FUNrun

Thepuppies super elite running squad made it to the SnowFunRun in Lake Geneva recently. I’m happy to report that we made it home with many trophies and a few medals. I will post some pics of our new friends we met when i get them. I know the snow is starting but we are already in spring planning mode. I’m going to get some trips on the calendar so clear your schedule. Looking way in the future thepuppies are planning on riding the Oregon coast this summer, if you have any suggestions for us (route, accommodations, meds) please let us know.

Here is a link i came across while searching for rain jackets….can i get an Amen?

http://www.cyclingportland.com/2011/12/11/why-is-it-o-k-to-litter-cigarette-butts/

New year. Time to Bloggy Blog.

Happy new year bike people. It is that time of year to take stock and say you will do stuff better next year. Get off my ass, I will update the site more. I know the world hangs on pins and needles awaiting the next grand post on thepuppies. Thanks to everyone for creating such a kick ass Christmas tree at my house this year. So far we have no excuses not to be biking, what a great mild winter so far. I do realize that by saying this I have destined us all for a huge winter slam that will descend with a fierceness we have never seen, sorry. This weekend a crew will be heading north for the annual Snow Fun Run. Might make a trip down to Chinatown tomorrow night for hot pot, join in.

First Snow This Morning

All right it’s officially Christmas time. We are currently having a very late first snow of the season and the official Tree party is going down tonight. Party starts around 7, see you there.

Let’s roll

Who is up for a ride this week? Great, it’s settled, we will meet up and get it going Friday night.

Thanks to Dino and Erin for putting us up out in Boston. What a great town, not as many bikes as I thought I would see but they had a great bike share program going on. Way more prevalent around the city then Chicago’s fleet. Snagged the above pic at the end of Cape Cod, great times. Got a good ride in there on a tandem, they are scary.

It getting spooky out there.

Halloween approaches, come out to the Urban Initiatives party. Here is a link, get your ticket soon, it will sell out.

http://www.click this for a cool party

In other bike news we made it up north to the Elroy-Sparta trail. I would definitely recommend it as a great fall ride. The leaves were turning and Oktoberfest was brewing. We rode from Elroy to LaCrosse on trails the entire way (60 miles). The tunnels were fun, the beer and cheese soup did not disappoint. Next time we may cross the mighty Miss and continue the adventure on into Minnesota.

Side rant: I used to recommend Specialized Armadillo tires, to all my friends who recently purchased these I apologize. Specialized seems to have thought to make there products go from superb to extra shitty for some reason. They used to be bomb proof, I put lots of miles on without ever flatting. The current tires collect so much debris you are picking out glass every time you stop. Also they flat on a regular basis, not worth the price you are paying. I have moved on to Conti gatorskins for city riding, you should too.

On a positive note, I would recommend a headlight for the upcoming winter.

click this for a cool headlight

It’s pricey at around $50 bucks but gives you serious torch power. Also converts to a headlamp, has helmet mount and handlebar mounts. It somewhere between basic safety light and high output light. Pictured below is on the way to LaCrosse.

Thank you all

To everyone who came out last week for the Misericordia Heartracer fundraiser I thank you kindly. We raised $1,500 dollars and were able to meet our goals of $1,000 each. I will post the totals when we are finished. Now I guess I really got to run this marathon, it’s official.

If the weather looks good we may head up this weekend and ride the Elroy-Sparta trail in Wisconsin and end up in LaCrosse for their Octoberfest.

Party Thursday

Join us this Thursday at the Village Tap on Roscoe for some good times. Work sucks, you need a drink, and you want to give me your money for a great cause. Me and Shannon are running the Chicago Marathon for Misericordia. Hope to see you all there. In other news some dickfuck stole Shannon’s beloved bike. To all the residents who watched this evil person saw through her u-lock at the corner of Wilson and Damen in broad day light….thanks for helping out, i feel the Chicago brotherly love. Moving on with life we welcomed a brand new Bianchi Volpe into the puppy family. We took her out for a test run tonight and she performed great. Thanks to Kevin at Boulevard Bikes for helping us out, go buy your bikes there, they are very nice (and know what they are doing).

Thinking we may take another crack at Three Floyds on Sunday.

 

 

CrackBoomBang

We attempted a dangerous mission down to Three Floyds Brewery. Made it down to 100th street and the start of the Burnham Greenway. At that point the heavens opened up and furious storm almost destroyed us. We were lucky enough to be able to hang out under the beautiful Skyway for some time until it passed. We decided to cut our trip short due to inclement weather and battled back to the red line at 95th complete with Shan starting her cyclocross career. Thankfully we stopped at Binny’s on the way home and stocked up and got properly beered to nurse our wounds. We will be back and complete the trip soon. You should join us.

The event at the Abbey for Danny Did turned out to be a great night. Thanks to all who came out and supported. In other philanthropic news: We are once again running the Chicago Marathon for Misericordia. Events and details to follow.

 

 

DanceFunPartyTomorrow

Tomorrow night at the Abbey will be a fundraiser for the Danny Did Foundation. Come out and witness the triumphant return of The Townes and the debut of the yours truly on the decks. Bring your dancing shoes.

Finally made it on a boat, nice view from out there.

 

CityOutwardBound

Made it out of town finally. Took the metra out to Harvard then biked up to Kettle Moraine. Camped at Ottawa Lake. The ride up there was perfect, great roads, low traffic. The campsite was also very nice, the small lake was great to jump into after a day on the road. Recently we have also got our yearly Novelty Golf trip, and bike down to the Sox game in. Summer activities…love them.

Pictured below is the best beer that you must be on the watch for when in Wisconsin. Delicious. Trust me. You can get it at the LaGrange General Store and Bicycle Shop which is just south of the mountain bike trail head in Kettle Moraine. It’s a great little store and perfect place to grab lunch and some beer on your way up to the campsite. I have created a map for the route we took up. We took a different way home to allow us to grab some breakfast in Eagle, Wi. at the Hen House. From Eagle we went south to Bluff Rd. then took that west to Duffin Rd. then took that south, nice scenery. The rule of thumb around there was to stay off the numbered busy highways and stay on the lettered country roads. The “aid station” on the map is the LaGrange bike shop. Happy trails.

Escape route out of the city- click me