Training leads to second nature ...

Many people know I am a cyclist who is lucky enough to work in a shop doing something I am purely passionate about. Some might know that I work there despite having a degree in Computer Programming which I choose not to use as the cubicle life just isn't for me. Now I know you are starting to wonder where I am going with all this. Did you know I also have a degree from the University of Macgyver?

When growing up my sister, Becky and I used to watch Macgyver every night, 5 nights a week. Most of the time we watched in amazement as he would get himself out one jam right after another with just a handful of random objects that just happened to be laying around. Yesterday, was the day I found the true Macgyver in myself.

The throttle cable broke on the lawn mower just before going out of town last weekend. The lawn needed to be cut then so you can imagine how badly it needed to be cut now. After searching around town all week long and not being able to find a new cable I decided to get the one from my boy Kyle's mower which I knew would work. The thing was it was in worse shape than the one I had broken. Needless to say, one pull of the handle made that would pop as well. This is where all of the training as a kid came into play.

I started scouring around the house looking for something I could use to hold the choke in the wide open position so I could get the grass cut. Here is what I found.

If you can't tell from the picture, it is the seatpost clamp to Blackburn Mars 3 taillight. Although, it did work well I do not recommend anyone else trying this, it could lead to serious injury!

While running the mower along the outside of the fence to combat some of the ivy that is starting to grow again I stirred up some ninja like yellow jackets. I didn't even see them before the first one struck me right in the chest. Then in the back of the arm and as I started to run away two more got me right on top of my bald head. (For those keeping score the bees around the house have a perfect 2 for 2 record of getting at least one head strike in per attack.)

I finally saw where they were coming from so I went running back up the hill with the mower in tow since I couldn't just cut it off seeing how I sooo brilliantly clamped the choke wide open, when one last Al Queadian yellow jacket made my right nipple into his own personal World Trade Center. Not fun at all! Now I just have to wait till tomorrow evening around dusk and pour some gasoline on the area and try to resist the urge to light those little buggers up.

Pictures are worth a thousand words...

Here are the links to the pictures which were taken by myself and the TEAM

• Allen's Pics
• Jared's Pics
• Jenn and I

Back from Fletcher...

Jenn and I got back from Fletcher last night. After a six hour drive and then a couple hours of driving around Richmond as we exchanged cars and picked up the pups we were beat. A more complete report will be coming in a day or so. Until then here are a couple of my favorite pics from the weekend!

Feel the burn

As all of you know there are many ways you can feel the burn while on the bike.  Some feel it because they forget to apply sunscreen prior to going out.  Some get it because they are pushing too hard and the lactate acid starts flowing through the muscles.  I hear if you don't slow down once the acid starts playing catch up with your muscles that evil bitch will reek real havoc.  I have even heard stories where the LA reduced a man or two to tears.  

Neither of those are how I felt it today unfortunately.  I felt the burn on my shin as I was unloading the car at the beginning of our group ride here in Fletcher.  I leaned up next to the tailpipe which was piping hot.  It took me a second to realize why my leg felt really warm and by the time I did the heat was already a few layers deep and I screamed like a little school girl.  Thankfully one of the wives of one the riders 

had some cream to put on it and all is better.  I cannot even feel it anymore unless I bump it on something.

Jenn is feeling really good about tomorrow which I am glad to see as some of the other riders are not so confident in their training.  They will be fine once I find a way to get them to stop thinking and just ride.  But for now, I have a coach's meeting to attend and then a pasta dinner before bed.

Helmet decoration for the VA team courtesy of Allen

Heading to Fletcher ...

Jenn and I are about to head to Asheville, North Cakalak for the Fletcher Flyer Century. No updates until Monday night or Tuesday but until then enjoy a couple random pics from the last couple of rides which didn't make it into a posting as of yet.