The New Post is Here! The New Post is Here!

You may have noticed that "we" haven't been blogging much. By "we", I of course mean "me" because my lame-ass partners in this venture have abandoned me on the blogging trail like a dehydrated sprinter on a mountain stage. I thought that after they started X-raying bikes for motorized doping that it would be an important step and Rider Two might break his self-imposed exile recognizing this important step in the War on Doping, but no, it wasn't enough apparently.

Don't worry though, I haven't forgotten about you. I will start blogging again at least for a couple of weeks before an extended vacation that includes the Leadville 100. So, what, you ask, have I been doing instead of blogging the way I should? It breaks down into three major categories: 1) Working - I know, not as good as biking but it does still seem occasionally necessary; 2) Watching the Tour de France - those guys are riding 4-6 hours every day on television - the least WE can do is watch it, right?; and 3) Riding my bike - really.

Shall we touch on each of these blog excuses?

Working - Enough said, right? I mean, really. It happens and, at least so far, I haven't discovered a way to avoid it. And it does, on a really regular basis, take up a lot of my day. In fact, if you throw in a wife and kids, the way I have, some would say that is enough, but not for a guy like me. No, I want more. That leads me to -

Tour de France - Longtime readers know that I was following the TdF when it involved waiting for VeloNews to arrive a month after the race, so the fact that there is live coverage every single day is literally a dream come true for me. By the way, I think that "literally" is one of those words that it should be a misdemeanor to misuse. Don't tell me a ride "literally" killed you or that you would "literally" give your right arm for something, because I don't believe you and I probably won't like you afterward. The point is, I can't believe that they cover this race every day. I know that there are stages where "nothing" happens until the end, but I still become absorbed in the teams riding, the competitions within the race and just watching those guys suffer worse than dogs as the race unfolds. I can't help myself and I end up watching hour after hour after hour of it day after day after day. Hell, I personally need a rest day by the time they come along (please notice I didn't say I "literally" need a rest day). Anyway, I love it and it becomes a major focus for 23 days every July.

Riding - Oh yeah, the real reason for this blog and my fascination with the Tour - I like to ride my bike. Also, right now I am in the last block of training for Leadville and I am spending "literally" 18-20 hours per week on my bike this week and last, and 15-18 hours for a number of weeks prior to that.

So, when you add up going to work, which for the sake of discussion let's say is 50 hours a week, watching the Tour de France for 2-3 hours per day or 20+ hours per week, and riding my bike for 15-20 hours per week, that adds up to 90 hours a week. I feel a bit useless since there are another 78 hours a week unaccounted for in this equation, but my wife will tell you I underestimated both work and Tour watching. Add some sleeping, eating, bathing, and whatnot, it becomes a good thing my kids like Phil and Paul, otherwise we wouldn't have seen each other the last few weeks. And, you can see how blogging time took it in the shorts. Or at least it was shorted. Literally.
Rider Three