The Song Remains The Same / A Sort Of Homecoming

I've had an amazing weekend culminating with a fantastic ride at Jungle Habitat today to celebrate the debut of Jeremy's (Germany, String (Bean), Beaner, Bean, Clipless) new, race-ready Cannondale Flash 29. 3 rockin' records I listened to today that made me feel great: Led Zeppelin's Houses of The Holy, Kings of Leon's Aha Shake Heartbreak, U2's The Unforgettable Fire. Rock is good.

Check this out:

My ride was powered by 40 Clash songs...timeless, driving, motivating to rip the trails every time. Finally, Jeremy got his new mountain bike together! It's been a long process and I'm not going into the details... The bike is wicked light and the kid was flying over everything. Did I mention that it turned to Winter suddenly in NYC? 60s the other day and I was just wearing a t-shirt.... 30s today and frigid. I was rockin' out to The Clash during the ride and thinking about meditation and Rhino's. Quite a combination. Two ends of the spectrum, or is it? Jason broke his rear derailleur off less than halfway through the ride. It looked like he was done until Pauly the magician laid down the magic on it and hammered it back into place with 2 rocks from the trail....I kid you not. Then, Jeremy had the brilliant idea to zip tie it on too so it would be doubly strong. It's not often that I get to use the word doubly. There, I just used it twice. Ha! As luck would have it, for Jason, the bike shifted better after the hammer/zip tie method. Who knew? Nothing would derail this ride so we moved ahead destroying rocks likes superheroes. It was satisfying. It was hard. Everyone ripped. This ride was just what I needed since I'm still finishing up shooting the extortion scenes in my second movie. It's been a little stressful lately. Almost done and on to the third and final movie of the threequel. Mountain biking. It cures whatever ails you, I mean me.

Jason, Paul, and Jeremy

For a cold Winter day, it was warm in the sun

Pauly, the magic man

Jason, zip tie master

Diversified Connectivity

It sounds scientific, almost smart...

And that's what I was thinking about on my way to ride East Setauket on LI, the hardest trail out there, although that's not saying too much. It is very twisty with hundreds of tight trees you have to squeeze between and the faster you go, the greater the potential danger. Sounds like fun huh....it is. I always think about the time the Sos got hurt there when his brake lever plunged into his leg and we had to take him to the hospital. That was not fun. See: http://toliveandrideinnyc.blogspot.com/2010/06/sospital-leg-meets-brake-lever-blade.html

Press Play Now...

Sugar Minott - Hard Time Pressure


Anyway, I was jamming Sugar Minott tunes all the way to the trail and thinking......and thinking can get me into trouble quite often. Maybe I had an epiphany, or at least I thought I did. I was thinking about Sugar. I was thinking about riding trails that I don't go to enough. I was thinking about riding my Flash Carbon 29er which was on the roof and I don't ride it enough, off road. And I was thinking about connecting with people. The human connection, and how good it makes you feel when you meet someone that you feel a connection with, for whatever reason.

Diversify – to give variety to; vary; to spread out. Connectivity - The ability to make and maintain a connection. The quality or condition of being connected or connective.

Sugar is the main link to this thought process of mine. He passed away at the young age of 54 in 2010 and what a loss to this world. He was special. He was gifted. He was able to cross over and master multiple styles within reggae unlike just about any other artist. Roots. Lovers Rock. Dancehall. He was a pioneer, an originator. He stretched out musically and touched more people with his dynamic range. If you loved dancehall, you loved Sugar. If you loved roots reggae, you loved Sugar...and so on. He connected with people, and made them happy. He enriched their lives with his music. I knew Sugar, from when I was a reggae radio DJ in a galaxy far far away. I did shows with him. I knew his family. I interviewed him live on the radio. He even slept over at my house one night with the whole band...that's another story.

