Have Bike Lets Travel

Still going strong

2012-01-27T10:10:00.001-05:00

The riding has been good. The diet has been so so. I've been able to get out for three good days a week even with the cold rainy snowy weather. Can't beat a good 50 mile ride in the rain. And 40 miles in the snow. Just gonna make me stronger right?

I had been nursing a sore right hip for a couple weeks. Then I had a three hour massage that really did the trick.

A Good Start

2012-01-11T18:15:00.001-05:00

As New Years Resolutions go I've been doing pretty good. I've managed to log in to my food diary I've meal since the beginning of the year. Not to say my diet has been great, but I am keeping a honest record.
If I am able to ride this much every week all year I will rack up over 6000 miles for the year. That is not including spring and fall centuries.
I'm going to yoga class every Monday and cello lessons every Tuesday. Now all I have to do is get myself to start doing the Insanity videos on my overnights.

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T00:14:00.001-05:00

Let the new times begin. Hoping for many changes this year. Good night.

Still riding

2011-12-17T20:01:00.001-05:00

This time of year it's just about getting out and making the legs go around. The last few races I've felt my desire to go fast go right out the window. My race season is officially over. Now all I want to do is ride and watch the grass not grow. In the next couple of weeks I'm going to work on getting my basic all around fitness back. Try to eat right, do my insanity videos, keep on going to yoga classes and just ride for fun and conversation.

Need to stop the food sabatage

2011-12-14T02:48:00.001-05:00

My least favorites thing to do is grocery shopping. I want to eat the right thing but I tend to walk around aimlessly until I just grab the worst things to eat. Then I eat it all in one sitting. Sad. And I consider myself an athletes.

Fighting the good fight

2011-12-03T21:32:00.001-05:00

Well its been a long while since my last blog post. Now that I can post from my phone maybe I'll post more often. Right.
Anyway, cyclocross season is in full swing. Ed and I have raced the past three weekends. We have two more races left. And of course I'm fighting a head cold and a few half nights of missed sleep. The good thing is I've had a pretty good week of riding this week. Now its time to try to sleep thru the night.

Two months in review.

2010-07-15T16:41:00.003-04:00

It has been a little over two months since my last blog post. Well that crash on May 8th produced in bit more injuries than first thought. My left wrist and hand were quite sore the next day, forcing me to miss work for a few days.
After being off the bike for a week, I tried to go for ride. No going. I could not grab the handle bars in the drops. I resorted to taping up my wrist and hand so I could race. Hated the thought of losing my fitness. I was only able to complete 3 laps at BIKEJAM. I was still happy with that. I did two races at Ride Sally Ride. Finished both with a taped wrist.
Hoping to not lose my hard earned fitness, I spent a few nights on the trainer indoors. YES, TRAINER RIDING IN JUNE!! that only lasted two weeks. I was able to race the track in both Seattle and Trexlertown. Short efforts have been ok with a taped wrist. Long rides hurt. I've been getting out on the road some. Spent a week riding hills in Utah.
After the first week I went to the doctor for an Xray. It came back negative. Two weeks later I went to see a hand surgeon. The MRI came back saying I have a broken bone in my hand. It is called ' the hook of the hamet bone'. So the best way to fix it is to remove it. There is no blood supply for it to heal on its own. Surgery is the answer.
I was going to get the surgery done last Friday but my schedule just didn't work out. Now I am going to wait til August so I can race Superweek. :) a week of racing is always more fun than surgery. Off to Milwaukee I go.

Oh well, Not Again !!

2010-05-08T20:30:00.003-04:00

Well here is the story. Fort Ritchey Criterium today is Cascade, Maryland. I raced two races. First the category 3/4 35+. I got 11th place. Still can't get in the right position for the final sprint.That is not the story.

Second race was category 4. The wind was blowing. The field was nearly full and the course fast and fun. Ted and I were racing together like usual. He wanted to ride with me so we could stay out of the wind. Early in the race I was up front and I could not see Ted. So I went to the back to find Ted. He said the braking in the corners was preventing him from getting to the front. I said follow me, lets get up there now. With in a couple laps we were right where we wanted to be. Now just holding our position waiting for the laps to count down was are goal.

The wind was blowing us all all over the place. Two guys bumped shoulders on the back straight and began to crash. I was sitting a rider back and a bit to the left. The crash began to swing my way. I thought I was save when a bike shot to the left and a handlebar hooked my front wheel. I was braking at the time so I went down very softly. Just really stepped off the bike. There were 7-8 riders on the ground. One pretty hurt holding his shoulder, not good. Another kid asking if he was bleeding over and over again. He had a cut on his chin.It was kind of funny. He asked if his tooth was chipped? It was a little. He started yelling that his parents were going to kill him. It was really kind of funny. Ted was under a another riders bike not hurt at all. He had to slam on his brakes and endoed into the back of the crash.

Both of our front wheels were out of true. We went to the pit for our free lap. I had my wheels in a bag on a hill in the pit. I changed my wheel and waited for the official to tell us when to go. The group came by and we sprint to get in the group. Ted took off and got right in. I couldn't get my right cleat to clip in. I tried a few more times. I reached down and pulled a handful of dirt off the bottom of my shoe. Crap they are getting away.I pedaled some to not get dropped. I tried my cleat again, nothing. I put in a couple of hard pedal strokes so I could get closer to the group. BAM !! I'm on the the ground sliding. My foot slipped off the pedal and I crashed by myself at 25mph. It hit my head real hard too. Helmet cracked into two pieces. Sunglasses lenses came out. Shorts and jersey torn. Even my socks were torn. DAM, I CRASHED TWICE IN ONE LAP!!

Other than the loss of skin, I am fine. I'm sure tomorrow may be a different story. But I will be ready for battle again next week.

2010-05-07T22:19:00.001-04:00

Testing testing

Crazy Group Ride

2010-05-07T08:30:00.004-04:00

When will training rides learn not to piss off the locals? As many know, I've been riding most of my life. I love to ride fast in large groups of people. I've ridden in many group rides all over the country. Some faster then others, some larger then others and some saver then others. A couple days ago I rode in the craziest group ride ever.

Course description- 3 mile loop on mostly rural roads. Starts at Laserdome in Manheim Pa. It is an all right turn course going clockwise of course. The first right is on to Esbenshade Rd. This is a fairly busy road with a slight downhill. Right on to Rohrer Rd which is rural with a steady cross wind from from the right. Straight on to Erisman Rd at a stop sign. HA,ha! Then right on to Auction Rd.to the finish line at Red Rose Radio.

Ever since I moved to Shrewsbury, I've been looking for a good fast local training ride. I was told about this ride by a coworker who lives in Lancaster. I've been wanting to do this ride for a couple of years. On Wednesday I worked with Bob and he took me this ride was that night. Great I'll do it. I called Keith and he met us there. Bob and I arrived early enough to ride the course once. He warned me about the first corner because he said this ride is fast and they tend to roll right throw the stop sign on to Esbenshade Rd.and there is no shoulder. He even warned me about their disregard for the yellow line. Wow, little did I know.

The ride starts out fast from the beginning. Kind of double line down Esbenshade. On to Rohrer and the pace really picked up. I move up toward the front to protect myself from accelerations. Coming past the finish line the first time I get a tap on my right hip by a rider wanting to come by. At that time I was coming around two riders who were slowing down a bit. This kid who taps me comes flying up the right. I look over and say 'where are you going?', because there is no where to go. As we are entering Esbenshade, I let off the gas a bit to look left for traffic and then jam right back into line. He kid rides past me a calls me an asshole. Puzzled, I ride up to him and ask 'what the heck is his problem is'. He yells at me for opening a gap. I'm like 'dude it is a training ride, relax!'. So, now I'm thinking hmmm.. that was weird. I don't get yelled at often in rides. Oh well, just settle in and ride. We turn on to Rohrer and the whole group goes to the left side of the road. Remember this is a two lane road that is open to traffic. Holy cow this is getting crazy. What if someone wants to pass us from behind. Holy crap what if someone is coming toward us. Someone yells 'car back' and a car passes clearly pissed off. This is really crazy!

It is really fast and I get popped a bit. I drop off the back of the big group. I guess I will sit a lap out and try to get back in when they come back around. Little did I know, there is another group coming by. A B group. Cool! I will just ride with them. I am just looking for a good hard workout anyway. Any group will do. It is about 30 riders strong. Clearly not as strong and clearly more entry level riders. No problem, I will just pull more and work harder. Again we turn on to Rohrer and the whole group goes to the left side of the road. I stay on the right of the yellow line and power into the wind. Yes, I am working much harder but I really don't want to get killed.

As we come around for another lap we see the A group in front of us. Weird? Why are we catching the A's? Ah, must have been a crash. Figures. As it turns out, when they were going down Esbenshade about to turn on to Rohrer, of course from the left lane taken up both lanes, a pickup truck goes into the grass and passes everyone on their right. Now that is truly CRAZY!!! Guys said the guy got airborne when he went off road. They thought someone was going to get killed. Luckily no one got hit.

After the ride we were talking about the pickup truck, someone asked if they called the police to report the driver. Their response was no because they might close down this ride. Hell this ride needs to be closed down until these riders can learn to obey the laws of the road and not take such entitlement to think they own the road. Someone is going to get killed.

With all the disobedience for the general rules of the road it is no wonder the locals hate cyclist. Training rides are not races. The course is not closed. The yellow line should never be crossed, even when there is not a yellow line. Crossing the yellow line is CRAZY !!!!!!!!

Sometimes work gets in the way of life. Then again, sometimes you can work in a little life into work.

2010-05-04T20:41:00.003-04:00

The last day of the month and the first three days of the month I have the opportunity to earn time and a half at work. It is a great thing but that usually means working over the weekend once every month. In the winter that is no big deal. But in the spring and summer I do my best not to miss riding and racing during the weekends. This spring I went on a little spending spree in celebration of getting in racing shape. I bought two pairs of race wheels to go with my new race bike. Ouch. So I really like making time and a half when I can.

This week I was scheduled to work Friday-Sunday and Monday-Wednesday. Bunny Hop Criterium was on Sunday at 3pm. I was able to arrange my trip to get back to BWI at 12:30pm. That would be pushing it but doable to get to the parking lot, drive to the race, register and get to the start line in time, I tried to get rid of the PVD turn to make it easier on myself. It would cost me a couple hours of pay but it would make my life a lot less stressful. No one wanted to work my little turn :( Then Jill offered to save the day. She worked my turn for me :). It is so nice to have friends. Thanks Jill!

I got to the race with plenty of time to watch a few races and even warm up a little. It was a very hot day so I didn't want to warm up too much in fear of over heating. I raced the category 4 race. I've raced Bunny Hop for the past 5 or so years with mixed results. It is a very easy course but it can be fast and one year I blow a tire and left half of my ass in the second corner. I felt great right from the start. Able to move up and back thru the group of a hundred riders at will. I stayed in the top twenty or so watching the breaks go and come back. With 17 laps to go the bell rang for a two place prime. I just sat back not really thinking of going for it until we rounded the last corner and I carried my speed into a half hearted jump that got me second place in the sprint. Nice an easy $10.00 gift certificate for a burrito. I drifted back into the pack now waiting for the final sprint. I thought I was going to be in a good spot for the finish but the guy leading me thru the final corner slowed down just enough to to keep me from really getting on top of my gear. I finished 10th.

Happy with my result and still feeling good, I decided to race the category 35+ race too. I had to register and change numbers fast. I have not raced a 35+ race in a couple years because I've had too much trouble hanging on to their speed. Not a problem now. :) I only planned on hanging in just to get some more fast miles. I found myself moving through the group with ease. It was faster for sure. As the laps ticked away I realized I was going to finish this race. And I could even try sprinting with this guys. I rolled up to Mike and asked if he would lead me out. With two laps to go the pace of course really picked up. I felt a little twinge in my right calf. Coming into the last corner before the final lap my calf cramped hard, locking up my leg. Race over. Rats. I almost made it. The heat got to me. The miles got to me. The speed got to me. All in all I am very happy with both of my races.

