Happy Groundhog Day

This is how my weekend started. A cold, windy ride home with some scattered snow showers. I decided to check out the trails at Warren Wilson and was pleasantly surprised. I'll be incorporating that into my work commutes more often. Variety is good.







Saturday I was feeling sluggish, so I hung around the house with Rhonda and Jubal. We moved a fence back to make room for the construction project and then took a little hike on the Mtns to Sea Trail. Grilled quesadillas for dinner, delicious.



Sunday I met up with Stephanie and we headed out Yellow gap road starting at Rice Pinnacle. It was chilly but with the temps forcast to rise, I dressed for later. It turned out to be a great day weather wise.



Since Stephanie does not have a mtn bike (her boyfriend is holding it hostage in CA to make sure she comes back), she was on her cross bike. At Yellow Gap she turned around and I headed on to Laurel Ridge Trail. I pedaled up, alone soaking in the sunshine, turning the pedals, pushing everything out of my mind. Just riding.

At the top of the trail, I briefly considered heading on up to Pisgah Inn and riding down the Parkway. I stuck to the plan and headed down Pilot Rock. I am in need of improving my technical skills and this is a good place to do just that. The Snake Creek Gap route should feel easier after this ride.

Back down to Yellow Gap Rd, up to Yellow Gap, through Mills River, up to Bent Creek Gap, back to Rice Pinnacle. After spending the past 4 hours in the woods mostly alone, it was a bit of a shock to come down to Bent Creek and find an abundance of people. I think that it is great that so many people are getting outside though.

5.5 hrs on the trail, with only about 5 minutes worth of stops. Great ride!!!

Have a great day.

For Sale

Thule Cascade car top carrier, $200 e-mail me: stephen@thejanseses.com

Stillness

Last night's ride could be summed up by " Stillness". I got to the parking lot which was mostly full of cars but no people. It was quiet, the wind was still and the sky was clear. I started on my ride and was feeling good. Just an easy ride tonight with no agenda other than to spend time on the bike. After about 30 minutes, I was surprised to look at the thermometer and find out that it was 32 degrees. It felt warmer. The ground was partially thawed and I could smell the dirt and leaves. A faint hint of spring.

It got dark and I was not spooked yet so I kept riding. The sky was clear, the moon bright. Halfway through the ride, I heard rocks clicking together up on the ridge. Ok, that was odd. 10 minutes later, farther along the same ridge I heard the same distinct sound. Rocks being moved by something larger than the rock itself. Maybe it is the " Yunwi Tsundi".



This morning the Internet told me that the temp was 29. At Azalea Park ( pictured below) the temp was 24. When I got to work, I could see that Mt Mitchell and surrounding peaks were wrapped in clouds, looked like snow, sweet

Have a great day.

A Little LOST

I have been watching LOST for a ridiculously long time now. And I don't like to complain, but come on, man!!!!

It started out as a really great story, about a plane crash on an apparently deserted island. Then there were the "others", the polar bear, the horse, the hydro bomb, the hatch, Ben, real time, past tense, future tense. If you have not watched it, none of that makes any sense in any tense.

Every episode, they almost give us some answers. In fact, they do give us some answers, but I say almost because every answer creates plenty more questions. They multiply like fleas on a hound dog. ( not to stereotype hound dogs, but I imagine fleas would like a good hound dog).

So, I really don't like this show, but I continue to watch it in hopes that the end will be as good as the beginning, or better perhaps.

If you haven't seen it, you can rent the previous seasons on DVD or watch them on line, and join me in my misery.

My ride home last night was great, I was allowed to hammer up the hills, and let my heart rate go a little wild. It felt good, I felt good, the legs burned, yeah.

Here is some great advice from Chris Strout on intervals: "Good choice to go minimal on your first run, you should always finish intervals with the last one as quality as the first ... and feeling like you could do one more (maybe). BUT, just wait. As you get stronger, they get harder, in a vicious circle that will beat the crap out of you before it makes you a beast"!

Bring on the beast.

Have a great day

Closing Time

Today we close on our loan. Now I have to decide if I am going to go through with the building project or go on vacation!!! It is something to think about.

Brad Kee form Kee Mapping and Surveying did a great job of letting me know where my easement/building setback lines are.

Tomorrow I meet with my contractor to review the plans, they will start the grading process and it is all downhill from there!!

Training is going well. I am at a point where I get to pick which workout I want to do from about 5-6 different choices. This keeps it interesting and fun, but is always a dilemma as to which one to do today. I have considered putting them all in a hat and drawing one each day.

