Last Week of Bike Vacation...

This week was pretty low key as I stayed both off the bike and out of the heat. Played several days of noon-ball and swam (keeps getting better and better). Decided to take the entire week of the rig until Sunday.

Tuesday evening was the Bandits End of Season swim party at the head coach's house and everyone had a great time. Three of us adults tried going dive for dive with the kids and for the most part we kept up (a little sore the next morning). I've never done some many Gainers and front 1 1/2s in my life. The toughest part was going toe to toe with Ian on the belly-busters - my chest and stomach are still torch red.

We broke out the ping pong table the other night and it has been on (like Donkey Kong) ever since...

Wednesday evening I headed out to pick up Jake from XC camp southeast of Hermann. Leaving Bolivar around 9:30pm I stopped in a Wally World parking lot in Owensville for the night and crashed in the truck. Early wake up on Thursday had me at camp around 7am; in time to watch a little running action before packing up the crew. Ran into a couple coaches I had not seen in years and it was good to catch up. Jake's said he kept the intensity level pretty low all week and his lungs didn't bother him too much. He (and the other two kids) had a great time and was glad he went. Here's to his pleurisy staying down and a solid senior year.

Thursday evening Jake put on a major butt whoop'in in a 3-1 (I took the defeat) death ping pong match. First time he's ever taken a series from me. I have a good idea what is on tap for most of the weekend.

Today I continued to play hookie from the bike (made it all week without riding) and once again grabbed some basketball at noon. Once again the AC was off and it was way cooler outside than in the gym - brutal!

Not a lot on tap for this weekend other than Sunday starts day 1 of '10 'cross. Looking forward to getting it going and having the Tuesday Dirt Crits at Sac this coming week. Hoping it's 'cross friendly, but won't be a big deal if it isn't as the mtb is ready to go. Saw that St. John's team is having another Waffle Race on August 17th; the first one was a good time and will have to choose between the dirt crit and it.

It's been some time since I raced on tubulars, but I snagged a cheap solid set off of Ebay the other day and am looking forward to the hopeful improvements they make in the sloppy stuff (struggled at the last few races in the mud with some non-mud type clinchers).

Just compared Jake's XC race schedule against my CX and it appears only 1 conflict (State Championship weekend). That is great news for me. Speaking of schedules, It looks like a little over 20 race dates on the '10 crusade (and several of those will include doubling up races with the masters and 3s). Since I am an West Coast Missourian (only 2 hr drive to KC area and its 3 1/2 to STL) it appears no Bubba 'Cross on tap for this year. I have raced both coasts in the past and STL events are incredibly better than they used to be, but KC 'Cross are better courses (at least in my opinion) and more options to race (since they go with masters also). I don't include Jeff Yielding's events as East Coast so much and will make his Hermann events.

Just looked at the forecast for the upcoming days and it is back in the mid/upper 90's here. AM 'cross is my friend.

Ever Had One of Those Days...

...when the last thing you want to do is ride/race? Well those don't come too often for me, but Sunday definitely was one of them and for the life of me I could motivate myself to even remotely want to drive a mere 45minutes to race a crit. Woke up with an allergy headache (which is rare for me) and feeling absolutely flat; so I pulled the plug on the St. Johns crit. Great thing about racing as a hobby is you don't have to go when you feel like crap and this is absolutely a hobby.

Friday evening we hosted my nieces for dinner (while my bro and his wife were in Spain) which is always good as they are awesome kids (I guess not so much Ashton now since she just turned 20!). Deb and I caught a late movie on TV and ended staying up way too late.

