Pain and hope

Friday night, the C joined me at the Portland Home and Garden Show to work our booth. She looked great in her Milgard shirt, meeting and greeting folks. Afterwards, we headed to our favorite and cheap Sushi bar in Bridgeport, ate up some raw fish, and headed home.

I had plans to get up and ride early on Saturday morning but I decided to change my plans. Instead, the C and I headed to "The Pancake House" in Portland for some breakfast. They only serve breakfast there and the conversation was better.

After breakfast, I got the car washed and cleaned out. As I cleaned out the car, I realized that it had been a while and I was embarrassed that I had taken a friend out in my car. Time to get back on a schedule. After the car, the boys and I piled in to head to MAC for a basketball game. We only had 7 players, including Craig. We had no big man so I played the middle since I was the tallest. In the end, I ran and jumped a bunch, pushed around a bigger man for an hour, and was tired but had a good time playing. Craig got some PT and played some great defense. I wish one of his shots would have dropped. They were so close.

Since the training schedule called for four hours of riding, I had to get on the bike. There are only a few more Saturdays till Solvang. After basketball, I changed, ate a little bit, and headed out. I knew right away that it would be a long day in the saddle. The first two hours weren't as bad as I thought as I hit North Valley Road to Yamhill to Carlton to MAC and headed out to Amity. On the way back to Dayton, I started having thoughts about going back to MAC to get the C's car and head home. I figured I could make it home if I just put my head down and pedaled. The last hill on North Valley Road before turning onto Chehalem Road was a painful reminder of my day on the court. I got my four hours in and my legs are talking to me today but it was worth it.

A fun thing happened to me on the way out of MAC - a pickup truck rolled up to me and two girls leaned out and yelled, "You'll never beat Lance", laughed, and rolled away. I just laughed and rolled on. I don't hope to beat Lance - I just wanted to catch a glimpse of what it means to ride and roll up and over large climbs and feel the wind in my face on the descent and all the other things that cycling brings to me. I appreciate and respect what Lance has done for cycling and for the cancer community. He finished in 7th place at the Amgen Tour of California. Nice!

Lastly, a huge shout out to Levi for his 3rd consecutive Amgen ToC win. Today was an incredible stage as Saxo Bank put the pressure on for the 2nd day in a row but couldn't crack the little man from Santa Rosa. Way to go Levi!

(Photo courtesy of www.velonews.com)

Waiting

Solvang is only a few weeks away and I am getting impatient - yearning for the sun and warmth of SoCal. The weather has been cooperating but not stellar. For the most part it has been dry but the rain is coming. Saturday was a nice ride out to Hagg Lake with OB12OLD. Nothing too fast just base miles and higher cadence spinning. Saturday's ride will hopefully be longer than a three hour tour but we'll have to wait and see how the weather holds up. There is only two more Saturday's for me to get in long rides before Solvang. The legs feel solid but is always nice to get in a few long rides to build confidence.

I spent Wednesday at the Portland Expo Center working a booth at a home show. The show has plenty of exhibits, filling three large expo halls but the number of people who came out were minimal. I was surprised to see so few but it is just a sign of the economic times. Our dealers have a great showing at the home show so we'll see how and if this gives our business a bump.

The Amgen Tour of California has been great! The weather has finally started to cooperate. Tomorrow, they ride in Solvang. I have done the time trial route a few times and look forward to some familiar territory. It will only make the waiting more difficult.

I just wanted to send a shout out to JD. He snapped a picture of me out on a fun with a few friends at the AToC. Check it out:

Actually this is a photo from www.velonews.com. Way to go American cycling fans - show that true racing spirit!

SportSaturday

Saturday usually is a bike and play day - play being hanging out with the C and running errands. This Saturday was just a bit busier. The C headed South to check out the girls camp venue for this year since it is a new one. We got up at 6 and I hit the trainer by 6:50 AM while she got ready to go. She took off towards Corvalis at 8 AM and I rode another hour on the trainer. At 9, I stopped and got ready for Craig's basketball game. We got there in time to warm up, shoot free throws, and play the game. We won our third game of the year on some timely free throw shooting and great defense, holding them to 19 total points.