So, I want to diversify my connectivity, and I'm doing it. And it feels good. I need to spread out and ride more trails and more bikes. I was thinking (yeah, I know) that when I'm riding, bikes or boards, I'm moving along the boundaries of the earth assisted by gravity and centrifugal forces that help to connect me....to the earth.

I rode as fast as I could. It felt great. Mid 60s after Thanksgiving? And I connected....with a tree. I was thinking during the ride, and that's when it happened. My handlebar clipped a tree on the right side and threw me into a tree. Right shoulder to tree, right knee to handlebar/shifter. Yes, it hurt and I didn't know if I could continue...but I did.

And I realized something during the ride. I didn't feel like I was burning the evils and negativity out of my system. I was burning positive aggression. It felt like clean burning fuel. Rocket fuel. And my Flash 29er, Domino, is the rocket.

Sugar Live In JA
Extra Classic!

Domino Day

Post Ride Wound Inspection

This is an amazing oral history of reggae!
Sugar Minott Studio One Story

I Met A Lady From Greece

That sounds (and looks) like a strange title.....even to me, and I wrote it. I did, meet a Greek lady, and her daughter. They were really nice! The lady, the Mom, said to me "I never met a bike I didn't like!". It was an awesome statement. I loved it. She referenced the feeling of freedom. Free to go most anywhere anytime - Prince. That's it.

Live Audio.....starts at 1:18

Giving Thanks

What a day! It was a nippy morning in the 30's as I rolled out of the EV and headed to Ringwood for the annual Thanksgiving ride. I was thinking about the Beres Hammond song Giving Thanks as I drove up the FDR....



I was not feeling as optimistic as usual. I was thinking about the things that I feel thankful for....being able to afford food, having a job that I like, good health and fitness, a place to live, my bikes, great friends....I could keep going. I was also thinking about things that I don't have that I'm thankful for....health problems, lack of self confidence, lack of goals or motivation. There are things that I had, that were bad, that I don't have any more. Give thanks. Sometimes you've dodged a bullet and haven't realized it. Give thanks. Anyway, today I'm really giving thanks for an amazing ride that made me feel great! Paul got the Go Pro camera running even though we didn't have any of the right mounts for some reason... We did have tape! Paul, Gil, and I running our Ringwood loop....and we ran into our old pal Alberto on the trail and he joined us for the ride. 15 miles of pleasure and pain. The change in my state of mind from pre-ride to post-ride was astonishing. Dopamine and adrenaline flowing through me. And the feast that we had up in the Boogie Down Bronx at Sky's place was incredible. Two turkeys, one smoked, and pernil ala DR. Give thanks. Be glad for what you got.

More Beres, live. What a voice...

Paul and Gil Mounting the Go Pro camera
to Paul's bike with packing tape. Yep, it worked.

Gil and Paul on the trail

LW.....Happy

The Feast, post-destruction

The landing where I took a nap after dinner....
Maybe it was the brownies?

Cutting Room Floor / Don't Come Around Here No More

The end of last week was turbulent. I thought I might explode. Life can sometimes get the best of you, if you let it. Which reminds me of my favorite Cheap Trick song, Everything Works If You Let It. Anyway, the weather forecast said low 60's for Sunday and I knew that if I could hold out, and survive til' then, a mountain bike ride would fix me up. The bloodletting at the end of my week hurt. So many ideas, feelings, emotions....the human mind is powerful. Thoughts...productive and destructive. It's a fine balance. Trying not to stumble and get in the way of your own progress. Your emotions, make you a monster (DK's). When I saw Oisin recently from MrNorth, we discussed the meanings of many of the songs on the new album Everything. Cutting Room Floor is exactly what it appears to be....it's about all the scenes that don't make it in the movie. Even if it cost a lot to create those scenes, and I don't mean just US dollars. They are left on the cutting room floor of your life. Your movie, my movie. We all make choices, and we have to live with those choices. It goes like this....Goodbye.....Goodbye, Honey.......Buddy... Listen here: http://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Room-Floor/dp/B004ZNIYDS And somehow I managed to merge Cutting Room Floor with Tom Petty's Don't Come Around Here No More? Quite fitting, I know. Thinking can be dangerous. I need to do less thinking and more riding. So Paul and I met out on LI at Glacier Ridge yesterday and the weather was indeed picture perfect. The windmill was turning, the sun was shining, the weather was sweet. Paul had never been there before. His bike was a little overkill for the tight, twisty trail, but he rocked it. My Spot....in flight as usual.

