tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-279996892024-03-12T22:37:26.748-04:00Oswald Cycle WorksTom Oswaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15865345965206546302noreply@blogger.comBlogger125125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-75851965643690615832017-05-09T08:48:00.001-04:002017-05-09T08:52:01.742-04:00It’s funny how the world works. You spend your younger years learning life's lessons, screwing up and making bad choice. I used to think about how badly I would like to leave the town I grew up in and experience the world.
I did just that, tore my world apart, moved south, became a Game Warden (chased a dream, it is true what they say, the grass is not always greener...), got lazy, made excuses,Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-81963786650331841442016-05-06T12:37:00.001-04:002016-05-06T13:13:01.925-04:00Crush the Commonwealth 2016
Crush the Commonwealth 2016
Pre(r)amble - (if you’re in a hurry you can safely skip this and scroll down to The Actual Story)
CtC 2011 was my first try at a real long distance ride. I had no idea what I was doing. I had never done anything nearly that long, but at the halfway point I was mixing it up with the guys that went on to win it and set a new record (28.5 hours). I finished in 35.5Tom Oswaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15865345965206546302noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-32775524686394072722014-12-26T20:28:00.002-05:002014-12-26T20:28:15.742-05:002014 - the Year in ReviewWhoa! Has it really been a year and a half since the last blog entry? Well, it's not 'cause we haven't been out there riding bikes. Our gang has been doing all kinds of good stuff, but apparently I'm just not writing about it much. So I guess a recap of the 2014 season is in order.
It was a great year for me, riding-wise. Not so much racing, but gobs of great riding. I kicked it off by pedaling Tom Oswaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15865345965206546302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-16976683079155395882013-04-24T12:10:00.000-04:002014-12-26T20:28:59.058-05:00Crush the Commonwealth 2013
I
did Crush the Commonwealth in 2011 and had a great time. I learned a
lot too and knew that if I gave it another shot I could do even
better. So my 2013 CtC started back in January. About 1/2 dozen
extra pounds had insinuated themselves on my body over the last few years.
I starved them off and got back down to a lean, mean buck
twenty-five. I put in loads of miles in the cold, mostly alone, Tom Oswaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15865345965206546302noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-56983937446423748362012-05-06T11:47:00.000-04:002012-05-06T11:47:19.250-04:00Super Moon Misadventureby Sheila -
Rolling over in bed this morning, I was shocked awake by the pain in my hip. As the world came into focus, I felt the ache over my whole body. Like waking from a dream, I was trying to put the pieces together. What was going on? Like a flash I remembered and smiled. If I remember, then I don’t have a concussion.One can never pinpoint the exact beginning of a chain of events, but I’llTom Oswaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15865345965206546302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-39562174051841656602012-04-06T20:17:00.002-04:002012-04-06T20:21:08.716-04:00Race Course MapToday was a Good Friday indeed. I didn't have to work and I got to ride my mountain bike. I decided to start mapping trails with the GPS whenever I ride. So here is a Google Earth file of the first half of the race course with picture at all the major intersections.Google Earth TrackJosh Bealshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15827931722473572612noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-62382729550529535162012-04-02T17:30:00.010-04:002012-04-03T06:45:03.598-04:00On Crashing My BikeOn the Monday before Thanksgiving back in aught 11, I crashed my bike on my commute home. One minute I was thinking about picking up my son. The next thing I remember was sitting in the backseat of a pick-up truck talking with a woman who, with her husband, found me unconscious in Ore Bed Rd. The ambulance soon arrived, Lilace and Gloria showed up, and I went to the hospital. (I made sure Lilace Tankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412141468329278040noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-39234840840536758692012-01-29T15:25:00.005-05:002012-02-05T09:48:38.265-05:00Cyclocross, Pennsyltucky StyleBack in the fall, after Iron Cross, I started feeling that dreaded backslide down the slippery slope of diminishing fitness and flagging motivation. It's good to take a step back and cool your jets every once in a while, but this felt like something much more insidious creeping up on me, so I decided to keep myself moving by signing up for the Central PA Cyclocross Series in Danville PA.&Tom Oswaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15865345965206546302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-90624171272144859712011-05-24T14:08:00.012-04:002011-07-18T14:47:16.048-04:00Rambling Around Prattsburgh: Just Like Old TimesI've been wanting to Ramble Around Prattsburgh since Tom did it for the first time three or four years ago. The race sounded like stupid fun: cross bikes on a mixed pavement/dirt road/singletrack course. Some climbing. Some descending. Some views. Sounded like it had everything. Everything but me. The race has always been scheduled in April in the past--a shitty month for yours truly thanks to myTankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412141468329278040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-38021478894329973602011-05-05T20:26:00.007-04:002011-10-28T16:09:16.083-04:00Crush the Commonwealth 2011My house needs to be painted. Scraped, and scraped, and painted. Sounds like fun, right? Yeah, that's why I decided to Crush the Commonwealth (400 miles across Pennsylvania - "No support, no spectators, no prizes") instead.
