I was screwed up this weekend and thought that there were races close. They are next weekend. I should have just packed up the van and headed to Colorado, but I decided to ride 4 hours yesterday. I’m not sure what is in store today. I’m riding soon and then maybe heading West. Yesterday was a great day to ride bikes in Kansas. It didn’t get sunny until the afternoon and I was nearly finished by then. It never got more than the upper 80’s all day.

We’ve been without electricity since last Thursday night’s storm. It is kind of a drag, but not as much as you’d think. Not having hot tea in the morning is the main problem for me. We hooked up a super long extension cord to the next door neighbor’s generator, so we kept everything in the refrigerator from thawing. I hear it might not be until Sunday night now until it is restored. I wonder what it would be like in Bagdad or a place where you have power at just odd hours of the day and night. Nothing you can plan on. You’re ready to cook dinner and then, gone is the electricity. It would be frustrating at best. It seems kind of weird that the water and hot water are available. I know that it’s not hooked up to the electricity, but for some reason, it seems like it should not work too.

Okay, I saw that Ned finally won Mt. Washington Hillclimb outright. Man, can he pick his races. I was trying to get a hold of him before I went to Paris last month and he was in Spain eating dinner with Roberto Heras at a banquet. He finished 2nd to Tyler Hamilton once, so in my mind, he’s won the race twice now. Tinker was 2nd place. Maybe I should have went out there. Probably not. I hope I have a chance to catch up with him some next week.

We rode yesterday through a town called Burlingame. It is about 25 miles southwest of Topeka. They have the widest, most bricked street I’ve ever seen. I’ll post a photo below. It has a pretty nice downtown area for such a small town.

Okay, I’d better get dressed to ride. I think I am leaning toward heading to Colorado later this afternoon. I don’t think I’ll catch up to the Pro Challenge until Wednesday at the earliest, but you never know, I might head down to Colorado Springs to watch the prologue. The Coor’s Classic Reunion is on Thursday night in Vail at the Four Season’s and a ton of people I haven’t seen for ages are going to be there. It should be fun.

Mt. Washington Hill Climb Results
Men

1. Ned Overend, 55:03
2. Tinker Juarez, 56:14
3. Timothy Ahearn, 58:22
4. Chris Yura, 1:00:22
5. Chris Hillier, 1:01:30

MicroCat doesn't seem to be bothered by the lack of light at night. I found him rolling around on his cat tower last night.

Downtown Burlingame Kansas.

I guess my Wheaties Schwinn TT bike was on display at the banquet for the Pro Challenge last night in Colorado Springs. I don't remember riding this bike much. Maybe in the DuPont Race. Coor's Race? I don't know.

Near local, Brad Huff, gets nipped on the line by Eric Young at the US Pro Criterium Championships yesterday in Michigan.

I was watching the Tour of Spain this morning and thought it was strange that they kept saying how it is imperative to race the race to hone your form for the World Championships next month. I remember two years ago, when Thor won the World Championships in Australia, that an amazing number of guys in the final group were riders that competed in Spain.

Anyway, I compare that to how little that some contenders for the Tour de France race. Especially before the Tour. Lance started it, racing just a handful of times towards the end of his streak. Carlos Sastre took it to extremes, not racing forever after he won. He must of needed a complete exchange of blood or something. That just didn’t make any sense at all. Contador did not race again one season after the Tour, and then he came back at Paris-Nice and smeared everyone. That was not racing for nearly 7 months and coming back at full speed.

I’ve always been one that uses racing to get fit for races. I have no idea how you can get fit enough to race by training. Maybe the difference is trying to get fit for a one day race compared to being fit and rested for a stage race/grand tour. I don’t know. All I know is that I have no ability, mentally, to push myself hard enough in training to get anywhere near as fit as I can get by just racing. And that a key reason I ride my bike, is to race my bike, so it is a no-brainer doing just that.

10 months of this, no thanks.