I take it easy and make sure to eat and drink well the day before a big ride, but it wasn’t in the cards for me this time. Melissa had a softball tournament in Hillsboro, Kansas on Saturday. I didn’t realize it, but I would be sitting outside in the wind and heat for 11 hours. Top that off with not eating well, drinking enough water and getting home really late, and I was headed for disaster.

The alarm went off on Sunday morning at 5 a.m. After a full day of sitting in hot wind and sunshine, eating hamburgers and snack food, not drinking enough water and getting to bed around 11:30 p.m., I was way too tired to wake up, so I hit the snooze. I finally got up, ate breakfast, packed up and was pedaling by just after 8 a.m. To be honest, I was tired, but was motivated to get in a great ride.

I also did something that I have never done before on a ride. I brought a point and shoot camera with me instead of the DSLR. I didn’t know how long I would be riding before I would see another town with a store, so I brought 100 oz. of water with me in the backpack. I wasn’t about to add the weight of the Nikon D300 in the pack on top of that, so I took my wife’s Canon PS SX 100 IS. Nothing too fancy about this camera at all. I was determined to focus on cycling and leave the camera on full Auto mode too. Would I get anything good? Well, this post proves that it’s not the camera that takes a good picture, it’s the operator (yeah so I guess there’s a few good ones, hopefully you agree). Framing the image (composition) is what’s important (after proper exposure of course).

A major difference between my D300 and a point and shoot is the huge sensor and ability to shoot in RAW mode. Notice in the images that the highlights are blown out and lacking detail compared to when I shoot with the Nikon. Shooting JPEGs is nice because they are compressed and therefore smaller files, but to be compressed the computer in the camera throws out the details in the highlights and deep shadows. That means they are gone. No amount of post processing can get the lost details back. They are gone for good. The smaller sensor also captures less resolution and is a lot noisier than a nice big sensor. That said, I felt a freedom I have never felt with my big camera. A lot of these shots were taken while pedaling. Many of these shots wouldn’t have been captured with the big camera that I have to stop and get out of the backpack or trunkbag to use. In a matter of seconds I had my shot versus a matter of minutes to get the big camera out of the bag.

Nothing can change the fact that I hate framing an image on a little LCD screen – Yuck. In fact, I didn’t think I was getting anything good. I am used to framing the image in the viewfinder.

I must say, I will be looking into a smaller camera for the bike after this experience. Now, back to the regular broadcast.

I left town and headed North. For about 20 miles I had a nice tailwind blowing me down the hilly roads. It was morning, I had cool temperatures and I was feeling great. Nothing much better than being pushed along by a tailwind.

I pulled out the camera and took this first shot while pedaling. I was hoping it wouldn't rain on my mini DK plans.

Sun rays peeking through. All things were great here - A strong tailwind, beautiful scenery, a fast bike, fresh legs and a point and shoot camera. Notice the lost highlights in the upper left.

Heading north with a strong tailwind about to hit some downhills and get some serious speed going.

I passed by Kahola Lake, headed west and then south for miles of riding into a fierce Kansas headwind. I was ready for it this time. I needed some hard miles to prepare for the Dirty Kanza.

After 20 miles of a sweet tailwind, I turned into the wind and was tortured for the remainder of the day.

Miles of hills and headwind on Victory Road (Road V)

Time to stop, stretch and take a picture of the Trek X01, a nice bike but not as photogenic as the Fargo

So yeah, I know the sprung seat looks a bit out of place on the Trek but it will save my butt on the DK200!

A little more bike porn. I love that carbon fork!

Another thing I was wanting to do is test out my tire choice. I was using the near slick Kenda Kwest on the rear and a Bontrager XR1 on the front, both with slime tubes. I was decided on going with the good sized XR1′s on the Fargo for the DK 200. Now that I am riding the Trek X01, that big tire won’t fit on the back. I needed a smaller tire. I was going to go with a Schwalbe Marathon, but my friend Matt at High Gear thought they would be pretty heavy for a 200 mile race, although they are very puncture resistant. Getting in on the conversation that day was Dustin Burgardt, a three time Dirty Kanza veteran. He has used the Kendas every time without a flat and said they are fast rolling too. Gravel is not like single track. It’s not like I need a lot of traction as much as I need to go fast for 200 miles. I am putting the bigger XR1 on the front for cushion and help in cornering.

All in all, I rode over some harsh roads, some mud and climbed many hills. I had no problem with traction and had no flats. I feel pretty good about my choice so far.

I hit a bit of slop which threw mud all over me. I was looking like a real cyclocross cyclist now.

I rode through Cottonwood Falls and then went west out of town on 8th street. Now I was into unknown territory for me. The wind was beating the crap out of me. I was heading west and south. The wind was relentless. The road seemed to never change and the gusts were torturous. My ears were deafened by the sound of jet engines as the wind blew by my ears. It became discouraging to put so much effort into pedaling and to look up and see the same scenery for so many miles.

Curve ahead on a road I haven't traveled before, I caught a bird in flight, but notice no details in the white sky.

Same curve, wider view. I made the sensor focus more on the sky to get some details in the sky in Auto mode.

Trying to get used to using a point and shoot. I hate using an LCD screen to frame the shot. Notice the look of disdain on my face. Little did I know the images would look as good as they did, well except for this one.

Looking back at the beautiful Flint Hills after I climbed my last hill against the blowing wind.

Focus on the sky, the ground is too dark. Focus on the ground and the sky detail is lost. Focusing on the road or horizon seemed to do the trick. This road actually goes forever when the wind is gusting 40mph in your face.

Same road? No, check the details. The fact is, I pedaled into the wind for miles and miles and the road seemed to never change. My sanity was hanging on by a thin thread.

