309 – Final Glory

Nov 052013

Riding off, into the sunset. No, really.

I was caught out by the time change, today. I had hoped to get in a solid ride to add miles to my Movember campaign, but setting the clocks back means that the sun is setting even earlier than I’ve become used to.

Twenty miles has become my minimum distance on the road bike. If I can’t get 20 miles, then I feel like there’s no point in me going out. Part of that is because my very first ride, back on a frigid February afternoon, was a bit over 20 miles. If I could endure that biting misery, then surely every ride after that should be easier, right? But today, circumstances at work conspired with the early sunset (and my lack of planning… I have lights, but failed to bring them) to leave me only 45 minutes of light, once my wheels started turning.

I headed out towards Jackson Road, where there are a couple little hills that are fun to attack, and hoped I could substitute intensity for duration. The air was already crisp, and I worked a little harder on the way to the hills, just to stay warm. I had forgotten my glasses, so I had to keep my head down a little, to keep the dive-bombing bugs from finding their way into my eyes.

I got to the hills and charged the first one with everything that I had, venting my frustration at the abbreviated ride through the pedals and onto the pavement, sailing over the top at 20 mph before tucking in to coast down the other side. The temperature continued to fall, and made the down hill coast a little less enjoyable than usual.

I spun up the small rise to the end of the road and stopped, regarding the rolling rural landscape, awash in the golden hues of an autumn sunset. I wish I was as comfortable with the seasons’ change as nature appears to be. While I struggle and huff and grunt my way through the chill of early November, trying desperately to extend the season as long as I can, she takes on the change with an easy grace, retiring her lush summer greens in favor of brilliant reds and yellows and rich browns. I fight against the wind, chase the setting sun, and brace against the cold. She relaxes, rests from the efforts of a long year, and lets the cold and the wind renew her. There is a lesson to be taken here, but perhaps I am too stubborn a pupil.

I ease up a little on my return trip, waving to the farmers in their comically large machines as they bring in the last of the harvest. Turning north again, back towards work, I glance over my shoulder and am awestruck at the painting the sun has left in the sky. A perfect, whimsical layer of clouds reflects a prismatic explosion of color back to me, and for a moment I forget my tired legs and the clammy cold of a fall bike ride, and just stop and stare. If this is fall’s final glory, then it has lived up to its billing.

Soon these will all be bare and depressing.

If this is to be the season’s finale, it ain’t bad!

306 – Hillclimbs with my Honey

Cycling, Katie 1 Response »

Nov 022013

Spin those legs!

Last night with my wife left me totally impressed! No, not like that. Get your mind outta the gutter.

Friday is usually a CrossFit day for Katie, but yesterday, she just wasn’t feeling it. I had already planned to go do some hill work, so I talked her into a “Cycling WOD” on the hills over at Area B. It’s the same place I used to train for the Death March earlier this year, and I intended to do some interval training for my upcoming CX race in Columbus.

Much to my surprise, she agreed to come along. But she wasn’t done surprising me. I figured she’d do fine, chug up a few hills with some rest stops, and call it a day, leaving me alone to do the second half of the workout myself. Instead, she powered up every hill the place had to offer, only stopping once. I had expected to climb each hill twice for her single effort. That’s not a statement on her fitness, just that I have a lot more seat time this year and was on my ‘cross bike, which is far better suited for such a thing. Every time I turned around though, she was already two thirds of the way up, chugging along like a pro!

I ended up coasting down about half of each hill before turning around to chase her to the top, and that ended up being a fun way to do repeats. She never let up for the hour we were out there, and by the end was even letting off the brakes and coasting down with some real speed!

My girl has come a long way since this spring, when a 2 mile pedal around the neighborhood was quite enough for her, thanks very much. At this rate, she’ll be absolutely killing it, next year. I’ve gotta get her on a skinny-tire bike.

303 – Movember is Coming

Cycling, Cyclocross, Events, Life in General, Mountain Biking, Movember, Running, Training Philosophy 6 Responses »

Oct 302013

It’s that time of year, again. time for raking leaves, dressing your kids up as scary/cute things, breaking out your favorite hoodies, and screaming slurred expletives at college football games.

And growing moustaches.

