The Aldrich Ave Daily

5…4…3…2…1….GO. Just like dust in the wind, were off like rockets. This years racing season kicked off with the Erik’s Spring Cup at Harmon Hills. I flat, fast, lung busting sprint from start to finish. I was hoping to have a good showing this season. At least an improvement over last year. Last year I finished 50th outta 59 Comp racers. Not great. The first lap was a shock to the lungs. It was very dry and very very dusty. Much more then last year. I did NOT however lose my water bottle on my first lap like I did last year(which pretty much decided my race right then). This season I finally got smart and decided to start fast. Well, at least in the top 20. I did just that and finished 31st out of 63 riders. Faster then last year, and only 3 min. behind the winner of my age group. All in all, I had a
good race and I was satisfied with my placing. A good start I think. This race is a different beast. Most of the races in the MNSCS are longer laps, much much hillier, and usually very hot outside. Still very hard. Its and all out sprint from start to finish. I have high hopes of this year’s racing scene and the ultimate goal at 24 hours of afton and finishing in the top 5 of the solo class. So yes indeed, GAME ON!!!!!
The dictionary’s definition of “Team” is as follows – “a number of persons forming one of the sides in a game or contest”, or “a group organized to work together”. “Teammate” is “a fellow member of a team”. Roger Clemens in my opinion is not a teammate and is not playing for his team. Roger is on his 3rd stint out of retirement. First thing to get him back is the team with the highest bid. After that, he states he will only play for said team under the terms that on away games he only has to travel with the team if he is pitching. Otherwise he can stay home. This is the biggest load of malarky I have ever heard. What gives this man the right to give teams the runaround and play by his rules. Roger, you’ve had a great career, but you are no longer playing for a championship or for the love of the game. Its all about money now. Ha, because you need more of that. The sad part is, the Astros agreed to this before and now the Yankees are doing the same. I wouldn’t want him on my team. Yea, the guy can throw a baseball quite well and the Yankee’s need pitching, but this just shows how some people with money and fame think they can play by their own rules. Its not right. The sad part is, MLB isn’t doing anything to regulate this. What kind of message does that send the youngsters that have dreams of playing in the “bigs” someday. The wrong one. Its about doing what you love the most day in and day out. Lets hope other players don’t follow this and it becomes a really big problem in the future. Peace…..

daily quote – “That smells good. Screw the race, lets eat burgers and drink beer all day” Andy Ruhland on Sunday to some of the other racers next to him as they wait to start their race standing next to the Peace Coffee tent grilling up a storm.

The Spring Cup is just days away. That means the summer Mt. Bike racing season is almost upon us. The Sea Otter Classic has come and gone, round 1 of the UCI World Cup mt. season has come and gone, and there have already been two National series races. We got next ya sluts!!!!! But wait. Whats this? A sore throat? Yes, it came on last night, and has lingered this morning. I am supposed to hit up Afton today with Kyle to test the legs, and see where we stand. I still hope to do this, but I don’t want to make things worse. Tuesday nights road ride was a bit chilly. Especially towards the last 5 miles. We slowed the pace and I started to cool off. We sat outside afterwards and chit-chatted for awhile. I was just wearing shorts and a short sleeved jersey. I think it might have been that evening that is causing this. That and my allergies are really bad right now. Lets hope it gets better and not worse from here on out. I’ve been pounding the OJ, and popped an allergy pill. Hopes of riding the Manhandler today are still within reach.
Just like that, the Giro di Italia is in its 5th day. Thank you OLN oops, i mean VS. for not covering the second biggest pro cycling race of the year. Instead we get hours upon hours of Bull Riding. Thanks guys. I love 3 hours of guys getting thrown to their asses over, and over, and over again. Its a damn shame Tyler Hamilton is implicated in this Operation Puerto scandal. He just got off his two year suspension for failing a test in the Giro about 3 years ago. He signs with the Russian based team Tinkoff, hopes to ride in the Giro and possibly the Tour, then this comes back into the picture. Although he claimed his innocence during his entire suspension, it was obvious that he was doping. I’m all for people getting second chances. But if he was part of this big scandal, its hard to cheer for the guy.
I’ve overhauled more forks this spring then I have my entire wrenching career. Maybe its a sign. I’ve always loved working on suspension. Mostly Rock Shox products. Maybe I am a little biased towards them. I ride one, and was trained at SRAM last December. But hey, they make a good product, and their manuals are very user friendly. Someday, I hope to get paid to work on suspension. It would be…..the shit. Well the sore throat seems to have subsided for now. That means Afton Alps is calling to me, which also means PAIN. Gotta love it. Drinks at the Indy tonight would be a good finish to the day. Cheers

quote of the day – “God gave me the greatest job someone could have” -Grandma Ruhland on mothers day on being a MOM.

….for the 2006 Tour de France and I am ready to pay the penalty for that.” These are the words of Ivan Basso after stepping down from The Discovery Channel cycling team and admitting that he was part of the Operation Puerto case in Spain. Read on Basso Spills . He goes on to say that he was thinking about and almost did use doping in last years Tour but never went all the way. Its like Patrick O’Grady said in Velo News comparing this to former President Bill Clinton talking about “I did smoke marijuana but did not inhale.” Although I will admire his honesty and taking responsibility for his actions, it still bugs me because he was a person who always claimed to be drug free. This may be true, but the fact that he was that close to doing it really changes my opinion on Ivan Basso. Its just like Lance. They’ve never failed a test, always claimed to be “dope free”, but there will always be this haze over them. People will always speculate until the end of time weather or not they used performance enhancing drugs. Its a damn shame. I think what Lance did to cycling in the USA is amazing, but in the back of my mind there will always be those thoughts of him doping. Shit balls, this years Tour once again will be without its biggest threat to win, and I am sure more controversy will spring up before July. Which brings me to this……
How come we don’t hear big stories like this in the mountain bike world? Oh sure, there are some stories. FIlip Meirhaeghe ruining his career would have to be the biggest in the past 10 years. Oh, and retired downhiller Myles Rockwell was busted for growing pot in Durango Colorado a few years back. But nothing like the scale of Operation Puerto. Maybe its because it isn’t on such a big scale. Maybe because there isn’t as much money involved. Both are most likely true. But I like to think that the Mt. bike circuit respects what they are doing a little bit more. They haven’t been corrupted by big time money grubbing people forcing it onto them. I’ve always wondered why Mt. biking doesn’t get more press and publicity, but that the same time, its my first love in the cycling world, and I somewhat wish it to stay that way. No corruption, no constant fears of who’s next? Just some weekend warriors pedaling their ass off just to pay for the next trip, or the next beer. Like Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski says on those shirts of his “DOPERS SUCK.”
I have never taken anything besides the occasional Power Gel, Accellerade, shit like that. I never will. Hell, I don’t even own a Hear Rate monitor. Bicycle racing is about pushing your body to the limit. Digging down deep inside to find what little you have left. Not digging down for another shot. Its about complete and utter pain and who is willing to go through more agony then the next guy. Doping will always be around in cycling. But maybe, just maybe we could see a year without any scandal or speculation.
And with that, I’m off for my third day in a row of “clean” cycling.

daily quote – “Maybe
Basso’s come-to-Jesus moment is Millar’s first miracle. What a long,
strange trip it’s been, from sinner to saint. Somebody call the pope.” Velonews editor Patrick O’Grady on Ivan Basso’s confession and David Millar’s return to cycling after a suspension.