By 11:15 AM, I was back on the bike, riding towards Chehalem mountain. I set a personal best to the top which was a surprise. I was motivated by this younger rider coming around me right after the Bald Peak turnoff. I stayed just off his wheel and pushed to get to the top. I felt winded and the legs were tired at the top but the personal best always feels good. I guess the two hours on the trainer and the stress of the basketball game was starting to take a toll. Down the backside of the Chehalem is always fun - the corners are not tight and it is a four mile cruise. I did push the pace down the back side. The young buck had stopped at the top for some reason. I'd like to think that I pushed him up the hill as he dragged me up the hill and wore him down but if he got back on the bike, I wasn't about to be caught. The next ten miles was just rollers and then I hit the Kruger road climb and up the back side of Gibb cementary. My legs let me know that they were not happy with my ride choice. All told, I rode a little over four hours, right on schedule in my Solvang prep.

I did get home in time to change into my basketball clothes and head out to the Stake Center for Stake basketball. We had only 6 players but the sprinting and cutting was good for me - a change in pace from the riding but my legs were tired. I was still able to score 15 points in our win. On the way home, Craig starts talking smack about taking me on in 21. I couldn't let that go. So after parking the car, we get on the bikes and head to the park. We play another hour and a half of basketball. When I got home, the C had got home, I showered and we hit Chipotle for a fat burrito. The burro hit the spot, filling that void left by all of the sports. Nice!

All told - a little over six hours on the bike, five and a half hours playing/coaching basketball. Solvang (and some vacation) is only four weeks away.

Quote

I was reading Bicycling magazine last night while the C took in "The Bachelor". Obviously you can see why I was reading instead of watching. Anyway, I came across an article "The Best Hard Time" by Michael Barry (p. 60 - 67) and a part really stuck out at me that I'd like to share. Michael wrote about living in Girona, Spain and riding with other professional cyclists in adverse weather.

"Constantly seeking new rides, over time we've come to intimately know roads and climbs most locals never see. On narrow dirt lanes up and over the mountains we seem to be seeking something beyond the physical reward - something found in the rhythm of the pedal stroke, in a cleansing breath, in the tranquility of the moment - that makes riding in bad weather nearly spiritual."

Oooh to be a professional cyclist....

Six!

Congratulations to the Steelers!!

Winners of Super Bowl XLIII

It was a great game with many ups and downs. I should have known, after watching a bunch of Steelers games this season, it would come down to a late drive in order for them to win. I feel for the Cardinals. They are my Madden team and played with a lot of heart. They earned the respect of the league with their ramp through the playoffs and tonight, showed the heart of a champion. My hat is off to Kurt and Larry. Thanks for a great game!

My Steelers showed tonight the impact of playing the league's toughest schedule. This battle tested team put all that experience to use as Ben and Santonio played pitch and catch to the end zone for the win. My heart was pounding like a climb up the Col du Hamilton the last five minutes of the game. As Ben took the knee, the house erupted in excitement and the Steelers took their sixth title as a franchise.

Thanks to both teams for a great game. This was an instant classic.

Freezing

After a few weeks of diminished riding at the end of December and beginning of January, I have started to work again in preparation for Solvang in six weeks. There are only five more Saturdays to get in the necessary miles to be prepared for the Solvang century. The last few Saturdays have been spent sitting on the bike for hours in near freezing temperature. I started with 2 hours and increased the ride time by 30 minutes each Saturday for the last 4 Saturdays, hitting 3.5 hours this last Saturday. The legs are feeling better as the miles go up. The task starting this week is to get back to the weekly miles, adding in interval work. The good news is that I am able to build upon a good year of riding from last year to improve this year. My weight has stayed down so far this winter, meaning I start at a lower weight than I started at last year.

I am excited for the Solvang ride. It was a good test of my fitness last year and I look forward to the test again this year. I can feel the warm sun on my back already, the wind from the coast in my face, and the hills in my legs. The best part of the ride will be the opportunity to be with family and friends.

The basketball team has been doing well. We are learning to play the game and be aggressive. A few games ago we were struggling getting rebounds and scoring points. Those two items have been a focus of our practices. We have been working on boxing out and getting to the ball. The boys have responded with more rebounds and being more aggressive. The points have also gone up along with the rebounds. This week we will focus on spacing, rebounds, and running the offense to specific options. Only two more games to go, we still have plenty to work on.

Super Bowl XLIII is underway... Let's go Steelers!