Zoe she responded to everything I said with a laugh and a smile. If you have seen any photos of Jake it seems his smile is permanent. So today was special, a ride with the two biggest smiles I know. It had to be a great ride to match their enthusiasm. We had three others start out with us, Sarah, Willie and Muffy. They weren't quite up for an epic so we started at Swampy Lakes (where we saw a guy with a windsurf board, Swampy Lake is a swamp) and went down South Fork, the other three headed off to do the whoops and we went up the North Fork, Farewell Bend, Swede Ridge and back to the car. Fun, hard and, as you can see by Zoe's legs dusty. Though it was dusty it was super for mid summer conditions. It had rained hard the last two days (thunderstorms) so Farewell Bend was the best I have ever ridden it.Jake had a flat, and as he is our flat tyre professor, I took photos while he fixed the tyre. He had to put in a boot (the shot rapper) to fill a big gash in the tyre. Notice the big smiles in the photo of us three. I was smiling because one is supposed to in a photo, Zoe and Jake were looking like they always do. Being 59 and being able to do the funnest thing with 20 year old is very special. I hope everyone out there knows this and tries to take advantage of it. They get to see that old people are not any different then them, and the youthful energy they have is like the fountain of youth for me. Thanks for reading.Don
• July 26, 2009
• 17:34

  GEORGI

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  This is a photo of me and my nephew Georgi. I really don't know him well, though I would like to know him more. He was born in Bulgaria and my brother adopted him and his sister Stoyanka in 2001. They lived in Alaska then, though I did get to meet him at my Dad's memorial service in Glacier Park. He was 9 and was just learning English. My brother and his family then moved to Moscow, Russia. The time I have been with Georgi have been when they come to Bend to visit my mom and us. One time there was a family reunion and with all the relatives it was difficult to spend lots of time with Georgi. Two years ago it was different though. Georgi was 14 and was thinking riding a bike would be fun. I got one of our rentals and we did some really fun rides. I was impressed that a 14 year old could go so fast, long and he has natural skills. This year they are only here for a few days but Georgi got a new bike so we have been able to test it out. We went out to the lair the first day. Georgi has no fear so he was getting some serious air. His landings were a little dusty, though always with a smile. Today we decided to do the whoops. This is a trail that has become famous in Bend. Lots of big table tops, doubles and banked corners. In the photos you can see us resting after the hour and a half ride to the top. His new bike is the blue one. I warned him not to hit the bumps too fast. Down we went. More big smiles. It is great to share with family my biggest passion-mountain biking. He is headed back to Houston, where he lives, but maybe next summer or sometime we can get in some more rides in.Don
• July 23, 2009
• 13:18

  COMMENT ON THE TOUR

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  I have been watching the Tour avidly this year, though not more than the last three years. Lance's presence does not affect my interest in the Tour. I enjoy his presence but not all the politics that go with it. I would like most of these guys to talk with their legs not with their mouths. Kloden is a good example of that. He races, he goes hard, he may finish on the podium he doesn't complain.A few days ago there was a lot of talk how George Hincapie was robbed of the yellow jersey, how he deserved the yellow, etc.... I like George, one of the highlights in my life was being in France watching the Tour while George won a huge mountain stage in 2005. He did not deserve the jersey this year, because he simply didn't have the best time. The Tour is not Christmas it is a race. The reason Yellow is special is because it is hard to achieve. The real sad fact of that day was his own team was responsible for him not being in the jersey. They also lost the Green jersey in the same bonehead, greedy move. George was in a breakaway about 5 minutes ahead of the main field. He needed about 5 minutes to take the yellow. When the main pack came in the Colombia High Road boys went to the front to lead out Mark Cavendish. They weren't going all out but they were going fast enough to get to the front. In the confusion of the semi fast lead out Cavendish swerved to the side blocking Thor Hushovd. In my mind they were the cause of the 5 seconds George needed and because they were not committed and their lead out was not to plan, Mark swerved and was relegated to last place. They lost both the yellow and the green because they wanted both. They could have sent Mark to follow the wheel of Thor and not lead at all to make sure George had the time he needed. Mark could have then either won the field sprint or at least finished high up to get some points. He would then be still leading the points competition. That is not all. Columbia High Road doesn't want to be responsible for their own actions it appears. Mark Cavendish tells Thor, a previous winner of the Green Jersey in 2005, that this year the Jersey is tainted. The next day Thor, a really amazing bike rider, broke away from the field in one of the hardest mountain days of the Tour and won the two intermediate sprints. This gives him an almost insurmountable lead over Cavendish. I never have heard any quotes from Thor, his legs let the world know who deserves what and why. I was delighted to see Contador win the time trial today also. No one could say he what he should or shouldn't have done today. I like to watch the tour and see who is doing well and who does amazing things, I don't go into the tour hoping for a single person to win and then feel bad when they don't. I love the race, the glory, pain, everything. I am also delighted to see Lance in third and that he has been a good teammate whilst on the bike. Being a good teammate is what this year called for and he has done that well. I am not sure he likes that role though. Christian Van de Velde switched roles from leader to helper in just a second. He loves both roles. He is a complete person. Now we get to see what happens on the Ventoux.
• July 21, 2009
• 20:03

  BUSY SUMMER

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  It seems like I blink and another week has gone by. I like to write a blog at least once a week and this time of year it is a little harder. I love to watch the Tour and that takes time, but well worth it to me. This morning I was watching the Tour at 3:30 am. Sounds crazy, I know, but I wasn't the only one. Kathy and my brother, Bob who is visiting, also got up. I like to watch every minute I can. This weekend I did my dream race. A few weeks ago I wrote about Lookout Mountain, well this weekend I got to race my favorite trail. It went quite well for me. I didn't have anyone else in my age group but I managed to stay with most of the younger riders and I had a great time. This is a photo of me racing. My brother took it as I crested the top of the 8 mile climb. It was pretty much all downhill from that point on. I passed about 5 on the downhill so my skills are still there. Not many showed up though. Too bad really. There seems to be a lack of mountain bike racing interest in the summer. Portland people really don't like to travel. I can't really blame them but the truth is we call in Mountain biking for a reason and that reason is the mountains we have. Any racer who missed this race missed an opportunity to really get a feel of what this sport started as. Maybe next year. More family is coming this week including my nephew who is getting a new bike. I am looking forward to going out with him on it. The last time he was here we did a couple of great rides, but this time he will have his own bike so that will be cool. Another big stage tomorrow in the Tour. Lance has been great so far. I don't think he is going to win nor do I care. I do hope he gets to really help Contador. That would be cool. We will see.Don
• July 13, 2009
• 19:02

  RESCUING INSTEAD OF BEING RESCUED

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  I got to be the hero today instead of the embarrassed victim. My friends Barb and Lew (with their friend Ali) went to Lookout Mountain to see the wild flowers and go for a hike. After locking the car they were talking about Adam, Barb and Lew's son and how he got all his ID stolen out of his car when he left it at a trail head. Ali decided that it would be a good idea to take her wallet with her so when Lew got the key out of his pocket he realized, with an expletive, that it was the pickup truck key and not the Outback key. Not good when you are 2 hours from home. But the cell phone worked and why not call Don (me) he loves Lookout Mountain. Well I had just finished my Monday chores so why not. I actually base my mountain bike season on how many times I get to ride Lookout Mountain, one is minimum, two is good, three is excellent. This year I have ridden it twice now. So I got to be the knight in Lycra. It was a good change. We also got a free dinner (thanks to meals on wheels Barb) out of it. What a great day.Don
• 6:50

  REST DAY AT THE TOUR

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  It is the first rest day at the tour, this comes at a good time for me. I like to watch all the stages from start to finish. This meant 5am on Friday, 4:30 on Saturday and 4:00 on Sunday. Now I do get up early but even that is early for me, so a sleep in was most welcoming this morning. Phil and Paul like to say that the rest day for the riders is a mixed bag, that the riders don't always respond to a day of rest that well. I did notice that both Levi and Thor were quite enthused by the rest day, as Levi said, who wouldn't welcome some rest. I think training and exercise have changed very much in the last 30 years and some of the tradition that surrounds the Tour has become more folklore than fact. With massage, short easy rides and more knowledge about nutrition I would think the rest day is a very important part of the three week race. If some of the riders don't react well I would say it is because they are not taking advantage of the rest while the others are. I know for me in the middle of summer it is easy to go out and ride every day, the days are long and the roads and trails are beckoning. Last week I had to work a little more than average as a couple of my co-workers were gone. More work less riding. When I managed to throw in an interval session I was amazed at how strong I felt. I think rest is a good thing even for those pros. Don
• July 09, 2009
• 18:37

  ThOMAS VOECKLER WINS A STAGE

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  Many of you may remember Thomas from the 2004 Tour. He was in a breakaway in the first few days of the Tour that ended up 10 or so minutes in front of the peleton. He did not win the stage, or do anything that spectacular, he was the highest placed rider in the group and because of the time gap, he inherited the yellow jersey from a certain Lance Armstrong. US Postal did not want to defend the jersey through the flat windy early stages of the tour and let this group get ahead. Most Americans do not understand the subtle nuances of European Stage racing. Many could not figure out who this young cyclist was and why was he in yellow. He doesn't have a smooth style, nor the strength to win a big tour. He is aggressive and gives his heart in every race I have seen him in. He is in lots of breakaways. After the 2004 Tour he was a big hero in France and I think they expected him to go on to bigger and better things. He is not that type of rider. He is a worker, a fighter and a chance taker. He has won around 20 races in his career. None of them big, not until yesterday. Yesterday he won a stage in the Tour, he won it the same way he got the yellow jersey all those years ago, by being aggressive and being in a breakaway from kilo 0. They were almost caught with 20 k to go, the lead was 38 seconds. He didn't give up. The next thing I knew he had over a minute with 10k to go. He was with a group of 6 and with 4 k to go he took off by himself. He won by 7 seconds with the main group charging in. His life has just changed by that 7 seconds.When he crossed the line I had tears in my eyes. This guy has worked so hard for so many years and it has finally paid off. My hat is off to him. I am thinking that will be my favorite stage this year.Check out this photo to see how happy Thomas Voeckler was.
  
• July 06, 2009
• 5:22

  The Lair

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  The Lair is the fairly new skills area near the Phil's Trail Head. There are different types of jumps, drops skinnies, logs etc. You walk to the top and fly (literally down). I have tried this before but it was on the wrong bike. The bike I have now(Trek Fuel EX 9.9) is not really the "right" bike but it is better. I am scared of air, so this is a big challenge. As you can see from the photos there is also a social scene. It goes like this . Walk (or ride) up to the top, fly down trying to get more air and more speed than last time, talk about your exploits to your buddies, maybe watch in amazement to the brave guy flying off the ramp, over the 8 foot gap and making a perfect landing (That is the blur in the photo). Then up again and just try for that 2 foot of air. We were fortunate to be there with this young woman who was quite good on the intermediate line. She was working up her nerve to hit the big jump, just before we left she gave it a try and made it look easy. Fun stuff for sure. I am still scared of air but at least I am starting to know what it feels like, though it will take a new lifetime for me to hit that big one.Don
• July 05, 2009
• 7:53

  LEADER OF ASTANA ?

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  Astana has 4 riders in the top 10. None of them are time trial specialists, they are all stage race winners and podium finishers. Garmins leader is in 19th, Cervelo's leader in 21st, Rabobank's off the back. In the top 10 only Cadel Evans and 4 Astana boys are competitive, well maybe Roman Kreuzinger. So why pick a leader on the second day, all four of those riders deserve to be a leader. They would be the leader of almost any other team. Would you rather be Cadel in 5th with no teammates to help or Alberto with three guys right there. That should mean no pressure. Don't read too much into the press, as Paul Sherwen said -there are 3000 journalists covering the TDF and 1000 are making up their own story. Remember who is directing this team, Johann has won 8 TDFs, one Vuelta and I am thinking two Giros. Don't be too quick to judge. Now back to enjoying the race.Don
  
  
• June 28, 2009
• 18:06

  SUMMER AND THE BEST LONG BIKE RIDE

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  It is now summer in Bend. This is a time when I don't have to look at weather forecast to know it will be warm and sunny. For me it is a comfortable time of year. Work is busy, but on my days off I like a long hard bike ride in the sun. Sweat, drinking lots of water, getting tired taking a nap. Simple things, really but that is what I like. Today Jim and I went up to Round Mountain and Lookout Mountain. This is a 30 mile ride with 4 hours of riding time. There is 7 miles of uphill pavement and then 100% single track to the car. There are meadows and flowing trail, there are the Switchbacks of Death, there is 6 inch wide single track on a hillside (you hope the tyre you choose hooks on), another long climb when it seems time for more downhill. The flowers, well this is a desert flower oasis. I have to call Kathy when I am on top to tell her which flowers are in bloom. The last part is a 7 mile downhill. It starts off wicked. There is one place where the trails veers to the right and you have to look down and concentrate on the trail so you don't make the mistake of flying off the edge. As you get down the trail it gets easier with some high speed corners, side hills etc. Finally the last little section of sweet single track and back to the car. If you have done this ride with me in the past part of you was with me today. I think of all the times I have done this ride every time I do it. The time of the big crash (me), the time of the snow, the time of the torrential downpour, the time of running out of water, the time of the lost camera, the time of the found camera. That was maybe half the times I have done this ride. I rate my summer on how many times I do the Round/Lookout combo. One is good, two is very good and three rocks. I have only done it three times once. That will be my goal this year.Come in and ask me if you want to do this ride.Take care,DonPS I also hike up this same mountain with Kathy, it is also on the top of my lists of favorite hikes.
• June 22, 2009
• 6:12

  TEST OF ENDURANCE

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  This was a real test of a race. I have done a 12 hour races solo and a 100 mile race solo, but I think this was harder. In a 100 mile race you don't go at race pace, it is more of a long bike ride than a race. At the end you are either ahead or behind. In a 50 mile race you go race pace at the beginning and then try to repeat it the second half. I decided not to use mud tyres (a mistake), I decided against my contacts (my glasses fog up when it is wet), but that worked ok though. In Bend we have miles of single track that is fun and challenging to ride (that is because of COTA). In Corvallis they do not have that so the promoter of TOE (Mike Ripley of Mudslinger Events) builds a few more miles of trail every year. There are some sweet sections of single track that we rode yesterday but there were also some impossible (for me anyway) parts. When I find myself hoping for the gravel road sections I think this is not the kind of single track I like. This is not a complaint, more of a statement. I am 58 years old and am trying to make decisions in my life that make every moment worthwhile. It is not enough to go out an win a race (I did that yesterday), it also has to be lots of awesome single track. If not I would go out and road race. I don't do this for the pain as much for the smile the comes on my face after experiencing a fun course. Enough wining. Mike does as good a job possible and everything else about yesterdays TOE was perfect.We had mud, but not too much. The climb up to the first aid station was a steep climb in this very slippery mud. I made it both times (the second time I had to give it everything I had). I walked on the all the most difficult descents, as I still have a zero crash tolerance in my life. COKE. Was is the thing about Coca Cola? I don't drink soft drinks often. If you watch the Tour you will see on a long stage the riders being given cans of Coke towards the end of a stage, no matter who their drink sponsor is. I have known of the Coke affect since I did the STP (200 mile ride) 20 years ago. Drink a Coke with one hour to go and you feel fresh again. I had one yesterday with half a lap to go. I felt like a new man. There has to be more in there than caffeine and fructose. It was a good day in general, I may have broken 6 hours, I could have gone faster but I was trying to keep it so I did not go under. Now I have to decide if I am going to race the High Cascades 100. I know it will have the kind of single track I like. Don
• June 19, 2009
• 13:04

  TOE 50 MILE MOUNTAIN BIKE RACE

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  Sunday is the 6th annual Test of Endurance. It is a 50 mile mountain bike in Coast Range just west of Corvallis. I have not done this race before so it will be mostly new. It is ironic that in my last few years as I have gotten tired of riding road bike centuries and have gravitated to cyclo cross racing (these races last around 45 minutes) that I am doing a race that will take me around 5 hours. I didn't really train for this event other than ride less this week. I am not sure what to expect either. It may rain and be muddy or it might be a beautiful Willamette Valley early summer day. I have done long races in the past so I am not too worried about pacing or finishing, I guess my main goal is to have fun though. I will treat this as a long hard mountain bike ride. I think there are over 200 registered so I will have plenty of company. Lets just hope for some awesome single track and good weather.Don
• June 14, 2009
• 18:39

  TODAY'S FLOWERS +

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  Here are today's flowers from my 5+ hour ride. I am getting ready to do a 50 mile race next weekend (The Test of Endurance). That is not the point of this blog though, it is the flowers. Here they are. Kathy tells me they are buckwheat, lupine, penstemon, flax, bitterbrush, and wild strawberry. Of course the photo of Phil, James and Ben is just extra. I just happened to see them on the trail. It is nice to run into friends along the way.DonPS I did not list the flowers in order that is your job.
• 5:59

  THE RAIN AND THE FLOWERS

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  Yes it has been wet the last few days. If you read my last blog you will know I was caught in it. I  wasn't complaining about it though like a lot of Central Oregonians do, I was just telling about an adventure. I actually like the rain, the thunder and the lightning. The flowers like it even more. When I am out on my mountain bike it is amazing how many flowers are out there blooming. It is also amazing that I can never remember the names of them. Kathy has been teaching me the names of flowers for over 30 years and I still don't really get it. The ironic thing is I do know the name of the "flower" in the photo, it called Indian Paintbrush. She taught me that one first on one of our first dates. That was all the room my brain had for flower names I guess. Indian Paintbrush, however red and beautiful, is not a flower, the red you see are just the leaves turning red. The leaves are called bracts which are modified leaves. It is not that this is unusual, I am told there are other "flowers" like this, just don't ask me what they are. So if you ride with me and want to know the name of the flowers I can phone home and ask Kathy, unless it is an Indian Paintbrush, I have got those dialed. Today I am going out and I am going to try to get more photos of flowers. I will share them with you but you will have to identify them. No more complaining about the rain now, go out early and enjoy what the rain brings.Don
• June 12, 2009
• 7:08

  SERIOUSLY COLD ON THE TRAIL

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  I went out yesterday for an unplanned ride up to the Mountains. It was around 60f in town, but I knew it might rain where I was going so I put goretex gloves, warm hat,arm and leg warmers, vest and rain cape in the pockets. I figured I would be fine. Well as headed west it seemed where I was going was clear (Jeffrey calls this a sucker hole). After about one hour of riding everything changed in a matter of minutes- it started to rain, thunder and lightning, and then the hail. Under thick but not tall tree in a canyon I went. I put on all my clothing and figured I would be OK. I figured wrong. It rained so hard the trail became a river ( 10 inches deep in places) and the temp dropped into the low 40's. I figured it was time to go. I went for about 15 minutes and thought if I can get hold of Kathy I could just drop down to the Skyliner Snow Park and she could save me (this would save my about an hour of riding downhill). The problem was cell phone service. I knew there was one place that usually had service. I got there and took out my phone (this was not easy with now frozen hands and all those layers on). I had one bar indicating marginal service. I phoned home-busy. I tried her cell phone, she was there. I barely could get out the words meet me at Skyliners. She said OK. So down I went on the roughest road in Central Oregon. My tire felt flat after hitting a few large rocks in the road. I couldn't really see as my glasses were fogged and wet. I just kept pedaling. I found the shortcut through the houses and on to Skyliner's road. Kathy was not quite there as it had only taken me 15 minutes to get there. I was shivering uncontrollably by this time. There came the distinctive headlights of our Audi though. I managed to get the bike on the roof, I grabbed the wool blanket in the back of the car and jumped in the now warm car. I could still barely talk and say thank you to my ever present rescuer. Back to home with the fire blazing and a hot cup of warm beverage. It took almost an hour to feel normal again. This morning my fingers are still kind of numb. The great outdoors can be a real adventure sometimes. DonPS Drookit is Scottish for soaking wet.
• June 07, 2009
• 17:44

  FIRST TIME 16 YEARS LATER

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  My heyday of racing mountain bikes was in the late 80s. I started in 1983 but it wasn't until 1988 that I felt I hit my potential. It was the year I won a silver and a bronze medal at the NORBA World Mountain Bike Championships. Five years later my friend Tom Pickett died, and it was 6 years later that Pickett's Charge was started. I was retired from racing at that time. It think all the training was getting to me and work was hard. I tried to race as many Picketts as  I could though, and I was always in pretty good shape. I finished 2nd and 3rd quite a few times. I had good races and always knew I had given it my best. This year though I won. Tom liked to win so I can finally give him a win that he would have appreciated. A little late but sweet none the less. I did it on a course Jim Juenger and I  designed. It was 80 % single track. It had rocks and twists. This would have been a trail Tom would have loved. I am on a role this year and I have won 4 out of the 5 races I have entered. I don't like to brag but the thing is wins are hard to come by. They should be special and mine are. This one even more so because of Tom. He started me on this road (mountain bike trail) and for that I am thankful. We finished today on a road that we used to use as one of out main routes. When I was finishing I could see Tom ahead of me showing me how to get those mountain bikes to go around corners in loose dirt. It seemed like it was just yesterday.Don
  
• May 30, 2009
• 6:52

  THE SEVEN STANES

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  In Southern Scotland there are numerous mountain bike opportunities, some on private land and some on public land. The most popular are called The Seven Stanes. Stane means stone in Scots. This was a marketing idea to connect the areas which are located on Forestry Commission Land. These trails were funded by the government of Scotland and are maintained with money from the the Government of Scotland. In Scotland they think of Mountain Biking different than our government does. For them mountain biking does Social good. It gets people out in the out of doors exercising and  it gets families out together ( all of these areas have all levels of trail difficulty so everyone can participate). Mountain Biking is also all about economic development. In Scotland Mountain Biking is more popular than fishing, hunting and golf combined. The government recognizes this and now mountain biking brings in millions of pounds to the Borders in Scotland. These trails are all designed with a lot of care. Some would say too much care. They have to build these trails to withstand all weather. In Scotland this means lots of rain. When they build a trail they have to lay a layer of bedrock (this is just like we build highways), then they add all the features on top of this layer of rock. It is expensive but effective. These trails are used 12 months a year. They are loads of fun and very challenging. I can ride about 98% of a red trail, the black trails are another story. They are doable for me only if I walk around the biggest jumps. The photos are of 5 of the 7 Stanes. In order we have the Meteorite Stane from Glentress, the Heart Stane from Dalbeattie, the Ghost Stane from Mabie, the Talking Head Stane from Ae, and the Gem Stane from Kirroughtree. These are the 5 areas I got to when I was over in Scotland this month. If you are looking for a marvelous holiday in Europe but can't stand the idea of leaving your mountain bike think of southern Scotland. It is called The Borders and Dumfries and Galloway. You can do culture, castles, walking, beautiful scenery, history and of course Mountain Biking.If you want more information let me know. Take care.Don
  
  
  
• May 24, 2009
• 17:26

  A GOOD BUSINESS TO BE IN.

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  I did not pick the bike business it picked me. I went to school to be a forester (when I found out that meant cutting trees not saving them I changed majors). I did work for the Forest Service for 10 years, but in the end the bike business took me away. At the time it didn't appear to be a great career move. Bend was in a recession and bikes were not what they are today. But that was then now is now. I rode by Phil's trail head this morning and there were cars parked all the way to Skyliners Road. These were all mountain bikers. These are all people who make the bike business viable. I feel really blessed to be in a business that is holding its own during these tough times. I won't say we aren't feeling the downturn, but all in all Sunnyside is a very busy place every day. I don't feel smart or anything, as I said I didn't pick this business. I have bicycle disease. I love bicycles. This morning I watched the Giro live on the Internet, and then out for a solo mountain bike ride. Tons of people were  having fun on the trails. I remember when it just 12 of us riding mountain bikes. Thanks to all of those who share my passion, those at Sunnyside, those in other stores, customers and non customers, everyone. Like I said I feel blessed that I was chosen to be in this business.Don
• May 21, 2009
• 19:04

  LAST DAY OF WORLD MOUNTAIN BIKE HOLLIDAY

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   It seems like only a couple of days ago that I was leaving from the same airport, on the same flight returning home. I remember thinking that only two days in Scotland with my friends wasn’t nearly enough. I didn’t realize then that I would be returning for the World Mountain Bike Conference in just a few short weeks.

  Well the Conference was cancelled, and I just spent 9 days at the self made World Mountain Bike Holiday.  Andy Wardman was my guide. He was the first Mountain Bike Ranger at Glenn Tress a few miles from Peebles in the Borders in Southern Scotland, a position he still holds today. I have described most of my adventures in previous blogs so I will not bore you with more details. Yesterday, my last day, Marty, another good friend who lives in Fife, took a day off to spend with me and Andy. Since it was the last day we went to the jewel  of the 7 Stanes Glenn Tress. Glenn Tress is the first mountain bike destination in Scotland, it is the most popular and some would say it is the best. I am not sure if it is the best as every one of the Stanes I went to was superb, It is good though, with a lot of variation. Trails for the beginner, the pro and riders like me with lots of experience but like to keep the tyres close to the ground. We wound our way up the red trail to almost the top of the area. Great views of the Tweed Valley were to be had. We stopped to take a photo of the Stane. The one at Glenn Tress is a meteorite. There is furrow behind it so it looks like it just landed and should be smoking. It rained to make the day more special and afterwords it was lunch (tea*), cakes and coffee at The Hub. We also washed our bikes at the customary bike wash. Every area has a bike wash even if there are no toilet facilities.

  Then it was back to home more tea and talk and then Marty was off to home. What a pleasure it is to have friends who take time off work to visit.

  Ros asked me if there was anything special I would like for my last meal. I was thinking some fish and chips would be a good way to end my holiday. Off we went to the Joe Jacks, the preferred chip joint in Peebles. We had take out. They don’t use news papers anymore so we had some very cute boxes. On the way home I saw a man walking with his baritone horn to practice with the local brass band, and then in the distance we could here piper with his bagpipe playing. I was definitely not in Bend.  I would be remiss not to mention the tear that fell from my eye as I realized I would be leaving my good friends and my other home Scotland. I am looking forward to coming home, being with my sweetheart,seeing my mom, seeing my kitties and going to work. The rain and the wet are tough for a Bendite. I had to buy a new kit just so I could keep riding. The bike will need an overhaul and my clothing will need to dry out. I do wish that Scotland was closer though, both that the Scots could visit me more (and have a chance to dry out) and we could visit them.  When you travel next don’t leave for some better weather (we do have the best anyway), go to a country that will welcome you with great food, wonderful roads to ride, castles to admire and some of the best mountain biking in the world. I will return for sure.

