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Misanthropic Cyclist's Forum

Bike Blog, Cycling Blog, Terradactyl, Space Shuttle, West by Gawd Virginia. We bike till we hear the pickin banjos and then we know we are in God's country.

What are you compensating for?
I see people distorting their appearances in grandiose ways. (tacky) Trying to be really impressive but really just trying to compensate for something they feel they are missing. When I see a nucklehead driving a huge truck (or similar scenario, giant muscles etc) I wonder what it is they could possibly be trying to compensate for because... they look so freaking stupid.

Which brings me to this post. I chopped the bottom of this off of my last post because I was not ready to post something so personal to the world but it is time to tell my story. (or I might pull it down again real fast! my decision)

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If you are looking for a biking story, you won't find it in this entry.
This is a story of what happened to me, and I just happen to be a bike rider.

Basically... Someone is reaching really deep to try and dig up dirt and has been using my blog text as fodder to harass me with it. Lets call her 'the Phil interpreter'. Coming soon to meet you if you have any contact with the Phil. The poison spreader, you call it what you want.

I, unlike most people, don't really have anything to hide, in fact I am pretty transparent. So I am going to share some things with you, so hopefully this 'interpreting' (poisoning) will get the serious help it needs and stop using me for gain in the face of an epic failure as a human being.

Again, this story is real, as opposed to the poison that is getting concocted and spread about by 'the Phil interpreter'...

Lets start at the prelude to my issues, my childhood to find out the roots of the issues playing out in my current life.

Part 1: Why I am the way I am.

When I was little, my Mom favorited me because her Mom(my GrandMom), who my Mom hated, favored my sister. So my mother intentionally neglected my sister at a very young age. My sister, being a year older than me, was probably already jealous of my existence.

My Mothers favoritism of me led me to many delusions and while I was basking in my own light, I never saw my sister. However, as I developed and became cognizant, I started tiring of my mother's strange behaviors towards worshiping me, and also starting to take note of my sister's neglected state and her cries for attention and was trying to piece it together.

After realizing the injustice, I started standing up for my sisters cause. My sister at this point was fairly smart. She was acting out for attention, cussing, shoplifting and doing all kinds of behavior bad stuff to get attention, but was ignored. She would cuss at and physically attack my Mom, but my Mom would just push her aside and treat her as if she were a simple object.

So I started to test my reality. If my sister is doing these crazy things, what would happen if I started using these strange and funny words etc? I started doing the same crazy things my sister did, to see if I could get away with it too.

Cussing? OMG. No. Bad idea. Mouth washed out with soap. Well why is she allowed and I am not? When I tested the next boundary of hitting, my Mom turned white as a ghost and well, the rest is history. Mom, she went into complete shock, melted down, and my sister was very smart. She cries out 'See Mommy, he is the bad one!' Wow, she was good.
Ever make a mistake that changed your life?

My sister, determined to keep her spot, (and who can blame her really?) had some good ideas to make sure she was going to stay in her new position of gaining all the love and attention. And she was going to see to it that I was to pay for all the treats I got and she did not, all the attention, all the love, all the cold that was her world was to be mine, plus extra.

Out of blind rage the story-demon was born.

Little did I know, my sister had a real talent for telling stories. Fictitious stories about me, to my Mom. My Mom who now favored my sister and ignored me, hung on every word.

So, from that point, I was ALWAYS being punished. (years 6.5-17 = grounded)

My sister would go on rampages when we were alone, if even for a minute, breaking up things in the house, or more likely, in my room, then my sister would go scream and holler at how I was on a rampage of destruction and that she was scared of me, that I was attacking her... Life was not good. Dad was absent from the scene, at work or detached.

Grounded, anytime the family would do something cool, I was left at home. When they were home I was grounded and not allowed out. And it just kept getting worse. It developed to the point where punishing was obviously not enough because I was not going to change. (Which meant the stories were not going to stop)

So we evolved into sessions where my Mom would have my sister beat me up and she would supervise. She would encourage my sister to kick me in the nuts saying that I would sing opera for the rest of my life. That ended when I delivered a swift kick to my sister in the same generic location and she went down pretty hard.

Then it stepped up with the real abuse. Daily psychological abuse from my Mom. Daily sessions where I was forced to stand in a corner for an hour and more to listen to my mother shred me apart while I was not allowed to say anything. "You are a loser, you will never amount to anything, you are the reason this family is falling apart, nobody likes you, I hate you... ... ...) I was at this point more or less a prisoner, grounded to the house, kept apart from my father, isolated. My world was gone. No ice hockey, Mom sold my bike, friends not allowed around and I was not allowed out, if I liked it, it got taken away.

My mother was not intent on ignoring me because of the threat she thought I posed to my sister, my Mom was out to remove me one way or another. I feared both. She and my sister were absolutely cruel and ruthless to me.

My mother became so wrapped up in these stories of me and how bad I was. She started to then make up her own. My Mom's stories (though I never heard them in entirety) were based on how our family could not function with me there in the way. How I destroyed everything and was a danger. Some of my Mom's 'friends', when they met me, they would barely look at me, not even greet or shake my hand...

My mother then got an idea, a plan to try and have me removed from our house for good. (don't ever think that things can't get worse) She took me to a shrink, if she could convince a shrink to sign papers saying I was unfit to live in the house with the family, I would be sent to Juvi-prison to live until I was 18. She told me that is where I was going and that I would be raped and beat up and have lots of fun. Well that was not good news.

The Dr asked me lots of questions, basically about all the history leading up to that point and it was gut wrenching to go through. I guess it took about 3 or so hours of time before I was unable to go on, cried out etc... Needless to say, he didn't sign the papers.

After 4 or 5 trips to different psychiatrists, I guess her budget ran out. Or she was embarrassed at what they had to tell her. Who knows. But each trip for me involved hellish intensive sessions of dredging up all that had happened up to that point, leaving me a giant mess. Each time, I had to do it again... so I started to wear down and damage was being done and Mom's tormenting/mental torture sessions really started to take toll.

Why was all this happening? I was truly trying to be a good son, a good boy. Why? This was the direct result of the stories that were being manufactured that made me out to be some type of monster that I was not and it was believed.

The fact that my sister had-told/was-telling the stories now was irrelevant because my Mother was now taking over. She used her own blend of the stories to make an excuse for her failings as a Mother. (she had serious issues of her own and could not run a household) The house was a wreck, and I mean a gross disaster of a place, our family was out of money because of her crazy spending trying to pretend to people that she was rich. It was to the point where she was writing bad checks at grocery stores to get daily excessive amounts of cash because her cards were full and the bank account was empty. She had drawers full of bounced check fee notices. Then she got caught red handed at a store and told not to ever come back. She went further and to different stores, dragging us...) The crumbling family, I was made to blame. What did I do again?

For my sixteenth birthday, she played a nice trick on me. She said since it was special, that I could have a party and have people over and even have a cake. Wow, things were changing for the better! She grounded me for something she invented an hour before the party, calling everyone telling them that I had really done it and that she was sorry etc etc... then I was sent to my room, she and the family had my cake and ice cream and the rest that was left over was given to the dogs. Not a mentally healthy place for me to be, I was contemplating that maybe prison was better.

