Sammy Faq

Sammy is a Blue and Gold Macaw

He is 3 years old (hatched 10/11/05)

Yes, he does talk.

No, I cannot make him talk on command.

He has approximately a 100 word vocabulary, so far.

He loves people food, he will eat almost anything you give him, although there are things that are harmful to him. He also loves nuts, a variety of seed, and chicken. Yes, chicken.

I do not know if he is male or female. It's impossible to tell, unless you do a DNA test. The test costs about $50, and I'll get it done one of these days. My money is on female.

Blue and Gold macaws generally cost about $1,500, but there are many more expenses, including cage, feed, vet bills, grooming, etc. Don't try to steal him, as you might get shot as you come through the door or window.

If he remains healthy, he will live about 70 years.

Yes, he does curse.

No, I will not put him on my head.

Todays ride, spinning

Had a good ride today, with a fellow Skylands member, a gentleman named Gene. Gene races, and apparently is pretty strong, so I didn't really know what to expect...I don't usually ride with racers, as they are always "training". Which I suppose I should be doing as well...but it's Thanksgiving, and I just wanted to go for a couple hour ride, have a little human contact, since all of my people are in North Carolina right now, and enjoy the scenery in north western NJ, my favorite part of the state. Still, there's always a little trepidation with this kind of thing, since I don't race, and don't know the guy...is he going to drop my ass like a hot potato? Am I going to be a lead weight that he feels obligated to shepherd along?

Gene had put out an email last night, through the club mailing list, saying he wanted to do a couple hour base ride, and I figured, why not. He said it would be about a 17 mph pace, on flat terrain (in NW Jersey?). Great! I can keep a 17 mph pace on flat terrain pretty easily. And gas prices are low, so it won't impact the old wallet much. So, the plan was in effect. I woke up at 7:30 (ride was at 10), got my shit together, I'm out the door with plenty of time to get there, and, as is my custom when trying to hook up with Skylands rides, I found a way to fuck it up. 10 minutes out of the house, I realized I left my cycling shoes behind. Goddamnit. Went back, got them, got back on the road, and the goddamn GPS was telling me my arrival time would be about 10:15.

Now, Garmin GPS units don't take into account how fast you're going, when it gives you your ETA. It takes into account your position, and the speed limits on your route. So...I knew I could make up time, and I did - I arrived at 10:05, averaging about 12-15 mph over the speed limit. Safe? For you, probably not. But I'm a hell of a driver.

I actually pulled into the parking lot of the school that we were meeting at, immediately after Gene, so it was all good from a time perspective; this may have been helped by me emailing him en route...iPhones are a wonderful thing. We went for a somewhat hilly ride (I know there ain't no flat ground in that area), 30 miles or so, in about 2 hours. So, a little slower than planned, but I don't think I held us back, I think that's just the way the ride unfolded. We did a lot of yakking along the way. Here's the route we took:

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/7210726

Pretty good ride, just the right length...my legs were starting to get a little heavy at the end. Made a new friend. What else can you ask for on Thanksgiving?

In other news, I took my first spin class the other day...I don't feel any gayer, but you never know....

It's been a while, eh?

Yeah, it's been a little while since I've posted. I've had an idea for an entry here and there, over the last month or two since I posted, but I procrastinate, and I just don't do it. For me, the time that I found easiest to post new entries was when I was actively training for the 3 State 3 Mountain Challenge, which was preceded the week before by the Tour de Lake Hopatcong. I haven't been actively training since then, for a variety of reasons, therefore I haven't been posting.

The biggest reason I haven't been training, I posted a couple entries about - my back. Now, it's not really that much better, and I still haven't seen a doctor for it (stupid? Yes, of course. That's kind of my thing), but I have found a way to make it much more managable...lots and lots of core work. Which is good and bad - I desperately need to tighten up the middle, and core work does make you a better cyclist. I hate doing ab/core work...that's the bad part, but this back issue will keep me doing it.

I've actually done a fair amount of riding this week, starting with a group ride with Skylands, and followed up the next day with the TdLH route. Funny thing - the same semi-mountainous route that is so much fun, when you're training for it, is not nearly as much fun when you're 15 lbs heavier (pure fat), and you've only been on the bike about eight times in the last two months. I mean, epic fail. I did the ride with my friend Garrett (who's also the mechanic at my LBS), who rides a single speed mountain bike up ridiculous grades on a regular basis, and it was just embarrassing. He kicked my ass up and down that route. Well...maybe not down, so much...the added weight makes me one hell of a descender.

Overall, though, I was pleased...simply finishing a course, especially a tough one, without getting shooting pains down into my leg, is an accomplishment in itself. A month and a half ago, I literally thought I was going to have to sell my bikes. It was that bad.

Awful condition, though, absolutely awful. I've gone on two semi-recovery rides since then, 31 mile rides (same loop both times) that I can do from my front door, keeping about a 17 mph pace, and it's weird...first of all, my heartrate still hasn't really come back down to my normal resting rate...it's about 10 bpm faster than it usually is; on these two rides, it was higher than normal, and while it comes back down to 100 fairly quickly, it takes forever to get down to 90. My lower back is a little sore, which is a concern, but hopefully, that's just because I haven't been on the bike nearly enough lately.

So from here on out, I'm considering myself back in training, full time. I'll be getting back into the gym, on a very regular basis, for core, pilates, yoga (it can't hurt, right?), some weight training, and possibly some spin classes as well. Hopefully, I can be under 200 lbs in about 5 months. I've taken a couple pics of myself, sans shirt...they aren't flattering. I'm picturing them being the "before" pics, in about six months.

Hey, what could possibly go wrong? ;-)

German broadcasters "not amused" with Armstrong's comeback plans

So, as unpopular an opinion as it may be, I'm pretty psyched that Armstrong is coming back. The way I see it, the only thing that realistically is going to stop him from winning Tour #8 is Contador's unreal climbing ability.