Now that is the best way to spend the hours between VGA trips.

Happy birthday to me.

2010-04-18T22:36:00.002-04:00

My idea of a good birthday is to race three races in two days and get top 20 in all three races. Not winning yet, but still good enough for me. For years my motto has been to race for the pure fun of racing. I never gave a crap about places. I just race for the fun of it. I like to sit in a tight pack of riders and go around corners fast. The more technical the course the better. When the race got argy bargy at the end, I would sit up happy to have finished on the same lap and not been dropped. Heck, I have to go to work in the morning. Why risk crashing? -- Now that my fitness is coming along, I am rethinking this motto. Time to start caring. Time to start sprinting.

Saturdays race was in Chantilly Virginia.Category 35+ 3/4 race. Another easy D course but with no hill. Just a whole boat load of wind. I've decided I needed a nice pair of race wheels to go along with my new Fuji SST 2.0 race bike. Happy Birthday to me. Lance Lacy was selling a nice pair of Sram S80 wheels. They are a very large profile rimed wheelset. 80mm large! He said they were fast. I've seen him make them go fast. I had to try them. People were looking at me a little strange trying such a big wheel on such a windy day. Heck, why out. You can handle them or you can't, right. I started the race extra cautious. After two laps I realized the wheel were going to be no problem at all. Because of the wind you were hanging on to the bike already. I did my normal playing in the race. To the front, to the back, off the front, smile, to the back, go back to the front. I do like my games. As the race entered the last laps I again stayed up front. I had to work a bit harder to stay there and didn't get the nice position coming out of the last corner I had hoped for. I sprinted to 17th place. Not bad. The wheels were fast. I bought them. :)

Sundays races were in Colombia Maryland. Back to back races. Can I do this? 25 mile category 3/4 race followed directly by a 21 mile category 4/5 race. The course is a 2.1 mile loop with a small climb right before the finish line. Somehow the weather has gone right back into fall again. I was dressed for a cylocross race, knee warmers, long sleeves, gloves. And windy again. Just sit in and conserve, conserve, conserve. This is going to be a long day. Of course I had to go to the front to play some. Too much fun not too. I had good position coming up the hill for the final sprint. The finish line is so far away. Oh boy i can't sprint for 300 meters. Fading, fading. Hey! I still got 7th place in the category 4's. Nice! $22.00! Really nice.

Second race, 4/5, watch out for crashes, watch out for gaps. Recover, recover, recover. Wow, not feeling bad at all. Ok lets go to the front to play. Lets go get this sprint thing going. Again going for good position. Got it. Remember the sprint is long, be patient. The hill ends almost 200 meters from the finish. Don't sprint up the hill, you won't last. Crap! You sprinted up the hill. Again faded before the line. Got 12th place. Still quite happy. Note to self-- you can't sprint for 300 meters yet.

Great B-day race weekend. 17th, 7th and 12th. Not bad. Better results are coming soon to a blog near you. Stay tuned. :)

First Race Weekend of the Season

2010-04-12T22:01:00.004-04:00

The past few weeks have been encouraging. I've been getting out a couple times a week for 2-3 hour rides. And I'm even getting to do my Home Depot loop for some up hill sprint efforts. I've been looking forward to getting my lighter self on the road racing again.

Saturdays race was in Walkersville Maryland. Five laps on an eight mile loop with rolling hills for a whopping 40 miles. It was a category 35+ 4/5. The good thing about this category race is because everyone has to go to work in the morning it tends to be safer then racing with the crazy 20 somethings. And because it is a 4/5 race, they don't push hard on the climbs. Nice. I sat in for the beginning of the race just watching people stretch the early season legs. Little breakaways, nothing dangerous. With two laps to go I made my way toward the front to have a look around. There were three guys off the front by about a 20 second lead. Their teammates were sitting on the front letting the lead get bigger and bigger. I started saying we need to get though their little roadblock to bring the break back. There was no response from the rest of the riders. I got to the front and wiggled my way through their little armada. That opened the flood gates for everyone else to come through. The break came back.

The last lap I sat in recovering a much as possible waiting for the final sprint. The last corner is over a mile away from the finish line. I was doing my best to stay up front but also stay out of the wind. We also had the yellow line rule to deal with. We had to stay in one lane until the 200 meter sign. Guys were trying to push their way forward early. I was sitting second row working hard to stay there. The front guys were not building up speed like I had hoped. I was just waiting to get swamped by the guys behind us at any second. As soon as a whole opened in the front line I jumped with my sprint. I got a good jump but way to early. I was losing my power quickly about 50 meters from the line. They came around me on both sides. I got 9th place. They pay the first 8 places. :(

Sundays race was in Tysons Corner Virginia. A one mile D with a long down hill backstretch and a short big ring homestretch. This was a straight category 4 race. Very funny race for me. Almost half a race for me. The down hill was so easy for me it became a game. Every lap I could coast from the back of the group to the front of the group. Pedal up the hill going from the front drifting to the back and repeat. The game became how far can I go off the back and still make it to the front by the bottom of the hill. If I let myself go twenty feet off the back I could give it 2-3 hard big gear pedal strokes and tuck all the way to the top ten riders. Very funny. For the last few laps I stopped playing my game and just stayed up front as the speed got higher. I started to second guess myself about sprinting with this crowd. Whether they were safe or not. I dropped back twenty places or so before the final corner. Decided to sprint for the line and saw a giant wall of riders and immediately turned off the jets. I finished in the group.

All in all it was a good first week of racing. Very happy with my fitness so far. I just have to let myself sprint for the win instead of just being satisfied with a group finish.

All in all it was a good week

2010-03-11T19:21:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned last week, I planned on riding my century of the year in San Diego on March 7th. Well, that didn't go quite as planned.

Ed and I flew non-rev early Friday morning. We got on the flight to Denver without a problem. The second leg to San Diego almost didn't happen. We got pulled because the flight was oversold by 6 people. It didn't look good for us at all. The next open flight to San Diego wasn't until 9:15pm,a full 12 hours later. As Ed and I were making plans to spend the day in Boulder, the CSA found us the empty seats we needed to get back on the plane. We were on our way.

We landed in paradise at 11:30am. We had the rest of the day ahead of us. Awesome. Eric met us at baggage claim, from there we went to the hotel, got changed and Eric and Ed headed to Encinitas to get Eric's bike. I took a bus to La Jolla to get my bike from AJ's house. I rode up to Encinitas to meet them and we all rode back downtown to the hotel. By the time we got back into town it was way past dark, I got us a little lost, oops. I got in about 47 miles and Eric and Ed got in about 30 miles. Not a bad day of riding for spending most of it on an airplane.

Trying to stay on course with my fitness, I got up early for a little gym time. After a nice breakfast, we went to the Gran Fondo Expo to check out all the different vendors and to meet AJ, EJ and Melanie for a bike ride. We all had a great ride showing Eric and Ed the incredible sites in Mission and Pacific Beach. It was something like 25 miles. Just what we needed to keep our legs fresh for our 101 mile ride in the morning. We all met at 5pm for an amazing pasta dinner in Little Italy. AJ's idea for us to meet early for dinner was a great plan, we were able to get to bed early since the ride started at 7am in the morning. Ouch, even for us east coasters.

We woke up to threating skies, the promised rain was on it's way. Again after another great breakfast we rolled down the 3 blocks to the Gran Fond's start. Sometimes it is all about who you know, we lined up with the VIP's at the very front of all the 3000 other riders. There were past Olympians and past World Champions and many National Champions. There was Dave Letteri, Mari Holden, Kurt Stockton, John Howard, and Paolo Bettini. Even NBA star Bill Walton was riding. As we were waiting for the start the skies opened up with the hardest rain I've ever seen in California. We rolled out very cautiously because this was the first time AJ ever rode in the rain. Must be nice living in Southern California. Except today. The rain never let up.

After crossing Coronado Bridge, we went south down the strand, before going east to the hills. I was riding with AJ and EJ when Paolo Bettini and his entourage sped by. I had to take this opportunity to ride with a 2 time World Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist. I said see ya to AJ and EJ and jumped on the Italian train. Quickly we caught up to Ed, I yelled for Ed to jump in. He looked at me like this is way too early to be going this fast, then he saw who I was riding with, he jumped right in. Shortly I dropped back to ride with AJ. We rolled along though the rain, even passing Paolo with a mechanical, to the first rest stop. AJ and EJ kept on going and Eric and I grabbed some snacks. Paolo and company came in and I was able to get a picture of Eric with Paolo and Flat Stanly. Nice.

Eric and I were just riding along when he said Paolo should be passing us soon, and there he was. We jumped right in with the Italians for the next few miles. I could get use to riding with a World and Olympic Champion. We met everyone at the second rest stop. We were all freezing and soaked to the bone. I was trying to remember the last time I started a century in the poring rain. It was the Civil War Century in Gettysburg about 5 years ago. We did the 50 mile ride instead of the 100. We decided to do the same thing here. We were all good with this.

From here the ride changed from a 100 miles survival ride, to a 55 mile fun fast ride. Since we were heading back to San Diego, instead of doing another 70 miles over a mountain, we all rode freer and faster. EJ and I took off a couple times stretching our legs, fast. Lots of fun. The last 5 miles were on some pretty sketchy roads with lots of pot holes and a crazy amount of railroad crossings at all kinds of bad angles. We all stayed upright, thank goodness.

We got to the finish ate some great food and raced back to the hotel for the hottest shower I could stand and then came back to the Expo for some more food. Oh yea, we went for dinner for some more food that night. In spite of the rainy weather, we had the best time. I love riding with good friends in any weather. San Diego is awesome! I can't wait for next years Gran Fondo. In dry conditions :)

Since I've gotten back, I've ridden 3 days in a row. 25, 50 and 40 miles. Total for the week 240 miles. Not a bad week at all.

It has been a very interesting month

2010-03-03T08:32:00.004-05:00

Since I got back from San Diego, I've been trying to keep my fitness consistent. I had to work quite a bit to rebuild the bank account for my planned trips in February. I was able to stay consistent by, believe it or not, working out on my overnights and at home and even riding the trainer. I know. That is such a big step for me. The addition of a new TV and DVD player made the trainer bearable. I've been watching bike races from the 80's. Most of my overnights were in Denver with a very good workout room. Bonus.

So I started off February with three days of reserve with the idea being to not get used and be home to work on remodeling my basement and working out. I had great plans for lots of work and lots of play. The goal was to go back to San Diego for 4 more days of riding then fly to Seattle for a quick trip up to Canada to watch the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Well it didn't play out quite as planned.

On the 3rd I rode my trainer for an hour and was going to lift weights afterwards. When I got off the trainer I had a tightness in my lower abdomen. I picked up the weights and thought 'not today'. I retired to the couch to watch TV and play with the computer. During the next few hours my stomach started to feel more tender. I was thinking it was something I eat or just a muscle strain. I don't remember what I was watching but one of the characters had a pain and was said to have appendicitis. A light bulb went off and I said "Crap I have appendicitis!". Of course, I Googled it. Pain lower right quadrant- Yes, reduced appetite- Yes, nausea- No, vomiting- No, and a low-grade fever- No. Well 2 out of 5 and the pain wasn't really that bad anyway. So I am just going to hang out on the couch. I kept thinking of my moms appendicitis from last year and how bad it can get. And that I was home alone. At 9:30pm I went to the ER at York Hospital.

There were only a few people in the ER when I arrived. They took me in right away when I said I think I might have appendicitis. They drew blood to check if my white cell count was elevated. It was not. The next step was to have a CAT scan. I was very reluctant to have another CAT scan after having so many CAT scans just three months ago. If I was not willing to have the CAT scan the doctor all we could do was wait. I said I can wait at home. So I went home at 2am with instructions to return if the pain got worst or if any other symptoms occurred.

I crawled into bed at 2:30am. At 5:30am I woke up stuck to the ceiling like a cat, the pain was so bad. And now I was feeling nauseous. There is your second symptom. Back to the ER I go. I walk into the ER and the same doctor looks at me and says " How about that CAT scan now?" I smile and agree. Now it is time to hang out waiting for the results from the CAT scan.

