Outdoors in Dixie

Squishy......your official Bike Patrol Guru?

2009-03-10T20:28:00.007-05:00

Someone lost their mind? Someone decided to let Ole' Squishy get himself trained to patrol your local trails? Who was it that thought he would stop to help some poor newbie navigate some hazardous trail obstacle? Who thought he would consider providing a band-aid to someones boo boo they got on their knee? Why would they think he would remove a dangerous tree, branch, or rock from the trail?

Hell if I know, but they decided to do so last Saturday! While many of my friends chose to ride once more into the breach that is Snake Creek Gap some of the others and I became official IMBA/SORBA National Mountain Bike Patrollers. Tryon, Jose, Daniel, Lefty, TVA Tim, REI Bill, Bo, and Darryl along with several people from Chattanooga and Indiana all came together for 8 hours of training at Two Rivers Mansion in Nashville.

The morning started with some basics as to what we as Patrollers were going to do, we added in some bike maintenance classes also as the day progressed. After a lunch which included Good old Southern Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits, and gravy we came together again for some first aid/CPR classes.

TVA Tim, who is a TVA law enforcement officer was kind enough to offer his time and materials to teach all of us this important stuff that allowed us to be certified in first aid/CPR. This is a requirement to be certified as a Patroller.

The plan is for all of us to take some time while riding and wear our patrol jerseys and conduct "Patrols" while riding our bikes. We then log our hours that we have ridden as Patrollers. Then we can use this time volunteered along with our hours spent building and maintaining trails to our advantage when dealing with governmental officials in our efforts to continue to be able to use the trails we have and also more opportunity to get land to use to build new trails to ride on.

We also along the way will assist riders in need and offer advise and counsel where needed to keep the biking experience a positive for all involved. Lastly, we are trail steward to help keep the trails in good shape and report problems with the trails to the proper authority for correction and repair.

While not really a high profile job it is a critical component of mountain biking that I am excited to be a part of here in Middle Tennessee.

Thanks to Darryl and Tim for getting this organized and up and running. Hopefully, I will never be called upon to actually rescue someone in need but if I am it is nice to know we have some amount of training to call upon.

My only disappointment was that Tim promised me that I would be allowed to fire his M-16 rifle he carries in his patrol car and also his pistol he seems to always carry ;(

I guess promises are meant to be broken.......maybe next time....Squish

Workdays are FUN!!!!

2009-02-23T14:46:00.006-06:00

Well folks, this past weekend was a workday that Sorba held down at the Cotton Mill Preserve in Fayetteville, TN. We spent Saturday and Sunday building new trail, re-routing some other trail, and doing general maintenance on some of the other trail. This couse is the one used in the annual DSG (Dirt, Sweat, and Gears) 12 hour endurance race that the Squish and most of his friends enjoy participating in each May. The crew at DSG and Moots Cycles generously donated a new frame this year for SORBA to raffle off during the event to raise money for our local trail building club, Sorba Middle Tennessee.

Many of the pictures I took were posted on our blog site we have for SORBA but I chose to exclude a few of the "highlights" of the event due to their graphic nature and post them here on my personal blog.

For some of us, the highlight of the weekend was not the riding or trail building but most likely the keg of Yazoo and the clothes ripping contest put on between Big Poppy, Jeffy, and Officer Mike. Enjoy the photos as we enjoyed the fun times. Come out and join us next time.... we are really nice...Squish

Riding with "Sandy's Friend" from Florida......

2009-02-17T20:16:00.002-06:00

Well folks, last Saturday morning "Sandy's" friend Tim from Florida happened to be in Brentwood for the week visiting his family. So good ole' Squish and his neighbor Steve-O decided to take the beach bum out for a ride. We all had a great time turning some laps at Chickasaw on a perfect winter day for mountain biking. Of course, I took a few photos with my new camera to document all of this for "Sandy". Hopefully, he/she reads my blog....... Thanks Tim and Steve for a great time as always...later, Squish

Just your average "Snake Eater"........

