OUR CAN SAW can saw any cans we saw…

Well to-to, we aren’t in AR-Kansas any more. The whirled wind tour is over. Joe-Martin and Tri-Peaks are done and the results are somewhat neutral and un-eventful. The trip was interesting we saw a lot of “goats” and one of these “beautiful” specimens that our expert bird watchers Russ and Brad identified as a “F%$#ing Beautiful Hawk”…right. They should spend more time out of the city….

On short it was a drive into Middle America to race bikes. The long highway time and low budget made this trip the ultimate topic for an Alanis Morissette song. Kind of a good time in the middle…but for the most part painful and to long. If she did write a song about our trip to OUR CAN SAW, it would probably go like this…

“Why did we have to go through Tennessee”

Waffle Houses, Signs, Burgers
Why God, Why?
Signs, Semis, Interstate 40
Why God, Why?

What have I done to deserve this Blue horror?
Surrounded on all sides with the Hell of Interstate 40
Like a Poe character, I’m wordy and alone
Why God, Why?

Hawks, Waffle Houses, Plains
Why God, Why?
Interstate 40, Plains, Burgers
Why God, Why?

What have I done to deserve this Blue disaster that is my life?
Surrounded on all sides with the Hell of Interstate 40
Like a Poe character, I’m wordy and alone
Why God, Why?

What have I done to deserve this Blue misery?
Surrounded on all sides with the Hell of Interstate 40
Like a Poe character, I’m wordy and alone
Why God, Why?

Why God, Why?
Why God, Why?
Why God, Why?
Why God, Why?

do what BIG PAPA tells you

What is in a nick name…is there any truth to it…as a new team member the team is, inevitably, looking to “label” the new guy. I have cycled through a few, and as with every men’s team I have been on, the names have gone progressively south. First I was the Canadian Cannon…one that I was hoping might stick…and it might have if it wasn’t for some meddling cycling news report that referenced certain softwood lumber like features of my anatomy, giving me the name TRUNK (get your mind out of gutter, its trunk as in tree trunk legs…not tripod) but now I have been deemed “Big Papa” which according to goggle puts me in the same category as this guy.

As a cyclist, this is not comfortable company…unless he could pull of a 13th on GC at Joe Martin, with teammate help. (there, there is your race update) which I doubt. This has led me to believe that big papa has very a very limited coolness factor for a white boy cyclist from northern canuckistan. Therefore I must shake the scourge upon my character lest I be forever deemed the “big papa”. A name suitable only for the questionable movie industry, and over sized novelty pickles (see Photo).

Huh…well I guess that is something I am already involved in (see videos above). I mean those are defiantly movies, and are certainly questionable at best. Maybe all they lack is proper promo. Well maybe this next film will do better, check out the two pieces of promotional material for my next ridiculous submission to the world of weblopidia. Click the poster to see the exclusive preview.

“…the chiseled, tree-trunk legs…”

The following update will be in visual form only. The pictures below taken by Bill McCarrick at buffalo2step photography (http://cvillebike.com/photos/v/2006TOS/).

We done good…Two of four sweaters, 1 win and 2 podiums in 7 days…none of it would have been possible with out the team. The skinny pro road like an ox when I needed him.

I leave you with this humorous referance found in the stage 7 update on cycling news.

” Over the past six days, Brent Bookwalter proved his mettle as an all rounder. He succeeded in the gruelling Blue Ridge Mountains. He excelled in the time trials. And in the finale, he took on the chiseled, tree-trunk legs of Rite Aid’s Zach Bell, one of Canada’s top track cyclists.” On of the mor interesting media references I have ever incountered…

I have lots more coming down the Z-Rail so stay tuned for films, contest updates and other tantilizing tubular titalation over the next week.

