Lance seen at an Art Gallery

Lance Armstrong has definitely helped to bring cycling into the Mainstream. Sometimes referred to as the Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods of Cycling (All Nike Sponsored Athletes). His story and performance (7 straight tour wins after surviving cancer) are both inspirational and motivating (Remember DodgeBall)
A recent testament of him as a pop culture icon is the inclusion of Lance Armstrong in the iGoogle Artist Themes available for your iGoogle Desktop
Get yours at: http://www.google.com/help/ig/art/gallery.html

How I met Master Yoda

This weekend while on a ride, one of my friends pointed out the swamp to the left of the trail. The swamp scene was reminiscent of the Dagobah swamp System (I swear I am not a Star Wars fanatic but Star Wars and bikes were part of my youth) This is where Yoda spoke to me....his words of wisdom were simple and as we climbed they resonated with me "pain leads to indecision" (The pain being the burning in my legs and the indecision being whether or not I would continue this loose steep climb) "indecision leads to fear and fear leads to the Dark Side" (I don't think of the Dark Side as taking EPO or some other performance enhancing drug...although that is pretty bleak I think of the dark side as not getting out to ride or fear getting in the way of pushing yourself outside of your comfort zone) The other side of the climb was the downhill and we were at Stewart State Park in Newburg NY this place is all about flow the trail creates speed with its depressions, bermed turns, and smattering of small jumps that provide plenty of backside speed Staying with the Yoda theme I will now show a Quote from Brain Lopes Book Mastering Mountain Bike Skills: "Don’t pay attention to yourself. As soon as you realize you’re ripping, the ripping pretty much stops. Remember that scene in Empire Strikes Back when Luke stood on one hand with his eyes closed, with Yoda and a bunch of stuff balanced on his feet, and he started to levitate his X-wing fighter? He was definitely ripping. As soon as he opened his eyes and thought, “Yes! I’m a Jedi Master!” it all came crashing down. Don’t be self-conscious like Luke. Be confident like Han."
So in summary be one with your suffering, Rip and Flow but don't think about it, and above all DON'T come Crashing Down.

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The Papal Pedal

The pope was in town (NYC) so we decided to take a ride to get a glimpse of the pontiff - We didn't






I did get some shots of the Pope Mobile and a decent ride in. We started out going Over the GWB which was kinda neat because of the fog the morning was a bit brisk especially because the temps were in the high 70's the day before (I think someone forgot to tell all the red legged joggers in shorts that it was cold out.) We rode the bike path down to ground zero we there were a lot of pedestrian detours and more emergency and police vehicles than I have ever seen in one spot You would have thought the President and the Dali Lama were appearing as well. (All this security must have cost the NYC Tax payers a pretty penny I didn't see any one selling Pope T-shirts or Souvineers)

After leaving Ground Zeros we stopped SB's for some coffee (You can never find them in NYC)
We rode around the seaport then over the Brooklyn and Manhatten Bridge then made our ride back at a decent clip since I had to be home in an hour - too much sight seeing not enough riding but I go some good Pics.

So here is the break down - I got out to ride this is good, No Pope Sighting (missed by 4 min) but Did get too see the Pope Mobile. Good Ride, Decent Coffee, Some nice Pictures (Overall a fine Day)

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Ride Pictures

I have had it!!!

Last week I got back on the bike, Which is to say I rode more than 1 day during the week and am trying to get back into a training regimen. I rode back-to-back days, I went to the Gym, I am trying to eat better. I am not racing this year so why train? That is simple - The better my fitness level the more fun I can have. It is no fun getting dropped especially by those who you dropped last year or getting to the top of a climb gasping for breath (breathing really heavy is fine needing to stop to decide if you can go on without loosing your lunch is not). I now appreciate the fitness I took for granted last year. I think one of the great things about the bike is that it becomes an extension of our physical selves which allows us to do things we could not without it. i.e. I cannot run 30 mph but I can pedal that fast. This gets lost on those who are passed by old men with walking sticks on the trail. I do not want to be the one who abandons his ride and walks up the climb head down cursing and breathing heavy I need to be the one who gets to the top of the climb 1st or at least have it in me to make an effort to do so. So I will train hard, eat better, and get better sleep all the while keeping in mind that the fitness I will try hard to attain can be wiped out in a few weeks.

Honey Stinger Fueled Gary Giannetti completes Ride for Your Life

I met Gary at the Livestrong 100 in Philadelphia he was about 10 days into this incredible feat of 50 centuries in 50 days. I was wearing my honetstinger Jersey and Honeystinger was sponsoring him for his ride so that sparked our conversation here is a letter that Gary sent to his sponsors and a link to the healthyaltitudes website.
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Honey Stinger Fueled Gary Giannetti completes Ride for Your Life
Dear Ride For Your Life Supporter, Thank you. You made a difference in the world as you helped support and encourage cancer survivors, communities, and families affected by cancer across America. I write this with all of my heart, energy, and soul after the completion of the Ride For Your Life 2007. Without your energy, the 5000 mile journey of riding 100 miles in all 50 states in 50 consecutive days for cancer survivors would not have been completed. On October 6th, I completed the 50th consecutive 100 mile ride in the 50th state with my family present. All along the way The Ride For Your Life Team and I successfully engaged, educated, and empowered thousands or individuals, families and communities affected by cancer all around America. We pioneered the Ride For Your Life as a small team with a big goal. With the team's help, I rode over 5,000 miles, ate over 500,000 calories, and we all used enough human energy to fuel a small country. We persevered in a feat that hasn't been completed before. All this is taken in stride though; we cannot forget what others have persevered through, like cancer survivorship. I was inspired and amazed by people like you for making our country what it is. Across America, I saw the power of choice and perseverance. I encourage you to look for this in your community in the New Year. As you make your choices, get out and be active asking others to join you along the way. Let's work together to remain active, maintain a positive quality of life, and decrease risk of disease. Increasing physical activity can help you achieve your goals. A moment of clarity for me was when I stopped at a school in Oklahoma on ride 35 of 50. I spoke to about 400 children and adults about bicycle safety and why I was riding for cancer survivors. A 4th grader blurted out: "It's impossible to ride 5000 miles." I said no it's not- "I am on ride 35, we'll see what happens in the rides to come. In the meantime, I'm doing it." He smiled and understood without words what I was implying. So as we move into the New Year, I want to thank you. You helped prove that what we think may be impossible is possible. Get out and keep on going. Every pedal stroke forward is a pedal stroke in the right direction. In Health, Gary G Gary Gianetti, M.S. CPTFounderHealthy
AltitudesRide For Your Life
www.healthyaltitudes.com 860.933.0524
PO Box 883016
Steamboat Springs CO, 80488

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