Tree in the Flint Hills. I was looking for any reason to stop at this point.

Another fault of the point and shoot - too easy to take pictures of myself instead of pedal.

Different road again. This is what makes cycling in Kansas so difficult - unchanging scenery, heat and high winds.

There was one point where I had to just stop pedaling and stand. It was hard to take the beating of the wind. I stopped, took a swig of my Perpetuem paste, put my head down, tried to clear my mind and pedaled on.

Finally, a curve in the road, anything to make the miles go by.

There's my speedster, the Trek X01. After I have High Gear put on that carbon stem, I think I'll be good to go.

I was happy to finally be heading back east, but the crosswind wasn’t much better. The important thing to me at this time was that I was not giving up and continued to pedal on.

Excuse my French, but I just became a badass.

At this point I was headed East near the turnpike and was now fighting a nice crosswind.

Another hill.

And another hill. I was going for a tough ride to prove to myself I could finish the DK200.

Fenceposts

At this point, somewhere around 70 to 80 miles in, I was beat. I started to get a headache around 85 to 90 miles in and finally had to stop and pee for the first time. It (the pee) had the appearance of concentrated Gatorade and I knew I had better drink some more water. I was to the point that I didn’t want to drink anything and I felt a little queasy, so I forced myself to drink to hydrate myself. I didn’t realize how hot it had gotten outside until I would stop riding and feel the hot, humid air. I would immediately be drenched in sweat. I believe I was to the point where I had used up all my body had to use as energy. I was running on Perpetuem, Accelgel and nuun enhanced water. Suddenly I felt the need to eat real food. Pickles, chips and a sandwich is all I could think about. I was a little worried about myself physically at this point, but forcing the water down and taking sips of the Perpetuem kept me going. I will tell you the truth, this had become the hardest ride of my life. The messed up thing about it was, was that I was happy about it. I actually wanted to push myself to the limit and then go a little farther. If I could do this, I could do the DK 200 with good nutrition and less weight in the backpack. Since I had gone out by myself, I put everything in the backpack but the kitchen sink and the Nikon. That extra weight was harsh on my body.

Cows were freaking out all day as I rode by, but not this one

After taking a beating most of the day, I headed up this hill to fight the headwind some more.

I got off the bike to stretch my back out with some of Jen's Yoga poses.

One last shot of the Trek X01 before I headed up that hill.

Looking back at the ribbon of a road that I just pedaled into the fierce headwind

I'm hurting here, so much that I stopped to take another picture of myself.

Curves and cows.

These rocks brought to you by the Dirty Kanza 200!

The beauty of Spring in the Flint HIlls.

Riding on a high ridge with the wind blasting me from the side.

Green hills

I liked the sliver of a road peeking out from among the hills. Notice the bird flying too.

I loved the ribbon-like curvy road flowing by the tree.

Dreaming of real food, I finally see the Madison water tower in the distance. Yeah, that's what I thought too - it's still far away, but close enough to motivate me to pedal harder.

And pedal harder I did. I was amazed and actually proud of myself for keeping on going as hard as I was. Madison ended up being farther away than I wanted. But the downhill into town was worth it.

I made it - Casey's in Madison, KS. Time to get a sandwich!

As bad as I thought I wanted that sandwich, juice and candy bar, I was still tired when I got back on the bike. My body was sore, but I had a little ways to go to get home yet. Notice the bike computer above is right at 100 miles. I was going to find some gravel to add some more miles between Madison and Emporia and stay off the pavement. The roads around Madison are quite hilly. Even though I now had a tailwind, I was too tired to fully enjoy it, but I was still pedaling.

Leaving Madison and climbing more hills. I wanted to lay in the grass next to the bike.

Those tiny buildings and water tower in the distance is Emporia, yeah a little ways to go yet.

I was getting closer to home now. I pedaled hard as the roads smoothed out and the tailwind carried me along. I didn’t use any butt butter this time, and was regretting that choice as I tried to find a comfortable spot to sit. I didn’t get any actual saddle sores, but I was feeling pretty raw down there.

Finally back in Emporia. I loved the way the sun hit the building downtown.

I made it! It’s hard to describe to feeling of accomplishment I had after this ride. I was beat, near dehydrated, sore all over, and I felt great! I knew I could tackle the DK 200 in two weeks, I just knew it. All in all, I rode 131 miles and averaged 13.5 mph. My breaks were very short and I made good time considering almost killing myself from lack of day before nutrition and dehydration, not to mention the brutal Kansas winds.

Yes, I am still worried about finishing the DK 200 in two weeks, but now I feel my chances are better than ever. I hope to make it across the finish line in time for the awards ceremony at 9 or 9:30 p.m.

Feed Your Monkey!
Eric

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• Bike: 2008 Trek X01
• Additions: Bontrager carbon stem (last year’s model on sale), Brooks Flyer Special saddle for comfort
• Pedals: Crank Bros. Candy
• Tires: Bontrager XR1 on the front and Kenda Kwest with k-shield protection on the rear
• Storage: This is yet to be decided but here’s what I am deciding on:
  70 oz Camelbak with a Feedbag or two or
  Wingnut Enduro with 70 oz. or 100 oz. bladder depending on the heat
  The second choice gives me ample storage and the pack rides low on my body, taking the weight off my back. I have trouble fitting everything in the first choice. Here’s what I want to bring with me:
• multi-tool
• tire levers and patch kit
• 2-3 extra tubes
• 4 CO2 cylinders with pump
• hand pump
• energy gels
• chain lube
• moist wipes (just in case)
• lip balm
• eye drops
• extra chamois cream
  Not sure if this is too much or not, but I am still deciding on exactly what to carry with me. I don’t want to DNF just because I didn’t bring enough tubes, etc.

