Ceremonial Champs Elysees?

Except for LeMond's amazing TT in 1989 on the Champs Elysees to claim victory in the Tour de France over Lauren Fignon, I always pretty much figured the final stage was for toasting the yellow jersey with bubbly and letting the sprinters have at it. Thinking that way made finding this video from 1982 of The Badger that much better. I never knew!

Riding: Indoor Trainer tonight and working on core strength. Amazing how after only a few weeks I can feel the difference during the workout.

A Visit to the Harley Dealer

I was Christmas shopping at the local Harley shop last week and ran across Marisa Miller's American Bombshell Calendar. Definitely one of the nicest calendars I've seen. Check out the video. See if you can spot a Harley or two in there somewhere.

Old School Lance. (1994)

I like the parts of him riding with Steve Bauer out in the middle of nowhere Texas. Looks like a cool place.

When the Ravens Play

When the Ravens game is on the riding around Baltimore is great! I had the roads all to myself. Even better was getting home just in time to watch the Steelers win the game, 23-20.

Ride: 2 hours of riding on roads with a lot of wet patches. Rode pretty easy and felt great out there.

This Would Be Fun.

I think that sometimes a road is built solely for the nice view. Maybe some bike races are built for the same reason.

Riding: Did some more Intervals on the trainer last night. I'm trying to concentrate on smoothness and higher rpm pedaling.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from my family here at TLR to you and yours. Hope your 2010 is your best year of riding yet.

Riding: Just spun for an hour on the trainer last night. Today is a day off with the girls!

Polar Express

The Girls and I watched Polar Express tonight. It's become sort of a Christmas tradition. You just have to BELIEVE or that bell will stop ringing. The above pic doesn't have a thing to do with the Polar Express but it's my blog and I'll post whatever I want. :)

Did a really great workout on the trainer this evening also. Feeling pretty good about riding right now.

More From the Tube.

Did time on the trainer tonight then got schooled by my 7 year old Daughter doing push-ups. She's putting me on a core-strength workout regimen now, complete with excel spreadsheet progress charts and graphs.

A Foot of Snow?

The weather people are predicting up to a foot of snow for my area starting tonight. I sure hope they are wrong and we end up with a dusting or less.

Picked up the Michelins last night. I managed to get two for the price of one. Not bad.

Yes, There is Beer in Ghent.

For a second I thought it was video of a shale pit party back home in PA, but sure enough it's the "infield" at the Ghent Six Day Races. Looks like fun eh?

Did a bit over an hour of intervals tonight on the trainer. It was tougher than I thought it would be. The last few hurt just about right. It was a nice change of pace from riding out in the cold the last bunch of days.

Six Days of Ghent, Check This Out.

The last laps of The Madison in Ghent.

Here's one for my bucket list. I'm thinking they have some good beer in there or nearby. Whattayathink?

It's Cold Out There.

The wind was howling and it was freezing cold out there this evening, but at least the sun was shining. My phone had a tough time with the light so my bike has pretty much disappeared into the pic here. Anyway, it was good to get a ride in.

Oh, and when I got home the phone was ringing. My new Michelin Pro Race 3's came in down at the shop. I've been wanting to try them for awhile now.

Cadel's Chance.

I'm going to make a prediction right now. Cadel Evans will win the 2010 Giro d'Italia.

Tonight's Ride: 35 Miles fast. Finished in the Dark.

London 2012

Is the London 2012 logo growing on you yet?

Speaking of Jerseys,...

After I posted that RadioShack jersey yesterday I remembered the design I did for BPB last year. It was a fun project. Ben and the people at Hincapie were a joy to work with.

Team RadioShack

I saw the pic of Lance in his new RadioShack kit and thought it would be fun to take a stab at the jersey on my own. I was thinking something black/white/red and very graphic, sorta like Cervelo Test Team does. Never got around to the shorts, but black with a thick white stripe on the sides would be the idea.

Anyway, just playin around. The weather has sucked for riding outside.

