It’s been one month since Master’s Cross Worlds in Belgium. It seems so long ago now, but it still isn’t sitting right. But, that’s just me. I’ve barely been sick a week now and it seems like a month. Man, is time weird. I sometimes don’t see someone for a year and it seems like I saw them last week. Other times it seems like I haven’t seen them in decades. I have no idea why that is.
I was just looking back and trying to figure out when I started writing on this website. I can’t tell precisely. But, it has been over 5 years. Originally I was only putting stuff on a monthly/weekly/whenever basis. Obviously now it is much more often.
The 5 years seemed to have passed pretty quickly though. For me, it doesn’t seem like if been doing this for a very long time, but 5 years is a pretty long time of a persons life. 10% of mine.
Part of the reason I post things here is because I don’t write very well and I’m trying to get better at it. But, it is a slow, tedious process. My spelling has improved dramatically. I don’t use a spell check program. But, I don’t spell check it myself too good either, so……
Ned used to try to find words that he didn’t use or know the definitions of and use them in sentences when he talked. He’d do this until he used them normally in his vocabulary. At least he did that for a while. One word I remember he used was exacerbate. We were doing a Cactus Camp for Specialized and he was doing a talk about something and keep throwing the word in. Way too often. It cracked me up.
I seem to be just wandering again. Anyway, I’m not sick of doing this so I guess I’ll keep on doing it. I’ll go and paste my site statistics off the tracker thing and post them below. There are a ton more people reading this than a year ago. I think last January it was less averaging a little more than 400 a day and now it is over 2000. Last year total, I had less than 400000 views for the whole year and it’s already over 100000 and it’s only half way through February. That seems like a lot.
Anyway, if anyone has an ideas about something I should put on, feel free to tell me. Some days it is harder than others. I’ve been thinking about posting some older photos that are photos, not digital. Richard Degarmo, the promoter of Tour of Texas, among other things, has been doing that pretty religiously the last few months on Facebook. It is pretty cool seeing how much everything has changed the last 30 years. I have thousands upon thousands of prints and slides from all over the world. It would be an effort to scan them and post them, but maybe if I only did a few, it wouldn’t be so bad.
Okay. Slept shitty again last night. That is after riding way too far on Sunday. 3+ hours and the wind was whipping. Like over 30 the whole day. And we had over a 20 mph average. Way too hard. But, it’s hard to stop yourself from riding hard when you feel alright. I just don’t feel alright afterward. Or especially laying on my back in bed. It is only going to be half the temperature today of what it was yesterday, so I probably won’t thrash myself too bad today.
Here’s one of Richard’s photos that I grabbed off Facebook. Alan, Broz, and Davis at a Wheat Thins race in the late ’80’s. We, the Schwinn Team, pretty much dominated the series that year.
Broz and me.
Riding here in Topeka yesterday in the wind.
How about a memorable bike moment involving Tim Rutherford?
So many riders have dropped off the map, Rosasco-Kennedy-Theobald….Who are these people , those that weren’t active MB racers in the 70’s+80’s say? Exactly my point….
Just a suggestion…Good reads Tilly
Please continue this blog…
Curious what you think of Alexis Grewal’s recent blog account of his Olympic RR win.
Don’t worry abt your misspelling… I just botched my last name.
It would be a good idea if you followed-up on the comments posted – because now it seems you just hop from one subject to another without acknowledging (or reading) the people that took the time to leave comments – just my opinion.
Hey steve, keep up the goodwork on the bike and on the blog. Do you have any photos of your Belgium days on the road?? Might be interesting…you were saying how you wanted to return to Belgium to ride some Kermis races. Patrick Cocquyt is 50 yrs old and won 17 Elite w/o contract races last year!!! Im sure you could put the hurt on him LOL take care of that cold…lots of OLBAS oil in a hot shower is good you can get it at WholeFoods….see ya
I kinda like the randomness. I never know what the topic will be. It’s fun. Sometimes it’s not even about cycling. That kind of randomness is fun too. Although, I could do without anything that has to do with KU. But that’s just me. Otherwise, I just think it’s great you post every day. I could really care less what it’s about. You do a great job as is.
I only read your blog and BikeSnob… yours is better.
Ted-I agree with you. But, that being said, I don’t have all day to join in on all the discussions that take place. It is hard enough just getting my thoughts from my head to the computer the first time. I do read the comments, but not in a timely enough manner to actually participate in the discussion. That is just the way it is. Sorry.
You don’t give yourself enough credit for your writing. You have a style and perspective that people enjoy– the stats prove that! So, please keep up the great job. PS: Great idea not following up on the forum comments!
Well, I was going to see if you’d sign my jersey at Walburg, get a photo, and then have you post it here – but you got the flu – dammit.
I think you’re the only pro rider I’d ever have sign something for me. Maybe next time.
Yeah, whatever did happen to Jimmy Rosasco? I remember him from Gainesville, Florida. I remember him one day on a group ride smarting off to Jeannie Golay about how he was going to thrash her on the ride, and bragging about getting drunk on a half-gallon of red wine and a prodigious amount of weed the night before – and then watching as Jeannie rode him into the ground until he got dropped… he was begging, plaintively begging, at the end, about five miles before the end of the ride. Anyone here ever hear of a MTB/road rider named Malcolm Hadley?
Thanks Steve – I enjoy your blog because you don’t try to preach down or be aloof like some other blogs that I follow – and these guys weren’t even pros – they just want to sound like they’re too-cool for school – keep doing what you’re doing BUT take a moment and just write a few sentences at the end of the comments from time to time – this way we will know that you’re actually reading them.
I’m sort of with Ted. I’ve been wondering for days if anyone else noticed the dude taking a leak in the Oman Cliff picture!
Neil, If that is a guy – not a shadow – then you have an amazing sight for detail – LOL.
Neil, Nevermind – that is definitely a guy taking a leak after I clicked on the photo to make it bigger – still amazing you caught that!!!
Oman pic! Now that’s funny! Great catch, however very difficult to see from the phone, but you can…
Well it looks like your stats are getting enough hits a day to get some advertising bucks. Not too sure what your arrangements are, but there is money to be made in interesting blogs like yours. Come on guys Bikesnob NY jumped the shark a long time ago.
How about making your own blend of coffee. I’m on my second pound of Bike Snob NYC from Just Coffee.
Dewey-That’s in the works. Sort of . And I was wondering how long it would take for the Oman Cliff photo to be “discovered”. Pretty small picture.
Steve-The Oman Cliff photo really was pretty cool, so I clicked to super size it . . . at which point “Waldo” was pretty obvious. Even funnier that you planted the whole thing. Thanks for the blog. I hope you can figure out a way to make a buck on it, but please don’t change a thing.