Emergency room's are a great place to hang out if you really went to hear how the other half lives. The guy in the bed next to me talked non stop about his drunken lifestyle. How he had drank myself out of a job, a relationship and into homelessness. Then I realized he was talking to the guard who was escorting him. He was in handcuffs.

The test came back positive, I have appendicitis. Now what? I have a big month planned. I have a century on March 7th in San Diego. I am trying to get into shape. Am I going to be side lined for 6 weeks after an operation? Am I going to lose all the fitness I've worked for?

The surgical resident came in to explain the surgery, she told me about the nice 4 inch incision and the weeks of rest I will need. I told her about the big month I had planned and above all I was going to the Olympics. I asked if this could be done laparoscopically. Less invasive. She said the doctor on call didn't do laparoscopic surgeries. I thought for a couple minutes and told her I was going to go to my parents house and have the surgery done at her hospital. I might as well said I was going to do the surgery myself. She told me not to go anywhere.

She came back an hour later and told me she found a surgeon to do the surgery laparoscopically. Dr. Scott came in and said he had heard I had big things coming up. I said I sure did. He said no problem with going to the Olympics and the century should be a go. I liked this guy.

I had the surgery at 3pm on the 4th. The surgery was suppose to be one hour, three and half hours later I was in recovery. Dr. Scott told me my appendix was a lot worst then first thought. He said I probable had it for two weeks or more. Wow. I guess I didn't have gas the week before.

I spent the night in the hospital and was leased before the big snow at 3pm on the 5th. My parents came out to take me home and to hang out with me for a few days. We got well over 2 feet of snow over night. Sadly I was not allowed to go outside to shovel snow. I love to shovel snow. If I would have made a move toward the door I believe my parents would have tackled me. Despite having surgery I was feeling pretty darn good. The only thing keeping me from feeling great was the plastic tube sticking out of my stomach with a vacuum bulb hanging from the end that I have to drain every four hours. So we just hung out for the weekend watching the snow.

On Monday I had my post-surgery doctors appointment. I finally got this dam tube removed. When he pulled the tube out the doctor told me to take a deep breath and exhale. He pulled out a tube that I thought was all the down to my toes. It was at least a foot long. I asked about my planned trips. He hold me to do whatever I felt good doing. And don't lift over 30 pounds. Wow. Cool! Open hall pass.

As you may know, I don't sit well. during the first week I x-c skied twice, went snow shoeing twice and shoveled my driveway. The second week I took two yoga classes, telemark skied, riding my trainer twice and gone to the Olympics. Now I am back into the full swing of things, riding, lifting, working, whatever I feel like doing. I leave for San Diego tomorrow for a 101 mile bike ride. All is good.

Home Sweet Home

2010-01-18T17:54:00.002-05:00

I just walked in the door, back on the couch, relaxing in my Crusty The Clown pants, waiting for the CBS must see Monday TV to begin. After traveling across the country sitting on the 4th jumpseat, this is all I can muster for the evening. I left San Diego a soggy mess at 4:30am to arrive in BWI at 3pm and 60 degree temperatures. Nice timing.

I rode 285 miles in 6 days, not bad for January. Now I must make sure to keep on riding and working out everyday. I need to not repeat last years trend of getting in a big week and riding the couch til the next big week. That won't happen this year. The weather is going to be good for a nice ride tomorrow.

Swami Ride - The Last Ride of the Week

2010-01-17T21:23:00.004-05:00

The San Diego area has so many great places to ride. And on top of that, it has some of the best group rides I've ever been on. There are multiple groups rides everyday for all levels of riders. Today I went on the 8am Swami ride from the Panera Bread in Carlsbad. The Swami rides are some of the hardest rides in the area. This ride is listed as the easier ride of the weekend. Apparently Chris Horner showed up for the harder Saturday ride and broke some legs.

We started with about twenty or so riders at a very steady pace climbing out of the coast onto the ridge before descending to the valley floor. Thirty minutes into the ride we stopped for a quick minute to pick up a couple more riders. The route had a lot of twist and turns, going thru neighborhoods and small back roads before we hit the real riding. Some of the guys at the front were a little slow to point out where we were turning, a few times I got caught by surprise with a quick left followed by a quick left.

When the roads opened up, away from the urban sprawl, the pace picked up to a nice roar. I few guys went off the front on a rolling flat road. I ,of course, went with them because I like that type of road. I made sure to stay third wheel so as to not take the lead since I had no idea where the heck we were. After a few miles we regrouped going down a very long descent and on to a flat section of road. I was helping push the pace when we turned to go back up hill, very dumb on my part. I tried to hang on as long as I could on the climb, thinking it was short. I popped and rode my own pace to the top. We all regrouped again at the top. I really enjoy riding on a group ride where you can go hard and not worry about getting left in the middle of nowhere to die a hundred deaths while riding alone. This pattern of going up and down and up and down, with big climbs and big descents continued for quite a few miles.

I'm not sure where we were at all during the ride. All I know is it was east and north of Carlsbad. But what I do know is it was absolutely beautiful. It reminded me of riding in the Chianti region of Italy. The views of the valleys, mountains and vineyards were just like between Castellina and Gaiole. The big difference was the landscape had more of a desert feel with cactus and sage brush. We stopped at a general store at a campsite for lunch. From here we started another long climb that I was promised was the second to last climb for the day. My climbing legs were on their way out. Five miles of climbing later we topped out with a ridge ride until we made our way back to the coast. Because we started our ride with a gentle climb out of the parking lot, we had a nice cool down back to Panera Bread.

A 60 mile hilly ride deserves a good lunch, so I ate a sandwich and salad at Panera Bread. I sat with five of my riding companions for lunch. We all talked about how much fun and how beautiful that ride was. We then realized that non of us were locals. We all were in town for the great San Diego weather. We were from Northern California, Detroit, Atlanta, Vancouver and of course me from Pennsylvania. That explains why just a few people were ever on the front leading, because most of us were just along for the ride.

Almost a Flat Ride

2010-01-16T23:26:00.003-05:00

Today AJ and I spent the morning watching the waves at her favorite place, Windansea Beach. The winter waves are just amazing to watch. I have never been to this beach without seeing at least a handful of surfers. A pretty popular place indeed.

Afterward, we went for a 35 mile round trip ride down to Point Loma. This is mostly a flat ride straight down the coast with beautiful views. The coast towns just count by like the worlds class beaches they are, La Jolla, Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, Ocean Beach. From Ocean Beach the ride winds around and kicks up some of the steepest hills in the area. I thought I was going to flip over backwards, well almost. Then a steady 2 mile climb to Point Loma. The views from the point look down at San Diego Bay, downtown San Diego, downtown Coronado and North Island Navel Air Station. Pretty incredible views.

Our ride home took us around Fiesta Island and up to Mt Soledad National Park. This is another 2 mile climb. So much for a flat ride. It is nice how much easier this climb was this year compared to last year. 15 pounds lighter is the difference. Lighter is better.

Another Beautiful Day in Paradise

2010-01-16T00:20:00.002-05:00

Today we rode from Encinitas to La Jolla and back. 30 miles. Markus and Cameron are riding a century tomorrow so they just wanted to do a coffee ride. Eric from BikFit.com joined us for todays ride. We just spun our way south down the coast riding and chatting. The best thing about cycling is just riding along getting to know new people. That is what this whole week has been about. And of course getting some good quality base miles in. The only effort of the ride south was the climb up to Torrey Pines. We took the main road instead of the park road. The main road is a longer climb but has a more steady pitch. I felt really good about the consistent pace I was able to keep the whole way up the climb.

We stopped for coffee at Goldfish Point Cafe right in front of the La Jolla Coves. The euro way to ride is to ride for an hour, stop for coffee and ride for another hour. Works for me. Except I don't drink coffee. I can eat pastry though.

While riding out of La Jolla, back up to Torrey Pines, I dropped off the pace of the other three guys a bit. I just made the light to catch them at the top. Since I had a head of steam going from making the light, I kept the pace a little higher on the flats. We caught up to a guy in all yellow who was riding strong. He pulled us for the next few miles. Our pace was higher until we got to Solana Beach. Cameron had to stop at BL Bike Shop to have his chain worked on. The last few miles to Encinitas was nice and easy. Another great ride.

We all went to lunch at Denny's. I had a veggie omelet. Afterward the best part of the day was a recovery massage by Emily Baker from Velo Therapy. Life is good.

A Nice Easy Spin Up The Coast

2010-01-14T20:18:00.002-05:00

Yay right, 70 miles later, I am whipped out. I met the guys from Cyclefilm in Encinitas for a ride up the coast and back. We met up with a couple more guys from Nytro Bike Shop. Six of us rolled two abreast at a nice conversation pace up RT 1 to Carlsbad. Entering Carlsbad Cameron got what sounded like his umpteenth flat of the week. He decided to just stop for coffee and head back to the hotel. He just wanted an easy day anyway, he made a good choice.

The strong guy of the group was on the back side of a 90 mile day so he just wanted to keep steady tempo with a couple downhill sprints thrown in. Steady tempo was a really good tempo especially when we entered I5 for 7 miles. Yes that I5, Interstate 5, with the big rigs and fast moving cars and everything. Then we got on Old Route 1, which is a completely closed road that is used for a bike route. Very cool. This section of road goes thru Camp Pendleton. As we were rolling along my head was on a swivel watching all the different helicopters flying over head doing their maneuvers. Again very cool.

We turned around just before San Clemente. The strong guy and the old guy went home from here. Now it was just Markus, Simon and myself. Maybe because we were heading south, ei: downhill, the pace picked up quite a bit. I guess I picked up the tempo some myself too. That came back to haunt me. Simon began taking long strong pulls and Markus and I were doing our share as well. We rode thru Camp Pendleton on our way south. Pretty cool but that added a few more hills. Not my strength at all. I got dropped on every little hill. They waited for me. When we got back to Carlsbad Simon turned off for home too. Now we are down to just Markus and me. I was fading fast. Markus dragged me in the last 10 miles. We ended up with 65-70 miles of pure fun. Again I can't wait for tomorrows ride.

First Day Riding with Cyclefilm

2010-01-13T19:21:00.002-05:00

After a morning walk down to the beach to watch the waves (I could get used to this), I drove up to Encinitas to ride the Cyclefilm Winter Social Networking Training Camp. What a great idea, getting cyclist together to share their varied interest in the sport we all love so much.

I met Markus at Days Inn for a 10am ride. We headed south along the coast to BL Bikes in Solena Beach so Markus could get a new tire. With a light drizzle we went away from the coast to try to find some warmer dryer weather. We held a nice steady conversation pace for most of the ride. The drizzle turned to rain and back to drizzle but it was a heck of a lot better then riding at home. We rode about 40 miles. I never really know how far a ride is because I don't have or even want any kind of telemetry on my bike. A ride is just a ride, enjoy it. Of course by the end of the ride the sun made its presence known.

Tomorrow I am going to meet Markus and Cameron for another ride at 10am. I can't wait.

Let the Base Miles Begin!

2010-01-12T18:19:00.004-05:00

Getting across the country is an all day affair. I was so excited for this trip that I woke up an hour before my alarm yesterday. This should have allowed me to get on the 10am non-stop flight to San Diego. After packing and repacking, I left my house with what I thought was plenty of time to negotiate I695 traffic. No such luck. There were three, yes three major car accidents on I695. I don't know how people commute to work everyday on this crazy road. I cranked up my cell phone GPS to get me around this morning mess. Ronda, the lady stuck in my phone, kept trying to send me back thru the crash scenes. 'Make next legal u-turn and go straight to a standstill for the next 45 minutes' I just kept on driving away from I695 while reaching in my seat back pocket for my trusty old road map. I got to the airport right at push time for the 10am flight. Oh well, the 12:25pm flight will have to do.

I checked in my bike box and another bag full of cycling clothes and cycling shoes. After a quick bit to eat, I went straight to the gate to stand for an hour so I could sign up for the 4th jump seat. Sadly I had to sit on the 4th jump seat on a 5 hour flight to Phoenix. I got to San Diego at 5pm and my bags made it there as well. Nice.

