Cycling Phun

Phun Day Monday Ride...

2010-06-21T17:00:00.001-04:00

Today I managed to sneak out of the house for a bit and get some more miles on the MTB. What I really need to do is put some miles on the road bike! I think if I don't soon I risk my wife selling it just to prove a point. Well, 'irregardless' (**That is one of my pet peeve 'words that don't exist, yet get overly used' words). Sorry, ADHD catching up with me. I got out and had a nice ride. Wound up stopping to see the progress at Little Mountain Brewing Company and chatting a while, then getting back on the road. Got back on the bike, rode for a bit, and then tried to ride back home the way my wife drove when I was Racing The Automobile. I took her exact path, and was quite please to complete the two mile, 253 foot climb in ten minutes. Legs felt great, breathing was fast but my chest wasn't tight, it just felt good. Yup... time to get the road bike out.

Racing The Automobile...

2010-06-15T23:30:00.001-04:00

So I got out for a fairly paced ten mile ride. That is, of course, until I saw my wife three miles from our home. I thought it would be funny to race her. So, clearly without thinking, I told her, "sync our phones, and let's see who gets home first." Now, let me explain. She is in a car, automobile, vehicle. She is going about two miles, on paved road, with ONE traffic light. On the other hand you have me riding a three mile dirt trail, through a creek, up an insane/poorly graded/falling apart hill, and through the woods.

So, she cam in at nine minutes. I came in at a mere seventeen minutes. I'm going to go ahead here, use my license, and just call it. I won. I owned. My legs were burning, my shirt was drenched and I felt amazing! I need to do some stupid sh** more often.

Back In The Swing Of Things

2010-06-10T21:00:00.000-04:00

First off two quick points of business. First off, as a point of cross promotion, I was featured for The Art Of Brew (my other blog) on Drink With The Wench. Both AMAZING blogs, if I may say so myself.

Also, my buddy rich is almost completely through Virginia on his 4500 mile cross country ride. He is raising money for LiveStrong, and is accepting donations for LiveStrong on his LiveStrong page. He is now officially more that 500 miles into the journey, and it's day 10. More to follow as I hear more

So it has been about ten days now since my last post, but at least it has been for a good reason. I've been managing to get out on the bike and log some miles, and have been putting myself into a world of hurt working out my core. It's one of those weird things that my body is hurting so much that it feels so good.

I've also been making a point to eat a lot better. Skipping wings with the guys from work, eating a lot more raw, and veggie, and even being suckered into my wife's vegan habit. I have to admit that I could likely be persuaded to go vegan if I didn't have to give up cheese... Or chocolate... Or bacon. OK, I could give up bacon, but it's SO good.

Anyway, I think this is going to call for a July ride in Cleveland. Likely the Towpath once again. So if you're in the area, or want to be, drop me a line and you can meet up with us.

Cheers, for now!

Possible Winds Of Change?!

2010-06-01T17:00:00.001-04:00

If you missed yesterday, check out the post about my buddy Rich who is riding from VA to OR and raising money for LiveStrong. If you can, please consider donating a few buck (or more) to his LiveStrong page. I'll keep writing about his journey as I get info from him on his ride.

WHAT?! This is the third post in a week. I got two rides in, in that time. I've started a (minimal, but still...) amount of core building. All in all, I think this might just turn out OK. I have spent the last year feeling like my life has fallen apart, but suddenly I've seen a light at the end of the tunnel. NOTHING I has seemed to go the way I planned, but now it looks as though a ray of sun is breaking the clouds.

Let's take today as an example. I had a crappy day, turned good day, turned uh-mazing. I took the anger of the day and turned it into cranking out a hilly seven mile ride, like I've never killed it in the past. I think I ride much better when someone pisses me off. It's like I need an assistant to just piss me off before I ride so I can hammer that much harder. I am in HORRIBLE physical shape right now. I've decreased in fitness, increased in weight and am 180º opposite of where I was in 2008. But today was different. I threw on my iPod (I know, I DID write about how I hate people riding with iPods), gritted my teeth and just killed it. It felt so good.

So now I sit here eating a few peanuts and some watermelon, legs burning, with a GIANT smile on my face. Turning point? Dammit, I hope so!

My Buddy Rich Is Crazy...

2010-05-31T17:00:00.002-04:00

I'm writing this in hopes that my buddy Rich isn't going to be pissed at me, but I had to talk him up. You see, Rich is riding cross country for LiveStrong. Thats right folks, 4,500 miles from Yorktown, VA to Astoria, OR. Crazy, probably but Rich is incredibly badass. With that in mind, Rich will be fundraising for LiveStrong while he is out riding. He leaves Tuesday, June 1 and will take three months going cross country seeing the sites along the way.

If you are able and/or interested, you can donate to his LiveStrong page. I will also make sure that I update his progress when I hear from him.

Let the journey begin! Dipping his rear tire in York River/Atlantic Ocean, Yorktown Virginia... Astoria Oregon or bust!!! Only 4500 miles to go... Holy crap!!!

Godspeed, Rich! Keep fighting the good fight for LAF!

Phun Is NOT Dead... No, Really... I'm Not

2010-05-25T22:00:00.001-04:00

Hey all, I know it's been a while (one month, one week, and one day to be specific) since you've heard from me. I wanted to take a minute to say hello, assure you I am not dead, and the blog will go on. It might be sparse (hopefully not 1Y/1M/1D) but it will still be here. Things are in all sorts of chaos right now, but I and mine are well. Busy, but well. I am in the midst of many things right now that are occupying my time, and Cycling Phun has hurt a bit for that. I will be updating, and it should get juicy!

One thing is I am getting ready to start to do one of two things. I want to get back into The Lean Look: Burn Fat, Tone Muscles and Transform Your Body in Twelve Weeks Using the Secrets of Professional Athletes by Paul Goldberg and Matthew Fitzgerald. I just love to say the full title, it's just so freaking long. I've said it before and will say it again, "I think Paul and Matthew should hook me up for how much I've pimped the book on this blog now, don'tcha think? - hint, wink" I'll either do that, or I might start P90X. I've seen awesome things happen to friends, and think it might be an option as well. Anyone here do the P90X thing?

I've also been going back and forth on whether or not I want to go back to the veggie route. I did it a while back and felt great while I was vegetarian. Also, the ol' lady has decided to take a hardcore approach into the world of veganism. I am NOT that hardcore, nor do I want to be. On a serious note: anyone who has ANY input or thoughts... I'd LOVE to hear them! Drop a line in the comments, please. If you need to you can also hit me up on the upper right corner... The "contact me" button.

To leave you with a positive note. I have been getting light exercise in, and I even got a nice, fairly hard pace, ride in recently. It was hot, humid, and I was sweating my ass off. It felt SO good! Even took some time to find a really nice path, with a great photo op. Enjoy it, and I'll be back soon! PEACE!

-Don

Turning Cranks

2010-04-14T20:00:00.000-04:00

I had a meeting out of the office today at 3:00 and decided, two days ago, that I was totally playing hooky afterward. So, I got home at 4:00, had a light dinner, skipped lunch so I was hungry, and jumped on the bike. Got about two hours in the saddle today, and man did it feel good. Last time I went out, and totally got creamed by the fact I was out of practice, I really overextended myself. This was going to be all about pacing myself, and keeping the cranks turning. Well, that's just what I did. Up hill, down hill, turns, flats, whatever. I just focused on staying in a moderate gear and turning.

It was a great day for a ride too! Through the woods, across the creek, no iPod just listening to nature all around me. I was, however, also reminded just how much I hate limestone. Have you had the misfortune of riding on it? It sucks! But not even lime stone could piss me off. OK, so dropping my chain off the big ring mid-pedal, might have got me a bit tweaked. I'm beginning to think that maybe I need a new chain.

Anyway, got home and did some stuff around the yard. Got the lines strung for my hop plants to grow on, and now this. All in all, not a bad afternoon.

Day One Of Re-re-re-re-re-starting The Working Out Stuff: Cooked

2010-04-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

So, after a trip to the most magical place on Earth, and eating like crap for a week, continuing that for a month afterward from home, etc. I am currently up ten or so pounds. It fluctuates between ten and fifteen. Epic freaking suck. I went out and tried to ride fairly seriously, and felt every bit of it. Asthma was acting up, it hasn't in about a year and a half, I felt like someone was forcing a tire iron in my right side, it was just a hot mess. I feel bad as hell for the person who agreed to ride with me that day. I just sucked.

So, today I started some of my Lean Look exercise routine, and am hoping to build up to starting P90X soon. I'm pretty sure that will be a nice mix of love, hate, pain, joy, happiness, and regret, but also know it will be worth it. I need to build up my muscle tone, again, and start losing fat. Why is it that when you hit, like, 30 everything goes to crap exponentially faster? I have actually, also, been debating going veg again. The wife wants to try going vegan, and I keep telling her she is in-freaking-sane! First off, how the hell do you give up cheese?! Just asking... It's the worlds most perfect food! Anyway, I'd love your opinions on vegetarianism. Any of you doing it? I did a while ago, but fell prey to a 13oz fillet. I ate about a third or a half of it... Mistake. Thought I was going to die. Started back on meat.

Well that's it for now, back to the grind. back to trying to get some level of health and fitness about myself.

This Just In: Bike Snob (BSNY) Reveals His Identity

2010-03-30T10:00:00.000-04:00

For those of you who are regulars in the bike blog scene, you know about the ambiguous Bike Snob (ie: BSNY). What you might not know is WHO BIke Snob is. Well, after a very long time of keeping his identity closely guarded, Bike snob (Eben Weiss, 36 of NY) is letting it all go. Eben is a 36 year old ex- bike messenger who grew up riding BMX and is in the heart of the media mayhem. He spent more than a decade in the publishing industry working with the Ralph M. Vicinanza, Ltd. literary agency. He is married and his wife, Sara Goodman, is an editor at St. Martin's Press. Eben and Sara are expecting their first child in May. He is a local racing amateur sponsored by Gotham Bikes in New York City. You can read more about him at Wall Street Journal.

Something Wicked Cool, That Might Just Come In Handy

2010-03-22T21:58:00.001-04:00

OK, so I know that this is a week old, or so, but I have been playing around with this and just LOVE it! For those of you who might not have heard, might be living in a box, or are generally not on the internet or don't own a computer (wait... if you don't have a computer I guess you wouldn't be reading this). Anyway, recently the gods at Google updated their Google Maps program to include directions by bicycle. This includes the best routes from point A to point B by bicycle, as well and mapping out any of the transportation trails in the area. Like this:See all the cool green lines in the photo? That's where there are bike specific lanes, or bike paths in the area surrounding Cleveland. Pretty cool, eh?

You just go to Google Maps, and where there is the "more button" on the upper right corner of the map by the "Map", "Satellite", etc, buttons. Click the "More" button and check the "Bicycle" box. That simple!

OH! If someone from Google happens to be reading this; I just had a birthday and would love one of these
if you could please... and a fluid trainer, but that's another story.

Happy St Patrick's Day! I'm Going Freakin' MAD!

2010-03-17T17:00:00.001-04:00

Hello all! I was actually just thinking about letting this bad boy go for another ten days, just so I could see that it's been a full month since my last post, but I couldn't do it. I know that so many of you out there are hanging on my every word, that it's been breaking your hearts to have me absent for such a span of time. Please note: This has ALL been sarcasm. Truth is, I often wonder if I just pulled the blog what would happen? Then I look at my analytics, and see how many people are checking in, and I feel like I can't. Furthermore, I feel guilty for not giving people who are checking it something to read, then I wonder why the hell I'm so lucky to have people reading it, then I feel bad again, luck, bad, lucky...

So the bottom line, as always, is this; I will continue to write if you continue to read. Things will be getting better, more interesting, and more frequent. (Lord, if you are listening... HELP!) Part of the issue has been I really haven't had the time to ride with some of the current events in my life, with the current climate (weather and economy) being the way they are, and coming off of a WAY too short, but much needed, one week vacation. My hope and prayer is to get back half way into the shape I was this time last year. I'm ten pounds (and change) up on where I was, and I promise that my muscle tone is way hurting too.

So the plan? To hit the bike again this summer. Hopefully harder than last year. I would like to get weekly rides, and would like them to truly be weekly this year. I want to get the damn weight bench I was supposed to get last summer, and use it. Who knows, I might even go veg again for a while. I'd probably go pseudo-vegetarian and fish, possibly chicken, but who knows. I just know that there needs to be change again, and no time is better than the present!

With that, please keep in touch, and let me know what you think and what you're up to in the comments, and I hope to deliver a better Q2-Q4 in 2010!

All my best!
Don

Still Crazy In The New Year

2010-02-27T17:00:00.000-05:00

Well, I had hoped that the pace of life would calm, and give me more time to exercise... and ride. No such luck. The first two months have been at least as crazy as the twelve before it. I was hoping and praying to get in the saddle this weekend, and then it came. About 48 hours of snow. The one thing that I hate about Cleveland is it's extremes. It seems it's 95º and 85% humidity, or 25º and 8-10' of snow. there are few in-betweens, and even those suck, 40-50º and rainy.

II have been able to float around the 190# range, I have NO idea how. I haven't been eating well, I haven't been exercising (nearly at all), I haven't been riding IN MONTHS, but yet I must be doing something right. Maybe the key is minimal exercise and half watching what you're eating is enough to get by, but I need some more weight loss.

One thing that I have been considering is going to a vegetarian diet. II did go veg for a short while about ten years ago, and I seem to remember liking how I felt. I have to confess here, I did eat minimal fish during that stint, some eggs, and very minimal chicken, so I can't claim I was 100% veg. I did try to have other proteins (rather than fish and chicken) during that time, and whenever possible, but sushi was like a treat to me. Like candy!

What do you think? Any of you guys, and gals, going the vegetarian or pseudo vegetarian roll? How's it working for you? I'd love any thoughts you have on it.

Catch you soon!

The Olympics And Fitness

2010-02-18T00:00:00.002-05:00

HAPPY LENT, to all of my fellow Catholic friends! Today is Ash Wednesday, and I am SO buried in work, work, home, family, work, LIFE! I haven't slept through the night in at LEAST six months, I'd argue probably more like almost a year now. I quite honestly don't know how the hell I'm even functioning at this point. On the positive side? I am still in the 188 range. The reason this is good, I have managed to keep my shit (weight) in the high one-eighties and out of the one-nineties. I have been half-ass exercising, I have been kind of watching what I eat, but I have been keep consistent. Yay for me? What ever. This summer in the saddle is going to prove to be a bitch.

Sidebar: I am SO into the Winter Olympics this year! Kudos to America's hat for hosting a wicked great Olympic Games! Shaun White, you are the most sickest on EARTH! BEST snowboard halfpipe run I've EVER seen! Lindsey Vonn, you are so hot! I just LOVE IT! I seriously wish I could blow off work, stay home, and watch! I'm even getting into the thing where they throw the giant cheese wheel down the ice (curling). I'm just loving it! For now, that''s all I have. I promise to get more consistent soon, once I get some TITS (Time In The Saddle - I stole that from Judi). Hope you're all enjoying life!

I will likely move a weekly round up to Friday or Saturday, and OH! Likely a post will come Sunday or Monday, also likely it will relate to the beer event I am going to be at Sunday. Sorry...
CHEERS!
Don

Cold, Sick, And Leveling Off A Bit

2010-02-06T19:04:00.002-05:00

Well it is winter in Cleveland, after all. I guess I should've seen it coming, like it seems to every February. It's that time of year again in Cleveland. The time of year when it gets mild, then cold, mild again, freezing, snows to beat the banshee, thaw, cold... You get it. I am totally sick, it is wicked cold, and there's no way I'm riding. I've actually put aside the core workouts and such as well. I guess I can't complain, because for now I'm still holding off in the high 180's.

One very positive thing, though, is that Spin Bike Shop will be having their annual customer appreciation sale. This year has been a bit rough in a sales related industry, so no bikes this year for sure. *Says while chuckling. I can't think of anything I actually need, thank goodness, so at least I'll hopefully save some cash over the past few years. Anyway, it is sure to be a great time, with amazing people, and some pretty cool games and competitions. It's always been an amazing time in the past, More on that to come.

For now; vitamins, sleep, get better and back to the workout.

Yay For Weight Loss

2010-01-28T11:00:00.002-05:00

Well it's been about a week, I know... "[I] suck", since I last posted here. I have been posting along with the brewer Thomas at The Art Of Brew somewhat more regularly, and as things settle in life a bit I will be hammering away at both Cycling Phun and The Art Of Brew. Then again, it is the winter in Ohio, really quite cold, and kinda crappy. Not a whole lot of riding going on right now to report. The weather has been just cold enough to suck, but just warm enough to be slushy snow and ground that won't freeze. Soft ground+cold rain=no bueno por ciclismo.

Luckily I have been getting back into core workouts (which, honestly, is a part of the reason the posts have been sparse), eating better and less, drinking less beer (surprisingly! I've really been writing about it more than I've been drinking it) and such, and it really is paying off. I can't promise once we get the brewery sculpture built I'll fair so well on the drinking part, but... Regardless of what might happen, right now I'm back on my way to some sort of fitness. I'm back down into the 180's, high 180's, but 180's nonetheless. I can already see the fat bump going away, and feel my abs tightening. The core exercises that were killing me just a week ago, now feel "good". I say "good", because I mean they've transitioned from the pain that lingers, to the lighter pain that turns to a really sweet-ass burn when resting.

I am actually at a point now, where I am SO anxious for the weather to break so I could start turning cranks again outdoors. Likewise, still looking to trade a set of rollers or sell a set of rollers so I can acquire a trainer. If you know of anyone who might be interested, use the "you can contact me by clicking here" button in the upper right hand corner of the sidebar on the right. Hope y'all are doing well, and thanks as always for your readership!

Positive Trending

2010-01-19T00:00:00.000-05:00

OK, so it has been fifteen days since my last post, once again I will apologize and ask (nay, beg) that you please bear with me while I try to put my life in order. I have seen the official demise of the only cool bike shop within a forty minute drive, I have had countless issues with time, work has been so stagnant that algae is officially starting to grow on it, and there is nearly NOTHING keeping me motivated for shit! I know, I usually do my best to not use vulgarity in my posting but this is the real me. The real pissed off me. The one real advantage to this, is I have had some of the best motivation through my anger.

