erik nilsson
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	I like to ride I like to ride bikes. The story I hear is that, the first time my parents set me on a bike, I just rode it, and never looked back.      I remember the process as a little less smooth, but biking has been something I've always done. First, it was road bikes, then mountain bikes, now mostly road bikes again. When I was 17, I commuted to work by bike. I still do. Riding makes my body happy. It is also a cheap way to get around, even if you get spendy bikes and fancy gear.      Bikes combine the technofetishism of car culture with the athleticism of running. What more could one possibly ask for?		"Epic" Rides Winter Pineapple Classic 2008   Aki and I came back for more. More pineapple. More free beer. More hay bales. The Winter Pineapple Classic is a 5K obstacle run. It's a benefit for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Basically, you run around, through, and over psychotic playground equpimpent at Magnuson Park, while carrying a pineapple. Then there's a luau with live bands, free beer, and real beach sand in an airplane hangar. How cool is that? info...

This year, participants tripled to approximately 6,000. (!) Like last year, the participants were broken up into waves. We were in the first wave. The weather for us was foggy but dry. Later waves ran in the sun. Unfortunately, Aki had a cough. We still managed to better our time over last year, though. Our friends Nick and Barbra Dey finished 5th. Animals! High Pass Challenge 2008   7 hours 18 minutes. Good enough for a silver medal, but 18 minutes too slow for gold. Maybe next year.... In any case, a stunningly beautiful ride. info... STP 2008   Thirteen hours and two minutes to go 203 miles. The picture is me with Karl, an all-around great athlete I used to work with. Karl offered to let me ride with a group of his friends at the last minute, which made the ride much more pleasant. It was hot this year. About 95 °F according to the weather service. Karl had a thermometer on his GPS that recorded an entirely credible 105 °F on the hot, desolate highway outside of hot, desolate St. Helens. Do we look a little wilted in the picture? Did I mention that it was hot? Fortunately, there was a beer garden at the finish in Portland.   info... Brian rode a Bilenky semi-recumbent tandem with his sons. Um, it's too complicated to explain.... Mauna Kea 2008   This was a non-organized (disorganized), unsupported ride. I rented a bike in Hilo and rode up Mauna Kea until the pavement gave out. A little over 9,000 feet of climbing in 34 miles. It was kind of difficult but a lot of fun. Because this ride is not well-documented, and the few summaries I can find are out of date, I put up a page on this ride here... I rented a bike from Mid-Pacific Wheels in Hilo. Limited selection but nice guys. I also rented a bike from Bike Works in Kona. If you are staying in Kona, you should definitely check them out. 7 Hills of Kirkland 2008   Aki, Brian, and I did this ride. First time any of us had done 7 Hills. First time Aki and I have done an organized ride together. (Although we've done the same rides on different years.) The photographer caught only one picture of us, mostly me. You can see Aki's arm and her bike but Brian is not shown. The bagpiper is Neil Hubbard, who does this every year for 7 Hills. "7 Hills" doesn't tell the full story anymore. If you do the full century, it's actually 13 hills and 7,000 feet of climbing. A nice way to spend the morning.  info... Chilly Hilly 2008   Much better weather than last year. The guy on the right is Nick Duckstein. We rode together for a while.  info... Winter Pineapple Classic 2007   This is the first running event Aki and I have done together: a 5K obstacle run. Aki's friend Laura and Laura's sister Beth happened to be in the same wave as us, so we ran most of the course together, even though we were separate 2-person teams. Aki and I finished 17th out of 74 co-ed teams. Not bad! (OK, so not everything on this page has to be a bike event....)   info... RAMROD 2007   My first RAMROD. Only 150 miles, but 11,000 feet of climbing around Mr. Rainier. I did it in well under 11 hours. The scenery speaks for itself.   info... Tour de Blast 2007   Wow, what a pretty ride. 7500 feet of climbing through stunning scenery, and a panorama of Mount St. Helens. The support (Rotary) was exceptional, particularly the food.   info... Flying Wheels 2007   A nice day. 100 miles of friends, good pulls, and fun hills.   info... Chilly Hilly 2007   The rain definitely made it chilly at the end. I like hills so the hilly part was fine. That's me in the yellow jacket.   info... STP 2006   204 miles in 12.5 hours. It was a blast.   info... Flying Wheels 2006   was fun too: 100 hilly miles in about 5.25 hours. Not bad for two old men.
We're wearing the official Insilicos bike jerseys. copyright © 1999-2008, Erik Nilsson