Super Rookie's World

The weekend is already full of excitement.

On Saturday:

• 8am Referee Field Training.
• 12noon Beer Mile.
• 12:07pm Bachelor Party.

On Sunday:

• 2am Bar Close.
• 10:59am Wake Up.
• 11:01am Take Drugs.
• 11:03am Leave for La Crosse.
• 3:30pm Race.
• 3:37pm Get Pulled.
• 8:00pm “Home”.

Yep, I am skipping out on the Marty Road Race for far more important things. In fact, I was never planning on doing that race anyways. It is a fun course and all, but I just wanted to try something new and the brand new La Crosse Fitness Festival seems to fit the bill. In fact, it seems like the community is already behind it.

Sadly, with all of this crazy stuff going on I will be missing out on the Minnesota Thunder home opener on Saturday night. I ain’t fretting though, because I still have 14 more regular season games, plus possible playoff games, and US Open Cup matches to thoroughly enjoy the brand new Thunder Lounge and tailgating.

The most recent picture of the beer garden under construction:

Don’t worry.

Some members of the OFFICIAL Dale Weiler Fan Club will still show.

One of my favorite jokes is how the official state motto of Alabama should read, “Thank God for Mississippi.”

I am starting to wonder if Sarah Palin is saying, “Thank God for Michelle Bachmann.”  Afterall, the delusional Congresswoman from Minnesota (fret) is now just spewing all types of inaccurate garbage:

“I find it interesting that it was back in the 1970s that the swine flu broke out then under another Democrat president Jimmy Carter. And I’m not blaming this on President Obama, I just think it’s an interesting coincidence.”

Seriously?

Even the City Pages was able to do a little bit of research:

The first cases that spurred the swine flu vaccinations actually happened in 1976 under Republican President Gerald Ford when some Fort Dix soldiers became ill. Carter continued the vaccinations when he took office.

Sarah Palin has to be thrilled with this development.

Oh, in case you all need a reminder about American history and the lies that are being perpetuated by the Republican party and the far right check out this awesome link, US History For Dummies.

Topics include:

• The Tea(bag) Party
• The “Right” of Secession
• Waterboarding, Torture and “Just Following Orders.”
• Is America A Christian Nation?
• A Smile For Chavez

Yeah, that should do it for now.

I am sure many of you have heard about 5 Congressmen being arrested outside of the Sudanese embassy on Monday morning. If you haven’t read about it here. One of the representatives that was arrested was Minneapolis’ own Keith Ellison. Ellison has kept a relatively low profile since he first burst onto the national scene as the first Muslim representative in the House. In fact, you may remember the far right’s hissy fit about him taking his oath on the Koran, even though it was Thomas Jefferson’s copy of the book.

Well, leave it to the Minnesota State Republican Party to find a way to get all pissy with Ellison again. Surely, they can’t be against his actions which have brought about a lot of attention to the perpetuation of genocide in Sudan, or can they?

State Republican Chairman Ron Carey released this statement today:

“While we respect his advocacy for the cause of stopping genocide, members of Congress are offered no shortage of platforms to advocate for their passions that don’t involve crossing police lines and getting arrested. This is a publicity stunt that is unbecoming of the office he holds and the responsibility he bears as a representative of Minnesota.”

No word yet on how he has decided to respond to Michelle Bachman’s consistent responsibility to the office that she bears. Perhaps the best part about this entire response from from the Republican’s is the response that Ellison gives:

In response to the comment, Ellison said that the Republican Party “had a point.”

“Nobody should lightly violate the law under any circumstances,” said Ellison. “But, there are a narrow set of circumstances when the situation is so grave that all of us have to make a personal sacrifice to prevent it.”

And, practically speaking: “Look, if five members of Congress had sent out press releases, I don’t think we’d be making national news right now. But, we got arrested and [got in] the news cycle for the day, which is what we wanted.”

I am proud to have voted for Mr. Ellison in the 2006 primary and election. He is exactly the type of representative that we need in congress. One that is willing to stand up and do political action and not, as my friend the Professor says, “Political Chicanery.”

Kudos to Mr. Ellison

You all should shed a tear for Maude:

I would write something about Ken Woods, but I didn’t go.

I will be at the Campus Crit tomorrow to see if Hanna can put his racing where his mouth is.

I have bought all of the necessary licenses and permissions for this season.

• $60 to the federation for a license
• $80 to the track for a season pass (our team bought 7 and we got a little discount!)
• $60 for hook rental in the trailer.

At this time I have already spent $200 just to be able to race, train, and store my bike at the track. Thankfully, I was able to save an additional $35 for registering early on some of these things. I am normally not a penny pincher, so things will be a little different this year. I have set up a budget and will be doing some Cost/Benefit Analysis on which races I am going to do. It may seem stupid, but I don’t see many of you living in your parent’s basement.

