It has been too long once again. I thought I would at least drop a line. I am eating well right now for the holidays as a bear does before the long winter. Only I have hopes that this Bear gets out of the cave during the winter. Winter should not be that bad here....however..the other day I went for a bike ride where it was about 45 outside. The kind of cold where you get in the shower and your gums are still frozen.
Anyway, I hope everybody enjoys their holiday season with family and friends as will I. talk to you all next year....
JD
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Monday, October 15, 2007
Off the Road...and Back on??
So it has been many moons since the chief has placed smoke signal on blog. Time to smoke peace-pipe and review my history:
I was riding and running all over the place getting ready for the Fountain Mountain. Do you remeber that movie "Running Brave" with Robbie Benson....I loved that movie....I just don't like to run as much as I used to. I went on a few epic bike rides and I felt I was ready to ride it like I stole it. The swim would be scary and I thought I could survive the run.....
A few days before the event, I developed some massive chest pains and found out that I needed my gal-bladder removed. Now, one would think this was a ploy to get out of my race...not so. Beecher knows....maybe even Trickle....although this might be something Trickle would craft up before a race with the boys. Anyway, I had my operation and I live to tell the story. I am thankful for all the support from K and the kids....my elders Q who came over that night and gave me a blessing, the Beechers for their Prayers and thoughts of me not on the road.....Deena and Paul for everything.....mostly the Chicken noodle soup. Also my work, they were very supportive and I did not worry one bit.
Of-course I bought a non-refundable Disney Vacation package and you try and tell a 3 year old that we are not going to the Happiest place on earth. So I sucked it up and just went along for the ride. The kids had a great time as you can read on K's blog...I dare not give any details as she covered it very nicely. We had a great time and now we just need a vacation from our vacation.
I plan to get on the bike this weekend to spin the pedals and see how it feels. I have the tour de Tucson in November to get ready for. It is a 109 miler around the city. I hear it is a really nice ride.....Just need Beecher to sit behind on this one...
The weather has been really nice as of late and I can't wait to get back on the road. If I don't, I will get chewed up and spit out by the peleton.
Anyway....I just thought it has been way too long for me to post. I hope as I get the rides going...so will the posts...
I was riding and running all over the place getting ready for the Fountain Mountain. Do you remeber that movie "Running Brave" with Robbie Benson....I loved that movie....I just don't like to run as much as I used to. I went on a few epic bike rides and I felt I was ready to ride it like I stole it. The swim would be scary and I thought I could survive the run.....
A few days before the event, I developed some massive chest pains and found out that I needed my gal-bladder removed. Now, one would think this was a ploy to get out of my race...not so. Beecher knows....maybe even Trickle....although this might be something Trickle would craft up before a race with the boys. Anyway, I had my operation and I live to tell the story. I am thankful for all the support from K and the kids....my elders Q who came over that night and gave me a blessing, the Beechers for their Prayers and thoughts of me not on the road.....Deena and Paul for everything.....mostly the Chicken noodle soup. Also my work, they were very supportive and I did not worry one bit.
Of-course I bought a non-refundable Disney Vacation package and you try and tell a 3 year old that we are not going to the Happiest place on earth. So I sucked it up and just went along for the ride. The kids had a great time as you can read on K's blog...I dare not give any details as she covered it very nicely. We had a great time and now we just need a vacation from our vacation.
I plan to get on the bike this weekend to spin the pedals and see how it feels. I have the tour de Tucson in November to get ready for. It is a 109 miler around the city. I hear it is a really nice ride.....Just need Beecher to sit behind on this one...
The weather has been really nice as of late and I can't wait to get back on the road. If I don't, I will get chewed up and spit out by the peleton.
Anyway....I just thought it has been way too long for me to post. I hope as I get the rides going...so will the posts...
Sunday, September 16, 2007
JD's other Names
1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: Toby Tundra
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: Banana-Strawberry Chocolate-Chip
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: J-Dun
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: Green-Bear
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: Phillip Temple
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: DunJe
7. SUPERHERO NAME: The Blue Milk
8. NASCAR NAME: Rudy Blaine
9. STRIPPER NAME: Boss Snickers
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: Blaine Cathrine
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: Meyers Milan
12. SPY NAME: Spring Daisy
13. CARTOON NAME: Banana Shorty
14. HIPPY NAME: Waffle Pine
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: The Biking Rain Tour
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: Banana-Strawberry Chocolate-Chip
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: J-Dun
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: Green-Bear
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: Phillip Temple
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: DunJe
7. SUPERHERO NAME: The Blue Milk
8. NASCAR NAME: Rudy Blaine
9. STRIPPER NAME: Boss Snickers
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: Blaine Cathrine
11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: Meyers Milan
12. SPY NAME: Spring Daisy
13. CARTOON NAME: Banana Shorty
14. HIPPY NAME: Waffle Pine
15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: The Biking Rain Tour
Sunday, August 19, 2007
No Pics - Red Mountain
I think my Blog is kinda lame because I never have time to find pictures...or even take them... Oh well...the pleasure will be just to see my words and not my grill...not sure which is worse.....
I finally made brother take a day off and go for a longer ride with me. We did a double loop of Red mountain. It was his first real attempt on hills and some sketchy downhills. We also rode w/ DR who met us at 6am for the 2.5 hour tour. The first loop had my brother learning how to "find a gear" and not try to keep jumping out of the saddle to play catch-up. He made it up the hill and it was a really nice view looking over the valley. We kept a nice pace on the second loop and saw three huge Buck's run across the road no more the 10 yards in front of us. Kinda cool...well back to the "Bucks" on the Bike. The last hill I felt really good and figured it would not be bad if I left the group and waited up top. I can't wait for the weather to get cooler in the morning because I was bakin at the end of the ride.
My plan is to start to get out and run some as I am in training for a TRI in October. I have not ran in 10 years. I used t run 10K's almost every weekend as a kid. I am not a kid anymore....The TRI will be a 1 mile swim, 45 mile bike and 10K run. I think I can hit te swim and bike...the Run.......
I will keep you all posted on how that goes......
I finally made brother take a day off and go for a longer ride with me. We did a double loop of Red mountain. It was his first real attempt on hills and some sketchy downhills. We also rode w/ DR who met us at 6am for the 2.5 hour tour. The first loop had my brother learning how to "find a gear" and not try to keep jumping out of the saddle to play catch-up. He made it up the hill and it was a really nice view looking over the valley. We kept a nice pace on the second loop and saw three huge Buck's run across the road no more the 10 yards in front of us. Kinda cool...well back to the "Bucks" on the Bike. The last hill I felt really good and figured it would not be bad if I left the group and waited up top. I can't wait for the weather to get cooler in the morning because I was bakin at the end of the ride.
My plan is to start to get out and run some as I am in training for a TRI in October. I have not ran in 10 years. I used t run 10K's almost every weekend as a kid. I am not a kid anymore....The TRI will be a 1 mile swim, 45 mile bike and 10K run. I think I can hit te swim and bike...the Run.......
I will keep you all posted on how that goes......
Sunday, August 05, 2007
On the Road again
I post as much as I ride....So what does that say..? I have not been on my steed as much....and I wnt for a real nice ride yesterday. It has been too long. The legs for some reason feel really good. It felt like I was coming off a rest day on the TDF and I was ready to hammer. I went w/ a buddy of mine Dan R. Beecher and I rode with him a few months ago around fountain hills.
