All good things must come to an end.

4/13-4/14/07


Today was the last day of yet another very memorable trip. We can’t complain too much, no one got hurt, we didn’t have a major car trouble, we all got along for the most part and we were all pretty much at the same ability level so there was not a lot of waiting around.

That being said, I do have a few complaints I would like to air about my fellow traveling partners:
1. Danny’s gas the final day was intolerable, my car has intense residual locker room stench.
2. The German and I butted heads about musical taste. Seems he was very upset I did not have any David Hassellhof. (You know how Germans like there Hassellhof)

3. Danny hurt my feelings with comments about my posterior.

4. Both company made me feel uncomfortable with their crass language and inappropriate cultural slanders. (B M Double V)
5. All Alex wanted to do was hunt F.U.P.A. but when he found it, he was too shy.

All of the above statements are merely facetious, there aren’t too many people I would be able to tolerate 20+ hours of drive time and 25+ hours of ride time with. Everyone who participated on the trip I hold in the highest regards and consider close friends of mine.
Thanks Alex, Dan, and Eric. Special thanks to characters such as Frank (for his colorful language), Jonathan (for his vast music knowledge), Tim (for just being an all out nice guy) and Allen Smith (for hooking it all up).

For a finale dessert, we rode Bull Mountain at a very easy pace with lots of time for photo opportunities. The trail was very nice and scenic with some nice long, fairly technical ascents and some ripping descents.


After the ride we decided to attempt driving through the night with the hopes of racing Waterford the next day. At 2:00am we cried uncle and threw in the towel by settling in at Days Inn just outside of Cinncinatti. The next morning we slept until 9:00, ate a tasty continental breakfast and traveled onward. We reached RO at around 1:15 (just enough time to not race). So we ate at OM in Ferndale. It was a beautiful macrobiotic lunch that cleansed the soul and the lactic acid in our legs. I dropped off the two lads, headed home, unpacked and took a quick spin to get the car legs out.

Tomorrow is another day and another race…stay tuned.

Six Gaps of Pain!

10,300 Feet of Climbing.

Driven by boredom induced by relatively flat rolling hills, we looked to the mountains today. After being fueled by the sub-par quality of the Waffle House, we headed towards Dahlonega to check into our hotel.

The mission was to complete the notorious Six Gap Century. We started riding at 12:00. Dan and I had ridden all of these climbs last year but never in sequence. My ride motivation was much like the course, up and down. Every ascent I found myself cursing at life and contemplating why I ride bikes. More specifically, why would I want to ride them uphill for miles upon miles? As soon as I would summit, I would think to myself, “That was awesome, lets do it again!”


The miles actually piled up quite quickly, finishing with a ride time of 5hr 35min and 5046 calories burned.

Longhorn Steakhouse was our venue of choice for replenishment…good times…good laughs…and big glasses of cowboy pop.

Only one more day until the return to Motown where the drivers are irate by the sight of grown men on two-wheelers and busy juggling there Starbuck’s, Cell Phones, PDAs, iPods, and other distractions…man I miss home.

Rain Delay

4/11/07


The forecasts looked dismal today. So with tired legs and sluggish movements, we decided to go to the Atlanta Aquarium (apparently the biggest in the U.S.). It was pretty amazing! Not only were the aquatic species amazing but we were able to do some extensive people watching. We felt very fortunate that we were able to discover a rare F.U.P.A. which was not indigenous to the Motor City.


Alex was ecstatic to discover a distant relative shark species that actually shared some of his same DNA strands!


After the aquarium, we treated ourselves to the cinematic stylings of Blades of Glory. Once again, Will Ferrell’s moves proved to be entertaining, sexy and provocative.

After we were done marveling at the magic that is held in the beautiful aquatic world beneath the sea, we found it only fitting to go out for Sushi.

So in conclusion…no miles…majestic fish…graceful ice dancing…and delicious edible raw fish.

Tomorrow we are heading up north to the mountain stages of the trip. Hopefully today’s rest day will have given us some fresh legs.

Rolling towards Ecstasy

We got a late start today due to some mechanical difficulties. Finally rolled out by 1:00. Paced lined it for the first 50 miles. After yesterday’s riding mileage binge my legs felt terrible.


50 miles in we stopped at Senoia Coffee Co. which seemed to be a gift from above at the time. The southern folk were very welcoming there and insisted on chatting with us the entire time.


Apparently Alex seems to get bored of trees very easily so he decided we must find a lake to ride by. 20 miles later we were again lounging in rocking chairs, starring at a lake, and realizing that life doesn’t get much better. Although my average heart rate was high, my blood pressure was low and my stress levels were virtually non-existent (which will make Angela very happy when I get back).

However, on the way home we were once again stopped by Alex due to mechanical difficulties. I think all of his German ingenuity was harnessed into his navigating abilities and not his bike maintenance skills.

The day left us 14 miles short of our goal, but we were all happy and ready to take in some recovery oat sodas. 386 miles in 4 days so far.

Meet the newest editions to the family...

Big thanks to American Cycle and Fitness and Cullen Watkins for hooking the team up so nicely!

