Looks like I'm going like 50mph or something.Sunday, November 27, 2005
Getting A Ride In Before Dark
The rain held off and I got a few hours in today on the bike before dark. The trails are still in really good shape. I need to enjoy it before the rains start coming.
Paige and Daddy Sunday Morning
Paige and I got a few minutes to catch up after the big Thanksgiving weekend.Saturday, November 26, 2005
I Love Thanksgiving and Go Huskers!!!
Courtesy: Scott Bruhn/NU Media RelationsCory Ross, a Denver native, caught a career-high nine passes for 129 yards and one touchdown in Nebraska's 30-3 victory.Eat like a pig! That’s a good sign of a great Thanksgiving! We went to Johnson City, TN (that’s where Lyn’s family lives) and had one hell of a feast. All I did on Thursday was eat and sleep. We ate at Lyn’s aunt’s house around 2:00pm with something like 48 other people (huge family) and ate again with her Grandparents at about 8:00pm that night. We also managed to rally and meet some people out at a bar called Café One Eleven for a few cocktails late Thursday night.
Friday morning I managed to get a ride in. It was 25 degrees with a slight wind. COLD!!!!! Road map in my back pocket and a few hours to burn, out into the hills of Eastern Tennessee I went. I found some great one lane back roads snaking along rivers, double-wides, rusted cars stacked on top of each other, crazy dogs (thank God they were all chained to their dog houses), and a few “Good Old Boys” coming home from hunting. There were a few areas I was praying I would not get a flat in or near. The “Good Old Boys” in the hills are usually pretty nice unless you step on their property, and I have no idea how they would react to a grown man in spandex. I was also hoping Lance had been in the news enough that they might laugh at me and say “hey there’s Lance” because I was on a bike wearing funny clothes. Needless to say I had a great ride and no problems.
We left for home Friday night during half time of the CU vs. NU game. I wanted to make sure we made it home for the 4th quarter. What a great game!!!!! Cord feed what…that’s right what a %^& whooping NU put on the Buffs. So I drank beer and saluted the Huskers last night with pride. GO HUSKERS!!!!!!!!
Monday, November 21, 2005
North Carolina UCI Cross Race
Temp. a few hours before the first race.It was a great weekend for cross racing. Frank and Ann arrived at about 8:00am Saturday morning. We did a good breakfast and headed to the race. My race was at 11:00am so I got about an hour warm up and I was off. It’s been really dry around here for the last month so the course was very fast. The only problem was the wind. The wind made it really difficult to put together any kind of good aggressive attack. Saturday was “use and abuse day”. Find a group, ride their wheels and push them until they blew and move on. I think I finished in the top ten but not for sure. I wasn’t feeling to strong so I was just glad to be done and heading to the car for some warm clothes.
Sunday was a better day for me. The wind died down but the temperature stayed in the mid 30’s low 40’s. They changed the course for the 2nd day which I think made it even faster. The start of the race was extremely fast and a lot of people were really hamming down. As for myself, I’m not a real fast person at the start so I did what I normal do. I gave myself one lap and then started reeling in people. There was a strong lead group and I found myself in the second group trying to chase them down. When it was all said and done the leaders were extremely fast and we couldn’t catch them. I placed somewhere in the top ten.
Frank Jones was once again the man in the pits. For you who don’t know Frank he is one of the best mechanic’s out there and a really great guy. I watched people come up to him all weekend long and ask him to look at their bikes and make sure everything was working. Racers who even had their team mechanic with them would find Frank to work on their bikes. While Frank is working on peoples bikes, or sitting in the pits cleaning and doing bike exchanges his wife Ann is out on the course taking some great photos (watch out Velo News). Hopefully I can get a few photos from Ann and I'll post them here on my blog. Ann and Frank are one hell of a team when it comes to cycling and racing. If you’re ever at a national event or racing cross in NC I guarantee you’ll hear their names among the racers. Frank also has a great shop in Raleigh, NC so if you’re ever in the area and need something give him a call at (919) 293-0200.
The racing was done and everyone was on the way home by about 4:30pm last night. What a great turn out for the first UCI cross race in the Southeast. They have already started talking about have two UCI races in NC next year. The cross racing here just keeps getting more competitive and serious every year. It's good to see it becasue cross is really a great sport that several people can enjoy. When you can watch about 70% of a race from one spot...that's pretty cool.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Well it’s Friday and another week has flown by. Here are a few photos of Paige and myself. I went out for a little spin and Lyn and Paige went on a walk. We arrived at the house at the same time. Crazy!!!!! It’s going to be a big weekend around here. Frank & Ann Jones are coming over for the weekend and staying with us. Frank has a shop in Raleigh and is probably one of the best machines out there. This weekend is the UCI Cyclocross race in Hendersonville, NC. I’m going to be race on both Saturday and Sunday so it’s going to be a long weekend. I’ll try to get some good photos for the blog. I believe there is going to be a good showing of our team BTD.
Sunday, November 13, 2005
Trying To Drive To Mt. Mitchell
We thought we would take a detour and drive up to Mt. Mitchell. Mt. Mitchell is the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi. Well…after driving the crazy switch back road up to the Parkway we ran into a road close gate. The road up to Mt. Mitchell has been closed for the year. We found another nice over look and decided to hang out for awhile and enjoy the views.
Linville Falls
On our way home today we stopped at Linville Falls and enjoyed a hike. The weather was great!!!! It was about 70 degree’s and a clear blue sky. Paige liked the water falls.
Paige Hanging Out At The Cabin In Newland, NC
Lyn’s family has a cabin in Newland, NC which is right outside of Boone. This Saturday we took Paige there for her first visit. It’s a place Lyn and I like to go to get away from everything. Start a fire, eat some good food, drink some good wine, and shut off our phones. It’s a great place and as you can see Paige enjoyed herself.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Another Great Fall Day
Lyn and Paige spending sometime on the deck looking at the trees. It was in the low 70's today...what a great Fall day!
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Squeaky Clean
Happy after a bath in her momma's old PJ's. This is one of several outfits that Lyn's mom saved for her grandchildren. Thank goodness the flowers and lace are not on a boy.
What A Great Day For A Ride
I thought I would take some photos of what we call “The Back Yard”. I only took a few photos because the trails are in such good shape it took everything in my power to stop and take these few photos. The best part about riding these trails is my bike never touches a car rack. This is riding right from my garage! About 50 yards of pavement and the rest is dirt and single track. What also makes me realize how lucky I am is when I ride by a parking lot and see all these people loading and unloading there bikes, gear, people, and whatever else they need. All of these poor people just probably spent an extra hour just getting to the trails. The other beauty of this big my “Back Yard” is I know there is a cold beer waiting for my arrival at the house.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
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