Better Inhale Deeply

Blankets Creek Dirty Duathlon

2011-04-10T10:56:00.001-07:00

Thought I was running late for the Blankets Creek Dirty Duathlon. I got there at a little after 7. Transition closed at 8, race meeting at 8:30 and race at 9. Well, as it turned out, I was like the 10th bike in transition. I could have slept later.

Early Morning Registration

I was talking with a few guys. We could have had the meeting at 8:05 and started the race at 8:15. A little bit of “hurry up and wait.” Overall the race was well put on and most folk seemed to have a good time.

Transition Area

I was in the 3rd wave, 40 to 59 year old men. We took of with a bang and I was out front briefly, and then this guy pulled even. I was joking around with him talking about being old, and he told me he was 48 too. He pulled ahead and I tucked in behind him. A 100 meters later I said “pffffftt” just let him go. He vanished. I was hoping he was a runner and maybe not a good cyclist. Yeah, right.

Pre Race Meeting

At about ¾ of a mile a guy in blue tucked in behind me and we ran together for maybe a mile and a half. He finally came around and told me to yell if I wanted to pass. I just let him lead and then let him drift away. At about mile 3 I had two guys come from behind and one was saying to the other “I feel like a knife is sticking in my side. Go ahead!” Another guy in blue past me and me and knife guy ran together. I finally let him go while trying to back off a conserve a little energy. At the end of the run, two or three guys got by me. I finished the run in maybe 6th or 7th in my wave, at best 2nd in the 45-49 age group. I had no idea because we did not have ages marked on our shins like we do at almost all triathlons. I only knew one guy was definitely my age.

After a quick transition, I was off on the bike. I had ridden at Blanket’s before, but do not remember seeing some of these trails. A couple guys past me as we headed for and up Hurl Hill. Coming off that we were moving down a rough trail that took a sharp left. Knife guy on the run had warned me about that as we chatted. He did not mention I could have died. I was behind one guy and had 2 or 3 following. We hit the left hairpin turn. There were two EMT’s standing in the turn. The guy in front of me could not follow his line and wrecked. I locked up the wheels and screamed “wreck” to the guys behind me. I put one foot down, cut inside him and then ended up on the outside of the trail. That was where the huge drop-off was. And the trail was not dirt, but what looked like rock building up what used to be dirt. To hold me on the trail if I miss-judged the turn was some yellow, plastic ribbon. I was trying to get my foot clicked back into the pedal while simultaneously trying not to piss myself. (Later there was yet another section with a drop-off with rocks and roots obstructing a skinny trail). Very scary to this triathlete who usually rides smooth roads.

A few more guys got by me on the first section of trail, the Van Michael section. We hit the Dwelling Loop, which was a little less technical, and I could hold my speed. By this time the race had stretched out and I was pretty much on my own. A couple guys caught me, but I had no idea which wave they were from, or which age group. That was again an issue with not having ages marked on calves. You really had no idea of who was who. Relays, multiple waves and multiple age groups were all tossed together and you had no idea of what was going on. I had started cramping at the end of the Van Michael section and it was getting worse, so I figured I would just keep the pace as high as I could and hope to crack top 5 in my age group.

While this type of riding is not my strong suit- lots of accelerating- the new 29er was doing great. It was just rolling over everything. The Avid disc brakes were squealing a bit, but this is common for Avid Juicys. The front derailleur had some rub, and was a bit out of adjustment. However, I was happy as could be. I am glad I cut down the handlebars, as there were some narrow sections I barely made it through at speed.

I hit the final section, South Loop, and was moving along. There was lots of weaving, but not much climbing. When I exited from there onto the short fire trail, I heard 3 guys behind me, so I punched it when it flattened out. I flew by one guy and just gunned it. After about 30 seconds I looked back and nobody was there, which was good because then the cramps really hit! I rode them out and finished. Maybe I had a top 5 age group!

First thing I did was to start looking for the 48 year-old who ran away from me. I could not see him. I thought back but could not remember passing him. Where was he? I saw some other guys I raced with and was talking with them. Nobody could remember seeing this guy after he ran away from us. I packed up, loaded the bike onto the car and went back to the transition. Lisa, the race director, announced that preliminary results were posted. I went up to look. The guy who ran away from me could indeed bike. He put 4 minutes on me on the run, but 13 on the bike. Holy crap! I was second age group! Yeah! But the guy had just destroyed me. Then I saw he was circled as first overall. He destroyed a whole lot of people! Damn! I checked to see how close 2nd was to me. I had him by 9 minutes. Oops, I could have eased way up! After the fast guy was moved to 1st overall, I assumed 1st age group. I would have placed top ten in the 40-44 age group, so not too bad. However, a 50-59 age group guy beat me, so not too good. I did not get chicked!

The 48 year-old who took first was not at the award ceremony. He probably was at home showering. I think he was eating at the Waffle House by the time I finished. Awesome race by the guy! I picked up a free registration for the next Dirty Duathlon in Canton during the month of October. I can use that.

All in all a great, fun race. I was very pleased with my performance. I am not in good shape and have done very little running over the winter. This was a new bike I have only ridden for about 15 miles. I will take it and be happy!

Race Director Lisa of Mountain Goat Adventures

Georgia Rides to the Capital

2011-03-29T05:37:00.001-07:00

Capital, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Catching up on The Snake #2 and #3.

2011-03-07T06:41:00.000-08:00

The Snake’s 2nd trial in February went fairly smooth. It had rained for a few days before, but the trails drained quickly and were not too muddy. The first creek crossing was about 18+ inches deep, but I rode easily through it. Some people did walk. There were spots of mud, and I did end up covered, but it was not a big deal. I had a slow leak in my rear tire that I changed at the last aid station, but the ride pretty much went off without a hitch. I was slow and steady and finished. Some people did walk. I started the race with no legs because of the 130 miles I had ridden the previous weekend, some of that on the sadistic Airport Ride. I knew I could not push it and just rode in easy.

For the 3rd Snake time trial, aka March, the final one to get the 3x34 mile belt buckle, I was ready. I would have walked that freaking trail if I had to. I was going to get that belt buckle.

I finally fixed the issue with the tires going flat or leaking. My rims are WTB Speed Discs which have these grooves, or seats, for the tire beads. Because of this they use a thin 11mm rim tape. The bike came with wider tape, so when the tires were seating on the rim they were pulling the rim tape off the spoke holes, and thus I was getting flats. Regular cloth 11mm rim tape wasn’t working too well either. I ordered the WTB 11mm vinyl rim tape, and this seems to have fixed the flat problem. No flats or leaks during 3rd Snake, which is not to say I did not have any mechanicals. I have no idea why the proper rim tape did not actually come with the bike.

There was hard rain the night before the race. We had no rain during the race, but the damage had been done. The trails were slop on all but the highest areas. The clay/gravel trails were like runny peanut butter. A minute into the race, you no longer worried about getting muddy. The first stream crossing, the one that can get really high, was a disappointing 8 inches (insert tasteless joke here). Just like riding through a puddle. There were deeper, and more dangerous, puddles. Curves on the trail were dangerous as everybody was sliding. Riding in other’s tire groves could be dangerous as well. I just let the bike slide and tried to stay upright.

A few miles in the glasses were off- I could not see through them. I actually had to stop and peel off a base layer and my arm warmers as I was overheating early. Then I just kept going.

At mile 11 I was passing another cyclist and put a stick through my rear wheel. The guy I was passing yelled that I had cut it in half with my spokes. Luckily there was no wheel damage, but I bent my rear derailleur. The shifting got bad, but a mile later I fell over and bent it a little back, so it was not too bad. Still the chain was jumping around. At the midway aid station, I straightened and adjusted it. It was not perfect, but better. One of the riders who had a mechanical and could not finish was cleaning everybody’s chain at that aid station. Let me say again, mountain bikers tend to be super people and great to be around. I can pretty much guarantee you would not see a triathlete who broke down helping out at an age station. That just does not happen.

