and repeat

Been doing more of the same the past few days; getting out in the afternoon and snowshoeing with the last couple of days being especially rewarding. Monday there was a heavy snow fall while I was out which made for some stunning visuals. Yesterday there was a heavy fog and mist which clung to the landscape and at times obliterated the distinction between the snow and the horizon. Add wood smoke from nearby homes to the fog up in the hills and the scene was pretty magical. Home made chili is also pretty damn magical. Winter may not be my favorite season but when it's like this I can live with it, no problems.

same motor, different method

No denying that winter is here for a while and while that may make the H8TRville Parkway a snowmobile super highway, it doesn't mean there aren't other ways to get from here to there or here to nowhere with different methods. Today I took the snowshoes out for some deep woods exploring around the H8TR Ranch hill country and it was not a disappointing experience. Bright sunshine filtered through rows and rows of conifers and oaks with deer, raccoon, squirrels, rabbit and coyote tracks everywhere. Every once in a while I'd hear or catch sight of a motorized sled buggy tearing through the cornfields but from where I was it was a solitary existence. A good workout too! Have been taking the shoes out for some lunch time hikes in the woods around the mothership and have heard peeps saying the snow wasn't deep enough or was too crusty for snowshoeing. Fine, you wait for the perfect wave to come, I'm happy out here in the chop.

The new year approaches and that means I'm starting to hear the still soft rumblings of hate under the snow.....

Winter Time H8T

Can it really be hate when you love what you do? Think not. After a good dusting of snow last night and this morning it seemed this afternoon would be ripe for a ride on the H8TR a.k.a. County Road H8T or Hwy H8T since its renovation over last summer.

Has it really been June since the last post here? I guess it has but that certainly doesn't mean that there hasn't been all sorts of bicycle chicanery going on out here in Haterville. The changes to the H8TR Trail have been major, not all bad, not all good but the end result has been a lot of traffic on the trail- bikes (all types of cycles and riders), runner, walkers and ummm...in-line skaters (not judging....well not trying to anyway). Crazy when I think of when for the last few years it's just been me out in the weeds and dirt and then I pass a couple recumbents out enjoying the day in that very same spot. Lots of peeps loaded down with camping gear too! Stealth bike camping yo, sounds like a good way to go.

I've been scouting some camping spots and more importantly scouting possible H8TR locations. There's a plan, but it's a long way a for sure and there's a lot of work to be done.

But let's get back to today. It looked as though someone had already had the same idea as I had as I followed two sets of cx width tire tracks into town. For the most part with the H8TR covered with 3 to 4 inches of fine powder, the riding was good from Haterville to Purcell. After that it was follow the snowmobile tracks which is a little less than good. Noticed there was a snowmobiles prohibited sign up at the entrance to the paved section of the H8TR, but hey at this point, for the moment I figure "fair enough" considering how all summer I ignored the "Bike Path Closed" signs during the renovation. Long as I don't have to dodge a 60 mph chunk o' metal, plastic and bear food hurtling at me on the trail then we're good.

The trail was pretty sweet and on the way back I was treated to a fantastic golden sun set filtering through blowing snow. A couple good sized owls flew with me for a few yards as well. At some point this being Wisconsin and it being winter, the trail will get a little deep for riding and I'll need to dig out the snowshoes, but for now I'll ride.

Speaking of which, I picked up a new (to me) steed this last week. My cross bike for the last few years, Old Black has begun to get a little long in the tooth so he's been retired from active race duty and replaced by a newer version of the same model. We're in the bonding process at the moment but I think we're a good match. A little lighter and stiffer, a little different geometry, same rider, let's go! And while we're on the subject of better equipment for a still marginal rider, if anyone has a line on a "cheap" set of aluminum tubulars let me know.

Holy damn this has been a long post but it's been some time too. Finally, anyone who really knows me, knows that music is a major part of my life so as something to while away the winter hours I'll say that if you have access, BBC6 radio via the interweb is a good wealth of sound and in particular The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show, Jarvis Cocker's Sunday Service and Guy Garvey's Finest Hour. Plus a ton of other good shows and radio like they don't have over here. Hells yes!

