4 second update...

Life = crazy!

Some things had to be set aside, and this was one of them. BUT, it's crunch time now - my beloved bike Ruby is wrapped in foam and a shipping blanket, and is truckin' out West with a herd of other noble steeds. I have a Death Valley weather bookmark in my link farm (the current forcast for Furnace Creek on ride day is a rather bearable 90º with clear skies; that's really no worse than the Holland Hundred weather, except it'll be a lot less humid). My mind is finally focused on this event, and not on building cabinets, or on work issues, or on family health matters. Or on getting a root canal.

My mileage for the year is rather sad compared to last year - Ruby racked up about 1800 miles, and I had another 200 or so on Frank the Hybrid in the early season. Last year I did 2500 miles on Ruby in a shorter amount of time. But then, last year work wasn't all that busy and I wasn't putting any time into the horror of our old kitchen. For most of the summer this year, one ride a week was about all I could manage. I think I'd be over 3000 miles if I had maintained the riding schedule I did last year. C'est la vie!

In any case, it's ride time! I hope to bloviate a bit more later this week...