We started out flat to ride to the only hills in town....I miss the hills. As we started our 3 mile climb, I felt the legs kick in and had a really good spin. We both were movin and caught the local club about 1/2 way up. Two guys broke from the club and sat on my wheel the remaining 1.5 miles to the top. It was nice to set the pace on the hills. These guy most likely would have blown me away on the flats....but they decided to ride the hills today...and their can only be one king of the hill. The good thing about AZ is that it gives me some "heat" and flat riding. All in we did about 48 miles. All I have been able to ride as of late has been Saturday mornings. It is still hiizzot and hard to get out after work. Living in AZ however will give me the chance to ride year round. All the century rides and races are during the winter months. It also gets all the drunk boaters off the roads so i can ride around the lakes and hit the canyon lake hills....I still plan on doing a TRI in October. I need to get out running. We have been doind tons of swimming in the pool. My brother starts fire academy training in a few weeks so he will have his Saturdays free for us to do some longer rides. He needs the "look", needs to feel the pain train.....that is what
Clubber Lane's prediction is to the fight..."Pain". (I just watched Rocky III yesterday).
Work is going good from home. I do miss the office life at times but will soon get that back as we begin to staff up in Scottsdale. I will be doing a Europe tour at the end of the month....and then Asia in Oct-Nov. Both places are known for biking so maybe I can get on some dudes wheel in Shang-hi or Bangkok and give him the look as I blast him out of the water. That would be funny... Ask him..."you ready to bleed", and see his strang look while I jump out of my saddle. Sure he has 50 pounds of rice on his back and one gear.....but he also has home court advantage.
The kidz are great. Eryn still says "right dad?" after every statement. Sometimes I am not sure what I am agreeing to. I need to always be paying attention or she might think that Monsters live under her bed. The older ones are now taking piano. they both seem to like....except for the practice thing.
This weekend they held the HHH. I kind of missed it and I feel like I need to get back to it next year. So Trickle and Beecher...."it's on like donkey kong". Or maybe it's the Ragbri..???
out
We started out flat to ride to the only hills in town....I miss the hills. As we started our 3 mile climb, I felt the legs kick in and had a really good spin. We both were movin and caught the local club about 1/2 way up. Two guys broke from the club and sat on my wheel the remaining 1.5 miles to the top. It was nice to set the pace on the hills. These guy most likely would have blown me away on the flats....but they decided to ride the hills today...and their can only be one king of the hill. The good thing about AZ is that it gives me some "heat" and flat riding. All in we did about 48 miles. All I have been able to ride as of late has been Saturday mornings. It is still hiizzot and hard to get out after work. Living in AZ however will give me the chance to ride year round. All the century rides and races are during the winter months. It also gets all the drunk boaters off the roads so i can ride around the lakes and hit the canyon lake hills....I still plan on doing a TRI in October. I need to get out running. We have been doind tons of swimming in the pool. My brother starts fire academy training in a few weeks so he will have his Saturdays free for us to do some longer rides. He needs the "look", needs to feel the pain train.....that is what
Clubber Lane's prediction is to the fight..."Pain". (I just watched Rocky III yesterday).
Work is going good from home. I do miss the office life at times but will soon get that back as we begin to staff up in Scottsdale. I will be doing a Europe tour at the end of the month....and then Asia in Oct-Nov. Both places are known for biking so maybe I can get on some dudes wheel in Shang-hi or Bangkok and give him the look as I blast him out of the water. That would be funny... Ask him..."you ready to bleed", and see his strang look while I jump out of my saddle. Sure he has 50 pounds of rice on his back and one gear.....but he also has home court advantage.
The kidz are great. Eryn still says "right dad?" after every statement. Sometimes I am not sure what I am agreeing to. I need to always be paying attention or she might think that Monsters live under her bed. The older ones are now taking piano. they both seem to like....except for the practice thing.
This weekend they held the HHH. I kind of missed it and I feel like I need to get back to it next year. So Trickle and Beecher...."it's on like donkey kong". Or maybe it's the Ragbri..???
out
Sunday, July 08, 2007
AZ dayz
I thought I would do a brain dump of events that have happened before they begin to pile up with vacation coming this week.
We are finally here is AZ. A bit of a homecoming for us as we have been in San Antonio for 5 years and Cali for a little over a year. We love our new home. It took two truckloads and trips to get our stuff here. That is right, two 14-hour radio only, driving in the right lane, 118-degree heat trips. It was SOO nice to finally have all our things again under one roof. It is also nice to not be renting anymore. I will see how much deposit we get back as our landlords gave the house a true white glove inspection. You can’t believe the things they were saying needs cleaned or fixed. More to come on this one.
Work from home is going well. I completed one full week so far. I wake up, shower, put on some shorts, shut the office door and work it. I do miss the social aspect of things at times and it does require a new level of discipline that I have not experienced since being on my mission. I will be traveling some in the near future…but for the most part, I will be flipping switches here at the casa.
I have been able to get out riding 2x now. I rode once on the 4th of July. It was hot even getting out at 6am. I was just riding, looking for routes and getting the lay of the land….when POP…. My rear tire blew. I changed it but made a total bonehead rookie move and did not check to see if anything was sticking in my tire. I just threw in a new tube and off I went. 2 miles later I thought about this missing step and looked down….sure enough, the back tire was getting flatter with each stroke. No tubes, no air, and I was done. I called K and she came and picked me up. Not a good day. 20 miles in total.
Yesterday however was a great day. I hooked by brother up with my old Trek and we went to the bike store Friday night to get him all the gear. That night we “pimped” his new ride and he was ready. The next morning I headed out at 4:50am. Jason’s place is about 12 miles from our house and we needed to ride early since he was working. We went for a 20-mile loop. His first ride and I think he had a good time. I even turned it up a few notches at the end to get the heart rate up some, as this was his first experience we kept it light. He is already in very good shape as a firefighter he runs, lifts and swims so I think it was my heart rate that was taking the beating. All total was close to 50 miles for me. No flats but all flats. I miss the hills!!! This week we are gong on Vacation to San Diego. I have mapped out several rides and I plan on logging a ton of miles both in San Diego and back here when we get home.
Just a couple of other notes. Briggs and I saw Transformers….not too bad. We both really liked it. Tour De France started this week….it must be biking season!! This is also the week I was going to ride STP w/ Beecher. Sorry it did not work out. I will be there in spirit when you begin to start seeing things at mile 180. GOOD LUCK!.
More to come after this week’s vacation….I will be horizontal as well.
We are finally here is AZ. A bit of a homecoming for us as we have been in San Antonio for 5 years and Cali for a little over a year. We love our new home. It took two truckloads and trips to get our stuff here. That is right, two 14-hour radio only, driving in the right lane, 118-degree heat trips. It was SOO nice to finally have all our things again under one roof. It is also nice to not be renting anymore. I will see how much deposit we get back as our landlords gave the house a true white glove inspection. You can’t believe the things they were saying needs cleaned or fixed. More to come on this one.
Work from home is going well. I completed one full week so far. I wake up, shower, put on some shorts, shut the office door and work it. I do miss the social aspect of things at times and it does require a new level of discipline that I have not experienced since being on my mission. I will be traveling some in the near future…but for the most part, I will be flipping switches here at the casa.
I have been able to get out riding 2x now. I rode once on the 4th of July. It was hot even getting out at 6am. I was just riding, looking for routes and getting the lay of the land….when POP…. My rear tire blew. I changed it but made a total bonehead rookie move and did not check to see if anything was sticking in my tire. I just threw in a new tube and off I went. 2 miles later I thought about this missing step and looked down….sure enough, the back tire was getting flatter with each stroke. No tubes, no air, and I was done. I called K and she came and picked me up. Not a good day. 20 miles in total.
Yesterday however was a great day. I hooked by brother up with my old Trek and we went to the bike store Friday night to get him all the gear. That night we “pimped” his new ride and he was ready. The next morning I headed out at 4:50am. Jason’s place is about 12 miles from our house and we needed to ride early since he was working. We went for a 20-mile loop. His first ride and I think he had a good time. I even turned it up a few notches at the end to get the heart rate up some, as this was his first experience we kept it light. He is already in very good shape as a firefighter he runs, lifts and swims so I think it was my heart rate that was taking the beating. All total was close to 50 miles for me. No flats but all flats. I miss the hills!!! This week we are gong on Vacation to San Diego. I have mapped out several rides and I plan on logging a ton of miles both in San Diego and back here when we get home.
