Yesterday I did a little spin with Evan and Jeff and then after I was going to the store to get dinner stuff for the family. While waiting for a pedestrian to walk into City Market I was just to the side of the driving area while a guy in a truck was creeping into the crosswalk, I guess I didn't move fast enough out of his hurried way, he honked at me to move and shot me a dirty look, so I shot him the Finger. He started getting out of his truck when the guy behind him yelled to keep going. Why this guy was in such a hurry in a grocery store parking lot I have no idea? Perhaps I was wrong to do what I did but sometimes I get pissed off at asshole motorists. Since moving to Breck I've had fewer of these encounters, in Frisco it was a weekly occurence. The pace in the mountain towns in the shoulder season should be a bit more mellow, why do they get angry at a guy on a bike? I thought for a while that if the motorists were angry at cyclist it was maybe because they weren't happy with themselves and saw us as something they were not, fit, or trying to be fit?! The fact remains they are in a position to hurt us very easily, as Joel's martial arts instructor said "car is the best weapon." I think I'm responding well to the real training, my body is tired on the proper days and it allows me to rest when I need to, I haven't had to drag myself out to do intervals yet, on those days I'm ready for them full-throttle. I like the free-form program method. I do work in a structure I set up as I get on the bike that day, whatever feels right. I need to do a bit of motor-pacing, that is the key to me getting through the season without super high end training. If I can do that once a week, Portland will be good!

The last couple days have been tough, I'm not sure where I am in the world, only one thing is really good and that is Beckham. The doctors visit was great, she thought Beckham's eyes were better than what she was expecting! It was great news when all else is pretty topsy-turvy. This is a good time to write but when not much else is happy it's tough to write about good stuff, and the one or two people who actually read this don't want to be bored with my problems. The thing is Beckham and Jackson are the two best things in mine and Shaubie's lives. Jackson had a birthday on tuesday so we got him a new bag of chips, which he was thrilled about! He is so sweet, and whenever B is pissed off he goes over to him to try and help or just calm him down a bit. he knew it was his birthday, he was extra-happy and animated all day! We got thai food that was even better than last time. We brought it home and had some different stuff we hadn't had before that kicked ass. I had this noodle dish that was the spicy-est thing ever, and good! I even had a beer with dinner, perfect treat! The currys were so good, I wanted to keep eating like a goat until my stomach burst. Pretty inexpensive too. If anyone wants the name address email me wtbtim@rocketmail.com I did some work yesterday, good almost structured stuff, it felt good to get out and do that kind of effort. Alone on the road bike and trying to chase that good result. The bikes are feeling better than ever, I think maybe after a season on all 3 kinds of bikes they all feel good and comfortable, most years it's just one or two kinds by this spot in the season. Throw in the fixy and that makes 4. I want to ride the fixy more, hopefully after the shed is built I can have that as my main commuter, but until then fishing the bikes out of the crawlspace is going to keep me from riding a fun bike to work. I want to get back out on the mtb soon, maybe this weekend we'll hit Westridge again. I miss the singletrack and the mellow cruising down. I wish I knew how to race the descents on my mtb, I guess that's the problem with learning to race on the east coast, the downs are short and they are where you recover. Ride your damn bike Beckham is 5 months today

grass

Great race today in Gunnison, we had a wonderful drive over there on Cottonwood pass and then a great time at the race. I went ok, came third. Had to let 1 and 2 go early on as they were going a lot faster than me early on. Then the gap stayed but I think I'd have blown if I tried to stay with them. Speedwork is the key between now and Xlinx in two weeks. My lead in the series has opened a touch, I know it can be mine if I go well at the next race. The course rocked! We got to ride off-camber grass, in Colorado! Really good for me as it had fitness sections and also skills sections too. My legs were back as much as I could expect after a decent week of training. I'll run some more this week and get my shit dialed for next time. I know that the season is shaping up to be a good one for me, perhaps the best yet. The bike was great today, tires had perfect grip and right pressure. I waited for the guys I was riding with to show me a mistake, one faded and the others had mechanicals, I went away alone from about 35 minutes left, I just tried to ride smart and not screw up, it was a good course to work on jumps out of corners and smart skills/tactics. Shaubie and Beckham got to hang out with the boys and enjoy the day in Gunny, they cheered me on and thought it was a good day too. We stopped in Salida for the really good pizza and it rocked, we could have eaten a ton more. B was a little pissed on the way home and gave us all a headache, then he mellowed for the last 20 minutes of the drive. I love cyclocross!!!

