Katrina

Well it has been a week since we evacuated New Orleans and I can't believe there are still people waiting to be evacuated. Thanks George for all your useless help. I really hope that someday we can rebuild our city and take into account everyone and not just the mid to upper class. I really thought this country was about all men being created equal, I guess they are just not treated equal. No matter the final outcome, New Orleans has a great man as its Mayor and I hope he leads us to a brighter future. I am very fortunate that I could leave the city when I did, I just feel like crap now that I have no means to help the others that are stranded there. Please email your congressmen or persons to get the feds to do something. We have rescue teams from all over the country helping, just not enough man power that our military has on hand. If you have a chance this weekend view Jerry Lewis's telethon, he will be not only raising funds for MDA, but also for the hurricane victims.

CRASH

Well yesterday started out well, but couldn't get that good rhythm in the paceline. Felt more like a race. We all had a hard ride until the end when Eddie dropped his glasses and looked back for them. As he did his front wheel left the pavement and he tried to correct, which is nearly impossible. I was unfortunately right behind him and he layed down right in front of me and I went sailing over the handlebars and next thing I knew I am standing in the grass. Although between leaving the bike and standing, I hit the pavement HARD! Left quite a bit of skin from both elbows, my hand, knee and back along with fabric from my jersey. The fortunate thing, if there really is in a crash, is that neither one of us broke anything. I am really sore on my right side and my left wrist, so it is going to take a while to get back to normal. Just hope my dogs don't mind shorter play sessions while throwing a ball for a while.

You know how hot it is?

It's so hot that when I took a shower this morning after my brick workout, I only used cold water and it wasn't cold. It was quite comfortable and I could have stood there all day. I even got into the shower after I had stopped sweating. Can't wait until fall.

The workouts are progressing well. I actually enjoy the bricks. Makes running alittle more tolerable. Not my favorite thing to do. I am going to continue this schedule for the next month and increase my running mileage and then begin the time trial position on the bike for the last month before the race. Need to get some swims in also. It will all come together. So far so good, just wish we could have a cold front come through. Right!

Sitters

I decided to roll on throught the meeting area since I was early and get a jump on things before I got caught by the group. Nice to just spin at 20-21 before the craziness. Well I caught up to Todd and we talked for a while only going about 15. A little too slow to suddenly jump to 25+. Anyway the group finally came by at Williams and we jumped in. Not very well organized but we did our best. I was helping with a mediocre rotation. Kept running into traffic and that can upset things a bit if your not paying attention, like most people. They seem to get mesmorized by the person in front of them and will just sit there.

We picked it up after the dip going about 27 and over the small bumps which was fun, rollercoaster effect. That pace continued until the turnaround. On the way back everyone was intent on sitting in. I finally had enough and came from 8 back to get in front and start a rotation. Fortunately a few took the example and we had about 6 rotating, then 5, 4, 3, 2 and I was pooped by then. Every now and then a new face would show up and finally at the end about 6 came through. Saving it for the finish. Pansies! Oh well it was a good workout and I will just think that I benefitted more than they did.

First Brick

Well it wasn't too bad, although it was short, 20 bike and 2 run. No big deal, just trying to get used to transition. Had a nice ride averaging 20-21 and then a good run, not too fast not too slow. But man was it hot. My body just cranks out the sweat. I have been drinking water all morning and still haven't gone. Hope one works up soon or I will be in trouble for the morning "long" levee ride. I hope to do this every monday and friday and work the run up to 5 miles before I start pushing the pace. I think I can get that in the next 3 weeks. Got to find that swim suit.

Legs of lead

Whew, hot this morning. Got up very late to meet the early group and time trialed it from the house for about 35 minutes until I decided the group would be uncatchable at this point. That really put a hurting on the ole legs and I really couldn't get into a groove this morning. I made it almost to the Luling Bridge and found the group on the way back, really scattered along the path. So I turned around in about the middle of the spread out group and soft pedalled until Eddie came screaming by on his tri bike with a couple of followers. I jumped at the opportunity to finally draft someone. All be it, it was alittle fast, 28 and he kept it up for about 3 miles. Then we held pace at about 26 and I was feeling really tired. Don't know what it was but everytime I got to the back of the group I didn't feel like I was getting a break. Just felt like I had to keep accelerating to keep up. Well I finally had it when we were finally going 24 and there were only 5 of us. I just felt tired and sat up and could only maintain 16. My legs just felt like lead and couldn't maintain the turnover I wanted. So I had another 10 miles to go and took me a good 45 minutes to finally get home. Sure hope I feel better soon.

Knucklehead

Today almost was a repeat of Tuesday. I didn't ride Tuesday due to inclement weather, but I had to go out. Glad I did, because it only sprinkled for about 30 minutes and we seemed to have missed all the heavy stuff as the path was pretty wet in some places. We had a decent pace going 23-24 but seemed a bit slow for a thursday ride, therefore people were taking longer pulls. So not much action until the end of the ride. I happened to be at the end of the paceline, about 10th position, when Matt picked it up on the front. Well since the ride wasn't too tough I decided to see if I could catch the 3 that were off the front. I had a little trouble getting through but once clear of the group I ramped it up over 30 and was making good ground on them. As I got within 10 meters I noticed that a cop in his SUV was driving pretty eratic along the path. Moving to the right then the left and driving off the path. Well Matt started to draft his vehicle and when the cop pulled off the path he passed him. Not a smart move since there is an speed limit of 20, of course it is not posted, but we are suppose to be aware of it. He was going 30, and the cop pulled back on the path, determined his speed while everyone else knew what was coming up. We sat up and started yelling all kinds of stuff. This isn't a good situation because the cops will be out looking for us to be above the limit. Well the blue and red lights came on and he pulled Matt over to have a little chat. Ole Billy Bob was impressed with the speed Matt was going but not about the safety issues. Knucklehead! Just made us more visible and now if any complaints come in from the little ole ladies, we have a black mark against us. Dummy had to say, "Well I only ride up here once a week." Yeah, but most of us ride up there everyday.

830

830 miles for the month just on the road bike, 915 with commuting added in. Maybe someday I will break the 1000 mile barrier for the month, but not this year. I need to start picking up the running miles for the Triathlon in October.

Sunday I got in 60 miles. I headed out to the lake to meet up with the Giro. But I left late and had to stop and adjust my cleat on the left shoe. Therefore I knew I was going to miss the group. So when I finally reached Lakeshore Drive I just took a right and kept on going, right into a nice headwind. I thought "Boy is this going to suck by myself". I just tried to keep it around 20. I ended up riding for 90 minutes by myself before the group came by me in the same direction as me. Turns out I wasn't late after all. Well they had a nice clip of 24-25 going and I jumped in. A few of the guys asked if I had gotten lost. I just said they were late. HA!

Well things took a while to get going on the return from Venetian Isle and we just pedalled at 22 for a while then as we were approaching the Chevron station we ended up hitting above 30. The light was red so it was hairy getting through. A gapped formed and then that was the end of the group. I went with 5 others and we worked solidly until Jazzland road then there were 4 total. We had a great paceline up until the Shoney's. People started dropping like flys. Rob kept up his pace and I was with Scott, we eventually caught Rob on Hayne's Rd and picked the pace back up to 25-26. When we came to the first bridge near the casino they had a gap of about 25 meters on me because I had slowed for a red light. I blasted up the hill and Rob and I ended up dropping Scott. We kept our pace high until the next bridge over the canal and we both took off mano a mano. Rob got to the top first as I eased up near the crest, I was done. Felt good to be out there but I kept wondering about the rest of the giro. We weren't really going that fast and no one caught us. Oh well, maybe someone flatted. Didn't see anything relating to a crash on Randy's site so that made me feel better about taking off. Well looks like I need to get my running shoes in order. Only 11 weeks to go.

