Over the years I've learned a lot of tricks for packing the race bag.
1) Jersey, shorts, shoes, helmet. Chant this over and over and make sure you don't forget the most important stuff.
2) Pack it the night before then you're not in a rush on race day and not as likely to forget anything.
3) Pack a towel and some handi-wipes for clean up after the race
4) and last but not least...
REMEMBER TO PUT IT IN THE CAR.

I've done a lot of dumb things in my life and this one is right up there with that perm I got in 7th grade. I drove all the way to Golden (that's about 80 miles) and realized I forgot my bag. I had my bike, I had my bottles, I even had my directions, just no bag that I had carefully packed last night. I'd have to say that's the first time I've ever done that. At least the race isn't until tommorrow so I didn't miss that, just a fun ride with Beth and sleeping in tomorrow because now I have to drive back up to Boulder in the morning.

Beth didn't have much luck herself on the ride alone. So all in all a crappy day, let's just hope the both of us got our bad luck out of the way today.

You know it's not the drill that gets me at the dentist, it's the 6-inch needle they jam in to your mouth for the novocaine. I hate that part and of course the drooling afterwards. One visit down, and one rotten, decayed tooth shaved down to a nub. Bonus from today's visit, he said maybe I'd get a root canal too. Yippee! I can't wait. (Oh, that last part is sarcasm).

I totally blame my parents. Thanks a lot mom and dad, not only did you I blame you for my lack of stature, lumpy head, but also my rotten teeth. (love you too!)

Go, Go, Brad Huff! Brad Huff Superfast Secretariat takes bronze in the Omnium at track world's on Thursday. Way to go Brad Huff.

Quote of the day : "It just shows in cycling as much as you suffer, you have good days and bad days, you gotta get on your bike and just pedal, and sometimes you can get something out of it." - Charles Bradley Huff

Jeff Foxworthy on Colorado

(yes, most of them apply to me)

You are a Coloradoan if ...........
1. You switch from "Heat" to "A/C" in one day.
2. You know what the "Peoples Republic of Boulder" means.
3. Your sense of direction is: towards the mountains and away from the mountains.
4. You're a meat-eating vegetarian.
5. The bike on your car is worth more than your car and you have your own special bike lane.
6. You're under the influence and able to drive 65 miles per hour through 13 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without even flinching.
7. You take your out-of-town guests to Casa Bonita even though you would never go there otherwise.
8. You think your major food groups are granola bars, tofu and Fat Tire Beer.
9. You design your kid's Halloween costumes to fit over a snow suit.
1 0. You think that sexy lingerie is wool socks and flannel PJs.
11. You know all 4 seasons "almost winter, winter, still winter and spring blizzards
12. You've been tear gassed in a riot to celebrate a CU/CSU victory.
13. You can never figure out why your out-of-town guests get sick and pass out after having only 2 beers
14. You can drive over a 12,000-foot pass in 4 feet of snow, but can't get to work if there are 4 inches of snow.
15. You know the 'correct' pronunciation of Buena Vista .
16. When you visit friends at sea level, you can drink a case of beer and a bottle of Whiskey and not get a buzz.
17. Your car insurance costs more than your car.
18. You have surge protectors on every outlet.
19. April showers bring May blizzards.
20. 'Timberline' is someplace you have actually been.
21. You know what a 'Chinook' is
22. You know what a 'Rocky Mountain Oyster' is.
23. You know what a "fourteener" is.
24. But you don't know what a "turn signal" is.
25. A bear on your front porch doesn't bother you nearly as much as a Democrat in Congress does.
26. Your golf bag has a 9-iron, a 3-wood and a lightning rod.
27. People from out of state breathe 5 times as often as you do.
28. Having a Senator named Nighthorse doesn't seem strange.
29. Thunder has set off your car alarm.
30. You have an $800 stereo in your $300 truck.
31. You think a red light means 3 more cars can go.
32. Where we're going, we don't need roads!!
33. You know where the real " South Park " is.
34. You can recognize the license plates of all 50 states on sight.
35. Driving directions usually include 'Go over _________ Pass. '
36. You've 'checked for ticks'
37. You've dressed in shorts, sandals, and a parka with a hood.
38. You've gone snow skiing in July and.........
39. You've played golf in January and.......
40. They were in the same year!
41. You've urinated on the Continental Divide just so it could run into both oceans
42. And the most important: You get a certain feeling of satisfaction from knowing that California and Texas are both downstream.
43. You know what a down slope and an up slope weather pattern is
44. You don't mind if the sink is always dripping and the cabinets are always open because you know you won't have busted/frozen pipes
45. You actually understand these jokes and send them to your Colorado friends

