Monday, Monday, Monday

It was a ok day, had to be up at 4:30am to be to work at 5:30am in Racine, go all my work done by 8:15 but had to sit around for one of the managers to let us in a locked room, he was told we would be there by 7:00 and he didn't feel like coming in till 9:45, its days like this I'm glad I get payed by the hour.
Even know I only got to do one lap at the SS champ race but I could still feel it today, that was one hell of a hard race.
I am in huge hopes that Russell will be able to get my new rims to me before the race this weekend, he's building me some kickass Sun/Ringle 29"ers for the Rig, speaking of the Rig, looks like I will be racing on of the demo Rigs for crystal ridge, I was told from the shop that Fisher is reworking the frames because they break for the big guys and if I wait they will paint it for me, I really like the purple not the black. I think I'm also going to look at some new bars for the Rig, I really like the bars Travis Brown is running right now (see pic) but they are prototypes so I guess I'll keep looking.
Well got to go.
SEE YAA

ROCK, ROCK AND THEN CRACK

Well I have to say blue mounds has to be the hardest race I have ever done, when people said there were alot of rocks I never thought it would be like that. The race was a blast, well atleast for one lap, about 3/4 ofthe way though the first I went over a big rock and heard a "snap", did't think to much about till I stood up to climb and the was just creekin so I jumped of to look at the bike. Checked the top tube and the bottom tube where they meet at the head tube and no crack so I get back on and ride alittle more, creak,crack and snap and I jump off again, low and behold a crack at the top of the seat tube so my ride was over.
The rest of the guys did pretty good over all when almost half the feild droped from flats or injuries.
We stayed around to cheer on Candy,Rick and Todd Hill in the 6 and 12 hour, it was a good rest of the day and we all had a good time. Check out the pics

What will happen now?

By Phil Liggett
Ivan Basso, Jan Ullrich and Francisco Mancebo, the three outstanding favorites to win the Tour de France when it gets underway in Strasbourg today, were sent home yesterday after their names were linked to a drugs syndicate in Spain.Guilty by implication rather than any solid proof, the three riders have all denied any association with the drugs bust five weeks ago which was known to Spanish police as Operacion Puerto. Their names appear on an official list sent to the Tour organizers late on Wednesday.Spanish police investigating doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, who is accused of trafficking in all types of performance enhancing drugs including growth hormones and the blood booster EPO released the list which contained up to 58 names of riders who are accused of visiting his premises in Madrid.More names are expected to be announced before the race begins this afternoon after team managers have sifted through a 500 page court report that was sent to France by the Spanish judiciary.Tour de France organizers called a meeting yesterday morning with all 21 teams taking part and as a result earned a unanimous decision from the team managers that any name on the list would be withdrawn from the team without a replacement possible.T-Mobile immediately withdrew Ullrich, the winner of the race in 1997 and who finished three times second to American Lance Armstrong during his run of seven wins, and the Spaniard Oscar Sevilla who has always denied going to see Fuentes, yet has been photographed near his premises.Ullrich, 32 and the recent winner of the Tour of Switzerland, has continually denied being linked to Dr Fuente’s surgery and has offered his blood for a DNA test to prove that blood being held in Spain is not his. Even if events prove Ullrich’s innocence later this year, at his age his career is virtually over. Basso, the odds-on favourite to win the race after finishing second last year and only last month, being an emphatic winner of the Tour of Italy by the biggest margin for 42 years, was out training when his Danish CSC team agreed he would not be allowed to start either.His manager, Bjarne Riis said:” I know nothing about what has happened in Spain, but we have taken the decision to take Ivan out based on evidence we have. However, he is not necessarily guilty of anything at this stage.”Francisco Mancebo, who won the best Tour newcomer award in 2000 and has since finished fourth (last year) and sixth, was also withdrawn by his French AG2r team, leaving them with no likely winner of the race overall when it ends in Paris on July 23.It is thought that the list, which has taken more than five weeks to be released because of the complicated and coded many entries in Dr Fuentes books, include other sports’ stars. Those athletes involved are said to have used the names of their pet dogs to avoid being identified. American Tyler Hamilton, already serving a two-year suspension for blood doping, is also among those named.Christian Prudhomme, the deputy Tour director, said:” We will fight doping all the way. Cycling is a wonderful sport, but doping is our enemey.” Rather than being depressed at yet another drugs controversy yesterday, the Tour organizers are elated at the progress they feel has been made towards a cleaner sport.The Tour organizers were upset at losing their appeal to the Court of Arbitration to sport yesterday, allowing the Astana-Wurth team to ride. Known formerly as Liberty-Seguros, team manager Manolo Seiz is also accused of buying drugs from Fuentes. He has since distanced himself from the knew team although he owns more than half of the company that owns the team itself.Prudhomme continued: “This team is not welcome as there are names on the list although these riders are not here for the Tour de France. We would like this team, not to start.”Astana-Wurth’s star rider is Kazakhstan’s Alexandre Vinokourov and he is determined to ride the race having finished third in 2003 and fifth last year. He has already claimed that he believes Manolo Saiz when he says he is not involved in the biggest sporting scandal ever to hit Spain.Originally 198 riders on 22 teams were entered for the 2300 miles race, but after Ignacio Labarto, the manager of the Communidad Valenciana team was also named as being under investigation, the Tour organizers immediately withdrew their invitation.Now, with as many as 22 riders thought to be linked with Dr Fuentes’ list, the prologue this afternoon may see only 170 riders take the start in the Place de Bordeaux.The opening seven kilometers time trial will be the hors d’oeuvre to the most open Tour for years in the absence of such star names and Americans, Floyd Landis and Levi Leipheimer and Spain’s Alejandro Valverde along with Australian Cadel Evans will find their favourite tag now more than deserved.Britain’s David Millar, himself re-entering the sport today after serving a two-year suspension for using EPO in June 2003 when he won the World time trial title, could be the winner of this short time test.Millar said yesterday: “I’m a little bit apprehensive and I feel ashamed, but I lied and cheated and now I want everyone to know that I am riding this race clean.”

