Life of Brian

Wha' ha' happen' wuz....

2010-08-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

Finally some action! Okay, maybe not good action but action nonetheless. Dad, Jeremy and I started out for Wichita Falls Friday morning for this years edition of the HHH. It was a quick drive and the madness started as soon as we arrived. Imagine over 13,000 cyclist in one small city! We found good parking, right next to the Crit course for my first race Friday night. I got to watch a bit of the womens race while I was getting ready. My friend Jen dominated the race and took the first leaders jersey of HHH. She was absolutely beaming, and it was great seeing her on top of the podium.

I was feeling good and definitely fresh for my race. I had a good start and stayed 30-40 guys back for the first half of the 75 minute race without trouble. When I made it to the front of the race I still felt fresh and was able to hold my position well. With eight laps to go I went straight up to the front with several teamates riding on the heels of the green train led by Stefan. Only a couple laps later the speed slowed a bit and just as I was thinking to surge a little to stay up front I got swarmed from behind and lost 30 places or more. This was the end of my race, because the speed went back up a never let up, making it impossible to get to the front. I finally popped with one lap to go and hoped my teamates could finish off with a win. This was not to be as most of them got caught up in a crash at the front of the field on the last turn. So we looked forward to Saturdays road race.

It was a beautiful morning on Saturday, in the 60s and no wind at the start. This meant our race would be fast. The pace was really fast and easy to follow, with a rolling enclosure (we get the whole road) it was easy to move up and stay near the front to watch all happenings. I mostly followed wheels and waited for orders, or a hard section to make the race tough. I felt really good, the best I have felt all season and was just thinking this when another racer swerved with no regard to position and took my front wheel completely out. We were going atleast 30mph and maybe faster. Two other riders (one was my teamate) plowed into me and I thought I was never going to come to a stop. What seemed like minutes later, I emerged from the carnage to assess the situation. I thought I might be done for the weekend, and just sat for moment afraid to move. Once I got over the shock I got up and wanted to continue but my knee was gushing blood, and since I wasn't in a state to think and the race was gone, I recieved help and eventually made back the start finish medical area. I recieved two stitches in my knee (a whole chunk was tore out) and they cleaned up the rest of my road rash and injuries and sent me on my way.

I waited a few hours and Dad and Jeremy both finished there 100 mile rides! I am super proud of them for finishing, and made a pretty worthless day for me a little better. The rest of the weekend was fun, I raced on Sunday and physically felt good, but just didn't have the power required for that kind of race. Here are some pictures of my wounds.... Don't look if you have a weak stomach!

Lucas Update

2010-06-30T06:04:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted, and since I have been spending some time with Lucas, I wanted to put some pictures up. Mommy and Lucas came down this past weekend for a surprise visit since I wasn't able to get Lucas for Fathers day. We had a wonderful time. Saturday was probably the worst ride I have ever had on a bike, for many reasons I guess, luckily I had Lucas to make the rest of the day go well. We spent that evening with the family at my aunts house, ate a lot of food and played with all the toys. Lucas also got to ride a horse for the first time (finally!), but I don't think he really liked it all that much, he just wanted to be with daddy. I get him again this coming weekend (that isn't coming fast enough) and am really looking forward to watching the Tour de France during his nap time! Go Lance, or Schleck brothers. Really, anybody but Mr. Fingerbang (Contador), Wigo or Vino can win the Tour and make me happy. Tyler Farrar needs to put Cav in his British pompous place also. Enjoy the pics!

Yes that is my son!

Grumpy looking grumpy...

He wants it all!

Fun with the cousins.

Yeah.... I know!

Not supposed to be here but I sure am cute huh?

A Legend Passes

2010-04-15T06:34:00.000-07:00

Well, it is with much sadness that I bring news of a true legend that has gone to doggy heaven. Our family pet for something like 14 years was laid peacefully to rest yesterday morning. Kix is a true legend. Her last few years in retirement were spent eating, sleeping, drinking and stinking as much as she could. Those who have only known her in her later life might think "she doesn't do anything." And they might hear us call her names like "Old table top back" or "Pib" as pappy would say. But in her early years Kix set records that may never be broken in our family.

Although Kix never got into the serious business of tennis ball chasing like earlier family pets, she did the best she could to chase the dog that chased the ball, and distract them as much as possible. Kix's true calling was "killin." This dog could kill. She must have killed over 30 moles and gofers over the years. She would just sit and wait for them to pop up and then it was game on. It was not uncommon to come home and find a dead mole laying in the yard. Or to look out the window when you were washing dishes to see her tossing something up in the air, a gofer she had been waiting to pop up for two days. We don't have too many problems with these pesky animals anymore, she cleaned them out. Perhaps her greatest achievement ever, and this animals last mistake ever was killing an armadillo. Somehow an Armadillo made its way into the yard and dug itself in. BIG MISTAKE! Kix sat by that hole for three days and nights, not coming in to eat or drink, she wouldn't leave it for anything! She sat and waited. That poor armadillo had to come out sometime. Unfortunately, when it did we were at school and missed the ensuing battle. We came home and sure enough a dead armadillo was in the yard, its tail ripped off and laying on its back. We all knew it was doomed, because Kix had no problem sitting and waiting. Anyway, I felt she was worthy of a little post. You were loved Kix and we will miss you! I will post a picture soon.

