Tired and disappointed

Did my race, and it wasn't anything other than a race. I rode too hard yesterday with a guy I met on the road, got to bed late because one of the cats ate the mouse cable and I had to splice it, and needed to download directions, and some last minute maintenance on my bike.

Needless to say, I rode hard, tried to be aggressive, but I was lacking that little bit I needed. Ultimately I ended up being the second to last finisher. What happened?

1) I was tired. I could have taken a nap before the race. That never has happened before.

2) My legs lacked snap, and that's what I need. Normally I can explode out of a corner, but not this time.

3) Riding without a team is really tough down here.

4) I didn't know the course, or the competition, or what team was strong, etc.

5) I have a serious lack of fitness right now. Train to race, race to train. I hadn't done a real race since Memorial Day weekend in Hartford, CT. That's what supplies the extra bit I lacked today.

6) I am still not acclimated to the weather here.

7) It's beginning to become apparent that my bike is truly obsolete. I'm giving away at least 3-4 lbs to most bikes out there. Do the quick math and physics, and you can see how much effort I'm putting out to be competitive.

8) I enjoyed the race, but I think I was too tired to fully concentrate and that in turn left me a little bit short in the desire department today.

9) I guess I need to kill myself this week to see if I can improve next week in Columbus. Originally I said I was only going to race if I did well today, but now I want to redeem myself.

Guess I need to sit back and think about what I really want to do. Race report coming sometime soon.

Hat trick

Well, since I accidentally deleted my post to go with my link yesterday, here's an abbreviated version.

I'm sick of the mainstream media portraying Israel as the aggressor. And anyone who criticizes Israel's actions needs to shut up. I'd love to see their opinion after spending 30 days in the area where Hezbollah rockets are raining down. I've been in combat zones waiting for ordnance to impact, slept in bunkers because it was the only safe place, and been on patrols where you wonder where the next shot is coming from out of a crowd. Until you've seen the sights, heard the sounds, smelled the scents, and tasted the fear, shut your damn mouth, for you have no real perpsective as to what's going on or how serious it truly is.

To happier things, I'm racing in Houston on Sunday. Wish me luck, for I'll need it. I'm trying to do really intense efforts in the time I have available. So I'm time trialling on my rides, using my past experience knowing that if I can average over 20mph with stoplights and the wind, I should be strong enough to not get dropped. We'll see.

Can I upset you any more? Well, let me try...

Read this

Two sides of a different world

Yesterday Lost and I headed up to Cedar Park because there was a train store I wanted to check out. It turned out to be way better than I thought it would be, and it was pretty reasonable with prices. I didn't buy anything, because I don't have my other trains with me, and I know right now the last thing we need is to cram more stuff into our home.

After that we looked at a new development being built, and walked through many different homes. It was quite a bit of fun, and it's always good to do the research way in advance. Hours later we ate and headed to San Marcos for some blitzing of the outlet centers. We had almost 2 hours, and made the most of it. I was happy, as I got more clothes for very little money.

Today I head out for a ride with a friend of mine. But this is the interesting part. I was able to do this without worrying about if I'd live or not. But with what's happening in the Middle East, this would have been very risky over there. It's amazing how we take this safety for granted.

I couldn't have said it better

Today's Report: 27 Jul 2006
Phil Liggett on Floyd Landis
My first reaction to the news that Floyd Landis had "doped up" during the 17th stage of the Tour de France between St Jean de Maurienne and Morzine was one of extreme sadness, and it posed the huge question: "Why?"

In Strasbourg at the Grand Depart, the Tour had seemingly handled the sending home of pre-race favorites Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso and Juan Mercado among others well and the stage was set for "the cleanest Tour in years."

The organizers had sent out a clear message that dopers would not be tolerated, even though those sent away left protesting their innocence and, in fact, still do. Indeed, at least four of the rejected Astana-Wrth team have been proven innocent by a Spanish court this week, but the race's hardening attitude had once again been demonstrated.

This year's Tour seemed to be being ridden "clean" as riders had good days and bad, something which doesn't always happen if the drugs are kicking in. Landis himself, collapsed on stage 16 to La Toussuire in the Alps and then, re-hydrated overnight, he won the fateful stage 17 to Morzine by almost six minutes.

Even seven-time Tour winner Lance Armstrong was moved to call Landis at his hotel that night and congratulate him at "having big balls" to do what he had done after such a defeat 24 hours earlier.

There are many questions to be answered before Landis is condemned.

The first is why win the stage knowing that the winner is automatically drug tested and when finding unusual testosterone levels in a testing laboratory is a comparatively easy thing to do!

Landis would have also been tested at least three times previously as race leader, too, and these presumably have been negative as only stage 17 is under discussion.

The quiet, but very determined American was genuinely happy for his team and its owners when he finished at Morzine. He arrived punching out at helpers and media after he crossed the finish line. He had turned in the result which only 24 hours earlier was thought to be impossible.

Landis had never failed a drug test in his career and this season was enjoying his best ever run of victories, all of which would carry compulsory drug tests. His wins in America and France since February have all been achieved despite a dying femur bone which will mean a replacement hip in the immediate future.

He suffers pain daily when walking and sleeping but not, ironically, so much when racing. As winner of the Tour de France he could have expected his annual earnings to move into the multi-million dollar bracket, even though there is the risk that his hip operation will mean he might never race at the same level again.

They say that drugs have been in cycling for more than 100 years. At first it was simply alcohol, and a tot of brandy did wonders on a long climb in adverse weather. Then came amphetamines, traces of which were found in Britain's Tom Simpson when he died on Mont Ventoux in Provence during the Tour in 1967.

Now, with the help of unscrupulous medical experts, growth hormones, steroids and blood changing is available for those who can afford it. But the doping agencies, International Cycling Union and the Tour de France all agree that drugs must be stamped out and the fight will go on.

The Tour de France has been "saddened" by yesterday's revelations, but the second test has still to confirm the first. There is a possibility that Landis has over-produced testosterone and if so I hope he will be completely vindicated.

If, however, he is guilty, then he will lose the Tour de France, receive a life ban at the Olympics, a two-year ban from the sport and a four-year ban from riding on a Pro Tour team. In short, he will never race again.

All for Now,
Phil Liggett,The Voice of Cycling

One thing I don't get: Everyone says that cycling is dirty. Is it dirty because it's the only sport actually doing something about it, unlike football and especially, baseball?

Winning, Floyd, and the Court of Public Opinion

Well, until the whole floyd Landis thing exploded this morning, I was going to do a post about winning. I still am, but first let me weigh in on Floyd's problem. So he had a non-normal test result from Stage 17. Long story short, he had too high a ratio of testosterone in his urine. Used to be the allowable standard was 6:1, then the UCI and WADA in their brilliance lowered it to 4:1. Ok, the ratio for a normal, non-athlete is 1:1.

However, I can provide links to anyone who wants them citing study after study showing that the levels in elite athletes routinely go to 4:1 or higher after extreme efforts. I'd say that riding 130 km alone on the hardest day of the Tour qualifies as an extreme effort.

Now, on to the Court of Public Opinion. Isn't it great how Barry Bonds is playing with minimal heckling, and how there's only some talk of how he may be guilty. Yet, Floyd and other pros in the past from cycling seem to have their verdicts decided upon by leaked news and accusations, then the doping agencies try to find data to support public opinion. So instead of allowing the process to go and announcing results, Floyd's rep is forever tarnished, innocent or not. Like when someone is arrested for murder, then 10 minutes later released, they're forever remembered as being arrested for murder, so they must be guilty...

I really have a hard time believing Floyd is guilty. I have friends who remember him riding in sweatpants and knickers when he first started mountain biking. He won back then, too. Look at his resluts over the last few years. It's a natural progression to where he is now. Look at this entire season. He crushed the opposition all season long. Why is it that it seems to me the Tour doesn't like Americans? They attacked Armstrong his whole reign, now they attack Landis. And if you ever saw the lack of chain of custody for Tyler Hamilton's samples, and Armstrong's from 99, well, any lawyer in this country would be able to throw out the case. But we have to sit and wait.

As for winning, it's a funny thing. I've not won much in my life. Some basketball games in junior high and high school, some races, and some car races. The car races were satisfying, and for a few years we were better and better until we won our class of the Rolex Vintage Enduro Championship. But it was an anticlimax. The basketball games were ok, but only one sticks in my mind. I was playing against my dad's alma mater in 8th grade and my team put together a really solid game. It was one of the best games of my life. I had 17 points and 14 or 15 rebounds, and we had enough of a lead to where I can remember enjoying it.

As for my wins in cycling, well, that's the funny thing. I've never been in a race where I thought I would win, or could savor it. My biggest wins were in time trials, and you're just going as fast as your body lets you. So until the last guy comes in, you really aren't sure how you're doing. Most were a surprise to me. Track cycling is so intense and brief you barely know if you won or not. And my very few road race wins were hard fought. I never had time to look back over my shoulder and savor the moment. Part of why I still race is because I want that moment, where it's me and the crowd, an impersonal intimate spot in history. Make sense?

Another alphabet game

I had a serious post in my head, but I think it can wait until later. So let me steal something from my wife's blog. (Cue fanfare, LMAO!!!!)

