Obligation.

I just wanted to quickly introduce this to you. It's a Map of the Global Ocean currents, and only the Major Major ones. El Nine and El Nino.. are not present here for example.

People hear, " OMG ! the polar ice caps are melting!! run from the coast "... not exactly, but yes in way. However : as fresh water ice caps melt, and yes they are melting, the salinity of the water in that area changes, this in turn affects the density of such water. So cold sinking waters, are not warming as they once were, and warm waters are cooling. Odd weather patterns and wind patterns are occurring, related to this phenomenon.

I've always known that vehicle emissions were bad. This realization and the learning of it came ever so shocking from a friend of mine, who when we were younger, his Dad committed suicide by running a hose from his tailpipe, into the car window, then asphyxiating and killing himself in their garage. Tragic no doubt for my friend, but still a 'learned something new' experience for me, albeit morbid.

Time went on and occasionally I would hear of these 'types' of events. I learned about Carbon Monoxide Home Monitors, I took chemistry in college and learned about gases, I worked with H2S and SO2 and knew of and about people who were gassed or were in explosions...

Like the person in Ft. McMurray who was running his vehicle inside his closed garage, for whatever reason? However then gassing and killing somebody in the house as the Carbon Monoxide entered the house and asphyxiated an occupant. I believe it may have been two people ? I can't recall for sure...

So what happens when you run the fossil fuel powered vehicle, or Industrial sized Oil Sand plant 'outside' ? Are you aware of just what happens to the Carbon based emissions ?...

come on ? tell me ? where do the emissions go ? do you have any clue at all ?

They go into the atmosphere ? Ya ok, that's a start. Then what ?. They 'dissolve'.. uh no, they don't. They build up, and have been building up in the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution began, which you may recall from your Grade 9 Social Studies class? So what's the big deal ?.... lets give an example ok.

Calcium carbonate is a form of skeletal structure in some of the planets oldest, and most primitive lifeforms. Seashells as you might know them ? Oysters etc ?.

CO2, ( Carbon Dioxide) in ever increasing amounts is being adsorbed by Ocean seawater, this is nothing new, but a balance is now breaking. ( IE: FAILED KYOTO )

When CO2 and H2O are combined they make up Carbonic Acid, some people know this as Acid Rain. My personal experience with Carbonic Acid involves operating and using a Natural Gas process system that specifically removes CO2 from the main Methane gas stream through processes involving Endothermic and Exothermic reaction. With the particular systems that salvaged the CO2 in our companies gas, the CO2 was released directly into the air at the Plant, via a Stack that was about 50 feet tall. I recall quite vividly how during heavy removal days, ( my days were always good because I was a damn good Operator ) the CO2 would meet the precipitation falling from the sky, and if the droplets landed in my hair, (sans hardhat) they would burn my scalp ever so tingly. As well, to the east of my gas plant, the trees under the prevailing winds were all being killed from the tops down. Like some sort of bleaching was occurring... it didn't really matter though because the trees were officially off our company property.

Back to the Seashells. As CO2 in ever increasing amounts is continually being adsorbed into the Ocean Waters, the water is changing in it's Ph value to that of Acidic, in the Ocean. This is happening to the point that the seashells are no longer able to form their shells, and are actually ceasing to exist, now. Currently there are very large areas of shallow Ocean water becoming devoid of any life, yes yes, including the coral and all that special stuff you see on TV. ...as they are not able to adapt as quickly as they need to.

Well doesn't the water and the tides wash it away ?... no. there is just too much. being released for the environment to adapt. Why would the CO2 not just 'boil' out ?. Well, it can at a specific pressure and temperature, this exchange is very natural. But as this only occurs at the surface of the water, the CO2 levels are becoming increasingly higher and higher directly on the water/ atmosphere interface surface. Cool stuff eh!

Basic lifeforms are now no longer surviving on Earth, due to our Anthropogenic ways.

This is not an opinion, it is Science, it is proven with fact, based on study. Upper levels of ocean water are becoming saturated with CO2 on parts of the earth, currently.

