Monday, March 31, 2008

A Hundy


Mongo's 100th post!
Keepin' the dream alive.

Shut The F*** Up



Variety of excuses made by Cervelo riding triathletes who
get schooled by Mongo.




1. I ran/swam before I rode.

2. I'm running/swimming after I ride.


3. I'm training in a specific heart rate zone.


4. I'm working on cadence.


5. I'm on a recovery ride.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

How Cool Is This ?

Mongo Pusher said...
Steve,I'm an old timer who still gets out and skates. Thanks for all you've done for the sport. I'm rockin' an Alva with ribs and a tailbone and, of course, Indy's. Watching guys like you and Mountain still ripping up a pool keeps me young.
March 29, 2008 1:45 PM
Stevie Caballero said...
Your very welcome and stoked to hear your still out there ripping! You know skateboarding is ...the fountain of youth:)
March 29, 2008 6:14 PM

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Unsolicited Props


I happened to run across the personal blog of Steve Caballero today. As a vintage skateboarder myself, I'm always interested in my contemporaries. This guy is a legend in the sport...He is also a family man, a Christian, an artist, an animal lover and a car enthusiast.
"Bartender...give me a Half-Cab on the rocks with a McTwist."

Karl Spackler Bent

We are all guilty of some bad judgement every now and then... or in Mongo's case, all the time. The difference is that I have the ability to foresee the outcome of said bad judgement. Mongo likes to call it Self-Fulfilling Stupidity.
I slammed on my skateboard today doing a snap turn into my driveway at 20mph on a wet road. I saw it coming before I started, but I did it anyway.
Elbow...hip...back...knee...head...hand...all damaged in some way.
"So I got that going for me...which is nice".

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Illegal In Nine States


I'm getting aroused!

Counting Sheep To The Rhythm Of The War Drum



Mongo did a solo 50 miles today. 18.7 average door to door. Not bad for a hot, windy day.

It's Nice But...


Why does it have to be so freakin' cheezy?
We all know that cycling legend, and one of Mongo's favorites, Andy Hampsten was a cornerstone of the 7-11 Cycling Team and left his mark on the Gavia Pass in the Giro in '88. But do you have to put all that information on a 20th anniversary commemorative jersey?
I'm sorry Andy...You deserve better!

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Ice Ice Baby


Mongo did a little night skateboarding this past Friday. Unfortunately, most people in the group were sporting contraptions eerily similar to the one on the left.

It may look like a skateboard...four wheels, trucks, deck, grip tape...but I can assure you that these denizens of speed are not skateboards. They are single-purpose vehicles made to go straight'ish and fast.

As a wise man once said(Styles Powerslide)..."If you can't skate a bowl on it, it 'aint a skateboard."

Word To Yo Mutha !

Occasionally Glancing Up Through The Rain

“Staying awake in the wake of the sun
Lost in the emotion of a cloudless sky
Brief moments in time that open your soul
Releasing the power of an unencumbered mind”

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Good Enough For Me And Bobby...Julich


There's no more of a polarizing word, or is it two words, in cycling than BIOPACE. Is it a misunderstood and mocked technology with real, unseen benefits, or is it just a bad idea... like the rapid-rise rear derailleur?

All I know is this...Mongo's '89 Diamondback Sorrento is rockin' full Shimano G400 with a Biopace triple. This hunk of metal is rusted and heavy, but it climbs like a Sherpa.

Who Would Have Thunk It?


Of the five former World Champions pictured above, who would you least expect to win Milan-San Remo?


Cancellara wins !!! (He is the rider of the year, so far)

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Prediction Sure To Go Wrong


The spring classic, Milan-San Remo, is this weekend and it's setting up to be a doozy. 298 k of hard riding with several semi-tough climbs, culminating in what is always a sprint finish involving the big hitters of the sport. Boonen...Petacchi... Freire... Pozzato.
Mongo is going with the team that perfected the lead-out, and their main man...PETACCHI !

Monday, March 17, 2008

Reaching Out To Embrace The Random


Every cyclist and skateboarder should have a tool box covered in stickers. They represent who we are, where we've been, and where we are going. Individuality and style mixed with irreverence and pride.

Redemption Songs


Mongo is back for another year...Irie!

