Spin

Put a spin on it.   The sun sets and the world where I stood spun into darkness. 

Riding home after one lap of the drives, late to the ride, but good needed quick blow out of the legs.

From my perspective the sun does'nt move.  Even just standing still we are spinning.  Into, and outta darkness.

Make the best of it.

I snuck in a ride this morning.  A nice crisp hill climby jaunt.

Now time to clean a bit, for my Moms visit, to watch the house as we head back to Ohio.

sorry not to make GRANOGUE and if you are like me and can't make it, buy a raffle ticket.

http://www.bikereg.com/events/register.asp?eventid=10507

                                                  These are good peeps, real good peeps.

                                      cock-eyed perspective, with a chipper outlook, ride hard, give it your best, and enjoy your life.  cheers, dlowe

Holicong Shovel

Philly really is a town of fast riders, like most places.  But we lack a good race series/promoter.  No epic races, a bunch of crits and expensive Lancaster cow shit covered roads.  Ha, don't take this to seriously.

I did the fools classic RIDE.  Not a race.  Got my cue sheet, checked the weather radar, just chilly and drizzly.  Packed the car and went. 

I did'nt pack my shovel, but I should of, cause this course makes you dig deep, steep dirt roads, beautiful roads, mud, grime, and a small group of fast enough guys to keeping it hard to make it hurt.   I just was'nt ready to dig into my pain.  No foot pushing down the pedals like driving a spade into the ground digging someone elses grave.   Alas. My chain skipped over the big ring and dropped on a down hill.  Paul the bastard did try to encourage my speed, with a nice pacing hand on the back, but to no avail.  I was only at mile 40 into the 72 miles to ride.  I was dropped.

The group was out of sight, and I was in a beautiful way.  I had no idea where I was, but I just rode forward.  On.   I came to the river, and looked at the intersections road sign, and started to pull out the cue sheet to even see if any of these roads were on the ride. 

A mini van pulled in beside me, I gave a friendly wave, "hello, how do you do?  How do I get to Holicong school?"  My face and body covered with road grime, standing alone in my wet kit, on this quiet road.

she pondered me, and then, "turn left, turn left, turn left.  15 miles."

"Thanks" I said, and with a cute soccer mom smile she drove away.

I liked the word Holicong, a nice word, exotic, child like, dangerous.  It just stuck with me.

I made it back, signed out as accounted for, took some grateful beers and drove home to deal with the broken bits and mud covered kit.

a Fools classic day.

                                           d. lowe

Let's Wrestle

One of the many of my favorite places to ride to.   I have to ride a really punchy hill to get there, and I seem to seek it out when my legs have gone, and I want them to feel good and fast again.

There's no magic to it, just need some spinning and napping and back into the work-out rotation.

Work kills my legs, makes them socks full of sand.  I can fake it some.  Like on the Drives ride tuesday.  But, I did not have that top end, that pop.

The band, Lets Wrestle, was perfect.  I wish I was Joey Sweeney and could write you something, but my mind, like my legs don't have too much pop tonight.  

In fact, I hope that Lets Wreslte's music is the soundtrack to my dreams tonight.    I'd like to have cartoon dreams once.   Cheers, good show wankers!  thanks. dlowe.

Jury Duty

Monday I reported to jury duty.  I was worried I'd be selected, never got called to a court room.  I had and 1 1/2 hour lunch.  I fell asleep in the sun, on the court house plaza, and awoke covered with the tree blossom petals.

cheers, d.

Golden (monkey) Hour

I worked saturday, good for me, I missed racing and riding but I made much needed dough.   On my slow, traffic clogged drive home on 76w I looked longingly over at the drives, empty, windy, a crispy spring evening.   When I got home, I  cracked open a golden monkey to relax myself into the night.  I felt pretty good, but my eyes and mind kept glancing out the front picture window.  

Soon me and my Monkey buzz was kitting up, and leg up over the saddle on my way.   I had a little over a golden hour of sunlight left to ride in.  I stopped by a nice monument,

the golden rays backlighting the long row of trees

It was a very strong head wind, but every pedal stroke was enjoyed.

I saw French Henri and gave a wave as we passed.

I rolled up to the end of my street with 57mins on the bike, turned and added the last three, with a nice detour around the block. 

One golden hour.

cheers, david.

Myopia

I am not generous, its just that I can't hold back.  Do what you love?  If I did not have biking I'd be even more crazy,  really crazy.  and Music, I don't mean to steal or not pay the artist, but I fill up thumb drive after thumb drive, and give,  of stuff that I think I should spread about,  that made me feel something.  