  Don

  
• May 20, 2009
• 11:27

  STEVE LARSEN

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  I am sitting in Peebles, Scotland finishing a 9 day mountain bike holiday and I just found out that Steve Larsen died suddenly while doing a running workout a few blocks from my house. I knew Steve since the late 90's when he first moved to Bend. I don't have anything profound to say, I don't think there are any lessons here to learn. I am just shocked and sad. He was always friendly to me and our store even when he was sponsored by others. I was seeing him more this year as he was taking his son Massimo to many of the mountain bike races. I spoke to him the day before I left on this holiday, it was about how much fun it is to mountain bike race and have such good trails close to home. Life is so sudden and the unexpected can happen at anytime. I will miss Steve and I send my condolences to his five children and his wife Carrie.Don
• 0:08

  SHEDS

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  In Great Britain Sheds are a big deal, they are our version of the 4 car garage. The difference is over here we have a  country with very strict land use laws. The population is pretty steady in Europe and new subdivisions just don't exist. Instead you see buildings converted into flats, and semi-detached houses. There is not the luxury of a garage, much less a double or triple garage. What we do see are sheds, lots of types of sheds. There are books about sheds, pre built sheds, old sheds, new sheds etc. All of my friend over here are avid cyclists and they all have bikes, mountain bikes, road bikes, commuter bikes. They add up and you see them stored in ingenious ways. Hanging from the kitchen ceiling, high in the hallway, in the second bedroom, or just plain in the way. The best way is to have them in the shed. Andy just moved to his flat last July and one of the first things he did was build a shed. His is the newer looking one next to his wood pile. All his bikes hang in there, there is a place to work on the bikes (we overhauled all his forks and shocks), it has an alarm and a sturdy locking system. Living in the States we are spoiled. They do so much here with less space. The bonus is there is almost no urban sprawl. The hills all are all wild around every town and village. The one sub-division around here (which everyone points to when I tell them they have strict land use laws) is very small and contained. We rode our mountain bikes in the forests and farms between the Selkirk and Interleithen. Only a couple of farm houses to be seen. I am not sure I would give up my spacious house with a garage and a large storage area for a flat and a shed, but I would appreciate the open space and no urban sprawl. Our City Council just approved a new Urban Growth Boundary. It was based on the idea that in Bend we need bigger lots and bigger homes. So once again we sacrifice the last open space we have with large trophy homes. I wonder if we will ever learn that there is a limited amount of space left on our planet. Maybe sheds are the answer. 
  
  
• May 19, 2009
• 13:44

  WRAITHS AND MOUNTAIN BIKERS

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  If you look closely at these photos you can see a "buzzard" sitting in the tree, it the dark spot in the middle of the photo. In the other photo if you look in the upper left you can see the buzzard just after it attacked Pete. A few minutes earlier it swooped down on me and almost hit my helmet. We left the area thinking we were safe and then I heard some shouting, then something hit my helmet. It was the black wraith. Hawks seem somewhat noble and beautiful, but when they attack you they are evil and dark. I felt like one of the hobbits from Lord of the Rings. I wasn't sure what to do. My friend Kevin was with us and he is over 6 and a half feet tall. I went and rode next to him for awhile. We were doing an epic ride that day so we still had a long time to go. I let the adrenaline race through my blood and off we went again. This time it was a long switch bike climb with a gorgeous descent through trees and meadows. There was even an old castle we went by. This is not Oregon. We ended up riding for almost 5 hours, we did one climb that was so steep I had to stop and rest. What a day. I have three more days and Andy is taking me to some other areas to ride. The weather is going to get worse so we will be ready for some rain and mud. Next blog will about something completely different.Don
  
  
• May 16, 2009
• 0:40

  FRIENDS, REAL SCOTTISH WEATHER, CONVERTING FROM GRAMS TO CUPS

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  Real Scottish weather showed up yesterday, mist, rain and wind. You can see by the photos that the sun had left us and a huge storm from the South had descended on The Borders. I have to say I wasn't really bothered by it, I came prepared for rain and the wet (I even have a fender on by bike). Somehow the clouds and the wet bring out the beauty in Scotland. It wouldn't be green without the rain. The trails we were on yesterday were about 6 miles from where I am staying in Peebles, they were designed by my friend Pete Laing. The trails are on Forestry Commission Land and, unlike most of our trails in Oregon, they were funded and built by the Forestry Commission. They are designed to be all weather trails. It is quite different over here because to make an all weather trail in Scotland means the trails are built on a bed of crushed rock. This allows for drainage, but it  is also very expensive. It has all paid off in Spades for the tourism of the Borders and Scotland. Mountain biking is more popular than golfing, fishing and hunting combined in Scotland. It is the number 2 tourist activity in all of Scotland. After we were done riding and visiting the local bike stores it was back to the flat to make some pies. We were having a big dinner at Pete and Ali's house and I had volunteered to make some pies. Not so simple after I remembered I wasn't at home. So off to the store to buy the necessary tools and ingredients. Pastry roller, flour pie plate etc. In Great Britain they use weights instead of volume to measure. So converting from metric weights to cups was a challenge. The first batch of pie crust was a disaster. It felt like there was too much and not enough butter. I managed to get the crust into a cake pan but it was just fundamentally wrong. I was making two pies so I refigured all the amounts and tried again. More failure, I then looked at the flour package. I had gone shopping right after my ride and I still had my contacts in. When I have my contacts in I can't see up close. The package said in big dark letters Plain White Flour, but in the light small writing there were more words, wheat and gluten free. Back to the store for more flour and a lightning quick rolling out of the doe and back in business we were. Ros took Kathy's job of decorating the pie. It was great to see old friends again.  Every time I have been over to Scotland Pete and Ali have hosted a dinner for me. It makes me feel quite special. I was able to catch up with Ron and Kate, my friend Kev's parents, to see Paul and Anne again (I just met them last March in Mallorca) and of course hang out with Kev, Vicky, Pete and Ali. Good times. It is a rest day today so Ros and I are taking it easy. Don
  
  
  
• May 14, 2009
• 13:08

  WORLD MOUNTAIN BIKE HOLIDAY CONTINUES

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  This trip was supposed to be me going to the World Mountain Bike Conference. The conference was cancelled so Andy and I decided to have a World Mountain Bike Holiday instead. He is taking some time off of work to show me all the best trails in Southern Scotland and I am following along. My bike arrived around 2pm yesterday and as we were continuing the jet lag mountain bike cure (evening rides) it turned out fine. We met Steven, Ian and another Andrew in the  small village of Newton Grange, about 8 miles south of Edinburgh. Edinburgh is the capitol of Scotland with a population of nearly 500,000. So what are we doing riding mountain bikes 8 miles from an urban center. Well look at the photos with the sunset (you can see the skyline if you look hard and the photo with the yellow Rape Seed. This is were we rode. It was awesome, wild and full of surprises. A little urban riding but mainly it was farm road and single track, some huge jumps (I skipped those) and sweet downhills. It is ironic that Scotland has more open land close to its urban areas than the United States. Someday I will get into that a little more but as a teaser John Muir would recognize his birth town of Dunbar in Scotland but not his home the SF Bay area.We had a great ride, some pizza afterwords and to bed just at midnight.Today we were more normal. A short drive south to Dumfries in the morning. When we arrived we had a coffee with Andy's girlfriend Ros. Then we enjoyed the trails at Ae. There is a 24 kilo red (difficult) route. Then some lunch and more coffee with Ros then off to one of those old fashion hardware stores. This was one of those stores where the people that work there know more than the customers. They had all the stuff we needed to overhaul Andy's shock and fork, plus a few more esoteric items.I rode my longest elevated boardwalk today We think it was around 400 to 500 meters. If I looked at the cracks between the planks it was hypnotic. I made it and got a picture of Andy finishing it out. I also found one of the best uses of a clear cut, mountain bike trails. The stumps make great jumps and features and you can see your way ahead on the trail without all the foliage. Southern Scotland has 7 mountain bike areas, they are called the 7 Stanes. Stane means stone. Each area has its own stone and this "Talking Head" is the Stane for Ae. Pretty cool really. Don
• May 13, 2009
• 0:38

  FIRST DAY IN SCOTLAND

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  What a good way to start my accidental mountain bike holiday. The flight over was the usual never ending 9 hour ordeal (unlike my last flight when I was sitting smugly in business class).  It was the typical cramped seat, trying to sleep while the neighbor refused to shut her shade on the window, and the crew not being as friendly as usual. The flight ended and after a transfer to another flight I ended up in Edinburgh. Andy was right outside the gate waiting for me and I was excited to show him how small a suitcase I got my Trek Fuel Ex into. I figured out a few years ago that it would be quite easy to take a full suspension bike and remove a few bolts and put it into a normal suitcase (This save around $400 round trip). This was my first attempt. Well the bike didn't arrive. It is hard to figure how it could have been misplaced as I had lots of time between all my flights, but on the other hand it is hard to figure how these airports keep track of the millions of pieces of luggage everyday. They did track it down and it will be here at around noon today.We still had to complete our first day mission though, the weekly night ride in Selkirk. I have done this ride every year I have come to Scotland and I didn't want to miss another chance. I borrowed one of Andy's bikes, bought a new pair of Bontrager shoes ( I was going to get a pair anyway at home) and off we went. Pete decided today was a good day to ride The Eildons Hills. These are the three hills between Melrose, Galashiels and Selkirk. They are the symbol of the Borders. The Borders is the area of Scotland which lies in the southeastern part of Scotland, between England and Scotland. I have hiked up the Eildons at least three times but this was my first time on a bike up them. You can see by the photos how beautiful they are .To make a long ride a short story, the normally two hour night ride ended up being a four hour ride. Ali of course had soup and cake waiting for us at 11:30 at night, along with a big smile. I had forgotten my jet lag hours before (a 4 hour night ride is the best jet lag cure I have used). I felt at home. It was like I had ridden with these folk every day forever. I am truly blessed to have all these great friends.Don
  
  
• May 11, 2009
• 10:40

  CHAINBREAKER, FUN AND VERY HARD

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  Sorry no photo today, I was busy racing not taking photos. I won, this my third victory this year. That is a lot for me. A little background though. They changed the age groups this year to 55+, my race age is 59 (60 for cross). At my age 4 years is a pretty big deal. We try to stay strong, healthy and fast. I think I can say I have done that.  I was asked after the race how many in my group. I thought about that and I thought why is that important. Is is the numbers or who is there? There were 5 in my group. 2nd, 3rd and 4th were all with in a minute of each other. Vince who was second beat me here a couple of years ago, he is a stronger climber than me, I am more steady. Ron is always strong. Rick who was fourth was ahead of me at my favorite race Bear Springs. The fact I could be ahead of them means I had a good race. Some of my old competitors don't race anymore. One was out skiing with his buddies, one was camping with his girlfriend and one was watching his son ( Carl) finish second in the pro race. Does that make my race less because they have chosen another path. I don't think so. I still like to go hard on my mountain bike. I battle whoever I am with. Yesterday it was with a racer named Mark who will be 55 next year. I beat him, after giving it everything I had, by around 5 seconds. In a two + hour race that is not much. I had to dig deep for that though. This is the first time I have won at Chainbreaker. I have had numerous podiums so it did feel good. This is race is so hard. There is no rest, the first half is kind of up and second kind of down. Pedaling about 98% of the time. No rest. I was tired and satisfied. Now- a 10 day mountain bike holiday in Scotland.Don
• May 09, 2009
• 6:57

  AGE NOR SEX MATTERS IN BIKE RIDING

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  You may of noticed that I like ride my bike, both road and mountain. In Bend, I prefer to mountain bike because the trails around here are so awesome. I like to ride by myself but riding with friends is special, in fact on Monday I am headed off to Scotland for a mountain bike holiday with Andy, who is not even close to 30 yet.Yesterday I was out riding with two of my good friends in Bend, John and Veronica. You might notice there is a slight age difference, John is 61 and Veronica is 30 (today is her 30th birthday in fact). I don't party with Veronica (maybe once), but we do ride together. I actually don't party with John either, though he has been my best mountain bike friend for almost as long as Veronica has been alive. The truth is I don't party at all. The point of all this is, make sure what ever activity you do it includes all ages and sexes It is important to hang out with older and younger people. It is also a good thing that you include friends of both sexes in your life. If your only friend of the opposite sex is your partner you are really missing out. It gives you a good perspective on life. It also makes you feel younger if you are getting close to that 60 mark. Maybe I am just blessed to have such good friends, I don't know. I do know it is great to have such a variety of friends. Don
• May 05, 2009
• 12:44

  THE NUMBERS GAME AND TIME

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  A couple of days ago I won the 55+ Oregon State Championship Cross Country mountain bike race. The winner of the Pro men was Carl Decker, long time friend and fellow Bendite. In the youngest age group, my new teammate (age 13) William Wodrich, was 3rd. So what has that to do with numbers. Well here goes. While we were waiting around for results I introduced William to Carl. I mentioned that William is the same age as Carl was when he (Carl) and I started to race mountain bikes. Carl mentioned to me that he is the same age (34) as I was when we both started to race mountain bikes. I hope you can make some sense of that. The other note of interest is the last time I won a State Mountain bike championship was in 1988. It was in Corvallis and Carl, his dad Mike, Gary and I all drove over together. We have doing this along time, and having fun every minute of the way.Don
• May 04, 2009
• 7:39

  YOUNGEST AND OLDEST GET MEDALS

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  This may seem like a story of bragging but I don't see it that way. It is more of a story of hard work, dedication and longevity. First of all an apology to William for the out of focus photo. The photo on the left is me receiving the OBRA State Championship Gold medal. It was a proud moment for me. I realize that I have had my share of success throughout the years but winning a gold is very special. I have a total of 9 OBRA medals: 3 Gold, 4 Silver and 2 Bronze. That is out of 30 years of racing. The first medal (a gold) was in 1988 at the state mountain bike championship held in Corvallis that year. That was a good year for me as I went on to win two medals at the World Championships. The next gold came in 1998 when I won the State Cyclocross race in Bend, and 11 years later comes my last medal. I couldn't have won this medal if I didn't have some help. Most of this help comes in the form of other racers. When I won the first medal it was in the Veterans division. The age then was 35 +. There were no other age groups. Yesterdays race was in the 55+. That didn't even exist one year ago. We have a 55+ group because there are still some older dudes out there that think young and that mountain biking rocks. The other photo is of William Wodrich, he is the youngest member of our team. Though I have fun I think he has more fun. I asked him how he did and he said awesome (he was third), and then he told me he endoed five times. The endoing was part of the fun. Young and old that is really the key to what we do out there. It brings us all together. The last photo is just a reminder that even a State Champion has to wash his own bike. Take care,Don
  
  
• April 30, 2009
• 10:59

  WHAT WERE YOU DOING YESTERDAY IN BEND

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  Another boring blog about enjoying the outdoors? Well maybe- Last week we went to mountain bike race up by Mt  Hood. It was long, hard and had lots of snow, it was also really fun. Some emails were exchanged on our cycling chat list, some liking the race others feeling they were mislead by the promoters about how much snow there was on the course.I made the mistake of getting involved. I used the word whiner and roadie. This offended a few people. I thought I was joking but I ended up apologizing.That being said yesterday may be why I liked the course. I had a few chores in the morning and had to be at work at 2 so out I headed for a ride around 11:00. It was snowing when I left, it snowed and hailed while I was out and it really couldn't have been better.I was asked how is it that  we have snow here so late?  Snow is what makes Bend special. We live in the mountains and snow is the gift we are given to show how special Bend really is. I love a hot day in the summer without a cloud in the sky, I love a two week holiday to Spain in March to see what shorts feel like again, but I love a long mountain bike ride on our trails with some snow to show I was the first one out. This week we are going over to the Mudslinger (and I am pretty sure we will slinging some mud). I love mud in cyclo cross, but in mountain biking it is different.  I can't afford to fall so I am very cautious. I will try to get over that and try to win. It is the  state championships after all, but no matter how I do I will have fun, I will be challenged, and I am sure to be tired. This will be  a 3 hour race. Make sure you get out the next time so when I take a photo it is your tyre tracks I am looking at.Don
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• April 28, 2009
• 7:08

  MOUNTAIN BIKE RACING-FUN OR MISERY

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  Our team went mountain bike racing last weekend. It is my favorite race of the year. It is hard, long and fun. I am in a new age group this year and really felt it was my race to win. They have medals for second and third but they have cool plaques for the winner. I have always done well at this race and I feel extra strong right now. I am not going to give you a blow by blow other than to say I had a tough start. I do not run well and we had to run in the snow, then, as I was passing some slower riders (faster runners) my front wheel hit a mystery object and I broke two spokes. I got my bike going again and moved into the lead feeling pretty good. I then crashed on a side hill and back to second, where I ended up. This was a tough race and I loved it. Some people didn't feel the same the way I did. There was a lot of complaining about too much snow, and no warning that there was snow. I appreciate that not everyone likes the same thing and that conditions should be advertised before hand. That being said, Bear Trap Springs is my type of race, lots of single track, fun downhills and a killer climb at the end. Snow is not a concern for me, though I can see why it would be if you didn't live where it snows. I ride to work 12 months a year. That means a lot of snow. I like the snow, it makes for a challenge and my neighbors pretty much think I am nuts. If you look at the photo of my back yard, that is not a winter photo, that is today - April 28, 2009. I will go for a mountain bike ride later today on the trails which will have more snow. I will slip and slide and laugh and cry. I will see no one else on the trails because they are all waiting for warm weather and dry trails. I don't have time to wait, I am 59 years old thinking that I may only have 1000 mountain bike rides left in my life. So I won't wait I will go out and enjoy. The other two photos are a couple of my teammates. Jim is getting his third place medal in his category. He was cramping the  last part of the race but gritted his teeth and stayed ahead of 4th. Veronica was just finishing. She races expert women. They went the same distance as the pro men. That would have been really tough. I asked her to show to the camera how much fun she had. the smile was more for being done than for how much fun she had.Our team did well, for me that means we were challenged and had a great time. I will try to have no mishaps next week, and start faster. The next race is called the mudslinger, and I have a feeling there will be mud. No complaints from me, I will just go out and have as much fun as possible.Don
• April 23, 2009
• 19:44

  BEING CANADIAN

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   I got an email from my brother's wife Cathy the other day. It suggested that me and my brothers may be Canadian citizens. I have always felt an affinity to Canada as that is where most of my Mom's relatives live, it is where I started school, and it is a place that I have had memorable vacations. None of these things make me a citizen though. Quite a few years back I thought seriously about the possibility of becoming a Canadian (the Viet Nam years) but I never needed to so I let the whole thing rest. Back to today. A new law took effect on April 17, 2009 . The law was passed to take care of a few injustices about Canadians having to refute their Canadian citizenry when they became citizens of another country (like the US). A lot of them were war brides. This is what my mom was. She was a Canadian when I was born and therefore so am I under this law. I haven't proven to the Canadian government that I am a Citizen but according to what I can figure out I am an official Canadian citizen.It may seem weird to you but I actually feel different knowing this. I have already read two books about Canada so I can catch up on my history etc. I have been with relatives all my life speaking with a Canadian accent but I think mine will stay as it is. I will get a flag though, maybe a sticker for my bike. I am not going to give up being a citizen of the United States. I was born here and that is who I am, it is just nice to be able to claim another part of who I am and have it recognized. I am now going to learn the words to O Canada and figure out the rules to hockey.Don
• April 21, 2009
• 6:23

  THE FENCE OF DEATH?

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  I don't post very many videos on my blog, I think that is more of a Twitter thing. Jake and I at the store like to joke about our riding skills (his are actually quite amazing). We have the Rock of Death at Sand Canyon that we ride over, we have the Double of Death near Phil's Trail head (it is less than a foot tall) and now we have the Skinny of Death on the new super fun one way section on COD. A Skinny is an elevated log or board that is around 8 inches or less wide. This one sits about a foot off the ground so if you come off it nothing happens. I haven't made it yet but I am close.This guy in the video is for real. My friend Andy, who lives in Scotland knows him and sent me this video. Today it was on the front page of The Scotsman, Scotland's largest newspaper. Check it out. Young dude out having fun. 
  
• April 17, 2009
• 7:54

  Do Re Mi

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  I would say most of us have  thoughts, feelings and dreams that others are unaware of. It is not so much that we have hidden secrets but that we don't have an opportunity to express them to everyone. Most people know me via Sunnyside Sports or maybe bike racing. At work I am a busy person, we always have lots to do and there is not enough time to socialize. The same is true at a bike race. I like to race and I like to be ready. I have a race face that I use before a race. I want to concentrate on the race and be ready. The person I am inside is not the person you always see, I think that is true for most of us.This blog is way to share those feelings with others. Below is a youtube clip. When I saw it I cried (ok I cry a lot, when we elected a new president, lots of movies, when I see friends after a long time etc). My favorite musical, war movie, cycling movie, and nordic ski movie is also my favorite movie-The Sound of Music. The bike in this movie and after the Von Trapp family moved to the United States they opened up one the largest Nordic Ski areas in the Northeast ( Trapp Family Lodge). Then Kathy showed me this video. This is a new thing, unannounced performances in public places. It is great to see the faces of all the people watching. 
  
  
  
  
• April 13, 2009
• 12:48

  SECRET JOYS

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  I am sure we all have a few secret things we do that we enjoy. One of mine is vacuuming. Every Monday, whether we need it or not (we always need it) I vacuum our house and then I go next door and vacuum my Mom's place. The photo is of me vacuuming at my Mom's. We have a great vacuum cleaner, a Dyson Animal. It has an extra attachment for vacuuming up animal hair. We have three kitties so we get about one kitties worth of fur every week. The first time I used the Dyson I looked at our rugs and noticed how vibrant the colors were. It is quite fulfilling to vacuum and see the results. I like vacuuming our house, my Mom's place, the car, I have even been know to vacuum the front deck. I am not allowed to use the Dyson though. One of my pet peeves are those blower things. I can't figure out why one would want to blow all those leaves, dirt and dust to somewhere else. Vacuuming is the opposite. It sucks all that stuff up and then you can put it in the dust bin. Kind of odd to like to vacuum, but it comes in handy because my Mom and Kathy think I rock.Don
• April 12, 2009
• 8:55

  AN AMAZING SATURDAY AT SUNNYSIDE SPORTS

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  I don't talk a lot about work in my blog. This is not supposed to be an advertisement about Sunnyside Sports, but more a way I can share with the world my thoughts. The Economy is in the tank, Bend is has been hit hard with layoffs, stores closing, real estate failing etc. We have customers in all of those businesses. We have also managed to survive quite well. I am sure that if I did not read a paper or hear about the recession every day I would think that business is going pretty normal. Our business is weather related, it is seasonal and unpredictable. We have also done this business for over thirty years. We have picked two main areas to sell, bicycles and nordic skis. This keeps Sunnyside less seasonal than most sports stores.Yesterday we were short a couple of people. It was the day before Easter and it was our day to go out and work on trails. It was also the day that our customers decided to buy some bikes. This was not a day of recession-- it felt like mid summer. It was special, not because of how much we sold but of how we sold it. I am into team spirit, and team building and that is what we had yesterday. Everyone doing what they could to help the other person. There were a few tense moments, but that actually enhanced  how well we worked together. Thank you to all the customers who came in and enjoyed the Sunnyside treatment and thank you to Russ, Damian, Eric, and Susan for making yesterday an amazing Saturday. High fives were had all around afterwords. It was a team after all. Don
• April 09, 2009
• 18:43

  A FAVORITE PHOTO

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  My computer does a constant slide show with all my photos, and this is one of my favorites. If you know Euro bike racing you will recognize guy walking down the street, the devil who is ubiquitous at all the major European races. We only see him on Television when the fast pros are riding by. I got him walking down a back street in St Entiene. This was during the last Time Trial in the 2005 Tour de France. I always thought the devil just appeared out of nowhere, maybe some smoke or fire, but I was wrong. He has a crummy old car and he has to walk from place to place. Take a closer look by clicking on the photo and you can get a better look at his footwear and his red suit. It puts a human side to all this devilishness. I thought I would just share this as I got a kick out of seeing it again.Don
• April 08, 2009
• 5:38

  THE SUN

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  The Sun and the warmth arrived on Monday. It was OK on the weekend but on my long bike on Sunday the arm and knee warmers never came off. Going up Horse Ridge I thought about it but it never quite reached that point. It did on Monday. I was lucky enough to have that day off and though I usually rest on Monday I didn't need to this Monday. I had a slight cold all last week and rested all last week. I left home and it was in the low 60s and I had arm warmers on, but in a few minutes the temperature had climbed to the 70s and it was short sleeves and shorts. It was warmer on Monday than any of the days in Mallorca. It felt great. It was fun seeing everyone at work yesterday. They were all showing off their tan lines. We have all been riding for years and every year we get tan lines, why is that first tan line so important? I think it is about the promise of all the nice long warm bike rides we are going to have. After a winter of bundling up with multiple  layers, winter shoes long gloves with liners, we are just ready for the sun. I know I was. I rode to work on Saturday and when I got there I announced to no one in particular " I am tired of all this cold", and everyone in the store agreed.The warmth is gone and the cool weather has returned. That's OK though. We have our tan lines to remind us that  it will be warm again. It doesn't take much to reinvigorate a cyclist, just a day or two of warm sunny weather. Enjoy the Spring,Don
• April 03, 2009
• 8:02

  JET SETTER OR JUST CIRCUMSTANCE

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  I am off to Scotland again in May. I never really expected that I would be returning to Europe so soon after getting back from Spain (and  few days in Scotland). I am going to the World Mountain Bike Conference in Dumfries, Scotland. A couple of things happened for me do decide. One I have a friend who just got a job in Dumfries and the Recreation Manager for The Forestry Commission there. This would include Mountain biking. Ros, my friend, has been living in Peebles but the new job required her to move. So a free place to stay for me. Two, another good friend , Andy is also going to the conference for all three days and he suggested I come along. Andy and Ros happen to be a couple. So a friend to go with. Three, Bend was just named the number 1 mountain bike location in the US by Mountain Bike Action. This is a cool distinction but in my opinion we have been this for quite a long time. We have some of the best trails in the world, and lately they have become more diverse. I can't ride some of the new stuff, but it sure looks like fun. Ramps, jumps, big drops... Rumor has it Mt Bachelor may even get into the mountain bike game. This being said not much if any money is spent by our local government, and different Tourist Organizations promoting mountain biking in Bend. We have two National Cycling Championships coming to Bend this year, which is great, we have lots of road events in Bend, Tour Deschutes, Cascade Cycling Classic to name  a couple, but Mountain Biking is just not on the map the way I think it could be.We have the trails, but we haven't had the recognition. In Europe Mountain Biking is thought of as a "Green" recreation possibility. Mountain Biking is used as part of Economic Development in poor areas. Here we have Bend, Oregon one of the top 20 hardest hit areas in the US in this economic downturn, and we have been named one of the top mountain bike areas in the US, but we haven't put the two together. I am going to this conference to find out some ways our community can do this. It doesn't hurt that I love Scotland and I am going to get an opportunity to ride some of the trails that have made Mountain Biking in Scotland the second mostpopular reason to visit Scotland. First is something to do with looking at old Castles. Which is something you can do on Mountain Bike.Check out the web page for the Conference and you will see it is quite impressive. I will let you all know how it goes.Don
• April 02, 2009
• 10:14

  OSPREY CATCHING FISH AND NO CAMERA

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  I have no photo to prove what I saw yesterday, but it was cool anyway. I am not sure I would have been able to get a photo anyway. Here is a link to some good photos of an Osprey with fish just so you know how cool it was. Osprey with fish photos. I was riding home from Phil's  Trailhead through Brokentop on the bike path. A few years ago they built a pond, where there should be none, in the middle of this dry and dusty burned over area. They have some houses (very large houses) over looking this pond now. For me it is a fake pond and it seems way out of place. Yesterday, though, an Osprey showed me I may be wrong. As I was riding home I noticed something on my left, I looked and sure enough an Osprey was diving into this pond, and low and behold up it comes with a live and wriggly fish. This all happened right in front of my eyes. I might think this pond is fake but to that Osprey is was as real as the ocean. My camera is out of commission so I have no photo. I am not sure it would have made difference as I don't know if I would have been able to get a decent photo anyway. So keep your eyes open. Even in a fake pond real things happen. I will be paying more attention in the future.Don
• March 31, 2009
• 9:50

  PLACES THAT FEEL LIKE HOME

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  Here are two photos from my life in that last two weeks. The on on the leftt is the River Tweed in Scotland. The one on the rightis me with the Deschutes River behind me. The weather was about the same both days, 40s, breezy, with partial cloud cover. I loved them both. I live in Bend for a few reasons, but like many I moved here because I love to be outdoors and here there is no excuse for not being outdoors. I also like to travel, but the places I am attracted to seem to be like Bend. Forests, but with the open wide spaces near by. I was born in the wheat fields of Montana so the Big Sky is in my blood. Scotland is like that. Forested land surrounded by big open fields of heather. My friends will laugh when I say I don't really have much love of water. It is good to drink but I really don't swim or play in the water. The Ocean doesn't have that pull for me that it has for many, lakes don't mean much to me either. I do like a good River though. Not to swim in but to be near. Hiking or riding on a river trail is what I like. I like going up and down on the trail while the river just rolls along towards the ocean. You may notice in the photos that the River Tweed and the Deschutes River are quite different. One has a castle the other wilderness, one has hard woods, the other pine trees. The feel is the same for me. Nothing like a good outing along a river somewhere in the woods. Don
• March 25, 2009
• 8:25

  FORTY YEARS AGO TODAY

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  Forty years ago my life changed for ever. I was eighteen years old and had no path. I was going to College at Humboltd State College with no real purpose other than to stay out of Viet Nam and try to become an adult.

