Wow - what a day. I am exhausted. Did some work around the house this morn, ran a few errands, went to bike shop to get my bike gears re-adjusted (after first 100 miles you put on a new bike - you need to get the derailers, brakes, et al adjusted because the cables stretch - even if pre-stretched) then went on a long bike ride. 60 miles (96.6 kilometers) - It was hot as hell out there in the 90s (33+ celcius), high humidity - fortunately there was a breeze. I got a flat tire about mile 35 (coming back [i biked out 30 miles - Vienna to Hamilton, turned around and came back]). I was sooo pissed off. Took me a while to get it fixed - but I was back on my way. I probably drank 6 liters of water and sweat a gallon. Whole trip took about 3 hours. I'm definately going to enter for the 100 mile Reston Century Criterium (as opposed to the 63). The 63 is a "trainable" limit - for a weekend...the 100 mile is a challenge. Will take about 5 hours.

It may rain tomorrow - so I'm playing it by ear on how far I may go. Maybe just a "short" 40 miler. Incidently, there is a website for an issue regarding the bike trail I bike on www.savethetrail.com. Basically, Dominion Power owns part of the trail and want to cut down 26,000 trees that line the bike trail between Ashburn and Purcellville to make way for some hideous electrical line towers - to supply power to all the new population of people who have new homes and businesses out in Louden County (the fastest growing county in the USA). The website has a petition, trail history - and some really beautiful pics of the trail (this one pictured is courtesy of the www.savethetrail.com. website).

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How odd, after yesterday - work became less stressful today. In fact - we were allowed to leave early (due to burnout). So I left at about 3:45...got on my bike garb and headed out towards Purcellville. It was perfect weather - a little warm and breezy. Up and back, 51 miles (81.5 kilometers). It felt great. On the drive home - I saw an albino fawn (baby deer). It was the oddest sight, completely white deer. Came home, had dinner and watched the movie (speaking of an albino racial ironic trifecta) the movie "The Human Stain" with Nicole Kidman, Ed Harris, Anthony Hopkins - great cast...I read the book by Phillip Roth years ago. Movie was slow - filled with painfully slow horrid sex scenes between Kidman's character and Hopkin's character. Non boneriffic. Book was better....always. Tomorrow, I plan on attempting a 60 mile bike ride Vienna to Purcellville and back - if weather allows it.

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Grrrrr. Sometimes my job can be stressful. Somedays it can be overwealmingly stressfull. And lately, it's beyond overwealmingly stressful. I won't go into any detail other than a deadline for a government contract was due today and my asshole boss was in an unreasonable bi-polar asshole mood. It got to the point, I almost told him - "if you think you can do a better job and speed this process up, then do it. Or preferably, shut the fuck up and let me do my job. we don't need to talk this to death. This proposal will NOT write/present itself." I think he got the point of my frustration when we finally finished it. And I think he felt bad so he sent someone out to get a few bottles of champagne - I was suprized. I'm not vindictive, or ungrateful - but what a shallow gesture. So I didn't have any champagne (seemed to him as if indignant), mostly because I was going on a long bike ride after the little "celebration". All ended well, I got to get out on the trail - biked to Shirlington and back (42 miles) - felt great. A couple of my co-workers gathered around me and my bike in the parking lot while I was stretching out and preparing for my ride. They must think I am nuts. "So why do you do this?...""That's a really light weight bike - but my gosh - why would you spend that kinda money?" But they thought it was more cool than anything. "OMG, those are the thinnest tires I've ever seen!" "Where are the rest of your pedals?""How fast do you go?""You have got to be kidding, you do 1000 miles a month?" I smiled.