Pokemon vs Pro Cycling

Since it's a snowy day here in Maryland the girls and I headed over to the bookstore for a bit. Dad heads straight for the bike magazines and Daughters head straight for Pokemon. I saw at least a half dozen books I'd like to read while there.

Sons of Anarchy

I don't watch tv much so I'm finding Season 1 of The Sons of Anarchy a lot of fun while spinning on the trainer. Did an hour with episode 2 and some of 3. I pedal faster whenever a Harley is on screen.

Rider Stocking Stuffers.

While riding yesterday I was thinking of some cycling related things I have or wouldn't mind having to make the long ride that much better. So rather than a left nut of the week I thought I'd do a holiday gift guide instead.

Pull the wool over your eyes.
I'll admit to having some sort of merino wool fetish so it's off to Earth Wind & Rider for one of their Epic Express Jerseys. It's a jersey that would be great to wear for cool weather riding, or just every day stylin around. One thing about it that especially appeals to me is that it doesn't follow the spandex spaceman from planet bikeracer look. Made in the USA of 100% Australian Merino Wool of course.


It's winter, you're gonna need a cap.
Walz Caps out of California manufactures a proper cycling cap for this time of year, meaning it covers your ears. This one is the Wool Ear Flap model. They also offer embroidery services so you can go custom. I'd go custom of course.


Woolie Boolie!
If you find a better sock for riding let me know, because I think the Woolie Boolie by DeFeet is the very best. The guys and gals down in North Carolina truly make a world-class product. Tom Boonen calls them "Really Sexy Socks!" TLR agrees Tomeke.


Pearl Izumi Gloves.
Cold hands suck when riding this time of year. Pearl Izumi fixes all that with their Zephrr Shell glove, and if you want more warmth, insert the Ultra-Liner thin gloves.


Geek Rider.
Garmin might have a few higher end models with a few more features, but price-wise I think the Edge 500 hits the sweet spot. Besides, next year when the Metrigear Vector hits the bike shop near you it's gonna be over the top.


The Rider.
Tim Krabbe's book The Rider is pure gold. I just finished it for a second time the other day. Short enough to read in one sitting. Some of Krabbe's writing in this book is so funny especially for anyone who's ever trained long miles or raced for any length of time. Beg for it, borrow it, or steal it if you have to. Read it!


Yeah Indoor Training Sucks.
Thanks to Global Ride DVD's you can sit on your stinkin trainer and ride some of the most beautiful roads you'll ever see.


Artsy Fartsy on a Budget.
We might not all have Lance's Live$trong money to collect real art, but when you're hammering away on that trainer you can always take a look over at your 2010 Cycling through History calendar to see when all the races you're going to win next year are. As an added bonus, each month's image will be suitable for framing later.


After Ride Refreshments.
The Folks over at New Belgium Brewing make a beer to honor cyclists. Oh there are others out there, but since this is one I haven't tasted yet it's on my list of beers to have. I can't think of a better way to end a ride than a cold beer. You can keep your post-ride electrolyte replenishment mumbo jumbo.


Well there you have it. They are all almost worth a left nut as far as I'm concerned. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Deer Park

I just missed a really nice sunset but took a quick pic during today's ride anyway. It was crazy windy out there but I felt pretty strong. Legs felt great. 32 miles.

Spinning with Cadel.

I haven't gotten tired of watching Cadel kick everyone's butt at the World Championships this year yet. The perennial underdog finally pulled off the big win. Just got off the trainer and finished with this. I find these great for keeping my cadence high.

Quotable.

"You're better than you think you are, you can do more than you think you can."
- Ken Chlouber; Leadville 100 Race Promoter.

Expensive T-Shirts.

I was reading a thread on a cycling forum the other day about a certain expensive cycling clothing manufacturer and thought it was time to offer up my own overpriced t-shirt for sale. Get'em before the copyright infringement lawsuit kicks in!

Eating, Drinking and Riding.

