Save The Trails Challenge

Before we get into it, Brendan is doing something really cool. Check it out.


With heavy rains for the past couple of days and one more day of rain expected on Saturday, the organizers decided on Friday to postpone the ride until Sunday. Kudos to them. If the ride had happened on Saturday, the rate of DNF would have skyrocketed.



Since I had Saturday free, it was warm and there was lots to do in the yard, I worked in the yard. Cutting wood, chopping wood, hanging house wrap etc. Not resting. If this had been a race I would have taken more time to rest and be ready.



Sunday we woke up to clear skies. It was chilly, upper 30's and windy. We loaded up and headed to Dupont State Forest. For some reason my stomach was having issues. I'm not sure if I was nervous about trying my liquid nutrition plan or what, but it was not cooperating. I was ready to bag that ride if I started feeling any worse.



With a reminder that "this was NOT a race" the Pisgah Area Sorba President said to have a nice ride and we were off. I took off, several people followed and I reminded everybody that this was NOT a race. I was gonna have some fun. I was in the lead as we crested the first climb and I yelled back " I'm not racing!!". Then down the hill a quarter of a mile and....oops...missed the first turn and took about 10 people with me. Haha!! I'm glad it was not a race. I turned around, made a couple of passes, caught the leaders and realised that I was going too fast. I let them go.



I slowed down to a pace that I ended up keeping for the rest of the day: steady. High cadence, low power, just spinning.



The course was a combination of mud, hard packed sand, rock and water...lots of water. We got to go through three river crossings, two knee deep and one thigh deep complete with safety ropes.



After the first two hours of riding, my stomach started to settle, and I was feeling pretty good. The scenery was beautiful. Never having ridden here, it was like I was somewhere far away.



After three hours, I was feeling good. Up to this point I had only had liquid nutrition and I was still feeling fine. I saw Rhonda and Jubal at mile thirty and bummed half of a pb&j. It tasted good and sat well in my stomach. My hunch was that I was getting just barely not enough calories. But since I was feeling fine, I stuck to my plan.



I rode most of the day alone. Every time I got to a rest stop, Wes was just leaving. I could not catch him though, he stayed just ahead...all the way to the end.



I got to the last rest stop with 5 miles to go. I asked several times if was really only 5 miles to go!! They assured me that yes, it was only 5 miles. They asked what I needed and mentioned that they had sweet tea. I said" You have sweet tea!!!???" Like it was something rare. I could not wrap my head around the fact that they had sweet tea. I was a bit fatigued. So, instead of try to process it, I took off.



With about 3 miles to go, I took a wrong turn and added another 2 miles and about 400-500 ft of climbing, no joke, it was steep and took me up the ridge. I could see down to where I wanted to be. Man, that hurt.



When I got back to the parking lot, I expected to have that extreme hunger that I usually get immediately, but it was not there. I credit the liquid diet that I had. I am looking forward to trying it out again next weekend at the 6 hrs of Warrior Creek. After discussing the details with Namrita, she informed me that I still need additional calories and electrolytes. Good info, that's what I had suspected, but it was good to have confirmed by someone who knows what they are talking about!!



5hr 45 minutes, 46 miles, feeling good at the end. The ride was a success for me.



Have a great day.

Quick Update...

.....full story later.

Save the Trails Challenge. Pisgah Area Sorba had laid out a most excellent route showcasing Dupont at it's finest!! This was my first time to ride out there so it was great being able to ride so many trails in one day. I even took a wrong turn and got to experienc an extra two miles and probably 400 feet of climbing!!!

Until later:

Thanks to my support crew!!!

Loss of Perspective

I've been in a funk the past couple of weeks. I've been annoying myself, and probably others with the funk. I suddenly realised that I was in a funk a few days ago and decided to figure out what is going on, let go, and move on.

Just like in training, in life we have limiters. These limiters eventually lead to stress that hinders our forward progress. I know what my limiters are on the bike, but currently, what is it about life in general that is holding me back??

So, I figured out what is stressing me, made a mental list and started working on it:

-my yard floods when it rains- poor drainage. Solution: I ordered some fill dirt.

-the addition project had some minor hitches. Solution: take a deep breathe and be patient.

-My new frame needs just the right components but added up not affordable right now. Solution: strip some old parts off of the old bike.

Cool, now that that is taken care of, why am I here, what am I doing, why do I race my bike? For me? Yes, but not only for me...

