Moving on...

I've decided to bag the blogger spot, and move on to my own site. Hopefully you'll come along for the ride...

You can now find me at militantbuddhist.com

Cops and their silly toys

Here's a shock - a police officer just tasered somebody, unnecessarily. What a shock.

Sorry.

Ok, yeah, a kid jumps on the field and runs around. Yep, it's a nuisance, a bother. And he needs to be corralled and given a disorderly conduct, or whatever they do in Philly (in NYC, they put you in jail for a year - the Calvin Klein law. Yes, that Calvin Klein). Of course, before they do that, they have to catch the guy, and when it's a young, fast teenager, that can take a while. The cop who was chasing this kid decided ok, he's tired of looking and feeling stupid, in front of a bunch of frothed up, idiotic Phillies fans (really, Philly fans are the worst human beings on earth. Cops being sub-human, of course). One can understand that feeling. I certainly can...it sucks when some idiot decides to make your life more difficult, solely because he so enjoys being an idiot. So this cop pulled out his taser, and shot the kid with it. Lit him up, literally. And now, people in Philly are getting together to decide if this was appropriate or not.

Here's the answer.

No. It's fucking not.

Tasers are supposed to be non-lethal force...in the case where a WEAPON is needed. It's not supposed to be something to just make a cops life a little easier - hey, I don't feel like chasing this dick anymore, so I'll just fucking electrocute him. No, sorry, that doesn't work. You still have to do the heavy lifting.

It may come across like I'm anti-cop here, like I'm trying to tie their hands behind their back. I'm not, really. While I do have some obvious disdain for them, for a variety of reasons that would take way too long to get in to here, I think they have a tough job, and I really, genuinely tip my hat to the seemingly fewer and fewer good cops that are around. But - it is a *tough* job, and if you're not tough enough to do it, you shouldn't be a cop! If you have to subdue some crazy crackhead, or keep a loon from attacking you, or a fellow officer, or a civilian, great, fine, that's what it's there for. If you use it to stop some kid from running around IN AN ENCLOSED AREA, or settling down a 10 year old girl, or stop that "don't tase me bro" hippy from asking a presidential candidate a question (you all know who I mean), then you're a lazy bag of shit, and should be doing something else to pay your bills.

In the case of the cop that tased the 10 year old, his department actually said he was being threatened by the girl, and could have been hurt. Oh my god. Right there, you shouldn't be a cop. They also said that it was that, or hit her with a baton, because they couldn't control her.

What?!? A cop, a grown man, couldn't control a 10 year old girl?!? Pick her ass up, you fucking pussy motherfucker! Jesus Harold Christ.

I think it's a fair distinction that I"m making. I'm sure every police department will disagree, and cry about how tough the job is. Sure it is. Unless you use your silly toy to do your job for you.

Back to school

So, a little while back, I realized that my life had plateaued somewhat, and it was time to go do some stuff that I probably put off for far too long. In this case, that means school. College. Higher learnin. Trading in the blue collar for the white one.

Not that I mind being blue collar, mind you. I just want a job that's physically easier, where I make more money. I've also found that while driving a tractor trailer is, without a doubt, skilled labor, that once you get to the point where you can do it, and do it well, that's pretty much it. And I'm finding I simply need more mental stimulation.

So I've enrolled at DeVry University, in East Brunswick, NJ. It used to be one of those schools that I kind of looked down on...I didn't realize it was fully accredited, that it had real professors, etc. A friend of mine went to Cittone, and he said that it was really dodgy, that they had a very high level of turnover with their instructors, and he thought they all seemed to be just professionals who are in between real jobs. But I did some research, spoke to some IT recruiters, and found out that DeVry has a solid reputation, at which point I paid the school a visit, and liked what I saw. So I've enrolled. And now I'm a bona fide college student! Of course, being a fully accredited uni, I have to take humanities, literature, tons of math classes...stuff that I really, really don't want to take. What the fuck do I need with a poetry class? I know, I know. I'll be more well rounded. Im the fat guy, remember? I'm more than round enough.