A is for age: 34
B is for beer of choice: Saranac, any of them!!!
C is for career right now: Career? What's that?
D is for dogs name: No dog, but I like Rossini
E is for essential item you use everyday: Hmmmm, not sure
F is for favorite TV show at the moment: TV, what's that? Law and Order SVU
G is for favorite game: Any card game
H is for Home town: Moved a lot in my youth, so Poughkeepsie, Red Hook, Rhinebeck, Kingston- they're all within half hour of each other
I is for instruments you play: Trombone, piano, harmonica, some drums
J is for favorite juice: Orange
K is for who's butt you want to kick: Not enough room here for that list, but on a personal level, no one
L is for last place you ate: Home lat night
M is for marriage: Yes, emaphatically!!!!
N is for your full name: Not going to happen, but if you do the research you can find it...
O is for overnight hospital stays: Yikes, I think it's three, no four
P is for people you were with today: Steph and White Smoke and Little Fox
Q is for quote: "Failure is an integral part of success."
R is for Biggest Regret: Getting frustrated with the politics of cycling and quitting for 2 years when I was on the verge of breaking out
S is for status: US citizen
T is for time you wake up: Too early unless it's a race day!!!
U is for unique quality: I dream the future often
V is for vegetable you love: Sweet potato or yams!
W is for worst habit: Hmmm, many, like leaving just a little bit of juice or soda in a bottle, not enough to be worthwhile to drink, too much to throw out
X is for x-rays you've had: Wow, lots!!! Like over 400 including dental, over 360 without. Many sports injuries and surgeries, plus that whole cancer thing.
Y is for yummy food you ate today: Waiting for lunch.
Z is for Zodiac sign: Gemini/Cancer I'm a cusp kid!!

Thinking of summers past

So I was reading my latest issue of adirondack Life, and what do I see on the back cover but a real estate ad. No big deal. I hate this particular realtor, because she sold my family's house years ago in a stupid way and my oblivious relatives really got taken. But I digress.

So I put up with the monthly ads because the rest of the magazine makes up for it, and I rarely get back to the Adirondacks these days. However, the ad had a spot with some property for sale. The lake adjacent to my lake (I know, not really) had or has a little over 3 acres for sale. No house, and I believe it's on the side with no road, so you need to use your boat from the public dock to your property. 330 ft of lakefront. Mind you, these lakes never got acid rain and are still so clear you can literally see 50 feet down on dalm days. $149,000 for the land!!! Ouch!!! I was hoping to actually have enough money at some point in my life to go back and buy a house on my old lake. Guess not anymore.

My old lake has only about 35 or 26 homes on it. It used to be a great well kept secret. At least I have my memories.

Curious about it? Go see it here on my webshots page:
http://community.webshots.com/user/mikecyc72usa

You can also see other exciting pics from other exciting parts of my life. Well, there really wasn't too much excitement.

What have I learned?

Let's see, I finished my first week at my new job. Not the schedule I want, but it is nice to be back in an office enviroment and having to dress up a little bit for work. I feel like such an adult, lol. Of course, my schedule impacts my time for riding, but hey, I need to get some money.

So today I went for a loooonnnngg ride. It ended up being 103 miles. Pretty cool, my mileage pretty much matched the temperature. Mind you I did the first 90 miles in one shot, ended up at a local bike shop near downtown to watch a rebroadcast of the tour, then rode home. Nothing like watching Floyd take the lead on a plasma tv while eating some chips and drinking cold water. Then I rode home and fought crazy headwinds since a storm front was moving through. Somehow the rain held off until I was 200 meters from home.

On the first part of my ride a group of guys caught up to me and invited me to join. Turns out two of the guys were jerks, but it happens. Eventually it came to the loudmouth pushing against me in a sprint, and I finally got my left arm free enough to give him an uppercut elbow to the lower jaw. After that no one really challenged me. The other 10 guys were really cool, just this one bozo and his friend were talking trash.

Let me wrap up with one last thought. Barry Bonds should be banned from baseball for a few years. I hope he goes to jail for tax evasion, sine he cheated all the honest baseball players during his career, and he tried to cheat the government out of their money, too. Jerk. I can get banned for two years from racing if I so much as have Sudafed in my system, or more than the equivalent of two cups of coffee worth of caffeine at a dope control in me. Yet this bastard and many other american professional sports will maybe give 10 games as a punishment. What a joke. They're PLAYING sports. Why must they cheat? Isn't getting paid to play a game like kids enough? Or have they never grown up?

Remember my opinion of hybrids?

We all know (if you've been reading this long enough) how I feel about hybrid vehicles. Good concept, but horrible for the world in the long run. Well, now I am going to piss of another group. Don't speak to me about global warming. There are too many holes in the theory. Let me expound upon my statement.

I agree pollution is a problem. However, it seems no one ever admits a few simple facts. First, why doesn't anyone ever look at the fact that the human population of the world has increased exponentially in the last 200 years? What's this mean? DUH!!! How many BTUs does one person give off? How about the heat generated by our computers, car engines, more lights, etc. Greenhouse gases? They may contribute, but I have a sneaking suspiscion that we'd all be served much better if we tried to make everything run cooler. Less radiant heat, etc... Think about it. The smaller the fire, the cooler the house, right?

Since I'm in the mood for being a pariah today, let me jump into more hot water. I'm sick and tired of hearing that Israel is wrong for attacking Lebanon to get Hamas and Hezbollah. Does anyone remember when the Marine barracks were bombed in Beirut 23 years ago? Or do we forget the 241 Marines who were killed while sleeping? Do you know who did it and claims responsibility to this day? You got it. Our favorite two crazy troublemakers, Hamas and Hezbollah. Well, at least Hezbollah now denies official involvement. "Official"? You're a terrorist organization, how can you have any official capacities?

Funny how Israel kept asking the Palestinians to stop the daily rocket attacks using official channels, yet the rockets kept coming. Of the recovered rocket debris, all have been manufactured in Syria so far. But Syria doesn't sponsor terrorism and is on our side. Hmmmm... I also enjoy reading many Arab leaders saying how "Israel has done the wrong thing". Ok, so they asked nicely and no one listened.

Personally, I agree with the attacks. I've been in situations where mortar and rocket fire have rained down on my position for hours and days in instances. What do you do? You go out and find whoever is shelling you and eliminate the threat.

Lastly, isn't it interesting how the people who always claim to be for choice are the ones who push for limiting choices? Plus, if you drive a vehicle that gets under 30 mpg (news flash, most of my cars except for a Chrysler got over 29mpg, even though many were built in the 50's and 60's) don't even try to talk to me about saving the enviroment and greenhouse gases. Hypocrites all!!!

It's getting a bit temeperate

Well, let's see, it's over 100 now every day. In fact, last night at 945pm it was 92 degrees. but that's not the real issue.

I went riding with a friend for about 20 miles early Sunday morning. It was muggy and about 85 by 830am. But we had a plan, and were enjoying a great ride even though Sunday traffic was heavier than we thought it would be. My pal the Mster and I had a few sprints, too. I won all three, but he's learning quick. Of course, me giving pointers doesn't help my cause too much.

You see, Mster (pronounced em-ster) was the one to pick out what we were sprinting for the first time, and when we could go. Add to this he has a devastating jump, and it's getting tougher and tougher to come around him. when he jumps, he has a gap instantly of at least two bike lengths. It's great practice for me, but man, it's tough. especially when he picks an uphill sprint.

the second sprint I picked, and I set us off. Again I was gapped, but my higher top speed served me well. As we were riding towards his house, we were winding up for the final sprint. This time, we treated it as a race, so we could jump whenever we wanted. I got a little lucky when I went to my drops from my hoods, as Mster thought I was going to open up right then, and he jumped to try and take me by surprise. It almost worked. Had he held off another 50 meters it would have been very different. As it was, I was able to come around him in the last 75 meters or so, bu thtis time he used all the tips I gave him, and he really improved. A few more weeks of this and I'm really going to have a fight on my hands in the sprints.

In between all this fun a group caught up to us and we jumped in. We were rolling along at about 23mph when I went to the front, and the guy next to me started picking up the pace. not sure if he was trying to initiate me, but I wasn't in the mood for it, so I pushed the pedals a bit harder. Pretty soon we were hitting about 28 up the hill we were on, and when we reached a red light, he was like "that was some good fun". Yes it was.

Rolling back even further, I went for a ride Saturday evening after falling asleep during a Yankees game. Again I did Jester, but descended a different way. about 15 miles into my ride my rear tire blew, most likely from the tube being old. I texted my wife and started walking, and a block later she was honking her horn at me. Turns out she was heading home and hadn't checked her message yet, and through pure luck I had a ride when I needed it. Not a bad way to end a ride.

why do I bother?

Well, I called my parents about my wedding to Lost. It went great. My grandmother was thrilled. So why were both my brother and sister jerks about it? They did congratulate me, but they also lectured me and questioned me, etc. Hello!!! It's not baout anyone but us! They acted as if it were some spur of the moment thing, and were upset that I didn't tell them. Well, that's kind of the definition of the word elope, fools. And this type of Spanish Inquisition attitude was what I wanted to avoid. So the prosecution rests. Well, we all are different. But you think they'd put aside the older sibling syndrome for a minute, let their younger brother tell them good news, and be happy. Sometimes I wonder, why do I bother telling them stuff at all...

Old News

Well, everyone knows it. Lost and I got married Tuesday evening. She's got all the pics and stuff at her blog. Course, I have no idea how to link to it, so you'll have to search through the comments of other posts to find a link to her. Yeah, it's a miracle I'm able to get a cell phone call to go through.

Tonight I finally got in touch with my parents. Surprisingly they were very cool about it. Happy even. And there you have it. Thanks for all the congrats. Oh, and I got a lot of flak for not updating my profile. So for all of you, I saw what you were talking about: I listed my age as 33, but I turned 34 in June. thanks for pointing that out, it's been taken care of.

I can't believe the summer's half over

That sums it up. Where is the summer going? Of course, since I am used to things cooling off a little after Labor Day summer will seem to have extended itself to me this year, but wow! It seems like a day ago I was planning my escape from NY. Now I'm here and loving Austin. weird how life goes by.

Also, I realized today while going insane due to some online stuff I had to do that wasn't cooperating that A) I've been out of high school 16 years, B) My life is nowhere where I thought it would be nor C) Has it gone anything near to how I planned it in high school. That said, I'm really satisfied with it all. Funny how that works.

