HUH?

No, I didn't abandon my blob. I have been working with my "publisher" on an item, that we need to move onto the next step, if there is one, before I can really, really put a good, juicy posting on. Update soon, sorry.

How Does That Work?

A friend asked me "How does that work"?


You see, I met Barry Connor about 1.5 years ago, and yes, we met "on-line". He found me through my blog, and sent me an email.


Barry had been in a horrible accident involving a ladder and two-stories of a home. He suffered similar injuries to mine, especially the left tibia/fibula, which was a severe fracture, and non-union, which means that it was not growing back together. He googled "non-union tibia" fractures or something, and found me through my blog. We have been conversing via email for about 15 months. He has gone through all of the things that I went through, pain, depression, hurt, doctors, more doctors, family, frustration with the whole situation, quality of life issues, why won't this dang leg ever heal?

We did a lot of back & forth support via email, even with a 6 hour time difference, it worked out pretty good. Due to the lack of healing in the left leg, something had to be done. He was exhausted of the pain management, and a decision was made. The doctors removed his lower left leg in June/2009.

Soon afterward, G mentioned that I should go meet/see Barry. I immediately sent him an email, and he said "Sure Mate"! I booked a plane & hotel, and headed to East Kilbride, Scotland to finally meet Barry, post surgery. 7600 miles round trip, to meet my pen-pal, who I had never even spoken to on the phone. Leap of faith? Faith in another human being, who needs your help? Crazy? Doesn't matter, he was in a time of need, and I wanted to do what I could.

I arrived on a Thursday late am. Checked into the hotel, quick cleanup and caught a taxi to Barry's. No calls, just c'mon by, so I did. We met, spent that afternoon & evening just getting to know each other. Barry's wife Sharon was there as well, and I think we were all a little uncomfortable with the "what ifs". After an hour or so, we were pretty cool. Shooting the breeze like ol' buds and cracking jokes. He thought I had a funny accent, and I thought the same of him. A couple of Guinness' into the afternoon, and we were relaxing. His children came home from school, to find a crazy American had invaded their home. Barry & Sharon have three lovely, very respectful children, which is an awesome reflection on them, as they are a really good Dad & Mum. The evening got late, I had not slept for 34 hours, and headed back to the hotel.

We met the next day, and hung out. I also attended a Rotary meeting that afternoon. That was pretty cool as well. That evening, his Uncle Pat, who drives a Lorry (semi-truck) picked me up, and Uncle Pat, Barry & myself drove through the night, delivering a load of anchors to the Irish Sea, a load up toward Inverness, another load back to the depot etc. Just two Scotsman and myself, hanging out, having fun, quoting lines from the movie "Airplane" listening to country & early rock & roll music, and being stooges. We laughed so hard sometimes, I forgot it was 3am!

Saturday afternoon came, as I got back & asleep at 6am. I met Uncle Pat and his family over at the Connor Household. Sharon made the best lasagna that side of the pond, and we had a great evening, just having fun, shooting the breeze, talking about old times (as if we had any, yet) and slightly more Guinness. We were to go tour the countryside the next day in Uncle Pat's Land Rover, and do a little off-roading.

Sunday came, we all loaded into the Land Rover, and off we went. Barry, Uncle Pat, myself and the two boys, Jack & Jack. We scoured the countryside, small towns, Glasgow, high on the hilltops, went by castles, homes that were hundreds of years old, and finally the grave of one of the most famous Scotsman, Rob Roy McGregor. He is a legend in Scotland for fighting the English. It was when we were leaving, that we met The Mad Scotsman (see pic at end). He lives in the country, and is the purest of Scotsman. It was a rare and special treat to meet this gent. We went out to dinner with the Connor family that evening, and capped off an awesome & exhausting day.

Monday, Barry, Sharon & I hung out. Barry's Mum & Dad stopped by, and believe it or not, the sun came out. Barry & I agreed that we all had a great time, and he learned that morning that he had to go back into the hospital for another procedure.

I left the following day, and it took several days to get my feet back on the ground, per se. The only thing that I would have done different, is stay longer. Barry & Sharon, along with the kids and of course Uncle Pat and family were awesome. I never met a stranger in Scotland. They are some of the kindest, proudest and hardest working people you will ever meet. You would not even need to ask for their shirt off their back, they would recognize it, and give it to you before you even asked.

So, the answer to the question, "How does that work"? It just does. You must be a positive leader & friend to those who are going through a similar situation, whether you know them or not. It is not your choice, it is your duty & responsibility. Barry now bares this responsibility, and I know he will carry this forward when he is able to do so.

Happy Anniversary to Me!

I have gone through a lot of "stuff" to get where I am today (fill in the blanks as you choose, especially if you know me well). I can finally admit to myself and others, Superman cape aside that it was not easy, and it still is not easy, on a daily basis.


I will have some physical things that I will never be able to do again, and as tough as you think I am, some days I am not, Those are the facts, plain & simple, black & white, no gray areas. I really thought that I would just bounce right back, and all of the doctors were wrong, that a "miracle" would happen through hard work & perseverance, and I believe it did, just not to my level.

This year has been the hardest, finally realizing that the daily aches, pains & problems are all real, and at 39 years of age, they will be there at 69 years of age, and 79 etc.

I Still believe in ALL the things that I have learned since 8/29/04 & then some, read on!

August 29th, 2009 Happy Anniversary to ME!

Five years ago today, I was struck by a car, on a post-victory recovery ride. I have told the story in bits & pieces, but figured I'd lay it all out on the table.

August 28, 2004: Sherman Park Criterium, Chicago, IL. I found myself in a 3-man break with two excellent competitors, Greg Springborn & Chris Daggs. We were off the front of the field for 48 of the 75 minute race, working well together. I downloaded my SRM, and avg'd 298 watts of power for the 48 minutes we were off the front. I took 1st place, Chris took 2nd, and Greg took 3rd place. I had finally won a Pro, I, II race, even if it was a smaller event, the competition was stiff. It was a good victory.

The next morning, Sunday, after sleeping in, I decided to go for a 3 hour lactic acid ride to clean out the legs. It was cool, as in cool enough to wear arm warmers, vest and oil on the legs. I took off across the river, as the wind was out of the NW.

Winding my way back toward home at 12:15 pm, in Peoria Heights, which is about 5 miles to get back to the house, the following happened:

Tailwind at my back, I was cruising about 26 mph through the intersection of Sciota and Prospect Rd. I heard a squeal of tires, and then euphoria. By the time I could blink, I was suspended in mid air, looking at the roof of an auto part store, and wondering to myself, that this does not look right.

It's amazing, when you have been struck & thrown like that, time stops, just like in the movies. It is the most un-describable feeling. You have no pain, no worries, just time to think, and I don't mean seconds. It seems like hours.I thought of many things while I was up "there", like did I kiss Gina goodbye and tell her I love her as I do before we always leave each other, why am I here, where is the white light & tunnel, am I dead, will I fall to the ground, only to be struck by another car once I hit the pavement, will I actually land on a car driving down the road, will I have time to say goodbye before I die?

All of this happened in a split second, which seemed like an eternity. My last thought was, oh well, I have to land, and it's going to hurt, and hurt bad!I landed on my right side, almost in a fetal position. Eyes open, breathing, alive, and looking at what appeared to be a stream of blood sputtering from my lower extremities, across the road.

The lady who hit me was backing up with her car, right at me! She stopped, got out of the car with a cell phone in her hand, and waddled over to me. She asked "are you OK?" I said "NO you F-ing Bi#ch, dial 9-11." (that is the only words we have ever spoken, not even an apology from her) She was so frazzled, that she could not even dial.

At this time, people had stopped, and were out of their cars, huddling around me. I looked over at my left leg, and saw what appeared to be about 5"-6" of tibia and fibula (shin bone & back of the shin) sticking out of my shin, skin ripped open by the bones crashing through. I was laying in a pool of blood, still spurting out of the open wound, and swelling quickly. I thought they would have to amputate my leg, which at that point, I was pissed about, because the adrenaline was still kicking in, and I felt no pain.

I said to myself, (I think out loud) that I had two choices as Lance Armstrong states in his book, "It's Not About The Bike" "to give up, or fight like hell"I reached in my back pocket, grabbed my cell phone, and handed it to a Good Samaritan who was there. I said, "dial 9-11, and call my wife, her name is Gina, under "HOME" on the contact/address book. Tell Gina that I love her, always have, and always will."

Then the pain came, and came on like Hurricane Katrina, all at once, throughout my entire body, with exception of my head/face.I was screaming in pain at this point. No way to control it. Between breaths, grabbing my left leg above the knee, trying to stop the bleeding, and somehow ease the pain I believed. Bystanders were around, and I was dyeing of thirst. Throughout the entire ordeal, I never went into shock, or lost conciseness.

After though, I wish I had passed out, as the pain was unbearable.A young lady named Shelbie Meister was in the car behind me at the time of the wreck. She was a 3rd year nursing student at Olivet Nazarene University. She witnessed the accident, pulled off and took control of the scene. She told me to breath, deeply, don't scream, no fluids from anyone, as I begged to get a drink of water. She held me in place, like a baby, so I could not move until the EMT's arrived.

I could see the left leg was in big trouble, but didn't realize at this point that my right femur was broken in multiple places as well. She somehow suspected this was the case, or that I had shattered my pelvis, as I was turning blue from the mid stomach down.The EMT's arrive. They begin by cutting my clothes off of me with huge scissors. I said WHOA! STOP! This is my Team Mack kit! They then carefully cut my shorts off, jersey, shoes, socks etc. all up & down the seams, as if I was going to sew it all back together after I got better.

There I was, naked on the street, covered by a foil blanket. The neck brace was installed, and all of the questions like "where does it hurt? can you move your fingers, toes etc" Well, my left leg hurt a "little", and I can speak, so my head is intact. I can move my fingers, so I am not paralyzed.I had to be stabilized, and placed on a backboard. I asked, what are you going to do to stabilize my left leg, still bent, and about 5 inches shorter at this point. They said that they were going to place me on the back board, and I said NO WAY! get a splint or something, and we'll do it that way. Another truck showed up with an air splint to place the leg in.

That's when I realized that my right leg/pelvis was in trouble. They tried to "flip" me on the backboard, by grabbing my right butt cheek, and I screamed bloody murder. I asked them to place the backboard against my back, then we can all flip at the same time. They said that would not work.After what seemed to be an eternity, and chickening out of getting on the board again & again & again, the head EMT looked me in the eye and said: "If we do not get you on this board, in the ambulance, and to the hospital, you will bleed to death right here, take your pick"Between screaming, moaning and spouting EVERY cuss word in the book, I agreed to get on the board. We mapped it out, and agreed to count to 3. The EMT's put a rigid piece of plastic in my mouth for me to bite on, while they were flipping me over. Then came the count: 1, 2 and they flipped me!

I screamed so loud that I think a blood vessel broke in my head!They quickly strapped me to the board, and placed me on a gurney, heading towards the ambulance about 10 feet away. Once inside, I begged for pain medication. They could not give me anything, as I was to be rushed to the trauma unit for surgery.

Just then, a catholic priest hopped into the back of the ambulance, and asked if I wanted to pray. I asked him "Father, am I going to die?" He said that I would, just not today or anytime soon. We prayed, and he held my hand in the ambulance, all the way to the hospital.


I was freezing at this point, and carrying on a conversation with the EMT's the best I could, through screaming in pain, and attempting to breath at the same time. Blood, snot and road debris was all over me. I felt dirty, caked with crud. All I wanted was some pain medication and a shower, not realizing that I had two completely shattered legs, and sitting, let alone standing would be impossible.The EMT's asked what hospital I wanted to go to. Huh? The best one!

They did not realize at this point that I needed to be brought to a level 1 trauma unit, and the only one was OSF St. Francis. Off we went! I asked if anyone had talked to Gina, and they said she had been contacted, and she was on her way to the hospital to meet us.Still screaming, we arrived.


Out the back door of the ambulance, and into the waiting ER unit. There was a team of professionals waiting for me. All I heard from the head ER Nurse is breath, breath, breath. Then the round of questions, again: "what hurts, can you move your fingers, do you have a headache, does it hurt when I poke here, when did you last eat, are you allergic to anything etc" I told them just give me the pain drugs, and NOW! They said they could not do that, as I needed to be examined, and a MRI or CT scan done.

The ER nurse got my attention. (Now, remember, I am on the table, stark naked, covered in blood, screaming in pain, bones sticking out of my leg, surrounded by what seemed like was 100 people, all doing their jobs in the most efficient manner.) The ER nurse shows me a rubber tube, and states that she has to catheterize me. I said, and WHERE are you going to put that thing?

Before I could finish the sentence, she had installed the catheter in my penis, and felt like a rock had struck my bladder. More screaming.More shuffling in the ER, and they asked who the physician assistant on duty was? Kelly Sparks was the answer.

I screamed "Kelly?" I know Kelly! He' s my racing buddy. Not 2 minutes later, here comes Kelly, taking charge of the situation. He came into the ER, and calmly said, Steve, what happened, as he was holding my hand, like a child. (I still don't know how he retained his bedside manner through this) I said Kelly, I got hit on a ride. You have to get me the BEST doctors, period, who will get me racing again.

He looked over the situation, checked all of the stats, and was making a prognosis. I begged him for pain medication. Not as of yet was his response.He then went to the foot of the table, and said "Steve, this is going to hurt". At that time, he grabbed my left foot/ankle, and PULLED the leg toward him, to forcefully pull the broken bones back inside the leg, and straighten them out. I screamed so loud, that the Nun that was with Gina in the waiting area, actually got up and left.

A second later, Kelly yelled to administer the morphine. The pain drugs reacted within a split second, and I was back in euphoria at that time, not a care in the world.Once the morphine fully kicked in, I was OK. I was transferred to a staging room, with G by my side. She's tough, like an alligator skin suitcase. Calm as you could be in this mess, and telling me to breath. I stayed in the staging room with G and a couple of employees/friends, Brad Menold & Pat O'Neill, who G had contacted. They rushed to the hospital immediately.

They told me that I had shattered the right leg, as well as the double compound fracture to the left. No further information at this point. I spoke w/ my parents on the phone, and waited for surgery.

Several hours later, between nodding off & waking up, I met Dr. Bell, the anaesthesiologist who was to put me to sleep for the operation. I only asked that he makes sure I wake up when its all over. He said he would.

Down a COLD hallway to the operating room, I was cracking jokes with the nurses and attendants. We were quoting scenes from the movie "Airplane", as I was so high from the pain drugs, I had no clue what I was doing. I looked up from the gurney, and here was Kevin Neblock, my old cycling coach and friend.

I really thought I was dead, as all I could see was the ceiling, and bright lights at this time.Into the OR, pre-sleep meds go through the IV, and they said to count to 100. I made it to 2, and woke up Tuesday in the ICU after two emergency surgeries, and 5 surgeries total since that day.

• I learned several things since 8/29/2004:
  I learned that on 11/30/1996, the best decision I ever made was to say "I do" and marry my wife Gina. She has been the best throughout this ordeal
• I learned that I have more friends and supporters that I could have ever imagined, even to this day
• I learned that grown men cry, especially when they see their friend in the hospital after an accident, and it is OK
• I learned things like this happen, and when someone offers you their help, take it. No man is an island
• I learned that these things not only affect you, but affect everyone around you. Realize that, and work with them to help in your recovery
• I learned that you cannot be a victim
• I learned that you must fight like hell, everyday, although some days a little more than others
• I learned that no one is going to do it except for you, and pity parties are not an option
• I learned that you must get back up after being knocked down, as many times as it takes, as long as it takes, as many resources that it takes to achieve greatness
• I learned that you must be a positive leader & friend to those who are going through a similar situation, whether you know them or not. It is not your choice, it is your duty & responsibility
• I learned that “giving in” is NOT “giving up”
  

It Was Time

Two great rides this weekend. Saturday with the VQ Crew, doing LT's out the yin-yang, and this am with, get this: 3 Steve's & Lotte. How can 3 Steve's and Lotte be on one ride? Go figure. We did the hills out to Metamora on a beautiful morning, just about a 50 miler, and it was awesome! Thanks guys for a great ride. Lotte "sprinted" against me, but I got in his head, mentally at the start of each sprint, until he was crushed. That's what sprinters do I guess.

G & I have been talking for a while, and decided to "look" for new doggies. We miss Sam & Darby so much, but we are dog people, and knew it was time, to look at least. We went to the animal shelter, TAPS in Pekin, IL to "look" for a couple of doggies. We, of course fell in love with two really great, sweet dogs. The first one we saw, (below) HoBo, is a Jack Russell, 2 years old, and was such a lover. He was so sweet, we had to have him. We filled out the application, to be told that we were on a waiting list to adopt him, and we are # 7 in line.

We then met "Clara", who is now Maggie. She is a 4 year old Rat Terrier, and is the sweetest dog in the whole world also. They said we could take her today if we wanted. G & I shed tears, and of course, have a new addition to our family. She came home with us, and off to PetSmart for all of the goodies: harness, bed, food, treats, lead etc. She loves it at home, and we are so pleased. Our lives have been a little void lately, and our doggies are our kids, so it was time. We both agreed.

We are crossing our fingers on HoBo, and hopefully the first 6 people in front of us wont want him, or don't fit the criteria on the application to have him. It would be great to complete the picture again with two sweet doggies. Sam even sent me a mental message from The Rainbow Bridge, and said it was perfectly OK with her, so we are OK as well.

Here's Maggie! Didn't take her too long to get comfortable at her new home, sleeping on the bed she picked out at PetSmart!

Curious George Rides a Bike

Out meeting Lotte & The Badger for a ride last night, and Ms. Karen shows up in the BEST cycling jersey known to mankind (besides Team Mack). Curious George! She even had the matching cycling socks! CG has been one of the many loves of my life, so this was awesome!

Not a great ride, could tell it was going to rain, leg was freaking out pretty good!

Been There, Doing That

I know, I know. Its been a little while. I actually took some time off the bike, as I was busy with life, and pretty burned out. I felt like a "Turtle Hamburger" for a little while, well done, with ALL the fixing's. I got back in the saddle a couple of weeks ago, and feel much better. I miss the racing scene the past several weeks, but it has allowed me to clear out my head, and re-group on the bike also.

