The following post was originally published in XXC Magazine No. 5 (late fall 2009) and is reprinted with permission from the author (which is me). While I no longer have goals geared towards ultra endurance racing (dwindling fitness and a series of blood clots now have me pursuing races 50 miles and under) the sentiment and my love of mountain biking remains.
I have been off the bike and out of the gym for…um…. ah…. Hell, I don’t even know how long anymore. I was on a scheduled family vacation for a few days and despite making it to the gym today, I feel exactly like a big fat swollen blubbery miserable gorilla turd.
A while back, I blathered on about stopping all the Paleo diet inspired, Sugar Nazi hate on the potato, and in the process shared my Soiled Hash Browns (they taste better than they sound, trust me). They were good, but require a lot of skillet watching. So for lunch today I made up a “roasted” version that was way easier. Check out the potato loving easiness of my Soiled Roasted Potatoes & Vegetables…
Road racing has the long climbs strewn with screaming “tifosi,” and cross racing has throngs of drunken hecklers in muddy Wellington’s but sadly most mountain bike races are often void of such passionate supporters. So seeing these photos from the 2013 Roc d’Azur in France with thousands of spectators along the climb was pretty cool. I’m content to get a “nice job” from a lone spectator at the top of a climb, so I really can’t fathom making my way up an ascent with literally thousands of people screaming at me.
Just like cyclists, football (soccer) players don’t get much respect from most of America. They are believed to be “sissies” in contrast to “real ‘Merican man” athletes like American football players, hockey players, bowlers and poker players.
Bullshit.
Take a look at today’s carnage from 4th round FA Cup matches…
Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel had his split open bloody head stapled on the side of the pitch, then continued to play the remaining 40 minutes.
Jonathon Parr of Crystal Palace was knocked clean out after a challenge with Wigan’s Callum McManaman.
And probably the worst: Bryan Oviedo (Everton) snapped leg like in two.
Yeah, sissies.
I had the chance to ride my bike today, and I have to say, it was pretty freaking awesome. For many people this is no big deal, but for those of us who live in the dark Hoth-like recesses of Jack Frost’s frozen polar vortex of a bung hole it can be a very big deal. A very COLD big deal…
I got me a case of writer’s block. It’s not entirely my fault, it just that there is NOTHING going on except zero degree temps and snow. OK, there are things going one but I’m talking about things that are worth talking about. The following is a list of things that I thought about blathering on about but realized there was no real point…
Today I’m not even going to pretend to talk about cycling, I am gonna straight up waste your time talking about music, actually a musician. In particular Mr. Noel Gallagher. Yeah Noel, the talented one from Oasis, the older brother to nut job Liam. I dig him and here’s why, starting from the beginning…
Sorry to get personal here, but I figured since I mentioned my new modest and hopefully attainable 2014 resolutions the other day, I would follow-up on Last year’s laundry list of resolutions: