My powermeter

Has made me one of those dudes.
http://www.truesport.com/rzone/photos/2009/mar/taco12.html

From truesport:
"There must be a hot chick back there. Everybody is looking."

USA cycling to implement preme tax for 2009.

April 1, 2009

USA Cycling Inc announced today that in order to keep up with tough economic times, they will be implementing a 12% tax on all race premes. A preme is a mid race contest for token items, be it cash, food, bicycle parts or clothing. Premes are used in bicycle races to take the monotony out of a group of lycra clad people riding around in circles. They are often donated by the crowd or by sponsors.

When asked about the new tax, USA Cycling President Steve Johnson said "We just want our piece of the pie..." He meant this literally as he earlier attended a criterium with several pies donated as premes by a local bakery.

Those in the racing community wonder if this will be the breaking point. After many years of constant price increases for licenses and insurance. People are actually starting to wonder where their money is going. In 2007 the price of a 1 day license increased 200% from 5 to 10 dollars (actually true). In 2009 USA Cycling increased the insurance charge on race promoters by 200% (actually true). Officials who are also racers cannot purchase an "add on" license anymore, forcing them to pay an extra amount for both licenses (actually true).

A local racer interviewed seemed dismayed with the new rule.
"I signed that waiver at the beginning of the race, I thought it was the same thing I had been signing for the last 10 years... I dug so freaking deep for that pie preme. When I went across the line I thought 'this will make up for all the training hours not spent with my family when I bring it home for dessert tonight'.. Then that suit from USA Cycling came over with a pie cutter and took a piece. How can I explain thatp I won seven eighths of a ie to my wife and kids??!?!!"

Johnson was also allegedly seen wrestling a junior racer for a share of a Hammer Gel that was a charity preme, as there was only a single junior in the 4/5 field.

Dear 20 year old me... please come kick my ass.

Because here is a picture of my trimmed out hardwood floors, tiled window sill (with plant in earth toned plant holder and all), and my carbon fiber racing bicycle with carbon fiber seat post and tubes that are octagonal or something and a back wheel that literally costs 1/4 of what I made in the calendar year 2000.Also I just had a bagel that I didnt find in the trash and paid about 60 cents for. I must say that the white hoods and tape are more of a joke, Ed gave me the white stuff and it could just be called "before.jpg" and then I can give it a week and take a picture of how nasty I get it.

Fun now: Taping my power tap wires so you cant see them and it looks wireless.




Fun in 2000: Riding bikes from city pool to city pool all night,until getting chased by police, then hanging things from the wires.









When will Amy upload the photos from mt evans?

What would you rather do over a 20 minute effort?

The past few weeks, I have been meeting up with Babik to do "workouts." Workouts arent really bike riding. Its kind of like going to the gym, but on a bike. The places these workouts happen in Pittsburgh seem to be the "jail trail" and "the oval."

Yesterday's workout was at the oval. Rob was there, and immediately asked where my headphones were. Much like the gym, everybody that was doing workouts alone had headphones on (there were a bunch of people there as it was after work hours and a sunny spring day).

I guess workouts are a necessary evil for the bike racer. Seriously though, riding in circles for 20 minutes is maybe the worst thing ever. I take that back, it is the worst thing aside from riding the trainer for 20 minutes. Either way, I am going to say that riding bikes on roads is a lot more fun than working out. I am going to go ahead and say that the rewards of workouts might not actually outweigh the awfulness of them. I wish there was a 20 minute, or 1 hour and 20 minute hill near here.

My evidence that nobody likes doing workouts is the fact that right after we had met up, Jared and I saw an old lady with a flat tire on the road right next to the oval. She was probably in her 60's and had no idea what to do. We crossed the street and changed the tire for her. Actually Babik changed it while I pretended to help. Cars were backed up, cars were honking, the woman was frantic because she needed to be at a meeting, the whole scene was hectic.

This is conclusive proof that workouts are not fun. The fact that we both went out of our way to do this for a stranger rather than doing something that we are supposed to love with our (haha babik's) limited time.

Bike riding > Workouts

She offered us coffee money, but Babik said something about only being able to take money for cases of Oreo cookies or something. I was trying to make a dime the whole time.

Man this is boring. When will Amy upload the pictures from Colorado so I can bore the internet with those?

I want to be a cycle tourist.

I left my house for longer than 10 hours for a non bike race. However lots of riding was to be had. 16 mile climbs. Photos soon.

Officially sick.

Monday night status was "run down."

Yesterday was "oh man I am now sick."

I laid out my game plan to Amy and she said that I am crazy. I thought it was totally normal to put on like 5 layers at night and take a bunch of nyquil in order to break a fever? She insists that I am crazy. After sleeping 11 hours last night, I felt good this morning for 1 hour. No good. I did wake up and change outfits twice due to the fever.

Being sick is funny. I am laying here thinking of all the things that I should be doing, wish I were doing, could be doing. Maybe it is good thing in the long run? It could be forced rest, it could be a motivation builder when I feel better. Ill keep telling myself that. Jake got all zen one day and said that "you have to know what it is like to want in order to truly appreciate having."

In the next week I have to finish the house and fly to Denver for a wedding. This is no good at all.

Goodbye Honey.

So the rumor went around that I like free honey. When traveling to races, I will routinely grab as many honey packets as I can from the rest stop Starbucks. Some morally conscience people may think this is stealing, but I contend that they are next to the napkins, and nobody would think twice about taking 20 napkins to store in their glove box.

Anyway, when Ed and Turner were over before Christmas doing the floors, they came with a gift. It was 1 gross of smuckers honey containers. You know, the little rectangles that are filled with jam or honey? Yeah, like 144 of them. What a glorious day that was.

Every morning since, I have put one container on both slices of my egg white french toast. That was until yesterday when I used my last honey.
To quote the great Paul Garbark: "Free food tastes best."

2 slices of bread = 30 cents
2 egg whites = 30 cents
free honey = 60 cent breakfast

I bought honey last night and it ended up being about 12 - 15 cents a Tbsp. That is bringing breakfast up to about 90 cents. Peanutbutter would be cheaper by 50% or so, but Im still on vacation from that.

These numbers are a lot cooler to post than my power files, which I now have and have confirmed are totally mediocre.