recent advances in medicine

saw a story on cyclingnews today about a photog that was in a collision just after a sprint in a race in the Netherlands.

a somewhat unremarkable story except for the following line:

"He had to be reanimated at the site"

reminds me of this

Maybe I just don't have it....whatever it is

This "spring" and I use that term very loosely has been miserable for biking.

I have the colder weather gear and all, but riding when it's below 35 degrees just isn't that fun. It might be easier if I had some strong reason like training for a ride, racing, losing weight, etc. but at this point I just don't have that strong of a reason.

Of course this week the real issue has been rain and snow yesterday, but hopefully we will turn the corner sometime in the next few weeks.

I tried to go out for a short ride today around 4 and a half mile from my house it decided to start snowing just enough to make my sunglasses impossible to see through and make the road wet. I cut the ride short and when I swung back onto Stinson I not only had snow but wind in my face as well. No fun.

Weekly Total - 37
Season Total - 114
Miles to Goal - 1386

Brasstown Bald - OOPS addition

well, well, well....the self-described best team in the world and the new America's team have to be feeling a little foolish this evening.

Both Levi and Trent Lowe getting schooled by High Road's ace up their sleeve, Kanstantin Siutsou, on the climb that is supposed to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Personally I do think that Astana played their cards right, getting a rider in the break and letting Slipstream do the work. I can't fathom however that Brunyeel missed the fact that the guy trailing Levi was so close in the GC. Supposedly they knew how close he was so Levi must have just been done.

Slipstream on the other hand was kind of confusing. Missed the big break and then drove the peloton faster than they needed to before leaving Trent Lowe without any teammates on the final climb practically immediately. I have to wonder if Lowe truly knew how close Siutsou was in the GC because he responded to all of Levi's attacks like they were nothing but he seemed to completely ignore Siutsou's attack at the end. You have to guess that he had the gas left in the tank because he jumped in the last 200 meters to get second, so it's questionable that he didn't follow what has to be the race winning move.

Chorizo and Black Beans in a Chipotle Salsa

Made this the other night from ingredients around the house and it was pretty tasty as well as quick and easy.

Chorizo and Black Beans in a Chipotle Salsa

Ingredients:
12 oz. Chorizo, preferably ground or casing removed
1 can Black Beans drained and rinsed (1 1/2 cup home cooked beans is even better)
1 can Diced Tomatoes (fire roasted would be good)
1 can Chipotles en Adobo
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tsp Cumin

Garnish:
White Onion sliced
Cilantro (optional)
Queso Fresco (optional)

Corn Tortillas (if you want tacos)

Making the salsa:
In a blender puree the tomatoes, garlic, cumin, 2-3 chipotles and 1 Tb of the adobo sauce.[to add even more flavor you can pan roast the garlic as well as the cumin seeds]

Making the rest:
Brown the Chorizo in a large saute pan, breaking apart the pieces as much as you can.
Once Chorizo is browned, add beans and saute together for a few minutes.
Add approx 1 cup of the salsa and simmer for 7-10 minutes stirring occasionally until the sauce reduces and just coats the chorizo and beans.

Serve as taco filling, tostada topping, over rice, or however you would like it garnished with any combination of onion, cilantro, and queso fresco.

Not with a roar but.......

well in the end everyone got something apparently.

Rock racing is in the Tour de Georgia.
The Tour which has had more than its share of financial issues has a new "Founding Sponsor"
The fans get.....well maybe a pretty good race with the overwhelming favorites Astana (and their wah, wah we're the greatest thing since sliced bread routine and machine like efficiency), beloved dark horses Slipstream (Zabriskie, Vande Velde, Pate), and the team everyone loves to hate-Rock Racing (will the Puerto boys be kickin ass and taking names?)


As for my riding this past week, I had my biggest week so far but the crappy midweek weather put a damper on too much riding. Saturday I tried out a couple of the hills I like to ride over by the U and I definitely have a ways to go but overall I felt pretty good.

Week Total - 39
Season Total - 78
Miles to Goal - 1423

weekly recap

Hopefully we have turned the corner on this awful weather we have been having.

Monday I rode to class in snow flurries and I wasn't able to out again until Sunday.

Only had a half hour to ride though so noting big just the cemetery hill loop with just enough of a head wind to make me sad.

I am hoping to ride to class tomorrow and wed morning as well as work Friday so hopefully the weather holds out like they are saying. I wouldn't mind ditching the cold weather gear.

The weekly recap:
Weekly total - 22.4
Season Total - 38.4
Miles to Goal - 1461.6

Tornado Warning and new kid on the block

Well unfortunately my pick did not win but 3rd is not too bad Ballan, especially considering that he was up against Boonen and Cancellara in the velodrome.

