After being gone for two weeks the weather in Folsom has improved from biblical rains to cloudy. Hey, maybe when I get back from Europe it will be sunny?

Yesterday was what I would call a loooooooooooooong travel day! I ended up leaving Tucson around 1:30 yesterday afternoon after getting up smoking early to do the shoot-out/Madera Canyon ride at 6:30 AM.

My last ride in Tucson yesterday was completely lovely! It really did not cool down at all in the evening so it was nearly seventy degrees in the morning! I was able to ride at 6:30 AM without armwarmers…………now that is impressive…………….and really really nice.

The ride ended up being about five hours and when I got back I had to pack quickly so that I could get on the road for my fourteen hour drive back to Folsom.

The drive back was epic. For the first half of the trip I was sweating balls in the Jeep becuase I have no a/c and it was 95 F. On top of that there was a huge cross and since I had all of the windows open I got coated in a nice layer of dust! The dust made me look a little more tan so it was not that bad

I also almost ran out of gas…….not like I have ever did that before or anything! There is a strecth of desert just east of Blythe, CA that is pretty desolate meaning there is a lack of service stations. Anyway, I was chatting away on my phone and not really paying attention so I must have missed the “next services 55 miles ahead” sign along the side of the road. I will just say that my cortisol levels increased for about the next fourty five minutes but I did not end up running out of gas! Lucky, I am a cyclist and know about drafting big semi-trucks.

I made it back home around 5AM this morning a few hours later than I expected since I took a bit of a roadside nap somewhere near Bakersfield. I got a few more hours of sleep once I got home and then had to repack. I figured that it is not going to be as warm in Europe as it is in Tucson so I added a few sweatshirts to my luggage.

Tonight I am spending the night at the Sayers’ residence and Nicole is bringing me to the airport at 430Am. I definitely owe her huge for bringing me to the airport at such an ungodly hour………thanks!

later,

g.

Hi everyone! I am being set up with a new site from the guys at missingsaddle.com. It will be the same blog just with basically the same format just a different address:

Find the new site at:

I should be updating tonight if I am not completely knackered like I am at the moment. Let me know how you like it and I will leave this post up in case you new directions to my new blog.

later,

g.

Shane thinks he looks better with short hair!!!!!!!

The start of my sun burned stomach…………..it has gotten much worse since I took this picture about three hours ago! The sun in the dessert is intense. I am going to get a lovely nights rest this evening……..son of a…………..

I have been cycling for about three years and over that period of time I have traveled many places and met many interesting people. However, on Sunday’s group ride to Mammoth, Arizona I met the most interesting person to date whom I will call “Big Pickle.” (No, it is not the pickle you are thinking about!)

The Sunday group ride is a 100 mile ride that leaves Tucson, goes to Mammoth, stops at the Circle K gas station in Mammoth, and then back to Tucson. It was a good ride to Mammoth and I was excited to get to the gas station so I could adjust my ill fitting saddle and get an ice cold Diet Mountain Dew.

While drinking the Diet Mountain outside the gas station I noticed that one dude on the ride was eating one of those huge pickles that I always see in bars or convience stores but never thought anyone actually ate. I would think it was gross if I saw someone eating one of those things at home but not halfway through a bike ride when it is 90 plus degrees!! Plus, this is me that thinks this is gross and I am the one who gets ripped on by Sayers and Hollywood for eating string cheese and strawberry milk at store stops!

Not much is known about “Big Pickle” becuase I don’t think anyone has talked to him but apparently he was spotted outside of a store in Tucson eating yet another one of these large pickles with a gel a few days back! I don’t know the logic behind this pickle eating but I am very curious. I wonder what would cause some to crave a large pickle on a hot long ride? Now not only does Tucson have the notorious “Grey Wolf” but “Big Pickle” has arrived on the scene.

Today was an easy day which was great. I spent a bit of time by Jason Karew’s pool and even jumped in……..of course I jumped into the shallow end since I can’t swim! Karew is letting us stay with him for the night until the termites are all killed at Dan’s house.

The pool was fun but I got fried! My back and chest are soooo burnt and hot it is crazy! I am getting worried because it is getting hotter and more red as the evening progresses. I hope it does not blister! Time to go apply some aloe……

later,
g.

Tomorrow I am being evicted from Dan’s guest house because of some lousy termites. I have never actually seen or met a termite in person before but I can still say that I cannot stand them. Dan has termites in his house and is having some exterminator people come over tomorrow morning at 8AM to gas the things to death. Therefore, Shane and I have to leave the premises for twenty four hours. I had better make sure that I set my alarm and I actually get up when it goes off in the morning because I don’t think it would be a good thing to be sleeping when they start pumping the gas into the house! Maybe though the gas would help me sleep for a few days and once I woke up I would be really recovered?

Training has been going awesome down here. I have been riding a lot and aside from a few clouds one day it has been sunny and hot. I have even been doing a little sun bathing in the back yard after my rides. I am maximizing my time in the sun because once I leave I am not sure when I am going to see it again! Plus it would be awesome to be able to take off my shirt and not have it look like I am wearing long brown gloves.

Maybe the sun will even help me get some abs? I figure that my abs are used to the dark because I usually have a shirt or jersey on. Maybe if I expose my stomach to the sun my abs might get curious and come to the surface to see what is going? Probably not but I think it is worth a shot anyway.

After logging five good days of training I am up for an easy day or two and then one more block before heading back to Folsom. I will be back in Folsom for a day or so and then on Monday the 24th I fly to Atlanta. I meet up with my teammates there and the next day we head off to Europe.

I hope that everybody had an awesome Easter and has eaten a Cadbury Egg for me. I actually got some Cadbury Eggs in the mail yesterday (Thanks Meg you made yesterday’s awesome day at least ten times more awesomer) and after today’s hard ride I had a few of them………..I am not going to go into specifics regarding amount eaten but I will say they were good!

later,
g.

Relaxing on my bed in Dan’s guest house where Shane and I are staying. Shane’s bed is under mine and it gets slid out every evening and put back in the day so there is some space to move around. The kitchen is behind me. It is sort of like camping in a big RV!

Shane “Cheap Bastard” Peltonen putting his groceries away in the kitchen.
The bathroom sink which also doubles as the kitchen sink!