My Friends

My core group of friends back east are not nice to each other. Nobody from the outside looking in understands this. I've tried to introduce other people to this group and they think we're either all really mean or that we really hate each other. But, nothing could be further from the truth. We all just like each other so much that saying nice things to each other just doesn't seem appropriate. Rene recently described it as our own language. Which, in reality, is probably pretty accurate.

This picture basically describes 90% of our verbal interactions:



The caption, "That's Jamar and you know the TV never lies." It was posted on facebook, now it's posted on my blog. See, it's how we show we care. Now maybe Jamar will try and lose some weight. It's pretty embarrassing in public sometimes!

More Quotes

After reading the following quote I realized I might have to change my opinion on their inspirational powers. This is too much knowledge not share. You can all thank me later for changing the way you now look at life.

Let's take 'em to church: (Which is actually another quote but from a Jay-Z song, ignore that fact!)

“There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body. Now you stick to that, and everything else is cream cheese.” – Coach Finstock, Teen Wolf

Bathroom Disaster!

I've never been one of those people that loves to talk about what goes down in a bathroom. You've all met the people that do. They kick open bathroom doors with a great sense of triumph for whatever damage they just did and then speak far too loudly to the person closest to them to ensure everyone can clearly hear the tale. These are not stories that should be shared. I mean, I didn't even believe that girls pooped until I was 22 and lived with 4 of them so you can see where I think of the bathroom as a private venue.

My current office only has one bathroom on the main floor. The other bathroom requires you go down a flight of stairs, through an extra door and use a key to get in. This other bathroom has a major default in the fact that the door is always locked, but not from the inside. So anyone with a key can always roll right in. This factor drives me insane. Both bathrooms are unisex, which in theory is ok, but in practice not so great. For clarification read the last paragraph from above for a refresher.

Recently the size of our office staff has basically tripled with seasonal members. It does not take a phD in Economics to see the supply and demand curve of the bathroom availability skewing in an unfavorable direction. Still, the occasional to often waiting for someone to exit isn't that bad. What is bad is the unavoidable knowledge of what just happened in that bathroom before you entered it's domain.

People stroll out of there with the biggest smiles on their faces like it's totally normally, and maybe it is. I completely realize that I'm probably the weird one here, but nobody seems to be the slightest bit embarrassed that the next five people who walk into that bathroom aren't going to be able to breath normally for the next day or two. A few days ago I literally held my breath the entire time I was peeing because it was so bad. No I didn't wash my hands because that would have taken extra time and I was already starting to turn blue. It was that bad. I am not being dramatic.

I'm left with this problem and have no idea what to do about it. I could always go downstairs to the other bathroom, but really, it's no better. I could grow up and deal, but there are clearly some deep seeded issues that my brain can't handle. Or, I can keep doing what I currently do now. Every time I open the bathroom door I take in the biggest breath possible and hope I can hold it for the duration. It is not unlikely that someone will find me passed out on that bathroom floor. I'm considering buying a fake gas mask and hanging it next to the door to try and make the point. Let's just hope the odor doesn't stick to clothes.

It Does Not Suck to Be:

With readership of teamLandall on the rise (I learned of a new reader this weekend, what's up Karla? You get shout outs here at teamLandall because we're a blog of the people! Or, something like that?) I'm thinking of starting some standard segments that have been floating through my brain. I've had this idea for a long time and just haven't actually acted on it. The staff here have been absolutely swamped with things like facebook scrabble and the occasional bike ride.

So, let's start this off and see if it lasts more than 1 entry.

It does not suck to be Lance Armstrong. As the entire world knows Lance decided to come back to bike racing to spread the cause of his cancer fighting foundation. Good for Lance! I mean that. But really, you'd think by this picture that good old Lance won the Tour Down Under where he made his comeback debut. But nope, Lance finished 29th but got more publicity than anyone else at the race. Let's also not forget about his A-list celebrity pals and make out sessions with an Olsen twin in some seedy LA Club that for a while seemed like just another day in the life. Outside of that whole cancer thing which in reality probably propelled him to where he is today, it certainly does not suck to be Lance Armstrong!

