2006 Year in Review > > >

whew - what a year! this year has to considered (by me) as one of the doozies so far in my life. 2006 started with some heavy personal stuff which was followed by a spring and summer of great racing and riding which was quickly followed by more heavy stuff (death of bk) and finally ended with some uplifting personal stuff. here are the hi-lites...

feb-mar

i had booked a flight to arizona in the fall of 2005 cuz i had a credit i had to use. i had no plan whatsoever beyond going there and riding my bike. i was hoping to get there with some miles in my legs so i rode like a madman in feb-mar to insure i was in shape to take advantage of the warm weather once i was in arizona.

april

tucson. serendipity. i ended up hooking up with cummings, kovacs, dalgleish, bk, keech, and young for 8 days of riding in the desert. it was cool to live like a pro - if only for a week - and the fitness level found after such an effort was remarkable!



may

started racing and found i was in incredible shape! in my first crit i finished 6th and felt like i could have done it again! i was very unsure of my form and myself - however - i would sort that out by canmore. in canmore i was racing with the cat.1/2's and felt incredible. our average speed for the event was 45kph! and the race was held right in the middle of canmore. its too bad the weather was so crappy or i am sure there would have been a bigger crowd to cheer us on. i ended up finishing 3rd overall and 1st in my category! I WON! I hadn't won a race in 11 years! AWESOME! after that result i fianlly found the confidence in myself and began to truely believe i could reach my season objective of winning the provincial criterium race in july.



july

canada day crit. i have historically had no luck at this event. i had never finished it before due to getting dropped or taken out by crashing riders - so - i was somewhat nervous going in. adding to that nervousness was the fact that the provincials were the very next day. as soon as the gun fired i attacked off the line and went as hard as i could to the top of the hill. i figured that since i had never finished this event before i was going to go all out from the gun and make the others suffer. i wanted to be the hammer, not the nail. anyway, i finished the race - hooray! - and ended up in 4th - doublehooray!!
provincials. the overriding story on this day was the course. super-bumpy-choppy-hairy! the short version for ya - started the last lap in about 20th position (very bad), faught my way up to 13th with two corners to go, faught my way up to 8th with one corner to go - finished 4th. i was disappointed at myself. so much so that it has had the effect of motivating me to continue for another year and work harder than i did last season to try and win this race. on a separate note, i also was able to take a holiday this month and went to silver star, sun peaks, and whistler for some freeriding and beer drinking. both were done to excess.






autumn and winter

well, fall was a time for sadness, reflection and friends. this was the season we lost Brian Kullman - bk. all of us that knew him could not understand how something like this could happen to such a nice guy. the upside - if there is one - is that many, many people in the cycling community have become better friends and i believe that new connections between people have been created while old friendships have grown stronger. when i think of bk - i think of this incredible gift he has given me. we will miss you bk - you crazy mofo! on a happier note, my father moved out from ontario during this season to try and forge new relationships with me, my brother and my son. to his credit he is working really hard to expand his bubble, try new things, and to build real relationships with his boys and grandson. hats off to you Dad! Thanks for finally catching the ball and throwing it back to me.

i am so excited for 2007. so many new things boiling right now - i can't wait to see the results. happy new year to you all and may your dreams come true in 2007.

holiday cheer!

now that the busy holiday merriment season has reached its climax, i thought i would share a few photos from the last week. i had the great pleasure of meeting my uncle buddy for the first time on dec.23 and what a cool cat he is. it was great to share a few bevvies with him and my dad and generally get festive. there is a picture below of my dad and uncle deep into the pits of merriment! also, i hosted a gathering here on dec.24th which was well attended and super fun. keech and co., bayly and co., kovacs and co., were some of the "cycling" attendees. i think all told there were about 20+ people that made an appearance and sipped a few. it was really great to see al of you - you know who you are. to top it all off i was able to miraculously hook up with cummings and bayly today for a great road ride. i felt way better than i was expecting to and am hoping to ride everyday for the next 2 weeks while LG> is shutdown - mini-winter-trainincamp. thats all for now - off to T&J's for deep-fried gobblegobble and more festive boozin'. here are some pics...

