Salt Sea Pirates

Top 10 Moments in Gunderson Cycling History

2010-07-27T09:24:00.003-06:00

Admittedly these are probably biased, so remind me if I left something off.

10. Esquelito's Surprise Sprint

The skinny dude pulled a Cancellara (or a Rasmussen?) and held off a K-Dog-Mr. Fabulous chase.

9. Skillz's C-Trail Stitches

An angry crank inflicts max damage on Jarom's calf and the Captain reminds the doctor not to cut the new tube that served as a bandage.

8. The Gentlemen's Ride

Crying is expected. Cursing is forgiven.

7. K-dog's Crash at Cheerful

Also included an epic caber toss competition.

6. LOTOJA Blizzard (2005)

K-Dog and Captain channelled their inner Shackletons.

5. Prison Loop Painted Road

Allegations of Esquelito's doping program painted onto the Bluffdale sprint almost allows the Captain to grab sneaky win.

4. Pizza on Panther Gap

Nothing gets under Esquelito's skin like slacking up a 10 mile climb.

3. LOTOJA Legends (2006)

All four ride the whole ride together. This has never occurred again.

2. MOOTS!!

MOOTS!!

1. The Sugar Donut (MS 2006)

Often imitated. Never replicated. You have no choice when someone bonks at mile 16.

The Next Generation

2009-10-24T18:06:00.001-06:00

"In twelve years he'll be eleven and a half....."

GCN- September 2009

2009-09-15T19:27:00.000-06:00

GCN

September, 2009 Edition 1

Not So Fabulous

Sandy-The reigning Sandy hill climb champ, Mr. Fabulous, received a heaping piece of humble pie recently when he was decimated in a hill sprint by the Salt Sea Pirate recent addition, Anna Off the Grid. It was the first loss by Mr. Fabulous in several months and the first big victory for of Anna Off the Grid. The win was not without controversy however, as Anna was accused of ungentlemanly riding by the Fab Man.

When confronted by this accusation, Anna responded, “Ungentlemanly?!?! You better believe I rode ungentlemanly! And I won! I’ll win again too, because when it comes down to it, I got what it takes to win. I don’t care if I have to cut his cables or zap his brains with WiFi. I will destroy all who dare challenge my superiority!!”

Teach a Man to Fish...

Lancaster County- Several Pirates gathered recently to ride the inaugural One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish Race of Celebratory Praise. The race was also sponsored by the Steve Zissou society. The race action was hot and heavy with climbing, sprint, and style points up for grabs. Esquelito, as usual, swept the climbing classification despite the presence of the Captain, who has spent the past 22 years at a high altitude training camp. The day’s final sprint came down to a two-up dash between K-Dog and a much improved Esquelito. Surprisingly, Esquelito came up with a rare sprint victory.

K-Dog later cautioned that one should not draw large conclusions from the results. “There were two factors involved” Kellen commented about the loss, “First of all, I was still recovering the crash I was involved in two weeks after the race and well.... I don’t want to say I let him win, but... lets just say Esquelito doesn’t get a chance to win many sprints and I didn’t want to ruinthe Fish Dudes birthday.”

The style classification was won resoundingly by Eugie, who created an incredible Steve Zissou cake complete with shoes (that they don’t make anymore) and a hip glock that everyone had to share.

Skipper Receives LOTOJA Lifetime Achievement Award

Jackson- After completing his 5th LOTOJA with the 6th Gunderson brother, Cosmo (until the Speedy issue is resolved), the Captain received some weird plaque made of a chain ring. Honored to received such an award, the Captain commented, “Gunga galunga.”

Nickname committee to hear oral arguments in landmark “Speedy” case

Bethlehem- The official nickname committee of the Salt Sea Pirates agreed to hear oral arguments in the landmark case: Esquelito vs. Salt Sea Pirates, otherwise known as the Speedy case. The Salt Sea Pirates have accused Esquelito of attempting to pilfer the nickname Speedy from its rightful owner. The case will be heard September 24th by K-Dog, who is the supreme commander for life of the nickname committee.

Ask Style Mom

Dear Style Mom-

I am a racer who has been serving a two year suspension for doping and academic related reasons and during my suspension I, well...... lets just say I lost some of my top end fitness. How can I get back into race shape quickly and avoid the shame heaped upon me by the other racers?

Sincerely,

Amply Proportioned in Argentina

Dear Amply,

You are not fat, I don’t care what your brothers or the scale says. Don’t let them tease you, you look fine. Now, give me your baked potato, I’ll cut it for you.

The Return

2009-08-21T08:59:00.000-06:00

75 days until the Sugar's triumphant return!

