Into the rain

I missed the Saturday post due to our getting turned around in downtown Portland and crossing five of the seven bridges across the Willamette River. It was fun to see so much of downtown, revisiting places I can remember walking with my dad as a boy and with friends from when I worked for Willamette Industries.

Before heading for downtwon, we hung out at Washington Square Mall and found Chipotle for lunch. After going to Washington Square, we drove up the 217 to the 26 and headed towards downtown. Right after we got on the 26, I recognized the area in Beaverton. We stopped in at the cemetery where my sister was buried. It had been some years since I had been there and the first time for Cassie, Craig, and Colin. It was a moving experience for all of us. Maybe it is seeing your last name on a headstone that cause some deep reflection.

On another note, I am in Accounting on Wednesday and my phone rings. It is the Hogg who is on the climb up Sierra Road for the TdC. Yes, jealousy, sing it. Then, on Saturday I watch stage 6 up Balcolm Canyon and through Moorpark, right where I would have been if we were still in Cali. It was a great Tour. Stage 6 was incredible with all of the attacks and intensity. Watching Stage 5, the time trial in Solvang, I could only think about the ride in two weeks. It is going to be an experience. Here are the roads that the pros rode on in the TdC and Team Discovery rides on. Challenging, yes. Rewarding, definitely.

With all of this cycling, I have been motivated to be on the bike. It has been a lot more time in the garage due to the rains but tonight, I got out ... in the rain. Although it was only an hour, it was an intense hour of up and rain. The up was great. The down was white knuckles. I hope I am ready in two weeks for Solvang, the first century of the eight for this year. There will be no 5 hour century this time but it is coming. It is all in due time and Solvang is part of this goal.

Until the sun shines again, it will be into the rain...and on to Solvang.

Heartland Ferry

After a week of being in the garage, doing the U2 pain tour, it was nice to be out on the open road. My dad and I met two guys (one I knew from work and his friend) 10 miles from the house in Newberg to the small town of Donald. We rode down to the Heartland Ferry on the Willamette River to find the ferry closed due to high water. So we stopped at the State Park, had a bite, and rode home. All told, 51+ miles in 3 1/2 hours. It wasn't a blistering pace but good enough to get a good work out. It was all about tempo and leg strength building today. I now know my own century route - ride south through Salem to Albany and back. It should be a good ride whenever I get it done.

Solvang is in three weeks. This means that next week, more miles and time on the bike.

It is good to have the Hogg back in the USA. I was really looking forward to being on the TdC route this year like I was last year. With the change, no can do. I will just have to catch it on Versus and see if I can see the Hogg at the top of Sierra Road. With all of his climbing, keeping up with him at Solvang will be a challenge. I'll just keep calling him at 4 AM to get him out of rhythm.

I think Yoda is lost to the Jedi world. Probably hanging out on Dagobah in some swamp, eating bugs and drinking green junk. Don't worry Yoda, your fellow Jedis will save you but you'll have to wait till August when HHH rolls around.

What was I thinking?

I'm sitting in the house on Friday night thinking about my Saturday ride and I say, "hey, Rick (a cyclist from work) said the Bald Peak ride was a good one." Well, it was a challenging ride with about 1600 feet of climbing over 8 miles. It felt a lot like a day I've described earlier when Jens and I went for a "7" type of ride day up Mulholland. I made it work though and plan on riding it again this coming week. Something I learned is that it might be 40+ in the valley but after 1600 feet of climbing, the temperature is quite different. The view from the top was incredible. I could see four snow covered mountains. In consulting with the experts, they must have been Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood, Mt. Bachelor, and Mt. Rainer. It is hard to put into words the beauty of the scene. These snow covered mountains with a little clouds, some blue sky, evergreen trees all over, looking down on farmlands in the valleys. I would have hung out a bit longer but it was too cold. I started my descent, pedaling only to stay warm but really cruising.