Big ride in the plans for this weekend!!

Have a great day.

Please Help Us!!!

If you live in or near Asheville, if you ever plan to visit or move here, if there is even a remote chance you might think about ever calling this city your home, please either come to City Council tonight, or send an email to the City Counsel members, asking them NOT to close this road.
Thanks for your help.

From the BioWheels Web-site

Asheville City Council to Consider Giveaway of Planned Greenway Route on Tuesday, January 27!

What can you do?

1) Attend City Council Mtg on Tuesday, Jan 27th.

2) Email City Council telling them not to sell our future greenways and that connectivity between Downtown, AB-Tech & the River Arts district must be the priority.

The Asheville Greenway Master Plan includes a planned route that starts at the southern edge of downtown and follows an old city-owned roadbed mid-way between Coxe and Ashland Avenues known as Wallack St. The Wallack and Town Branch Greenway would ultimately reach the river district and lead to connections to AB Tech and the planned Beaucatcher Overlook Park.
The greenway would provide a great off-road bike and pedestrian trail, would be an environmental plus, and would support continued progressive redevelopment of the Coxe Avenue corridor. The city’s Greenway Commission recently did a study that ranked this planned route 11th out of the 26 routes included in its long range plan.
Property owners bordering the Wallack Street right-of-way have petitioned City Council to close the corridor. The closure would result in the city giving away, for just for the asking, all of this publicly-owned land to the neighbors that front on it. Some on City Council have already staked out a position favoring the street closure and give-away.
We must act to protect the little remaining open space the city owns.
Again…Please contact all members of City Council at once and simply say that you oppose the closure of Wallack Street and want to see it preserved for a future greenway. Also plan to attend the City Council session at 5:00PM this Tuesday to show your support. Time is short so act now. And pass the word by forwarding this email.
Emails of Council Members:
newmanasheville@aol.com;
rcape@charter.net;
mayorbellamy@ashevillenc.gov;
drmumpower@aol.com;
jandavis@main.nc.us;
billrussell@charter.net;
kellyforcouncil@gmail.com


Have a great day.

Swannanoa River Reclamation

Here is a picture of the Blue Ridge Mtns, looking over Warren Wilson College land. This is how I started my weekend.

In my quest to find more dirt to ride on my work commute, I stumbled onto this portion of the Swannanoa River. River Link is in full force, pushing this project forward. (click on the link and scroll down for details).

I have ridden past this area about 6 times each week for the past two years and never knew that this oasis was 200 yds from the road. So, I as got off the beaten path, I was pleasantly surprised to find some river restoration work going on. The river is being reconstructed to include pools for fish and other water lovers, and the water will also become more oxygenated due to the waterfalls constructed.

While all that is great, my first thought went to, "wow, this would be a great place for learning eddying, ferrying, and surfing in a kayak or canoe". And that is almost exactly what my 4yr old son said when he saw it:" Daddy, I want to kayak down this!!".

Where is this place? Azalea Park. Behind the soccer fields that stay green all year long!! And the plus for my family is that it is only 2.5 miles from our house.

It was another daddy/ son weekend as Rhonda was working. We continued to work on the skills park in the back yard.

The skinny log ride:

One of the ladder rides:

This is the one we build on Saturday. The big Maple logs are from the tree we cut down to make room for the addition:

And the plank ride:

This is Texas, wondering what we are doing, much like our neighbors wonder what we are doing:


Have a great day!!

BC

I got out for a short ride in Bent Creek last night. After the game of Hockey, I was not sure if I was going to be able to ride, but I actually felt great. I have some new Specialized Pro Carbon shoes and those things rock. I can totally tell the difference in power transfer.

I hit the trail and went up Wolf Branch. It is a fun little single track trail with a few optional difficult lines. I was feeling good so I hit the first little log ride instead of the bridge. Nice. On up the trail I rode over a couple of log piles. My goal was a log ride at the end of the trail. The set up is a rock about two feet long leaning against the log at a 45 degree angle. I have attempted this before but always backed out. With the skills elements in my back yard, I have been learning some things and my confidence has soared.

I got to the log, rolled up the ramp and stalled. I went on up the hill, turned around and rode down the log!!! Nailed it. I turned around, got my speed up, hit the ramp, rolled up, bobbled, pedaled, rode the entire length of the log!!! Yeah!!

