Knowing you can always count on me, for sure…

That's what friends are for.


Thank you John for reminding my calf muscles during the ride last night that gym fitness and real life fitness are two different marks of the beast. For all you do, this video is you for.

Forgive me Devil for I have sinned.

It’s been 93 days since my last blog. Life has finally slowed down long enough to brush the cobwebs off this confessional. And that’s no bullsh*t (CLINK, a quarter falls into the Holy swear jar located in a dusty back corner of the confessional near a pile of empty Budweiser bottles). Truly life at times have been more than I’ve cared to handle.

Now I’m not saying that my life sucks because it’s just the opposite. Just so we’re clear, the life of Donny Frey rocks harder than the 1988 Monsters of Rock Tour. It’s just there have been some potholes along the way that went beyond running out of backstage passes for groupies and Jagermeister. Rather than getting into the nitty-gritty details, like snorting ants with Ozzy Osbourne and Tom Boonen, I’ll just cover a few of the highs (pun intended) and lows.



• Some of you are probably wondering, “Don… Are you even riding your bike?” The answer is yes. Basically I wake up at 5:45 AM and ride indoors on the trainer or rollers until 7:00 AM. If I’m lucky I’ll get in another one hour, indoor ride in the evening after Andrew is in bed. In jest I’ve told Laurie that the most expensive stationary bikes in Northeast Ohio are at our house.

• Life without Dylan (Old Smeller) is not as sweet. To this day we still miss him. He wasn’t ever a dog to us but a member of the family. Even that last statement trivializes the relationship we had. In realty words can’t describe what he meant and the loss I still feel. Maybe this short Dylan story can give some insight to the loss. One of his favorite places to hang out was under my legs when my feet were on the coffee table. And though he passed away in January, to this day I’m still catching myself to make sure I don’t step on him when getting of the couch.

• After 39 years of being on this big blue marble called Earth I’d come to the conclusion that there was nothing new to learn from my father. I was wrong.

• Growing a full beard is liberating. Shaving it down into the classic Zorro porn mustache… Zabriskie-rific!



• There’s nothing better than putting 28’s on the Colnago and riding the dirt roads back home in Pennsylvania. Don’t believe me? Then let’s go on a road trip and I’ll show you a good time in PA. Dear God… What I’m I saying? Oh no! The Zorro porn mustache has taken over my brain!!

• Andrew’s observation of The Smiths while on trip to Toy’s ‘R Us: “Dad, the singer sounds like Barney. You know… the guy that’s on The Simpsons.”



• Some of you are probably wondering, “Don… Are you ever going to race this year?” The answer is yes. If (and the key word here is if) everything falls into place I’ll be racing plenty of cyclocross. The goal this year was to do some local time trials events, race the Westlake crits at least once a month, and of course race cross. As stated earlier those goals had to be adjusted around the real world and now I’m just racing against myself on the trainer.

• Being awaken before the pre-dawn trainer ritual by Andrew to the tune of “DAD! WAKE UP!! GRANDMA NEEDS HELP!!!” is not the best way to start off your day. Going upstairs to find a two-pint trail of blood from the guest bedroom to the bathroom definitely is not the best way to start off the day.

• Let’s be honest. Riding and racing are a lot like the lyrics to the song by Judas Priest, Pain and Pleasure… You give me pain, but you bring me pleasure. So when Campagnolo teamed up with Trojan Brand Condoms to redesign the rubber hoods for the 2009 shift levers I got… well, how would you say… a little aroused.



• Start saving your pennies everyone. Laurie’s book, UNBEATABLE - The Whole Story, will be published at the end of the month and will be available through all major bookstores and Amazon. If asked nicely there’s a good chance she’ll be able to arrange a signed copy of the book for you. But only for a price so start saving your pennies. :-) When more details are available I’ll post an update.

• This is classified information for Dave only. If your name isn’t Dave or your initials are not DS then the information below is not for you. I repeat…STOP READING THIS TOP SECRET, CLASSIFIED INFORMATION IF YOUR NAME IS NOT DAVE!

Hey Dave, you can get the (un)official Riding With the Devil t-shirt at velogear.com.

