We gave up a long time ago and things got a lot better.  It didn’t happen over night, it takes discipline to realize where you can win and stay focused there.

Racing is always fun, racing events that suit our talents are more fun.  We perform better.  We connect better to the other competitors.  We enjoy the process a lot more.  Whether or not we actually beat everybody is not as important because we perform to our best level and that’s what it’s really all about.

The same thing has happens in business.  The more we focus on cycling specific products, the more we develop our own products, the more fun we have, the better we connect to our customers, the better we get with our processes, and whether or not we win all the business we try and get we are getting better every day.

It’s much better to focus on delighting ourselves racing and delighting our customers with incredible products.

(Some people take their customers golfing, we go riding.)

It’s so easy to get mad.  The more you do it, the easier it is.  More things that tick you off flow your way.  Getting even takes much more effort, but it stops there.

Squirrely rider up ahead?  Get even.  Pull up along side and lovingly share some pointers.

Getting beat in the sprint by a wheelsucker?  Get even.  Next ride just suck wheel too… there’s no need to waste any energy getting mad, plus it’s a valuable skill.

Tired of getting dropped?  Get even.  Ask the faster riders what their doing?  If you can add or delete something do it, if you can’t accept your fate.

Feeling proud of annihilating everybody else?  Get even.  Throw thirty pounds in a back pack next ride.

Hate gravity all you want, it’s still there… reminding you to eat better, climb more.

Hate gravity all you want, it’s still there… making you stronger.

Hate gravity all you want, it’s still there… pulling you down that favorite road/trail, making your eyes tear and your mouth grin.

Still hate gravity?

“It’s like riding a bike”.  Really?  It’s gonna be super awkward at first?  There’s a good chance I’ll get hurt?

No, not like that.  Like, once you do it you’ll never forget how to do it.

Why would anyone want to learn to ride a bike knowing the 100% certainty of pain?

Because we see our friends and family zipping around with huge smiles, and they believe we can do it.

It’s the ratio of small pain to huge pleasure that makes other skills unforgettable, “like riding a bike.”

Wow… what a difference a new pair of shoes can make.  Why do we wait so darn long to replace such an integral part of the ride?  This is where the muscle meets the metal.  It’s been 4 years since I’ve had new road shoes, and more than that for MTB.  What a dork!?… nah, I had just forgotten how awesome new shoes are.

I’ve owned lots of different brands of shoes over the years.  My feet are weird, which is why I’m in flip flops most of the time.  So, when I find something comfortable I’m reticent to change… a forgivable offense, no?

Anyway, the new shoes felt amazing this morning as I stomped up the 1 minute climbs on one of my new loops.  PR’d a few.

Why is that?

Well, these shoes aren’t the lightest at all.

The soles feel so supportive.  The dials are in a weird place, on the top of my foot… but, I don’t feel any pressure from them being there and the adjustments are very comfortable and even across my foot.

At first glance you wouldn’t guess they’d be airy, but wow! my feet were very cold on the ride this morning.  So the vents really work.

And let’s be honest, a sexy looking shoe is always good for a few watts of mental edge.

There’s supposed to get more comfortable over time… can’t wait for tomorrow’s ride.  Nigh-t-nite.

We were crammed into Terry’s basement, couches covered with kids.  Jack was running, ax in 1 hand, Shelley with a cleaver chasing, the little boy hustling towards the camera.  Snow, cold wind. The Shining climaxed and the volume maxed couldn’t hide my uncontrolled scream!

REDRUM.

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”

Training day after day, without a purpose can make me crazy.

Too one-dimensional, ultimately making me neglect the basics and wind up hurt.

Finally surfed this week, coaches orders, to rehab my shoulder.

The super stiff shoulder (from last fall’s dork crash) slowly loosened up after about 10 minutes in the water.  I turned to catch a wave and that final power paddle shot lightening up my arm… it was delayed and hit me as I popped up, and I hid an uncontrolled scream.

$^&*!

$^&*!

$^&*!

I couldn’t enjoy the ride, I just cruised then turned out and lamely paddled back.  Determined to ease into the next wave, I failed.  Too many years of that final power paddle to pop up.

$^&*!

$^&*!

$^&*!

This time I just rode in.  It hurt too bad.  I could barely move my right arm.

But after the trauma… my shoulder was freer, moved better.  With some therapy today my mobility improved more.  Coaches orders:  surf twice a week, mainly paddle.

It’s good to cross pollinate the training with other sports.  Surfers have strong backs and cores, critical to sprinting and climbing for cyclists.  It doesn’t take much time to make a big difference to your overall fitness… just be careful, and go slow.

On my mind today was the sudden death of one of my favorite bloggers, Steve Tilford.  Steve’s writing was pure, honest, simple.  He wrote about racing, his passionate opinions, and life stuff.  I never met him, but feel like I knew him.

Maybe it’s a little more timely, since I stopped in to see my dad yesterday.  His battle with Parkinson’s is brutal.  It’s just hard to experience for me… rather than complain, mixes jokes with genuine interest into our lives.

And so I rode and smelled the wild flowers and felt the wind knowing all perfect days and trails have an end.

A thousand years ago, I started racing while attending college in Utah.  It started at a local crit held in the huge football stadium parking lot.  I won a few, and winter came.  I purchased a trainer and rode it 3 days a week when it was too cold and snowy.  I skied on the weekends.  Every effort was planned around becoming a 3 before I moved back home in the Spring.

The work paid off, I got the points and I applied with the local  USCF rep.  He asked what was my hurry, and I said I was heading home.  They’re a lot faster down there, I’m not going to upgrade you.

It ticked me off, and chip on shoulder I quickly attained my goal of becoming a 3.  Back then, we’d have 80+ guys on the line.  I’m not saying it was harder than now (yes, I am), but it was very hard to navigate all that humanity and grab points.

Was the guy in Utah right?  Maybe, probably.  Either way, it reinforced a valuable lesson I apply to this day.

For example, today I stopped by the county offices to get a new course permitted.  “No.”  I’ve learned that’s a pretty standard answer from public officials, and I’ve learned what it means to me.  It means, other race promoters are going to have a hard time and most likely get discouraged and quit.  I’ve learned it means this public servant sees some flaws in my plan and that by improving my plan the event will be that much better not only for the next race, but for all future races.

For me, hearing “no” now makes me smile… No => less competition + better product.  It also means we’ll soon have a new venue.

We learned this as children, about the same time we learned to ride bikes.  Some of us haven’t  forgotten the lesson.