Ups, Downs and All Arounds

2010-03-08T07:24:00.001-08:00

The past three weeks have been some of the most fun, longest, and somehow fastest of my life. The racing season has officially started for me, and although my form isn't near what I would like, I am showing some improvement and I hope to really be rocking and rolling by crit season. For two weekends in a row, Dad (my soigneur) drove me down to Austin for some great racing. Wahlburg was my first road race in over three years and I was nervous. This race tends to always be epic, whether from strong winds or cold and rainy weather. It turned out to be epic yet again, with pretty strong crosswinds, and rain for the first part of the race. I wasn't able to do much, but hung in with the main field untill the last seven miles or so. Pacebend is known for perfect weather and a challenging course. We again had perfect weather, and in my opinion the fastest edition of the race I have ever done. I was spit out the back of the group after not being able to recover when following attacks off the front from the beginning. The team had a good weekend overall and snuck in a fourth place at Wahlburg, and second at Pacebend.

The following weekend is at one of my favorite venues (even though I have never done well at this race) Lago Vista. Just off of Lake Travis near Austin, the best scenery and riding can be found in this area. Two 80+ mile road races with several thousand feet of climbing a day would change a normal persons opinion however! Saturday went well for me. I was able to be near the front and follow some moves near the middle of the race, unfortunately when the race split I was at the back (for no reason at all) and missed out. I had great legs and I know I could have went with those attacks. Luckily my teammates where more attentive and we accomplished our goals for the day, just barely missing the podium. I finished comfortably at the back of the peleton choosing to save my legs for Sundays race. Sunday was a much more difficult race and only 25 guys finished. The wind picked up and there was no hiding. The magnet at the back of the field was holding me there and I got dropped pretty early on, and pulled out of the race about two hours in. Patrick McCarty (a pro riding with us for the start of the season) narrowly missed the win to British National Champ Christian House. He was not happy, but he gave it everything he had, the course was just not difficult enough for him.

This past weekend was a long overdue Lucas weekend. We crashed at my Wichita Falls parents house and had an absolute blast! He is so much fun, and such a good boy. He liked the little dogs and kept playing the sharing game with thier dog bones. He tries to say Kitty, Nooooooo, and Thank you. I melt everytime he comes to snuggle or hide in my legs. There is no mistaking who his Daddy is, and even after five weeks, we settled right in, and I became a big sucker! On Saturday, we met Mommy at Toys R Us and got him an easter present, we had fun with him, he kept pulling stuffed animals off the shelves and pointing at everything he liked. Sunday we went shoe shopping, and I let him wear the Pumas I couldn't afford ($35!) around untill I found some shoes for me. We each got a pair of shoes for the price of the Pumas. Click here if you want to see some new Lucas pics. Thanks for reading!

Cannondale

2010-02-11T07:42:00.000-08:00

Sweet bike for sale! The snow will be no extra charge. Stupid Texas weather, I hope we get three feet of snow. Kota isn't sure what to think about the snow, but she will fetch a snowball. What a good dog.

Surprise Daddy!

2010-02-02T06:41:00.000-08:00

Poppy and I left friday night to visit Lucas. The weather was cold and rainy and the roads were supposed to be very slick and icy. This did not deter us in any way, I had all weekend to get to the Falls. Aside from some icy bridges in Sherman, the roads were dry and it was a fairly uneventful drive. Earlier in the week when I talked to Mommy (Lucas' mommy) on the phone she said they had a surprise for us.

When Lucas, Poppy and I returned to Mikes house I set him down to stand at the coffee table as usual, but instead of plopping on his butt and crawling, he walked over to the tv stand like it was nothing! I couldn't believe my eyes. So I went to the middle of the room and sat down, and he walked straight over to me. Apparently, Mommy has kept this a secret since the 13th so that I would be surprised. I was very surprised, and giddy with excitement all weekend. The kid is a walking fool, and he can even stand up on his own. He was so much fun this weekend, he is picking up all kinds of tricks and very quickly turning into a little boy. We had our late night parties as usual, and it was nice to have Poppy around so I could shower and do things that are hard to squeeze in when I have Lucas! We went shopping at all the manly stores, Academy, Old Navy, and of course Shoe Carnival, and did manly things like watching 24hrs of Daytona (for most of the 24hrs) and drinking lots of chocolate milk. Lucas is turning into quite a young man, and its easy to tell Mommy works with him a lot. He understands "no," and sometimes he will test you but otherwise listens. I swear he says "thank you" when we play the sharing game, and the kid eats more than I do! All in all it was great weekend. Below is a video of Lucas walking.