The second half of the time trial is where the course gets real technical. I just do not have the skills to ride the rock gardens. I rode more this time, and I am a better mountain biker for having ridden all 3 of these, but I just do not have the skill level to ride this crap. My plan was to just get through them. At mile 22 or 23 I ran into a rider trying to inflate a 29 inch tire with a little teeny pump. I asked him if he needed anything. He asked if I had a bigger pump. I told him I could give him a CO2. He said he didn’t want to take my CO2. I said, “Dude, I flatted 3 times in January. I have 4 CO2s. Take one.” He used my CO2 head since his malfunctioned with his cartridge, and 20 seconds later he was ready to ride. He said he had been there for 20 minutes.

Mile 26 was where I fell over and rolled down a hill. That was fun and oh so graceful! I was still having trouble clicking out of my pedals with these new shoes. I did not kill myself, but I was very aware that I could easily slam my head against a rock. I fell over a number of times. I have a bad bruise on my knee, various cuts on my arms and legs, and it was not until a day later that I realized I had dug my front chainring into my calf- embedding grease and grime in my skin. I could not tell you when all that happened.

I finished with my fastest time. #1 was 5:36:58. #2 was 5:24:36. The final ride was 5:04:38. My cumulative was 16:06:12. Not blazing, but I got my F$&%ing belt buckle! It was a little smaller than I thought (insert tasteless joke here), but it sure is pretty! 88 riders got a belt buckle. On the bus ride to the start I asked who would be here in the rain if there was not a belt buckle to be acquired. The vast majority admitted they would not have been there with the weather we were having.

After the race there were 3 kegs of beer, chili and peach cobbler. A band played under a very small tent. People were huddled under other small tents. The rain was falling. It pretty much held off. I did not stick around for the awards. I ate my chili and cobbler, got my belt buckle and left, as the band was playing Skynyrd’s “Tuesday’s Gone.”

I will never ride that f%$&ing trail again. At least the last 17 miles.

Edited to add: Of the 83 men who finished the 3x34, I was 76th by cumulative time. Ouch. First time I have ever been a BOPer- Back of the Packer.

Bull Sluice Lake

2011-02-19T15:06:00.001-08:00

Bull Sluice Lake, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

The lake that formed when Morgan Falls Dam was built on the Chattahoochee.

Timothy J Gets Bitten by The Snake

2011-01-08T17:39:00.000-08:00

Ouch! That hurt! Not just because it is the toughest 34 miles have ever ridden, but also because I rode it aggressively. Well, I rode aggressively until the bottom fell out. But yeah, that race hurt!

I show up at 7:45 to the expo center up in Dalton, GA. Crowds milling about, volunteers directing people and a guy with a bullhorn “Be sure to get on the buses by 9 o’clock. The buses are leaving at 9 o’clock. If you are not on them by 9 o’clock, they will leave with out you." It was a point-to-point race, so you load up your bikes on trailers and trucks and before 9 o’clock, get on one of the buses and they take you to your starting point- one for the 17 miler and one for the 34 miler.

I register and load my bike up and then go back to change into race gear. You want to be cold before you start, so you do not overheat on the bike. I was very cold, but I dressed perfectly for the ride- one of the few things to go right on the day. So there is a big group in the parking lot getting ready and the guy, actually a pretty cool guy, with the bullhorn still going on “Be sure to get on the buses by 9 o’clock….” He is about 6 cars away from me and suddenly there is a lull in the announcements. So being me, I yell a question at him, “Hey, what time are we leaving.” Everybody is laughing. Now this is the difference between triathlons and mountain biking. At a triathlon my smart-ass remarks are met with a dirty glance. This guy turned to face me, looked at me, and flipped one big ol’ bird, grinning. Then he says, “Do we have a smart-ass riding the 17?” I answered, “No, the 34.” He just muttered okay, smiled and started with the bullhorn again. Hilarious!

We bus over to the start, and since we are the first bus, wait for the bikes, chit chatting and stuff until they arrive. When they do arrive everybody scrambles to get out on the trail early to avoid the crowd. In no time I am off onto the Pinhoti Trail. I was kind of taking it easy until we hit the big stream crossing, which is rather anti-climactic. It is just a foot deep and an easy ride. Nice trails and I am moving along pretty good. I lost a little bit of time on a few poorly marked turns, but am feeling good.

Then the first bad thing happen, I flat at mile 7. Usually a flat is no big deal, but a month ago I went through the I-can’t-fix-this-flat-because-the-spares-keep-getting-holes-before-they-are-halfway-inflated at Blankets. I did not think this would be a problem because I checked out the rims and the tires, and put in new rim strips. Well, it became a problem. The first spare started leaking halfway inflated. I checked the rim and tire, and thought I found the culprit, because suddenly there is blood running down my finger. Try a patch and pumped it up with my pump instead of my last CO2 cartridge. No go. I check again, seems I found a little piece of metal. I use my last spare and last CO2. It holds. 10+ minutes lost, and lots of people passing me, but I am back. BTW, over 90% of the people passing are asking if I am okay. Great folks. Before rolling, I turn to pee in the woods. About that time the 20-something girl in the pink tutu with a pink pillbox hat on her helmet comes racing by yelling, “I see you peeing!”

So I am now pushing it a little to make up some time, but my early start time to avoid the crowds is negated. I am working hard to pass lots of people. I am fully aware that I have no spares or CO2s, only patches and a small pump, so I am also trying to avoid flatting again. I hit the halfway point, 17 miles, grab my new bottles from the SAG/Special Needs folk and continue. I start to cramp. No the full on stand-on-the-side-of-the-trail-and-scream cramp, but the lighter if-you-don’t-take-it-easy-you-will-be-standing-on-the-side-of-the-trail-screaming cramp. I start trying to regulate my efforts, but I am in a little deep and am starting to hurt. At about mile 26 I am screaming down a very rocky hill, going way to fast, and I nail a rock with the front wheel. It blows. I do not go down, and get off the trail so the guys right behind me can ride by. I pull out the tube and start trying to find the hole. I can’t. People are coming by asking if I am okay, and I start asking for a 26-inch tube. Most folk seem to be on 29ers, but I finally get one. I pump it up and take off.

Shortly after that the serious stretch of rock gardens show up. Damn, these things are the worst yet! Lots of people are walking up the steep sections, me included. I am cramping bad when off the bike now. The right leg is cramping while on the bike as well. My forearms are cramping, and I am having trouble straightening my fingers. At about mile 27, the guy behind me points out that the sole of my shoe is separating from the upper. I say, “Looks like the cleat is keeping it attached, I should be okay.” -famous last words. Minutes later, it completely separates. Miles of rock gardens ahead, and there is no way I can ride them. I walk until a little before mile 31. The girl with the tutu passes me again, but I wasn’t peeing. I show the sole, cleat and toecap that I am carrying to few people who ask. One girl says “I don’t have a spare one of those” and we both laugh. At about mile 31 it is smooth enough that I can use the toecap to lightly hold the sole in place enough to clip in and ride. It is mostly downhill from there and I finish. I was snake bit but I made it to the end. I have no idea of the time, well over 4 hours I am sure, but lets say it was a little slow.

This exchange comes to mind:

“It’s a bollocks, this race!” said [Theo] de Rooy. “You’re working like an animal, you don’t have time to piss, you wet your pants. You’re riding in mud like this, you’re slipping … it’s a pile of shit.”

[A]fter laughing and regaining his composure, [John} Tesh had the good sense to ask a follow-up.

“Will you ever ride it again?” he asked the mud-covered Dutchman.

“Sure, it’s the most beautiful race in the world!” said de Rooy without a second’s hesitation.

I will be back in February and March with problems fixed. It is a tough, painful race, but I will be back.

Update: Ouch! 5 hours and 36 minutes! No wonder it seemed like I was out there all damn day!

Man on Wire V2

2008-08-08T11:55:00.000-07:00

Original newscast. Still makes me queasy. I have to see the new film.

philippe petit
by superchomeur

"If we have that love and friendship and understanding..."