I steadily went down hill into major depression and worse. I told my Dad that I was not going to be able to hold on to my sanity much longer and he finally stepped in. He came in when my Mom was in the middle of her torture sessions and he stood between her and I and told her to stop it and that it was enough of this.

My Mom screamed and threw a fit, she came at my Dad pushing him, telling him to get out of the way and that it was none of his business etc. He stood firm.

She ran to the phone, called the police, and stated that she had been physically attacked by her husband. She ordered me and my sister into the car and departed for her Mother's, who lived up the street. I refused to go, actually really being willfully disobedient this time.. my Mom had gone over the edge playing that card.

The cops came in the middle of the night and picked him up. (my Dad would not attack anything or anybody, is a pacifist) My father walked home from the police station in the morning (many miles) and got a lawyer and a divorce, and I was no longer in that hell. Little did I know it was not going to be over as quick as I thought. I was relieved but not happy but just tired and worn out all the time. I set out on my journey to find and save myself which brings me here.

"Hey! Well why are you telling me this?"

Part II: Your demons follow you.

After years of bouncing around, I decided to apply myself in career. I had to this point gotten a college diploma despite heavy burnout and depression through college and had worked my way as an apprentice up though competent levels by a couple masters in graphic arts. My college degree was computer science, well IFSM, I was 3 years plus into CS and burned out, lessened the major to IFSM took a couple business classes and got the fuck out. But this with the graphic arts led me right into web design. A career!

I got a job in town and worked my way to webmaster, and in charge of a department. I wanted to continue programming so I stayed out that route and also wanted to learn networking, this led me through a series of other jobs and eventually at WVU. The plan was to eek out what I could and then go to more lucrative hospital IT.

When I thought things were shaping up and I had a nice life finally, I was pretty happy with myself and what I was doing... The demon just swooped back in like a bird of prey.

This girl came out of nowhere, straggled looking, abandoned by her last department, (now I know for good reason, she doesn't do her work) but I felt the need to help her. She always wanted to hang out and go to lunch with me, she would tell me and my girlfriend lots of things. I should have let it go... but I alone stuck my neck out and convinced our office to hire her.

Then all of a sudden, after two years of promotions and being in the center of the action, I was now getting in trouble for the silliest things, then instantly losing most all my work relationships. There were stories that this person was spreading that were false about me, but these stories were more credible than my truth. And the stories were of an awful nature. It was as if someone poisoned the water.

Sudden change came, I was ignored, treated rudely for no reason, and left out of all meetings etc. My meetings with the boss and with the number two in charge were no more. It was now her in those meetings, I was starting to be bullied and mobbed by most of the co-workers. People were vengeful at me, hostile, evil, because of things this person was saying about me that poisoned them against me. It sucked. I felt helpless.

I largely had no idea what was going on, nobody will tell you the vile things that someone else says you are doing if they are believed and they do the poisoning well. When I found out some of what had been going on, it was very, very shocking.

The stories being told about me by this individual were beyond any fiction. An echo of my past. I am not talking about trivial stories. She was telling stories about me making death threats and acting very psychotic towards her and how she was in fear for her life.

One of the stories she tells is of us being alone and, according to her, I just sprung and was psychotic, saying 'I am going to chop you up into pieces with my axe and hide you in a freezer where they won't find you!' Then I just snapped back into normal me.

Apparently, this was so believable to everyone. My boss and most all my coworkers started ignoring me and giving this lying storyteller LOTS of special attention and LOTS of sympathy for her 'stricken' situation.

Lets point out here that this girl also has a mental history and was advised by her psychiatrists that she was to stay in intense therapy for the remainder of her life. Well, she is out and about, pretending to be fine. I guess you need a big distraction from yourself if you have major issues so people just overlook you. Whoops.

My boss and the number 2 started also giving the poisoner LOTS of special attention, loads of it. She was in the bosses office with the door shut for 2 hours a day, most days and spent an almost equal amount of time behind the locked server room doors with the second in command. The boss sure was acting all perky and manly, strutting around.

So basically this person spreads stories of the things I supposedly did which are lies and then people believe it and act horrified. I rarely find out what it is they are saying about me but I get the hostility of a whole group of people without knowing what it is about. Commonplace.

I was just told by my boss casually that I was just being taken off my responsibilities for a while and told to 'sit at my desk and do nothing for just a few weeks.' Confusing times.

I was also tipped off when I overheard a co-worker's conversation a cubicle or so away. She said that she was 'absolutely terrified because of Philip's ability to look so normal and calm when around people.' She was scared.

So. Everyone was treating me like a lunatic, only they were the ones acting crazy. People believed the poison, seemed addicted to it. Acting like nut-jobs feeling justified in treating me like shit over lies being told.

The boss really started to target and bully me, he put bogus letters on my file and really was turning the screws. I fought with grievances. The boss started rewarding anyone who would come forward with bad news about me. Fun. Then some people started lying, making up things I did themselves for personal gain.

I fought. Waste of time. HR did nothing.

So again I watched another life slide down the toilet to the same happy tunes. All the while being chastised because what I was doing to the poisoner, (who was costing me my friends and career) and what I was doing to her life. I was having trouble seeing the damage I was causing when this person got nothing but doted on, promotions and was not required to do any work.

This is not just one person, this is infectious stuff. The infected/poisoned people (the ones affected by the stories) are the really crazy ones. The affected/poisoned are the people who get enraged, yell, punch and stick the knives in while the storyteller gloats.

This didn't last too long. I was winning grievances and had a presidential level grievance coming up and the boss had a history of targeting employees. They made a plot to get rid of me.

It started with the secretary telling lies of her own. She was in trouble for not doing work and needed favor with the boss. She, with my boss beside her went to HR and she reported that I told her that I was going to 'slit the bosses throat.' She went to HR where he also had her put it in a police report (with the boss at her side advising her the whole time).

My boss and her had colluded. My boss then the next day told his lies. The next day he went to HR saying with a story that I threatened HIM in the hallway. He said I stopped him and told him that I was going to slice his throat and kill his family. To strange to be true? No.

[ Ever had people make up stuff about you like this? ]

His own version of his own incident involving me snapping into psycho mode when I was alone with him... These are starting to add up. We have 3 now!

The lying secretary was later thrown under the bus and targeted. She regrets her part in the action now and is in the process of being mobbed by the office. She has personally apologized to me and come forward with the truth. This has done little to right the situation.

The bosses account is also a lie, (he is known well for his inability to tell the truth) and is now himself falling on shaky ground. I never actually even saw him the day he said the threat event took place.

I found out about his story, all of this boss threatening stuff when I was called down to HR where I was sat down to be sent home. They refused at first to tell me why I was even being sent home, but I demanded and they finally told me that I was being sent home for threatening the boss. It took me a good 20 minutes to find out from them what the boss alleged happened. Nice shock. What the hell is wrong with the world?

I was fired from WVU and being away from the crazy mob of idiots was so nice. Then my boss and the secretary tried to team up to stop me from gaining any unemployment. I had a lawyer but still was denied my fair amount due to the secretaries testimony, the boss had contradicted himself and was not found credible to the judge.