2009-02-08T18:29:00.003-06:00

"Snake" even the name is nasty..........."Pain Train" Jeffy's little name for the experience sounds crazy...."5 miles of unrideable rock".......what?"Real Climbing"........hey, what do you mean...we have MB here?"Mid-winter racing"........what about base miles?"Well run event and great support"......what's so special?"Great friends and fun party"........who parties at races?"It will hurt but you will love it".....how does that go together?These were the statements I heard over and over for the last two years. They definately sounded a little crazy to an average mountain biker like me.But this year, I decided the time was right to find out for myself. After the January debacle for Cooper and I (due to sickness for him and mud for me) I spent the next month praying for good weather and my return to attempt this beast called "The Snake".Yesterday morning at 4am I met up with Cooper and Jose to meet our fate on the ridges of North Georgia. Cooper and Jose planned to ride the full 34, which I contemplated in January and I decided that 17 would be ideal for me and the amount of riding I have been doing in this cold weather. Now mind you, I decided to do the last 17 miles, which I was told was the toughest part of the course as it includes the infamous "5 miles of rock" at the end. I wanted to experience what I had heard was the toughest part of the course and see if I had what it took to complete it. I thought to myself, well I race Sport class and those races are around that length so surely I can do this with no problem....surely!Well, after the ride down with my boys we arrived in the parking lot again. The weather was a little colder than it was at 4am when I left my house but the sun promised a good day. It felt a little sureal for me, kinda like returning to the scene of the crime from a month before and my choice then of not racing. I didn't get time to speak with many of the others down there as we had to sramble to get registered, our gear on and bikes loaded to be transported to our respective starting points. I didn't even get to see my boy Cooper off and wish him luck in his personal quest. Sorry Coop, I had some inspirational words for you ready to go...LOLI was fortunate to ride in a truck with two others heading to the 17 mile start that was pulling a trailer full of bikes. My bike was on it so after hearing the stories, I kept turning around and checking the trailer. Fortunately, we all arrived safely at the start.Now mind you that a month before Reed, Coop, and I had checked out the scene the day before the race. We walked a little of that muddy climb that starts the 17 mile race. I saw it was tough and knew that my start was not going to be a friendly one. With that in mind I looked around the start for some friends to begin this event with. Jeffy had decided to ride the 17 miler but I did not see him, Didn't see Angela or Doug either. I did see Scuba Steve and Ruthie (Team Lynskey now as both have matching Lynskey bikes) and I saw Brandon and his girlfriend Myra. I decided to warm up a little on the road by the start before the climb and wait on Jeffy to show. Figured I would ride a little with him before he left me. After a trip up and down a road and no Jeffy I decided, what the heck, no time like the present to begin......My approach to this was really not to "race" but to "ride" and have fun as best I could. I brought my Ellworth Evolve full suspension bike with the thought that I would manage the climbs and it would help me when I hit the rocks. If I was really racing I would have brought a hardtail 29er as it certainly climbs better than my Evolve.I want to add a few stats here from my Garmin to let eveyone who hasn't done this some information on how it compares to our local trails, specifically Monty Bell which probably has the most hills around here:2nd 17 miles of Snake:3,706 foot of climbingAverage Ascent grade of 10.5%Maximum grade of ascent was 32.4%Similar Distance at MB on race loop, plus goat path, plus Heartbreak ridge:2,035 foot of climbingAverage ascent grade: 7.5%Maximum grade of ascent: 23.5%In the 17.1 miles of Snake I rode you start with a 2.5 mile climb right off the bat and don't really decend at all until the top which is a 4 miles.After some downhill for a short time you hit another 3 mile long jeep/gravel road climb.A little ridgeline later you have a stead uphill for 3 miles again, which includes the .5 mile "wall" which has to be the 32.4% grade my computer registered.All total of the 17.1 miles, at least 10 miles of that was all climbing and many of those miles include rock, lots of it, and it's at the end when your beat down.....sound like fun?Okay...enough stats for now. They started us one at a time on the 17 mile route. I headed up the hill to the top of the mountain. Within' 1/4 mile I found my granny gear and she and I became "married" for much of the rest of the course. In comparision again, I NEVER ride anything below the middle chainring around here...NEVER.The first hill was tough as you really don't get warmed up before hitting it. But alas, with a constant spinning of my granny I made the top. That is followed by some steep descents and a run through some small creeks down in a valley. That was probably the best 2 miles or so of this part of the trail. Fortunately for me it was only muddy in a few small sections and the weather was beautiful. I was wearing to much clothing but didn't feel like stopping to long to change. We then ascended the jeep/gravel road climb and they had a great sag stop at the top. I wanted to refill my supplies and it was at this point that Jeffy caught me. He smiled but didn't stop...his words of encouragement resonated in my mind.....Come on Kelly...no stopping here....LOLI packed my stuff back up but never saw him again. He looked strong and I wondered to myself how he had climbed all that I had just climbed on a single speed....amazing.The next sections was some ridge line stuff that was amazing with it's views. Much better this time due to the nice clear weather. A little rock here and there but nothing to bad. I rode some with Brandon and Myra, Matt, and Steve and Ruthie. Nice to see some friends out having a good time also. The big question for me was "where are these rocks" and even though I had GPS, "how far was the finish and the two mile downhill road"?When you hit the rocks...you know it. In my opinion, they were not the worst I have seen. Monte Sane and Hamilton Creek have some nasty rocks also. There were a few sections that would have been "unrideable" for those of my friends who like to ride rocks and my full suspension bike that I lugged up the hills certainly helped.What was different and challenging to me was that the last so long (about 4-5 miles) and you are tired when you get there. Try climbing for 8 miles and then doing that stuff. On top of that they are on sort of a climb the whole way. 3 miles with alot of it in the granny, makes it hard to keep your momentum. Without ole' MO the rocks get even harder. You also hit the "wall" which is about a 1/2 mile climb straight up. It was hard to even walk that section while pushing your bike.....The funniest part for me was meeting a hiker on the trail up there. He and I spent a short time together. I would ride a little then get off the bike....he would catch up....and I would think...**** it man I'm on a bike and he is walking, these rocks suck.....I have to get away from this chattering man.....finally I did and laughed to myself how retarded that exchange was.I kept looking for the "tower" that I was told would signify the end of my journey and the 2 mile road home. I thought it would appear in the distance somewhere and maybe it does but I didn't see it until I was right on top of it. I was at this point tired and ready to be done. I though then of my boy Cooper and how he would be feeling when he got here with another 17 miles on his legs that I didn't have on mine....I felt bad for you Coop but wished you well my friend. I asked the dude with me how much further and he said "150 yards".....I was excited to get back on my bike and sprinted the last 150 to what is in effect the last of the hard work.A fast descent down a gravel road and on to the pavement felt great at the speeds I was going. That ride is an exhilerating feeling after the work just done.I finished right at 3 hours. Not fast at all but the ride was completed. I just wanted to experience the "Snake", I really wasn't racing but wanted to feel it all and see what it was about. Needless to say mission accomplished.I then got to spend the next couple of hours watching people arrive from the race. I had some chili and beers with great friends. Good to see Jeff, Scott, Greg, Thad, Jeremy, Adam, Keith, Mike, Matt, Andrew, Rick, Dustin, Doug, Dan, Angela, Jose, Chris, Modo, and some others I might have forgot to mention as I am tired this morning. When all of the crew returned we headed to Chili's resturant for some more food before the ride home.Well, what is my firsthand response to all the rumors heard before that I posted above....they are all true and it is all FUN. I had probably the best time I have ever had at a race, even though it was certainly the toughest 17 miles the Squish has ever ridden.My recommendation is that if you have never done this..you need to. Be smart and pick the right distance for yourself. The 17 was about right for me. I left tired but happy, which is why I do this sport in the first place. To those who do either race it is an accomplishment. To those who rode the whole 34, you have my respect, it is an epic accomplishment to just finish this race.Thanks for all the fun times, it was great to see so many familiar faces down there. Thanks to those who took time to ride a little with me. Great fun....Squish

Jade becomes a biker today.......