Haven't been on my bike the last few days since I've been preoccupied with becoming a productive member of society again (getting a job). I've got offers on the table, now I'm seeing how much I can play the hand before I need to take one. Funny how every time I want to post I have a great post in my head, but by the time I get to it I forget it. Like going to the record store (THAT tells you how old I am!! Remember 45s and the little adapter you needed on your turntables...?) and as soon as you set foot inside you forget what albums you wanted. Happens evry single effin' time.

Well, I do have to say that one cool thing about Austin is the train activity. Yup, the geek in me is surfacing. Lots of cool things, like Amtrak, leased locomotives, interesting consists, makes me want to get my camera and hang out trackside. Maybe in winter or fall when it's cooler...

Back in the saddle!!!

Ok, I've been back on my bike and it feels pretty good. Some people have mentioned I might be crazy, but that's another post altogether...

Yesterday I rode with a friend for quite a bit. We went up a road that was four lanes, then became a lane and a half. We decided to turn around because it was getting late and we had a headwind going back. Got a few good sprints in and had a great time.

Today I went up some monster hill called Jester. I was in my 39x23, but realized I need to get a 25 for some of the walls around here. OR it could be that I'm a bit more tired than I thought. Either way, another good ride and I'm feeling ok, the only problem is I'm not getting enough mileage to keep my weight down. So I guess I need to either ride more and find some way of carrying enough to drink for a long ride or I need to go back to training for short road races and criteriums.

Oddly enough, my shoulder has had a meteoric recovery the last few days. Pretty cool. My road rash is going away nicely, just itches here and there as it always does. Nothing broken, but I have a pretty high pain threshold. Let's see, broke 3 ribs in a race in 2000 and still finished 8th. Raced half a road season and an entire cyclocross season with my lower three vertabrae broken...you get the idea. But I know I have no broken bones, as I barely hurt anymore.

Keep you posted on the next ride....

Just a thought and update

Here's a quick thought: if car insurance companies use your credit rating to help determine your insurance rates, why doesn't it help your credit rating if you're a good driver? I mean, if your credit rating can hurt you, why can't your good driving help you? It should go both ways, right?

As for me, my crash injuries aren't too bad. Just a bit banged up and sore. No real damage, just some road rash and bruising on my knee,ankle, and shoulder. Of course, I don't bruise easily, so for me to have anything is a big deal. The worst of it is my right shoulder is pretty hurt. I really can't pull or lift anything yet, or raise my arm more than a few inches. At least I didn't break anything...

So I took yesterday to sit on the patio and rebuild my bike. Originally it was just fix the damage, but then I figured might as well really clean it and overhaul it. So a simple 1 hour job turned into 5 peaceful hours on the patio while I took my time and got covered in grease. But now my bike is 99% done, and once I do a few more things it'll be better than new.

Time for a ride tomorrow. Let's hope I keep the rubber side down!!!

Crash

You got it. I went for a ride yesterday, and got caught in what the weatherman last night said was "tropical activity". It's what us northeasterners call "popcorn storms", they just pop up quickly from the heat and humidity. This all is of no consequence usually, but not so yesterday. I'm not entirely sure how it happened, but as I was coming to an intersection at about 35mph, I decided to go right. This was because I was well and truly lost. As in, I might want to stop and ask directions type of lost and my phone is home. Good thing it stayed there, I might add.

I knew the road would be slippery, it just looked it. I mean, I've been doing this long enough to see how grippy wet or dry pavement is. So I slowed down, and I knew it was going to be dicey, but I'm considered a rain rider. People look to me and follow my wheel in the rain on descents, corners, etc. As I rounded the corner it felt ok, but then next thing I know, I'm on the deck with the wind knocked out of me. I really have no idea why. My best guess is that I either lost concentration and tapped the brakes, which is a big no-no, or I tried to pedal through the turn too soon and my left toe hit the front wheel. Either way, I went down. HARD.

In about a second I was getting up and wheeled my bike over to the sidewalk. Then I did the damage assessment. First the bike. Priorities, you know. I had to straighten both brake levers, lost an end cap from my bars (where in the hell could that have gone?) put both bottles back in the cages, looked everything else over, and then the pain hit.

When I went down I was wearing one of my older race uniforms, and had the jersey totally unzipped. Somehow I landed mostly on my right thigh and front of my right shoulder, with my right shin and ankle playing follow the leader. I started brushing off all the grime that was now embedded in my skin and noticed my chest hurt, too. You guessed it, road rash on my right side of my torso and chest. How pleasant. Then I noticed my leg was covered in blood as it was running from all the sweat and rain water.

I should say that when I crashed a woman in a Lexus SUV stopped and asked me if I was ok, and then drove up on the median and parked to make sure. After I got my breath back, I told her I'd ride home, or at try to. She said she'd follow me for a few blocks to make sure I could ride. So I set off, and after a few blocks waved I was ok, and we parted ways. Don't know who she was, but I'd like to thank her for her concern.

It was a long ride home. I bent my rear wheel a bit so I had to open my brake some, I couldn't shift into my lowest gear because the rear derailleur would go into the spokes, and I was pissed I went down. But I got home and cleaned up and suffered through the night. Now it's time to fix my bike and ride today again. I must be insane...

Happy 4th!!!!

Happy and safe 4th!!!

Well, I was going to leave it at that, but I guess I can update some. Not much going on so far. Just got in from a wet and hot ride a little bit ago. First TX ride in the rain. I love when rain is just below air temperature, or when it's freezing. Guess I'm weird.

I haven't been feeling to great lately, and I'm wondering if it's because I'm not eating as well as I should be, or eating too much and not riding enough, or the bottle of Yellowtail Merlot I had the other night, or am I truly sick? Most likely a combo of the above.

This morning Lost and I headed downtown to see a friend run in a marathon relay. It wasn't too bad when we left the apartment, but it got hot quickly as cloud cover burned off. We had ridden really early (like before the city had woken up except for some nutjob mowing his lawn at 730am) and it was overcast and comfy. Not so downtown.

Also, we had no idea the course was forever and a day long, and we parked at one end and started wandering along it. Soon the wandering turned into a forced march, which became a death slog. But we saw our friend, his wife, and met some new people at the start/finish area, so it was worth it. Then our friends gave us a ride back to our car.

All this wouldn't have been so bad if we had A) brought something to drink and B) not gone bowling a few days ago. Man, that really set us back. I mean, I felt like I had crashed in a race minus the road rash I was so sore. What a brain attack I was to say we should keep bowling and end up bowling five games. I mean, I was bowling much better the last two, but I was sore from playing in the golf tournament in May. I guess my body is only used to riding a bike anymore. Better start stretching.

Hmm, what else? Oh, saw my high school friend Lora and her family for the first time in 13 years. Very cool and her son is sooo cute. That was an enjoyable afternoon/evening. I think I have brought you up to date. Other than a job hunt, things are going well.

So I'm thinking I need to put up a more recent pic of me for this thing...

and that I change my profile info to reflect where I truly am. but that's for another time.

So what have I been up to? Well, learning my way around Austin, looking for work, riding some, getting my butt kicked in a race, fun stuff like that. Lost and I saw the bats the other night (really cool), I ate a Thundercloud sub (yummy), and that's about it. We rode Monday night together as well as Friday night. My theory of her getting flat tires is that there is quite a bit of debris out here along the roads, and unless you ride close to the white line, you end up hitting a lot of it. This is of course, a comfort thing, and having grown up in the northeast where shoulders don't exist, I'm fine with being close to or on the white line. Lost has only started riding, and she isn't comfortable that close to traffic yet.

But Monday night we went riding on some lesser used roads and in some neighborhoods, and she did great. Even took a sip out of her water bottle while riding!!! Woohoo!!! So the transformation begins. Soon she'll be riding no hands and fishing food out of her jersey pockets like a pro!

Last night I went to the Tuesday Nighter, full of confidence after my 5th place last week. This week we had probably twice as many racing, so it was going to be more unpredictable. For the first lap I rode my characteristic strong, aggressive race, never getting too far back, and making sure the pace was high. Then, into the secong of three 9 mile laps, as we headed up the big hill, I lost it. We like to say every race has a crucial two minutes, and it was at that time that I had a bad three minutes. My stomach was feeling unsettled for quite some time, so I wasn't drinking, and it was really dry here. All that adds up to me not drinking enough and getting sick.

I finished the race, and still had a good ride, but my stomach felt awful. All night I wasn't feeling great, and only in the last hour have I felt ok enough to consider venturing out. No bike today. Just some easy rides if anything until Friday. I think reading or dreaming of riding while at the pool sounds better...

But the good news is I found out about a criterium series here in Austin every Thursday night!! I can do 2 races for $20 on some new go kart track. Very flat, fast and cool. Now I just need to learn where it is. Found directions, but since I have no idea where anything is, well you get the idea.

I think it's time to go check out some local hobby shops, as I am quite the train and model geek. Still have about 30 model cars to build at my parent's house...

Well, I might just go to the pool. It's closer and easier to get to as I know where it is...LOL!!

Postponed

Yup. My race was postponed due to some type of activity at Ft Hood. Well, it's supposed to be run in the fall, so that gives me more time to get ready. Soooo, now my next race might be hours away in a month. Then maybe the state time trial championships a week later. Oh, joy, I get to see how hard I can push myself until my peripheral vision begins to flash...for 40 kilometers.

What else? Welllllllll, Lost and I have been doing all kinds of fun stuff. Grocery shopping, eating, sleeping, shopping for clothes for me because she's embarassed by my unique style. Or more accurately, embarassed to be seen with me and my style... and we're playing Slub Bug with both classic and new Bugs, plus Chevy Malibu Max's. That takes way longer to explain.

That is really about it. I've been riding quite a bit, and my latest way of doing it is to briefly look at a map, making sure to not note the scale so I have no real idea how far anything is and head out. I promptly forget most of what I saw on the map, get lost about 25 miles into the ride, and try to find my way home navigating by the sun and time of day. So far it's worked pretty well.