Before the demon swooped in, my work record was awesome. I had two promotions in 2 years and was working on my next, was a central figure in the office and I was living well and working towards my career goals with enthusiasm.

I watched that world slip away and watched just how crazy things can actually get. I don't think there is any limit. Your world feels comfortable and safe. Mine has felt that way several times. Never again.

Now the poisoner is still determined to spew and reap the rewards it offers her.
The latest... I have no idea what is being said about what I did but last Wednesday, several people in her group were very hostile to me and very intent on trying to start trouble.

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noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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Last Entry in the Misanthropic Cyclist's Forum
Hi there.
For personal reasons,
I have decided to shut down my blog.


:)

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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Wed Nite
Weather has been nice.

Good Wednesday niter last night.
Small group of guys and one Betsy all kept things very fast in what was probably the best training ride yet of the season. I get the feeling next week could be even faster, as it should be. But a lot of power and raw determination out there. Every time I laid it down, people were sure to put me in my place which makes it great. On the last stretches my legs were done.

Today is another beautiful day. Might try to sneak out for an hour or so just to pedal.

I have a good ways to go to get into form this year, but at least I know the things I have to do to get there. I am fortunate enough to be getting some really solid advice on my riding and I hope it will pay off.

I need to plan out my season before all the races slip away. I need to be out there at least losing them all so I can gain experience. Seeing how I cannot really contend on hills, I would like to at least get some more Pheel friendly courses in there so it looks like maybe some out of state races will have to be done. I am hoping to fit in 5 or 6 races this year.

Well, better work my ass off if I want even a chance to ride today.

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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Hrmmmy
Lets see, use some thick winter tyres on that Wed night ride. Lots of sidewall unfriendly material about. I hate flats.

Nice temps out last night for the Wed night ride. Our group got split at the light, some people where way to selfish to roll through a yellow light and wanted to hold the group up. We rolled out like normal running late already, no biggie because we have a little more time now than we did a couple weeks ago.

Nice Wed nite ride and perfect temperatures (for me anyway). The girls on the ride are scary (in a good way). The big event, Betsy schooled me on the hills... grah. At least she was maxing out, I heard her doing the battle cries. Wait... also dusted me on the way out of Mt Morris. Such a show off, whenever she talks near me, I half expect to hear Popeye's voice soon following (j/k).

Now all I need is some chick to beat me up in tennis, wait, Tim is close enough for that. **runs** Seriously, all those chicks who hang and kick half the guys asses are amazing. So here's to the girl riders. Tiger Paw! But next week you won't get so lucky cause I'll drop you all just like that.

Took me a while to get warmed up but ended up starting to come alive in the final 3rd of the ride. I am always a late burner for some reason. Could be the hills.


Raced last Saturday, nothing great to report. My climbing skillz need help. I find myself wishing for a bike that ways less than 22lbs but I want to be stronger. Need more experience.

Maybe I can talk Brad into riding some hills.

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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Mufflepost and Wed Ride
Yay, got some more riding in yesterday.
Things are much clearer now, I did a lot of good over the winter but my cycling was too back burner, now I am trying to make up for it.

I showed up for the Wed night ride. A lot showed up, guys in team kits. Some of the kits the local teams have here are the best I have seen in all 4 or 5 races I have ever been in.

Wed Ride...
Slow rollout, I don't remember ever using my brake so much.

When we got to the climb and race section of the ride, no large attacks or really high intensity. I was eying up the Motown guys to see if they were going to shred things but they played nice. I would give that up to tapering for the race. Well a couple guys brought a burst or two but I know them by now and countering was extremely casual.

I got the usual jeers and muffled comments from my biggest fans. Hope my dust tastes nice to wash that down with.

Ride was sketchy. On the rollout guys were sitting on the yellow line with cars passing at 45mph. If I was a motorist who didn't ride, I would not have a good feeling about cyclists and how brazen they can be. I didn't like that at all but as usual, if I say anything, someone else will say the opposite just because that is what they do for some reason. :-X That is why I am not saying anything!

If there was a pothole, most times, it was even a shallow ride-able pothole, a few guys would start shouting at the top of their lungs over and over 'HOLE!! HOLE!! HOLE!!'. It sounded like we were about to be attacked by a group of monsters with wmds. These alarm bells would send riders veering everywhere. And more riders ended up veering into the obstacles. Really nuts.

I don't understand the panic involved in racing yet, much less the panic that seems to set into the group on these training rides. People are just way jumpy. Is this what the Europeans are referring to when they say we are 'squirrel-like'? It gets comical with the guys yelling and people veering about like lemmings.

Then there is the fact that the guys in front take you right through holes, only they bunny hop without any warning. And that is common around here, the lack of consideration that people are following. Even on team rides that I have been on, I have had wheels destroyed by schmucks in the lead swerving sharply at the last second and giving followers no clue. Well, to be fair, leading is not easy on these roads, it takes full concentration to pull a nice smooth line through the minefield, but if you are in the lead, you do need to not only focus on your cadence but also very much so on the road ahead. Not rocket science.

After we got taken through the middle of a few holes, I sucked it up and didn't close draft for most of the way. Since the pace was slow, I gave myself room to see enough road.

I trotted on up the hill on 119 catching the leaders who attacked early at the top of the climb, that took a little effort. That hill looks steep at the top but it feels like it levels out, if you watch your pace (the scenery going by) and keep it steady, you can really speed up towards the top with little power changes. Optical illusion or I am fooling myself. Either way, it seems to work. I have no reason to sprint over first, I can be within 20 or so feet from any guy that I have 20+ pounds over, that puts my heavy ass in an easy position of authority. Draft pass and a few turns and they have no hope.

I drifted past the leaders just spinning a bit, wasn't going to show off, that gets you immediately targeted for having the nerve to be so selfish, So I let up to cool down for the regroup.

So the few I past on the downhill then overtook me and I latched on while coasting and caboosed it only to fall into another leadership fumble. They took our line right through some big ass rocks in the road. Instead of drifting out to the left around the main rocks everyone was all of a sudden swerving. A. Andersen was directly in front of me (we were on the tail) and hit a (no joke) 5lb+ rock that someone else sent skipping, and that sent it flying into my front wheel, where it careened under my bike and into my frame. He instantly flatted out. I thought I was in the same boat but miraculously my tire was not cut and I don't think my frame is damaged. (am still afraid to look) I felt for Adam there, and should have stopped and let him use my CO2.

At that point I really didn't feel like doing much more, and didn't really plan to. Maybe a couple more miles but eh... My trainer told me to just get it going good every day, muscles and high heart rate for a short to medium duration. Screw laying off, keep the body used to intensity. I thought it was bullshit but it is really great advice.

So... darkness was falling as we all waited at the first regroup for the fix on what was being a difficult wheel. It looked like a tubular, and I have no idea how you fix one of those if it is flat but the fastest wrench of the bunch was on it. It looked like we were about to go and then something else let go and it was back to the drawing board.

At that point my heart rate had dropped well below 80 and I didn't want to get on and just sprint to the state line (which was the next phase of the ride) so I left to have what was a sweet ride home.

