Cyclocross Season Wrap-Up

Another 'cross season has come and gone... Overall I'm pleased with how things went, although the last two races were somewhat less than I would have hoped for. I finished the season in 5th place overall in the standings after being very consistent in my placings throughout the race series.

GA CX #4, Rome - This was a new course in a downtown park on a river. The course was a fast technical one with the main obstacle(s) being a steep levee that we had to climb or run up four times per lap. I got a good start again, right up with the leaders and held on for a couple of laps before getting gapped. There was no one behind me for a good distance so I kept hammering and placed 4th on the day.

GA CX #5, Blairsville - Today was the first really cold day of the season with temps in the upper 20's when I got to the race venue. The skys were overcast with high humidity so it was a chilly start. Todays course was a lot of up and down on pretty steep hills, a long dirt road and lots of long wet grass. During the warm-up I pretty much decided that it just was not fun - although that also had a lot to do with the fact that I was tired. I got to the start line and we were off. Not as good of a position today because my legs didn't have much snap, so I settled in with a small group just off the back of the lead pack and rode a couple of laps there. About half-way through the race I put in a good acceleration and got away from them. I held steady for the rest of the race and finished in 6th.

GA CX #6, Fort Yargo - State Championships race today on a great course. Ft.Yargo is a real speed course with strategically placed barriers and a long deep sand beach section. This race is also put on by the club I'm affiliated with here in GA, Gwinnett Touring Club, so I was there on Saturday AM to help with setting up and taping the course in preparation for the next day. The day dawned sunny and a little cold, but conditions at the start were just about perfect. I launched and got right up with the leaders again today and just like in past races, held my spot for a couple of laps before tailing off the back. One of the front group had gone down on a gravel road section and dropped back to where I was, so I glued myself to his wheel and we made a race of it. I was riding the technical sections better than he was and hoped I could attack during the last lap and get away. That almost worked, but he stayed close enough to catch back up to me just before the beach. He sprinted so fast through the sand that he got about a 5 meter gap, and I could not catch back up in time to sprint for the finish line. Need to do some work on my running before next year! Another 5th place finish.

GA CX "Make-Up" Race, Conyers - Todays race was a make-up, or "mulligan" race where you could use it to drop your lowest race placing for the overall standings. Since I missed Savannah, this was my chance to get back some points. It had rained for several days before the race, and the course was a muddy, slippery mess. In other words - lots of fun. I have to be honest in saying that I was really not impressed with how the course developed with all of the mud. If it were dry it would have been a blast, but there were a lot of off camber turns and hills that got so sloppy as to be very difficult to ride. It would have been a great Mountain Bike course, but on a 'cross bike it was a long mucky slog. It's odd, but the entire race I was vascillating between thinking "this is great" and "this sucks"... Anyway - more of the same. Decent start, good position, tacked on to the leaders, then bad luck for the first time this season. I miscalculated a stream jump and wiped out in the deep mud. When I got back on the bike everything seemed OK until I hit a steep hill. When I shifted up my chain came off the top cog and wedged into the spokes. It took me nearly two minutes to get everything sorted out and the bike shifting again, but by that time I was way out of contention. The rest of the race was to chase and try to make up as much ground as possible. I did manage to pass about six or seven riders and finished in 7th. I was pleased to see that!

GA CX #7, Dallas Finale - Last race of the season and double points on the line. Quite possibly the absolute worst race to not be prepared for (nothing like a bit of foreshadowing). On Friday before the race I had to be at the warehouse for Inventory. Ten hours on my feet in a frigid warehouse counting parts. Oh joy... My legs, feet and lower back were aching by the end of the day. Friday night was my company Christmas party. Krista and I had the evening to ourselves as both Chase and Thera had a sleep-over at a friends house. We also had a chaffeur to the party. We had a great time and really enjoyed ourselves. It was 2:00AM before we turned in, but sleeping in really late was not to be with the dogs getting me up several times that morning. Between that and a bit of the hair of the dog, Saturday was long and tired. I did get on the rollers that evening to try and open the legs up some. Race day was sunny, blustery and cold. The course was OK with a bit of everything. Fast sweeping sections, climbs, technical turns, hard run-ups, sand and hills. It was also extremely rough which is NOT one of my favorites. I could tell during my warm-up ride that I was going to have trouble today. No snap at all. The race start was just more of the same. I felt so bad that I was nearly dead last only half way through the first lap. I finally got mad as hell and started to make up ground and passed a few groups of riders, only to catch my handlebars on the course marker tape and wipe out in dramatic fashion. It was right back to mid-pack and then a long drawn-out trudge to just finish. I hit my knee on a rock so that was bothering me on the run-ups, making a bad day just that much worse. After what felt like hours I finally finished in 11th place. Because the day was double points, I lost my 4th place in the standings by 9 points. If I had just placed 10th I could have held on, but there was nothing left to give by the end of the race. Blah.

It was kind of a bummer way to end the series, but that's racing. If I was bitten by the 'Cross bug before, now I'm a total rabid fanatic. I'm determined to be on the podium next year and already have a general outline of how my training plan will look in 2009. And that is a big step, because for the past five years I have not been "training" at all, just riding my bike and getting fit in a non-specific sort of way. I'll have company, too. Chase went with me to several races this year and says that he wants to try racing Cyclocross too. So I'll be working on a plan for him as well!

Cyclocross GA CX #3

Time has flown by in the 'Cross season. Since I reported on the first race of the year in Dahlonega there have been several more races. I missed the second race of the series because it was in Savannah, GA - a five + hour drive from home. Also as reported in "Psycling" there were two off weeks in between. Things finally kicked off in earnest on 11/2/08 at the GA CX #3 in Conyers Int'l. Horse Park. This location has always been a favorite as the course is fast and challenging with good technical sections and a couple of difficult obstacles. This year they introduced an amazing spiral design where we rode in ever narrowing circles inwards, did a 180 deg. turn and rode the spiral back out and out to the course. They also introduced a new steep hill on a rutted and sandy access road. There was the usual log jump / run-up section and twisty sections from the past few years to make the course complete. I was in 8th place overall after missing Savannah but still got called up to the line so I got a good start position. At the gun I was off quickly and got settled in at the back end of the lead group. That gave me a big boost since last year I was already off the back by half way through the 1st lap. I kept in contact with the leaders for the first two laps but then a gap started to open up. Despite riding a lot more this year, there is just so much that is different in 'Cross racing than road racing. Anyway, coming across the start/finish line going into the third lap I had fallen off the back of the group and went into solo defensive mode - riding as hard as possible to keep my position and not get caught by anyone behind me. I still felt strong and rode well so holding onto my spot proved to be no difficulty and I ended up in 5th - which was my best finish for the past few years.