Example, some of my hardest riding has been right after a blow up over something, or generally bad event in my life getting me so hot that I just go out, put my head down and turn cranks. Arguably one of my best rides turned out like this. I got so zoned that I was staring in front of me, turning cranks, forgot where I was, looked down and I was pacing at about 20 MPH on a flat. I NEVER get up to 20, I usually hit the high end of my comfort zone at 17. Irregardless (Yes I know... I meant it... As an inside joke. It's a pet peeve of mine), anger motivates me.

I do have some positives going on right now. Like the trending down from a high of 195 right after the new year. I had a week of craziness with one of the kids in the hospital for emergency surgery (It's OK... problem solved, everyone is healthy!), and a crazy work schedule (both jobs) that lead to what I'd like to call "convenience eating". You know, when you eat what is convenient, not really what's good. Example, in the part-time job we had Wendy's. So, while we were locked out of the truck, we were sitting in Wendy's... and got a round of Frosty's. At the hospital, a place of health, a Chipotle-esque burrito, not wholly unhealthy, but then again it could be worse.

Bottom line is in the last two weeks, I have dropped back down five pounds, to an even 190. Not nearly as cool as the 179 all time low, but far better than continuing upward. One of the things I have learned is to pick my battles. I'm not going for getting back to perfect shape in a month, I'm going for slow and steady, and to be back as close to my optimal health by the time the snow melts and I'm on the road bike. For now, that means eating better again, and getting back into core workouts, strength workouts, adding in aerobic workouts and intervals, and rebuilding.

So, for now, there you have it! 190 and dropping. Hopefully this will become a trend.

Finally A Ride!

2010-01-04T17:00:00.001-05:00

My only regret is that my camera officially took it's last proverbial breath. Sunday I got out in the 20ºf (3ºf with windchill), 30 MPH wind, with snow squalls weather that is a "beautiful" January day in Cleveland. I dropped the pressure in the Rockhopper to about 25 - 30 PSI and hit the trails. No worries, the trails are crushed lime, so there's no chance of tearing them up.

I was only out about an hour, and only got a couple miles at best, but in about a foot or so of fresh snow it was a little bit more of a challenge from what I remember last year. That is to say, by the time all was said and done I felt cooked! My legs were both frozen to the bone, and muscles burning at the same time. My lungs hurt from the cold, even with wearing a bandana, and every bit of me was as tense as I've felt in years. I actually wondered if it is the slip in fitness, the fact that I haven't been getting to the chiropractor, or a combination of the two.

I realize now, that I really need to get back to stepping up my game. I dread the thought of how crappy I'm going to be on hills, after I was getting so used to climbing. Sad part is, I have no one to blame but myself. Hopefully, I can find a few people in the Cleveland area in 2010 that will actually want to consistently ride. Only a couple people did Monday night rides with me consistently last year. I'm sure I don't have to tell you, but you don't ride nearly as hard by yourself as you do with a person or persons.

Well, that's it for now. Hope everyone had a great new year, and I'll catch you soon.

A New Year And (Hopefully) A New Don?!

2010-01-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

The idea of losing weight might just be the end of me! I haven't worked out now in a while, and life's chaos is taking its toll mentally. Because of said mental toll combined with time constraints I have not worked out, much less had a serious ride since, like, July. Let me ask this: ever notice that it's so easy to fall out of fitness and become a total lardass, but when it comes to losing the weight and getting heathy it's bloody murder?! I wish someone could tell me why you could put on ten pounds over a weekend, but it takes two to three weeks to take it back off? Bottom line; I am at 193 now, still, and have a goal weight of 170 lbs. With that I have a little more than six months to get into better physical shape, that is to say toned. I'm not asking for miracles, I don't expect to be the ripped centerfold in Mens Health (as an aside, why the hell is that there? I don't want to see some dude who is so ripped that he could easily kick my ass. Furthermore, I don't really want to see him shirtless and oiled while I'm sitting on the porcelain throne), but I'd like to get back to where I was a year ago, and then some. Some solid muscle tone. After all, that is what the The Lean Look is all about, and is what I was striving for.

Ugh... it's going to be a rough 2010, isn't it? Back to some regular type training. Intervals, strength, etc. 2009 was a bitch. Had to drop the YMCA membership, working two jobs, the wife picking up a part-time gig... My time was non-existent. Now I just need to hope for time to train in the 2010, and the people to motivate and hold me accountable. I had TWO friends who were serious about riding with me and keeping me accountable last year. I hope I could find the time to really get with some people, and the people to get with to make a difference in 2010.

A Sad Day On The Horizon

2009-12-29T17:00:00.001-05:00

It is truly a sad day... Why, you ask? Because the LBS (local bike store) has seen the end of an era. The east side Cleveland location of Spin Bike Shop will close tomorrow, December 30th. The Lakewood location will remain open, but alas Willoughby shall be no longer.

If you're in the NE Ohio area, they have some really sweet deals going on through tomorrow. Thank you, guys, for all that you have done! If it weren't for the Willoughby Spin crew I likely would not have embraced cycling, or this blog, or any sort of anything resembling fitness. You (the Spin crew) are going to be missed in Willoughby.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T19:28:00.002-05:00

OK, so I have clearly failed in my attempt to get SOMETHING posted by now, but alas my life will not allow. So, for now I would like to wish all of my readers a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

I will be posting a quickie over the weekend, and I will be, God willing, slightly more regular starting very soon.

Thanks for your continued comments, and support over the last year, and I hope for 2010 to be a little bit more sane!

Don

Twenty Days Later

2009-12-20T22:48:00.002-05:00

Yeah, I suck. What can I say. My life is on indefinite hold and chaotic all at the same time. Make sense? No? OK, let me try to explain here. I work HR (recruiting, benefits, etc - full scale HR) for a living, the economy sucks (expletive deleted) with a straw, because of this my job sucks hard. With that in mind I've been picking up side jobs where I can, and doing what I need to, dig? likewise the ol' lady picked up something. It all helps to get by, but it suck big time when you're trying to hold a weight loss plan, or something resembling normality. Hence the posting has suffered.

As far as the weight loss? Yeah, that has suffered too. Just when I thought I was turning a corner, BOOM! It all blew up again. So, I have been less than perfect at the whole working out scene, and forget eating well. I mean, I guess I have been eating OK, but not like I should. I have managed to keep constant at just either side of 192, but I want to be at 170, so...

Lastly, for today, I am thinking about ditching the rollers in lieu of a trainer. I just can't concentrate in my home enough to ride 'em. A trainer would be SO much easier. So if anyone is interested in trading a trainer for rollers, buying a set of rollers, or something along these lines, please message me at the "contact me" button on the upper right hand corner.

World Of Hurt

2009-11-30T20:03:00.001-05:00

Well, after about eight months, plus or minus, of chaos in my life, and putting aside the workouts I have (kind of) started back into it. Tonight was day one of muscle building exercise. Let me start by saying I can't believe how far you can fall in a short amount of time. I felt so great early this year with my rides. Legs felt great, lungs felt great, just full of piss and vigor. Now, not so much. Add to the slow down, OK near halt, of almost all activity a great deal of stagnation and I am in a world of pain tonight.

I started in on the muscle building where I left off in, like, March-ish... Yeah, not the best idea I've had in a wile. After knocking it back a few steps I got through the workout, and am sitting here aching in places that I forgot existed. I will say this, it is a good kind of hurt. You know the kind; your muscles burn, they get tense and sore... but you sit back with a big smile.

So, from here on out the plan is to do some muscle building to get back into the swing every other day. Once I am getting back into the swing, I'll add in some intervals, until by the start of 2010 I am back into the full swing of The Lean Look: Burn Fat, Tone Muscles and Transform Your Body in Twelve Weeks Using the Secrets of Professional Athletes by Paul Goldberg and Matthew Fitzgerald. GOD! I just love to say the full title, it's just so freaking long. (Sidebar: Paul and Matthew should hook me up for how much I've pimped the book on this blog now, don'tcha think? - hint, wink)

Anyway, I lost fifty or so pounds and put ten or so back in the last six months. Just imagine where I can go from here. My next ideal weight, for 2010, is 170. There I said it, it's official. Once I hit 170, I'll see how I look and feel and decide from there how much further I want to go, or whether I need a different muscle building program, whatever.

Also, I would love to start a serious ride once a week from May (unless April is really nice in 2010) through September (unless October is really nice in 2010). Once a week, after work (or on a weekend day), whatever it takes. if you're in the Cleveland area, I'd love for you to be a part of it. If not, maybe I'll finally bite the bullet and join the Cleveland Touring Club. Who knows? They're a great group of guys and gals, it could be a lot of fun.

Bottom line, I need to get back to where I was, build from there, and get better. Physically, mentally, emotionally.

Thanksgiving and Fitness

2009-11-26T19:00:00.000-05:00

Heh, heh, heh... I had to title it that. I know, you think the two have nothing to do with each other, right? Couldn't be more wrong. So, first off, I'd like to take a minute to wish all of the stateside readers a very Happy Thanksgiving. I am thankful for all of my readers around the world, and would certainly be in a different place right now without you guys. You give me a reason to write, hold me (and one-another) accountable, and inspire me. Thank you for taking the time to check my little ol' blog!

As far as the link from fitness to Thanksgiving? Well, it's pretty simple, really. You get out of your body what you put into it. Fill it with a bunch of crap and you get, you guessed it, crap! Fill it with good wholesome things, you get power, strength, energy, and the like. So, this year I cut way back on my Thanksgiving intake. I had a few beers, but cut the food way back. I ate mostly turkey. Good, lean, protein. I did have some stuffing, about a tablespoon of mashed potatoes, a tablespoon of green bean casserole (not as good as straight green beans, but...), and a table spoon of sweet potatoes. I also had minimal in the way of desert. Just enough to taste it.

You see, the key in watching what you what you eat is not to starve yourself. Rather it's to think out what you're taking in, maximize the healthy portions, and limit the "less than healthy" junk. As an example, one thing that I did early on was to take my favorite foods and modify them. I LOVE burgers, but burgers could be murder on a diet. Buns, cheese, bacon, mayo, and on, and on, and... You get it. I took my favorite burgers and turned them into something special. I took the best and lowest fat meat that I could find and I fried them up. I sautéed mushrooms, onions, and peppers and put those on top, then sprinkled some blue cheese crumbles on top. The blue cheese, being so strong, was flavorful with a minimal amount. I served it with a healthy salad, with some raw nuts (extra protein and good fats) and veggies.

Get the point? It's all about modifying the input. Of course you still need to exercise, and whatnot, but watching what you eat sure goes a long way.

Weight Loss Week Two

2009-11-23T17:00:00.000-05:00

So this whole "not having a computer at my disposal" crap is killing me! When I have the time to get out a post, I don't have to computer to do it. With that said, this weeks weight loss post will, still, be a bit lame.
As you probably know by now; myself, Bluenoser, Munky, Clyde, Lily, and Trio have all agreed to do something for the time being about some extra weight in our lives. My first week started at a 193 weigh-in on Monday of last week. This week I was still at the same 193 as of Sunday morning, and forgot to weigh on Monday. I have started some very minimal exercise, but have not had the opportunity to get out on the bike as I said I would.

I am, however, back on the Muesli Diet. Last time I did Muesli I lost a ton of weight. It was Sprocketboy's Muesli that he recommended. I started Muesli-fest today, Monday.

Going into Thanksgiving on Thursday I plan on cutting back food, and no beer except on Thursday. I also need to pull out the workout routine I was doing out of "Lean Look". For anyone looking to drop a few pounds, I highly recommend this book.

Would love to hear what you're doing, if you're trying to keep the pounds off during the holidays. Leave me a comment, and check back soon!

Cheers, for now!

The First Week Of Weight Loss. So Far, Uh, So Far?

2009-11-18T12:00:00.001-05:00

Well... Hello to Bluenoser, Munky, Clyde, Lily, and Trio. Where to begin? So the first week started at a 193 weigh-in on Monday. Since then, two thirteen plus hour work days have given way to poor eating, lack of exercise and being completely wasted-tired by the time I got home. So the bottom line is as of Wednesday morning, still a not-so-svelte 193.

I did not manage, due to time and lack of planning, to get my muesli made, so I have not kicked back on the Muesli Diet. For those of you who may be new or not remember, I lost a ton of weight through exercise and a diet of Sprocketboy's Muesli. I will be going back to Muesli starting Monday.

I also hope to get a, roughly, twenty-five mile ride in on Saturday and a shorter fun ride, mountain bike, on Sunday. I will also be getting back in the habit of doing some of the "Lean Look" exercises.

How about you guys? Also, anyone else who is interested in joining else on the fun, feel free to jump in. Just leave your info in the comments section.

Cheers, for now!

Calling Out To The Fitness Geeks

2009-11-11T19:00:00.001-05:00

OK, OK, OK... So it's been a hot minute since I've posted regularly. Likewise since I've seriously been turning cranks. Furthermore an eternity since I've had any serious level of fitness. I have a feeling that is all about to change. Recently I have been stressing out, and have been at home a lot more often. One major problem with that comes the serious problem of grazing. If you are not familiar with grazing, let me explain. You walk past the kitchen, do a double-take, go into the kitchen. Once in the kitchen you take ice cream, crush cookies on top, keep looking, grab the whipped cream and throw a dollop on, then move that concoction on a brownie that you warmed in the microwave, and finally cover it with chocolate. Disclaimer: I haven't done this, it was just an example I got carried away with... But now that I think of it, I wonder how much of it I have here...

Digressing... So I have a serious problem being in my home, for extended periods, stressing out, and around food. With all of that said, I have gained about 10 pounds in the last three months or so. I am officially back into the 190 range, and need to drop back to the sub 180 range. The lowest I have been in the last two years has been 180, so I think that will become my new goal. With all of the holiday's coming up, and all of the engorging that will occur, my goal will be to drop to 180 lbs by year end. Anyone on board with me?

Here's what we'll do... I don't have the time or money to do a prize this time around, and since we're publicly embarrassing Don; I still owe Bluenoser his prizes from last December. My suggestion is accountability. Set a fitness and/or weight loss goal for year end, and push for it. I don't care what you are eating, I don't care what your exercise is, so long as you're growing toward your goal. If you're not reaching the goal I will ride you, like my Rockhopper, until you do. Likewise, I'll expect that you do the same. Anyone up for it? Drop me a comment and lets get cracking. We start Monday! Hope I could get 3-5 of you to get on board, I'm sure that I can at LEAST count on Bluenoser, right? C'mon, it'll be fun, and we'll all be a bit better for it going into 2010.

I SO Want To Try This

2009-11-09T00:00:00.001-05:00

There are so many different things in life that I just want to try to say that I've done them. THIS is one of them. I've always wanted to try to unicycle. While I was watching TV today, I saw something really cool, more on that tomorrow, and it got me to thinking.

Have any of you guys ever tried the one wheeled wonder? I would love advice, then just need to find someone with a unicycle that would let me try it out... I totally don't care enough to buy one...

Ugh...

2009-11-05T20:35:00.003-05:00

Just in case you were curious how slow it has been around here, as if you couldn't tell by the current state of the blog, I wanted to just keep you all in the loop (vent) about what's been going on. I am still sans my main computer, business is still way down, and I haven't turned a crank in well over two months now. Just to reiterate, if anyone out there has a power supply for a 1.42DP G4 Mirror Doorthat you could give up really cheep, or free!... preferably free, please message me. A college career might depend on it. Yeah, I still need to recover the wifes colleg work from it, and the clock is ticking. I've been that crazy.

As far as riding, I would LOVE to do a Black Friday ride in Cleveland I was thinking maybe of the Ohio Erie Canal Toe Path Trail for a leisurely ride. Cleveland south, and back. Likewise, it'll probably pause on the way back at the Winking Lizard for a few beers and a late lunch. Any takers? I need to get one good ride in this year, and this could be it.

Weekly roundup October 29, 2009

2009-10-29T12:00:00.000-04:00

The aforementioned G4 Power Supply go boom story is still effecting what I can and cannot do. I have had almost no time, it seems, to my computer since I am now forced to share it with my wife who is in college. That, combined with the ridiculous amount of work I’ve been doing, and the added house work with said wife in said college… Ugh. I actually was debating which is likely to happen first; lose my freaking mind or have a massive heart attack. No kidding. So, for now I’m going to get out what I can. please enjoy a Weekly Roundup, and my apologies for keeping you hanging… I’ll try to get better about keeping current here.

Fat Cyclist: I’m just going to leave Fatty at this; check out Fat Cyclist’s Blog! Fatty has been writing about the awesome Austin LiveStrong Challenge, and the Ride For The Roses. Congratulations Fatty on having the record for most money raised by a team at more than three-quarters of a million dollars! WOW! I guess if we must be exact $773,874.30… Give or take a few bucks. That’s a LOT of cancer fighting, and a lot of people being helped. Check out his blog, the last week is pictures of the Austin events, stories, videos, and pictures of the Team Fatty members who were able to make it out to Austin. Congratulations Fatty on doing a wonderful thing. God bless, man!

HighwayMunky: My buddy across the pond the HighwayMunky has me worried lately. First he posts a blog about the pros and cons of wearing a helmet now this, Slipping The Traffic. That’s right, he’s taken to the risky behavior of playing dogems with the metal monsters on the road. PLEASE Munky! Please be careful man. I have, however, decided by reading his blog that I really need to get to England and ride. It sounds awesome and beautiful. By the way, Munky… Arm warmers are AWESOME!

50K Loop NS: Poor Bluenoser’s cross season seems to be over before it started. He took a header before, and apparently it was pretty damn bad. Well, now apparently it’s official, It’s Over. Yup, the fat lady has sung, and he’s calling it dead. Sorry bout the shoulder, Blue… I’ve been there YEARS ago. When I rode dirt BMX I was on pavement and went over the bars… It sucks. I hope you’re better soon!

Harp Rider: There are two reasons I am posting about Harp this week… One is I, too, Need More Singletrack. I think I might not remember how to ride, it’s been so long. The second reason is that he MIGHT just be more geeked out on Kevin Smith than I. Way to go, Harp! Hope you get at least one more epic ride, before the white stuff.

Cozy Beehive: Finally, today, Ron touches on a subject near and dear to my heart. Mainly, Velo Taboo: Wearing Underwear Inside Shorts. I had a friend who was talking about lycra, and was asking how I could wear them without underwear. First off, I wear boxers… Yeah, big baggy pants under tight? Second, I had a friend wear tighty-whities under jeans for a 25 miler… He called me, nearly in tears, because he had blisters from the rubbing. This is a GREAT point, Ron! Keep up the good work.

