20 March 2010

Man, what an awesome day! Even though I had to work last night and didn't go to bed until 9am this morning, I was happy and excited to get out of bed at 1pm; the temp was predicted to hit 80 and my brother was coming over to go riding! Threw on my RBX bibs from Specialized and my new, never-before-sweated-in Grand Strand Bicycles jersey from Hincapie Sportswear and we took off through the countryside! Got in a good half-century plus and the weather was indeed beautiful!
As if the ride couldn't get any better, I added some MP3 speakers to my handlebars (not my actual bars shown!) which are a recent birthday gift from my bride. Now, of course they don't offer the thumpin' bass of a car stereo, but the sound is clear and the volume is plenty. It came with a cord that plugs into the computer to recharge and a short cord to connect to my MP3 player which is loaded with tunes! For all you weight-geeks who work to take a few grams off your bike here and there, I can lose enough weight off my butt and belly in a week to more than make up for it.
Speaking of which, I have to brag a little; my wife and I entered a weight-loss challenge at the gym where she works out, and I somehow managed to win both categories, "greatest amount of weight lost," (29 pounds!) and "greatest percentage of body fat lost," (nearly 14%!). Won a couple of sessions with a private trainer and a cash prize which I will soon send to Hammer Nutrition for some excellent products! I am quite excited, because regardless of the prize, I am carrying less and less weight and that is helping me slay some of those hills I encounter on my bike! Life is good!
Glad I got the ride in today, will try to spin some tomorrow to loosen up, then spin class on Monday evening. Then, I will taper down and take in some extra carbs to prepare for the Marquis de Sade next Saturday. I am looking forward to this ride but it won't be easy; 82 miles with (I think) over 8000 feet of climbing! Like its namesake, this ride is torturous, and if you actually love it you must be sick!
Hope y'all have a great week, keep hammering!
Be blessed, be safe!
p.s. Funny sidenote (at least I think so!): we stopped today at what I thought was a store, but was really an old country bar, so I could grab some more liquid; when I walked in wearing my bike kit, youda thunk I was naked and painted green! All these old guys sitting at a bar making romance with a beer can/bottle just staring in disbelief. It's a little eerie to walk into a place like that and everything just go silent, as if someone hit a "mute" button! I just laughed and felt a little sorry for them. It was the most beautiful day we'd had in months and they were all stuck inside this dark little joint, thinking I was the weird one.