Friday, January 30, 2009

Amino Vital Launches New Website!

Amino Vital's Pete O'Brien at Sea Otter




Pete and the peeps at Amino Vital managed to get the new website up and running this week, so you all should check it out! They are looking at team photos to see what and where they can place them. Cool new look, all it needs now are studly Backbone jerseys on there!




Pete and Tinker talking shop after the Cactus Cup XC race in Vegas last year.

Tookie Without Power, Needs Whiskey






This week's storm has million of people between Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky without electricity. Backbone's Jeff Williams and family are some of those people. Argyllite was hit hard, and a HUGE tree was downed that crosses his street..the only way in or out of his neck of the "holler." They had to go out and carve an arch in it with chainsaws so cars could get by! That's a damn big tree! They lost power Sunday, and to my knowledge have not gotten it back yet. Jeff and daughter Lane are passing the time making shadow puppets of their favorite Backbone Adventure Cycling mountain bike racers.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Vegas Bob's Birthday/Road Ride

Vegas Bob as Techno Viking!

Dana Point, CA palm trees..



Vegas Bob's B-day was yesterday, and he's damn near as old as Moses. He likely got drunk on moonshine made with a urinal cake and orange peels, fermented in a dirty donut-filling bucket. Saturday, he plans on riding to San Diego from San Juan Capistrano! Who's down to roll with he and betsy for 75 miles of California coastline cruising? They'll take the train home?? Anyone??

Chuck-T's Fontucky Race Report

Young Gun Chuck "Tabasco" Libolt on his Tomac Primer

Hey Chris,
I would have had this to you a bit sooner, but I'm stuck on the night shift at work this week and Ive been extra lazy. Anyway, the race last weekend was awesome. The whole crew showed up for the weekend. Trevor, Randy, and Darter all kicked ass in their respective races. The weather was ominous the entire time, but fortunately it held off and made for some of the best course conditions I have seen in a while. Temperatures hovered in the 60's for most of the weekend, with just enough scattered showers to keep the dirt extra tacky and fast! It never really rained enough to make mud or nasty Vermont NMBS style conditions. This weekend I hit my goal of breaking into the top 20 riders, and rode into 15th out of just under 40 pro riders. It was definitely a stacked class again this race, with guys like E.C., Houseman, and a few other former Junior worlds team members. My time improved over the last race, but I know I can go a bit faster. I had a clean run without any mistakes. It's only the 2nd winter series race of 2009, so still plenty of time to prep for the bigger races like Sea Otter, or whatever USA Cycling decides it is going to host in place of Nationals this year. Oh, and props again to Darter for showing his class who the real boss is. He still had just over a 4 second lead over 3rd even with an "off course excursion" in his race run! Not to mention Randy who killed it in his downhill race after doing 3 laps of XC the day before with DH practice after his XC race! Damn! And again, I want to extend my thanks to the Rush clan for bringing out the unofficial Backbone race-mobile again. Having them there makes the race weekend a lot easier! I attached a photo my mom found online. I just got my new gear for the season, so thanks to Bobby and Jay at 661/Royal for getting me the new gear right before the race.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Darter Takes Second, Nears Death AGAIN!


According to eyewitness accounts, the amazing Michael Darter was blasting down the mountain so fast, a sonic boom was heard scouring the hillside at Fontana's Southridge Winter Series race on Sunday. Again narrowly avoiding death in a fast as all hell, pinned at every second race run..Darter managed to hang on to what would surely have been a poop-in-the-pants moment to pull off a SILVER!! Way to GO D-MONEY!

Taylor Breaks Top 20 At Fontana!

Chuck T on his Tomac Primer

Chuck T was out Sunday with a few other Backboners throwing down on Southridge's DH course. Charles was hoping last week to get inside the top 20, but with a couple dabs ended up 25th. THIS WEEK? REDEMPTION! Slugging it out with the best in the West at the Winter Series, Chuck-T and his single digit plate #7A battled to a 15th place finish. His competition included just about everyone you see in Decline Magazine, Mountain Bike Action, and even a couple of World Cup guys! WOW! Great job Tabasco!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Trevor's Podium DH Race Report

photo from Trevor..

Ahhhhhhh......theres nothing quite like racing in Fontana with some clean air. After the clouds disappeared and reappeared with some heavy mist, the dirt was to be found.....somewhat.... TACKY on practice day. Thats right I said it....the DIRT AT FONTANA WAS ACTUALLY TACKY. Come race day though after a few hours of sunlight, dry air and a few dozen riders later the dirt returned to its normal dry sandy state. As I started to put my race run together I started to question how fast I could take the turns now, due to the track drying out so dramatically. Even though the track lacked some flow in certain spots, I tried my best to be smooth. In the end I put together a decent run and ended up 4th out of 22.



TREVOR
p.s. chris sorry for not repping the jersey on the podium.



**Great job Trevor! As long as you understand that no sponsors will give you anything for free without a jersey shot on the podium, it doesn't matter to me!***

RANDY WINS!



