RAGBRAI DAY 3

Good wine and beer with some new friends!

Cast-offs from Team Captain Morgans..

Hello Friends and Neighbors!

Sorry to be out of touch for 2 days! On RAGBRAI Day 1 the internet bus was down. Yesterday it was raining and we did not want to venture out of the shelter of our campsite.

So I am way behind on news. I'll do my best to get caught up, but there are time limits so we will see.

First some snaps from the end of today...

My first Elvis sighting of RAGBRAI. This fellow was a bike. I cannot tell if he has helmet under all that hair.

And here is his cycling buddy. Vegas Elvis # 2! Note the dark and gloomy skies...

We rode through Madison County today, famous for its covered bridges. Here's me, Mary Ann, and Janie in front of a covered bridge? (Did you read the book?)

And as luck would have it - I met yet another Elvis today! Here' Vegas Elvis # 3! He was singing on stage in one of the meeting towns. Why are all the Elvis impersonators going with the Vegas vintage? How about a hot slim Elvis?

Here I am smooching on an igwana just moments ago, near the beer garden. We are in Indianola for the night.

Here's a quick summary so far. I will post more photos later.

Saturday: We met our "___Dog"charter group mid-day (I'm leaving the full name blank to protect the innocent) and our beloved friend Janie from New Jersey ("Jersey Dog"). We set up out tents and headed to the RAGBRAI expo and had dinner at a ribfest in the town of Council Bluffs. It was a weird set-up - not like our usual RAGBRAI starting town. I was a little disappointed.

Sunday: We rode 50 miles in the most beautiful weather you could ask for. Warm sunshine with cool breezes. Lots of hills, but truly the easiest 50 miles I have experienced. But RAGBRAI seemed lacking somehow. I'm calling it "RAGBRAI Lite." Not as much music and insanely happy people. Not nearly the number of people dressed up and being goofy. Then we waited 90 minutes (OMG) for a mediocre spaghetti dinner at a local church. We should never have gotten into that line, but after 30 minutes, we felt we were committed. Oh well. We came back to our tents - which were parked mere yards from a railroad track and that's when MAD introduced me to one of the best things in life: wax earplugs. They muffled the sounds and I slept well.

Monday (yesterday): We woke up to cloudy, cool weather. And 72 miles of climbing - over 5,000 feet of climbing. I felt like crap on Monday (the 2nd day of RAGBRAI is usually the hardest). All we did was climb tremendous hills and descend.. All day. And the sun did not make an appearance all day. I think we all had our crabby pants on on Monday. We were able to pitch our tents before the rain set in.

The one good thing about Monday was meeting a couple of the Dogs who drank Janie's favorite beer and Mary Ann's type of wine. I put their photos at the top.

Gotta run - getting kicked out! Will write tomorrow.

WE ARE HAVING A BLAST!

xx

RAGBRAI Day Minus 1

Hello Friends and Neighbors,

I am in an Iowa Telecom internet bus, looking out unto a field of tents, listening to a live band in the background and I can say the familiar sights and sounds of RAGBRAI has arrived.

Sort of... No Brent and his booming voice. No extreme humid heat. No Ron Oman charter company (we are using a different group). MAD and Janie (as well as a nice cooling breeze) are a welcome addition to this new and different RAGBRAI experience.

I am unable to post photos due to the slow computer, so hopefully more tomorrow. We are looking forward to starting the ride bright and early in the morning!

RAGBRAI Day Number Minus 2

Hello RAGBRAI Fans!

MAD and I have safely arrived in Council Bluffs, Iowa, by way of a Southwest flight to Omaha, Nebraska.

Turns out Council Bluffs is just across the Missouri River from Omaha. Turns out Council Bluffs has a sizable Indian casino just across from our hotel. Who knew?

We landed around 5:30 p.m. The weather was breezy and warm - not hot at all! This is a big change from the last 2 years. Instant heat and humidity from the moment we stepped outside the airport.

For the last 2 years, I had dinner in downtown Omaha. This year, because we are in Council Bluffs, MAD and I headed towards the casinos where we were told we had a choice of 4 restaurants. We passed up the all-you-can-eat buffet (long lines and a pricey fee of $24); we passed on the bakery/cafe, and settled upon the upscale and sumptuous Grille (cannot recall the name). The food menu was interesting, the wait staff exemplary, the Chilean wine "Alta Sur Malbec" vintage 2008 was surprisingly excellent (and a bargain at $36 for the bottle), and the food preparation mediocre. We overheard a staff member telling someone that the chef was on vacation. Maybe that is why my chop was overcooked...