Early Bird #4: blah, blah, blah.

It started to rain about 10 minutes leading up to the 5s race and that made me wonder if it was worth it to even take the chance. These races can be sort of sketchy anyway so add in rain and the increase in wind and I figured it was a disaster waiting to happen. I went to the start anyway, go figure.

I was shivering at the start line and of course there was a 15 minute lecture on the hydro-dynamic features of bots dots. I know these guys have the best intentions but I'm pretty sure it just makes the field act even more stupid. And is it just me or does everybody like to ride right down the middle of the road and over them? Seriously, we have two lanes, just because on your morning commute you aren't allowed to ride down the middle of the road doesn't mean you need to make up for lost time on Sundays.

So, like I said, it was rainy, windy and cold. I think I mentioned cold, if not, it was cold. The first 20 minutes were insanely pedestrian and there was some fat guy who confused himself for General Custer whenever someone would go up the road he'd demand that nobody chase. And, everybody listened, including me, but I at least shook my head in disapproval every time. With five laps to go I decided that I was going to give the old flyer move a try with 3 to go. The field had slowed to a crawl every single lap coming down the home stretch because of the headwind. I usually go backwards in headwinds but figured I could ride faster than 18 by myself so I'd give it a go. Coming into the start/finish with 3 to go the group did not slow down. And, like the big fat idiot that I am, ignored this factor and stuck with my original plan devised on an entirely different set of circumstances.

I jumped from about 10 back. Got a gap, sat down to try and ignore the lactic acid starting to pile up. This was about the time that I noticed my heart rate monitor telling me I was going to die soon. 199. I stayed away for about another minute and realized that even if the group wasn't chasing I burned every match I had in my book pushing through the wind to that point. I sat up, got caught and then made a half assed effort of 13mph chasing to get back on for about 10 seconds.

I soft pedaled to the start/finish where a lap later I was greeted by the grunting of fat boy General Custer winning with the least impressive sprint I've ever seen in my life. Oh well, I guess the early birds are designed to teach you lessons. The one I learned today, don't stick to plans when the scenario changes. Oh yeah, and the other one, which I really already knew, don't trick yourself into thinking you're a power guy just because the field is going slow.

Guess Who's Back!

About mid fall I heard that Floyd Landis was coming back and going to be riding domestically for what used to be Health-Net. To say I was stoked is a bit of an understatement. I remember the first story I read about Floyd in one of Lance's books where he described this young kid with lots of talent who on a day off sat at a coffee shop in Gerona, Spain and drank 13 espressos just to see if he could. If you know me, you know why I was instantly a fan of Floyd.

Most people by now know of Floyd Landis as the winner of the 2006 Tour de France who then had his title stripped because of an abnormally high testosterone ratio. Floyd is probably the one case in cycling where I really don't feel like he doped. I'm no scientist but what I do know about how testosterone works as a doping agent doesn't fit the description that he's accused of using it. (Nobody reading this wants these details.) It's also been proven that the machines the French lab used to test the samples on were not calibrated correctly and standard lab procedures were essentially ignored. Both of these factors, if you ask people that work in labs, can grossly effect the results of any test. There are those people who think the French were using Floyd as a way to try and get to Lance. I don't know, I don't usually give conspiracy theorist much attention, but, there was definitely a group of people who decided they needed to make an example out of someone. Unfortunately for Floyd, they pulled his number.

But, screw all that. It's over. To any real fan we all know that Floyd won the 2006 Tour and that's what matters. With a lot of big comebacks, namely one Mr. Armstrong, Floyd's is going to be overshadowed a bit. But, for Floyd that's ok. He clams up in the spot light. But, since he's racing domestically all year it's going to be huge for a sport that is struggling to find sponsorship in our current economic wonderland. Races like the Tour of Utah that are really close to being a race with recognition will now have a big time name with a big time domestic fan base lining up on day one. And that is huge! So whatever people say about Lance bringing great press to cycling is probably true, but that press is mainly going to be overseas. Floyd's going to be doing it at home and I'm super stoked that I'm going to get the chance to see him race a few times this year.

