A family to grow with

My kids are not kids anymore. My son turns 26 and my daughter 21 today and is that hard to believe. As yoga girl, my mom and myself sit here and watch home movies from 20 years ago it just doesn't seem to be that far away in time. But it is 2010 and we are getting along in life and growing into the empty house, which is not so empty now.
Yoga girl is well, doing yoga and doing great. My good fortune is to have rekindled my love affair with cycling. It is a good life we have and the only thing that really amuses me as well as frustrates me is the muscle response of this age I am.
Any way I digress. My kids were and are such a huge part of my life. With out them the wife and I wouldn't have moved to Portland for a better life in the late 80's. We wouldn't have been so involved in youth groups and band and such therefore we ourselves wouldn't have grown together as a couple and a family. Thank G-D for my kids.
Both kids are following their own paths and successful at it; both kids are strong willed and will be victorious in life because of their strength which they in-turn gleaned from us as a couple. My son recently sent me a copy of "Lance Armstrong's war" which he found in a used book store. In it he inscribed,"Always push 'till the last. Thanks for imparting in me the will to struggle for excellence".
I know I wasn't there all the time, as a dad I worked 70 to 90 hours a week for years just to make it happen for the fam. The wife did most of the domestic stuff, you know, baking seasonal cookies, getting the kids ready for their respective school activities and such. But they got time with dad by spending a day with me at work now and again. That was a big deal for me but I put them to work, so maybe not a good deal for them.
I guess bottom line is we are the norm in family life. We worked hard to raise good kids. We made them excel in the areas they were good at and supported them in the things they loved...and still do. So in essence we grew up into who we are now by bringing our children up to be adults.
If I pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying.
PS this looks to be a great season with lots of 'dog fights' in the pros. If you didn't catch any of the race in Aussie land then you missed some interesting stuff. Check out Versus TV channel for the February and March broadcasts, I am stoked about this year!

62 mile race for fun

Well how about a great time with a bunch of guys and gals who all ride for a great cause. That's what happened last Sunday with 300 of my closest friends.  Just kidding about the close friends but not about the cause. And what is said cause? How about sidewalks and bike lanes for the public to get around the city? I know I'm stoked and so are many of the towns people of my fair hamlet.
I will spare you the gory details about my first 62 mile ride @ the 25 plus mph,  a race that wasn't 'spose to be a race but many of these guys and gals would have eaten their own to beat-up on the regular crowd of riding partners.
Naples pathways is an organization that's focus is to have pathways built to connect all the parks and all the city networked  by bike lanes. Not a small feat but also not a huge goal for a city of the 21st century right? But here in this part of the world where the elected county commissioners where elected in the 90's and never got their heads out of the car culture and don't want to either.  But to be honest the future is a tough place to wrap your head around when the world is changing moment to moment. Now is the time to ban together and think for each others benefit. Going green doesn't mean giving up cars it just means thinking how to better use what we have and using sidewalks and bike lanes should be an automatic since it's 2010.
Bottom line was a great ride for a great cause.  If I pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying.
PS I saw a Mick Ultra beer commercial starring LA! WOW he is becoming a legend of the screen and on the road...what's up with that? Next he will be seen in Terminator movies with Arnie or Batman movies with Christian. Maybe that's what  he said in '06 after the Tour, I'll be back.