Well, this is an edit, since a “Wise” cyclist noticed I didn’t mention lights and assumed that I was planning on winning the race which is a good assumption, I think. But just in case I can’t maintain 20-25 mph for 200 miles of hilly gravel, dirt and low maintenance roads, runaway cows, 40 mph wind gusts, high heat and humidity and maybe a few tornadoes here is what I have for lights:

• Trek Ion 3 Headlight on the handlebars
• Trek Flare 3 LED Taillight for the rear blinky light
• Coleman headlamp for the helmet

Looks like I can get 60 hours of light from the Trek Headlight, taillights seem to last forever and the helmet light claims 6 hours of use on the bright setting. These aren’t super bright, but bright enough and fairly long lasting. I have tested this out, and the Trek lights up the ground in front of me pretty well, not great, and the Coleman is very bright. When I look at street signs, they reflect back at me like when I’m in my car, so that should help me find my way and look at the map. The bad thing is the bugs. They love the bright helmet light and fly directly into my face. I was forced to just look down on one night ride because the bugs were so thick, it was nasty and dangerous to look up. I will bring extra batteries because I have been known to get lost in the bright sunshine. I hope to high heaven I don’t get lost in the dark in the middle of nowhere.

Race Caps Supreme and Enduralytes too. At the support stops, I will have some real food, but I really don’t want to eat too much, since I get bloated easily while I ride for some reason. I know I will have some PB&Honies, pickles, Doritos, turkey sandwiches and lots of water for sure. I will also have more tubes tires and tools on the support vehicle.

If you have done the DK 200 before or something like it, and have any advice, please comment or email me. I need it. If you are wondering why I made certain choices, comment and we will discuss gear!

I determined late last year to stop waiting, wishing and making excuses and to start living “for real.” In case you are wondering, the DK 200 is part of that plan. Yes, I chose the most epic race for my first race ever. I have done everything I can to prepare including century+ rides every Sunday through the Flint Hills. It’s close now and yes, I am a bit nervous. Race day is June 5th starting at 6:00 a.m. If you are the praying type, I could use some of that on June 5th. I may be crazy, but it feels great. Just over a year ago a 30 mile ride would wipe me out. Now a 100 mile ride seems pretty normal. 200 miles seems crazy, but I believe my finish is going to be a great victory for myself and my confidence and the future of Adventure Monkey! I am not preparing for a DNF. It’s out of the question at this point.

Also, if you are going to be around Emporia, there are going to be activities and vendors downtown for the Dirty Kanza 200. I am in the process of ordering pictures. magazines and t-shirts to sell at our little booth. My booth will be pretty limited as, all this costs money and Adventure Monkey can’t even afford to purchase a full kit for me to wear in the race. Yes, I am sad, but the Pearl Izumi gear I have for review is very nice and wouldn’t you know it, matches the bike too. The Adventure Monkey booth will have 8×10′s and postcard sized prints of the Flint Hills and some samples of larger prints. I wish I could have special edition DK200 Adventure Monkey shirts, but that may have to wait until next year’s DK200.

I mentioned in an earlier post, that I won’t be bringing my camera on the race, too heavy and time consuming. I also asked if someone out there would let me borrow a video camera to use. I am very excited because Kristy at Bowcycle, all the way from Canada, has come through for Adventure Monkey and is letting me borrow one of THESE. I hope to finally produce Adventure Monkey’s first video! Thanks so much to Kristyand Bowcycle! I hope to get it soon to test and hopefully it won’t be too heavy to ride for 200 miles. Now I just need some memory cards…

Feed Your Monkey!
Eric

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This week has been a tough one, hence the lack of blog posting. I mentioned an incident with my son in the last post. That was hard to deal with and it has hung heavy on my mind all week. It made it hard to concentrate on just about anything.

We’ve been having trouble with him testing boundaries and making bad choices since his hormones kicked in. It has been hard for me as a parent to deal with it. He was the kind of young child that other parents were jealous of – mindful, funny, obedient, quiet and good at everything he tried. We never had any incidents, tantrums or things of that nature. He’s still great at anything he tries, still funny, still a great kid, he’s just becoming a man, and if I think back to my high school days, I remember them being pretty damn hard too. In fact, I hated high school, and I don’t use the word hate lightly here.

My dad wasn’t around and I was dealing with abandonment issues and anger and it spiraled out of control into drugs, alcohol and all around partying. Looking back on it today, it seems as if I was trying to escape reality. I was a deep thinker (big surprise huh?) and despised the fake, shallow interactions of high school. Alex reminds me of myself back then,  which is not the best thing. He is also a deep thinker and is a young, strong, angry man-child. I thought in my head that he has it so good – we support everything he does and I AM around for him, so he would have no reason to act out right? But everyone has to deal with their life and their becoming an adult in their own way. Teenagers have it hard because they haven’t dealt with many years of these adult “things” yet so everything seems like a huge deal. Everything seems like a life changing event. At my age, nothing does, because I have been through years of “things” and I realize this is just one more thing. In a mathematic sort of way, every year is 1/16 of Alex’s life where it is only 1/38 of my life. 1/38 doesn’t seem like a big deal compared to 1/16.

One thing I learned the other night with Alex, and my mom knew all the time with us kids, is it’s not good to challenge or give an ultimatum to a becoming adult that is trying to make a name for him/herself. It created a blow up between Alex and I and seeing my child, no longer a child, ready to strike me down was a bit upsetting, OK, way more than a bit. But to be honest, part of me was happy to see him standing up for himself and exerting his newfound manhood. I was just hoping it wouldn’t be against me. I couldn’t find how to deal with this behavior anywhere in the manual that came with my new child, in fact, I have been winging it now for 18 years (Marcus was 5 when Jen and I got together). For me, the hard thing to do is to make that transition in my mind that Alex is no longer a child, he is a man-child and I need to start treating him like a man. This thought has been with me all week and is something we will figure out together. Now, I have one more thing to look back on and laugh about when I am an old man.

