Finally

It's been over a month, but I finally made it outside for a ride on Sunday. I attended a little get-together on Saturday night which caused me to get to bed late. That, in turn, caused me to get up late, which eliminated skate skiing for the day.

I couldn't handle the prospect of 3 hours on the trainer, so I busted out the cyclocross bike for a ride. I thought maybe the roads and paths would be clear enough for the road bike. They weren't, and I was glad I opted for the CX bike. The route I rode took me an hour longer than it normally would have due to all the hard pack ice. At times, it was sort of like mountain biking. Good times, but no pictures. I need to look into getting a new camera.



I picked up this jacket at EMS' online store for a total of $45. Pretty nice jacket for skiing, and if I were still running, it would be nice for that too. It's got an MP3 player pocket on the sleeve and a chest pocket where I put my Garmin and/or food. There are two downfalls to the jacket. It's made for skinny folk in the sleeves and shoulders but feels like it is made for less fit folk in the stomach area. It's also not windproof, but I didn't really notice that when I was skiing on Saturday. There were some decent gusts that day.

Here are the two motionbased.com files for the weekend.
Skate Ski
Ride

40k Today

Ouch. Felt a little vomitous at the end. Haven't felt that way in a while.

Clarification: On skis.

The Road

I just finished up The Road by Cormack McCarthy. I had read his book Suttree when I was in college, and heard some good things about this book.

It's about a father and son that have survived an end of days type event. Actually, the son is born after the event. The author never states exactly what happened, but you get the idea that it was nuclear holocaust. They spend their time traveling a road to get to a warmer place, or perhaps just to keep moving.

It's a dark, sad, desperate and at times disturbing book, but I have to say, it's one of the more enjoyable books I've read. The book is definitely a quick read, which is the exact opposite of Suttree. It's open ended, but as much as I would like McCarthy to write a conclusion, I don't think it will happen.

I wish I could describe it better, but I'm in a end of day, post-exercise haze. I'm feeling kind of stupid at the moment.

Here is a good review from the New York Times. Warning: the review is definitely a spoiler, so don't read it all if you think you want to read the book.

Oh yeah, and I've dug up my Suttree book and started reading it again.

I need a BEER

Have you ever had one of those days, or in my case couple of weeks, where you constantly say to yourself, "man, I need a beer (or your drink of choice)." Well, I've been saying that for a couple of weeks like I alluded to before. I've been resisting, except for my obligatory Saturday night beers, for the sake of training. How lame. Anyone else do this?

Dalton Boy Takes Another Step

Raisin rides again at Crédit Agricole training camp
By Andrew Hood
VeloNews European correspondent
This report filed January 17, 2007

Saul Raisin - the 25-year-old American climber who nearly died from a brain hemorrhage after a high-speed crash last April - continues to defy expectations.

This week, Raisin joined his Crédit Agricole teammates for the team's preseason camp along France's Cote d'Azur and is laying plans for a comeback to racing this season.

"I've just been surprising everyone, including myself on how well I am doing," Raisin told VeloNews. "The doctors can't believe it. Statistically, I should be dead or in a wheelchair. At first I just wanted to be able to live a normal life again. Now I think I can race my bike again. It's been like a miracle."

Considering how much progress Raisin has made in the past several months, his presence at the demanding pre-season camp and the seven-hour rides that go with it remind many of a similar comeback by a certain rider from Texas about a decade ago.

"To get back to the training camp is like walking on the moon. That's how far out of reach riding a bike seemed for me after my accident," he continued. "To think I could be at the team camp right now would be just like saying I'm going to go for a walk on the moon."

Last April, Raisin underwent emergency brain surgery in a French hospital after he crashed headfirst with about three kilometers to go in the first stage of the Circuit de la Sarthe.

Raisin's best guess is that he slipped on gravel as the peloton ramped up for the final sprint, meaning the speeds could have been as high as 60kph when he fell. There were other crashes in the same stage, including one that left Tyler Farrar (Cofidis) with a broken collarbone.

"I hit the ground so hard, that the force of the crash went right through my helmet into my skull. I had 50 staples holding together my head after the crash," he said. "The doctors said if I didn't have my helmet on, my head would have cracked open like an egg."

Luckily for the affable Georgian, the nearby hospital in Angers happened to be France's leading head trauma facility. Had the accident happened anywhere in France, Raisin likely would have died because he wouldn't have received the proper medical attention.

Raisin suffered a life-threatening hemorrhage overnight in the hospital and doctors said he was within minutes of dying. So much so, they even suggested to Raisin's parents when they arrived from the United States that his organs be donated if the emergency surgery was unsuccessful.

Defying the odds, Raisin not only came out of the medicine-induced coma, he removed the breathing tube from the respirator himself. Since then, he's been making tremendous strides both in his physical and mental rehabilitation.

Working with the Shepherd Center - a leading catastrophic care hospital in Atlanta - he's regaining both his mental edge as well as the physical engine that made one of the most promising young American prospects. A battery of cognitive tests conducted in late November revealed he hasn't suffered any permanent brain and physical injuries.

If fact, doctors told him if he wasn't a professional cyclist he would have the green light to return to normal activities. Doctors cautioned, however, he cannot afford a serious fall on his head for at least one year following his injury and have urged a patient return to competition.

