I just can't believe it!!

Just when I was hoping we would get through this Tour de France without a major doping scandal, Vinny and crew are sent packing. As much as I love cycling, it gets harder and harder to answer the naysayers when they claim that professional cycling is nothing but a bunch of dopers. I always defend them, its only a few dummies here and there. Now I really begin to wonder. I have always defended Lance and Floyd, do I need to start worrying about being naive? What about Rasmussen? He is wearing the yellow and is still under suspicion. Is Contador next? Surely he couldn't be doing so well as a young rider without assistance from doping.

Cycling in Morro Bay

There are a lot of reasons I love Morro Bay. If you don't know, Morro Bay is a small village on the Central Coast of California, north of San Luis Obispo. I have been going there for years for the beach, the cool summer weather, the awesome 9 Sisters morro's etc. etc. I have a 5th-wheel there now so I get to spend even more time. Morro Bay offers some great cycling. You can ride along Hwy 1 south as far as San Luis Obispo. You can ride north up through Cayucos, Cambria, Hearst Castle, San Simeon and points north. The Tour of California professional bike race comes right down that stretch of beautiful coastal highway. Then there are all the little canyons in the area that offer some really great riding, including as much climbing as you might want. For example, this past weekend I did a 16 mile ride over Turri Rd. I went out and back from South Bay Blvd. This is a narrow two-lane road with minimal traffic and offers some really good climbing, especially when coming back heading north. Only negative on this ride was the bee that decided to land on my pumping thigh and sting me for no good reason.

I will not be discouraged!

Went to Spin class tonight with the intention of doing my typical Monday night back-to-back classes. About half way through my first class I started getting some twinges of pain in my left knee. I decided against doing the second class and I continued to experience pain as I have been walking around this evening. I am not going to get discouraged! I don't know what is happening, but I will find a way to continue my fitness efforts. I intend to talk to my doctor about what is going on. As long as he doesn't tell me I have to stop cycling like he told me to stop running.

Failed century to successful half-century

After failing to complete my first attempt at a century, I knew that I had to get serious if I want to be successful on my next attempt. I completed 42 miles on that failed attempt, so I decided that I would start out by attempting 50 miles, which would be my longest ride thus far. Yesterday I made the attempt, and I was successful! I rode 25 miles out and back on the local bike path. Sure, it wasn't hilly, and the weather was mild, but I accomplished it in 3-1/2 hours and felt great. And I did it on my own, without the motivation of an organized ride and the support of SAG teams and snack stops. So, the next step will be to try for 60 miles, maybe this coming weekend.

Wildflower Century training

OK, doctor says that I can't run anymore. At 60 I came up with some osteoarthritis in my left knee. Probably related to a 40 year old surgery on that knee. Guess I never will run that marathon I have been putting off for about 30 years. Regardless, doc seems to think that pounding the pavement with 180 lbs centered directly over that knee may not be the best idea. Said something about an eventual knee replacement, sounds expensive, painful and basically undesirable. He did say that I could do other kinds of exercise - swimming, walking, cycling, anything that doesn't have the high degree of impact associated with running. Since I have already been doing spinning classes at the gym anyway, I got my wife to buy me a road bike for Christmas and decided I was going to do a 'century', a 100 mile bike race. That is roughly the equivalent, I hope, of running a 26.2 mile marathon. So I signed up for the Wildflower Century in San Luis Obispo County California in April of this year. I have been Spinning for 4-1/2 years and am doing 2-4 classes a week. My longest road bike ride thus far has been 32 miles, so I need to get off my duff and get in some longer rides. Stay tuned