  I had joined the Boot and Blister hiking club and that was my main social activity. We went on hikes on almost every weekend. I learned about campfires, Swiss Miss, instant oatmeal, hot liquid jello and tinny tasting tea. Though this was the 60’s I didn’t learn about drugs, alcohol or even sex.

  Humblolt was an innocent place to be in 1968. Yes we protested the war, but we didn’t riot. Yes we loved spring but instead of free love we learned how to folk dance. I wasn’t much of a student but I was a great learner. I learned how to live on my own, cook for my self, be a trustworthy friend, but I was alone.

  My friend Marsha (who now is Mara) told me of her roommate Kathy who was retuning to Humbolt that spring. I had seen some photos of her and I was anxious to meet her. It happened in Wildlife 206. This was the room where we had our B and B meeting. I was in the front and Marsha and Kathy came in the back. I was smitten. It was 40 years ago today. Love at first site is not just a fairy tale, it is my story. I still feel the same way every time Kathy comes into view. The same feeling the same memory.

  I don’t really know where all those years have disappeared to. I do know I have spent them with the person I was meant to. I guess I can hope for 40 more.

  Take care.

  Don

  
  
  
• March 22, 2009
• 15:08

  THREE SUNDAYS, THREE COUNTRIES, THREE RIDES

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  The lower photo is from Shevlin Park in Bend a few hours ago. I went for as long a mountain bike ride I could find considering all the snow. It was a fun ride, I managed about three hours of dirt time.  As I was sitting on the trail having a snack of hot cider and a stinger bar I was thinking of the last two Sundays. One was in Mallorca and the other in Scotland, both included bike rides. Not unusual for me. Unlike some people I wasn't wishing I was back on holiday as I was having a great time on my mountain bike riding in a spring snow shower. The ground was firm because it was around freezing, there was no mud today, and I got quite high above Shevlin Park. It was quiet and peaceful. I rode alone, which I don't mind and when I got home there was some lunch and a fire. Both were very welcome. I won't say I didn't miss the warmth from two Sundays ago (Mallorca) or the tea and cakes from the ride one week ago (We went to Dawyck Gardens were there was  great little cafe). But to being able to do a three hour mountain bike  ride from my door is hard to beat. The thing I miss most though are my friends. I miss my friends here when I am there and I miss my friends there when I am here. I guess that is what you would call good friends. I seem to have lots of them. The next months of mountain biking is quite fun in Bend as the trails all open up with the melting snow. It is fun to explore, ask at the store how far up have people been, and share with them where I have been. Wherever you are get out and enjoy what you have.Take care.
  
  
• March 19, 2009
• 7:24

  BEING HOME

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  It seems that many of you have reading my blog about our trip to Mallorca. This is officially the last of that series. Like any trip there comes an end. This usually means coming home. Living in Bend, in a comfortable house with a relaxing environment is what I come home to. I have lived in Central Oregon for 40 years now. For me it is the best place in the world, but what really makes it home is my home. It is my sweetheart greeting me with a big smile, after 40 years together her smile is still the thing that makes me the most happy. The kitties sitting by the fire, or on my lap or sleeping together showing me that this is a comfy home (we could all learn a thing or two about cats), and even the fire in the living room make my home feel more like a home. I think a home should be a  place of warmth, both in the soul and the temperature. Warmth means welcome,  I also think it is less stressful to be in a place of warmth. It is calming and protective. In this day and age it is good to feel protected from the difficulties of the world. I like to sit by the fire, read a book, write my blog, drink coffee, or even better take a nap. I love my travels, my friends abroad, the roads in Europe, but I go not to escape my home but to enhance my home.Years ago I decided that when I would go on a holiday I would bring back something from that holiday that would make my life at home more enjoyable. We have a cabin in the Sierra Nevada that we used to spend summers in. The cabin was a little stuffy inside so we would put our bed on the deck and sleep outside. We just loved that. We then started to do at home. Why not, if it worked on a holiday why not at home. Since then our outdoor sleeping deck has turned into a sleeping porch. It has large windows that go down to the level of the bed, and big skylights to see the sky.  It is like sleeping outdoors for me.Another thing I brought home is coffee. The coffee in Europe tastes better to me than the coffee here. I started looking at the beans and expresso over there comes from light roasted coffee. I asked the local coffee roaster, Strictly Organic, if they could roast coffee like they do in Europe. Richard did and he calls it Sunnyside Blend. Try some, you can buy at most stores and at Strictly Organic's coffee house on Colorado and Bond St. More relaxing bike rides. I get tired of going on a bike ride with friends and then afterword everyone is in a hurry to do the next thing. I am guilty of that as much as anyone. Now I try to have a snack and coffee afterwords with my riding partners. Home has become better because of these things, but home has always been the place I like best and I hope it always is. Take care,Don
• March 18, 2009
• 10:10

  ANDY AND ROS FRIENDS FROM AFAR

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  I just got back from my trip to Mallorca, Spain. On the way back I made a quick jog up to Scotland to see my good friends Andy and Ros. I talked about all the Scots (and English) who came to Mallorca but these two didn't, so I had to go visit them. If you are an avid reader of my blog they came over to visit with me and Kathy last June.I only had two days, not enough but it is what I had. My Friend Rhoda drove me over to Peebles on the way home from the airport. Neither of us knew exactly which building Andy's flat was in, just the street. So as we pulled up to where we thought it was close, Rhoda looked up and saw a Sunnyside Sports jersey hanging from a second floor window. It was like a flag welcoming me their home. Ros heard our car and came running down the street and gave me a kiss and big hug. Welcome I was. Up the stairs we went and the first thing I get is a hot cup of tea. So far I know I am in the right place. Andy comes home a few minutes later. Another hug (sorry no kiss). They ask what I want for dinner. Ros suggests humus, pita bread etc. Now I love middle eastern food, Kababa is one of my favorite restaurants around, but I was in Scotland and what I wanted was a haggis supper. So out we went to Jim Jacks in downtown Peebles. A perfect meal. Haggis is just a sausage type food that people like to make fun of. It is quite good. Along with the haggis comes chips (we call them fries), mushy peas, and a drink. Mushy peas are also a food Americans like to make fun of. But if they are prepared right they are not so bad. The next two days we spent hiking along the River Tweed, eating cakes, drinking tea, seeing more old friends, riding our bikes on some of the most quiet and beautiful roads I have ever been on, and of course watching Rugby on the tely. Rugby is very popular in the Borders of Scotland, and the biggest Rugby match is going on right now. It is the Cup of the Six Nations. France, Italy, Ireland, England, Wales and, of course, Scotland. I ended up watching two matches. I don't really go for field and ball sports but this is a much better game to watch then our American Football. Monday morning it was up early to the airport in Edinburgh. Not much talk as we all were thinking of the good bye we would say in a few minutes time.I am home now, and very glad to be here, but having such good friends living so far away is not easy. I have no idea when we will see each other again, hopefully soon. Thanks you Andy and Ros for a perfect end to a great holiday. Lets just make sure we see each other soon.Take care.Don
• March 16, 2009
• 15:29

  SITTING IN EDINBURGH

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  I am sitting in the Edinburgh airport waiting (what else does one do in an airport) thinking about my two weeks away from home. It is always a challenge when one goes on a holiday to foreign country with people you don’t know well. I booked the hotel, planned the rides, picked the location and  then let them loose on the country side to fend for themselves.

  They all told me they had the time of their lives. Mallorca is a very magical place. It has every type of road imaginable. Flat straight roads, flat windy roads, climbs, technical descents, the most spectacular 12 miles of road I have ever ridden, and cafes every 5 miles or so. I am glad they were able to share my enthusiasm for a place I love. The problem with travel now a days is there is a fine line between being overridden by tourists and tourism and having services that make the trip enjoyable. I feel in Puerto Pollensa in Mallorca I have found that compromise. We stayed in a hotel that provided breakfast and dinner. The food was well prepared, but it was predictable. I encoiuraged everyone to go  out and enjoy authentic Mallorquin cuisine. All did and all were impressed. Some of the group liked to go out with others, some choose to ride by themselves so they could stop and follow their own schedule. Both ways seemed to work.

  I will go again to Mallorca, hopefully with a group who want to taste what we tasted. Long grueling challenging rides, beautiful mountains, lush green farmland, roman ruins, walled cities, giant cathedrals, friendly people, respect from the cars, and a government that thinks of bicycles as good for the economy and marks and paves bicycle routes because it will bring more cyclists to their part of the world.

  Yes I will return and I hope some of you will be there with me.

  Take care.

  Don

  
• March 15, 2009
• 1:00

  MORE ABOUT THE SCOTS

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  I have been road riding for 45 years now. I have toured, raced, ridden centuries just about everything one can do on the road. Road riding can be a social activity. If you go out in a group, stay as a group and finish together. It can also be a very frustrating experience. Riding with my friends from Scotland is the best. In Mallorca most riders ride side by side. We take turns leading and your riding partner changes from time to time. If there are stronger riders they will be up front for most of the ride. They will wait on the top of the hills, make sure the weaker riders are not dropped in the wind etc. The ride is not done when the ride is over. We then have to out and have a beer or coffee. Besides Kevin this year, we had Vicky Kevin's girlfriend. Two years ago she was just starting out as a bike rider, now she is a seasoned pro. They are both planning a trip to Bend this fall.We have Pete, Ali, Ione and Eifa. This is the furthest away Sunnyside family as all have bikes from Sunnyside Sports. Pete actually designs mountain bike trails for a living. Steven, who is English but whose parents live in the Borders, actually works at the place of his dreams. When I first met him he was still at University. He told me he wanted to design race cars and he works for Lola designing race cars.  Doctor Neal is a very strong young rider who does molecular research at Leeds University. Makes for great conversation. Mike is a graphic artist who just started to ride bikes a few years ago. He from Yorkshire where they have some amazingly steep hills. Ben and Elaine are from north of Edinburgh who are outdoor enthusiasts. Both have been riding bikes for a long time ( I met them in Mallorca 5 years ago). They are also hill walkers (Ben has been to the top of all 294 (plus or minus) Munros in Scotland. A Munro is any mountain over 3000 feet. Though that doesn't seem like a lot to us Oregonians, getting up a Munro from Sea Level is no mean feat. Paul and Anne also live in the Borders. Paul is a triathlete who also love to road ride and mountain bike. In fact I met him a couple of years ago on a night mountain bike ride in Selkirk. Anne is just discovering road riding and had a great time exploring Mallorca. Rhoda, who lives in the Borders and is from the highlands of Scotland was a joy to ride with. She was seeing Mallorca for the first time. Riding with her was like seeing Mallorca for the first time. Her laugh and smile were infectious. I am returning home tomorrow which will be great. I miss my sweetheart, my kitties and a nice warm fire. I am looking forward to going into Sunnyside and seeing all my friends. They will want to know how my trip went. But I will also mill my second home, the Borders of Scotland and all the friends that make it so. I hope they will all come over to Bend so I can show them some awesome mountain biking, mountains taller than their Munros, and some Bend hospitality. Take care.Don
• March 14, 2009
• 10:11

  WHO ARE ALL THESE OTHER RIDERS IN THE PHOTOS?

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  I have been writing about my Mallorca trip the last couple of weeks. I am now in Scotland watching a Rugby match on the tele with some English friends, who live in Peebles, Scotland. I will get to that in another blog. A couple of blogs ago I wrote about all the cyclists that came over with me from Oregon. We met up with another group of cyclists from Scotland. These are friends I have met up with for almost ten years now. It all started with big Kev. He is the tall lad in the right hand photo. He came in to Sunnyside Sports on a bike tour from San Diego to Portland. He had heard that Bend had good mountain biking trails. We talked and I told him we did and I would give him a tour of some of our trails. He ended up staying a week, doing Pickett's Charge mountain bike race. He invited me to visit him in Scotland (we did) and then one year he invited me to come to Mallorca for a spring training camp. I have now been meeting a group from Scotland for 7 years now. That was a long story.  I will continue this in a later blog. For now I will just say this is a great group of friends. I feel like I have two homes, Bend and the Borders in Scotland. I will be coming home on Monday, I am looking forward to being home again. I have one more day in Scotland which I will enjoy to the most.Take CareDon
• March 11, 2009
• 23:49

  SA CALOBRA FINALLY

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  If you have been to Sunnyside Sports and been to the expresso machine you have seen the poster of Sa Calobra. This is the most amazing road I have ridden. The problem is the road from where we are staying is closed. To get there from our village would be a 130 mile ride with over 10,000 feet of climbing. That is too much for me in March. We had two days of riding left so we decided to cheat and do it at night when the crews wouldn't be working, WRONG. They seem to work all night. Next option, rent a car and cut off the flat prelude. We (Paul and I) parked at the bottom of the Soller Climb in Bunyola. Paul is Manchesterite living in the Borders of Scotland. These photos of from our ride. The top one is the Piug Major from Soller Climb, the next one is Paul and I at the bottom of the Sa Calobra, the last one is of the town of Soller from the climb to Puig Major. The ride was only 100 K, but it still had 10,000 feet of climbing. Now only one day left and it is off to Scotland for a few days. Don
• March 10, 2009
• 1:42

  WHAT KIND OF PERSON COMES TO MALLORCA?

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  This was my third time taking a group to Mallorca, it was also the best. The other two times I was asked by a Colorado Club to take a group across. I didn't know the group, nor did I know what their trips were like. They went OK but I wanted them to be better. This year I decided to take a group of people I know. They were all customers of Sunnyside Sports and I would say friends. If you go into the store you of course know Barb, a huge bundle of energy. Lew, her husband also works at Sunnyside. He broke his leg two weeks before the trip but decided to come anyway. I think it was a good decision. He is having fun visiting with friends but he he ready to ride for sure. Lew is the head planner for our France trip this fall. Gary and Patsy are the other couple sitting with Lew and Barb in the lower right hand photo. They started doing OBR and Bike Idahos years ago. Patsy is one of the Chandlerettes. They are the perfect people to go on holiday with. Everything is an adventure and fun. Nothing really bothers them and they enjoy all the new sensations in being in a new country. They take the hills as a challenge and are not afraid to be on their own.Linda and Paul are also long time Sunnyside customers and friends. They were both in my masters ski class a few years back. They had not been to Europe before but thought this would be an easy way for a first trip. They like to be on their own so they can stop and take photos, enjoy the scenery and ride at their own pace. They found the best restaurant they had ever been to last night. Leila is a good friend of Barb's. She is a professional tour guide. Makes one nervous trying to run a trip with a professional  on it.  But Leila is as easy as the rest. She can be by herself or ride in a group. She is not afraid of being in a new place because that is what she is used to.Mary is the last member of our group. She is here because she was going to take Lew's place when he broke his leg. When Lew decided to come she decide to come anyway. I have ridden hundreds of miles with Mary. I have know her longer than anyone else in this group in fact. She is a joy to be around. Everything new is a wonder to her. When you get to see Mallorca in her eyes it is like seeing it for the first time.So this is the type of person that comes to Mallorca. I couldn't be more blessed.Don
• March 08, 2009
• 13:01

  WHY I AM IN MALLORCA AND NOT WORKING

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  I don't really need to write this blog, all I need to do is have this photo. That is the reason I am here and not at work. Now don't get me wrong, March is the best time for me to be gone. I like to get a jump on cycling, this is when I get to revisit with friends from Scotland etc. I have been asked many times "who runs the store when you are gone?" Well the same people who run the store when I am there. I don't run Sunnyside Sports, in fact I run it less now than ever. They run it, all of them.  I want to thank them now, Susan, Gary, Mike, Jim, Eric, Seth, Jacob, Russ, Jeffrey, Jodie, and Damian. Barb, and Lew are here with me so they are thankful they all run the store also. We don't have just workers at Sunnyside, we have people with passion, people who love what they do. I do a lot at Sunnyside, and I am an important cog, but without me the store still works because of the dedication of those who work when I am gone. I don't worry about how they are doing because I know they are doing the very best that can be done. The good part is I am looking forward to getting home and seeing everyone. They are all part of my extended family, if you are reading this, thanks gang, see you in a week.Don
  
  
• March 07, 2009
• 22:52

  SUNSHINE, CHOCOLATE NIÑAS, AND SKYPE

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  Nothing like a little trip to the ice cream store for Ione and Eifa. Ione was very proud of her chocolate mouth. I, of course couldn't help but to take a photo. Her mom is on the bike, with short sleeves and bare legs. It was finally warm enough to take of the protective layers. Of course there will be a few of us with a British Tan this morning. The first long day in the sun means sunburn for some. The first year I came to Mallorca I didn't call home for almost three week. Kathy was in San Diego for a workshop and her cell phone was not working. Three years ago we discovered Skype. We were able to talk via the internet at no charge. The hotel didn't have wifi so I found a place in the plaza that had a signal (someone's vacation home I think). This year the hotel has free wifi and we have video. Not only do I get to talk to my sweetheart but I get to see her lovely face. How good is that. Somehow that is very comforting. I don't get Skype. It is free and there are no adds. How do they make it. It also works very well. Today we have more sunshine and less wind. More fun on the bikes.Don
• March 06, 2009
• 7:52

  DIVERSE DIRECTIONS AND WEATHER CHANGE

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  Everyone in our group took diverse directions. Yesterday was a day of changing weather and some pretty strong winds. In Palma, about 45 miles from here a cruise ship was blown off it's mooring and the gang plank (maybe only pirate ships have gang planks) fell into the water with some passengers on it. This storm had all of Europe in a turmoil. For us it meant the last 5 kilometers of the ride were pretty much scary. The wind tried to blow us backwards and off our bikes. Last night the wind blew like crazy and most everyone was hesitant to go out and get blown around again. So it was a tourist day. Paul, Linda, Patsy and Gary went off to Palma. That was a good plan as the rest of the time here is predicted to be sunny and warm. Mary told me she would be a tourist today and Barb hung out with Lew. She went out on her bike in the afternoon after the wind subsided.Me, well I have bicycle disease. That means I ride no matter what. Bike holiday means bike riding. Today turned out to be a great day though. No rain, we were protected from the wind by both the mountains and the tall bodies of Kevin and Neal (lads from England and Scotland). We rode up to Orient down to Bunyola (stop for lunch), and then back to the hotel. We did over 100k today. Tailwind on the way home. How good is that. How kind of these lads to let me hang with them. I feel very special.I have been here seven times now. I have ridden most of the roads that exist on this side of the Island. Today we found another road that makes our riding more fun. This is not a new road. We looked for it the first year I came over and did not find it. It bypasses three town on a busy road. It is one lane wide with pretty good pavement. Kind of cool to find something new after being here for so many years.In the photos you can see what our life is like, Paul and Linda having breakfast, pretty typical Mallorcan hotel breakfast food. They are actually English breakfasts. Toast, cereal, bacon, sausage, eggs etc. In the next photo is your American custom of food photos. That is a plate of paella we had last night. Some of us went out to check the local restaurants. This is my favorite. Ca'n Ferra. The family has had this restaurant for many generations. When I went in the owner recognized and had a big smile for me. This is a very typical Mallorcan cafe. The locals all come in to have a drink and talk. That is the photo with Leila and Elaine in the foreground. And lastly it was two peoples birthday this week. Rhoda and Ben (both Scots). We had a pre dinner party in their room. Cake, cava (Spanish sparkling wine) and good company. Now with the weather predicted to be perfect the rest of the holiday we will all get back to serious riding.Take care.Don
• March 04, 2009
• 12:29

  GOOD THINGS IN MALLORCA AND HOW TO DRY SHOES

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  We had a wet day yesterday and my shoes were soaking wet. It wasn't a cold rain (just wet). I washed everything and I have spares so it wasn't important for everything to dry, except my shoes. I tried paper and it just wasn't happening. So I use cloths pins and attached them to the ceiling fan. They were dry in an hour. I was careful to balance them. More good food and Sunshine today. Proof is in the photo. Don Corleone is the name of the cafe were I like to get my cafe con leche. I have one of these cups at home so I can remember Mallorca. Kathy has it out so she can remember me. This is a photo of the real thing at the real cafe. Made me feel at home and made me glad to be here.  Then we have Ione on her Skut. Now Sunnyside is proud of families that buy there bikes at our store. Most of those families live in Bend, I have one that lives in Arizona, this family (three Sunnyside Bikes and a Bob baby jogger) lives in Selkirk, Scotland. They are Ali, Pete, Ione and Eifa. I gave Ione her Skuut. She was about 18 months old at the time (not old enough). Now she is almost three and the Skuut is a hit. She told me it was a very fast bike. With her on it it is. No fear going down the ramp in the hotel lobby. Even in the couple of days she has been on it she is getting better. Sorry about the out of fucus photo I will try to get a better one soon. It is quite windy right now but we hope that calms down for tomorrow so we can go to Petra for a famous lunch. All of are hoping to meet there around noon or so. I hope it works out. Thanks for reading and take care.Don                               
• 0:46

  RIDING IN THE WET ENJOYING THE FOOD

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  Most of us come to Mallorca for some warm weather and great roads. Europeans don't understand that in most of the US we don't have small winding perfect cycling roads. That is why I come to Mallorca. In the spring it is usually pretty dry and the roads rule. The Government of Mallorca has gone to a lot of trouble to make cyclists welcome. They have gone out and paved some old farm tracks and then marked them so we can get from village to village without using the major highways. It takes some work to find the correct path but once you learn a few tricks it is quite easy. You can see in the one photo we have stopped to make sure we haven't gone wrong. It was raining and a couple of us were quite tired. We didn't go wrong and got back to town in time for some late lunch. Yes we were wet but it was close to 60 degrees so we were not cold.Food is the other good thing about Europe. They take it more seriously than we do in the States. A simple sandwich becomes a work of art over here. They always use bread baked the same day, jamon serrano, (spanish ham), and olive oil. We also had some papas fritas (they look like french fries). They taste completely different. Again they use olive oil to fry the potatoes. What a difference. They also use fresh potatoes. There are lots of good reasons we like to ride over here, those are just a couple. So even though it has been wet we have still had a great time. Time to go to the market and get ready for a late morning ride.Don
• March 03, 2009
• 12:16

  WE HAVE ARRIVED IN MALLORCA

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  We got to Mallorca Sunday around 8 PM. Travel always takes forever. As you can see from my photo below we lived the life of Riley on the way over. Barb, Lew and I decided to splurge and use a few more frequent miles and fly Business class. It made the trip easy for sure. I slept about 7 hours on the flight, had two gourmet meals and turned down countless glasses of wine. When we got to Frankfurt we were allowed into the Business Class lounge and I even had a shower. How cool was that. Lew would not have been able to come (broken leg) if we had been in economy. It still wasn't comfortable but it was doable. Two of our bikes were late but they showed up in the morning in time for the first ride. Patsy, Gary, Leila, Barb, Linda, Paul and I did one of my favorite loops. The small person below is Patsy going quite well up to Lluc. This is an 8 Km climb at about 5 % with lots of switchbacks. It feels like a Euro climb without all the hard work. We then rolled into Pollensa and had a terrific lunch with cafes and chocalates all around. A perfect first day. When we got back to the hotel the Scots had arrived. Ione, who is almost 3 brought her Skut with her. She was busy showing off her skills on the ramp in the hotel. She will be an awesome mountain bike rider. Today (Tuesday) started of cloudy which turned to rain by afternoon . Yes we got quite wet but it wasn't cold. 50 miles and around 3 hours later we were back at the hotel trying to wash and dry everything. Tired but happy I would say.The forecast tomorrow is for some rain and wind so who knows what we will do. Dry it will be some mountains, wet, more cafe and flat windy roads. See you around and take care.Don
  
  
  
• February 25, 2009
• 18:25

  WE ARE GOING TO MALLORCA, SPAIN ON SATURDAY

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  We are headed to Mallorca this coming Saturday (Feb 28, 2009). What you see are two of my favorite things over there, a cup of café con leche and some absolutely marvelous bike riding. The photo on the left is real, and it is not the only road like that, the Island is full of them. We is me and 8 friends of Sunnyside Sports. Some of the friends work at Sunnyside (Barb and Lew) the others are friends (other stores call them customers). Patsy, Gary, Linda, Paul, Mary and Leila. This will be my seventh time over there. I hope to go again next year even (if you are interested let me know (sunnyside@sunnysidesports.com will get me). This will be a trip when we get home we will be relaxed, in shape and full of memories of some of the best roads Europe has to offer. We will stay in one hotel the whole time. I have been asked many times "Don't you get bored riding the same roads all the time?" My answer is simple, No, I am not bored living in Bend yet after over 30 years. I missed going last year so this will be special, like a homecoming for me. You get to know some of local café owners, the people that work at the hotel, most of them are friendly faces. I am curious also how the economy is going to affect what we see. Will the number of riders be down? Will all the stores and cafés be open. I hope so.Mallorca for most people means Euro tourist. Laying on the beach getting a british tan (sunburn). Well in  March the pools are not heated, the beaches cool and most of the tourist at home. What you have in March is up to 50,000 cyclists at a time enjoying the roads and the café. Not many Americans, mainly Germans, Swiss, Dutch and Brits. The bonus for me will be the Brits. Not really Brits though the Scots. You see the weather sucks in Scotland most of the time (this is a west coaster talking). For them Mallorca in March is the warmest they will see it all year. There are not that many Scots in the world. Around 5 million or so. They have some awesome cyclists though. Sir Chris Hoy won three golds medals in China this summer. David Millar, pro cyclist on the Garmin Chipotle team to name a couple. Then there are my Scots. These are some special friends I have. They live in Scotland and I live in Bend. I go to Scotland to see them, and they come to Bend to see me. We all go to Mallorca to ride bikes, almost every year. This year most of them will be there again. We make sure we are there at the same time, we stay in the same hotel or even apartment. We like to ride together, laugh at the English, Germans and yes the Americans too. We like to eat good food, drink good café, and of course even have a beer or two. I will even go home via Scotland to see the ones that couldn't make it this year. Next year why don't you come along.DonOne more thing it really irritates me that my apple computer doesn't know how to spell Mallorca, it wants a j instead of ll. That is just fundamentally wrong.
  
