photo by d. scott gregory

Very productive and busy day. Started relatively early with hanging out with my younger brother and his young family. I love them to death - but mygosh if I hear another baby screech/crying for 4 solid hours teemed with my nephews saying "I am sooo bored..", total brats. I had to get away. I ran a few errands then went to Vienna and was ready for a long haul.

I biked out to Peonian Springs and back, total 68 miles (109.41 kilometers). I was bushed when I finished. The highlight of the ride was seeing this huge turkey vulture who looked like it got shocked on one of the power lines, was in the middle of the trail extending it's huge wingspan. This thing stood up to almost my nipples..and had an extended wingspan of almost 7 feet.

Went to performance bike afterwards and got the top ring for the trifecta of my triple crank, decided to go full Ultegra. It's now lightweight (installed it tonight - click on my effort above, I even took a dumbass pic of it and made it look sexy).

Came home...had a long hot shower, had dinner, then payed some bills - crap..it's 11pm. Long day. Tomorrow is Easter, bock bock. More biking tomorrow - this time out near and IN West Virginia.

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My younger brother and his family came this evening and are staying the night before continuing on north for Easter weekend - It was/is so great to see him and his family. He and I are very close and we share alot of things - especially humor, biking - tom-foolery, et al. We relived tonight some old dreams we had of biking cross country. We put on our thinking caps again. Still up in the air, problem is still the same...timing. Who has time to take time off work/family life for about 2 months to bike cross country. I have a little more flexibility because I'm not like him...he's a medical doctor who is constantly on call, husband, and father of three young kids. But I'll attempt to push the issue - before we turn 40...let's book a few years in advance those 2 months...because I'm doing it whether you want to or not...ha!

On that note, I am exhausted - It was a hellish day at the office - but gratifying that we got it all done before I left at 6pm to go on a semi-long 38 mile training ride in the misty cold air + dark. It was strangely peacefull to be whispering fluidlike through the 'burbs wafting in the scent of steak and dryer sheets on aluminum, titanium, rubber, carbon fiber.

Came home, quickly woofed down dinner and began bike laundry and cleaning bike while waiting for brother. When he came...all attention to kids. Oy vay. Kids kids kids.

Speaking of which..I need to go to bed - those rascals will be up way too early for me to comprehend.

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I was about to say "well, today was just a broken record of the day before", then I realized that there's a whole younger generation who has no concept of what that means. They didn't grow up with records. Maybe tapes...mostly CDs...but not records, LPs, et al.

Work was a wild mess of office drama. No different, same old shit...same ol assholes. But it was a productive one. The weather was cloudy and colder than normal - made it dreary.

Teemed up with my bike club and we high tailed it out 20 miles towards Hamilton and did the 20 back. It was great to whirr in slick motion.

Came home, had late dinner and turned on the tv - nothing worth watching. I have found that every week that recently goes by, the less tv I watch. I still like to watch stupid drama crap like West Wing and ER (ER is a total vice, because it's dramatically stupid, but I've been following it for years). The only other show I'll watch is Two And A Half Men (1/2 hour sitcom). Besides the news (which I no longer like to watch anymore - I get news faster online), and those few tv shows, maybe an occasional late night talk show or SNL..I probably watch less than 6-8 hours of tv a week. Sometimes more if there happens to be a good movie on - which is rare.

I think mostly for not watching tv is to avoid that void of the proliferation of the dumbing down of ameriKa, where prime time tv has turned into one huge "reality" tv fest, and american idol shit. Never liked any of it. If it's not another goddamned "reality" tv show - it's gonna be a successful drama like CSI or Law n Order that just needs to be in a different city, so they can have 5 nights of CSI or Law n Order.

I just want to fucking roll my eyes.

Life is still good.

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I think I have to do this century..when in part of the description, in a really heavy Brooklyn, NY accent "Bring TWO water bottles with you or you will dehydrate and die. Have a nice day!", I present the The Montauk Century 2005 on May 15th, starting in Manhattan - biking out to Montauk, Long Island, NY. The really sexy part of this "century" is that it's 140 miles..and it's all one way. Meaning, you start in the heart of Manhattan and bike out to the total boonies in Long Island on the shore - it's beautiful out there. Then they have showers, massages, and then a steak & pasta party. Then afterwards, they trek you and your bike back to where you started in Manhattan.

