The 2014 poster!

It's here!

Thanks to Greg Cosgrove for again designing a killer poster; it is by far the most professional part of the series!

A special thanks to John Rathwell Photography for allowing me to use his pics from one of last year's races. If you need your soul stolen, hit him up!

Now to explain it some: the series will be 7 dollars a race, or 25 dollars for the series. Right now I am planning a race a month. I am aiming for the weekend that is closest to the 15th of each month, either on the Saturday or the Sunday, depending on the event. To anyone that did a night event in the past, you know what to expect: similar formats(think a winter cross event), similar venues(short courses in city parks, with 'features' to navigate). What is new this year will be daytime events. They will be a bit longer at 90 minutes, and on slightly longer laps, but nothing scary. They will be held just outside of Ottawa, within 30 minutes

Why every month? One word: weather. Last year some will recall that I had to move and then cancel a race because the weather was too cold one night, and then a melt totally screwed up a course I set. Setting each race a month apart allows me to postpone an event without suddenly having two events back-to-back.

And why does it say four or five? Well, a race may get cancelled. An opportunity may open up to do something cool. but really it is because of this: There will be one event that is going to be longer. Much longer. Think 6 hours, hike-a-bike sections, steeps and all in the woods. It'll be hard. There will be survival gear requirements. It will be done in teams of three in case somethings goes wrong out there. This will be invite only. Email me if you are interested.

More to come!

Flounder.

Some pics

Here are some pics from last year, which were just given to me from John Rathwell Photography.

Enjoy! Next post is going to be about my summer's fatpacking adventures.

Course route

I just was out marking and figuring out the course and it will be as follows:

Start on Klondike near the pipes.
Cross the bridge and do the outer section of Rockhopper, passing Rachel's Garden.
Down deerdrop, then turn right onto North Dogsled for a few meters.
Left onto Porcupine.
Right onto Fast Out.
Left at the Bird Feeder.
Left onto M Line.
Right onto Beartree.
Beartree until Klondike Finish.

For those of you who don't know KL well, here is the trail map

By the way. The conditions are REALLY good: Grippy, hard, and smooth. I think regular MTB's will be able to do the course.

-Flounder.

last fat race, this Saturday!

Race is at Kanata Lakes, and starts at 7:30 pm. Race lasts an hour and a lap. Meet at the  Klondike and 2nd line road trailhead. Go up the main trail (towards the swamp) and look for the torches.

I aiming to make the course fast and fun, not too technical, and have it pass the BBQ area/finish line each time, so it a bit more spectator-friendly. If you were having any misgivings, don't. It will all be good.

Did I mention the keg of beer, and the bbq after? I just did.

God help me, it should even work on non-fat tires!

-Flounder

LPP#3; Words, pics and vids! Oh yeah; the season finale announced.

The view from up top Carlington Hill. At night, I always think it is one of the prettiest in the city.

So, LPP#3 is in the can. I think it went quite well, despite it being the softest trails conditions so far, and having one of the toughest features of any of the races (the old east side sliding hill). Andy and I went out the night before to pack sections of the course, and, to be honest, decided what the course should be. It was quickly decided that even with the snowshoe packing, anything but the most hard-packed or downhill trails would be unridable in the heavy, wet snow that were the conditions. So that in mind, the course was pretty straightforward.

the long slog up to the top. The downhill (which is hella fun) is in the woods picture left.

       One issue to deal with when making a course that is mostly singletrack is how to spread people out. With my events, I have taken to making the starts selective, but without resorting to the tried and true (and boring) Lemans start. My starts involve walls, fences, snowball fights and airplane bottles of booze hidden like Easter Eggs. This time, all ten of the racers had to take off their front wheel and stand in a line facing down the main sliding hill at Carlington, which is no small rise. Once in line, they had to hand t wheel to the person to their right. Those whose who had bolt-on wheels had their bikes stashed in the woods by Andy and Glenn.  When I said 'go!' everyone had to roll the wheel in their hand down hill, and wait 5 looong seconds before they could get them.  That, I figured, would thin the herd.