2009-01-24T18:01:00.005-06:00

Today was a special day in the Benward family. Ole' Squish's daughter Jade finally learned to ride her bike without the dreaded training wheels. It was a cold and windy day but the family convined me to take the to one of our local parks and Jade would attempt to ride on her own. After a little prodding and a few tears, she finally had the courage to ride on her own. I spent the first lap running behind her but finally she decided it would be fun to ride off and leave her dad behind on his own two feet. After an hour or so, she rode the entire lap out there on her own, smiling as she went. Oh, what fun we will have this spring when we all get to go out on a ride and everyone is on their own bikes. Great job Jade............I see a real mountain bike in your near future...........Squish.

Greenway Grindin' with my Hommies...

2009-01-24T17:05:00.011-06:00

Thursday brought Middle Tennessee some good weather. Finally, after a week or two of freezing temperatures, rain, and mud we got a 50 degreee day to ride. The local trails were pretty muddy due to the freeze/thaw conditions we have here this time of year but the greenway at Shelby Park was callin' for a fun days ride.

Met up with Chris (the Mongoose), Mike (Big Poppy), Corey (Code Red), and Tim (16 gun) at around 11am for a spin the Percy Priest Dam and back. This ride is around 25 miles or so on the greenway built by Metro Nashville for all of us to use. Along the way we found some fun stuff for the boys to play on like the bench that the Mongoose is hopping on. It was fun to have a ride in the great weather. Felt like summer to me.
I told several of my friends to remind me this summer that if I complain when the temperature gets in the 90's to slap me and remind me how much I hate riding in the cold.

I also enjoyed getting to ride with BP again as it has been awhile trying to get him back on his bike. I think our ride sparked something in the ole' boy as he went out the next day and put 45 miles on this road bike. Looks like it's gonna be a fun year trying to win the yearly mileage contest with him. For the record, I won last year in the last month of December. I think I won by about 100 miles or so. Good for me he took a little time off the bike to play C.O.D. 4 and drink beer during the cold weather. Always fun to watch Corey (Code Red) play on his Redline Single Speed. He has been posting video's of his exploits on our local messageboard NMB the last month or so, but I was privy to a little personal demonstration on our ride.
(16 Gun) Tim also joined in on the fun. The reason for his new nickname is that Tim is an agent for TVA here in Tennessee. The first time I met him he was in uniform and had to open the trunk of his patrol car for some reason. What to my eye's should appear but an M-16 stashed in the back. Brought back some old Army memories for the Squish. Hopefully, Tim never has to use that thing in the line of service. We are having a Bike Patrol Class coming up in March and I have been kidding him and asking if we get a chance to shoot that thing during the training.......LOL
Were gonna miss Tim for a month or so due to some training he is going to this weekend but look forward to some good riding this year when he gets back.

As usual we had a fun ride. We also stopped at the local Jack in the Box for some fuel along the way. I also got to try out my newly built Vassago Optimus Ti which was a true treat for me. Thanks to my friends for coming out and riding with me. Spring will come soon boys and we will be back on some trail again. Below are some more pictures from the ride. Hope you all enjoy. Until next time..............Squish

El President.......yeah right!!!

2009-01-14T22:39:00.006-06:00

Well last night it became official. Ole' Squish is the new president of Sorba Middle Tennessee for 2009. We had our annual meeting and elected our new board members. Somehow, I was talked into running for president. It is exciting to me to be viewed by my peers to be able to handle the responsibility. I am not really sure if they are right or not but am willing to give it a go.

Others that were elected last night were Carolyn Heichel as V.P, Tryon Fournier as Sec., Amy and Scott Walvoord as Membership, Darryl Glascock (our former president) as Trails Director, Tim Dennis as Bike Patrol, and my boy Thad Hoffman as Advocacy.

I think we have a great group of people to run the club this year. We are all from different parts of our local biking world here in Middle Tennessee and should bring some good ideas to the table. I also hope it will help with recruitment of new members to the club.

For the unfamiliar, SORBA (Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association) has been around for 20 years or so. There are 25 chapters thoughout the Southeast. The main idea being the building and maintain of the trails we ride mountain bikes on. I spent a lot of time last year doing trail work and organizing group rides for the local club. I also assisted in a race and festival we conducted. All in all, it was fufilling to give back to the sport I enjoy. I also enjoyed working with some new bikers and seeing my riding friends. I am looking forward to the same this year and have some plans for a lot of neat stuff for the club to do this year. It will be nice to have some imput on what all gets done.

Thanks for all the support from my friends and hope to see everyone on the trail soon......Squish

LBL's North/South Trail........Betrayed by darkness!!

2008-12-30T19:00:00.009-06:00

Well...Ole' Squish had a plan this year to ride the entire N/S trail at Land Between the Lakes. All 31 miles of it. The attempt was made yesterday by myself and a few of my friends. This is our story.....................

4 of us (Squish, Jmac, Mongoose, and Lefty) met up around 8am on a bright and crisp Winter morning. We had planned on several others riding with us but alas wife duty and work got in the way for some, or maybe they had to do what Squish does sometimes and press their skirts for the Snake this weekend? Gotta look good for that one ya know.

Made the trip up to Clarksville to pick up our 5 rider and tour guide....Mean Joe Queen. Of course, he had us pick him up at his favorite liquor store (Queen City Liquors). He is world famous as the best customer they have. He even gets some sort of award for this each year.

The plan was to drive to the North Welcome station and drop off my Element and pile all 5 bikes and riders in Lefty's Mini Van for the trip to the South end of the trail and ride North..all 31 miles back to my car.Well as luck would have it Lefty's vehicle wouldn't hold 5 bikes and riders unless we piled them on top of each other.

Everyone knows the Mongoose..aka Airsaggo Cooper was not going to stand for piling bikes on his shinny white Vassago. So we had to make a new plan. We decided to ride down the trail for 15 miles or so and then back track to the cars. Thus, still getting our 30 mile ride in.

We rode for around 10 miles and found the trail to be just wet enough to make the going a little harder than normal. Also, the trail was mostly covered in leaves and the rain had washed the trail enough that the leaves made piles. These piles were a little scary on a steep downhill because you never knew what was hidden within' them. (like a large rock).

