TNCWC #10

#10...already?
Last night was a beautiful evening. @75 degrees and a light wind blowing out of the East. Big group too...
The race started off at a reasonable pace, but after 15 minutes, the breaks started and the pace went UP. Nothing really got going until right around the 30 minute mark when Bond and Doog got away and stayed out for a LONG time. Bringing them back split the main field a couple of times and required some real work. They didn't return to the fold until 4 to go. Once they were back, things settled down until the last lap. Again, my own inattention led me to be in a shit position going into the final turn. Well, that, and guys who have no reason to be towards the front on the last lap. I still made up quite a few positions until Mulo guttered me @ 300 meters. Thanks team-mate. I still finished 8th and felt human for the first time since my digger.
Coco won pretty easily and PV put 6 in the top 10. The streak continues...
Going back to the guys who shouldn't be in the front...
If you missed the first 10/15/20 minuutes of the race, don't get involved. Stay in the back and roll around. Attacking and going off the front negates the work done by others who had the ability to show up on time.
If you have missed laps, don't get involved in the break/chase/front of the group. Nothing is worse than a lapped rider pulling back into the front and getting in the way when the pace goes up again. Example? The dumbass on the red Torelli who missed AT LEAST 6 laps last night, but always pulled into the top 10, only to create a gap when the pace ramped up. Oh, he couldn't handle his bike for shit either.
I also understand everyone's innate need to ride near the front, but don't rush the front when the pace slows down. Again, all this does is create gaps when the pace goes back up.
Believe me, I realize that I'm not the strongest guy out there and I accept that fact. I also know my limitations and practice what I preach. If any of what I said above offends any of you, maybe it should.

We're riding tempo tonight, if anyone cares to join us.

Hot? Already?

WTF? Let's ease into the whole heat thing...please?
Yesterday, Coco, Mulo, Doog and I left @ 8 and did a long loop. We ended up with right at 4 hours. Out through the flats and back through the hills. Why make it easy on yourself. I felt really good yesterday, even though I hadn't been in the saddle for that long in a great while. Crunchy back? Yes, I'll have that with a side of sore ass!
This morning, we (same bunch minus Doog) met for 3 hours out through Calhoun County. It seems Doog is feeling under the weather. He was feeling well enough to go have beers and wings with Mulo last night though...curious...
We figured, wholly incorrectly, that we'd go out that way and have a nice tailwind bringing us home. It wasn't a killer headwind, but it was enough to bring the speed down and start to suck by the end. I had a bad day today. Bad stomach...an extended stop at the gas station in Gaston...we'll leave it at that.
7 hours on the bike this weekend. One good day, one iffy day, but good miles nonetheless!

Petacchi beats Cav today...clean wheels!

And don't get me started on Boonen, as I'm a bit conflicted...
Can't a brother celebrate a great Spring Classics season with hookers and blow?
Speakng of, enjoy the video...

I hate baseball and football players...

...and KNOWN dopers who sully the reputation of any sport.
It's pretty widely known that major-league baseball players and NFL players are virtually all on some kind of PED. I mean c'mon, guys don't get to be 6'4" and 275 AND run a 4.7 40!!! Granted, people are getting bigger, but guys are putting on 40-50 pounds between college and the NFL...in 6 months!!!
In baseball, you can look at certain guys and see that they're juicers. You don't get bigger and faster as you get older! It just doesn't work that way.
The thing that really grinds my monkey is the fact that 'journalists' take time to bash cycling as a bunch of dopers because a few guys are rotten apples. I'm no apologist, never have been, but you cannot impune an entire sport because a VERY small percentage are doping asssholes.
I was watching 'Real Sports w/Bryant Gumbel' not long ago and he basically called Lance Armstrong out for being a doper. Last I checked Mr. Gumbel, Lance has NEVER tested positive for ANYTHING!!! Do I thing he doped? Don't know...he has a lot to lose by testing positive for PEDs...more than some nobody from Kazakhstan who will go back to shoveling coal after his career.
Yet, Mr. Gumbel defends these ball and stick playing assholes at every turn. In the NFL and MLB, there is no RANDOM testing. They don't show up unannounced, knock on your door @ 7 a.m., and ask you for urine, blood and hair...like they do in pro cycling.
The testers for football and baseball CALL AHEAD to tell the clubhouse/locker-room that they're coming, usually days in advance, so space can be made to carry out the testing. Nothing like giving dopers 72 hours warning, eh?
Manny Ramirez tested positive today and got a 50 game suspension. Sounds like a lot, but the season is 162 games. He'll be back on July 3rd!!! I'm sure he'll receive a hero's welcome too. Slap on the fucking wrist!!!
In cycling, one positive test gets you two years and you have to pay a year's salary to the governing body!!! On average, pro cyclists get tested, randomly, once a month. Lance has been tested 26 times so far in '09!!! A little nutty...
NFL and MLB players get tested, on average, 2x a year!!! And they bitch about it!!! Chickenshits!
Mr. Gumbel made light of Armstrong's delay of a test, by 20 minutes, yet MLB and NFL get 72 hours or so? Oh, by the way, the 'delayed' Armstrong test was negative across the board, thank you very much.
Hey Bryant, why don't you stick to what you know...which isn't cycling or drug-testing?!?!? Talk about your doped up baseball players and their falsified numbers (Hank Aaron is the real HR king!) or the walking examples of modern pharmaceutical science that NFL players have become.
I'd be more than happy to go on HBO and debate Mr. Gumbel in his very own bully pulpit. I'd crush his nuts in a fine powder.

TNCWC #9 and a review

The TNCWC went off tonight. The weather threatened, but never arrived...it was actually pretty nice. The group was small tonight, but there was still enough HP to keep it interesting. We started with @ 20 and ended with @ 15. The pace ebbed and flowed and the pace was a tick slower than usual, but not by much.
It was almost like no one really wanted to race tonight...I know I was severely lacking in motivation. I think my admittedly poor diet over the last few days, in combination with the remnants of whatever funk the MTs gave me, led to heavy legs and a general feeling of malaise.
Ken took out the sprint for the W. The PV streak lives.

It's been a solid month since my ROL Race SL wheels were delivered and I've ridden and raced them exclusively. I ordered them in the beginning of March and waited patiently for 4 weeks. ROL was/is in the process of moving to Austin, and Sean Lambert (the man who own the joint) kept me abreast of the progress. He gave me a delivery date and the wheels arrived exactly on that date. He called me, not the other way around. That's good customer service. Call him and talk about wheels...seriously, he'll talk to you for as long as you feel like staying on the phone.
The Race SLs use ROL's own hubs, which are sourced from Taiwan, but appear to be faithful knock-offs of DT Swiss 240s. The spokes are DT Aerolites and the hoops are produced by Kinlin. Sean and his band of merry men (are there women working @ ROL?) handbuild each and every wheel to a high standard. They come out of the box dead true, round and tensioned evenly.
No ceramics in the hubs, and they aren't needed. The quality of the ROL hubs is higher than a lot of hubs that cost as much as the entire Race SL wheelset. They are dead smooth and roll almost as long as my White Industries H1 hubset, which ain't exactly cheap.
The wheels are stiff, but not to the point of being harsh. The high flange hubs, the 30mm deep hoops and the high tension of the DT Aerolite spokes all lend to this stiffness. I outfitted them with Vittoria Open Corsa CX rubber and Michelin Latex tubes...no point riding low quality tires on high quality wheels. The quality of the ride is very good as well, high dollar tires and tubes notwithstanding. No getting beat up on long rides with these wheels.
They roll like a freight train and corner smoothly and progressively. Once a line is picked, there's not a lot of drama, and that's a good thing when bombing corners @ 40kmh+.
I'm no lightweight, but even at 180 pounds, there's no flex when standing to climb or sprinting out of the saddle.
I've had more wheels than I care to remember. These are keepers. They do everything well and weigh a very reasonable 1545 grams (stated weight is 1550). The bang for the buck is damn good too. $589 for the set! That's no typo folks. You cannot source the parts and have a similar set of wheels built for anywhere close to the cost of the Race SLs. Go ahead, try it...I'll give you links to the pieces if you'd like!
Next on my list is a set of carbon tubies, and the first call I will make is to Sean @ ROL. You simply cannot go wrong with the product, the company or the man who builds and stands behind the wheels!

Quick hit

Thursday- Went out w/Coco and spun for an hour.
Friday- Drove to Spartanburg w/ Doog, Coco, and Mulo to race. Got there barely in time. No warmup. Started hard, but felt okay. @ halfway, I hit a reflector in the middle of turn two and sketched. I gathered it up in time to hit the feet of the barriers and then get locked together with another guy...did I mention this was dead in the middle of the field? I didn't feel like crashing twice in 27 days, so I dropped out, which was probably good, because 2 laps later, there was a huge pileup in the middle of the field. Doog dragged some guy's bike, sans rider, for a few meters. With 5 to go, Mulo got tangled up with a GlobalBike rider and they both ate it on the front stretch. Mulo smacked his head and tore up his knee and elbow. Doog finished 11th and won a prime.
Coco did well in the 2/3 race...pulled the break back by himself and finished 16th. The TIBCO ladies smashed the women's field. It was a clinic on how to race as a team. Brooke showed them clean wheels for the W!
On the ride home,we decided, as a group, to bail on Dilworth.
Saturday- Doog and Timberlake showed at the house to ride @ 9. No Meat, no Coco, no Mulo...
We rolled out towards LR and met RW, SoPro and Rob @ the GMart. Ended with 2.5 hours.
I came home and worked in the yard for another 2 hours. I felt progressively worse as the day went on.
Sunday- Didn't even bother making the effort to ride. Feel like hammered crap. Thanks to the MTs for paying it forward and giving me whatever crud they both have.
I need a nap...

