Happy Halloween

Ah, the made up holiday to celebrate paganism...yet all the big festivals are at churches...go figure.
This is my last day of being a lazy, cookie-eating ne'er-do-well. Training begins tomorrow, November first. I'm feeling the urge coming back after 6 weeks of just not giving a shit. My impulse to pull into Krispy Kreme has gone away, although they do smell DAMN good when you drive by...

Anyway, ride report tomorrow...Happy Halloween!

Time change...

Well, daylight savings ended last night, not that it made a big difference in anyone's daily life. It just gets darker earlier now...
I actually rode the road bike yesterday...for three hours. I haven't ridden the road bike in about 6 weeks and haven't rolled out three hours in about 8. It was a beautiful day, albeit a bit windy. Par for the course, three people showed for the standing group ride. I really don't know why I go to these things...
All in all though, it was a good ride, through some good terrain.

I'd planned on going out this morning, but with the time change, no one ever shows up. It's been going on for years...literally! I just cannot understand why people don't change their clocks when they go to bed. Instead, I stayed in bed for a little bit, then got up and worked in the yard. Leaves are falling and it really pisses me off. I've given up on the whole rake and blower thing. I run over them with the rear-bagger mower. It's quick and very effective.

I have two days of fooling around left before I actually NEED to get back on the bike and start doing other training. The new BamBino is coming at the end of April, so I need to be fit for the Spring. No riding into it for me this year...

Rain...

What a crappy day. It's raining and about 55 degrees, making my sinuses feel like they are being pounded by Ron Jeremy.
I did ride last night, for a little over an hour. My stomach was knotted up for some reason and I just felt BAD, so I only did one loop around my 'Hour of Power' course and came home. The legs felt good, which actually made me feel a bit better.
I made it to the bridge in 36 minutes...it usually takes 33-ish. 3 minutes equals 1 mile on the cross bike. I just couldn't push hard as I felt like I'd swallowed a watermelon seed...
My brother had to get his tooth rebuilt, so he didn't ride. He did sound like MushMouth from Fat Albert though, and he stuttered like Mel Tillis. Ah, good times...or as he would have said last night...t-t-t-times!
I'm definitely riding both days this weekend. It's supposed to stop raining after midnight tonight and be 70 and beautiful on Sunday.
The road bike sat and called to me, rather forlornly, yesterday. I may just air up the tires and take the old gal out tomorrow morning. I haven't ridden skinnies in a month and haven't ridden the Ridley in probably six weeks...pitiful.
I'll ride a bit this week, but the real stuff starts November 1, just like always.

We gonna ride tonight...

Lights are charged and/or charging as I type this entry. I'm going out tonight, with or without my brother. The ride will definitely be longer IF he decides to grace me with his presence, but I'm riding nonetheless.
His Head Office seems to be a bit harder on him than does mine, so that does throw a spanner in the works sometimes. Mine is akin to working at Google. I wear what I want and pretty much get to do whatever I want. As long as Il Bambino is fed, safe and warm and the house doesn't look like migrant workers live here, I get left alone.
If corporate America was like this, I'd go get a job!

The Cannondale frameset is definitely for sale now, as I have a new project in the works. It'll go with:
56cm CAAD7 custom frame (73 degree angles and 56 TT)
Campy integrated H/S
Reynolds Ouzo Pro Fork
Cannondale SI integrated crankset (175mm)
Ritchey WCS ergo bars (New)
Ritchey WCS stem (choice of length)(New)
Ritchey WCS seatpost (New)

No dents, dings, or scratches. I've ridden this bike less than 1000 miles. It's been raced once and NEVER on the ground. I'm a bit OCD about my bikes, so it's spotless.

$700 obo

JACKASS

And no, I'm not talking about Knoxville and Margera. This time, it's good old Rush, where are my illegal pain meds, Limbaugh. Usually I wouldn't muddy this little cycling pill party I have going on here with politics, but Sweet Baby Jesus...
Limbaugh actually had the stones to say that Michael J. Fox was faking his Parkinson's tremors for effect in some Democratic congressional commercials. I can't believe that that fat, big-headed bastard would dare insinuate that MJF would think to act like his tremors are worse just for political gain...on second thought, nothing Limbaugh does really surprises me.
Limbaugh actually said that MJF probably went of his meds to make himself worse for the camera. Hey, at least MJF has a prescription for his drugs, unlike Limbaugh. How many times has Rush been busted for possessing illegal narcotics and/or illegal prescriptions? I know of 2, which were both felonies...! He probably has them candy coated now, so he can eat them like M&M's.
There's a special place in Hell for you Rush. And I hope it's really hot and painful. Because in Hell you see, there are no illegal pain meds to dull the ache.