• Some of you are probably wondering, “Don… Is the Zanconato cyclocross bike one sweet pimped out ride?” The answer is… HELL YEAH!!!


Well this is the abridged version of the past 93 days of living the rock star lifestyle with Donny Frey. The audience is calling for the band to get on stage for an encore so I’m going jump back into the limelight. The show must go on.

The Official Riding With The Devil T-Shirt.

I was so upset the shirt was no longer in my size that I had to add a few coins to the 2008 swear jar. :-(

How observant are you?

Stop me if you think that you've heard this one before.

The Smiths are the pioneers of the bike messenger/fixed gear fashion genre. Seriously … the only thing separating this video from todays Portland bike culture is the lack of oversized, $600 messenger bags and custom-made cotton cycling caps.

All my heros are weirdos.

Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention.

I've just been handed an urgent and horrifying news story. I need all of you, to stop what you're doing and listen. Winter storm warning!

With the winter Apocalypse upon us there's no better time to enjoy the high life.

Sheldon Brown: 1944 - 2008

Sheldon Brown was cycling's version of the Encyclopedia Britannica. His website was my first reference to the world of troubleshooting bicycle related problems, especially when there was frame shimmy issues happening with one of my bikes. Godspeed Sheldon Brown.

Now that's just super.

These are the three best ads from Super Bowl XLII. How do I know that they're the best? After 19 years in the advertising/design industry I know what makes an ad worth merit... Plus I'm never wrong. Enjoy.

3. Timberlake's performance in this commercial is 'N Sync.

2. A magical blend of beer, basketball, and Will Farrell.


1. Audi makes an offer I couldn't refuse. Plus spending $5.4 million for a 1-minute "borrowed interest" spot has got to get you something.

Hurry kids! Gather around the TV!! It’s time for our favorite show!!!

Nothing warms a house better than Uncle Jesse jamming out some metalcore while teaching the younglings to be little tramps. :-)

Food for thought... Where are your hands?

Photos by Sint Netels

A few days ago I read this on the Road Bike Review cyclocross forum,

The main thing to be learned from watching any current pro video is that the best guys ride the hoods exclusively. Don't give yourself too many options during a cross race. Options=chances to waste energy while at your limit. Hoods are the best place for all parts of the course, and drops are for the final sprint. Tops are for riding to the beer store.

This weekend starts the process of dialing in my cyclocross position on the Zanconato. Though a large mount of the Indy Fab fit will transfer to the Zank, the main focus will be making sure that I’m the most comfortable on the hoods. About 5 months ago I had made this decision prior to reading the above thoughts on the subject because I too had made the same observation of how the Euro pro’s were racing. Hey… You can’t argue with their results. :-)

Keep your eyes peeled for Part 2, 3 and 4 of the Zanconato cyclocross bike build. Lots of updates are on the way!

John (EPO) Ehrlinger

Cartoon courtesy of In the Bleachers by Steve Moore.

Idgit's for Iowa.

The crash heard around the world.

This might be the only video of the infamous crash that happened to Ryan Trebon during the 2007 Cyclocross Nationals Elite Mens race. Many thanks to teamskincycling for capturing the moment.




I've got some thoughts about the crash, but I'll save them until I hear what my cross buddies have to say first.

The 2007 Riding With The Devil Cyclocross Awards

Rather than spending the swear jar proceeds on beer, I opted to use the money towards the 1st Annual Riding With The Devil Cyclocross Awards. The purpose of Riding With The Devil Cyclocross Awards is to honor the extraordinary achievements of those that race cyclocross on the Snakebite Racing Team.

Before starting the awards ceremony I need to take a minute to thank a few people. First and foremost an ENORMOUS thank you goes to Brian and Diane at HubBub. After getting a call 4:00 PM on Friday, Brian quickly pulled together a generous box of used parts. Without those parts there wouldn’t have been any awards. I can’t thank you enough Brian. And Laurie gets a big thank you too. She gave me the idea for the wood bases, went out in the middle of the night to get sand and make the sand bags, and she stayed up with me to 12:45 AM to give moral support. Thanks Honey!

