ESPN360.com is

the shit!!!!!!

I was totally unaware that I can get this at home for free, thanks to my AT&T subscription.

As a result I watched for the first time in the USA - Euroleague basketball game between Unijaca Malaga and Olympiacos.

Slovo Gorcina

http://www.slovogorcina.ba

ZARA

I was informed by my sister that ZARA opened a store in Old Orchard Mall recently. Now I can get some eurotightandtacky clothes 10 minutes from my work. Well, OK. One can find some decent clothes for women there, but for men - so so. I guess it's a bit edgier than Banana Republic or J-Crew, but I predict thousands of Europeans who live in Chicago are already swarming the place.

M-L-S

I was craving fish and chips last night for dinner so I ended up going to the Globe Pub. I knew that Chicago Fire was playing LA Galaxy (you know - the team Beckham plays for). When I got there it was pretty empty, the two buses of fans going to the game in Bridgeview already left and apparently from Stewart's comments, 3/4 of those fans were women. How come??????
I ate my food and watched the game while chatting with the waitress and a nice older fella from Argentina who happens also to be a Roma fan. The dude was loaded it seemed and he kept showing me pictures on his iphone from various stadiums around the world he's been to, and various ex girlfriends he's been there with. He just came back from Buenos Aires and he was showing me pics from La Bombadera (Boca Juniors game I watched on TV last sunday). Next time I see him, I gotta find out what kinda businness he be in.
Anyway, back to the game. I actually thought that the game was excellent in terms of quality of play. I might watch MLS playoffs when they start.

Hideout Block Party

I have done a lot of stuff lately, just havent had time to blog about it.

I had an amazing time over the weekend at the Hideout Block Party, an event that seems to get better year by year. The lineup was as diverse as you can get and that made for a great crowd as well. Neko Case live under the stars was an unforgettable experience. Summer is not over, the forecast looks great for the next week or so with my bday coming up on Sunday. There is a Fall Fling series of bike races over the next two weekends, but I rode my bike 3-4 times since the beginning of the month, so I guess I am out.

Forte.

I've been blogging politics lately but who didnt talk about it over the last two weeks? The conventions were timed perfectly before the start of the NFL season. The wait is now over and the Bears' season started last night. And what a night it was! Forte rules!!!!!!! I dont mean the Performance brand of bike parts , but the rookie RB Matt Forte. All eyes were on Orton, and not much was expected from new running backs, other than maybe higher average as compared to Benson's -2.4 yds gained average.
I cant say he's Adrian Peterson (of the Vikings), but it sure is good news that the Bears might have a RB who can make a few decent plays from time to time. That's all we need, a QB who doesnt throw stupid interceptions and doesnt fumble the ball, RBs that make plays on 3rd down, and defense that does its thing- the way they do how they do.

In unrelated news, Britney's back!!! I dont know if that's good o' bad but it made the newswire.

Traitor Joe

I think that Dick C. should take Joe L. hunting to thank him for a job well done last night at the RNC.

Swiftboat that!!!!!!!

"Hey what's up dude?, haven't talked to you in a while whatcha up to?"

"I am watching the convention, Obama is supposed to speak in an hour."

"Come on, it's all the same BS, politicians doing their thing, promises blah blah they just wanna get elected and then it's all the same. Let's watch the game!"

This is a conversation I had with my buddy, myself being the one watching the convention.
I am neither young and naive to be starstruck by Barack Obama or old and cynical to be indifferent to the upcoming election. I, and noone else in their right frame of mind can afford not paying attention. What has happened to this country in the last 8 years is scary, on all fronts and time is running out if we want to preserve what is left of the great dream and source of hope that my family saw in America when we moved here in 1994. We had a choice to move to any other European country after my native Bosnia-Herzegovina was englufed in a horrible war. Instead, we came to the USA. The Star Spangled Banner that I used to see being raised a lot in the Olympics and the flag that Rocky wrapped himself in when he beat the crap out of Drago - was now my flag. Not to get into the last 14 years of my life here, but I have become a citizen of this country not just for the fact that I carry a US Passport, but that I care about the direction this country is going in and the well being of its citizens.
After last night's speech at the DNC, I am excited about a possibilty that this nation has produced a leader who can revive the dream and hope I want my kids to have living in this country. It has nothing to do with Obama's race that made last night's speech historical, it was its content. He said everything that I wanted to hear, from the social issues I am passionate about and the foreign policy strategy that has caused so much travesty in the last 8 years.