Here's to hoping Floyd gives them hell. And, what's not to like about a guy who eats In-N-Out for lunch instead of weighing his boiled chicken?

Our New Fearless Leader

With the swearing in of our new President this week everybody was going crazy with gushy emotions about how great the world is about to be. Being my naturally cynical self I'm a bit less than ready to crown Mr. Obama the greatest President of all time until he actually gets some of the stuff that he promised done.

It's easy to talk about what you're going to do. In any context, not just when trying to convince people to elect you leader of the free world. What's more difficult and should count for a lot more is when you deliver on those things you spoke about.

I totally understand that the simple idea of change gives people hope and Obama certainly embodies that. So, as I listened to his speech on Tuesday I did so without much emotion because again, they were just words. As this week as progressed I've caught glimpses of the new President in the oval office on the front page of major newspapers and I realized it hasn't really set in for me. Sure I realize that good old boy W is out and there's a new guy with access to the fancy pen set, but my life didn't change. And that's sort of why I find it so difficult to get fired up about many political causes or the process as a whole. Sure these people we elect are important. Sure they make big decisions that have the possibility of effecting the world. But on a personal level there isn't much they do that changes my day to day life. Some people find this ridiculous but it's just the way I feel.

So, did I vote? I did. And did I vote for Obama? I did. But why? If I don't notice the difference of one administration to another what made Mr. Obama seem like a better candidate than Mr. McCain? Simple. Mack Brown thought so. The day the stories came out that Obama visited the Longhorns my mind was made up, I was voting for Obama.

Early Bird #3: I guess that's bike racing.

I went into this race with a plan, which was really the first time. My plan was to do my best Levi impression and sit on wheels the entire day. On the last lap I'd make my move up to the top 10 and then I'd either move off the front in the last turn if it was slow or wait for the sprint if it was fast.

I did everything exactly according to plan, but unlike the last two weeks where I had good results, this one was the definition of mediocre. It was fast and so going into turn four I decided to follow a small train of guys going up the outside to set up for a bunch sprint. As we made our way up some homeboy on the inside decided it was his time to shine and he jumped WAY, WAY, WAY too early. Usually, this move could be ignored because he'll fade and you can laugh about it later. Unfortunately his way too early jump meant he needed to get to the outside and his path went through the front end of my bike. Fortunately I was able to get out of his way but the sudden move made me forget we were still a long way from the line and I started to sprint. 200 meters later my legs stopped cooperating. I sat down and coasted in giving up about 15 places to other guys who weren't sprinting at all. But, sometimes that's how it goes. You do everything right and the luck just isn't on your side. At least I kept all my skin.

The picture above is pretty much how I felt going across the line. And it proves my non violent nature because I should have been pointing my finger gun and to the fool who tried to kill me. But, as we all know, I'm way too nice for that!

High Tech Nutrition!

Almost never does anyone ever ask me what I eat when I go out for a 5+ hour bike ride. Mostly I think it's because nobody cares, which is probably the right feeling to have about the topic. But, because I rode my bike for 6.5 hours today and experienced a few different food related issues I decided I'd share exactly what I consumed throughout the day.

There are endless discussions on what and how much of something someone should eat during a ride. Generally the calculations are based on calories/hour but I can't be bothered with that kind of math. I also can't be bothered with eating things that are sold in the "energy bar" isle of your local grocery store. I've ingested so many cliff bars and gus that I swore I'd never have another a few months ago. And, I haven't. But, if I'm not eating a cliff bar or taking in gu ever hour what is one to do? Don't I realize that those products are specifically designed to keep me going.

In the picture below you will see three cookies in a sandwich bag. I ate a cookie every hour. They are not special cookies. They are turtle supreme or something. They taste delicious! You will also notice an apple turnover thing. I saw these at Safeway on 10 for $7 sale. I bought 5 because I couldn't remember if I liked them or not. After eating one on top of Mt. Diablo today for lunch I remember that I do like them. I also ate a banana which depleted my "getting there food." On the way back I stopped at a gas station and bought two Ms. Fields cookies, a snikers bar (which I ate immediately and threw the wrapper away so it's not pictured) and two packets of salted peanuts in case I started cramping. But I didn't, so I didn't eat them.