And the winner is...not Cadel Evens

Uh oh, how did that happen? It must be a fluke or the real fast guys weren't trying, but I'll take it any way I can get it. What am I talking about? I was with the usual Thursday B group and some of the studs sat in because there wasn't enough fast guys to make an A group. So any way we were going the normal 18 to 20 warm up pace, you know when everyone is getting lose, getting the lungs and blood going, that kind of stuff. Then about 5 miles into it you feel the group just clicks and finds the next gear and your moving at 22mph. It's a thing of beauty when that happens and you feel it and your part of it.
So on the way to the mid point where we turn to head back, it was really heating up. On the way back the sprinters started to lag and hold the group back, you know stall. So for a couple of miles I put up with this knowing full well that when  there's only 2 mile to go these guys are going to sprint their guts out and I will be there in the darkness by myself. So I said screw it, kinda like Cadel Evens did at the worlds and just went for it. With about 4 miles before the parking lot or finish which ever you want to call it, I just went for it. No I didn't get out of the saddle or do some heroic stuff like the pros, I just took a deep breath and pedaled my heart and soul out.  YEP, I did what most underdogs do when they aren't sure that they can get it done in the last mile, they go out on a solo break and hope the sprinters think they can real him in before the finish.
Fate is a fickle mistress though. My break away was to my advantage and even if it were a non -event to the studs. To me it was the challenge that , in my minds eye, Cadel faced. So I kept my head down, my cadence at 85, my hr at 161 and just looked passed any pain or shortness of breath until it was my mantra to succeed. BAM, I was pulling into the lot when the others were just crossing the adjoining street. Did I win? Maybe not by anyone else's standards but mine I did.That's when I realized the next step was already accomplished in my gut. My determination was now growing with my power and skill. I LOVE THIS SPORT. I hope I can pass it on to someone else.
If I pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying,

Twin brothers of different mothers

As I watched Sundays game, or should I say annihilation of  the Dallas Cowboys by the Vikings, I saw in Bret the same thing I see in LA. Both of these men have never been able to turn loose of their game. When I say their game I mean as long as these two guys can dominate over another team: as long as these two guys command the respect of the "troops"; as long as they can strategically move the team to win battles and as long as these two guys can out power the competition then it's 'their game'.
Farve took a team with basically the same guys as last year, who played ok, and with his passion and leadership moved them within striking distance of the Superbowl. All the guys in Minnesota had talent, they needed someone who had been there before, someone who's age was not a detriment but who had become wisdom under pressure, someone who can get the job done with a gun pointed at his head! No one could have done it with as much stamina and authority as Bret...NO ONE! Well maybe Joe Montana.
Now look at LA. I just say if the shoe fits...But seriously. These two men share the same drive, same age there about and gut filled determination more than any other sportsman out there and both are die hard good guys to boot.
That's what makes them heroes in our culture and even Icons to those around the world who want to believe that with focus, drive, patience and guts you can do it no matter your age or your background. It's just our nature to want to be winners and to associate with winners and at any cost to our selves work  hard as long as the goal is worth it.
Bottom line is these two guys need to know each other and we need to hope that more Americans can dig down at any age a to prevail. Keep the dream alive guys.
If I pass you on the road stop at Peets , because your buying.

The way it really happened

Monday, the big day out I had been planning since I had bought the Trek in August. The day arrived and I decided not to drive four and a half mile hours from home base but a modest three hours. Even though I found a good ride I modified it to fit my own need and desires...it worked out great. Here is the ride as mapped:

I cut it so upon leaving hwy 64 downtown Avon I road the mapped course to the midway point between Lake Moody and Crooked Lake. I was rewarded with some great scenery and leg crushing rollers. I don't have this ability to ride the hills daily because of the dull flatness of my home town but WOW, what a perfect training ground I found.
Not only was the focus to just drain my legs of any juice so they would lay limp and lifeless on the bed at the end of the day but also to to keep my hr @ 140 to 160 max. Not ever having a cyclometer, a cateye v3, until now I was quite happy to watch the monitor and my bodies response at the same time. Training my body to respond to the power band of 140 to 160 hr is going to be a superb challenge. Not being a pro or even a good club rider, yet, my desires too learn to get most of my power from this range is text book academia but one much needed to learn. One thing I learned was on a huge up hill as I danced on the pedals I saw my hr climb rapidly from 161 strait to 177 and I lost my power and my strength in moments flat leaving me almost crawling the last 100 yards of the hill. After I summited and spun for a few yrds my hr returned to about 165 and it was like the power was turned back on, incredible lesson to learn.
This was a great ride and I learned a ton. My bottom line is to do my homework, get the hr power band down to a science and find some freaking rollers close to mi casa so I don't have to drive hours home in a blown-out state. IT WAS BRILLIANT. Any advice on any or all just add below.
If I pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying.

