Are You Living It?

The trip across the Arizona desert was exactly what I had hoped for.  What I mean is, it provided every excuse to whine that I had expected it would.  The weather projections the previous day had slated a 110 degree forecast. I hadn’t felt that kind of heat in 20 years, since my youthful summers in west Texas. I looked forward to it like some people look forward to war and natural disasters. The only bright point was my knowledge that the end of the day promised a classic southern California sunset, with possible surf.

I just finished my last leisure ride of my rest week - and it was refreshing! The skies looked like they could open up at any time today - but I managed to avoid any precipitation. I feel rejuvenated and refreshed - and ready to tackle another block of training. Tomorrow night’s racing should be an awakening back into the pain cave and I’m honestly really looking forward to it.

After Tour de Georgia I pretty much crawled under a rock to evaluate the week of racing.  Actually I would call it a week of motor pacing.  That pretty much sums up Tour de Gerogia, 7 days of flat out, barely hanging on, motor pacing.  It was fast!  I was happy with my racing for the most part and met almost all of my personal goals.  I really wanted to get into a long break on one of the days, I tried my hardest, but it just wasn’t meant to be.  That was the most frustrating.

There is an obsession with newness in the business world. Entrepreneurs struggle under the burden of their forbears, who in the lore of commerce, invented the first car, the first light bulb, and the first web browser. 

Sitting on the couch with my feet propped up has never felt so good. Sipping a well deserved beer after eating some dinner - life is good. My windows are open for the first time this year - to cool the house down. Summer is definitely here.

At 7:00 AM we bagan a great 100 mile training ride here in Northern California. The morning began in Yreka, and we rode through the towns of Gazelle, Callahan, Etna, Mugginsville, and Fort Jones, then up over Forest Mountain back to Yreka. Riding up over Gazelle Mountain we dropped into the upper reaches of the Scott River and through some spring green pasture land that was high enough to still be comfortable and not too hot. As we rode down through the Scott Valley, the temperature began to climb and finally hit about 95 degrees. The climb over Forest Mountain was HOT, but the 50 MPH descent on the other side cooled us down all the way back to Yreka. The heat keeps you burning calories, as well as water, and my 200 lb body used over 4700 Calories over the 5 1/2 hour ride. Well, gotta go, its time to eat, for the third time tonight! If you are interested in this ride, in the reverse direction, check out the Siskiyou Century Ride in Yreka, September 2008.

Flagstaff is hot, and anyone who lives here in the summer is absolutely crazy. I mean it. You have no excuse, because even if you like it, it’s not good for you.

(Slurp) And I know what’s good for you. Stop smiling at me.. that makes me uncomfortable.