Rain, Rain, Drizzle, Drizzle

What a sucky weekend! Sometimes I think the weather has it in for me. The weeks I'm on the road it's 70 degrees and sunny. Lately, the weeks (or weekends) I'm working at home its too crappy to venture out. So I spin on my trainer, which bores me to no end. On the plus side I have been hitting the Y and getting some really good upper body/ core sessions in.

I've been using Hammer Nutrition's HEED drink mix the last few weeks and can't say enough positive things about it! I've used Hammer Gel for about a year or so and love it as well. They have an excellent website with some very interesting articles about their sports supplements; you can check it out at http://www.hammernutrition.com/.

I was up in the DC area this week and had Korean food for the first time. It was teriffic! In fact, I may go on a Korean food tangent. The dish I had is called Bibim Bap. It's a salad of sorts with rice, and several small bowls of a variety of marinated vegetables. You mix them all together and add some of the spicy sauce that came with it. I love variety in my diet and this is something I plan on enjoying again!

If you ever find yourself in Alexandria, VA you should check out Hee Been on Little River Turnpike (http://www.heebeen.com/), you won't be disappointed.

Delayed at JFK (again)

ARRRRRG!

At least I can people watch. A woman (I think) just slithered past that reminded me of Ronnie James Dio! For those of you who haven't experienced RJD (or you just want to reminisce), you can "live it up" on youtube-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ_FgL5l1og

Picture him sporting a pair of trendy fur lined suede boots and you'll have an idea of what just strutted past me. Good luck getting a solid nights sleep!

Now I was never a Dio fan mind you; I just remember all the stoners wearing his concert t-shirts when I was in high school. I've always liked a lot of what is now termed "classic rock", but drew the line when it came to the more creepy stuff like Dio, Ozzy, Kiss, etc. I had AC/DC's "Back in Black" 8 track when I was in the 7th grade, I listened to it quite a bit until someone explained what some of the lyrics meant and I chucked it. Even now, I'll listen to a song and all of the sudden I'll understand what their singing about. Usually I'm disappointed and embarrassed at how naive I can be.

Mowtown is Rundown!

I've been here working for several days and I've got to say, Detroit is a dump! I've been here four times over the last year and it's always the same. Filthy hotels and restaurants, depressing scenery, and roads that remind me of carpet bombed runways! On top of that the wind has been blowing about 30-40 mph all week. That's great in one sense; it cleans the streets by blowing all the trash who knows where.

Good job Detroit!

On a happier note, the weather in Richmond has been pretty decent for putting in some miles on the bike. Last weekend I was able to get in several 40 mile rides! Over the Winter I've been working pretty hard on my upper body conditioning and I can already tell a huge difference from where I was at this point last year.

I became interested in Catholicism last Fall and started attending the Latin Mass at "Our Lady of Fatima" in November. I've had some good Catholic friends for a number of years, but never really discussed religion with them. I always assumed (big mistake) that most of the bad things I've heard about Catholicism over the years were true and hence, had zero interest. However, early last Fall I read an excellent book by Tom Woods; "How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization" and it perked my curiosity. I had many questions for my friends and they were answered well enough that I decided to investigate Catholicism seriously. Several months and countless hours of study later, I've got to say I've fallen in love with the theology and the Mass. I'll certainly post more about this exciting change in my life in a future post!

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...

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?

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.

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!

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!

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.

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!