Tour de Fit

21 days has gotten me back on track. As many of you know between breaking my hand this spring and my father passing away, I have put on a little weight and seems like riding my bike was getting to be a once a week thing. However, thanks to the MSU Kinesiology Department, that seems to be a trend that is definitely in my past. For the past 3 weeks ending this Sunday our kinesiology department has run a program that parallels the Tour de France. Cool thing is you didn't have to be a cyclist to participate but I am so I did. I have started to shed those pounds away, my stamina has increased, my speed is close to where it was, and I feel like I am back on track to being the insane avid cyclist that I was 8 months ago. So thank you Amy from MSU and I look forward to pulling on the Maillot jaune on Sunday.

PS Thanks Steph and Susan for volunteering for 90 for Dad!

Support!!!!!!!

Two days after my first blog about "Happy Birthday" I have 2 of my 10 riders and Hospice of Wichita Falls wants to use my event for a marketing piece. So thank you Randy for wanting to ride and thank you Trisha of Hospice. 363 Days to Go! Love you Dad! Miss you Dad!

Happy Birthday

Today would have been my dad's 89th Birthday. I miss him dearly and all day I have been thinking about him. On a Sunday that should be spent with family and on his birthday reminiscing about all the good days that we have had with him. I am stuck at work trying to act excited about a new crop of incoming students. But being here with so many students and their parents makes me think about when he came with me and what a great dad he was. He was definitely a fish out of water having only completed the 6th grade but proud none the less. He taught me a lot and I wish he were here today to stand up here with me and talk to these parents (most of which young enough to be one of his own kids) about trust and responsibility. He was a firm believer in teaching kids the best you could and then letting go. A skill many of the "helicopter parents" I met today could definitely use and one I hope I am successful with teaching my own kids. What does this have to do with cycling? Not much but I don't think he ever told me no when it came to being my one man support crew cycling lonely Texas roads. So my promise to him his that once a year on his birthday I plan to ride how old he would have been on that day. So 365 days from now on July 13, 2009, I want to ride 90 miles in memory of my dad. I am going to ask 9 others to ride with me and help me raise $1000 in his name for Hospice of Wichita Falls. So over a 10 year period that will be a 1,045 miles ridden in his memory and a $11,000 donated to Hospice. Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Le Tour 2008 the Video Game

How cool is this? If you are a cycling freak, this is about as good as it gets. I had an earlier version a 3 or 4 years ago and it was less than desirable. So I was a little skeptical but the producer made some huge improvements. Definitely fun, very entertaining, and if you ever wanted to get lost in the pro peleton or be a director sportif this is the game for you.