But wait ! All is not lost... how do we remove CO2, or wait, prevent CO2 from doing this ? Carbon Capture is one method, not a solution, but at least a method. What companies can you invest in that will be on the forefront of carbon capture in Canada ?... start looking.

anyways... I have much more rant available.

SUCH AS!!!. !!!! Your Grandchildren may never see a Glacier !!!!. Do you know how fast the Columbia Icefield is melting? I bet you don't... but you maybe will want to if you are a human with a conscience.

When I worked outside Ft. Mac the big tailing pond was 80km square, now it's apperantly 130 km square... That's a pretty big pile of nasty shit.

In other news, a Russian Sub surfaced through Canadian Ice at the North Pole where a soldier got out and planted a Russian flag there. Apparently, Russia has 'Stated' they will have a Russian paratrooper drop there next year. War for Oil ?. On our doorstep ? You bet.

Quote of the day.

" I tried to stop riding once, and I just got depressed. One of the nicest things in the world is to go out and climb a mountain... look at the scenery... talk to no one... free wheel it home. And all of your problems of the day are gone". Phil Liggett, 2004.

you tell'em Phil.

A walk in the park. er uh... Roll in the Park.

Map My Ride

I'd heard of the 'idea' or concept of riding the entire loop of Banff to the end of the Lake Minnewanka Trail, through Devils Gap, to Waiporous, back to the Hwy 1A and then to Banff again, 'heard of' that is. A ride that big ? 1/3 off-road, 2/3 pavement, seemed monumental at best, mental being the subject there. It led one(me) to believe that with a big group of supportive individuals, driving to Banff to start the ride, and then of course going in the summer time, well yah, it could be done, maybe, on Mountain Bikes. But again, I've never known anybody who has actually done it. Even in the famous Mountain Biking guide book, 'BackCountry Biking in the Canadian Rockies", is quoted as saying, "..continuing on to Ghost Lakes it gets very rough and pushes the limits of enjoyment for most cyclists "... and again further down the page, " strong riders can continue on to the ford between the Ghost Lakes, before turning back "... turning back ?.. Uh, what ?...

Somehow, Craigs E-mail titled "easy Saturday Ride" didn't peak the interest of the C.C.d. ??.

One thing though, we didn't drive no where, we left from our homes in Calgary, on our Cannondale cyclocross bikes, my BOW 24 and Craigs CX9, and rode to Banff, then did the Minnewanka ride, and returned via Cochrane and the 1A. We don't really have an accurate distance counter as niether of us used an Odo, but it's somewhere about 250km round trip, maybe... but probably bigger.

The plan was well executed if I do say so. Departing at roughly 4:45am from my house in Royal Oak, Craig Stapler had stated, "the wind is up a bit". We left in total darkness with barely any moon at all, actually no moon. Our little headlights guiding us along in an alien world devoid of one Major Human sense, SIGHT. The ride out to Cochrane was also a fine introduction as we learned that yes, it was quite cold, the forecast calling for a -13 windchill.

I had mounted the little HERO cam in it's little plastic holder only to find the brand new $9 batteries were dead at the Top of Cochrane hill ? The camera unable to operate... guess it was too cold for the Lithium batteries that say on the package 'best in cold weather', so I just put it on my pocket as we shredded the downhill. ( later it came back to life )

We made it to the Morley Indian Reservation turn off, on schedule to find that our water bottles were already frozen solid and that some body parts were experiencing some minor 'affect' too. Crossing over to the HWY 1 was the plan although the headwind was now a wee bit stiffer, but we killed it. If there's something I've done this year, it's ride Highway. The sun too now starting to show signs of life over our shoulders as we hammered on to the opening of the Rocky Mountains.

My partner and I discussed our strategy for stopping in either Deadmans Flats or Canmore for a morning coffee, it was cold enough that we chose Deadmans. As we ate French Toast and eggs and drank coffee, the sun was peaking out over the mountains now, looking nice. The break there of over an hour allowed us to fully warm up and dry off. Craigs burns now unthawed and the large icicles melted away.. lol.

