NoRestDays

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 13:09:00 +0000

RED CARPET LOUNGE, TOKYO NARITA AIRPORT

No wonder international business men are f-ed' up and loud on their cell phones all the time. Free booze on layovers and a beer machine that hooks you up with the perfect "head". I talked to other wide eyed american business men that were grinning ear to ear as they grabbed their second, or third frosty mug at 10am. that morning. We contemplated and rejoiced over Japanese technology.

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 07:13:00 +0000

Off season finally! I find myself in Khao Lak Thailand, one of the worst hit spots in the 2004 Tsunami. It is a paradise. Cheap everything! Motorscooters, Scandinavian Blonds in Bikinis, Thai Boxing, Thai beer, Thai Stik, Thai Food, Thai Massage. If we could only hold our anual training camp here.

Footage from Nonthong Beach in Khao Lak. You'd never know it happened as tourism was peaking again while we were there in high season.

The beach is covered with memorials of the westeners who perished here on the morning of Dec 26, 2004. Mostly swedes. The locals say the wall of water was near 30 feet, one of the worst in the disaster.

Did some snorkling off the Similan islands.

Kyaking in the jungle

Nanthong Beach in Khao Lok

Ung diki dow

Tokyo tuna market, and some cool resturants in the city

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 06:46:00 +0000

Lap one corner of death...... 07 CX Nationals

So my moment in the spotlight as I have an unfortunate meeting with "treefarm". I genuinely felt bad for dude, but not responsible for the event. Looking back at the two way traffic in that corner was a recipe for disaster. Lap one saw about 20 plus people blow through the tape. I got pushed wide lap two and caught a rut that threw me in his path. Sucks. Trebon is a class act and was beyond cool when we talked after the wreck in medical.

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 06:40:00 +0000

Lap two, impact.

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 14:55:00 +0000

Being that I am a Texas boy, this stuck me as particually funny.....

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 13:14:00 +0000

The unfortunate. i 70 snowstorm going to Kansas City for Cyclocross Nationals.

Some good came out of the slog across Kans-ass in the ice storm of 2007. I met a real trippy lady at the dive motel, got to fully test my new studded snowtires, catch-up on the am news and agg. report.

To make things a little sweeter..... I was carrying the bikes and gear of BCS riders Kilgore and Dwight. I arrive 15 minutes before the start of the masters 35 race. Came peeling into the parking lot, parked illegal, had of yard sale of bike and gear but got them squared away for the start.

Bandon Delivers.

Masters National Champ 35-40

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 14:14:00 +0000

Deep into the Cyclocross season
Our local CX scene has continued to grow every year. YETI got a sweet new frame (ARCX) to us just intime for the local thunderdome.

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 14:50:00 +0000

Trip to DeerVally National.

The 5th stop of the National Mountainbike Series

Drive there was cool. Through the plains of Wyoming, vast wind energy farms.

Teammate and semi-pro racer John Chambers.

Park City Olympic ski jumps

Semi feed zone.... patroled by the Norba Nazi's feed zone official. Both Chambers and I got yelled at for "too much support"

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 16:45:00 +0000

Reducing our carbon footprint, with gas at 3 dollars + a gallon it's easy being ecofriendly. Packed in tight in the mini 3 bikes 3racers 1 Desert Beagle

Yeah, it's that steep. Anglefire NM is also littered with volcanic rockgardens. Really unpredictable sets of rocks that had me just holding on "pin balling" though the wost on them.

Dave Strouse at his post. The pits look better than ever. New yellow tinted topeak popups great mood lighting and bee attractor. COmotion & Breckenridge Brewery 'where the beer flows like wine'....

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Tue, 15 May 2007 01:14:00 +0000

After a long winter slumber, Game On and back to the dirt. Nathrop CO for the first of 7 events in the Norba Regional Series the "Mountain States Cup"

It's a good feeling to race with intensity and purpose after being cooped up in a long front range winter. Our mountain bike team came out swinging and scooped up many points in the team competition. One of our tough guys, "Steve Oliver" payed the price in the short track. Had been cooped up a little to long and celebrated the opener with a "Bicycle Scorpion"

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 16:53:00 +0000

Off Season Skate Skiing with tha pooch

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 15:20:00 +0000

Boulder Cup Cyclocross

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 15:17:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 16:30:00 +0000

24 Hours of mudfest 06

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 15:26:00 +0000

Just when I thought the suffering was over.

My buddy Ryan Hamilton called me to see it I could wrench for him and be part of his crew for the 24 hours of Moab race. The event organizers called the race about 8-9 hours in because of bad conditions. WTF? Isn't 24 hour racing about persiverence, toughness, preparedness? No rider or team is required to go out into the storm. Anyone can curl up in their tent or RV and wait for it to pass. Our Rider and Crew had made it through the worst of the storm and were ready to go, but were not allowed to race. Super bummer for the best prepared team out there.

