Interesting Tour

This year's Tour de France has been fairly interesting to this point and still has many strong contenders in most of the competitions (the overall race win is just one of the awards at stake). Kim Kirchen's race lead has been a surprise to say the least, but he's always been a decent rider and could surprise and hold on for a podium spot by the time all is said and done. You do have to wonder how so much time defending the race lead will effect him and how much it will wear on his team. It's times like that Columbia has to be happy to have a guy like George Hincapie who knows a thing or two about working for the Tour leader (seven times for Lance and last year for Alberto Contador).

On that note, for the first time we have two U.S. registered teams in the Tour. Columbia Sportswear and Garmin-Chipotle are serving as title sponsors for teams that started the year as Team Highroad and Slipstream powered by Chipotle. Both teams were essentially competing under the names of the teams' management companies before new sponsors were announced in June.

Both teams have had a fair amount of success to this point. Columbia not only has Kirchen in the race lead and points lead (a competition that generally awards the most consistent finisher on each day's racing) but they have two stage wins with sprinter Mark Cavendish and had several days with Thomas Lovkvist as the best young rider. Garmin-Chipotle currently has American Christian Vande Velde in third place and actually led the team classification for most of the first week.

It always seems like there is one guy that wins that I just flat out can't stand. Usually it's Robbie McEwen, but he's been out of the picture with his entire team devoting their efforts to helping Cadel Evans win the overall race. Instead it's been Italian climber Ricardo Ricco who has been the most obnoxious winner taking both Thursday's and today's stages. He's a phenomenal climber in the mold of the late, great Marco Pantani who just flies up hills and makes everybody else look like me when the road turns upward (only they're much, much better than I am).

Ricco is a rider that has a tendency to say what's on his mind, for better or for worse, and has managed to alienate a good portion of the pro cycling world. His attitude is arrogant as evidenced by his post race comments from today: "I was impressive, I went very fast [on the final climb]. My directeur sportif was impressed with my power output the last three kilometres of the climb." That sound you hear is me puking. Yes it was impressive, but what a schmuck.

I would say there are maybe a half dozen guys capable of winning the whole thing, but there's a lot of racing left and just about anything can happen. It should be fun.

2 down, 1 to go

In January I set a goal to ride to each of our parent's houses or home towns from Sioux Falls by the end of the year. Last month, Mitchell hosted the Tour de Kota which proved a perfect opportunity to knock that one off the list. On Wednesday, I added Yankton to the list.

Wednesday was my day off and I wasn't due to the store until noon on Thursday, so we decided to take the day to head to visit Jim and Marilyn and spend the night. I kept an eye on the weather and planned to ride there if it would cooperate. It turned out to be almost ideal. I rolled out of the driveway at 5:30 am with no wind at all and headed southwest for what I assumed was to be between 80 and 90 miles.

I rolled through Tea, Lennox and Centerville before the wind started to come up a bit out of the west. Not bad, but just enough to remind me that the day wasn't going to be a total gimme. I stopped off in Irene after 53 miles to get some more gatorade, a couple of nutty bars, a to go pack of Corn Pops and a Starbucks Frappuccino. One of the things I love about longer rides is being able to eat a good amount knowing that I'll still burn more than I take in.

I hit the road again and texted Amy to let her know where I was. It turns out she was probably within a mile of me when I set out again. I headed south to Volin and hit some roads that I got to know fairly well when we lived in Yankton while we made the move from Indiana to South Dakota three years ago.

Once I turned west, the wind was in my face the rest of the way. It still wasn't bad, but I knew I'd have it for 15-20 miles and I was starting to get a little tired. I rolled into Yankton still going strong but still had to head out west of town to the far side of Lewis and Clark Park. By the time I hit the horse camp at the far side of the park I had logged 86.6 miles and was feeling pretty well ready to be done. Amy drove down the hill from the house to pick me up rather than have me ride the last half mile of steep, gravel road where I almost certainly would have had to walk or risk falling down.

The great thing was, I made it in under five hours leaving a good amount of time for hanging out on the boat which is where we spent most of the afternoon and early evening. We then headed back to the house where we lit up the chiminea and watched the stars come out.

Now the only big ride I have left on the radar is the ride to Mom and Dad's south of Hartley. I expect it to be the longest of the three rides at around 95 miles, but it will have the most familiar roads since I started riding some of them over 20 years ago. I'm not exactly sure when I'll get the ride scheduled, but I suppose it had best be soon or I'll have the logistical nightmare of having to work around school schedules.

