The ending of the 2019 cycling season

Last year I had some kind of weird feeling. i had transitioned from jobs September first. My job at the bike shope was an easy 1 commute. That did not stop me from getting lazy and making it to work with minutes to spare. On September 1st I started my new job and it was 10 miles away! Instead of 10 am start time was at 7! My body literally went into shock. 
I did get organized and figured 5:15 was a good wake up time and I would roll out the house before 6am and make it on time. I rode all days of the month of Sept, Oct, Nov and december. I had put it into my head that a 6k season was possible. I took rides on the weekend and then Danger Dave told me I should shoot for 7k. 
It was a bit of a stretch but I said "what the heck?". I rolled every day and was feeling great. On the weekends I kept my 515 am schedule and would be rolling on my fixed gear into Chicago. At that time everything was quiet. The Mexican bakeries were open and the laundromats. The air was crisp and more often than not the elusive sun was out. 
I had this yearning to explore a bunch of places I had in mind for years. 
I checked each one off my list as if it was my last chance. I connected roads and places using Google Maps. I got thrills accomplishing the places on my bucket list. Then December came and the calculations were starting to become impossible. I rode and rode and the 7k was not getting there. Why was I doing this? It certainly was not a Strava challenge but a personal one. I wanted to push myself like the old days. 
I wanted to get "something" done, a goal, a milestone. December 31st rolled around and I had 78 miles to go. It was snowing and cold. I literally lost all hope. My wife needed to go get a medical procedure done around the middle of the day. "Go ride" she said. But be home by 11 am. Without any hesitation I suited up and grabbed my Salsa Blackborow 5" fat bike. I had some hope but the time was not enough. 
I rolled back at 11 with 38 miles on the fatty. 40 to go. 40 measly miles that I could have done earlier. 40 of the 80 miles that my garmin ate up during the year. I was a bit dissapointed but dealt with it. The procedure was over and we rolled back home where wifey settled into bed to sleep off the anestesia. Why don't you go finish your miles, she said. 
I knew she understood my dilema and I was out the door on that fat bike within minutes. It got colder and I took a backpack with some extra supplies. I ended up getting soaked and cold from sweat. I stopped at a goodwill and picked up a fleece sweater and scarf for 6 dollars. I took the wet layer and carried it in backpack. It got dark out and I switched on the lights. 
Mile after mile the 40 mark did not come. Then all of a sudden it happened. I roared into the cold air as I had accomplished my goal. The 7k mark was mine to keep. I rolled home, showered and celebrated later with my wife and daughter. It was a great ending to 2019 and we were so looking foward to 2020. My body ached but it felt good. My trusty Blackborow had carried me 78 miles on the last day of 2019. I will probably never forget that for a long time. 
I got the congratulations from Danger Dave. He had secretly been out there in the cold and darkness conquering his own demons. 
thanks for reading. 
Ari 

Found photo. Left to right. T.J,Cookie, Ari and Gumby. 5 spoke wheel bike is not ours, unfortunately. 

March 29th, A long blustery Sunday

St. Nikola Orthodox Church

Our longtime Cactus's

Trader Joe's flowers 

Tivoli Theater in Downers Grove, IL. 

Today is Sunday and since I was working all week I have just sitting and laying around most of the day. It is cold, windy and rainy outside so unless it changes in the next few hours I will just be walking around the inside of the house. I don't mind being inside since I have a ton of projects to do. 
As examples I have been calling my friends and family with the landline. My friend in Vermont also has a landline and it was a good uninterrupted conversation. I don't really like talking on cell phones. The quality is so poor. Maybe Cellphones are not being designed for people to talk to eachother. Wait, I thought that was the main reason??? 
I have also been reading the brick manual that came with my new Camera and it has been fun figuring out stuff. 
I wish I could get some sunshine and get some photos to share. I am sure that day will come. I am also in the process of clearing out bills, ripping up old receipts and just getting those little things done that burn a little hole in the back of my head. My whole photograph organization will be a monumental task with prints, thumbdrives, hard drives, negatives, slides and old files on several computers. God help me. 
I also have some bike stuff to get done. If my garage warms up a bit I will be in there as well. Tomorrow starts another week. I don't know what will happen at work. Day by day I guess. I don't worry about it since it is out of my control. Trying to stay peaceful, reaching out to people, thinking, writing, remembering old stories, digging in the back side of my head. 
I hope this is a good time for you as well to take time and find positives. My FB time is down to 2 minutes and that feels good. I hope to see you out there soon and that we can share some miles together in some nice weather. Take care and thanks for reading. 
Ari 

Winter Riding with the Slender Fungus founder Hellmut Kost

My Winter riding/Trans Iowa training partner Hellmut. He gave us our name. Slender Fungus. 