Thursday I rode forever and eventually crossed the Colorado river (though not in Colorado) and went by some dam called Mansfield Dam. I remember that because it was neat, and well, I like Jayne Mansfield, and though there's no connection, when you're at the level of mental incoherence I was at the time, it makes sense to your mind then. Much like that last sentence.

Well, time for bed on my new pillow I bought !!!! Yeehaaaa!!!! No, really I mean yay!!!!

Hmm, my last post didn't

Real quickly, my last post was not posted for some reason. Anyway, I'm in Austin. So far it's way better than I ever thought it could be in every way. I'm still unpacking and getting used to my surroundings, but other than that, I feel like I've been here before. It's a really comfortable place for me. So far, but if you're not uncomfortable in the beginning, I doubt it'll become so.

So I've gotten out on my bike a few times. Nothing like finding your way around by trial and error. On a bike. On a hot and muggy day. Well, hot to me, anyway. But I went to a training race today, and though traffic kept me from getting there on time, I was able to go out on the course and let the race catch up to me. It was quite a fun race. I love the course, it suits me perfectly, and I ended up 5th. With the lack of miles in my legs it was a good confidence builder. especially when the other guys were like "let the guy on the green bike chase him down" every time an attack went up the road. I put a few good ones in, too. I'll be there next week, and all the Tuesdays thereafter.

Lost has been amazing, as always. I guess there are some of us lucky to live fairytales once in awhile. And tomorrow's my birthday. Yay!!

I'm here!!!! Wherever that is....

Please, let me enjoy this

It finally arrived, today Steph got here and now we can be together forever. Dorky sounding, I know, but hey, it's my blog. Anyway, so far it's going well, and tomorrow we get to spend some time by ourselves (from my family, that is) and most likely will head to the beach. Or pool. Or somewhere.

I could go on and on, but let's just say I keep thinking it's all a dream. What's more like a nightmare is the fun I've had trying to get parts for my roofrack. I used a trunk rack to get my bikes down here, but it was a stopgap measure. So, I decided I wanted to use a roofrack in the garage, but it's designed for bikes with rain gutters, and my new car has none. So I spent quite a bit of time looking online and locally for what I needed from Thule. Of course, no one had a major part I needed, so this morning before I went to pick up my love, I ordered and paid for expedited shipping from aplace that actually had everything in stock. Now it's supposed to get her Friday sometime, and we're leaving Saturday early. Ugh.

I rode Mon, but that's it. It was about 95 and windy, so my ride wasn't too long, about two large bottles worth of gatorade. But I rode well, and my ankle is finally healed so I was able to really go hard for a bit. Sometime on Sun we should be rolling into Austin, and I can't wait. Well, that's it.

Phase Two has begun

Well, I'm in Hilton Head, SC at my parent's house. Left Friday night at 1230 (really Sat morning) made it to just north of Harrisburg, PA by 530 through the rain and fog, and slept in the car for about 5 hours. Woke up, and drove the rest of the way. Got here at about 930pm. What a long, tiring drag of a drive. Especially since I had two bikes on the back of the car on a trunk rack (which I hate using) a cargo bubble thing on top, and the car filled to the gills. My seat had one position: where it was, no room to recline it any more, so I had to mess with the lumbar settings to be able to keep my back somewhat happy.

Now I need to unload the car, go over my bikes, do some projects around the house here and try to ride some, as I'm hoping to do the TX road race championships on the 25th. Of course my race starts at 2pm, so it'll be nice and hot for me at Ft Hood. Nothing like baptism by fire. And, Wed my sweetie comes and I'm so happy!!!!! Not sure when my next time to post will be, so have fun until then.

Change of plans, which sucks

Well, I'm heading to SC on Friday, because my mom guilted me into it. I'm NOT racing on Sat in New Britain, CT. You have no idea how much this bums me out. I am sure I'd have been ranked first in NY for my category on points, which would have let me upgrade when I got to TX. I am pretty sure I'd have even cracked the top 50 nationwide. But my mom was upset I was going to drive from up here in MA at my sister's house to Kingston to close out my bank accounts and get my last pay from my old job and drive back. Then race on Sat and drive back to Kingston to load up, spend the night at my brother's place, and get on my way Sun.

Basically she threatened to not let my sweetie stay at the house if I didn't come down and help them with some projects around the house, because they're stupid and my mom's way too nitpicky. No one can ever do a job well enough for her, and since I don't have to make a living at putting in molding and painting trim, I have the time to do it her way, or so she thinks. Bottom line is this: I'll do whatever projects she has in mind, but if they're not ready to go when I get there, they're off the list. Plus, I need to make up for not riding since Hartford a week and a half ago.

This is because I've been busy moving, but also was part of my plan for the race this coming weekend. Of course, I was also planning on training starting Monday, which hasn't happened. So if I want to do the TX state championships on 6/25, I am not going to waste my time unless I have the form, and that means many miles in my legs. Argh!!!

That is it, kids.

T minus

Yep, almost out of NY. Yay!!!!! Monsay I pick up my new car (for me) a 98 Honda Accord 2 dr coupe. I'm very excited. I just have to figure out how to squeeze all my stuff into my car and my parent's car...

Let's see, right now I'm on my niece's bedroom floor using my brother's wireless internet to use my computer. Ah, the life of a gypsy. So what is the latest? In a nutshell, got out of the crazed housemate's place ok. My cats are staying with my brother's family unless my one niece has an allergic reaction, but it's been 4 days and nothing so far. I'm very happy about that.

I raced last Sunday in Hartford, CT at Bushnell Park. A block from the capitol building. Hot, but not humid, and a perfect day. With my lack of training because of that pesky left ankle, I was hoping to not embarass myself. I mean, my dad came along, so I wanted to do a respectable race. The first race was a 30 plus master's race. Ugh it was fast. We averaged 27 mph, but when you have a bunch of ex pros and a former 2 time national collegiate champion what should I have expected? Anyway, I was doing ok, but I wasn't feeling great. In fact, I was feeling pretty blah. It wasn't until 8 laps to go that I was able to get a drink from my bottle. Then I went from hanging at the back in the last 10 (out of 102 starters) to moving up towards the front.

Well, I did what I could and when it finished I was 45th out of 90 finishers. Not too shabby. Plus I was 6th in my category. I waited a few hours more and did my second race of the day, squaring off against my former team. I rode really well, with my dad yelling "Go Bandycoot" each lap. About halfway through there was a crash in the first corner in front of me, and I ran into a bike that was down, which ended up with me doing a front wheel stand and then falling onto a guy and two bikes to my right. I got up, ran to the pits, and rejoined the race after my free lap. I rode really well, and even though a crash in the last lap messed up my plan for the finish, I got 22nd. Which had me beat all of my former team except for one. He got 17th. Well, off to the Nutmeg Games in New Britain CT next Sat, then the trip to TX begins.

Funny story and an update

After the highly serious last post, I think we all need some levity. So here we go. Very quickly.

I was in a field sprint at a race in MA in 1991, and things were getting pretty physical. I went to grab a guy's arm and shake him as us sprinters do sometimes, and it came off!! He had a prosthesus! I handed it to him with a look of utter bewilderment on my face, he tucked it under his partial arm, and we finished the race a few seconds later. I think I said something like "I think this is yours". LAter I went to apologize and he said it happens on a regular basis.

Ok, I'm in the process of moving things so they can either be thrown out, reside at my brother's or get taken to TX, or at least SC to my parent's house for a bit. My ankle still is messed up, and I just got in from the doc. I'm hoping to be able to race Sunday. It all depends on how my ankle is coming along. I need to invest in Aleve...

MY sweetie is stressing about the time in SC, but I know we'll enjoy it. Can't wait to drive around in the golf cart...heehee!!!!!

Stories of the past

Well, as you know, I was in the Army. So here's an experience of mine. Not too pleasant, and I thought I might have posted it before, but I didn't find it in the archives, so here it is. Sorry for the lack of format, but I had typed it this past fall when I was having a bad time of it after finding out a buddy of mine was killed in Iraq.


So today in the mail I got some of my now deceased friend Prairie's journal from his sis. She typed it up and sent me entries that pertain to me. I'm really happy she did, but sad, too. For me my combat tours are like an alcoholic haze or blackout, I remember very little, just certain details of certain days. It all just became a big blur, but when I read or talk to someone who was there, they mention something that awakes memories, like after a night of partying, where you don't recall much if at all, then you hear something and it comes back.

Like the following which Prairie wrote:

Another tough mission where we fought our way to the extraction point, carrying wounded and dead. Ski's squad was taking it on the chin for us on our left flank, and he and his guys were hitting back just as hard. His radio called for close support, and they directed the gunships as we were boarding. They got on the last chopper out of town, as always, and we started to leave. Suddenly we heard over the intercom words that make us all sick: "We're missing four!!!!! Four unaccounted!!!" First squad was missing four guys, and in the confusion no one made a good head count. As our bird banked hard right, I saw four guys running into the clearing, tracers passing them left and right. They were waving to us to come back. Then I heard "Roger that, we got four on the deck still. We'll keep them covered till you boys can get them." It was the gunship pilots, who turned sharply and started making passes and unloading ordnance wherever tracers came from. For a few moments, our guys were safe. I got on the intercom:"Ok, we got four on the deck, second squad will go in and extract, we need to get in and out, we can't lose a bird or we're all dead. Ski, can you hear me?"