Now when I planned this, I seriously doubted that anyone's wheel would go all the way down the hill. The hill was bumpy in some sections, soft in others and the simple fact was that no wheel would be able to go straight for that long without toppling over.

Unless you hit this one lane of smooth, compacted snow, but hey who would hit that perfectly in the dark, with a fat bike wheel?

Turned out that Matts wheel did, went almost all the way down. Matt won the last race he was in, and is always fast. this put him dead last, as pretty much everyone ignored the 5-second rule and ran after their wheels almost immediately, creating total bedlam. While bedlam is typical, this time I blame Andrew Olive. And Neil, because Neil deserves to be blamed for shit. But I digress; the last one into the woods was poor Matt.

I thought the laps would be about 12 minutes due to the soft conditions and that evil hill. So I told everyone that there would be three laps and then a descent down the main sliding hill to the finish line, which consisted of Andy wearing a red blinky and a pair of snowshoes. First man to touch Andy would be the winner. Oh, and Andy was allowed to move partly to avoid any indiscreet gropes.

To my total surprise, lap one was doen in eight minutes! While no one made it up the hill on thier bike, plenty ran it. and the soft conditions and narro trails did not seem to slow anyone down. I think it says something to the skill levels that folks are reaching on their fatbikes this season. The second lap was 10 minutes. Amazingly, by the second lap, Matt was in third! But I had to make a call, if everyone kept going at this speed the race would be over in forty minutes. I started to tell people there would be a fourth lap. 

I was rebuffed. Not just rebuffed, but told flat out 'no.'

"Fuck that, you said three!"

"Fuck you, I"M  done at three"

There were worse comments too, but what impressed me was that such long emphatic refusals were coming out of folks who had just climbed up the hill and were totally in the red. So it stayed at three.

The finish was pretty cool. Marcel, who had been leading the entire race (I think) came off the hill with Matt right at this heels. They started the descent of the sliding hill pretty much side-by-side. They got close. Too close, elbows came out, snow started to fly and Marcel slid out. Matt bombed the hill with reckless abandon (doe he desend any other way?) to touch Andy for the win. Marcel recovered for second, and Neil placed a surprising third on my borrowed bike; he showed up on a Kona singlespeed with 1.9 tires. I looked at his rig, mocked him and told him to ride my 9 Zero 7. It will likely be the closest it will ever get to winning one of these.

Neil, learning the ways of the fat on my bike. He's wearing my helmet too, now that I look at it... 

So that is it. Many thinks to Andy for all his help the night before and the night of the race. Thanks go to Rodd for the pics you see here, and for Glenn, who threw bikes into the woods and took the videos posted below.

The finale will be at Kanata Lakes on Saturday, March 23rd. Race starts at 7:30 sharp, will last around 75 minutes (conditions depending as usual). BBQ, keg and fire pits to follow!

Now does anyone have a sled and firewood?

LPP#3 announced, and pics!

So, considering the amount of snow that we got last week, and the icy, slippery kind of snow it was. I feel fine having postponed the race. It did get me thinking for next year (yes, there will be a next year); that I will likely spread out the races, so they are once a month, from December to March. That way, if the weather creates the havoc it did this, year, I can move  races around without creating bottlenecks of events. That said, I am open to logistical suggestions...

And now it is time to announce LPP#3: It is at Carlington sliding hill. Park at the arena, go around the back, and come up to the top of the hill (no, you will not be racing up it). Race starts at 7:30. Drinks and nibbles after.

Finally, here are some pics from the daytime LPP. Thanks to Zara from Ottawa Velo Vogue for the pics.


See you Wednesday,

Flounder

LPP#3 postponed (Damnit)

Hey Everyone,

The forecast is for 20cm of wet snow and ice, coupled with high winds. I Don't think anyone would enjoy trying to race a course with a pretty hard hill on it, especially one I will have no time to prepare as I am at work, and all the snow is going to fall between now and race time. So, I am going to delay until next Wednesday, March 6th.


Does it feel like every act of god this winter has happened every other Wednesday?