I think I am actually having fun again? I have had some solid weeks of riding, although mainly tempo stuff. Several 2+ hour rides in the low 200 watt average range, which is great for me. Coach Stan-O is pressing me for some interval rides, which I shall do soon. Going to see Dr. Watson down in St. Louis next week for a checkup on the left leg, which has been having some flareup/hardware issues. Hopefully, squeeze some races in before the season ends as well.

My buddy, Barry from Scotland is back in the hospital for some leg complications, and I am going to see him soon. We'll actually speak/meet for the first time.

I saw this, and thought it was hilarious. Melonturtle? Who knows.

I'll be posting sooner than later, or you can check out my tweets at www.twitter.com/stevendriscoll

"Borrowed" from ChicagoBikeRacing.com

The guy you love, or don't I believe. Mark Swartzendruber, or Druber for short. He was a teammate of mine, although many, many categories, skill sets & physical attributes above me, and left to become someone else's teammate. This was before I had an encounter with a Buick, 5 surgeries and 3.5 years of recovery.
I was reading an interview with him on CBR, and got to the final thought, or passage, on why Chicagoans should drive 3 hours, to the race he's promoting this weekend, and thought it was hilarious, and right on the money. I raced the Champaign crits going back to 1988 through 1992 I believe, back in the Chris Petty days, so this is a HUGE undertaking, much more than a industrial park criterium.

"You’re going up against some big events in Chicago that weekend. Tell me why we should drive three hours for an untested race. The races will start on time. The races won’t be shortened, and our prize money checks won’t bounce. "-Chicago Bike racing

Good for you Druber! Not that I ever got a check from Superweek, but after getting up at 3am, driving 3 hours to a superweek event, ie: Evanston 2008, being delayed 2+ hours, registering, finally 5 minutes before the race, shortened race at that, it just left a bad taste in my mouth.

I'll see you all in Champaign, where I will be a highly contested pack fodder, having fun, racing my bike, enjoying the atmosphere, hanging out, listening to music, spending time in Champaign w/ my buddies, then racing again on Sunday. I hope it all goes well, for this race & future events.

No Soup For You!

Big weekend last weekend. The annual Proctor Criterium. We had the Kron's & the Kiddies, as well as BikerDanny down for the festivities. I did the Masters 30+ cat 1,2,3 as well as the Cat 3 race. Both fast & furious, as usual, although really windy.

The Masters races brought home two state championship jerseys with Dr. Mike getting the 60+ for the third or fourth year in a row and Uncle Gary taking the 50+ jersey. Ms. Gina took home the women's cat 4 jersey, while her "man on the scene" Justin-Time got 5th in the cat 3 race.

My buddy Robert got 2nd place in the Masters 40+, as he lost to the "Big Man" himself, MikeZ. This was a feat in itself, as Robert doesn't train, he just races. That's it. So to be off the front in a two man break with a guy who logs tens of thousands of miles per year (little exaggeration in there) and to get beat at the line? I am proud of him.

I on the other hand, did some work for Robert in the 30/40+, and am still trying to get the cobwebs out of my head when it comes to racing. I am working on it, just taking longer than I want, I guess. I would up in 8th place for the Masters 30+ (4 better than last year) and 34th place in the cat 3 race (same as last year) Oh well, I am trying, believe me!


Uncle Gary winning the 50+ criterium



















Lining up for the 30+ & 40+ Crit

Robert off the front with the "Big Man"

The turtle, looking faster than he really is











Team Mack Team Photo

Verdict is In

So, after what seemed like a 200 year wait for the new, Team Mack Issue, Stainless Steel, Waterford R-953, the verdict is in.

Wow!

That's it. That is all that needs to be said on that matter.

OK, a little more here. I have ridden the Team Mack issue R-33 for about 6 years now, True Temper steel, team issue paint etc, all custom for my little turtle legs.

The R-33 I was riding prior to this was a 42.5 cm, like a crotch rocket if it was a motor cycle, less the crotch. The new ride is made from Reynolds stainless steel, 953. This one is a 45.5 cm, a little more forgiving than the smaller one, but still handles like a racehorse. I have raced it 6 times now, and although it did not get me on the podium, it takes 30 mph corners, and drills down the straight-a-ways. The added bonus is all of the looks you get on it, and people scratching their heads wondering if it's titanium, and, if it's a "real" Waterford.

I assure you, it's ALL Waterford! No one else can take steel and work it like this, and I mean NO ONE! OK, maybe "some guy" who you know who is a friend of a friend, you think? I've heard the stories already. When I ask if they have ever ridden or seen the frame that "some guy" built? The answer is no, or maybe they saw a picture of it somewhere?

Doesn't matter. This is an awesome ride for all around racing, training etc. I have done (1) 70 mile road race on it, and 5 criteriums, same result, positive handling, great geometry, and even after the 70 mile road race, back was intact and felt smooth. With American Classic carbon race wheels, and no other lightweight parts, it's 16.5 lbs. I have no idea of the cost on these, but the guy's up at Waterford can hook you up, just make sure you're not in a hurry though. Like fine wine, these babies take time to craft, produce & bottle.

PS: Happy Birthday to Me today! 39, and 40 is creeping just around the corner!

I Have Succumbed, Sorry

I have succumbed. I have been swamped with work, life, and trying to get some miles in, wah, wah, wah.

So, to keep current, or more current than I have been recently, I have a twitter account now. Should be more rolling soon, like this weekend. Go to

www.twitter.com/stevendriscoll

I am still going to post blobs, but at this time, I don't have the time, although I have a lot of cool stuff going on though. Check me out on twitter, and I'll have some frequent updates. I'll even figure out how to put pics on there?

Time on My Side?

I have been a tad depressed lately. After the crash at the Vernon Hills Grand Prix, I have been mentally "spooked" at racing.

Memorial day weekend, I did the Friday night road race, Wapello, IA to Burlington, IA. I was fast, aggressive, chased down breaks, got in three separate breaks (that went no where) etc. But I was there, and making moves. My teammates, Robo & the man "Who's On The Job", M.Shea rode great as well. They are both older than I, a lot faster, and a LOT tougher.

I got stuck in the field, about 2 rows back with 6 miles to go, so I took a "small" chance. I skipped over the center line, advanced to the front, and immediately got DQ'd from Bart, the referee on the motorbike. Dang! Oh well, you play, you pay. There was a sprint, some guy won, and we averaged 26.7 mph. That's racing.

Two days later, I did the Muscatine Criterium, which I won in 2004, before being creamed by a Buick. Screaming downhill, hit a speed bump, go air-borne, then up hill for 3 blocks. Do this 18 times. Pretty simple, right. Well, I hit the downhill in 5th place, and RODE the brakes the whole way down, freaked out! Now, 70th place, and chasing back on. You know the story, after 6 laps of doing this, I was off the back, sucking wind, and finally pulled by the referee.

The next day, Rock Island Criterium, which I won in 2004 also, before getting creamed by the same Buick noted above. It started raining about 15 minutes before the race. Pavement wet, 70 guys on the line, 8 turns per lap. Riding cautiously, I hit a man hole cover on the first lap, turn 5, and the front end loses it a little. Race over. Brain checked out. Done. Rode 8 laps solo, then pulled. Man, that was a waste of a good warm up. Head is not in the game. Just kept thinking of crashing, crashing and crashing. Tons of head trash up there.

I consulted with the president of my fan club, and alter ego, Edgar. He said to get back on that horse, and keep going! Thanks Edgar, you're the best.

Taking Edgar's advice, and against advice from all who know me, I decided to do a road race yesterday, the O'Fallon Grand Prix, O'Fallon, IL.

The race was a 70 miler, which is a little long for me, plus I am not a good road racer, but Edgar told me I had to do it, or else! (Or else what? You're a turtle. What'cha gonna do, spit lettuce on me?) So I did. There was about 40 guys in the field, there were short "power hills" and one long little ring hill about 1800 meters before the finish. The two real descents were 40 mph of a little scary for me, but I did them. I rode defensibly, ie: near the back, and just wanted to race, stay up right, and finish in a respectable manner.

First lap was smoking fast, second lap was OK, third lap, nine guys were off the front in three separate breaks, including my teammate Justin-Time. He went solo, with 8 miles to go, on a whim. Knowing there was 8 guys up there, what the hey? I finished with the field for a respectable 14th place. Justin-Time rode through the two breaks in front of him, caught the lead group of 6 off the front, and went through them for a sprint 3rd place finish. Awesome! That's why his name must be Justin-Time, I guess. He threw caution to the wind, and the hammer down on the race, and it paid off. I am getting back, head wise I believe.

Edgar said it's going to take time, and if that's what it takes, so be it.

Monsters of The What? Ride of Silence

I am back, for now. Between the rain and all, have been doing some racing, and some training. Probably no where what I should be doing, but I've been busy. Coach Stan-O gave me "the lecture" a couple of weeks ago. Something to the effect of: " Steve-O, if you are not going to follow your training plan, don't blame me come the end of the season." You know what, he's right, and I told him that, so I am going to do it, little to no excuse.

Two Saturday's ago, raced the O'Fallon Gold Cup in Missouri. A FAST circuit/criterium, with three "power-hills" in it, which of course I hate, because I am 5'5" and weigh 162 lbs. Do the math, and it does NOT translate into going up hills fast, let alone 76 times in an hour and 5 minutes. I raced, raced well, there was a break, I finished with the field, and all was good. G & I headed to Quincy, IL. that afternoon to see my Mother-in-Law for Mother's Day, and see my Father-in-Law, Big D.

So, here we go again. The infamous Monsters of the Midway Criterium in Chicago. I went up to see my Dad the night before, with Uncle Gary, so we got to spend a little time together. Pretty amazing how cool your P's get, the older you get? I entered the Masters 30+ (also known as the Pro, I, II and a couple of Cat III's) There was a huge delay because some poor girl in the women's race crashed, and had to be carted off to the hospital in an ambulance. I said a prayer for her & her family. My teammate & buddy for years, J-LO and I hanging at the line for the cat III race.

The race was FAST, there was a break of all the usual suspects, some guy won, who deserved it. There were stupid crashes, which spooked me after the Vernon Hills crash two weeks ago, and I finished with the field. The wind was 30+ mph down the front stretch, and 30+ headwind on the back stretch. We still managed a 26.2 mph avg, at 262 watts!

The Cat 3 race later in the afternoon was delayed, again, due to a major crash on the back stretch of the Cat 4 race. Ambulances were summoned, people left on stretchers, and people were obviously hurt, bad. I hope everyone is doing OK, and I shall say a prayer for them as well. The race was fast as well, there were crashes, including the final lap, first turn of the final lap when some guy's seatpost broke off, OUCH! Bad race karma so far. I finished with the field, did not crash, and all is well so far.


Jonathon "Chip" Gray took these photos, right after he did really well in the 30+ race. He's been really busy with school, so his racing has not been as often as he'd like. Chip, good job! On the education part, as well as the photo's.

Remember: Tomorrow, Wednesday May 20th is the Worldwide Ride of Silence, 7 PM. Please show your support for our fellow cyclists who have been killed, injured & maimed while on their bikes. I of course have personal & extensive knowledge of this fight, and we need to show our support. got to www.rideofsilence.org for a location near you.

Hitting the "Deck"

Yes, I am "back". Was out of town & distracted for about five weeks. I missed a bunch of training due to business travel, too much food and drink, not enough sleep, some personal stuff going on etc. OUCH!

Got back on the bike, and did the Tuesday Night World Championship Ride. WOW! That was painful. Decided I would race my way back into shape, clear the mind & body at the same time.

Vernon Hills Grand Prix. Registered for the Masters 30+ Cat 1,2,3 & the Cat 3 race. Of course, fast & furious. The field of 60 something was stacked with former pros, National Champions, State Champions, and my buddy Robert, who is practically all of the above.

It was fast, there was a break, we caught them, it was fast, again. Bell lap came, right before the start/finish line, and POW! Some guy got excited in front of me, and at 32+ mph, came straight into my front wheel. I hit the deck, taking the guy behind me with. I hit head first, cracking my helmet in half, busted up my shoulder, jersey, hip, both knees & elbows etc. Bummer I guess. The guy who went with me had a pretty bad concussion, and went to the hospital. He hit head first as well. Nine lives issued, 4 left for me at this point.


Did the Cat 3 race about 25 minutes later, just wanted to ride the ride at this point. Five laps to go, and BAM! Another 14 person pile up on the back stretch. Dang! I cant get a break today I guess. No more skin lost, but smoked the rear tire, and some collateral damage to the bike. BikerDanny launches for the final sprint, with his HUGE motor from about 3 million meters out, and barely gets nipped at the line (see note at bottom for explanation) and takes a very respectable second place. I finished with the field.

Still licking my woulds. Thank you to the inventors of Tegaderm, I have finally succumbed.

Robert by the way, placed a field finish in the Masters race, then hops in the car, drives to Kenosha, WI for the Masters race up there that afternoon. Takes a HUGE victory, off the front, and keeps bringing home the bacon.

Someone has already taken me to task on the word "nipped" used above, probably the winner of the race, who I congratulate for the victory, as it was well earned, and I mean no disrespect. I was somewhere in the field, so I could not actually see the finish, so I just threw out the word "nipped", as a general term for being beaten to the line, that's all.

I'm Back!

OK, I am back now. Been gone. Here's the new Stainless Steel Waterford, 45 cm C-T-C, one of two in the world! Richard Schwinn has the other one. Should be built up next week.

Happy Peepster!

Happy Easter!

Quote of the Day

Yesterday was the day. The 8th Annual Hillsboro Roubaix Road Race. The hardest race in the Midwest. About 70 miles of hills, wind, miserable at best road conditions, huge fields, and just a nasty time to be had. I had to race this race, and hate every minute of it. This is a great opportunity for me to see all of my friends from last race season, tell lies about how well I would have done, and get some great miles in, although usually very painful. BikerDanny & Robert came down on Friday afternoon, spent the night, and we caravan'ed down that am. Robert did the 40+ category, BikerDanny & I did the Cat 3's. BikerDanny is flying right now, so he was our guy. I told him before the race not to count on me for anything.

Started out with a full-plus field of 123 racers, whew! Now remember, I have never made it with the "pack" past the 12 mile marker, as I always get popped on the first real hill, off the back, blown out the door so to speak. Left to trudge on the next 54 miles on my own, into the wind, through the hills, yeach!

Four miles into it, I find myself in a two man break! This is wrong, no way is this going anywhere, and it didn't. We went on for a couple of miles and got caught. I stayed near the front, and BikerDanny LAUNCHED a break, with about 8 others. I'm thinking, OK, 60 miles to go, can they hold it? I got to the front, blocking. Then, a couple of XXX racers as well as some Bike Hub guy's got up there and blocked also. We shut it down. After about 8 miles of this, the break was out of sight. We camethrough the feed zone after 21 miles, and someone said the break had a 5 minute 30 second gap. Work was over, I did my job, they were gone!

Hit the backstretch, screaming downhill on the bricks & rough pavement, and the hardware in my legs could not take all of the jarring. I had to slow down, be a little more gentle. The result of this is now I went from 3rd place, to 120th place, caught back on, and did 1.25 laps with the field, then got popped off the back. I rode the next 39 miles with different people here & there, dropping them along the way. I did the entire race in 3:19, about 20 minutes off the field. My two goals for the race were to: 1. Make it past the 12.1 mile marker with the field & 2: Finish (which I did, 60th place)

I did more than both. I looked at my wattage numbers from last years race, and I was about 14% higher, 1 minute slower, and burned about 18% more calories. This means I produced more power for the same time, and burned more energy doing it. What does this mean? No clue, but I felt better, and helped my teammate out.

Oh, by the way, BikerDanny CRUSHED the break he was in for 1st place. That is a wonderful job! To win a spring race is one thing, to win Hillsboro Roubaix is another, like another planet! Congratulations BikerDanny!

This just in: BikerDanny also won the Cat 3 criterium race in St. Louis this am. He has his taste for victory, now he's going for them all!
Uncle Gary, BikerDanny & teammate Justin (Justin won the cat 4 race as well. Great Job)

The Turtle & BikerDanny, along with his trophy, a commemorative brick paver and some cash for first place!

Sock Monkey, the unofficial Team Mack mascot, cheering us on. Go Team Mack!

Oh, here's the quote of the day. I ran into an old VQ buddy, who I used to race against as a Cat 2, before I got hit by a car. He asked me how I was doing, and all of the polities. Asked if I was 100% now, and I said no, I'll never be 100%, as that is just the way it is, physically. Black & white. I explained the nerve damage, the dead section of bone, all of the hardware inside etc. He then said that "you have to have cahona's the size of pyramids to get out here, compete against guy's that are 100%, knowing full well that even on your best day, you cannot achieve what you used to be able to, and accept that fact, but still come out and do it every weekend" My reply? "You know what, You're Damn Straight! I never thought about it that way." We hugged, and said good luck to each other, and off we raced.

Bigger Than Ever

Whew. Lots of stuff happening. Last Friday was the Big Brother Big Sisters Annual Dinner & Fundraiser. This is also the time that they recognize the Big Brother & Big Sister of the year. I was Big Brother of the year for 2009. My Little, Ike & I had a ball. Ike's Mom Nicole, G, My parents who came down for the evening from Chicago, and my great friends, Jeff & Heidi joined us as well.

G, Me, Ike & his Mom after the awards ceremony

Ike, Me & Jeff, hanging out after the ceremony

Ike, me & my parents, having a good time!

It was a good time, for a good cause. Ike & I had a blast, as well as everyone else who attended. My parents stayed the evening, and we had a wonderful breakfast & get together the next day. Thanks to Ike, Nicole, G, my parents and Jeff who many years ago gave me the confidence and guidance to be a Big!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to this guy! My cycling buddy, dear friend, expert remodeler and just part of our extended family. He turned 45 yesterday, and still whoops competitors butts half his age, on & off the bike! Happy Birthday Robert!

One Down, 39 to Go

I admit. I am not that smart. Actually, I have done a lot of dumb things in my life. Last Saturday, I did the BN ride from the "New Shop" in town. You know, the shop that CKelly is working at, and has been there for 361 years.