"Roger that, Prairie. Fourth squad ready to cover you guys when you hit the ground, we're going in hot." Ski was amazing. He never refused to go in and do cover/security. His squad was absolutely fearless, for they had to get back on the ground, draw fire and reengage the enemy, cover us, then disengage and get back on the bird without getting overrun. His chopper banked hard, I saw his guys get ready at the doors, and at about 10 or 12 feet off the ground at close to 15 mph they jumped out both sides, deploying themselves in a neat firing line. We were coming in right behind them. Our bird set down as close as possible to our four guys, and myself and two of my squad, Swick and Charts, ran over to them. Charts threw one over his shoulder, Swick grabbed another by the web gear and started dragging, and I helped grab their gear. All of us made it back to the bird and we started to lift off. I put my headset back on. "Where's Ski's squad?" I saw his chopper circling back towards us.

"They said they were in close range with the enemy and to not land for them yet." was my pilot's reply. God, we may have lost a whole squad to get four guys. I couldn't see them as we climbed towards relative safety. I switched channels so I could hear his radio chatter and the chopper intercom. His radio was calling in more close support.

"I need whatever you got on (coordinates) now!!!! We can't disengage until we have a hole punched in them somewhere. We have nowhere to go!!" I was sick to my stomach. One of my best friends and his squad went down there to protect us and now they couldn't get out, like fire fighters trapped in a burning building. I started to pray on the intercom, not even knowing I was speaking. Suddenly all my guys were saying the Hail Mary with me...Out of nowhere some F-18s and then A-10s went rushing by us. We turned to circle at a safe distance. It was like watching hell explode in front of you. We saw the detonations of the bombs, and heard them over the radio, followed by more gunfire, screams, grenades, everything. I felt so worthless, watching and hearing it, but unable to help those guys. The radio crackled again:

"Meet us at the southwest side of the clearing, we're making a run for it, be advised we have one dead, two wounded." While the gunships and planes kept pounding with all they had, we saw Ski's bird go in really hot and low. The pilot almost stood the bird on it's tail to stop in time, but we saw it lift off only seconds later. Ski's squad, the masters of quick boarding, even with dead and wounded.We got back to camp, and waited for Ski's bird to land. His squad got off quietly, eyes blank, uniforms bloodied, bayonets still fixed to their weapons, coated with blood. It was obvious they had fought hand to hand.

"Ski, you ok? You need anything?" He just sat down and cried. Others of his squad walked aimlessly to our area. The aircrew came over and tried to comfort him. I saw he had something on his head, and went to wipe it off, but he swatted my hand away. Normally he'd be quiet, or just kind of walk slowly. This time something really had him rattled. So I went to the chopper and saw why he was upset. Radio, his squad's radioman, was lying dead on the floor of the chopper, shot through the head. Then it hit me. Ski had some of his brain on him and in his hair. Not only had it been close for Ski, but he and Radio were good friends. The only lefties in our company, they used to joke about being a minority, things like that. I helped carry Radio to the morgue, and let Ski recover at his own pace.

So, that's what Prairie wrote. I'd forgotten about that day until now. This is my abridged side of the story, picking up where we heard the four guys were on the deck.

"Are you guys up to covering second squad?" They all nodded yes. "Alright, we need to set up a screen between our guys and them. It's too hot to land, so we're doing a moving deployment, we need to get out as fast as possible. As soon as we hit the ground, fix your bayonets, I think it's going to get close and personal down there. Lock and load, check your ammo!!! Let's go get our guys!" We banked hard, came in low and fast, jumped, fixed bayonets, and took fire immediately. It's really a jumbled mess of memory fragments for me. I recall closing with the enemy, and some hand to hand combat, but not details. We were now stuck with no way out, and fought like cornered animals to find a way out. Somehow Radio kept his cool in all this to shoot with one hand and call in air support with the other. When it looked hopeless we heard some planes and they dropped all kinds of stuff right on top of us, so close that I was knocked to the ground by the concussion. That bought us time to be able to finish off the enemy around us and make a run for it. Except as we were about to get going, I was right next to Radio and as we got up, I heard a buzz and all of a sudden I was wiping his brain off my face and head. I'm so thankful he died instantly. So I picked up the radio, made the last transmission, grabbed radio, and ran to the chopper. The ride home was tough, but it wasn't until we landed that things sank in. I was numb. One of my friends was dead, we had almost been annihilated, we were in hand to hand combat in a struggle for our lives, and now it sank in. I got off the chopper, and took a few dazed steps. My legs went to jell-o, and I sat down and began sobbing. This ain't Kansas anymore, and it was becoming apparent we were involved in something that was way bigger than we ever thought.


Prairie was a friend who only had another 3 years before he could retire. He was killed his first day of his 2nd tour of Iraq. He volunteered to take the place of who he was replacing two days early, because he was the type of guy who wouldn't have been able to live with himself if something were to happen and he could have prevented it. On the way back from a firefight with insurgents another patrol radioed the codeword which means they were about to be overrun. Having been in that position, I can say I would have asked my pilot to divert so we could help out. Doug asked his guys, and they were up for it, so they went in to a really hot fight. When it was apparent they couldn't hold out, the choppers came back to extract everyone. Doug got off his chopper to give the space to a wounded soldier, and saw another wounded soldier trying to get to the chopper. He ran to him, started carrying him, and was shot in the back 3 times, but managed to carry the other guy to the chopper. Doug was pulled in by the crew and he bled out on the way to the triage center. He never thought of himself, and we should all be so lucky to have friends like that.

Technical difficulties

Ok, been absent for awhile due to some problems. Like my housemate changing servers and being convinced a router would get her fined and charged extra. No, that would be a modem illegally installed, brainless...

Anyway, painting at my sister's house and letting my ankle heal, and will be racing the 28th of this month in Hartford, CT. Hope to do well as my dad will be going with me. Also going crazy trying to get in touch with someone who was selling a car. Strange things happening. I need to get a new car so I know what will go with my parents and what will go with me, and how to plan to load the car I have. Arrrggghhh!!!!

Well, back to work, just wanted to let all of you know I am still alive. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll be able to get back online at home tonight if I'm in a good mood.

It's called water, pal...

I went to return some bottles at the grocery store today after work. The machines were down, so I had to deal with some college kid who hates his job at the counter. I say that because he was in a class of mine 2 years ago. But it gets better.

Some slimecrawling troll was in front of me with a cartful of bottles. I had 12. He looks at me and says "huh, yeer gonna be here a long time becuz of me, why donchya give me your bottles?" I told him no, I'll wait, as I was like him and had noplace better to be. It left vapor trails over his neolithic skull.

In NY you're supposed to wash out the bottles. When I worked for the precursor to this company, I took great delight in refusing to accept bottles from these troglodytes. They'd be upset because how were they then going to pay for their Schlitz? I'd say "get a job?". Mean, yes. Well, this brainless wonder didn't wash his bottles out, some still had some form of fluids in them, others had god knows what. Eventually he left, sneering at me as if he had gotten one over on me, so I let him keep believing that. Actually, I'd be ok with him not washing out the bottles if he used the water for a bath and to brush his four remaing brown and one green tooth.

Now that I'm done being a snob, what else is going on? MY parents are coming to town on Friday. Sat I've conned them into coming with me to Lake George for a race. Weather forecast: 54 balmy degrees and rain, baby!!! Woohoo!!! My kind of weather. Of course, they're from SC so it'll be like winter to them, but I left a message on the phone to warn them.

I guess I could go on about stuff up here, but I don't want to bore the four people who regularly read this. But tomorrow I do go look at a new car for me! Yay!! IF I get it, it'll be the newest car I've ever owned, a 1997. I'm very excited. Time to retire Sven, and right now he's almost at 249,000 miles. Just a little more...

Later I'll put up pics from this past weekend at Williamstown, MA. The camera has gone from the knapsack to the desk. Progress...

I'm getting old

Well, I raced in Williamstown, MA, yesterday. I had an ok race, since I had no real warmup and wasn't sure if I was going to get into my first race at all. But I did, and I made the best of it. I got 15th from 37 starters. Ok, but still not too impressive. I was in a chase group of three and lost the sprint to the two other guys. That was a wakeup call.

Let me explain something about this race course, of which photos will be put up later. It's beautiful. Which means it's dangerous and tough. Like potentially fatal. Any race where they tie mattresses to trees and signposts at certain corners is a good thing. I think so, anyway. I know of someone who will now never let me return to this race... Well, back on track. It's a very technical course, in that I mean you need to be able to really throw your bike around, dive into super tight corners and not be afraid to hit your pedal on the ground or clip a curb. There is no place on this course where one can relax even for a second. It's exhausting physiacally and mentally. NO daydreaming here, folks, or you're on the deck or in a tree.

The two worst corners are the two fastest, of course, and take quite a bit of courage to get through. One of them is really tight and really fast, and the other is really tight and really really fast. But on with my races.

Since I wasn't warmed up enough, I wasn't able to ever get up to the front. Eventually the pack split, and I wasn't there where I needed to be. But I kept riding as hard as I could, and began to get into a good rhythm, and started to catch people. Eventually, it came down to the lead group of 10, 2 more guys about 1 1/2 minutes back of them, and my group. I kept getting dropped and chasing back on, and kept returning the favor to the other two guys who were with me. So it was definitely some good racing amongst the three of us. Of all things, the other guys had problems matching me on the climb (half of the lap) and we were equal on the descent, just on the windy flat section they were able to reel me in again and again...

Well, when we were told we had one lap to go, the other two guys decided to sit in on me, which means they rode in my draft and refused to pull through. A very well used tactic. So I rode a hard descent, tried to shake them on the flat, then on the climb I went all the way over to the left so they got minimal protection from the wind. I also slowed way down so maybe one of them would come around me. Nope. I had really no options but to try and catch them by surprise. I kind of did when I jumped really hard before the last corner, but it wasn't hard enough.

We came out of the corner and I forced them to go around me on the right side, but I guess I should have gotten one gear higher, I'm not sure. I gave it all I had, but the other two guys got me, though I did a great bike throw at the line to make it close. Well, after the photo review I got 15th.