Brake Pads without the "Pads". Functioning disk brakes were hard to come by around 8pm.

The skys opened up at high noon (start of the race) and did not stop until about 9pm that night. Under normal conditions, rain is a good thing in the desert. It makes the course faster and cuts down on the dust. Some of the fastest lap times were recorded the next morning on the hard packed course.
Shit weather, Advantage "Hamiltonians"! With two very experienced mechanics, three bikes, two more crew, a tough as nails rider, and a guard dog, we were ready to go all night.

5th time "Behind the Rocks" in Utah!

Somehow shotgunning beers has become our "rally cap" or moral booster around camp. Seems to be working!!?

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 02:05:00 +0000

My last "call up" of the season. My race was going fine until I flatted in the second lap. Right about that time the skys opened up. The course became slow and dangerous (the leaders had already finished by this time) and I drug my mud cover body to the line.

My Savior

What I thought was a hard rain on the course turned into a flood of biblical proportions. I was soaked and instantly put into the deep freeze by the exhaustion and cold rain. I went into survival mode and hopped inside a port-John to shiver myself warm. Pro mountain bike racing is so glamorous.

Last National

Snowmass national series final pro men start

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 14:11:00 +0000

Brian Head Utah turned out to be a great venue. The mountains meet the desert. We camped close to the start/finish area at 9600 feet elevation. The course went up from there to at least 11000'. One big 27 mile loop. Our preride day was washed out with rain so both Kris and I race day would be our first time around.

The trail was sic. "Dark Hollow" is a one of the longest decents I've done in a race. It was so good we went back the next day to do it all over again. Hooked up with an old buddy from Ubikes that now lives in there. Steve "Bread" Faducia was our tour guide and hotel as we stayed an extra day and shuttled some sweet trail.

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 13:42:00 +0000

The Hotel Sienna just got bigger. Also works as our "factory pits jr." Our camping has become as dialed as our bikes.

Kris's races went predictably well. That's him gapping the feild at his short track.

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Thu, 03 Aug 2006 12:59:00 +0000

Got some rest and home cooking, off to the next national in Brianhead, Utah. Temps are cool and the altitude is high there. Goran has been pegged to my side. He knows it's time for another road trip.

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 13:59:00 +0000

Long Road Home.

Really wasn't that bad. Sneaking Goran in and out of hotel rooms has never been so worth it. Kris and I hit the jackpot by scoring a hotel room in Provo that had OLN. We got the watch the Floyd explosion and redemption stages in the Tour de France. It puts our idea of suffering into perspective.

Russian River Rope Swings. Floated all day to beat the heat.

Goran stayed in the water most of the day. He was still paddeling in his slept that night on the hotel floor.
Picnik in the shade with some Fume' Blanc and our Maitre De' Kris w/a K.
Back home. Time for r&r and one of my favorite days on the calinder. I must be a obnoxious euro cycling fan encarnate. There is nothing I enjoy more than screaming at triathletes as they slog up the steep pitches of old stage road.

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 13:40:00 +0000

I should have taken a lesson from Landis and just kept a bottle in my hand. Riding through the California heat wave sucked. Two bottles on the front side feed and one on the back. Nine in total but i'd say I drank about six. Three more than any thing I've done in competition.

The perfect gut. A good three inches over the belt line. The avalanche of flab, seemingly about to fall on my shoulder. Is this what happens when you stop riding?

Super COMo Mom.

Ahh, the suffering didn't stop at the XC. I lasted longer that ever (16:40) at the short track, in slightly warmer weather.

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 15:10:00 +0000

Coast 2 Coast in 06'

The cold pacific waters around Montego Bay. Kris and I's NMBS tour has reached it's Zenith, but not it's conclution. It was a little symbolic touching both coast, and thinking of the lessons I've learned along the way.

All that aside, nothing could kill our buzz we had from wine tastings in the Russian River valley. Sobered up with a walk on the beach.

Getting "sideways" at some wineries.

"Generous pours, mineral finish, bitey, smokey start, summer in a bottle, bouqet, toasty, nutty, lively, floral." Words not to familiar in the Mt. Bike lexicon, except "generous pours."

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 05:42:00 +0000

06 SS National Start

Big field for the Single Speed nats.

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 05:41:00 +0000

Yeah! That's right....

Kris had a break out day in the SS Nationals. Sharing the stage with 3 time nat champ Carl Decker, 06 XC champ Ryan Trebon, Travis Brown, Mike Something SS cross champ. Good day for COMotion Sports and Lathrop.

noreply@blogger.com (Stephen Iles) — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 05:39:00 +0000

technical nationals

Tough course, not real technical though.