Iola.?

Yes, believe it or not, it is time for the first race of the WORS season; the Iola Bump and Jump. Besides the cool name, Iola is one of my more favorite courses. Usually, I am busy working or just plain lazy and miss this first race of the season, but this year I am doing it. I guess we shall see how I do tomorrow. I have low mileage on the road and zero mileage on the Mountain Bike. Yes, gasp, I have absolutely zero miles on the mountain bike. As I was driving to Green Bay tonight, the thought in my mind was 'can I even remember how to ride my bike, let alone ride it in single track and up big hills?' So thus sets the scene for a long night and a very interesting day tomorrow. I am hoping that all of the other guys either A. don't show up or B. have not put many miles in either... In the 19-24 age class, that is highly unlikely. Especially because they are mostly collegiate roadies. You know, the guy I am supposed to be. But for real, I am a little nervous about tomorrow, but it should be exciting. Like I said, I love the Iola course and can't wait to get back on the bike again. Tomorrow will be what I like to call a "training race."
Now, it is off to bed and trying to actually get some rest before the race tomorrow.

Recent Goings-on

Spring is here! Or is it? The weather of Wisconsin has held true to its name. Rain, snow, wind, sun, warm, and cold. It seems like we are getting hit with everything. Making it even better is the fact that one day is completely different than the day before and the next day too. The original goal was to stay in shape this winter and come spring, I would be in race shape. Well spring is here, and not to my surprise I am completely out of shape. I think my last ride for the winter was in December, and I did no training all winter long. I did some weight training here and there, but no hours on the bike. I brought the trainer down from Green Bay to try and do some indoor riding over winter. Even with the rubber mat and other isolation, the trainer would quickly get me evicted if I decided to use it due to the noise. So that did not help my cause. I recently brought my trainer back home because it was collecting dust and wasting space. In hopes of using my trainer I had installed a cheap tire on my road bike as to not destroy my good tires.
As I went to swap the tires I was greeted by a flat tire on not only the rear wheel of my road bike, but also the front tire on my fixie. Apparently, not riding your bike can still cause flats...
So, part of my spring cleaning was doing a few tire and tube changes on my bikes.
I also thought I would try to re-arrange my bikes next to my bed, so that I would not be so worried about getting oil and grease on my sheets. I quickly realized that this placed the handlebars quite near my head and could cause problems, and I put the bikes back where they where originally.
With the tires changed and bikes at the ready, all I needed was some decent weather. I admit, I was looking for sunny and 50, but that is more or less out of the question.

Finally, I caught some free time after classes and a break in the rain to get out for an epic ride of ... 10 miles... (And oh did I feel out of shape). I took a short trip because the rain was coming fast and the wind was high, so I headed South looking for a route without a headwind on the return trip. I ended up heading into downtown on Lincoln Memorial towards the Art Museum with the sweet "wings."
I took a quick break to snap a few shots and then I turned back towards the apartment because it was looking like rain could hit any moment. Now that I have actually got out for a ride I think it will come easier, especially if the weather does what the "experts" say it will.

Now it is off to address some problems with my car.

Spoiled by warm weather

Well it is back from break and into the real world again. Last week was spent in the warm sunny weather of Panama City Beach, Florida! Yes, I decided to be like the thousands of other college students who head south for their Spring Break. A group of about 30 students from UWM and the surrounding area headed south for the 20 hour drive. When we left on the 14th the weather in Milwaukee was fantastic. Sunny, a light breeze, and temps in the 50's. The first day in Florida wasn't too bad, a little windy, humid, and foggy, but way better than what we were having in Wisconsin! The rest of the week was great, sunny, temps in the 70's, one day of rain, but overall great. I spent a few days doing some body surfing in the ocean and when the red flags were up I attempted (keyword) to do some skim boarding. Apparently, just because I have good balance on a bicycle does not mean I have good balance on a skim board. My last day in Florida was Friday the 21st. I spent some time lying in the sun, desperately trying to get even a slight burn so I didn't return to Wisconsin pasty white. I was given the sad news late Thursday night that while we were having highs in the mid 70's and sun, Milwaukee was to get a big snow storm with 10-14 inches of snow... Not Cool! (Actually very cold, but that's besides the point). We all tried hard to enjoy our last hours of sun and warmth as we packed up the caravan and hit the road. As we neared Indiana, it became clear how bad the transition would be as we got some gas and ran inside for some caffeine (wearing shorts and maybe a long sleeved shirt if we were lucky). After 19 hours, we crossed the border into Wisconsin and sadly back to reality. The hard cold reality of school and snow. Thankfully we have had a few days in the 40's and 50's in Milwaukee to ease the transition, but it is clear that break is now over and I have something like 8 weeks left of school.