North to adventure

Monday I'm going for a good wook out in North Florida. Map my ride.com has a great list of moderate hilly courses and this is the one I've chosen:
I'll tell you how it went Tuesday, I hope you had a productive and peaceful weekend but until Tuesday, if I pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying.

Whats up with Rock or can the UCI really stop Rocks momentum?

 A month or so ago I wrote about Team Rock Racing. I believed that every dog should have it's day and that's the only way to gauge success. My blog 12-2 "Who the heck is Rock Racing" can be found @  http://thepedalproject.blogspot.com/2009/12/who-heck-is-rock-racing.html .  So can their latest spoiler from the UCI @ Rock Racing Riders Confused By Lack Of Professional Continental Licence | Cyclingnews.com .
So all this BS begs the question, again, what is the UCI afraid of? Or is it that the other non avant-garde teams afraid of them? Or is it the image that these high powered, big buck teams ant to protect and afraid they will not get the coverage they want with this upstart powerhouse nipping at their heals and even winning a few?
You see I'm just a little cynical when I see Team Sky plow all this money into it's new unproven team. You know that back in late November Brad Wiggins was still apart of Team Garmin and insisted he was there to fulfill his last year on contract. And we all know how that turned out right? Here is my insight as gleaned from the Cycling mags from around the world, http://thepedalproject.blogspot.com/2009/12/who-is-sky-team-and-is-brad-wiggons.html .
So how would this MEGA BUCK team like Sky feel if Team Rock was to kick it's arshe in open competition? So how would the UCI justify it to other teams who compete in the Grand Tours if this team made them look bad?
You know this is all conjecture but as I live and breath I know 'politics is politics' when there is BILLIONS of Euros at stake. How embarrassing to find an under funded no-name team to come up huge in this big time year with Sky and Shack both debuting. Also if you look at it from and average guys perspective I would rather pull for the unorthodox under dog and buy his kit than the polished well appointed big brand teams...it's more to our human nature. You know it, I know it, the UCI knows it and most of all the big name brands know it especaily with all the $$$ at stake in advertisement, posters, press, equipment sales and the like being the deciding factor.

While you ponder this last statement I give you Tower of Power with their 70's hit "What is Hip" to boggle on with and it just might take the full 7 minutes to do so. Don't get me wrong I love this sport but a level playing field it's not. Yes I know the losers wine (pun intended) about it being fair while the winner goes home with the prom queen, yea I got that. Just once I would like to see the little guy get his due.
If I pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying!

Tues velo ride

Well last night I took the challenge to ride with the 25 mph guys. I did this because I was late for the slower guys and these guys were leaving the parking lot just as I was getting my bike out of the back of my Suburban...good timing eh? As I saw the last taillight go thought the intersection I cleated up and hit the gas. You know at that point I was a couple miles behind them, before I could catch them up, a couple of very fast miles for cold legs and 50 degree temp.
Breathing as deep as I could and trying to get a fast pace rhythm going against a fair amount of breeze I stood in the saddle for a good ways until the strands of muscle shortened in the cold of my body and the chill of the night airs wind. So I settled back into the saddle and went to work. Seeing my prey about a mile ahead I forced the stale breath out of the deepest recesses of my lung and sucked in the cold air. With my  body warming up I forced myself to as fast a pace as I could and started to gain ground. However theses guys were warming up also and I could see them stretching the gap but I had a strong cadence going and I closed that last mile gap in a few minutes.
Good thing I caught them I needed to catch my breath, let the glucose flood my legs after the push and just relax and sit in. The guys at the back of the Pelaton were surprised to see me but remarked that they were late also and had the pleasures of catch up also. This was a group I had never seen before and now I know way, they were still warming up and cruising at 22 mph according to my Cateye.
Truth be known I had been wanting to ride with these guys but hadn't wanted to show any weakness by dropping. So here I was quite by accident and so far it seemed to be a stretch but I was glad for the challenge.
Then as we crested an over pass it was as if there was an unspoken agreement to kick up the speed to 25.4mph and I was in the thick of it, but honestly after the chase down I didn't know for how long.  Well it was about 12 miles into it that I turned around and headed back. I was happy to find out my limits, I could do well in some fashion and I also know that the solo trip back to the Suburban was going to be cold and windy. as I rode into the paring lot I had won, I had concord my  fears and found that needed alot of work to be able to complete a whole ride with these guys. But my mind also wondered, who will I ride with after I have this level mastered. Oh well I'll find out when I get there!
If I see you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying.