Bolstered by such good news, Raisin is seriously plotting a return to the peloton perhaps in time for the U.S. national championships in September.

"I was joking with (Crédit Agricole manager) Roger Legeay that I want to race at the Tour of California," Raisin said. "My comeback is only a matter of when. I don't want to comeback too soon and I want to wait until I am close to 100 percent strength. Right now I feel like I'm about 65 percent physically. I want to race before the end of the year. I don't see why not."

Unlike Cofidis, who dumped Lance Armstrong when he was stricken with cancer in 1996, Crédit Agricole has honored Raisin's contract and has continued to pay him throughout his long recovery. Raisin said the support from team staff and riders has been fundamental during the uncertain road back to full health.

"The team is just awesome. They've stuck with me and they've done the right thing," he said. "They're showing everyone just how much class they have."

Raisin will stay in Europe for another week and might return to Angers to meet the French doctor who conducted the surgery and saved his life.

Then he will host the "Saul Raisin - Raisin' Hope Ride" on March 31 in Dalton, Ga. He's also working on a book with cycling author Dave Shields that's expected to hit bookshelves in September.

From there, he'll travel back to his European home base in southern France later this spring where he'll begin earnest preparations for a return to racing.

A Little Pick-Me-Up

I first had this stuff on my trip to a race in Vermont 2 years ago. Man is it potent. I had some this morning. Yeeehaw! Click on the image for more info.

This is a good one too.

A Love/Hate Relationship

Actually it's more hate than love. Come to think of it, there is no love at all. All cyclists see it as a necessary evil. I guess I love to go fast when it is time, and if you want to do that, you gotta use one of these.

I spent 7 hours on mine last week, and have 3 on it so far this week. The heavy trainer season is just starting. It's time to suck it up and start working those squares into circles.

The one pictured above is a fancier looking model than mine. It's a Volare fluid trainer. This will be my 6th season deepening the rut in the resistance wheel. That's a bazillion hours. That rut is deep, but it still gives me the resistance I need.

I Agree With Erik

http://velonews.com/race/int/articles/11436.0.html

It's time for the authorities to put-up or shut-up. If you know me or even read this blog once in a while, you know I think Dopers Suck (I want a mug, but damn they're spendy), but this is getting ridiculous. This situation now has the potential to ruin two seasons, and their is still no direct link. The Spanish authorities just seem to not-so-randomly pluck the top riders for their investigation.
http://velonews.com/race/int/articles/11431.0.html
It seem like everyone has their heads up their asses.

Latest Listenings

Snowden - Anti Anti - Pretty good stuff from an ATL band.

Wilco/Tweedy new stuff - Some of this should be on the new album

Jose Gonzales - Veneer - Good voice and lyrics

Califone - Roots & Crowns - This is one for studying.

The Decemberists - The Crane Wife - Pretty good, but so far not as good as their past efforts. Is it due to the big label signing or will it grow on me?

Want to get:
What Made Milwaukee Famous - Trying to Never Catch Up
TV On The Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain
Grizzly Bear - Yellow House

Unfortunately none of those wants are on eMusic.

Adult Sippy Cup

Picked up one of these today. I tend to spill water on myself with the Nalgene bottles. Especially when I'm driving. I thought I would give one of these a try. So far it's pretty cool. I've been drinking more water. Not sure if it's because it's something new or because of the straw effect. I wonder if my buck teeth will come back.

I'm never

going to be able to ride outside again. Oh yeah, and my camera stopped working so don't expect any pictures. Maybe I'll get back to my long, caffeine fueled diatribes of the olden days.

SNOW CONTINUES TO FALL OVER AND EAST OF THE FRONT RANGE OF
COLORADO THIS MORNING. MANY LOCATIONS ON THE PLAINS UP AGAINST THE
FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS HAVE REPORTED SNOW ACCUMULATIONS RANGING
FROM 3 TO 8 INCHES SINCE MIDNIGHT. IN THE FRONT RANGE
FOOTHILLS...REPRESENTATIVE SNOW AMOUNTS INCLUDE 11 INCHES NEAR
EVERGREEN AND A FOOT 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BOULDER.

THE COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION REPORTS ICY AND SNOW
PACKED ROAD CONDITIONS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND ACROSS MUCH OF
NORTHEAST COLORADO. AS OF 9 AM...ADEQUATE SNOW TIRES OR TIRE
CHAINS WERE REQUIRED OVER MOST MOUNTAIN PASSES AND IN THE FRONT
RANGE FOOTHILLS WEST OF THE DENVER-BOULDER METROPOLITAN AREA.

LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOWFALL SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH THIS MORNING
IN THE MOUNTAINS GENERALLY ALONG AND EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL
DIVIDE...IN THE SOUTHERN FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS...THE I-25 URBAN
CORRIDOR...AND THE PALMER DIVIDE. SNOWFALL SHOULD THEN STEADILY
TAPER OFF FROM NORTH TO SOUTH IN THE AFTERNOON...WITH SNOWFALL
ENDING IN ALL EXCEPT THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON.
WHEREAS...GUSTY NORTH WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WILL CONTINUE TO
PRODUCE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING ON THE NORTHEAST PLAINS
THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING.