I should also mention...

My other new favorite bike racer, Andrea Peron.  He pushed me up quite a few hills today.  Thank you, Andrea.  I would not have made it otherwise.  Damn that 23 cassette.

Me and my new favorite bike racer

Rachel Lloyd. 9th at cross worlds and just one of the nicest people you will ever meet.  I still think Katie Compton rocks, but right now I am on a Rachel Lloyd high.

The George Jefferson Ride

With wind gusts predicted at 40 mph for Sunday, Sonja and I decided to hit the Mt. Vernon Trail for our ride. Along for the fun was K-Lo. Riding the trail turned out to be a great idea as we did not encounter any of the gale force winds so many others seem to be blogging about.

K-Lo and I refueling for the ride home.

We rode at a conversational pace so K-Lo was full of questions about training, racing and whatnot. She was also curious as to why we called it the George Jefferson ride. You see, a while ago a friend of mine asked me why Mt. Vernon was so famous and who lived there. Not being such a great history buff I was thinking to myself that it was either George Washington or Thomas Jefferson. My verbal reply, unfortunately, was "George Jefferson." Of course, I said this with such a straight face that my friend was totally confused and for a fraction of a second had to really think about it. Thus, the beginning of the "George Jefferson Ride."

We were impressed with the bike racks at the end of the trail. We are easily impressed.

One of the things that we love about this ride is the scenery. The trail is also very nice with several wooden bridges over marsh and lots of wildlife to spot along the way.

That's Sonja with a fort in the background. I'm not sure which and I will not venture a guess.

We brought the camera because the last time we did this ride we spotted 2 bald eagles. We were hoping they would be out again, but alas, all we saw were some "water chickens."

2 ducks aka "water chickens"

We wound up riding 3 hours. All in all, a good ride that was followed up with lunch at my favorite restaurant, Belga Cafe.

Savage Chickens: Friday Night Cartoon

For some reason, this cartoon really speaks to me.

Savage Chickens: Friday Night Cartoon

Great story I saw on the Today show this am

Dog survives avalanche

Best CD Ever

A while back I mentioned my friend Laura Wilson's CD "Kicking the Tires." Laura is truly an amazing person and one talented singer/musician. She released her CD back in August and I immediately fell in love with it. Sonja and I listened to it over and over again while driving throughout Colorado for the Leadville 100 and on the way to "bag" some 14ers. Since returning home I kind of let her music slip thru the cracks. I rarely listen to music at home; in the car I have XM satellite; and I usually use my Ipod for cycling and running, which I am embarassed to say consists of techno and dance music. Well, while flying out to Colorado recently I had my Ipod on shuffle and one of Laura's songs came on. I had forgotten how much I loved her music. I immediately switched my Ipod over to play the entire CD. Why am I blogging about this? Because I really do believe Laura's CD is one of the best out there. Please go here to buy one of her CD's and see for yourself. Even better, watch the video then I am sure you will want her CD. The video is a live perfromance from her CD release party which also happened to be a benefit for the Rocky Mountain Alzheimer’s Association.  Also check out The Goat's blog for more on Laura.

How to Choose Wine

There's been a lot of market research done lately on how people choose wine, and I don't mean the people that read Wine Spectator. I'm talking about people that pick a wine based on the label on the bottle. Lots of wineries are disguising marginal wine with catchy names and colorful labels. Twin Fin, Two Buck Chuck, Yellow Tail, and my personal fave, Screw Kappa Napa are a few examples, although I hear that the Two Buck Chuck is actually quite good, but alas not 2 bucks anymore... more like three. Now I drink a lot of wine, most of it very good because I rely on the guys at Schneider's to hook me up, but I am in no way a wine snob. I rarely spend more than $20 on a bottle unless I plan on giving it as a gift. My purchasing method usually consists of going to Schneider's and asking for recommendations in the $10 - $20 range. However, when left to my own devices, I have noticed I tend to look for labels that interest me. Case in point:

This wine bottle depicts a chicken with a heart. How can I not like this? I am the Chicken! I didn't even know what gamay noir meant when I bought it. It was cheap at $9 but not too bad. I probably wouldn't buy it again, though. Not enough tannins for me. I like my wine big.
This next one was quite interesting. First, I like the label because of the bike and the name "Hill of Content". What a great name, especially because I like hills. I'm not saying I'm good at them, just that I like them. My friend, the Unholy Rouleur is the first to point out that I'm not a "true climber." Anyway, back to the wine. This one also happened to be a sparkling red wine from Australia. I was hesitant at first thinking it would be more like those wine coolers I was so fond of in high school, but was pleasantly surprised. It was good and at somewhere in the $15 range, I would buy it again. Definitely a novelty, but a darn good one.
I get a kick out of this next one from the Clif Bar Family Winery. Again, a climbing theme going on here but what I really like is the fact that it's a Clif product. I already use their Shot Bloks on long rides and too many of their bars to list here. Why not drink their wine? I always joke that I use wine as a recovery drink and what could be better than one from Clif. I mean, I'm sure they researched it and it provides the perfect amount of carbs and such to replenish after those 4 hour Kelley Acres rides.
And finally, meet Rex Goliath, the 47 pound rooster. Again, back to the chicken theme, and if I don't watch it, I'm going to be Velochicken Goliath, the 147 pound roaster. Seriously, I've gained 10 pounds over the last year and my chicken legs (part of the reason for my nickname) have become more like meaty drumsticks. I have even considered changing my name to The Fryer, although I think roasters are supposed to be bigger than fryers. From show hen to Rhode Island Red in a year. Oh yeah, the wine wasn't all that good or bad. Just your average $10 bottle with a chicken on it.

Talking Dogs

Mom --- I think you will like this, especially the Shih Tzu that looks like Tater Bug.

Where are all the cops?

At the donut shop, of course.

Shasta the Wino Cat

Chris of the famous Kelley Acres has the coolest cat ever! You see, Shasta and I have something in common. We are both winos. In an effort to get Shasta to expand her horizons and try beer, Sonja and I got her a pint glass from the Breckenridge Brewery. Even the most dedicated wino has the occasion to drink a beer every now and then. Come on, is it really appropriate to crack open a bottle of wine after a cross race? No! Or how about at a tailgate? Of course not! However according to Chris, Shasta has proven to be one staunch wino. No beer for this cool cat. Break out the Chateauneuf de Pape! Here she is posing with her new glass. The look on her face says it all.  More about Shasta on the Goat's blog.

So are you going to pour something in this glass or what? Preferably something red. I'm waiting.