North winds

We may have some relief in sight. There was a northerly wind this morning and we had cloud cover for the entire ride. Thank goodness, because I worked my fanny off. Matt had his nice new time trial bike but he was civil on the way out. Others just couldn't seem to get organized. Donald kept letting gaps form and would just sit on. So I said to myself, "Fuck this, if anyone else wants to work they will follow". I went around him and we had four of us working together. Nice little paceline holding 23-24 into the wind. I was pretty tired at the turnaround, but the tailwind coming home was nice, at least until it became a crosswind and the pace really increased. Matt picked it up when Donald decided to play and we were hitting 30. There were many just hanging on, then a gap formed and we had 3. We pushed hard until Florida Ave, where we met up with some traffic which really slowed us down and about 4 others then caught up. We picked it up again and kept it around 25-26 for a few miles then all of a sudden only 2 were working, myself and Randy. Finally Matt came around and we were going 28. That dropped everyone else and finally Randy and I were dropped at the Huey P when Matt went to another gear. I had had it by then. Kind of hard to keep the fluids up when you don't get much time to gather yourself after taking a pull. I think it will take me all day before I have to pee. Just hope the wind holds for the day and brings some needed rain.

Wet shoes

Keeping up with the riding, just not with the heat or my posts. Anyway, had the maiden voyage of the new shoes, Nike Poggio III. Nice, with the exception of sweat retention. My feet are 6 inches above ground but I am still standing in water. Once the sweat reaches the mesh do you get any relief. The shoes seem to run on the hot end, but that could just be the weather. I look forward to wearing them in the winter. Everything else about them is right on. As for the ride, nothing out of the ordinary. Had Luke and David put in a small attack. Found out later it was to get back at Jeff from the day before. I don't think it bothered him at all. VJ dropped a water bottle on the return trip which got everyone to slow while he went to retrieve it. Just wishing it would rain! Can anyone send us some cool weather?

Thirsty Thursday

Another hot day to ride. Boy am I glad I have decided to ride with 3 water bottles. Sure makes a difference recovering after the ride. I literally look like I just got out of the pool when we are done. When I see some of the guys that don't even have a bottle, I wonder how they manage the rest of the day. I even drink water all day long to replenish the punishment I am dealing my system every morning. I am actually looking forward to a beer ar two this evening.

As for the ride, it was fairly civil when you look at who showed up. No one rode too agressively and it just suited everyone. Similar to how the last few stages of the Tour have been going for the peleton. Just hanging around until the finish. We all thought Howard would lay down the sprint at the end but it turns out no one reacted, so I jumped and no one was there. Got up to 31 which made me feel good that I could get above 30 on my own. Other than that just maintained 23 to 26 for the rest of the ride with a long spell at 18 at the turnaround. Not bad.

POW!

The weekend was full of cycling and I loved it. I got over 115 miles for the two days and felt great. Nice that the wife didn't mind so much, especially since I got home sunday before she even got out of bed. Just glad I was able to get to bed early enough to have enough zzz's before riding. I decided to skip monday's ride and recoup from the previous week, but the running bug got to me. So I went out that evening and put in a quick 2.5. Just enough to really get you sweaty.

The morning was no different. Talk about sweating. I was glad I had 3 water bottles for the ride. We had a nice little tailwind on the way out and the group wasn't too large. I sat at the back until going through the dip when I almost flew off the path. Just before the climb on the other side there is a small hump and you go over at an angle. Well if you are leaning too much, like I usually do, your backend gets airborn and scares the bejezzus out of you. Well today I had to do everything I could to stay on the path and thankfully I did and didn't cause anyone to crash behind me. A small gap formed as I was collecting myself after the near grassy experience. I got back on and then found myself heading toward the front rapidly. Woo, what's going on here? I am just maintaining pace and everyone else is dropping off? I guess so. Then I saw what was happening up front. Riders were starting to attack. The group did well and didn't panic. Just maintained pace and slowly brought back each escapee. But as soon as he was passed another would attack. Well if this keeps up I will be up there soon. Sure enough I was, but I really didn't attack, I just maintained 27, what 27! I didn't even realize we were going that fast. I kept an eye on the shadow I was casting and nothing was behind me. No help, so just keep going for as long as you can. As I neared the Luling bridge I said this is probably it for me. Looked back and still had about 50 meters but I am dying here. So I drop a couple of cogs and stand up waiting to be swept up by the group. Didn't do so bad as I was able to maintain 5th wheel and then eventually got to the front again before we turned for home. I felt pretty satisfied as we had left everyone strung out along the levee.

Heading for home was much more civil until POW! Holy shit was someone shot. John's tire blew big time. He ended up with a hole in the sidewall. Luckily Todd used an old race number of Randy's and placed it between the tube and tire. Good ole tyvek. That stuff is great in the winter for a chest warmer. We got started back up after leaving a pool of sweat on the levee and went at a very civilized pace 20-21. We gradually picked it up and caught up to a few guys that didn't wait but soft pedalled while the flat was being fixed. Then things got nasty. We had a little headwind and the pace continued to grow. 22-23 we had 6, 23-24 we had 4, 24-25 we had 2. Where is everyone? Finally Rob comes around but now we are doing 26 into the wind. Ouch, but at least there were 3 of us. We had a tight little rotation working and got a huge gap on the rest. I finally had enough when we reached the Huey P and shut myself down. Did I mention it was hot? Whew!

As usual... HOT

The dog days of summer are here. Yesterday's ride was at a civil pace and nice, but hot. Today was a little squirrelly and hot. On the way out no one seemed to be able to maintain a constant speed. Once the rotation dropped to about 6 riders everything was fine. Just when others tried to join in the mix, well it mixed it up. Anyway we had a good time on the ride razzing each other and cracking jokes. Made me feel pretty good that I could still laugh, carry on a conversation and maintain 23 to 25 without any problems.

We had lots of traffic to deal with today. Strange how somedays there are tons of people out on the levee then nobody is there. I guess some of the group can't handle the obsticles as well as others. Rest day tomorrow, hoping for rain to cool us off a bit here.

Hot and tough

I was actually early to the meeting area this morning and there all ready was a large group, so I pedalled through and decided to see if Robin was around the parking area. I needed to put a washer in my headset and he had the tools. He was in kind of a rush so I decided to forego the repair until after the ride. I picked up the pace and eventually caught up to Todd. We chatted for a bit then Rob and Matt came screamming by on their time trial bikes. No way let them go.

A few minutes later the group caught us and I decided to play it smart today and sit at the back for a while. It was kind of windy and I didn't mind not working too hard for a change. Well that all ended around the parish line. I got tired of watching the terrible way part of the group was trying to work a paceline at the front and decided to get in the mix. Things started working better and the pace increased. I was following Donald so everytime he started up the fast side I would slide over. Then I stepped on Charlie's toes alittle when he decided to get on Donald's wheel. I apologized but got no response from him. As soon as he got to the front he gapped the group. Fine go ahead, but everything broke down. People were everywhere, so I bridged up and we worked together until the dip. I don't like following people through there. Made it through unscathed and then we had Todd and VJ with us.

Things began to get tough. The pace upped to 26-27 from 24. I started to feel pretty drained but managed to hang on and occasionally pull through. I was glad to hang on with the leaders until the end this time without giving in to the insanity pace.