That’s right, boys and girls, it’s almost Movember, the time of year where I allow a hilarious little fuzz strip to inhabit my upper lip, for your amusement and for charity! And not just any charity. Movember’s purpose is to raise money specifically to fight Man Cancer. We’re talking about prostate and testicular cancers. They aren’t pretty, and so they don’t get as much attention as, say, boobs. That’s understandable. But ignoring Man Cancer isn’t.

My maternal grandfather had prostate cancer, and it eventually claimed his life. He taught me many things as a kid, but the most important lessons were those of character and integrity. He worked hard every day of his life, and for the whole time I knew him, did it sporting a fantastic moustache.

So in his honor, starting 1 Movember, I’m declaring a thirty-day hiatus on shaving in my upper lip region. I’ll be posting regular, hilarious updates as to my… er… “progress” for you to follow, like and share. And this year, I’m upping the ante.

Last Movember, I ran a little contest each week to let people name my ‘stache when they donated. While that was humiliating for me and fun for you, I don’t think it involved enough pain and suffering on my part to keep you all engaged. So this year, I’m going to match you, mile for dollar, all month long.

That’s right. You donate a dollar, I run, ride or row a mile. I’ll post proof of my mileage on here along with updates on my fuzzy little lip friend. Now because you people have surprised me before, and because I may occasionally have to go to work this month, I have to cap the mileage total at 500. But that ain’t nothing. It’ll represent my single biggest total in a month all year, and fully 1/4 of the miles I’ve posted so far. But if you’ve got the cash, I’ve got the time.

Let’s do this. Click the link below to donate, share this page with your friends, and let’s team up to help stop Man Cancer in its tracks!

mobro.co/PedroSuave

301 – Snake Bite

Cycling No Responses »

Oct 282013

The tiny holes the arrows above are pointing to are referred to as a snake bite. Usually, a snake bite is the result of inadequate tire pressure, which allows the tube to become pinched between the tire and rim when encountering a square-edged obstacle. But in this case, it’s down to a rider forgetting that he wasn’t on a fat tire bike, and failing to hop the front wheel over the lip of a driveway apron. Oops…

Thankfully I had a spare tube with me, so it didn’t hamper my ride. The driveway was my sister’s, and I was there to take advantage of a warm fall day for a little sibling pedal. She currently rides a hybrid, and was worried that I’d brought my “fast bike.” But I got my speed fix on the way there, sprinting the 13 miles in just over 40 minutes, including my 2nd best ever effort up Lower Valley Pike to the dam. After I swapped to my spare tube, we meandered through the city to the bike path by UD, then detoured around the construction through downtown, before rejoining the path at Riverscape. We rolled through Eastwood and up the Creekside and Iron Horse paths back to her neighborhood, completing a pleasant and leisurely 15 miles, before I turned back and cruised home.

On the day, I turned in just over 40 miles on the road bike, which felt good. It had been a little while (almost three weeks! The shame!) since she’d seen any work, and it was nice to feel the easy speed of skinny tires and smooth pavement again.

298 – Accessorizing

Cycling No Responses »

Oct 252013

One thing about getting a new bike, any new bike, is that it seems like you can’t just get the bike and ride it. This can be good or bad, depending on your perspective, but I think it’s kinda fun. Since my new ‘cross bike is likely to see all sorts of duty through the winter, after the race season is over, I figured it would be wise to kit it out with what I consider the essentials.

This is the cage and pump combo I ordered from Lezyne, which is quickly becoming my favorite bike accessory company. Their stuff is well engineered and attractively designed, without the horrendous price point that usually accompanies those two things. I’m still waiting on my tail bag, which is the same one I got for my road bike. When it’s here, I’ll toss some tire levers and a spare tube in it, along with a multitool.

If I end up riding through the winter as much as I think I will, I may invest in some fenders and a rack mount for cargo, as well. This could end up being my do-everything bike, although if it does, that’ll require different tires…

See what I mean? You can’t just get the bike.

297 – Candy

Cycling, Cyclocross, Mountain Biking No Responses »

Oct 242013

Not every small, square box is filled with chocolate.

One of the unfortunate discoveries I made while cleaning off my mountain bike the other day was that my pedals had become… crunchy. They still worked, but the bearings had gotten stiff, likely the result of too much abuse and too little love. I went ahead and transferred them to the Delta anyway, but during my ‘cross race, I had serious trouble getting clipped in on the left side. Not a good problem to have in a race with required dismounts.