Wearing helmets 'more dangerous'

Cyclists who wear protective helmets are more likely to be knocked down by passing vehicles, new research from Bath University suggests.
The study found drivers tend to pass closer when overtaking cyclists wearing helmets than those who are bare-headed.
Dr Ian Walker was struck by a bus and a lorry during the experiment. He was wearing a helmet both times.
But the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said tests have shown helmets protect against injuries.
To carry out the research, Dr Walker used a bike fitted with a computer and an ultrasonic distance sensor to find drivers were twice as likely to get close to the bicycle, at an average of 8.5cm, when he wore a helmet.
The experiment, which recorded 2,500 overtaking motorists in Salisbury and Bristol, was funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
Dr Walker, a traffic psychologist from the University's Department of Psychology, said: "This study shows that when drivers overtake a cyclist, the margin for error they leave is affected by the cyclist's appearance.

This study suggests wearing a helmet might make a collision more likely
Dr Ian Walker
"By leaving the cyclist less room, drivers reduce the safety margin that cyclists need to deal with obstacles in the road, such as drain covers and potholes, as well as the margin for error in their own judgements.
"We know helmets are useful in low-speed falls, and so definitely good for children, but whether they offer any real protection to somebody struck by a car is very controversial.
"Either way, this study suggests wearing a helmet might make a collision more likely in the first place," he added.
Dr Walker thinks the reason drivers give less room to cyclists wearing helmets is because they see them as "Lycra-clad street warriors" and believe they are more predictable than those without.
He suggests different types of road users need to understand each other.
"Most adult cyclists know what it is like to drive a car, but relatively few motorists ride bicycles in traffic, and so don't know the issues cyclists face.
"There should definitely be more information on the needs of other road users when people learn to drive and practical experience would be even better."

this is all very interesting...now i have never done any research into this idea myself but my own personal observations mirror what this fellow has observed. i have noticed exactly the same thing occasionally when riding sans casque.

what about you?

well -

i feel the need to type something here today but am unsure as to what to write. how about this - i have had an incredible week filled with crazy highs, frustrating lows and incredible surprises. i feel like i am am on the verge of something(s) really big and i cannot wait to see what happens in the near future.

i am beginning to believe again that if you know yourself, trust your instincts, and ask the universe for your dreams - you can manifest whatever your heart desires.

holiday cheer

hey all - have a look at this -link- its pretty cool and hopefully will start to get you thinking about the holiday season which is approaching fast.

happy eggnog

ok - so i have found what i want for christmas, just hoping someone can tell me where i can pick one up.

this is an "adult content" warning for those of you that are easily offended.

just in case you were thinking we were in for a winter like last year - i give you this:

Tired of the Heat? Hang on – 2007 Canadian Farmers’ Almanac Predicts “SHIVERY IS NOT DEAD”Lewiston, ME: After a hot summer in most of Canada, cool news is on the way. The new edition of the Canadian Farmers’ Almanac, which blows into town every year around the end of August, contains some chilly predictions for the upcoming winter."Shivery is not dead" reveals the 2007 Canadian Farmers’ Almanac, alluding to its winter weather forecast. “While global warming has taken up much of our attention (as well as news coverage), our winter predictions are pointing towards widespread cold condition, especially for the western sections of the country,” shares Peter Geiger, Philom., Editor. Geiger continues, “After last year’s unusual warmth, this chill might make winter harder than usual.”The 2007 Canadian Farmers’ Almanac, released August 28, 2006, predicts frigidly cold weather for Alberta, Saskatchewan, as well as for parts of Manitoba and eastern British Columbia, “where temperatures could average as much as 10°C. below seasonal normals, or nearly 20°C. colder than last winter.” As for snow, the Canadian Farmers’ Almanac predicts the Rockies could see above normal snowfall this upcoming winter.The Farmers’ Almanac, which has been providing long-range weather predictions every year since 1818, bases its forecasts on a top secret mathematical and astronomical formula. Many who follow its predictions say they are 80 to 85% accurate.If you don’t like the shivery forecast, hang on. The 2007 Canadian Farmers’ Almanac, which includes 16 months (September 2006 through December 2007) of zoned weather predictions, is also calling for a very warm and dry summer for most areas of the country.

well - i think we all were hoping for a repeat of last winter's warm conditions and minimal snowfall but it looks as though we are in for the opposite. it will be good for lots of reasons - good skiing, more reason to stay inside and cuddle in front of the fire with that special someone, dead pine beetles (die!die!), and great anticipation for the warm weather to come.

on a happier note - something that caught my eye on the news services...

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Two peace activists have planned a massive anti-war demonstration for the first day of winter.

But they don't want marching in the streets. They'd much rather protesters just stay home.

The Global Orgasm for Peace was conceived by Donna Sheehan, 76, and Paul Reffell, 55, whose goal is for everyone in the world to have an orgasm Dec. 22 while focusing on world peace.
"The orgasm gives out an incredible feeling of peace during it and after it," Reffell said Sunday.