Although the ride this week was great, there was two other things that were much better. First, we drove out to Lincoln City yesterday to have lunch. Lincoln City has a special place with Christine and I since we spent our honeymoon there. We ate lunch across the street from the hotel where we stayed after our marriage. The food was great and the ambiance better. I could not help think about how different the circumstances were yesterday than they were some 15 years ago: two college students with no kids and an unknown future. After lunch, we drove to see the "Spruce Goose" at the Evergreen Aviation Museum. It was a nice day.



The highlight of the week was going to the Portland Temple with Christine, revisiting the spot where her and I got married. It was a magical night then in 1992 and it was again this last Tuesday night.



Portland is proving to be all we had hoped it to be.

Out on the road

Nothing like a wet and cold ride to get the blood moving a bit faster. OB1-2OLD and I hit the road today for a 2+ hours ride of 32+ miles. It was a fast first hour and then a slower, more deliberate second hour. We rode from Newberg to Woodburn and back again. Rolling hills, tree farms, hops hangers, rivers, and countryside with few cars. Once the legs got warmed it, it was a good ride. It took some time to get the body feeling good but it when it did, it was like riding a bike.

This first week in the house has been fun. Christine has done most of the work unpacking everything and putting it in order. I come home and have a few projects to complete. Give us another week or so and we will be ready for visitors. To our friends and family, feel free to stop by and spend some time with us. It is good to be here. Time to hang with the family and get ready for Solvang. With 4K+ worth of climbing, I'd better hit them hills.

About the picture, it is from a coffee shop here in Portland. No cars allowed, bikes only. Check out the special in the window...

No words, just riding

Although the last month I have not been active in writing on the blog does not mean that I have not been active on the bike. In fact, I have been on the bike at least four days a week. The only lacking has been the long Saturday rides that I have been used to for the last two years. Between moving and well, moving, I have been traveling every weekend for the last six weeks it seems. That is okay. We move into our house tomorrow and it will be back to being normal and I can prepare for Solvang with a big bang! Only six weeks till the first century of the year. The Hogg, OB1-2OLD, and I will hit the 4000+ of vertical gain that the Solvang claims. It should prove to be a fun warm-up. This also tells me that I need to ride the Mt. Hood climb a few times to get my climbing legs back. I have spotted several hills around our new neighborhood to do the same. Sometimes you must do what sucks because, well, it sucks - cold weather, hill climbing, power sprints, hours on the saddle - all suck but you got to do them.

One last shout out, to Yoda! Way to go boooyyyyyy on the bounce out of Bates. May you live long and proper in a real J-O-B!

Portland

It has been a busy and long first week. So busy and long that I have not been on the bike at all. March 10th is approaching and I need to start preparing. No worries, this next week I will start getting into the mix better and have found more time. With two months, I need to be spending time on the bike to prepare.

This first week in Portland can be described as information overload. The first two days in the office I didn't leave till 8:30 PM each day. It would have been the same yesterday except for my parents came down so I only worked till 5:45 PM. Without Christine and the kids, I have no reason to sit in the apartment and do nothing, maybe I could have been riding, but work got done and it is making it easier to transition by getting more done and up to speed on Portland. The time invested and the guidance I received from the Simi Valley team has been a huge benefit to me here. They really treated me well.

Other than that, the only downside has been the 13 hour drive here and not having the right lockbox code to get the key out after I got here. Sure, drive 13 hours to get to an apartment and not be able to get in. At least they were available by phone to get the right code.

Christine and the kids will be here on 1/26. We have identified an area and a home to rent for the first six months. I am grateful that Christine is handling the arrangements for the move. She makes it so easy and I appreaciate here support. Fun, fun, fun in the, well, kind of sun.

California - Arizona Connection

It has been a busy several days since Christmas. Between friends coming over, travel, and visiting friends, I have had the opportunity to put in some serious miles over a couple of great rides. The 21 with Cassie, 55 on Christmas over some of my favorite SoCal rides, 15 for a recovery, 50 with Jens and Dan up to McDowell State Park, and 15 in Goodyear by our old house in 40 degree weather. I took today off and am hoping Christine will get out for a little bit tomorrow. Then it is time to clean and pack the 4Runner for the trip to Portland. Talk about stress! It is just hard leaving the family.

