iRide

Since I haven’t been able to ride this past week or so due to Tonya’s surgery and recovery needs, I thought it would be cool to take a look back at the bikes I’ve built over the past 5 years. Building bikes is a whole lot of fun–almost as much fun as riding them.

2007 Yeti 575. It was originally an ‘05 frame, but I cracked it a couple times and Yeti warrantied it with the ‘07 version. It’s my primary ride and favorite build of all. There is nothing I could upgrade on this bike. Part for part paying retail, it’s worth more than some cars.

2008 Niner Cycles EMD9 29er. One of my favorite builds. Sleek and sexy at just over 25 lbs. This bike absolutely flies!!

2008 Zion 29er. This was the first 29er I built. I built it on the cheap to make sure I was going to like riding a 29er. This frame eventually got stripped and most of it’s parts went on the Niner Cycles frame.

Trek 4500 HT. My first “modern era” bike. This frame saw more build variations than I can even remember. I bought it new and complete, but there are no stock parts remaining on the frame. This will be this bike’s last tribute–I plan on selling it tomorrow. I haven’t ridden it in over two years, so it really does need to go. At least now, it’ll get out of the garage and back on the trails. Here’s to many more days in the sun my friend.

I got this frame for $20 and used it to build up my first single speed. It was fun and I decided to buy a dedicated single speed frame and I bought the Fetish frame above.

1993 Trek 820. Nostalgia build. It’s the same year and model as my very first mountain bike way back in the day.

2005 Giant Reign. Built in ‘06 on a new ‘05 frame. Of all the bikes I’ve built and then sold, I regret selling this one the most.

2004 Intense Tracer. Super fun bike. I sold it to buy my Haro. I miss this bike a lot too. I should have held onto it.

2003 Jamis Dakar. Fun bike I built when I got the frame and cranks new for only $70. Stripped the frame less than a year later and sold it for $200.

KHS AM1000. It was a heavy tank and I didn’t like it. I stripped the frame and sold it to dad. I actually built up two of these–one for me and one for Dylan. He rode it for awhile until I he got his Trance frame.

The only pic I can find of Dylan’s KHS:

Giant Trance. The frame was a sweet gift to Dylan from a family friend.

I’ve also helped friends build numerous bikes. I also built up a Giant Iguana HT that I sold to a co-worker. I thought I had a pic of it around somewhere, but I couldn’t find it.

Well, that was a fun trip down Memory Lane!! Hopefully you enjoyed it too. Now that Tonya’s feeling better, I’m hoping to get some rides in this weekend and next week. We shall see. Until next time, seek your bliss and plant new seeds.

Ride lots…

This ride actually took place back on the 8th–the week before Vegas. I never got around to posting it up and now that I’m taking a week off  of riding to help Tonya recuperate from surgery, I figured I should get around to posting it. I’m going to right it up as if it just happened, instead of remembering from 2 weeks ago.

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I decided to hit up a quick afternoon ride with my 13-year old son Dylan, on my ‘hood loop. We did the shortened version–not the longer version since we didn’t have time and I’m honestly not sure if Dyl is up for it yet.

Dropping in through the easement:

A quick jaunt up the street and dropping down to the creek:

Through the woods for a bit and up onto the the hillside:

Heading up to the Open Space Preserve:

The Open Space Preserve trail starts off with a short but steep climb. I cleaned it. Dylan however, does the “walk of shame”:

Ah yes, the old man still has it over the youngster. He inherited my sense of humor at least–when I razzed him that he was having to do the “walk of shame”, he replied, “Yeah, Yeah. Enjoy it while you can.”

The view from the top of the first climb. Awesome day for a ride!!:

Back on the pedals:

Into the woods again:

Just a wee-bit of poison oak:

Dylan decided to do the smallish rock roll that’s just off the trail. Not a huge thing for most of us, but it’s over a foot near vertical on the drop side. I was proud he decided to knock it out on his Trance:

Out of the woods and back on the hillside:

Totals were 6.57 miles with 998′ of ascent. Not bad for a quick Sunday afternoon ride. Thanks for coming along with us here!!

