Life changes & new challenges

I know it's been over 2 months since my last post, but I've not felt like writing much lately. I'm not racing this year, so really haven't had much to post other than I've been riding, & just enjoying being on the bike. Over the last month I had an opportunity to test out a fiz:ik Airione CX saddle thanks to Epic Bikes. I rode it for a month & it's a great saddle. I was comfortable on it from the very first time I rode it. Over the month I rode it as much as I could & was very impressed with it. I liked to so much I purchased one for my own. I bought the version with carbon rails instead of the metal ones. I've only had the chance to ride it twice, but both times were for 2+ hours & it's a very comfortable saddle. I highly recommend it.
I've been debating a job situation for over the past month, there is a new company coming in to take over the facility I'm currently at. I could stay with the company I'm with or go through the hiring process with the incoming company & possibly have to take a pay cut. I'm staying with my current employer & transferring closer to Atlatna. What does that have to do with my cycling you may ask? Well it means I'll be able to ride with the group from Epic Bikes more often than I currently am. I really enjoy riding with the group there & I think that riding up there with Mike & learning from him will make me a much stronger rider. The things he's taught me so far have really helped me improve. Now the big thing for me is to get the weight down & concentrate on getting ready for next season. I'm planning on racing next year for sure & now is a good time to start getting ready for it. I'm going to be doing more core work & just getting some miles in. I will try my best to do more climbing (my biggest weakness) to get better at that. I'm going to miss the riding friends I've made down here. I just want to give a shout out to Eddie H. I've learned a lot from just watching him & listening to what he has to say. He's been racing for a long time & his experience & knowledge, along with his friendship will be greatly missed. I'm also going to miss Charles from The Bike Store. He has been a great friend & helped me out when I've needed things. Last but not least is Will, I know we haven't ridden much together this year, but his friendship will stay with me when I finally have to move. I don't know exactly when I'll be moving closer to Atlanta, but I will try to keep this blog updated so those who do read it can stay connected.
Thanks to those who read this & good luck to everyone.

Tour de Cure

Yesterday was the Tour de Cure in Tyrone, Ga. This has been one of my favorite rides for quite a few years. The cause is one dear to my heart. I'm a Type 2 diabetic, so are my parents, & my aunt. My late grandfather was a Type 1 diabetic & I can remember him giving himself insulin shots in the morning when I spent the night with them. The weather was overcast, cool, with a hint of rain. I went to the Red Riders Tent to pick up my registration number & new really cool looking new jersey. I went back to the car to get ready for the ride. I was doing the metric century route again this year. We headed out on the ride & I was with a group that had a good pace going from the beginning. We pretty much stayed together until the second rest stop. I had to stop to answer nature's call. I then pretty much rode on my own for about the next 20-25 miles. My legs felt good with all the climbing on the route. There were a few steep hills that slowed me to single digits on the computer, but the downhills more than made up for them. I stopped one more time to check on my blood sugar levels & then caught another group for the rest of the route back. The rain had pretty much held off until I had about 5 miles left to ride. It wasn't that heavy, but it was still there. After getting back to the start area, I ate lunch, that's when it started to rain even more. I was supposed to be able to geet a massage, but decided to skip that & head on back home before the weather got worse. All in all I did over 64 miles, averaged 19.55 mph for the ride, & felt good the entire ride. Thanks for reading.....

Back online

I finally got my computer fixed. Thanks so much to my friend Darren. You are the man!!!!! I did a short ride in the big ring yesterday seeing as I had been off the bike for the past 6 days due to other obligations. My legs actually felt pretty good during the ride, the only downside was that my back did start to get a bit sore. I'll just have to get back with the strecthing program from Cyclo-Zen. I'm looking foward to doing a ride in McDonough this October. It's called Friends Helping Friends Century. It's sometime late in October. I guess with the weather getting a bit cooler, it's time to get more miles in the legs & start getting ready for the Peach Peleton rides coming up in a couple of months. I'll do my best to keep everyone updated with my adventures.....