I AM A FIRM BELIEVER IN A DAY OFF.

My body, mind and soul need rest,
and I find a walk to be best.

Each step,
massages my feet.

Each step,
eases my mind.

Each step,
cleanses my soul.

No riding, no shopping, no working… not a disconnect,

but, a reconnect.

With myself, my family, my friends

on the sands of our town.

THE STORY OF I.M. SMOKED IS A SHORT ONE.  It begins on a beguiling Saturday in December, 2017.

Why was it beguiling?

Because, December in Southern California is a beautiful time of year to go for a bike ride:  the air is clear and crisp, the sunrise is a little later and the roads are tourist-free.  The short days mean there’s pent up energy and fitness for the weekend.

Because, I.M. had a particularly rough week.  There was work stress and family stress that needed to be released… and what could be better than a spin with the posse?

And so it began.

The weekly Big Loop, 80 miles and 4000′ of vert.

It started with the fellas riding to meet the Food Park group ride,  I.M. and the others moved along at a good clip up the coast.  The ocean on the left, the mountains on the right.  Normally I.M. would wheel suck all the way up, but not today.  Today I.M. was feeling frisky and leading the charge.

The 19 minute majestic ascent to the top of the world was chopped to 17 minutes… PRs for I.M.

Now the Food Park group ride isn’t just any group ride:  it’s the most nastiest, the most adrenalinist, the most elbowrubbingist group ride in the county… maybe the state.  It started out tame enough this fine morning until the group hit the new Tesla To Tesla Loop.

Previously, Tesla to Church was the most terrible 3 mile segment known to man.  It’s not steady, it’s pitchy and will pop a rider off the back quicker than a finger-tweezing teenager in front of a mirror.  Terrible, terrible, terrible…

Tesla To Tesla is a whole other kinda terrible:  11 miles with 500′ of gain and a surgey group averaging 25mph.

But, I.M. was still chugging… and truth be told, this is the perfect loop to fit I.M.’s weak super-powers.  The runaway train up the canyon was shedding cabooses over every bump, pitch and turn… until it was just the big engine from CBS Cycling and a couple of little engines that could, including I.M.  Steam was shooting straight up and bolts were flying off, but they were clear… long gone.

It was the kind of glory only a cyclist in need can appreciate,

Just a few moments at the front of the train,

With the lead cars,

Taking pulls.

_____

Save the dates:  HUNKR 3/17, 6/9, 11/10 – TMWC 7/10

170

MY SON STOPPED BY TONIGHT ON HIS WAY HOME FROM SANTA MONICA TO HIS IN-LAWS IN TEMECULA FOR A GAME OF CHESS.  I said Bring it on, I’ve been playing the best players in the world on Chess.com since you moved and I’m ready to whack you.

That’s the kind of love we share… he drives out of his way to console me and I want to give him a beat down.

There are a number of weaknesses in my BeatMySonAtChess Training Program:

1.  I’m playing 10 minute chess, so my moves aren’t too well thought out because we are rushing.

2.  In 10 minute chess you can win just be having more men left when time runs out.

3.  I rarely win.  Mostly I get annihilated by faceless players in the ether, learning nothing in the process.

And that’s why virtual playing is virtually worthless… because my son is a very strategic thinker, with lots of patience, and he can read me like a book when I think I’ve got him cornered.

Tonight he won 2 out of 3 games… which sounds better than he won the two games we played.  He told me to take solace in having a smart kid… I never get that kind of wisdom on the app.

If you’re going to be good at racing your bicycle, get out and race.

Zwift is convenient.

Strava is social.

Racing is real.

TO GET FAST, you have to ride slow.

Slow down.

Slower.

Softly pedal.

Let your legs spin smooth and free.

Beach-cruisers cruise by.

Skaters skate by.

Walkers walk by.

Peace.

Power.

Strength.

Flow in…

… and then you’re free to soar,

forever more.

Bye Dad.

WANT TO SEE SOMETHING REALLY COOL?… Go shave your legs.

The lower leg is easy, peasy.  Just go crazy, whipping that blade quickly up and down.

The upper leg is pretty simple to.  You can see 80% of it, and what you can’t see is smooth with no sharp points – like the shin or achilles.

But those knees… oh boy!

Shaving the knees is so revealing.  Here you can kinda get a grasp at how marvelous our bodies are:  there’s the knee cap that seems to sink as you straighten your leg and rise as you bend it… trying to shave this area is tricky, yet I’ve never nicked myself there.  The skin in this area is so pliable and wonderful.

I prefer the shower shave, but when I was a newb I was a bath shaver.

I don’t always shave my legs, but when I do…

… I shave in awe.

SO, I’VE BEEN LIFTING WEIGHTS AT 6AM 2-3 TIMES A WEEK, M-W-F.  Here’s what I know so far:

My muscles are very tired the day after… but less tired if I can get in an afternoon spin the same day I lift.

I’m climbing seated more.  I think that’s due to all the hamstring, butt, back and core work… but it could just be that I’m too tired to stand.

I feel very stable and powerful in an aero position, going all out in group rides.

I’m stronger, definitely.  I’m lifting more weight than when I started, which isn’t saying much… but it’s true, I’ve maxed out my dumbbell set.

I’m spinning more, but I think that’s the soreness.

My endurance seems to be increasing.

I’m not too big on data.  I don’t use a power meter.  My battery in the heart rate monitor died, so I’m not tracking that either.  It’s all just anecdotal so far… except, I’m definitely a pound or 2 lighter.

What I still want to learn, is the best way to do the big Tuesday and Saturday rides I love and keep incorporating the weight lifting?

Time to see Kal.

IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TO PLAN A GREAT RIDE.  This year I really wanted to ride Eric’s BLACK FRIDAY ride – 97k of country roads.  But, it just wasn’t in the cards.

Stuff happens.

And, it may happen again.

But, what I’ve found is if it gets on the calendar it’s likely to happen… and epic rides like Eric’s Black Friday need to be on the calendar as early as possible.

So, there… I’ve planned my last big ride for 2018, Black Friday.

The first big ride will most likely be the Santa Barbara Road Race.

Then, HUNKR OC in March.

April is gonna be big:  Sea Otter, San Luis Rey Road Race, and possibly Whiskey 50.

May will be CBR.

June will be HUNKR GMR.

July is always the unOFFICIAL TMWC.

Maybe, just maybe, September will be LoToJa.

November the final HUNKR of the 2018 series.

I love having big stuff on the calendar.  It keeps me looking forward and keeps me taking care of my body.

Basically, the big stuff makes the small stuff easy…

… and the small stuff makes success at the big stuff more likely…

… like burning off the stuffing and pie.

I HEARD A FUNNY TERM ON THE ASK A CYCLING COACH PODCAST: DAD SPEED.

Dad Speed is what happens to racers when the kids come along.  Your slower because cycling is suddenly a lot lower on the priority list.

Single Speed, was in the 20’s for me… and I won a lot of races.

Newlywed Speed was fast, too.

1 Kid Speed, I was still riding with the crew and racing occasionally.

2 and 3 Kid Speed, I still rode socially and tried to stay fit… but I gained weight with every pregnancy.

Teenage Kid Speed, I put that blubber to use and snagged a couple of stars and bars jerseys racing Super-D.

