Ok,  Spring you can show up anytime here.  I mean the rain you got down, how about some above 50 temps?  I will be struggling to get training time in for my ride that happens 38 days from now. Only 12 miles so far and that was over 10 days ago, so what ever I did is already lost.  I did buy some leg warmers on Sunday.  They are like sleeves for your legs so I can take them off if I get too warm.  So I have the cold part down now just to deal with this rain.

At least I we were able to get some softball practice in with my old man team.

This weather is also screwing up my plans to repaint the house, get the tractor and patio furniture out of storage as well as doing and any early lawn work.

Anyway this weekend is the weekend for the Great Taste of the Midwest tickets to go on sale. Unfortunately, the place we usually get them from is not selling them this year so the camp out in front of Tyrenena Brewing Co is not going to happen. Kind of sad, that was a fun little time. Camping, playing cards, drinking and talking.   We now have to have a different plan of attack as the only places that sell tickets now are in Madison proper and places of business without 'camping' facilities.  We will have to get the chairs in line around the e 3-4:00 AM time frame and sit and wait. We will see if we can make that as good a time as the last few years.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everyone.

Last week was a long one.  I brewed an IPA with some friends, I shaved my AWESOME beard, went to New York came back, caught a cold, did some work on my mother in laws house, got my first bike ride in the for the year and then there is Easter brunch at Mom's.

The highlights:

Then I went to New York,  Nothing special.  Standard meeting.  Made a new acquaintance at a beer bar.  Cool guy, he even gave me a bottle to take home to drink out of his bag that he just bought to bring home.  Sitting in the airport - waiting for my delayed flight - my nose started running, great a new cold.  See this is why I don't leave the house.

The weather was about 55 degrees on Saturday so after doing a little home repair I met with my nephew Ryan and we did a 12 mile bike ride.  Yes, the first ride of the year, It was a bit cold and hard to breath being stuffed up but it was good start.  Only 47 days to the ride - at least I know I can get 12 miles from rest stop to rest stop.  

At brunch I ate too much,, Thanks Mom!

Ok I surrender.   I get my bike all tuned and cleaned up last week only to have the weather go to hell on me this weekend.  Cold, I can handle, but rain and cold.  Nope.  I am losing training time rapidly.

Hey look ZZ Top came to my house!

Just kidding, but this is probably the last weekend with this untamed squirrel on my face.

Well I think I angered mother nature by cleaning the cars, grilling and putting away the snow blower.  Back to under 30's and possible rain snow.  

It won't stop me from prepping to do the Trek100.   2 weeks ago I got an email that my work was putting a team together for the ride.  I hemmed and hawed and said why not?  There are 31 riders so far with a goal of $10,000 to be raised a s a team for the MACC fund.  Thanks to those who sponsor/pledge for me.  I am still a little apprehensive on this ride.  I haven't done a long distance ride (50 miles or more) since oh 1995? Last year I did a 22 mile ride with little training and on crushed gravel the whole way.  I already got some new tires for my bike.  Yes, I am using my mountain bike and no, I will not ride that much on off-road tires. Apparently  it's not such a crazy idea.  There are so many road slicks for MTB wheels it was hard to choose.  

They did arrive earlier this week and I wasted no time slapping them on.  This weekend I will clean an tune up the bike so I will be ready to start training once the weather gets into the 60's at least.   The only downside to this is I won't be able to hit any trail rides until I switch my wheels back.  Thats ok its only 65 days away.

My impromptu maintenance stand.

Man those are skinny tires.  Not sure I remember how to ride on those.  

In other Turk news. Joel is in SanDiego CA the next few days.  He's doing some west coast engineering 'meet'. Impressed?  I am.    Oh and he's trying to catch up to me on seeing games at different ballparks as he went to the Padres -  Dodgers game last night.  Just a bit jealous.