• February 23, 2009
• 6:26

  THOUGHTS ON FIRST RACE OF THE YEAR

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  I have been racing for over 30 years now. That is a long time. These wimpy pro guys retire after 10 or 15 years. So after that long you would think I would know how to get ready for a race.Yes I know how to get ready but doing it is another thing. Mountain bike racing is another kettle of fish as compared to cyclo cross. Cyclo cross is 40 minutes of as hard as I can go. No need to feed (in fact that is frowned on). Eat three hours before, eat one gu and then race. Don't dress too warmly. Mountain bike racing is 2 to three hours. You can get too hot or too cold. Eating is part of the race, warm up is important but not the same as cross. I use a 5 inch full suspension bike. It needs to be set up for race mode. I was thinking about all this on Saturday evening.  I was going to race the next day and I hadn't even thought about getting ready. I packed everything I thought I would need into the car and along with James, Jim and Ben off we went. We got to the race a little later than I would have liked. The highway was a sheet of ice for close to 60 miles. Going 4o instead of 60. We decided to forge on. I didn't eat quite enough so I threw some Gu packages in my pocket (good) I put my vest on over my pocket (bad). I brought my clear glasses (good), I couldn't find them in my bag (bad). I really wanted to use contacts but had totally forgotten them ( I was to pay for that later). I was too warm but there was no way to take off any clothing without stopping. I got hungry but couldn't get out my gu. I had to stop and move my vest. My glasses fogged up while I was on the most fun part of the trail. I lost my momentum. I persevered, I forged on and ended up winning my category. I am known as the guys who is ready, I felt like a rookie. Next time it will be better. As I mentioned I won yesterday. Don't ask me how many showed up. I don't really know other than there were a lot of racers. Ron was there (he beat me in my last two cross races last year). Winning is an important part of racing for me. I work hard and to have the satisfaction of that hard work paying off by winning is the best. When I get back from a race I am asked "Did you win?" I hate that. Yes I have won my share of races but it is never a forgone conclusion. I like "How did you do?" better. When I win it is special. Yesterday was special. As Levi Leipheimer said at the Tour of California winning is only as  good as your competition. Ron is good competition, so the win was good. I hope to win some more this year, but my last win was over one year ago. I certainly am not counting on winning every race I do, but I do enter every race thinking I can win. When I do it is sweet.DonPS These photos were of the Echo the small town where this race started. It was a great venue. 
  
  
  
  
      
  
  
• February 18, 2009
• 7:02

  WHAT DO WE TALK ABOUT AT WORK?

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  I know many of you have been in Sunnyside Sports and probably know we all like working there. That doesn't mean every minute of everyday is perfect. We work hard and we get busy. That means  stress. However we live what we do. When I come in on my day off I am always asked "How was your ride or ski?" Every morning when we all gather together we all catch up with what the others did the day before. This isn't just true of us, it includes our customers (who are also our friends). It is what makes Sunnyside real. We know what the snow is like because we have been there or have asked someone how it was. If you want to know what Horse Ridge is like we will know. The other day I went out to Horse Ridge for a short ride and when I was finished Eric was there with Patrick (he used to work at Sunnyside) and newcomer to town Rob. A few minutes later Jim showed up. We work together we play together.This year we are going to host the Spring Fling. This is the COTA's annual trail work day and Party. Seth thinks it is pretty cool we are doing this and was commenting on how Sunnyside has a huge history with mountain biking, but we don't have the reputation as a Mountain bike shop. It is true we like to sell all types of bikes to all types of people. We have tried not to be anything but a bike store. I will list a few Sunnyside mountain bike moments. Gary and friends "riding" to the top of Mt Bachelor in 1976 on coaster brake clunkers. Sunnyside sponsored rider and friend Tom Pickett racing in the first US National Mountain bike championships in 1983. Me, John Howcroft, Tom Pickett and Julie Willis racing for Bridgestone from 1987 through 1991. Me winning two World Championship medals in 1988 [Downhill and overall(a combination of uphill, downhill and cross country)]. Sponsor of Pickett's Charge mountain bike race since 1994.Sunnyside has a huge history with mountain bikes and we will continue to be involved. This year we are going to have monthly trail work day, and we are adapting the Storm King trail. This year our team was the highest placed team in Central Oregon with most of those points coming from Mountain Bike races. So that is what we talk about. We love what we sell and it shows. See you on the trail.Don
• February 09, 2009
• 18:02

  Friends make it more fun

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  I am notorious for doing things  alone. I like to ride alone, bike alone. I always ride indoors alone. I do have friends though and they do make it  more fun. Muffy is one of those friends. The last few years we really  haven't done that much together. We get busy, we don't call, we have too much work and home life. We have spent the last few Oregon Bike Rides together though. She runs our Sunnyside Store. On the last OBR I had a dream though. In the dream after the ride I said to Muffy, "Thanks for the fun see you next year". The next morning I decided that was wrong and we have been getting together to ride and to ski. The skiing took awhile as we had a few scheduling issues to figure out. We went classic sking today. It was awesome. Extra blue wax, though I did have to reapply some secret Canadian wax that Muffy had with her. I have to admit on the way down to Leslie's Lunge I checked my speed (snowplow in other words). On classic skis that rubs off the kick wax.We try to get together once a week. Ski or ride. We never go hard. We like to talk, laugh at each other and commiserate. I like to catch up with Zoe and Tosch and Muffy is a good way to do that. We met almost 20 years ago. It was on a bike ride ( not surprising really). I am glad we have stayed good friends. Lots of things have happened since we have met, we have lost a few friends and we have made some more. Though I like to do things alone I realize it is more fun with a friend.Don
  
  
• February 06, 2009
• 6:23

  FRIENDS WHO I RIDE WITH

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  Riding with friends is a great thing. I am going to Mallorca, Spain at the end of this month to do just that. Today, though I am still home and I found some really good friends to ride with.  Kathy and Barb. If you read my blog and come into Sunnyside you will recognize both of them. I have been married to Kathy for 38 years, and I have been working with Barb for 17 years. Both are my friends also, people I like to ride with. They are just as fun to ride with as the pros I go out with. There is one difference, I get to wait for them instead of the pros waiting for me. On a road ride it is pretty easy to ride with a friend, you go their speed and find a route that is a good distance. Mountain biking is not the same. I have been riding Mountain bikes for a long time, I have some skills. I find it hard to determine what is hard  and what is easy. After many years I now get it. Rocks are hard for non hard core riders, soft sand is hard, exposure is hard. You can see by the faces of Barb and Kathy that they are having fun. They like the desert, the wind, the smells. It was a day that a road ride would have been hard and a mountain bike fun. If you take  a friend out take their photo. If they look like Barb and Kathy then you took them on a great ride. DonPS After riding with them I went out and did my own short technical ride. Worked out great.
  
  
• January 30, 2009
• 18:09

  LAST DAY OF COACHING FIRST DAY OF RIDING

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  Here we are living in a small piece of heaven. On Wednesday I was up at Mt Bachelor teaching my last Masters Skate class. It was the all women's skate group and it was a makeup. On one of our classes Mt Bachelor was closed because it was so windy. Today was a perfect day for teaching. It was easy to stay on our skis, so we could practice long glides without the fear of falling. I have to say I was very impressed with this class (my other class also). Ben Husaby changed the way I teach skiing a few years ago and it really works. We work on body position. With a good body position the rest of skating will just come along. Everyone in my class had great body position. Thank you all for making this year very special. I am very sad to have resigned, but I think it will work it self out in the long run.After skiing it was off to a bike ride with my sweetheart, Kathy. With my new camera I was able to take a photo on the move. The screen is so big you can look and click while riding. I am not sure this is approved by the powers to be but I did get a pretty good photo. It was nice to get out on the road bikes in the sun and no wind. It wasn't warm but the sun felt good on the face. I know we have a couple of more months of snow and cold but I like to take advantage of the warmer calm days and go for a short ride. Kathy prefers it to skiing so off we went. We started at Big Sky Park and did an hour loop. Few cinders and only a little snow on Bear Creek Road. Though the news about the economy seems to get worse everyday and I know more and more people who have been laid off, when I get outside and enjoy the snow, the roads and all the reasons I live in Bend I can forget all of that for awhile. I hope you can to.Take care.Don
• January 24, 2009
• 17:26

  CALIFORNIA GOOD OR BAD?

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  I am in Chico, California for a musical reason (Kathy is a piano teacher and she is here to see and visit with some piano teachers). I am the driver. I am from a family of drivers (my Dad was a truck driver). I am also a human GPS (according to Brig). Kathy was worried about the snow and I figured California has got to be warmer than Bend. I brought my mountain bike because there is a great park in town called Bidwell Park. It is one of the largest municipal parks in the USA. It is large. I rode over 20 miles from downtown to the end of the park and back with no loops sidetracking or getting lost (human GPS you know). The bad news -the trails were closed to mountain bikes. It had rained all night, I expected that. So up a dirt/gravel road I went. It was misting and looked and smelled like California. Now my secret. I was born in  Montana, I have lived in Central Oregon on and off since 1969, but those years between were spent in California. That is where I learned to ride a bike, where I first raced a bike, where I went on my first bike tour etc. It is a great place to ride a bike. The weather is right, the terrain is right and it even smells right. I have never had any problem with Californians moving to Oregon. Maybe too many off them have, but that is how I got here. But what I am really saying is , if you are in Oregon go to California for a short bike holiday. There are Palm trees in Redding (4 1/2 hours from Bend). Palm trees is a hint. Another great place to visit is Death Valley. That is about an 11 hour drive from Bend. You can actually fly there for $69 (Las Vegas). In March and April it is a great getaway. So instead of complaining about Californians in Oregon go be an Oregonian in California. 
• January 19, 2009
• 16:01

  AM I THE GUY WHO WRITES THE BLOG +NEW CAMERA

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  I bought a new camera today. It has a 10X zoom with a 40X digital zoom. It is pretty clear as you can see in those photos above. The one on the left is the 10X zoom the other is the 40X. Oh and that is Mt Jefferson from Horse Ridge. You can see the freezing fog below the mountain. Freezing fog is pretty but it is miserable to do anything in. Yesterday I was above the fog skiing in near 50 degree weather, when I got home it was 22. The other photos are of friends and new friends. The one with the car is Matt and Ruth. They are fairly new to Bend and just learning all the cool things we have (Horse Ridge in the winter for example). Both are school teachers and so far love it here. Matt is on our bike race team and we did lots of cross races together.  We left at different times and when I saw them again they were enjoying the trails. It was the best out there today. The other photo is of Aaron and Gavin. We just met today, but their first words were "Are you the guy who writes the blog"? I said I was and took out my new camera and now they are in my blog. They had read my blog about how cool it was out there on New Years day. I write this blog and it pleases me that it is read. 
• January 12, 2009
• 13:04

  SKIING, RIDING AND NO FLOODS!

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  Last week I went for a great ski in the morning, and then thought wow Horse Ridge might be in good condition so out I went. It was in optimal condition. For those of you who do not know Horse Ridge it is sandy in the summer, can be snowy and icy in the winter. It can also be prime. It has been the last week or so. Anyway I am out there with about 40 others and on the West Side of the mountains I-5 is closed because of flooding. What is it worth living in Bend? I don't really know but I do not want to live anywhere else. These trails were built by enthusiasts (like you and me). The Horse Ridge trails don't take a ton of maintenance, they do not get 12 month use. November to March is about all they see. For it usually December, January and February. If you ride all the options of single track there is about a 2 and 1/2 hour ride. Some of that is out and back. It is rocky. Not impossible (I can clear just about everything , maybe not everytime). If you go in the morning it smells wonderful. Sage Brush warming up. The smile on my face is real. I was having fun seeing all my bike friends. I live in Bend because of the desert, and as a bonus I get the mountains. We have a week of great weather coming up so I will be out there, on my road bike and I will throw some skiing in there also. Take care and enjoy.Don
• January 06, 2009
• 19:26

  SLOW WITH THE BLOGS

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  The last few weeks have been very difficult for me. I decided when I started this blog not to dwell on negative issues just positive ones. When one's mind is preoccupied with negative it is hard to write a positive blog. So to cheer myself up I am going to write about some great things that have happened the last month. Some of these have been mentioned before. I had great races at the GP cross races in Portland two second places. It finally snowed and I have been skiing every week, with some great days. My ski class is awesome this year. Everyone really listens and the improvement is amazing. Working at Sunnyside is as fun as always.  I won't say the economy hasn't affected us but we had a great year in 2008 and 2009 has started out great. I have made some new friends the last few weeks. In two months I and some friends are going to Mallorca, Spain for around two weeks to ride our bikes. My sweetheart is here everyday and has helped me through these times. I think things will be normal again in a day or so. Not to keep you in the  dark the difficulties have to do with the MBSEF. I have coaching masters there for 15 years. It is one of the most rewarding things I do. We have had some political issues there that I have been involved with. In a small town that is a hard thing to do. I hope it passes soon. Next week I promise a photo and a very witty, blog. Don
• January 01, 2009
• 15:15

  JANUARY 1 WHAT TO DO BIKE OR SKI?

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  It is January 1 today and I had to decide what to do bike or ski. I picked bike. I don't really like to ski in the rain, and I knew it would be busy with a lot of  skiers. Jim and I went off to Horse Ridge. We weren't sure about how much snow there would be. It was pretty cool. We started at mile post 12 and rode the dirt road on the west side of Horse Ridge for about 20 minutes, and then turned east and went to the top of Horse Ridge. We then hiked up to the main trail system and slipped and slided through the snow back to the normal trail head. Then a huge headwind back to the car using the old highway. Two hours of great riding. Was it windy though. We heard a tree crack at one point and then when we got home we found out a tree had fallen about two blocks from Sunnyside. We were mainly protected from the wind though. I haven't talked to anyone who skied but I think we made  a good choice. It was 54 F when we got to the car. I forgot my camera so no photo, sorry. It feels good to ride again though. I have what Kathy and I call Bike Disease. I love to ride my bike. All the time. Every day. I like to ski also, don't get me wrong. I love the motion in skiing. It is like dancing to me. My goal when I ski and when I teach skiing is getting the movement correct. Make it like a dance, make it flow. I like that about skiing. Bike riding (mountain biking especially) is just plain fun. Going over rocks, sliding around corners, whatever. Being careful but still having fun. I will be mainly skiing for the next two months. I got to get that motion right.Don
• December 25, 2008
• 15:13

  CYCLO CROSS NATIONALS IN BEND-2009 AND 2010

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  Well it has happened. Cyclo cross nationals is returning to Central Oregon. Returning? you say.  Yes they were in Sunriver in 1976. That was before I was a crosser though. What does that mean to me. Well next year I will be in the 60-64 category (though I will only be 58 years old go figure). It has to do with racing age. Technically the cross nationals are for the 2010 and 2011 season. European countries have their nationals  in January, we have ours in December. Worlds are in late January or early February. Anyway I will a first year 60-64 year old. This will be my best chance to do well (Podium I hope). I have been close before, three top 10 finishes in 6 tries. I am training hard now, even though it is 12 months away. I am trying to keep my weight down during the holidays, I am doing indoor cycling intervals twice a week, and, thanks to Rebound I am lifting weights twice a week. I am nervous and excited. I and many others will be in front of a home crowd. There will be many cheering for me (I hope). That will make me dig, and will also make me want to do well. It will be a challenge I will look forward to. Thanks for reading.Don 
• December 20, 2008
• 17:45

  CROSS NATIONALS IN BEND,MAYBE

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  Yesterday I went to a reception for Tom Vinson, representative of USA Cycling. He is in town to check out our bid for 2009 and 2010 Cyclo-Cross National Championships. I was there as a guest. I guess I have been in Bend so long and have raced bikes so long and love cycl0-cross so much I was invited. Tom was was a no show. Not his fault though. He got stuck in Spokane because of the snow. We got to be on a video telling him why Bend is so cool and the best place for Nationals. I hope he watches the video. I rode my cross bike downtown, it was pretty cold with about 2 inches of packed snow on the roads, I was the only one who rode a bike. I wasn't really trying to make a statement, Kathy had the car. It was fun though. I love riding in the snow, the cold snow, the dry snow. It is fun in the night because the snow reflects the light and everything seems so bright.
  They told Doug LaPlaca they would know soon about Nationals. I have already started to train. I will be in the 60-64 category next year, and I will want to do well in front of the home crowd. I am getting excited just thinking about it. See you on the snow, either skiing or riding.
  Don
• December 14, 2008
• 18:13

  HOW THINGS CHANGE

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  Here are some photos from this week. I couldn't help but add the one without my head. That was me trying to take my own photo with timer.  Then Brennan showed up so he and I both have photos. Brennan is this cool kid that shops at Sunnyside.
  
  He likes bikes as much as anyone and the one he is on he just got a month or so ago. It is fun to to see happy customers. That really isn't the point to this blog though. The photos were taken on Dec. 11th at the helipad at the top of Phil's Trail. I have never been to the Helipad in Dec, probably not many times in November. It was a great day though. The trails were in perfect condition. I knew the weather was changing so up I went. On the way down I did the whoops trail. I love the berms but am afraid of the jumps. I don't really do air. A friend of mine, Gary Graves fell while getting a little air on KGB yesterday and broke his neck. He is going to be OK, I hear, but it is a scary thing to get hurt and have a friend get hurt.That being said on my way home after not getting air on the whoops I went by the double of death. This is a jump next to Skyliners Road on the way home from Phil's. It must be 12 inches high. I have been avoiding it for years and finally decided I could clear it. I did. Jacob, from the store, cleared it last week. For us it was big. When I was describing it to Jim he referred to it as "that little double". Little for him double of death for us.Take care out there on the trails. We may have some time off with this snow, so go try some skiing. That is what snow is for. That is what the last photo is, my backyard, 7 degrees F and snowing.Don
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• December 08, 2008
• 16:01

  Don's Adventure

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  Enclosure: [download]

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  I am not sure what was harder, riding the "tree" on the new Funner Trail near Bend or downloading the Video. I had been to the tree twice by myself. I knew I could ride it (it really is not that hard). But I was not ready. I then went with some friends and decided this was the day. John took a video and here it is. I feel pretty stoked about riding it. There are some harder routes on the tree but I took the easy one. We are going to use this in Picketts Charge next year. Don't worry there is an alternative route, but it is longer and not "funner". Thanks for watching.DonPS Thanks to John Riley for the video and Mike Schindler for helping me download it.
   
• 8:29

  GRAND PRIX CROSS IN PORTLAND, END OF SEASON

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  The season is over for me, Nationals is too far away, and it is time to take it easy. Yes I work hard and train hard for cross. You will never hear me at the start line making excuses. When I start a race I want to do well and I am well prepared.  I have developed a training program (with a huge help from Justin Wadsworth) that allows me to stay in shape 12 months a year, have huge amounts of fun riding my mountain bike and doing well in cross. But now it is time to rest a little, enjoy the holidays, and do some skiing.The Grand Prix races in Portland were the best this year. The coursed fine tuned, not too wet but lots of mud. The last few times I have been out riding my bike I have run into Ryan Trebon. Probably the strongest cross racer in the USA. The first day he attacked a few times, let Tim Johnson and Jeremy Powers attack him, but I think he was waiting for the last lap to put in one of his super speed attacks for the win. Instead he slipped and Tim Johnson just exploded to get out of reach. The second day he was having none of it. He went to the front and kept on the pressure until all of his rivals faded of the back. He just kept on charging. Impressive. It is great fun to cheer on someone you know,  and the more I know Ryan the more I appreciate him. I was in the pit for another pro. Chris Sheppard. The first day he needed nothing, the second he crashed on the first lap and we had his bike ready. I got it fixed but he didn't need it again. Nothing like being a help. Chris is a semi retired Canadian bike racer. He was suspended a few years after some EPO problems. Now he lives in Bend, is at COCC becoming a massage therapist. He can still race his bike though. My races went pretty good. I ended up second both days (the same as last year). Ron Strasser beat me both days. He owns me on those courses. The second day I gave it my all. I led for most of the first two laps. Then we hit this deep mud and my legs were done. I had to do everything I could to hold on to second. In fact I didn't know I was second until I got home.  I was thinking we would be done when I went through the finish line after 4 laps, and Splinter even said over the loud speaker that my race was over. But everyone around me kept on going (he didn't say anything to them) so I did the 5th painful lap. Eric from Seattle came around me at the finish and I was sure I was third. They gave me a third place plywood even. This is a philosophical dilemma. Am I just as happy with a second after the fact as I would have been if I had known at the time. I think so. The plywoods were the same size after all, different colors and numbers though. I think doing that fifth lap though was the most painful. The photos are of me in the mud, Renee Scott going great in the women's B race, the start of the Pro Men and my plywoods. I now have four plywoods. Thanks for reading. Don
  
  
  
• December 01, 2008
• 16:26

  AWESOME NEW TRAILS AND OLD TRAILS

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  If you are a skier you know there is not much snow, and it is already December. I own a ski store, and I am a nordic ski coach. Don't think for a minute that I don't want snow. However I am not in charge of weather. I am in charge of Don's mountain biking. This week I had the pleasure of having my friends from Wisconsin visiting. I wrote about some of our trips last week. I just wanted to update a little. I had to work for a couple of days so they went out on their own and rode the Whoops trail. Pretty famous trail now a days. They thought it was pretty fun. Well lots of fun, but they wanted one more epic. Something to really remember Oregon by. They were here for a nordic ski holiday so I really wanted them to remember this as the best mountain bike holiday they have had. I called the Umpqua National Forest and, yes, the North Umpqua was open. I have a rule, when I take a friend from out of town on a trail I have to have ridden it first. I want to show them a great trail not have some kind of an adventure. We did the Deer Leap section. This is just below Tokatee Lake. What can I say. It was 30F when we left the car. It was 65 at, what I call, Deer Leap. The trail was perfect. If you have ever had first time visitors you might notice they are always surprised by Bend. It isn't green here it is green/grey. It is a desert. The trails are dusty, and loose. They learn to like it or even love it like I do. However you will do them a favor and take them to the west side. Most people choose the McKenzie River Trail, I choose the Umpqua. I don't like shuttling, and the Umpqua has lots of different segments to choose from. They thought they went to mountain bike heaven. The trees are huge, the canyons deep, the river well it looks like a river. It was another epic ride.lIn my last blog I mentioned the new trails at Wanoga. If you go there you should have a map. I suggest riding to the top of Storm King on the South side of Century Drive.  Then I like to ride up about 2 miles on Funner. You can go all the way to Wanoga if you like. To get the map go to this site [www.cotamtb.com]  . This should help. I will post a video of me riding across the tree soon. Enjoy.Don
• November 27, 2008
• 5:55

  THANKSGIVING, FRIENDS AND NO SNOW

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  We live in a great place, Bend. If you haven't been here you should, though I would imagine most of you live here or have visited here. The thing is - I am one of the owners of Sunnyside Sports. We sell bicycles and cross country skis. If there is no snow we sell no skis. Pretty simple. With the economy the way it is that poses a problem. So what do I do, nothing except continue to live my life and do the things I like. There is on thing I can't do and that is control the weather.My friends John and Margaret are here from Madison, Wisconsin. I know them because John works for Trek bicycles. They decided to come out for a cross country ski holiday. They sent there bikes just in case. In case is what we have not snow and the best mountain bike trail conditions of the year. We rode all the way up Mrazeck to farewell Bend, down to Tumulo Falls and that back to town. It even got dark (but I had my trusty Frog lights on). There was up to three inches of snow but it was 99.9% rideable. Going down Farewell to Tumalo Falls was awesome. From the Sunshine to the fog (we were having an inversion). We dressed warm, had lots of food and just decided an epic is what was in store for us.On a Thanksgiving when we have so much to be thankful for, (new president, good health, wonderful sweetheart, great friends) I am once again going to be thankful for something not as important. My Trek Fuel EX 9.0. This bike rocks. I have already written about my bike so I am going to thank the person in charge- John Riley (one of my riding partners). I said he works for Trek, he is the Product Manager for Trek Mountain bikes. He is in charge of the team that put this bike together. I few years ago (right after the first Lance years) Trek decided to really the best mountain bikes. They put a lot of effort into it and it has paid off big time. So thank you John. Also I need to thank both John and Margaret for joining me on another epic bike ride. I have never ridden so high or so long Thanksgiving week. No snow = great mountain biking.Get out there.DonPS I had to add my usual photo of my pies. I make them, Kathy decorated them. This years theme is love, hope and peace. The pie on the left has an olive branch and a dove, the pie on the right has figures that represents family, friends, love and music. I think it is important in this day and age to never forget that those are the true things that bind us together.
• November 25, 2008
• 10:58

  FAMILY OR WORK ?

