Friday, August 13, 2010

Hell

The next time someone asks me "is it hot enough for you"? I'm going to go off on them. I am to the breaking point with the heat, or should I say boiling point. Flash point is more like it. I digress. It is hot, that is all there is to it. Yeah, but it is a dry heat. No... it's not, have you been outside? AC boy?

I have lost the will to do anything. I don't know if it is from being sick in CO, or is it simply malaise from the heat cooking my brain? Apathy has set in to the point that I don't even care about apathy. Call me on the phone and ask me what I want to go do, you'll be lucky if I even answer the phone.

Don't get me wrong...You are thinking Burnout. Yeah, I know sounds like Burnout to you, thanks Doctor. I'm physically burnt, cooked, done, can you see the big fork sticking out of my back. I want to go ride a bike, I have not lost the desire, the desire has been trumped by environmental concerns of melting or combusting on the spot.

Poof

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

dead?

With le Tour long gone cycling is dead. No one has anything to talk about. New product is about to hit the shelves and Interbike is about a month away, so maybe some nuggets in there. There is talk of the "silly season" all of the transfers, retirements, new teams, and sponsors new and old.

Right now the big news is Saxo-Schlecks-Contador. Saxo is sticking around with Riis now that Pistolero has signed on. The Schlecks are jumping ship to form a team with Kim Anderson that will have a Luxemburg flavor. Saxo might loose some firepower if O'grady, Voigt, and Fuglsang fly the coop; but Fabian still has a year on his contract so he will stay put.

Riis has been very busy signing all of Pistolero's mountain helpers. Noval, Hernandez, and Navarro have all inked two year deals with Saxo-Sungard. Looks like Riis is crazy mad for another Tour win with a Spaniard. Just watch him, he will do it. I just hope they don't hurt the Classics side of the house. Fabian is superhuman, but these fly-weight climbers will have nothing to do with the cobbles.

Speaking of Classics and cobbles...Quick Step signed a deal with Ricco. That's right, No JOKE. Lefevere must be out of his ______ mind. Quick Step is a Classics team, what are they going to do with Ricco? Dude is an ______. Can he ride a bike? Heck yeah he can ride. Question is...Can he ride a bike CLEAN? Not a big fan, not a fan at all. Ricco is all of 26 soon to be 27 in September, so that has a great deal to do with his attitude and style or lack of style; but it is guys like him that make cycling a Joke. Patrick, I hope you know what the heck you are doing. I'm going to watch just to see what happens.

One of longest running teams in Caisse D'Epargne, has a new sponsor in Telefónica. They will race under the trade name Movistar, there is a joke in there somewhere. At least Movistar is easier to pronounce than Caisse D'epargne. I never really understood the French bank sponsorship of a Spanish cycling team. Someone had some Polaroids?

Well maybe just life support. Vuelta? anyone?

loss

My Dad lost a good friend yesterday, she had been a faithful companion for 10+ years. He and my Mom rescued Gilda, a pit-mix and she has been a member of the family since.

It is said that Dogs are man's best friend. Why? Dogs love us. We lock them in crates, throw them in the back yard, forget to feed them, but yet they unconditionally want to be with us. It is said that all dogs come from the wolf, a pack animal. When you adopt a dog you become one of their pack, and an inseparable bond is formed.

Dogs are not "best friends" they are family, they are "our kids". They are not pets. Dogs require more from us than to just own them. When you adopt a dog you are making a commitment to a relationship to a new family member. They require our companionship.

My Dad and Gilda went everywhere together, Sonic for a coney, into town for parts, tractor ride to load hay. One of my favorite pictures of my Dad is of him and Gilda. My Dad in his Laz-y-boy with Gilda all 80lbs of her in his lap. She had a bed in my parent's room, but ended up with them in bed more often than not. When I talk to my Dad most of the conversations about what he did that day start out "I took the dogs..." I know there is a void on the family farm in Texas today, and one less coney to order at Sonic.

The next time you come home spend a little time with your dog. That is all they want. See how happy they are to see you?

Make your dog's day today.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Home

Going home is never easy

Going home can be a good thing, but when you are in a place like this the act of putting your belongings into a bag knowing that you are going back to your "real" life is hard. On vacation you get the chance to not be yourself, or is it the chance to be the real you? Will the real you please stand up?

What do you want to do? "Whatever I want, I'm on vacation." -became the universal battle cry. Routines are out the window, alarm clocks...who needs 'em, pants...optional. You live the "rock star" life, eat what you want when you want, sleep...well, sleep is dependant on tomorrow's activities. Tomorrow's activities...Whatever I Want.

We create our fantasies through our vacation choices, boat drinks on a beach, ski trips to the mountains, not sure what else there is to do besides taking bikes to new places to be explored. I'm sure you have your vacation vision, and with that we get a glimpse of your inner workings.

Work is not the measure of a person, how that person plays is the true measure of who or what that person is. You live more through play than you do working, it is that most of us have to work more than we get to play.

So...Back to the torture that is packing to go home. It is not harder to pack at the end of a trip, it is that you just don't want to do it. Packing-up is the signal that the trip is over, bikes are put on the rack, the toothbrush is packed, all with the sense of dread of the drive to come. The looming drive home is a walk down death row, you know it's coming and you can't do anything about it. No, crying is not going to help, locking yourself in the bathroom is only temporary.

Now, running away might work, but you better have a plan.

Fish out of water

Roadies and a few Tri-hards livin' the fattire life and doing it well

















When you ask where I am from, and laugh when I say "we are from Tulsa." Doesn't mean we don't know what we are doing and surely an "Okie from Tulsie" can't pin it? Right?







Tell that to these guys

Monday, August 9, 2010

Off the Couch

What a misserable day yesterday, well for me.  The team had a beautiful day on the road, and over the passes.  After listening to all of their conquests, my legs were tired.

Woke up this am and I felt a little life in this hollow shell.  Then a look outside said "rain today no riding."  Bummer.  Checked the weather and there was a glimmer of hope, clouds moving out and no rain.  

About five of us took to the MTB, the ladies went for a run slash hike, and some others went for a road ride.  -They did not get enough climbing?  I know don't hate...when in Rome.



-- Sent from my Palm Pixi