you are riding past a time:temp sign on the way to work in the morning and it reads 87°F and the sun is bright and not a sign of cooling off. It ain't so good when you wake up and it is 78°F outside.
it is gonna be a hot one today... dug out my Pearl iZumi Aloft jersey. The only mostly white jersey i got. Nice and wicking and pretty cool. Size medium. When i got here two years ago i couldn't even get the thing on. Now? it is tight but fits fine. Fortunately it is cut long, although with bib tights it no matter as much as shorts.
Shorts, reminds me. Last night heading home just before crossing under the overpasss in riverside a guy working hard passes me, he is wearing a t-shirt, cycling shorts and riding an old non-indexing red cannondale. No worries. I don't mind getting passed. Except i expect (maybe unrealistically) a courtesy "on your left" or at the least a nod or a "hey" as someone goes by. I look over and he is looking straight ahead seeming to completely ignore me. That pushes my button. At the same time i notice i got a wheel sucker hanging off the back of the trailer. "Great" i think. I give this t-shirt wearing (hey at least he had a helmet on) some room, maybe 25 yards and then match pace as we cruise through the town center. Then. Coming down the tree tunnel (slightly down hill) where i normally shut the engine off and cool down, he slows down. I'm not stopping at home though, i'm going on to the pool. He slows down so much that either i hit the brakes or i go around him. I go around him and say "on your left" and then "hey" and maintain speed. So now i got two limpets hanging off the back. No worries. I'm taking it easy slowing down alot before the road crossings, then it takes me a bit more time to get up to speed with the trailer, and the red c-dale dude goes back around. Doesn't say anything this time either. It is hot, too hot to want to run at 100% and just follow him. He goes into the big ring in one open stretch and ups the pace a bit and i match it and the HR climbs up to 160 or so. No worries. He's sweating like a dog and his pedaling form has gone to hell. He ain't a big gutted guy but when he works hard he pedals all knees out (that much i could tell from the short time following him). At one point crossing he finally says how does your kid like the trailer. I reply honestly, she loves it. Then he drops the hammer even harder, my HR climbs and hits the mid 170s and i decide, it is just too damn hot and i gotta get off the bike in a mile or two to drop her off with E & K at the pool so i shut the engine down and cruise on in. Got a nice interval-ish thing in. Rode home kinda mellow like and felt good. At least this time i was "chasing" someone who actually knew they were being chased.
I've been mulling and agonizing over the comment i made about creationism and all that. In a way i guess i dunno, does it really matter? Is it like politics? Do i care if someone voted for GWB? Do i care if they are a socialist, communist, or republican? The problem is basically how intense the emotion runs with it. Creationism is almost always something to be accepted with intense passion and Faith. Faith with a capital F, yes. The amount of faith it takes to believe in God and Jesus, ignoring or not wanting to understand how evolution works or at the least being unwilling to admit that science works and the conclusions are pretty well founded, and unlike faith and religion, sciences conclusions can change with new facts. I guess in a way it is like debating abortion. Can you support the killing of an unborn kid? Even unintended? How is it possible to on one hand hold life so precious yet decide that it should be the mother's choice to terminate the developing fetus? Equally frustrating is the republican stance on killing Muslim terrorists but not wanting to kill unborn babies? Is a life really that much different? Many of them argue that a child has unlimited possibilities in front of it. The terrorist has made the wrong choices and no longer deserves the life the were "given." On the same hand we have people saying Global warming isn't real. The scientists are making this shit up. Those liberal countries are trying to ruing the USA economy by falsely suggesting that carbon dioxide is a problem. The ice caps aren't going to melt. No way. Is that position any different than supporting creation "science" and aggressively or even passively dismissing evolution? The Bible is a collection of stories. Fantastic stories. Well written, well concieved. Good morals. Good messages. It IS a good book. No question. But to say it is unquestionable and 100% accurate even down to the time line is, i feel, somewhat delusional. I know i'm not along but i know many people i consider great and close friends who do. I can almost always overlook it. Like i can overlook how friends feel about abortion, politics, the war, what ever. Being a friend transcends such "trivial" differences. I probably always will say something that i regret, that makes me wish i hadn't. I usually wind up appologizing. One person saw that as fake, manipulative. It is just me. sometimes my mouth reacts faster than my brain (that over thinking issue i have). I wonder if i'm making sense at all.
TT tomorrow night. Should be a go, assuming it doesn't get canceled with the thunderstorms that are forecast for the afternoon. At least the temps shouldn't be too high.