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  These are photos of our annual Fall ride and photo shoot. It was 15 degrees F. Kathy wanted to know why we didn't own a car dealership. Vehicles with heaters.
  No, we love cycling, warm or cold.
  Eric, one of our main mechanics, told me the other day that Sunnyside Sports (check out our new website) is the only place that the owners thought it was important for the workers to have fun at work. I don't like the idea of owners and workers. I like the idea of co-workers. In fact we are trying to become a worker owned business.
  That is a long process but it is coming along.
  We went out on Sunday and rode for almost two hours. We had fun and we had our photos taken. We were not workers, we were friends, we are friends.
  Is everyday perfect at Sunnyside, no. We work and we work hard and that is stressful. We are friends first, at least that is how I feel. I wish we could do more rides together, it would be fun to take a week off and just do mountain biking. That won't happen so we try to ride together when we can, ski together, go to cross races together, work together.
  This is part of my family. I hope it shows in the photos, in our faces, and the way we are at the store. I feel blessed.
  Don
• November 17, 2008
• 9:45

  BAD RACE GOOD DAY

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  I like to think of myself as consistent in my racing. I finished anywhere from 3rd to 8th up to yesterday. Yesterday I was 18th. I had my best start and my worst finish. I crashed very hard with 1/2 lap to go. Broke my helmet and my neck doesn't want to move to today. Me and one of the faster juniors hit each other. He was trying to pass me on a corner. He wanted to win. I was trying to catch a couple of more guys in my group who were just ahead. I wasn't thinking about what was behind me. We hit, he apologized, we both got up. I must of been down longer than I thought as 10 in my group passed me. It would be easy to blame the jr  ( I don't know his name). I call it bike racing. We are all tired and trying to finish and making split second decisions all the time.  If I wanted to be safe I would have stayed at home and watched TV. If I would have been having my normal race the Jr would not have caught me anyway. If I would have ridden the mud hole the first lap (like I am doing in the photo after my crash, note the grass in my helmet) and not just the last three he would not have caught me. Blame is a silly thing in a bike race. Crashes happen, people get hurt. I am hurt. I hope to be back for the GP races. More mud more jrs.Did that ruin my day. NO. First of all because of my consistency I ended up 5th in the series without my double points (the last race is double points). I am proud of that. It was close but I held on. Two, almost everyone else on the team had their best race of the year. You can see the smiles of the women (Sorry, but Julie is missing). Serena won the women's B race (the series also), and Renee was 4th and 4th in the series. I am not sure why they are smiling though because they will have to move to "A"s next year. Karen was 4th in the 35+ group, though rumor has it she is eligible for a different age bracket. Serena caught Karen  (they start 30 seconds apart) and then Karen stayed with Serena the rest of the race. They both thought it was cool to have a friend so close by. Julie, not pictured, won the 45+ women's. The other photo is Karen riding the mud hole. Not many women were able to pull that off. The rest of the team did awesome. We had two men's "A"s in the top 10 (Ben and Damian) and Mike was 11th in the 35+ A race, Matt Fox ended up 4th in the "B" race. So I am sore but happy. Time to clean my bikes, do my laundry and go to Sunnyside and talk about it one more time. Thanks for readingDon
• November 10, 2008
• 14:43

  MORE CROSS TALK

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  More cross talk. At Sunnyside we call it Cross Monday. Jim, Damian, Mike and I go over what happened the day before. This is after we have talked it over on Sunday at the race and in the car on the way home. Afterwards   I get to go over it with Kathy at home (though she pretty much makes me keep it short. Then I have to go over it one more time on my Blog. I like to get my money's worth after 40 minutes of racing. That is the first thing. We have only raced 40 minutes the last two races. I would like that extra lap. I know it seems strange to want to suffer more, but I have good endurance and just a little longer would help me some. Maybe I could have made up those 10 or so seconds to third. Probably not though. I seem to be 5th this year. I was 4th once and 7th and 8th. 5th is not bad, in fact it is satisfying. We have a lot of 50+ this year who are strong, tenacious, and skilled. Yesterday it seemed about half of them wore Guinness green. Dave Luoma was ahead. I caught him, (great I said to myself, Dave is flying this year and being ahead of him rocks.) Of course he passes me right back. I pass again (see what I mean about going over it). Then here comes Dan. I battled him last week. His chain comes off.  Relax no, third and forth are 8 seconds ahead. I attack. Then Steve goes by. I go by Steve, Steve goes by me. What is happening. Green, green green. Steve clips his spike on the barricade. Of I go. Now or never. I stay ahead, but I feel bad. Steve Lacey has had some tough luck this year. Last year his heart would accelerate above normal, so he went in and had some surgery to fix that. Then some kid on a bmx bike ran into him while he was commuting to work. He is just getting in shape now. I like to finish ahead but not from someone having a silly fall. That is the thing you see. We race and we are ruthless, but we are all friends. After the race Steve Yenne came up (he won our race) to me and said "There is my good friend, how did your race go?" That is how we are all. We want to do well, we want all of us to do well. This year Brad has decided the startline mayhem was getting too much. Who really want to stand on the start line for 1/2 hour. He now does call ups for every category. I get to start in the front row. I am proud of that. I look back and see over 40 riders (over 50) every race, and I get to be in the front row. That is cool.You may have noticed the photos don't have much to do with this blog. But they do. The one is of the drum corps. Brad gets out the drum corps for the important races, nationals, GP races, and Single Speed Cross Worlds. When they drum, the Adrenalin goes up,  I was ready to start another race when they showed up. The other photo is Mike. Mike had a pretty good race. Not his best but he did score a few points. You can see he is on his bike going over the monolith (this is what I call the concrete thing in the middle of the course). He was hopping the monolith. I don't think more than 10 in the category A race could do that. We had two on our team doing it. Mike Schindler (photo) and Mike Martin. Mike would gain 20 feet each time. I would say Jason Stager (who also hopped up) was able to finish second because he could do that. The last photo is Damian. Lets just say I like seeing our jersey in the A field. We had two yesterday (Ben and Damian). We have had up to 4 this year. We are a small team who loves cross. Having "A"s on the team is a big bonus.There it is going over the race once again. Don
• November 05, 2008
• 12:27

  FEELINGS ABOUT ELECTION

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  I try not to make this blog something it is not, like a political forum for example. I am not going to talk about politics per say. This is about a boy growing up in the 50's and 60's and being part of what happened yesterday. My Dad was from Kentucky, he left just before WW II and moved to Montana. He spent a summer there and then joined the Army. He ended up fighting his way across Europe, being in the middle of the Battle of the Bulge. He survived. He told me a few days before he died that in the darkest moments of the War he told himself he would go home, get married and have three boys (I have two brothers). He told me he would raise these boys to be free of prejudice, though my mom may have had more to do with this than him, he did all of that.After the War he became a long distance truck driver. He moved house hold goods. I was able to travel with him during the summers. It seemed that when it was my turn we headed south, "The Deep South". Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, Texas. These are the places I saw in the early to mid 60's. I was living in California at the time. My schools were all brand new and 99% white. The neighborhoods were new. Most of us had Dad's who were veterans. California had the best home loans for vets. I think my parents payed $79 down and $79 a month. Even though we lived in a world of white we learned in school and at home that everyone was the same, and never to judge or treat someone different just because of the color of their skin.In the deep South it wasn't like that. They had white only signs everywhere. I was outraged. I was 13 and I was telling my Dad that we shouldn't eat, or buy anything at places like that. He pointed out to me that it was like that everywhere. He was right, but I was still outraged. I felt betrayed by my country. I had learned in school that were all created equal. I learned that we fought a civil war to end slavery. Yet in the 60's the South was a affront to everything I had learned and believed in. I was in Yosemite National Park the day Martin Luther King was assassinated. I was camping with my little brother, Dave. The news spread through the campground mouth to mouth. I am not sure how long it took me to get over that. How could I be living in this country where something like that could happen. I love the United States. I love the things we do here, what we stand for, and what we can become. After yesterday I am proud of the United States also. I am proud to be an American.  We have a lot to be thankful for. We have come a long way from those summer days I spent in the south. I am no longer outraged, I am just proud. Thanks for listening. Don Leet
• November 04, 2008
• 6:34

  PDX CROSS WEEKLY SLIDE SHOW

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  Instead of a photo I am giving you a link some very special photos of Portland Cyclo cross. Pdxcross  is a web page dedicated to Portland Cross. It is the essence of what Brad Ross has created. Bicycle racing that is both challenging and fun. Racing that has moments of pain and joy. Please click on this link and you will see what I mean. This is not the usual site that has photos of each racer from each category. I look at those also and it is great to be able to see yourself and your friends every weekend racing. This is different. It is art. Barton Park is where we had our last race at. Really we barely in a park at all. We race in a  gravel pit. If you look at the pdxcross, though, the gravel pit becomes a playground for cyclists. Enough said now just click on pdxcross and see for yourself.I saw another great thing on Sunday. There was boy, around 3 years old, who just learned how to ride his bike without training wheels. His Dad was out racing and he was doing what the big kids were doing, going through mud puddles, making tight corners etc. It isn't clear to me if he was trying to be like us (the big kids) or we are trying to be like him. Probably the latter.Now to something serious. It is election day today. This is not a political announcement just a sigh of relief that the election will be over.   I will have a bigger and happier sigh if the election goes my way. That hasn't happened very often in my life. See you on the trails or at the races.Don Leet
• November 01, 2008
• 14:45

  CYCLO-CROSS TEAM SPORT ?

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  Most bike racers are on a team of some sort, we are on the Sunnyside Team. The main thing about the Sunnyside Team is to stay on the Sunnyside, just like the song. We have some roadies, quite a few mountain bikers and a lot of Cross racers. This is a photo of some of the team. You can see that they are all smiling. They are a few minutes from race and they know they will be having some serious fun. Serious because they will all be going all out. Some to win, some to place and others just to race well. Most of them were cheering me on just an hour before this photo was taken. It is pretty cool to be racing around and having lots and lots of people yelling "GO DON!" I always do my share in yelling for the other groups. In fact every Monday I wake up thinking I have a cold. My throat is always sore from yelling and not the cold, thankfully. I love having a lot of women on our team. I also like having men and anyone else. We have a few new teamies this year, and a couple that are out for the year. Matt Fox just moved from Portland to teach at Bend High School. He actually bought a house in Bend last month. The reason he is on our team is when he lived in Portland he kept noticing the Sunnyside Team. Not only did we race but we actually acted like a team. Cheered for each other, hung out together, warmed up together etc. We try to park close, put up a communal tent, we even have heaters to stay warm. We share trainers, food and even equipment. Last week at the Astoria race a bunch of us rented a house together. It cost me $25 for a night. How good is that. I got to talk to Serena and her boyfriend Ben. It was cool to get to know my new teammates. This is what being on a team means to me. It is more important than results, equipment or anything. It is about a shared passion, helping out, being part of something bigger. Our store supports our teammates so they can race well. I yell and cheer so they know someone out there cares. They yell for me.
  If you are not on a team find one, but find a fun one. One where they put friendship first, one where they ride together, one where they go to the Cross Crusade the funnest bike racing in the world.
  Thanks to Wade for supplying me with this great photo. See you on the trail or at the races.
• October 27, 2008
• 15:42

  RELEARNING HOW TO RACE

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  My first bike race was in 1966. I was on the cross-country running team at my high school and we decided it would be fun to do a bike race. I think there were 10 or 15 of us. I finished 3rd. I was ahead of lot of the faster runners. That was when I became a true cyclist. I have been doing this along time is the point. The last few years I have concentrated on cross. It is short, sweet, lots of competition and fun. When I got to the oldest age group (that was 45 +) I was one of the fastest racers in the group. Mark Schwyhart and I battled it for a few years. Then  came a few years when I raced by myself, behind the fastest and ahead of the slower (I guess that pretty well explains everyone). Last year, and even more this year it has been different. We still have a couple of really fast guys in the group, Steve Yenne and John Wilson, but then there are a group of 10 or so that stay together for a long time. This is what is different for me. Learning how to attack, surge pass and be ahead at the corners, take advantage of mistakes etc. At Rainier I learned the hard way. Two guys passed me at the finish line. I did not finish the job when I had the chance. That was a learning experience. This last weekend I just kept attacking. It took me all the way to finish line to know I had my place. I was 4th on Saturday and 5th on Sunday, both good races. I have some new confidence to go harder, attack when the others seem not ready. It will be a challenge at every race to be in the top 5, with the goal to do even better. We will see how it goes. It is more fun to race with stronger riders close. The best thing is we are all friends and like to see each other do well and improve. Three more cross crusades to go. How good is that.Don
• October 23, 2008
• 8:51

  THE SAME RACE?

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  Yes these photos are taken at the same race. On the left is Mike Schindler from our Sunnyside Team and on the right is the "kiddie race" Both in Rainier, both photos of kids going hard. That one kid is on a skuut type bike, it has no pedals. He is keeping up with the pedal bike no problem though. I am not sure if anyone keeps track who wins or not, from my perspective I don't think the concept of winning or loosing isn't really on the minds of these kids. They are just going hard, with a lot of adults running around and yelling. Kind of like the adult race really. In the mens "A"race there are maybe 5 guys who start who really have a chance at winning, the rest well they go hard for an hour in order to finish in the top 10, 20 maybe not last. They are all faster than me, but winning isn't really the reason they are there. They are there to do there best.That brings me to me. I was 7th last week. Not a stellar race for me if you look at the placing. I have done better for sure. However it was a great race for me anyway. I had a slow start. No somebody did not crash me out, no my chain did not come off, no I did not get stuck in traffic. My legs said enough is enough and they went on strike. I must of been close to 15th or 20th when we left the pavement. After one lap I was ready to throw in the towel. I don't through in towels though. Third lap I was back in the top 10 4th lap I was 5th, 5th lap I was catching 4th, I was giving it everything I had,"Gie it lauldie", in Scots. I then got passed by two friends with 100 meters to go, back to 7th it was. I don't like getting passed at the finish, but still I managed to be competitive and almost get to my best finish of the year. Being in the 50+ category brings with it humility and understanding. I think we need to think more like the kids in the kiddie race. Go out there, go hard, have fun and let a bunch of adults run around and yell at us.  Maybe when I get older they will have a new category for us. We would start with the kids. Some of us would be on walkers or skuuts, some would have real bikes, a bunch of adults would still be yelling and we would be tired when we were done. No telling what the future will bring.Don
• October 12, 2008
• 20:07

  100 CROSS CRUSADE RACES

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  Today in Wilsonville I raced my 100th (aprox) Cross Crusade race. I am counting some races that were not technically part of the Cross Crusade series. These would be Nationals in Portland, and the GP races. For me they are all Cross Crusade races because of the feeling. It may have something to do with Brad Ross and crew. Something about bike racing being fun, and we are all friends out there. Today was not my best race. I had a slow start and immediately lost track of what place I was in. I was battling with Ron Strasser (the nicest man in bike racing), when he flatted. Now I had no idea what was going to motivate me. I was really tired of passing these strong Master B racers who couldn't go around corners. They are hard to pass, believe me. I buckled down and did my last two laps trying to pass as many as I could. I finished and I was asked How did you do Don?. I don't know, I said. I really had no idea what place I finished. Then someone said you must of been top 5 maybe 3rd or 4th. I thought cool. If I could have what I thought was a bad race and be in the top 5 I would be well chuffed (Scottish for pleased). I looked at my result but no not top 5 but 39th. Well that was a mistake for sure. I went and found the appropriate official (Candy Murray) who I have know since before time or at least since 1980. She says "Don the problem is there are TOO MANY RACERS". I am thinking whose fault is that. Well it is Candy's fault, and Mike's fault and all the members of OBRA's fault. It is Brad's fault it is my fault. What business do I have racing. Isn't 100 races enough. Maybe I could stay home and leave room for the younger riders. Here we were in some unfinished  housing development in Wilsonville, on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, and there are over 1000 of us riding around some gravel pits, crummy grass tracks,and bumpy dirt hills. The reason there are too many of us is because we all belong to this organization that thinks bike racing is fun. How cool is that , that there are too many of us. There were too many in my race. I had to start passing the slower group in front of me in 1/2 a lap. Should I complain, no I should rejoice. I do rejoice. The more I pass the more racers are having fun. Candy will fix my problem tomorrow. I do not worry. If it was a USA cycling race I doubt it would ever be fixed. Candy will spend the time tomorrow looking at the lap sheets see I went through 6 times and put my name in either 3rd or 4th. She won't be happy not having the results out at 6:30 on race day, but she will spend the time to get it right. I won't have to worry. Our officials take care of the riders. The ones that pay them. They are working for us to make sure we have a fair race, a safe race and a fun race. Because of that I will return next week and race # 101. Lets continue to have Too many racers. Maybe the results won't be perfect, maybe we won't have time to preride the course, but we will see more smiling faces, and as long as we all remember that this is for fun we will figure it out. See you next week.DonPS Candy got my results corrected at 9:15 pm on the day of the race. Awesome!
• October 06, 2008
• 7:59

  NO PHOTO

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  I lost my camera yesterday so I have no photo today. Kind of a bummer. I use the camera to come up with a subject to blog about. I guess I am doing that now, lack of camera is my subject. Yesterday was a classic cyclo-cross day. Rain, cool temps and lots of friends. There were over 1200 racers in Portland yesterday. Lots of Sunnyside kit around. We have a new member of our team. His name in Matt Fox. He moved over here this fall to teach computer technology courses at Bend High. His girlfriend, Ruth, moved over last year to teach at Pilot Butte Middle School. Both are thrilled to be living on the Sunnyside of the mountains. Matt joined our team from observation. He has been doing cyclo-cross for a few years now. He noticed this team from Bend, with bright yellow kit, that attended most of the cross races. That wasn't all he noticed though. Unlike some teams it looked to him that we were all friends. In fact we are . We try to car pool together, warm up together. We are team. I explained to Matt that these were not just friends of Sunnyside Sports. The team is run by team members, not by me or anyone else that works at Sunnyside Sports. It is great to have a new team member who appreciates what we are. We have another new team member also. Her name is Serena Bishop. Yesterday she was busy running the Portland Marathon. Her time was 3 hours and 15 minutes. Pretty impressive. Yesterday was also the return of our women. There were four out there racing and Serena came out to watch (after her Marathon). Two of our teammates are out for the season. Joanne is pregnant, and Veronica is recovering from ankle surgery. They will be back. I hope to find my camera, but if I don't I will have to get a new one. I like to have a photo to my mind working.Don
• September 27, 2008
• 18:42

  CROSS SEASON IS UPON US AGAIN

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  Well I guess cross season is really upon me and a few of my friends. This will be my 10th very active year in cross. In other words my 10th year of going to Portland every weekend in the fall. If you don't do cross (cyclo-cross) go out and at least watch one. Find one in a city or a high school with lots of grass and go on a crisp fall day. It doesn't have to be raining just a bit cool is best. I love the fall, and cross means fall to me. The hard part, though, is mountain bike riding is also fall. It is hard to do the 5 hour epic ride, two sets of intervals, weights and then do well at a race. I will figure it out though. This week I rode around Waldo Lake with Muffy and Phil. We started at Little Cultus, then to Lemish and Charleton Lakes and then the 20 miles around Waldo. It was a cool clear day with some smoke. I would say almost perfect. We ate huckleberries at every stop, notices some signs of bears, and just enjoyed a perfect fall day.Last week Mike and I drove to Hood River for the second half of the Double Cross. One of the things about cross races is the name. We have Cross Crusade, Double Cross, Star Crossed, there are plenty more.  It was a great course Mike and I pulled of a couple of thirds, Damian was 4th in his race and Jim was 5th. Matt, one of our newer members was 6th in his race. I can't remember where David finished but he did two races.You can see Mike in the photo above. In the other photo you can see my handlebars. I have this clear tape. I can put messages under the tape. The one I use now says Fast Fun Safe. I crashed hard last year at Barlow Park in Estacada. I had decided I was going to win that race on the first corner. NOT. Big crash. This is to remind me that I can go fast but I better be having fun and I had better not take chances. I had great fun last weekend and tomorrow we are going again. More Fun, Fast and safe also though. Enjoy the fall, go out and cross.Don
• September 20, 2008
• 5:42

  CYCLIST AND PAINTER

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  I just had the privilege of having Peter Mclaren visit me. I met him last year near Aviemore in the Highlands of Scotland. This year he decided to leave the summer rains of Scotland and visit Oregon. He first went on Cycle Oregon. Like most people who have not visited Oregon Eastern Oregon was a surprise. Oregon is supposed to be in the wet Northwest. He loved the dryness and the high desert that we have.After Cycle Oregon fellow Bendite Lore brought him to Sunnyside Sports so he could spend a few days with me and Kathy. It turns out Peter is a Painter. He makes his living as an Painter. He also loves bicycles and riding. I took him on the best local mountain bike rides. His face was one of joy. He couldn't believe we rode over 30 miles of single track in one ride. In Scotland single track is like gold. You ride 2 miles on Landrover track and then 500 yards of single track. Then 10 miles of gravel road and 1 mile of single track. The next day we went up North Fork and down Flagline. 20 miles of pristine single track. Even though he fell and hurt his shoulder he was in mountain bike heaven.But like I said he is a painter. The one above is perfect as it combines his love of bikes and shows his artistry as a painter. It was great having long talks about art, painting, music etc. A perfect house guest really. Yesterday he took off on his mountain bike and new trailer to Oakridge. I sent him via Little Cultus Lake and Waldo Lake, I hope he gets a chance to ride around Waldo. It is very fun to take out of towners on our mountain bike trails. They know what we have even more than we do. It makes me love our trails even more. Sunnyside will be hosting a trail working party next week Tuesday the 23rd of Sept. Meet at the store at 8am and we will doing some brush clearing on the Tumalo Creek trail. Should last until one.See you on the trail.Don
• September 17, 2008
• 5:26

  ONE YEAR OF BLOGS

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  No photo today, just some reminiscing. I was in Scotland one year ago watching some racing (World Mountain Bike Championships and Single Speed Worlds). Now I wonder where the year has gone. I was browsing my blogs and there were some joyful moments (cyclo cross racing, rides with my sweetheart, wildlife viewing, visits with many friends and just living). Then there were the some very sad moments. Remembering about my friend Kent and selling his old bikes, a couple of friends passing away ( Jeannette and Keith).I guess that is the way life is supposed to go. Joy and Sorrow. They seem to go hand in hand. Unless you really love someone you won't feel the sorrow when they are gone. Sometimes it is just hard to deal with the pain. Then some joy comes and it makes it somewhat better again. I have heard from a lot of readers telling me they enjoy my blog. That pleases me. The fact that I can write something that gives pleasure is very ironic. I had to take "bonehead" english in University. The professor was not impressed with my ability to communicate with the pen.It helps to have spell check, a program that is easy to correct and a couple of readers who edit most of what I write.I wonder what the next year will bring. We have an election coming up, that could make me grumpy, the economy sucks but Sunnyside has withstood so far. I have trip planned to Mallorca with some friends, more ski coaching and just life coming up. Next year my racing age will be 60. That will be a milestone. Thanks for reading and I hope to have more interesting tidbids of life coming up. I could do without the deaths and the sorrow, but I guess that is part of what it is to love.Take care and thanks again.Don
• September 11, 2008
• 5:24

  MILESTONES

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  Four years ago I decided to totally change the way I train for cyclo-cross. I went to Justin Wadsworth, who is now the World Cup coach for the US Nordic Ski Team, and said I want to train in a more modern way. At the time he was the head coach at  the Rebound Performance Lab. He started me on a more intense (lots of intervals) and a regime of strength workouts. I was not sure about the changes, nor was I positive I could actually do all the workouts.I started  and pretty soon I was enjoying the weights and the intervals as part of my week. My recovery improved (with all the intervals), and I got a lot stronger. After one year I could do 190 pound squats, I could do 7 interval sessions in one week (and race). I was  improving. There were two things that bugged me though. I weighed in the high 160s to low 170s (about 10 pound too heavy) and I still could not do a pull up. I was using this machine at Rebound that is on a ramp so one could work up to regular pull ups. It seemed that after four years (I can now squat 225 pounds) I should be able to do real pull ups,  like I could in Jr High School. I think that was the last time my arm strength to body weight allowed me real pull ups. I became a bike rider after that and good bye to upper body strength.As you can see in the photo I can do real ups now. I just started a couple of weeks ago. Pretty cool at 57 I can still make real improvements. I also weigh under 160 pounds for the first time since 1988. Wow that was 2o years ago. I know that is not like winning a gold medal, or setting some kind of personal best in a race, but for me it is just as good. Years ago I started to really be present in my life. Though I started weights and intervals as a means they quickly turned into their own reward. I like doing both. It is also really great when I can see real progress . I will now have to wait and see if both of these goals translate into being a better cyclo-cross rider. Though the truth is I am now lighter (that feels good) and I am enjoying doing real pull ups. Life is good.Don
• September 06, 2008
• 7:19

  OLD FRIENDS AND FAR AWAY FRIENDS

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  This was last weekend on my favorite ride, Round Mountain-Lookout Mountain in the Ochoco Mountains east of Bend. My history with the Ochocos goes way back. In 1969 I came to Central Oregon for the first time to work for the Ochoco National Forest. I was stationed at Rager Ranger Station about 90 miles east of Prineville.  I have loved them ever since. Phil, who is on the left is "Phil" of Phil's trail fame. We have been riding together since before Phil's Trail. In fact I was one of the first to ride Phil's Trail with a small group of friends.  Of course back then in the mid 80s there were only a small group of mountain bikers. The first time I rode in the Ochocos was with another friend Walt and his nephew Jon. I had a bad crash on the way down and was not sure about going back. Phil convinced me and now it is my favorite ride. The top photo is the very top of Round Mountain. The trail gets steeper and steeper until only the young and very strong can ride that last bit. Martin, who is pushing his bike, was on a single speed. He did quite amazing, though I thought I heard him say something about maybe a geared bike wouldn't be so bad.I met Martin in Spain. We spent two weeks riding road bikes together with some other Scot friends. I saw him again last year in Scotland when Kathy and I were over to visit and watch the Single Speed World Championships. Martin was one of the promoters. He was in Bend for a couple of days so why not show him the best ride we have. When he left he was thinking the next time over he might just spend it all in Bend. We have most everything a mountain biker could ask for. It is nice to have friends like Phil and Martin. Phil and I don't ride together as much as we used to, there are a lot more mountain bikers to ride with for one thing. Phil is my car mechanic though and we do keep in touch. It was great to get out with him again and I am sure that will lead to some riding this fall. I know he has to put a rear wheel bearing in my car. He was in the back seat and diagnosed it on the way home. I won't even have to describe the noise to him.I am not sure when Martin and I will get together. He and Sue, his long time girl friend (Scots don't appear to get married any more), would like to come back and they know they are welcome to stay. We love Scotland so there is always a chance we will go and visit soon. Maybe one of my many Scot friends will get married, that would get us over. I do know I will keep in touch with both Phil and Martin and all the  many other  friends I have made through cycling. In fact another Scot, Peter, is coming next week. More showing of awesome trails. I can't wait.Don
• August 24, 2008
• 6:16

  OLDER AND WISER OR JUST CUTE OLD MAN?

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  Unless you have a few gray hairs and are approaching 60 quickly you may not know what it feels like not to  be young anymore. I am not sure if I know. I do all the same things today I did when I was 20. Hike, ride, read, work etc. I haven't changed what I do or even how much I do very much. I get up every morning ready to go. The surprise starts when I look in the mirror and wonder why my Dad is looking back at me. Where is my hair, why is it gray?I was riding my mountain bike last year up one of the more technical trail in Bend, COD. I was making all the hard stuff and generally feeling quite studly. About then two young women come down the trail. I expect them to say - awesome riding dude. But no, they say " Sir, How far is it to the highway?" Sir? I look around to see if there are any sirs around. No they must  mean me. I think they thought I was the old mountain bike man of the forest. Hopefully they thought I was a cute old man. That is what it has come to. If I can be a cute old man that will work.In the photo is my lunch date of last Tuesday,with  Sarah and Zoe. I spent two weeks with them working and riding on The Washington and Oregon Bike Rides. I have known Zoe almost her whole life (21 years) and I just met Sarah. The first 15 years of Zoe's life I would talk and she would reply with a laugh. It seemed to work. She always smiled when she saw me, I would say hi and she would laugh. A few years ago we actually started to have conversations with words on both sides. Hanging with the younger set is a great thing for me. I feel their innocence, their enthusiasm for life and just the fact they like to laugh and have fun. I think that is what is needed to stay sane in this world. I want to thank Zoe, her brother Tosch, Sarah, Brig, Merideth,  Damian. Jon, James, Ben, Andy, Ros, Kevin, Veronica, the two girls on the trail, Jake, Eric, Seth, and I am sure there are more for being my friend laughing at my antiquated jokes and basicly thinking that I am a cute old man and maybe sometimes that I am older and wiser. I still feel young inside, I don't feel old not even middle aged. My friends are a mix of all ages and both sexes. I am not cynical and I have lots of hope that we will get this world right for all of us. So here is the advice part. If you are young, befriend someone older. You will be amazed that they might not even know they are old. If you are, like me, a person with some gray hair, find some young people to hang with, learn how to text on your phone, figure out what they mean when they say "snap", get a blog going, go out to lunch and laugh about life. See you on the trails.Don
• August 18, 2008
• 6:31

  JOY AND SORROW ON OBR

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  We just finished The Oregon Bike Ride for this year. Like The Washington ride we had a great time. Barb, Lew, Muffy and I were the Sunnyside Crew. What we do is keep the bikes working. This year we had around 280 bikes to keep going. We had derailleurs into the spokes, broken wheels (three) lots of bad shifting and of course the -my bike creaks under pressure-. We fixed them all (45 on one of the nights). We work as a team and we have a joyful time. We hang out with our many OBR friends, the young crowd (baggage boys and girls) and we make new friends. Herbert with the best butt eye (see last post), his wife Marta came by every day to make us laugh. That is why I like OBR it is the laughing. This OBR wasn't all laughter though. We had three crashes that involved ambulances. All three riders will be OK, but it is never fun to see your friends on the ground with faces full of pain. We had two mothers (both over 80) fall at home. Katie flew home to take care of her mom. She then came back to finish the ride. My Mom fell and broke her wrist. I didn't go home. Kathy was here to take care of her, but I had to think hard of what is important. The saddest thing though was when the word went out that a cyclist was killed in Bend. No one knew anything but when we heard it was a man around 50 named Keith Moon I was devastated. The photo is of an Angel Bike that was put up on the corner where the accident occurred. There is a brotherhood of all cyclists. We know the danger of cars but we choose to ride because of the joy. When the joy turns to tragedy it hits hard. Keith was a student of mine (I taught him and his wife Jenny how to skate ski), he was a customer of mine (lots of bikes and skis through the years), I was a customer of his (the counters in Sunnyside are all from Moon woodworking). I went to many concerts where Keith was the trombone player, Kathy sang with Jenny in the Cascade Choral. There are not words that I have to explain the pain. To share with Keith's family that they are not alone in their sorrow. What is it like not to have a father around, a husband a lover. I can only wish them our best. I and Sunnyside have lost a great friend. Good bye Keith.
  
