It is hard for me to believe it has only been 2 1/2 weeks since I raced in Belgium. It seems like months ago to me. Not that I’ve done all that much. Maybe my mind is doing me a favor and wiping the memory away prematurely. I’ve kind of ran/jogged with Bromont for a mile or so the last few nights. He isn’t sure what I’m doing. I’ve never really ran with him before.
It was -8 last night. It isn’t suppose to warm up until the weekend. Sunday is supposed to be 50, but it will just be sloppy then. It has been in the 20’s in Austin. Those people down there are probably freezing their butts off. But, it is supposed to be back in the 70’s there soon too.
Yesterday, I was skyping with my friend Sara, who lives in Genoa, Italy. She said the Ricco story was front page news there. She maybe thinks he’s from around there somewhere. I don’t know. She said it said that he needs to do some radiation treatment or something. It’s good to hear Cancellara and most the other Pros from Italy come down on him. I think they realize that it reflects pretty badly upon all of the sport.
Racing in 10 days. Down in Austin. Like I said above, it is hard to believe I had any race fitness at all two weeks ago. Right now it seems like I have none. I’ve done equivalent of 1000 sit ups the last two days under my car. I’m about 50% done with the brake project. I screwed up and cut the brake line a couple inches short late last night. That was it for brake line, so I have to get more today sometime. I’m not much on stopping work late at night, so maybe it was a good thing. I had a few more hours work left.
Today is my birthday. Again. I’m not too big on birthday celebrations. I don’t have anything against them, I just don’t really care one way or the other if it occurs or not. I guess I need to go ride my bike outside some today.
A little birthday song.
This brake job reminds me of a funny story posted a couple of years ago…
Oil Change instructions for Women:
1) Pull up to Jiffy Lube when the mileage reaches 3000 miles since the last oil change.
2) Drink a cup of coffee.
3) 15 minutes later, write a check and leave with a properly maintained vehicle.
Money spent:
Oil Change $20.00
Coffee $1.00
Total $21.00
Oil Change instructions for Men:
go in order….
1) Wait until Saturday, drive to auto parts store and buy a case of oil, filter, kitty litter, hand cleaner and a scented tree, write a check for $50.00.
2) Stop by 7 – 11 and buy a case of beer, write a check f or $20, drive home.
3) Open a beer and drink it.
4) Jack car up. Spend 30 minutes looking for jack stands.
5) Find jack stands under kid’s pedal car.
6) In frustration, open another beer and drink it.
7) Place drain pan under engine.
8) Look for 9/16 box end wrench.
9) Give up and use crescent wrench.
10) Unscrew drain plug.
11) Drop drain plug in pan of hot oil: splash hot oil on you in process. Cuss.
12) Crawl out from under car to wipe hot oil off of face and arms. Throw kitty litter on spilled oil.
13) Have another beer while watching oil drain.
14) Spend 30 minutes looking for oil filter wrench.
15) Give up; crawl under car and hammer a screwdriver through oil filter and twist off.
16) Crawl out from under car with dripping oil filter splashing oil everywhere from holes. Cleverly hide old oil filter among trash in trash can to avoid environmental penalties. Drink a beer.
17) Buddy shows up; finish case of beer with him. Decide to finish oil change tomorrow so you can go see his new garage door opener.
18) Sunday: Skip church because “I gotta finish the oil change.” Drag pan full of old oil out from underneath car. Cleverly dump oil in hole in back yard instead of taking it back to Kragen to recycle.
19) Throw kitty litter on oil spilled during step 18.
20) Beer? No, drank it all yesterday.
21) Walk to 7-11; buy beer.
22) Install new oil filter making sure to apply a thin coat of oil to gasket surface.
23) Dump first quart of fresh oil into engine.
24) Remember drain plug from step 11.
25) Hurry to find drain plug in drain pan.
26) Remember that the used oil is buried in a hole in the back yard, along with drain plug.
27) Drink beer.
28) Shovel out hole and sift oily mud for drain plug. Re-shovel oily dirt into hole. Steal sand from kids sandbox to cleverly cover oily patch of ground and avoid environmental penalties. Wash drain plug in lawnmower gas.
29) Discover that first quart of fresh oil is now on the floor. Throw kitty litter on oil spill.
30) Drink beer.
31) Crawl under car getting kitty litter into eyes. Wipe eyes with oily rag used to clean drain plug. Slip with stupid crescent wrench tightening drain plug and bang knuckles on frame.
32) Bang head on floorboards in reaction to step 31.
33) Begin cussing fit.
34) Throw stupid crescent wrench.
35) Cuss for additional 10 minutes because wrench hit bowling trophy.
36) Beer.
37) Clean up hands and forehead and bandage as required t o stop blood flow.
38) Beer.
39) Beer.
40) Dump in five fresh quarts of oil.
41) Beer.
42) Lower car from jack stands.
43) Accidentally crush remaining case of new motor oil.
44) Move car back to apply more kitty litter to fresh oil spilled during steps 23 – 43.
45) Beer.
46) Test drive car.
47) Get pulled over: arrested for driving under the influence.
48) Car gets impounded.
49) Call loving wife, make bail.
50) 12 hours later, get car from impound yard.
Money spent:
Parts: $50
DUI $2500.00
Impound fee $75.00
Bail $1500.00
Beer $40.00
Total – – $4,165.00
But you know the job was done right!
Happy birthday Steve! Like myself, you are “aquarius, the libation bearer to the gods,” so remember that and be proud everytime you have a beer in your hands.
Happy Birthday, Steve.
I just wish at my age, I was 1/1000 of the cyclist that you are.
Win Chequamegon in 2011!
“Tricky Ricky” Ricco, or Il Cobra Modenese as he used to be called, is from Emilia-Romagna. He lives in Serramazzoni in the hills above Bologna, which is a fantastic place to ride a bicycle (or motorcycle, or drive a Ferrari if you happen to have one). His town features a memorial fountain to his (and a few other Italians) hero Marco Pantani. I hope this kid doesn’t end up depressed and coked out the way Il Pirata did..but he does need to find some other way to make a living! I’m remembering Ed Bauman, an excellent and eccentric mechanic, what’s he doing these days? I see Trudy’s with BMC in the Middle East, hope those guys don’t get caught up in any revolutions!