For World Bicycle Relief, to get the word out about " The Power of Bicycles", and Siren Bicycles, to spread the word about a great hand built bike company. And not just any old company, one whose owner, Brendan Collier, is taking a risk not only to sponsor me, but to sponsor the entire WBR/Siren team!!!

So for her:

And them:

And them:

And others:

(photos courtesy of Leah Missbach Day and World Bicycle Relief)

I ride, to raise awareness, to help my brothers and sisters around the world!!! Don't loose perspective!!!

Have a great day.

First Pictures

It has been a very exciting week for me. Not only did I get my new WBR/Siren kit in the mail yesterday, Brendan sent these pictures to me today. This is my new Siren 55 SL. All he has told me so far is that it is light. And, that is pretty much all I asked for so that's cool!!! Oh yeah, I did ask for white, and that is what it will be. White and red for the WBR scheme!!!

Nice!!

Sweet!!!

Oooohh!!!!

Aaaaaaahhh!!!!

Yowza!!ooooohhaaaaaahhhh!!!
Luvin' it!!!!

Now I get to figure out which parts fit my budget, and which parts I'll be pulling off of my current ride to get it built up and going fast!!!! Yeah!!!

Have a great day!!!

The Picture Says It

This was my ride last night, the picture says more about how I felt than I can say...

Have a great day!!

Good Stuff

I went to visit my sponsor Okie Dokie Smokehouse yesterday and they hooked us up with some shirts and hats. They now have an all you can eat pork plate from 4-8pm on Monday evening. Hmmmm.

I also got a call from Brendan at Siren Bicycles!!! Sounds like the build is in process. Sweet!!

Chris and Brad are excited to be coming down in about 30 days to challenge the countries best at the Cohutta 100:
Tanguy
Tostado
Koerber
O'Dea
Marenchin
Simonster
Beck
Eatough and Schalk
Applegate
Majors
Strout
Janes
( if you have links to any of the other's blogs let me know)

It appears to me that the sport of mountain biking is growing in the US. Maybe I am more aware because I am involved but if you don't think so, look at how many events are available this year. You actually have a choice of more than one event some weekends. Awesome!!!!

Have a great day.

Wheel Day

The kids after the ride:

Stephen and Jubal:

Lookout Joshua Juarez!!!

Yesterday was Wheel Day at Jubal's school. They are learning the letter W. They all got to bring their bikes and scooters and ride them around in the school parking lot. Of course I wanted in on the action so I invited myself.

We rode around in circles, races, there were some hard crashes but no permanent harm done!

My commute home/ training ride consisted of sprints. I'm not a sprinter, I like to climb and spin. I almost talked myself out of the sprints but realised that that is exactly why I needed to work on that skill.

My nutrition experiment worked out really well. For the hour ride to work on no breakfast, I felt great. I also did not have the driving hunger that I typically have after getting to work. Then the 1.5 hr ride home was another good test. I usually get hungry about 45 minutes in to my ride. But last night, I didn't get hungry, and when I got home, just like in the morning, I did not have that driving hunger that I usually have.

Hmmmmm, any thoughts?

Have a great rainy day!!!

Nutrition

I continue to attempt to dial in my nutrition for endurance racing. Once I get that figured out, I think that I will do really well. I'm thinking about my body and what it needs and likes. On just a day to day basis, what is it that my body likes? The first thing that comes to mind is bland.

Don't get me wrong, I love some good chicken wings, or pepperoni pizza...rich comfort foods, but later or the next day, I can tell that my body did not digest those foods like it would a plate of spaghetti, or another less fattening type of dish.

So, I am thinking that I need to fee my body bland foods on my rides. So how do I do that, I don't know.

But, I was reading about make your own energy food, and looked at gels in particular. My favorite gel is based on Maltodextrin. Hmmm, I have a tub of Maltodextrin sitting at home ( don't ask why). So, I say to myself," Self, why not mix some Maltodextrin with water and add some nuun?" And that is what I did.

To try it out, I skipped breakfast this morning, and drank my concoction on the way to work. One problem with this test is that my ride is only one hour and it was 40 degrees this morning. So it is difficult to really test this past the 4 hr mark which is where I usually run into trouble.

But, I will say I felt good. I sipped on it consistently, felt a twinge of hunger here and there but I actually felt better than when I eat breakfast and then ride to work. And after arriving to work I didn't have that driving hunger that I usually experience. Hmmm.

