It's amazing how some days can be totally productive, and others - you just kinda slide by without doing a damn thing. Today was the former. I got up relatively super-early for a Saturday, 9am - had to get a few things done, crucial stuff that I've been elusively procrastinating, because of tedium ad nausium: haircut, and wash car. Finally got both done without much fanfare. Came home, had lunch then packed my cold gear and garb for my training ride - headed back out towards Vienna. Geared up in 35 degree F weather, albeit sunny and crisp. Had a very splendid crisp ride out to Peonian Springs and back - round trip total of 51 miles. Ordinarilly chump change - but it was cold as shit.

photo/animation by d. scott gregory

Ungeared at my car, thawed out on the drive over to the Performance Bike store, I picked up a new set of cycling glasses (with triple colored lenses) - dirt cheap for $22 (obviously on sale), a tool caddy for my repair stand and a new large water bottle. Seems that all my "new" equipment which I got a year ago is all falling apart, or getting trashed from heavy wear/use.

Stopped by Hudson Trail Outfitters to check out their sale - did not buy anything, was just looking....and OMG, I dropped dead in my tracks when I saw the 2005 Litespeed Vortex....it's the highend of Litespeed's fleet of Titanium framed bikes...this thing was beautiful - super-lightweight...and...very pricy. To say the least, the display model was over $7,000.

Rolled up my tongue, then drove home to a hot shower, put stuff away, and to my amazement - my package from Performance arrived with my new helmet and new tires (helmet fits...amazing...tires, they sent wrong size). The helmet, pictured in animation, is one classic object - pure design. I had no idea it came with the pod (the custom form shape pod shell casing). It's pure beauty, very lightweight. I'm very impressed.

Wandered into the kitchen, all relaxed, new haircut, clean car, 51 miles under my belt, clean - time to cook up something good. I was in a mood for a neuvo-TexMex dish, I fondled all the items in the fridge and pantry - decided to make a quick improvisational meal:

photo by d. scott gregory

Quesedilla con Broccoli y Pollo Al Fajita

1 tsp olive oil
1 skinless chicken breast, sliced in thin strips
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small shallot, minced
1 stalk broccoli, steamed* and finely chopped
1 cup grated mozerella cheese
2 large wheat or flour soft tortillas
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp course ground black pepper
salt to taste

Place one tortilla on microwave safe plate, spread broccoli as a base then cover with 1/2 cup of mozerella cheese, set aside.

In a small saute pan over high heat, heat oil and saute garlic and shallot for one minute then toss in chicken. Stir quickly and add chilli powder, pepper, lemon zest and salt - continue to stir until chicken is thoroughly cooked and browned. Spoon the chicken ontop the cheese layer then sprinkle the other 1/2 cup of cheese ontop, cover with second tortilla. Place in microwave and cook for 2 minutes on high. Carefully remove and cut diagonal like a pizza to make 6 wedges.

*to steam broccoli, place broccoli on a steaming dish for 8 minutes of boiling water

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Thank goodness it's Friday! It's been a brutal week at work - but has paid off, on many levels - and looking forward to a relaxing weekend. No major plans, just some relaxing, cooking, doing my taxes, look at new apartments, haircut, a few minor errands - wash car if weather is cooperative. Hopefully my new helmet and tires will get here tomorrow - looking forward to those.

Tonight after work, I geared up in my heaviest biking regalia - it was 28 degrees and huge wind chill (felt like 10 degrees) - managed to pull of 26 excruciating miles. It felt great though. Snotcicles, frozen hotdog legs - the whole ordeal.

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I bit the bullet last night - in a fit of impulsive shopping frenzy, and a need of a new helmet (one I have now, the band has cracked, foam padding and the nylon straps are irreversibly deteriorating beyond repair from the thousands of gallons of sweat it has had to endure) - low and behold, I present it, the 2005 Giro Atmos helmet (pictured, click for details).

Burned a huge ass hole in my pocket, it's the top of the line helmet of the year - Lance wears one (different color scheme, mine's simple, elegant white), but worth every $190. Afterall, it is my noggin I'm talkin about, the helmet is more than insurance - I did 12,000 miles last year (knock on wood, no major crashes). But I wore the helmet everytime. I believe in them, I've been in bike accidents before where the helmet saved my life - headfirst into a curb after getting hit by a careless SUV driver. SHattered the helmet, I walked away with no head trauma.

So I figure, it's well worth it. The reason it's so pricey, is that it's made out of carbon fiber - superlightweight. Enuff about my helmet - it will be arriving in the mail tomorrow or Saturday with some new tires (I go through more tires and brake pads and bike lube than I can shake a stick at).

Was a very busy day at work, finished up a few things and left ontime to go on a very windy and chilly 34 mile bike ride. It was nice to be out even though I frozy my bunz off. It's going to be very chilly for the next few days and may snow on Sunday. Will break in my new "bike thong" sweat protector for my trainer. Ha!

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I had a fun day. Just that. Not anything hugely special - just fun. Spent the morning at work re-learning my QTVR (quick time virtual reality) photography skills, so we could go on a photoshot for a client in downtown Washington, DC. Picture on left was a silly shot from the offices, click on photo ore here to launch into new window. Kinda bizarre.

Went to the photoshoot, and there was miscommunication on the clients behalf which indicated that they were not ready for us - total bust. Screw that, fortunately we bill them for the effort. Had a really nice late lunch downtown and then came back to the office to finish up work on another fun project. Then 5:30 crept up like a pleasant wedgie, time to "jump the fuck up" - changed into my bike gear and went out for a really pleasant 36 mile training ride.