I started ramping up my riding in February and slowly piled on the miles 'til about mid-April. Spent a two-week taper rolling around Tioga County feeling like superman, Tom Oswaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15865345965206546302noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-72476146601795983642010-12-11T13:26:00.000-05:002010-12-13T09:34:16.967-05:00Dirty DozenNov. 25 2010, I headed out to Pittsburgh to see if I was man enough to climb the toughest hills in and around the city. I had been watching the weather channel so I could figure how warm to dress, they were calling for a high in the mid to upper thirty's, they lied. When I woke on Sat. morning it was around 23 degrees and when I looked out the window it was windy and snowing, and I knew I'd have Eric Franckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719278142319859870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-3999215494612831172010-09-07T16:21:00.000-04:002010-09-21T09:38:04.312-04:00That's No BullI wrote last time about the double century. This post will complete my musings on what turned out to be one of biggest weeks of riding I've ever had. But first, an update on the Double post.As we sat outside the cafe in Bellefonte waiting on coffee, we noticed a couple of elderly women fresh out of church walking toward the cafe. Both were wearing full length dresses and reasonable heels (Tankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412141468329278040noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-18234812096638314502010-08-24T12:49:00.000-04:002010-08-24T14:54:04.969-04:00The DoubleThe week of August 15 involved two big rides for me: a double century and Ole Bull Midnight Madness solo. Here's a bit of the story of the double:August 15, 5:05 a.m., MansfieldIt was spitting rain when Tom, Francis, and I met at the bike shop for our double century. Tom fired up the computer, looked at the weather, and proclaimed that it didn't look great. But we deceived ourselves and decided Tankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412141468329278040noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-58577345815242658112010-07-09T11:34:00.000-04:002010-07-09T20:30:08.526-04:00HILLY BILLY ROUBAIXJune 26 2010, The Hilly Billy Roubaix. I signed up for this race after John Majors had told me about it last spring thinking it would be a lot like the Iron Cross, and seeing how much I enjoyed that, I was looking forward to this one. This race did not disappoint me as it was every bit as hard and challenging. John and I arrived at the race site about 9:00 Sat. morning, signed in and got Eric Franckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719278142319859870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-20119685799363315072010-06-17T15:11:00.000-04:002010-06-17T15:14:38.454-04:00Century TimeCome join us for the 5th Annual OCW no-fee, no-frills, no-whining Century - 7:00am July 11, from Oswald Cycle Works in Mansfield. All are welcome!Tom Oswaldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15865345965206546302noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-34035037605750306452010-05-03T23:33:00.000-04:002010-05-04T10:38:41.574-04:00Addison Race Fest Road RaceMay 1st 2010, I woke up not feeling very good, hadn't been for a couple of day's and didn't feel much like racing today but seeing how I had already paid, figured I needed to go. Once I got there and started to seeing people I knew, the bad feeling in my stomach wasn't so bad any more. I ran into Jimmy and Lillace and we talked on the way to sign in. We saw Jared and talked while getting ready Eric Franckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719278142319859870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-7729752417306991072010-04-26T17:59:00.001-04:002010-04-26T18:07:00.363-04:00Race: Tour De TykesFun Stuff!The weekend started out normal enough, bolting out of work like a child on the first day of summer and screaming yippy all the way to the car. Once we were all packed Heather and I headed north for the Tour De Tykes in Danville PA directly behind Geisinger Hospital. This was a race to benefit the Children’s Miracle Network at the Janet Wise Children’s Hospital. I must admit that I was Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-79521911891084916722010-04-26T15:45:00.000-04:002010-04-26T16:00:01.650-04:00Ramble Around PrattsburghFirst I thought I'd let you know how I tried to get into shape for the race, secret