We also had to contend with some rather deep creek crossings, a flat tire, and in my case wrapping sticks in my wheels. All in all, the first 10 miles were fun but took far too much time. At around mile 10 Jmac said he was starting to cramp some. He had not been able to ride a lot lately due to work and his legs said no more on this day. We made a decision to let Lefty and Jmac return to the cars and Mean Joe, Chris, and I would continue on in an attempt to cover the whole trail. Needless to say I was excited to get at it as I felt good at that point. I did know however that we were fighting against the clock and couldn't afford to many stops if we had any chance to make the end.

Onward went the three soldiers in pursuit of the south end of LBL's N/S trail. We made decent time and the stops were only when nessary. But, the trail seemed to just get more muddy, the leaves more packed, and the creeks deeper.

I also had a stinkin' flat. On my bike at present, I have one tire that is tubeless and one that is not. Of course, the one with the tube flatted. I have been meaning to get it converted to tubeless also but haven't had the time to get it right. I paid for it on this day. Stinkin' tubes....who needs them anyway.

As we continued to press on, I felt pretty good. I managed a slow but continuous pace. Carefully trying to maintain my legs while climbing the hills. It seemed to be working as I and my partners just clicked the miles away. Checking my watch and watching the miles on my bike computer became habit, the trail and I were one.

It was looking close, as the daylight started to wind down. The legs and lungs were good, my partners strong but the sunlight and the time was fading. Next up, a stinkin' creek. All day we had crossed numerous creeks. Some of them we had got off the bike and hiked across and some we rode. This time, Coop was in front and saw this innocent looking little creek. He charged ahead only to find it deeper than the cranks and bottom bracket on his bike. He made it but ended up with a load of water in his socks and shoes. So again, we stopped to get the water out and allow him to continue his ride with wet feet.

Luckily for the Mongoose, he had on wool socks so his feet didn't get to cold. Unfortunately for me and my quest for 31 miles the time just kept clickin' on by.
We checked the watches each time we crossed one of the many gravel roads that could take us back to the main road (The Trace) to see if we would make it in time.
Finally, we came to what was one of the last roads out before the end. We had traveled around 23 miles at this point and the signpost said 8 more to go.

Being former Boys Scouts, we decided that this time prudence was the better part of valor. We checked the map, found a way out, and called the boys back at the vehicles with a pick up point. We did a little gravel grindin' for another 2-3 miles and met up with our friends and the vehicles.

Turns out Lefty had a cooler full of beer which made Mean Joe a happy man. We loaded up the cars and headed back to Nashville. Stopping of course for some food at Wendy's. Adam even got jealous of my Baconator and had to have one. It was his first and probably not his last. I guess my eating does have influence on some people..LOL

In the end, I had a great time doing what for me was a long, tough ride. I am sure I could have finished it were it not for the darkness but that goal will remain for another day and time.

I did have a great time with my friends and spent a wonderful time riding my bike in the woods. I wouldn't have changed a thing. Thanks to Adam, Chris, Scott, and Jeremie for a great trip. See some of you this weekend at Snake...later, Squish

A Christmas KONA...Woo Hoo!!!

2008-12-26T20:55:00.006-06:00

Well, Christmas was fun at Ole' Squish's house this year. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care..........yadda yadda yadda.....you get the picture right?

Of course you do. If you have two daughters ages 6 and 8 as I do, it's always excitement galore at Christmas. The best part of it all was that my older daughter Drew wanted a "real" mountain bike for xmas.

What do you think happens when a little girl wants a real mountain bike and her daddy is a bike nut.....? She gets a sweet ride of course. I had taken Drew over to Eastside Cycles back a few months ago and she saw this pink 20" Kona bike. We let her sit on it in the store, secretly to check for size and a few days later the Squish went back in and made a deal to get it for her. Lucky for me the pink one was a new '07 model that they wanted to make a deal on while getting rid of inventory this year. I stored it for a couple of months and then brought it out on xmas morning. She was so pleased as all she kept asking for was a "real" mt. bike.

Today, we went by Harpeth bikes and bought her some padded riding shorts as they were 40% off and then took it over to a Greenway for a spin.

Drew and I rode about 4 miles today in the great weather for riding bikes. Part of me wished to be hitting the trails to prepare for the Snake but most of me was so glad to have a chance to ride with my daughter and enjoying the time together. It is a great feeling to see one's child want to do the same things we like to do. As a mountain biker, it doesn't get much better than that. She really enjoyed all 6 of her gears and how they helped her climb hills more easily. (I know....I know). She also enjoyed the front shock as we cut through some grass fields now and again. Oh, what a fun time today for the Squish, even an epic ride isn't any better. Hope everyone had a nice Christmas and has a great New Year......later, Squish

I wanna be like Jeff and Greg......kinda.

2008-12-20T20:36:00.009-06:00

Well sports fans it seems like the Squish has changed again....This is not unusual as I love bikes, any bike, and all bikes. I think I love bikes about as much as riding them....LOL
Back in my early days of mountain biking Titanium bikes were what we all dreamed about riding. Of course, I bought several of them (Litespeed, Merlin, and Moots) and thought they were the bomb. When I got back into biking alot about 2 years ago it seemed that full suspension bikes were what everyone was riding. So of course, I had to have some of those also. Recently, it seemed that many of my riding friends were into steel bikes and 29" wheels.
So, off I go into that scene with my Vassago bikes. I have found that although I like suspension bikes, the 29" wheels have revitalized the hardtail bike world. The Squish can compensate for his lack of finess riding with the use of big wheels almost as well as he can on a short travel suspension bike. I have also explored the world of single speeding. I am still very new at it, and standing on hills is not my style but I see the value in it for building up strength in the legs. And, the neat feeling of just pedaling a bike through the woods without worrying about what gear to be in....

So, what's with the pictures you ask? Well, the new thing that seems to be going around my riding friends (Jeffy and Old Greg) is moving from steel frames to titanium. Titanium for those uninformed few is sometimes called "the magic metal". It is generally lighter than steel, more durable, and has a similar ride quality. It is also more expensive, but that's another story. Seeing a couple of my buddies with their new frames brought me back to days of old....Dreaming of Titanium hardtail bikes.