116 Miles on a Cyclocross bike

Since the Fargo’s rear derailleur blew up, Matt at High Gear was his usual awesome self and let me test ride a used Trek X2 Cyclocross bike. It is aluminum with a carbon fork and 700c wheels. Bobby transferred my pedals, seat, and stem to the Trek. I was hoping I wouldn’t like it and that it wouldn’t compare with the comfort of the Fargo, being aluminum and having skinnier tires. I think the racing bike looks pretty funny with my sprung Brooks saddle on it, but overall, it was super comfortable. The big 700c wheels, same as my Fargo’s 29ers, the carbon fork and stem, plus the sprung saddle gave me a ride that was so comfortable, I was quite surprised. The lightness and responsiveness of the bike made climbing hills and maneuvering over technical terrain or even bunny hopping over cow grating (whatever they are called to keep the cows in) a breeze when compared to the Fargo. Oh, I love the Fargo but now I realize why I wanted it so bad. It is for taking long rides at a leisurely pace, carrying all my stuff with me and never being scared of going off road – that’s precisely why they call it a touring mountain bike. It can do single track and I can ride it in the Dirty Kanza, but here’s a little something that changed my mind about that last detail.

On the Fargo, I average around 10-12 mph, depending on the wind, on my 100+ mile rides and it takes around 10 hours to finish. Last Sunday on the Trek CX, I averaged 15 mph over 116 miles and shaved around 2 hours of time off the ride. But wait, there’s more! When I ride these rides on the Fargo, I come home and am beat. No more activities besides eating everything in sight for the rest of the night. But last Sunday, I got home, felt pretty good and ended up playing catch with Melissa and not being completely sore! I was somewhat amazed.

Here’s a few shots of the Trek X2.

The Trek X2 XC bike, Wingnut Enduro on the ground

Oh, but I did find a downfall – flat tires. On the meaty Fargo tires I have experienced some torn sidewalls, but zero flats over 1000+ miles 100′s of those on Flint Hills gravel. That’s impressive and I bragged about it the other day at the bike shop. With this CX bike and skinnier tires, I experienced three flats in around 130 miles. I am thinking I need some better tires. Changing flats on the DK200 will not be a whole lot of fun. I am going to the bike shop today to talk this over with Matt. Here’s me changing flat number one. Oh and by the way, if you ride far, go get a CO2 pump – I found out how great they are. No more pumping a frame pump for 45 minutes to end up with an almost aired up tire. I see the necessity to have one, but the one I have sucks. When I get a flat after riding 92 miles I am in no mood and no longer have the ability to pump a hand pump for 45 minutes to end up with an almost aired up tire!

I think I want to make this bike mine, if I can figure out something in the tire arena. This bike is great for fast gravel riding, and then I can trick out the Fargo like I wanted to in the first place. Tricking it out to me means fenders, good racks and panniers (saddle bags) so that I can start doing some overnight bike camping trips and get ready for the Transamerica ride. I know this is going to sound flaky and weird but another thing that happened on this ride is that the Trek X2 comforted me. The blowup happened the night before and as you can expect, I got very little sleep. I was very upset and was replaying the incident in my head and trying to figure out what to do and I was dealing with my own issues of being very angry at my son and myself. This bike and I made friends and she comforted me as I dealt with all this as I pedaled all day long. There was nothing else that would have felt good to do when I felt like this besides ride a bike. God gave me the most gorgeous 60 degree day with puffy clouds and light winds too. It was perfect, she became my friend. Hey, don’t judge, I love bikes! Yes, I would love to buy a brand new Cyclocross bike, maybe even one from Salsa, but I have little money and this one is used and almost affordable. I do accept gifts though, just in case your out there listening Salsa people .

Here’s a few scenes from the day.

Adventure Monkey T-shirts!

They have arrived. We have version one of the T-shirts available for sale. They will first be offered at the 100 miles to nowhere ride this Saturday at High Gear in Emporia. Then I will make them available to all! Version one is a simply designed T-shirt that will announce to everyone that you are an Adventure Monkey. It sports the official logo on the front and the saying “Feed Your Monkey” on the back with the cute monkey on his bike. My wife choose extra soft cotton t-shirts for your comfort and t-shirt wearing pleasure. They remind me of the super soft t-shirts I get at Old Navy or the Gap, very comfortable (and I am very picky about t-shirt comfort!). More designs will come, as I am going to work with a T-shirt artist, but this will always be the first. I hired a super model to show them off. Ordering details to come for you out of towners. I hope to have a paypal button available here on the site to make things easy. Let me know what you think. Don’t forget to visit High Gear this Saturday the 8th to see us raising money for Livestrong. If you can’t make it, go HERE and donate a buck or two to help support the people fighting this deadly disease.

This kid was pretty sad and then I put this T-shirt on him and now look at him!

Feed Your Monkey!
Eric

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So Friday was going to be a windy day. It seems like it’s always windy here, but they were calling for 20-30 mph sustained winds on the weather, so I was guaranteed a good workout. It was a south wind, so I would head out south against it and ride home like a champion with it at my back. We may not have mountains, but the wind more than makes up for it. Lelan was in from New York and was going to join me for a ride. Lelan’s fame is known across the land as being a strong cyclist (He’s a Dirty Kanza finisher), but mainly for his story in the Adventure Monkey magazine.  