Al Dente

Yesterday moved along a little bit better than the day before. I hope we get busier soon. I wasn't struggling through the way the other day had me pulling instead pushing, it's always easier to push than pull. I rode solo to get my work done, overgeared crap that hurts but you don't feel like you're really doing anything other than loading the legs with my messesnger bag on my back. But it works, I've done this in the past and it helps, especially a couple of uphill miles doing it. My body feels a lot better going into the weekend than it did last week so maybe I got over the funk, the blah that comes with a shitty ride. Travis and Todd went on a double date last night, I can only imagine what went on. Truly frightening I'm sure. We had a great dinner at home, the pasta I made was perfect al dente, it got a bit softer as the meal wore on but even at the end was crunchy-just enough. Broccoli and chicken in there with it made a perfect meal. I'm realizing that getting to bed at 8 pm is impossible, not only un-doable but absolutely impossible. Good pasta is such a treat, when you get it right you relish each bite. I haven't really had any epiphanies lately, lack of real thought, just banal race focus not the good stuff I prefer to ponder while riding, also the mp3 is dying, I think, that always hurts the thought process.

Sushi Parts

I felt a lot better than I thought I would on the ride yesterday, which in some ways dissapointing because I thought I really did a job on my elbow and hip. The worst part was the itchy arm from my arm warmers on my elbow, not comfortable to touch and painful to scratch. Travis and I played a new game, we called it "beat the crap out of your friend" basically cat-and-mouse attack the whole way, it was fun because each time you would recover the other would counter-attack. It felt really good to just be on the road bike, it is always like a homecoming after being off of it for awhile and getting back on it. I can't wait to get it tuned up and set for the winter season. I love the way bike parts wear, seriously I find it very intriguing that even for somebody who washes their bike as much as I do that stuff would still go. I admit to buying the good stuff which I hope will stave off deterioration a touch. Regardless, shit breaks and needs repair/replacement. I like replacing worn out pieces I find it dignified that a piece serves its purpose and then gets handed down. My mtb and cross bikes are at just such places. Beckham has his first day at daycare today, it sucks, I wasn't bummed until Shaubie got bummed out about it. Maybe we should play the lottery and not have to worry about trivial things such as money. I guess I didn't let it sink in that he wasn't going to be around on lunch visits to Shaubie. No problems with the contacts, he was a mellow cat again this morning. He is such a cool kid, we went out for sushi last night and he didn't make a peep the whole time we were eating, not a word! Great dinner with a bit complimentary appitizers from Shun, he rocks! 8 of us had a feast!It was great to sit down and have plate after plate of food roll across the table, alll better than the last.

The ride started out innocently enough, one of us on a real geared mtb with suspension the other on a rigid mtb and the third on a cross bike, nothing too serious just some cool singletracks and some flumes to get to the trail we found on friday. One flat pretty early on and then a bad tube with a blown quikfil and we were sort of stuck. As the flat ran back to town the way we came in tw of us went on our way to meet back up later. As we rode across a little flat section to get down into the Toxic Forest I was already thorugh the turn in my mind when I found myself sliding on my right elbow, nausea and the overwhelming urge to pass out followed. Evan almost ran over me as I was sliding. I wasn't even going fast! I wish I could say I was being stupid, or that I just missed a turn, it was a total freak spill that shredded a new pair of shorts,knee warmers and a hip and an elbow. The pain made me want to get in my bed and not get out until it's safe. The 15 minute ride home from the spill wasn't too bad, it just hurt to descend. The skin did a really good job of getting out of the way of the bone on both the hip and elbow. Good separation of the skin. No stitches though. Then after I showered at home I hung out with B and gave him a bath, he laughed and laughed! I think he likes to hang out with me. We played and then Tim helped us make dinner, well he actually made the pasta and Shaubie made an amazing salad. While watching Queer Eye and Restaurant we ate. B went to bed half way through dinner and was out in a matter of minutes! Enjoyable evening except for the throbbing hip and elbow. Oh yeah and the flu shot I got yesterday afternoon hurt too, god I'm a pussy!