With the experiment of 29er wheels complete it seemed logical that I could combine big wheels and a ti frame for the ultimate bike. Thus, I found a deal for a new Lynskey Pro29 frame on Ebay. Sent the seller (Suck Creek Cycles in Chatty) a few messages and an offer to purchase the frame and come pick it up myself. He took the deal and last week the Mongoose (Chris) and I made a trip to Chatty on a rainy day and purchased the frame and a Ti Lynskey seatpost to go with it. Thanks Chris for going with me. It was nice to have company for a long day in the car.

How did the Squish have the money for such a nice frame you ask? Well, turns out that my buddy Lefty Scott was looking to get into single speeding also. You remember him right.....the SOB who tore up my new Fox fork a few weeks ago when I loaned it to him to try out.......LOL Turns out I was able to sell him one of my Vassago Jabberwocky's (the black one), a wheelset, seatpost, king heaset, and some cranks. This turned into enough money to make this purchase.....Pretty cool I think as we both got something we wanted.

Well, last night I got the bike assembled and am very pleased with the result. I did a 25 mile road ride today but didn't ride it as I don't want to wear the tires down before Snake Creek Gap in a couple of weeks. I plan a shakedown as soon as the trails dry up and I am really ready to take this thing for a spin.

So now ole' Squish is down to 4 bikes which is actually pretty thin for my herd......did I ever tell you I like bikes?
The plan is the Lynskey Pro29 for the race bike, The Vassago Jabberwocky (orange) for single speed training, The Ellsworth Evolve for Hamilton Creek and anywhere that has a ton of rock on the trail. I also have a Vassago Bandersnatch built that I have been riding on the road but I may move that one and get a commuter. I am diggin' Old Greg Surly Crosscheck and also like the look
of the new Salsa Fargo bikes.....well just have to see.

Take a look at the pictures and let me know what you think. They are not that good as it is raining outside tonight and I had to take them in the garage. I wanted to make some really nice ones to put the post together but Airsaggo Cooper just had to see the bike tonight...thus the pictures.

Thanks to my friends for bringin' back the hardtails and thanks to Greg (Quiring Cycles Ti)and Jeff (also Lynskey Pro29 Ti) for bringin' back Titanium......viva "the magic metal"...............later, Squish.

The Newest Mountain Biker......Cason Lilley

2008-12-11T21:38:00.003-06:00

Well yesterday the newest World Champion Mountain Biker was born. My friends Reed and Kim Lilley blessed this world with a new addition. His name is Cason Daniel Lilley and if he is anything like his father he will be riding bikes and jumping off stuff at a very young age.

Several of us (Mongoose, Old Greg, Big Poppy, and I) made a trip to visit the strapping young lad today at the hospital. All appeared to be in order except for the lack of sleep for his mother and father. Hopefully, they get used to this as it will be that way for awhile.

The Squishster had a fun time visiting with Kim, Reed, and Cason. It was neat to visit the same hospital that both of my girls were born in and the visit brought back some fond memories.

After the visit, the four of us made our way to Rottier's for some delicious hamburgers and some good conversation. Always great to hang out with my bike friends even when it's not on a ride.

Thanks to Reed and Kim for sharing their special son with us. God Bless Cason..may you ride like your daddy someday........later, Squish

Solving the Monday Blues....with a little help.

2008-12-10T08:31:00.008-06:00

For those not from Middle Tennessee, this time of year brings us some weather issues. Rain tends to happen about the time the trails seem to dry out each week. If you love to ride trails and not really the road, this presents some of us a problem. Ole' Squish is definately a trail rider and on Monday was looking for a place to ride. There was a neat offer from Mean Joe to ride Land Between the Lakes, but I was unable to secure morning and afternoon childcare to make his epic 40 mile ride. Blues beset me on missing this but I came up with another plan with the help of a couple of friends. What about AEDC one said to me? We'll that sounded like some fun. AEDC is a 14 mile trail located on Arnold Air Force Base in Tullahoma, TN. It is pretty flat, and not really good training for Snake Creek Gap in January but it does handle the rain well. So, any trail is a good one in my book especially if it isn't a soggy mess.
Made a few calls and had 6 of the boys sign up for the adventure. Mongoose, Uzzi, Corey, Big Poppy, Lefty, and I set out to ride some tight and twisty singletrack. We all had a great time I think and no one was blown to bits by a hunter or some un-exploded WW2 ordinance. Can't spend a much better day than that. Following are some pictures that Chris Cooper took (thanks Mongoose). Hope to see all of you again soon.......Squish

Mike rules on the Trek Fuel EX 8

My Vassago bro' Chris rockin' the Jabberwocky

Lefty on a full carbon Ibis Mojo

Tim rockin' it on his sweet Intense 5.5 FRO

Squishy on his Vassago Bandersnatch

The Future of Mountain Biking......Drew

2008-12-09T20:30:00.004-06:00

Well....you didn't really think it would all be about biking did you? This week my daughter Drew was selected as "Star Student of the week" at her school. For this week she gets to do many special things. One of those is that her parents were asked to write a letter to her that the teacher will read to the students in her class tomorrow describing something special about Drew. I decided to leave that letter here for my friends to read because my Drew is so special to me....Squish

God Bless my Drew: by Kelly Benward

The most special day of my life was August 8, 2000. This was the day that my first daughter Drew Kelly Benward was born. She was the beginning of a special time in my life as a man. When Drew appeared, my heart skipped a beat as I knew God had delivered a beautiful little girl for me to love, raise, and take care of for the rest of my life.

She was a most lovely child and many said she closely resembled her father. Of course, this only made me smile. I thought it would be really nice to share my name with her. Thus her middle name became Kelly.

Drew was pleasant and loving as a small baby. She always seemed to have a smile on her face and rarely cried. She even began sleeping the whole night at around 6 weeks old which was a blessing to her mother and I.

I remember how sweet it was as she took her first steps and spoke her first words. How I was filled with joy at the sight and sounds of those moments.