Run for the hills...as long as there are no pigs there...

People, settle the fuck down! More people die of obesity everyday, yet the Pres-O-dent isn't on TV yapping about it. There are 3 BILLION+ people on Earth and a few hundred have the piggy pox. I'll take those odds.
The local news, which admittedly sucks, did a story about BBQ joints and the Swine Flu last night. If you guys were grasping for that last straw, I think you may have just reached it! DHEC is reporting 10 'probable' cases because the kids are sick and just got back from a Senior trip to Mexico. Could it be the regular flu, or just a plain old cold? Considering they flew to a Third World country, partied for a solid week and then got into another flying incubator to fly home, I'd say they are just sick. I ALWAYS get sick after flying. Breathing other people's stale breath and germs just cannot be good for your health.
Egypt is killing 1/2 of their entire pig population, even though they have NO confirmed cases. Some 300,000 pigs are getting a bullet! The rest they are moving away from population centers. Did they miss the memo that the Swine Flu spreads through human contact?

As usual, the media and government are fanning the flames of panic. I'm waiting for the conspiracy theory nutbags to start the banter. "The Government let the virus loose to weed out
(insert a group of your choice here)."

Good God people, obesity is a pandemic. AIDS is a pandemic. Malaria is a pandemic. Cancer is a pandemic.
As for me, I ate bacon yesterday...and it was good!

Riding w/group tonight, but splitting off early. Racing tomorrow and Saturday.

Ward's new bike is cooler than yours...

That was quick...

The TNCWC was the fastest of the year, and the second fastest in the 7 year history of the race, thanks to Team TIBCO. It always nice when you turn around and Brooke Miller is standing next to you. For those that don't know who she is, you should! She didn't get the Stars and Stripes jersey just because she looks good in it...and if you're wondering, she looks DAMN good in it!
Anywho, the pace was high and stayed high for @ 50 of the 55 minutes. There were some attacks, but NOTHING was getting away tonight. The pace was just too high. The time passed quickly. With 3 to go, the pace slackened, only to get jacked HIGH on the last two. Tibco hit the front with one to go and gave what can only be described as a proper leadout...for Rich! Rich came around at the finish and gave PV the win. The streak continues...
Thanks to the Tibco ladies for coming out tonight and gracing us with their presence. They are all very strong and very cool! We'll get to watch them kick ass on Friday night in Spartanburg and Saturday in Charlotte.
Oh, and if you're curious, the fastest crit ever was the night the HealthNet boys showed up 5 years ago. That was a ripper! Thankfully, I missed that pain due to recovery from hernia surgery, but it was cool to watch from the comfort of my easy chair!
I got nothing else...time for bed!

Holy Sheeeeuuuuutttt....!!!!!

I'm an unabashed NASCAR fan. I'm no bandwagon jumper either. I've been watching NASCAR for the majority of my 39 years. Thanks to the huge TV deal, some of it has become terribly boring. Sunday in Talledega was not one of those races. Cars running right @ 200mph, door to door makes for good TV.
The end of the race got a little nutty...
The fence did it's job, the car did it's job and Carl Edwards did a little "Ricky Bobby".

TNCWC tonight @ 6:30. Rumor has it that TIBCO will be in attendance. Mmmmm...racer chicks....

Simple

Today was a simple kind of day on the bike.
Went out solo...no one to wait on to go ride...
Did my standard 2 hour loop through LR...
Stayed @ 20 mph...uphill, downhill, headwind, tailwind...whatever...
Came home with exactly 2 hours and 40.2 miles...
Simple plan accomplished.

I did need a tire lever though. I flatted my front wheel and struggled to remove the tire. I used the skewer and still had trouble. I fought it for a solid 10 minutes or so before getting pissed off and channeling Popeye. I got the skewer started and ripped the tire off barehanded.
And much to my shock, someone actually stopped to see if I needed help...amazing...I was all but finished with the repair, but I appreciate his deed!

Hans Solo

Did the group ride Thursday...felt really flat. My back started cramping at one point, so I just sat up. With all of the back issues I've had in the past few years, I don't F around with back pain. I stretched a bit and caught back on when the group (all 5 of them) were soft pedaling on Double Homey.
Pretty much everyone was racing today, either in Athens @ the Twilight, or at the Tour de Moore in NC, so I let the H.O. have the morning to go to the gym. I wasn't feeling a solo ride outside, as doing efforts alone sucks...at least for me. I opted for the turbo instead. Yes, I know it was BEAUTIFUL outside today!
I did 60 minutes @ 90% with 10 30/30s throw in for good measure. It spun the soreness out of my legs...kind of...
It seems there's no ride tomorrow. I'm riding outside. I need some sun on my pasty body. A couple of hours will be just fine...not wasting another nice day.

An end of the week message

Did an easy spin last night. It was nice to just ride, no worries about speed or HR or power. Beautiful night too!

Ride tonight @ 6 from the gate.

And now, on to our message...

TNCWC #7

Windy...check
Big field full of HP...check
Full 50 minutes plus 2 laps...check
The field was pretty big tonight and it was full of HP. Breaks went and came back the entire night. The final break of 7 got away @ 40 minutes or so and included 4 PV guys.
Since the timing got screwed up last week, I jumped out @ 45 minutes to make sure the final laps were called correctly. With one to go, the break was still together and had 15 seconds or so. The pace must have gotten jacked in the bunch on the backstretch, because the break was all but pulled back.
Bond put the hammer down and crossed the line with a small gap. Doog was second and Coco third. Dr. LP finished it off in 5th. Another strong finish by the team!
Some old faces were out tonight too. The reason they were in town was not a good one, but it was good to see them nonetheless.
As for me, I actually felt better than expected and stayed in without suffering too badly. It was my first real sustained effort since eating it and I could tell a few things. My ribs are not 100%...not even close...maybe 75% or so, I've lost some fitness and my racing mentality hasn't quite returned yet. The first few laps, diving the corners was not an altogether enjoyable act. I settled down after about 20 minutes though. I'll be good to go next week.

4 days...

Nothing like trying to come back from injury by riding 5 out of 6 days. Maybe not the best plan since things went progressively downhill.
Thursday, as I have chronicled, was somewhere between okay and good.
Friday, I returned to the scene of my 'incident'. Didn't crash this time and felt decent just spinning around for 90 minutes.
Saturday, I doubted anyone would show for the Saturday ride so I did 6x5' intervals @ 97-100% on the trainer. I hate the trainer, but I can push myself harder on it than I can outside when riding solo and I only had to devote about 60 minutes to the effort. I felt decent, but really struggled to finish the workout. I worked on bikes for the rest of the afternoon.
Gordon's Cervelo...done...until today when I install the new, ceramic BB...
Ladd's Madone...done...bent chainring replaced...
Ladd's TT bike...done...cables pulled and brake situation handled...ready for the wind tunnel!
My Ridley...new bars installed, headset rebuilt, new tape, cleaned completely...
Sunday was one of those days when your head tells you to just stay home, but as is usually the case, I didn't listen. I felt pretty good going out through the Fort and out Percival to Screaming Eagle. Halfway up, the wheels came off the bus. Thankfully, Mrs. Der Kaiser wasn't feeling too chipper either and sat up with me. We struggled home together...slowly! I felt baaaad! I'm making the effort to drop some poundage off my big self, so I didn't eat a lot on Saturday night. I paid retail for that decision! I was brushing against a full-on bonk by the time I rolled into the yard.
#2's birthday party was yesterday afternoon, so I ate sammiches and cake, as well as breaking my own rule about 'no calories from liquid'! Sweet tea, will in fact, bring you around!
Crit Tuesday night...I'll be keeping time...
Peace!

Bizarro World

So I went out for the group ride last night, only there was no group. I guess the majority of intown people are either racing or have just given up.
Anywho, the small group that did show meandered out and continued meandering until we crossed Cabin Creek (full loop next week...it was dark when we rolled through the 'hood last night @ 8 and the shorter loop is 5 miles less than the full Elon route!). Philip and RW took off and we let them roll off before deciding to chase. They stayed away across the cut through and about 1/3 of the way up Clarkson. Beano took a suicide pull and brought it back...then promptly got blown out the back. At this point, it was 4 of us taking pretty hard pulls. We all stayed together until the end of the ride. Well, kind of...
Philip attacked on Shop, and seeing as I cannot stand to sprint, nor can I pull on the bars, I stayed behind RW and Reed. We caught the green light @ Atlas and I took my own suicude pull to close Philip down on the bridge. RW pulled through and I was done...tailed off on the run in to the sprint. It looked like Philip won. I caught back on at the turn and we rolled in.
My legs were good last night, but I just couldn't move around on the bike. I was forced to sit and just grind. No standing out of corners for the kid. I'd tail off a few meters before a turn and then just roll through as fast as I could to make up the gap. About a dozen of those on a ride tend to wear on the low back and hip flexors. Surprisingly, I could breathe pretty well. My ribs hurt, but I HTFU and gutted it out.
This morning, my back and ribs are sore, but I feel waaay better. I think riding actually helped the injury!
I may go out with the boys tonight to spin around. I guess tomorrow will be a solo ride since no one bothers to show up to the Saturday ride anymore...
Ride Sunday w/Il Prof. The normal spot @ 9am.

Holy sprint finish crash Batman!

TNCWC #6

PV swept the top four spots...sounds like the timing went awry in my absence though...

I bailed as I really didn't feel like getting wet and having to clean a bike. Even though the rain had stopped, it was still wet. Call me a wuss if you like, but I'm recovering nicely from my tete-a-tete with the ground, so any unnecessary risk will not be taken by the kid.
I did, however, go to the ManHole(tm) and knocked out 65' on the trainer. My back and ribs loosened up after about 15 minutes and the rest of my injuries seem to be healed, so I upped the tempo to SST for the last 50'. Got a really good sweat and spin. I may venture outside to ride tomorrow night and Thursday. I have decided that racing this weekend is a bad idea, so I'm skipping Charleston.
My breathing is fine, but I can't pull on the bars out of the saddle, so racing will wait until the first weekend of May.
Still haven't bought a new helmet...wearing my old (uncrashed) Atmos...

