HAPPY NEW YEAR...where's spring?

Well another year has now passed, bring on 2011. 2010 was a pretty good year. My classes for fall semester were definitely harder, spring saw me move into a friend's attic where I now live until I can get through school, summer I have been able to live a boyish dream of working in a bike shop helping fellow cyclists, winter well it's been winter. Alot more snow than what we have been accustomed to in December for sure. All in all it's been a great year and I'm so blessed to have the family, friends and ability to re-educate myself.



I didn't do much riding at all in December due to a CRAZY final's schedule. The weather threw everyone a curve ball with tests getting rescheduled or cancelled. I just hung the bike up and focused on what was at hand. After the 15th I was itching to get outside like a cooped up puppy that's been inside all day waiting to peeeeeee. I will admit I'm not a fan of freezing weather or the wet by no means. I will though ride in adverse conditions (see pic below) if it's been awhile since my last ride and I want to ride. After the 15th old man winter set up shop here in East Tn. Snow, snow and more snow, add some rain, temps around 10-15* and that pretty much kept me inside taking bikes apart and doing overhauls. Some of my buds ride no matter what! That's kewl, I prefer to ENJOY my cycling activities. Some peeps I know are "training".......have fun!

12/31/10 Iron Mtn ride in Damascus, Va (photo credit Richard (judy-chop) Hyland), notice free-standing bikes = deep snow

New Year's Eve the temp was 62*, man what a surge of spring fever I had. Believe it or not, in the pic above the temp was about 45* (same day). When I returned home.......60's! I have been itching to ride the road more now. I have primarily been on the mountain bike mostly since August. To be perfectly honest the BMC racemaster was a smidge too big for me so I sold it around October. My plan was to get something different that the shop sells like a Litespeed, Masi, Bianchi or possibly another BMC, it was just according to who had the best EP deal at the time. So far I have my eye on one of these NEW Masi Evolutione's. They hired a guy from Cervelo to do some design work a couple years back and this is what the end product is. I would have already had it but they didn't stay in the warehouse very long and all the bikes are all out to retailers. It will be Feb now before I can acquire an Evolutione. Now plan B! Opps I don't have a plan B, I guess I will just ride the BMC roadracer or the BMC CrossMachine until I figure something out. I do know that I will have a road groupset for sale when I get it though. The only thing I will be using is the frameset. I will adorn it with Campy 11 that's setting here impatiently waiting for something to be installed on.

Santa Clause made a brief stop at my house and left some cycling chi chis for me. I had been wanting a new Garmin ever since I did the home-boy repair fix on my Edge 305 to keep it from going off and on when I would hit a bump. I received the new Garmin Edge 500 in neutral color. It has a re-designed mounting system too! I'm not sure how well the Oring mounting bands will hold out but I like the design, no more little tabs to break off accidentally like on the 305 mount.

Sorry for being a deadbeat for a week and not posting, I have no excuse really. Well maybe I do but I'm not telling. My ears have been burning over a picture of a sugar cookie on the world wide web it seems ........................................muwhahahahahahahahahaha

LAter G.............................