2008-06-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

"If we have that love and friendship and understanding for our fellow citizens, we will have a new America."

Red Lane

2008-06-04T09:35:00.003-07:00

Red Lane, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

From Faster Mustache's 3rd Anniversary Party @ Lenny's. Goldsprint racing! Wrap up!

Crowd Gets Into It

2008-06-04T09:35:00.001-07:00

Crowd Gets Into It, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

From Faster Mustache's 3rd Anniversary Party @ Lenny's. Goldsprint racing! Wrap up!

Best Dressed Racer

2008-06-04T09:34:00.001-07:00

Best Dressed Racer, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

From Faster Mustache's 3rd Anniversary Party @ Lenny's. Goldsprint racing! Wrap up!

Tour de Georgia - TTT

2008-04-28T06:29:00.001-07:00

Tour de Georgia - TTT, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Jittery Joe's.

Tour de Georgia - TTT

2008-04-28T06:28:00.001-07:00

Tour de Georgia - TTT, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Rock Racing and tattoos- Kayle Leogrande.

Tour de Georgia - TTT

2008-04-25T06:02:00.001-07:00

Tour de Georgia - TTT, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Victor Hugo Pena being interviewed.

Tour de Georgia - TTT

2008-04-25T06:01:00.001-07:00

Tour de Georgia - TTT, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Jittery Joe's warming up.

Tour de Georgia - TTT

2008-04-24T19:36:00.001-07:00

Tour de Georgia - TTT, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Tour de Georgia - TTT

2008-04-24T19:35:00.001-07:00

Tour de Georgia - TTT, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Hot Seat!

2008-03-18T10:41:00.001-07:00

Hot Seat!, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Headed to the Riverboat Gamblers concert tonight at the Masquerade. I think I picked up a hot seat! The email is from Ticketmaster.

Hilda, RIP

2008-03-04T18:58:00.000-08:00

I would like to be one of those people who write an obituary about the best dog in the world, but that is not going to happen. I have to be honest. Hilda was a challenging dog. She was a high maintenance dog. She could be a pain in the butt. She tore up and destroyed more than her fair share. And speaking of sharing, she didn't.

When my big dog Bennie was about 6 months old, my wife and I decided to get a companion for him. I was thinking of a dog just a bit smaller than my Border Collie mix, but at a PetSmart adoption my ex found a little fury girl. Nobody really knew what kind of dog she was. She was maybe 6 months old and seemed to have come from an abusive family. She was scared of her own shadow and did not seem to like anybody. Although I did not really want her, my ex prevailed. I named her Hilda, because that is who she was.

After about 2 weeks my wife hated her. After about 2 weeks Hilda hated my wife- an emotion I would later understand. Hilda, however, grew to love me. A year later I was divorced and living in an apartment with two dogs and Hilda grew to love me even more. Eight years, many rugs and countless bedspreads later, I believe it is safe to say that Hilda ended up loving me more fiercely than any animal I have ever owned. And it was a jealous love. If another dog got into my lap, other than Bennie, she would launch at them. I could not pet any other dog without her trying to get between me and them.

Although she ended up trusting me and Bennie, she was always shy around other dogs and people. Children always wanted to pet her, but she would not let them until she knew them very well. Anybody not with me was the enemy. At dog parks she would stay under my feet, venturing out only to quickly share a sniff with a nearby small dog. And nobody at a dog park could ever pet her. If I was walking her and Bennie and we passed other dogs, she always tried to start trouble. For a little dog she had a lot of attitude.

Hilda slept in my bed and by my side the entire time I had her. Every now and then, perhaps because of a girlfriend or a feeling that I was not getting a good nights sleep, I would decide that Hilda should sleep in one of her and Bennie's beds. Of course Hilda would jump up onto my bed when she thought I was asleep- a herculean task for a small dog with such short legs, and a task without a 100% success rate. I would carefully place her back on the floor. She would try again and again. A battle would be waged. When she realized that I was serious "this time", she would go nuclear. She would just start peeing in my bed during the day until I relented and allowed the status quo to return. She was a strong willed little dog! It was easier to just let her sleep where she wanted.

I am a photographer by hobby, and some people think I take pretty good pictures. Hilda seemed to foil me. She did not like having her picture taken. She spoiled most of them. I have a large collection of fuzzy pictures of a furry dog. I finally got a good one a few weeks ago. I snapped about 30 shots of the same picture. One came out decent. All the others were blurred. I don't know how she did it, but I think she was a little like Nicholai Hel in Trevanian's Shibumi- she could sense the concentration on her and would psychically know to twitch when I pressed the shutter. I am grateful I got that last shot, however.

So I had to take that ride to the vets office this evening. I have cried over this little devil since I found out she was sick. I was lucky enough to know this was coming and so got to spend a good month saying good-bye. She did not seem to be in pain, but she was getting thinner everyday. She would not eat anything at all this last week. On many mornings she would seem weak and lethargic. I would cry going to work knowing that she would either be dead when I got home or I would have to make that ride. I would come home and she would greet me at the door wagging her tail, waiting for me to put down my things, walk to the carpet in the hallway, and pet her and Bennie. Then she would be fine for a while until she decided to nap. This happened many mornings. I was starting to get pissed at her for jerking my chain like this. I was beginning to think she was playing me again. Then this afternoon she did not meet me at the door. I walked down the hallway to her bed. Her tail wagged when she saw me, but she could not get up. I was about to take that ride.

Hilda, Bennie and I spent about half an hour in the woods behind my place. No matter how sick Hilda got she loved to sit outside and just look. We did that. We looked and I petted her. Finally, I could put it off no longer and I loaded her into my car. We took that last ride together.

Hilda went to sleep in my arms- it was not going to be any other way. It killed me, my stomach hurt and I wanted to cry, but she would go out in the arms of somebody she loved who loved her dearly. As I said, she was a pain in the butt at times, but she loved me as fiercely as I loved her.

She went very quickly, and as she relaxed into that long sleep, I saw the dog I have loved for eight years. I did not realize how tense she had been until the tension was released and she dropped into peacefulness. She looked how she used to look when I woke up with her at my side every morning- like all was well and there were no worries. I am glad I was able to give her that again, at least one more time.

Hilda on Flickr.

Band

2008-02-04T18:49:00.001-08:00

Band, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

My Great-Grandparents. (Pence's)

2007-12-25T18:56:00.001-08:00

My Great-Grandparents. (Pence's), originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

The little girl on the right is now 88 years old. She is my grandmother. The photo I scanned from, and cleaned up, is over 85 years old. This photo was printed and given to my grandmother as a Christmas gift. She loves it. There is still a lot of damage in the lower center of the photo that I did not know how to fix, I may try more repairs later.

The tallest boy in the back? My uncle and my cousin's son looked just like him, near that age.

The lady on the right, my great-grandmother, is the daughter of Billy O'Sullivan who arrived in the US as a stowaway on a ship from Ireland in the 1800's.

This family about 15 years later.

The little girl on the right over 20 years later, with my grandfather. Her hair turned darker later on.

Bad Santa - Critical Mass

2007-12-18T07:10:00.001-08:00

Bad Santa - Critical Mass, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

How many sleighs does Santa have?

Move, Little guy!

2007-12-17T07:27:00.001-08:00

Move, Little guy!, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Pensacola Bay.

Cutback

2007-12-14T06:54:00.001-08:00

Cutback, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

I shot his in Pensacola a few weeks ago. While surfers were going apeshit out west surfing overheads to massive 60-80 foot waves, this was the big surf hitting the Gulf of Mexico!

Butterflys - Critical Mass

2007-11-09T08:44:00.001-08:00

Butterflys - Critical Mass, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

The Halloween Critical Mass. These were taken while riding!

Princess on Bianchi - Critical Mass

2007-11-03T21:47:00.001-07:00

Princess on Bianchi - Critical Mass, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

From Critical Mass Halloween Edition.