They put on some good rides, and I will do my best to patronize them, and encourage others to do the same. I always try to do as much business I can with the local shop, and no, I don't care if I "pay more" because in the long run, you ALWAYS pay less!

So Saturday am, the boys finagle me into racing the following day in St. Louis. I have about 365 road miles in for the year, and that really works well?! I should have at least 1000 miles in to race, so I said, what the heck? What's the worst thing that happens, I get dropped? Lapped? Pummeled? Wont be the first time. Did a great 48 miles ride with the group, and prepared for the following day.

I called up my Little Bro, The Ikester, and we headed down there. Registered for the Cat 3 race, and hit the line. WOW! 85 starters, and the majority of them looked really fit. Like fast & fit. My goal was to make it for the first 15 minutes, then finish the race, then if all that goes OK, to finish in the top 1/3 rd. of the field. This was going to be a long crit, especially for so early in the season: 60 minutes plus 5 laps! Geez!


The race went fine. Did some power moves, but mainly hung in there, rode wheels and wanted to get my "sea legs" back. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to move around, didn't get too winded, could sprint to the best of my abilities etc. It was a lot of fun, and I felt great afterward as well. I finished in the pack for 27th place, not too bad, as I was not really aggressive in the final 3 laps or so. Wanted to stay up right, and go to work the next day in less than two pieces.

The Ikester rooted me on, as well as Uncle Gary and my Team Mack Teammates. It was a beautiful 70 degree day, perfect!

Me & The Ikester hanging right after the race.

There isn't a camera out there that Uncle Gary doesn't love!

The Rainbow Bridge............

Just this side of heaven is a place called The Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to The Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross The Rainbow Bridge together....

Author unknown...

Sam Driscoll 1992-2009

Darby Driscoll 1994-2009

We made Sam & Darby several promises when they were puppies: We would be the best Dog Parents in the whole world. When the end was near, they would walk into the Vet with dignity, on their own four paws. We would never let them suffer or be in pain.

We kept those promises, and they enriched our lives for the past 15 & 16 years. We love you both, and look forward to seeing you at The Rainbow Bridge when the time comes.

Yes, Even I Have Rules

I have rules for my blob: No off-colored words, at least two photos, try not to use people's real names to protect the guilty. That's pretty much it.

I am breaking one today, but just this once, as I am crunched on time, and wanted to get this out to my million(s) of fans, less nine-hundred ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred & ninety three, give or take some here and there.

Dateline, Bloomington, IL: Scheduled VQ workout with The Ratz. Lotte, The Badger, Coach Stan-O, The Man with Two First Names & The Turtle, aka me. were in full effect. We decided, due to the 67 degree temps, to go up to the "new" bike shop in town, which has been there for 356 years, and I never knew about it, although I lived in Bloomington for 8 years. I met the owner, Scott I believe, and toured the place. Nice, very friendly, low overhead, and probably the cleanest bathroom of ANY bike shop in the USA. To me, my opinion is that when you keep the pooper closet looking sparkling, I feel confident that you will go the extra mile when working on my many, many-thousands of dollars bikes.

Had about 15 of us, windy & nice. I played rabbit for some VO2 efforts, we rolled etc. CKelly, RodKnee, some strong dude from Proctor that I just met & myself went off the front through the hills into Danvers, IL. This was mostly due to CKelly following his coach's plan to a "T" and enjoying the rest day he was supposed to have, by pulling at the front at 700+ watts, until EVERYONE'S legs were ripped off.

One mile to go for the sprint, then there was three, CKelly, RodKnee & The Turtle. CKelly & RodKnee were trading jabs like two old french fencers, although with accuracy. I was looking for the nearest Iron Lung, as well as a spare set of quads. CKelly got "the grin" on his face, and launched with RodKnee & myself in tow. I looked down, and was in the draft of CKelly at 600+ watts. Crap!

Half mile to go, The Turtle was turtle soup. He had given his all, and could not keep up with the whipper-snapper, as I only have 285 road miles in for the year..........off the back of the trio, and collected a podium place of third. Man, those boys are in good shape!

We carried on for the remainder, I did some moves, everyone had fun. Would up with 3:07 hours, 55 miles, and tired. Did some really nice work, and getting jazzed back up for the season. It was AWESOME to get outdoors, hammering, sweating and being really tired at the end of the ride. Great time to be had by all, and I am glad I re-connected with the B-Town Thugs, as I call them.

Bike got a bathe tonight, then put to bed, ready to ride again tomorrow.

Pay Now & Pay Later

Traditionally, when I get snow blowing the driveway, and doing all of my outdoor stuff, like feeding the birds, squirrels, deer, turkey and whatever else we have hanging around the yard, Sam & I take a hike through the yard & forest. Sam loves these hikes, as she sniffs new smells, gets some exercise, and we bond together. This was the case Saturday, after about 3" of snow fell. After the pummeling VQ workout at Coach Stan-O's, I had to do all of the outdoor stuff.



Sam is getting up there in age, like 16 now. She's deaf, pretty much blind, and old. We went out and took our hike, and she enjoyed it as much. When we got done, G took our pic, as it may be the last snow hike we take together. She did her best, but it was taking its toll on her.

OK, not the smartest thing I have done in a while, but I did the 433rd Annual Tour De Groundhog Cross Race a weekend or so ago. I know my doc's told me NOT to do things like this, but I did. And I paid dearly. You see, my friend Pain has been nice to me lately. Just a nudging here & there, nothing too major that I could not handle. The course was a muddy mess, and I figured I walked about 3.5 miles during the race. Afterward and for several days, I was a wreck! Barely walking, and in more pain than I choose. G had little sympathy for me, as it was all self inflicted.

I "raced" meaning that I did some riding, and a LOT of walking, as I can no longer physically run, due to the 4 surgeries performed on my left leg, and part of the tibia/ankle is "dead" from nerve damage. Still managed to pull off a 3rd place podium shot for the masters 30+, and 8th overall from a field of 18. My buddies Robert & BikerDanny raced as well. Robert got 4th in the 40+ while not riding a cross bike in about 35 years, and BikerDanny got a 8th in the Senior Open and 3rd in the Classic, while have never ridden a cross bike before that weekend. Geez! Tone it down boys, you're making The Turtle look bad.



A big thank you to Coach Stan-O and The Badger for lending us their cross rigs for Robert & BikerDanny.

My rig after the race.

BikerDanny after his race

BikerDanny running the mud/slog hill

Quarterly meeting with RV & The VQ Ratz. Lotte, Junior, Dr. Reid, The man with two first names, The Turtle, Coach Stan-O & RV. Badger, V & Bartonville could not attend. Had a great workout, and always good to see RV with the group.

Epic Ride & "Big" Things to Come

For those who know me, I have been a Big Brother through the Big Brother Big Sisters organization for about two years now. My "Little" Ike is 13, and we have become great friends over the past two years, working through the lows, and enjoying the highs. We hang out, have fun, chat, go to bike races, movies, he helps me with chores etc. He has matured more in the past two years than he knows.

The Heart of Illinois Big Brothers Big Sisters mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of children and youth, primarily through a professionally supported one-to-one relationship with a caring adult, and to assist them in achieving their highest potential as they grow to become responsible men and women by providing committed volunteers, national leadership and standards of excellence.

I have been nominated & received "Big Brother" Award of the year for 2009! I am kind of a "fly below the radar guy", but I thought this was pretty cool. I will receive the award the award March 27th at the annual Black Tie Dinner!

Headed down to Springpatch Saturday am, to ride with the Mack Crew. I knew this was going to be a long one, but oh well. Uncle Gary had Raymond, IL in his sights. High for the day was 67 degrees!

To put this in perspective, I have 36 miles on the road for the year. I have been riding the CT indoors, but this comes NOWHERE near what outdoors does to you. I also have not done this identical ride since March of 2004, a true 90 miler, into a 25 mph head wind. We took off with about 25 of us. Several miles down the trail, we hit about a block of pure mud. We all had to stop, take our wheels off, clean all of the mud out etc. Five miles into the ride, and you could not even recognize our bikes, they were that filthy!

18 miles into the ride, we hit a "mud patch" about 20 meters long. EVERYONE of us, with exception of Uncle Gary and maybe one other hit the deck. We ALL went down. You could not have seen this in a movie! It was nasty.

15 or so turned around, leaving 10 of us trekking to Raymond, into the wind. Robo & MarkShea did about 90% of the pulls. Man, they are in GOOD shape! The Turtle played conservative, as I have not ridden this far in almost 5 years!

Turn around in Raymond, 40+ miles to get home, with a tail/cross wind. 27-31 mph for the next 26 miles. I made it with Uncle Gary, Robo, MarkShea & JW for as long as I could, and got popped off the back of the blistering pace with 4.5 miles to Pawnee, the finish sprint. The Turtle was smoked!

Good miles, almost 90 for the day. Got home, washed the bike, came in, hit the jacuzzi, put the pajamas on, ate dinner and went to bed at 845pm, just to wake up and do it the next day with The Badger & Lotte, for another 40 miles.

Needless to say, I was pedaling squares on Sunday, and they knew it, taking mercy on my soul, like a wounded turtle in the pond.

Because I Can, I Guess

Have been kettlebelling my little butt off lately, as well as riding, doing VO2's, SE's etc. Looking forward to this weekend. It is supposed to be above -12 degrees! Yeah!!!!

The computrainer workouts are fun, as a group with the VQ Ratz, but they stink when I do them on my own, like last night. I try to follow the workouts from Coach Stan-O, but it's never the same as with the group. The Badger is out of pocket right now, so The Badger Den is off-limits for working out, Lotte, The Man with Two First Names, Junior etc. have school & work commitments, so it makes a tough week. Oh well, soon enough it shall be spring!
When I was in Eugene, OR several weeks ago, we had dinner at a brew pub, called the Steelhead Brewery I believe. In the men's restroom, they had this chalk board above the urinals, where you could write an encouraging slogan for your favorite team. The do PAC 10 football, and the HUGE rivalry is between the Beaver's & The Ducks. While I was doing my business, I erased all of that junk, and DREW my favorite mascot, Yunior! Beret, gym shoes and spots. I quickly high tailed it out of there before one of the Duck fans came in & saw me though!

Mind Boggling

OK. I will admit. Riding indoors makes me a little crazy. The other night at The Badgers den, we ground out maximum power on the computrainers. Badger, Lotte, myself & the newbie, "The Man with Two First Names" were there hitting it hard.

It was tough, as I did a pretty smoking kettlebell workout Monday night.

Well, as I was grinding away, listening to bad 70's music, watching the 2005 Paris Roubaix on the tube, I thought to myself:

Who would win a fist fight between Grimace & a hedgehog?

The hedgehog, of course.

What is the hedgehog had TWO broken legs, in a cast, and had the sniffles?

I still think the hedgehog would win.

Onward & Updates

Was out of town last week for business. No new updates, sorry. Back in the saddle, literally.




It has been so cold here, and snowy, that a ride outdoors would be slightly impossible, if not dangerous. So, we head indoors, riding the computrainers.



The local cycling club, Proctor Bike Club has a really neat indoor setup, all hooked up to a multi-rider system, where 12 of us can be on the same home computer, competing against each other if we choose.

The bad part of this, as they are extending a favor to us VQ Ratz is the time we can use their facility is 6am, yes, you read that correctly, 6am on Saturday mornings. What does this mean for The Turtle? I have to be out of bed by 4am, eat, and slog my way out of the house by 5:25 am to be there at 5:45 to setup and ready to go. Talk about UGLY! I was always a "seize the day" morning person, but since my accident, I need a solid 8 hours of sleep & elevating the legs to get through the day. The bones need rest, and by the end of each day, my left leg gets pretty swollen, so it needs that time. Whining? No. Just the facts Ma'am.

So, this am, again, same routine. We did a SOLID 2+ hours on the CT, with 16 x 30 second "pops" at 120%-130% of our LT, combined with 73% of our LT for 2 hours, then, 4 x 3 minute drag out fights at 50-60 cadence at 130% of our LT. Tough? Yes. Smoked? Yes. Back for more? Yes.

Speaking of fights, it was kind of like Fight Club: Mischief. Mayhem. Soap.



Little update here: Remember back about 498 blob postings and the bet that I had with The Badger re: The "negative" button? You know, the button on the CT to make it easier, when you are suffering like a dog that's been beat too much? Kind-of-like the "EASY" button at Staples.

Well, during observation of today's indoor workout, the negative button was in FULL swing. Oh no you say! Oh YES! In full swing by most, with exception of a few, mainly The Badger & The Turtle, who dutifully chose the "positive" button for the last quarter or so of the workout!

Power to the People

Have been riding indoors, on the Computrainer, or CT. Sometimes, when I ride indoors like this, I have to do so many things to keep distracted, or I'll lose what little mind I have. I usually watch a movie on the screen in front of me, while the CT is to the right, racing against some pre-programmed computer dude.

When I ride with the VQ Ratz, we look at the multi-rider screen, to see where we are at etc. I put in the ipod, listen to tunes, play board games etc. just to keep my mind focused with the task on hand.

We have had "testing" this week, to see where our base is for fitness, compared to 3 months ago, when the season ended. Well, I was in pretty decent shape last time we tested, as racing season was just winding down. We did a 40 minute all out LT test on Tuesday, to determine the amount of power you can sustain, in watts for 40 minutes. I HATE this test, as I get bored after about 3 minutes. Long story short, I was 3/10th of a watt higher than 3 months ago. Not too bad I guess, figuring I have been doing more weightlifting & kettlebell than riding.

Lat night, we did the 4 minute VO2 max test, all out for 4 minutes & a maximum sprint test, ie: how much max power can you produce in an all out sprint. The 4 minute test was 8 watts less than my September testing or about 1.5% off, and the max sprint was 20 watts higher, or about 1.8% higher, but who really cares about the numbers? More indoor tomorrow am.............Cant wait!

So, I was thinking the other day, while riding indoors of course, mind wandering everywhere. Who would win a fist-fight between a badger and a hedgehog? Silly me, of course the hedgehog would win. BUT, what about if the hedgehog had a broken leg, in a cast, just to make it more even?

I still think the hedgehog would win.

Off to a Good Start!

G&I went to one of our favorite Midwestern cities for the celebration of a New Year, St. Louis, MO on Tuesday. I brought my bike, and G brought her workout clothes. We had a tall list to accomplish, working out, relaxing, going to the world famous St. Louis zoo etc.

Here is the dinosaurs that live in Forest Park. They were hanging out, counting laps as I went by.

Wednesday am, 26 degrees, 30 mph winds, feels like 14 degrees. I rode down to Forest Park for a ride and G worked out at the gym. I did 5 laps, make them 5 VERY cold laps for a 2+ hour ride at 190 watt average overall, not too bad. I think I had almost every piece of winter gear on me, and I did "OK".

After that, it was the zoo. I love the St. Louis Zoo, and almost all zoos in general, as I love animals. G&I had a blast there. It was cold, and I was VERY tired and sore from the weather and hardware related problems, but we did it, and I loved every minute.

Wednesday evening, we had dinner at the Ritz, and it was awesome! We partied in the Lobby Lounge afterwards. They had a great crowd, an awesome swing band playing, some hotel guests, some locals etc. I ate too much, drank too many beers, but hey, it's New Years Eve! In bed by 11 pm.

Oh, we had to leave by 7:30 am, so I could ride with Uncle Gary and my Team Mack teammates in Springfield, IL. G dropped me off on the way home, and we went out for a wonderful, 24 degree, 30 mph 2+ hour ride! I did a New Year's ride with The Team a couple of times before, last in 2007, which turned out to be a great year for me. I decided that I needed a full on-slaught of Uncle Gary & Crew to kick off my 2009, and it will be a great year as well.

Ki

Sammie the Sea Lion

Pete the Prairie Dog

Eddie, aka: Nico Tiscali, the Head Concierge from The Ritz Carlton

http://www.teamseagal.blogspot.com/ The crazy single speed mountain bike racers in St. Louis

Blast from the Past!

My buddy & former coach Stathy sent this over the other day. It's from the Quad Cities Criterium, 2004.

Stathy was my VQ coach at the time, and I called him (behind his back of course) "frog legs". He had the biggest legs & power to weight ratio I have seen locally. Also probably leads to the fact that he was the Masters National Track Champion as well.

We worked together in races all year. At the Park Forrest Crit, we were off the front together in both the Cat 3's and the Masters 30+ races. I won the 30+ and he won the Cat 3 race, back to back on the same day.

At the Quad City Crit, he was off the front with 3 others, while I blocked the field. He won the Cat 3 race. Later in the afternoon, he worked for me in the 30+ race, as you see from the pic, and lead me out with a screaming final sprint to launch me to the line for victory. That was an awesome year for racing. I won 5 races, including a Pro, I, II race, 2nd in the State Criterium, took 13 top 3 finishes, and 15 podium spots. Stathy was with me all the way, especially the day before this picture was taken at the Muscatine Criterium. Stathy was off the front solo for 13 of 15 laps, in the pouring rain, 2 laps to go, we swallowed him up. I launched up the long steep hill, made the final right hand turn, kicked in the afterburners, and won the race.

Afterward I said great job, staying off the front and all, as it took a huge effort that didn't pan out. He replied that I should have won the race, because I didn't do a minuscule amount of work during the race! Thanks Coach!

Woops!

Forgot to put the picture of The Boyz taking over the wheel from Dr. Mike, on our way across the frozen tundra heading to Cyclo-Cross Nationals in Kansas City. Oscar & Grandpa Chumley did a fine job and got us there in less than two pieces! Way to go guys!

Weird? Yes. Care? No.

It's been frozen here. Have been kettle belling & riding the compu-trainer indoors. Anything to get through the winter, which has actually come WAY too soon!

Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah to all!

