Thanksgiving

It has been a busy yet fun couple of days.

It all started on Wednesday. All week I had read about how bad the weather was going to be for the Thanksgiving break which translated to me into staying indoors. Getting up on Wednesday morning, the weather prognosticators were all wrong. The skies were clear. In talking with Christine, she wanted to do a bit of shopping. I left work early, got in a 75 minute ride, got cleaned up, and took Christine to do a bit of shopping and to get a bite. We got home in time to meet my parents.

Thursday morning started early with some cooking. Then, Cassie, Craig, Pa, the "C", and myself headed over to the elementary school for the Turkey Bowl. We had 60 people show up to play some football. We played for two hours with four teams. We had good sportsmanship and no injuries. Although there were some collisions, all players got done with all their teeth and with no broken bones. After getting home, Craig and I put up the house Christmas lights. Playing football and putting up the lights, we were quite hungry. The "C" and my mom put together a feast! We all ate and ate, had some good conversations at the dinner table, and walked away quite fed. The evening ended with some football and some TV. Craig and I even got a game of Madden in. It was a very relaxing Thanksgiving day.

Friday morning was a more typical weekend day for us. OB12OLD and I got on the bike for a two hour tour to Laurel and back. The body was sore from the Turkey Bowl so it felt good to get out and just recover and spin. We got back, ate some turkey, cleaned up, and ran some errands. Then we drove out to Beaverton, caught the Max to downtown, and hung out at Pioneer Square to watch the tree lighting with about 25,000 of our closest friends. It was quite the festive place. They played music, we sang some Christmas carols, and then they turned on the lights of the 100 foot tree with 2.5 miles of lights on it. On the way home, we hit Juan Colorado's for some Mexican food. Pretty cool stuff - the best part was being together and enjoying each other.

Saturday, we had to say good-bye to my parents in the morning. I then hit the road for 30 miles. After warming up the first ten miles, the legs felt strong so I pushed it back home, averaging 20.2 MPH the final 20 miles. It is time to start preparing for Solvang. I spoke to JD last week about his TdT ride and Solvang. Looks like the plan is to hit the SoCal ride in March. It will be like our Spring training camp in preparation for the 12 hour STP. I look forward to the ride in March.

The rest of Saturday was getting Craig some good church clothes in preparation of him turning 12 and then running some additional errands - bassoon reeds, groceries. When we got home, we sat down and took a breath. It was a busy, fun couple of day. We really appreciated my parents coming and hanging out with us - the more the merrier. The "C" took pictures of all the fun on our family website, so check it out.

Time to get back to watching my Steelers against the Patriots....

Sympathy

Just a quick shout out to JD - way to go!! on the TdT, getting in at 6 hours 10 minutes. I missed being out in the 70 degree weather and 8,000+ of our closest friends. Although I wasn't there in Tucson, I hit the road this week for a total of 110 miles. The goal was to ride more on Saturday but the schedule and the weather was not cooperating. It was cold, damp, and foggy. It is unnverving riding in the dense fog, no shoulder, going down the back side of Chehalem mountain. It was good to get out and ride. I am 11 miles from 5K. Sometime tomorrow night on a short, unceremonious ride, I will go over 5K miles for the year - definitely more miles than 2007.

I started to coach Craig's basketball team this week. I have found it enjoyable to teach, reinforce, and then see it put into action. It is going to be a fun season, watching these young men learn the game.

It is a short week - nice!

To all, wishing you a happy and joyous Thanksgiving.

Tucson

Just wanted to send a shout out to JD.

Good luck with the TdT tomorrow. I will be there with you in biking spirit, wishing I could be taking up some of your slipstream!

May the road rise up to meet you...