Dallas, " With big missions like this, to prepare I tend to think of 'worse case' scenario, thus when things are going well and I'm ahead of the game I think, 'hey, this is great' no worries.
Craig, " I'm kind of the opposite, I like to think best case scenario, and sometimes come up short on the preparation, getting to the point where I'm thinking 'ok, I'm fucked'.
Either way, it's hard to find efficient and practical cycling gear for cold formidable weather.

After a Gatorade in Banff we took the short jaunt over to Minnewanka. The trail head looked a little dusty with some light snow, but the sun was blazin bright and I was really feeling the adrenaline now of the upcoming Off-Road adventure. Craig was coming around from his previous Road Freeze and I knew we were in for a good time. 140 km completed.

I took photo's when the opportunity arose, fired up the HERO cam as well and let it do it's thing. Situation goes like this though: We are attempting a ride of 'unheard of' proportions. So ideally we would have an entire Ride Guide Camera Crew with us and several people all shooting several angles and many different perspective of action shots etc etc... but that's not really the case. I had one little cheezy camera and that's all. If any Vid turned out well I hope it would be good enough to put a few visuals to the story / ?. You be the judge.

We rolled the Minnewanka Trail in all it's glory, really could not have been better conditions at all. I would recommend riding it right now while it's primo if you're in the neighborhood out there. anyways... We stop for a quick snack and I notice my one V-Brake brake pad has fallen out, the little stopped pin missing ?. OH SHIT!/ But wait, Craig finds it and I put it back in, hoping it will 'stay' on it's own. Later down the trail, I lost it again and it was gone for good, so I took one of the other pads out, broke it in half, and slipped it into the holder, then using my miny pliers crimped the holder to make sure it would stay. So only half pad breaks up front now... they would suffice.
We cross the South Ghost Creek portion of the ride, sans water all together, frickin awesome !. Not that water was going to stop us anyways, and yes, I was prepared to swim across. After all, I do have some Norwegian heritage and I'm familiar with a rare sport known as PolarBear diving ).
But no, there's no water... so dry feet all the way, very sweet.

We made it to the far end with plenty daylight, and then across the Ghost spillway and up the climb to the Trans Alta road that will lead us the remaining 17km to the Waiporous pavement and the Trunk road.... Anyways, we change 5 flats tires on my bike on the way out. 3 rear and 2 front, featuring 2 faulty tubes as well ! How sweet is that !?!*^*(^ I had to eat a PowerGel just to use the damn pump I was so bagged out... but yes, we made it to the pavement without having to patch, yet.

On this last stretch leading to darkness, I almost hit a Mule deer in Waiporous Village, damn thing wouldn't get off the road, I seriously could have kicked it in the ass. And so, as the kilometers added up, 200, 210, 220, we made it to Cochrane Starbucks for some pastry and coffee.

We made a toast to our Epic adventure over our Venti Mochas as Craig proclaims, "you know, we're just a couple Pepper Harlton wannabes. Riding our 'cross bikes on Mad adventures..."

haha ! awesome !!!
Ya cheers to that, even Pepper would be proud of this ride. So with a final effort to climb Cochrane Hill with full bellies and dimming headlights@ 7:30pm ish..., we finished the final stretch to Calgary that would complete a ride... " We'd only heard of".

Epic Devils Gap loop. from Dalrock on Vimeo.

Saturday ? Cross bike ride.

Just thought I'd throw this out there... Anyone's welcome to join me for this coming Saturday, supposed to be sunny, around +3ish. Perfect riding conditions.
Depart from my house in Royal Oak @ 4:30ish (am)... out to Morley via the 1A, hit HWY 1 to Canmore/Banff, very brief stop in Canmore. Then to Banff, to Minnewanka Lake Trail, through there to Devils Gap, ( yes across the creek ) back out the east end to Waiporous area/ Ghost, then back to Cochrane Calgary.

?

Fall and Winter Strength Programs.

Ok Ok.. I don't usually divulge my training secrets here (shameless plug), unless it's related to Sports Drinks with a 5% content, so take note, this is an offer you should seriously consider.

This will be however, the one and only SERIOUS Post that I will put up for the rest of this year, that you should really pay attention to. If you read this Blog, and you think, " how the hell did he do that ?"//.. keep reading.