Nonetheless, we are super happy to be here safely with all our luggage. Tomorrow we will enjoy Hampton Inn's breakfast buffet before heading out to our 1st campsite for RAGBRAI... Photos will be posted on the next blog. I forgot to bring my camera cord to the hotel's computer center...

Interesting tidbit. At the airport in Omaha, we spied a couple of very cool rock dudes waiting for their baggage. Mary Ann said they were in a band. I looked again and realized that they had to be in a band. Their clothes and hair were too way out to be otherwise. So I asked which band they were in - believe it or not, they are part of the LA Guns. They are doing a concert in Sioux City tomorrow night. In case you didn't know, LA Guns was a very early band that Axl Rose joined when he first hit Hollywood. Uber cool glam rock band... But what has happened to them? Why are they flying Southwest Airlines and why are they dragging their own luggage around? Where are their roadies? Where are their groupies? Is the lousy economic affecting all that should be sacred??? It's just not right.

Back in the Saddle - Training for RAGBRAI

Hello Blog Friends,



First of all, allow me to express my deepest apologies for not keeping this blog up to date over the past few months. I have been extremely busy with the new house and the job hunt. Blogging and even cycling has taken a distant backseat to all else lately.



But all of that has recently and rapidly changed. MAD and I had to become cyclists again in order to prepare for RAGBRAI, which starts on Sunday, July 19th. Experts say you should have 600 miles of training under your belt (or should I say butt?) before attempting RAGBRAI (a 500-mile weeklong ride across Iowa). MAD and I started training two weeks ago and we have about 120 miles in (oh dear...).



Here are photos from some of our training rides.





Here I am in my 2008 RAGBRAI jersey. Love the water tower and cornfields! I ordered a 2009 RAGBRAI jersey, but it is waiting for me in Iowa.





Here's an action shot (taken while pedaling) of the view from the Guy West Bridge at Sac State (CSU Sacramento). Our favorite 15-mile training ride starts from our house and accesses the American River bike path from the Sac State campus (less than 2 miles from the house). We roll through the campus and cross the bridge and voila! We are on the bike path.





The first day of training, we were lucky enough to encounter a group of 4 cyclists whizzing by. We followed them for many miles at their speed of 18 mph. We didn't draft off them - we just kept up with them. I fear if we did not have them for inspiration, we would have dragged ourselves along at 15 mph.



Here's MAD on her very favorite part of the bike path. It is near Discovery Park. The sun shines down on this section - so beautiful.



Then we exit the bike path in Old Town Sacramento and wend our way through downtown. I have a love-hate attitude towards this part of the ride. I love the charm of Old Town and the cool vibe of downtown Sacramento. And seeing the Capitol building always gives me a thrill. But I hate sharing the road with all those cars. It is very dangerous and unpleasant... Here's a shot of MAD stopped at a downtown traffic signal.



We cruise through downtown (hitting lots of traffic and stop lights), then through midtown, and arrive at MAD's work location on 28th and Q. Then I head east of Folsom Blvd straight home to walk Max the dog. 15 miles in one hour and our training for the day is done!



On the weekends, we try to get in some longer rides. Here's a shot with our favorite riding crew:

Steve, Mark, Dave, Debbie, Jeffrey, and MAD. I am behind the camera, of course. We were stopped for a potty break at William Pond park on the American River bike path


And not long after that break, we were lucky to get another break - Dave had a puncture and took quite a long while to install a new tube. Then he over-inflated the tube and blew it up! No matter, after heckling him a bit for his tire-changing skills, we continued to talk and laugh while he changed his second tube. Mary Ann had us going over a discourse about "bromances" and "dude-vorces."

Here's our happy girl, doing one of her favorite things in the universe - cycling with her pals...

One last shot of the beautiful American River from the bike path.

Keep checking the blog because RAGBRAI is mere days away!

Love to all!

Cycling in Hawaii - February 2009

Hawaii Cycling

Our Hawaiian vacation started with the joys of packing on Saturday evening, February 21st. Wait, it really began way way way back late last summer when our Crossroads (XC08) friend from New Jersey – Janie the Great – invited us to vacation with her at her timeshare. I still lived in southern California and had no idea where I would be in February 2009. Mary Ann was in the same situation – living in Washington. We had so much to do – sell homes, file divorces, move to Sacramento, find jobs… But an invitation to paradise is always too good to pass up and certainly gave us something to look forward to.

