Captain Beefheart

Captain Beefheart passed away this week. He truly was an original.

Go Cipo!

Mario Cipollini has always been one of my favorite cyclists. He's a character.Now that he's retired, he wants to offer some constructive criticism & I, for one, can't wait to hear more. Here's the link to a spot on assessment of the 2010 TdF.

Short List

Please listen to this LOUD & tell me , who the hell could do this, today, without studio magic? This is a perfect example of skill vs. hype: DONE.

ScHnOcToBeeRFesT 2010

I apologize that it's taken so long for me to recap. Another banner ride! A new route, complete with pave, a new beer & food stop (LA Fire Door Company, many thanks). New faces brought the rider count to 16. Everyone rode together, which I really appreciated, since I had been on the bike once in the previous two months. The beer tasting afterwards, preceded by a totally unbelievable meal, presented the kind of problem I excel at solving- how do you drink 16 different beers & remain a good judge? Answer: drink the really good ones several times during your judging to center your scoring range! Special thanks to eDBiLLy, Meg, eDDy Lee, CoNNiE for going above & beyond in making this quite simply, the finest CiTy BiLLy ride, ever. The bar has been raised for the next event, LBL!

Schnoctobeerfest 2010

Here's pictures, courtesy of b-BiLLy. A recap will follow soon, I promise.

October 23rd- mark your calendar!

Saturday October 23rd will be the date for Schnoctobeerfest! This year will feature a new route, complete with cobbles! If you're planning on coming, leave a comment on this post. This post will remain at the top of the blog until the first beer is enjoyed at ScHnOcToBeeRFesT!

Malcolm

Anyone who has ever been to eDBiLLy's has met Malcolm. When I first met Malcolm, he liked to growl at me, which I took very seriously, considering the fact that he was 100% muscle. Yet, after a while he actually took a liking to me, no doubt due to the fact that food always seemed to miraculously drop off my plate when he was near. My wife & I dogsat Malcolm several times & were amazed by what a gentle soul he was. When he met other dogs he always wanted to play, even when they were growling & trying to fool themselves into thinking they could exert any kind of control over him. A few weeks ago, Malcolm suddenly grew ill & passed away. As a memorial, and in lieu of an entry fee, Schnoctobeerfest will have a goodwill offering to benefit the Dodge County Humane Society, where Malcolm lived before eDBiLLy's.

Schnoctobeerfest FAQs

Q: What, exactly, is this ride about?
A: Schnoctobeerfest is a bike & beer buffet. We start with a meet & greet, complete with drinks, & then, have a 50, or so, mile ride, followed by a feast, ending the festivities with a beer judging.

Q: Are you guys fast cyclists?
A: Some of us are fast & some of us were fast, once. The thing that is cool about CiTy BiLLy is that we can co-exist (especially when the fast guys don't know the course).

Q: How much is the entry fee?
A: For this ride, you have to bring a six pack of beer to enter in the competition. The categories are: best microbrew, best beer under $7 per six pack, best label art (believe me, eDBiLLy knows his art), best import, best domestic & wildcard. Some new rules this year- your six pack has to be all one style of beer (in the industry, we call it a sku). In other words, you can't bring a sampler six, and enter all your beers in the competition. The only exception (Please, Lee!) is if you bring beer you made yourself. For this fee, you get schwag (pics forthcoming), the ride & food & beer afterwards. Be prepared to sample a bunch of beers you've never tasted before! Instead of our typical entry fee this year, there will be a goodwill offering, to be explained shortly, & trust me, will be extremely worthy.

It's almost here

The route is selected-about 57 miles, with an optional pave leg that will add around 5 or 6 miles more. I'll have more details in the next 2 days or so. I apologize for my lack of communication, but one of my immediate family is going through some very trying medical issues & I've been spending a lot of time at the hospital.

Once Again

My favorite part of this, is when their palmares are revealed. Boonen, a card carrying badass, with 145 victories. Eddy, with 525! This folks, is the reason, that Mr. Armstrong recognizes the Cannibal as the GOAT- no one will ever get even into the area code of his greatness.

Bike Sale!

This Saturday, September 11th, eDBiLLy is having a sale. Parts, bikes, clothes- stuff that has slowly accumulated. The wing ding is going to run from 10 am to 3 pm. If you need directions to get to CiTy BiLLy World Headquarters, drop me a line.

It's not the yellow brick road

They're not cobbles, but they are a challenge to ride.
View Larger Map to virtually ride this This will be an option on Schnoctobeerfest.

Schnoctobeerfest 2010

Details on the 2010 CiTy BiLLy Fall Classic will be forthcoming very soon. Join us in our mission to find the world's best beers & riding our bicycles!

Grab a cold one, let's talk

Tomorrow, the BS is over for the Tour de France. We'll truly find out if Lance has a chance or not. I still think Contador is going to go nuts & lay 2 minutes into the peloton. I'm shocked that Schleck is in the position he's in, along with Evans. The only way that Alberto isn't going to run away with this thing, is if the rest of the GC contendors gang up on him.

Tour de France Preview

I like Contador. I also think that this will be the last professional outing for a certain Texan, when he realizes that the engine just doesn't run like it used to. More to come in the next couple of days.

