We're Back!

We apologize for not posting in such a long time, I hope it hasnt effected anyone's life too much! School has definitively taken priority over posting, and time has been difficult to find around here. Its midterm season! College is very much an on and off animal. I've spent the first 5 weeks of the semester watching movies and mastering the art of the X-Box. Things change though, and all the profs feel like throwing everything they have at you this week.

Complaining aside, the birkie was today! The italians have surely stomped their athourity on this midwest race. For the past 4 or 5 years they have made rest of the world look pretty bad here, especially the Americans! Today was no exception. The italian men and women both took all 3 places on the podium! The top two men crossed the line with their timing chips purpously lined up, so as of now I still dont know who the actual winnner is! Silvio Fauner, who we all know from the italian team who handed it to the Norwegians a few olympics ago in the relay, finished 6th as he dropped the 3 americans with him in the final K's into hayward.

On the riding front, it hasnt stopped since the last update. Chad and John and I have been putting in as many rides as we can in between class. The weather has been colder than normal for this winter here, so we've been suiting up heavy. A couple trainer rides in there too!

Ride on,

Chase

Cold Weather, Wind, and Birthdays!

It seems as though the cold winter temperatures have finally set in for the long haul. The past week and the remainder of the month look to be "normal" temps at around 15 degrees in what meteoroligists are calling an "arctic freeze". This weekend was no different and both rides were around 5 degrees with wind chill. Saturday morning John, Chase, and I headed out for a three hour ride on Duran Road Race loop. We fought winds most of the ride and I think we were all feeling drained by the end. Riding the race loop we reminisced about last years race and its many travesties including being dropped for the lead group and being crashed out of a W! Goes back to Phil Liggett's time old saying "It's a viciously cruel sport." In any case we made it home wind burnt and block footed. Sunday was much of the same, high winds and and cold temps. Chase and I head for Elk Mound with a stong head wind from the North West, I think we average under 14mph, but we had a nice tail wind rolling back into the river valley.

On the social front it seems everyother person I know is having a birthday and most are turning 21. My good friends Alex and Melissa both headed to water street this weekend for their 21st birthdays and I won't be far behind. This coming weekend Sunday Feb 19th at midnight I will be heading to the Nasty on Water Street to celebrate my 21st birthday. If your in town (Craig and Jess) I hope to see you there! In the mean time train hard and train smart!

World is your playground!
Chad

You have to slay a few dragons to get to the princess

We decided that with everything going on at school this week that we would tone down the riding and take a rest week. Chad and I rode together on tuesday outside for a couple hours. It was one of the nicest days off the year on the bikes. Relatively no wind, nice warm temps, and on top of it all it was sunny sunny sunny. The quote came up "You have to slay a few dragons to get to the princess." Now this can have multiple meanings, and I think you can use it in almost any situation. For instance, if Chad is dating a girl that we, his friends, dont believe is up to par, we just brush it of and say "Hey, hes gotta slay some dragons before he finds his princess" etc etc. We, however, used it to describe all of the shitty weather that a cyclist rides through, to get one nice day like on tuesday. You midwest folks all know what I'm talking about!

Today(thursday)Chad and John and I went out for just shy of a 2 hour ride. The cold was a real shock for all of us, especially john, who's been inside on the trainer the past few days. I dont think we dressed up to snuff for the ride. However, it is February, and while I'm complaining about 24 degrees, it could be a hell of a lot worse. Lets hope the snow just decides to skip out on us this year, and doesnt try to make a fashionably late appearance in the end of March.

Pasea como el viento!

Chase

Windchill!

The past two days have been cold, I should say relativley cold because we haven't riden in under 20 degree weather all winter, and to top it off the wind was horrific! Fridays ride started out with some small flurries which accumulated into slick and wet roads by the end. Its almost more of a challenge to keep the rubber side down than it is to move forward. Needless to say we looked like we exited the pool and were caked with enough rode salt to cover a driveway! Saturday's ride wasn't much better and the temps hit a new low, I would guess around 5degrees with windchill! It took two cups of hot chocolate and maybe tear or two to warm up my red toes! Today is superbowl Sunday and John and I are getting ready to head to Castle foods to pick up our hall wide rootbeet keg, hopefully the game and commercials will be exciting! Go Seahawks, I'm gunnin' for coach Mike!

World is your playground!
Chad

Drive by Burrito

John and I made a trip up to T-bell before class today and picked up a couple seven layer burritos. I tell ya, the combination of beans and tomatos and guac sauce is just unbeatable. We were running late so I chowed one and stuck the other in my bag, with the intention of scrafing it down during class. It got busy so I had to wait till I got back to my room, which was the same time John and chad were getting ready to ride. So I suited up and thought I would just bring the bastard with me. It looked like a decent plan on paper, but riding one handed through campus and EC is tough with a burrito in one hand. I hit a decent bump and had to forget about the burrito for a sec so I didnt hit the deck. I caught it as it bounced off of my handle bars dropping guacamole and refried beans down my fork and onto my brakes. With the burrito in ruins I decided, with some peer pressure, to toss it at the back of the USPS mail truck. Its a pretty heavy burrito so it made a nice sound, got the eagle right in the head. No worries though, some dog, or little kid will find it and eat it.

It was a beutiful day in EC. Over 40 degrees for sure, and sunny on top of that. We rode for around 2 hours on the usual rodes, nothing too serious. Enough to get the blood flowing. I got a flat a couple miles out of town, but otherwise a pretty smooth ride.

This burrito is good, but it is filling......

-Chase