Saturday morning Ian and I raced in Bolivar's YMCA First Annual Youth Triathlon. The turnout was decent, but not what I was expecting/hoping. Ian was the youngest in his age group (he is 9 in the 9-12) and we talked several times about simply giving it his best and not expecting to win against kids much older (he heard blah, blah, blah and focused on winning). After a light breakfast he and I rode our bikes down to the city pool and along the way we previewed the course; he wanted to know exactly where he would be riding and running (nice planning). After setting up our TA we jumped in the pool for a couple warm up laps and then it was game time. Below is a compilation video of our race (I am the one in a red top swimming behind Ian in his age group wave in the opener). Long and short of it - Ian swam pretty decent, killed it on the bike, and ran beyond my expectation on the final leg resulting in a win in his age group (by nearly 10 minutes). In the video it shows us catching most of the younger age group who did 1/2 the distance. I-tri was pretty stoked to say the least and even pulled out the Lance Armstrong quote (from the TdF) during the run that "sometimes you're the hammer and sometimes you're the nail" at which Ian told me "today I am the hammer" . He is already showing quite the ability to suffer and excel...

After the race we all loaded up (Deb, Ian, Jake, Andie, and I) and headed to my folks spread for a day at the farm. With lots of food and games the day was a lot of fun. Made our way back home late that evening after some home-made ice cream with the folks. Jake and Andie headed into SGF for a bit before coming home and finishing up packing for his JBD running camp near Hermann. Temps for this week is far better than has been so we are hoping Jake has a good time.

As I mentioned above Sunday morning found me feeling less than ok and not feeling a race in my future. We got Jake off to camp (heading up with one other teammate) then it was back to catch the last TdF stage. Ian was stoked to see Cav CRUSH it again in the sprint. It is crazy that he was won 15 times in only 3 years - that's nutty.

The rest of the day was pretty much spent on the couch napping (all of us), watching some movies, and playing some Catan. We grilled up some ribs for dinner and later we all crashed early trying to find some renewed energy for the upcoming week.

Outside of feeling a little off with low motivation to race Sunday I am enjoying my last two weeks of downtime/rest period from the bike (with one more to go) and I figure that also influenced me to stay home. Oh well, 'cross specific training starts in one week and with races coming pretty much every weekend starting in mid-September to skip one isn't that big of a deal.

Community Service

Been a pretty light and easy week so far.

Wednesday after work Ian and I hit the pool for some fun; you know it's hot outside when we opt for the indoor pool because the outside one is brutal. After splashing around Ian wanted to do some 'bike training' for this weekend's tri. He took a couple 'sprint signs' on me and quickly struck Cav's HTC pose. E-bike (see how easy it is to adjust his name to fit each sport) is a huge Cav fan (big poster on his room wall) and it glued to the tube every sprinter stage to see how his boy fares. He was livid when Renshaw was booted. He'll be happy to see the stage results from today (Friday).

Thursday evening was spent doing some yard/shrub work then full on croquet with Ian and Jake in the backyard (even mowed out a Championship Course). Three games played and each took a 'V'. As you can see in the below pic the Marigolds are going crazy (big) this summer; going to transplant some to create space.



Last night I forgot to set my alarm so this morning I was running behind and only snagged 1:30hrs with my girlfriend. Donned the cross wheels this morning (getting itchy to make this primary mode of tread) and hit the Frisco Trail. Ended up racking some Community Service hours as I cleared the trail of any (and all) spider webs as apparently I was the first one on this morning. I usually avoid AM rides on the FT in the summer time for this exact issue.

I have the St. John's Cyling team's crit this Sunday and after that it's full on 'cross agenda starting with the dropping of road rings and mounting the 42. I have thought of a 46/39 front, but have not been in a single event where (for my lack of abilities) a 42 with a 12/27 rear didn't cover; to each their own and mine is 42 (especially with the addition of the Paul's keeper last year - not a single dropped chain with it on). Looking forward to receiving our Challenge order and trying out the XS's (white of course).

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Speaking of the crit this weekend, I am going to get creamed as I have done NO intensity for two weeks and my motivation is on vacation (which is normal for me in July; heat/humidity + me = suck performances). Forecasts calling for rain Saturday night and Sunday; hope it stays away as I'm not racing a crit in the rain (this year). Call me scared or a wuss and I'll agree; a couple things mentally has changed since breaking my arm earlier this year and the risk/reward meter has skewed.