"Your mind is like a blank. It's like a meditative state."

"And mass meditations have been shown to make a change."

well - - - now i have not seen an idea as good as that in a long time! i was planning on having a solstice party here - this could be the angle i was looking for to make it a great party.

- out.

Brian Kullman Memorial Ride

Calling all ABA riders in Edmonton, Calgary and surrounding area. This Sunday November 19th, since the weather looks to co-operate, we will be hosting a memorial ride for Brian Kullman. I'm sure all of you have received the previous email from Andy and understand this tragic loss. We will be meeting at Cadence Café in Bowness(6407 Bowness Rd) at 12pm and leaving at 12:30pm. We will ride from Cadence to Brian's home in Inglewood where we will have a short remembrance service. The route we will ride(for the late people) will be Bowness Road to Memorial Drive. Memorial to the Z00 Rd NE(zoo bridge) and then east on 9th Ave. We will be contacting the media about this ride so that the public can see how much he had touched the cycling community. We will also be encouraging recreational riders to join us. Please come out and show your support.

This is a shot from the top of Kitt Peak in Arizona of all of us that were there in april. it was an honour to ride with all of you there - and - i know its a little late but i am sorry i was so grumpy towards you during my time there bk - i just wish i could have said that to you before you were taken.

brian kullman's killer has been arrested!

check this for the info.

hopefully this will be the first step in helping those who were closest to bk move on with their lives and begin the grieving process.

well done Calgary Police and RCMP!

oh BK - where are you?

all of this is a little bit much to take.

there is not much i can add to that press release - other than to perhaps hope and pray that this nightmare is just that -

unreal -

fleeting -

eventually realized as just a dream.

oh BK - are you safe?

- - UPDATE - -

it seems that the police have identified the body found in K-Country as Brian's. what a tragedy.

r.i.p. bk

bk - i hope that there are endless, twisting country roads, brilliant coffee shops, and beautiful views where you are now.

godspeed to you

yo

i will be participating in my first running "race" tonite in banff and i am not really excited about it. i had good intentions a few months ago when i signed up - but - since then i have gone "training" for the event exactly 3 times. the last time a ran was a month ago for 20 minutes. since then i have not run at all and have been on one hike and one mtb ride. it has been very difficult to get myself to do anything besides work, raise my kid, and work some more - and occasionally drink too much with my friends - you know who you are!

there are exactly three things i am looking forward to tonite. 1 - having someone to run with who has not trained either (thx allison). 2 - the free beers, food and party to follow. 3 - hopefully the sky will be clear and we will be running under the fullmoon tonite.

wish me luck.

anyone have a good physiotherapist they can recommend?

UPDATE

so all went well. the temperature was cool but nice, there was a little bit of cloud in the sky but the fullmoon was able to illuminate our efforts some none the less. allison and i trotted out the distance and it was over a little quicker than i expected. all in all i felt great - however - my legs are killing me right now - as expected! we consumed our obligatory 2 free beers and hightailed it out of there before the "chill" could get us - back to the chalet for some of julie's famous lasagna, vino, and good times. i am in for next year for sure as it was a great time.




...out.

hey - do you like cool bikes? i mean, really cool bikes? well - this has to be - hands down - the coolest bike i have ever seen. anyone got an extra $4000 i can borrow indefinitely?

shagganappi cyclocross race

what a great venue for a 'cross race. i hope that we will have another event here in the future. here are a few pics from the day...vinni and myself had a good time wandering the course taunting the racers with beers and generally acting like dumbasses. the organizers of the event did a great job on the details...chili...a warm fire pit...big fat salted pretzels...and plenty of cold Sleeman.

the pics below are of hopping, bidniak, cummings, vinci, and shearer - in that order.

hi-lites of my road trip in brief...

- med hat, regina, brandon, winnipeg, saskatoon
- in that order
- 3200+kms in five days
- 17 store visits
- 7 timmy ho's stops
- 6 burgers injested
- 5 double doubles
- sunshine the whole way
- no pictures of "big stuff"
- max speed 190kph!
- 3 pubs visited
- 1 cousin and family mooched off of
- no speeding tix
- total - $666

Stony Squaw - Banff

with the prospect of sunshine, warmer temperatures and childcare coming together on sunday, a crew of us headed out to Banff to ride the popular trail. good call. the weather was great and it felt good/bad to be riding again after such a long break from road or xc riding. this is a true, classic, old school, tough trail. very hard and technical up - paired with equally challenging and fast down. Love It! Anyway - hopefully Pete will post a few pics from the day soon on his site.

