Cycling Camp 2010

I don't know where to start. So I'll just start at the beginning, I was getting a little depressed with northeast winterly things. Wanting to start the year off as best I could and also get my body temp. up to at least 97 or so, I headed off to the cycling house in Tucson. Dude (and Dudetts) this place is off the hook! Owen and the staff are incredibly good at what they do, providing anything you need from the best food I've ever had to discussions about riding and racing. And the riding in Tucson is nothing short of Epic.

53x11 coffee is the order of the day, not only starts our day off but anytime. And for a coffee nooner this feels like home. Its only my second day here and I can say I'll be back, next time with with my wife. I'm going to surprise her with a new 53x11 kit. This isn't what you would expect a bike camp to be, this is truly the miraval of cycling camps. I would hope more of 53x11 coffee team make the trip next year, Owen and the guys and girls can provide riding/training time for all of us, from mt. bikers to roadies to triathelets. I'll have some more pics soon, Tomorrow is Mt. Lemon! Woo Hoo!

Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope all is well and everyone is healthy and happy. Take the day to kick back, relax, and enjoy the friends and family around you. Happy Holidays, Evan

Happy Holidays

Just wanted to wish everyone a safe and joyous holiday season and a very good 2010.
Keep the rubber side down!
Ty (aka saddledancer)

The Big Ring

Let's change subjects, get off the Tiger Woods tire fire and talk about The Big Ring. I just brewed up a cup prior to my trainer ride this morning. It is a balmy 6 degrees outside. Probably seems like a beautiful morning to our Montana contingent, but to those of us with soft underbellies, it is hellaciously cold. So the trainer it is. As with any ride worth doing, first, I ground up some freshly delivered Big Ring beans and threw them into the coffee maker. My house began to smell great, replacing the aroma of my 18 year old blind and deaf Italian Greyhound, Sophie, who has a smell, no let me say stench, all her own, but I digress. Needless to say the change in essence was appreciated. Well, back to The Big Ring coffee. It is smooth, might I say too smooth. I may be tempted to drink several pots. That is some fine bean. Any of you who haven't tried it or have just run across this blog, you gotta get some of this.

My Christmas shopping is done. Everyone is getting the Big Ring.

Snow today, and off Topic

Well it is the off season, and 'parently was the season to be off. Put on a few really unneeded pounds. I can't drop any of it by riding inside so I usually spend some time with heavier slower moving things, (man there's a punchline there, and if a certain someone reads this, its going to be me a 'gettin a punchin.) Most of us don't race this time of year so other than the love of cycling and shared fitness obsessions, we are probably very different. But I'm hoping we also have much of the same christian values. I have a few friends that don't believe in God, that does bug me a bit but they are really decent, having good morals and lifestyles. This is about pro sports, 53x11coffee is in that category and as money changes hands I think about this Tiger Woods thing, I don't know what it is like at that level of play, but I do know I'm where all that money comes from. I liked Tiger, I joined his website. Now I feel like He's a bum. He hangs in clubs with the intention of picking someone up, even picked up a waitress with whom he was attended too while with His wife, that in my book is very wrong. If 53x11coffee had an association with Nike I would be very sad, as I won't wear any Nike until they part company with this sleazeball. And Mr Woods if you read this and you still have your father in your prayers, ask Him for forgiveness not us, because I don't have to. I'm not Hip or Cool, don't make millions in pro sports and I don't like to hang with sleazeballs. Thanks everyone for reading. PS, there is such a thing as a sleazeball, spell check fixed my spelling.

Noobee but not new

Whaz happening Team 53x11 people?! I'm also new member of the group, joining yesterday (Tucson, AZ.). Being a diehard addicted morning drinker, coffee I mean, I'm not new to 53x11. I pushed the buttons to join on with the Team, hoping to kick start my biking attitude back into gear. I am looking forward to being associated with the group, and to hearing back from all of you.

Introduction

I'm a new member of the team having joined just this morning. I mentioned to Evan that I had seen the 53x11 kit at races and thought it looked pretty sharp, putting it in the back of my mind as a future purchase. I was surfing the web aimlessly when I ran across a link to 53x11 coffee. Checked it out, contacted Evan and was signed up in short order. Great to be associated with such a good group of like-minded people who value corporate and individual responsibility, qualities seemingly in short supply these days. Even better to be associated with fit men and women who like to tear ass around the countryside on bikes. That's a concept I can get behind.

A little bit about me, I am starting my 21^st year as a triathlete having switched my emphasis to longer stuff over the last couple of years. I just finished my 5^th and 6^th Ironman distance races this year. I have already registered for 3 for 2010; Idaho, Wisconsin and a non-sanctioned fantastic race, the Great Floridian (hilly if you can imagine). My training partner Katie and I, she being 46, me entering my 55^th year this January, emphasize swimming and biking over running since both sports are considerably less stressful on the body. This year to date, we have over 4k miles biking, 800 running and somewhere over 300k yards swimming.

I love cycling above all else. I am a bit of a Ludite when it comes to new technology – I will embrace the newest and coolest bike gear – give me carbon fiber any day, but trend away from GPS and power monitors. I know I would be a much better athlete if I went that route, but part of my love of human powered sport is getting away from the plugged-in world. This is especially important to me because I am an IT geek and have my fill of technology every day at work and evenings and weekends.....give me fresh air and an open road to make me happy. I live in Northern Illinois, 25 miles south of the Wisconsin border and was able to see hundreds of sandhill cranes flying south for the winter yesterday. I might have missed them had my nose been buried in power meter readouts as I rode along. Normative power or sandhill cranes – the answer is simple for me. But hey, this is a big tent and lots of room to fly your freak flag whatever it may be.

Glad to be here.

-Pete M