Just a couple of other notes. Briggs and I saw Transformers….not too bad. We both really liked it. Tour De France started this week….it must be biking season!! This is also the week I was going to ride STP w/ Beecher. Sorry it did not work out. I will be there in spirit when you begin to start seeing things at mile 180. GOOD LUCK!.
More to come after this week’s vacation….I will be horizontal as well.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Wicked time in Boston
Too many days have passed since my last post. Let me re-cap what has happened since my last post. Bob Barker said good-bye, My brother got accepted to Gilbert Fire academy, my sister to Nursing school, Dirty Spurs swept the Cavs, Steve Kerr is now GM of Suns, my house is full of boxes, Briggs and Reagan passed off all 13 articles of faith, Eryn is still asking questions, Briggs became an actor, all the good TV shows have ended, I went on some EPIC rides along the coast…(going to really miss all these rides)…Thanks Scotty for the tours, Briggs tossed an egg off a building and it did not break due to our contraption we built, K learned how to make some sweet Mango shakes…thank Toby, I taught K how to make Spetzula today….except hers included glass ☺, I went to Boston…..had a GREAT time at eBay live, met Suzie Orman, attended the first ever game between the Giants and Sox…Fenway park was almost a spiritual experience:
Anyway, did I mention we are moving this week? It will be crazy!! Thursday we load up and Friday we move out. So until I get things set up out there, I will be away from the blogging. I know…I know….you all will miss my posts, but I guess it is like a season finale for me as well. Adventures will continue from our old stomping grounds AZ. This is ending almost as bad as the Soprano’s finale. I better bail before I start talking about life in general…..
Anyway, did I mention we are moving this week? It will be crazy!! Thursday we load up and Friday we move out. So until I get things set up out there, I will be away from the blogging. I know…I know….you all will miss my posts, but I guess it is like a season finale for me as well. Adventures will continue from our old stomping grounds AZ. This is ending almost as bad as the Soprano’s finale. I better bail before I start talking about life in general…..
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Lost-Suns-Bike rides-Family
So much has happened since my last post. I was brewing with confidence before my last post that the Suns were going to TCB. But the MVP Robert Horry took out two players and the series was over. So hard to look to next year. But at least I will be in town to catch some more games. I try to pull for the Spurs now....but i just can't. The damage has been done... It hurts to say let's see what happens next season...I guess I have already said it...so it did not hurt that bad. I will predict the Suns will make a trade that will involve Boris Diaw.
Lost was great. The "beard-man" make-up artist who had the hottest job in town a few seasons back was called back in action. Who knows what will happen next season. I am a bit sad they are going to bring back Walt and Michael back. I can stand those characters....If I hear Michael say "WALT" and see those huge chiclets in his mouth one more time....I am going to the island myself and go Mr.Eko on him. That is who they need to bring back....freakin Mr. Eko and his stick to throw-down. I would like to hear Bill Walton make the call..." Mr. Eko throws it doooowwnn. Look at the way he moves with that club....Amazzzzing" I do like that fact that Sawyer actually pulled the trigger. He has killed two guys off in the last two episodes. I thought it ended great...opened up a new box and Kate was a bit too dolled up. Can't wait till October...
Bikes have been good to me lately. I have been riding a ton with Scotty who has put together somre really nice rides. He has a book of the best rides in Nor Cal and we hit em. From Half-moon bay to PCH1 to Palo Alto to Foothills to woodside and La Honda. I am trying to get all the rides in I can before we head out. I have about one more weekend then I am booked.
Family is doing great. Briggs has a talent of singing that he is beginning to discover. Reagan is going to an artist of some sort and Eryn will be the jack of al trades. She knows more about Pokemon and Polly Pockets then any kid in town. She is a sponge. She is still in question mode. What do worms eat? What do bee's eat? Are there bee's in my room? There are no bee's in my room right dad?....say "right" dad!!!
Right!
Lost was great. The "beard-man" make-up artist who had the hottest job in town a few seasons back was called back in action. Who knows what will happen next season. I am a bit sad they are going to bring back Walt and Michael back. I can stand those characters....If I hear Michael say "WALT" and see those huge chiclets in his mouth one more time....I am going to the island myself and go Mr.Eko on him. That is who they need to bring back....freakin Mr. Eko and his stick to throw-down. I would like to hear Bill Walton make the call..." Mr. Eko throws it doooowwnn. Look at the way he moves with that club....Amazzzzing" I do like that fact that Sawyer actually pulled the trigger. He has killed two guys off in the last two episodes. I thought it ended great...opened up a new box and Kate was a bit too dolled up. Can't wait till October...
Bikes have been good to me lately. I have been riding a ton with Scotty who has put together somre really nice rides. He has a book of the best rides in Nor Cal and we hit em. From Half-moon bay to PCH1 to Palo Alto to Foothills to woodside and La Honda. I am trying to get all the rides in I can before we head out. I have about one more weekend then I am booked.
Family is doing great. Briggs has a talent of singing that he is beginning to discover. Reagan is going to an artist of some sort and Eryn will be the jack of al trades. She knows more about Pokemon and Polly Pockets then any kid in town. She is a sponge. She is still in question mode. What do worms eat? What do bee's eat? Are there bee's in my room? There are no bee's in my room right dad?....say "right" dad!!!
Right!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Weekend Update
Not much happened this week between me and my bike. I just did a spin class on Tuesday and that was it. It is bike to work this week so I will mount my steed for a few trips into work. A total of 30+ miles roud trip...I just hope those drivers out there can see the "German Blur" go by them. Perhaps I can put n 150 this week?? Health wise I feel really good. I got my test results from my doc and all systems are go.
We are still planning our move for June. It will come quick. K and I are going to Boston for a week in June. That will be great. We are going for the eBay live concert and plan on catching a game at fenway when they play the Giants. Should be wicked awesome.
My boy Richardson is out on AI. Blake is still alive but he is hanging on by a very thin piece of floss. Jordan will win the contest for sure as she has improved each week. I think this was a master plan by her as she strategically showed her cards one at a time. What a master plan!!
I can't talk about the Suns right now. Not now. Wait until Monday night...then the words will flow!! Amare...stay stong and keep it dirty dawg, Nash...do what you do, Bell..ring it, Barbosa....beep-beep, Marion...take it to the hole, THomas...spot up, Diantoni.....I need a few more f-bombs ans we can win this thing. One more thing we need....is more cow bell!!!
We are still planning our move for June. It will come quick. K and I are going to Boston for a week in June. That will be great. We are going for the eBay live concert and plan on catching a game at fenway when they play the Giants. Should be wicked awesome.
My boy Richardson is out on AI. Blake is still alive but he is hanging on by a very thin piece of floss. Jordan will win the contest for sure as she has improved each week. I think this was a master plan by her as she strategically showed her cards one at a time. What a master plan!!
I can't talk about the Suns right now. Not now. Wait until Monday night...then the words will flow!! Amare...stay stong and keep it dirty dawg, Nash...do what you do, Bell..ring it, Barbosa....beep-beep, Marion...take it to the hole, THomas...spot up, Diantoni.....I need a few more f-bombs ans we can win this thing. One more thing we need....is more cow bell!!!
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
The Bonk
When you have'nt been on the bike during the week, one assumes a day in the hills will make it up. Last Saturday I hit Skyline hwy 9 up to Saratoga. It is one of the most popular rides in the bay area and Scotty told me we had to do it before I moved back to AZ. So after coordinating a "hairy" elders Q move (5 dogs-5 cats-30 years of stuff needing to be moved into a garage) we hit the hill. It was a classic 8 mile unforgiving climb. We did a few more miles on the top and then coasted down. It was a very nice 30 mile ride.