Many a miles of bad weather logged with Hellmut

We froze, a lot and would take breaks to drink whiskey and get feeling in our limbs. 

Before Fat bikes we rode 26ers with Studded Nokian Tires. 

Gumby would join us on our excursions. His trusty Scwhinn always there. 

We rode late into the night. Custom made light by Dennis Grelk. 

Here we rode from 10 pm until sunrise the next morning. Jamie greeted us at 8 am with Pizza and beer. Hellmut looks exhausted. We rode 105 miles thru the night. My new Salsa La Cruz 

Probably the only person I would have build my bike. Jay Barre building my new La Cruz. He now owns You Bet ! bike shop. 

On our thru the night ride we chatted with this nice officer in St Charles, IL. at the 7/11

Hellmut on his trusty Gary Fisher 26er. With studded tires.

As I have so much time I have been cleaning and finding some gems for images. I have just been taking a lot of photos for many years and promised myself I was going to organize them when I would retire. Well, not retired but this stay at home thingy is pretty much a trailer for what is coming in the future. 

I spent a lot of time with Hellmut. His real name is Russell Stewart. He told us how he had visited his grandfather a very long time ago and used to play with a helmet that his grandpa had brought over from Nazi germany. That's where Russ's name changed to Hellmut with a double LL, and he took over his grandpa's last name Kost. Hellmut Kost.  

That dude never spoke a word. We would ride for 5-6-7-12 hours together and he never said a word. He would just tolerate hour after hour of Ari Monologue and keep riding. Sometimes I would get really frustrated with him and say: "Hey Hellmut" ""What?"" "Fuck You" ""Fuck you Ari"" would be his response. Then we would continue to ride in silence. We eventually found out about Mp3 players. 

We both got them and listened to music while we rode and ignored eachother even more. 

Hellmut is also responsible for naming our group Slender Fungus. He blurted that out in the middle of the night in a very rare tone of voice. "We should be the Slender Fungus", he said. Nothing more. 

We needed eachothers company. It was the only way to stay safe out in the middle of nowhere,in the middle of the night. A lot of the rides started from my house after we had a hearty pasta dinner and a couple of Bells Expedition Stouts. Jamie would feed us and send us on our way. We typically came back around 1-2 am and always made it to work by 10 am. There are so many stories with Hellmut. 

As we sit here and wonder a lot of things it is nice to have the time and peace to recount some past events. I cherish those moments and have no regrets. It is hard for me to put them down in words since English is not my first language. Lots of small details that are valuable but would take up so much time. Thanks for reading and my hat off to you Hellmut. 

Ari 

Some pictures with new cameraA

A very dark and gloomy afternoon. 

Even Salt Creek was not moving. 

The little hill on the left is 14% Believe it or not.

Spent a good time reading the manual and trying to learn all the settings. Man these things are complicated but I can tell they do take better images. At 18 megapixels it's a lot more than what I have had before. A friend from Oregon suggested a 24mm Flat lens for on the bike use. The zoom it has is bulky and it would  be a pain to carry on bike. We will see how that progresses 

On another front I made it thru another tense week at work. Everyone is on high alert. We are wearing masks, cleaning everything and keeping far away from eachother. Some of us eat lunch in our cars. 

It's a weird time for sure. Today I went to drop off and pick up product in Chicago. I have never, never seen it so dead. The major highways were empty, like I was in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming. I truly feel I am on another planet. Wanted to get lunch, didn't. Wanted to get coffee at Dark Matter, Didn't. I am only allowed to go one place and come back. 

So tomorrow and Sunday will be great to be home and catch up with some projects that have been waiting for me for the past.....10 years. I am actually excited to get some stuff done. I will probably go for a walk too. 

Let me know what you guys are up to. What are you doing with all the "extra" time that you didn't have before. I hope we all work towards getting thru this. I will also be making a lot of phone call with my beloved landline since I STILL don't have a working Cell phone. Oh Well! 

Thanks for reading. More colorful pictures as the sun comes out.

Ari 

New Camera day.