End of an era for Delirious

I received a press release via email today that Delirious is taking a break from recording and performing after 2009. Whether that break is permanent or not only time will tell, but it does close a chapter on one of my favorite bands and one of the most important groups in the development of modern worship.

Their influence on other artists can't really be estimated as they blazed a trail that so many others have followed. Their live shows were always an interesting mix of artistry, reverential worship and rock and roll energy. Their recordings always sought to be sonically creative and true to what they were hearing and feeling to the point that some listeners tuned them out for not simply producing a career full of "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever" and "Deeper" knock offs.

I had the pleasure of attending a Worship Together conference that they were a part of in Nashville several years ago and still am amazed by the ability of each band member to offer insightful, thoughtful, prayerful commentary on everything from basic musical considerations and worship planning to cultural and theological topics.

My prayer is that God will continue to bless them as they move into other pursuits to spread the Kingdom of God and I thank Martin, Stu G, Tim, Jon and Stew Smith for inspiring and leading me in the worship of my God.

How long has it been?

I finally managed to find a few minutes to write without having to kick Xander off the computer and where my work, rehearsal, riding schedule isn't getting in the way.

Lots of things going on right now. We're a couple of weeks into our "post-Nich" team setting at church where I am now not only lead worshipper, but also lead guitar. Obviously, I cannot replace Nich (now pursuing his music career in L.A.), but I'm doing my best to balance the dual roles that I have within the team. I'm going to need more time to practice and will have to make decisions in corporate worship much faster in order to keep things cohesive. Unfortunately, I'm also beginning to put together a new wish list of gear to help me be able to have all the tools that I need as a guitar player.

I've been riding a decent amount lately both on and off road. I've hit two state parks with the mountain bike that I had never been to before this year and have managed to log my first few "strong" road rides of the year. I still don't feel like I've hit a stride this season, but I'm finding myself riding more for the joy of riding than because of any goals I have set for myself this year.

At work things have been going well. Bikes have been hot between higher gas prices, government stimulus checks and a favorable recreational climate in Sioux Falls for cyclists. We have sold way more bikes by this point than I thought we would and are already having to order mostly 2009 models because 2008 models are out of stock (this didn't happen with much frequency last year at all). I also found out recently that I get to make another trip to Wisconsin to the Trek mothership where I will get to be a part of their "backstage" portion of the annual Trek World dealer show. I'll get first peaks at some of the new product, learn the tech and get to demo ride with dealers from around the country and a few professional riders. Chris Horner and Travis Brown are the early rumored riders, but you never know who else might show up (last year Lance made an appearance).

We're hoping to make a quick trip to Yankton sometime this week to hit the lake with Jim and Marilyn. If the weather is favorable, I might even ride down there from SF and just nap on the boat in the afternoon. Otherwise, we're probably not going much of anywhere for a vacation this year. Time, money and gas are all conspiring to keep us very close to home but by the time you mix in summer day camps, swim lessons and stays at the grandparents, the kiddos should have plenty of memories from this summer.

About the only travel on our minds right now is the trip to Cancun that I am on track to earn from the store for next March. After this past cold weather season, I'm not only looking forward to it for the break from the South Dakota winter, but also because it will be an entire week where I don't have to zip up a coat at the store. I know that seems like something that would be a long way away, but I will start to set my youth cold weather shop in 16 days for back to school ads. Thus will begin the eight months of having coats to sell, restock, mark down, reorder and generally bury myself in. Fun right?

The week that was (part 3)

It's taken awhile to do the recap of the week leading up to Father's Day, but I finally made it. Friday I had to return to work for the day. It was a little difficult to stay focused in the midst of a mini-vacation, but I managed to make it through.

That night, Amy and I hit Granite City for dinner courtesy of a gift card that I had received for helping with the SD Outdoor Expo in Huron a few weeks before. We then headed to C.J. Callaway's for a send-off party for Nich, our lead guitar player. Nich got an offer to move to California to record and tour with someone that he's been playing with for the last year or so and it was too good an opportunity to pass up. We'll definitely miss him at church, but how often do you get a legit chance to chase after a dream like that? We hung out until they closed the place down at midnight and then headed home to get some rest.