It had rained earlier but it had finally dried off, and was still "warm" out - in the high 40s. I encountered my lap counting cop again, he was out there on a different corner - but this time, he managed to pull over 2 people in the course of an hour an a half. Damn lap counting spiders.

Came home, had dinner, avoided watching tv - started reading Lance's book. Quite a remarkable story - most of which I've known - just never read the book.

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Woke up this morning with a not so pleasant tummy - I chewed up a handful of Tums, called into the office to say I'd be in later and went back to bed. Woke up at around 11am, felt much better. Headed into the office which was to be an incredibly (and suprizingly) dull afternoon. The day finished up with much pleasantries and was able to leave the office a little early to go out on a bike ride (it warmed up to the high 60s).

So off I went - no heavy dudy gloves, no headband nor balacava, no shoe covers nor booties - just a light jacket, long tights (almost did shorts but it gets cold after dark) - a pleasant 42 miles. Nice long stretch, some on the trail, and some on my training loop.

It was interesting watching this one cop sit on one of the corners on my training loop with his radar detector, waiting to pull a car over. He watched me a few times, we made eye contact...he held up three fingers (meaning I've done three laps), he was counting my laps - was kinda funny. He was obviously bored, because after an hour - he didn't pull anyone over, so he left. I've seen him parked on another part of my loop - sits there in the dark with his parking lights on, waiting like a spider to catch a speeder in his web.

I was looking at this Double Century this Spring in Blacksburg, VA called the Mountains of Misery, which appealed to me for many reasons - it's 126 miles in the hills of the Appalachia, one of my old college buddies lives in Blacksburg (who I have not seen in years), and a guest speaker at the pasta dinner the night before the race is Mike Magnuson, author of the book, Heft on Wheels which I just finished reading tonight. I'll have to take my book to have it signed. Great article + photos of the Mountains of Misery's 2004 ride here.

THis is what attracted me the most to it, the description "Now in its seventh year, the Mountains of Misery Century Challenge includes an almost preposterous amount of climbing, with a cumulative elevation gain of 10,000 feet that finishes on a sickeningly steep three-mile pull to Mountain Lake. Many consider it among the nation's toughest century rides, which is why it attracts masochistic riders from Virginia and beyond." Hee hee...I'll be chanting this while I feel the pain:

Alez Alez Alez!
Vite Vite!
Alonz-y!

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Woke up this morning suprized to see snow - was pretty, but I knew it meant for a shitty commute with the NoVA sheeple comuters who cannot drive in snow.

Work was gruelish - but I slogged through it on such a dreary day - snow turned to rain...rain turned to slush and then just sloppy wet dark cloudy skys. At about noon, I reserved the fact that I wasn't going to be training tonight - too cold, with a torrential downpour, horrible visibility. Stuck my tail between my legs and spent an hour and a half driving the short 17 miles home.

Came home, did a few domestic things, ate dinner and got online to do more research on cycling events, most specifically - double centuries and other challenging century rides this 2005 cycling season. In my research, I came across two interesting centuries - albeit out of state - but not too far: Bridge to Bridge
Incredible Century Cycling Challenge and the Assault on Mt. Mitchell and Assault on Mt. Marion - the two toughest Centuries on the East Coast. For those, I'm going to have to get a triple ring crank - these are some heavy hills - they go up to the highest part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, up to 11,000 feet (this description makes me wince with painful excitement "You are now going to climb the rest of the 6,500 of the 11,000 plus feet of this challenge and this is all done in the next 27 miles...").

This is gonna be fun

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What wonderful day. Granted it is still chilly outside - it was more than tolerable. There was no snow, no rain - not blistering heat, no hurricanes, no wind, tsunamis, tornados nor earthquakes.

I slept in again today - was up late last night finishing up some writing and what not. I needed the sleep too, I figure for the lack of sleep I get every night during the work week - I need to add that to how much I should make up for on the weekend (either sleep in, or a nap). SO I rolled out of bed after noon, literally. But I felt relaxed, well rested - and ready to rock and roll.

Went out to Vienna and suited up - it was going to be a good ride - low wind, not too chilly, perfect winter bike ride temps. I biked out to Hamilton and back, 46 miles (and according to my Yearly mileagle log, 251 miles this week, and 1,416 miles so far this year - little low to what I want to be doing, but hell - it's winter I'm doing the best I can). It felt great, I woulda biked further, but the temps are what factor in (if this was a spring, summer or fall day - I woulda biked up to 80 or 90 miles, my toes cannot handle the freezing temps).

Finished up, ran to Barnes & Noble and got a copy of Lance Armstrong's "It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life". Then ran to the bike store, had my front derailler cable replaced, it got trashed by some road junk, it was frayed and was cutting into my ankle. A replacement bulb for my headlights - one of the two burned out. Also got me what looks like a thong for my bike...it's kinda silly, but important. It's a terrycloth triangular thing that you put between your handlebars and seat post when you ride your trainer - that catches the sweat - so you can save the paint job on your frame and what not from the corrosive qualities of sweat. I feel inspired.

Welp, sunday night anxiety settles in, time to curl up in bed and read about what these amazing cyclists do - wishes Sheryl Crow was around to cheer me on. Haw Haw, goes the crow - crap, was it the raven - I forget. (doesn't quote E.A. Poe)

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