Cheap Trick....

Paul Getting Ready

Dark Side Of The Moon

The English Beat goes on....

That's right....
Dave Wakeling and The English Beat are still rocking. We went to see them last night and they did not disappoint. Dave's voice is amazing and the songs are timeless! Mirror In The Bathroom, Twist & Crawl, Tears Of A Clown, I Confess, even Tenderness. The music is uplifting and the band is killer. They've still got it, and Dave looks like he can go on forever. Go see them play in a town near you. You'll be glad you did.

Liberation

I met a poet. The poet invited me to a poetry reading. It was raining, hard. I rode through the rain. I wasn't sure what to expect. At the reading, I met some other poets, each one interesting and interested. All three of the poets who read were different. Different topically. Different perspectives. Looking at the world through different lenses. I sat with all the poets. They asked me if I was a poet too, or a writer. I told one poet that I wrote, every day, but that I'm not really a writer. I told her that I write this blog, and it's about riding, bikes mostly. She was intrigued. She thought it was a great idea to express. She said that learning to ride a bike is that moment in a child's life when they experience that first freedom, the liberation of being able to go where you want to go. Freedom. And that conversation struck a deep chord in me. I've been thinking about it ever since we spoke. It inspired me to write this entry, and it inspired me to seek out that feeling more and more. The feeling of Freedom. The feeling of Liberation. And not only through riding, but in all things. I'm Free. Free Fallin'. I've been listening to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers a lot lately. As a matter of fact, it's been a Tom Petty Chanukah this week as I sought out some vintage TP collectibles and spread them around to some friends that I care about. Tom Petty is an American poet of rock & roll. He's been writing and singing about freedom since he began rockin' in his hometown of Gainesville, Florida. Thanks Tom, and thanks to the poet(s) who reminded me of that feeling of freedom & liberation. I want to have it every day. You can too.

Here's a good one....

A fresh start with my new mug

Transformation

It must be the leaves? The colors that are so amazing. Changes. I could feel it yesterday. Rode Stillwell on LI with The Sos. The weather was stunning. 60's in November. I'd have to be hospitalized to keep me off the trails on a day like that. Really. Perfect conditions. I took Domino out for a spin, my Cannondale Flash Carbon 29er. The bike is awesome. Very racy, very light, very fast. The Dubmobile was transformed from Summer Cruiser to Winter Storm Chaser, also. Ominous looking with the black Winter wheels. I like it. Last night closed a great day with a ride over to DUMBO for some fresh beers with new friends. Doors close, doors open. The changing of seasons, turning pages to the next chapter, on to the next episode, wrapping the second film of this threequel and moving on to the third film in the series? Let's see what today brings... It's gonna be good.

The Sos with his weapon of choice...The Bruja

Your narrator....LW

Dubmobile Summer

Dubmobile Winter

Positivity, Have You Had Your Plus (+) Sign Today?

Today has been a day of pure funk. Started out rocking to the funk roots of Curtis Mayfield this morning, and rocked Prince records all day afterwards. Lovesexy, Sign O' The Times, Morning Papers, Live records, Around The World In A Day, and then some... Tonight: Fishbone live at Brooklyn Bowl. Yes, I'm ready. I've been up North in Peekskill, NY at Blue Mountain with the boys ripping the trails and purging the aggression and evils from my system. I am cleansed, for now. It was good. Great trail conditions, great weather, great friends. The changing of the leaves is beautiful, stunning. I rode hard and I rode well, crushing the last sections with intense vigor. It was a hard week. The rides drive me on. I had my (+) sign today, and I'm gonna get it again tonight! Gotta ride again tomorrow...