The legs are feeling stronger with each ride. I just need to start working on core and cardio in order to get my weight down. The first ride is in March in Solvang. This won't be the 5 hour century but it will be a good indication of where to work for the next several months to prepare for the rides in July and August.

Check out www.javapolitan.blogspot.com to see our family activities this holiday season.

Double Nickle Christmas

It was another beautiful day in SoCal – perfect Christmas weather. The kids let us sleep in till after 8 AM. Santa helped us out by leaving some gifts that took a little extra time to assemble/build/figure out. This was a wonderful Christmas and I am so thankful for our friends and family that made it so special. These types of days are the ones you think about and they bring a smile to your face.

I got out on the bike for 55 miles of riding with a lot of up. It was in the neighborhood of 3K worth of climbing. I combined a few of my favorite rides for this my last ride in the area for a while. The weather was perfect for the ride and the scenery gorgeous. With fewer cars on the road due to Christmas, the ride was less stressful than normal. It felt good to be out on the road.

Changing gears…

A Christmas memory: In 1988, with my parents still in Germany, I spent Christmas with my grandparents in Portland. Two notable “lasts” occurred that Christmas season. This was the last time I saw my Grandpa Permann and my O’Pa Permann. I can remember sitting at breakfast with Grandpa, having fried eggs, bacon, and crab salad. Grandma telling him it wasn’t good for him and then he’d let Grandma know what he thought about the doctor’s dietary recommendation. “All I want to do is have some good food with my Grandson,” he’d say. Sadly, I don’t have any pictures of this time with him, although I got a nice Canon camera that Christmas.

Another memory of that same Christmas was a morning at O’Pa’s house. O’Pa was in his early 90’s. We sat and talked about school, sports, and other things. Then he asked if I wanted some Egg Nog. Sure I said. He made it old school style – more like Egg ‘N Grog. O’Pa was born in the old country, the Crimean Peninsula in Russia. He had fought in WWI. A different time than 1988 but he got this great kick out sitting talking to his great grandson and having an Egg Nog. The picture here is from that day. So, with every Christmas, I remember my O’Pa by getting some Egg Nog and having a glass, regular style.

“The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family.” -Jefferson

Way to go Alex!

Just wanted to offer up Congratulations! to my nephew - he is now a Ranger. Way to go Alex. It was rough, it was tough but you had the stuff to make it through. Wear that tab with pride and remember what you learned. Good on ya!!

Cruis'in with Cassie

Yesterday morning I got up to ride and to my surprise, a few minutes later Cassie came down stairs saying she could not sleep. So, what the heck, I invited her to go for a ride. After she decided that it wasn't too cold, she had some breakfast and out we went. It is always nice to have a partner to ride with. It gets old just hammering all alone in the cold and dark wilderness. We had a great time together. We ended up going over 21 miles in about two hours. We rode from one side of Simi to the other and back. There were some hills and she pulled them nicely. Heck, she was riding in bigger gears than I normally ride up the hills! I am going to have to keep her on the bike.

While we are riding, I remember a conversation with JD about triathlons. She likes to swim and run. If I could get her on the bike, maybe, just maybe, well have to see. I need to talk to her more about it and get her more time on the bike.

We, well, I am looking forward to this week. Not only is it Christmas, the Dunfords are coming to visit and we are going out to Phoenix for a wedding and to visit some more friends. It will be like a whirlwind tour before I leave for Portland. I haven't decided yet when I am leaving. It will be either later in the day on the 1st or early AM on the 2nd. It really all depends on how much I get done before the Phoenix trip. A lot to do and not much time is left. Ooh well, it will all work out.

Back to being BYU

The headline at www.espn.com reads "BYU rocks Oregon in Las Vegas Bowl." It was more like an artillery barrage than a stoning. The first quarter was the feeling out and figuring out period. At the beginning of the second, the die had been cast. It started with a field goal and ended with the games MVP diving at the pylon for 6.

