c

Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing

Elbert Hubbard

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Pirate Ride & The Man

Todays ride was a planned pirate of a certain ride.

NO stopping at sag's, no edible goodies, no water refills. Self sufficiency was the order of the day. The plan looked good. The day better for a bike ride. Looking at the route something struck my fancy. At one end of the road's was gravel stretch that looked to stretch on for some miles. The only problem those that I 'suckered' into the pirate ride aren't those who know my type of rides. As we approached said road the first reaction was of disbelief that a route would go on gravel(oh shiittee).

But let me regress to the beginning of the pirate ride. 4:30am wake up call. Might as well get use to it I have a date with the man after my little 'break'. Pancakes & egg, oj, vitamens to complete my required caloric intact for the endeavor that was about to be taken. IF you noticed there was NO COFFEE of any sorts digested. My 'idea' is that the local coffee joint would be opened to accept the flood of caffeine addicted cyclists who require that jolt to start the day. ABSOLUTE FAIL on local coffee joint's part closed. Not good. No caffeine, not happy, very crusty would be the call of the day.

To my amazement(computer sarcasm) not a single person showed at mi casa for the predawn launch. The boss stepped up to be my wingwomen. It was much appreciated & enjoyed. ALMOST made up for my lack of coffee. Gotta say leaving the house predawn was a hoot. Rolling through hood to hood with intermittent light drew a shiitttee eating grin from me. As we arrived at the designated assault area waiting for those to show who were taking on the mission of pillage.

As the launch time arrived a few stragglers showed up. Unexpectedly it was only the man. That's right, in all my time at my job I have never been involved in taking the man out on the sport I love so dearly. Heartfelt moment gotta say. The boss went out for just a little spin then spilt leaving me to defend myself against the man. A couple of the man weren't there so call's were made to see what to do next. Well one call stating 'almost' there. We watched as small groups rolled out. Not the expected wave of riders(racers) I've seen at most charity rides. The last of the man showed up, unprepared. No air in tires, no water bottle. Oh, what have I got myself into?
How many of the man does it take to inflate a tire?

THE Boss man, well being the Boss man.


Rolling along with man towing me!

The man making me work!


Final push towards coffee.

Overall the pirate ride was a great time. The man is actually people too. They all gutted it out without any complaints. Even me giving them hard time didn't seem to bother the man to bad. Good because by the sound of it I've suckered them into some more exploration of the Greater Kansas City area. Yes there will be gravel. Yes there will be urban cultural enhancement tour.

I did get my coffee at the end of the ride. Amazingly I got the double macchiato served in a 12oz paper cup. Why do I say amazingly. The barista(because she was behind the machine ONLY do I call her that) asked how if wanted 'two shots of espresso in a cup with milk filled up to here?" Pointing to the top of the cup. My response "No, just a splash in that 12oz paper cup!" Thanks!
Everyone made there ways to their casa's with me finishing off the with another 10miles. Awesome ride completed.

Now I have a date with the man in the morning. suck. Back to the washing machine of life.

Friday, August 27, 2010

Explanation by Photo














Artisan

is a person skilled in an applied art; a craftsperson. Now its defined watch, embrace, breath in.

Many people wonder through life either associated with or working with someone who is a true craftsman. Those with the uncanny ability to create an item breathtaking or astounding out of something common to most. How many items do you expertly look at with a keen eye for detail? Do you walk through life with capability to notice detail? Or is life already a painted canvas for you just to move from point A to B with blind eye? Is ingenuity a practice of yours?

If not is grasping on to the coat tails the out? Taking a glimpse into one's self how often do we embrace a craft enough to make it a lifestyle? Who takes the step outside that 'security blanket' to make something we breath in an object of desire for others to want. How does the first step go towards that skill? Could be something genetic? A gift from the true artisan to the layman? Uncanny is the ability of novice to pick up the true aspects of the art of the master.

In your life who has created something that has made you step back, look from top to bottom, inspecting every detail with an eagle eye? Were you so impressed that you wanted to replicate that object? Find the master behind it? Consider what the physical embrace to construct ah inspiring article would be?

Thursday, August 26, 2010

mwi Must Have Items

Hello my wife inc fans who love us,
It's that time again! We will be ordering t-shirts and hoodies! Mike(Herman) has done another amazing job with a design! This year, to simplify things, we are only going to have one color shirt as well as one color hoodie. There is a tshirt design for the men and one for the ladies. The hoodies are unisex and will all have the same design. Clear as mud?

Please let me know what size of each item you would like. I know this is crazy talk but the sooner we get the order in, the sooner we can get the shirts! We would love to have them in time for the start of the season.