Today I woke up in paradise. Started the day off with a walk to the beach to watch the winter waves crash upon the rocks. Wow, I do love this place. AJ and I sat watching the waves while sipping tea and eating oatmeal for well over an hour.

AJ planned a great first day ride for me today. We rode out of La Jolla up to Torrey Pines and north to Del Ray. From there we headed east on beautiful rolling hills to Rancho Santa Fe. We completed the loop by riding back up Torrey Pines, that climb kicks my butt, and riding past the La Jolla Coves. 50 miles in 3 hours and 6 minutes is a great way to start my base mileage week in paradise.

Tomorrow I am riding with the folks at Cyclefilm. I really look forward meeting and riding with these guys.

My Bags Are Packed and Ready to Ride.

2010-01-10T22:42:00.003-05:00

I am so excited to get out of this frozen weather, I gave away two days of work so I can leave early. I hope to make the 10am flight out of BWI to SAN tomorrow. It is listed as full but there is always the 4th jumpseat. That should tell you how ready I am, willing to sit 4th on a 6 hour flight. I must be crazy. California here I come!

Start of a New Cycling Season-- I may even try training this year.

2010-01-09T10:04:00.004-05:00

Last year I started the year out with three week long base mileage trips, in Florida, Tucson and San Diego. Each of those weeks were great but the problem was the many hours I spent sitting on my ass eating everything in the house between training weeks. I weighted more in April then I did in December. Not a smart start of a season. This year is going to be different.

How? For the first thing I started already. Back in November I started watching what I eat. I've gone from 205lbs to 188lbs so far. I've yo-yo ed a bit but for the most part it has been going pretty good. During the holidays I only had one bad day of over indulging. Pretty good for a cookie and chocolate junkie. I have a goal of holding 185lbs then working on bring down the body fat percentage. My racing weight will be what ever it is when my % body fat goes from 25% to 15%. Thats the goal.

I've also started lifting weights. Wow! I know! Me lifting weights.... amazing. I even workout on my overnights. I haven't done that in years. To help me stay consistent I've moved my trainer and weights out of the basement into my second bedroom. I've made it into a full blown exercise room with padded floor, large wall mirror and flat screen TV. I can already see a difference in myself. My little stick arms are getting some shape and even feeling stronger. My abs are getting firm and showing signs of losing the fat covering I've always had since childhood. I'm not one for following a set workout program so I've been just working out when ever I can and just doing what feels right for me. Just trying to stay consistent.

Part of my changed views on working out on my overnight also includes taking a Yoga class. Ok, so far I've taken just one Yoga class but that is a start. I have a bunch of Denver overnights coming up and I've found a class that begins at 2pm every day at Core Power Yoga. Trying new things.

Riding the trainer has not been as consistent yet. I need a kick in the ass to get started. So, I'm going to spent a week in San Diego getting much needed base mileage. Thanks to Facebook I've found a training camp in Encinitas. I am going to spend a week riding with Cyclefilm http://www.cyclefilm.com/. I hope to ride with good people and get that kick start I need. 7 days of riding 3-5 hours a day should do the trick.

This year I am going to stay consistent.

First Weekend of Racing

2009-04-20T22:44:00.003-04:00

After spending the winter fighting to find good riding weather between long stretches riding the sofa, it is time to find out if this very specialized training plan worked out. This weekend I signed up for two races on Saturday and one on Sunday. Nothing like finding the speed by fire.

Saturdays races were part of the Syn-Fit Races in Chantilly, VA. The course was shaped like an almost flat sloppy capital D with two 90 degree corners. My first race was a 20 mile cat 4 race at 10:15am with an at field limit 100 racers. I got there with enough time to sign in and get twenty minutes of riding in before the race. I'm not one to do big elaborate warm ups. I don't have a large amount of base miles or fitness for that matter so a good warm up could burn all of my energy before the race even starts. My main concern for the races for the weekend was just surviving the starting speed off the line. I lined up toward the back which is not good for me to do especially in my first race. It started out pretty calm off the line, that allowed me to move up a bit so I could stay protected in the heart of the group. It really was interesting how these guys would not let themselves just carry their speed through the corner instead of feathering the brakes. As the pace picked up toward the end of the race the repeated accelerations off the corners started to take their toll on me. My legs began to feel the strain of speed. Knowing I had another race later in the day, I decided not to dig to deep to hold on to the group so I pulled the plug with 6 laps to go. I was happy to hold on for as long as I did in my first race of the season.
The second race of the day was a 20 mile 35+ cat4/5 race at 2:15pm. This is my favorite category to race, old slow guys who have to go to work in the morning. Much smoother and safer races. I started this race at the front which makes it easier to take the corners at full speed. I had fun going with little breakaways and doing my normal of finding the big guys to hide behind for protection. In the last couple laps I was hanging out in the back watching teams setting up their sprint trains. Yes even cat 4/5's watch the Tour and are able to set up Mario Chipo type lead out trains. I heard a guy talking to his lead out so a asked him him if he was a good sprinter. He said yes. I told him ok I'm going to follow him and get second place in the sprint. He said hang on if you can. We started to make are way back up to the front. With half a lap to go the speed really picked up and big surprise, I couldn't hold on to the train. The guy I was talking to won the race. It was nice to see them have a plan and be able to pull it off. Good for them.

Sundays race was at 9:15am. I had to drive like a bat out of hell to get there in time. I'm glad I'm not one for warm ups because I got a 10 minute warm up. The race was The Carl Dolan Memorial Classic. I raced the 27 mile cat 3/4 race. I have raced this race for the last three years. I've had some pretty good results here in the past. The only concern for me this year is the small hill right before the finish line. I am not lite at all this year. The winter weight never had a chance this year. Too much sofa time. This course is a long round circuit of about 2 miles. The first lap I fought to hang on up the hill. So I decided to make my way toward the front before the hill comes back around again. I did just that and of course on the way up the hill this time I started to slide back til I was spit out the back on the second lap. Now I'm thinking 'crap I just paid $15 a lap to race'. I was passed by a guy at the top of the hill who wanted to continue. I caught up to him and we gathered up two more guys and the four of us rode together for the next five laps until we good lapped. $6 a lap was much easier to stomach.

All in all I am very happy with my racing for my first race of the season with really on speed work at all.

A Great Birthday

2009-04-16T22:06:00.000-04:00

A birthday to me is my day. I do not do anything to celebrate. I have only worked on my birthday once in the past 20 years. I think it should be a national holiday. Not my birthday but everyones birthday. I always find something fun to do. In the past I've gone camping, bungee jumping, glider riding, mountain biking in Moab, and many other bike rides all for my birthday. Today I found a group of accountants who were celebrating the end of tax season with a 70 mile ride starting in Taneytown, Md. After the soaking rain we have been getting for the past week, the sun was so welcome today. At was not the warmest day but good all the same. Knee warmers and long sleeve jersey was the order of the day.
The six of us started out at a very relaxed pass. Really nice to start easy when you know your doing a hilly 70 miles. These guys have been sitting behind a desk for 60 hours a day since January doing taxes. They were not into any kind of stress at all today. Perfect for me. The route is flat for the first 20 miles then climb up South Mountain in PA and roll around the rolling hills for a bit followed by 20 miles of flat back to Taneytown. The climb was long and hard but the scenery was beautiful. Somewhere in the middle we were to eat lunch. The problem was all the planned lunch stops were closed for business, a sign of a bad economy, until we arrived in Emmitsburg at 55 miles. By this time I've been out of water for quite a while. Must have water and eat now. At this point I would eat darn near anything. We ate at Pizza Hut. As pizza goes, Pizza Hut does not really qualify. I ate it anyway. We finished up with an easy 15 miles back to the parking lot.

A great day!

Birthday Ride / Day after Taxes Ride BBC
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Stop, Swap and Save

2009-02-06T18:10:00.001-05:00

The areas largest bike swap takes place this weekend in Westminster, Maryland. I have wanted to attend this bike swap for the past few years but I've always remembered what day it was being held after the fact. So this year I've put it on my calendar as something not to miss. Greg Weber has kept me in the loop about when it was being held and how to get a space to sell stuff. We decided to go in together on a small space. After cleaning out the shop and garage, it is time to figure out what price to sell things for. I've got everything from new Fuji accessories to equipment that I've collected after my many years in cycling. I am also bring a full rack of cycling clothing and at least three bikes.

Have Bike Lets Travel will be at the 12th annual Stop, Swap and Save in Westminster, Md on February 8th between 9am-2pm. Come on out for the fun and great savings.
Check it out at www.stopswapandsave.com

I am also signed up to donate to the American Red Cross Blood Drive. Wish me luck, I tend to pass out while giving blood.

It's Official!!

2009-01-30T23:43:00.002-05:00

Have Bike Lets Travel is now an official USA Cycling racing team. After much talk and a year of racing as an unattached rider, I have now signed up my small little company as a racing team. This is very exciting to me. Now I have to get people to sign up to race with me. Also I will have to host a race at some time this year. Much more info to come. Sign up now at usacycling.org

Staying home for now.

2009-01-25T16:16:00.003-05:00

Well it is Sunday the 25th and I'm not going anywhere this week. I've strained my low back while trying to stay in shape doing ab workouts. So I've decided to pick up some reserve days for a little extra cash. Now I've just got to drag my butt to the rollers for a lite ride to help stretch my back.

We will see what next month brings.

5 days off, where do I go next.

2009-01-22T18:34:00.003-05:00

Starting on Sunday, I have 5 days off from work. I've been trying to decide where I should go to find some sun and good riding. Should I go back to Florida and finish the top side of my map and go from Jacksonville to Orlando. Should I go back to Tucson because the riding was just amazing. Or should I pick somewhere different?

Texas has been a thought. Go ride in Lance's stumping ground and ride the Hill Country. Either fly into Austin or San Antonio. They are only about an hour apart but San Antonio has more flight options. CyclingTexas.com has lots of great information about routes in and around of Fredericksburg.

Another idea is to go to San Diego. But I don't think i want to spend all day on a airplane getting there and getting back. I think I'm going to save California until I have a full week off from work in February.

Decisions, decisions.

Tucson Trip Day 6

2009-01-12T21:45:00.001-05:00

Tucson Trip Day 6

Today is the big test, can I make it up to the top of Mt. Lemmon? It is a 25 mile climb from 2400 feet up to 8315 feet. Almost 6000 feet of climbing, oh my. I couldn't ask for a better day, the high in Tucson is 73 degrees and of course nothing but sun. The high at the top is 51 degrees. That makes dressing an on and off and back on again kind of affair.

After yesterdays ride, which I'm still feeling in my legs, I decided to get a van ride to the base of the climb instead of using the 20 mile ride to the base as a warm up. Up and down and back to the house should be be well over 70 miles as it is. Good enough for my last day, I must say. Joy dropped me off at Tanque Verde Rd. and Catalina Hwy., that is where to guide book says to start from. I started out at a very comfortable pace just feeling my legs and spinning them out a little. There is about a 2 mile run in to the base of the climb,which worked out very nice as a warm up. Just as the climb was starting another rider came up. I was asking him about the climb when I realized he had an Arizona Hill Climb Champion jersey on. He said he won it with his uncle on a tandem last year. Nice! He told me about the climb mile for mile like he was reciting a script for some show he had been studying. He was just going up for a little workout to mile marker 9 before going to work. Not a bad place to go before work. I said thanks for the info, than he was gone. Out of site in a flash.

I just kept telling myself one mile at a time so I would not freak myself out. I had two full water bottles with me and I knew there would be no where to get water until the top. So I would just take little sips or that might be my turn around spot if I ran out of water. I set into a nice easy pace for the first two miles. Then I realized that I could actually push a little bigger gear. It is steady but not really that steep. I started in 34x24 and dropped to the 21 and even down to the 19. I never had to use the 27 at all.

