What Doesn't Kill You - Makes You Stronger

Well sorta! With Graduation and Birthday parties this weekend, riding times had to be carefully planned. After emails back and forth with people Friday, a time was finally agreed upon - 11:15 ride from G & N. Looked like Big Tim, TKO, Egg and Goose leading out the chain gang. My plans were to head out in the opposite direction 30 minutes after they left. Well, my plans changed and I really listened to the Dr (for once) and decided to just sit outside and read the Sunday paper actually on Sunday. Day off for me.

I wasn't home yet when they left the house but I knew the time schedule TKO was on. Decided just to stay outside and wait for them to return. First thing out of Egg's mouth was "Goose was OK and at least the car didn't run over him". All they years that I have known everybody that Goose has ridden with, nobody had ever made a joke about somebody almost got hit. Obviously first reaction was, well he rode in the Egg, so his bike must be mechanically OK. I looked at Goose, at first no visible signs of going down or getting hit. Egg quickly pointed out it was his elbow. Next thought was shit I hope it isn't the one he had staph infection in a couple of years ago. Once I saw his elbow, and it wasn't much -----
Goose said his butt/hip took a hit - OK you are walking so you didn't break your hip (you start worrying about broken hips when you reach our age!). Goose informed me that his bling didn't get messed up. I was ready to hear the story.

Guess it happened about 2-3 miles from home on 25A. Just a freak accident involving a tree branch that became wedged in TKO fork and abruptly stopped him Things happened quick and Goose went down. I happy that he didn't take TKO with him!

Now the good news - Goose got up, checked things out and got back on his bike. Egg chose a route that would be challenging - getting Goose ready to race next Sunday. Egg said everyone rode really well - he gave lots of kudos to everyone - what does Goose say? - and not because he went down - "That really wasn't a good ride for me, I had higher expectations of myself". I sure Egg will have fun with that comment!

TKO had leave right away, Egg and Big Tim stayed for a few minutes to share some laughs and shift by shift data of the ride. Sounds like everyone rode well and had a good time.

Thanks for taking care of Goose today! AND bringing back home alive!!!!

Oh and BTW for those who ride/ridden with Goose - NO HE WAS NOT IN HIS AEROBARS WHEN THIS HAPPENED!

Great Week of Training

Wow - Goose had a very productive/successful week of training. His running is almost where it should be at this time of the year. His cycling is ahead of last year. He was able to get good quality miles in (both bike and running) this week. He rode on Wed with his partner for Little Miami. Even he noticed that Goose is riding and climbing better this year. He had a "duck - duck - Goosed ride on Friday night with Egg and Big Time. Guess Goose had the calls going out that night.

I was able to get in almost 100 miles for the week (a little short of my goal) but had a few changes in when I got AJ this week which make some of the rides shorter than I had hoped. The most important things was I HAD FUN :)

Sunday will bring another grueling day on the bike with Lost My Chain Gang. People have things to do this afternoon so an earlier time was settled on from our house.

I had hoped to ride today, but after a trip to After Hours, couple of injections, Dr advised me not to ride or walk today. So I sit here waiting on everyone to return (and I promised myself not to pout today because I didn't get to ride).

Sunday CB Day

After a hard week of training for Goose - great Delight ride Wed - Joe W. worked his legs really hard running on Thur - fun Friday ride with trash talk - good run on Saturday - what to do on Sunday? Character Builder Day!!!!

Egg came up to take Goose out (after his trash talking). I asked where they were riding, just got a huge grin from Egg, I knew he was going to work Goose really hard today. They headed east and north over some of the old roads they have ridden in the past. The stopped at Mad Cow's house, but no answer :(. I think Egg would really like to see Keith, maybe one day when he is ready it will happen.

Egg made Goose work really hard today - pulling, standing, sprinting for signs, etc. I will only admit here, but at the end, you were cruel! Taking him through Springhill subdivision and heading him out onto Evanston right at the climb. Goose started to get out of the saddle, but the ride had done what it was suppose to do - fry his legs - no more standing! This will make him stronger for the up coming Triathlons. Good job guys.

