Thursday, March 26, 2009

What a difference a few months make!

I will now take this time to show serious pride in my kid. I offer no apologies. Owen rocks!
4 months ago:


Owen rips the downhill. from Shawn Moore on Vimeo.

3 months ago:


Owen's first ride with pedals. from Shawn Moore on Vimeo.

5 days ago:


Owen learns to start on his own. from Shawn Moore on Vimeo.

Prepare for Owen to show up at this year's NC Cyclocross Series with mad skills!

Now if the weather will cooperate, we can all get out on our bikes and be kids again.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Clavicle, shmavicle

The sight of Lance Armstrong holding his right elbow in the international sign language sign for "I have broken my collarbone" was not a pleasant thing to see. It is a bad break (pun intended) for Armstrong in his return to the european peloton and could point to his loss of status as the "Boss" of the peloton after his absence the past 3 years. Or it could be just wrong place at the wrong time. The end result though is that there is now a seed of doubt in Armstrong's participation in il Giro d'Italia. Since this would be his first time in the race, it would be very cool to see him tackling the Giro; a race that has a different character from the Tour de France. Hopefully, Armstrong will mend well enough to participate.

Less fortunate is Tyler Farrar of Garmin who seperated his shoulder and now appears to be out for the classics season. Farrar had huge promise given that not only is he the only man so far this year to not look silly in a sprint against Mark Cavendish, but actually beat Cavendish by going past him in a sprint finish to take a win in the 3rd stage of Tirreno-Adriatico. Talk about something to watch for in the classics! Another bad break for an American rider.

Here on the homefront inconsistent weather, too much stuff to do, and a heavy workload have conspired to keep me off the bike. No whining or whingeing, just a statement of fact (and regret). My short term goals are to finish up all of my National Boards Teaching Certification stuff by Friday (deadline is next Tuesday) and try to hit the Uwharrie mtn. bike race on Sunday. Should be a great way to show how out of shape I am AND be a real motivator for the 6 hrs. of Warrior Creek mtn. bike race on April 4th. Fear not dear friends! Despite my lack of time on the bike in reality, I have been maintaining a brutal regimen of positive visualization and active rest that should prove the key factor to these early spring races. That coupled with copious amounts of landscaping work might just add up to a bit of Belgian farmboy fitness for me.

Turn some cranks for me and I hope to see you on the roads and trails soon!

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

erratum

Apparently, I was pretty out of it when I wrote last night since I put Contador on Team Discovery Channel.  But seriously, now that Lance is back it seems like the only thing different is the shade of blue.  Astana has risen from the ashes of the Vinokourov fiasco and looks to be the most potent stage race team of the bunch.  My bad.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Daylight savings time saved my life.

I don't think I have Seasonal Affective Disorder or anything, but it would be impossible to express how happy it makes me to have sunlight well into the evening. Finally, riding during the week can take place outdoors! The tuesday/thursday shop rides are in full effect and depart from the shop at 5:30 pm. The saturday group ride will now be leaving at 9 am, so we can squeeze in another hour on the bike before dispersing to the four corners of the county to do all of the things we need to accomplish on the weekends.

My posts have been very sparse as of late and I would like to offer an explanation. March 31st is the deadline for the completion of my portfolio for National Boards Professional Teaching Standards certification. To say that I am writing a lot right now would be a severe understatement. I will emerge from the seclusion after this month, but expect to see me out on the group rides as I need to turn my legs to try and slow down the wheels in my head.

A little shop news to give you a heads up on: the Specialized Spring Break Sale will be from March 13th - 22nd.  Loads of free stuff when you buy certain Specialized models.  Make sure to check the shop website for more details!

Paris-Nice just got a whole lot more interesting today as Sylvain Chavenal took the stage and the lead from Alberto Contador.  A late in the game, audacious break seems to have worked.  Can't believe that Discovery would fall asleep at the wheel on something like that, so even greater kudos to Chavenal.  Regardless of the final outcome, Sylvain looks set to pick up where he left off last season and continue his winning ways.  He said of his ride today, "I saw the Rabobank riders gathering in the front," the Frenchman explained. "I took my jacket off - I was ready for the war." Nice to see a frenchman doing well in a big race on home soil.  Friday's mountain finish looks to be the make it or break it stage.  don't forget you can follow the action live on velonews.com and cyclingnews.com.