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The other night Deb whipped up an awesome dinner with Fried Chicken, mash potato's and gravy, rolls (most all of it homemade). Ian and I where looking forward to it until we figured out we were the official potato peelers; which in the end was well worth the effort.

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Heading to my mom and pop's after our triathlon Saturday morning for the day. It's been a little bit since we were at the ranch.

Back in the Triathlon Ring...

It's been nearly five years since I competed on the triathlon scene and looks like I am hopping back into it. Since I have done a million sprints and Olympic distances and racked up a 1/2 IM, the only logical next step is... A YMCA parent/child race this weekend (and you thought it was going to be a full IM, please) with Ian here in Bolivar. We will swim a whopping 50meters, bike 1.5 miles, then run 1 mile. Eball (now E-stroke) has been swimming some laps at the pool with me and as nutty as it sounds he has immediately excelled at this also. After just a brief bit of instruction he is already an alternating stoke side breather and can knock out a 50 in under 1 minute 20 seconds; pretty sure he'll swim with Bolivar's summer team next year. He is stoked about the tri except for the fact he is the youngest in his division (he's 9 and the group is 9-12), but he'll give me a run (bike and swim) for their money. It will be fun and am looking forward to competing with my youngest as Jake and I have won several parent/child competitions in the past.

On a slightly more serious note: not a whole lot happening at the 'training/racing' front as I am taking the rest of July off from any type of serious riding (with the exception of Sunday's St. John's crit).

Last Friday Dale, Ira, and I ventured out with our girlfriends to some long lost rodes in NE Polk County (hadn't been up one these roads in over a year). Even leaving at 6am it made for a hot 3hrs with the humidity... (well, you know as you live in it too).

Friday evening Ian, Deb, and I grabbed some grub in SGF and did some light shopping while Jake had a bunch of friends over to watch some movies. Ian likes CiCi's pizza so that's where we ate and the clientele is an interesting mix of folks (sort of the WalMart of eating establishments). Spent a late night doing some final tune-ups on the scooter; hit the bed way after 1am.

Saturday was 100% relax around the casa; which included some TdF watching, Farmer's Market, breakfast at Brenda's, napping, Catan, napping, movie fest with Ian and Deb while Jake had a bunch of friends over for more movies. It was too freaking hot to do anything outside so inside we stayed.

Sunday was more TdF and yard work before the heat set in. The afternoon was spent with friends in SGF watching 'Inception'; a super good flick worth seeing in the theater.

Monday early morning I snagged 1:30hrs on the bike and I came in totally drenched from the humidity; like swimming in warm pool water. Speaking of swimming, I jumped in the SBU pool for my 4th lap workout Monday evening. I forgot how much of a total body workout swimming provides and how it makes you regulate and emphasises deep controlled breathing. Kind of surprised how quickly my stroke has come back to me as I am feeling 'slippier' thru the water with every workout. Right now I am simply swimming laps, but over the winter I might incorporate drills and even sharpen the stroke... maybe an IM isn't that far out of sight after all.

Celebrating my 19th wedding anniversary with Deb today. Both of us totally forgot about it until this morning. We spent the evening in SGF trying out Hu-Hot Mongolian (it was good, but not great) and capping the night with dessert and coffee at the Mud House. Got home in time to watch an incredible lightening storm under an umbrella on the back patio while it lightly rained on us. Can't believe it has been 19 years as it seems like it's only been a couple since I said "You bet" (instead of 'I Do'). Need to come up with something special for our 20th...

Jake's pleurisy might be on the mend as he started back with some light miles this week and so far so good. He heads off to Joe Bill Dixon's (legendary XC coach from West Plains) running camp near Hermann this Sunday. He is pretty behind on his mileage, but with all the years of running in his legs he'll bounce back quickly. He has pretty much commandeered my scooter and my chance of seeing/using it again are fading.

