Sunday, January 25, 2009

don't cry for me...

Hola,
a little update here from San Luis. I'm alive. I wasn't able to start st. 5 of the Tour due to a bout with what was probably food poisoning. I was disappointed for sure but mostly because I missed out on some more great training and prep for ToC. I'm feeling better now but I was pretty worthless there for about 30 hrs. The team is doing great without me with BJM in the top 10 on GC and 2nd in sprint points.
Argentina is a cool country and I am enjoying my time here now that I have time to look around a bit. The people are very chill and generally happy. They love their siestas here as nearly everything closes down between 1p - 5p! Also, they don't start dinner until 9p or so. And the best part?!? They love their helado (ice cream) here!!! There are ice cream shops everywhere and they're always packed. That is the real reason I like these people so much! I can get a giant waffle cone w/ 2 scoops for 3 pesos ($1)! And oddly enough, that was one the only food that didn't cause me to get nauseous (sp?) the day after getting sick. :)
I've been taking a few pics but I'll have to post them later.
Thanks for the supporting emails and blog posts!
Also, www.pezcyclingnews.com posted that interview of me done by Nathan Rand back in November recently. Make sure you check out how boring of an interviewee I am...after checking out the "daily distractions" of course...
Hasta luego amigos!

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Dias Contentos!

Hello,
quick update here. I'm heading to Argentina today for the Tour de San Luis which runs Mon-Sun. I'm mucho excited both to see a new country and start racing! The form seems to be coming around so I'm cautiously optimistic about the TT on St. 3. It's a pretty big race with a couple of Pro Tour teams and a bunch of pro conti teams from overseas so you should have no problem following results with cyclingnews.com, velonews.com, or pezcyclingnews.com. Some Basso character is planning to show up which is apparently a big deal but I think the J-M bros being reunited is a much bigger deal. That's just me.
Oh, and if there happens to be a freak blizzard during the race (forecast is for mid-90s), my prediction is that T-Bird and I will dominate due to much practice in riding in those conditions the past 2 months. :)
Take care.

Friday, January 02, 2009

A Clean Start to the New Year

Happy New Year!
In an attempt to start 2009 on the right foot, I broke out my new Bissell ProHeat 2X CleanShot that was given to me from Bissell for Christmas and cleaned every square inch of the carpet in my apartment (approx. 900 sq. ft!). That thing is bad @$$! I picked up so much dirt, hair, and crud even after vacuuming with my stellar Bissell Healthy Home Vacuum first. I need to post some graphic pics to demonstrate its dirt-fighting prowess.
The ProHeat in action. Can you tell which side I've already cleaned???


This is some of the hair that the ProHeat picked up from the carpet. The best part is that it was primarily black dog hair from the PREVIOUS TENANT!! (note: The mini candy cane is for scale only and was not picked up by the Bissell)



So, a lot has happened since my last post. I went to Santa Rosa in mid Dec. for an 8 day training block with buddy Scott and to spend some time with boss man Glen as well. Congrats to Glen and Tonia for the birth of their first child, daughter Kira Christine Mitchell born on Dec. 26th!!! But don't think you can skimp on Birthday presents just b/c Christmas is the day before!
I also went home for Christmas for a few days which was nice but the weather was a little obnoxious. The one time I ventured out in the cold for a ride while I was back, I crashed 1 block later on a sheet of ice and flipped it. I also got to see Baltimore and D.C. for the first time. I got about a day's worth of each.


That bulge in Tonia's belly is now breathing, eating, crying, sleeping, and pooping in our world.


Here's the Capitol Building in D.C. After seeing how big it is, I think they should rename it the Capital Building. Also, it doesn't really lean, it's just a bad angle by the cameraman.


Okay, I gotta get out and RIDE! Here's to a great 2009!