Lelan's magazine article

But first, it was time to put the new Woodchipper bar on the Fargo. Bobby was kind enough to meet me at High Gear early to get me taken care of. By the way, if you haven’t stopped by the new improved High Gear, you are missing out. I knew it was going to be cool, but wow, I was blown away when I first walked in. It is a sweet, roomy bike shop with a hip bike shop feeling that doesn’t resemble the usual small town feeling of Emporia. Matt and Stephanie have really brought something great into our little town, so go check it out! 

I needed a new stem to fit the Woodchippers on the bike. Matt let me in on a great deal on a carbon fiber stem. I may have lost a few ounces, so surely I will be faster now. It is a little shocking to see a non-Salsa component on the Fargo, but my objections to that went away as soon as I felt the shock absorbing quality of carbon on the gravel roads. It plus the woodchipper made a huge difference. I will show and tell more of the Woodchipper later, but after riding them for about 135 miles, I don’t know why Fargo’s are available without them. It seems like a  perfect bar for the Fargo. Here’s a few shots of the Woodchipper being installed. There’s a little of the new bike shop in the background and a couple shots of Bobby Wintle for the ladies. 

Bontrager carbon stem on the Fargo, looks like an alligator. I hated to put a non-Salsa component on the bike, but I got a great deal on this stem and the vibration dampening of the carbon was quite noticeable.

Bobby doing a little thinking about all those spacers

taping the cables on the Woodchipper

Lelan and I set of into the wind. Originally I was thinking of a 70 mile ride, but the Woodchipping and hanging out at the shop took longer than I expected. The really great thing is that now people are picking up my bike to see how heavy it is and saying things like, “Holy crap man, why would you want to ride 70 miles on this thing?” Wimps. The Fargo isn’t that heavy, but with my rear rack and bag it is a heavy beast. That’s what it’s made for. I am still hoping when I strip it down and install the tires for the DK, I will feel like Superman. I looked into lighter wheels and found some for the price of two Fargos. Too much for me, but if someone wants to let me borrow some for the DK, who am I to turn you down? 

So come to find out, Lelan ate a nutritious breakfast of a bowl of sugar cereal. Take into account the strong winds and later start, he was quite hungry by the time we made it to a convenience store to refuel. Don’t do what Lelan did kids, I could have shredded him, but thought I’d go easy and let him feel good about himself. Yeah, just kidding, but he could have eaten just about anything at that point. My secret weapon of eggs and oatmeal, keeps me fueled for quite awhile. 

It was a nice ride although the wind was so strong, that a conversation was impossible the whole way out. I’d have to scream at the top of my lungs for Lelan to hear anything. Instead, I took some pictures of Lelan riding up some Kansas hills. That’s when I realized that taking the heavy Nikon would be death to my DK finish this year. It is heavy, yes, but I have to stop, use two hands to compose and shoot. Take into account my slowness and that adds up to a DK disqualification. I am thinking of maybe video and/or a small camera, but as you all probably feel, money is tight so I am undecided as to what to do and only have two months to figure it out. 

Riding home was sweet. With the wind at our backs, it was warmer and fast. 

Feed Your Monkey!
-Eric 

Lelan doing a little Kansas cycling again

Into the wind

Climbing the Flint Hills

Wide open climb in the Flint Hills

Making it to the top

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Yes, Adventure Monkey – the magazine, Issue Two is in the works albeit the planning stages. I emailed a person that I want to feature on the cover. If it happens it will be a delicious cover. I have set the bar pretty high putting Bobby on the cover of Issue One, so the pressure is on. If this works out, I guarantee a cover and inside photos that will leave your jaw on the floor and stars in your eyes. The person did respond with something like,

“I am on my way out the door to go snowboarding, but I love your idea and I’m very interested in taking part. I’ll be out all day today and half of tomorrow. So I’ll try and look at your mag and get in touch tomorrow afternoon or Friday.”

Adventure Monkey likes that kind of response. I have my fingers crossed. At this point I have no money to offer, just Adventure Monkey stickers. Hopefully the excitement of spreading adventurous living to others will keep this thing going.

On that note, if you haven’t downloaded Issue One please do. More than it being awesome, I am tracking the number of downloads to use when I attempt to get advertising. I will need more than 41 downloads to get any companies’ interest peaked, that’s for sure. And I plan on only allowing Adventure Monkey approved companies to be in the magazine, no junk. I will keep you posted, but so far it looks like it has been downloaded at least 241 times and viewed 328 times on Magcloud.com. Not bad, but could be better, so spread the word people!

I Challenge You to a Race

I was one of the 500 people to register in time for the 100 Miles to Nowhere race. Read the details of it HERE. All the profits go to Livestrong to help in the fight against cancer. In case you were just too lazy to click that link and read about it, the 100 miles to nowhere is just that. I have to ride 100 miles without going anywhere. That means all 100 miles will be done on rollers or on a very, very short route. If you join me, it will miserable and fun all at the same time and we will raise money for cancer research. We are going to do it in Emporia and don’t know if I am going to do it on rollers or on a short route, but I DO NOT want to do it alone. Remember if a lot of people do something it no longer seems foolish, so I need your help. Here’s how it will work:

We will pick a place to ride rollers or trainers OR we will figure out a very short and miserable route. You will pay or raise money to be miserable with me. How much? I don’t care. We are raising money for cancer research. Raise as much or as little as you want. Everyone that raises at least $100 will receive Adventure Monkey stickers and a first edition Adventure Monkey T-shirt! That’s right, I just committed to making T-shirts. We will ride on May 8. You must either get me your money 2 weeks before May 8 or if you bring all of it the day of the race, I will have to send you your T-shirt or something. Just want a T-shirt? I think I can make that happen and all profits will go to Livestrong.

