Amgen Tour of BLAH BLAH -- GO KIEL!

This year's Tour of California is different. In years past, I've known guys who are in the race. Some of them I've known quite well. Last year when Scott Nydam won the climbers jersey, or when Tom Zirbel nearly won stage 7, I was so psyched for them! I remember Scott and Tom from the early days of their racing, back in 2005 when they lived in Colorado and raced for Sports Garage. They would drive south and poach New Mexico races. I'll never forget that time I TOTALLY CRUSHED SCOTT in a 5-up sprint in the Tres Piedras to Tierra Amarilla road race (66 miles, 7,570' of climbing, average elevation: 9,500') -- BET THAT ONE STILL STINGS A BIT, EH SCOTTY???

But I digress.

I know Scott, and I'm really happy for his success, but he's always been more or less of a acquaintence (albeit a good one) than a friend.

Kiel Reijnen on the other hand, is a friend. Two years ago, Kiel was my teammate, slugging it out with us in the amateur ranks on Hagens Berman. Last year he made a lateral step to Waste Management cycling team, but he improved dramatically, and earned himself a spot on the Jelly Belly pro cycling team before the year was out. Now Kiel is out there in California, rubbing elbows with Lance Armstrong. He'll be time trialing against world TT champs Michael Rogers, and Fabian Cancellara. He'll be trying to lead out Brad Huff against the world's best sprinters, guys like Tom Boonen, Oscar Freire, and Mark Cavendish. He'll be fighting for wheels with Oscar Sevilla, Floyd Landis, Francisco Macebo, Tyler Hamilton, and ALLLLLLLLL those other convicted dopers back in the sport, racing on domestic teams (instead of new young guys like me!).
Kiel, I salute you, and I wish you a fantastic Tour of California. Congratulations Little Monster.

Remembering The Petting Zoo

Before the dust from my TEMA trip settles completely, let's take a look at some of the crazy animals at the petting zoo in Oaxaca.










Also, here is the cabana I framed while I was there. I did this almost single-handedly in two days. Eventually it will be part of a much larger volunteer compound, and will look like the completed structure to the left of the picture.

Do This. It Feels Good

I just did this. It was easy. It felt good. You should do it too. Thanks to my main man Bob Cesca.
Here's the gist:

Phone numbers for your senators here. Phone numbers for your congress member here.

The message:

"The Republicans have zero credibility on the economy."

Paraphrase President Obama:

"Please reject the Republican theories that got us into this mess in the first place."

Feel free to toss in the following:

"Make the Republicans stand and filibuster if they want to filibuster. No cloture votes!

Don't get into specific details of the bill. Our message needs to be consistent and unified: Zero Cred. The Republicans have zero credibility. We reject their ideas and we reject their theories.

Let's do this.

The Time The Gods Of Irony Smiled Upon Sam

Picture me.

Picture me clean-shaven, freshly-showered, and with a perfectly normal hairstyle. Picture me walking down the street wearing a snappy button-up shirt, matching blue sweater, and a pair of well-fitting corduroy pants notably devoid of holes or stains. Picture me carrying a backpack with the following contents: gloves, notepad, pens, and a clipboard with five crisp resumes. Yes, carefully written resumes, charming and witty resumes, resumes that could convince the most stodgy, uptight coffee-shop managers that I'm a man with exceptional "people skills." I'm a man who knows coffee, and knows how to make it even better. I'm a man who they should hire, today if possible!

Now picture me approaching the doors of a local Starbucks, the first stop on my coffee shop resume delivery tour. I'm confident. I'm prepared. I'm opening the door. I'm walking inside. I'm waiting in line. I'm still waiting in line. I'm glancing down at the stack of newspapers. I'm reading the headlines:

Starbucks Cutting 6,700 Jobs, Closing 300 Stores

"Welcome to Starbucks, can I get something started for ya?" the man with the green apron chirped.

Now picture me turning slightly red, then somewhat pale while standing at the front of the line. Picture my eyes widening, motionless, deer in the headlights. Picture my lips moving, ever so slowly, grasping for words, but failing to produce anything other than a soft hiss.

"You alright?" said the green apron.

Now picture me, without explanation and for no apparent reason, offering my spot in line to the woman behind me. Picture me turning around and drifting out of Starbucks like a thief in the night, never looking back, never to return.

Seattle, Don't Be So Coy

So I'm here in Seattle, and I'm jobless. While my recent travels through Mexico have left me well prepared for this situation (the limits of what I'd call edible now greatly expanded, along with what I'd call expensive), I can't live for free (or even close to it). If I want to continue enjoying things like a roof, electricity, or indoor plumbing, I'm going to have to pay rent (or something similar) in the near future. Seeing as how I've grown rather attached to these modern conveniences over the last twenty-five years, a fact that was recently highlighted by my trip to Mexico, I must find a way to earn money. Fast. So far my attempts to prostitute myself, to sell my organs, and to panhandle by riding a trainer on the street downtown haven't made me a rich man -- people just didn't find my watts-at-threshold nearly as impressive as the guy spray-painted to look like a statue. Either that or my watts at threshold just ain't what they used to be.

My search has been two pronged: first I've been looking for more cabinetry work. Over a year ago, my job at Sustainabuilt practically fell in my lap. I wasn't qualified when I started, but after 4 months of working in Brad's shop, I now have enough of a foundation (or at least the audacity) to go looking for another carpentry job. I would pounce on the opportunity to build cabinets again, but unfortunately, the economy being what it is, that's not looking terribly likely -- especially since I'm still only able to commit to a part-time job due to my crack-habit/cycling commitment.

