Now we get to the schmeat and potatos of it all

With everything falling into place lately (aside from a computer glitch that has the IRS wanting me to give them $13,000) it's time to get serious... well, as serious as I get. I no longer have to rush home full of anticipation to see if a brown box has arrived from Colorado, Asheville, or the Court of Dingle. The bike is built, the "season" determined (for the most part) and now it's time to do what I do.

What do I do? I wake up at 5:15 to 5:30 in the morning, eat my oatmeal, surf the web, pour a cup of hot non-coffee liquid, blog, and hopefully head out the door with at least an hour to ride before work. This is infinitely more exciting than it sounds....




All right, it is just as boring as it sounds. With no new shiny bits on the way and a humongous amount of time before my next important event I have to dig deep for some intrinsic motivation to log some extra saddle time AND keep up with the blogging. I realize PMBAR is just around the corner, but essentially all I have to do is be faster than my partner Thad. Since he's still running the wheels of a little man I have no need to worry about that. Besides, having a partner that knows very little about the Pisgah National Forest means he'll have no idea just how poorly I'm navigating, and when we get second place he will hardly be able to blame my piss poor map skills. I will simply remind him that when he got his new bike perhaps he should have stepped outta the dark ages and got himself a proper bike.

The following week Thad and I will be back at it, partnering up for the Dirt, Sweat, and Gears 12 Hour Race in Fayetteville, TN. Since I so recently proved that I am the master of riding a bike for six hours the onus of our success once again falls on the narrow shoulders of Thad. As I mentioned before, if for any reason we don't succeed in crushing the Duo Open Pro class the size of his round bits will take the fall, and any lack of fitness on my part can hardly be to blame (see master of riding a bike for six hours).

So, as you can see, I have little extrinsic motivation to ride my bike any more than necessary, yet I know I need to get out and do something. Once my two week mandatory visitation with my bastard son Thad is over I do have some serious business to attend to. No, not leading the Throbbing Members into battle at the Burn 24 Hour Challenge, the Cowbell Challenge will be my first serious task of 2009. I have some revenge to exact after my less than stellar performance in 2008. This is a race that I was accustomed to winning prior to 2008, but I guess even the greatest greats stumble now and then. Winning this race is a matter of high priority, not just because it's my hometown race, but mostly because I like wearing my jangly cowbells around the house.

As far as blogging goes I feel like I might have to start dredging for topics again. Since I don't have Powertap files to post up, interval regimes to impress the masses, or irrelevant cross bike builds to provide me with fodder I may have to make something up. Top nine reasons to Fjear Team Dicky in 2009? More tours around Bad Idea Racing Headquarters? Perhaps a weekly post by my manager/coach/directeur sportif/attorney Mike Piazza regarding the Bad Idea Racing drug testing program (we plan on testing all the good ones this year)? Maybe Pete-unh can start up the trash talk again?

Nah, he's too busy planning a dance party for the DSG race and designing Misfit rave pacifiers. Seriously, how long does it take to draw skulls on 800 pacifiers with a Sharpie?