Clear

The week started gray, cold, and wet. Not a lot of hope for better weather as the week started. I rode in the garage Monday and Wednesday only to wake up on Thursday with clear blue skies. It was incredible to have such weather in November in Oregon. When I woke up on Saturday morning and it still was clear, although it was cold, it warmed my heart to see a cloud free sky and dry roads. Cassie had to be at swim team practice by 7 AM so I rode with her over to the pool at 6:45 AM. From the pool, I headed up Chehalem mountaing. Going up was warm and cozy. I didn't work that hard since I didn't want to sweat that much as it was only 40 degrees. The 4 miles down the back side were cold. The payoff was the view from the top. The sun was just peaking over the ridge line, casting shadows in the valley. There was a light fog in the crevaces of the valleys. The tall pines would pierce the upper layer of fog as if trying to escape to greet the morning sun.

I rode out to the start line of the Reach the Beach ride and back over Krueger road, by the green house, and Gibb cemetary. I felt good, like I could ride all day. If I didn't have more to do, I would have continued to ride. All told, I rode over 2 hours for 36 miles.

After the ride, I took Craig to basketball placements and allowed others to talk me into coaching a team. I know a little about basketball and am excited about the opportunity to help 5th and 6th grade boys learn a little about the game as well. We start this next week.

After basketball, we headed to Monmouth to watch the C's high school team play in the state football playoffs. It was fun to watch her get excited, cheer, yell, and show some school spirit. There is passion there for her alma mater. Ontario kept the game close but couldn't close the deal, just too many turnovers. Without the turnovers, regulation ends either in a tie or they win but they ended up losing 28-14. Ontario had only 8 seniors on the team with a lot of juniors. They should be good next year. Hopefully we can see them play again.

Saturday night was Cassie's first church dance. I was so excited for her to go. She danced all night and had a great time. Has it really been 14 years? It goes by so fast.

Sushi

The week started and ended strong but the middle was light - I got lazy and I payed for it.

It was Kaizen week so I ate too much and exercised too little. On Monday night, the indoor riding finally started again. For the next four months, my weekly riding will be on the trainer, in the garage. Not all that bad, with Chris in my ears or on the tube, I get a good work out and maintain fitness. Saturday was a ride in the rain for 30 miles. By the end of last winter, I was mentally prepared to ride in the rain each Saturday. I am not there yet. It will take me a few times to get back into riding in the rain. You'd think that riding is riding. There is something depressing about sitting in the rain on your bike, pedaling. Maybe it is remembering all the great rides when there was no rain. Also, I have a hard time riding hills when it is wet out and for me, that takes some of the fun out of the riding. After all of the suffering to get to the top of the hill, there is the satisfaction of bombing down the back side. No suicide bombing the back side on wet roads. Saturday's 30 was flat and average speed.

The middle of the week, I headed to Tacoma for business. I thought I'd at least get on a spin bike for a few hours but I was lazy and didn't go when I had the chance. The meeting went well but I didn't exercise. I payed for it with a pound or maybe two. Ooh well, I get it back this week. No plans for travel at least not right now.

Friday night, the C and I went out to a Sushi Bar. It was interesting but good food. I am sure we will go back. The California rolls, house rolls, sushi, etc was tasty. I appreciate the C being willing to try new and different foods. Now if Colin would only do the same.

Data

The cycling season is slowly coming to a close. At the same time, I am closing in on 5K miles for the year. I thought I'd share some data and graphs about my riding this year.

All data current as of today.

Number of rides: 156

Total time on the bike: 285 hours 21 minutes

Total miles: 4,757.49

Shortest ride: 5.5 miles

Longest ride: 204 miles

Average miles per ride: 30.5

Average time per ride: 1 hour 51 minutes

Median miles per ride: 21.85

Median time per ride: 1 hour 21 minutes

Average MPH: 16.67

Although I am not a professional, I still like to track what I have been doing and how far I have ridden for the year. The mileage graph shows how I built up to ride the STP and since then, I have dropped off the total weekly mileage.

I did get out to run twice this week. I did a pyramid on Monday night, running 200, 200, 400, 400, 800, 800, 400, 400, 200, 200. The C ran with me and I got to chase here around the track. On Wednesday night, I rode and then ran. The running was much harder after riding. The legs were tired and the body worn. I did fight for two miles.

All else was a quiet. No $5 foot long, no Mashitas, no pass "go" and collect $200.