Sorry about this, and I hope you all understand. Please let folks know.
Grant.

Resuming operations: LPP#3 tommorrow!

Hey everyone,

My apologies on two fronts: The site has been quiet for the last two weeks, as I was on vacation, and did not bring my laptop (I did bring my cycling gear, however). I left the day after LPP#2 happened, and didn't have any time to post anything. I was also hoping to get some pics before I posted, but that didn't happen, so I delayed the post.

A flounder in Florence

Alas, I still dont have any pics from that day, but I will soon, and will post, them promise. I will say this: it was a blast! Chris's track wasn't much to look at, in the sense it didn't strike fear into your hearts, nor did you think it would be much of a workout, but if you did two laps at full pin, your heart would be racing at the end. If you spent a couple of hours on it, you were guaranteed a wipeout. Why? One word: ice. Half the corners had bare, smooth ice coming into them and if you didn't hit the corner just right, or slow enough to put a foot out, you went down. This meant a lot of breaking and a lot of pedalling, resulting in a good, hard effort. All the folks who showed up had a blast.

Props to Andrew Olive, who, despite ruthless teasing by well, everyone, for wearing a skinsuit to race, won the damn thing, and got a set of Surly Bud and Lou tires. I'll write more when I have some pics to go along with it all.

Now, tomorrow's race. It's at Carrlington Hill sledding park. Here is the map: https://maps.google.ca/maps?ct=reset&tab=ll

Meet at the top of the hill, race starts at 7:30 sharp. It is happening, snow or not. Hope to see you there.

I get by with a lot of help from friends. Sunday Race is on!

Friends and acquaintances are good to have. Why? Well they are usually better than you at a lot of stuff or have cool stuff you can borrow. In the last week, I've been leaning a lot on friends to make these races happen.

For example, compare these pics, the first three pics below, take my ex-work colleague John Rathwell at the first race of the season, held on Jan. 30th.

oooo

aaaah

eeee

Now look at mine:

Well, at least I got two bikes in the picture,. Mostly.

Ok,  it's off center and the light is kinda flat, but it's got product placement!  Buy Kichesippi beer! You buy now!

Well, this sucks. Maybe I should try video...

It seems my skills are more in the realm of race organizing than race photography. Thanks for coming out, John.

As for the race, it was interesting, and it was the snow that made it so for the 20 or so riders that showed up and raced in front of a sizable crowd of amused dog walkers, who had gathered at the start line in Hampton Park. The course, which my friend Martin and I set (thanks a ton Martin!) started off firm-ish, despite the 10-degree Celsius weather we were enjoying (Jamie said that if this was a November 'cross race, everyone would be in shorts). But, as the laps began to build, the course became a wet, soft and slippery mess with everyone dabbing feet and/or dismounting multiple times. Still,  everyone finished with smiles, even the ones who were pelted with snowballs at the finish!

So, here are the top five finishers:

Susan Storm: 1st,  -5 points towards overall standings
Wally West: 2nd -4 points
Dick Grayson: 3rd -3 points
Selina Kyle: 4th -2 points
Bobby Drake: 5th -1 point

Everyone else get . 5 for showing up. Shout out to J'onn J'onzz, who was running neck-and-neck with Susan Storm, until he flatted. That, I think, is the first time I have ever seen anyone flat a fatbike tire, and certainly it is the first in a race!

The weekend following the Wednesday race, my friend Zara and my nephew Wesley joined me to do a scouting for the next race on Feb 10th. The plan was to hold a fat cross event at the new BMX track in Barrhaven. Wesley was going to pack the course down with his snowmobile, and Zara was going to look at the course with the intention of filming it.

Well, that ain't happening.

The Nepean BMX track is glare ice from the melt re-freezing, and unridable unless you have studs. I couldn't even walk up the pump section, never mind Wesley trying to get his sled up it! I came home pissed that the weather has been so uncooperative this year, and wondering what I would do for plan B.