Ten minutes later I lined up for my next race. Well, remember the ankle pain I had? The cool thing is it's gone, and Sunday was the best I felt in days. But not far into my second race I felt a tinge of pain, and discretion being the better part of valor, I quit. I feel a little guilty, but I didn't want to risk my leg. That might risk my season, or worse, make moving in a month difficult at the least. Besides, I have some races I want to do when I get to TX. Woohoo!!!!

I'm a bit upset

Well, I got cut off by my team. I knew it was coming, but it still pisses me off. I didn't get a top three by the end of last month. Never mind the guys who did all had teammates working for them. Worse, I still haven't gotten my uniforms, and now I'm pretty much over it, so they can keep them. As long as I get my money back. When I post on my team forum, it's like my posts are invisible.

Well, depending on how my ankle is (the left achilles tendon has developed a small knot on the back of my ankle which is a bit painful) I might race Sunday. On a course that last year kicked my ass, but that's because I had only about 200 miles in my legs and I had just finished rebuilding my road bike the night before. Not a good plan. I remember thinking "man, I could really do well here if I had some miles in my legs", and this year I'm close to 3,000 already. Let's get rolling.

It's not a great motivational tool in our sport, but anger does work, and I'm angry. Very. My team has abandoned me, even when I've already done 11 races, and most of the other guys have done maybe 4. Add to that I got a 10th, 14th, 22nd in a pro race, 26th in another race where half the field quit, 34th and highest finish of the team a few weeks ago when I had two teammates, and I feel they owe me. If I had any teammates at the other races things would have been much different, I can assure you. Let's just say that when I last got this pissed I bridged a 12 minute gap by myself to a breakaway of 11 guys in only 28 miles. I finished 5th. Or the time a team director made some desparaging remarks about my ability in a stage race in Kentucky/Tennesee. I won the stage and finished it 19 effin' minutes ahead of everyone. Of course, with all the climbing the two previous days I only moved up to 17th overall, but I made my point. I was never allowed to get away solo or in a group the rest of the season.

Soooooo, if I race Sunday, where I'll have several of the "in" clique of my team, I aim to thrash the field. I won't race against my team, but I'll definitely be working for me.

Well, it's time for bed, I think. One more day down before the big move so the hole in my heart is filled...

Details of another type

I finally got back on my bike tonight. Not a long ride, but it was good enough. I was going to take it easy, then it started to get overcast, the temperature started falling, and it began to spit some rain. Ok, I figured I'd go do a roller coaster type of ride, and that was fine. Except I began to get worried I'd get caught in a rainstorm and that wasn't what I needed then. Turns out, it would have been better.

I was really going well, as I had a little tailwind and was in a mood to get home, when a small deer jumped out in front of me. I hit the brakes, swerved right, we both had "deer in headlights" looks I'm sure, and I hit his left shoulder with my left hand/wrist, jamming it. Both of us looked at each other for a second, for I had stopped a few feet further down the road. I started to talk to the little guy (maybe a year old judging by the size) so he wouldn't freak out, and he took off. So did I. I think I jammed my wrist, but it's feeling a lot better now. That's the third deer I've hit on my bike in 17 years. Hmmmm....

As for other details, let's just say this: Steph is an amazing woman who has melted my heart, superlatives fail me in describing how I feel for her, she's drop dead stop all time and motion in the universe beautiful without a doubt, I hate to be away from her, and I'm going crazy waiting for the day to arrive when I move down to Austin. Hope that answers everything.

PINs, passwords, and goodbyes

Ok, I had one of the most amazing weekends of my life. Nothing went too wrong, if at all, and I'm glad it all worked out as it did. Soooo, to act one.

The love of my life came to visit. No secret there. Of course, she made it an adventure getting here by taking the subway from Jamaica to Penn Station. But she got there, and got on the train to Poughkeepsie just fine. I got down to pick her up, walked in the waiting room (I had just finished buttoning my shirt) and was a little overwhelmed. Pics do not do her any justice. So after the initial shock wore off things were great. We went to dinner, had a nice night to soak each other in, and woke up on Friday trying to figure out if it was really happening or if it was a dream.

Friday I got my hair cut (yes, after 6 months) and we went to Woodstock to check out some shops. Then we got some yummy pizza, got home and got ready for Philly. Saturday we went to Philly, hit Leah's place for her birthday party and had a great time. Prior to the party I rode my bike and trainer in her back yard for awhile, we then went to check in at the hotel (where there was a prom, but thankfully it wasn't noisy later on) ate, and came back to the party. I met some interesting people, yes I did. It was cool, and I enjoyed my three glasses of wine.

About that wine, we'll get to it later. One word of advice, though, when you go to a party and the kitchen has an island, don't let yourself get trapped by the refrigerator. You won't have any chance of getting out unless you vault the sink. Take my word for it, it might be the only option... But it was way too much fun for this old guy.

Well, back to the hotel we got at about 1 or so, and we overslept by over an hour. Now, Philly to Binghamton is a bit of a drive. When you need to make up an hour and a half, it becomes an adventure. Deciding it was easily possible, I set off in hot pursuit of the clock. We mad it from Cherry Hill, NJ to Binghamton, NY in about 2 hrs and 25 minutes, including stopping for a tank of gas. Yes, I still have the racing driver in me...190 miles or so...yes, I broke 100mph for quite a bit of the way.

Anyway, I was dehydrated and a little stressed when I arrived with 10 minutes to spare. So I quickly got my bike together, got ready, and rode to the line. I survived, but I was definitely at about 85%. I tried to recover between my races, but with about 3 laps to go in the second race I was dehydrated and could feel myself going fast, so I quit at the top of the hill just past the finish line. Next time will be better, I'm sure.

On the way home we had dinner with some old friends of my sweety's, then came home and fell asleep. Today I took her to the airport, which was pretty tough for us both.

If you want to see pics of the weekend, you'll have to wait, as I didn't use my camera basically at all.

I need structure

I haven't touched my bike since last week, actually before the weekend. And this Sunday I'm doing at least one race, maybe two. I know the course, it's pretty easy, and I have a few thousand miles in my legs, but I need to get some good workouts in between then and now. Add to that my honey is coming to visit for the weekend, we're going out of town and swinging by the races on the way home.

That's about all I have tonight, I need to do all kinds of things tonight and tomorrow.

Just a stolen little survey type thingy ma bob

Ten years ago, it was 1996.

Take this survey, post the results, and see how many things have changed since then.

1) How old were you? 24

2) Where did you go to school? Was trying to go to IU pre law

3) Where did you work? I was a standby army solider

4) Where did you live? In various barracks or my apartment in Indianapolis, IN

5) How was your hairstyle? Short, the typical Army buzz

6) Did you wear braces? No

7) Did you wear contacts? Yes

8) Did you wear glasses? Yes

9) Who was your best friend? Terp, RIP

10) Who was your girlfriend? Too many

11) Who was your celebrity crush? Hmmm, dead, Jayne Mansfield, alive Minnie Driver

12) Who was your regular-person crush? Staff Sgt Eileen Davis, from headquarters

13) Were you a virgin? LOL no

14) How many piercings did you have? 5 in my ears

15) How many tattoos did you have? 1 that was already removed

16) What was your favorite band/singer? U2

17) Had you smoked a cigarette? no

18) Had you gotten drunk? I was in the Army, went to Catholic school...enough said

19) Had you driven yet? Yes

20) If so which car? Many

21) Which of your pets were still alive? None

22) Looking back, are you where you thought you would be in 2006? Not at all, but I'm not sad about it. I honestly thought I'd be dead by now.

Civil war

That's what's on my hands right now at work. At least three different factions vying for control, even plotting to get the GM fired. I'm not going into detail, but the GM has gone to the far side of the line in the areas of ethics, discrimination, favortism, and a few others. Add to that she's been away at other locations for the past two weeks mostly, and there's a power vaccuum that isn't filled. It's a bad situation. Thank god I'm leaving soon enough. You know it's bad when I'm the voice of reason...

Strange

I posted a new post awhile ago, but it's nowhere to be found. Hmmmm....

Not much this time

So I didn't ride this weekend. AT ALL! The weather sucked and I had other things to do, like sleep and get things to the ballet storage unit for the yard sale. I alos was trying to find a car for myself. My parents found one in NYC but it's gone beyond the max price, so I bet that's out. I'm bummed because it would have been perfect. Oh well, back to the beginning.

That's it. Thursday's the big day. Can't wait!!!!

I'm beginning to think there's more to this than meets the eye...

Am I crazy or is this really really really coincidental?

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16518005&BRD=1769&PAG=461&dept_id=74969&rfi=6

Yes, I am ecstatic

http://www.printroom.com/ViewGalleryPhoto.asp?userid=mgy44&gallery_id=363612&image_id=67
ME climbing a 23% hill on a dirt road last week. I PAID to do this??!!!!??

Ok, we all know I love to race my bike. We all know I love to write about it. Well, first of all, I am going to let you in on a little secret. I have a rider's diary on a site called Spokepost.com, and I also do feature articles for them. I even get pics put up once in a great while. (Please scroll to the bottom of the title page to see my pic of Chris Horner at the Cyclocross Nationals this past December. Shameless, I am.) But it's official. Big news to me. Lake George NY is finally hosting a bike race!

This is big why? Well, the Adirondacks are my favorite place for many reasons. Though I'm not a huge fan of Lake George, (it's a bit too touristy for me) it is in the Adirondack Park, and I haven't raced inside the blue line in many years. Plus, it's a criterium!!!! MY specialty, only 31 feet of elevation change in .95 miles! I'm so psyched!!!!! The finish is a slightly downhill sprint, which favors me. YES!!!!!! I damn well better get a top three (win) or I should hang up my bike. This is so cool.

Now I know this means nothing to most of you out there, but this is my race schedule for the remainder of my time up here in the wonderful northeast.