Calling

While I was standing out at Craig's game, JD gave me a ring. I gave him the news that the C had probably told K, I was not going to ride in the Tour de Tucson. The decision of not riding in Tucson in November hurt when it was made but became reality when I said the words to JD. I remember Red in Shawshank Redemption as he was heading South to see his friend Andy, " I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend, and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope."

I remember all our rides this last summer and last fall. I remember the fun and good times our families had together. Those are good times that I hold close, making the decision not to go even harder. JD - I appreciate the call sorry for not being able to ride. I'll miss sitting behind your skinny, fine tuned tires, rolling down those free miles at 30+ MPH.

Tito, get me a tissue; Jermaine, stop teasing. I'm out...

Slowing

Not much to write about the last few weeks - just running, riding, watching football and soccer, going to church activities, and working. The plan to maintain the gains has been at work for the last two weeks. I have ran twice a week for the last three weeks. It feels painful enough and I get a good work out. The riding has come down as well. The frequency is off only slightly but the miles are down significantly. I have only been averaging about 60 miles per week. I only need to average 35 a week to hit 5K for the year. The legs feel good and the weight is stable. The key has been eating less and staying active. Let's see how disciplined I am during the holidays.

Some interesting news from the pro tour, Ivan Basso place third in the Japan Cup. Another former TdF contender is making his comeback. I have always like Basso and it is good to see that he is back on the bike and riding for Liquigas. I will have to get LG stuff to add to the hat I have. It is going to be an interesting 2009 Pro Cycling season with the stacked Astana with Contador, Armstrong, Leipheimer, and Kloden, the return of Basso, several new teams, and all the normal cycling destinations with the usual fun.

Final game notes - Craig had his final football game on Saturday. He carried the ball 3 times for 43 yards. He was slipping tackles, sliding through holes, and running away from people. I just wish he had more carries. He had a good game and a good season. As we were walking off the field, I look down at him and he is holding back the tears. I asked him what was wrong. He was sad that it was over, even though it was tough and painful, he still wanted to keep playing. I knew exactly what he meant and how he felt. I had been there. I just put my arm around him and gave him a hug. Thanks Craig for the memories and for loving footbal as much as I do.

The primary colors went for a ride on Saturday morning. Cassie dressed in blue, OB12OLD in yellow, and I was in my usual red. Cassie was motivated and rode hard. Pa was making a recovery ride from a back strain and pneumonia. I just sat back on enjoyed the fun.

Chihuahua

I am an avid velonews.com reader. It is were I get all of my pro cycling news. Here is a picture from the site as it covered the Vuelta Chihuahua.

Can you say a Chihuahua from Chihuahua, Chihuahua? Now that's a lot of Chi and huahua!

Diversity

It has been a good week for exercise but the cold is starting to creep in, making it hard to remain motivated to stay riding outdoors. So I started to run a bit. I bought some new shoes, supporting Livestrong. I hit the ground on Tuesday with a 1.35 mile run with Craig. He pulled me along the entire time and dropped me as we got back to the house. I didn't time it. I just wanted to see if I could run. It felt good but on Wednesday, my legs were sore. Thursday was a bit more running but just a shy longer at 1.5 miles. It was much easier and I felt better on Friday than I did on Wednesday. What I like was I was able to get a decent work out in but for less time. If I keep at it, I might be able to run with the C.

I did get on the bike for over four hours this week as well for over 72 miles. All told it was five days of exercise between biking and running. I will try to mix it up more this next week as I try to get some pounds off in these next few months.

Craig had a good game on Saturday with some tough inside running. They didn't give him the ball as much this week as he carried 6 times for 18 yards - no long runs this week just the tough between the tackles running. He was 1 for 2 on short yardage. The second attempt there was no blocking as he was met by the linebacker right in the hole at the line of scrimmage. He is starting to see the field better. He gets through the hole and you can see him looking for daylight as he moves forward. Now we just got to work on him hitting the hole harder.

This will be a busy week with quite a few church commitments....it'll be all good.

