ah yes - winter. cold enough for ya? i would love to complain but the reality is that here in calgary we have had (till this week) quite a reasonalbly mild fall and winter (till this week). i am terrified to see my gas bill next month as i dont think my furnace has shut off for 5 days straight! i guess we were due though as its been a really long time since we have had such a nasty cold snap. not that i am a diligent reader of the farmers almanac - but those guys were predicting a very cold winter for us this year. smart-ass-farmer-weathermen-told-you-so's...
i am 3 weeks into my new challenge - being coached for racing - and so far so good. i was expecting to have to fight through some of my own issues - specifically - issues relating to be told what to do (i dont do so well with authority) and scheduling. i am notorious for letting time slip away by avoiding my responsibilities (blogging is a function of this) and i am an expert at getting what i want when i want it. well, i am happy to report that i am actually starting to like not having control over my training and am starting to feel the positive effects of the workouts i am doing. small victories can add up to huge opportunities - thats what i am hoping for.
see you at the finish line!
Jan 30, 2008
Jan 23, 2008
hey - the new alberta racing calendar is up and this fella thinks it looks fantastic! here are a few things that caught this guy's eye...
- calgary bike week - 6 days of racing in 8 days in the calgary area
- a crit has been added to the pigeon lake weekend
- 11 - count em - 11 cyclocross events - including National's in Edmonton
- Banff Stage Race - awesomeness!
- 2 new (kinda) mountain bike venues and lots of new events
all in all i think the new people at the ABA have done an incredible job of building arguably the most complete race calendar this provinve has seen - maybe ever!
see you out there!
Jan 19, 2008
Jan 8, 2008
spaghetti and meatballs review #1
alright - so i was struck by a bolt of lightning sometime back and this bolt of lightning told me that i had to source out the best spaghetti and meatballs i could find during all my travels. here is my first review. all reviews are scored on a "3-meatball" system. the dish is broken down into its 3 component parts - noodles, sauce, and balls. the best possible rating is 3 meatballs. i know its simple - shut the hell up!!!
here we go...
L&W restaurant - jasper alberta
Noodles - perfect al dente noodles. some of the best i've eaten. scores 1 ball.
Sauce - solid, but lacking personality of any kind. no balls scored.
Meatballs - big, tasty, and very very good. They had a little zip - i like that! scores one ball.
Score - 2 balls out of 3.
alright - so i was struck by a bolt of lightning sometime back and this bolt of lightning told me that i had to source out the best spaghetti and meatballs i could find during all my travels. here is my first review. all reviews are scored on a "3-meatball" system. the dish is broken down into its 3 component parts - noodles, sauce, and balls. the best possible rating is 3 meatballs. i know its simple - shut the hell up!!!
here we go...
L&W restaurant - jasper alberta
Noodles - perfect al dente noodles. some of the best i've eaten. scores 1 ball.
Sauce - solid, but lacking personality of any kind. no balls scored.
Meatballs - big, tasty, and very very good. They had a little zip - i like that! scores one ball.
Score - 2 balls out of 3.
Jan 5, 2008
Dec 23, 2007
the beginning of winter
i hosted my annual solstice gathering and was delighted to have about 20 people come by to enjoy the longest night of the year together. all the usual suspects were on hand as well as a few "newbies" - which included sara, jon, eliot, and irfan (who is a resident of phoenix). here are a few pics from the firepit - which was witness to the sacrifice of jesse's old snowboard. it was a beautiful night - no wind - not too cold and a little snow around adding to the ambiance.
the next day a few of the gang headed down to the ship and anchor for the open stage jam and some second breakfast (or lunch). this afternoon is one of my favorite things to do - i can have andreas with me, eat, listen to live music and enjoy a pint of the ship's finest. we were stoked to hear the bownesians were to play and they eventually played their hit - "she's from montgomery and he's from bowness".
good times.
i hosted my annual solstice gathering and was delighted to have about 20 people come by to enjoy the longest night of the year together. all the usual suspects were on hand as well as a few "newbies" - which included sara, jon, eliot, and irfan (who is a resident of phoenix). here are a few pics from the firepit - which was witness to the sacrifice of jesse's old snowboard. it was a beautiful night - no wind - not too cold and a little snow around adding to the ambiance.
the next day a few of the gang headed down to the ship and anchor for the open stage jam and some second breakfast (or lunch). this afternoon is one of my favorite things to do - i can have andreas with me, eat, listen to live music and enjoy a pint of the ship's finest. we were stoked to hear the bownesians were to play and they eventually played their hit - "she's from montgomery and he's from bowness".
good times.