So here we were, packing up our summer clothes – oops – had to actually find them first, they were shoved way to the backs of closets and drawers. And since we planned to cycle in Hawaii, lots of cycling gear was needed: jerseys, shorts, gloves, shoes, helmet, water bottles, spare tubes, power bars, Gu, Motrin and electrolytes (I love pill-popping on my bike), sunglasses, etc….. The list is longer, but I stopped here to spare you. MAD and I decided to rent road bikes in Kona, while Janie and Paula (our Sacramento XC08 buddy) brought their own. MAD and I did bring our own pedals (because they clip onto our shoes and must be compatible) and our own seats. Anyone who has read this blog knows that my saddle issues are legendary. Suffice it to say I will not risk my rump or any of its associated parts to an unknown saddle. I’m just not into that kind of pain.

We packed all evening long, taking a break to drop Max off with his dog-sitter around 8:30. We continued to pack late into the night – it was 11 o’clock by the time we were finished. And hmmm, we had to wake up at 3:00 a.m. to meet our ride to the airport. Starting off a vacation with a hefty dose of sleep deprivation is _______. (You fill in the blank.)

Let me pause and give a shout-out to our dog-sitter extraordinaire. My long-time Sacramento colleague and surprise neighbor (we live across the street from one another) and fellow dog lover, Carl the Great, took exceptional care of Max while were we in Hawaii. Max’s every need – physically and emotionally – was met while we were gone. In fact, since our return, Max has looked at me at least once a day with eyes that were asking if he could please go back and stay with Carl a bit. Carl didn’t leave him all alone on a rainy Sunday afternoon as we did. Carl wasn’t too busy to give him a walk on a Monday. Carl didn’t allow a strange manly man (Bill) into the house on Tuesday, thus requiring Max to stand on guard for the duration of the visit. Carl didn’t invite a crazy neighbor dog named Buddy to stay at his house while his parents were snowed in at Tahoe on Wednesday. Well, finally things began looking up for Max on Thursday. Crazy dog Buddy went home and Mary Ann took Max for a happy fun cruise-walk around the neighborhood. It is Friday as I write this and the sun is out. It looks to be a glorious day. Perhaps a day for Max to go to McKinley Park and visit the squirrels, geese, and ducks…

Back to Hawaii – we woke up with the alarm at 3:00 a.m., and were all ready to go when our ride arrived at 3:30 a.m. Because Paula was bringing her bike, we had to be at the airport 2 hours prior to our 6:00 a.m. departure time. Let me tell you folks – the Starbucks at the airport does not open until 5:00 a.m. And you should have seen the line of people waiting. The line never really shorted even after it was open and running. A little old lady totally cut into the line. No one said anything. She had the sweetest face and acted like nothing was awry. Sweet old lady or vicious conniving line-cutter? You decide!

The planes to Hawaii (had to change planes in Los Angeles) were tiny and uncomfortable and the trip took forever. We had to pay $6 for a “snack pack” that was disappointing. Our flight lasted an extra hour so we could go around some “weather.” Oh well. We landed safely with all the luggage and were met at the airport by Kathleen – Janie’s friend from New Jersey.

Must run and do some tax prep fun things. Will continue the saga (pictures will be added) later!

Amgen Tour of California - Prologue

Hello All,

Yesterday's Day 1 of the Amgen Tour of California was so so so fun. Thank the heavens (literally), we were spared from nasty rain. It was bitterly cold, but we stayed dry.

The morning started out with the VSP cycling team gathering around their mobile eye unit (a customized RV). I must thank my wonderful Paula (the buddy I met on the XC08 cross-country tour last May) for inviting me to join the VSP team. The jerseys were cool as were the sweet gift bag containing new Nike sunglasses - super fine for cycling.

Here's me and Paula, gathering with our fellow VSP bike team folks. To ensure a uniform team look, we were told the wear our jerseys on the outside with black arm warmers for those of us who needed them. And we all needed them. Paula and I had several base layers under those jerseys. It was bitter cold as we waited for an hour to get going...

Our favorite bike shop manager and most excellent bike mechanic, Steve, joined team VSP.

Team VSP waiting some more. Do we look cold??

From the vantage point of the starting area, we get to see the Versus TV announcers: Craig Hummer , Phil Liggett, and Paul Sherwen. Prior to lining up at the start, we saw the Astana team ride by with a warm-up loop. Yes - the 1st Lance sighting. I didn't have my camera ready, so no photo. :(

The VSP bike team had the honor of riding the first loop around the course. It was very fun, but oh so cold riding in the wind. It was fun to take note of the turns and the elements of the pavement. These are downtown city streets with potholes and such. On one corner, Steve's tire hit one of those "Bott's Dots" type of reflectors. We knew these pros would need to avoid those, especially on the turns.