I am seeing improvement since focusing now on my bike, my cycling still needs major work, and I still feel like a chump out there trying to pose like a racer but it is fun seeing improvements. I want to be steely, cool and un-phased by what happens around me. I want to race my race and not give up energy to other guys. If a guy passes me, I want to take his energy, not give mine up.

All of that bitching makes it sound like no fun at all but it is really all fun. I give people an extra hard time, but I would like to see a little better. Things are getting better around here for the sport, I guess that happens when I get involved in things... that and JR's involvement. Still way too much on people who lack common sense with the desperate need to put themselves in positions of authority screwing shit up all over. But change takes time.

Cyclists by nature are not really the best social creatures around, so standing around, if you are not picking brains on tech and training... normally it is quiet. Talking chicks or partying or anything else other than weather is usually taboo. Hazing is always allowed but be ready for guys to have absolutely no sense of humor. So be ready to follow anything that bombs up with 'did you hear the one about the...' kind of deal.

Like watching an absurd play or something, all of the characters and drama. You don't know what your missing! LOL The guys are actually all really nice. Well, except that Charlie guy.

Air still dusty as hell making me a little sick... I can't think of anything or anyone else to bitch about...

OK coffee, sunshine. Time to think about tennis, hopefully be able to update the misanthropic tennis blog later.



Tim's got a new ride, I would like to try one out:

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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70? 80 this weekend? Sweeeeeet
Well fvck! It is going to be 70 today.
Should be the locals today on the MBC ride with the kids out of town.
If I remember later, maybe I will go. Forgot last week, old.

Bike rebuilt. Components in good shape, ought to replace my little chain wheels but maybe at the end of the season this year. Made some minor changes to take a little weight off, yeah I know a diet would help, and made some shifts to give myself a little more aggressive position on the bike. Is it over the top to cut your seat post down? It would only be a 3 or 4" section of cf tubing. I didn't think the savings would be that great but am thinking about it.

Speaking of climbing, there is a race this Saturday in our backyard, it is 46 or so miles but 5 freaking mountain climbs. I have no idea how to even approach that. I think last years only had 3. But if it is 80 and sunny... well, that won't help... I think the thought of cold and rainy is kind of a turn on, perfect for that nasty course.

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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Sweet DIY Rain Helmet
Keep that head warm and dry.

Stretch cling wrap over helmet (I leave the back open) and cut to size.
Fold under the excess wrap and apply small sections of tape being minimalistic on the tape that touches and adheres to the helmet. If you have a greasy head, I suggest cleaning the helmet with alcohol first. On the front curve of the helmet, apply the strip of tape to the plastic and before you fold it down, make vertical cuts every inch in the tape. This makes it neat and pro like.

Lightweight and functional, also works to keep warm in the winter and looks way cool.





Relentless cold rain today. I needed some practice in the rain and I am going to rip the bike apart so getting it dirty, well probably making it cleaner than it was, is not going to hurt anything. Going to make some top secret changes as well.

When cleaning her off and taking off components I found that I only had one strand of wire connecting up my rear derailleur. Time for maintenance.

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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post fodder
Time is so short that I stopped making time for the blog over the winter.
Not a whole lot going on besides routine crap and complaining about the lack of ridey weather.

Now there is plenty to write on, I have tons of blog fodder but that is overwhelming, so lets just cover the latest.

I rode yesterday, hooked up a couple other WVU riders who seemed interested in avoiding some mundane training. I was planning a long route out past Charmichaels and so off we went. I was planning on just riding and goofing off but Brad? (AKA Capt Hills) is a way serious rider now and wanted none of that. He is coming out this spring looking like a pro and riding like one. Makes me look like a chump.

I am seriously pissed off that he is racing in my class when he can take the 123 cat. But that just shows you how screwy the USA cycling classifications are, they really need to change things... I digress... but get out of my cat. I can take or put a serious hurting on those other shit balls.

So it was a lively paced ride, I was more into looking at the cows and scenery but Brad wanted to just whoop up on me, and whoop up on me. I was working on pacing myself and taking it easy. I could tell that it was not going to be that type of ride.

By the time I decided I had had enough and start ratcheting the screws down return some. I was somewhat flat. New rule, when you ride with guys in team jerseys, you are allowed to whup up on them because they will on you. So what if they whine later. Not that I have a shot with Capt. Hills. I hope he will ride with me again, way out of my league but has what I need in the climbing training to take me up a level. Nice wake up call.

Thanks for the smackdown! People love to give Pheel the smackdown, it is worth it sometimes to let it happen and watch the joy. Nice ride yesterday, am getting set to head out in the rain probably.

That's OK because I think I am going to rebuild the bike tomorrow and clean her up good.

I have fodder for some posts... Tim's new bike, making a superior grease gun on the cheap for speedplay pedals, some ride pix, the normal garbage.

Ride.

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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Insentive again.
So I am product testing some dry lube called 'Spurt' or something like that. It has the consistency of a runny wood glue but penetrated pretty good into the workings. I was down at the Madone shop today while getting lunch at the Flying Fish, Colin was cool enough to give me some to try out. Waiting for lunch I was able to balance a coffee mug, keys and else all on top of the upside down bottle (which is tiny) so I am awesome!

Anyway, I got some different pedals I am trying out, some speedplay zeros. They check out pretty good. I did have to do some modifications to get them to fit my shoes. (thanx Dremmel) Already they are noticeably better than the Look system which I was using. Better design. Requires a bit of maintenance but that can be handled by my mechanic.

Motivational Meditation for the Day...

Leg synergy. With a bike as a machine, it is possible to create synergy. Your legs working together can actually create more power than the sum of the individual two legs. Hey, free power as an added bonus for using good form and technique. I'll take that.

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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Heart of Winter
Here we are in the coldest spot of winter.
The workouts are old... spring is very around the corner...

I have been trying to mix it up on the cardio side of my workouts to keep it interesting.
I really am not interested in staring at my computer screen watching some supposed course as I pedal on a trainer... is that really any fun?

So every few weeks I get away from the trainer.
You can run intervals up the steps at the stadium hill.
Roughly 40 second blasts when it is very very cold will wake you up.
Get beat up on by the elyptical machine, those ones at the gym try to make you feel good about yourself, this one Char has beats you with a stick.

To change up the trainer workouts I added a hill workout.
Block up the front wheel about 3-4" higher than usual, and get some good resistance.
Work it so you're cadence is just over 60rpm and you are around 90% max output and go for 40 minutes. I cool down on the rollers after that, spinning over 90rpm for 8 minutes then cooling it down for 5mins before stretching. That one pays off on the hill enjoyment factor and should be noticeable.

One thing I have discovered with the rollers and I don't know if Krietler has addressed this or not... Because of the way the rollers are designed, the bike has a slight upward slant...

What an awesome post!

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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From earlier in the month...

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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Santa is Cool
Why workout when you can go, drink a bunch of beer, and hang out at the bike shop?

Pack up the dog, we're going to get a Madone!