Throw all the media hype and great oratory skills away, this man is for real (just like the first time I saw him speaking at the Daley Plaza at an anti war rally during my college days when the rest of the Dems were scared to stand up) and millions of American people see that. If it took 8 years of misery to bring this about, I would say that it was almost worthed - but I know better.

Swiftboat that Karl Rove!!!!!!!!

TOOBRRRR

A lesson I simply fail to learn.

Staying in the back is not a good position in a race when you do not have fitness to match any accelerations needed to bridge and jump across bad wheels. Truth be told, I was second to last Cat 5 racer to get his bib number/chip so had to squeeze myself in at the back as the directions were being read (well I gotta have an excuse, the list is getting shorter and I was left to blaming quality of air in Oak Brook)...but still. I lasted 3 laps out of 6 with the pack and when that moment of weakness came, there was noone behind me (by that point the other dozen or so riders who started got dropped). The guy in front of me started jerking his bike around as we rode up the incline and coming down on the descent, when the gap was forming, I seriously thought he was gonna pass out and crash. I was too afraid to jump around him with open traffic in the other lane. I also made some bad nutritional choices - just too many energy food flavors (berry pomegranate vitamin drink on the drive up, odwalla bar, mocha clifshot, lemon lime gatorade in a race bottle) in a stomach that was cramping up and I almost puked. I am still washing away the taste in my mouth as I am writing this, yuck.
The gap was there and that was that. Due to a short course, many overlapping fields and registration problems (chips and all) that delayed and shortened the race, I was asked to hang it up by the official on the motorbike. The pack was no more than 50 m ahead of me but at that point I was gonna take myself out.
I clocked the max speed of 57.4 km/hr (35 something mph), on the 31st St. straightaway, in an attempt to move up a few positions. With that wind, I wanna see what the final sprints looked like for the higher categories.
And so the season pretty much ended. I have undeperformed but at least I raced enough to identify my mistakes and realize that I need to find and follow a training program and learn more about my body and its limits. I am not a high school athlete stressing over his results and performances, but with all the monies going into this I might as well go the extra mile. My HRM is still in the box never been used, so this winter it's time to get hooked up. I plan to learn how to fix/maintain bikes over the winter so I can be self sufficient for repairs and adjustments. Other than than, it's almost fall time, I have 5 days off in a row this week so I think I am going to get out of town and hit the beach to show off my tan lines.

Oh, judging by the Beckham's football kick and that horrible rendition of "Whole Lotta Love" during the closing ceremony, the English better start working on those opening ceremonies right now, because that just sucked.

Tickets for cyclists.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-bike-laws-crackdown-webaug22,0,3716423.story

Hey!

Here is an article from yesterday's Tribune. As much as I sympathize with the lack of respect we as cyclists get on the roads, especially when training, I do feel that it is getting kinda congested on the city streets. I drove to Wicker Park last weekend on a friday night and the number of irresponsible cyclists (and those walking their bikes as if though they were fashion accesssories) is disturbing. No helmets, no lights....no brakes in some cases, wearing dark clothes, weaving through traffic......come on. Lakeview/Lincoln Park area is no different, other than they are riding mountain bikes shirtless wearing Cubs hats. More effort needs to go into education of urban cyclists/commuters on proper behaviour in traffic and raise awarness of dangers of urban cycling. It is admirable that more people are getting out and riding but WE SHARE THE ROAD, and there are rules to follow.
I stop at red lights, I try to be a safe defensive cyclist if not for anything but for my own good.
As much as it would suck to get pulled over, I think some people will not get a clue until they have to pay up. Better than losing a life or carrying a burden of taking a life because of someone's lack of good judgement.