Well, that’s all I have for this week. Snow will be here soon, ride while you can! I’m the Phun Cyclist, stay classy Cleveland.

Time, Time, Time... Where Has It Gone? Where Can I Get More

2009-10-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

So you may have noticed that I've been kinda MIA lately. I promise that I will be here, I've just been consumed by "the new project." By that I mean The Art Of Brew. That's right! It's been a long time coming but my brewing confidante, Thomas, and I have officially launched the craft brew blog.It's long been a passion of mine, and I have been wanting to get it out for some time. Well, now is that time. I found the right person who had a very similar idea, and similar passion and, as they say, the rest is history!

We still have a few kinks to work out, but the site is live, and we've started to populate! Please take a minute to stop by, check it out and let us know what you think. We'll be opening up to comments very soon. I will also still be here, doing Phun, so keep checking back here as well.

CHEERS!

Spin Bike Shop Presents: The 2009 Cross My Heart And Hope To Die Willoughby Cyclocross Spectacular!

2009-10-12T13:00:00.001-04:00

It's that time of year again in Cleveland. There is a chill in the air, the leaves are changing, and a bunch of psychopaths are readying themselves for thirty minutes to an hour in hell. That's right, kids! It's time once again for the Cross My Heart And Hope To Die Willoughby Cyclocross Spectacular (CMHAHTDWCS). Last year was an amazing race. Great turnout, technical course, hill that made people wish they were dead, what more could you ask for? Well, it's all happening again, this Saturday!

Saturday October 17th cyclocross, again, returns to Willoughby, Ohio as Spin Bike Shop brings back the Cross My Heart And Hope To Die Willoughby Cyclocross Spectacular. (I just love typing that) The registration for the event will be from 11:00 am - 1:15.

A's (Novice/JRs) group will start at 12:00 noon and will run thirty minutes.
B's (Intermediate Men/Women Open) at 12:45 for forty-five minutes.
C's (Expert/40+ Open) at 1:45 for one hour.

Entry is $20 and you'll need a USCF or NORBA licence. One day permits to be had for another $10 USCF permit pending.

If you need more information on the race you can find it one of sixty two places. You can Visit:

Spin Bike Shop
Team Spin or HERE for a PDF of the specifics of the race, or go HERE to acess the actual PDF with a map to Todd Field in Willoughby.

Sadly, this year I will not be at the race, I will be covering the Fat Head's 1st Annual IPA Fest for The Art Of Brew. I will, however post a listing of the results from the race, so stay tuned!

Weekly roundup October 09, 2009

2009-10-08T21:00:00.000-04:00

So I have to admit. I’m burned out this week. The final straw in the week was the G4 (see yesterday’s post) going BOOM! So, for now, I’ll let you you enjoy a Weekly Roundup, and I’m going to try to source a 360w Mac power supply.

Fat Cyclist: Mad props going out to none other than the Fat Cyclist! Fatty wrote An Open Letter To [Himself] About 24 Hours Of MOAB. A great race deserves a great post. Along with a full “to-do” list, list of things he’ll need for the race, and as always that typical Fat Cyclist humor. Best of luck Fatty, and happy riding! Kick some butt.

HighwayMunky: The HighwayMunky posted a great thought on the pros and cons of wearing a helmet when cycling. It covers it from a whole new perspective though. ”To Wear, Or Not To Wear, That Is The Question”, covers the legal side of helmet use. So many focus on the health or annoyance factor, I think this might be the first time I’ve seen it from a legal perspective. Nice one Munky!

50K Loop NS: Bluenoser go to meet one of his longtime blog friends, none other than Bikes Gone Wild in a regular East Meets West event. Keep up with Bluenoser, as he’s going to be starting year two of his Cyclocross addiction shortly.

Ray’s Racing Adventures: Finally, today, Ray. First off, thanks to Ray for the link from his blog. Promise I’ll not make you regret throwing it on your blog, man. Mind you, I need to ride more so as to be more relevant, but… Ray left a post about Photo Credits, Blogs, And A Little Story . The photo credits are, well, photo credits. The blog portion is about Cleveland blogs, did I say thanks? The little story? About cross… a cool story about cross, seemingly true to form, and passionate. It really gets across the beauty and hell that is cross.

Well, that’s all I have for this week. Get the hell out and ride before the snow hits. The leaves are changing already! Phun Cyclist, stay classy Cleveland.

Wednesday Randomness

2009-10-07T17:00:00.001-04:00

Ugh... I am going to apologize right now for the lack of posting that is going on and that is sure to come. I woke up yesterday morning to my baby, read that as 1.42DP G4 Mirror Door, has bit it.Total... unadulterated... sadness. I actually feel worse for my wife than I do for me. For me it might as well be a big toy, for the wife... Her college career. Yeah; Epic sucks! So, I would like to use this time right now to say that I will get posts in as quickly as possible, but there may be a lag time. Example, tomorrows post will likely be around dinner time. Further, and more important in my mind, if anyone has a mirror door with a 360w power supply that they need to get rid of; I could use your power supply or the entire unit for parts.

Alright, I need to bail from this right now. I will throw together a Weekly Roundup tomorrow. For today I will leave you with the entire idea behind my blog. Courtesy of none other than Target. I love Target. They have had some great boxers recently, and I promise you this was not staged. I walked down the isle to run straight into an end cap. This is what I found.
That's right, beer & bikes, the epitome of Cycling Phun. Have a goodnight, all, catch you tomorrow!

Everybody Else Is Doing It

2009-10-05T00:00:00.001-04:00

You all know where this is going, right? Drugs! Everyone else is doing... OK, I'm kidding. But it almost sounds like drugs the way people talk about it. Of course, as you've likely guessed, I am talking about cross! That's right, cyclocross has swept the nation. People everywhere, it seems, are getting these road bikes on steroids, and getting out in the ungodly weather to abuse themselves. This should serve as an explanation of cross to those who are new to the cycling world.

What cross is, is an opportunity to abuse yourself far beyond anything you could possibly imagine. The bikes look like a road bike, but the tires look like a hybrid tire. They are 700c but wider, like a mtb tire. The goal is simple; be the first to cross the line without getting killed. Simple enough, right? Have I mentioned that the courses can combine any number of the following; paved course, grass, dirt, sand, water, mud-pits, switch-backs, hills, stairs, and foot to foot and a half tall barriers? I'm probably missing something there too, that you are allowed to call me out on. Further, the only time to race cross is about September to about December or January. Yup! That means cold, rain, snow, sleet, and generally disastrous weather.

So why do people do it? Call 'em crazy, call 'em hardcore, you'd be right! These are the die hards. To do a cross race you have to be in shape. Likewise, if you do a few of these you have to maintain fitness. It just comes from pushing yourself so hard. The spectators aren't far from this either. That's half the fun. People ringing cowbells, drinking beers, handing beers off to riders as they fly by, passing off dollars to the riders, and generally going rasp yelling. The only thing I can say is if you've never been to a cross race, you need to get to one this fall. You race> Try your hands on a cross race. Use a cross bike or a light weight HT mtb and try it out this year. They're amazing!

The Perfect Combination Of Bike And Beer

2009-10-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

This may be the perfect combination of bike and beer. You've seen Saturday Night Live "On A Boat", right? Now the crazy cool guys over at New Belgium put together "On A Bike"! Arguably the perfect combination of bike and beer.

Weekly Roundup September 30, 2009

2009-09-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

I have been so busy with life I cannot begin to tell you. As you’ve probably read, the new blog launches on Monday, October 12th. A collaboration between me and Thomas, my partner in brewing. I also have been working two, well two and a half, jobs, a couple of things I volunteer for, and have even had time to hurt myself (more on this tomorrow). For now, I’ll let you you enjoy a Weekly Roundup. A special Cross Edition!

50K Loop NS: If you’re a regular here, I’m sure you’ve seen the 50K before. Well, Bluenoser got bit by the cross bug last year, and now The Build is on! That’s right, BN’s newest steed has arrived, and is built up for cross. A great story with some cool photos of Bluenosers Trek Cross bike. Have fun and be safe, BN!

Ray’s Racing Adventures: Ray, another great Cleveland blogger and racer, reports on what I am pretty sure was the second cross race of the year in Cleveland. From what Ray has to say is was One Hard Ass Race. I have to admit, from his report, this race sounded fun as hell, but I’m still NEVER doing a cross race again. It looked like the perfect mess of grass, dirt, mud, rain and pain… Just what makes a Cleveland Cross year!

Miles And Madness: Even Judi and Dominic are getting into it and wonderin What The Hell Was I waiting For?. Judi and Dominic got out for the first time on their new toys, and for their first ever cross race. The story is great, but the real treat here is the awesome pictorial. Looks like you guys had fun!

HighwayMunky: Finally, the HighwayMunky IS alive! He’s doing well, wait… Oh Dear!, maybe not?! Just kidding. But the story is great. It’s about a race of sorts that he kinda lost. I won’t say anything else, you have to read it!

Well, that’s all I have for this week. Get the hell out and ride before the snow hits! Phun Cyclist, stay classy Cleveland.

A New Venture

2009-09-28T00:00:00.002-04:00

For those who read regularly, you know I have dropped a few hints about some things to come. One of those things is a new blog that I've created with a very dear friend. Thomas and I have started The Art Of Brew. Right now we are in the final process of getting the site up and running, but we are a mere two weeks out from the bad boy going live.
I will continue to blog here about cycling and most, if not all, of the beer posts will be going to The Art Of Brew. I would love to see all of my regulars that I have grown to become attached to to join me over at The Art Of Brew, and would love to hear your comments.

You can also keep up with what's on tap at The Art Of Brew's Twitter site.

Cleveland Beer Week

2009-09-25T12:00:00.003-04:00

For those f you who are regular readers of the blog you know a few things. One, I like to ride my bike, and had a great chance to finally get out and ride late this week. Two, I am a die hard Clevelander. I've had the opportunity to leave before, and just cannot imagine living anywhere else right now. Finally, three... I LOVE good craft beer and home brewing.

With the later in mind, er the second and third I suppose, if you you want to be more accurate I want to take a minute to push a breakthrough event in Cleveland. October 16th-24th Cleveland will celebrate, for the first time ever, Cleveland Beer Week.clevelandbeerweek.org
Throughout the city events will be going on to promote craft beer and beer culture in Cleveland, Ohio.

Too many companies to mention here, too many venues to mention, too many times to mention... Get the point? If you need info on what events are going on where, you can check out the Cleveland Beer Week Calendar. This is going to be HUGE! Cleveland's own local breweries will be teaming up with national craft brewing companies to promote the craft brew industry and the passion that comes along with it. It will bring in the likes of Greg Koch of Stone Brewing in CA, Jim Cline of Rogue Brewing, Chris Trogner of Troëgs, and many, many more.

Cycling and beer have, for years, gone hand in hand. So break out the fixie, road bike, commuter, whatever and get out to the venues to sample some amazing creations. For more information you can check out Cleveland Beer Week. There you can find out about the Cleveland Beer Week (a not-for-profit, collaborative celebration to raise awareness of and education for the strong American and imported craft brew industry, while promoting patronage at local establishments. Also all proceeds from the Grand Reception, "Brewzilla" on Saturday, October 24th will be donated to the Malone Scholarship Fund which is managed by the Cleveland Scholarship Program.), event info (times, dates, ticket prices, etc), and everything you need to enjoy this monumental Cleveland area event.

Need To Fix The Mountain Weapon

2009-09-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

So ever since I blew the chain off the mountain bike it has never shifted quite right. Mind you, it is coming up on a year now, I think I really should attempt to do something about it, and I have JUST the answer. OK, background. I am broke-ass right now. I have an LBS (Spin Bike Shop) that I L-O-V-E, LOVE! But being broke-ass I can't afford to go in and have it reworked right now. So, I've been riding 'er like she was a single speed. I have it in third up front and sixth in the back and I crush the cranks when I hit a hill. Very seldom do I shift anymore, on the MTB any way. I actually forgot I could shift the thing once or twice.

OK, so on to getting the thing fixed. With not having Spin as an option it hit me like a bolt of lightning. Bicycle Tutor! I saw the sight about a year or so ago, and have almost forgot about it. What is it, you ask? Bicycle Tutor is about do it yourself, simple repairs, on a budget. Everything from how to assemble a bike, to basic tune ups, to repacking bearings, to how to adjust derailleurs! HAHA! Go figure... Just what I need.

The best part? Alex Ramon, a wrench out of various bike shops over the years, has set up the videos for anyone to be able to check them out and do the repairs yourself. Even cooler, Alex made the videos available for download for $1.99 each, or $25 for ALL of them. Not just the 43 that he has available now though, oh no! The 43 that are out now PLUS what ever videos that he adds in the future will also be yours.

Now, I just need to scrounge up $25, down load these bad boys, and I should be well on my way to getting the mountain weapon nailed for some cool fall rides. After all, isn't fall the best time to be on a mtb?

It's That Time Of Year Again... THEE Time Of Year... Cyclepassion 2010 Calendars Are Out!

2009-09-22T00:00:00.004-04:00

Fall is just around the corner, and I know you're looking for something positive with the cold weather coming. I think I've got just the thing for you. I got the info from Anke over at Cyclepassion that the 2010 calendars are out, and was anxious to see what awaited me. So quicker than you could possibly imagine I went to the 2010 Cyclepassion Calendar Order Page to check out the goods.
Once again Anke and the guys over at Cyclepassion hit the mark with a beautiful, classy, well put together work of art.
Ahhhh, to be a sprocket... The photos this year are insanely hot, as always, right?All the photos are of beautiful women in the cycling world...
DAMN! That's where my bar tape went? Ehhh, OK...
Ahhhh, to be a cyclist.
I know what you're thinking... YOU WANT ONE! Serious?! OK, all you need to do is go to the 2010 Cyclepassion Calendar Order Page. From there you can order the 2010 calendar, posters, or even the 2006, 2007, 2008, or 2009 calendars. Heck, you can even get a sweet deal if you order multiple years for the great pictures! For now enjoy the pictures, and check out the Cyclepassion website, until you get yours in the mail.

More Cool Stuff From Specialized... Sort Of

2009-09-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

Hey all. I apologize for taking a freakin' week to get something posted up here. It has been a crazy week full of way too much, nothing good, to get into here. So I stopped at Spin Bike Shop this weekend. As a quick aside, they JUST updated their website with a sweet, very easy to follow website at SpinBikeShop.com> Check it out, they've got info on what they're carrying now, events that are coming up, info on special things coming at the shop, shop rides, sale info & ebay auction info, and much much more. I could easily make an entire post about all the stuff they have going on with their website. OH! As a last note, Spin: Cross Your Heart And Hope To Die Willoughby Cyclocross Spectacular (SCYHAHTDWCS) is coming up October 17th! Check the site for more on that too!

On to the post... So, while I was at Spin I came across a "new" line of bikes that I really found myself getting into. The line is a kind of urban, metro, commuter, hipster line of bikes. The styling is awesome, the colors are subdued and very natural, and the accessories rock. Take, for example, the Live.It comes with a Shimano internal shift hub, standard or disc brakes, and a front rack with a wooden bottom for carrying up to 25k worth of what you need. Models come in $580-$1550.

Need more? How about the Haul?Similar idea as the Live, but this bad boy comes with a rear mount rack that can take 50k, and built in front and rear lights. The light power is generated as you ride, so while they won't throw a ton of light, you're sure to be seen on early and late commutes to and from wherever you need to be. At $660-$1,100 they'll pay for themselves in gas savings.

Less practicality, more hip you say? The Roll is for you!A flat bar, single speed, hipster/messenger style bike. I don't see your local bike messengers sucking these up, but for someone who wants a great single speed starter bike, this bad boy tops out at just over $800! $610-$830 to be exact. This might just have to be the next bike I add, when I get the cash to make it happen.

Two more round out the new line. The Carmel and Vienna are more straight forward
respectively. These are more typical hybrid bikes. Straight forward gearing, with just the basic bells and whistles to get around. Carmel will cost ya between $330-$550 for the base (26" wheels) or the Carmel 700 (700c wheels), and the Vienna goes from $400-$880.

These are still made by Specialized with all of the quality of Specialized, but are being marketed under a new name badge, Globe Bikes. Check 'em out at your local dealer that carries Specialized products. I can't wait to get on one of these and check 'em out. You ridden one yet? Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

Danny MacAskill - Still Blowing My Mind

2009-09-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

So, as you may have read, I used to ride BMX. I was WAY more into dirt and jumps than freestyle, but I always LOVED freestyle, and the freestyle crowed. So you can imagine how blown away I was to see another video collaboration of Danny MacAskill. The kid is INSANE sick! I don't even want to know how he does what he does, though I bet it MIGHT have something to do with selling his soul. Enjoy!

Never Forget

2009-09-11T00:00:00.001-04:00

I'm not usually very serious, or political. At least I'm not on this blog. Those of you who know me on a more personal level know a different side. I did want to say something today though. There are some things in life that, once burned to memory, can never be forgotten. Today, is a sad memory of one of the most horrifying days in US history.
A day to remember what happened to us as a country, and a day to more forward to becoming a better place. Where were you eight years ago this morning?

Yehuda Moon: Back And Better Than Ever

2009-09-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

Yup folks, Yehuda Moon And The Kickstand Cyclery crew are back, and better than ever! After a short hiatus in the woods, Yehuda is back on his Van Sweringen, pounding the pavement, and causing his usual trouble.Yeah, we've all been there, right?

I have a special place in my heart for the strip as Rick Smith, Yehuda's creator, is from Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, and places a lot of Cleveland based inside info and jokes in the strip. I would like to encourage all to got to Yehuda Moon, check out the strip, and donate if you like it. Rick -puts the strip out, out of love and, hey! Everyone's gotta eat, right? Seriously, Rick puts it out, out of love and the goodness of his heart, so please consider supporting him!

New Langsters Are Out (Déjà Vu?)

2009-09-08T00:00:00.002-04:00

So I still really want to get a single speed/fixie. It's something I've been wanting to do for about a year now. You may remember that last year I posted a blog stating that The New Langsters Are Out. I talked about how I really liked the Langster, but then flipped it and railed on the bike because I thought the '09 designs were pretty lame. Not this year! Now, it's time for the 2010 Langster, and once again Specialized has changed up the lineup of cities they are paying tribute to. I yanked the pictures directly from the Specialized website, and am hoping that they don't sue the crap out of me. Did I mention that every one of the three bikes I've bought in the last two years have been Specialized?