The Gentleman's Ride from a Ladies View

2009-05-25T23:54:00.001-06:00

Okay I just finished the Gentleman's ride, and it kicked my trash!!! Serious trash was kicked...I don't even know how to describe today's events...Woke up way too early, gather as a group...then start out and ride Millcreek Canyon...I was really focusing on being constant and steady today, you know I had a long ride and I wanted to make sure I had enough energy to finish the ride. Millcreek was good, pretty uneventful...the decent down Millcreek was great tho, even tho our friend Brian almost crashed when his pedal slipped. After easy Millcreek we head over to Big Cottonwood, Big Cottonwood is about 14 Miles long. It only has a few steep sections, then the rest is a slight uphill...but don't think it's a cake walk...I did it, and there was no cake at the top...however there were Redvines and turkey sandwiches, so it wasn't a complete waste. Seth and I rode down to the bottom together. It was fun to ride with him...we had a fast tailwind pushing us down the canyon...we were going the speed limit which is really nice because I take the whole lane when I go the speed limit...no need for cars to pass me. Two canyons down one more to go...to tell you the truth I didn't feel that terrible...I was feeling pretty good...then...duhn duhn duh....we climb to the entrance of Little Cottonwood...now let me fill you in on the spec of Little Cottonwood. It is 8 miles long, totally exposed - no shade on the road, the average grade was 8%, and it never flattens out...it is a mean canyon...even with fresh legs, it's mean. So now I begin my journey to find inner strength...quitting is not an option. Even at the entrance of the canyon I am barely turning the cranks over...I had to create head games to stay on my bike...I was going sooo slow that flys started to gather over my decomposing body and vultures were circling above me waiting patiently for me to die. At one point I pulled my bike off the road dunked my helmet in the creek...but that wasn't good enough, so I dunked my head and face in the creek...repeatedly... Then I don't remember much after that because I quickly had to go to a very dark place where I couldn't feel the pain...it was a lonely place...even lonelier when I saw all the other riders head down the canyon and knowing I still had an entire mile to go...a mile doesn't seem like much but at the end of this ride a mile took an eternity to finish. It was brutal! B-R-U-T-A-L-!-!-!- At one point I thought about crying...but realized I couldn't afford the tears since I was out of water. I was forced to pedal one stroke at a time...which is usually the case but most of the time each pedal stroke doesn't try to be the one that kills you. I can describe how demoralizing that last mile was, or I can talk about how exhausted I was, I can even talk about how I am more committed to losing the baby fat I put on...but I won't because there will be too much pain in my words and this post would lose all humor...so I will quickly jump to the end...I got to the top and quietly put my jacket on because it was raining rather hard and got out of that canyon and cranked it all the way home...because I had a BBQ waiting for me. At the end of the ride we had an AMAZING BBQ with all sorts of smoked meats, perfect guacamole - all you could eat, the most prefect fruit salad ever, baked beans, and to top it off Raspberry tart, and lemon ice. Life is definitely delicious.

Overall - I did it, and hopefully I will never have to do it again...but you guys know as well as I do, that I will do it again, and complain about it just as much.

Strong SSP showing in Tooele

2009-04-12T13:43:00.007-06:00

Despite the threat of rain most of the day and El Dentista deciding to be ashamed of his Pirate roots, Esqueleto and Dentista both had a great day of racing on Saturday at the Tour of the Depot stage race.
Racing on Saturday included a 9 mile ITT up a short and gradual climb and ending with a fast downhill finish. Dentista showed suprising form and rode a strong TT despite being sidelined for the past month or so with so-called hip tendonitis (if there is such a thing....). Riding in the Cat 5 group for the 5 mile, 4 lap circuit race he was in the mix the whole race only to barely not make the defining move on the last lap. He finished a strong circuit race just behind the breakaway.

Esqueleto rode a good ITT finishing 17th out of the 40 or so cat 4 racers. The cat 4 racers did 5 laps on the fast and furious 5 mile circuit. The climb on the backside of the circuit was 1.7 miles in length and was only 2.3% grade allowing for a big ring climb, meaning it was fast and hard to get away. Esqueleto keep animating the race on the climbing section and really pushed the pace each lap hoping to tire out some legs and get a break going. Nothing really stuck and on the last of 5 laps he hit the "steeper" part of the "climb" hard and drilled it. Even he wasn't able to get away for the downhill run to the finish it put him in good position for the sprint. Despite being slowed down going into the last corner he was able to sprint it out and ended up 7th in the circuit race.

It was a good day of racing and once again the SSPs were able to make the race a little more lively.

Full Results

Salt Sea Pirates' Bloody Domination in Vegas!

2009-03-30T21:52:00.005-06:00

Check out D'nacious' race report from Sin City: "What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas!"

... so that's how the saying goes, but this story is too good to not tell! This weekend, D~Nacious and J headed down to Vegas for D to participate in the Showdown at Sundown Triathlon at Lake Las Vegas. Nerves were high, It'd been almost 2 years since D's last Tri, and especially since J retired from Tris claiming, "running is for people without bikes!" (Well said Docta Jay!) the pressure was on! At packet pickup, things were looking up! The fellow that handed D her packet said, "you're tough, one of the few women to register for the Olympic distance." oooh, with such a small field of women, podium images danced in her head! The swim was perfect, until D pinched her finger in a faulty dock ladder exiting the swim (Sabotage!). Adrenaline erased any pain, and high fives from the crowd with a pinched finger, didn't even phase her!

At T1 stripping off the wetsuit, D noticed blood everywhere! Where was it coming from?! OH NO! It was that pinched finger! Hemorrhaging, D yelled for a bandaid, tourniquet, an extra small SSP arm warmer, anything! But no first aid could be found! (Good thing DOCTOR Jay was there....worthless degree....) D's take; "I decided to quit wasting time looking and get on the bike and go, I left a trail of blood heading out of T1! While on the bike trying to get my mental game back, I finally thought, if I held on tight enough to the handle bars the pressure would hopefully get it to stop! Fortunately, the bleeding stopped by the time I had to start the run. I finished the race, got my medal, a 3rd place age group plaque/podium/picture, and off to a Vegas ER for LUCKY 7 stitches! Now off to the bike ER for some new bar tape!"

(Get white bar tape, cause next time this happens the sight of blood soaked white handle bar tape will drive fear into the weak hearts of your fellow triathletes...)

The Salt Sea Pirates are collectively a little disappointed our Pirateyness wasn't represented on the podium...

I'm glad D'nacious could christen her new carbon sweetness and lay blood claim to the Zipps. If Jay would have bled on them first they could have been his.....

Crash - Crit - Cruisers

2009-03-15T20:11:00.006-06:00

This years first SSP Cruiser Crit at Granite park became an epic blood bath of street rules and dirty racing.

salt sea pirates

2009-03-09T15:50:00.001-06:00

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.

salt sea pirates

2009-03-09T15:45:00.001-06:00

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.

Salt Sea Pirates

2009-03-07T14:44:00.001-07:00

Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.

St. George Century

2009-03-02T08:40:00.003-07:00

Zion Spring century: Bryan and Esquelito.

Funny story, Esquelito said he never noticed Bryan was wearing his number on his helmet. Hmm, I guess we know how much time Esquelito spent in the front.

Viva los Piratas!