My other brilliant idea is to work in a coffee shop. Yeah, that's right, I want to be a barista. Getting paid to drink coffee, listen to cool music, and flirt with girls sounds like a pretty reasonable job to me. I've thus far been unsuccessful in landing that perfect barista job, but then again, my search has been limited to the coffee shops within a one-minute walk from my house. All seven of them. But I've got high hopes and all of the 80,000 Seattle coffee shops to apply at. One of them's sure to take the bait, right?

Right?

Walla Walla, I Sing to Thee....

Well here I am, back in Seattle. It's wonderful. The weather seems to be trying to help with my transition back to the bike: it's been mercifully dry (albeit bitter cold). I went on a long ride today, over three hours of rather brisk riding, with a trip up Cougar Mountain. I'd forgotten how amazing it feels to be tired like this! I'd forgotten that near-delirium immediately post-ride, that pleasing, dreamy fatigue that lasts the rest of the day. I'd forgotten how it feels to have a hard ride in my legs, in my lungs, throughout my whole body -- I feel like a junkie going into remission! No wonder some guys have *cough* such a hard time quitting this sport.

But before I made it to the Emerald City, I took a day to reconnect to the place where it all began: Walla Walla, Washington. Yes, that charming, historic town east of the cascades, home to the sweet onion, a booming wine-industry, and of course my alma mater, Whitman College. My sister is now a student there, and since I was absent over the holidays, I was excited to see her. I spent over twenty-four hours in the tiny hamlet, and I've collected a few of Walla Walla's top cycling-related news stories:

Allegro Cyclery Moves
New Main Street Location Sure to Boost Business

The Allegro Cyclery has moved to a much larger corner location at the intersection of Spokane and Main. The exact timing of the move has yet to be determined, but it most likely took place before the new year, an area man guessed. Formerly crammed into a shared-space further down Spokane street, the Allegro Cyclery is undoubtedly Walla Walla's best full-service bicycle shop. Their new location boasts roughly three times more floor space, and upon entry feels like a real bike shop, instead of a strange carbon fiber and aluminium meat-locker.

Whitman Cycling Team Kicking So Much Ass
If I Weren't So Proud, I'd Feel Threatened By Their Success

The Whitman College Cycling Team is absolutely thriving. This news is a great relief and a source of great pride for former team president Sam Johnson (and undoubtedly every team president since the team's inception back in 2002). After graduating in the winter of 2006, Sam was naively concerned that the team would suffer due to his absence. "I just remember how much work I put into the team when I was at the helm; I was worried that nobody would step up and keep the program healthy and strong," Sam lamented. Current team co-president (and total badass) Colin Gibson thought Sam's concerns were wildly misplaced. "Sam totally underestimated the team -- we're doing just fine. In fact, we don't like to tell him this to his face, but he was kind of a crumby president. Things got much easier once he was no longer there to slow us down," Gibson said. The team is more organized than ever before, as evidenced by their sweet new website (complete with shoutouts to alumni like me!), their full calendar of both USCF and collegiate races, their multiple community service projects, and their unwavering commitment to helping those newer to cycling learn the ropes quickly and easily. Whitman College Cycling Team, my hat is off to you....my one request is that you please join Hagens Berman once you graduate -- you know what they say: if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

Tour Of Walla Walla Course Changes
Washington's Best Stage Race Now Even More Awesome

The Tour of Walla Walla stage race has made some exciting changes. Remember, you heard it here first folks (unless you didn't):

Stage 1, Kellog Hollow Road Race: Friday's stage will kick off the racing unchanged from the last two years.
Stage 2, (unnamed) Time Trial: Saturday morning everyone will be treated to a new time trial course. Starting at the Walla Walla Community College, racers will head east up Mill Creek road to Five Mile road. After climbing up and over a short, feisty little hill, the course winds its way through scenic wheat fields for a total of ten miles (two miles longer than previous years).
Stage 3, Walla Walla Crit: The new crit course is crazy! From what I can tell, the new course starts right in front of the Allegro Cyclery on Main Street, continues up Boyer Avenue, past the Reid Campus Center on the Whitman College campus, before turning right on Park st. (which will showcase the college's brand-spankin'-new art building). Another right turn on Alder st. will lead racers to 1st street, and a final right will bring them back to Main. This means there will be a LONG start/finish straightaway (roughly five blocks), so the sprint will be longer and the speeds will be higher. I'd expect a closer GC going into the crit than in years past, giving guys who might not make it up the tough hills of Sunday's road race a chance to snag the leader's jersey thanks to time bonuses. Yippie Kay-Aye motherfuckers.
Stage 4, Waitsburg Road Race: Finally this epic final stage will be where it belongs, at the end of this epic race, the decider, the capstone. Last year, the GC has been solidified before the final stage -- the crit more of a festivity than an opportunity, a chance for redemption, but not a chance for retribution. Not this year. The Waitsburg road race will shuffle the deck (as usual), and what a sweet spot for a podium presentation: atop the mighty Lower Waitsburg Hill.

Cycling Update

I went for my first bike ride of the 2009 season yesterday. I was in Sun Valley, Idaho. Considering how much I've been on my bike over the last two months (exactly none), I felt great! I rode for upwards of 45 minutes -- without stopping!