California Vacation

In August we took a couple of weeks off for a much needed vacation to California. It's always nice to go "home" and spend time with loved ones! We've not lived in California for about 14 or 15 years. We're used to not being close to family now, but it can be hard at times. We really miss them.

We flew into San Francisco and were picked up by my wonderful sister in law, Gloria. We checked into our hotel by Fisherman's Wharf and decided to take the kids down to the Wharf for some local "touristy" culture. My wife and I have been to the Wharf many times and always enjoy the atmosphere. The kids has a blast watching the street entertainers and checking out the shops. My oldest son even bought a piece of "Spray Paint Art". We really enjoyed getting some clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl, a San Francisco specialty!

The following day we went to Japan Town. My daughters are really into anime and found some cute anime characters to add to their collection of stuff. They got to eat some Japanese pastries and had a grand time! We also spent some time at the Golden Gate Bridge. What a beautiful day it was!

We drove down to Visalia that afternoon (pit stop at In-N-Out Burger) and stayed with Gloria and her husband Richard. They treat us so well and we enjoy ourselves tremendously when we're with them. It's great to really relax and enjoy our time off from the stresses of everyday life. My youngest, Jill, really loves their cat Cosmo. The funny thing about Cosmo is that he's deaf as a post and will let Jill pester him for hours on end.

My oldest son, Jaren, has taken up golf recently and plays on his High School golf team. Uncle Richard is an avid golfer and took him and my son Brad out golfing a couple of times and the boys had a blast! Richard has a great sense of humor and a great head on his shoulders. As a result, my boys love being around him. One of the best parts about visiting is that my kids get to spend time with their cousin Taylor. Taylor is a very nice young man. He's super Smart and can basically pick up a musical instrument and start playing. It's amazing to see how much he's grown! Most day's were spent visiting, swimming, and just plain relaxing. I've been blessed with terrific in-laws and it's always a pleasure to spend time with them. John is the friendliest person I've ever met and has always set the perfect example of Christian manhood. Irene is a wonderful person with many talents, she's amazingly well read as well!

It was really nice to spend a couple of days with my family in Fresno. I'm the oldest of 10 (5 boys, 5 girls) and it's really hard to stay in contact with everyone, let alone maintain any "closeness". I mostly stay in touch with my dad and several of my brothers. They all have a great sense of humor and love sports and politics! I miss them and it's great to "yuk it up". There are now around 25 grandchildren (and counting).

We've been able to visit California the last couple of summers and I hope we can make the trip again next year!

Cancer Sucks, And So Do Dopers!

Just when pro cycling is starting to put a dozen or so years of asterisk worthy results behind it, the worst example of "getting away with it" in sports has decided to poison the peleton. Lance Armstrong announced his intention to seek an 8th Tour crown via a carefully crafted propagandaesque 'interview" with Douglas Brinkley in Vanity Fair http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2008/09/armstrong200809?currentPage=1.

It's a very revealing look into the mindset of a foul mouthed celebrity athlete who's hoping to ride his popularity into political office someday.

Like many, I was thrilled (and shocked) when he won his first tour. He'd been a very good classics rider with the potential to be excellent, he even picked up a couple of stage wins, but win the Tour? After Cancer? Wow, what a miracle! His second win was equally impressive. After his third win in a row I really started to have my doubts. Not just about him, but much of the peleton. The speed at which these guys were plowing up the cols was unbelievable (literally)!

My discomfort with what was obviously going on with pro baseball absolutely fueled my suspicion of what was going on in cycling. When I was growing up, most baseball players were long and lean and if a guy cracked 20-25 home runs he had an awesome year. If you hit 30 or more you were a freak. Not many guys could do that. Starting in the early 90's, long and lean

became WWF. Guys started looking like "Hans and Franz" from the old SNL skits, and it seemed like anybody (even Brady Anderson) could go yard at will.

Unfortunately, baseball leadership, ownership, and management knowingly ignored the obvious. Attendance and profits were way up, "it'll be our little secret". I believe the same situation existed in cycling with regards to Armstrong and those he left in his wake. The story was great, sponsorships were up, and America was lapping up the Armstrong story. Sadly, the story is garbage...

• His open association with infamous doping doctor Michele Ferrari is telling.

• Almost every one of Armstrong's main rivals during his run have been identified as dopers (and he destroyed them all riding clean as a whistle?).

• A large number of his former teammates have been caught doping, or have admitted to doping.

• I believe the Andreau's story regarding Armstrong's admission to using PED's.

• I find the Oakley rep Stephanie McIlvain's recorded admission that she lied "on the stand" about what she heard in the Armstrong hospital room nauseating.

• He led the charge in bullying clean riders if they spoke out about doping in the peleton.

Before they let this guy take the line, I really hope the ASO thinks long and hard about the irreparable damage this walking drip bag has inflicted on pro cycling.

Fenway Park!

I've been unbelievably busy the last several weeks and it's time for an update. A couple of weeks ago my oldest son and I had a fantastic evening at Fenway Park! Several months ago A wonderful member of the organization I work for gave me and a collegue 4 of his season tickets to see the Red Sox square off against the Texas Rangers. The seats were unreal! We were behind home plate about 20 rows back! The atmosphere inside and outside the park was terrific, in fact it reminded me of my trip to Wrigley Field earlier this year. Both venues are unique in that they're located in long established neighborhoods, not in the middle of 1000 acre concrete parking lots, hence people can walk around, visit pubs and restaurants, etc. "Dice-K" dominated the Rangers and the Red Sox pounded the ball. Dustin Pedroia and "Yook" were killing it and "Big Papi" crushed a home run.

The most exciting part of the night was when "Big Papi" fouled a ball straight back up the net, it hit a steel girder and popped through an opening, falling straight down toward us. My son out jumped a mob of fans and grabbed the ball! What a rush! This kid is a ball magnet! Last year we were at Dodger Stadium and the left fielder, Luis Gonzales, caught a fly ball to end the inning and tossed it into our row along the left field line and my son came up with it. He probably has a dozen balls he's snagged at various minor league games over the years as well. But catching a game and getting a ball at Fenway has to be the best one yet! (I'll post some pictures when I get a chance...)

Two Wheeled Idiocy

I never cease to be amazed at the sheer idiocy I see as I'm out riding. Usually it's motorists who act like they ate a bowl of paint chips for breakfast. Today I was half way through a 45 miler when I saw the biggest idiot on two wheels I have ever observed. I was stopped in the bike lane at a red light when a "cyclist", riding between the two lanes on my left charged through the red light! Cars literally had to slow down to avoid drilling him! He was about a quarter mile up the road when the light changed, I clipped in and started reeling him in. I rolled along about 50 yards in back of him, amazed at what I saw.

This asshat was riding a Lemond of some sort, with aero bars. He was using said aero bars and was drifting so far out of the bike lane and into traffic that cars had to switch lanes to get around him. He looked at them as they went by, so I have no doubt that he didn't care at the hazard that he was creating. He was wearing an orange "muscle shirt", blue basketball shorts, white athletic socks that went half way up his shins, some sort of "hybrid" cycling shoes, and a cheap helmet that wasn't fastened. He also had some sort of aluminum bottle jammed upside down in his water bottle cage, and a camera bag slung over his shoulder.