Having been in close contact with the leaders for the first 15 minutes, I began to understand why I have not done as well in 'Cross as I do on the road. Of the four leaders, I know for a fact that I can drop at least two of them during a hard road ride - since I've done it on several occasions. The other two I have also finished ahead of during several races this year. However, Cyclocross racing is much shorter, with many short intense bursts of power. The lead riders were constantly accelerating and attacking each other, and every time they did I had to dig deep into my reserves to stay with them. After a while I just could not hold on. My coach explained it best. He showed me that I have an excellent aerobic base and can perform well at my anaerobic threshold, but I have not developed a power, or creatine phosphate system. That is done by training in short but extremely intense bursts with multiple repetitions and good recovery between efforts. I'm also lacking in muscular strength as I slacked off on weight lifting this year. Simply put, I can go really fast for a long time at a steady pace with some accelerations. However, when the pace is already hard with constant accelerations and bursts of power, I'm exhausting my energy reserves which are not trained to replenish themselves and eventually can't sustain the effort. Like when I dropped off the back - after that I could still ride fast and had no worries about getting caught because I was going at a constant and steady pace. Looks like a new training plan is going to be a critical necessity!

Thera's 6th Birthday

Tuesday, November 18th was Thera's 6th Birthday. She got to play hooky from school and had a very nice day with Mom. The day started off with the chance to sleep in a little longer than usual and see Chase off on the bus. Thera picked out a very pretty dress and Krista got her all dolled up with hair and make-up for the day out. They went shopping with birthday money and some gift cards, then went to McDonalds for lunch. (Funny thing there is - that really is kind of a treat since we go there so little. Even when given the choice both Chase and Thera are more likely to go for Subway than regular fast food.) After that it was off to the movies for Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Once done there they picked up Chase and headed to Publix to pick out a Birthday Cake. I left work a little early and met up with them there. It was a good day to be at Publix since they were doing a Holiday Food Festival with lots of great samples. We joked around with Thera about how they must have set the whole thing up for her birthday! She knew it was really for Thanksgiving but it was fun pretending, and when the store staff found out that it was her B-day it might as well have been...

We finally got home and I got the presents set out and made a small dinner since we had all done pretty well at the Food Fest. Krista disappeared upstairs to do the wrapping - better her than me as wrapping is just not my forte. We brought out the cake for a very nice dessert and then it was time for Thera to open up her presents. She got some great things and had a wonderful time.

Halloween (a month late)!!

I've been meaning to get around to posting something about Halloween for a while now. Seems my Round Tuit is permanently lost since it has taken a month to translate action to deed. We actually prepared a little better than usual for the festivities this year. Thera and Krista decided back in September that Thera's costume this year would be an Ice Fairy, and we found a seller on e-Bay that offered custom made costumes. She had one for auction that Krista bid on and won, then gave some specific instructions for how to make it "just right." The outfit arrived in early October so that part of it was done. Chase was 50/50 on whether or not to even dress up this year, but finally decided that he didn't want to miss out on the fun. We did some shopping and he settled on a grisly Grim Reaper costume.

On Halloween I took the day off so we could do some running around and have a relaxed evening to eat dinner and get ready to go out. That mostly worked out - the only snag was that Kato (our Great Dane) had some pretty severe swelling on her muzzle so we had to make an unscheduled trip to the vet for her to get checked out. Dog taken care of ($$$) and shopping done, we picked the kids up from school and got home for dinner then the costume preparation. Krista hustled Thera off for hair and make-up and I prepared the "special effects" on Chases costume. Both kids done, we hopped into the car to head over to our traditional neighborhood to Trick or Treat. Halloween being on Friday this year, there were lots of kids out and the goodies were better than usual. Both Chase and Thera made quite a haul, even though we wound up cutting the festivities a little short. The temperature dropped dramatically after the sun went down, and both kids were uncomfortably cold despite the headlong rush from one door to the next. They both had a good time, and we got a chance to catch up with some old neighbors that we have stayed friends with over the past few years. We made a couple of final stops once we came back to our neighborhood which turned out to be very lucrative for the kids. Since it was nearing 9:00PM, everyone was ready to dump the rest of their candy and turn out the lights. Handfulls of loot were dumped in the bags and we got home loaded and satisfied with the night.

10 Seconds of Fame

I was approached by a friend of mine (Stephen Jansa) who works for Fox 5 News Atlanta about "performing" for a promo that was being filmed for the lead-in to a news story. "Rules of the Road" was a feature piece on the 10:00pm news which looked into the tension between bicycle commuters and drivers. I agreed to play the part of "frustrated and angry cyclist" and was sent a copy of the script. Jeff Zellmer, Promotions Manager from Fox 5 and his cameraman came out to my office last Wednesday to do the filming. I got dressed out in my cycling gear and prepared to launch the beginning of my illustrious career in Television Acting. The filming took about 20 minutes or so and I was congratulated for delivering a dynamic and convincing performance (please - hold the applause). Anyway, the promo aired during commercial breaks beginning on Tuesday Nov.11th until the story on Wednesday Nov.12th. Sadly enough, I never saw it air, and Krista and I had gotten so involved in a discussion Wednesday night I didn't even turn on the TV. I actually missed my own Television debut... But as no Hollywood agents have been beating down my door, I'd have to assume that I'm not being considered for the next James Bond. Jeff was kind enough to e-mail me the video, so here it is for your viewing entertainment. (You might want to hit "pause" on my Music Playlist before hitting the play button)


Video clip courtesy of Fox 5 News Atlanta

Associated News Video: http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/MyFox/pages/sidebar_video.jsp?contentId=7852290&version=1&locale=EN-US

Associated News Story: http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7852537&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=3.2.1

While I have joked around with some of my cycling friends about my "hammed up" performance, I am very grateful to Fox 5 for airing a segment concerning cyclists. So far this year I have logged over 3,000 miles in bicycle commuting. Most of the time the ride is uneventful and drivers are cautious and respectful, but I have had a couple of close calls and have been run off the road numerous times. Any increased attention that promotes awareness and fosters better relations between bikes and cars is a worthwhile effort. It's definately not just the drivers at fault - I have seen cyclists do stupid things too, so hopefully people on both sides of the issue got something out of the story.