Cyclo-Cross Nationals 2008

Were back! Dr. Mike, myself and a couple of The Boyz ventured out to Kansas City for Cyclo-Cross Nationals, 2008. We left Wednesday am, just in time to scope out the course. Dr. Mike was competing the next day in the Masters 60-64 category, 2:00 pm. sharp. The course was LONG, with 1/2 going up hill through a series of switchbacks, stair runs, and down-hill runs, followed by some tricky descents, and a set of barricades, very European style. The course was almost all grass, which turned into all mud. The races were fast & powerful. I worked the pit for Dr. Mike, spare bike & spare wheels. The second lap in, I was noticing he was losing places! What the heck? Little slower. little slower. What the heck was going on here? He made his way into the pit, and switched bikes flawlessly, of course, to realize he had been riding over 1/2 lap with a rear flat tire! Jeez! That cost him some spots, Dang! Oh well, that's the way it goes I guess. It was fun. We spent about 2.5 days together, didn't kill each other, and The Boyz got to cheer him on as well (from the truck, as they said it was too cold out, and didn't bring their rubber boots, and were listening to cool jazz on the XM radio)


Dr. Mike crossing the finish. Way to gut it out!
Mike right after the race, pretty cold & exhausted!


On the way home, we stopped for gas at some po-dunk gas station in Missouri, Rick's Service & Tire. The kind where about 15 of the locals show up every morning to swill coffee & smoke cigarettes. The Boyz immediately noticed one of their relatives, so we HAD to stop & say hi!



Here's The Boyz posing with one of their close relatives, it really made their day!

Podium Shots!

This is where I will be at the end of the week. Cyclo-Cross Nationals in Kansas City. I am going in support of my friend & teammate, Dr. Mike. He has an excellent shot at the national title. Wish us luck!

Full report & pics when I get back.

Love, Loyalty & Friendship

G & I celebrate 12 years of marital bliss together today! We answer each others sentences now, which I think is "OK" I guess, and we can honestly say that this has been the best 12 years of our lives. Sure, we have had some ups & downs thrown in there, but we persevered. I don't believe anything has been thrown at us that we could not handle.

We have both believed that a great marriage takes hard work & always having fun. I advise my soon to be married friends, that the key to a successful marriage is to put just a little more in, than what you take out. Yes, there will be times that you keep taking & taking, but write out an I.O.U and pay it back. Everything will take care of itself from there.

Being the Irishman that I am, I believe that we have stayed in love, strong & dedicated to our marriage by referring to the Claddagh. This will continue to keep us going, forever & a day. Love, Loyalty & Friendship.

SOON!

Have been busy, sorry. Ate too much over thanksgiving, too fat to even put up an update. Will put one up as soon as I slim down a little. As you can see from the picture this am, I have a WAY to go!

Turkey Lurkey!

I was out in the yard Saturday afternoon, "finishing" the leaves (don't even ask, but they're about done).

Low & behold, 5 wild turkeys come strolling up to feed at the bird feeder near the garden. I took some pictures with my camera phone, and here's Terrance the Turkey, resting on our garden fence.

They came back for another meal yesterday as well. I explained to them that Thanksgiving is coming up soon, and due to the recession in place, I may need one of them for our dinner plans. They all jumped at the idea, giving me menu ideas and they're seating arrangement for dinner. I don't think they caught on that they will BE dinner, not OVER for dinner. The saga continues.

Old School Baby!

Pimp my ride. 2001 Redline frame, a classic, CX cross fork, Italia bars from 1984, Cinelli stem from 2000, 9 speed dura-ace from 2000, Mavic Heliums that I bought used from the USPS racing team in 1998, used TUFO's compliments of e-bay for $40/pair, and some crazy used seat!

Why am I telling you this? Have NO clue, but it's pretty cool how you can put a rig together on the sly, pound the crap out of it again & again and have a blast! Oh, the newest parts are the rear derailleur, crashed HARD a couple of weeks ago, broke the hanger, bent the frame, broke the drive train etc. It's OK, the Boys down at Little Ade's Bike shop had me taken care of in no time!

Rubber side down!

Crossin, Leaves & Turtles

I'm back. Been a rough couple of weeks. The weather here in the heartland has been stifling, cold, rain, wind, cold, rain etc. Perfect weather for some cyclo-cross! Have been getting out the best I can lately, but it's also fall, which means that the leaves fall from the trees, and G&I get to pick them up, all 1.7 trillion of them.

Spent the entire last weekend, I kid you not doing leaves in some fashion or another. We hauled them, dumped them, shredded them, burned them, gave them away, sold them, heck we even ate some I believe, just to get rid of all of them! We get to do them again this weekend, as we did about 90%, and have the balance to go, not to mention all of the leaves that blow in our yard, as we live on a bluff, we get all of the winds and the neighbors leaves as well, ugh!

My dear friend & contractor buddy Robert came down a couple of weeks ago, and we did an extreme makeover remodel on G's bathroom. Practically took it down to the studs, and replaced everything w/ exception of the entry door and the window. He went from about 7 am till 9 pm. every day, and got it done. Looks beautiful, and I will put up some pics once the shower door is installed next week I believe.

Got a wild hair up my butt on Tuesday, as I was supposed to be on the bike, indoors, on the compu-trainer for a training session. It's WAY too early in the year for this to happen, but it was 36 degrees and raining outside. The Turtle went for a swim instead. Yes, the first time in a while, like a LONG while. I ended up swimming 1500 meters, or 45 laps of the pool over at Village Courts. I was really tired after that, so I consulted Edgar, president of my fan club. He stated that turtles like water, and do not be afraid. I responded with "what the heck are you talking about"? He then said that it sure beats sitting on your butt doing nothing, and believe it or not, that is what turtles actually do for pleasure. (I think Edgar hit his head or something, as he has been a little "off" lately) but he's right, so OK. I am going crossing this afternoon, then back to work, so have fun!

Here's a good shot of me on lap number 37!

Weekend "Stuff"

My friends & Teammates, Walt, Gail, Mat (yes, that is spelled correctly by the way) & Daryl from the Team Mack Quincy, IL. pod sent over some pics of what they have been up to lately, ie: Lots of Cross Racing! Which is awesome! I threw this up there to fly the ol' Team Mack Colors, and keep in the mood through Cross-Nationals, which is in Kansas City again this year. Dr. Mike & I are heading over, as he has an awesome shot at the national title.

The Quincy group does an annual camping trip, where everyone hauls their stuff on their bike & with trailers. This is supposed to be a hoot, as you can see from Daryl in his lederhosen. I think "adult beverages" get consumed at this function in a pretty steady manner, you think?

Cross (Reality) Check

I learn new things every day, I think. One of the things I learned recently is that my true competitive days of cross racing may be slightly impeded by the fact that 1. I cannot pull out of my left pedal to dismount, one of the nasty little side effects of having a broken tibia 2. I cannot run, as the doctors told me I would not be able to, and they were correct and 3. Even if I could do number 1 & 2, the odds of re-fracturing my tibia in half again, are probably very great, so I shall not attempt this. Been there, done that, not fun.

I have been riding cross several times per week, playing hooky from the office, training, and then coming back to the office to finish my work. The daylight changes next weekend, so it may be weekends only from this point forward.

Had a couple of awesome cross workouts in the past week. Last Saturday the "VQ" coaching group went out to Lake Evergreen, where we hit some really fast single tracks, followed by some awesome wide open trails, to do a 110% VO2 max effort. I was completely gassed after 10 laps of that. I bonked with about 3 laps to go, and the legs were on empty. This am, we did a pretty good cross workout at a park in Morton, consisting of some bike skills stuff like bumper bike etc.

I crashed coach Stan-O during the bump & grind session. Oh well. I then proceeded to crash myself into Mitchell, which was pretty cool as well. Cross is like Fight Club, just on bikes, that's all. Male aggression taken out on each other, on grass, just to get up and do it again!

After the cross workout, we headed over to Village Courts, the gym that I work out at for a kettlebell instruction.

The VQ group, including myself got a pretty good eye opener. Kettlebell has been around for ages, mainly in eastern block countries. This will be an awesome supplement to our winter/off season training. Hope I can make it through!

Reverse Bucket List

Road season is over. Been doing some cyclo-crossing the past few weeks to enjoy the weather, hang w/ my buds and have fun. Went out to Jubilee State Park last Thursday. Kind of disappointing. All of the rain this year has severely eroded the trails, and the main trail that I love was closed, due to a bridge being out and about some massive trees that fell. I'll be out at the Kickapoo recreation area, and then a couple of parks near my house for some cross intervals.




Went to a wedding last night for some dear friends of ours, LJ & Tim. LJ is no longer LJ, she's now LC, so I have to get used to that I guess. Really nice wedding & reception in Bloomington. The best part was: I danced! No, really, I danced. Like G&I danced our tails off. Not since my accident have I been able to dance due to wheelchairs, crutches & canes. It was awesome! Now, I do the "typical white guy" dance, but it was better than sitting on my duff. We slow danced, fast danced, even did the cha-cha or whatever they call it. Made me realize how much fun G&I have together in the things we do. This was one of the things to be accomplished post-accident, and I did it. Now, today, the screws and rods in my legs are feeling the after effect, but it was definitely worth it!




G&I between sets on the dance floor. Kind of like "Dancing with the Stars" except not really.












This morning I made "the call" to my trainer, Steve. I had been building up to this, because I know what he would say. I contacted him a couple of weeks ago, said the racing season is winding down, and I need to get into the gym, work on leg strength, core etc. He told me to call when I was ready. I did, and he followed it with "well, get your butt in here"!

I knew he would say that, so I am meeting him this afternoon, and start some strength, stretch, core, flexibility, yoga workouts.

Wish me luck, as he's kind of the no-excuse workout Nazi.

Weird Times, I Guess?

Was out in Portland, OR last week on a business trip, whew! Karma was not on my side, bad plane flights which were cancelled, train rides with really smelly people etc. Finally made it to the hotel for the meetings, a day late & a dollar short.

Portland is a crazy, vibrant town. I have never seen so many panhandlers, freaks, punks, awesome restaurants and the finest hospitality from the people. Everyone was polite, service everywhere you went was great! It was cool!

I have never seen so many of these in one place! Fixed gear bikes! Everyone rides them, It's nothing to see 20-30 at any given time. It was pretty cool!

Riding update: Went out & hammered for 2+ hours solo both Saturday & Sunday am at about 200 watt avg. each day. This was to make up for the week off the bike, eating fatty foods & not getting enough sleep I guess. My "little brother" Ike & I then went for a 15 mile ride yesterday am when I was done, as he wants to be a bike racer! I shall help him with that. We went out & bought him a helmet at Little Ade's Bike Shop Saturday, and cranked out the KJ's on Sunday. He did good, and some base in the off season, he will do much better.

G&I went to the Peoria Art Guild Annual Art Fair yesterday afternoon. This is becoming a yearly event for us, as it was our "first date" when I was still in the wheelchair after my accident. First date means my first official outing out of the house and in public. I remember it like it was yesterday, and still smile almost as much as I did then. She was a trooper then, and more so now. The difference is that I could not go very far away when I was in the wheelchair, so she could keep tabs on me, as I would try some crazy stuff.

Here are pictures of some pieces I purchased from an artist out of Rockford, IL. They are getting matted & framed right now. I saw them, and had to have them. Fit my style? Yes. Weird? Yes. Care? No.


Oh, one last thing. When I came home for lunch this afternoon, I notice something in my front yard, that doesn't look like it belongs there. Yup, it's Terry The Box Turtle. He was cruising across my front lawn looking for some grubs, crickets & bugs in general. He knew where the "real" turtle lived, and wanted to say hi! I gave him a ride to the backyard, and told him to stop by anytime! Isn't he cute! Of course he is, probably a distant cousin or something.

Karma?

I know there is good & bad Karma, so let's see what you think of it all. My buddies, The Badger & Dr. Larry talk me into doing the Illinois Valley Wheelmen Annual "No Baloney" Century Ride yesterday. I have to get up at 430 am, to be there by 630 am. I head out at 5:55, and the highway, I-74 heading both east & west is SHUT down by the police. Fatal donorcycle accident at 4:10 am. A 28 year old man heading east bound in the west bound lanes, head on collision with a car.

Off the highway, through the city, running late etc. I start off the ride, and Dr. Larry & I agree to sprint for the "Stop Ahead" signs for 1 point to the winner of each one. He thinks he takes the first sprint, but it was just a practice. I won the next two sprints, and so on. We were then heading toward what we both believed was a "Stop Ahead" sign in the distance, ( it wasn't) when we lit it up! I hit the 1100 watt mark, out of the saddle, cranking on the bars, when my chain snapped in half! My rear wheel came off the ground, riding a front wheel wheelie, leaning to the left, about a millisecond from doing a face-plant at 36 miles per hour, and then it came back down, and I saved it. No crash, nobody hurt, all three of us just scared poop-less!

The SAG vehicle rescued me, we got a master link on the broken chain, and I was able to complete 1/2 century, as I planned to do from the start.

This am, my partner & I have to go to a meeting in Portland, OR. 6:50 flight. We take off fine, get into the air, start ascending, and then something weird happen. It felt like the plane lost all power, and we were coasting, for lack of a better description. Then we ascend again, then coast. Could not put my finger on it. We then "turned around". No one made any announcements or anything, but I knew were not heading towards Dallas/Ft. Worth for our connecting flight. This goes on for about 10 minutes, when the captain comes on, and states that the smoke alarm in the bathroom has a malfunction, and we have to go back. Really? The flight probably costs $50,000 per hour, and we have to ditch an already in-flight plan?

When we landed, we were greeted by every fire truck & emergency service vehicle at the airport, light on & rolling towards the jet. I think there may have been something else going on besides a malfunctioning smoke alarm, ya think? We de-planed, and had to cancel for today. Try again tomorrow I guess.

Weird series of events. G stopped me when I said I was going to clean the 3 story windows this afternoon, off of the old ladder, and while I was up there, take the power-saw and do some trim work, then repair the steep pitch roof, and replace the broken window on the fourth floor of the house. I think I may count my blessings while they lay.

Seasonal Trivia

Been laying kind of low. Got some pic's, little out of order, but you'll get the point. About a week & a half ago, Dr. Larry & I went to Springfield, IL. for the annual Springfield Bike Club Century ride with Team Mack. This made The Turtle nervous, as he hasn't ridden over 70 miles at one time in over 4 years! We had a pretty small group, that decided that they were going to "race" the ride, which we did. The weather was beautiful, winds were light, and we all had a blast. Uncle Gary was pulling strong, but The Turtle took second place in the sprints competition, as he was keen enough to recognize the "Stop Ahead" signs before anyone else, and took the sprints.

Last Friday Biker Danny & I went down to Jefferson City, MO. to race the Capitol City Crierium. The Tour of Missouri finished on the criterium course between races. It was pretty cool to watch the Pro's come rolling in from the road race, do 2x2.5 mile circuit around the capitol building, then finish! Biker Danny & I did the pro, 1,2,3 event in the afternoon, followed by the 3/4 race at 10 pm. There was a wicked descent, then slight up hill, then another wicked descent, followed by a 90 degree right hand turn and a straight up "wall" of a hill about 1.5 blocks long! Needless to say, The Turtle got dropped like a lead weight in water. Took 2 laps of that, and I was off the back in each race! Pretty humiliating, but I could not pull it off any better. I did my best, and will live to fight another day. Got some cool pics of the pro's afterward, including the final overall winner Christian Vande Velde, right as he was about to give interviews to the press corp. He recognized me, asked for my autograph and thanked me for not being in the Tour of Missouri, as he would have had a tougher time securing the overall jersey!

Happy Anniversary!

Since 8/29/04:

I have gone through a lot of "stuff" to get where I am today (fill in the blanks as you choose, especially if you know me well). I can finally admit to myself and others, Superman cape aside that it was not easy, and it still is not easy, on a daily basis. I will have some physical things that I will never be able to do again, and as tough as you think I am, some days I am not, Those are the facts, plain & simple, black & white, no gray areas. I really thought that I would just bounce right back, and all of the doctors were wrong, that a "miracle" would happen through hard work & perseverance, and I believe it did, just not to my level.

Edgar, president of my fan club & alter ego tells me not to be so hard on myself, and guess what, I am not. I enjoy what I do now, I love my life w/ G, the doggies and all of my friends. I love cycling and competing, and I am a winner, period! Without my close support network, I think I would have gone through the three "D's" that Dr. Watson says a lot of his patients go through after a major accident: Depressed, Divorced & Destitute.

I have competed in 27 races this year so far, finishing all but one, with a top placing of 7th. My greatest victory for the year was this past weekend in the state road race. I not only scored a 10th placing, but for the first time this year, I passed people in the final sprint! Edgar said that it was fear, mentally that held me back throughout the season, and it took 27 tries to break that fear, and gain the confidence that I had back on 8/28/04. He said most people would have never gotten back up after failure, again & again & again. I would have gotten back up 300 times, if that's what it took!

I Still believe in ALL the things that I have learned since 8/29/04 & then some, read on!

