Footers are in and waiting for the forms

They're here!!

I got home from work and found this--it's been 5 years in the works, so to see it happen was a nice healthy dose of reality.

What's left of the maple that was just behind the house--off to the saw-mill.

They say about two weeks and the basement will be done.

They tell me about 7 months and we should have a finished product!

I found a hottie to ride with.

Miss Hottie lowering the boom on me.

The fuel of choice--Skittles. I should have known.

I had a great time with Cora--nothing better than you-me time on the bike. I can't wait until her new bike gets here.

U2 Toronto--what a night!

What a great venue!

Setlist:

Breathe No Line On The Horizon Get On Your Boots Magnificent Mysterious Ways Beautiful Day / The Maker Elevation I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For / Movin' On Up Unknown Caller New Year's Day Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of The Unforgettable Fire City Of Blinding Lights Vertigo I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight / Two Tribes Sunday Bloody Sunday / Rock The Casbah MLK Walk On One / Amazing Grace Where The Streets Have No Name encore(s): Ultra Violet (Light My Way) With Or Without You Moment of Surrender

This was the playlist from the show.

A hand-full of photos to tell the story. If you are into U2 and want to download some great bootlegs check out U2start.

Hill Repeats

Got out early for a little work before we take off to Toronto. Cornish Hill repeats--they're a bitch!!

Yelp, it's true I'm going to the other side.

After a full on custom bike fit up at Fit Werx  in Vermont,  I

just ordered a new Serotta Ottrott--should be here in about 3 weeks.

It will look basically like the bike above except it will have Dura Ace, white seat and white bar tape--can't wait until she's here!

Off  to Toronto in the AM for some U2 in the PM.

Max's first day of school

Today is Max's first day of school--Cora missed the fun as she left the house at 4 am to go down to Connecticut to get our passports renewed for the U2 show in Toronto.

Off we go....
Group hug.
The Bull has arrived!

A long, long really wet ride

I neglected to get up early and head towards the Serotta factory, so my laziness meant that I had to start my ride after I got back from Saratoga.  Ordinarily, that would not have been a bad thing, since I like to ride in the afternoons/evenings anyway, but the forecast called for a steady rain.  The weather was pretty nice up in Saratoga and of course, it didn't start raining until we pulled up to our house.

Riding in a cold rain is rarely fun, but starting out for a long ride in the cold rain is just downright unmotivating.  I needed to get 6 hours in, which wasn't going to be easy, but given my experience in Leadville, I felt like I needed to toughen myself up by biting the bullet.  

2 1/2 hours in, Cora met me for some quick refueling.  

54 degrees and 5 hours of rain--good times.

Motoring up Black's Road--as crappy as it was, I managed to churn out some pretty decent watts--I had to in order to make the big wheels escape the mud suck. 

  
Wet, wet, cold and wet.

I got home after dark, just as the rain was ending--go figure.  Cora met me at the door with a towel and a hot cup of my favorite coffee.  I have to be honest-riding in the rain is a lot of fun when you're prepared for it.  Love the neoprene gloves--best $20 I ever spent.  Tomorrow's an easy ride, and then another 6 hours on Sunday.

If real time is your thing, have a peek.

Serotta Factory Tour

Well, I finally made the big leap and decided it was time to get a new road bike, one that actually fits.  Given that I'm old and not terribly flexible, my options for an off-the-rack bike were limited.  So naturally, I jumped at the opportunity to go custom. I looked at Seven and Indy as I like my current bikes very much, but after reading more about Serotta and talking to several people who ride them, I decided to check them out.  

Cora and I drove to the Serotta factory in Saratoga Springs.  We took a very informative tour and spent some time talking with the workers and ogling the bikes.  Serotta's technology is second to none and their attention to detail is incredible.  As we learned, Serotta has committed to making their own parts, i.e. drop outs, bottom brackets, cable guides and seat collars just to name a few. They have recently opened a factory in California to make their own carbon tubing--all this is done to control quality--so they have "complete control" over the customization of each bike.

CNC machines were cutting drop-outs as we toured.  They manufacture as many parts as they need to stay about a week ahead of their orders.  

This is the inside of the CNC machine as the cutterhead whittles a $40 block of titanium into the designated piece--it doesn't take long to understand why these bikes are so expensive--as they say, you gots to pay for quality.

Here are some of the machined titanium parts.

The CNC machines also work on carbon, shaping the tube ends for an absolutely perfect fit, increasing the strength of the joint as they are bonded.

Carbon fork blanks.

This is a jig in a heating room holding an uber sweet Meivici as the joints are bonded.

Bikes awaiting paint.

This is the finishing room--after seeing so many cool paint jobs at the factory, I'm rethinking my need for a custom Jackrabbit paint job.

One of the large machining tools--I believe they said it was used in fabricating steel frames. 

Frames awaiting repair.  One of the huge benefits of getting a Serotta is the extraordinarily reasonable crash repair program.

The shipping department.

A vintage Serotta track bike.

Custom bike made for the Russian cycling team.

Another vintage racing frame.  The 7-11 team frame was out in California for some show and tell. 

The tour was super cool.  After seeing the detail and precision that goes into every frame, I knew that I had to get a Serotta--the only question was which one. . .

The First Day of First Grade and A New Bike

For a change, we were right on schedule to get the girls to school on time--until Max lost his helmet and we had to make alternative travel arrangements.

I rode with Bella, while Phoebe accompanied Cora and Max in the car.  We made it just in time to avoid a "monkey pass."  

After finally finding his helmet, Max was so psyched to take his new BIG bike out for a spin.  The baby bull rode me off his wheel, just as he announced that he was "crazy fast!"  He's doing great and already asking for a bigger bike with gears.  

Dirty Sled

So it has been a while since my last post...the pbville debacle really sucked a lot of momentum out of the big guy. I am in a slump that needs to be recognized and admitted to. My training since returning to NE has included 3 laps around Tranquility with Quinn, a handful of spins on the trainer, and a few weight room sessions. I am totally not psyched about the bike lately. I haven't taken the mud or the race numbers off her yet. I guess it is a reminder that the race was so shitty. I know I could do better but wonder why I didn't just go faster.