The deciding moment @ Roubaix...

Again!

I watch Roubaix every year with joy in my heart. Yesterday was no different! It's hard to understand just HOW it can get more epic and exciting than the year before, but somehow, L'Enfer du Nord surprises us. I watched with attention that I rarely devote to anything else.

It was a warm-ish, dry-ish, windy-ish day, but the action was furious. Guys just killing it...

There was no laying down arms at any point. From Sector 18, throught Arenberg, all the way to the finish, it was game on! Yesterday was a day of fortune. Crashes, mechanicals and flats did the choosing.

The True Hardmen of the North were at the sharp end when those decisions were made. Lady Luck smiled on Tommeke and crapped on big names like Flecha, Hoste, and Hincapie. Sorry George, but maybe it isn't in the cards for you to win this race.

Boonen was too strong. It wouldn't mattered at all if Pozzato had made the bridge...he just would have lost in the velodrome.

deVlaminck should be worried about his "Mr. Roubaix" moniker....

Back in the saddle...

After a week of recovery, I felt (sort of) well enough to get on the trainer and stretch my not-so-healed body back into some semblance of a cycling position. The first 15 minutes were interesting at best. After the blood started flowing, the next 30 minutes went by without much effort or drama. The only thing that was bothersome were the ribs, but I felt better for the spin. Granted, my HR never got above 140, nor did I get in a gear bigger than 39/14...
Some of the PV boys went out this morning, so I tagged along for my first ride on the road since 'the incident'. There were supposed to be 6 of us, but Meat had some issues with time and meeting place...we never saw him. Once we quit fiddling with our collective peckers, the ride fell into a nice, tempo-ish paceline. We rode out into the swamp, did the long, outside loop and came back in Airbase.
My fitness is definitely still there, as I could follow wheels and pull through at any speed. The problem is the fact that I can't make any sharp accelerations. No standing, no pulling on the bars, etc...
The mental part of getting back on the back seems to have passed. For the first hour or so, I was nervous and just felt out of sorts. I guess it's to be expected after eating shit and getting my bell rung.
A few guys are going to the mountains tomorrow to chase Doog around for 4 or 5 hours. Me, I'm riding...to Chesterfield with the family to do Easter with the in-laws...Happy Easter to me! I'll be floating on a wave of RedBull and Flexeril.
Roubaix tomorrow...and I'll be completely out of touch with the civilized World. Thanks to whoever invented the DVR!

TNCWC #5

Didn't ride as I am still recovering from my cagematch with the tarmac. The group was noticeably thinner last night as it was 52 and the wind was HOWLING. There was virtually no filler out and what was there was quickly shuffled out the back. And by quickly, I mean between laps 1 and 4.
The pace started high and stayed high. Bond hit the front and turned it to 11. Of course, the four following him included Ward, Doog, GW, and Coco. No horsepower there, eh?
After two laps, Doog and Ward got away and stayed away for a good long time. @25 minutes, the group caught them and the remainder of the race was lined out. The was no accordian, no sitting up, no bullshit. It was a night for the hardmen.
It came down to a bunch gallop with Coco showing clean wheels to Doog and Ward. SoPro said it was harder than Redlands, so there you go...
As for me, recovery is as recovery goes. Some things don't hurt anymore, some things have only begun to hurt in the last 24 hours.
Road rash is fine. Concussion fog is lifting. Headache largely gone. Ribs sore. Neck and shoulder pain are new, but getting better. I think I may have slightly separated it. I've done it a few times before and the discomfort is remarkably similar!
It woke me up last night @ 3a.m.
In turn, I medicated with a butylbital and two flexeril and grabbed a bag of frozen veggie soup out of the freezer to put on my neck and shoulder. The meds took hold and the lights went OUT. I woke up this morning in a puddle of water from the n0-longer-frozen bag o'soup. Thankfully, the bag didn't rupture!
I've been cleared to ride on Friday. For a fleeting moment, I considered doing the beer ride, but the threat of another concussion is very high on that particular ride, so I may just spin around by myself. If anyone wants to ride, hit me up...

Wear your helmet!!!

Turn it up LOUD!

09 Flanders

Last 4 minutes of Flanders...
Embed isn't working...you'll have to use the hyperlink...sorry...

+1

Almost 24 hours on, I'm feeling like I got into the cage and beat the hell up. My wounds are all scabbed over, but are kind of tender. Those will be fine in a couple of days. My neck is really stiff and my ribs feel like I got the Rocky treatment.
The effects of whacking my melon are still very evident. I'm still foggy and thoughts come to me slowly...well, slower than usual! My headache is starting to dissipate...just a dull ache at this point, but definitely still hanging around. My speech is very slow and deliberate, which is a rare thing for me.
I haven't looked at the bike yet...kind of afraid to...I know bikes and parts can be replaced, but hitting the ground on a $6000+ bike still sucks ditch water!
The H.O. has taken good care of me today. I've been camping on Clifford, the big red couch. I' didn't sleep at all last night, so I'm very tired.
Thanks to everyone who has commented and called. I really appreciate it!

I'm going to check out the bike tomorrow. I'll be back on in a week or so. I'm actually going to sit for a few days and heal, rather than my normal routine of riding hurt and causing other problems.

I'm scuffed...

Meat, Coco and I met at the crit course tonight to spin around and loosen up for the weekend races. Everything was just fine until I stood up to accelerate. Here's where I get foggy, so the following is Meat recollection...

He says it looked like my chain popped of the big ring and I slipped the gear, causing me to eat a large ration of pavement. I'm guessing, from the nature of my wounds, that I went over the bars and landed on my left side...right in the middle of the front straight...at @ 22 mph. It was NOT a gradual stop.

An inventory of my injuries is as follows...

Three fingers and wrist, left forearm and elbow, left shoulder, left middle-back, left hip, left knee, left ankle and left shin all look like I was attacked by an angry cheese grated. My hip is SWOLLEN! My right knee must have hit the top tube, as it's really painful. My right elbow is ripped up as well. I also have a concussion and a cut on the back of my head from the helmet. My 4 week old Giro Atmos is destroyed. The back of it is smashed flat and shattered.
I'm missing about 30-40 minutes of time due to the impact to my head. I have zero recollection of the crash. I remember riding and the next thing was sitting on the bumper of the fire truck.
Coco called the H.O. to come get me. The time that passed was probably 20 minutes, but in my concussed little brain, it was the blink of an eye.
She called Langston and he, in turn, called Providence to tell them we were inbound. I got right in and promptly went to CT and Xray. Fortunately, nothing is broken or lacerated/ruptured. They gave me some reaaalllly nice IV pain meds and scrubbed out my wounds.
Needless to say, I won't be racing this weekend. Charleston is up in the air...for now.
The Ridley is missing some clearcoat on the seatstay. The brand new D/A shifters I just installed are fraked. My brand new ROL Race SL wheels (first ride on them!!!) both have a bit of character. I'll give the bike a proper inspection tomorrow. Hopefully, there's nothing serious wrong with it. I needed new bars anyway, so those will be ordered soon. Uncle Shrews will get my wheels on Monday.
Right now, I'm pretty fuzzy. I don't know if it's my body responding to the injuries or the meds...likely a bit of both.
Thanks to Meat and Coco for making sure I wasn't injured further. Thanks to the firefighters for helping to patch me up. Special big thanks to Lang, who wasn't working, but called the ER to tell them I was coming. The folks at Providence are first class. They took me in, assessed me and patched me up...all with speed and smiles.
I'm getting sleepy...I'll update tomorrow. Good luck to my team-mates in Rock Hill this weekend. Hopefully, I've taken up all of the bad/crash karma for everyone for a while.
Crashing sucks!

Rain or shine

The rain yesterday was a downer, but I just couldn't bring myself to ride the trainer last night. I knew there would be no group ride and the H.O. decided she was going to work late, unbenounced to the rest of her family...
Once she finally made it home, I got my stuff on and ran out the door for a ride. I did the HoP(tm) loop and added a little bit to the end, including some parking garage efforts. I came home in the dark, but felt better for the ride. I left my cross bike outside, thinking I would take it down to the ManHole once I'd cleaned up...bzzzzt, wrong answer. I completely forgot about it until the H.O. asked me if cared that it was getting rained on. It's not that I care if it's wet or dirty, but leaving it in the rain was disrespectful and I for that, I am sorry!
90 minutes was enough last night. I threw a 25 minute effort in the middle for good measure.

And an open note to the fat ass in flip-flops, walking in the rain to the bar in the Vista...
Maybe you should channel some of your impotent rage into exercise instead of eating chicken wings and drinking $2 pitchers @ Wild Wing. Yelling obscenities at some guy who's just out trying to stay healthy is not a hobby. I know your even fatter girlfriend got a kick out of it, but it was a sophomoric effort at best. Do you think that being called a spandex-wearing-fag really bothers me? I've been called worse, by a better class of people! How did you feel after I responded by asking about your man-tits? Your girlfriend thought THAT was even funnier! She should have been offended, considering your cup size was easily larger than hers.
As Dean Wormer said..."fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life son..."
You did kind of looked like Flounder, now that I think about it!
I may be wholly average as a cyclist, but when it comes to smart-ass remarks, I have my Pro Card!

