Monday, March 31, 2008

This is how we do it.

Marty and I just killed the drive! we left the inland empire of Cali at 5pm (yes post short track)and 18hrs later we were in Bellingham returning the car. I sleep now. more tomorrow.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

you got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em, know when to walk away and know when to run.

I gambled and lost and now the first XC race of the year is over. Going in I was kind of worried about starting at the back because I did zero Norbas in 2007 and got no Norba points but I do have a bunch of UCI points so they stuck me on the 2nd row. We got to do like 5 laps of a fun and fast and bumpy California style course. My start was unreal. I was right where I needed to be in the top 5 or 6 guys. by the end of the first lap I was riding with Kabush and Craig in the top 3 and we were starting to gap everyone else in the field, I end up leading the race for a while then started to fade. I ended up getting passed by a bunch of guys on the last lap and finished 7th. Its OK I am happy with it cause it still really early in the year and I am going to see some big improvements over the next month. I was the whitest guy in the top ten for sure, and if we had to do the last 2 laps on skate skis I would have won hands down. I kind of went for it and lost. some times you win and some times you blow up hard and finish 7th.

Right now I am chilling at the Landis house just chilling out, I am very worked! the first effort of the year is always a killer. Right after the race Marty and I went to the Baja Fresh for food. When I ordered I asked for the biggest burrito known to man with steak and guacamole. You should have seen the size of this animal, it comes in 2parts and could feed a whole mexican family. So I am full and tired and I sleep soon. Landis' also did easter dinner while we were racing and there is all this easter bread and little treats from trader joe's all over the house, it is a gangsters paradise.

Tomorrow we got the short track, and yes I am out for revenge. Then right after the race we are getting in the Cobalt and we are going to pin it back to Canada. we are going to each get a 2liter of Coke and just drive all night. Steve says the record is 15hrs. but he was drinking diet coke. we are going to shoot for like 18-20hrs. its the race after the race.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

California knows how to party in the city the city of Ranchacocamunga

So me and Marty got a rental car a couple days ago and now we are in Ranchococamunga getting ready for the first NORBA race of the year in close by fontana. we left abbotsford on tuesday morning and stopped and camped and rode in Redding. We did set up our tent in the wall mart parking lot and it was unreal! then the ride in Redding was so nice, there was this lake and good mountains and some real nice roads. On the drive down our diet was based on Safeway sandwiches and Chipotle burritos. We got in late last night and this morning we rode the course, its ok, typical california style very fast and is quite fun to ride. We are staying with my friend steve landis and watching a massive TV and just digesting a massive burrito. Life is good. I am taking photos of it and will post some when we get home on April 31.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

march 21st the first day of spring!

On my mt bike ride yesterday I think I rode in every condition know to man, it was unreal, sun, rain, snow, hail, wind, and tons of mud. I think spring is the best time of the year. I just got a new room mate, her name is Alana and I used craigs list to find her. So Kristen moved out at the beginning of march and left this big dresser in the room for me to deal with. Alana came by and didn't want the dresser in the room so I said I would deal with it. I posted the ad on craigs list and the add went something like this.


Dresser – 5$
old beat down dresser, very big with lots of space. 5$ or interesting trades considered. Will also accept home baking, ie. Cookies, muffins or a casserole.
no more then 20min later this guy phoned me and it went something like this.


Ricky “hello”
Guy “uh yeah you still got the dresser?”
R “oh yeah”
G “what kind of cookies do you like”
R “mmm right now I am kind of craving peanut butter”
G “Ok I will come by and get the dresser tonight”
R “sounds good, bye”
R “bye”


well later that night the door bell rang and I opened it to find this big guy holding out a grocery bag full of cookies “heres your payment, thanks” and he took the dresser and that was that. UNREAL!



the dresser
the payment.

Monday, March 10, 2008

working man

So my updates have been kind of hurting as of late. I have a very good excuse, I have been up in the mountains training like Rocky. I was up at Manning park working at the Nordic center for the last 3 weeks or so. I lived in the staff housing and they gave me a massive room all to myself and put me in a house that they refer to as the “old folks home”. Its a quiet house with a bunch of housekeeping staff and is really clean and no party's. This kind of worked well for my training. First off they had me working up in the alpine shop then they moved me down to the Nordic which is where I really wanted to be. Reasons that the Manning park Nordic center is better to work at then the alpine shop.
-Nordic shop is at the bottom and is really close to the staff housing.
-Nordic has a bathroom in the shop, at the alpine I had to walk for 5min to find a bathroom.
-Nordic has a perfect back room for napping, I had a sleeping bag and air mattress I would use on my “lunch break”
-Nordic starts at 815, alpine starts at 8 but it really starts at 740 cause you got to get on the bus.
-the people that come in to the Nordic love to chat it up and seem like they just are loving life, “we are going to ski but first we are going to have some coffee” in the alpine people want there rentals NOW!!! and are pissed cause they got to pay 40$ for a lift pass.
-at the Nordic the pine woods restaurant is right close by and after I would have my nap I had free espresso from the restaurant. And it was good.
-I get to really test all the XC skis and gear I want.

My training has been supper good up there, I think skiing is the ultimate training for any sport, its so hard and you need to use all aspects of fitness to be any good at skiing. You need power, strength, upper and lower body, you need to be an aerobic beast, you need really good balance, coordination, and timing. On my days off I would drive back to Chilliwack and do some long out door rides. So this is what my typical day would be like up at manning park.
-wake at 5am
-eat toast with peanut butter, cut up banana, and coffee flavored yogurt. unreal!
-skate ski 615 – 815, I got first tracks on freshly groomed trails every morning.
-work 815 – 445 I would eat, put out the signs wax skis, rent out some skis, stretch out my legs, have a 1hr long nap, take in some returns then take in the signs.
-classic ski
-intervals on the trainer
-eat pre made dinners my mom made and froze for me in zip lock containers.
-bed time.
It was unreal up there, my skate ski is so good right now, I am using some 187cm long skis and the glide is just crazy! And the power, oh mama!

Saturday was my last day of work, then I stayed at manning that night and I did my ski in the morning but this time I skied from the Nordic center then went all the way to the top of the orange chair way up into the alpine. It took me 1hr and 10min to ski up. After that I got in the car and drove back to Chilliwack and I went for a unreal mt bike ride on Vedder mt. It was such a good day. Today however I am very tired. Full chill today.

every morning was just like this.

counting out the money

working hard? Or hardly working?


mid day yoga time

getting my wax on

doing a snowshoe tour.

Melting snow on the roof.

warm day.