I’m working on my travel plans, I’m working on my race strategy and I’m working on my sheep. I don’t have much extra time to think about the actual details of my trip to New Zealand, my experience in New Zealand. Oh wait, I have all the time in the world to think about this stuff. What else would I do? Hell if I know. So, my mind is racing – because I’m not racing, today. This is what I’m contemplating.
- Do NZ bike shops sell CO2 canisters? I doubt I can (I know I can’t) take my stash of CO2 on the plane. I’d hate to carry a stupid bike pump – that’s so 80s.
- Drinking and Driving is Idiotic, but can a dude get busted for downing a few suds and then hoping on a single speed? Come on man, no shifters / derailers to confuse me. I’m safe, as long as I can keep the sheep upright!
- I need a good costume, a costume to amplify the Back of the Pack colors. I wonder if I can find the stuff in need in NZ. Maybe I need a fashion consultant.
- Can I be the unofficial official blogger for SSWC10 – I know, I’m not a Kiwi so I don’t qualify. But maybe I could be the official American blogger?All I’m looking for is fame, glory and fortune – nothing else.
- The Whaka 100 is stressing me out. The info says that a bag drop will be located at the 63km mark. That’s like 39 miles! I wonder if I can ration my water and make it to the drop without taking a stupid backpack. What do you think? Well, all I can do is try. I hope I don’t keel over due to dehydration.
- The Pig & Whistle seems to be the race headquarters. It will be interesting to see where The Dudes & The Dudettes hang. Could be the Pig and Whistle, could be some crazy place in a dark alley, could be the equivalent of ‘The Corral’ that was a favorite in Durango during the 80s. (Oh, not my favorite – I didn’t hang with the Cowboys, I didn’t want to wear the pressed / starched shirts with pearl buttons – but now I do!)
- The TeddNeck is registered for the race. But he’s not going. He’s headed to a Denver Broncos game. Yeah, priorities. (Sometimes the Mrs makes the decisions, so I’m told.) Anyway, do you think I can sell The TeddNeck’s entry for a cool million, that’s $1,000,000. NO? Damn. Follow this link to the list of racers – that paid. (The Link, Dude!) Will they all show? Nope. Will 500 extra dudes & dudettes show up and jump in on the race, unregistered? Probably. Not a problem, as long as they all carry a beer for me!
Oh and BTW, I checked out the menu at the Pig & Whistle. Looks like I can kill a bacon mushroom cheeseburger. AWESOME! But they only have Stella Artois, Steinlager, Swine Lager and Becks on tap – I think. I like Stella, but the TeddNeck says a dude can’t be caught drinking that beer out of a feminine ‘Stella’ glass. So, I may be drinking Swine Lager or the bottled / can stuff – that’s cool. Swine Lager, sounds good!
I did some homework last night. I now know where I’m staying (7 Tryon St), where I hanging (the bar) and where I’m racing. Check out the Google Earth info. The races are in the Whakarewarewa Forest, the upper left on the images. Let’s hope I don’t get lost.
And for those Back of the Pack Racers and fans that can’t make it to New Zealand or don’t really know what the Single Speed World Championships is all about – check out this video that I pulled off of the SSWC10 website. I have 3 comments: 1) There is an excessive amount of spandex in New Zealand. I’m scared, but I’ll roll with it. It takes years / decades for ‘change’ to be integrated into a culture. 2) I’m not F’n running at SSWC10, unless I’m trying to keep up with some bodacious babe that’s wearing spandex, of course. 3) Is it Single Speed or Singlespeed or Single-Speed or SingleSpeed? Or does it matter? Well, it doesn’t matter – as long as you, the reader, don’t jump all over my grammar and sentence structure. Go easy on me, I’ll go easy on you.
I averted a near disaster last night while I was drinking Ska Modus Hoperandi and watching the golf ball sized hail pound my house – I was in the garage, of course. (I’m famous for solo garage parties. Just me, the music & the sheep.) Well, I had a terrible creak in Sheep #2 on Saturday. Oh well, probably just one of those things that comes and goes. But I decided to pull out my Phil Wood bottom bracket. Wow, the bottom bracket is busted. That’s what happens when a 210 pound dude rides like a possessed gorilla – says the TeddNeck. And guess what – I had a spare. No S*^T dude! I have a spare (or 2) of everything. I learned my lesson(s) years ago.
A nice view, below. Titanium, Ska Modus Hoperandi and a 1939 Schwinn World hanging in the background. Yep, that Schwinn World was my dad’s 7th birthday present in 1939. Those bikes transformed little kids into hardcore dudes. My dad’s the toughest dude in the world. And that’s not just because he has two titanium knees (bonus though) and it’s not because he was on the front line staring down the Soviets at the start of the Cold War, it’s because he can actually watch The Weather Channel on mute and enjoy it!
And just to keep you rockin’
This one’s for all the old burnouts that may be out there. Yeah, the KoRn cover of the Pink Floyd song is much better. That’s the truth. I don’t care what you say, dude!
And when I can’t sleep, I put this love song on – continuous repeat, of course.
BACK OF THE PACK RACING 