A quick update and a good email.

The last few weeks have been busy to say the least. Taking care of Ian, starting my training for next year, sponsorship proposals, date night, taking care of broken bones, sleep... 

The new work out schedule is not too tough but more hours that I have been doing for a while, I'm tired. lots of 80-100 mile days. 

if you remember I broke my collar bone in the middle of last season, and it pretty much ruined my season. This year I waited until the season to break a bone, a much better move. It's only a toe, or a bone right before the toe. It only hurts when I kick something or put too much weight on it. in the long run not too bad.

Here is a picture of Ian, he loves playing in the orange groves.

With all the election talk going on I have to put in my endorsement... or really just pose a question. What would happen if not a single person voted? Besides Florida electing "W.",Would we go four years with out a president?  

I just got this email, I though it was pretty funny:

Dear Red States:

If you manage to steal this election too we've decided we're leaving. We intend to form our own country, and we're taking the other Blue States with us. In case you aren't aware, that includes California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast. We believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to the people of the new country of New California.

To sum up briefly: You get Texas, Oklahoma and all the slave states. We get stem cell research and the best beaches. We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood.

We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.

We get Harvard. You get Ole' Miss.

We get 85% of America's venture capital and entrepreneurs. You get Alabama.

We get two-thirds of the tax revenue; you get to make the red states pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22% lower than the Christian Coalition's, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a bunch of single moms.

Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war, and we're going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids they're apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and they don't care if you don't show pictures of their children's caskets coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq, and hope that the WMDs turn up, but we're not willing to spend our resources in Bush's Quagmire.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80% of the country's fresh water, more than 90% of the pineapple and lettuce, 92% of the nation's fresh fruit, 95% of America's quality wines, 90% of all cheese, 90% of the high tech industry, 95% of the corn and soybeans (thanks Iowa!), most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods, sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools plus Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.

With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88% of all obese Americans (and their projected health care costs), 92% of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100% of the tornadoes, 90% of the hurricanes, 99% of all Southern Baptists, virtually 100% of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh, Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.

We get Hollywood and Yosemite, thank you.

Additionally, 38% of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a whale, 62% believe life is sacred unless we're discussing the war, the death penalty or gun laws, 44% say that evolution is only a theory, 53% that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61% of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals then we lefties.

Finally, we're taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt weed they grow in Mexico

Peace out,

--Blue States

Cross Vegas Picture...

Here is a great picture that my friend Al took at Cross Vegas of Lance...

I wonder if he likes beer?  I'm sure he does ; )

It has to end some time.

I finally finished the season, and have almost completed my one week vacation. How it all ended up was pretty amazing. After the Tahoe Sierra 100 I raced the Cactus Cup omnium, and finished this last weekend with the Tour of the White Mountains.

The Cactus Cup was my first time trial and first super D, which I got 1st and 2nd respectively. It wasn’t a huge field buy Yuri and Dejay were in the mix. Ok so I was the only other besides them for the omnium, there were others for the Super D and the XC which I placed 1st.

Time trial: I think my time was about 2 minutes and 40 seconds, unfortunately I had to run over half the course due to my chain falling off. But it was probably faster anyways, it was super steep, and windy, Dejay actually got blown off his bike.

The Super D: A little climbing and a bunch of kinda down hill stuff. It was a fun course but a little flat for a singlespeed(we were pretty spun out). Dejay and I were on the front most of the time, I had a little spill about 2 km from the finish where Dejay got away from me. I almost caught him on the last little climb but there wasn’t enough time.

XC: it was a Great course! A bunch of single track with great flow, a few long climbs and some technical sandy rocky areas(made easy by my Niner singlespeed). I was able to pull away from Dejay on the long climb to finish the first of two laps and stay away the rest of the race. My only other objective was to catch as many of the semi pro men that I could, their heat started 2 minutes ahead of the singlespeeders. The last lap I caught three or four people on the last climb and I ended up making up the gap on all of the semi pro men!


The Tour of the White Mountains:
67 miles and about 70 more that I was ready for, still recovering from Interbike and a sleepless few days with Ian. It was the last one for the year, and I had to show everyone the power of Ergon grips. Before the race I did a little warm up and felt like I did before my worst race of the year, not a good sign. I had no power and no pop. Luckily it started out pretty slow and I was able to get second wheel going into the first single track section. Again, my pet peeve… about 7 miles into the race we came to a down tree with a good sized ramp up one side and down the other(we were told it was easily ridable at the start line), the guy in the lead gets off his bike and jumps over the log! When did mountain bikers forget what mountain biking was. Ride over the dam log, your leading the race!

Back to the riding part of the race. Three of us were together for a while, one guy flatted and then there were two. I got dropped on the flats. Got a flat(slow leak), that I stopped to fill a couple times. I had some fun towards the end with a great technical rocky section. And ended up 4th overall and the fastest singlespeed.

Now it's time to regroup, find some new sponsors, race a little cross and get ready to kick some butt next year.