The 2nd Annual NSFW Ride Announcement.

Date: Wednesday 4/20/11

Location: Intersection of the Billy Wolff Trail & Rock Island Trail on the North end of the Zoo.

Time: 9am

Not Sorry (for) Forgetting Work

Put in now to take April 20 off as a vacation day. Celebrate spring on a ride around Lincoln with like-minded friends. Spend the workday riding while your co-workers toil away. Meet at 9am, ride is held on city trails. 40 miles long, ride for part of the day or the whole thing. 12-14 mph average speed. Last year's NSFW Ride was a ball!

Here is the map for this year's ride.

Ride starts and ends at the intersection of the Rock Island Trail and Billy Wolfe Trail on the North Side of the Zoo at 27th & Capital Parkway.

Several Lincoln bike shops will have free refreshments, giveaways, discounts and prizes for NSFW riders! Including Joyride, Bike Pedalers, The Bike Rack, Cycle Works, & Monkey Wrench Cycles.

The route will feature stops at these shops giving riders a chance to refuel, visit, shop, register for prizes, and use bathrooms or have mechanics make adjustments.

The NSFW Ride will be a fun chance to meet other cyclist, check out new bikes and biking gear, as well as a great way to get in some miles while everyone else is stuck at work. No fee to ride, but bring lunch money, lunch will be at your choice of Havelock restaurants.

Ya gotta start somewhere.

Lincoln cyclists were invited to join Mayor Beutler this morning for a presentation by Andy Clarke the President of the League of American Bicyclists. He shared what communities are doing to encourage drivers to bike, walk and use public transportation. I rode the Austro-Diamler to the meeting, then continued on to work. After a long hiatus, this is my first work commute of 2011.

The presentation was well attended with around 75 bikers and community leaders in attendance. Other than a few icy spots the ride was great, I've really missed it and the forecast calls for more good biking weather! Today's miles = 19.71

2010 was a great year spent outdoors!

2010 was another great year to spend time outdoors! The NOA blog had 362 posts. Now has 27 followers and 13,785 unique hits during 2010. And I have 771 facebook friends. I've had a great time sharing my adventures with you and hope you've made an effort to spend more time outdoors.

You've seen our family have a ton of fun outside and watched me mature as a cyclist. I started riding in 2008 and put on 2,000 miles that year. During 2009 I racked up an additional 4,681.78 miles on the bike. This year brought 6,270.43 more miles giving me a total of 12,952.21 for my first 3 years as a cyclist. During 2010 blog readers have followed me on the following outdoor adventures:

129 round trip commutes to work and back (aprox 20 miles)

18 one way work commutes (aprox 10 miles)

We attended the Big Buck Classic in Omaha.

I rode in 6 of Lincoln's Critical Mass rides.

Tried my luck at the KC Sprints.

16 Hustle alley cat style races.

You saw me try and fail at riding an indoor trainer.

Couch sledding with our oldest.

Participated in the following GPBC events: Holiday Dinner, Easter Candy Ride, Spring Fling Ride, Full Moon Ride, Just Do It Ride, Lied Bridge Ride, Ride Of Silence, Wabash Trace Ride, and the Heatstroke 100 Ride.

Riding to Pepe's for the Sunday 'Biker Special'.

The purchase of Trusty Rusty.

Riding gravel with the Adventure Racers to Branched Oak and Beatrice.

Riding gravel in Kansas.

The opening of the Antelope Valley Trail.

18 Tuesday Night Nacho Rides.

Biking to church 7 times.

You saw me Demo the Bike Pedalers Marin Mount Vision 5.9 and Pivot Mach 4 mountain bikes.

I put together and hosted the 1st annual NSFW ride.

Attended the LPD bike auction.

The Cycle Works Tomac open house event.

I was a spectator at the following races: ACA 12 hour MTB race at Wagontrain. Xterra Bolt Branched Oak race. Flatwater cyclocross races at Van Dorn Park. Lincoln Cyclocross races at Pioneers park. And the Capital City Criterium.