As always, seek your bliss and plant new seeds.

Ride lots…

So as I have mentioned before, I signed up to compete at the American Taekwondo Association’s annual Spring National Tournament in Las Vegas. I would be competing in forms and sparring. My mom-in-law was kind enough to watch the kids for us, so Tonya and I got a weekend in Vegas without the kids.

VEGAS BABY!!!

We left around 10AM Friday morning. Traffic heading to Vegas was brutal!! The annual Baker-to-Vegas law enforcement run was this weekend as well, so traffic was extra heavy. We pulled into to our hotel around 4:30, checked in, got to our room and hustled down one block to the Las Vegas Convention Center by 5PM. Mrs. Neal was competing in the Extreme Forms competition for her division at 5pm and we wanted to see her compete.

Mrs. Neal did well and I was glad we got to see her perform her Extreme Form. We hung out for a little while, soaking up the atmosphere. While we were walking around, Mrs. Neal introduced me to 7th Degree Black Belt and our school’s founder, Master Rick Abair. We got to talk for a little while and he was really nice. It was also cool to meet him. He is the founder of my Do Jang afterall.

We also got to see a small demo by some ATA Extreme students. ATA Extreme founder and former Blue Power Ranger Mike Chat:

We left after awhile and Tonya and I went out on the town for a little while. We got back to the hotel early though–I wanted to make sure I got lot’s of sleep for the big day to follow.

Saturday, we woke up early and headed back to the Convention Center. Walking in to the Convention Center:

The North Hall, where the Tournament was being held:

Mrs. Neal and I:

We got there at 9AM–in time for the Opening Ceremonies. The Master’s judging panel:

We were treated to an awesome show by the ATA World Demo Team. They also have handicapped and special needs students on the team, which is really cool to see.:

Before too long, it was time for me to report to my ring–the 1st Degree, Men age 30-39. My first Black Belt ring. Yeah, I was nervous!! (I don’t know what’s up with the face I’m making):

I was chosen to go first–my typical luck:

I did OK on my form. I could’ve done worse, I could’ve done better. There were 8 people in my ring and I placed 5th. We then moved onto to sparring–the thing I was the most nervous about by the way. I had a game plan to stick with what I’ve been taught and what was confirmed at the sparring clinic I went to in January–Block effectively and immediately counter, watch the mid-section for when and where the attack is coming and not the eyes, and to spar smart.

As my luck would have it–I was chosen to go first yet again. I was paired with a guy who was about 4 inches taller than me. The Center Judge started the match and he came in and scored with a Round Kick–Score 0-1. I thought to myself, “You’re really going to let someone score on you with a Round Kick?!?!” I decided to concentrate on my game plan and try not let it happen again.

We started again and he came at me with another Round Kick. I blocked and countered with a punch to his chest–Score 1-1. Alright I thought, let’s keep this going!!

We started again and he came at me with another Round Kick. MISTAKE!! I blocked and countered with another punch to his chest–Score 2-1.

We started again and he was a little more cautious. I faked like I was going to kick. He fell for it and I was able to land another punch to his chest–Score 3-1.

We started again and he came at me with punches. We both were throwing punches and the Judges yelled “Break”. He was awarded the point–Score 3-2.

This seemed to give him more confidence. When we started again, he came at me with another Round Kick. MISTAKE!! I blocked and countered with punches. He was expecting the punches, but I threw a flurry of them and connected with a hook (my favorite and most effective punch)–Score 4-2.

We started again and he was more cautious. He hadn’t seen any kicks from me yet, so I threw a few Round Kicks, careful to make sure he couldn’t block and counter on me. They didn’t land and he threw a Round Kick to my head that I blocked. I wasn’t able to counter with punches so I threw a Round Kick/Side Kick combo. He blocked it but it threw him off balance. I immediately came in with punches and heard that awesome word–BREAK!!! I had scored. It was 5-2 and I was the victor. WOW!! I wasn’t expecting that.