We started pack farily civil and seemed to have a headwind again, but the pace at 23 was reasonable. Had a decent number of people taking pulls and then there were 5, then 4, then 3, then 2, then noone and I was up front. I just held the pace at 23 and finally someone came through. Ok time for a break. I got back to where I could sit in and then observed why no one was going to the front to help out. Donald get's it in his mind sometimes that the pace should be what he would like it to be. If it is too fast well he will just sit on the back of the rotation and then everyone else will do the same. Fine, I'll sit here too for a while. Once we hit 20 I said this is enough and went around. Strong head wind, but I kept it around 22. Finally got some help and we made it back safely in a realitively quick outing.

Stopping at Robin's vehicle, I finally realized how freaking hot and tired I was. Thank you Robin for the bottle of water. The rest of the ride home was much more pleasant. I am still learning patience on the bike, but it feels satisfying to work your ass off in the process.

Wrong shorts

Well the ride went well but my package didn't turn out so well. I have to remember to not wear the shorts that are a little to big on the longer rides. the ole willie was rubbed raw this morning due to the rising temps and all the sweating I do on the bike. Thank goodness for Boudreaux's Buttpaste. This stuff works wonders and I wouldn't even be able to walk without it. The shower this morning was a new level of pain but I got through it. Time to buy some shorts that are the right size. Tired of this experience.

Humbled

I was ready for a steady fast ride this morning. Well that didn't happen. Surge here, bridge up there, catch your breath, attack and bridge. No rhythm today, just yoyo riding. that just hurts.

I was feeling it as we were about to turn around and eased up. I soft pedalled to the end, which was a mistake. I almost missed the boat for the return. As I dropped down and hit 27 to catch the group as they were passing under the Luling bridge. That hurt and we were going 24 for a little while. As I was talking with Matt we had a gap form and we had to hit it again to catch up. A small group of 3 went off the front and the rest continued at a reasonable pace. Then Paul jumped and I went with him. I was at 33 and still couldn't catch his wheel then as he caught the three he looks back at me and says "Just wanted to see if I could catch them". Crap a gap opened again and I had no gas left. The group then swallowed me up and hit the gas. As I was looking for somewhere to hide a few of the sitters wanted me in front of them. So I am out of the saddle trying to latch on again. By this time I am sweating buckets and am all over my bike. I had a bad feeling about what was coming. Sure enough more surges and then I was done with 8 miles to go. Uugh! Thankfully a few others were also and we made it back at a much easier pace.

Now I know to be more aware of what's going on and less worried about keeping the pace high. Sit in if I have to and be patient. I just may take a nap today at work. Always a good place to get some rest. HA!

Wet without rain

It's so humid now that your wet and it isn't even raining. Steamy and sticky can wrap up how the weather is down here now. We are in for a nasty summer, as usual.

Just a short jaunt today, 20. Got home early to take care of some chores before our party saturday. The wife has gone loopy and has me doing crazy chores around the house so everything will look perfect. Too perfect if you ask me. Got to show some faults to others or they don't think your real. Anyway it's number 40 for me and should be a good time. Looking forward to that first cold beer.

Wet with sweat

Didn't feel so hot this morning, but I was soaked to the bone after the ride. We encountered two flats, someone running off the road and a 10 mph crash. All in all still a good time. It maybe time to spilt the group up somewhat for safety reasons, especially on tuesdays. There seems to be alot of people showing up and most are just ones that want to hangon for a fast ride. If they get in the rotation they end up pushing themselves too much and make it dangerous for everyone else. I think I will try to get some to ride earlier perhaps and see what happens.

Getting back to the ride, the flat tires were times to really get the sweat going. As you stop by the roadside and your body has no other means to cool you but the sweat from your pores, it just comes out in buckets. When you are moving it doesn't seem so bad but I am sure I sweat just as much. The legs were spasing earlier today at work. I think I have finally caught up in my liquid consumption, but will continue to pore them down my throat throughout the evening.

I didn't see the guy get run off the road but it is in a bad area that many don't know how to handle. There is a short descent with a shicane at the bottom. The first corner has a small rise in it. The leaders need to be aware of the group and push through quickly then ease up some to let the rest come through unscathed. Well this doesn't seem to ever happen and today this guy got caught in the wrong place and had no where else to go but in the grass. He then got left behind as half the group sat up but the leaders kept on going. We had a hard chase after the gap had grown, but managed to latch on before things got to out of hand. Lot's of up and down surging so I am feeling kind of tired. The wife wants to run later this evening, so if we do I may not ride tomorrow to catch up on some zzzzsss.

Yawn

The eyelids were heavy this morning and have been for the last few days. Can't seem to get enough rest even when I am not doing anything. I am thinking it is my diet. I have lost some weight and now I think I need to be eating before all workouts and not just before the long ones.

We had a small group today and set out at a nice easy pace, no faster than 20. Perfect. I almost feel asleep at the back of the group. The road was mesmerrizing and a few times my eyelids did close as if I was to drift off in slumber. That changed on the way back. Noone was interested in heading home quickly so I went to the front and started doing 20. After a while I decided to let the next guy have a turn. He kept it at 20 to 21 and was slowly catching two tri guys that had gone around us. They went hard for a minute or two but we were slowly gaining back on them. Then John got to the front and he decided that we had to catch them. I just continued with my pace of 20 to 21 and let him go. He drifted back thinking we were having a hard time. Nah, go ahead.

He picked it up again and passed the two guys. We were still gaining on them and finally passed them a few minutes later and John had quit. So I decided to jump. I was at 26 for about half a mile and David came around me. I didn't think he felt like going hard but was glad to see him there. John had latched on also. Shortly after David came around he pulled off and then John quit, again. Pissed me off, so I took off and left everyone. I kept it around 25 to 26 for then next mile and got myself in a little oxygen debt but the ride was over. I stopped at the playground and spoke with Robin about a headset issue then softpeddaled with Joe the rest of the way home. I thought I was teaching someone a lesson today, but I instead taught myself to stick to my own gameplan of easy monday.

5 years

Today marks the 5th anniversary of Catherine and my marriage. We have had some bumpy rides, but we also have had some great times. I love this woman more and more each day. It has been a slow process of understanding each others quirks, but I enjoy seeing things continue to progress toward a better union of our marriage. I believe that she thinks I am off the deep end every now and then, and she is probably right, but I can always count on her to bring me back to reality. Without her I would be lost. I am always greatful for the time we share and will share. I love you Cat.

Only the first day of summer

Well I think summer arrived a month ago here in the Crescent City. It has been hot and will be for the next 3 months. Riding has been great with the addition of the new, used, Litespeed. I rode my first Giro on sunday in about two years. Had a great time! Ended up with 63 miles for the day then headed out to see the parents with the doggies.

The boyz always have a great time there and so do I. Only one problem was that Riley wouldn't rest and I ended up with very little sleep. So I was pretty tired yesterday and I believe it has continued today.

Got to visit with Wuzzer last night. Hadn't seen him or chatted for over a year. We had a good visit at the Bulldog whilst Tulane got their butt's kicked by Texas at the College World Series. I hope they can turn it around but they have a long rode to go.

Catherine and my 5th year anniversary is approaching. We celebrated at the Pelican Club in town this past saturday. Great food, service and atmosphere. It also helps to know the chef. Richard really did it up for us and I am very thankful for his hospitality. I hope I can return the favor in the future.

Is it really a day off

Went running yesterday morning instead of the normal ride, is that really a day off? We have to be having record highs. I only ran 4 miles and had swimming pools in my shoes when I was done.

Today we had a nice ride that was pretty swift. Had a few that sat at the front but wouldn't do much work until someone from 4 or 5 back would come around them, me. I did alot of work today at the front. It was fun but it did hurt occasionally. I had been wondering when I would feel better on the bike since getting back from our vacation. We ranged from 22-30 mph for the entire ride. A little to eratic for most and I think it took it's toll. We unfortunately had someone crash near the end of the ride. One guy just killed himself at the front then pulled off and quit and dropped like a stone. Others were coming fast and ended up hitting brakes which lead to a near pile up. Well one guy went down and looks like he broke his collarbone. Ouch! I only know this because I had stopped to change some tires at Robin's vehicle and the followers gave us the report. I hope he is all right and can get back up on the bike soon.