The tshirts will be $20 and the hoodies will be $40.
thsirt design- hopefully you can guess which one is for the men and which one is for the ladies......if not, just ask the ladies, they will know! http://www.americanapparel.com/2001.html?cid=198- the color is grass and we will be getting both men's and women's sizes. The logo will be white


Hoodie design. http://www.americanapparel.com/5452w.html?cid=211- color is black with pink thermal lining. the logo will be mwi green.

Thanks and happy shopping!!!!
Also, as a side note, last year, we had a lot of requests from non-team folk for tshirts to purchase. Due to the small size of our team and no budget, we could never really order extra shirts to sell. So if you would like one please make sure to get your order in soon.
Please leave contact info at here.

Jessica Heenan
Merch Supervisor and Title Sponsor

Monday, August 23, 2010

The Community

Many times in our lives we have found ourselves part of a click.

Often we reside in the those communities of comfort. Surrounding ourselves with people of like thoughts, actions, or common denominators. Breaking out of the mold is often hard for individuals to grasp. Moving freely among clicks often brings discomfort to one's foundation. Easing into different situations is often a daunting task. Many lose sleep with uneasy feeling of how we can take a step in the opposite direction. Do I want to? Do I need to? What benefits will it garner me?

Taking a melting pot mentality is often not accepted. Have we actually come to the point in our lives where we only can reside within our security blanket of community? Community by definition can be split between: 1)A group of people living in the same locality and under the same government 2)Sharing, participation, and fellowship. The comparison of 1 & 2 couldn't be more further apart than actually taking the step to open ourselves to a new world of difference.

Amazing to ponder what if? Exciting? Addicting? Adverse? How often do you map out a plan to step outside your comfort zone? Or is that security blanket so tight that you can't actually inhale the fresh air? The fresh air of a new experience of life. How about two steps? Really walking that blank of life to see what's at the end? Cutting-edge? Regressive? How would you know if you didn't even consider it? 'It' equals forward progression. 'Forward progression' doesn't amount to ass backwards. Ass backwards is only the thoughts that don't allow you movement through your security blanket.

Let it go. Open your eyes. One foot in front of the other. Don't let the door hit you in the ass. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Thursday, August 19, 2010

My Service Announcement for Today...

20 Worst Drinks in America 2010

20. Worst Water

Snapple Agave Melon Antioxidant Water (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)

150 calories

0 g fat

33 g sugars

Sugar Equivalent: 2 Good Humor Chocolate Éclair Bars

While “Worst Water” may sound like an oxymoron, the devious

minds in the bottled beverage industry have even found a way to

besmirch the sterling reputation of the world’s most essential

compound. Sure, you may get a few extra vitamins, but ultimately,

you’re paying a premium price for gussied-up sugar water. Next

time you buy a bottle of water, check the recipe: You want two parts

hydrogen, one part oxygen, and very little else.

19. Worst Bottled Tea

SoBe Green Tea (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)

240 calories

0 g fat

61 g sugars

Sugar Equivalent: 4 slices Sara Lee Cherry Pie

Leave it to SoBe to take an otherwise healthy bottle of tea and

inject it with enough sugar to turn it into dessert. The Pepsiowned

company’s flagship line, composed of 11 flavors with

names like “Nirvana” and “Cranberry Grapefruit Elixir,” is

marketed to give consumers the impression that it can cleanse

the body, mind, and spirit. Don’t be fooled. Just like this bottle of

green tea, all of these beverages are made with two primary

ingredients: water and sugar.

18. Worst Energy Drink

Rockstar Energy Drink (1 can, 16 fl oz)

280 calories

0 g fat

62 g sugars

Sugar Equivalent: 6 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnuts

None of the energy provided by these full-sugar drinks could ever

justify the caloric load, but Rockstar’s take is especially frightening.

One can provides nearly as much sugar as half a box of Nilla

Wafers. In fact, it has 60 more calories than the same amount of

Red Bull and 80 more than a can of Monster. If you’re going to

guzzle, better choose one of the low-cal options. We like Monster;

it offers all the caffeine and B vitamins with just enough sugar to

cut through the funky extracts.

17. Worst Bottled Coffee

Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccino (1 bottle, 13.7 fl oz)

290 calories

4.5 g fat (2.5 g saturated)

45 g sugars

Sugar Equivalent: 32 Nilla Wafers

With an unreasonable number of calorie landmines

peppered across Starbucks’ in-store menu, you’d think the

company would want to use its grocery line to restore faith in

its ability to provide caffeine without testing the limits of your

belt buckle. Guess not. This drink has been on our radar for

years, and we still haven’t managed to find a bottled coffee

with more sugar. Consider this—along with Starbucks’

miniature Espresso and Cream Doubleshot—your worst

option for a morning pickup.