Recovery Fuel

Thought I would try the international drink influence...fairly tasty.

Lower Fire Drill Loop

April 9th, 2007

The German: Make a left on East Lafayette Road

The Tired Finkelstein: Did you say make a left on lower fire drill?

Georgia Math Equation:

Wake + Drink Coffee + BM + Eat Lots of Tasty Breakfast Foods + Drink More Coffee + Another BM = Absurd Amounts of miles!

Today’s ride set off to be a questionable 120 miles. A bit of sprinkles from the sky left us skeptical as to the probably of the projected mileage goal. But alas, the clouds parted and we departed. Danny decided to stay back and sit out the first half of the ride.

Reasons why it is bad to bring an old man like Danny to Georgia:
1. He can drop us at will at any part of the day.
2. It is not good for my well being when an old man like Danny drops me.
3. He knows when to rest when we think we should go out and do stupid miles.

“You guys will be back it what?…60 miles” said the wise Danny. “Yeah, we’ll pick you up in about three hours,” replied the cordial German.

Apparently we did not charge the G.P.S. (German Positioning System) last night. 4.5 hours and 85 miles later we pick up an anxious Dan Klein joined by Eric Chase (fresh legs McGee) straight out of his 5:00am departure from Royal Oak this morning. All aboard the Danny/Eric train…Alex and I sat on their wheel for another 50 miles.

We stopped for coffee at mile 110. Alex played the “I look like Bono card” and picked up two chicks at the Starbuck’s counter.

7hours 16minute ride time and 5000 calories=135 miles for the day.

The mission of this trip was 7 in 7 (700 miles in 7 days). Today’s efforts coupled with yesterday’s low mileage leaves us only 15 miles behind schedule…we’ll see what tomorrow brings.

The Motley Crew.
Fun on the rocks at Conyers

A couple of the climbs were real lactic acid buidlers!

Living the dream...

And finally the blog begins…what took me so long to join in on this almost obligatory trend to those who ride bicycles? Lackadaisical reluctance I guess. Well, here it is.

To bring those up to speed…

After what seems to be the most pivotal point of my life, I am now in Georgia doing what I love most, riding my bike. In the past few weeks I have: 1. Search for houses like it’s my job. 2. Finished Grad School 3. Moved out of my current residence promptly and without much prior planning leading to temporary homelessness 4. Found a new house and am currently going through the headache of purchasing it (my first one). 5. Maintained a relationship with a beautiful girl while being unbearably irritable and filled with anxiety because I haven’t got to ride my bike nearly as much as I wanted to.

For a while I was feeling like I was a prisoner of my own responsibilities. But alas, I am out and riding in the beautiful state of Georgia.

April 6th, 2007: The trip begins. After an evening of celebrating Dan Klein’s birthday at Bastone, I awake at 5:00. I make my girlfriend get up with me to see me off. She makes the coffee, which made me happy! It is 20 some degrees out and the rack on my car is frozen making it ridiculously uncomfortable to pack. Anyhow, I get on the road by 6:30 and head out to pick up a couple of velo-hooligans; Daniel Klein and Alex Dolpe. We have breakfast at Toast in Ferndale where we talk about the trip, the outlandish projected miles we plan to ride, and Alex’s crush on one of the waitresses. The car ride seems to drag on and on…the gas station food piles up like a brick in my gut…I start to feel like a gelatinous piece of filth because I haven’t got to ride in a few days and now I am sitting stagnant in the car…finally we get there.

Side not on our accommodations: For the trip, we have been put up in the beautiful “crash pad” arranged by Allen Smith and friends. This place is a house where several pilots crash in between jobs. It resembles what a college house would look like if a bunch of over-privileged students lived there and partied their kiesters of. A guy named Frank greeted us. Frank loved to curse like a sailor, drink heavily, and curse some more…he was fun.

April 7th, 2007

We awake at 8:00am (first time I have slept 8 hours in months). I am feeling good but anxious to get out and ride. But first, a trip to Publix, the local grocer, to buy the fuel for the trip. An hour and $170 later we are heading back home with lots of food. A deal is made; I will do the cooking, if everyone else does the cleaning (also, the standard deal I have with my girlfriend).

The ride begins around noon. We decide to settle into a nice steady paced 100 miler. None of us know where we are or where we are going. However, we did bring our G.P.S. (German Positioning System). Our G.P.S. system consisted of Alex and a map. He guided us well, kept us safe and we all finished the day feeling good and ready to ride much more the next few days.

April 8th, 2007

We make a pilgrimage to Conyers, the site of the 1996 Olympic MTB course. It was a great day of riding but I realized that holding on to a bike at very bumpy slow speeds is harder on the body than a curly-barred bike at high speeds and smooth roads. After a lap and a half in I started developing really bad blisters on my hands making very painful to descend. But alas, the day was very fun-filled and enjoyable. I kept telling myself when my hands were in excruciating pain; at least I am not at work or sitting in a college classroom.

That evening, we went out for a quick spin on the road to get the legs and body moving after a Mexican food binge post MTB session.

Tomorrows projected ride: 120miles of unfiltered road fun.