Springfield Dirt Crits Are Coming

Check out THIS post from Mark Gullett (SGF mtb machine) - dirt crits for eight weeks in a row on Tuesday evenings at Sac starting Aug 3rd. I plan to make all that I can now that Ian's baseball is over. Hope the course is conducive to 'cross bikes (if not the mtb needs the cobwebs dusted off) as it will be a great weekly event to put some punch in the legs leading into 'the season'. Ride down from Bolivar, race 35 minutes, and snag a ride back... might be too good to be true. I know at least three of us from Bodunklivar will make these.

Good to see various weekly events going on in the Ozarks: 1) St. John's Waffle race (which I hope will evolve to a mini series next summer), 2) ScottyD's TT series (helping those TT'ers ramp up for State TT), and now 3) Dirt Crit for 8 weeks in a row.

After a week of deliberation it is official that the scooter is staying. Everyone is getting a kick out it and it's simply too good of a deal ($100 with $47 in maintenance issues) to let it go. 'Herby' style racing stripes to go on over the weekend (hopefully).

Spent a little quality time with Nate last night wrapping his handlebars. I really like the Specialized Roubaix tape we put on as the vibration dampening seems suited for Polk County roads to a T.

Enjoying some down/easy spinning on the bike for the rest of the month. Looks like Dale and I will head out for 3hrs tomorrow morning and take in some long-lost roads to the northeast.

Hot Again... Outside and On The Court

It's time to back off the intensity on the fitness front and slowly build up for the year's main event: CYCLOCROSS! I have one or two more crits, but (like the other earlier races) I am not focused on winning any of these. Figure the rest of July will be pretty much easy/light spinning on gravel/dirt roads before taking back up a couple notches in August. Looks like Jeff Yielding's Hermann Under the Lights is on for Sept 18th with a follow-up race the day after and these will kick off my season. JY always puts on solid events and is a good guy so his events are always on my calendars.

Monday I took in some noonball at lunch and the intensity was HUGE. Matched up with an 18yr old kid for most of the day and he had my HR busting out of chest. Still fun for this 42yr old to be able to match the college players step for step (in the open court).

Monday evening I knocked out my first swim laps in over two years. I always loved the overall fitness strength it gave when I raced tri's for six years. Much like golf swimming is big on technique so it took several laps before it starting feeling fluid again; still have a long ways to get 'slippery', but I am looking forward to two to three aqua workouts a week. No tri's in the future (short term that is; I will knock out an IM in the next two to three years), simply working whole body strength and fitness.

Tuesday after work Dale and I hit the roads for a 2hrs. It was a steamer out there so we cruised pretty light out to Bona and back. He is a great riding partner and solid friend.


Wednesday I hit the basketball court with Ian for some noonball. We were short a couple players so Coach Guiot's son (5th grader) and Ian (4th) stepping in. It was fun seeing them run with us and playing as hard as they could. The below is Ian in the white shirt.





The heat index outside is nasty and I have low to no motivation to ride at noon or after work. For a while it's all easy AM spins.


Good stage yesterday at the TdF with today and the next couple probably being less dramatic.

Weekend Wrap Up

Friday after work we all loaded up and headed to SGF for Ian's final baseball tournament. The boys came up against some tough competition and lost the first two games and since it was a double elimination event their season finished just like that. They finished the year 24-5 which is a huge improvement from last year. Ian continued to play stellar in the field and got better and better at the plate as the year progressed; he even drove in the tying run Friday night to send the game into extra innings (before losing).

E was pretty bummed initially, but on the drive home basketball (his first love) was already on his mind and wanted to know when he and I could get to the gym to start working ball handling and shooting... Fall basketball starts in October so it's good for him to have some downtime between the two.

