Over-rated things

At my level there are many things that I think are over rated... The Zipp Sub-9 disc wheel which I'm sure is great, but at $1000+ more than my Renn 575 disc I think I'll take the extra cash and actually buy gas so I can go to races. (maybe train a bit more, too...) When I bought the Orbea (used) I outfitted it with Ultegra vs. Dura Ace. Same reason. The cost- benifit ratio just didn't justify the extra cost. If I'm going to save some weight, I better put the fork down first, and spend money later. Plus, I've seen what happens when people start getting weight crazy on their bikes... (right, Bill?)

One thing that just plain isn't over-rated is breathing. Years ago when I was a pretty competitive local runner a couple friends of mine were training during the worst summer in Virginia for Ozone. 5 pm, every day we were out cranking out the miles in 95 degree plus code orange/red ozone days. By October I had this little man who sat on my chest everyday. Finally I called my PCP and told him that I thought I was dying. Since I'm not much of one for doctors, he called me in immediately.

Since then, all of my buddies who I was running with that summer have come down with sudden onset acute asthma. Most stopped running. Me, I'm on Advair every day, even though I try unsuccessfully every year to get off of it. I have to face it, its just not going to happen.

Like everyone with Asthma, I have triggers. For me, its pollen, and mold. The alergist swears I'm not allergic, that I have reactions to particulate. Like what the hell is the difference?!!! I knew that this year was going to be bad because of how mild the winter was, and as always, I haven't been disappointed. I finally got on the bike this week today. I think I averaged about 13 mph, for 17 miles, and thought I was going to die. I've been holding down the sofa for the better part of the week, and finally got some prednisone to try to get the lung swelling to go down. Pretty much everyone has been happy that the vocal cords also swelled so the voice was the first to go.

I'm really missing the whole easy breathing thing, but as with everything, this too shall pass... or kill me. I'm hoping for the pass part. So if you all see Katie, Sonya and J tommorrow at Jeff Cup, give them some good words. I'll be home, sulking on the sofa.

Greetings from the Spokesdog

Saturday, the nice folks at Contes hosted the Rostello presented by Fiorucci team. The atmosphere was decidedly like Christmas with packages of new kits, helmets, shoes and BIKES everywhere! To say the store was packed would be a definite understatement!

This is a picture of me with Felix's son, Luke. Within minutes I had him adequately trained to give me cookies on demand. He's a bright young man with a serious desire to go fast. Also pictured is Mom's smelly older brother James, Tom Doyle, Jenn Roman and James' hottie daughter, Kristin- last years Omnium winner...

Here is a picture of my whole team. I'm working on training them as well...
And here is a picture of the women's team that I co-direct with Karen. Aren't they a sharp looking bunch of bellisima! Of course, being the Cassanova that I am there was plenty of hugs and kisses to go around. Ah- ladies...

The guys were out in force, too, with braggadoccio all around. Gregg trotted out his flashy new Specialized Tarmac with that devastatingly chic carbon and gold styling. I think he's going to have to ride really fast to be on such a bike! I did get a little worried when Mom grabbed the bike and took off in her best "ride it like you stole it" routine. I was pretty sure that I was going to have to hitch a ride home to the casa! I think Luke may also be getting a fast new ride as I spied Felix trotting back a Specialized junior bike to the back room... Like I said, just like Christmas!

Only one thing could finish off such a day as this... a nice anti-pasta platter (highlighted of course with my favorite Fiorucci Genoa Salami), a nice vino rosa on the Veranda with my ladies on a chase lounge rubbing my belly... ah, to be me...

But not everyone is as lucky as me, and it would be remiss of me not to add that some of the most fabulosa dogs (such as myself) have at one time or another been an unfortunate vagabond. I myself spent a brief period of time during my gypsy years on the street and then enchanted Mom at the Richmond City Animal Shelter. I bet your next spokesdog is anxiously awaiting you there for you, too!

Chow(I hope!)

Roberto

(aka Bobdog)

Bu

Stuff

This morning's ride was probably one of the most miserable ones that I've had in I don't know how long... 33 degrees with a head wind (strong) the whole stinkin 24 miles hilly miles to Hadensville. I thought Cliff's fingers were going to fall off. Needless to say, the ride back was a death march. I've pretty much lost my voice now, and somehow lost 4 lbs on the ride. (lets hope they stay lost...)

So now I'm cooking "Stuff" and watching Milan- San Remo. Stuff is my idea of the perfect recipe. Cliff and I debate all the time who came up with it. I'll concede that to him. I think I perfected it, but he disagrees.

What makes "stuff" so good? Probably the fact that you can alter it in a million ways. Don't like onions? Leave them out. Got to much zucchini or squash? Add them. Depending on what I have, is how I make stuff. I like mine thicker for burritos, Cliff makes a kind of soup. It's that variable. Its also a gold mine of fiber, anti-oxidants and all the stuff that keeps you healthy and full of rocket fuel. (yes, it also gives you that...)

Stuff:

2 quart bags of stewed tomatoes and hot peppers (or several cans of Rotelle diced tomatoes and jalapenos.) I grow tomatoes and put up a freezer full a season...

One large onion
several green, red or orange peppers (or cheat like Cliff does and get the Hanover bag of onions and peppers.... I have knife skills and chop quick so...)

Kunzler Black beans (canned, whatever version you like, I like the hot kind with lime juice.)
Kunzler refried vegetarian black beans. (Cliff puts in another can of whole beans, I like mine thicker...)

I bag frozen corn

Box of Mexican Rice if you like it... (I tried brown rice before, not the best result...)

Jar of hot salsa.