Three days in a row

TNCWC #4 went off tonight with a pretty damn big group. I can't decide if the ride was fast or just average. At times, it felt ripping quick, but at other times, even at 25+, I felt like we were rolling around. I guess that's a good thing and that my decision to rest last week was a good one.
I'm going to go ahead and turn this into a block.
Anyway, I felt waaay better tonight than I have in a long time. My stomach wasn't protesting and I could actually breathe...thank you Mr. Albuterol. A couple of good digs and gap closures was enough to get back into the swing. Apologies to Doog and GW...I burned a match getting across to you guys, but just couldn't help...
PV was out in force again. There was some grumbling heard from the back towards the end of the evening. If you can grumble...
Coco won the sprint, Doog was 3rd. Doog is easily leading the 'unofficial' points competition.
Supposed to rain tomorrow and maybe Thursday...

Rest week over

Saturday I didn't even bothher to get dressed to go to the group ride. Turnout has been disappointing at best and the overcast and fog on Saturday morning didn't inspire confidence in estimating attendance numbers. I showered, got dressed and went to the zoo with the H.O. and the M.Ts. It was way more fun than dragging around the group for 3 hours. It started to rain @ 11, so I was right to no-show.
Sunday, the wind was blowing at high rate, so Doog and I decided to do a little bit different ride. We got on the cross bikes and headed across the river. We ended up hitting Old State Rd. and followed it all the way out to it's end, at I-26. The dirt was really wet and generally hardpacked. There were a couple of loose parts, but it was definitely a good way to get kick-started and may be added to the training repetoire in the winter. Big gears, low cadence, high rolling resistance...sounds like a recipe for building power.
After two days on the cross bike last week, it has becone clear that it needs some TLC. My usually quiet bike has begun creaking like an aged prostitute's hips. I guess a lot of rain rides and lack of general maintenance has caught up with the old gal.

Send healing thoughts to Rich. He hit the ground pretty hard on Saturday's RoP and got a slight shoulder separation for his efforts. Hey Mulo, stop going out to Salsa Cabana, messing with Eastern European immigrant women, and buy a new set of wheels!!!!!!!

Feeling better

Doog and I met for an easy ride on the cross bikes last night. We just meandered around for almost two hours. It was just what I needed. I'm feeling better and some motivation seems to be sneaking back into my psyche.
It's supposed to rain all day and into tomorrow, so I hold little hope that anyone will show up for the Saturday morning ride. Bond and some of the boys are doing an easy 110 miles tomorrow...har...har...! I think I may just do another cross ride in the wet tomorrow.
Since I've been having these 'health' issues, I've decided to make this week a rest week, then ramp back up for Rock Hill, Charleston and Spartanburg/Charlotte. After those races, I'm done until June 6th in Beaufort.

I'm guessing that Il Prof will be sending out an email @ Sunday...

Motivation...I no has it...

God, it was a struggle to even get dressed to go out to the TNCWC tonight. The pull of getting out of the house and away from the al Queda trainees was stronger than my lack of motivation. I just didn't have it in me tonight. The fitness is definitely there...I just didn't care.
I did 25 minutes and sat out a lap, then finally just quit with one to go.
Doog won quite easily...again! I guess his time at the hospital is 'helping' his fitness.
PV finished 1-3-4-5-6

The pollen is freaking killing me too. It looked like a duststorm in Riyadh tonight. You could literally SEE the giant plumes of yellow blowing across the course. You could feel it on your teeth. Karl likened it to eating a green banana. It supposed to rain for the rest of the week. I've never hoped for rain more...
Chest X-Ray tomorrow morning...precaution...
Another visit to the Allergist Thursday morning...

News

Lance broke his collarbone...

Jay kicked everyone's ass last weekend...(don't let Cannell bullshit you, he knows who beat him!)

Casey continued her Tour de Ass-kicking with a 13th overall @ San Dimas...including getting in the break on Stage 2...

Rich is a PV team member...welcome aboard!!!

Ladd and the gang are flirting with certain death by riding through Camden this coming Saturday...the day of the Carolina Cup...

My GD kitchen cabinets were ordered incorrectly by Creative Kitchens...another 4-6 weeks without cabinets...kitchen looks like a flat in the South Bronx...

Check out Hoovis' blog>>>>>>>>>>>>>he has his own little March Madness tourney going on!

TNCWC #3 tonight @ 6:30...be there!

sat/sun

Saturday was terrible. I should have stayed in bed. Felt bad, rode bad, didn't care. Did 2.5 hours, came home and worked in my kitchen for another 5. Paid myself for the suffering and work with Dano's and a kiddie cone from Marble Slab.
Sunday...woke up feeling marginally better. Went to Il Prof's ride and actually felt better the longer the ride went on. It wasn't hard or fast, but just enough to breathe heavily a few times. Ended up with 3.5 hours. Drank a bottle of Muscle Milk, ate a sammich and now sitting on the couch watching Bristol and contemplating a nap...signs are pointing to yes.

Crit Tuesday...6:30 this week and for the rest of the season.

Hey Bruce, Try NOT to be a hypocrite

So Springsteen was on The Daily Show last night. It was a lovefest with most of the love flowing forth from Jon Stewart. Any more ass-kissing and Stewart would have needed some knee pads and a warm towel.
Anyway, I cannot stand when a celebrity decides that, in their finite wisdom, they need pontificate about the state of affairs in the country. People don't pay top dollar to go to a concert to hear your views on the war, the economy or what you think of former President Bush.
Last night, "The Boss" had the church-bell-sized balls to actually say that the country had lost is 'moral center'. Are you serious with this?
Hey Bruce, back in the day, didn't you marry a Hollywood starlet, only to cheat on her with one of your backup singers? Did you not divorce this starlet, then marry the back-up singer? Yeah, that's a good model that folks should follow...
Never really liked the guy, or his music, and his appearance on TDS last night cemented it!

Where is everyone?

Good Lord people, we are you? We had a small group for the Thursday ride. It's 75 degrees, the ride is waaaaay shorter than usual and not at all fast or hard yet.
We rode tempo for 90 minutes and came home....
I hope some folks show up this weekend.

9 Saturday @ the gate
9 Sunday @ for Il Prof's ride

TNCWC #2

This week was a bit different. Nothing was getting away tonight...attack, chase...attack, chase...lather, rinse, repeat for 45 minutes. It seemed a bit faster than last week too. This sentiment was echoed by more than one person.
I took it relatively easy tonight, considering I really still can't breath all that well, riding only as hard as necessary. Somewhere in the middle of the race, I sneezed, HARD, and things sort of opened up. Not great, but better...
On the last lap, it was necessary to kick the TD into passing gear and get Coco to the front. I drilled it around the outside and ended up leading out the entire sprint, yet still finishing 6th.

SoPro is bringing her bike over for me to look at before she goes to San Dimas to mix it up with the pro chicks...I'd say Big Dogs, but she is a Big Dog, so there you go...

Thursday 6pm @ the gate...

STFU or follow your own advice

I usually don't post about political news and views, but this morning, I read something so hypocritical and maddening that I just cannot let it go.
It seems that Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa just doesn't understand the World around him. He actually stated that AIG Execs should either apologize or commit ritual seppuku, "like the Japanese".

LINK

I realize that the demise of AIG is terrible and that many people have suffered tremendous loses, but a Senator pointing a finger is rich. Maybe if the Senate Finance Commitee, on which Senator Grassley is the top Republican, had been paying attention before, during, or even now, after the slide, this wouldn't be news. While it's true that AIG execs are likely some seriously greedy SOBs, Congress is just as much to blame. One would think that if you lend BILLIONS and BILLIONS of dollars to a corporation to effectively keep it afloat and make it a Government entity, you'd have some sort of plan in place to see where the money actually went. The fact that the Government is buying up more and more common shares of AIG and diluting it so badly that other shareholders are losing their money is ridiculous.

And the fact that Sen. Grassley used the example of ritual seppuku is simply racist and ignorant. But, he's got those midwestern, Iowa values, so he knows what's best. And he loves the PORK !!! This is the same guy that asked for $50 million from the Government to build an indoor rainforest...in IOWA!!!!

Senator, you fouled up as badly, if not worse, than any executives at the myriad companies that are taking on water like the Lusitania. Maybe the House and Senate should dig out the Jim Jones Kool-Aid recipe and have a little party. Keep writing stimulus packages and selling the country to the Chinese...that should work out just fine in a couple of generations. I think I may tell my kids to start learning Mandarin.

Senator Grassley, I have a Katana, if you'd care to borrow it. I paid a fair amount of money for it, but you are free to have one of your aides stop by and pick it up. Put you money where your mouth is sir...



Someone needs to give our Government a copy of the History of the Roman Empire to peruse.

No thank you...

Another 50 degree, rainy day...
I'm having serious breathing issues...
No ride for me today thanks...
Doog and I did go to the Crit in Forest Acres to watch for a bit. SoPro crushed her field into a fine powder. They combined the 3/4 race. Coco finished 5th. GW was somewhere in the top ten (results aren't up yet). Timberlake was a trooper and finished in what could only be described as poor conditions. Chin up JT, it's your 2nd race as a 4 and they threw you in with some of the strongest 3s in SC...you did well!!

I put together an album of the pics I took today...

Forest Acres Crit

Jay did the P-1/2 race and followed it immediately with the Masters. Jay was 1st in M35+, Bond was 2nd. Dr. LP was 2nd in 45+.
Another good showing by PVR today...

wet, cold and dirty

Saturday met us with 45 degrees and just enough moisture in the air to be bothersome. The course in Blythewood was great...technical, yet still fast and fun, especially in the rain. We 'warmed' up for a few laps and then lined up, only to stand and get colder for 15 minutes before the start. The legs protested pretty much the entire race and I never got comfortable. They shortened our race in an effort to make up some time lost, so we only raced for @ 35 minutes.
Doog was 2nd yet again, GW was 6th and I finished 9th, which is fine for the fact that I just sucked today, Timberlake finished 16th in his first race since catting up. SoPro has been nominated for her C.B.A. Card. She won the Women's race, finished top ten in the 3 race and finished 3rd in the 4s. That's right, she did three races back to back to back. I've said it before and I'll say it again, SoPro is harder than you!!!!
Coco got in the front split of his race and came home 3rd. We all pulled down a little scratch and had a nice lunch at Five Guys...mmm...burgers and fries...