CORE strength, body stability and stretching have been the hottest topic in the Cycling world this last couple years, almost paramount to Power Meter Training. Ask any higher level athlete if they do CORE and if their Coaches have instructed a program in it ?, and they'll say "yes".

As for myself, I started a class last year that taught me nearly everything I need to know to balance myself against my 'cycling only' workouts. As you know or will learn the hard way like I did, doing one sport repetitiously for a few years will leave you in a plateau where you just can't seem to perform at levels you once did, you MUST MIX IT UP. It's like drinking Fireball, if you drink Fireball every Friday night, eventually you will need more than Fireball to do the trick, or bigger bottles... ?. hmmm ok, bad analogy.

Age may have a factor on this as well, so this Post is even more important in that respect.

My testament : I had a serious injury in 2007 that left me without any stability in my right leg. After a successful surgery to repair my knee and torn ACL, I was in dire need of rehab past Christmas and into the New Year. I needed specialized training that could fix and re-strengthen those muscles that had essentially gone stale on me. Well HOLY did I learn more than that.
The Instructor says, " you have the strength in your glutes and back of a 70 yr old lady "... Truthfully, that's what she said.
I replied, "well I was injured ".
" This has nothing to do with your injury, what have you been doing to yourself ? "
" just riding along... *smirk* "

I needed Professional help. Well let me tell you, not only did I come back stronger but I knew why I was feeling this way, and it was all to do with the CORE strength workouts I was doing.

Ya ya, we all don't have time for that stuff, I know, well this is it... I went once a week for an HOUR. And in the midterm, when I had time on my own, I would do at least two 15 -20 minute sessions at the gym or at home. And I still do those exercises, and have since taught and trained others in CORE workouts as well.
The results were amazing, more noticably in my cross country skiing and running.

Before the classes are totally full, call Marilyn Taylor at this number - The studio is in Marda Loop. So you're not really into a spin class yet, or you are and you wish to totally combine an essential Program for Triathlon, regular fitness, or something different than Yoga, this will be so beneficial through out your winter... DO IT !! And ride like a RAW Champion in 2010
403-589-2901
This is her Website CORE

A little 'Twisted cross ?

Well I have a couple Posts to catch up on so stay tuned for various mind killing exercises in the next week. I promise you some kind of common sense altering story after this coming weekend... yet to be determined.

Yesterday was the Alberta Provincial Cyclocross Championships here in Calgary. And one thing about Calgary is the ever influential Chinook winds that bring sunny ski's and warmer temps to our region. Last week for a few hours we actually had some +20 degrees here if you can believe that, although Sunshine Ski Hill reported receiving 20cm of fresh snow only 2 hours away.

Back to the event...
I had big plans to use the HERO cam on bike mount, but at the very last minute I must have done something ?... that led to a crunch time malfunction as far as operational competence went... so sorry again, no HERO cam Vid. If you've ever used one of these little Battery killing units, once properly set up they can provide some very good 'bike view' entertainment. However, all you would have seen from my bikes perspective yesterday would have been the other racers passing me and progressively getting farther and farther away... until they would have no longer been recognizable in a 1080 x 720 format.

I didn't really have any time to cover the other categories. I never really arrived too early but rather than being the nerd on the trainer warming up, I prefer to mingle and say hello to the other people involved with the event, no pressure. As proclaimed in previous Posts, I'm not training for anything specific this last couple months and so CX is merely for entertainment and self annihilation purposes only. I enjoyed cheering fo rthe other races while I had a chance.



And thanks to everybody for organizing, and watching, and heckling, and cheering. Jesse was the heckling crew when I had to race, nice work buddy !>

Watching the Ladies Pro race was a little confusing after about half way, if you turned your back for two seconds and missed who went by what corner, you were confused of who was in the Top 5 on the very tight overlapping course. However, make no mistake, Canadian Nationals Silver winner, Pepper Harlton could have pulled off the course, went to the concession for a beverage, and still come back, got on her bike, and won handily. Nice work Pepper, as well as Marg, Cindy, Chantel, and Sonia too. For the ST Team, we got to watch Sandra and Sherry suffer the whole distance too.. and no matter how much I heckled Sandra she just wouldn't give up..