You saw me get road rash in the shape of a heart from a tight turn on a downhill section of bike trail during a wet work commute.

We attended the Joyride Specialized demo event.

Spring and fall turkey hunting with our youngest.

Camping, air boating, and catching monster catfish on the Loup River.

I spent 9 nights in a tent and 5 nights in campers during 2010.

I rode single track at: Wagon Train, Branched Oak, Wilderness Park and Bike Pedalers' secret MTB area.

I rode with the BP crew on the Bread & Cup ride and the Yia Yias ride.

Two Fox Hole 100 rides.

Did my 2nd Tour De Nebraska 5-day bike tour.

We did the Taco Ride in Iowa.

Took Gravel to Parkers Smokehouse in Ashland.

Rode day-1 of RAGBRAI and attended the Expo the day before.

Canoed at Holmes Lake a couple of times with the family.

Met Tom Snyders the bicycling comedian on RAGBRAI, saw his show in Omaha and rode to Pepe's with him in Lincoln.

Checked out the Cycle Works Giant ladies bike demo.

Rode in the 2010 GLGA Gravel World Championship.

Bought the wife a Specialized Ruby.

You saw the Felt Z70 frame become fatigued and separated.

I rode a loaner Surly Cross Check from Bike Pedalers.

Then got a new Felt ZA frameset from Felt free on warrantee.

Attended the Monkey Wrench Cycles grand opening.

Found the Austro-Daimler & a cruiser for $30 at the Bicycle Swap Meet.

Rode the Flint Hills Nature Trail in Kansas.

Rode a century going to Nebraska City and back.

I had 6 flat tires during 2010.

We attended the 2010 Ducks Unlimited banquet and the 2010 Quail Forever Banquet.

And, we deer hunted again on the Loup this year.

I'm not bragging, just wanted to see a tally, but it's not about the numbers, it's about the fun I've had. And I'm so thankful for all the great people I've met and spent time and miles with again in 2010.

I'm healthier, happier, greener, more responsible, fun and social than I've ever been. I'm looking forward to building on the time we've spent outdoors and making 2011 another unforgettable year of outdoor adventures.

My big cycling/blog goals for this year were:

10,000 unique hits on the NOA blog during 2010. *CHECK*

25 NOA followers and 500 facebook friends by the end of 2010. *CHECK, CHECK*

Another year with no serious wrecks. *CHECK*

6,000 miles on the bike during 2010. *CHECK*

5 Centuries during 2010. *NOPE, JUST 2*

125 round trip work commutes during 2010. *CHECK*

And another tour during 2010. *CHECK*

I'm not setting any specific goals for 2011 other than to finish Gravel Worlds and maybe get a MTB. Otherwise I just hope to keep doing what I have been.

Hope to see you spending time with friends and family outdoors in the year to come!!!

Have a Happy New Year!!!

The Haunted Hustle.

Last night was the Haunted Hustle put on by Kat with help from SHECLISMO It was a well orchestrated race, and by far the biggest hustle ever held in Lincoln, it seemed like nearly everyone was there. We met up at Robbers Cave then began by racing to Camp Wilderness where we had to hunt for candy on a haunted bridge in the woods. Racers were then sent to the tunnel at 3rd and F st where we had to search through a kiddie pool filled with ramen noodles to find an eyeball before being allowed to continue to the old State Fair grounds where the No Coast Derby Girls were zombies quizzing us on state capitals. We then hurried into a headwind to the 27th & Capital Parkway tunnel to toss a severed head across the river of blood. Once we'd mastered that we went to the YWCA to be blindfolded and verbally told how to find our way through a maze by youth leadership girls. The last stop was Buzzard Billy's in the Haymarket. I came in 6th out of 50 and won a set of bike lights! This was a fund-raiser for SHECLISMO and they had raffle prizes including a new Globe bike that was won by Maggie! You'll see Amber is thumbs up after coming in first among the girls and Ian won the boys race. Yesterday's work commute and the Hustle totaled up to 41.78 miles for my Friday.