MJF is a class act who is letting this line of bullshit roll off his back like he was a mallard. Nevermind the fact that he has raised millions upon millions of dollars for Parkinson's Research!

Rush, don't forget your brown shirt and your funny little mustache this Halloween!

Robot Chicken - Lance Armstrong

How it should have been...

Me want

F650 4x4 in action

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Sunday, muddy Sunday

I didn't get to ride yesterday, so it would figure that it was a beautiful day. Started chilly but got up to about 70 and sunny with light wind. The plan was to actually ride outside today, and I did...

Temperature: 55 degrees
Wind: S-SE @ 10-12
Precipitation: Steady rain carried to about a 60 degree angle by the wind
Bike: Salsa with fenders rocking 700x40 knobbies
Time: 90 minutes
Distance: 42km

It sure as hell beat riding the infernal rollers, but I was cold and I had sand in places that were not designed to accept sand, even with the fenders. I saw no one else brave/dumb enough to go out in weather not fit for the mailman.

Am I dumb or a Hardman of the North? Probably both...

Time to eat lunch and sleep through the NASCAR race....

3 straight days

I've ridden for three straight days. That's more days in a row that my ass has met Selle Italia for a long while.
I was lounging yesterday when the phone rang and a voice said to meet him at the trailhead at 5, so I went and rode for almost 2 hours on the SS. I ate very little yesterday, as I didn't think I would be on the bike. When I got home, I had a blistering, day after brown liquor hangover, headache. I forced down some food and crawled into bed to watch "The Ringer", which is VERY funny BTW...
The headache kind of went away, but returned full force around 4 am. I decided to take extreme measures in an effort to end the battle AND win the war. Three advil and one cyclobenzaprine later, I was sleeping like a baby, if that baby took a narcotic muscle relaxer. Needless to say, I was a bit cloudy when the alarm went of at 8 am.
We went to Lynch's Woods to blow a couple of loops. The trail was in such poor condition, it took us 1:20 to do a loop that normally takes an hour or less. My brother ate shit in the creek crossing. Notice, I said IN and not AT...
After his snorkling trip, I decided that discretion was the better part of valor and walked it. Call me a wuss if you like, but I was a dry wuss without a jacked up hand, unlike my aforementioned brother...
Squishy rode great. I figured out the suspension setup, so there was little drama.
The Head Office and Il Bambino made it home @ 6pm. I walked out to the van and the little bugger smiled at me...! I felt about an inch tall!
No ride tomorrow, but probably Sunday and likely on the road...GASP! I hope I remember how to ride skinny tires...

Alone

Good Lord, I've forgotten what silence sounds like. The Head Office and the Bambino have been gone since yesterday morning and the house in QUIET. I'm having trouble finding things to do around here.
I rode the SS for a couple of hours yesterday, but my heart really wasn't in it. I laid around most of the day. Chip and I had dinner last night, as his BOSS took the kids somewhere. Big exciting day...
I cleaned today. Yep, you read it right, I cleaned. The laundry room looked like a troupe of baboons had been living in it, so I took it upon myself to tidy up a bit.
An hour, and a full wheelie bin, later, it looks like responsible adults use it.
I'm going to Newberry tomorrow to ride Lynches Woods. At least two laps, maybe three...conditions should be good after the little bit of rain we've had...

All things considered...

I could be in Alaska, riding with Jill and Geoff. I guess I shouldn't complain about 65 degrees and light rain. I'm still not going out in it though. :) Check out Jill at www.arcticglass.blogspot.com . It's a good blog with great pics.

The in-laws are coming tonight...oh joy! I'll be down in the 'ManHole'if anyone needs me. I need to tinker with Squishy before I go ride it later in the week. I'd like to go ride tonight, in the dark, but I guess it would be bad form to bail on the Head Office and her 'rents. They aren't here to see me anyway...

I will be on the bike tomorrow though!

I need to get back on the road bike and put in some miles. I just have zero motivation for it right now. I'd rather go in the woods for three hours...

I'm scuffed

Edit: This image is the wound at 3 days. It's more of a burn/road rash wound. The bruising is coming along nicely as well. The pic sucks, but you get the idea...


I ate poo this morning on the SS MTB. I hooked a root and fought it all the way into the ground. The crash zone was about 20 feet long. It probably looked like I was having a seizure of some sort. Carson thought it was the funniest thing he'd ever seen. Of course, he is 5 years old. I laughed at him when he fell off in the sandpit, so I guess we're even.
My elbow is missing some skin and hurts a bit. I had on armwarmers too....
Fortunately, my phone took most of the impact to my back.

Bettini won Il Giro di Lombardia today. Badass! oh, excuse me, Mr. Badass, sir!

We're going to the State Fair later...us and all of the great unwashed masses.

Edit...