As we approached Midlothian Turnpike (a very busy road) I slowed for the red light and he played human "frogger" again, pedaling through another red light. I waited through the light cycle and saw him stopped in front of a Quizno's, drinking from his aluminum bottle. As I passed him, he quickly slammed his bottle into his cage and took off after me. I decided I'd have some fun and would let him get within about 100 yards, then I'd pick up the pace and he'd drop back pretty quick. I did this several times and then he disappeared on a false flat. Either he was drilled by a car, cutting through yet another light or he turned on another street. Honestly, what a piece of work!

On a happier note, I found a really sweet batting glove on the road today! It fits me perfectly! I know some cyclists find all sorts of sweet "road treasure" (money, tools, etc), that hasn't been my experience. Then again, I'm not scanning the side of the road as I ride either. I did find a nice padlock with the key still in it several months ago; but that's been about it. All I usually see is trash and road kill.

Congratulations Carlos Sastre!!

Carlos raced a beautiful Tour de France! His win on Alpe d' Huez was classic! His defense of the Yellow Jersey in the final time trial was inspiring! Viva Sastre!

Overall it was a great race. CSC was extremely strong and did a great job of controlling the peleton when it was necessary. They were in (and controlled) all the important breaks and had a couple of stage wins. Andy Schleck won the White Jersey (older brother Frank was in Yellow for a couple of days and finished 6th). CSC handily won the team classification. I have to admit though, I'm still uncomfortable with Bjarne "Mr. 60%" Riis running the CSC show.

Cadel Evans rode a good Tour, but came up 58 seconds short. When your team sucks and can't help you conserve energy for when you need it, it takes a toll. He didn't have the legs in the final time trial.

Team Columbia had an awesome Tour! Kim Kirchen was in Yellow for awhile and finished 8th. Cavendish won 4 stages, they picked up a couple of other stage wins as well.

Gerolsteiner had a good Tour with Kohl taking the best climber classification and finishing 3rd. Stefen Schumacher surprisingly won both time trial stages.

The French had something to be happy about with Cofidis & Credit Agricole both picking up a couple of stage wins. Ag2r's Cyril Dessel picked up a tough stage win as well.

Happily, Garmin- Chipotle had a great Tour with Christian Vandevelde finishing 5th. They've really layed some groundwork down for the future.

Yes, some idiots were caught doping. But they were caught and tossed! That is positive in my eyes, cycling is confronting the problem and sending a message! Overall it was a great, very competitive race.

More Oddities...

On my way to the airport this morning I passed a meter reader walking down the street playing with a yo-yo (no kidding)! This would seem to be bad P.R. for Dominion Power.

I'm at my gate at RIC and I can't help but notice the young "hippie mother" breast feeding her baby. Her boob is fully exposed, and it's not a pleasant one to glance at. She's quite chubby and has numerous tats in all the wrong areas. She's also letting her other young'un crawl around on the filthy floor. She's already picked up a chunk of food off the floor and put it back in his little mouth. I pray I'm not seated next to her.

I'm on Jetblue the morning and I can watch Direct TV while I'm in the air. They usually have VS. and I can catch the end of todays Tour coverage, that should balance out the suffering I've just been subjected to...

Mark Cavendish!!

Three stage wins (so far)? The bloke from the Isle of Man is blazing FAST and Team Columbia is doing an amazing job setting him up! He's the first Brit to win three stages in the Tour de France and at 23 years of age seems to have a terrific future ahead of him. He also picked up two stage wins at the Giro d'Italia, which is certainly no small feat. He's also a very accomplished track cyclist as well, with his eyes set on the Olympics.

Cadel Evans is sitting comfortably in Yellow, resting up for what is sure to be some expolsive stages in the Alps. Lotto is perceived as being a somewhat weak team and I agree. However, Evans is an expert at taking advantage of the work of others and is going to be very difficult to beat.

Frank Schleck and Carlos Sastre remain very dangerous. CSC is firing on all cylinders.

Christian Vandevelde and Garmin- Chipoltle are doing an amazing job! If he plays his cards right, who knows what could happen?

As for Ricardo Ricco testing positive for a new form of EPO, why is that a surprise? He idolized Marco "Drip Bag" Pantani for heavens sake! Pantani was a farce as far as I'm concerned. As I watched Ricco "work his magic" on Super Besse, I couldn't help but be suspicious. Piepoli and Cobo should be suspect as well. Good riddance Saunier Duval! I'm happy that a test has been developed to detect this new form of EPO and that cycling is trying to clean up their mess. I don't see this as a setback at all, it's progress.

Gig Harbor, Washington

Boy have I been busy the last month! I've been in Detroit, Columbus, Indianapolis, and Long Island. Now I'm sitting in my hotel room in Gig Harbor watching the Tour on Versus. The first week has been awesome with Team Columbia and Garmin- Chipotle "making themselves known"! I was really hoping Christian Vandevelde would pull off the stage win yesterday; at least he got some great camera time. Kim Kirchen has had a great first week!

Personally, I've put in some pretty good miles the last few weekends when I've been home. I've been averaging 40 miles or so, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. The legs have felt great!

Being back in Washington State this week had been great. We lived in the Tacoma area for several years before moving to Virginia. Seeing Mt. Rainier again has brought back a lot of wonderful memories. Tonight, we had a staff meeting at a colleagues home on Fox Island. He grilled some Sock Eye Salmon for us and we dined on his deck, right on the water. Nothing beats seafood and wine on Puget Sound!

Steve Carell on the Letterman Show

I'm a big fan of "The Office". In fact, it's one of the very few TV shows I watch. I happened to be surfin' through the channels last night and Letterman was interviewing Steve Carell about his upcoming movie "Get Smart". The subject of cycling came up because Lance Armstrong was making an appearance later in the show (ugh!). Apparently Steve was brought up in the Boston area and did some road racing in his teens! He brought up the fact that he used to shave his legs (for cleanliness in case of road rash) and wear a leather hairnet ("it's only function was to keep your brains in if you crashed")! He was very conversant in regards to cycling and is a very funny guy!

Oddities at the Airport & Elsewhere

I had a short layover at Washington- Dulles airport today. I never cease to be amazed at how "odd" some people are. I was "using the facilities" when some guy sauntered in and used the urinal right next to me. The odd thing was that there was a row of about 10 urinals and I was using one on the far left, the rest were not in use, this guy chose the one right next to me and tried to strike up a casual conversation. I kid you not. I made no eye contact, etc that would invite someone to strike up a conversation.

Odd fellow: "Hey buddy, how's your morning been?"

Me: "Fine, I usually don't talk to anyone while I'm taking a piss."

Odd fellow: "Me either."

Very strange. It also creeps me out when someone is taking a wiz, and feels the need to lean forward and brace themselves against the wall.

I also find it odd when parents let their babies crawl around on the floor at the airport, Walmart, etc. "I don't know where Billy picked up that strange rash"!

Older men who dress "metro" are very odd, some still wear earrings. So are older women who stuff themselves into clothes meant for 12 year old girls.

People who walk barefoot everywhere are odd. Sometimes you see them trolling through a convenience store parking lot, or just hoofing it down the street. No shoes, no worries apparently.

Couples who argue in public are odd. I went to Comerica park last week and caught the Tigers and White Sox (great park!), part of the entertainment was hearing a vicious argument between a husband and wife stoner couple a few rows behind me, "F- bombs" and everything. Their mini- mulleted son looked like he was used to it. I thought they were going to start chucking funnel cakes and nachos at each other.

Adult, video game addicts are an odd bunch. Nothing screams "I'm odd" louder then camping out so you can be first in line for the newest game system, or the newest version of "Wizard of Warcraft". Reading a "cheat book" (and using a highlighter) on the airplane is a sure sign that your odd.