Captn drizzle,

Ok man I have an actual race report to send you this week. Trevor and I were on our own this week my wonderful wife, team cheerleader, team chef couldn’t make it so we had to venture on for a boys weekend with Taylor and Darter going to be there to race also. Well we rolled out Friday night as usual getting things set up when we arrived having some chow (thanks Kim) and then hittin the sack. Saturday...... Oh Saturday would be a VERY PAINFUL day indeed the course was in good shape they have had a little rain up there during the week so things were good. Now I don't know if you've heard but there's some kind of "Sand Fly" that is nesting on the part of the course that goes by the name of HURL HILL so we can't use that part of the course any longer, but Donnie cut in a new section to tie it in with the old section that turned out to be pretty fun though not really done yet but still fun.

Now here's were the fun is…. being as the course is shorter now they decided to increase laps. Now normally I would be all for that but not right now because climbing up to the water tank a third time really f**kin hurts when not in good shape yet. Sorry for getting off course there anyhoo I had twelve guys in my class and started fairly well running third for half of the first loop then it all went to hell in a hand basket and half way threw the second loop I was in pure survival mode and just thinking man I have all those clime's AGAIN, but I got threw it and ended up finishing eighth out of twelve and I was absolutely dead and had to go to sign ups and ask for a rain check because I was supposed to race super-d to but there was no way.



After downing some AMINO VITAL and resting for a couple hours it was off to do a couple D-H runs as I signed up for that to. My practice runs went ok and I really liked the course layout this week just a lot of flowing turns and not a hole lot of rock gardens which works for me, but I only had two practice runs in me so off to the cooler I went. Sunday morning I did one practice run , felt like shit almost falling four times I said f**k it I will just do my race run and call a weekend. I did my race run and felt great only dabbing my foot once and ended up winning my class (only four guys) but what the heck I had a great time. I tell you one thing I give all our downhill guys and all downhill guys props because after peddling that wall I was GASSED so props to you guys that do that weekly.



Well I think that’s it and we will be back at Fontucky in two weeks to do it all over again and hopefully get super-d in to.



Randy

Seven Degrees To Chinese Imports

The S.S Elderlie awaiting cargo in Fiji.


After hearing twenty people a day complain about Chinese made goods, while holding a bag of them in their hand....


O.K., so this one took some research, so bare with me.


As you stride through the aisles of Target, K-Mart, Wal Mart..just about any "Mart," you see a common thread. Made In China.
I hear everyone complain about it, yet the same people aren't walking out of the store and going to their local neighborhood grocer, market, etc. Why? It's cheap. Money talks, and hand-made wooden toys from grandpa's farm in the country suck, so you buy from China. The good side? Again, it's cheap. The down side is a crushing domestic market that runs small businesses into the ground. Not their fault..OUR fault for being cheap. It isn't without it's precedent, either. There have been "degrees" to a failing domestic market for a hundred and fifty years.

The pivotal point? The day the in 1884 when the S.S. Elderslie set sail. She was the first refrigerated ship, and she changed the global economy for ever. The British had dominated the planet's trade for over a hundred years, allowing their landowners and farmers to sell their goods to their own people at a tidy profit. That kept the wealth IN their country. The hundred year reign of the British Empire came to a grinding halt within a generation after the Elderslie set sail. The British global reach was about to reach out and slap them. The Elderslie began to deliver goods from other countries. Produce from South America, meat and dairy from New Zealand and Australia, all exposed the British population to a global market. By 1905, they were importing sixty percent of their basic food needs, and eighty percent of their grain. Collapse came quickly, and between 1903 and 1909 over nine million acres of privately owned land had to be sold off to pay rising debt.


Eilean Donan castle for sale again, just like it was in 1905.


Sound familiar?



Ahhh..lead. Makes a perdy family pitchur, don't it?




Once the goods of every nation began exchanging hands, the market changed rapidly. It's kind of sad that we can't recall the lessons learned by such hardships in the past. Free trade is amazing for your pocket book, until you find out that the paint on your bike has forty percent more lead in it than trade agreements would allow.

A Fake Tarmac SL being sold in the UK.
Specialized bikes have been dealing with Chinese fakes (and damn good ones too) of their Asian made carbon road bikes that took a long time to figure out..and they still don't know where they are coming from! But they were cheap..of course they have been breaking pretty often too...but they were cheap.

So when you bitch about how bad the economy is, or that "everything's made in China," just remember that you are standing in line with a cart full of crap that just came off the cargo ship from the very place you are crying about.

Oh, and the S.S. Elderslie? She was wrecked in 1905.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Schippers Spawned Saturday!


Jay's birthday was yesterday, and I am quite sure he remembers NONE of what happened. That's the symbol of quality grain alcohol. Jay may be older than seven years old, but you'd never know it! That's why like him, we relate. Happy Birthday to Jay-Hood, hope the hangover fades soon...

Boys Weekend At Southridge!





Randy, Trevor, Darter and Chuck-T are rocking the team colors this weekend at Fontucky! It has been raining all damn day there today, so conditions should be..interesting..for the DH races today. Randy was drunken and out of shape, and ended up barely surviving his xc race yesterday. Had he downed a few packs of Amino Vital's "Kampai" powder, his hangover would have not mattered at all..

Randy's race report is due in by Tuesday, so check back then for race updates!

