Twas the day before the Holidaze...

I must confess I've been a little more naughty then nice lately. The holiday is in full swing as I can tell by the string of hangovers from holiday office parties and other xmas season related debauchery. Now that getting down with co-workers is behind me I can focus on the business of bikes and beer. As most of you are aware the Holidaze alleycat is tomorrow and come rain or shine we will be at Pritchard Park tomorrow at 1:00. Bring your cans of food and the items on the listed on last weeks blog post and be ready for further instructions and to ride pedal at least 10 miles around the city.

The race will end where Industry Nine wheels are born (21 Old County Home Road, Asheville NC 28806). So if you want to leave a car and ride to Pritchard Park you can save yourself the hassle of pedaling back downtown in the dark. If you will be joining us strictly for the post race party, show up at Industry Nine (look for the Open House Signs and ballons) around 4:00 and have a beer. The party should be happening at I9 till 7:30 then the kegs will move to another location (most likely the Crow's Nest).

We hope to see you tomorrow.

Jut

The Holidaze is almost here..

The Holiday season is now upon us and Crow Nest Productions and the Pisgah Brew Crew are planning one hell of a good time. We are proud to announce the first annual Holidaze Alleycat - Scavenger Hunt. Well WTF is an alleycat scavenger hunt you ask, please allow me to explain.

We will converge on Pritchard Park at 1:00 on Saturday December 20th for an urban ride in which there will be a few mandatory checkpoints combined with a search for Asheville landmarks and other objectives, clues, and challenges along the route. If you take a shortest route possible you will ride approx. 7-9 miles so bring a bike or costume that can handle a few miles of pedaling.

The ride will most likely end at a location in West Asheville where food and various drinks will be served (more on this later if you want to drop a car). A keg or two of Pisgah Brewing’s finest will of course be in the house so get ready to party and dance into the night after riding your bike around the city for a few hours.

The ride is meant to be fun but speed and knowledge of downtown Asheville will certainly help and prizes will be awarded for fastest time and most points as well as other awards. The entry will cost you 5 cans of food that will be donated to a local charity.

What will you need to bring?

A bicycle and light.
A messenger bag or backpack.
Bike Lock
Pen and paper.
Digital Camera or camera phone.
A few bucks for drinks along the way.
A map of the city might help if you don’t know your way around very well.
A cell phone.
5 cans of food.

How it’ll work:
Meet at 1pm by yourself or with a team of 2 to 3 people and be given:
1. Set of clues to look for, either pictures, information, or objects
2. Clue to get to the first mandatory checkpoint.
First three to get to each mandatory and complete the task receive X points. Each objective will have a point value on it as well. At first mandatory checkpoint, follow instructions from volunteer. Pretty easy.. Show up, ride your bike and party.

Holiday Costumes encouraged.

Abundance and Bicycles

Thanksgiving weekend Asheville 08. You name it, I rode it, ate it or drank it. Bent Creek single track, dirt jumps, dual slalom, pump track, nighttime xc racing, urban assault, and girls on handle bars.

Word up to my Flint Street family for hosting the good times on Thursday and all my crew who brought feast and to a lovely lady who dropped off the good stuff. Nashville rock star J Massey and one of Missoula's finest, Jhen, were in Asheville so needless to say we rocked it out in between riding our bicycles for four days.

The first annual Gobbler race came and despite the weather and the hours of post race bike maintenance it will require, I had a blast. I opted out of the downhill due to not wanting to take all my bikes apart but I am sure people got muddy and crashed a lot. I had enough of it after the night time xc race and slept in on Sunday. Good venue, cool event, good people, bad weather, oh well, at least the weather couldn't be much worse next year.

Well, the house guest have left, the fridge is full of leftovers, and there is a half full keg of porter in my front yard. Thanksgiving just won't stop giving.

jut

T.M.T.O.M.H.

Well, Im a jet fuel genius - I can solve the worlds problems Without even trying I have dozens of friends and the fun never ends That is, as long as Im buying Is it any wonder Im not the president (hes not the president) Is it any wonder Im null and void? Is it any wonder Ive got Too much time on my hands, its ticking away at my sanity Ive got too much time on my hands, its hard to believe such a calamity Ive got too much time on my hands and its ticking away from me Too much time on my hands, too much time on my hands.


-Styx

lovely ladies micheal mooney on his tall mountain bike
credit: smmilleratcitizen-times.com

This weekend offered two totally different rides. Saturday I hit the Asheville Holiday Parade and partied/rode with the AOB (Asheville On Bikes) crew. The Pugsley got a make over and is now equiped with built in speakers and an exhust pipe that is hooked up to a bubble blower. Fun times.