I am sooo looking forward to doing this one. It's either that or the Capital to Capital Century in Richmond, VA (bike from Richmond to Williamsburg and back). Tough call - all this is 2 weekends before the Mountains of Misery, sandwiching the Attack of Mount Marion. This will be an intense training month or two.

WOrk was boring - long, important, crazy....but that's what it is...work..I do it because it's my career..and I make OK $ doing it to subsidize what I do...so yea..it was just another fricken workday. It rained all day..I was dreading the prospect of training in the rain although I knew I was going to anyways. The temp dropped down to the low 40s...it stopped raining and I went for it. Was a short 31 mile ride, but a good stretch...I need to keep some energy for my hard core ride with the bike club tomorrow night.

Put yer hands in the air like ya just don't care....that's my story..and I'm stickin to it.

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Welp - not much to say other than hard day at work, beautiful pre-Spring day, did a 41 mile training ride, dat is it.

Checkin my calendar for new events that were posted of new centuries...gotta revise a few dates.

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My mind draws a blank as to anything important that I accomplished today - beyond the ordinary. Twas a Monday, packed day at work - worked late to finish a project, oh joy. Weather was more than cooperative, on the chilly side of spring, launched on a 38 mile training ride - met up with a few biking buddies, high tailed it out to East Falls Church & back. Was a very pleasant ride. No wind, no sweat (well, not torrents of porre guysers).

Came home, ordinary set of domestic obligations - nourish, clean, unpack day of work/cycling, prepare for work, et al. Finally had an opportunity to put on my new chain rings on my triple crank (not on bike yet)..man those hex bolts were a bitch to take off. I had to put the entire crank arm in a vice (with a swiffer pad to make sure the vice teeth would not scuff the crank arms, gosh forbid)..and use an allen wrench affixed with a 12" cresent wrench in order to crack the seal to take the bolts off. Was not a minor chore. All done, the whole crankset weighs about a 1/2 lb lighter. Come mid April - I'll put the sucker on and toil up in the mountains near Purcellville on weekends, to train for the Mountains of Misery.

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I have two things to say about today. Number 1, if caught in a hailstorm, be glad you are wearing a helmet. Number 2, never go to a bike store if it is open on the same weekend day that coincides with the beginning of spring.

This was that kind of day - pallatial and spring conundrum of all sorts. I woke up late, gee for a sunday, not unusual. Did a few things around the house before I ran out to look for apartments - was not impressed by one..as we were walking down the hall...a mouse scurried in front of us. I said, "I'm sorry your apartment complex has mice - I'm not interested"..then walked off.

Went out to Vienna and found my innermost chainring to my triple crankset...oh so lovely.., a sexy 30 tooth chainring with fapalicious 74mm bolt diagonals.

After that droolfest, I sported up for a longass training ride. A few folks from the local velo club arrived at about the same time...game plan..out to Clarks Gap and back..about 60 miles total. Good deal..I was in. About 28 miles into it...i looked ahead, crap...dark sky....yes, they said it may rain. We got to Clarks gap and stopped for a moment to regroup and grab some water. Fortunately I packed my lightweight clear rain shell, tucked in my back jersey pocket - I put it on.

After Clarks gap, we were sailing along and the wind picked up, fortunately it would be pushing us back to Vienna, but we still had about 28 miles to go. Around Leesburg, it started to rain and major lightning & thunder, quick then heavy rain..then all of a sudden it began to hail. Hail the size of marbles came pinging down, bouncing off everything..I had on my bike shorts...my legs were getting pinged hard...stung...then the temperature dropped. All of a sudden, I was completely soaked besides my jersey underneath my parka. This woman in the group in front of me shook her fist up at the sky as the hail was hammering down and yelled "this fucking sucks!" we all laffed and then followed suit, thrusting our fist to the sky yelling the same. Then in about 5 minutes..it all stopped..the sun came out. We just continued on, a paceline of poetry in motion of gears clicking, the whish of lycra, titanium, carbon fiber and aluminum - until al the rain and hail melted and wicked off.

It's absolutely Spring.

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