Sidetracked

The week started off with sun and ended with rain. For riding, it was not a good week at all. I got on the bike on Monday and rode 16 miles, ending on a high note of getting up Coral Creek in 9 minutes - besting my time up the hill by 4 seconds. The difference was this was into a nasty wind. The effort felt extreme and I had hoped for a better time but the weather was not cooperating. I was surprised at only improving by 4 seconds. I had an interesting experience on the bottom of the small climb - doubt. As I started, my mind wandered as I pushed myself to my lactate threshold. I thought to myself, "with all this pain and wind, do you really think you can get up this hill faster than last summer?" I had a choice, give up and explain away the reason for not trying due to the weather. Or, I could put my head down and try. I went back and forth for a few moments as I standing on the pedals pushing up the first part of the grade. Rather than give up, I decide to see what I could do - to give it my all and to see if it was good enough. I rationalized that since I had ridden more miles, weighed less, and had better gearing, I had a good chance of succeeding so I should push on. I always finds these types of experiences in life when doubt enters in very interesting. They come at different times and in different circumstances and usually ending in a rationalization for either triumph or failure without trying. The lesson I take away is much like a quote many have heard that says you cannot make the shot if you don't take the shot. It is in the taking of the shot where learning occurs.

Those were my only miles for the week. On Tuesday, my throat starting getting sore and by Wednesday I had the flu. I trudged through work on Thursday and by Friday I was starting to feel better. Rather than try my luck on a Saturday morning ride in rain and wind, I opted for more stable weather indoors in a warm bed.

We headed out to Craig's game in Portland. The weather broke for his game with only a slight breeze. The team played well as did Craig. He had 9 carries for 31 yards. He continues to be the short yardage back. He went 4 for 5 on short yardage carries getting the first down. The one he did not make it on was a 4th and 5. He got 4 1/2 yards but not the five but the beauty was in the trying. He could see the marker and accelerated towards it, getting hit by several defenders as he reached out, trying to get the ball across the line. On another carry, he got past the line, side stepped a backer, took a hit by the safety who clamped on to him, a backer came over to help, then another defender, and another, and another, and finally then going down. Six tough yards that brought cheers from the team and crowd. On another carry, once through the line, he saw a gap between the backers and sprinted between them only to find the safety filling the gap. Whap! You could hear the contact. Both went down and bounced right back up - a good hit on a good run. On a carry before the half, from the five, he got to the end zone but the line judge could not see the ball crossing the end line to call the touchdown before he was pushed back. If there had been replay, the call would have been overturned. It was a good day on the field for Craig and it was fun to watch.

This week marks my final push to meet the second of my two goals from the beginning of the year - to get my weight down. I am stuck at 205 and want to get under 200. In order to do that, I am going to start a core workout session with some running twice a week. As the weather has turned to typical fall Oregon weather, more indoor time will be necessary to make this happen. Only 500 more miles to 5K....

Talk'in it up

Stop me if you heard this one before... What do you get when you cross a 1/2 Gibb with a 1/2 Baldy ... a Bald Gibb (aren't they all bald by now) without the funky gold medallion!

"Here we are... in a room full of treasure... talk'in it up... talk'in about politics...it's the Barry Gibb talk show"


Let me explain - Monday was the big budget review with the Milgard Leadership Team. It was a long month of preparation for one day of execution - it went well. As always, we got some good feedback on our plans but also received praise for our location's results. I ran out of day light on Monday but I did get out on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday for a total of 100 miles. Wednesday was big gear day as I rode the rollers and left it in the big gear all the way around,even on a few hills that I usually dropped down on. It felt good but hard. On Friday, I rode up half way to Gibb cemetary and then half way up to Bald Peak. The climbs felt good as the legs felt strong.

I got up early and was on the rode by 6:15 AM. It was still dark. As I rode over the Willamette river, the sun was just starting to light the morning sky, the fog was sitting in the trees and hovering over the water, the yellows, blues, and reds of the morning sky lighting the background...just beautiful! I headed down to Willamette Mission State Park and back. About mile 40, the legs started to feel the hard climbing from the night before and the going got a little tougher as I finished the last 10 miles.