January was a busy month for me and I was only home on one weekend. I have been playing catch up my training from being sick, and went down to Kerrville TX for a training camp. I only made the last two days of the camp, but it was a blast. Saturday we rode 105 miles in the hill country, and I quickly learned that I was lacking endurance. The last thirty miles were hard, but I survived and feel stronger already. My first race is in less than three weeks. I have a very strong team, and am excited to mix it up again with the top guys in Texas racing. It is a good feeling to train, and feel yourself getting stronger and faster. It's been a few years since I have had that feeling!

Lucas also turned one, and thats hard to believe. Makes me think about how much my life has changed in the passed year, and how much Lucas has changed. We didn't have an official birthday party yet, but he did get to play in some cake. He has enjoyed all of his birthday presents so far, especially the cards as you can see in the video. This post is long enough already, I hope you enjoy the video, one of these days I will get some more pics posted!

Not Much Blogging Going On

2009-12-09T07:34:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. I have been fairly busy and have had the pleasure of spending a couple of weekends with the little man. These weekends include party times at 3am, and plenty of naps during the day. Here are a few pics for my readers. And yes, his eyes are that blue. Nothing here is photo shopped!

Got Wood?

2009-11-01T17:45:00.000-08:00

Halloween marked the opening day for duck season. I have to be honest, I wasn't as fired up as my dad and brother. My experience with hunting is walking or sitting in the freezing cold winter of Nebraska, and watching Geese fly way over head, or Pheasants cruising just out of range. We were all awake by 4:30 am and on Lake Quitman by 6:00. It was cool, but not unpleasant. The lake was spewing fog into the air, a nice effect on the morning of halloween. My gear included hand me down waders, borrowed jackets and cycling clothing that works well for the outdoors. My Remington 870 express has seen a lot of shells go through it, but I love that gun and I am good with it, so no expensive automatics for me.

We were loaded down with the four of us, Kota, guns, enough ammo to start a small war, and 48 decoys in my dads duck boat. We found a nice little cove to hunt out of with natural cover, seats and a great view of the lake. Setting up decoys was easy enough and we settled down with minutes to spare before sunset (when you can start shooting.) As we were sitting there waiting, a couple of wood ducks flew into our decoys. Kota wanted to go check them out so bad she was shaking! They disappeared before we heard the thunder from Lake Fork made by all the hunters there. Not 10 minutes after sunrise we saw some Wood ducks coming in. Everyone else worked the calls and I waited. My dad yelled "take em" and I stood up and blasted the lead duck. My adrenaline was pumping and I was ready for more! But since this was Kota's first hunt too, we settled down. She did an excellent job on the retrieve, even though she didn't see the duck come in! A year of work finally paid off for my dad. When she brought it in it was a beautiful drake wood duck. One shot, one kill, one retrieve, one fun morning. I was nice to Kota for the rest of day since she was nice enough to swim the cold water to get my duck!

The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful as most of the ducks are still up north. I had the only kill for us, but considering most of my stuff was borrowed and stolen, the duck was all of ours! When we get enough duck meat to eat I suppose we will take a weekend for dads special duck recipe. Most of all, I enjoyed hanging out with "The Guys," and generally acting how men act.

Thanks for reading. And please vote YES or NO on the beard! I hate it.....

A Weekend With Little Man

2009-10-15T06:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we all need a good cry. Well I got mine on Sunday when I had to take Lucas back. I seriously haven't cried in a while and I guess I was due! Unfortunately he was sick again so it was a long weekend, but we a had a great visit again and managed to get through the weekend unscathed. That boy might have been sick, but he still doesn't know how to slow down. He was constantly climbing, crawling and bawling. I kept telling him "you might feel a bit better if you would slow down for a few minutes."

Saturday night I basically pulled an all nighter so I was a bit tired on Sunday, and just chased the little man around all day. I apologize to all the Whichita Fallsiens that I haven't seen when I go to visit. One of these times he won't be sick and we will make the rounds. Extra thanks to those that come visit us (Adam and Ellen), and for our most hospitable host (Mike).

I will end my post with this. I know my family has the cutest boys, maybe I am biased, but this boy has got to be cutest of all the little boys worlwide!

Brake-ing Even

2009-10-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

I must say that I am bummed to have completed my last/third race of the season. While some people are nice to point out I won the field sprint for 5th place, in reality I was dropped from the lead group after collecting the first $50 prime, and then won the field sprint for 5th. Check out The Adventures of Francis for pics and a full report! Oh ya, I named this mini post Brake-ing Even because in three races I broke even on entry fees, gas, and prize money. Something I have never done in one season! Congrats to Francois on his first P12 win. That kid was flying around those turns! I could only brake and stare as he rode off into the rain.....

In the Nick of Time

2009-09-28T18:33:00.000-07:00

Lots of people were asking how my first races back went, so I thought a post here would be best. First of all, thanks for all the inquiries. Some of you really know me and know how hard it is for me to not race. Let me say its been a long three years! Last year I did about three races, and only a mountain bike race the year before. Of course I am always riding, but riding for fun and riding to reach goals are different, and I prefer the latter type of riding.