Empty-Nester Speed, has been really fun… there’s so much cycling information to read and listen and learn from, the schedule is mostly wide open, and the CoCo Puffs are gone from the pantry.

Whatever the speed, enjoy the ride.

THERE’S A LOT OF ANGST ABOUT THE INTERWEBS RUINING THE PHYSICAL WORLD, but it aint all bad.

Check it out.  We’ve been building two amazing group rides: one for about a year (Big Food Park), and one for 15 years (TheTMWC).  Both have them have grown because of the digital connections we can make.  Both Facebook and Strava make it easy to share what’s happening in a group, who’s part of the group, and encourage us to join groups.

For us cyclists, this is really cool.  We can find rides and be included in groups of like-minded bike addicts.  We can easily give each other digital high-fives, share pictures and videos, and include news and comments germane to us.

Are Facebook and Strava altruistic?  Not really.  They are making money off the service they provide.  But, I’m down with that because we are making lasting real-world friendships and connections.

This morning Brennan joined us for the first time..

Hey, I’m Todd.

I’m Brennan.

Nice to meet ya.  How’d you hear about our ride?

On Strava.

… and that’s pretty cool.

_____

Save the dates:  HUNKR 3/17, 6/9, 11/10 – TMWC 7/10

170.8

I GOT WAXED TODAY, NOT THAT KIND… my bike got a brand new, waxed chain from WEND.  I picked up the chain when I ran into Ryan Dahl at the Swami’s team meeting.  He had a handful of his newest creation and I had to have it.  Why, because waxed is faster… watts faster.

He only had a few chains.

They aren’t even available on the website, so I can’t even tell you how to get one.

What I can tell you is this… my chain is a top of the line SRAM chain, professionally stripped and waxed at the WEND factory then shrink-wrapped and sealed.

With some assistance from my friend Jon, we cut the chain to the proper length… It had been a while since I cut a chain and I was a little hesitant, but I’ve decided it’s time to start being more self-sufficient with my wrenching and asked for some help.

Ryan told me it takes a good ride to break in the chain, so I spun 25 miles around town.

One thing I noticed right off is how quiet the chain runs.  It’s nearly silent.

What does a waxed chain promise… 2-5 watts in power saved, or 15 seconds in a 40k TT.

Do I need it?… I need every advantage I can find… Don’t you?

_____

Save the dates:  HUNKR 3/17, 6/9, 11/10 – TMWC 7/10

170.8

TODAY I’M THANKFUL FOR HUBS.  Hubs are the center of the wheel.  They are the things that connect all the spokes and actually makes a wheel a wheel.  Without hubs, we wouldn’t get anywhere on a bike.

There are 3 hubs I’m particularly grateful for:

Our family… the five in our little tribe, my 7 siblings, 3 parents, 4 grandparents, gazillion cousins, and the awesome in-laws.  It’s always a party, even when it’s just two of us.

Our company… we all get along great, work very hard, inspire each other, and in the process make products we love to share with our amazing cycling community.

My friends… my friends make me smile.

What hubs are you thankful for?

_____

Do you recognize the hub above?

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Save the dates:  HUNKR 3/17, 6/9, 11/10 – TMWC 7/10

170.8

HOW THANKFUL WILL YOU BE ON FRIDAY?  I know you’ll be grateful tomorrow, you’ll probably post some cool pics with the family out playing or around the table.  Lots of us will head to someone kind soul’s home who is willing to host the feast.  The rest of us will bring all kinds of goodies… I’m holding out for the trophy wife’s scalloped potatoes.

In the morning, we will get out and ride our bikes… sometimes really far.  A good portion of my family will do a Turkey Trot, or go for hike, or a surf session.  When we get together, it’s likely there will be some sort of Turkey Bowl where it’s also likely there will be some over stretched hamstrings… we’ve even had an achilles tendon burst.

Then we’ll eat, and talk, and eat, and talk, and eat, and talk… such good and wonderful feelings will be flowing and sharing.

BUT, there’s a good chance that when I jump on the scale Friday morning I’ll be 5 pounds heavier…

… and, I’ll be really grateful Thanksgiving only comes around once a year…

… I hope you’ll join me in a belt-bursting manner, too…

… we’ll all be so grateful!

#gobbletillyouwobble

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Save the dates:  HUNKR 3/17, 6/9, 11/10 – TMWC 7/10

172.2

IT WASN’T REALLY THAT COLD THIS MORNING, BUT IT WAS COLD ENOUGH TO SLUR WORDS.

Brett asked, Where’s Bob Frosty?

Who’s Bob Frosty?

(It’s kinda early for Christmas… well not really… but still, who or what is Bob Frosty?)

Is that the Snowman’s name?

No, you know who I’m talking about… the guy in the red.

In the red?… that’s Santa Claus, not Bob Frosty.

What are you talking about Santa Claus… are we doing a Christmas ride?

No, it’s Thanksgiving this week… and we might do the Harding Turkey Climb.

Yeah, he’s the guy that can climb super fast.

Santa?

No, Steve Bobrofsky.  Where is he?

RACING MAKES YOU A BETTER RIDER, ALWAYS.  Let me show you just one simple way.  Tonight I picked up my spanking new frame – more on that later… it’s so purty.  The shop put my parts back on, but I still needed to mount a few things:  the Garmin, the RaceRepair Bag, and the lights.  Once pedaling, I realized my rookie mistake.

My headlight was pointed down at too sharp of an angle.

I see this mistake all the time this time of year.  Guys are riding with the beam of the light pointed about 5′ in front of the front wheel.  It looks great in the garage, it’s terrible when you’re up to speed.  How terrible?… Well, check it out what Kyle calculates:

At 20 miles an hour you travel 29.33 feet per second.

20mph is nothing on a road bike.  Most days I come back with a max speed approaching 50 miles an hour.  If your beam is pointing straight down you have no time to react to any road garbage you’re likely to find.

But, there’s another huge advantage to pointing your beam down the road.

A beam that is pointed down will not show you any shadows.  Shadows are what give you depth perception when it’s dark.  So, if you point that beam farther ahead you’ll get a much better feel of the terrain.  On a road bike you’re good with one solid light.

I learned all this racing mountain bikes through the night.

On a mountain bike, you much better off with two lights.

My preference is a very powerful wide beam, mounted as low as possible on the bike.  This will light up the terrain and cast all kinds of shadows.  The second beam is a helmet light.  I want this light to be more of a spot light, with a weaker beam than the light on the bike.  This spot light allows me to see around corners on single track sooner by turning my head quicker than the handle bars which typically lag.  Keeping the beam power down and concentrated on the helmet light allows me to keep seeing all those shadows which so I can quickly adjust to fast changing terrain.

You’ve been enlightened… now go ride your bike Grasshopper.

PETER AND SEAN SPLIT OFF FROM OUR GROUP AT DIFFERENT TIMES THIS MORNING.  Each had the same sentiment upon parting, it’s one I share… often, not just on bike rides.

Which way are you heading?

Wherever my bike wants to go.

Peter explained that having no plan is a great way to get to know a city.  He’s totally right about that.  He also shared that sometimes you find something cool… a view or shop of some sort… only to realized you can’t get there the same way by car.

