BALLS TO THE WALL FISHING

The only place to stay current on the latest manic ramblings from the Florida Panhandle.

CHEEKY FLY REELS, THE OFFICIAL REEL OF BALLS TO THE WALL FISHING

Thursday, April 30, 2009

HOLY SHIT, FORESTHILL DIVIDE LOOP IN PRETTY STUPID SMOOTHY STYLE..

Auburn, California has some redick silky smoothy single track which we got turned onto today by the guys at the Bike Emporium. I mean really guys, twelve miles of stupid smooth windy singletrack you can ride on a road bike, unbelievable...

PASSION TRAIL BIKES SHOWS US WATERDOG PARK, BELMONT, CALI

Below, Charles and Patty (sp?) who own and operate Passion Trail Bikes in Belmont. Their shop hosts a monster Wednesday night shop ride, with over 50 riders and 5 different groups all converging on Waterdog Park in Belmont, Cali...silicon Valley style singletrack. They have been instrumental in the development of the park's singletrack from the sounds of it and the riding has something for everyone, including pump tracks, gap jumps and stellar singletrack riding..I kind of blew it on this one as I forgot to stick my camera in my pocket for the ride and the helmet cam would have been sick following the tandems down the TIGHT single track switchbacks which numbered in the double digits...
Elgee gangster style hanging out with adventure race/tandem crusher mountain biker Julie Gleason at the post ride feast and party
BBQ firin up at Passion

We leave San Fran behind today and start making our way east to The Coolest 24 Hours Race Against Cancer. We should hopefully find some more worthy riding along the way..good bye Golden Gate for now.
The side streets of Berkley where we delivered some SQUIRT shwag for an IMBA fundraising event.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

TONIGHTS VISIT....

We've heard the guys at Passion have a HUGE Wednesday night shop ride, with six different rides. We're gonna check it out.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

SQUIRT LUBE TO ATTEND THE "COOLEST 24 HOURS" MTB RACE AGAINST CANCER THIS WEEKEND

Dewet and myself will have the Squirt Tent set up and rollin at the Coolest 24 Hour MTB Race Against Cancer this coming weekend in Cool, California. Be sure to stop by and see us if you are in area. In addition it appears we will be doing the 8 hour duo team event as well. Just when you thought it was safe to go outside again....see you all there.

IT'S LOOKING A LOT LIKE THIS FOR TONIGHT

VS.
It's been a while since I've seen a Willie Mays, Don Drysdale matchup
and what the hell is going on in the real world these days? It's been a while since I've had a chance to catch up.
BY THE WAY, DRINK COLORADO BEER.

Monday, April 27, 2009

THERE COMES A TIME ON A LONG ROAD TRIP...

When you absolutely have to just shut down for a day or two. We are there. Back in San Fran to get Danie on an airplane back to South Africa and some MUCH needed sleep, laundry and other crap. Of course, yesterday did'nt help as we ended up wine tasting our way through the Napa Valley on the way back south.
Vittori Sauttiu Winery was where a lot of the trouble started, with enough wine and cheese to bound the colon of the entire Prairie City Race Series field we strolled along through paradise.


And then this gal comes along and just crushes us...se la vino

Saturday, April 25, 2009

SHASTA LEMURIAN, UNREAL SINGLE TRACK, HURTFUL CLIMBING

Mike Vine was the overall winner at Shasta Lemurian today rockin out the 26 mile course in 2:06. Mike is an elite Xterra athlete and rox the SQUIRT Lube...
Starting at the back....

Mass Start at the Lemurian, yes, it's as chaos as it appears. 300+ riders, ready, go.
Shasta Lemurian, monster climbing and psycho single track through the dark woods of Northern California. California riding does no suck at all. What a week, from first to worst and back to first...
And Dewet finishing up his journey...with racing over for this trip (I think), but not the riding, we are tossing just a few beers this eve.

There was an ACTUAL Unicycle class and I'm not shitting you, 8 miles on these machines, and some of it was nar nar.

Whiskeytown Lake, where the race starts and ends.

Friday, April 24, 2009

ONE RAD BRIDGE OVER THE SACREMENTO RIVER

Whoa, the "Sundial Bridge" in Redding, California is a modern egineering feet of large proportions. This thing lights up the hood with a overly large sundial when the skies are clear, glass flooring included on a rainy morning. It did clear up and we got a spin in in the afternoon along the Sac river.

We are racing a pretty monster race tomorrow, not sure how it is gonna go, I'm worked from the road trip big time. But I'll give it hell.

APPARENTLY, THERE WAS AN AMY HERMES SIGHTING IN THIS SHOP LAST YEAR AT SS WORLDS.

Kinetic Cycles in Oak Grove California, just outside of Sacremento and a Specialized Concept store is now rockin the Squirt. Shop owner Bruce Kaiser gave us the tour and we met his 16 year old son Cody who rode for the US Junior cyclocross team last year. We met these guys the night before at the local race series and Cody was already rockin and lovin the Squirt when we showed up. Nice shop, good people.