Scott Rigsby- 1st Double Amputee Ironman

2007-10-22T05:12:00.001-07:00

Scott Rigsby, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Double amputee struggles, succeeds (From the AJC)

The Atlanta Ironman kept to his wheelchair this past week. The ends of his amputated legs were blistered, swollen and raw, and showing signs of infection. His muscles felt like they had been doing laps through a pasta maker. The gifts of completing one of the globe's notorious endurance races just kept giving.

A week ago, on the big island of Hawaii, Scott Rigsby, 39, became the first below-the-knee double amputee to complete an Ironman triathlon. That meant swimming 2.4 miles without legs, then biking 112 miles and running a 26.2-mile marathon with prosthetics. He had 17 hours to complete the task. He made it in 16:42:46 — a little close, but that kind of history didn't require much margin.
More...

I photographed Scott last year on the Georgia Rides to the Capital ride, and met him a few days later at a triathlon expo. He is a super nice guy. One of the things that struck me about him was his uncanny sense of balance. He was walking around on two prosthetics as well as most people do with real feet. He told me he played nose guard in high school and succeeded because of his sense of balance.

I have read about other amputees having issues with blisters and sores on their stumps during shorter athletic events. I cannot even imagine what Scott went through during an Ironman. Since the story mentions him being in his wheelchair since the race, it must have been pretty bad. It is hard enough to finish an Ironman on two good legs (I have 5 finishes), I cannot even imagine the hell he went through. The guy is something else!

FM.24.07 No Brakes Omnium Video

2007-10-04T09:37:00.001-07:00

Something I ran across that was filmed during the race.

Velvet Revolver and Alice in Chains

2007-10-04T08:13:00.001-07:00

The promoter started giving away free tickets to the Velvet Revolver and Alice and Chains show in Atlanta at the HiFi Buys Amphitheater (Lakewood). With free tickets available, why not? We scored some lousy seats and then just sat in some good ones for the show.

The crowd was a bit rough looking, but all seemed to be there just to have a good time. I am grateful I was not hit with a drug test at work this morning. It seems like everybody was smoking pot at the show and everybody also ignored all the no smoking signs. Usually Lakewood is good about enforcing that rule, but they really did not even make an effort last night.

Alice in Chains was loud. Their 3 big hits sounded fantastic and all their other stuff kind of blurred together. The had great video for "Rooster" which included morphing images of Bush, shots of GOP presidents, various wars, Bush's crooked administration, one image of a "Bush Lied, Thousands Die" sign, and the last image "No War!" That seemed to get approval form the crowd that did not really look political.

Velvet Revolver was decent. Weiland has a stage presence very similar to Mick Jagger. His voice in inconsistent, however. Slash is great when not screwing licks. The rhythm section is the best part of the band. The did a few Stone Temple Pilot songs and GNR's "Patience." I enjoyed it, but we did not bother to stay till the end. Beating the traffic seemed more important than catching the last few songs.

Overall good, but probably not worth the hearing loss I suffered.

Critical Mass September 2007

2007-10-01T10:26:00.001-07:00

Peachtree Street, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

About 400+ Massers tooling down Peachtree Street.

Sculpture

2007-09-25T18:32:00.001-07:00

Sculpture, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

From somebody's front yard near Cedartown. What do you think it represents?

Race Report: FM.24.07

2007-09-10T10:24:00.000-07:00

Added: A preview of the video shot during the race:

What would you think of riding the rough potholed streets of downtown, fighting traffic, avoiding red lights, weaving through pedestrians heading to concerts and events, jumping curves, weaving through cars, and screaming at cabbies? Some people do that everyday while heading to work. Bike messengers do that for a workday. Would you be willing to do it 24 hours straight? At the Faster Mustache 24 Hour Urban Bike Relay 201 people, on teams and solo, did. Hell, I did it two weeks after finishing an Ironman- Ironman Louisville in Kentucky. It seemed like a nice way to start relaxing in the off season.

Me, shot by "asynchronous" on Picasa, after about 270 miles.

The set up: I rode over 300 miles under the conditions mentioned above, competing in the solo division- or most laps. The punch line: I only got second. Who would figure 300 miles would not win the damn thing?

These young people from Faster Mustache put on one hell of a race, and for only $15 a competitor! It was a checkpoint race using RFD cards and homemade readers, which magically connected to the internet to allow live tracking. Johnny’s Pizza on Highlands was the start and home base of the race. From there the racers scanned their cards at Lenny’s Bar on Decatur Street, Octane Coffee on Marietta Street, Skate Escape on Piedmont at Piedmont Park, No Brakes Track Bike Boutique on Rogers Street off Arizona Avenue, and then headed back to Johnny’s, for laps of just under 15 miles unless you screwed up. They suggested the route, but part of urban bike skills is knowing which intersections to avoid, what shortcuts are quicker and how to avoid hills. We were all over the place.

Starting the race was 201 riders making up 59 teams and over a dozen solo riders. Teams tended to be 4 to 6 people. There were all male teams, mixed teams and all female teams. I think most of the solo riders were male. There were geared bikes, commuter bikes, cycle cross bikes, mountain bikes and fixed gear bikes. Helmets were encouraged, but not universal. Blinky lights were mandatory at night, and lots of people had LED lights mounted for better vision. Folks were riding in spandex, camos, jean cutoffs and just about any other outfit you can imagine.

The first lap was insane. Some Mad Panda guy just led us out way too fast, and in doing so he took the fast lap competition. Nasty Nate was second on that lap after a bad detour through the GA Tech campus. I ended up fourth on that lap and placed fourth in the fast lap competition, which was a dumb thing to do in a 24 hour race. In the top 7 riders of that first lap, four of us were solo riders. Stupid solo riders, except the Panda who got some cool prizes for that lap.

The course was brutal. 300 miles would be bad enough on nice roads. This was stopping and starting, track standing until you could safely sprint through a red light, hoping curbs and pot holes, weaving through yuppies headed to the Dave Mathews Band concert, weaving through yuppies leaving the Dave Mathews Band concert, avoiding idiot cab drivers, and making our way through people headed to and from the GA Tech game and the Georgia Music Hall of Fame Lynyrd Skynyrd induction show. My bike was at, or close to, a stand still over a dozen times each lap including the scanning. I could not even begin to guess how many red lights I ran, how many curbs and potholes I jumped, or how many times my teeth were rattled bouncing along over unsafe, patched and long neglected pavement. The outside of my right hand and pinky are still numb.

After about 8 hours in the saddle I was in first place in the solo division. I took a long break for dinner at the Mexican restaurant Across the Street, which was oddly just next door. That is when Mouhamed first passed me. (Now if you are a hard core Republican who hates people with funny names, you may want to quit reading now. You won’t like the finish.) I passed him back when he took a break, and ended up a lap and a half over him. At 3:30 in the morning I just had stop for a few hours sleep, as I could not even operate my shift levers anymore. I had about 200 miles in at that point. When I came back he had almost a lap and a half on me. I got one of the laps back, and got within 10 minutes of him on the 21st lap. He headed out for the 22nd lap 10 minutes ahead of me with 1 hour of racing left. Realizing that I was shot and was not going to catch him, I bagged it. I was 3 laps up on third place and had second in the bag. Mouhamed just had executed a better race and beat me. The dude is an animal! I heard later that after the race he went to the crit in Midtown and was chasing down an Atlanta Velo Exchange teammate on foot to help him with mechanical.

I spent the two hours before the awards ceremony trying not to pass out. I was wasted. I was at the Flying Biscuit for an hour and it was all I could do not to lay down in their floor. I have never been that fried before. I was completely done. (The next day I actually felt very good. I still had some numbness in my right hand and foot, my quads are wasted, and there is some soreness on my rear end. Nothing major is bothering me.)

The Atlanta Velo Exchange Team, Squid No Lock Ring, won the team competition again. This year they did it on fixed geared bikes with 32 laps in 12 hours. TNT (Tuesday Nights at the Track) was the first women’s team with 27 laps. There was also an Omnium put on by the No Brakes Track Bike Boutique, which included special skills and challenges for folks on track bikes with no brakes.