Arenberg maiden ride

I will sound like a broken record over the next few months, because it is damn hot. I thought I was melting out there. I rode a Litespeed, Arenberg, potential purchase from David if all goes well with the negotiating. Robin fitted me yesterday on it and boy what a difference to the clunker Lemond, Alpe du Heuz, I have. Shifted great, responded well, felt wonderful. Just hope David and I can come to an agreement.

Started out fast and stayed that way for the entire ride, except for the flat on the way back. Going out we were steady at 27-28, occasionally reaching 30. The group was large and I believe we didn't drop many. I was able to bridge gaps and hang on going out, but as we neared the turnaround I began to feel chills. Not good since we had another 23 miles to return home. I had finished half of my water and began to swig from the last bottle. I thought I would just hang on for the return. Then the flat.

Standing there a pool began to form at my feet. I looked around and noticed that no one else was having such a problem with their sweat so I decided to soft pedal and try to cool off before we strated hammering again. I was joined by three others and I thought about having us work together to see how long we could stay out front. Naaa, let's take it easy for as long as we can. I started to feel much better, then Todd came screaming through. I jumped on his wheel and he and I had an immediate gap. We worked well together for about 5 miles before I was wasted. The group caught us and I just sat on. We still kept up around 25-27 for the rest of the ride.

My legs actually feel pretty good right now but the rest of my body is not too happy with my antics this morning. The Arenberg pulled through with flying colors, so I think it's time to make a deal.

Sunburned

Whew! Saturday we avoided Arlene but she took the winds and any cooling effect north. Now it's just damn hot! Anytime the sun is out and I am in it, I just feel like my skin is burning. Am I just getting older or is the ozone really disappearing or disappeared? I think the later. Why can't we just try some alternative fuels. If all the oil was gone what would you do?

Sunday we finished our decorative patio out back and I believe the sun fried my brain. Still feeling light headed from it all, or maybe it's all the hard work the wife has me doing. Just got to keep on, so that new bike doesn't bring down the house when it arrives. I maybe living on the streets soon, but I am looking forward to a nicer ride than the Lemond.

Steammmy

Uuhg! Can't go outside these days without breaking a sweat. This morning was no different. I was, I thought, on time this morning and sure enough the group had all ready left. I then made up the 3/4 mile difference over the next 3 miles and I was drenched. I actually started to feel sick during the ride this morning. Fortunately it was at a reasonable pace and I made it home ok. A cloud covered the sun up and gave us some relief. I think if the sun had been out for the entire ride I may have wretched.

Weekend is looking to be pretty wet. Sucks for the super regional Tulane is hosting. Hopefully they can win early and send Rice packing. Stay away Arlene until the games are wrapped up.

Close call

After killing myself yesterday doing field work in the direct line of the sun and recovering from an awful headache yesterday, I almost killed myself and a few others on the ride this morning. So after a hard ride on tuesday and toating alot of weight around yesterday, I was feeling pretty tired this morning. I actually got out to the meeting area early so I decided to continue my warmup and rode a few extra miles before joining the group.

We started out smooth and it pretty much continued that way for most of the ride. But for some reason people were continuously yo-yoing for the ride. Since the pace was not insane and I was able to stay with the group it was just annoying that some couldn't keep the pace even. I guess this pissed me off as I pointed out a truck coming up the levee to cross our path, I kept up my pace and so did the truck. I really thought he was going to stop and he did so at the last minute when I snuck through. Everyone else was not so trusting, and I don't blame them, so they really slowed to a crawl. I caught alot of crap for that one. I had made eye contact with the guy, but he was the typical asshole truck driver we meet up with. Got to hurry up and wait for the frontend loader to fill him up.

No close calls after that until the end when I took off where we begin to shut it down and a mower was coming up the levee. I could see he was turning to head back down, but his wheels just skidded along the paved path and I had a head of steam approaching and no where to go. Thankfully he slammed on his brakes and yet again I appeared the idiot. Twice in one ride was too much for me. I need to pay more attention to what is happening all around rather than just in front of me.

A flat was a blessing

Whew! We were flying this morning. My legs felt like lead from last night's run. Had a hard time going out and got dropped at the dip. I was in a bad position and had been doing alot of work going out. After the rise I pulled off to let others through and they jumped. I couldn't get back on. I decided to take it easy so I would have something for the return.

I picked it up when Donald came by and a few others latched on. We were trading off pretty regularly. The group finally caught us and I managed to stay with the leaders and rotate through just as much as they were. Everyone was pretty drained and it made me feel good that I could maintain. There were some surges that put me into oxygen debt but I held on and was able to stay with the group. Then it happened "Flat!" Whew, a rest as we all eased up.

Once that was fixed we joined back up with everyone else and then another flat. Well this pretty much meant the ride was over. No one took off, just soft pedalled and we still made it home at a decent time. But I know I am really going to feel it later and I can see myself taking a nap after lunch today just to feel normal. Lesson learned, don't try to do to much after a run when you haven't been doing much in the first place.

Rain rain go away

Got pretty soaked on sunday and got dressed this morning for a ride and decided against it. Glad I did because it dumped again. Sucks getting your only pair of cycling shoes soaked. They seem to take forever to dry. This will just get me to do a good run tonight. I have started to pick up my running over the last two weeks and my legs are just getting used to it. Looking forward to October.

Mom had her birthday friday and she seems to be doing well. Her fevers have subsided and she is getting her energy back. I can't even begin to imagine having a disease that can effect your entire livihood. I am pulling for her and just want her to have a relaxing life. I believe relaxation is the key to longevity. Hope you can relate.

Vacation

Been a while since my last post, but I have the vacation blues. Traveled to the mountains in NC and had a blast with the wife and the doggies. The only problem was that I missed my bike. The roads were awesome for riding. Everytime we went for a drive, all I could think about was pedalling along. Man that sucked! It would have been great to go for a ride each morning. The weather was wonderful and the temperature was just right. Got to get back up there again and the next time a bike is coming with us.

We hooked up with some old friends in Atlanta and then again in Roanoke, VA. Had some great homebrew and far too many other beers over the 12 days. Time to detox and sweat out all the impurities. Not too difficult down here in the Big Easy where summer has all ready set in. Just walking out the door and you begin to sweat. Makes me want to look for a job up in the mountains.

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What happened?

Nice morning for a ride. Had a decent turnout at the meeting area. Chatted with Randy about research and how certain names are used more than others. We have some cool stuff that will be put into print soon. More on that some other day.

We started out very civil for a thursday ride and slowly picked it up to finish at the turnaround going about 28. Everyone worked well going out. The return trip was a little different. People started getting tired and no one could decide on which side to pull off on. I started to get a little irratated with some who seemed to be worried about more behind them than in front. Eyes forward if you are the lead man, your responsible for the safety of the ones following. Pay attention!

After too many encounters like this I pulled through pretty hard. Randy and Rob stuck with me and we had a little gap. We just kept it motoring all the way home. Beautiful! Not sure how fast we were going but we all were working well together. I love it when that happens.

Turns out our gap had grown too much for some and they decided to chase. When they went through some traffic they had some problems. Well someone hit their brakes and then people were flying off the levee and a flat occurred. So they all stopped. We didn't hear anything since we had a decent amount of ground between us and them. I think some of the guys were happy to help the young lady with her mishap, especially Ronnie. He sure can make some pretty girls uncomfortable, so beware ladies when the Ronster is around.

