Thoughts

They came

They rode

They conquered

I guess that would be a quick summary of the trip to Helen. But I don't think it tells the entire story of the rides.

I had the privilege of watching a group of men conquer the mountains in their own time and way. I saw the smiles that passed by, sometimes quickly replaced with faces of determination and pain. I watched them cheer each other on as they reached their appointed sign. The handshakes and hugs that followed at each regrouping area. I also watched as some were able to rid themselves of burdens that have followed this past year. I watched a man tear up his past, another ride to his future beating cancer. I had breakfast and dinner with a group that have help make a difference in my life. My grandson made new friends that will hopefully influence his life. I was able to watch the man in my life accomplish something really important - mind over the road.

I had fun, AJ had fun, Jeff had fun and conquered - what more could a person ask for? Well maybe ---- God willing, we will be there next year.

Egg

Is that all ya got?

Ya wanna ride another 50?

Back in Kansas (Or Atleast Tipp)

Wow, what a trip, in many ways. We clicked our heels this morning and said "We want to go home". Trip started out excellent, decided to grab one more free breakfast and head out. Trip through the mountains was beautiful. Some of the roads had been accomplished via bike, and Goose commented on how different it was driving it.

All was good until we hit the interstate system - and then bam - slow moving. I think we hit every construction site in the 5 state area. Then with a 3 1/2 year old, he had to pee 10 times in each state. We ran in and out of rain, and then whammy heavy rain, construction, wrecks, etc. It took us over 11 hours to get home.

It was so much fun to get away, and feels just as good to get home safely. I plan on getting Egg all the pictures I have, hopefully Ron will provide his to us also. It will be fun to see what Egg does with all the pictures. I am sure he will tell a good story.

Back to realty, Goose and I need to get back to the grind of everyday stuff and everyone needs to train their butts off for upcoming races.

Sad Day for AJ

Today was a sad day for AJ - his new friends headed out for home. Nicholas was the first to say good-bye - AJ refused to tell him bye - he cried after he left. In the next few minutes things we ok in Helen GA land - his "uncles" showed up. We can't thank enough the Cows for amusing AJ, Nicholas for being his new friend, Nicholas' mommy for taking him to play (which was a saving grace for me). After play time with "uncles" it was time to also tell them bye.

All I can say what a great group this year. It has been a couple of years since we could make a Cow trip, we have already committed to next year. Rumor has it Rhino also committed.

Today was a family trip day. Made a trip to Babyland for a special Mother's Day present and to fix the DVD cord that AJ dismantled while the guys were riding.

Head home on Monday, Goose and I agreed, we could have stayed a couple more day.

Saturday

Rick has so much fun today he decided to ride the course again backwards!

Walked up most of Brasstown Bald to see the pros race - awesome site for Noose and Goose.

Off to dinner, play putt putt and then to bed.

What A Day

All I can say is -- WHAT A DAY TO CLIMB! Today separated the boys from the men and I Perkied for all Men. Awesome ride today and I have a new respect for Brasstown and Hog Pen. I got to do a little "trail magic" for Applachian Trail Hikers. After the ride we took a fast and winding journey to catch the end of Tour De Georgia stage. Out to dinner and bed time.

Fantasy Island With Bike Porn

Smiles Everyone - and yes they did - lots of good bike porn pics today. Egg will edit them and post. All I can say is - everyone road awesome. Nobody gave up and to my knowledge, nobody walked a climb. Great bunch of guys, and thanks to all of you for your time and understanding with the short guy (ok I mean AJ - haha). I am so impressed with the Cows!

Evening At Helen

This is the first picture of the weekend, more riders will arrive Thurs.

We arrived at Helen about 5:30 with pretty much uneventful day. AJ had a 3 hour nap, which made potty breaks easier. Going through the mountains our car started making a really weird sound - scary - but Jeff discovered it was probably a limb stuck in the wheel.