Sunday offered some Dual Slalom and Downhill fun at the Headwaters Adventure Center in Brevard which is home to The Gobbler this coming weekend. The downhill trail will push anyone who isn't use to crazy steep and my years of bmx still didn't prepare me for the dual slalom. A little steeper than your average bmx track to say the least. This weekend should be interesting. At least there will be a good party. J Massey is coming into town, look the fuck out Asheville.

Fall Riding in Pisgah

I've been laying low and doing some amazing rides lately. Last Friday Ivory and I climbed up Laurel Mtn with 30 ft of visibility at all times to the Parkway and dropped Big Creek in the dark in the rain. We pulled off some amazing technical trails and were having a clean ride till we hit steps at the top of Big Creek. Slick covered in leaves at dusk in the rain they proved to be a good challenge. I barely escaped and Ivory took an amazing fall but lived to tell the tale.

Yesterday we did some early season snow riding in Pisgah. Good times, snow covered roots/rocks and baby possums.

Get out there and ride.

Jut

Get Swanky Yall.

What a difference a day and chatting with a few of the old school crew makes. The Swank 65 is this weekend and haven't really been getting excited about it until today. Several of the Yazoo Crew are heading to the mountains to join in the fun and Pillsbury is coming in from Chatty. Strength in numbers and good beer waiting at the finish line have me thinking about pedaling hard once again and seeing what I can take. I pulled off a third place finish in SS last year after pedaling my touring bike to the race from Nashville to Asheville in a few days. This year my training for the event consisted of riding everyday i could for two months, taking two weeks off, racing Double Dare, taking two weeks off and now then jumping in head first to the Swank. I have never had a training regimen (obviously) or a planed too far in advance when it comes to racing. I just get excited right before someone says go and a switch flips in me and it on. I think it comes from my years of racing BMX.

To "train" for BMX you simply rode as much as you could after school and on weekends with your buddies for fun and when it came time to line up on the gate you're cool and calm till the gate drops. When you heard that sound of gate hitting the ground, the race was on! I still have the same attitude when it comes to MTB Racing. I say I don't feel like going fast today, then when it's time to race I can't hold myself back.

So, I am once again looking forward to hanging with my friends and fronting with a lackadaisical attitude five minutes prior to racing. I will be thinking "I am going to ride with my buddies and just "chill" and enjoy the ride today" that is until someone says go and I take off. BMX roots never die, thank god.

Riders ready, watch the lights...


Jut Rut (aka Cru Jones wanna be)

What Happened? / What's Zappenin!

Wow, what an amazing past few days. Halloween weekend was more fun than a thirty something should have! Lots of people on bikes and good times at the Pumpkin Peddler. Have I mentioned that Asheville is a cool town to live in. A good 50 people plus were out in costume and taking it to the streets on Friday night. Then it was off to party with a few hundred more people at the Wedge post bike ride and the Brew Crew even got a gravel lot derby going. The competition was fierce and to my amazement nothing but our livers were injured. We had a number of good riders going for it and it came down to Adam and Marshall dueling it out in the gravel lot with Marshall taking the win from an owl on a fixed gear with skinny tires. Don't mess with the owl... Marshall was the proud winner of a RAD t-shirt which by the way are available. If you don't get the costume, I was Crew Jones for Halloween. Who is Cru Jones you ask, well he was only the coolest bmx kid to come out of 80's and main character in the movie RAD. If you want a t-shirt let me know and just like in the movie they are ten bucks and proceeds go to the RAD Racing Team also known as Pisgah Brew Crew. Pick one up and maybe I will get to race Hell Track.

Saturday was a rest day and there was a plan to lead a ride Saturday night on Farlow Gap. Bruce and I packed up the gear and made our way to the SORBA gathering at Cove Creek in hopes of keeping the party going and combining it with a downhill ride that would offer more opportunities for the type of destruction one should welcome on the Day of the Dead. Well, the SORBA crew is a great bunch but I think our need for a good time out weighed the need to climb to the top of Farlow and risk life and bike so we hung out for an hour or so and sampled some beer and chili and made our way back to town for the Day of the Dead Dance Party. It was a good call and the Apple Pie Shooters combined with killer dance tunes proved to be more fun than a potential hike out of Farlow Gap with broken bones, bike and camping in the cold with a bunch of dudes.