So without further delay, let’s get this shindig dug. :-)


The Iron Maiden Award for Phenomenal Pain Tolerance (PPT): Ray Huang

Rather than pursue fame and glory in the B field, Ray chose to race among the big men of cross where the pain is long and plentiful. We’re going to miss Ray on the Snakebite team. We wish you the best of luck with the Torrelli boys.


The Aleister Crowley Award for Outstanding Photography: Gary Burkholder

What can you say? When you’ve got skills, you’ve got skills.


The Beelzebub Performance Award: John Ehrlinger

It’s not every day you have the ability to beat Paul Martin, the 2007 Elite Men's Road Race National Champion. So what if Paul’s chain broke during the race, John’s could have too.


The Anton LaVey Humanitarian Award: Dan Baraona

The Anton Lavay Humanitarian Award is given to a person most deserving of encouragement to move from one race category to next. After racing several seasons in the C’s Dan’s goal for 2008 is raise his game and race with the B’s. Godspeed Dan and welcome to Snakebite!


And last but not least…

The Eternal Damnation Award: Rick Adams

There is a special place in Hell reserved for the vilest of humanity. Of those the cyclocross sandbagger is the most contemptible of filth. This season Rick bravely raced against the cyclocross sandbagger and met the challenge head on. Never forget Rick that testing/humiliation is good for the soul. Second place is a great character builder.


That concludes the 2007 Riding With The Devil Cyclocross Awards. Remember… Every quarter you add to the swear jar will make a difference in the life of a needy, unfortunate cyclocross racer. Good night and God Bless.

Like sands through the hourglass these are the days of our lives.

It’s good to see that Northeast Ohio isn’t the only area dealing with the dreaded cyclocross sandbagger. On Road Bike Review there’s a clever idea on how a New England cross racer is using eBay (the link to the actual auction) to expose these dregs of the cycling community.

There’s got to be a creative solution for the Cleveland race series but my energies are best spent trying to eliminate the sandbags from around my waistline. Liposuction or gastric bypass surgery are two viable options. Then I could play hours upon hours of Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band during the recovery process. Yet surgical procedures are the ways of the sandbagger. I need to man up, be a true Belgian and get my a$$ *CLINK… A quarter falls into the swear jar* on a saddle.

On a serious note, a cyclocross Medal of Honor is to be awarded to Ray (Death Ray) Huang for laying down his opportunities for glory in the B’s and raced against the hard men of cross. With two races remaining in the “Respect my authori-tie” series Ray has shown in his first year of cross that he has what it takes to tame the feared Hydra of cyclocross.

And huge props to Tony Marut for becoming the Junior Men’s 16-18, 2007 Ohio State Cyclocross Champion!!! Tony is a great, solid kid. It couldn’t have gone better guy.

The swear jar... Always worth it.

Zanconato, Part 1: 50 ways to leave your lover… Or bike.

On June 22, 2006, the Independent Fabrication Planet X took a turn for the worst. I’ll rephrase that by saying I took a turn for the worst and in the process chose one of the 50 ways to leave your bike. You’re now probably saying to yourself, “What #*?@ are you talking about?” Rather than go into a dissertation, who better than to describe through the majesty of song, the brilliant songwriter and composer… Paul Simon. Take it away Paul!


Sung to the chorus of 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover by Paul Simon.

You just let it slip of the rack, Jack
Make a crash into a van, Stan
You need a new toy, Roy
Just get yourself free
Forget about the rust. Gus
You don’t need to discuss much
Drive under a low overhang, Cain
And get yourself free


The semi-short story:
While driving to a group ride I went under a low overhang and bent the fork on the Independent into a perfect right angle (Drive under a low overhang, Cain). Other than the fork and a SLR saddle being trashed, HubBub Custom Bicycles gave the bike a good bill of health. Though to be on the safe side we sent the frame to Indy Fab just to make sure.


A few days after sending the frame to IF for inspection I got the good news/bad news call from Lloyd Graves. The good news… The fork took the full impact of the overhang accident and there was nothing wrong with the frame in regards to the crash. The bad news… The inside of the seat tube was so rusted away that according to Lloyd “It looks like the inside of the Titanic.” From his perspective it was just a matter of time before the frame collapsed from corrosion (Forget about the rust. Gus). Lloyd went on to say that the frame was basically only good for a one to two lap pit bike, not a full time race machine.