But...not everyone is as entertained as I am:

German television broadcaster ARD, which screens the Tour de France in that country in partnership with rival network ZDF, said Sunday it greets Lance Armstrong's planned comeback with skepticism.

Armstrong, who will be 37 on Thursday, announced last week that he plans to come out of retirement in a bid to win next year's Tour de France for the eighth time.

With Armstrong having been accused of doping in the past, Tour organizers have said he will be able to ride in the world's premier event next year if he complies with their strict rules in the fight against doping.

But the German broadcasters are "not amused.”

"For us, Armstrong is a piece of the past we don't want to see again," Rolf-Dieter Ganz, head of communications at ARD, told Sunday's edition of Die Welt.

Both ARD and ZDF stopped broadcasting the 2007 Tour de France during the event after German rider Patrick Sinkewitz failed a drugs test and are currently negotiating the contract to screen the 2009 Tour.

"When we renegotiate the contract, we will certainly sit round the table with the Tour director Christian Prudhomme and make it clear to him: we are not amused to hear about Armstrong's plans," said Ganz.

"The future belongs to young riders, certainly not to Armstrong's generation which we had hoped to have seen the last of."

With several riders having been caught doping during the competition in the last few years, the Tour's image has been damaged and the German broadcasters' attitude will carry some weight with the organizers as they look to gain important broadcasting revenue.

File this one right under "Fuck you, you humorless Kraut bastard". They aren't amused. Ok, file that one under "Who gives a fuck, you annoying, Holocaust camp running bastards".

A bit harsh? Maybe. But fuck them.

They aren't amused. His goddamn bloodwork is going to be online! You fucking half commie cunts used to spit in Armstrongs face, because Ulrich (a doper who got caught doping) couldn't beat him. He's 37, and has been out of the sport for several years. If you can't beat him now, he probably proved he never doped. So suck it up, you buying electricity from France motherfuckers.

Since when are Germans amused by anything? Other than, like, clocks, and warm beer.

Green country, my ass. You essentially outlaw nuclear power, then can't produce enough electricity, so you have to buy it from a country that gets it from...nuclear power! Amusing? You be the judge.

Landis is coming back, too. I can't wait til he shows Bernard "Conehead" Kohl how to time trial.

The Fat Guy is depressed, part II

So it seems I might have a damaged disk in my back. Great. All these years of dealing with tendon problems, I finally get past them (with the help of the greatest chiropractor/massage therapist/ART practitioner in the world), and now my lower back is damaged, permanently. I really don't know how I'm going to deal with this...I mean, I've worked hard, and spent a lot of time saving money to buy these ridiculously expensive bicycles, and now I have lower back pain if I ride more than ten miles. At about 15.5 mph.

I had been planning to slow down, anyways...I have/had this plan to just do LSD (long slow distance) rides, for the rest of the year. My goal was to not exceed a 15 mph average for the rest of the year, solely working on getting used to a higher constant cadence, in the 90-100 rpm range, and developing the soft/connective tissue in my knees and ankles, which I've had many problems with in the past. Then, hit the weights in the winter, while riding the rollers when it's too cold to go out, then start doing serious intervals, hill repeats, etc, next spring.

Why do I think I have a disk problem, you ask? Well, it started a couple months ago...my back just started hurting a little, down low, right at the top of my pelvis, so I found a good chiropractor, who understands the stresses a cyclist goes through, and made an appointment. Saw him twice, my back felt great, off I went. Couple months later, my back is bothering me again, but not badly, so I ignore it. Then, one morning I woke up, and my back was mangled. My girl later told me I was sleeping in a weird position (thanks for not giving me a shove, hon!), and it must have been a bizarre one, cause I've been twisted ever since. It mainly seems to bother me when I drive...which is unfortunate, cause I drive a ton. I get out of the car, and I'm bent over like an old man for 5-10 minutes. So I go see the chiro again, he breaks up some scar tissue in the muscle in my lower back, cracks me up, and off I go (planning to see him a week later). That was on a wednesday. The following friday, I went for a ride, in the Atlantic Highlands. If you look at the link, you'll see it was a slow average speed ride, but that's because there were lots and lots of 18-20% grades. On one of these grades my back went out on me a little, and I felt a pain shooting down into my leg. When I told the good doctor about it, he said that sounded symptomatic of a disk problem. Which, as you might imagine, is absolutely the last thing I wanted to hear. That was last wednesday, it's now Sunday, and my lower back is sore, but it's more soreness in the muscle, where he worked on me...which he told me to expect. Outside of that, no shooting pains, or anything.

My one real hope is, I've also been dealing with a groin injury...and the shooting pain might actually have been that. I'm not fooling myself here, it really was that area that was giving me trouble the rest of the day. Not a lot to hang my hat on, I know, but...I gotta have a little hope. But I figure about a 75% chance that I do have a disk issue. Of course, I'm a pessimist.

Next stop - MRI-ville!

Ouch

Ok, yeah, haven't been posting much, but real life has intervened quite a bit, and let's face it - I really have nothing to say anyways.

Nonetheless, I feel compelled to write now and again, and so here it is. I've pretty much lost all the fitness I gained while training last spring...put back on 10 disgusting pounds...and even more fun, I've managed to mangle myself. I don't know how, exactly, but I'm definitely hurting. My left achillies tendon, my right knee, and worst of all, my back. My lower back. Shooting pains down into my right leg. Now, my chiropractor, who's by far the best in the world, has assured me that it's just a little compression, and a couple of adjustments and some appropriate home-based exersise will fix me right up. And, that cycling won't make it worse. So I went for a ride yesterday, with a couple guys from my LBS.