So this year Specialized added three new Langsters to the Quiver; L.A., Moscow, and a steel setup. So I guess I'll start with L.A.
Why start there? It's my least favorite of the three. Before you think I'm being critical, I really do NOT like the white tires. Yeah that's about it. Outside of that, I think it's style is reminiscent of part Independent Fabrication, and part Twin Six. Very cool. I'd ride it, but I'd change the rubber out first.

Next up I'll take on the Moscow. The faux Russian writing, and the star and sickle seem a bit over the top for me, but a very clean design, and pretty nice and classic looking.

Finally, the newest of the Langster lineup isn't a city at all. The newest of the Langster lineup is a Steel Langster!
That's right, boys and girls, a VERY classic looking steel frame and fork set up. This thing reminds me of the Peugeot my dad rode from the late 70's/early 80's. This might be one of the hotter, retro bikes I've seen in a while. I actually saw this on the Specialized website, and just stared. There may be nicer, more expensive models out there, but this is the SS/Fixie I'd drop my cash on.

How much cash? Funny you'd ask. The Steel starts at $440 for the frameset (red and naked steel) $660 fully built, a base Langster is available for $720 (black like my soul), the two city models are $770 and the S-Works frameset version is $990. For more info check out the Specialized Langster Page.

Riding Is Good

2009-09-03T00:00:00.001-04:00

How true it is. I got out on the bike for a very quick ten mile spin, and was amazed how good I felt. I was a little bit out of practice, but I pulled out the mountain toy and hit a series of paved roads, followed by crushed limestone trails, followed by paved roads, followed by crushed limestone trails, follow... Oh, sorry. You get the idea, right? It was a local spin, around the neighborhood, but it was like the first time I had seen parts of it. I wasn't trying to kill it like I used to. I wasn't doing intervals or anything I was just enjoying the time on the bike. Seeing things in the neighborhood that I didn't previously know existed.

I felt the ride a bit more than I would have liked, but I've been stressed and have not been sleeping. I have a feeling that played into it. I realized I hadn't been shifting at all. I would be pedaling along and hit a hill, jump out of the saddle and power through it. I didn't think, I just rode. I looked down at my gearing to see where I was, knowing that I hadn't been up or down shifting. I was in the big ring on the front, and sixth gear in the back (eight ring cassette), which I have to admit I was pretty psyched about.

It's a great feeling. Just you and the road, great sunsets, animals running around, nature all around you. It makes you remember that there are good things in life. It makes you one with those things. It reminds you where your place is. A time to get into your own head and contemplate, and a time to leave that all behind and dump the crap from your head for a brief period in time. Ah yes... Riding IS good.

Gaining Fitness Takes Time, Losing Fitness... Not So Much

2009-09-01T00:00:00.001-04:00

I would pay to find out the answer to the following: Why is it so #@&$ing hard, and time consuming to gain fitness, but losing fitness can happen, seemingly, overnight? Seriously? I can't be the only person to notice this. I worked like hell to get into something resembling fit. In about four months of working two jobs, having to stay home with the kids while the wife is at work/school, etc, etc, and not having the time to be as on top of the working out it has all but gone to pot.

I'm not going to say that I am a slob fat-ass like I was before, but I was nearing the lean stage heading toward cut. Now I am in the not lean stage, heading away from cut. I haven't gotten "fat" yet, I just have noticed a loss in muscle and a gain in fat for a zero net gain/loss. The problem, if you know the whole fat/muscle gig, is that muscle weighs about twice that of fat. So for me staying around the 180 mark, I am getting a bit more squishy at 180 than I was just this past March.

Not to mention, having been off the bike for about a month, I can't get over how quickly you get cooked. I did a ten or so run, before I lost sunlight, and I felt every hill that I climbed. I think part of it goes along with the loss of fitness. So, bottom line is I think we need to have another Lean Look Challenge or something. Would anyone else be in? I'd like to see a minimum of three to five people, nothing crazy, just keep people accountable, and I'll work on a prize for the winner.

Drop me a line, or hit me up in comments if you're interested.

Hincapie Takes The Win At USA Pro Championship in Greenville, SC

2009-08-31T00:00:00.000-04:00

After narrowly being beaten out of a first place finish in Stage 20 at the 2009 Tour de France George Hincapie shows everyone how it's done with a win over the weekend at the USA Cycling Pro Championship in Greenville, South Carolina. Hincapie won this, his third, title for Team Columbia-HTC after

Hincapie was part of an eight man breakaway, that became a three man break away that formed late in the race. Andrew Bajadali came in second to Hincapie with Jeff Louder, Brent Bookwalter, and Matthew Busche rounding out the top five.

A lot of good was done too, with Greenville Hospital System and USA Cycling Professional Championships hosting a ride Sunday with benefits going to the The Lance Armstrong Foundation and the Greenville Hospital Oncology Research Institute. $120,000 was raised and presented after the pro race.

Weekly Roundup August 27, 2009

2009-08-27T00:00:00.003-04:00

You’ve been reading, so you know that things are not going the way I had planned on life going. However, have you ever noticed that things always happen to put things in perspective. I could seriously bitch about how things are going, how my job is in the can right now, etc, etc, etc… But the bottom line is this. We have to count our blessings, rather than dwell on the negative. So, while I count you enjoy a Weekly Roundup.

Cyclone Cross: Gary is back at it with the Cyclone Cross blog. Right now [He] Need[s] Your Help! A good friend of his is riding the inaugural Pelotonia and in need of donations for the ride to help fight cancer. I am passionate as hell about the fight against cancer, and this stays local to Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. You can find out more about the cause, and the young lady riding the event. OH! Bonus: Gary has agreed to match the single largest donation, up to $1000! Way to go Gary, you’re a class act!

Ray’s Racing Adventures: Ray, another great Cleveland blogger, has a Repost About Climbing Area Hills. Admittedly this is far more relevant if you live in the Cleveland area, but the advice is universal. A great way to keep yourself going in your summer fitness mode, and to get stronger on the hills.

Let’s Rock…: I feel like I’ve dropped the ball on the great blog that is Let’s Rock…. Further, Lisa has hit a point that is SO relevant in my life right now that I couldn’t resist. You see, she has started making her To Do list. It reminds me very much of mine, minus about 5,500 things. Heh heh, I love catching up with Let’s Rock…!

Fat Cyclist: Finally, Fat Cyclist has had a great week so far. Touching on the 2010 Fat Cyclist Jerseys (And Much More) On Pre-Order Now!, to his 2009 LiveStrong Philadelphia Report: Day 1 and 2009 LiveStrong Philadelphia Report: Day 2. These are all great stories, and are making me extremely bummed that I had to can the Philly trip. Fight Like Susan!

Well, that’s all I have for this week. Get the hell outside and ride while it’s still nice! Phun Cyclist, out like Seacrest.

A Novel Idea, In My Humble Opinion

2009-08-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

With all of the freaking money that the government is throwing around lately, $3 trillion here another $3 trillion there $4 trillion for this that and the other, I think I may have come up with a novel idea to save a metric crap ton of money, and make the world a better place to live. Why hasn't the government started to funnel money into people buying bikes?

Seriously, let's think about this. Everyone is so strung out on the whole green thing. Doesn't get much greener than a bike, does it? There is a big push for better eating habits and more exercise, check and check! You get the exercise, you're bound to start living healthier all the way around. Fewer traffic problems, do I seriously need to even address this one? Fewer cars = less congestion. I can go on and on, but I think you get where I am going right?

So... I ask again, why isn't the government funneling money into people buying bikes?

The Winds Of Change

2009-08-24T00:00:00.001-04:00

There comes a time in everyones life where change is inevitable. Sometimes you crave it, sometimes you loathe it, sometimes it happens and there is indifference, but regardless of how it happens or the outcome it is inevitable. This blog has had a bit of change in the last six months or so. Some have liked it, some haven't, but it was inevitable. Change in my life reflected in my blog. The change you've seen will be continued in a new blog in the future, more to follow on that soon, but I don't plan on letting Cycling Phun go anywhere, not just yet anyway. I am, however, curious who is still out there reading. I see the hits and such, and have my ideas of who is reading, but I don't know for sure.

Another change is healthfulness. Where I work there is a young lady in an attached office that works out religiously in a shared common warehouse. I have not been following my regimen. I've realized that my lethargic nature lately is, likely, due in large part to my lack of exercise, and the lack of time for getting a serious ride in. I'm in the process of revamping my life to better allow for that again as well. It's been tough to man up and make time with changes in work schedules, giving up the YMCA membership to save money, etc, etc, etc, but I am realizing I need to man up and make it happen again.

The weekend was melancholy to say the least, but that changes this week. No more excuses, make the time, get it done. That's how it's going to have to be. Changes that may put off some people in my life, but this time it's about me. It's for the best, for my benefit, for the benefit of my family. Selfish, maybe. Necessary, definitely. What will I ask of you? Hang in there, keep reading, keep me accountable, and do something for your self while you're at it.

A Message To Team Fat Cyclist Philly

2009-08-21T12:00:00.000-04:00

Hey all! Sorry the posts have been sparse, but things have been CRAZY around here. I'll explain more about that next week, but for now I wanted to send some love to Fatty and the rest of Team Fatty Philly. As you've read I regretfully will not be making it out to Philadelphia for the Livestrong Challenge, but I wanted you to know that I am thinking about you guys and praying for a happy and safe Livestrong Challenge for all of you.

Some facts: Philly is now at 197 registered members raising a total of $267,150.66! That means that so far Philly raised more than second place Seattle at (112 members) $151,473.40, Austin at (162 members) $128,282.37 (still two months to go here, though), and San Jose (81 members) $69,440.90. Now the even more awesome news there is Elden (Fatty) and the rest of the team, all 552 members (holy cow!) have raised $616,347.33 to date. Double freakin' holy cow!!

Elden you have TOTALLY rocked the house with Team Fat Cyclist, you totally rule! I continue to pray for you and your family and wish all of the best for you. Same goes for everyone riding in Philly. Payers & Blessings to you all, and God speed!

Finally, Elden, can't wait to see the 2010 Fat Cyclist Gear! I'm still hoping this year will mean Fat Cyclist fishnet half shirts in bright pink!

When Life Gets In The Way

2009-08-19T00:00:00.004-04:00

This post is going to suck. It's going to suck for so many reasons. I hate to be typing the words, I hate everything about it. I feel pain, disgust, rage, shame, and so much more. For those of you who don't know, I signed up for the LiveStrong Challenge to do it for my dad. I went into it full bore, I trained throughout the winter, I made it a part of me.

Since the time I signed on for that, I lost a handful of things in my life that played with my head. Among them were an untimely loss of a family member, and my grand mother, and a good deal of pay. It's amazing how much the US economy will take a crap on a position within a company that specializes in HR. The fact that I have not received a paycheck this year is actually a positve note when you look at the fact that I still have a job, and health benefits, etc.

With all of that said, I need to have work done to my car to make it safely drivable, I need money to get to Philly, stay in Philly, eat in Philly and still feed my family. the bottom line is this: Philly is totally out of the books. The LiveStrong Challenge is out for this boy. I cannot begin to express how I feel right now. I feel as though I let those of you who donated, myself, Fatty, and most of all my father down.

Thank you to those of you who donated to Lance Armstrong Foundation. I am so sorry if you feel let down by my not riding in the Challenge this year, and hope you might understand the predicament I am facing. If there is any redeeming quality to this story, you have helped a lot of people who are suffering through a horrible time, and have helped a great cause. Thank you. On behalf of myself, as I am sure on behalf of Team Fat Cyclist, and the memory of my father.

Lance Takes Leadville

2009-08-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

In what can only be described as a thumping, Lance Armstrong beat six-time Leadville winner Dave Wiens. Not only did Lance win, he crushed the course record by better than fifteen minutes... On a flat for roughly the last ten miles of the race. The final results of Leadville shape up like this:

2009 Leadville 100 MTB Race results:
1. Lance Armstrong 06:28:51
2. Dave Wiens 06:57:02
3. Matt Shriver 07:09:48
4. Alex Grant 08:10:54
5. Len Zanni 07:11:21
6. Max Taam 07:16:56
7. Travis Brown 07:22:05
8. Manuel Prado 07:35:27
9. Mike Hogan 07:35:35
10. Jason Tullous 07:35:47

I guess if you have to lose a race, Lance is the guy you want to lose it to, no?

On a sad note, Fatty Crashed Out for his first DNF ever. By the looks of things, it seems like he's lucky to be alive. Here's hoping you feel better soon, Fatty!

Never Doubt Thomas

2009-08-14T00:00:00.004-04:00

I've noticed, by tracking readership, that I have a lot of readers in and around the Greater Cleveland area. Also, it's been a couple of weeks since I had a beer review. for these two reasons I wanted to do a beer review. Not just any beer review, you see, but a review of a local beer from a local brewery. If you live in, or around, the Cleveland area odds are you've tried Willoughby Brewing Company. If you haven't tried them in a while, let me recommend that you get out there and try them ASAP. Their food has always been great, but with a recent change in Head Brewer and the addition of a new Assistant Brewer their beers have improved exponentially.

The beers have gone from, like, six mediocre standbys to about eight beers, about half of which are constantly changing. Beers like Peanut Butter Cup Porter, Mad Cow Milk Stout, Norther Trail Nut Brown, and too many more to mention. The brew I am reviewing today is a beer that, as the story goes, is the recipe and namesake of the Assistant Brewer, Thomas. The beer is an amazing, bold, Imperial IPA, that is marvelously balanced. It is so well balanced, in fact, that even if you're not a hop head you're sure to love it. As I sipped my snifter (the only beer Willoughby Brewing serves in a snifter right now, due to ABV) of nectar, I looked around the room and noticed that at least one person at nearly every table in the bar, likewise, had a snifter in their hands. Not a bad showing for a first time beer.

Well, without further adieu, Doubting Thomas Double IPA.

APPEARANCE: A bright copper colored brew, bordering on a dark rusty orange. A small yellow to slightly greenish/yellow head off the tap that dissipated quickly leaving a nice amount of lacing on the glass.

AROMA: First and foremost is grapefruit or grapefruit rind, a strong hop presence.

FLAVOR: My first reaction ruby red grapefruit, a slight grapefruit rind, definitely citrus. There is a slight malt character hidden in there, but this really showcases the hops.

PALATE: A full bodied beer with an amazingly smooth and extremely clean taste. It’s almost a touch sweet, like ruby red grapefruit would be, with a lightly crisp, dare I say a hint dry, finish. For the ABV the alcohol heat is well hidden, borderline non-existent. For all of the hops in this beer, twenty pounds for ten barrels if I remember, it’s extremely well balanced and doesn’t blow you pallet out.

NOTES: I could session this beer all summer if it weren’t for the extremely well hidden 8.0% ABV. There is seriously nearly no alcohol heat, and the little that I picked up was only after the beer started to warm up a bit. Even then, the heat was well hidden which was enjoyable for a “big beer”. It is tapped a little on the light side of carbonation, I think, which enhanced the flavor in my opinion. Just a touch of sweetness, lots of citrus flavor, and extremely clean.

By the way, these guys pour sick pints! This is the Mad Cow Milk Stout-On Nitro-but check out how full it is! Have a great weekend, get in a ride, and grab a cold one. If you're in Northeast Ohio, head out to Willoughby and try a Doubting Thomas for yourself.

Performance Beats Fixie Anytime (Eat Your Heart Out BSNYC)

2009-08-13T00:00:00.001-04:00

This might be the funniest sh__ ever. I had one of "those days" and needed something to bring me some joy, this has done that. There are so many things that could be said for this, just watch and you'll get it.

The Joys Of Trying Something New

2009-08-12T00:00:00.002-04:00

The weekend was crazy. It was busy, I was sick, wife had to work, I had work to do, but I did have time for some new experiences. I knew right away that there was no way I was going to ride. I was sick, Saturday was cold and rainy, Sunday was 90º+ with about 90% humidity it was just a bad weekend. So I did what, I think, anyone would do. I cooked.

Crazy stuff first... Saturday was chilly outside, and it was still cool to have the windows open. Actually, almost a bit chilly to have them open, but I digress. So, I had no problem cranking the oven up and making some homemade pizza. Pepperoni, Mushroom Onion, Pepperoni Mushroom Onion, Pepperoni Olive, Olive Mushroom Onion, the combinations were crazy. I did them in thirds and made a few. Good times, great pizza, a few beers, and a happy wife.

I knew it was going to be 90º+ on Sunday, so I decided I needed to make a food appropriate for the weather. Chili! That's right, a huge Crock-Pot of chili. OH! With Habeñero Hot Sauce. Yup, nothing says better food for a hot day like chili! Funny thing about it, we weren't having dinner at home. We were grilling out with some friends, and having the most amazing chicken marinaded with Sioux Z Wow. If you have never had Sioux Z, you need to find this stuff. I would whore myself out doing anything for about five gallons of the stuff. I think I might be willing to do shots of this stuff.

Finally the highlight to my weekend. I, for the first time in the history of Don, made jelly! Not just any jelly, no way, Jalapenño Jelly! If you've never had Jalapeño Jelly, I don't even know where to start. It's a divine combination of subtle heat, and sweet pepper goodness. Simple; sugar, cider vinegar, jalapeños, pectin, and about an hour of work. The taste is pure heaven on a good cracker, and is made only more complex and delicious atop a small cracker with a light spread of cream cheese.
All in all I'd call it a pretty good weekend.

This Just In: Sahquille O'Neal Must Be INSANE

2009-08-11T00:00:00.001-04:00

First, sorry for the missed post on Monday, it's been a crazy weekend. Saturday was the eleventh anniversary of my marriage to the most amazing woman on earth! So we celebrated with dinner (which turned out disastrous, but still fun). I then took Saturday off to get sick. Sunday was craziness early on, and dinner with friends at night and working on a bit of a side project (which will come to light eventually). All wrapping up today (Monday) with me taking a sick day, yeah still sick, and spending the day with my wife for her birthday. Hope all y'all understand.