Edit- Ladd nabbed 2nd in the 35+ race and Jay was a strong 15th in the P-1/2

Oh, and the comedy for the day was Doog and I trying to stay warm and getting dressed INSIDE the Mini Cooper. It's a fine, fine vehicle and I'd like to own one, but it's a piss poor changing room!

Pipe Hitters

The first Thursday ride of the year went off last night. Nothing exciting to report...
We rode for 90 minutes and did some good tempo work. My legs were little more than hollow meat sticks and we almost got run down by an old black man...
I guess fitness wills out though as the tempo never really hurt and I felt better as the ride progressed.
Gonna go down to the ManHole (tm) and spin a bit tonight. It's supposed to be just lovely for the race tomorrow. Nothing motivates one to race like 50 degrees and rain...

Check out this picture...the only one missing is Petacchi...

Left to right is Hushovd, Boonen, McEwen, Cavendish and Farrar...and Farrar WON!!! I think these were the guys Marcellus Wallace was talking about...
I smell a fun Spring Classics campaign this year!

TNCWC #1

A big group was in attendance last night, which is a good thing for our little Tuesday night pill party. The group stayed together for the first 15 minutes or so, then the attacks came. Doog went away with a couple of guys. Coco and JayC jumped across a lap or so later. The break ended up being 7...3 of them from PV. The remaining members of PV went into cover mode and NOTHING had a chance of making a dent in the gap. 4 of us stayed on the front and simply rode a bit of tempo, covering when necessary.
Doog won, Coco and JayC diced it out for 2nd...PV went 1-2-3.
I felt pretty average as a whole, but did my part and still got a good workout. It was harder than any 'organized' race I've been in yet this year!
I cleaned the course Monday night, but in the darkness, I couldn't really tell it's condition. It looked alright, but with the amount of construction going on out there through the day, it will be a bit of a constant battle to keep it clean and safe. I think I may go rent one of those giant blowers and really get down to business...unless someone has access to one and doesn't mind me borrowing it for a day. :)
Anyway, thanks for coming out everyone...
I think we'll do 6:15 again next week and then go ahead and move it back to 6:30 for the rest of summer!
Group ride Thursday night...6pm @ the gate...

Not bad...

Sunday @ BMW
Windy and warm
The pack stayed together for @ 25 minutes. A break went (7 dudes) and the group all sat up and looked around like they had all lost their puppies...at the same moment. The break had @ 30 seconds and seemed to be working together. I got a little pissy, went to the front and burned a few matches. I pulled the break back by myself...yes, it hurt!
The group got back together and stayed that way until the last lap. The speed jumped up with @ 1km to go. Doogie caught a good wheel and went straight to the front. I didn't catch a good wheel and had to force my way outside, into the wind. I picked off a good 20 guys in the last 200 meters to finish 11th. Doog was 2nd...good ride my brotha!!
It was a good day!

Oh, and SoPro fucking WON Rouge Roubaix!!! If you don't know what that is, well...here's the link...it's epic!!! That little girl is hard as nails...PERIOD!!!

mmmm...warm and sunny

About a dozen met this morning for a nice spin through Lower Richland. It was warm and sunny. Nothing of any consequence occured on the ride...just an easy-ish 2-1/2 hours. Racing tomorrow, so I wasn't going to do anything dumb anyway.
I also knew that the H.O. had plans for me when I got home! I took a Mexican shower and built her a raised bed/garden on the sunny side of the house. 90 solid minutes of cutting, drilling and hammering...cross training! Filling it with dirt is on her...

Now I'm enjoying the quiet of a sleeping baby. The H.O. and #1 M.T. are out running around. Time to lay down for a minute...

Don't forget, the TNCWC starts Tuesday night...spread the word!

Hump Day

Doog, Coco and I went out last night for a loop. I had zero interest in riding hard, so when Coco ramped up the pace, Doog and I let him go. Of course, the diminutive one couldn't let it go, so he chased and caught Coco at the top of Dixie. I was about 1/2 down the climb when I saw them make the turn.
I stayed right happily inside my happy little slow/spin/recovery zone and never saw the two of them again. No matter, I quite enjoyed my slow spin around the loop @ sunset. It was possibly one of the most enjoyable rides I've had in 2009. I spun home in the small ring and ended up with right at 2 hours on the bike, including the extra 30 minutes Doog and I got spinning around, waiting for Coco to show up @ 5:45 (we got out @ 5:15).
It's really nice outside today, but the H.O. is on the road today, so I haven't a clue when, or if, I can get out. It may be another session on the trainer.
I think Doog and I may meet tomorrow night at the crit course for a ride. As I am not, nor will I ever be equated with anything resembling, a climber, I'm skipping River Falls on Saturday. I will be riding Saturday morning @ 9 from the gate. 3 hours or so, at a moderate pace. May open the legs once or twice, but that's about it. It's supposed to be warm and pleasant, so pull your bikes out, dust them off, air up the tires and come out!
Sunday, we'll be @ BMW in Greenville...

It still sucks, but...

Okay, maybe I'm being a bit too hard on my trainer. As much as I hate the infernal contraption, it's really not so bad when doing a structured workout.
The H.O. had a 'focus group' for their NASCAR sponsorship/marketing last night, so I hit the Manhole for some 2x20s. Now, before you say, 'it was nice, why didn't you ride outside?', I'll tell you that I had 1 hour to do something, so the turbo was my only option for any real work...so there!
Anyway, I warmed up for 10 minutes and then rolled into the first 20 minute effort. I was watching 08 Gent-Wevelgem and had the stereo on LOUD, so the pain was pushed to the back a bit.
At about minute 19, I felt really good and the 95% effort wasn't that bothersome, so I decided, on the fly, to make it a 1x40 effort. I stayed @ 177-179hr pretty much the entire time, which equates to 95-97% of my max, or @ 340w. I jacked it up to 185hr for the last 5 minutes...better to burn out than fade away! The last 5 minutes were not very enjoyable. I spun down for 10 minutes and went back into the house completely soaked and with better legs than when I started. One hour...no fuss, no muss! Well, there was a small muss...the floor under the C'dale looked like a small lake.
I know I actually DID something last night, as my ribs are sore this morning. I guess that's a good thing.
Sold the 29er in 1 day...

Linky

So the H.O.'s company had gone ahead and jumped into the deep end of the pool with their NASCAR sponsorship. Here's a link...

www.gofarmbureauracing.com


Enter to contest for the VIP Experience in Darlington. It's sure to be a good time!

It's Coming...

No, not the snow...Brooks Garner know exactly SHIT anyways...

Time changes NEXT Sunday @ 2am, and you know what that means...

It's on like Donkey Kong...

The TNCWC is back in just 10 short days. That's right! March 10th will be the first installment of the ever popular Tuesday Night Criterium World Champsionship.
We'll start @ 6:15 and go for 40 minutes, as it will still be getting dark kind of early.

Be there...

29er Fo' Sale

no ride it, no need it...

Or you can contact me and give me $500 and it's yours...

Rides

Thursday night...
Coco, Doog and I did a quick loop of the Fort, and by quick, I mean speedy, not short...
It was dark and I couldn't see...good ride though!
Saturday broke with rain...serious rain. We chose to stay in town rather than go to Greenville and race. Most of the World did the same. Every field was 15-20 guys. Bond won the 35+ race will JayC finishing 2nd. RW came home a strong 4th. Timberlake finished 10th in the 5 race. Good show boys!
Feeling pangs of guilt for not going, I cajoled Doog into riding cross bikes this morning. We left in the 50 degree rain, rode in the 50 degree rain and came home in the 50 degree rain. I can't say that it was one of the most intelligent decisions I've made in 2009!
I'm still feeling a bit guilty for not going to GVille though...
Next Saturday is River Falls and my big body has NO business getting involved in that 'skinny-climber-dude' fest! Doog should do well in that one. I'll be at BMW on Sunday though, rain, sleet, snow, poop or shine!

Tomorrow looks like another shite day...I'll be on the trainer, staying warm and dry!

Garmin Service Course

GARMIN SLIPSTREAM Service Course from Media One Multimedia on Vimeo.

DZ

DZ got cleaned OUT while he was racing the ToC...
http://velonews.com/article/88567/zabriskie-s-home-burglarized

Poor dude...I put feelers out to my boys in the 801 and 435...

Oh, and I did 10 30/30s tonight on the trainer...GOD, I hate that shit!

SoPro!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SoPro won on Sunday in Texas...

Stud...

Weekend Update...

GTS 1 & 2 went off @ Donaldson Center last weekend.
Saturday saw HUGE fields in every race. It was a really nice day...warm-ish with light wind. We took of for our little jaunt around the airport. Nothing really happened during the race other than a lot of sketchy riding and hitting brakes on the downhill...I still don't get that!
I felt pretty average for the whole race. It was never really hard and I never suffered. I really should have gone to the front more than I did and forced the issue, but it was my first actual race, other than the TNCWC in 4 years, so I figured discretion was the better part of valor.
The sprint wound up and I had HORRIBLE position...my own fault. I, literally, had to stop and start my sprint 4 or 5 times to keep from running over people in the last 200m. I finished around 15th or so. I say "or so" because the officials, in their little trailer with their 20 year old camera equipment somehow missed me on the video. Horseshit I say!!!! I was there at the finish! I know it and the guys that finished behind me know it...that's enough for me!
Sunday was a MUCH smaller field. It was cold. The wind was brutal. 20-25mph with gusts to 30+...just bad conditions. The first lap shuttled the strong to the front to fight the wind. A break got up the road on the first lap. Doog and another guy were in the middle at the start of lap 2 when myself and another rider got across to them. The four of us stood to go up the first climb and I almost took myself out. I gave the RR track a good whack on lap one and pinched the tube, cause my front tire was going down fast. Dammit!!!!! Race over for me! It was warm in the broomwagon though...
It split all to pieces in the wind for the finish. I felt better Sunday though!
Everyone in town did well this weekend. Shout out to RW for his performances this weekend in 35+! He was on the sharp end and rode well! Kudos!