No matter what you believe. Be a good person. If ya gonna call someone a coward make sure you are doing it in jest and that person knows it. Calling them that in anger NOT to their face is just not cool. Not cool...
palate cleanser:
Three Types of Roadies Which one are you? (assuming you are a cyclist/roadie)
peace
G
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9 comments:
"I've been mulling and agonizing over the comment i made about creationism and all that."
Yeah, contentious shit to bring up. And too deep rooted to convince people otherwise.
I've always subscribed to the live and let live approach. However, when a faith based concept is being pushed for curriculum in public schools, I think that's a problem. No apologies for disagreement are necessary in that context.
Another extension of the perpetual human problem of faith versus pragmatism.
Anyway, hope the kooks stay off your wheel and pass with salutations.
Hey, for the record, I meant you were flaming over on cxbabble. I steer clear of genuine holy wars. Dems peoples is crazies.
I don't understand why anyone is worked up over the world cup not happening this year. Of course they have to spin it a little (I mean hell, they have to convince someone that putting their name on this thing might actually help them sell something. Talk about a stretch...), but for the most part I think you can take what they said at face value - it's better to wait and do it right and have it last a few years than to rush it out the door and have problems. What's wrong with that? If you can't wait a year, any existing world cup is just a plane ticket away.
you're crazy to race other commuters when it's 90+. I've given up trying to beat the inevitable mtb mashers that pass me on the way to and from work -- I'd rather not need a shower after riding 2 miles.
i guess your commute is long enough you're going to be sweaty either way?
WC FWIW It looks like Richard's skin is a bit thin. It seems that he's tryin' to blame Ms. X for any and all backlash 'cause she voiced an opinion, one I think is common amoung those who saw behind the curtain at Natz, that things were less than buttoned down.
Gene Petrella saved many asses that weekend and got no glory.
Axes are being ground in public. I don't think this is the type of response the UCI was looking for from their partners.
Just my guess. I guess I won't be getting a WC volunteer jacket in 2008...
Sure, Solo, now you clarify your gewilliesque flame reference...
And yeah let me get unworked up about it (cause even crotchety old you would get geeked about the big boys coming to town, admit it) before i can start being happy that they'll come in next year.
Plane ticket or bike ride away are two different things, esp when ya talking about a family of four.
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Colin, that other dude was no commuter. OR if he was he wasn't acting like one and i'd never seen him on the path before.
And yeah. I'm sweaty no matter what. So what's a bit more exertion.
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Less than buttoned down? Damn straight.
Tom Stevens and Gene both seemed to be the ones who make it work.
Oh and other chaotic crap there? Pre-Reg lines. 10 deep for the W-Z line. NO ONE in the other six lines. WTF? Can't someone next to the W person speed the fucking process up?
Not to mention the Pre-reg room/number pick up was SWARMING with volunteers. More people wearing those Jackets than Racers picking up their numbers. Most of them just sitting around while a few of them worked.
I wonder if the UCI is following along thinking "those crazy americans"
Having seen the UCI in action (ok, via the media...) the past few months, are you sure you want to give them any credit? I mean McBane, or McQuaid, or whoever the fuck he is, could we do ANY worse? Let's see, Rumsfeld is out of work, maybe they can get him.
I agree Brucie, if you're going to promote a big time (or even little time) event, bring your thick skin. What I'm saying is give them credit, nobody is going to get something like this perfect the first time, with no practice. Maybe, just maybe, they learned from the less than perfect executions of their prior events and series, and this time had the good judgment to back away and take the heat now rather than repeat past mistakes.
I do, however, have a big problem with for profit events leaning heavily on the work of volunteers. Marshalls should be paid. Cut the budget someplace else if you need to. Or just up the entry fee on the umpteen B and C races. They're only there to pay the bills anyway, and since they're overflowing with entries already, why not? Everyone out there (except Gewilli) has $5000 worth of carbon hanging off their roof already, what's another $20 added to the entry fee?
Damn. Solobreak is sounding rather rational and intelligent reasonable and soundly reassuring.
I am waiting for Richard to implode. He seems to be hammering Madam X (with whom I am in constant contact) for an honest statement. Not very pro.
I think we should pray for him.
Hadda chourico and egg sangwitch for lunch. Gotta wait til 5 for the gansetts.
Well, you guys all volunteered, so with that comes the right to add your two cents. Maybe next year the UCI will make you sign a declaration before volunteering that says you solemnly swear (is it even possible to unsolemnly swear?) that you were not involved in the Babble affair, and that you agree to forfeit a year's salary, two pair of socks, and some pancakes if you are found to have criticized the organizers.
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