The last BYU bowl win came in the 1997 Cotton Bowl against Kansas State. We were in LA, watching it with Jack and Charlene. BYU was ranked #5 then and the game a bit more nail biting. What made this so sweet was the wait and the pain of the last few years. Kudos to Bronco Mendenhall for bringing back the traditions at the Y: the uniforms, the passing game, the bend but done break 3 - 4 defense, and the MWC conference championship.

So all y'all Cougars out there, please join me.

"Rise and shout, the Cougars are out..."

Tis the start of the season...

With December comes the start of two seasons - the Christmas season and my cycling season. We put the tree up today to kick off the Christmas season and this week will mark the beginning of the cycling season. I have a few goals for the upcoming season. Let me put these on paper for all to see:

• Sub 5 hour century
• Eight century rides this year (don't all have to be organized rides)
• STP in less than 11 hours
• Get to 195 pounds
• Ride the "Hotter 'N Hell Hundred" with Hogg and Trickle - all of us under 5 hours

The last one is a teamwork goal. I know if we all prepare well for the ride, working together we can get to sub 5 hours on the century. We probably could have done it last year but we all got carried away in backing up our yaba da doo's. Let's get it done together this year. Don't get me wrong, this won't diminish the amount of trash talking, um, excuse me, the motivational literature posted on the various blogs. Let's go.

I got my other laptop back, finally! I was looking through the files and saw some pictures. I need to copy all the personal stuff off so I can get the hard drive sanitized before selling the laptop. So, if any are interested in a Dell Inspirion 5150 Laptop with a mobile Intel Pentium 4 - 2 Ghz processor with 512 of RAM and a 40 Gig hard drive, let me know because I plan on selling it.

Here are a few pictures from the last little bit I thought to post, mostly of family.

Christine with some of her friends before leaving Texas.

Us and the Dunfords before our treks West!

The kids at Bob's house in January.

Ride for the Roses in Austin, October 2005.

The new J - O - B.

Trickle's first ride.

Thanksgiving Ride

We took a road trip to St. George for Thanksgiving. We had a nice dinner and football after we got there. We left Thursday morning thinking we'd miss the traffic. We missed most of it, just not all of it. It still took 7 hours to get there.

After searching for a route to ride and posting on bikeforums.com, I found the Tour of St. George route. It mentions a climb up Snow Canyon. After talking to Gary, Christine's brother, he said it would be a good route to ride. It was a great ride. The scenery was beautiful and the weather crisp. It was 27 miles of hills, about 1500 feet of climbing, all of it in the first 8 miles. There is a difference between sea level and 4,000 feet in altitude. My lungs felt it. After the climb, I got to bomb Snow Canyon Park at 40+ MPH. The road was fairly smooth without any switchbacks. Here are some pictures of the canyon. I went back with the family to show them the area and this is where the pictures are from.

After my ride, Christine and I took the kids and rode the bike trails around St. George. All told, another 16 miles of fun. We only rode on a small portion of them. Next time, we will know where to go and what more we can see by bike. In fact, we even talked about camping in Snow Canyon. There is a ride in St. George in early Spring. Maybe then we will campout a bit and do some more riding.

Final Words: Yes, the Steelers lost today, 27-0 to the Ravens. They are having a bad year. We still are the defending Super Bowl Champions. We are just trying not to be greedy. Another team needs to win it this year. Next year, well, that will be a different story - #6 on the way.

But on another note, BYU came back with no time on the clock and exercised a few demons by beating Utah 33-31 to finish the season 8-0 in conference and 10-2 overall. Nice! Check out this link to a slide show put on by photographers from BYU about the game. It has the call of the game as well. Here is the link - http://photo.byu.edu/markImages/Multimedia/BYUvsUT/.

Basso & Discovery Unite

Just thought to post an article from the Discovery team website.