April 30 Binghamton cicuit race Binghamton, NY
May 7 Williamstown Criterium Williamstown, MA (2 races in a row, woohoo!!!)
May 13 Lake George Criterium Lake George, NY
May 28 Hartford Downtown Criterium Hartford, CT (2 races again, I love to hurt myself)
June 10 Nutmeg State Games New Britain CT (3 races in a day, one of my favorite events)
June 17 Cyclonauts Criterium Stafford Springs, CT (The big test, 4 20 mile races in one day)

That will be all, folks. Other than 2 races I hope to return for in New Hampshire and Maine in mid September, my racing in the northeast will be as a guest, only. June 18th, launch day...

All things come in threes

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=16512484&BRD=1769&PAG=461&dept_id=74969&rfi=6

This guy never raced, he was just someone you saw around all the time. Hit and run, how can you do it or not know?

So what is it exactly that I'm doing again?

Funny I should ask that question. Here's the skinny on 'tings. Riding some, getting my place ready for THE VISIT, and other sundry tasks. Like ripping all my remaining cds to my pc. Then I'll make copies. Well, I won't get rid of my U2 or Matchbox Twenty or Poe stuff, that's just crazy talk.

See, I realized that I listen to a select few artists on a regular basis. Then there are those albums you only like several songs from. See where this is going? I'm taking the songs I want, making cds of those, etc. Then I'm selling all the original cds back to the record store. Record store, haha!

Next I'm cleaning up and getting rid of stuff, because I'm leaving this downtrodden state in the near future. NY is the Vampire State, not the Empire State, unless you think of the evil Empire in Star Wars, where it becomes wholly appropriate... I mean, $3.05 for a gallon of regular? Come on! And the jobs pay less up here because there isn't much work, the weather sucks, the roads are falling apart, I mean, what do people see in this place?

To add to the fun, I'm looking for a new to me car. Since Sven, The Black Marauder is on his last legs and won't be able to pass inspection when it expires June 30th I have been perusing all the ads and ebay listings up here, and my parents are doing the same in Hilton Head, SC. I'm looking for a well maintained Honda Accord ideally, but a Civic or a Toyota Camry would do, also. I need to then get a roof rack for my bikes, etc. My trusty Saab 900s from 1988 is no longer the confidence inspiring auto it used to be. The end of an era. 246,798 miles as of today, will it break 250,000? I'll keep you posted.

Riding and getting ready to relish when I tell my housemate I'm leaving, as well as my job. The things I look forward to sometimes...

So Saturday wasn't fun, maybe it was, I can't decide

I did my race. I was really confident going into it. I'd been riding well, getting some good mileage and results, and well, it wasn't a great day. It's not that I had an off day, I just couldn't have done much more, or much differently. So, I have to deal with my physical limitations.

I can't climb super steep hills very well. Part of the problem this time was that I didn't have a low enough gear. The other part of the problem is that at 5'10-11" and 166lbs, I'm still a little too heavy to have a good power to weight ratio. Which means I should probably not eat chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream ever again, but once in awhile you just gotta have it.

The race was hard. The course was amazing, 55 miles of up, down, turn, turn yourself inside out racing. I was actually pretty frisky in the beginning of the race, riding off the front as a test on the first dirt road section (oh how that was cool) and leading the race through town at the end of a short circuit. Then we hit the big climbs. I was ok on the first one, staying up front. The second dirt climb was another story. It was about 23% and dirt. Stand up, your rear wheel slips, sit back and your front wheel comes up off the ground. I was able to get up it, but not much more than that.

Once over that nightmare I chased really hard and caught one of my two team mates in the race with me. The other one was way behind us. We worked together and kept catching people until we had a chase group of over 20 people. Of course, once a group gets that big, you have the brainless wonders who just sit in and don't do their share of work. Then those jerks have the nerve to attack us. I was having none of that, since I'm still convinced that the second group ahead of us was the lead of the race at one point.

But, I decided to blow out the deadwood and warned my team mate Rob that next time through I was going to do a "hellacious pull". Which is exactly what I did. I jumped the pace up from 23mph to over 32mph for over 2 miles. Not only did we gain quite a bit of ground on the leaders, we also blew out all the slackers. But then the impetus left my group as the race wore on and people got tired and resigned themselves to just finishing.

After all the dirt sections, the thigh burning climbs, the searing sun (it was over 8o in the sun and no humidity, and the air was over 70, all this only a few miles from Vermont) I was in a group heading for the finish. We came into town and I got boxed in during the sprint, so had to settle for 4th in my group and 34th overall out of 63 starters. But we were 14 minutes behind the winner!!! How embarassing. Shameful, even.

Sunday was brunch with my brother's family and aunt and uncle, then back to my brother's house. I ended up taking more things to the storage unit for the ballet fundraiser with my brother, and then on the trampoline in the backyard. My nieces and I were a little crazy, but that's what 9 and 11 year olds are supposed to do, right?

Pretty simple. Now it's time for me to get more sorting and removing done. Only 10 more days until bliss...

Here's a link to a pic from a photographer's website from the race. I'm on the green bike leading the group, and yes, I know my lack of a tan is blinding, as pointed out by someone...

http://www.printroom.com/ViewgalleryPhoto.asp?userid=mgy44&gallery_id=363628&image_id=80

So Saturday will be fun...

Big time race Saturday. 55 mile loop, lots of dirt roads and steep climbs. Not my type of race usually, but this year I'm riding so much better I'm very optimistic. Now let's just see if my team comes through and delivers my uniforms before the race and if they can deliver some support.

As you can see, this will be an interesting day. The forecast is for 65 and sun, though I think rain would make this race epic and titlt the scales in my favor. I'm considered a rain rider, due in part to the fact that I ride just as hard in the rain, many times even faster and it tends to shed the more timid riders afraid of crashing. Either way it'll be fun, and I hope to do well.

Oh yeah, one other thing. I see only two souls posted a comment on my last post. How is that? One of the most serious posts of my blog, and I figured many would weigh their opinions on it, but I might be delusional in thinking that many people actually read this blog on a consistent basis.

Lastly, congrats to my high school classmate Lora who just gave birth to a baby boy!!! Woohoo!! I'm so happy for you I could cry!!!!! What a journey to get here you've had.

Oh, I can feel the icey stares already...

I'm going to alienate many people right now by doing something that just needs to be done. Attack hybrid vehicles. Those gas electric darlings of the media and ecolovers everywhere. Guess what, folks? They're more expensive to operate, and they use more resources than a standard car does. So in reality they are actually doing more harm than good. It feels so good to say that. Let me expound upon my little thesis here.

First, the mileage isn't quite what the "experts" claimed at first. Anyone recall when Toyota had to revamp the mileage for the Pious I mean Prious by lowering it 20%? I won't confuse anyone with the facts... Yet I digress. So the cars don't quite get the mileage we thought they would. They're still better for the enviroment, right? Wrong!!!!!

In the short term, they are better for the enviroment. In the long term, they are the worst thing we could have short of a nuclear reactor in each car with spent rods. What is the hybrid heart? A massive toxic waste dump of a battery!!! Bottom line is, the stuff in those batteries is so dangerous that 1) some first responders have put into writing the fact they won't do anything at a hybrid accident because they don't have the proper hazmat gear!!!! Wow. 2) There is no way to dispose of these batteries yet, and recycling isn't economically viable, so the batteries will sit in some facility becoming a bigger and bigger toxic threat to wherever they are. Feel warm and fuzzy about helping the enviroment still?

Now for what really matters. Cost. You get a tax break if you buy a hybrid. But it's offset by a few years of operation. Philadelphia found it cost more to have a fleet of hybrids. Now for you and I, I don't think we have that worry. Yet what about when the battery dies? A quick call to the local Toyota dealer and Ford dealer confirmed what I had read last year in Motor Trend magazine. First, the battery isn't a warrantable item. Second, you're better off throwing away the car. A Ford Escape battery is about $7200.00!!!! How can you even think of putting that money into a car that's 6 or 7 years old? How can you hope to resell a car with that kind of money needed to keep it going? A true disposable car. That's great for the enviroment.

Ok, enough Ford bashing, what about Toyota? Well, here we go. Brock Yates of Car and Driver sums it up pretty well:
He says it's time to "talk a little reality." He reports that "a Prius owner would have to drive at least 66,500 miles annually for five straight years, or gasoline would have to soar to 10 bucks a gallon, to equal the cost of operating a cheaper, conventional Corolla," which costs $3,000 less.

Wow, so I pay more for a car that is more expensive to operate, and it doesn't really help the enviroment? Where do I sign up? I mean, at least Toyota batteries are only about $5300.00. Now I can sleep tonight. Oh, and one other thing, disposal fees are most likely to come from the EPA for the batteries, and we all know that the dealers will never bear that cost. Somewhere in the bowels of the EPA, bureaucrats are probably already scheming up an entire Superfund SWAT team to give hybrid owners a nasty shock for dumping dead batteries.

Toyota's research found that hybrid buyers want bigger "badges" to tell the world, "Look at me, I am a virtuous environmentalist." Per the Toyota website.

When a computer needs to die

I had a great post earlier. I fell asleep after being on the phone. It's gone. It'll take way too much effort to recreate, because it was definitely original. So here we go with the condensed version.

I rode. Fast. Got a good tan going on for up here at this time of year. Came home, as usual was hungry.

I made toast, 4 glorious slices of toast with cinnamon and sugar. And real butter! Yum yum yum yummy!!! Then I had some hot dogs. This is where the interest comes in. Along with my bread, the hot dogs, I had to choose some toppings. So I grabbed spicy brown mustard. Always a crowd pleasing favorite. But I needed to add something, something to give the hot dogs "pop". Since these were run of the mill hot dogs, not snobby types, they definitely had no "pop".