The prizes were great- and again, this at a race for $15. I got a very cool NPC messenger bag, dinner for two including drinks, and other swag for my second place. In what triathlon would you expect that? First solo got a bigger bag, a freaking large and sturdy Kryptonite chain lock, and other goodies. The first team got an incredible amount of bags from Transit Bags and lots of goodies. The Male and Female Fast Laps got some new hubs and stuff. Lots of swag was distributed. Hell the guy who was given the spirit award got a fixed gear bike!

My NASCAR Speech: I have to say my K2 bike with SRAM components performed exceptionally today. The Vredestein tires never let me down. I was superbly powered by Gatorade, Balance Bars and Carnation Instant Breakfast. The trunk of my Ford Mustang never once failed to open during a pit stop.

The folks at Faster Mustache, ambassadors of cycling to Atlanta, are a great bunch of people. The atmosphere was one of the most positive ones I have ever experienced at a race. They ran a very professional race on a shoe string budget. They were never anything less than positive, upbeat and friendly the whole time. They system they built and coded to monitor the race, and broadcast it live over the internet, worked flawlessly. If you ever want to try something different, I highly recommend this race. Perhaps as a team rather than a solo, however.

Live Tracker with current results.

Red

2007-09-07T09:22:00.001-07:00

Red, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

FM.24.07

Faster Mustache

2007-09-06T09:35:00.001-07:00

Faster Mustache, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

The Faster Mustache 24 Hour Urban Bike Race will be happening this weekend. Starting at Johnny's on Highlands and circling through Atlanta, this should be a chance to see teams and solo riders compete in a rather challenging endurance race. There is a fixed gear division as well as a No Brakes Omnium being sponsored by No Brakes bike shop, adding a little more of a challenge to interested parties.

Riders are allowed to receive coffee from outsiders. Probably beer as well. Saturday evening there will be bands at Johnny's. See the website for more info.

High Five!

2007-09-05T06:03:00.001-07:00

High Five!, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

This guy was high fiving hundreds of people as Critical Mass rode by. This was the best shot I could get while riding behind him as the light was fading. If only I was a tad quicker, I could have got the actual slap.

Pumps

2007-09-04T05:37:00.001-07:00

Pumps, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

She did ride Critical Mass through Atlanta on that fixie in those shoes! The belt combines bike security, personal safety and fashion all in one item.

Ironman Louisville Race Report

2007-08-30T16:46:00.001-07:00

Gear Bags, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

It was not my best race. My legs had been tight, sore and not normal for a little over a week. I do not know why. I was in a 4 week taper and did nothing that hard. My stomach was also messed up, again I do not know why.

The swim went alright. It was a time trial format because of current issues. I did a 1:05, which was a tad slower than I wanted. I actually swam some this summer! Take off a minute spent floating and adding to the current.

Out on the bike the course was tough. It was a rolling course with short steep hills. I am usually very good on these, but had no power in my legs at all. Aerobically I was fine, but the legs had nothing and would blow or cramp if I tried to climb fast. I had to stop 4 times to hit the port o johns during the bike because of my stomach issues. As I told one of the volunteers- "First chance I have had to sit down all day!" I ended up with a 5:53. The spectators in La Grange loved me because I sat up no-handed at 20+ mph and did the Deon Sanders and Hulk Hogan thing. The second time through I was blowing kisses as well. You would have thought I had just won the Giro d'Italia!

On the run I shuffled for eight miles and then walked one. My legs were just killing me by this time. My thinking became that I was not going to stay on the course all freaking night, and so I then hammered three miles, until my legs were screaming. Then I walked one. Then I hammered three again. Then I walked. Then I was doing two miles running and one walking. I met some great people! My splits were all over the place. Time was 5:02. Again, I was really urging the spectators to cheer. I would come around a corner and have the crowd just going nuts, and when I turned the corner everybody would be straining to see who the hell was coming through ad getting such a reception! They would be looking behind me like "Who is it? Is Brad Pitt about to come around the corner!"

My final was 12:15, my slowest Ironman by far, 53 minutes slower than my horrid Lake Placid time. However, my age group ranking was better than two and only slightly worse than two- the median placing based on percentage. The Hawaii qualifying times were incredibly slow!

Louisville is a great little city and the IM was fantastic. I highly recommend it!

I am doing a 24 hour urban bike race in about 10 days. I might as well see if I can do something with the fitness I have.

Louiseville Skate Park

2007-08-30T10:17:00.001-07:00

Louiseville Skate Park, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

This park was freakin' huge! Lots of disaffected youth running around, most without helmets.

Transition Area

2007-08-27T18:41:00.001-07:00

Transition, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Ironman Louisville Transition.

Ironman Louisville Transition

2007-08-24T20:50:00.001-07:00

Transition, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

I am a bit beat to post, but it is hot and sunny here. The race set up is wonderful. More pictures at my Flick page.

The Road to Ironman Louisville

2007-08-23T19:55:00.000-07:00

I left today for Ironman Louisville. This si going to be great, an Ironman in the middle of the hottest August on record! But more of that later.

The bikes are traveling in style!

Along the way I stopped in Knoxville to meet and have lunch the formerly anonymous blogger, formerly known as South Knox Bubba, who know runs the KnoxViews group blog, and his wife. What great people they are! We had a great lunch at a local Cracker Barrel- luckily they had one close by! Mrs. Bubba is beautiful and charming. They are both great people to sit down and talk with. I have "known" Randy (the afore mentioned SKB) for about four blogger years, but this is the first chance I have had to meet him face to face.

I managed to get a picture with him, while we sat talking after lunch, and so I am now going to out him! He is on the left!

Here is a quick shot of the river in Louisville. Needless to say we made it safely. More pictures later, here and at Flickr.

Next thing you know, I will be having lunch with and exposing TBogg!

A Short Rush Video From Opening Night

2007-06-14T08:05:00.000-07:00

This was taken with a tiny pocket camera's video function, so don't expect HD and 5.1.

Vandalized Stickers

2007-05-23T18:14:00.001-07:00

Vandalized Stickers, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

A neighbor painted the bumper stickers on my truck. I countered. I don't believe I violated any of the Condo Association rules. We'll see what happens now. Any guesses?

Warming Up!

2007-05-21T09:09:00.001-07:00

Warming Up!, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

She is serious about her warm ups!

Tour de Georgia Final Stage

2007-05-08T06:39:00.001-07:00

Museum Tower, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

In front of the Museum Tower.

Determination

2007-05-08T06:37:00.001-07:00

Loco's Grill & Pub, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Loco's Grill & Pub rider at the Roswell Criterium.

Solar Eclipse

2007-05-07T08:24:00.001-07:00

Solar Eclipse, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

At the Roswell Criterium.

Finishing Straight

2007-05-07T08:23:00.001-07:00

Finishing Straight, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Gilberto Simoni of Prodir-Saunier Duval

2007-04-24T09:20:00.001-07:00

Gilberto Simoni of Prodir-Saunier Duval, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Simoni coming at you! Check out the quads!

Tyler Hamilton and Friends!

2007-04-24T09:18:00.001-07:00

Tyler Hamilton, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Tour de Georgia at The Wall on Brasstown Bald, stage 5.

Intensity

2007-04-19T05:49:00.001-07:00

Intensity, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Scott Rigsby

2007-03-26T09:33:00.001-07:00

Scott Rigsby, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

If you look, you will notice his feet are not OEM, but are aftermarket. Not only is he a cyclist, he is a triathlete as well. And he is a very nice guy, as I had a chance to talk to him a few days after this ride. His website.

Wheels of Fire Century

2007-03-16T17:12:00.001-07:00

Saturday March 10th was the Wheels of Fire Century in Harris County, to raise money for their volunteer fire department. This was one of the best centuries I have done, although it is a bit early in the year. The course is fantastic and the fire department has aid stations every 6 or 7 miles, although we only stopped at two or three of them. This was a well supported ride.