2010 Flatwater Cyclocross Race.

Races started at 10:00 this morning at Van Dorn Park. There were 6 different heats with things wrapping up at 3:30. They gave out over $2,000 in prizes and it was a blast to watch! Find out more at www.flatwatercycling.com I rode there and back for 11 miles today.

Bicycle Swap Meet.

Today was Lincoln's annual Bike Swap Meet. I've gone the last couple of years and picked up a T-shirt or something. But this year I scored a cruiser and a really super sweet Austro-Daimler 10-speed for only $30.00! I got there when the gates opened at 9am and it was full of old bikes, parts and friends.

The folks from Nowear were there too showing their stuff and selling threads.

2010 Gravel Worlds

Here's Gravel Worlds through my eyes. It was a excellent event! Entry costs nothing and everyone is eligible. That is very cool. The Pirate Cycling League did an amazing job running the race. Sign up was fast and easy, thanks in part to an opportunity to sign waivers the night before in downtown Lincoln. Saturday morning all we had to do was check in and have a number wrote on our leg. Cornbread made some announcements before hand, and at 6am we started with a neutral roll out. There were 98(?) official racers that started and a few others that rode out as well. As the day wore on most dropped out. 30-some ended up pedaling the whole 150 miles. Congrats to each of them! It was an epic accomplishment! The roads of course were not closed, but we had very little traffic, and everyone was really cool about sharing the road as far as I could tell. There were separate classes for single speed, mens and womens, even tandem. The single speed riders (bikes with no gears) are hardcore and really were tested to the limit on some of those big hills! I got in behind Guitar Ted for a spell and snapped this picture. You should read his take on Gravel Worlds. There was a light fog as the sun rose. There was basically no wind most of the day. And some of the country we rode through was really scenic. Again, congrats needs to go out to the PCL guys for picking an amazing route. Yeah, I was sucking wind. Riding on gravel, or in many cases on dirt roads has a lot more resistance than pavement. And they don't grade the hills or fill in the valleys on the county roads like they do on the highways. Riding gravel is a true test. And riding in a big group gives you a sense of urgency and extra energy, the moral support we give each other is amazing. I always ride better when I'm with others. To prove we'd made it to the edges of the course we had to stop at three checkpoints and buy a Nebraska lottery ticket. Powerball tickets show what time they were purchased. These stops gave us a chance to pickup drinks and food too. Some of the dirt roads were still damp from rains earlier this week. The clay soil made for some tacky riding and since I was using my Felt road bike with the widest tires I could fit on it (28mm) the mud would pack up the fork making it even harder to pedal. Most riders use cycle cross. But there were mountain bikes and even some other road bikes. Between Valparaiso and Malcolm I was struggling to keep my core body temp down and was starting to bonk. Patches rode with me the whole time, and I was asking to take breaks more and more. In this picture I had to lay down in the ditch for a few minutes before getting back on to ride more. By the time we'd hit Malcolm it was about 12:15 (I think) and I was shot. I could have gone more but it would have been slow and painful. This is where it went from being fun to being brutal. And since I am a casual cyclist and not an athlete I had no problem calling my wife and getting my sorry butt hauled back to Lincoln. I left my phone with Patches and told him to call me when he got tired and I'd go get him. Patches took the liberty of snapping some pictures with my phone. This is a 'sign' directing racers to an 'oasis' for water, snacks and rest. A few locals that lived along the route offered up their property, food, water, hospitality and more and were a welcome site to riders who were feeling sapped after all those miles! When I got back to Lincoln I picked up some gallon jugs of water and left them on the route around 4th road & Hwy 2 at about mile 120 for anyone who might be running out of water at that point. Then I called Patches to see if he wanted picked up yet. He asked me to meet him in Hickman. I waited outside of Hickman with this group from Omaha that knew about Gravel Worlds and decided on their own that it'd be cool to set up a stop. They took a day to sit out in the sun and they spent their own money on pop, beer, ice, water, pizza, pb&j, candy, etc. to give out to cyclist. How cool is that? These guys rocked! The hospitality of everyone throughout the day was overwhelming. Here Patches rolls into the 3rd and final checkpoint before the end in Hickman. Yes, it's 98' on the bank clock. He had 115 miles on his mountain bike. Since he usually rides a recumbent, the first thing he said to me was, "I could keep going, but my ass is killing me. Next year we're going to train for this and finish it!" This was around 4pm after 10 hours of riding! I picked up a couple of others from Lincoln in Hickman who were too thrashed to go on and gave them a ride back to the fairgrounds where the race started and ended. When I was there Jon Vandracek rolled in and took 1st place in the Masters Men division. You can find all the results on the PCL blog. Take a look at the dust on my legs once I took my shoes and socks off!