The Belguim Kid

2009-03-01T21:06:00.004-07:00

The SSP’s have anxiously been awaiting the return of that Belgium kid who was suspended over two years ago. The details of his suspension are still unclear...the team still claims it was regarding his visa. The SSP’s ended any doubts as to whether the Belgium Skillz would be able to pull of an impressive come back ride. Not only did he show up to throw down crazy Skillz...but race organizers were furious over the SSP kit...stating that he needed to ride for a college, Skillz simply replied “I ride for myself, I’m not corporate or educated”.

When word got out that Skillz was returning to racing at the US Naval Academy Criterium the Navy Team began to worry about the one man animal who had something to prove to the cycling community.

Alejandro Moran said “At the start line Skillz was in the zone and he wouldn’t talk or look at any of us. I tried to say hi to him, but he growled. I’m really nervous to have him back racing. He’s what you would call a loose canon.”

The crit was 30 minutes with and extra two laps. Skillz wanted to send a message to the 25 man field, lap 3 he broke away on his own and held them away for a few laps.There was confusion in the group, but once the pack realized it was Skillz that broke of from the front the group organized and the chase was on. The pack eventually caught Skillz. Two riders broke away at that moment and Skillz finished the race in the chase group.”Skillz had some regrets. “I had to forgo the warm up, because the SSP management wanted me to remain the mentally toughest person on the team, so they refused to send any type of support.”

Pirate Ride

2009-02-22T16:13:00.002-07:00

Pirates -

Meet this Saturday morning in St. George. Let's ride bikes.

Seth and Eugena Ain't the Only Pirates Riding

2009-02-19T17:34:00.004-07:00

Early Spring Training at the Pirate Wind Tunnel.

Salt Sea Pirates at the Tour of California

2009-02-18T17:26:00.004-07:00

Check out the video and pictures of Eugie, Seth and Fisher boy at stage 3 of the Tour of California. Seth posted some info about their ride on his blog.

SSPs on Mt. Palomar

2009-02-12T23:37:00.003-07:00

Eugie, Fisher and Seth rocked the Mt. Palomar climb yesterday. Check out the video high lights here.

Seth posted some more info on his ride on his blog here.

Signed Statement

2009-02-03T19:01:00.003-07:00

Let it be known to one and all:

If Esquelito can produce a notarized (by a legal notary public) statement, signed by 3 different members of Sunrise cyclery, that he has been called Speedy before and that the nickname was not given by himself to himself; then I, Kellen Gunderson, will allow him to keep the nickname Speedy.

SSPs heading to the Tour of California

2009-02-03T15:51:00.008-07:00

The Salt Sea Pirates will be representing at the Tour of California this year!

With Eugie, myself and lil' Gundy heading out to the ToC next week there are a couple things we hope to accomplish:

1st: With such an AMAZING field of riders coming to the race this year we will have an excellent chance to see some precious seconds of good racing. Check out the official hype on the ToC website:

"Featuring a field that includes seven-time Tour de France Champion Lance Armstrong and two-time defending Amgen Tour of California Champion Levi Leipheimer (both racing for Astana), the 136 rider peloton also is expected to include 2006 Giro d’Italia Champion Ivan Basso (leader of team Liquigas); 2008 Olympic Champion in the time trial Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank); 2006 Amgen Tour of California Champion Floyd Landis (Ouch presented by Maxxis); 2005 World Champion Tom Boonen (Quick Step); three-time World Champion Oscar Freire (Rabobank); two-time United States National Champion George Hincapie (Team Columbia); and the top American performer in the 2008 Tour de France Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Slipstream). Other anticipated participants include, 2008 Tour de France Champion Carlos Sastre (Cervélo TestTeam); four-time Norwegian National Champion Thor Hushovd (Cervélo TestTeam); 2008 U.S. Professional Champion and Olympic Gold Medal Winner Tyler Hamilton (Rock Racing); Mark Cavendish (Team Columbia), widely considered to be the world’s best sprinter; 2008 Best Young Rider in the Amgen Tour of California Robert Gesink (Rabobank); and 2008 Tour de France Best Young Rider Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank)."

So that's no less than 3 Tour de France champions and 3 world champions! Plus everyone else that just plain rocks (Andy Schleck for example). We're super excited to see some sweet racing next week.

That means that not only will we be able to see some incredible riders during some racing action, the Salt Sea Pirates will also have a chance to recruit some "new" talent to bolster our MS150 roster for this summer. With riders like Fabian Cancellara, Mic Rogers, Christian Vande Velde, and Floyd Landis powering the SSPs, we're totally going to win the Team Time Trial stage at the MS150 in June.

2nd: Seth hopes to get some one on one time with riders like Andy Schleck and Robert Gesink so they can teach him some tips and techniques that will even further his climbing prowess so he can break his own record up traverse mountain (again...). We're hoping Seth can pass some of this information on to other SSPs cause he's getting sort of lonely riding up the canyons alone during the Gentleman's Ride. Also I hope to make out with one of the Schleck brothers......

3rd. We're also hoping to hook up with the Amgen people and bring home enough EPO to supply the team for the season this year (with focus on the MS150). Thankfully Cat 5s never have to give a urine sample....

NEW 2009 SSP California Camp Itinerary.

2009-01-27T21:56:00.016-07:00

California Training Camp Itinerary: May 31st-June 8th
See ride descriptions below for more info on each ride.

Saturday May 30th: Transport people and bikes to San Jose

Sunday May 31st:

AM: Chill in San Jose. Church at 0930 for interested parties.

PM: Drive to Fortuna.

Monday June 1st: Lost Coast Classic.

PM: stay in Fortuna and try to come back to life.

Tuesday June 2nd:

AM: Drive south to Bay Area.

Afternoon: Cheese Company Cruise, 35 miles in Petaluma.

PM: Stay in Petaluma.

Wednesday June 3rd: Diablo Classic in Danville, 73 miles

AM: Drive to Walnut Creek area.

PM: Drive to and stay in Bay Area rest of trip.