So I’ll need to send them in to CrankBrothers for service, but I can’t be stuck sans-pedals in the mean time. So it was off to Amazon, where I found a deal on these Candy 2s. They’re almost the same pedal as the (now discontinued) Candy SLs they replace, with the exception of having a full metal cage, instead of plastic. I’ve heard rumors of quality control problems at CB over the past few years, so here’s hoping they hold up just as well as my old set!

293 – Last But One

Cycling, Cyclocross, Events 2 Responses »

Oct 202013

Chipped, bibbed, and cow-belled. Time for some ‘cross racing!

When one has acquired a new bicycle, the only logical next step is to go race it. Right?

So imagine my giddy surprise when I found out that the Ohio Valley Cyclocross (OVCX) series was coming to my back yard this weekend! That the race fell the morning after the MoMBA XC Classic was no deterrent. Have new bike, must race!

I’ve tried CX before, but never on a proper bike, so I hoped to do well. I held no illusion of being truly competitive, but I thought maybe I’d at least hold on to the tail end of the pack. And anyway, my goal was just to go out and learn, since I have all of 5 miles on this bike.

Race morning was cold, but a brilliant sunrise replaced the clouds and rain from yesterday. I showed up 90 minutes before my wave was to start, got registered, and eyed the course while the previous waves went off. It didn’t look all that bad from the sidelines, at least.

The atmosphere was buzzing. Hundreds of riders swirled around the parking areas, in various stages of bike prep, warming up, or spectating until their races started. Music blasted from loudspeakers, interspersed with two very experienced announcers calling the races like professional sportscasters, and recognizing racers by name. This was no mom-n-pop bike race, this was the real deal! I felt at once like I was in over my head, and jazzed about being a part of something so hugely impressive.

There were two races before mine, and between waves, they were allowing a short gap for riders to preview the course. I got kitted up and pedaled around while the second race wrapped up, leaving my hoodie on as long as possible. I figured at race pace, that I’d be warm enough, and I can take the cold for a mere 30 minutes, anyway. But that didn’t mean I wanted to freeze before the thing even started.

Having a laugh after call-ups.

As the leaders from the race before mine started to come across the finish, they opened the rest of the course for sighting laps. I rolled onto the grass and started circulating, trying very hard not to look like it was my first time. I’m not sure I succeeded.

The course itself seemed fast overall, not terribly bumpy and not chock full of obstacles. The hardest feature for me was the sheer number of muddy, off-camber corners, which would require me to test the limits of my comfort zone, and the limits of traction on my new bike. Line choice wasn’t hard to figure out, as the previous two waves had worn a pretty obvious path through each turn, but as the day went on, those lines would become sloppier. There were two log-overs that I likely would have hopped over with more experience on the bike, and two plank-overs that required a dismount from everyone, regardless of skill.

My favorite obstacle was the sand traps. I got a little experience riding in the sand when I was in North Carolina last year, so I knew to just plow through them with as much speed as possible, and let the bike go where it wanted to go. In the races before mine, a whole lot of riders found themselves underneath their bikes in the sand, but it wasn’t as much a worry, for me. I gather from talking to other riders that that makes me weird.

I finished my sighting lap and coasted down to the start area to wait for call-ups. Despite the appearance of being a simple mash-up of road cycling and mountain biking, CX is its own sport, with its own set of lingo to learn. Start order is set by call-ups, wherein the race organizer racks and stacks the riders based on some criteria, or by his personal preference. They are so named because you wait in a gaggle until the director calls you up to the line.

Then there are hand-ups, wherein people standing just outside the tape will try to hand things (beer, money, swag) to the riders as they come by. Most hand-ups happen at the least opportune times, such as in the middle of a sand pit, to add to the challenge (or create opportunities to crash, depending on one’s perspective). And don’t forget run-ups, barriers and pits… I’m still learning.

The size of the field for my race was impressive, and unlike any bike event I’ve started this year. There were 58 total starters in my wave, and I was gridded almost at the back, thanks to registering at the last moment, and not having any previous results to move me up. That was fine with me, as I figured on being a rolling chicane for the first lap anyway, and I didn’t want to get run over.

A voice ahead called 10 seconds to the start, and 58 shoes clicked into pedals in acknowledgement. Then we were off! The whole collection of us surged forward, and I stood on the pedals to charge, only to be sat right back down. The short start chute gave way to a collection of tight corners, and we were gridlocked. This underlines the importance of your starting position in a CX race, something I’ll have to remember when I get more competitive.