Cycling or Psycling?

While the Cyclocross season "officially" started off back in October, it has only just really kicked in for me these past couple of weeks. The first race I reported on in Dahlonega was over a month ago. There were breaks for mountain bike races the promoters were involved in on the weekends of the 12th and 26th. The second 'cross race of the season was in Savannah, GA on 10/19. Problem there was the pesky 5+ hour drive, cost of lodging and how to work out that long of a trip with the family. It did not add up - that's just too much to commit to for one 45 minute race. (Maybe next year if they have the race there again we'll have time to plan for it and make the trip into a mini-vacation. Krista and I would love to see the homes and historic district.) So for those three weeks I drove over to our practice course at Little Mulberry Park in Dacula, GA. for some race simulations. There is an odd sort of insight I can give on the mental make-up of a dedicated cyclist, and that is the ability to force yourself to suffer even with a near total lack of outside stimulation. The point here? For two of those training sessions, almost no-one showed up. The day of Savannah there were only three of us, and the other two guys bailed and left just minutes after I started us off on a 45min. race effort. I rode alone for the entire time. During a normal practice you have someone to chase, or someone to try and stay out in front of. This time - nothing. Cyclocross is hard - period. During a race you are riding in a group at your physical limit from beginning to end. Rest does not happen or you get dropped, and recovery from a maximum effort is only made in slight increments - maybe on a fast downhill where you can coast for 5 or 10 seconds. Now try to re-create that situation all by yourself - riding and running as hard as possible without any let-up for nearly an hour. I'd have to equate it to a controlled form of insanity where seeing things, hearing voices and talking to yourself are actually good things... Like projecting the image of another rider just in front of you or having that quiet little voice in the back of your head screaming "You're going too #%&*!ing slow - MOVE IT MARSHMALLOW BOY!" What a sight for someone walking in the park - a solitary lunatic on a bike pelting around an open field at full speed, jumping off and leaping back on the bike at random intervals for no apparent reason, a rictus of pain on his face and talking to people who aren't there. It's a wonder no one called the police.

One of my favorite stories about cycling was something I read a long time ago - author unknown. They were describing the secret of a good time trialist. A time trial is a race against the clock - just you and the bike where the goal is to go the fastest over a set course. Riding with someone else or drafting is illegal. The paragraph went something like this: "When you are in the middle of a hard time trial effort, you often notice black spots appearing and disappearing before your eyes. This is a product of your body using every scrap of available oxygen and plunging your brain into oxygen debt. The black spots are the visual representation of brain cells dying by the thousands. Therefore it stands to reason that the secret of a great time trialist is this - you can go very fast for a very long time because you're too dumb to realize that pain hurts." Well, that goes for Cyclocross as well.

Weary Overload Recreation Killer (W.O.R.K.)

So I'm looking at my own Blog and realizing that I have not put anything on here since this time LAST month... I'm going to blame work - it seems like every year around this time things just go spinning completely out of control. Suppliers late on deliveries, technical issues, discrepant parts, the budget is whacked and it's up to Supply Chain to make up for millions of dollars to balance the end-of-year budget. Add to this the fact that we have not even started ordering for engines that have been blasted into the build plan for next year. What is it about Sales and Marketing that makes them think you can deliver in eight months what it takes twelve months to buy for and build??? Now its a mad scramble to contact suppliers and beg for immediate quotes and ways to shorten lead-times in order for us to have any chance of building the engines on-time. (FYI - for anyone that does not know, I'm a Purchasing Agent for a company that manufactures Gas Turbine engines for use in marine and industrial applications ( http://www.vericor.com/ ) - it's pretty cool stuff, especially the USN Hovercraft and mega-yachts we provide engines for.)



By the time I get home, I check e-mail and then make a concerted effort to not even look at the computer for the rest of the night. I spend eight hours a day glued to my computer and phone and after that, the tank is about empty. Of course, it is Cyclocross season now, so after the kids are in bed and the house straightened up, its up to the workout room for a session on the trainer or out to the garage to clean and tune up the bikes. HOWEVER, since Halloween was just a few days ago, I had a good race last Sunday and life has continued with all it's other non-work related joys and tribulations I will endeavour to go home tonight and put something worthwhile in print. Stay tuned...

Dahlonega Cyclocross photos

photo courtesey of Trish Albert/Southeasterncycling.com

One of the nicer benefits we have during practically every race here in GA is a dedicated cadre of photographers that constantly roam the course snapping shots of the racers and then posting them to their respective websites. Trish Albert, Carl Mesta, Grant Blankenship and Chris Lewis are all professional or semi-professional photographers who can be seen at most of the races - Trish on her bike racing as well as shutterbugging. There are a few racers like Marshall Millard, Tim Stone, Jim Behning and Dan Coy that occasionally bring their cameras out and post their galleries on Kodak or Flickr. It is a great deal of fun to go through all the shots searching out the ones of yourself. It is also a good way to get a feel for the race and the lunatics who choose to spend their Sunday mornings out pounding through the grass, dirt and barriers. I have been fortunate to get several outstanding pictures that were worth purchasing and framing.

I also forwarded the above photo to Aaron Joppe, the Sales Manager at Slingshot Bikes - and he thought it was such a good shot (since it's a detailed shot of the bike especially) that he has posted it on the scrolling marque on the Slingshot Bikes home page. Check it out: http://www.slingshotbikes.com/ Thanks Aaron!

A Busy Sunday!

I'd say that Sunday would go down as a great day all around. I started off getting up a little earlier than usual and setting off to the first Cyclocross race of the GA Cross Season. The race was held at Yahoola Park in Dahlonega, GA. Sunday dawned clear, sunny and beautiful. The temperatures are still a bit too warm for "real" 'Cross conditions, but at least it was not 80! The day was still good for racing and I hoped to do well too. I have been riding and racing a great deal more this year compared to the last two seasons, but I still was not sure of how well I was going to stack up in competition. I got to the park in time to get my race number and change into my kit, then take a couple of laps to familiarize myself with the course. I felt really good, but the course was very challenging. The major factors were several long sections of loose gravel road and trails. As I pre-rode the course my wheels were slipping and sliding all over the place and I had a hard time dialing in the best lines to take through the turns. Course familiarization done, I took my place on the start line and waited for the fun to begin. I jumped hard at the gun and got a decent position in the group and immediately settled in. For the entire first lap I held my spot, but was fast coming to the realization I had made a critical error. My front tire pressure was way too high for the extremely dry course conditions and was sliding everywhere, to the point that I was coming to a near standstill on a couple of the turns. Every time that happened I lost ground on the lead riders and had to fight hard to catch back up. Half way through the second lap, the final insult was making it through the gravel without mishap and maintaining my spot only to wipe out on the dew covered grass. I dropped into 7th or 8th spot instantly, then had to stop and straighten out my left shift lever before I could take off again. In hindsight I should have taken a few more seconds to let some air out of my tire, but all I could see was the lead pack disappearing into the woods, so I jumped back into the saddle to gain back the ground I'd lost. I was able to maintain the gap for the next couple of laps, and finally caught and passed a rider in front of me. Attrition in the lead group did me a few favors too as two riders flatted due to the harsh conditions and I was able to jump up a few more spots. The last two laps was a calculated duel between me and a good friend - Jeff. I had the upper hand on the long grass sections, but he held the advantage on the gravel and barrier sections. Fortunately for me the finish line was on the road, so on the last section of gravel path I threw caution to the winds and gave it everything to stay right on his wheel. I somehow made it through without crashing and burning, and was able to take advantage of my road speed to come around him for 5th place. Overall a good effort, but I wonder if the result would have been different had I been more attentive to my bike set-up. However, knowing the best tires / air pressure is something that only comes with experience. I don't have much of that, but I'm learning!

As soon as the results were finalized, it was back into the car to make a mad dash down to Atlanta to pick up my brother! He works for CSX Railways in their Signals Division and is in Atlanta this week for training. Since I kind of like him, I figure it's the least I can do to pick him up from his hotel to come by the house to visit some, if only to save him from boredom... This is the fourth time in the past year he's been down this way for training classes, and it sure is nice to get the chance to visit. I have not seen most of my family for an unforgivably long time, Jay included, so we've gotten together each of the times he's been here. We got to the house and decided to head over to our favorite Mexican restaurant, Fernando's for an early dinner and a Grande Dos Equis (good Mexican beer). We had a great dinner and swapped lots of stories about anything and everything. Family, friends, careers, goofing off and things we'd never tell our parents about. Did I say that out loud? No, not that! We were angels! After dinner settled we drove down to our favorite park for a nice relaxing walk around the lake on the paths. Relaxing might not really be the right term with our two screaming meemies in tow, but it was a nice walk none the less. Jay and I were somehow magically transformed into horsies, though. Thera the Fairy tripped and took a hard tumble on the sidewalk and banged her knee up, so I carried her on my shoulders for a mile or so, then Jay took over and carried her the rest of the way until she decided that maybe she was not hurt that badly. Of course the walk was nearly over by then and we were next to something interesting and fun... Then it was back to the house. We visited for a couple more hours before it got late and I drove back to the hotel to drop him off. Jay has made quite an impression here, and Chase & Thera and the dogs just can't wait for the next time he's in town!

All in all, a great day!

Creepy Crawly Critters...

Inspired by a fellow blogger (Bragger - read her blog!)... I took some great photos of a lovely Garden Spider that had made a web in a stand of tall grass and weeds nearby the house. These spiders are often referred to as the Gardeners best friend, and there are websites where you can purchase them to populate your garden. They are harmless to humans, but absolute murder on the insects that otherwise would damage plants and eat fruits and veggies.

Another photograph is an example of why you NEVER stick you hand into a water meter without looking first - or any other dark recess for that matter. The Black Widow is not a spider to trifle with under any circumstance, and I'm sorry to say is the one spider I will not hesitate to kill on sight. I don't hate them by any means, but with two kids and three dogs, it's just not worth taking a chance. The Widow is a common spider around here and I have found them in several places around the house. Not for long, though.

As you might expect from my earlier post concerning my tattoo, I'm pretty fascinated by spiders. The Native Americans belive that the spider is an incarnation of the Earth Mother. She wove the web that created the world.

Hot enough for 'ya?

Well, here we are in mid-September and the mercury persists in rising up into the 90 deg. range on a regular basis. While here in the sticky ol' South that's nothing unusual, this summer really seems to be wearing on me more than usual. June, July and August were all scorchers, and I can think of many days where it felt like working in a sauna. One 54 mile ride we did on a Sunday in July was in 97 deg. temperatures - justifiably dubbed the Dantes Inferno ride. I worked outside in the yard on another day clearing brush to open up the back fence for mending, and it was another high 90's torture fest. I drank 1 1/2 gallons of water and Gatorade that day and still lost 9lbs. I'd have hoped to see that heat finally start to break, but again, at Cyclocross practice this morning it was in the mid-80's at 8:30AM on its way to a 92 high by noon. Not exactly the weather you want for the kind of exertion put out in 'Cross practice. We did two 15 minute race-pace intervals and I quite literally could wring out my jersey by the end of it. Yuck... (the heat, not the jersey - or maybe both!) Last weekend had to be one of the worst experiences I've ever had, though. I drove down to Macon, GA for the Georgia Single Speed Mountain Bike Championships. I'd been looking forward to that race for months but I knew things were just not going to go as I'd hoped practically from the moment I pulled into the parking lot. It was 95 deg. and blazingly sunny. Even worse was when I realized I only had a couple of water bottles - my Camelback was left hanging on the cabinet at home. Oh well, forge ahead! After 15 minutes of being staged and roasting in the sun we finally got the gun, and I had a great start. I was slotted nicely into 5th place with a very strong group of riders and was holding on without much trouble at all. Once into the woods the heat started to take on epic proportions though. The trail was bone dry and dusty and there was not even a hint of a breeze. By the end of the first lap I was about 45 seconds off the pace and was wringing wet. One bottle was empty and the other half gone which did not bode well. By the halfway point in lap 2 I had actually stopped sweating, and that was the point where I decided that it just was not worth it. I bailed and rode back to the parking lot. I hate quitting a race, but it was that or risk heat exhaustion. Besides, it had stopped being fun and that's part of what I ride for. The heat just is not for me, even after living down here for 10 years. It just adds insult to injury that northern Georgia is still in an extreme drought. What little rain we get is mostly in the form of thunder and lightning storms that are not much fun to be out in. I still sometimes sit back and wonder "How did I ever wind up in GA?" If the Farmer's Almanac is to be believed this fall and winter are supposed to be cooler than normal and rainy. That the best weather news I've had all year!

