Got Cowbell!?!

So this past weekend the Sova boyz and I went to observe one of the most renowned endurance events of northern Wisconsin--The Birkebeiner. Now I've never cross country skied, though I can sure shred it up on a pair of 175 semi-parabolic's, but this was rediculous. You might ask, "why John would you waste your time watching an event that you don't even know two shakes about?" Well it's the same reason why my tv watching has tripled since the Olympics were on--because it's an awesome spectical of endurance. Chad, Kevin, Chad's Mom and I went to Hayward to watch the finish, but first priority was some major espresso and hot chocolate action. Suburu was handing out free cowbells, so coffee in one hand and cowbell in the other we were decked out as every Birki watcher should be. Eventually the crowd started to get rialed up, cowbells ding donging like mad, and a plane started to circle above (like the helicopters in the tour--a dead giveaway to the wearabouts of the racers). And out of the grocery store parking lot came two Italians hauling some major ass. Now at the time I was like, "damn they're going fast...I think" They crossed the line together, no sprint. Check out the press release on it HERE. I guess the full shock of how fast they were going didn't come till later, when we were leaving the event to get some burger and beer action and we saw some of the middle of the road skiers and they looked like they were dying if not already dead. Crazy. But non-the-less the snotsickles were out in full force--I'm talking 6 inches!

Back in EC by Saturday night. Sunday the Sova's and I went out for a 3 hour ride that turned into a 4 hour ride that included headwinds, gravel/dirt roads, and lots of tempo-threshold climbs. It was almost epic. Damn near as close to epic as you could hope to reach with two water bottles and a Clif Shot. I couldn't believe how good my legs, knees, and mind felt out there, it was like I'd been riding for the past two months, and am finally adapted...wait I have been riding for the past 2 months...hmmm. We were fighting the light by the time we turned back North and so we started to lay it down. I soon began to realize that I've grown used to riding slow as the efforts began to take their toll. We made it in though in fine order. After the ride I began to get really excited about those types of rides happening more and more--ahh I love phase two!!

Sorry I gotta back track a tad, side note, I rode my mountain bike on the snow covered trails of Lowe's Creek on Friday, it pretty much rocked my socks. It was the perfect temperature where the snow wasn't melting and I was warm--awesome.

Well this week, got a test, some research, 16+ hours of riding, study abroad application, and some catch up with the girlfriend to do. Lots of stuff on the plate, but I gotta huge appetite!!

Inspirational notes: Talk is cheap, cause of the high supply. Mind the big picture, but live in the moment. Subduction leads to Orogeny (sorry bad geology joke). Keep the tire side down, but if not make sure you crash big.