So, that's it. I have no idea how many total calories I took in. I have no idea what my carb to protein ratio was. I do know that I could pretty much care less about any of that crap. This line of thinking leads to the occasional bonk but not usually. And, this stuff is way cheaper than all that "scientifically formulated crap," not to mention all the people forcing down a cliff bar gaze at your cookies quite longingly.

The Wrestler: An unqualifed review

I'm going to do the 3-10 people who read this blog a favor and tell you not to go see The Wrestler. I had never heard of this movie until the guys on a radio talk show that I listen to were praising it like they were being paid to do so. And after watching it, I think maybe they were. After they hyped it up so much I found a trailer online and was blown away. The trailer made me cry so I thought for sure this movie was going to be amazing. I mean really, who cries during the trailer?

One thing I hate when people review movies is when they critique acting. Mostly I hate this because the people doing the critiquing don't act and so how the hell do they know what it takes to be a good actor or not. Another thing I hate is when people insist that a movie is amazing and that if you didn't like it it's because you missed the point. This clearly insinuates you aren't smart enough to see the bigger point the movie was trying to convey.

Let me state very clearly that I didn't hate The Wrestler for any of these reasons. I thought the acting was pretty good. I mean I believed the main character was a beaten down old wrestler. All the fill in wrestlers looked enough like guys who I saw wrestle at county fairs growing up in the south. And I certainly didn't like it because I left confused. Nope, I got it. Old dude can't give up the dream because he can't do anything else. He realizes after a heart attack that he's wasted his entire life wrestling so he tries to quickly build relationships with his daughter who he's neglected for years and a stripper who he loves. Once these two options blow up he goes back to wrestling because it's the only thing he knows. I think I got the point.

The talk I heard leading up to seeing it was that it really makes you feel bad for these guys who continue to beat the hell out of themselves for literally no money and no fame. I'd say the movie also does a decent job of conveying this aspect. Well, at least it shows you they beat the hell out of themselves and then get almost no pay for it. Maybe I'm just not a nice person, but it didn't make me feel sorry for any of them because it's a decision these guys are making.

When I go see a movie I want it to be one thing, entertaining. That's all I want from a movie. There are a ton of levels of entertaining so I generally find that I like a wide variety of movies. The only highlight of this movie is when Marisa Tomei is naked in the strip club. And, luckily, for the movies sake, it happens about 5 or 6 times. I joked with a friend before going to see this movie that I love movies she's in because she's always naked. Good thing this movie was no exception or it wouldn't have a single redeeming factor.

I think the most annoying thing about the movie is that they seemed to use the same camera crew as the guys in The Blair Witch Project. When dude would walk the camera would walk behind him and shake the same way it does if its mounted to your shoulder. I didn't get motion sick or anything from the constant bobbing up and down of the camera but it did get on my nerves about 3 minutes into the show.

So, there you go. If you want to see Marisa Tomei naked just go rent "Before the Devil Knows Your Dead" for like $3 bucks at blockbuster. You'll come up $7 ahead and it's just about as bad of a movie as The Wrestler. If you want to see old people get thrown through a table, I'm sure there's youtube videos that can hold you over and won't take nearly the time commitment.

Partner vs. Boyfriend/Girlfriend

This may or may not make sense. It also may or may not make a point.

Recently I have met quite a few people who refer to their significant other as their “partner” as opposed to boyfriend or girlfriend. For me, I’ve mostly heard the term partner used in reference to same sex relationships. This has always confused me a bit because just because the people in involved shared the same anatomy, I never understood why that person wouldn’t simply be your boyfriend or girlfriend. Why partner?