Last Saturday I hit the monster Col de' Hamilton. I felt like I was on drugs for the first two hills. I was eating up riders and I even think I gave a couple of them the look as they tried to drop me. I had a couple a guys that I knew were strong so I kept them in my sights up the final 7 mile climb of 4000ft. I was completely confident that I would hang on these guys wheels and I knew exactly where I was going to jump out of the saddle and hammer. About a mile before my kick, I ate my final power bar, drank some water and my body just shut down. It was weird. I almost pulled over cause I got the chills and felt like I was going to puke. I of-course got dropped and just spun up the hill. I actually finished the ride 4 minutes faster then I ever had before 1:49. I took my free miles back with me to the house. A total of 60 miles. Not a century like my boy up north, but it did the job for the weekend.
We put an offer on a house and they are happy with it...SO it looks like things are moving forward...more to come on this one...We close on Jun 20th....
Last Saturday I hit the monster Col de' Hamilton. I felt like I was on drugs for the first two hills. I was eating up riders and I even think I gave a couple of them the look as they tried to drop me. I had a couple a guys that I knew were strong so I kept them in my sights up the final 7 mile climb of 4000ft. I was completely confident that I would hang on these guys wheels and I knew exactly where I was going to jump out of the saddle and hammer. About a mile before my kick, I ate my final power bar, drank some water and my body just shut down. It was weird. I almost pulled over cause I got the chills and felt like I was going to puke. I of-course got dropped and just spun up the hill. I actually finished the ride 4 minutes faster then I ever had before 1:49. I took my free miles back with me to the house. A total of 60 miles. Not a century like my boy up north, but it did the job for the weekend.
We put an offer on a house and they are happy with it...SO it looks like things are moving forward...more to come on this one...We close on Jun 20th....
Friday, April 20, 2007
Pics
Warren, "Garbo" Mitchell, Big Daddy, Dayanan, Santos and Farlie
The Warriors have come out to play.....Bring it!!
'The Last Star-Fighter" Briggs..........W/ Ski Bunny Mom in the background
Before
After!!! Snap-Crackle-Pop went my neck....
"What's goin on in the Kitchen....but I danno whats cookin" --Coolio
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
American Idol
Before I talk about my life, I wanted to make a few comment about AI. I picked two guys to win it all. Chris Slye and Chris Richardson. Curly fro Chris is gone. But my JT wanna bee is still around. I can't stand "Big eyez" but I don't mind "Legs". As my boy Scott said about Doolittle, "I am tired of her Ms. innocent routine..."Who me, I am a good singer? What...I can't beleive it". The act is over. Queen Laquifa is great singer but will never be the next idol. Sparks is the dark horse.. Blake will make the final three...but we will fade. Although his career will be bigger then the winner...unless it is Richardson. And Sanjaya, poor kid, he is like the kid who was not invited to the party, but has no problem drinkin from the keg.
***A note to my kids who will one day read this, "This cannot be used against me in any way for gain"
Back to my life. SO much has happened since the last time I posted. I did catch that fish "Metcalf Hill" 2x over this last week. It is such a challenge and it really gives me a workout I can feel...Anyway...
Salt Lake was cool. A special shout-out to Amy and Joe for taking care of us. Joe is the man of Ogden. He knows all and all know him. I will give him a new name..."Mr. Mayor". Also some props to Sally on the corner with her Roller Skates Saturday night. Light it up!! Amy was great watching the kids for us while we hit the slopes. I am sure K will post all the pictures if I can't find em. Briggs and Kristin wanted to ski and not snow-board. The first hill they both were crying and Briggs had his ski's off walking down the Hill. It was a nightmare. But they both stuck it out and by the end of the day, they had it down. You could not ask for a better day. I took a few rides to the top of the mountain and just cruised. The next day we took all the kids back to the resort for some sledidng action. It was fun. Eryn ate the snow all day and thought Santa was going to come. Briggs and Reagan hiked up the hill and litterally dropped in the huge hill. So Dad had to try it too. I flipped over backwards and heard my neck snap. Like Zoolander could not turn left...I could not look left. The next day we went out with the "Mayor" to look at houses. We found some really nice ones but at the end of the trip, had a feeling that AZ was still the place we needed to be. Thanks "Mayor" again for the tour. We went to see "Blades of Glory". It had some funny parts.
Back in SJ, work is crazy. Kristin drove back to AZ with her mom to begin the search for a new Casa. I am going to fly down there Friday night to drive back with her. It was difficult to sell my ticket to ride this weekend, but I need to go down to AZ. It was very easy to sell the ticket on Craigslist. They only allow so many riders and demand is greater the supply.
We had a good Easter. Eryn downed her basket of goods and I made the meanest Spetzela and Goulach ever. All homemade noodles I learned the last time I was out in Germany. In the words of Bill "Teeth" Walton, I "threw it down".
***A note to my kids who will one day read this, "This cannot be used against me in any way for gain"
Back to my life. SO much has happened since the last time I posted. I did catch that fish "Metcalf Hill" 2x over this last week. It is such a challenge and it really gives me a workout I can feel...Anyway...
Salt Lake was cool. A special shout-out to Amy and Joe for taking care of us. Joe is the man of Ogden. He knows all and all know him. I will give him a new name..."Mr. Mayor". Also some props to Sally on the corner with her Roller Skates Saturday night. Light it up!! Amy was great watching the kids for us while we hit the slopes. I am sure K will post all the pictures if I can't find em. Briggs and Kristin wanted to ski and not snow-board. The first hill they both were crying and Briggs had his ski's off walking down the Hill. It was a nightmare. But they both stuck it out and by the end of the day, they had it down. You could not ask for a better day. I took a few rides to the top of the mountain and just cruised. The next day we took all the kids back to the resort for some sledidng action. It was fun. Eryn ate the snow all day and thought Santa was going to come. Briggs and Reagan hiked up the hill and litterally dropped in the huge hill. So Dad had to try it too. I flipped over backwards and heard my neck snap. Like Zoolander could not turn left...I could not look left. The next day we went out with the "Mayor" to look at houses. We found some really nice ones but at the end of the trip, had a feeling that AZ was still the place we needed to be. Thanks "Mayor" again for the tour. We went to see "Blades of Glory". It had some funny parts.
Back in SJ, work is crazy. Kristin drove back to AZ with her mom to begin the search for a new Casa. I am going to fly down there Friday night to drive back with her. It was difficult to sell my ticket to ride this weekend, but I need to go down to AZ. It was very easy to sell the ticket on Craigslist. They only allow so many riders and demand is greater the supply.
We had a good Easter. Eryn downed her basket of goods and I made the meanest Spetzela and Goulach ever. All homemade noodles I learned the last time I was out in Germany. In the words of Bill "Teeth" Walton, I "threw it down".
Saturday, March 24, 2007
The Fish was Huge!!!!
I have a a really good week of riding. In fact, I feel better then I ever have before. I did San Felipe 2x this week. My times were 18:20 and 18:32. For those historians, you know those times killed my previous bests. I rode naked with no weight on me. Just one small water bottle, mouth open, standing and mashing pedals for 18 min. I passed some guys and they were like...WTF. I was on fire at the top. I rode some more after that. On the way down I practiced my turns and lines. I now do flat sprints to the stop light and keep a 27mph avg. It is a really god work out.
Today i rode with Scotty. He has gotten much stronger. It was "hecka" windy today. It blew against us for 18 miles out. Once we turned around, we were moving. I don't know how fast we were going since my Garmin was out of battery. I felt really good and I decided to through in Metcalf hill on the return. Yes, the hill that caused me to turn around the last time I attempted it. You might say that I was that hill's B____. Not today, I wanted to ride it since my next century has this hill at mile 58. It is even more nasty then Sierra Road but shorter. I wish I had the GPS going so I could see the ride. It's like when you catch the fish that got away...who do you tell. It's like when you get some digits from that model "Anne" that you met at the club...only to lose the number. You dunk for the first time and when you look around, nobody was watching. High score on "Pitfall" gets erased due to some dust in the cartridge. A shooting star..."did you see that one?"..."Where?" You get the picture. I owned it today. The only guy on the hill. Wind in the face, switchback city, heart was jumping out of my chest...and finally made it to the top. I think by the time I was at the top I was at around 44 miles. It was not as bad as I thought it would be. Just a very inspiring ride today. I came back down San Felipe and kept it at 25 mph with the wind at my back.