I was nervous on Saturday but the (money) places went 25 deep, so I started with the goal of snagging one of those spots. The course was amazing. Very technical, up and down, a true crit course in my opinion. I knew after a few warm up laps that the wind and hills would make it a race of attrition, and I was right. There was no sugar coating on my first race back. I sat on the back a lot, lacking confidence in my handling and really unable to put the effort to get near the front. That and Stefan constantly drilling it! I hung on for dear life and pretty soon people started popping. I stayed with the main field untill about six laps to go and blew up on an uphill section. I thought to myself "Pull it together man! There can't be more than 30 guys left..." I recovered a bit and managed to stay on the lead lap and finished... 24th! When they say "never quit" sometimes it really pays off! I was happy having reached my goal, especially knowing I am far from competitive. I was a happy camper, tired, but happy.

Sunday was nice because we raced early and it was cooler. I finished 8th on this course a year ago, but the big boys were missing then. I wanted to basically finish and just get in some much needed speed work. The course Sunday again showed my lack of endurance and I got dropped after getting held up by a wreck (I was cooked anyway) at around seven laps to go. I cut my losses and pulled out to watch the finish.

It was great seeing all the guys from the Falls, and "My people" at the races. It's an atmosphere unlike any other and I surely missed it! It was just like old times with my Dad, I quickly put him to work and was glad to have him along side me. Next year is going to be loads of fun, and I can't wait for the early season races! Thanks for reading, and as always thanks for the support from everybody who believes in me!

Stay tuned for my next and last race of the season in Texarkana.

Dirty Diapers and Barking Spiders

2009-09-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

I finally got to spend the weekend with my baby boy! Nothing makes a Dad more proud than when his son smiles at him like he was never gone. We got into our routine pretty quickly, the only difference was that he is mobile and gets to where he wants in a hurry. We had fun staying with uncle Mike, watching cartoons, taking lots of naps and destroying magazines. We didn't go outside much with the rain either.

On a couple of our attempts to get some fresh air however, we came across some rather interesting creatures (I would imagine for a little guy.) Uncle Mike and Lucas first stumbled upon a lizard trying to escape the rain. This got Lucas' attention real quick! Unfortunately Lucas pulled his tail off in his excitement. The Reptile struck back by threatening to crawl up someones diaper. Lucas jumped, quite surprised by this tactic and ran the lizard under the rug. The lizard was then released back out into the wild, I am sure feeling good about his escape from near death.

That would have given us enough laughs for one day, but luck was on our side. A couple of hours later, Daddy came across a Walking Stick and thought "lets see what the boy thinks of this!" Lucas was reserved with this odd creature and though he didn't mind the bug walking on him, he had no intentions of pulling his tail off, this guy looked a lot more dangerous.

We both felt we had a successful day of adventure, even for being stuck indoors. I hated to take him back to his Mom, and wonder how my Dad did it for so many years. I am grateful I got a couple of good days of fun though, and some fresh memories. Lucas is a thief of hearts, including mine, and anyone who has met him knows why! Thanks uncle Mike for letting us hang out at the pimpin pad.

A Word from Lucas657u

2009-07-26T06:54:00.001-07:00

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New Job

2009-07-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

After two and and a half years since I graduated, I finally found a job where I can utilize what I learned in College. Unfortunately/Fortunately I will be moving back to East Texas. Although I will miss Wichita Falls, this is a good opportunity for me. No worries though, I will be back here occasionally to visit the little man. Its not possible to completely escape the giant magnet of Wichita Falls.

Makin' Rounds

2009-07-07T19:05:00.000-07:00

Lucas and I have had a busy month. Nana came down a couple of weeks ago and we had a real nice visit. Lucas got to spend quality time with her while I tried to get a little sleep, which worked out well for everybody. Like every visit though it was too short, and we will be looking forward to another visit soon, maybe when Lucas' first she cousin comes along. This past weekend we took a trip to see Granny and Poppy. Click here to see some more awesome pics of the little stud from that trip. One thing about the boy is that he is a huge flirt. I can't hardly take him anywhere and he starts smiling at the girls. I am glad that he is a happy/easy baby, except when sitting in that stupid car seat for hours. You can't see crap from that thing.

I am excited that July is here because that means Tour de France. It has been a really good race so far, and I think its going to be interesting to see the battles in the mountains for the win. Makes me want to race again... Enjoy the pictures of the little man!

Jumper

2009-05-24T02:51:00.000-07:00

He gets fussy when nobody is watching him jump. Maybe my readers can help me out?

To my "Lewis" Lovers out There

2009-04-28T01:32:00.000-07:00

Here are the most recent pics! Three months old already. There are way too many good ones so I just put a few up. I hope everybody reading has a great week.

