Donald's Daily Draft

June 2008 - Posts

• I climb tomorrow… with the chance of rain.

  I’ve ridden in the rain plenty of times.  Sometimes light showers, other times pouring down rain. I’ve even descended in these very mountains on soaked roads when I could barely see.  That’s not saying I enjoy it or that I’m good at it!  So, here’s Ray’s Weather hourly Blood, Sweat & Gears forecast … a source that’s always right on.  [...] Posted Jun 27 2008, 10:09 AM by Donald's Daily Draft Filed under: Training, Equipment

• Blood, Sweat & Gears: I’m ready to climb!

  Well, it’s almost here.  Last year, at this time, I was preparing to ride my first ever mountain century event…  Blood, Sweat  & Gears.  This Saturday, I’m heading back for the second time and I hope to best my time from last year.  It’s works out to be 103 miles with a lot of climbing.  Here’s the description [...] Posted Jun 23 2008, 11:18 AM by Donald's Daily Draft Filed under: Training

• I’ve Been Tagged?

  Thanks to Ron at Cozy Beehive I too have to say… I’ve never taken part in a more serious discourse in my life.  I have been tagged by Ron in the “chain of fortune”.  The rules are here.  I have to find the time to blog and now I’m actually participating in a chain… RON… PLEASE!:)  So, [...] Posted Jun 19 2008, 11:16 AM by Donald's Daily Draft Filed under: Training

• Bruyneel’s Book: “We Might As Well Win”

  I just finished reading Johan Bruyneel’s book, “We Might As Well Win.”  My thoughts?  I really liked it.  Actually, I thought it was great.  A quick read… and it’s full of pretty cool behind the scenes conversations.  Bruyneel takes you back to his days as a professional cyclist, how he got started and how he became [...] Posted Jun 18 2008, 10:58 AM by Donald's Daily Draft Filed under: Training, Cycling News

• Great Father’s Day

  It was great because I have two wonderful boys to celebrate…  Troupe and Mac.  Of course, I owe all the credit to my beautiful wife, Jan.   I woke up early and was on the bike by 6:30am.  Cloudy at first… it turned into a beautiful day as I pedaled for 94 fantastic miles.  I was solo for the [...] Posted Jun 16 2008, 04:49 AM by Donald's Daily Draft Filed under: Training

• Who’s Your Tour Favorite?

  Who’s the best stage racer going into the Tour?  Alejandro Valverde is showing   great form in the Dauphine’… especially with his smashing stage 3 ITT  performance.  Levi had a strong ride as well but finished 19 seconds behind Valverde.  But thanks to the ASO… we all know Levi will be watching the Tour on TV, maybe even having a beer [...] Posted Jun 12 2008, 11:17 AM by Donald's Daily Draft Filed under: Cycling News

• “Take Back The Tour”

  As I, and I’m sure many of you, anticipate the start of the Tour de France… I’m especially excited NOW to see I’ll have TV access to the race here in the States for years to come.  Versus is the cable network that runs the race live everyday.  The great news is that Versus has signed a contract [...] Posted Jun 11 2008, 04:32 AM by Donald's Daily Draft Filed under: Training

• Diagnosis: Heat Rash? If not… What’s On My legs?

  OK… It’s not the Bird Flu… and I’ve ruled out Dengue Fever.  So why have I gotten this rash on the top of my legs the last two times I’ve been on the bike.  It’s only there… reddish bumpy splotches on each of my quads.  It doesn’t hurt… no itch… no pain… maybe a slight burn feeling… very [...] Posted Jun 09 2008, 04:30 AM by Donald's Daily Draft Filed under: Training, Cycle-arious

• Riding A Heat Wave: Gatorade, Water, Gatorade, Water…

  Man… did I drink a lot of fluids on the bike yesterday.  I could have used more because after 60 miles I still didn’t feel the overwhelming urge to take a “natural break”.    I drank a total of 168 ounces…  that’s a combination of Gatorade and Water.  I’m not exaggerating… we truly are in a heat wave.  When [...] Posted Jun 05 2008, 07:50 AM by Donald's Daily Draft Filed under: Training, Nutrition

• Away On Vacation But Not From The Bike

  You may have noticed I didn’t post anything over the past 10 days.  Why?  VACATION!  You may have also noticed my header picture changed.  It now has a picture of me cycling up a snow covered Sugar Mountain even though we’re heading into the Summer season.  Why?  VACATION! I had trouble fixing a problem so I had to [...] Posted Jun 02 2008, 10:57 AM by Donald's Daily Draft Filed under: Training