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Up and out on the road early (6am) for a three hour ride with Nate and Dale. We hit some roads north that we hadn't seen in some months and it turned out a great ride.

After a quick clean-up Dale and I crashed in the living room to watch TdF with Ian. Not a significant stage, but always fun when the roads turn upwards.

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Saturday afternoon was 100% outside getting shrubs, garden, and lawn in order. Cucumbers are pouring in and the tomatoes on right on the edge (pulled a couple cherry tomatoes already). The Serrano peppers are crazy hot this year.

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About mid-afternoon Deb asked if I would jump on the tandem with her and some friends for a ride and who am I to turn down my girl. Ian and I grabbed some swim gear and spent an hour at SBU's pool goofing off. Ian is trying to perfect his 'belly-flops' (which make me cringe) and below is a clip of the action:

At 5pm my bro, the Kemps, the Harris', Sue R., Deb, and I headed out for a ride and ended up bagging 2:20hrs in some beautiful weather. Although we didn't ride hard my legs were cooked by the end of the day (5:20 hrs). The rest of the evening was pretty laid back with no much happening.

The other day Ian showed me something pretty cool in his Sports Illustrated Kids magazine; Fabian Cancellera was a 'trading card' along side other US sports figures. Interesting in that neither LA nor Levi (or AC) has been in there.

Sunday morning the legs were feeling a good prior day's ride and the 'mugginess' was already hanging in the air... no mtb'ing for me today. I know my limits and hot & humid on the road/crit is way better than the same in the woods at 10mph (can be brutal to say the least). So the DVR was set to record TdF and off to church it was. Afterwards we had a good lunch with some friends before heading back to the casa for a day of nothingness (the best kind). Lots of Catan, TdF viewing (interesting to see AC could not match AS at the end), watched 'Green Zone' (not as good as anticipated, and Deb's homemade Chicken Enchiladas (super yum!).

Not sure how much riding I'll do this week as I am in need some solid rest/recovery days, but imagine a handful of easy cruises here and there. Going to take a solid month of easy riding before building for a full 'cross season; it's a couple of months away... I plan to race the St. John's crit in SGF in late July and then call it wraps on the crit season (bummer to miss some early ones, but next year is just around the corner).

Rained Out Games and Ugly Mistress Morning

Looking to get in a ride yesterday, but the potential of rain (which finally came in the latter part of the day) wound up having me another rest day.

So last night my brother and I took my pop to a SGF Cardinals game. This was planned some time back as a father's day gift and had no idea at the time of purchasing tickets that is would conflict with Ian's City-Wide ball tournament; but as luck would have it Ian's ball game was postponed (until Friday evening) so I didn't have to miss it. We pigged out (way too much) up in the Redbird Roost while it rained, rained, and then poured. We were having a good time just sitting back (under the covered Roost), chatting, and watching various highlights and Lebron's 'Decision' on the jumbo-tron. The Cards finally called the game off around 8:30pm so we'll have a chance to do it again on a make-up date (tickets fully refundable for another game).

With Sac River (sight of this weekend's Omba Caramba MTB event) getting dowsed with rain last night I got out this AM on the good 'ole Polk County roads for some quality time with my Mistress. While she was more than willing the rendezvous time was miserable; it was neither warm nor cool, but with 100% humidity I was soaked with sweat from the 1:45hr jaunt. Legs felt incredibly flat early on, but rebounded to come away with a nice 20mph+ cruise.

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Offers regarding the scooter-for-tubular wheelset are starting to come in, but none really of significant interest. After riding it in to work the past couple days and the boys' excitement I might start leaning toward keeping it around for a while...

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Today's lunch was spent showing (me orally and him physcially) Jake how to change out a flat tire on his Rodeo. Funny (in an uneducated sad way) at times, but mostly productive. Prior to that he spent time getting familiarized to 'his' new ride...