There were a couple road side parking lots to stop to see the view on the way up but I decided to keep on riding for as long as I could before taking a break. I could stop on the way back down for pictures. I lasted until mile marker 7, I had to stop to use the restroom and put some clothes on. From there on it was really just putting one foot in front of the other watching the mile markers ever so slowly tick away. I stopped again at mile marker 10 for a little break and to take some pictures. I kept telling myself just one more mile and I'm turning around. Then at around mile marker 13, I had a little down hill section which really give me an extra spark to continue. A sign said 7 miles to Pinnacle Ranger Station, 12 miles to Summerhaven and 14 miles to Ski Resort. AAAHHH!!!

I have already been riding for 2.5 hours and still 14 miles from the top. I started at noon so time was not going to be on my side. It is time to recalculate my goals. Ok, if I make it to the ranger station that would be great. I should be heading back down by at least 4:00pm so I can have a nice safe fast descent.
I'd been doing all kinds of math in my head all day long to keep me going like at mile 2, 1/12 of the way there and mile 10, 2/5 of the way there. Very simple math, that is all I was capable of. Remember all of my oxygen was going somewhere else and not to my brain.

I started with my arm warmer and leg warmers on for the first two miles. And they quickly came off as I really began to work up a sweat until I reached mile marker 7, when I began going in and out of the shade. I didn't want to get too cold or too hot so I was pulling them up and down quite often. At mile marker 14 they stayed up for good and the vest came out, soon followed by the jacket and gloves.

Pinnacle Ranger Station is now my new top. I've been wanting to turn around with every pedal stroke for the past few miles. Mile marker 20 is the goal, can I make it. Where the hell is it. Dam it, did I pass it? No way, is it hiding? Ah, there it is, behind that snow bank. I pulled in really hoping for some water and a place to sit and rest for a few minutes. At first I didn't see an entrance because the front door was impassable because of snow. I had to use the wheelchair ramp to the back of the building. Inside I met the ranger who told me that we were just shay of 8000 feet and yes, the ski resort was still 5 miles away. I was done. Finished. Ready to go back down. I bought two bottles of water and a big dark chocolate bar, as a reward. I earned it. Darn it.

It was 4:00pm when I started back down. Hey, that makes 4 hours of climbing. And 20 miles. A couple stops along the way. Not bad for a 200+ pound flat lander. Or like I like to say fat lander.

On the descent I couldn't figure out why my bike was shimmying going around the corners. Then I realized it was because my teeth were chattering. It was probably 45 degrees at 8000 feet and I was doing about 35 miles per hour. I was cold! The miles were ticking away much faster than I saw them going by on the way up.

At mile marker 13, I saw two guys going up at a fast pace just talking. Bastards. I did stop a few more times to talk pictures and enjoy the view. The views were quite spectacular to say the very least. I met a couple out on their BMW 1150gs. I so wanted to trade them on the way up.

When I was pulling out of my last photo stop, I saw those two guys descending behind me. They came on me very quickly and passed me. They looked like real deal racer types. Of course, I couldn't let them go, so I give a couple quick pedal strokes and caught back up to them. One guy had a USA National team kit on and the other had a team kit that I didn't recognize. The USA guy looked very comfortable on the bike and the other guy looked to be fight for some extra speed. I sat back a bike length or so watching them. I did have to feather my brakes at times, so I decided to pass the other guy and catch the USA guy. I caught him in seconds, 200+ pounds does have some advantages. We sat and talked while descending the rest on the way down.

They were in Tucson for the rest of the winter training. I didn't catch the USA guys name but he is a neo-pro racing for Time and the National Team. And has spent the last few years racing in Belgium. He is 19 years old. The other guys name is Jerome, he is 25 years old and from Philadelphia. Jerome is trying to get on a team.

If you would have asked me at the top or even at the last photo stop, if I was going to ride all the way back to the house. I would have said NO. Get me a ride. But when I started riding with these two young guys, my legs came right back and I felt fine. Youth does rub off. We rode thru town chatting about racing and training. The kid had lots of international experience and lots of big dreams for the future. Oh to be 19 again. As it turns out, I had met him this summer during Superweek in Chicago. He was racing for my roommates friends there. It was really good to talk about bike racing and to see the future of cycling out on the road.

This really topped off a great week in Tucson.

01/12/2009 up Mt. Lemmon and back to Oro Valley
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Tucson Trip Day 5

2009-01-11T21:44:00.001-05:00

Tucson Trip Day 5

My earliest start of the trip began with a 7:00am alarm and out the door at 7:30am. Oh ya, and 33 degrees. Ouch. Heck, if I wanted to ride in cold weather, I should have stayed in PA. But wait, it's the Tour de Cookie for goodness sake. Mmmm cookies.

This is not like any other organized ride I've ever done before. It was more like a scavenger hunt, since it did not have a set route. There were 12 cookie stations spread thru out town. The idea was to ride from station to station and buy cookies from each and every station to benefit the charity at each station. Pretty cool idea if I do say so myself. Entry was $25.00 and you got a t-shirt and I decided to buy $1.00 worth of cookies at each station, some how I missed one station. I started by eating my cookie right there before heading to the next station. That lasted about 4 stations before I started to get a gut bomb. To much sugar, believe that. So from then on I began to get picky. Some stations had cheap store bought cookies and some had fancy bakery cookies and the best had homemade cookies with a shot glass of milk. A couple stops, I paid my dollar and didn't even take a cookie.

I forgot to get a sheet with all the addresses of the stations. So I had to just follow the other riders. That was OK until I wanted to ride faster or they were going to a station I had already been to. A few times I would race toward the next station only to pass it or miss a turn. The last part I decided to stay with a group of 4 who were keeping a good pace. At the end they said they did about 35 miles for the ride. Much fun was had by all. Even with a 33 degree start.

Afterward I sat around for awhile still trying to warm up. I sat in the sun watching a soccer game with my clothes spread out across a park bench drying out. Nice thing about dry air, your clothes dry out very fast. The temperature only got up to 62 degrees today and with the wind, I never really felt warm.

Next I headed over to the Pima Air and Space Museum for their tour. This place has aircraft from all the wars, both sides. As well as some very important plane from history like speed records and presidential airplanes. I took the tram ride around the field because the driver told you about each and every plane you passed. And because I could sit and relax in the sun. I sat in the back on my own bench so I could slide from side to side to stay in the sun. The shade was chilly.

It was a 21 mile ride back up to the house. To make it easier for me I used the GPS on my phone. It gives you a straight shot home. Not always the best roads but it give a nice short ride. Tomorrow I'm going to climb up Mt Lemmon, 25 mile climb!

01/11/2009 Tour de Cookie and Pima Air Museum then home
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Tucson Trip Day 4

2009-01-10T21:42:00.001-05:00

Tucson Trip Day 4

The key to todays ride was to ride at my own pace. I set out for a long ride and I had to make sure that I didn't try to keep up with any of the other cyclist out there. It's kind of tough to let them all just go riding on by. I'm so glad that I did. Because I had plenty on energy left after almost 100 miles.

I headed out along the bench of the mountain going east. Really nice smooth rolling roads that curve into town. Tucson is set up like Salt Lake City, like a big giant grid. The distance between major streets is a mile. When you start pushing a head wind the mile feels like a heck of a lot longer. Everything changed on Old Spanish Trail, it winds on the diagonal going southeast. It is so much better than going straight.

Next I entered Saguaro National Monument. At first, I was just going to get some water. Then I decided to pay the $5.00 park fee to ride the 8 mile loop thru the park. Again money well spent. Just beautiful. And educational too. I stopped to read every road side sign along the way. The only thing missing is I haven't seen any of the critters they warn you about. I would have loved to have seen rattle snakes, scorpions, owls, javelins, mountain loins and bears oh my.

After I left the park I decided to follow the rest of the route I had planned. I almost cut it short. Wimp. But I'm so glad I completed it. The ride south was bumpy but the reward I'm going to feel come race season. I felt like I was keeping some pretty good tempo going for about 25-30 miles.

On the way back north I rode right thru the center on the Davis Monthan Air Force Base,' the bone yard'. This is where old airplanes come to die. Sort of. Because of the dry desert air, our government takes all of our trillions of dollars of retired aircraft and parks them here. Rumor is most are still really to fly. I guess waiting for WW3 or an alien attack.

The last slug thru town and up to Oro Valley was difficult. I think I hit every traffic light along the way. Those mile long city blocks were getting longer, too. I also had to stop for more water and some fuel. A bagel.

Tomorrow is the big day, Tour de Cookie!

01/10/2009 Oro Valley, Saguaro Monument, Pistol Rd, Bone Yard and back
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Tucson Trip Day 3

2009-01-09T21:41:00.002-05:00

Tucson Trip Day 3.

Today I went west under Interstate 10 and rode the frontage road that parallels the interstate called Silverbells Rd. This road is on the map listed as a nice way to bypass the interstate. So far this the bumpiness road I've ridden is Tucson. Fortunately I was only on it for a few miles and the rest of the ride was spectacular. My ride took me over Gates Pass down into Old Tucson and Saguaro National Park. The ride up the pass was just incredible with every pedal stroke. Even with it being a climb it was great and I'm not a big fan of climbing. When I crested the pass it opened up into a valley where you could see for miles, even as far as Mexico.

On the distant I stopped in a view area to take a few pictures and I met a couple climbing the pass on a Calfee tandem. They were from Connecticut, here for the winter. Every one I've met here is from somewhere else and all of them are from the northeast. Can you blame them?

At the bottom of the hill is Old Tucson Studios. Today I decided not to take the tour but I did peak in and filled my water bottles. They make movies here. From back in the 1950's to today. Clint Eastwood, Paul Newman, Kurt Russel and Sharon Stone have all acted here. Just from the entry way I could see where Keven Costner shot two bad guys at the same time in front of the saloon in Silverodo. Maybe if my parents come out we will go take the tour.

Some of the straightest roads are the most fun here. They go up and down like a roller coaster. Just enough change in height to carry your speed up the next climb. The climb back over the pass was much steeper but with a great reward on the other side. This took me into downtown Tucson during rush hour.
Now it is time to make the slow climb back up to Oro Valley, where I'm staying.

Before getting home I stopped at La Salsa for dinner. Oh my, I was hungry.

01/09/2009 Oro Valley, Gates Pass, UofA and back
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Tucson Trip Day 2

2009-01-08T21:39:00.002-05:00

Tucson Trip Day 2

The morning woke quite cold at 35 degrees. The weather called for a high of 65-70 today. I figured I'd wait until about 50 before I would start my ride. No need to freeze my butt off here. I could have just stayed at home if I wanted to ride in the 30's.

I spent the morning talking with Joy about my planned ride up to Biosphere 2 and about her profession Astrology. I've never been one to really put much thought into astrology but at the same time I've always read mine in the newspaper and I do get a daily update on my phone. All the same I don't know much about it. Joy has been studying astrology for over 40 years. She asked me where, what time and date that I was born. We went into her office where she has a wall full of books on astrology and sat at her computer. Here she plugged my info into the computer and all kinds of charts appeared. Joy explained what was on these charts and how to read them. Much of this information was way over my head. But very interesting all the same. There are so many different charts that mean so many different things. No wonder she has been studying for 40 years.

Around 10:30am I started on my ride to Biosphere 2. Very much an arm and leg warmer day. Nice gradually climb most of the way on a busy road with wide shoulders. Just like Florida, the road was long and straight where you could see where you were going to be 20 minutes from now. But the big difference, here there is so much to see. Florida all you could see was the road and orange groves. Here you have the Catalina mountain to your right and wide open views where you can see 50 miles away to your left. This is wonderful, you can keep Florida.

Since I was riding so well, I decided to continue on past Biosphere 2 on up to the town of Oracle. Oracle is a very small town with a few shops, a general store, believe it or not two Dollar Stores and even a Ford dealership. Both seamed out of place 20 miles from any substantial population. I rode on up to the Oracle State Park. I even considered riding part way up to Mt Lemmon up the back way. The park ranger I talked to said that road went to dirt and only passable by 4x4 just a mile farther. So I turned around back down to Biosphere 2.