Not so lucky this time.

It was gonna happen anytime now for sure. Woke up late Saturday morning and skipped the race in Grayslake, enjoyed a nice breakfast at The Grind, and then dressed up for a late morning ride on the lakefront path. By 11 am it was already busy and I rode slowly to avoid any trouble. Just before the Navy Pier on the banked section of the path, I was passing people up above the southbound lane when some kid made a sudden U-turn into me and after a little balancing act I ended up falling over. Scraped my elbow and thigh, but nothing too major. The lifeguard gave me some alcohol pads and gauze and I administered first aid to myself, reminiscing with her about my 3 summers as a Chicago Park District guard. The good old times!
I raced on Sunday in Glencoe, chip timing and all. Thirty plus lined up. Nice course with two narrow turns (#2 and final turn), basically 90 degree on small side streets. You hade to make the turn precisely or you're on the grass. Very first lap, turn #2, guys in front of me go into the turn too fast/wide one hitting the curb and falling on the grass, the other braking in panic and falling over sideways-right in front of me.
I unclipped, stuck my foot out and came to a stop. The speed was low and I kept it up, but had no way to go around as the field sped away. Now, the rule says if you get stuck behind a crash, you chase. So I chased, not succesfully though. This was not what I needed considering all my crappy performances but that's life. I came close to bridging up on the 3rd lap, but at that point I was getting gassed and settled into my own pace riding to finish. Anyway, I finished the race, getting lapped after 26-27 mins of riding solo. They gave me 26th place finish. It sucks but it's all part of the experience.
My evening went much better as I watched Jeepers Creepers (I and II) on Ch.50, had some delicious lentil soup my friend made, and saw Meat Puppets play at the West Fest. Serenity Now!

Race before the race

So,

here we go again. Another race report.

After being spanked at the Chicago Crit, I signed up for the first heat of the Tour of(de) Elk Grove Village the same evening. I actually took my bike to work and did interval sessions very close to my Skokie workplace (a stretch of Lehigh going northbound from Dempster). I got a few good sessions Mon-Wed and was still able to get home before 8 pm - something I could not do training on the lakefront path averaging 16-17 mph.

Anyway, Saturday comes around and for some reason I estimate that it would take me half hour to get to Elk Grove from my Lincoln Square apartment. Left my place at quarter to 8, and by 8 found myself stuck on I-90 moving snail pace, screaming and shouting with my windows down. Apparently, the bridge at Lawrence Ave. was falling apart and the crews were cleaning up the debris - reducing the traffic to one lane. After that it cleared up and I stepped on the gas pedal. I parked my car at 8:35 (my race starts at 9:00 am), scrambled to pump up my tires while putting on my shoes and gloves and a helmet. Picked up my bib number at 8:54 and procedeed to put my number on MY right side. Erik was giving me advice to stay up front but I was focused on getting to the line in time that it seemed I was blowing him off. I hear a first call to the line and I had not even gotten a lap around the course, let alone a warmup. This was going to be a disaster! At the line, I realize that MY RIGHT side is everyone else's LEFT side, so I tell the official to let me switch my number. As they were reading the instructions, I put my jersey on ready to go, lined up third row or so. I pulled a sneaky move when the pace car was getting through and moved to the first row. Everyone was slow to get back to their position, I just took the open slots. But, as always, I missed a clip in and ended up mid pack as the race started.
First two laps went fine, U-turns were slow enough and there were no crashes. On the third lap I was towards the back of the pack chatting with teammate Matt. I tried to move up on the straight sections but couldn't gain more than 4-5 wheels and I again found myself at the back going through the last turn. I guess my lack of warmup finally kicked me in the ass and I couldn't accelerate to move up. Slowly, I started fading but it was a bit of good luck because there was a big crash in the pack (one rider flipping over his bars), and I was able to ride through the mess. Ended up riding the last lap and a half with 3 more riders that popped off the back and came in 27th on the day.
Can't complain considering that I almost missed the race.
Back to training on Lehigh. I hope to get to know the people who leave on that stretch of road, the kids are waving at me as I go up and down. It's pretty cool.