The ride took place in the Atlantic Highlands region of NJ, and was actually a very cool ride, except for the pain. Oh yeah, pain. Back pain, plus 10 extra pounds, plus...20% grades (!), equals pain. And Rog slowing up the group. Yikes...all of a sudden, 10% grades seemed like nothing. I'm starting to think, though, that it's important for me to be on the bike A LOT more, and for a purpose - to make next year much more enjoyable. So I think the rest of the year is going to be spent spinning, at ridiculously slow speeds. I'm setting a goal of not averaging more than 15 mph for the rest of the year, and hopefully get in at least 150 mile per week. That won't be easy, as I just joined yet another band, but hey, without a goal to not live up to, I'd have no reason to have my own blog.

And that right there, is enough for me.

Floyd Landis decision expected Monday

Great, this is fantastic. The greatest example of ignoring your own protocols will finally come to an end. The farce and tragedy that is the theft of Floyds '06 victory will be complete.

Now, don't fuck it up - I'm no Floyd apologist. Did he dope? I tend to think no, but if you gave me conclusive proof that he did, I wouldn't fall down from the shock. But two things - the lab that did the tests *didn't follow their own rules*. No matter how much you hate Floyd, and there are a lot of people that do, you are being disingenuous if you deny me this point. I'm not going in to how they didn't. It's been covered ad-infinitum. If you really don't know, and want to, go here. Everything you need to know is there, and you can even buy it in book form now, apparently.

Reason number two: Living in a world where Oscar Periero is a Tour champion is offensive to me. He's a nice rider, but...come on.

Coincidence that it happens the week before the Tour starts? Sure. Probably.

There is an obnoxious commercial running on Vs, the tv network that broadcasts the Tour in the US, entitled Take Back the Tour. In it, they show Floyd being awarded his yellow jersey...but they show it in reverse, as though they were taking it back, as well as a few other riders...including David Millar! Anti-doping crusader David Millar is vilified in this commercial. Funny. I'd love to see that commercial have it's legs taken out from under it by CAS naming Floyd the '06 Tour champ.

This is the first time, in quite some time, that I've looked forward to a Monday.

See youse there... ;-)

The Fat Guy is depressed.

Went for a thirty mile ride yesterday, mostly flat.

The Fat Guy actually gained a pretty good level of fitness whilst training for the Tour de Lake Hopatcong, and the 3 State, 3 Mountain Challenge. Said fitness has gone the way of something that has gone away (depression doesn't equal witty metaphors for me. Sorry).

This is a ride that used to be a recovery ride for me...30 miles, slightly hilly at the beginning, but then the second half is pancake flat. And man, are my legs dead. My legs are dead, my lungs aren't very good, my heartrate was never below 120, and was usually up around 170. For a flat ride, in which I averaged 15.7 mph. Good god.

Oddly, when my heartrate monitor was chirping at me that my heart rate was too high, at 185 plus, I felt fine.

Best part of this ride? When I flatted. I got to rest for a few minutes. Sheesh.

Healthy eating is my white whale. Even now, I'm planning on going out to get a pork roll and cheese sandwich. I imagine this will raise my heart rate another 10 bpm.

*sigh*

As a musician, when I have a bad set (regardless of how good everyone else tells me it was - my standard is pretty high), I get real down on myself. For me, it's a slippery slope - bad set - depression - and all of a sudden, now I think I'm an awful human being. It goes away when I have a good set. Sick, right? Now, apply that to bicycling, but unlike music, where I have a high level of proficiency, I'm a fat, slow cyclist. There's no chance I'm going to ride well...

I better have a really good set tonight.... *grr*

Perhaps a cleavage shot of Liz Hatch will cheer me up!



Nope, didn't help. Damn...this is bad...

Haven't posted in a while

Stuff has happened.

Lots of wild, crazy stuff!

Almost too much to tell.

I RODE MY BIKE!!!

Over some hills, over some dales.

Went on the road, went down south...

Then I was sick for a while. I think I ran myself into the ground.

Things have happened, things have happened.

Since getting back, haven't really been on the bike, but I'm getting ready to ride more again.

Tour of Somerville is tomorrow, so I might go for a ride, or I might go watch people ride. Who knows?

Either way, more things are going to continue to happen.



Sincerely,

Your hero,

Rog

TdLH Follow up

So, the results were posted today, and I didn't finish dead last. There were two people behind me. In one of the all-time great scoring travesties, though, they had me listed as finishing in 3 hours even. Incorrect - it was 2:54. Imagine that...this was a ride that benefited the cops, and they stole 6 minutes from me! Those snakes. Worse - they had the two people that finished behind me, finishing in the same time! Gasp! They hadn't even finished by the time I got my bike in my car! I would guess they were about ten minutes behind me.

All joking aside...I looked up the time of the guy that won...2:05 (assuming it was accurate). He beat me by 50 minutes. Yikes. A guy named Jon Kameen, who, of course, was a skinny little thin mint. I want to say it's my goal to win this thing next year, but I have to be honest with myself...that would be a real tall order, and would take a ton of work. Hill repeats, intervals, diet...can I do all that for a year? One wonders...

Ok, Jon Kameen, you're on my radar, punk.

The (semi)Official List of Things Rog is Better than Jon Kameen At:

Playing them drums, or any other kind of percussion,
Boxing,
Jiu-jitsu,
Pizza eating contests,
Lollygagging,
Self-loathing

Just wait til next year.

The Tour de Lake Hopatcong

I had no idea yesterday, whether I'd be riding in the Tour de Lake Hopatcong today. I had no idea last night. I had no idea if I was even going to go, the first and second time I hit snooze this morning. I could hear rain. Rain was forecast for today since last week. It rained last night, it was raining this morning. Hell, I'm up, right? It's either drive out there, or clean my apartment. And besides, since I pre-registered, I was to receive a free pint glass...and I'm almost out of glasses, so that was a pretty serious enticement. So I load up the car, feed the bird, feed myself, and I'm off. It's raining a little bit down by me, but it stopped by the time I got to 287. By the time I got to Arlington, where the ride started, the streets were pretty much dry, for the most part, so that settles that, I'm riding. And hoping it doesn't rain. The skies were very overcast, some might even say threatening, but I'm not going home just because of a cloud.