16. Worst Soda

Sunkist (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)

320 calories

0 g fat

84 g sugars

Sugar Equivalent: 6 Breyers Oreo Ice Cream Sandwiches

Wait . . . but aren’t all sodas equally terrible? It’s true they all

earn 100 percent of their calories from sugar, but that doesn’t

mean there aren’t still varying levels of atrocity. Despite the

perception of healthfulness, fruity sodas tend to carry more sugar

than their cola counterparts, and none make that more apparent

than the tooth-achingly sweet Sunkist. But what seals the orange

soda’s fate on our list of worsts is its reliance on the artificial

colors yellow 6 and red 40—two chemicals that may be linked to

behavioral and concentration problems in children.

15. Worst Beer

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot (1 bottle, 12 fl oz)

330 calories

0 g fat

32.1 g carbohydrates

9.6% alcohol

Carbohydrate Equivalent: 12-pack of Michelob Ultra

Most beers carry fewer than 175 calories, but even your average

extra-heady brew rarely eclipses 250. That makes Sierra’s Bigfoot

the undisputed beast of the beer jungle. Granted, the alcohol itself

provides most of the calories, but it’s the extra heft of carbohydrates

that helps stuff nearly 2,000 calories into each six-pack. For

comparison, Budweiser has 10.6 grams of carbs, Blue Moon has 13,

and Guinness Draught has 10. Let’s hope the appearance of this gutinducing

guzzler in your fridge is as rare as encounters with the

fabled beast himself.

14. Worst Kids' Drink

Tropicana Tropical Fruit Fury Twister (1 bottle, 20 fl oz)

340 calories

0 g fat

60 g sugars

Sugar Equivalent: Two 7-ounce canisters Reddi-wip

Don’t let Tropicana’s reputation for unadulterated OJ lead you to

believe that the company is capable of doing no wrong. As a

Pepsi subsidiary, it’s inevitable that they’ll occasionally delve

into soda-like territory. The Twister line is just that: a drink with

10 percent juice and 90 percent sugar laced with a glut of

artificial flavors and coloring. You could actually save 200

calories by choosing a can of Pepsi instead.

13. Worst Functional Beverage

Arizona Rx Energy (1 can, 23 fl oz)

345 calories

0 g fat

83 g sugars

Sugar Equivalent: 6 Cinnamon Roll Pop-Tarts

Obviously Arizona took great pains in making sure this can came

out looking like something you’d find in a pharmacy. But if your

pharmacist ever tries to sell you this much sugar, he should have

his license revoked. And if it’s energy you’re after, this isn’t your

best vehicle. Caffeine is the only compound in the bottle that’s

been proven to provide energy, and the amount found within is

about what you'd get from a weak cup of coffee.

12. Worst Juice Imposter

Arizona Kiwi Strawberry (1 can, 23 fl oz)

345 calories

0 g fat

81 g sugars

Sugar Equivalent: 7 bowls of Froot Loops

The twisted minds at the Arizona factory outdid themselves with

this nefarious concoction, a can the size of a bazooka loaded

with enough of the sweet stuff to blast your belly with 42 sugar

cubes. The most disturbing part isn’t that it masks itself as some

sort of healthy juice product (after all, hundreds of products are

guilty of the same crime), but that this behemoth serving size

costs just $.99, making its contents some of the cheapest

calories we’ve ever stumbled across.

11. Worst Espresso Drink

Starbucks Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha with Whipped Cream (venti, 20 fl oz)

660 calories

22 g fat (15 g saturated)

95 g sugars

Sugar Equivalent: 8½ scoops Edy’s Slow Churned Rich

and Creamy Coffee Ice Cream

Hopefully this will dispel any lingering fragments of the

“health halo” that still exists in coffee shops—that misguided

belief that espresso-based beverages can’t do much

damage. In this 20-ounce cup, Starbucks manages to pack

in more calories and saturated fat than two slices of deepdish

sausage and pepperoni pizza from Domino’s. That

makes it the equivalent of dinner and dessert disguised as a

cup of coffee. If you want a treat, look to Starbucks’ supply

of sugar-free syrups; if you want a caffeine buzz, stick to the

regular joe, an Americano, or a cappuccino.

