Lance...LeMond...drugs....and Banned Substances.
 
LeMond and Le Monde and Lance
 
this is a bit of a Clintonism going on here
we must get our use of words straight
Lance does use various supplements, but he is smart enough to stay away from banned substances
His staff and crew are ahead of the curve giving him the latest and the greatest, but nothing banned
Steroid use? well, steroid use is common in any recovery process as in his cancer treatment
 
I have not read the books, I do not know the accusations.....
 
Cycling like all modern sports has fallen victim to the advances of the modern age. 
 
was listening to NPR and heard some stuff about the Olympics (track and field) and professional baseball
the stats and the opinion are not pretty

MY RULES!
 
Okay, anyone who knows me knows that I have all sorts of ideas and rules how life should be lived. These same people that know me know that I can be a total hypocrite.  Minutes after giving a mental ticket to a driver on a cell phone I too will be driving down the road on a cell phone (well, I do not drive that often and I infrequently talk on the cell phone when driving, but it does happen ((well, has not happened since the 'hands free law' has gone into effect in DC)))
This hypocracy extends......we all hate the people who blow off the queue to merge and go to the front of the line, well I do not do that, but I have pushed my limits on occassions....and as usual I try to rationalize of justify my behavior. Perhaps I will say....I am not a commuter....so why should I be caught in your commuter traffic, this is just one day when I happen to be out driving to a bike race after work or something to that effect. When really we all know that my excuse is the same as anyone elses....I am more important than anyone else.
Now with the headphone thing.....well.....it happens.....I too break my own rules....WRITE ME A FUCKING TICKET!!! I have gone for long rides and felt the headphones to be escential. I have been on long hikes and found them escential....I have been in exotic places and found them to be....well, not escential, but a pleasant additive. But, for the most part, headphones can be a detraction, if I were on the peak of a mountain or the top of some ancient ruin I think the sound of the birds or the howler monkeys or the silence itself would be far greater music than I have in my cd collection . The main point is that in a heavily populated area (like the multiuse trail) there is no justification for headphones while on the bike, they are just plain dangerous.  The same goes to the chinser car drivers with headphones, it is not only against the law, but it is against common sense.....get a real car stereo and get a life.
My rules and hypocrisy go further...
It steams me when I am on the Rock Creek trails and I see someone trail blazing, yet I am perfectly comfortable riding my bike right past the "no bikes" sign.  Sure, this too can be rationalized, the cars that pass me too fast and too close send me for the woods, but in actuality, these rationalazations are just that, rationalizatuions not justifications. I try to keep the excuses to a minimum and stay my path. I may not be a model citizen but I feel I am a good one. My life is dictated by an effort to be a courteous individual with moments of assholic behavior tossed in, it is tough for one to fight their nature. In my mind I believe that I am a more positive contribution to the world than a negative and that my balance is more for the good than the bad.
It is not my goal to go out and ruin anyone's day, so why are people out there trying to ruin mine?
 
 
 
 
As usual my rants twist and turn and go no where fast....
 
I no longer have the time to proof read my posts
well, I seldom had the time before
but now
I have less and less time for such things
 
read down below I had a piece last night that looked like it was going to be good
but needed some fixing
why not edit it for me
and put the final draft in the COMMENTS section
thanks
appreciate it

This Land
 
This is a must see clip!
no matter where you stand on the issues
it will make you laugh
 
I am going to watch it again, again, and again
(there I go again using the same words to get my point across)
 