After the ride, we headed over to Craig's game. He had a solid game - carrying the ball 8 times for 40 yards. I just love it when he runs up the middle. He has no fear. On several carries, the linebacker would step up and Craig would lower his shoulder and give the hit, gaining a few extra yards. Bam! All of his run except two were up the middle. He had an off tackle run that was backed up and he reversed field for a twenty yard gain. On a 4th and 2, he got the call up the middle and got the first down. On the other side of the ball, he had several solo tackles in the open field. Craig was laying the wood on both sides of the ball. Gotta love it!

It's been a good, full week.

Another Baldy Birthday

Last year for my birthday, I talked Christine into climbing up to Bald Peak by going up the steep Chehalem Road. This year I decided to add to the tradition by taking another route up to Baldy that I had not taken before. My boss had rode up to Baldy from the Hillsboro side and told me about the ride. I thought “hey, why not give it a try.” I started up Rex hill, then out Scholl’s Ferry to Scholls. I got on Hillsboro highway for a few miles and turned onto Bald Peak Road. I was moving at a good clip, averaging 19 MPH even with all the rollers and the little climb up Rex. I could feel the work out from last night as the road turned upward. This side climbs a bit different – steep for the first 3 miles with changing grades, flattens out, and then turns steep again the last mile before the park. The grades weren’t consistent like the Newberg side. I was able to get up in a little over 39 minutes. Not bad for not knowing the first half of the climb. There was not a lot of time to ride today. Craig had a game at 10 AM and it did not get light till about 7 AM.

All told, it was a nice week on the bike. Monday was a half Baldy, Wednesday was Gibb cemetery and Coral Creek, Friday was a 75 minute time trial, and Saturday was a back side Baldy for a total of 101 miles and a lot of climbing.

A note about Coral Creek: I had not ridden it for most of the summer. I decided to give it a try at the end of the Wednesday ride. I was riding my 11-23 for the first time up the hill. Without pushing, I equaled by best time up the hill. Maybe this next week, I will ride it with earnest and see what kind of time I can put up.

Congrats to Levi on winning the TT in the Vuelta today and for finishing on the podium.

See ya on the road.

Scoring

It has been a busy week with budget prep, mutual, riding, and football. The excitement for the week was Craig's second game. The league plays on the high school fields and the players get to experience what it feels like to be on the real field. The Tigers first possession, second play, Craig takes the hand off on a 34 dive - a run off tackle that ended up going up the middle. He broke a few tackles and is then in the secondary. He split the safeties. They get their hands on him and as they did, Craig kicked it into another gear and took it into the end zone - 50 yd TD. As he crossed into the end zone, he put both arms straight out. It looked like pure joy. In talking to Craig after the game, I asked where did the speed come from. His reply was "I saw the end zone and just wanted to get there." I sat in the stands and beamed. On his third carry of the game, he took the pitch, saw nothing, reversed field and ran for 60 more yards. All told, 7 carries for 132 yards and a TD. He had several tackles on defense as well. One was right in front of me, it was a sweep that he help to string out, as the back came towards the line, Craig popped him and got him to the ground. Nice tackle. He gave me a fist pump from the field. I got more joy out of seeing Craig do well than I can remember getting from playing. Thanks Buddy!

About the bike, 90+ miles this week with beautiful weather. Saturday was Yamhill, Carlton, Lafayette for 55 miles. I let the terrain handle the intervals as it is constant rollers. The difficulty this time of year is that at 6 AM it is 45 degrees - by 8 AM it is almost 60 with clear skies and sunny. I just love to ride. 700 miles to 5K.

Remembering

On Thursday night, I laid in my bed watching a History Channel compilation of film from 9/11/2001. As I laid there and probably like many others watching the show, I could recall exactly where and what I was doing that day. I was listening to National Public Radio and driving to work. Right before getting out of the car, the announcer says something to the effect that they were getting some interesting reports out of New York about a plane crashing into one of the towers. I can even remember my thought - some commuter had mistakenly crashed. I had no idea it was a large plane. I walked into the lunch room and the TV was on. As I stood there and watched, the second plane flew into the other tower. I felt angry and helpless as the towers came tumbling down.