No show

Richard talked me into meeting at 6 for the tuesday ride. Well I was there and he wasn't. So I decided to go alone instead of waiting for another 15 minutes. It was tough but I managed to stay away for the entire ride. Thought there might be a large group but turns out they were not well organized this morning. Ended up being several small groups. Maybe I should have waited and I wouldn't be so tired. It was a good workout anyway. I will sleep well tonight.

Getting old is scary

Had some great rides over the weekend. Went 46 on both days and felt pretty good. Decent workouts carrying most of the load on each ride. Feels good to be able to take care of others.

Speaking of taking care of others, today we had a scare or at least I did. Joe, whom is exceptional for his age, something like 75, gave us a glimpse of what is to come of us who are not at this stage in their life. The morning was nice and cool, but pretty windy. I knew it would take some work to get home. Tailwind going out and everyone was taking it easy. Today is normally an easy ride, we kept at 19-20 just soft pedalling.

The ride home we picked it up some, some of us need to go to work. When we got to Florida Ave. I turned to ask if Joe was still with us. Turns out he wasn't. So I turned around and went back for him. He came around the pumping station soon after I turned and he jumped on. I asked him if he was ok. He said yes and he would stick right on my wheel. We caught back up to Bob and Richard and began to pick it up again. We seemed to have a little bit of a tailwind at this point so it was pretty easy riding. As we turned into the wind at the golf course I just held the speed we were doing and pulled these guys. We reached the road for the sand trucks and I asked if Joe was with us. Nope, he had fallen off again. I said I am going back for him.

When I turned around, I got a bad feeling, I didn't see him right away. Then I saw him in the distance, hunched over on his left, slowly pedaling toward us. I got up to him and asked if he was all right. He stubbornly said Yes. Then I informed him of how he looked. He didn't even realize he was hunched over and was having a hard time supporting himself with his left arm. I made him downshift and he swerved, clipped my rear wheel and went into the grass. He didn't fall, got back on the path and we decided to ride very slow. I kept asking if he was ok. I started going over CPR and first aid stuff in my mind, wondering if he was having a heart attack or something else. I made him stop. We stood around for a while as I kept asking about his arm, if he had pain or any strength left. Well it turns out his back was bothering him and I think it had been for a while. His arm was so tired from supporting his weight he had nothing left.

I felt relieved but we still had to get back. He kept going eventhough we were going about 10. Bob and Richard stayed with us and we made it back safely to the Zoo. I don't know if Joe made it all the way home, but I assume he did. Scared me, but I am glad I was there. Everyone else would have left him.

It's hot

Spring has passed us by and now summer is upon us. Mornings are super humid, days are hot and evenings bring the showers, which don't cool anything off. The city just releases steam when it rains. No different on the bike.

This morning I had to end my ride early on account of field work later in the morning. By the time I had reached the meeting area I was all ready drenched. Just can't seem to stay cool in this weather. Now my bike will really begin to rust out from underneath me. Had a nice evenly paced ride to just spin out the lactic acid from the previous three days of hard riding.

Hopefully tomorrow won't be so humid... HA! what a joke.

Smooth and fast

Today I was just glad to get out with the group. I had intentions of cutting my ride short, but I was enjoying the pain in my legs too much. I really needed to get to work earlier than normal, but riding lately is just too much fun. I won't be able to ride for two weeks coming up, so I am trying to get in as much as I can now.

We started out easy, only about 8 of us. Good size, unlike tuesday when we had 20+. We began to crank it up and picked up two on the way out. Everyone working well together. Had a scare after the parish line. Someone had left a nice sized stick on the levee and a few of the guys hit it as it made it's way through the group. Randy said he almost went down. Great to have Robin in the group, he stopped and took care of the stick problem.

Once we made the turnaround, Rob, Randy and Matt sat on the front jabbering away about something. We were going about 20 and I thought "we need to pick this up so I can get home." Finally after about three miles Rob picked it up and just sat off the front. I went around Matt and Randy and decided to work with Rob. This went well for a few miles then more joined in. Good. I can finally get home at a decent time. Only problem was with Donald. I don't know what ruffled his feathers today, but he just sat on as third man in the line today. At this point Randy and Rob were doing all the work. Once we reached Florida Ave, I had enough and went around Donald to help out. Much better, because I hate just sitting on when I am actually feeling pretty good.

Jeff made his way around and worked with us. As we got to the golf course someone yelled, "Flat!" Rest at last, but I needed to get home, so Jeff, Justin and I took off. No offense to the guys who waited, we just needed to get to work. All said in done, I averaged 20 for the entire ride. Pretty good considering all the easy riding starting and ending.

Feelin the groove

Eventhough I felt pretty sore from yesterday, I rode well today. I actually thought we were early, but the group had all ready left the meeting place. We kicked it in, but they were riding slow. After catching up with a few of the guys we picked it up. Turns out I was pulling at 25. Didn't know it since I my speedometer hasn't worked all year. This might be a good thing. On the return trip I hit 27. Everything was feeling kind of easy and there were no surges, just good tempo. I won't complain, just hope this feeling stays around for a while. Glad to be over the creeping crud.

Spoked

First hard ride since encountering the creeping crude every allergy suffer has to face sometime during each spring. Still coughing and blowing my nose quite a bit. Sorry to all that were behind me during one of my farmer blows.

The ride started out under a thick fog and no one was too eager to set the pace. Randy and I were on the front riding easy and chatting about the Giro. Looks as if there is some conspiracy between the sprinters. Always some excuse when you don't win. Once we got to the Golf course the levee cleared a little and the pace began to pick up. I decided to go to the back and see how I was going to feel.

We had a pretty large group and I didn't feel too safe with the fog. But I got stuck at the back and just waited for my pull and then tried to find a place at the front. It got a little crazy once we passed the parish line and there is a place where the levee is not too smooth. Guys started hitting their brakes in the line and Robin had the misfortune of having to slam on his brakes and busted a spoke. I didn't know this until after the ride. But the group had no organization so I decided I had had enough. I jumped out and hit it hard to catch a few guys who had thought the same.

Turned out to be a good move since I ended up working with Todd and Howard and felt safe to be out of the chaos. We worked well and I was feeling pretty good, then Howard flatted and it was just Todd and myself. We were working hard and caught Justin. By this time my lungs were starting to suffer and I began coughing. But we began to work well again, just a little slower. We were caught by Donald and 3 others and that helped. I sat on and made it to the turnaround without losing it.

The way back was much more civil. Most everyone took a decent pull before dropping back. A few times the pace increased and it became hard to blow the nose. I left alot of snot on the levee today, but I am glad the nose was running. Not so good for my brother. I found out today that he is having surgery on his sinuses and a deviated septum. I sure hope I don't have to go to that extreme someday.

Sharted

The other day I went to work and was still feeling like crap from the sinus crud that has engulfed my head. Coughing up this nice juicy post nasal drip. Eyes are soo droopy I can only see what a glaucoma patient can see.

While sitting at my desk I really had to fart, so I let it go. Boy that didn't feel quite right. Felt a little wet. Man... don't tell me I just drew mud! I walked up to the restroom and it felt kinda weird. Kinda mushy. Man, I don't believe this. I made it to the stall and pulled down my shorts and sure enough I had sharted. Disgusting! Then I think, I know others have done this... just to make myself feel better about it. Not really. I have shit in my shorts!

Well I took my underwear off which served it's life long purpose by protecting my shorts, tossed them away so I wouldn't be carrying them around. I finished what was started at my desk and decided I better go home. I felt like crap and I took a crap, right in my shorts no less. Just started to think I was actually feeling better. What a way to end the day.