Well if you haven't heard already, or are a bit behind the times when it comes to technologies like Twitter, Facebook and the like, let me be the first to tell you. Shaquille O'Neal has officially gone way off the deep end! Shaq apparently Tweeted "I challenge u to a race any time any place, it's time someone challenged u" to Lance Armstrong. Since that time Lance, and his crew at Mellow Johnny's, have been bagging on Shaq. With Tweets like (Lance) "Hey @the_real_shaq, you don't want none of this...", and (Mellow Johnny's) "We ordered a bolt of lycra for Shaq RT @lancearmstrong: Hey @the_real_shaq, you don't want none of this.." This is just great! I would love to see Shaq race Lance.

On a side note: I hope Shaq can do something in Cleveland this year. Seems like a 'great idea'. Sign the guy on the way out of his prime. Only time will tell, and Lebron can't do it all on his own.

Fatty: "Fight Like Susan"

2009-08-07T00:00:00.001-04:00

After losing my father to cancer 16 years ago now, I can tell you this much; knowing something is inevitable doesn't make it easier to accept. This was the first thing that came to mind after reading the news from Elden today.

Susan died tonight (August 5) at 7:25pm. It was a hard, long day, and Susan fought right to the end, for much longer than anyone would have thought she could.

I was away from the computer for a bit, and didn't get a chance to see it until dinnertime today. I just wanted to take a minute to thank Elden for the community he has brought together, and for all of the amazing things Susan, Elden and their family have done. If you read his blog, you know they have opened their lives and hearts to every reader. Because of that the legacy that Susan now leaves in the caring hands of Elden will shine brilliant for an eternity. The good that they have done to fight this wretched disease will long go on to help countless people "FIGHT LIKE SUSAN" as Elden points out. You can read more at Fat Cyclist, and at Fatty's post, Don't Say She Lost.

She didn't Fatty! The prayers and thoughts of myself, and my family are with you and your family at this time of horrendous loss. May God's healing hands bless and comfort you.

Weekly Roundup August 6, 2009

2009-08-06T00:00:00.001-04:00

I’ll be totally honest with you hear. Deadlines at work 1 are approaching quickly, and things aren’t as peachy as were hoped. Work 2 is still looming, but there is money to be had. Work 3 has been put on hold, indefinitely. Oh, and there is side project which has gone previously unmentioned, and will remain that way. With all of that said, I have no time to breathe, much less do anything of consequence right now. However, I do want to give you a Weekly Roundup.

Harp Rider: Harp will get us started by pointing out the fact that It’s Always Something. I know, seems that way, don’t it?! It does bring to light an interesting point that I was pondering a week ago today, while on a ride with Rich. I hit a “Ball Buster” of a pothole due to a passing car, and thought to myself, “Self: How the hell does a carbon fork not give under such circumstances?” If I had to guess Ron might have an answer.

Cozy Beehive: Ron might usually have the answer, but not this week. This week he touched on another subject from last Thursday’s ride, The Rate Of Climbing Uphill Explained. I have to admit to getting 2/3 of the way through this before bailing on it. It was hugely fascinating and very informative, as all of Ron’s posts are, but (1) I was drinking and had no patience, and (2) I HATE math. I do, however recommend the read, as it is super cool. OK, and to not be a total tool I’ll go back and reread it too!

Miles And Madness: I’ve really been getting into Judi’s posts on her training for Iron Man. This week she points out that You Might Be Training For Iron Man When… Seriously, I had to put it up just because she looks slightly awkwardly uncomfortable in the picture. But her wit and humor come through in her go to list of things that might give away that you are, indeed, training for Iron Man. I won’t give any away, you have to check it out yourself!

Fat Cyclist: Finally, I don’t know how the hell Fatty does it, but there is another raffle going on. This time? This time it’s Fight Cancer, Win An Orbea Orca With Shimano Di2 Build. Seriously, a $9600 PRO bike for raising money to fight cancer. God bless the fat man! Check it out, do something good, maybe win a dream bike!

Well, that’s all I have for this week. Get the heck out and ride before summer is over! Phun Cyclist, out like Seacrest.

A Quick Apology & Getting Totally Spoiled Again

2009-08-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

For those of you who don't know, I have been all sorts of crazy busy lately. I've been pulling a few jobs to make money, and the wife took a second shift to make money. This has seriously cut into my time for things like, but not limited to:
- working out
- riding (virtually at all)
- caring
- exercise in general
- getting my bathroom finished
- trying to NOT be a complete tool
- sleeping
Needless to say I have been a sheer joy to deal with. References are available upon request, but include my wife, family, co-workers, the other co-workers, friends (especially ones who have seen me after a couple of drinks), and generally anyone who has "gotten in my way". Yeah. I've pretty much been a raging ass! Please consider this my public apology, and please allow for our friendship/relationship to continue. Thank you in advanced for your understanding.

Now that I got that out of the way, I feel totally spoiled again. I mentioned before that my wife took one for the team and got a second shift position to pull in some cash. That is, I guess a half truth at this point. You see she did, and up until very recently was working at least five days a week second shift. This was admittedly screwing both of our schedules, and lives, up a ton! I do, however, have to profess my undying love to her for this, as she is amazingly understanding and supportive. She left the second shift position for a much cooler, more appropriate (for her background) first shift position. This is wicked cool as it has changed her outlook, and given me a bit more free-time in the slight lag between job one and job two.

One of the things this has helped greatly is my riding. in the last week, I got to ride four whole times!! I think that's the more than I've ridden all summer combined! OK, that's an exaggeration, but you get my point. I got out on some crushed limestone trails, and felt great! I did do something I swore I never would, though, I wore an iPod. I had my right earbud in and left one out to hear people and such, and it worked well. It kept me motivated, and I honestly don't remember a time that I wasn't turning cranks on the whole ride. I just thought about the music and keeping track of my surroundings, and kept turning. It was almost religious. I feel so amazing, and so spoiled. Downfall: I'm sure it will all end soon when my wife goes back to work. Oh well, in case it does I will enjoy it while I can. It was an awesome ride, on a gorgeous Cleveland day...Did I mention almost religious?

Finally An Opportunity To Ride

2009-08-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

After many weeks of having to put off a ride, I finally got in a serious ride. It wasn't crazy long, or anything, but it was so much fun and very much needed. This is how it goes. Thursday I finally had the opportunity to ride into work. No rain, decent weather, fog-but who cares. I took the ten mile ride in about a half hour, at an average of seventeen miles per hour. It felt so good to get out, and turn cranks to work. The entire day was a pleasure for me. It's amazing how the simplest of days can effect your mood for the day. All the little crap that usually pisses me off? Nothing. Simply nothing could ruin my afternoon.

So, 5:00 p.m. rolls around. I shut down the system, grab all the clothing, change, and am ready to head out the door. I warmed up my legs walking and riding, and at 5:30 out the door for a ride. We didn't do anything crazy, but 5:30 was a bit late of a start. We got in twenty-five miles, at about sixteen miles per hour. I wouldn't say we went crazy hammering, but it seemed like a good pace, and we were able to get a good ride in and chat a bit, catch up on how life is going. Got back and was able to catch a beer, and finish catching up. All in all it was a great day.

I did pay attention to a few things, and think I might be on to something. I was having an issue pacing my buddy Rich. I was riding pretty hard and in my 17th gear on an incline. I looked down at his back wheel, and saw he was geared about four or five up on his back rings. This is not the first time someone has said something about my choice of gears. I think I might ride in to high of a gear for too long. I think I need to find a good cadence and worry less about the chain ring I am in.

I was busy working all weekend, didn't get to ride. I am going to pay closer attention to what my gear choices are going forward, though, and see if that make a difference. Like I said, it's not the first time I noticed this. I also noticed that while climbing hills on dirt if I go too low, I spin the back wheel. Any one have any advice on gear ratio? Hope you guys got a killer ride in this weekend!

Beer Review : Stone 13th Anniversary

2009-07-31T00:00:00.002-04:00

Just got back from a ride, and I'm feeling the fact that I have been putting off the riding and working out in lieu of work. I mean, I have to do what I have to do but I haven't exactly been going out of my way to make time to ride or work out. I have been getting better about the core exercise, so I guess that's a start, but I could be doing more.

With that in mind, because it's a weekend, and because I just had an amazing beer, I will give you a beer review for the weekend. This weekend, another Stone. I feel like I've done a bunch of Stone Brewing beers, but I also think that they are very much warranted. The guys over at Stone Brewing are putting out some beers that are just blowing my freaking mind! The latest of them is Stone 13th Anniversary Ale. This is the latest in their Anniversary line, they put out one every year, and when they're gone, they're gone. This year they did a monstrous Imperial/Double Red Ale unlike any other. To start off, they used four pounds of hops per barrel in brewing this big boy, and it shows. In classic Stone fashion it's available in limited tap and across the country in 22oz bottles, which is how I had it. Let me tell you, at 9.5% you need to be ready for this beer. Check out my notes, then go to your local beverage shop, that sells craft brews, and buy one for yourself.

APPEARANCE: A dark beautiful ruby red color that borders on a rusty red. A thick, two finger tan head, that dissipates into a beautiful lacing that hugs the side of the glass gently sliding down with each drink.

AROMA: From the second you pop the cap, you smell the hops in this big Imperial Double Red Ale. The first note is a very heavy citrus, nay grapefruit, scent. I am guessing this is from the Chinook Hops in the brew, but it could also be the Centennial that are used in the dry hopping. There is also just a hint of pine in there. The beer has a smell that can only be described as resiny, (forgive me) ‘dank’ and beautiful.

FLAVOR: BIG! This beer is all about the hops, and has just a touch of an alcohol heat. The first thing I notice is the wonderful hoppy grapefruit/grapefruit rind flavor of the hops come through. There is slightest malt finish to it that is, in my mind, almost as if it were an afterthought.

PALATE: There is no doubt that this is a full-bodied beer, and definitely not for the beginner, or those into ‘fizzy yellow beers’ as Stone would say. There is a good deal of carbonation to it, which I noticed from the pour, but it is not overly carbonated. It has a slight but very noticeable heat to it, which isn’t surprising to me at 9.5%. The heat does seem to become more noticeable the further I get into the second half of the bottle, and the closer it gets to room temperature.

NOTES: I am a total hop-head. A freak for the beautiful bitterness that can only come from Humulus lupulus, the hop plant. This definitely delivers. For this special release, Stone hopped the brew at four pounds of hops per barrel, more hops per barrel than any other beer they’ve produced. As mentioned it is a big 9.5%, which you can feel. I was getting a warmth from this beer half way through the 22 oz. bottle. It is available as a limited release in 22oz. bottles, and (very) limited tap. I would love to find this on tap somewhere just for the comparison. The 13th Anniversary Ale was released 06/29/2009, and is available while supplies last, so you have to get it when you see it. I was going to buy a few to cellar, but wrote Stone after seeing a note on the label, “Do not cellar. Enjoy in 2009.” When I received word back from Stone, this is apparently because the flavor profile cannot be guaranteed to last. They did not say it, but I am willing to throw out the guess that it is due to the amount of hops they are using in the beer, and the fact that the hop character is bound to mellow over time. All this said, I will be sad when I get the last drink of the final bottle of Stone 13th Anniversary. This was yet another great brew from the guys at Stone.

Well, that's it for now. Fair warning, if you're into the beer thing, I will be going to the Stan Hywet Blues & Brews tasting next Saturday August 8, from 2:00-6:00 pm. So come Monday the 10th, I will be writing a review of the event, and likely have some fresh beer reviews in the near future. Have a great weekend, and CHEERS!

Weekly Roundup July 30, 2009

2009-07-30T00:00:00.001-04:00

I had a meeting that went late after work on Tuesday, and generally write the posts the day before. Example, right now it’s Wednesday night and I’m writing the Thursday post. That’s how they go live at midnight every night. So, you can, kind of, gauge how busy I’ve been by when I miss a post. Just a weird bit of insight into the life of the guy known as “Phun”. Also, I am debating what to do. I have a GREAT beer review that I’m dying to get up, but I am riding to work, and then doing a ride after. So, Friday will be a surprise to you, and I may (pretty likely) have a Saturday post as well. Thank you all once again this week for stopping in and reading! It was fun to keep track of the Tour de France, even though some of the posts were a bit short, and I have been able to have some good discussion regarding the tour with both some readers, and some of my friends. With that in mind, I want to give you a Weekly Roundup.

Travels With A Tin Donkey: Speaking of the TdF, Sprocketboy shares a throwback to the Tour with a look at a real “weapon”, Fabian’s Time Trial Frame: The Shiv. It never ceases to amaze me how absolutely sick the new technology is getting. Seeing this Specialized frame reminds me why I am such a fan of Specialized. I have bought a few bikes in the last couple years, all of the Specialized, and for reasons like this SICK piece of weaponry.

50K Loop NS: I’m just going to throw out the suggestion that Bluenoser should change the name of his blog, right now, to “One Sick Sh__”. Hahaha, I’m only kidding BN. You see, he has set his mind to do the insane, and insanely cool, but it has him (and the rest of his readers I’m sure) asking What The Fork?. I’m going to hold back from getting too into it, as to not ruin the story. The bottom line is (1) EPIC freaking riding to take place, (2) Life changing events to occur, and (3) I am jealous. Best wishes to you , BN, keep us updated!

Miles And Madness: Ah yes, it is that time of year again. A time for everyone to start their training for the big races, and to start thinking about Iron Man races and Judi is no exception. Judi got out and took aPeak At Iron Man Louisville. Apparently the acupuncture that she has been undergoing has done wonders too! The crazy back pain that she was feeling? Gone! Just further proof that between acupuncture and (My favorite) chiropractic, holistic medicine is the way to go, and the wave of the future.

Competitive Cycling Groover, out in Oz, is also getting her training on, and she brings up a great point, Alberto Makes It Look SO Easy! I couldn’t agree more. I have a ride home from work that is a mere ten miles. It is ten miles long, but ends with (about) miles six through nine in 400 feet of climbing +/- and the hills are about 5-10% grades if I take one route, and 19% if I take the other route. This is assuming the calculator I was using holds true and map my ride are correct. Admittedly, I take the first. Regardless, the hills in my hood are pretty constant, and it leaves me feeling like a failure, after seeing the guys on the TdF looking like they’re going out for a Sunday ride. Great read, Groover, keep up the good work, and I’ll keep banging out the hills till I can clear ‘em like the pros.

Fat Cyclist: Finally, I wanted to drop a line to Elden and the Fat Cyclist community. Things have been rough for Fatty’s (Elden) wife Susan, and he’s been keeping the “extended family” of blog readers updated on how she has been doing. According to Elden, Susan is in an ugly place with her fight with cancer. Please, go check out his blog, and leave Elden, Susan, and family a word of encouragement in the comments section. Then get over to his Lance Armstrong Foundation page and donate to LAF. It’s linked in the sidebar of his blog. As always, sending Love and Prayers from Cleveland!

Well, that’s all I have for this week. Today, I ride in to work, so psyched! Remember to be thankful for all you have, and say a prayer for those struggling right now. Phun Cyclist, out.

Weekend Ride, Finally!

2009-07-28T00:00:00.001-04:00

It was a good weekend, that came from a bad event. See what I didn't mention in yesterday's post, the one I actually posted on Sunday about the final stage of the Tour, is that while I did see the final stage, I didn't necessarily enjoy it. You see I thought ahead enough to set the DVR to record it just in case I overslept, which ironically (or less than ironically) I did. So I get up, grabbed a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats, and crashed the couch to watch. I turned to Versus and, imagine my surprise, found a black screen. Hmmmm. This isn't right. I've watched every damn stage of the Tour, or at the very least the replay at night. Well, Time Warner screwed me again.
Sidebar: (OOH! Been SO long since I did a sidebar!!) I HATE Time Warner. Their cable is overpriced, sucks, is unpredictable as hell, and my internet is wicked slow for the tier I am paying for. I wish like hell I could tell them to stick it, but they are the only provider where I am.
OK, back to the story. So they were of no help whatsoever, and I was getting no where with them. So I logged on to Versus and watched the magical 2x3" screen of joy! Not what I had in mind, but it was the final stage, and I saw it.

Well, long story short, I got totally honked off by this. Anyone who knows me well knows this; I ride well when I'm mad! So, after about a month or so of not getting out on the bike, or anything resembling a bike, I geared up, grabbed the mountain weapon and was out. "A quick 10 mile jaunt," was the answer to my wife when asked where I was going and how long. About two, two and a half hours, and twenty-five miles later I returned home. The ride was about 60% streets, and 40% crushed limestone and mixed surface. The "mixed surface" included a shallow tributary to a river, which at about 80-85ºf was awesome. To make it better? I cleared every hill on the route like a pro. OK, like an amateur,but I cleared 'em!

I got home with the legs SCREAMING, but they were screaming in that "good" way. You know the way where you pop a couple Advil and have an amazing afterglow smile. Yeah, that good. I almost stumbled down a flight of stairs trying to walk down them, from the pain, but it was so worth it. I wish I could've got pictures from the ride, but the camera is finally DOA. Hey, anyone know anyone at Nikon or Canon interested in getting a review of a camera? I'll be happy to do one? (heh heh) Well, hope you can say your weekend was excellent like mine!

Le Tour de France... Fin

2009-07-26T14:00:00.002-04:00

Well, the Tour is now a part of history. It was a great twenty-one stages, and arguably one of the most exciting ones I've seen recently. I was thinking back on the Tour and talking to someone, thanks "td" about the Tour and he put some things in perspective, that I want to take a quick minute to share. I have been, perhaps unduly, critical of Contador during the Tour. I still think he is a bit cocky, it might be a cultural thing, I don't know. I still think that he could use a few year of maturity under his belt. Bottom line, I think I got a bit caught up in the media hype of Contador negativity. "td" brings up a very good point that while, I was complaining, "Contador was riding for himself, not the team", often the best way to ride for the team is to ride for yourself. The bottom line is you are riding for the podium, and in turn you are doing what's best for your team. Interesting thought.

Well, on to the race. Lance comes back to racing after four years at age 37, and leaves in third place... Excellent! Second time in history a Japanese, Fumiyuki Beppu, rider finishes a Tour de France, how awesome is that? Cavendish has his first, first rider to get six stage wins in a sprint. Lance announced that he will leave Astana in 2010 to go to RadioShack. Now there is talk that Johan Bruyneel might be going with. Who will follow Lance in 2010? What will happen with Asatan as, at least a few riders are likely to leave?

Final thought, before I get to the final standings of the 2009 Tour de France standings. You have to applaud the riders for the tradition and camaraderie that they maintain in the TdF. To see them all starting out this morning riding at a slow place, enjoying good conversation, and enjoying the final day of the race. There were the attacks, but there is an amazing amount of respect for each other.