This LAND is Our Land cartoon clip
 
enjoy it!
share it with your friends

Skipping Stones, not Skipping Work
This morning Lisa had Grant in the Baby Bjorn and walked Dean over to the Rosemount Center for a day of what Dean calls "art class." That left me with a few more minutes to drink my coffee and hike the dogs. I headed towards the Rockefeller Loop, but then opted for water. It is hot and the dogs love it. I may not get walk as much, but the dogs get to cool off in the refreshing waters of Rock Creek. As we walked the same trail across the street from my house Roscoe and Brutus showed interest in heading to the water, when I started that way they rushed to my side to get the leashes on their colars so we could cross the street. We crossed the street cautiously and watched the commuters all "slow and go" at the stop sign and then made our way to the start of the Melvin Hazen trail. Rather than hike the Melvin Hazen I gave into the dogs urges to chase the stones that I skip. It is not a bad deal....I like to skip stones and the dogs in that dumb dog way like to chase the skipping stones. It is a good work out for them and can have a mixture of soothing and aggravating for me. They can get so demanding, their Retriver half comes out and they start demanding more skipped stones with this annoying bark. I scan the ground for rocks and usually find some good ones.  The process of bluffing to coral the dogs each to one side and then sending them down the creek at full speed the other direction. This is the process of back and forth, then back and forth, then back and forth again and again. There is some occassional duck chasing mixed in, but none today. Then a glance at the watch. SHIT! It is nearly ten after nine, best we head back up the trail towards home, just 10 minutes away, but I still need to suit up mount the bike and roll down two zip codes to work (okay, 15 minutes max, no pedaling needed)
I get home, get distracted, do some clean up and arranging of the office. We swapped out the office for the bedroom and the bedroom for the office. (does it get annoying how I repeat stuff, you know say the same thing twice like that?)
 
Then finally I am on the bike and headed down town. I am on the Surly single speed, mud and race numbers are still on from the night before. I have a slight feeling of being that geek with a lift ticket still on his jacket, but I do not need to stall any longer. The single speed seems like a more rational option, I have been to lazy to swap out the front wheel on my commuter.
 
well...here I am at work
it is a little past 10am
updating a few laptops with the latest Microsoft Critical Update
and thinking that I may want to eat some of that yogurt I have in the fridge
it ain't Dannon, but it is there

Potomac Velo Club: Wednesday at Wakefield

The RESULTS are posted!

http://www.potomacvelo.com/2004waw_results.htm

The Clydesdales went out at the 7PM races, the singles speeds went out at 6PM. I raced my single speed in the Clydesdale Class. Felt strong, felt fast. My times look pretty good and I had a pretty good time....actually I had a dam good time. Came off that course smiling! Tried to really enjoy myself out there, which is difficult to do and still maintain speed. There is a balance.

Time to drink a little more coffee, walk the dogs, and head to work. Lisa just went out the door with the two boys. She stole my Dean drop off duty, but she left me with the dogs.

Okay Roscoe and Brutus, i am coming, just wanted to take a look at the results.

Silly, but it is fun to crunch the numbers and make some comparisions.

oh, it looks like the Clydesdale in le Tour may have dropped off at the base of the mountain stages. Not the best of role models as I set my sites on the SM100 and its miles and miles of off road climbing.

dam I feel good
I want to take this feeling and hold onto it
once I get a good grasp of it I want to share it with you and then share it with the world

I may not surf but I do know this
when a perfect wave comes ride it
do your best to catch it, hold it, ride it, carve it, enjoy it, savor it, and ride it for as long as you can
sure other waves come, some may be better and other may be lesser
buy enjoy the one you are on now
and worry about the next one later
yes I know, there is no perfect wave, but there may be perfect moments
and you may have many of them
then there will be times where the waves are not as perfect but coming in really nice sets
those too much be appreciated for what they are
but never forget
there will be flat days, maybe flat weeks
there will broken boards and maybe worse
don't let this keep you out of the water, but their are sharks
more than likely they will mind their business and you can mind yours
remember the sharks are out there
stay humble
enjoy the moment
remember the second you get all vain or all arrogant that wave is gonna slam ya
you are in the wash grasping for air and maybe your life
then perfect moment is gone