When I worked at Georgetown I had a lot of interaction with the residential life staff through various committees and other work functions. For the most part res life staffers are insanely positive and overly PC. Due to the PC nature of their job, I heard a guy refer to his “partner” in a story. I assumed this guy was gay because of the reference. I later learned he was not. His partner was his girlfriend, but somehow referring to his girlfriend as partner was the new way to not alienate same sex couples. This doesn’t make any sense to me.

I remember when I was a kid my mom used to refer to her friends from high school in stories as girlfriends. This confused me and so as a kid I asked for clarification. She explained it in a perfectly logical way and my little brain started to understand that words can have different definitions being used in various contexts.

Being a hetero dude I have never referred to a girlfriend as anything except girlfriend. I think if I started to use the term partner it’d sound really weird and fake and clearly way too PC than I am or have any aspirations to be. At the same time I could care less about which gender someone else is attracted to. Like any sane person in the world I realize that people are all made differently and so some folks find themselves attracted to people who share the same anatomy, or maybe people with every form of anatomy and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If a girl who digs other girls calls her significant other her girlfriend it doesn’t change anything about how she feels about that person just as it doesn't change the way I’d feel about my girlfriend. If we defined the words “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” using the general way that society uses them, the same definition works for both hetero and homo-sexual couples.

I guess my point is I just don’t see the utility value in having a term that was originally used to define the significant other of a same sex couple and then morphed into the PC term so as not to alienate those same sex couples. For me, the feeling of obligation to use such a term is just as alienating as forcing them to call their significant other something other than what everyone else does. Maybe this is a larger overlying problem as our society attempts to move forward. Can we really get past any issue that segregates if we can’t all use the same inclusive vocabulary?

It's Only Sort of About Bike Helmets.

For most of my friends I’m the only cyclist they know and so when there is a question regarding anything on bikes I’m generally the one that fields it. Some of these questions range in topics from racing to general idiots on wal-mart bikes clogging up city streets. It’s not uncommon for people to ask me how I feel about wearing a helmet but the answer varies a bit depending on the circumstances.

When I’m racing I wear a helmet because the rules say I have to. Not that I wouldn’t anyway in a race filled with fools who can take you out, but since it’s a rule there’s no point in discussing why I do.

When I’m out training I still wear a helmet but not really because I feel like it keeps me any safer. A lot of my training rides are done solo so there’s not really anybody else who’s going to crash me. I’ve crashed a few times over the years on training rides and never once hit my head on the road. Even when I got hit by a car a few years ago my head didn’t make any contact with the pavement. Still, I wear one and I think the reason I do is because of the stigma of having other cyclists who are very pro-helmet constantly yell at you about not wearing one. There’s nothing that drives me more insane than hearing people I don’t know correct me for something like they’re my legal guardian. This happens all the time with my iPod and every time I ask these fools with camelbaks when they’re going to start giving me an allowance they generally get the point and leave me alone. But, with a helmet it’s different. The badgering doesn’t stop and so I wear one.

I really hate commuting by bike but in the odd chance that I’m doing it I never, EVER, wear a helmet. I just don’t see the point and it’s just one more thing that has to be carried or locked up once I get wherever it is I’m going. And that factor alone is more of a pain in the ass than I’m willing to deal with.

Recently on Velonews.com there was a picture of a pro team on a training ride where a lot of the riders weren’t wearing helmets. The picture I posted above isn’t the same photo but it’s an example of the same type of thing. Tons and tons of pros never wear helmets and in my opinion that’s their own prerogative as a decision making adult. If one of these pros crashes on this ride, cracks his head open and whatever else, nobody else can be blamed for it. He knew the inherent risks just like anybody else who decides not to wear a helmet. But apparently the rest of the world doesn’t see it that way. The amount of outcry that came by the way of fan mail from idiots into velonews.com threatening to cancel subscriptions if the publication showed helmetless riders ever again was absolutely ridiculous.