• August 09, 2008
• 8:43

  Joan

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  Joan has been been with us for 8 years now and now she is moving to Portland. Family, and general life things are taking her away. She is in the photo standing next to Russ the third from the right. A lot of people might not know what Joan did at Sunnyside. Well I will try and tell you. She brought Sunnyside from the 20th century to the 21st. Her goal wasn't to make us the best bike store but the best store. She shared in my vision that Sunnyside should be the best place to work for the workers, but that all should work hard. She looked at the details. For her it was about saving pennies and giving the best service to our customers. She had a vision. It was clear and things had to be a certain way for her. I hope we have learned from her and we will continue to strive to be the best store. She will still be there in the background. Going to shows, helping us find the coolest new product etc. That will be nice but I will miss her. The part about Sunnyside I like is the team feeling we have, the personal relations we develop. With Joan in Portland that will be hard to continue. So I will miss her. I remember the first day she came into our store and I will remember her last day. Maybe she will come back sometime. That would be good.Take care Joan and I hope we will see you again in Bend.Don
• August 06, 2008
• 12:05

  WASHINGTON BIKE RIDE BUTT EYE

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  We got back from Washington Bike Ride last Friday. What a great ride. We started in North Spokane and went North all the way to Canada. The ride didn't go to Canada but a couple of riders ended up there accidentally. This is some of the best riding I have had in the Northwest. Beautiful scenery and not much traffic. But this article is about something else. A phenomena called butt eye. This is when bags form under your eyes. It always happens on the Washington and Oregon rides. We don't know why. Is from dehydration, sleeping outside, some mysterious bug bite. I don't get butt eye. Lucky I guess but as you can see from the photos both Muffy and Paul both ended up with a mild case. I have seen some cases where you can't really recognize the person infected. It seems to affect the older ( 50 or so ) person, and I would think more women then men. That is just a guess though.We are off to Oregon Bike Ride next week and we will do some more research.Oh by the way, Paul was mechanic on WBR along with me. We normally go with three but ended up with only 2 this year. He was great. We had 40 bikes a night the first three days and we got them all done before dark. Muffy was our store manager. She was also great. It really helps to have such enthusiastic help. Thanks to both. Don 
• July 24, 2008
• 18:20

  WASHINGTON AND OREGON BICYCLE RIDES

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  Saturday I will be leaving to do my 20th (aprox) Oregon, Idaho or Washington Bike Ride. These rides are organized by Sandy Green and have been happening since 1987. It started out as OBR (Oregon Bike Ride), a few years ago she added Bike Idaho, and then last year she switched from Idaho to Washington. I think we did all the roads in Idaho. Anyway I have been helping for a long time now. Gary, Mike, Barb, Susan, Seth, Paul, Chuck, Kevin, Tosch, Sanna, Kathy and Muffy have also helped along the way. This ride is a week long celebration of cycling. Plenty of us have gone from being 30 something to almost 60. It is like a family of sorts. What we do is fix bikes. We have a Uhaul (Alaska this year) full of bicycle parts and accessories and we keep the riders going. We don't charge for labor, we get to work outdoors and we even get to ride some of the ride. Most of the time it is fun, lots of times it is hard work, and all of the times it is rewarding. We like to keep every one's bike on the road. It is easier now than it used to be. Back in the day we had only one mechanic, and the bikes were pretty sad. Most everyone now rides road bikes, usually in good condition so instead of building wheels, replacing worn out bike parts we do more usual repairs. Gear cables, tyres, tubes, the odd accident will give us a challenge (new fork or wheel), but usually the repairs are pretty normal. I like the normal. People have more fun on a good bike, and the word has spread so most of the group are riding some pretty nice bikes. In the photo Barb is at a rest stop getting ready to lube a chain or maybe adjust a derailleur. It is sunny and warm and as you can see in the background the rest of the group is milling around, eating some snack food and getting ready to ride the next segment. It is always hard for me to leave Bend this time of year because we are so busy at the store, but once I  get there I forget about time and the week becomes OBR time. Get up early, put away the tents, get some breakfast, fix the odd flat, load the truck, ride or drive to the rest area. Talk, hang out make friends, see old friends. If you haven't done OBR sign up next year. Do it early as it sells out in January or February. I will be back in a week and then it is off to the Oregon Bike Ride. I will try and write a blog if I can get on line. See you soon.Don
• July 21, 2008
• 7:46

  NORTH FORK TRAIL (TUMALO CREEK)

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  I am sure if you live in  Bend you have been to Tumalo Falls. It is a jewel. Yesterday when I was there it looked liked half of Bend was there to see the falls. The parking lot was full, actually overflowing. Families were hiking up to the overlook to see the Falls from the top.This place has a special memory for me. In the summer of 1979 I was working for the Forest Service. I was the Bend Fireman on the Fort Rock Ranger District. I got a call. There was a large black column of Smoke in the Bend Watershed. I quickly got in my truck and raced up to Skyliner Road to Tumalo Falls. On the way I could see the growing column, but when I got to the Falls it was no longer visible because of all the trees and the canyon walls. As I drove the last three miles of gravel road I was in a dense Douglas fir forest, the cliffs on the north side of the Canyon were covered in moss. It was like a westside oasis close to Bend.There were three of us who arrived at the Tumalo Parking lot at the same time. There was already a crew of Smokejumpers on the fire about two miles up. We parked our trucks facing out, leaving the keys in them. We hiked up the Bridge Creek trail to see if we could stop this roaring fire. We got up maybe a mile when we realize the noise we were hearing was not the local freight train but the fire heading down hill towards us. We crossed over Bridge Creek and went sat right at the edge. This was our only safety zone. The fire roared by. We kept the fire from jumping across the creek to the west of us but it crossed below us and up the hill it went. We dug fireline on the western edge to keep it from reversing direction if the wind would change. Today if you hike up Bridge Creek you can see where the fire burned up the hill. After a long night,and lots of work we were relieved of our duty 28 hours after we got there. We hiked down Bridge Creek. It was burnt logs, stumps and black soil. This was different place. When we got to the Tumalo Creek parking lot there was an oasis of trees left. Another crew had arrived after us and stayed there, using our trucks (they all had water pumps) kept spraying the trees, the buildings etc while the fire destroyed everything around. On the drive out I was amazed at the difference. No longer a west side like forest. Just burned trees everywhere. This was one hot fire. Now when I go up to Tumalo Falls, either on the south side trail or the road it looks like Central Oregon. The cliffs are dry rock, the trees are pine, the vegetation is manzanita and deer brush. It is still beautiful, but I will always remember it the way it was. This blog morphed into something from what it started to be. The photo is of one of the many falls you will see on the North Fork of Tumalo Creek. Most people seem to stop at the top of Tumalo Falls. The next time keep going. You will be amazed. This is also what the whole canyon looked like before 1979. Thanks for sharing my memory.Don
• July 13, 2008
• 10:39

  CASCADE CYCLING CLASSIC AND THE TDF

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  I am a huge bike racing fan. I have been to six different World Cycling Championships, the Tour de France, The Coors Classic and of course numerous editions of the Cascade Cycling Classic. I love the fact that one of the oldest stage races in the United States is in our town. Sunnyside was an important part of the first Classics, we were the Title Sponsor for two years and I was the technical director for 9 years. When I retired from that job I had had enough. It was rewarding but it was time for a change. I am so thankful the MBSEF is in charge now. I hope it will continue for another 28 years.I was at the finish of the Three Creeks stage this year(photo on right). I rode my bike from Bend up to finish (we actually went three miles past the finish). It was cool to see the Rock Racing guys and all their support, and Levi finishing strong. I was wondering if he would have won if the race had continued up the steeper slopes to the end of the pavement. I didn't go to the criterium. I hate seeing bike crashes. It makes me hurt all over. Every time I see the video of Joseba Beloki go down in front of Lance I get queasy all over. In fact I don't get to see a lot of the Cascade. We are so busy in the summer I seem to end up working. Some of it is for the Classic though. Not all pro bike racers have a mechanic. Yesterday I fixed a guy with a loose Campagnolo Crankset. Someone had forgot to use an important washer. I fixed a wheel for a woman. I had to make a spoke and a custom file a nipple to work on her, unknown to me, carbon wheels, and then I fixed a rear derailleur for a guy who was sure it was worn out. Not real hero work but they will race today better than yesterday. I feel good about that. I didn't charge them for any labor as for me it is my way of still being part of the race.Though I don't watch a lot of the Cascade I watch every second of the Tour de France. I even have a Tour de France flag hanging in front of my house.  It is on before work and I can record it to watch later. If you are watching you will know that Christian Van de Velde is in third overall. He has already held the Pink in the Giro. I don't know if he will hold a podium or even a top ten. I am rooting for him like I have never rooted for anyone before. I had dinner with him a few years back, he is a CCC alumni, and his wife was my guide in Spain for  a week. I never thought I would get to watch the Tour when the CCC started. I didn't know we would have Internet, satellite tv and cable tv that picks up bike races. I didn't know about Lance and what he would do about the popularity of bike racing. I am happy though. Go Christian, and long live the CCC.Don
• July 06, 2008
• 18:12

  GREAT LOCAL RIDE AND MY RIDING FRIEND JIM

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   Last week we went over to the Ochocos for one of my favorite rides. You may have read about it. Today Jim, Karen and I did a local ride. We started at Shevlin Park and went up the Mrazek Trail. Jim and I wanted to do an epic, Karen was more sane and turned around   after almost two hours. When Jim and I got to the Farewell Bend trail we headed down. Still awesome even after doing it a couple of days ago. This time though I had to stop. In this photo you can see Jim, and behind him is a spectacular display of flowers (just as good as the Ochocos), only without the drive. They are Indian Paint Brush and penstemon. With Broken Top in the background it just doesn't get any better. All this without a drive. Jim is back at Sunnyside Sports this summer. We have been very busy, busier than usual. This is a good thing. We had a couple of sicknesses though and we got behind. We asked Jim to come in and it has really been great for all of us at the store. When he worked before he was behind the computer, this time we have him doing a little of everything. Building bikes, helping customers, fixing bikes and whatever. Thanks Jim for fitting in and and making our life a little easier. If you are a customer and come in you can see Jim knows a bit about cycling. Ask him about the trails or what is his favorite bike. See you on the trails.Don
• July 04, 2008
• 6:22

  PLANTS AND BIKES

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  As most of you know I like riding my mountain bike, and I just got a new one. When I write this blog I don't get into product review very much. I like to write about my experiences more than stuff. I leave the stuff talk for the store, but this bike is different. If I wanted to write a very boring blog I could tell you about every bike I have owned. My first bike, a Western Flyer, my first 10 speed, a Peugeot UO-8, my first real mountain bike, Treks first prototype mountain bike.  I could go on and on. I put on my first shock at the World Mountain Bike Championships in Durango in 1990. I finished 12th in the Downhill. I got my first full suspension bike a few years later. It was a Trek Y bike. My new bike is different. It is a Trek Fuel EX 9.0. It works the way a full suspension is supposed to work. I goes up better, it goes on the flat better and it goes downhill better. What more can I say. I decided I needed to learn how to go down the whoops trail doing what it was designed for, (air) as opposed to me being afraid of every bump. I took out the new Trek and realized that this bike was designed for riding. No, my air isn't big, but I can flow down the whoops now. I went down Farewell Bend a couple of days ago. It felt like a different trail. This bike has 5 inches of travel. I can clear stuff going uphill I have never cleared. Going downhill you don't even notice the hard bits. I think it is cool that bike companies are really figuring out how to make full sus bikes, and I am glad I have been around to see it. 
  
  The other photo is really amazing. When you are out in the woods and see white blossoms everywhere, those are ceanothus blooming. You might call it snow brush or deer brush. This is best I have ever seen it. This photo was taken on Marazak in the old burn. As far as I could see there was white. Get up there and check it out. The whole forest smells of these blossoms. I think it is because the snow was on the ground for so long these plants had water until quite late. It is spectacular. See you in the woods.Don
• June 21, 2008
• 7:26

  OREGON AND THE REDWOODS WITH FRIENDS

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  My two friends, Andy and Ros just got on the shuttle back to Portland. I would have taken them but I need to mark the Pickett's Charge course today. They stayed in our house for over three weeks, it seemed like three days. We tried to pack in as much stuff as we could, even though Kathy and I both had to work. We went through the Columbia Gorge, hiking to the top of Multnomah Falls and then seeing the wildflowers just east of Hood River. We went on many bike rides, and checked out the shopping in Bend. We went to the Painted Hills and to Clarno Fossil Beds. I had never been to those places before, close, but I never stopped and looked. Last week we took an old fashioned vacation. We went to the Umpqua to hike, ride and camp. That was spectacular. Then it was off to Ashland to see some Shakespeare. Seeing Shakespeare in Oregon with two friends from England was eye opening. They loved it. They thought it was fresh and innovative. Both plays were comedies and we all laughed more than usual. Ros was a stage director in England and really was impressed at how well the plays were put on. After two days of a cottage in Ashland it was back to camping. We decided to show them the Redwoods. Kathy and I met in the Redwoods, and both Andy and Ros work for the Forestry Commission in Scotland. We thought some real trees would be fun. We camped at Jedediah Smith State and National Park.WE had bacon and pancakes for breakfast, roasted marshmallows over an open fire, went to the most amazing Redwood Grove I have seen. It is called the Stout Grove. Words do not come close to describing what this grove of trees is. On the way home we through in Crater Lake for desert. There is so much snow still that hiking and riding were out of the question. It was spectacular. It was fun to show them all these places we live so close to. I now have a new appreciation for what we have.I miss my friends. They are going back across the sea to England. With the price of fuel so high I feel an uncertainty about travel in the future. When will I see my friends again? That is a sad thought. Maybe next year in Spain? I will make it happen if I can. In the mean while I will enjoy Bend to the utmost, I will look at everything like it is new and fresh.  Every time I ride my bike I will think that Andy is with me, enjoying this trail for the first time. I hope all of you do the same. We have this special place we call home. Enjoy it, cherish it, and go out and see it.Don
• June 12, 2008
• 17:25

  FRIENDS AND CUSTOMERS

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  Big Jon, the one on my left, is moving to Eugene on Sunday. Today we went on farewell ride. I will see him again, for sure, as we have been friends for about 10 years. It has been long enough that I can't remember the year. I know it was before the remodel though. I  remember him in the old store. He was a young kid then (19 or so). Now he is a young man. He came in as a customer and is moving as a friend. You may recognize Damian on my right. He was brought in by Jon. Friendship is an interesting thing. Why do you connect with some people and not others?I really don't know that answer. We all love bikes (well so do most customers of our store), I have been married for well over 30 years these guys are single. They go out, I go to bed. But non the less we are friends. We joke, we laugh, we agree on most politics, they make fun of me being old I make fun of them being young. I like that my customers are my friends. I don't like to keep my business separate from my social life. That way at work is fun. I help my friends. It is always a pleasure to see their smiles and hear their laughs. I hope it is the same for them when they see me.In the first year or so that I knew Jon he had a very bad bike accident. He was in local group ride when there was a pileup. He got the worst of it. His face was one big mess with most of his front teeth missing. I went to the hospital to see him. His jaw was wired and he had a hard time talking. I gave him a Sunnyside Jersey. He smiled and cracked some joke. I think that is what made us friends. Jon never blamed anyone and he was not bitter, nor did he feel a victim. He crashed, and then he recovered. He liked the fact that some bike store owner really took some interest to his life. I did and I do. Jon is a great guy. I am going to miss him in the store, seeing his face around town, and going on rides with him. Maybe he will move back when he is done with university. He talked about being a high school teacher. Why not in Bend. The kids here could use a guy like Jon around.Good luck Jon and we hope to see you around.Don
• June 07, 2008
• 20:00

  COTTON DEATH ROW AND FRIENDS FROM SCOTLAND

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  The cotton death row is an inside joke. Last year Kathy and I were in Zion National Park, and we decided to hike up to the Narrows. We went to the outfitter to rent special boots, walking sticks and a special waterproof bag. We then had to go to the safety talk. We learned that if you wore cotton you would probably die. Of course when we got to the creek we noticed almost everyone was wearing blue jeans and flip flops. We felt like the overdressed gringo.
  That was then, now we have two friends visiting from Scotland, Ros and Andy. They are not Scottish they are English. I have known Andy for 4 years or so. We have spent a lot of time in Spain together and some time in Scotland. Having friends from other countries is a great thing. If you speak the same language, even better. It is fun to hear what they have to say about high gas prices (our fuel is half the price of fuel in GB), large cars and pickup trucks, great mountain bike trails (ours) and just funny things about life. In the photo Kathy, Ros and Andy are sitting above the Painted Hills near Mitchell in Eastern Oregon, and it is just about to start raining.  I, of course was wearing wool they all had cotton.  We managed to get back to the car before the rain so no fatalities that day.The real big bonus of having friends from Scotland is when we visit over there. A holiday spent in some one's home is so different than one spent in a hotel or B and B. The evenings are spent talking, eating home food or even night mountain bike rides. Next week we are off to Ashland, Crater Lake and the Redwoods. It will be fun to show off our best to our friends, just like they do to us when we are over there. After a week of visiting we have become a little looser, the humor more personal and interesting. I am already looking forward to my next trip over to Scotland to see all my other friends.Thanks for reading,Don
• May 27, 2008
• 5:42

  LIVING IN BEND

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  Brig asked me if I thought about living somewhere else than Bend. Well I have to say I have. When George was elected the second time I was ready to leave the states.  I don't think I would have, and now that most people see our President for who he is I don't feel that anymore. I answered Brig - that Bend is the best place I have ever been to. I have lived here for over 30 years. I have been to most states, many different countries and for me Bend is the best. Not too big but big enough. This doesn't mean I like everything that has happened in Bend. I still like most things.As most of you know I love to mountain bike. I like being in the woods, I love being on a bike, and I love the technical bits. Going over rocks, steep downhills and windy descents. I also like not driving. No, it has little to do with $4 dollar a gallon gas. I just think driving is a waste of life. I have done my share. I once had a 90 mile one way commute to work (now it is a 2 minute bike ride). I think most time spent in a car is non-productive. The photo shows how long it takes to get to real single track from my house. This does not include the 5 minutes of single track on the way to the trail. This is where you can ride single track for hours on end. The kind I like, up, down, dusty, wet whatever.  I love the Ochocos, the MacKenzie and  Umpqua Rivers. I do them once a year. I would do them more but for the drive. I usually quit skiing at the end of February. I know there is lots of good skiing left, but I look at the bike and I look at the car and the bike wins. So for me Bend is the best place. Great trails close by, no need to drive. I love it.
• May 21, 2008
• 6:14

  TRUE TO HER WORD

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  Veronica Vega is my team mate  and friend. We have gone to a few bike races together, a movie and she lets me practice my Spanish with her. She is the one who looks a bit serious in the middle of the photo with the yellow Sunnyside Jersey on.We also went to the same University (Humboldt State), I was there 30 years before her.Earlier this year our team had a little incident about one of our riders not stopping to help out a rider in need on the side of the road. Veronica was pretty vocal in her belief that we should always stop to help a fellow cyclist. Well on Sunday she proved how deeply she felt about that. We were at the Bear Springs Mountain Bike Race near Mt Hood. She is an expert woman and so started with the pro men, pro women etc. About half way in her race, while she was in first place, she came upon one her teammates in distress (Mike Schindler). He had flatted for the second time and did not have a tube. She stopped, took out her supplies and gave them to Mike. Mike then told her to go on. He would return the pump after the race. I came upon the scene a few minutes later (I too was leading my race). I grunted at Mike and then a few yards later I saw Veronica. I managed another grunt and kept going. Veronica was standing on the side of trail and she encouraged me on. What I didn't know is she had just crashed and bent her derailleur and she figured she was done for the day. Well after Mike got his flat fixed he came on her again (she was walking by this time). He asked her what was wrong, and when he found out he bent back the derailleur. This is called good Karma. She rallied back to finish second. I could have stopped for either rider but didn't. I probably would have if they would have asked. Veronica did not need to be asked, and Mike well he had no choice but to return a favor. I have been racing mountain bikes as long or longer than anyone in the State of Oregon. One would think I have nothing new to learn, but on Sunday I learned more of what it is to be a teammate. Gracias por la leccion la Senorita Vega. Don 
• May 19, 2008
• 8:43

  My Mom and Pies

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  Here we are in the middle of Mountain bike race season and it is finally warm. But somethings are more important. Last weekend was Mothers day, no it was not warm. It snowed here in Bend for a brief moment in fact. Yes I did a mountain bike race (Chainbreaker). In the morning, though I got up extra early and made a cherry pie. I like making pies (see an earlier blog). I like to eat them also. But when I do I seem to gain a pound or two.  Mothers day is special. My mom lives next door to me. I don't always spend enough time with her. Work is busy, PPP time you know. I like to Mountain bike race so I do that. We did have a nice mothers day dinner and she really liked my pie. (just a note I make the pie Kathy makes them look like art).  This week we have no PPP and no races. I will go over and set her sprinklers (a few days late) and visit some. I may even make another pie.Don
• May 10, 2008
• 20:00

  HOW MANY GRAND TOUR LEADERS DO YOU KNOW?

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  I've met Lance, but I don't know him, I've met Levi and Eddy but I don't know them. Greg Lemond has been in the store and I have a photo with him. That is quite a few. But Christian Vande Velde well I can't say we are  on a first name basis, but I did have dinner with him, met him on a ride out of Girona, Spain and his wife was our tour guide for a week. He was in Bend the year Lance won the Cascade Cycling Classic (1998). He told me Bend was on his long list of places to live. I will say this, he is a super nice guy. Loved chatting with us. Did not mind having his photo taken with me. Looks like he knows how to smile more than me. I think it is really cool that he is the leader of the Giro de Italia (as of 5/10/08). Velonews called it a lifetime achievement award. He certainly deserves it. His teammates called him the strongest. His team included three national tt champions (Ryder Hesjedal, David Millar and David Zabriskie. Very impressive. I am stoked to have met Christian, I will now be watching the Giro with a new light. You might want to watch it also. We will be showing at Sunnyside in the mornings on Italian RAI international tv. It is in Italian, but you will love the way they say Paolo Bettini. Call us for times as it is not consistent. Don
• May 05, 2008
• 17:05

  MY OLDEST FRIEND, MY NEWEST FRIEND

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  • These are my newest and oldest friends. I will start with John. He is not the oldest person I know, I have just been riding mountain bikes with him longer than anyone else. We started together. Basically when mountain bikes came out of the closet and into the forest. I think this was around 1983 or so. I think I started racing one year before John, but we have been on the same team the for over 20 years. First Sunnyside, then Bridgestone and of course Sunnyside  again. We don't keep track of who is better. He finishes ahead of me, I finish ahead of him. No egos here, just friendship. More talk than most men I would say. He built my first Sunnyside Building, he built my first deck. He put in most of my double pane windows. He comes to the store to hang out. When he noticed that some other nordic skiers were wearing a competitors logo on their jackets he came and got a Sunnyside one . Like I said he is my friend. That is him with his new Trek.
    
  • I can't possibly count the number of bikes he has got from me. Treks, Bridgestones, GTs, more Treks. We ride together a lot. Long rides, short rides, mainly mountain bikes. We both like to road ride but our hearts are with our mountain bikes. We don't do bad for a couple of near 60 year olds (me a little younger he a little older). I can't wait for the snow to clear so we can ride in the high country. We have a special lunch place we stop above Tumulo Creek to look over the cliff to see Central Oregon.  I like to stop there and remember all the rides and all the friends I have. 
  • Eifa is my newest friend. I haven't met her yet, I have met her older sister Ione. This photo was so cute I had to use it. Eifa is 5 days old, weighs in at 6.15 pounds and is Scottish. I was in Scotland last year to visit Ione and her parents Pete and Ali, and also to deliver Ione her first bike (a Skuut). I think Pete ended up with a bike also. Now we have to return and see our newest friend. 
  • Friends are important. Do not neglect them. Nurture your friendships and you will be rewarded.
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• May 01, 2008
• 17:20

  Happiness, Longevity , Health and Peace

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  Today is our 37th anniversary. It really doesn't seem that long. I just saw A Fiddler on the Roof and in one of the songs they were singing about 25 long years. That was 12 years ago. I don't even feel like I am 37 years old. Though I will say the guy in the mirror looks a lot like my Dad. 
  Currently I am reading this book, and in it the heroine has to solve a puzzle.  They are at a monastery in China and she has to put into order of importance the following, Health, Longevity, Peace and Happiness. If you looked at the title of my blog you will know the answer. As far as our marriage goes we have had all four of those and I would say in the proper order, Happiness (for sure), Longevity (37 years out of a total of 57 (my age))again for sure. Healthy. We have done pretty darn good on that one also. And peace. If one of your favorite activities is sitting by a fire with a kitty on your lap, like mine then peace for sure. I feel those four sum up what we have done.  I was just writing a younger friend and I was hoping he would have what we have. 
  Mountain bike season is on us (or at least me). I will start doing some posts on my favorite outdoor activity. But the cool thing is yesterday I cleared a technical section I had never managed to clear before. It really doesn't matter where it was (the steep switch backs going out of Shevlin to Mrazek), but that even now I can improve my riding. I try to be cautious   but I know if Kathy saw me riding she would think I was more insane than cautious. I will say it felt good. Now I have to see if I can do it again. Thanks for reading.Don
   
• April 22, 2008
• 6:13

  100 MILES IS A LONG WAY/100 YEARS IS A LONG TIME

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  The title is a joke about the English and Americans. It is also true. In Europe 100 miles is long distance. Just ask an average woman in Sevilla how far it is to the next town. They may have taken a bus but probably have never driven there. Bend just celebrated its 100th birthday. My friends in Scotland would think a house that old is fairly new. The photo of Kent is typical of Spain. There seems to be a 700 to 1000 year old castle on top of every hill. You can also see by the landscape that it is dry in southern Spain. I picked great place to go in November. The last day it was in the high 80's. Our trip turned out magical. I fell in love with Spain and Kent had the trip of his live. After this trip I have continued to visit Spain. I have been there 12 times. I love the people, the landscape, the history, and the riding. It is low key compared to other countries in Europe with lots of history to see. Kent went back once after this trip. He liked adventure and the unexpected. I like things the same. I like to return and see the same people, the same restaurants even the same roads. Kent wanted to see new things. Kent gave me Spain. If it were not for him I would not have fallen in love with Spain. I tried to take him back one year but he had decided it was time to stay home. Not long after that he found a bump on his throat that eventually lead to his premature death. I have a friend who gave me mountain biking (Tom Pickett), and a friend who gave me Spain. Both have passed on but their memories live. I also have many friends who still live that I owe things to. I appreciate all of them. Thanks for the gifts to all of you and especially thanks to Kent for so many great memories.Don
  
• April 19, 2008
• 14:31

  WHAT A GREAT JOB I HAVE

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  My day was made today by a 10 year old. We have
  had the coldest spring I can remember (I am a
  new comer in central Oregon I came here in 1969). Everyone in town is complaining about the snow, the cold etc. Annie was outside test riding bikes in the same weather only she was not complaining she was exuberant. See that smile on her face. That was not for the photo. I had to go find my camera the smile was so big. She didn't notice the cold, she was getting a new bike. She knew that was good. It made my day. I was ready to get out and ride myself. Tomorrow I will get out and I will have a big smile, just like Annie.
  Get out there and enjoy what we have.
  Don
• April 18, 2008
• 19:51

  ALWAYS HAVE A PASSPORT

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  I am here with another chapter about Kent Mills, the friend who's DeRosa I just sold. I had four days to get ready to go to Spain, and I had not been to Europe for over 20 years. I had two bikes to pack, install racks on the bikes. Kent had already gotten me a ticket so I was ready. The question is Would you have been ready? You see I had a passport, I had gotten one a couple of years before because of a story I read about being ready to travel. Mine was just sitting in our file waiting to be used. Let me tell you, it is hard to get a passport in 4 days. Make sure you have one for when the time comes. I spent one and one half days in Madrid. I went to Museos, Palacios, Plazas, I must have walked 20 miles. We were going light. I only brought one pair of shoes. Shimano spd shoes with cleats. Bad choice for walking around Madrid. I met Kent at the airport pretty late and we went to the hotel. He was impressed I knew my way around Madrid. He would have taken a taxi. I said no they are too slow so we took a bus to the Puerto de Sol and then got on the Metro (subway) and got a ride to our hotel door. I had to have Kent's bike fixed because it was damaged on the flight over. The bike store I took it to was a mess. I figured they were into some serious remodeling. I found out a year later that it had been bombed by the ETA (Basque Separatists) a week before I was there. Early the next morning we collected our bikes at the airport ( I installed the repaired fork) and flew to Malaga to begin our real trip. The road in the photo on the left is the first small road we found. It is so typical of Spain (and Europe). I thought I had died and gone to road bike  heaven. You can see from the photo of Kent that he was quite happy. He told me this was the best trip he had ever done. This was quite a compliment. He had a done a few trips. I was a little nervous but after this road and the smile on Kent's face I knew this trip would be fine.  I have one more chapter on this story I will get to later. I hope you have enjoyed me remembering this. It brings a lot of smiles and a few tears to my eyes. Kent's DeRosa is going away and it all seems so final.Don
• April 17, 2008
• 7:26

  SELLING KENT 'S DEROSA

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     I sold Kent's DeRosa yesterday. It was not easy. I made sure this bike worked for Kent, I was there for its first ride and its last with Kent. He was always so happy after I would get it tuned for him and it worked like a De Rosa should. I was happy to. I fixed Kent's bikes, it was the very least I could do.
  This story is a long one so I am going to take a few blogs to tell it.
  