I headed out after they left. Started on my old route trying to decide if I was going to add in Evanston at the end. Surprisingly enough, after Antioch and Neal Pearson climbs, I hit Peters and felt "decent". So instead of turning on Michaels I went on down to Evanston Rd. Got to the cross road of 25A and decided to go for it. Heading east wasn't that bad. Road up through town to give my legs a rest and then headed home west on Evanston. I prayed that Goose and Egg wouldn't blow past me. I did struggle up over the interstate but I didn't stop. Got home with a total of 30.68 miles for the day. That is a record for me.

As Egg keeps reminding us, Asheville really isn't that far away. They plan on getting up up a climb before anybody gets there, which has been a goal for me. I know, you season riders, what is the big deal? OK, I am a "little" older than most of the male riders and I have only been riding for 2 good years. So I am a little skeptical. I know Goose and Egg wouldn't do anything to discourage me, so I am just leaving it up to them (God am I insane?)

This has been a good training week for Goose and Noose. Looking forward to this next week.

Saturday TT and Run

Goose had to work today so he couldn't ride the Cow TT #2. I had AJ for the day/night and cleared with Egg that it was OK to bring him. AJ was in heaven - bikes and guys - Egg played along with him with Star Wars (thanks!).
There was 8 total - 2 I have never met - Rocky and Scott. Shane pulled in on his bike, but opted not to race. Time to line up and everyone looked ready to roll.
And they off - T-Bolt had a slight malfunction with his bike, came back and we restarted him. As usual, everyone road hard/very well. Mthd was there to take pictures, guess he made himself at home in the fields.

Results are:

1) Vince " Rhino " Clune 9.1 miles 20:35 26.53 mph
2) Craig " Egg " Carroll 9.1 miles 21:01 25.98 mph
3) Todd " Wooley " Woehler 9.1 miles 21:15 25.6 mph
4) Bryan " Helldawg " Hellard 9.1 miles 21:27 25.45 mph
5) Tim " Big Tim " Williams 9.1 miles 23:07:08 23.62 mph
6) Howard " T-Bolt " Smith 9.1 miles 23.07:84 23.62 mph
7) Scott H. 9.1 miles 25:46 21.19 mph NON AEROBAR
8) Frank "Rocky " Parsons 9.1 miles 26:25 20.67mph NON AEROBAR

Impressive - can't wait to see how the speeds pick up as the year progresses.

Goose ran after work and said he had an excellent run. This has been a very intensive training week for him and he is really pleased with the results.

Friday Fun

Guess I am a few days behind - this has been a busy weekend!

I rode early to get it done - Friday seems to be my best day, and it held true for today. Fun ride - always lots to see!

Goose rode with Egg, Mthd and Rocky. Guess he did some trash talking along the way (hmm would they later get even with him for that?) Goose had a good/fun ride. Home for some pizza and lights out for him.

Wednesday Morning and Evening Delight

Well, since I rode this morning, I will start with me. Better than yesterday! Fun times.

Tonight it was the Goose, Egg, Big Tim, Mtdhd, T-bolt and Helldawg show. Beautiful skies, mild winds, warm weather. Goose and I were early and waited on others to get there. They headed out and I waited on Dog Leg Rd to get a few pictures. Early in the ride and everyone was all smiles. I had the route but on Karns I had to cut off and make a, well, pit stop. Since I know those roads I headed over to Rt 55 to wait on them. I get a call from Egg wanting to know if I was lost (which I do often!) - nope just pit stop for me. Since they were just heading my way I decided to just sit and wait. Behold - Big Tim and Goose were in the breakaway! First thought was hope Goose doesn't blow up - long way to ride by yourself! They flew to Rt 48 and then to Horseshoe Bend. Found my hiding place near the top and was shocked, Goose was still in the thick of things - up front. After a regroup on Greenlee it was game on again. My next stop was mid way on Iddings, Goose was STILL there! I headed over to Antioch and damn if he still wasn't near the front again. I was happy he was showing little signs of fatigue - don't confuse that with his geese calls - they were abundant at places. The next character builder was Meeker, he once again was on the front. My original plan was to head home after this, but I headed back to the start to meet this guy riding the Goose bike.