Riding on Ice

Saturday night was time for the second kids safety event at the Resch Center. As fans came in for the Gambler game, families found numerous booths with safety related activities. Like last year, the team was in attendance helping with a miniature computrainer time trial and of course to do a little riding on the ice. Yes... ICE. Thanks to Shawn I was equipped with a set of homemade studded tires. These babies were so much better than the set I had last year, granted the other set I had used did not have huge drywall screws for studs.

(Though extremely sharp, drywall screws are good ice tire studs)

The tires held on to the ice very well, as you may have imagined, and they look pretty cool on the bike too. (Especially because I spent three hours before the ride cleaning mud from shvegas.)
Overall we had a great turnout, about 10 riders on the ice and a few more manning the booth and handing out sponge bobs.
More importantly, the team was out in force showing how cool it is to wear a helmet. Events like these are a great opprotunity to lead by example and that is just what we accomplished. (While having fun tearing up the ice at the Resch Center, throwing sponge bobs into the crowd.)

Myth: College Students Do Not Eat Well.

Tonight, the apartment was filled with some delicious smells that seemed to be coming from the kitchen.










Upon investigating the oven and the pots on the stove it was becoming very clear. This is not the average college student's dinner. While some college students eat the stereotypical easy-mac or the infamous pizza, this kitchen seems to be breaking the myth that college students do not eat well. Inside of the pots on the stove we find steamed vegetables and rice.
Even more impressive than the rice and vegetables, is the Alaskan Salmon fillet in the oven which seems to be smothered in some sort of homemade sauce.
As dinner nears the table is elegantly set, like a showcase for this delectable meal.
Yes, it is clear that this college student does not eat like the rest. Perhaps he is gifted with the ability to prepare delicious meals. (Or he is a cyclist with too much time on his hands because he does not want to ride his bike.)

Whatever the answer may be, I am leaving now; I am full from dinner.

Busy Vacation

Not posting for over a month should be indicator #1 that things are quite busy. School ended sometime around December 19th and from that point on it has been a nonstop list of things to do before next semester and Heather leaves for Spain. Obviously the first thing on the list was Christmas and the like. A little last minute shopping through Christmas Eve and getting together with both sides of the family followed by driving back and forth between De Pere, Milwaukee, and Menominee Falls. After Christmas was New Year's at Heather's and a belated Christmas celebration. Soon thereafter Heather and I met with a friend in Chicago to sightsee and pick up Heather's Visa. Then the countdown began as there were only two weeks before Heather leaves for Spain. This weekend was more or less the climax of everything. Heather was all packed and we drove Heather to Minneapolis to fly out to Spain for 15 weeks. Now I have plenty to do, with only one more week before classes start. Getting out for a ride would also be a plus.

Ride Before the Storm

I guess, I was being a little closed minded in my last post. I somehow forget that I live in Wisconsin. (If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes and it'll change), or in my case, wait about 30 hours and it will change for the better.
I got out of bed this morning thinking I really want to go for a ride, but I kept thinking about Thursday's ride. Finally, I jumped online to look at the weather because it looked nice out. To my satisfaction, weather.com showed 21 degrees and 2 mph winds... Not bad at all. Excited to get out again, I started cooking some good 'ol pancakes and getting stuff together, got dressed and off I went.
The weather was great! I knew there was a snow storm on its way so the plan was to go past the hill on Silver Spring Dr. and turn back. On the way out I was amazed. I stayed warm and didn't get the feeling of fluid in the lungs like last time. I hit Silver Spring and then the long hill just a little further. As I hit the hill I could feel my body starting to struggle a little, but I kept at it and worked to keep my breathing slow and steady. As I reached the top, I realized I am still at a good fitness level, given I have not been on the bike much and have not raced in... almost two months.
I went a little further up the road and turned back. I realized all to quickly that the wind was mostly to my back the whole way out, so it took a little effort to get moving. As I came back through Silver Spring the snow began to fall and the winds picked up. Thankfully the snow did not get worse until the last five minutes of the ride. As I look out my window now I am quite happy to get out this morning. Over the last hour the snow has really started to fall.
Here we see the progression of snowfall between 12:10 PM and about 1:20 PM. Again I say, I am happy that I got out this morning.