Happy new year

On a real computer for the moment. I'm not sure which is more ridiculous:

(1) I just rode four consecutive 100-mile bicycle rides.
(2) I'm about to ride four more consecutive 100-mile bicycle rides.

Every step that I take, my quadriceps beg for mercy. I'm up to two 250ml Red Bulls per day: one upon waking, and the second at mile 50.

I am for serious about those shitstorms today. I'm riding along, getting buffeted by the kind of wind that caused me to scream at the air in Nova Scotia (guess what: I screamed at the air in Florida), when some kind of cow-laden caravan comes careening down the road, and with each one there's a wall of shitty wind that goes to push me off the road.

At mile 68, there was a turn that half of us took that we shouldn't have, and that ultimately resulted in us going so far off course that we just had to ride in the shoulder of a highway to make a B-line to the hotel.

What I've already accomplished is a pretty amazing feat that I'm proud of, and if I make it to the far end without ever hopping in the SAG wagon, that will be great too. But I'm not sure I'd do another Hell Week tour. It's just kind of...boring. There's not much scenery or local shops, and we don't have time to visit them anyways.

The weather is really nice. At the same time, though, four days of 8 hours of looking at orange fields (and cane fields and cabbage fields and cattle pastures) gets old. I had the same problem at the end of my NS trip, when my route planning got kind of shoddy and I ended up mostly taking highways--it all looked the same.

I'd still do more bike tours, but I think I'd stick to things that are going to be adventures first and exercise second. Oh, and if I do a group tour--there should be at least one other person under 45. PLEASE.

OK, enough bitching. Time to take a bath. Hoopy Noowah.

Hills & wind. Cattle trucks

Hills & wind. Cattle trucks roll by, buffeting me with wave after wave of manure gales.

do my laundry / massage

do my laundry / massage my soul / turn me over to the highway patrol

Didn't sleep well. Likely the

Didn't sleep well. Likely the result of 2 red bulls. Resting pulse is back around 65, where it was when I left. My poor body.

This would be a point

This would be a point in the tour where I could use some moral support.

This would be a point

This would be a point in the tour where I could use some moral support.

Every crop on earth, but

Every crop on earth, but no one knows how to cook. 5h 44m century today, 112mi @ 17.3 ttl. Paceline. HR settling way down (< 140)

Slept for 10 hours a

Slept for 10 hours a still fell back asleep after 1st alarm clock went off.

Slept for 10 hours a

Slept for 10 hours a still fell back asleep after 1st alarm clock went off.

Came in 2nd to last

Came in 2nd to last on a 16.5mph century. AFTER ANOTHER CENTURY. These ppl are absurdly strong. Spedometer broke @ mi 88.

Keeping up w/ that paceline

Keeping up w/ that paceline was hell. Any bets I won't try it again?

PS: everyone is twice my

PS: everyone is twice my age

Kept w/ 20+ mph paceline

Kept w/ 20+ mph paceline for 1st half. After lunch, fuggehdaboutit: did 2nd 50 @ 15.5mph. Hotel is NICE. Heading for BBQ & bath.

Heart rate still high fr/

Heart rate still high fr/ Friday's heat exhaustion. That'll learn me. AM we set out for 1st 108mi. "Watch for gators. Srsly."

I come to ride bikes,

I come to ride bikes, & the next thing I know I'm holding the chupa @ the chassidic wedding of two ppl who converted after 15 yrs

I'm building a chupah! WOW!

I'm building a chupah! WOW!

52mi warmup, RT to Sanibel.

52mi warmup, RT to Sanibel. Pancake flat, substantial northerly wind. Best I could muster was 16.1mph avg. Hope I suck less Sun.

Got on bike this morning,

Got on bike this morning, and I'm +SLOW+. There are a couple of aggravating factors that should resolve by Sun, BUT...oh wow.

To realize my gift wasn't

To realize my gift wasn't holov yisrael. Bike in one piece. Packed so much stuff, yet forgot a pliers. Wedding tomorrow...?!

Florida reminds me of SimFarm.

Florida reminds me of SimFarm. chabad campus is huge. Scrambled @ each airport to find kosher gift. Made taxi stop @ 7-11, only

Florida reminds me of SimFarm.

Florida reminds me of SimFarm. chabad campus is huge. Scrambled @ each airport to find kosher gift. Made taxi stop @ 7-11, only

I'm heading out. That's one giant schlep for a man, one small step for mankind.

I hope this still works!

I hope this still works!

Back at it...

I loved that gruelling schlep so much that I decided to do it again. This time, it's in Florida. Eight days, 100 miles a day. And tiny, texted blog posts all the way. And if you want to know exactly where I'll be, I'll tell you:

December 28, 2008
December 29
December 30
December 31
January 1, 2009
January 2
January 3
January 4

This time, it's with a group: Gator Country Hell Week. Someone will be carrying my stuff! All I have to do is pedal. And eat. Sleep, occasionally. The pedaling part could be a bigger challenge this time, though, as all I've done since late October is ride on a trainer. And now, with my bike en route to a local Chabad house (thank you, Rebbe!), all I can do is wait and hope that my body holds up.

Be seeing you...