I have been doing photography since I was a little kid. My mom was into it and she took lots of photos of us using a Voigtlander Bessa Folding Medium format camera. I found the same camera at a used camera store and bought one. She also shot a lot with a Kodak Instamatic 126, the one with the cube light flashes. 
I have alway been interested in capturing moments. A lot of people tell me they record stuff in their heads. In my case I have pretty poor memory and I  also like to share photos to family and friends. I have a ton of cameras. In my digital time I have mostly shot with a bunch of cheap point and shooters. A lot of bike shots I have used a waterproof CAnon D10. My nicest digital to date is my Canon G11. 
I had been itching to get a DSLR and wanted to start saving some coin to get one. Then all of a sudden Grandma Linda calls the house and tells me she wants to sell Grandpa Bob's Camera. He had passed away a couple years ago and I wanted to also help her and be able to shoot Grandpa's camera. I didn't want a stranger to have it. 
She boxed it all up and sent it to my house. It's a Canon Rebel 4 Ti, couple lenses, filters and a bunch of gizmos. I am satisfied with it since that is a good little starter camera. Great photographer Mike Curiak has shot some wonderful photographs using one of these. 
I wanted to post a photo of my new camera but blogger is being pesky. YOu will get a chance to see it soon. My goal is to photograph more people, more family, more friends. Images are forever and its nice to see somebody when you can't be close to them. I like the new digital services where you can order photos from home and pick them up later. I would like to print photos and mail them out. 
Maybe this camera will teach me a lot and then I can buy the "big one".
On other fronts I am starting to grow tired of the media. Yesterday I made it a point to get on facebook for under 5 minutes. I think I maxxed out at 2. Too much negativity, too much doom. I suggest that if one wants to post something make it positive. Post a recipe, a workout, a nice photograph, a nice thought. Negativity will wear us down and get us depressed and sick. 
I think we still need our guard up but we can be positive. If this keeps up on FB I will delete the app for a while. IF you have any comments on this let me know below. I am happy to ready comments all the time. 
Get out and walk, ride if you can, use that indoor equipment, lots of workouts on the internet, meditation is good(also available on Youtube), call friends and talk, call relatives, keep tabs. 
I hope we end this week on a positive note. I hope next will be better. 
Thinking of you all!!, 
Ari 
thanks for reading and have a good day. 

Keeping the guard up

Open space , sun and calmness. Soon 

Iowa is on my mind. 

Last night I had a hard time falling asleep. I guess just waaaay too much to be able to just lay there and count pretty little sheep. As I labored to a hard sleep I started to dream of Iowa. The simple things like driving down rte 64 and cross the bridge in Savanna over to Sabula. Taking that rte 52 north and hanging out in Bellevue for a while. Going up the Scenic outlook and looking at the mighty Mississippi river. Packing a picknic or going to Potters Mill for some barbeque. 
The simple things in life that have become so impossible for the time being. It makes me wonder why it all happened. Is this a reset? Is this another sign to change our ways? I cannot help but have those thoughts in my head. The streets are dead, people are walking and riding bikes. I have never seen them before but I am pretty sure they are my neighbors. 
The highways are empty, at rush hour, with blocks of space between cars. Were we going hog wild and needed to stop? Needed to re-evaluate what we are doing? Did earth need a dramatic drop in pollution to catch it's breath before we punish it again. 
I'm sure this will pass and our memories will fog up and forget. Same as when 9/11 happened. It was all flags back then but those flags have worn,falling and never been replaced. 
This all has me thinking a lot since I have the time. Our home will have changes for sure and I hope that more people have had time to think. It's time to slow the rat race. It's time to give back, volunteer and in our case the dollar is not the bottom line. 
This weekend, if safe I will venture out on bike. I have been walking a bit for now. Trying to get 10k steps a day. Seems to feel good. Eating well, taking vitamins, eating fruits and vegetables, staying away from meats. Lots of water and hot tea. 
I hope to see you soon and share a ride with you. 
It's been a while, 
Ari 

Local Hero Petr Ineman finishes Iditarod 1000 mile race to Nome

https://www.iditarodtrailinvitational.com/news/2020/3/23/the-2020-iti-1000-champions


It is with great pride to announce that Petr Ineman, local hero from Downers Grove,Illinois,   finished the iditarod race together with two only other racers. The rest of the field has DNFed due to one of the worst conditions the race has ever seen. Winds, snowstorms, whiteouts, shifting ice, Moose attacks. Definetely not for the weak at heart. 
Petr is a hard man and also one of the kindest guys you will ever meet. Friend Kyle and I have some chances to ride with him and it is always a pleasure to talk to him. He truly has the best, crazy stories ever. 
I know he will be very tired for a very long time. I kinda wonder how he will adapt to coming back "here", with all the craziness going on. I look foward to seeing him one day and sharing a drink to celebrate his accomplishment. Last year he and another fellow come in first place. So, finishing a 1000 mile ride on snow is nothing new for Petr. Safe travels and take care Petr. 
Congratulations to you my friend!!! Have a safe return and one day we will get to celebrate you. 
Ari 

Petr Ineman, 2020 Iditarod Champion! 