Drive, Coffee, Drive, Eat, Drink, Sleep, Ride, Drink, Eat, Sleep, Eat, Ride, Eat, Drink, Sleep, Eat, Eat, Ride, Drink, Eat, Sleep, Eat, Eat, Ride, Eat, Drink, Sleep, Coffee, Drive, Eat, Drive, Ride, Eat.

That pretty much sums up my Thanksgiving weekend. Hope yours was great! The above is the graph out of my bro's Garmin from yesterday's ride. That first big bump just might have been the steepest hill I ever climbed. Not the longest, but ouch it hurt. Only 27, 45, 37, 45 miles for each day, but the eating was a whole lot more! :)

Just got back from a nice slow and easy 45. Today's weather was really nice.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I just want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. I hope your day is filled with much good food and cheer. I'm enjoying a nice Kellerweis as I type this to get the long weekend started!

YouTube Playlists

It's that time of year again. Yep, indoor trainer riding. Tonight I confiscated my wife's laptap, loaded up an hour+ of cycling videos in a youtube playlist and spun. Not much more to say than that.

Riding Buddies.

Today I caught up to a guy on a LeMond named Jeff from Baltimore and we rode together for 15 or so miles before he turned his way and I turned mine. You meet some really nice people out riding a bike. On Blackrock Road I headed west to Westminster, then south to Liberty Road and back home. A similar ride to one I did a few weeks ago. 60 miles in all.

This pic is of O'Lordan's Pub in Westminster. One day I'll have to stop in. It looks interesting.

Liberty Reservoir

Today I got out for a late lunch ride out past Liberty Reservoir. This road on the way back has fairly heavy traffic, but the wide shoulders make for pretty good riding anyway. I have a sore throat and didn't feel particularly good out there so it was kinda slow going. Even so, getting outdoors is always nice and as you can see the sun was bright.

Left Nut of the Week.

I've admired Richard Sachs bikes since I first saw one as a kid in the pages of Bicycling Magazine. I particularly like the CX model you see here. It's a modern classic, blending cutting edge components with a steel frame built by the hand of a master who quite literally has dedicated his life to the craft. I'm not sure there's a rational reason for a peasant like me to actually own or race a Sachs though. Wonder if Mr. Sachs would be offended if I used it as a winter commuter?

Mantua Mill Bridge.

All through the summer these flower boxes are in full bloom. Many bidon have been thrown from their cages while crossing this bridge. It's quite a bunny hop at the ends.

The Ride.

Thirty Seconds To Mars - Kings + Queens - HD

30 Seconds to Mars | MySpace Video

I was sent this video by a fellow tweetster who thought I'd like it. I sure do! Enjoy.

Tuesday Lunch Ride.

I came into work at 6am today so I was able to ride a bit longer (31 miles) over lunch. Felt a bit tired so the plan for tomorrow is to go easy unless I feel great by then.

Giro for DC in 2012?

Logistical nightmare be damned, Washington DC is going to bid on hosting the prologue and another stage for the Giro d'Italia in 2012. I think it would be great, but my only advice; Please don't send Barry to make the sales pitch.

Vive Le Tour!

I watched this the other night and was thinking how like most things it seems, The Tour has lost something in the last 50 years. But on further thought I think it's still the single greatest sporting event in the world. Nothing else comes close for me. This is worth watching for the photography alone.

Riding at Lunch.

Today I woofed down my sandwich and applesauce and went out for a lunch ride. I felt pretty strong out there today. Amazing since yesterday my ass was dragging all over Baltimore County for 3+ hours.

No pics today, sorry. Maybe I'll snap one on the ride home from work.

70 in November!

I got out for 3 hours this morning in perfect weather. Everyone else must have had the same idea it seems. Tons of riders out there.

This pic was taken in a parking garage near the train station on the way back. It just might be a great place to do hill repeats in the middle of winter!

Decision Time.

Riding in 40 degree rain? Indoors on the trainer listening to podcasts? Sitting in the front of the TV with a beer? Pretty obvious choice there eh?

