Hood River Part Deux

So I've been in the Hood for 6 days now. The highlights? Work is pretty cool (learning = best thing ever), and the riding is awesome.

Lowlights? The Dupage Credit Union f***ed up, and my cell phone has one foot in the grave.

This is probably the shortest update ever, but I have some pretty rad pics to make up for it, so check them out. Please note that the one trail pictured is pretty uncharacteristic of the area; many (most?) are still under a bit/a lot of snow, but are filled with 20-60min climbs and wind through the timber of Mt. Hood National Forest. However, being a Midwestern boy, a 30min climb and 50 degree weather in March are both amazing, so I'm willing to get over the semi-drab surroundings until the other trails open up for business.

Hood River, OR.

Well, this has been a long time in materializing. Some time, in the middle of April, I will drive my champaign colored Subaru Impreza from Winfield, IL, to Hood River, OR, loaded down with as much junk as it can safely hold.

In the rare event that anyone ever reads this post, no, it has nothing to do with the town that I grew up in, or the people I've come to call my friends. Really, leaving Wheaton/Winfield and my friends will probably be the hardest thing I've ever done. I'm moving to a place I've never been, where I know one (1) person, and the only frame of reference I have comes from friends, Google image searches, GoogleEarth, and MapMyRide. After 5pm every day, I won't have anyone to talk to, to hang out with, or otherwise spend time.

Those of you that know me fairly well understand that I am a person who does just fine by myself; since I've been home from college, and aside from riding, I have maybe 15min of conversation/interaction a day with parents, friends, or people at the local coffee shop. So really, I don't foresee that part of my life taking a downward plunge. If anything, this will finally force me out of my shell a bit, and I'll actually make an effort to meet new people.

However, I'm hopeful, and confident, that I'll meet plenty of people who are into the same sort of crap I'm into. Campfires, nights skies, and laughter. Bikes an added bonus.

Why Hello There, Sun.

Like many of my fellow Midwesterners, I have been bitching for quite some time about the weather we've had this winter. And, like most of those who complain, I check the weather pretty regularly, looking for a day or two when I won't get dumped on from the heavens, or freeze to death should I stop riding for 30 seconds outside.

Well, turns out the tide is turning, so to speak. While I'm certain that we'll get another 3 inches of snow before spring is officially here, I'm please to see that we'll be getting several days in a row of 55 degree weather. Will I get rained on from the turnaround point, all the way home, on every ride? Most certainly. Will I flat both front and rear simultaneously, resulting in the cyclist's version of the walk of shame? Pretty bloody likely.

But, I've waited all winter for this, and I'm willing to take those risks. As long as it's not 40 and pouring, in the Biblical sense, I'll be outside for at least an hour a night, until next winter.

Aspartame: The Devil's Sugar.

If the title didn't give it away, I am not a fan of Aspartame, the artificial sugar found in many "Diet ___" products. Most notably, Coke Zero.

In a hopeless attempt to reduce my caloric consumption while retaining some semblance of both caffeine intake and flavor, I started drinking the aforementioned product. Well , I succeeded in that regard; it does taste a hell of a lot better than Diet Coke. However, 3 weeks of Coke Zero intake has resulted in about a month of what can only be politely described as "bowel distress". During this time, I'd been taking Tums in order to help calm my stomach/lower GI. Unfortunately, those tums were actually the sugar free variety, and, you guessed it, contained my new best friend, Aspartame. Even my favorite gum has f***ing Aspartame in it.

Yesterday, I went in to see the good medical care professionals at Cornerstone Medical, right across the street from the blight that is Wheaton Warrenville South High School. After relieving myself on said "educational" institution, I went in to see the Dr. She poked and prodded my stomach, noted the areas of pain, listened while I awkwardly described my symptoms, and agreed with my self diagnosis. Satan, most unclean, had transformed himself into Aspartame, and lodged himself firmly in my large intestine. It's getting better, and Aspartame/Satan is being removed from my body, bit by bit.

So, I'm back to square one. I'm taking probiotics in order to restore the bacteria culture in my digestive tract, and I'm avoiding any kind of sugar replacement substance like the Black Death.

And yes, I realize there has been a rather poor showing in terms of pictures lately, but given the nature of this topic, believe me when I say that you're better off without them. Woof.

2009 Plans.

With each new year, I'm required to come up with a list of "Resolutions" that I more than likely won't keep for more than a month or two.

So, here goes nothing.

1) Reduce my Los Burritos Tapatios intake. This shouldn't be TOO hard, as it's currently around 5 meals a week. Woof.

2) In conjunction with numero uno, I'd like to get down to 63.5kgs. Or, for all of you uncouth Americans, 140lbs. Currently tipping the scales at 144lbs, raced at 143lbs this summer. I don't really watch what I eat, but I'm not eating a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream before bed every night, either. So, I think that this also relatively feasible.

3) Ride myself into the ground, and Phoenix my ass out of the ashes several times in preparation for whatever I decide are my goal races for the year. This will depend on my life situation later on in the year, obviously, and if I'm too broke or live in Australia, I won't be racing in Pennsylvania in July.

4) Tying numbers one and three together, I'd like to be a bit more fiscally responsible this year. I bought a new bike and completely rebuilt, with new components, the same bike TWICE last year. I have enough basic parts (two sets of Campy shifters and one set of SRAM, RDs for each) to get me through the season, shoes that are serviceable for both road and MTB pursuits, and will spend some money to keep myself in new cassettes/chains to keep my shifting sharp. I plan on buying a new track frame/fork, and with some cheap cranks, BB and chain, I'll be set for entry level track racing a night or two per week. With single speed and 9 speed chains being cheaper and lasting longer than 10 speed chains by a significant margin, this can only help in the long run.

5) Bicycle maintenance. The often irrational, ridiculously tall John Meyers has rubbed off on me. I will be power-washing my bicycle quite often this year in an attempt to keep it clean and running smooth. After riding with Jay and Ed in early December (or was it November?), we power-washed our bikes at the local Do-It-Yourself Carwash. Air dried them on the drive back to Jay's house, lubed upon arrival. Shifted and rolled like new.

6) Bicycle racing. Basically, I need to stop being a Nancy. If I do that, and race in an intelligent manner, the results will come. Throw enough turds at a wall, and eventually one will stick.