Me in that match:

In my next match, I had to go up against the 2008 California State Sparring Champ. I was really nervous and let the fact that he was the current State Champ get in my head. I did really well though–he won, but the score was 4-5. He only beat me by 1 point!! Thinking back on it now, I’m a little mad at myself for being overly cautious just because he’s the current State Sparring Champ. I feel like I could’ve won the match. I do feel like it was a victory though, seriously–I rang up 4 points on the current State Sparring Champ!!! How cool is that!!

When all was said and done, I got 3rd Place in Sparring in my division. The medal is pretty cool and bigger than the pic makes it look. It’s about 4″ wide, 6″ long and weighs about a pound!!

I was surprised to say the least. I have been nervous about this tournament for the last few weeks. I was especially nervous about the Sparring. Walking away with a 3rd place AND dropping 4 points on a State Sparring Champ is awesome validation for the hard work I’ve been putting into my sparring.

As is usual with the human condition, I was super nervous about going, not sure if it was a good idea. Now that I’m home and reflecting back on a fun and successful weekend, I’m bummed it’s over.

The whole weekend was really fun and Tonya and I are already making plans to attend next year’s Spring Nationals! Next up–my Instructor Certification Camp on April 4th!! Until next time, seek your bliss and plant new seeds.

Ride lots…

A bit of friendly advice: If Sean/GP Pilot ever calls you up and asks if you want to go on a little “exploration ride”, be afraid. BE VERY AFRAID!!!!

So I got this call Thursday night, agreed it sounded like fun and took off work a few hours early and headed home to explore some Ramona stuff–at least this is what I thought was going to happen.

So I get home and start getting ready. Sean shows up and I wondered why he wasn’t getting his bike and gear ready. He then took my bike and started to load it in his van. I thought “Cool, we’re driving to the trailhead.” That was more accurate than I thought. Sean started heading away from the local trails and I asked where we were headed. He said with a sly grin “You always wanted to attempt Cuyumaca to your house right?!!” I couldn’t believe he was serious. He was.

I soon found myself in the Cuyumaca mountains, getting my gear ready to attempt a rather daunting ride.

Sean consulted the Topo maps he printed and we headed out:

Before too long, we were climbing:

We rode some fire roads, some really tight singletrack and were a little more concerned on making good time than taking a ton of pics for a little while. When we realized we were making good time, we started taking more pics.

I haven’t been on a ride where I was really out in the middle of nowhere in quite awhile. It was fun. Unreal views:

Mildred Falls:

Before too long, we got to a sweet DH. It lasted a while and was technical, yet provided oppurtunity for sweet flow:

At the end of the DH, we had singletrack to a stream crossing to more singletrack:

Before too long, that was done and we had a horrific climb out of the canyon ahead of us. By the time we got to the top, it was dark:

We then took the surface streets from the trailhead at the top to my house. All told, we covered 28.03 miles, with 3,603′ of ascent and 6,004′ of DH. Like I said, just your average Friday afternoon. LOL–ya, right! Thanks a bunch Sean–seriously. It was fun and well worth it!!!

I’m working all day shifts this week–so no Monday morning solo ride. I”m covering for Mrs. Neal at Taekwondo Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Then on Friday, Tonya and I leave for Las Vegas because I’m competing at the ATA Spring National Tournament on Saturday. It’s looking like my next ride may not be for another week or so. UGH!! Oh well. At least I’m keeping busy. Until next time, plant new seeds, seek your bliss.

Ride lots…

Wow–what a day!! It started with a restless night of sleep for me. Tonya said I tossed and turned all night. I also woke up about an hour before the alarm was set to go off. Ya, I was nervous. Fortunately, Tonya’s friend Michelle said she would video tape the whole testing for us. We borrowed a video camera from Pastor Mark and gave it back to him tonight. He said he’s going to transfer it all onto DVD for us as soon as he can.