A big thanks to the Mayor of EGV, who's put on a phenomenal event 30 mins (well, depending on traffic conditions) from my home.

Chicago Criterium.

Oh Boy!

The reality of crit racing sinks in again.
Line up in the second row - miss a clip in - slow down for the second turn down Jackson Ave. - watch the leaders go bye bye down Michigan as you're trying to sprint out of a turn. After sprinting down Michigan finally caught the leading group, but took the uphill turn on Balbo way wide, didn't downshift enough for the kicker, and basically started the chase all over again. The pack was really moving down Columbus and the second time down Jackson, the front 15 already gapped the rest of the field leaving the rest of us to try and form groups. After a lap I found 2 partners in crime- or should I say despair- and we tried working for a few laps wanting to finish the race. I've been dropped after the first 10 minutes of intense riding before but I typically find some rythm to ride it out, but the Ref. was having none of that in the first Cat.5 heat and eventually pulled us even though we were not even half a lap down. Most of the dropped riders got pulled leading to a total of 17 riders finishing the race. Anyway, it was a fast lead group containing 4 teammates whom I knew were prime contenders to win the race. Tom won it in a powerful sprint and Kyle got 3rd. Amazing results. In the second heat things were a lot more compact as the speed was just bit slower according to the announcers, not to blow the race apart from the start. Another 1-3 finish for XXX. So much praise in the awards ceremony was given to the team for its work on the new racer development, and one could not agree more, even if it takes a year or two or three :).
I returned to watch the races after a shower and breakfast. In general everyone was moving freakin' fast from the start hoping to win in the first ever Chicago Crit. Some fields were nearly halved by the end of it, highlighting the discrepancy in the physical preparation needed to compete with the big boys. But I am sure everyone enjoyed having an opportunity to just take a lap on this awesome course.
Hats off to my MS-150 riding buddy Ed Ekstrom of Tower Racing who in his second race ever managed to take 3rd in a highly contested Masters 4/5 race. I didn't see the finish, but when I ran into him and was told about the result, I can tell there is a new star in the works.
I will race the rest of the August events, which is a change in plans. So far this year I have done 2 (two) intervals training sessions, including one on Saturday.
I have gotten lazy and less motivated to ride on the lakefront path after work because of all the dangers that it entails, which leaves me to weekend rides and half hour trainer sessions to keep me in shape. Just on Saturday morning, I almost crashed full speed into a runner (listening to his ipod-but of course) on the south side who in his infinite wisdom decided to JUST turn around in the middle of the path. Now, I've had this happen to me before and even though noone else was near, I went into the opposite lane to give myself enough space in a case the sudden turn happened. It's a good thing I am bilingual and people generally don't understand when I swear but even without that I probably scared the crap out of the guy.

Reckless Driving!!!!?????

I am copying a story from VeloNews about a "doctor" who intentionally stepped on the breakes in front of a group of cyclists. This person should be put away for a long time (longer that 7 years), because these incidents are not just a case of reckless driving but an attempted MURDER.


Doctor charged in one road-rage case, linked to another
By VeloNews.com
Posted Jul. 13, 2008
A California physician alleged to have braked suddenly in front of two cyclists has been charged with four felony counts and could face more than seven years in prison if convicted, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Christopher Thomas Thompson, 59, was charged Friday with two felony counts each of reckless driving causing injury and battery with serious bodily injury in connection with a July 4 incident that sent one cyclist flying through his car’s rear window and the other to the asphalt.
The cyclists, Ron Peterson and Christian Stoehr, alleged that Thompson deliberately bit the brakes in front of them after they exchanged words while descending Mandeville Canyon Road.
Peterson, 40, suffered broken teeth, a broken nose and serious cuts on his face that required 90 stitches to close. Stoehr, 29, had a shoulder separation that he said would require surgery.
Thompson has not spoken to the press about the crash. His lawyer, Peter Swarth, has called it “an unfortunate accident.”
But the Times report quotes a Los Angeles Police Department spokesman as saying that Thompson was involved in a similar encounter with cyclists on March 11, also on Mandeville Canyon Road.
According to LAPD Capt. William Eaton, another pair of cyclists riding on Mandeville Canyon Road accused Thompson of running them off the road and then shouting at them. The Los Angeles city attorney's office declined to file charges, according to the Times.
Advertisement