We had a shirt that said “Ride Hard”.  Not a big seller… and not the first design I badly misjudged.  I changed the text to Ride Fast, for me… because while I like to ride hard, and be able to handle the hard ride…

…I’d rather ride fast, any day.

You’ll see that logo in little places on some of our products, because it matters… to me.

I leave notes to myself.

I name my bikes.

I blog.

I leave myself clues to tomorrow.

Riding the same loops over and over gets old. Today I set out to find something new and totally scored.  Not that new roads magically appeared, it was me connecting them in a new way.  Kinda like when your bike’s tired filthiness sneaks up on you and you bust out the Simple Green and throw on some new GP 4000 S II’s or some new bar tape.

Here’s the loop: https://www.strava.com/activities/919557893 that made me smile.

As for the fruit, I’m trying something new for post recovery:  macadamia nuts and an apple.  Protein, fat and low-glycemic sugar.  Yum.

To make a new loop or route,  I roll out with a general idea and let it unfold… if I hit a light, I might turn right to keep moving and see what happens.  Basically, I just go “where the wind blows”.  It not always be good, but at least it’s a change.

(It’s always good to see the sea.)

Sean says we need to go faster at TMWC, Marek says OUCH! to today’s edition, Mike rode the course a second time solo and went quicker, I limped home.  That’s a group ride for ya… keeping us all honest with our effort.

Were it not for the weekly men’s support group/social ride we call TMWC, most of us who attend would have no idea where our fitness is, definitely we’d skip the extra mile or two and say yes to the cake and ice cream.

It’s not a cycling monk’s life that motivates us to keep at it, it’s the feedback on how well we’re taking care of our health during our weekly check in that keeps us on track.

If I can’t pedal fast, what else can’t I do to my best ability?

My maternal grandfather retired in Newport Beach, East Bluffs.  There was nothing better than getting on the bikes he kept in the garage and riding over to the elementary school to play hide and seek.  Certainly that old codger couldn’t find the slippery 7-year old speedster.

Grampa was a genius at getting us to play with him.

No matter where we were, when Grampa pulled up it was time to play.  Up popped the trunk and out came footballs, basketballs, softballs and bats and mitts, frisbees.  It was time to have some fun.

The kids always won, no matter what the game.  And if things got too lop-sided Grampa would make up a new rule and say “southern rules”… meaning that’s how they played in the South.  He wasn’t even from the South, but he’d raised his family for a good stretch of time.

Time passed, and grampa got older.  But he kept moving.  Lifting his 15 lb weights, jumping on his miniature trampoline, jogging down the block.  He was taller than everybody, and stood as straight as giant pine.

I’d go visit him on the weekends when I was in college.  They’d moved to Utah, and that’s where I was studying.  What at treat to visit those two characters.

Diabetes slowly brought him down.  He couldn’t feel his feet, and his vision failed him.  For a while I’d just read the prescriptions and medicine he was taking.   Then, I’d read him the newspaper.  Eventually, we’d watch a game together and he’d listen and I’d add my color to the commentary.

He never lost his sense of humor, never took life too seriously.  He had very high standards for himself, and for others.  I’m sure it was humbling for him to ask for help, but it was healing for me.

Tonight as I fumbled trying to adjust my seat post height I could only laugh at my resistance to wear glasses.  I’d adjusted my seat post height only to realize after I’d loosened and raised the post that I couldn’t read the markings on the seat post collar indicating the torque required to tighten the bolts.

Solution?… take a picture, and zoom in to read it.  Maybe it’s time for some glasses.

Where’s Grampa was, I now am… where he went, I am sure to go.

The forecast was for rain, but it was just cloudy.  I’ve slept a ton all week, but I’m still pretty worn out.  My eyes opened at 5:30am.  Ran down to see if all the pics had downloaded, and started uploading to the HUNKR website.  They are awesome, but they take forever to upload at home.  I kept working on site content until she woke up.

She wanted to go whale watching.

We loaded up the paddle boards and drove to Shaw’s Cove.  Passed Patrick Coffey on his TT bike, in his new TMWC kit.  Got to Shaw’s and slid into her secret Mini spot.

Unloaded the boards and paddled out. And Out.  And further Out.  We were probably 1.5 miles off the coast and she stopped paddling.  What do we do now?  We wait for about an hour and pretty soon we’ll see whales and dolphins.

I don’t believe her.  I do, but I don’t.  She always has these crazy dolphin and whale stories.

I think about how geeked up I get about riding, take a friend along and the magic just doesn’t happen.

We wait.

I have to paddle slowly because my balance is not to keen.  The clouds persist.  A whale watching boat comes to us thinking we’ve got something.  Nope.

Bored, I paddle North towards Emerald Bay.

Then I see them.  Dorsal fins slice through the water in pairs.  Up, dooooown, up doooown.  Over there.  Next to me.  Over there.  They are racing south, too fast for us to follow.

The sun bursts through.

Hot, we shed the neoprene tops.  Mission accomplished.  I start heading in.  It’s been fun, but I’m ready to quit.

Come on… wait a little longer.  She’s so faithful.

We wait.  Float.  Soft paddle. Float.  The sun feels great on my great paleness.

Then we hear it… a wind so distinct even I know what it is.

About 100 feet away we see the spray from the whale’s exhale.  The long body moves gracefully and she paddles furiously.  Me not so much.  Come on! she yells.

It’s gone.  Silence as we crane here and there.

More water shoots in the air, no more than 10 feet away from her.  It glides on it’s side and even I can see it’s eyeing her.

Hello Whale!

Down it goes.  Off she races for another glimpse. Not today.

But, today I got a glimpse of what makes her so happy.  I know this, and she knows I love to ride.  Most Saturdays, all?, I’m off on two wheels and she’s off to see whales and more.

It’s good to change gear.

Someone will step up and lead your team.  It might be you, because of your experience or willingness or vision or frustration or opportunity.  Whoever it is has the responsibility to teach the rest of the riders their roles AND how to execute their roles.

Those roles can range from driving directions and hotel selection, to cook, to bottle handerupper, to canopy set up, to equipment selection, to equipment maintenance, to riding the front of the paceline, to leading the final miles, to sprinting for victory.

Regardless of how you assign the roles, you’ve got to define them in such a way that supports the main goal of the team.  Winning, friendship, fun.. all worthy goals.

A team united behind a goal, understanding individual roles can adjust as conditions change.  Someone might get sick, have a mechanical breakdown, etc.  That’s when the leader’s vision and the team’s goal will allow for the rest of the team to pick up the slack.

