Well, that sucked....

So, I'm back in the Midwest to help with the Winfield Criterium
Weekend. Things are a little crazy running last-minute errands for the
race, when out of nowhere some 16 year old kid overcorrects a mistake
and takes a detour at a 45 degree angle into oncoming traffic... and I
happen to be oncoming traffic, driving back towards the bike shop at
about 45 miles per hour.

I audibly say "oh sh&%", and it wasn't until later that I realized I
considered three options (bike racers will identify with this post-
crash-recollection of your stream of consciousness), I can:
a) swerve to the right and hit him more head on
b) swerve to the left and hit an SUV in oncoming traffic
c) just stay the course.

I stick with (c) and it's unavoidable, loud, fast, expensive and a
little painful. I get a cut on my wrist and bruised ribs, my
counterpart gets a burn on his face from his airbag. Both cars get
totaled. But most importantly, we both had our seatbelts on, get out
of our cars, and walk away. (Although as you'll see from the pics
below I shudder to think if he'd had a passenger in the car.)

All my siblings happen to be home this weekend too from various
locations around the country, so when I call for someone to pick me
up, everyone comes along.... and Mom figures there couldn't be a
better time to get the Christmas Card photo. Sure, her car's totaled
(sorry Mom), but she's got all her kids home for a weekend and we're
alive and healthy.

Just another gorgeous day in LA

Sent from handheld.

May 12: A Day in Pictures

May 12th is my birthday. A couple of weeks ago Rosa asked me what I wanted to do for it and I blurted out "Ride my bike to Santa Barbara".

So I did.


View Larger Map

My plan was to park my car at our boss's place in Augora Hills and ride 90 miles inland over the mountains, through Ojai, down to the coast and then up to Santa Barbara.

The ride started out pretty well, overcast and in the high 50's. I had the roads to myself at 10AM on a Monday.

Then I ventured into the canyons northwest of Simi Valley, which are full of massive sand and gravel pits. It's fun descending but a little crazy with all the trucks.

Then came the Heritage Valley: birthplace of many an orange, avocado and strawberry.

Next up came the serene Ojai Valley...

...then up and over the climb at Lake Casitas.

And eventually down to the Pacific Ocean.

Where the lovely Rosa Linda met me on the beach for a picnic...

...and I asked her to marry me.

That's right, it's official! Take another gander at her left hand in case you missed it.

And here's just one reason why I love this woman: when we're deciding on a restaurant for dinner that night, she says, "You better not pick some fancy place just because we got engaged. I'm totally down for the Brewhouse". The Brewhouse is a great little brewery & restaurant away from the main, fancy strip-- so to the Brewhouse we went for a delicious dinner and some celebratory beverages.

It was going to be tough to match May 12, 2007, which was spent at my best friend's wedding in Austria, but I think we pulled it off.

Catch Up

Catch Up- what I feel like I might be doing when it comes to racing with my teammates this summer. These boys are fast! Big props to Rob White and his 6th place overall at the recent USA Crits Speed Week. Most guys at that race have been going full tilt for a couple of months, and the ABD/GEARGRINDER squad is just getting their legs under them.

Catch Up- what I'm doing with this blog entry. Man, what have I been doing for two weeks? Oh, that's right, working. The new job with Carter Thor Studios has been going well.. and then when I get home from that gig (or on my lunch breaks) I'm taking care of some ABD communique, which is getting hot and heavy now with the 40k TTT this Saturday and then both the big Memorial Day Weekend Msters Races and the Winfield Criterium Weekend at the end of the month.

Fortunately, I have been able to get four or five days of riding in a week too, but no real long rides yet- mostly 90 minute to 2 hour hard workouts. Lots of threshhold and "on road mountain biking" up in Griffith Park and the Hollywood Hills. Riding in the neighborhoods that follow the borders of the park is a blast, the roads are steep, twisty and in horrible shape! The pavement is super cracked and uneven, creating all these mini jumps, berms and obstacles. But all the rich stars and starlets have built their houses so on top of each other that the roads are barely wide enough for one car- much less a road crew! There have been several occasions when I've launched off a lip or over a massive pothole on a descent only to have to grab a handful of brakes to avoid becoming a hood ornament on some Mercedees or Porsche whipping around a hairpin turn.... And yes, I am still talking about riding my road bike. Knock on wood, but my Bontrager x-lites and Serfas tires have neve failed me on that loop.

Oh yeah, it hasn't all been work and riding, I am happy to report that I'm reading a great book right now too: 100 Years of Solitude. I started it three years ago and kept rereading the first 40 pages, but once I pushed through to about page 70 it all became clear and I was hooked. Anyone who's read it or wants to read it and discuss, please shoot me an email. It feels good to get the old English major wheels turning again.