Any thoughts?


Have a great day.

1st Weekend Of Srping

I got in some good rides after Rhonda got home from work on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday I parked at the Kitsuma Trailhead, rode Kitsuma, to Star Gap, Jarrets Creek Rd, to Curtis Creek, then back out on the pavement to Hwy 70, up the newly paved greenway back to the truck. 3.5 hrs of bliss.

Sunday I planned to do a similar ride, only go up Heartbreak Ridge as far as I could and get back to the parking lot by the time it got dark. But cut the ride short so that I could get home and hang out with my family for dinner. I ended up with 1 loop on Kitsuma, good stuff.

Curtis Creek:

The Point Lookout Trail:

The Kitsuma Trailhead:

This week hopefully we will get some windows and the addition dried in. I picked the skylights up this morning!!

Have a great day.

Burn

I hit the parking lot at Kistsuma with a 30% chance of rain. 2 minutes after getting on the trail it started raining. Warm spring rain. About 10 minutes later it let up, leaving the narrow, rocky rooty trail slightly slick. That's good, I need more practice riding on wet rocks and roots.

Last year I started doing the Kitsuma loop twice. Great training for ORAMM, but somewhat monotonous after a while. Last night I decided to continue on the route up to Star Gap. I decided that I could continue on up Heartbreak from there, or turn around and head back home.

The single track on Kitsuma:

When I got to the rail road tracks this is what I saw:

Apparently this happened just last week. The forest floor was scorched all the way up to Star Gap. Farther up I came saw something interesting. Looking at the picture below, you can see where the fire was not able to jump the trail. The forest below the trail is scorched while the forest above the trail is untouched. Hmmm, another reason for more mountain bike trails: they contain forest fires!!!

I felt good, better than I have in a couple of weeks. I can now understand what the pros mean when they say they are "coming back into form".

The Black Mtn Range:

(the dates in the pictures are not correct. Jubal turned the date stamp on inadvertently!!!)

Have a great day.

Congrats

Jeremiah Bishop joins the Mona-Vie Cannondale MTB team!!!

Not only does he race like a madman, he helps build trails and gets people excited about cycling!!

Congrats to the Bishops!!!!

Have a great day.

Not Much....

...going on right now, other than the normal training rides, house construction, chopping and stacking wood for next winter, etc.

I did get news that the new WBR/Siren kits are going to be mailed today. Hopefully I will have a bike to match soon!!! The team also just ordered some sweet wind jackets, which will be ready in a couple of weeks.


Ride, work, ride, eat, play with family, sleep, repeat. That's about it and I am enjoying the monotony....and the warmth!!!!

Have a great day.

Sodium

Not enough and you get dehydrated, too much and you get dehydrated. Looking for that delicate balance makes me dehydrated!!! Namrita O'Dea continues to work with me on this. She knows her stuff, so if you have any nutrition questions, contact her.

Yesterday I did some tempo work on the way home from work. Getting back on the bike after roughly two weeks off is great, but I can tell that I have lost some strength and fitness. I usually recover pretty quickly though and this morning I feel good. I am still really encouraged about where I am and how well I was riding at Snake Creek Gap.

The house: we now have studs in one gable, they are coming to build the interior wall today, or get started on it anyway. I'll post some more pictures when that is done.

The insulation guy is coming this morning to give us a quote. It looks like we are going with the spray in Icynene insulation. We'll see after the quote.

Have a great day.

Save The Trails

I finally signed up for this one last night. The local chapter of SORBA puts it on: Pisgah Area Sorba.

This is not a race, officially. They do have lots of cool stuff to give away though. It is a great fundraiser, this area needs more of these types of rides/races.

The have 3 courses, 15 miles, 25 miles and 44 miles. I asked if we could combing the 25 and 44 milers for 69 miles. The organizer is thinking through the logistics of it. That would be really good for training.

Speaking of training, I am back in it. Feeling much better, the headache is gone, my energy is back. It is time for allergies, but exercise usually helps keep those in control.

Have a great day!!!

Buncombe County Landfill

Pictures courtesy of Jubal: ( the dates are incorrect)

This weekend's theme was rain. And lots of it.

Jubal and I took our remodeling trash to the Buncombe County Landfill on Saturday, then came home and installed some drain pipe around the addition. Jubal also used the nail magnet to make sure there were no nails in our driveway. That kid is a huge helper!!!

