What a great weekend. Cannot ask for a better anniversary trip, lots of good food, friends and bike riding!

Wow, 5 years already…I guess she does like me.  I thought for sure she would figure out that she is way too good for me by now. I love you Stephanie.

Thanks again Jerry and Shib for riding with me. It’s nice to have friends that will jump at the chance to do crazy things like ride our bikes up a mountain.

Stats from the ride (Including the extra 20 miles to and from camp.):
Distance:  112 Miles
Avg Heart rate:  130 bpm
Vertical Feet climbed: ~9000 ft
Speed: 16.2 mph

You know whats funny about this photo? The kid is already too fat for cycling ;) He probably still climbs better than I do also...

On a better note:

My self-imposed year of sobriety is almost over. Saturday after I ride up Mt. St.Helens, I will enjoy my first beer in over a year (Not counting my birthday...I had whiskey then). I am leaning toward Rogue's Chipotle Ale. Any suggestions?

So, I raced. I lost. Raced better then my last crit. Still working on my cornering. I think it took me longer to write this blog then it did to race ;) 

So this blog post has been very slow to come out of my head…sorry for the delay. Been dealing with stupid mental stuff. Did I mention I don’t like losing? The past couple of weeks have been a long overdue lesson.

Albany Criterium – one word: OUCH. Very fast, very fun…but exposed one of my weaknesses: Bike handling. We were cornering at 25-30 mph. I would hit my brakes because I was nervous and scared. So when I would hit the brakes, I would lose 10-20 places … I would have to work really hard to get back into the pack. This is a bad combo - in my oxygen deprived, scared shitless state I decided it would be a good idea to shift down to the small ring in front. This was a really bad idea. I lost a ton of speed, and by the time I shifted back up to the big ring, I was dropped. Then I could not chase back on. I ended up trying for about 10 laps before I got pulled from the race by the marshals. In a criterium event like this one, if you fall off the main pack and are about to be lapped, then you will be pulled from the race. It sucked. After the race, another teammate and I decided to ride the 30 miles back to Salem. It was a nice way to burn off some of the mental issues that come from losing a race that badly.

Silverton Road Race – one word: OUCH. Very fast, very fun…but exposed another weakness: Climbing. I didn’t have great expectations for this race. Turns out I was right not to. This one hurt a lot. My legs are really sore today. I got dropped towards the end of the first lap. I spent most of the day chasing other people who got dropped. It was kinda fun to pick them off one by one. I ended up finishing 31st in a field that started out around 50.  This was a very tough course. I am really glad I raced it. Next year, I will finish with the front group.

As some of you may know, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer a while ago. As an unabashed momma's boy this affected me deeply. She is and will always be the biggest inspiration in my life. Anytime I have challenges in my life I always think about her. She overcomes more by just getting out of bed everyday than I could ever imagine. She is and will continue to be the strongest person I know.

Luckily, she caught it in the very early stages, thank god. She is under going treatment now and doing very well. BTW, for all the women in my life. If you are not doing breast self-examinations...why not?

Me, Steph and her Mom, as well as my sister and her family are walking in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Boise on May 10th. So I need to raise some money. Please give what you can!

Click Here to Donate!

Our friend Sarah emailed me this story today, this guy is amazing!
http://thegearjunkie.com/large-fella-on-a-bike

I love cycling. Even without all the carbon fiber gear and super fast group rides. I am so thankful everyday that I found something I love to do that will keep me healthy for the rest of my life.

I am sure all my friends are sick of me trying to get them to buy bikes. I really just want everyone to be as happy as I am...sounds dorky I know. (also bikes are just cool as hell!)

So this race report is not so much about the race, but before it. Saturday I found out the interesting side effects of not being able to eat any calories while on the bike. I woke up Saturday morning feeling great. Went to eat my favorite breakfast (Oatmeal and toast with peanut butter) and something didn't feel right. I started having horrible stomach cramps. I couldn't finish the meal. Really weird for me.  So I continue packing the car and preparing to leave.

You're probably saying to yourself…why did you go. I am not sure. It never really crossed my mind to not go. I am really glad I did. I had a great time.
I picked up a one of my teammates, Jesse as I headed toward the race. Enjoyed some nice conversation on the way to Kings Valley. Much better then driving alone.

We arrive to the staging area after an absolutely beautiful drive. We got in line to register for the race and pay our fees. Said hi to a few teammates and racing friends.

I started getting changed in to my racing kit (uniform) and my stomach really starts aching. I decided to eat some calorie goo, so I won't bonk on the ride. I also manage to eat a banana. As I was spinning on the trainer warming up, my legs actually felt good.

The race began and the pace was pretty fast for the amount of climbing we were doing. I was not able to eat at all while we were racing. I tried but I would get nauseous every time. I was pretty worried at this point. I spent most of the day in the pack, I had hoped to push the pace a little for my teammate and work for the team, but alas this was not to be. I was pretty happy when the race was over. I finished in 48th place out 75 racers. I actually felt pretty good, for a while after. Jesse's wife made some wonderful cookies, which I ate, two or three of.

I wasn't until later that I really felt the effects of racing 56 miles with not many calories. I was really tired most of the day. About 10 o'clock I just crashed.

I had planned to race a short criterium on Sunday, but when it came time to get out of bed Sunday morning…it just wasn't happening.  I felt really tired. So I stayed home. Relaxed and went for a nice easy ride with Steph. It ended up being a very nice day.  I am a little disappointed I didn't race on Sunday, but there are lots of races this season. 

So my lovely wife emailed me some pictures yesterday...

June 2007	April 2008

Must.Ride.Now.  : )

I bet he descends like a mofo!