Thursday June 4th: Bay to Coast Classic, 65 miles

Friday June 5th: Sierra Rd-Sunol Challenge, ~60 miles

Saturday June 6th: Drive back to Utah

Ride Descriptions:
Most of these rides have been mapped out on my mapmyride.com. Check them out at the links at the end of each ride description, and make sure you click on the “show elevation” box on the right hand side to take a look at the elevation profile.

Lost Coast Classic:
Description: 100 miles, 8500 ft of climbing. This is the Queen ride of the week and this year we're hitting it up first when we're full of energy. The ride begins in Ferndale and soon after takes you on an incredible ride through the Avenue of the Giants. After the Avenue you hit Panther Gap, and 8-mile climb and 8-mile descent, which brings you to the town of Honeydew. Some rollers and two smaller climbs bring you to the Lost Coast at mile 73. Now it starts to get fun… “At the coast, particularly in the afternoon gusty winds laced with sand can drop your cruising speed to less than 10 mph.” At mile 81.5 to get out of the Lost Coast you MUST conquer the Wall, a one mile 18% grade, leg shredding, killer. After you’re done puking, you descend down to a small town to gather your last strength before tackling the “Endless Hill”, an 8-mile climb with numerous mischievous false summits. After conquering this last climb all you need to do is survive the fast, twisty descent back to Ferndale. Congrats, you’re finished one of the most incredible rides in the country. Ride link on Mapmyride.com

Cheese Company Cruise: 34.5 miles, 1500 ft of climbing. This ride is the perfect recovery ride following the Lost Coast Classic. A 34.5 mile loop begins and ends at the Marin French Cheese Company, providing the perfect pre- and post-ride treats. The only major challenge in this meandering loop in wine country is the 2-mile Marshall Wall at mile 10. After Marshall Wall you are rewarded with a fast swoopy descent down to Tomales Bay. A quick ride down along the water will eventually bring you back to the comforts of some award winning Triple Cream Brie. Ride link on Mapmyride.com

Diablo Classic: 73 Miles. This ride is a new and untested adventure for the Salt Sea Pirates. This ride begins in Walnut Creek and takes you invokes the Ireland/Scotland wish fulfillment via fantasy. It will take you past farmland and huge wind farms until you enter Mount Diablo state park for the 10-mile climb to the top. From there it’s a nice 11-mile scenic descent eventually taking you back to Walnut Creek.

Sierra Rd.-Sunol: ~60 miles, 4100 ft of climbing. This ride is a Bay Area SSP classic! We will be riding incredible roads made famous by the Tour of California. This ride includes the infamous and absolutely brutal Sierra Rd, a 3.5 mile 10% grade climb above San Jose, followed by a very fast, fun, and twisty ride on Calaveras Road to a little town of Sunol for lunch. After refueling you just point your bike in the other direction and enjoy the same roads in reverse. This is a great ride!

Bay to Coast Classic: 65 miles, 6227 feet of climbing. One of the most amazing rides in the Bay Area, this takes you from the bustling Silicon Valley through the amazing Santa Cruz mountains to the small coastal town of Pescadero. The ride starts immediately with a 8-mile climb that winds through the mountains over looking the bay area. A fast and twisty decent through dark redwood forests eventually brings you to Pescadero. After stopping for lunch and stopping to pay homage to the official Salt Sea Pirate Mascot, you hit two smalle 1.5 mile climbs to make sure your legs stay warm. From there you ride north parallel to the coast to the last big obstacle of the day, the Tunitas Creek climb, a 7.5 mile climb back to the top of the Santa Cruz mountains. Once at the top it’s all downhill back to the car. Ride link on Mapmyride.com

Pirates Racing

2009-01-03T20:25:00.004-07:00

It is time to rally our race calendars together and figure out which races we will dominate in.

18 Hours of Fruita - We have the Capn', Speedy, Scott, and the Destroyer all going to Fruita this May to dominate the trails in Fruita.

MS 150...speaking of that, I think the aero helmet order has been placed so no late orders, sorry. The pirates will represent in 3 different locations this year. Utah, Pennsyvania, and California. We are going to attack this disease from all sides.

Lotoja - The date has not been announced but I know there are a lot of pirates who are plundering that race. - The Dentist, Diane, Scott, Capt', Bobke, Charlie and Mr. Fabulous.

What are you racing? Let's get it on the calendar and get some ship mates to race with ya...yarrrggg...

The Next Generation

2009-01-03T20:21:00.002-07:00

Tradition of Heritage

Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T18:03:00.004-07:00

We are trying to open up a mountain biking chapter for the SSP. The last few years we have had some rouge pirates trying to make Thanksgiving all about being thankful for mountain biking, well this year the pirates finally got the Captain to acknowledge the mnt. biking chapter...he will considering knighting the chapter in the near future...stay tuned. Here are some pictures of the Turkeywheel ride...look closely and you can see the Albanian bike mechanic...he's back in the states...he has a temporary visa.

Civil War Re-Enactment

2008-09-14T18:41:00.007-06:00

Skillz, K-Dog and Rachizzle rode 80 miles yesterday. The route was part of the famous Civil War Century that goes through the Gettysburg and Antietem Battlefields. It was an epic day filled with pain, rain, and style. We were able to execute a full re-enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg on our bikes with Skillz representing General Ulysses S. Grant, K-Dog representing General Stonewall Jackson, and Rachizzle as President Abraham Lincoln.

Profile of the route

A Covered Bridge!

Rachizzle won the sprint

The long road

One of about one hundred statues at Gettysburg

LOTOJA

2008-09-14T18:24:00.003-06:00

Last week the Salt Sea Pirates rolled across the start line in the LOTOJA race in their fabulous new 2008 kits. A straw poll taken on the road demonstrated the SSP were almost unanimously viewed as the most stylish team present.

The race started a 6:00 AM, with the SSP slipping away in the blackness like a man-o-war silently approaching its unsuspecting prey in a thick fog.

K-Dog did the early work for the team, dropping off in Strawberry Canyon, his work for the team done. The rest of the SSP continued forward, matching all the other teams pedal stroke for pedal stroke (as well as style stroke for style stroke).