Edit...
Timberlake found video on Youtube and you can plainly see my big ass crossing the line @ 15th. Hard to miss all of the white I had on...
scroll to 6:45 and watch...I cross @ 6:48...I played and paused about 6 times...
Video

Da loop...

Coco and I met for a loop last night. It was dark. It was cold. We didn't feel like riding hard. Doog bailed because of those sick kids again! This Doctor thing is really getting in the way of his ride schedule!

Probably riding Thursday night, but definitely riding Friday. A couple of us are going out to the crit course to spin around and do a couple leg openers. It won't be a long ride, but everyone is welcome.

Some folks have also expressed in interest in our new team kits. Unfortunately, after a bit of discussion, we've decided to keep them as team issue only. We've spent a lot of time and effort to secure sponsorships and to create the kits. We may revisit the topic after the season, but for now, sorry...

From the "Gimme a Break File"...

I give you fine folks this small piece of love on a Tuesday morning...

Obama License Plates

I've already ordered one for Bond...

6:00pm @ the gate tonight...

Shoulda known...(the Voice)

Saturday, I awoke to rain and a generally shitty day. I wasn't in the correct mindset to go out and get wet, dirty and cold. I opted for a far, far worse choice...the trainer. The plan was to do about 45 minutes or so, elevate the HR, get a good sweat and get off.
I decided that I really wasn't minding the drudgery, so I started doing intervals.
I started with a 20 minute SST pull @ 170-ish HR. I spun for 10 minutes and then had the brilliant idea to do another one. 20 more minutes passed at 175-ish...
Things were going along swimmingly in my little cool down, so I said to myself, "Self, you should keep going..."! Sometimes I listen and sometimes I ignore it!
I did 2 minutes on and 1 minute off, starting in the 53/17. Each successive two minutes meant a shift DOWN the cogset...all the way to the 12. Two sets of these @ 180-190 HR made me feel more than a bit sick.
Voice-1 Big Dumbass me-0
The H.O. and I go to dinner. I was still felling a bit iffy, so I thought, "get something safe, like the chicken..."! Again, I did not heed the call and ordered a heaping bowl of pasta drenched in some amalgamation of different cheeses. Felt bad eating it...felt bad when I got home...felt bad lying in bed!
Voice-2 Big Dumbass-0
Sunday met me with a sunny sky and a big feeling of malaise. My stomach was, and still is, turning inward. Instead of listening to the voice and A) staying my happy ass in the house or B)riding by myself, I chose C) go out with the group. We rolled out easy, turned on Percival and the pace shot up. I did all I could until the first bump on Screaming Eagle. My legs were heavy...my HR was just all over the place...and my stomach, well, let's say he was beyond the planning stages of a Coup d'Etat. I sat up and said ENOUGH!
Reed and I traded pulls all the way back to the Fort and I spun home slowly after we parted company.
For those keeping score at home...
Voice-3 Big Dumbass-0
Yep, I got blanked this weekend. As I sit here and type this, I'm fighting the urge to put my head down and go to sleep on the desk. I feel like complete CRAP! And the MTs will be home anytime...GREAT!!!!

Another night ride...

...only this time with different faces. Doog lamed out on us...something about sick kids at the hospital...nonsense, so Meat, Coco and I did the big loop again. We did it at a little greater clip than my last trip around, but still didn't make the effort to ride really hard. That being said, Coco and I took turns pulling out Dixie at a pretty good clip. Not enough to really suffer and have to dig, but just at the point where it was starting to sting a bit by the turn.
We kind of just rolled around at that point. The burn is still going on out there, so the smoke was plentiful and there were even a few hotspots that were still burning pretty nicely. Yes, we rode through a forest fire! We also saw a something that we believe was a coyote. It was too small and darkly colored to be a deer. Nice to know that meat-eating predators are patrolling the outer portion of the loop. If you get a flat out there, ride the bitch in!
No idea what's going on tomorrow....
We were supposed to ride in the NE @ 7am, but the fact that it's going to be 45 degrees and raining really sucks the romance out of it. A few of us may go out a bit later, unless later is noon. The MTs are going to the spa for the weekend and I'm not wasting a Saturday afternoon. I may sleep through most of it, but in my eyes, that's not waste!
It may be a cross bike kind of day...
Sunday 9am @ the normal spot for what looks like the last Il Prof ride...for the folks who plan to race at least...
That being said, I just signed up for the Spring Series and paid my money...I guess I'm committed now!

Easy spin

Doog and I met for an easy spin around Fort Jackson last night. We did the big loop and really didn't need the lights until the top of Dixie. The days are definitely getting longer.
We rode at what could be easily be considered a 'spin' pace. I was feeling the combination of the weekend rides and my 40 minute visit with the foam roller on Monday. That thing takes no prisoners, but it works wonders. There's really no need for a $75/hour massage, other than draining your checkbook.
We'll likely do the same ride Thursday night. 6pm from the gate. Come join us...bring lights if you have them!

Shout out...

Greg from www.fastsunglass.com sent me a note to check out his site...
The have all kinds of glasses, not just cycling specific stuff. Nice site...easy to navigate...check 'em out!

Weekend

Saturday was the Inaugural PalmettoVelo "Flip the Switch on Winter" ride. It was a great day for it. 65 degrees and a big warm sun. The wind didn't cooperate, but it wasn't that bad either...mostly a crosswind. The ride started with 16 and we lost some on the trip out to Sandy Run. We made the first quick stop and allowed everyone to get back on. The first climb on 21 split the group pretty evenly into climbers and non-climbers. I was, of course, in the latter. We chased and all got back together right at the turn to head back in. The run down 176 was a steady one, all the way back to the store. Shortly after the second store stop, Ward flatted and we all stopped to wait. The rest of the ride was steady...until Dixiana. Once we got on the end of Dixiana, all hell broke loose. Attacks and counters went right and left. Doog and JayC were about 100 yards up the road and didn't seem to be coming back, so I swallowed hard and ripped across the gap @ 60kmh. It kind of stung. I felt bad the entire ride and that short, but very violent, effort did nothing to help the situation. The pace stayed high and, through my own inattention, I ended up in the second group on the run down 12st extension. We chased again and caught the front right after the turn. The remnants of the group rode in together.
We ended with 105km and a 34.5kmh average. The 'meat' of the ride (the middle 80km) yielded 36kmh average, which ain't whistlin' Dixie, considering the hills and the wind.
It was a great ride with alot of familiar faces, some new faces and a couple we haven't seen for a long while. I hope everyone had a good time...I did!
Today we met for the normal Sunday ride. Coco, Doog and I felt like doing some steady effort, so we left the group and rode into Eastover, then across to the Cricket Store. The wind at the end of Bluff was BRUTAL! I was MASHING the pedals to maintain 30kmh. We passed the GMart as the rest of the group was pulling out. We figured they'd catch us before the end, but never did, even with us not really making the effort to stay away. Doog and I made a slow-motion effort at the sprint and just sat up.
We all just rolled in together from there. Another 95km and 3 hours and change in the legs. It was really windy today, but 70 and sunny.
After two long days in the sun, I have some nice new tan lines on the arms, legs and bald melon.

As seen on...

...the back of my SUV. I <3 dead dinosaurs and bikes with gears...

Get yours here...

Sad day

Big Maggie retiring...

Man, I'm bummed!

Doog and I rode the road bikes in the dark last night. First hand experience tells me that 32 degrees in the sunshine and 32 degrees in the dark are not equal.

See you guys @ CC tomorrow...10am roll out.

HoP

HoP last night. Nothing exciting to report, other than another 20 minute effort at threshold on the cross bike. Oh, and I got chased by some asshole in car, through Cottontown. While I may not be a pro in terms of power or lung capacity, I do have superior handling skills on a bike.
He pulled out in front of me (I had the right of way), so I gave him a hearty 'Hello Neighbor' (haha) and a single finger salute. He, in turn, decided to make the effort to come after me. Well, it didn't work out to well for him. I bunnyhopped two traffic islands, a curb, rode through a front yard, down some steps...and was GONE!
I channeled Fabian Cancellara all the way into the park. I was feeling okay, so the effort got turned down a small bit, but was still enough to really start to sting after the 15' point. The last 5 minutes sucked. Headwind, gravel, fat tires...

Serfas followup...
The brake pads are actually getting BETTER as they have worn in. They will stop you RIGHT NOW, if need be! And they are whisper quiet, even on the old, borderline worn out Ksyriums on the Salsa.
The bibs that JT sent me have become the de facto night ride shorts. The gel pad takes the shock out of hitting the holes that the lights sometimes miss. And yes, it happens that way, usually every ride...

I'll do a review of the Hudz and Kenda Small Block 8 tires next time around...