Oh Danny Boy


Golf analyst David Feherty broke three ribs and punctured his lung when he was hit by a truck while riding his bicycle near his home in Dallas.
Mongo loves listening to the little leprechaun describe the action...especially at the Masters.
After confessing to twelve prior self-inflicted, bike-related accidents, maybe Feherty should give it a rest for a while.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Johnathan Livingston Seagull


“ A test of self-reliance in the absence of permission
The lone recipient of the consequences of decision
No collateral damage or incidental love
Sailing the world at the helm of the Dove”

Friday, March 14, 2008

Brimstone Baritone Anticyclone Rolling Stone


If truth be told, and it is, Mongo has been fairly depressed all week. Though there are a multitude of things in this world to be bummed about, this particular reason is because Mongo got "schooled" on his Monday group ride.

I ended up taking third out of about fifteen strong riders...but I was much closer to fourth than to second. The fastest guy in the group jumped me after I'd just finished a long pull, and I couldn't recover quickly enough to chase him down. To add insult to injury, Mongo's buddy, Boonen, caught his wheel and hung on for second.
Mongo was out-strategized...plain and simple. It won't happen again!

Who Can It Be Knockin' At My Door?


By executing perfectly what has become his trademark...Kind of like "Blue Steel" or "Shake n' Bake", Cadel Evans wheelsucked Robert Gesink up Mont Ventoux and then out sprinted him for the win.
Mongo does like Cadel but...Come on! All Wheelsuckers Suck

04:37 PM: Evans, Gesink and L'hotellelier
Are chasing back. Evans is not helping.(Actual Velonews race report)

Sunday, March 9, 2008

La Sagrada Familia




A work of art in any language...They'll set you back at least $500.00 new on Ebay.
Sadly, Mongo had a set of these on his Bahne in '81...Long gone!
Update...This set went for $730.00 !!!

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Mongo The Greek


J.J. Haedo wins again in the Tour of Murcia. (Like Mongo predicted)

C.S.C. is the team to beat when they bring all there guns to the Tour de France. They've got all the disciplines covered.

I've Got Chunks In My Stool Heavier


Leave it up to a German to come up with the most ridiculously light road bike...ever!

This thing weighs 3195 grams complete. That's 7.04 pounds.

I won't go into detail on how he got it there, but let's just say you'd need to be a mechanical engineer with friends in the Aerospace Industry...And have thirty large burning a hole in your pocket.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Graham Parker And The Shot



That was the name of the opening band when Mongo first saw Eric Clapton in concert. The year was 1986... and the place was Cameron Indoor Stadium on the campus of Duke University.
Pary Bus + Mushrooms + Beer + Weed + Bunch O' Idiots = Awesome!!!
At least I think I remember it that way...

Monday, March 3, 2008

American Psycho


“Pretentious in humility…allowed to underwhelm
Taken at face value…enigmatic to the core
Passing time in the mind…open all night
The pavement is dry…traction has been good”

I'll Decline When The Sign Says Over There


Civil disobedience has always been a cornerstone of Mongo's life. Like it or not, The Man and I have always had a rocky relationship. Question authority!...It's never a bad idea.

This past Sunday, Mongo went and skated the Piedmont Ditch for maybe the last time. Money and developers are swallowing up the surrounding areas, and the ditch itself has been fenced off and signed for weeks. This didn't stop Mongo and his fellow criminals. We found a way.

About ten people, including BMX'ers, ripped and shredded all afternoon. If that was to be the last session for Mongo at the ditch, then there was no better way to go out than by breaking in.




Don't Cry For Me, Argentina


Watch out all you Euro-Sprinters, (...and Robbie McEwen) there's a new Gaucho in town, and his name is Reggie Hammond...I mean J.J. Haedo.

Leg Cramp Or Burrito?


"Somebody...Pull my finger!"

Saturday, March 1, 2008

I Didn't Want To, But...


Mongo has always been mostly indifferent toward Triathletes and their contribution to cycling. I have always accepted the fact that the true racers view cycling as one of three equally important disciplines in their sport, and I usually leave those guys alone. Even with their Daisy Duke unitards and sports bras, that's their thing...so be it. Plus, those guys are in much better shape than Mongo, so a showdown would be a 50/50 proposition.

It's the other guys that bother me. The guy in the Disco Kit and aero helmet spinning in the granny ring...The guy with the Lemond clip-on bars on his '89 Univega...And the worst of all...The weekend warrior who's kinda' fast and has really nice equipment, but unfortunately is a pretentious prick. These guys deserve a good Smackdown.

Today, Mr. Castelli wearin', Cervelo P3 ridin', Mongo underestimating, Tri-Poseur...went down!