I was delayed by the new Batman movie,
but the fellas were gracious enough to wait for me

The Usual Suspects

I love my Ventana...El Dente'
Look at those leaves!

NYC Is For Skateboarding

Yeah.....I'm loving my new Santa Cruz Slasher deck! Ripping around downtown NYC all week. All I have to do is step on one of my decks and I feel good, instantly. It's like a drug, but better. It's the original drug from my childhood that never got old. The drug that I never developed a tolerance for. The drug that still feeds my jones to ride any time and every time. It feels great to have a new board in my quiver. It's very fast, and shapely, in all the right ways. My feet finding the sweet spots around the concave lines. My fingers scraped and worn down from the new grip tape. I feel great riding around the NYC on it and sending the message to everyone in my path.....there's an independent rebel coming through and you better make way, clear a path, cause I make the rules when I'm riding.

Had a visit from the Bern Helmet guys this week. They are super cool. Dennis, the founder of Bern, and John, our rep and part owner of Bern. We had some good hang time and good sushi! They brought skateboards and bikes and they were loving my quiver of boards at the shop. Dennis wanted to go ride around the neighborhood so I sent him out on my Deathbox Inouye deck. He loved it.....who wouldn't. That board is wicked. Gotta keep riding, every day. Tuning up for snowboard season, coming soon to a mountain near you.

Had to get some soft bushings
at Reciprocal Skate Shop - EV

My new board transformed by soft bushings...sweet

Bern Helmet Guys....
Dennis (L) and John

Curvy, sexy SC Slasher

Whirlwind

I couldn't sleep, so I rode, road. I still find it strange to wake up in the dark to go ride, but since we just passed daylight savings time, the sun was peaking out as I was ready to launch out of the East Village at 6:30. The ride was powered by MrNorth, one of my favorite bands. Their latest album Everything is the soundtrack to my first movie. Whirlwind is from that record.

Check em' out...



Lately, on my solo rides, I feel like I'm writing these entries during the ride. Cycle Therapy. It continues, for me. I'm not sure what I'd do without it. Explode? Implode? Crumble into dust? I rode 35 miles in Central Park and it hurt. I hurt. The ride felt good. I pushed myself, hard. 120 minutes of pedaling as hard as I could. Daring cars and truck and pedestrians to challenge me on the way up and back.

There was a cool, foggy mist on the upper East side of the loop and it gave me a cool, crispy feeling as I rode through it. On my 2nd loop in the park, I came around the South side and I saw the sun shining through the trees in the most beautiful way... It reminded me that it's good to be alive, and riding. It's easy to get caught up in things, but you have to stand up for yourself, and persevere. As Tom Petty said: "There ain't no easy way out and no, I won't back down".

Street Riding / Up On The Sun

Well, here we go.... There was a lot of street riding happening over the last few days, bikes and skateboards. It started Thursday night over at Reciprocal Skateboard Shop on East 11th Street, see: reciprocalnyc.com , while I was swilling some Fosters oil cans with John, and Jeremy was playing the Tron pinball machine. All of a sudden I saw this reissued Santa Cruz Slasher deck in the window and once I stood on it, I feared I would have to have it.....and I took it home that night. There was quite a bit of test riding on 11th Street with John and Greg to get the board just right. Those guys are excellent and expanding the store as I type this. More skate gear, more pinball machines, more fun! I took my new board to work Friday and did a lot of riding around the store, Union Square, downtown NYC.....loving it. I saw that The Meat Puppets were playing and decided I had to go. Jimmy P was down for the experience so it was on.....click play:





I rode my lil' Cannondale Capo street ripper over to the club on Bleecker and I was ready for the rock....and they brought it. The Meat Puppets tore the place apart. They killed it. I loved it. Jimmy P was blown away. Extended jam version of Up On The Sun. They even played a wicked Beach Boys cover. The Kirkwood brothers are alive and well. We walked out of the club afterwards and were basically speechless, from the rock. Awesome.