And if I must be wrong, I am happy that it is Tomke that proved me wrong to take his second win in the Hell of the North. I kept waiting for Cancellara to attack in the last couple of km but he was reportedly having cramps so that is understandable.

If there was a revelation in this year's Paris-Roubaix though it was Martijn Maaskant from Slipstream who hung on in the chasing group with the likes of O'Grady, Hoste, and Devolder then attacked and went on to get 4TH.

You could see O'grady and Devolder try to drop the other two and then it looked like Hoste was trying to shake him at one point in the run in but he held on. I somehow think that he is going to be taken a bit more serously after his spring campaign this year and I hope that Slipstream has him locked into a contract or they are goign to lose him.

Who do I think is going to win Paris-Roubaix?

Of course I would love to see Tornado Tom pull off his second victory in the Hell of the North, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this guy might do it

Don't count Cancellara out either though, but I kind of think he might have peaked a little early for Paris-Roubaix. And I guess it is possible that Stijn Devolder could take a flyer and get the double, but I think there would be trouble back at the Quickstep ranch if that happened.

Really?? Really??

Rock Racing sues to get into Tour de Georgia

I've gone back and forth on Rock Racing this year as I like a lot of people think Michael ball is abrasive and pushy and ultimately a bit self-centered.

On the other hand, the "Puerto 3" are getting screwed by the larger cycling world, just like most of the other riders out there who have been busted for doping. Hamilton, Sevilla and Botero have valid licenses from the UCI so they should be able to ride. period. Tyler Hamilton served his suspension, so what if he claims he is innocent still. If that is the case then I hope that people have the same opinion about Floyd when his suspension is up.


This latest attention grab however is ridiculous. oh boo-hoo someone actually told you no and now you are gonna sue them? maybe if you stop being a prick to everyone else in the cycling world stuff like this won't keep happening

weekend recap

I took the road bike out for a spin Sat morning for the first time this year. Nothing fancy, just my early season/no time route down Johnson back on Stinson and then up cemetery hill and around to the new bike path (A little over 8 miles with a good hill).

It felt really good and I kept up a nice avg speed so I am definitely sure I am ready for a 15-20 mile effort next weekend unless I can find the time this week.


On Sat I was also able to try out some of the new gear I picked up over the winter and I was well pleased. The Craft thermal windstopper jacket I knew was good from Friday, but it really vented well as I started to get sweaty.

The other big plus was my Pearl Izumi Gavia gloves. Very warm but still easy to grip the handlebars and shift. And the little grip pads made sure I didn't drop my water bottle when I unexpectedly hit a pothole while drinking.


After spending the day running errands and finishing the final retakes for the music video I am in, Liane and I went to the Artcrank opening at One on One. Holy Cow!! It was seriously packed with tons of people spilling out onto the front sidewalk and out the back. The line to buy prints was from the bike counter to the coffee counter. It was nice to see so many people out for (and buying) local art. Liane and I each picked up a print. Mine was by Sean Turbridy and Liane's was by Amy Rice.


The weekly recap:
Weekly total - 15.2
Season Total - 15.2
Miles to Goal - 1484.8

Such a little thing, but the difference it made......

So today was the first day I actually got the bike out on the pavement this year (I suck this because I am almost a month behind last year), and it was just the short 4 mile dash through rush hour to get to work and then home this afternoon.

What is amazing to me is that despite a couple little bumps as well as the climb up Lincoln on the way home, I wasn't even winded on my ride. Last year the first couple of rides I fet and new I was fairly out of shape, but today I was spinning along almost too fast for the gear on my commuter bike.

The only thing I can point to that I did differently this winter was riding the trainer. I wasn't even very consistent until February but apparently it was enough to put me on the road with a little bit of fitness. I guess I will be testing this tomorrow morning when I take the road bike out for the first time and tackle cemetery hill.

For anyone who has read this in the past you know that Tornado Tom has been my guy for the past couple of seasons, but I have to say that Phillipe Gilbert is my new rider crush. Training to some old videos of the spring classics this winter he is all over them and then you get to this season and he has been incredible.

I think the reason I like him so much is that he just picks a point and goes for it. Whether he has riders to go with him or if he has to go solo like Het Volk it doesn't matter. Sure he gets caught most of the time but I love the devil may care attitude. It's just great to see a rider who doesn't seem like he is so controlled by the DS. Francaise Des Jeux may just have to be my underdog team to root for this year.

Here is some Het Volk action, check out the attack about 3 minutes in

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

And just for the hell of it here is some Milan-San Remo action with Cancellera schooling everybody after 300km and taking the easy win

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.