The Ibis

Ibis Hakkalugi, the bike of all bikes, weighing in at just a little over 16 pounds, it's the perfect bike for cross racing. Hopefully this could possible by my next bike for next years cross season, although it will take out a great chunk of my savings, costing 3400 dollars for this bike. After some research and listening to others about this bike, I believe that if I look into this bike, I think it could be a good investment. 

STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS!

With the last race of the 2010 cyclocross series, I knew I had to lay it all on the line, and give it all I got for this last race. They turned the coarse around for this race, and there were many more crashes and chains that had came off as well. I was lucky, and didn't have any troubles, which helped me to increase my position through out the race, leaving me with around 7th or 8th place in the Cat 4, and 1st in the Junior division, making me the Nebraska Junior Cyclocross State Champ! 

Cyclocross Weekend Day 1

On Saturday my Dad and I headed East for some cyclocross! This was my 3rd cyclocross race of the year, and probably by far the coldest as well. 

Jumping over the hurdles.

My grandparents came to cheer me on through out the race!

End of first day, got first overall in the junior category, and 2nd overall on the Cat 4's, perhaps next year I can move on up! 

Cyclocross Weekend Day 2

Day two I was in Lincoln for my second cyclocross race. There were about 5 juniors in this race and I ended up getting first overall.

Jumping hurdles on the bike. 

You never know WHAT you'll find at a cyclocross race! 

Movin on up!

And a strong finish at the end. Good for a 1st place.  

Cyclocross Weekend Day 1

This weekend I participated in two cyclocross races, this one was on Saturday at Norfolk. I was in the Junior division and got first in my age group.

This course had a sand pit that you had to ride through or dismount and run through. 

Also it contained of a big swirling chute that the riders had to go through. This was at the start of the race, and there was a bit of a pile up from the start. 

It also contained hurdles that were set out at a few parts of the course. This race was 30 minutes long, and the course was 1.7 miles long. All you had to do was ride as hard and fast as you could for that amount of time, trying to get in as many laps as possible.

Potters Pasture Weekend Get-Away

Potters Pasture, the greatest place to escape, to hang out, ride, and just relax. My dad and I made a trip to Brady this weekend to meet some friends where we stayed the night, and did a few rides. 

Above is one of many of the views that we experienced while at Potters Pasture

Saturday night we did a 6 man bike ride where, and also got in around 6 to 7 miles as well. It was quite a fun ride and made us realize how fun biking can really be not only in the day but also in the night. 

Tate was trying to patiently wait for someone to take him out for a little jaunt as well. 

Potters Pasture is a great pasture to go and experience the outdoors. There you can run, bike, or even hike, just make sure to keep the gates shut, always be with a buddy while out in the pasture, and have fun!

Weekend Road Ride and Past Rides

Road biking is another type of biking that I'm also interested in. It's a way to test exactly how fast you can go, and it allows you to go way further on a bike without getting tired. Saturday I participated in a 16 mile bike ride to help support the Rotary Club of North Platte, which had used the money from the event to go to the "Purple Pinkie Project." When people from different countries go to get vaccinated, instead of using computers to keep their records for when they were vaccinated, they dye one of their pinkies purple to help others know that that person was vaccinated. This was the first bike ride for this Rotary Club, and they had an excellent turn out with 25 people showing up to ride bike and support that cause. 

Getting ready to head out and to North Platte, with my dad and I's road bikes on the back. 

This was a different road ride that I participated in over the summer, a few of our friends from North Platte had headed up to Lake McConaughy, and my mom, dad, and I had decided to tag along. They would there stay the night at the Lake, and head back the next day; however, my parents and I had decided to ride up their and head back, getting us about 25 miles in for the day. Shortly after this picture we descended down a steep hill taking us towards the dam, and my dad and I reached speeds up to around 40 miles an hour on a road bike! Talk about an adrenaline rush!

With some nasty weather heading our way my mom decided to head back on the highway, and my dad and I had chosen to take a more unique route and ride back to town taking gravel roads! On a road bike with skinny tires! It was quite an experience, one I'll never forget, especially because we were trying to ride away from the storm at the same time. 

A picture taken from the bike of some cows in the distance, and the storm starting up. 

This is my road bike that I bought a couple years back. This bike is made by Giant, and I think this is a very reliable bike to have. 

So if you're ever seeking a huge adrenaline rush, then buy a road bike, because trust me, you can't go wrong with a bike!

Get a Bike Fool!

Biking! One of the greatest inventions of all time! Biking is so popular through out the world that people actually use the bike every day to exercise, commute to and from work, or as a hobby like I do! Back in the 5th grade I had decided that biking was one of the hobbies that I'd stick with for the rest of my life thanks to the help of my dad who thought I should give it a try, and ever since then I have been interested in bikes. This bike above is my 4th bike since the 5th grade, and it's used for off-road cow trail riding. What sets this bike apart from any other bike of mine is that the wheel size is 29 inches in diameter, where as the others are much smaller. 

Another thing that is very different about this bike is that it only has one gear. This means that when ever I come up to a hill, I can't shift down gears and make it easier for me to get up the hill, I simply have to suck it up, and get enough momentum to get myself up. Many of the newer bikes these days have suspension in the front and/or rear of the bike to help while riding on rough surfaces. My bike as you can tell has absolutely no front or rear suspension which makes it a rigid fork, making it an ultimate challenge to try and keep your hands on the handle bars while bombing down a hill. 

This is a picture of the one gear that is on the bike, and is where the bike gets its name "single-speed." 

Above is another type of bike that I have called a cyclocross bike. This bike is used for gravel roads, paved roads, or even off roads. One of the things I like to use this bike for is cyclocross racing. These are quick races that are usually held in parks where the coarse consists of miniature hurdles, a huge hill to climb up, and on and/or off road paths. They separate racers up into age groups and when they start the race you go as fast as you can where you ride as many laps that you can get in within a half an hour, and see who is the best racer physically and mentally to be able to pull away from the rest and come out with a win. 

These races are held in many different types of weather conditions, where if it's raining, snowing, sleeting, or windy, the race will still continue. The more mud the better! 

This is a picture of the hurdles where the racers will dismount, throw their bikes over their shoulders, and jump over them, or if you're good enough, bunny hop over like Nate Woodman above, who is the only one in the state who can perfect such a tough maneuver. 

Cyclocross is such a great way to get outside to test your skills, and to be able to view biking from a different perspective. I have enjoyed biking for many years, and this sport and hobby is something that I will be able to cherish for the rest of my life.