Over the Hump!

Mark Scott - Over the Hump
Have you ever thought you were good at something and then came to find out you suck? Well, welcome to Over the Hump!, cross country mountain bike series at the Irvine Lake. What a terrific venue and what great sponsors! The atmosphere was awesome. Good people, good beer, good Gawd it hurt! So, to make a long story short...I went out with Mark in the Sport Class (I'm thinking it is only fair that I don't enter beginner because I have a brief history of racing 12 hour and marathon races/rides) So off we go....I'm mid pack (in my class) Mark shoots off ahead, cuz he can, and I catch him at the top of the first climb! (He is caught because he snapped his chain.) He is about 1/4 mile away from the start line so he walks back, gets his chain repaired by the fine folks at Surf City Cyclery, heads out again, catches me, passes me, and finishes 5 minutes ahead of me. Humbling is an understatement. I could not hold the wheel of guys 10 years my senior! All in all the race was bitchen and I can't wait to do it again! Next Tuesday!

The Gambler

Anyone that has rolled Foodpark over the past year+ knows who The Gambler is. On the second of July I was the unfortunate recipient of a phone call from the Gambler..."I'm going to roll to FP, want to join me?" was the message...before I could say "Hellz, NO!" I said - "Yes." So I slept very poorly on the night of the second of July. I woke up extra early after finally falling asleep at 2:30 a.m. I felt as if I were in a nightmare the sun was not even up yet! Sucks to be me...So I leave the house and meet up with The Gambler at the San Gabriel River Mouth. The torture was about to begin...have you ever awoke from a bad dream only to be caught in another...

He "rolled" at 23 into a stiff headwind and dragged my weary ass for 20+ miles down to the Coffee Bean in Irvine, which is the start of the infamous Foodpark Ride.

What happens next is a blurrrrr.....Then the ride is over and we head home....
So you ask, "What is it like to suck wheel after a long ride to a grueling group ride, while "rolling" with the Gambler? (Who just happens to ride up to the wheel of an equally large Moose-Tri-Racer...

So above you see Kenny rolling with a Tri-guy and judging by my distance behind them and the fact I am carrying a camera in my right hand taking pictures, I win as the biggest idiot! Oh,yeah, this was our cruising speed...after Foodpark!

The 2010 Kit is ordered!!!!!

Well it has been a long time coming, but the new and improved Nimrods Racing Kit is now going to production! For those of you that ordered your kits, thank you for being Ambassadors of Nimrodity! For those waiting in the wings, oh well...bummer for you (just kidding) depending how the kit is received I believe there will be another order in September. We have Nimrods in San Fransisco, San Diego, Orange County,Alta Dena, Santa Clarita, Long Beach, and Los Angeles!

If you find yourself on a biking vacation, road, mountain, skydiving ...snap a pic and send it in to www.nimrodsnim0@gmail.com and I will post your pictures - add a blurb so I don't add my own caption!

This is Hoverhawk about to cross the Golden Gate Bridge last spring with Hippstar! Remember to have a cold one in memory of Chris Hipp - Captain Nimrod! R.I.P July 14, 2009 and send happy thoughts to his wife, Lorraine. We are thinking about you!

Looking forward to seeing you all out riding and racing! Long live the Nimrod Nation!

Tres Amigos

One of the greatest pleasures post bike ride is sitting with friends sipping on a coffee or tea and chatting about how much of a Fred the other guy is, attacking his bike skills, laughing at his lack of fitness, and intercepting his efforts at meeting someone new....Here is a shot of Ward-o-licious (Crazyleggs), Gerraldine (Nim1), and Simoni (Nimzero) chillin at the Corona del Mar Starfarts after Food Park on Saturday, happy, happy, joy, joy!

The Speed Weapon!

During a recent pilgrimage to the OC I came across a man considering altering a perfect bicycle. I approached him and offered huge bank for the bicycle in its "as is" condition. There was confusion in the gentleman's eyes and he countered my offer with a higher number. To his lunge I parried with a direct blow to the middle ground and the deal was set. My new love, a serious endurance strength building rig that would surely catapult me into the stratosphere of cyclings speed and power elite! I shared this beauty with my pal, Tim, at Crankbrothers, he was dumbfounded, befuddled, mesmerized and left in stitches laughing at my new love....he did ask to ride it, though:

Great Park Circuit Race Cat 4/5

So yesterday I rolled out to the GPC and thought I was going to roll in the pack and get a nice bit of speed training.....lap 1 and one half - Pop! (and I'm not talking tires!) I suck. I got caught out in the wind and couldn't get back in. Ultimately, I was lapped. No ridicule or heckles...that would be saved for someone worth the breath. So I just rolled around the track and tried to avoid getting caught by my bunch. I was sooo far behind I was ahead of them! They swallowed me up and again, spit me out the back - at this point humiliation would have been a mighty step up the racing ladder, however, I just rolled in, looking down, avoiding the eyes of the spectators that were, of course, looking at me and clapping...everything was in slow motion. (I blame the whooping cough for this stellar performance!)

Confirmed Sighting......

I have heard of a mystical beast, part man, part animal, fueled by bier (beer) and laughter. This creature has not been seen for years, in fact, most don't even believe it exists, but I, Simon while waiting for a road wheel to be trued at Adrenaline Bikes, saw it! It was hiding behind a beverage near the pedals:
What a find! Hans has agreed to be the latest addition to the Nimrod family AND be the guinea pig for the Nimrods Racing Diet Plan! Check back for his progress in late July! It is great to see the Hansinator back and itching to hammer the warriors of the peleton. On a side note, it was actually Jesse of Adrenaline Bikes that was wearing a Nimrods Racing t-shirt that caught Hans' eye and he roared, " I know those guys!" The rest will be history...I feel like sobbing, its such a happy moment being reunited with a racer of his magnitude! Any body looking to buy an Aston Martin - talk to Hans!