training. I left Wellsboro and headed to Pittsburgh for a flight to California to see my grandson-Finn, daughters- Teri and Serena, and son-in-law Chad. I stayed in Pittsburgh for a couple days with John Majors and we got a couple of rides in, both days it rained on us but we had a good time anyway. I was sure itEric Franckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719278142319859870noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-75929403299972899352010-04-08T18:43:00.001-04:002010-04-09T16:49:54.784-04:00For those who like to Travel: Frederick County, MarylandFrederick County, Maryland When you think Maryland, you might have images of clogged streets, sprawling cities, and a lack of natural beauty. I too was drawn to those thoughts when I first moved to Maryland. And while there is some of that stuff listed above, there is also an abundance of beautiful things that can be seen from a bike, on a hike, or from some other form of transportation.The gem IUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-33748442333276042032010-04-08T18:43:00.000-04:002010-04-11T18:39:12.007-04:00Scott Scale 29er reviewScott Scale 29er review I recently purchased the Scott Scale 29er at Oswald Cycle Works. Starting out it is important to note that I tested many other bikes from other manufactures and several variations of a good thing, the 29 inch wheel, even a 29er unicycle.What I was looking for in a bike was a component group that offered the most of this years trickle down effect while remaining durable andUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-8285813046476332972010-03-03T17:10:00.000-05:002010-03-04T10:37:06.110-05:00Bike ShowFeb. 25 2010I started my trip in a snow storm and headed to Pittsburgh to meet up with John Majors and head out to Richmond Va. for the North American Handmade Bike Show, as it turned out not and easy task. We left Pittsburgh Sat. morning a little after 8:00 AM in a snow storm and a trip that should have taken 6 hours took 12. We got trapped in traffic due to a twenty car accident just out side Eric Franckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719278142319859870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-73851156444595742692009-10-23T23:00:00.000-04:002009-10-24T11:54:55.372-04:00Absurdly Goodness at the Iron Cross
<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 <![endif]--> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 268435456 0 0 -2147483648 0;} @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss;FCraighttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15011771034594317904noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-44777738416410916772009-10-13T06:39:00.000-04:002009-10-13T06:56:59.962-04:00Meet Some Friends, Race, and Learn to Fly…No Problem at Iron Cross.I am not the most seasoned rider. I got into biking seriously a little more than 2 1/2 years ago so I still have some learning to do about pacing, handling and training. That doesn’t stop me from trying though. In 2007 I did the Iron Cross for the first time in 5 hrs 17 mins. Not bad, not great. This year I was hoping to do much better, but it looks like I will have to settle for slightly better Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-26978929392618119272009-09-28T13:41:00.000-04:002009-09-28T18:09:59.612-04:00ERIC 'S ATTEMPT AT RACING 2009The first race was the Laurel Flyer , a good friend of mine John Majors came up from Pittsburgh to race the Flyer also. The weather was sunny and cool, road conditions were good and this year the course took a different route which made the race more interesting to me, I struggled with the climbing, my legs and lungs didn't want to cooperate with my brain. I still Eric Franckhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11719278142319859870noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27999689.post-51988975749603907322009-08-25T22:32:00.000-04:002009-08-25T22:58:23.425-04:00Ole Bull Midnight Madness 2009, or How I Finally Got a TattooA trend has come to bike racing lately: winners get tattoos. The Single Speed World Championships is a prime example (and the only race I can think of) where the winner gets a tat. There’s something about people sporting “I’m a winner” tats. Call it panache or maybe persnicketyness. Of course, it probably helps that the riders who win tats are really, really fast. If I was really, really fast, I Tankerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00412141468329278040noreply@blogger.com0