8 months...

...to go 'till the big day.

Summit the Sun - Climb for Kids is certainly my main focus for the year. As my endurance rides get longer and I get stronger I think that'll also help with my racing program. With the 3 youngest grins demanding a lot of my attention I may be somewhat limited to my frequency out racing this season, but I plan to support my teammies whenever I get the chance.


Sponsorship solicitation for Summit the Sun is coming along - no big news there yet, but I'm confident that the advantage of both the marketing potential along with the benefits of a generous tax-deductible donation will make it attractive to groups to align themselves with the event by mid-to- late Spring. Time will tell.

Job opening

Stupid driver of the day award
This guy & I were minding our own business, chatting up a storm on small claims court, tort reform and chocolate torts, riding westbound on River Road in Fife when a trash-hauler trailer pulls out right in front of us making a left turn. Slowing & swerving toward the right I still managed to get in the way of trash dudes rear wheels, as the rear trailer wasn't on the same track as the front tractor. While I was in the scree of the intersection and at almost a standstill the trailers left rear tire nipped my left foot & banged into my rear wheel, fortunately a relatively slow speed.

To the guys credit he stops right away at our yelling & hollering. Though his first words proved why he hauls garbage for a living - he started trash talking right away. "I didn't see you guys, why were you in the middle of the road?" So that's your apology? Not,"Are you OK? Can I do anything for you? How's your bike?" No, he's being defensively offensive. Never admitting anything wrong, he's basically blaming me for getting in his way and that's why I got hit. We didn't give way to him pulling out in front of us - yeah that's good logic.

Cops arrive get every one's story, sort through the hysteria, and end up issuing a citation to Rubbish-man for failure to yield ("But I stopped!") - now you to can apply for his job.

Rock On

Up in Malibu, where a couple of Range Rovers, or a Lamborghini, Ferrari, Maserati, is the norm. Where German imports (S Class Mercedes AMG's, Turbo Porsche's, or 700 series BMW's) are the everyday drivers like imported Japanese cars in my neighborhood.

Just after 4PM yesterday at my ride turnaround at Malibu Bluff Park, across the street from exclusive Pepperdine U, who comes jamming by, but the 20-something guys from Rock Racing in a swift double-paceline. Trailing them was a black Cadillac Escalade with wheel racks on the roof. Could not tell if Cipo' was on one of the Scott's or not, but definitely a disciplined group.

Stupid Driver of the Day award goes to the lady on her cell as she obliviously drifted toward me pressing me toward the line of parked cars on Lincoln Blvd. She nearly jumped out of her thin skin as I banged her right passenger door; which as an afterthought could've caused her to actually make things worse had she overreacted & swerved into me - but she didn't.

Teammies

First team ride of the year with actual teammates. Rode out of Irwin's on 40th in lower Wallingford at 9AM and went south along Lake WA over the I-90 bridge and then out to east of nowhere.

Street names like May Valley, Issaquah-Hobart, Cedar Grove, a couple 200 numbered roads, Petrovitsky came & went in unfamiliar fashion, before returning to friendly territory in Kent & Renton.

Ride was in the high 30's (perhaps hitting 40 in a few spots) and mostly dry except toward the later 15-20 minutes where the skies finally opened up.

My PowerTap had the ride data just shy of 75 miles in just over 4 hours, averaging 17.4 mph, with an average watt reading of only 180 (what that's all?) and 2721 estimated calories burned.

Jamie continues to ride stellar and Chad was rock solid as well despite his working 90+ hours a week. Post-ride burrito was consumed handily. Legs were definitely challenged today and felt comfortably tired. Tomorrow another solo long (& perhaps hilly) day in sunny LA.

Six weeks until Mason Lake #1.

Where's my Delorean?

I just read that he is publishing his 2nd memoir. Here is a guy who's over 3 years my junior writing another book about his terrific life. What could've happened in six years since his first book? I'm so far behind.

