It's been cx mania! The SCX finale in Monroe was super good, and muddy. One of the few muddy races this season(check pic). Then we had WA State CX Champs in Arlington. I was a bit skeptical at first considering how flat it is by the airport. But the crew built an awesome course that was challenging. HODALA! took the whole SS podium! Next up was the USGP in Bend. The SS race started way too early, it was damn chilly. Even though it was dry, it was a fun course. Good times in Oregon. Tomorrow is Thriller Cross, a Cascade Series Race. Ryan has put a lot of effort into this race. It's going to be sweet. So head over to Civic Field, and cheer on your favorite zombie, I mean racer!

SSCXWC was rad! San Francisco is a great town to go hang out, and ride your bike around. The qualifier was a fun ride, and the race course on sunday was super good. Thanks to all of the rain throughout the weekend. My team is awesome! Lots going on in the shop right now. Repairs, refurbishes, and builds. Here are some pics of Randy's almost dead pinarello. The dt and lug were cracked. So this thing is basically getting a new front end. The cages are for Stanley brand flasks. I hauled a bunch to SF to match up with the SSCXWC dino flasks. But someone must've been eating too much weaksauce, cuz there weren't any flasks available! $35 if you're into that sort of biking.

The latest issue of Freehub is out. There's a little builder bio on donkelope bikes. Thanks Brandon! Cross season is in full swing, despite our abnormally nice weather. Great for spectating, but more mud would be nice. Went to Fort Collins for the USGP in early oct. That is a fun town! The racing was pretty fun, hilly, but fun. One more tooth on the cog would've been nice. SSCXWC is just around the corner. Pretty much the whole team is heading down for that event.

It's fall, and there's lots of bike stuff going down. My favorite season. Cross season has started strong, although too early for me. Starcrossed was fun. Not as many spectators at Issaquah as there were at Marymoor, but all who showed up had a great time. Oregon Manifest was last weekend. What a stressful week leading into that. No matter how early I think I start my project, it comes down to the very last minute. The weekend went well with awesome weather, lots of cool bikes, and great people that build them. There are pics of the event all over the web, so surf it up! My entry had a sidecar that I built to haul Raz around. We were definitely one of the crowd favorites. The bike performed awesome. The sidecar needs a couple of tweaks. And my front bag worked stellar. Thanks to Martina a Swift Ind in Seattle. Now back to the work that has been waiting for me. And getting ready for cx season!

The tough road rides just keep coming! The Mount Baker Hill Climb is the weekend of september 10-11. Come support a great ride up the mountain! Great scenery and no traffic. They shut the road down until noon that day.

August has been busy! Working on a builder bio for Freehub Magazine, the Rapha Gentlemen's Race NW, and all of bike work. I haven't been bored. Look for the 3rd issue of Freehub to be on the shelves mid october. I had some great help doing that. Thanks to Augustine and Tim! The Rapha Gentlemen's Race was a 6 person TTT. The course was 130 miles of pavement, gravel and 10000+feet of climbing. It was also in the mid 90's. It was a brutal day in the saddle. But we had a great team, all on matching donkelopes, with nice kits from Randi Jo Fabrications. We looked better than we did in the race. Only 4 of us were able to finish the entire ride. Congrats to the teams that rode it all intact. Not an easy task. 28 teams started, but only 7 completed. The 2011 Oregon Manifest is just around the corner, september 23-24. Working away on that build that features an out of the ordinary attachment. I will try to post pics and progress. Even though it feels like summer just got started here, cross season is approaching. At least I have some decent form from all of the riding to get ready for the RGR.

Whew, it's been too long. Busy summer. I use summer sarcastically. The only summer I've been around, was for SSUSA in Colorado, and a short trip to Wisco. SSUSA was a hoot. It was a very relaxing trip, hanging with good friends. With a nice race in the middle of it all. I'm thinkin' I'll head back to the Fort this fall for a USGP race. Yesterday, Rusty Scott and I headed over to Raleigh's Midsummer's Night Cross Race. It was a great time. Although not mentally ready for cross yet, there was a very bumpy, but fun and fast course. And plenty of food and beer. Yeah. Donkelope bikes has been invited to the Rapha Gentlemen's Race this august. Looking forward to that. The team will be suited up in custom jerseys on a fleet of donkelope road racers. Summer is about half over, and it doesn't even feel like the warm weather has started.

The weather has really turned up this week. I think everyone is taking it in. Speaking of taking it in...this friday is Bike to Work Day! And the place to be is at the Hub Community Bike shop. Live music, pancake feed, good people, and great times. C'mon down, get some cakes, and enjoy your ride!