All in all I made it to the first two out of the three checkpoints before pulling the plug. I felt pretty shelled and hot by the time I quit, but otherwise was ok. I quit the 150 mile gravel race with an average speed of 12.6 mph, average cadence of 72 rpm, ride time of 5 hrs 13 min, and a total of 66.1 miles.

Gravel Worlds Championship video.

GRAVEL WORLDS 2010 from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

It's just a week and a half away! Yeah!!! Lis's sweet new video is making the rounds on the web. Find out all the race details on PCL's blog.

I'm going nowhere in particular.

I went for an afternoon spin around town and put on 24.4 miles for the day and that ushers July out with a total of 804.0 miles.

The Biklops Hustle

Tonight was the Biklops Hustle held in conjunction with the Biklops art show as part of First Friday at Screen Ink in downtown Lincoln. The race started at Screen Ink and we could go to the first 4 checkpoints in any order. After completing the 4th checkpoint we were told where the 5th checkpoint was.

Each checkpoint had it's own color of ink for us to fingerprint ourselves on our spoke card. There were also challenges including riding a child's sized bike through a series of cones at Precision Skateboards, blowing up a balloon then poping it with our butts, eating what must have been the worlds largest saltine cracker without anything to drink, eating a red, white & blue popsicle, and finding Waldo and posing for a picture with him.

The race must have been around 13 miles long and the first few racers in did it in under an hour. I hit a frost heave in the sidewalk hard a block from the finish and got a pinch flat, but the tire held air long enough for me to finish. I was beat by about 5 minutes by Michael Bikel and came away with 2nd place. Matt followed me across the finish line by a quarter of a second. There were 18 racers in tonight's hustle. For 2nd place I got a bag of loot with goodies from Screen Ink, Bike Pedalers, Lincoln Ve-Low, and other local businesses.

Riding downtown, racing and riding home got me 21.9 miles, with today's commute I have a total of 41.5 miles today.

The c-rad hustle.

We met up in the tunnel at 8th & Van Dorn at 8pm and raced at 8:30. It was the longest hustle in Lincoln's history. Reported to be 20 miles long. It was a check point race put on by Conrad. We found out our next destination at each stop. There were 6 stops between the start and finish. The race ended at the Grata. I arrived 6th out of 16 at 11pm, but got 10th place because of some shots that riders could use to take time off their total. I made a couple of wrong turns that added a lot of time and miles and ended up racing around 32 miles. (most hustles are 15 miles) But, dang, it was an awesome race!!! The group was fun, the route was sweet, we rode under a full moon and the night was beautiful! After riding there and back and my work commute I ended up with 60.3 miles for the day.

Watched the city fade away in the rearview mirror.

Our youngest and I left Lincoln this afternoon for a few days on the Loup River to Turkey hunt, fish and camp. This get-a-way is overdue!

Crit races held today at Pioneers Park.

Come out today to see the action. There are some killer hills and fast competition. The event is free to spectators. It's a beautiful morning for the races. But, I've got to get outta here and get myself a little loup therapy.

Biketacular & The Capital City Criterium.

Check out some of the scenes from today's kids events and the criterium races.