The start was exciting! And then it was gridlock.

Tiptoeing through the corners, like a newb.

I held my line as best I could through the opening sections, trying in vain to gain a few positions while we were packed so close together. Then the course opened up, and the riders around me poured on the speed, and I was surprised at how easily they slipped away from me! I was staying with them in the straights and gaining on the brakes, but my mid corner speed was awful, and my corner exits were so tentative that I couldn’t pull them back.

The course wound around the trees, took us over a couple logs, and then zigzagged into the woods for a short section of singletrack. I was hanging on to a few riders yet, but working hard to do it. When we got out of the woods, there was a short dash across the gravel to another curvy section, this time with more mud, and I got left. The corners in this section were faster and more sweeping, but with even less traction than the other parts of the course, leading me to throw out the anchor and wobble through.

I found dismounting for obstacles less challenging than anticipated.

… where’d everybody go?

I came across the finish line on my first lap sucking wind and all alone, the field stretching off ahead of me. That was fine, as I was just out here to learn, but I had hoped to hang on a little longer. Still, there was one rider behind me, and I made it my goal to stay ahead of him, no matter what. If it was to be a race for next-to-last, then that was the race I was going to win, and I used that little motivation to keep the throttle pushed forward.

Having lost track of the riders ahead of me, it was down to simple experimentation, trying to learn how to ride this cyclocross thing. I played around with different lines in different types of corners, tried different braking techniques, and started pushing the bike into a slide when I felt comfortable, all while hammering on the pedals as hard as I could in the straights. I realized that I was a little tired from yesterday, but not so much that I couldn’t hit it pretty hard.

One lasting impression from this race will be the crowd. Short track racing is an excellent spectator event already, but I was impressed with how lively and fun this bunch was, and how positive. Even though I was clearly out there struggling, working hard to go slow, it didn’t deter anybody from cheering and clapping as I came by, offering hand-ups and encouragement. One guy in particular made it a point to get right next to the ribbon as I came by, clapping and yelling “you’re doing it!” That meant a lot to me, getting my butt kicked as soundly as I was, and it kept my attitude in check. I was doing it, even if I wasn’t doing it every well, and that means something. I remembered some advice I got a few years back at a motorcycle track day: “You’re upright, pointed the right direction and on two wheels, so you’ve already got most of it right.”

Deep sand, always a favorite for a cyclist…

I came around a corner and onto the pavement by the finish line for the third time, and looked up to see a guy with a radio, waving his arms for me to stop. The organizers decided to pull me off, and he said they’d place me. I was a little bummed. I know it was unlikely my position would have changed, but I at least wanted the dignity of having run the same distance as the leaders. And anyway, I was learning the whole time, getting faster every lap, and I wanted another go to see how much faster I could get. But it wasn’t to be. I would be credited with 57th of 58 in my wave, and 45th of 46 in my category.

My baseline goals any time I try a new race are 1. to finish, 2. to not crash too hard, and 3. to not finish last. I accomplished those things, so I can’t be too disappointed. The racer in me is horrified at being left for dead, but given the mitigating circumstances, I have to be satisfied at having gone out, and raced, and learned. And even though I sucked, I can’t wait to do it again!

Less shiny, more muddy. That’s more like it.

290 – Windefend

Cycling, Mountain Biking No Responses »

Oct 172013

Probably the biggest score from my plundering of JensonUSA‘s recent clearance sale was this Columbia top. It’s a Windefend half-zip, and it is the business. The sleeves are the perfect length for cycling, it repels water and wind flawlessly, and vents heat and moisture comfortably. It was a little pricey even on clearance, but I’m still considering trying to find another one for my fall/winter rides.

288 – Crosser

Cycling, Cyclocross 2 Responses »

Oct 152013

Yeah, that seat isn’t gonna stay way up there…

When fortune smiles on you, you’d better be ready to say yes.

I’ve been eyeing cyclocross bikes ever since last fall, when my brother-in-law ~~duped~~ talked me into doing a Cap City Cross race at Daree Fields. It was a cold, miserable, lung-busting affair, made worse by the fact that I raced it on my 30+ pound, full-suspension mountain bike. But I loved it. The atmosphere, the short track nature of it, the downright silliness… it was all intriguing.

