2000

I really haven't been paying attention to mileage much this year. Just kind of riding. I haven't even been keeping an excel log like I normally do. I have actually even gone on rides where my computer wasn't working and just ridden (did it Tuesday for the group ride as a matter of fact).

Don't get me wrong, I'm an engineer at heart so data is what I live for, but I just have more passion in measuring the pain instead of the distance this year.

That being said I did notice tonight that my total mileage for the year crossed 2,000 today. Not a killer year yet, but it is slightly different than years past. First these are road only - no trainer. I usually don't get here until about August or September.

I usually start to lose my drive in July after RAIN and after watching the Tour so much. I kind of go into overload and find I am left with no goals until the following year. This year I have had some racing goals for late season to keep me going. I also haven't spent a ton of time watching the Tour. Really hitting the fast forward buttons on the DVR when I finally do check it out.

Speaking of the tour...I am a few stages behind (Cadel is still in yellow in my world), but a lot of the fun really has finally been stripped out of it. Last year you knew there were still dopers and it would be a mess, but this year I was hoping to see some good racing between some young guns that would actually develop into tomorrow's GC riders.

When I saw Ricco climbing the way he was....eerily reminiciant of the Chicken last year and Contrador...which...let's all face it...is probably one of the biggest dopers around...I just thought to myself, "doper." I haven't really said that about any rider for a while. Last time was when Landis won Paris-Nice after winning Georgia the year he went on to win the Tour and start the total tearing apart of the sport I loved. Thanks Landis. Kind of proud I called that one here in this thread (post 21 on 3/8/06).

As most of you know it turned out Ricco and Sunny D were doped to the gills.

...meh....

So here I am tired as heck after putting in 3 hard days of riding with little sleep. I hurt all over. Everything. Today one of my knuckles swelled up from the vibrations on the bars. I figure that's what arthritis feels like. I don't like it.

I am contemplating putting in 3 more commute legs this week still. Mainly just to do it. Then taper a little (after the group ride Tuesday) next week for the Elgin crit. I think I need a rest day.