Future sport

I was frozen last week in the waste lands of SW Florida and yet LA was in Hawaii doing something beyond what I could even conceive, he was doing intense body core temp testing. That was incredible to me, he is so detail oriented that the thought of keeping the core temp inside a few degrees range is now down to a science...WOW.  This is a light speed jump from when Greg Lemond introduced the bull horn handle bars and the solid disk rear wheel for TT's into the Grand Tours!
So where does that leave the guys and gals who are in the local races? What if they can't compete in the regional's because of this tech and they have to have it to be competitive and it is not in the budget of mom and dad or their own for that matter? Recently I've seen that the big name bike manufactures have gotten into the 10K range on competition bikes. Is that the real price tag or is it like designer jeans? I know you can get a great pair of 501 button-up fly s fro 30$ but when I see a pair of DKNY jeans , on sale, for 240$ all I can think of is the quip from Will Farrell in Zoolander, '...I must be taking crazy pills...'a frcken pair of jeans is made in China, how fricken greedy are the sellers??? Then you have to ask what is in a name and what posses a person to part with this kinda money for a pair of jeans?
Well if I were LA and wanted to push the envelope in order to have the best tuned machine, his body, and the best bike I would do the same. But  in the same breath I have heard from the pros of other countries that the young talent is starting to dry up because the cost of equipment, travel and entry fees is unbearable. So from that angle how do we really know if the next LA, Contador, Lamond, Hinault, Mercx or whom ever will never begin in our sport because of lack of equipment or entry fees. We don't.  When the economy is borderline depression all over the world then suddenly funneling that money that's been held for upgrades in the UCI offices or some pet project doesn't seem so important now does it? When 10 years from now their won't be anyone to participate or even watch the sport because the of dwindling grassroots participation then the hind sight will be 20/20.
.Well it's up to us the consumer and my vote, if it were counted, would be to focus on the average joe. Let these big money guys keep the R&D going but the smart manufactures would take a lesson from Dell. Make a great bike by finding the best carbon frame from last year and add last years top of the line name brand drive train you buy in volume and give us a great deal and sell thousands of bikes! Oh yea, keep the price in the $650 to $1250 for top range with great equipment.  I'm just spit-ballin here but it will work because it has in every other industry in the world. And how about no t-shirts and low entry fees at sanctioned races. Give the winners points for kits, tires or what they need and the ability to move up in class and nothing else. Think 1930's not 1990's and our sport will make it!
If I pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying.
Get'em LA!

46 and falling fast

When we were in Japan for New Years 07-08, we felt the cold of the ocean on the coast and the chill of the frozen mountains in the central region. No matter where we traveled the winter crept into everything we did from walking the districts of Tokyo to witnessing the hushed dignity of Kyoto's temples. Not that it hampered our enjoyment and awe at the beauty which is Japan and her people.  In many ways it made it almost a necessity to focus on the moment and burn it into our psyche for all time, a chore at which we as a family we relished in the infinitum.
But here in Naples Florida where the night air never stays below 60 degrees for more that a day or two, out of respect for the tourists who come to worship the sun while their own homes lay in a frozen waste, we seem to be in the midst of a deep cold snap.  What does that mean anyway, a cold snap because if it's a snap then it would be over as soon as it started...I'm just sayin. Anyway as I and my niece left the parking garage for a ride last night it was 46 degrees ambient with the wind chill at about 38. That's mighty chilly for these thin skinned southerners.