Mr. Fabulous parried attacks from opponents all day long until the opponents finally dropped off his wheel, unable to match his ferocity.

Scotty aided the team effort by successfully plundering opponents feed bags leaving them depleted of essential nutrients.

Jay's dominated the KOM competition. Many said he rode like an angel on wheels. He was angel alright; an angel from hell, who came to bring pain upon all Non-Pirates.

Diane took the honor of crossing the finish line before all other Pirates, meaning she was the first significant rider to finish the entire race.

New comers Bob and Chris hijacked the opposing teams' radio frequencies and sent false race commands eventually leaving them weeping in the gutter.

Meanwhile The Captain conducted all team activities from the helm.

Great race to everyone. Pictures to be posted soon!

SSP NorCal Training Camp

2008-09-14T17:44:00.008-06:00

Here's some pictures from the SSP NorCal training camp. You should all try to come along on this ride next year. The roads are amazing and the food is even better.

Kellen Riding up Sierra Road. Seth is taking the picture, which means he has to be behind Kellen and thus a slower climber.

Seth Arriving After Kellen

Charlotte and Rachel

The Official Statue of the SSP

There at yonder sea

Getting in Touch with our natural side

Max Power on Panther Gap

New SSP kits!

2008-08-29T17:06:00.004-06:00

Check out the new SSP kits.... we're gonna look fabulous.

Please take a look at the 08-09 SSP jersey designes and VOTE

2008-05-20T15:15:00.004-06:00

Not that your vote actually counts in a Pirate controlled regime but please take the time to vote which new SSP jersey design is your favorite.

Option 1-blue based

Option 2-green based

Option 2-red based

Update on SSP cali training rides

2008-05-03T21:35:00.004-06:00

The 2nd annual SSP California training camp is June 23rd through the 27th.

The rides are listed below. Since most of the rides are geared towards advanced riders and we want Pirates of all levels to be able to enjoy the beautiful riding that Northern Cali has to offer we created some less advanced routes. Listed are the advanced rides first by day then the "option 2" rides. You can see an overview of the rides below or you can click on the "view full screen" link at the bottom of the map for a better view.

Monday June 23rd-Calaveras-Sunol ride. This ride is pretty chill with excellent views and not a ton of climbing. Advanced riders will tack on the Sierra Rd. climb after we come back into San Jose.
&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ca/san-jose/458154412"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Sunol/Calaveras ride&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/find-ride/united-states/ca/san-jose"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Bike Rides in San Jose, California&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Tuesday June 24th-Bay to Coast classic. Beautiful climbs and descents through redwoods forests to the Coast. Lots of extended (but gorgeous) climbing.

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ca/palo-alto/466146697"&amp;gt;Bay to Coast Classic&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/find-ride/united-states/ca/palo-alto"&amp;gt;Find more Bike Rides in Palo Alto, California&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Option 2

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ca/palo-alto/528829696484"&amp;gt;Bay to Coast option 2&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/find-ride/united-states/ca/palo-alto"&amp;gt;Find more Bike Rides in Palo Alto, California&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Wed June 25th-Cheese Company Cruise. Scenic recovery ride that will be suitable for advanced and newer riders. This rides begins and ends at the Marin French Cheese Company which makes absolutely incredible Triple Cream Brie...

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ca/petaluma/865960756771"&amp;gt;Cheese Company Cruise&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/find-ride/united-states/ca/petaluma"&amp;gt;Find more Bike Rides in Petaluma, California&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Thursday June 26th-Lost Coast Classic. The Queen of the Cali trip. This ride will blow your mind. It starts and ends in Ferndale, CA. It heads south through the Avenue of the Giants before turning west towards the coast. After 2 brutal but beautiful climbs you arrive at the coast. Unfortunately (or fortunately for some) to get away from the coast you have to tackle "the Wall" a nice 1 mile 20% grade. After that it's just one more climb over the "Endless Hill" to get back to Ferndale. Trust me, this ride is one of the most beautiful and incredible rides you'll ever do.

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ca/ferndale/628155582336"&amp;gt;Lost Coast Classic&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/find-ride/united-states/ca/ferndale"&amp;gt;Find more Bike Rides in Ferndale, California&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Option 2 (for those who want the beauty of riding in the redwoods without the extended climbing (the ride ends at the bottom of Panther Gap, or wherever you choose).

&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/ca/ferndale/309917906576"&amp;gt;Lost Coast option 2&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br/&amp;gt;&amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/find-ride/united-states/ca/ferndale"&amp;gt;Find more Bike Rides in Ferndale, California&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

First SSP showing of the season

2008-04-20T18:57:00.003-06:00

K-dog and Esqueleto raced the Tax Day road race in Idaho this last Saturday. You can find Esqueleto's recap on his blog.

Salt Sea Pirates Take Jackson-Signal Mtn-Jackson

2008-04-13T21:36:00.005-06:00

Salt Sea Pirates Take Jackson-Signal Mtn-Jackson
By Ken Gunderson
Posted April 13th, 2008

The nasty weather didn't show up for the first annual Teton Spring Training Ride, but a superb Salt Sea Pirate Crew did. On a saturday of cool sunshine and most favorable winds, Salt Sea Pirates Aaron Tillman, Jansen Gunderson and the Captain stormed to victory. "The ride was special" The Captain said, it was the end of a nice week after coming back from a big cycling win at the highly contested Cancun ME Hotel gym Grand Prix. "Even though it is all about ME (the hotel, that is) Tillman and the younger Gunderson had great legs on that day, despite having their butts kicked on the Fall Creek Road Time Trial by a newcomer to the SSP Peloton, Anna, the day before. Crowds lined the whole 20 yards of the Taggert Lake Trailhead Parking lot, where the Salt Sea Pirates set a rapid tempo that broke apart the peloton of pasty white tourists on rusty mountain bikes and young mothers with strollers. When the 3 Pirates emerged from the Teton Park, just before lunch at Moose Junction, Tillman could be heard saying to the Gundersons, "I wonder if Mary brought any cookies?"