Saturday I decided to head out to Beaver Creek with the Rig for some mountain biking. The corporation is doing a contest between all of the stores much like last year and I was selected as an alternate for the team. When Eric dropped out, I inherited his spot and had to make up some miles and time that he missed while he was on a missions trip. This year instead of doing strictly road bike miles, we alternate road weeks with mountain bike weeks where we need to ride for four hours off road (no bike path or street riding). I had four hours to make up for Eric, plus four for myself for this week which I wrapped up this morning. There's also a sales requirement for high end bikes for team members that I managed to wrap up early on.

After getting home and cleaning up, Amy and I had lunch and then went for a bike ride to the church where Amy had a vocal coaching session with someone from the first service. When we got home, we got ready for Josiah's wedding (a co-worker and brother in Christ) in Watertown. The wedding was a great time of worship and I was really happy for Josiah. He's a great guy who I respect a lot and who makes the work environment much more enjoyable.

Sunday was Father's Day (finally) and we started off with services at the church where we did several songs Nich had requested since it was his last service before moving. After church, we headed to Mom and Dad's where a ton of family had gathered. My grandpa, step-grandma, sister's family, aunts, uncles and several cousins had gathered. We hung out in the art gallery where we had lunch and conversation and pretty much just hung out for the day. It was fun conversing on the new patio off the front of the gallery and enjoying a gorgeous day.

Monday finally brought a return to reality and I'm still trying to reacclimate to a regular work schedule again. I get to work today and tomorrow and hope to hit a groove again soon.

The week that was (part 2)

After a disappointing Tour de Kota, we had Maia's fourth birthday party to look forward to. The buildup had been great as her excitement began to grow in the weeks ahead. It wound up being a family only affair which was probably a good thing because we had 18 people at our house for the party from Sioux Falls, Mitchell, Yankton and Hartley, IA.

Maia is nothing if not a grateful recipient of gifts and everything she opened brought a positive reaction, including some of the boxes. She made out pretty well with clothes (everyday and dressup) and toys and got a Little Tykes playhouse that our friends Chip and Kim gave us that will hopefully entice some outdoor playtime for the remainder of the summer. After the party, the kids went with my folks back to the farm in NW Iowa for the rest of the week along with cousins Cassie and Lexi.

Wednesday dawned cool, windy and threatening rain, perfect conditions for a nice six hour drive. We left for Brainerd, MN and the annual Scheels Awards Dinner where I was a fortunate recipient because the youth cold weather shop that I inherited when I moved into sales is the strongest in the corporation out of 22 stores. I couldn't help but think about how much Pam, Deb, Heather and Jill did to help me stumble through my first season running the shop and how undeserving I was to receive anything in recognition for it.

I still gladly accepted the invite to Madden's on Gull Lake, a resort outside of Brainerd, since it meant a good meal, a chance to dress up and a mini-vacation for me and Amy. We rolled in at about 4:30 to temperatures of about 45 degrees and a little rain, got checked in and started getting ready. The events kicked off with a social hour from 6 to 7, dinner from 7 to 8 and then the awards. We had a good showing from Sioux Falls and had a chance to hang out with some of the folks from the store who I don't usually get to spend as much time with.

The next morning dawned clear, still, peaceful and warmer. We headed down to breakfast at about 8:30 and missed just about everyone from Sioux Falls, but enjoyed a great buffet that tided us over until we stopped for lunch at about 3:00. We decided since it was about 60 degrees and sunny, we'd check out and take a little time to hang out on the grounds of the resort before we headed back. We checked out the gift shop, and spent a little time in a little marshy area in the middle of the grounds to watch a turtle flirt with the water's edge and enjoyed the birds singing.

The drive home was entirely uneventful and we got home at about 4:30 with time enough to nap before we had to take off for worship team rehearsal.

All in all, it was a good, if too brief, trip that we might take more time for if I get to go again. I think if I do get to go again, I will feel like a much more deserving award recipient since I have a much more active role in the direction of my shops this year. If the year ended now, I would actually get to go for both my youth cold weather and bike shops. I'm hoping I can hold my leads in the shops, but only time will tell.

Still to come: farewell to a rock star, a worshipful wedding and a Father's Day extravaganza.

The week that was (part 1)

Rarely do we find ourselves with a week of recreational and social engagements that keep us running for an entire week, but last week was a perfect storm that had us bike touring, birthday partying, awards dinnering, goodbye partying, wedding attending and family gathering until we're just about worn out.