Saturday night street ride to Bushwick. Yep, Ed Pastorini, the infamous downtown muso was playing at Goodbye Blue Monday in Bushwick so we guzzled some beers and had dessert first before heading out there. Ed was superb. Playing all new songs including Smooth Maria, about flat spots on the moon. Yep, that's Ed. It was a surreal evening.....eating fried chicken off of garbage cans on the street in the ghetto, then ripping over to the Saloon in Billyburg where Nicky 2 Shirts works and swilling more delicious beers and chilled shots of Jamesons. How did I get home?

NYC Marathon Sunday. Who knew I'd be going to view the Marathon? Rode to mid-town, parked, locked up and went into the crowd like being immersed in a cloud or a fog of people that like running or like someone who likes running. I like someone who knows someone who likes running. Wow. How did I pull that one off? The Spaten on 72nd Street made everything ok, followed by a fun ride downtown to the EV for more cold beers and fish and chips. Yum. I have to say, it was a great day! NYC is the place to be....

Monday afternoon Tour De Brooklyn. We made up our own tour. After a lunch in the sun at McCarren Park in Williamsburg, we jetted off through Brooklyn.....around Bed-Stuy to Clinton Hill, Fort Green, Prospect Park loops, Prospect Heights, around to Park Slope, and back over the Manhattan Bridge to the LES, and finally landing at the Blue & Gold for beef stew talk, Tom Petty on the juke box, and enough Rednecks that we lost count. My life's pretty good. I ride, bikes & skateboards. Snowboarding season's around the corner, ayuh.

John, at Reciprocal, building my new board

My lil' street machine....yes, it goes fast.

Gratitude

It's called Gratitude. That's what I was thinking about on this Halloween ride. Click play and listen to the track while you read.



This ride was powered by The Beastie Boys and when Gratitude came on I realized that was the theme of the ride. I almost didn't go. Couldn't find the motivation until a special friend texted me and asked "are you going mtb'ing today? It's perfect weather". At that moment, I knew I had to go. I grabbed my gear and my single speed Spot 29er and rolled out of the East Village. I had to purify myself on the trails of Glacier Ridge on LI. Cycle Therapy. That's what's driving me. I need it to breathe. Like oxygen for my soul. The weather was indeed perfect, sunny, and beautiful. The trail conditions were also perfect. Riding solo is when I ride the hardest and fastest. This day was no exception. I rode. Hard and fast and smooth. Flying through the trails. Maybe faster than I've ever ridden there. It was exhilarating and I felt alive and at one with my bike and my world. At the 10 mile mark when I got to White Ghost I was 60 minutes in. I was flying, in the woods, on the Earth, in my world. The world where I ride to live, and live to ride. I was riding like a jaguar and almost hit a group of 3 deer as I rolled up on them silently. The ride was great! And I was thankful. For the rides and for the friends and people in my life who support me and love me and ride with me. The ride revitalized me and it was Halloween! The evening proved to be fruitful and fun! Sushi at Takahachi, 2 great, young bands at Local 269 where I met Emily, the singer/guitarist pictured who led us to the Rockwood to see a band play Prince's Purple Rain from start to finish. My life is pretty good. Gratitude. Trick or treat.

The windmill was spinning on LI

10 miles in

Cold sake in a box

1 girl from Tucson and 2 boys from NJ, rockin.

She had Multi Pass

Hunter S. Thompson?

