Making It Look Easy....

When the Wright Brothers took their first flight, did they know to wear seatbelts?

All in the name of creativity~

Driftin...

Driftin, driftin, driftin along............................ I rid myself of worries and my worries were gone...

I only run when I want to and I sleep like a dog, I'm.........driftin, driftin along.........

The suitcoats say there's money to be made..............they get so excited nothing gets in their way.........

...my road, it may be lonely just because it's not paved.................it's good for driftin..driftin along....... -ev

Maybe...




...it was the forecast of "no accumulation is expected." Maybe it's the surplus of indoor trainer rides lately. Maybe I ate one too many of those silicon packets that come in packaging boxes of new electronics, but.......









Winter is becoming a bit....................stale...............yikes..................













Don't get me wrong - frequent trips to the highcountry this winter have delivered beauty,







....adventure....









and lots of snowy landscapes...

But visions of wildflower-lined singletrack are starting to seduce me with each falling snowflake.





'Cause you don't need a weatherman to tell which way the wild blows...

I'll Meet You There...

One thing about endurance racers of any kind is that you get in this mindset that you can never train enough. At times, it almost becomes a curse. But at the end of the day you look back at what you've done...

...you look back at the miles you've put in, and then you win a race, or you podium. You realize it was enough, you did it, and you're satisfied - at least for a time. But there will always be someone faster than you- it's unrealistic to assume otherwise. One day you've got to come to grips with the fact that you do what you can do and you embrace it.

It's taken me seventeen years to figure that out...

But the paradox is that it wasn't enough...which is why you keep going. What drives us toward competition? What basic, innate, natural force lurches us towards superiority?

We are driven in life by the things that inspire us. So find something - be inspired. Risk it - challenge it. Crash...and learn. Your drive will never be the same.

Life is in motion - don't be stuck in line.

On a lighter note, I know what my stunt-double Russ is going to do with his "economic stimulus check." I kept telling him to lay off the 7-layer dip otherwise USA Cycling's gonna relegate him to the "clydesdale class" for 2008.......don't say I didn't warn ya, dude...step away from the burrito...

So What's One More?

Like a baseball bat that's waitin' to swing...




Fact: Nothing says "Euro Pro" like a cycling cap. Which is why my new 2008 race bike came with three of them.

Any time I get a new ride, it gets what I call, "indoor treatment" until I take it out and show it the ropes. Not to mention the corral is a bit overstuffed right now...



Make no mistake - I use every one of these. I just happen to have one or two more than usual right now. But that being said, it sure is nice to have choices...

What's The Time....

11:30am. February 2. Look outside. Take one last slug of coffee. Pile on the clothing.

11:36am. Wheels down. Frickin 23 degrees and snowing........sweet...

11:41am. Pat myself on the back for being out there accumulating man points.

11:47am. Pedal through Ute Valley - up the Highway.

11:48am. Crash #1 on ice. Snow down my back.

12:03pm. Turn down towards PRHOF. Get cold in wind.

12:18pm. Let out shreik of joy.

12:21pm. Almost hit rabbit. Crash #2 on ice. Snow down my back.

12:49pm. Head wind. Get colder.

12:58pm. Pass freight train. Wave. Receive wave back. Almost crash on ice.

1:08pm. Stop. Enjoy the view of snow. Reminisce.

1:17pm. Open an energy gel. Realize it's almost frozen. Say, "Damn...."

1:28pm. Climb ridgeline westward toward Pgrin. Yell angrily that bike won't shift.

1:29pm. Look down, realize cables are frozen. Let out big gafawww.

1:41. Reminisce.

1:41pm. Turn off trail and hit snow-covered pavement. Get cold again.

1:52pm. Arrivee.' Hot shower. Sweat pants.

Sometimes it's not about the ride, it's how you get there. Cheers to all those who leave the comfort of home to get out and experience adventure, in whatever form it comes in.

By the way, the ProCycling website (the team I ride for in case my logos don't tip you off) has undergone a complete facelift. Check it out and spend a few minutes there:

http://www.procyclingwarehouse.com/