We arrived at the Dojang on time for the boys’ class at 9AM. Their class lasted until just before 10AM. I got my dobak/uniform on and started to warm up and stretch. With students from my school and our sister school in Oceanside all present, there was a total of 26 people testing–12 of us for 1st degree. The other testers were testing for 2nd and 3rd degree, as well as some people who were mid-term testing to stay current.

We received some instruction from the Floor Coordinator just before the testing officially started:

We started off with sparring and that went really well. Geared up, waiting for the high rank judges to enter:

The high rank judges talked a little before we started:

Getting set:

Throwing down:

After sparring, we moved on to forms. I did 3 warm-up forms (we were told to use our 3 favorite forms for this). I chose Songahm 2, In Wha 1 and In Wha 2. We then all performed our official testing form: Choon Jung 2. Here’s a few pics. A lot of them didn’t turn out–too blurry. Here’s some of the more clear one’s.

Standing at attention before forms testing commenced:

Songahm 2:

In Wha 1 comin’ right at ya. LOL

In Wha 2:

Choon Jung 2:

After that, we moved onto board breaks. I blew through my 2 breaks well. I broke double boards–two 1″ boards, for each break–Hammerfist moving straight into a step forward, reverse side kick. Dad tried to take some pics, but I blew through the breaks so quickly he didn’t have a chance. Several of the other testers, judges and spectators said my breaks were pretty intense. It’s quite a compliment. In all honesty though, I was so nervous it was all basically a blur. I’m glad we shot video the whole time so I can go back and watch it later. I do have a pic of the carnage after though:

With successful sparring, forms and board breaks behind me, the hard work was over and it was on to the belt ceremony. All spectators had to leave as the Black Belt panel set up for the ceremony and the 12 of us testing for 1st Degree got a tutorial on how the ceremony would go and what we needed to do.

When everything was ready, the spectators were let back in and the ceremony began. Several readings were done and then the 12 of us were brought out. We lined up and then performed Songahm 1–the white belt form–3 times as sort of a celebration of our accomplishment.

Lining up, getting ready to do Songahm 1:

We then gathered around the table with all the high rank judges:

We had more readings and a tea ceremony that was really cool. We then signed our names in our school Black Belt scroll and lit our own candle:

After that we presented our gifts to our respective school and then it was on to the Belt presentation ceremony. All the high ranking Black Belts lined up and we were presented with our new 1st Degree Belts and went down the line shaking hands and offering words of encouragement and respect–very cool!!

After everyone had received their Belts, we were called up again, one at a time with our families so the families could share anything they wished. It was cool hearing parents and spouses congratulate and praise their kids and spouses for their achievement. Dad, Tonya and the boys got up with me:

After that, we all lined up for the group photo:

Brand new 1st Degrees:

Chief Instructor Merrilee Neal and Instructor Kimber Garcia with the newbies:

Mrs. Neal and I:

Mrs. Garcia and I:

Proud new 1st Degree:

Mrs. Neal chooses a Korean phrase or words to describe you and those are printed on your Belt along with your name. Mine says “Planting seeds for the future”. It means a lot to me since I want to become and instructor. When I read the translation included with a card given to me from the school–I’m not gonna lie–it brought a tear to my eye. Teaching means so much to me. Having the text on my belt that says that so well really made my heart soar.

As I sit here now, putting this Blog update together, it still hasn’t sunk in. I’ve spent 2 years and close to a thousand hours of training to get here. It’s crazy to think I finally achieved this mile stone. Thinking about all the sacrifices I’ve made over the last 2 years. Blood (literally), sweat, no tears but lot’s of aches and pains and physical as well as mental fatigue…well, it was all 100%-with-out-a-doubt worth it!!

I read somewhere that less than 30% of people that start taking a martial art will see it all the way to Black Belt. Out of those 30%, less than 10% will continue their training. I am without a doubt, one of the 10%-ers!!

So now, more importantly–the real journey begins. These last 2 years were just building a foundation. Teaching discipline, muscle memory and flexibility. I can’t wait to see what the future holds. Until next time, seek your bliss.

Plant new seeds and ride lots…