So we got to the Bike Shop and the cell rings and we have to go to the other bike store to pick up another.

oh well**get back in car, go to make pick up** its going peace full until 3 blocks away...
'PARK THERE!!!' 'in the Salvation Army's last spot?!' 'PARK THERE PARK THERE PARK THERE, YOU MUST PARK THERE!!!!' **grah, parks car**

we got out and started walking and were accosted immediately. 'Hey, you can't park here, this is customers only!' Rev was sly, employing the Jedi Mind Trick. Never the less, I felt guilty.

Oh well, those bell ringers are annoying... and doesn't the local Arch Diocese take a cut of my pennies!?!?! I have other causes I support, not usually those that call or annoy the crap out of me to get money.

Rev told me about the Salvation Navy. Grah! Entertaining company to say the least but what if they tow MY car? We walk 3 or 4 blocks passing many parking spaces along the way and enter the other bike store and (REDACTED FOR NATIONAL SECURITY)

...said byes and we were out the door now with our friend who is also at a professional level performer (at devouring beer) and we set our sites on the refrigerator at the bike store and aimed to help lighten its burdened loads. Yay, the four of us were on our way to the Madone store to pick up Revs new toy!

The rest went smoothly, lots of bike talk, and those matching carbon water cages. Beer, everything except major boobage. It just ain't part of the sport and that is a shame. I say, bring on the bikini clad water and food hander-outer. Well, Rev's bike is a truly sick machine. Madone 6.9. Tight geometry, frame feels friendly, not super stiff, though down near the drive train, there is a whole new level of stiffness. Looks like it will roll smoothly w/ superb power transfer. Rev also moved to a compact that can drop to a 28 on the rear, not my cup of tea but it looks like it will make most any hill 'spinnable'. I guess I would say yes if someone offered me one...

Anyway, we didn't drink them dry and we managed to easily fit the bike, the dog, and 3 of us in my car. So ole Rev is the new fastest guy in town.

I would like to see 'Team Wamsley Cycles' at some point on results sheets. They have some fast guys and it might get some of them out on Saturdays to race. Never say Never.
:-) **runs**

OK.
Tips:
Some good gear to ask Santa for:
SUGOI TI Jacket
AMFIB® BIB TIGHT
Both proven to be SOLID, anywhere below 44 degree comfort, just add base-layering accordingly. SmartWool for the super cold is a great base layer.

I have yet to find warm shoe covers and getting winter shoes seems drastic.
Balaclavas, all the same? Gloves, all the same.
So what are the warmest non-super-bulky shoe covers?

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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you are slow
hi bike fans, hot rodders rodders rodders

So it is holidays and you are trying to survive.
Training is in full swing, it is best to start those resolutions now, before the holidays.

If you want your girlfriend to cook every night, just offer to cook and do a training meal.
Handful of brown rice, a couple eggs an assortment of veggies, glass of milk.
She will never let you cook again.

This year I am a bit more sensitive to my needs.
Have yet to bump up against over training as I did so much last year.
It could be because I am lazy or because I have found a decent pace.

My weight training weeks are in levels.
Basically you have to get stronger in order to be able to do the next week.
It does several pyramids and tapers off every now and again over a twelve week span.
I do first day of the week 2 sets each, take two days off (ouch time), do 3 sets if possible, off day, then ramp it up and really see what I can do the third workout day. One rest day then start the new week on the next level then two days off... and so on. Seems to work. Last year I was going for 4 days a week and it was too stressful.

Follow workouts usually with longer interval pyramids, high cadence (for me around 110)
Off days are optional for abs and any bike activity. Tennis is preferred as a cross training activity.

That is basically it for my winter.

Remember, it is time to start losing those extra pounds now.
If you start now, you will be 4 pounds ahead at the end of January and you won't have to be stressed!

Those of you who are skinny. You are free to drink tons of beer and donuts... why not donuts? Lots and lots of them gnommy those are gud!

Hope everyone scores some mad gear.
Happy Holidays

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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bike shopping
Went down to Wamsley's with Talks w/Legs as he went there to purchase a new road bike. He got a great deal, on sale for a hair under 24k. Nice score!

Wamsleys: You get a free beer there if you buy a bike or are with someone buying a bike so that made it for me.

Talks said he can't wait to get out on the new bike and give the Birdman the thrashing he has coming. *

Talks is now going with a compact setup that runs an 11-28 rear. I will be interested to see if it makes the hills smaller.

Oh well, look for a month of good riding weather as he waits and waits for delivery.

*i made that up
and he got a crash replacement deal for a third off, i don't know how much, probably around 4 ish

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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Fame
I don't know what some people's fascination with me is... well I do, I understand being taken with me... I feel the same way.

The only difference, I can stop thinking about myself sometimes. Some people who think about me all the time... well, it starts off pretty overly romantic/dramatic. (Maybe that is a tip off) Then it turns all stalkerly psycho, then jilted girlfriend I-will-destroy-you like.

Don't worry if you are one of these people who can't stop thinking about me. I love you lots, but just a little less of the EVIL would be nice.

I just ride my bike and get faster and have more fun.

Phils-osophy
It takes A FREAKING LOT of brain power to ride a bike.
The calculations you are doing in your head are nothing short of stunning.
Realizing this, working to improve it, breaking it down, re-assembling...
It is a brain trip that I am on and yeah, at times it is a serious endorphin high.
Couple that brain trip with synergetic thoughts in-motion and constant, serious, tactile feedback and I am simple enough to be entertained for hours.

If you don't want to ride with me, don't.
I am flattered that you think of me all the time (those that do) but spare me the evil!
And those who don't think of me much at all? You can do a little improving.

'Just get out and ride' some biker said to me once...
Now he rides with a wheelie-walker. **runs**

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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Action Pic


Grah, I thought this was a pic of Gnars!
My ole lady said, looks like he needs a walker there and off I went.
5 mins later I had a masterpiece.

Then I said shit, that might not be him!

I put it back up due to popular request.
Imagine it as Gnars.

Sorry to the guy in the pic!

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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Lil, Mr. Rusty Part

So my bottom headset bearing rusted out and I let it go for some time under the assumption that having a little roughness in the steering would not really affect anything.

Results of the experiment are in. Your steering needs to be very very smooth. Not being able to maintain no-hands without intense focus and extra hip jiggling is the first drawback. The second one is sometimes mistaking a tiny bit of roughness in the turning (and the turning is smooth, no play, but a bit sticky) for a road bump you did not see, or maybe getting a flat!

It needs to be very smooth. The sealed bearing on the bottom had been un-sealed by a rubber dirt shield that was caught up in the bearing and just stayed there always lifting up a portion of the seal.

I went down to Wamsley's this morning with the rusted out (sealed) bearing, the good bearing (so you can read the identifiers on the side) and the headset PDF hoping that they had the part.

I went to the canecreek.com website and looked up the part, I could have it shipped to me for around 11 bucks and I wondered what Wamsley's would charge.

I arrived down there to find a darkened store with the power out. Chip greeted me with the normal, "Hi Phil, how are you doing?" Which feels to me like he doesn't like me all that much. Maybe because my sister took part in the whole side taking over the Marc/Colin woman thing, who knows really. Drama seems to make the scene go around, I guess that is common with a lot of scenes, I don't know. I do like that shop (Wamsleys), unlike Pathfinder they are a bit more independent and they support themselves on bikes. How cool is that? From a dream...