LBL recap

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to go along with this narrative. Blame it on my laziness. The forecast was for rain, a common forecast for LBL. Yet, somehow, the day turned out to be a great one for cycling. At 9 am, the meet & greet began, with new friends (cRuNcHBiLLy) and old friends (KeRNeL, t-BiLLy, eDBiLLy, eDDy LeE, B-BiLLy, DiRk) all enjoying a fresh keg of Hopluia. The ride began promptly at 10, with the prevailing concensus being "let's knock this out before we get drenched". Unfortunately, plans kind of went awry when we reached Spilker Ales, the hallowed ground upon which Hopluia is created. On the outskirts of Cortland, we ran into Jim, who rode LBL three or four years ago. Jim rode with us to the brewery & the tour began. After a walk-through of the brewery & a few (ahem) samples, it was time to begin the ride back. Everyone arrived back at my house at relatively the same time, so the pitchers of Hopluia began to flow & the yarns began. We had some pizza, more beer, tons of laughs. It began to rain, so we went downstairs to the bike room. It was well after dark when everyone left. The next CiTy BiLLy event is ScHnOcToBeeRFesT, in October. There is talk of a section of pave in this year's edition. Viva le cobbles! Rattle those bottles!

LBL 2010 recap-soon!

LBL was a great time! Good friends, weather that turned out better than the forecast. Hopefully, I'll get some pics up in the next couple of days.

Are you ready?

Pictured at left is the 2010 commemorative jersey. But i keeed! I hope everyone has a safe trip. See you on Saturday!

Crunch Time

Preparations continue for Nebraska's Spring Classic. This was a pretty unproductive weekend, as I battled the flu. Still, with input from eDBiLLy, the menu has been changed to pizza! Please let me know if you have signed up & can't make it (kB, you will be missed). Remember, the meet & greet starts at 9 am, followed by the ride at 10. Ride length will be around 50 miles. Forecast is showing a high of around 60, with a chance of showers. Keep your fingers crossed. On the left is a little history- shirts from the first two LBLs. This will be the fifth annual soiree: how time flies, when you're having fun!

More Info

Less than two weeks until LBL 2010! It's not too late to sign up! Just drop me a note, so I know how much food to get (I'm thinking a party sub for apres ride). $20 gets you a special edition glass, beverages & food. Everyone will have to sign one of CiTy BiLLy's waivers, which were hashed out over many 12 & 16 oz. containers of liquid knowledge. Keep your fingers crossed that the weather will cooperate, with sunshine & limited wind. I haven't decided which bike I'll be riding- how about you?

Training

Tomorrow is the Tour of Flanders. I sure hope that Boonen can put everyone else in their place. In local news, eDBiLLy, eDDy LeE & I went out for a little spin today-beautiful weather, save for 25-35 mph winds. Today drove home the fact that an out & back to Cortland will be a long enough ride, if the wind is howling. So, I don't think we'll be riding any crushed limestone on the ride. However, I reserve the right to add a few wrinkles into the course.

LBL Update

I went out today & did a little recon on the course. The winter in Nebraska has not been kind to the roads. Shoulders are covered in a mixture of mud, asphalt chunks, gravel & sand. Deer carcasses litter the ditches- I counted 12 in a 2 mile stretch! The schwag for LBL, if everything goes as planned will be a one of a kind CiTy BiLLy beer glass (it will hold other liquids). Entry fee will be $20, which will include food before & after the ride, one beer glass & refreshments. The ride will begin from my house at 10 am April 24th. I look forward to seeing old friends & making new ones.

LBL 2010:We're going back!

We are returning to Spilker's for an upclose & personal tour!

Spring Training

The bike's muddy, the legs are rubbery, the mind is mush. eDLoNNiE's Spring training has officially begun. This year is a pivotal one in my two- wheeled oddysey, as the last two have been abysmal. It's basically sink or swim, and I want to get back to the point, where, a few years ago, I'd decide to do a weekend century 3 days ahead of time. It's getting to the point that, for me, a credit card tour could stay within the city limits. In other news, LBL is on for April 24th. I'm thinking of a route between 50-60 miles, with some(10 miles) crushed limestone. I'm working on some surprises for this gala event. I'm toying with a special beer glass as the memento for this soiree, please give me your opinion. I'm going to start posting updates for LBL at least every couple of days on this blog. See you in a couple, with some news. Over & out.

LBL 2010

The KeRNeL & B-BiLLy know the magic of Hopluia! LBL is set for April 24th. I'll start working on a route-I'm thinking something with some curves. Sam will definitely be the brewer of choice. Please give me any ideas that you think would help make this ride better!

Update 2010

New job is going very well, thank you. Weather today is good riding weather, but yours truly was at Scheel's, returning an X-mas gift, when score, this little torque wrench caught my eye. If the weather gets worse, go here, as it's never let me down. LBL 2010 looks like it will be April 24th: if you have a conflict, please leave a comment.

Switching Gears

The new year has definitely brought some changes to my life; after 31 years, I've changed job fields. I am now learning how to run a grocery warehouse, instead of working on the retail side. I'm very excited about this change! It will take a lot of hard work, but the hours should open up more time to ride, so that's definitely a plus. The new year has also caused me to reflect on this blog & how lazy I've gotten at posting. I resolve to increase the frequency & quality of the posts.