Needless to say, Goose had a good ride tonight - thanks to everyone cheering him on and pushing him past his points. Nice group tonight, everybody worked together, riders took their turn helping others to bridge back up to the group - TEAM WORK!

I think Geritol would be be pleased with the older guys tonight!

At Least I Rode

AND that is about all I can say. To back up a couple of days - I rode a second time Friday afternoon (after my excellent morning ride). I knew I couldn't ride Sat or Sun so I headed out. Well, to say the least, it sucked. I didn't look at my computer when I got home, and I didn't clear it (which now I which I had). Heading out this morning I looked at the numbers. Should have just cleared it and not looked! I don't know if I was aggravated at myself, but I had a crappy ride today. I got through it and time wise it wasn't that bad, not the best either. Oh well, tomorrow is another day and the weather looks great for the week. Sunny and warm.

Goose is running tonight with the plans on riding Wed.

Recovery

Looks like Goose is quickly bouncing back from his race on Saturday. Bellbrook race it took him an extra few days. I think what helped this time was his easy spin on Sunday. He didn't need to get in the water Monday night, instead he was able to hit the gym for weights.

Sidney Triathlon

The day started out wet/rain off and on/a little humid. I don't like the idea of Goose riding on wet roads (and yes he did get his bling wet/dirty!). For the canoe portion I know you want the river fast but I heard (once again) so many people saying "Now what do I do" in the canoe. It is amazing the people that just show up and haven't a clue on what to do in a canoe -- I think this is dangerous for the other teams. On the bank I had a excellent view, some went down backwards and two T-bones.

Goose and his partner had really no problems. Rick knows how to read the river and loves to plow with Goose. I made my way back to the transition area to watch the runners come in and get their bikes. Goose looks like he is dying here, but he said he wasn't. He said he had a good run (for an old guy).

I was surprised that he actually had a short transition time and headed out of the park looking pretty good. Guess the time spent in the mountains and good hill climbs here have really helped him.

The results really came as no surprise Coudron/Barker were on fire. They both looked good and won hands down. Goose and Rick came in second with no other teams in sight. They had a good solid second place. Of course everyone wants to win, but if the only team that beat them is Coudron/Barker, I think everyone was happy.

Goose and Rick talked afterwards and both agreed that they were in better shape than Bellbrook. Next big race for Goose in Milton.

Sunday Goose is going for a short recovery ride and then off to AJ's birthday party.

Sunny Skies

YEAH :) The sun is back. Goose didn't ride Wed, he had plans to ride with his partner for this weekend race. He ended up on roads that he wasn't that familiar with, but that is where his partner lives/works and it worked out better. He said he had a good ride, his partner actually didn't have to tow him around as much. Looks like they are ready for Saturday.

I am learning that Fridays are going to be my good day. Last week was awesome and today I knocked 4 minutes off my route. I guess you could call this a "no chain day" for me. Everything went right - weather was beautiful, not to warm, winds in the face coming home, but I had already knocked time off and I wasn't going to let my friend stop me!

Goose thinks he is getting in the water tonight. No Friday night ride, Egg went to Minister on Thur and rode with Rhino, Shane and Todd. Looks like he had a good ride up north :)

Saturday morning temps don't look bad, hope the rains hold off at least until the race is over!

Delightful Mother's Day

The "day" started out at midnight when I was trying to figure out the Map My Ride map. I learned last year that you can't always count on it to mention all the roads involved (or all the names assigned to a single road).

This morning when we got up Goose piped in that "We don't have to do this ride if you don't want too). Not allowing excuses I said "nope I spent hours on that damn map and you are doing it!"

So we headed to Tim's house on a beautiful day. The sky was a fantastic blue with a few white clouds. Egg pulled in a little after we did (after he had shown some love to his Mom this morning). A little bit of BS shared - the normal pre-ride picture and it was to time head the heard up and head'em out.I would love to give you a blow-by-blow explanation of each road - but I can't. I just know the road went up (a lot) and down (very little). All Three Amigos (or as some negative people would love to call them - the Three Stooges) shared the love today. Each did their assigned parts, Egg had some awesome LONG pulls. One one road, after 6 miles of nothing but up hill, he pulled off the best TT ever. I was amazed at the power he had to help pull both guys along and then flat out put the hammer down. That was after about 51 miles and they regrouped at a stop sign. Luckily everyone (car drivers) were in an extra good mood today and we were able to wave them past us as the guys refueled.