Happy Monday

Saturday- 90 km w/group...didn't make the RoP, as I had other obligations in the afternoon that required my attendance. Felt like crap on the bike, but still spent 80%+ of the ride on the sharp end. My grandmother ripped (literally!) her knee open to the bone last week and had orthopaedic surgery to fix the damage. I can tell you with a large degree of certainty that it is not something to look at before eating lasagna! I needed to go see her though...
Sunday- 100 km w/group. Felt much better, but tired. The pace was quicker than last week, but still subdued. I tried to spend as much time as possible on the front. It was a good ride that brought out faces not seen for a long while. Granted, most of them turned off and went home early, but at least they were out. Are you listening Meat?
As an aside, if you deem it beneath your 'training' to show up for the weekend rides, don't talk about them! Show up or shut up!
Came home and took the MTs outside to play before the SuperBowl started. I'm an old-school Steelers fan, so I'm as happy as a schoolgirl today. I did give my 1975 Steelers SuperBowl Champion can of Iron City Beer a rub before the game though, just for luck. Thankfully, it was a good game, regardless of the outcome.
I will say though, I was horribly disappointed by a few things.
Is it so hard to just SING the national anthem? I mean really! Jennifer Hudson, as talented as she may or may not be, butchered the song. I feel fairly certain that Francis Scott Key didn't sit @ Fort McHenry, watching the Battle of Baltimore, and write it as an R&B song!
And Bruce Springsteen...oy vey...! Could you suck any harder? It's proof that people just don't know music. The only highlight was seeing Silvio from the 'Sopranos' on guitar.
And Matt Millen as an expert commentator? Isn't he the guy the "lead" the Detriot Lions into the hole in which they currently reside? The Lions have had the worst 8 year run in NFL history!!! Yep, he's one to listen to...!
These things notwithstanding, it was a great game...physical, chippy, big plays and a great finish! The commercials were great. I really want a Hyundai Genesis Coupe now, so I guess the marketing worked!
Next Saturday is the Palmetto Velo team ride. Everyone is welcome. 100km through Calhoun County. 10am SHARP from Cycle Center. It's group ride, not a race. Read the RULES!

Peace!

READ THIS!!!

Yes, I'm talking to YOU!

Group ride rules

And tomorrow is Mick's last ride in Columbia. He's moving to KC full-time...no more back and forth. If you aren't doing the RoP/RoG, come and and say goodbye to the old boy.

Wait...what? or Bacon makes everything better!

My heart hurts looking at this, yet I'm strangely attracted...

A week of Mondays thus far...

Sweet Baby Jesus...
What the hell is going on this week? I must have a misaligned Chakra, or whatever the hell the non-meat eating hippies call it this week.
Monday was just a crappy day outside and I felt like hammered shit.
Tuesday was a bit better. I rode, but was not motivated at all. I kind of just spun around...well, maybe harder than that, but it definitely wasn't a go fast ride! I was forced to go to Target @ 8 last night since the people were coming to measure for our new cabinets this morning. That was the highlight of my day. I was away from the MTs and there is a lot of ass in Target at night. Are you reading this Doog?
This morning, I took #1 to school and it seems someone painted a large, red bullseye on my truck. Every late-for-work douchebag was out this morning....running red lights, turning in front of me or sliding to a stop behind me at a light. I can avoid the assholes I can see, but I will deliver an epic beating to whomever decides to rear-end me with the boys in the car, and then I will fall on the ground with a back/neck injury. "My neck, my back...my neck and my back..."!
Of course, I'll probably get hit by some immigrant with no insurance...
Here's a tip, if it's 8:58am, and you're supposed to be at work @ 9am...YOU'RE ALREADY FUCKING LATE!!!! Slow down and pay attention! The life you save may be your own!

Quick hit

Saturday-
85km
2:25 ride time
50 degrees and rain THE ENTIRE RIDE. My clothes weighed @ 12 pounds, my white shoe covers were a very nice shade of grey and I had to take my wheels apart to allow the 4+ ounces of water to escape. Once I quit dropping glasses and solved my wheel issue (always check your QR when swapping wheels!), we had a good, steady, tempo affair! No Meat, No Mula...go figure...! Of course, they would have gotten popped off as soon as we left the Fort anyway.
Sunday-
90km with Il Prof. Felt better than Saturday, but the overcast, 41 degree skies kept everyone home. I was hoping for another ride that forced the tempo a bit. You know what they say, "Wish in one hand..."! I had little motivation to ride, but am glad I did and better for it.

It's supposed to be decent next weekend...Bond is doing the "RoP/RoG" on Saturday. 95 miles of fun...
And speaking of Bond, I had the chance to work on his Madone last night. Whoever built that bike should be banned from the work area of the shop!! EVERY bolt was loose, his Speedplays where about 3 rides from backing themselves out and killing the guy, the cable housings are A)too short and B)not Shimano, and the chain is too short and has a quick link in it! Did I mention it's a Shimano chain? I wonder why it won't shift correctly?
And the Trek 'internal, super-duper, we re-invented the wheel' BB setup is Mickey Mouse at best. It's little more than two MR2437 bearings laid in the frame. All they did was mold the cups into the bottom end of the frame. Big f'in deal! The drive side bearing doesn't even have an external seal on it! Crazy...

Kinda tired

...and not from riding...
#2 has made the decision that he wants to be an early riser. The latest he's start screeching this week has been 6:15am. It's only 45 minutes sooner than I usually roll out of the rack, but I sleep hard between 5 and 7 in the morning. Oh well, I guess I'll have to watch the re-runs of Jon Stewart in the mornings.
Doog and I rode Tuesday night. HoP loop with a few garages thrown in. It was freaking cold, but bearable. People who complain about the cold here wouldn't know true cold if it bit them in the ass. When you take a deep breath in through your nose and your nostrils stay stuck to your septum...then it's cold. It was more of a screw around loop than anything.
I rode solo last night and it was really nice out. @50 degrees and a nice SW wind. I did the normal HoP loop again, only at a much greater pace. Once I hit the dirt, the pace picked up and stayed high until the end of the trail. The aforementioned SW wind was stiff and gave me a nice headwind for entire length of my interval. A headwind, crushed gravel, and 32c tires make it fun too...
I can tell I pushed harder than usual last night, as my legs are a bit stiff and my knees are sore from pushing a taller gear.
I stomped up Gervais, all the way from the bridge and then cruised through campus, harassing TVH when I passed his house.
I got home in time to see the MTs off to bed...nice!
I'm in the middle of product test as well...Kenda Small Block 8 cross tires...will write it next week. I think the reviews will become a weekly thing. JT is setting me up with some new Serfas stuff and I was given some white Hudz to try on the Dura-Ace shifters.

Saturday- 9am @ the circle
Sunday- 9am @ Outjokin'

Product review time

So, as you may know, the fine folks @ Serfas asked me to review products for them...and I quickly agreed. JT sent me a pair of their new bibshorts and a full set of brake pads for my cross rig.
The pads are a multi-compound affair. They look very nice, both in the package and on the bike. The packaging itself is superior to other brands out there. A product that is the same price, yet in a more attractive package will always sell better! Anyway, I installed the pads according to the directions, which instructs to do so with NO toe-in! Evidently, the multi-compound setup prevents the horrible howling that is often heard from poorly aligned cantilever pads.
After a few rides on them, I can say that they are all they are cracked up to be. Stopping power is superior to Kool-Stop pads and, as advertised, there is absolutely zero noise from the pads under braking. Even in wet, sloppy conditions, they slowed my big ass down with great haste. Big thumbs up for the pads...no negatives!
Now on to the bibs...
Again, Serfas seems to have actually given thought to the design and fit of a product, unlike many clothing companies. Straight out of the package, the first thing I noticed was the quality of construction. The lycra is both a bit heavier and better quality fabric than a lot of other bibs. They also feature flat-lock, double stitching, which is both more comfortable and makes the bibs last a bit longer. This is important when you are washing your bike stuff a couple of times a week.
I've never ridden a gel chamois pad before, so I was a bit leery, but so far so good. The pad is well shaped and fits very comfortably...no pinching or binding of the nether regions. Even though it's gel, it's pretty minimal and doesn't ride up into the crotch or feel like wearing a full diaper (not that I actually know what that feels like!). The silicone leg grippers do a good job of keeping the shorts where they need to be, even with knee warmers under them.
The straps are just about the perfect width, length and shape. They come up perfectly on the abdomen. Some shorts come up too far (Hincapie) and some, not far enough (Castelli). Much like the porridge in that famous story, these are 'just right'! Makes stopping for the 'break naturel' a bit easier, and since I seem to have the bladder capacity of a toddler, this is a bonus.
The inseam of the shorts is a bit shorter than some others, which is fine by me, but may be a point of contention with some folks. I never understood long inseam shorts anyway. If you want to wear knickers, buy knickers! They aren't tri-shorts by any stretch either! Granted, I have really long femurs, so they will probably fit the vast majority of folks who have normal proportions.
Overall, they are VERY true to size. I wear large bibs from most manufacturers and even XLs from a few (euro companies...skinny, musculature of a veal calf Euros....). These fit perfectly.
The only downside, and this is merely a personal observation, is the fact that they are very plain. They are straight-up, old school, black bibs. They do have two, small, reflective logos on the fronts of the thighs, but that's it. I'm sure that a lot of people LIKE simple and plain. I do too! Maybe the addition of an option to choose colored stitching (white/grey/red/etc.) or even simply sublimating the Serfas logo down the thigh panels wouldn't be a bad thing here. Offer them both ways...with logos or without...
My inner fashionista notwithstanding, these are great shorts, regardless of the cost...and they are far, far less than some brands (cough...Assos...Rapha...Pearl...cough). $90 for a pair of really good bibs is a bargain, and that's a word that usually doesn't enter into the conversation when talking about cycling clothing. Oh, and if it matters to you, they are made in the good old US of A!!! Follow the link over there >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> to get to Serfas' site. They make a bunch of stuff!
I've got some other stuff I'm trying out right now...more reviews to follow!

Adios, Amiga....

SoPro is leaving for Tejas tomorrow...and from there, she'll be making her way to Europe to mix it up with the EuroDogs. We may change her nickname to SoEuroPro...