SSP Spring Events

2008-03-02T12:07:00.001-07:00

Spring Racing Schedule. If you are interested in racing any of these events, get in touch with Seth or Kellen. Go to the UCA website for more details.

April 12th- Triple Valley Stage Race. 39 mile flat road race in the morning with a 8 mile TT in the afternoon.

April 19th- Tax Day Circuit Race- 1.5 circuits (17 miles total) with a mountain top finish.

April 26th- East Canyon Road Race- 60 mile road race beginning at East Canyon Resort

May 3rd- Buffalo Stampede Road Race- Flat Antelope Island race for the non climbers!

New GCN!

2008-02-29T17:47:00.002-07:00

The Author

SSP CN News-
February 29th, 2008

The stars are aligned, only a leap day could force the editors from their Writer's Guild Sympathy strike to bring you a special LEAP DAY edition of GCN

Skillz and the Sugar: Doing Hard Time for High Crimes
Some of the biggest news broken by GCN in the last few years has been the two year doping suspensions of Skillz that Killz and The Sugar. With the end of Skillz suspension just around the corner, GCN brings you a special story of the illegal underground racing in which Skillz has participated in the past two years. Banished to Agentina, Skillz had no choice but to race in the high stakes games of Argentine Bicycle Street racing; where races are held in the dark of night and are always to the death. Exclusive reports from Argentina tell GCN that Skillz that Killz participation in these illegal underground events has increasing his killing skills at least 10 fold. This could spell trouble for mild mannered sissy boys like Jay and K Dog come August when Skillz's suspension in over. Skillz first race back is expected to be LOTOJA. If Skillz follows former patterns, we expect him to skip all training while he mentally removes lactic acid from his legs during the race.

Pirates Prepare for Birth of Super-Baby at High Altitude-
Superstar SSP cyclists Eugie and Eskelito (Esquelito) hae moved to the mountains in the Wasatch to prepare for the birth of what can only be described as "a genetically perfect super baby bred to cycling perfection." E and E stated the high altitude of the Cache valley was perfect, in order for the future super baby to properly begin training from birth. Eugie stated, "Obviously the baby will be naturally fast, but we just don't settle from what comes naturally. We are winners, and this baby will be the greatest winner of them all. That's why we moved to altitude, so the super baby can the maximum advantage that comes from training high."

Esquelito was more evasive about the future training techniques of the upcoming superbaby. "We can't give away any of our secrets... but lets just say that under WADA code 3.56.43, Eugie and my genes are technically banned."

The super baby is expected to make its first public appearance sometime late this summer.

GCN OPINION: Mr. Fabulous- To Beard or No Beard?
I am sure most of you are as perplexed as I am when it comes to Mr. Fabulous' facial hair. It seems the Two Wheeled Cowboy can't make a final decision on what to rock on his face. The original "speed beard" was a splash hit in 2006 when Mr. Fabulous rocked to the top of the SSP at the MS Bike Tour. Since then, the situation quickly deteriorated. Mr. Fabulous was soon showing up to events in a goatee, then clean shaven, then a goatee again, followed by Elvis chops. His fans, who would show up to his races with imitation facial hair, became incredibly embarrassed when the didn't match. It seems like Mr. Fabulous had risen to the top of cycling's heirarchy too quickly and the fame made his facial hair unstable.

There is really only one cure for Mr. Fabulous's situation. Rock the Mustache. The recent of mustaches of Dave Zabriskie and Steve Cozza at the T o C have shown that mustaches can bring proven consistent results. Mr. Fab: Using the hair to your tactical advantage and rock the stache!

Ask Style Mom
Dear Style Mom: With this cold weather, I have been often confronted with the question of warmth vs style. How do I stay warm while riding without sacrificing proper style?

Perplexed in Provo

Dear Perplexed:
Wow its cold outside! Why don't you come and sit by the fire while I bake you some sweet rolls and get you some hot chocolate. That ice on the road sure could make you slip! You just sit and be comfortable and I'll get your food and read you a nice story about Eddy Merckx and the 1969 Giro-Tour-Worlds triple.

Mascot

2007-08-11T12:19:00.001-06:00

Pirates Plunder and Pillage the Roads of California

2007-07-08T09:10:00.000-06:00

This August the Salt Sea Pirates from all over the nation will gather in San Jose to begin their epic journey through space and time to find the true meaning of the pirate code - yarrg. Yup the pirates are gathering to form a pace line in their awesome baby-blue Lycra cycling kits. If you are living in Northern California keep an eye out for us. We have a week long biking trip planned out for August we are going to be riding about 400 miles in 5 days. The best part and absolute worse part about this week will be that the rides are mostly vertical. Oh yeah we are climbing California. We are going to be Climbing Sierra Road in San Jose, Mt. Diablo in Walnut Creek, The Wall in Peoria, Panther's Gap in Weott...oh my goodness just writing all this down is making my body reach lactic threshold....it's going to be an amazing grueling adventure. I can't wait!

Pirates Plunder California
Agenda Draft

Monday 8/6/07:
6- 12 Arrive (fly into San Jose)
12–1 Meet and Greet
1- 6 Ride Sierra - Sunol – Sierra (est. mileage 60-70)
6–7 Clean and Prep
7– 9 Dinner / Team Meeting

Tuesday 8/7/07:
7-8 Wake and Eat
8-9 Bike Prep and Load
9-10 Drive to Walnut Creek (40 miles)
10-4 Ride Around and Over Diablo Classic (72.9 miles)
4-5 Drive to Petaluma (56 miles)
5-7 Clean bikes and shower
7-9 Dinner

Alternate Ride
7-8 Wake and Eat
8-9 Bike Prep and Load
9-10 Drive to Palo Alto
10-4 Ride Bay to Coast Classic (65 miles)
4-5 Drive to Petaluma
5-7 Clean bikes and shower
7-9 Dinner

Wednesday 8/8/07:
7-8 Wake and Eat
8-9 Bike prep and load
9-10 Drive to Healdsburg (31 miles)
10-5 Ride Skaggs Springs Classic (100.7 miles)
5-8 Drive to Humboldt Redwood State Park (153 miles)
8-10 Set up camp and eat

Thursday 8/9/07–
7-8 Wake and Eat
8-10 Bike prep and break down camp
10-1 Ride Dyerville Loop Challenge (23 miles)
1-2 Drive to Ferndale (40 miles)
2-4 Set up camp/ check in to hotels
Enjoy the rest of you day – eat plenty
There is a great restaurant in Eureka the Samoa Logging Cafeteria or something like that.

