I Can Finally Talk!

I WON!!!

Okay, you already knew that but I've know that since October 17th, 2009 and had to keep my mouth shut per Mtv's contracts. Now that the show is all said and done I can finally talk about it. It's always been hard to keep it from everyone and especially my closest friends. I only told a few family friends and Kate. Everyone did a great job of keeping the word on the DL for me. My roommate's girlfriend, Becca did and especially good job of breaking my balls weekly . . . well, whenever she could. After coming so close in The Duel 2 it was especially sweet for me.

I thought the final was great but as always they cannot represent the length of the event or how grueling it was.

My most memorable part of the final was after Carley and I finished. We waited for nearly twenty minutes for Kenny and Laurel to cross the line and while us four waited for Pete and Jill to finish our soggy socks stiffened and froze our feet. The mountain guides/emergency dudes assigned to the mountain-top post went into action for us. They dug a small hole in the snow - enough for four butts. Kenny, Laurel, Carley and myself planted ourselves in the hole then the guide threw a tent rain fly over us and tucked it under our butts.

With our eight knees touching in a circle we sat atop the mountain waiting for the 3rd place finishers.

Everyone asks me how Kenny really is in person. I always tell them he's much worse in person BUT, I really liked him and feel he is an honest, really funny guy. I'd just hate to be a female around him!

Here are a few pics from the show I was able to get from the crew...and one of my own!

The very first challenge - everyone is present

Awaiting our ride to the second checkpoint

I had to work hard for this - the helicopter blades were spinning and production was yelling for us to get going, but I would not leave without a pic to remember this time...it was for us eight.

Yeah, that's only half - the other half came at the beginning of the show's airing, the second half is kept over your head to keep you quiet!

Bring Your A-Game

It's all about the details isn't it? After receiving my new Madone frame over a month ago I found a small piece, a critical piece, was missing from the frame. A piece that holds the rear brake cable in place....one to wait for. Last night I had had it with waiting around for Trek corporate to get their part numbers straight so I could finally ride my 2010 Madone 6-Series before 2010 came to an end. Cory at Moment Cycle Sport helped me out with a dremel tool making the last remaining piece fit.

Voila!


I couldn't be happier with this 14 lb black beauty. So reactive and such a comfortable ride compared to my steel framed Poprad.

Now that I'm back on a road bike, roommate Sean Braun (like the clothing company) could gear up a touch and finally ride with the "A" group - a group composed of weekend warriors both male and female. A group that is quite intimidating.


After spending two weeks with the "B" group it was a lovely change to bump up to the "A" group. Although a more strenuous pace it was much more professional and steady going. A great ride and I even finished 5th in the final sprint (which no one counts or cares about....unless you finish 5th of course).

I'm getting it back!

Earthquake!

Being a Californian there are many things in which I enjoy over being in Wisconsin. The ocean provides a steady but changing horizon one can fixate his or her eye on for hours. There are mountains within a couple hours drive as well as lakes to wakeboard on if you choose to.

However, there are a few drawbacks to living on the left coast, one being earthquakes.

I experienced my first earthquake this evening while on the phone with Kate (who's back in Wisconsin). I knew exactly what was going on while it happened and have to say that a 5.9 earthquake is pretty friggin' cool! Not scary but certainly there was uncertainty about the chance of stronger ones to come.


My roommate Sean came stumbling out of his room into mine and we just looked at each other then I said perhaps we should vacate immediately to our center garden court in the apartment. As we made our way to our balcony, so did everyone else who was home at the time. We all we giggly and exchanged some common feelings and thoughts then everyone just turned and when back into their apartment.

No harm done and I still am loving this California thing!

Welcome to San Diego

I met my new roommates in San Diego last night. One of the guys is a competitive cyclist here and and knows all the great routes here. Today we did an "easy" 40-miler along the Pacific Ocean.


I was on my Lemond Poprad single-speed and he was on his Parlee C4 murdered out with HED wheels and Sram Red. We had a great ride with enough sun to leave me with my first farmers tan of the year. Which then we immediately evened out with some time down at Mission Bay - this place is so awesome!
I'm not sure if I'm suppose to tell anyone this but, everyone should move here. It is soo beautiful! Check it out! Landon and Sean's Memorial Day Ride

Henry Who?

Well, well. It's great to see all of you again!

Things are changing fast for me lately and no disrespect but blogging has had to take a back seat to everything else that has been formulating lately.

Things started to really be set into motion late December last year. I chose to end my sponsorship with Mafia Racing and sign with Trek of Madison in it's stead. The local bike shop is where I worked for nearly two years and after drinking the kool-aid I really believe in everything that Trek is trying to do (and doing) by always striving to be #1 in the world. That's admirable.

Only a week after my switch over to Trek, my 100% verbal agreement with the general manager at the store and my old boss got canned. He was "let go" on the spot and walked out with his bike helmet and my verbal agreement with him.

I was left wide open.

Without a sponsorship for the 2010 season my focus turned immediately to priorities - equipment, fuel costs and race fees. On December 27th I reluctantly met with an old agent of mine at the pub, Brocach in Milwaukee, WI the night before leaving for Florida to enjoy the Christmas season with Kate's family.

Fast forward to the new year; I was stepping foot onto the plane to fly home to Madison to start back up at work as my phone began to ring....it was my boss. "You don't need to worry about coming in right away tomorrow morning." I had to ask if something was up. "Well......." he trailed off, you're layed off. Fun-employment some say.