Thompson, who is free on $30,000 bail, is to be arraigned Aug. 1 at the airport branch of Los Angeles County Superior Court, the Times reported. If found guilty on all counts, he could face up to seven years and eight months in state prison.

Adio Barba!

http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=768426

This man is a legend. A class act!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EROzqjRpU8c&feature=related

Pollsters are getting out of hand!!!! Take 2

http://news.aol.com/elections/story/_a/potential-first-ladies-get-mixed-reviews/20080702065609990002

I know I'm just copying the Yahoo and AOL headlines but it's amusing. I think the two potential first ladies need to have a bakeoff or a swimsuit competition.

Pollsters are getting out of hand!!!!

http://news.yahoo.com/page/election-2008-political-pulse-candidates

Now that the primaries are over and November is far away, it's down time for the pollsters. That's why they have to come up with stuff like this.

Peoria Corner Bakery

Ahoy!

Another recollection of another sub par performance in a bike race coming your way.

A few days ago I decided to sign up for the IL State Championship Criterium being held in Peoria, IL. I didn’t have an intention of racing this, but signed up anyway. I realized after the fact that the course was what one would call “technical”. Eight corners on a 1.0 mile loop through downtown Peoria seemed like a fun race to watch, but not necessarily participate in for someone who has limited racing experience on such a course. It was going to be a learning experience - hopefully.
I was going down with a couple of teammates and when I received a text message from Erik about a 4:30 am departure I had some second thoughts. It was a summer festival extravaganza in Chicago the day before the race, Stevie Wonder was playing at the Taste of Chicago for free (now who would want to miss that?), and then there was BAM (Belmont Arts and Music Festival) later in the evening with The Redwalls playing at 9 pm. Well, I did manage to wake up and get to his place around 4:45, and we loaded the bikes on the roof rack in the midst of a summer rain shower. Two and a half hours later, we were parked in Peoria watching the juniors warming up on the course.
We had almost 3 hours before the Cat 5 race, so I rode around the parking lot to warm up and watched some of the races. At 9:45 or so we did a practice lap and that was my first look at the corners. The roads were wiiiide no doubt about it, but there was a strong headwind in the longest open stretch of the course that headed into a slight uphill before the final stretch. I lined up and with the sound of a gun 38 of us catfivers were off. After two laps I already started losing ground on the corners as I was very hesitant to take the turns at high speeds without braking, and on the third lap I heard a loud bang ahead, going into a fast descending corner. Seconds later I see Erik getting up from the ground. It was he who crashed after his tube exploded. Instinctively, I slowed down a little to glance if he was ok and lost yet more ground. By this point, I was trying to catch the pack on the windy stretch and that was just not happening. 10-15 meters seemed impossible to bridge, and I could hear my heart thumping as my legs were crapping out.
So I lost contact but kept riding, at least I was going to practice cornering. I can’t say that I didn’t feel like pulling out of the race for a moment (you know, when you’ve realized you blew it 6 minutes into a race) but what good is that. I recovered a few minutes later and then got into a somewhat steady pace and was able to catch 3 others who got spat out from the back of the pack. I eventually got a chance to sprint against these guys but it seemed that I was the only one interested in a little competition at the end of it.
A guy from the local Proctor team ended up winning the race, while Erik jumped back on his bike after a free lap (with a borrowed Zipp wheel) to sprint for 6th. He is one tough dude. The results showed me finishing thirtyfirst. Doesn’t that number sound familiar?

