| (Long Distance) Ramblings |
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I like to ride my bicycle - for long distances. I have earned the California Triple Crown and finished the Furnace Creek 508. My goals include qualifying for RAAM and ...(read the blog to find out). "The bicycle has a soul. If you are able to love it as it deserves, it will give you emotions you will never forget." "Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride."
"The important decisions in my life I make while out riding my bike."
"Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever.” Lance Armstrong
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Friday, April 30, 2004
Well, I'm packed for the Ride Around Clark County. Weather is expected to be hot - highs near 80° F. Here are some interesting photographs from last weeks Monster Cooke courtesy of Ron Yamada: 1, 2 and 3. Thursday, April 29, 2004
Last night was a very good ride. The sky was clear, the air was cool and the traffic was light. Tuesday, April 27, 2004
This weekend is the Vancouver Bicycle Club's Ride Around Clark County on Saturday. Then on Sunday, I hope to do another long ride, perhaps another century. Meanwhile, I was surfing and I came upon a photograph of myself on the 2002 Knoxville Classic. I'm the one eating the soup in the lower left hand corner. Yum! I'm even mentioned in the ride report near the bottom. Monday, April 26, 2004
Here are some comments about the Monster Cookie.... The volunteers were incredibly friendly and fun, the route was great, and of course the weather you folks managed to bring in was the coup de grace. I look forward to the Watermelon and Peach rides later this summer, and to a great season overall. Thanks again for doing such a great job - keep it up! You and your club are to be complimented on a superb ride today. The support was great, your volunteers were SO nice, the food was excellent …and as a vegetarian this is the FIRST time I’ve told any club the food was excellent (delicious, FRESH lunch sandwiches on “real” bread!). The roads were well marked, the support getting out of “Dodge” (Salem) was tops…. It would have been a great ride even if it’d poured rain on me. I had 62 miles of FUN!! So thank you and your members – you’ll see me on your other rides this year, that’s for certain. Kudos! Thank you to every one who put so much work into the whole ride every thing was great food, marking, nice weather, sags, nice job with the police at all the intersections it was really nice very good job to all who swept the course it was really great a thank you to the people who hauled every thing around and set at the different crossings and a special thank you to John Maurice for getting it all put together again thank you JHM and all of the SCV volunteers. Thank you thank you 62 times thank you!. What an excellent day - great course, wonderful support, excellent cookies, and John - your really came through on the weather! Thanks to Scott's and Santiam for their support as well. A monster thanks to you all. Sunday, April 25, 2004
Just when you think you have wireless access, it goes away. I could not connect for the rest of the day. But that was Ok because I got very, very busy very, very fast. We opened up registration at 7:30 am, 30 minutes early. For the next hour and one half, we processed over 630 day of the ride registrations. This meant that we have well over 1,100 bicycles on the road! By all reports, everything went very well. The police presence in Keizer was very welcomed, as was the custom railroad crossing ramp that Tom built. But, the greatest hit of the day was the weather. After last year's rain, any sun at all would be an improvement. However, we had such a perfect day, everyone was very pleased. Well, it is Monster Cookie Day. If I have forgotten anything, it is too late now. I am sitting at the Capital Mall using the State's wireless network to blog. It is 6:30 am and we already have one rider asking for his packer. The ride starts at 8:00 am. We have not set up yet. In fact, I am the only one here. The sky is clear and it is expected to be 80° F. But it is cool. The sun is just breaking over the Public Services Building and I will welcome it's warming rays. I have not been blogging lately as I have been very busy coordinating the Monster Cookie Metric Century for the Salem Bicycle Club. So, let me catch up on the rides I have been doing. Last Saturday, I rode 118 miles on my Cannondale rain bicycle. The weather was cloudy and I did have a shower or two. But most of the ride was dry. I did fight a strong south wind as I headed towards Brownsville. Riding into a head wind is always a test of character. None t he less, I had a good ride and felt strong enough to take the hilly way home instead of the flat route. I took Sunday and worked on the Cookie. Monday, I worked out at the gym with Martin, while Tuesday was a rest day (mostly because it was raining). I rode on Wednesday and on Thursday, I worked out at the gym and did the Salem Bicycle Club Thursday night ride. Friday, was the rider packet stuffing night for the Cookie. Yesterday, I did a short ride of 30 miles before spending the rest of the day working on the Cookie. Friday, April 16, 2004
Thursday, April 15, 2004
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Well, the weather has finally come to its senses. In other words, it rained. I rode the Salem Bicycle Club's Tuesday Night ride. But I was the only one. The weather was much cooler than the last few days. In fact, it was downright cold. The wind was blowing from the west and the sky was dark. But, none the less, I rode the Cannondale for 30 miles tonight. I did some research tonight. Civil twilight begins at 5:23 am on May 15 in Davis California. But you can start at 5:15. So, it looks like I can start the ride without lights. However, it would be wise to carry my two CatEye Opticubes. These give me enough light to see, but just enough. Monday, April 12, 2004
Sunday, April 11, 2004
A nice 55 mile training ride today. Joanne and I rode with the Salem Bicycle Club south toward Corvallis. The sun was out and the temperature was warm, but not hot. Life really can't get much better than this. Highlights of the ride. 1) Observering a field being fertilized with green/brown liquid with a strong odor. 2) Wandering through a cemetery and noting the number headstones with the name of 'Carter'. 3) Hearing dirty jokes being told by Jim Henry. Saturday, April 10, 2004
I did a longer training ride today. First, before the Salem Bicycle Club ride, I headed toward the west Salem hills. I rode Gibson in 23:28, just one second off of my best time this year. Then the joined SBC on their ride to Jefferson and back. This gave me 88 miles for the day with over 3600 feet of elevation gain. I did an easy ride today. I rode just 40 flat miles, but it was on our tandem! This was Scott and Angela's first ride on their new Seven tandem. It's a sweet one! A nice, easy recovery ride after yesterday's torture ride. I rode with my wife Joanne, and friends Lando, Jeannie and Mike. At one point in time, Lando accused me of waiting for him, to which I replied "Since you have gotten fast Lando, waiting for you is not as rewarding as it used to be". As we were waiting for the ferry, two cyclists rode up. One was wearing a Ray's Boathouse jersey, a local racing team. He greeted Lando warmly when he recognized Lando. This just proves Lando will continue to surprise me. A bicycle police officer wins in court. I now have wireless networking at home! So, instead of being in the "Computer Room", I am sitting on the couch, blogging and watching British Comedy! I road 113 miles today at 16.1 mph with 3651 feet of elevation gain. The last ten miles were very painful and I had dark thoughts about what I do for fun. The weather today was very warm - 80 ° F. That meant that today was the first day that I could smell roadkill. Saturday, April 03, 2004
Today was a very hard ride; 90 miles with nearly 5000 feet of elevation gain. I intended to ride 110 miles, but I was not up to it. I left the hills and headed straight for home. None the less, it was a good day of training. My next double, Davis, has only 6000 feet of gain, so I nearly equaled that in less than half the mileage. Another great weather day; Clear and warm.
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