Anyway, they need a better website, maybe I could work something out, pick up some spare parts or something.

So make my way to the back where everyone is grubbing down in the grey light drifting through the windows. The natural lighting made the place feel good, blue, not yellowey from the tzzzzzzz lamps.

Are you closed? - Yes. - (fire, power out, yadda yadda... unless you have cash) I had cash! How cool is that? I presented my part, they quickly matched it up... 12.99! not a terrible difference in price so cool. The young guys that work there always seem very positive and excited about bikes. I am considering a new Madone, but that is not going to happen anytime real soon.

Then Chip put down his styrofoam box, closed up the half eaten General Tso Chicken and checked me out. "How is your sister?" - She is busy with that baby I am sure.. His jaw dropped. You didn't know my sister adopted a kid? blah blah blah Thanks Wamsley guys! and I was out of there.

So, can't wait to get it back together and steer all over you bitches.

Tiger Pawrr.

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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Reflections and Tuesday Grimp
Nice ride today.
Ride more to take advantage of the last of the good weather would be so nice.
Two rides a week is not cutting it.

Grimp today was pretty normal. Exceptional weather. Beautiful mountain views and vistas. Hills, up up up and down down down. Sprints, chats, and a whole lot of half wheeling by everyone with a mix-mash of people. Temps finally reached around 70. The air this time of year is the best.

Had a camera but failed to take a single picture that is how good it was today. Well that and my hands were busy. I have to replace the bearings in the steerer so I have the luxury of being able to ride no-hands again. I didn't think anything would be affected by having it be a little quirky but I found out that it is very important to have bike turning as smooth as butter.

No training to speak of going on lately. Just trying to stay in form somewhat while riding. Some things I started last year are starting to pay off a little, finally.

At the end of the season here, it is time for some reflection. I am still gearing up to have a good race year coming up and that is what the last year and a half have been about.

So this winter, knowing me, I will be giving up and getting fat but for now... I am on target. Form, stroke, cadence, power and most of all efficiency have noticeably improved. Everything has gotten better, because I have worked at it, but I still have a long way to go.

Today was just fun but constantly reminding myself of the little things. The voices "Pulling on the handlebars is bad! If you do that there is something you are doing wrong. Down and or forward pressure." "Stay aerodynamic" "Posture!!! yes, especially when tired!" And so forth... I have given up for a while on the mechanical feedback of devices and am listening to myself and my body instead. For now that is what is effective and getting the most profit.

The crazy part is the improvements. Voice says "higher gear, higher gear, go go go all the way to the top at this pace!" I can't maintain this. "yes you can" and wow I can. I am finding out that it is easier to go on my bike, well ride it like it was designed to be ridden rather than scaling back and riding like a tired puff (how I feel). Riding like a tired puff (I feel) actually takes more energy to do and for longer periods of time.

My power training seems to be paying off. I think I invented something here. Am going to get back to it when I get a new chain. I am going thru them with the training but the climbing is improving some.

So the season has seen a lot come to bear. I have learned a lot about myself and a lot about other people. I have faced down detractors and despite some kooky best efforts, will continue to be nonsensical, and facetious. It really does NOT mean I am foolish and as I am learning most of it goes over the heads of most. But anyway, in the same vein, if you are all sterny faced, don't worry, because I won't in turn, mistake that for wisdom.

Cross racing looks appealing, reminds me kinda of the old BMX days but a little more adult like. (not very convincing)

Well, Rev Tim is back in town from Europa and we rode out to the grimp together in his minivan. I like Tim, he might like to talk an awful lot but when you do manage to get a word in, he does listen to what you have to say which is more than I can say for a lot of less talky folks. I enjoy and missed having these half intelligent conversations. He speaks 2/3 of the time and a good percentage of what he says is intelligent. I am about 1% intelligent. God just made me 99% beautiful, have to take it how it was given I guess...

So I met him at his place, he equipped me with a freaking scone (fucking awesome!) to go with my coffee** and we were off.

It was a damn fine ride out to the scene. Coffee, Scone some good conversation. Perfect! We did forget to check out the new Atheist's billboard as we planned. But you can't do everything in a day.

We arrived first on the scene, unloaded, followed by big bang girl, we were set and big bang did not have all day to discuss the inner workings of the Big Bang (I think it is a conspiracy) theory, so we leisurely strolled ahead to let the pack catch up. She had to be back at work and did not have time to wait for all the late people. (the nerve, to be late for a ride!)

But the discussion revolved around... what was that again? Oh yeah, the big bang theory. I was under the impression that what we thought the limits of the universe was, had proven to be very wrong. Matter extends out in all directions as far as the space telescopes can see. But noooo big bang big bang, big bang big bang, hahaha your theory sucks, big bang big bang. Typical conversations with Atheists.

I am belittling just to be a smart ass; really the talks were frightfully inspiring and enlightening. How often to people question me about what my spiritual beliefs are? Never. I have a couple aspects of my beliefs that are not yet congruent and need to be ironed out. Then, start a church baby!

Anyway, will have to do some research. Tim recommends that I seek out Atheism and he says that to become a scientist will help that come about. I think my beliefs would only be reinforced. Tim has issues he is working out with God but for now, all negotiations are off the table and you don't exist God, take that! Why can't we all get along?

So away we went talking/climbing. Near the top we were caught up to by the neoconservatives. I opted to chase with the neocons/racers to the top, and seemed to be able to hang ok despite my lack of conditioning/or excess of all things bad.

As normal with the Grimps, we got to go a little bit here and there, other times dropping the pace back some and jawing. The hammer was only really dropping through the rollers on the way back home which is a perfect place to do that type of thing. It was a great fall day and it is in the air. I caught everyone half wheeling (some always do, some almost never) here and there jockeying around, everyone seemed to be feeling good and that is great.

As is typical, we all did a lot of riding on the wrong side of the yellow stripes, rode quite selfishly, sprinkled with dashes of very empathetic riding. Great downhills, nothing like descending on a road bike at 50+. Spurts, sprints, pokes.

Thanks Craig and those who came out. What a nice ride today. We did end up pushing the pace a bit, I am usually the culprit but I was not alone.

Now how am I going to get my hands on one of those 10 lb bikes?

Here is some of the details of the day. I forgot my HRM and also forgot to start recording until half way up the peak.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/15572829

**(I got free at starbucks by turning in a used coffee bag, there is a coupon on the side of the bags that say turn this in for a free cup. They were stunned in starbucks, apparently nobody does this?)

Late night, guess this is all going to sound like blah blah blah... maybe I will edit later. Sorry if it is all dribble. No proofreeding. I took out the (really) offensive stuff. Posting... bed

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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Time slips by

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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Worthy Ride

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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Proper Way To Pass
Next time your barreling down a hill, spinning as hard as you can so it is on the verge of 'very' unstable, then you realize that no riders are slingshot passing you (so you have an opportunity to go faster) or even insight for that matter. First instinct is to smile because your a fast downhiller, second is to know that the extra pounds you carry are very attributed to this... cut the chatter as thoughts turn to maintaining speed and momentum on the road ahead as it is flattening out.

