January fun!

January has been filled with proper training leading into the 2014 season but you guys don't want to hear about that….. you want to read about the OTHER adventures!!! Well, that's what I want to tell you about anyway :)

The first week I was back in Tucson, I'm talking on the phone with mom and dad, about to walk outside to enjoy the weather when, WHAT THE??? I'm not going out there! There are large wild animals on the patio! Javelinas to be exact. Click here to see their story…. they are kind of cute, KIND OF.  But still I wasn't going outside but Dave and Alisha were all excited so we had some fun.  See pics below:

 Yeah, I see 5 or 6 of these and NO, I'm not going outside…..

 There is a little baby javelina in the background somewhere, it was kind of cute.

 You really aren't supposed to feed them but it was fun to see them up close.

So then Dave gets an empty plastic container and fills it with birdseed and carrots and pokes holes in it so they can smell it.  They got pretty aggressive with it and then hauled it off…..

I also had the chance to eat Korean BBQ with some of Dave and Alisha's friends… that was pretty cool.  They advised us what to order and then proceeded to cook the food.  Good times…

So in the center is the grill and there is a vent hood above each table.  The waiter turns on the gas and you order meat - we ordered beef and pork.  We ordered soup as a starter and everything else on the table are sides for the meat.  Good stuff.

I also had the wonderful opportunity to work on my bike:)! YAY! Thank your mechanic, thank them a LOT! It's tedious, dirty work - no wonder they drink a lot of beer, I would too.

 I know it's just a crank and spider but how the hell do you get the bolt on behind the crank arm???? It wasn't much, I know, but thank you mechanics for handling these things for me:) Thank you, thank you.

 Wait….which way did I take these off? Again, I now know that it's pretty straight forward but when you get that deep into working on the bike, you sure in the heck don't want to mess it up….

My new beautiful Diamondback!!! I love it!!!!!

I've also been lucky enough to be invited to a couple of the University of Arizona basketball games and there is no way I would turn that down! I love live sporting events, especially collegiate.  The college kids are fun to watch and listen to while they are heckling the opponents.  The beauty of college sports is that the athletes still make simple mistakes that are mostly corrected once they reach the pro level and I feel they have a lot more emotion as well.  UofA is ranked #1 right now, another reason it's fun to go to the games:)  Thank you George and Katheryn!!!

 George's selfie…..

 Gooooo Wildcats!

 Game time!

 Oh nice…..

Midgame…

And last but definitely NOT LEAST….. the Scottsdale Collector Car Auction Scottsdale, AZ.  Click here for the website.   A friend of the family was in town for the show, so I made the 2hr trip up north to say hello and hang out for the afternoon.  It was amazing!!! I didn't realize there are 4 or 5 auction companies that take place in the same area all weekend.  You see it on TV and think that that's the only place and time the auctions take place… oh no.  This was the Gooding auction that I went to, then there was another auction later that night and 3 more over the weekend.  I walked in, found Tom and then watched a 1958 Ferrari 250 GT go for $5.6million dollars, after that cars were going for $200,000 - $600,000 - boring.  ha!

So Tom showed me the cars that were going to be auctioned later and here are just a couple of them, plus the cars as you walked in and out of the show...

 Here is the Ferrari going for big money….

 The cars to be auctioned later….

 The car you see when you check in….

 Outside...

 Outside...

In the parking lot….

Next up, a hockey game, a movie screening and riding with friends…..

That was a pretty dense blog, thanks for reading:)

Eating: kale salad with lemon, garlic and olive oil dressing, topped with sauteed portobellos, sliced almonds, chickpeas, cranberries, sunflower seeds and feta cheese.
Watching: Justified(a show I've never seen before but watched an entire season thanks to Dave)
Listening: I'm Ready by AJR
Reading: all my magazines from Dec. and Jan. :)
Website: http://www.diamondback.com

Back at it

Welcome to 2014! December was full of family, friends, food and fun, it was a time to get back to riding and training, anything new for 2014 happened in December.  I migrated to warmer weather for training and before Christmas I flew to Mississippi to spend two weeks with my family.

We used cardboard boxes to slide down the hill(my 7yr old nephew, 2yr old niece, sis-in-law and myself), we cooked lots of wonderful food, my brothers hunted, I rode my bike in the Vicksburg National Military Park and we visited The Old Depot Museum and the Old Court House.  People drive by these gems every single day(I did) and they are missing something beautiful and historic.  Dad also showed us his new project, a two story OLD building downtown with so much potential and COOLNESS!!!

Some pictures:

 The project getting a new second floor

 Where the old floor joists were.

 Dad and Alex playing ball

 Brother Ben...

 Mom was amazed by the machine in the mall :) ha! Cute...

 One of the monuments in the park

 Some of the things you can see in the Old Depot Museum

 The Old Court House, we had so much fun here….

 My niece getting ready to ride...

 A morning view from the house, barges and boats pass by all day..

 Riding my bike, another view of the MS River

 This is a pretty popular spot to take pictures of the Vicksburg bridges...

 Downtown, walking around...

The Old Depot Museum at sunset..


After Christmas and New Year's it was time to fly back to the warmer weather and get back to training in earnest.  I also want to take a moment to highlight a group that is helping dial me in  - Esoles and Dave Dalton.  Dave took the time to study my foot and ankle mobility and weak spots, then fitting me with custom insoles for my cycling shoes and my everyday shoes.  All of this work should equal a better, stronger pedal stroke by keeping my heels and arches more secure.

Esoles is world wide but Dave is located in Tucson.  He was super helpful, easy going and really dialed in on what he was doing. And I'm in good company by seeing all of the signed jerseys, hats and posters.  Dave works with all types of people, not just athletes and not just cyclists.  So think about that if you have knee or back pain or troubles walking, etc.

Pics…

 When you walk in….

 Dave was too fast and busy to stop for a smiling photo, man's workin!

 Old, new and molds….

 Some of the science and technology...

More jerseys! 

Optum has sponsored up with Diamonback bikes for 2014.  When I tell people this, a lot of folks, remember them as a mountain bike mostly.  I didn't follow cycling or ride bikes when I was little or growing up, so I think if that's the case, it's cool they are coming back around as badass road racing bikes:)  I'm pretty excited about the bike, it's sweet!!! Check out this press release from the team, I have a small quote on the new partnering.

Ok, well it's time for me to get ready to ride…..Happy New Year and I will start posting more frequent that the year has kicked off.

Reading: One Summer, America 1927 by Bill Bryson
Listening: Yellow Shirt by Kylie Marcus
Watching: the beautiful sunrise
Eating: kiwis
Website: http://bringatrailer.com, my brother turned me on to this website…just something fun to look at.