as usual.

I had some great epiphany I was going to share with teh world wide web....but then it took so long to log on, I forgot all about it.

too long for Facebook....

Website ideas, sometimes it's easier when I write it down? #brainfarting

And even if you can read my scribble...whatev's. And that's the thing, sorta, but not really...whatev's, meh. I've always held CVTU in the highest regard. 
I see it everyday, first thing in the morning, vintage CVTU hangs on my walls, decor from the bed to the bathroom. The legacy fills my bookshelves. It's not just about being able to catch a trout here or there in the here and now. It's about legacy as much as what can we do next? what do we need to do next, what needs to be done now? 
Which is why I get so strung out, so stressed and...well...you know, ya'll have seen it . This Presidenting gig isn't just about 'my' agenda...it's about carrying that torch that's been handed down...all the way down from Mr. Fox, 50-60 years worth. And preserving that legacy and doing right by it, by him and all of them whose shoulders I/we stand upon.  
Look, I know I'm rough around edges, I know I should bite my tongue at times and just go to bed....but this is a passion, which I don't take lightly, and don't ever expect to, and when I do, I'm done, when I don't care enough, I shouldn't be in charge. Isn't that a given?....ohhh to be where I was 10yrs ago, 37yr old peak bike racer....but tis what I is & tis where I'm at, because to be so otherwise would be a disservice...not like I just stumbled into this. So I soldier on, do the best to stay true, continue fighting the good fight and maybe even sneak in a bike ride or actually go fishin' every once in a while. Because, what else can you do?
I've got untold respect for the shoes I try to fill, only hope I do them justice....time will tell I guess.

Fondo

fuck me.

I haven't put myself thru
something like that in a
long time.

I'm not even looking
at reasons why.

It was a bad day compiled
by poor preperation.

These legs of Sept are not
those legs of summer.

I cracked at mile 50.
Though I got thru the
third timed section ok.
Heart revs were there,
was still ticking over the
gear, seemed good.

And then the lights went out.
There was a big battle with the
cramp monter in those dark
back alleys of slum town.
Classic stuff...

Why in the fuck,
am I doing this?
Asked a lot questions,
I didn't wanna answer.

The second 60/100 split
at Aid 3 was one of those
turns.  You know there is
no good to come from
either choice.

Bail = Months of gnawing regret.
Ride on = Me pushing my fucking
road bike up a climb because I had
nothing. Kip clop, Kip clop, Kip clop.

I ain't proud, fuck it.

What a fucking day.

And the with that, all I can say
 is Thank-you.

Thank you to Ralph & his crew for
putting on one hell of a series. Always
awesome to catch up with old friends.

And thanks to all the volunteers, your
loooong day is much appreciated.

And a special fuck you to the 'cakes, good stuff.

wow.

I sit here, in my back yard,
beer #6 in hand, huh #whut?


It was a very good day.

Full of doubt.
Purpose.

For some reason,
purpose.

Today was the day.

When else, would I
consider myself
'ready.'

?

Your peers,
your friends,
you see what they do,
so why not you?

One step at a time.

Step taken today,
118 doorstep to doorstep
on those skinny tires.

All you gots to do is pedal,
same as it ever was.
Been doing it all my life.

Pedaling.
Just pedal.

qwik n dirty

plans change.
plans are made.

plan j:
lose weight, get 'fit'.
vive' le Tour.

Plan h:
poach three days, missing
out on the first two.

Day 1/Stage 3:
I happily embrace my inner roadie.
I love riding road bikes, smooth,
efficient and plenty of time to take
it all in.

We climbed up Reddish, which I
was actually looking forward to.
And we got to descend out of the
saddle, double yeah hawll!

Moyer's Gap is a special spot,
nice sustained 19% ramp at the
top.

"This is gonna take everything I got." - Buck


Then it rained, and we road a shit
ton of wet fireroad.  My road bike
now hates me. Everybody ended up
numb, one way or the other.


Day2/Stage 4:
Big & Schlossy.
Tony B'town & I commuted
north, catching on the last 5yrs,
following the caravan of mtb
clad vehicles.

We ride mtn bikes north on the road,
make a few turns, settle in.  Parade
up into the forest, parade some trail,
stuff the front end and bang a leg off
the bike.  Ouch.
 Long is timed section, big ups,
groovy down and empty at the bottom.
Regroup. Ride/hike to the overlook.
Hang out for a bit with fellow
slummers and take it all in.

Lunch, sketchy fireworks, FREEDOM!
Then on that first steepish slimey bit
of down, slow speed stuff of the front
and over we go. Bang.

Do I still have all my teeph?

Yeah?  cool, I still have all my teeth.
But I am spitting out blood, neat.
Really busted my lip on that one...

Typical regroup/recovery and finally
back to steady gunning slumming'
tempo after an hour or so.

Just in time to make a wrong turn
and not realize it.  Get to the bottom
and hit an unmarked T, hmmmm.
There's skidmarks, there's tracks,
there's a downed tree blocking that way,
so go the other. Left is north, right is south.

Eventually find the road, and yeah,
I'm off course. Fuck, shoulda turned left
back there, so I guess I need to turn left
on the road and head north towards
where that left pops out and wherever
the hell we're parked.

Then I made some very poor route choices,
starting with that left turn, and for the next
hour or so and went for a very long, very
lost spin on the roads up around Bryce Resort
in the exact opposite direction of where I
needed to be going. It was a long trudge
backtrack down 42 and back over the Orkney
Grade where serendipity reigned and I
was picked up quickly at the crossroads
on a hunch.

JamesK, I owe you, you too Sue G.! Thank You!

So after that 2hours of extra roadieness,
the busted lip and other additional impacts,
I was feeling kinda hollow come Sunday,
so I saw the peloton off and went home,
tail between my legs.

vive leTour'

!

oh yay, another one

Jeb Bush:
“We need to make sure that we protect the right not just of having religious views, but the right of acting on those religious views,” he said.

Does this asshole understand how fucked up this view is and what a Pandora's box he opens up with that statement? Fucking conservatives.

boom.

March was a rough month,
weather, mental state, all
very cold and grey.

Peak belly hit sometime
about mid month. Then
the weather broke, and we
began pedaling again.

Then the relationship broke,
and I really began pedaling
again, or at least 100% on
my terms, again. Man I love
those old school BSRR's..

So, just crossed that old school
base build 1000mile threshold
sometime in the last week,
and according to the scale,
15lbs has been left behind
out along that quiet white line
since those March doldrums.

Targeting another 5 to 10,
but don't call it a comeback,
I'm just looking to be not quite
so far off the back on Sundays.


And I sure do love to ride my bicycle.