As she got older, I noticed how beautiful and intelligent she was. People would stop me many times to admire my beautiful little girl. She also was a quick learner and always appeared to be ahead of the curve while I taught her things as a child.

Before she was even 3 years old she made me proud yet again. For her daddy is somewhat of a sports fan. When I asked her if she was interested in trying soccer she immediately wanted to try. I coached Drew and her team for 10 seasons after that and she applied herself to learning the game and how to play with her teammates. After about a year she became one of the best players on our teams. She regularly scored 3, 4, and 5 goals in a single game. You can imagine the joy in my heart to watch my daughter carry out what I had tried to teach her how to do.

Later on, at around 5 years old she began her career at school. I can remember how sad I was on the first day I had to let her hand go to enter Kindergarten that first day. It stayed with me the entire day but I was proud that she stood her ground and shed not a tear as she braved the world for the first time on her own. By day two, she had made some friends and was so happy to be at school with them. Again, I was proud she had accomplished so much on her own.

The next two years of school were fun for me. I spent a lot of time in her classes and was rewarded by being told how well she was doing and how much her friends and teachers loved her. It is always a blessing to hear others speaking so kindly about one’s daughter.

Last year was another treat. Drew had been playing the Dulcimer with her grandmother since she was around 3 or so. She had done a few limited public appearances before but not like this one. She had signed up to sing and play the Dulcimer at the talent show at Sunset Elementary. She patiently practiced with her grandmother for weeks to prepare for the event. Eventually the day came to take the stage. After about 35 performers they had saved the best for last. One can imagine my fear that she would get scared or her voice would crack. But no, she took the stage and in my eyes looked like a perfect angel singing “Starry Lullaby” and playing the Dulcimer. In the end, it seemed the large crowd never seemed to stop clapping and shouting. What a wonderful feeling it was to see her bravely accomplish so much before so many.

This year the new challenge for my special girl was a new school. It was with a little apprehension that we got on the bus the first day. But again, her bravery brought pride to my heart as she took on the new world around her yet again. Within a day or two she seemed like she was right back in her place with a wonderful teacher and great friends like all of you.

Thanks to all of you here at Edmondson for allowing me to share some of what is in my heart for my special daughter Drew. We as a family are excited to write more chapters in the book of Drew with all of you in Mrs. Shelton’s 3rd grade class.

I Love You Drew,

Dad

Mexican Birthday and Monty Bell...ole' Jeffy

2008-12-03T18:27:00.003-06:00

Thought I would post up a little fun I had yesterday with the boys. 7 of us went out and did a little riding at Monty Bell again yesterday. Those in attendance at this event were Uzzi, the Mongoose, Mean Joe, Josh, Keith, Squish, and our birthday boy...good old "Jeffy". The ride went well for everyone but me. I ended up starting the ride with my shock (the one Lefty messed up) blowing the seals again before we even made it out of the parking lot. I chose to go ahead and ride it rigid and do the best I could. I made it 6 miles or so with no squish and on a single speed but eventually looked at the fork and decided I might be making it worse by trying to ride on it with no air in the shock. I ended up bailing and heading back on the road to the car to wait for the others. Eventually, they arrived and we got down to my favorite part of any ride.....Mexican food. We all stopped in at a tiny hole in the wall in Pegram, TN for some good times and great food. The highlight for all of us was when the waiter came out with a bowl of fried ice cream for old Jeffy. He just turned 45 and we surprised him with some ice cream. The waiter in turn surprised all of us by taking a spoon full of it and smearing it on Jeff's face. To be honest, I was kind of taken back by this waiters move and it appeared that Jeff didn't quite know what to make of it also. In the end he smiled and took the cream to the face in stride........the picture above shows his reaction....LOL
Strange to me, but it seems the waiters at these Mexican resturants are a lively bunch.....besides this latest incident we had our waiter at another Mexican place give "Big Poppy" his nickname as he sat down and showed all of us some magic tricks with salt shakers.......must be something in the water? Happy Birthday Jeff.....you ride well my old friend.......see yall next time....Squish.

BBQ and Biking.....just like Peanut Butter and Jelly

2008-11-30T10:42:00.007-06:00

Peanut Butter and Jelly....... yes, that American staple of every kids diet (including mine) always seems to work well together. For those of us who live in the Brentwood/Nolensville area we have another staple of our everyday diet.....Mountain Biking and Martin's BBQ.

Yesterday my boy Tim Spencer (aka Uzzi) got a couple of us together to ride bikes over at his private trail known as the Ugazi Run. This trail is around 4 miles in length and contains a mixture of single track, freeride elements, and some jeep road climbs for your workout pleasure.
The 4 of us who showed up included Tim, Mike (Big Poppy), Anglea Brown, and myself. We had a fun time riding several laps of the course in some fairly good riding weather for late November. The temperatures were managable with our winter riding gear and the trail was not a muddy mess. One of the interesting features of this trail is that Tim has included some freeride "drops" which are rock outcrops that one can jump your bike off. These range from 2ft tall to around 5ft tall and are scattered throughout the trail. Under my supervison over the last year Tim and I have built trails around these "drops" for those of us who don't enjoy jumping their bikes off of large rocks (mainly ole' Squish). One of the scariest parts of the day was when Angela decided to follow Uzzi off of one of these drops. Now Angela is one of the better female racers in our area but she is not a "freerider". One nose dive later and I think she decided to stay on the normal trail with Big Poppy and Squish. Fortunately, she didn't appear to have hurt herself. After we all finished riding we decided to head down to Martin's BBQ on the bikes and enjoy some good old Southern food. Martin's is located a couple of miles from Tim's house and has an excellent menu of BBQ and related fare

We all enjoyed a late lunch and some Fat Tire Ale's. The ride home was a little cold after sitting inside the resturant but with a full belly of good food, ole' Squish wasn't too unhappy........Overall it was a fun day on the bikes for all of us and thanks to Mike (Big Poppy) for the pictures........Biking and BBQ....just like Peanut Butter and Jelly..........I'm just a 40 year old kid......see ya'll...Squish.

More Reason #1.......Friends are what it's all about..