I am thinking we should do this somewhere public where people can see us, feel sorry for us and drop some money in a bucket. I am not a good event planner so I am going to need some help on this. Don’t leave me hanging here people! I want to create a video and a hilarious write up and raise enough money to maybe just possibly get us on the Fat Cyclist’s blog or maybe just in the Emporia Gazette.

Extreme Computer Porn Ahead

Don’t worry this is a family place, but if you continue scrolling down you will see some extremely awesome pictures of a computer. Here’s why:

I am not a computer nerd in that I can fix computers or figure out why your PC doesn’t work. I use a Mac and love them. I don’t know or care how they work, they just do. That said, the lease on the old machine came due and I ordered a new one at the “real” job. A bright spot at work. Believe it or not, I actually saved the company money. The guy before me didn’t know anything about Apple machines or graphic design or video editing. The company that leased us that system sold us a lot of expensive stuff we didn’t need. I pared it down, but got a screaming fast machine with a lot of RAM and hard drive space for storage. Why is this on a cycling blog? Well, I am a photographer and everything is on the computer. This machine was so beautiful and easy to set up, I had to share it with you. Ten years ago, I would not have believed a machine of this magnitude was possible. Geeks enjoy and non-computer geeks enjoy the pictures too.

Feed Your Monkey!
-Eric

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Matt put on my new clipless pedals and I also picked up my new biking shoes. I added some thicker gloves and shoe covers to round out my winter cycling gear. I must say, I am quite happy with my winter gear. I keep very warm and can peel off layers as I warm up.

I saw some bad reviews of shoe covers, but I took Matt’s advice and got a pair. My feet were getting cold even with the thick wool socks. With the shoe covers, My feet felt like they were in front of a warm fireplace the whole ride. Not even a hint of coldness on my feet. I had on tiny sport socks for wicking sweat, thick wool socks, my shoes and the covers – perfect.

I was excited to set off on my first long trip with the Fargo. Problem was, winter precipitation in Kansas is usually messy. We may get snow, ice, sleet, cold rain or a combination of all the above. It snowed earlier and now the gravel roads were warm enough to create a mud and ice mix.  Our mud has a lot of clay in it and it is not fun to clean off of bike parts, so I set out to ride a loop on pavement.

I ended up riding about 45 miles, feeling a bit out of shape from the lack of riding lately. I took one gravel road and really noticed the difference between my old 26 inch wheels and the new 29ers on the Fargo. It is a huge difference. The new Fargo glides over the gravel when compared to my old bike. Now I REALLY want to ride some gravel roads. The Flint Hills are calling me. The Fargo waits in anticipation to tackle the gravel and dirt roads in the Hills just a few short miles from my front porch. Soon enough. It was great to get out and ride, but the pavement was a little boring for my taste. Guess I don’t need a road bike…

Here is a quick rundown of the experiences so far with the new components. The Crank Bros candy pedals. I was worried about being able to get in and out of the pedals. Matt installed the cleats so that it was on the “easy” setting and it was a cinch to get in and out of them. I forgot to clip out at one stop and was able to easily get my shoe out before I started to fall over. I like the feeling of being one with the bike with the clipless pedals. Not sure, but I feel like pedaling this way is a little more efficient than with my old cages. I need to get into the Flint Hills and do a days worth of hill climbing to really judge, but overall I like the candies quite a bit.

The Brooks saddle – all hype or the real deal? I am one of those guys that could not find a comfortable saddle. I tried different saddles, spending more money, getting my butt bones measured and fitted to a saddle and just figured I needed to get used to the pain. My new Brooks saddle is by no means broken in yet. I only have about 75 miles on it. I rode for about three hours last Friday – no pain. If you need a more comfortable saddle get a Brooks, so far I love it. I got the Flyer Special Edition. It has geeky looking springs and is heavier because of that, but my rear thanks me for it. If you ride with me, you’ll find out, I only wish I was fast. I do like the retro look of the saddle and when my matching brown Salsa bar tape comes in, I will complete the look.

I am using a Bontrager rack and trunk bag. I liked the way the bag quickly clips in and out of the rack. It also has velcro straps to use, but that wasn’t as convenient. I changed my mind about that when I rode over this tame set of railroad tracks and saw the shadow of my bag flying through the air as it detached itself from my rack.

I heard the bag hit and slide on the asphalt. Some choice words were said as I thought about my $3,500 camera and lens that were in the bag. Luckily I had strapped my jacket to the top of the bag and it helped cushion the blow. The lens had a little wear on it from the fall, but everything seemed OK. So much for the convenience – I will be using the velcro straps to attach the bag. Other than that, I like the bag. It has a lot of room for day trips. I carry food, tools, clothes and camera equipment with no problems.

I have some exciting news about the Dirty Kanza 200 and my involvement in 2010, but I will save that for the next post and share a few pictures instead.

Winter Green

Horse next to an abandoned house on old, old HWY 50

Horse Portrait

Trees in ice; I liked the contrast

The Fargo on the road to Hartford

My Fargo

Frozen River

Grain elevator in Hartford, Kansas

After a cold day, we celebrated the first night of Chanukah in our nice cozy home

Feed Your Monkey!

Eric

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Matt did a great job and put much love into my new Fargo. If you need a new bike, skateboard, parts, repairs or gear go see Matt and Stephanie at High Gear. They rule.

And for you gearheads – I bought a Fargo Complete. To be honest, I don’t know enough about components to make smart decisions about all of them, and Jason from Salsa assured me this would be a great build for me. I am adding a Brooks Flyer Special saddle and Salsa brown bar tape to match when they come in. I am also thinking about new tires, wheels, racks, panniers and fenders (yes!) for the future ride across USA. But for now, I need to get used to clipless pedals. I’ve never had them.