Yards chock full of tacky gnomes, fake animals, decorative flags, pinwheels, miniature lighthouses, and tons of other crap are extremely odd. I bet the inside of the house is wall to wall collectible plates, steins, ceramic figurines, and other bizarre things.

Why?

If you have low expectations you're never disappointed!

That's certainly the case when it comes to athlete's nowadays! Cycling superstar (and this year's Paris Roubaix winner) Tom Boonen has tested positive for "Blow". Some are happy that it wasn't EPO, "just coke". I say BS to that! It's reprehensible behavior (as is his "dating" a teenage girl) and it makes me wonder what else he might be on! He did ride on the "Postal Bus" after all. Hasn't he ever heard of Marco Pantani? To be involved with any sort of drugs, particularly at this point, shows a very callous attitude towards professional cycling, its sponsors, and it fans. Perhaps it's indicative of the attitude the peleton has had since the early 90's? Specialized is going to have to alter their "I am Specialized" Tom Boonen ads now. Instead of putting Tom in a Roman gladiators get up, maybe they can dress him up like Keith Richards?


This is the sort of crap that is taking some of the joy out of following any professional sport, however, I do have a lot of hope that the new crop of cyclists that have entered the peleton have a different attitude.

Do you Remember?

Growing up in Fresno in the 70's and 80's wasn't so bad. As I was driving today I had some flashbacks of that era, I'm sure most of this isn't unique to Fresno.

I used to go to the midnight movies with my slightly older Uncle and Aunt. Admission was a couple of bucks. I was about 13 or 14, nobody "carded" me. I can remember seeing "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". The crowd that attended was every bit as bizarre as the movie! The Zombie classic, Dawn of the Dead was playing quite often. I also remember seeing the Punk Rock documentary "The Decline of Western Civilization". The line into the theatre reeked of clove cigarettes and everybody seemed to have some booze stashed on them.

I remember when the TV went to "snow" or multi-colored bars at midnight! Just after the National Anthem played whist you viewed a picture of an Astronaut holding the American flag.

I remember listening to Vin Scully call Dodger games on my small radio. That man can paint a picture over the airwaves (what a voice!). I remember Walter Alston.

I can remember hearing Gordon Lightfoot songs on AM radio for some reason.

I used to have an 8 track tape player that looked like a robot. I believe it was called 2XL. I remember having 8 track tapes for AC/DC, Blondie, and the Village People, how's that for musical variety! I had a pile of vinyl albums and 45's. I also used a giant cassette player to record songs off the radio. I remember yelling "shut up!" at my brothers and sisters because I was afraid the noise they were making would drown out the song I was trying to record.

I remember there was a local drug store who would give kids stamps if they collected the shopping carts in their parking lot and from the surrounding neighborhood. You'd stick the stamps in a little booklet and when you filled the booklet you could turn it in for a free ice cream.
In the Summer, the parking lot would have 9 or 10 kids harvesting carts. What a hoot!

Sometimes, I wore a plastic Dodgers batting helmet to school (in the 4th or 5th grade, not high school just in case you were wondering).

I walked to school, or rode my bike (without a helmet). When Spring came around I brought my ball glove with me, like most of the boys. We played baseball at recess, with a real baseball. In the Fall and Winter, we played football. Or, had a rough game of "smear the queer".

My grandma bought me Avon cologne that came in a bottle shaped like a car, along with an arrowhead necklace.

I remember rotary phones. CB radios. Atari. Drinking from a garden hose. Teachers dressing up to teach. Alpha Beta supermarkets. Tomato sandwiches (I still love 'em). Jars of sun tea of my grandma's front steps. The hum of the fan in my room.

I remember a long drive from Fresno to Sacramento in the back of my dads pickup truck. We never wore seat belts, I don't even know if our car had 'em.

I remember the smell of grape vineyards and orange groves.

I remember when scary movies were just scary, not virtually Satanic! I used to keep count of how many times I saw Star Wars, it seemed important at the time. Jaws scared the hell out of me.

I remember my first bike. It was yellow, with a "banana seat" and chopper style handle bars. My brother had a matching one. We'd ride around the neighborhood pretending we were "Jon and Ponch" from CHIPS. We'd even park them next to each other in the driveway.

In the early 80's I fell in love with cycling. It was an era of steel frames, downtube shifters, and toe clips! The pro peloton was sprinkled with the jerseys of KAS, Peugeot, Hitachi, Gis, Fagor, Bianchi, Panasonic, Carrera, La Vie Claire, Renault, Del Tongo, and eventually 7-11. Bernard Hinault was the Patron!

Life wasn't all so bad ya know?

Whoever Wins- We Lose!

It's amusing to watch the media bleat on and on about Obama, Hillary, and McCain. As if there's really a difference in their approaches to "governance". The difference really boils down to the Democrats wanting to drive off the cliff at 100 mph, while the Republicans would prefer to take us over the edge at a "conservative" 80 mph. Of course, if you want to change drivers, stop the car and turn around, you're an extremist!

As a nation, we've strayed far and wide from the Constitutional Republic that our Founding Fathers established. The Constitution was designed to limit the power of the Federal government to a very few, defined areas. Now, the Fed's are involved in one way or another in every facet of our lives. Couple that with state, county, & city government and you're talkin' marination! The seeds of a Socialist disaster were sown long ago and now we're reaping the harvest. The question is how do we limit the amount of damage this Socialist mindset is causing?

I'm often reminded of the Biblical lesson in Proverbs; "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it". That ideal cuts both ways and I believe the problem lies in the fact that our public education system, and most institutions of "higher learning", have been marinating young minds in Statism for several generations at least. Until this situation is reversed, we'll continue riding towards the cliff in a pack of donkeys and elephants.

Insight from BKW

Padraig from "Belgium Knee Warmers" waxes profound.

http://www.belgiumkneewarmers.com/2008/05/well.html

This Week...

I've been working in Virginia & Maryland. We've had rain in bucket's it seems and everything is so green right now! Earlier this week I was out on the bike (rides of 30 & 50 miles) and was amazed at how fragrant the Gardenia and Honeysuckle is right now. Those scents are a blessing from God as far as I'm concerned!

I met with some wonderful people in Charlottesville and Buena Vista. Then drove up the Shenendoah Valley to Hagerstown, Maryland. What a beautiful drive! I brought my bike with me on this trip and did about 12 miles around Hagerstown before it started pouring rain. I hadn't cycled in rain like that in quite some time! Happily, it didn't bother me a bit. I was enjoying suffering on the hills around Hagerstown and the rain just seemed to make it "cool" for some reason. I had to wash my kit in the sink when I got back to my hotel room.

My evening appointment cancelled. So I drove down to D.C. and met a colleague who's on vacation. We bought some tickets off a scalper and watched the Nationals and Phillies while we "talked shop". Great ballpark! It has an old school feel to it. Too bad the Nationals are such a crappy team. They were shelled 12-2. Ryan Howard hit a couple of absolute bomb's for the Phillies.

Capital to Capital Century

On Saturday I did my first century! The ride was from Virginia's modern capitol, Richmond, t0 Virginia's first capitol, Jamestown and back. Riding 100 miles is amazing to me in a couple of ways. First, back in the mid- 80's to mid- 90's I was a cycling fanatic. I trained constantly and raced cat 4's off and on. However, I can't remember ever doing a 100 mile ride. It's possible, as I didn't have a computer at times, but I'm fairly certain I didn't. Second, I've been recovering from a bad lower back injury that occurred in February so my mileage hasn't been what I'd like.

