I just belong here...

We all have our moments. Moments of happiness, sadness and everything in between. I thought I wanted a new blog and start all over with everything when I turned 50 but it's not really so. Same house, same car, same bike... oh yeah, I forgot, I haven't rode the bike since huh... Tour de Rock. Serious, it has cobwebs on it out in the garage. I very sad thought but it has done me good to put it up for a little while and take care of other things in life. I have been spending every Saturday at my parents. It's an all day event of cleaning the yard or painting. It's fun hard work and I get to spend time with my folks.

One of the things that had really fired me up was when my mom told me she paid $150 dollars for a guy to clean her yard. That was one wrong dude for that! I went and bought a basic push mower at Wal-Mart several weeks ago because they needed to move it out of the way for Christmas goods. I mean goodness, it's after the 4th of July, get them plastic snowman on the shelves! Anyway I was bound and determined to keep the rip off from coming to my folks again. I even mowed the ditch last week and one of my sisters said the house was starting to look like it used to when Dad could keep it up. I usually have dad in his wheelchair out in the carport with a fan going so he can enjoy the outside. Sure beats sitting in front of the TV all day.

Ok, I know you want to know what's up with me and the bike. I'm planning to jump back on here in a few weeks but nothing like I used to do. I have way to many other projects right now. I have made some of the best friends ever and have lost touch with most after I stopped riding. I see them now and then on Facebook or spot an email. The group I once rode faithfully with evolved into a racing group. Some got into the Tri (Ironman) sort of craziness. All I can say is... bless there hearts! HA! Several are about to do their Ironman in KY and I'm so proud of them. Swim 2 miles, bike a 100 miles then run 26.2 miles all one the same day without stopping. Man oh man oh man!

Emmy has moved to Conway and goes to UCA so Terri and I are now empty nesters. Sometimes happy, sometimes a bit too quite, sometimes weird when there's not several Sonic cups sitting on the counter. Em is doing great and loving school and working for a little daycare in the afternoons. We're proud of her.

Speaking of empty nesting, Terri and I are going to travel a lot now! We're both very excited. We had been wanting to do this for a long time but I was handling all the graphics for every Sunday morning service and some Sunday evenings and even some Wednesday evenings as well. It was a volunteer job and I've been on deck for 2 years. I decided to pull back and let someone else take the ropes so I could spend time doing other things. Seriously it can take hours to put together a service. You want to have the right photos and backgrounds to enhance the worship service. That old clip art stuff just doesn't cut it these days. I have loved it! Really I have! This Sunday is my last. Sort of a sad/happy kind of deal. I still will do the preachers title and template stuff but I can work on those way ahead of time. I never sleep well on Saturday nights worrying about some of the dumbest little things that could go wrong but never do. I can't wait to sleep well on Saturday nights.

Some friends from the office were talking about the HBO show called True Blood. It's a vampire series and I thought it was be fun to watch so we stopped by Blockbuster and picked it up. Terri was gone to the mall and I put the DVD in and made it maybe through 15 minutes. It was way to much for me. I'm either getting old or something because I was embarrassed watching what I was watching. For me personally, it just was not something I felt I needed to be watching.

Well it's nice to be back here it the "home" blog. Come on back because I promise I'll be updating it a lot more and sure I'll have photos too. Probably a lot more since there is travel involved.

As I always say... Life is good!

I have a new blog... follow me there!

Hey friend! I have a new blog...

http://northdirection.blogspot.com/

You'll love the ride... top down and going very fast towards the north,

Life is good!
Geo.

Friday 05 15 09

Nice day! We had sun. Most of us forgot what it was and called 911 to report the mothership was coming over the hill.

My IPhone had freaked out on me and froze up. I finally got it back to life by blowing on it and pushing the little button then blowing some more. The application is call I-CPR. That's just a load of bull crap I'm making it up! But there are so many apps for IPhone that someone would have believed me.

I rode this afternoon after work and it was one bad ride. Not bad like good=bad but bad as in bad=bad. I figured it may be because I haven't been drinking a lot of water like I was before the 24 hour ride. Also I noticed that my toes were trying to go numb again. That was the reason I took time off since the big ride is to let them come back to life.

I did ride over to the Little Rock side and saw where Paws on the Pavement run was going to be. I will be riding Cycle for Sight for UAMS medical center tomorrow if not raining but I plan to take extra cash and roll over to the doggy bakery tent and get the pup some uppity treats. There are a lot of tents set up so it should be fun.

The Greek food fest is also going on. Twits are saying the lines are long. I need some Baklava.

Riverfest is in a week or so. Huge music line up coming this year. Hope Terri and I can go wonder around and hear Heart or 3 Doors Down or the B52's. The signs are up already announcing the closure of the river trail section by the downtown for Riverfest.

I got a treat today! I scored signed gift photo from Altus Pocket. Google them. Great band! Thanks guys! I plan to have you cranking in the Ipod during my ride tomorrow.

Don't know who all knows but HUGE congrats to one of my friends who told me she was expecting! I'm giddy! She and her husband will be great parents.

Had Arkansas Hands and Voices board meeting last night. WOW! Got a lot rolling and lots of great stuff coming up. I really loved how we were able to say yes really quick to giving out some scholarships. I love the board. Very good group of folks... and yes, my communications sub-groups rules! HA!

Well I'm going to go read some more of a book I started. Really good! It's called Halfway to Heaven. It's a book about a middle aged guy climbing the 14er's. That's the mountains over 14K feet in CO. It's really funny and down to earth.

Back to life

I sort of took a break from everything for a moment. It's been nice.

Since the ride I've been waiting on my middle toes to regain feeling. My right hand was that way right after the ride but it regained feeling within a couple of days. I still have a numb toe. I suspect it will bounce back soon enough.

Everyone wants to know how much was raised. Honestly, I don't know yet. There are still some checks coming in. Did I hit the $10K mark. I doubt it but still happy with whatever did come in. It's just a little more to help the kids along.

The Joe Martin Stage races were last weekend in Fayetteville, AR and I had a great time. there were storms Friday morning so I decided I wasn't going because the Weather Channel said it was a slow moving storm. It wasn't. It blew right through. I had actually gone to run errands and came home and saw the storm was already passed so I threw clothes in a bag and took off. I got up there just as the afternoon road race was abut to start. My timing and parking could not have been better. I got out of the car and straight ahead was Floyd Landis sitting in a chair. I could not believe I was standing there with my camera in front of the Tour de France champ! I didn't except this so I brought nothing for him to sign. I took a couple of shots then walked up and introduced myself and told him thanks for coming to Arkansas and how did he like it so far. He said we was really enjoying it. Very down to earth normal acting guy. Thanks Floyd, you're the man!

I kept looking for Bahati in the crowd but never spotted him. Finally saw him in the team car in jeans. Not a good sign. I kept my distance even though I really wanted to meet him in person. I've been following his career since they were here 2 years ago. He is a national champ. He drove from LA (26 hours) and had tired legs for the time trail and missed the cut by 3 seconds. He is really ticked about it. He could have done that so easy but was saving his legs for the road race. It was a costly mistake. I just gave him his space.

Sunday was spent at my sisters house for Mothers Day... watching it rain.

Oh did you know it has been raining? Yep, so far everyday in May except 2. My ride day and my daughters birthday. If I would have planned the 24 hour ride for 1 week later it would have been cancelled because the trail was flooded. It's finally gone down and there is a UAMS Cycle for Sight ride there this weekend. Yes, I'm riding it.

Well is life good!

Flood of thoughts

Today I took the day off to take my dad to the doctor. Little did I know the air inside the room would be sucked out. The heart doc is the best in town and very good bedside manners. Dad's legs have been a bit numb and his feet are red/blueish some times. The doc put his hands on his legs and slowly rubbed down to his toes. He said dad has about 5-10% blood flow in his feet and that his feet are room temperature. Not good at all. Used words like amputation and gang-green(sp?). He also said he wants to try some other things first so we are sent to the Little Rock office for a die test from chest to feet. When the doc was talking to him I tried to focus on the doc but my eyes wondered to look over at dad. He had fear in his eyes like I've never seen before. It was a crazy look. A very sad look. It's going to be a long summer I think.

As I drove home I wanted to see how bad the river trail was flooded. I can't believe this is one week after my ride!! I'll let the photos do the talking.

I just thought this was funny. A drinking fountain in the middle of the water.

If your dog is between knee deep and chest high then they play here.

