Robbie

Let me tell you all a story about my buddy Robbie. You see, Robbie may be new to cycling, but everyone who rides a bike should realize there are certain things allowed, and well, others that are not. Cycling etiquette may go out the window during a 100 man sprint, but it should always be kept in mind on a 45 degree day on your travels through a town called Ashland.

Well, I am sure Robbie did what most of us did when we were green: he saw two cyclists up the road and tried to catch them. What Robbie didn't know, is that he was trying to catch Micah and I, and well, we don't take kindly to strangers. Well, Robbie did indeed catch us, and we made no attempt to change our speed, or our ride for that matter. Robbie sat on us through the head/crosswind section of the ride, then decided to roll up and say hi (after about 5 miles of sitting on silent). Not only did Robbie not introduce himself, but he proceeded to attempt to ride away from Micah and I in his middle ring. Unfortunately for Robbie, there is a little bump in the road by the name of Andrew Sapp just around the corner.

The angry man and I may have hit it a bit harder than we normally would have up Sapp, but it was not a move that was too excrutiating. Poor Robbie was left, possibly in the granny gear, looking about how this all could have happened. To Robbie's defense, he finally did bring us back into sight right before Lakota Ridge.

Moral of the story: Robbie, if you are out there, next time you roll up on a couple of fella's on your aluminum steed, you should at least introduce yourself (I assume your name really isn't Robbie, but hopefully you see the irony). You may find a couple of joes that wouldn't mind some extra company. Here is a scenario that Micah and I played around with on our way back in:
-said cyclists rides up behind two or more cyclists, and sits on for a second to catch his breath
Robbie- Hi guys, my name is Robbie
Elitist snobs- Hi Robbie, you look a bit tired
Robbie- Yeah, I have been pedaling my butt off trying to catch you two, do you mind if I tag along for the ride
Elitist snobs- No Robbie, we would rather you not tag along...you see, my buddy Micah and I have been having a wonderful ride without your presence, and frankly, I am not willing to compromise that. I hope you have a good ride though.

Here is a more likely scenario:
Robbie- "panting heavily" --after the 5 miles of sitting on
Elitist snobs- Hey man, what are you doing?
Robbie-Well uhhh...
Elitist snobs- you are trying to poach our ride aren't you. Let me tell you a little something about cycling etiquette: you see, if you come up behind two cyclists, you should gather your breath, then simply introduce yourself and ask the cyclists if they mind if you tag along. While in this case, the answer would most certainly be no, you may find someone who is willing to toe you around and tolerate your lack-luster behavior. --the two jerks begin to ramp the pace up a bit, bringing Robbie to his LT; just before Andrew Sapp, the two snobs punch it at the base, leaving Robbie with a bit of puke in his mouth, and a sour attitude towards the two elitist snobs.

That pretty much sums up my ride yesterday. It was deceivingly cool; Micah and I rolled out to Ashland from Mexico Gravel. I showed him the sneaky way around the front of the airport, and for the most part, we had a decent ride.

We got home, K and I cooked up a Thai-steak pizza (mmm, Thai and pizza at the same time), had a cup of Java (no, not Brian) and cashed in. Today I am sitting up at work, thinking about food, and anticipating a warm day (hopefully). Micah has all but yet completed the famous "Coffee Loop" which we coined several years ago on cold Friday mornings. I am pretty sure we were the only two out on some of the mornings, but Osama's always had something warm for us when we got there. It was probably the most consistent ride either of us ever committed to: I think each of us only missed one day over a 4+ month period (and it was a mutual decision). Anyway, because I go to work so early now, we decided it would have to be and English Coffee Ride, (you see, the English always have an afternoon cup of tea or coffee), so we will roll around 2.

Robbie, if you are reading this, don't take my satire to heart, however, do take my advice and you will find much more success on obtaining some company.