Trail Tip #17 - do not eat burgers and climb savage uphills within one hour of each other.

...out.

this is a new show that is 4 episodes in and i think it is pretty interesting. it is about a group of seemingly regular people who begin to discover that they all possess special super-powers. if you like sci-fi this one is worth checkin.

global tv 10pm mondays.

klunkerz - the movie

i think it would be super-cool to have this movie come to calgary. if you agree, contact them and tell them to bring it here.

post-apocalyptic-country-punk




i had the opportunity to go to the whiskey last evening to see corb lund and the hurtin' albertans' with jesse. initially i was not interested in going to see a "country" show but with a little prodding i agreed to go. when we arrived at the door there was a huge lineup and the show was sold-out yet somehow we made it into the show - don't ask.

the opening act - elliott brood - came on around 1030pm - a tight 3-piece dressed in black shortsleeved suits and ties - and proceeded to blow my mind. their first song was this sonic explosion of banjo and guitar with a serious backbeat. i was imagining myself at a violent femmes show 15 yrs ago while they were playing - simply amazing. the rest of their set was equally stunning. their sound has been described as "death country" - whatever that means. have a listen - and make sure you have a bottle of whiskey with you.

prairie view - k country today

what an incredible holiday monday. i hope you were able to get outside and enjoy some of it. the hike today was great - 2 hrs of tough slogging up brought us to an incredible peak with views in all directions and bright sunshine in a cloudless sky to keep us warm. once at the bottom a few of us decided to go have a beer at the saloon in bragg creek. what greeted us was very cold beers and a FREE! turkey dinner on behalf of the saloon. it was awesome - super good and just enough! nice way to finish of the long weekend.

happy thanksgiving - i hope you ate less than i did and gave thanks while you were at it. pete deep-fried the turkey on saturday nite - pics to come - and now i am forever doomed to eating turkey cooked this way as it was incredible. thx p&n. good times.

anyone watch the season premiere of BSG? holy frackin' intensity starbuck? nothin like watching people blow themselves up, roaming death squads and prisoners being tortured to help you give thanks!

--- from the "wtf" file - floyd landis singing "bikin dirty" ---

-from the "sledgehammer of justice" file comes this press release-

Lyon, France - Interpol, the world's largest police organization, and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have committed to work together to identify areas for collaboration in combating the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport.
The need for stronger and more unified action in tackling the problem of doping was underlined as a key point during the meeting between Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble and WADA Director General, David Howman at the General Secretariat on Monday 2 October.
A global congress on combating doping in sport was among the proposals discussed during the meeting, which would bring together experts from the policing and sporting worlds to develop best practice and inter-agency co-operation at all levels.
"Doping in sport is not only a crime in the conventional sense of the word, but it is also morally dishonest and harmful at so many levels. From the trainer who convinces a young, impressionable athlete that taking drugs is the only way to win, to record breaking performances which are now questioned by the general public," said Secretary General Noble.
"The deception associated with doping is now spread so far and so wide, that there are some sports where every single individual who breaks a record falls under suspicion.
"The enormous profits associated with major sporting events for individuals, companies and even countries have made it easy for those who should be acting to turn a blind eye."
Interpol and WADA are to draw up a Memorandum of Understanding to provide a clear framework for co-operation in tackling doping.
"Many athletes are not aware of the consequences of taking performance enhancing drugs, both legally and physically," said Mr Howman.
"While much has been done during recent years to raise awareness in the sporting world of the damage doping can do, with support from the law enforcement community in identifying and prosecuting the suppliers, I am sure that far more progress can be made.
"It is important that we take action now, to protect young sportsmen and women from harm, and to protect the integrity of sport itself."
The need for a co-ordinated and worldwide effort to combat doping in sport was also underlined by the Interpol Secretary General.
"By working with the World Anti-Doping Agency, Interpol is clearly showing the world that this is not acceptable, that action will be taken against those who cheat, and that honest athletes can achieve the results they deserve," added Mr Noble.
In 2004, Interpol hosted the first International Working Group on doping agents, attended by delegates from 16 countries in addition to WADA, the International Olympic Committee and the Council of Europe. The group recognised as essential the need for stronger legislation to deter criminals from what is viewed as a high-profit low-risk crime.

ok - this might actually be the beginning of the real fight against "organized" doping in sports - we will see. one part of me thinks this might be akin to killing a bug with a hammer but maybe this is exactly whats required to put the fear of god into the drug pushers. doping will never go away but it would be nice to see the systematic-nature of it broken down.