This evening its ball in SGF (if the rain holds off) and this weekend is more of the same as it's a double-elimination three-day event. Keeping an eye on the weather and conditions regarding the mtb race on Sunday.

New Horse In The Stable (Deb's shakes her head and sighs...)

The old saying 'right place at the right time' held true on Tuesday as I became the owner of the below motor-pace rig. After a new battery and a couple simple adjustments (picking up some mirrors this afternoon) it is running like a champ. Topped it out a little over 40mph (feel the power, baby) and is stable at lower speeds.

Already got Jake and Deb cruising around on it and, although she is resistant, I saw a grin on Deb's face last night as she was making loops through the neighborhood. Ian, of course, is loving being towed around and is already trying to convince me he is ready to drive on his own (easy, Evil Knievel). Jake is my main focus of getting him up to speed (literally) as he is my new designated pace driver.

Trying to decide if I want to hold on to the scooter or trade it off for a set of tubular 'cross wheels. Taking offers...

Took a nice rest on Wednesday and this morning Dale and I got rained out of our 2hr ride; thinking I'll make it a 1:30hr ride at lunch instead (if it's not raining).

Haven't mention this lately, but Jake started back running a couple weeks ago and he only made it three days before his pluerisy flared up again. He has been off for a couple weeks and has another week before he gives it another try (hopefully a perscription anti-inflammatory will keep it at bay). He is taking it pretty well, but once in a while you can tell it's weighing on him. Even with his non-running status, he has not missed a single AM session with his team this summer; he rides a bike with the group as they run. I am absolutely impressed with his commitment to his team (and coach); he is learning more 'life lessons' and discipline than he realizes - priceless.

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Still debating racing mtb's this weekend; I'll admit the thought of dumping it and risking another injury weighs heavy on my mind. Guess I'll have to drop this skirt (figuratively) I'm wearing and put on some 'big boy pants' one these days... Think I'll pre-ride the course a couple times tomorrow afternoon, see how it goes, and make my descision from there. Hard to pass up a race 20 minutes from the house since it's a two/three hour (minimum) trip to most events.

Lawrence Camping/Racing and 4th Festivities

Let's see, we left off last Friday after a morning spin with the crew so let's catch up...

Ian, Deb, and I loaded the Durango and casa-de-la-mobile (pop-up trailer) after work and headed to Lawrence; more specifically Clinton Lake State Park for a couple days. Sadly Jake decided camping wasn't in the cards for him so he stayed behind (honestly, what teenager would pass up a chance for a parent/brother-free-weekend if given the opportunity). Deb and I are missing him more and more as he is doing a lot of his own things now, but it is just part of the transition until his departure (sniff, sniff...).

Pulled into the park around 7:30pm or so and set up shop. Our pop-up is awesome as it pulls easy, sets up under 10 minutes, and has everything to make 'roughing it' not roughing it (DVD player, microwave, refrigerator...) . Turns out Dale was in the area and ended up staying the night with us.

Super late sleep in on Saturday with several games of Uno followed with Ian's zoo (demonstrated in pic #2). Temps were nice and cool with intermediate sprinkles/rain, but who cares when you're inside with the AC on (oh yes, AC saved us a couple years ago in Moab).



Headed to KU a little before noon and I jumped in the circuit race knowing the course was going to be tough for this 'non-climber' and it turned out slightly better than I expected; 20th of 62 riders. Stayed with the head (main chasing field) until the end of lap 4 (5 lap event) where I let a small gap open over the top of the climb and couldn't get back on. I solo'ed it for the last lap and held off a chase group. Although it was a super tough loop it is now probably my favorite as it has so much character and flow (I will be back for more punishment). It was fun having Ian and Deb there yelling for me. Four wrecks in my race and avoided all of them (knocking on wood as I type...). Although I am off the pace of the winners I am having more fun racing than I have had in some time and the acceptance that I am 'pack fodder' when it comes to road/crits is just fine with me and hope that these events are laying in a foundation for a solid 'cross season come September...


