"In a van down by the river"

The team in Russelville going for a ride. Audrey sporting the fashionable cycling mesh stocking.


I'm sleeping in the van since our host has a cat. Awwww Choooo!


IN THE MOMENT. Times like these I'm happy. Just my thoughts and the bike. This is when its not just working on a bike. Its about doing something you love and being the best you can at it. Its what makes great art in the world possible. Its the art of the bicycle and its relationship in the world with its rider. (Is this the allergy medicine talking?)

Russelville, Arkansas - Good riding once you outsprint the dogs and ignore the comments from the a-holes in pick up trucks. Same to you kid and have a nice day.

Myself and 4 riders are here for the Tri Peaks Challenge. Its a 3 day stage race starting Friday. Not sure what to expect organizational wise from the promoter. I have a certain feeling its even less organized than Joe Martin Race. There is already some concern about the climb up to Mt. Nebo on Sunday. The girls drove it in the car and I got a call exclaiming how steep it was (18%) so I will do the best I can to provide them with some gearing that is appropriate. Since none of us have done this race before I don't have any compact cranks with me but I was able to track down some 38T chainrings. 38/27 will be the gearing of choice. It will still be about 20 minutes of suffering. Bike racing is supposed to hard and this is where it seperates those who can and those who can't go through the pain.

I know you all have been wondering how I'm feeling. Well thanks! My allergies are still here but its better. I found some medicine to take (Claritin wasn't working). I can't take it during the day since it makes me drowsy but at least taking it at night seems to help in the long run. I'm not the only one feeling the allergy syndrome. Apparently its kind of known to be like this in the spring time according to something I read in the newspaper.

My buddy Randy Wint had a birthday, which I forgot, so he made sure I knew this. Randy is the best person I have ever trained with back in Lake Placid, NY. These days most of his training revolves around the house he is building. Digging holes, pounding nails, stuffing insulation. Several years ago he lived on a property that had a barn which he converted into a workout area. Not really converted. More like swept the hay to one side and moved the tractor. From October to December I'd ride my bike a few miles to his place at 5:30 in the morning 3 days a week. In the barn we had a core strength and agility circuit set up. Just us two and the horses. It was very Rocky Balboa feeling. Imagine the day just dawning. Its 15 degrees with a slight layer of snow on the ground. You can see your breath in the barn. It was like a scene from when Rocky goes to Russia to fight. We termed these workouts our "Russian workout". A woman he was helping to train for the Ironman once came and just stood in disbelief that she was going to workout in this smelly and cold horse barn. That was a classic moment. She never returned after that one workout. Another friend joined us once but was so sore afterwards he never committed to the Russian Workout again. That year was one of my best years for skiing. My strength didn't fade as bad as it usually did in marathons. HAPPY BIRTHDAY RANDY AND LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN JULY!

Cheers,
DJB