Lean Forth...and eat Turkey

Turkey day was a good day, except for the poor turkey. Our family had a last minute change of holiday plans due to Lynn's unexpected hospital stay earlier in the week. Yes,she is fine, No Joe, she wasn't faking, Yes, she is tougher than anybody I know. So we shared an abbreviated but fun and relaxing holiday with Mike I., Carrol, Zack and Paige. Everybody is healthy, our small home is full of love and the pitter patter of little feet. We have a lot to be thankful for!

Long ride Sunday mornng @ 9:ish, call or e-mail.

Jay is ok!

Lynn and I got an early x-mas present and have one more thing to be thankful for this holiday season. Jay aka Judge O'Malley is going to be OK. His biopsy came back clear. It turns out that the "mass" on his leg is just damage from an old injury. Jay has no racing record that we can find and he was fairly young when he went up for adoption. We are wondering if his racing career ended early (mercifully)due to a severe leg injury. Lyons had a good history and was quite fast, but when they play, Jay is a bit faster.

The ouch and aaawww campaign...

Lyons and Judge have spent some time at the Veterinarian this week. Lyons pulled out some of his front teeth, while we were at work. He and Jay must have engaged in a tug-o-war, Lyons lost.
Judge has had a sore left foot for a few days. His regular vet. prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs. After a week, he was not any better. X-rays were the next step, revealing a "mass" on his leg. Yesterday our youngest dear puppy had a bone biopsy. AAAWWW! No worries,Jay is recovering nicely.

This week Team Sam spent over $1500.00 in vet bills, this number will triple if the biopsy specimen turns out to be malignant. So everything that is not nailed down goes on ebay. My vintage bmx frame set and various items end today. I will be listing a Jamis Dakota Elite mtb frame with carbon rear stays (size med) in addition to other neat bike stuff.

I am also contemplating the sale of my 2006 Honda crf 150. I purchased it new as a left over in 2007. I've ridden it a few times, maybe six? It has been jetted and de-resctricted. Lynn also has a Kawasaki klx125 with a new rear tire, poweroll exhaust and jet kit. Also possibly available will be riding boots, pants, jersey and helmets.

Lynn is looking forward to the NBX 'cross race on 12/07/08. My busted up collar bone is healing, I ditched the sling early and can't wait to get back on a bike. I feel like I've gained about five pounds in two weeks!

Yes on three....We Won!

Why is this Dog smiling?

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: November 4, 2008

BOSTON—Massachusetts voters on Tuesday approved a ban on greyhound racing.

"The measure will force the state’s two greyhound race tracks—Wonderland and Raynham Park—to close their doors by Jan. 1, 2010.

Supporters argued greyhound racing is inhumane and that greyhounds are routinely injured during races, including broken legs, paralysis and even death from cardiac arrest.

The state’s dog tracks say the greyhounds are well cared for and looked after by veterinarians. They also pointed to their efforts to ensure greyhounds are adopted once their racing days are over.

The track owners say eliminating the tracks will take a financial toll on the state. They said up to 1,000 workers will lose their jobs.

A similar question narrowly lost eight years ago."

Our concern now, is that there is going to be an immediate overload of Greyhounds in shelters. The problem is that if there is no room in these shelters, the remaining dogs will be killed. We will do our part, by adopting a third if the need arises. If you have ever considered opening your home to a grateful and loving dog, NOW is the time.

The clavicle is attached to the....well not anymore.

After a long bicycle season, which included; training, criterium racing,(including one hard crash at Attleboro),commuting daily on a fixed gear and brakeless bike,lots of mtb riding, racing a mtb endurance race, learning to drop in on a bmx, a few 'cross races(including another hard crash at Glouscter)and a day at Highland mtb park, it finally happened. I fractured my collar bone, riding an ancient Polish three speed girl's bike on Broadway. Halloween night Lynn, Mike I and I were rolling down Broadway, laughing and goofing off coming home from dinner. I was pretending to go fast on a silly bicycle, chasing Mike, as I stood on the pedals to accelerate, the quill stem loosened and the front wheel flopped over to the left.I hit the ground with no warning. The full force of the impact was applied to my right shoulder. Frate said that I blacked out for five minutes, I don't remember. The old polish Tyler is ok. Go figure.

See you at the bike swap on Sunday!

First things, first.....

If you are a Massachusetts registered voter, PLEASE vote yes on question 3. If you know a Mass. resident, please spread the word. Vote to approve the Greyhound protection act, ending dog racing in Massachusetts forever. Even if you are not a "dog person" or an "animal lover", dog racing is a cruel and abusive sport, which has no place in a civilized society.



Just a couple quick bicycle related updates; Lynn and I survived Highland MTB park with out any serious injuries. First a big thanks to Mike F. for letting Lynn and I ride his high zoot big $$$ bikes down a steep rocky mountain. Down hill, freeride, dirt jumping and "pump tracks" are all new to me. I felt like a have never ridden a bicycle before, I always thought that I had a decent set of bike handling skills, not any longer! Watching Mike F. "style" every jump, clearing all the gaps in the "Sherwood Forest" was worth the trip. Adam S. also joined us, there is NOTHING this man cannot do on a bicycle, everything from Pro crit. races to dirt jumping, wow! Mike I.? He won the silver medal at nationals for downhill, nuff said.
We had a great time, I highly recommend Highland!

The Dirt Demo (interbike east) was a blast, Almost the entire P. bike crew was in attendance. We rode everything from high end commuter bikes, cheap city bikes (pictured) to the latest super squishy mountain bikes. Which did I like the most? I honestly don't know. High tech "gizmo" mtbs leave me cold, I like simple light weight hard tail mountain bikes. On the otherhand there was something I liked about every bicycle. Lynn loved the BMC carbon full suspension cross country race bike. We attended the industry after party, then headed into town for dinner and beers. I couldn't imagine a better way to spend the day.

Look what I found

Look what I found on the interweb! This is my old car! I purchased it from the original owner in 1991, over the next twelve years,I turned it in to a "full tilt" tarmac rally car. My focus changed from racing cars to bicycles, so I sold the GTI to a mechanic who worked with me at the dealership. He in turn sold it again and I lost track of the car, but heard random reports that it was destroyed in a rollover crash. I feel a bit conflicted about seeing the car in action with some stranger behind the wheel. I spent an unconcievable amount of time building, tuning,racinig and rebuilding this car. I realize it is just an object, but it represents a little more than a 1/4 of my lifetime. There were many cars, but this red GTI should have been a keeper.