Still waiting for some sunshine. That big bright sphere hasn't come out to play very often around here. It's been awhile since a post. Lots going on; bike refurbish project, house work, trying to ride when it's decent, and the norm bike builds. The Taint Tuff 2 went down a few weekends ago. It's basically a big birthday ride for me and my freind Nat. Massive turnout, 34 or 35 starters, but only 13 completed the entire ride. Great times, check these pics for evidence. Parental discretion is advised!

I think spring is finally here. Let's hope. I'm sure all of the locals know what's going on with a little place we like to ride our mt bikes, Galbraith. That place needs everyone's support! We have to keep pressure on to save that gem of a trail system. Check out Preserve Galbraith, WhIMPs, for more info and how to help. And if you're from out of town and wanting to ride there, it's currently still open, but being logged in areas. Ask one of the bikeshops in town what trails are useable/rideable.
Next weekend is the Taint Tuff II, Taint Misbehavin'! It's a little b-day celebration ride for Nat and I. Last year there were 25 riders, about 50mi of mtbing, a little rain, lots of mud, 2 beer stops(1 with bacon), a bourbon stop, and an after ride party. Everybody suffered, yet all were wearing smiles. Speaking of wearing something, this year Nat has decided to have a theme. People need to rock a mustache and some denim. Word

Well, the time is here. The King and Queen of the Classics. The Tour of Flanders is this weekend, with Paris-Roubaix next. My favorite races of the year. And to celebrate, tomorrow is the 3rd year of the Ronde von Whatcom. 90mi with 5800' elevation gain, and a new, long section of pavé! It rained all day here, and it will probably rain off and on tomorrow. So come on down to Mount Bakery, have some breakfast, and get ready for an adventure, Belgian style.

Cherry blossoms, warmer air, excellent racing, it must finally be spring! Both Milan-San Remo and E3 Harelbeke were great races. Should make for an awesome Ronde van Vlaanderen. And again in the spirit of the greatest one day race, the Ronde von Whatcom is going down this saturday. Leaving from Mt Bakery at 10am. The course this year is very similar to last year's. With the addition of another "pavé" section. 90mi with approx 5700' vertical gain. Hope to see you there!
photo cred Graham Watson

The weather this weekend was terrible, but we still had a good time at the Seattle Bike Expo. There was good interest in the bikes I had on display, and sold some donkelope merch. Saturday featured a fashion show with models using a donkelope, Bike Snob NYC was there to read from his book, and plenty of bike stuff to keep just about everyone happy. Axel Merckx was there too. Of course saturday night was the night to go and hang out with people I don't see too often or at all. After having dinner and some beers with Eben, Bike Snob, we went to the Go Means Go party. Eventually we wanted to go somewhere else, and had quite the crew to go with! Rickshaw Bags, Momentum, and the San Fran bike show were ready to have a good time. Besides the night life, I met some new friends and made some great connections for bike projects. The one I'm excited about is a custom bike bag maker in Seattle, Swift Industries. Jason and Martina make some sweet bags. Check out the bag on my commuter, cruising around town. It's big, made of waxed canvas, and looks fantastic. A great weekend in Seattle.

Tonight was Ladies Night at Kulshan Cycles. Lots of people showed up for the raffles, cookies, and refreshments. I was there with a little set up along side Erin w/Red Boots Designs. Erin made the latest batch of donkelope tees and hoodies. It was a good time meeting new faces and talking to familiar ones. Heading down to Seattle tomorrow for the Seattle Bike Expo. Swing in and say "hi".

The cold and snow is back in Bellingham. But the cx race at Cornwall Park yesterday was awesome. Great turnout, great course, and lots of mud! Thanks Ryan and all of the volunteers for putting on the last Cascade Cross Series event for the season. On thursday the 13, I'll be at the Everybody Bike monthly slide show. There's usually a travel aspect to the night. It will be like a show and tell thing for Donkelope Bikes. Check out the details, and come on over to the ReStore.

Well, it's a new year. Hopefully 2010 treated everyone well. I ended the year on a good run of long rides. Which was nice, but doesn't get me ready for a 45min burst of intensity that is cross. The last race in the Cascade Cross Series is this saturday, the 8th. The venue is Cornwall Park, right in town. So no excuses to not show up for this event. There will be plenty of mud, cheering, and fun. So come on down and support this local race. And here are some pics of the winter solstice ride. It was a beautiful night. We did our riding before the "festivities". Which made the ride down the mountain quite enjoyable.