I finally made
it to Colorado. I was supposed to leave on the 20th, but I only ended up here
the night of the 25th. That’s Christmas.

Of course the 20th
was cancelled because CO got a big dump of snow. My parents got almost 4 feet!

So I got it rescheduled
for the 23rd. I got all my stuff packed up, showed up at the airport, and well,
apparently I didn’t have a ticket. The best part was that I went to the airport
the night before, just to make sure. The ticketing person looked at me like
I was a complete moron and said, "Of course you have a ticket."

Well, when I didn’t
fly the next day…yeah…that was pretty cool.

So I went back
to Jamila’s and figured that I probably needed to ride my bike, so I undid all
my packing and went to ride my bike, but in the whole putting back together
process and seems I was pretty angry, scratch that, dumb angry, and when things
didn’t go my way, I went straight toddler and played frisbee with my front wheel.
Dumbest thing I’ve ever done. Of course I messed up my front wheel, and instead
of riding, I had to drive back to Athens to get another wheel.

I remember back
in the day, that I would have gotten punished for something like that by my
parents. Not necessary anymore. That was the dumbest thing I’ve done in awhile,
and that’s pretty impressive. It was pretty funny driving up to Athens instead
of riding my bike.

I did get to spend
Christmas Eve with Jamila and accompany her on her 20 hour cookie baking marathon.
She finished, sort of, at 7 in the MORNING! When did she start? 20 hours before
that. I didn’t help much, I was too busy reading. I read Eragon that night.
It was cool.

So I got rescheduled
for Christmas Day night. That flight worked out for me. Since I finished Eragon
the night before, of course I needed to get the second book in the trilogy,
so I tried to buy it at the airport, but the genius sales lady couldn’t figure
out how to ring it up and told me that I couldn’t buy it. Can’t buy it? So I
said, well, looks like the price is 24.99. She retorts, what about tax? So I
say, 24.99 times 1.07 is 26.74, so how about that? She eventually saw it my
way, and I read most of that book on my flight to Colorado.

Reading is fun.
I need to read more. I hate it that the kid who wrote those books is some 19-year-old
prodigy, makes me jealous. I want to be a prodigy. Oh well.

So now I’m here
in Colorado and there’s a lot of snow. A lot. There’s no snow on the roads,
but there’s a hella lot of water on the roads. Looks like it rained all over
them. That tickles when you ride the roads. I’m going to get some fenders tomorrow.
It’s warm though. I think the high today was like 39, but it felt like 60 a
good bit of the time. Awesome for bikin.

The first week
at 8000 feet is always a treat. I barely made it up a few climbs, huffin and
puffin, it’s awful. I like it though, because everyday from now on will be a
little bit better than the last, and there are more climbs to ride here than
I’ve got heart beats. I just hope it doesn’t snow anymore, that’s a no need.

I’ll post some
pics later if I feel like it or remember to. I probably won’t though, because
it’s 8 o clock and apparently that’s my bedtime, because I can’t keep my eyes
open.

I was supposed
to go to Colorado yesterday, but since it snowed like three feet there, I didn’t
go.

Seems they closed
down the whole Denver airport, and Jonathan Kane is enjoying the brunt of that.
Glad I didn’t get caught in any of that, I think I’d much rather sit here and
type nothing on my website from the comfort of my own home.

I was in Winston-Salem
for the weekend for the new team’s first training camp. I thought I was going
to Germany next year, but that didn’t end up happening, because I would have
been an idiot not to ride for the Time team. So there’s that.

I’ll be living
in WS come February, and it’s pretty alright, the team house is super cool,
everybody around and associated with the team is cool, lots of coolness going
on.

I’m trying to stop
drinking a case of Diet Coke a day. Tony told me that it’ll give me the cancer
and that I’ll die. I don’t want to die, so I’ll just drink water thanks.

I’m taking it easy
for a little bit. I had a good four weeks of practice, now I’m getting ready
for some more.

I had my first
ever real blood test done yesterday…well, I got it done before I think, but
I didn’t know the least about any of the results I got back, I still don’t,
but I’m researching.

I passed.

Not really, my
hematocrit is 39.7 and hemoglobin is 14.6…Big numbers right there boy. I’ll
have to keep testing myself to make sure I don’t go over the limit on any of
the numerous out of competition tests I’ll be getting this year. There are lots
of other numbers on the sheet that I’m learning about what the shit they all
mean, but basically if there’s a healthy range, I’m on the low end of it.

I’m actually getting
Christmas presents this year for people. It’s the first time in years. I’m kind
of a piece of shit like that I guess. Now that I started doing it, I kinda like
it, makes me feel all warm inside.

I have nothing
at all to talk about, I’m done.

k bye.

I have a Guardian
Angel tube fairy that follows me when I ride my bike.

I did WBL #2 this
weekend and towards the end as we were nearing the homeland, I got a flat. I
flatted with my big, fat monster cross tires on. I didn’t think it was possible.
Anyways, so I just pull up and call it a day, no need to get in the sag wagon,
cuz we’re almost home. I find the annoyance in my tire, it’s a monster staple,
pull it out and change tubes. Pump, pump, pump, tssssssss, bad tube. Funny story
that – I got that tube at the Hub for free one day in desperation. I had gotten
two flats on a ride and didn’t have enough money on me for another tube (I needed
a spare for the rest of my ride) – so they hooked me up with one for free ninety-nine.

Anyhow, so the
freebie didn’t work too well. I put the old tube back in, pumped it up, and
started riding, it was a slowish leak, so I figured I could ride a ways, pump,
ride a ways, pump, and so on.

About 5 minutes
down the road there she was – a brand new tube in the middle of the road. The
Continental Tube Plane must have dropped it when it was flying by, I don’t know.
I have no clue from whence it came, but oh how perfect it was. Pulled over,
changed tubes again, and it actually worked.

Coolest thing ever.

Apart from that,
I’ve just been practicing a lot. I went up to the mountains with some friends
last week and had a good ol time riding up there. Nothing much to report on
bike practice except for the same-as-always-report – I’m tired…but! I feel
damn good.