2008-11-28T18:35:00.020-06:00

I began riding mountain bikes back around 1996. I spent the next few years really getting into the sport. Back then I rode with two main guys, Bobby Capers and Keith Walker. We spent several years camping and riding bikes all over Tennesse, Georgia, and North Carolina. I also raced bikes for Biker's Choice which is a great bike shop in Hendersonville, TN. I was able to get a lot of help from David Hardin and his employees as well as other people on the bike team. In 2000 my first girl was born and biking became something I only got to do with what little spare time I had. In mid 2007 I began biking again when my two girls were both in school and I became a stay at home dad. I rode for a while with neighborhood friends and a lot of the time alone. In late 2007 I entered my first local race in 7 years, met a few new people, found the NMB message board, and boom I was back into it big time. I met so many cool people in 2008 and had such a good time with all of them that I can't wait to continue it in 2009. Here are some more pictures of those special people I shared my 2008 with....Thanks to you all......Squish

Pre-Thanksgiving Fun.....at good ole' Monty Bell

2008-11-27T17:46:00.012-06:00

Yesterday brought ole' Squish some good times with some of my great biking friends. 7 of us showed up for a daytime ride at Montgomery Bell State Park. What an amazing ride amid the scenery of beautiful leaves, creeks, and sweet singletrack trail. Those in attendance were ole' Squish, the Mongoose, J5, Mean Joe Queen, Lefty Scott, ScraffyZ, and TVA Tim. Good friends all and just some more validation as to why I love to ride with friends. For those not in the loop, all the names are nicknames or screen names we use on our message board (NMB). Somehow these names become almost as easy to use as our real ones....I guess we are all just big kids.

For me, it was a neat treat to get to ride with Thad (Johnny5). He is pictured at left. Thad is one of the better riders in our area and is a specialist in long distance endurance races. He has competed in the Leadville 100, Single Speed World Championships, Dirty Kanza, Swank 65, Cohutta 100 etc....(you get the picture). Obviously, he is a much stronger rider than I am and most of the others in our group yesterday but he is also a neat guy who doesn't mind sharing his knowledge with others. Thanks for a great time Thad.

Two other buddies who are some of the best jumpers I ride with are Adam (Mean Joe) Queen pictured at above left and Chris (Mongoose) Cooper pictured above right. At one point our ride was halted to let these two duke it out on a jump that is built into the trail. The Squish is not much of a jumper but I always have a great time watching these boys fly.......Thanks for the entertainment dudes.

I also had a chance to ride with someone I had not ridden with before. Rick aka (ScraffyZ). Rick came down from Clarksville with Adam and proved to be a good rider himself. Also got to ride with Tim (TVA Tim) and Lefty Scott. Two other good friends of mine and good riders themselves. And yes...before you ask...I did ride with Lefty....I know he broke my shock but he is still an awesome dude and this time he was on his own bike...LOL
I think we all had a fun ride on a great day for this time of year. We followed the ride up with a staple of mountain bikers world wide....Mexican Food......you didn't think ole' Squish would forget to eat did you?.........Here are a few more shots from the ride including some of myself........
That's me crossing the massive creek.

Mean Joe with Poop on his knee he somehow picked up...Ugh

TVA Tim crossing the creek

My "FullSquishy" Ride....29er Ellsworth Evolve (Pretty in Pink)

Holy crap.......Man down......Medic....Medic!!!!

2008-11-25T18:42:00.007-06:00

Well, this weekend I had one of my horses go down.......Medic...Medic...I called but to no avail. How did this happen? It all started with some good old fashion trail building with my boys from Sorba. Saturday, we constructed a re-route on some trail at Lock 4 park in Gallatin. We spent most of Saturday morning working the old mattocks and cutting away some underbrush. In the end, the trail work was done and all seemed great in the world for me..........

After that we proceeded to Chili's for an after work feast....of which ole' Squish ate his fair share. When the belly was full I decided not to ride with my boys Thad and Greg (Infamous Yazoo clan) and went home to watch some football (another of my favorite activities). I did though, out of the goodness of my kind heart loan one of my famous bikes to my friend Scott Gentile or "Lefty Scott" as he is better know. Lefty was contemplating a Single Speed and liked the look of my Vassago so I felt honored to loan him mine to try. What happened next is still a mystery.........LOL

Scott shows back up at my house around 6:30pm with my bike. I summon my lazy butt from the couch where I have been planted all afternoon to receive my beautiful Orange Vassago.....but alas....Something is wrong.....Something is very wrong.....my new Fox F29 shock is down.....Medic...Medic. To make the long story short, poor Scott had blown the seals in my new shock (which I had only ridden once before). He felt terribly bad as it actually blew on the way home in his mini van after the ride. All he heard was a pssst sound and that was that. What an odd thing to happen....never heard of that one before. So after offering all the money he had and his eldest child in payment for the shock, I sent him on his way figuring I could contact my boy Mark at MOAB and warranty the brand new shock.........

Turns out that Mark doesn't work Monday's so I had to find a new answer to the riddle of the blown shock. I am just getting into single speeding and really wanted to ride the newly built bike. Only one man to call now and try to see what's up before Tuesday.......Medic....Medic.....

And who is the best bike Medic in town? Who cares for the Squish's bikes? Only one man, one myth, one legend............Rick Harmon (pictured at right). Rick works for Harpeth Bikes in Franklin and is the best mechanic in our area if you ask me. I personally have never taken anything to Rick and it not been repaired correctly when I picked it up. He has been working on bikes and racing bikes for 20 years. He is in two words "The Master".

Our story continues.....Made the call to Rick. He told me to bring it buy and let him look at it. He happend to have some time on his hands. Told him the story and dropped the bike off. About 3 hours later Rick called me to let me know he had taken the fork apart, reset the seals, filled the fluid and my baby was ready to rock. Now that is service my friends. Picked up the bike today and all seems well again. Fork works great and seems to lock out when needed. Made a courtesy call to Mark at MOAB to let him in on the deal and in case something happens to the fork in the near future. My fingers are crossed......Thanks to Rick......you are the MAN. If any of you ever have bike issues or tough repair jobs in the area, I suggest you contact Rick at Harpeth Bicycles. They have always taken the best of care of ole' Squish.