I took a power nap later and then we went up to concord to meet LL and her friend. All is good.
Word to my hommies in the streets....
Today i rode with Scotty. He has gotten much stronger. It was "hecka" windy today. It blew against us for 18 miles out. Once we turned around, we were moving. I don't know how fast we were going since my Garmin was out of battery. I felt really good and I decided to through in Metcalf hill on the return. Yes, the hill that caused me to turn around the last time I attempted it. You might say that I was that hill's B____. Not today, I wanted to ride it since my next century has this hill at mile 58. It is even more nasty then Sierra Road but shorter. I wish I had the GPS going so I could see the ride. It's like when you catch the fish that got away...who do you tell. It's like when you get some digits from that model "Anne" that you met at the club...only to lose the number. You dunk for the first time and when you look around, nobody was watching. High score on "Pitfall" gets erased due to some dust in the cartridge. A shooting star..."did you see that one?"..."Where?" You get the picture. I owned it today. The only guy on the hill. Wind in the face, switchback city, heart was jumping out of my chest...and finally made it to the top. I think by the time I was at the top I was at around 44 miles. It was not as bad as I thought it would be. Just a very inspiring ride today. I came back down San Felipe and kept it at 25 mph with the wind at my back.
I took a power nap later and then we went up to concord to meet LL and her friend. All is good.
Word to my hommies in the streets....
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Slovang 2007
This year kicked off in Solvang,CA. We signed up for the 25th Anniversary ride. Chris and I are starting early this year so we can hit some goals. Big Poppa Beecher and Momma were already down there living up the life. We left Friday afternoon after they arrived to let the kids be kids with our kids.
It only took about 3 and 1/2 hours to get down there. It was a really pretty ride. I thought of taking K back down to Pismo Beach (where Bugs Bunny skats) after we drove through the town. Solvang was also very nice. We saw all the places that were on the Movie "Sideways". Downtown is a little German town. Our pad could not be in a beter place. IT was only one block from the start. We hung out with Wally and team that night and got our gear ready for the next day.
The Ride:\
It was cooooolld as we started in the morning. So we put on the layers. Wally loaned me his leg warmers since I was going to try and go without. I was glad he did that. The first 20 miles was just rolling hills. By then, the sun had come out and you could see all the vinyards and mountains. We stripped down our layers and kept rollin. The next 20 miles the wind was fierce. It picked me up a few times and blew me across the road. At mile 40 we said good-bye until the end of the day to Wally and we were on a nice paceline for another 30 miles. After one turn, the wind was at our backs....and AHHHHh we were movin. The hills came up and my Sierra Rd training kicked in. I felt really good. The ony thing that was hurting was my neck. The ride was very forgiving as you climbed up a big daddy hill only to be granted a 5 mile drop on the other side. All in all, we finished the ride in about 6+ hours. Big poppy came in about 1 hour after we arrived. It was a really great ride. Thanks to the Beechers for getting a place and sharing the experience.
Now for the next ride. The weather here is calling my name and the bike does not like to be in the garage.
It only took about 3 and 1/2 hours to get down there. It was a really pretty ride. I thought of taking K back down to Pismo Beach (where Bugs Bunny skats) after we drove through the town. Solvang was also very nice. We saw all the places that were on the Movie "Sideways". Downtown is a little German town. Our pad could not be in a beter place. IT was only one block from the start. We hung out with Wally and team that night and got our gear ready for the next day.
The Ride:\
It was cooooolld as we started in the morning. So we put on the layers. Wally loaned me his leg warmers since I was going to try and go without. I was glad he did that. The first 20 miles was just rolling hills. By then, the sun had come out and you could see all the vinyards and mountains. We stripped down our layers and kept rollin. The next 20 miles the wind was fierce. It picked me up a few times and blew me across the road. At mile 40 we said good-bye until the end of the day to Wally and we were on a nice paceline for another 30 miles. After one turn, the wind was at our backs....and AHHHHh we were movin. The hills came up and my Sierra Rd training kicked in. I felt really good. The ony thing that was hurting was my neck. The ride was very forgiving as you climbed up a big daddy hill only to be granted a 5 mile drop on the other side. All in all, we finished the ride in about 6+ hours. Big poppy came in about 1 hour after we arrived. It was a really great ride. Thanks to the Beechers for getting a place and sharing the experience.
Now for the next ride. The weather here is calling my name and the bike does not like to be in the garage.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Ready or Not
Well,
I took my last ride today before the big one next week. It was almost 4 hours of hills. Close to 4000 ft of climbing in 60 miles. I was dead afterwards...but now I am feeling much better. The temps were very nice today and it was a perfect day for a ride. I even mixed in some interval training as well which is not really the norm. It will be good to get back on the road next week with Beecher and even the King of Beechers. I just hope I can have enough in the tank at mile 80 when it looks like we are going to hit a monster hill. I took the bike in this week to fix and adjust. I guess I had tweaked my handle bars pretty good. I thought the Hoods were bent down but it turns out it was my bar. All fixed and ready to go now. Just needs to be cleaned up some and get some "Purple Heat" on the chain.
Just a short one for now. I might go longer tomorrow as I would like to give my take on Lost, Amazing Race and American Idol. These and the Office...and oh ya Grey's are the only shows I DVR. (Grey's is really for K...but I think I am hooked) Did I just come out of the closet??
JD
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Down Hill Danger
It has been a great week of riding. I had off Monday and Wed of this week. Both of those days I was in them thar hills up yonder. I have found a strength in climbing and a weakness in going down hill.
Monday I rode the Uvas loop. It was a good ride for 50+ miles and the wind was kickin my butt on the way back....of course the way out was very nice. It was like I had Beecher on my front wheel....when he realy was'nt....where were you on the way back. I just put my head down and cranked. I barely made it up Silver creek hill at the end. I pulled into the driveway and K was waiting for me to go to the store...Yikes...maybe I was out too long...but the trooper made no mention. Very Nice..>!
Tuesday was back to work just to get ready for a day off on Wed. It was a long day since I had Monday and Wed off for the week. Work-work-work..it's all the same....I did not have time to hit the spin class that night.
Wed was the day of the Tour De California. I went first to the DMV that day to take my medicine. I knew there would be a fine if I was honest on the registration for California. i knew I should have changed over my stuff once I got to Cali...but I told myself I could just play dumb and say I just arrived. Well, the moment came for me to play that song....and I could not do it...something said just take it like a man and pay your dues. It was a big daddy fine too....I debate now on K's car as to what to do.... I can't be half honest I guess right...eith you are all in....or not... It sucks....Well....back to the bike....
I left for Sierra road and I knew just the spot to park by steed and watch the race. Seems 300 others knew the exact same spot. I did however find a nice bush to hide under for the hour we waited for them to arrive....It was freezin after riding all the way up the mountain then standing around in the wind. That bush was my friend :) Lucky El Guapo did not trim those hedges. It was a joy to see these guys come by. It was right at the time Levi was taking the lead on the hill. I saw myself on TV later that night. I looked like a total Poser. I had my cell phone trying to film the thing. After they all came by I jumped on my bike to try and catch them coming back around the loop into down-town. Here is where I found out how bad I am going down hill. The hill is a crazy going down and I was out of control. People were walking and riding back down and I had to slam on my brakes. I think I am too tall on the bike or my brakes are not good....I just feel like I am going to fly off the road at times.... Anyway, I did make it down the hill and was able to catch Levi and Jens going at it. A memorable day.
Thurs and Friday.....same ol stuff. No spin class on Thursday since Briggs had a WOlf meeting.
