Anyone Got The Time? What Day is This?

The clock says 7:00 am. I've been bouncing around since a little before 3, wandering aimlessly through internet space, doing laundry, eating leftover Pedro's pizza. I should be making coffee, but I just opened a beer, because that sounds a lot better right now. My body is all goofed up because it thinks we're still in Al Taweelah, and that it's late afternoon, and I'm headed back to the hotel after a day of meetings. I don't know up from down, at the moment.

Amidst all this early morning nonsense, I've been trying to keep my mind off the fact that I should be eating breakfast at The Harvester in Spangle along with some nut jobs that have been out riding since midnight. I really wanted to do this ride. So I got in all jet-lagged and dehydrated, but I figured that as long as I got started, I could find a way to make it through. What's the worst that could happen? (On second thought, let's not go there.) And besides, Jacque's back on the job, so I'm covered in case of emergency.

So I got the bike ready. I've been riding with trashed bar tape for a while, so I put some new stuff on. I added extra water capacity and a tube of Pringles (sometimes you just gotta have something salty). Topped off the tires, checked everything out, pretty much good to go. I don't have a good food plan and I need one, so I guess I'll have to go with the fanny pack. Total dork move, but solves the problem. The calories are in the bag, and I think I'm pretty much ready.

With preparations well in hand, I sat down on the sofa for a minute. Which is exactly where I woke up at 1:15.

Yeah, I'm bummed, but I think it was probably a blessing in disguise. My body wasn't ready for this kind of a ride. So I'm having beer and cold pizza for breakfast instead of a big stack of hotcakes. And I did ride the virtual route on google earth at about 4 this morning, so that's something very special. Next year, though.

Hope you guys had a great adventure.

Homebound

As you may or may not know, I travel a bit for work. I'm always hoping to find bike love wherever I go. Not this time, though. United Arab Emirates. I've seen like 2 bikes in the last 5 days, and they were barely moving, because you just don't pedal that fast through bathwater. It's hard to explain how hot and humid it is here.

But I've seen interesting things on my ceiling

and on my floor

And by some amazing stroke of luck, I picked up these mints at the Denver airport on the way over and have been offering them to new friends in the middle east and making an impression wherever I've been. I have no agenda, so the choice is always yours. Maybe the taste test will help you decide how to vote. I do what I can to help.


And so once again, I preserve my sanity by dreaming about the great riding back in the 'Kan. And even though I get back late Saturday, jet-lagged out of my mind, I might reach deep and muster the courage to ride the midnight century later that same evening. Probably not, but you never know. One way or another, I'll see you back on the mean streets of spovegas.