So I've been doing a bit of product testing the last couple of days. I got my new team issue saddle, and well, I'll have to say the jury is out. See, when you ride the same make and model saddle for years and years your butt kind of gets used to it, and this one just feels weird. Not bad, just wierd. It's kind of like going from your well broken in Birkenstocks (if you were a hippie) to a pair of Dansko clogs. It's not that the clogs aren't comfortable, they're just a lot different than the way your comfy sandals feel.

I've also tried Spike a couple of times too. It's a super charged energy drink, you know the kind that makes the news because teenagers OD on it and end up in the ER. And you know I can take as much stimulant as anyone, give me a quad cappuccino and chase it with a Red Bull, but this one is just too much. I can't tell if I'm not getting anything from it or so much that my body is just going in to shock and nearly slipping in to a coma.

Went up early this morning to the Stazio race to watch one my athletes in the Cat 4 race. He's up from Wico. this week training here at high altitude. I think he'd tell you racing at altitude "sucks", literally because you're sucking wind the whole time when you're from sea level.

So we went 4-fur today, that's 4 wins in 4 races for Vitamin Cottage, and we went one better this week because we got 1st and 2nd. Beth won again, and I came in second, although we owe it all to Erin (in third) because she blew up the field on the last lap with a mean turn of speed that broke the 3 of us free for a relatively easy sprint.

Click here to read more from Beth's blog.

Later Beth tried to get her hands on Vitamin Cottage's next generation.

We also saw some of Lisa's artwork, she's real good if you need a mural painted in your office or home. Lisa came out for her first race with us today and gave us a lot of support on that last lap to help ensure us of the win.

Spring is continuing to spring here in Colorado Springs. It seems so hopeful.

Colorado Springs at night.

Q: What do you get for not going to the dentist since way back when you were in college and mom was still paying the bills?

A: About $2,000 worth of work to fix your grill.

What's in this year? gold or platinum?

After coming out to play with the roadies in this past weekend's races, Sarah has had enough of the skinny tires and decides to return to her knobbie roots.

There was a photo shoot today at the trainer class. 5280 is doing some article on Katie Compton and the athlete she coaches.

Maybe one day Katie will be so famous she'll have her own near life size cardboard cut out for the CTS office too.

There she is, the devil woman who keeps on making delicious, irresistible cookies.

hmmm, there's one missing.

Vitamin Cottage goes 3 for 3, and I racked up my first win for the year. Since this could be the only one this year, I gave it the two arm salute. We had another great day with me winning and Beth cleaning up in the field sprint to take 3rd. You can read more about this weekend's happenings at Beth's blog, click here.

(Thanks to James for the picture, notice everything except me is in focus. Actually, he and Mary were out cheering on JJ so it was like having my own little fan section too.)

Went up to Boulder today for the first race of the season. Ok, it wasn't really the first race, but it was my first race. (I got these race pics from this guy's cool site, check it out www.cyclimages.com )

But before the race we had to stop by Beth's open house. She's selling her house in Boulder and her realtor is non other than famed, retired pro Kimberly Baldwin.

And then we were off to the races. This of course is lap number 2 and I am doing an ill-advised early attack. Beth said she wanted to start it off fast to get rid of the rif-raf. She just didn't want to start it off that fast!

Turned out to be a great race for us as Beth "Twofur" Fisk won again. That makes her two fur two in the last 2 weeks. I was third right behind Jenner and Beth, so not such a bad start to the season for me. Although I am coughing like a 20 year smoker this afternoon. The race was kind of hard actually.

After the race I almost sat in this big ant hill.

Luckily I didn't, but Vin was right there with shovel in hand to dig them up anyway.

Instead I sat around in my shammy for about 4 hours after the race.

See that lady in the background, that's Lyne Bessette and she's racing the Koppenburg in 2 weeks and going to make that already unpleasant race very, very unpleasant for me cuz she's real fast....Hear that Compton? I think that sounds like a challenge.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Although not Irish, I am nearly from Boston, so we'll call it close enough.