More important than filling each position is being in position to find the right teammates… then getting out of the way.

Tonight, I had dinner with David whom I hadn’t seen in 37 years.  We met on a cruise ship in Greece, summer of ’80.  He’s British, and was traveling with his father… we were a rowdy bunch of Americans spending the summer in Europe.  We all hit it off and absorbed him into our mania.

This morning, Gould and I were out rolling around town.  Zone 3 was his assignment, my assignment was self-assigned:  get out on that new bike!  While we blasted along the coast we picked up a caboose.  We turned right, he turned with us.

I turned and said, I’m Todd.  He said, I’m Justin.  Where are ya headed, I quizzed.  Home.  Where’s that?  Up ahead.

You on Strava?  Yep, Justin Aida.  Cool, I’m there too.  We meet at La Pata and Saluda every Tuesday at 5:50am.  Join us.  Will do.

We parted ways.

Gould and I rode on.  My bike, so new and pretty, still wasn’t “fit” to me by Eileen.  That would happen at lunch.  So I rode with a little discomfort, comforted knowing that would soon change.

Eileen’s, my kindred sister.  She’s been fitting me for 18 years.  She keeps all my fits on paper.  She’s old school and new school all in one.  When I told her what bike I was getting, she paused… I could hear her shuffling through my file.  In less than a minute, she blurted frame size and stem length and bar width and saddle width and crank length.  I try and explain the magic she works, most people can’t see the value.  A few do, and their riding is changed forever.

You’re changed forever, because it’s more than a bike fit.  Sometimes I’ll see her for an adjustment and she’ll touch my leg.  Work is stressful, isn’t it?  That’s weird I think, but then I absorb what it takes to pick up on someone’s state like that and realize why she’s such a treasured friend and mentor.

Dinner time came.  What  a reunion.  It was awesome.  So fun to hear what people have done with their lives.  What brought us together again is another story.

But what does bring us together?

As I wrapped up the day, I checked in on Strava.  Justin had left a comment on the morning ride.  Then Mike C had commented on Justin’s comment.  Turns out, Mike had rented a house with Justin’s brother and my brother in Huntington a few years back.

Maybe it’s not what brings us together that’s important but why we are brought together and what we learn and share with each other that matters?

Ride On.

There are a lot of reasons to ride your bike.  Your doctor might say, “hey, chubby get out there and drop some pounds”.  Your spouse might say, “hey, grumpy get out there and come back with a smile.”  Your friends might say, “hey, it’s like being a kid again.  Try it.”  Off you go.

One day, nobody says anything.  You suit up to suit yourself.  The sky is blue, shining on your shoulders.  The wind sings away any blues in your soul.

Cyclists eventually come across other kindred souls and bond, and that’s what keeps us healthy, happy and young.

It was hard to let Black Lightening go.  Three years ago I brought him home, his twin was already there and being ridden by Trevor.  Such happy days, a dad getting throttled by his son on matching bikes.  That passed, BL and I rode on – over 20,000 miles.

Winning was rare and hard, but we had a few wins: on the group ride seen, a thimble full of TMWC’s, a couple of Market Rides, 1 Food Park and 1 CV… on the USA Cycling side, a few top placings and wins at small crits and one very sweet road race win in Santa Barbara.

We’d commuted to and from work many days, through sunlit mornings and dark nights. We’d moved from Coto to Las Flores to San Clemente.  Each stable a little different.  Each location offering new starting points for rides.

I re-shoed him with Roval CLX 40’s.  These magical wheels were a game changer for us, the speed gains amazing.  Recently, I’d upgraded all his electronics.  His paint was still quite nice.

How could we part?

It wasn’t easy.

When I saw the chrome forks on Flashy Jack I knew I had to have him.  Black Lightening could have stayed on as a back up ride.  That would be the smart thing, especially this rainy year.  But it would be cruel.  He is still so fast, he needed to find a good home.

His new jockey, Chris Hill, has already confirmed that Black Lightening is a game changer for him too.  They rode to a top 3 placing in HUNKR – OC in a star-packed group.

Flashy Jack waited patiently for me to find the time to put him together.  I was impatient, and couldn’t wait to see Eileen for a bike fit tomorrow.  We rode together for the first time today.

It was early, very dark.

I fumbled with the new e-tap shifting.  My position was wrong enough to make my back tense and my knee twinge.  The deeper dish wheels created uncertainty. We hit the TMWC, still no daylight.

A break went off the front.  The gap was expanding.  It was time to see how Flashy Jack would perform.  Ziiiiinnng!… we flew across the gap with minimal effort.

Flashy Jack, welcome home.

I need a break, but there’s still so much to do. That’s what happens when you sign up to make a difference.  I’m tired and on fire… thank you for stoking me

.

These are my top 3 cycling blogs.  One I almost always disagree with, and come away a better person.  Another, is very personal and real and raw dealing with racing and life.  The last, inspires me to grow the cycling tribe.

I wouldn’t rate one above the other, and I tend to binge on one for a while and sample the others then switch it up.  Over time, these three stay in the rotation while others come and go.

They all have their own unique style and authenticity honed over many years.  None of them are newbs.  One of them has become truly rich and famous, one makes a few bucks which I think mostly go to sponsor local races (I could be wrong, again), and the other plugs long-time, loyal sponsors.

One thing I’ve come to appreciate is I think they would each blog for free.  It’s more of a calling, fulfilling a need for them and ultimately feeding the rest of us with entertainment and knowledge.

Big thanks to:

Wanky

Steve

and Seth…

You make my life richer.

I have noticed over the years, the closer I get to the finish line the dumber I get.  One year at Leadville I was putting down a fast time.  I raced into the transition and couldn’t find my team.  Granted, there were about a million spectators… still my friends were right in front of me yelling to grab the bottles and go.  Here’s the formula for Race IQ and how to raise it.

Let’s say your IQ is 120.

Your Race IQ = MinutesToGo Divided By Your IQ

If your race is a week out, that would mean your Race IQ is 84. Why is that?  Because you’re running out of time.

Two weeks before a race, you’re a genius with a Race IQ of 168.  You’ve got lot of time to break and fix stuff, travel, make upgrades etc.

3 days out = a Race IQ of 36.  A good chance of forgetting something is looming.

Race day = RIQ of 13

3 minutes from the finish you have an RIQ of 1.5… and so does everybody around you.

So pay attention, this is when bad things can happen.