Natural Bounty (shhh, it's a secret)

Kind of an odd tangent to go off on, but I am continually amazed at how sheltered and, unfortunately, ignorant "most" people are about how many wonderful things are available for the picking, growing wild all around us. First off, I say "most" because A) I don't know everyone, and B) I'm only referring to folks I do know. What I mean is, there are fruits and berries all around us waiting to be picked and made into a whole variety of scrumptious things that they have no idea even exist. I work in a building that is right next to a big, protected wetland. Blackberries, wild grapes, wild strawberries and - how I have no idea - a whole stand of Ornamental Plum trees grow in mass profusion there. Every year I pick literally gallons of blackberries, a pint or two of wild strawberries and several quarts of the plums. The grapes are ripening now, and since I have no clue of how to make wine, I just walk the paths during lunch and pick handfuls of them to snack on as I walk back to the office. I have never seen ONE other person out there picking anything. I will sit at my desk after a lunch spent harvesting with a pitcher brimming with succulent berries at my elbow, and the reaction is always the same, even after four years. "Wow - those are incredible! Where did you get them? I love those, can I have one?" And every year, I point out the window and say, there are millions down there, just go pick some! No one ever does... I actually had one person come in the next day after walking and say "I didn't see that many so I left." I picked two pitchers full the following day. Go figure. Maybe it's because I grew up in a family that gardened and went berry picking every year, but to say that I'm a Country Boy is kind of silly. I've lived in the city since the day I left home, but I still see the nature even though it's surrounded by development.

Another example is when I did the Perry Road Race this spring in Perry, GA. The registration tent was right across the road from a whole line of huge, mature pecan trees. The ground was carpeted with nuts, and I found that most of them were good. I gathered up as many as I could stuff into my pockets, then sat there and munched on a bunch more. No one else even seemed to notice... There are lots of other nuts I gather each year - black walnuts, hickory nuts, some others that I can't even remember the name of but are sweet and delicious. Persimmions grow wild down here and are wonderful to eat right off of the trees. There are apple trees here and there, and even dandelion greens (best in spring when they are young and tender). There are probably a lot more things I don't know about, but I'm learning.

Maybe it's just our society, with everything available 24 hours a day, prepared, prepackaged, pre-cooked and preserved. Why spend an hour sweating in 95 degree heat getting scratched up by berry bushes when you can go to the freezer section and get a pie that's ready in 20 minutes (or 5 in the nuke-ro-wave). Well, that's a question I'll happily NOT ponder every summer while cutting a generous slice of fresh and delightfully delicious pie to go sit on the porch and enjoy as I stare at the woods behind the house. Sorry if there are no leftovers.

Bedroom Makeover Edition

As previously reported on, we got Thera's bedroom set up new a few weeks ago, but there were "color issues" with the decor, so Krista sprang into fierce action to find the appropriate bedcovers with approved sage green accents. I'd have to say that her endeavour was successful as the new comforter is much nicer. We (she) did decide to keep the old one as well for extra insulation for those really cold winter nights.

Chase also was in need of a makeover - his sheets and basic decor was Teddy Bears and he's getting past that point, so the Nautical theme is now the order of the day. We didn't have to do quite as much, mostly a new bed set for him, but we're looking at new paint and some other touches here soon.

This and That, or How I spent Monday

I wound up staying home on Monday so we could take care of some "issues" we were having with the kid's situation. Their Daycare is under new ownership and we have not seen much good come of it. On Friday, Chase had gotten into some trouble by not listening to a teacher and then running outside (no fights or nastiness) and had upset one of the child supervisors. I was told about it when I got there, but didn't see that anything really bad had happened so we went out to the car to go home. Evidently the supervisor was writing up an incident report and was angry that I left without signing it. (The report was not necessary since they are only used for injury or serious disciplinary problems like fights) Chase realized that he had left his jacket and so ran back inside to get it. The supervisor that had "handled" the situation saw him and made a very bad decision to express his displeasure - he stopped Chase from leaving, pushed him against the wall, pinned him there and threatened him about following the rules at the school. Chase came out to the car very angry and told me what had happened. My reaction was somewhat less than pleasant and I went back inside to pointedly make my opinion known to the person, although I kept my cool and didn't make any physical threats or contact. Both Krista and I were furious and contacted the school owner, who astonishingly was so spineless and wishy-washy that he made no decision to discipline the person. He apologetically told us that he would have to discuss the situation with his board and let us know the next day how they were going to handle it. We informed him that effective immediately our kids were no longer staying there. That's the unpleasant news - the good news is that we took Monday off and hunted around for a new aftercare for the kids, and found what is practically the Holy Grail of daycare in this area. Old Fountain Academy is only 1.5 miles from the house and has ratings and earned certifications that rank it as one of the best facilities in the state of GA.

We were both very impressed with what we saw and decided to enroll the kids before we could even roll out of the parking lot after our tour. We took them there after picking them up from school and both of them said they loved it. So we filled out all the paperwork and started them right then and there. Today was the first afternoon for them, and Chase said that he asked if he could please just stay for a little while longer! So good has come out of an initially very bad situation. (BTW - we're not going to force the issue with the old school by pressing charges or the like - if the new owner is that weak about his own employess and staff discipline, he'll self destruct without our help. The next parent likely won't be so nice, and they take child welfare investigations VERY seriously in GA.)

On a humorous note, I have decided that we do not actually own a Pomeranian, we in point of fact own a PomerDaneian. Harlow does not drink out of her own bowl, she stands up to her full height and drinks from Clouseau's bowl. She does not want her puppy food, she is much happier to try and chase the Danes away from their food bowls, and actually succeeded in that with Clouseau - Kato would have none of it and a sharp growl and nose punch established that, quick... Now Clouseau eats even faster than he did before, just in case that terrifying little 7lb raider comes 'round again. Harlow chases both Danes around the yard while nipping (literally) at their heels, and she unhesitatingly tackles both of them while they lay on the floor trying to sleep. In her mind, she is every bit as big as they are. Kato and Clouseau on the other hand are about the size of Chihuahuas. It's sad, but terribly amusing.