Contest Closed

Track Worlds completes what I consider to be a successful track campaign. It also starts a whole chapter in the cycling year of 2006. Now I am back in Virginia, back at the monastery…it seemed to work last time right. Over the next couple days I will be riding when weather permits (there is major thunderstorms in the forecast right now…and racing my first road race this year at the tour of Shenandoah. I am looking forward to it.
The Contest is officially closed…Christoph and I will be locking ourselves deep in the monastery cloister for some meditation and deliberation on your submissions and when smoke rises from the monastery BBQ the final 5 will have been selected for the final stage.
Also I will be working on a video from world championships that will include but is not limited to footage of mini super bike riding so stay tuned.

Judges, Journeys, Jokers and Jet Lag

The contest is looking good, keep the entries coming. In my opinion we have some strong competitors. However I believe some of the favorites are yet to be claimed. The entries will officially close on the 18th of April (that’s when I am back from worlds).

Right now Favorites: (In my opinion) include the Flash, and firestorm…but contestants like James bond and the $6,000,000 man are bound to have secrets up their sleeves.

One last contest note: I am proud to announce the guest Judge for the contest. Many of you have seen him on the site before, none other than the bishop of bike, the guru of gears, direct from the Charlottesville Monastery, always a humanitarian and fraudulent veterinarian; MR…….CHRISTOPH HERBY whaaaaaaa yeah the tens of people go wild.

That’s right ladies, the superstar himself, from 2skinnypros.com. His resume includes but is not limited to:
- Most jacked cyclist on 2skinnypros.com (excluding the CAT 3 corner)
- Voted most aerodynamic at the Rite Aid Camp
- Film Star Ultraordinar (that’s right beyond Extrordinar and absolutely NOT Ordinar)

Finally, on the docket today we have a new video available for your viewing pleasure. This is a good one, an energetic film about the Commonwealth Games experience…I had so much material that it was hard to edit…so enjoy…and remember…its not over till its over.

So keep your contest entries coming…with the entries thus far I will guarantee a prize
with some commonwealth games schwag in it for the winner so now it is really worth your time to get in on the action.

Airport Reflecting Pools

So I am sitting here in the LAX airport…paying for the day long internet connection…because, unfortunately, I am here long enough that it is actually a good deal…I will have been here almost 12 hours by the time my plane leaves the ground…I guess it is giving me the time to reflect on the experience of my first major games….the best way to analyze it…lets *WICKY WICKY* break it down

The Goods:
- Food, in many verities, every 100m or so, 24hours a day as far as I could tell
- 300 dollar HBC blanket
- CDN Record, 5th in the Scratch, a smoking TT along the beach and tan lines to boot.
- FOOS BALL, In the house for free (after some aggressive negotiation with the table)
- A sweet track and the best group of Canadian cycling dudes to chill with (Mtn bikers are all right guys.)
- Travis Smith – two medals – the first two by a pizza man who get you your pizza when it absolutely, positively has to be there over night some time…
- Air Miles – I am one step closer to being super ultra mondo cool air Canada dude guy who can sit in the lounge and listen to jazz music while I wait…
- I have finally found the axel that makes me ride fast…AXEL ROSE
- Melbourne and Melbournians (highly recommended as a vacation or final shipwreck destination)
- TROY, not the movie, the bad ass dude who could fix all our bikes…and all the tri-athletes bikes (oops we forgot our mechanic in Canada…you work for free right) and all the wheel chair athletes…he must have been hired by the CCTAWA cause he never complained once…

The Bad’s
- Holy butt crack X Ray shorts batman
- The Martin’s grasp of English present tense “don’t broke my rollers”
- Cam’s grasp of French profanity (and French in general)
- 7 days of travel time total…I mean I know it is a long way but wouldn’t it be faster to just wait for the earth to spin underneath you???
- Bike BAGs…as in plural, as in to damn much crap to fit in the average elevator…
- Eating with sprinters when you are a endurance dude…”come on one more steak won’t make you go down hill any slower…what you can go up hill on a bike???”
- my bikes had better have been up in the first class cabin since the cost more to put on the plane than ME.
- having to leave the day after your event…and missing the opening ceremonies at your first games…

Well there you have it…I would say that weighs in at just a pound over good times where had by all with only a hint of jet lag…with the long travel times I think I was able to progressively adjust to the time change, its really the only way to travel…next time I will take boat…a row boat I think…that way I will never know the difference.