So, for the last time this year, the 2009 Tour de France (final) standings.

Stage:
1. Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC) 04:02:18
2. Mark Renshaw (Columbia-HTC) +0:00:00
3. Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Slipstream) +0:00:00
4. Gerald Ciolek (Milram) +0:00:00
5. Yauheni Hutarovich (Francaise Des Jeux) +0:00:00

Overall:
1. Alberto Contador (Astana) 85:48:35
2. Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) +0:04:11
3. Lance Armstrong (Astana) +0: 05:24
4. Bradley WIggins (Garmin-Slipstream) +0:06:01
5. Frank Schleck (Saxo Bank) +0:06:04

For Complete tour standings visit the official site of the Tour de France. You can also view the Stage & Overall

Tour de France: Stage 19 - And News From Lance

2009-07-24T12:00:00.002-04:00

Well, two more days and the 2009 Tour will officially be in the books. Questions abound in my mind as to what the final outcome will be. Contador and his ego making unplanned attacks to take Armstrong and Kloden off the podium. The overall riders in second through fifth place separated by a mere minute and a half. And now, the bombshell hits going into the weekend.

RadioShack and Lance to Form New Cycling Team in 2010 -- powered by http://www.livestrong.com

That's right kids, if you haven't heard already, Lance has teamed up with RadioShack for a new team in 2010. Could this mean Lance may have a few unplanned attacks of his own in the final two stages of the race? If anyone can come back to win the Tour down a scant five minutes, it is Lance. Time will tell, we'll talk more on this Sunday after the race.

Stage:
1. Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC) 3:50:35
2. Thor Hushovd (Cervelo Test Team) +0:00:00
3. Gerald Ciolek (Milram) +0:00:00
4. Greg VanAvermaet (Silence-Lotto) +0:00:00
5. Oscar Freire (Rabobank) +0:00:00

Overall:
1. Alberto Contador (Astana) 77:06:18
2. Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) +0:04:11
3. Lance Armstrong (Astana) +0: 05:21
4. Bradley WIggins (Garmin-Slipstream) +0:05:36
5. Andreas Kloden (Astana) +0:05:38

Weekly Roundup July 23, 2009

2009-07-23T00:00:00.001-04:00

A few days ago @Lazy Lowrydr sent me a comment to the effect, is the blog becoming a beer blog. To be honest, I don’t know. I think it’s still about cycling, but what the hell do I know right now? It’s always been a weird hybrid of cycling and fitness, and I have thrown a bit (OK a lot) of beer into it as well. I hope you are having Phun with it, as I am. I needed to have an outlet for some of the beer stuff I’ve been writing for a while now, and have been cracking into a couple beers in the cellar. Without boring the crap out of everyone, the blog has been a bit weird lately. This is mainly because I have been buried in three different jobs, one of which I might as well not have for as little as I am doing with it, the wife is working part time, and just the trials and tribulations of life. Many of the ‘regulars’ have stuck by my side, and I keep getting new reader. Thank you ALL so much for stopping in and reading, also please know that I’m peaking in at your writings daily and enjoying them! With that in mind, I want to give you a (long overdue – like a month and a week) Weekly Roundup.

Travels With A Tin Donkey: My brother in Muesli has an answer this week that I Have to admit I need! I’m not going to say I’ve got all kinds of great gear, because I don’t, but I do have my bikes (good bikes), family bikes, and all that I need to keep them in shape to the best of my ability. One thing I DON’T have that I need is this… The Bike Cave™. I am always shifting stuff all over the garage to make room for bikes, or other necessities, THIS might just be the answer.

Cozy Beehive: Ron, is keeping the engineering juices flowing with a look at ’Decommissioned Bicycles & Their Waste Stream. So what DO you do with that carbon fiber bike once you’ve wrecked and snapped it in half? What are your viable options? Check out Ron’s thoughts, and be intrigued.

Harp Rider Harp had one of those ‘imagine my surprise’ kinda moments. Apparently he found one heck of a Nice Advertisement. Why so nice? His mug is the first thing you see on it. Well, OK, his SHOES are the first thing, but… I think the photo was shot ‘cause of the shoes Harp! *wink Also, he’s recently posted a few of his race results and training posts.

Fat Cyclist: Finally, I want to end on a fairly serious note. I feel like I am not often serious, but Elden (Fatty) has had a handful of posts lately that, to be honest, I wish like hell I didn’t have to write about. As you may remember from past posts, I lost my father to cancer some years back. Sixteen years ago this past Fathers Day to be exact. Fatty’s wife is currently going through the hell that is the disease. The ballence of pain, medication, tolerance, praying for miracles, all of it. It’s all to familiar to me. I wish like hell I could wave a wand and cure all the woes of Susan, Elden, their four kids, and their entire family. I’m not going to post an article here, what I am going to ask is that you check out his blog, and donate to Lance Armstrong Foundation, Huntsman Cancer Institute, whatever you see as the best organization. Then, Pray, Pray for Susan and her family, and all of the families that have to deal with this despicable disease. Finally, leave Elden a word of encouragement in the comments section. Elden, I think I speak for SO many out there when I say we’re thinking about you guys, we love you, and you’ve truly made us feel like family. Sending Love and Prayers from Cleveand!

Well, that’s all I have for this week. Remember to be thankful for all you have, and Pray for those who don’t.

Le Tour de France: Stage 17

2009-07-22T13:00:00.000-04:00

I'm going to keep this quick tonight, but will say that this race has been wicked exciting lately. The finishes have been amazing, the breakaways have been breath taking, and all of it is very distracting while I am trying to get work done. I've been listening to the race while at work, and watching the replay on Versus at night. As it stand right now, with 17 Stages in the books, here are the top fives:

Stage:
1. Frank Schleck (Saxo Bank) 4:53:54
2. Alberto Contador (Astana) +0:00:00
3. Andy Schleck(Saxo Bank) +0: 00:00
4. Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas) +0:00:00
5. Lance Armstrong (Astana) +0:02:18

Overall:
1. Alberto Contador (Astana) 72:27:09
2. Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) +0:02:26
3. Frank Schleck(Saxo Bank) +0: 03:25
4. Lance Armstrong (Astana) +0:03:55
5. Andréas Klöden (Astana) +0:04:44

Don't forget, You can catch everything live on Versus TV or versus.com. Thursday is a TT LIVE at 8:30-12:00, Friday 8:30-11:30 pm EST, Saturday 7:00- 11:30 am EST, Sunday 7:30-12:00 pm EST, and extended prime-time coverage (replay) 8:00 pm EST each night.

Le Tour de France Stage 16

2009-07-21T12:20:00.000-04:00

For those of you who may have missed Le Tour today, you missed a great one. I caught most of it at work today on Versus but, again, I was at work and missed pieces and parts. I will (likely) update this more this evening, once I have the chance to catch it off the DVR. I will say that it was an amazing race, and a fairly new contender proved his worth today. Astarloza was first today with Casar, Fedrigo, Roche, Van Den Broeck, and Moinard rounding out the next five spots all at +00:06.

I think a highlight for me was when Lance once again proved that he is every bit the pro he was when he won seven Tour victories. At the tail end of the race he pour on everything hes got to break away from the peloton at about 2km to rejoin the yellow jersey group just behind the six person breakaway at the front.

Once again this changes everything at the top of the overall standings. The top five now look like this: Contador 67:33:15, Armstrong +01:37, Wiggins +01:46, KlÖden +02:17, and Schleck at +02:26. This puts three Astana riders in the top four spots, and makes me wonder who will actually be Astana's 'go-to' boy for the yellow at the end. Will Armstrong be the domestique? Or will he play coy from now, and come back in the end to once again show the true athlete we've seen seven times in the past?

Either A Really Great Day Or A Horribly Bad Day

2009-07-20T11:00:00.002-04:00

News from the weekend that I just couldn't pass on? Sure, Nick Krupp had either the coolest day or worst day ever. Depends... Is the glass half full, or half empty? Nick, a Racine, WI was hanging out in his home Friday, likely minding his own business, when he had an unexpected visitor. The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile payed him a little visit. Unfortunately the visit was paid when the female driving the wiener apparently was trying to turn around in Nick's drive. She thought the gigantic wiener was in drive, but was actually in reverse, and she planted it in Nicks garage... through the door, and jamming it under the porch.

Apparently, according to the Chicago Tribune article, police had no idea the vehicle involved in the accident until they showed up. Imagine the hilarity that would ensue pulling up on a giant wiener stuck in someone's garage... I'll let you make your own jokes here, I just got into being able to say wiener six times so far. So the Chicago Tribune had a picture of the event. Here you go, enjoy!

I Think The Tour de France Might Just Kill Me

2009-07-18T20:30:00.001-04:00

So, I am watching the replay of The Tour de France as we speak and I know the outcome already so it's pretty well spoiled. Knowing the outcome of todays Tour, I have come to the conclusion that the Tour might just be the death of me. I will be the first to admit that I want to see Lance devastate in France again this year. For the life of me, I can't figure out why he can't just get it done. Furthermore, I can't figure out how some of these Haussler came out of nowhere to stun the crowds. This might just be one of the most exciting and, at the same time, most frustrating tours in my memory.

So that brings us to today, Stage 14, Colmar - Besançon. Things did switch up a bit today, Nocentini (AG2R la Mondiale) is still in first place, Hincapie (Columbia - HTC) came outta nowhere to take second place today at +00:05, and Contador (Astana) is now in third at +00:06. Which... Puts, my boy, Lance (Astana) in fourth at +00:08. Finally Le Mevel (Francaise Des Jeux) is pretty far behind in fifth at +00:43.

Well, that's about all I've got for now. Keep checking back, as I will be posting results daily. Work should allow for me to catch the end of the TdF at lunch and I should be able to post an update in realtime on Monday. Might even pen something tomorrow. Feel free to add what YOU think about the Tour, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the race.

Weekend Beer Review: Pyramid Curve Ball

2009-07-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

I wish I had better things to say today. The Tour de France is still "status quo." If you have no Idea what I mean, check out the last three or so posts... nothing has changed. So, with that in mind, I am going to give you my latest beer review for the weekend. Likewise, I wish it was better news, but... Well... Read for yourself...

Today I will review Pyramid - Curve Ball, Blonde Ale. Like I said, I wish it was better, but here goes...

APPEARANCE: pale yellow, straw yellow color. One finger head and lacing? What lacing?

AROMA: The first thing I get out of this is skunk. It doesn’t quite smell bad, but it reminds me of skunked beer. Like Heineken in a bottle. A definite grainy and malt smell, with no hop notes to speak of.

FLAVOR: The beer reminds me of either a ricey taste or a hint of instant mashed potatoes. Definitely a LOT more grainy than I am used to, with a bitter cereal aftertaste.

MOUTH FEEL: A medium-bodied beer, definitely dry yet almost cloying sweet and viscous. It’s also extremely carbonated, a little too much for my taste. This is a second Pyramid I have tried, and I will be hard pressed to try a third, short of them sending me their idea of a great beer to taste.

NOTES: This is a 5.0% Kölsch which is, admittedly, a style I am not super familiar with. I have had the Apricot Ale, and was also less than impressed with it. I’m not sure what it is I seem to dislike about the Pyramid brews, but after a negative experience on two I AM, as mentioned, hard pressed to try a third.

I hate o be negative, but I am now a bit biased against Pyramid. If you have had a Pyramid that you really like, or know of, please let me know and I'll consider trying it... If the planets line up and all that jazz.

Another Plus For Beer?

2009-07-15T00:00:00.001-04:00

I’m taking a break today from covering Tour de France because I have a theory. Maybe if I stop talking about the Tour and try not covering it for just one day, maybe Lance will kick into full gear and kick everyone’s ass.

For today, I will share a quickie about a great article I recently read in the Winston-Salem Journal. The article was about a Wake Forest University School of Medicine study that found Low Alcohol Intake Could Ward Off Dementia. Apparently according to their findings, "What the researchers found is that for moderate drinkers who had no sign of cognitive problems when the study began, they had an average 37 percent reduction in risk of developing dementia compared with abstainers. The type of alcohol consumed didn't matter." This was based on the consumption of eight to fourteen eight-ounce drinks per week. While the alcohol consumed didn’t matter, my recommendation, of course, is craft beer or home brewed beer.

There is one drawback to the consumption of alcohol in more mature adults. It appears that “for older adults who have mild cognitive issues, any amount of alcohol consumption ‘was associated with faster rates of cognitive decline.’ [Further] heavy drinkers with mild cognitive issues were found to be nearly twice as likely to develop dementia compared with abstainers with similar issues” according to the article.

The bottom line here, guys, is like anything else it comes down to moderation. I mean, hey! Beer can even make for A Primo Recovery Drink.

Homer Simpson said it best, when he said: "Beer, the cause of and solution to, all of life's little problems."

*Quotes taken from the article posted in the Tuesday, July 14th Winston-Salem Journal, "Journal Now sight. Low Alcohol Intake Could Ward Off Dementia, written by Richard Craver.

Stage 10, Le Tour de France - Subtitle: UGHHH!

2009-07-14T13:00:00.001-04:00

I can't decide in my mind if this is the single most, or single least awesome Tour I've seen. OK, so on the cool as hell side you have the fact that the top three (save Cancellara owning the first 6 stages) we've seen some different and 'less likely' people in the top five. An example? Nocentini. Armstrong (thank God!), Contador, Klöden, and Leipheimer seem to be in a borring perpetual logjam rounding out the top five. Armstrong was stuck in second in stages 4, 5, and 6, now he's stalled in third stages 7, 8, 9, and now 10. UGH! I just want him to kick into high gear, take the yellow, piss off the French once more and win the Tour.

So, long story short, I could be boring and cut-and-paste over the last five days, but I feel as though I have to post something to fill space. So, there you have it. Now for the (nearly) cut and paste portion. Nocentini is still in first with Contador behind +00:06, and Armstrong back +00:08. Fourth in Stage 10 is Leipheimer +00:39 and Wiggins +00:46.

Well, there you have it! Until tomorrow...

07/13/2009 - Rest Day

2009-07-13T12:00:00.000-04:00

WHAT?! You haven't heard? Today is a rest day! I'm taking my cue from the Tour de France and using 07/13/2009 as a day of rest. OK, lie! I'm working my ass of. As soon as I get it put back on, I'll be updating on the Tour tomorrow! Come back then, and let's chat about the Tour de France!

Le Tour de France - Stage 8 In The Books

2009-07-11T11:10:00.002-04:00

Well, that's it for stage eight. Sanchez (GCE) comes back in the end as part of the breakaway to take the yellow for stage 8. The top three remain the same overall: Nocentini (ALM), Contador (AST) +00:06, and Armstrong (AST) +00:08. Keep checking back, as I will be randomly updating the blog from here out with Tour news, facts and figures.

Get out and ride if you can, and have a great weekend.

Stage Six Tour de France

2009-07-09T17:00:00.003-04:00

I know... I said I'd do this sooner, but I didn't. So, I'll make it really quick:

It rained
It was in Spain
Rain
Millar kicked butt and led a good portion of the race to get owned in the end... finished stage twentieth
More rain
Hushovd owned at the end
Couple great crashes, one at the end
Ugly weather, OH!, and rain
Lance is still about a tenth of a second off the lead
Top three overall standings still the same: Cancellara, Armstrong, Contador
Still catch it live at Versus
Contest from Versus... see the TdF Versus widget in the right sidebar
Oh, did I mention the rain in Spain... Yes, mainly on the plain

See you tomorrow. Work should be sane enough to update at the finish of the race.

More To Come Tomorrow, But Win Something While You Wait

2009-07-08T13:00:00.000-04:00

Busy, crazy day today as I expected. There was, however, a great and surprising finish to the Tour de France today. Not to mention that for the second day in a row Lance Armstrong is in second place twenty-two one hundredths of a second off Cancellera! Could this be the eighth win for Lance? We'll know soon enough.

I'll be back tomorrow afternoon with a Tour wrap-up. Until then, go check out Ron at Cozy Beehive for a chance to win a great prize in the All Modern Who... What... Why Competition. It's super easy, and the prize rocks!

Cheers, for now. Allez, Lance!

A Beer Thought For Tuesday: If You MUST Watch What You Drink, This Might Be A Good Start

2009-07-07T00:00:00.003-04:00

Due to some serious time constraints caused by work, imagine the audacity, I will not be posting a stage four Tour de France update. Then again it's a time trial, so who cares. Right? Ugh. I would love to see a Tour TT, Lance might just move up to second, or even first in a TT. Oh well, you'll have to fend for yourself on Versus or something of the like.

For now I'll leave you with this. For years there has been a debate about none other than beer. Beer bellies, fat guys with beer, pub food, etc, etc, etc. Now, I have to to speak my mind here. I don't buy any of it. I've known too many brewers who are actually quite thin. I will admit, excess probably doesn't help, but I don't think it's as bad as everyone makes it out to be. First off, I think the biggest problem with beer drinking is that it is usually followed by bar food. You know, take anything you can find and deep fry it. I can't explain it, but the fattier the food, the better it goes with beer.

With that said, if you have to watch your calories in a beer you should check out Mens Health Magazine. They put out a great guide in their Eat This, Not That series. More specifically they did an Eat This, Not That of The Best And Worst Beers In America. If you haven't seen the series, or the Eat This, Not That books, I have to admit, I think they're pretty cool. They take some very general "favorites" from restaurants, and give you healthier alternatives to the high calorie choices.

Go ahead, check it out, and come back tomorrow for some more Tour talk.

Tour de France: Stage Three Update

2009-07-06T12:00:00.001-04:00

At the end of the day all is well that ends well, right? Even with a nineteenth place finish for the third stage of Tour de France, Armstrong manages to come in third place forty seconds over the leader. Second place overall goes to Tony Martin thirty-three seconds behind the first place of Fabian Cancellara.

If you didn't manage to catch the Tour live today, you really do owe it to yourself to check the replay tonight on Versus. Columbia had a couple great breaks, and Cavendish had an amazing finish. There were a couple sketchy crashes this morning, but nothing too serious.

On a slightly more off color note; we are now in stage three and no one has been called out for doping yet. Hmmmm, I wonder how far we'll get into the Tour this year before they start to fall like flies.

Last but not least, a question. This is mainly geared at the interview after the third stage where he was complaining that "no teams wanted to race", but is it just me, or does George Hincapie seem like a whiney doofus? Seriously? I wish I had the direct quote, was watching it live and didn't write it down, and if I get it I'll post it. He just came across like a baby to me. Ehh, oh well. Until tomorrow.