I have added Saskatchewan and Manitoba to my territory, effective October 1. Two timezones, 3 provinces, 3 area codes and a whole lotta prairie are now part of my world. I am excited to take on the challenge of growing business in the area - but even more excited about checking out what makes this part of canada tick. i am looking forward to sampling a little bit of nitelife in winnipeg, brandon, and saskatoon. i am sure i will need a little bit of stimuli after driving to winnipeg and back again in less than a week. my first trip out is scheduled for the end of October - hopefully before the first snow flies! anybody out there who has information on the best places to eat, best places to stay, and best spot to tilt back a pint - feel free to leave a comment for me.

Vegas Baby!

so...i decided i had had enough of las vegas and changed my flight to come home a day early. there is only so much stale-air-conditioning-bad-food-fat-yank that a self-respecting canadian can take ya know! having said that - the interbike show was pretty cool. this is the ultimate place to come if you are into bicycles as pretty much everything in the bike universe is on display for 3 days. i made it out to the on-dirt-demo on tuesday with the intention of doing a couple shuttles and hitting the dirt jumps. good intentions. what really happened was that it was tough to get a bike so i ended up sampling the beer being poured by mavic, kona, etc. that in itself was fun - nothing quite like drinking beers in 100+ degree heat in the desert. here are some photos i thought were note-worthy...

Jesse's B-Day party in pictures...

...but first - by the numbers...

64 - number of empty beers in the morning
22 - revellers
5 - bags of chips
4 - people that had to sleep over
3 - bikes of mine ridden home by revellers
2 - bottles of gin
1 - 40 of rum
1 - 26 of tequila
1 - dairy queen ice cream cake
1 - lost jimmy - what happened buddy?

World Championships News -

From Canadian Cyclist - Canadian national time trial champion Alex Wrubleski, at her first Worlds, crashed in the final few kilometers when she misjudged a corner in the technical and twisty city streets."Five kilometers to the finish, I didn't realize that the course was entering a more technical section and I had my head down. I looked up too late into a corner, and just went straight into a fence. Before that, I felt solid, and I think I would have been top-15 for sure.""I'm not sure exactly how I hit the fence, but it was pretty much straight on - I don't think the marshal expected me to come straight at him! It bent the front wheel, and I banged up my (left) knee; but I think it should be okay for Saturday (road race)."

FYI - the is a 2-page spread in the latest velonews featuring Alex - check it out.

You gotta admire the girl for pushing so hard she crashed! Better luck awaits in the roadrace alex!

starbucks is evil!!! the truth is out!!! not only does it cost you sixbucks everytime you walk into one of their stores - now it may kill you!!!

A regular latte or cappuccino from a Canadian coffee shop packs a punch in fat and calories, a new report shows. Starbucks started the sweet trend to lure people who don't necessarily like plain coffee. The Centre for Science in the Public Interest took a close look at the offerings from Canada's big three coffee chains, Tim Hortons, Starbucks and the Second Cup. Starbucks' blueberry green tea Frappuccino was the worst, weighing in at 560 calories and nine grams of fat per 16-ounce serving. A Tim Hortons double-double — with two creams and two sugars — has 160 calories per 10-ounce cup. A black coffee had about 10 calories and no fat. One drink could pack the 500 to 600 calories of a healthy dinner of chicken breast, rice and vegetables, said Dana Wilkinson, nutrition research co-ordinator at the University of Alberta. Starbucks declined to comment on the report's findings. In a statement, the company said they offer "a wide variety of options." Starbucks started the sweet trend to lure people who don't necessarily like plain coffee. The strategy introduces people to coffee culture through a form they're already familiar with, such as milkshakes and soft drinks, Bouchard said. The strategy worked, and the high-calorie drinks are among the most popular at coffee kiosks across Canada. But a single beverage can represent a quarter of your recommended daily caloric intake, with little nutritional value. A daily double-double or low-fat latte adds up to an extra 17 pounds of fat in one year.

well - i guess that means no more daily double-double's for me if i want to maintain this svelte figure of mine.

i found this cool video from this years burning man festival - it was put together by ninjatunes

...back from montreal!

I went to the annual BTAC show in montreal - here are some photos of stuff that caught my eye...




the new wilier cento - very beautiful!



lapierre bikes from france are now available in canada and they had some amazing looking mountainbikes including this DH machine - slick!



this "alien" sculpture was created my buddy steve mitchell out of old bike bits!



the new xtr components are without question the most incredible hardparts i have ever seen.