See you on the right…

THE MOST ANTICIPATED SHORT DOCUMENTARY TYPE MONASTIC CYCLING FILM OF THE YEAR

Check out the NEW VIDEO….wednesday, WEdnEsday WEDNESDAY

Ha ha..the people here in the plesantville that is the Commonwealth Games Village are kind enough to provide us with high speeeeeeeed interweb free of charge…and I, the ever concious blogtastic master of my own domain name have passed the beauty of it all on to you. The Charlletsville Documentary has recived excellent reviews with blog goers saying it is “nearly the best short documentary type film under 3 min set to monastic chanting they have seen all year.” and “Christoph Herby is the best cyclist in a monastic roll in 2006.” “he delivers a confusing and moving performance that leaves you laughing on your side and wondering what date it actually is.”

If you see only one short documentry type monastic film all afternoon make it this one….

Reviews may not be actual quotes, infact reviews are likley entirly made up…but the fact that I went to the trouble should make you want to see it even more…

Quick and Dirty Briefs…

SO I am sitting the Richmond Airport, using the free internet and preparing for my 36 hour trek across the globe for the world cup and commonwealth games. The last few weeks have been and interesting and exciting time for me…I met up with my team at a mini camp in Virginia. After a week at the monastery (video coming soon) with Christoph Herby (www.2skinnypros.com) , I spent the remainder of this last week setting up, training on, and tweaking my new team bikes… A Merlin and a Quintana Roo TT frame(Pictures also coming soon). It has been like Christmas, we even had the snow. As I set off I am feeling fantastically optimistic. The training has been great, and the idle time I have had here in the airport has really let me reflect and revel in the situation I find myself in at the moment in life in general. Maybe I am just elated at the fact that the wireless internet here in the airport is free…correct me if I am wrong but that just doesn’t happen in the real world does it? Good on the people of Richmond for providing something of convenience for no charge. It makes up for all the temperamental K-9’s that have nipped at my heels here…the rides have been beautiful…you just have to enjoy them at high speed in order to outrun the obviously athletic dogs who clearly make regular meals of local cyclists…they seemed to pursue me with extra vigor…I suppose they don’t see beefy track cyclist, all you can eat, meal on wheels too often. When Christoph and I where riding together it must have been like making a choice between celery and steak (or modified soy protein vegan burgers for you class 7 vegan cyclist out there, although I think Christoph does still cast a shadow??)
That’s all I have for now…but here are a few of the things here in Virginia that have put me in such a good mood. All the below come highly recommended…

Hedwig and the Angry Inch – Fantastic, Google It to find out more
Moxy Fruvous – Cunuckazation at its best
Chinese desserts and Cycling Trivia

Watch for more visually enticing hot and cold media coming soon….

Cali Video

This video is a quick glimpse of the most interesting visual features I was able to document on video in San Diego before the World Cup. No race footage, I had bigger things to worry about during the racing…like racing. The new video is called California Dreaming, and can be found on the videos and photos page. There are also several other new things hanging around the site…go and explore and you should be able to find them, it will be worth your coffee break.

Commonwealth Games

So, after many weeks of waiting and wondering, the CCA has finally decided my fate for the next few months. I have been sitting and stewing, training and hoping to hear if my partner on the track, Martin Gilbert, and I would be named to the Games Team. Today I got the news I have been waiting for. As I hoped and prayed over the past few months, we made the cut. After personal best rides in LA this past weekend I had done all I could to demonstrate my potential value to the team. Now that I have been selected I have so much motivation to make the most of my dwindling training time. Not that I wasn’t motivated before but, this will add to my allready boiling vat of anticipation for the season to come. Time to get down to business.

You can Find Details about the Games at www.melbourne2006.com.au.