I pedaled on up Ingles Field and at 5 points took Little Hickory Top. I was surprised at this point to be riding through an inch of snow. The whole hill side was still covered in it. The sun had set and the sky was darkening, making the snow bright white in contrast. Towards the end I took the techy narrow single track option. At the end of this fun trail is a sharp hairpin, off-camber uphill turn that dumps into a creek before continuing down the hill. Again, confidence from practicing skills, I rode through without a dab!!

I was tired but elated. I headed back to the parking lot.

When I got to the lot, it was dark but I recognized the voices of some Bio-Wheels guys. I decided to have a little laugh. "Hey, do you guys know Stephen Janes?" I yelled. " Yeah, we know him", they said. " I heard that he is kind of a jerk", I yelled. At this point they got really quiet and didn't say anything. " Have you heard that?" I asked. Mike Brown and Chris K spoke up," No, actually he is a really nice guy!". And then suddenly they realised it was me. We had a good laugh, they headed out into the darkness and I headed home.

Have a great day.

Got Hockey?

This morning it was 17 degrees at 6am but it was supposed to get to 25 by 9am. Considering that the sun was coming up, there were no clouds, and barely a breeze, I road my bike to work. Ouch.

After getting in the office and getting changed, the phone rang.
"Hey Stephen", it was one of my co-workers. "Get down here, we're all skating on the lake". What ensued was an hour long hockey game. I played my heart out, scored, made some great shots, some really bad shots, talked a lot of trash and hit the deck more than once. I've been skating before, in Charlotte, at Eastland mall, a loooong time ago. But, I have never played hockey. It was definitely a blast!!

I got the approved building permit from the City of Asheville yesterday. That was very exciting. Reading through all of the guidelines for building to code was pretty overwhelming. The next step is to get the building setback and the easement surveyed, the inspector is going to want to see those lines.

Have a great day.

I have a Panoramic View of Life

Just something to chew on....


I will not be getting a variance for encroachment onto the sewer easement in my yard. I talked to MSD and while they were very friendly, they are not going to give a variance for a foundation, even if it is only 2 inches.

The next step is to hire a surveyor to mark the easement line for me so I know exactly where it is.

I met with an electrician yesterday, I'll give more details on that at a later date. Let's just say that he was very helpful and answered all of my questions like they really mattered.

Since the outside temps were in the teens to twenties last night, I was relegated to the shed for some intervals on the rollers. My training plan is becoming a little more complicated as I have more workouts to choose from. The recommendation was to do 3-5 intervals lasting 6-12 minutes each. Having never done structured intervals, I didn't know what they would do to me, so I went with the minimum: 3- 6 minute intervals. The results? I felt great, could have done more. I kind of like intervals. I got to ride really hard for an extended period. Fun stuff, I can't wait to do more.

Have a great day.

Press Release

Some very exciting news about getting the word out: "The Power of Bicycles".

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Siren Bicycles ‘Teams’ with World Bicycle Relief;
Endurance MTB Brand Finds New Home in Tucson

TUCSON – (JANUARY 19, 2009) – Siren Bicycles, a boutique builder focused on the endurance mountain bike market, has partnered with World Bicycle Relief to field Team World Bicycle Relief-Siren for the upcoming season. The team will be aboard production softail Song SL bicycles, riding to raise awareness of World Bicycle Relief’s programs and mission.


"This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the work of World Bicycle Relief," said Siren Bicycles founder Brendan Collier. "Siren is all about seeing the bicycle as a sustainable mode of transportation, and World Bicycle Relief is dedicated to providing bicycles in support of healthcare, education and economic opportunity."


Collier also announced the relocation of Siren Bicycles to Tucson, Arizona. The location in central Tucson offers space for design and fabrication of both production and custom/semi-custom mountain bike frames, in addition to an upcoming "city bike" project focused on an affordable and sustainable bike design for urban use.


The partnership with World Bicycle Relief is part of the organization’s "Grassroots" campaign, in which athletes and teams support its work by serving as ambassadors. "Teams like World Bicycle Relief-Siren are out there every day, on the roads and trails, raising awareness," according to Katie Bolling, head of the Grassroots program. "Using our logo on their jersey and with our educational materials, individuals and teams can speak knowledgably about our work in underdeveloped regions of the world."


The team consists of Pro endurance racers Dan Brennan, Todd Carpenter, Brad Majors and Chris Strout, and amateurs Craig DeAmbrose and Stephen Janes. Between them, the riders have scored several top results in recent seasons, including a podium and several top-10s in the 24-Hour National Championships; national and regional wins in 12- and 24-hour events; and strong finishes in National Ultra-Endurance (NUE) races.