I have only ridden this baby twice and I love it. I am thinking of entering the Dirty Kanza because of this bike. If you’ve never heard of it check THIS out. I will need to train. I am a little scared of the race, but you only live once, and if I can complete 200 miles of Flint Hills gravel in one day, pretty much anything is possible after that.

Oh yeah, and the infamous Shawn Honea from IM Design  stopped by to see the new bike. If not for him, I would never have gotten into cycling. He got in a few shots.

Once again, thanks to High Gear for letting me invade their shop and for always working with me to get things right. Enjoy the bike shop porn.

Feed Your Monkey!

Eric

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I will post many more pictures and discussion later. Later – Feed Your Monkey!

Eric

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Me

I have gotten into great cycling shape and I don’t want to do what I do every year in the winter. Normally I hang my bike up at the first sign of frost and wait for warm weather to ride it again. This summer, already contemplating the cold weather, I started asking people about riding in the winter and I also found a few websites that discuss winter cycling like here and here and here. Seems like it IS possible.

I bought a pair of Pearl Izumi leg warmers for the cool fall weather and liked them so much I got on their website to look at their selection of winter tights. I was a bit confused at the selection and just wanted something really warm. Instead of ordering something in this confused state I emailed the company and wondered if I would get any response to a newbie asking, “What are your very warmest tights?”

To my surprise they emailed me back within a few hours. I love good customer service. Not only was my question answered, they let me know what their warmest tights, tight bibs and jackets were. Once again I was impressed by Pearl Izumi.

I ordered the Pearl Izumi AmFIB Bib tights and the Pearl Izumi Kodiak long sleeve jersey. I never thought that I would get so excited for some tights to come in the mail, but that’s what has happened to me this year.

Thanksgiving morning was going to be the perfect day to test these out. It was 27ºF outside, the grass had a layer of frost on it and the puddles had ice in them. I have never been excited for cold weather before, never. Here is what I had on from the feet up:

non-appropriate, worn out jogging shoes

wicking sport ankle socks covered by thick wool (maybe synthetic blend) socks

biking shorts

Pearl Izumi AmFIB Bib tights

wicking long sleeve shirt from Winterguard (like underarmor)

Pearl Izumi Kodiak long sleeve jersey

Cheap Performance cycling jacket w/ fleece interior and wind stopping exterior

Ear warming headband (fleece)

Pearl Izumi cyclone gloves

Ummm, should've stopped at the first shot, but I was feeling good after my first ride ever in the cold.

I was excited to ride, until I opened the garage door. The rear of the AmFIB Bib tights is a warm breathable material like other tights, while the front is a waterproof material much like a wet suit. This is supposed to guard the front of the legs from wind as you pedal and allow heat to dissipate out the back. There is a spot of the waterproof material in the lower back region too (see pictures). There was a breeze (it is Kansas) and as soon as I got outside the back of my legs were shocked by the cold air. Yikes. I wasn’t going to give up. The tights were $100, so I was in.

The ankles are tight and have a rubbery material to keep them in place. It works. There are zippers in the ankles to help get in and out of the bibtights. To my satisfaction the zippers feel sturdy. The front of the tights are pretty thick and they feel warm. I used their fit chart and ordered a small and they fit perfect. I felt like I had something pretty substantial on with these bib tights.

The Kodiak jersey was also new. It is a long sleeve jersey with fleece interior and a thicker polyester exterior. It is not wind proof and not supposed to be, but I wanted a nice long sleeve jersey to add as another layer in the cold. The main zipper down the front is another sturdy zipper. There is a pocket on the chest with a typical little zipper, hard to pull with gloves. On the back there are three pockets, one with another sturdy zipper.

Both Pearl Izumi garments have the feel of the higher end variety. Sturdy seams, zippers and material. The jersey seems to run a bit small, I got a medium and it just fits, but fits perfect. Sorry about the crappy pictures. I laid the garments on the living room floor to shoot real quick:

sturdy ankle zippers

full frontal of the bib tights

Rear

Pearl Izumi Kodiak front

more sturdy zippers

sturdy zipper on the middle rear pocket

soft fleece on the inside

I rode a little over 16 miles. It started at 27ºF and warmed into the low 30′s on the way home and there was a constant breeze.

As I started riding, I was nothing but cold. As I got into the wind, riding up the hill leading out of my neighborhood and my face froze, my hands were cold and my eyes began to water. Not a great start, but my legs were not cold – cool but not cold. I knew I just needed to warm up, but my tearing up eyes were a little concerning. Sight is usually pretty valuable while riding.

I stopped at the stop sign about one mile out and that warmed me a little. About two to three miles in, I began to warm up substantially. My eyes quit watering, my face was OK, although my chin was a bit numb and my fingers were a bit cold. About five to six miles in, I had to stop. I was too hot. I couldn’t believe it. I took off the cycling jacket and lowered the zipper on my jersey. I was not the least bit cold. Once my body temperature was up and I took off the outer jacket, I was able to ride comfortably in the freezing temperatures. On a side wind, I could feel the cold air through the rear of my tights, but it was OK. My hands were fine too, although the cyclone gloves are more cool weather than cold weather gloves and you might want to check out THIS review of them before purchasing. My feet were fine too. In colder weather in the teens I will need thicker gloves, warmer shoes or covers and something to cover my face, but my legs and upper body could take it in what I had on. In cold, wet winter weather, it may be nice to have the entire tight to be waterproof not just the front. Overall, I was quite impressed with the AmFIB bib tights and the Kodiak jersey.