On the hilly course I rode the first 40 miles alone. The next 40 I joined a group from Columbus, a racing team in lime green. Four of us were pulling for 40 miles and dropped the group size down from about 20 to five. One very strong guy peeled off to get home early. There were three of us pulling at that point and at mile 80 I blew and dropped off. I rode the last tough 21 alone and ended up finishing 101 miles in 5 hours and 11 minutes. I'll take that as a good training ride this early in the season on a tough course.

Can you say best aid station ever!

From The AJC

2007-03-16T17:11:00.001-07:00

From The AJC, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Me on the left taking photos after cycling down. This is me taking the photo on the previous post. It was taken by one of the AJC photographers and appeared on their website where I swiped it!

Front Wheel Stand

2007-03-13T07:42:00.001-07:00

Front Wheel Stand, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

From Georgia Rides to the Capital

Kool Kids

2007-03-07T20:26:00.001-08:00

Kool Kids, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

From the Georgia Rides to the Capital event held Tuesday, March 6th.

More pics here.

Monolith

2007-02-13T07:11:00.001-08:00

Monolith, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Cold Mornings

2007-02-07T05:35:00.001-08:00

Cold Mornings, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

The homeless have had a brutal week. It is sad to see this in America.

Smokin'

2007-02-02T08:04:00.001-08:00

Smokin', originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Ears

2007-01-29T06:04:00.001-08:00

Ears, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Lenox Area Building

2007-01-08T19:34:00.001-08:00

Lenox Area Building, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Downton DC

2006-12-28T07:33:00.001-08:00

Downton DC, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Downtown DC

2006-12-26T17:53:00.001-08:00

Downtown DC, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Eastern Airlines

2006-12-20T19:35:00.001-08:00

Eastern Airlines, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Probably the last Eastern Airlines' plane in existence, and it was probably one of its first.

A Plane

2006-12-20T09:22:00.001-08:00

A Plane, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

New Big Wong

2006-12-19T07:36:00.001-08:00

New Big Wong, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

As opposed to the old small wong.

Hirshhorn Museum

2006-12-15T06:30:00.001-08:00

Hirshhorn Museum, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

This was one big something. I like modern art, and thought this interesting, but in a museum? The lighting was weird because of all the neon built into the sculpture.

The number of objects attached to this is rather amazing.

Renwick Gallery

2006-12-13T08:18:00.001-08:00

Renwick Gallery, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Washington Monument

2006-12-12T19:31:00.001-08:00

Washington Monument, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Tourists

2006-12-12T06:10:00.001-08:00

Tourists, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

I saw this scene over and over again in DC.

Zoo Atlanta Tiger

2006-12-05T08:05:00.001-08:00

Zoo Atlanta Tiger 4, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

A little blurry, but I love the eyes.

Zoo Atlanta Tiger

2006-12-04T09:54:00.001-08:00

Zoo Atlanta Tiger 1, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

IBM Building Windy Hill

2006-12-01T12:09:00.001-08:00

Building, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Twelve Atlantic Station

2006-11-29T18:45:00.001-08:00

Twelve Atlantic Station, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Curve

2006-11-28T16:47:00.001-08:00

Round, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Atlanta Skyline

2006-11-27T20:08:00.001-08:00

Atlanta Skyline, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

17th Street Bridge

2006-11-27T08:57:00.001-08:00

Zach V, Flickrite, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

As the sun sets.

My Grandfather

2006-11-27T08:56:00.001-08:00

Maloney's, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

A scan of a wrinkled print of my grandfather at the Civillian Conservation Corps. This was taken when he was in his teens, 14 thru 16 most likely.

Park Anywhere

2006-11-27T08:55:00.001-08:00

Park Anywhere, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

It made "Interesting" on Flickr!

Bennie

2006-11-27T08:54:00.001-08:00

Bennie, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Where is Bennie not supposed to be?

Fernanda

2006-10-19T19:32:00.000-07:00

Fernanda, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

This woman, Fernanda Keller, will compete in the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii this Saturday for the 20th time. She has never won, but she has come close.

Dog in the Emerald Pointe Triathlon

2006-10-09T07:06:00.000-07:00

Emerald Pointe Triathlon, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

GRITS Century

2006-09-13T10:36:00.000-07:00

GRITS Century, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

I did this century out of Rockmart. It was a tough and choppy course.

Last Breakaway

2006-08-21T17:07:00.000-07:00

Last Breakaway, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

The last guys race at the Sandy Springs Crit. The guy in the middle ended up dropping the other two and taking the win.

East Atlanta

2006-08-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

East Atlanta, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Sandy Spring's Criterium

2006-08-16T20:24:00.000-07:00

Aaron's, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

On Sunday a few of the roads in Sandy Springs were cleared of traffic for a crit sponsored by Cycleworks. It was fun time for all, cyclists and spectators. See the slideshow. Women's photos are up now. Men's will be up soon.

Acworth Women's Triathlon

2006-08-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

Finish Line, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

This is the finish of the Acworth Women's Triathlon in, you guessed it, downtown Acworth. You can see phptos I snapped at the event here.

Atlanta Night

2006-08-09T06:36:00.000-07:00

Atlanta Night, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

From near Atlantic Station.

What?

2006-08-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

What they did was horrible. But I did find humor in the last paragraph.

[Raymond] LaFountain was originally described by police as Samoraj's live-in boyfriend, but the gender classification at the jail was changed from male to female following a routine strip search, Pinellas sheriff's spokesman Mac McMullen said.

Oops. I can hear the guards, "Okay, take off your clothes. Now turn around and.... Hey, wait. He ain't got no dick. Sarg!"

Peloton

2006-07-31T09:21:00.000-07:00

Peloton, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

With all the talk about Landis, here is a shot of him being led up through the Georgia countryside by his team during the Tour de Georgia, which he won. I believe he is 9th wheel in this shot, with 7 team riders iupfront, and somebody from another team sitting eigth.

Landis and Danielson

2006-07-31T09:17:00.000-07:00

Phonak Hearing Systems and Discovery Channel, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

With all the talk about Landis, here is a shot of him leading Tom Danielson, of Team Discovery, up Brasstown Bald during the Tour de Georgia. (Not a great picture, but it with a little, teeny camera I carry in my bike jersey pocket.)

Phonak on Wolfpen

2006-07-31T09:14:00.000-07:00

Peloton, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

With all the talk about Landis, here is a shot of him being led up Wolfpen Gap by his team during the Tour de Georgia, which he won.

Twelve Atlantic Station

2006-07-30T16:57:00.000-07:00

Twelve Atlantic Station, originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Butterfly

2006-07-17T07:19:00.000-07:00

Butterfly
Originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Fireworks

2006-07-07T12:15:00.000-07:00

Fireworks
Originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

My attempt at fireworks photography Wednesday evening, for annual July 5 fireworks. I was rushed and could not find a place closer that let me get part of the skyline in the shot. I also used the Olympus FIreworks mode, which was probably a bit too short of an exposure. I still like the shot.

Green Heron

2006-06-29T05:30:00.000-07:00

Bird
Originally uploaded by TimothyJ.

Testing out my new 40-150 lens on my fairly new Olympus Evolt-300. The bird was paid for its time and signed all proper releases.

San Francisco The Last Day

2006-06-22T08:40:00.000-07:00

I had to be at the airport before noon, and had a little packing left to do, so my final morning was going to be short. I had no desire to miss my plane.

I had to pick up a few gifts and raid the ATM. The only ATM for BOA I had spotted was Ghirardelli Square, a few blocks away from the hotel and the waterfront. So I headed there and visited the ATM. Then I stopped and snapped a few shots of infamous fountain with turtles and breastfeeding mermaids. It caused quite a stir when it was first unveiled. although there seems to be little information on it online.