For 2009, the team will open the season at the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo, near Tucson, and will go on to contest national and regional races including select NUE events and the 24 Hour National Points Series.
###

Happy MLK Day!!

Here is a really cool picture from the Jan 09 Snake Creek Gap TT!! (thanks Cara)

Saturday was spent hanging out with my family at home. I did get a 1 hr spin in which was cold. But, according to responses to my Facebook profile, I am quite a sissy, and I don't really know what cold is. That's fine, I don't mind not knowing what real cold is, because it is going to be in the upper 40's later this week!!

Sunday was a nice 4hr 45 min ride. I started at home, down the Parkway,  through the Aroboretum: Hartimes Rd, South Ridge, Deerfield Connector, Pine Tree, Explore Loop, South Ridge Rd, Bent Creek Gap Rd, Spencer Branch, Trace Ridge, Dirt Rd 5000 back to Bent Creek Gap, Lower Sidehill, Campground Connector where some really cool features are being installed, (you'll have to go take a look for yourself), Back through the Arboretum, Parkway and home. I was please when I saw that I had gone 47 miles!!!

I am really tired of seeing sweet log rides all over the woods and not being able to take advantage of it. So, I'm doing something about it. But, you'll have to wait until I can get some pictures up!!!

Have a great day.

Encroaching

I'm attempting to get a variance for an encroachment on an easement. That's what it will take to build like we want to build. The problem is that the sewer line is currently private since it has not been closed out with MSD and thereby made public. So, what does that mean? Not sure yet, I'm waiting to hear back from MSD, who by the way has been very helpful.

In fact, all of the City of Asheville people I have worked with so far have been helpful. I hope that this continues on such a positive note.

I turned in the application for the building permit this morning. It will take 5-7 business days to have the plans reviewed. Hmmm,, try not to think about it!!

Riding: I got on the rollers in the shed last night, might do that again tonight. I'm pretty sure my soft southern lungs would crystalize if I tried to ride outside in these temps.

Chris Strout on the other hand told me that he thinks this is great weather for trail riding. Chris also lives in a huge city....


Have a great day!!!

"Arctic Blast"

And we are not talking about ice cream from a fast food restaurant. The temperature right now is 28, the forcasted high is 29!! Wow!!

Yesterday I met with someone in the zoning office who was very helpful in helping me determine where I can build. Once we are done, it looks like I will have used up all of my space in the front of the house. The zoning office is in City Hall. In order to get to the 5th floor, I got to ride in the old elevator that is run by turning a wheel, and there is a cage instead of the more modern door. That was fun.

Today I am going to the courthouse to get an updated platte, so that I can make sure nothing has changed. Hopefully that will go as smoothly as yesterday.

As far as riding, I'm looking forward to a light spin on the rollers tonight!!

Have a great day.

In The Mix

I got to ride home in the wintry mix last night. Rain had been forecast for 3pm, but it held off until 5pm. That worked out well for me because by then, the temps had dropped and it was mostly snow and some sleet. As I got closer to home there were waves off light rain/sleet mix which eventually turned to mostly snow and some sleet. Nice touch. I'm really glad that snowflakes are small though, if they were 50 times bigger, they would be comparable to frozen ninja stars, and that would not be good.

I get to go to the City of Asheville office today. I need them to help my determine the exact location of my building setback, so that I don't build on the Right of Way. After my experience with them last summer, I am not a bit concerned about having a good experience.

No riding today.

Have a great day!!

Some People Never Learn

Apparently I did not learn enough with my last building experience, and I am not quite tired of renovating this house, so I am going to take on an even bigger more challenging project. Why not? This time around I have hired a couple of seasoned contractors to do the major work, and to guide me in the permit/planning process. So, it should be relatively easy. We'll see.



They came over to the house yesterday and we spent about two hrs tossing around ideas. At this point, we are going to add on about 312 sq feet, to the current 625 sq ft house. It was either add on and build an additional bedroom for Jubal, or cut a hole in the wall at the end of his bed so that he could stretch his feet out.





This is the East facing wall. The windows are high up so that our neighbors won't be able to see what we are doing, and we will still be able to get light. we will also have cathedral ceilings, with wooden tongue and groove panels on the ceiling, and some type of dormer window. This is the common room wall.

This is the west side of the addition, which is our bedroom. We will also have cathedral ceilings, the same as the common room, and a dormer window. Hopefully we will also have a bump out window that we can curl up in to read a book or drink coffee.

This is the North side of the house, the side that faces the road. Again, lots of window space to provide natural light.