Then my thoughts went to my mom. Her birthdate was 9/11. Instead of a day of celebration for my mom, it had turned into a day of anger and frustration for the nation.

Thanks to all the military personnel serving worldwide to protect our freedom and way of life. I know that freedom is not free and I salute you.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Rolling

The third major tour is going on right now in Spain with the only American on top after eight stages. Levi is riding in support of Alberto Contador. His strong time trial ride gave him the golden jersey. After a few days out of the lead, he got back in by just riding a strong stage today. Interesting tactics for Team Astana, they sent Contador up the road to blow up the race and let Levi sit back and ride easy. Although the mountains haven't been terrifically steep, Contador has been able to put some time into his rivals but not much. The steeper mountains are coming and Levi will be well rested to help Contador when the road turns up in stages 13 and 14. Excitement!

After riding the Col de Ashland, I can understand what a long, grueling climb can do to a rider's legs. Maybe not so much on the day of the ride but the next few days the fatigue sets in and the riding is harder. I felt the pain early in the week. I got on the bike on Monday for 50. It took the first 25 to get the legs loose. It didn't help that it was cooler weather either but once loose, I could ride fine. Tuesday was a rest day but I could feel my legs as I sat in budget review meetings. Wednesday night I got back on the bike for a short 21+ mile ride and I could feel the strength coming back but it was still there. If I had ridden longer, I feel my legs would have come back. Thursday was the payoff day. I rode to work and hit the hills on the way home. I rode in bigger gears and got up hills faster than before. The climb to the green house and up over Gibb cemetary was done in almost a minute less time. I was blown away as I stood to climb up the final quarter mile to the top of Gibb. I felt good. Granted, I am not a pro nor have the fitness of a pro but I understand a bit better now how a hard day in the saddle affects subsequent performances. Saturday was a calm 45 mile ride to Gaston, down to Yamhill, and back to Newberg over Laughlin road. All told 141+ miles for the week, putting me at 4,160 miles for the year. I can smell 5K. I hope the weather holds for a few more weeks so I can continue to put a dent into the last few hundred miles.

Craig had a game on Saturday. He is starting to get the game. He had a few tackles and a fumble recovery. I enjoyed walking the sideline talking to him about the game. He looked good.

Lithia

The week started with rain and a "no ride" Monday. Some time Monday afternoon I realized that I should have ridden to work in order to hit my 100 miles for the week goal. Tuesday was Craig's middle school orientation, Wednesday was a youth activity so I rode to work on Thursday. The C asked me to take Friday off so we could go to Ashland for the long weekend.

Thanks to my brother-in-law Bob for allowing us to hang at his house in Ashland. It was a great weekend of family fun and a bit of riding.

We hit the lake a few water slides on Friday afternoon before riding the trail between Medford and Ashland. Friday night we introduced Colin and Craig to Mr. Bean. They must have watched the first three seasons several times. Saturday morning, I got up and got on the bike. The C had talked to me about Mt. Ashland and a race up to the ski resort in mid-September. I thought I'd try out the route and see how I do. It is 25 miles with over 5K worth of climbing, with almost all of the elevation coming over 16 miles. Yes, 16 miles of up hill. The average grade is 5.5% and the climb is relentless. There is only one spot of downhill, a very short one of about 1/4 mile at mile 9 of the climb. The climb is between 2% and 10%. The C and the kids came up and gave me food as I rode and met me at the top. I don't think I am returning for the race. It was an epic climb. If it was part of Pro Tour, it is at least a Cat. 1 climb due to the length. I can't wait to go back and try it again. There is something about climbing that brings a focus and calm that I enjoy.