A new Monday , A new week

Woke up this morning to a full blanket of fresh, spring snow. It is spring y'know. I will be going to work today and keep myself busy. This past, first weekend of stay at home was actually pretty good. I made one quick run to store to get vitamins and Garlic. Married to an Italian gal means Garlic and Olive Oil can never be out of stock.

We did a lot of cooking, reading and organizing of photographs. I found a couple of gems that I will post in the near future. The new header photograph above is the Gypsy Caravan ride that we did a while back. We all rode our Mountain Bikes, cargo bikes, fat bikes. We brought food and bevys and rode about 60 miles that felt like nothing. Wifey hauled around a fully stocked Surly Big Dummy with food and beer. 

That was perhaps the funnest ride of all time. WE laughed so much, we enjoyed the gravel, the music, Bonk Kings tamborine. WE still talk about it. Seeing that photo brought back a lot of good memories. It made me realize that we need to get back to that. We need to make time for friends and family. We need to put the screen down. It sucks our time away where we could be calling a pal to chat. 

These are the thoughts that came to mind this morning. I hope you all have a great day, great week. Keep your guard up and be vigilant. Together we can succeed. 

Let's ride Soon, 

Ari 

Slender Fungus Cycling Association

3/23/20 Snowing on my daughter's birthday. 

The lonely Slender Fungus Rider

As per the situation going on the Slender Fungus has agreed to stay away from eachother. Wait. We were already doing that since we all moved away as far as possible from eachother. A few of us are in Illinois, but we don't ride together, some in California, some in New York, some in Vermont, some in Tennessee, heck, even some in Germany. 

That does not keep us from been united and a tight knit group. We routinely keep up with each other and talk. We still get out and ride as much as we can and share our stories and adventures. We always used to ride at night, specially a few of us. WE liked the night cause it had little to no traffic. 

The trails were empty and it was just the right mood for the Fungus. 

Lots of cool creatures roam around at night and it was always nice to see them. I got smacked in the face by a bat once that later ended up attached to my shorts. That gave me a good spook but it wasn't the end of the world. 

Sometimes we saw strange things, strange lights and very strange behaviors. Getting chased by invisible dogs was Gumby's favorite thing. That's how we rolled back in the day. 

So things have changed since we all moved away and are dealing with "life" and "trying to stay alive". WTF? 

TJ has been going on solo excursions out in Indiana so he sent me some photos. He is most proud of his new to him Salsa La Cruz. A fine, ferrous machine he adquired a little while back. I have been meaning to visit him and ride with him and I hope that comes true. 

Meanwhile, Dr Giggles is riding gravel in the mountains of Vermont. He has been on a solo mission for a long time so this is nothing new to him. 

It is my hope that when all this is said and done that we can ride again together. There should be enough time left in the year to do some celebration rides. 

In the meantime I will continue to organize and repair and do ALL my chores. I will be ready to start yet another chapter in my life. I love the Slender Fungus family to no end. I think and give strength to everyone in these times. Don't hesitate to reach out. Talk, write, reconnect and make somebody's day. Now is the time to do it. 

Essential to TJ is Bacon and M&M's

TJ's beloved Salsa La Cruz

Roaming Around in Solo Mode

What it's all about Slender Fungus Cycling Association

3/21 Post 2020 Thoughts in the early AM

Having coffee and posting early on a Saturday morning. At 5 pm a Stay at home order will be implemented. I don't know what to make of all this. We sat and chatted with the wife last night and we both agreed that this was the weirdest thing we could have ever imagined. While we still try to wrap our heads of what has happened, the truth is that there is a lot more consequences coming. 
As a cyclist I think everything is going to change for a long time. Bike shops, rides, races, industry, everything has been turned upside down. It will be a while until we can fully understand the impact, find solutions, and fix stuff to what I think a new order. 
I really think that all events in spring and summer should just be canned. Take that time to take care of family, friends, oneself. 
I will miss,again, seeing a lot of friends I have not seen in a long time. That will have to wait until the storm is over. 
I will have to accept the fact that doing indoor training will be a possible fact if things get worse and we get grounded at home. I have rollers, a non smart trainer, a rowing maching and Trx straps. I also have some weights, a yoga mat, and a foam roller. 
In the meantime I will try to ride outside alone. I will roll out the garage, ride, then roll back inside. Wash everthing, wash bike and be grateful. 
What are your plans? 
I hope to keep posting on here on a daily basis and that we all write more since we now have the time. Let me know if you need anything at all. 
Today I am hoping for a short, outside ride, then I am going to start tackling my garage. I also have 3 sets of full coverage fenders that have to be mounted. They have been sitting, idling for months. It's a tedious process to fit them on bikes but now is the right time to do it. I also have to change the broken housing on my Rohloff system. That should take a while. I also have a ton of books to read and a bunch of movies to watch. Oh, my thousands of photos need organizing. 
These are all things that I was not able to do while I was participating in the rat race. The rat race keeps you alive and pays the bills but does not allow you to do the things you love. 
Stay positive, get stuff done. 
thank you for reading,
Ari

