BEING RESCUED

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

VALENTINES DAY

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

SPELLING RHYTHM AND MORE

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

SNOW, SNOW AND MORE SNOW

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

CARL DECKER

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.

Don

PS

If 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.

RIDING TO WORK

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.

RIDING IN THE ICE

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