So I recalled a wonderful conversation with my paramour about mayo on a hot dog. Well, I do the mustard and mayo thing on my sandwiches, so why not? It was great, but it still didn't have all the "pop" I was looking for. SO I went into the refrigerator and found Garlic Ambrosia spread. Yes, and not just any, but organic. With the little SOS symbol on the side, whatever that means. Think of the irony. Hot dogs, organic garlic ambrosia. Heheh. Made by a company called Hand To Mouth Foods, I believe. Amazing stuff, it is.

Well, with mayo down one side and garlic ambrosia down the other, I must say it was the best hot dog I've ever had. If you know me and how many years I've taken off my life because of how many hot dogs I've eaten, well you know it's a lot.

I probably should eat better, but I can't really afford to. Funny how that works. Well, I could afford to, and I'm starting to make the changes to make it happen. Imagine how fast I'd be if I ate properly...

On a much more sad note, I ran over and killed a neighbor's dog today on my way to work. He darted out and I had hit him before I could even hit the brakes. I went to the house (at 720 am) and knocked on the door. The father and I went out to the road, and their dog was definitely dead. I apologized, but the family was really nice to me, saying he got loose, and it was an accident, so to not blame myself. I appreciated that. The kids came out and we had moved the dog to the front yard, and they all cried and hugged him. After that we had a moment of silence and then the father led us in a prayer for him. I called him Mutley. A very sweet and lovable mix. Always happy to see you. When I went out on my ride the father saw me, waved, and yelled, "It's ok, he's running where there are no cars now!". I smiled at that. But I still cry about the reality.

Really, it just might be spring...

Today the weather was good, which is good, because it put me in a good mood, and that's a good thing that will create good memories. I just wanted to see how much goodness I could get away with, or would it be goodies?

On to more serious things. First, my last post was about Saul Raisin. He's still in a coma, but the danger to his life has passed. Now it all rests on the next 48 hours or so to see how he fares. No one really knows. He was wearing a helmet and still he's now in a coma. Sooo, I guess it's about time for a public service announcement.

I have crashed quite a few times. It works out to about once a season. Bad crashes are every few years. Those are the ones where I need to go to the ER. I worked it out one time and I crash about every 6000 miles. I've always had a helmet on when I crashed, thankfully. So, here are a few pics of one of my helmets and the handlebars after a crash in New Britain, CT in 2004. I kept them because it's a great visual aid when people tell me helmets aren't needed. Yes, those handlebars were sliced by the spokes of another bike.

The helmet actually started to melt (there's still some of my hair stuck in it) from impact, and it split in three places. I hope anyone who rides and reads this remembers to always wear their helmet.







Now for the good stuff. Ha, there's that word again. Went for a ride after sleeping in way later than planned. Since I wasn't really fueled up too well, I am sure I burned quite a bit of fat off me. Good thing. So I did just under 60 miles and averaged 19.8 mph. Including starting out by going over Minnewaska Mountain. Not a bad ride, even though my climbing isn't quite what it should be...

Then I came home, talked to my favorite Texan, got cleaned up after eating, and went to the local Stewart's (a chain of gas station/convenient store that seem to cater to six green tooth missing troglodytes) and got some food since I was out. Needed the bread for toast, because if you ever meet me, you'll figure out quickly how I love my toast...and hot dogs (vestiges of my youth)...and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Yes, I bought a half gallon on an impulse buy. Yummy. I don't eat much at a time, because I tend to get sick from it, but it was a tasty treat. And now I need to go eat more because I'm hungry again. Argh!!!

It's not always fun and games in cycling

http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/9701.0.html

Well, since I have some time

I have a bit of time before I need to get ready for work, so I decided to scan some yearbook pics. Ahh, 1989 and 90, what fun times. Not always, but you know...

Look at that! Lora and I were next to each other in our yearbook portraits. Birthdays a day apart, and a page apart. Yup, I am grasping here. So there I was as a junior. I look so respectable. Hee hee!!!

And one more to show that I have been on bikes forever. Notice the lack of a helmet (I was supposed to wear it, but didn't for awhile) the toeclips on the pedals (those strappy things that were instruments of torture) and the federally mandated reflector on the front (Which came off shortly after this pic). Sorry for the low quality, but you can only do so much with a scanner considering the dpi of the printing.

I'm about to go off, so don't read if you don't like profanity

I'm fucking pissed. My bank has totally screwed up my account. The mother fucking slack jawed rat bastards have returned checks that should have cleared to the places I wrote them, then went ahead and paid them but charged me overdraft fees anyway. Apparently simple math is beneath these damn troglodytes, so yet again I get to waste my lunch tomorrow to go straighten thes dumbasses out.

When I first opened my account, I ordered checks as any person would. 10 business days, the lady said. Well, four weeks and nothing. 6 weeks and nothing, and the idiots didn't want to do anything about it. Finally I get them to reorder the checks, and when they check the info, they have my street address, not my mailing address. Duh!!! Plus my name was spelled wrong on my first debit card. Of course, I had handed my license to the lady to set up my account with, and I know in Kingston most people aren't even close to the brightest bulb on the chandelier, but obviously reading isn't one of the requisites for working in a bank.

I finally got a new debit card (funny how it went to my mailing address, isn't it?) and then finally got my new checks ordered. Can you believe that they are misspelled? I give up, and now this. I hope the same idiot who defied the odds of evolution waits on me tomorrow. It's about time Darwin's theory caught up with it...

Just a postin' fool

Ok, here are my lame rankings as of 3/18/06 for my racing. Not too exciting, but I figured I'd share. Master categories start at age 30. Sad, yes.


Your USCF Criterium Master Standings
1 Rank in your zip code (12443)

98 Rank in your state (NY)

56 Rank in your riding age (34)

170 Rank in 5 year age range (30-34)

779 Rank in 10 year age range (30-39)

2801 Overall Rank

Your USCF Criterium Cat 4 Standings
1 Rank in your zip code (12443)

7 Rank in your state (NY)

19 Rank in your riding age (34)

77 Rank in 5 year age range (30-34)

161 Rank in 10 year age range (30-39)

357 Overall Rank

Your USCF Road Race Cat 4 Standings
1 Rank in your zip code (12443)

69 Rank in your state (NY)

32 Rank in your riding age (34)

124 Rank in 5 year age range (30-34)

274 Rank in 10 year age range (30-39)

620 Overall Rank

Remember those pics I spoke of?

Here they are.




And if you think this is bad, check out the inside of the glasses!

No one said cycling was a clean pastime.

Next up, yearbook pics!! Heh heh...

My how things have stayed the same

I went to go for a ride yesterday. Got my bike out of the car and the back tire was flat. So then I had to pull the gears off that wheel and put them on another whell I had, but then I had to put a tire and tube on that wheel... Argh! I couldn't use the old wheel because it was a tubular, where we glue the tire to the wheel, and the tube is sewn inside it. The backup wheel is a clincher, like most people ride, which has a seperate tire and tube. Well, it set me back a few minutes.

So I decided to change my route and got going, but the new tire was somewhat defective (or the yahoo who put it on was...) and it had a hop in it. Not comfortable at all, so I dealt with it for the ride, but it's coming off today. Anyway, I ripped off a 32.5 mile ride in 1 hour 31 minutes, which turns out to be an average of 20 something miles per hour. Pretty darn fast. I had a burst where I pretend I'm in a race and am sprinting for intermediate prizes and got up to 38 mph on the flat. Not shabby, it's coming along...

All this motivation is because I can feel my Sweetie's breath on my neck now that she has a bike. Yup, I'll bet she blows me away when we go for our first ride together, but I'll love every second of it. I'd be a fool not to.

I'm still alive

I survived this week. Working crazy hours, cleaning my storage unit out, and getting slammed in my race yesterday. The work threw me off my routine, the storage unit wore me out, and the race spanked me hard. I just woke up, and it's noon. Granted, I lost an hour, but still...

In an interesting turn of events, I have decided to donate everything of value to the Anne Hebard School of Ballet for their fundraising yard sale. They need to raise thousands to just break even for last year. Long story. Anyway, I figure that my stuff is now out of my hair, it's going to help a good cause, and we all come out ahead. Simple. Except that carrying massive air conditioners by yourself isn't exactly the easiest thing to do, and it definitely hinders race performance.

Cool little seguai (sp?) there. So Sat I went to Coxsackie for the third and final race of the Johnny Cake Series. This time they added a decent hill to the course. Not a wall, but enough to make it interesting. The wind was part of the many factors that came into play.

The race started off sunny and about 73 degress. The wind was from the Southwest and was warm. About 14 miles into the race, some rain started falling here and there. 10 minutes later we rode into a wall of ice cold rain, and the air temp went down to about 40. The roads were grimy, my sunglasses were fogging up, and I was freezing. Visibility was so bad I was looking for race numbers on guys and trying not to hit them. Fun times. At some point my computer got soaked through and was reading 0mph. So I was screwing around with it not paying attention to the race when a gap opened up in front of me. I figured someone would go around me and close it, as I was only halfway back in the field. Wrong.

I was last! Most people bailed on the race and were heading for the warm showers. So I chased like crazy and began catching the group at the base of the climb. I'm a better climber than I have been in years this year, but this wasn't good. I gritted my chattering teeth and worked back to relative safety on the tail end of the field. I was thinking of bagging it, too, but since I caught back on I figured I'd just ride with the pack until we went by the finish line. Of course we got to the finish and it was only one more lap, so I decided to tough it out. As the pics show, it was very dirty. The socks were originally white at the top, and the glasses were basically only keeping grime from getting into my contacts, as well as all light in the universe...

I worked back up to the front of the group and rode the rest of the race in to the finish, and put in another good sprint to probably get a top 15, since we were sprinting for 8th place, I believe. I immediately headed for the showers and comfort. Then it was off to my brother's house to sort my junk, which I did.

25 more days until the other half of my heart arrives!!!!!

As for the pics, I use the pic uploader and it won't effin' work!!!! Argh!!!