Why I ride......? Reason number 1

2008-11-24T17:30:00.011-06:00

Why do we ride bikes? That is one of the biggest questions one entertains when we choose this sport. There are many reasons of course and my next few entries will outline some of my reasons. For me, the best reason to ride is the great friends I have ridden with along the way.

The picture above was taken at Dirt, Sweat, and Gears in May of 2008. I had the priviledge of riding in my first 12 hour team race. We entered the corporate category and won. Was that cool or what? I've never won anything racing bikes but this time, with the help of my friends (Tim Spencer, Steve Ferrusi, Carl Smith, and Scott Smith) I did.....This was one of the highlights of my 2008 riding year.

Other great times this year have been spent riding with my daily riding buddies. I am a stay at home dad you see, so I do most of my riding during the week. Most people have regular jobs but some have time to ride with me. One of these lucky individuals is Chris Cooper. Chris works weekends so we spend a lot of time together riding trails such as Lock 4 in Gallatin, Hamilton Creek in Nashville, Chickasaw in Columbia, Montgomery Bell in Dickson, and others all around Middle Tennessee.

He is a great riding partner for many reasons but some of my favorite include the fact that he rides an outstanding bicycle, Vassago, of which I have 4. He also is a much stronger rider than I am, despite his lack of height, which provides me with a riding partner that I am constantly trying to catch...........Thanks Mongoose....you definately Ride like the Devil.

Two more of my main riding cohorts include Mathew Portell and Reed Lilley pictured here.

Mathew was one of the guys on my bike team last year. He is also a teacher and has a special charity that he has developed. This charity is Ride for Reading . His goal is to distibute books to elementary school children who do not have books of their own. So far, it has been a great success and continues to grow. He has even had pictures and an article in Dirt Rag magazine. One of my favorite things about Mathew is his sense of humor and he is also man enough to ride a pink bike...just like me.

The other hooligan in the picture is Reed Lilley. Reed is the orginator of our bike team and our message board National Mountain Bike. He is a fun guy to hang around with and there is not a trail or skatepark he can't ride. Reed is probably the most inspiring rider I have ridden with. He does things on a bike I have only seen in magazines. We have logged many miles together this year on many different trails. One of the funnest was at Monte Sano State Park in Alabama this year at the Huntsville Sorba's Fat Tire Festival. The picture of the three of us was taken there.

Another of my good buddies is Tim Spencer (aka. Uzzi). Tim was the first of this group that I had the pleasure of meeting. We met in the fall of 2007 while riding at Lock 4 in Gallatin. He had a flat tire and I had a bike pump. The rest, as they say, is history. Tim and I spent a ton of time riding, building trials, and hanging out during the year. Tim was instrumental in my becoming a member of SORBA. This organization builds and maintains the trails in our area so that we have a place to pursue our beloved sport. He is currently serving as the Vice President of the organization. Tim is an amazing rider also. He was the first to show me how to do drops. I am still limited to around a 2 footer but I have seen Tim do some that were nearly as tall as I am (that's 6ft if your counting). I also oversaw the converison of this former "Freerider" to and XC racer. Tim had a great year racing on the local TBRA circuit this year finishing 2nd in the 30-39 Sport category for the year. This is an outstanding achievement and a great show of commitment. I always appreciated that if I chose to race I knew Tim would be there right along with me.

Lastly for this round of riding buddies is Mike. (aka Twolcon or better known as Big Poppy). Mike and I spent quite a bit of time riding together this year. He owns his own construction company so he was available many times to ride during the day with me. The amazing thing about Mike is that he has only been riding around 2 years. Alas he is also one old dude......50......but he is also one fast old dude. I seriously hope that 10 years from now, when I am 50, I can still do what Mike does. He is one fast rider, one fun guy, and a great friend. This picture was taken at our first race of the season (Chickasaw in Columbia, TN). As you can see he is one fast dude as evidenced from the first place trophy he is holding. It was his first win in a bike race and came at the price of a messed up thumb but it was well worth it if you ask him. Thanks Mike for spending a lot of your time riding with me this year. Can't wait to ride some more next year.

Well, that's about it for now but I will add some more friends in following posts and as my adventures take off here at the end of 2008 and into 2009 and beyond.

Just remember.....Friends......it's is the number one reason I got into this crazy sport and is definately the one that brings me back for more........until next time.

The Beginning and the End....

2008-11-24T15:57:00.011-06:00

As I am starting this whole blog thing at the end of 2008 I thought I would share with the world my year in review.

2008 turned out to be a special one for me as I had an opportunity to be a part of a special mountain biking team. This team is TeamNMB.com. The team had existed for two years prior to my arrival in 2008. Leadership had come and gone both of it's first two years but now I arrived fresh from about 7 years of just ridin' along to be bitten by the racing bug yet again. I was fortunate to have met one of the best all around riders in the Nashville area who also happened to be somewhat of a computer expert. He had created a message board community here in Nashville and had a race team on his hands. His name you ask: Reed Lilley

His message board: National Mountain Bike. Reed and I along with another friend Tryon Fournier set about rebuilding the race team. We ended up with around 50 riders of all types and abilities. I had a wonderful year meeting new friends and doing some racing on my mountain bike. I found out a few things about that side of the sport this year that in my opinion is both good and bad. First, I found out that I am truly not that great of a racer. Probably because I ride and don't "train". Second, running a 50 person mountain bike team is alot of work. Third, that same "alot of work" has produced a ton of great new friends to ride with. It is amazing to me that I now rarely ride alone. Which in the end is all I really wanted out of it anyway. More friends to ride with and share experiences on the trail.

At the end of the year it was decided by Reed and I that we didn't really want to continue to run a race team that big. We had a great year. The team finished in 4th place for the year in the Tennessee Off Road Bicycle Association standings. We had several riders finish the year in 2nd place in their particular categories and more than that in the top ten. I had a great time but have decided in 2009 to just ride my bike and have some fun. I still plan to do some races and alot of riding with my bike team buddies but for 2009 I will be on a new team.......stay tuned for more down the road on that....