Outta Here!

I am taking off this weekend w/ my buddy Robert, heading here: The desert of Tuscon, AZ.

Going to do some riding, riding, riding, riding, resting, vegging, more riding etc. Robert & I are spending the first day in Scottsdale, where I am meeting up with a physical therapist who specializes in orthotics. Hopefully he can fit me with a shim of some sort, and balance out the leg length discrepancy I have, after the last two surgeries. Then off to wonderland. Miles of riding, sunburn, heat exhaustion, dry skin, naps etc. We are staying at a really cool B&B there called http://www.bedandbagles.com/ Kind of like home, away from home, while you're away from home, get it?
While I am out there, I plan on hooking up with one of my distant relatives, Ted the Desert Tortoise. He is probably a 10th cousin or something. Edgar the Turtle, President of my fan club and trusted advisor hooked me up w/ him. Ted lives under a rock.

We'll have a blast! Eating lettuce, maybe a bug or two. Talking about the old times, when slooowww really meant slooowww, and how "fast paced" everything is today. Just two hard-shelled reptiles chewing the green leafy stuff together.

Lonely, I'm Mr. Lonely......

My VQ buddies are off at spring training camp in Solvang, CA. Coach Stan-O, The Badger & Dr. Reid are out riding with the VQ crew from VQ HQ in Chicago. I did not make the trip this time, although I still have the best memories from VQ Spring Training Camp in 2004.


Now, I am back in Central Illinois, by myself, looking at snow, wind, gloom, 30 degrees or less, and the indoor trainer, banging out hours, however painful.


Having a structured training regimen is a blast, so I guess you don't know what you've got till it's gone, especially beating The Badger at everything we do on the bike, and then rubbing his face in it.


Update: It will soon be March, and if you remember correctly, The Badger & myself had a bet, about the negative button? Well, I have not only NOT used the negative button, but have used the positive button, many a times. I have witnesses to this deed.


The bet, at least as I remember is that as long as I do not use the negative button, The Badger has to shave his entire body, including his head. I am quite confident that this will be an exhausting task, and the 4 oz. jar of shave cream, "normal skin" will need to be substituted for the 55 gallon drum, "extra-hairy"!

Numero Uno

Have you seen theTV show called "My Name is Earl"? It's about a guy who leads a not so OK life, then gets hit by a car, and has a revelation, that he needs to go back and "re-right" all of the "wrongs" he did in his life. He makes a list of all the people, and bad things he has done to each, then each episode, he corrects a "wrong" in a hilarious way.

What does that have to do with me? Nothing. I just like the show, and oh, I got hit by a car as well, and I made a list. I have a memory like a wet paper bag, although I tell The Badger it's like a steel trap, exacting revenge whenever I see fit, especially on him.

Yesterday I got one of these: A gold medal for 1st place in competition. You see, when I was full of morphine, I made a list of things to be accomplished, like Earl did in his show. Milestones you could say. Regardless of what turned out from me vs. car, I would win, at least in my own mind. You see, I cycle the best, beacuse I am a winner!

So, I showed up at the 20th annual Team Mack cyclo-cross race yesterday. Not like in previous years, where I was barely post wheel-chair, on crutches, or on a cane, but SHOWED UP, as in ready to compete, kind of.

It was funny, everyone I saw asked in some polite fashion or another "are you going to ride today?" I answered that I was not only going to ride, but I was going to race. Most of their jaws partially dropped. I understand, believe me. I have not raced a cross race since 2003, pre- car vs. bike & 5 surgeries later.

The course had just had 2+ inches of rain dumped on it by Mother Nature. There was mud that would make a pig stick his nose up in the air. The kind of mud that you hear about in horror stories, you know, mud, grass mixed with mud, leaves & mud, alligators & mud, mud with piranahas, mud with turtles beating up piranahas, lumberjacks getting sucked in by mud. You get the picture. It was nasty.

I did the masters 30+ race, as it was early enough in the day, and G was doing her ususal volunteering at registration. She's a trooper for Team Mack & The Turtle. My "little brother" Ike was along for moral & mental support as well.

We took off: mud, mud, mud. Stopped the first lap about 15 times, just to clean the mud & grass from my front fork/brake, as I could no longer move. It seized me in place. Kept trekking on though. Hit the hill, and dismounts, lots of "running" with the bike, as it was not rideable. Kept moving. Three laps in, I went from 6th overall to 3rd, that was OK. My whole goal was to finish, intact, period. Finishing was a victory in itself, for me that is.

Kept hammering the best I could, and would up 1st place in the 30+ category and 3rd overall for the masters race. Ike ran with me by my side for the last half of the bell lap, through the mud & all, yelling for me to keep going! Team Mack swept the entire podium with 1st, 2nd & 3rd place overall. This is not suprising, as Team Mack wins more races per season than teams dream of in a lifetime. (Shameless plug for Team Mack)

Here's the award ceremony after. The Turtle is cold,wet & tired.

Uncle Gary, Me & Sharmin for a post victory shot!

Wet, tired & muddy. Can someone help me find some dry clothes?

I did so well, that even the beautifil Sharmin gave me a post victory hug & congratulations! Now, that is HUGE!

Promises Made, Promises Kept (Continued)

Well, I made a promise, and I can keep part of it. Here's the rollercoaster & leprauchaun.

We have been banging out maximum wattage at the VQ HQ at Coach Stan-O's & The Badger's Den lately. All done indoors on the crafty computrainer, hours per time. I brought the CT up to "almost" 50 mph. last night on a no-resistance setting. Why? Have no clue, but it was fun.

Sweetie sent me an e-mail the other day, commenting on The Badger's good looks & young stature from the photos posted on my Blob. He stated that the pic's must have been taken years ago, or air-brushed to make him appear younger. Sweetie has been with our group for a limited time, but I believe he is catching on quickly. He has begun to toss out the jabs, like a hand-grenade into a fox hole. Ouch! This does not affect The Badger, as he has a thick hide of fur, resilient to insults (and small children), however thinly veiled as a "polite jab". Heck, I try to get under his fur every chance I get w/ some smart comment, and it rolls off like mercury on a slanted glass table.

Back in the day, when I was pumping morphine like a weightlifter pumps iron, I made a promise to my friend & teammate, Robert. Spring Training in Tuscon! Well, it was a great idea for both of us, but 2005, 2006 & 2007 came & went, with no training camp. This was due to my inability to not have a broken tibia. Robert & I have been chatting for the past few months. Plane tickets have been purchased & reservations have been made for sleep & eats. We are FINALLY doing it. Sun, desert, Mt. Lemmon, all fun. I cannot wait! This will be awesome!

This is what I will look like after the trip. Fast, lean & tan.

Ok, maybe not, but at least I keep my promises.

Promises Made, Promises Kept

Stay tuned for a rollercoaster, seat grabber, fantasmagorical BLOB posting. It will involve pain, victory, defeat, ogres, lumberjacks, leprauchauns, badgers, turtles, really fast cycling & big wattage numbers put out by mere mortals.

Ok, I'm joshing you about the lumberjacks, sorry....................

Ooooh Lah, Lah!

As you can see, I have been busy lately, getting a massage from two of my "friends". That takes a while, believe it or not.

Update soon, as long as I don't fade off into la-la land.......................................