The enrollment process was interesting...I haven't been to school in a long time, I had no valid credits to transfer, and so I had to take an entrance exam, which was broken down into four parts - reading comprehension, math (decimals and fractions), algebra, and a written essay. Except for algebra (hadn't studied any of that in about 24 years), I did really well...to the point where I started wondering if I was going to a school for dumb bunnies. I did get to speak with some professors, though, and they seemed as sharp as you would expect college professors to be, so that allayed my fears.

Hey, you people have to start telling me what I can get student discounts on. Seriously. I need to know this stuff. My friend Leon told me I can get discounts on Apple and Microsuck, my girl told me I can get discounts on Broadway plays (great, sign me up)...what about important things? Like Devils tickets?

Hey, I'm a college student! Fuck you! :-D

Went for a ride.

Beautiful day for it, and we've had several in a row now. Somehow I've managed not to go for too many rides, but today I did. Not very far, not for very long...I started lifting at the gym yesterday, doing Joe Friels workout, and I didn't want to do a terribly long ride the first day after starting a new workout. Makes sense, right? Anyways, nice, easy ride, with the highlight being a 1/2 mile long, perfectly straight descent, down a 12% grade. I can usually hit around 45 mph, when motivated. The only problem is...there is an entrance/exit to a fairly busy highway about 3/4 of the way down, so you really have to be extra vigilent, or get squished. And predictably, wrecking the fun of going really fast, some dickhead was sitting on the side of the road, with his left hand blinker on, as though he were going to pull back out onto the road. He didn't, but I had to touch the brakes a couple times, and not pedal, to make sure I had the ability to get out of the way if he made his stupid move.

Waah, I could only do 37.5 mph, instead of 45. Waah.

Outside of that, it was nice. Even saw a couple other roadies, which is quite unusual in Sayreville...one on a Specialized, one on a Bianchi. Good to see other people out.

Anyways, that's all I got. I know it's not much...but I wanted to put something up, so that the ultra depressing post about Billy (RIP) wasn't the first thing you see upon coming to this blog...people were sending me email, making sure I wasn't going to kill myself. Sweet, but unnecessary. Thanks anyways, folks...

RIP Bill McLaughlin

I just found out today that my friend is dead.

I am devastated...I can't believe it.

I don't think it's any worse to him at this point, but to me, finding out he killed himself...cut through me in a way I'm not even going to attempt to put into metaphor.

My friend was in pain, and now he's dead.

We had lost touch...probably haven't spoken in two, maybe three years. He got transferred from the place that I used to pass on Rt 17, in Hasbrook Heights, to a place in Passaic that's off the beaten path, for me, so I didn't have the chance to drop in on him in a while. I had a cell phone die an ugly death in the washing machine, so I had lost his phone number...but I always said, no problem...I can get the number for the new place anytime. And I will...I'll call him one of these days, we'll catch up on old times, it'll be great. So today, just by chance, I passed the place that he got transferred to...I passed it before I really realized it, and decided to give a call, rather than stop in. Looked it up on the iPhone, called...

...and found out my friend was in pain...

...and now he's dead.

It's narcissistic to think that I could have made a difference, maybe...but I still can't help but think...I could have helped...if only I'd picked up the phone the day before he'd had enough.

Right now, I hate myself more with every breath I take.

I've done my fair share of fucking things up in my life...I've wrecked relationships, said stupid things to people I care about, lost good gigs, and jobs, and through it all, through the disappointment of doing damage to my own life, I've been able to remain upbeat, even happy. When I've done some good, even happier...but that's beside the point. When things are going wrong, I've always had the ability to let it roll off my back...I get depressed, just like anybody, but it passes reasonably quickly, and I find something to laugh at.

I am not one tenth the person Billy was. He was in the top five of the best human beings I've met in my life. He was relentless about being a good person, even when being just a little loose with it would have benefited him. And yet, in the end, it seems that he didn't have that ability to let it go the way I do...and I can't think of a greater injustice. The world was better off with him in it...and would be better off if I was able to trade myself for Billy...and give him what I have.

I'd do it in a second. In a fucking heartbeat.

Rest in peace, Billy. I thought of you as a brother that I would always meet up with again...I'm better off for having known you, and I'm sorry I wasn't there to help.

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!!!!!!!