During the week I did rides of 30 (Sunday), 40 (Tuesday), and 42 (Thursday) and planned to do the half- century Saturday. After Thursdays ride my legs felt great so I decided to try the century Saturday morning as I registered. The routes I ride around Chesterfield County are somewhat hilly, and when I saw that the century course was pretty flat I knew I could do it. The only thing that concerned me was my back.

The weather was great! Mostly cloudy, starting in the low 60's and warming to the low 70's. The route was mostly down beautiful picturesque back country roads! Passing farmland, historical plantations, and Civil War battlefields.

Hundreds and hundreds of cyclists turned out riding everything from department store clunkers to top of the line professional road bikes on routes of 25, 50 & 100 miles. There were even a couple of recumbant's (ugh!), but to each their own. I love my fellow cyclists. I really do. There are very few that I've found intolerable. You can't hang with a nicer bunch of people. Old and young. Rail skinny and fat. Male and female. Vet and newbie. I respect them all. Why? Because they're trying something I love dearly. Riding a bicycle. I don't care what the distance or reason is, it's the act of riding itself that I respect.

I mostly ride solo, so I knew virtually nobody there. I hoped to jump into a pace line of some sort and work with others. I had a plan in my mind as to how I would pace myself so as to finish in half way decent condition. I broke it down into 25 mile increments, stocked my pockets with Fig Newtons, a few Power Bars and Power Bar gel packs, and started off on my own. There were several well stocked stops along the way. These were manned by volunteers from RABA, the Richmond Area Bicycle Association, and they did a wonderful job!

The first 25, absolutely no problem. I stayed in the small chainring for about 10 miles and warmed up, then jumped into the big ring and just cruised along. Mostly flat, with some very small climbs and descents. I made a note of those. I knew that they'd feel a little different on the way back with 75 miles in my legs! I rolled into the first rest stop (which would also be the last rest stop) and refilled my water bottles. I could've jumped into a pace line of about 20 people, but I noticed 3 or 4 were using their "Tri- bars" in the pace line. Stupid and dangerous unless you've got some serious experience. They didn't look experienced. I'll pass.

The second 25 was great! I worked with 3 or 4 other riders for awhile, then tried to bridge up to a pace line of about 20 riders. I chased for about 7 or 8 miles, but there were a number of cars that were in between me and the tail end of the pace line. The traffic made it impossible to safely bridge so I had to stop chasing, plus I didn't want to over exert myself knowing I still had quite aways to go! At the 50 mile mark, I rolled into the parking lot of the Jamestown high school rest stop feeling very good.

By the end of the third 25 I started feeling it a little bit. I got into a pace line of 9 or 10 riders and we were flying! Much of this part of the route back was entirely different from the route in. There were some small hills that I wouldn't have noticed at 25 miles that hurt at 70 miles and on one of the hills, I dropped off the back of the pace line along with a couple of others guys. I worked with them for a bit, they faded and I found myself alone, except for the occassional rider I would pick up every now and then.

At 75 miles I rolled into the last (first) rest stop, refilled my bottles, ate a little, grabbed a free Red Bull for my post ride celebratory drink, and headed out. The last thing you want to do at this point is stand around and let your muscles get stiff. You need to keep the legs moving!

The last 25 were exactly what I was expecting. Pretty painful! Especially the last 10. Those very small descents within the first 25 I mentioned now felt like HUGE climbs. My legs were in fuego! My neck and shoulders ached! However, I had absolutely no problems with my lower back! I took turns working with this guy on a sweet Cannondale (he did most of the work to be honest). He was quite impressive. He looked to be about 6'4 or 6'5 and had calves Thor would envy! I lost his wheel with a couple of miles to go and rolled in like I rolled out. Solo.

When all was said and done I did my first century in 5 and 1/2 hours, for an average speed of just over 18 mph. I was thrilled! I sat on a park bench for awhile and watched as dozens of my fellow cyclists rolled in. Old and young. Rail skinny and fat. Male and female. Vet and newbie. It made me smile to see them smiling. I really feel a sense of accomplishment, and look forward to doing another century soon.

Mrs. Roadie insisted. It'll be 10 times worse by the end of summer!

Fresno Giants Baseball

I was born in Torrance, California and lived there until I was 10 or so. In the mid 70's my dad decided he wanted to live closer to his parents, so we moved to "Lowrider Country" aka Fresno, California. I've not lived there in almost 20 years and although it's "home" in a sense, nowadays it has few redeeming qualities. It's blazing hot in the summer. The Tule fog in the winter is so thick you can't see across the street. It lost its farming community charm some time ago and can now claim high crime, ghastly smog, and high unemployment as its modern day charms. In fact it seems that the only time Fresno makes the news is when something horrible happens. How sad.

For several years when I was growing up we lived right around the corner from Euless Park; home of the California League Class A Fresno Giants. Now I've always been a die- hard Dodger fan, but this was our local team. So while I hated them in San Francisco, I loved 'em in Fresno (even when the Lodi Dodgers were in town). My dad befriended the head groundskeeper, Tony; and he gave us several season passes every year. We lived so close we could walk to the games, in fact we were there just about every night.

Minor league baseball in the 70's and 80's was really something. Back then the stadium smelled of a mixture of dirt, grass, cigar smoke, spilled beer, hot dogs, and Old Spice aftershave (as for the Old Spice, I sat next to my dad). It was a glorious odor! That's how a ballpark is supposed to smell as far as I'm concerned. Euless Park had the best snow cones as well! I used to love watching the grounds crew water down the infield and lay the chalk lines. Crass, classless heckling was the norm! In fact I remember a third baseman, who'd been the recipient of some real "Olympic Class" jeers, give our section "the bird" while using his glove to shield anyone else from seeing "his digit"! Classic!

We'd get there early, watch BP and infield, get autographs (some of which I still have) and talk to the players. It was heaven for a young baseball fan. During the game, if you got a foul ball you could turn it in for a free ticket or a hot dog/ soda. The usher would try to hunt you down to get the ball back, so we'd stick it under our shirt and hope he didn't notice who'd picked it up. We'd also hover around the dugout during and after the game in the hopes of getting a cracked bat. We managed to get bats from Bob Brenly, Mike Aldrete, and Rob Deer. I also had bats from Minor Leaguers Wayne Cato (a catcher, who later managed the Fresno Giants), and Jim Elrod. Usually, we'd wrap the handle with silver duct tape and use the bats to hit tennis balls to each other.

Fresno had some great players pass through over the years, Chili Davis, Dennis Littlejohn, Bob Brenly, Mike Aldrete, Tom O' Malley, Joe Strain, Dan Gladden, Will Clark, Robby Thompson, Chris Brown, John Henry Johnston, John Burkett, Rob Deer, Gil Heridia. I remember managers John Van Ornum, Jim Maloney, and Wendall Kim as well.

Rival teams and various players were...

The Lodi/ Bakersfield Dodgers - Fernando, Alan Wiggins, Mike Marshall, Greg Brock, Doug Rau, Rudy Law, Mike Piazza, Eric Karros, Hideo Nomo, Candy Maldonado.

The Visalia Oaks (Twins)- Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbeck, Rich Becker, Jay Bell, Joe Charboneau.

