Today I got up at 5:30ish AM, had a bowl of coco pebbles with 2% milk, took a shower, brushed my teeth (I flossed last night after eating corn on the cob, broccoli, a hot dog and some chips) Or did I? Last night was kind of a blur, I took a nap after work... wait let me start over...
Yesterday Heather got off work early (or got out of work early) and rode her bike about 12 miles up to my work. Thats in addition to the 6 miles from our place to her work. Then we rode home together, another 5.1 miles. When we got home we took a nap, or I did, she just laid there trying to fall asleep she told me. Slept from about 5:30 until maybe 8:30 or so. She got before me and ate some dinner, watched TV. She had a birthday party to go to at 10 or 11pm, so I made dinner, a hot dog, corn and broccoli and some chip crumbs. I think I flossed, but maybe not. I do a good job flossing daily and I try to eat my breakfast before brushing my teeth.
After I dropped her off at the bar party I came home and watched stage 13 of the Giro d'Italia, Italy's big tour bike race, this is is the 100th anniversary. 100 years men have been torturing themselves in Italy for the bragging rights (and paychecks). Although I think there has only been about 90 Giro's because of the wars. Lance is back and playing
domestique, which is amusing to most I'm sure (most winningest tour de france rider playing servant to his team mates). I think he's also racing for free - very Steve Jobs.
Watching racing makes me happy and lights a fire under my butt to ride harder. However, since I got out of riding and race news for about 5 years, its odd seeing stage winners (usually sprinters) that are now younger than me (Lance is 37 btw). One of the fastest guys on a bike right now just turned 24 - he won a few stages in the Giro this year and then dropped out at stage 13, saying he's got to focus on Le Tour. Kind of rotten if you ask me. Don't start what you can't finish (especially for what he's being paid) if you're at that level - anyone of those guys could have won that many sprints/stages if they were planning on dropping out at half way. But thats the super-star mentality I think. "Look at me, look at these legs, they are pistons! There are hills coming up tomorrow? Ok time to go home".
But I am guilty of starting what I can't finish too, or just not finishing what I've started, even though I could. I think its part of the underachievers curse... but curse is the wrong word.
So today I woke up at 5:30am, hit snooze, but was woken up by the cat running laps around the apartment and jumping on the bed in the middle of the laps. Got up, ate cereal, showered, brushed teeth. Put on my new cycling shorts (my other newest shorts are from 2004), hit the road at 6:30ish. Rode from Logan Square to Wicker Park to meet
these guys. Then hit the road again at 7am, to ride to Highland Park and back. It felt really good to be riding in a big pack - I think we were at least 20, probably more. The air was crisp and the streets were slowly waking up.
The pace up was comfortable and accommodating, no one gets dropped. one flat tire, everyone pulls over and waits. I don't know how long it took us to get to Highland Park, but the group stops at a coffee shop every week. I got a chocolate muffin, refilled my waterbottle and got a banana for the road. Here the group splinters up. I took the group ride back. This ended up being a faster pace and a smaller group that splintered even more. My group was 4 or 5. We all take turns leading, breaking the headwind and rotate. Trying to keep speed at about 25mph. I'm happy to say I was able to pull just as hard as the other guys. Accomplishment. It's nice to ride with people who know what they're doing, a bit different than my ride to Milwaukee.
We merged with another group and ended up being about 10 strong and cruised back once we hit real Chicago. Speed dropped to about 19mph, 17mph average with stop signs and lights.
Over all, the ride was 2h:55m, 50 miles almost exactly. When I got home heather was a cleaning tornado in the kitchen, so I did the dishes and drank
chocolate milk. Showered. Then she went to the gym and I relaxed and watched stage 14 of the Giro.
Now its time for lunch, 2:14pm. Pizza?
I'm going home soon, its going to be tough.
I made this. All I have now are memories and memorabilia. And my dad.