This week, when the rain clears, the decking will go up. The metal roof and windows have been ordered. The Electrician should come later this week, we have to get the inside wall built first. Then the insulation. Fun stuff.

I rode Sunday afternoon. Just went out for an easy spin. Since I have been off the bike for most of the week, I was really feeling sluggish. It rained on me, but it was 55 degrees so not to uncomfortable. And the best thing about it was, I was riding. This week I will be building back up to my training program.

The lesson here? When you are tired rest, or else you get more tired.

I signed up for Burn 24 Challenge last night. It is in May. I'm really looking forward to it!!!

Have a great day!!

Friday Again

And so we come to another weekend. This week has been a rest week for me. Fortunately it was scheduled and I do not feel that I have missed out on much training. Although I do enjoy the easy rides during rest week. I feel my fatigue finally going away and this alien that is in my head seems to be letting go of my frontal lobe. Maybe the mother ship will call him back tonight and I will be left alone. ( the aliens, can't trust 'em).

On tap for the weekend? Rain. Cold rain. But that's fine. I'm not complaining one bit. It's another daddy Jubal weekend, so I'm sure we will have fun no matter what!!

The rafters are completed and the decking goes up on Monday. I'll order the metal roofing today. After literally months of deliberation, Rhonda and I finally decided on a color, in fact we have the entire color scheme of the outside of the house figured out. But, I'm going to keep that a secret until the roof goes up!!!!

Any guesses?

Rafters

Yesterday I got off work early again, thanks to my gracious employer for letting me be a part of my building project!! I got home and the neighborhood was a-buzz. In both of my neighbor's yards were huge red Hyatt Electric bucket trucks. After I was home for a few minutes, one guy asked if my dog would bite if they went in the yard. I told him the dog would not bite, but also asked why they needed to go in my yard. He had not asked to go in my yard, just sort of let me know that that was his intention. He said they needed to string up new power lines because of the new houses next door. He then told me that my power would be out while they did this.....

Then, as we were standing around trying to figure out what to do with no power, the city inspector rolled up... But, not to worry, we have a permit and all the government stuff was in order.

The inspector was super nice and did a pre-inspection inspection. He gave us some pointers and tips on what he wanted to see, and pretty much we are right on track.

Two hours later, we had a new power line, our saws worked and we were able to cut some rafters. Our house suddenly went from a little house to a small add-on swallowing a little house!!!

After the dust settles from this project, we will re-assess the finances. The next phase will be to tear back the current roof, build a short wall on top of the current structure's walls, and then match the add-on roof line.

The windows are covered up with ply-wood, these will be cut out at some point.

Not only does this project bring our house up to size with the surrounding houses, our house will no longer be dwarfed by those houses.

The view from the front!!!

Rain in the forecast, work might slow for the next couple of days. Saturday will be Jubal's first trip to the Buncombe County Landfill!!!

Sweet!!! The team landed in Cyclingnews.com again, and MTBracenews.com,

and several others including Guitar Ted's blog, if you like 29er's and guitars, he is your go to guy.

Have a great day.

Rest Week

Not much going on this week as far as training. I've been feeling really tired and a little funky this week, so I've been trying to rest up.

The addition is framed up and waiting for rafters, which we will hopefully get up today. I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

Have a great day.

Lynda and Dave....

.....welcome to the team!!!!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WBR-Siren Bicycles finalizes endurance roster, adds Wallenfels and Harris
TUCSON – (March 10, 2009) – Team World Bicycle Relief-Siren Bicycles is shaping up to be a force to be reckoned with in 2009, adding the powerhouse duo of Lynda Wallenfels and Dave Harris to its already strong roster of endurance mountain bike pros.

"Lynda and Dave represent what endurance mountain bike racing is all about," according to Siren Bicycles founder Brendan Collier. "Their accomplishments on the dirt are only eclipsed by their considerable support of the sport and its athletes. We are very excited to welcome them to the team."

"Coach Lynda" recently won the 24 Hours of the Old Pueblo, completing 16 laps on a single-speed, a result that put her on equal laps with the 4th-placed solo man. Together with Harris, in 2008 they became the first-ever open mixed team to finish Trans Rockies on single-speeds while riding to an astonishing 3rd place overall on GC.