This is my new friend Mack. He almost got stepped on. I almost poopied in my pants.

Not sure if you can see this but this guy was bow fishing. There were huge fish swimming in fron the main river. When the water goes down they will be trapped and die. It was stick to high heavens when that happens.

North Little Rock side of Big Dam Bridge

Happiness is a choice

Happiness is a choice. That was the first thought I had as I woke this rainy Saturday morning. That was a little odd for me. Happiness is a choice? Where did that come from? As I sit here tapping away I realized it has come from 50 years of life. Very simple.

I turned 50 yesterday and told myself I would roll into the 2 half of my life with a smile and that I did. Yes, I rode a little bicycle ride but I did something that I never really did before and I think it carrying me through. I smiled. I smiled a lot. It wasn't a big smile but just a grin more or less because I was happy and I chose this happiness. I was surrounded by family and friends and I was trying to make a little difference in the world.

I then celebrated with a room full of family and friends last night. What a day… what a day!!!

I know I know, you want the bike ride write up. So here you go...

I slept good the night before, well until about 4am. I woke and was ready to jump up and hit it. I stayed in bed until almost 5.

As we enter into a epic event in our lives we seem to forget things. I forgot the most import things until the very last second you know the normal day-to-day things that you must do. No, I did brush my teeth. I got to the car and was actually backing out and something was missing. My cochlear implant!!! Terri was laughing at me. I had the hearing aid on but wanted to wait until the last moment to put the CI on so I would get the longest run from the battery. It was a good plan and it worked.

We got to the hospital and I got to meet Jennifer Thorpe. I call her a CI queen. She is a great CI spokesperson. I always thought she would be a fun person to know in "real" life not just cyber. I was not wrong. She is a great person to know. Very sweet and her and Terri seemed to have become friends as well. I also met her brother David. He came to ride and man did he. Super strong rider who seemed to never tire. Jennifer's son was also out there and it was great because you could tell they are a tight family. I loved this.

I also met a new ride named Rob. This guy had lost 50 lbs and was in great shape. He did some super pulls during the morning. Once I looked down and we were cranking a 20mph line. We got to the bridge and I said to myself, "This is crazy! I have to slow way down or I'll blow this afternoon." I let them go ahead.

Just as the ride was about to start a car pulled up and Van got ready. Van s one of those very smart and practical riders that is always good to have in the mix.
As we got to the bridge the first time I also met up with Matt Covington. Matt is one of those folks I out high on the list. He has to use a walker sometimes but that doesn’t stop him for what he likes to do which is ride. He is also considering an implant and that’s how our paths crossed. He has this cool like trike-bike and the guy can roll.

There was wind but wind is wind…

This is the moment of the ride that I hooked up with another Rob. I really respect this guy. He came out to ride the River to River ride a couple of years ago and is a Cycle Zydeco rider. Very smart rider. We talked for a few and it was sort of weird. It was almost as if I was talking to an older brother. We rode and rode and rode. He pulled and pulled and pulled. We locked in on 15mph which is the speed I had hoped to roll. He finally had to go home and he said the words that stuck with me the rest of the ride. "Don't let them pull you too fast." I was like those words were branded into my mind for the rest of the ride.

When I had a rider pulling to fast I was simply slow down. I was crazy at first because I love the 18mph pace but I had to go the time distance and not the length distance. It's a different kind of animal. Boy is it a different animal.
Terri, Emmy and a few others were stationed at one of the pavilions that would be used for the family picnic later and they kept us in food and drinks. Terri was awesome because she knew the perfect things to say to me every time I rolled in. She had seen me go down on the R2R ride and she knew how I had it in my heart that no matter what happened this time I was not going to have a “DNF” (Did not finish) mark beside my name.

I had taken my watch off and that was another excellent idea for riding a 24 hour. I had no idea what time it was for a lot of the ride. We were rolling along and here comes Mike Moore. He had said something about getting out there around 1. Was it 1pm already? It felt like about 10:30. I was giddy. Serious it’s like 5pm on Friday afternoon sort of giddy. Again I chose happiness…
Mike was an event super puller who pulled a lot until he rolled past a century mark (105 miles was the last length I heard him say and he was still going). He has a heart of gold.

Dan Herrington and Mike’s son Collin also jumped on the train that afternoon. I got to know Collin a bit more when we took a break during the family Picnic time. He’s a good guy. And Dan, Dan is one of those guys who is always smiling and looks for the good in everything. He has chosen happiness.

We got another surprise while we were riding that early afternoon. Yale! Yale is one of my favorite folks in the world. I don’t say that lightly. He was a great rider and super nice guy. He has had a rough year and we haven’t seen him much so when I spotted him I almost wanted to unclip and bear hug the boy right there in the middle of the ride.

There was a big picnic and we took families up the trail and over the bridge. I really enjoyed that. The picnic was a big success and thanks to everyone who came out and for all the volunteers who took time out of there busy lives to put it all together.

The sun was beginning to set so I knew it must be getting close to 8pm. That’s when Lance jumped on the ride. Lance was another in the super pull category. He lives next door to Matt and Mandy. He rode until around midnight I think. He is really nice guy with a mini cooper that he actually got his bike in.

Jump back a couple of hours and Chris Irons, David Wonn (an Ironman and the ultimate go-to guy for all things Tri!) and Chris Lyle appear on the bridge. It was great to see them! I knew those three would keep us going and they did. David had this super beam light that was a life saver. It was like having a Coleman lantern at a campsite. He does a lot of training in early morning hours (I think) so he had the right equipment for nights. Thanks David. Chris’ light was the same way. Mine was OK but I kept turning it off in case I needed it later. I did a couple of times.
So we are riding along and I see a rider coming toward us on the road smoking fast. I’m thinking man, that guy is rolling. His helmet light is coming to us abut at the speed of light. Oh man it’s Mooney!!! Yes! Robert Mooney is the State Champion rider. This guy would probably ride right up to Armstrong say “Hey bud!” then drop him. Mooney is a complete riot. He has chosen happiness. Always smiling and cutting up. He and Bethany are the sweetest couple. There is a photo that was made of them last fall I think and it’s one of my favorite. The photographer (oh crap I can’t remember if it was Bob or Jonny who took it) really captured the moment.
Any way so now I have, Dwonn, Chris, Chris, and Mooney. Talk about laughing. Sometimes I could hear them talking but I’ll be honest, most of the ride was a bit of a roar that grounded out the voices. Anyway, some of the things that were talking about were a riot!

Chris Lyle finally has to leave. Thanks for the pulls man! I appreciate you!
It’s now about 3am and we are doing a loop then stopping for about 10 minutes. I realized at that time I had made it to the final quarter. Each quarter would hold something special.

Sidebar:
Only a few folks had known that I had put this into quarters. The first was my warm up quarter. I knew I was good for that one. The second 6 hour quarter was going to be my make it or break it quarter. I knew this quarter would be my hardest. 9 hours of riding is about when I start to break down. Did it happen? Yes. Did anyone know? Terri may have. I stopped to eat a PB&J sandwich and the first bit almost made me barf. I was actually looking for a hiding place in case I did because we are at the family picnic and the last thing you want to see is someone puke just before the hot dogs are served. HA! It was the sweetness that didn’t take too well. I remember a Sunday or two ago we had lunch we friends and Doug Kilgore has rode a 24 hour ride on the CAC track to raise money for the school. He was talking about the sweet stuff and how I wouldn’t like it through the whole ride. No kidding! I finally settled back down and was good once I was riding again.
Rebecca Irons shows up and swaps or with her husband Chris. So now I have Dwonn, Mooney, Rebecca. I’ve never heard so much laughing … and uh, singing going on. They were singing on the way up the bridge (which is a mini mountain sometimes) and since the wind wasn’t blowing I could hear them and got so tickled.
DWonn has to ride back to his house a “do a little work”. Then we got back to the hotel and Mooney had to leave. He was so funny. He looked at his watch and said, “I have to get up in thirty minutes and go to work.” It was so matter of fact like something he does all the time. He said before he left, “Geo do you realize you only have two more laps?” My mind was blowing.

I have my first caffeine. About half a can of Dr Pepper. Now this is the first caffeine other than a little bit of chocolate in 3 weeks. That was the coach’s orders. Holy smoke Batman!!!! That rocked my system. I was wide awake and charged. It also made me wonder about me drinking as much caffeine as I used to. Maybe it’s not such a great thing after all. I learned that I could get steamers with favor shots at coffee places that satisfied me just fine. They are a lot cheaper too!