New inFormation.

I've had the Scott CR1 about 1 year now. It's been good to me, but 6000+ miles later, besides the snapped SRAM 1090R Chain and worn out tires, the saddle is the weak link. It's never been comfortable really, so today after Lunch I headed over to the bike shop for a butt fitting. They make you sit on a board covered in what looks like cake icing under a sheet of clear plastic. The impression that's left is like a walk-of-fame impression for butt cheeks. The width is then measured, color coded and matched to a saddle. Anyway, I now have the new Bontrager inForm RL and matching PRO handlebar tape.

I'll put them on this evening and if the weather gets better tomorrow will be their maiden voyage. Wish me luck.

Top of the Hill.

I caught this pic at the top of Geist Road today. It felt good to be riding in 70 degree temps one more time? Get out and ride if you get a chance.

Dark Hollow Road.

Right next to this gate is one of the many horse jump crossings in the area where I ride. Sadly I didn't get that in the shot, but I liked this one anyway. This road is called Dark Hollow road. Funny thing is it's not particularly dark. Back home in PA the Dark Hollow Road is actually very dark, no matter what time of day.

I had a pretty hard ride today. 55 miles. I caught up to and rode along with a guy named Paul from Route 1 Velo out near Westminster. Eventually he continued south and I headed east back towards home.

Stone Bridge

It was another perfect day here in Maryland for a lunchtime ride. I usually don't like stopping when I'm out there on the road, but then how would I get these pics? This one was taken on a twisty descent a few miles from work.

The Old Walnut Tree.

I pass this old walnut tree all the time when I'm out there on the road. Today I stopped for a closer look.

They Loved My Bike.

When I pulled off the road to take a pic these horses ran over and showed way more interest in my bike than they did me. I thought the middle one was going to take a bite out of my Saddle. The short one was super friendly.

A Tricky Commute.

The Impossible Journey from John Bonner on Vimeo.

This is well done in so many ways. Worth a watch. Thanks to Karl's Site for bringing it to my attention.

Riding at Lunchtime.

I found a really great 1 hour loop that can be varied from 17 to 22 miles depending on how fast I'm feeling on a particular day. I feel really fortunate to live and work in an area with great roads for riding. I know the blog has taken a real hit in volume of updates this year, but I'm gonna try to keep it going, with at least pics from my rides like you see above. They don't take much time to do and will be a great reminder for me as to why I ride in the first place.

If I Ran the Place.

If I ran the place lunch hour would be 3 hours, enough time to go for a proper mid-day ride every day of the week.

Time to Think.

St. Thomas Lane. I know every pothole on this road, and the ones on every road throughout Baltimore, Carrol and Howard Counties here in Northern Maryland, at least the ones along the dozen or so regular training routes I do. Same goes for the many dogs that chase or don't chase and watch me each day on these same roads. I miss the Beagle that seems to wait for me at the end of her driveway on Dark Hollow Road many days. Tonight she wasn't there.

I recall many of the Thursday night group rides and how we'd always split on this hill, then fly down Trenton across the bridge and by the old mill and up a steep section past the church before stopping and waiting for some of the slower riders at Blackrock. The memories of those rides always seems to have me pushing hard here even though I don't have to.

I'm riding alone. Plenty of time to think about everything and nothing. The big layoff at my workplace and how I'll probably never see most of those 18 people again that I spent 8 hours a day with for the last 3+ years. The freelance design project I picked up out of the blue this morning when I opened my email. I wonder if the girls got their homework done yet and why this Road Closed sign has been laying here along the road for the last two years. Mari told me she had a test for me to take when I got home that she was quite sure I'd fail and warned me that all the girls passed it and all the boys failed it at school today.

Some miles pass where I think of nothing and when I snap out of it I wonder where they all went. I spot another rider's helmet cresting the top of the next hill and try to catch him. As I crest the hill and look ahead it looks like he's gotten further ahead so I go faster still. A couple turns later I'm right behind him. He's wearing a gray sweatshirt with the arms cut off at the shoulder, looks more like a ragged tear. All of a sudden I feel overdressed in my matching head to toe team kit. I don't think I've seen him before along this road, but I turn on Geist and he goes straight. Chase over.