Big D

Trying to recover from my trip to Dallas. Brought back some nasty sinus stuff. Spent last night coughing up this green crap. Now my head feels really full. I think I will go home and pop some sudaphed and take it easy for a while.

As for Big-D, we all had a great time. I got to see Scott and Angela and their two new ones. They are beautiful kids. Spent some quality time with the bros before the Wide Spread Panic show. Celebrated Burkley's first birthday, what a ham, and also got to see what a great kid he is. Looking forward to seeing them all grow.

Nothing like family.

Nice ride

Today we had a nice ride. Spin and grin as we like to call it. My legs feel much better than they did at this time yesterday.

Really looking forward to this weekend in Big D. Called the bros and everything will be set up. should be a good time.

Second Jazzfest weekend

Today starts the second weekend of Jazzfest for 2005. We are having beautiful weather for it also. Last weekend was absolutely gorgeous, but sad to say I won't be attending again. I have a trip planned for the weekend to Big D to see my little bros. We are all getting together to have some fun. Should be a good time.

As for the ride today, it was great. Nice weather, good group, no flats, legs tired... couldn't have asked for anything better. The wind was not bad today so we kept it around 23-24 for the entire ride. Everyone was taking longer pulls today so it was much easier within the paceline. Randy is a great wheel to be on, eventhough he is the smallest guy out there. He is steady and doesn't make any sudden moves from side to side. I could have fallen asleep behind him today, we were so steady. Great ride, just hope I can stay awake later on today. The coffee mug is looking tempting.

Why I love to ride

Today was a day that confirmed most of the reasons why I love to ride. Didn't start out to be that great of a day. The weather was definitely not cooperating last night and I was expecting it to be uncooperative this morning. Cash woke me at 1:00 am for who knows what, but I couldn't get back to sleep for the next 2 hours. I was then awoken at 5:00am for another Cash encounter. Pushed him aside for hopefully another 20 minutes of bliss. 45 minutes later I got up. And as usual I was late for the early ride today.

All ready feeling the effects of an unrestful night I decided to head out at the normal time and ride back with the group from the normal turnaround. I expected the roads to be wet and I would eventually get a flat. Well the roads were fairly dry and I didn't get a flat. Amazing! I made decent time up to the levee despite all the traffic this morning, just to face a nice headwind all the way out. By the time I had reached the golf course about 9 miles into the ride I was just trying to maintain 20-21. It was tough but I was glad I was out and the pollen had been knocked down from the rain last night. It felt great to take deep breaths without hacking up a lung. My nose was still runny, but that seems to be an everyday nuisance. Nothing to get my panties in a wad over, so I just kept chuggin' away.

I made it to the normal turnaround in pretty good time and there was no sign of the group. Let's keep going. Just chuggin' away at 20-21 into that headwind. Boy is this going to feel good when I turnaround. Legs are aching, heart is pounding, and my chest is hurting from breathing hard. I make it all the way to the dip, another 4 miles from the normal turn and no sign of them. Just as I am heading down the hill I see them coming. All right, I am going to get an extra 8 miles in and get towed home. Screw getting towed, I am going to play the game.

As I turnaround I drop a gear or two and begin to pick it up. Only 5 guys in the group and I make it 6. Just right for a swift paceline, and swift it was. With the tailwind and everyone working well together, I couldn't have asked for a better morning of riding. We maintained 27-30 the entire way back. Nothing like feeling strong at 30 mph and being able to hold that pace. The group was fantastic. We all took decent pulls and no one complained or wavered or disrupted the pace. I really enjoy riding in a paceline where everyone knows what they are doing and all are working together. Nothing like teamwork. Nothing like feeling your lungs burn and you keep asking for more. Nothing like your legs aching and you keep asking for more. Nothing like eating dirt from someone elses tires. Nothing like feeling the air rushing by you. Nothing like going fast. This may sound sadistic, but all in all, I think it's fun!

Spinnin'...

What a difference a day and an easy ride can make. My legs feel wonderful. I believe my fitness is coming back around. Another week of just riding then I will start to run. I have been trying to figure out when I will run, how to find the time?

That is another day. Looking forward to visiting with my parents this weekend. Got some work to do out there and some R and R. I hope the fish are still biting. Can't wait to hook a biggen'.

Catherine is off to see her brother, his wife and their new son. His christening is this weekend and C will be the godmother. I know she will have a great time, just got to make it through those flights and she will be all right.

Stairs hurt

Made it to the early ride again this week. Got to the meeting area before anyone else and couldn't believe I was that late. So I rolled through and met up with Jeff coming the other way a mile down the road. Thankful I hadn't missed the group.

The ride turned out to be pretty smooth through out, just pretty fast and boy do my legs feel it. The stairs in our building have become mountains. I believe going down is worse than climbing. Having to use the handrails on the way down makes me feel very old. I know I am not going to hurt myself this much tomorrow. Only one more day this week, so just get the miles in.

Even though I am hurting, I wouldn't change it.

Early breakfast

Left earlier than normal for a wednesday morning ride so I could get back for an early breakfast. Nice morning. Little wind and no one around. I actually met up with Realdo. He also had to get home early. Nice company. Great bike that was given to him when he left his team in Europe. Said he couldn't have bought it himself. We chatted until I turned around before he did and headed home. Did a little time trial work for the triatholon and passed the normal group on their way out. Nice to spin and let my legs rest a little. Tomorrow is an early day and hopefully I can find out where Waldo has been.

Where's Waldo

Crazy ride this morning. Finally made it to the early ride for a tuesday. Some of the big guns were missing but that didn't change much. Small attack early, but it was easily gobbled up. Should have let them cook out there a while but everyone was itchy.

Got in the game and had some fun. We were taking about two sign pulls, with a slight tailwind. As we approached the dip for the pipes at IMTT, I thought there may be a break but everyone was pretty safe. On the rise a guy's rear wheel locked up and sent everyone everywhere. Never seen someone skid uphill. Never found out what happened but we didn't see him on the way back so I guess he fixed it. We waited around a few minutes and Todd snuck off. Donald and Russell were giving chase. Got in a small group with Randy and two others. Randy did a great pull and got us to within striking distance. Another guy took over and pulled us up to Donald. I got in behind Russell. Donald just kept it cranking and caught Todd just before we got to the turnaround. Awesome! We were up around 26 for a few miles. Donald then motioned us to overtake Todd, but I didn't want to mess with his work. It was impressive.

We made the turnaround and noticed the wind had picked up considerably. I was on the front with Donald and decided to take a backseat for a while. Much shorter pulls will be taken on the way back. We all regrouped under the Lulling Bridge and began to pick it up. It was pretty civil for the next 8 miles then the screws were cranked down. We picked up a few late comers, Realdo being one. This guy is so smooth. We were going about 24 and he picked it up for the next half mile so gradually that we were around 28 when he pulled off. My shest was hurting at this point. The wind was playing havock with me. Couldn't figure out which side we should pull off to. When we passed Florida Ave. I asked what had happened to a few of the guys. No one knew. Oh well, I guess we will find out later.

Pulls started to get shorter and shorter, mine especially. Once I got to the front I would just pull through. Happy to float to the back. Almost didn't get back on after my last pull. Shut down and still no one knew where the others were. So I decided to head back and check it out. Got about two miles down the road and saw three of them. Turned around and pulled them back to our normal ending area.

What happened to John? These guys waited for John who was at the turnaround, but didn't end up with the lead group. I still don't know what happened to him. But we handed a tube to Courtney as she was heading out. We don't know if he got a flat or something else broke. I guess we will find out tomorrow. Where are you Waldo?

Ho hum monday

Just out for a normal monday spin, of course I was late for the group. I actually caught them just before Florida Avenue after being 10 minutes late. They were riding slow. Many of them had gone to Jackson for the races this weekend. So we took it easy.