We are very excited about this project and very excited to have some people we trust working with us. 3 months ago we had no idea that this would be happening now, but with the interest rates so low, and having been in the house almost 5 yrs, we are going to be able to do this and keep our mortgage affordable. We don't mind living in a smaller space, thereby avoiding the stresses of trying to keep up with a high mortgage.

I'll keep you updated.

Have a great day!!

Weekend

Friday night I got out of my conference early. I headed to Bent Creek to hit the trails. I got in a nice easy paced spin with Rebecca and Angela. Timing was perfect. I got back just in time to meet up with Ben Blitch. Fun.

Saturday, I took Jubal to watch Arena Cross at the WNC Ag Center. That was great. They had 4 yr old all the way up through pro categories. Some of those guys, and girls, could fly. I saw one dude get run off the course, putting him in about 15th. By the end of the 3 laps he had worked his way back to 3rd. Another guy did some pretty wild no-handed cartwheels, head and feet only. We also got to see the quad races, and see one of the riders get run over by his own quad, yeah!!!!



Saturday and Sunday rides were squeezed in between Rhonda getting home from work and darkness, with a little rain and freezing temps just for fun.

This is looking down hwy70 West.

This is my face during a tempo ride and 36 degrees

This is my face during hill climb intervals.

This is the Blue Ridge Pkwy.

That pretty much sums up my riding this weekend, good stuff.

Have a great day.

Recovery Spin

I had a great recovery spin on the gravel roads at Bent Creek.

I had been at a conference for work all day. I was ready to get moving. So, when they pulled out the drinks and finger foods for cocktail hour, I hit the road to BC.

There were only five people in the parking lot when I got there and 3 cars when I left. I got changed and rolled out. The temp was about 38. I rode until it got dark, turned my lights on and decided not to spend another minute running from imaginary monsters.

When I got back to the lot it was 33 degrees. Loaded up headed and headed home to hang with my little family.

Today, instant replay. Conference then ride: Moonlight ride at 6pm, Rice Pinnacle. Come on out!!

Have a great day.

Snowstorm

There should be a different name for a snowstorm that only lasts 20 minutes.

I rode to work yesterday morning, the temp was 38 and it was rainy and overcast. By the time I left to go home, it was cloudy, 35 and snowing. Not a constant snow, snow showers. And it was great. I hit some of the old logging roads on camp before going home. I needed to get some extra time on the bike.

By the time I got to the Parkway, the clouds let loose and dumped snow, visibility was about 200 yrds. If it had kept up, we would have had some great snow on the ground in the morning. But, 15 minutes later, it was dark and the sky was clear. I kept waiting for the impending black of night to set in, but it never did. I could not figure out why, until I looked up and saw the moon. My first thought went to my Thursday night ride in Bent Creek, and how cool it will be to have some moonlight. Yeah, it's gonna be another good one.

Have a great day.

Great Moment

We were eating some delicious Picante Chicken that Rhonda whipped up and baked in our iron skillet. It was full of juicy onions and green peppers. Jubal was complaining about them, he is a 4 yr old. So, being the well rounded dad that I am I explained to him that some kids in the world don't have anything to eat. We moved on to desert: a chocolate pudding brownie cake with whipped cream on top. As we were eating that, I mentioned to Jubal that some kids don't ever get dessert.
After thinking for a few minutes, 4yr olds like to process deep thoughts, Jubal said" Well, when I get big I'm going to help them". When I asked him to be more specific, he told us that he was going to go live with the kids that didn't have much and help them.

Yeah, that's my boy!!!!

Ride Home

Last night was warm. I decided to extend the ride home for some reason, even though I didn't have front lights. Probably because it was warm and I wanted to enjoy it.



I took off on the Rockmont property and did a loop out there before heading home. What a blast, warm air, shorts and short sleeves, recovery pace, just cruising along. Then it got dark, I refused to rush home, just took my time. Ahh, tomorrow we are supposed to get rain and a lot of it. Maybe I'll ride still maybe I won't, but I'm going to enjoy this ride, right now.


And I did.

This morning I woke up to 100% chance of rain. So, I rode the rollers for 30 minutes, I guess I could have ridden longer if I had gotten up earlier. I'm so glad I live in a mild climate. It's supposed to be sunny the next couple of days, so I'm looking forward to some more workouts.

Have a great day.

Mud, Bliss and Gears

I am off to a good start for the 2009 race season, and it can only get better. I didn't win anything, didn't come close, but I did learn some more valuable lessons and gained some valuable confidence.

The Start: we go off in waves of 5.