With 3 layers of high tech cold killing layers we set off into the night with the 20 mph winds blowing on us to check or resolve. That was the coolest I've cycled in to date but we fared well in the gust off the Gulf and the chilling sweat was nullified by the wick gear thank you very much. But I had one constant vision in my head driving me on and that is the pictures and stories of the Paris-Roubaix.
I just haven't gotten to that inner fortitude,yet, to battle cold, wet, mud, other riders, fatigue and what ever else the elements can throw at you in this mind numbing queen of races just to finish let alone WIN! As the fans of this event which is the soul of this region gather, they are in all their winter clothes to battle the bitter cold. These folks in the picture.are mostly the local farmers and towns people and know how to protect themselves. Yet for cyclist they are on the edge of life itself gritting their teeth as if to say, I will conquer and nothing can stop me.
At least that's what I imagined as we went head-on into the cold at the beginning of our regular Tuesday evening ride. Upon our return from our 25 miles we felt drained from the cold not just the ride, a little windburned on our faces and deeply satisfied as if we too were part of the history of cyclist who conquered the elements from with-in and with out.
If I pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying.

5 Days gone

Day number 5 in 2010 and already the gyms are full even in the off hours. That resolution stuff must really work with the faint of heart and the misadventureous. I'll even go so far as to wager that the racks of warm-ups. shorts, Under-Armour tops and of course those $120 dollar Nike's at expensive sporting goods stores are almost barren this year. Heck from the look of my gym yesterday at 1pm, when it's usually empty but was packed with nu-bees, the stuff is just flying off the shelves.

Hey I am happy  and almost excited that so many people have decided to get fit or more than likley burn off the massive amount of alcohol and food that they consumed this last Holiday and I hope they stick to it for at least 6 months. Once tha habit is formed it's not easy to have more cocktails because you know the gym will take it's toll on you the next day. To these newly joined I salute you. To the rest, I'll leave my address so you can drop off the $500 dollars of gym shoes and work out clothes you wore for a week and now tossed in the corner of your closet and taunts you every time your in your room. I will take them off your hands and give them the home they want, which will save you big bucks at the shrink because of the newly found neurosis of the taunting workout clothes piled in the corner...
If I pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying.

Grasp on reality

Not all of us are fortunate to work in the field where we are passionate. By that I mean to be a pro rider in the Tours, to write for a cycling magazine or something connected to the bicycle.  That would by very cool and probably so adrenaline filled I would be a maniac, see earlier 'a-type personality' comments. But even in these environments there are still squabbles and petty turf wars that hamper even the coolest of heads on the team.
Thus enters my story. I am a low level bureaucrat of choosing. For years I worked in the upper echelons of corporate management and got burned out on take-overs, unending contractual loop-hole squirming and yes, petty turf wars instead of team work. So I made a choice to take a government job that is out of the sniping scope of mid level bureaucrats and where I could effect everyday people for the better. Well that was until New Years Eve when a innocent remark by yours truly and that age old game of 'telephone' got word back to said mid level turf protecting bureaucrat that I had indeed slandered and besmirched their discussion.  Not so!
There are three, count them 3, different government offices rolled into one where I work, kinda like a 7/11 where you can take care of several different thing in one place. The efficiency is mind boggling for a government right? So anyway each department has a supervisor and an assistant and by all reasonable accounts the laws governing each one necessitates the redundancy. But all in all we seem to get along in our little fiefdoms, we being the vassals of course.
But on the fateful day we were crushed with business and not realizing the time of day and having just received a stern lecture on the amount of time it was taking the staff to take care of business was not what I had quoted to the customer, I formed a simple question out loud. Not realizing that those simple words I uttered would be followed by a crap storm of he said-she said with me as the the one holding the dagger still dripping the blood of a mid-level supervisors character.
Sound dramatic to you? Well you should be able to imagine my surprise when I got called into the office for this breach of protocol...I was taken back to the 5th grade as it were. The way it was handled made me recall when I was a manager for the first time and felt that my authority was being threatened, not that there was a problem with the service or the quality or the safety of the employees. It was my my little kingdom and no one should utter words questioning my abilities.
I guess bottom line is the old saying that seems to making it's way around again, it is what it is. The other sayings on this foolishness reminds me of the one that managers must have thick skin and you can't believe everything you hear. I'm sure there are a plethora of sayings for just this kind of crap but it still doesn't stop the insecure would be lords from beating the help dose it.
In future if you should find yourself in this type of situation I hope you can remember that we are just here for a while and that if we were to have, say, been in Lances shoes last Tour de France would we have been so team oriented as to help Berto win the Tour in-spite of Berto's turf war with his own team mates?
If I pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying.