10. Worst Lemonade

Auntie Anne’s Wild Cherry Lemonade Mixer (32 fl oz)

470 calories

0 g fat

110 g sugars

Sugar Equivalent: 11 bowls of Cookie Crisp cereal

There is no such thing as healthy lemonade, but Auntie’s line of

Lemonade Mixers takes the concept of hyper-sweetened juice and

stretches it to dangerous new levels. See, sugar digests faster

than good-for-you nutrients like protein and fiber, which means it’s

in your blood almost immediately after you swallow it. Drinking the

3 or 4 days’ worth of added sugar found here jacks your blood

sugar and results in strain to your kidneys, the creation of new fat

molecules, and the desire to eat more. Ouch.

9. Worst Hot Chocolate

Starbucks White Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream

(venti, 20 fl oz)

520 calories

16 g fat (11 g saturated)

75 g sugars

Sugar Equivalent: 9 Strawberry Rice Krispie Treats

See that stack of Rice Krispie Treats? It’s just three treats shy of

two full boxes. Unless you were a contestant on Fear Factor—

and there was a sizeable monetary prize on the line—you’d

never even consider noshing down that much sugar at once. But

here’s what’s interesting: While that stack is the sugar

counterpart to this atrocity from Starbucks, it still has 40 percent

less saturated fat. Makes us wonder what’s going on in the hot

chocolate. Stick to beverages with single-flavor profiles instead of

pile-on recipes like this and you’ll fare better every time.

8. Worst Frozen Coffee Drink

Dairy Queen Caramel MooLatte (24 fl oz)

870 calories

24 g fat (19 g saturated, 1 g trans)

112 g sugars

Sugar Equivalent: 12 Dunkin’ Donuts Bavarian Kreme Doughnuts

Coffee-dessert hybrids are among the worst breed of beverages.

This one delivers 1 gram of fat and 4.6 grams of sugar in every

ounce, making even Starbucks’ over-the-top line of Frappuccinos

look like decent options. Maybe that’s why DQ decided to give it a

name that alludes to the animal it promises to turn you into. If you

can bring yourself to skip DQ and head to a coffee shop instead,

order a large iced latte with a couple shots of flavored syrup and

save some 600 calories. But if you’re stuck where you are, you’re

better off pairing a small treat with a regular cup of joe.

7. Worst Margarita

Traditional Red Lobster Lobsterita (24 fl oz)

890 calories

0 g fat

183 g carbohydrates

Carbohydrate Equivalent: 7 Almond Joy candy bars

Of all the egregious beverages we’ve analyzed, the Lobsterita

surprised us the most. The nation’s biggest fish purveyor is one

of the few big players in the restaurant biz to provide its

customers with a wide selection of truly healthy food options. We

would hope they’d do the same with the beverages, but obviously

not. Drink one of these every Friday night and you’ll put on more

than a pound of flab each month. Downgrade to a regular

margarita on the rocks and pocket the remaining 640 calories.

6. Worst Float

Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Soda (vanilla ice cream and cola)

(large, 28.6 fl oz)

960 calories

40 g fat (25 g saturated, 1.5 g trans)

136 g sugars

Sugar Equivalent: 9.7 Fudgsicle fudge bars

Done right, an ice cream float can be a decent route to indulgence.

Go to A&W and you’ll land a medium for fewer than 400 calories.

Order it with diet soda and you’ve dropped below 200 calories. So

why can’t Baskin-Robbins make even a small float with fewer than

470 calories? Because apparently the chain approaches the art of

beverage-crafting as a challenge to squeeze in as much fat and sugar

as possible. Whatever you order, plan on splitting it with a friend.

5. Worst Frozen Fruit Drink

Krispy Kreme Lemon Sherbet Chiller (20 fl oz)

980 calories

40 g fat (36 g saturated)

115 g sugars

Sugar Equivalent: 16 medium-size chocolate eclairs

Imagine taking a regular can of soda, pouring in 18 extra

teaspoons of sugar, and then swirling in half a cup of heavy

cream. Nutritionally speaking, that’s exactly what this is, which is

how it manages to marry nearly 2 days’ worth of saturated fat

with enough sugar to leave you with a serious sucrose hangover.

Do your heart a favor and avoid any of Krispy Kreme’s “Kremey”

beverages. The basic Chillers aren’t the safest of sippables

either, but they’ll save you up to 880 calories.

4. Worst Frozen Mocha

Così Double Oh! Arctic Mocha (gigante, 23 fl oz)

1,210 calories

19 g fat (10 g saturated)

240 g sugars

Sugar Equivalent: 41 Oreo Cookies

A frozen mocha will never be a stellar option, but we’ve still never

come across anything that competes with this cookie-coffeemilkshake

hybrid from Così. Essentially it’s a mocha Blizzard

made with Oreo cookies and topped with whipped cream and an

oversize Oreo. The result is a beverage with more calories than

two Big Macs and more sugar than any other drink in America.