Roads are awesome and efficient, but they also determine the only way you’re going to see the city or the country side.  The paths our ancestors laid down, have become wagon trails and then dirt roads and then paved roads and in some cases highways.

And so, we go on seeing the world as they saw it.

We climb Palomar from the South side or the East side, but we’ll never climb it on a bike from the Southeast because there is no road or trail.  Sometimes that’s a great thing, sometimes it’s quite stale.

It is what it is… just remember that it is because someone did it that way first.

I’m reminded of this as I’m guided through the history of science in Bill Bryson’s book, The Short History of Nearly Everything.  Standout thinkers, such as Newton, ruled thought for generations until a better thinker came along and gave us a new way to understand just what’s going on here.

It is what it is… just remember that it is because someone figured it out that way first.

Which is why it is so fun to go wherever your bike goes… down a sidewalk and through an alley, on a bike trail to secret beach, and so on… you’re guaranteed to find something most of your friends will never know.

It is what it is… because you figured it out, and now it’s all yours.

One of the things I figured out once was what a pleasant place Kaylani’s is to hang out after a bike ride.  The ocean breeze is fresh.  An occasional train rolls through picking up and dropping off people so different from me in my lycra.  Inside, you’ll find a very non-corporate, non-cookie-cutter experience:  coffee and pastries and weird “energy” bars and shave-ice.

It is what it is… because a local family figured out just the things people like me and beachgoers are searching for.

If you don’t go wherever the bike wants to go you risk only see the world through a cars eyes.  And sometimes, these treasures like Kaylani’s disappear forever.

It is what it is… let’s just hope Starbucks doesn’t move in.

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Save the dates:  HUNKR 3/17, 6/9, 11/10 – TMWC 7/10

170.6

THE LAST 10 DAYS HAVE BEEN A LITTLE ROUGH.  My dad’s hospitalization being the roughest part, and things being a little too quite at the shop.  Heading towards Thanksgiving Week I was having a bit of a pitty party… wo is T.

Today it all turned around.

It started with a video from my sister of my dad playing catch with my brother!  Granted, he’s in a wheelchair, and only a few feet apart… but there he was, being dad.

At the shop – and I don’t know why I feel like calling the office the shop today… I guess because we are always making stuff – the email started ringing.  It was kinda like my world stopped mourning and was ready to get back to work… and that made two of us.

Then we got notice that we’d secured a primo spot at Sea Otter, next to our Red Monkey friends.

I hit the road at this point… stopped by our bag factory and made a few final adjustments for the prototypes that I’m really happy with.

My friend/customer Espen, who’s turned into a great source of referrals, met up with me to try on some new gear… he showed me an app he’s working on that gamifies fitness in a new and exciting way that I think will be so helpful to increasing heathy lifestyles across the US, and beyond.

The final stop was with Chad and Geno at Baghouse.  There’s never a dull moment with these guys… and I always love to feel their unfiltered energy.  I love it.

On the way home, the phone rang.  My oldest, Trevor, was on his way to our place with his bike.

For a ride.

With me.

I’m really grateful for days like these because they give me confidence and remind me how blessed I have been and continue to be.

EVERY NOW AND THEN I COME UP WITH SOME KOOKY BODY HACK TO LOSE WEIGHT.  Sometimes it’s something I’ve read or heard about, sometimes it’s just the mad scientist in me.  The inspirations generally come in the Fall, when the riding is down and the waistline is widening.  It’s this time of year when the weirdness pops up and strikes.

Previous hacks include:

The Excedrin PM Diet – eat normally* and take a few PMs around 9 to knock yourself out and not be getting up to eat in the middle of the night.

The Drink A Lot of Water Diet – drink enough water and you end up eating less because sometimes you think you’re hungry when your actually thirsty.

The Yogurtland Diet – eat normally during day, have a tiny dinner with a trip to Yogurtland as a reward.

The Sardines and Beans Diet – start the day off with a can of sardines and 1/2 a can of black beans… the key is to go big protein to get the day started.

The King-Queen-Prince Diet – this is a giant breakfast, decent lunch and puny dinner before 7… this is probably the healthiest and the one I fail at most easily.

The Salad For Dinner Diet – eat normally and have a giant salad for dinner… I like this one the most, but I’m lazy and don’t always want to make a giant vegetable salad.

New for 2017… The Haagen Dazs Diet – giant bowl of oatmeal with nuts and fruit for breakfast, mid-day snack, El Pollo Loco Leg Lovers around 3pm, and a pint of Haagen Dazs just before bed.

*eat normally means eating non-processed food as much as possible.

Don’t laugh, they all work.

They may not be healthy,

But they sure are fun.

_____

Save the dates:  HUNKR 3/17, 6/9, 11/10 – TMWC 7/10

169.8

YA GOTTA BE A REAL SICKO TO RIDE AT NIGHT, RIGHT?  I’m not talking about commuting home after a long day working for the man, but rushing home from work – or even stopping on the way home – to throw on the kit and head out into the dark.  On your bike.  With lights.

Who else would do that but a deranged person?  You’ve got to be von-whack.

Until you give it try, then you know what crazy really is.

Crazy is skipping a ride because your tired.

Crazy is what you get if you don’t ride that work stress away.

And so, The Bee Gees NIGHT FEVER played in my head tonight… not that I could remember any of the lyrics besides the most important ones:

Here I am,
prayin’ for this moment to last,
livin’ on the riding so fine,
borne on the wind,
makin’ it mine.

Click To Watch

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Save the dates:  HUNKR 3/17, 6/9, 11/10 – TMWC 7/10

171

I HAVE TOES, AND I HAVE A NOSE.  You probably do, too.  Are yours like mine?

If my toes are cold, my nose is cold.

If my nose is cold, it runs.

It’s my body part’s way of saying… Get warm ya big goof, we’re freezing!  And, if you’re not careful we’re all gonna be sidelined with a cold.

Southern California cold, like down in the 40’s, is when my toes start to hurt and ache and burn and complain and whine…  That’s when I bust out the toe warmers.  (This, of course, will be an outrage to my Northern friends… and hopefully a subtle invite to get your toes down here.)

Toe warmers might be a misnomer, because they are really shoe covers that protect the leading edge the hammers at the end of my legs (aka my shoes).  They don’t actually warm each toe individually with a tiny electric blanket.  But, because I have these awesome racing shoes with incredible ventilation…

I don said warmers,

to do said warming,

which is just what said toes,

said they needed this morning.

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Save the dates:  HUNKR 3/17, 6/9, 11/10 – TMWC 7/10

172

IT’S JUST HARD WORK, that’s all Bro.

A super-bike will help, but not without hard work.

Good genes are important, but not without hard work.

A coach can assess and advise, but it’s worthless without hard work.

A book can teach you what to do, but it’s a paperweight without hard work.

Getting out and riding is fun, but winning – however you define that – is more fun…

… because you finally see the inevitable result of all that hard work…

a hard climb made easy

a spot at the front

a podium

a KOM

a PR

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Save the dates:  HUNKR 3/17, 6/9, 11/10 – TMWC 7/10

171.6

I LOVE TAKING SUNDAYS OFF FROM RIDING MY BIKE.  Because I definitely have an addictive relationship with my bike, knowing I’m not riding on Sunday has been restful in and of itself.  I don’t ever wonder if I’m riding on the 7th day.