BRUSSELS (AFP) - Discovery Channel team manager Johan Bruyneel has responded to the critics over his decision to sign Italian star Ivan Basso.

Bruyneel's decision to sign the Tour of Italy champion caused a ripple this week in the world of cycling, which is fighting for its credibility after a season marred by doping suspicion.

The Belgian said Saturday he is more than happy to have signed the "world's best rider," who recently emerged unscathed having been one of many riders implicated in a doping investigation in Spain which erupted in May.

"I don't see how anyone can stop me from hiring the best rider in the world. I am very happy with my decision," Bruyneel said Saturday in an interview with the Belgian press.

"Once all the charges against Ivan were dropped (...) we consulted four specialist lawyers to really look into all the rules, and the (ProTour) Code of Conduct," added Bruyneel.

"They all came to the same conclusion: legally-speaking nothing can stop us from signing a contract with Basso."

Basso was one of around 58 top riders implicated in a Spanish doping investigation, dubbed 'Operation Puerto', ending his hopes of competing in the Tour de France. However the likelihood of sanctions hitting those implicated in the affair now appears slim. The presiding judge of the investigation ruled that evidence could not be used for sanctions, and most of those implicated have finally returned to racing.

Illegal substances and bags of blood were among the evidence discovered during Operation Puerto, however up until now Basso had refused to submit a DNA sample which could prove his innocence. Basso and Discovery finally agreed on Friday that the Italian would provide a DNA sample if required by the Spanish authorities.

Bruyneel added: "There has never been a DNA issue. Ivan agreed through his lawyer even before we signed to give a sample.

"He just wanted to make sure that the guarantees provided by the law would be respected."
However Bruyneel has refused to sign a far-reaching Code of Conduct that has been drawn up by cycling's elite league, the Pro Tour, in conjunction with the teams. In its search for credibility, Bruyneel said the code's far-reaching demands have "gone too far."

"In its search for credibility cycling is going too far," he said.

"I've got doubts on certain points (in the code of ethics). We believe that even an athlete is
innocent until proven guilty."

Bruyneel added: "A French prosecutor announced an investigation of Lance Armstrong in January 2005.

"Just this month, 22 months later, he announced that he was dropping the case. Under the Code of Conduct, would we have had to sideline Lance from the 2005 Tour?"

Can you say TdF victory for Discovery in 2007?

Bowling anyone?

With their victory over New Mexico, BYU secured the Mountain West Conference championship out right and an invitation to play in the Las Vegas Bowl. All that is needed now to put the cherry on top of the season is a victory over arch rival and nemisis, Utah, this Saturday. Since we will be in St. George this weekend for Thanksgiving, we will be able to watch the emotionally charged affair. So, for all y'all haters out there, Y'all betta recognize!!

Anyone seen Yoda out on the road?

Just to help all remember what he looked like, ready to ride. Here is an early photo:

Nice postal jersey. "Let's ride" was his motto.

This just in - Hot off the press. A Yoda sighting - he was last seen doing some IT support from home right after the birth of Cole Jr. Let's go to the photo:

Wow! A closet Steelers fan as well. Yoda, get back on the bike, cut that hair, and stay away from the cookie jar.

By the way, a great ride today - the bike is nice. 45 miles of hills, flats, and the beach. I continue to be amazed of how good the bike feels. I am liking the compact crank every time I ride the bike. It makes you stay out of the really low gears (because they aren't there) and get up the hills quickly. I like the stiffness. All goes to getting up the hill, not bouncing or flexing the frame.

The New Ride

After several years on the Trek, the hooptie was put to the trainer for a new ride - a Specialized Tarmac with a compact crank set (50/36) with a 12-27 rear cassette, carbon frame, carbon forks, carbon seat post, carbon crank arms, Look Keo pedals, and race seat. I picked it up yesterday at the bike shop. Last night was like Christmas eve for me, waiting to get on the bike and take it for a spin.