I completely missed the Euro Cup final, but had 3 people text me with updates so I knew that Spain had won it (as I forecasted it, including the goal scorer Fernando Torres). Eventually, I will watch the tape of it. I prefer live viewing of such events anyway.

Sherman Park, Euro Cup recap.

Hey there!



So, I ended up racing on Saturday at Sherman Park, a race that's organized by my team. I signed up to help out with the setup early in the morning before the first (my) race at 8:00 am. Helped set up barriers, spent 10 minutes trying to sweep off remains of a dead squirrel from the course. That thing was glued to the asphalt, yuck!

Warmed up with 20 mins to go before the race, lined up, had our rights read by the official and Randy, including the warning about not posting up in a case of a victory unless you're way ahead of everyone. Smart thinking, but I for sure wasnt gonna be making that decision today.

Whistle and off we went- a pack of 50 riders, almost half of whom were my xXx guys. I struggled in the past to stay with the pack, either because of fitness issues or turns and subsequent accelerations. This time around, due to the ease of Sherman Park course, I had an easy time riding with the bunch. I rode on the outside a number of laps, not taking advantage of a draft, to which a few teammates commented aloud. " Grab a wheel, don't waste energy!": they'd say, but I felt fine the whole time. Just before the final lap, I was in the middle of the pack when an ABD rider went down inches from me, and that killed any ambitions to take risks and move up on the final lap.

I simply rode it out and finished with the pack. I rushed off for course marshalling duties and didn't get a chance to see and verify the results. A few hours later, I went to check the results and saw no placing next to my name/number. Apparently, the camera couldn't catch my number as I crossed the finish line and since I wasn't there within 15 minutes to review the tape, I was not assigned a placing in the results. Talked to an official and they wrote in a "pack finish" but couldn't alter the posted results. Fine, I wasn't in the top 10 anyway so who cares. My guys went 1-2-3 and that is a great result.

Spent a few more hours marshalling, saw a couple crashes both of which were not supposed to happen if you ask me.

This EuroCup is turning out to be exciting, with Nederland, Portugal and Croatia being the most impressive teams so far. One more game left in the group of death with Italy, France and Romania still in play to go through to the Quarters. Turkey pulled of an amazing comeback Sunday to make the knockout stages, by scoring 2 goals in the final 3 minutes. Now who can say football is not exciting !? You should have watched this game.
I pick Dutch to win the whole thing, but you never know. We'll see.

OMG!

Lance Armstrong and KAte Hudson (aka the most beautiful person according to the People magazine) are an item.

Move over Cipo, cycling has a new bad boy.
But then again, Ms. Hudson used to date the Black Crowes singer (you know the skinny bearded pothead), so I don't know what that says about her taste. But she is still the most beautiful person according to the People magazine, so who cares.

Monsters and Inter hate

OK!


So after some debating, I decided to race Monsters of the Midway- a bike race that takes place at the U of C campus. I got there just in time to watch the first lap of Cat 3 race. My girlfriend's work colleague knows a guy on Get a Grip who was racing in the Cat 3s. Also I wanted to see as much racing as possible on a nice day like it was Saturday. Apparently, this guy was waiting for her to come and he brought some cowbells. This guy was so good that he shouted the location and appearance of the bag all while winning a prime on one of the early laps. Impressive. A few minutes later the girls had the cowbells in their hands and were cowbelling the remainder of the race. Not only did they cowbell, they also ran across the park each lap to cheer the racers on twice per lap. Impressive.
Anyway, at 4:00 pm it was time for me to warm up. And so I did. Practice lap and then lining up. I had trouble clipping in but that wasn' the problem as was some sketchy cornering being done by true citizens in this race. No problem, everyone learns with time so I tried to make up ground by sprinting on the straight parts of the course. On the third lap, I had to slow down really bad in order to get through the turns and avoid a few wheels going into the headwind (top part of the course), and by the time I got out of the turns, the front pack created a gap. They were already flying down, as I was getting through the turns. I started hammering and noticed that I had 3 more guys on my tail. Good, maybe 4 can make up the small gap that formed and I dont have to blow up myself chasing the pack. I still dont have enough racing experience to know how much I can push myself to bridge up and not blow up. So I backed off and started working with these guys. 3-4 laps later I realized that the pace of this chase was not fast enough to even avoid getting lapped so I went on my own. I was joined by one of the guys (Flatlandia I think) and we basically traded pulls until the end of the race.