On Monday, I’m rested and ready to start another great with week some weight lifting and an easy spin.

On Tuesday, it’s the Tuesday Morning World Championships.

On Wednesday, more weights and MTB riding.

On Thursday, I surf.

On Friday, an easy spin is the order.

On Saturday, a big ride or a race of some sort.

On Sunday, I rest.

HOW YA BEEN?  SAME OLD, SAME OLD.  On my ride today, I asked that, and got that, multiple times: with young Nico, French Steve, fast Chris and a few others.  It’s cross-generational and cross-continental… but, what does it mean?

Is it… I have so much going on I don’t even know where to start… and we are going way too fast to even start.?

Or… the truth?  You can’t handle the truth!?

I hope it’s… same old amazing life as our last chat.

Because today was amazing in our parts.  Warm, clear, sunny.  And… y’all seemed real happy, too.  From catching up  with Mike and Chris on PCH to the Food Park “social ride” to the happening scene at Kaylani’s.

Lots of smiles, everywhere.

Smiles I needed, and hoped to find.

Same old smiles as last time,

:-)

I LIKE RIDING MY BIKE ACROSS BRIDGES, getting from one side to the other.  Little wood bridges, ladder bridges, walking bridges, bridges with cars, I like them all.

On the bridge, the sound of the bike changes.

The bigger the bridge, the better view of where you’ve been and where you’re going.

And then you’re there.

On the other side.

WITH NUMBERS LIKE THESE AN EARTHLING SHOULD BE FLYING ON A BICYCLE:  6′ 2″, 130 lbs, and his Hematocrit (Hct) level is 58.6.

But, he’s not.

He’s not 25.

He’s 82, and he’s laying in a hospital bed, worn out from a 7 year battle with Parkinson’s Disease.  Because his muscles are constantly moving he can’t keep weight on.  He’s so weak, he can’t swallow on his own.  My heart ached as he struggled and cried when the feeding tube was put in place.  He’s not a lean, mean machine… he’s skin and bones.

His Hct is super high because his bones are over producing red blood cells.  Rather than bounding up hills endlessly, he’s slowly coming to the end.

He’s actually not 6′ 2″ anymore, and I’m not thrilled to be taller than him now.

He’s my dad.

He’ll never ride a bike again,

he may never walk again…

on planet Earth.

SHANE AND I HAVE BEEN HAVING EPIC BATTLES ON THE CHESS BOARD.  It’s tense.  Dead silent.  Massive amounts of sugar burning between our ears.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned lately, it’s to focus less on my next move and more on his.

Of all the the bicycle racing I’ve done – road, cross county MTB and Super-D – road is definitely the most like chess.  It’s much more strategic, and rarely does the fastest guy win.

You’ve got to be lucky.

But more than lucky,

you’ve got to be wily.

And all wily’s synonyms:  artful, sly, designing, intriguing, tricky, foxy, deceitful, treacherous.

You’ve got to fake tired when fresh, fake strong when weak.  You’ve to pull your unfair share.  My friend Fritz would never race with a clear bottle because he didn’t want anybody to know how much fluid he had left.  There are a million little tricks a wily rider will use to beat you.

The most wily of riders have an uncanny ability to be in just the right spot when it counts.  You maybe be a better climber, but they’ll somehow breakaway before the climb and beat you.  You may be the best sprinter, but somehow they’ll be on your wheel and come around you right on the line.  You may be the best _____, but somehow you’re going to get out maneuvered.

I had Shane backed into a corner tonight.  I could see the one move I needed to make with my queen to finally beat him.  I moved in for the kill…  but somehow he knew what I was going to do and killed my queen with his horse.  Game over.

Tonight I missed his horse,

In a few weeks, I’ll be missing him and Abbey when they move out.

What are you missing?

TODAY WAS THE FIRST TMWC SINCE THE TIME CHANGE.  It was  lot lighter, which meant more cars on the road early… but that quiet pre-time change dark is not what I’m missing.  I’m missing the dark side of me.

Last night I went to bed ticked off.

No reason, really.

Tossed and turned all night, and was comatose when the alarm banged and banged and banged.

I stumbled through the rituals.

Weighed myself, was happy to be 2 pounds lighter than yesterday and mad that yesterday was the heaviest I’ve been in 3 years.  177!

Got rolling right on time.

Threw it in the big ring to get up to speed and the chain went right over and off the ring.  It jammed so bad I had to stop.

Normally, this is not a big deal.

But, since I’d had the shop work on my bottom bracket last night only to screw up the shifting in the process… well, dang it fellas… can ya just stick with fixing what’s broken and leave out the breaking what’s working?  I was doubly mad, because I asked if they’d need to adjust the derailleur… my spider sense was telling me to test it, but I trusted them.  Shame on T.

Then, I round the corner and see the guys at the meet up to ride to TMWC.  Right on time they leave, 5:54AM.  Which is cool, because I’m only about a minute behind and should be able to catch them before the super sketchy 1 lane road… sketchy because the cars are a little nuts in the morning and there’s K-rail on each side with no bike lane.  It’s a lot safer in a group.

I carefully throw it in the big ring and I can hear the crank clicking on the derailleur each pedal stroke… which reminds me how ticked I am at poor service, AGAIN.  Which means I get to do the entire ride in the small ring.  Yeah’nt.

Back to the small ring.

I’m going really fast, way faster than I want to go this early into the ride.  My “friends” are getting further ahead.  Thanks guys.

It was nice to have a car right on my back wheel all the way down the super sketchy one lane section (what if I’d flatted?… I’d be flattened).  And even nicer to see the light at Antonio turn green just in time for my friends to make it and me to miss it.  The nicest part of all is that this is a 5 minute light, an extra-crazy-busy intersection with everybody up so early.  Which meant I got to go the rest of the way  by myself and remember how ticked I was at the world… isn’t that nice?

I got to the ride in time, easily.

Everybody was happy it was light already.

But, I was dark.

And, I remained that way most of the ride.  I’d brighten up, then be spinning so fast in my small ring (put on that darn 34T for LoToJa) things would get dim.

Good thing though, if I ride long enough eventually the dark will pedal away.  Sure I was still ticked at whatever it was last night, at the ballast I’ve added, at the shop, at myself for not listening to Spider sense, at “friends” for going all out at the start just to prove a point about leaving on time…

… but this darkness has woken me out of my post-LoToJa slump…

… no more skipping rides, no more backing off when it hurts, no more eating crap, no more blaming others for my bikes’ performance…

… where there is darkness, there is fire…

… and where there’s fire, there’s smoke…

…  and someone’s getting smoked…

Which reminds me how great it was to be forced to spin really fast, how useful that kind of training can be and how it keeps your legs from loading up, keeping them fresh for the final efforts…

… like the KOM I snagged on the way home by giving in to my dark side…

I TELL MYSELF TO PULL MY HEAD OUTTA MY GLASS ALL THE TIME.  So much of my day is spent looking at glass:  the computer monitor, the “smart” phone, the TV screen, the tablet.  Some of it is for work, too much of it is utter nonsense.

And, I’m not alone.

Addiction is weird, when I’m on my glass trip I don’t notice the rest of the addicts as much.  How could I?  I’m tripping the glass fantastic.