Sunday Wrap-Up

Two big Sunday events to report on this time - first, I finished Thera's new bed and we got it set up this evening. Thera had been using her daybed for several years, but she's sprouting fast and her head and feet could touch the ends of her bed when she stretched out, so we decided it was time for new sleeping accomodations. Krista went and scoured Craigs List and found a four poster bed frame, which I dutifully went out and bought, then refinished (as mentioned in my last post). It was worthwhile work, but I'm glad to be done. The past week has been a whirlwind of bedding, pillows, pillow shams, ruffles and so on and so forth (Krista - not me, I failed interior decorating years ago). Finally today we got the last pieces and I had enough good weather to paint the bed. By evening it was dry so I assembled it and Krista got it all set up. It is quite the beautiful girls room and we're very happy with how it turned out. Mostly... Krista has decided that the green in the comforter is too light and we need something more sage green like the pillows. So it HAS to go... Anyways - pictures attached. Let me know what you think!

The other BIG event is - it's my favorite time of year again! It's time for Cyclocross practice. For the uninitiated, cyclocross is kind of a mix between road cycling and mountain biking. The bikes look like standard road frames, except they run larger, off-road worthy tires. And unlike a road bike where you use standard caliper style brakes, Cyclocross bikes use cantilever or disc brakes because there is a lot more clearance for the wheels - good for muddy conditions that would clog up and stop a normal bike. The courses we ride and race on are a mix of paved roads, open grassy fields and wide mountain bike paths. At several points in the course there are either man made or natural barriers that force the rider to dismount, pick up the bike and leap over the barriers, run up the hill, slog through the sand - whatever the obstacle happens to be. Well, the racing season starts in October, so we had our first practice session today. A large group met up at Little Mulberry Park in Auburn, GA and we headed out for some skills drills, and a few easy laps of the course. Then the hard work started. We lined up for three 10 min. race pace intervals with 10 minute recovery periods. Since the terrain is so varied, and mostly on grass it's really not possible to rest or soft pedal to try and recover. You're on the gas from the start to the finish, so it's a real gut check and a great test of where your fitness is. I started well, and was actually quite surprised and pleased at the fact I was riding right up front with several of the guys that have always been very strong and extremely fast. I was riding well within my abilities and did not have to dig too deep to keep the pace. As a comparison, this time last year I was completing the intervals a good 30 to 45 seconds off the pace. A good start, and I hope that I can further improve my fitness level so I can be competetive in this year's race series. I'll be doing a lot of work on skills this year, too. There is an art to riding Cyclocross well - you have to be able to dismount the bike smoothly, hit the ground running to clear the obstacles and then leap back into the saddle and get clipped into the pedals and start riding again - all in one smooth, efficient series of motions. The really good riders can just flow through the obstacle sections. Riders like me look like they're working too hard. Practice, practice, practice. No one had a camera today, but maybe next week I'll have a few pictures to post. The one below is from a race last year - it gives you a good idea of what we put ourselves through.

Weekend Riding

Pretty much a normal, low key weekend - no big plans, a few bike rides, a clean house and a few projects done. I got Chase & Thera's sitter to come over on Saturday and drove up to Ft. Yargo to meet up with a couple of friends - Bob Kuhn and Torre Smitherman - for a few laps on the outside loop mountain bike trails. It was a nice morning for a ride, although still rather warm and humid. I'm looking forward to fall and winter! Bob is preparing hard to defend his GA State Champion's jersey for Single Speed Mountain Bike and is riding strong. I did my best to hold his wheel, but quickly discovered several "slight" problems. I'm riding too big of a gear for the steepest hills, my handling skills still leave a lot to be desired and last, riding a mountain bike is a whole world of difference from the road. I can hold my own on a road bike and maintain good speed and power, but on a mountain bike there is no steady pace - it's on and off the entire time. At a "race pace" you are constantly having to slow down for turns, obstacles, hills, etc... then jump hard again to regain your speed. There really isn't any rest, which is much different than road biking. There I can draft someone for a minute or two and drop my heartrate by 40 beats per minute or more, but on the MTB it's go, go, go. Even the "easy" sections aren't since you have to keep pedaling. Coasting on the trails does not work since you slow down really fast. Still, having Bob just within sight for nearly the entire ride kept me going and pushing hard to see if I could make up some ground. I also have to remind myself that I've done this maybe five times now since 1997. The handling skills will only come with time, and the fitness will take work. At least the tough hills can be helped by buying more cogs! All together I got in just over two hours of riding and had a great time. Then it was back to the house for the usual Saturday cleaning, sweeping, vacuuming, laundry, dishes, meals, dogs and projects. No rest for the weary!

Today was another episode of a ride I have done many times - The Dan's Macabre. This ride is so named because it's typically run as a fast race training ride and no mercy is granted for those who don't keep up - the warning posted for the ride is to the tune of "keep up or bring a map". However, today's sojourn was more of a Dan's Macabre Lite... No blazing pace and a regroup after the hardest part of the ride. Well, that plan kind of worked out. The turnout was great - possibly the most riders we've had all year. For most of the first half the pace was mostly civilized with just a few folks attacking off the front for a county line sprint. The second half was a lot faster with a few determined attacks and chases. I finally decided I'd had enough of the hard riding and eased up a long climb with my good friend Dan while a couple other riders kept charging. We waited at the top for the rest of the group and started a good, steady ride back to the cars. Well, that's what I thought. I was having a grand old time on the front, pushing a big gear and keeping my heart rate nice and steady. After a long time, I looked behind me at - Dan. No one else was even in sight. My puzzled question was - I wasn't going that hard, was I??? No matter, we caught up to the three guys in front of us and I had fun putting in a few hard, fast pulls in the last few miles of the ride. I finished my efforts with one final full power lead-out to the last sprint point of the day and then it was an easy spin back to the parking lot and a chance to catch up with everyone.

The rest of the day was relaxed and I'm finally just about finished with one of my projects. We bought a bed frame off of CraigsList for Thera, and it needed to be stripped and repainted. I'm doing it pretty much old school, just a paint scraper and sandpaper. It's tedious and not very easy, but I'm nearly done getting all of the old (and really bad) paint off of it. Now a good sanding and we'll repaint it and get it set up. It's a nice looking bed and should look great once we get it into Thera's room. Photos to come when we get that done! We went to our new favorite Mexican restaurant - Fernandos - in Dacula for dinner and a BIG beer. If you live in the area and want a good dinner, give them a try!