Official Results should be on ABA website soon.

The Mens Master A and Master B was really good racing. Fairly large categories for each contest with a few Open Men racing in their Age Categories instead.. 'because they have to'. Craig Stapler won the Master A and I wouldn't say handily, as he really had to work hard against his team mate Deadgoat Devin Erfle, and Joel from the Niklaus Team.



The Mel Gibson 'I love to eat dirt' award goes to Dave Jetts, who at high speed PILED his bike and carcass into the one steep climb of the day... sending his left shoulder to another part of his body. But as the Paramedics walked over, he actually popped it back in himself, saying " that's about the 25th time ". Within minutes it was good to see Dave up and riding again ?.. wtf ?. What's gonna happen when you're like 72 Dave ?. Is that thing just gonna be falling out by then ?.




In the Master B event, I actually didn't see who won exactly but it was a flurry and a battle all the way to the finish line. John Gilcrist showing huge power early on and dropping the field on many of the power climbs, but fading near the end. Norge rider Jon Arne was in Top 3 all the way, and arriving from his Canmore Altitude training base was Andy 'I give the shocker' Holmwood who battled his way onto the Podium too... nice work. It's cool to think Andy gave 10 years of service to Alberta based athletes, but has since returned to Racing and is still a show stopper. Also Speed Theory Race Jerrod Green did well for our Team, getting in 6th I think, Thomas Yip, and Lochie "I'm still in my car don't start the race without me" Holmes.
Honorable mention in Master A to Brent 'cement truck' Topilko, as I know like Brent, being a bigger racer means you have to get the 'right course' to suit your style, and it looked like BT suffered out there, hanging in for Top 10.

People said, " Dallas you flew up the steep climb every time! "... well it's like this. If a Mazda 3 is coasting down a big coulee downhill and then rolls though the bottom and up the other side, how far is it going to make it ?( IE: Nick Freisen )... Now if a Dump truck rolls down the same hill, momentum will cause it to go up the other side much much farther than the Mazda, Law of Momentum in effect. 190 lbs vs 138lbs... Doesn't mean I have much more advantage anywhere else though. And here I thought I was fit ?.

Open Mens race was killer. But like Nationals in Edmonton, I was hanging on for dear life, and self respect, just to not get lapped, and in the end I did just that. ST Team mate Trev Williams, somehow learned that hard lesson that all people with SRAM shifters learn when racing cyclocross, the stuff is like Jewelery, and when you crash it, it breaks. Too bad Trev... cuz you were smokin it and I bet you may have even tagged Andre for 6th.

As far as the Race Video went, I've had nothing but problems with Vimeo giving me problems about my format, although it's the same as what I've used before ??... I think they're trying to get me to buy a Premium sign up. So.. the only way I could get an Upload was on Facebook, so you'll have to 'be my friend' if you wanna see it there.

incident # 67... ( hardly ) not that I'm counting

My current effort of cycle commuting to work in Calgary is one that I'm sure many people would 'just say no' to.. like Lindsey should have ? I keep telling myself lately I need to Hero Cam and Vid my route into a detailed account, so exactly what I go through in my commute to work in this town... can be used as evidence in a Court of Law after my eventual death by motor vehicle.

I attest my 'still living' simply to the fact that I don't ride every single day ( lowering my chances )... and I also have much more 'road confidence' than some others with comparable distance commutes.

I won't mention in detail about my gauntlet run on Crowchild from the Rocky Ridge intersection, down to Nose Hill Drive... seriously though. If the previous 'sidewalk' multipath route wasn't destroyed and in a state of complete disrepair for the last 3 years... that's right 3 years now, I might have an actual 'safe route' to commute on, but no I don't. So I tend to drop the hammer and blend in with the screaming tons of metal for at least 2 -3 minutes a day. During these short traffic sprints I can certainly feel my stress level rise, the adrenaline, and often a nary of concern as exhaust spewing vehicles accelerate by within inches.