The antidote is getting into a state of flow.

FLOW = Confidence X Prepration X Visualization X Heart Rate X Panic X Pleasure X Smiling

If you’re confident in your skills and you’ve practiced something similar to these last 3 minutes and you’ve visualized a good outcome and your heart rate isn’t a million and you’re calm and actually having fun and smiling your RIQ can be 120 or more.  When you’re in flow everything slows down.

Most of us, myself included, spend too little time on the formula for FLOW.  If things aren’t flowing, you might consider slowing down.

Trevor asked me to drive to the high school together and time him running 1 mile.  He’s only done that once before and has probably run less than 50 miles in his life.  5 minutes was his goal.

5 minutes?

Yep, I think I can do it.  I ran 5:20 last year after running 1 day.   I’ve run 11 days this year, so I should make it right?

Right. (?)

Just like that he’d written his finish.  Set the goal, reviewed his prep, checked his shoes and bathing suit, picked the music, chosen the location and time.  Now it was time to perform.

I get it.

I never plan on winning or PRing a race I don’t care about.  Once or twice a year, I’ll target something.  Write that finish in my mind, and go for it.  Get the equipment ready, try and shed some lbs, monitor my sleep, huddle with my coach (I can only handle about 6 weeks of structure which drives her nuts – there’s a lesson on loyalty), you know the drill…

but, are you writing your finish?

Can you see it?  Is it coming to life as the timeline shortens?

All kinds of things will pop up on the way:  work will get busy, your family will need more of you, your bike will need fixing, your nutrition will fail on training rides, and so on.  Write how you make it all work into your finish now.

We had worked out a signal for each lap:  thumb down, faster than required; thumb up, too slow.

3, 2, 1, GO!

Thumb down, 1:05.  Thumb down, 2:28.  Thumb up, 3:55.

5:06.

He collapsed on the synthetic field, his back covered with tiny crushed rubber dots.  Phone laid still.  Air pods popped out.  Panting.  I sat on the bench and waited.  Man I love this kid, even if he’s 25 he’s my kid… who takes after his mother athletically.

Let’s walk, he says.

My flip flops clop.  I listen as he writes a new finish.

Dad, once I’m through busy season and have passed my CPA exams and can rest and run, you pace me on your bike.  I’m going to crush 5 minutes.

Making a game of sport is all the rage.  And look, racing a bicycle is hard… making a game of it can take some sting out of the efforts.  Isn’t that what Strava has done?  Well, check out what we’re doing over at HUNKR.

We created FUNKR, because…

Going for your personal record at HUNKR is fun, going for it with 5 or more friends is FUNKR!

Our top-secret software and supercomputer will take the five fastest times of your team and rank y’all against all the other FUNKR teams..  Then we’ll call up the fastest and shower you with gifts and trophies.  How FUNKR is that?

There are 3 categories:

All ladies?  You’ll be competing with other ladies.

All dudes?  Same.

Mixed?… ah, mixed.  Everybody’s thinking, “we could win mixed, all we need is a fast girl”.  Maybe, who knows?  Could be 4 fast ladies and some fast dude.  Ya see our technology is so savvy, it will scan for the fastest mixed group.  Just remember, you have to have at least 1 member of the opposite sex be in your top 5 fastest times.

Let the FUNKR begin.

Those cats crack me up… thinking so hard… “well, what about… you know that crazy fast kid that came on the ride that one time?”… HUNKR down boys and girls it’s FUNKR time.

Kids, if you’re under 23, you ride FREE at HUNKR… as long as you register before 3/15/17, all of ya from 12 to 22. Pre-reging helps us to have enough food, t-shirts and awards for y’alls.  No need to hit the parents up for some dough.

If the dog eats your internet, and you just can’t get it done in time…  Come anyway!

If you register at the event,  we ask $22 for a top-notch day on the bike… and, please get to the on site registration EARLY.

Bring your friends, especially the ones that just ride for fun… ’cause this is gonna be fun.

PS… This is a pic Trevor Brown took when he was 22 and still racing.  He was out on a training ride and bombing down the Alpine Loop in Utah and he sees Peter Sagan out cruising… slams on the brakes… whips around… sprints up to Peter and they ride for a good long time just chatting.  We’re sharing this story because we know all about the financial struggles you face… that’s our motivation to have HUNKR free to the kids under 23.

Y’all are awesome!

As a cycling event promoter I haven’t had to worry about the weather too much.  The TMWC is in July and the SoCal Cycling Summit was in doors at Oakley’s HQ.  As a cyclist in Southern California, rainy days equal rest days.  It’s been wet and cold for months, and that has been on my mind more than ever as we prepare for our very first HUNKR.

I’ve monitored the registration rates at other cycling events this year and 90% of the participants are signing up the week of the event.  It’s an element we like to keep hush-hush, but it’s stressful nonetheless.  Imagine planning a wedding and not getting any RSVP’s until a few days before – yikes!

While it’s impossible to predict… I can firmly say whether your coming from Silverado (Amber Neben) or San Francisco (Ted King) or Los Angeles (Rahsaan Bahati) or San Diego (Thurlo Rogers) it’s looking like a perrrrrfect riding weather for HUNKR – OC on 3/18/17.

All those days of mist and chill and rain, when you threw your leg over the saddle and went for a pedal, are going to pay off.  You were passionate enough to brave the elements or mount the trainer.  Bring that fire when you go for your personal best over a 100 kilometer course on the only “country” roads in Orange County.

Meanwhile, we’ll keep getting things ready for ya!

Part of the HUNKR ethos is delivering a premium experience, that’s why we have hired Chef Joe Youkhan.  Because when you roll in after a 100k your body is craving goodness.  He’s personally preparing platefuls of  Paella, Pulled-Pork, Vegan burritos and sweet potato fries… and it’s included in your race entry.

… envisioning this is making my mouth water…

Joe is a Five Star Award Recipient at the Ritz Carlton. He has been featured in Best Chefs of Orange County and Flavors of Los Angeles and the Culinary Masters Event, and much more…

It’s gonna be good.  It’s gonna be hot.  It’s gonna be fresh.

Spread the word, Chef Joe is coming to HUNKR too!

In the 80’s we would call 976-SURF for the surf report.  Some dude imitating Jeff Spicoli would give us the low-down for well-known spots.  My all time favorite report was for Oceanside Harbor one hot summer afternoon:  peaky, pitch, bowly.  We checked the common cash and gas and hit the road.