"I’ve been riding a Siren for about a year," Harris said, "so to be part of all this is pretty exciting. We’ve more or less taken the stance lately that we’d rather not actively pursue sponsorship because we just don’t like to promote stuff we don’t love."

Their support of the endurance community extends beyond the race course, as Wallenfels is a premier endurance coach and owner of LWCoaching.com. The pair is passionate about self-supported endurance events, promoting the annual 370-mile Trans-Utah and holding men’s and women’s current course records for both single-speed and geared for the 142-mile Kokopelli Trail. Harris also holds the record for the 342-mile Grand Loop race (geared) and the Kaibab Monster Cross (both geared and single-speed).

Their activities will now also extend to include World Bicycle Relief, the non-profit founded by SRAM 4 years ago that provides bicycles in support of healthcare, education and economic development opportunities in underdeveloped regions of the world. The WBR-Siren Bicycles team is part of the organization’s "Grassroots" campaign, in which athletes and teams support its work by serving as ambassadors.

Wallenfels and Harris join Pro endurance racers Dan Brennan, Todd Carpenter, Brad Majors and Chris Strout, and amateurs Craig DeAmbrose and Stephen Janes on the team. For 2009, they will focus on the 24-Hour National Championships in Moab, Utah, in addition to several other geared and single-speed races throughout the year.
###

The Snake

The Start
Me getting in the draft of Wild Bill/ Terrapin Racing

We started the weekend on Friday. I have found that it is so much less stressful to take the entire day before the race off. Sleep in, load up, and head out. The only hitch was that Rhonda woke up with a head cold. She was game and said we should go to the race anyway.

We hit the road and headed down to Dalton, GA for the 3rd and last in the Snake Creek Gap TT series. I was excited but not sure what to expect. My previous time was 4:07 hrs, and my best time from last year on the single speed was 3:57. I was a little discouraged that I had not beat that time yet, considering that this year I am on an actual training program.

We stopped at River's End Restaurant in the Nantahala River Gorge for lunch, before heading on the GA.

We checked into the hotel, got some dinner, watched the food network then went to bed.

Saturday morning, I got up and went through my coffee and bagel ritual then went to check in, back to the hotel to pick Rhonda and Jubal up, then off to the start. I am so glad that I have a personal shuttle to the start. I think that if I had to ride the shuttle, I would not be doing this race.

We got to the start, got unloaded and as I was standing in line for the restroom, I suddenly was overcome with nausea. Ok, that was weird, that usually does not come until 4 hrs into a race, when I am depleted. I had been eating and drinking all morning and was not so sure what was going on. It went away after a couple of minutes and I felt fine.

I started well. One of my goals was to not go out too hard. This has been a common mistake for me. I figured that at this point, if I continue to make mistakes, then I was throwing away all of the training hours that I had put in so far. So, I had my plan and I was going to stick to it.

I focused on keeping a high cadence and a steady heart rate. The day was beautiful. Shorts and short sleeves, short fingered gloves. The sky was overcast, and there was a slight breeze on the ridges. The trails were mostly dried out but the spots that don't see the sun this time of year were muddy, and the creeks were up a little bit.

I was feeling steady but not fast. I was actually feeling a little slow, and mentally wondering if all of my planned training was helping and if it was worth it.

About 10 miles into the race, I realised that not a lot of people had passed me. That got me to wondering. Then I started doing some math, and since I am not great at math, especially when I am focused on riding, I did the math about 5 or 6 times. At my current rate, I would get to the half way point ahead of my normal 2 hr mark.

Then suddenly on a climb, a wave of riders caught up to me and I heard from behind:" Single speeder back!!", in a very commanding voice. As if telling everybody in the vicinity that he somehow had the right of way on this climb just because he was on a single speed. I'm pretty sure that if that is what he thought, he was wrong. So, I held my ground, someone called " On your right" so I kept spinning and gave him enough room to pass. He tried, bobbled, fell and I found my toes stuck in his front wheel. Somehow I did not go down, he apologized and I went on.

After the terrain leveled to an easier incline I heard "single speeder back" call out " On your left". That was all fine and dandy but I had heard people coming up behind me, so I had purposely moved left. The trail at this point was nicely groomed and almost wide enough for 3 bikes. For some reason at this point, I preferred the left line. So, I moved left, giving the 2-3 riders behind me way more than enough room to pass.

Again I heard "On your left", then once more, a little louder " I said, On your left!!!".