One of the guys flatted just before the turn around. I went back to help him out. Got tired of his bumbling around and fixed it for him. Nice piece of a radial tire in his tire. Nearly sliced my finger when I checked it. Needed to get going so got on the front and picked the pace up. We were still not going very fast. Easy to carry on a conversation. All in all a decent monday ride. Now tomorrow will be a different story, just hope the rain holds off.

Get your kicks on Route

66 miler today. What wonderful weather we are having. Met David, Richard and Bob at the Zoo and off we went. Had a nice ride out to Ormond with a slight headwind. Richard kept up his "Sergio" reputation and dropped Bob a few times. I would drop back along with David to help him out. When we were approaching Ormond we picked up Taylor. Made the turn around and seemed to still have pretty much a head wind. Am I imagining things or does the levee seem to produce a head wind no matter what direction you are going?

We set a steady pace until Richard got on the front and did his usual surge. David and I dropped back to help out Bob and Taylor. Once we got everyone back together, Bob got smart. He kept David and I in the front and we just kept switching off for the next 12 miles. Each pulling for a mile or so. We just kept a steady pace around 20-21. Richard had enough as we were approaching the golf course and moved up. Once he got to pull he did his usual surge and David and I stuck with him. We rotated around a couple of times and when Richard took his last pull near the helipads I surged and David followed, dropping Richard and hopefully teaching him a lesson.

We kept the pace up until the hospital just to make sure Richard would get the picture. Lessons told but probably did not sink in. We eased up and soft pedalled to the dog levee. I decided to turn back around and rode with Taylor back to Florida Ave. Had a decent tailwind but we rode fairly easy and shot the shit. I checked the time and decided I needed to pick it up and get home. By this time my knee was hurting and it was hard to keep a good rhythm. I did my best and felt great getting back. I was surprised at how refreshed I felt. I had not riden that far in probably over a year. I really hope to do this more often. Looking forward to long rides, especially if I have a great tailwind.

Tax day ride

Beautiful day. Got to the meeting area on time and no one was around. Am I on time? Just keep on going. Easy day anyway. As I approached the stables I saw Justin heading toward me. Not late, someone is here. He turned around and we headed out for the normal ride. Nice easy pace, just resting our legs for the weekend. I will be doing a long ride tomorrow and Justin is racing in Jackson this weekend. Good luck to him.
We talked about taxes and wondered how people actually do it. Seems like every year the government takes more out of me on this day. Justin can take up to 9 deductions. I have a measly 2, but I wonder about putting the dogs as deductions. They are dependents. I guess 4 legged creatures are just not that important during tax season.
Anyway looking forward to a pretty relaxing day at work. Not much going on. Waiting on others before I can actually do somethings. Thinking about the nice weather and the ride to the Spillway tomorrow, good 54 miles or so. Then across the lake to check out some properties in Madisonville. Should be a great weekend.

Squirrelly J

Got up in time to meet the group for the early ride, but of course I still ended up being late. So I decided to meet them on the return. as I approached the stables I noticed a flashing red light up ahead on the levee. There they are and they are not going hard, yet. So I shift down a few gears and assume the time trial position and hopefully can last long enough to catch them. Doing well so far. After about a mile I have closed the gap to about 100 meters and psst...psst...psst...Fudge! Flat tire again. I decide to give what I have left and get to the group. Thank goodness Jeff took a look back and had everyone slow. I almost crashed into them as I said I have a flat.
Robin was quick to assist. I have no problem with that, since this is what he really enjoys to do and he does a great job. After checking everything out with my wheel and replacing the tube we were off. I noticed it was a small group. Good, no one should be out hammering away since my thighs have been screaming at me from the two previous days. We had a very civil ride out. We all took about two sign pulls and then peel off to the back. A nice clip at about 23-24.
When we turned there was a nice head/cross wind and it was blowing pretty hard. I had to stand on the pedals just to catch up to everyone before I lost them. Ended up at the back of the pack and behind the one guy that seems to always be in a group that just can't seem to keep things flowing. We will deem this guy "Squirrelly J". To make matters worse the eschelon left no room for me to get any relief or very little from time to time, since the levee is only about 7 to 8 feet wide. So I am the odd man out just trying to hang on and my thighs are burning from the two previous solo days in the wind.
Well "Squirrelly J" made me concentrate so hard on trying not to crash off the edge that I didn't think much about my legs. Constant yoyo effect with severe side to side movement. I know he has been told about this many times but it just doesn't sink in. Well it is good test of patience and I know before we finish the ride a few guys will drop off for home.
Thankful for three of them to go, I finally had room in the eschelon. Greatful for the job Donald and Luke did for us on the way home, since they pulled the entire time at about 23-24. I am not going to mess with someone elses workout. I needed that time at the back to spin and clean out some of the lactic acid that had pooled from the previous days. I just hope I can stay clear of "Squirrelly J" on future rides.

Early riser

Riley got itchy this morning around 5:20, so instead of listening to his collar make noise I decided to get the boys up and take them for a walk. Since I was up so early I decided to take a quick ride because I needed to be at work early today to go out in the field. A little cooler than it has been but no wind.

Used my tail light this morning. Haven't done that in a while, but I haven't been riding before 6 either. Today was going to be a day of just trying to maintain an even pace, but utilize different gear ratios. Well didn't stick to that game plan. Just ended up pounding the pedals to maintain 20. Legs are a little tired. Those few days off hurt and I know tomorrow will hurt. I am going to try and make it to the early ride so I can really hurt myself. Love that pain.

Windy...

Had to leave work early and get in a ride. Felt very sluggish this morning but the day was just too nice to pass up for a bike ride. So I got home around 3:30 and changed quickly and set out for a quick 25 miler. As I was riding to the levee I should have put on some sunglasses. The wind was just kicking everything up and I must have rubbed my eyes raw with all the dust and pollen that has been airlifted.

Finally made it to the levee and headwind city. This is going to be a gruelling ride. And sure enough, it was. My legs were aching the entire ride. I thought I would get a break when I turned around, uh uhn. The wind was unpredictable, but seemed to be mostly coming off the river. No relief there since the levee runs parallel. Should have gotten up early.

Rain on standby

4:20 and all hell seems to be breaking loose outside. Lightning and thunder. I thought it was pouring out. Well looks like no need to get up early since it's going to be wet. So I roll over and continue dreaming of sunny days.

6:00 can't sleep any longer so time to take the dogs for a walk. Had a hard time getting Cash up from his eventful weekend. Walk outside and it is bone dry, no rain. What's up with this? Let's hurry up guys so I can get a ride in before the rain comes.

Finally riding about 6:35 only 15 minutes late. Nice little tailwind to start but that only means headwind returning. Nothing new here. I should meet someone on the return trip around Florida Ave. Going pretty good on the way out no one in sight. It was deserted up there. I'm not complaining but it is nice to see others sometimes. Well I get to where I thought I would meet someone but no one there. So on I go, past Williams and over the bridge and finally see two people heading my way. Almost made the normal ride.

Robin and a new guy Jeremy are heading my way, so I turn around with them and we had a nice ride back. The wind wasn't bad and we kept the conversation lively. Got home at a decent time and was glad I didn't end up getting soaked. The front is just west of us and I have a feeling I may get wet on my commute home. I guess the you can't avoid getting wet everyday.

Ridin' with Serge

5:55, late again. Quick walk for the doggies and off on the bike. Thursday is an early ride since we go further. It is also fast. I knew I wouldn't mee the group at the meeting area so I decided to try and meet them at the normal turnaround. I am all ready leaving 10 minutes after they have met and it takes me 15 minutes just to get there. Now I am down 25 and they are going to have at least 5 guys that can really motor. Time trial...

