Better late than never, that's what they always say, right? So jumping right in: In certain nefarious cycling circle(s) here in the 612, The Slick 50 has become something of an annual "Spring Classick" . This year's ride is tomorrow, and in preparation, I enlisted the help of 3 very powerful men:
From L-R: B-Rad, Barista to the (rock)stars, courier for life, all-pro angler. Zitox, Yeah, Guy! MILWAUKEE! The German, Rapha-afficionado, None (wears) More Black.

This year's edition, The Arc de Tri-Grump, will encompass 3 different Grumpy's Bars, cover roughly 75 miles, and put a few people in the pain locker.

SLICK 50 '09 [more like Slick 100k....]
GRUMPY'S TOUR DE FORCE (Arc de Tri-Grump)
Saturday, 21 March, 2009.
Breakfast? You're on your own. I'd recommend oatmeal.
12 noon: depart from Grumpy's Northeast-No Bullshit, and no, we won't wait for you.
Grumpy's(Mpls-NE)-Grumpy's(St. Bonifacius)-Grumpy's(Mpls-DT).
[Ride will finish at Grumpy's Downtown]
This is a ride, not a race. That said, it is a fast group ride. We do not "wait up." If you're not comfortable riding for 5+ hours, it could get ugly; bring your vagisil, or Bag-Balm™, or whatever you need to stay dry.
Fenders recommended.

COMING SOON: (as in tomorrow)

There will be no team cars allowed...

There may be some of these...

Get ready...

Stevil didn't want you to know about Swobo's latest creation. But it is a good one. See for yourself:

If you're down near Columbus, OH, next month, do yourself a favor and be sure to check out pal Jim's upcoming show. As the man himself writes, "hey hurl. i'm having a show in columbus, ohio next month in a very bike friendly gallery. i'm trying to get the word out far and wide as i think this will be the last of the trucks for me and the first of michelle maguire's derby photos. i've attached a press release. if anyone you know has an interest, please forward it. and of course if you find yourself in columbus for god's sake take a look-see.

jim z."

If you saw his last show in Mpls, "Air-Ride Equipped," then you know the man is a regular B.J. & The Bear fan:

Apropos of nothing, here is a picture of the vending machine at the CRC World HQ company lunch room:

Lastly, if you are in need of help marketing your "lifestyle product" you could do a lot worse than enlisting the services of industry veteran/player, CD. As he recently wrote to a core group of cycling industry braintrusts: "I appreciate your proactive stance on this, (deleted), but it's far too early to drill down that far on timing. Let's look at this from 30,000 feet as a high level meeting to determine how we can add value to our shared show experience. Let's open a dialog on this action item keeping in mind we'll need to be goal-oriented and results-driven as we move this challenge to our dashboards. I'd recommend a scoping document as your next deliverable to this sidebar meeting. On a go forward basis we can touch base using online and offline meeting protocols using you as our point of contact. Just so that we're all on the same page I'd like to see some varied cross-platform synergies among our success metrics. Additional milestones should include Value Justification and Content Optimization keeping in mind the voice of the customer.

Best regards,
Chris DiStefano

If you have any idea what that last paragraph means, then you probably work for AIG and you should return your bonus immediately, you lousy jerk....

In closing, I'd like to welcome you all to another vernal equinox. Go forth and revel in the beauty of Mother Nature's rebirth. You know, Sun Dress Season....

Class Dismissed.