Egg and company arrived about 45 minutes after us and they all went out for a "limber the legs up" ride. The weather is beautiful and promises to be that way most of the weekend.

Outta Here

Bags are packed, car is almost done, cooler in the morning and WE ARE OUT OF HERE! AJ bugged the stuffing out of me today on why there was a seat missing. He told everyone he saw he was going to Helen GA. Hope to get lots of pictures - bummed that the new jerseys didn't make it. Want to make sure I get good pictures of the roads that they will be climbing.

Bellbrook Tri

First race of the year in the record books. Jeff's biggest fear was getting out of the canoe and not being able to run. It was a little cold and damp, not good for old man joints. We got there early, it was fun to see people we haven't seen in 6 months. Everybody was checking out each other - who has gained weight - who gained muscle over the winter, etc. Lots of talk and laughs, then it was crunch time. The river appeared to running fairly fast. Jeff and Shawn had a launch time of 8:06 - 7 minutes after the first boats. I sat on a log taking pictures a little down stream. The was a nice little "curve" at the start and many teams had trouble maneuvering it. Jeff and Shawn took off and seemed to be in a good groove from the beginning. Then the sky decided to open up buckets of water. Not a good time for that to happen. More on that later. At the end of the run portion they were near the front of the pack - which means they made good time between the canoe and run. Jeff seemed to get a good go on the bike - a small climb at the very beginning. The first person in on the bike was Shawn, followed by a few others. At this time I had no idea what had happened to Jeff. Of course I imagined the worst thing that could happen - he had gone down or his knees just gave out. Next thing I saw him coming in. Glad that was over. Now I finally got all the details.

Canoe went really well (they actually had the fastest canoe time of the day). One of the teams that took off earlier had returned to their car (next to our truck) soaking wet. The current was so strong and the river has many curves, they tipped and their canoe got stuck under logs in the river. They actually had to swim back to the launch (and were frozen from the cold water). Jeff said his run went well, was able to get out of the canoe and run with really no new problems. He held back a little on the down hills (which is his forte) in fear of further damaging his ankle. The bike started out fairly well. The traffic was not maintained and it was an extremely busy. Jeff got held up in traffic, threw a chain and not familiar with the route held back until another cyclist told him which way to go.

All in all - wonderful day. Second place is really good considering the team they lost to. One was a cross country star at his college, his team mate was his coach. They left Danville KY after a meet, slept in their car and raced with 3 hours sleep. I can't imagine how well they would have done on a full night sleep! That is what makes this sport fun - you never know who will show up.

Guess our weather was better than Crilli and Toler's. Talked to Crilli's mom the morning and she said their was rain, hail, thunder and lighting. But it looks like Crilli's race went "well".

HELEN GA - 4 more days - YEAH

Off and Running

Saturday officially starts Jeff's season. He has his first triathlon with Shawn at Bellbrook. I pray for a no chain day! Knees are sore, ankle hurts, but I know Jeff, he will kick it in and get it done!

Tour De Georgia

I (Noose) picked up the VeloNews today (actually it was Ezio that showed it to me). An excellent article on the Tour. It shows the stages, jerseys and what they mean - good article on Brasstown Bald. Now I will only have to ask a 1,000 questions instead of a million!

Also saw and ad for Oakley - awesome new lenses. But the cool part was the quote:

"Pain is temporary, it may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quite, however, it lasts forever." --Lance Armstrong

One Week

One week until we head for GA. Seems like yesterday everyone was planning on the trip. I have checked the weather forecast - which Wed and Thur keep changing. Looks like rain (at least today's projections show that). BUT it will not rain all day - surely Ma Nature knows there are guys with bikes to ride. At this time Fri and Sat look good.

For AJ and I - it will be good to get out of town. Goose? Hard climbing during the day - fun at night!!!

This week

This week hasn't really worked out as planned (well at least in my mind). Plans were for Jeff to ride from PECO on Monday. Monday morning he decided he would be better off in the water for his knees. I walked my 5+ mile loop.