Modesto A's- Eric Show, Ricky Henderson, Dewayne Murphy, Walt Weiss, Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Mike Gallego, Dave Henderson,

Stockton Ports (Brewers)- Gary Sheffield,

San Jose Missions (Mariners)- Kevin Bass, Bud Black, Kelly Downs.

Reno Silver Sox- (Padres)- Ozzie Guillen, Kevin McReynolds, Benito Santiago,

Salinas Spurs- (Angels)- Leon Durham, Tom Brunansky, Gary Pettis, Mike Witt,

I saw some great players pass through, but I also remember many of the guys who didn't get very far with the Giants. I remember a shortstop named Mike Rex and a third baseman/ Power hitter Bill "Yogi" Young. A pitcher named Steve Wilkins stands out in my mind as well.

Occassionally they had "The King and His Court", a traveling softball team of sorts, for pregame entertainment. The team consisted of a fastpitch softball pitcher who could really bring it (almost unhittable), a catcher, a shortstop/ outfielder and a first baseman. They'd challenge some of the Giants hitters and never lost from what I can remember. Other than that, the entertainment was the game itself. No mascots, racing hot dogs, blaring, crappy music, etc. Just the game. Doubleheaders were very common!

One time we were sitting, waiting for the game to start and my dad says "I see somebody you need to meet". We walk down a couple of aisles and sit down next to an older gentleman. My dad says "Hello Mr. Spahn, if it's not to much trouble, can we chat for a few minutes until the game starts"? It was Warren Spahn! Mr. Spahn didn't mind chatting at all and was a teriffic fellow! Apparantly he was doing some scouting for the SF Giants. I still have my Fresno Giants program that he autographed.

Man, those were some great times!

Steve's Tag

As a regular reader of From the Pew (and From the Bleacher's) I was very flattered to garner an honorable mention to share some info about myself. So here goes...

1) Four jobs I've had in my life: Bike shop, Propane delivery, Field rep, Fundraiser.

2) Four places I've lived: Fresno, CA; Nashville, TN; Tacoma, WA; Richmond, VA.

3) Four TV shows I love to watch: Baseball Tonight, The Office, King of Queens, Dirty Jobs.

4) Four blogs I read regularly: BSNYC, From the Pew, Belgium Knee Warmers, Maynard.Net.

5) Four favorite foods: Fish tacos, North Carolina BBQ, Fried Chicken, Grapes.

6) Four places I've been: Bahama's, British Columbia, Mississippi River, Gulf of Mexico.

7) Four places I'd rather be right now: Riding my bike, Europe (It's racing season!), Just about any ballpark (It's Baseball season!), A lively pub.

8) Four living people I'd like to spend an afternoon with: Ron Paul, Greg LeMond, R.C. Sproul, My high school buddy Tom Connolly.

9) Four things I look forward to this year: Growing in Christ, Fenway Park in August, Hopefully- a trip to Cooperstown, Trips to Virginia Beach with my family.

10) Four best city's to spend a week working in: Nashville, TN; Memphis, TN; Austin, TX; Washington, DC;

Beantown

This was my second trip to Boston and I've got to say it's a great town to visit. Tuesday I managed to scrape together some time and visited the battlefield at Concord. I'm a history buff, and one of the periods of time that interests me most is the 1700's, so I'm like a kid in a candy shop living on the East Coast. I just finished reading "Paul Revere's Ride" by David Hackett Fischer for the 2nd time in preparation for this trip. Walking portions of the battlefield, it's easy to imagine swarms of pissed off colonist's laying into the British Regulars. These men had a completely different worldview than what the vast majority of Americans possess today. They recognized that their rights as Englishmen, rights they held sacred, were being violated in principle. If they allowed those rights to be violated in any degree, it set a precedent for further violations. If they could see "us" now, our Founding Fathers would be on a spit, turning in their graves.

If you ever venture to Boston, be sure to make time to tour the Sam Adams Brewery as well! It's a great tour and it's very interesting to see how they brew beer. Plus, at the end of the tour they do a "tasting"! Viva Sam Adams Imperial Stout (a very dark beer they're developing)! I was in a room full of people who'd run the Boston Marathon a couple of days before. I had a nice conversation with a couple of guys from Minnesota and a dentist from Berlin.

The airport in Boston is easy to get in and out of, and there's some pretty good restaurants scattered about. I've taken a liking to Lendy's Deli in Saugus, where I've been staying. Jimmy's Steerhouse is very good as well (try the beef tips!). My Magellan GPS unit is absolutely teriffic! It continues to drop me on the doorstep of every appointment on my schedule. Boston is a great town to work in and I look forward to coming back often.

Score!

After a great weekend in New Jersey, I hopped a plane to Chicago for a fundraising seminar last week. After lunch one day, it was announced that one of the attendee's had an extra ticket to the Cubs game that night! When she announced it, the guy who had the ticket happened to be looking right at me. I instantly staked my claim and two hours later I was sitting in a great seat at Wrigley Field!

The Reds were in town and the atmosphere (as I assume it always is) was electric. I quickly grabbed a "Chicago Dog", bag o' peanuts, and an "Old Style" and settled into my seat. Aside from the two lesbians mawing each others faces two rows down, it was a great night. Ken Griffey Jr. went yard for the Reds, and Derek Lee absolutely crushed an Aaron Harang pitch into the left centerfield bleachers (he went 3 for 5). The Cubbies turned a couple of slick double plays whilst pounding the Reds 9-5. Cubs fans really let Dusty Baker have it each time he ventured from the dugout! It was crazy! Wrigley is one of the most unique baseball experiences I've had. I've not witnessed that kind of passion out of a group of fans before.

Last weekend I pounded out rides of 28, 38, and 30 miles! The weather was perfect and the legs felt great!

Finally!

My sciatic nerve problem has subsided enough to where I was able to get in a few miles on the bike this week. With the exception of a 25 mile jaunt one day with my son, I haven't been on the bike since the beginning of February. I've done rides of 16, 26, 37, and 28 miles this week and have felt great every time out. Tommorow I fly to New Joisey for a couple of days, then to Chicago for a seminar until Thursday. I'll be distracted by thoughts of my bike the whole time no doubt.

Hopefully, I can catch Paris- Roubaix on Versus this Sunday. I'm looking for a Boonen/ Cancellara showdown. Although you can't overlook Freire or Gilbert either.

Oscar Freire threw down an amazing sprint to take Ghent- Wevelgem Wednesday. What a stud!

How does it feel?

To win the Tour of Flanders whilst wearing Belgian colors?

Stijn Devolder had the race of his life and will never have to buy a beer in Belgium again!

Special thanks to the early risers at Podium Cafe for giving "play by play" to those of us who won't cough up the dough for Cycling TV. Y'all are Vin Scully's with keyboards!

My Children

I can't believe my oldest son is 17! His birthday was Friday. My wife and I took him and his girlfriend out to dinner at Bistro, a nice Italian restaurant. It's amazing and fun to watch your children grow! God has truly blessed me with some terrific children.

My oldest is now 17. He's a very sharp, responsible, young Christian. He gets good grades (geez he's sharp!) and has just been made a crew manager at work. He also has a conscience and I'm always impressed at what a genuinely nice young man he is. He's very athletic. Baseball is his first love (as it was mine at his age), but he's developing a real interest in cycling. Cycling wise I think he'd make a very capable climber. I bought him an great old Cilo about a year ago.