Tuesday was another reason to celebrate and a big high five to Obama, his staff, volunteers and supporters who made it happen. I am feeling better about the direction of the country and our place in the world already. I'm not expecting miracles from him (at least in the first term) but anything is better than the past eight years of right wing - neocon - world domination in the name of Jesus philosophy that president asshole brought to the table.

Alright, enough ranting. Well this weekend looks to be another good one. I am heading to Pisgah Brewing tonight to grab a keg of Organic Goodness for the race / gathering this weekend. Although I am not feeling like "racing" 42 miles in Pisgah on a single speed this weekend I signed up and paid my dues so I will be on the line and ready to do it come Sunday. The Swank 65 is a good race and hopefully my attitude changes and I find my legs when Todd says "GO". It doesn't help that I have a crew of friends heading up for the race and it's difficult to catch up with them as you bomb Farlow Gap. It also doesn't help that my roommate's band, High Windy, is playing Jack of the Wood on Saturday night and I have plans not to miss the show. Keep riding and keep rockin' good people, see you on the trail.

Jut Rut

Get out there and make something happen.

FOR CHANGE TOMORROW. VOTE TODAY.

Getting Rad in the Fall

Damn it is a good time to be in Asheville. Fall colors are rockin' and the Maple in my front yard looks like it's on fire. I am finally feeling back to normal after a good week of rest. The Double Dare took a little out of me and it took a few days of r and r to feel like getting back to business. While I was resting I did manage to put together my halloween threads. I won't spill the beans to anyone just yet but I will say it's going to be rad. I had a good first viewing at Si and Becky's Halloween extravaganza. Good times, awesome people, jello shots, dance party and a live performance of The Thriller video, wow.

Another fun weekend awaits and I am looking forward to the Asheville on Bikes - Pumpkin Pedaller this Friday and afterparty at the Wedge. If the P.P. is anything like the good times at Bike Love it is going to be a very fun event.

A good ride on Sunday at Dupont allowed me to purify myself after two nights of beer and dance parties (Happy Birthday Beth, good party!) with a ride in Dupont. Short but sweet ride with Park and Beth. Great trails, beautiful day, vibrant colors and hot tub beers post ride, word.

If you're in Nashville reading this I hope someone will hit this one for me.





There will be an alleycat happening in Asheville this December sponsored by the Pisgah Brew Crew so keep ear to the scene. News will be coming in the next few weeks.


As for the Harvest De Ocho... Well it is sad to report that plans didn't really come together in time to pull of the stellar event we had in mind so.. the plan is to postpone this one till we can make it the level of event that I am proud to put my stamp on. Instead we are poaching other peoples events with some minor throw downs.


First you can find us outside of the Wedge Party on Friday night for a Halloween Hell Derby at 10:00ish p.m. Seems like there should be a few people on bikes in one place drinking beer so why not have a derby. Prizes will be given (good ones) and bikes will be broken (maybe). Come join in the carnage and good times.


Second you will find some of the crew kicking it in Pisgah this weekend with the SORBA folks. There will be a Pisgah Brew Crew night ride taking place so if your there look for me and we will hit the trails for a Day of the Dead - Downhill of Death Ride that should scare the crap out of you. The action begins at dark-thirty at Cove Creek Campground. You have to be a member of SORBA (you should be anyways) to join in this one and register on their site to camp out so sign up and I will see you there.


Finally, we have a good man down who could use a hand. My man Scott Hodge had an unfortuate accident recently and with no insurance the bills are starting take a toll. Scott lives a lifestyle of bicycles and helping others and if you have ever met him you know he is the kind of person that would always give you the shirt of his back. Having experienced the pain of a serious injury while being uninsured myself I encourage you to at least send him some love and if you got a few bucks to spare he could probably use it more than you or I. There is a place to make a donation here. Get well soon brother...

Keep your head in the clouds, your wheels on the ground and rip it up this weekend boys and girls.

Jut

Double Dare. Done...

Double Dare is done. Pisgah Bruce and I spent the last two days riding over a 100 miles of Pisgah singletrack and climbing over 20,000 ft in the course of 20 hours on single speeds. We didn't make the podium but defiantly made up for it in style points (see pics). Considering this was my first Eric Wever event and my longest two days of riding in Pisgah done back to back I must say we did pretty good overall. By the time the weekend came to a close we hit 14 checkpoints and got both the bonus 1/2 point challenges that involed three things that we trained for daily on out tipe out west, BB Guns, Slingshots, and drinking beer. We covered some ground and finished with 15 checkpoints total however it was not enough to take out the studs that pulled off 1st, way to go Brad and Matt.