Saturday I decided to take some more hills to try and work on my fear of bombing down a hill. I choose to go down Metcalf hill which is steep one. I did ok...still i would rather be climbing. sounds crazy. Again the wind was really crazy....but this time it was on my side on the way back. I only did about 30 miles on Sat since we had a Birthday Party of my Boss. He turned 40 and we went out to a winery and ate some good grub and played in a Bocce Ball tourney. It was all indoors and really cool. The kids had a blast although the Dunfords got eliminated in the first round. Boooo Briggs thought he was robbed..Reagan was amazing...and Eryn just wanted to drink her "cote".
Sunday - just hangin out watching the Oscars and eating some Gulach that seems bottomless.
2 weeks untill Solvang....I hope I am ready.....
Saturday, February 17, 2007
"Ich bin ein Berliner"
It's good to be back. After a long 10 days in Europe...it feels good to be back in my own bed. Don't get me wrong, I love Europe, but there is nothing like being back in your relm. Just thought I would give a re-cap of my trip to all my readers.
I left on a Saturday and headed to England. It's a non-stop from San Fran. The nice thing about travel with the company is that your travel in business class. British Air has the best Business class in the Bid-ness. I took upper deck and just kicked it. I watched the Movie "The Prestige" which was not bad. I also watched "A good day" which was ok. We arrived in England and I forced myself to stay up. So I took a walk along the Thames river and people watched. I enjoy just sitting and watching. The weather was actually really nice. That night we ate some grub...(which is not good at all anywhere in England). The next day we did all our presentations to the England folks and flew to Manchester to visit some of our agencies. We ended up in Preston England where I was bumped up to the President Suite and it was a treat.
The next day was pretty cold. We hit two more of our agencies and flew out of Manchester back to my motherland Germany. We landed in Berlin and hit Kurfasterdamn Strasse, found a nice place to eat, and had a big fat schitzel. Ahhhh...the real food. The next day we did our thing and it was a LONG day. We took a train from Berlin to Hamburg that night and got in really late. Now it begins to snow during the next few days as we wrap up all the other agencies tours. I choose to stay a few days later to hang out with my family in Ashcaffenburg. I took the train down and I finished the book "Fishers of Men" Vol 1. It was pretty good.
It was really nice to hang with Oma, Marina and Bernie. We ate at the Schlappe Seller which was VERY good grub and one of Tom's favorite..I can see why. We then went to the REAL to shop for some things to take back. I bought a ton which caused me to borrow a suitcase to take back.
Final day it rained and it was really nice to just hang and read and talked with family. I talked to Oma about my options to move to AZ or Salt Lake. I told her my concerns with both. One concern I have is that sometimes it can be a challenge to live too close to family for us. She says..."Yes, we loves our family......but not TOO much". It was classic. I will need to choose soon. Perhaps after we come back from our SKI trip we will know.
On the plane back I watched Employee of the month, Babel and Flags of our Fathers. All were not that great. Babel was horrible. I was hoping Flags would be better....but it seemed all over the place.
Now I am back to my family, bike, LOST, bed, juice and nice weather. Bikey weather.
I did the Sierra Rd King of the Mountain today with Scotty. We actually did not pay for it, we just joined the masses. It was a great ride. I can't wait to be up there on Wed when the Pro's come to town. I felt really good and at the top I crossed the finish line with the lead group....(I had a 10 min head start on the pelaton) It was great to try and keep up with these guys. It really put things into perspective on how strong they are....and weak I am. We rode down the back and headed back home. I felt really good and the weather was so nice, I stopped at home, filled up my bottles and went out for an additional 20. It was nice. My legs are killing right now but I need to get ready for Solvang or I am dead. I plan to ride on Monday and then watch the Tour de C on Wed.
Well...I need to do my taxes....hopefully we get a nice return so I can spend it....
I left on a Saturday and headed to England. It's a non-stop from San Fran. The nice thing about travel with the company is that your travel in business class. British Air has the best Business class in the Bid-ness. I took upper deck and just kicked it. I watched the Movie "The Prestige" which was not bad. I also watched "A good day" which was ok. We arrived in England and I forced myself to stay up. So I took a walk along the Thames river and people watched. I enjoy just sitting and watching. The weather was actually really nice. That night we ate some grub...(which is not good at all anywhere in England). The next day we did all our presentations to the England folks and flew to Manchester to visit some of our agencies. We ended up in Preston England where I was bumped up to the President Suite and it was a treat.
The next day was pretty cold. We hit two more of our agencies and flew out of Manchester back to my motherland Germany. We landed in Berlin and hit Kurfasterdamn Strasse, found a nice place to eat, and had a big fat schitzel. Ahhhh...the real food. The next day we did our thing and it was a LONG day. We took a train from Berlin to Hamburg that night and got in really late. Now it begins to snow during the next few days as we wrap up all the other agencies tours. I choose to stay a few days later to hang out with my family in Ashcaffenburg. I took the train down and I finished the book "Fishers of Men" Vol 1. It was pretty good.
It was really nice to hang with Oma, Marina and Bernie. We ate at the Schlappe Seller which was VERY good grub and one of Tom's favorite..I can see why. We then went to the REAL to shop for some things to take back. I bought a ton which caused me to borrow a suitcase to take back.
Final day it rained and it was really nice to just hang and read and talked with family. I talked to Oma about my options to move to AZ or Salt Lake. I told her my concerns with both. One concern I have is that sometimes it can be a challenge to live too close to family for us. She says..."Yes, we loves our family......but not TOO much". It was classic. I will need to choose soon. Perhaps after we come back from our SKI trip we will know.
On the plane back I watched Employee of the month, Babel and Flags of our Fathers. All were not that great. Babel was horrible. I was hoping Flags would be better....but it seemed all over the place.
Now I am back to my family, bike, LOST, bed, juice and nice weather. Bikey weather.
I did the Sierra Rd King of the Mountain today with Scotty. We actually did not pay for it, we just joined the masses. It was a great ride. I can't wait to be up there on Wed when the Pro's come to town. I felt really good and at the top I crossed the finish line with the lead group....(I had a 10 min head start on the pelaton) It was great to try and keep up with these guys. It really put things into perspective on how strong they are....and weak I am. We rode down the back and headed back home. I felt really good and the weather was so nice, I stopped at home, filled up my bottles and went out for an additional 20. It was nice. My legs are killing right now but I need to get ready for Solvang or I am dead. I plan to ride on Monday and then watch the Tour de C on Wed.
Well...I need to do my taxes....hopefully we get a nice return so I can spend it....
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Young and the Restless
I just thought it was a better title the "days of our lives"!!!
I just thought I would give an upate to what is happening out here. I am back into full swing at work. 2007 is pretty much planned out and it seems we have lost one of our players. My buddy from work as choosen to work for the "Dark-Side" and is moving his family to AZ. He will be greatly missed. We had a mean daily pool game going in in our break room. He beat me 4 games to 2 in our final champion round. It was great working with him. His wife was close to K as well and they hung out alot. I guess it is good they are moving to AZ so we can visit...plus it is a small world in collections. Other then that, work is great. I will be going to Europe in 2 weeks to make the rounds. Then once I get back.....it's back on the bike for some intense training. Speaking of Bikes::::
I have been out every Saturday...I even went out on Monday MLK day. That was where I took on Sierra Road. (There is an article in Bike magazine that talks about America's 100 best climbs.....Mt Hamilton and Sierra road represented for Cali and they are both right down the road from the house. Back to the ride...this was a monster hill.. By far the most difficult of all my rides. You are flat all the way to the base of the hill, you make a right turn and....WHAMMY. It's like a wall. I felt like turning back and trying it another day, but all I could think about was this old guy on the top of Mt Hamilton he told me he used to ride Sierra Rd. in his youth and it puts Hamilton to shame. I thought I had to at least try. I was standing on my pedals by 1/4 of a mile into it. My heart was pounding at 186 bpm and I was moving along at about 5 mph. I finally found a good pace and made it about half way from what it looked like and pulled over. There was no turning back now. Once the heart rate dropped some I was back on. It was crazy trying to clip in where I stopped since the grade was 13%. I kept diggin. Now the two lane road turned into one lane type you see on the top of Alp'de whatever in France. It is not a very long hill compared to others I have been on...only about 5K. I was inspired by all the signs on the pavement where there had been other races in the past. The challenge is that there are no flats or 3-4% grades where you can recover some. I finally made it to the top and decided to go up and over the back side. Looking at the mountains around me I was at the highest spot and I knew it would be all downhill back to the valley. In total it was about a 35 mile loop from my house... I will do it again on 2/17 when they do a "mock" tour de California ride before the real riders come in on 2/21. I will be on the hill both of those days.