Ghent Wevelgem and The Queen

2009-04-07T06:49:00.000-07:00

Round one of the Classics week was not disappointing at all! A Belgian pulled through with a sweet victory in Flanders yet again. Stijn Devolder once again strung the race out, “let” a couple of other poor souls go on the attack with him, then dropped a grenade on them going up the Muir. The guy used a tactic similar to this last year also. Instead of a grenade on the Muir, he used a smoke bomb on the Eikenmolen as his breakaway was getting caught. My pick Heinrich Haussler outfoxed the peloton again and snuck in for second. I scored a few points at least. Speaking of points, I saw this link for “fantasy cycling” and almost clicked on it. After a moment of thinking I saw myself as a couch potato cyclist wanna be. Maybe I am bitter, or just full of myself, but I wouldn’t participate in that nonsense because I would much rather be out racing with those guys, not pretending to manage them. And since I have limited time to ride, I won’t be spending it on that!

Ghent-Wevelgem is a mid week Classic in Belgium. It is not quite as long as the other two, or as intense, but it is still an important race. The only thing I know about this course is the Kemmelberg. This climb is as tough as any in the Tour of Flanders. There are three ways to go up (or down) and I personally think they go up the easy way, and down the dangerous way. Last year they went down the cobbled section, and I think this year they will be descending the narrow sketchy road. Having ridden all sides, I personally would run them up the narrow steep side to string it out, thus making the descent down the cobbled side a little less dangerous. Take your pick I suppose. I pick Mark Cavendish to win either way. This 23 year old chap is unstoppable.

Paris-Roubaix is the Queen of the Classics. Held in the Northern part of France, this is the most unforgiving race there is. It’s called the Queen probably because it’s such a ridiculous race, it must have been spawned in the time of Monarchies. My Dad and I have always loved this race, and have always secretly wished we could suffer like those guys. Well, I got a little taste of what these guys go through in the Summer of ’05. Here is a little journal entry from one race I did.

The French

This past Saturday was my first race in France, a UCI 1.12 called Circuit du Pevele. This was its 59th year in running! Apparently, the French are notorious for starting races late, and today was no exception. As any Belgian will say, “Once you cross into France, all logic goes out the window!” And that indeed was true! Imagine 180 cyclists, all hopped up on adrenaline just waiting for the start gun. Games faces on, announcer yelling some unknown words into the microphone. Now, ask these cyclist to let a car through! Or better yet, two! Now the guys [lined up] at the back seized their opportunity and tucked in behind the upcoming cars moving forward, thus repositioning myself and other angry racers from the top 50 to the rear 50. Ands that’s were I stayed. Throw in a Ten Kilometer “nuetral” roll out, a 600 meter long cobbled section 1.5 Kilometers from the start, and the race is over before it even starts! Well, it was for me anyway. I however endured torture for another 2.5 hours not wanting to be a quitter. I learned what it was like to have battered hands from endless passes over two 15th century cobblestone roads. The only hill in the race was the best part of the course. I wondered how the pros do 260 kilometers of this, and if I would ever be able to. Well, if I don’t, this entry is all that I will have and every time I jam a finger, the following day I will remember what it was like in France, when all of my fingers felt that way.

-Another DNF for me, but to my credit there were only maybe 50 guys in the race when I pulled out. It was a brutal day! -8/01/05

My memory is a little hazy, but I believe that I did another race in France (bringing my total to 3). I don’t have it on my list for some reason, but below is a picture from this race. It was the only one I did with the national team, which was a shame because that Jersey was so much nicer than than crappy ones we wore. This was clearly before the race. I seem clean and not angry about getting my rear end kicked yet. It was sunny, dusty and I distinctly remember the two dogs we found after the race that were stuck together. At the race from my journal entry, it had rained that morning. I remember flying into the first cobble stone stretch at about 50K an hour (31mph for you non-racers), puddles, mud, slick roads and riders flying every which way. Somehow I made it through. It was one of those, close your eyes, grit your teeth kind of moments. But this is how every race is over there, and Paris-Roubaix is even faster, longer and crazier. I am getting really excited for Sunday. This is going to be the year that an American wins this race for the first time. George Hincapie is going to take this race by the horns, wrestle it to the ground and give it the peoples elbow. All American cycling fans are willing him to win, we want him to win more than he does! When he wins, he will retire, and tell the French to take their inhumane race, and stick it deep up the forest of Arenburg.

The Classics

2009-04-02T16:07:00.000-07:00

I apologize to my avid Lucas readers, but this coming week presents one of this biggest weeks of the year in cycling. The Spring Classics are finally here! Since I spent a good bit of my time in Belgium on these same roads, I thought it would be fitting to have a “Blast from the Past” post.

I think one reason why I love the Classics so much is because I raced sections of these courses over my three month stay in the Summer of 2005. Bicycle racing is sort of a mini model of life. No matter how hard it gets, you must never give up. Sometimes everything goes really well and you get the victory. Then suddenly out of nowhere, you run into a car at 25 miles per hour. Much like other sports, watching cycling is a release from the daily stressors of life. Watching others suffer, create drama, and ultimately triumph is a basic human need. The Spring classics represent life’s most difficult struggles. These racers suffer for hours in the harsh conditions of northern Europe. They prepare for months for these few chances at glory. In the end however, only one man, the strongest man, will overcome the obstacles of this mini life and win.