Bike riding is such a great antidote to the glass addiction.

There’s no way to ride fast and do glass.  Well, there is, but it doesn’t take much for it all to go horribly wrong.  That’s why you don’t see bike riders staring at glass.  The only glass on my bike is the tiny bike computer, but I don’t pay much attention to it these days.

Riding my bike today was like a scary movie, the one where the protagonist goes into the dark and dingy hall of a drug house.  You know, where people are sticking needles in their arms and their eyes are glassed over.  The druggies are like zombies, not talking to each other, not contributing to society.  They are oblivious to the sober hero.

On the way to the beach trail, I peered into cars at stoplights.  Many drivers not looking at the road or stoplight, just glazed… getting a brief hit of glass.

Along the trail, people walked; many with their heads down staring at glass.  Nearly all of the trail users had headphones in crammed in their ears.

Imagine that, a stunning afternoon with an amazing low tide.  The waves rolling ashore.  The birds swooping and chirping.  Lots of other humans sucked into their glass instead of into life itself.

The bike frees me from glass,

So does playing chess with my son Shane.

As does a really great book,

Anything to get rid of that glazed look.

A HOMELESS MAN LAY STREWN ACROSS THE DIRT, the sun was beating down on him.  I pretended not to see him, and rode by on my expensive bike.

My friend stopped.

I could see him talking to the man and offering him something.  As they got smaller, I could only guess.

Soon, my friend had caught up.

He told me a story.

About a year ago, he was riding along.  Things were rough.  He was going through a difficult legal problem and it was eating at his soul.  He was so focused on all his own problems.  On a ride, he saw a homeless man and had the thought to ask his wife for her bagel and he turned his bike  around.

He said he just had to go back.

He talked to the man.  He asked if he was hungry?  Yes.  He gave him the bagel.  As he quickly ate, the two talked.  My friend asked if there as any family around.  No, they’re all gone.  What about friends?  None that could help him.  The man was touched that anybody would care enough to stop and to ask about his life.  My friend gave the man his “emergency $20”.

Instantly, this friend’s burdens seemed to melt away.

His legal problem was soon resolved and his business was back on track.

Can he prove there’s a connection between his good deed and his good fortune?

No.

But, he’s given away $1000 – $20 at a time – in the last year.

Every Saturday when he rides, he counts himself lucky to find someone in need.

I ONLY KNOW ONE WAY TO CLEAN MY BIKE, and it goes like this:

1.  Have all afternoon with nothing to do.

2.  Dial up an Essential playlist on i-Tunes.

Today I lost myself in Bob Dylan:  The rushing beat of Hurricane’s rush to judgement, the feeling of a Rolling Stone, the sweetness of Forever Young, the playful Duquesne Whistle, the story of Tangled Up In Blue…

… soulful messages for my soul…

… reminding me of my own rushes to judge, the need to love the unknown,  the dreams I have for my kids, the stories I hear and share…

I gently cleaned the grime and dirt, slowly.  Most easily wiped away.  Simple adjustments were made.

But, I found a flaw.

My bottom bracket was loose, wobbly, not good at all… something I no longer feel confident adjusting on my own.  It’s a real tweaker.  Today’s bikes are complex… which means I have to drive to the shop and be without my bike for while.

Sometimes you need an expert to fix your flaws, mostly though, time and tunes get it done.

(Me, Todd and Tod)

JACK NOSCO HAS CREATED A PHENOMENOM.  Each year, on November 3rd, 800+ bike riders take the day off from work and ride.  They ride to remember Jack’s brother, Mike, who was killed riding his bike.  They ride to raise funds to help people in the community, real people that Jack knows…

… and they ride 80 miles, climbing 9000′ …

Last year was my first NOSCO and it was terrible… my worst day on the bike of ’16.

Brutal heat.

I think it was a million degrees on the climbs.

This year was different.

I was different, too.

I just wanted to PR the climbs.  There was a 50/50 chance of that.  I’d only ridden them once.  I planned to not ride like a lunatic to the first climb, and stop at all the aid stations.

My Freddar was on high alert as we rolled out.  Warning pings were going off and sure ‘nuf a wave of riders tumble over each other.  I made sure my pals were not caught up in it, and shot ahead to get clear of the freddom… but the Freddar was pinging again soon and one guy took himself out.  This time I didn’t even look for the fellas, no need.

Now, I could put the Freddar away.

Deer Creek is a terrible climb.

It starts out awful, then gets steeper than Everest… like a 44% grade.  My new lower gearing didn’t seem to be helping at all.  All my surfing balancing skills were need to ride my pathetic pace.  Big sprinters, little climbers, guys on beach cruisers were flying by.  My wheels were like velcro.

At the top.

Watermelon, sweet watermelon.  Coke. More watermelon.

Encinal is the toboggan run to the ocean.  I went brakeless, slicing the turns, using my blubber to blow past the “climbers”.

Mullholland was soothing.

We had a nice little group.

Me, Todd Darley and Tod Turley had a Toddfest.  Chatting it up.  Matt was trying really hard drop us.  It was futile.  The ToddTodTodd TeamTimeTrial was firing… not really.  Peter rode across Matt’s 3′ gap, I was heartbroken.  Crushed.  The Tod(d)s cheered me up.

At the top.

Watermelon, coke, watermelon.

Latigo, the last climb.  Latigo means whip in espanish.  It’s the longest climb on NOSCO.  9 miles, 2000’.  Last year it whipped my @$$.  Total punishment.  It took me 66 minutes.  66 minutes of hell.  Phil did it in 31 minutes.

We hit the bottom together.  Latigo punched back.  I ducked, kicked it hard.  I bit, I scratched. I screamed.  Matt n Pete gapped me off.  I was on my own.  Me and Latigo. Pedal a pedal.

Once you clear Latigo, it’s all “downhill”.

Except where it’s not.

It’s pretty easy to see why the ride is bigger every year.

But it’s still not as big as Jack’s heart.

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172

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the truck smells like 3 Guys Chamois set up shop  it’s ripe

WITH ALL THE BUZZ ABOUT PURSUING YOUR PASSION, it’s surprising how few actually do it.  I think it’s because the people who write the books are writers, and the people pursing their passion aren’t writing about it.  They are too busy doing it.

So how does a 9 year old kid pursue his passion and change lives in the process?

Start with a passion.

Keep getting better.

Expertise is soon garnered.

Improvement follows.

It’s a virtuous circle of escalating mo’betterment.

The 9 year old ages and reaches the highest levels of accomplishment.

At some point, this pursuer of passion starts creating.

Others join the movement created and are soon adding their own improvements.

Nothing is ever finished.

Everything gets better.

At 9, Chris Carmichael started racing bicycles.  He raced right up to the highest levels of the sport.  A broken leg derailed the racing career, but the passion still burned.  So he shared what he’d learned with other racers at USA Cycling.  It was his dad who suggested he keep pursuing his passion and thus was born Carmichael Training Systems (CTS).  CTS legitimized cycling coaching.  Thousands of individuals changed their sporting lives through CTS coaches and other coaches who leveraged the pioneering efforts of CTS.

I have personally been touched by so many people pursuing their passions:

Hobie Alter’s passion for  beach life gave me the skateboards I rode and the sailboats we sailed.

