Archive for March, 2008
Vive Le Rich?
Once you hit 30 years of age, I think people feel obligated to give you a hard time on your birthday. You’re not getting any younger. Another year older, eh? Need a cane yet?
Today is my 42nd birthday. However, here’s a tip I wanted to share with you to avoid all of those old age wise cracks—just go cross-country on your bicycle! This year, after all, is the first one that I can recall over the past decade in which no one is teasing me about my age. My guess is that the upcoming bike tour will eliminate all those silly cane jokes—for at least a year!
My terrific, but zany family got me a creative birthday present related to the bike tour. Let me explain. Back in 2004, Nike released a Vive Le Lance t-shirt to celebrate the sixth victory of Lance Armstrong at the Tour de France. (He went on to win seven in total.) I bought the t-shirt at the time and still have it in my drawer today. Well, in honor of the upcoming bike tour, my family created a custom Vive Le Rich t-shirt.
Front of the two t-shirts
On the back of the Nike shirt is a large 6 and a listing of each year of Lance’s victory. On the back of mine, they put a 3, given the fact that this will be my third cross-country bike tour. (I rode back in 1986 and 1989 during my college days.) Too clever!
Back of the two t-shirts
Glorious Frostbite
Over the past few days, the temperature got above 40 and the sun actually came out, so we took advantage by taking our first outdoor bicycle rides of the season. However, the frigid wind still felt like we were tagging along with Shackleton on his Antartic expedition. While we are probably going to be treated for frostbite, riding outside was so much better than the indoor stationary trainer.
Jared and Justy—Can you notice their wind-burnt legs?
This week was also the first time we had a chance to truly ride our new Fezzari bicycles that we got back in January for the tour. I should explain how momentous of an occasion this event was for me. You see, I had my previous bicycle for 22 whole years—over half my life! Back in 1986, I spent all my hard earned college savings on Vitus bicycle. I bought it because I was riding on my first cross-country trip, an event I organized to raise money for a missions hospital in Haiti. That Vitus was a great bike in its day, but over the past decade, it had grown old and tired and loud and cranky. To make matters worse, the frame, one of the early/experimental aluminum models of the 80s, stretched and groaned when I would ride up hills. So, when I rode my new bike outdoors this week, I felt like I had entered the 21st century. It was a true joy!
Rich, enjoying his new two-wheeled transport
Waiting for Spring
We’ve been hard at work training indoors now for over 2.5 months, but are growing a bit weary of riding on a trainer each day rather than outdoors. We check the weather forecast each day, longing for a nice spring melt, sunny weather, and clear roads. In a little over three months, we’ll be struggling to stay cool as we ride through the California and Arizona desert. But those 100 degree days sure do seem a world away from what we see out our window right now.
