Sat and Sun Riding

Sunday morning we got together at the HQ and rolled out at 9 am. Got to Swallow Cliffs, did some stairs, then headed south towards New Lennox. Made it to Francis rd , then headed west then north back home. On Sunday I rode down to Swallow Cliffs, did three sets of stairs, then did the Lemont Loop solo. About 107 miles total for the weekend. Saturday was cold but tolerable. Sunday was colder and rode  chilled the whole way. All good. Thanks to Blue Demon, Jake La Cruz, A.G. and Dave for coming out and riding. Good job guys. 
Ari 

Blue Demon 

Jakey, A.G. and Dave

Never really warmed up. Chilly Feb riding

Headin North on Gougar Rd. 

AG , Jakey and a bunch of Steel 

The Bridge over Lemont rd. Not my favorite. 

Announcing another great ride................................

Mauricio Babilonia, his Gang, and the Bonk King collaborated in this effort of enough is enough of this winter. Please let us know if you have any questions. 

More details will be updated as they solidify.

Thanks again for the effort to get people together. 

Ari 

Still remembering Marco

February marks the tragic month where we lost our hero Marco Pantani.

It was February 14,  2004  that we heard of his passing. 10 years and his presence still with us. 

To this day we hurt .

To this day we honor him.

To this day we hope he is o.k. 

His bike has adorned all the mountains 

and the tifosi has never forgotten him. 

We ride and remember him.

Always.

Ari

Getting used to it.

Sunday Dereek Von Weider and I got out in the morning with the plan to hit up about 50 miles. It really wasn't cold but it wasn't warm either! The Sun was out and if you let the delusional side of your brain take over you can believe that it is sunny and warm like you be hanging out in Santa Barbara, Ca.

Truth is we hammered the Lemont loop and then some. I was surprised to see the old roads resurfaced and with a bit of a shoulder. After living in Upstate N.Y. I realized that the hills on the Lemont loop were not as big as they used to be in the old days. We got into town, went over the nasty bridge and hit up Bluff rd. Oddly enough on Sunday we saw a couple of roadies out there. Of course they did not wave or say hi to us. The Snubbing season has commenced already! 

We returned home to find a couple of Chicken Pot Pies on top of the stove. Perhaps the best post cold ride food ever. I quickly changed and went to my dads for his birthday. 

Monday morning got up early and got ready since A.G. showed up. We did the mini fruit loop while it was snowing. It was colder than yesterday for sure. 

Two good days in a row makes for a lot of good feeling. Thanks for getting out there. 

Ari 

Take a close look. I have STI! 

My Gnarly Nokian Extremes are what got me home. 

Tonight there was snow everywhere. Nothing was plowed. 

It was mild enough not to ride with full face protectionl. That was truly a weird feeling . 

The nokians eating it up. 

A new crosscheck and an old Gunnar 

Thanks to the Blue Demon for riding on Sunday

Thanks to A.G. for early Monday ride 

Happy Birthday

To my Dad. 

Today he turned 80!

It was great to hang out with him, have dinner 

and eat cake.

We are so proud of him. 

Ari

My Dad on his 80th Birthday!!!

Marco Pantani, You are still Missed.

Marco Pantani

Your fans miss you.

Vive Marco Pantani

Valentine's Weekend

Hope y'all get out and ride to catch up. Keep me posted on any rides. Below is a video from the awesome Salsa Guys. This will give everyone a good idea about the Arrowhead Ultra that just took place. 
Ari

Come on People...............................

Let's Ride, soon, soon,

 art work by my daughter.