I had Friday off, so we got up, loaded up and headed down to Dalton. We decided to try the interstate route since we had the six cylinder mini-van as opposed to the 4 cyl accord we had last year. It took about the same amount of time and was overly stressful due to so much traffic. We will take the scenic route past the Nantahala and Ocoee from now on, the scenic route cost us a 1/4 tank less gas too.

We decided to try America's Best Inn. The rate was $45 for the night and about the best in town. My gut told me to check the room before we checked in. Thanks to my gut, we did not stay at America's Best and if this truly is America's Best, well, we are in big trouble. We drove down to Days Inn, where we stayed last year. For some reason, the rate was $45, breakfast included, and with Starbucks one block up, what more could we ask for.

We found some pasta at a local restaurant, went to the room to watch TV, then went to bed. The previous week, I had been fighting a cold, but was finally starting to feel better. The downside was that I had lost one week's worth of training, valuable training that would lead up to this race.

I decided not to stress and use this race as a test, to see how I was doing.

Saturday, we were up at 7am. I went to the finish line to check in while Rhonda and Jubal got breakfast. I was feeling good and not at all nervous. We got packed up, headed out, and proceeded to get lost. At one point we crossed paths with another racer who was also lost. We finally found the start and were greeted by Cara and Andy Applegate, and Dwight Wyatt. There was supposed to be quite a crew of Ashevillians here this time, so I was very excited.

I started the ritual of getting ready, took a spin around the parking lot with Jubal (he wanted to help me get warmed up). For some reason I looked closely at my rear tire. I felt that I should have replaced it before this race, and that was confirmed when I noticed a dime sized blister sticking out. Dwight, Cara and Andy all gave me welcomed tips on what to do if it flatted. Well, there was nothing to do except race, pray, and hope.

The start went really well, and I really scared the guys in my wave when I blasted out of the start. Once I got out of view of the start crowd I slowed down and settled in to my pace for the day. With all the recent rain, the course was muddy, slimy, wet. In no time I was covered in mud. The views were impossible to see because of the fog.

I felt good, and decided not to push it too hard, especially since I had been sick. It turned out to be the best thing for me to do.

This race is such a great mix of single track and dirt road. I decided to enjoy my ride. And that I did.

Last year I was on a single speed, this year I had gears. I was riding everything, I was cruising the downhills, I was attacking the techy stuff and cleaning most of it. Such a change from my single speed days. I was really enjoying this ride. I was passing people, being passed by a few people. In what seemed like no time I was at the half way point. My pit crew, switched out my bottles and handed me an energy bar. Jubal took a bite first to make sure it was ok.

I hit the long single track climb to the ridge. Up and down, in and out, just loving being out there. Then came the long gravel road climb to the last 10 or so miles, most of which is technical. I had to walk a lot of this last year, so I was looking forward to seeing how I would do. I was very pleased with how my skills have improved. I was actually enjoying the section, and I enjoyed it the whole time.

I got to the water tower, hit the pavement and headed down, I probably could have shaved a little time here, but with my blistered back tire, which had miraculously held up, I didn't want to take too much of a chance.

On down to the finish, I passed one more person 100yrds from the finish. And then it was over. I was muddy, my bike was muddy, and I felt great. Don't get me wrong, I was tired, but I felt way better than previous races when I was maxed out the entire time.

My time was 4hrs 30 mins. 30 minutes longer than last years personal best. Hmm, room for improvement. And, considering that I am just under 2 months into my new training program, I have only had one week of speed and force work, I was sick and missed out on a week of training, and my bike is heavy, I feel that I am going to see a lot of improvement in the next to rounds.

So, until next time.

Have a great day!!

Good News and Bad News

Happy New Year!!

It appears that our Turbo Tax program was stolen a few weeks back. Hmmm, hopefully it wound up in the trash when they realised that it was not a video game.

Asheville did not have fireworks last night. They had fireworks the first three weekends in December to encourage people to come downtown, hoping to boost the economy. Hmmm, that's OK, our good 'ol boy neighbor dutifully discharged all 9 shots from his semi-automatic, one lot away!! Hopefully he was not pointing up!!

Saturday I woke up with a sore throat. It got worse and Monday I almost went to the Dr. It started to get better on Monday and Tuesday I went to bed feeling good. Wednesday I woke up with a congested head. Hmmmm, at least I have two days to recover before my first race of 2009.

As I write this Rhonda is fryin' up some bacon and blueberry pancakes!! Hmmm, at least I am not going hungry!!!

Have a great day!!