For a very short time, Airborne Bicycles produced a disc-brake Cyclocross bike called the Delta. It was positioned to be a category killer, with a retail price of just $1200, and equipped with SRAM Apex drivetrain, FSA Gossamer cranks, BB5 mechanical disc brakes, a carbon fork, and all the other goodies you expect out of a CX bike twice the price. They sold like hotcakes, received positive reviews, but Airborne’s management decided not to renew the production run anyway. I’d be mad, but they’ve been busy turning out bikes like the HobGoblin and developing the jaw-dropping, drool-inducing Pathogen, so they’re forgiven. For now.

When they decided to close out the Deltas, I had just gotten my road bike, so I wasn’t in a position to buy. I watched the last few get gobbled up at sharply reduced prices, and resigned myself to having to pay more for less, when I was finally able to pick up a ‘cross bike next year or so. But sometimes you just get lucky. A few more frames were found while cleaning out part of the warehouse here in Dayton recently. After checking them over and building them up, the boys at Airborne put them up on their Facebook page for sale, at a price so low I couldn’t say no.

I ran down to their headquarters that afternoon to pick one up, and am now the proud owner of this rare commodity! A full review will have to wait until I have some miles on it, but first impressions are mostly good. The thing is tall. It’s taller at every point than my road bike, despite only being a 1cm (nominal) larger frame. I’m told this is normal for CX bikes, but I don’t have another point of comparison. Even after dropping the seat as low as I feel I should, I feel like I’m a million feet off the ground. That’ll serve me well when trying to tackle log-overs later, but for now it’ll take some getting used to.

The slack geometry is also interesting. The seat tube angle places the rider further behind the bottom bracket than I am used to, leading to the feeling of pedaling ahead of yourself. Again, this isn’t good or bad, just different. I’m sure I won’t even notice it after a few hours in the seat. Despite the frame being possibly a size too large for me, the overall ergos feels right. The reach is fine, my back angle is comfortable, and the bars are narrow, but not uncomfortably so. And boy is this thing ever solid! Even bunny hopping it on pavement produces almost no noise at all, and the drivetrain is even quieter than the Shimano 105 setup on my road bike. The SRAM Apex shifters are maybe a touch slower to actuate than the Shimano, but they’re also a touch more precise, in feel.

The Kenda Kwicker tires are on the aggressive side, and I expect they’ll offer superior traction in wet grass and mud. I may swap to something more durable and less knobby for winter riding on pavement, as I expect the Kwickers will wear pretty fast on asphalt. Good chance I’ll also double-wrap the bars for added comfort, and install some tubes with longer stems in them. I can barely get a pump on the stock valve stems.

So this is my new challenge, and yet another discipline to add to my already chock-full training and racing schedule. Time will tell whether this is puppy love or the real deal, but I’m leaning toward the latter.

287 – Out-Pedaling the Blerch

Cycling No Responses »

Oct 142013

More light on the trail than there was a few weeks ago. More bugs, too. Ew.

Last week, I went on so many rides, I couldn’t even write about them all, so this is a make-up post. I spent four straight days on the road bike, seeking to remedy a lackluster training schedule the week prior, and some pedaling therapy to relieve stress from work. In those four days, I turned in over a hundred miles. That sounds like a lot, except I turned in the exact same number in a single day earlier this year.

But I was tired, anyway. What my rides lacked in distance this week, they made up in intensity. I went out on this day just to break that 100 mile mark for the week, to burn off some beer, and to explore. Most rides, I have a route in mind before I leave, and even if I alter it a little on the fly, I stick to the basic plan. It’s not that I don’t like to wander sometimes, it’s just that you can get a long way out on the road bike in a short amount of time, and getting stranded somewhere with no water isn’t very fun, especially when it’s hot.

The weather has cooled dramatically of late, and so I can stretch two bottles much further than I could in July. So I set out without a real plan, without a place I was trying to go, and just pedaled. The only things I knew I wanted were to get back before dark, and not climb too many hills. I crossed US 68 and wound around the smooth country roads, looking at the smattering of assorted arrows painted on the pavement, relics of the several bike tours and races that crisscrossed the area this year. I caught the bike path and headed south, hoping for some easy, mindless reverie, but instead being peppered by thousands of little bugs.