Biosphere 2 was built in the late 1980's as a test facility to understand how natural environments create habitable conditions for human sustainability. Basically, they wanted to see what it would take for humans to live on Mars. In 1991, 8 people lived in Biosphere 2 totally sealed in from the outside environment for 2 years. It is really something to see. The amount of thought and money it took to build this incredibly unique structure is mind boggling. It has changed ownership four times since then. And before the University of Arizona took it over in 2007, the surrounding land was sold for housing and they even thought about demolishing it for more housing. Criminal at best. The tour cost $20 and is worth every penny. I hope to bring my parents out here in February. They would love it, especially my dad.

The ride back down the from Biosphere 2 was fast and fun. I was kind of racing the sun to get back before dark. What a wonderful day.

When I arrived back at the house, Joy said where was a gift on the kitchen table for me. She had made two folders for me with my life astrological report and a year astrological report. So very nice of her. I can't wait to read them.

01/08/2009 Oro Valley, Oracle, Biosphere 2 and back
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Tucson Trip Day 1

2009-01-07T21:35:00.001-05:00

Tucson Trip Day 1

When I left the great white northeast at 5am I slide down my walkway to my car and chiseled off a half inch of ice from the windshield. When I got to 695 I realized I had forgot my helmet. Crap! So much for the 7:00am flight thru LAS to TUS. After retrieving my nice new helmet that I bought while on my Florida trip I raced down to the airport hoping to make the 8:05am flight thru MDW to TUS. The traffic was much heavier with morning commuters. I was able to quickly check my bike bag and hustle to my gate. I made it, I hope my bike bag did.

In MDW I was scheduled to have 2 hours between flights. Enough time to get food and go to the crew lounge and print some maps from MapMyRide.com. For the first time going thru MDW I didn't get a Potbellies sandwich. I got a salad. Wow, I may be able to drop some of this extra weight this week if I can do long rides and eat right.

Because of weather in PVD the flight to TUS was late. We waited almost 2 hours for the plane. This got me to TUS at about 3:00pm. I took my time getting off the plane, helping to clean like a good non rev should do. At baggage, my bike bag was just coming around the belt. Nice! I was met at the curb by Joy Archer.

Joy Archer is the very nice lady who answered my craigslist ad for a place to stay. When I said I was going to get a rental car, she said she would pick me up at the airport and if I needed a car they were cheaper near her house. Joy drove to her house taking the roads that I would be riding all the while pointing out stores, restaurants, landmarks and the best roads to take for different rides. We even stopped at a bike shop so I could ask about the best rides. The guy at the shop was from Frederick, MD. He set me up with some great rides and two bike maps. I like maps.

The sunsets at 5:35pm. Joy wanted to make sure I would have enough time to ride today. I put my bike together quickly so I could head out for a short ride. Well this isn't Florida. So much more beautiful and diverse in terrain. I climbed Maggee rd to the end, about 3 miles, for a view of the city lights and an incredible sunset. I saw my first little friend, a bunny rabbit. On the way back down I stopped at Trader Joe's for some supplies for the week. Took a fast shower, eat dinner and now it is time for bed. 8:30pm and I am beat.

01/07/2009 sunset ride, test ride
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Planning for Tucson Trip

2008-12-30T22:09:00.003-05:00

I'm very excited planning my next cycling adventure. On January 7th I'm flying to Tucson Arizona to ride for a week. Another trip in search of warmth and sun and vitamin D. I found a place to stay from craigslist. Last night I placed an ad on craigslist for a 'cyclist looking for a place to stay'. In 24 hours I received over thirty replys from everywhere from $85-$400 a week. What a great thing that craigslist is. Tonight I called Joy Archer in Oro Valley and had a very nice conservation about all the great things to see in the Tucson area. That's where I'll be staying.

Some of my planned rides will take me to Kitt Peak, Sabino Canyon, Mt Lemmon and Biosphere 2. Oh and also the Tour of Cookie! It should be another wonderful trip.

Day 5 Florida Base Miles Trip

2008-12-20T22:04:00.001-05:00

The question of the day is should I stay on schedule and ride to Clewiston or make the big push to end a day early. I got an early start after a greasy diner breakfast of a sausage omelet with home fries and a shortstack. I left at 8:00am, going do south out of La Belle into Alligator Alley. The quick way from La Belle to Clewiston is along Rt80 about 30 miles. Going though Alligator Alley made the ride to Clewiston 55 miles. This is a big square instead of a straight line to Clewiston. I wanted to see alligators.

I had to carry extra water because there is nothing in between point A and point B. Of course the extra weight of carrying two more bottles was such a joy. The good thing is it is really flat in southern Florida. And straight. More roads where you can see where you're going to be 20 minutes from now.
When I was entering Alligator Alley I was stopped by two guys in a pickup truck. They were surprised to see me riding though there on a bicycle and not on a motorcycle. I wish I had my motorcycle. Despite all the water along the side of the road, I never saw an alligator. Plenty of buzzards. Very big scary buzzards waiting for me to sit on the side of the road so they can carry me away to feed me to their young.

On my way out of the Alley to Clewiston I got a phone call from Greg Weber. I very welcome phone call because I was able to talk on the phone and waste a half hour while riding. Remember my music comes from my cell phone. So I use the same headphones for both. Verizon is pretty amazing because I had full cell reception on the whole ride. No matter how remote I thought I was I was still able to send pictures, check emails, check Facebook and send texts. It diffidently got me to Clewiston.

I stopped on the far side of Clewiston for water and a much deserved reward. Ice cream! I sat there for a while not looking forward to riding down the highway any longer with all the big trucks passing by my elbow. After a half hour I got back in the saddle and continued to South Bay. South Bay was to be my new end point for the day. But I thought even with a nights sleep the last leg into Fort Lauderdale along Rt 27 was not going to be any fun. 40 miles of straight highway riding.

So I got the idea to stick my thumb out and hitchhike to Fort Lauderdale. I haven't hitchhiked since my days at Crested Butte when I use to hitchhike to work everyday. I went into the last service station in town for a Gatorade and a piece of cardboard to make a sign. All I wrote on the sign was 'Fort Lauderdale'. I went to the end of town, propped up my bike and stood there with my sign. It lasted less then 15 minutes and I was picked up by large pickup truck with a twenty foot trailer. He said there was no room in the cab but I was welcome to sit in the bed of the truck and he would take me to Interstate 75 about 40 miles. Works for me. I sat back there enjoying the speed that we were passing this very straight stretch of road. When they dropped me off, I thought about putting my thumb back out for another truck ride to FLL. But I decided I had sat long enough to think about this as a new ride for the day. I could easily ride 25 miles.

I hopped back on the bike for my last big push. I am now riding in standard city traffic and moving quite quickly. This is when I thought if I can get to FLL airport two hours before the last flight to BWI I will be able to go home today. For this to work, I had to be able to get the bike bag from baggage services, pack up the bike and clean up enough to get on an airplane. It was going to be close.
In the end I decided on not rushing and getting a hotel and a big plate of meatloaf for dinner. Yum!

92 miles today! And 356 miles in 5 days, not bad start for base miles.

Day 4 Florida Base Miles Trip

2008-12-19T21:32:00.001-05:00

Sidewalks and saddle sores SUCK! I left the hotel at 10:30am after a good nights sleep and a good breakfast. It may have been a mistake. I should have left before the heat of the day. The route was not the most desirable either. It followed major roads that are under construction where I was suppose to ride on a bike path that is also under construction. The road surface for most of this whole trip have been pretty smooth. At least for someone from PA. Today not so much. I'm glad I've been riding rollers since I've been 14 years old. Riding on the white line was like riding 3" balance beam rollers for 15 miles straight. Very stressful too.

Again the day was saved by my headphones. I used them for the last 10 miles just to make it to the end. My feet hurt , my butt hurt and I was sick of bouncing along all day long. After just a few notes of my music and my speed picked up to my normal pace compared to just throwing one foot in front of the other. My pace has been doing very well this whole trip. Legs are spinning good. I've even put some extra efforts in from time to time. And when my butt has been giving me trouble I've even done a few out of the saddle sprints. Sometimes it even feels like training ride.

Tomorrow I'm hoping to go a little farther than my original plans. Instead of stopping in Clewiston, I hope to make it to South Bay. That will make the last day a little less daunting. To do this I'm going to leave at 8:00am. Getting the bulk of the riding done before the heat of the day. And I'll use the headphones earlier in the ride. I just have to watch out for alligators in the alley.

55 miles

Day 3 Florida Base Miles Trip

2008-12-18T22:13:00.003-05:00

After eating a motel continental breakfast, I loaded up and started on my way. Roll out of the parking lot, turn left on Rt 17, turn left on Rt 70. WHOO, WHAT IS THAT! While sliding out a bit. Of course a flat tire. I can still see the comfort of my motel room and I've got to sit in the heat fixing a flat. It took me two tubes to fix it. The first was wasted to extra vigorous pumping. I broke the stem off trying to get to 120 psi. A piece of glass was the culprit. Ok lets start again.

Today was not near as interesting as yesterday. Not near as many creatures. Just snapping turtles to add to the list. Lots of very straight, very long roads with headwinds. Again I feel quite recovered. My legs are good. My butt on the other hand has not recovered as well. In all my years of riding I've never had such a sore butt. I imagine too much time on the couch and too much time off the saddle as the general cause. It doesn't help that I'm spending most of my day in time trial mode. Without the climbs and ever so welcome descents, I'm in the seat for very long periods of time. All the same, this should do wonders for my overall fitness.

Finally, I found a bike shop. AMCE BIKES. Can you believe that. I was looking for the wilily coyote and road runner to come riding in. I was able to get a much needed new helmet. Whew I made it. And a new rear tire. I went with a kevlar 700x25 tire to handle the extra weight of the panniers. The folks at the shop were kind enough to let me use their repair stand and floor pump. It is very rare to have a shop let a costumer use shop tools and shop time. Thank you very much. They told me that they have done this type of trip many times thru Florida. Following the same set of maps that I'm using. They added a very important step. A follow vehicle. What a great idea.

Mid day I start thinking 'ouch' this is boring and killing my butt. Wondering what the heck I'm doing to myself. Should I just throw in the towel and get a rental car to complete the trip. Today I used magic to get me though the day. Headphones to be more actuate. I don't ever use headphones while riding normally. I think you need to be able to hear everything around you. I usually sing out loud to get me over a hill. I wasn't able to do it alone. Today I needed the distraction. I needed to forget about riding and the extra straight boring roads and sing at the top of my lungs to the buzzards overhead waiting for me to topple over in exhaustion. I slugged though, got to the hotel, got a hot shower, some good food and I'm ready to go again tomorrow. No problems. Tomorrow we will see what my butt thinks!

52 miles today.

Day 2 Florida Base Miles Trip

2008-12-17T20:59:00.002-05:00

Armadillos, Skunks and Rattle Snakes Oh My! This was one heck of a day. These are the creatures I got a picture of. I also saw wart hogs, buzzards, and an alligator from a distance. This is the first time I've seen an armadillo a live. They are usually squished on the side of the road. He was a cute little guy, just rooting around the grass not even caring about me at all. I saw the skunk as I was coming around a corner. I quickly passed on the far side of the road. He didn't seem to care about me either. So I turned around to take a picture. The passing cars give me a look like I was crazy for getting that close to a skunk for a picture. When I saw the rattle snake I was getting passed by a car at the time. It scared me at first, until I realized his head was smashed. I had to get a picture of him. It was the first time I've seen one, I'm glad he was dead thou. The wart hogs were way to fast for pictures, the buzzards don't like their pictures taken and the alligator was too far away to smile for the camera. I hope to see more alligators when I go through alligator alley.

After a hardy breakfast at Ho Jo's, I started into the morning fog. I felt much better than I thought I would feel after yesterdays long ride. My legs didn't seem to have any tenderness at all. Amazing! I haven't riding at all in about a month and my first ride was 70plus miles. I had major concerns with cramping last night. I just rolled along spinning a nice easy gear all day. I drank many bottles of water, even I couple with Nuun active hydration tablets. Unlike yesterday, today I stopped for lunch. I ate at a deli at a gas station nestled in the middle of orange groves. Of course it had to be good because of all the locals eating there. It was. I had bbq chicken, mac and cheese and blueberry cobbler.