The rest of that summer, Stephen and I just looked at each every time it was good and laughed “peaky, pitchy, bowly”.  It was such a goofy, succinct way to describe special surf: super fun, with lots of opportunities for everybody.

Today’s late lunch ride was like that:  sunny, warm and dry.

It was only an hour.  It was just what I needed to power through the end of a busy week.

The new bridge I found nearby is a perfect set up to a sweet little 5 minute hustle.  I ripped the loop off 5 times, then spun around town smelling the sunshine and feeling the spring grass grow.

Peaky.  Pitchy. Bowly.

Steven thinks I’m nuts.  He’s the only one that sees the hours I’m putting in right now.  From 6ish when my feet hit the floor ’till 9ish when I’m a little coocoo it’s all work.  And those are the times I think about not taking a spin.  Like today.

Up at 6.  Emails.  8, meet with Tyler on all the volunteer positions to fill as well as the “big rocks” that we are finalizing – guessing how many delicious meals we need on the 18th aint easy. 12, get to office makin’ calls ‘n emails ‘n such.

… funny aside:  speaking with the Sheriff’s dept and the CHP I feel like a teenager getting pulled over.  They’re all on board with HUNKR, just keeping them up to date…

Leave office around 7.  Costco for my veggies, nuts and fruits… ’cause ya are what ya eat.  Crank out more “day” job work.

Viola it’s heading towards 10.

At 5:30 with the sun setting it was tempting to keep at it.  Young Todd, who ballooned up to 195 lbs woulda done that, The Old Diesel knows a break in the action is the winning pace to make it ALL happen.

Volunteers make things great things happen because they want something important to them to succeed. They don’t ask if anything needs to be done they ask how can I help? and then they get busy.  Tonight I was truly inspired at ou first HUNKR volunteer meeting

Eight of us met and poured over the details of our plans. Many refinements were made. The major operations were assigned. Training begun. What a talented team we have assembled.

Feeling very blessed tonight.

As much as I love group rides and racin’… I do love to ride alone.  Doesn’t matter if it’s road or mountain, flat or up, fast or not.  Ridin’ alone is magical in it’s own way because that’s when nothing else matters.

When nothing else matters, my head is clear.  Eventually.  Not at first.  It takes a bit for the voices to dwindle.  Faux conversations dim.  Cares don’t need tending.  Wheels spinning it all away.

It’s just me.

And my bike.

And my voice.

My real voice, surfaces.

Hey man, how you been?

Life okay?

What can I do for ya?

Well, ya see, it’s like this…

…and I spin…

It’s not deliberate or intentional.

It’s flow.

Ideas flow.

I stop, write them down.

Expand on them.  Think on them.  Prey on them.

The winners return, ride after ride.

Until one day they are real.

Today, I lost my front wheel on a very slick sidewalk.  Maybe it was subliminal?… I was, after all, humming Strawberry Fields Forever… Let me take you down… and now I have a great big strawberry on my left hip.

At some point you’re gonna take a tumble, whether it’s riding bikes or falling in love.  How you handle the wound makes all the difference in recovery speed.  Don’t let it scab, keep it moist and heal from the inside out.

Here’s what I do:

1.  If at all possible, keep riding… mainly because that is what tough guys do and I like to practice my tough guy skills in case I need them.
2. Get home, strip down, get in the shower, soap up the loofa and scrub all the dirt away.
3. Air dry the road rash.
4. Put on too much Neosporin – you can’t put on enough, trust me.
5. Cover with giant band aid.
6. Go to work and hope it doesn’t leak.
7. If you can, add more ointment during the day so it doesn’t scab – I blew this today.

If a scab forms you will lose movement because the scab isn’t flexible.

This will hurt like a son-of-a-biscuit sooner than you think.  You will ride anyway, because of step #1 and the scab will crack and bleed and that’s just a drag.  But, if it happens just pour on more ointment than you think you need and let it soften up the scab.

As the wound starts to heal you can de-breed it carefully.  All the while, you should be able to ride and enjoy life.

Keep the rubber side down!

Rolled up to the start line behind all the dinosaurs, watched ’em roll off without me… bye-bye turds… Brownie is racing with the Category 3 kids today.  The whistle went off (no guns here) The Old Diesel led through the first turn – wanted the little ones to know who not to worry about.

Dang, was I ever this young and frisky?  Suicidal attacks consistently whipping things up only to be slowly shut down by idunnowho… sorry punks.

We, Pete and I, were sporting the 2017 kits with our new sponsor’s colors:  HUNKR … I thought we looked awesome – serious bias on that.

Since getting back to road racing, I’ve been racing the age group stuff.  No teammates, just freelancing when I can.  Pete upgraded to Cat 3 last year, and this was our first race together.  He’d been freelancing his way from 5 to 4 to 3.

We had a grand master flash plan, and it worked pretty good until my Adult Onset O.L.D. flared up, withering my legs comically fast.  A mile to go and bye-bye punks… sorry Pete…

…but, I did feel young again… and I’m gonna find The Cure.

At some point in your riding life you’ll settle into a great group.  Fact is, these groups become almost second families… at least brothers and sisters, and I for one am always thinking “we should have a party, or go out to dinner.”

We never do.

Life’s social routines rule.

All these dear friends with whom we wind up sharing so much of what’s happening in our lives as we pedal along and yet our wives/husbands/lovers rarely ever meet.

Tonight we met my friend and his lady at Jimmy’s.  Three hours later we parted… new, deeper friendships formed.

Such a great extended family.

We should do this more often.

Brett is one of those guys that you are pretty sure is completely full of that brown stuff that comes out of the back end of a bull.  We met in college, socially.  I got into riding, he said he knew a thing or two… that he was Specialized first sponsored racer.  “BS!”

To this day, I sprint and practice sprinting the way he taught me.  He wasn’t even riding then, but would drive out to the old airport in Provo… and teach me.  Get my rpm’s up, then shift, get the rpm’s up in the bigger gear and do it again.  We talked positioning and timing the final sprint.  Not a taskmaster, just a friend sharing wisdom.

I started winning.

He laughed at my Cannondale touring bike and told me to buy a Gios.  A what?  A Gios with Campagnolo Super Record is the only bike to race on.  BS!

I saved all summer, ordered it from 10 Speed Drive.  Took the parts and frame to the local bike shop… they freaked out.  A Gios!

The Gios blue was amazing, and people that actually knew something drooled over it.

We connected about 10 years after leaving higher education.  He said he’d been hanging out with Eddy Merckx.  BS!

