Took this picture about 4 hours ago, and it's been coming down steady ever since. That's the trail we ride to work as seen from the shop parking lot. In Portland I used to laugh at the idea of studded snow tires for bikes...

thanksgetting

I didn't commute to work today as much as I kind of slid to work. An inch of fresh snow fell on Thanksgiving, just long enough to make Jenny a little giggly and get the roads nice and wet. After a 19 degree night and another layer of snow, transport was a bit treacherous this morning. Snow covered ice. Classic. These conditions would throw the Northwest into a panic, but everyone here is understandable unfazed. I was white-knuckled by the time I got to the shop, but felt a bit better as I saw everyone else I work with enter the parking lot in a sideways four wheel drift. Our mechanic (a lifelong springs resident) summed it up the best: As long as you're sliding slowly you're probably okay.

Training has been humming right along. Long days on the BT trainer, hard gym sessions and worrying about what race shape I'll be in come race day in Tasmania. I could do a million workouts a day, but without someone to gauge my form against it's impossible to tell where I'm at. At least the gym gives me concrete numbers, and so far those are all climbing steadily. But how does a clean-pull 5 rep weight translate to finishing speed in a 3k handicap against a bunch of Olympians? We'll find out.

Cari's already in Australia turning up the speed knob. Girl did her first world cup in Melbourne, is set to do the Revolution coming up soon and will probably embarrass all of us in the wheelraces. So I got that going for me.

Tuckerman's headed back to NZ on Monday to do a little "welcome home" liver exploding. Hopefully not too much, as he's going to be in yellow next year on LR/O, and yellow is not flattering to the fatties. I'm sure Pabst the cat and his wife (my sister in law (how strange))will miss him dearly. Also pretty sure that all the bars within a 3 block radius will all see a 20% decline in profits as soon as he's gone. Bartenders are already cleaning their tears off the cash registers.

DT

From Cyclingnews:

"Olympian to head American team for Christmas Carnivals

Two-time Olympian Gideon Massie will head the American team at the Christmas Carnivals. It will be Massie's first time at the carnivals in Latrobe, Launceston, Devenport and Burnie. He will compete in the skilled U.C.I. sprint series and other wheelrace and scratch events.

Massie, a winner of multiple US National titles, will head up the team which will also include sprint National Champion Dean Tracy, team sprint National Champion Kelyn Akuna, Collegiate National Championship bronze medal winner Eugene Chacherine and keirin, sprint and team sprint National Champion Cari Higgins. Jame Carney will also be making the trip after missing the carnivals last year due to suspension.

The American team is one of several foreign teams expected to compete. "

As usual, the old CN gets 85% on the accuracy scale. I sure wish I was the sprint champion. And Eugene went last year, but as we speak is probably at football practice. Apparently he's playing wide reciever for the Western School of Mines.

DT

hey everyone, come see how famous we are!

http://www.ibtimes.com/prnews/20081110/ca-land-rover-sponsor.htm

You know you've really made it when you get in the International Business Times.
DT

back in black

I think the Mercury's headline says it best. We're right there with you Portland. Watching election Brian Williams call it for the good guys, crapping our pants. In the throes of a Barack-attack. Dude managed to deliver easily the most moving speech I have ever heard. I'm suprised he could still stand after 2 years of campaigning like that. I have a hard time behaving like a normal person after a race and a 4 hour flight let alone several flights a day with several speeches a day. What an animal. Barackasaurus Rex.

In my small corner of the world, I'm back to training. We had three weeks off after Nationals, then Blatchford and I both simultaneously imploded right before training kicked up again. I came down with a nasty flu/cold and Blatchy has early-20's onset arthritis or something. Guy is so messed up the physios at the OTC have him doing "water jogging" until his nerves recover. I hope he's wearing neon inflatable arm floaters. Anyway. So now that I'm not feeling like death, after 4 weeks off I'm back. Went to the track yesterday and enjoyed a sunny day with just me, Mark Tyson on a SV650, and a bucket of spew. Back to sleeping between workouts so I can hold a conversation with Jenny without passing out at the end of the day. Back to eating 200 dollars a week in groceries, pretty much by myself. Back to heavy gym workouts and gaining weight faster than John Candy.

DT