Beer Review For The Fourth Of July: Sierra Nevada-Torpedo

2009-07-03T00:00:00.001-04:00

Ah, I don't there is nothing better in the good old USA than the Fourth of July! A time where family and friends get together for good food, good conversation, fireworks, fun, and parties. As a matter of fact, I've heard it said that more beer is consumed in the US on the Fourth of July than any other day of the year. So, this year, why not crack open a cold one, throw something on the grill, and enjoy your day. Need some suggestions? Check out the "BEER" tags on the blog, or keep reading.

Sierra Nevada has long been one of my favorite craft brews, and like much of the industry they are really into what they do. They started as a tiny makeshift operation and in 1980 brewed the now staple beer of Sierra Nevada, the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. From interviews I have heard, and things I have read, the recipe has been tweaked, but they have held true to their roots. A privately owned company, brewing a quality product with fresh ingredients. They grow their own hops, source the freshest hops around the world, and have even gone so far as to help fund research to develop hops specially made for their beers.

All of this said, it seemed like a no brainer to add Sierra Nevada to the list of reviews on Cycling Phun. Today's brew is Torpedo Extra IPA. Almost ten years since their last lineup change and thirty years in the making their first year-round IPA has hit the market. As someone who loves big hoppy beers, I have to say Torpedo delivers.

APPEARANCE: A beautiful, deep, bright amber color, bordering orange, with an off white (bordering a pale orangey-taupe) head and nice lacing.

AROMA: The first thing out of the gate is the freshest smell of hops I’ve ever smelled in a beer. It’s that distinct grapefruit bordering on pine scent that is so common, and wonderful, in truly wonderful IPA. Only, in the Torpedo is more concentrated and stronger from the time you pop the cap to the last sip.

FLAVOR: This beer has a distinct and noticeable hop character, and the Magnum Hop really comes through. The malt is perfectly balanced, in my opinion, to keep the harshness of the hops subdued. Don’t get me wrong, though, this is all about the bitterness of the hops. While not huge, by some standards, the 7.2% ABV is hidden very well by the layers of flavor. The most noticeable notes are those of grapefruit (rind), a hint of pine, and a slight almost black peppery note. Also I noticed, especially when it started to near room temp, an odd almost fruit character about this beer. After researching the Citra Hop used in the beer, I am guessing that this is where the fruity notes might come from.

MOUTH FEEL: A medium-bodied beer, extremely well balanced. It’s on the higher side of carbonation, but also very creamy which I think helps really coat your mouth with the beautiful taste of this hop bomb. I think the best part is how the taste lingers on the palate long after you’ve swallowed. Another assumption; this might be from the oils in the whole cone hops?

NOTES: Sierra Nevada is known for their use of American Whole Cone Hops. I think this amplifies the fresh smell and taste of hops in this beer. I had this wonderful 7.2% ABV poured from a bottle into a pint glass, and straight from the bottle. It was great both ways; have it at home in a pint glass or take the bottles with you. This could easily be my go to summer beer with as crisp and fresh as it is. I could, once again, see the 7.2% making it tough to really session this beer, but it is the kind of beer you need while cooking out or working on a laptop from a hammock… Which, is what I’m doing right now! Cheers!

Well, get out, pick up some beers, some food for the grill, sit around the fire, watch some fireworks and have yourself a great Fourth of July. Also, don't forget to catch the Tour de France starting Saturday July 4th at 9:30 am Eastern. Check back over the weekend, I'll likely post a quickie on the start of the Tour, either way I'll catch you again Monday for sure.

Coolest Race EVER

2009-07-01T00:00:00.002-04:00

I just got an email today from Colavita Ohio Cycling Club, by the way thank you Roger. Anyway, Roger contacted me about a race in Ohio that I've been wanting to do for a few years now. Not for the reason you are probably thinking, but because it sounds like an awesome time. You see the race combines the beauty and excitement with the joy and deliciousness of donuts.

That's right folks, September 12 is the date, the 2009 Tour de Donut in Arcanum, Ohio! For those of you unfamiliar with the Tour de Donut, it goes something like this:

You line up for a mass start then follow a 30 mile route. This years route follows lightly traveled rural roads over flat terrain.
There will be rest stops, and at each checkpoint stations you eat donuts. They'll also be providing plenty of fruit and other refreshments for those who don't want donuts, so no worries. Donut consumption isn't mandatory but you get a five minute time credit for each donut you eat, so I'd recommend manning up and taking one for the team. OK, I'd just recommend donut consumption. What this means is if you do well enough on the cycling and eat enough donuts, you could go into negative time. Seriously!

They will time this, but it's not a race, and they ask that all traffic rules must be followed during the event. The roads will not be closed to traffic during the event, helmets are required, and the ride goes rain or shine... No refunds.

For more information you can contact Roger Bowersock at info@colavitaohiocycling.com, by phone at 937-548-2511, fax 206-338-4434, or by snail mail at 1098 Buckeye Dr. Greenville, OH 45331.

Random ADD Moment

2009-06-30T00:00:00.002-04:00

Anyone who truly knows "Phun" knows that I am quite likely ADD. Never been diagnosed, but I swear I am. Here is a random ADD moment to get me through tomorrow when, hopefully I'll actually get to ride. IF the 80% expected chance of showers holds off. Oooh! Bacon. OK, good start.

Michael Jackson: I am going to get so much crap for this, but I'll say it. He was a FREAKING NUT BASKET!! WHO CARES?! I feel for his family, and his kids, and his ex-wife, er lover, er woman he inseminated, but he was cracked as ____! I feel really bad for Farah Fawcett. She was an awesome lady, and a hell of a sex symbol to people my age and slightly younger. Because of bubbles lover, she was totally overshadowed. Likewise, what the hell is up with Billy Mays?! My eldest son and I watched his Discovery show "Pitchmen", and the same day I'm telling the boy he's now dead. Truly sad. A fifty year old (again) father who is NOT nuts. My sympathies go out to the families and friends of Farah, and Billy. OK, and MJ. But I still think he was a nut-bag ass.

Ooooo! Shinny penny. If you live in Cleveland, you likely want to punch Jimmy DiMora in his fat gut. That is all I care to say about it. OH! and no one cares that you're a WOP... So am I. Done.

Madoff... 150 years... Heh, heh, heh... All I'll say on that.

I'd LOVE a Fatty Melt! right now... Split three or four ways... Or over the course of two or three days.

I need to figure out what I can do to ride with music, and still be safe and keep those around me safe. I need some motivation to ride, I need a LOT more time to ride, I need to man the hell up... HTFU and ride!

Finally, and this is a sappy moment. I'm pretty convinced I know what things need to change in my life for me and my family right now. I am in a hectic place, and I apologize (again) for the half-ass posting. I am currently working my way through my life, and I ask that you please continue to pop in, and check up. I also thank you for the kind emails, and kind thoughts. I promise to keep up as much as possible, at LEAST every other weekday, maybe Sat/Sun too! Just please keep checking in, comment, and keep me motivated! Thanks again, you guys are like family!

Phun

Beer Review for the weekend: Dogfish Head - Raison D'etre

2009-06-26T00:00:00.006-04:00

I decided to do this review for a few reasons. One is that I really liked the beer, and generally like the beers of the brand. A second reason is that I just started reading the owner of the company's book "Brewing Up A Business". and finally, I have had a limited amount of contact with the company for business reasons, and I have to say that they may be the coolest people ever! The beer itself? Well, I think the tasting notes will say it all.

APPEARANCE: A dark burgundy, slightly rusty brown brew with just the slightest of head, and almost no lacing.

AROMA: An extremely malty, sweet smell, with a slightly spicy rum or sweet/spicy "alcohol" smell like brandy or something.

FLAVOR: A definitely malt front note, with wonderfully smooth sweet caramel, date, and molasses notes. Also a a very noticeable flavor of grape or raisins, green raisins? This is not too sweet, but it is sweet, with little to no hop bitterness here.

PALATE: A medium bodied brew, that is pretty well balanced. No bitterness, no notes of alcohol, all about the sweet malts and fruit flavors.

MOUTH FEEL: A somewhat thick almost syrupy brew. This beer is extremely lightly carbonated, but is still rich and flavorful.

NOTES: The beer is a rich, creamy, lightly carbonated 8% ABV beer that I have to say I think would be best as a desert beer. I am a big IPA, DIPA, DIIPA hop-bomb beer drinker, but I could easily take a couple of these down as an end to a meal. I think this would go particularly well after a steak or the like. Something hardy!

Admittedly I took that from Dogfish Head's website because I forgot to take a picture. Hope they won't mind.

Like I said a great beer, put out by seemingly great people. I would say this, have a savory meal and then enjoy one of these bad boys afterward and enjoy your evening.
CHEERS!

Keeping Busy, Getting Exercise, And Generally Trying To Be Productive

2009-06-25T00:00:00.003-04:00

I have been so busy with everyday life, that I have had no time to do anything that I want to, let alone need to. OK, that is sort of a lie, I guess. I mean, I've been busy with the "must do" stuff, so I guess I have been getting most of the "need to's" done. Things like work, the second job, dabbling in a third job, not throwing myself from a tall building, fixes problems with my house, finishing home improvement projects that I've started in my house, etc.

I have, however, had no time (OK, read this as have not gone crazy out of my way to make time) to do things like workout or ride. I have ridden so few times this year, my wife is wondering when I am going to sell the bikes off for cash. Furthermore, in an effort to cut back, I got rid of the YMCA membership since 1) it was not being properly utilized any longer, and 2) I needed to cut the outgoing money. The results have been weird, but understandable. I have not gained or lost weight. You are thinking, "that's not too bad." I know you are. Let me continue. I have maintained the same weight on the scale. Get where I am going? Yup, my level of fitness is going to shit. I am losing some of my muscle and tone, and gaining fat. You see, if you don't know this, muscle weighs more than fat. So, if you lose muscle you may lose five pounds of muscle, but if you gain (just for the argument sake) eight or nine pounds of fat, it will balance on the scale. This is the level of suck I am currently involved in.

So, what have I been doing to keep from jumping from tall buildings? I have planted a garden yet again this year.Isn't it a thing of beauty? If you click on it to pop out a larger photo, you can see some tomatoes coming in. It really is a beautiful thing, but it should be better by now. We've had a particularly cold summer so far, Al Gore and his global warming can bite me, and the gardens have felt it. People who got 'em in too early, or didn't cover them properly fell prey to frost and the cold temps. Also, the cold and excessive rain have kept plants small, and kept them from producing fruit. But, the great thing is the garden has kept me sane.

Also, just as an aside, the main hop plant is doing KILLER!You can't really tell, but that bad boy is about eight or nine feet tall. Hope that soon I will get some buds, followed by cones in a few weeks. I should have some hop cones in August, if all goes well. If not enough to brew, at least enough to wet hop some homemade beer by the pitcher. The gardening is seriously keeping me sane.

I'll have a beer review coming up for the weekend, stop back tomorrow to check it out. Also, I will have some good ones coming up. I am anxiously awaiting the Stone 13th Anniversary beer coming out Monday. MAN! I cannot wait to try that. Also, speaking of wet hop, I'll have a GREAT wet hopped beer coming up soon, check back often for that! Well, for now a well deserved beer, see you tomorrow!

BIG Time Congratulations To Team Fatty On The Awesome Seattle Showing!

2009-06-23T00:00:00.003-04:00

I want to take a minute today to congratulate Elden Nelson and all of Team Fatty on the awesome showing they had in Seattle this weekend. The team of 112 people raised $144,593.40 for the Lance Armstrong foundation. Team Co-Captain Steven Peterson brought in a whopping $41,000 of that himself BEATING OUT THE SECOND PLACE TEAM, MICROSOFT! You read that right. Steven's personal funds raised beat the entire Mirosoft TEAM! Way to go, man! I need to talk to you about how you do it.

That's just the tip of the iceberg. Team Fatty took team champion (Most money raised by a team), individual champion (most money raised by an individual-Steven Peterson), and best jersey for the Twin Six Team Fatty Ltd. Ed. jersey! It could not have happened to a better more deserving group! I am, admittedly partial as I am in Team Fatty Philly, but all of Team Fatty is working hard to make Susan proud, and raise a metric crap-ton of money for LAF!

You can read more about where Seattle wound up HERE, HERE, and HERE with more updates to come on Fat Cyclist and where the other individual teams Fatty are at the home ages for Seattle, San Jose, Philly, and Austin. After reaching more than a third of a million dollars for Lance Armstrong Foundation so far, with four months to go to Austin, I'm pretty convinced Elden's Team, Team Fatty, will not only break but shatter all previous records in the past LiveStrong Challenges.

Congratulations Fatty! God speed, Team Fatty, and above all WIN! Susan!!

Horrible Weekend? At Least When It Come To Diet

2009-06-22T00:00:00.004-04:00

Ugh. I need to stop getting into funks, and learn how to get out of them. I had a great Father's Day, by the way... Happy Father's Day to all of my readers who are dads! Hope the weekend, especially Father's Day, was a great one! Anyway... I had a great Father's Day, and as usual my wife knows just how to make my day...Researching for work on Father's Day suck? Nah, check out the "office".
Yeah, by way of beer. Ahhhh, if you haven't had Torpedo yet, you need to. I'll review it in the coming days. That is a promise. Anyway, I had a few (too many, the Torpedo included) beers this weekend. Along with some (I'm thinking) Arby's treats, a foot long and Cheetos®, (what seemed like my weight in) homemade pizza, and (my son's) birthday cake. AGHHH! Craziness. OH! Almost forgot... I need to make an appetizer for July Fourth, so I was working on some gourmet deviled eggs.WHAT?! Cause you can perfect recipes without trying them?

Ugh, such an ugly weekend on my part in terms of fitness. I have now regressed, slightly but still regressed, back to about a year ago. I have not really gained or lost pounds, but my level of fitness is in the toilet. That is to say, I have lost muscle mass and tone, and maintained weight through fat. I SUCK! I need to find a happy place, get back on the wagon, and achieve some level of fitness. I cannot let depression suck me back into the life of a fat-ass. I look back at the plus fifty pound pictures, and let them serve as a reminder of what I have accomplished, and what I cannot go back to.

A Good Way To Spend A Weekend

2009-06-19T00:00:00.001-04:00

Well, it's Fathers Day weekend! So, what does that mean? It means a weekend that I get to do yard work and, hopefully, finish my bathroom? They're calling for rain, so truthfully the latter is far more likely. My only hopes for the weekend is a really nice beer, or a couple from the old lady for Fathers Day. What would I like? Hmmmm, I recently had a great beer. It was, again, from the guys at Stone. I dove into a wonderful, dark, rich beer. The 2009 Stone Imperial Russian Stout. So, my suggestion for the weekend? Get out, find one of these bad boys, pop it open, and enjoy. Here's what you have to look forward to:

APPEARANCE: Thick, almost syrupy, very dark brown, nearly black to the point where I couldn’t get light through it. A very noticeable taupe head of super tiny bubbles, that dissipated as quickly as they arrived leaving almost no lacing.

AROMA: A very deep chocolaty, coffee, malty, caramel smell, with some definite alcohol notes present.

FLAVOR: A chocolate and coffee taste was the first thing to hit me, there was a definite heat of alcohol to it as well. Beautifully rich, and somewhat sweet, not cloyingly so, with a slightly dryer almost “chalky” (not in a bad way, in a dry way) sort of finish. Subtle hints of caramel, chocolate or bittersweet cocoa, coffee, and (maybe) a every so slight hop note way off in the background. I couldn’t decide if it was a hop note, or maybe a slight bitterness of malt?

PALATE: Definitely a more full-bodied beer. Very well balanced. There was a noticeable heat of alcohol about it.

NOTES: This big daddy was poured out of a 22oz bomber into a tulip. It was full, rich, enjoyable, and very satisfying. Stone® Imperial Russian Stout (2009 Limited Edition) comes in at a whopping 10.5% ABV, so it’s not for the faint of heart. Read that, if Guinness is too strong for you, this would not be the beer for you. If you love complexity, and strong, flavorful beers you need to try this. My wife and I actually tried this together, and I mentioned that I could easily see this as a great desert beer, maybe even going so far as to throw in some homemade vanilla bean ice cream and making one hell of a float.

Like I said, get out, grab one... or six, and enjoy the weekend! OH! Let me know what you think when you try it... You know you will! ;-)

Cheers To A Primo Recovery Drink

2009-06-17T00:45:00.001-04:00

It's official. According to a study done in Spain at Granada University researchers have pulled the trigger on a prime recovery drink for post-workout hydration. What is this, you ask? Water, right? Nope. A pint! That's right folks, apparently Some guy named Manuel Garzon "duped" twenty five students into a several month research project. This leads me to ask the, seemingly obvious questions of (1) Why don't I get asked to participate, and (2) Why can't I get funded to run tests like this?

Long story short, and this has been said for years, it appears that the CO2, sugars, sodium, etc. act somewhat like a sports drink, best I could figure. It allows for quicker absorption and faster hydrating. There is also a theory out there that the carbs replace the much needed carbs burned in a strenuous workout. Anyone who has done a Cross race could've told you that, though.

They noted a "slightly better" hydration in the subjects who drank beer over water. Wow, two jokes here (1) The subjects who got the water were pissed, and immediately burned the test facility to the ground. Or, (2) The subjects who got the beer were later quoted as saying, "Screw a pint. If it hydrates that good, I'll take a growler!"

Alright, enough of this. I just wanted to throw that out for all of the nay-sayers of beer. As Homer Simpson once said, "Beer. The cause of, and answer to all of life's problems!" Did you really need an excuse to kick back a pint, anyway?
Cheers!

Weekly Roundup June 16, 2009

2009-06-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

My head is by no means in a pretty place right now. I still need to find a metric sh__ load of time and friends who will get out and ride. I seriously need the ass kicking and the motivation, that you can only get with riding with a group of friends who know just how hard they could push, before they put you in an ambulance. The highlight of my days lately has been the friggin’ internet crack know as “Mafia Wars” on facebook. I’ve said all of this before, and I’ll just reiterate, I am blessed in family, and health both in my life and in my families lives. This is a good thing. What needs to happen now? I need to HTFU and stop being a whiny little bitch. With that in mind, I give you the Weekly Roundup.

