Yellow

For those in need of an explanation of the color yellow, the color "Yellow" in cycling signifies champion, the maillot journe, the overall leader in the general classification. "Yellow" does not have a negative connotation. Also, "Yellow" is the color of LIVESTRONG and one of their slogans is "Wear Yellow." I will happily be and wear "Yellow" all August long.

The legs are good and recovering from Saturday's ride. I really pushed myself. Sunday was a day of recovery. Today was better. Tomorrow is back on the bike.

Colors of the Peloton

The Tour of California came right through Thousand Oaks today and I was there to see it. I got out and rode today the usual hills through and around Thousand Oaks. I must have been motivated because I rode at least 1 MPH faster around the same course. The hills were still difficult and painful. The layoff from the road did not help but it did not really affect my strength. My average BPH was 147 for the 2 hours on the bike and 35 miles. Here is a mental image for all of y'all. Although I will be in Pink, I will cross the finish line, arms raised in triumph. My jersey is below, as race champion.

I stopped at the very end of my ride, about a mile from the Moorpark/Olsen interchange. It was interesting to watch residents curse the Police when the Police would not let them turn into their neighborhood because the race was coming. There were tons of motorcycles, police cars and police motorcycles, tour vehicles, and cyclists on the road. After waiting for 30 minutes, they finally showed up. It was neat to see a break away of one come first and then to see the Peloton in full chase as it was near the end of the race. The colors and bikes of the Peloton was impressive as was the team cars and all of their equipment. It was inspiring. What also was inspiring was the amount of people out on the road cheering the race on. Granted, this is no Alp Duez with its chaos but this was Americans out to see road racing. It was great. As I started home, people were cheering me on as they were still sitting there. I ate it up, waving at kids and fans alike. I am glad I got to see it. It was worth the wait and the ride.

Here's the jersey. Yoda and JD better start now 'cause the pain is coming. I am inspired. De Colores of the Peloton has reinvigorated OB1, even in the third person. Y'all betta re..cog..NIZE!!

In the hills

Getting ready for the ride in May is proving to be fun. A moderate amount of hills are expected so I have been riding hills and muscle tension workouts to strengthen my legs. I'll need it as my weight has not moved much below 220. I feel good and strong, vibrant is another word.

Saturday the Tour of California rolls through our neck of the woods. Just down the street about three miles is Thousand Oaks. Go to www.amgentourofcalifornia.com for more information and stage information. I hope to ride down to the finishing area and watch the finish of the stage. It will be pretty neat to be in the group. Just like at the Tour with all of those guys on their bikes on the side of the road. Right now, Americans have the top 4 positions with Floyd Landis some 29 seconds ahead of Zabriskie after 3 stages. I really don't care who wins the race as long as they are American. Maybe now I can understand how the French or the Spanish or the Italians feel when the Tour, the Vuelta, and the Giro are ran. They all want their countrymen to win. Hopefully, the TOC will be successful and spawn a few more big events in the US. Could you see some mountain stages in the Rockies and then ride across the midwest and ride some hills in the Appalachians, then down to the coast. Well, thinking about it, start East and finish West. Enough dreaming. Get on it and go.

Here is Floyd Landis dominating the TT today, beating George by over 30 seconds. This will be a familiar scene come August. Team CB leading out and showing the way. All of y'all better recognize!!

For the literary deficient...a photo

You know it is there. It is on the horizon. You peak out the window to see how much time till it hits. You cannot tell. The anticipation of the storm is almost unbearable. Will you be prepared? Only time will tell.......

Calm before the storm

It is on the horizon. Can you feel it coming? Can you smell it in the air? Are you prepared ... because ... You better recognize!!

Unpacking

This has been a crazy week. I have been working two jobs. I took Monday off to be here when the movers dropped off our household goods. It was an all day ordeal and into the night. Little did I know that this was just foreshadowing of the week to come. We stayed up till past midnight unpacking and putting things up. Tuesday was normal at work and up past midnight to continue unpacking. Wednesday, ditto. I got a break on Thursday. I caught an early morning flight to Portland with my boss and a couple of other guys from the plant. We observed their operations all day and caught the last flight into Burbank. I got home after 11 PM and in bed after midnight. Friday was the same as Wednesday. Today was some of the finishing touches. I started working at it around 9:30 AM and just now showered and sat down at 7 PM. We are almost all the way moved in. We are lacking a few small things but tomorrow, we will hang the pictures on the walls. It will be done, hopefully, by tomorrow night. It is exciting. We figure we could be here a while, at least a year. We'd better get busy being here. Well, due to all of the unpacking and setting up. The bike has gotten a rest. I have gotten plenty of work out with all of the boxes and work. It is time to rest and wait for another day.

Before I go, I just wanted to congratulate Yoda on his fine performance today. The force was with you young master. Next time, maybe the victory and revenge will be sweet.

Before I go, I must say, WAY TO GO STEELERS-SUPER BOWL XL CHAMPIONS!!!

Another day of hills

As you can see, it was a busy day on the hills. It was over 1600 feet of climbing over 43 miles, 15.6 average mph and 143 average bpm. This is probably how the century is going to be in May. It felt good but my legs were still recovering from Thursday night. It was tough but I rode through it. Cassie was nice enough to take a picture after I got back from the ride. Only two more days in this apartment. It will be nice to get our stuff back. Colin went to a birthday party and they had a toy box. He sat down for two hours and just played with the toys. Nothing else could take him away, presents, cake, candy. All he wanted was the toys. It is going to be easy to watch him on Monday, just give him his toys and he will disappear.

A funny story from today on the bike. I was starting up the first climb of the day on Erbes Street. There was this guy in front of me. I didn't think I would catch him. The hill is over a mile and a half long and probably averages 6% grade. So, I put my head down and started to spin. I had it in the biggest ring in the back and the smallest in the front. With about 200 feet to the top, I catch this guy. As I am going past him he looks at me and says, "You could have waited till we got to the top to pass me?" I smiled, laughed a bit and kept going. Pulling 220 pounds up such a hill is serious business. I am like the Bus, when I get going, let me go. Don't stop the roll.

We drove to the beach and I found a route through the mountains that would not be as difficult as going over Decker Canyon or Mulholland Rd. It is out Protrero Road to Hueneme to PCH. It is right at 50 miles to Zuma Beach where we go. We will see when I get to do this. Next week is the down week in the training cycle. All it calls for is time on the bike. Maybe with the time on the bike, I could make this trek to the beach next Saturday. I'll have to see what all the schedules are and when I will be able to ride.

We are only hours away from Super Bowl XL. It is time for the Steelers to get the job done. One last GO STEELERS!!

No sleep...

I was so hyped last night about riding that I couldn't sleep. I was able to get some Z's for a while but at 3:30AM I began to toss and turn. My mind was working overtime. I finally got up at 4:45 AM and decided I needed to ride. I got out for an hour, 130 bpm, about 16.5 miles. It was a nice easy ride. I rode by work. It took all of 10 minutes to get there on the bike. I rode out LA to Sequoia and back in. It was a nice ride to get the legs loose. Tomorrow is going to be fun. I am going to do that same ride I did last weekend but add some miles in the middle that take me out towards the beach. It will be good. I am pumped and ready to go. It was warmer today and I am hoping it will be the same tomorrow. It's not all about the bike but time on the bike is important. I needed a week like this.

Monday is going to be a good day. It will be a bit stressful but at least we will have all of our stuff back with us. I can't wait to see the kids and the look on their faces when they can be in their own rooms and have their comforts. It will help us all. Monday will also be good for many other reasons. Milgard was gracious enough to give me the day off. The acting PM is really speaking to my current boss to let me go in the plant. All in time. I am getting to that point. It is hard to focus when all is still not settled at home. Next week will be a lot easier for me.

Now, the important stuff, GO STEELERS!!!

Muscle Tension

Night two on the bike. I got on the road tonight and did my muscle tension workout. It is a medium cadence ride with strain on the leg muscles for a specified period of time. I did 2 x 12 and 2 x 15 with 6 minutes rest between. As you can see, I rode some hills. This is right in my back yard, up and over twice. 23.4 miles with about 1500 feet worth of climbing. It was almost 1 hr 40 minutes on the bike. The pain felt good. My heart rate average was 143 bpm; right on the money for the workout. I am going to do a recovery ride in the morning before work to keep the legs loose. Saturday will be a good ride. Here comes the hills again. I don't know if my white rabbit will be there but I plan on going for a while, at least 40, if not more. I got to get ready for this century in May and the STP in July. When I get done with these rides, it will be time to focus on Texas! I will be ready.

Christine has been playing some basketball. There is a group of women that meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays and play for at least an hour and a half. She is being reminded that she is not a teenager any more. She has become the talk of the Stake with her play. Fresh blood always adds to stale games. It is good to see her playing and making some friends. The game will come back.

I have been asked a couple of times to play. I just don't feel the need anymore to play. I will play with Craig and Colin, but I am done playing except for family reunions or other special events. My sneakers have been retired and traded in for bike shoes. Too many times, basketball has given me the short end of the stick with sprained and broken ankles, pulled muscles, and other ailments. In fact, the last several times I played ball, I pushed too hard and threw up before being able to eat. I know...whine, whine, whine. It's okay. You don't have to read this but I want to write it.

Monday is move in day. We all are crazy anxious to get out of this apartment. Master, I need patience. Please teach me patience!! I almost forgot, but GO STEELERS!!

Tempo

Some nights, the road is impossible. This was such a night so I put the bike on the trainer and rode the program there. 80 minutes of riding with 40 minutes of Tempo riding. It was tough going but worth it. My legs feel worked out and strong, just tired. 131 BPM was the average heart rate. It has been a hard week for riding so far. I have had to adjust my schedule since I have been asked to be the Webelos Leader. I had to get a plan together for the boys and hold our first meeting last night. Now that I have all of that worked out, I can get back to getting on the road. I did find a route to the beach. It would be a 60+ mile round trip. I am debating if I am going to do it this Saturday. I need to talk to Christine to see our plans for Saturday. I am ready to ride. I need to put JD's, OB12old's, and Darth Markus' pictures next to my alarm clock to motivate me to get out of the bed in the morning so I can get it all done before the day gets old. I have always felt better riding in the morning. Let's see if I can do it tomorrow morning. The chances look 50/50. It is late and the bed is calling. Peace Out!

And by the way, Go Steelers!!