After the VSP loop, there was a "community ride" with all sorts of folks, including children, riding. My next-door neighbors, Chris and Leah, found me. They are the cutest couple - both firefighters. We baby-sit their dog, Buddy, sometimes. And their garage is the hiding place for the bikes I gave Mary Ann on Christmas and Valentine's Day. But Mary Ann wants to know why they are not wearing helmets!

After the community ride, but before the race, Steve and I cruised around some of the festival area. Here's my favorite cycling logo - bad ass Rock Racing, the Harley Davidson of cycling.

Here's a Rock Racing t-shirt. It pretty much says it all...

And Lance love is everywhere. LANCE IS BACK!

Here's one of Lance's super-souped up Trek bikes. Lance's bikes are painted in his LIVESTRONG colors: black and yellow.

Some interesting cyclists/fans. These are the "Chi-wee-wees."

Steve and I find Jeffrie and the rest of our cycling buddies! Here's Steve, Jeffrie, Kim, Mark, Carol, Debbie, Dave, and ? (don't think I ever met the guy on the right - oops).

Here is me, Steve, and Jeffrie at the Orbea vendor booth. Orbea is the preferred bike among my Sacramento cycling buddies. Some day I shall have an Orbea...

After Jeffrie went off to find the group, Steve scored a VIP pass from his Orbea rep. I got to tag along. Here's Steve enjoying his free brew. Besides the free food and drinks, the viewing area from the VIP section was relatively uncrowded. Lots of space along the fencing to have "front row" seats (even though we were standing). The very best thing, however, was they had real (if portable) bathrooms. A huge plus compared to the icky kybos with very long lines they had for everyone else. I'm ashamed to say when it was time to go (those passes were lent to us on a temporary basis), I handed Steve my pass and said I would stay put. Yes, I abandoned my friends for a good view and a handy bathroom! Am I a bad person?

I was about 250' from the finish. My camera skills were very poor when it came to capturing these guys flying by. Here's a Rock Racing guy. Was it Tyler Hamilton?

This is Floyd Landis' butt. (I shall never have a career as a photo-journalist.)

We also had the vantage point were we could see the live TV coverage. Here's Lance getting ready to roll out. The crowd went crazy the second they saw Lance was about to enter the course.

Here's Lance, heading for the finish. He came in 10th. Pretty good for an older guy coming out of a 3-year retirement.

This guy was going super fast - I thought it was Levi, but the kit looks wrong? It was all a blur...

At then end of the day, the capital looked lovely with a bit of sun lighting it up. I rode my bike home, completely and totally exhausted. I sorely missed having MAD there to enjoy it all with me.

Today the race runs from Davis to Santa Rosa. 108 miles in the cold, windy rain. I could ride my bike out there to check it out. Or stay home, do homework, clean house, take a nap. If MAD weren't working, it would be fun to go with her. But the cold and wind would do me in on my own today. Oh well! I shall watch the ToC from home the rest of the week.

Next cycling adventure: Cycling in Hawaii! I'll be there with MAD, Paula, and our other XC08 buddy, Janie!

Team Jelly Belly

My very good cycling buddy, Paula, invited me to join her at VSP for a "meet and greet" for 2 members of the Jelly Belly professional cycling team. Brad Huff and Matt Routley were fantastic guys, answering questions and being overall charming for an hour earlier today. Did I bring my camera? NO NO NO NO NO!!! I still cannot find it..
Here's Will Routley (hill climber), me and Brad Huff (sprinter)...courtesy of Paula's handy iPhone. If you want to read more about this team, here's their website:

http://jellybellycycling.com/team/

Now I am a Jelly Belly team fan. That means I need to have a Jelly Belly cycling jersey. And I have to root for Astana (Lance's team as well as Levi Leipheimer), Rock Racing (coolest jerseys in the universe, also team of Tyler Hamilton, the guy who raced in the Tour de France with a broken collar bone - and the same guy who Brent talked into leaving me a voicemessage on my home phone last year), team Ouch (because Floyd Landis is on that team and we think Floyd was robbed!), Columbia (because this is George Hincapie's team and Paula looooves her George), and now maybe even Rabobank (because it was cool to see them on the bike path this week).

Okay, having this many personal favorites is going to make me a very busy girl. And if I get all the jerseys (a requirement for satisfying fandom), I shall be bankrupted. Well, the good news is that I do not have to support Slipstream, which is happy because I cannot handle their argyle jerseys...

Sorry to be blathering on. I'm losing focus here. Okay, last story of the day. In response to a question about crashes and getting back on the bike, both cyclists told us that crashes happen and you get used to it. Brad Huff said there is a video of one of his epic crashes on YouTube - just search for "Brad Huff Crash." I'm going to check it out!

Safe riding to all!