KANSAS

I've been on a bit of a DVD buying rampage the last month and have added about ten new movies to the collection. Most of them are previously viewed Blockbuster buys and ended up costing not much more than a rental. Besides what else is there to do on the road day after day living out of a hotel room? After finishing up the last Verge New England Series last Sunday with a fairly respectable ride and a couple of local Rhode Island Narragansett brews, pops and I packed up the gear and hit the road Monday morning from Boston. We arrived yesterday here in Kansas City, KS and made a trip to the Nationals venue after having some lunch with my great uncle Clete. We made it to the course a little early but that gave us the opportunity to watch the 40 minute Masters 45+ race and chat with some of the familiar faces that made the trip from Washington. Today was also the first day that I have actually ridden my bike since leaving Boston; for the entirety of the road trip west I was only riding my bike on the stationary trainer in the hotel room. Last night I actually set up the bike and trainer outside of the hotel room in the deserted parking lot and rode for an hour and a half to get used to the cold air in my lungs. There hasn't been much else happening. The weather channel is forecasting snow tonight and possibly more to come Saturday afternoon with sunshine predicted on Sunday for the Elite Mens race. Either way it's going to be epic conditions as the course continues to get shredded over the next 48 hours. In preparation for Sunday I put in some nasty looking spikes in my beautiful white NorthWaves, replaced the rear derailleur cable and cable housing, and have gotten a hold on some vegetable oil spray for my bikes. I've never actually used vegetable oil on the bikes but it is supposed help keep mud from building up on the bike frames, meaning less buildup and drag. We'll see tomorrow if it works when I pre-ride the course. Later.