Terry Laughlin’s passion for changing the way swimming is taught and practiced via his company Total Immersion Swimming changed the way I swim, increasing my skills and speed.

Steve Jobs’ passion for technology and simplicity got me in the desktop publishing business.

Gary Fisher’s passion for riding bikes in the dirt gives me hours of pleasure on the mountain bike.

The examples of people pursuing their passion are all around us.

Pursue your passion.

Get good at it.

Make improvements.

Nothing is ever perfected.

There is always a better way.

What is yours?

IT STARTED WITH A TEXT FROM MY FRIEND PAUL:

Chris is going to be in town, wanna do something?

Yes, let me call Brian… we’ll have some fun.

Paul works as a cycling coach for Chris Carmichael’s company CTS, and Brian runs The SoCal Cycling Podcast.  Me, I’m just a guy.

We started the night with savory dishes from Guicho’s and sharing bike racing stories.

Ours were amateur, and Chris’s were pro.

Ours were current and small, his were old and epic.

They were the kind of stories only someone who had been there could tell.  Captivating.  About always being hungry to be skinny, about travel, about nobody talking to the new kids… the Americans.

But, the most interesting part was talking about what it takes to be a champion.  That champions are all about themselves.  Their whole lives revolve around them, and are set up to server their single purpose.  To win.

After dinner, we moved downstairs for the podcast.  More friends joined us for this portion.

Brian busted out his fancy equipment and started with a this:

What makes your coaching company different from all the others?

What followed was nugget upon nugget of Chris’s philosophy.  In order, to the best of my recollection:

A coach can inspire an athlete as well as be inspired by an athlete. 

A monkey can interpret the data, a coach coaches.

Where there’s a wheel there’s a way.

A great coach can make something complex simple, understandable.

Winners are calm when they are in the lead, losers are nervous.

A lot of the science we developed for Project ’96 (Olympic games) is still used by USA Cycling… like train low, rest high.  We had a chamber where we have the athletes do intervals in an super-oxygen environment at -300 sea level where they could produce much more power than sea level.  They they’d rest in a simulated altitude of 10,000′.

You’re not a coach if you don’t coach.  Our coaches are all coaching 20-30 athletes, and we are all learning from that all the time.

When you have good legs, you have a good head.  When you have a good head, you have good legs.

The data doesn’t matter on race day.  On race day it’s about racing… what are you going to do?  Quit or win?  Winners, win.

The best athletes are killers, it doesn’t matter how they feel, what the local food is like, how they slept. They are there to win on that day.

On race day, never think I’ll be back or I’m just here to learn.  You don’t know if you’ll be back.  Make it happen today.  You’ll learn more by putting it all on the line.  There is no tomorrow, there is no other race… only this one.

Brian then turned the mic to the audience and Chris fielded a variety of questions… fun for everyone.

MY SON SHANE DRESSES UP FOR HALLOWEEN AS A “BIKER” EVERY YEAR.  What could be funniererer than dressing up in dad’s biking clothes and partying up the night?

There’s no respect, which I’m used to.

There’s no effort to say cyclist or cycling kit or bibs or jersey..  If he knew they were called bibs, there would be even more mockery.

Then there’s these two characters on TMWC this morning going full gas the entire ride:  Brett in his wife’s leotard and Mike with a Ramses mask.  I see a new tradition of mockery has started and no doubt will be full blown next year.

ONE MAN’S DRESS UP, is another man’s party suit.

173.6

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Our next event – >  LIVE PODCAST WITH CHRIS CARMICHAEL AND BRIAN CO

YOUR VOTE DOESN’T COUNT, and that’s great!  Can you imagine if a big bike race… like The Tour or Paris Roubaix… came down to a beauty contest and “experts” decided which two teams would contest the final sprint as well as how the rest of the teams would finish?

Ludicrous, right?!

What if the UCI pulled in billions of dollars and the racers made zero?

Impossible?!

That’s how it works at the highest levels of American College Football, which is “amateur”.  The teams generate billions of dollars and the players make ZERO.

And, AND!, at the end of the college football season some “smarterthanme people” get in a room and decide who the best teams are and their final rankings, except for the top 4 voted-best teams who get to play each other.

They say it’s tradition, and best for the kids.

I say, BS.

So, as I watch my struggling Trojans bounce around the bottom 20 in the beauty contest and eat pizza and yell at the TV screen when the refs blow it I can only say thank you to the UCI and ASO, andUSA Cycling.  Because even though you make a mockery of what your customers and fans want and vote for…

… at least your vote doesn’t count, when it really counts!

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172.6

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Our next event – >  LIVE PODCAST WITH CHRIS CARMICHAEL AND BRIAN CO

THERE ARE A MILLION REASONS WHY I CAN BE FASTER, and just as many why I can be slower.

I started listing the reasons, and my pen ran dry.

I got a new pen, and soon ran out of paper.

I got more paper.  My hand cramped.

Maybe it’s impossible?…

… unless I want to.

_____

173 yikes!

_____

LIVE PODCAST WITH CHRIS CARMICAEL AND BRIAN CO

Join us for a fun, and informative evening.  Brian is a great interviewer, and Chris Carmichael is America’s coach of coaches.

Bring your questions.

I USED TO GET UP EARLY ON SATURDAYS AND RIDE MY BIKE so I could get home early to play with my little kids.

Today I got up early and rode my bike so I could get out to Palm Springs for my aunt’s memorial service.  All week I was looking forward to seeing my cousins and celebrating the life of very special lady.

She had earned many accolades and distinctions throughout her life, like California Young Mother of The Year.  But, for me, it was the way she treated everybody.  When Nora looked at you, when she said your name, you knew… she loved you, and you knew she could see all the potential in you.

This seeing the potential in people lead to a remarkable event she put on every Spring.

Starting in 1980, she and my uncle invited all the cousins in high school to their home.  There were first-cousins and second-cousins and friends of cousins.  Some years over 50 kids would descend upon Palm Springs, from all over the country.  They camped in the back yard, sleeping bags all over the place.

She called it Cousins Conference.

She wanted the next generation to enjoy the bonds of family by getting to know their cousins.  Plus, it was important to her to help the kids understand their divine potential.  Mixed in with pool time and hikes were special workshops and speakers delivering uplifting messages.

That was my aunt, always seeing the best in others…

… and that’s what I’ll always remember.

I DO LIVE TO RIDE, to get that feeling and rush of air.  Sometimes, when I’m really grinding at work the only thing keeping me sane is knowing another day means another ride.

And that ride will refresh me.  Rejuvenate me.  Clear my mind and keep my body healthy to do more great work.

And that work engages my mind.  Pulls out the best of my creativity, demands the most of my capacity, and hopefully produces the funds needed to make the life I want possible.

Taking out the riding leads to less productive work.  Less productive work, leads to less time to live.  Less living and before long… you’re dead.

Happy Friday Y’all… get out and ride this weekend.

PS… get 25% off the t-shirt if you order before 11/1/17, use promo code PEDAL.

WHEN TOM CHIRPED MY NEW, FANCY OAKLEYS LOOK FAST, I could only blurt back… I don’t know if they are, but I hope they intimidate you into riding slow.

Typical ride banter.