On the road to the firecracker

Yes its friday and we are in Eau Claire, it was a really nice ride and the weather up here is great, we figured it would be nice to go up a day early and take our time getting here. We made a few stops on the way and picked up some outfits for the little one to be and Erica and I both got new shoes from the nike outlet, 100.00 shoes for 29.00 , you can't beat it.
The drive up was fast, rollin at around 80 all the way, only saw two cops all the way up but I will bet there will be more tomorrow.
We broke down this race and are staying in a hotel, it is a big change, the van seemed to be empty without all the camping stuff, but the air and a nice bed makes up for it and the dog is in heaven.
I think I'll go to the race site a little later just to look around and see who's all there, I know I'll see Kenny and Shelly and the boys as we passed them on the freeway (twice) on the way up.
Well I'll post more tomorrow on how the trail is.
SEE YA.............................

WHAT?WHAT?WHAT?

Well I haven't been on the bike all week cause I'm f'in sick, not like sick sick but sick from these meds the doc has me on.
I went to the doc about a week ago because I have this buzzin in my head(this is not funny) and it won't go away. So he looks around and can't really find to much(what a shock) and sends me to a "ENT" doc who calls for a whole run of test.
So I go in last fri. and do all these test and find out I'm going deaf in my right ear(around 30 to 40%) and I have some sort of pressure pocket pushing on the ear and thats why I have this buzzing all the time. So mon. I had to start on the roids to see if they would help the pressure and stop the buzzing, the crap part about the drugs is they are making me sick to my stomach all the time and I have the worst heart burn(both are side effects).
I have like four more days of some heavy doses before I start to taper off and then it will be back to the doc for more tests. They seem to be helping, atleast with the buzzing, I can now sleep though the night but I still feel like shit all day, I ams in hopes to try to get some time on the bike this weekend and maybe feel alittle better.
SEE YAAA.................................................

MUD ,MUD,MUD

Well what can you say MUD,MUD and more Mud.
But I have to say it was fun even after the crash on the down hill.
Felt really good for the first half and stayed upright on the bike for the most of it
and then came the down hill,I figured I would just unclip one foot just like the last lap, ya like
that worked.
I ended up in like a two foot rut full of water upside down and the leg and the boys not feeling so good(hit the top bar on my way down) but all and all I was glad I didn't DNF.
A little follow up from last week, went to the baby doc and couldn't hear the heart beat yet, but the doc says by next viset for sure.
All is well otherwise, Erica stayed home from work today because she wase't feeling well
I'm thinking the start of morning sickness but she says NO!
So we will just leave it at that.
SEE YA......

I have now made a post, get off my back!!!!!
We have a doctor appointment today and I an in hopes we will hear the heart beat.
So I will post more tonight(Ya Right)

Sunday Ride come one come all...........

Ride at Randy and Erica's house..............
We will be ridin our local trails (OFF ROAD) and after we will be havin a cookout at my house so I am in hopes we can get a good turn out and have a great time.
I am posting the ride for later in the day so more people can make it and the people from out of town don't have to get up at 5:00am to get here.