Tractor blips onto the radar screen.

THE SELFISH WAY:
Analyze the situation, dashed center line, brain calculates the velocities and path, continues adjusting, take note of possible dangers, take a good look ahead and behind. Totally clear, no braking just keep pumping the pistons, race on by at high threshold letting those tractor guys breathe all the dust! Don't even break stride. TIGER PAW!!!

THE RIGHT WAY:
After careful insight into the scolding I have received, I have since deduced and will share now the proper way. Upon seeing a tractor or any other vehicle slower than me, I must first think... Why are they going this slow?!?! hehe j/k I first have to slow down to the speed of the obstructing vehicle. This is very important. We must let them know that we cyclists (most of us) are not a threat to society. Then we should proceed to strike up a conversation with whomever we can involved to get more positive exposure to cycling and hopefully they will be nicer to us. Then after that we can smile enough so they know we would like to go through and when they have successfully pulled out of the way, you can roll by (in a very orderly fashion if you are in a group). Do your best not to get scared of the big dangerous machine as you go by, as long as you are 10 feet away from it, you should be fine, tip: keep your vision focused ahead of you.

You can then resume following the dust trail that may have been left by selfish people.

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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Sunday Sunday


Weather continues to be fantastic. Afternoon ride on Sunday was pretty blue sky.
I really have started to dislike riding when it is gray outside.
The scenery around here is amplified by sun with scattered clouds, in the gray, it is drab.

Tired from all the recent activity I geared up and went for a longer ride in the afternoon at a moderate pace. I forgot to take enough food so getting home took some concentrated effort (that and a stop at a sandwich shop)

Still reaping in the bad karma I picked up from picking on Craig for all of his wheel shortcomings earlier this year, I am up to 4 or 5 flats in the past couple months of riding.

Nothing notable, just a beautiful ride that a tired rider schlogged through in order to get in an endurance ride so they could be more well rounded. Everything else lately has been short and in the faster range. Long and fast would be good to!

Did a loop up through some place called Carmichaels,PA and pulled it down through Pt. Marion for a homeward route. Was planning to do a mountainous route (Jumonville sp?) but quickly decided that I was not up for the torture.

I have however come to a realization about the world. In general, bikers, who ride the Harleys and whatever Hog is out there seem to all dress like outlaws. They 'ride free' and are not open to assault on liberty. They strap on the gear, and hitting the road enjoy the surge of freedom and energy they feel from the action.

Now cyclists in general seem to strive for quite the opposite. I am finding myself in what seems to be a small percentage of cyclists who get kicks from that free feeling. That feeling and any other enthusiasm is soon to be banned by those who know the slippery slope of having that kind of liberty. I see it as a positive selling point, others view it as negative impacting. I will continue in my ignorance.

So... Enjoy the negative impact of my propaganda video. We have multimedia again!



*If you notice that I am not mocking other cyclists with constant idiotic poses on the bike, throwing weeds and dirt at people, grabbing asses, full of continuous whining, or doing whatever it is that some feel is the root of what "positive" cyclists do. Please do not jump to the conclusion that I am an extreme negative impact (or because of my awesome powerfulness fear my mad skillz.) I have not figured out how to be positive like that, and don't really want to. Or I don't have the supreme intelligence to understand the reasoning behind it. Forgive me because I forgot to photograph my giant poop this morning so that is also left out. Sorry to disappoint. Please again don't insinuate that because I don't share these same mature qualities that the shining local examples of cycling do, that I am negative. I just wanna ride! I never thought it should be so complex. <---cheeky part

Damn Garmin is about to be operated on. I will post some instructions on how to do this or offer a service (if I am successful) for fixing Garmin auto turn off issues. My Garmin turned off about 10 or 11 times during my last ride. It has to do with a faulty design and can be fixed with a little mod. (will post later)

Carmichaels at EveryTrail

Map created by EveryTrail: GPS Community



Tiger Paw Bitches!

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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999

9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9

Boy I am kind of irritated. If you don't know why, I will tell you. I have a hypocrite with a feeling of superior perfectness up his butt, flaming me on an official forum. Its truly sad because this guy has no concrete image of himself and possibly really needs help. More than likely (and his friends would probably agree) some meds could help his condition. (no offense) But I am no doctor so I won't make that insinuation.

I have other stuff I would like to blog about but this is on my mind, and begs to be blog fodder so I guess I am going to post it. My turn, Calling you out! So, you want to make unfounded accusations. How about if we just make some factual points? And lets see if I can keep this on the fun side, and extremely un-official! Furthermore, I am not going to retaliate or act, like some know it all, be all, authoritarian, or anything the like of what we saw over there, in that forum. No need to stoop to the level of being above all or power trippy!

So lets keep this focus on psychology shall we? That is really what this is about. Who is crazy, who is really really crazy, and who is crazy making, and shades of all. I am in the crazy camp, no doubt, along with you and everyone else, but I don't crazy make and I am not really crazy as in crazy borderline. The latter two we seem to have among us here, I won't point them out.

Seeing how I may stand out in a crowd, I am used to those who are threatened, who may think they are in control, trying to crazy make on me.

I have to get better at standing up for myself so maybe that is what this is about here. Standing up for myself and not letting myself be browbeat down by these types who will always be in it just to spoil the fun right out of anything.

Perhaps I should gloss over the negativity and just not mention it but when someone accuses me wrongly, I like to think I have the right to share a tidbit or two. Wrong or right, I just want to stand up for myself. It is never good to post negative things about people, I am not excusing myself here and especially not what goes on in official blogs, but I seek to clue the world into a more truthful reality than the distortions depicted on an official blog. Sometimes standing up for yourself means stepping on some toes?

Furthermore, anyone who attacks another figure in a public forum, it is always an attempt to try and make themselves look good, end of story. Almost all cases the ***troll will be crazy making, lobbing their own very negative qualities onto the person who most threatens their control.

OK continuing... This is about controlling behavior, immaturity and not having control over your own behavior. That being said, I don't want to sound too harsh. A life where you never have had to apologize (a lot) in my opinion, is a life not lived.

O CRAP!! I missed my team ride today, not good. Delinquent, well at least I know my boys won't accuse me of being a negative affect on the group. Well now they will in jest...

Where are we? Oh yeah, manliness, proving it by attacking someone on a public forum... So how's that working out for you there buddy? How does that work out? Is everyone swooning at your feet after you take such manly action? Are you once again the stainless figure you portend to be? I hope so there big guy! You Betcha!!! **wink!**

So I stand accused of being selfish and having a negative impact on the group and on cycling as a whole, without any examples or evidence.

I can be mistaken as snobby sometimes, working on that; otherwise I play cute and obnoxious, mysterious, shy. But to call me selfish and say I am a negative impact on cycling could not be more untrue (not to mention shitty for me and others close to me to read, kinda like looking at pictures of turds that said individuals want to throw in front of you). But as in most cases, the comments and insinuations lobbed on another, oddly enough, are very much exactly what the person who spoke those words is all about.

So let me tell you a story (that actually happened!)