Now you can do variations, adding zucchini, Squash, sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots, etc...

Cook for about 45 minutes at a simmer. Longer is better as the flavors come together. Cook with the lid off if you want it thick for burritos, with the lid on for soup. If it gets too thick, add a little water.

I usually serve with sun dried tomato tortillas and cheddar cheese... Yum. It feeds an army of cyclists, all of whom will come back for more.

Enjoy.

Graphics Artist Gold Mine

I've said it before, I'll say it again, the day we found Jenn was a stellar day for Cycor. Besides being a really sweet person, with gobs of talent, she has the fabulous ability to make me laugh. If that was all she did, it would be enough. That's Jenn at Sunny Hutchins learning how to go round and round with me...

Even though she had a wicked cold this weekend, she still came out to cheer us on at the Dismal Slog. Every time I looked over- there she was with a camera in hand taking snaps.
There is speedy Sonya, in her Team Rostello kit (which of course was designed by Jenn...) If you want a laugh, go to www.cycorsports.org and click on Gallery for a bunch of Jenn's photos from the warm-up for the race. I'm not sure if my favorite is the magic blue booties, or the one of me and Sonya discussing exactly how wonderful Jenn is.

Because I'm a sharing kind of person, I'll let you know that wonderful Jenn is a graphics artist, paying off college expenses. Not only does she do fabulous work, but she is not expensive. If you'd like to update your team kit and make it phat, or redo your website or marketing materials... give Jenn a shout. Her email is on the cycorsports.org website.

The Dismal Slog

Well thats what Saturday looked like.... I can only hope to God that there are no pictures of the Sufferfest that made up Dismal Slog. Gilbert Craven came up to me after the race and told me that from the amount of white gunk on my face that I must have done all that I could.

I did. Criminy, I've never given birth before (Thank you God) but it must be something like that course. Women give birth all the time, and for some strange reason they forget and do it all over again. Just like Dismal Dash. Every year I swear that I'll never do that race again, and every year I show up just so that I can make myself suffer all over again.

Poor Sonya had to put up with the "thou shalt not be late" Karen stuff. I picked her up at 6:15 am for the drive down and we got to the race course about 8 am. We started at 11 or so. Yeah, but there was no chance that we were going to miss the race because of a car snafu. It has happened before. So if you drive with me, plan on being early to the event.

The sun was shining until we pulled into the parking lot. It came back out at 3 pm. It was ffffffreeeezing on the course. Oh, and it started to drizzle while we were out there. Tie that in with mega winds, and you have the Ultimate in torture. Sonya said that on the way back she decided that she would have rather have a toothpick stuck in her tear duct than continue. I was kind of hoping that a truck would hit me so that I could say that I gave it my all until I got creamed.

It probably didn't help that BJ blew by me on that gorgous new bike of hers. That course is flat and I could see her for a long time pulling away from me. ...

Come next year I'm sure to be out there toeing the line again. But maybe next year I won't be pulling a bus behind me on the way back in!

Major Turtle Points

Most of you know that I'm on a mission: I'm bound and determined to get a bike for a little girl. What you may not know is that so many people have helped me out in a big way. Ben Brown brought me brakes this morning, Dennis Ranier is giving me 9 speed DURA ACE cranks, J is helping with $$. Mario is having a team mate drop off a bike that I'm buying from him at Jeff Cup. I love it when a plan comes to fruition. This is probably the funniest thing I've done in I don't know how long.

For everyone who has offered to help: I especially need a set of 9 speed shifters 105 or better. If you have some, let me know. But... Evelyn at Artemis has this really cool juniors program, and trust me, she could use EVERYTHING you got. (Evelyn is another one of my heroes.)

So where did I pick up the stuff? Why at the coolest little race course, the VB Smackdown at Sleepyhole. And how did Miss Karen do? Why I sucked big time, thank you very much.

Geez, it's been a coon's age since I've seen little Rachel Warner. She's all grown up now, and racing Cat 1 for Juice Plus. Nice of her to bring down fellow leg ripper-offer Amity Elliot. Tie that in with a couple squirrely-girlies on a very narrow course, with a significant wind on the back stetch and you have pop goes the weasel for Ms. Karen.

15 feet. Crap, thats what it was. I get bumped, I loose a wheel, and as soon as there was daylight in the windy backstretch I was a gonner. Pop! Poor Jane tried to work with me, but the speed just toasted her. So then I was on my own, riding my guts out, with no hope of catching back on. Crap.

So I passed lapped riders until about 8 to go and decided to sit up and wait for the pack. No sense in killing tommorrows adventure at Dismal Dash by overcooking today. When the sprint came I just sat up and rolled across.

I am mega proud of my little cat 4 girls. Sonya was 2nd, and Kat made is around clean in her first crit. It does get better Kat, I promise! Not only that, but Kristin was rocking it in the juniors winning the junior women 10-12. I had to run and couldnt get the guys results.

And for those of you suckered in by Biker Bj and her winter blahs... ha ha, she fooled you. BJ looked as amazing as ever. Just not as amazing as Ben's wife, Maria... taking a dip in the 40+ end of the pool.

Its going to be fun tommorrow. Wind, maybe rain... and BJ, Maria and Janet Edgerton. I just cant wait!

Wine and Water

To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine and to those who don't:

As Ben Franklin said: In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria. In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. Coli) - bacteria found in feces. In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop. However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine, beer (or tequila, rum, whiskey or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.

Remember: Water = Poop, Wine = Health Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of crap .There is no need to thank me for this valuable information: I'm doing it as a public service.

(this was sent to me this morning with the suggestion that I go imbibe a few...)