…

For a long time I have thought about being a volunteer with Bolder Options. Well, it finally came to fruition on Wednesday night when I got to meet my Mentee. I am really excited about this opportunity and I am sure the outcome of the one year commitment will be very positive.

I am proud to be a member of the Behind-Bars/LGR team.

In just 4.5 short years Behind-Bars Bicycle Shop is the best bike shop in the Twin Cities according to City Pages:

Picking a best bike shop is like picking the best pint of Ben & Jerry’s; it will always be up for debate. But in a quiet section of Northeast, Behind Bars roars like a fearsome tiger.

It could be the rock that blasts inside the shop, or just the selection of bikes for people who like to ride. Masi, Kona, Gunnar, and Salsa are some of the brands carried: not the huge names, but mid-sized outfits geared toward the simple enjoyment of pedaling.

What sets them apart from the pack is their dedication to getting folks atop two wheels even outside the shop. The Behind Bars logo can be seen flying at local races from the brisk Stupor Bowl to the Coldsprints held inside the Nomad World Pub.

The shop also has some of the area’s most affordable, quality tune-ups to get your ride riding strong. The workers at Behind Bars make all feel welcome. And if you like eye candy, EAI Bare Knuckle track bikes are available to order.

Whoooo Hooooo!

Last season Sarah and I purchased season tickets to the Minnesota Thunder along with some friends. We were really excited to be able to ride our bicycles to the games over at James Griffin Stadium (site of the Como Park High School field goal record by yours truly). After the second game of the season the team decided to move back to their old haunt at the National Sports Center in Blaine. I was a little disappointed at first because I already go up to the NSC way too many times a year to ride the Velodrome. Nonetheless, the team and the NSC reached a deal and they tore out the old running track inside the stadium and moved the field closer to the stands. It was really sweet.

The word around the internet was that the team wanted to make a beer garden and really complete the game day experience. The construction started on the garden, but it wasn’t completed by the end of the season and over the winter the grounds seemed dormant, but just the other day we recieved these pictures from a fellow supporter of the team:

Yep, that is the beer garden complete with terraced stands and ample room to grab a brew while giving your full 90minutes to Minnesota’s professional team. What kind of beer is available at the game? Maybe you should head to the Happy Gnome, because they are the ones in charge for serving up the suds! In fact, the Happy Gnome is partially responsible for building this sweet beer garden.

Minnesota Thunder games cost as little as $5 and they usually draw about 3,000+ spectators over the past few years, but the crowd has gotten less Soccer Mommy and more Happy Gnome hipster. You should come out and join Sarah and I for a game. We tailgate before every match and it is a real blast.

The flex season ticket packages start at just $70 and is a sweet deal for the 15 game regular season. My guess is that the supporters section will only get bigger this season.

Huge kudos to the NSC, Minnesota Thunder and the Happy Gnome for making this possible.

Sarah and I are going to be heading to Chicago in early June. We are really excited because we will be staying with the Courteous Fellow and his better half. The plan is to conquer the city and take in the US vs Honduras World Cup Qualifier match at Soldier Field. It should be a darn good time.

That is it for now.

The Convoy Rolls On June 5th!

This year marked the 4th time that I have competed at the Durand Road Race. The rolling hills of west central Wisconsin are in full display as there seems to be a roller in front of you every time you look. Well, things got off to a real crappy start for me and it within the first 6 miles I was off the back. I stuck with it though and found some good legs after about 12miles in and was able to keep it steady and finished.

I wanted to do a lot better, but you can’t always get what you want.

The best part about the race was being able to further develop a film treatment that is going to rock the local cycling world.

Oh, and the fact that (dis) got 5th place which is one better than last year…except last year I was there to see it.

…

I should probably ride my bike now.

Saturday will be the 4th time I have done the Durand Road Race in Western Wisconsin. This is the first time doing it that I have ever felt normal before the race. Normally, I am full of nerves and really anxious to get on the bike. Yet, I am relatively calm and could sleep at a moments notice.

Perhaps I am losing the drive, or, I am just really sad about the whole Tyler thing.

Those of you that know me know how much of a fan I have been of Tyler Hamilton and his twin over the years.

Heck, I even went through great lengths to pull this photoshop job:

I remember to this day back in 2005 when Little Guy, (Dis), Team Leader and others called me to let me know of Tyler’s initial positive test. This is what I wrote:

Tyler Hamilton is the one rider that I never believed would ever use drugs. Mostly, because he has a certain toughness to him. How can you deny his drive with his fourth place finish in the Tour with the broken collarbone or his second place finish at the Giro in 2002 with a dislocated shoulder and the 15 teeth that had to be capped due to grinding his teeth in pain?

I was really excited when Tyler came back to race. I can only hope that he is able to get the help that he needs to fight his depression and bounce back from this. Tyler was the first ever cyclist that I ever adopted as, “my own.” I know that it sounds weird, but it is the truth. He was my Chicago Blackhawks in cycling.

I wish him the best.