So the verdict is, cycling in the winter IS possible. It is important to dress so that you don’t sweat too much. If you are all sweaty, and you stop to fix a flat or take a picture or moo at the cows, you will freeze. Wicking fabrics are important and layers that can be removed if you get too hot are important as well. I began to sweat with the cycling jacket on, so even though it felt unnatural, I took it off to maintain that warm but not too hot feeling as I rode. A face cover, thicker gloves and better shoes and I am good to go all winter. It does get sloppy and dangerous to ride with the ice and slush here in Kansas and that may stop me, but not the cold temperatures.

I am planning on going to High Gear today to plan the photoshoot of my new bike coming to life. I am pretty excited about it! Hopefully I will be able to do that Friday and have a first ride report by Monday. We’ll see how the week plays out.

Thanks for reading! Now get outside and Feed Your Monkey!

Eric

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• I have saved up enough overtime money for my new ride.
• I am moving forward with my Adventure Monkey plans.
• Thanksgiving is right around the corner!

I am going back to my four ten hour day schedule with Fridays off. That means Friday rides are back on! I say that with a huge smile. I can’t explain enough the feeling a long bicycle ride gives me (but i’ll try).

On the surface it is purely physical. Then it transfers into a positive mental state of mind. The combination of a multiple hours of cycling while taking in the natural beauty all around me is physically, mentally and spiritually cleansing. I get a “mind rinse” and experience an intimacy with the creator while cycling in the country.

I encourage everyone to get on a bicycle and medicate themselves through pedaling. The world’s problems would disappear if everyone cycled. Is that taking it too far or is cycling the cure we are all looking for? You decide, but I do know that cycling is recession proof and unaffected by the Middle East oil drama. It also brings people together – it is the magic bullet.

If you are ready to change your life, get a bike and go for it! Get off your couch and go Feed Your Adventure Monkey!

My new ride.

After much thought and research, I am still going with the Salsa Fargo. There is nothing out there quite like it. It is a touring mountain bike. I can load it up, ride across the country, ride the low maintenance gravel roads and ride single track trails all on this bike. When I initially started searching for something capable of how I ride (gravel, some single track and across North America in two years) I was not finding anything. Touring rigs would not be too fun in trails or low maintenance roads. Mountain bikes would not be ideal for a 4,000 mile tour. It was like the Salsa Cycle team read my mind and invented the Fargo. I have read many reviews from actual owners. I can’t find anyone unhappy with their Fargo.

The question now comes down to components. Being that I finally learned how to change a flat tire this year, I am by no means knowledgeable about bike components. After discussion with Gnat, I am going to go with the Fargo Complete. I will change the saddle right off the bat. I think I am going to go with a Brooks leather saddle. Hard core touring cyclists swear by their comfort. That has been my only major pain – my sit bones.

I will also need to build some wheels to handle a fully loaded touring rig. I am looking at sealed hubs, maybe Phil Wood. I am toying with the idea of a dynohub to run a light when I travel across the country. Anyway, the new Fargo will be here soon enough and I will have pictures galore. It has been 20 years since I bought my last bike!

Adventure Monkey plans are taking shape.

The Adventure Monkey is more than just a blog, or at least it is in my head. I tasted entrepreneurship running my portrait/wedding studio and I miss it. Running a small business was both the hardest and most satisfying work I have ever been a part of.

I see the Adventure Monkey inspiring others to live the life they have always dreamed of living. How? This blog, inspirational prints and products, bicycle touring, inspirational clothing, classes and workshops and whatever else finds life within the Adventure Monkey walls. Sometimes we need help to get off the couch, turn off the TV and go do something adventurous, even life changing. All great journeys start with one small step. All great bicycle tours start with one revolution of the pedals. Before you know it you’ve made it 4,000 miles (or more). If a print hanging in your house inspires you to do that thing you’ve always wanted to do, the Adventure Monkey has been a success.

Many of us get to a point in life and realize the dreams and aspirations have been forgotten. The journey has led in a different direction than we had initially intended. Instead of being actively involved in the direction of our lives, we allowed the circumstances, obstacles, and perceived needs steer us off course. Sometimes taking a different path is a good thing and leads to great discoveries and opportunities. Other times it leads to a path of mundane, mind-numbing living. Many of us are there right now.

We only live once. That’s it. It could all be over tomorrow. What would we leave behind? Shouldn’t we live this short life to it’s fullest? Isn’t it OK to take calculated risks in life? Isn’t it a good thing to have fun, to laugh, to cry, to love, to lose, to fail, to succeed, to live with purpose? I don’t think that’s too much to ask. The most successful people in this world have failed many times. Being successful has more to do with how we handle failure than anything else. My conclusion is the more I fail, the closer I am to my great success.

So what’s up with the Adventure Monkey? Here’s a few of the latest changes:

• E & J Photojournalism is going away and the Adventure Monkey is taking over
• Adventure Monkey logos are replacing the lovely E&J logos
• Domain change from eandjphotos.com to theadventuremonkey.com. Change 
your bookmarks.
• Twitter username: If you are following erbenja, that is being replaced by feedyourmonkey
• Facebook page: E&J Photojournalism page is being replaced by the Adventure Monkey fan page on Facbook. I will be able to show pictures and link to this blog easier.
• Etsy Adventure Monkey store is open. I am selling prints and cards HERE. I hope to offer Adventure Monkey clothing and gifts soon.
• I have been researching social networking and marketing extensively

Yes, I would like the Adventure Monkey to make money, but I don’t want that to become the main focus. If I can inspire others to make a positive change in their lives and in the world, that is worth more than money.

Dream on, ride hard and Feed Your Monkey!

Thanks for reading,
Eric

P.S. I am planning on some cycling time this weekend, so pictures will once again liberally decorate the walls of this blog.

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