Guys propping each other up, just before delivering a wicked attack.

Here’s what little I know about glasses:

Make sure they fit your head. They don’t get caught up in your helmet’s padding and let buckets of sweat stream down your lens.  This usually happens if the glasses are too big for your head.

The right frames will fit nicely into your helmet when you don’t want to wear them.  This is better than fumbling with them in your pockets because it’s faster and will keep the lens cleaner and dryer.

Get the right lens tint for the riding you’re doing.  The new “polaroid” technologies are amazing for dawn and dusk light.  Oakley has lens for specific terrain, road vs mtb.  A clear lens is great for night in the dark – which I’ll be doing a lot more of this time of year.

I like a tall enough lens to keep the wind out when I’m bombing a hill at high speed.

Brands?  Well, I like Oakley because of the quality and because their roots are OC all the way.  There are lots of options to consider.

Whatever you choose, be sure they make  you look fast… sometimes looking good is all you’ve got.

THE NEW SCALE IS DIGITAL, as was it’s predecessor.

Each morning I stumble over, strip, and step aboard… just like I did with the old scale.  The naked, first light check-in is the only way I know to keep my weight  checked.

If the number is under 170 Toddybehappy, over and Toddybelesshappy… same feelings as with the old scale.

Wait, that’s not really true.  This new scale is meaner.

The old scale was heavy, make of glass.  It’s heft gave a sense of sureness and accuracy.  The readout produced dark gray numbers that seemed to float in the air… kind of a whisper for the eyes to interpret.

The new scale is lite, and made of plastic.  It seems shallow, and quick to judge.  The numbers it generates are a heartless-red, suspended in black… burning the truth, leaving nothing to doubt.

Days like today weigh a lot more than they used to.

AS THE KING OF ABSOLUTELY NOTHING,  I hereby proclaim all KOM’s set today, the 24th day of October 2017, in SoCal to be null and void.  Whatever little KOM you think you scored this day of powerful Santa Ana winds is worthless.

The Strava overlords are in complete agreement.

So congratulations.

You got nothing.

No KOM/QOM.

No kudos.

All comments on your rides, praising your amazing talent, will be erased.

Why?

Because I’m a mean, bitter, turd of a king.  When I see my times shattered… times I poured all my blood (all of it!), sweat (gallons of it!) and tears (tattoos on my soul)… shattered by “athletes” who simply surfed the wind to their coronation, it makes me see red.

And, when I see red… Strava sees red.

And, when Strava sees red… they erase your false claims to your puffed up crowns.

It’s NOT that I’m just pissy because we failed to score one for Gould.

XOXOXO

SOME DAYS YA JUST GOTTA BUY SOMETHING NEW.  For bike riders, one of the best joys/dollar is new water bottles.

No scuffs.  No dents.  No leaks. No fumunda.

They feel healthier… shoot, they probably are.

Some cats will go years and years with the same bottles.  They are so wretched I wouldn’t let my dog drink from them.  It makes no sense.  None.

The one thing you want to keep in tip top shape, before anything is your engine (i.e. your body).  So drink as pure as you can.

Next, is your drive train.  I’ve unknowingly grabbed a leaky, filled with my magic flavor of the day only to have it leak all over my bottom bracket.  Sugar turns to mud, turns to muck, turns to s.l.o.w.

It’s new bottles day.

YOU’LL NEVER KNOW IF YOU CAN RIDE YOUR BIKE TO SAN DIEGO, until you do it.

Then,

You’ll see the sun rise through mountain shadows and set in ocean blue.

You’ll feel the gentle push of coastal breeze at your back.

You’ll pass through beach towns and beach goers.

You’ll meet kindred riders headed your way.

You’ll know why you rode to San Diego.

Or Portland

Or Santa Fe

Or Austin

Or _____?

IT’S ALL ABOUT LOVE, THAT’S WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A GREAT AMBASSADOR.  At PEDALindustries and DHDwear, our best ambassadors showed us love first.  We reciprocated.  They loved us more.  We loved them more… love, love, love.

What a lovely cycle!

No contracts.

No asking.

Just love.

What kind of love?  Social media posts.  Group emails.  Ride introductions -> referrals.

What kind of reciprocation?  Special access, secret pricing, free products -> more to love.

May the loyalty and love ever deepen.

Keep It Super Simple

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170.8

MY BUDDY BART QUIT RIDING SO HE COULD COMPETE IN BODYBUILDING, and it got me thinking… how much does food affect performance?  Because…

… he’s lost 6 lbs from his cycling fighting weight

put on a ton of muscle

works out less than an hour a day

and completely transformed his body…

He was already a lean and disciplined athlete and fast as hell on a bike, so how the heck did he gain muscle and drop weight?

In his words, the diet is the secret… that’s how you build your body.

He’s shared the food regimen with me over the past year.  It’s very bland, and very complex in ways I hadn’t considered.  Basically, it’s boiled chicken and rice.  Every meal.  Butt (yes, it’s a big but), some days are all chicken, some days mostly rice, and some days are a mix.

I’m simplifying a bit, but the point is what you eat and when you eat and the ratios of protein and carbs matters a lot.

The specific training is important, but the food makes the difference between a girlyman and a beefcake.

And that’s what I’m wondering about today…

What’s the optimal diet for a cyclist who wants to be FASTer?

I can’t wait to sit down with Chris Carmichael and learn.

Are you registered? http://pedalindustries.com/store/TRAIN-RIGHT

LATE LAST NIGHT AN INQUISITIVE EMAIL FROM DAVE CAME IN.  I’ve seen a lot of discussion on this topic and my response is always the same.

EMAIL SUBJECT LINE: EXCESSIVE EXERCISE MAY HARM THE HEART, STUDY SAYS.

EMAIL MESSAGE:

Interesting article but seemingly non-conclusive. Your thoughts?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/10/18/excessive-exercise-may-harm-the-heart-study-suggests/amp/

MY RESPONSE:

Nobody gets outta here alive.

I was in high school the first time I heard that phrase… and didn’t understand it.  Jim Morrison yells it at the crowd during a concert, The Doors: Live At The Hollywood Bowl.

Eventually I grasped it.

Once you realize nobody is getting off Earth alive, living well becomes much more important than living long.  There is no living long, life is short… there is only living well.

Part of living well, for me, is the joy I feel on my bike, with the wind on my face, with my friends riding along with me.

Friendship is living well.

Bike friendship is a curious thing.

For instance, one of my college roommates, Bob, dropped by the office today.  We hadn’t gotten together or spoken for years.  He lives in Seattle, where he rides his bike.  He was in town on business.  We’re chatting, and Jeff calls… he’s in town from Park City and is riding his bike to my office.  The three of us were in a college fraternity together.

And there we were, on a beautiful Thursday morning, catching up on our fast moving lives, for the simple reason all 3 of us independently fell in love with bike riding…

… I’m pretty sure, bike riding is good for my heart …

ONCE UPON A TIME MY  ROOMMATE TALLEY GOT THE BRIGHT IDEA TO HEAD OVER TO THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY,  which was really a school full of kids from everywhere but the US.  The thinking was the foreign ladies would be eager some some actual American boys. Talley was also the roommate who came home with a road bike, and we know where that lead… so why not give it a try?  Plus, he’d worked out a can’t fail pickup line…

Habla-vous the Deutch?!