My second son turned 15 in February. He's a great kid! He has a real love for God, history, and current events. I'm quite certain he knows more about Constitutional government and history than most adults. He has very high standards when it comes to friends, and carry's himself quite well (quite confidence). He's very athletic and is a vacuum cleaner with a baseball glove. He can really handle a basketball. In fact, he beat me two of three games at 21 yesterday (and swatted the crap out of me one time!). He'll make a good cyclist as he's got quite an engine (I need to find him a bike).

My oldest daughter is almost 12. She's a gem! She's very sweet, pretty, and smart. She's making honor roll in her honors courses at school (A's and 1 B+). She is an exceptionally talented artist and has had several pieces displayed in school art shows! She just made her middle school soccer team as well. I love that she'll watch my favorite British comedy "Keeping Up Appearances" with me and enjoy it as much as I do! What I love most about her is that she's a genuinely nice, caring young lady.

My youngest daughter is 7. She's such a delight. She's quite cute and at her age she's probably more advanced than my other kids were. I imagine it's from having older siblings. She acts way older than other kids her age. She's takes advanced courses at her school and is still bored with them (so she tells me). She reads and speaks like she's 10 or 11 years old. She plays soccer and has an ear for music that we really need to develop. She has a great sense of humor and can make us all laugh hard! What I love most is when she asks me to say a prayer with her every night. It's very sweet. We love to share an apple as well.

There's nothing I love more than spending time with my family! It's what life is all about as far as I'm concerned. Whether it's just sitting around talking, going to the gym, a ballgame, or on a family trip, I love being their father. I'd do anything for them. I guess that's what being a dad is all about.

I pray they'll always enjoy all life has to offer, and have many great memories.

What will it take?

Doping sucks! Having questions about who may be "juiced up" has taken much of the fun out of watching competitive sports. What the hell is wrong with people? Where are our morals?

Alexi Grewal winning Olympic Gold in 1984 was my introduction to competitive cycling. He was always one of my favorite cyclists. I'm proud of him for having the courage to discuss this part of his life. It takes a real man to admit his mistakes in the hope of keeping others from falling into the same trap.

Kudo's to you Alexi!

http://www.velonews.com/article/74053/an-essay-by-1984-olympic-gold-medalist-alexi-grewal

Will others will have the courage to do likewise?

Tour De Trump

I was moving some stuff around in the garage this morning and stumbled across a box of old VHS tapes. Amongst this treasure chest of nostalgia are some classic videos of the Tour De France and Paris- Roubaix from the mid to late 80's. I used to tune into the coverage every weekend and mash the record button. Nothing says "80's cycling" like watching Sean Kelly pound the cobbles of Paris- Roubaix and Greg Lemond and Bernard Hinault sore up Alpe D'Huez! All set to great commentary by Phil Liggett and John Tesh! However, one video gem in particular is priceless. That's the 1990 Tour De Trump. Yep, the Donald was the primary bankroll for what was actually a great East Coast race for a couple of years. The Coors Classic had gone by the wayside a couple of years before (what an awesome race that was) and the Tours of California and Georgia weren't around. It was with absolute delight that I killed a couple of hours this morning watching this blast from the past.

Many of the great Euro teams were there fighting for some very decent prize money. PDM (Holland), Panasonic (Holland), Carrera (Italy), Lotto (Belgium) and "Z" (France), were the most notable. The "Commies" sent an amature team over and one of there riders sported the leaders jersey (Why Hot Pink?) for several stages. America was represented by the much accomplished 7-11 team and a number of primarily US based squads such as Coors Light, Crest, Spago, Subaru- Montgomery, and the US National team. Even the Postobon team from Columbia was there.

These were the last of the bygone days of toeclips, downtube shifters, massive helmets (if you weren't wearing a leather hairnet), and Oakley Factory Pilots.

PDM's Mexi- stud, Raul Alcala bided his time and finally put the USSR's young Vladislav Bobrik to the torch on a very tough ("Hell's Kitchen") stage 13, Catskill mountains- Albany, NY. OUCH!!

I always thought Alcala was a great cyclist and a really decent guy. He won the coveted "Malliot Blanc" (white jersey) awared to the best rider under 25 for the 1987 Tour de France. He also won Tour stages in 1989 and 1990. I'm glad he at least got the overall in this race.

I think I'll dig around in the garage some more. I'm quite certain I have a couple of years worth of "Winning Magazines" in there, somewhere, as well.

John Adams

I've been watching the HBO series "John Adams" the last several weeks. It's based on the book "John Adams" by David McCullough. I've never read the book (so many books, so little time) but this series is absolutely fantastic in every way. I highly recommend it.

In the way of books I've just finished "Paul Revere's Ride" by historian David Hackett Fischer. Have you ever picked up a book and not wanted to put it down? This fellow can really make history come alive. I understand his book "Washington's Crossing" is excellent as well.

El Manzana Grande!

I made my first trip to NYC this week. Now I get it! I've been in most of the major cities in this country and it's one of the most unique and coolest places I've been. It's almost overwhelming. I started out with appointments in Connecticut and worked my way back. On my way to Connecticut I passed the Mets new stadium. It looks great and I hope to catch a game at Shea later this year. It's the last year for Yankee stadium as well and catching a game there is a must! Interestingly, I ended up renting a room at a HoJo in the Bronx. $100 doesn't get you very much nowadays, it was a dump (the HoJo & the Bronx). However, I met someone for breakfast at a "Seinfeld" like diner the next morning and the food and service were great.

If you ever visit a big city you'd be doing yourself a huge favor to use a GPS to get around! Just type in the address and it'll drop you on the doorstep. I have a Magellan and I can't begin to tell you how great it works! Most of my trip has been on Long Island. Since no trip to the area would be complete without "a slice", today I had some great pizza at a Mama Theresa's. If you ever find yourself in Westbury, NY do yourself a favor and check it out. You won't regret it I can tell you that. The eggplant panini I had there last night was excellent as well.

Some things I appreciate about New Yorkers...

• Their bluntness (You can be polite & blunt).
• Their sense of belonging (everyone should be proud of where they're from).
• They (at least the ones I ran into) give great directions.
• They know how to have a great time (when it comes to entertainment, if they don't have it you dont need it).
• They know how to eat (the variety and quality is amazing).

JFK is a pretty easy airport to get around. I was able to get to the AirTrain and to my rental car agency easily. I've been driving a Chevy Cobalt. It's a bucket of bolts, but it's good on gas. I used Jetblue this week and had no problems. Aside from being delayed a few times I usually don't. Their planes are always very clean and have plenty of legroom.

I really look forward to getting to know this city!

O-Hi-O

Last week I made my first trip into Columbus, Ohio. I've got to say, Ohio is a great state to visit. I was in Cleveland several months ago and enjoyed my week. Last summer I found myself in Cincinnati and spent an evening at "The Great American Ballpark". It's a beautiful park and I had an absolute blast. I even managed to snag a ball during pregame BP! So I wasn't surprised that Columbus was a great place to visit as well. What always makes a city stand out is cleanliness, pleasant people, and great food. Columbus has all three! I enjoyed several meals at "Max & Erma's" and some great BBQ at "City BBQ". We're talking North Carolina style pulled pork & great hush puppies! Columbus' airport is clean, has some decent restaurants, and has free wireless internet, which is a rarity nowadays.

I also made an overnight trip down to Northern Kentucky for an appointment. Afterwards I had a couple of hours to kill so I went through the nearby "Creation Museum". I was very impressed! I'm a firm believer in the Biblical view of creation, hence a "young Earth". They present the facts/ case extremely well and it was well worth the price of admission ($20 for adults).

I also got to use my new Magellan GPS this week and it's great! Pop in the address and it drops you on the doorstep! Next week will be a real test because I'm making my first trip to Long Island, NY and Southern Connecticut.

Congratulations to CSC stud Fabian Cancellara, who stole off the front of a strong break and time trialed his way to a win at Milan- San Remo, one of cyclings classic races! Cancellara is having an amazing season thus far. He won Tirreno- Adriatico last week as well!

As for me, I'm still battling problems with my sciatic nerve and have only been on the bike once in the last month and a half. It started out as a back problem. It is getting slightly better, but it's taking a long time. I'm hoping for some real improvement this week.

Elkhart, Indiana = Suckin' on chili dogs, outside a Tasty Freeze...

Last week I flew into Indianapolis and made a 3 hour drive North to Elkhart, Indiana. First, let me say that Indianapolis has a great airport! It's very tidy and has a variety of restaurants to choose from. Elkhart on the other hand is in dire need of a "touch up". It looks dirty and very run down. The roads are some of the cruelest I've had the displeasure of rolling over. Potholes have spread throughout the area like STD's in a public high school. This was made to feel even worse due to the fact that I was driving a Ford Focus. What a piece of crap!


I had a number of completely unforgetable meals. These were consumed in your typical chain restaurants. Try as I might, I didn't see anything local that looked interesting enough to risk a few bucks on. That's pretty sad considering I'm really not that picky. Were it not for the great people I met with this week I'd say that Elkhart has no redeeming qualities at all. I was very amused that as I was driving around on a couple of occasions, one of the local radio stations played several John Cougar Mellancamp songs, thus providing the perfect theme music for my trip. Mellancamp's songs are custom made for Elkhart. Lame tunes for a lame town.


I wanted to make a side trip to South Bend and check out Notre Dame, but I didn't have the time. I also noticed a sign for the "College Football Hall of Fame" in South Bend. That will be a "must see" on my next trip to the area as well. So at the very least, nearby South Bend has something interesting to see.


Cycling wise, aside from a 20 mile spin a week and a half ago, I haven't been able to ride at all. My back pain is almost completely gone, but now I'm having problems with a sciatic nerve. The pain is excruciating at times. I've been going to a chiropractor for a couple of weeks now and it's helping. But my recovery is hampered by my work travel. The only solace that I have is that the weather's been on the crappy side. I've been following "Paris- Nice" on Podium Cafe. Some of these guys subscribe to cycling tv and do a great job of posting a play by play. David Rebellin won the GC today after one hell of a week of racing! It's to bad Gerolsteiner is pulling its sponsorship at the end of the year.


I'm shocked and depressed to hear that CSC is pulling out as well! These are the fruits of doping in cycling! DOPERS really do SUCK!! I do believe cycling is making great strides to clean itself up. I think ASO not inviting Astana to race is a good idea. I think they're wise to the potential mess they'd be inviting. After reading David Walsh's book "From Lance to Landis", listening to Betsey Andreu's interview on The Competitor's radio show, and various other things, I wouldn't trust anything coming out of the U.S. Postal/ Discovery Channel program.

Davey Lopes

I've bled Dodger Blue since I was old enough to know what baseball was. I was weaned on Dodger baseball in the 70's and have the fondest memories of baseball in that era. I spent many an afternoon and evening camped out in front of the TV watching my baseball hero's at their craft. The Dodger infield of Garvey, Cey, Russell, and Lopes played together for a record 8 1/2 years.

I'm very sorry to hear that my favorite player when I was growing up, Davey Lopes, has recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Not only was Davey one of the best 2nd basemen of his era, he was a very nice man as well. When I was around 10 years old, I wrote him a letter and he responded by sending me a really great postcard. It's an action shot of him running, helmet falling off the back of his head, obviously attempting to steal a base. It's inscribed "To Mike, best wishes always, Davey Lopes". That nice note made a 10 year olds life A- OK!

I was devastated when he was traded to the A's. It was hard to see him in another teams uniform. It was very weird! I liked Steve Sax and eventually got used to him. But it wasn't the same. I went up to DC and watched a Nats game a couple of years ago. I didn't know it at the time, but he was base coaching for the Nats. That was pretty cool, and brought back a lot of memories.

Davey, may God bless you at this time in your life.

Let the racing begin!

Blink, and a month and a half blows by! I wish I can say it's been pleasant, but I injured my back somehow and the pain has been unreal. On top of that, I've been traveling for work as well. However, on a happy note I've been seeing a chiropractor and I've felt significantly better the last week or so.

Travel wise, I've been to Boston, Albany, Detroit, Indianapolis, and all over Virginia and Maryland. I'm going to start "reviewing" and "rating" some of the cities and towns I visit frequently. Maybe I'll rate some of the airports as well. Maybe I'll start this week, I'm flying into Indianapolis and then driving to Elkhart, Indiana.

My back has kept me off the bike as well, and I'm getting depressed. I did go out last Monday for about 20 miles with my son. He's got a lot of potential! At 16, he's got a lot of energy to burn. I'd love to get both my sons a really nice bike. Right now they share an old Cilo. It's good though, for as much as they ride at the moment. My 15 year old son could be quite good as well. He's got a lot of stamina.

Thank goodness the pro peleton is back on the road and providing me quality entertainment. The Tour of California was great! Het Volk was very good as well, Philippe Gilbert had a quality win for Francaise Des Jeux. The guy is a stud!

Cobbles are insane! Last Saturday, I watched "A Sunday in Hell". That is one hell of a documentary and I highly recommend it to anyone. Paris Roubaix with Merckx, De Vlaemink, Maartens, and Moser! It doesn't get better than that.

Paris- Nice is running this week and it should be a good race if the UCI doesn't screw it up by intimidating the riders into not racing.

Man I love cycling! Last week I was thinking about Bob Brooks. I started riding in Fresno, CA when I was in my late teens. Bob was an older gentleman with legs of steel and Olympic class lung power. He holds a number of records for various cycling disciplines in his age group. I'd see him out on the road sometimes and he was always very kind and encouraging. He doesn't know it, but he was an inspiration to me. I hope he's doing well! Viva Bob Brooks!

I'm very pissed to hear that the the U.S. open Cycling Championships have been moved from Richmond to Providence, RI! What the hell? It only lasted one year in Richmond? I was really looking forward to watching the boys hammer up Libby Hill. When am I gonna catch a break? There was no Tour of Cali when I lived there. When there's finally a good quality race in the town I live in, it's moved after one year!Whatever happened to the Captech Classic by the

way?

That was a great race through the streets of downtown Richmond. I was out of town a couple of years ago when it was last held. I've not heard a thing about it since.

My wife and I celebrated 18 years of marriage last week. I can honestly say I'm a very blessed man. She's a wonderful wife, friend, and mother. I definitely "married up"! We went out for dinner at a new Japanese restaurant called "Kubuki". It was terrific! The chef was quite the showman. He was tossing knives and playing with fire, it was very entertaining and the food was excellent! all in all it was a memorable evening.

Cleveland Does Rock!

Literally! I went to the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" while I was there a couple of weeks ago. It was quite impressive! The Hall sits on Lake Erie and is very easy to get to from the freeway if you follow the signage. They had a very nice display on The Beach Boys and great presentations on a wide variety of performers and groups. My personal favorites were The Who, The Allman Brothers, Rush, The Clash, and The Ramones. The story on the rise of Punk Rock was very interesting and brought back alot of memories. There was also a cool tribute to Les Paul, inventor of the electric guitar. If you're ever in Cleveland, make sure to visit. Foodwise, I ate several meals at a local restaurant chain called Max and Erma's. Very good food and great service make for a pleasant time. The price was decent as well. By the way, great skyline Cleveland!

