week end.

Phew, this home improvement stuff wears me out. I feel like I've been doing hill intervals all day when I've hardley touched the bike. In fact today was the first ride on the road since the Giro. We two home inspections from Mr I'm gonna be a dick to you Mr homeowner. Gotta get one more on monday..

I'm thinking I'll scratch the points race this weekend. More meetings with kitchen installer, hope that one goes better then expected.

I'm sorto looking forward to some tracking this weekend. Tracey's got all the gears, tools, etc. Its going to be a long one. I'll be looking forward to Monday when I fly to AZ and bake for a few days.

October 20th Bikes for Tots

A few years ago I went to this party and had a blast!!! The ride was great, food, prizes and then a few months after when I had a chance to see some kids get their first bike, well that was very very cool.

Hope you can come, donate, eat & drink.

Morgan Stanley Cycling Team
and Rutherford Grove Winery
Presents
Bikes for Tots,
Lobsters In The Vineyard Dinner
& Charity Bike Tour 07.
October 20th 2007
Ride option:
30 mile scenic Napa Valley tour.
60 mile challenging ride, including the
epic Ink Grade climb.
Rides leave from Washington Park
in Yountville at 9:30 am
Ride only suggested donation $20
Lobster Bash 4:pm till dusk
Tickets $100
Includes supported ride and
Maine lobster dinner in the vineyards of the
Rutherford Grove Winery.
Live Auction , Music, Cycling Celebs,
Amazing Wines, Great cause!
To purchase tickets or for more info:
www.morgan24cycling.com
shawn.oliver@morganstanley.com
707 332 4138
Thank you for
my new bike!

Giro dizzyness 400 right turns & 80 lefts and your DONE!

Tracey and I started off the day evicting a squatter in the garage. WE named him Cliff, a few weeks ago we noticed that we had a mouse in the house, not really in the house, just in the garage so I guess its not that bad. He had a steady diet of Cliff bars until we moved them into the house. Sunday I got some traps, Monday am I saw Cliff....you know the rest.

Bravo to the Mints and Velo Promo for stepping up the fun to a 10 on the bike racin fun scale in SF. There were crowds. people taking pictures, food vendors, sponsors tents, kids races, etc!!!!!

We pull into the lot and had a hard time getting thru the chatty stuff and over the the registration. I was a bit nervous about it filling up as it usually will every year in most catagorys. No worries, we got our numbers then I saw Don Langster sprint away to victory in the 45+ race with Metcalf finishing close behind!!! Langster has helped Tracey and I out so much in the past few months, I hope the honeymoon last for a while longer with these MS/Specialized guys, cuz I'm pretty excited about next season to say the least.

Ok, usally I crash every other year doing this race, I remember a few years ago when I flew into the row of newspaper boxes at 20+ MPH and knocked them all over, man that one sounded worse then it was. Something always happens, yesterday was no exception. The $$$$ I made from stuff I sold on ebay (gotta support the girl) went down the tubes as somewhere I hit a ball crushing hole in the pavement and chipped my Zipp. Serves me right for the stupidness. I did have a chance to prance around with the Capt America jersey for the first race. It was pretty fast and safe, until 1 lap to go...a few went down and La Berge waxed us all.

Then watching the chicks race was fun- there was a nice Koeran BBQ truck near the course, perfecto! Lunch and watch the Proman chicks race, what fun. They had a few on the injured list as Olds banged up her hand, Tracey's leg was sore, Helena just got back from fighting fires, so it was Kristina and Rachel on the front often doing the chasing. Then Tracey takes a Prime, not sure what she won until later...a pair of Reynold's carbon fiber tublars...I'm so happy for her. They're pretty sweet.

Then the Pro race, I was feeling pretty OK and tried to get into a few breaks, solo sometimes, others with a few, nothing was going to stick as the wind really started kicking up and it was pretty clear that the Strawberries were putting all their hay in one Devon Basket for the sprint. side note ("So Mike, do you know why they call them Starwberries?")my father always asks questions he already knows the answer to. (Yes dad, its because the Indians put the straw under the berries so they wouldn't rot") "("so Mike you know why they call them cranberries") yes dad its because of the cranes eating them...

Anyway, I was riding a bit to far back in 20somthing and could at least see the sprint -

D Haul in his ass away raise the arms. I was pretty stoked for that kid, I just wish he listened to me about wearing the jersey he just won.

Then we sprinted straight over to Taylors Refresher for some Ahi Tuna burgers and beer. Fun.

Money pit phase 3,000,549

There have been so many things to do with the house and it seems like two more weeks are going to be crunch time. Not much time for lifting scones into my wine drinking hole. Glad to fit a few rides in and I did pop my cherry in a mass start race at the track in the "A's" the other night which was more fun then I could have imagined. I did think I was gonna get popped off the back, but I stayed in the mix and upright and from all the frickin shoulder breaks thats an accomplishment.

Oh well, house cleaning and ebaying this week makes for a busy boy.

Next week, shit is going to hit the fan...mr city inspector will be coming by to check the pumbing and electrical, then if we gave the go ahead, sheet rock, $$$$$$$ of appliances and cabinets will be delivered, doors painted, and fancy hardwear that TF picked out...

I'm so sure there will be amusing stories.

Change of the seasons

This is my favorite part of the year. Just riding without a plan, no coaching, no pussatron, doing group rides, not really caring about anything...except....my favorite am fuel. SCONES, light, flakey, moist, warm blueberry scones. Nothing better to me then riding for a couple of hours this time of year in the early am when there is a bit of a thermal inversion and finding a perfect blueberry scone.

After all as Tracey says I'm a fat man in a skinny persons body.

Eric and I always laugh about this time of year when the fitness falls off..."like falling off a cliff". It takes so long to get that fitness and in just a moment, poof its gone. I felt it falling off yesterday, in fact I got off my bike on a climb. I didn't get off because I couldn't pedal, just because I didn't want to believe that I was pedaling in my smallest gear (40x26). I thought for sure it was a (40x23).

Oh well, maybe I'll be able to fake it for the next few weeks.

F-it, I'll just eat more scones.

Morgan Stanley/Specialized/24hrFitness & TeamSpine unite

Now don't that just roll off the tongue. Its a mouthful, but its making my mouth water and I'm so excited for next year!!!!!

We're going to have some fun- new bikes, new kits, some new guys to race with along with the guys I've been racing with since 2002. We just faded for a couple of years, now we will be back stronger then ever in both the 45's and 35's.

I do wish Safeway was still going to be around, but I'm sure there will be plenty of other changes in the next few weeks. I did see Pasco spending alot of time with Bosch at Timpani, makes me think they are up to something..oh well looks like changes are happening around here in the Masters.

This merger is for the better!

Birthday girl!!!

Its Tracey's Birthday today!!!!

Not sure what she's up for, but I'm ready. Gotta love it when the girl says she wants to spend the day at the track riding

We will probably be in a fog all day from the 24 hr trip back from Austria.

I hope there is a big breakfast and carrot cake somewhere along the way.