So, kick back, drink some Guinness, listen to some Bosstones and classic U2, and have a happy St. Patrick's Day even if you're not Irish.

Wuh-wah. Today's weather was a Debbie Downer. Yesterday 70 and sunny, today was cloudy, cold and 40, but the feels like temp was like 35. I shouldn't complain too much since it still looks like it may be a decent weekend.

What is it about 70 degrees and sunny that makes you so happy? I don't know, but I hope it keeps coming. Today was the third day in a row it's been over 70 and sunny.

I think the nice weather makes Katie happy too.

Went on a little ride... no make that big ride... with the dynamic duo Katie and Mark today. Katie says "just a half can of Spike shooter will do you right".

It was a most excellent day and excellent ride.

You see that, that's a little tiny bud of spring.

It was over 70 degrees yesterday and the first time I've gone bare legs on a ride all year, even when I was in California.

Maybe now I can even out that cankle tan a bit. It's supposed to be 74 degrees today and tomorrow. Bring on spring.... I'm so ready!

Good job Beth! She won at the Stazio World Championships today. Click here to read more.

Me, I didn't go. I'm not quite race ready yet, so I chose to contest the Sunday morning world championships (aka the group ride) instead where I still got a good ass kicking by cyclocross riders and retired, former world champions.

I had to go to Boulder this morning for the annual pilgrimage.

It's where the purple panted pedal pushers climb to the top of the mountain to pay homage to their leader Barney the dinosaur and eat Skittles.

No.... it was just team picture day.

Strike a pose.

We went for a little ride with the boys after the team pictures and we did that Super James climb again, that same climb I bonked on the other day. This time it was much better... about 40 minutes better, and I even beat a couple of the boys. What a difference two days and a decent breakfast makes.

The only thing that was really epic about the day was the 12-mile descent because we got a combination of snow, sleet, freezing rain, rain, and hypothermia. So far this Super James climb has gotten the best of me either on the way up or on the way down. Next time I will bring my 27, eat a lumberjack breakfast, AND bring both a rain jacket and thermal.

So my meeting ran VERY late last night, so I stayed at the Fisk/ Tarkington manor, to be from now on referred to as the Farkington's house. (Kind of like Brangelina but not at all).

So before I left I went on a little team ride with Beth and super svelt Anne. Apparently I am the only one on the team in need of fat camp this year.

I had another not so great day on the bike as you can see the ladies are dropping me on Lee Hill. Who knew it would be so long and hard? (... uh, that's what she said.)

Bonus, we did more training on the dirt today.

I'm going to be so ready for Koppenburg and Roubaix... Watch out Compton, I'm getting real good on the dirt (ok, not really, not at all).

So I had to come up to Boulder tonight for a little ACA women's task force meeting and I decided to come up early so I could ride with Beth before hand. Little did I know the death march she had planned.

We ran in to several people Beth knew on the way out of town, that's not hard considering Beth knows everyone in Boulder. Here's Margell with her kids out for a stroll. Notice Vin's ultra muddy boots.
Here's Beth scouring the ground for the sport beans she dropped out of her pocket. And yes she is still eating them.... she really loves sport beans.

Here's what it looked like for most of the last 2 miles of this 12 mile climb. (that's Beth way, way ahead and me way, way behind). I'm pretty sure I had myself a little bonk. I was real slow the last 2 hours of the ride. I just couldn't do anything over 130 watts, and in case you don't know that's not very many watts. In fact its not even enough watts to keep your bike from falling over on a 12% grade.

We did, however, get some sweet views from the top. I think we went up to 10,000 feet and I even got some dirt training for Boulder-Roubaix. (Yes, that is me, and yes I am riding on the dirt.).

Does anyone know if Coke Zero and mentos do the same thing as Diet Coke and mentos?


.... ok so it gets a little fizzy in your mouth but nothing like this. (click on the link below)
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hKoB0MHVBvM

Do you ever feel like you're being watched?
(I'm pretty sure I've blogged that joke before)

So this morning is snowy, cloudy, and cold = bad mood

This afternoon is cold and partially sunny = partially good mood
mmm.... I think I am ready for spring, nice weather and sunshine 300 days of the year (that's what's guaranteed in the Colorado buyer's guide).