Fat Cyclist: We’ll start with Fatty for a couple reasons. (1) Team Fat Cyclist has raised more than $300,000 for Lance Armstrong Foundation, and the respective Livestrong Challenge races. If I could figure out how to do it, I will see you guys in Philly. (2) It was the first blog I saw on a list and thought, “WTF?!” (3) It’s my blog and I make the rules. Fatty, too, likes to make the rules, call the shots, and generally point out peoples (including his own, to be fair) shortcomings. I, being a misanthrope, love this, on account I feel so much of society has shortcomings. Especially Christian Prudhomme. Fatty helped “C Prud” and put out his own REVISED Editorial From Christian Prudhomme, Director Of The Tour de France. Truly classic Fatty satire, the kind I’ve been missing for sometime. I’m ALWAYS down for some good FC satirical writing.

50k Loop NS: My homeboy, partner in crime, and brother in America’s hat (I say that just to rib Bluenoser) chimes in this week feeling much like I think I am. In a total TailSpin. I think the world might just be upside down. I know I have found myself pulling a Sunday kegs and eggs breakfast and making excuses to avoid church the other day. BN, we need to keep our chins up, bro, and fight on! Get out on the bike and turn some cranks! Don’t know why I just thought of this, but doesn’t some asshole owe you some stuff? Ugh, I am SO sorry… So sorry I just publicly admitted it? Yeah, that sorry.

Miles And Madness On the flipside, it seems as though Judi is doing VERY well, save the part about losing Xanex. For this, I am not bagging on you, I think Xanex would likely do me some good after the last panic attack or two. Just saying. Judi got out with Dominic on their sweet-ass fixies, and she threw together an excellent Thursday Timeline to share it with all of us.

Final note, this week, is from Ron,
Cozy Beehive: My dude in the upstate, Ron, is keeping it real with a tribute to Renewing Research Interest In Bicycles. The few blog entries that follow it are, as always, awesome as well. This one just sparked a thought in my mind that I have been going back and forth to for a while now. With all the push for green, and all the new technology, why have we all but given up on the most obvious answer?.. Cycling.

Well, that’s all I have for this week. Hopefully get the Monday night ride in next week. Use the contact me link in the upper right hand of the sidebar if you want in. Until then, I’m the Phun Cyclist, you stay classy Cleveland.

Another Weekend Of The Bike

2009-06-15T00:00:00.001-04:00

I did spend another weekend off the bike, epic suck. I'm getting quite freaked out by the severe lack of riding I am doing. Furthermore I am debating why I haven't sold the road weapon yet for cash. Once again, I am trying to figure out how the hell I am going to pull off LiveStrong Challenge Philly. Things are rough, no doubt, but I'm trying to remain positive. I explained, as I have before, the current situation as "better than most, not as well as some", and for now that's my story and I'm sticking to it. With that said, it's rough, scary, and at times brutally depressing. I doubt I will will be getting on the bike much more. I don't know what the hell I'm going to do about the brewing, which sucks not because I want to brew but because I'd love to get it down to parlay into a career option rather than a hobby.

The depression surrounding me, and the lack of positive right now kills the motivation, the lack of motivation kills off the need to ride, which makes me feel depressed which... You get it, you've been there.

I guess the weekend wasn't all bad. I did get the bathroom finished. You remember the bathroom, right?Yup, finally got that bad boy out of the way. Thank God I bought everything I needed when I still could. I hoped to have it done sooner, but the weather broke and I had to get the yard in shape. Well, I had everything I needed, just had to do it, and this weekend was the finale!I'm happy with it. I wasn't sure I was down with the green, but I was keeping the counter top, so I was committed to something in the green family. I like it a lot! On top of that, I got some stuff done in the yard and garden. Already getting a couple peppers and tomatoes, so I am excited about that. I also am pretty sure that the hop plant is getting ready to bud!

So, I guess when all is done... Better than most, not as well as some isn't half bad. Here's hoping you're well. Remember to count your blessings, and have a great week!

Black Hole Of Time

2009-06-11T00:00:00.001-04:00

I think I may have found something. I'm not sure, and I don't know if anyone else has noticed it. There is, apparently, a black hole that is sucking time into it. Like water through a sieve, so time is funneled into the black hole never to be seen again. The black hole has taken the form of three separate jobs (and/or business ventures), family, and time volunteered to organizations. I say it that way because I feel as though I have finally come to the realization that I cannot spread my self so thin with volunteering that it gets in the way of family, however I have also come to the realization that family+necessity=work. Yes, I am working often. I am actually working two jobs hard enough that I, at times, forget to work the third venture. It's just sheer craziness, but it's craziness that I hope will pay off in the end.

With that said, there are a few things that have also fallen to the wayside. One of these things is brewing. Been almost non-existent again. Another, and this is more problematic, is cycling. OK, cycling and (I guess) fitness. These are problems because I am just over two months away from the Philly LiveStrong challenge, and I have got on the road bike exactly three times since the snow melted in Cleveland. Furthermore, I still cannot figure out (1) How the hell I'm going to get to Philly [both in a monetary sense, and due to car issues], (2) where I would stay in Philly [see number 1], and (3) where I would get money for necessities in Philly [yeah, see 1 & 2].

I guess what I am saying here is two simple words. The first is cluster, the second is... I have two months and change to figure this out people. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also, anyone who can figure out how to clone me, get said clone to some level of fitness, and put said clone in Philly in late August, please contact me.

Seriously though, I have to apologize for the breaks in blog posts. Sometimes I skip a day here and there, and I'm sorry. I will be doing my best to keep posting, and I ask that you keep on checking in and posting comments. I love to hear what you guys have to say! Thanks for understanding, and keep on keepin'!

A Tribute To Lando Calrissian

2009-06-09T00:00:00.002-04:00

I am in a weird, horrible, funny, irritated mood for so many reasons. It's one of those moods that makes you slaphappy, then rage, giggle, then throw something. You get it, right? Great, I know you've been there too! It's days like this that call for a beer review. No, not just any beer review though, no siree! This calls for a tribute to Lando Calrissian! A review, of Colt 45!

APPEARANCE: This pours pee yellow. That good dark yellow that borders orange, like the morning after you binge drank four forties of the stuff and then passed out.

AROMA: A noticeable corny, malty smell with a noticeable alcohol note present.

FLAVOR: Malty, corny, and an almost noticeable alcohol note.

MOUTH FEEL: Definitely a fuller flavor beer, mostly the flavor that I would imagine you’d get out of making beer with creamed corn. Thick and creamy mouth feel, definitely not lacking in carbonation, and a slightly recognizable heat (of alcohol) especially when this becomes warm.

NOTES: First off, no matter what anyone tells you, the only correct way to drink this is out of a 40oz clear glass bottle, placed in a paper bag. The bag is there to (1) hide the fact that you are drinking Colt 45 from others, and (2) hide the fact from yourself that you are drinking Colt 45. The less you are reminded that this is what you are drinking the better. The beer was meant for one reason only, to get hammered. “Colt 45, works every time.” Yeah, Billy Dee, so do rufies (see: rohypnol), but I wouldn’t condone those either. At 6.1% ABV it can only be a session beer for the nights when you want to be picked up off the floor drunk. Yet this classic still has it’s place when you just want to get cranked.

The Problem With My Fitness

2009-06-08T00:00:00.001-04:00

OK, so I think I might have figured out the main problem with my fitness dilemma. I actually got a lot done this weekend. Of course, by a lot done I mean I did NO riding, and nothing (really) to further my level of fitness. In hindsight the weekend is the problem with my fitness. The following is an example of what I mean.

So I start with a party on Saturday. Pizza, and snacks galore! While totally yummy... Not good for the diet, or fitness. Then a rushed dinner, in this case burgers - homemade at least - and a couple brews. Get out and do some yard work, and that ends the extent of the physical activity.

Sunday was a waste. Shredded wheat for breakfast was the highlight of the healthful food for the day. Then a burger for lunch, nachos and a hot dog for dinner, and the remainder of a twelve pack for dinner. More work in the house, redoing the bathrooms still, was the only physical activity.

See, here in lies the problem. Weekends are my bane. I do fine losing weight all week, and I put it all back on the weekend. I haven't lost any weight in about six months, but I haven't gained any either. Furthermore, I have not worked out in forever. Since mid February I have been so backlogged with life in general and I have been working so much in three different jobs. It just sucks. my level of fitness has gone to pot! And I'm two months and change away from riding the Philly LiveStrong Challenge. At this rate I'll be lucky to ride the twenty-five mile leg successfully. Hell, I'll be luck to have the time, money and a car to get to Philly.

OK, that's it. I can't continue on this today. It's just going to get über negative, and far more boring than it already has been. Bottom line is I need to get back on track. I need to MAKE TIME to get back on the bike. I need to get out with some groups, whatever it takes at this point. I also still need to pick up the weight cage that I was supposed to pick up about six or eight months ago. Ugh, I hate growing up and losing metabolism, I hate watching your body go to hell, it's just irritating. Enough bitching for today. Come back tomorrow when I'll, hopefully, have a change of attitude.

The Best Way To Start, And End, A Day

2009-06-05T22:00:00.001-04:00

Got Up this morning at the usual time, made myself a healthy breakfast for energy, grabbed the mtb, loaded the tires full of air for the road, and hit the road for work. It felt so good to ride to work for the first time today. It was great! The weather was warm, ish. About sixty if I had to guess, with no wind whatsoever. The birds were out, no bugs, it was just perfection! Got to work, had an amazing interview with a great candidate, did some work, got what I had to done. Lunch came around and I had a quick bite, grabbed the bike & two co-workers and we hit the streets. It was only an hour ride, but it felt so good to get out and get moving in the now seventyish degree weather. Came back, finished up for the day, got out early and road home. Perfect day!

When I got home I grilled brats, had those and some potato(e) [Dan Quayle joke] salad, and headed out for some yard work. Got the yard work done, and concentrated on some gardening. I have to admit, this is a new addiction for me. Well, maybe not new... Every summer I have a small gardening addiction for a while. Organic veggies and such. This year, not only are they organic, but some of the plants were ones that I sprouted. Admittedly, the garden itself is just an eight foot by eight foot bed with a few tomato plants, couple peppers, couple beans, couple yellow squash, couple zucchini.
I also have some melon plants (I believe they are honeydew, but forgot to label the seeds. If they're not honeydew then they are cantaloupe, so...), and pumpkins elsewhere throughout the yard.

OH! Did I mention I also planted Hop plants? The hop rhizomes are doing quite well too.
All but one mound has sprouted, and I dug into that mound and found the problem. You see... while I was planting the Hops, I was drinking the beer. I somehow planted this mound at eight or so inches. Yeah... Hops are supposed to be planted one to two inches below ground under a mound. It was sprouting roots, though, so I remedied that and am keeping my fingers crossed that it will still grow.

Well, that about sums it up. Now I am sitting here drinking a homemade vanilla Diet Coke®. The vanilla part was the homemade, the Diet Coke® part is, well, Diet Coke®. Here's to the weekend, hope you have a good one!
Cheers!

Finally An Opportunity To Ride To Work

2009-06-04T20:00:00.003-04:00

Ahhhh, finally it awaits. The opportunity to ride into work. I do have an interview to do tomorrow, and my hair may look like crap when I am doing it, but I don't care. There! I said it, I don't care! I care about my job, don't get me wrong, I just don't care about my hair for the afternoon tomorrow. Furthermore, I am blessed to have a job that allows me to have certain opportunities. What kind? How about running a quick lunch ride? Yup, there you have it.

So, to sum up my day. Wake up, have a good breakfast, ride into work, get work done, interview candidate, take a lunch run, come back, finish work, leave work, and finally get lost on the way home and enjoy the ride. OH, and enjoy the weather. They're calling for mid seventies tomorrow, with little to no breeze. Ahhhh, this might just be the best day ever! At least in the last few moths.

Check back tomorrow night, and I'll throw up a quick and (hopefully) great post about the ride(s), and the day.
Cheers!

Weekly Roundup June 03, 2009

2009-06-03T00:00:00.001-04:00

I’m still not in a very pretty place, a big part of this is I need some people to get out and ride with as motivation, and can’t find a friggin’ soul! Furthermore, I’m so time constrained right now that I can’t get out to do the things I need to do, let alone things I’d simply like to do (ie: ride). I’m still in an ugly place, and trying to “play happy”, it’s not working. I am blessed to have great family, and health in my life and my families, so this is good, I just need things to turn around so I could stop being a whiny little bitch. With that in mind, I give you the Weekly Roundup.

Fat Cyclist: I’m not going to even try to get into my favorite post of Fatty’s this week. All I will say is that he has a message; Let’s Get Serious About This Fight. Team Fatty is kicking butt in the fight against cancer. What I will say is this; Team Fatty has the biggest team in the LiveStrong Challenge by far, and has raised the most money by far. That’s just the beginning! Check out Fatty’s post to see what happens when people pull together, to benefit others!

Highway Munky Blog: Munky has some pretty cool triumphs of his own to share in his retrospective post, Closing Out May. Whether number of miles ridden, distance barriers broken, or amount of tacos consumed in one sitting (that was a joke) it’s all in here. Congratulations go out to Munky for a great May, and a great year, so far!

Cozy Beehive: My dood Ron is kicking it over in the beehive, telling tails of drug testing and Lance Armstrong’s new hair styles. AFLD Team Up With Supercuts For A Drug-Bust Hair Salon takes a break from his usual engineering to take a slight right hand turn to his humorous side. It’s a great read and a lot of pictures, funny pictures.

Finally a couple quickies:
Harp won me over with the simple mention of Jelly Bellies! Last but not least, Judy finally broke down and did it, she went out and …Bought A Helmet… But what will people bitch about now?!

Well, that’s all I have for this week. Next week we’re back on the Monday night ride schedule after the rain delay last night. As usual, I’m the Phun Cyclist, you stay classy Cleveland.

Beer Review: Tröegs Hopback

2009-06-02T00:00:00.004-04:00

Tröegs Hopback (Sung to the tune of Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy Back” – Yeah, really... I know, just trust me.)

I’m drinking Tröegs Hopback (yeah)
The other beers just cannot touch that (yeah)
You better watch or it might kick your ass (yeah)
I am not kidding and that is a fact (yeah)

Take it to the bar

Yummy Ale (Uh-huh)
It’s so dang bad
It should be in jail (Uh-huh)
I drink too much and I may misbehave (Uh-huh)
But it’s the beer that makes me say hoo-ray! (Uh-huh)

OK, enough of that… Sorry, but I couldn’t resist. So I’ve been tasting the heck out of Stone and Bell’s brews lately and I needed to taste something different, if for no other reason for the sake of the blog (right). This time around I dove into a couple of Tröegs brews and I have to admit, I’m really glad I did.

I tried Tröegenator Double Bock and Hopback Amber Ale. This review will focus on the later. If I focus on the Tröegenator I will have to do so later, after I’ve had it again. You see, I ran into a bit of a problem. I tasted the Hopback and I really liked it. In fact I liked it a little too much. So much so that, while I know that I tried the Tröegenator, I can’t tell you what it tasted like. You see, things got a bit blurred when I stopped counting the number of Hopbacks I had had. I do, however, have taste notes for the Hopback, so here goes!

APPEARANCE: A nice, deep, bright amber color, almost bordering orange/amber, with a small white head that’s quick to disappear.

AROMA: The first thing right of the bat that I notice is the hops. It’s a noticeably hoppy, citrusy smell, with a touch of malty sweetness.

FLAVOR: This beer to me is all about the hops! A noticeable hop character with a subtle malty sweet finish that is just slightly dry. A perfect balance to keep the sweet subdued but still enough there to keep the dryness in line. The best part, in my opinion, is how the taste lingers on the palate even after you’ve swallowed.

MOUTH FEEL: A light-bodied beer, maybe leaning ever so slightly toward medium-bodied, but extremely well balanced. It’s got a great mouth feel that is almost, dare I say, creamy.

NOTES: I had this 6% ABV on tap in a pint glass, I could really see hanging out for a while taking a few of these bad boys down, and I did. It was perfect by itself, but I could see the flavor standing up to something hearty like a FireHouse Burger, or a FireHouse Chipotle Bacon Burger. All in all a great beer that I can’t wait to have again. So, what’s next on the Tröegs list? Nugget Nectar!

NBA Playoffs, How I Hate Thee

2009-06-01T00:00:00.002-04:00

If anyone out there is a Cleveland sports fan I am going to ask that you say the following with me. Again, if you are a Cleveland sports fan you know what I am going to say. It's the same thing that we say every year as sports fans in Cleveland. Yup, "Maybe next year."

It's official, by a score of 103-90 the Orlando Magic kicked the Cleveland Cavaliers ass last night to win the Eastern Conference title. From here it's on to Los Angeles to (likely) get steamrolled by the Lakers. There are so many facets to the series, that I cannot even begin to touch on them, but I'm going to try to hit a few.

"The NBA Playoffs are fixed". Yeah, I know absurd, but I actually got this. Along with, "if the Cavs played so well early on, why are they collapsing now?" Apparently there are some people out there who insist that the whole thing is a hoax, and that the NBA decides ahead of time who the winner will be, blah, blah, blah... OK, enough of that. It makes my head hurt to continue with this subject any further.

"Howard just wanted it more." Uh, seriously? You don't think that Lebron James wanted it? You don't think that the NBA team with the single best record in the NBA wanted it? Badly? I would venture to say Lebron wanted it more than anyone else, for reference he scored just fewer than half of the points for the Cavs almost every game. His playing was absolutely sick!

OK, so why did the Cavs lose? Who knows. My guess is that they weren't protecting the parameter as well as they should've. Magic always had one guy outside the three point line, and once the Cavs got preoccupied preventing the shot from the paint they would unload the ball out to the parameter and drain the three. As far as the question of why did they do so well early and seemingly collapse at the end? Simple. They didn't play the Magic earlier in the series. Orlando was a team that gave us trouble all year, so it is not hugely surprising that they gave us a fight in the playoffs.

Bottom line is this, the Cavs gave it their all. The worst game in the series was the thirteen point lead that gave them the series win Saturday. The first game was lost by one, second won by one, third lost by ten, fourth lost by two, fifth won by ten, and finally sixth won by thirteen. There were double digit differences, but no real blow outs. The worst parts of the game were the Cavs blowing some pretty big leads, but that was due to the three point shooting of the Magic.

In the end we have "there's always next year", but the bottom line is the Cavs gave us all a hell of a ride. Thank you Cavs, until this fall.