Its been freezing cold when I've been home so I haven't been able to ride much at all. I can't wait for the pro cycling season to get started. Het Volk is on March 1st and it couldn't get here soon enough. I really think cycling is starting to get its collective legs under it after several years of doping scandals. Although I don't think we've seen the last of it, I do think our sport has made huge strides in cleaning up. In the classics I think we'll see great racing from Fabian Cancellara, Damiano Cunego (who'll pull his crap together this year), Daniele Bennati, and Tom Boonen (who I think is due to crank it up). I'd love to see Slipstream tear it up this spring!

In the major tours, watch out for team CSC. If Frank and Andy Schleck, and Carlos Sastre can put together a team strategy they'll be hard to beat in the Giro & TDF. Damiano Cunego could do great as well. I don't think Cadel Evans has a team that can help him win a major tour, but he'll continue to be in contention. Sadly, Alberto Contador could win the TDF again. But I'm sorry to say I don't trust him and his new Astana team. DS Johan Bruyneel is bad news considering the number of doped up riders with a USPS/ Disco history. I can honestly say I'll be rooting against them.

I worked in Philly this week and as I was driving down the freeway I passed the exit sign for "Manayunk". My mind went instantly back to the mid eighties and Winning magazine. I loved reading about the Corestates U.S. Pro Championships Road Race. With a 10% to 17% grade, that half mile climb up the infamous "Manayunk Wall" was gruesome to be sure! I remember a picture of a guy with a garden hose, spraying riders down from his front yard! It'd be cool if I could time a trip with a race.

Cleveland Rocks? We're about to find out!

It's not often you get such a beautiful day for a ride in January! I set off for a 30 mile jaunt today with the temp in the low 70's. Perfect! After yesterdays relatively easy 25 miles, I wanted something that would put some burn in my legs. My route has a couple of short, steep climbs that are quite nice. One rewards you with a nice 40 mph descent that feels great. I've come a long way in the last year and a half. I've lost around 40 lbs since I started riding again. I'd like to drop another 20- 25 to be honest, that'd get me very close to what I weighed when I raced cat 4's in the late 80's. However, I'm a realist too. I don't have the metabolism of a hummingbird anymore. I don't have the time or the drive to ride like I used too either. I'm out of town working quite a bit and when I'm home I love to spend time with my wife and kids. I'm content to stay where I'm at right now weight wise.

This week I'll be in Cleveland working. I've never been to Cleveland, but I hear "it rock's", at least that's what the songs says. And being it has "The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame", I guess it better. I think The Pretenders are from Cleveland. I saw them in concert twice in the 80's. They were awesome! If I remember right, The Call and Simple Minds opened for them. Cleveland sits on Lake Erie, so this time of year it should be breathtakingly cold (I bet they don't get winter day's in the 70's like we do in Richmond!). It's also home to the Cleveland Indians & The Jake. In Cleveland, they can't play baseball in January, so I'll have to wait on that. I think they banned "Chief Wahoo" in the name of political correctness, which sucks! The Braves did the same with "Chief Nok-a- Homa", what an great name! I hope they've got some decent restaurants as well. When you're on the road as much as I am you try to find something different. I can't stand most of the chain/ clone restaurants anymore. Sometimes I think if I sit in another ChiliApplebee's again I'll go homicidal. That crap is way overpriced! I'll be frequenting Cleveland a lot this year, so I'm hoping for the best!

I'd Like You To Meet My Psychologist; Dr. Blue RC4

In the Summer of 1984 a high school friend invited me to his house to watch the Olympic games. That day I was introduced to the greatest endurance sport in the world. I had never given cycling, as a sport, so much as a passing thought. Watching Alexi Grewal sprint around Steve Bauer and take the Gold medal just blew me away! I can picture him now. Arms in the air, freaking out!

In the 7th and 8th grade I had a yellow Schwinn Varsity I used to ride a few miles to a friends house. That came to an abrupt (i.e. violent) end one summer afternoon when I was riding home. I was peddling through our neighborhood and was distracted by a high school girl, watering her lawn in a bikini. I took my eyes off the road, and looked back over my shoulder to sneak a peak (lear actually) and plowed into the side of a parked station wagon! I slid over the hood and onto the sidewalk; getting pretty scraped up in the process. I was so embarrassed, I didn't even look back. I dusted myself off, picked up my bike (the front wheel was destroyed) and started walking home. Come to think of it, I bet those people were wondering what happened to their car.

I also remember when I was in the 4th or 5th grade my brother and I had some "cool" bikes with banana seats. In an effort to keep the neighborhood crime free, we used to race around pretending we were CHiPS. I believe, being the oldest, I was "Ponch" and he was "Jon". We used plastic baseball batting helmets for motorcycle helmets and used to park our bikes side by side (with the helmets hanging from the bars) just like on TV.

After trashing my bike, I had neither the money or interest in getting another one. That all changed that summer afternoon in 1984. At least my interest did. Being in high school; I was still broke. So I just watched cycling on TV whenever it was on. I remember watching Paris Roubaix and the 1985 Tour de France (my first). I was thoroughly captivated by how tough these guys were. That, coupled with commentary by Phil Liggett and John Tesh really made an impression on me (Tesh made some great music for TV cycling as well). Those events, and Winning magazine, introduced me to athletes I'd never heard of. Men such as Greg Lemond, Bernard Hinault, Larent Fignon, Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche, Eric Vanderarden, Marc & Yvonne Madiot, and others.

Later I would read about the giants in cycling history. Legends like Eddy Merckx, Roger De Vlaeminck, Freddy Martens, Jan Raas, Jaques Anquentil, Raymond Polidour (the eternal second), Charly Gaul, Fausto Coppi, and many others. The first time I watched "A Sunday in Hell" I almost passed out! What drama!

The fall of 1985 I finally scrapped together some money and bought my first bike. A nice red and yellow Club Fuji with Suntour components. I put thousands of miles on it over the next several years. Around 1990 I bought a sweet Bottecchia Limited. It was white, with Campagnolo components. I also bought my first set of Shimano clipless pedals. That Bottecchia was awesome! So awesome that when I started riding again I bought another Bottecchia, a Sprint BZ562 with Shimano 105. Having the shifters on the brake levers was a welcome change. Finally, when I was working in Plano, Texas last spring I found a real nice bike shop across the street from the hotel I was staying at. That's where I bought my current ride. A Blue RC4. The frame is all carbon fiber and it has Shimano Ultegra components. It's great on long rides and climbs like a dream. What a phenomenal bike, I couldn't be happier!

I work out of town a great deal so I do most of my riding on the weekend. Still, I managed to put several thousand miles in last year. Today we had some pretty decent weather, it was in the mid- 50's so I ventured out for a quick 25 miles. Nothing to taxing, mostly flat with a few small hills. This was the first time I was able to ride outside in about a month, so it was nice to loosen up the legs. I'm not near as hardcore as my younger days, when I didn't care how cold or nasty it was outside. However, riding inside on the trainer is bloody boring! I'm on for about 45 minutes and I'm ready to go homicidal.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be nice again as well. If not, maybe I'll throw the 1987 Tour video on and get inspired!