back from WAW; wesdnesday at wakefield
dam my body needed that
amazing how an exertion can bring energy
I AM ENERGIZED
totally pumped with how things went tonight
finished fast and strong, more importantly without injury
well, no more injury than the beating of the ridid single speed had to offer
wanted to do a fourth lap to match my 3 lap clydesdale times with the 4 lap experts, but 20 yards into the single track of that 4th lap I felt the urge to hang
socializing energizes me as well
I have many faults, being social is just one of them
ened up doing 2 races in a 4 race post work series
a great local gathering, some real talent
shockingly fast guys (and some gals) racing and having fun
a good course for the single speed
tight at times which can make it tough to pass
but everyone is dealing with the same variables
even the guy who is first in expert is lapping people as he starts in his second lap
well, maybe late into the second lap
funny
some of the only times I have ever ridden and raced with the big boys at the olympic level are usually the local Dan Comber races (and well the 24 hour races, but I said no more snowshoe) On the multilap Dan Comber races I have on the winding down of my final lap been caught and passed/lapped by some great east coast pros. tried to follow their line and their speed. for less than 30 yards can I hang at their pace. sooner could I catch a rabbit or deer. these guys are so smooth and so fast and so gone, just gone.....no sound of heavy breating no sound of an exploding heart, just gone.
there were some moments of terror
somehow on my first lap I found the deepest puddle on the powerline section
there was a fast dry line on the left and I was attempting an aggressive pass on the right wheeled track of a very conveluted jeep track/powerline
SPLASH but no CRASH
covered in my and not making the pass
back behind the wheel past another puddle
only to pass at a more rational spot on the trail
but definitely before the climb and definitely before the singletrack
sure enough I pass these guys only to have to pass some guy on the last climb before the singletrack
then onto a quick downhill
which I take fast, then slower each lap
the rigid fork on the surley is especially tank like
don't get me wrong I am cruising
but I am sure that there were many going faster
the only race won on a downhill is a downhill race
each person I pass is passed for good and left behind
I inspire some people to increase their speed
change their pace and intensity
this aids me to push harder
eventually they too are gone somewhere behind me
that is basically how the three laps went
and well you know about the 4th

so I am showering and eating a beef bbq sandwhich now
later
bye

Lance in Style...or in danger?

I have always felt strongly about this...
we have 5 senses
when riding our bicycles it seems like a bad idea to rule out hearing, this sense is second to sight in keeping us safe. It aids it our sense of touch and is vital in making a pass, being passed, and accessing danger around us.
This technology does look cool...or so one would think....there are those that think they look cool all stretched out on their tri-bars as they zip down the multi-use bike paths...
now that is not cool!
is this cool?

I say leave the iPod/walkman/and MP3 Sunglasses for when hanging at the pool or laying out on the beach, not when you are working out

you don't know home many snowboarders (and I too am a snowboarder) I have nearly crashed into because they were "IN THE ZONE" when they were actually ZONING OUT!

le tour

for those of us without OLN
we need to use a combination of ink on paper and large bandwidth

le tour

SNOWSHOE

snowshoe...snowshoe...snowshoe
tired of hearing it
snowshoesnowshoesnowshoe


well here is an image of me back on the bike rounding off the wall a great view that I did not see as I was too busy to look up and around

and here is us lining up for the awards as we finished
3rd in Men's VET (35years+)
scroll forward with the arrows to see the 2nd and 1st place team....do I appear slightly larger than the other people there? or am I standing closer to the camera?

this may be the last you hear about snowshoe
the buzz is wearing off

now it is time for me to start thinking about putting some actual miles on the bike
as I just signed up for the Shenandoah Mountain 100 (The SM100)
That is 100 miles off road, well maybe 98 miles off road. A wonderfully designed course that has more up hill miles than most riders and racers log in a season, much less one single race. But with all the long climbs there are rewarding descents, well with almost all the climbs....the last climb rewards you with the finishline!

My TRAILS.com

I have not had the time to really check this out
but it could be cool

but there are already some good resources here at the NPS site

Bush Girls Gone Wild!

not time to type
way behind in my work
need to stay focused

no time for me to check out these pages
but this is the best place for me to bookmark them
OFFROAD to Athens
it is unfair how hard these athletes have to work to score their spot in this contest
track and field is so much more clear and defined
the 100 yard dash is nearly the same in any arena (climate slight factor, altitude more of a factor, but nothing like the variety of the XC mountainbiking courses and the vital forces that crash down altering the race as a whole)

more on Sue Haywood at the Whitegrass XC Ski site at the bottom of the page

CONGRATS SUE HAYWOOD!

making West Virginia and the East Coast proud
and off to Athens to bring back the Gold to make the US of A proud as well!