Then I thought of my friend Chris. Chris has a backyard pumptrack made out of snow. Chris invites folks over to ride it. How would he feel about letting a gaggle of people ride it one Sunday afternoon?

He's game. We're on.

So, we are moving out to Richmond, Ontario, on Sunday, Feb. 10th, and onto Chris G.'s backyard track. The program for the day is this: Arrive at 2, practice runs until 3, race until 4-ish (it will be timed laps around the course, best of two runs determine standings) then 4-5 is bbq and drinks until 5. The best part is the course is hard and fast, so regular mountain bikes are welcome! As always, there are prizes to win, including a set of fatbike tires!

However this time around, you have to confirm if you want to come, as there will be a maximum number of racers allowed (it is his house, and he does have a wife and kids, who are amazing and very understanding, but everyone has their limits, and I don't plan on pushing theirs). Shoot me an email at lebindle@gmail.com

So to get the address, shoot me a quick email tell me how many are in your party and I'll send you the address. When it fills up, I write a quick "sorry, full" to let you know that, well, we're full.

Oh and when you meet Chris, tell him thanks. Like all friends, he's good people. Handy too.

Here are a few teaser pics of Chris's track. It's not that high or gnarly, so don't be worried. It is hard, so grippy tires are best. Elbow pads are not a bad idea too, if you really want to giver.

See you Sunday!

-Flounder

The Race, Jan 30th, 2013...

Is being held at Hampton Park. Here is a the map:

The weather isn't as bad as predicted, so traction shouldn't be too bad, and it sounds like it won't be dumping buckets!

Registration starts after 7 (bring change). Preride is at 7:30, Race is at 8 for an hour.

Drinks and nibbles afterwards at a house nearby.

Come rain or snow, there will be prizes galore!

The forecast is this, dammit.

Well, I don't care, I will not be denied a third time! The race is on, even if it's a bog slog. If the stunts are too soft, there will be bypasses, as there always are. If the trails are really soft, well, suck it up. If you are really tired after a lap or two, stop, grab a beer, and throw slushballs.

Just bring a rain jacket.

Now, to ensure a good turnout regardless of the weather for this, and all remaining races, I present bait.

I want to give a shout out to Live to Play sports, Tall Tree Cycles and Outdoor Gear Canada for their generous contributions, and I am still waiting for a stash of more lights and Lizard skin grips to come in too! Coolness!

Part of the bounty

Prizes will be given out at every race: there will be ones for first second and third, and there will be three random draw prizes as well. That's six prizes a race! Winners get to pick one thing from the pile.

This dosen't include the swag that Kichesippi is going to supply, apart from the discounted booze they are offering up, bless them.

There will be two special prizes on top of the ones already mentioned. Many, many thanks to NRG Enterprises for these two great prizes:

The first prize will be given on Feb 10th, after the daytime course. It is going to be a draw prize, so anyone who shows up and races will get a ticket to win this. As well, you can buy another five tickets for five bucks if you really really want to win. All proceeds go towards beer, food and firewood.

This is the prize:

Super-fat super-prize!

 Yes, a pair of Surly Bud and Lou 4.8" tires. You know you wanna!

The other prize is going for the best overall in the series. Points will be handed out for the first five finishers in men and first three in women. The man or woman with the most point will win a Larry and a Knard tire, perfect for summer riding!

This prize will handed out at the finale in March.

So, since we lost a race, there is a change in pricing. Races will be seven bucks per race still, but all four of them will only cost you twenty bucks. I hope that seems fair to everyone.

If not, screw you all, I'm going to sell the tires.

As always, the race location will be announced Wednesday at noon.

Until then,
Flounder

Postponed, again! Unless...

Argh,

So, a week after the melt destroyed the course I set up, we get this for weather on Wednesday. I would like to consider myself hard, but spending the next two nights preparing and running a course for what may be a vey low level of attendance  does not sound appealing to me. Oh, and really freaking cold.  I chatted with some people, and consulted the fat bike society. Survey says: postpone. I am inclined to do that.

But here's the deal: if 20 people write in and say "I'll be there, really," by 6pm Tuesday, I'll do it. If not, I promise that the race, and the bourbon toddies will flow on Wednesday the 30th.