Back at the Big Tim home, Doreen had made snacks for everyone - we we really appreciated. It was fun to sit and chat for awhile, Goose and I have never really had the opportunity to talk to Doreen. We also found out that Tim has had his hands full this week - his dad has been ill. Hope he feels better soon!

Egg, Goose and I head out for my Mother's Day meal (my choice) - Classic Pizza!! We had time to sit and talk, solve the problems of the cycling world, and relax. Thanks Egg for dinner (jack ass).

All I can say - I had so much fun today. I turned up the tunes in the car, followed when I thought I might get lost, was able to pull ahead for pictures - I shared the day with people who are friends/family. What more could I ask for?

I will collect my thoughts and pictures for more tomorrow (and hopefully no spelling errors tomorrow!)

Special Days

This may not settle well with some, but this is how Noose feels. Special days - Mother's Day, Father's Day, Sweetest Day, Valentines Day, Grandparents' Day - should be every day ---- not just one day a year. You only have one birthday, anniversary and day you die, so yep those are special. But other than those, why take one day and treat your special person extra special on that particular day? You should treat that person special everyday!

I had a few odd looks today when I mentioned that Jeff was riding 80+ miles on Sunday and I was sagging. But that is Mother's Day! Nope everyday is Mother's Day! I am lucky to have a daughter that loves me, a grandson that thinks I walk on water (please nobody tell him different) and a husband that is my best friend and loves me. What more could a person ask for. We are spending Saturday evening with family and we will enjoy every minute of it. So, I have decided that a day that somebody has said to honor your mother, I will spend it with my best friend and people that we also consider "family".

Character Building Day

With fog this morning Noose opted for an afternoon ride. After a long walk with AJ piggy back for most I headed out for my ride. Knew the wind would be in my face most of the way, but also knew I would have a "tail" wind on Fred Pike and Michaels (not like I would know what that felt like!) Slow going out, flew on Jackson then headed to Fred Pike (which I set an all time record speed and had to use my breaks going down hill - wind was just too strong) to Fred Garland to pick up one of my new fav roads - Antioch. Back to Fred Pk to Fred Gingham. Once I hit Troy Fred it didn't feel anything but had no trouble making my wheels go ---- must have FINALLY been a tailwind. On to Michaels - no wind and home. Wow - loved the ride today.

Goose came home to ride. He agreed that he felt the wind going out but road through it. He saw Helldawg finishing up his "time trial" ride and said he looked good. I think tonight was a "get through it" ride for him. He average speed was good, but I think he just wanted it over.

Friday night looks good. Hopefully I can get out in the afternoon and Goose can get out after work.

Monday and Tuesday

Monday night Goose changed his plans and decided to ride alone. As he said - just something he needed to do. He said his ride went well. He usually doesn't give much more info than that. I get the mileage, time and speed ---- no turn by turn attacking himself. He really needs to more descriptive :) Tues is a run down south, he has been there in a few weeks and then date night with me -Yeah Me? I rode mid morning today. Found a good time - no traffic or school buses. Had company today! Took my "normal" route and headed west on Fred Garland to pick up Antioch and then back to Fred Pike to go up Neal Pearson. Antioch was "fun" and I kept reminding myself not to spend all my pennies there. Hit Neal Pearson and guess what - forgot to save the pennies. When I made it to the stop sign I stopped to get a good drink (still can only get small sips while I am riding) and decided to wait and regroup with the others riding with me today - they were Mental and Physical. Did a quick regroup and finished strong for me.

Secret Training Day

Ha Ha - We forgot about an obligation and Goose had to bug out on Egg riding today. BUT - I was able to get some secret training in for him - - - YARD WORK!!! So at this point Goose is done with helping me - he is free to ride on the weekends (unless we have a huge wind storm, then yes he does have to help again).

Yard work kicks our butts - got the hardest part done today. So it looks like it is time to play.