I got on it this morning and took it for a two hour spin. I learned some things today about the differences between carbon and aluminum frames. Here are the big hitters:
1) Carbon frames are much stiffer
2) Carbon frames are more responsive
3) There's less road noise and vibration
4) Better transfer of pedaling to forward momentum
5) A few pounds do make a difference

Also, the compact crank, a double, offered some distinct gearing. I was able to stay in the big ring most of the time due to the wider range of gearing. I was able to use all of the gears in both rings without the rubbing or "cross chaining" of a triple. This was nice as well. I had some fear about not having the right gears, especially for climbing. With the ride today, that all went away. I had plenty on both ends, the upper and the lower. I really liked the FSA compact crankset. For OB12OLD, it is the two piece crank with external bearings.

Another difference I noted was in the forks. On the Trek, there is a "sticking" point that helps to hold the forks in a specific place and aids in riding straight and steady. The Specialized did not have this. I believe because of this not being on the Specialized, I could ride easily without hands. I am a bit out of practice but I rode for a good ways at the end without touching the handle bars. I can remember as a boy being able to ride easily without hands, steering by shifting my weight around. I guess lack of practice and age brings some need to refigure out balance.

A note about pedals: I bought some Look Keo Classic pedals for the bike. I had heard good things about Look pedals so I thought to try them out. I like them a lot better than my Shimano pedals. They are easier to get into than the Shimano and I have less float. I have learned one thing about Look pedals that answer a question that Yoda had. There are there color cleats for Look pedals: red, grey, and black. Each color has a degree of float built into the pedal - red is 9 degrees, grey is 4.5 degrees, and black is fixed. So if you don't like the float, buy a different cleat. I got this information right off the instruction sheet. Hey, ya learn something new everyday.

The bike bottom line: I rode a route that I rode two weeks ago. I finished in a faster time and 0.6 MPH faster even with a flat (flat time removed except for slowing, finding a spot, and getting warmed up again) and going back to pick up a water bottle. I did not push real hard. I was more interested in getting a feel of the bike. When I was done, I just said, "wow, that's neat."

Maybe now I can understand Lance's quote a bit better. The quote is "It's not about the bike." Well, if you have always ridden a $10K plus bike, sure it is not. I can see the difference now. Granted, life is not about a bike. There are more important things and that is what I interpret Lance referring to but in the realm of cycling, the bike or tool being used is of vital importance. If I went out and rode the same route with some "ganas", I bet I could improve my average speed by even more. We will see how it all turns out as I get back on the bike to prep for another year of riding. This year looks a little like this: Solvang, Conejo, STP, HHH, and Coyote. There are two other that I am considering as well: Death Vally and Channel Islands. We'll see how it goes this upcoming year - where we are and what we are doing.

Here are some pictures of the bike. It has some nice lines on it. The rear stays are flared, the top tube rectangular, the down tube is shaped to fit the rear tire. I will have to get used to getting my water bottle off the down tube cage. It is a tight fit with a 24 oz bottle. It will work though. Just a thanks to Craig for helping me take the pics.

BYU's Back

Tonight, BYU walloped conference opponent Wyoming 55-7 to go 8-2 on the season, 5-0 in conference with only 2 games left in the season. With a win next week over New Mexico, BYU will take the conference championship out right. Also, the Cougars jumped into the AP top 25 at number 25 this week. They had been absent for several years. Although a win next week will be huge, a bigger and better win for all of us alumni would be to destroy Utah the last week of the season and make up for several years of pain.

All right, let's all Rise and Shout, the Cougars are out (and back!!!).

A few miscellaneous items - Yoda, we still are waiting for the blog to be updated and see some updated pics of young Master Brady. We hope that Sam and Brady have made it home okay and are in good health. Stay posted to the blog, I am to pick up the new bike tomorrow. Smooth.

Yoda's New Padawan

Congratulations to Yoda!

He now has a new padawan. Teach him well the ways of the force, Master Jedi. May the force be with you, especially when changing some aromatic groin coverings and with the late night escapades.

One concept to master: night vision training.

Out.