Hope you all can forgive me,

Flounder

First Race -POSTPONED

Hey everyone,

I'm sorry, but due to the melt we had over the last three days, the course I had set is now a rutted, mangled and soon-to-be-icy mess. I am postponing the race by a week, so either some snow can fall and help me smooth out the course, or give me time to set up another venue. With the course as it is right now, I would need about 8 hours to stomp and shovel it into shape, and I don't have that much time available.

The course was looking good on Thursday: I had everything set before the melt, and the sections I had stomped with snowshoes and the ramps I had built were firming up nicely. But the melt came, and everything softened up, allowing the dozens of people who walked all over the snowshoes tracks (grrr) to leave hundreds of foot-sized potholes all over them, rendering them useless. Meanwhile, the pedestrian trails and the ramps that are still smooth are becoming VERY icy as the temperature drops again.  So, if I did go ahead with the race on Wednesday, it would be a mix of brutally bumpy and uneven trails, mixed with sections that will be almost glare ice. 

While I want these races to have a few challenges, ultimately they are supposed to be fun, not dangerously unpredictable and relentlessly harsh. So, I am calling it: First race, Jan 23rd, then back to the posted schedule.

Again, sorry about this, if you know someone who was planning on showing up, please spread the word.

-Flounder

2013 race schedule

Happy New Years everyone.

I started 2013 how I always do: with a hangover. After several cups of coffee and leftovers from the party the night before, I finally got out for a ride, before the sun set. Oh, and the schedule for LPP's 2013 schedule was set. That was done in bed.

While the last week or so has not been great for fatbiking after all the snow we got, the reports on the society page have been saying that the trails around the city are in excellent shape now due to all the holiday traffic. Hampton Park, a little park close to where I live, was crap riding last week, but over the last five days, the trails have been packed down nice and hard by folks and their dogs. Deep troughs cut through the snow, and on them there is great speed and traction, but steer wide and you're hub-deep in snow. Classic winter riding!

The  fattie, straddling the trail.

While the ride was great, and the crisp air purged me of my hangover, the best part of Hampton was adding to my good karma: As I was riding around, I older gentleman asked me if I had seen a dog. I hadn't, but said I would keep an eye out. Five minutes later, I saw the dog, an old Jack Russel mix that looked scared and confused. I asked a lady nearby if it was hers and she said no. I told her I thought the dog was lost, and she said she'd keep the dog with her by means of treats. I went and found the man, and owner and dog were reunited. Everyone got to feel good.

Speaking of feeling good, I finally chose dates for the races this winter. Here they are.

Wednesday, Jan. 16th: pre ride at 7:30pm, race starts at 8
Wednesday, Jan. 30th: pre ride at 7:30pm, race starts at 8
Sunday, Feb. 10th : Registration and pre ride starts at 12pm, races start at 1. More on this event soon!
Wednesday, Feb. 27th: pre ride at 7:30pm, race starts at 8

Series final is Saturday, March 9th. Races starts at 7pm, party follows around 9pm.

As always, the races will be announced at noon the day of the race, or by word-of mouth. All the nighttime races are about an hour. The exception will be the Sunday afternoon race which I'll post up sooner rather than later.

Races will be 7 bucks each or all five for 25. Anyone who wants to pre-register, send an email to lebindle@gmail.com

Sticker! Shirt! Both?

Alek made this logo for me. All I told him was put a tire, a toque and some bottles in it, with the moto.

Freaking awesome. All it cost me was a used nightrider system and some booze. He gets to pad his portfolio, and I can be pretty certian I won't violate copyright again!

Now to get stickers made up. Should I get t-shirts? Would anyone buy one?

Flounder's Folly.

I am not a race promoter. Chico Racing I ain't. LLP is an attempt to learn these things, but not in an attempt to make a living off it, but to get a bunch of folks together for a good time, and maybe curse me under thier breath for making such a hard/evil/f--ing stupid course. Nor do I understand social media promotion. My blog is basic, and my attempts to promote this series online have been oh, shall we say, crude.