-Quote of the ride yesterday - "Curt, when did you become a spinner? You are making me dizzy; I leave for a year and a half, and when I come back, you have went and completely changed your cadence. You might want to ok things like that through me from now on" -Angry Man

-and a close second- -Micah-"Watch him come flyign around us in his 62! Curt-"His 62 what? Chevelle???- refering to Robbie, after the Andrew Sapp incident.

Northern Lights

All the crew here in Columbia received a package last Friday. It was wrapped in grey, and said to be 1/2 of the best Minnesota has to offer. What was this great gift you ask? It was Micah (the other part of this wonderful half is Sarah of course). Yeah, Micah is in town for a few days, riding bikes in conditions that he could have stayed in the comfort of his own home to suffer through. We are all glad to have him down though, and the weather is looking up, so maybe he can still get a tan before heading back.

I took a tour of Missouri over the weekend, driving from Columbia to STL, then on into Rolla: from Rolla, we headed south and crossed the border into Arkansas, then back to Rolla and home to BoCoMO. Needless to say, all of that moving around put me in the hurt box.

Saturday, the ICCC crit rolled around Jefferson Barracks in a most uneventful fashion. There were a lot of attacks, and several small moves that ended up no where. I found myself in several of them, however, each move got pulled back. With 5 to go, a group of 5 got away, and of course I missed it. The group stayed away, and I had to settle for a pack finish.

TJ, K, and I rolled over to his aunt and uncle's house for some eats and treats. Thanks you so much Mike and Jeanna for your hospitality.

Shortly after, we rolled down to Arkansas, driving into Mt. Vernon and crashing at the local Durry. The weather looked crappy for Sunday, but it actually held off during the race. An early break went up the road, and our team made the mistake of not going with it, as Butthead rode to a solo victory. I spent the majority of my time on the front, attempting to bring the angry one back, but as it seemed, I was the only one interested in doing so. Luke and Plumer played their cards right, and popped me on the final climb in the first lap. Later, Spearchucker got away with those two, and Ex-pro Ernie: again, good poker by Bigshark, as they took 1,2 and 4 for the day.

Columbia received some unwelcome snow the other day, however, most of it is gone and the roads are clear. I will start hitting it hard today, and getting ready for the Dogwood RR on Saturday. This is probably the worst post I have every written, and I apologize for that. Better stuff on the way-

Another day

This would seem like any normal Friday; however, Micah is rolling into town to throw some Northern spice to our lives.

This week has been centered around recovery...Monday was easy as can beezie, Tuesday featured one of my world famous core workouts, and Wednesday was a nice, aerobic-paced Big Tree. Yesterday required me to make specific watts for specific time periods, and today will bring some pre-weekend openers within a cool ride around town.

K and I cooked Thai last evening. I tried to make a new curry-peanut sauce, that turned out ok...I wish Bangkok would give me their recipe. She also prepared some scones for this morning, however, the recipe called to serve them warm, so we also had one last night.

I sold my cross bike last night: Thanks Charlie, I hope you enjoy it. I had sellers remorse just after it left the house, but of course I get that with every sold bike.

We are heading to STL this weekend for the Sylavan Springs crit, then on down to Arkansas for Hells Kitchen. It seems as though many of the STL guys are rolling down to the RR...should be quite fun. A big portion of the Mercy crew will be heading down to Fayetteville TX for another race in 1,000,000 degree weather. Good luck guys. K and I are heading to Whole Foods before the race, to stock up on some goodies. If we have time, we are going to check on a few houses in the STL area. I should be sending my apps off to Logan soon, so cross your fingers for a lovely July move.

Have a good Irish day, and if you are racing your bike this weekend, take it easy on the green beer.

Hells bells and shotgun shells

I think I may finally have this waking up thing down. Now I just need to get a solid morning schedule so I am not rushing all over the place like a chicken with his head cut off.