Place: RAndy and Erica's house
Address: 3712 North 88th st. Milwaukee, Wi.
Time: 5:00pm (I said it would be later)
Bike: Mountain
And a cookout to follow

Randy

PS Don't forget to bring your own chairs

Call me if you need more info

If you see two pink line its ..........................
"Holy shit !!!!!!!!! two pink lines "
That's what I got to wake up to this morning, well really I woke up to a wife in tears
waving some sort of stick thing in my face saying your a daddy. I can't believe it , two years of trying and finally were going to be parents, its almost not real, like its a dream but I know its not and I am just out of my mind. So she called the doctor and they said the test is very accurate and take it as a yes you are pregnant, so we set up an appointment in six weeks and they put her on vitamin's so ................I still can't believe I'm going to be a dad.
Well I'll post more later as were walking out the door.
SEE YA................................
P.S. I want to send a shout out to all the people who work with the ASH' Hole(BUBBA) and tell them I'm sorry for what you have to put up with all day

The new ride

Yes Erica and I broke down and got a new car(A MINIVAN), after the ride up to iola with two bikes on the top and the trunk fully packed I figured it was time for something a little bigger.
So now the bikes go inside and we save on fuel. Its really nice, fully loaded, v6 alum. wheels and drives great. The only thing we did't get was the sto-and-go package, it was just to much
money for what we would use it for but the back set comes out along with the two seats in the middle so we will have a ton of room compared to what we had.
I hope it stops raining in time for the time trials tomarrow but its not looking so good but I can hope.
See ya.................................................................

Great Race and a Great time

Well for the first in a long time I was very nervous at the start of the race , had a good start and then it fell apart for the first half of the first lap, got my wits back and started to get moving. Second lap was a little better felt stronger and started to pass more people but was in no mans land for the singlespeeders.
Felt great going into the third lap and rode everything but the two big hills that I thought I would be able to when I changed from my 18t to my 20t but no dice, I should have just kept the 18t on and had a little more power in the singletrack but live and learn.
It was great to see all the racers again and get to camp with the team. The team had a great day and we put 7 people up on the boxes for the bling bling and that always is great.
My time was better then last year even with the added course and Bubba only got me by 3and a half mins not 10 like normal so I felt good. I just talked to Bubba and it sounds like we are going to do a slow recovery road ride tonight starting at 6:00pm from hoyt.
Just wanted to thank all the people who came out to cheer and do handoff's for the team, hope you all had fun...................
SEE YA..................................................................................

Junior ride and cookout

What a day...............................................
Started the ride at 11:30 and had a great time, rode center st. to hoyt, east of hoyt and the dog park(and one of out riders got bit by a dog) around the dog park to the trails in homo holler and back the same way we went. It was a good day, a couple of good crashes by me of course,the first picture was how my bike landed after the first crash. Then the second I hit the stump by the golf course with my crank and it sent me almost over the bars but thank god my boys caught the stem and stopped me.OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The best crash of the day goes to Megatron when she went into the river crossing on the way home, "Do you smell like pooh?"
After we go home we had a cookout and sat around and talked, I guess Bubba must haved smelled the food over buy his house because he stopped by and so did Dr. Dave and Rob after there ride at the kettles.
So all in all it was a go time and we beat the rain. Just looked at the weather and it doesn't look go for the first time trials on wed. as it is going to rain mon. and tue. but the weather for this weekend looks like it will just turn around, lets hope..........
SEE YA ..................................................................

"DID YOU HEAR SOMETHING"

That is what I heard Russall say right after we heard a big" POP" come out of Keith's mouth.
That's right ladies and gents the big man went pop like a cheap bottle of the bubbly on new years eve.
The ride was great and I felt really good after the first lap, really I felt my best on the last lap when Jay turned it up alittle, I had much better control and flow and my power felt good.
So lets hope I can hold it for the season.
Went out for some raw fish after with the Tool, Sug and his #1, Liz and Rick. It really hit the spot .
SEE YA...................................

Update

Bite Me ........

I have been very busy as of late so the posts have been slowwwwwwwwwwww. but I will give a good update in a few days

SEE YAA............................