Friday, January 23, 2009

Clif Bar Recall

Salmonella is NOT a yummy creature from the deep.



Clif Bar has announced a recall of certain products, within a certain date range as a result of the recent salmonella outbreak. Visit their site for details!


Thursday, January 22, 2009

NEW DH TEAM CLOTHING FOR '09!

David Lee Roth leaving practice in the new DH kit for Backbone Adventure Cycling?



Here it is boys! I have finally settled on a new layout for the Backbone gravity squad for 2009. Note the aerodynamic pickle-pocket embedded into the lycra skin-suit, giving our guys a significant aero advantage on the flats (pending USA Cycling approval). The 661-designed Chuck's have a stiff footbed with XPEDO pedal compatability, and the low-slung neck allows for copious amounts of "gold-on-a-roll." You spend thousands on a bike to get it as light as possible NOT so you'll be faster, but so it can offset the B.A. Baracus
chains you will certainly wear as tokens of admiration from adoring fans. Yes, I too pity the fool. Those aren't actually dred's either..they are SUNLINE black-box factory issue carbon-in molded custom skull anti-fracturing devices. Laden with grease and a brillo-like foam, the helmet will actually slide off any obstacle!

Jay Hood trading in his current DH jersey for the new one!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

TURN SIGNAL JACKET!




Click on the link below (or copy it) to see how they are making these things! This is really great for commuters, and hopefully someone can mass produce these babies! Ed, is VOLER listening???? :)


http://www.instructables.com/id/turn-signal-biking-jacket/

Fighting The Winter Weight

Pam Anderson before the lipo and personal trainer...



Thanks to Deb Crawford for the image!




So I'm on the super model diet now. Since bacon grease doesn't look so hot when poured into a pair of panty-hose (which is what fat looks like in Lycra), I am adjusting my food intake for the winter. I have also been drinking Tijuana creek water, swallowing tape worms, and actively pursuing the researchers at Battelle Labs to donate some flesh-eating-bacteria so I may stave off the winter weight. It sucks not being able to ride every day. I never really had to watch the weight much in CA. Here though, a five month long winter can really make you look like Rosie O'Donnell in a heart beat. No more dollar-menu crap. No more soda. No more fries. I think I might cry now. Beer of course, I won't give up. No way. Barley's Brewhouse has a sweet new barleywine (recently made legal in OH) that I will certainly become addicted to soon, and that I am just not willing to part with.

I have my limits.

Jay And Jimbo Updates

Jay performing a rebound test on his front fork in Moab, UT.


Jim rocking a prototype KENDA DH frame in 2006 in Colorado.




Jim Roff has suffered some pretty severe injuries over the past few years of racing. The first one I can remember was at Smelly Bonelli, where he ate shit racing Super-D. He hit a rut and flew off the bike...palms first. He was wearing my helmet cam for that run, so we all got to see it first hand. His wrist made a sweet crunching sound as he hit the deck.



**Jim at the Chalk Creek Stampede in 2005.**
That wrist hasn't been 100% for about four years now. He's had some other bad crashes too. Broken bones, mangled johnson..you name it. O.K., those two were nothing to do with racing, but injuries nonetheless. Jim has selflessly asked to reduce his team tire allotment as a result of what will be an abbreviated season at best for 2009. I still love Jimbo to death (and my secret love monkey, Rhoda), and regret that he will have to deal with the likes of the drunken and lecherous Quarty-40, who will be moving to EXPERT XC by the end of the year!


**Jimbabwe in the snow in Colorado.**


Jason Schippers will also be on the down low this season. Jay has a ton of bike industry obligations. As the product developer for Sunline, he is always gone to Taiwan. He also has a new squeeze that no doubt will remove him from interacting with his friends and teammates for at LEAST the first year.


**Jay at the VSG booth at Interbike in 2007.**
Isn't that always how it goes? Anyhow, Jay has a lot of industry insider deals he has to live up to, and that being the case he may not be as visible as he has been in the past. Life can get in the way of fun sometimes, unless you are a strip-club reviewer, then it all works out..but I don't have that job, and neither do Jay or Jim.


**Now, would that be considered "Dick In A Box?"***




We will still support and look forward to hearing form the boys when they DO get to race and ride, but just be advised that they may be under the radar for a little while this year..


**Jim Roff's TOMAC stable includes this amazing SNYPER!**

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

HOLY COW!




All team pix from Colorado, land of Sierra Club Death Cows!

BOULDER, Colo. -- A woman riding a mountain bike on a Boulder Open Space trail was knocked down and stepped on by a rogue cow Monday.

The woman, who was not identified, was on the South Boulder Creek Trail when she stopped to let a cow pass. According to the woman, the cow knocked her to the ground and then walked on her legs.

The cow continued down the trail and the woman refused medical treatment.

Open Space rangers said the area on Marshall Mesa is leased by ranchers and the owner of the cow was contacted regarding the renegade cow, which had left the scene by the time rangers arrived.

The Boulder Daily Camera reported that another woman was rammed by a cow in the same area in 2003, after the woman accidentally ran between the cow and her calf. The woman suffered a fractured pelvis in that incident.