  I first met Kent in the early 80s. He came in Sunnyside for some bike work and we became friends. Not fast good friends but friends. He was semi retired and really wanted to see how fast a man in his late 40s could ski. He was a lot faster than I was0. Things happened and he went back to work full time. He was a government contractor. I really didn't see him for a few years. I know he was busy traveling and working. Sometime in the 90s he decided to get back into cycling and we started to see him more, doing rides together etc. About the same time I had decided to learn Spanish.
  
  He came in just before Thanksgiving in 1995 and asked if I knew where in Italy he could ride. Though I had never been to southern Europe, I had read a lot and told Kent he would need to go to Southern Spain for a chance at good weather in November, and then jokingly I said he should take me along so I could speak Spanish and fix his bike. The next day I had a ticket to Madrid and instructions to bring his bike (along with mine) and I would meet him in Madrid (he would fly from Italy after his business). These are a couple of photos from that trip. I will resume the story in my next blog, as I said it is a long tale.
• April 14, 2008
• 12:13

  TAKING CARE OF YOURSELF

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  I am 57 but I don't really feel it. Yesterday I did a 71 mile ride averaging almost 30 kph. Yes I am odd enough to use metric on my bike computer. We didn't go hard, just steady. I got home and ate some healthy recovery food and took a nap, I am a world class nap taker. Today, first thing, I had a massage. Mark DeJohn, who's business name is Active Therapeutics   is my massage therapist. I get one every two weeks. Not really enough, I would like two a week. But there is that money thing. I have been getting massages for almost 20 years now. They are like having a week of recovery put into 2 hours. I am not one of those racers who shows up and tells everyone else on the starting line how little training they have done. I don't show up on the starting line unless I am ready. When I get beat it is because the other riders are better than me. There  are lots of riders better than me. I train hard because I like doing well and giving those other guys a run for their money. So if I am there I am ready. It is not about training hard, it is about resting and resting and then some more resting. It is about eating well and then resting some more. My long rides are steady but not races, my intervals are hard but not long, my weights are heavy but not too many. I get stronger everyday. I don't really peak, I just try to get stronger by training smart. Justin Wadsworth is my coach. I do what he says. It works. I take lots of vitamins, especially, my not so secret weapon, Vitamin C. The last time I was sick was three years ago. I know part of it is luck, but I work at not being sick. I go to bed early and sleep  as much as I can. Sounds boring, but its not. I love riding, racing hard and being healthy. I am never bored. Thanks for listening and go and get a massage.Don
• April 11, 2008
• 6:00

  REMEMBERING

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  If you have been reading my blog you know I got a new computer a week or so ago. I have been trying to get all my music, photos,  addresses etc loaded on from the old to the new. I also figured out how to have a slide show on the new computer. So this brings me down memory lane. I know a lot of photographers are worried about all the electronic images we have. What will happen if there is a big crash etc... I also have wondered about all these images and what to do with them. Now, though, I see them everyday. It is kind of fun. The first photo is Cape Fomentor on Mallorca. It is the traditional first ride when we go to Mallorca. There are some awesome short climbs, twisty roads, a long tricky tunnel and  a great view at the end. I missed it this year for the first time in while. It is nice to see the photo and remember. This is where I will be taking 10 lucky people next March. Look now, and in a year, if you sign up, you will be there. The second photo is when I went to see the Tour in 2005. This was an unexpected trip that I will never forget. This photo was on the last day and it was raining. We rode around Paris, many roads were closed to cars. I watched the last stage about 1/2 kilo from the finish. I needed and had a special pass to be there. No crowds, great view. The whole trip was special. It was given to me by my friend Kent Mills. He was supposed to go with his longtime friend Ric. He was doing some yard work and ruptured a disc about a week before the trip. He couldn't get a refund so in his generous way gave it to me. I get to see those photos and remember the trip and Kent. He passed away almost two years ago. I miss him, but now I get to remember this very special gift.The last photo is my friend Andy. He is a shy lad from Yorkshire. He grew up in the mining country of Northern England. He went to Uni in Edinburgh. That is why I know him,  I have lots of friends who live in Scotland and he is one. We have been to Mallorca together, watched the Mountain Bike World Championships together and in this photo from 2005, we were riding the McKenzie River Trail together. He came over with 5 other friends that year. We had the best time. He is coming back this summer with his girl friend Ros. I am anticipating another marvelous visit. I will get more photos and I will be able to remember more. I like these electronic images. I can see them everyday, share them with you, and add more whenever I feel like it. I now just have to hope we don't have that crash.
• April 06, 2008
• 5:48

  FRIENDS AND HARD RIDES

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  On Friday Joanne, Karen and I drove over to Portland for the Ronde de Portlandia Oeste.  This is an Unofficial ride in Portland to Commemorate the Ronde Van Vlaanderan, Tour of Flanders. This is big race in Belgium that goes around most of Flanders (part of Belgium). The Portland ride is the idea of Brad Ross, Promoter of the Cross Crusade and all around Cycling lover. It was almost of 11,000 feet of climbing (grades up to 29%) in 50 miles. This is twice the climbing per mile than the famous Death Ride in California. It rained most of the day, there were around 400 other riders there, it was awesome. We had special treatment. We stayed at Brad's house along with Melody (Brad's wife) and Brett, his adorable 3 year old son. Brad also was our personal guide. We had a few mechanicals (4 to be exact). Brad waited for us at every corner and marker. This is the way I like rides to happen, if you start with friends you finish with the same friends. Brad had every excuse not to wait. We wouldn't have minded if he didn't wait. He was the organizer, yet there he was with his Bend Friends making sure we didn't go the wrong way. Coaxing a few more miles out of our legs, offering us shortcuts if needed. Beer and or coffee, and hot showers when we got back to his house. I only took us 5 hours of riding time to finish. I went over with Joanne and Karen. These are a couple of my best friends. I have lots of good friends. I feel very blessed. The best part is that some are older than me, some are my age and some are younger. Some are men and some are women. When I say friends I don't mean acquaintances I mean friends. I have spent a month in Mallorca sharing a room with two friends from Scotland Andy and Ali (two different years). I have a knack for being friends with people no matter what sex they are. It is not that women make better friends than men it is that about half the world are women so I have more people to choose from (twice as many as most). I have been married for 37 years . My friendships with women have never been a problem for me. This is because I am always open and I don't treat my friendships with women any different than I do with men. So thanks to all my friends for putting up with me, riding with me, skiing with me, going to cross races with me, traveling to Mallorca with me. For just hanging out with me. 
• April 01, 2008
• 6:58

  MODERN MAN

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  I feel like a modern man. I have never owned an Apple Computer. I have been in the control of Microsoft forever. Yesterday my little lap top's keyboard decided it was done. Hard to have a blog without a keyboard. So I decided why not an Apple. So here I am. It is not like the World has changed. But it is cool and hip. Like a lot of my friends. Sure I have lots of friends my age. Barb and Lew Becker, John Howcroft, I guess Gary and Jeffrey are really my age. There are more but I seem to have a lot of younger friends. Some even have tattoos. That is hip. I think I would like a tattoo. Some have piercings  in places I would be embarrassed about. Maybe one of my ears would be cool. Jim has a pierced ear. Kind of like a pirate. I am too shy for all that, so I have an Apple computer instead. Now I am hip, to go along with all my younger hip friends. Maybe my blogs will now be more hip. I have a camera on my Apple and I was going to take my photo but I can't figure it out. I will have to ask one of my hip friends.Don
• March 31, 2008
• 9:01

  WILDLIFE CLOSE TO HOME

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  I don't have a big camera to take close ups of wildlife. So this is as good as it gets. Last week Veronica and I saw a single Pronghorn, and midweek I was in a herd of Elk. Yesterday a herd of Pronghorns, in the Millican Valley, did a full gallop 360 degrees around me. This was as close as they got. It was totally cool. I used to work for the Forest Service and I spent lots of time East of Bend. I used to see lots of Pronghorn. This is the first time I have seen a herd of them for almost 20 years. If you don't get out because it is too cold, or too far, it is time. Don't drive as you will never see anything. You have to walk or ride. Riding is best because you are going fast enough to surprise them, but with no noise.
  About an hour later I met with James. He went on the same road but wasn't fortunate enough to see the Pronghorns. He saw lots of blue birds though. They are bright blue and there are many of of them out there now. James and I rode together back to my car on
  Gosney. I gave him a cookie and some hot chocolate. Then I found out it was his 28th birthday. I was lucky to be prepared.
  So don't whine about the snow on the Phil's trail area, go out east. This is the coolest part of Central Oregon.
  Don
• March 27, 2008
• 6:35

  HORSE RIDGE AND EAST OF BEND

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  These are photos I took yesterday on a ride out to Horse Ridge, about 20 miles east of Bend. What is remarkable is that when I stopped (not to take the photo but to get some food) there was no snow. The trail was brown dirt and the sage brush grey green. Then the wind came up and in a matter of 30 seconds this is how it looked. White. How cool is that. I love riding east of town. I love the mountains on a clear day, the smell of the sage brush on a warmer day, on Sunday Veronica and I saw a solo pronghorn in Golden Basin. I don't know much about Pronghorns. I know they are not antelope, and I know I used to see lots of them in the Milican Valley before all the OHV trails. They also cannot jump fences. They look cool. It was awesome to see one with V because she is a wildlife biologist. It is what she does. Yesterday I got stuck in an herd of Elk. I was headed back to the car, a bit of a tail wind going almost 20 MPH and all of a sudden these elk came from my left, ran with me and then passed in front of me. It was loud and impressive. If you haven't been out to Horse Ridge do so before the roads and trails get too soft. The single track on Horse Ridge is rocky and technical but the roads surrounding Horse Ridge are flat and easy. I like to incorporate both, get in a longer ride and have fun on the single track. See you on the trails.Don
• March 21, 2008
• 15:54

  WHO READS MY BLOG

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  I know some of you who read my blog, but I am surprised when someone I don't know tells me they read my blog. It is nice though. I feel honored that you out there enjoy what I write. I write about things that are close to my heart. I write about the positive things in life that pertain to cycling and skiing. Cycling has given me almost everything I have. When I went to University I had to write an essay, it was about a bike tour I did when I was 14. That was 43 years ago. I still love cycling. It is easy for me to see the good in it. The health, the competition, the exhilaration of riding a mountain bike, the skill it takes to ride on technical stuff.
  Some of my best friends live in Scotland. We go on holidays there, we go to Spain with them, they come over here. That is because of cycling. Have you ever traveled to Europe, arrived in a strange airport had to find your way to a hotel you have never been to, all the time driving on the left hand side of the road. Well when I go to Scotland my friends pick me up, take me to their house and then cook dinner. Cycling had given me that. We do the same for them when they come over here.
  Let me know who you are and what you like about my blog. You can leave a comment. I will share with you what you have all written, please be positive. There is too much bad in the world to include it my blog.
  Kathy didn't come from cycling, she came from somewhere more special.
  As Kurt Vonnegut's uncle said , if this isn't good what is.
  Thanks for reading
  Don
• March 17, 2008
• 6:30

  RIDING WITH DAMIAN (AND OTHER FRIENDS)

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  I have known Damian for a long time now.
  Maybe 10 years. He was a student at OSU when I met him. Now he has two jobs. He is the owner of Westside Video and he works as the Western Tech Rep for Pedros. Pedros is a bicycle tool and lubricant manufacturer. He is 30, I am 57. Old enough to be he father. I am not, I am his friend. We hit it off early and he has raced for Sunnyside most of those 10 years. But we are not friends because of that. We are friends because we love cycling, we like Battlestar Galactica, we are passionate about Cyclo cross and we like to joke. We don't have everything in common though. On Sunday we started our ride at 9, he went to bed when I woke up, 4AM. His ride was longer than his sleep. But he was there anyway. Why? Because he promised and because he wanted a riding partner who would ride with him and not drop him.It is fun to ride with a group, or a friend who have a certain etiquette about riding. This means you finish with whom you start with. This means you are not pushing constantly while your companions are suffering. It means your Sunday rides are not races, they are for endurance fitness. So Damian and I ride together. We just needed a 4 hour ride. Not a race. Damian is stronger than I, but I never noticed that once in 4 hours. It is amazing but I can ride with people stronger and weaker than I. It has to do with following the basic rules. Don't half wheel, don't attack every little rise, if you are weaker don't take some really hard pull and then be so tired you can't keep up any more. I have ridden in Europe with some amazingly strong riders. We go up the long climbs at our own pace. We wait at the top, ride down together, the flats together, eat together. Have a meal together after the ride. Always finish together. . If you ride like this you will have an amazing amount of friends all over the world. They will be women, young dudes, old guys, all walks of cycling life. Do your intervals by yourself, do your Sunday ride with a friend or two. The world needs more friends and less competition. Leave that for the races. One more thing, isn't that a great view of the mountains behind Damian.. Bend is just a great place to live and ride. I must be blessed.Don
  
  
• March 05, 2008
• 7:40

  Mallorca in March

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  This is me in Mallorca, Spain. It is March and the fruit trees are in bloom. No snow, an lots of roads. Except this is not this year. I am home. I like being home, even in March. But I miss Mallorca, and all my friends that I meet there. Kevin, Andy Ali, Pete, Steven, Bob Steve, Colin etc. I miss the cafe con leche, I miss the lunches in the Plaza's. Lots of plazas. The switch back climbs. Sa Calobra. An epic climb carved out of the rock. Group dinners. Yes I miss all that. Next year will be different. I will be back. Hopefully my friends also.It smells different ever there. Everything. The cars, the dirt, the blossoms and the food. I can smell it right now. Next year I am going to take a group of Sunnyside Sports friends over. I want to show them that even when the dollar is down you can go to Europe and have fun without spending a lot of money. I want to show them that being in one place for two weeks can be just as rewarding as seeing lots of towns. I want to show them a more Euro type of Spring trip. More like a camp. If you are interested please contact me at donoso@bendnet.com . We will be going in March, I am hoping for about 10 with a cost of around $2000 for the two weeks. Maybe even lower. Olive oil, paella, tumbet, windy roads (windy too sometimes), Lots of cyclists, I can't wait.Don Leet
• 7:24

  COACHING NORDIC SKIING

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  I have been working for the MBSEF coaching masters sking for 15 years now. I still remember Tim Gibbons asking me to help Greg Stone. The first year was a bit dicey as we had too many signed up and not enough coaches who were around all the time.When I ski up at the mountain, and I see all the skiers skiing around around 50% have been in my class one time or another. Most look pretty good on skis. It makes me proud. If you are up skiing and you see lots of skiers using the V-2 technique everywhere they have been in the MBSEF program.This year Greg Strome was the other part time coach along with Ben, Sara and Brenna. Most people I talked to had a great time and learned a lot. I like to think that skiing is fun, that technique is fun and only when you go hard is skiing hard. In the photos above Sean and Cindy are working on the V-2 alternate. Both looked great. We had a great day on the mountain last Sunday. A perfect 10 in my book. Cold snow and warm air. It is not always that way. Earlier this year when I was watching the technique of some skiers all I could really see through the blizzard was that they were making forward progress. I guess that is something.My ski season winds down this time of year. I am allergic to my car and though I love to ski I find it hard to drive for an hour when I can just get on my bike. But I will be up a few more times, hoping for the sun and perfect snow. Look out for those V-2ers and you will see my mark.Don Leet
  
  
• February 18, 2008
• 18:01

  BEING RESCUED

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  As some of you locals know there was an incident of a rider not stopping to help another rider. A lot has been written about that but this blog has nothing to do with that. I will say I hope it blows over and there are no hard feelings.
  This blog is about me (no duh) and being rescued. If you don't know by now I ride a lot. I started riding a lot when I was 13 ( I started being hungry all time when I was 4). When you ride a lot things happen. Spokes break, tyres go flat, keys get lost, the sun goes down, the energy runs dry.
  The first time I was rescued was in 1964. We were on a tour in Central California. It was my last day. I was trying to get from Rio Dell to Cupertino. With about 40 miles to go I had a spoke explode on my rear wheel on the freewheel side. I had no tools to fix that. So I called Mom. She was working, but after work out she came. This was a pretty big deal because my Mom never really did get used to driving in the Bay Area. It was rush hour. I probably wasn't the most apreciative son as I had waited at a gas station for about 7 hours. That is long time for a 13 year old. But I got home, and mom didn't mind too much.
  The last time I was rescued was today. Mom is still around and would have come but I called Kathy. After the last blog she has a soft spot for me and it was getting dark. I waited today for the sun to warm. Finally at 1 it seemed ok. But that didn't leave quite enough time to go 110 kilos. Especially when I had to fix a broken chain. No tools no parts. I went back the 20 feet from where I had stopped and found both parts of the quick connecting link lying in the road. They are not supposed to come apart. Lucky! After I got to Highway 20 and it was 4pm with 30 miles to go, I pretty much knew I wasn't going to make it. I did get to Ward Road. The sun was so low I couldn't see anything and I was thinking the cars behind couldn't see me. So out came Kathy. With a smile on her face. How good is that?
  She doesn't always come with a smile. I can't blame her. A few years ago John, Ben and I rode around Waldo Lake. Great ride. But when we got back to the car I could find my keys. Ben and John hitchhiked to town and I called Kathy. That sounds cool but you see I had the car. We are one of the few families with one car. She was busy, but she rounded up Gary and Susans Nissan, and she came to get me. I know, all of you are asking why didn't you use the spare key? Well I hadn't gotten around to a spare yet. I now have one of those small plastic keys sewed into my chest. Kind of like a man called horse ( a movie about the sun dance). It hurts most of the time but it is a good reminder about not loosing your key.
  For a while it seemed that the main thing about being married was getting rescued. Kathy tried to explain to me that really wasn't part of the deal.
  I could go on and on as there are really quite a few more but I think you get the picture. I sure appreciate all those times. I keep thinking it will be the last.
  Don
• February 16, 2008
• 10:47

  VALENTINES DAY

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  It wasn't very warm on Valentines Day this year but it was sunny and not much wind. We went for a bike ride together. Kath loves it out east. She doesn't get out there as much as I do. I have bicycle disease. That means I ride whenever I have a chance. It means my favorite vacations include a bike. It means I race. It means I have worked in a bike store (Sunnyside Sports) most of my life. Most everything I do has to do with bikes.

  Kathy is normal. She likes to ride, she has been to Spain to ride with me. She has some really nice bikes and likes to mountain bike and road bike. But not like me. So on Valentines Day it was special that we went out together. She is my favorite riding partner. She is smooth, looks like a pro. She never drops me. Sometimes she will ride next to me but only when it is safe. She will tell me what flowers there are and what the plants are that we are smelling and just how beautiful the country is. Everytime I ride with her it is special. Like Valentines Day every time.

  We used to have a tandem. That was fun, but Kathy likes to shift, steer and basicly be in charge. I like that. I would rather ride with her than be on a tandem with her. Someone asked. How do you ride with her without the tandem? I told this person I had been training quite a bit and could keep up with her pretty much all the time. I have this idea this person wondered how I, a bike racer, could ride slow enough to enjoy myself with Kathy. Well it is simple, I simply pedal at the correct cadence in the correct gear so my speed matches her speed.

  We had a great ride on Valentines day. Did about an hour, her pace, we dressed warm and had a hamburger at the Pilot Butte drive in afterwords. I hope she wants to ride again soon.

  Don

• February 07, 2008
• 9:27

  SPELLING RHYTHM AND MORE

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  Spelling is not my strength. I lose every Scrabble game I play. I used to think it was some defect in my brain. No spelling gene. About 12 years ago I decided to learn Spanish for real. I had taken Spanish before but it didn't stick with me. I did pretty well in Spanish. I can now read fluently and speak almost as well. I can spell in Spanish, every word. Wow, I thought I can spell better in my second language than in my first. That is because Spanish is simple. It is spelled as it sounds (almost always).
  Then I started to write this blog. Writing in a blog is not as demanding as writing in english class. There is no teacher grading your paper, and a blog is expected to be a bit informal. I don't like to appear illiterate. Since I started to write in Spanish, and never misspell a word, I have had higher expectations in my English. I use spell check on the blogger. I guess that is cheating but I use it anyway.
  My last few blogs I haven't found any spelling errors. Then Kathy showed me how to spell rhythm. So I checked the spell checker and realized it wasn't working. She was kind and said rhythm was a hard word. Probably greek or something.
  So I will continue to write. I will try to spell as best I can, or maybe I will escribir en español (castillano). En Español es muy facil que deletrear. Pero nadie puede entender nada.
  Donoso
• February 04, 2008
• 15:44

  SNOW, SNOW AND MORE SNOW

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  I went skiing with Damian and James this morning. They are known bike riders, but they are skiing. They have to, they want to be in shape and there is no outdoor cycling right now. Oh I still ride to work. Kind of a test and kind of fun. But it is too slippery and too dangerous to go out on a real ride. Skiing is the thing. When I talk about skiing I mean nordic skiing. That was the reason I came to Bend for the first time and why I moved to Bend. Nordic skiing. Lately we haven't had to to ski .We have had some pretty warm and dry winters. Last year at this time Damian and I went for a 100 mile bike ride. This year if you want to stay in shape skiing is the thing. I am lucky, I am good at it, (I have been nordic skiing since 1970 and specificaly skating since the early 80s), I teach it (I have been coaching since 1994), but more than that I love it. I like the motion, the rhythm the feeling when you are doing it right.
  Damian and James are picking it up. They made a choice this year to ski more and it shows. Since I went with them a month or so ago they are getting a feeling of the rythym and motion. That is what makes it fun, not the hard work. Snow shoveling is hard work, not much rhythm though. Here are two photos of my front yard. See what I mean, not much cycling this year. Go out and ski. That will make the winter much shorter.
  Don
• January 28, 2008
• 17:52

  CARL DECKER

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  Carl Decker and I. What do we have in common? Mountain Biking, learning how to drive (faster) from Carl's Dad Mike, speaking Spanish, living in Bend a long time, seeing each other in far off places (Scotland, Durango, Providence RI, on some obscure trail far from town, and starting mountain biking the same year. Some people think I invented the Sport. They haven't been around that long I guess. I think of myself as a newcomer. Tom Pickett, he did nationals the first year they had them, Gary Bonacker. We have a photo of Gary on top of Bachelor Butte (the old name) circa 1976 with his bike. I started with Carl. Cascade Cruise put on by the old gang at Century Cycle (John Byfield still live in town),was our first race. I am guessing it was 1984 or so. I really don't remember. Carl and I have been doing it every since. 1990 first UCI worlds, yep Carl and I were there. 2007 Worlds again we were there. He was racing, I was spectating. Lots more in between. Carl thinks he has done 500 races in his career. Not all cycling. He was a very good runner during his high school and university days. I have done maybe 275 or so in the same period. He is a pro I am a nut, and just can't stop. I love the photo of Carl getting his first road bike. It was Christmas and he was happy. He still loves it, I think. You can ask him when he and Adam Craig come to Sunnyside on Feb 16Th to talk about racing and whatever other questions we and you ask them. I have some stories to tell but most of them are not that exciting. Are we best friends? No. We have endured and shared in a sport that I am still in love with. I am proud to know Carl, and I am proud to have helped him. He has had way more help from people other than me. I know that. But I was the first bike store for Carl and when he needs a hand we are still there. But mainly we joke and laugh and know that we didn't start mountain biking, but we helped and we share the love of a wonderful sport. You will like what Carl will have to say so please come and see him and Adam next week. The three photos are Carl at Single Speed Worlds in Aviemore Scotland (he was 2ND), Carl at the Ranier Cross Crusade race (2ND again) and Carl getting his first road bike. I think he was 11. You can ask him that also. There is an interview with Carl in this month's Velonews. The printed interview is longer than the one that was online last week. DonPSIf you are a die hard cyclist it is time you got out and learned to ski. The snow is going to be around for a few weeks. Meisner is going again, so don't moan, just go and ski.
  
  
  
• January 22, 2008
• 12:17

  RIDING TO WORK

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  I like to ride to work. In the warm, in the cold in the dry, the wet, the snowy even the icy. For me it is fun, I have never ridden to work to save our dear planet. It would be nice if it did but I don't believe it would. I have saved about 186 gallons of fuel and around $500 commuting on my bike since 1980 (the year I started at Sunnyside). That comes to $18 a year. No I don't commute to save money either. Only one reason; fun. We only have one car in our family so it is better for Kathy that I ride to work, but that is not the reason. Life is quite short, we all must make the best of it. I like to drive my car, it is small, fast and it loves the snow. I love to ride my bike. So I ride. I try to do all the things I like best. Ride, ski, read take naps spend lots of time with Kathy and my friends. Not necessarily in that order but riding a bike is up there.
  Today it was 2F when I left home. I had on two pairs of pants, three jackets, two pairs of gloves, two hats .... I was warm, the snow was awesome. It was cold and sticky. Great for riding and it sounds cool on a bike. Three of us rode to work today. All of us like to ride in the snow. We like to skid, we like see if we can pedal hard enough to make the rear wheel slip. Jon sometimes rides a fixie. Today he had a mountain bike.
  When I was taking a Spanish class at COCC a few years ago I always rode. When I got to class I would be asked are you cold, "No I am not cold I am hot." Riding a bike is work up hill, being cold is not the problem normally.
  I love my bike still, and that is why I ride to work. I hope you do the same. Not necessarily ride but do what you love. Life is short, have some fun.
  There is a video below that was supposed to be a photo. I left it as is because it is kind of old fashioned looking.
  Don
  Sunnyside Sports
  Where we sell fun.
  