TRUNT #3! or Goodbye H8TR

So I suppose I should give a short account of the proceedings- Zack, Colin, Lylez and myself took off from Cognition World Headquarters on Saturday at noon and following a crudely drawn map made our way to the Southwest Bike Corridor where our first stop was in that swampy mosquito haven behind the cemetery and golf course on Something Something Speedway or whatever it's called. There, Trunter of honour Lylez found treasure of a mysterious nature! Then it was on to Pirate's Peak where were set upon by more mosquitoes and had the our first siting of the undercover narc posing as a a not quite convincing undercover narc. I think he may have been trying to bust a meth ring at the Dry Bean but we probably looked like easier pickings. All Saturday morning while planting treasure I kept running into old people who probably thought I was doing a drug drop. After finding a Benny Hill VHS tape, bottle rockets and porn buttons we received a message that there were miners trapped in a cave and that we were the only ones who could rescue them so we were off. But first we had to find treasure at the stagnant holding pond down the road from Pirate's Peak. We found berries!!!! Zack was pleased! Jah had provided! The next clue sent us across the highway to the quarry where Lylez found an ammo box full of Red Lantern Lightning Firecracker (300ct). At the quarry we were flayed by thorns, forded small streams and went all aggro on the gnarl. Yeah! We doubled back on the "Gimme Yer Goddamn Money Nature Lover" Bike Path and made a quick stop at the PDQ where Zack got a Mexican pop sickle (made in the USA), Colin dropped his banana, Lylez probably got blisters and I got two cookies (thanks Lylez).

Then we went to the H8TR trail and hate was all any of us could feel once we saw what the Nom Nom Nom machines had done to our beloved playground. Fuck, all I could think of was a napalm strike in Nam. Nary a tall grass, flower, sapling, branch or brush left standing. The standing water we rode through was actually verging on hot which made this once paradise feel even more hellish. I'm all for progress and forwarding cycling but this was evil, thoughtless and soul crushing. I did find it something of a tribute to all of us that they actually put up barricades that said "Bike Path Closed" because I doubt any of the "normal" folk who ride Seminole in the Saturday/Sunday Pelloton ever thought about riding the H8TR. Every once in a while small swatches of the sweet well worn in cinder and dirt single track would emerge from the downed foliage and tractor tire tracks and for that 10 or 20 feet it felt like you were flying and it was all okay but then soon enough you'd hit a washboard of Bobcat tracks and brush and you'd be back to slogging you way through. Once we got past Cty M we found mining equipment hidden under the bridge. We took a short break while contemplating dehydration and while Colin's back unknotted. On that small bridge there was a small remaining bit of overgrowth that sheltered us fro m the direct sun and reminded us of times past on the untouched H8TR. But word came soon that the miners were really in trouble and needed our help desperately. We got to Juggelo Parkway Bridge and Lyle using keen sense of deduction found the miners but alas they were cold so all we could do was drink their remains and then seal the cave with explosives procured at the quarry.

Then we heard that there were older seasoned miners that had somehow gotten themselves trapped under a train trestle by the In-Seyne Clown Highway so we were off again back down the H8TR. Just as we got to the Cty M bridge that had given us refuge jsut a while before, Lylez got a flat and again we hid under the overhanging branches of Haterly love. Thank you H8TR Trail. Tire fixed we headed into a suburban hellish nightmarescape with buildings and houses built in the middle of nowhere for no apparent reason other than it was probably nice farm land or wetlands at one point or another. Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Public are fuckwits and dupes and deserve their mortgages and hateful children. We found a nice abandoned railroad with a gravel road running beside it, that were it 10 miles longer might serve as a pale pale replacement for the H8TR but as it was it was stuck at the fringe of the surburban hellmare and was maybe a mile long so sorry no soap on this one. But we did find the miners and more berries! These miners were cold as well so down the hatch miners!.

Then we took the Cap City trail home, beaten, scarred, dehydrated and more than a little sad that the H8TR is now just a memory, a few pictures, some video and a lot of good stories and myths.
Good Night sweet H8TR Trail.
The trunt will go on though.

R.I.P. H8TR Trail

we'll miss you.

Trunt the 2nd!!!

The second Trunt of the season took place last Saturday with Colin as the chief treasure hunter for this round. This time there were a couple of deviations off the H8TR trail including a stop off to the H8TR Ranch where Cinder Loo the Treasure kitten did her best to charm the plunder seekers. Along the way a black wizard shot spark sticks from the top of his head, several Miners were rescued from a mining accident, "Roadhouse!" was yelled at unsuspecting passersby, a Juggalo trap was tripped but the game got away and Yakety Sax was listened to at various speeds with each stretching the boundaries of infinity. Yeah you heard me.
TRUNT!!!