So I go in the building where we register, sign in, get my pint glass, change, blah blah blah, and we're off. Probably about 35-40 riders, and man, did they get to dropping me quick. Right off the bat, there was a steep grade, between a quarter and a half mile long, and the conversation I was having with the guy next to me ended right there. I like to keep my pulse rate under 150 for the first 3 miles or so, generally, but that went right out the door. Steep climb, steep descent, and now I'm trailing everyone except for a couple that were clearly just out for a cruise. I'm not a great descender, and although I'm getting better, I'm really not a great descender when I don't know the roads. So, ok, time to get to work. The next few miles weren't bad...some short, semi-steep rollers, but I deal with that all the time down here on the Jersey Shore, so not a problem. I get warmed up, and I can see the pack off in front of me, and I try to bridge up to them, but it just ain't happening, and I set my sights on picking off a straggler or two.

This ride went clockwise around Lake Hopatcong, which is funny, because a good friend of mine lives right on the lake, so I passed right in front of his house. Is he there to wave? Hell no, he has a family, and a life. Good on him. Anyways, long story short, the hills quickly started getting out of hand, and I started getting gassed. Thank god that when you go up, you have to come back down. I was actually kind of worried about my knee throughout a lot of this ride, as I've been dealing with some pain in it in longer rides, and I (perhaps foolishly) did a 63 mile ride with 4800 feet of climbing, in small, but potent doses, and my knee was still hurting from that. Somehow, I managed to keep it at bay - something Edison Road, in Ogdensburg, did not help with.

Edison Road. I pre-drove the course, a few weeks ago, so I knew about Edison Road. In fact, looking at the cue sheet, when it says to turn onto Edison Road, it said "Get ready to climb". Huh? I though we had been climbing. Shows what I know. Edison Road is about 4 miles long, and it's got a couple of pretty relentless sections. I had kind of been dreading getting there, but I had dealt with most of the climbs up to that point ok, dropping down into low gear, which in my case was 39-27, and grinding it out. A couple times I had to just roll the pedals over, but I handled everything, so Edison Road would just be the same, but longer, right?

Let me put it this way - ouch.

Now, it's great, because I did want to challenge myself, but that road had me on the limit a couple times...I hate to say it, but I even had to stop at one point, and recover for a minute. I couldn't help wondering how much easier it would have been if I'd been good about the diet for the whole 6 weeks leading up to this...maybe I'd have been 10-15 lbs lighter, maybe I'd have made it the whole way up. But I digress.

About halfway up, there's a nice little park, which is only open to Ogdensburg residents - which, I gotta tell ya, I find kind of annoying. But it was pretty, so I stopped to take a couple pictures. While I was doing so, this guy, who I'd caught and passed, caught back up to me and passed me back.



The nerve. However, since it's easy to beat someone in a race, when they have no idea you're racing them, I knew I'd have my say in how things went, so I let him go while I snapped a couple more pics of the park that outsiders aren't allowed at.

My mind must have decided to block out the rest of that climb, when I drove it, cause I thought I was pretty much at the top when I was at the xenophobic park. Nope, only about halfway. Ouch, ouch, and ouch. Catch the guy, pass him again, ouch ouch ouch. Finally get to the top, and then get to do some nice, chilly descending. It was a chilly day, mid-fifties, and although I brought arm and leg warmers, I should have brought a wind vest for the descents. Cause I sweated up a storm on the climbs...and sweaty climb + long descent - wind vest = brrr!

The rest of the ride went pretty much the same...lots of fairly difficult rollers, one more long, hard climb (at the top of which I must have looked pretty shot, as a roadie going the other way asked if I was ok, and let me know I was at the top). I had to stop one more time, within a mile or so of the finish, on a half mile long, very steep climb...which annoyed me to no end. But, at long last, I got there.

All in all, I'm slow as all git out, but I was really happy I made the effort...and really, really, really happy I set out to get myself into shape over the last six weeks. I never would have made those climbs otherwise. And on that note, my friend Garrett was supposed to come, but got derailed by family obligations. Had he come, it might have gotten ugly. His cassette is an 8 speed, 13-23, and I was going to go with my 11-23, just to show a little solidarity. Thank god I didn't have to do that. I definitely would have had to stop a couple more times if I did...the extra 4 teeth in back was oh, so necessary.

But I've been needing a challenge like this, to force myself to get it together...and I feel like I'm going to keep the ball rolling. I love riding - and the more weight I lose, and the stronger I get, the more I love it. Next year...well, I might not compete for the win, but I'll represent much better on the big hills. And mark my words, I'll do it with that 11-23.

This coming Saturday, the 3 State 3 Mountain Challenge. Bring it on.

Wow

Yeah, I know. It's in some crazy, non-english jibberish. Even the sub-titles make no sense whatsoever. Watch it anyways.

Why can't we have shit like this in the good ole US of freakin A?

Things are coming around

Good ride today - the Atlantic Highlands route again. Today I averaged 1.5 mph faster than last time, and was much less thrashed when I got back home. Except for a twinge in my knee, and a bit of neck/shoulder soreness (from holding up my gigantic melon head), a great ride, and definitely got to see some progress.

I have a couple big rides coming up - the Tour de Lake Hopatcong, this Sunday, and then the 3 State, 3 Mountain challenge; both of which are rides which feature challenging climbs. To deal with this more easily, I put a 12-27 cassette on. I never got all the way down to the 27, but I did get to the 24 a couple times. It's remarkable how much of a difference that one tooth makes. I do definitely prefer the 11-23 for around here (probably will more and more as I continue to lose weight), and I'm sure I'll go right back to it after these rides, but it's the right move for these two rides coming up. I almost wish I could switch to a compact crankset for it. Can't though, and really, I should be able to get over anything short of the Dolomites with a 39 - 27.