The road bike has been the ticket the last couple of days, after making a joke of saturday's race and maybe hurting my chances at the overall. It's back to regular training, one mtb ride for fun and low cadence work and then road/cross work the rest of the week. Golden Horseshoe today, maybe tha trail that we rode friday, cool jump whether or not I'll hit it we'll see. I hope the legs come around for sunday. Dinner last night was great, it was an old Italian meal of sausage and peppers, with good fresh veggies thrown in and supertasty with well-timed additons of more veggies so nothing was soggy! I'm paying for it today, or should I say my co-workers are paying for it! Beckham doesn't even flinch when we put in the contact lenses now, it's so cool! I believe that he really associates the lenses with seeing clearly. Beckham laughs whenever he sees me for the first time in a while, whether I was out on a ride or coming home from work he just lights up when I walk in and say hi! I hope Joel won another clydesdale race this weekend..

Nickels and Zero

Sometimes things happen that you don't expect, like Tim's van breaking down in the middle of the desert and races being shitty when you think you'll go well. The race was a good course for me, usually bumpy stuff and techy courses suit me. especially with a good road section thrown in. Not saturday. The legs had no juice and no real kick after te first two laps, a steady slide backwards hurt my chances of a good day. Riding my mtb has been so fun that thursday and friday's rides loaded the legs without me realizing it. The little spill I had didn't help either as my left side has been useless for two days. We did ride a new trail on friday that rocked! It was pretty windy and rolled really well it even had a little gap jump for a bit more of a challenge. I went down on a dirt road switchback when the front wheel washed. Now I know that prep work for cross is best done on the road later in the week and finish with mtb rides by wednesday. We met Nickels and Zero last night, very uncomfortable to meet someone you aren't rally into meeting in the first place, Todd was uncharacteristically reserved, the material was good if you weren't the butt of the jokes. While most of the group got shitty I was a spectator. The jokes got pretty bad a few times, I even escaped and got a quick soak in the hot tub for a bit. The soak helped me feel pretty good though more tired and ready for bed. Shaubie had a little more than some, but felt ok this morning. Well enough of the negative shit, I hope Tim recovers from his trip to California.

Blair Witch and the Mormons

The ride was every bit as fun as I thought it would be, and then some. Blair Witch was cool, some more features and it would be unreal. I need to get out on the trails more, perhaps training for cross on an mtb is a good thing. The slightly higher effort is good and the skills get a bit of work and it’s a ton of fun! The way I see it, the bike is the bike, doesn’t matter what kind as long as you are on it and enjoying it! The trails are in good shape the bit of moisture we have been getting makes for a perfect surface. I’m reading “Under the Banner of Heaven” it’s so wacked it makes regular more mainstream religion look tame. It seems there are no true peaceful religions but this one is just as violent as the older ones, which is odd for a faith born in the 1830s. The Christians had the Crusades and the Muslims have the on-going Entifada but these people take the word of a snake oil salesman and run with it. Plural marriage is an odd concept and the way the Fundamentalists take the mainstream LDS church to task for “leading the church astray of God’s word” is out there. The book is good because it doesn’t allow Krakauer to be so self-congratulating. The elders of the church seem to make laws to serve their own perverse needs and call it doctrine. No wonder members are forbidden to watch TV or surf the net they might get a clue of how wacked their “faith” is! Any religion that forbids members to have contact with the outside world is obviously afraid of losing its flock. Blinders go a long way. I hope that I get to do another fun ride today. Snow?

Trails and Bulldozers

I was reading an article in a magazine left here at work, one of many that are sort of laying around the place. It was about potsmoking and high-income professionals who regularly enjoy the reefer. They had an idea that it was their equivalent of an afterwork drink. I think it says they need to get more from somewhere else, everyday life is working against them. Perhaps a new hobby. Not that I'm on the anti-drug bandwagon but I just figure if people can do more with the drugs occurring naturally in the body they'll need fewer from elsewhere. Not that everybody should go ride a century or climb a mountain but a little more for a little less. Enough of my shit, it's like I was an angel as a younger human. The cross ride was great, singletrack and some dirtroad. I wanted to do a little bit of work and Tim was feeling good so it was a great skills day too on that stuff. Then in the middle of one of my favorite trails we came across a clearcut right through a great section of singletrack. Bulldozers everywhere, ripping up the ground and changing what was a great trail. A fucking trophy home through a trail that wasn't bothering anyone except some rich asshole. Well it was a great ride anyway, we did our work and spun home after that.