The H8TR SAVES!!!

I was out on a road ride last Saturday that turned into a 40 mile slugfest against a stiff south wind (stiff? hell it almost pile drove me into the pavement a couple of times!). Fortunately my old pal the H8TR Trail bailed me out for the ride back to Haterville. Despite the 700 x 23s combined with the rocks, cinders and sinkholes that go with the H8TR, the ride was smooth and one hell of a lot less windy. The picture is a road treasure I found in the gutter while cutting east through the outskirts of Madison. Look! It's even autographed by a h8tr!

TRUNT!!!

Yarrrr!!! TRUNT!!!

a picture's worth a lot of hate

H8TR pix are up!
more soon!
link us up with yours PLEASE!
well done everybody!!!

The H8TRs Red Glare

a full recap once the dust has settled and the cats are fed but for now here are the final standings of yesterday's H8TR100 (and a big well done to everyone who rode and to all our volunteers):

Womens
1. Meghan Korol
2. Claire Canon
3. Katy Steudel
a carbon copy of last years results

Mens
1. Marko Lalonde
2. Corey Stelljes
3. Matt Gehling

Fastest Single Speed: Joe Curtes

DFL: Candy

Tandem: Ruckus and Colin

Most Dapper: Jon Kendziera
Flat King: Nate Jacques
Most Hardcore/Heroic ride, 3 way tie: Joe Curtes, Mike Curtes, Cory Gwin

Team trophy: Team Polska

sugar shirt sharp!

our pals from Team Polska printed up some dandy limited edition H8TR shirts. Truly things of beauty.

2 days till go time

AHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!!!!!

Cap That H8T!!!

Just wanted you to know that our pals Lyle and Kelly at Cognition have made some special edition H8TR cycling caps and they are available now! In the past couple years Cognition has made some very limited edition caps that were given away as prizes for the H8TR, but this year they've stepped it up and will make them available for all to order, so even if you're not doing the H8TR you can still pose like a champion and say "yeah....I was there." I've seen them in person and those hats are SWEET! Pictures below and a description in full here. And while you're at it check out their other hats. Lyle and Kelly are masters at what they do (the winter faux fur hat was my hat of choice during the cold months this last year), their hats are stylish on and off the bike and they're damn fine people too! Thanks Cognition!!!

Trail Conditions Are Perfect!!!

H8TR #1

and the reports just keep coming! Friday last year's womens H8TR100 champ Meghan Korol went out for a solo jaunt along the trails of H8T and this what she had to report:

I felt the hate today....

my plans for a full H8TR recon yesterday with Dave were shifted to a hilly road ride so I decided to head out on my own this afternoon. I left the shop just as the clouds came rolling in. the unfinished portion has a lot more rocks than I remembered, a bunch of small dead things and some big holes to look out for. it also has thorns and branches that will slap you and make your shins bleed. once on the gravel the trail conditions are very, very fast...hard to believe that only a few days ago it was a power sucking trail of slush and misery. this was the first time I've ridden it on something other than slicks but I imagine those would be fine for the gravel sections. As I approached the tunnel, the wind picked up, the temperatures dropped a ton and it began to rain. All of the ice is completely gone and the conditions near the tunnel are pretty sloppy. The empty bottles of Faygo along the trail led me to believe that the sounds inside the tunnel were from juggalos and not pigeons, so I did not go inside...

Scenic Wonders

3 time H8TR and good friend of ours Nils (NILS!!!) discovered the one and only business in H8TRville and it's a fine place to refresh one's self after a hard day of hating.

Fact: Dot's Tavern celebrated its 60th anniversary two years ago (yes 60 years!). H8Ting is our business and H8Ting is good!