Now heading up this next hill I start to feel the lack of miles in me and the going gets tougher. It doesn't bother me much because this time of year the riding for me is more about fun than training. Besides, my knee feels 100 Percent which I find to be a huge relief after the way it felt recently. I still find it amazing what 3 weeks off the bike does to my fitness, and weight. I think I'm 10lbs heavier now than I was in August. Why can't I perfect the bunny hop onto this bridge after so many tries? Bang! My Dura-Ace rear wheel hits the edge of the metal beam crossing the road at the end of the bridge.

For the rest of the ride I go a bit easier, slowing down to just enjoy the ride, the roads, the familiar potholes, the bike, and the time to think.

2:20/45 miles.

Riding Again.

Well I've been riding the bike to work again for the last week or so with no pain in the knee so it looks like things are looking up! I'm going to put on my running shoes and see if I can actually run on it starting this week. The Run for the Diamonds is coming up and if at all possible I want to be on the starting line.

Stay tuned.

Time Off The Bike.

After last night's group ride I'm gonna take some time off the bike to try and heal up this knee. I didn't ride overly hard and hung near/off the back most of the evening but something's not right down there. My knee is really freaking sore right now. Blah. Maybe a few days rest will do it some good.

Upping the Miles.

It's been awhile. I've been putting in a few more miles recently and while it's helping my fitness I guess my knee isn't what it used to be and it's feeling it. I took today off and bought a 6-pack of Blue Moon (Yeah just like that Cop from Cambridge likes) and figure it was time to update the old blog.

Tour de France: So the tour came and went and no surprises here. Alberto won. I think he's doped to the gills but that's just my opinion. Congrats to him. Lance? He did well but just didn't quite have the snap to handle the accelerations. No news there.

The Shack? It looks like Radio Shack will be the sponsor next year. Look for The Shaq, The Shack and Lance ads soon.

Back to riding. I did a couple group rides recently, the first of the year, and it felt really great to be out there riding again with other people. There are some new fast guys to deal with Aren't there always? I'm a lot slower than last year, but if last night's ride is any indicator I'm coming around again and should be able to hang with the big dogs again soon. (Hopefully) anyway.

Personal Note: I'm missing the girls.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mom's day to all the moms out there. Yeah like any moms read this blog.

I finally was able to do a nice three day block of hard riding in and it felt REALLY good. Friday I did 40 with a block of intervals. Saturday I did 45 with the steepest hills I could find around here. Today I did another 2+ hours with a lot of grinding into head winds. I'm feeling tired and happy right now after a late night snack of Hainanese Chicken Rice.

Oh, and it was great seeing Ale-Jet (Petacchi) thump Cavendish at the Giro d'Italia today.

Friday Fixie.

I was really taken by two things in this picture. Green bikes and Lugged Steel are Classic!

Just Riding.

Today's weather was one of those perfect spring days; bright sun, deep blue skies, cool but not cold temps and not too much wind. After yesterday's all-day rain with no riding I was more than due to go put a hurtin on myself out on the road. I can't really call what I'm doing these days training, but it's more like riding because I love to ride until I can start training again. Oh, that doesn't mean I'm not in decent enough shape. A little fat though I gotta work on that. The numbers I put up today for this little 30.5 mile loop I do tells me I'm on par with last year at this time, if not a bit faster. I'm not doing any speed work or intervals right now though, it's more like fast riding until I'm tired and happy.

Tonight's Ride: 30.5 miles / 21.2avg mph (Personal Best for this loop) / 1:26:06 / Max Spd 41.6mph I didn't wear my hr monitor. Total for the day 48 miles.