Post was removed as it was pretty mean-spirited on my part...sorry! As you can read if you sift through all of my posts, I am pretty self-deprecating, even about my own wide, J.Lo-esque rear end. The initial post was meant as a joke and nothing more, period!

Some people obviously cannot take a joke and do not need to return to this page.

Jill, you are always welcome...

First night ride of the year

Well, the day has finally arrived. We had to pull out the lights and go into the woods last night. Even though it's still daylight savings time, darkness fell at around 7pm last night. We made it all the way out and around the lake before needing the lights. Once back in the woods and on the singletrack, it got dark in a hurry.
I don't know if it's perception or reality, but I honestly think I'm faster in the dark. I think it's the fact that my little brain has to concentrate on the trail directly ahead, instead of wandering and looking around. I also believe that lowering my saddle about 7-8mm made a difference too. I could put more power to the ground in the woods and the seat wasn't treating me like a jailhouse roommate.

Overall, it was a good ride and very enjoyable. I just can't understand why people would want to ride a set of rollers rather than buying lights and riding in the dark.

18 November is coming...

I'm very disappointed

It seems that the 'Secret Decoder Ring Club' has even lost the ability to wave when passing in the other direction. Sad really... I was going about as hard as my fat ass would go on a cross bike sitting on 40s and STILL managed a wave. What do I get in return? Nothing! Oh well, I guess I know who my true friends are...
Remember the saying, "An enemy will stab you in the back, a friend will stab you in the front!"

Anyway, I rode the crosser out on the road and home thru the woods tonight. In was DARK when I rolled into the front yard. Time to charge the lights. We've added one more to our little night ride in the woods pill party. A neighbor said he's down for the trails at night at least once a week.

The trail got a little washed by the downpour on Sunday. The really sandy sections were better though. My "North Shore" bridge is much more difficult at race speed than I anticipated. It didn't seem so severe when I took my post-construction walk back and forth over it. 2 mph walking vs. 15mph on a cross bike bombing singletrack is a huge difference.

I see Derek has starting posting again over at Suffertown. About freaking time...

Belgian

I know we live in SC, but the last two days have felt more like Brussels. Nothing like 58 degrees and pissy rain to get you fired up to pull on the old lycra.
Chip and I did a 2 hour cross ride on Saturday. Heavy legs were a plenty. You know your legs are shit when a 38/27 feels like a big gear! I felt better for the ride though...
This morning, I actually made the effort to go to the group ride...too bad no one else did. I guess sub-60 degrees, a strong North wind and just enough rain to make you mad and spot your glasses, is enough to keep everyone at home. I did a loop of the Fort and felt pretty bad. Not as bad as yesterday, but bad is bad. There is no sliding scale or bell curve. Again, it beat staying in bed and getting fatter...

As an aside, I peeked in Outspokin's window...way to run a clean, professional shop guys. Jesus, it looked like they got robbed. That place makes money in spite of itself, because the employees surely aren't the reason people come through the door. It's funny that all of the 'good friends' of the shop have been taking their bikes to Tim at Cycle Center or bringing them to me to get tuned or repaired...

I'll probably ride tomorrow and Tuesday. I need to stack some days together in an effort to jumpstart the metabolism.

The Head Office is going out of town for three days next week, with the bambino. Looks like I'm headed out of town to spend some quality time in the woods.

The family...

The bikes, in all of their splendor...don't hate the player!

And Jake channeling John Belushi...

Get in my belly...

So three weeks of barely riding (3 rides) and not so much as touching the road bike have lead me here. I have lost most of my race fitness and it just feels weird to ride. I did a loop with Robert tonight and it was actually refeshing to get off the couch and on the bike.
I may not ride as much as I need to in the next few weeks, but the diet will definitely be changing. Labor has instructed the Head Office that there is to be NO fried food, no cookies, no donuts, no sugary cereal, no white bread, and no foods that alone equal an entire meal. I realize the Head Office is knocked up, but damn, I'm the one who is starting to look preggers. Of course, if this time is anything like the last, I'll be losing weight in about 2 months anyway. There was absolutely no food in the house between 4 months and full term when the Head Office was carrying the first fruit of my loins. The Head Office seemed to eat everything that wasn't either locked up or nailed down. I did lose weight though...

The new 35w lights came today. I should be okay with 35w on the bars and 15w on the helmet. 50w is 5 shy of the low beam in a car...

I'm going to try to get out tomorrow afternoon and will definitely be on the bike both days this weekend.

a matter of degrees...

Who or what exactly is the sign referring to?

This was taken last weekend on an off road ride through Fort Jackson. The trail winds through a portion of the old large weapon firing range. Thanks to Robert for the picture.

On a side note, I haven't ridden since then and I really don't care...
I guess I'll go out tomorrow for a loop of the Fort. Sitting around, not riding and eating cookies is bad...bad I say...!