So another familiar turn of events, but the more you race the better you get, or so I am told. Need to train more and eat a little bit less burritos at Garcia's.
It was a great day to race and a great course, hope to do it next year as well.

Woke up the next morning bright and early to watch the last round of Serie A, hoping to see my AS Roma lift the Scudetto for the fourth time. This promised to be a great 90 minutes of football, with Inter and Roma both playing the teams playing to stay in the top division. Inter played Parma and Roma played the other Sicilian team-Catania. In the 10th minute, Roma scored via Vucinic to become a virtual champion at the time. It stayed like that until the second half when Inter introduced Ibrahimovic, who ended up scoring two goals to seal the championship for Inter. Now I know Ibra is my countryman but there is no love between the two of us. He is one heck of a player and a punk, he just plays for the wrong team.

Luis Figo - Cat Killer:(

In somewhat related news to this morning's incident, I read this

What a moron. No wonder he plays for Inter.

Rabbit Killer :(

My first roadkill!

Just before I pulled into the parking lot at work this morning, this rabbit runs out of the woods and runs smack under my wheel. I don't know what to say or feel - I am sad for sure. I now somewhat understand the hit and run mentality because I wanted to get away from the scene unseen by anyone, and as quickly as possible (maybe because I was late for work).

It's not a good feeling.

May 1st

Today is the International Worker's Day. It is the commemoration of the Haymarket Riot in Chicago in 1886, for those who don't know the origins of this day.

So, this is to all the working people (A rendition of "Bandiera Rossa" performed by a Slovenian punk band Pankrti).

Ah yes, the blog.

I know I was forgetting something. Just sent my boss a monthly activity report for the month of April, and remebered that my last blog entry was on March 31 - more or less a month ago. I will write a longer post to summarize my month but in the mean time here is my revised lunch rotation (ever since my favorite pizzeria in Niles moved to Des Plaines). So.....

The Biciklista's lunch rotation :

Monday - Chinese at Chinatown on Demspter and Austin in Morton Grove.

Tuesday - Subway or Jimmy John's. Lately more Subway because of the 5 dollar footlongs (oh yeah).

Wednesday - Falafel Plate at the Gourmet Pita on Touhy Ave.

Thursday - Chicken Legs special at the West of Edens, on payday thursdays it is Al's Beef where I treat myself the Giant Al's sandwich

Friday - Corner Bakery or Baja Fresh.

And there you have it. Now you can totally track me down between 12 and 1 pm on any given work day.

The Solo Fadeaway

As I said, I was going to start my racing season this year earlier than I did last year. Picking a highly contested Superweek race as your first is not a smart thing to do, especially of you're new to the whole racing thing. Oh well.

My expectations for the race were not much. Due to my irregular training (2 days on, 3 days off...), my fitness was not where it should have been in order for me to compete, and I definitely was not interested in taking a risk of crashing this early in the year, so I was just hoping not to finish last and keep rubber side down. So after an four + hour drive down to Litchfield, a town next to Hillsboro where we had booked a hotel room, I was ready to dive into the bed and get my sleep on. Not before feasting on a burger at the Ruby Tuesday with the rest of the XXXers.