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Absolutely amazing! I am sooooooooooo happy with my new bike. Near the end of my workday, I was itchin and twitchin to get on my new bike for a full ride. THen finally at about 6:15 I was able to go. But sheesh, for a 2 hour bike ride - I was amazed. I got to Purceville in an hour - 21 miles (usually takes me almost an hour and a half on my MT bike). Came back just as fast. 42 miles (70.8 kilometers) in two hours. I was impressed at how smoothe, fast, sleek, light and efficient this new bike is. I didn't wanna stop biking. After this week, I may change my mind about the 63 mile Criterium in late August - and shoot for the 100 mile Criterium. Need to train more on this new bike to see. I cannot wait til tomorrow to bike the opposite trail with my training partner, she may not be as enthused - we bike the same speed when I'm on my MTB (not on my new road bike - which is incidently 16lbs -7.3 kilos - the MTB is 35lbs-16 kilos [1/2 the weight]). She may have difficulty keeping up - we'll see.

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YAY! My bike came today. I came home from work, there it was - in this huge 3' tall x 6'wide x 8" thick box. Weighed practically nothing. I rushed to get it in my car and take it to the bike shop for it to be partially assembled and for me to be fitted. I made it there just in time - and what a perfect night to do it - it was storming like crazy.

SO I get to the shop, and talked with the mechanic - he was sure, we can fit you in before 8pm (meanwhile he took the box to his "master mechanic" bike stand in the back). I told him I would run a few errands and come back in an hour and a half or so. He smiled. He looked like he really wanted to put the bike together - when he cracked his knuckles and grinned as he pulled the frame out of the box, I knew it. I ran a few errands came back and got a few other items at the bike shop - new tubes, shraeder to presta adaptor for my stand up full bike pump. Then i heard the mechanic yell from the back - "so, um...ya want me to put on the reflectors?" I yalped back - "um, heck no" He then said, "phew..I was worried that you'd want reflectors on such a grand bike" I said back jokingly, "naw, but can ya put on a kickstand?" he about died laffing. We shot the shit about the Tour De France and Armstrongs 6th victory while he gingerly stretched the derailer cables, restretched them and fine tuned the bike. He was a perfectionist. He enjoyed putting the bike together. He asked, "if ya don't mind, what ya pay for this baby?" I described my bike purchase journey and how I arrived at this bike but didn't tell him how much - he got anxious and then irritated about my stupid story so he belched in, "Lemme guess, about $2800?" I said no, and gestured downward "lower" we played that game until he said "wow, that's amazing, only $1095" I nodded. He said "jeezus christ, if that continues, I'll be out of a job soon" I said, heck no - I know how to fix a bike - but I rely on you professional bike mechanics for the extreme precision and detail. He smiled. When he was done with the fitting and the final 6th set of re-adjustments. He said - she's all yers. You'd better enjoy that baby. I smiled, nodded back, thanked him and said, I suuure will!

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Bike is not here yet :( (should be here tomorrow). When it does arrive, it's 90% assembled - I need to have the rest of it put together, fine tuned and i need to have a "bike fitting". A bike fitting is where they fine tune the bike, put you on an indoor roadtest to fine tune the angles and geometry of the bike. Takes over an hour. Then a week or so later (after breaking it in), you bring the bike back in for final adjustments. Not cheap - bout $60-90 just for the "fitting" and another $35 for the 10% assemblage of the bike. Regardless - I'm excited. My parents came back from a 40th wedding anniversary wekend and brought me back the coolest t-shirt. It says "Keep it Simple - Eat. Sleep. Bike." (and has a small cartoon illustration of a road bike). I was very impressed.

Tonight's bike ride was long - but nice. It seemed to go faster than usual. Maybe it was my new biking shoes that I'm breaking in (for the new road bike - which incidently, the shoes were great, just had to make a few fine tuned minor cleat adjustments). It was threatening to rain the entire time, but the air was not hot. Almost cool. Fast 35 miles. Last three was in a misty rain. Saw 6 deer (close to trail), 7 groundhogs, 2 rabbits and one long 4' long black snake. He was soo impressive, I had to stop and watch him crawl across the trail. He didn't flinch until I reached out and brushed his tail with my hand. He quickly slithered off the trail. Wimp.

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Yawns. Sunday sunday. Grrr work begins again.

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