And the there is the ugly side of Northern Cal where segregation still exists at the hotel we are staying in....

MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS FROM THE THREE RING ROAD SHOW

With some rain forecast today in Northern California, we are off to a turtle's pace of a start which is fine with me. This road trip is not without incident, as two South Africans with heavy accents and an American with a very high level of A.D.D. sometimes have a miscommunication. This was the case a couple of days ago while packing our crap pile of shit into the car. I realized that Danie had left his waist pack IN FRONT OF the passenger side rear wheel when I pulled the car out of it's parking space to pack it "better" and I heard the crunch of his camera as it took a hard hit from the Subie. It was'nt very funny at the time to him, however I found great humor in it.
Then we found this at UC Davis on the sidewalk. A bamboo tandem with electric headlights and everything, and a skate board bench as well. The co-eds are giving it their all in this colleg town...

Thursday, April 23, 2009

WE ARE NOW IN THIS NEW PLACE...

And riding somewhere around here tomorrow
And racing here on Saturday....I'm tired.


HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW

Team Loeka rider Tara Johnson, Squirt Sponsored rippin it at Sea Otter.
The Squirt road trip continues after Sea Otter, the Prairie City race series last night and now on the road to Mount Shasta for the Shasta Lemurian MTB race this weekend. From there back to San Fran and then off the the Coolest 24 Hour MTB race outside of Truckee. What freekin day is it?

The site of the Shasta Lemurian Race

We did'nt stay here last night, but probably belong here, this is the famous Folsom Prison, Cmon Johnny Cash....

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

PRAIRIE CITY RACE SERIES...AMAZING



It's clear what the power of an entire cycling community coming together can accomplish. The SQUIRT team showed up at the Prairie City Race Series tonight outside of Sacremento and met a ton of shop owners, employees and people who love riding bikes. The race circuit was a scorcher with temps in the 90's and some 400 people pounding the 3.5 mile loop ALL AT THE SAME TIME. It was a BLAST. Every shop in the area is involved, some 12 or so strong and everyone comes and has BIG FUN, including Elgee who was so over heated after lap two that I stopped for water, chatted and jumped back in the race and just had a hell of a good time talkin it up on the last two laps with folks. THANK YOU to Mad Cat Bicycles for getting my rear wheel sorted out, finding me a loaner, tuning my bike, ordering me a new wheel overnight, and returning my bum wheel for me while on the road....OUTSTANDING CUSTOMER SERVICE. By the way, I finished last, got my ass beat good by some of the boysk I took at Sea Otter

In the meantime, things have gotten tight in the Subie...

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

NOT EVEN THE GT GOLDIGGERS COULD KEEP US FROM RACING AT SEA OTTER

It was all fun and games in the front row....
Until the gun went off and the war began, not the most friendly bunch I've raced against.
It got pretty hotly contested on course, the FELT Nine Limited performed flawlessly and was FAST.

Monday, April 20, 2009

OH, I FORGOT.....

"Uh dear, I'll be home just a little late from work tonight, I'm super busy at work today and will have to spend a few extra hours in the office working out some very important issues, shall I stop on the way home and pick up some Chinese food for dinner? I love you honey, see you in a few hours".

GOLF ANYONE...THE ROAD TRIP CONTINUES, TO PEBBLE BEACH.

Hence the name "Cypress Point"
En route to the amazing 17 mile drive, we were short one bike or a two wheeled tour would have been just awesome. Temps were in the 90's today, some kind of record or something but OUTSTANDING.
Two of golf's greatest names..
Welcome to "Lifestyles of the rich and lamest".


SEA OTTER 2009, A PARTING SHOT, OFFICIALLY A SANDBAGGER

It took Elgee nearly 52 years to win some type of championship jersey, but the 2009 Sea Otter was the time and place that finally relented.
This could have easily been called the "farting shot" according to my two Squirt Lube counterparts this weekend, but that is a story for another day. Tales from the road will continue later this week...we are off and runnin again!

Sunday, April 19, 2009

SEA OTTER IS A WRAP...

Gary Fisher and Danie party it up at the Clif Bar party on saturday eve
A big chase group in the pro men's CX race, the heat was scorching
The sun sets over Carmel Bay, Sea Otter 2009 is history..
Rider down and out after one lap, had to be hauled off the course by medics due to dehydration.
Temps hit 90 degrees at Sea Otter, it was a record breaker, and it lead to more than one problem out on the XC course as racing became a test of survival in the heat for many. Large numbers of elite racers were forced to the sidelines early while the rest struggled around an abbreviated version of the original two lap course. It was (World Champion)Christoph Sauser and Georgia Gould dominating their fields for the wins in 2009.
Stoltz just barely out sprinted for 8th, he rode very well.
The sun sets over Carmel


Ned Overend for an emergency Squirt application on Saturday

The Penny Farthington in Salinas, my favorite hangout.