I decided this morning, I had to make up the lost miles from yesterday if I didn't want to spent an extra day on the road. I had 20 miles to make up to get back on track. That makes todays ride in the 80plus mile neighborhood. Heck, I haven't ridden a ride that long all summer long. My hands and arms give me more trouble then my legs. But I must say the last 27 miles were very hard on my feet. I think I may need new insoles. Again after a shower and another good meal (Slims BBQ) I feel just fine. We will see what tomorrow brings. Oh ya, I'm still looking for a bike shop to get a new helmet. I think Florida needs more bike shops.

Today 87 miles

Day 1 Florida Base Miles Trip

2008-12-16T20:32:00.002-05:00

To start the day, I got out of the house a little late. I forgot about the extra time needed to check a bag in. I was the last one to board. One would think I would know better. All the same I made it.

In Orlando I built my bike off to the side of the baggage carousel. It must have looked a little strange, having the contents of my bag strewn all over the carpet. A few TSA folks walked by but never said a word. A word of advise, don't pack your helmet with your bike. Carry it on the airplane. Because of this over site, my helmet has a big giant crack in it. I have to find a bike shop soon. I left the bike in the baggage office while I check the empty bike case in for it's second flight of the day. The ticket agent thought I was checking in an empty so I could fill it with Christmas presents. I just smiled. I hope it made it to Fort Lauderdale. Heck, I hope I make it to Fort Lauderdale.

Riding out of the airport is a bit challenging with the buses and taxis zooming by. But once past the interstate entrance ramp the traffic comes down. The day was suppose to take me to Lake Wales after 61 miles. I did ride well over 60 miles but I didn't make it to Lake Wales. I got off course after only 5 miles and it took me 15 extra miles to get back on course. And in Kissimee I spent 5 miles looking for a bike shop that is now out of business and became a pizza shop. I called it a day in Haines City at a Howard Johnson's. Clean room, hot shower, and of course food. It has been years since I've had a good Ho Jo's buffet. $7.45 all you can eat and really good food too. I behaved myself, only ate one helping of everything.

Holy cow, I'm out of shape. I knew this wasn't going to be an easy trip but boy oh boy, my legs hurt. I'm hanging out in my hotel room watching Edward Scirrorshands with my feet high on the wall trying to not cramp up. Tomorrow should be interesting.

Best guess 70 miles today.

Florida Trip Day 6 Clewiston To Fort Lauderdale Map

2008-12-12T22:27:00.003-05:00

Day 6 Map

MapMyRide.com View 12/21/2008 Florida Trip Day 6 Clewiston To Fort Lauderdale in Clewiston, Florida

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Florida Trip Day 5 LeBelle To Clewiston Map

2008-12-12T22:26:00.003-05:00

Day 5 Map

MapMyRide.com View 12/20/2008 Florida Trip Day 5 LeBelle To Clewiston in Labelle, Florida

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Florida Trip Day 4 Fort Myers To LeBelle Map

2008-12-12T22:25:00.003-05:00

Day 4 Map

MapMyRide.com View 12/19/2008 Florida Trip Day 4 Fort Myers To LeBelle in Fort Myers, Florida

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Florida Trip Day 3 Arcadia To Fort Myers Map

2008-12-12T22:24:00.003-05:00

Day 3 Map

MapMyRide.com View 12/18/2008 Florida Trip Day 3 Arcadia To Fort Myers in Arcadia, Florida

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Florida Trip Day 2 Lake Wales To Arcadia Map

2008-12-12T22:23:00.003-05:00

Day 2 Map

MapMyRide.com View 12/17/2008 Florida Trip Day 2 Lake Wales To Arcadia in Lake Wales, Florida

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Florida Trip Day 1 Orlando To Lake Wales Map

2008-12-12T19:25:00.003-05:00

This is my planned Day 1 of my Florida Base Mile Trip

MapMyRide.com View 12/16/2008 Florida Trip Day 1 MCO To Lake Wales in Orlando, Florida

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Using new Dell Mini9 computer.

2008-12-11T12:54:00.002-05:00

I just received my new mini laptop computer. I do plan on taking it with me on my Florida trip so I can update post each day along the way.

Planning for Florida Base Miles Trip

2008-12-10T19:42:00.003-05:00

I'm in need of getting my butt off the couch and back on the bike. It has been almost a month since my last ride. So to kick start my season I've decided to go to Florida for some much needed base milage.

How does 370 miles in 6 days sound? That should do the trick. I'm planning to ride from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale. Traveling light from hotel to hotel, with just enough clothes to make it work.

Fly into MCO on 12/16. Build bike in airport, send box down to FLL and start riding.

Day 1 Ride from Orlando to Lake Wales 61 miles.
Day 2 Lake Wales to Arcadia 69 miles.
Day 3 Arcadia to Fort Myers 53 miles.
Day 4 Fort Myers to LaBelle 55 miles.
Day 5 LaBelle to Clewiston 53 miles.
Day 6 Clewiston to Fort Lauderdale 79 miles.

And also fly back to BWI on the last day so I can go back to work on X-mas eve.
Wish me luck!

Testing New Blog Writer

2008-09-01T22:06:00.001-04:00

I’m trying a new blog service from Microsoft called Windows Live Writer. It should allow me to post pictures and maps and videos easier. Lets see if this works. Here goes

This is a picture I took a couple years ago while riding my motorcycle at about 90mph. I know, not bright.

Now lets try a video

It’s the Bicycle Repairman from Monty Python. I do plan on putting this on my web site.

Now lets try a Map

now that’s cool

I like it, thanks Becky

Who needs a calf muscle anyway!

2008-08-14T21:39:00.005-04:00

Running sucks! With the idea of training for cyclocross, I bought new running shoes a couple weeks ago. Start slow, go easy, avoid injury. Right. I got the correct shoes. I started by walking , then light jogging for 30 seconds, back to walking for a minute, and again jogging for 30 seconds. Repeat. Well I didn't make it past the third repeat when I felt a twinge of tightness in my left calf. Great, here we go again.

Last year I pulled my calf muscle running for the employee shuttle to get my cell phone I had left in my car. I thought someone hit me in the back of the leg with their rollerbag. Wow that hurt. I got some Bengay and went to work. That night I planned to race in SEA at the velodrome. Well, I limped to the track, got on my bike to warm up and to test the calf. After a lap, I completely forgot about my injured calf. I guess I just don't use that part of the calf muscle on a bicycle. Yay!

Fast forward to last night. My stressed left calf from last week is beginning to bother me early in the day. By the end of the day, I've got a full on limp going. And boy, does it hurt. So this time I get IcyHot. (always willing to try something different) Of course, I'm back in SEA and racing on the track again. This time when I get on the bike the pain doesn't go away like before. Oh crap. Do I continue to race or do I just call it a night and watch others race? You know I do love to watch bike races. But I also do love to race. Heck with it. My calf isn't going to fall off! Is it?

I raced strong all night. Chasing down breakaways (my favorite). Going with surges. Leading out sprints. And even being in the points for 4 points sprints in a row. I still don't have a good top end speed. Who really does need a calf muscle to ride a bicycle. It is over rated.

Boy, do I love the Olympics!!

2008-08-11T10:17:00.002-04:00

Up late every night, up early in the morning and even up again in the middle of the night to watch LIVE races on the computer. The coverage this year is much better because of the internet. Primetime still gives you only the feel good stories. The cycling coverage is mininal. But the internet shows the whole 6 hour race LIVE. And the best part is no commontaters just raw sound.

I've been watching all kinds of different sports like badminton, weight lifting, beach volleyball, archery, field hockey, soccer, handball, equestrian, gymnastics, swimming and of course cycling. And this is only 4 day into it. We've got until the 23rd. Ok , I've got to get back to watching the Olympics.

Time for the long rides

2008-08-10T22:49:00.002-04:00

After so much racing, I've decided to start going on some long rides to get ready for cyclocross season. I do things a little backwards. I kind of raced myself into shape and now I've got to get some endurance.

Today, Larry and I went out for just shy of 4 hours. Most of our ride was just at conversation pace. I did crank it up a bit on a nice smooth section of road from Jefferson to Seven Valleys. I couldn't help myself. It really wasn't smart, because we just limped in for the last few miles. ouch! I'm feeling it now sitting watching the Olympics.

Back to T-town

2008-08-09T23:03:00.001-04:00

It has been way too long away from the velodrome. It is so much fun. Ed, Spencer and I went for the last race of the track season in Trexlertown. This is Spencer's first track race and his first time riding rollers. All I can say is when Spencer gets more experience on the track he is going to be something. He is so strong.

Ed raced both the cat4 and masters races. That means he raced 3 cat4 races, 3 masters races and the feature race for a total of 7 races. That would have killed me. What a wild man. He did great!

We raced a 12 lap scratch race, a 20 lap points race and a miss and out. Plus a 24 lap feature. of course times two for Ed.

My favorite race is the miss and out. It has been since I was a junior. Thats because I can hang in and positon my way up in the group for protection. I got 5th.

My mom and dad came to watch us race today. I love it when they come to watch. But they missed my 5th place race because they went to go eat and came back. Very funny, they are so funny.

The feature event for us was a 24 lap scratch race. The Colavita team had three riders in the race. They tryed to breakaway twice. I brought them back twice. That is fun for me.

Next year we need to go to the track much more often.

End of My Summer Race Series

2008-08-04T09:35:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we raced our last race of the Crossroads Cycling Classic in Winston-Salam. When I woke up in the morning my legs were painful to the touch and as heavy as they have ever been. I said to Matt ' if this wasn't the last day, I would take this day off '. We finished packing up our apartment and made our way to Winston-Salam.

During my warm up ride again I felt really bad. I just kept out of the sun and heat as much as possible. It was very hot with not much shade in the parking area. We have been freezing our water bottles all week long which has really helped me during the race. No more hot water in the face mid race. I rode the course backward during an earlier race to scope out the terrain. It looked OK to me because it had some shade on the back section with a couple little power hills that offered some recovery sections. I thought that I might be OK if my legs weren't so heavy.

About two laps into the race my legs loosened up and I felt great. I was really surprized. I could more up and back in the group at ease. Ted almost got caught in a crash early in the race but some how he got thru it. I really mean thru it because I thought the guy crashed right in front of him. But when I looked back Ted was still there. Amazing.

Matt was up working at the front for a good part of the race. With a little over a lap to go, I started making my way to the front to go get Matt. I was a bit to late as Matt was coming back and I didn't give myself enough time to get all the way up. I sprinted to 14th. Matt got 27th and Ted in 34th.

Again, what a great week. What a great summer. 14 races in 23 days. And if I can blow my own horn, I finished every race in the first group except Hunny Bop. What fun!

Watching the PROs in Charlotte

2008-08-02T22:49:00.000-04:00

Tonight we went to the Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium in Charlotte NC. What a night. We got to see two great races. Won in two different styles. Both races had every team trying everything they could to be up front for all of the money being offered. $25,000 for the womens race and $50,000 for the mens race. And that is only the prize list, not including primes.

The course was shaped like a big dumbell with lots of weight on it, a four corner crit on each side of a long straightaway which went up hill a bit in the middle where the finish line was located. At the start of the womens race the bell was rung right away for a $200 prime. That started the fireworks and the primes coming lap after lap kept the fireworks going. With 10 laps to go there was a $500 prime that pulled Kat Carroll from Aaron's off the front and she just kept on going. The rest of the teams didn't get organized fast enough to bring Kat back and Aaron's did a great job watching the front. Kat held on for a very impressive solo victory.

The mens race started with 134 riders, we all knew it wasn't going to finish with anything close to that. Again primes, primes, primes and fast. I really don't know how they can handle such a high pace for that long. Supermen indeed. It was a straight line for the better part of two hours. You could just see the pain on the faces of every riders in the field as they struggled to hold on for dear life. And the guy behind him hoping he could get around to close up gaps. Pain. The race came down to 8 guys getting away with around 12 laps to go and holding off the remainer of the field (50 some odd riders left) with the help of their teammates in the field. Wow, it is just inspiring.