So riding to the meeting area is used for warm-up. As I approach the meeting area there is a large congregation of Entergy vehicles, and they are all parked on the levee. Not going to get them to move so off in the grass. Back on the levee after a minute and psst...psst...psst.. Crap! Flat tire. Now I have something else to worry about, only been riding 20 minutes and I am using my spare. I find the piece of rock embedded in my tire and use my last CO2 cartridge. I hope I don't get another flat since I am on the way out. Letting faith take its course.

Now I am looking for anything that may cause a flat. Enough of that, there is a nasty headwind I am facing alone. No help. So down on the bars, well no time trial bars just resting my forearms on top of the handlebars. Uugh, my legs are tired from yesterday. Just trying to maintain 20. I am doing pretty well but it's another 10 miles to the normal turnaround. I keep repeating to myself, just do circles and keep your rpms up.

Finally get the to the turnaround an I have beaten the group on their return trip. Bonus time before I turn around with the group. Not long and here they come... FAST! I make my u-turn and what a relief, tailwind. Or is it? They catch me and as the group begins to go by not many are saying much. This is fast. So I am looking for a place in the line and no one will let me in. Nice. I end up at the tail behind Justin. He didn't even know where I had come from. I think he may have been a little cross-eyed at that point.

All of a sudden I am jammin' on the pedals. Surge #1 for me and probably the 20th for the rest. I missed a hard one. It's not over yet. 30 seconds of really hard riding and then I am coasting. Maybe this isn't so bad. Then I am jammin' on the pedals again. Coasting. Jamming. This goes on for the next 10 miles and then the group begins to disintegrate. Guys in the middle of the pack are dropping back and guys in the back begin to pass. People everywhere and we haven't much room to manuver. I move through the group picking the safest line I can. Not much left in my tank but was glad I could keep up.

We finally shut it down and catch our breath for the next mile. Hard but fun. Found out we got up to 32 and I am sure we were around 27-28 for most of it. My speedomoter read 0. Need to fix that. I will be looking forward to riding with Sergio again next week. Always nice to hurt your self.

Tailwinds appreciated

Riley was anxious to get up this morning, so no need for the alarm clock. Nice and warm this morning, but very windy. Got ready pretty quickly and started out for the meeting place near Oak st. Boy this is easy, nice tailwind, actually great way to warm up before things get crazy on the levee. got to the meeting place and noone was around, I can't be that late. Saw a few guys up the road and they were going easy, just to see if any late comers, me. Randy actually showed up after me and we chatted a bit about cleaning the headset on my bike. It's feeling kind of gritty. I hope all it needs is a cleaning. I think I am up for the challenge.

Great tailwind going out. Everyone got a turn at the front 24-25. Made the turnaround and thought oh man headwind returning. Not exactly so. We had more of a cross wind and a true head wind just after Florida Ave until the small bridge before the golf course. Then a cross wind. We actually were going about 24 most of the way back. Surprised at how fast we got home, except for the train that decided to stop before David and I could cross. While waiting I heard about his skiing adventure and how sore he was. I guess cycling doesn't prepare you for everything. Just makes me look forward to starting to train for the running part of the triatholon.

Paceline rotation

Hard time getting up before the sunrise again. Tried to make it out there for the early long ride but just couldn't get up soon enough. Darkness is too inviting for sleep. Finally got up and hoped that the weather and wind would cooperate. Nice morning with little wind and cool enough for me to wear long sleeves. After taking the boys for their morning ritual, set out for the ride. I was glad to warm up quickly since I felt a chill this morning. Knew I would miss the group and catch them on the return. Set out at a moderate pace and just maintained tempo 20-21 trying different gear ratios to change things up a bit. Passed the normal turn around feeling pretty good and was wondering if I had a tail wind or head wind. I thought it was a head wind until I turned around, no wonder I felt so good. Saw Luke out ahead of the bunch and turned with him so I could catch up on the skiing scoop. Sounds like the guys played hard, but isn't that what life is all about. We talked for a bit until the group caught up. I then started jabbering away with others in the group and was surprised of the pace, civil. This is great! After a while the pace began to pick up and a rotation started at the front. Got in the game and had a great time. I really enjoy a swift paceline just pulling off as soon as you get to the front. I kept thinking we were pulling over to the wrong side but that didn't matter too much until the end when I got tired and less guys were working in the group. Oh well got my heartrate up and hurt my lungs, but it is all good.

Sleepy monday

Long friday night... Had a great time at the Sweetart's ball but got home very late. This in turn lead to a unrestful weekend. With the time change and all it was difficult to get up this morning before the sun rise. Finally got out on the bike after not riding all weekend. Kind of bummed about that since the weather was beautiful. Oh well ended up doing the normal ride alone. Saw Eddie and Randy out there and they also were alone. Looks like the time change has gotten to everyone. Kept a nice pace for the ride, 19-20 just trying to spin my legs and breath normally while thoughts of the triatholon going through my head. Lots of time to train but it will be here sooner than you know.
The house... curb appeal is getting much better, added grass to the area where the concrete was removed, painted the porch and steps and added some slate tile to the walk from the gate to the steps. Looks pretty good. You can really appreciate doing things on your own, even if they don't look professional.

Foolish friday

YO! Ready for the weekend and hopefully some dry weather. As it looks it will be very windy, therefore looking for some bodies to draft behind and take some turns at the front.
Had our supper club last night. Mexican. Yummy. I really pigged out, as usual. Free food... can't pass it up. We had a delicious chicken soup, quesadillas, shrimp salad, jalapeno cornbread, brownies and of course wine. Should be know as a wine club. Everything went well and we were all full at the end.
Tonight is the Sweetart's Ball. Catherine and I will be volunteer photographers for the event so we can get in for free. There's my favorite word again. Should be a blast as we get to see some of the local schnawbee's throw it down. We will have to get some photo's of this.

Foggy flats...

Got up late to take the boys for their morning ritual and realized it is awful muggy out today. 73 degrees to start the ride and fog as thick as pee soup on the levee. Caught Bob and we cruised out to our normal turnaround spot at the parish line, only doing about 16 just jabbering away. Of course I had to make the comment I hope I don't get a flat. At the turnaround I asked Bob if he was willing to pick it up for the return. His response Sure, I'll follow, not a problem. Of course the conditions with the fog had left the road and everything around very sticky. I noticed about a mile after the turnaround I had a little bouncy action with my bike. Is it the road, no, Oh crap, I am getting a flat. So I check my back tire with a bounce of my bottom on the seat. Looks good, maybe it's the road. No dummy, you have a front tire...and sure enough it was getting soft. I didn't feel like stopping and fixing it since the back was fine. I kept the pace up around 20 and we had all ready picked up Joe from the early group. He had had enough of being dropped. He latched on and for the next 8 miles I moved further and futher back on my seat to avoid putting too much pressure on the front wheel. That didn't really prolong the inevitable, so we stopped and I changed out the tube just to get home, only 3 more miles. Glad I did or the railroad tracks would have gotten the best of me. Learned my lesson, just don't mention anything about hoping not to get a flat and let things go.

From yesterdays...

Sampling the Mississippi...mmm mmmp good stuff!
Mud mud mud

Is there anybody out there...

First posting... just checking things out to see if anyone will listen. Send me some feedback so I know you're out there.
I hope this will begin a family affair with all of you and you can check out what's been happenin' in good ole New Orleans. Been riding quite a bit to get myself in shape. Plan on doing a half Ironman in October. Got to get some running shoes and start a swimming regiment as soon as it is warm enough out in the lake.
Had a nice Easter. Got some needed work done on the curb appeal of our home. When I figure this out more will post some photos. All for now. Have a happy.