3. Worst Drive-Thru Shake

McDonald’s Triple Thick Chocolate Shake (large, 32 fl oz)

1,160 calories

27 g fat (16 g saturated, 2 g trans)

168 g sugars

Sugar Equivalent: 13 McDonald’s Baked Hot Apple Pies

There are very few milk shakes in America worthy of your

hard-earned calories, but few will punish you as thoroughly as

this Mickey D’s drive-thru disaster. Not only does it have more

than half your day’s caloric and saturated fat allotment and

more sugar than you’d find in Willy Wonka’s candy lab, but

Ronald even finds a way to sneak in a full day of cholesterolspiking

trans fat. The scariest part about this drink is that it’s

most likely America’s most popular milk shake.

2. Worst Smoothie

Smoothie King Peanut Power Plus Grape (large, 40 fl oz)

1,498 calories

44 g fat (8 g saturated)

214 g sugars

Sugar Equivalent: 20 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

If Smoothie King wants someone to blame for landing this high on our

worst beverages roundup (and truth be told, its entire menu is riddled

with contenders), the chain should point the smoothie straw at

whichever executive came up with the cup-sizing structure. Sending

someone out the door with a 40-ounce cup should be a criminal offense.

Who really needs a third of a gallon of sweetened peanut butter blended

with grape juice, milk, and bananas? Sugar-and-fat-loaded smoothies

like this should be served from 12-ounce cups, not mini kegs.

1. Worst Beverage in America

Cold Stone PB&C (Gotta Have It size, 24 fl oz)

2,010 calories

131 g fat (68 g saturated)

153 g sugars

Sugar Equivalent: 30 Chewy Chips Ahoy Cookies

In terms of saturated fat, drinking this Cold Stone catastrophe is like

slurping up 68 strips of bacon. Health experts recommend capping

your saturated fat intake at about 20 grams per day, yet this

beverage packs more than three times that into a cup the size of a

Chipotle burrito. But here’s what’s worse: No regular shake at Cold

Stone, no matter what the size, has fewer than 1,000 calories. If

you must drink your ice cream, make it one of the creamery’s

“Sinless” options. Otherwise you’d better plan on buying some

bigger pants on the way home.

I Get Bored

7 Days. No bike riding. Clown shoe wearing. Meh!

Batteries are getting fully charged. Projects being planned. Details getting ironed out.

Friday, August 13, 2010

(Appropriate) Beer of the Week

Horseshoe & Hand Grenades

Sometimes your lucky.

Sometimes your not.


Well now looking at 7 days off the bike. Possibly more if next weeks x-rays show a fracture.

No self inflicted pain cave. Good excuse, instead of just saying it was my only Saturday off.

Just when I was feeling the CX bug bigger than ever. Looking forward to pushing the fitness envelop to get ready for the 'big' show'.

Oh, how did it happen. Well trying to bend it like Beckham in the basement w/Maximilian. Trying to wear him out before I left for the STXC. I was in a hurry running around when his ball moved one way & I was committed the other. Well let's say you can't move a weight bench with your big toe. I gave it a shot though. Go big or go...to Urgent Care?

Monday, August 9, 2010

My Private Pain Cave, A Plan Is Hatched

Well after last Thursdays STXC I've decided to place myself in the pain cave. Plan revealed later.

I was the nail and there were 6 hammers. For some reason my legs decided I had enough fun after the first lap which placed me in recovery mode for the next eternity it felt like. I painfully watched 4 guys pass me then just disappear.

On the last lap I thought I had enough of a gap to just coast in for glory.(since no one knows the 'old guy', last week I was ???? now I'm not on there) But I was completely wrong, on the back section I was caught. Now the pressure was on in my pee brain. I didn't want to get notched down again(already had Lucas lap me w/1 left) So I dialed it up coming up the rise from the road. That guy was right there, breathing down my back tire. A couple of shift's up on the road section then an amazing bike throw at the invisible line garnered me a sprint finish for seventh. Oy vey..
I felt...

Now back to the plan...
My own private (pain cave) stage race (sort of)
Day 1. 6 hour stupidfest. Not referring to the race it's self. Just me doing it.
Day 2. Recovery ride/drink beer
Day 3. Work/Recovery ride/drink beer
Day 4. Work/Dirt TT #1/drink a shake
Day 5. Work/Dirt TT #2/drink a shake
Day 6. Work/STXC/drink a shake
There are more races but they start to interfere with my sleep/work. I like sleep. I'm old. It's good for me and those around me. If not, I'm more crusty than many can handle. I'm still deciding about Saturday, since this is my only one off this month. Otherwise Its. On. Like. Donkey. Kong.

I really think I qualify for even thinking of this idea...