Today is Easter. We dyed eggs last night, which is always fun. It has been pretty nice the last few days here in Kansas. I’ve been on my bike 5 days and now have 270 miles for the new part of the season. I can’t say they have been easy miles. It is usually pretty windy this time of the year and even though it hasn’t been crazy windy, it is hard. I’m so glad the sport of cycling rewards longevity and prior effort. My butt is still sore after more than 3 hours in the saddle, but that isn’t such a big deal. My arm doesn’t seem to be getting any better, but I’m finding out that it is going to be a real slow process.
Battenkill in just in a couple weeks. I’m going to be missing that race too. I don’t think that I’ll be racing much in April, if any at all. I can barely stand up off my seat, so my arm is still stick-like. Even after my arm gets working better, I’m thinking that I should get all the surrounding muscles back up to speed so when I fall, my arm isn’t back at square one. Maybe so actually weight lifting may occur.
The Tour of Flanders is this morning. It’s probably my favorite race of the season. I’m picking Fabian Cancellara for the win. I believe he is going to have a pretty hard time shaking Peter Sagan, but think he is smart enough to not pull the guy to the line and eventually ride away from him. There is quite a bit of advantage having done the event so many times previously. But, it’s a long, hard day, so anything can occur.
The live video coverage starts at 5 am this morning and the race finishes around 9:30 CST, so don’t miss it. Here is a link to Cyclingfans.com, which has all the English links. Or here at Steephill.tv for more of the same.
One Kansas team is in the final four. Wichita State beat Ohio State last night and are going to Atlanta to play next weekend. That is a pretty big deal for them. I love the energy these collegiate players have this time of the year. It is so enjoyable to watch.
Okay, better be done with this and try to get some sleep. If I have my normal sleep schedule, 5 am is going to be a piece of cake for me. I’ve been awake at that time probably 28 out of the last 30 days. That and most of the other times all night. Chocolate is good for you in many different ways, so don’t be bashful about partaking in a few chocolate morsels. Happy Easter!
Sitting behind Bill and Brian for most of the headwind yesterday.
Dying eggs is always fun.
Plenty of fruit in the fridge for Easter breakfast.
Tour o’ F thoughts:
1- I am sucker for Sean Kelly’s Irish accent.
2- As a selfish thought, I wish there more accurate details on the “mechanicals” as they happen. That flat about 4K to was good, the camera was right there. But the drive train issue are hard to see and more informative.
3- I do enjoy some of the Euro commercials. Referring back to the “Does Sponsorship Work” page, I found the tourist ad for the Tour of Azerbaijan very interesting, and aimed at the right demographic, I would think.
Hello Steve, greetings from Minnesota!
This is going to be pretty random so please bear with me; since you are the only person I know of who has a Honda Insight and we are looking at (very used) cars, would you buy another one knowing what you know about the car?
We sold our beloved Previa and are looking to get into a gas miser for short trips here and there, solo trips to races, and possibly to grandmothers house we go with our 4 and 2 year olds. Would there be room for us? Would you steer clear of the Insight?
Thanks and love the site. Gnate H.
Gnate-Are you thinking about buying a new Insight or the old body style? I don’t have any personal info on the new Insight. My Insight is a 2002 and was made for fuel economy. So, no piling 2 kids into the car to go to grandma’s house as it’s a 2 seat-er. The car does get pretty great gas mileage if you are mainly driving around town. My life time mileage has just went downhill the whole time I’ve owed the car because I do take trips on the highway and drive pretty fast. The electric assist doesn’t do much of anything when you’re driving on the highway, so the mileage tends to hover in the mid 40’s. The car had a lifetime mileage average of over 50 mpg when I bought it 3 years ago. The batteries do not do so well when it is super cold out, so that is something that you might want to consider. But, if you bought an old VW TDI, it will be worse mileage too because of the diesel additives they use in the winter months. The selection in the US of cars that get good mileage and can hold a bunch of stuff is slim to none. I sure wish they would address the diesel issue about importing a better selection, because I’ve driven great automobiles in Europe that get unreal mileage compared to here in America. Okay, that probably didn’t help you out much, but let me know if you have any more ?’s.
Your future predicting powers are awesome. You could probably make a small fortune betting on bike races… or the stock market. Well done!
Steve – that was the exact info I was looking for. I do lament the lack of fuel efficient, semi-spacious, sort of fun to drive cars in the US. It is what it it I guess; little to no market for such cars = little to no supply.
We will stay on the hunt and thanks again for the Insight insights.
Gnate H. from Minnesota. Still 6 inches of snow on the trails around here…