cesimpson

I’ve been super-busy here. Just finished the main part of the big project I’ve been working on. There is still some support work that will be required over the next two weeks, but things should slow significantly. That means more time for blogging…and breathing.

Friday Morning Workout

Clean & Jerk

Work up to 1RM. I don’t remember the exact set/reps.

1x @ 175#

0x @ 185#

1x Jerk (from rack) @ 185#

1x Jerk (from rack) @ 195#

Roman Chair Presses

3×20 (10x ea. arm) @ 35# DB

Knees-2-Elbows

3×10

I pulled the 185# Clean attempt plenty high enough, but just couldn’t get under it. I’ll have to work on that.

Gateway Cup

Friday night, after work, I went and watched MountainBiker race in the first of four local races - the Gateway Cup. This first race was at Lafeyette Square. He did awesome.

The race was a combined Cat 4 and 5. It was supposed to start at 5:00PM, but, being the first race of the night, was a little behind schedule. By 5:20 or so the official had announced the rules, the riders were to their marks and the start bell was rung. The field of 78 took off toward the first turn.

The course was about .9 mile long, along four city blocks surrounding a local park. I got there early enough to get a good spot, right up against the rail, right at the start/finish line. The riders came around about every 2 minutes in the 40 min + 5 lap crit. MountainBiker stayed in the first half of the pack for the entire race, in the first fourth or so for a huge majority of the laps.

A few people tried to break away within the initial 40 min. All failed. With 5 laps to go, a young fella came around about 20 seconds ahead of the pack and his lead only increased from there. He finished the race a full 45 seconds ahead of the second place finisher.

MountainBiker came in 7th on Friday night - a points-worthy effort. He continued on in the three other races this past weekend to finish 11th and 6th on Saturday and Sunday, then got tangled up in a crash and DNF on Monday.

In light of his crit success this weekend, MountainBiker is getting a new nickname on CESimpson.com blog. I don’t know what it is just yet, but he’s clearly not just a mountain biker anymore.

Well done.

Saturday, Sunday & Monday

Saturday was workday around the house. Mow the yard, edge, trim the bushes, etc. Saturday night we had my in-laws and the lady next door over for some grilled hamburgers and brats and grilled cabbage. It was fantastic.

Sunday and Monday was more of the same. There was some drinking of beer, grilling of stuff, eating of grilled stuff. There was Bocce Ball played and washers thrown. Overall we had a pretty good time.

Wednesday Workout

This morning’s workout was intense. A fella from work, Todd, was the only other to show. We did a variation on “Jonesworthy” from Gym Jones.

“Jonesworthy” (modified)

Squats: 80, 64, 48, 32, 24, 12

KB Swings: 60, 48, 36, 24, 18, 9

Burpees: 40, 32, 24, 16, 12, 6

Pull-Ups: 20, 16, 12, 8, 6, 3

So, the first round looks like this: 80x Squats, 60x Swings, 40x Burpees, 20x Pull-Ups. Then: 64x Squats, 48x Swings, 32x Burpees, 16x Pull-Ups. Etc.

Todd and I completed the entire 6 round circuit in 39:17. I think we both almost puked a couple times. It was pretty warm and super-humid; just impossible to get cool. But we finished it, and in not a bad time I think.

New Rings

We did the pull-ups on some new, ‘homemade’ rings on a chain thrown over the backside of a basketball goal. It worked wonderfully.

My uncle, Mark Siddle, owns and runs Cutting Edge Cycles, a builder and seller of custom motorcycles in St. Louis. His work is absolutely outstanding. If you’re in the market for a bike, check him out. Even if you’re not, check out the site anyway. You will certainly appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into those bikes.

He starts with a bare frame and and engine and does all the metal work himself. He designs the body and shapes it from big sheets of steel; all the forks, handlebars and foot pegs start out as black iron bar. It’s all crafted into those beautiful bikes by his hands.

I think the most amazing thing about his bikes and the way he works is that he doesn’t use any CAD tools…everything is done in his head. Maybe there’s a sketch or two laying around to work through the details or to show a client, but all the design is done in that balding head of his. He’s an amazing craftsman, and I’d highly recommend you all have a look at his stuff.

Here are some pictures of some of the bikes he’s designed and built:

• Blue One
• Bad Ass Tangerine
• Red Chrome

Anyway, I did some computer work for his shop a couple weeks ago and, in a wonderful barter, he made for me these rings. They started as that same 1.25″ black iron pipe from which he creates handlebars. He heated them and bent them around some old piece of scrap metal he keeps around for just that purpose. Then, he shined them to the prettiness they are and welded some chain to the top. (I’ll get a decent picture posted soon.)

I attached a carabiner to each and bought another 15′ chain that can be looped over just about anything. Clip ‘em high for pull ups, medium for dips and body rows, low for push up variations. When I’m done, they all clip onto my backpack for easy carry home. Awesome.

I’ll repeat again. If you’re in the market for a motorcycle, or just appreciate fantastic craftsmanship, Cutting Edge Cycles is definitely where you want to look.