The Yellow Jersey

I recently read The Yellow Jersey by Ralph Hurne and it was a pretty good read. In some chapters it seems kinda dated reading it today as it was written in 1973. Something about it reminded me a bit of Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and think it must have had to do with the era they were written. Nowhere near as freaky as Zen--, but Hurne's writing is very good and the parts about racing and the struggle of The Tour make for a real page turner.

In a nutshell it's the story of a retired pro cyclist named Terry Davenport living out his post career days by stringing along women who either keep him financially afloat or have a way of making him feel as though he's not lost it age wise just yet. Circumstances come about that lead to him coming out of retirement to be a domestique for a rider he coaches to ride The Tour de France.

At 37, (Isn't Lance 37?) Terry gives it a go and some amazing things happen that change his role on the team dramatically. I'd probably read it if I were you,... or not. Actually, yeah, read it. It was fun.

Errands by Bike.

Finding time to train these days for me is a royal pain in the arse. Sure, it can be done, but with all the scheduling hassles that come with it sometimes I wonder if it's worth it. But then I remind myself why I ride in the first place. I just love riding. Going fast, no speed limits, coasting downhills in an aero tuck, exploring new roads,... That's what it's all about.

Anyway, today I found myself running some errands by bike, something I rarely seem to do living here in suburbia and I love it. I also found the training effect I get from the fast riding between stops, in pants, is really one heck of a work-out.

I think I posted once before about there being no such thing as junk miles when it comes to riding/training. After today I still stand by that 100%.

Oh, by the way, I have managed over 140 miles over the last 3 days and I feel really good. No recovery issues whatsoever. Not bad for an old guy.

In other news I found it sad that Cannondale is ending all bicycle production in my home state of Pennsylvania. I know all about business being business, but it still saddens me. I hope a few of those enterprising souls that are to be left go take their skills and start a new niche bicycle company that builds no-nonsense Aluminum framed hard-core race bikes in the tradition of the CAAD Series of bikes. I'll be one of their first customers.

Still Alive.

It's been awhile since I've updated this blog, but no worries, (not that there ever where any) I'm still alive, doing some riding and hope to even do some racing this year. You see, my wife recently changed jobs and her 60+ hours a week including weekends has put a major hit in my riding time. Watching and raising the girls the best I know how is far more important than CAT IV racing is, so that's where my time is spent these days.

That said, I still do get out on the road some, the trainer, and commute to work by bike so I'm not getting too fat yet. Slower though for sure. My oh-so-loved group rides are out of the question, and Saturday racing is pretty much out for now also. As the days get longer I'm going to start training more in the mornings so I can get the miles in I need to do some competitive racing this summer.

I'm still probably 10-15 lbs heavier than I was this time last year so I feel my slowness mostly in the hills. Lucky for me, most races don't have hills these days. It is a bit depressing watching the LSV/KB email updates on the racing going on and I'm not there, but the year is young and I'm gonna stay positive.

Yesterday I did 4.5 LSD hours (75+ miles) on some new roads I haven't been on before and worked my way over to my wife's new workplace so we could have dinner together. The girls are on Spring Break this week at my parents so I'm upping my miles to try and take off some weight and get some base in.

Well that's that. Hope all of you are having a great season so far and I'm looking forward to seeing you out at the races, or even just out on the road!

Movie Night.

Last night I took the girls over to Race Pace for movie night. Some of the other guys in the club were there and they showed us the 2009 LSV/KBS kit we'll be wearing this year. Very Nice. Mari picked my name out of the helmet and I won the door prize. Thanks Marc for everything! We watched the movie about Philly Week, one I hadn't seen before.

I hope they do more of these in the future because it was cool talking to guys when they're not wearing tights, helmets and huffing/puffing up hills. Next time I'm bringing some beer!

Weekend Ride Report.

If you happen to be lucky enough to be on the east coast of the USA this weekend you would've been treated to two days of perfect riding weather. 50's and sun. Sure, today was windy but who can complain for February.