Just about that time Jo shows up! Now if you put Jo and Rebecca on the same ride you are going to be laughing and having a good time. Jo is one of my all time favorite people to be around. She’s just one of those down to earth folks who is easy to be around. Actually most of the people I enjoy the most fall into that category.

I start talking sunrise. It’s what I am longing for. Just let me see the sky starting to lighten. Sunrise is my favorite time of the day. I love to be in our kitchen and watch it getting daylight. There is just a Noah’s Ark sort of hope to each new day. It’s a new day, clean slate; it’s yours to make it what you want.
We make it back to the hotel for the next to the last time. Keith Moore and Kim Cossey jumped in we rolled along. I told Rebecca this lap was sort of like the end of the Tour de France. The work is over and the last part is sort of just a let it soak in and enjoy the moment. We did! We stopped on top of the bridge and looked around.

We were riding back towards the bridge again after getting to the turnaround and up roll Mariann! I’m so excited. Mariann is an Ironman several times over. She is gold. Wife, mom, friend to everyone, always smiles, writes very inspirational things on her blog and she has time to train for Ironman. Yep, she has it all together. I was so excited to get to ride with her.

Well it’s time… time to roll to the hospital and close the 24 hours. The crowd was out there and we rolled it on in. The waved and clapped for us then sang happy birthday. It was a moment that will be with me to my last days.

There are so many people who made this event happen and inspired me and cheered me on. The biggest of these is Terri. She pushed me out the door on training days. Pulled me up when I was down. Knew what to say and what not to say. I still can’t believe that more than have of my life has been spent with her. She my fiends is far better than gold.

And Emmy, thank you so much for cutting up and making me laugh. You are the most beautiful daughter in the world.

Tyler, oh man, talk about cutting up. I know you fell out of the basket the stork was carrying but I’m so glad you landed in our house!! You are and amazing son who I am so proud of.

Last but not least by any means… my friends. There are too many to name them all. As cheesy as this sounds, I love you guys! Ok, honestly not cheesy… completely sincere. I really do love you all.

Speaking of cheese… I smell something really good cooking… more later today and photos.

Life is good… choose happiness!

Ride day!!

Breakfast #2 done. Checking over all the equipment one more time. Sleeping bag packed... oh wait, I don't get to use one of those! HA! Got Rascal Flats "All night long" from the movie Cars stuck in my head!

Last post on here for the day... follow the adventure on our other blog:
www.gears4ears.wordpress.com

Facebook and Twitter: cobbgeo

Twas the night before...

Twas the night before the ride...

The day was crazy! Nice start with "I still have too much to do" finish.

Just chilling and about to watch American Idol.

More later!

24 hour bike eve

Slept like a rock and ready for the busy busy day ahead. It's bike ride eve. Got to wrap up things at the office today so I can feel good about being out the next couple of days. Things are really falling in place.

Folks keep asking if I am nervous about this ride? Not in the least bit. As crazy as this sounds part of it is because I get to sleep at home before I ride. Anyone who has done an event such as century ride, Ironman, Xterra can tell you the night before is always a wreck because yo normally are sleeping in a hotel. That had a lot to do with my last big ride. p way to late, couldn't sleep on the hotel bed, etc etc. A good nights rest the day before is going to make a massive difference.

Lots more updates coming up!

Life is good!

Geo.

Ready to rock!

I'm just really looking forward to this ride unlike an other I've done. I know the route by heart. I know the tough spots which is the "mountain" called the Big Dam Bridge (www.bigdambridge.com). I know, it's like I get to cuss when I say that. HA!

Sunday I went out for a easy spin and was loving it. At one point I was solo on the trail and it's a long flat straight stretch and I actually closed my eyes and rolled feeling the warm spring air and sunshine. I was priceless. Total calm feeling.

I've had nothing but positives about the new route. Lots of thumbs up. I'm glad about that because I was nervous changing a little bit of the course this close to the event. But it's a safety issue and well... I value my friends.

Lots of rain right now but all reports have the rain heading out and looking like Thursday will be a nice day to ride. It's 30 chance of rain every day of the summer.

I have a early meeting today with Audiology then get to sit in a panel discussion for grad students of Audiology this afternoon over at U of A. I'm excited!

Still need some more funds to get that goal... please consider donating!
www.archildrens.org

Life is good!

Gears for ears route change

Changing the Gears for Ears route. Alltel office to Alltel Arena. No Cantrell. No downtown Little Rock. No Broadway bridge. It's a MESS down by the Cathedral School construction. Much much safer route!

last dance...

Tonight was the last real training ride. I can ride until Tuesday but supposed to take it easy. Just ride around a look at the flowers sort of riding. That actually will be he [ace for the whole 24 hours. Just easy riding but for a long long long time.

We started putting the food list together. Going to be sort of hard when we have no idea how many folks are going to ride but it's only he ones who give a little bit of a donation to the hospital are the ones we'll feed and provide drinks to. That's only fair, ya know. There will be a million folks out there because we certainly would never request a closed trail. I want folks out the re riding and be healthy.

I did a radio show this morning and it was a blast. Thank you Jennifer, Eric and Gang for the warm welcome and friendship. Always make me feel at home there.

Tomorrow I will be on 91.7 with Kevin Clay. I can't wait. He's a pal anyway so I will be relaxed for that show.

The donations are coming in finally so I can calm down a tad but there is still a long ways to go. Please make your donation to www.archildrens.org Just think, you are changing a child's life for the better in just a few seconds and clicks of a mouse.

Life is good... when you're clicking for kids!

One Week!

In one week and 2 hours we'll be rolling out for the 24 hours on the bike for Arkansas Children's Hospital.

Donate now! www.archildrens.org

Running around

How weird this has been! I took a day off the bike and ran errands after work.

First stop was Arkansas Cycle and Fitness. Super sponsor and all around good folks. I had bought a light and could not for the life of me get it set up right. Stopped in and Dan had it going perfect in seconds. Almost embarrassed. I picked up few more Pro Bars ( www.theprobar.com). Dan hooked me up with one called Superfood Slam. I tried it Friday night during the night ride and plan to have several of these during the big ride. It was like I had just had a good nights sleep and ready to ride again after about 15 minutes of eating it. Mind blowing great feeling. I told Dan how much I enjoyed it and thanked him for telling me about them.

Next stop was the cleaners... not a sponsor but always a cheery group. Moose Cleaners on JFK. Great folks even when you leave a sock in the leg of the pants you took in.

3rd stop... ok, I'm hungry and where do you think I went? Aww come on, if you know me then you know where I go. Terri is out of town, Em is working and Geo goes to... BLUE COAST BURRITO for a couple of fish tacos. I'm family there. they don't even had to ask me what I want other then... "the combo?" You know you're loved when a eat joint treats you like that. Thanks BCB for being a great sponsor!

I watched American Idol tonight. I don't watch that show like some of my crazy friends do but Kris Allen was really good. A friend from church gave me a hard time about not voting for the Arkansas guy so I texted in a vote. I laughed after I did it.

Tomorrow we are doing job fair at Ft Roots! I'm excited to see the men and women who served our country. Yes, I will try hard to help them get jobs... it's the least I could do for my freedom.

Well, Life is good!

Questions and answers

I can hardly concentrate this afternoon! Taking a break for a moment and answering the flood of emails coming in. I’ve got my office windows cracked a bit and the air is that of late spring. You, know the kind that makes to crazy to get off from work and go play. I’ll be hitting the trail around 5:30 until dark. With the house semi quite this week, not much else to do but ride.

Here’s a few questions that have popped up…

• Is it just you riding or are others riding? There are others. A lot of others for the evening.
• Is it for anyone that wants to enter? Yes, we will be riding slow due to the length of the ride.
• If it is open to anyone, could I ride a little one day then go sleep ride some more then go to work then ride some more? You bet. Several folks are.
• I see the $20 donation for the adult, is that for the 24 hours? The donation is for any amount of riding.
• What are the dates / times for the event? Thursday, April 30^th at 9am until Friday, May 1^stat 9am. Starts at the main entrance of ACH.

There is more info on www.archildrens,org. Just click the Gears for Ears logo.

Thanks everyone! This is getting bigger and bigger and it’s ALL for the kids over here at ACH!

Life is good!

Geo.

Friday night riding.

Sun was high but hazed behind the clouds

Stopped to update Facebook and ohhh & ahh over the Big Dam Bridge.