I am going to compose two posts over the next week. Each post will describe one or two of the upcoming races. Then, I will show you why each race is special to me. I wanted to do this because I had dream the other night that I was in Belgium this week to see the races. This is the next best thing. I hope you enjoy!

La Ronde van Vlaanderen

The Tour of Flanders is the World Championships of Belgian cycling. To Belgians, this is “The” race. All other races in Belgium try to model after La Ronde. Belgians grow up racing on these roads and they know them like the back of their hand. It makes it hard for cyclists from other nations to make the final in this race because it is the Belgians backyard. No American has ever raised there arms up in victory in this race. Some of the best cyclists ever, have never won this race. My cycling hero Sean Kelly never won this race, but came close several times.
Although I didn’t actually get to race on the climbs, I did do a couple of training rides over these short intense hills. Some of the famous climbs I went over included the Wolvenburg, Paterburg, Taaienberg, Leburg and the Bosberg. In training, these climbs are very steep. Some of them are cobblestone roads and are hard for us mere mortals to even ride up, much less race up.
The race starts in the “Touristy” town of Brugge (Sunday April 5th ,) which is right near the coast, and finishes in Meerbeke 260 Kilometers (about a 160 miles) later. I lived about a 10 minute bike ride from Brugge when I was in Belgium. I also did several Kermesse Races in surrounding towns. The Photo Below is proof that I finished one in Beernem! I also finished the fourth Kermesse I did in Torhout, a town La Ronde goes right through. I have a good idea of how this race would feel like, and I know that even to finish this race takes a very special/lucky person.

I guess that’s enough of my reminiscing, Its time to pick a winner! I am going to pick two winners. One logical winner and one rider I want to win. My Logical pick is Tom Boonen, the local Flandrian, favorite and two time winner of the race. Since my favorite La Ronde Champion (Alessandro Ballan) is sick, the person I would like to see win is Heinrich Haussler. This German has displayed vast improvements this season. He nearly outfoxed the pure sprinters at this years Milan San Remo. A victory for him might give German cycling a much needed boost in these rough times. Please post your picks in my comments box! If you don’t know, click here for a list of favorites. Stay tuned for more!

Me Me Me Me Me

2009-03-29T19:32:00.000-07:00

" Hello everybody!"

"Daddy is too slow and I wanted a new post about me. So thats what I am doing! Also, Nana and Aunt Amy didn't get to make it down this past weekend because of a blizzard, so I wanted them to see what I looked like this weekend."

"We had a good weekend but I was sad because Mommy had to go to work, and I was stuck at home with Daddy, and the ever present Ransom. We stayed inside Saturday because it was cold and we watched a movie called 'Marley and Me' (its not out untill Tuesday! Hehe!) Daddy cried like a big baby and tried to say it was because the movie was too long. He is such a liar sometimes!"

"Oh ya.... I had another doctors appointment on Friday, and can you believe they stuck me with more needles! I'm not a pin-cushion! The doctor made fun of my triple chin, said I look healthy. I weigh 11lbs 6oz now and my noggin is officially huge (because im smart!) I decided to show off for doc and held myself up with my arms for like a minute. He said most babies don't start that for another couple of months. I do it all the time though. I also have strong legs, dad says 'look at his quads!' That night we went and ate dinner with a bunch off Daddies cycling buddies. They foiled my plan though and took turns holding me so Mommy could eat. I started eating cereal and a little apple juice, foiling my other plan of not sleeping and having gas so that I can be fussy."

"Oh well... all is good on the home front. I hope everybody is doing well and enjoys reading my post! I am a two month old infant, and I am a PC."

Lucas

"It is now 11:06 and I am still awake! I tricked daddy into giving me the cereal like two hours ago! What a sucker! Here are some more pictures of me if you are interested. Good night."

You know your good...

2009-03-14T20:22:00.000-07:00

You know you take good pictures when the people at Wal-Mart say "Ya ummm..... you are going to need a copywright agreement if you want to have copies of professionally done photos made." After some arguing, the girlfriend got away with the pictures. Go Granny (our personal photo-phographer)! Here is a picture of what all the fuss is about.... It is a sweet picture.

We also got news that Lucas and Ransom will be on a monthly newsletter for the low cost animal clinic in town here. I believe there is a picture of those two in the photo album from a previous post. Yup, we are making it big time! Before you know it, the little man will be staring in feature films like "Ransom and Me." Meanwhile, I will become one of those parents that obsesses over making my child the next Gerber Baby. Here is a tongue twister, Gerber Baby Buggy Bumber. Say THAT five times really fast!

Monthling

2009-02-23T09:03:00.000-08:00

Maybe I should get some better one month pictures taken, but these were too cute to not use them on this post. Lucas loves bath time. He thinks that rubber ducky is the one because he makes bath time lots of fun!