Ok, I get it, you wear a helmet and you think that the world will implode if you don’t. I’m sure you make your poor kid wear a helmet when they ride their bmx bike over to their friends house as well. And while I feel sorry for your kid because bicycle helmets, especially while riding a bmx bike, are really dorky, I guess since the kid is under your supervision you can enforce such precautions. But it drives me nuts that people feel the need to impose their own overly precautious hysteria and try and force it on everybody else. Is it a bit more risky to ride your bike with no helmet? Probably. Do you hurt anybody else by not doing so? Nope. As an adult should you be allowed to make your own decisions about how much risk you’re willing to take with your own life? Absolutely!

So dudes writing in about helmets, instead you should maybe take the time to fill up your camel back, lube up your triple crank and adjust your fred mirrors. For the rest of us that are sane and respect other people’s ability to make a decision about their own personal safety when it doesn’t affect anybody else, turn up your iPod so you can’t hear that old dude when he tells you it’s dangerous. And then point out that you can’t hear him and smile.

Also, substitute the word “seat belt” for every “helmet” and you’re essentially looking at the same issue where instead of annoying readers you have the gov’t making that decision for you.

Ugliest Kit, So far.

Every year with the team press conferences the new kits (uniform for those of you not up on the cycling vocab) get revealed. This is team Columbia - High Road's new kit and boy is it ugly! These guys have multimillion dollar budgets and the best they can do is something that looks like it came from the semi-custom pages of a brochure. Did you really need to put fake abs on the jersey? The yellow is supposed to represent success and the white purity. That's all fine and well but seriously, this is the best you could do? I might be alone on this one but I'd rather wear the "venom" Rock Racing kit (see the post about Fast Freddy from November) than this thing. Here's to hoping the other teams have a few creative designers they go to for their racing gear!

Early Bird #2

If this entry were to have a subtitle it would be, The lesson of suffering and then sprinting.

The race was a bit faster this week. The field was also about double the previous one. On the third lap this big dude went by me up the middle following another guy and so I thought he'd be a nice big body to draft off of. He was, but he also wasn't stopping when he got to the front. Since I was already there I figured what the heck, let's see what happens. The group didn't react and so I thought maybe we've have a shot to at least stay away for a lap or so but it was not to be. The guy on the front of our little three man train pulled until the exploded. The big guy I was following did the same. When it was my turn the group had brought us back so to ensure I wasn't towing the entire group I just swung the hell off the front and drifted back 10 or so places.

But that effort hurt! And I never even stuck my nose in the wind. Those two guys were super strong and should have took much smaller pulls trying and I think the three of us could have organized enough to stay away a bit longer.

With three laps to go I was in the pain locker so I decided I need a good set of wheels to follow and just sit there for a couple laps. What do you know, that actually helped! I recovered a ton and after turn 1 I moved up 5 or so places. After turn 2 I moved up another 5 or so until I found myself in the top ten for turn three, which is really the last turn because 4 is a huge sweeper. I ended up beating a couple guys in the spring which really surprised me. Mainly because I suck at sprinting and I remembered these guys for being super powerful in Cross races.

So, I finished about 7th or so out of 40 guys. A group of three attacked after turn three and ended up holding it. I had no idea that we weren't all together. I'm more stoked about the lesson I learned, which is, even if you're hurting and it's hard to hold wheels, if you suffer through, you might be able to recover enough to do decent sprint at the end.

Oh yeah, and Freddy Rodriguez won the Pro, 1, 2, 3 race in a bunch sprint. He and Danny Holloway left the rest of the group like they weren't moving. It was awesome to see up close!

The Landall Uninteractive Poll

There are three things that I love when it comes to college football and those three things are, the Longhorns, the Longhorns beating the Sooners and the Sooners losing big bowl games. The last 6 years have really brought me a lot of joy.

I was going to bash Oklahoma for not winning a BCS bowl game since 2000. Oklahoma has the highest paid coach in college sports and I am now completely convinced that they justify that bloated salary by making themselves feel good when they beat totally inferior teams by 50. That must be what helps them overlook the fact that they haven't won the last three BCS games they played in, all of which they were favored.

But, I'm not going to bash Oklahoma. Instead I am going to officially publish what I think the final top 10 should look like for major college football. Below will be the rankings and below that will be my justification of each.