Another Recon Report

Sketchy and Megan went for another recon ride last weekend and here's Dave's report. The last few days have probably dried things up quite a bit but this weekend has rain and SNOW in the forecast so it's anyone's guess what the course conditons will be like in April! HA!

recon sesh vol 2, 3/15..

rode out via a paoli hill loop to the driveway on sayles trail after we rode over the trail on the sun valley bridge. once on the hate we went south back to the bridge to check out some garbage dumped off the road on to the trail.. looked like an old window ac unit, or some shit like that. once we determined that the detritus was of minimal consequence, we headed to henry rd to say we went to bosco. the trail was light years beyond the condition it was in when ruck and i rode that purcell > driveway stretch less than two weeks ago. south of the driveway to henry was generally in good shape all things considered. some wet spots, kind of slow. trail tread ranged from smooth to rough with foot prints and animal paws. north of the driveway to purcell was a totally different story. snow and ice remain with almost no firm spots. wet, slow to limiting me to the small ring and the low range of my cassette. as the trail rose in elevation nearing purcell, the last 60m dried out, but the tread roughened.

any riding should be done on cx tires.. meghan and i were on 23's again and they dig in way too much..

on thursday, my next recon, i'll be mounting up some michelin mud 2's and headed to the tunnel.

Conditional

A short recon out to the Tunnel of H8T yesterday revealed that winter still has a stranglehold on the H8TR Trail despite the warmer temps and rain. The entrance to the tunnel is clear for about the first 40 yards and then there's this slight ice obstacle. Really never seen it quite as formidable as this before so the next few weeks could be crucial to course conditions. Said it before, we'll say it again "we pick the date, but not the weather."

2010 M-B-B H8TR100 Roster of H8T!!!

Here it is, the not quite complete roster for the 2010 H8TR100! Still getting a couple names trcked down which why it's not quite complete, but DAMN with a roster of talent like this you'll wonder how much more hate we can fit in!!!

Madison-Basco-Madison H8TR100 2010 Roster of H8T

Carlos H.- H8TR vet
Joseph Spencer- one ½ of the Spencer tag team and OG M-B-M H8TR
James Ira Spencer- the second half and also an OG H8TR
Trevor K.- MBM vet
Marcin Nowak- part of another two brother team and Polska mainstay- h8tr vet
Maciej Nowak- the other brother in the Nowak Polska pain train- two year h8tr vet
Scott V.- unknown to the h8tr but not unknown to dirt and suffering
Ben F.- h8tr vet, master printer of h8tr shirts and posters
Andrea W.- year #2’s DFL but only just!
Katy Steudel- consistent top three finisher in the last two h8trs- be afraid
Leah - master metal bender, rack wacker and h8tr vet
Ahren R.- you can’t play his banjos but you can play on them- h8tr vet
Jack B- sidelined last year by doctor’s orders- this year it’s on!
Cory G.- winner of the 1st h8tr, top 3 2nd year, rode the farthest last year
Russel J.- Shedmaster or shred master- you decide. 2 year h8tr vet
Ron K.- RONCO!!! 3 rd year of h8t he’s an OG h8tr!
Matt G.- He took 2nd last year, this year 2nd best ain’t good enough!
Claire C.- Claire took 2nd last year and she HATED it!
Travis B.- 100k is a mild warm up for this long distance warrior! H8tr vet
Jason H. - another distance specialist and h8tr vet
Luke BC- the man they call LBC! LBC! LBC!
Nate J.- returning h8tr and winner of last year’s “flower vase”
Cale W.- winged horse master and 2 year h8tr vet
Ryan S- he returns to h8t again and again and again!
Jesse Lalonde- 3rd the first year, 1st place last year, designer of h8tr shirts and posters, brother #1 of 3
Lylez H.- ½ of the Cognition team that keeps out h8tr heads warm and 3rd place last year, 2 year vet
Megan K.- 1st place h8tr in 09. 2010 repeat?
Geoff B.- rookie, but he knows Matt B. so anything could happen
Marko Lalonde- yikes it’s bro #2 in his first h8tr. darkness at the end of the tunnel
James Lalonde- young blood is brother #3. Unfair advantage? Aww hell yeah!
BJ B.- returning for his 3rd h8tr. Never have enough h8t can you?
Kristin R.- another returning h8tr from last year.
Jason B.- as sure as the spring, Jason just keeps coming back each year
Tim B.- 3 year h8tr vet. Hates rhymes with Bates, what more do you want?
Rob H.- they call him Sugs and he’s back for more h8t
Candy- Candy goes with Sugs and who were we to argue? H8t!
Rick W.- this one h8tful cupcake! Are those metal filings in the frosting?
Devin C.- Devin was first on our doorstep ringing the doorbell saying LET ME IN! h8tr vet x2
Sketchy Dave- having a h8tr without Sketch Brah is almost unthinkable!
Ruckus- having a h8tr without Ruckus IS unthinkable!
Corey S- single speed? Maybe. H8tr? To be sure!
Jon K. another h8tr regular, builder of frames and sporter of snazzy fenders
Ben C.- we calls him Bin, he comes from Oklahoma, he knows about h8t
Ted B.- wisco cx regular, 1st time h8tr
Nils G.- NILS!!!! 1st h8tr bike from the dumpster, last year a custom built. Call him Silky.
Ben P.- cross monster takes to the h8tr like a duck to water. And mud. And snow. And ice
Tim S.- Tim is sponsored by a brewery. We are jealous.
David Z.- David had 3 flats on last years h8tr and HE STILL FINISHED! That’s some full on H8T!!
Sam K.- Sam returns for more h8t. Will there be enough h8t to go around?
Craig J. - returns for the third time
Jeff F.- the Revolution will be pressurized!
Christian B.- Christian returns for a second helping of h8t
Sebastian C.- Sebastian wasn’t happy with just one h8tr, well neither were we. Welcome back Seb!
Ian S.- feels he hasn’t hit rock bottom yet. We can fix that.
Neil S.- cx regular and part of a husband an wife entry
Cathy S.- Cathy being the wife part of that team. The family that h8ts together….
Bob C.- 1st year h8tr
Dan E.- Dan says he’s handsome. 1st year h8tr
Dave P- Dave puts on a gravel road race in Illinois. What’s not to like about that?
Robert Zach T.- Robert is from Chicago. Boy there are a lot h8trs from IL
Josh A.- has a blue single speed. That’s sounds good to us.
Matt W.- another Chicago Pegasus member- not enough hate in IL? We got plenty!
Eric L.- Eric is a 1st time h8tr
Colin E.- oh my this man is ginger bearded super nova of h8t!
Mark B.- Mark returns for his 3rd h8tr and he’d do more if there were more!
Andy H.- Andy will also be returning the h8t…..with interest!
Brandon S.- more h8t from team Pegasus. The h8t that made Milwaukee famous!
Mike Curtes- Mike broke his fibula 2 weeks ago playing hockey. Mike is still doing the h8tr. Are you afraid yet?

