Joel Metz dislikes sunny cyclocross races, and other news!

Yeah, that's right. It's a fact. And Pao Gasol sucks the blood of babies for sustenance. A double fact. What could be more true, you ask? Well, there was a small showing of unprecedented chick to dude team racing today. "What the fuck did that even mean?!", you blather? Ha, I am quite ready for your helplessly confused retort. Today, 4 blindingly amazing ladies and 3 standard run of the mill studs were out in force for Motordome at the third dirty skinny tired Cross Crusade's attempt at fun.

This episode lands us in the poo riddled fields in Sherwood. It was all you could ask for. I, on the other hand, always want more. (Can I get a good leather recliner and a damn TV tray?) But I digress. Today, Tad, Max, and I unleashed our standard brand of soul-crushing bike handling skills as well as some memorable faces of serious pain riiiiiiiiiigghht about 100 feet from the start/finish tent. Christina, Kim, Erin, and Rachel made us proud with their efforts as well. Christina was getting some double cheer action as another Christina(not as cool, I'm sure) was within a bike length or two for some time. Bonus heckle! Max was done before we showed up, but was smiles as usual, ready to accept a beer or two and take over the daunting task of holding down our formidable mascot, Godzilla. Tad and I both got in some solid placements in the top 20. Kim and Erin both ran their first ever bike races, which makes me look like a twit, cuz I was murmuring about how it'd been like a 350 days since I last raced(yeah, WSI? a four hour alleycat? Not a race? TWIT!). And while Erin pulled out because of her still lame ankle, it was a good thing and helped break up the tightness so she could recover quicker. Genious! Kim got her two laps and puked in the process. Take that poo fields! Rachel, damn. Just goes and goes. Solid in the A's again. Always good to see her and Ira out there. Bigger smiles can't be had.

If I had been manning my camera like I was gonna, I would've had a shot or two, but I had a beer in my hand like I should have.

Number One Team Member

Just letting everyone know how awesome my Dad is. And just pointing out that he is the most legit racer on the team. Riding as the cyclist in a team triathlon in McCall, Idaho. I'm really proud of my Pop.

From the quality of this photo , you may not be able to make out the subtleties of this awesomeness. Always race with a Leatherman

Wir werden euch begraben

Seeing that the only Motordome business this summer is bike tours, I thought that I better start writing about the upcoming euro trip that I've been "planning" and will commence in under two weeks.

As some may know, I've been away and pursuing the academics at a liver bursting, beer gut expanding pace. Leaving Portland in February, I spent the rest of the winter in sunny Chicago land while the rest of the northwest enjoyed an unusually warm late winter (I know because everyone I could possibly know in the Northwest called to tell me about it). Chicago turned out to be quite good to me. I had to miss the end of the Blazer season but I made some good friends and I'm sure Motordome made some new fans.
...moving on..after two months in a class room in Chicago, it was off to Germany, Bavaria and weissbier...moving on..yeast...fermentation...beer...breweries...and on my way to being an applied biochemist (that sounds pretty technical, huh?)... the end is in sight.

With the end of July approaching comes the end of school and the rekindling of an old relationship with my bike. Months before I left Portland I had planned on biking Europe. no big deal. I invited everyone I knew or even sort of knew, and as the time went on, I was convince that I'd be rolling solo. However, two of the best dudes ever have pulled through and decided to get lost in the Alps with me; Buggy, the Motordome team bike mechanic and all around dirt-bag and Topher (Chris), first mate, ship's bosun and all around scallywag.
I have no idea where we are headed (probably over the mountains.) I'll keep you posted.

Motordome Scraper Crew Forming

Scrapertown from California is a place. on Vimeo.

Remember that time when we were AWESOME! Yes, yes I do.

Though I hate to embarrass any member of Motordome, I'm totally stoked that we were able to hook Damian up with a modeling gig for Ibex. Check it out at Ibexwear.com, and now... for a limited time as our Motordome fp banner!

I got a phone call from The Man, hey Michael, do you know anyone that wears a size Medium jersey and has a messenger look to them. The real deal, none of the poser shit. Hmm. Let me think about it, yes, yes I do... At least Damian didn't have to fly to Durango for this. I mean, who would actually enjoy going to Durango on the most epic mountain bike adventure of all time with a photographer, to get some product shots. Hmm... not me... Or you, right? Or anyone in their right mind. I'm not jealous at all, in no way, whatsoever, nope. Not me.

In other related new, Motordome has been extended an invitation for 2 days and 3 lovely nights in the resort town of Hood River... soon as we fix that radiator. A faraway land where beautiful girls promise to cook you delicious dinners and show you a night on the town. A place where photographer friends tell you, come, park your rig in the lot downtown, and I'll open up the studio for any accommodations that your 1974 Dodge Shasta might not afford you during your overnight stay. It will be a recon mission of sorts, of breweries, for Bobby. Yes, we're going, for Bobby, that's really the only reason... this all for Bobby, strictly work.

Because everyday you put off going to Hood River, is another day you're not in Hood River.

Will this lead to another granny attic slumber party with Home Movies... heaven help us if it does. Seven minutes in granny attic heaven!