Tuesday we had bounced some ideas around. I didn't want to wait until evening and then not to get to do anything so I walked after dropping AJ off at preschool. Jeff called to see if I want to walk at the Falls, which I did consider walking a 2nd time. As the day progressed, I decided if I did something else it would be an easy spin. Jeff did go out to the Falls. He said the first lap his legs were a little tight, second loop everything was working really well.

Wednesday? The "plan" is a brick for both of us. With Jeff's race on Saturday, he felt a brick would be better than a Ramble. So the plan is for him to run (me walk) and then come home and ride. If it late, we plan on riding Hillacious to save time. But of course this is all subject to change when Jeff calls today (lol)

Sunday Ride

Sunday started out a little slow for us. Goose is normally up at 7 - today he rolled out of bed at 9! Obviously he was really tired or he would not have slept that long. Since we were riding in the morning - time was short.

Craig agreed to come up and ride with us on Sunday. As usual, the main topic of discussion was the weather - would it be warm enough - would the rain hold off so they could steal a ride - for me, would the winds be light enough to not defeat myself. Well, I can say the weather was a little overcast, rain at times, no wind and a great ride!

Craig led us off with a nice long climb, small talk along the way (ok lots of talk for me) - pace was nice for about 20 minutes. THEN the follers (not rollers, but similar) hit. Craig kept us going with his great coaching and encouragement. After the second follor Goose developed cramps - only thing we can think is he didn't let his breakfast settle. Goose has to cut his ride short leaving Craig and I the last 2 follors. Making it through them I knew we had sprints to finish. Craig rode easy through 3 of them and the last one - it was like a sling shot - he was gone. Only thing I could do was yell A@@hole!

When we were done, Craig had a little time before he needed to be home. We shared laughs, R.B. for Craig and talked about the trip. I think everyone is tired of this weather and looking for a place that might promise sunshine and riding.

OK - so maybe the ride was exactly as I saw it. It was crappy outside, but there was no rain, wind or cold in our Family Room. I have learned if I daydream riding the trainer it doesn't make it seem so boring.

But we did have fun riding Hillacious (and I call them follers not rollers on the trainer) ---- and hopefully all DVDs will be retired until winter.

Thanks for the help Craig.

Our Boring Day

Today was a Ramble day and Goose decided to run in the water. More rehab on the knee - and today was better. Seems like the old pains are back as the main "pains" - which actually is good. He still has bruising and open sores - but he can walk somewhat normal (for him - lol). Me - first thought about taking my bike off the trainer and riding outside, but decided I was not comfortable with that yet. So I walked almost 5 miles and rode the trainer. Now I understand what Jeff has said about the trainer - only when necessary. The outdoors is so much nicer, the trainer can be boring when you know the weather is nice.

I have decided that next year I will take the trainers outside, face them into the wind and ride Tough Love - them maybe I will be ready to ride outside and think that wind is my friend.

Checked the weather forecast for Helen in 15 days - it is looking good at this point. It really is time to get out of Dodge!

"Y" Tuesday

Jeff and I had already decided to work out at the Y Tuesday evening. So I dropped AJ off at preschool and decided to walk my 3 mile loop. About half way through I had this feeling that Jeff would call and say what a beautiful day - let's ride. My legs weren't sore, just a little tired. I finished my walk, and you guessed it, he called and wanted to know if I wanted to ride - Nope not tonight.

When he got home from work, I had dozed off watching TV. He woke me up and I could tell he wasn't sure if he wanted to workout. I was dressed and we were going (I have to admit, I really didn't want to). All in all, we had a decent workout. Hardly anybody there, but there are till a few people that insist on sitting on the bench between sets - I know they can feel you staring at them, maybe convincing them to move, but no - they just sit there. Some are really good about asking if you want to work in.

Came home and had an easy dinner and THEN I decided to show Jeff how to log onto the blogs. He left Egg a message - so look out - another computer skill for Jeff! :P

He is running in the water Wed (no ramble for him) His knee is much better, just need to get the scrapes healed. - me? hopefully a good recovery spin on the trainer.