What a night of riding! Started at 5 and cranked until just minutes before midnight! 7 hours and it was great. I could have kept going with ease but about 11:30 the winds really picked up and I could feel spit rain. I saw what I thought was a flash but after I was driving him I began to wonder if maybe it was a fisherman at the dam. There was no lightening around.

Back up 7 hours -- As I started Doug Pope was rolling in finishing up a ride. He is a good guy and awesome awesome rider. Super strong. Enjoys to laugh and have a good time.

There was a little wind at the start but nothing to complain about. It was nice riding. A couple of times I felt spit rain and knew that the ride was going to be short. Then about 7 the wind stopped. The river was smoothing out and it was rock-n-roll sort of riding. With no wind 20mph was easy. I rode and rode and rode. Had my tunes and was just really enjoying my training time. I mean compared to last weeks night ride joke. Crazy security and wind and 44 degree with wet air. Friday night was 65 at the start and 63 at the finish. Can't beat that!

With the clouds reflected the city lights I hardly had to use my headlights. I was rolling along through a field where I knew I would see deer and sure enough they ran across the road. About half a dozen. No babies. The next time I came through they were laying in the field about 20 feet off the trail and could care less that I came by. They remained there the rest of the night. I was so funny because I would sing out loud before I got there in case the were going to run then they wouldn't do it and plow me down. Guess my singing is not so bad after all, they didn't leave.

My biggest fear of the upcoming ride? The skunk. He/She is out there somewhere and I could smell it once last night but barely. I remember last year momma and 3 babies came up from the river banks and they were really cute. Cute is deadly! HA!

We with temps doing a really nice climb this week to the 80's then I suspect there will be some snakes showing there colors down by the river. I think I've only seen a couple of bad ones. Most are just King sakes.

I took the day off the bike. It was supposed to be raining and we did get some around 2a.m. but that was it until almost 2pm this afternoon then boy did it come down. So I could have rode this morning. That's Ok I'm happy with the 7 hours of night riding. I'll crank it out tomorrow afternoon.

It's not to late to donate to the ride! Just go to www.archildrens.org and look for the Gears for Ears icon on the right hand side of the page.

Life is good... in the dark.

2 weeks from today! Gear 4 Ears will rock

Me and super biker Jenn. She has on the last jersey we did and I have on the new Gears for Ears jersey. Jenn has been a pal since the early days of biking. Her and her husband Chris are those sort of folks you want in your circle of friends. Good as gold.

I rode solo tonight and just punch the clock for a little over an hour. I know.. whimpy! Just one climb and it wasn't too hot of a climb either. Just a climb.

I'm thinking of changing my riding schedule a bit. Saturday is 70% chance of rain. that's a pretty hefty chance so tomorrow is supposed to be pretty and nice with rain starting late. Thinking of taking the training to the river tomorrow after work and just ride into the night. Forget that track riding stuff. I just have to remember to eat something about 4 tomorrow afternoon.

Oh by the way... Arkansas Children's Hospital ruled the river trail tonight! By that I mean our logo was well represented! I saw an ACH blue and white jersey for the 2005 ride. i saw a river to river jersey (like the one in the photo above) from the 2007 ride. I saw last years slick looking CARTI jersey with the ACH logo on it and I had the Gears for Ears jersey on myself. 4 jerseys out there showing ACH. Now that's pretty cool if you ask me!

Did I tell y'all I have been off of caffine for 5 days now. No, I didn't get the headache. Did I cheat, no but I have a placebo. I learned that I can drink a skinny steamer with a shot of flavoring and I think I'm drinking my latte. Hey, whatever works. Brad has me off so that on ride night in 2 weeks that I can take caffeine pills and it will send me into orbit rocking! Said they do that at Ironman. Hey, if it gets folks through Ironman, maybe it'll get me through this. If you think about it, 24 hours isn't a long time at all in the big picture. Friends have asked me if I'm going to start drinking coffee and cokes again after the rid. Serious, I think I'll just stick with the steamers. Oh sure, I'll have coffee or coke every now and then but I don't know, we'll see.

Jump over to www.archildrens.org and make a donation to the ride! OK, what if you could not hear the music... that's right NO AMERICAN IDOL?! Huh? What if you couldn't hear your family... no not that selective hearing that people joke about but no hearing all the time. No laughter, no "Hey, I'm home!" ... and no I love you... what if you couldn't hear that? That's why I ride for 24 hours. If I need to take the pain to help you hear... I will!

Life is good!

Awesome nights of training

The past couple of nights have been kicking for the training!

I rode up tempo and did hill repeats. It was really funny because I rode up behind a group of folks and then down and then as I was climbing again that group was coming down and on the switchback I heard someone say, "Whoa thatguy's climbing it again!" It was my 4th repeat climb and it was just what I needed to hear. I gave me a little extra push. Well that and U2 and Green Day singing "Saints" piped straight in to my hearing aid. Love that song!

I rode on out to the park and climbed the backside. I was feeling really good out there! I rolled into the back of the Nitro group. These guys are screaming fast racers. You know those guys who can change clothes and ride with no hands. These guys are so good they could probably make a loaf of bread while riding. Anyway I snuck on to the back and rode along a little while.

Headed over to the bridge and met up with Moondawg , JMar, Jenn, Mike Moore, Charlie and a dozen others. Great group. It's the band of heathens I used to ride with all the time. Fun crowd.

Sun started to go down so I rode back to my car and got to see a beautiful orange and pink sunset. Man, I love it when I time it just right to catch those.

Funny: I put too much tape on the cochlear implant again and the thing was glued to my head! When will I learn? Yeah, you're right... probably never!

Tonight's ride was up tempo and a bit of climbing. Lots of folks out. I got smoked like tuna by a guy on a tri-bike. Man that guy was moving!

Well thanks for stopping by and hanging out a few. More fun stuff coming up.

Life is good!

Friday and thinking about Mena, Arkansas

Got the OK to ride loops through the night at the local high school track. Should be out there about 8 or so and will ride until daylight and then if there is anything left then I'll load up and stop to grab some Shipley donuts which is between the track and the house. Probably stop at the house then maybe go to the river for the sunrise of the morning.

The nice thing about getting to ride at the track is that I will not need headlights. I will take them but should be OK without. I'm going to borrow a coworkers Ipod and will have 3 with me so I will have enough tunes for the night. This is going to be a huge challenge to ride this bored and tired but when I come out of it I will have a 6 pack of confidence for the upcoming 24 hour event.

Tornadoes hit west Arkansas last night. The town of Mena was so nice to me when I rode through a few years ago. I stayed just down the hill form where it hit. The community college it hit had a super nice staff. Thoughts go out to Mena this morning.

Thursday 4.9.09

First off, Terri van was acting weird and we took it to the Honda place. Transmission. Yep, I can see you looking at this screen and shaking your head because you know it's going to hurt. Nothing like cashing in vacation time for the car. On the other hand, I'm very thankful I have a job and can cash in vacation time for something like this. We should get the van back Tuesday and we can ride together to work so it's not that big of a deal.

I didn't ride yesterday which was probably one of the best days of the year so far to ride. We were dealing with the van and rode together plus I had to start getting Sunday media stuff together. There's video and special songs and special prayers and we'll be packed for Easter. Should be a nice service then it's down to Benton for Easter Sunday lunch with the whole family.

Ok so here's what's up in the days ahead. My daughter said I was weird. It's training so what can I say? It's a night training session this Friday night. Yep, I'll be riding through the night. At first when Brad to me to do this I thought he was crazy but the more I've taken his advice the more confident I have become for the 24 hour ride.

Start time will be after dinner and food has settled. Probably go down to the river and ride as long as it seems safe then I'll take a break and come to the house and put the trainer out in the garage with the garage door open and the studio bike in the den and ride through the night until about 5 then take a break and go back to the river. Hope for 12 hours. I even thought about taking the bike over to Sylvan Hills track and just riding laps since that would be safe. It's open all the time. Low temp is supposed to be 56 degrees so it will be comfortable.

If I stay up all night on Friday riding then Saturday morning will be a nap. I do not sleep during the day no matter how tired I am. It's a rare thing for me anyway.

I'll update Thursday night or Friday with more details.

Life is good...cause I'm gonna get a new transmission!

Monday 4.7.09

Had two great hours of up tempo and climbing tonight. I kept thinking I would see groups out since it was a Tuesday night but only saw 2 groupo's (small groups).