August 29th, 2008

Happy Anniversary to ME! Four years ago today, I was struck by a car, on a post-victory recovery ride. I have told the story in bits & pieces, but figured I'd lay it all out on the table. August 28, 2004: Sherman Park Criterium, Chicago, IL. I found myself in a 3-man break with two excellent competitors, Greg Springborn & Chris Daggs. We were off the front of the field for 48 of the 75 minute race, working well together. I downloaded my SRM, and avg'd 298 watts of power for the 48 minutes we were off the front. I took 1st place, Chris took 2nd, and Greg took 3rd place. I had finally won a Pro, I, II race, even if it was a smaller event, the competition was stiff. It was a good victory.The next morning, Sunday, after sleeping in, I decided to go for a 3 hour lactic acid ride to clean out the legs. It was cool, as in cool enough to wear arm warmers, vest and oil on the legs. I took off across the river, as the wind was out of the NW.Winding my way back toward home at 12:15 pm, in Peoria Heights, which is about 5 miles to get back to the house, the following happened:Tailwind at my back, I was cruising about 26 mph through the intersection of Sciota and Prospect Rd. I heard a squeal of tires, and then euphoria. By the time I could blink, I was suspended in mid air, looking at the roof of an auto part store, and wondering to myself, that this does not look right. It's amazing, when you have been struck & thrown like that, time stops, just like in the movies. It is the most un-describable feeling. You have no pain, no worries, just time to think, and I don't mean seconds. It seems like hours.I thought of many things while I was up "there", like did I kiss Gina goodbye and tell her I love her as I do before we always leave each other, why am I here, where is the white light & tunnel, am I dead, will I fall to the ground, only to be struck by another car once I hit the pavement, will I actually land on a car driving down the road, will I have time to say goodbye before I die? All of this happened in a split second, which seemed like an eternity. My last thought was, oh well, I have to land, and it's going to hurt, and hurt bad!I landed on my right side, almost in a fetal position. Eyes open, breathing, alive, and looking at what appeared to be a stream of blood sputtering from my lower extremities, across the road. The lady who hit me was backing up with her car, right at me! She stopped, got out of the car with a cell phone in her hand, and waddled over to me. She asked "are you OK?" I said "NO you F-ing Bi#ch, dial 9-11." (that is the only words we have ever spoken, not even an apology from her) She was so frazzled, that she could not even dial. At this time, people had stopped, and were out of their cars, huddling around me. I looked over at my left leg, and saw what appeared to be about 5"-6" of tibia and fibula (shin bone & back of the shin) sticking out of my shin, skin ripped open by the bones crashing through. I was laying in a pool of blood, still spurting out of the open wound, and swelling quickly. I thought they would have to amputate my leg, which at that point, I was pissed about, because the adrenaline was still kicking in, and I felt no pain. I said to myself, (I think out loud) that I had two choices as Lance Armstrong states in his book, "It's Not About The Bike" "to give up, or fight like hell"I reached in my back pocket, grabbed my cell phone, and handed it to a Good Samaritan who was there. I said, "dial 9-11, and call my wife, her name is Gina, under "HOME" on the contact/address book. Tell Gina that I love her, always have, and always will." Then the pain came, and came on like Hurricane Katrina, all at once, throughout my entire body, with exception of my head/face.I was screaming in pain at this point. No way to control it. Between breaths, grabbing my left leg above the knee, trying to stop the bleeding, and somehow ease the pain I believed. Bystanders were around, and I was dyeing of thirst. Throughout the entire ordeal, I never went into shock, or lost conciseness. After though, I wish I had passed out, as the pain was unbearable.A young lady named Shelbie Meister was in the car behind me at the time of the wreck. She was a 3rd year nursing student at Olivet Nazarene University. She witnessed the accident, pulled off and took control of the scene. She told me to breath, deeply, don't scream, no fluids from anyone, as I begged to get a drink of water. She held me in place, like a baby, so I could not move until the EMT's arrived. I could see the left leg was in big trouble, but didn't realize at this point that my right femur was broken in multiple places as well. She somehow suspected this was the case, or that I had shattered my pelvis, as I was turning blue from the mid stomach down.The EMT's arrive. They begin by cutting my clothes off of me with huge scissors. I said WHOA! STOP! This is my Team Mack kit! They then carefully cut my shorts off, jersey, shoes, socks etc. all up & down the seams, as if I was going to sew it all back together after I got better. There I was, naked on the street, covered by a foil blanket. The neck brace was installed, and all of the questions like "where does it hurt? can you move your fingers, toes etc" Well, my left leg hurt a "little", and I can speak, so my head is intact. I can move my fingers, so I am not paralyzed.I had to be stabilized, and placed on a backboard. I asked, what are you going to do to stabilize my left leg, still bent, and about 5 inches shorter at this point. They said that they were going to place me on the back board, and I said NO WAY! get a splint or something, and we'll do it that way. Another truck showed up with an air splint to place the leg in. That's when I realized that my right leg/pelvis was in trouble. They tried to "flip" me on the backboard, by grabbing my right butt cheek, and I screamed bloody murder. I asked them to place the backboard against my back, then we can all flip at the same time. They said that would not work.After what seemed to be an eternity, and chickening out of getting on the board again & again & again, the head EMT looked me in the eye and said: "If we do not get you on this board, in the ambulance, and to the hospital, you will bleed to death right here, take your pick"Between screaming, moaning and spouting EVERY cuss word in the book, I agreed to get on the board. We mapped it out, and agreed to count to 3. The EMT's put a rigid piece of plastic in my mouth for me to bite on, while they were flipping me over. Then came the count: 1, 2 and they flipped me! I screamed so loud that I think a blood vessel broke in my head!They quickly strapped me to the board, and placed me on a gurney, heading towards the ambulance about 10 feet away. Once inside, I begged for pain medication. They could not give me anything, as I was to be rushed to the trauma unit for surgery.Just then, a catholic priest hopped into the back of the ambulance, and asked if I wanted to pray. I asked him "Father, am I going to die?" He said that I would, just not today or anytime soon. We prayed, and he held my hand in the ambulance, all the way to the hospital.I was freezing at this point, and carrying on a conversation with the EMT's the best I could, through screaming in pain, and attempting to breath at the same time. Blood, snot and road debris was all over me. I felt dirty, caked with crud. All I wanted was some pain medication and a shower, not realizing that I had two completely shattered legs, and sitting, let alone standing would be impossible.The EMT's asked what hospital I wanted to go to. Huh? The best one! They did not realize at this point that I needed to be brought to a level 1 trauma unit, and the only one was OSF St. Francis. Off we went! I asked if anyone had talked to Gina, and they said she had been contacted, and she was on her way to the hospital to meet us.Still screaming, we arrived. Out the back door of the ambulance, and into the waiting ER unit. There was a team of professionals waiting for me. All I heard from the head ER Nurse is breath, breath, breath. Then the round of questions, again: "what hurts, can you move your fingers, do you have a headache, does it hurt when I poke here, when did you last eat, are you allergic to anything etc" I told them just give me the pain drugs, and NOW! They said they could not do that, as I needed to be examined, and a MRI or CT scan done.The ER nurse got my attention. (Now, remember, I am on the table, stark naked, covered in blood, screaming in pain, bones sticking out of my leg, surrounded by what seemed like was 100 people, all doing their jobs in the most efficient manner.) The ER nurse shows me a rubber tube, and states that she has to catheterize me. I said, and WHERE are you going to put that thing? Before I could finish the sentence, she had installed the catheter in my penis, and felt like a rock had struck my bladder. More screaming.More shuffling in the ER, and they asked who the physician assistant on duty was? Kelly Sparks was the answer. I screamed "Kelly?" I know Kelly! He' s my racing buddy. Not 2 minutes later, here comes Kelly, taking charge of the situation. He came into the ER, and calmly said, Steve, what happened, as he was holding my hand, like a child. (I still don't know how he retained his bedside manner through this) I said Kelly, I got hit on a ride. You have to get me the BEST doctors, period, who will get me racing again. He looked over the situation, checked all of the stats, and was making a prognosis. I begged him for pain medication. Not as of yet was his response.He then went to the foot of the table, and said "Steve, this is going to hurt". At that time, he grabbed my left foot/ankle, and PULLED the leg toward him, to forcefully pull the broken bones back inside the leg, and straighten them out. I screamed so loud, that the Nun that was with Gina in the waiting area, actually got up and left. A second later, Kelly yelled to administer the morphine. The pain drugs reacted within a split second, and I was back in euphoria at that time, not a care in the world.Once the morphine fully kicked in, I was OK. I was transferred to a staging room, with G by my side. She's tough, like an alligator skin suitcase. Calm as you could be in this mess, and telling me to breath. I stayed in the staging room with G and a couple of employees/friends, Brad Menold & Pat O'Neill, who G had contacted. They rushed to the hospital immediately. They told me that I had shattered the right leg, as well as the double compound fracture to the left. No further information at this point. I spoke w/ my parents on the phone, and waited for surgery.Several hours later, between nodding off & waking up, I met Dr. Bell, the anaesthesiologist who was to put me to sleep for the operation. I only asked that he makes sure I wake up when its all over. He said he would.Down a COLD hallway to the operating room, I was cracking jokes with the nurses and attendants. We were quoting scenes from the movie "Airplane", as I was so high from the pain drugs, I had no clue what I was doing. I looked up from the gurney, and here was Kevin Neblock, my old cycling coach and friend. I really thought I was dead, as all I could see was the ceiling, and bright lights at this time.Into the OR, pre-sleep meds go through the IV, and they said to count to 100. I made it to 2, and woke up Tuesday in the ICU after two emergency surgeries.

I learned several things since 8/29/2004:

• I learned that on 11/30/1996, the best decision I ever made was to say "I do" and marry my wife Gina. She has been the best throughout this ordeal
• I learned that I have more friends and supporters that I could have ever imagined, even to this day
• I learned that grown men cry, especially when they see their friend in the hospital after an accident, and it is OK
• I learned things like this happen, and when someone offers you their help, take it. No man is an island
• I learned that these things not only affect you, but affect everyone around you. Realize that, and work with them to help in your recovery
• I learned that you cannot be a victim
• I learned that you must fight like hell, everyday, although some days a little more than others
• I learned that no one is going to do it except for you, and pity parties are not an option.
• I learned that you must get back up after being knocked down, as many times as it takes, as long as it takes, as many resources that it takes to achieve greatness
• I learned that you must be a positive leader & friend to those who are going through a similar situation, whether you know them or not. It is not your choice, it is your duty & responsibility
  

Show Me The Money!

I'm back. Yes, it's been a while, and I appreciate the thousands of e-mails, phone calls, drive-by's and visits, to check up on my welfare, and see if The Turtle was still alive. OK, maybe not THOUSANDS, but who is really counting past two.

Actually, I have been busy, and in kind of a "funk" you could call it as of lately. I have a lot going on at work, training, racing etc. I actually took the past two weekends off of racing, after racing 9 weekends in a row, I was a little toasty. The Turtle was "Turtle Soup" you could say.

I did OK in the Elgin Criteriums, raced hard, finished with a 7th place in the masters 30+ and somewhere in the field for the cat 3's. These two races were the hardest of the year, averaging over 265 watts and over 27 mph for both races, whew! Spending some time at home & Quincy, IL. last weekend visiting my in-laws & training. It was a really nice break. With 27 races in for the year, and another ten or so on the calendar, it was well deserved.

Jumped back into it yesterday with the Illinois State Road Race Championships held in Oak Brook, IL. This is a new venue, consisting of a 3.2 mile course, a couple of power hills, and a 3/4 mile long finishing stretch. Did the cat 3 event, 48 miles of pretty fast. We averaged 25.2 mph at a average wattage of 212. Not too shabby. The hills, which we had to do 15 times each wore me down a little. The Turtle does not like hills, as his power to girth ratio is not that great. Plus, turtles are very low to the ground, with short legs and wide bodies. This is a genetic disadvantage. Top all of that with the fact that I have LCS, or Low-Cadence Syndrome, and you get the point.
Every time we hit the hills, I would ask myself. WWED? As in, what would Edgar do? You know Edgar, president of my fan club and my alter ego, like Tyler Durden in Fight Club. Well, Edgar would give 100%, every time, regardless of the outcome. So, that's what I did, until the final lap.

Just before the final turn, there is the last hill. We were drilling it, single file, I pushed on, came through the final turn in about 30th place. I fought on, 110% bridging from group to group ahead of me. I put it in a 53x11, and drilled as hard as I could. For the first time this year in a race, I was actually PASSING people to the finish. I met the lead pack about 150 meters from the line, sprinted and passed a couple of more people and got 10th place! I know, it's the 9th loser, BUT, I humped butt, and did it. I felt great about that result.

So, I went to verify the result, and asked how deep is the payout? 10 places! Whoo-hoo! I actually get PAID for doing this? I got a check for $20! After I tallied up my expenses, entry fees, gas money, damaged & worn out bike parts etc. I am only in the hole $14,556.77 in cycling expenses for the year! Show Me The Money!

Little Out of My League

My father, a really smart guy, with many words of wisdom always told me " Don't ever show up to a gun fight with a slingshot" Well, I listened to him usually, and took his advice for most things. For some reason, I didn't listen to him yesterday at the Superweek Evanston Criterium, Masters 30+ 1,2, 3's race. Or let me re-phrase the category as follows: Guy's who happen to turn 30 something this year, and are national caliber cyclists, former Olympic team members, recently retired professional cyclists, national champions and a couple of category 3 racers, who squeeze in about 150 miles per week training.

This is what my competitors "weapons" looked like on the starting line.

Started off as planned, stay in the top 10, and ride wheels. Well, the 30 something+ miles per hour up the front & back stretch started to take it's toll. I kept saying, when is this going to slow down? It didn't. Actually, the race promoters were throwing out $100 primes, to make it even faster! AAAGGGHHH!

Mid way through the race, I was struggling to hold last wheel. Just couldn't physically do it. I have been racing masters 30+ all year, and finished in the top 1/4 of the field, most every time. I actually wish I had an excuse, but did not. I knew that pre-race, all was good, bike OK, lungs OK, legs OK. I even put my Big Boy underpants on that morning.

Got popped off the back. I quickly remembered what Edgar, President of my fan club & alter ego told me: "winners never quit". So, I got together with 4 other "off the backers" and we trudged on. We dropped three of them, and kept on at about 25-27 mph, nice painful pace. Coming into the final lap, we got pulled by the officials, as the field was rounding the corner behind us. Dang! I couldn't give anymore. When you give 110% and still get pulled, nothing else I could do.

I guess I should have listened to my Dad. "Don't ever show up to a gun fight with a slingshot".

12th place X 2

Little updates. Took last week off, to "rest" my legs. Getting to the point in the season, where I was not recovering like I wanted to, and needed a little break. Did some nice riding with the gang, nothing too heavy. Still got in a couple of hundred miles, but little intensity. Have 20 races in so far this year, and have another 18-20 on my schedule, including cyclo-cross.

Did the Wood Dale ABR State Criterium Championships the first weekend of July, both the 30+ and the Cat III's.
30+ was fast, strong and windy. My buddy Robert was off the front most of the race, as usual, so I did my role as teammate & friend, and blocked, chased things down, blocked, and did a lot of work. It was nice, as I would up in 12th place overall, out of about 50 something riders. Not too bad.
Robert & I at the start before the 30+ event.














Turtle looking for the best draft, saving energy for the workload ahead of me. I actually bumped into a guy in turn 3 as we swept through. I was so low on the bars, and he was so tall, that my helmet actually touched him in the ribs!


The Team Mack Gang after the 30+ event!

Biker Danny, newbie and up & coming cat 5 to cat 3 in one season did the 3's race with me. We had fun, and it was fast. I decided to launch into turn 3, for the final sprint. Ramped it up the best I could, into the final turn, and got passed by 11 others, for another 12th place finish.

I guess two 12th placed in one day is a sign? I'm getting there, slowly but surely. 2009 will be a smoking season I think!


Update on The Boyz.

If you don't know, and you do now, I have an extensive collection of Manhattan Toy Co. stuffed dinosaurs dating back to the mid 80's. Weird? Yes. Care? No.

Well, Yunior & Oscar (right to left) required some medical treatment that needed to be performed by a specialist, located in Frankfurt, Germany, by the infamous Dr. Rebeccasprechen.

Ms. Rebecca heads the Refuge for Injured Dinosaurs, an international organization for dinosaur care. She offered to escort them to Deutschland for the procedure. She got them a first class, round trip ticket from the states, personally escorted them & "assisted" in the procedure. The Boyz are still in recovery in Chicago, but the procedures went well. Thanks Ms. Rebecca, The Boyz are forever in your debt, and they have a life span of about 2 million years, so that's a LONG time!
Ms. Rebecca with Oscar & Yunior heading to Germany!

Sharmin sent me over some pics from the Proctor Criterium last Sunday. I will provide comments on each, as you would not have guessed that.

Here's the "mini" Team Mack Train going through turn number 5

Mack Train x 2

Who ever said Waterford Bikes don't grow on trees?

Now there's a turtle with muscle!

Our fearless leader, Team Director & friend, Uncle Gary

This is the turtle going "turtle warp speed" through turn 1.

Thanks Flicksphotos.com for the photo!

Toughest $12 I have Ever Earned!

Did the Proctor Criteriums this last weekend. Entered the 30+ 1,2,3 race and the Cat 3 later that afternoon. The masters race, as they call them is really not a masters race at all. It just happens to be a bunch of cat 1 & 2 riders, who just "happen" to be above 30 years old. Me, being a slightly out of shape, overweight and non-seasoned racing turtle, (as you can see from my most recent photo), have to re-pay my dues to the team by being a super domestique, or laborer as we call them in the construction field.

My buddy Robert, 40 something in age, decided to race in the 30+ field, as Team Mack had no one to contest the 30+ state title, especially me. So, off he went, in a nice break off the front, and I was left to do my job in the field. This included blocking, chasing down any threats to the break, going turtle speed through the turns, taking wide turtle corners etc. just to throw everyone's momentum off. I would up in 11th place for the 30+ field.
Robert got 3rd in the state, and some other teammates collected prize winnings as well. By the time we split the pot of cash, I got my payday. $12.00

Not too bad I think. These gals want a $12.00 minimum wage, which my teammates agree with, so I got the $12.00 I earned.

Cat 3 race was a pretty big field, 80 something guys. Race was hard & fast. Legs pooped out on the final lap, took 34th in the field sprint, which is fine. Had a blast all weekend!

Oh What a Night..........

Day after my B-Day, whew! G&I went to Wildlife Prairie Park to become "one" with the critters. I have spent the last 3 out of 4 birthdays out there, hanging with my little friends.

The Badgers were A-WOL, as their home was being remodeled. The Badgers have a pretty tight building union, so my company was not invited to bid on the project.

This is as close to a badger as we got. Oh well. If I know the Badger Construction Company, they'll be over budget & behind schedule, so I'll see them later in the fall.

We then "slithered" over to see the snakes, turtles, frogs & salamanders. I got to see a bunch of my turtle relatives that I haven't seen for a little bit. We chewed on some crickets & lettuce.

Here's Ol Uncle Spotty. He still remembers me from my hatchling days.

Of course, we HAD to take the train ride through the park. It was really nice.

The infamous "Elkmobile"

What would life be if you didn't get photographed next to this rig?

G made me blond cupcakes with chocolate frosting, complete with dinosaur sparkles for my birthday cake

She also got me a new pair of Crocs, complete with SpongeBob, Gary, 4-Leaf Clover & a Turtle Gibbet

Great Birthday!

Happy Birthday To Me!

Yes. Today is the day. My Birthday. This will mark 38 of them, falling on the same day in June since 1971 (my 1st birthday)

Here's what my fantasy birthday cake looks like! Pretty cool huh?

I used to not make a big deal about birthdays, and I really don't now, although when you think about it, one of these days I wont have a birthday anymore.

Been doing lots of racing lately. Getting ready for Proctor criteriums this Sunday, which is also the Illinois State Championships. New posting soon!