Just a parking lot crit.

2008-08-02T16:34:00.001-04:00

Finishing late last night and racing again early today sucked. Ok, that is going to be my excuse. It was hot and of course fast but I just kept on losing the wheel on the straights. Just couldn't hold the speed. I got together with 4 other guys and traded off til we were lapped with one lap to go. Matt got 9th in the sprint and I got placed in 20th.

Now we are going to Charlotte to watch the Pros race.

Downtown Criterium - Statesville NC Style

2008-08-01T22:32:00.003-04:00

Fast, fast, fast, fun, fun,fun!!! 6 corner, L shaped, .6 mile course with a small power climb. My style. Lots of turns! Again these races start out fast and stay there. I got a good start and just settled in while looking for Ted and Matt. Matt was right beside me a couple laps into the race. I asked ' How do you feel ' Matt said ' I hate it back here ' and off he went to the front. A little while later, I was watching the front from a distance to see if anything was going on and I saw Matt trying to close a gap with no help from anyone else at all. I made my way to up to the front to try to give Matt a hand. When it came down to the sprint Matt got 9th and I came in at the back of the main group in 19th place. To my surprise, Ted was right there at the end. Great work Ted!!

Much Better, Much Fun

2008-07-31T23:21:00.003-04:00

Tonights race was in Salisbury, NC. Another nice little hamlet of the south, which allowed a bunch of cyclist to close off its downtown streets to race around at crazy fast speeds. The locals seemed to enjoy it. I think.

Anyway, raced a figure 8 course. Can I say how much fun these races are again. Well, they are. Fast from the start. Gaps opening up with every corner. All of this racing is allowing me to close gaps with ease. The starting group of 60 some odd was down to 20 in no time at all. With a bunch of smaller groups trailing. Ted and Steve were the group just off of the main group. I sat on the front group the rest of the race. After last night, I decided to not mix it up for the sprint. I came in 16th.

Crash Boom Bang Twice!!

2008-07-31T13:23:00.002-04:00

That was a first. I crashed twice in one race. Wow.

It was the easiest 4 corner course I've riden all year. Really no need to brake or shift at all. With that said, on lap 3 a guy went wide going around a corner and nailed a lamp pole with 2 hay bales on it. His bike bounched back and I ran it over and went down. No damage. Easy fall.

I took my free lap and got right back into the pack. Again Ted got stuck behind the crash and was chasing. His group got pulled a few laps later.

I just sat in the group waiting for the final sprint. I could move up at will, so I waited til 2 laps to go. I came around the 4th corner in top 15. At the line the front guys got together and crashed. I thought I was going to make it around them when a bike slid in front of me taking out my front wheel. Down I go, sliding on my ass. Yea gotta love it. Just a little skin, no big deal.

I got 13th.

Mocksville Criterium

2008-07-29T22:18:00.002-04:00

This is the start of our 6 days of racing in Crossroads Cycling Classic.

4 corners and very fast. There was a blind pothole on the back straight. Of course I hit it almost every lap. But early in the race someone hit it and got squirly and crashed with about 5 guys. This split the field, as the front never slowed down. I was safely in the front and Ted got stuck behind the crash in the chase group. We never saw the chasers again.

It stayed fast with a group of about 40 guys. Every couple laps or so we would lose more guys to crashes and atresion. It's funny how guys crash in the same place lap after lap. You would think they would learn not to go too far outside there.

We finished as a group of 26 riders. I didn't sprint in got 26th. Ted's group got pulled with 15 laps to go.

Off to North Carolina for some more racing!

2008-07-28T08:32:00.000-04:00

Ted and I decided to spend a week racing the Crossroads Cycling Classic in North Carolina. 6 races in 6 days AGAIN. I love my life.

Irving Park Criterium

2008-07-27T22:38:00.000-04:00

Spencer, Ed and I raced in Allentown. Spencer in his second cat 5 race. Ed and I in our millionth cat 4 race. No need to upgrade, we are just having fun.

Spencer again raced great even on a course with a small hill. Stay on was the first order of business. He quickly found out that the hill was much easier then it looked. You could just carry your speed right up it. At the end Spencer give it alittle bit of a sprint. He finished 15th. Great job. This is only the beinning.

The cat 4 races was delayed by a quick moving thunderstorm. So we started on wet roads. About 5 laps into the race, I picked up a piece of glass and got a front flat. Thank goodness Ed put wheels in the pit. I got my free lap on Ed's front wheel. Getting back in was a challenge for me, being that it was up hill and the pack was going fast. I got in alright. But shortly after Ed decided to test the wet road surface. He slid out going around turn 2. As he was getting his free lap, I went to the front to keep the pace steady. Ed and I now were hanging out in the back of the pack deciding what we wanted to do next. We decided that I would take Ed to the front with a lap to go and lead him out for the finish. I got him up there, but then I was done. Ed made some great moves thru the group to get himself 6th place. I got 16th. Not bad, a flat, a crash and 6th and 16th places. Another fun race.

Hunny Bop not Bunny Hop

2008-07-20T22:40:00.002-04:00

Still going! I did my 7th race in 9 days. boy am I tired. But still riding fast. It was a very hot day, about 95 degrees in the shade. I couldn't get the heat out of my mouth at all. Every time I sprayed water in my face I thought it was hot dish water. Not refreshing at all. But I was sitting comfortable toward the back. As the race went on I didn't see anything to gain from frying myself in the heat with no cool water so I pulled out with about 15 laps to go. At was a very good week. It is not about the finish , it's about the FUN. I had fun.

At was a long day watching races. Spencer did his first criterium in the morning. He raced a great race. He kept his nose out of trouble and listened to when to move up. He finished in 23rd place without even turning a pedal around the last turn. A very good move since he is going to race cars in the morning.

Matt the super stud did two races back to back in that heat. Cat 3/4 with me and Masters 30/40. Very very fast. He was amazing. Between races all he could do was refill his bottles and get to the line. As always he does his loin share of the work when he races. Talk about being wrecked at the end of the day. Matt was very close to heat stroke. He had to cool down fast. Great day Matt!!

Super Week Wow What a Fun Vacation

2008-07-19T21:56:00.000-04:00

First time in my life I raced 6 races in 6 days. I didn't do to bad if I say so myself. I placed in the money in 5 races in a row and just outside of the money on the only race with a hill. That figures.

Of course all of my races were cat4/5 30+, which is my favorite catagory because they are all old slow guys who have to go to work in the morning. Nobody taking crazy chances.

Here are my results:

9th place at St Francis Hospital Blue Island ($25)

12th place at Olympia Club Criterium ($20)

8th place at Richton Park Criterium ($30)

10th place at Ray Basso Bensenville Criterium Day 1 ($25)

4th place at Ray Basso Bensenville Criterium Day 2 ($50)

15th place at Hulboldt Park Criterium (out of the money)

I paid $203 in entry fees for the week of racing and won $150 for the week. I can't say how happy I am about placing so consistantly.

I will most definitely be going back to Superweek next year. Maybe for the full 17 days. Want to join me?

2 for 2 in the Money

2008-07-13T22:27:00.001-04:00

I could get use to this. With races placing down to 12th place, I could really have fun.

Today I rode to the race in Olympia Club. I'm not one to get in a good warm up, but with 7 races in a row, I figured it wouldn't hurt. 10 miles each way. The race course was in a brand new, not even near finished ,development. Instead of being 6 corners and 1k. It was 4 corners and less then half a mile. The road surface was at least one layer of asfault short. The edge of the road had an inch lip, 6 inches before you got to the curb. As the front of the field set up for the third corner, they moved to the outside, skeezing until someone hit the lip and cartwheeled into the construction debries. OUCH! He did get up, then threated to kill the rider who moved over. Very nice. Not. Again field sprint. 12th in the money, but my sprint sucks.

Blue Island Criterium

2008-07-12T21:49:00.000-04:00

It is official, I have now raced in SuperWeek! The race was just 2 blocks from where I'm staying in Blue Island. Charlotte, of my host family, was working as a race marshall on the first corner all day long.

We had about 40 riders in the Masters 4/5 race. It was a nice long 4 corner crit, no surprizes, just a little bumpy. A few breaks would get about 10-15 seconds then come back. I stayed up toward the front for most of the race and even put in a couple efforts myself to bring breaks back. It came down to a field sprint on the longest striaght away about 400 meters. Of course the sprint started from the corner. Half way down the road I started to sprint, I passed some riders who were running out of gas. I got 9th place. In the money!

Beverly Hills Cycling Classic

2008-07-11T22:18:00.001-04:00

I arrived in Blue Island just after 3pm. Another hot day on the motorcycle. Last night I stopped in Strongsville, OH and stayed in our crew hotel. What a great job I have, not only can I get plenty of days off to go race for a week but also getting a great discount on hotels at the last minute.

After meeting my host family and setting up my new room, I went for a little bike ride to see the Pros race in Beverly Hills. It was very much like the West Chester race. Big crowds and lots of fan fair. A real party in the streets. All of the locals came out with full meals on the front lawn, as well as more wine and beer to keep the party going for the whole 100k race. The riders didn't disapoint either. Attack after attack. The primes were flowing as much as the beers. Over $4200 in primes for the night. Wow!

Leaving for SuperWeek

2008-07-10T08:27:00.000-04:00

When I called my company Have Bike Lets Travel I meant it.

This is my packed rig ready to go out to Chicago for Super Week. I'll be staying with a host family in Blue Island Illinois.

Signed up for SuperWeek

2008-07-06T23:40:00.003-04:00

I was so inspired by the race last night that I signed up for SuperWeek. I've wanted to race this series since I've been 18 years old. So I signed up to race 7 races in 7 days! I think I may be crazy.

West Chester Twilight Crit

2008-07-06T23:14:00.002-04:00

What a great event! I just wish I had a better start and a little bit more power to hang on longer. I raced the cat 3/4 race in downtown West Chester before a very excited crowd. There were about 100 riders to start but it thinned out pretty quickly. Very fast off of the line. Since I started in the third row I had to fight alittle to more up. I just didn't fight hard enough before the third corner. It was the tightest corner on the course, it could be ridden at full speed but in the back of the field they seem to hit there brakes a little to much. So going up the homestraight each lap I was just trying to hold by position up the small rise. Every lap I was losing about 20 positions and then gaining back 10 on the backstraight down hill. That didn't last long. I was hanging off the back of the field riding my own speed thru the corners doing about the same pace is the field. I was praying for the them to sit up some or a small mishap in the field. The field was still in site when I got pulled. They pull riders way to early in races like this. Great course all the same. I spent the rest of the night watching bike races and watching people. Much fun!

West Chester Twilight

2008-07-06T10:36:00.001-04:00

What a great event! Last night I raced at the West Chester Twilight Criterium. Although I didn't last long in the race, I was inspired. The crowds were large and loud, even for the cat 3/4 race. It started very fast off the line of course. And I made the mistake of starting to close toward the back of the field. With a little bit of a rise entering the home straight, it didn't take long before I at the back getting gapped on every corner by riders braking hard for the corners. Once I was off the back, I was able to take the corners at full speed and gain some ground toward the field. I was sitting in a group of 4 or 5 riders when the offical stepped out in front of us to end our day. It is always bitter sweet to get pulled from a race. One the field was still in sight. Two it ends the suffering.

All the same it inspired me sign up for SuperWeek. It is a last minute decision but I've decided to go to Chicago to race 7 races in 7 days. I've wanted to go to Super Week since I've been a junior. Always something would come up to stop the trip. Mostly lack of fitness and lack of funds. When I was a junior I never had the means to get there in the first place. But it was always a dream to race multiple days in a row.

I put out a quick email to Matt and Ted to see if they wanted to go with me on such short notice. Matt is working and Ted's vacation doesn't start til later in the month.

I've been in need of an adventune. I'm going. And just for the fun of it, I'm going on my motorcycle.

first Blog

2008-07-03T22:32:00.000-04:00

Wow, I am now a Blogger!! It may take me a little time to figure this thing out, but it could be fun.