I snuck it in, a ride before work, a good ride, an easy recovery ride.  I thought about the headless budah, about a guy getting cured from cancer and leaving the hospital and getting hit by a bus.   Do I need a monument to myself? 

whew,  I do, my monument

at work if you eat fast you can get some extra minutes, yesterday I went and bought some bread, a cup of coffee and put my feet up and the gate,  that was nice.

cheers mates! d.

Tony award

after lunch is the hardest for me, we set up and start to shoot again.

I sit, on my apple box, in the dark quiet room,  leaning back on to the wall.

My eyes slowly close, relaxed. I nod. I wake.

I feel inbetween, and time floats like being on a plane, just moving across the sky.

I hear the voices of the actors, I am there, ....

just to relax for a few second.

and before the eyes fall upon my snoozing body, I'm up, grab a coke, and sit behing the monitor and exam the elements within the frame.  I study for improvements, and I work.

cheers, dlowe.

minion

how many shots can I put up from drinking, just sitting and chatting, enjoying life?

I hope a lot.

I got home from work early, an early start meant an early afternoon ride.  I called George and off we went.  An easy ride, full of talk, and venting, and thoughts, laughs. 

George won the cobble sprint.  George won Georges Hill sprint.  

Yesterday was my day of battles, a flat car tire, a broken seat clamp early in the Mt bike race, not eating enough.  and a battle of my spirit and values.  I did not win any of the battles, I perservered, I think that is more important.  Not how I finished or even finished, but how I rode, and why I rode.  I love to ride, to coast, to flow,  to make mistakes, to drop someone, or suffer head down forever trying to battle on.

to all the minions out there, stand up you are my equal, I am one of you, to the minions, Cheers!  Salute. David W. Lowe

Pleasentville

Funny day, just full of nice relaxed people.  Well not really, I spent the morning dealing with healthcare/insurance issues, online and on the phone.   but the rest of the day was full of it, nice charming people.   Thanks for the favors, .... and to finnish the charming feeling, like a french movie, as Jeff came back up the driveway to pickup a forgotten item, I could see behind him, his car rolling backward down the street.   He caught it in time, and rolled home.  Cheers my friends, Thanks!  david.

Me and gus are working on a song for all the nice peeps....

“Yahooooo- Drink Mountain Dew! It’ll tickle yer innards!”

made the nice drive over to my kinship state of Wva to do some road racing.  As a kid I spent a lot of summer time in Wva fishing with Pa-paw and eating corn on the cob. ....  and drinking the old Will the Hillbilly Dew.

I pulled into the wonderful http://www.bestwesternwvirginia.com/hotels/best-western-mountaineer-inn/ and checked into my "sweet"

I kitted up and headed to the river for a nice 1.5 hr trail spin.

I smelled electric, and felt the ground humming.

and watched the sun behind the hills that would soon I'd soon be racing over.

The Morgantown Road Race.

Sunday, nice day, a bit windy and quite sunny.  The race course is incredible.  Climb after climb, with rollers inbetween.  Well marshalled corners,  Clean safe quite roads.  Cheap, only $20 enty fee.  The first bit I felt pretty good, the first climb fine, then  the key seperation took place on the next of the many major climbs, and I could not stay with the front group.  I rode pretty good but by far not quite good enough.  On paper it looks like a short race, 44 miles, but over half of those miles my eyes were spinning in my head like the wheels of a slot machine.  I really suffered a lot.  I was happy to just finnish the race.  My result, 11th in the 40+.  Gunnar beat me, I was amazed by him, not by his riding but by his graciouness and helpfulness before and after the race to the other riders.  A true champion of the sport.

Thats the Shogren pop-up church doing its bussines over on the left.

Go to West Va. to race, go get pummeled, incredible views, nice roads, and a great race series.

My moms in the kitchen and I've got a good hunger for dinner tonight.

cheers, my friends.  really go to Wva to race.  dlowe.

Amedeo

I ride my road bike like a country dog.  My blood just boils and pumps, and I can't no matter how much I pre-think and plan, hold back.  I chase the pick-up truck everytime.  Snapping and yelping, pelted by gravel.  It speeds away, and I have succeded in chasing a devil from my life. 

Yesterday as I stood and stared into the high river, all I could think of was Amedeo Modigliani.  I need to go visit his work at the Barnes.

Spring is upon me, the windows are open in the bedroom and I should be asleep.  Its dark and silent.  and life swirls on.  cheers, dlowe.

http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/modigliani/

http://www.barnesfoundation.org/