Leaving the square I stopped on a stair case leading down from Ghirardelli Square and was attacked by a bird. He went right after my head. I ducked down and looked around, but could not see anything. I stayed there and fiddled with my camera, and the damn bird attacked me again! I finally spotted him, and figured he was protecting a nest, so I just left the area. I had seen a biker get covered with bird crap my first day in town, and while I did not mind getting attacked so much, I would mind a bird dive bombing me.

I picked up a few souvenirs and then snapped a few last pics before heading back to the hotel and then the airport.

My trip home was uneventful, for the most part. My luggage arrived intact, although they did open, search and repack my bike case. The only bad part was arriving at the economy parking lot at midnight and realizing I could not remember where the hell I parked my truck. I ended up walking up and down the rows of cars for an hour before I found my trusty Ranger.

Overall, this was one of the best trips I have taken. I hope to go back.

San Francisco Day 5

2006-06-20T06:23:00.000-07:00

Day 5 was going to start with a bike trip to Haight-Ashbury and the Golden Gate Park, a small part of which I cycled during the race. Sadly, I awoke to a flat tire on the front of my bike, mentioned previously. I did not want to risk a flat so reluctantly decided to skip Haight-Ashbury until another trip. I headed, instead, to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

I had been looking forward to SF MOMA. I like modern art and so this little trip had been on my calendar from day one. Sadly, about 40% of the exhibits were closed, including the Picturing Modernity photo exhibit I had been looking forward to. I still did get to see some interesting stuff.

• The Art of Design – The architecture and design collection was a wonderful collection of how artistic design can be useful in architecture, industrial and household design. From buildings to motorcycles to furniture. This was probably my favorite open exhibit, but I did feel it should be bigger.
• Shomei Tomatsu: Skin of the Nation – An exhibition of a Japanese postwar photographer who documented the aftermath of the atomic bombing, the influence of the American military, the 1930’s economic boom and pop culture. So many fascinating photographs with a nuanced insight into life in Japan. The exhibit really gave a fascinating glimpse into postwar Japan.
• Beyond Art and Life – The contemporary painting and sculpture collection was a diverse collection. I think I appreciated the paintings more than the sculpture.

No photography was allowed inside, so no pictures for you!

After MOMA I wondered around the Market Street area taking pictures.

Then I walked towards Chinatown, to get a photograph of the front gate, which I had not seen on the previous trip.

Then I just headed back towards the bay, taking in what I could. I passed the “seedy” part of town, then the “churchy” part of town, and then made it back to the Lombard area.

For my final evening in town, I did not want to do much. I did want to try and get some pictures of a few Victorians. I walked a few miles, snapped some pictures, and then made my way towards the water front again. I saw more parks with, again, lots of people using them. The evening was very nice. Many people were out with their dogs after work. Little dog parties were forming at several parks. Lots of people were out exercising. This is a great city.

There was this lush park above the bay with lots of people exercising, and a dog party going on. I found this great statue with some intricate tile work at the base. If only I could have taken it home....

San Francisco Day 4 (After The Race)

2006-06-11T17:11:00.000-07:00

After a short nap, and a search for a decent sandwich on a Sunday afternoon, which was hard in San Francisco for some reason, a trip to Alcatraz was on the schedule.

We had bought tickets for the night tour of Alcatraz, which the guidebooks recommend, since it has extras as well as a sunset over the island. We hustled down to the wharf to grab a bite to eat before boarding the 6:30 boat. Along the way we passed the infamous Bushman, who scares unsuspecting tourists as the stroll down the sidewalk.

After a stop to a truly bad Johnny Rockets, where the service was exceptionally horrible, we had to scramble to make the boat. They boarded late, but we left on time. We sat outside where the wind was whipping around. Gulls traveled with the boat, one in particular hanging right above or behind us the entire trip. The view going to the island was fantastic! It was made even better by the knowledge that I didn't have to swim back this time, unless I fell off the boat or island, which I had no intention of doing.

The view facing back to San Francisco wasn't too bad either.

Once docked at Alcatraz, the tour guides split everybody into groups of 60, walking us to the prison and told us about the facility as we walk up. I won't go into all they told us, but I will mention they covered the islands history as a fort, a military prison, a federal prison and as a territory occupied by Indians.

Al Capone was covered heavily, as he is the most notorious prisoner, but there were other prisoners with interesting stories. I highly recommend the night tour to anybody interested in the prison. They give talks that cover much more detailed information than the standard audio tour. I do not want to short change the audio tour as it was fantastic and covered lots of history of the time the island as a prisoner, using audio of actual prisoners and guards.

We had time to roam parts of the island. The views are great, but most prisoners did not get to enjoy them. There are parts of the prison that are crumbling, since the military prisoners who built most of the concrete structures did not take much pride in their work. There needs to be a lot of restoration. Our guide told us of conservative visitors who said the prison needed to be repaired and reopened!

Night began to fall while we were on the island.

Then it was time to leave, as night fell on the island. The trip back to San Francisco was cold as the wind was really picking up. Luckily I was wearing my $15 Chinatown jacket I had purchased earlier.

More photos at Flickr.

The Race- Escape From Alcatraz!

2006-06-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

Race morning is like being in the Army. You get up early and hurry up and wait.

I met Doug in the lobby and we rolled down to the transition area at 5:15. We set up in a few minutes and I figured Doug was right- we could have left later. We snapped a few pictures, double checked what stuff we had already doubled checked, and then I suggested we just get on a bus.

The race organizers had stressed getting on the bus early and getting to the boat. If you miss the boat, you miss the race. If you get to the boat late, you miss the boat. If you miss the last bus, better have taxi money. I did not want to be crowding onto the last bus trying to catch the boat. Funny, they ended up holding the boat because the buses were running late.

At the dock we hung out for almost an hour. We were sitting in the cold as the sun was rising. It was not that cold, but I knew jumping off the boat into the water would be. That is the moment I hate most about triathlons- getting into the cold water early in the morning. It is times like that when I think bowling would be a better hobby. We were carrying our wetsuits and dry bags delaying squeezing into neoprene. They loaded us onto the boat at 7:15 or so. That was a nice boat. I am not sure what I was expecting, but that was pretty nice. There were cameras all over the ceiling, so I figured it had to normally be a gambling ship, or a gambling paddleboat. Everything had been removed, and triathletes were sprawled all over the floor; stretching, sleeping, talking, or finding that place some go to before the start. The boat was delayed, as mentioned above. We started out before the 8 o’clock start.

All the announcers, at every venue and meeting, were Aussie. I have no idea why. I was waiting for the obligatory national anthem, which I find really silly and unnecessary at sporting events, and was wondering if we would hear the anthem with an accent. If we had I am sure some obsessive compulsive wingnut tri-geek would have blown a fuse. Doug had gone to the restroom when the singing began. We also had a prayer by an ultra-religious former pro triathlete, who I am sure used to believe God actually cared about how she finished. When Doug returned I inquired if he was peeing during the anthem or the prayer. I won’t give it away, but he was taking a leak when one of them cranked up.

As we approached Alcatraz everybody was zipping up their wetsuits, putting neoprene accessories like hoods and booties on, and spitting in their goggles. I grabbed Doug from the spot I had staked out near the stairs, and we went out the back door. We were on the second floor with the other “older” triathletes, and figured to be jumping off the boat rather late. I wanted to get into the water as early as possible. We were on the back stairs between the 1st and 2nd levels when the pros went. We went down to the first level and started to walk toward the side facing San Francisco, but were blocked by a race official. He directed us towards a door into a hallway. With the flow we went through another door, made a left, and suddenly Doug was crossing the timing mat at the side. We had somehow fumbled our way into going just a few minutes after the pros. I heard “1, 2, 3, go!” and Doug was gone. I adjusted my goggles and watched the guy in front of me jump. Doug would have a six second or so head start. I stepped over the timing mat to the side with the rail immediately on my left. “1, 2, 3, jump!”