When I dressed at the office before the ride I was thinking, "Man, this is over dressing and it's hot!" But I'm so glad I did because when the sun went down behind the hills the temperature dropped like a rock. My last Ft Root repeat was cold!

Speaking of Ft Roots. There is something dead at the first switchback and that dead smell has been going on for 2 weeks now. Whew.

I may be riding after work this afternoon. Not sure yet. Weather is going to be perfect. 74 degrees and sunny and no F5 winds.

Coming up this weekend is my night ride. I'm working out the details right now but some will be outside on the actual bike and some will more than likely be on a spin bike at home. Friday night may not be the best time to ride a solo on the river. In all honesty, I'm not worried about getting mugged but more that kids like to hang out down there and they would just be having fun but could spell trouble for me so... we'll see. Stayed tuned.

Life is good and I'm really feeling good about the upcoming 24 hour ride for ACH!

Check this out...

Jump over to my other blog and check out all the shirts and stuff...
www.gears4ears.wordpress.com

I'm off the bike today. Back at it tomorrow.

Taking Chicago's name

We're taking Chicago's name from them! Little Rock/North Little Rock is now the windy city.

The river was so wild you couldn't which way out was flowing sometimes. There were white caps this afternoon. Crazy stuff!

OK, here we go... got up and hit the road at 7 on Saturday. It was cold but not too bad. Made a couple of loops and then tried to hit the Carti ride but they had already left. I rode to Scott and back. Just as I was getting back into NLR the A group from that ride appeared behind me. Nice to hang with JBar for a moment. There are always super nice folks doing their training rides.

After we go back to the parking lot I slipped in to talk to Dave over at River Trail Bike Rentals. We used to work together years and years ago. Great guy and really funny. Nothing's changed. That was my first break (about 10am). Stayed just a few minutes then rolled out again. Mike Spain, another guy I used to work with at a different company years and years ago rode along with me a tad. He had been in the Carti ride.

Made another loop and stopped by my office and mixed some Hammer HEED. Great stuff!! I had FRS on the bike but like Heed a lot better. Just stayed long enough to mix and go. Gee seems like the wind is picking up a little. Oh well...

Did another loop and yes, the wind is picking up and it's not funny at all. I have hours still left to crank out. Coach Cooper has me down for 12 hours of riding today and 6 tomorrow and this wind is gonna make me crazy.

At 2 I finally stopped and open the back hatch and sat there eating a cinnamon bagel. JohnEEE came by on his way to his van. "Donut?" I just laughed and said, no worse, sugary cinnamon bagel. He was shaking his head at the wind too. It was really picking up.

Another lap. This is getting completely insane but I have to keep going.

I run into Charlie Hight by the BDB. Super guy and great supporter. He'll do anything for anyone, almost. We part ways and I decide to stay on the NLR side and go up and down.
I hang it up at 5. Should have gone to 7 as planned but with that wind it was killing me. I got over a century of riding. 127 miles to be exact.

Sunday -- Today. Got out of class and it was raining. Oh no! But by the time church was over it was sunny and it had that great water steaming off the street smell. Terri and Em and I headed over to Jason's Deli and I had a turkey wrap. Good stuff.

On the bike a little after 1 and let me tell you. The wind yesterday was kid's play compared to this afternoon. I kept waiting for the wicked witch of the west to go floating by on her bicycle. I watched a 55 gallon barrel full of trash blow over and then the wind rolled it fast. All the trash was coming out and blowing down the road. Saw one of those stretch canvas type billboard blow off. I cranked it out. Going from the arena to the BDB was some of the hardest riding I have done. Serious, the gust were so hard that I looked down once to see 4mph. Even the cities strong riders were fighting it. I really felt bad for folks like families who started at the BDB and was pushed along having a grand time only to have to fight their way back. I saw a LOT of people simply pushing their bikes. The last time back to the arena was tailwind. The other times I played it safe and rode easy back because I knew I would need the energy to fight my way back up the trail. But like I said... the last time I wanted to play... hard. I was riding easy on the trail since there were families around. Some cat came smoking by and I mean s.m.o.k.i.n.g!! I wanted to chase but nah, not on the trail. We got to the police clubhouse where it becomes road again and safe to cut loose and I gunned it (finally). I see the guy up ahead and I want this so bad. Call it what you want but I was feeling all golden rule here... you know... others had done unto me so now I must treat them the same way. I know, but it's something like that. Here we go... closer, closer... he is really moving... closer (ya hear the Jaws theme song don't you?!) Closer and over taken!! Then I start thinking ,"Ok hot shot Geo, what cha gonna do about it now? He's going to come get you for that!" It was like I was someone else and had super powers. I never dropped below 30 (yes, 30mph) until I past the crack house. I shut it down just past the crack house and had to brake it hard when I dropped back onto the regular trail part. I was laughing so hard! Monster tail wind ... I love you! Oh that was so much fun! I wished I could ride smoking crazy like that more often.

I called it a day with 40 miles. Sad but with 20-30 mph wind it was like climbing a mountain into the head wind. In fact I was telling Terri that if I figured this right then I was in the head wind about 20 miles which is twice as long as Mt Gaynor in NW Arkansas. I think it's the longest climb to do and it's about 9 miles. It was my first day of the loop the state bike tour I did back in 2005. It was NOT as hard as the ride today.

All in all I didn't get the total hours of training in but with the wind I feel safe to say that the level of training hit what would have been the hours without wind. I am happy with it. We'll see what Coach Cooper has to say. Probably something like, "Man, we ride in this kind of wind in Boulder all the time."

I'm sort of tired and my legs know they've worked the past couple of days. 167 total miles training in days. I really wanted more miles and more hours but like I said, I'm happy.

We have a crazy cold front coming through and even possible freeze tomorrow night. If it's really cold and really windy, which they say it's going to be, then I'll take the day off the bike tomorrow.

Don't forget to make a donation to the ride if you get a chance:
www.archildrens.org/GearsforEarsDonation

Life is good!

Thank you Robin and Wyndham Riverfront!

Robin and the fine folks over at Wyndham Riverfront have come through for us! They have provided a room stocked full for the riders who need to take a break. It's right on the river trail. I am happy as a loon about this!!

Go over there at eat or even grab a room ad stay there for the night during a ball game or concert!

Thursday 04 02 09

Took a couple of days off the bike to rest the poor climbing legs. No now don't start in on me until you hear the rest of it. I will be on the bike for 12 hours this Saturday. Yes, 7am to 7pm will be training riding. I will have to tell myself over and over not to try and ride fast but ride long.

Here's the plan for the next weeks:
Saturday - 4-4-09 -
Ride at river where the 24 hour rid will actually take place from 7a to 7p. Will ride with Carti ride at 9a for some company but must ride slow. Should see my first century (100 miler) of the year.

Sunday - 4-5-09 -
Church then the afternoon will be on the bike. Should have 18 hours combined riding by Sunday afternoon.

Monday 4-6-09 -
After work recovery easy ride for an hour or two.

Tuesday 4-7-09
After work ride. Meet up with Fast Girls Slow Guys club. We'll see how the legs are doing.

Wednesday 4-8-09
Off the bike

Thursday 4-9-09
After work easy ride due to long ride coming up.

Friday 4-10-09
Night ride. This is going to see what it will be like to be exhausted and ride at night. Pray I don't hit deer or skunks!

Saturday 4-11-09
Recover from wild night before.

Sunday - church and ride
Monday - after work ride
Tuesday - Club ride
Wednesday - off
Thursday - Club ride
Friday - chill out
Saturday 4-18-09 --- Up to Jonesboro for the Race for the Cure bike ride. 50 miler tapper ride.

Sunday - church and ride (MICHEAL W SMITH AND STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN CONCERT!)
Monday - after work ride
Tuesday - Club ride
Wednesday - off
Thursday - Club ride (In Studio visit at POINT 94.1 FM at 8am central -- listen online!)
Friday - chill out
Saturday - 4-25-09 -- Cheer on the folks riding the Tour de Cure. Just ride a while for fun. Then tell the river goodbye for a few days.

Monday - Wednesday -- just basic getting ready stuff.

Thursday -- APRIL 30th -- 9am --- start riding and having fun with friends.
6pm - be at Murray Park for the Hands and Voices picnic.
Make it through the night with Moondawg, Chris and Robb. Can't think of a better group to hang with all night. Going to be a trip! These guys crack me up!

Watch a beautiful sunrise I hope!

May 1st, 9am --- roll in and celebrate another success for kids with hearing problems!