Sunday and Monday last week were the only two days that I was available to do the 4th Annual Argus Leader Tour de Kota. I've done at least two days each year and was looking forward to this year's ride, although with a little trepidation. Sunday dawned idyllic with slight sprinkles, little wind and a good, first day of a bike tour buzz as riders left Sioux Falls for Mitchell. Unfortunately, I only got to experience the atmosphere at the check in since I wasn't going to be able to leave until after leading worship for church.

By the time I left, it was 1:30, the wind had come up just a little and shifted so that it would be in my face the entire way. I felt pretty good getting started though and plugged through the towns of Hartford and Humboldt with little trouble. The next stretch was a little windier and I started to regret not having anybody else around. I mean, is it really a bike tour if you are the only one riding? Not only were there no riders, but all of the food stands and communities had packed everything up and there were few signs remaining to indicate what kind of activity had taken place earlier. I met up with Amy to grab some food and top off the drinks and was already pretty knackered from the wind.

I knew that leaving so late I was running the risk of higher winds with no one to share the work with through drafting and that I very well could be the last person into the campground that day. That nearly proved true, but I caught my first "riders" about six miles before Mitchell. They were walking at the time and told me they had left Sioux Falls at 7:30 in the morning. One of the guys was having leg problems and they were plodding along as best they could. I'd ridden the last stretch of the ride late last summer when we were in Mitchell for Amy's grandma's birthday celebration, so I anticipated the valley and final uphill into town and was surprised as I came down the hill on the east side of the valley to see that there were two more riders struggling up the hill on the west side. With a couple of rabbits to chase, I put in a little more effort and managed to pass the two riders about a quarter of a mile before the campground. The last day that I rode on last year's Tour, I wound up being the first rider in by a good hour. This time, I was nearly the last after a late start and 70 miles of riding by myself into a headwind.

I rolled into camp and caught up with a few friends from Sioux Falls and from previous Tours before calling Amy to have her pick me up. We went over to her dad's for dinner in the back yard and then over to Leigh Anne's where we were spending the night. The kids got to sleep on a hide-a-bed which Maia thought was the coolest thing she'd ever seen (she talked about it every 15 minutes that she was awake) and we crashed pretty hard.

The next day was another 70 mile day to Chamberlain with an optional loop to make it 100 miles, but talk of a west wind had made most riders consider bagging the century ride long before they set out. I was more fearful of how my body was going to react after only being off the bike for 12 hours. Leigh Anne got me started with a good breakfast at 6:00 and I left from her house at about 6:30.

The wind was already strong out of the west leaving most riders struggling along at 9-10 mph which was a little slower than I wanted to go. I was plugging along at 12-13 mph and looking for a group going slightly faster that I could join up with to share the load and pound out the miles. 20 miles into the ride, that group had not yet materialized and it was all I could do to hold 12 mph with my heart rate consistently in the 150's. I had the realization that I ride because it's fun and I wasn't having fun anymore. I had already done one full day into the wind and I would be out there for another four hours at my current rate of speed suffering like a dog. I decided that I'd turn around at Plankinton and head back since Amy and the kids were still in Mitchell. I made the turn around and passed about a million riders that I'd already passed from the opposite direction and made them all wonder what glory it would be to ride with the wind instead of against it. I looked down at one point and was riding effortlessly at 26 mph with my heart rate at 129 and for the first time on this year's Tour de Kota, had some fun.

I know, there are those that will deride me for being a quitter, but I've done communal suffering before and have my own war stories to tell and decided that this just wasn't a ride worth finishing. Had I been doing the next day's ride I would have absolutely plugged on and ridden to Chamberlain, but since I was heading back to Sioux Falls that night, it just wasn't worth the struggle.

I arrived back at Leigh Anne's about an hour after I had turned around and hit the shower and hung out for conversation for a bit. We decided to get together with Casey and Heidi and their family for lunch and had a good time hanging out with them for awhile. We then headed back to Sioux Falls. I had the realization that we probably saved about 8 gallons of gas by not going to Chamberlain, so I suggested that we take the kids to "Kung Fu Panda" when we got back to town. The kids were excited and we actually managed to salvage a pretty decent family day out of a pretty crappy bike tour day.

Still to come: Maia's birthday party, the Scheels Awards Dinner, Nich's farewell party, Josiah's wedding and a trip to the farm for Father's Day