on the money

yesterday, sunday 2-22-2009, was the seventh annual battleship ride hosted by the west florida wheelmen. it is an out-and-back ride with the USS Alabama being the destination/turn-around point.

to start, the weather wasn't real bad. to be more accurate, the tempurature wasn't that bad; the winds however, sucked. we had a gusty +/-18mph head/cross wind the entire way to the battleship, thus blessing us with a tail/cross wind on the way home.

after the rest stop on the way home, which was at a little more than the half-way back point, was about the time when i started getting shut down. i had been riding like crap because i have not been doing many long rides and just wasn't ready, and i was tired of fighting the wind. it was tot the point where i was getting mad and trash talking the wind to myself. thinking and muttering under my breath things like, "wind, next time i see you i'm going to punch you in the face".

i rode worse than most, but better than one or two and finished the whole thing. i gave my miserable ride report to some friends after getting home and resting for a bit. shea asked me if i would do it again: hell yes.

thanks to don and his wife for the organization and awesome food/vehicle/ride support and thanks to everyone who turned out to ride. already looking forward to next years!

back in the fold

new shoes and pedals.

had a look at everybody else

valentine's dinner and a slow, long, misty ride out to coldwater creek for a birthday party.

with all those dudes

holy crap, it's cold!!

ok. hey, long time no see....

for real, i know i live in florida, and we haven't had heat for about four or five years now, but this winter has dipped low, low, low on the scale. it only lasts a short while, but still....twenties are twenties.

every time i mess with a tire from continental, specifically the Ultra GatorSkins, they never seat the first time and blow out in a matter of minutes. but they ride so nicely in my humble opinion. i never have a problem with any other tires. vittoria, nope, they usually go on pretty easy until they get sliced and then two days later i have to take them off. specialized, nope, they go on once and ride like a dream - provided you have the armadillo elites - bomb proof and roll like the dickens, you can take those things anywhere!

i got a new roubaix pro. it is pretty nice. mixing up some technology with some tradition. and, might i add, that thing is smooth, smooth, smooth!

on valentine's weekend there is a race. beach cat part duex.. or the second.. or whatever... but being that it falls on the holiday of saint valentine i will not be racing, but instead i hope to be swooning the sweet, hot red haired girl who has been gracious enough to tolerate me for the last six years. i urge anyone in my same position, man or woman, to skip the race and instead pay that special someone some well deserved attention. and to all those miserable poor single saps, i say - RACE!! race like it means that, if you win, God Himself will come down from heaven with the hopes that He would be lucky enough to touch the feet of the mightily victorious winner of such a spectacularly fantastic race such as the one that might be taking place!

he's not killing me

going through some things to put some packages together for the mail. also been working on some logos for a place near and dear to my heart.