I feel I've really hit a tipping point with the training I've been doing - I can go longer, harder, and feel much fresher when I get back home. The first time I did the Atlantic Highlands ride really seems to have been the catalyst for that, too. I'm definitely climbing better...I can jump out of the saddle and dance on the pedals now...at least as much as a fat guy can dance on pedals. Overall, I'm really happy with where I'm at right this minute. I haven't been as disciplined as I want to be with my diet, or hit the abs as much as I want, but everything outside of that is going the way I want it to. Hopefully, some good rides this week, starting Sunday (I'm doing a very light recovery ride tomorrow - just an easy spin), and I'll really be motivated and psyched to continue getting leaner, stronger, faster all through the rest of the season.

That's it for now, hooligans. Get the hell off my porch. ;-)

Gearing up

Only about a week and a couple days til the 3 State 3 Mountain Challenge, and two days til the Tour de Lake Hopatcong, which might get rained out. Actually, I've spoken to them, and they say it's a rain or shine ride, but I'm not going to do it in the rain. Sissy? Maybe.

Anyways, I just put a 12-27 on the bike, so I should be ok. Picked up a bug screen for the bike, so it should be ok up on the roof for the ride into Tennessee. Everything is falling into place, including my fitness. Went for a 30 mile ride the other day, felt strong all the way through it. One more training ride today, a 60+ miler, with lots of hills, a recovery ride tomorrow (or the rollers, if it's raining), and I'm good to go for Hopatcong.

I'm getting psyched...time to go for a ride!

I'm giddy!

It's crappy food day! All week long, I've been eating really healthy...the plan was to kill the diet all week long, then Saturday, I get to have one disgusting meal. And then back on the diet again. I'm going to have a cheesesteak from Rudolpho's!!!!! Heeeeheeheeheeheeheeheeheehee!!!

Oh god, this is going to be so good. A cheesesteak, a Mountain Dew, and some fritos. I am going to be a worthless lump the rest of the afternoon.

By the way - the scale told me 236 this morning (down from 244 last Sunday). I'm betting it tells me something different tomorrow.

Cheesesteak!!! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!!!!

Great ride today

Long, and somewhat slow. I generally keep a somewhat better pace than todays, but I was hampered by a little Garmin confusion at first; I had loaded this route into the Garmin, but it seems the Garmin gets a bit confused when confronted with a route that crosses over itself a couple times...then later in the ride, my stomach was acting up a bit, probably a result of having two root beers at lunch. But, a great ride nonetheless...challenging, and great scenery for the most part. The Jersey Shore - yet another part of NJ that people from other states, who rag on NJ even though they only know it from bad jokes, and an 8 mile stretch of the Turnpike, should be forced to go see. Since they can't, or won't, here's exhibit A:



Here's the stats for the ride http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/5430061.

The climb up to that rest area was definitely a challenge for a big, flatlanding clydesdale like myself. I love the climbing, but I'm built for punching a hole through wind on flat terrain. In fact, several times, I've gone out for a ride while it was windy, and at one point or another realized that some little thin mint, who can climb circles around me, but is afraid of wind on the flats, has been wheelsucking, without announcing his presence. Cheesy barnacles...

Anyways, 4,734 feet of climbing, over a 60 mile course, makes for a tired Rog, so even though I planned on going into more detail about this ride, I think I'm going to bag it, in favor of visiting the wonderful land of nod. Be good, you hooligans.

But weight, there's more

I haven't been talking so much about what I weigh, even though losing weight to make riding in the mountains easier was one of my original goals. Reason being I wasn't doing a very good job of taking it off. I'm definitely getting a lot more exercise, being out on the bike so much, but although I'd started incorporating more healthy food into my diet, I hadn't cut out the shit - the pork roll and cheese sandwiches, the mountain dew, the potato chips... Well, I'm conducting an experiment. I'm eating nothing but an organic vegetarian (not quite vegan - I won't give up honey!) diet for a solid week, drinking only water (ok, a juice glass of orange juice per day), and not eating before I go to bed.

So far, I'm four days into this plan, I feel great, more alert mentally, and I've lost seven pounds.

Seven. In four days. Sunday, I was 246.8, monday I was 244. Tuesday I was 242, Wednesday I was 239, and today I'm 237.6.

I gotta say, I'm impressed.

So, Saturday I reward myself with a big, shitty meal, and then I get back on it. I'm going to see how far I can get, and although I can be a bit willpower-challenged, hopefully I'll just keep going, and going, and going, until I'm at my target weight of 185.

P.S. - if I go spiralling back down the junk food ladder, I give everyone permission to bust my balls, and call me a fat fuck.

A little more than two weeks to go

Last week was frustrating. I got a good ride in on Saturday, was impressed with how much stronger my legs have become. Got another good 30 miles in on Tuesday, but my back started hurting on Saturday, seemed better by Tuesday, but then got a lot worse after the ride. And it's hard to tell with your back what the problem is. Muscle soreness? Muscle imbalance? Need an adjustment (anybody got a good chiropractor?)? Or something worse than that - a disk problem. I kind of think it's a combination of the first three - my abs are pathetic - but I've been hurt but good a few times, and I have a couple permanent reminders. Having a bad lower back for the rest of my life just wouldn't work for me, so I've been off the bike ever since. Stretching constantly - I can almost touch my toes. Hooray.

My last "training" ride before going to Tennessee, will be the Tour de Lake Hopatcong. For anybody that trashes New Jersey, at least driving this route should be a requirement; nothing but scenic mountain lake after scenic state park. Rural living at its best, with less rural settings just minutes away. But I haven't seen the whole ride course, so I decided to take a drive up there, and take a look for myself.