Vision Quest

So, this dude, we will call him Doom, had this vision. In this vision, he saw friends, beer, mother nature, rafting, sand, big bikes with big tires, some more beer, smiles, and a moment in our lives so great that no photograph taken can render itself as an adequate representation of the levels of epicness that we would digest.

This was not what Rachel told me when I stopped by Ira and her place to pick up Kimberlyn's freshly tuned, ridiculous, purple Ira Ryan custom mixte in late April. Rather, it is what I understood. If you know Doom, you know there is no such thing as simple mountain bike touring. When I hear the words, "portable raft", "stupid", "really sandy section", "Canyonlands, UT", "Pugslys", and "Durango" out of Rachel's mouth, I know the former to be closer to the truth, mixed in with some tough hike-a-bike sections and some rough technical stuff as well. And we both decided right then and there to find out personally. I mean, no matter what, there was gonna be some serious "GN-shreddage!-AR" for sure.

So we plan. We find tickets to be a reasonable $330 round trip each with a $50 bike fee(which I used to its full 99.9 lb limit. 100.0 pounds apparently isn't gonna get by Durango air cops). We have racks built and borrowed. We cobble together a pack list. I realize I haven't been camping for about ten years save for Dee and Anne's wedding trip when I spent the night in Idiotville. I have nothing. I have three-ish weeks and it doesn't seem like enough time, but my drive to make it happen is greater than my initial preparedness, and somehow things come together.

It's a plan. It's gonna happen. A reunion of sorts. Last fall, Motordome™ associates Rachel, Bobby Birk, and I drove to Durango to meet up with another associate-Hazel, and Tim and Ian-messengers who rode to Mancos, just outside of Durango, from SF. I was stoked to be at my first mountain bike race ever, even though I only had a SS Cross bike. I hadn't ridden a mountain bike since 1998 when I reluctantly sold my bass boat blue Schwinn Homegrown to buy a new snowboard and some gear(which I ended up trashing thanks to the worst November/December on record at Telluride). Anyhow, I didn't care. I was having fun with people that just wanted to have fun. There were 1,100 or so people for the race, and the vast majority went to town with the color contest entry forms that were part of preregistration. There were legends, somebodies, and nobodies. We were all the same. Nobody was cool and nobody cared. It was like how riding in Portland used to be back in the 90's before we as a city became aware of how apparently cool our bike scene was. That trip resonated with us for several months. It's why we were going back. It's why Motordome™ is planning trips to Oakridge and Hood River sometime this summer. What's this? Yesterday, the MD was brought back from its winter slumber out near Mollala and parked in my driveway. Possible emergency shelter for Westside Invite X, the rig is set for weekend destruction of any and all sorts. The beast has emerged from hibernation. It's time to be fuzzarded to win it mode...

Velodrome clean up day

Here's an email I recently received from Mike Murray:

We are going to plan to have the annual Alpenrose Velodrome Clean Up day on
Sunday, April 11. I want to make sure that no one does this rather than
going to the Ice Breaker Crit but if you are not going to Eugene and you
want to give back to the bike racing community, hang around with friends
while not dressed in Lycra and help us get ready for the track racing
season, plan to go to Alpenrose Velodrome on 4/11. We will start at 9:00 AM
and be there until late in the afternoon or until we get everything done.
Come for all or part of the day. Plan to paint, pull weeds, put up sponsor
signs, clean buildings and transport the equipment we need out of storage.
We will provide lunch. Like most rack events, this will get rescheduled if
it rains.

Mike Murray

I did this last year and it was a lot of fun. Great way to get a start on your summer tan(bring sun screen because it can get hot out there!)

There should be the requisute track photo but I'm enjoying a vacation in sunny California so I thought I would just share a photo of that instead!

March Madness, no?

Not when you know you're gonna predict everything, like I am. Actually I effed some S up, but I'm eating cookie dough right now and don't really care about being "right" or "inaccurate". What do you have? Some lame brackets with a Little Debbie? Oh no, you're watching what you eat, and your brackets are falling off the hinges? Here's what the genius factory that is Motordome has laid down for this year's NCAA tournament.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/43058562@N04/sets/72157623648523342/

What Is the Price of Flight?

For the DOME of it. Enjoy!

shred alert

hey all, i'm doing the cascade cream puff july 11, 2010 if anyone's up for 100 miles of
shredding in the dope forest of oakridge. or at least lots of rad training rides. uh hum, damien, i hear you just set yourself up with some fat tires. wooo hooo!

Motordome Basketball, In Yer Face!!!

Oh WHAT?!!! Yeah, this is what happened yesterday. Wailing. We had enough for some three on three. It ruled, and for sure we're rusty, but it was a lot of fun. Made the Blazer game game afterward much more enjoyable. Saturdays...

The rumors are true.

So now that spring seems like it's in view, many of you might be thinking; "Hmm, I can't wait to start riding bikes." Well for those of you that really know whats up, the Motordome basketball team has been training hard and is well underway. If you think you have what it takes, bring your game face to Buckman this Saturday (and every other Saturday) at 1 pm!