For me, it's not so much about winning this race as it is just riding your bike for longer than you would normally and taking routes you would never consider on a normal day in the woods. The race takes you "out there" both literally and figuratively and during the 20 hours on the bike I got to see parts of Pisgah the I not seen in a long time that brought back great memories and parts that I had never seen before. The Fall colors were awesome and I got to see it all on a bicycle! I couldn't have asked for anything more and the keg of Pisgah Pale Ale was a wonderful prize for everyone that made it back to camp each day. A big thanks to my sponsor for the killer beer and a shout out to Pisgah Bruce who took me on as his partner in such an awesome event. He called out a big day two when I could have happily called it a day after the 20 mile / 5,000 ft climb just to get your passport and start the race. I defiantly found the next level of mountain bike racing and think I will be happy hanging out here for a while.

To get into any kind of race report seems like too much work for now. So, I will just say that Eric and his crew of volunteers know how to throw a killer event. And, that I had a great time at your party.

Jut

This one's for the little guy...

It's time for the Pisgah Brew Crew to step it up. Our sponsor has taken the number one spot in the "Best of Asheville" as the #1 Brewery in Asheville. This is the first time a brewery has beat out Highland Brewing Company for the top spot in years. Way to go guys, keep making the good stuff and I will keep drinking it. Go Organic!


In other news my company, EcoHouse, has been climbing the ranks as well. Our small boutique office has gone from 45th in production and market share to 15th in the course of one year. Not bad considering we have about 10 agents and we are going toe to toe with offices of 50 plus agents. So give it up for the little guy doing it the right way. Go green!


Speaking of the little guy doing something right, I want to welcome our newest sponsor S.EX or Suspension Experts as they are also known. Kevin and Phil will get your suspension set up and have it back to you with the quickness and you don't have to mess with sending it off and having it sit in a line of shocks at some manufactures headquarters. Also, it pays to have someone who will listen to you and set up a shock well suited for your riding style. Go big!


With so many good sponsors and hopefully one more good one to come the pressure is on for the Pisgah Brew Crew to climb our way to podiums across the country and prove once and for all that you can win the party and get on the podium the next day. As I have said before "you must live like a rock star if you want to ride like one". See you at the Double Dare, we have a keg of the best Pale Ale around and a few other tasty treats for the winners. Be ready to rock.


Jut

rock n' fuckin roll

photo by sucka pants.

Double Dare training continues... saw these guys last night at a tiny club in Asheville. Woooh. If they come to your town, don't miss them. more pics of these guys live shows here.

It's nap time.

Jut

Back to the Basics

Getting back to basics here is Asheville. Mountain bike racing and the pursuit of a good time is what this blog is all about and that's exactly what I have been doing over the past week. I have been spending some time in Pisgah in preparation of the Double Dare. Although I have been riding the trails in Pisgah for almost 12 years now I must admit I am a little nervous about what I will encounter this weekend. Day one will bring up to 12 hours of suffering like I have never experienced then I have to get up on Sunday and be ready to start at 6:00 a.m. and do it all again. This will be my first experience with an Eric Wever event and he was cool enough to allow me to race this one having not done the PMBAR, I guess if you are holding the MBAMBW Title you can sometimes get around the rules. Plus, it's not like it's going to hurt the race promoter if I get in over my head, it will be me that will have to deal with the decision. I was feeling prepared both mentally and physically prior to the fun had at Thad and Hillary's wedding last weekend. The wedding was so much fun that as we were leaving and about to ride home on bikes I thought a freestyle maneuver was called for in the parking lot. Well, I now know it is not as easy as you might think to ride on to a car hood on a cyclocross bike. I looped out and came to a rest on the pavement rather quickly with my ribs crushing the can of redbull that was resting in my messenger bag. I don't think anything is broken but I know it's not right. The decision to race the single speed in up in the air and if things don't improve expect to see Jut racing a bike with gears for the first time in 5 years.



The decision to opt for gears and suspension instead of a single speed was only made more difficult after picking up the Maverick (not John McLame) from Suspension Experts last week. Kevin should be given a medal of honor for saving my bikes life and bringing the suspension back from the dead. The Maverick went into battle over the last few months and came out with PTSD and several broken bones. Kevin returned it to me in better shape than when I bought it. The boys over at S.EX know what they are doing and I have learned that a rigid bike is more fun than a suspension bike that doesn't work like it should so do yourself a favor and let Kevin and give your ride some love if your shock not up to par.