Sometimes It Snows In October/I Ain't Goin Out Like That

Well, I guess it hadn't happened since the 1800's, but we got 3 inches of snow in NYC in October! Nothing good about it. Couldn't go snowboarding. Bad for business. Bad for riding streets and trails. West Milford, NJ got a whopping 19 inches! Yep, the home of our favorite Jungle Habitat. I guess we're not going there til it thaws. I didn't care how much it snowed, I was goin' out to ride the trails today. I had to. LI didn't get snow, just rain, so I headed out to Stillwell in Syosset. The Sos was having a block party so I figured I could spin at least 10 miles of trail before I went over there to check it out. After the snowy day and night and cold temps I was ready for a cold ride, but it was actually beautiful and sunny in the mid 40's. Winter shoes, long sleeves top and bottom, thermal vest...done. Toasty and perfect. I raged the trail like a stealthy beast to the soundtrack of Cypress Hill. It was a lil' soft in a few spots, but otherwise superb. The Sos block party was in full swing when I got there. Kids havin' fun, adults hangin' out. I visited the catering/food truck for a delicious angus burger and pommes frites, yum! Then, I was off to NYC to deliver Baby Blue to the BK. A great day, in my new life. Gotta ride again tomorrow....Halloween! Boo!

A Snowy Saturday In October...NYC

Stillwell by the train tracks/tunnel

Yes, The Ewok Forest

Sos Block Party, Food Truck. Yum.

Food Truck Menu

The Sos MTB Quiver in Full Force (with Spot)

A Specialized Jungle Ride

Brennan, from Specialized University in Morgan Hill, CA, was coming in to NYC so we put together a ride to show him our local trails. Jungle Habitat is a big favorite of ours right now, so it was on. We had a powerful riding crew...Sam, Kevin, Paul, Chris Facas (our Spec Rep), Brennan, and myself....your narrator. Facas had a head cold...boo hoo, and when he pulled his bike out of the car he realized that he had no brake pads left.....hmmmm. He jetted over to the local bike shop and got some new pads while we waited for Brennan who was running late. How many bike biz guys does it take to change disc brake pads? Quite a few, it seems. New brake pads in, and we finally got rolling...and we did roll. Fast and furious rock gobbling trail abuse. I crashed myself up hard, again. Wow, that hurt. We rocked most of the trails including....Otter Slide, Warthog, Cages, Rhino, (the new one) Boon, and more that I can't remember. I was sort of delirious and hanging on after my crash up. A great ride overall. Everybody dug it. We love taking visitors out so they can go home with NYC MTB stories.....on to the next one.

The Waiting

The moment when Chris realized he had no brake pads...

Paul, certified Cervelo mechanic, installing new pads

Brennan arrives with Spec Sprinter Van. Team meeting.

LW, before the pain. Ready, set, let's go

Happy Birthday Max!

Yep....another October birthday ride! Max, the birthday boy, Sam, Kevin, and me...your narrator. Stewart was Max's choice for the ride in Newburgh, NY next to the airport....home of the Dark Horse 40. We were less than a mile into the ride when Max's pedal came off! It didn't thread off, it broke and came apart. We turned around and went back to the cars to retool the ride. Of course, Sam had the flat pedals in his truck that Kevin had to use last week when he forgot to bring his shoes to Ringwood. Kevin found a pair of Time pedals in his truck that could work if he could fix up one of them. He even had a new set of cleats. Kevin got busy on the pedal while Max swapped the cleats out. It was all good and we were back on the trail. 20 blazing, bumpy miles of fun! Muddy, messy, stinky. Dirty riders, dirty bikes. Gotta go again tomorrow...

Max and the broken pedal

A close look at the problem...

Pedal repair, cleat swap

Dirty Spot back home in the DL in the quiver

Riding!

I'm riding for my life, really. It rained all day and night and stopped around 5 AM. I arose like a zombie from Dawn Of The Dead, suited up in my costume and headed out on my lil' rocket System Six. Blazing 26 miles in Central Park on the wet tarmac with slippery leaves....letting it all out. Yep, it felt good. Gotta do it again tomorrow.

Dirty System Six....with Kitten

Appropriate for This Morning's Ride