Journal Entry #1
The first journal entry, so much to tell yet so little finger dexterity. For starters I have been living in Asheville, NC for the past month training and racing with the I9 cycling team. An elite team of Catergory 1:2 riders who have allowed me to race with them as a guest rider, and have provided me with a roof over my head during my abbreviated stay. I have no specific matter to quander tonight, simply a brief update of all that has taken place since my arrivial.
- My head took initiative and decided being shaved every 2 weeks had to stop. I know have hair
- Have avergaed 27 hours of training in my first 5 weeks (850km +/_ with roughtly 30,000 ft of climbing/week.
- Survived a neighborhood tornado on my first day
- Managed to sneak a 900 meter closed course victory on 2 wheels
- Began to increase training stress with surronding “C” races and group rides
- Have awesome tan lines once more
- Cracked my bike in 3 places
- Crashed 3 times
- Ran over 2 turkeys and hit a bear
- Re-discovered my love of baked beans, rice cakes, fig newtons and oatmeal
- Broke a fingernail playing nintendo Wii
- Broke 2 fingers in a crash and dislocated my shoulder
- Once again watching “Scrubs” with reknewed zeal
- After a race in Virginia walked out with 300 bags of chips, 4 twinkies and 30 banana’s, not sure what to do with the chips, suggestions anyone?
- And finally aside from doning spandex I ALWAYS wear my naked-man-riding-a-horse-picture-shirt
- Learning to speak fluent espanol
As for this canuck today? I rode 4 hours and found myself stuck in a thunderstorm decending Pisgah mountain at 80km/h. Some may say that would be tough and difficult. I say I couldn’t have been anymore pleased; riding my bike when I choose – in beautiful scenery and roads – rain or shine – helmet of no helmet. Why should I complain about winds and pelting rain?
Life is good, fettuccine and my bacon butter sauce await.
Take care eh.
EuroG
300 bags of chips? Perhaps you could crush them up and mix them with your scrambled eggs, give you a little carbo shot with the protein in the eggs lol.
But seriously, looks like you’ve done all there is to do as far as cycling mal-adventures go but isn’t that one of the things we all remember most about our endeavors is the things that weren’t supposed to happen but we didn’t get too messed up by them? Hope those turkeys and the bear didn’t happen when you were going downhill in the rain but I suspect that it did haha!
Here’s some spanish phrases that might help you out if you ever train in Spain or that wonderful Mallorca:
Hay una carretera con poco trafico?
Puede ensenarme en el mapa donde estoy?
Quisiera un cafe solo
Que medicine esta tomando? (You can ask that to another cyclist. But they might look at you strange.)
Necesito un medico – rapidamente.
You probably know most of these, but they’re good ones to know most of them anyway. Hopefully you can use your Spanish when you’re at the Tour one day, oops that’s French, how come you’re not working on French?? You are going to be in the TDF…I recommend you brushing up on the French language. The way you’re training, it’s only a matter of time before you’re going to need it eh?
I remember watching a pro cyclist talking about his “early days” where he wasn’t making money but he was just as happy, he claimed, when he was riding for peanuts as he is now, riding for a bigger amount. You seem to be that type of person too. I wish you all the success. Especially in cycling. You’ve got a great attitude, the attitude that says never die. That’s what I find most impressive about you is you’ve got a great attitude.
I believe that all great champions have to have a great attitude. That’s what everything else is built upon…
Not that the incredible training you put in is not impressive. it’s extremely impressive but what I find even more impressive than that is your positive attitude, it’s electric.
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Good work! Thank you very much! I always wanted to write in my blog something like that. Can I take part of your post to my blog? Of course, I will add backlink?
I don’t get it, what do you mean by the 3rd paragraph?
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