Yesterday I had big plans, but they were dashed around 3 hours in. You see, my new bike has the Hutchinson Tubeless clinchers on Dura-Ace wheels and they totally kick ass. In fact they ride about as close as you are going to get to tubulars in my opinion. Another great thing about them is how great they resist getting flats. Last year at this time I had 3 or 4 flats by February, yet with this set of tires I've been riding flat free since October on some of the crappiest roads you'll find in these parts. OK, I'm lazy and yesterday I didn't take anything with me to fix a flat on the road. I was just entering Mt. Airy, MD when I hit the nastiest looking groove in the road. As soon as I hit it I knew it wasn't gonna be good. Sure enough, slow leak. So I pull over and get out my phone for my wife to rescue me. Dead phone.

Luckily a guy was selling a Jeep in the parking lot and he loaned me his phone. Thanks bro. Oh well, it was a nice day so I sat and waited for my ride. Nice people looking at cars asked me if I needed any help to which I said no thanks. There are still some nice people in this world afterall I thought.

Anyway, that was my ride yesterday. Today I wanted to go a bit longer, but felt really crappy out there on the road. Towards the end I felt like I was bonking even. Still a good ride though. 110 miles for the weekend. I'll take it.

Superbowl Sunday Riding.

First off, Congrats to the Pittsburgh Steelers on winning their 6th superbowl. I've been a fan since I learned what football is and it was a joy to watch Ben march them down the field for the big win. Incredible.

Sunday's Ride: It was a salty and wet but very warm 3.5hr harder ride out through Damascus and Mt. Airy and back home with plenty of time to get back for cooking some steaks, having some beers and watch my Steelers beat up on the Cardinals. By the way, I underestimated the Cards, they are a legitimate Superbowl team. Warner and Fitz in particular. I wish I could've went out today since it was beautiful out there. Looks like back to the trainer tonight.

A Little Test.

Today I had the day off and the weather wasn't great, but I was able to get out for a couple hours anyway later in the day. I did my favorite route to see what kind of shape I'm in for this time of year and was pleasantly surprised. Encouraged even.

The Ride/32 Miles: I'd say I went about 90-95% of my potential and there were a few stoplights along the way, but even so I was only a few minutes behind my best time last summer at the peak of my fitness. To say it felt good to let'er rip is an understatement. Here's hoping for some mild weather so I can continue the progress!

Feeling Comfy in the Cold.

I've been camping out on the trainer the last couple weeks (except for back and forth to work some days) and have been dying to get back on the road. I really don't care what anyone says about how great indoor training can be. It just doesn't feel the same to me. I do have some great training videos with hills and intervals to help make the time pass faster though.

Anyway, I got up this morning checked the weather, high of 28 and sunny. Warm enough for me! For Christmas my wife and daughters got me some great cold weather gear. Layers.

• -Two layers of socks
• -Sidi Genius (These shoes kick butt!)
  
• -Trek thermal tights
• -My club's shorts
• -New Balance long sleeve base layer
• -Trek winter long sleeve jersey
• -Wool Sweater
• -Adidas Formotion jacket
• -Castelli winter gloves
• -Columbia Gaitor
• -Anon Hat
• -Helmet
  

That should do it! Today's ride was a pretty easy two hours with no really big hills to speak of. I felt great! and more importantly, warm and toasty. I think I could wear the above list down to about 15 degrees with relative comfort. Something I'd like to try would be Thermal shoe covers for the Sidi's.

Number 44.

On this historic day in American history I wanted to take this opportunity to wish our next president and our country the best of luck.

Change.

The word change must be the most overused word of the last year. I'm sick of the word personally. Sometimes change can be good, sometimes change can be bad, sometimes it's just change for change's sake. I guess we'll find out one way or another soon enough on that one. I'm tired of politics, so for me the changea I'm going to focus on are my own.

You see, my wife just got a new job. I'm really proud of her for a couple of reasons. First off, in these economic times landing a new job isn't exactly the easiest thing to do. Secondly, as a long term career move I think she's on a track to do some pretty great things. Her last job was in the housing industry and we all know how that's been going for the last year or so. All her close interaction with home buyers, contractors and industry people had her seeing this current crisis coming at least 6 years ago and all of her predictions pretty much came true. We were surprised it took this long to blow up.