HAPPY EASTER

HAPPY EASTER EVERYBODY

4/12/06

Had a ride with the Bubster and both losers (Megatron and A'Bomb) along with the Tool, rode the MTB's in hoyt and then over to the dog park and the county grounds. I have a feeling none really liked the county grounds that much but the hills got A'Bomb to close her yaper a little.
I love riding the county grounds because most of the time its dry even when a lot of the other trails are wet and its a good speed run, a run in hoyt then to the dog park, ride the outer loop on the county grounds back to hoyt and then home, its a good test for me .
Two real funny things happened on the ride, first Megatron (on the mtb for the first time this year) couldn't get clipped into her pedals so that was like 5 mins of her almost fallen off her bike trying to get clipped in, then on the way home I ride past a guy on his bike with a laptop on his bars,open(no shit) and talking on his cell phone, I thing it was the funniest thing I've seen in awhile.
Going to try to hit the kettles this weekend as I'm not really up for the beatdown that would be given to me on the Holy Hell ride.
SEE YA...............................

Alittle more time in the saddle

felt great as of late to be able to get some much needed time on the bike. Candy and I road today and yesterday and had a great time both days, yesterday we were on the road bikes and decided to go out to crystal ridge and back, well we turned around on beloit rd as it was starting to get dark and neither one of us had lights. We put in about 25.8 miles and it felt real good as it was the first time the road bike has seen pavement all year.
Today we took out the mountain bikes, we started at the dog park and did two short laps then headed over to hoyt and to our surprise it was dry as a bone, acouple of trees down but good to go. We then did the west loop and it was too dry but alot of land has given up the fight and feel into the river so a little rework of the trail will be in order.
We scoped out the trails along the parkway and it will be awile for those but lest all hope for some dry weather next week.
The legs felt kind of strange today, alittle tired but still had good power, so I'm tension it was just the change of bikes. Still running the 15 in the back for acouple more weeks unless I get more trail time in then I think i'm going to goto the 16 just for climbing.
I added some pics form the road ride Candy and I took, I found my small camera and its memory card so I can take it with me on rides .
Well it's time to go
SEE YA..........................

Some good news some ok news and some just news

OK I know its been awhile but I have had a lot to do as of late, but the good news is I have been on the bike a lot this week and the weight is coming off (thank god). I have rode everyday but Monday so I feel pretty good. I also made a change to the rig and went with a 15 tooth gear in the back and a 32 up front and what a difference it made, I can feel that I don't sit down as much and that is a huge help for me. I feel like my legs get tired faster but like I said I just changed it so it will just take some time. I figure if I use it for training I should have a easier time using a smaller gear during races.
The next update is I am total off of coke (soda that is) I haven't had one in like two weeks and I feel really good, no headaches, and that's is a big shock and as I said before that helped a lot with more weight coming off. I have tried to stay away from the scale as I don't want to get down on myself, three weeks ago I was down about 27 lbs so lets hope it keeps going south.
The best news of the week is I got into the Chequamagon for the first time and I can't wait, five years of trying and it finally payed off.

Well I figured it was about time to see how the old ticker was doing with all the (or some) training, so i called up Bubba to come over and do one of those CTS tapes in the new riding room. We did the crit one and it was a burner, one hour and five min. and it felt like five hours sittin on the ball and chain(see ealirer post) but it was good. So the picture you see is of my HR data that I downloaded. not to bad for five weeks till wors. A little more work on holdin my power at a lower heart rate and then workin on the sprints.
Well got to hit the shower and then to bed.
SEE YA.................................

What a week

What a week this has been, I have been workin my ass off to finish a three week job in a week, got to love them salesmen.
Well the week started out o.k. , from about 6:00am to 7:00am monday morning, then all hell broke loose and in short as of today I have 60 hours in and I still have to work tomorrow for like three or four hours, God I love my job. Plus then I get the kicker, I have to go out of town for work mon, tue,and wed so needless to say I have to find a way to stuff a bike into the back of my work truck to keep up on the training.
I really wanted to do the road ride tomorrow but I don't think that will be happening unless i get home early and its not raining, but I think I will try to get out and see some of the guys race at parkside on sunday, I decided to hold off for a week as I just don't think racing,workin, havin to pack and spending some time with the wife will all fit into like 36 hours, so I will hope for no rain either next week or the week after.
Training is going good and I am down about 14lbs so far, I would love to get rid of about 25lbs before race season we'll see how it goes. It really helps that we changed a lot of how and what we eat, a lot less pasta and more chicken and salads. I'm down to about two sodas a day and I think that is making the biggest difference
along with the riddin.
I found one good thing for me is to take the stairs when I'm at work, we work at a lot of places that have four or more floors and I always took the easy way up but lately I've been taking the stairs and I think its paying off.
Well I really should be off to bed 5:30am is going to come fast.
SEE YA .......................................