Simoni?....what the #@!#$ is he on...

I am a little weirdo no more denying this sad little fact. When I was 13, I was the official score keeper for our junior high teams: basketball, football, baseball. You name it; I kept the score for it, except when I was playing. When I went on to high school, I kept score of every single baseball game from the Dodger's 1974 season. I like the numbers. Even now, so many decades later, I read with enthusiasm most of the box scores in the sport pages.

And I like to check out the photos. When I look through my cycling mags, I like to look at the cycling photos for all sorts of reasons. I like to check out the details. And, I found a really good one today. Actually, I've seen it for the past two weeks and really focused on it today. After the mojito and Honig.

Since the Velo Bellas are racing on SRAM components this year, I've noticed all the advertising of the other teams that are also on SRAM. Besides a few of the local teams, there is a pretty big Pro Tour team on SRAM this year. In fact, one rider won the coveted Mt. Zoncolon stage of the 2007 Giro while riding with "SRAM" components.

But from these highly publicized pictues, I wonder...what was he on? Any guesses? A Campy super light weight downtube shifter and odd sized chain ring that SRAM doesn't make? Perhaps, he has a super light non production SRAM Force shifter with super light big and small chain rings? Maybe SRAM Red without the red colors? What about Piepoli? Just one light shifter and special big chain ring for him? And, it doesn't show so great, but what about Ricco? He's definitely showing the SRAM Force on both shifters?

what's up with this?

"Unnamed" Grand Prix in Stockton

Pro/1/2 - $10,000 cash
Women 1/2/3 - $1,000 cash

I sort of wanted to drive over for a crit today. My training needs some speedwork, and my plans tomorrow won't include Burlingame. But, I just can't support a race with this huge difference in prize money. Seriously, what's up with that?

sums up my day...

on the bike too...good thing I didn't race...
cus' that would have been money down the...


rather than in the...




photos: cyclingnews, scotland bbc, and sitebelt

Houston...

this non-aerodynamic time trailing missle is ready to go home.

Despite being in Fresno for five days doing a work thingie, at least, I was able to ride four times this week. I only fell down once. Silly reason which is a little complusive sounding. I did a turn on the bike path one direction and told myself that I could turn the other way too. And, I can. Just this time, I messed up and fell over. I also did a little power exercise of 3 sets of 10, 5-55s, and I rode when the temperature was triple digits...sort of like the elasped time of my time trial.

I went out today around 1622 (work time talk). I went out to ride because the t.v. said it was only 99. I wasn't going out if it was 100 so 99 meant that I could still ride. It was either that or having a margarita before 1700 hours. I thought I should wait on the margarita.

It was really pretty hot, and I started thinking that maybe it was too hot. Perhaps, I was getting overheated. As a I waited at a stop signal, I could feel the pounding and pulsing in my head. I remember someone saying that was not a good thing. I kept feeling hotter and hotter, and I thought that collapsing on a bike path would be really embarasing so I turned to go back to the hotel after just 22 minutes. As I got close to the hotel, I decided to keep riding. As it turned out, I rode for an hour, and I was pretty happy to make it back to the hotel in one piece. When I turned the t.v. on, it was 102. Cool, I am not a wimp. It really was hot out today. This definitely deserved a maragrita.

I found out that the reason the margaritas are so cheap here, $5.79 or 6.25 including tax, is because it is happy hour.

ABM

...I am not. Especially when it comes to long, windy time trials that I didn't want to do anyway. Believe it or not, I did have several goals. I achieved most of them too. I didn't cry, I didn't get off my bike, I didn't throw my beautiful bike on the ground, and I did beat my worst ever fricking time of 1 hour 20 min just barely. But, I did get grouchy and pissy. Well, four out of six isn't bad. Maybe, I can do better next time.

like a winnebago...

and now someone wants to do Sattley(yes, as of this date, the reg is closed, but there is a special number to call)...I could do it too..."just for amusement"...or to make other people feel good that they weren't last...but then again, I don't feel that nice today...