I stopped to help a lady on a touring bike whose brakes were dragging. It was fortuitous that I did, because in talking, I found out she had been headed the wrong direction for some time, and needed to turn and head south to reach her stop for the night. I showed her the bike shop in Yellow Springs where she could get her brakes fixed, and then went on my way.

I angled off the bike path before reaching Xenia, judging by the shadows that it was time to head back. The air had already cooled significantly, and as I turned up hill, I found myself just wanting the ride to be over. It’s not a familiar feeling to me, or at least it hasn’t been lately. I’ve been enjoying my time in the saddle in the second half of this season, after most of my big endurance rides were done. But nobody’s immune to fatigue, and it is as much a mental phenomenon as physical.

Perseverance has its rewards, and soon I was rolling along a beautiful country road, past horse farms and golden pastures, basking in the late sunshine. It was enough for me to ignore my tired legs, and the chilly air, and just focus on being out on my bicycle, pedaling for the sake of pedaling. The Blerch didn’t want me to keep going, but I did anyway, because I knew I needed it. I zigged and zagged north, guessing at the turns I needed to take to hit my goal mileage, and that I’d be back before the sun was down. It worked out, on both counts, and I coasted through the gate just as dusk settled in. A quiet ride and an unremarkable end to a week of training, but I did the work, and that’s what matters.

Pastoral serenity.

284 – Devil’s Backbone

Cycling No Responses »

Oct 112013

It’s always a challenge, trying to capture elevation in a picture. I didn’t succeed, here. It’s much steeper than it appears.

Another day, another ride, another new challenge. A couple days ago, the Yoxford Cycling Club rolled down to Devil’s Backbone, a hidden little gem of a climb just outside of John Bryan State Park. It’s a half-mile, 6% overall grade that spikes to 10% right in the middle, and we were there to do repeats.

This was my third straight day on the bike, and even though I didn’t feel that I had ridden hard the previous two days, the power in my legs was still lacking. How lacking, I didn’t know until we turned to go up the hill for the first time. I didn’t have to stop, but neither was I impressing myself with my pace. I was reduced to sitting and grinding away on the granny gear before I was half way to the top, lungs heaving and legs burning.

But I did get to the top, and beating the climb on the first try felt good. I caught my breath, swung back around and headed down for another.

On most climbs, the effort to get to the top is rewarded by the exhilaration of a descent. But Devil’s Backbone was resurfaced this year with chipseal, so the remaining loose gravel means you have to drag your brakes and tiptoe down, unless you want to take a chance on a face full of guardrail.

I got more of a running start on my second attempt, but it didn’t net me much of a gain. I felt that if I could just get over the steeper hump in the middle with enough momentum, I could power through to the top, but I’m just not there yet, in terms of fitness. It’s not too far off that I’ll be able to do it, but it wasn’t going to happen today.

On my third climb, my legs let me know that they were done, and that I’d be well served by heading back. I took a slightly longer route on my return leg to tack on a few extra miles, and then called it a day. Going in with fresher legs, I can definitely see 5+ repeats in my near future.

283 – In Da’ Club

Cycling No Responses »

Oct 102013

There’s a new cycling club that’s recently started up at my work. There’s been a fair collection of avid cyclists there for awhile, but only this summer did it finally coalesce into an organized group. We christened it the Yoxford Cycling Club, as an homage to the Yoxford Boys from whom we trace our lineage.

The leader of our little club is Mike, seen here on the left, in our new (and snazzy!) team kit. He organizes weekly training rides, consisting of sprint intervals, or hill climbs, or some other form of torture. Hard work, but I know from my experience with running intervals this year that it will pay big dividends.

Today’s ride wasn’t one of those, but instead just a simple, chill loop ride. It became something of a ride of attrition, as a couple riders decided to head back early, and then one more pulled up with a cramp in his calf, and headed for home. Soon it was just Mike and I, and we chugged along the country roads, enjoying what will likely be one of the last truly comfortable days before fall and winter do their thing.

We did get in a couple little hills. First the rollers on Jackson Road, which I charged up joyfully. Later, on Hyde Road, I tried to sprint down a hill to build my momentum going up, but ran out of steam halfway up anyway. Mike came past me like the diesel locomotive that he is. I think he was laughing. I have a long way to go, before I can climb with that dude.

Older Entries Newer Entries