Before the Deluge ...

The forecast calls for rain today, tomorrow, the day after that ... So, we headed out this morning on our new fixed-gear machine and got in some miles. More photos here.

Napa Valley in the Morning ...

... is epecially nice when viewed from the saddle of a fixed gear bike. Click here for more photos.

A New Fixie

Variety is nice ... and with that thought in mind, we've built up a second fixed gear bike to train on for the Big Fix. Photos and some background (it's pretty interesting) are here

Flying Fixies: Butterfield DC Results Posted

Results from the Butterfield Double Century have been posted here. I finished 46th out of 146 finishers (175 riders started) and third of the three fixed gear riders. Rider organizers Planet Ultra said this about the ride:

Last year, after torrential downpours all day, those who braved the storm affectionately renamed our event, "Butterflood" and, well, the name sort of stuck. A bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy, we think.

They came. It rained. And those die-hard double riders who just HAD to start their season off last Saturday, got pretty wet, and very cold, for the better part of the morning. Their perseverance paid off though! The sun came out and riders enjoyed beautiful Southern California sunshine all afternoon!

Butterfield Photos!

Photos from the Butterfield Double are now online! Click here for our visual report from the ride.

Back to Butterfield

Our fixed-gear training schedule for the Big Fix this year included today's Butterfield Double Century, which we rode on our fixed-gear Quickbeam (finishing a few hours ago with a total time of 14 hours for 200 miles with 9-10,000 feet of climbing). Great training, and not quite as wet as last year's Butterfield. Photos soon ... now we need sleep!

Back to Butterfield

Our fixed-gear training schedule for the Big Fix this year included today's Butterfield Double Century, which we rode on our fixed-gear Quickbeam (finishing a few hours ago with a total time of 14 hours for 200 miles with 9-10,000 feet of climbing). Great training, and not quite as wet as last year's Butterfield. Photos soon ... now we need sleep!

Off to See the Wizard!

We visited the workshop of top frame painter Joe Bell today--what an amazing place. JB's workshop is chock-full of frames from pretty much every top framebuilder, as well as JB's own masterpieces of paintwork. To see photos: click here

Before we left, JB also donated to the Big Fix! Thanks, JB!

Train, Train, Train ...

... or, in this case, "plane, plane, plane." Tomorrow morning, I'm heading for the airport (at o-dark a.m.) to fly to Southern California. The Butterfield Double Century happens down there on Saturday, and Mojo Cosgrove and I will be riding it on our fixed gears. 200 miles with about 8,000 feet of climbing--but hopefully not the torrential rains that turned last year's Butterfield into the "Butterflood" double (see my photos and ride report here).

Welcome to the Campy Only Big Fix Blog

This summer, I will be riding a fixed-gear bike over 1,000 miles across four western states to help raise awareness of Histiocytosis, a rare and usually fatal disease that strikes about 4 in 1,000,000 persons (usually young children). Riding a fixed gear bike means riding without shifting gears, and without coasting--as long as your wheels are turning, the pedals are moving. It's old-fashioned and very old school; it's also very difficult. We've chosen to ride fixed-gear bikes because it's hard, partly to mirror the difficulties and struggles that face the families around the world face every day.

I'll be using this blog in the months leading up to the Big Fix (at www.fixhistio.org) and during the ride to let you know how our training is going, and how we're doing during the event itself. Check back often, and don't forget to visit my sponsorship page at fixhistio.org to donate on my behalf.

Thanks!