Winfield Part Deux

My teammate, Rico Suave sent this pic over to me from the Winfield Criterium a couple of weeks ago. This is at the base of the hill. I am nestled in like a little baby, enjoying the pain of going up that stupid thing 22 times!

Rico got 3rd place that day, awesome job!

Fried Turtles & Hero's

Tour De Winghaven, O'Fallon, MO. Sunday June 8th, 2008.

I was there believe it or not, racing in the 3/4's event. This was an awesome, well run event. A 3 mile closed circuit of fast, of which we completed 10 laps (30 miles) in 1:08 minutes.

Do the math, it was a quickie. Here's the kicker. It was 95 degrees, 30+ mph. winds and a heat index of over 110. Needless to say that was not the best combination for a partially out of shape, slightly overweight & getting back into racing turtle. Thank God for my combination of good looks & junk yard dog attitude, or I may have been one of the many who did not finish.

We started off with 136 riders in the race. Yes, you read that correctly, 136! HOLY COW! Didn't matter, as I used to say, that's nothing, as I only have to beat 135 of them, easy stuff.

Well, I didn't beat 135 of them, only 111 of them, as I took 25th place. Not too bad, but will be better next time, I promise. There was some fried turtle on the menu that evening for sure.

This guy. Recognize him? Well it's my cycling hero. Some background: He's 40 something, doesn't really train, or have a training program, except racing. Has a beautiful wife & three adorable children, runs his own business, works his tail off, sneaks off to races (mainly to train he says), and crushes them into the ground.

Robert raced Winghaven as well, doing the Masters race just before mine, taking 5th as our teammate Clark won the event with Roberts assistance, and THEN races the 25 lap (75 mile) Pro event that afternoon (in the 1 billion degree heat) and finishes 32nd out of 130+ starters. Man, can I have a small blood transfusion from you?

I'm "OK" You're "OK"

I know, it's been a little while. I have been doing "stuff", like racing.

Recap: Did Memorial Day weekend races like I used to do, ie: Muscatine & Rock Island. Had an asthma attack at Muscatine and had to pull out. Raced Rock Island the next day, finished with the field, which is "OK" for now. Decided to do the 1,2,3 30+ race immediately after the 3's race, probably a mistake so close to each other. Made it to the mid point, and got popped off the back, on the back stretch trying to hold a wheel at 35 mph that could not be done by myself. It happens. Went solo until the officials pulled me. I can't remember the last time I got "pulled" from a race, but I am "OK" with that right now. I know I am giving 110%, and if that doesn't make it, I can do no more.

Last weekend was the ABR National Championships in Winfield, IL. LONG downhill finish, LONG backstretch with a "sprinters hill". This hill does not suit The Turtle, especially repeating it 22 times. Here I am at the start line, after receiving instructions from Uncle Gary. The race was fast, hard & I finished mid-field. That was "OK". My teammate, Rico Suave got 3rd place, which was pretty cool in itself.

The rest of the Team Mack Crew was in full effect. Races were hard, we took plenty of podium spots, and we all lived to race another day. Here's what turn number 1 looked like, it was a fast one!















Shot of The Turtle, my "girlfriend" (as G says) Robert, Rico Suave & Uncle Gary after the races!

















Robert's daughter raced in the junior event. Congratulations on the podium spot & a really nice medal!

All in all, I am "OK" right now with the progress. Need some more training, some more races, and some more fun, and it's all coming together, and I am "OK" with that.

Thanks to Ms. Rebecca & Paul Shilling for the photos. It's really tough taking photo shots while you're racing.

Sooner Than Later, I Promise!

My cycling buddy from Texas (who I have no clue who he is) wants to know, what's up, what have I been doing, have I been racing, results, what brand of under garments do I wear? (no, I added that, he didn't want to know my race results) Well, I am not a complainer, but I am running into a time crunch. Sorry. Just being honest. I was out of town last week on business, 6 days off the bike, got back, "raced" my bike 3x, actually 1.5 x, but that's for a different day, back to the office, back to training with my buddies; The Badger, Dr. Larry & Dr. Reid, then on my own for some SRM power fest slugging tonight, blah, blah, blah.

I know, like you care? You just want another awesome blob posting, like all of my other ones, so you can justify being on the Internet to your boss, or spouse. As long as you are on Steve's Blob, all is forgiven, right? Just remember to drink the "Steve's Blob Kool-Aid" and all will be well.

I will have a decent update as soon as I get more than 5 minutes to put it up. I don't want Edgar, president of my fan club to get complaint e-mails & letters for no new blob entries. Wait, that is weird, as Edgar is my alter ego, oh well, erase that.

I Hope I Never See You Again!

Final trip. Seemed to be excited, but knew it had to end. I pretty much knew the outcome, just needed closure, and to say my goodbyes in person. We had spent over 3 years together, and formed some weird relationship. The kind of relationship only a doctor & patient can have. What kind is this you ask? Purely medical.

About 6 months after my accident, I was in a rut, healing wise, as in there was no healing on the left tibia. My ortho doc, Dr. Maxey in Peoria, IL. said he could do no more for me, and that I needed to see a specialist, and he knew the exact one. Two weeks later, I met with Dr. J. Tracy Watson from St. Louis University Hospital and his professional staff. During the first 5 minutes of our initial meeting, we compared surgical scars, although he knew I had him beat. World renown credentials aside, he's pretty cool as a person also.

Over the next 3 years, he performed two bone grafts on my tibia, took care of me, dealt with all of my sometimes crazy e-mails, blog entries, questions, bad jokes, being impatient & sometimes just a pain in the butt. We shared some funny stories, laughed together, and I believe brightened his day on a couple of occasions, but it all has to end. I knew we had to break up, and it would be really easy.

Had my final appointment today. Got to have the final x-rays done, and say my goodbyes. It is going to be really weird not having some doctors appointment on my calendar in the future, as it has been full for the past 3 1/2 years. I am going to miss all of them, although when I left, I told everyone that I hope I NEVER see you again, professionally that is.


Finally! A picture of Dr. Watson & myself without me wearing a hospital gown, having a IV sticking out of my arm, on narcotics, in a hospital in some capacity etc. Feeling pretty good about it!

Mia, Dr. Watson's assistant. I will miss her. She was one of the nicest people associated with Dr. Watson. Always a pretty smile, joked with G & I every time we were there, and always showed care & concern for me. Good luck to you Mia, you were a pleasure to know for the past 3+ years!

X-Ray! What can I say. I was probably the biggest pain in the butt to them, but they laughed me off, and we had fun together. I would always have to read my x-rays before they were sent to the patient room. They tried to stop me at first, but then gave up, and we would joke about it every time. The ladies were awesome, and always made me smile!

SLU, where I will NOT be going back to, by choice that is! Like I said, I hope I NEVER see any of you again, professionally that is!

Final x-rays, which were taken today. A small going away gift from Dr. Watson & St. Louis University Hospital!

I Am Tougher Than YOU!

I can even prove it!

(My friend from Texas, who I have never met or spoken to wrote me with the following after this was posted: "Steve, sounds like the title to your Blob should be as follows, I am dumber than you, and I HAVE proved it" oh well, half-empty or half-full is how I see it) Read on.

Last night, on the regular Tuesday night death march/training ride, we started out with 25 mph winds, and grey skies. Storm? Nah! We were joking about how only 7 of us showed up for the ride, about 10 short of the usual. Man, they were going to miss a great ride, too bad for them, huh?

Of course, at the FARTHEST point on the course, the wind stopped, and the sky opened up, like a gigantic faucet. Pounding rain on us like a mini-Katrina.

We went on. I could barely see at this point, rain was pounding my face so hard. Through the hills, "won" the hill sprint (I don't think anyone contested to be honest) and I look down, my quads are turning purple. I guess when the temp. drops 20 degrees, and raining, that happens.

Then came the hail. Peas size at this point, but collecting on the road. We had to pull off and take cover. 5 minutes later, it all stopped. We trekked on. 3 miles later, another massive hail storm, now marble sized, and it hurt. Pull off to take cover again. The hail stopped, and we trudged on, in the pouring rain.

My legs were so stiff, that they would barely turn over. Got done, about a mile out of town, and of course, got a front flat tire, just to add insult to injury. Rode the flat in, and once back to my car, realized I had a rear flat also!

The worst training ride beats the best day in a wheelchair, any day.

Yippie, Hippie!

My neighbor, Mitchell (he's 10 I think) came taring over to my house on Saturday to show me the newest addition to their family. Hippie The Turtle. I of course had to go over to meet Hippie, and introduce myself. We shared a few stories about our travels in life. I brought him up to speed about my accident/recovery. It seems he had an accident as well, a while back, when he got T-Boned by a carp while he was entering the water. Broke his shell, and was laid up for about 6 weeks. OUCH!

I told him I was back racing the bike, working hard and all of that jazz. He is having fun, enjoying the weather now that hibernation season is over. We went for a stroll through the yard, as he is training for a big race coming up. The competition is a Hare, so he needs to put in long hours on the track.

We said our goodbyes, and wished each other well.

Monsters of the Midway this Saturday! Masters 1,2,3 & Cat 3's in the afternoon. Let me think, 4 corners & perfectly flat. If this is NOT a course for The Turtle himself, please let me know what is!

Crazy For Being A Fool!

I did it again. Raced yesterday, not once, but twice. Vernon Hills Grand Prix Criterium. Did the Masters Category 1,2,3 race & the Cat 3 race right afterward.

Fast, furious & tough. 60+ guys on the line, including my buddy Robert, as seen here, relaxing on the line before the start. The Masters, ie: "old guys" are probably the fastest category on the roster, w/ exception of the Pro, 1, 2, which happens to be almost all masters riders anyway?

Robert & I did the race, 20 man break off the front, Robert bridged, we caught the break with a half lap to go, and I finished a very respectable 18th place, with Robert giving me about a full lap lead out. He's tough, like an alligator skin suitcase.

Here's Robert leading me into the slight uphill, 400 meter, into the wind finishing stretch. I now know why they used to call us the "Dynamic Duo" back in the days. Sacrifice for a friend or teammate is never questioned.

Here's The Turtle, at the start/finish, right before the gun went off, paying attention to the officials instructions. The main thing I keyed in on was that they were not going to pull lapped riders, which I thought was cool, because I thought I may be one of them, but was not. After looking at this photo, I kind of look like 161 lbs. of turtle stuffed into a 140 lb. shell.

The 3's race went fine, just slightly slower than the masters race. 60 miles for the day, and almost 2 hours of racing in. Now that's training!

Just Thought This Was Funny!

This is what my dog, Sam would look like if I shrunk her down to a mini-dog!

We Need to Ask You a Few Questions.......

OK, quickie here. Raced the first stage of the Tour of St. Louis last Saturday, the infamous Carondelet Park Criterium. 90+ guys on the line in the cat III race, 60 minutes plus 5 laps. Raced REALLY well. Stayed in the front the entire time, moved around, burned some matches, but not too bad. Come the final sprint, if you could call it that, it is still lost, no where to be found. My top end power has not made it yet. That's OK, for now. I am working on it. My left leg is still partially "dead" as you can see from my most recent photo, so I have to re-train it to sprint differently I guess. Did a nice 3 hour ride in the cold on Sunday with The Badger, and harassed him the whole time about him "badgering up" on his bet that he made. I think he believes he is going to weasel out of the deal, but I have different plans.

BIG NEWS: Stage 3 of Tour of St. Louis on Sunday. Forrest Park Criterium, Masters 40+ Crit. Our faithful Team Director, confidant & friend, Uncle Gary was questioned by the police, detained and almost arrested for assault & battery.

You see, he ripped a whole bunch of guy's legs off! Right there, DURING the race! This was frowned upon by the local STLPD I guess. After some brief answers to their questions, and assessment of the collateral damage, he was released with a big fat check for 1st place, a gold medal and I believe a bouquet of flowers. Congratulations Uncle Gary!

Lost: Sprint, Big Reward

Last Sunday, I decided to race again. I need to get back into race shape, and the only way I have found to do this, besides the grueling Tuesday night ride with the Proctor racing Crew, is to actually race. My "Little Brother" Ike & I headed up to the Cheddar Curtain, the heart of liberal Midwest, Madison Wisconsin. The club up there puts on a series of races throughout the year, which are very well organized & heavily attended. I registered for the Masters 3/4 and the Masters 1/2/3 race.

I guess I forgot how fast these things were, but held my own. Did a lot of attacking in the 3/4 race, was in 3 breaks that went nowhere, as it seems you need to chase your own teammates down, especially when you have like 10 guys in the race (not my team, as I had no teammates)

40 minutes later came the final lap. I knew I had to be in 3rd or 4th position through the 30 mph. final turn to take victory, as it was a 300 meter, UPHILL finish. I needed to suck some wheels going to the line, the blast by them for the "V". I was in perfect position, 4th through the turn, out fo the saddle, and then it happened. I lost my sprint. I mean, I have NO sprint, none, not a shred. I lost 8 places, and took 12th. Back in the day, I could have come from 20th place, and out kicked all of them, but no more. 3+ years on & off the bike will do that to you I guess. I need to be working on that on the Tuesday night rides, and get it back this season. I figure I cant climb a hill, cant time trial, and now if I cant sprint? I am looking for it, but for this weekend it was lost.

Here's the Super Ikester. He was a great traveling companion and supporter. He hung out, watched some movies, organized my vehicle for the trip home, and we had a blast. If you ever need your phone or other electronic device figured out, call a 12 year old, they know way more than us "old guys" do!

Second race, the 1/2/3 field was stacked. 80+ guys, and my goal was to finish, which I did. It was an hour + of pain, as I had spent some bullets from the first race. My buddy & teammate Robert joined in, as he needed some miles as well. The race was fast, a break of 8 went off the front and stayed there. People tried some moves, which went no where, and the field sprinted at the end. I was in about 15th through the final turn, and wound up 36th overall I believe. Once again, the sprint disappeared, Nada, no where to be found. Oh well, I am trying at least.

Here's Robert, Danny & myself after the racing. Tired, hungry and packing up for the 3:15 drive home. 60 miles for the day, and 48 miles worth of crit racing. Not too bad for April. If anyone comes across my sprint, please let me know. I have a HUGE reward for you!

Be Here Two Shows a Night All Weekend!

New & improved posting coming soon! Been busy, riding, hiding, working etc. Trying to figure out a race schedule, which I haven't had to do for a few years. Oh well, I'll get it back.

Rainbows...............

The Badger just contacted me. His faithful doggie, Bear passed away today. He will be waiting at the Rainbow Bridge for The Badger & Miss Karen

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.... Author unknown...

Cannibal Badgers

Back in the swing of things here. Doing some riding, stretching etc. Planning on racing this Saturday down in St. Louis. After the Hillsboro race, I felt like I got hit by a car. Oh wait, I DID get hit by a car, so maybe it felt like I got hit by a tricycle. Took a few days to re-coup from that epic ride.

OK, epic rides. D. Bratton from Team Mack puts together a ride every spring called "Darrell's Excellent Adventure" ie: "Hannibal the Cannibal" out of Hannibal, MO. This is an out & back, 70 mile ride "through the hills". I drove the sag car last year, as I was still in a cast and walking with a cane, so no riding for me. The ride is through the hills.

Did I mention there are hills? We went out with a group of about 25 of us, leaving from one of our team sponsors house, Dr. Burton of Midwest Orthopedics.

Well, I can tell you, there are hills in them thar hills. After the first 17 miles, I mentioned to the "A" group, that these were tough, and I hope that's the worst of it. The response? Smiles, and something to the effect of "Steve, you haven't seen hills yet"

Oh Boy. I think I am in trouble. Needless to say, I backed off from there. Paced myself, and did just fine. The final twist of the ride was the turn off into Lovers Leap, a 2 block, 17% grade climb, which is barely walkable, less rideable. Needless to say, I dug into my suitcase of courage, after 68 miles of hills, and did it. Whew!

Badger Update: Well, since 4/1, The Badger has been M.I.A. Oh, he says he has been on a business trip, vacationing somewhere warm, visiting relatives at The Badger Den etc. All I know
is that he has NOT "badgered" up on his bet that I am aware of. I think he's afraid to come back to Central Illinois, head hung low, defeated by The Turtle.

I spoke to him the other day on the phone, and he mentioned his whereabouts, somewhere on the east coast. I promptly called the town where he will be staying, and informed them that there will be a rabid badger visiting soon, and they need to inform the town folk. To be aware & all, just in case he goes wild or something.


Hey, I figured that if he's not going to "badger" up on his bets, I can harass him until he does!

Ok,OK, OK! I GET IT!

Got some e-mails recently about my blob, and lack of updates. They went like this: "Steve, where's the Hillsboro race update? and by the way, you smell" and "I have checked your blob 1345 times, TODAY alone, and no update, and by the way, you smell, again" and my favorite " Steve, if Anderson Cooper & Tom Cruise had a child, you would look just like him. Where's the blob update? And once again, you smell, even worse".

I get the hint! I've been busy, believe me.

I consulted with Edgar, president of my fan club and trusted advisor the morning of the race, for advice. Edgar is very smart, and knows me quite well. He should, as he is my alter ego, like Tyler Durden. (If you don't get it, watch "Fight Club")

Anyway, Edgar, in his stoic voice said the following: "Steve, quitters never win, and winners never quit" That's it? You can't do better than that? "That is all" was the response.

So, the race goes on. 100 competitors in my category, hills, hills, fast, more hills, alligators, hills, piranhas, hills etc. I have NEVER finished Hillsboro, in any category, period. I have never made it past the first significant hill with the field (8 mile marker) as well.

I tried to stay in the top 10 in the field. First hill, where I usually get dropped, made it through, painfully. Second hill? Dropped like an anvil in a Road Runner cartoon, right on the coyote's head.

Then I looked over my shoulder, as I was all alone in defeat and saw Edgar! He reminded me of what he said......"Winners never quit!" So I blasted on, for the next 6 miles, and CAUGHT back onto the field! Burned all of the matches in my book, but did it! Went the next 14 miles with the field, through town, back out of town, and got massively dropped on the same hill again.