BBC Bike Maintenance Page
(other fun stuff there as well)

I will have to read this stuff later
hope my fever is gone tomorrow so I can race after work
will have to true my rear wheel
guess I could ride it to work
and true it with the brakes
maybe there are some tips here

So much to BLOG about and so little time
Yesterday was an interesting day....well, not really. But there are some things that are hard to explain. As a bicycle commuter the notion of riding while sick is hard to explain to people, heck, the notion of riding to and from work while healthy is hard to explain to people. Years ago I learned that there are always so many excuses not to workout or ride that it is best not to listen to them, well, yesterday I may have been better off listening to my body.
Promptly at 5PM I slide down the dinosaur and onto my bike, I rode through Georgetown unsure of my path, always questioning..."how much time do I have?"..."how far do I want to go?"...."what direction do I want to take?"
On this particular day I opted for the carfree paved Capitol Crescent Trail. With the ground wet, a strong headache, and sore legs I pedaled from Georgetown to Bethesda, fighting a wobbly front wheel all the way. The broken spoke in the front was enough to really slow the pace, thus causing me to alter my total distance. At Bethesda Avenue I turned it around and spun rapidly down the gentle path that was once the path of the railroad through town. I passed the usual assortment of walkers, strollers, and commuters. As I worked one of the slow steady turns I could feel my front wheel was a tad squirrelly...clearly a slow leak. I kept riding, debating with myself as to ride it all the way home or to pull over for a quick repair. I pulled over for a quick repair. In the short time that it took me to replace and fill the tube I was passed by an wide assortment of cyclists, only two of which offered assistance. Mounted back up and started for home. A mile further down the trail was a box turtle in the center of the path. It retracked its head, arms, legs, and tail as I approached, then as I opened my bag to stow this hard shelled beast in my pack it made a mad dash for freedom. I reached over and grabbed him and wrapped him up in my a shirt I had in my pack and headed for home. At that same moment Rich Feliciano passed by, we exchanged hellos, yet we were pointed in opposite directions. So we continued our course. As I rode the final miles to my house I thought about what I had done....this whole picking up the box turtle thing. my initial intention was to give it to my dad to put in his backyard. But that all started to sound kinda wrong. It occured to me that the number of box turtles has certainly diminished and that this one may very well have a family or friends of box turtles that I have just striped him (or her) away from. I got home and pulled the box turtle out. Dean was excited. He was drawn closer and repelled all at the same time. He told me I needed to put the turtle in the water. I then explained that this is a box turtle and that it lives on land. It was a brief discussion, educational just the same. I then thought, that it be best if I release the turtle in Rock Creek Park. I gathered some fresh fruit, the turtle, and the dogs.

well
I am too tired to get into the fever and chills of last night
as the symptoms are still strong
best that I go back to the other idiot box

wanted to BLOG on
MICHAEL MOORE

Clydesdale 4th in the Tour

Sue Haywood Heads to the Olympics
better Olympic XC Article
Mtnbikechic!

Wacky found Photos

City Bikes Team Member Brian Kemler gets some press as he and his friends discuss the Michael Moore film, Fahrenheit 9-11

Haines Point
This weekend Lisa and I wanted to grab the boys and the dogs and get out of town. But then I got this crazy idea...we may not be living in DC forever...when/if I leave the city I do not want all my memories to be about how we loved to get out of town. For the most part we take good advantage of the resources around us....had you heard Dean on sunday with his chant..."I want to go to a museum" you would know that the museums are as much part of his life as the zoo, the park, and the pool.
So rather than rushing to Harper's Ferry for some tubing, we headed down to Haines Point to check out the boats in the water and the planes in the sky, Dean got to climb on the sculpture, The Awakening, and then he got to eat lunch at the 19th hole as we watched the hustlers work on their putts and the golfers wait for their tee time to be called. After lunch we managed to get dean on the kitchless putt putt...it was classic child behavior....we could not drag him to play then we could not drag him away! He is only three so his score was not so low.....but he may have beaten me. I stopped keeping score as lisa was clearly winning...winning while holding 4 month old Grant no less....when the competition got still she put him in the stroller....by then I had claimed we were just playing for fun.