Friday 8/10/07–
5:30-6 Wake and Eat
6-7 Bike prep – check out – break down camp
7-3 Lost Coast Classic (100 miles)
Drive back to the nearest airport and catch your flight home
San Francisco Airport (274 miles)
Oakland Airport (274 miles)
San Jose Airport (304 miles)

Esqueleto's pirate name

2007-06-27T22:22:00.001-06:00

My pirate name is:

Captain Sam Roberts

Even though there's no legal rank on a pirate ship, everyone recognizes you're the one in charge. Two things complete your pirate persona: style and swagger. Maybe a little too much swagger sometimes -- but who really cares? Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Salt Sea Pirates in California

2007-06-06T16:45:00.000-06:00

Salt Sea Pirates update

2007-03-04T10:18:00.000-07:00

It's been a long winter....hopefully we've stayed strong and sane while preparing for good cycling weather. A bit of a look ahead, there will be a early spring SSP cycling extravaganza in Moab beginning on Monday March 12th. Eugena and I will be making a rare special guest appearance in the desert land for a week's worth of mountain biking, road biking, and a couple trail runs thrown in there for good measure. We welcome all Salt Sea Pirates to come join us. Bring a road bike, mountain bike, and what ever other type of bike you would like. Just give us a call to let us know if you are planning on coming down.

The MS 150 this year is approaching. Registration is 25.00 before March 31st. The team's goal is to raise $4000. This is totally doable especially since we also happen to be masters of the art of plundering and pillaging. Questions get a hold of Kellen or I. So get registered, and start raising money for this great cause.

We are going to be making another SSP clothing order soon. Contact me if you are interested in some more sweet SSP cycling clothing.

Hopefully you will be seeing SSP sightings at some big cycling races in intermountain region. SSPs made such a impact at the tour of utah last year, and we hope to continue that tradition. Kellen is the official "SSP tifosi coordinator" so look out for emails and updates from him on when to gather the forces and make our Piratey selves known.

Other than that, register for the MS 150 team, raise money, and most importantly go ride your bike.

Seth

Calling All Pirates

2006-10-01T22:00:00.000-06:00

Sorry I haven't updated the site in so long. I am going to do a much better job at keeping this thing up to date. I want it to be the place where all the Pirates come to see what is new and to communicate. Also I want it to be a place where we recruit super cool people to ride with us. Just remember we are exclusive.... don't invite any old gomer to ride. They have to be fast, sleek, but they don't have to be emaciated like Seth and me.

October the 14th, lets do a Pirate ride, a nice long one before we call it a season. Let me know who is in.

I also want to say congrats to Bryan Johanson, Eugie, Corey, Maggie and all the other Pirates who rode LOTOJA. We even had a Pirate, Ryan Willieghtner, working as support in Strawberry Canyon.

Ride Fast, Live Slow, Stick to the Code

K Dog

LOTOJA

2006-09-06T10:28:00.000-06:00

LOTOJA preview- Tonight!!

Honorary Salt Sea Pirate Bob Roll

2006-08-13T21:48:00.000-06:00

Salt Sea Pirates storm the MS 150 showing no mercy...

2006-07-22T09:24:00.000-06:00

The 2006 Salt Sea Pirates lead by the fearless Sky Captain stormed through the MS 150 in Logan on June 24th. The wake of destruction was a sore sight indeed. This year we had 16 pirates. All but 2 decided to ride the century and we had no casualties. We had a great ride and even developed a new riding tactic to provide the ultimate protection to our team leader, it was known affectionately as "the jelly donut". All in all we raised a bunch of money for the National MS society to help those living with MS, and tore up the race with our style and piratey jerseys. Thanks for those who supported the team and the cause.

2006 kits are in!!!

2006-05-26T11:28:00.000-06:00

The official 2006 Sky Captain and the Salt Sea Pirates team clothing has arrived! Initial reports indicate that they're super sweet. No word yet on how fast they are on the bike...Despite the fact that we are going to be the only team that exudes style the jerseys will likely be subjected to another rigged "best jersey" contest after the saturday ride at the MS 150. It's ok, we make our statement while on the bike.... Call 801-942-7641 to find out when you can come by and pick up your clothing. Happy riding!

Remember to get fundraising for the MS 150, we're a ways from our goal of $5,000

Seth

A little less than 2 months away

2006-05-02T19:05:00.000-06:00

Fellow Pirates...The 2006 MS 150 is a little less than 2 months away (June 24th) and our fundraising is looking pretty shabby. So far the 11 registered riders have raised 175.00. Lets get going on fundraising. www.fightmsutah.org has some fundraising tips if you need some guidance. Ask your family, friends, neighbors, businesses that you frequent, random people that you see on the street. Feel free to get creative also, Eugena decided to do a "Massage for MS" event in Kirksville where she give 30 min massages and body work for 15 dollars. She already has 10 or so people signed up in only 2 days! Small things like this can help with the fundraising. Contact me if you have questions. The more we fund raise the less we have to pillage....

seth

Get Going

2006-04-04T17:37:00.000-06:00

In case any of the Pirates come across this blog......Get registered!! Please.

Preliminary SSP '06 jersey design

2006-03-02T19:00:00.000-07:00

Here is the preliminary '06 Sky Captain and the Salt Sea Pirates jersey design. There are still some small graphics and details to be worked out, but it won't change much from this. If you are planning on riding with the Salt Sea Pirates for their 2nd plundering of the MS 150 on June 24th/25th and would like to order a jersey email the interim team manager Kellen @ kgunderson@mac.com. We are ordering the jerseys from Pactimo (www.pactimo.com) and you can find clothing info there (price sheets and size charts). We will be getting some size samples before we make the final order so don't worry. If you want a jersey email Kellen ASAP and start getting ready for the ride!