There has been some bike riding going on. Yesterday, contrary to Doppler Dave, I went outside, and managed to not get wet. I only had about an hours worth of work outside, then came back after my third shift at work (yeah that's right, 6am-10am at PSCR, 10-3 @ Walt's, then back to PSCR at 5:30 to 7:30. Needless to say, my Monday's and Tuesday's are a bit rough.

Monday, I caught up with some recovery on the rollers, after a hard Ashland on Sunday. After Church, K and I went and did our grocery shopping: the weather looked as if it were going to break, but when was the question. We prepared lunch, and by the time I had the last dish cleaned up, it was just before noon. I wanted to make the noon ride, but it was nice to get some stuff done around the house and sneak out a bit later. Plus, I ended up riding in the peak of the nice weather for the day.

Saturday I busted out Mark's SS 29er; a tornado of emotions comes with a bike like this. First of all, Jason and I went to Cosmo (because it was raining out at Rockbridge). Enough said. Secondly, I haven't ridden a bike with a flat handlebar off road since before K and I got engaged! I used muscles that my body had forgotten about. I began loving the bike, and after a while, I started to hate it. By the end of the ride, I appreciated it. We had a good time, and without really trying, I ended up riding relatively hard. So, as you may have guessed, I did not head down to the Sooner state with the rest of the guys. I did get word that Huffy showed up, attacked the field, Matt Ankney went with, then a few laps later, they came steaming by the peleton. That's right, Huff and Ankney lapped the field in an 8 mile circuit race! That is insane.

Friday was so long ago, I can hardly remember what happened. I am pretty sure I recollect a core workout, and some sort of ride outside. I took Thursday off, to keep recovering from all the travel earlier on in the week. A side note, my father is doing well; he is able to communicate rather well on the phone, and if he could get his tongue to quit hurting, well, he would just be some guy with his mouth wired shut...I am sure there are plenty of women out there that can appreciate such a gesture.

Dropping off the face of the earth

Yeah, so it has been a while since I have updated this thing. I have been pretty busy. Riding went well through Froze toes; however, a few turns this week have set me back just a bit.

I rode quite a bit last week, and on the day of Froze toes, I was out for a long day rather than a big result. I rode for about an hour before the race, and about 1.5 hours afterwords to get in the mileage I needed. The race was as easy as it ever has been, with great weather, and virtually no wind. Somehow, two of Tilford's chronies, Doug Plumer and Bill Stolte managed to get up the road early and stick it to the finish. I chilled out most of the race about mid pack, which was about four times the size it normally is. After the first lap, I moved up a bit to make sure nothing crazy was going down. Towards the end of the second lap, Butthead, Eathan, and a few others managed to clear the field with ~ 2 miles to go. Shortly after passing the 1mi marker, I began turning some screws and brought the field up to the 5 before the finish. I figured it was a "make it or break it" situation. Well, depending on how you look at it, I would say I broke it, because I ran out of steam with about 50 meters to go. Oh well, I got my long day in anyway.

I am no where to be found in the picture, but my dad was manning the camera...don't worry, I still love you dad.

Monday was the day of my final. Just before planning on hopping on the bike, I checked my voicemail only to retrieve a very disturbing message: my father had an accident while cutting down some tree branches. I got a hold of my mom, and she said dad was scheduled for surgery, and that I should take my exam, and get home afterwords. Dad had just gotten out of surgery by the time K and I managed to roll into Rolla. He had broken his jaw in 3 different places, had several lacerations along his tounge, face, and chin, and was suffering a concussion. Needless to say, my father and our family are very lucky that his injury was not more serious. K and I stayed in Rolla for a few days to make sure dad was back on his feet. He is doing well, but will have his jaw wired shut for the next 6 weeks. We are thinking about you dad.

I managed to get a short ride in in Rolla, while my pops was resting. However, all of my workouts this week have been a wash. I have been tired from the travel, all the time on my feet, and the emotional stress that comes with the situation. I have opted to stick around town this weekend, in luie of heading south to Oklahoma to race with the guys. I am hoping by the end of the weekend, I will be back on track.