Whoa.

It's got an awful lot of climbing. In fact, most of the first 10 miles is climbing, then there's a more or less flat section for about 2 miles, then the route sheet says "Get ready to climb". What?!? And that section is pretty crazy...it might not be Alpe de Huez, but it's pretty impressive. If it weren't for the back pain, I'd be raring to go. I'm still looking forward to it...it's going to beat me up, but good.

26 days to go

Er ah...ok, a little good, a little bad last week. I got virtually no riding in before Saturday, the result of rain, and a little bit of laziness. I also started eating a lot healthier, finally...but went flying off the tracks several times. Oreos and the like were eaten.

The bright side, though. Yeah, the bright side. Went for my usual Saturday ride, from my place, to Bike Haven, which is my "LBS", or local bike shop...although it's not really that local to me. But, it's the best shop around, and it's a good ride - 55 miles round trip.

It was supposed to be yet another rainy day, but it turned out to be absolutely beautiful. Sunny, 60 degrees...no need for knee warmers, which makes me happy. Knee/leg warmers, while sometimes necessary, are a pain in the ass...especially if you're riding more than 30 miles or so, and they need to be adjusted. Just a big pain. So, the warm weather was great, although I still almost sissed out, due to the wind. Not just the wind, though...there's something else. This may seem obvious, but for the first couple of weeks that I was training for this ride, I felt terrible, and simply put, I hate feeling like that. Its bad enough I have to lug all this extra body weight up and down hills, but I don't have any legs, either, and that just makes this no fun. Id look at my bike, and it looks fast even sitting still, and I want to ride. I'm dying to ride. But then I get out there, and I just want to go back inside, cause I'm so bad at it...but this week, finally, I hit a bit of a turning point; my legs are coming back.

I actually almost didn't even do this ride - warm as it was, it was windy, and fat + no legs + wind = no fun. And I certainly would have let that be my excuse if I didn't have that ride coming up in May, but I know what that ride will be like if I don't get in the miles now, so I sucked it up and off I went. And I had a great ride down to Bike Haven, albiet a little wind aided. And suprisingly enough, I had a great ride back. Into the wind. That is a great sign, and now I can't wait for the next ride.

Thats it, thats all I got for now.

29 days to go

WHAT IS WITH ALL THE MOTHERFUCKING RAIN ON MY DAYS OFF?!?!?!?!?

33 days

Fucking loser.

What an absolutely pathetic effort today.

Ok, there's this loop that I can take from my house, about 9 miles long. Hilly, but...short. My plan today was really, really easy...two laps, about an hour of riding. I did one lap, and stopped.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! Arrgh! I keep thinking of that Lance quote - "Pain is temporary, quitting is forever". My knee hurt a little, nothing that would have gotten worse, I don't think. And when I first set out, I was not feeling good at all...which was totally my fault. I didn't warm up one bit. I spun for about 2/10 of a mile, and then tried to go hard up a hill. One mile in, and I'm wondering why my heart rate is 160, and I'm only going 12.2 mph. Got over the hill, soft pedaled down the other side, wasn't close to being recovered by the end. On it went, for about 4 miles...finally started feeling better, but just wanted to go home at that point. Plus, there's kind of an odd phenomenon here...the wind goes all the way around the loop. If there's a tailwind, there's a tailwind all the way around. And 90% of the time, there is a tailwind, which I was kind of counting on today. But today, there was a headwind. Was it a tough headwind, you ask? Nope. It was probably about 8 mph. But that was enough to make me sis out.

Lots of healthy cooking is going to happen tonight. That should help. Also, sleep. I only got about 4 hours last night - no good whatsoever. I'm hoping for at least 7 tonight.

Ok, that's all I got. If I'm home early enough tomorrow, with good enough weather, 30 miles. If not, perhaps the gym?

I'm so goddamn sick of being fat.

34 days to go

I don't feel great. I wonder why...could it be the pork roll and cheese sandwich I had for dinner (smart move, when you're training)? Could it be the 54 miles I turned in today? Ah, at least I ate a healthy breakfast and lunch. Still no gym, though, so still no letting myself buy bike schwag. And I need me some shwag (sch, or sh? Neither really looks right), so I better get my fat ass in the gym tomorrow.

Ok, rode down to Bike Haven and back today, 54 miles, 3 hours, 28 minutes. 12 mph tailwind on the way down, 12 mph headwind on the way back. What I wouldn't give for a reverse of this scenario - I'd much rather punch my way through the wind when I feel strong; of course, maybe it's better this way. It's definitely not more fun.

I have more to say on the subject, but I'm pretty whipped, and still need to clean off my bike, and get a shower, so...f off.

35 Days

Ok. I have 35 days left, including today, to get ready for the 3 State 3 Mountain Challenge. I thought it was 37, but according to the ticker on the official website, it's 35. So be it. So far, it's not going so well...I have not cleaned my diet up at all; well, maybe I drink a little less soda, and a little more water. But I haven't cut out the junk food at all, and the situation is getting dire. I'm at 242.6 lbs today. I figure I'll die on one of those mountains if I'm a gram over 230. It'll be easy to lose that kind of weight, so long as I'm not a complete asshole. Of course...that begs the question...

What if I'm a complete asshole?

And that's one of the great things about this challenge...I really get to find some things out about myself. Am I an asshole? Do I have the very low level of willpower I need to pull this off? Because, really, it's not going to take that much. Maybe 10 hours on the bike a week, another 3 or 4 in the gym, and some very simple, basic diet adjustments, and I'm good to go. Not that hard. Not that hard at all.

Ok, 35 days. I'll be realistic, and say I'll be on the bike, or in the gym, 80% of those days. That means 28 days, on the bike, or in the gym. Thank god I don't have kids, right? And the lovely Kate is in LA for the next 6 weeks, so no excuses based on time, unless work gets in the way. But that's why I budgeted out those 7 days. Getting the proper rest is going to take still more discipline and organization, as well, but said rest is of paramount importance to just being able to do something like this, and you lose more weight when you sleep enough, even given the same effort. It's scientifically proven. Ask anybody.