Lights out, body slammed, matchbook burned up, dead. But I still remembered what Edgar said........and hooked up with 11 other riders who got dropped from the field as well. We proceeded to chase the field, but they were gone. Today was a training day. Did the next 37 miles with our little chase group, and finished 66 miles total, 42nd overall. I felt like a winner, and Edgar gave me a big hug afterward. Wait, that's kind of weird. Oh well.

"Keeping your word" update: I am glad I did not post this yesterday, as everyone would have thought it was an April Fool's joke, but yesterday was April 1st. You remember. The "day" of reckoning for the BIG BET between The Badger & Myself. The bet was that I would use the negative button, during the grueling indoor sessions on the computrainer, and I said I would not. If he loses, which he did by the way, he has to shave his entire body, which will be quite a chore.

Here's a picture I took of him down at Hillsboro. He has not started to shed any of his winter fur. I told him I would make the appointment for the wax job, and even pitch in for the raw material, ie: hot wax, to accomplish the feat.

He seems to have some selective memory issues, as to what we agreed to, and is using the trip the the Badger Hospital about a month ago, as his defense. Edgar interjected that any badger that defends himself, has a fool for a client. Edgar is smart when it comes to the legal stuff.

So I hired a sketch artist to do a computer generated image (CGI) of what The Badger will look like, once he "Badgers" up to his loss on the bet, and keeps his word. This is as close as we can get for now.

Spooooooooky!

Scary Stuff Here. I am actually racing The Hillsboro Roubaix tomorrow am. 66 miles of potholes, wind, HILLS, cold & piranha's to fend off. I have never finished the race with the main field. Heck, I have never made it past the 8 mile mark with the field. Going to have fun, see my buddies that I haven't seen for a while (some years) tell lies after the race about how I could have done better if I wanted to etc. Wish me luck!

Give it to Me Straight

Back in the training mode. Did a grueling workout last Saturday at Coach Stan-O's house, consisting of 2 sets of 20 minute LT's, with 5 VO2 max efforts at the end. This was some serious stuff. I have to admit, that this one burned off almost every match in my book. The following morning, since I had a 3 hour submax ride on my plan, I hooked up with the local cycling club, Proctor Racing.

We had about 10 guys show up in 28 degrees & sunshine. I figured it would be a semi-tame stroll through the fields of Central Illinois. Three plus hours and MANY efforts above the 400+ watt range, and I was a wounded soldier. I have to admit, that my friend Pain did stop by, only for tea & crumpets though. By Monday evening, I had shuffled him out the door.

Last night, we had more LT efforts to do, again! 2 x 15 minutes each at 95% effort. Grueling. The Badger & Myself pounded them out, with The Young One nursing some athlete's foot or something.

One of the "important" things that Coach Stan-O looks at when we are done with each set, is what our cadence, or revolutions per minute are on the cranks, for pedaling. High cadence, like 90-100 is good, I guess. The Turtle on the other hand, seems to be inflicted with a hereditary, non-curable displacement called "Low-Cadence Syndrome" or LCS as they call it in the athlete/medical world.

I get an e-mail this am regarding my workout file I sent to him last night, and he sent his feedback, starting off as follows: "Nice solid intervals Stevo. Your cadence sucks however - 83 on 1st and 79 on second" I in turn explain that I was born with LCS, making it impossible to turn a higher cadence for such efforts, all turtles are inflicted with this non-curable syndrome.

I even included the most recent photo of myself, for your viewing pleasure. As you can see, I have a VERY short inseam, which means that I cannot turn pedals faster, unlike The Badger, who is born with longer legs, good for cycling, running, gathering prey & lawyering. Turtles are also very low to the ground, which makes them vulnerable, especially when cycling. (Throw me a bone here, I'm reaching)

After my self esteem was knocked down several notches, I e-mailed Coach Stan-O back, and asked, could you be more honest? He already included the response I was going to get, "Tough Love my Friend!"

Agenda

Back From Tucson, had a wonderful time. Our trip had a very detailed but brief agenda as follows: Sleep, wake-up, eat breakfast, ride, get back, shower, eat dinner, sleep again. That's about all we did the entire week. Climbed Mt. Lemmon twice, rode from Tucson to Oracle, AZ once (90 miler) and did a couple of recovery rides in between. Darby wanted to go with us, so the morning I left, she hopped in my suitcase!

The dinosaurs were from the Denver airport, stamped in the walkways, I thought they were cool. I also had Robert take the photo of me at 8000 feet, just to prove I did it. Mt. Lemmon is actually peaked out at 8900 feet, but you descend to the 8000 foot mark. It was really cold up there. Glad to be back, but I brought a cold/flu with me.

Ultimate "Peep" Show sent over from J-LO

The Call You Hate to Get

Got a call yesterday evening from Coach Stan-O, from VQ Spring Training Camp in Solvang, Ca. I really have not spoken to him all week, as they are out there, having a blast. Coach Stan-O, The Badger & Dr. Reid all made the trip. I could tell at the beginning of the conversation, that this may not be good.

He tells me The Badger had a crash on the bike, and they are at the hospital. The Turtle, not being a stranger to hospitals knows this is more serious than a saddle sore, or a bug in the eye. I said the hospital? Like the big white building, with patients in it? Stan-O confirmed my question.
What happened? Well, it involved a descent back into town after a huge days ride of maybe 450 miles or so, a couple of cyclists, including The Badger went down. The Badger took the brunt of it. OUCH! Nothing broken, but lots of road rash & some silly speak after hitting his head. Man, I love the fact that a helmet saved my life, and probably his as well. He is doing OK, and will be home tomorrow w/ the VQ Ratz. Keep him in your thoughts for a quick, speedy recovery, as he was doing awesome this fall & spring on the bike, almost able to contest a "stop ahead" sign sprint with The Turtle. The Badger has a following, like TMZ with their paparazzi, so I was able to attain some photo's right after the incident.

The Badger EMT calling for assistance

The Badger ambulance, performing emergency stabilization at the scene, preparing for transport to The Badger Hospital















Badger ICU, getting fluids & observation











Just before being released from the hospital, The Badger is quietly resting in his bed, letting the Vicodin do it's job!

Go Badger! We're rooting for you!

Outta Here!

I am taking off this weekend w/ my buddy Robert, heading here: The desert of Tuscon, AZ.

Going to do some riding, riding, riding, riding, resting, vegging, more riding etc. Robert & I are spending the first day in Scottsdale, where I am meeting up with a physical therapist who specializes in orthotics. Hopefully he can fit me with a shim of some sort, and balance out the leg length discrepancy I have, after the last two surgeries. Then off to wonderland. Miles of riding, sunburn, heat exhaustion, dry skin, naps etc. We are staying at a really cool B&B there called http://www.bedandbagles.com/ Kind of like home, away from home, while you're away from home, get it?
While I am out there, I plan on hooking up with one of my distant relatives, Ted the Desert Tortoise. He is probably a 10th cousin or something. Edgar the Turtle, President of my fan club and trusted advisor hooked me up w/ him. Ted lives under a rock.

We'll have a blast! Eating lettuce, maybe a bug or two. Talking about the old times, when slooowww really meant slooowww, and how "fast paced" everything is today. Just two hard-shelled reptiles chewing the green leafy stuff together.

Lonely, I'm Mr. Lonely......

My VQ buddies are off at spring training camp in Solvang, CA. Coach Stan-O, The Badger & Dr. Reid are out riding with the VQ crew from VQ HQ in Chicago. I did not make the trip this time, although I still have the best memories from VQ Spring Training Camp in 2004.


Now, I am back in Central Illinois, by myself, looking at snow, wind, gloom, 30 degrees or less, and the indoor trainer, banging out hours, however painful.


Having a structured training regimen is a blast, so I guess you don't know what you've got till it's gone, especially beating The Badger at everything we do on the bike, and then rubbing his face in it.


Update: It will soon be March, and if you remember correctly, The Badger & myself had a bet, about the negative button? Well, I have not only NOT used the negative button, but have used the positive button, many a times. I have witnesses to this deed.


The bet, at least as I remember is that as long as I do not use the negative button, The Badger has to shave his entire body, including his head. I am quite confident that this will be an exhausting task, and the 4 oz. jar of shave cream, "normal skin" will need to be substituted for the 55 gallon drum, "extra-hairy"!

Numero Uno

Have you seen theTV show called "My Name is Earl"? It's about a guy who leads a not so OK life, then gets hit by a car, and has a revelation, that he needs to go back and "re-right" all of the "wrongs" he did in his life. He makes a list of all the people, and bad things he has done to each, then each episode, he corrects a "wrong" in a hilarious way.

What does that have to do with me? Nothing. I just like the show, and oh, I got hit by a car as well, and I made a list. I have a memory like a wet paper bag, although I tell The Badger it's like a steel trap, exacting revenge whenever I see fit, especially on him.

Yesterday I got one of these: A gold medal for 1st place in competition. You see, when I was full of morphine, I made a list of things to be accomplished, like Earl did in his show. Milestones you could say. Regardless of what turned out from me vs. car, I would win, at least in my own mind. You see, I cycle the best, beacuse I am a winner!

So, I showed up at the 20th annual Team Mack cyclo-cross race yesterday. Not like in previous years, where I was barely post wheel-chair, on crutches, or on a cane, but SHOWED UP, as in ready to compete, kind of.

It was funny, everyone I saw asked in some polite fashion or another "are you going to ride today?" I answered that I was not only going to ride, but I was going to race. Most of their jaws partially dropped. I understand, believe me. I have not raced a cross race since 2003, pre- car vs. bike & 5 surgeries later.

The course had just had 2+ inches of rain dumped on it by Mother Nature. There was mud that would make a pig stick his nose up in the air. The kind of mud that you hear about in horror stories, you know, mud, grass mixed with mud, leaves & mud, alligators & mud, mud with piranahas, mud with turtles beating up piranahas, lumberjacks getting sucked in by mud. You get the picture. It was nasty.

I did the masters 30+ race, as it was early enough in the day, and G was doing her ususal volunteering at registration. She's a trooper for Team Mack & The Turtle. My "little brother" Ike was along for moral & mental support as well.

We took off: mud, mud, mud. Stopped the first lap about 15 times, just to clean the mud & grass from my front fork/brake, as I could no longer move. It seized me in place. Kept trekking on though. Hit the hill, and dismounts, lots of "running" with the bike, as it was not rideable. Kept moving. Three laps in, I went from 6th overall to 3rd, that was OK. My whole goal was to finish, intact, period. Finishing was a victory in itself, for me that is.

Kept hammering the best I could, and would up 1st place in the 30+ category and 3rd overall for the masters race. Ike ran with me by my side for the last half of the bell lap, through the mud & all, yelling for me to keep going! Team Mack swept the entire podium with 1st, 2nd & 3rd place overall. This is not suprising, as Team Mack wins more races per season than teams dream of in a lifetime. (Shameless plug for Team Mack)

Here's the award ceremony after. The Turtle is cold,wet & tired.

Uncle Gary, Me & Sharmin for a post victory shot!

Wet, tired & muddy. Can someone help me find some dry clothes?

I did so well, that even the beautifil Sharmin gave me a post victory hug & congratulations! Now, that is HUGE!

Promises Made, Promises Kept (Continued)

Well, I made a promise, and I can keep part of it. Here's the rollercoaster & leprauchaun.

We have been banging out maximum wattage at the VQ HQ at Coach Stan-O's & The Badger's Den lately. All done indoors on the crafty computrainer, hours per time. I brought the CT up to "almost" 50 mph. last night on a no-resistance setting. Why? Have no clue, but it was fun.

Sweetie sent me an e-mail the other day, commenting on The Badger's good looks & young stature from the photos posted on my Blob. He stated that the pic's must have been taken years ago, or air-brushed to make him appear younger. Sweetie has been with our group for a limited time, but I believe he is catching on quickly. He has begun to toss out the jabs, like a hand-grenade into a fox hole. Ouch! This does not affect The Badger, as he has a thick hide of fur, resilient to insults (and small children), however thinly veiled as a "polite jab". Heck, I try to get under his fur every chance I get w/ some smart comment, and it rolls off like mercury on a slanted glass table.

Back in the day, when I was pumping morphine like a weightlifter pumps iron, I made a promise to my friend & teammate, Robert. Spring Training in Tuscon! Well, it was a great idea for both of us, but 2005, 2006 & 2007 came & went, with no training camp. This was due to my inability to not have a broken tibia. Robert & I have been chatting for the past few months. Plane tickets have been purchased & reservations have been made for sleep & eats. We are FINALLY doing it. Sun, desert, Mt. Lemmon, all fun. I cannot wait! This will be awesome!

This is what I will look like after the trip. Fast, lean & tan.

Ok, maybe not, but at least I keep my promises.

Promises Made, Promises Kept

Stay tuned for a rollercoaster, seat grabber, fantasmagorical BLOB posting. It will involve pain, victory, defeat, ogres, lumberjacks, leprauchauns, badgers, turtles, really fast cycling & big wattage numbers put out by mere mortals.

Ok, I'm joshing you about the lumberjacks, sorry....................

Ooooh Lah, Lah!

As you can see, I have been busy lately, getting a massage from two of my "friends". That takes a while, believe it or not.

Update soon, as long as I don't fade off into la-la land.......................................

Cast of Characters (and then some)

I got an e-mail the other day from a fellow cyclist in Texas, who has been reading my Blob for some time, and of course, thinks it's great. I don't know this person, and I guess he was out surfing one day, and found me. He went on to say how awesome my Blob is, how cool I am, how fast I must be on the bike, how I look like a combination of Tom Cruise & Anderson Cooper. But he was confused. He asked, who are the people you refer to in your Blob? I guess it's difficult matching the names & faces, and he was getting a little lost. Now, I usually don't use real names per se, to protect the guilty, and almost everyone I know gets a nick-name from me at some point. So I told him for the new year, I will introduce the cast of characters, so everyone knows whos-who.



Me, aka Steve Driscoll, aka The Turtle

Edgar the Turtle, president of my fan club and my alter ego, like Tyler Durden in Fight Club

My beautiful wife, G. The stuff she has put up with from me for the past 11 years of marriage makes her qualify for sainthood.

Sam. My Dog.

Darby, G's dog

The Grover

Car that hit me

Dr. Maxey, aka Mad Max, my Orthopedic Surgeon, and "leg-saver"

Dr. Watson, orthopedic specialist, bone-graft expert and "leg-saver" as well

Nurse Barb, The BEST nurse in the world. I stalk her

Coach Stan-O. Fearless leader of the Bloomington Ratz, our VQ Coaching Group. Stan-O is the glue that hold us riff-raff together, and win races

The Badger, attorney by trade, ruthless masters racer, and all around nice guy. We trade jabs at each other every chance we get, and has not beaten me for a "Stop Ahead" sign sprint as of yet

Sweetie, newbie to the VQ Ratz, does the swim, bike, run thing. He does the "Big Race" in Hawaii

Dr. Reid. Highly skilled plastic surgeon, does the swim, bike, run thing as well. Married to the Yoga Nazi

The Young One. Fast Junior cyclist. Eats a box of Twinkies before a ride, and still pounds us in the pavement

Miss Karen, attorney by trade, married to The Badger, also qualifies for sainthood (refer back to "married to The Badger")

Little Mikey. Great friend & cyclist, currently vacationing in Spain, for 6 months



Uncle Gary, Director of Team Mack Racking, a professionally managed amateur racing team

J-LO, attorney by trade, great friend & cyclist. Nicest guy you'll meet. Have no idea why he hangs with The Turtle

You Cannot Shake Hands with a Clenched Fist

My friend Pain was here to stay. I tried everything to get rid of him. After a while, he was becoming, well, kind of a pain. So, the lightbulb went off in my cranium Friday afternoon, as there is a LOT of space in there. I will entice Pain with an incentive to leave. You see, Pain is a sucker for a cold beer. So, Friday afternoon, I told Pain that I had a coupon for two free drafts at the local watering hole, Erma & Joe's. It's a pretty seedy place, with 8 oz. drafts for 50 cents, free peanuts and all of the second hand smoke two lungs can handle per hour.

So I gave him the coupon, and off he went. What he didn't realize is that I made the coupons up, on my computer, but he bought it anyway, and I waved him goodbye. When he came back later that evening, he saw that there was NO Vacancy at the Turtle's aquarium. He sent me a text message later on, saying it was cold outside, and he was hungry, and all he had with him was his ho-bo bag etc. I ignored it, and went off on my own. Pain, Pain go away, and don't come back another day. Although I know he will, I have a soft spot in my heart for him.......We have become good friends, like peanut butter & jelly.

Back to the great indoors w/ VQ. Saturday, tough indoor workout, lots of VO2's and strength building stuff on the bike. Two hours later, I was cooked, well-done, filleted and broiled.The Badger, Coach Stan-O & Sweetie were all part of the game. Sweetie, although a newbie to our group is doing quite well. He is a solid talent, and now I know why he can compete in the "Big Race in Hawaii". He grinds away on the bike, maxing out the wattage's, and doesn't even sweat. He has caught on quick though, that we are a WEIRD bunch of guys, training, having fun, and poking fun at each other. I think he also realizes that we love to see each other do 110% in our training. We are the best, because we are winners!

This am, we went to the Badger Den. We had a surprise visitor, Dr. Larry who has been in hibernation for the past several months. He used to be part of our group, but between a wife, 19 kids, performing 8 surgeries per day, 9 days per week, and sleeping the third Sunday of every other month, something had to give. So, he got rid of 16 of the kids, and now only does 7 surgeries per day. (OK, kidding, about the surgeries, that's a little far fetched, don't you think?)

I had a double workout to do, as I have to be off tomorrow. So, I did 2 sets of plyo's and 6 maximum sprints, then spent an additional 1.5 hours riding on the compu-trainer w/ The Badger & Dr. Larry. It was a blast. Even though we were riding a computer simulated course, and I had already done a complete days workout before I even got on the bike, I STILL beat The Badger for every "Stop Ahead" sign sprint! He gave me some lame excuse that he could not see them, because he didn't have his reading glasses on, and his dog was barking, and he didnt brush his teeth, and his fur was not combed in the right way. Whatever.

Two Buck Chuck

Did an outdoor ride last Saturday & Sunday. Dr. Mike & I hit the road on Saturday, and The Badger, Dr. Reid, Rob J. & myself braved the 24 degrees, overcast, 20+ mph. winds on Sunday, because we could. Two hours of frozen, and we earned bragging rights.