Only one problem, her new job has some crazy hours and it's gonna take some major changes on my part to keep a training program going. If you happened to be at any races I've been to over the last year you've probably seen her and my two daughters cheering me on. It's great having them there, but they're still young and must come before any of my own ambitions and hobbies. What this means for me is I'm going to have to ride smarter if I'm to have any success this year. It's looking like early morning rides and late night rides for me. We're trying to work out a way to free up weekends but that's all up in the air as well.

Anyway, change can be good. I'm hoping so.

Have I Mentioned This Before?

Riding a stationary bike in your kitchen sucks.

Bob Roll's Tour Day France.

On my ride in to work this morning I pedaled along thinking of this little gem of writing from Bobke II. Every day at The Tour there are a million stories, but I have a feeling this one ranks up there with the best.

...I got to the steps to board and nearly froze. From outside in the bright sun, I couldn't see into the helicopter...

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness inside the 'copter, I saw that none other than Andrew Hampsten was seated directly across from me. "Whoa, Drew baby!" I practically jumped up at seeing a fellow American. "Andy, you slayed today," I exclaimed in glee. "Did you see LeMond crush these frog dweebs?" I asked.

Andy just kind of nodded, all subdued. As my adjusted further, right next to Andy sat Greg LeMond, gloriously clad in yellow. "Whoa!!" I jumped up for real and grabbed LeMond by the shoulders, shaking him and screaming, "Greg, you beast! You got the yellow jersey man! You're going to massacre these Philistines." I sat down and said, "I was climbin' with Hinault, and all the Frenchies were pissed that you dropped his sorry ass."

Just then, my eyes fully adjusted to the darkness and there sat Bernard Hinault himself. Oops. I could've crawled under my seat. "Hey Bernie, what's up?" was about all I could mumble. To make matters worse, the owner of the La Vie Claire team and one of France's biggest industrialists, Bernard Tapie, was sitting right next to Hinault. Tapie's script for Hinault to win his sixth Tour de France was about to be rewritten by LeMond.

The door was closed and copter blades started to howl. I looked straight at the drab olive wall and saw stenciled there in big white military letters, "Made in the USA." "All right, Tapie," I screamed, "you see this (pointing to the sign)? Made in the USA. Baby, everything is gonna be fine."

Tapie was not amused, but Greg, Andy, and me all started cracking up. Even Hinault cracked a little smile. We took off in a cloud of dust and the rest, as they say, was cycling history.

Bob's a fine writer. It would have been cool to talk to him more when I met him at the Tour of Millersburg over the summer.

Don't Cha Just Hate When This Happens?

Shrinkage! Here's a great example of why you should do crunches regularly. Story here.

It's a Two Wheel Thing.

As some of you might have guessed, I like to ride. Before I could ride on two wheels I pushed two wheels. My mom tells me stories of how I'd push my brother's 20"er everywhere. I guess it made me feel like I was riding or something. Tricycles and training wheels weren't my thing either so the first chance I got, I dug into my Dad's toolbox when he was at work and yanked those suckers off the 16" hard plastic wheeled bike I got for Christmas. I learned to ride that very same day. I was 4 and I remember that moment like it was yesterday.

Oh I've had a few distractions over the years, a Big Wheel, homemade go-karts with wheels boosted from baby carriages, unicycles, fast cars and women. They're not the same. On the other hand, my Harley is. After all, it's got two wheels! We've all heard the endless cliches about the freedom riding gives us through all those Harley Ads but you know what? They're all true. So screw it, let's ride!

Five Years.

Congrats to NASA for keeping Spirit and Opportunity rolling on the surface of Mars five years after the mission started. Who would've guessed they'd still be going? I doubt anyone at NASA even thought they'd last this long. Job Well Done!