Be safe, kick ass and have fun...
Don't be afraid to call or write if you need anything!

See you in the Fall!

Saturday

No ride today as it's 38 and raining, and my contract to ride in Europe isn't on the horizon, so I stayed inside and did some much needed bike maintenance.
Yesterday was another story...
We went out @ 1pm in balmy 32 degree weather. It ended up being a PV team ride, +1...SoPro is hard, so she came out too. We meandered out of the Fort, in an effort to warm up a bit, but once we made the turn onto Old Leesburg, it was tempo time. there was no 15 or 20 minutes at SST pace. It was tempo all the way out to Willie Wilson and across 378 to Chaingang. The wind was not in our favor, so it was a nice headwind stretch down into Eastover. I tried to lead SoPro out for the sprint, but ended up leading Coco and Bond to the sign.
We stopped @ the stop in Eastover for all of two minutes and we off again. We rode steady across to Airbase and then Bond went to the front. His coach told him to do a 25' effort @ 330-360 watts...that's not a typo BTW...! We all fell in line behind him and let him pull us to the end. Sitting in wasn't difficult, but I didn't want to interrupt his workout, so we stayed in line until the sprint. I jumped in WAAAAAY too big of a gear and Coco came around me at the end.
Bond, Timberlake and Doog cut across Trotter to get home while the rest of us did the normal Double Homey. We just rode it in and no one bothered to sprint on Shop. It was a damn good ride with a damn good group. There was no complaining or whining or farting around. Everyone took their turn and stayed together.
85km rolled past quickly...2:25 ride time to be exact...
A little violence may be introduced to the program next weekend...

Night-time is the right time

...for riding the cross bike.
I went out Tuesday night, solo, and did the HoP loop downtown. I rode as hard as is possible up through campus and across downtown. I did manage to time the lights right, so I blew through Main St. like poop through a goose. A very short motorpacing session presented itself at the intersection of Main and River. Some dude on a scoot was beside me at the light and when it went green, I let him go a little and jumped on the draft. I rolled down the hill behind him @ 70kmh+, which is pretty hairy for more than a few reasons.
1) don't know the guy...he could be a lunatic and nail the brakes at any moment
2) it's dark
3) traffic on River Drive
4) cross bike with 700x35c tires does NOT like going that fast
I followed him the the bridge over the river and made my turn into the park. I felt good, so I rode hard SST/interval pace all the way to the very end of the trail. The whole episode, from tip to tail, ended up being almost 15 minutes at a pace that was borderline violent. Tempo on the cross rig makes tempo on the road bike seem easy.
Back up through downtown and home with @ 75 minutes of hard riding under the belt. And if I see those frat douchebags that buzzed me in Shandon again, there will be a beating of epic proportions. I have the tag number and am thinking about running it through the DMV and SLED. Yeah, I can do that...
Last night, Doog and I did the HoP loop again, did some decent tempo work again and added a few parking garages at the end to really make the legs happy. You guys laugh, but standing/climbing a garage from bottom to top is good for you...
We ended with almost two hours last night...it wasn't cold...and if anyone says that it was, well...
My testing period for Serfas began last night as well. I don't think that one ride with any product is enough to form an informed opinion, so I'll continue my protocol and report on the items sent to me in a week or so...the brakes pads DO match my cross bike, so that's a plus... :)
Thanks again to JT @ Serfas!

Oh, and we're riding tomorrow @ 1pm (SHARP) from the Gate. It may be cold, so HTFU!

Random Monday/Product Review

So it's been a random day...
Went and looked at a house that seemed to good to be true...and it was...nothing says lovin' like the need for $50k in foundation repairs. It was probably for the best since it was around the corner (literally) from Bond's house. I need to up my FTP, but I really don't want to take an ass-whipping more than once a week or so.
Then, I get a random email that simply says, "Product Testing" in the subject line. Of course, these emails usually include some sort of advertisement selling creams to give you a better erection, or something of that general theme. I almost deleted it w/o reading...what a mistake that would have been. The Email was from JT @ Serfas...you know, the bike parts company in Cali...
It seems that JT is a fan of the little pill party I have going on here and graciously offered me the opportunity to be a product tester for Serfas. Am I going to do it you ask? Hells yeah!!!!! I'll review whatever product companies want to send me. I've always been a fan of Serfas stuff anyway, so it's a win/win. Product is on it's way to me as we speak...watch this space for the reviews.
As far as reviews go, I've been meaning to do one of my new Diadora kicks and the email from JT was a gentle reminder...
I got some Diadora ProRacer Carbon road shoes a while back and have been wearing them for about 4 weeks now. I got them from Chain Reaction Cycles in the UK. I like to support Cycle Center, but I got them shipped from the Empire for less than dead cost...so there you go! I've always worn Diadora road shoes and always will. These have done nothing to dissuade me from this belief. They fit perfectly, are light, and are very stiff. Usually, I buy 2 or 3 pair of the same shoe for two reasons. 1) I'll always have a reserve pair and 2) When it comes time to get new shoes, there's no adjustment period to a new fit. The last time I bought shoes was 2004 and I got two pair of the Diadora Carbon Veloce. 5 years on and it was time to get some new ones, so I pulled down on the new Proracer Carbons.
At first, I kind of questioned my decision because they fit quite a bit differently than my old Veloces. They have obviously changed the last they are building these things on. The uppers were stiff and they seemed a smidge too tight. After a few rides, they started to stretch out and feel better. Then came my two week 'camp', which included more than one rain ride. Getting them wet and riding in them made all the difference in the World. I highly suggest soaking your new shoes and then riding in them to mold them to your feet. They now feel like high-dollar, carbon-soled slippers. For me, Diadora is the only way to go! If you have 'normal' feet, you'll see it the same way.

Weekend Update

As you read in my last post, I took the week off, except for Thursday night. After I rode, I decided to break out the foam roller and give myself a little rub rub. I went after my back and legs for 45 minutes. I can tell you, it works. My back feels better, but my legs have been absolute shite since Thursday night. The roller helped release all of the junk hiding in my legs. I woke up Friday more sore than if I'd ridden 4 hours at tempo.
Saturday was no different. My legs were just not in the game. Stiff, sore and the right IT band felt like I'd been shanked in the exercise yard. Just bad news. I muttled through, but it required much more effort than it should.
Along came Sunday...
I woke feeling oddly good...not great, but waaaay better than Saturday. We headed out through the Semmes gate and headed off down Leesburg towrads Congress. Some residual stiffness quickly worked itself out and I was okay. We rode tempo, never needing to come out of the big ring. We lost a few folks along the way...
As soon as we turned, Coco flatted. The group gathered back up and soldiered on towards Chaingang. SoPro said she had to do an hour @ 180HR, which is nutty to me, but she hit the front and rolled it. From Chaingang to the end of Airbase, we took turns on the front, being wise to keep the pace within SoPro's workout zone. Coco and I would go to the front when she would start to struggle and allow SoPro to recover a bit, yet keep her HR high. It was a quick run down Airbase and it felt pretty good. Again, we lost people along the way...
We just spun in from that point. It was a good ride, good pace and a good group. The legs are feeling the week of inactivity, but the rest will do me good.
After the ride, I went to Doog's house and cut down a tree for him. It was a full day...

Dark and Windy...yes, please...

So after my previous two weeks of self abuse, I've taken most of this week completely off the bike. I started to get a little itchy yesterday, so I got the cross bike set-up with the lights for a little urban assault.
It was dark and windy last night...and it seemed that the cagers were particularly stupid. Even more so than usual...
I also forgot (probably due to sheer laziness) to put in my contacts and put proper eye protection on my face. Riding in my regular glasses was a big ball of suck. I found myself looking over the lenses...air entered my eyes completely unimpeded and the wind was blowing dust and whatever environmental shit it could find directly into them. I couldn't see a thing by the time I got home. This morning, I awoke to find a sort of meringue accumulated in the corners of my eyes...lovely!

I felt better for going out on the bike though. It's actually pretty nice going out for a ride at night. It heightens your senses and allows you to get rid of some impotent rage by yelling at cars.

Palmetto Velo is also planning a ride through Calhoun County to satisfy our event requirement with USA Cycling. The likely date is February 7th. I'll post more info, the flyer and the route in the coming days.
See you folks in the morning...9am @ the Gate.
Sunday's ride will be Il Prof's normal excursion leaving OutJokin' @ 9am.

The funniest thing you've read in a long time...

...and I know funny!

ooooo, I'm suddenly all warm and fuzzy

This excites me in a special, special way....

If it doesn't do the same for you, well...you may need to buy a recumbent or something...!

And SoPro is stepping up HARD!!! Take your shot!

I'm proud of you Casey! You have an obvious talent and are doing what YOU need to do to make the most of it. You'll always have my support, no matter what you do!

Lake Loop

Not for me and the others, thank you...
If it was DECENT outside, then I'd be riding right now. It's 55 degrees (okay so far...), foggy (@2-300 meters visibility), and pissing rain (okay with that as well...)! The issue is riding around the lake in this weather. With 6 or 8 other folks, it'd be fine. With 80+ people, it holds no romance for me. Hell, we almost got run down last year by asshole drivers in Irmo...and it was a bright, clear, sunny day!!!!
Today is the perfect scenario for getting taken out by...A) some gaper with no handling skills, or B) some fat, redneck in a 10 year old Yukon who is late for, well...nothing...but he's late, so you need to get out of his way!
I don't know if I'll go out today. Doubtful...
Without doing 3+ hours today, I have 26 hours on the bike in the past two weeks! I'm taking it easy this week...maybe 10-ish hours or so.

Edit- Doog and I went out in the rain @ 1. We rode exactly 65 minutes on the cross bikes. It was enough...