We learned very quickly that only the few, the brave & the stupid ride outdoors in that weather, unless we have a gun to our head. That being said, we shall do it again, and soon. I shall also beat The Badger for every "stop ahead" sign sprint, as this seems to be a reoccurring theme.

Back to the indoor grind last night w/ The Badger, Sweetie & The Young One. I, being the lazy one of the bunch had to do some detention work, and complete part of my squats, jump boxes, lunges and maximum sprints that I should have done on Monday night, but did not. Why didn't I do them Monday? Well, laziness is what it comes down to, and the fact that they are difficult to do, while asleep on the chair, watching a movie.

So, we grind on, doing interval after interval. My friend Big Rob came by to cheer us on, and share our pain. I remember these from the winter of 03/04, and cannot believe how my mind was flashing back & forth. The others were wincing in pain with every pedal stroke. I was singing, clapping, sharing war stories from back in Nam. Once the 7th, 5 minute interval was complete, I asked Coach Stan-O when the workout starts, now that we have warm up completed? Just then, my friend Pain came by, and tapped my on the shoulder, just to say HI! I invited him to come over last night, and stay for the evening. I politely asked him to leave this am, and he did not. He's still here, and I think he's going to be here for a little while longer. Light spin tonight should be a clue for Pain to hit the road for a while, maybe not. Either way, I am the best, because I am a winner.

This Just In!

My New "Team Mack" Issue R-33 for 2008. 42cm w/ SRAM Force Kit & SRM Power Setup
15.5 lbs. of FAST














Little Ade's Bike Shop Owner, Mike Antonini & Chief Mechanic, Dione

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!

I've been busy. Sorry for the lack of updates. Between a wonderful Christmas & New Year, I have found my "sweet spot" of laziness. Back to business now I guess. I said that once the new year came, and I could still train as I wanted, then I would. Kind of a small benchmark, but it came, went, and no problemo's to speak of as of yet.

Back to training. Our VQ Coaching group, ie: The VQ Ratz as we have been named has been meeting regularly for training. Coach Stan-O, The Badger, Dr. Reid, The Young One, Myself (The Turtle) and a newbie as of last Saturday, Sweetie. Sweetie is a nice guy who is a semi-pro triathlete & higher education learning material manager for a large learning institution in Central Illinois. He competes in some big race in Hawaii once per year, I think it is called The Ironman? Maybe you have heard of it. It's some grueling million hour death march where you swim like 50 miles, bike 3000 miles, then run 4 marathons, back to back, or something like that. It seems that you have to be pretty tough to do this race, or at least be able to walk 18 holes of a golf course with a 12- handicap.

The turtle has no mental endurance for more than 50 minutes of 30+ miles per hour plus 3 laps, so this Ironman thing does not work. Plus, turtles can swim fast, but run really slow. Just ask Mr. Hare.

Dr. Reid took a bunch of great shot's last night w/ the sophisticated camera, but are way too large to post on the Blob, so here are some for your entertainment purposes.

Badger & Miss Karen w/ their fur children

Pre-Surgery w/ Dr. Maxey

Sock Monkey, Uncle Gary & Me!

Winter ride late last year in Springfield

Torn Between 2 Lovers, Feeling Like a Fool

Spent last weekend at Cyclo-Cross Nationals in Kansas City, Ks. This is the "Big Kahuna" for the racing season, cyclo-cross wise. I went to spectate, cheer on & assist my friend Dr. Mike. Mike & I have been crossing for years, probably ever since we have known each other from the late 80's. We have also raced cross together at the National level several times, last being in Napa, Ca. in 2002, when it rained 24 inches over 72 hours. I still have mud in places that I don't even know I have yet!

Here's the start of the elite men's race. Dr. Mike's race the day before was 19 degrees, 20 mph winds, overcast & quite frozen for the spectators such as myself. I will be back next year, competing at Nationals for cross-bragging-rights. National podium? Probably not, but cross is a blast, and one of the things I really miss about cycling. Where else can you race for an hour, on & off road, get loaded up with so much mud and grime that you have to take a shower at the self-serve car wash, get hypo-thermia, break some really expensive bike parts and come back the next weekend to do it all over again? NOWHERE! It's like the movie "Fight Club" but on bicycles, you know, Mischief, Mayhem, Soap. Watch the movie, you'll understand.

So, back to reality, and more grueling VQ workouts at Coach Stan's last night. Stan-O had done his scheduled workout earlier in the day, as to not let The Badger & I see the massive amounts of power being distributed by his quads in watts, and place us in the mere mortal category, mentally deflated like a cheap balloon that you get at the county fair.

The Badger & I have 10 VO2's to do, at 1 minute each, with 2 minutes recover between each one, followed by 17 minutes of grinding out 200+ watts at 50 rpm. They are hard, like an iron worker in a midwest winter. The Badger has caught his seasonal second wind, and does not break a sweat. The Turtle on the other hand has to apply physics, strength & muscle to bear through, due to lack of leg length, conditioning and really good looks. Once I dug into my suitcase of courage, I was able to increase my resistance on the computrainer by a fair amount.

My friend "Pain" dropped by to pay me a little visit, and spread some words of encouragement. He did a good job. He then left me with a parting gift, a direct deposit in my "pain" bank account.

We Have a Winner!

J-Lo, aka: J-Luv has guessed correctly! It is The Badger! I think it was the "Hair" hint that gave it away. For guessing correctly, he wins the "Uncle Gary Bonus". You know the one. Right in the middle of the race, Uncle Gary comes on the radio and tells you that if you win, he'll give you a "bonus"? Although he never says what the bonus is, and usually never delivers? Well, I deliver on my promises. Here's the bonus, well rounded advice from The Turtle.

Don't smoke in bed
Don't look directly into the sunlight for an extended period of time
Obey the speed limit
Don't drink & drive
Take care of your body, and it will take care of you

Congratulations on the correct guess!!!!!

Two Tickets to Paradise

OK!!!!

Special "Uncle Gary Bonus" to the first person who can correctly guess who this is in the picture. Click on the "comments" link at the bottom of the posting, and fill in the info. First correct guess wins!

Here are some hints: It may be a man, or a woman. Don't let the boots throw you off, DO let the tights throw you off, the snow in the background is fake & planted TO throw you off, this person works in a professional field known to some, but not by all, you may or may not have met this person, you may or may not know this person, this person's favorite Broadway play is "HAIR", the boots appear to be a little large, but maybe not, as I am not wearing them.

Good Luck!

Well, It's About Time

Had to do some traveling last week for business, and G & I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary last Friday. Pretty cool I think we both believe. The bond gets a little stronger each day, week, month & year. It's really neat seeing our relationship grow each year. The VQ gang has been doing some riding, indoors and out. The Badger, Coach Stan-O and I have been hitting the road & off road, doing some cyclo-cross riding. Cyclo-cross has been around since the beginning of the century in Europe. It is riding off road, usually in wide open fields & trails where a course of less than 1.2 miles is laid out. You ride a bike that looks like a road bike, but with knobby tires for traction. I started "crossing" in the late 80's, as a way to stay in shape throughout the winter, and stay competitive. Throughout the course, they set out barricades that you have to get off your bike, hop over the barricades, run and then get back on your bike and ride again.

Cyclo-cross usually means lots of mud, snow etc. It's a blast, and a great workout. I have competed at cyclo-cross nationals several times, and am going to nationals in Kansas City next week, to cheer on my friend Dr. Mike, who has a great shot of winning the national title.

Last night, we did an indoor workout consisting of 15 x 1 minute VO2 intervals. What does this mean? Well, you go through a grueling warm up on the ferocious compu-trainer, then the computer forces you to go all out for 1 minute straight. Oh, by the way, we had to do this15 times. It's a death march to say the least. Stan-O & The Badger were my partners in this torture. We all set our resistance to the level where we needed to be at for this workout.

Halfway through, I looked up at the LCD screen, and noticed that The Badger had lowered his resistance level, on the sly, ie: wattage down by 20 watts. This is known as using the "negative button", which you may recall from a previous posting, that I agreed will not be used by me. I had made a commitment to my friend "Pain" that I would not press the negative button, as this would hurt Pain's feelings, and probably anger him.

The Badger did not look good, as he mentioned projectile vomiting, cross-eyes, heart-attacks, stroke, heartburn, athlete's foot and some other ailments during this mother of all workouts that he was succumbing to. I did my best to get through it, and even had a chuckle with Pain during the last 2 intervals by raising the resistance level or the "plus button" by an additional 10 watts. This of course was all for show, as the effects were felt immediately, with Pain laughing back at me, confirming the fool that I really am. I did not look so hot, kind-of pale & sore.

As you can see, The Badger was not looking too good either.

Happy Turkey

Happy Turkey Day! Please give thanks this day & weekend for all that you have!

All Things Must Come to an End

G&I went to see Dr. Watson this am. It's been four months since the last visit, and I have been feeling good. Been riding about 120 miles per week, doing our indoor & outdoor workouts with the VQ Cycling/Coaching Group etc. I haven't used the cane per se in almost 5 months, and look pretty darn good if I say so myself, kind of like a handsome Anderson Cooper.

Start off w/ X-Rays. The tech's down at SLU love me to death. Or love to see me go when I am done, I can't tell either way, but at least they're nice to me. I always read my own x-rays while they are showing up on the computer monitor, and critique them before Dr. Watson gets a hold of them.

Dr. Watson's assistant, Mia comes in to ask me all of the regular questions, and I always guess my blood pressure beforehand, and see how close I can get. 138/88 today. Little high, but I have the white coat syndrome when I walk in the door, I believe. She's a hoot, and I will miss her when this is all over.

Dr. Watson comes in for the consult, and the x-rays look about where they were in July. OUCH! Actually, they look a whole lot better in the rear & side, with exception of a spot on the front/outside of the tibia, which has a section of "dead" bone. We discuss this matter, and agree that the bone is about 70-75% remodeled as they say, and that is about as good as it will get. Surgery? No. The risk of surgery does not equal the potential outcome. The section of bone is dead, and not touching the other broken section. Blood flow between them is limited or non-existent, and to do a surgery would require opening the leg up, hacking out the section of dead bone, doing a HUGE bone graft, with a 50/50 chance of success, if that.

The gray or black area at the front of the tibia is the dead spot. The fibula still has a chunk missing, and probably will never grow back together, just float there in the leg, broken.

That's it? I ask? Yes was the answer. But what about the x-rays, they look bad! Dr. Watson says that he doesn't treat x-rays, he treats patients. I can live with that. He's right. I have so much more quality of life than what I had even months ago. I can walk up & down stairs. I have little pain on a daily basis, nothing to cry about that is. The bone will probably always be "broken", but I have more to be thankful for. I have two legs, which believe it or not, is a miracle in itself. If Dr. Maxey didn't have the professional expertise to stabilize me, perform 3 surgeries, refer me to Dr. Watson for the dual bone grafts, and Dr. Watson wasn't the professional that he is, I would be missing a left leg right now. I can cycle, swim, walk etc.

I plan on racing in 2008, ripping some legs off and snapping wrists, like Steven Segal does in his "B" grade movies.

I need to have a real understanding that 70-75% is really 100%, and that is a good thing. It may take me a day, a week or whatever, but I will do it.

I almost feel like I have lost an old friend. A really bad friend, who you love to hate. You talk about them behind their back in the worst way, but when you need him to walk across the room, get in & out of the car, rake leaves, ride for 50 or 60 miles and then wind up a huge sprint at the end, you're nice to him again. Only to curse him out when you see the doctor, and he behaves badly on x-rays. That's life, and you live with it.

Every book, good or bad has an ending at some point, and I think I am at the final chapter, with maybe a couple of pages to go.

It's kind of sad in some ways. I believe this blip on the radar of my life has made me a better person, husband & friend. I could have NEVER done this without G, as always, she is a rock. We have tested limits that some marriages would not endure, I suspect. My friends have stuck with me like glue, super glue that is, especially my cycling buddies, who always believed in and encouraged me on a daily basis, enjoying my milestones as much as I did.

Between G & my friends, they never let me feel sorry for myself, and pushed me to the limit every day during recovery for the past 3 1/2 years, and still do. Not an inch of slack getting let out.

Dr. Watson said to "Come back & see me in 6 months" I told him that we are going to do lunch when I return, shoot the hay, and probably say our final goodbyes at that time, and I believe we are all OK with that.

These just in from Dr. Watson from yesterdays appointment:

So it is written, and so it shall be done!

G & I spent the week last week in Cave Creek, AZ w/ our friends Barb, Ric & their daughter Gracy. They go way back w/ G, and I have known them a long time, since G thought we were serious enough dating back then, to introduce me to her friends. Mission is as follows: Ride my bike & have fun. That's it. No other agenda, period.

OK, eating great food & knocking back a few cervezas' was on the list, but not on the agenda. Ric, Barb & Gracy are wonderful people who extended their home to us for 5+ days, along with their dog Bubba, who I have named S'Bubba, because I can.

This is what 8am looked like for me most days on the bike. Hills, desert, cactus, lizards & lots of climbing!

The "Girls" went out to lunch one afternoon to reminisce. I decided to go see them, as the infamous "Aunt Stacy" was going to be there. Aunt Stacy is a long time friend of G's, and we became friends as well. The last time I saw her was at her wedding 5 years & 2 children ago. Aunt Stacy & her mom, Mrs. Stacy are pretty silly and a great time to be with!

Me, G & S'Bubba. He's a 150lb. Bull Mastiff. He's also a big wimp. He's afraid of the dark and will not go outside if it is too cold out. He also makes a great pillow for naptime!

This is a bad photo of Gracy, which will come back to haunt her one day, when she is walking across the stage picking up her diploma from Harvard Medical or MIT School of Engineering. She's a sharp 12 year old.

Me & Gracy hanging out. Check out my crazy shamrock lounge pants! That will tell you mood of our trip: Relaxed, mellow & silly.

I helped Ric clean the poop out of the horse stalls in the afternoons. I didn't take me long to figure out that Croc's aren't appropriate footwear in the stalls. Next time, I'll have to get a pair of cowboy boots.

Overall, great trip. Outside of what could have been a real serious crash Tuesday am. when my rear tire blew out at 35 mph & hit the pavement, hard, we enjoyed great friends, great food, great dog's & horses, wonderful miles on the road and a HUGE mental doughnut for me & G.

Pulled a Fast One

Pulled a Joseba Beloki move today from the Tour De France. Rear blow out at about 35 mph. All limbs still attached, some bike & skin damage. More details to come.

There's a New Sherriff in Town Boys!

Went to coach Stan-O's house this evening to do our indoor workout on the computrainers or "CT". The "CT" is an electronic simulator for riding indoors, which will "re-create" an outdoor ride, usually only harder though, because you can't coast, you are constantly pedaling against resistance.

On the computer head of each "CT" there is a resistance button, which you can override the computer, and make the workout harder, or easier.

The Badger & Stan-O were talking about how long it would take for me this training season, to use the negative or less resistance button when the going got really tough. I said that would not happen. You see, The Turtle knows pain, and actually we have become good friends over the past 3+ years. Pain & myself had lunch together the other day, as he has not seen me lately. I mentioned that now with VQ cycling coaching, Pain & I will be seeing a lot of each other, and that is OK, although the "negative resistance" button will not be used, because that would be an insult, or a slap in Pains face. I do not insult or cause bad feelings to my dear friends, especially Pain, as he has a temper.

The Badger & Stan-O gave me a laugh, and said that I would be using the less resistance button, as the pain of the workout would be so bad, that NO man could take it. Well, I guess I am "no man" because I told them to put their money where their mouths were. After a moment of silence, The Badger said that whomever loses the bet, has to ride their bike around the block naked. Fine, I'll do that for kicks any day of the week, before & after breakfast where I eat nails, topped off with gasoline. I said let's make a real, man's bet. When Stan-O & The Badger lose, The Badger has to have his ENTIRE body waxed, including his head. As you can see from the most recent photo, he is quite hairy.

Stan-O???? Well, he puts up with enough crap from me. Just knowing he lost the bet will sent him into mental hibernation, and plead to coach me for free, for the remainder of my life, and any offspring that may occur.

I am not quite sure we "sealed the deal" as The Badger is an attorney by trade. He is probably home tonight trying to find some old case law or loophole to get out of this mess he will soon be in. Stan? He sleeps like a baby, knowing full well that The Badger will look silly after the wax job he has to take for opening his mouth.

Said it before, and I'll say it again. There's a new sheriff in town!

Pedaling Squares

Spent the last week with my cycling/coaching group, Vision Quest Coaching Service.

I was affiliated with them from 2003-2004, until I had the smackdown by a car. I am "gently" easing back into it, and of course, the week I decided to make it official, they do all of the base fitness testing, ie: Hell Week.

Tuesday was 40 minutes of lactate threshold, indoors on a stationary compu-trainer. This determines a power number in watts, that you can hold for a specific period of time. Thursday was VO2 max. testing. How hard can you go, all out for 4 minutes on a compu-trainer, and see what that wattage number is as well. This is followed by 2 maximum sprint efforts for 10 seconds each, to see what the maximum amount of power you can put out.

All was well, until yesterday. This was the last of the testing. 4 hours of pain. Ride for 4 hours, to determine what amount of power you can put out, average over a 4 hour period. This translates into about 75 miles worth of riding, outdoors. For some reason, it was about 92 degrees outside in the last hour and a half, and it was miserable. I have not ridden over 60 miles at one time since before my accident, so 75 miles in the heat, wind etc. was brutal. Heck, they even cancelled the Chicago Marathon because of the heat, and it was a couple of degrees cooler up there!













Here's Coach Stan-O-Leenie giving pre-ride instructions to the group.

Classic shot of Ethan, aka "The Young One"

Here's the group, pre ride: The Young One, Little Mikey, Coach Stan-O, Rob, Steve Evans aka: The Judge, Dr. Reid, The Badger & Myself, The Turtle









Here's the aftermath, over 4 hours of riding later. We all joked, told lies about how we could have gone harder if we wanted to blah, blah, blah.

It was a great day for all of us. I would not want to do it again anytime soon, as when the 3 hour mark hit, I fell apart. Not imploded, but pretty close. I guess you could say that I was pedaling squares the last hour or so.