Checkmate

What I didn't predict - Bobby Fischer (should a grown man ever be named Bobby?) died yesterday. The often tormented and predictably odd behavior that frequently afflicts genius chess grandmasters who are utterly bored & seemingly can't be bothered by the illogical behavior of the mere mortals that must inhabit the planet with them. One commentator said there was one constant through his life -- his "running battle with the rest of the human race".

As demonstrated by other notable former world chess champions on their reaction to his death, these guys think on a different level:

Garry Kasparov hailed Fischer as a pioneer of professional chess. "We have lost a great individual. He was always alone ... But while alone he demonstrated that a human being is capable of reaching new heights. We have lost a great warrior, we have lost a great mind."

On the other hand Boris Spassky, who now lives in Paris, was less eloquent on the subject of Fischer. Asked by Reuters for his reaction, he said: "It's bad luck for you. Bobby Fischer is dead," then hung up.

2008 Predictions

Long awaited prognostication for the year ahead:

Somebody will be elected President of the US of A this NOV. Just because of the name thing alone, it will not be Obama, nor Huckabee, same for Giuliani. Obama will accept Hillary's gesture to be her veep. They will run against a Romney/Lieberman ticket and win.

No plans for an Obama Elementary School outside of Illinois (and perhaps in Oakland, CA) in the near future.

Sticking with the election theme - Mike Pruitt will abandon his campaign to be Pakistan's next Prime Minister in protest on the lack of a viable & secure bike path anywhere in the country.

Several endurance events will be cancelled at the Olympics in Beijing in AUG due to terrible air quality. Both Men's & Women's Marathon (if they are run) will see the highest dropout percentage in Olympics history. One of the five official mascots will collapse during the opening ceremonies.

Jordan Campbell win be invited to join the USA Cycling National Development Team for 2009.

The grandson of Joop Zoetemelk (1980 Tdf winner, 1985 World Champion, 6 times 2nd place & finisher of all 16 Tours he started), a Junior racer from the Netherlands, will emerge from nowhere to win the TdF. He will be proclaimed to have the cleanest "biological passport" and will be hailed as the next great cyclist.

He will be busted for enhancing his performance illegally in 2009.

American Ned Overend will finish 2nd at the Tdf just shy of his 53rd birthday.

Tyler Hamilton will bite somebodies ear off during the Brasstown Bald stage of the Tour of Georgia.

The third runway will open at SEATAC to much fanfare with the initial landing made by a Singapore Airlines A380 mega jet which will cause the west retaining wall to fail creating a gigantic landslide demolishing the newly restored Miller Creek

Landslide area will be made into a BMX park for local kids.

Alaska Airlines will be bought out by American, will close its Seattle operations, and focus on building Boeing Field hub trumping & snubbing Southwest Airlines at their own game.

Southwest counters by opening up operations from Renton's Clayton Scott Field (KRNT) - where 100% of their Boeing 737's were assembled. Though due to performance issues they can only carry 4 passengers a flight, or limit their full passenger range to service only as far as Tacoma Narrows Airport.

Al Gore will move onto a North Atlantic iceberg and not leave until all countries accept his moral challenge to reduce greenhouse emissions. Unfortunately the world will continue to ignore his message and Al, with his Nobel Peace Prize by his side, will go missing as the iceberg eventually melts before a rescue ship (with an offset carbon footprint) can reach him.

Unfortunately Tipper wasn't with him and continues to bash objectionable music lyrics.

Al will turn up 5 years from now living in Venezuela secretly running their state-owned petroleum company PDVSA (Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A.), with kickbacks to former President George Bush who can't get a speaking engagement since it was learned he really does have an IQ of puppet.

Britain's Prince Charles will reveal he is gay (not that there's anything wrong with that!) and that with his "Misses" (Camilla Parker Bowles) they have a lavender marriage.

Evening Magazine will do a feature on some old cyclist attempting to ride up Maui's Mt Haleakala several times.

Old guy loses track of the number climbed so far and has to make a do-over the next day.

The team formally known as AxleyUSA/Spoke & Sprocket (cannot reveal new team name) will dominate NW cycling. Mike Pruitt will be nominated as WA State Prime Minister of Bicycling.

All 5 grins will keep on grinning & growing.