I went riding yesterday and I was in a funk. I could not get going. I don't know if it was the wind or this new bib I was wearing. I hated it. I bought a size too small and it cut off all my circulation in all the wrong places. I made my planned 55 miler into a 35 mile loop since I was not feeling well. These guys came by and asked if I wanted to ride with them at about mile 25. I said sure. I knew on any given Sunday I could hang with them...but not today, every downstroke with my right leg felt like my "bizznets" were going to explode. The toasted me....they even waited for me since we were all going back to the same place. Talk about frustrating. I did find an weird riding position (standing up) where I was not in too much pain so I thought I would be able to catch up to them in the hills.....not happening. I rumbled-bumbled and stumbled my way back to the house. I felt like a used rent-a-car. So if anybody is looking for a new biking bib...I will be selling one on eBay for a great price. I hope that was the reason to my pain.
K and I found a new spin class we are going to try out Tuesday night and that will be the test to make sure all my bits and pieces are still functioning.
Well...that's all I got for now. I am working from home tomorrow so it will be nice to kinda sleep in and work in my PJ's.
I just thought I would give an upate to what is happening out here. I am back into full swing at work. 2007 is pretty much planned out and it seems we have lost one of our players. My buddy from work as choosen to work for the "Dark-Side" and is moving his family to AZ. He will be greatly missed. We had a mean daily pool game going in in our break room. He beat me 4 games to 2 in our final champion round. It was great working with him. His wife was close to K as well and they hung out alot. I guess it is good they are moving to AZ so we can visit...plus it is a small world in collections. Other then that, work is great. I will be going to Europe in 2 weeks to make the rounds. Then once I get back.....it's back on the bike for some intense training. Speaking of Bikes::::
I have been out every Saturday...I even went out on Monday MLK day. That was where I took on Sierra Road. (There is an article in Bike magazine that talks about America's 100 best climbs.....Mt Hamilton and Sierra road represented for Cali and they are both right down the road from the house. Back to the ride...this was a monster hill.. By far the most difficult of all my rides. You are flat all the way to the base of the hill, you make a right turn and....WHAMMY. It's like a wall. I felt like turning back and trying it another day, but all I could think about was this old guy on the top of Mt Hamilton he told me he used to ride Sierra Rd. in his youth and it puts Hamilton to shame. I thought I had to at least try. I was standing on my pedals by 1/4 of a mile into it. My heart was pounding at 186 bpm and I was moving along at about 5 mph. I finally found a good pace and made it about half way from what it looked like and pulled over. There was no turning back now. Once the heart rate dropped some I was back on. It was crazy trying to clip in where I stopped since the grade was 13%. I kept diggin. Now the two lane road turned into one lane type you see on the top of Alp'de whatever in France. It is not a very long hill compared to others I have been on...only about 5K. I was inspired by all the signs on the pavement where there had been other races in the past. The challenge is that there are no flats or 3-4% grades where you can recover some. I finally made it to the top and decided to go up and over the back side. Looking at the mountains around me I was at the highest spot and I knew it would be all downhill back to the valley. In total it was about a 35 mile loop from my house... I will do it again on 2/17 when they do a "mock" tour de California ride before the real riders come in on 2/21. I will be on the hill both of those days.
I went riding yesterday and I was in a funk. I could not get going. I don't know if it was the wind or this new bib I was wearing. I hated it. I bought a size too small and it cut off all my circulation in all the wrong places. I made my planned 55 miler into a 35 mile loop since I was not feeling well. These guys came by and asked if I wanted to ride with them at about mile 25. I said sure. I knew on any given Sunday I could hang with them...but not today, every downstroke with my right leg felt like my "bizznets" were going to explode. The toasted me....they even waited for me since we were all going back to the same place. Talk about frustrating. I did find an weird riding position (standing up) where I was not in too much pain so I thought I would be able to catch up to them in the hills.....not happening. I rumbled-bumbled and stumbled my way back to the house. I felt like a used rent-a-car. So if anybody is looking for a new biking bib...I will be selling one on eBay for a great price. I hope that was the reason to my pain.
K and I found a new spin class we are going to try out Tuesday night and that will be the test to make sure all my bits and pieces are still functioning.
Well...that's all I got for now. I am working from home tomorrow so it will be nice to kinda sleep in and work in my PJ's.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
There and Back again...by Bilbo Baggins
Well, Just thought I would give a re-cap on my trip back home. It seems like a blur so I wil try and make it as clear as I can.
12/25
We had Christmas here at home in San Jose and that was nice. We had thought about spending it with the Beechers but it would have been too much to lug all our stuff down there. So the plan was to just surprise the kids and tell them that we were going on the day of. So...we save the announcement for the grand finale and the kids were like.."awww we want to play with our stuff"..then once they thought about playing with their stuff and the Beechers together....it was not hard to get them in the car. We took 2 cars down to the Beechers since K was going to stay with Christine for a few days on the return trip. We made good time and it was a long day. We hung w/ Chris and Christine that night and watched the kids challenge each-other in a "friendly" game of Scene-it. It was good to hang with Chris and I wish it could have been longer since they are heading up north to Portland for a job transfer. But I guess we will hang come Biking season.
12/26
It was a mistake to think we could just wake up and drive to AZ in 5 hours on the day after Christmas. It seemed everybody else has the same idea and we were all on the road at the sametime. It took us a little over 3 hours to get from Simi V to Palm Springs. Bumper to bumper all the way. It was crazy. The kids were crazy...and fast food was getting old. We finally rolled in around 8pm that night after more traffic when we got stuck behind an accident in PHX> It was nice to see mom and baby Heidi and Missy. Mom had some warm gulosh waiting for us and we chowed down. I think this leg of the trip was where my head cold compounded into head explosion. I wanted to ride the next day so I told myself I was fine....but I was dead.
12/27
I was called myself....or somebody called Kirk and I GOL's. (Gentlemen of Leisure). This was a true day of GOL. I did nothin but hang-out and sleep trying to kick my head cold. K took the kids to see their cousins and I just chilled all day. Watched some football, read some mags and slept some more. It was actually kinda nice. That night we had the annual white elophant exchange party over and grandmas house. We came away with nothin really. I tried to pawn off the "foam-o-nator" I had won to Ethan but somehow it ended up back at my Mom's house a few days later. (I told Kristin to leave it...but she thinks it will be fun in the summer???) Anyway, it was good to see all the cousins and I still can never tell Mathew and Michael apart.
12/28
I can't recall what we did this day. Ohh..We met up with the Beechers at Mattas. I was still getting over my sickness so it did not taste the same and I could not hold it down. The kids were running around the the garden room and we were asked by some snowbirds to keep them in check. I thought Christine was going to check them up against the boards if there had been some around. We met them later that night at the reception of Heather Brady. We also saw the Richardson's as well. Chris and I just hung in the corner watching to see if the Suns were going to beat the Mavricks...which they did not. Later that night we tried to think of something to do....but nothing really panned out.
12/29
Finally got back on my bike and I met up with Redivo and Chris. It was a great ride we took up the Bush and around fountain hills and back. We were movin on the way back. It took me 20 miles to get my head cleared out and I was good to go after that, I went to the Suns game later that night with my Brother. It was good to hang with him as we talked about everything. We caught two Suns shirts as they shot them out of the cannon's....I wonder what the odds were of that happening. It was a blow-out by the Suns but we had a great time...thanks J for hanging with me.