I am a little delusional, but I hope its good reading anyway. This bathtime was particularly special because towards the end of any normal bathtime Lucas likes to "warm the water" when it starts getting colder, if you catch my drift. I guess we took him out too early because he ended up "warming" me up along with several other items in the bathroom. Somehow he missed Mommy...

2009-02-14T12:27:00.000-08:00

Click here to see a slideshow of Baby Lucas. He is already changing so much its unbelievable. He is growing fast and staying healthy. I hope you enjoy the pictures. I will be adding pictures as he gets older and changes.

Mommy is getting better and has been letting me sleep so I am not a zombie at work. I have also had a good week of training. Maybe I can do crit soon!

Lucas Cale

2009-01-30T20:20:00.000-08:00

After months of not posting anything, I have something thats worth posting. Its crazy to think that the last time I put anything on my blog I had just found I was going to be a Dad. That day has already arrived (About 3 weeks early!) Lucas continues to "surprise" us, and has already shown us that he is going to do what he wants. Since I now have a little man who I am sure will provide me endless material for a blog. Without further delay I give you Lucas Cale Wyrick.....

Weight: 5lbs 11oz

Length: 18 3/4in

Time of Birth: January 27th 4:51 a.m.

Back in the Saddle

2008-08-01T11:33:00.000-07:00

After nearly two years of not racing, I decided to drag the old racing wheels out and give the Age Based State Crit a try. It was a good race for me to start with because most of the fast guys are either traveling or doing the older category races.

I did a little better than I expected and finished 8th place. This result means that I have a lot of work to do if I want to play with the big boys at HHH. My parents made it up for the race and it was just like old times. They busted out the easy up, cooler and lounge chairs so that I would be the only one suffering in the heat, but well taken care of at the end of the race!

During the race, I felt mentally as if I never quit racing, but physically felt like I just started riding. All in all it was a fun day, and hopefully I will get to do a couple more races before the year is done. Here are a couple of pics, complements of my personal photo-phographer...

Suprise!

2008-07-19T16:28:00.000-07:00

Now taking name suggestions, and please don't get any ideas from my previous roller derby post...

The Monster

2008-06-22T16:50:00.001-07:00

In what may be the final weekend of my "vacation" in Austin, I got to witness some absolute fabulous racing. My friend Mike came down to visit this weekend and it happened to be the weekend of the AT&T Downtown Criterium .

The women heated things up with some very fast sprinters and some nasty crashes. These girls are tough, and Kelly Benjamin did not disappoint! She came home with the goods narrowly beating Tina Pic. My friend Jen Purcell also raced. She is such a natural talent, I love watching her race! She crashed, got back in, reeled in breakaway single handedly for the Colavita Pros (two laps on the front), and still finished very, very respectably in this stacked field. Jen is my hero!

Then it was time for the mens race. I new this race was going to be fast because the start list had several pros and local amatuers on the list. Then, I realized Rock Racing, had a full squad here including Tyler Hamilton, Kayle Leogrande, and sprint ace Rahsaan Bahati. They were also a major sponsor of the event. The Toyota United Pro Cycling Team showed up with non other than Henk Vogels, Ivan Dominguez, and "support riders" Hilton Clark, Chris Wherry, Caleb Manion and more. Then as we are watching the womens race. I see local heroes Pat McCarty (Dallas) and Kristian House cruising around. These are only to name a few. Colivita had guys here, Jittery Joes, its a full on Pro Race! Top it off with amatuer teams like Mercy, Healthcoach, and San Jose, and you have a glass full of pain, no, no, a barrell full of pain. I have never wanted to race so bad, but man was I glad to be watching!

The mens race was so fast. It didn't seem aggressive, but I think it was because the speed never dropped below 30mph. Stefan spent some time off the front, to pick up a prime and act as an annoying nat buzzing around the pros ears! Pat looked good but a late crash spoiled his plans (I think) for a late solo move. Not to worry though, Kristian House picked up the slack and attacked with five to go gaining 20 seconds fast! One lap later, six Toyota guys had a train going for Ivan and they picked up House with only two to go. As you see on Velonews though, Colivita spoiled the party!

Today, Mike and I stumbled upon more crit racing and stayed to watch. I am going to cut to the chase. Less pros, more exciting race! Holey Crap. Rock Racing showed up in full, two buses, three escalades... Not long after the start and a few break attempts. Stefan forces a group of four off the front, including non-other than Tyler Hamilton, Ian Dille, and a the Single Jittery Joes guy, who had just gotten back in after a nice crash. These guys got thirty seconds fast and with Rock Racing and Mercy blocking, all the break saw was stars in the daylight! The only team chasing was San Jose. If there is such a thing as a crit course for Stefan, this was the one. A long climb after the sharp turn, and temperatures in the upper nineties. Towards the end, this break was killing eachother. Stefan would attack all the way up the hill, Jittery Joes would counter, then Tyler would counter, then Stefan again! Ohhhh what pain! Stefan came up with (I think) one of the biggest victories in his career outsprinting his three breakaway companions. Spectacular! Not many people can say they have beat one of the best cyclists in the world! Definitley visit Stefans blog, this guy has raced every single weekend since late April. When most guys would be at home cooked, or burned out, Stefan adds another V to his Resume! Way to go Dude! Thanks for an exciting race.