I am 5th from the back (of the lead group) in this pic.




So back to the park for clean up and a short snooze before heading back in to catch some of the Pro/1/2. Roads were super slick for them and apparently caused quite a bit of carnage right off the bat. We walked around KU (awesome campus) and although Ian was in some shots he refused to look like he enjoyed himself as he hates the Jayhawks (even refused to stand next to a Jayhawk statue) and simply wanted to get back to MO.

While in town we hit Mass Ave for some grub (and entertainment) before heading back for dessert and a movie. It continued to be a great trip, but we all (even Ian) missed Jake. It drizzled rain most of the evening and it made for a nice sleep.

Sunday morning there was a break in the mist so after breakfast we boxed it all up and headed back to Bolivar. Got home (Ian insisted we hit the H1N1 factory outlet which was in full flow of disease spread), popped up the camper to air/dry out and got to work on the lawn.

Later in the afternoon we headed over to some friends' house for a bbq and pool time (for the kids). It's been an ongoing 4th tradition for us and is always a good time. Missed taking some video of Ian getting beat by a girl in a Belly Flop contest; he gave it his best shot, but she was taking the pain every time - solid.

Sunday evening is reserved for the 4th of July festivities at SBU. Tons of friends and family kicking back to food, live music entertainment, and fireworks. This year again didn't disappoint...


My folks crashed at our house (funny to phrase it that way - sort of makes it sound like some college or racing buddies, but you get the gist) Sunday night and Monday morning (market holiday = day off work) we hogged down on a local diner breakfast before they headed off for the day.

Dale, Nate, and I took in a solid 2:45hr ride at noon that included riding 'old Hwy 13' south, which is odd as it was always one-way (north). Took some side roads back home and when you see a sign like in the below picture there is no way to pass it up...

The rest of the day was spent doing a ton of nothing with the crew. Gotta love these kind of weekends/days.

This morning I got out early AM for a 2 x 20min interval session. Muggy even at 6am and I don't see it getting any better. Snuck in some basketball at noon for a 2nd effort session.

There is a mtb race this Sunday in SGF and I am on the fence about doing it or not. Haven't been on single track since the clipped wing and not sure a race is the place to 'get back up on the horse again'. Additionally, it's one thing to be hot in a crit for 50 minutes, but hot and muggy in the woods for a couple hours is pretty much unappealing at this point. Will have to see how the weather goes.

TdF has kicked off and is more interesting than usual with the tough wet and cobbles stages early. AC is looking solid, LA not too shabby, and CE is the most impressive thus far with his stellar ride today. Who knows how he will climb, but I am a fan of the Rainbow Jersey. Interested to know why the peloton (specifically Cervelo) allowed Fabian C to bully the group to nullifying sprint points in Stage 2; didn't see him waving the flag for the GC guys when they got caught up in a wreck today - what's the difference?!?!?!? Oh yes, he had HIS GC guy in the break so it was full gas on - totally bogus but bad on Cervelo for not pushing thru anyway. Thor got his revenge today I guess, but could have been way out in front for the green.

Girlfriend Has A Chilly Side...

Haven't mentioned it in a while, but the garden is looking solid; pulling off cucumbers daily and the tomatoes are starting to turn red (not too long now). Fresh veggies don't last long in our house as we all munch on them. I was hoping for a little more from the blackberries, but it was only their first season.



Below is a compilation of Ian's pitching from Tuesday night.



Chilly (no joke, actually chilly in the valleys) light 1:30hr spin this morning on the 'mistress ride' with Jim Jones (not my bro), Ira, Nate, and Leah. Picture below during a quick flat change on the edge of newly opened 13Hwy (we rode the old 13 and new access roads).

Prepped the pop-up yesterday and it's loaded ready for our weekend in Lawrence; hope my legs are ready for a beating on a tough hilly circuit at KU.