I was the second owner of the Planet X and the previous owner had overstated the condition of the frame. He had assured me that the frame and fork were made in 2000, though raced it had been well taken care of, and had minor rust in the seat tube. As it turns out the frame was made in 1997, was in OK condition, and the rust was significant without the slightest hint of any Frame Saver being used to protect the seat tube from corrosion.

To this day I still feel that it was good deal for what I got. This was my first cross bike and it was a Planet X with a team paint job! After adding a few parts to get the bike fitted properly, I had an awesome cross bike for the fraction of what a new one would've cost. It was going to be hard giving up on a bike that had never once let me down.

Happy 5th Anniversary Honey!

Today marks the fifth anniversary of my wife Laurie being being diagnosed with Stage 3A breast cancer. Hitting the five-year mark without a recurrence is a big milestone in the cancer journey. To put it in cycling terms, Laurie is still climbing Alpe d'Huez yet she can do some soft-pedaling today.

While going through treatment Laurie came up with an idea to develop a musical based around her cancer experience. With the help of a very talented creative team* “UNBEATABLE, A Musical Journey” has become a reality. The show has been performed in Phoenix and Cleveland in a workshop/stage reading format. And just this past August, UNBEATABLE performed a showcase in Midtown Manhattan.

Yesterday Laurie and Eric Coble had the honor of speaking at Hiram College about the creative process behind UNBEATABLE. Laurie and I both feel that this is just the beginning of the many exciting things in store for UNBEATABLE and the great opportunities for her and us.

Laurie… You are beautiful, courageous, determined, and have a compassionate heart. Keep the turning the pedals over to your next milestone.


* The UNBEATABLE Creative Team
Laurie Frey - Co-Creator, Producer
Michael Barnard - Co-Creator, Director • Phoenix Theatre
Eric Coble - Book Writer • A fresh voice for the CH-UH School Board
Todd Schroeder - Composer/Lyricist • Todd's MySpace Link
Kevin Fisher - Composer/Lyricist • Kevin's MySpace Link
Journey Projects LLC - Everything about UNBEATABLE and more.
UNBEATABLE's MySpace Page

Nijs vs Wellens (Wonderboy vs Young Nasty Man)

Who will rise above the North East Ohio mucky muck?

Who will be the Wonder Boy... Martin, Evans, Sroka, Ziccardi, Ehrlinger, Marenchin?

Who will be the Young Nasty Man... Marut, Adams, Davis, Domenic, Thor, Burkholder?

Who’s destiny will unfold over the brutal months of autumn to claim the crown as victor over the Hydra of cyclocross.

Wrapped in warmth.

Over the last two days it finally got cool enough in Cleveland to justify wearing the Zank goodies. Every item has been some of my favorite things to bum around in after work or on the weekends. Yet there’s been one article of clothing that’s rose above the rest… the hoodie.

The first time I saw the Zanconato hoodie was when Mike was sporting one at 2006 Cross Nat’s. Overall the quality of the hoodie is top notch. It’s so soft, comfortable, and toasty. It’s like being wrapped in a chocolate chip cookie that’s just come out of the oven.


And for the cool factor, the back features the New Belgium flag. Nothing in the sport of cycling says cyclocross better than the Lion of Flanders.

Even though I might not place well at every cross race this year, I’ll still be in first place at looking good afterwards in the Zank hoodie while drinking Belgium beer and ringing the cowbell.

Blood brothers.

You've just got to appreciate the loyalty between fellow dopers (See Zabel supports Valverde's worlds participation).

Hey Zabel, here’s some friendly advice… Just shut your mouth and be thankful (See Controversy over Zabel nomination) that you’re even going to World’s you EPO injecting dick.

Lanternes naturelles.

This is the funniest thing I've seen in a long time. Thanks for the link Brother EPO.

RasmusSTAIN the video game.

Click on over to doperssuck.com and try your hand at the video game that's sweeping the Pro Tour. Do it now before it's put on the banned list of substances by the UCI and WADA because of it's addictive nature.

The straight dope.

This is a story on VeloNews about Joe Papp's personal experience with doping products that he used during his cycling career.