Dude, it’s Spanish, Habla (to speak); French, vous (you); English, the; and German, Deutch (German language).  You know the ladies will be all over us showing our multi-lingualness.

I cracked up.  It was so dumb, but he was repeating it with such confidence I had to join in. 

Habla-vous the Deutch?

Habla-VOUS the Deutch?

Habla-vous THEEE Deutch?

Our accents were terrible, but our confidence was building… and off we went.  Ah, fools rush in… which brings me to next year’s Tour de France course.

The course is just kooky.

It’s starts a week late because of the World Cup.

It has a super short team time trial.

An early mountain stage could see all the sprinters miss the time cut in the first week.

Lots of lumpy and windy sections.

There’s a monstrous day on the cobble stones of Roubaix.

There’s a Vuelta-like stage the is only 65k, 40 miles… really?  Is it a 50+ amateur road race?

In a nutshell, it’s a makesureChrisFroomedoesn’twin again course.

So who will win?

Peter Sagan, duh.

He’s 27, the prime age for winning stage races.  He looked pretty skinny at the World Championships.  He’s already said he wants to win the Green Jersey, just to throw the dogs off his scent.  He’s won stage races before.  Nobody will be expecting him to go out early on the cobbles and windy and lumpy stages and ambush all the twiggy prima donna climbers… building up a huge lead and clinging onto to it all the way to Paris.

No way you say?

Well, habla-vous the Deutch?

WE’RE ON A QUEST AT THE OFFICE:  start early, finish early.  Jamming all we can into 5 hours of crazy productivity.  The idea came from a video on YouTube about a paddle board company. It sounds ridiculous, but we’re going to give a 3 month trial.

I can confirm, 1 week in, it’s different.  It’s a completely different effort when you know you are limited on time… like that last day at work before going on vacation, it’s a whirlwind of productivity.

… more on this to follow …

TREVOR, OUR OLDEST, LOADED UP HIS BIKE AND BOARDS and moved to Huntington Beach.  Of course, he was on his own in college for many years.  But, this move is different.

It’s not even far away, yet it’s a bigger move.

There’s a sense of permanence.

Because, he’s ready and able.

Like when the training wheels came off on the old cul de saq, he won’t be looking back.

He’ll be smiling.

And so will I.

THE LONGER A GROUP RIDE EXISTS, the more it iterates.

It starts with a few characters getting together at the corner.

At the same time, each week.

Then it gets a name: Como Street, Coffee Crew, TMWC, Food Park, Canyon Velo, Swami’s, Donut Ride, Simi, etc.

A mother hen inserts herself, keeping everybody in line.

The original Coffee Crew was a Saturday ride.  7am start in Corona del Mar, finishing up at C’est Si Bon bakery for doughy delights and… coffee.  Stricky as there, Ed Kurzinski, Kirk Cross, Mike Martin, Paul Miller, Doug Evertz, Jeff Newman, Eric Salzman, a few others and Todd Schooler.

Schooler was our mother hen.  He decided we needed a Tuesday/Thursday work out.  So we did the same course as Saturday on Tuesday and rode hills on Thursday.

Food Park had an 830am start at the food park where Main and MacArthur intersect.  As Saturday Coffee Crew faded out, a few of us would anxiously wait at The Coffee Bean.  Some of the Canyon Velo guys would peel off and join us to wait for Food Park.  About 838, we’d see 70-100 riders roaring and ready to rip through sleepy Irvine.

Now, The Coffee Bean is the start of Food Park… and few know why it starts  when and where it does.

Most of these group rides develop Long and Short options.

Como Long was the premier group ride in SoCal for many years.  100-200 of the best and fastest riders in outrageous colors made the ride look like TdF.  The choice to long or short was made early in the ride and said a lot about your talent and ambition.  Now, not so much.

Yesterday on the Donut Ride, the Long option seemed more a matter of attrition than course selection.

Swami’s Long and Simi Long are seasonal.  “The Pros” drift in for winter miles – real pros you see on TV – and spice up these rides, making them even more popular.

The courses change over time.  There isn’t even a Como Street street anymore – but there was.  That ride would tear through the orange groves of Irvine – gone – around the 2-lane civilian perimeter of El Toro Marine base – gone – shell riders up to the fields of RSM – gone – and into what remains OC’s only country roads.

The groups grow and dwindle, largely based on the mother hen.  The mother hen barks at crappy riding, red light running… and changes the course when it makes sense to do so.  If nobody steps up when the mother hen moves on, the ride will slowly die out.

We’ve started our own long Food Park.  We leave Doheny about 7, ride up the coast and up Newport Coast around Back Bay to The Coffee Bean start and ride with the gang through Irvine and then back to San Clemente.

We’re nearly weekly on this now, and I predict it will be Food Park South in the next year or so.

Cock-A-Doodle-Doo

TODAY STARTED EARLY, and ended late.  First, I broke out of San Clemente at 6:25am to get to Redondo Beach and battle the Donut Ride.  Last, I slipped into the South Bay Cycling Awards for tacos and culture.  In between, was unplanned and awesome.

Ah, the Donut Ride… a nice social jaunt through and around the tranquil Palos Verdes hills.  The temperature is always perfect, and the views stunning.  Seth was there early, greeting the fresh faces and handing out stickers honoring Steve Tilford.  Very cool.

In fact, lots of people showed up for the ride…

… it’s definitely not a race… but I think $600 in primes were handed out tonight…

… so many riders were there, not racing,

the group leaked all over the road …

I guess it was fast… but it’s hard to say, I’ve only done it 3 times.  Still, 94 Strava cups is somethin’.

Feeling great after the “ride”, I rode back up Del Monte to Hawthorne.

Feeling hungry, Chipotle was my next stop.

Feeling tired, I crashed on the sand ’till Dan called.

I’m shaping a board.

Cool, I’ll come over.

Dan’s shop is like being inside a beehive.  All these little shaping rooms, belonging to famous surfboard shapers, interconnect with each other and the fin insertion department and the glassing room.  It’s amazing.

After hosing off the ride and beach, I watched Dan work.

Right before my eyes, he released a magical board from it’s foam prison.  No template, no maniacal measuring, just an artist working with his hands and the tools of his trade.  It was truly beautiful.

I love the board Dan made for me, and already want another.  It’s so great to talk to the shaper and describe the waves I like and the way I surf and him make me something that is awesome.

It got me thinking about how awesome a custom bike frame could be.

The day was ending, the night was begging to join the living.

Seth Davidson’s creation, the awards ceremony was just cool.  Cool because it honored and made fun off the South Bay cycling community.  Cool because it was free.  Cool because everybody was there, and everybody knew each other.

The night was dedicated to the life Steve Tilford lead.  His wife and family and friends flew out for the event.  Steve’s blog taught me a ton about racing, and life and blogging.  I read it nearly every day.  I miss Steve’s sense of living life intentionally.

Awards for great riding and great clubs and great recoveries and great ambassadors and great leaders and great promoters and great advocates and great up and coming talent were handed out by Seth and his co-MC Rashaan Bahati.  The sense of love and appreciation for each person in attendance was real and inspiring.

What a great way to bring the local cycling community together… Seth deserves an award!