Onward Through The Fog!

Okay, yesterdayI tokk a look over the shoulder. Today, I'm peering into the murky distance and giving you all my twisted, slanted, and highly biased view of The Future! Kind of like those cheesy rags next to the super market checkout. (By the way, just what is so super about a supermarket anyway?)

Personal Ambitions and Goals: Well, all this hanging around Mr. 24 tends to rub off on you, so I may be lining up somewhere for a really long ride. Maybe something in Kansas, maybe somewhere else. Depends on lots of things like family, obligations I'm already committed to and how much I have to cover at the shop for Buchanondale and Mr.24. At least there will be several long rides put in whenever I can. As for the blog, I plan on getting as good as I can.

So, as far as a goal, I'd like to do a ride of at least 200 miles, self supported, and do it in a day. I'd also like to make this blog the most informative, entertaining bicycle related blog around, with a focus on 29"ers, mountainbikes, and endurance events.

The Future: As far as the twenty nine inch wheel goes, I'm quite certain that the category will get increasingly more interest from the mainstream cycling press. The demand will continue to grow. There will be more diversified offerings, as far as bicycle frames go. The component arena is a little slower to follow, specifically in forks and tires. The dearth of wide, freeride type twentynine inch tires will be remedied, but perhaps not until late in the year, at the earliest. Fork manufacturers are either hot for the 29"er, (Rock Shox, White ), or not, ( Manitou, Fox), and I expect it to stay that way for at least '06.

In our neck of the woods there are a few developements, that depending on how things go, could really pump some life back into the flagging mountain bike community here. The Boy Scout Camp at Ingawanis is looking like it might develope into a very fine area for mountain biking, perhaps one of the very best in Iowa. It's going to depend on us locals that care to pitch in to help make that happen, right Carlos? Look for future updates here. Also of interest, the Bike Tech racing team has an event or two planned that could possibly draw a few more locals into being active members of the mountain bike community here. We'll have to see how that goes.

Here is to a fine and happy New Year to all of you out there. I hope your future is bright, and that you meet all of your goals. Be safe, and keep the rubber side down! (That means you, Blue Colnago!)

See you next time. I'm taking the rest of the year off!