Well, both of these deficiencies came together and bit me in the ass earlier this week.

My friend made me a poster for free, which you can see in an earlier post. He is a great designer, a busy designer, and he designed me a great poster with a cool picture. He is not the villain here nor do I blame him a lick, as he did me a huge favour, took time out of his busy career, and made me some coolness; let that be clear. Everything would have been fine if I hadn't decided that hey, I am going to try and generate some hype about the races, and hopefully about fatbiking in Ottawa, because I have an awesome poster that's the Bolshevik-boozy business.

All I know about social media is twitter, facebook, and lame-ass blogs like mine (I mean really, look at it, and despair at the template-by-numbers appearance of it). But I figured, hey, I'll just put the poster on all the facebook pages I've liked. Now, I still don't know if that is a cool thing to do, but I did it, not thinking there would be any issues and perhaps with my judgement clouded a bit by enthusiasm.

Well there was an issue. It's call copyright infringement. Turns out the fatbike picture in the poster belongs to the fine folks at FAT- BIKE.com, whose facebook page, coincidentally, I posted a copy of my poster onto.

Imagine their surprise when they saw their own picture popped up. Now imagine their annoyance.

I didn't have to. They wrote me to diplomatically express their displeasure at seeing their materials used without being asked. To their credit, they were very cool about it, and explained where they were coming from, and all would be fine if I made a donation to support the website. I could still use the poster; they even said they would put LPP on their events calendar for the year; no hard feelings. Very large of them, considering how things could've gone...

I made the donation within an hour of reading the email. While it puts me in the hole before the races even start, I consider it the cost of a valuable lesson.

All that said, give Fat-bike.com your support. they are good people, just like my friend is, just like I am, mostly (me, not Fat-bike nor Greg).

-Flounder

Poster!

Much thanks to Greg Cosgrove for doing this, ya'll should send work his way!

Please, please share or send this out to any folks, shops, websites or groups that you think would be interested in this. If you have any suggestions where I should email it, such as shops in Kingston, Pembrooke, Haliburton, Gatineau, let me know! I am not very good at social media, but like to think I am pretty social.

Pretty too.

Thanks,
-Flounder

First tracks (kinda, mostly)!

     I was surprised when I woke up to snow yesterday. Maybe I am a bit thick, but to me, the forecast suggested more flurries than any sort of accumulation. It took about 30 seconds to go from surprise to excitement: I had the day off, and a new fatbike that needed a long ride shakedown! Since an earlier-made commitment meant I could not join Beardo and Thombelina's excursion into north Gatineau Park (see pics here), I thought I'd do something local. I decided to do a shoreline ride from Westboro Beach to Mud Lake. I had more fun than I expected to, since I've ridden that stretch of parkway for years

     The shoreline along that length of the river is not ideal for beach cruising. When the Ottawa River Parkway was built, it followed a route that dated back to the Greber plan of the 1940's, which intended to create a scenic drive that would highlight the beauty of Ottawa, and in turn the beauty of the nation that Ottawa is suppose to be a symbol of. Unfortunately, back when the parkway was built, there wasn't the level of environmental consideration as there is now, so planners built as close to the river as possible, leaving steep, man-built embankments, and not a lot of space for a natural shoreline.

     Most of the time the narrow beaches would not be a problem if the river is running at normal levels or a bit below, which it has done all summer. Alas, it has been a month since I was down by the river, and even longer since I took note of water levels. Right now, the river is high, quite high. When I got to Westboro Beach, I knew I'd be taking some detours away from the river...

     The beach itself was a good test for the 9zero7 frame: snow on top of sand! I wasn't sure how it would behave on such soft terrain. I needn't have worried; it rode like it was on pavement. Whee! It continued to impress as I got going. The shore was a mix of rock, logs, sand, snow and ice. The fat bike took it all in it's stride. When the shore disappeared and I had to go back up to the parkway, the bike plowed through the snowy tall grass and rough terrain like a champ.