So there you have it! You want to donate now don't you? Well here is the web address. It's all tax deductible and it ALL goes to the kids... all of it!

www.archildrens.org/GearsforEarsDonation

Tell all your friends! Push for a big number this year! Help me get there!

Life is good!!

Monday 03 30 09

Out riding around 5:40 until a little about 7:30. Good riding. Did some hill work. Legs feeling strong!

Newest sponsor coming in! Wyndham Riverfront Hotel. They will be providing a room and showers for the riders who need to take a break. Thank you Robin and Wyndham Hotels!

This is getting really exciting now! A huge batch of letters will be dropping in the next few days.

Thanks everyone!

Life is soooo good!

Sorry!

Sorry folks! Didn't do well at all on the blog this week huh? I'll do much better this week even if they are short.

I went to church today then headed to the house while Terri went over to Memphis to pick up Em at the airport. Air tickets are soooo much cheaper out of Memphis than Little Rock!

I went out and rod a tempo ride this afternoon but had to be back at church for a video run during the evening service. I bust ed out the door and came home, changed clothes and hit it again on the bike. This time it was 2 blocks away on Oakridge hill. It's a great hill for repeats. That last repeat about blew me.... but it was the only way to get home. So up the hill I went. I even had a couple of neighbors cheer me on! What a little love can do! HA!

I got a buzz haircut Friday evening and I forgot how good that double sided tape sticks the cochlear implant to my head. I'm going to look like I have mange (sp?) from pulling what little hair I have left out.

It's coming down to the wire. One month from Wednesday will be the 24 hour ride. Am I ready? Almost. The funnies thing is that I'm worried that no one will really want to ride with me because I have to keep it slow to last 24 hours. But as hard as the ride itself? I'm more relaxed going into this ride than any ride I've done. I have a good feeling and something about it being local just makes it icing on the cake.

This Saturday is make it -- break it Saturday. Pray for good weather. I will be on the bike from sun up to sun down in training. 12 hours. I then have to turn around Sunday and get more hours in. The goal is set at 18 hours on the bike in 2 days. I'm really cool with it. As long as everything on the homefront it good then I'm at ease and can ride all day.

Life is good!

Now that was a fun weekend!

Woke up Saturday to cloudy skies. I'm supposed to ride! Flipped on the weather to see rain heading this way but they are saying it's not making it to the ground. So where's it making it too? I went ahead and got ready and just as I start to go what happens? Yep, you guessed it, it starts to rain. It was just light but enough to get everything wet. I'm bummed then I look out of the front door and it's light that way. Yes! I go ahead and drive to the ride instead of riding to the ride just in case. No one wants to ride home in the rain.

Got to the rid and no rain! It was the Carti training ride. Always a fun group. I went with the B Group this time after the 16-18 mph crowd went nuts last time. The whole ride seems to have busted apart so I rode with different folks.

Got lucky and the Trek demo truck was at Burn's Park so I stopped to say howdy to the guys. Richard who owns Arkansas Cycle and Fitness was there and the guys talked me into riding a very nice Trek road bike (Madone (sp?)). Oh wow! That was a nice bike. New shifting set up!

So I rode back towards the car and there was a peace rally going on. Well you know me, gotta stop and check it out. The rain was just starting but not bad. Listened to a couple quick speeches and then a musician got up and I bid farewell to Mike who i had been riding with and the rain came down! I got to the car and yep, it was great timing.

Today was church, then a cook out for a homeless shelter then 3 hours of riding. Fun stuff! Seriously nice ride.

Ok, the IPhone! I love it! i haven't even gone to the app store yet and I'm just amazed what this phone does. I can hear fine with the CI but I can plug it in direct to the hearing aid and whoa! Super crisp and clear.

Life is good!

IPhone ... IRide ... IHear

Yes, I broke down and bought an IPhone tonight! Oh this is deadly! I've only had it a few hours and I'm afraid if you took it away I would fall on the floor, curl into the fetal position and sweat and shake! 15,000 applications to add on!

Plugged the bad boy straight into my hearing aid. As crisp and clear as the IPod music.

I'm in love!

I know I said I was moving everything to the other blog but nah...

Crazy Train

Training is going well! Out there every day now.

Finished up Sunday afternoon with a great ride!

Monday afternoon I cranked it out with an old pal. Both of us had batteries go out on our computers so we had no idea how fast (or slow) we were going but the legs were tired by the end of the ride so we had to be doing something.

Tuesday afternoon I barreled out of the office and headed down to the sub (as in submarine) and hit the trail. Met up with all my pals at Cook’s Landing for the 6pm Fast Girls Slow Guys ride. I was a complete blast! I missed riding with them. I had sort of lost my legs for awhile for their speed. Still lost the A Group when we hit the open road. They are about 20 years younger than me and skinny as a rail. It is a beautiful thing to watch about 20-30 bike rolling out for a fun ride.

I spotted a group of guys coming over a hill and they were smoking fast. No kidding! FAST! I asked one of the guys in our group who that was and it’s a local racing club called Nitro. I think it’s the Competitive Cyclist club. This is one of those “Ride with the big dogs or sit on the porch”. Loved watching them ride.

Plotting out which way the loop will be for the Gears 4 Ears (G4E) ride Both directions have it’s pros and cons.

I’ll be on KKPT Point 94.1 at 8am on Thursday April 23rd. That’s a week before the ride! Their morning show is a riot! Can’t wait!

The registration forms will be on the ACH (www.archildrens.org) very soon. This is the first time I’ve ever had a registration form for a ride that I coordinated so making sure everything is correct.

Here are some more details of what’s going on with the ride:

There will be a phone number posted in several places that you can call/text on the day of the ride to find out where on the trail we are so you can jump in. We will be at the Murray Park Pavilion 1 & 2 around 6pm for 15-30 minutes. There is a great picnic and maybe a band playing that is part of the ride. Yes, you can come down and eat and/or ride.

Remember you can ride as much or as little as you want. You do not have to ride 24 hours.

To donate visit: www.archildrens.org/GearsforEarsDonation

Hey friends and family... I need to ask a favor. I'm going to be blogging on the Gears 4 Ears blog from here until after the ride. So go to this address...

www.gears4ears.wordpress.com

There are about to be a lot of updates plus you can subscribe to it and when I update it will send an email to you.

Saturday stuff

Rode a little this morning then over to Little Rockers Marathon... yes, dressed as a rabbit. While waiting to the start a guy who is the head of another race in town called the Dino Dash asked me if I would help them and ride in front as the rabbit. What do you think I said? "Sure, whatever you need!" Crazy stuff.

So the gates open and off go the kids. I look back and there is a girl right on my tail. I speed up and I look back again... there is a girl, the same one, right on my tail. We are going 13mph! She slowly falls back and a young man is now the front. We never drop below 10mph. He never turns that "runners red face" and he never seemed to be winded. At the home stretch I sped up and went through the line so it would just be him coming through the finish! He desired the big win!

Well lunch is settled... think I'll ride out to the country for the afternoon.

Pulling ya boots back on!

What a week! The weather went from beautiful to sour and then stayed that way all week. We should all come back to life after this afternoons cold rain. They say it's over then. Good thin too because there will be 8,000 runners here in town for this weekends Little Rock Marathon plus all the folks on the sides cheering them on and all the volunteers.

Shout out to by pals and pal-ettes who are running and reading this. Rock the Marathon!

Shout out to CI pal way up north -- Sam -- Rock your run this weekend man!!!

I got to met with a family about getting a CI. Super nice folks. The son who is getting the CI asked good questions. Jordan said it seems to calm folks down when they see someone who actually has one on and goes about their daily lives with it.

By the way, THANK YOU ADVANCED BIONICS!!!!!! They became the newest sponsor of the Gears 4 Ears ride. When they called my office I was giddy. Yes, one of those, the door is closed so it's OK to dance around because no one can see you!

The plan for the weekend is to dress up like the rabbit and led the Little Rockers Marathon on my bike. Yes, I really do this. 1,500 screaming kids running their last mile for the 26.2 miles. They work on this at school and in their clubs then come out to the Marathon course and run/walk the very last mile and get huge medals like the real marathoners. The hospital is a major sponsor and the course goes right in front of the hospital.

After that fun I'll take off the rabbit suit and ride my training for Saturday. The Sunday will be church then out to ride all afternoon. I have to make up some time and miles that's for sure! Sunny and 62 for Sunday then next week is back to clear and upper 60's and mid 70's.