Dec 20, 2007
the end of autumn in calgary
in a word - beautiful.
my day began with my son jumping on my head at the crack of dawn (as he does every morning) and demanding i do this or that immediately. my usual strategy is to tickle and kiss him for as long as i can to delay standing up and facing the day. standard morning. as the sun began to poke its familiar oranges and reds out from the horizon it became clear that today was going to be a beautiful day. next up was second breakfast at the galaxie with my fabulous nadja sugarpie - mmmmmmm! eggs, bacon, endless coffee and morning sun on our table as we slowly woke up to the end of autumn. this city is incredible and never stops revealing its secrets to me. i was able to get out on the fixie after lunch and toodled along the river to the zoo and back. it was so nice out - people strolling along smiling, a tailwind, and smooth pavement. down near the inglewood bridge i spotted a bald eagle standing on the ice at the edge of the river. he was huge - looking to be 18" tall and a wingspan that had to be 4' across! amazing animals!
tomorrow winter arrives. i am looking forward to celebrating the longest night of the year and the beginning of the climb back towards summer. ahhhhh - summer. bad tan lines, sunburns, mosquitos, and warmth. i cant wait.
take it eashhhh!
in a word - beautiful.
my day began with my son jumping on my head at the crack of dawn (as he does every morning) and demanding i do this or that immediately. my usual strategy is to tickle and kiss him for as long as i can to delay standing up and facing the day. standard morning. as the sun began to poke its familiar oranges and reds out from the horizon it became clear that today was going to be a beautiful day. next up was second breakfast at the galaxie with my fabulous nadja sugarpie - mmmmmmm! eggs, bacon, endless coffee and morning sun on our table as we slowly woke up to the end of autumn. this city is incredible and never stops revealing its secrets to me. i was able to get out on the fixie after lunch and toodled along the river to the zoo and back. it was so nice out - people strolling along smiling, a tailwind, and smooth pavement. down near the inglewood bridge i spotted a bald eagle standing on the ice at the edge of the river. he was huge - looking to be 18" tall and a wingspan that had to be 4' across! amazing animals!
tomorrow winter arrives. i am looking forward to celebrating the longest night of the year and the beginning of the climb back towards summer. ahhhhh - summer. bad tan lines, sunburns, mosquitos, and warmth. i cant wait.
take it eashhhh!
Dec 5, 2007
May 14, 2007
bikes
bici crit and pedalhead xc report - well, i survived the bici crit and made it to the finish with the group. doesnt sound like much i know - but it feels like an accomplishment to me. it was soooo windy, windy enough that most of the peleton was content to ride into the headwind with out too much aggression but also windy enough that i was almost dropped in the tailwind section every lap! the hi-lite of the race had to be the "rogue rider" that jumped into the race wearing this yellow/green ensemble that was quite dashing. baggy soccer shorts, high socks and a wife beater - why have i been wearing lycra all this time?
after the race i jumped in the van and made the 3hr tour to edmonton to partake in the Pedalhead Alberta Cup #2 held at sunridge ski area. this was a brand new course that was very twisty, up-and-down, and long laps. it was super fun and it felt great to be out racing MTB again. i basically sucked but was happy to finish - especially considering i lost both my water bottles in the first 10 minutes! i guess i will be looking for new bottle cages to prevent that situation again.
overall - it was a fun weekend of racing and the fire i was hoping would be lit under my ass has been stoked and is burning bright.
bici crit and pedalhead xc report - well, i survived the bici crit and made it to the finish with the group. doesnt sound like much i know - but it feels like an accomplishment to me. it was soooo windy, windy enough that most of the peleton was content to ride into the headwind with out too much aggression but also windy enough that i was almost dropped in the tailwind section every lap! the hi-lite of the race had to be the "rogue rider" that jumped into the race wearing this yellow/green ensemble that was quite dashing. baggy soccer shorts, high socks and a wife beater - why have i been wearing lycra all this time?
after the race i jumped in the van and made the 3hr tour to edmonton to partake in the Pedalhead Alberta Cup #2 held at sunridge ski area. this was a brand new course that was very twisty, up-and-down, and long laps. it was super fun and it felt great to be out racing MTB again. i basically sucked but was happy to finish - especially considering i lost both my water bottles in the first 10 minutes! i guess i will be looking for new bottle cages to prevent that situation again.
overall - it was a fun weekend of racing and the fire i was hoping would be lit under my ass has been stoked and is burning bright.
May 9, 2007
bikes
ok...the first big race weekend of the season for me is just around the corner - meaning this saturday and sunday. i am going to contest (read - try and finish in the group) the bici race out at race city speedway on saturday afternoon. this event is always interesting even though the course is pancake flat. once i have finished and cooled down i am hoping in the van and blasting up to edmonton to race in the Pedalhead XC#2 in edmonton at sunridge ski area on sunday morning. this is a brand new course and i understand it will be used for the provincial championships later on in june.
it should prove to be a physically tough weekend of racing and travelling - but i feel like i need a kick in the ass to get in gear.
i guess i should practice bending over for the ass-kicking to come...i'll file a report and maybe some pics next week.
ok...the first big race weekend of the season for me is just around the corner - meaning this saturday and sunday. i am going to contest (read - try and finish in the group) the bici race out at race city speedway on saturday afternoon. this event is always interesting even though the course is pancake flat. once i have finished and cooled down i am hoping in the van and blasting up to edmonton to race in the Pedalhead XC#2 in edmonton at sunridge ski area on sunday morning. this is a brand new course and i understand it will be used for the provincial championships later on in june.
it should prove to be a physically tough weekend of racing and travelling - but i feel like i need a kick in the ass to get in gear.
i guess i should practice bending over for the ass-kicking to come...i'll file a report and maybe some pics next week.
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