Snow, sand, surf and fatness.

      Hopping back onto the the path above the river reminded me how much places can change with the time, be it the time of day, or the time of year. Spring, summer and fall this bike path is full of people using it for recreation and commuting to and from work. One small snowfall later, and it is practically deserted. I saw a few foot prints and fewer still mountain bike tracks. I saw one person walking a dog, but I felt like me and my fatbike were all alone.

      That was until I saw this track pop up around the New Orchard underpass: Well, there goes that illusion. Considering how many fatbikes have been sold around here, I best get used to not having first tracks all the time. Now I am waiting to actually run into a fatbiker I don't know!

Surly. Endormorph. Must be an old-timer.

     Casting aside disappointment, I continued hugging the shore as best I could until Mud Lake.  Again, I was reminded how Ottawa's greenspace was conceptualized to be used; as green-space: turn it white, and suddenly it is mostly abandoned, and open for all sorts of un-intended uses. Mud Lake is a prime example of this idea of seasonal re-appropriation. Normally, I would never bike in this area. It's too flat, not all that technical, and full of walkers and (shudder)birders.

Mud Lake trail,  just add snow to make it fun. 

     That said, if you add some snow to these trails, and a fat bike, it is an all-right way to waste 40 minutes. You can carve at speed, hop logs, and take one of the many dead-end trails the park has. You can do it with only a few encounters with people, who, rather that give you the stink eye, just stare at your tires. I am now used to that, but it still makes me smile when you pass someone and they exclaim aloud something to the effect of "getta load of those tires!"

     Indeed.  I am also getting an appreciation of how fatbikes are making these familiar old trails, parks and paths of this town new and challenging again. It's as refreshing as the breeze that was blowing off the river yesterday that would've chilled me, if I wasn't having such a good time.

-Flounder

   

Saw my first flakes of the year while riding

Made me think to share this with you all.

http://vimeo.com/40430718#

It also made me think of downhill fatbikes races...

Gonna get something started.

Hey Everyone,

      Last night, I saw my breath for the first time this fall. The magical sight of my mouth moisture disappearing into the finally chilling night sky reminded me of something: That I needed to start getting my shit together and get this season’s organizing underway!

     Aside from picking some of the venues and making the decision to do a couple of daytime races, maybe legally, maybe, uh, more paralegally.. I’ve been thinking of what I need for this season in terms of supplies. Last year, I made do with modest equipment and no budget aside from what folks paid. Truth be told, I ran at a loss. This year, however, I am going to seek a few sponsors to help defray costs, and I am going to raise prices by a toonie. I hope that is not seen as excessive and please be reassured: I am not making a dime off of this (empties do not count).

      I think seven bucks is not too excessive, considering the time it takes me, and the fact there is booze and food afterwards. But I will make this offer to the whiney-ass scrooges out there: you can pay last year’s prices, provided you pay for all of your races in advance. You don’t even have to pay for all the races, just the ones you’ll be attending. Can’t make all six, but plan on doing five? Cool, just pay for five. Only doing two? Whatever, wussballs. Tenner up front.

      Poor in cash flow but rich in stuff? I need stuff. Anyone who wants to help out generously in a materialistic fashion will get to ride at half price. Here's this season’s shopping list for LPP:

• Tiki torches
• A toboggan
• 12 rolls of course tape
• Some stakes/poles for above course tape
• red and/or white blinking lights, used and/or cheap as possible
• A folding table would be nice
• Small paper plates
• Plastic cups
• Zip ties
• Some sheets of plywood and a few 2x4’s for ramps
• Firewood
• A leaf blower (ok, just a loaner for one race would be cool)
• Hard liquor
• Seriously, hard liquor. Not for me, it’s for the racers to drink during the booze lap: Give me anything and I’ll find some warm, overly sweet cocktail to make, and stick in my party thermos!

     Of course, if you just want to donate to the cause, you will have my deep, eternal thanks (as Glenn already does from last year), and will always be welcomed to race, or spectate, or drink freely from my party thermos.

No, that was not an euphimism. Pervert.