We’ll pretty much race you at anything. Especially if it has ANYTHING to do with bikes.

Part of Mobo‘s annual fundraiser this year was a bike build where teams were challenged to assemble a bike with the highest integrity the fastest. Each team was given a bucket of parts, a stripped frame, and a few tools to do the job. Lined up against three other teams from bike shops, punk houses, and co-ops, Scott Pardi and I were ready to put our mechanical skills to the test.

We put our heads down, made a bunch of mistakes, took a few whiskey shots, and only twelve minutes later had built a ride that most people would have loved to own. Hot damn that was fast!

We were feeling pretty proud of our teamwork and the bike that we built. Especially when we … Read More »

Suffering is above, not below.

And everyone thinks that suffering is below.

And everyone wants to rise.

-Antonio Porchia

My parents make fun of me for bike racing.

They roll their eyes when I talk about epic rides. They think its ridiculous when they hear how much money I spend on equipment. They see me and laugh at my tight fighting, obnoxiously colored uniform. I enjoy the criticism. For me, taking a comedic blow every once in awhile is a small price to pay for their undying support. My parents have earned the right to tease me. No matter what they say, I know that they always have my back when it comes to bike racing. And whether they like the sport or not, I know that it will always play some positive part in all of our lives.

I’d just like to thank my parents for a few specific things:

1 – Buying my first race bike! Freshman year of … Read More »

Wow! Feeling totally overwhelmed about the generosity of this year’s sponsors coming through for Team Hungry. I’m really feelin’ the love here!

Our sponsors are what keep us going, and thanks to all of them, we can keep biking on our merry way! These companies are supporting Cincinnati cycling, and we think they need some support in return.

Campus Cyclery: Our favorite Bike shop. Duh! These guys have been with us since the beginning and have been an amazing support to the team. Go there. Get your bike all fixed up and pretty like.

Cincy Bike Rentals: Want to travel to Cincinnati to test your skills against Hungry? Don’t want to bring your bike? Cincy bike rentals has your (and our) back!

Park+Vine: Another sponsor veteran! Returning with us for year 3, this business does everything it can for the local bike … Read More »

Found some great photos from USGP Day 2. Alex is holding first place wheel for the first 2 laps. MC looks strong through the twistys.

A few weeks ago Alex called me – “Wanna go to Portland USGP?” – of course I did!

I barely have a job, and my bank account is diminishing since my high roller days in an office, but it doesn’t matter. When a buddy ask you to go race in Portland, you just have to make it work. The opportunity to race through the infamous mud and roaring crowds is something that a cyclocross racer cannot turn down.

We arrived in Portland Friday and stayed with an original Hungarian – Brentus Momentus. He hooked us up with his single speeds to race with so that we didn’t have to pay the exorbitant shipping fees for our own bikes. We went to the veloshop to build up the bikes. This is Molly Cameron’s shop so we got to drool over her … Read More »

I need a good morning of pre-gaming (moonshine & bikes) before closing myself indoors for a few hours with the family during the holidays. Many people share this sentiment. Team Hungry usually heads for the mountain bike trails every Thanksgiving, but Corey Green’s rain dance brought mud and an impromptu cyclocross race that we couldn’t resist.

The race began with a track-influenced qualifier – Miss-N-Outs – where groups of five weaved around a small bunch of trees. The last person around on each lap was removed until you had a winner. The catch: if you were first on any lap, you had to take the mandatory desert hand-up (see below).

Starting order of the main event was determined by the qualifier and Corey Green’s discretion. Racers were released in heats based on some six-sigma algorithm that was worked out in seconds before … Read More »

The Beginning of cross season and the OVCX series hits hard: Two days of back-to-back racing at Kingswood Golf Course in Mason, Ohio. With a more difficult course and significantly more entrants than the prior year, everyone was dancing to the tune of competition.

The Course: It was DRY. I think I am still coughing up dust three days later. The course include several long, sweeping off-camber turns that you could hardly pedal through. The standard set of barriers. One wheel-eating sandpit. And their self-acclaimed sha-zand, a confusing sand pit that looped through a densely wooded section. The course was run in a different direction each day.

There was so much going on this weekend that it is difficult to write about. Here are the weekend Stats:

Three Top Fives

Two Podiums

Eleven Races

Two newbies

8 dust covered grins

Not bad for round one of the OVCX … Read More »