Monthly Archives: January 2011

Strange Ride

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Today was a pretty weird riding day for me. I met up with the 787 guys at Mellow Johnny’s at 9 am. It wasn’t that warm, but it was supposed to warm up to the lower 60’s. A pretty good group started, maybe 15 or so. But, by the time we got close to out of town a half hour later there were a lot more. I guess the Wolly Mammoth Team was having some sort of race/orienteering meet today. 5 man teams having to follow a hint sheet and ride 90 + miles. It seems that most of the race course was on our 5 hour ride. We kept hooking up with all these groups of 5 throughout the day.

I ended up with 105 miles. Not without some damage. We came back over the Lost Creek climbs I did yesterday, but backwards. The big group that was together kind of split up here. I’m not sure why anyone was going fast up the climbs, but it seemed to be the way. I put a couple efforts in just because I haven’t really done any intensity since I’ve been down here. I felt okay, but this allergy thing is keeping me down. Anyway, I ended up doing a little neighborhood riding to get up to triple digits again. But, I mildly bonked adding these junk miles. That might be the first time that has ever happened. I normally don’t add junk miles at the end of a ride. But, I don’t really have much to do the rest of the day, so why not?

Trudi had rode 55 miles with Ann today and was walking Bromont down to Austin Java a couple miles south. I got a text right when I was nearly back to the house and decided to ride down there. I was pretty blown. Nearly bonked. I ate an egg thing, a cinnamon roll and some coffee and felt better. I ran Bromont back to the house. He needed some intensity too.

It is gloomy and wet out this morning. The rain was supposed to rid the air of cedar pollen. We’ll see about that. I’m just going to play it by ear after the weather seems more predictable. I might go and ride in sand. Might sit around and not do much. I’m not sure.

This was some of the guys heading out of Austin.

Out by Dripping Springs it got down to just a few of us.

Then heading back into Austin, the group grew into more.

Robbie had a spoke problem with his rear wheel that morphed into a destroyed Di2 rear derailluer.

But, I had a chain tool and Robbie had a single speed that went forward.

Monday Random Stuff

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So I’ve been in Austin 6 days now. Today will be a week. Yesterday I rode 40 miles easy, after it dried out some, but it had a gazillion feet of climbing. I’ve ridden about 400 miles, which kind of seems like a lot, but sort of seems like not much. I’m not sure. I’m not sure it was the right riding or best training for cross, but I don’t feel all that great, so it is what it is.

Trudi is flying to Belgium at noon today and then driving down to Valencia Spain for a BMC training camp. She has a pretty good schedule this year. Gone until the end of April, then back for the Tour of California. June is off and back to Europe for the Tour. Then back in the US for The Tour of Colorado and all the other US stuff.

I kind of thought about going to Spain to ride this week, but that is too much European plane travel for my liking. I see that Peter Weber has been racing over in Belgium and has won 4 races already. I got an email from Don Myrah, who I need to call, and he is flying over on Thursday to race this next weekend. I’m pretty sure I’m flying to Brussels next Sunday and getting there Monday, 6 days ahead of the race. It might not be optimum, but that is going to have to do.

Tom Schuler’s grandmother, Ella, is 10th on the oldest persons in the World list now. 113 years old. I need to go by and visit here when I get back to Topeka.

Okay. I need to get a plane ticket today sometime I suppose. I think I’m going to go out and ride MTB tomorrow somewhere cool. That should be fun. Might watch the Oregon game tonight. Other than that, nothing much is going on.

Ann got Trudi a cake and had a great going away dinner last night.

The houses here are amazing. This is part of the complex on one side of the road. The helipad/boat house.

There is a walkway over the road to this 4 story giagantic structure. I can't imagine how much this costs here.

The only shot I have of a beautiful set table. The photo is missing the two most important people, Ann and Trudi.

I got this photo off facebook. Richard Digarmo posted it. Must be from Tour of Texas down near here somewhere. Seems appropirate. Roy is leading Leonard Nitz and then me.