Let Loose From The Noose

Over and out forever Electronic Data Systems (Navy Marine Corp Intranet contract). There are many things I'd like to say about that place of employment on this blog, but I'll save you this rant. Instead, all I'll say is, THANK GOODNESS I'M OUTTA THERE! The beast of burden has been set free onto open roads. As Tom Cochran put it:

Life's like a road that you travel on when there's one day here and the next day gone. Sometimes you bend, sometimes you stand, sometimes you turn your back to the wind.

To celebrate this occasion, I've been making a squeaky clean resume, riding a bike, and spending more time with an amazing woman.

Oh yeah, the first road race of the year was Sunday and it turned out to be a pretty interesting roll. Let me start with a picture to explain the ending - as Jonathan put it, we were only two shy of a full YMCA.

To get to that point, we had to work a bit... like 100 kilometers work. Justin and I's original team assignment was just to make the field work by going off from the gun. I gassed it from the word go and there weren't too many interested in taking up the chase. Within one mile, it was down to J-Rose, Shawn and I. Shawn didn't have to work in such a situation since he's on Bode. Within 15 miles, we'd built the gap to 2 and a half minutes! With a lap and a half left, we started the ol' one two punch game on Shawn and it was down to the two of us.

The last of four times by the state penitentiary, there was reason to be excited! To top it off, Stu and Calvin came in 3rd and 4th! Results here.

The weekend before, Charlene and I went up to Kendrick to get away from the Tragic Valley for a while. Just for chits and grins, the crew decided we had to toss balsa airplanes off a cliff. Next time we need BIG styrofoam planes!

Pops saving an ill fated plane, reaching out over 200ft of free fall. One little loopty doo just wasn't enough when it's soooo close.

On it's way down.

A nice sunny day atop a cliff, not a bad way to burn some time.

After that, we went to the Dworshak fish hatchery and ended up leaving with two large steelhead caught freshly in front of our eyes by a local Nez Perce tribe member.
There are probably 40 to 50 tanks just like this one with little steelhead trying to make a break for it just like this lil' feller.

And if you were still wondering, I got 3rd in the time trial. The wind was crazy enough that I couldn't even put an effort into the pedals on the way out. By then, my chances to do really well were gone, but oh well. The big mistake was using a tri-spoke on the front into a seriously strong side wind. The other groups had much more of an angled wind, but by the time the pro, 1, 2's were out there, it was a direct 30mph side wind. It nearly picked me up off the ground at least four times! Results here.

One last thing... got a job for me? Not anything like a militarized corporation mix that is the NMCI contract!

This pic is just going on here so I can put it as a background on myspace, gotta serve it somewhere. If you were wondering, it's on the hike to Loon Lake near McCall, fall of 2005.

Back In The Saddle And I'm Holdin' The Reins

The first race of the year is looming less than 14 hours from this moment and there are probably a few people who think I've got a shot at winning. I've started the year with a win for three straight years, but my money's not on me this year. Sure, there's an outside chance it could happen and I can guarantee that I'll be giving it hell to repeat, but there's a few names out there with more than a enough potential to rock those 10 miles in less time than I. Turn time back three years to 2005 early season form and I'd say there's nobody in five states that would have a shot baring a mechanical, but this is 2008 and cross-country and downhill skiing mixed in with hiking just doesn't seem to help make one point twenty-one gigawatts on a bike. So, it's time to get my act together. Luckily, the form has been coming around pretty fast. Here's the rundown of who can and very likely will beat me tomorrow:
Richard "Dick" Feldman - Sun Valley's multi-time Masters World Champion in the Time Trial
Sam 430 watts for 30 minutes Johnson - 'nuff said
Calvin Bigger Legs Than Matt's Allan - He's training a lot and goes fast!
Justin Princess (sorry, had to) Rose - Fit and keeps getting better at the timed test.
Anways, tomorrow Spondoro's timing chips will tell the truth of who goes fastest.

To get into some kind of form, I've done a bit of riding, here's a few random pics.
Rose flats and half of the original crew looks like monkeys looking for a football. Good thing I was taking the pic or you'd see me standing around looking like a monkey too. No, I didn't have the football!

Dump loops, a great way to get into shape, just ask climbin' Chris.

The title of the blog had to come from somewhere. Props to whoever can come up with the song it's from.

Be forewarned, the next pic is graphic and clearly very painful, so more spaces have been added. Buster's shattered collarbone (busted vice shattered was tempting).

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