Back in Milwaukee a week earlier I was being offered a job in San Diego with a Fortune 300 company called Henry Schein Dental. Things seemed to be lining up without my knowing it or even trying to have any say in it at all!

Also back in 2009...
After spending time in Whistler, Canada filming Mtv's Fresh Meat 2 I had emailed my personal jeweler and told him to sharpen his tools...he needed to make me an amazing ring! Days after my arrival home I set up a luncheon with my girlfriend's father to ask him the toughest question I've ever had to ask....up to that point anyway.

2-hours later and four questions later he had a future son-in-law.

Fast forward again (are you with me yet??) to March - Kate and I are in Acapulco, Mexico to film Mtv's Spring Break Challenge where I was a coach for the Perdue team. My team lost after three competitions but are a bunch of great kids and even better spring breakers! Kate was expecting the proposal but it had to wait...the ring was not even done yet!
April 1st I received my hiring confirmation from Henry Schein. I used that to lure Kate in for a bottle of wine and an unexpected proposition to be my wife. A few hours into the night (around 1am) I finished her massage with slipping this (see below) onto her left hand.
A few tears later and a whole lot of not knowing what to do or say next and we were engaged!

Say hello to the future Mrs. Landon Lueck!
So...people, I'm moving to San Diego for a Field Sales Consultant position with Henry Schein Dental (the best dental supply company in the world....literally) with my wife-to-be! I leave this Sunday night now that I have completed the training aspect of it here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.I have been a Wisconsinite my entire life but it is time to experience something different. It is time to write the next chapter, or bunch of chapters, of my life. Mountain biking will have to take a back seat to my new career and for next year, Mafia Racing and I are already talking about getting me back out there again!

I'm also pretty excited how well this Fresh Meat thing is looking....better stay tuned to see when I got home!!! ;-)

Creeeeeeeeek!

Wow, am I really opening the blog door which has been closed for so long now!?

It has been a wonderful off-season and when I mean off-season, I mean from blogging also (it's such a pain;-) I put my bike on a hook on the wall and looked into some time on the couch which evaded me from April til late October last year. I spent some time in British Columbia, near Whistler testing out all the olympic events so they were safe for the athletes from around the world. - kidding.

My bike has found it's way back into my Saris Super Magneto - props to my sponsor from last year whose support is as amazing as their product. If you all recall, I disastrously crashed my custom, hand-painted Trek Madone 6.9 Pro into my garage backing into my spot last July after a lovely century ride with my buddy Mike. As my carbon fiber steed sat unaware upon my Thule roof rack, the garage approached silently from behind and delivered a blow on the rear carbon wheel transferring all pressure to the fork stabilizer above my head. As the bike rack did all it could to slide forward giving precious centimeters my attention was on my girlfriend on the other end of the phone I was gabbing on.

Crack!

Done. Fork, frame...done.As you can see, I am not nearly over my uninsured f*#@-up. Even as one or two people commented, I still have not lived the day which I can laugh at it. All of this behind me now, the hunt for a new frame leads me back to Trek with my 20% off Crash Protection Warranty which Trek was so gracious to provide for other boners like me.

I have been on the super DL lately and will be for the next month or so. I can tell you that these are exciting times and while I will be riding for a different team this year it will be great. I feel a change in the wind and it's starting to show already in my life.
Stay tuned!
Luckily a picture's worth a thousand words - a little insight into my past few months behind closed doors! Read on!

I'm a lumberjack!

My design at the Madison Garden Expo central exhibit last weekend

How else does one see Avatar other than IMAX 3D! So awesome!!!

Teague and his uncle Landon at The Cabin

Bridezilla? No way! My sis is totally relaxed!

The 414 support group always willing to mobilize for one of their own

Kate and I made some fantastic dishes this winter...and it's still going!

Race Report - WORS #10

Lake Geneva's Treadfest

My race weekend was preceded by a beautiful stay at the Grand Geneva the night before race day. Kate and I spent Saturday afternoon at the Spa with pedicures (Kate) and a couples massage. If the woman who massaged me used more than only her knuckles and elbow it may possibly have been enjoyable . . . but no luck. She was old and foreign and sucked.

Later that evening we spent nearly 5 hours in front of their beautiful natural gas fire pit and had the best seats in the house while we shared 3.5 bottles of red wine - we had a great night!
Fast forward to Sunday at 1:30pm and the weather was actually pretty hot and crazy dry. With racers seeking shade prior to call-ups it was obvious it was going to be a testing day to say the least. As we chased down the first lap I find myself around 12 back and feeling okay but not pushing too hard as I knew the 2.5-hour race would seriously tax me on the latter laps. As I crazily rode through the rock garden - I know it was crazy because of the sounds the spectators were making...like, "oh, God" and "ewwww". It probably wasn't the slickest but when am I really??

As I finished down the ravine after the rock garden I heard my tire rub my frame. If you ride a lot, you'll know that is abnormal. I, too, thought this was strange but kept my eyes forward on the trail ahead. Ray Nelson was bridging the gap I had between us and I wanted to up the tempo - as I hit the open trail I dropped two gears, stood up and torqued on my 29er.

With no warning at all I was thrown to the ground at 20+ miles per hour. While I was skidding down the rock path on my left shoulder I somehow had time to look back at my bike skidding right behind me and consciously wondered, "WTF!??".

DNF

I did get 1 point so I qualified for the WORS standings which I'll hopefully be top 25....hopefully.