As a final note: Tyler Hamilton has always been a hero of mine, because its hard for a nice guy to do well in bike racing, and he has done some very amazing things. Cycling is a rough mean sport. He proves that never EVER quitting will take you farther than anyone can imagine, and somewhere only you can dream of. He never quit with broken bones, he never quit in fighting for his innocence, and he never quit living his dream as a bike racer. I don't know if he ever doped or cheated, no one will except for him. But I think that there is no way anybody can do what he has done unless their heart was clear. So Tyler, its great to see you back racing. Maybe someday I can learn something from you about never quitting. I hope we see you around for a couple more years! And seriously, talk to Mr. Ball and see if he would offer Stefan a contract!

Rice Rocket 3e8

2008-06-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

I can chalk up another fun and new event. I am sure everyone remembers rollerderby. Its a sport that was huge in the 70s , and as most things from the 70s, its getting popular again. Last night I went to watch the girls from Austin lay the smack down(literally)! A freind of Malindas hooked us up with some free tickets. Its hard to explain rollerderby. Its like a combination of track cycling, hockey roller speed skating, and girls that are tougher than anybody I know. I am not even going to try to explain the rules. But I do know that Rice Rocket, number 3 e(to the power of) 8 is one bad ass chick! She skates for the Hotrod Honeys. I wonder what my rollerderby name would be if I was a cute tough girl. Feel free to enlighten me with your ideas. For hints on name and number choices check out the website!

My night ride wasn't as fun this time however. For one, my crotch was on fire due to my 100K ride that morning. Then, as I was almost up to speed I stood on the pedals and my foot slipped out. I promptly racked myself on the top tube, mostly lost control and rolled up onto a sidewalk via a ramp (thank god) and then across some grass and off the curb on the other side. I was mad when stopped and proceeded in trying to rip the plastic cage of my pedal, to no success. Oh well, maybe I should have drank a couple of lonestar beers at the derby... lesson learned!

Austin

2008-05-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, I moved to Austin this week. I have been wanting to move here for a long time and finally made the leap. My current situation is that I am unemployed, sleeping on an air mattress and my clothes are still in boxes. But, I have a place to live and have been spending quality time with the O-town(Olive)!

One reason I am excited to be here is because the music scene is amazing, and can rival most cities in the U.S. So wasting no time, Malinda (my roomate) and I went to an Album Release Party at The Parish on 6th Street. The band we saw is called Shearwater, and they were amazing! Whats cool about this, is that the band used a string quartet in addition to the five members of the original band in the recording of there new album "Rook." They are only playing two shows with this complete ensemble, one was in New York City, and the other we saw last night! Shearwater also had another special treat. They played every song from their new album, took a break, and came back to play a fantastic set of older songs. So if you get a chance to see this band, take it!

To end an already fun night we rode our bikes home through downtown at midnight, I love night riding in an empty city!

An Anniversary

2008-05-06T18:05:00.000-07:00

Its hard to believe its been an entire year since my little brother passed away (May 7th 2007). Anyway, I feel like I should write a little bit about him because I don't want him to be forgotten. I wonder what kind of trouble he would be into these days, and how mad I would be at him for wreaking havoc! Joe would be 19 this year and have his hands full with a baby boy if he were still here. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him, and I miss him just as much as the day I recieved the tragic news. But death is a part of life, and I am thankful I got to spend over 18 years with that crazy kid. I have many stories that are funny about this kid, and many stories that weren't funny as a kid, but looking back I suppose he was only trying prepare me for things in the future.

Joe and I shared a room for much of our childhood and everyday I wondered what would happen next. Most of my family know this, but my fondest memory of him was the "Monster traps" he would build in our room. He would gather all the dog leashes, ropes and anything else that one would use to trap monsters. I would open the door to the room only to find a spider web of junk slung across the room. I would be fuming (as always) that I couldn't get to my bed. Looking back, maybe I was the monster, because I was the only thing he ever caught! "What is this mess?" I would ask. With the most serious voice a five year old could have he would reply, "I am going to trap a monster." He was probably thinking "Duh!" I would force my way through the leashes and junk that really had no purpose at all except to add cosmetic changes to a dull room. He did this on more than one occasion in order to feed his obsession with monsters.

I wish I could remember more from our childhood, but I suppose something is better than nothing. Thats my story about Joe for a sad anniversary. We miss you dude!

First Post

2008-01-27T16:26:00.000-08:00

Its been a while since I have done any blogging, but I think I am at a point in my life where it is possible to start again. My main reason for starting up a blog is because I want to start coaching cyclists. I thought this might be a good way for people to get to know me, and possibly create an outlet in which I can post things that might be of interest to my clients. So without further adue, I give you the Life of Brian (Which by the way has nothing to with Monty Python).