Beautiful Monday

Wow what a beautiful day! Sun was shining, winds from the SW (yes I am paying more attention of the direction of the wind). Jeff called early in the morning to see if my legs were sore and was I up to another ride. My very quick answer was no my legs were not sore and NO I didn't want to ride. I felt like the wind had mentally destroyed me on Sunday. After looking at the forecast for the week, knowing I wanted to ride again this week outside, I called him back and said I wanted to ride.

Jeff had his wheels back and wanted to try them out and he also wanted to see how his knee felt since falling. He got home from work, switched out his wheels and we headed out on the same route we did on Sunday. Of course this route is 99.99% southwest. I know, how can that be? Well it felt like it. Heading out Peters face to the wind, I really did keep saying "eventually the wind will be my friend". We had climbed the tiny mole hill that felt like a big hill to me before I knew it. Jeff has lots of patience with me on the bike, and I am glad. I mumbled to myself and just kept going. Next thing we were at the farm and no cows in the field. (Sunday I really struggled at that point and the cows in the field thought"love is in the air" which made me lose total concentration) We finally hit Michaels Road which I just knew we would get a good push from the wind to make it home -- NOT.

Since I am not really into time or speed at this point, I was happy with Monday's ride - I felt my tempo was a little more consistent, mentally the wind did not kill me and I had a blast. I still have a few issues to work on - drinking was a lot easier but I still put my breaks on to turn corners (then I have to work harder to catch back up). That will correct itself as I become more comfortable on the road.

Jeff's limp is almost gone, he said the slow spin helped his knee and getting out of the saddle didn't hurt as much. Guess riding slow with me has some advantages.

For all that know that I have "bellied ached" over the years about eating after 8 on ride nights, will be happy to hear we didn't eat until 8:30. After riding and taking a shower, I really wasn't hungry. I think I finally understand.

It will be a workout at the Y for us on Tuesday. Weather doesn't look like riding will happen outside on Wed (but ya never know)

Sunday Fun

After Goose's tri day yesterday I was a little concerned over him riding today. After much debate (on my part) we decided to head out on his 17 mile venture. It has been a LONG time since I have been on the road, the trainer and I have become best friends. Heading out of out plat I knew I was in trouble. It didn't matter which direction we were headed -- nothing but head wind (well at least that is what I am calling it as this point).

Goose''s knee didn't seem to really both him seated (of course it was like he was sitting still riding with me!) I felt fairly comfortable, I tried to remember all the tips everyone gave through the winter. I felt fairly smooth, tried to keep my shoulders and arms loose and not grip the handle bars AND try to take a drink of water! There were times we were going 22 mph and other times 10. I finally just got down in my drops and decided the faster we ride - the sooner I get done.

Goose seems to be walking better now, still has swelling and pain, which will take a couple of days to go away. Me - had a blast - can't wait until the next time I can ride. Just learned a couple of very valuable lessons today with my asthma and will know what to do next time. But I am going on record - I HATE WIND!

Tri day for Goose and Race for Crilli

What a beautiful day (finally). Goose decided to head to the Dam to trail run and try out his legs. He said no pain and was actually smiling. Little did he know that he would create his on little triathlon ----- run - slip - fall. He came limping back into the house bleeding and very sore knee. Cleaned him up - iced knee and headed out for Yellow Springs to watch Crilli race.

Met up with Crilli's Mom, Dad and brother Jon. Dobo found us on a curve waiting for Crilli to pass. The organizers changed the finish point and dropped a lap (maybe a miscalculation on mileage on their part). Tried out my new camera, got some decent shots, I think Dobo got a really good one of Crilli and watched him finish 3rd. On my most of my photos Crilli was in 2nd on the climbs.

Goose actually enjoyed being a spectator! Way to go Crilli!!!!! We had fun with your family and watching the race.