Today while stopped at Crowchild and Stoney Trail I imagined I was in the Matrix, and that I could make all the exhausts from the cars and diesel trucks transform into big hoses, where the exhaust would be emitted directly into the cab of the vehicle, essentially murdering all the drivers all at once, in a short time, probably before they reached their destinations. But instead the fumes are released into the atmosphere of Mother Natures world, where she is slowly poisoned by them decade after decade... poor thing.

I'm on my usual way, downhill on Silver Springs Blvd. My cyclocross bike only has compact drive so I'm limited to topping out at possibly 60 km/hr, the speed limit on this two lane roadway... cars whiz by. You know how it is, I'm just a bike and they Must go faster than me.. as I here them accelerate and assert their road dominance... they SPEED by. Pedestrians attempt to cross the 4 Lanes at unmarked and unlit cross walks. And almost always, I am concerned for their well being as cars hardly stop or notice the people walking in the early morning....

I arrive to the Lighted intersection of Silver Springs Blvd and the single lane Silver Mead Rd. The light is red, immediately to my right is the big house that serves as a daycare, parents and children do 'park and dash'. I always stay far right as the left of these 2 lanes are cars that will be making the left turn lane at the next coming intersection. If traffic is busy then cars will stop in both lanes, the vehicles in the right lanes, my lane, are usually the drivers who will step on their gas pedals quite hard when the light turns green, thus allowing them to beat a car or two in their attempt to 'get to the left lane turn first', hardly 400 meters away. Along this way are a small selection of City of Calgary 'Bicycle Route' signs, the blue and white signs that you'll see around, usually ten to eleven feet up a sign post, blocked by leaves and branches and such. However this is simply a road way with no accommodation for other users other than single occupancy cars.

Today I have my own right lane as the light goes Green. I punch it and accelerate as per usual, faster than the vehicle. Often I intend purposely to accelerate faster than the vehicle. This usually leads to the driver STOMPING in his gas pedal as I hear the cars engine rev up considerably... the driver HAVING to go faster than me,

I only have about 100 meters before I need to start looking left over my shoulder to see if it's safe for me to also enter the left lane, then leading into the left turning lane which is my only alternative on my commute to the University. Usually the first 3 or 4 cars have gone by and I usually have a safe speed and distance to the left turn that I can now merge in, so on this day I do, the traffic isn't so bad today. However, as I still have about 60 meters of high speed traffic mingling, I hear an engine ROAR, my stress level reacts, a vehicle comes up on my right, partially in my lane, crossing the painted line... then cuts in. I am forced to brake and avoid being run down. Within the next 20 meters the SAAB is forced to brake very aggressively as the left turning Light is Red, there are already 3 cars awaiting. Now since I had already braked to avoid being hit I approached the car from behind, then slink up the left to the drivers window.. he looks right at me with a certain element of fear.. as I say loudly, ( not necessarily yelling ) but assertively say through the window, as he starts to unroll his window, " thanks for driving dangerously ! ".

Immediately I retract, rolling my bike backwards to my previous position behind his bumper. He replies in a vulgar tone, " well you're in the middle of the god damn road ! ".

As I'm not really upset I simply reply, " it's my right ! ". BUUUUT, as this is happening another cyclist has already come up to the vehicle at nearly the same time. A 'regular' commuter guy I see on a Kuota Road bike, when the SAAB pulled out behind me and accelerated he did so as this guy was in the right lane, hardly meters behind me I'm sure, essentially the driver was dangerous to both of us.

So as I reply with my, " it's my right !".. this guy is banging on his passenger window and yelling, " get out of the fkn car ! ".

The light goes Green, he drives away with intent, as do I, into the left turn, then I take my place again in the far right of the two lanes after my turn and continue on my way. KUOTA guy goes his usual route of straight through the Lights and does not take my left...

The suit wearing SAAB driver does not get out of his car.

This sort of thing happens nearly every single time I use my bike to get to work in Calgary. I have had SO many of these incidents, sometimes involving the police, sometimes nealry coming to violence, and sometimes nearly coming to my certain Death, I'm sure. Why ?.