Oh god, do I hate the gym, though. My core is, as Stanhope says, soft and doughy. Go ahead, poke it. It'll jiggle. I've taken some pics of topless Rog, for a bit of before and after, but mainly for comedic effect...they'll be posted in late April. Consider yourself warned. I am giving myself an inducement, a carrot on a stick, if you will...I'm not allowing myself to buy anything until I go to the gym. Will I go today? No. I'm cleaning my tastefully decorated townhouse.

I'm not even going to detail what I've eaten today. It's pathetic.

Hey, there's other things going on in the world...Floyd Landis' appeal is being heard by CAS as we speak. Anybody know anything about that? I wonder why the cloak of silence this time around...is it a CAS regulation? Did Floyd realize how much the open court hurt him, public opinion wise? Either way, I think while an open court is best for everyone in general, for Floyd specifically, this is the better option. He has none of Lance Armstrongs ability to positively control his public image.

Good luck, Floyd, even if winning means you have to ride for Rock Racing.

Monday and Tuesday

Ok, Mondays stats:

246 lbs (you fat fuck)

The menu wasn't pretty. A bagel, toasted and buttered, a turkey and provolone sub, small, and pizza. About 1.5 liters of water, and some lemonade. I was kind of tired, big suprise, the way I ate, right? But I got some time in the saddle. 20 of the most pathetic miles you'll ever see, which was to be expected after a sedentary, junk food (Wendys!) laden month and a half. It was really pathetic, draggingmy fat ass over the little bitty rollers on rt 34. And while the new Dura-Ace stuff was very nice, the 11-23 cassette was killing me. But you gotta start somewhere, and its going to hurt when you do. At this point, pain is good.

Tuesday:

243.8 lbs

Gym day! Its still early, and I'll update it throughout the day. I'll tell you this - I am dreading going to the gym. Core work on the worlds softest core.

The menu so far is off to a much better start. Slow cooked, steel cut organic oatmeal, with a tablespoonful of raw honey, and a scoop of hemp protein powder, a handful of Gary Null super vitamins, half a glass of lemonade, and some water. An organic apple. Some pizza (I wanted a turkey sandwich, but the deli was closed!).

More to come.

A New Beginning

No, not as in a Star Wars new beginning. Yesterday I signed up for the 3-States 3-Mountains Challenge. 100 miles, from Tennessee to Georgia to Alabama and back to Tennessee. It takes place in about six weeks, on May 3rd; so for the next few weeks, this is going to be kind of a training log blog.

Now, I'm in awful shape; without a doubt, the worst shape of my adult life, which is going to make getting in shape for this ride a real challenge. Which is exactly what I need; I need a challenge, something to motivate me. Without that challenge, I'll just keep getting fatter and fatter, as I slowly but surely become one with the couch. The way I feel now is unacceptable, and this ride is going to force me to do something about it. I also need something like this just because I've become something of a hermit. The lovely Kate spends the weekends at my place when she's able, I hang out with my good friend Mike Massimo every couple weeks; outside of that, its go to work, come home, don't bother me. Sammy (my macaw), is my constant companion, which is fine by me, but I probably need more human interaction than that.

Ok, thats enough for now... Over the next few weeks, I'll be detailing what I eat, how much I train, as well as what I weigh. This should be fun.

RIP Jeff Healey

I wasn't the biggest fan of Jeff Healeys music. It wasn't because of his songwriting, rather the genre always came off as a little limited to me, whether it was Healey, Stevie Ray, Clapton, or BB King. But Healey was a hell of a player.

Blind. Self-taught. Astonishing in its own right. But he was actually really good, and deserved whatever fame he had found; he was no gimmick. More importantly, he was something that I strive for - capable. Capable of overcoming, to an extent that makes me feel ashamed for every time I whinged about not making an effort, for whatever stupid reason. Too cold to go for a bike ride. Too tired to practice. Man, what bullshit. Jeff Healey is...was...an inspiration, and I'm sorry he's gone. I just read his last three albums were jazz, instead of the blues-rock I had known him for. I'll have to check some of it out.

You've earned your peace, Jeff. Rest well.

Maggie is tougher than you.

My man, Magnus Bäckstedt is one tough cookie. Just a week after he wrecks his collarbone, and donates several patches of skin, he's back on the trainer. Good job, Maggie...

It never stops shocking me

The absolute lack of humanity that abounds these days is shocking to me. I simply don't get how one human being can look at another and just see ... something in his way, totally lacking any understanding, feeling, empathy, whatever...for the fact that the other person is just as much a human being, feels just as much sense of importance in his own life, has people that loves/cares about him just as much...

Lately, there have been a lot of bicyclists dying after getting run over. Some of the people who do the running over don't even get punished. A couple years ago, a guy that posts on a bike forum website I frequent was killed - killed - by a 17 year old girl who didn't see that she was about to end a human life because she was text messaging a friend of hers while driving. She received virtually no punishment - just a ticket.

That's bad enough - but then there's this cunt, who was driving on a license that was suspended for drunk driving already. Thank god she actually got punished in this case:

TUCSON, Arizona - A judge sentenced a woman to nearly the maximum prison term for negligent homicide after hearing a recorded jail conversation in which she made light of the cyclist she killed.

Melissa Arrington, 27, was convicted two months ago of negligent homicide and two counts of aggravated drunk-driving in connection with the December 2006 death of Paul L'Ecuyer.

She could have received as few as four years behind bars, but Superior Court Judge Michael Cruikshank sentenced her Tuesday to 10 1/2 years — one year shy of the maximum.