So there you have it...

Life is good ... because it's Friday!

Busted

Plan was to ride with the gang after work but as I got to my car I was opening the door and two cars skidded on the other side of the fence and I jumped and pulled the door at the same time not looking and I popped myself right in the face and busted my nose. Stupid thing would not stop bleeding...and bleeding and bleeding... Looked in the mirror and it looked like I had been between the cars with my head. I never have bloody noses but I'm not usually a dork to do this either.

I'll have to get out and ride tomorrow after... today it was 76 and tomorrow it will be about 4 after work. Oh joy! Got to do it though... it's on the plan.

Life is good... even as a dork!

Rest day

Just a rest day. Be back out there on it tomorrow. First group ride for after work at 6.

I guess it blew off...

I know I wrote post yesterday about the wind. It's out there flying around the matrix somewhere ... or I just got careless and hit delete or something, who knows. I think it was the trauma of the wind. You think I'm joking huh? It was that 20-30 mph stuff. Hey, at least it was warm.

Aww right, so I headed out to ride at 6:45 and thought it was really nice until I started riding. Ok, it was a bit chilly but what a beautiful morning! I circled back real quick and added a wind vest and leg warmers (why do I always think of Flashdance movie when I say that? HA!). Much better! So I head out and loop the north side once. Spotted Marrianne running... looking like a pro! We yelled howdy's to each other. I rode on out to Alltel Arena where the first Carti Tour De Rock training ride was going to be held. Whoa! Lots of folks and I mean a lot! Awesome! Meant up with a pal I used to work with back in my graphics days. I was great to ride with Mike. Also met up with a friend of mine from church, David, was in the crowd. I didn't even know he rode!

Todd split everyone up into the A group and the B group. Oh yeah, Mike and I had to think we could hang with the big boys and took off with the A's. It really was not supposed to be that fast but hey... A means A. The ride out was great and I was in the mix but then we got over to the North Park industrial area and turned on a drive that was straight into the wind and the group blew apart! I don't mean like 2 groups. I mean like 10 groups of 2 and 3 riders. It was brutal. The B group seemed to have done the same thing from what I hear.

Now my plan was that I was going to be on the bike ALL day just riding for long periods of time, not speed. Well dork here blew a wad of energy on that A group and suffered for the next 2 hours. I finally ended with 4 hours. Lesson learned.

Today I got Terri off to catch her plane. Everyone was a zombie at the airport at 6:30 this morning. Terri and I hardly said 5 words to each other on the ride over. Just too tired and the daylight savings moving the clock forward and hour ... well today was the wrong day to get up that early but hey, it's daylight until almost 8pm now!

Went to church then Em and I were trying to figure out what to eat. Taco Bell or as I lovingly call it Taco Hell. I know, I should not eat that while training but I did and have lived to tell about it.

On the bike for almost 4 hours today and it was a great ride. Yes, strong wind but it was going straight with the river route so 7 miles was into the wind then 7 miles back was tailwind that pushed you along! It was screaming fast going with the tailwind today. I would have gone screaming fast the whole way back but with the weather as warm as it was, there were massive amounts of folks out enjoying it.

Oh, here are some answers to questions from the comments of the last post...
CI..very little wind noise. Serious! The hearing aid roars and I use it for my IPod side. The CI is great for riding just be sure to get some double sided tape and put a little piece on the processor and battery area then a small piece on the magnet.

Helmet and CI: Yes, when you put the helmet on it usually bumps the mag a little and might disconnect but just stick your finger up under your helmet and nudge it back and usually it stays in place for hours.

Sweat and CI: I use what is called a Dry & Store. When I get finished riding I always take the hearing aid (HA) and CI off. Sweat evaporates some while I ride but when I stop it's a rainy season. I just lay them on the console and drive home (if I drove to the ride) in silence. When I get home I put them in the Dry & Store while I shower and get cleaned up. It cost about a hundred dollars but extends the life of your equipment by leaps and bounds. No they're not a sponsor but I wish they were.

So all in all I was on the bike 5.5 hours Friday, 4 on Saturday and 4 today. Not bad! Would have been a lot more without the blasting wind but, it was great training.

Well, that's it for me tonight!

Life is good ... Life was blowing in the wind..

Friends go riding

What can I say? It was a perfect day to be off! I stopped by and had a donuts with my pal Kevin at the radio station. That was part of the deal in order to get him to help me with the church media system. Trust me, I rode it off! The system installed a lot easier than I expected. One small glitch but no one will know it Sunday.

Finished up and stopped at the house for a light lunch and checked email to be sure Chris was going to be able to ride. Yep, we're on! I meet up with the boy (see photo below) and he then tells me David, Jo and Marianne are coming along.

First thought was a happy one! I couldn't wait to see them. Been too long and I've never gotten to actually met Marianne but I read her blog and her name is always used in nice ways so I knew she had to be as nice in person as she was cyber. (HA) Sure enough, as friendly and down to earth as it gets.

Jo (Tri-momma)

David and Marianne praying for non-sharp straws.
It was a funny story about their tri-bike straws.

Dwonn, the master himself

Dwonn and myself.

So we head out down the river trail toward downtown. Plan was that I was going to ride all afternoon until the sunset (I did) but we would keep it slow. I was thinking to myself, Ok, I am riding with an all Ironman crowd. Slow to them is what??? 25mph? We really did keep it around 15mph. Thanks guys, I really appreciate that!

I got to ask a lot of questions and they were a huge help. Today my confidence went through the roof for the ride! It was because I rode with friends!

After Jo dropped to go get her daughters at school, David soon dropped to head home and Chris, Marianne and I headed over the BDB and rode the Little Rock side a while.

Chris rode from home so when we got back to BDB he was heading home. There are several good climbs he has to make to get to his house. Marianne and I rode back to Cooks Landing where her car was. I got to ask a few more questions then farewell.

I rode by to my car and dropped off the camera and hooked the Ipod for company to carry me the rest of the afternoon. North side a couple times then back over to the LR side the the north side a couple more times. The trail was packed from about 3:30 to 5:30 then everyone disappeared. I watched the sun going down behind the hills and called it a day with 5.5 hours under my belt.

It was a great ride. Just a couple of little things I need to make some adjustments here and there. My right wrist began to be a pest toward the end. I'm sort of wondering if it was from holding the handle bar too tight due to the wind? The other small issue was my right bad toe was being a pest. Neither issue were painful but just pesty stuff that takes some of your fun away. The toe I think was a toenail that just needed a little trim. We'll see tomorrow.

All in all it was just a great spring day!

Life is good.... when you have great riding friends!

My weekend has started!

I took tomorrow off just to do one errand then ride... all afternoon! It was 77 degrees this afternoon and funny watching folks leaving the hospital for the day... they were all smiling!

Here's the plans for the weekend:
Tomorrow start riding about 1pm ad ride until it's really dark and maybe even keep riding with lights. The temps will be just a few degrees off what they should be for the 24 hour ride.

Saturday: up and out the door to ride. Plan to jump on the Carti training ride at 9 just for some group therapy then keep riding the rest of the day until sunset. Should be close to 8-10 hours.
This will be excellent checkup to see how I will feel.

The next big checkup will be the all night ride in the next few weeks.

I'm excited abut how everything is coming together!

**Note to Wes... send me an email with how you are listed on Facebook to cobbgeo@gmail.com.

Awesome afternoon!

I ran out of the office like Fred Flintstone singing Yabba-dabba-do! I was that excited to get out and go ride and really happy that I passed on yesterday for today as far as riding goes. I was able to ride in tights and just one base layer under the jersey! Sure sign of spring right there!

A coworker wrote on her Facebook that she has a bad run and ate way too many bugs! Ahhh yes, the bug eating days have returned to central Arkansas! HA! After I eat a few myself then it's only a matter of time before a bee pops me. Usually the upper leg and once was very dangerously close to a real danger zone! HA!

I'm taking Friday off just to ride so good distance riding. Not sure where I'll ride to yet but it will be some good miles.

Life is good... and bugs are yummy!

Catching up

Last post was Friday so...
Saturday I was in a leadership conference and it started raining, then it quit. Then it starting snowing. Yes, serious.
Sunday was church then Texas Roadhouse with the family. We eat out every Sunday for lunch. Then it was the bike for the afternoon a.f.t.e.r I finished my chores. Headed down to the river and jeepers creepers!!! It was windy. There were a couple of times the side wind gave me a jolt and one hill, I kid you not, I had to pedal to go down because it was straight into the wind. The 7 miles heading north was straight on wind coming down the river. It was like climbing the whole time. Great training .
Tonight was watching TV on the trainer.
Tomorrow after work is hill repeats.