Enter the New Year

Why it is necessary to proclaim my desire to improve at this time of year is way beyond me. The wife and I have been changing, for the better we think, for the last few years and it wasn't tied to any special day but rather an angst for renewal in the body...to be once again able to reach that balance between acting our age and youthful bounce in our step and spirit.
How we do that is a mystery and like the Aboriginal tribes in Australia we must think/feel our way to this destination.  So far looking back it is a clear and solid path we have followed. Now if you were to look at the road ahead it would be a shaded and broken path up the vertical face of Everest; stormy, breathless and only having rest when you stumble on the flat spot to set up shelter when you are completely beyond reasonable stress and strain on the soul. But all in all it's my journey and the one I share with the wife, friends and family, we are all in it together and that's what makes the journey and not the destination well worth it.
I was surfing the tube New Years Eve when I saw this on one of the channels, Alright sung by Darius Rucker, which I think explains my basic view. Maybe it doesn't go the who depth and breath of my souls motivation but it is a basic and undeniable truth of the human condition. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etr7UtnUflM
Speaking of the human condition then we always have to take a look at what the US government want us to do. By that I mean as the sheep, where the Shepard is leading us. Mr Obama, not a president by any strech of the before established confines of administration, but who occupies the office, any way Mr Obamas greatest win so far is the health care plan. This is the most hated bill by the biggest part of the population and yet in an amazing feat of bribery, cajoling and out and out dirty politics it passed in the Senate and Congress. Even with the threat of non-election the supporters of this bill rammed it down the throats of their constituents, WHY? The only possible reason is the big payoff. That's the only thing I can see that is a motivating factor here.
If you were going to lose your job and knew that you had no prospects for work because you were mediocre at your current one but you had the power to create sustainable income for the rest of your life would you do it? Don't answer that, it could only lead to other questions that prove embarrassing to the political lords of our time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xxgRUyzgs0  The band Living Color from the 80's can explain what is really happening in our culture today. These guys saw it 22 years ago...go figure, musicians seeing the truth.
And lastly the one thing that is really going to set us apart from the other generations that came before is our inability to bring peace to our own shores in the US. I have no ill will toward anyone: anyone of a different color, anyone of a differant nation and anyone of a different religion. In fact when it comes to the before mentioned I believe if you believe then you are at least capable of  allowing others to coexistence. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqnVhCADFHY&feature=channel And when it comes to destroying yourself for your beliefs go ahead if that's what you feel you need to do. BUT, if you think that you have the right, and that's exactly what I mean you think you have the right, to destroy my friends and family to gain your belief systems dominance then you are not a believer your are a butcher..nothing else. As was said in the movie Swordfish, don't mistake my kindness for weakness. Heinlein said it best when looking at how humans deal with peaceful co-existence or not as it were, I'm a stranger in a strange land. So focus on the good and deal with the bad until your done.

As I stated in the beginning, the course is plotted and the coordinates are logged in so through storm,  or good weather I will navigate the road less traveled and see those who truly want to have a happy and joyous new year. Peace to you and your loved ones.
If I pass you on the road stop at Peets, because your buying.