  
• January 21, 2008
• 11:38

  RIDING IN THE ICE

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  Sorry I do not have a photo, I was too cold and tired. Anyway yesterday Ben, James and I decided to do a semi long (3 hour) mountain bike ride. It was about 30 and it hadn't snowed in a while. It seemed like a good idea, I don't like skiing on big holidays and this was in the desert. Not many people out there. Jake, from the store, told me that Horse Ridge was pretty good.
  On the way it started to snow, about when I was passing the Pilot Butte movie theaters, and I was wondering why I couldn't be normal and just go to a movie. But on I went to meet my friends for the ride.
  It started out great, 2 to 3 inches of soft powder snow over what seemed like dirt. Every once in a while one of us would slide a bit, but it is winter and we expected that. We started out on the west side of Horse Ridge and then crossed over, through Golden Basin, to the east side. The down was fun, saw a big guy in a big truck. He was thinking we were crazy. He may have been correct. The first sign of something not right happened as Ben was just riding along when his whole bike just started to slide. Down he went and slid for 20 feet. Solid ice under the snow. We kept going and it seemed fine. We had to climb back up to horse ridge and I noticed there were spots of treacherous ice under the snow. But uphill that is not a problem. We hiked up to the top and the dirt was actually powdery. We were looking forward to the single track after two hours on dirt desert road.
  Well on top it was more snow and more ice. It was impossible to see the ice. Sometimes when you turned the bike went straight. At least we were riding almost level.
  Now most of you know I am 57, I have got a lot more conservative in my riding and I have a no fall policy. Ben and James are young bucks. They race in the pro level of mountain bikes. They are used to riding with Adam Craig and Chris Sheppard not with me.
  We got to the junction and decided that down out of the ice through Sandy Canyon was our best bet.
  So down we went. I was thinking it would get better real soon. No. It was like a sheet of ice under the snow. Those guys were ahead and I was thinking: They are probably eating this up and will have to wait for me. I was careful, I walked a few spots, once it was too late to get off the bike and there was no stopping I did my best Adam Craig imitation and managed not to fall.
  When we regrouped at the bottom they felt the same as me. Some of the hairiest riding they had done. Totally unpredictable. Right after that I was following Ben when he hit another huge piece of ice. Down he went with me right behind. We were not going fast so no injuries.
  On the way home I looked at the what movies were playing. Probably nothing as exciting as our ride.
  Take care and stay off the ice.
  Don
• January 14, 2008
• 18:00

  WEIGHT TRAINING

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  Weight training. I thought I would never do this. I first did it in 7th grade. If you are in your 50s and grew up in a metro area you may remember how fast the schools filled up (even faster than Bend). The Jr High (Middle School) I went to had no cafeteria, no gym and lots of temporary classrooms. These were like mobile homes that stayed at the schools forever. Our weight training was done in a custodial closet. I was the weakest (I was also the smallest and youngest). I started school a year early. I thought back then it was because my mom thought I was smart, but I am not so sure it wasn't to get me out of the house a year sooner. Anyway I hated it. I don't think I could lift the bar. I became a first a runner and then a cyclist. These sports didn't use weights. I was happy. Even in the 80's weights were not used universally for distance athletes. I was still happy. Then it happened. Sometime in the 90's one kept reading articles on how important weight training was. I ignored them all. Then I went to my friend Justin Wadsworth for some help on interval training. I had heard that Beckie (his Wife) was doing unheard of amounts of intervals and I wanted to know all about it. He said, look Don you have done me many favors so I will return one and be your coach. I thought cool. I was ready to start my intervals. He said don't worry you will do lots of intervals but lets start doing weights. Oh no I said and started to give my excuses. He wouldn't listen. So there I was in the Rebound Sports Lab showing off to everyone how weak I was. At least I could lift the bar (45 pounds). Then the bar with some weight, then 100 pounds. I asked Justin -How much will I be lifting? He said if you can squat 200 pounds you will doing fine. I could barely do 100. I am consistent and disciplined, if not strong. So I started. Two times a week every week. Half hour of core then 4 sets of 4 max squats and some arm stuff. The photo is me warming up with 135 pounds. That now feels light. I can do my 4 sets of 4 with 225 pounds. What a difference.The deal with endurance athletes is your body becomes only as strong as it needs to do the work. The more you ride the weaker you become. Not good. I feel different, (Kathy says I look different, I ride and ski different. This is not news to most of you it is just a confession of a dedicated non weightlifter who now actually likes it. It is fun and it is indoors. I am now not the weakest and not lifting in a custodial closet helps. Thanks for listening.DonPS I went for a road ride east of town and the roads are very clear.
• January 11, 2008
• 6:15

  SKIING IN TOWN

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  Skiing in town, what a good thing that is. No drive, no use of gas, seeing lots of friends. On Wednesday I went out skied with Jennifer for an hour, watched the MBSEF kids do intervals, asked Ben a coaching question and basically had fun. The snow was good ( I would have rated it a 6.5). I wish it would snow a little more in town so we could do this every year. This would really make Bend a world class ski town. Oh well that would be a lot of snow shoveling and not so many winter bike rides. I guess the best thing is to make do with what we have.Yesterday, (photo on the right) I went out with some of the Sunnyside crew. Some had skated before and some had not. They all did great. In the old days at Sunnyside we all skied and rode bikes. Now it is different. It is not so easy to find people who have experience nordic skiing and cycling. It was fun to take out the crew and show them what all the fuss is about. We sell fun at Sunnyside and I would like everyone in the store to share that fun. If you don't ski when you live in Bend the winters can be very long.Thanks for listening.Don
  
  
• January 03, 2008
• 16:59

  SKIING WITH WOMEN AND JEANETTE

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  Today I had the honor of coaching for Ben Husaby. I normally coach on Sundays with the Advanced Skate group for the MBSEF. Today Ben was at US Nationals so I substituted for him. There were 9 women, all of them ready to learn as much about skiing as I could show them. It is a big responsibility. I want everyone of them to be better skiers after we are done. I also want to do a good job for Ben. Most are my customers and I want them to know that I know a lot about skiing and that I care. They all care for sure. I have been coaching for about 15 years now and about 60% of the participants have been women. It has been a joy to coach so many women.* Some have been athletes from other fields, one told me she will never learn how to skate (she did), most have had a great time and most still are skating. When I started doing this I had no idea who would take the classes nor how well I would do. It has been a success on both ends.
  The Jeanette that the poster is honoring (along with us in our tu tus) is Jeanette Sullivan. She is very sick now with Cancer. Last year she was in this class, this year she is fighting for her life. It is tougher than skating. I wish her hope and survival and most of all love and living. I have lost quite a few friends to Cancer now and each one hurts. I also have lots of friends who are survivors. Getting older is lot more than you getting old, it is also watching your friends get old and sometimes die. Coaching is a piece of cake compared to that.
  
  *I have also the coached a lot of men (the other 40%). They are also a lot of fun, though quite different to coach. That is another blog.
  
  Don Leet
  Sunnyside Sports
  Bends oldest bike and cross country store
• December 29, 2007
• 6:58

  SNOW AND SIDEWALKS

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  We, at Sunnyside Sports, like to shovel snow, or at least we are good at it. In the photo above you can see our sidewalk and the one across the the street. We are the best in town, we have an award to prove it. We always have been. Not just our sidewalk, but our parking lot, our neighbors sidewalk even our alley. We prefer to hand shovel but a few years ago we bought a big snow blower. It has a light for night work and heated handles. It only comes out with 6 inches or more snow. For us it is sport. Why not? It should be done. People walk by our place whether it snows or not. It is the law, it is the right thing. Our parking lot is on the north side of our building. It becomes an ice rink if we do nothing.
  The other sidewalk across the street I do not understand. How can one run a business and not shovel snow. Don't people get sued for much less? Don't people like to be good neighbors? Don't they want our award? Haven't they heard of the sport of snow shoveling? I guess not.
  Don
  Sunnyside Sports
  Your bike ski and snow shoveling experts
• December 21, 2007
• 14:11

  RACING AGE

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  Today is my 57th birthday. Not really a milestone but it feels good anyway. I haven't minded getting older so far. I still mountain bike, nordic ski, race cyclo cross,. split firewood and go to bed early. Talking about cyclo cross brings up an unusual situation. On Jan 1st I will have been 57 for around 10 days, but my racing age for cyclo cross will be 59. What is that all about? Well the 2008 cyclo cross season ends in 2009 (worlds are in February of every year). When I turn 58 I will then be ready for the 60 year old group. I am not sure if ageing two years ahead of time is a good thing or not. Just a weird thing that happens in the bike racing world.
  Don
• December 18, 2007
• 5:41

  LEARNING TO SKI

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  I have lived in Bend since 1974. We moved here because of work (US Forest Service) and cross country skiing. Back then there were not many places know for cross country skiing. There were no trails at Mt B or Meisner. But there were trails at Skyliners and at Swampy Lake. No parking at Swampy though. Anyway I was a self taught skier. Soon though there were clinics being offered at Mt Bachelor and I took as many as I could. Then skating started (early 80s). I didn't really get skating, but a few lessons from my friend Joyce and it started to click. I started to race and when I was told I looked very smooth and efficient I felt like I had arrived. This was more important than winning for me. I love the technique. I watch other skiers, videos of races and listen to the best skiers around about how to ski.
  I have been coaching skiing at Mt Bachelor since 1993 now. On a normal day when I ski over 50% of the skiers I see have taken lessons from me. It makes me proud. These are the skiers, who want to look smooth and be efficient. These are the skier you see that are using the V2 technique most everywhere. I would like to think these are the better skiers.
  This year I have 6 in my class. Not as many as other years but a great number for teaching. We are doing six skate classes in a row. After three classes we have not touched on anything other than V2. Next week we will expand. I will use the V2 to start the V1. If you are out skiing you will recognize my skiers. They are masters, they are smooth and they are using the V2 technique.
• December 12, 2007
• 17:12

  STAYING IN SHAPE

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  This is my "spin class", 35 minutes twice a week. No travel time, no money out of pocket, my own choice of music. For me training is a private affair. I love long slow group rides with my friends but for intervals and strength I like to be alone. My cross season ended last weekend and now I am starting to train for next years cross season. What! No off season? Well no. A few years ago I started to train with Justin Wadsworth. He helped his wife Beckie Scott become one of the best nordic skiers ever (for sure the best from Canada and North America). The theory goes like this (I am simplifying this) just get stronger. So that is what I do. I do the same type of workouts 12 months a year. I don't get "burned out because I don't spend endless hours on the bike leading up to the season. As Carl Decker told me I have years of base. So every week I lift weights, I do intervals, I do distance. Never over 10 hours a week, lots of time less. I stay strong. I could ride a century and day of the year if the weather cooperated. I could do a mountain bike race tomorrow if there was one. I am not bragging, I am just trying to explain. It is worth staying in shape, it is healthy, cost effective, and even fun. When I go out with my friends I am never in a hurry or do I want to go hard to get the good workout in. I do all that on my own. My intervals take me 35 minutes that is all, weights take a little longer. This is the time to stay in shape and keep all that fast cross racing in the blood, the legs, the brain.
  Times have changed since the 60s. Then racers took time off in the winter. Then took months to get back in shape. There is no reason for that. Stay in shape 12 months a year. You can Nordic ski, run, do what ever just don't loose what you took all year to get.
  Don
• December 08, 2007
• 9:44

  CHRISTMAS

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  Kathy and I do not do Christmas. We have a few reasons, for me my birthday is the 21st of Dec and that being the first day of winter is more important to me. Two we do not have children so no pressure there. Three, I work in retail and I get pretty tired, not of customers but just from working really hard. I have no problem with Christmas other than the commercialism which has totally taken over the Christmas spirit. The day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday because for much of the US it is the day retail stores go into the "Black" on that day. I could go one about what is wrong with Christmas but really why should I. Lets talk about what is good about Christmas for me. It is giving away bikes to kids. We help with a program called Kids on Bikes. This was started by four of Sunnyside Sports customers, Paul, Karen, Shirley and Byron. These are not only customers but good friends. This year we are going to give away at least 100 bikes to kids who would not normally get bikes. Is that good or what? So I do Christmas after all don't I. I hope when you think of Christmas you think of giving. Not just stuff to your family and friends but to people in the world who truly are in need. That is what the Christmas spirit means to me.
  Don
  Sunnyside Sports
  A bike and ski store in
  Bend, Oregon
• 6:32

  CROSS IS FUN PART TWO

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  My cross season is over for the year. It was maybe the most fun I have had racing ever. I am not sure why, I have had other years I have enjoyed. I think as I get older I put less pressure on myself, added to that is I train smarter and am in better shape now than in years past. We had some great courses this year. I remember the slick slidy mud in Rainer, the barns in Astoria, the course I liked the least was so wet and muddy (Hillsboro) that even that was fun. The USPG races were the highlight. Very wet, very muddy and lots of twists and turns.
  Tomorrow I start my other job for the year, coaching Nordic Skiing for the MBSEF. Nordic skiing is also a lot of fun, though in a different way. For me it is best when the snow groomed to perfection. The opposite of cross. I like the movement in Nordic skiing, weather it is skating or classic. It is very dance like, with a lot of strength added. I don't race anymore, not because I don't like to race, but because I would rather enjoy the movement and not feel pressured to do intervals when it might be good day for a long ski.
  When I coach I always emphasise the beauty, the gracefulness and the joy of being in the snow. You can do this whether you race or not. Sunnyside Sports in Bend just got the latest issue of Master Skier. Some of you know this is not my favorite magazine. I was looking through the latest issue and did not see an article on is Nordic skiing enjoyable until the last page. If you were to give this magazine to a friend so they would get a feeling of what Nordic Skiing is all about they would think it was hard, work, confusing, difficult etc etc etc....
  Well that is not the case. Nordic skiing is non of those. It is about grace, smoothness and the joy of sliding in snow. It is about propelling yourself up hill in order to fly down the next downhill. There is nothing more fun (except maybe a muddy cross race). Make sure you tell your friends about the fun and not the confusion about Nordic skiing.The photo above is what cross racing is all about. It captures what I feel more than any photo of a race that I have seen. Don Sunnyside Sports A Bend, Or bike and ski shop
• December 05, 2007
• 17:01

  THE PIT

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  Cyclocross has what is called The Pit. In it are all the spare bikes for all the racers. In a low key race (all of the Cross Crusades for example) I put my spare in The Pit and if I need it I just exchange it myself. This happens when you have a flat, broken derailleur or just a full muddied up bike that has quite working. In the photo above you see my Pit crew from last weekend's USGP race, Karen and Robin. It is cool to have a Pit crew. They hand you the bike, take the old one and clean the old one. If you look closely you can see hoses and buckets. The bikes were filthy this weekend. Our team doesn't have professional pit personal. It is for teammates to help one another. On a warm day this is not a problem, this weekend it was tough. We raced, got wet and then tried to get warm and then we went to the pit. Not only was it raining but we also had to hose off the bikes. It was wet and cold. I needed Karen and Robin both days and they were there waiting for me. On the first day I flatted, lost one place on the way to the pit and held on to second. The second day my shifting just plain quit working. Once the again there they were with my clean bike. Oh joy. I have had Pit helpers in most of the national races I have gone to (6 times) and once, when I traveled to Great Britain to do the worlds hardest cross race (The Three Peaks) , my friends from Scotland drove down to Yorkshire just to help me. Having a Pit crew is great.
  I have pitted for most of my friends also. Sometimes they use my bike even. It is a great feeling to be able to help someone keep going in those kind of conditions.
  This last weekend I kind of messed up. The Pit was located in the middle of the course with two different entrances. So we had to keep going from side to side. I had three teammates in the race, and I love to cheer my friends on . But when you are in the Pit you need to keep track of your man. I lost track of Damian and was on the wrong side when he came in. I was too busy being a fan and not taking care of business. He wasn't winning and in the big picture not much harm was done. But cross in not about the big picture it is about the moment, and having teammates and people you can count on. I felt really bad, Damian was upset ( I would have been also). He wasn't really mad at me just upset that in the middle of a race he had to stop and find me. Once you enter the Pit you have to get a new bike or get DQ'D. The next day went much better, we did lots of flawless exchanges and now I feel better.
  I am a professional mechanic and doing things right is important to me. I messed up but I did learn something and now I will be a better Pit person. Life goes on.
  Don
  Sunnyside Sports
  A Bend Bike Shop
• December 03, 2007
• 14:03

  RAINY, COLD WET DAYS

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  What to do on a rainy, cold, windy day? Susan suggested work. Not bad really. Lots of stories, the wind blew open the front door of the store and blew over one of our clothing racks. No harm done but fun to watch. Besides work, what to we do? Skiing is out. Why? Well because it is rainy and not snowy, even in the mountains. Football? Not for me, I am more of a doer than a watcher so no football. Kathy likes garden planning, writing and playing the piano. All good choices, in fact I am writing now.
  But for me what is best are two things that I love. One is cross racing, and we had wet and windy one this weekend. It was epic for sure. I got to race, help out my friends, watch the pros race and generally get very tired and happy. It started with a long drive to Portland on Saturday morning. Snowy, icy roads, and dark, but no traffic. We pulled in with an hour and one half to spare. It was spitting snow and I told Karen and Robin to just get ready and I would take care of the tents, the heaters etc. They got down to business while I readied the camp. Fortunately Jon, Sami, Jim and Damian showed up to help. They had a great races. Karen was third and Robin fourth. Maybe Robin's best race ever. Then it was Jon's turn, he ended up 5th in the single speed and was quite happy. My race was very competitive. We had to start at the same time but behind all the 45 + guys. I passed at least forty of them. I was in the lead when I flatted managed a great bike exchange and ended up second.Jim, (one of the 45ers), ended up a credible 6th. The rest of the day we spent helping Mike who had a great race, Sami, who's bike blew up, Ben, who's bike also blew up, Jimmy who had a great, but cold race and Damian (who I did the world's worst bike exchange). We got back to the hotel, wet cold and happy. We were too tired to go anywhere so we ate at the hotel and went to sleep at 8:30. Other than the front desk calling us at 1:00 am to tell us to be quiet it was a quiet night.
  Not to bore anyone day two was more of the same, I was second again. the course was more fun and my bike exchanges improved. Mike had a stellar race (his best all year). We managed to get all the tents, heaters etc into all the cars and the very wet and windy drive began. We thought we were going to loose the bikes from the top of the cars. We didn't we are home. For some of us this is the end of cross season (Jon and Sami are off to Nationals in two weeks).
  This is where I start my other activity. Reading by the fire. Only cross is better and then not by by much. It is bonus to have kitty on your lap. Warm and comfortable. Not much to describe here. A chair, a fire, a kitty and a good book. I like them fat and long (as the photo shows).
  Thanks for reading, I will be blogging about skiing and other things until bike season starts again.
  Don
  Sunnyside Sports, Bends oldest bike store.
• November 30, 2007
• 6:47

  THE RESPONSIBILITY OF WINNING AND PLACING

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  This is a difficult subject to write about, I race for lots of reasons, many of which I can't explain. I do not race to win, though I start every race with that intention. I am proud of my successes but they are for me, not for my team or my family or my friends. I like to share to race stories with my friends and family but I do not like to talk about my results. I have a bicycle shrine in my garage. It started as kind of a joke, but has morphed into something that is important to me. There is a photo of my friend Kent Mills, who taught me about true friendship and who passed away last year, there is a shrine to Luis Ocana, the Spanish Tour winner who committed suicide in 1994, and there are most of my medals that I have managed to collect in the last 30 years. Damian saw my medals the other day and mentioned that he hadn't won any, I reminded him that indeed he had. I keep my medals for a reason. It is because of all the 1000+ cyclocross racers that come out every week, most who have not won any medals ever. Those of us that win owe it those who haven't to honor what we have won. If Steve Lacey hadn't been 4th my 3rd would have been empty. It is those you beat who we owe our victories to. If you finish third and tell everyone how bad a race you had you are dishonoring all those who did not win a medal and gave it their all.
  I train very hard for cross. Every year when I start the first cross race I have no idea how I will do. There are usually four or five new 50+ guys who are very strong. This year at Alpenrose I was 6th in the first race and I felt like I had gone well, and was very happy with that result. I knew then that I had my work cut out for me to even think of finishing in the top 5 for the series. The next race I was 5th, then my form seem to improve and I was 3rd and then 2nd. I had a couple of off weeks and managed to hang on to 3rd the State Championships giving me a 3rd for the series. I am not the strongest guy out there, Dave Zimbelman (who did not race this year is far stronger), Dean Lucas (who got injured in the 2nd race end was out for the season) is a former National Champion. I have never beat Steve Yenne when he was fit. I was still proud of my third because in racing it is not who is not there that counts but who is there. I know next year the challenge to finish on the podium will be even greater, I don't wish injuries to anyone. I would rather have finished 4th than have Dean break is hip. But those of us who are racing have to remember that to finish on the podium or to win is what our goal is, but it is only worth something if your opponents are there to give battle. It is to all of them I dedicate my victories and successes. Not to lord over them but to give genuine thanks.
  Don
  Sunnyside Sports
• November 26, 2007
• 6:03

  HIDDEN TALENTS

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  I think everyone has hidden talents. I am a bike mechanic who also is the owner of a bike store. Those talents are not hidden. In fact I am not sure they are talents, after 30 years of working and owning a bike store we are forced to learn things all the time. Mine has been trial and error. Racing a bike is not a hidden talent for me either, I write about it every week, I have World Championship medals on display at the Sunnyside and we tell race stories at work everyday.
  One of my hidden talents is making pies. I love to make a pie, and yes it is from scratch. Pie crusts are the key to any good pie. Many people think pie crusts are hard so they just don't bother with a good pie. For me pie crusts are easy. It comes from a couple of things. When I was 14 I spent the summer at my Grandparents in Northern Montana. They owned two diners. These were the real thing made out of stainless steel and vinyl. No booths just bar stool type chairs at a curved counter. My Grandfather made pies every night. They also bought pies at the local bakery so they would have enough for the day. He could not make enough pies for the demand. Of course the locals always would ask for his pies or would come in early enough to make sure they would get a piece. Watching him make pies made me realize how easy it was.
  Later in life Kathy and I started to watch Masterpiece Theater on Public Television. One of the first shows was about a large household in London the head cook (Mrs Bridges) was always making some kind of pastry. If an actress can make pie dough why not me. I had a few disasters, I seem to remember one pie crust getting thrown against a wall. Now a days it is just routine. If you want a lesson let me know. The trick is cold butter, good flour, not being afraid to use enough water and a Cuisinart. These are my last two pies. Kathy does the fancy decoration, one of my hidden talents is not artistry.
  Don
  
• November 24, 2007
• 12:19

  NUMBERS OF STARTERS IN CROSS CRUSADE

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  How many of you look at World Cup Cyclocross results. In the last race there were 47 starters in the Pro men's race. It is a big deal in a World Cup race to have a good start position. The same goes for the local races, but with one big difference, we have twice as many starters in some of our races. In my race, the famous 50 to death category we had 40 starters at the State Championships. The beginners had over 60. So the beginners have a harder start than a World Cup Race. I am not complaining about the groups, Cross Crusade spends a lot of time trying to equalize the group size, and at the same time not turning anyone down. This is what makes the Cross Crusade special. I am just saying that our races have bigger fields than the pros and it is important to give ourselves kudos for dealing with such big fields. My race had more starters than the A race. Most of the categories the racers are lining up 30 minutes before their start. There is a reason for that, with 100 starters if you don't start in the front you don't win. It is part of the deal. I hear some complain about the early line ups, but that is the most important thing, after training, it is even more important than warming up.
  I have to say how polite everyone is in the 50 + category. We do not have call ups, but the front row is always available to fastest guys, without complaint in my experience. Just another aspect of cross.
  Don
  Sunnyside Sports
• November 23, 2007
• 12:55

  IS THIS A BLOG OR AN ADVERT

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  If you read the next blog you will see that Susan has written in Sunnyside Sports a bunch of times. The reason is she is trying to get Sunnyside to a get a better Google rating. So the question is my blog an ad or a blog. Well the truth is it is both. Sunnyside Sports is my family, my life, just about everything me. That doesn't take away anything from Kathy my kitties or my home life. Coming into our store is like my blog for a lot of you. It is a place to spend money like any other store but on the other hand it is a place to visit with friends, talk about bikes and skis and tell war stories. So the truth is I will not try to sell anything on my blog but I might show some links to our store. Like Sunnyside it will be a place to tell stories and talk about life.
  Don
• 12:42

  Sunnyside Sports Internet Pitch

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  Hi, Susan here. My Google search expert says that more links we have on-line to Sunnyside Sports, the higher the Google-search ranking will be. I'm all over that, so please excuse me while I link Don's blog to Sunnyside Sports. That's Sunnyside Sports in Bend Oregon. To Repeat: Sunnyside Sports is Don's bike store.
  
  Special Offer: I will give a $10 gift card to Sunnyside Sports to any of you other bloggers out there who will show me a Sunnyside Sports link on your blog.
  
  Yours in organic searching,
  
  Susan B.,
  Sunnyside Sports
• November 19, 2007
• 9:53

  MUD AND APPRECIATION

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  As most of you know I love Cross. I think it is the little kid in me. The muddier it is the more fun it is. Yesterday was a miserable day except for us crossers. We got to the Hillsboro Stadium in Hillboro and it had been raining for days. They were just setting up the course. I don't think they knew what kind of bogs they were sending us through. I pre-rode the course and realized this was not for me. Lots of straight on pavement and gravel, no real cornering in the mud, one high speed dismount, at least two run ups. Everything I am don't like. I started pretty good 5Th or 6Th and waited for things to fall out. The first lap I rode everything but the two runs ups and the barriers. When Ron Passed me running somewhere in the middle of the race I realized that I had better get of the bike and run like hell. So I did the last two laps. It paid off and I was a very close third. Steve was a second behind but I had been closing in on Joe who was second. My change from hating the course to loving the mud was the small difference. The photo above taken by Chris doesn't do the mud justice. Yesterday, when I was in the midst of my final sprint (for me a sprint starts with at least one lap to go) I heard some new voices, Damian, James and Veronica. They rushed to get to see me race. The extra support they offered helped me keep the edge, and whoever yelled at me to sprint even harder at the end I owe my bronze medal to.
  I also owe my medal to all the other the racers in the 50 to death category. It is more fun to race with competitors around for sure. I collect my OBRA medals because they are a tribute to my hard work and to all the other racers and their hard work.
  
  This other photo is is of Chris Sheppard. He is sponsored by Santa Cruz (not a bike we sell) but he comes to us when he needs a hand. He appreciates us, in fact he put our name on his bikes. How cool is that? Barb built him some wheels the other day and he came in saying he didn't sleep at night thinking about his wheels. This guy is an old pro and he still gets excited about wheels. It makes it worthwhile.
• November 13, 2007
• 14:52

  IS CROSS FUN?

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  It is Oregon style. I am not going to write anti USA Cycling, but just positive things about Oregon, OBRA and Cross Crusade.
  This week we had our normal racing at Estacada Timber Park. I have been racing here for ever it seems. I have had my best and worst races there, this week was below average performance wise, way above in fun. Not just because it was Single Speed worlds. It is fun because all my cycling friends in Oregon show and we get to race, and visit. The weekend started out great in that Kathy and I went to the Opera (Cinderella) in Portland. It is a great Opera and was a great production. Had a good meal, a trip to Powells and a quiet hotel room. Got to the race at 7:30. Lots of time to warm up. I raced. Finished 7th. Not bad not great. After the race my friends start showing up. They don't like to leave a 4 am to see me race. Can't blame them. They all ask how I did. I help them get ready and then I yell myself hoarse. We had a bonus this week we had SSWC after the A race. Most of the fast guys raced the A race and then they put on some crazy outfits, and raced again. They were going against a few guys who saved themselves just for the SSWC.The start was great, they called everyone up, according to their tt time, and just when they were going to start they had everyone turn around so the slow guys started in the front row. Adam Craig, Ryan Trebon, Carl Decker and Barry Wicks formed a group way in front of everyone. They were taking advantage of the tequila shot short cut. I think Carl finally succumbed to the alcohol. At the finish I was at the bottom of the hill, Adam was out front but I heard from the people on top that they pushed each other and Barry ended up winner. All I could see was beer flying and the crowd going crazy. It was a great crowd. For those who read my blog you will know this was WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP #4 for the year. It wasn't planned. It was fun. After the race I needed a ride home as Kathy, who has been watching me race for 30 years, went home early. For her seeing two WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP races in a year was enough. I don't blame her. Anyway Joanne and Karen offered to take the tent, and me home. I thought the fun was over and I would drive and they would sleep. But no, the fun, the laughter, the plane old being happy to be alive continued for three more hours. I am not sure what we laughed about, mostly ourselves, think. Cross is fun in Oregon. Next week I hope to go faster. maybe be ahead of a few more, but mainly I plan to have some fun. Why not.Don
• November 08, 2007
• 16:19

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