lots of work, a nice ride, and great weather

Even with having a really busy week and skipping both rides this weekend to get all of my work done I was able to get to a good point today and get out for a 2 hour ride. Not super long but just enough to get the legs moving again. I was able to get out and ride with a friend which made it even better.

For the first 5 miles of my ride I was sure that I had forgotten something at the house. I went through my usual checklist: helmet, yes, keys, yes, phone and cash, yes, inhaler, yes, tools, yes, water and gel, yes. So what am I missing? Then it finally dawned on me, my jacket, arm warmers, hat, knee warmers. It was such a nice day (minus the wind). It was in the mid 70's and sunny. One big plus to living in Texas, nice warm weather at the end of February. One minus, 15-20 mph wind. I guess you can't get it all.

Now back to work. I should be done collecting data on another study by Friday and I am really hoping that this one will work out! I am getting really tired of non-significant results and little to publish.

So much to drink

Getting ready to leave for campus this morning I heard on the news that new research has shown that drinking green and black tea (hot tea) has important health benefits. Specifically, if I remember what I heard prior to my morning coffee, it may help in the prevention of strokes or reducing the damage from them (like I said I heard it prior to my morning coffee). I do remember that the recommended daily intake was three cups.

So adding up the beverages that I should drink on a daily basis I now have:
-lots of water
-3 cups of tea
- glass of red or white wine (good for heart and lungs respectively)
- a little coffee (I am sure that I remember it being good for something).

I have to pee just thinking about all of that.

Tour of California/ Rock Racing

My wife and I were watching the Tour of California this last week and listening to the commentary as Rock Racing was working on the front of the field to save Mancebo's leader's jersey. Good ole Phil Ligget made a very sound comment about all of the duty being on Rock Racing's shoulders. My wife looked up to watch the race and her reaction was priceless.

"They sure do, they have a doodie all over that kit"

I would agree with her:
Great Job Tyler in doing some good work on the front but Micheal Ball needs to realize that cycling kits need to look nice not crappy like modern tattoo fashion.

What a crazy last month and a half

The last month and a half have been abusolutly crazy and busy. The weather has gone from nice in the 70's with little wind to mid-40's with rain and wind and back and forth every few days. Atleast it seems that way lately. In the last 6 weeks I have gone from having a good amount of time to train and get some work done to being back in school and having no time what so ever. I made a trip down to Austin for the first time in about 15 years and had a great time at a conference down there, had some good BBQ at Stubb's and made it to Mellow Johnny's bike shop (Lance's shop).

Mellow Johnny's is a really sweet shop with several very nice bikes on display from Lance, Popovich, and Hincapie. The folks were really nice and while I did not get a chance to try any coffee it smelled great!

Now that I am back in school I am taking three stats/reseach methods classes one of which has a lab and I have several studies going on. I am really looking forward to having a few studies finished and if all goes as planned several more papers to work on! The training is coming along and my legs are begining to feel a little better. I was able to put in some good efforts on my own this last week and I was able to stay with the Saturday group a lot longer last Saturday than I have been lately. With all of the work that I had to do this weekend I ended up not riding at all this weekend but I have done enough work in advance now so I should be able to get some real training in this week.

So what I am training for? Well I am not doing any more road races or crits until I can get a used bike that I don't worry about crashing and not having a bike to ride until I get my PhD. So the alternative is finding a free bike to race or...the Time Trial! Fortunatly with all of the racing that goes on in the state there are several TT's that I can do within a short drive. The first TT of the year is the Horse Country Time Trial Series on March 7th. We will see how it goes. Fortunatly it is only 20K and still early in the season so when the 2nd and 3rd race of the series come around in May and July I should be much faster and able to really do well.

So hopefully I can make sure to schedule everything a little better so that I can do well in school, train so that I am flying on the bike, and find time to do a better job posting on here.

Things to look forward to.....my new team kit. Hopefully it will be here soon.

80 degrees and riding with the big boys and girls

For my first group ride back in Texas I was excited because the weather was really nice for January (high of 80) and while the wind was crazy (25mph) at least I was betting that the warm temps would bring out a big group so I was not fighting the wind by myself once I got dropped. Yes, I assumed that I was going to get dropped. Saturday was the last day of the Metro VW elite team camp and all of the new team members were there for the group ride so I was pretty sure that it was going to be a pretty fast ride. My assumptions were met pretty quickly once we got out of town a little. I was able to hold on for longer than I thought that I would and after taking a short cut to get back with the group I still was not able to hold on and simply watched the big boys blow by me. I had a little more luck when the girls past me and I was able to hold on for a little longer but not much longer and soon I was by myself again. In total it was not a bad day on the bike and getting to ride with some folks who are far more talented than I will ever be was a blast.

The great weather Saturday does seem to come at a price considering that it is 31 outside with freezing rain. I guess that means that I get to take care of stuff around the house today so I can spend more time on the bike later this week.

A New Year

So looking back at this last year and thinking about this next year I am excited about all of the things that I hope to do this next year. Between finishing classes and being close to graduating, joining a new road team and getting stronger on the bike I am really looking forward to the new year.

As a tradition I went for a ride today and it was great to be back on my bike riding. The 20mph wind could have been a little weaker but it showed me exactly where my form is and where I need to be over the next few months to be able to be fast this spring. I am looking forward to the next few weeks and the time that I will have to get in those much needed miles before classes start and my riding time during the week goes down and I have to hit the trainer.

I hope that everyone had a great New Year's Eve and New Year's Day and has been able to get some time on the bike and enjoy some good football games.

Trip to NC

Sitting in a car for 19 hours alternating driving and napping all the way from North Carolina to Texas makes you pretty stiff and tired. The trip out to NC was not too bad b/c we were excited to get back and see family, friends, and the weather was great. The trip back was not as much fun b/c the weather was not as nice and we were tired before the trip started. We got home to a very nice surprise. The two folks that we had taking care of our place while we were gone did an amazing job and when we walked in it was as if we had never left.

It was great to see our family and get to ride with my friends. I was quite happy not to get dropped on the hills and be able to put in some decent pulls. Getting dropped coming across the lake after the hills was not as much fun but then what did I expect after not riding as much as I should prior to the trip. Getting to see most everyone, either on a ride or over coffee, was wonderful. It is always good to be able to catch up with friends and be able to talk about what has gone on since we last talked and then fall back into our normal routine (John sneaking up on me for a sprint sign--You think that I would remember to watch for him).

Having gotten back to TX and getting things back to normal (catching up on sleep, getting back on the bike, reading the bike magazines that have stacked up in the last two months), I am looking forward to the new year and the time that I still have between now and the start of classes to get some stuff done around the house, get some really good base miles in, and prep for the next semester.

Hope that everyone has a happy and safe New Year's Eve.