The water was maybe 8 feet down. I aimed way to my left to make sure the guy behind me was not going to land on my head, and then I started swimming. The water was cold, but not too bad. I think the booties helped. They were cut low, and so the water ran in around my bony ankles, but it stayed there. I did not have cold water constantly streaming by my feet, leeching the precious heat from my skin. My goggles had a bit of water in them from the jump, but soon I did not even notice it. The huge electronics tower over the city, that we were supposed to site on, was obscured by fog. It had been sunny on the way out, and looked like a beautiful day, but about the time I jumped into the water a thick fog swept into the bay. I could, however, see the gold dome over some palace of fine arts- I had trouble the entire visit remembering just what the building was. I headed a bit to the left of that dome.

The bay was choppy, and I swallowed a lot of water. I found myself alone with a large pack on either side of me. I thought of the sandwich theorem from college calculus, and figured if I kept between the two groups I should hit the landing as I was supposed to. The swim from Alcatraz is not a straight line. There is a strong current as you near shore, basically there is a river running through the bay. You try to swim into the current towards the left of the landing, and while swimming towards the shore let the current carry you to the right. If you get to land too quick, you will hit some nasty water in front of some rocks. If you get there to late, well you might not get there and could end up being swept out under the Golden Gate to China or nearby parts. Usually officials are directing you to keep that from happening. They will grab you up and reset you if they feel the need. If you are too smart to listen to them, they will grab your stupid ass with a hook and reset you anyway.

The swim record is about 20 minutes. This year the first pro hit land at 28 minutes, slow because of the less than ideal conditions of the current and the chop. Doug was at 41 minutes and change and I made land at 42 minutes and change. I was not upset. My back had tightened during the swim and I was hoping it would not bother me later.

Watching a lot of triathletes trying to run out of the water and strip off wetsuits is probably like watching drunks trying to get home and strip off their clothes to have sex. They tend to lose their balance, have trouble finding zippers and you might smell the faint smell of urine. (Disclaimer: I really had to go to the bathroom on the swim, but just do not enjoy pissing on myself in a wetsuit, as many triathletes do. Sure I have, but I avoid it. Sometimes I strip off my wetsuit in the water and pretend I am neatly folding it while I pee, but the water was too cold for that today.) I stripped off my hood, swim cap and goggles and prepped my hair for the “Exiting The Water” tri picture. I was hoping the footies would not only keep my feet fairly warm, but would pad my feet for the mile run to the transition area over rocks and pavement. I ran by the wetsuit strippers- the most popular job for race volunteers- and headed for my bike.

The footies did help and my feet did hurt much during the run. After a half mile I was warming up and started reaching for my zipper on the back of my neck. I was fumbling with the zipper like the aforementioned drunks. I was really having trouble and this with an Aquaman wetsuit, which is one of the easiest to unzip. Finally I had the cord in my hand and I pulled, opening the zipper. As I ran into the transition I was peeling the wetsuit down. At my bike I peeled it down, stepped on it and pulled my feet out. I looked over and saw that I had beat Doug to transition, although I saw later he did have a faster swim but lost time looking for his shoes. As I was quickly putting on my helmet and stuff, Doug reached his bike. Them I watched as he beat me out of transition- damnit!

After weaving through and around triathletes who seem to have trouble actually getting on their bike, I was off. Everybody was drafting, as there were a bunch of us starting out. I picked up speed early and was passing bunches. A faster guy came by and I shadowed him. A few miles down, we turned left and headed up the hills.

This was a hilly course, but I am used to that. What I was not used to is how rough the roads were. All the road building corruption in Georgia usually leaves us Atlantans spoiled with very smooth roads- they are constantly getting repaved so somebody’s brother can make a fortune. This must not happen as much in San Francisco. We were bouncing along like toddlers suspended from a doorframe by a spring. I passed Doug on the first hill as I opened her up. Five miles into the ride I knew I had to stop and pee. Again, many triathletes have no problem pissing on themselves while riding, but I don’t mind losing a minute to stop and take a leisurely piss. I do not need that warm shower to warm me up after a cold swim. After my business was concluded, I remounted my dry bike in my dry cycling shorts and resumed my ride. Doug did a double take as I passed him a second time- I love doing that to people. The descents back into the city were not as fun as they should have been with all the bouncing around on the rough road. A minute or two after an hour, I hit the transition area for the bike to run transition.

I would like to point out that I am pretty quick in transitions, and I have won age groups and masters divisions by taking time out of people in transition. I beat Doug into the second transition, but damn if he did not beat me out yet again! He had about 50 feet on me and I was determined to catch him.

I kept Doug in site during the first half mile and pulled up next to him part of the way through Crissy field. As we ran we joined a very cute girl from Sweden who I proceeded to chat up- hey why not, it is only a race? She was very nice, was indeed from Sweden, as the silk screen across her rear end suggested, and had been in the US for about 3 weeks. I saw Doug pulling ahead of me again as we were being beaten by a strong headwind. I tucked in behind a guy and started drafting. Every now and then I would pass the person in front of me and bridge to the next person, keeping Doug in sight. I was safely tucked in behind him when the path turned upward.

Doug and I started training together in 1992 at a masters swim group. Eventually we started cycling and running together. We have been pretty much training together for 14 years, on and off. I do not feel the need to beat him, but it is a good goal for me to stay with him on the run. We train at similar paces and end up finishing with similar times. I have a better Ironman PR, and he has better PR at every other distance. As tired as I was from walking all over San Francisco the previous 3 days, I figured if I could keep his pace, I would be happy with my time.

So I was happy to be right behind Doug as we started up into the hills. We ran up a trail and then up a very narrow staircase. We ran more trails, through a low tunnel, and then down onto Baker Beach. I was a ways behind Doug on the beach, around the turnaround and then gained some time just as we hit the sand ladder.

The sand ladder is the most notorious section of the Escape run. Imagine round landscape timbers connected together by heavy cable and then dropped down a high sand dune. Now think 400 steps of this sand ladder. I had run hills getting ready for this. I was hoping to pick up a little time running up the steps- Yeah, I was a stud! I walked up the sand ladder.

We ran back across the coast trail, the tunnel, and then down the narrow staircase, which had traffic going in both directions and a long line waiting to ascend for those people still heading towards the beach. I, of course, started running my mouth. “Everybody relax, take a deep breath and go to that happy place. The line will move right along.”

I reeled Doug in running down the coast trail after the narrow steps and we started the last two miles of flat running. I looked at my watch and figured we could go under three hours. After a mile and a half, however, I had to back off. I was hurting and could not hold the pace. I told Doug to go and I would see him at the finish. I walked a little bit, listening to people tell me I was almost there which was pissing me off really bad, and then started back up. I did my Deon impersonation as I crossed the finish line in 2:57:56, just 22 seconds after Doug.

I was toast after I finished. My time was not great, but it was good and I had given it everything I had. Overall I finished 389 out of 1663, and 72 out of 223 for my age group. Compared to other racers, my bike was my strongest event, but I was not very happy with it. Of course I should not have expected better since I chose to play tourist and walk all over the city.

One funny note: I had borrowed a set of Spinergy race wheels for the race from a buddy. I was doing a short ride to make sure they worked well with my bike when they fell apart. I put my old race wheels on right before leaving. The morning after the race I had a flat tire. I checked the tires and saw that they were completely worn out and had cord showing through the tread. I was very lucky that I did not flat during the race. You figure a former bike mechanic might notice something like that.

The race was run well. The organization is fantastic. The volunteers were super. The course was the toughest non-ironman I have ever done. The only complaint was that so many people were trying to get to Whole Food’s after race meal, that the line was incredibly long and not moving fast. I was too tired to stand in line any longer than the 20 minutes that I did. The food coming out did look great, however. I do recommend the race for all. It is truly a race that everybody should do at least once.

Race picks of yours truly!

Doggie Blogging

2006-06-08T18:50:00.000-07:00

I am behind on my race and San Francisco blogging, but I will offer up some Thursday Doggie Blogging for you enjoyment. Bennie and Hilda out for a walk today.