Waking up, breakfast........registering for the race, pinning bib numbers, mixing energy drinks, chatting with the wonderful cycling crowd, taking a lap around the town getting a taste of the infamous brick roads, lining up at the start line. For some reason I was not nervous at all, being surrounded by a number of familiar faces, joking around. We started with the sound of a whistle. The race began with two inclines (not really hills even though we call them that), that quickly broke up the field of 40-50 starters. After the second incline, I was at the back of the main pack, and had left at least 15 riders behind. I was riding smoothly....until we turned into the crosswinds. I was keeping up but barely maintaing contact with the group. The next turn was right into the headwind, and that was it for me. I felt pain in my lower back, and that's the way my body tells me....:"hey, you suck!" I was being passed by the people who got dropped on the inclines. The rest of the ride was basically trying to finish this - now ride - and possibly pass a few more people ahead of me. At the half point, I had three guys in my sight , but I misjudged one turning blind descent and almost ended up in the ditch. I unclipped and barely stayed upright sliding with my bike onto the edge of a narrow road. I was in the biggest gear, anticipating to hammer down the road, gaining all the speed from going downhill. Well, there was a short steep incline ahead and I ended up pushing my bike to the top. By now, I had lost additional 1-2 minutes, and got passed by 2 more people. Got back on my bike, and eventually passed those two guys, finishing thirtyFIRST.

Now, finishing thirtyFIRST was ok and definitely something to improve on. It is also better than 18 others who finished behind me, did not finish at all, or never showed up for the race (for no valid reason, but registered and took someone else's spot in the sold out race). I discussed Sat. what was worse -DNF or DFL, and not showing for such a great race that was organized so well, is definitely the worst.

Kudos for the town of Hillsboro and the organizers, it makes me wonder how come there aren't more small towns in the Midwest that are willing to put on cycling races. It's one day in a year to do and see something different, be it or not be it a bunch of people in lycra.

The bike had a good night sleep too. The celophane was all Erik's idea. No scrathes on the top tube from transport here.

Long time no blog.

Yeah, it's been a while since I last posted anything. It's not that nothing has been happening in

my life - on the contrary. It's just that I found a way to cheat my way out of long blog entries. I signed up for Facebook, and a cleverly phrased status update can go a long way in conveying my thoughts and activities for the day, if you know what I mean.

Well a lot has happened, mostly regular work/play/kinda- winter- train for the upcoming racing season. And here I am tonight blogging away on a night before I depart with my friends for the first road race of the '08 campaign. Oh no, I don't mean anything political..like 3 am phone call commercials, or running from "sniper fire", and certainly nothing along the lines of misspeaking or my pastor can beat up your pastor kinda campaign. Just a season of bike racing, starting Saturday and ending, hopefully, early October.

So, I have some pictures i wanna show you and give you an update on what's happening.

As some of you may know, this winter set all the records for the snowfall in Chicago. As I am typing these words it is snowing outside. I have exhausted my "I hate this weather" statements so for all I care, let it snow let it snow, let it f-ing snow.

In the absence of my home grow tomatoes and other veggies I planted last summer, as well as random garbage that finds its way on my deck, the possum that hangs around the neighborhood has decided to chew on some furniture. Here you see what happens when possums get hungry.

These are no love bites my friends. This is one hungry, froze ass possum. It is time for some man on vermin violence. It's a good thing I still haven't put away my snow shovel. Don't worry, I am just going to scare it away.

What else......ah! I started collecting paintings. From now on my kitchen is known as the Gallery.I happened to like one of the paintings displayed at my fave neighborhood coffee shop -The Grind, so I decided to purchase it. It's not a Monet, but it's not my best kindergarden work either. Judge for yourself.

Went to New York City for St. Patrick's Day weekend. Had a good time. It's a happening place, what can I tell you. It took me 45 minutes to get a cab. Basically, if you wanna score a cab in NYC on Sat. night on St. Patrick's you have to hijack the cab and its passengers. But maybe that's how it is every Saturday.

You have to love the Joey Ramone Place.

Found a really cool bike shop in East Village.

OK, enough for tonight. I am packing up and getting ready for the trip downstate. I have never been past Urbana, so this is totally new territory for me. Here is a preview of the race from the greatest cycling blog in all of Chicago.