12/30
I went on another ride. This was a bit shorter...around 38 miles. I headed up Ursery pass and around the Salt River and back up Power road. It was a really nice loop. I felt pretty good on the ride. Later that day I had some Pete's Fish-n-chips. That never gets old.
12/31
We went to Church with my Mom. The kids thought it was cool that they did not go to sunday school or primary. I thought it was cool just hangin with Missy and Mom. Later that day we went to Mel's to hang with Tom and the family. They have a really nice place and it made me want to movie to AZ for a second. We celebrated New Years Eve at my Mom's place. K went to bed early and I stayed up with the boys. We went outside and threw some sparklers and made some noise. I have no doubt we woke up some of the folks in the 55+ community my mom lives in.
1/1
I rode the annual tortilla Flat ride with the AZ biking club. What a great ride. I was thinking I would be hitting some heavy hills however I found they were just anthills compared to what I ride out here. I did hit over 2000 ft of climbing but it was pretty spread out. The scenery was NICE.... Sunrise off the Superstition Mountains is one of a kind. I just hung with the main pack on the way there. On the way back I was off on my own for the first few miles when three dudes came by me thinking they were just passing another noob. Not this guy. I stood up and caught them and the caught my breath. There is alot more uphill on the way back and I felt a bit like Lance does in TDF when the mountain stages approach. I hung on the back of the last guy for about a mile when the two guys in front tried to increase the pace and shake me. One guy even stood up in an all out sprint...I let him go cause I knew he was going to crack...sure enough I see him 50 yards ahead flaming out. I kept a really nice spinners pace (thanks to YMCA) and soon I was the dictator. One guy dropped and just two were now on my wheel and I was setting the pace. I took it up to 175 beats a minute and just spun to see if they could hang. Another guy dropped about 1/4 of the mile to the summit and the last guy hung with me. At the top he said..."Nice pull"...and I could see the pain train I delt him. I too was in pain....but I felt great. They of-course killed me on the down-hill as I am still getting used to the new ride...but....did I mention I felt great. Anyway, I loved the ride. By far one of my top five. I will put it on motion based and download it for all to see....
1/2
The return was non-eventful. No traffic...No barkin from the dogs....and Momma cooked a breakfast with no hogg. I got back to San Jose that night and have been working since. No bike time yet....although I took it into the shop to get a tune-up and it is ready to go.....
That should get things caught up. I should get back out on the road next Saturday and hit the spin classes this week....
12/25
We had Christmas here at home in San Jose and that was nice. We had thought about spending it with the Beechers but it would have been too much to lug all our stuff down there. So the plan was to just surprise the kids and tell them that we were going on the day of. So...we save the announcement for the grand finale and the kids were like.."awww we want to play with our stuff"..then once they thought about playing with their stuff and the Beechers together....it was not hard to get them in the car. We took 2 cars down to the Beechers since K was going to stay with Christine for a few days on the return trip. We made good time and it was a long day. We hung w/ Chris and Christine that night and watched the kids challenge each-other in a "friendly" game of Scene-it. It was good to hang with Chris and I wish it could have been longer since they are heading up north to Portland for a job transfer. But I guess we will hang come Biking season.
12/26
It was a mistake to think we could just wake up and drive to AZ in 5 hours on the day after Christmas. It seemed everybody else has the same idea and we were all on the road at the sametime. It took us a little over 3 hours to get from Simi V to Palm Springs. Bumper to bumper all the way. It was crazy. The kids were crazy...and fast food was getting old. We finally rolled in around 8pm that night after more traffic when we got stuck behind an accident in PHX> It was nice to see mom and baby Heidi and Missy. Mom had some warm gulosh waiting for us and we chowed down. I think this leg of the trip was where my head cold compounded into head explosion. I wanted to ride the next day so I told myself I was fine....but I was dead.
12/27
I was called myself....or somebody called Kirk and I GOL's. (Gentlemen of Leisure). This was a true day of GOL. I did nothin but hang-out and sleep trying to kick my head cold. K took the kids to see their cousins and I just chilled all day. Watched some football, read some mags and slept some more. It was actually kinda nice. That night we had the annual white elophant exchange party over and grandmas house. We came away with nothin really. I tried to pawn off the "foam-o-nator" I had won to Ethan but somehow it ended up back at my Mom's house a few days later. (I told Kristin to leave it...but she thinks it will be fun in the summer???) Anyway, it was good to see all the cousins and I still can never tell Mathew and Michael apart.
12/28
I can't recall what we did this day. Ohh..We met up with the Beechers at Mattas. I was still getting over my sickness so it did not taste the same and I could not hold it down. The kids were running around the the garden room and we were asked by some snowbirds to keep them in check. I thought Christine was going to check them up against the boards if there had been some around. We met them later that night at the reception of Heather Brady. We also saw the Richardson's as well. Chris and I just hung in the corner watching to see if the Suns were going to beat the Mavricks...which they did not. Later that night we tried to think of something to do....but nothing really panned out.
12/29
Finally got back on my bike and I met up with Redivo and Chris. It was a great ride we took up the Bush and around fountain hills and back. We were movin on the way back. It took me 20 miles to get my head cleared out and I was good to go after that, I went to the Suns game later that night with my Brother. It was good to hang with him as we talked about everything. We caught two Suns shirts as they shot them out of the cannon's....I wonder what the odds were of that happening. It was a blow-out by the Suns but we had a great time...thanks J for hanging with me.
12/30
I went on another ride. This was a bit shorter...around 38 miles. I headed up Ursery pass and around the Salt River and back up Power road. It was a really nice loop. I felt pretty good on the ride. Later that day I had some Pete's Fish-n-chips. That never gets old.
12/31
We went to Church with my Mom. The kids thought it was cool that they did not go to sunday school or primary. I thought it was cool just hangin with Missy and Mom. Later that day we went to Mel's to hang with Tom and the family. They have a really nice place and it made me want to movie to AZ for a second. We celebrated New Years Eve at my Mom's place. K went to bed early and I stayed up with the boys. We went outside and threw some sparklers and made some noise. I have no doubt we woke up some of the folks in the 55+ community my mom lives in.
1/1
I rode the annual tortilla Flat ride with the AZ biking club. What a great ride. I was thinking I would be hitting some heavy hills however I found they were just anthills compared to what I ride out here. I did hit over 2000 ft of climbing but it was pretty spread out. The scenery was NICE.... Sunrise off the Superstition Mountains is one of a kind. I just hung with the main pack on the way there. On the way back I was off on my own for the first few miles when three dudes came by me thinking they were just passing another noob. Not this guy. I stood up and caught them and the caught my breath. There is alot more uphill on the way back and I felt a bit like Lance does in TDF when the mountain stages approach. I hung on the back of the last guy for about a mile when the two guys in front tried to increase the pace and shake me. One guy even stood up in an all out sprint...I let him go cause I knew he was going to crack...sure enough I see him 50 yards ahead flaming out. I kept a really nice spinners pace (thanks to YMCA) and soon I was the dictator. One guy dropped and just two were now on my wheel and I was setting the pace. I took it up to 175 beats a minute and just spun to see if they could hang. Another guy dropped about 1/4 of the mile to the summit and the last guy hung with me. At the top he said..."Nice pull"...and I could see the pain train I delt him. I too was in pain....but I felt great. They of-course killed me on the down-hill as I am still getting used to the new ride...but....did I mention I felt great. Anyway, I loved the ride. By far one of my top five. I will put it on motion based and download it for all to see....
1/2
The return was non-eventful. No traffic...No barkin from the dogs....and Momma cooked a breakfast with no hogg. I got back to San Jose that night and have been working since. No bike time yet....although I took it into the shop to get a tune-up and it is ready to go.....
That should get things caught up. I should get back out on the road next Saturday and hit the spin classes this week....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