At one point in my life, I would have slammed on my brakes and asked him what his problem was, I have done it before, on a road ride, when someone yelled at me. I don't like to be yelled at.

So, something close to this little conversation ensued:

Single Speeder: I said on your left, that means you HAVE to move over.

Me: No, you come up behind me and ask if you can pass and I say on my right.

SS: No, I called the left line so you HAVE to move over.

In my head:(I'm really not sure that he can tell me where to ride on a trail, I'm certain that if he wants to get around me on the right, there is plenty of room, I am riding as far left as I can to make sure he has room, what is up with this dude?)

Me: No, if you want to get around you can go on my right!!

And he did, along with the person behind him. Weird!!

On to the half way point. I got there, as it turns out, 20 minutes faster than my previous time. I was feeling good, sweating, spinning, and having fun. I decided not to pick up the pace for the second half of the race but to keep it steady and see what came of it.

Then it happened. I turned onto the last 12 miles of single track. I was 2 hrs and 45 minutes into the race. Last month at this point I was 3 hrs and thirty minutes into the race. 45 minutes faster than last month. But then my stomach started churning. I made it another 3 miles before stopping. I ended up squatting in the woods for about 20 minutes. Montezuma had his revenge, or maybe it was the chili from River's End, or any number of other things, bugs, viruses I picked up from who knows where.

I knew that there was 8 miles of the most difficult trail to go. I also knew that I would not be able to finish. I also believe in miracles. I had stopped about 50 yards from a volunteer. The volunteer did what he could to encourage me, but also did what he could to talk me out of continuing. ( he didn't need to try very hard!!). He said that I had 3 choices: 1. continue, 2. go back 3 miles of single track, technical single track to the last sag to get a ride back, or 3. take this little renegade trail about 1 mile downhill to a dirt road then another mile to the trailer and wait there for a ride.

OOOOh, down hill then dirt road. That was my ticket out of there. I made him repeat the directions about 3 times so I was sure I would not get lost:" take this trail all the way down, there are no turns, it becomes a dirt road, follow that until you get to the trailer, it will take about 5-10 minutes". Simple directions, but being a little fuzzy and depleted, I wanted to make sure!! I headed down and found the trailer. Someone showed up within 20 minutes and I was back at the finish line almost before Rhonda could start worrying.

I was able to eat some that evening but my stomach did not feel right until much later that night. I'm pretty sure that this was caused by something out of my control, ie not electrolytes of other nutrition, and I definitely was not riding beyond myself as I have done in the past.

So, I am definitely bummed and discouraged about not finishing, but the more I think about it, the more excited I get that the workouts and training are actually accomplishing something. 45 minutes off of a finish time is not joke!!!

Unfortunately, we did not get to go to the Knoxville Zoo on the way home as we had planned. Rhonda woke up feeling terrible, so she spent the morning at the walk in clinic, while Jubal and I played in the parking lot. It turns out that she has some sort of sinus infection, bummer.

Kind of funny though, I was sick for the first race, Jubal the second, and now Rhonda for the third!!!

Have a great day.

Framed

The first wall is up. We are so excited. It makes our current house look small!! One thing about the addition is that it is square and solid.

Lookin' good.

The 3rd race in the Snake Creek Gap TT series is tomorrow. I am looking forward to this one. I have another month of intervals, power workouts, endurance workouts and some mandatory- dictated by the weather-rest days.

I am going for a sub 4 hr time, my time to beat from last year is 3h57min. And that was on a single speed. If I can control myself in the first hour and not go out too hard, I should be able to do that. Oh yeah, it is supposed to be 70 degrees and sunny too. I imagine the north facing trails in the first 17 miles will still be muddy and nasty though, so trail conditions will be about the same. I'll be relying on nuun to keep me hydrated. I'm going to try taking one less bottle of meal replacement shake and replacing that with a bottle of nuun. Last race I was dehydrated when I finished. This time I have a two pronged plan: drink consistently and ride steadily.

Last night I did a gravel grinder at Bent Creek. I mainly just rode at a really easy pace, with a couple of intervals added into the mix to keep it real!!

Have a great day.

Warning: May Contain Offensive Material

First off, I will discuss religion and world views with anyone at any time, ( unless I am sleeping ). I don't really care if you have a different opinion, I will not be offended. ( as long as you don't mind being wrong.....ok, bad joke). I most likely won't be swayed in my beliefs and am not trying to sway your beliefs, merely interested in knowing what other people believe and how they got to that belief system.