Yes, he had.  In fact he’d started collecting Eddy’s jerseys and they’d become friends.  Eddy introduced him to other old-time racers and Brett started buying their jerseys and old photos and memorabilia too.

The Horton Collection is recognized as one of the largest and best collections of cycling history in the world.  Before you say BS, check it out.

He has a few bikes too, one is his own Specialized with a #1 stamped in the frame and a one-page contract from M.S.

Why can racers under 23 years old can race my races for free?  When I started PEDALindustries the hippityhiphip cool tagline was Growing Cycling By Design.  I looked at that phrase every single day, many times a day.  The logic made sense:  more riders, more sales – more riders, more friends – more riders, more healthy people… which lead to what kind of event would grow the sport, which lead to HUNKR.

What does U23 mean?  Traditionally, U23 is an elite racing age group of 19-22 year olds.  The races for this age group serve as sort of a farm league for pro cycling, kind of like college sports in the US.  In fact, if you start too late in cycling as my son did you can’t realistically get a shot at racing in Europe – that’s a story for another day.

What do we mean by U23?  We mean every racer under 23 years old can race a HUNKR for free.  There may come a day when we limit that to a percentage of total racers, and won’t that be an amazing day!

How can you help?  Get your kids or friends’ kids to register and take part in an amazing event.  They don’t need to have ever raced before, the just need to know how to ride a bike and have some good fitness.  If they all ready race, all the better… they can have a real shot of making some real money – why prize money is also a story for another day.

Get Registered: HUNKR

It was warm and sunny.  80 degrees.  Sweat beading off my arms.  The energy!

Wore the light gray jersey to stay cool, zipper cracked just past those two weird bones at the bottom of my neck.

Used my cold bottles to keep my core cold.

Cumulus patches waved hello with spotty shade.

A red-tailed hawk eyed me, one hunter to another?

Days like this day pull me towards summer.

I’m ready.

STANDOUT RIDES: more memorable, more demanding, more re-living it over food, and someone – maybe you – shoots some stills, maybe video to prove it happened.

If you and I were riding together – I wish we were right now – and I asked you to name a standout ride… well, there’s no telling the length of your tale

I’d listen, and we’d revel.

When, where, how far, who… shining from you, lighting up my mind.

HUNKRs are like that:

For OC, we’ll be on the best country road in the county.  It’ll be beautiful.  Some of the course is only accessible with special permission, and will be all new to (most of) you.

You’ll be prepped and out there with other riders.  The energy will thrill you, and push you to cover 100 kilometers… you’ll be getting after your personal record.

When you finish we’ll have a delightful meal for you.  Refueling and re-telling your day with your friends – nothing better.

As you relax we’ll be color correcting and editing your photo(s), and in a day or two you’ll have the digital proof to post up on the interwebs.

We can’t wait to serve you.

PS I’ve been asked lately if HUNKR is for first timers… of course it is, because there’s always time for a Standout Ride!  Just pick your starting group based on your pace, and have a blast.

How do you know?

If you’re fast(er)

If you’re improving

If you can do it

How’d it go?

Awesome

Coulda been better

As I thought, but different

What’d ya do?

I rode one hundred kilometers

On a bike

With these other fun, crazy athletes

Really?

Yep, check out this pic!

Went to dinner with my friend Mckay tonight.  He was in town on business.  Which is weird since he’s the biggest party planner I know, it’s hard to square with his business empire.  The last time we were together was Moab 2016.

His plan: let’s ride the White Rim Trail in a day.  That’s 100 miles of incredible views on 4×4 road.

Before that we did the entire Tour of California.

We did the 24 hours of Moab race on a 4 man team.

We took the families to Moab 20 years ago and walked along dinosaur prints.

We rode a bunch of sweet single track in NorCal where he lives and rented cabins in Tahoe with the families.

Ya need a guy like McKay to be part of your life.  Someone that’s always on the look out for an adventure… a “I wonder if we could ride from here to there in a day”.

He’s always inviting me, and I don’t go nearly enough.

Anytime I come up with an idea, his answer is nearly always the same… “let’s do it!”

On these adventures there’s always time to talk, hash out the ways to approach the current stage in life.

We ended tonight talking about The Life Of Pi.  He’s the only person I’ve met that understood the meaning of the book the same as me.

“If you stumble about believability, what are you living for? Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe?”
― Yann Martel, Life of Pi

Finally got TB out on the MTB!

It’s so green, and alive… and it was quite warm as the sun settled over coastal fog.  Matt and Robot joined me.  Robot forgot he had to pick up plans for an inspection in the morning, he bailed early at Cactus Trail.  Matt forgot his MTB shoes and painfully pedaled with tenni’s, so we got him a RaceDay Bag and he’ll never forget his shoes again.

This time of year I like to ride from the office on Wednesday evenings.  We are two blocks from Whiting Ranch.  It’s easy to get out and do 60-90 minutes of climbing, either on Harding Truck Trail or Santiago Truck Trail.  That makes for a nice 2-21/2 hour ride.

Those types of climbs are important to be doing for my next targeted event: Whisky 50.

We hit Whiting, then crossed over into Cleveland National Forest.  The plan was to roll to Old Camp, but Matt’s feet were on fire due to shoe selection and we shot down The Luge.

Wow!  The Luge is in phenomenal shape.  New berms.  Stutter bumps filled in.  I’d say it’s like the luge of old, but it’s actually better.

Daylight was thinning out, and I didn’t mind cutting the ride short.  Still got in a couple of thousand feet of vertical, not a bad start.  10 ten more weeks to get my body ready.

The gear is mostly all there, ‘cept my shoes.

My shoes are in desperate condition.  3 seasons is 2 seasons too many for race shoes.  They are beaten, torn, and have lost quite a bit of support under the tender, aging balls of my feet.

Shoes are always a tough purchase which is probably why I procrastinate it so much.

Top choices are expensive: $300-400.  Most shops don’t carry a good selection, and even when they do you’re trying on a shoe on a floor vs a shoe attached to a cleat and locked into a pedal.  Then, the color selections can be weird.

Generally, I just go with black:  it’s in stock most of the time and I love the look of black shoes and black socks… just looks like they mean business, the mean kind of business.

As much as I think I’ve mellowed over the years, when I target a race I’m just a different guy that day… it’s kinda a weird, this Hulk-like transformation.  It can be embarrassing if I get too wound up.

Maybe I should buy white shoes this time?  NO WAY!

Once the starter’s gun fires all those days of climbing for hours straight up will come to my mind and I’ll remember exactly why I showed up to race.