Cruikshank said he found a telephone conversation between Arrington and an unknown male friend, a week after L'Ecuyer was killed, to be "breathtaking in its inhumanity."

During the conversation, the man told Arrington that an acquaintance believed she should get a medal and a parade because she had "taken out" a "tree hugger, a bicyclist, a Frenchman and a gay guy all in one shot."

Arrington laughed. When the man said he knew it was a terrible thing to say, she responded, "No, it's not."

Lawyer: She's always felt remorseful
Assistant Public Defender Michael Rosenbluth told the judge his client has never been "cold, callous or flippant" about L'Ecuyer's death and has always felt remorseful.

Arrington said words couldn't express how she feels, and that once she's out of prison, she hopes to share her story with Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

L'Ecuyer, 45, was riding his bike the night of Dec. 1, 2006, when Arrington swerved off the road, hit him and then continued for 800 feet before stopping, according to Deputy Pima County Attorney Jonathan Mosher.

Arrington's blood-alcohol content was .156 percent, nearly double Arizona's .08 legal limit. She had been driving on a suspended license for a prior drink-drive conviction.

Oh wow, yeah. She plans on sharing her story with MADD. That's great. Will the cyclist still be dead? Will she have her license back? Will she start drinking the second she gets out of jail?

And if that's not bad enough, then there's this guy:

By HAROLD HECKLE Associated Press Writer
MADRID, Spain Jan 25, 2008 (AP)
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A speeding motorist who killed a teenage cyclist is suing the boy's parents over damage to his luxury car, the government says.

Enaitz Iriondo, 17, died instantly in August 2004 when businessman Tomas Delgado's Audi A8 crashed into him at 100 mph near Haro in northern Spain, an Interior Ministry traffic report said. The speed limit was 55 mph.
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Iriondo was not wearing reflective clothing or a helmet, the ministry report said. As the sun had set when he crossed the path of Delgado's car from a side road, a regional court found both parties at fault and closed the case, the report said.

Delgado, whose insurance company paid Iriondo's parents $48,500 in compensation for their son's life, filed a suit in late 2006 to recover $29,400 in damages to his car and car rental costs, the ministry traffic report said.

"It's the only way I have to claim my money back," Delgado was quoted as saying by the newspaper El Pais, which first reported the story on Friday. El Pais said a ruling was expected next week.

Iriondo's parents were shocked.

"It's the final straw, a stab in the back," Iriondo's mother, Rosa Trinidad said, according to El Pais. "Before the lawsuit we thought the poor guy would find it hard to live the rest of his life with the thought of having caused our son's death.

The European Union's statistics office says Spain recorded 113 traffic fatalities per million inhabitants in 2004. The average for the 25-nation bloc was 95. In 2006, 3,016 people died on Spain's roads.

So...in China, when the state executes you, they then send your family a bill for the bullet. No, I'm not kidding - your family has to pay for the bullet that killed you. This guy just brings a new level of heartless to the world. I wish I had his address, so I could post it ... it's really unspeakably vile to me. Hopefully, the Spanish courts throw this one out, and admonish the man for being such a fucking leetch.

Ok, I'm going out for a bike ride now. If you are in your car, and you see me...give me some room, ok? My family would miss me as much as yours would miss you.

Stupid blog

Ugh...Ok, so about 30% of the people who have the unfortunate loss of ten seconds of their life that is stumbling across my blog get here from Trust But Verify, which quotes my occasional Floyd Landis comments for some reason, a bunch more find it because of the pic of Tom Boonen shitting himself, and the rest used to find their way here through a link in my sig file, that goes out with my email, newsgroup postings, etc. For the last couple months, I've taken the URL of this site out of my sig, and replaced it with Republican For a Day, which expressed my support for Ron Paul's presidential campaign. It looks like that's going to be over soon, and that means I'll have to switch the URLs back around. Which means I'll actually have to start coming up with some goddamn content for this shitty site.

God, I'm lazy. I mean, I have some stuff to say, but I'm just too goddamn lazy to post it. Even typing this is torture...

Vote for Ron Paul in the primaries/caucuses, so I don't have to update my blog! Fuckers!

Floyd Landis is killing me

This guy just...he simply must not have any media savvy whatsoever. Now he's getting into bed with that idiot Michael Ball, from Rock Racing? Unbelievable. I really, really want to support Floyd, but this move is going to make it more difficult, by a long shot.

http://boulderreport.bicycling.com/2008/01/more-changes-ro.html

But the biggest pending move at Rock may have nothing to do with who’s turning pedals. I asked Ball who would be the team’s director now that Andreu is gone. “We’ve been talking to some individuals,” he said. “We have some talented guys ready.” Specifically, I asked whether he was negotiating a deal with Landis, who’s currently serving a two-year suspension for artificial testosterone use.

“Floyd’s a good friend and we’ve had a lot of conversations,” said Ball. “Nothing’s been solidified, but we’ve talked about this since last year. I can’t really speak to that right now, but we’ll see what happens.” Landis was included in a recent e-mail to Rock riders and staff about an upcoming training camp in Malibu. I have not yet contacted Landis directly to confirm Ball's comments.

Andy Lee, spokesman for USA Cycling, said that Landis is actually barred from working in any official capacity with Rock. “If you’re suspended by USA Cycling, an individual cannot participate in any activity that requires a USA Cycling license of ANY KIND (rider, manager, official, mechanic, support staff, coach, etc…),” he wrote in response to an e-mail asking for clarification of the rules as they would apply to Landis. “(Landis) is ineligible to obtain a USA Cycling license of any kind.” Landis has appealed his suspension to CAS and, if lifted, could immediately work with the team, but unless and until that happens, he’s barred from any official role.

Ball seemed to implicitly recognize this. When I asked what position Floyd would fill, director or other, Ball replied, “He’d be more of an advisor, a race strategist. He’s done it all; he’d be an amazing asset for this team, especially the younger riders.”