My beef is with Christianity today. From my perspective, Christianity is a relationship with the one who created me. I constantly hear from preachers, teacher, disciplers about how terrible we are as people, and how we have fallen away from God and His plan, and how we need salvation and sometimes they mention a renewed relationship.

Ok, I agree with those foundational beliefs, ( I can't say that I fully understand all of the nitty gritty details involved there, and am still searching for truth, ...challenge me there if you want to. In fact, challenge me on any of this).

BUT, once we renew that relationship with God, sure we continue to make mistakes, but now I am free, and you don't have to keep telling me what a horrible person I am and that I am filled with sin etc.

Kind of like riding a bike. I have failed a lot. I have crashed, I have gotten dehydrated, heat exhaustion, and more. But no one points to those events and says" Stephen, you are a bike racer, but you are also a dehydrated, heat exhausted, crashing, ER fodder, bike racer". Instead the people who care about me say stuff like", hey, good luck, you can do it, go for it, good job".

How many times have I heard a sermon where the preacher said something like that?: " Good job people, you guys rock, you have so much potential, you can love your neighbor like yourself, stop whining and asking God for strength, direction, etc. He has already given that to you and you know what you need to do, and you can do it, so go do it!!!!" I have never heard such a sermon or teaching.

Back to riding a bike. I am racing endurance now because 3 years ago, someone said to me" You should consider racing, you have the skill, go practice and race".

I was enabled. So, I am saying to my fellow people: " You should love your neighbor, you have what it takes, you know what to do, go do it".

Have a great day!

Warming Trend

We have a warming trend going on here in the South East. Yesterday morning the temp was 8 degrees, today it is 20, tomorrow is supposed to be close to 30......sweet!!!

Last night when I got home from work I got on the rollers to try some more cruise intervals. It went a lot better this time and I felt pretty good.

After that it was homemade tacos for dinner.

After dinner, I started on my second job, the house. I pulled the siding and old rough milled planks off of the corners where we are going to tie in with the addition. I'm going to pull all the nails out of the rough milled planks and reuse them somehow. Not sure how yet.

After that I started cleaning out some dirt from the outside of the block wall so that we can seal it and waterproof it. I ended up widening the trench about 1 ft wide, 2 feet deep and 10 feet long. That is some good cross training.

The framing starts tomorrow!!

Have great day.

The Cyclist's Prayer

Please make the weather warm and sunny!!!!

I'm trying not to complain, but I'm getting a little cabin feverish and grumpy.

I got to stay home from work yesterday and play with the family, which is cool, but with a 4 yr old you can't stay outside and play all day. I'm not so good at the inside play. I don't like board games or card games. Playing ball and rolling cars across the floor is cool, but after 45 minutes it gets a little boring.

We got the sled out to go find some snowy hill to ride down. As I was pulling it out from under the house, I noticed that there was a light dusting of wood shavings in the sled. Not good. I also noticed a little beetle.

I called Termanix. They showed up within 30 minutes and confirmed that we have a Powder post Beetle infestation.
Powder post beetles, (Lyctus brunneus), are about 1/8" long, cylindrical shaped and dark brown in color. Their larvae do most of the damage to wood. The larvae are white, are also cylindrical shaped.
We were expecting a cost of anywhere between $500 and $1500. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that the cost would be $286. It is a lot, but not a lot compared to buying a new house or replacing every single joist.

My contractors called yesterday to say that they are coming out today, it looks like with the temps warming up this week, they should be able to get started on the framing!!!

Have a great day.

Snow Day

I didn't get much in the way of riding this weekend. Saturday rained all day and I was not motivated to get on the rollers. Sunday it rained, then turned to snow. I went out to Bent Creek to ride the gravel roads, but it was sopping wet and windy cold. So I came home to ride the rollers, that only lasted 30 minutes. I could only do one cruise interval.

Saturday I tore down a wall that used to separate our living room and dining area. This was a totally separate project from the add on, and now we so much more open space. Its amazing what moving wall around in a house can do. I recommend trying this at home!!!

Sunday afternoon, we went out to play in the snow. It was really sticky so Jubal and I built a snowman. And later, after Rhonda came out, we had an invigorating snowball fight.

Today we woke up to this:

Have a great day!!