A wise man once said:

“The best thing you can do for your kids is love their parent.”

… that’s all for today.

Is it okay to race not too lose?  Saturday I raced not too lose, and had a good result.  Two weeks ago I raced to win and had a better result.  Granted, one course I felt fit my skills and build perfectly… which had a decidedly different mindset than this week.  Saturday, I tucked for eight minutes straight at nearly 50 m.p.h. and caught up to two elite climbers… then I tucked my tail between my legs.

I quit my grit.

These two had just freewheeled down the hill.  I was all risk and made up a minute with my extra ballast.

Who was I kidding?  I was lucky to be here.

The good news was the chasers were out of sight.

We hit the climb again.  Rather than go all in as I had two weeks prior, I let them go.  I dosed my effort and raced not to lose.

Why press my luck?

When I got home I compared my times to last year.  This year’s winner, was also last year’s winner.  But this year’s winning times equaled my times of last year.  In other words, my effort from last year would have had me on pace to ride with the leaders this year.

In fact, I made up time on those two as the race wore on.

The point isn’t that I would have won this year… the point is my mindset was different.  I wasn’t feeling it.

Last year we raced an age group down, and had a much bigger field.  I knew the people between me and the winners weren’t “that” much better, and I dug a lot deeper because I “knew” I was good enough to beat the guys close to me.  Some of these other guys were riding buddies and I was confident that I could hang with them.

There was nobody in between me and the leaders this year… lonely pavement and stoic cacti.

Two weeks ago, I’d told myself if I can make it up the hill I have a chance – it was a flat finish after a long descent.  The closer we got to the finishing line the luckier I felt.

Is there something wrong with racing not too lose?  I don’t know the answer to that.

Just sometimes ya feel luckier.

Can you make your luck?  Kinda, by preparing and caring and doing all you can to be ready… picking the right course.

There’s (sic) other things outside of cycling that make me feel lucky.

They seem to spill into all the empty spaces and buoy me.  A clean office, being in synch with the TW, scoring a big order and having some extra coin in the bank, a call from one of my kids just to say hi, a good night’s sleep, seeing the sun shine at day break, taking time to pray and appreciate life before the day starts, a good comedy movie, a Rocky movie…

…maybe it’s age?…

Young TB used to just crank the metal music and get pissed off to unleash the mighty fury…

…what a punk!

The winners of at least two of today’s UCLA Road Race categories attacked towards the top of the climb and built a big enough lead to solo to victory.

This is not Westwood, this is Pearblossom, CA a beautiful high-desert location (4700′) many miles NorthEast of LA.  The course is a 12.5 mile loop with about 1400′ of climbing per lap.  A climber’s course for sure, but it’s also a descenders course.

It’s physics.

The main climb will take the pro’s 10 minutes and the not-so-pro’s up to 15+ minutes.

The main descent will take the aero-big-boned about 8 minutes and the not-so-aero-big-boned up to 9+ minutes.

Don’t freak if you get gapped at the top by some little twig by 30 seconds.  Keep your head in the game.  Get low… there is no need to brake for any of the turns (this is my opinion, use good judgement.)

I saw two of today’s winners attack over the top and never look back… finishing with 2+ minutes gaps.

Putting 30-60 seconds on a group of guys means someone(s) in that group will have to ride awfully hard to catch you.  On a course like this, where the downhill is fast (I hit 49 mph), and at the bottom it rolls, it’s likely the group is going to look at each other and pray you fade on the climb – you might…

…or, you might pull off a victory never to be forgotten.

In 2012 we came to Lancaster for Tour of California. It was a mancation and we were riding every stage. We woke up grabbed $30-40,000 worth of bikes out of the van and took off for Big Bear.

Shane, my son, got in the van an hour later and the tank said empty.

Dad, didn’t we fill up,last night?

Yes.

Why is the tank empty?

Lancaster.  Someone must have drained the tank. Go fill up and catch us.

Dad, I filled up and gas was going through the filler straight to the ground.

Lancaster.  They cut the lines instead of siphoning the gas.

Shane spent all day at a Ford dealer then chasing the peloton.  We spent all day in the glories of Southern California pines.

7am start tomorrow, so we drove up.

Lancaster.  Bikes inside hotel.

I was asked today about the light at Ridgeline. “Will we have to stop?”

“Nope.”

We have received a permit from the City of Lake Forest to close this intersection during HUNKR – OC. This is one of many permits we’ve had to pull in order to provide an excellent day for the participants.

It’s not magic, it’s hard work and diligence on the part of HUNKR and the public servants who manage the roads trails and parks we’ll be using.

We have a great, big, giant vision of the HUNKR experience that fuels this effort.

Part of that experience and vision is making sure you can travel all 100k without stopping – unless you want to. Barring some sort of public emergency, you’ll be free to go for your personal record.

As we add more HUNKR events we’ll be building a database that will allow you to see how you stack up in your age group and against the fastest of the fast. Because the courses will have different features and be over different terrain – road (like OC), gravel and MTB – we assign differing degrees of difficulty.

You may prefer 100k gravel. You may find your best at 100k MTB. You may stick to road HUNKRs. No matter your preference we intend to provide you scenic open courses to challenge and delight you.

How come you can inflict all kinds of pain on yourself in a bike race and you’re such a baby at the dentist?  It’s weird, right?   I’ve cramped so hard at Tahoe 100 that I fell over and couldn’t get up by myself.  Still finished the race.  But I get in that dentist chair and look out…

I wear black t-shirts to the dentist to hide my sweaty pits.

My brow beads and drips.

A death grip on the handles.

Sure I had some youthful trauma, back in the days of hammer and saw dentistry.  But that was a long time ago, and my current dentist Paul is a college bud, nicest guy ever… he floats me a valium to take the edge off, we joke a lot, ask about each other’s kids, then I lay back… prepared to birth an alien.

I pay him for this, like I did this afternoon.

The day started off with Swami’s Wednesday beat down, which is free.  60 top athletes riding blistering through Camp Pendleton, the lungs burn and the throat is raspy, the group is whittled down to 30 after 30 minutes to cover 15 miles.  Do the math.

I control the pain on the bike, and the hurt is exquisite with an after glow and egg burrito at Ellie’s.

Paul controls the potential pain, and the potential hurt is just as real…

…with a mellow drifting into In-n-Out for a chocolate shake.