RECON!!!

Sketchy D. and Ruckus make the first foray out to H8TR country and Dave files this report on trail conditions.

"Rode with Ruckus to the H8TR down Seminole. Snowed/Iced over everyplace we saw. At the Purcell intersection decided to ride (on 23's) the icy snowmobile ruts. It was like riding if frozen deep mud.. the ruts would throw you all over the place. We did find a nice track tread and followed it's washboard for a while, but any where the sun is the trail the snow was just wet and heavy. Fortunately neither of us put a foot down and we just kept on truckin'. I think CX tires would have been just slightly better, the trail is still a far way from being ready. We pulled off the H8TR at the driveway on Sayles and were pretty proud and worked from the iced, rutted, crumbly road tire ride."

As our good friend Colin stated, "The trail doesn't get ready, you get ready for the trail. or you die. " True dat.

The weather sounds like it will be "nice" this weekend, get out there and do some of yer own recon and tell us what's what.

From Pull to FULL!

That's it! Registration for the H8TR100 is closed! This weekend we'll pull names out of the hat for the 2010 H8TR100! The suspense is KILLING us!!! Oh wait no- it's the gaping wound that's killing us. But we're still excited to see who's going to be suffering come April 10th!

PULL!

..................and go! Welcome to H8TRville! or it's virtual equivalent.

Send your H8TR100 registration request to- botshop@yahoo.com and in a week we'll notify you what yer status is on the roster. Feel free to tell us something about yourself- you know, yer favorite colour, which Jonas brother you think is the dreamiest, why in the hell you want to do this race etc. We won't hold anything against you. Oh we'll scrutinize the hell out of it but we won't hold it against you. But as we said on the Kitten Factory site, we'll pull names out of a hat full of hate in about a week (providing of course that there are actually 75 peeps who want to do this)and let you know if you're on the rivet or in the pits waiting for a ride. Dig? Feel free to include any questions you might have along with your race entry request.

Have I forgotten anything? most likely

So It Begins....