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta

OK, so this is not a "new" event, but I was going through my photo album and figured I'd share our experience of the Balloon Fiesta in Albuqureque, NM. Krista's Mom & Dad live out there, right at the foot of the mountains and invited us to come out for the Fiesta. This is the largest gathering of hot air balloons in the U.S., and probably the world. Over the course of a week, over 600 balloons take part. The real "action" is very early in the morning during the mass ascention. The balloons are staged in rows all over the main field and inflate then rise in waves. What is so amazing is that you are right there - you have to move out of the way as the crews lay out the fabric. As they begin to inflate the balloons they first use huge fans to begin the process, then they lite off the torches. At 0:My God It's Early AM it's in the 40's and those flames burn at over 1,000 degrees. If you are right next to the basket you get a rush of heat that's enough to make you want to take your jacket off. At least while they're doing the burn... Once the balloon rises the crew and passengers board the gondola and wait for clearance to lift off. The whole event is coordinated by the launch master and a slew of on field officials called Zebras - as they dress in black and white uniforms. Kind of like NFL officials but with a lot more eclectic style. The way they keep things moving, balloons launching and prevent collisions is like watching a ballet.



The experience starts off with the Dawn Patrol. This is a line of 10 to 12 balloons that inflate in the deep darkness just before dawn. Once all of them are up, they start to perform "burns" where they light off the gas torches at full volume. The whole balloon lights up. They will all light off at the same time, in sequence, randomly, in patterns... It's a light show like no other. Every balloon is colorful and they are lighting up in a riot of color. The show continues even after they ascend since it's still early twilight and they light up like giant unearthly fireflys as they rise into the morning sky.

After the Dawn Patrol lifts off the balloon crews go into high gear. Double rows of balloons - up to 30 at a time start to go rise and lift off. If you've never been up close to a hot air balloon it's amazing how big they really are. The two in the photo above are only half way inflated and they still tower over the spectators standing next to them. Now picture 30 of them all in a row as they ready to take off. Pretty amazing!

The show goes on until about mid-morning when the temperature starts to rise and the breeze usually picks up, making conditions too difficult for the crews to take off safely. It's a show you'll never forget. The best balloons are the "special shapes", and you'd be amazed with the variety and color. If you want an unforgettable experience - by all means find out when the Fiesta is and plan on going!

Back to School

Monday, Aug.11th was the kid's first day of the 2008/2009 school year. Chase is going into the 5th Grade and his last year of Elementary School. Thera has gone into Year 1 - Kindergarten. It's going to be really nice this year as both kids ride the same bus to school, and Chase is very good about looking out for his little sister. Not that she really needs it - she was extremely excited about her first day, and finally getting to ride the "Big Bus" after years of watching Brother get on it is a real thrill. Chase is helping her out with navigating the school, which can be quite a maze since all the hallways look the same. Fortunately he's an old hand at it now and walked her to the classroom before dashing off to his.

Another nice thing for Thera is that one of her best friends - Pria - lives just a few houses down from us and she is going to Kindergarten this year, too. The two had a great time playing over the summer and think that being able to ride the bus together every day is just way cool. They're not in the same class, but that's probably not a bad thing - especially for the teachers! Their classrooms are side by side so at least they see each other at lunch and during recess. Chase also gets to see his best friend Christophe during the day since their classrooms are next to each other as well.

Sunday Ride at Ft.Yargo

Instead of the usual road ride I do on Sunday, today I decided to head up to Ft. Yargo and ride the mountain bike around the trails. I still feel kind of like a kid in a candy store going out and doing trail rides. I did not even have a mountain bike for over ten years, and getting this one was a stroke of luck - it's good to have friends with sponsorships! I'm riding a Salsa El Mariachi 29'er, full rigid (no suspension fork) and set up as a Single Speed. For those not "in the know", Single Speed is where you take a standard type mountain bike and remove the shifters and derailleurs. It's just one chainring on the cranks and one cog on the back wheel - just like a kids BMX bike. Not having gears lets you just focus on riding. Hills mean pedal harder. Downhills mean pedal as fast as humanly possible then coast the rest of the way. The rest of the time, just ride as hard or as easy as you want and don't worry about it. That's about it...

I think the outer loop trail is between 10-12 miles long with lots of great singletrack. The weather was beautiful - at 8:30AM it was still in the upper 60's. I was really surprised at how few people were out riding - I did not pass one single rider while on the trails and only saw a few in the parking lot. Of course, I am DEEP in the Bible Belt so most folks are at church, which is fine by me since I don't have to deal with the crowds. Around here I guess I'm considered to be a Godless Heathen. Oh well... The group I ride with have taken to call ourselves the "Holy Rollers" just in case some morally offended Evangelical asks us why we aren't at church. Works for me! It's nice to be out in the woods enjoying the outside, and Ft.Yargo is a beautiful, heavily wooded park. It made for a very enjoyable Sunday morning.

A Lucky Find

I went out this morning for a short 28 mile ride so I could be back to the house before Krista had to go to work. The ride was going great - nice and cool for the first time in months, slightly overcast and a nice breeze to make things challenging. As I was cruising along I spotted something "electronic gizmo looking" on the shoulder of the road, so I quickly slowed down and turned around. I figured it would be something like a broken mobile phone or a childs toy, but it turned out to be an iPod Nano! I gave the dial a quick spin and the screen flared right up to the main menu. Being pressed for time I tossed it into my jersey pocket and continued home. I was the only person on the road and I never saw another rider, runner, walker or even a car. Being an honest man, the first thing I looked for on it was a contact page, profile or anything that might identify an owner, but there is nothing but (pretty lame) music on it. Unless the unknown owner has a psychic connection and follows it to my house, it appears that I've got an iPod now. I'll need to get cables and headphones to use it, but that's not much to invest seeing as this model is selling for $299.00 on Amazon. I do feel bad for the person who lost it though, I know that I'd be pretty unhappy.

Cheap Babysitter

Damn but these dog crates come in useful. Now I can go out for my Saturday rides and not have to pay a babysitter $8.00 per hour!

P.S. - Please don't tell Georgia DFCS...

Spiders - what next?