When the interwebs say rain tomorrow, I still set my alarm just in case.  5AM today came easy, fell asleep early to Silver Streak.  Horizontal, I checked Weather.com.  Cloudy?  Drops falling heavy banged through my cracked window.  Today I’d need the AssSaver.

Barefoot in PJ’s, the very heavy mist sprayed me and the cold, black asphalt below.

No TMWC today.

I read more Scott Adams, hilariously entertained and inspired.

Daylight came.

Still very wet.

Almost dug out the trainer from under the camping chairs.  Just couldn’t bring myself to ride indoors, gave it a loathing look is all.

Rest or Ride?

Ride.

Geared up with the usual:  kit, arm and knee warmers, wind/water resistant race jacket, new Deflect gloves, and the AssSaver.

Is there anything worse than water spraying up from your rear wheel, onto your rear, seeping into your chamois, and super-soaking your special purpose?  Let me just say, the AssSaver works as advertised.

12 miles and 2000′ of vert later, I rolled into the garage.  Shoes, wet.  Jacket, wet.  Warmers, wet.  Beanie, wet.  Bait and tackle, dry.

I got my AssSaver as part of my winnings at the Santa Barbara road race.  When they said I got an AssSaver I thought it was some sort of chamois cream…

…it’s a racy name to remember.

Oh the places you’ll go on a bicycle will not be the same if you’re on a tourist bus or in a car or even on foot.  It’s just different on a bike.  You’re with the people, the culture.  Not quite a part, definitely not apart.

I’ve ridden the entire Tour of California in 2012.  A week of the Tour de France in 2005.  Park City countless times.  Moab many times.  Sedona a few times.  From the sea to volcano on Maui, and all the way around Oahu – once each.

It’s not much of a list, but it’s my list and I’d like to add to it.

A week in Italy with Craig.  Moab with the latest in full suspension vs my XC whips.  Across the US would be epic, but I’m not sure my body would make it.  The Netherlands would be cool – flat and super accommodating.  PViddy says Australia is amazing – I’ve got 30 months to take advantage of that.  Definitely need a crack at LoToJa, with a few days in Jackson Hole.   The Main Divide – at least of week or two of it.  I think it would be nuts to do the Megavalance in Alpe D’Huez.  Jeff is always wanting to do one of those kookie 7 day MTB races.  Then there’s the Cape Epic.

Reading that last paragraph over I can see I still have some races I want to do, they crept in at the end… nothing wrong with that.  At this point in my life, once I feel I’ve given an event my best I like to move on.

Which brings up Whisky 50.

That one still needs a good whack.  4 years ago I rode with Trevor, back when he was just figuring out racing.  2 or 3 years ago was the snow year.  Last year I did the 30 but I was still in the over-training hole.  I signed up for the 50 this year, but that as before I realized Shane and Abbey graduate the day before – and 600 miles away.

For sure, I’ve got my excuse in place for this year’s Whiskey 50… let’s see if I can get the legs ready…

…now back to that list…

Conversational paced bike rides are awesome, if you strike up a conversation.  If you’re shy, or unsure, you are a social sandbagger.  Cut loose, add your story and knowledge to our community.  You have something we need to know.  Here are some basic skills to put in your jersey pocket.

Rule number 1… Everybody is too busy thinking about what you think of them to actually think anything about you.  This is #legit and important to remember because as a cyclist you need to conserve energy.  Thinking people are actually thinking about you is a big, fat, FAKE obstacle for you to do a conversational wheelie over.  Once I realized this it was so freeing… you just have to go for it.

First… Introduce yourself.  “Hi, I’m Todd.” is so vulnerable that most people open up from there (refer to #1 if you’re wimping out).  You’ll get either “I’m _____” or if the don’t know about #1 they might just say nice to meet ya.

Second… “Where are you headed?”  Everybody wants to share their ride plan.  It’s easy.

Third… “Where did you start?” is a great follow up.  You can mix the order on these, and I’m probably mixing them up right now.

With these 3 questions you can usually dive down into the rabbit hole of a stranger’s life and make a new friend.  It’s not nosy because this is of interest to you.  You might be heading the same place, or you might meet a neighbor you never knew.  You might have 10 friends in common.  You might get a flat and need a tube or the reverse.

Fourth is my favorite… “What’s your big event or goal for the year?”  I love this question because here I’m going to find out what my new friend is really passionate about doing on a bike.  This question is a gold mine.  Here I’m bound to learn something new:  a race or ride, a diet, a gizmo, a travel destination, a segment of cycling in which I’m super ignorant, etc.

True passion will pour forth and I’ll (you’ll if you remember #1) be inspired – that’s a guarantee.

Fifth is right behind Fourth (see that pun?)… “What got you into riding bikes?”.  This is less about passion and much more interesting.  I ask this question because I’m always thinking about how to grow the sport.  The answers are so random and broad I’ve given up on a formula and decided it’s better to keep the community vibrant because we all get our friends involved in our own unique way.

Today, I met Dave and he shared that he got into cycling because of MS.

What???

You have MS?

No, he said… My brother has MS and I started doing the MS ride once a year to raise money.  I was 57.  I rode a 26 lb mountain bike to San Diego for the first 2 years.  Then, my friend had trouble with his vision and we rode a tandem – it was so fast I wanted more.  Then another friend loaned me his “old” race bike… I needed a seatbelt to hang onto it. Then I signed up for a double century, and I did pretty good.  Then I did a 400 mile race and qualified for RAAM.  I didn’t know what RAAM was.  I did a 500 mile race and they said I qualified for RAAM.  I decided to do RAAM (Race Across America).  I finished 2nd in my age group the first time, and won it the next 2 times.  It took him 12 days.

How cool is that?

It’s super rad.  He told me about his diet and what he’s changed how it’s improved his riding.  We talked about sleep strategies.  I got home and he’d Friended me of FB.  Will we ever ride together again?  Probably, but even if we don’t my friendship cup has been refilled.

Rule #1.

I like to stay out front.  That’s where the action is, that’s where the winning move will come from, and it’s safer.  Staying out front of cold season is the same thing.  You feel a cold coming on, take action quickly or be prepared to suffer needlessly/endlessly.

My solution is an old family recipe…

nnnnnot! my mom turned me onto this remedy and it works like magic…

… but ONLY if you take it at first hint of a cold.  Wait too long and you might miss the winning move.

It’s available at your local grocer.  Get it.  And start a write-in campaign for these cats to sponsor HUNKR – out of industry sponsors have the big bucks!

PS  Wouldn’t it be rad to find this at the local bike shop?!