Seth

MS Registration

2006-02-05T20:24:00.000-07:00

Registration is up for the MS 150! Here is the news.
Click to go to the registration site:https://www.nationalmssociety.org//UTU/personal/my_team.asp?pa=51554477&pd=UTU0EMS120060624LOG

Allright Salt Sea Pirates; time for the MS 150 again. Some of you are new to the team and some of you are just hearing about it for the first time, so I will start with a little introduction.

The MS 150 Bike Tour is sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to raise money for MS research. They have an incredible reputation for leaving a large precentage ofthe money raised in local chapters for MS research. Last year over 2600 riders particpated in the Logan version of the MS bike tour, including approximately 12 from our team. We'd like everyone to come out again this year and support our good friend Seth Gunderson in his personal battle with MS.

The ride is going to be June 24th, starting and ending in Logan. You have the option of 40, 75, or 100 miles, although most of us will be riding the 100 miles. I heard Mary may even do the whole hundred with the Captain on the tandem. Register by March 31st to get the discounted rate of $25, and start early on your fundraising efforts. I know it seems like a hassle to raise money to ride, but this is worth it. Not only do we help people like Seth with MS, but this is the best century ride around. As the Captain calls it, "it's a rolling picnic."

For those who want Sky Captain Team apparel, we are getting sweet new jerseys. The design is getting worked out. Check out the MS team website or team blog for pictures of last year sweet kits. We need your orders including sizes by February 19th, at the latest. We are getting full zip jerseys: cost $57. Shorts are $52 or $57, depending on if you want shorts or bibs. Also new this year SSP Hats for $13 and arm wamers for $15. These are all going to be sweet.

If you have any questions call me 801.634.9737 or email me @ kgunderson@mac.com. Bring your friends and get some cool jerseys, and start riding because the Captain has been training all winter. Also check back for news at the Team blog at saltseapirates.blogspot.com

Thanks, Kellen

The new official Salt See Pirate haircut and apparel

2006-02-04T14:24:00.000-07:00

Kellen demonstrating the official 2006 Salt Sea Pirate haircut and un official uniform (yes those are actually biking shorts). (We are not order these shorts. We are getting some more with the saying "Nothing Like us ever was" on the butt- The K)

MS 150

2006-01-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

MS 150 prep time is already here. Registration will be open soon. Next week I will be attending the Captain's meeting in SLC, after I get the team registered I will send out registration emails to ya'll. By the way, I will be the Captain this year after I took the position from Seth in a hostile takeover. It's kind like how Steve Jobs got pushed out of Apple, and replaced by inferior leaders that almost drove the company into the ground until Jobs came back and saved Apple with his innovative ideas. Actually maybe that's not such a good comparison.

At any rate, if you know anyone that wants to ride with us this year, send me their email address so I can get them on the Salt Sea Pirate Email List of Plundering, Plllaging, and General Doom Towards all Non-Pirates . Questions? You know where to find me.

Kellen

2006-01-23T22:00:00.000-07:00

Here's the new GCN
GCN 2006
Misquoting, Exaggerating, and Fabricating since 2005

GCN Writing Crew back from sabbatical
GCN editor Guido Santavelli is pleased to announce the a bigger and better GCN for 2006. The GCN production crew has spent the last few months on sabbatical because according to Santavelli, "If we're not riding, we're not writing."

News Shorts-
Wheeler Farm Fun in the Mud-
Captain and Skillz that Killz participated in the Wheeler Farm cyclocross race this past fall sometime. It was a muddy affair that was marked with a Skillz flat tire on the first lap of the race. Despite the setback, Skillz was still able to beat some ducks that wandered from the farm's pond across the finish line. "Those ducks were a lot tougher than they looked," Skillz commented afterwards. "I mean every time I chased down one attack, there was another duck right behind it. They were insatiable in their attacking." With their switch to cyclocross, the two Gundy's will be forced to buzz their heads and have a constant 5 days growth of facial hair in order to comply with International cyclocross rules that all riders either be of Slavic decent of at least look eastern euro.

Training in the Avenues-
The Salt Lake Constituency of the Salt Sea Pirates have been putting in some serious training time on the steep hills of the SLC avenues. The have often been seen training despite snow, cold, and constant nightmares about Richard Nixon. In a recent training ride with GCN staff, Jansen showed an unusual amount of climbing prowess. Look for Jansen and Magdalyn in their season debut Feb. 26th in St. George.

Ask Style Mom-
Dear style Mom- With winter here i have been doing a lot of cold weather riding. My questions is, should I just layer up and wear a jersey on top of long sleeves, or wear a wind proof jacket?

-Chilly in Cincinnati

Dear Chilly-
Have you looked at the thermostat? It absolutely too chilly to ride. Why your hands would fall right off! I think you must be crazy to want to go out in the cold. Why don't you come and sit by the fire and I will make you a nice cup of hot cocoa? I'll bring you some of your old comic books and you can spend the afternoon with your old buddies Wolverine and Magneto.

Opinion by the Editor-
With the onset of winter, cyclists throughout the SSP empire have taken to cyclo-core training to stay in shape for the winter. This is disturbing news. What ever happened to the old fashioned winter training? No I'm not talking about riding in the snow like some of the crazies; I am talking about the old fashioned winter training involving hostess products and seasons 4 and 5 of "24" on dvd. Although this practice should not be carried out year round as riders like "His Royal Sweetness" have been known to do; but a little bit of laziness goes a long way. This new trend of all year cycling training borders on fanaticism and is dangerous to all of us who don't want to be dropped on our first ride this spring.

Comments? Email the editors kgunderson@mac.com and coming soon...the editor's blog kellengunderson.blogspot.com

Sky Captain and the Salt Sea Pirates

2006-01-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Official Sky Captain and the Salt Sea Pirates blog