10/2 Marathon & "7"

Lance ran in the New York City Marathon this weekend and beat his 3 hour goal by 23 seconds. Here is part of the article found at www.espn.com.

"NEW YORK -- His face twisted in pain, Lance Armstrong virtually walked the last couple of steps. He slowed to a halt immediately after the finish line and bent to the ground, his green shirt soaked with sweat.

No one's more familiar with how painful achieving goals can be. Still, not even he saw this coming.

Armstrong barely met his lofty goal of breaking 3 hours in his first marathon, but it came at a price. No Alpine climb on his bicycle had ever been as tough as Sunday's New York City Marathon, he said.

"For the level of condition that I have now, that was without a doubt the hardest physical thing I have ever done," said Armstrong, who finished 856th. "I never felt a point where I hit the wall, it was really a gradual progression of fatigue and soreness." Armstrong's time was 2 hours, 59 minutes and 36 seconds. Afterward, he shuffled into a post-race news conference, his right shin heavily taped.

"I think I bit off more than I could chew, I thought the marathon would be easier," he said. "[My shins] started to hurt in the second half, especially the right one. I could barely walk up here, because the calves are completely knotted up."

Armstrong's build presented a stark contrast to the elite men's runners who preceded him on the course. The cycling champion's heavily muscled legs and powerful chest set him apart from the slender Kenyans who traditionally dominate the race. Even Armstrong compared the leaders' legs to pencils."

Thanks to Lance for providing us with some idea of how running beats up your body more than cycling. Most of us already knew that and that is one of the reasons why we ride!

Speaking of riding, Jens was down this weekend and we did some riding of our own. We talked a bit late Friday night after we all had converged on our home. They had come up from San Diego and I had flown in from SLC. We decided on a "7" type ride on a scale of 1 to 10 in difficulty. The problem is I decided on a "7" ride based upon a different conditioning time of the year.

We rode out Santa Rosa canyon to Point Magu and then down the coast to Mulholland. This was fun and powerful, flat riding. In fact, this is my HHH training ride route. We were cruising. We were catching folks. This all changed as we turned up Mulholland for the 1300 feet of climbing over the next 7.1 miles. The first two smaller hills were the indicators that this would be a challenging climb, definitely more than the "7" we discussed. Our hearts were pounding and the legs burning. We made it over the top and then hit the three "stingers" of Decker canyon and the wind picked up - the double whammy. I had to pull over for a moment because my heart was racing and my legs felt like a pair of rubber bands having just shot a few thousand spit wads. After taking a quick break, we bombed down Decker Canyon, rode into Westlake Village and found a nice shaded elementary school to meet the SAG. All told, the ride was more like an "8.76" on the difficulty scale over 55 miles of flats, hills, scorching downhills, and good fun. In hindsight, a better "7" would have been the Potrero Canyon ride with a Simi loop. This would have been a much better option. I have to remember that this is spring training time, not the middle of the season. Thanks again to Jens for the sharing of pain with me. Poor some out for the hommies!

After getting done, we hit Chipotle for some burritos and relaxation. It hit the spot, especially when you're starving. We had rode for over 3.5 hours and not eaten much. After the bite, we hit the bike shop in Northridge to check out my next ride - a Specialized Tarmac. I should pick it up next week. Here is a picture of it. It is nice and light weight.

I know I have quoted Lance as "it is not about the bike." But sometimes, to raise your game, you need to take advantage of the technology that is out there. Even Tiger Woods uses the best equipment he can find. He's not stuck on steel drivers, he uses some Nike secret metal alloy to raise his game. It is time to raise my game. I'd just like to send a shout out to the banker, "Yo Pops, thanks!" I'll let you know how it rides next Saturday.

Final note, you know you're having a bad year when the 49ers have a better record than the defending Super Bowl champions. Yoda, stay green. Could you please ask your wife if she has any friends that could help me with my depression. 2-6, I'm die'in over here. Hey, we can go 8-0 and still make the playoffs!

Only 9 months and 20 days to HHH 2007. Peace and I'm outta here.