And the high representative of WVU cycling... this super mature representative who posts pictures of his actual shit sitting un-flushed in his toilet to his facebook profile just so it to shows up on everyone's pages. WOW!!! Can someone worthy step forward and take some shots at me please?

Your poopy! Wow, that is really awesome Mr. WVU! Impressive! Oh, when I mentioned it to him and how maybe some people (like someone I was trying to show facebook to) got offended and turned off by seeing that... he said he "didn't care what anyone thinks." Hrm... Telling.

MY FIRST RIDE WITH WVU CYCLING

The first time I rode with WVU on an "open to all, no drop, friendly" ride. There was a ton of negativity in the group. Oddly enough, it was centered not with me but around the leader of the club.

**OK camera, do those funky, I scratch my chin in thought and it flashes to the event type of wipe since I so lack multimedia these days...**

The others along for the ride were fairly few, (wonder why?) One of those along on this first encounter/ride of mine with the group, was a girl who had not been on her bike in a while and wanted to use the ride to base up.

All was good, we were rolling, everyone was seeming to have fun and she was not at all slow but was a little bit off the back on climbs but doing well considering. All were having fun and smiling except for one person. Can you guess who the negative, selfish person was? You betcha!

And like other rides recently... the whining, it got worse as we went along. The boy, started throwing absolute fits.

As the ride went on (whole 23 miles of it, thank God it was short) we would come over the top of a hill and wait for this girl to finish her climb and proceed. I was doubling back and doing the last quarter of hills over again. All fine... but Mr. supreme leader would start whining, or maybe he just never stops?

It got progressively worse and more uncomfortable with each hill, each small gap, and then, at the base of a rather large hill we coasted down, we waited. Now leader boy goes absolutely ballistic... literally yelling loudly (whining loudly) "I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FUCK HER PROBLEM IS, SHE IS GOING TO FING SLOW. DAMMIT I KNOW SHE CAN GO FASTER, WHAT THE HELL IS HER FUCKING PROBLEM SHE IS NOT TRYING HARD ENOUGH" someone would chime in, "calm down, its a friendly ride" and controlboy would respond, "NO FUCK THAT, SHE SHOULDN'T BE DOING THIS, BULLSHIT WHAAA WHAAAA WHAAAA WHAA SHE SHOULD GO FASTER!!! And on and on and would not shut up, and to top it off, it is all behind this girls back not to mention the rest of us having to suffer his positivity. Great representative of WVU and a true ambassador to the sport of cycling!

So yeah, here he is, going ape shit on this girl, behind her back no less. Yeah, uncomfortable.

Lets just say that I don't think it was a good impression of WVU or of cycling that was being made on me or anyone present by said individual.

But then again this individual says directly that he doesn't care what anyone else thinks of his actions. I am glad because that makes me a lot more comfortable in writing this short story.

Big man pick on girl behind back! Subject us to your awesome maturity! Yay... not.

So now when this girl comes over the top of the hill and down to us... well we all had to instantly pretend as if none of that tantrum he subjected us to ever happened!?!? Although he did find his balls enough to harp on her quite a bit and be very f-ng rude to her, again making me uncomfortable and I know she did not appreciate the treatment, nor did anyone else on the ride. So lets wrap this first example so we can do more!

I don't think this cat has any grounds to speak to me in the way that he did. Don't criticize my garden when your own is looking pretty shabby there. Stainless power trip dude is claiming to have the best garden in the world, I have not seen it.

I had such a positive experience with WVU cycling I chose not to come back for a few weeks until I was assured it was not going to happen again.

I am pretty sure some of the guys who have been coming out (who are sharper than I ) also sense the weird.

So, if anyone wants to apologize for the lies posted about me, and for being an extreme poopyface, I will happily remove these funnest stories and cycling memories from my warm fuzzy blogosphere.

Inducing my own thoughts here, I think people need to step back from the drama and get a grip on where this negativity and poison is really leeching from and I bet that whiny mouth would be found as one of the sources.

Funny how people like to accuse others of what they are guilty of... crazy world.

9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9

Close.

I think a positive attitude toward cycling is infective and spreads like wildfire. It causes joy and outburst and I enjoy it while alone or with a group. One of my favorite things in the world. Working with a group, especially if you are using everyone for synergistic properties and personal strengths as a unit. Wow, what an awesome feeling. To me it is totally electric.

Other people cycle for different reasons. There are so many they can't be listed. But fun spirited behavior can often cause those who are uptight (and don't want to face a larger picture of themselves), or those who view themselves as 'in control' to have a giant heaping need to clamp down on the fun and spirit. Sad as it is, this happens all the time. Not just cycling but sadly, all over the place.

Lets all take a moment and see if we can up the positive energies we radiate, that is when we feel at our best and that is when we are at our best on a bike. And that is all that really matters. Stay who you are and don't get brow beat away from your happiness and potential!

Stand up for yourself! and...

"Don't let the bastards grind you down."- Bono

RAWR!!! TIGER PAW!!!

*** 'troll' from the urban dictionary

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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Tues Niter
Ride with WVU cyclist "Rad" Chad and a pretty classy group of riders (prospective WVU Team?) out on a counter-clockwise lost highway loop racing against the sun. Those bridges on that stretch of highway are freaking high up. I was riding the edge to look over and down and eeeee...

Adam was there in his red shirt, letting me win on most of the hills... most impressive rider was a young upstart who has won several of the last few Cheat Mountain Challenges. Impressive and nice technique. Man I need to lose weight but I do like the easily maintainable speed on the downhill right now. I will cherish that while it is here. I nick named him 11 to tease him on his big ring big sprocket climbing. (I started doing it to keep up with him, though I think he was taking it easy at that point.)

Got back to town as twilight approached, Riddle hill as always hurt but is always sooo much fun (not really).

Oh well, a quick blurb, 7 riders in all, great weather, little spittles and rain hovering as usual over the hills of lower PA, blue skies and large puffy clouds the rest of the way with even a giant rainbow to greet us at the end of one of the toughest climbs.

Chad, btw, spit downwards at the ground, that is twice you slobbered me this ride, once last ride I got sprayed (not that I can talk I have really sprayed some people, but that learned me)

I guess that might be a wrap on the Tuesday niters. I think this Wed will be the close of the Wed nite rides. Sigh... shorter days... can't beat the temps we have been having.

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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Training Yay!
Started my top secret training program this afternoon.
What a beautiful end of day eh? Moon!
Leg power! Tiger Paw!!!

I got criticized for my aerodynamic sprawl I posture in when I am riding.
If you don't got deep dish racin wheels you gotta get as sleek as possible right?

Could only get out for a little bit today, that work thing but wow what weather we are having here in the WV!

Is it me or is this blog lacking the multimedia.
For that I apologize but I have rebelled against the electronic lately just because it is actually more fun with out any distraction. And my limited fun time needs to be max.

It is actually a ton of work putting together all the pics and content for this blog! WHAAA!

I am going to miss the Wed night workout that has been the main exercise that I get lately. That means I will have to get something else going on... honey, can you dust off the trainer? Summer COME BACK!!!!

noreply[at]blogger[dot]com (Philmeaux)

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