I hope to be out here one day, surrounded by friends.

A great time to reconnect with family and friends

This is just something that has been brewing in my head and I have to let it out. UP until just a couple of weeks ago everyone was going full speed with our busy lives. I personally never had time to keep up with all friends and family. The weeks literally went flying by. I would blink an eye and it was already Monday. 
So now with the familiar situation it has given me time to reflect and think a lot about things. So many things that were important no longer are. This week has dragged by with a lot of tension and anxiety. 
I will continue to write on this antiquated blog and focus less on the instant message thing. This lets deeper stuff get out and I just like how it works. Why did I abandon it in the first place?? 
Call friends, write them, check on family, get projects done, tune up all your bikes, start planting a garden. There is a million things to do while we wait this out. Scrolling the pocket computer and getting freaked out is probably the worst thing to do. Stay positive! 
Ari

A surprise appearance by Gravel Jesus and Carrie

fixed gear 40x19

The roads of Oklahoma

Riders navigating a soupy course

Carrie

So I got a little note stating there was going to be a rare sighting of my friend Jay, Gravel Jesus, and his wife Carrie in the Midwest. Stillwater is 11 hours from Chicago but that doesn's matter. He was going to be in the midwest and there was a good feeling about that. 
It seems like he moved away to California decades ago. But in reality it has only been a few years. Jay was my riding partners and a member of the Slender Fungus. We shared many a miles together in all kinds of conditions. 
Jay was never afraid of the weather, the rain, the mud, the cold. I don't ever remember riding with him when it wasn't shitty outside. 
He flew in to Stillwater and met up with his friends from District Cycles. Also friends of the Great Divide, which he also completed on a Single Speed Salsa El Mariachi. Jay and Carrie's bikes were mailed to Ok but never made it in time. Fortunately two bikes were sorted out and they were able to ride. 
As it seems The MidSouth will be the only big gravel race this spring. 
Jay and Carrie finished their rides, cleaned up, flew back and are settling into you know What. It was good to have them in the midwest. It brought me some comfort, something familiar, something good. I hope to see those two closer and for longer. 
Now back to washing my hands,
Ari 

Losing a friend

My Father in Law Giuseppe and Jamie

A few days ago I lost my father in law. It has been a rough start to the year since about a month ago I lost my dad. I lost 2 dads in a short period of time. It hasn't been easy to say the least. Those dudes were my friends. We shared a lot of common things and it was always great to see them and tell stories. Giuseppe is a Naples, Italy native that came over here when he was 18. He had a huge family and I was lucky to marry one of his daughters. We had a great time together, we worked at the restaurant together and we saw eachother quite a bit. 
Things will be very strange without my dudes. It will take to adjust to them not being here. I wish I could write more but maybe at some other time. I just want them both to Rest in Peace. Thank you for everything you did. Thank you for the laughs. Thank you for giving us a wonderful family. 
Ari 

The lonely Slender Fungus Rider

The same moon we looked at 

Nothing but darkness 

Gumby's Mariachi

The night calls the Slender Fungus. It was many moons ago that we had and amazing group of riders that delved in the night. Turbo Tuesdays would not start until 9:00 p.m.! Can you imagine trying to convince someone to get out at that time? "You'll get run over!", would be their answer. 

But the reality is that there is nobody out there, specially during the week. That is the prime time we rode. Rides would go on until about 1am and then we got home and crashed hard. Making it to work the next day was a bit hard but solved with lots of coffee and doughnuts. 

The nights with my gang were magical. We got to chat and tell stories, we enjoyed eachothers company. The miles flowed easily without ever seeing any numbers on our dark cyclometers. 

So now, with everyone gone, we get out alone, with the hopes of finding someone. 

We need to do this again. It was too good. 

Turbo Tuesdays, we miss you. 

thanks to Gumby for the photos. 

Ari