Other notes, if you didn't know the Black Keys kick ass! The boys rocked it out at the Orange Peel. They are the single-speed version of rock n' roll if I ever heard it. Just what you need and nothing more.



Speaking of single speeds and rock n roll... The Harvest De Ocho is on! It will be going down on the Day of the Dead, actually the night of the Dead, 11-1-08, in Pisgah Forest. This one's free so bring a bike, a bright light, a costume, and cup for beverages. Details to come soon.



One more thing before I go. As you may have noticed I am racing for a new beer team. Pisgah Brewing has deemed me worthy of sponsorship and will be keeping riders from going thirsty at all of our future events and at Double Dare this weekend. I want to first thank Yazoo Brewing Company for all the good times and good beer they have donated me and the crew over the last few years. We did what we intended to do and changed the Nashville Cycling Scene for good and I know the boys back in Nashville will keep the fire burning and the beer flowing (hey somebody throw an event in Nashville). However, since it is a long drive to have a pint of Yazoo I had to do something and Pisgah Brewing Company saw the vision and embraced it. Check out the new site and be sure not to plan anything for weekend of Nov 1-2, it's going to be good.



Keep it rocking,



Jut

So here you go. To wrap up the "Right Time, Right Place Tour" here are a few stats and a lot of photos.

Days on the road - 61
Days on the bike - 51
Miles of the road- approx. 13,100
Times we saw it rain - 2
Nights sleeping on the ground - 50
Hotels- 0
Paid for camping - 4
Showers taken - 14
Serpentine belts on the Subaru - 3
Oil change - 1
# of beers consumed - my liver doesn't want to know.
Dollar menu burgers - way too many.

Basically it was two of the best months of my life and I can't wait to do it again next year. Look out Durango, we're coming for ya in 09'.

Enjoy the pics.

Jut Rut



I live a hard life...

Bruce and I rounded the bases and made it back to home base safe and somewhat sound. Wow, what a trip it's been. Two months and 13 thousand miles later I sit here at the Crow's Nest typing on my ole desktop. I made it without breaking any bones or being arrested and that says a lot.The trip back home was quite an event in itself after wearing myself out day after day for two months. After taking two relaxing days hanging out in Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Forest, we power drove from Cheyenne Wyoming to Nashville TN then proceeded to hook up with Ivory at the High Noon Hollow for some much needed R & R. Instead pf getting any rest we rallied one more time and partied with the M'boro crew till 4 am after getting an hour and a half of sleep the night before. We woke up, went caving then proceeded to make the drive to Pisgah for one more night of camping and a day of riding. We pulled into Pisgah at 1 am and setup camp for the last time. Woke up had a little target practice then proceeded to hit the home trails. I can't describe the feeling of having the tires back on some Pisgah Singletrack but I will say that this place is home.

Bittersweet is the best way to describe the feeling I have today. It is great to be back home with friends, my dog, a bed and other conveniences but after a good night sleep I am already missing the feeling of wondering what is around the next corner. Fortunately I live in a beautiful place with enough good people and good trails to satisfy that craving each day. The trip back was a perfect winding down type of experience with a few more wild ones thrown in for good measure and to make sure I got my fill. So it will be nice to relax and make plans for the next one. I have plenty of good ideas to keep me busy here for a little while and it's my favorite time of year to hanging in the mountains of NC. With new sponsors Pisgah Brewing Company and Ecohouse look for more quality events to be coming from ole Jut Rut and crew. The Enduro De Ocho was just the beginning to what will be some kick ass events coming out of the Asheville area and with this trip under my belt I have a few new tricks up my sleeve.

As for the journey I just had, there is no real end in sight. Life just keeps on coming for all of us and it is up to you to keep your eyes open and see it as an adventure or as a daily grind. Well, I'm not going back to the grind any time soon. I don't see enough happening to keep me very busy in the Real Estate sector so it is the perfect time to sharpen a few more skills that I have been letting slide during the past 8 years of easy money. So, it's art projects and bike event promotion while the fallout occurs from the bomb that has just gone off in the financial and real estate markets. Yes, life is good and once again the timing has come together for ole jut rut. And with a clear head and an open heart I feel like I am just getting started in a new town. The cobwebs are gone and I can't wait to see where the next few months take me. More later, I need a nap.

Keep the fire buring.

Jut