Living up it's name....

Hell of the North 2011... good for some but not so good for me... had a decent start to the day... got into the chase group and made it through the Trench.... passed off my last gel to Scott Coulas and then bonked.... and then the group missed sign and got lost for 20min... not bad letting the wind out of the Chase-the-Leaders-Sail.... i was feeling pretty bad and just wanted to get home.... had to walk a few (shallow) hills and forced myself to get on and ride when some girls rode past me...

not feeling great at the end.... Note to Self: don't bank on Easter Dinner calories and limit breakfast / pre-race consumption... the race changed from being for the Finish Line to being for the Costco muffins that i knew were inside!!!

Almost Child Labour....

please don't tell Children's Aid... but my kids have a paying job.... we went out for the 2nd time on Earth Day to collect some of the garbage in the ditches and make our world a better place... the deal is that they get $2 for collecting bottles and cans and get to share anything from the "Money Bottles" that they collect.... so far they have earned $13.50 each.... not bad for a few hours and a couple hundred calories of ditching jumping.... Happy Earth Day.... did you hug the world today?

The Team may be in Cali....

but i'm riding in Italy!!! check out this road... check out the scenery.... and the weather was a perfect 22degrees and sunny..... OK.... so it's Steve Heck's basement with his Fortius Training system .... we rode the Milan-San Remo course....

and this is how much i enjoyed doing 1 and 1's on it.....

and this is why i'm riding in the basement .... again... yes that's SNOW coming down on April 17th.... The rest of the Trek Canada Team is sweating in the Oven known as Sea Otter and i'm dodging snowflakes.....

getting good and ready for Hell of the North this weekend... and then the first O'Cup Mountain bike race..... looking forward to it....

The Boys Are Back in Town

So the Team riders who run down south when the weather gets tough (does that make them smart or soft....?) have now returned to the great white north... i'm sure they had to find their leg warmers and coats again.... makes for a nice transition off the trainer and away from the snow... the Hurt Box is much easier to find when i'm chasing these boys around... got to light it up on the Donut ride with the boys and then the Tour of Bronte... they are now down at Sea Otter before either heading to South Africa for the WC or coming back home...

it may not feel like it when i'm clipped in and chasing.... but riding with these guys sure help the training...

Tour of Bronte Throw Down

Did my first actual "Race" of the year... annual Tour of Bronte road / gravel road race.... and man was it fun!!! nothing like sending off a group of 75 over excited Sr. 1/2 and M1 riders on their new bikes with their new wheels for 100km on paved (with pot holes) and dirt roads.... we had more than enough reason to lay it down and ride to impress.... had a great ride, legs felt great, had tons of fun and even won some cash!!!! i'll be back... fo' sho!!! yes... Adam Morka spent a lot of time at the front... i heard someone say "Why doesn't Adam get in a break? is he just looking for a hard work-out?".... i was very un-appreciative of his Time Trialing abilities.... look WAY back in the picture... you'll see me suffering....

my choice of 'cross bike with road tires made me smile every time i heard a rock bounce off carbon frames or deep dish wheels.... took a bouncing rock in the shin resulting in a hole in my shin.... have you checked your new carbon frame?

yes... i had to work hard to get up with Adam to pose for this picture... and then faded back again knowing that i hit the Trek Canada Team Promo Pic...

The proof is in the people....

so... we all know that cyclist end up collecting "stuff".... old clothing, schwag, used parts... and we tend to continue our pursuit of new and better "stuff".... but the question remains: what do we do with the old "stuff?" and the answer is Kijiji!!!! we have to pay for racing and travel somehow.... and we do get to meet some neat and different people through our sales.... but i did meet probably the most excited, eager and enthusiastic customer of my used "stuff" the other day.... i collected some out of date clothing and un-used glasses and shoes from the closet and those of friends to sell him.... he was very happy to save some money and end up with some Racer-Clothing and hand-me-downs.... insisting that i take more money than i asked for and even brought me a bottle of wine as a thanks for collecting from others.... appreciation, respect, honesty, compassion, manners, sharing and dedication are all things that make cycling great... it's at the heart of our sport.... and is what we need to continue to foster and develop in the ever changing world of athletics.... hey Murry, thanks for paying for my condo at Tremblant's Canada Cup...