After getting down and home, we headed to Lithia Park and cruised around downtown Ashland. We partook of Lithia water - an all natural mineral water full of lithium salts and is known for its positive psycholgical impact. This is not to say that it tastes good but is good for you. After cruising around for a while, we headed for some Mexican food, played some Soccer and Football, had family races, and back to the house for some rest and a movie.

All told, it was a great weekend being able to ride and be with the family. This next week will be fun as Colin starts school, Craig starts middle school, and Cassie starts Soccer. It will be fun. I can't wait for the fun.

Baldie

This past week was full of not being in the office, meaning no riding to work. We had our annual off-site budget and strategy review session to discuss 2009. There always is a mental exhaustion that comes with hours and hours of discussion and data review. What made it more difficult to work through is the lack of exercise. The exercise keeps my mind fresh and sharp but I was wanting for time this week. So Friday afternoon I got out a bit early and got on the bike. I had a little time so I decided on taking on Baldie.

As I passed the Baptist church on Bell road, I thought about putting in a good time on the climb. As I started up the hill, my mind started to think about the talk I had been assigned for church on Sunday. I looked down at the cyclometer - 17 minutes so far on the road. I then got lost in my thoughts about my life and how it had been shaped through people, experiences, and decisions. A calm came as climbed. The rhythmic pedaling and breathing, the thoughts, the sun on my back, without even noticing 23 minutes had passed and I was well on my way. I ended up getting up the climb in a personal best, just a hair over 37 minutes. I cruised down the back side and around North Valley road. All told 42 miles.

Saturday started early as I rolled out at 6 AM. I had planned on getting in 60 miles but the legs were not awake or cooperating. They felt real tired and heavy. The climb less than 12 hours before did me in. I headed back and ended up with 40 miles - a good ride but lackluster effort. Baldie had done me in. It was all good though as we, all the family, headed up to Silver Falls and hiked to 6 waterfalls. Cool!

I will surpass 4K this week. I am set up to get to 5K over the last 4 months. It should be fun as the rain is starting to fall again. Wow! It is only August.

Incredible

On Friday, I was talking with the C about riding on Saturday. I mentioned that my boss and a VP were riding in the Saturday Vine Ride out of Newberg. This is the same ride that she did last year with me and OB12OLD. After we talked, she said, "You should ride the Vine Ride. It would a great opportunity for you." So I signed up for the ride. The ride goes through Oregon wine country. We passed some 14 or 15 wineries along the route and acres upon acres of vineyards. The weather was great and the support for the ride incredible. I didn't have to carry any food from home. This is how well the century ride was supported. At the same time, it was real comfortable with the two from work. We rode, talked, ate, and talked some more. The 100+ miles went by quickly as the day heated up. The neat part of the ride is on the way back through Dayton, the C and Cas caught up with us and we rode together to Lafayette where I showed the C and Cas the rode that lead back to Newberg. It was neat to see them on the road and ride with them.

All told for the week, 187 miles, the third highest total for the year for me, raising my weekly average to 120 miles. 5K and Dura Ace components here I come!

The incredible part of the week was the C and Cas. They rode the Tour de Stake together yesterday. All told, they put in 67 miles of riding, to all the buildings in the Stake. They rode in the heat and did well. I am so proud of them for getting out there and doing it. Incredible! Way to go Triple C!!

Touring

Some days it is just fun to kick it rather than rip it. That is exactly what we did today. The C and I rolled up to Troutdale with some Saints and Spinners friends to ride some of the scenic Columbia Gorge highway. The scenery was incredible as we climbed up to the Vista House and overlooked the Gorge and then down the road to the series of water falls, ending at Multnomah Falls with some lunch at the restaurant there. The C did quite well on the climbs but time in the saddle without time in the saddle spells pain in the saddle. All told, a little over 36 miles that took almost 3 hours.

As you can see, this wasn't my usual pace but the beauty was riding with some friends and my wife. The C and I rode and talked and goofed off. Nice!

The week was 106+ miles of fairly easy riding - just trying to take a easier week. A week from today is the Tour de Stake. It will be fun to ride with the C and Cas. Coming in September will be my training for the Tour of Tucson - need to get under 6 hours.