Be warned that the story is very graphic of which literally made me nauseous, break into a cold sweat, and would’ve thrown-up had I not been at the office. The one thing that turns my stomach more is any athlete that uses this crap to win.

L I V E W R O N G

The Landis-, Vinokourov-, Moreni-, and Rasmussen-inspired Cheat-To-Win lifestyle bracelet from The Onion sports desk is perfect for your deceitful lifestyle.

Get yours now at the Onion Store.

The first signs of life are the sweetest.

Here’s the first ultrasound from Dr. Mike Zanconato.






The wheels were built by ergottWheels with DT Swiss 240 hubs, Mavic Reflex CD rims, Sapim Laser Spokes (three cross), DT Swiss alloy nipples, and DT Swiss quick releases. The tires are French, handmade, FMB’s. Everything that I’ve read about the FMB’s has been very positive and should be as good, if not better than the popular Dugast tire. This will be my first set and time ever riding on tubies. Today I feel like I’m six years old on Christmas Eve. :-)

When the frame pictures come in I’ll talk about the untimely death of the Independent Fabrication Planet X and the experience of working with Zank.

RasmuSTAIN! RasmuSTAIN!! RasmuSTAIN!!!

Everyone give a big round of applause to Michael Rasmussen for adding another black mark to 2007 Tour de France. How appropriate is it for Rasmussen [Chicken] to live up to his nickname by lying* to the whole world.

So let me be the first to give a toast to the Chicken, who will be sipping vodka** with Vino, in the comfort of his multi-million dollar home while watching the Tour on TV… Here's to you Chicken, you JACKASS, for giving professional cycling another kick in the balls when it’s already face down in the gutter.



* Story from Cyclingnews.com, (07/26/07). See Rabobank explains Rasmussen sacking.

** Story from Cycling news.com, (07/25/07). See Vinokourov: 'I never doped'.

Am I not Nostradamus!?!

As mentioned in my blog on July 17, I've always had a gut feeling that good o' Vino was a doper. Well today I'm a god damn Nostradamus!!! Today on Yahoo it's being reported that lovable, Tour de France darling Vino has tested positive for blood doping. Thanks Vino, you JACKASS, for ruining another Tour for me!

My first bike.

Yes... That's yours truly in his finest cycling moment. And again the answer is yes... All the little ladies in the neighborhood couldn't resist me in those pants. :-)

It's hard to tell from the photo but my dad modified the pedals by adding a few rubber spacers so that I could reach them. Dad has always been great at fixing things or coming up with solutions to make something work better.

It's kinda of cool to look at the younger photo and then see where I'm at now in the my profile photo. It is a weird, wild path that life takes us.

Picture perfect.

These two photos are from my favorite moment thus far in the 2007 Tour de France. The moment is captured perfectly when Alexandre Vinokourov crosses the finish line of the 9th Stage. After Stage 9, Vino is now 21st overall and 8 minutes down from the overall race leader. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a doper* realize that his race is over. Life and racing sure gets a lot tougher when you can’t blood dope doesn’t it Vino!

And while I’m on the subject, as long as Erik Zabel can stay out of the green jersey for the rest of the race this Tour couldn’t get much better.



* This is my opinion, not fact.

Busted at the Giro.

A funny story from cyclingnews.com.

Giro TV coverage catches affair in action

According to Reuters, a man visiting the beach with his mistress made a mistake in attracting the attention of a helicopter TV crew covering the Giro d'Italia. Making an unanticipated appearance on national TV, he was inadvertently discovered by his wife.

The man waved at the passing camera crew, which zoomed in. The man's brother-in-law saw the coverage and called his sister, the man's wife, who he thought he saw with the man on the beach. Instead of reaching his sister on the beach, she was home, where her husband, upon returning from his excursion, would have to do some accounting for himself.

Proof that my head is messed up.

Over the years friends and family have said that I'm "crazy" or that I've got a "screw lose". As reported on Yahoo this past Sunday, I now have proof that my brain is damaged.