For the few that have not seen it already, a few years ago I got the idea in my head to get a tattoo. Krista actually was the one who found the studio I wound up using - All or Nothing Tattoo ( http://www.allornothingtattoo.com/ ) in Smyrna, GA. I'd had an idea for a tattoo for years but just never found it to be the right time. However, I'd been a key member of a project at work and received a nice bonus check shortly after finding the studio, so I went ahead and made an appointment. I got the spider tattoo because of a very vivid and meaningful dream I'd had shortly before Krista and I got together permanently. In the dream, I was lost, standing before a vast plain with threatening skies and not knowing whether or not to go forward into the distance or turn back. I looked down at my left arm where an impossibly large Wolf Spider was resting. Instead of being afraid, I remember how calm I was and how it seemed that the spider was radiating a sense of purpose, telling me to go forward and brave the unknown. Things got fuzzy after that as dreams do, but I kept that clear image and feeling for years before discovering that the spider is a very revered and meaningful symbol to the Native Americans - referred to as a Totem. To them the spider is the weaver who created the framework of the world and is a spirit guide. I decided that to have had a dream that was so memorable and vivid was worth expressing - so that's why I graced my shoulder with an unearthly looking Wolf Spider. That dream was something I thought about a great deal and it played a big part in my deciding to come to GA to be with Krista for good.

Whoa, deep thoughts! My artist was Jeff Paetzold. He's moved back to Chicago but I check his profile on a great tattoo website once in a while. He does some great work!

Company on the AM Commute

I've been bicycle commuting to work three to four times a week this year. Since I have to pick up Chase and Thera from their daycare in the evenings, I drive to a Home Depot where a lot of car pool riders park. From there it's a 15 mile ride to get into work, and about the same to get back (I take a slightly different route on the return leg). (From my house to work is 23 miles.) The route is on pretty decent roads and there are a lot of rolling hills, so it's not an easy ride by any means - I keep a pretty high pace since I am riding against the clock. I have it dialed in so the 15 miles takes almost exactly 40 minutes to ride, which gives me time to get a quick shower and be on my desk by 8:00am. It's a great way to start the day off, saves on gas, and can actually save me time in getting to work. During the summer the roads are pretty clear, but when school is in session my drive can be as long a 1 1/2 hours with all of the traffic congestion. The drive / ride takes me 55 minutes, and during the bike portion of the trip I am moving faster than traffic. Some of the backups have cars moving at 10mph or less for miles in stop and go conditions, and I'm passing them doing 20-25mph. There is just something very gratifying about that! There are very few people who ride bikes to work, so most drivers are not aware of cyclists. I have to stay attentive, but I very seldom have any trouble. The bike I ride is a Cyclocross bike, which is much like a traditional road bike but with slightly larger tires and can be taken off-road. I have tire liners which are pretty much flat proof, so if someone is not paying attention - or being a deliberate jerk - and is crowding the shoulder, I can just veer off the side of the road and pass them in the grass. I actually wind up doing that a lot since there is one section of road which has practically no shoulder at all. I've gotten so that does not slow me down at all, though. I do have a bit of a New York City Bike Messenger attitude and don't hesitate to ride very close to cars and take advantage of drafting dump trucks and buses. It's fun to get in the draft of a big truck and find yourself going down the road at 45+mph. That may not sound too safe, but by riding that way it keeps me right in the traffic flow and sometimes gets me moving just as fast as cars at the speed limit.

My friend and teammate, Kirby Newman is in Atlanta right now with his wife and two girls visiting family. We've been trying to no avail to hook up and train together since he got here, so he decided to wake up early this morning and meet me on the road for my trek into work. Despite being so short, it was nice to have some company on what is usually a pretty solitary ride. Kirby and I rode together a great deal when we were both still active racers in the 90's, and we both rode for the USPro Team Richbrau. He's coming off an unfortunate injury, but looks to be doing really well. Too bad we could not have gotten out for longer distance, but hopefully that will work out later this year. Besides, I have to avenge myself for a ride we did last year. I was comparatively out of shape, and tired from three days of hard training, so Kirby kicked my butt on a long ride we did out to Lake Lanier. That's not a big deal, but then he had to go back to Virginia and brag all on his bad self... Don't worry, Kirby - I'll remember that!

Year to Date - 64 days commuting to work @ 30.4 miles per day = 1,945.6 miles. Thats about 1,200 lbs of carbon for my 2.3litre 4 cylinder engine that's NOT going into the already polluted Atlanta air. Doin' my part!

Yet another furry thing in the house...

Not as though no-one knew it, but we currently have two Great Danes, Kato and Clouseau, two Maine Coon cats, Mavic and Genesis and a couple of fish. Well, Krista got the idea that it would be nice for Thera to have her own companion animal to be able to sleep with and take care of, so we started looking at small dogs. The focus narrowed down on either a Pug or a Pomeranian. We made inquires to several adoption groups and very quickly got a response about a 6 month old female Pomeranian at the Clayton County Humane Society. We had to make several long trips to visit and "interview" with them, but our application was well received and after a long wait to get the dog spayed, approved. About a week ago, Harlow made a grand appearance into our lives. She is a very sweet and obnoxiously cute little dog, and Thera is one very happy girl. Harlow did not have one bit of trouble fitting right in, and was trying to play with the two house horses almost immediately. It's quite a sight to see a tiny little 7lb Pom frogging with a 120lb Dane. She is going to be quite a spoiled little Diva, as she gets to sleep in Thera's bed, has full furniture privileges and will be going to Doggie Daycamp at Krista's PetsHotel several times a week. Maybe we're a bit crazy, but I like the idea of paying $16.00 for an all natural gourmet bag of dog food that will last for a month vs. buying a $40.00 bag of quality dog food that will last two weeks. We will enroll Thera and Harlow in training classes at PetSmart later on, and want to think about training them to do therapy work or be able to visit retirement or nursing homes. Grand ideas, but definately worth considering.

Kick-Off

A few random ramblings to start this thing off. I figured I'd finally join the rest of the world and come out of the dark ages by at least starting my own blog. And to think the earth didn't shake and the skies stayed sunny. I certainly can't say that I'm net, computer or tech savvy, but this does not get any easier, and I've been able to figure out how to post a Playlist even! With all of the things going on in our lives right now this forum is perfect for keeping up with family, race reports, pets and whatever life throws at me that seems to be interesting. And now, I'm going to do something completely different and go back to work.