Blather on Bicycling

Okay, so I boasted a bit too soon and Mick is now pointing at a real scoreboard that has both of our names on it, but with mine lower down the list. See the scoreboard here and realize two things: this is a criterium (of which I abhor and have never done well at) and there were quite a few more than 10 in the race (so this is a legit top 10). Read more

Borrowing from my favorite athlete Rickey Henderson (who borrowed from Ali), “I am the greatest [triathlete of La Grande]!” I had no idea. I found that out today at the local La Grande sprint. This result has me inspired to take up triathlon. After all, what else could be better than an enjoyable bike ride, but to sandwich it between getting drenched before mounting and jack hammering your legs after?

The last time I swam was when the university pool was still open, 2.5 years ago. I underestimated what 10 laps can do. It made the bike leg surprisingly difficult, and the run even more. Maybe I should include some running in my training too. I was mostly satisfied with my overall performance, but I definitely can improve on some things for the next time I tri (in a year or two).

Oh, and I didn’t win. Baker took home the prize. He put in an impressive bike leg too. I figured that to win I had to pass everyone by the turnaround, and I didn’t. Foothill was up to no good, as usual. She was killing me, even without much wind. Coming through town was an adventure. I was dodging bystandards, missing turns, shooting 3 foot gaps between erratic drivers, and stopping for a rider who hit the deck right in front of me. I’m sure I would have gone a bit faster on my triathlon (err, time trial) bike but, in retrospect, I definitely made the right decision to go with the road bike to stay safe. I’m sure that was my record for most traffic violations on a bike in one ride, with some of them right in front of cops. Read more