1. Utah
2. Florida
3. Texas
4. USC
5. Oklahoma
6. Alabama
7. Penn State
8. Ohio State
9. Texas Tech
10. TCU

1. Utah - Only team to go undefeated and in my opinion the only team to make a statement with their bowl win. They are penalized in most polls for playing in the Mountain West but I'd argue that the Mountain West has just as many tough football programs as the Big 10 or the ACC. To paraphrase their coach, "All we could do was beat the teams we were scheduled to play." And they did. Every last one of them.
2. Florida - Eh. I'm not a big Florida fan and ever since ESPN did that special interest piece of Tim Tebow going to prisons to talk about Jesus it makes me like them even less. However, they are clearly good. Are they good enough to be the consensus National Champs? Not to me. But, in the system we have, I guess that's what they are.
3. Texas - I'm not being a fair weather fan by putting them over USC. They beat Oklahoma 45-35 on a neutral field. They played 4 consecutive weeks against teams all in the top 11. Our loss was to a Texas Tech that finished higher than Oregon State who beat USC. And, with 2:05 left on the clock Colt McCoy showed just how good he is and marched his team down the field to win the game. Not every important win is by 60.
4. USC - They're clearly good. I think the rounding out of my top 5 would make for some of the best games in a playoff system that exists. They beat Penn State pretty easily, but, everybody saw that coming.
5. Oklahoma - I guess they deserve to stay in the top 5. Sam Bradford's Heisman stats are insanely bloated due to never coming off the field when they're up by 45. The deserved to play in the Fiesta Bowl, not the Orange. OU Sucks!
6. Alabama - All year I had a feeling that Alabama wasn't as good as everyone who jumped on the band wagon was making them out to be. Still, in his first year at the program, Nick Saban can clearly coach 'em up!
7. Penn State - When Penn State was still undefeated and there was conspiracy theories that they'd jump Texas to play for the national title so that JoPa could have another shot at winning I began to pray mercilessly that they'd lose. JoPa is like a billion years old but you gotta love the guy. It's not his fault that Penn State is stuck in the Big 10 playing other mediocre teams of great football past.
8. Ohio State - They're better than I thought they were. They're seniors have lost every bowl game they've played in so from a personal standpoint that says something about both the players they recruit and the coaches. Jim Tressel should stop wearing sweater vests.
9. Texas Tech - They seem to do well when teams only have a week to prepare for their crazy offense and not an entire month. They still beat a very good Texas on a last second play. In my opinion they are on the map and clearly take over the number 3 spot for the programs in the Big 12 south.
10. TCU - I don't know anything about TCU but everybody else has them at like 7 in their polls. So, I'll stick them in at 10. And because their a christian school, maybe god won't smite me for making the Tim Tebow comment earlier.

Early Bird #1

You know you're in for a treat when the guy running the fundamentals clinic asks who thinks they're good at riding in a pace line and only 3 out of about 80 riders raise their hands.

The Early Birds are a series of races here in the bay area that run every Sunday through January. They are intended to give newbies race and skill experience without throwing them to the wolves. If you are a 5, you can attend a skills clinic and participate in the race and get upgrade credit for each.

Rumor had it they are crash laden and basically every race that day had at least one. My race didn't, however, that's due to one guy being filled with magical powers when an idiot three bikes up from me basically decided to just run into him. He didn't go down, which, was really nothing short of a miracle.

Outside of that the race was pretty uneventful, usual stuff you'd expect from a bunch of 5s racing for the first time this year. Nobody really taking the right line through the corners and even less people holding the line the started on. We raced for 40 minutes. Some dude got away and stayed about 200 yards off the front since nobody, included myself cared to exert the effort to chase him. I ended up about 5th as a group of 10 eventually split the field and then we sort of half sprinted at the end. My 5th was almost solely because at least 3 guys in front of me started sprinting way too early and faded and I was able to basically just ride by them. And, since I am still in my non-fit fat stage, I'll take it!

Nothing exciting, but at least the rubber side stayed down. Racing the first weekend of the year? Crazy if you ask me!