Riding in the Cold. The trend as of late

Our group had set out a well thought program to get everyone in shape and up to speed. Then.....we received the worst winter I can remember. Suddenly getting to work and back became a challenge. I dug out stuff I hadn't used in years. My old Oakley Ski pants, my Craft Merino wool long johns and a host of other hard core winter stuff. 
On January 6th we experienced one of the, if not THE, coldest day of this winter. It was really cold as I rode east bound to the shop. I felt ok. I took short, even breaths and I finally made my 3 mile voyage. 
At 6pm I saddled up and noticed the flags were stiff and the wind was blasting straight out of the west. The temps had dipped to -14 and the winds were at 30mph giving us and awesome -48 windchill. I got on my bike and started pedalling. I knew it was wrong but I figured I would make the 3 miles. Within a 1/2 mile I knew I was getting into trouble. At .79 miles my lungs seized up and I felt like I was choking. I undid my wrappings and struggled for air. 
The cold air felt worse. I covered my mouth again and tried warming up the air with my mitten. I looked around and saw lights at a house. I had to bail, I thought. In that moment a man was crossing the tracks with his truck. I flagged him down and let him know I was unable to breath. He was kind enough to load my bike and bring me back to the shop. There is more to the story but I will tell you later. 
Good friend Guitar Ted sent me a Cold Avenger mask in the mail. This mask is windproof and the respirator in front makes the air you breath in warm and moist. I have been wearing this mask every day since Saturday since the temps have been so brutal. With my Asthma this is huge. I don't have to be scared of breathing the dry, cold air. My daughter and I have been walking to school everyday since my wife needs to use the car to work and then pick her up. Thank you Guitar Ted for this valuable item. 
I also received a link from Jakey La Cruz with riding in the cold. Lots of valuable info and below you will find the links. 
As for my clothing here is the list that has been my 
standard for commuting in the freezer:
Cotton T-shirt
cotton Underwear
Craft wool long johns
Oakley Ski/Snowboard pants
Patagonia Micro Puff hooded jacket
Cashmere wool button up Sweater
liner gloves
Wool Mittens
Cold Avenger Mask 
Carhart Wool hat
Wool Socks
Lake Boots 
http://www.skratchlabs.com/blogs/news/7190600-exercising-in-the-cold-of-winter-by-allen-lim

http://coldavenger.com/

http://charlytri.blogspot.com/2012/02/cold-avenger-recap.html

The cold avenger. It does fog up my glasses. So, I ride without them. 

This does not work. Air coming in is cold and dry. 

The heat coming off the top of the mask keeps my eyes warm

My go to bike with the snow. 26" wheels. Nokian Studded tires. Snowmobile Mitts. Fenders for the salty slush.
Insulated bottles with warm/hot water in case I need a warm up. Next, I am purchasing a Stanley thermos for my waterbottle cage.


thanks Guitar Ted, thanks Cold Avenger, Thanks Charly Tri.

Stay warm and safe,
Spring is around the corner,

Hammer,

Ari 

Slender Fungus Announces.............

J.D. Drifter 

"150 miles of gravel caravan"

In the month of June the Slender Fungus is going to host a 150 mile ride on gravel in the northwest region of IL. The ride will mostly cncompass the Jo Daviess County. 

The starting point will be around Elizabeth, IL.

We have yet to determine the exact date but will post asap so you can start planning your summer rides. 

This ride will be self-supported, have around 10,000 feet of climbing and some of the areas will be pretty remote. The vistas in the area are spectacular! We suggest a sturdy bike with good brakes and adequate gearing. We also suggest plenty of liquids, food, lights, a map of the area and a good attitude. 

Drop us a comment if you are interested. 

Jakey La Cruz will be our route master. We will have the route done on GPS so you can then download into a Garmin if you like. 

As always we invite anyone that wants to participate. 

Thanks for reading and hope to see you there. 

Ari 

Slender Fungus Cycling Association. 

Saturday Riding

We awoke to a bunch of snow on Saturday morning but we in need of a good ride. Dereek Von Weider has showed up with the Buttgrease and we rolled out heading eastbound. I rode the Steamroller to the shop and picked up my Schwinn Sierra with the studded tires. Had a great ride and got in just shy of 25 miles. 
Ari 

The Blue Demon Aboard the Double Wide Desgns "Butt Grease" it has been proven it can slay BearGreases

The Buttgrease and the Schwinn. 

The Blue Demon enjoyed dragging this scarf around town. Reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite Scene in School bus.