I put the Gears 4 Ears event out on the Facebook and got a lot of hits already plus a TON of emails asking me about it.

Saw the printed sample of the jersey and it's off the hook! Very cool looking!

Life is good!

Weekends should be Wednesdays!

Weekends should be on Wednesdays. Every Wednesday for the past several weeks has been beautiful and then the temp drops for the weekend. It was so nasty on Sunday afternoon I slept. A nap! I hated naps as a kid and there is no such thing as a power nap in my book. If I nap I am groggy for the rest of the afternoon. Some folks can nap but not this kid.

Anyway, the weather for tomorrow is cruddy at best. Cloudy, maybe some cold rain and basic (blowing raspberry). I have a leadership conference for half of the day then should be on the bike the other. I really have no choice but to be on the bike outdoors or in. The 24 hour ride is 2 months from Sunday. I have some build up to do and some weight to drop. 12 lbs to be exact. Emmy's friend is on a diet that is reverse! Must eat at least 4500 cals a day! He's a Hog football player. I'd say more Girl Scout cookies please.

The new website for the ride hits the matrix on Monday. I'm excited! It's actually just a part of the Children Hospital site but still.

No line on the Horizon comes out next week. New U2 baby! Can't wait.

No much else going on... listening to the rain...

Beautiful night ride!

Hit the river trail right after work and did meet up with the gang for some hill repeats. It was great seeing them and trying to hang with the crazies!

I had forgotten how beautiful it was climbing Ft Roots at night and seeing all the lights of NLR and LR. We really do have a beautiful city!

Life is good...

Hard training... hard ride

Saturday was a crazy hard/fun ride but Sunday... jelly beans kids! Jelly is exactly what was. I rode out to the farmlands and was having a great tailwind ride and I knew it was going to be tough coming back it but then that's what training is about. Pushing the limits on yourself. Well there I was whistling some theme song from Lion King or something... hey, it was Oscar day... gotta be in tune with the events. Anyway, whistling Lion King and counting all the dead raccoons and possums on the side of the road. The hyenas would have loved it. I'm having ADD tonight huh... anyway... I was riding out further and further then remembered I am supposed to have dinner with friends that evening. Oh crud! This is bad!

Turn around and into the wind we go. Head down only looking up every now and then to be sure I was not about to run over anything and check for cracks and pot holes. Ipod was cranking. I was cranking. Dawg, I was c-r-a-n-k-i-n-g.... and still going slower than I needed.

I finally rolled into riverfront and was happy with the push to get back in. Then the legs said, no more. Wha?!! Come on guys, just got to get me a few more miles to the dog park and we'll be done. Nope, not gonna! Awwright, so I get over myself, swallow my pride and stop a moment. Sipping the FRS and watching a few folks roll by. After about maybe 5 minutes I push on but it really felt like I was holding on the the brake the rest of the way in.

Note to Lollipop rider friends... hey y'all remember the end of that first ride when we all had religious experiences and cussed in the same breath. Well, and all the promises we made? I was in that state of mind!

I rolled up to the car and wasn't sure if the mind would really tell the feet to unclip and if the feet were really going to do it. The mind was also trying to tell the hands to apply the brakes before I crashed into the Exploder. I made it to a stop and even unclipped without falling over but my arms were numb!

I just busted out laughing... alone, in a parking lot, in a public park... tell me that isn't a scary thing!

Pushing myself to limits is a good thing. I've set some goals... well actually Brad set my goals. He called me a psycho and I must live up to the name and make him proud.

This morning I woke and was not sore like I expected. I was a happy camper.

Got an email from a bud for for a weight challenge. March 1 to May 1. Oh yeah, I'm so in this game! I weigh in right after riding for 24 hours. I may just be skin and bones by then. We all ante upped a hundred bucks. I goaled for a 12 pound drop. That will put me back at 168 where I need to be for the summer.

A cyclist here in Little Rock was killed around lunch today. Down a hill, across an intersection and into traffic... no helmet. I feel sorry for everyone involved and their families. Heartbreaking.

Tomorrow is an after work ride. Friends are doing the hill repeats and I may secretly show up and try a few myself. They will smoke my tuna on the hills but then I'm not racing them, just working out at my pace... you know, two miles per hour.... whistling Lion King! HA!

Life is good... Happy Fat Tuesday tomorrow!

Hard training, fun ride

I woke this morning and it didn't look so bad. They were saying nasty day with cool temps and rain. My first thought was hey let's go ride from the house to England and back. First, let's flip on the tube and be sure. Nahhh, man! The rain is just a few miles from the house it looks like. Sure enough, it was a steady rain within the hour. Weather Channel saying looks of sunshine after it passes. Guess I'll just wait it out.

Finally about 1:30 the inside of the house seemed to light up! Sunshine! I walked out on the front porch and it actually felt warmer than I expected. Oh, I'm getting giddy! Ride from the house? Nah, played it safe and went down to the river. I had put on a new saddle and wanted to test it a little before really riding. It was fine!

I rode the river and backside climb at Burn's. Spotted JohnE out for a spin. Since the saddle seems to be good to go I headed out to the farmlands. I had a nice tailwind going out that rocked my socks off!

Finally turned around and started heading back and yep, that fine tailwind was (__insert ugly word here __) head wind. Ugh! But it was actually a good thing because it made me ride into it. Only one way back to the car... into the wind. Of course the IPod was cranking and I had a new playlist that was perfect for the ride.

As I came back through the river front park there were several photographers out shooting portraits and the sunset. I had to slow down and enjoy it myself a few seconds. It was too pretty to pass up! Ya gotta enjoy life's simple things... even when training.

Got back to the car and the sun had gone behind the hill and it got cold fast! I stopped and stretched, loaded up and started the car to get some heat. It was 6:20 and I could still see around! SPRING IS HERE!!!!!! Yaaba Daaba Doooo! This boy will be riding a lot after work now!

Well, I'll be out there again tomorrow... smiling so big I'll get the first bugs of spring suck in my teeth!

Life is good... tailwind or headwind!

A haunting voice

It's like a haunting voice.... "IIIIII aaaaaammmmmm yyyooouur trainer! Come park yooooouuuurrrr fat butt on me and ride.....oooooohhhhhh.

I'm watching a lot of tv these days and riding on the trainer.

Training is training!

Life is good!

Are we all doing this?

I'm coming back to the living, like everyone else it seems. Serious now! I got caught up at the office and spent the last hour looking at blogs that aren't blocked. Oh the people I love to follow. You know what most are doing? The same stinkin' thing I am... bummed out and sitting around feeling sorry for themselves.

I did that this week and really now that I think about it, it was the wrong thing to do.

Friend Mandy said she was all for "timed pity parties" but once they are over, it's over and time to get back to work.

Tomorrow morning will find me on the bike. Sorry cowboy, but you ain't driving to the river to ride. You will be riding your bike to where you want to go. Your legs will be wanting you to cut corners but it 's not happening. Hills, wind, an occasional tornado. Doesn't matter, you will be riding.

I know I know, tomorrow is Valentines Day and I've already made the reservations for Vermillion Water Grill and I hope I can pronounce whatever it is I'll be ordering. One of the kind folks I recruit for at the hospital, it's her husband who is the owner and chef! I didn't even play the I know someone card when I made the reservations. What was really classy was I got a call from the place today and the gentleman on the other end of the line just called to confirm the reservation and told me they were looking forward to serving us tomorrow evening. That is class! Real class!

Keep Jason K in your prayers. He is going home from the hospital and will wait until next week to have another procedure. It will be next Friday ... his birthday. If you are reading this, hang in there bubba!

Keep Greg in your prayers. He is actually going to preach Sunday night! He will know more in a couple of weeks.

And my Dad... well, he's just an old guy and needs a little motivation. He says he wants to walk again but will have to eat different and exercise to get there.

So there you have it.

Love is in the air! Happy Valentines y'all!

Life is good... once again!

Still here

Sorry friends, just too much going on in life these days.

First my pal (and our preacher) got really sick and is still really sick. Cysts on liver. Plan of care is still in the works.

Last night m best pal from the hospital was admitted and they found bad stuff.

I lost it last night....

I have another blog that I seem to update more these days...
www.gears4ears.wordpress.com

Life is good...some days...