My first migraine occurred in the 2002 and I've had a total of 4 since then. In the Yahoo article it's mentioned that migraines are often preceded by "aura" which are a series of visual disturbances that can include flashes of light or black spots. I found this fascinating because I've had black spot visual disturbances since I was 9 years old without having a migraine, though my last migraine did start with a black spot aura.

Anyway... Here are some points of interest if you don't feel like reading the whole article.

• People with migraines also may be suffering from some brain damage as brain cells swell and become starved of oxygen..."

• Two studies, including one published last week in the Archives in Internal Medicine, show that people who have migraines are more likely to have heart attacks.

• A 2004 study in the British Medical Journal found that migraine sufferers are twice as likely to suffer a stroke as people who do not have the headaches.

It's not bad enough that I feel old, slow, and fat after my bike ride to HubBub yesterday. Now I've got heart attacks and strokes to look forward to. This is just the best news ever. Yea for me!!!


On a positive note I got a call from Mike Zanconato this morning to cover any last minute questions. Mike is going to be building for me one of the finest, race specific cyclocross bikes you can own. And of course it's going to be total Euro-trash. More about Zank and the frame build later.

Also check out my bro EPO. He's kicking ass at RATL this year! I can't express how happy I am for him. John has worked extremely hard to become the bike racer that he is today. And it's not like he has all the free time in the world to ride. John is a devoted husband and father to three cool kids, holds down a full time job (I still can't grasp what John does at the Cleveland Clinic other than you've got to be very intelligent to do his job), and is in the process of getting his Doctorate Degree at Case Western Reserve University. He does all this and fits the bike riding/racing in when he can. Now that's Belgian spirit.

It's up to me to keep Belgian dreams alive.

Sometimes when I reflect back on all the beer I drink I feel ashamed. Then I look into the glass and think about the workers in the brewery and all of their hopes and dreams. If I didn't drink this beer, they might be out of work and their dreams would be shattered. Then I say to myself, "It is better that I drink this beer and let their dreams come true than be selfish and worry about my liver."

--Jack Handy

The benefits and repercussions of weight gain.

Last year at this time my weight was at 157 lbs. By society standards that’s very good. But according to the laws of cycling I still could’ve lost a few pounds to be more competitive. Now fast-forwarding to today on the scales of truth. My weight was 167, which is 2 pounds less than a month ago from when I started keeping track in 2007. At my height of 5’ 10 5/8”, 167 lbs is a lot of weight for me or any other cyclist. To put this into perspective, on July 23, 2001 I was 142 lbs with a body fat percentage of 6.2.

Now I’m not going to make excuses for the weight gain. I got fat… It’s time to move on. Still there have been some interesting discoveries I’ve uncovered while spending time with my soft, warm friends.

Pros:
1. Not once during the winter did I get sick. On average once or twice during the winter season I’ll be fighting a nasty cold that has me suffering for 1 to 3 weeks. Since tomorrow is officially the first day of spring (and I’m felling good) it’s safe to say that the 10 lbs must be keeping me just a little bit healthier.

2. I’m less likely to be hurt in a bar fight. There’s more padding to absorb the blows. Plus guys are less likely to start a fight with big, fat dudes.

3. I wasn’t as cold this past winter. My wife can testify that there have been many past winters where I’ll be freezing to the point that my teeth will start chattering and I can’t control my body from shaking. Not only did this not happen but I didn’t have to wear as many clothes to be comfortable inside or out.

Cons:
1. My clothes don’t fit anymore, especially the dress pants. Sad but true… I can’t button up any of my pants and have only one pair of jeans that I can button up.


2. By mid-afternoon my chest starts hurting. It’s the same feeling that I had in college when I was carrying a few extra pounds. Though the pain could be stress related too. One thing’s for certain, I don’t have any pain when the pounds aren’t on my body.

3. The first rides and races of the year are going to be flat out painful especially when the road starts to turn upward.

Well… It’s time to do what my bro, John (EPO) Ehrlinger has prescribed for rapid weight loss. “Don, just get on your bike and ride!”

Eddie Van Halen

Where have all the good times gone? My rock and roll gods are crumbling to dust in the wind. For example, at the pace Eddie Van Halen is aging he's going to end up looking like Eddie from Iron Maiden.

It not Euro-trash...

Still I'd follow whoever is wearing it.