ADM: Anthony D. Morrow » Blog Archives

First point: I really, really, was going to have a cool update about lots of things but now I'm just not in the mood to type it all again.

Second point: I love my Mac but I only endure Mac OS 9 (9.2.2 to be exact). As mentioned many a time before, my current system is way old (seven years in April) so it's mega-slow by the latest and greatest standards. I've managed to keep it running using duct tape, chewing gum, and prayer. Seriously, though, it's served me well and I am able to enjoy it because like a worn in pair of shoes; it fits and it works. Most of the time. But I can feel it more with every keystroke, with every extra minute I wait for audio or video or a large Photoshop effect to render, that it's time to start preparing for a new, faster machine, and to learning OS X.

Here's a quicker recap:

Monday, 01/16 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the first race of 2006, the MLK Classic. Racing in January!? I sent an e-mail to someone who asked me how it went. I can cheat and insert most of it here.

Facts: Bahati won. His junior protege, Justin, got 2nd. I think Gibby Hatton got 3rd or 4th. Gil Correa (teammate) got 6th, our highest placing. I got 11th. There were about 65 racers. We had six guys, all finished in the top 30.

The race was an hour, as scheduled, despite starting late. I was sure they were going to cut our time but they didn't. Cool. If you've never done it before, it's a nice, wide, fun course. I'll do this again. I wish it were later in the season and better organized, though.

None of the big teams turned out after all. No TIAA-CREF, no national teams from the track. It was pretty much a SoCal cycling racer affair.

t was a typical race. Nothing stands out as a defining moment. Some attacking, people covered. Nothing stayed away. There were breaks, but they never had the right combos, and anything that looked threatening got shut down.

Our team did work early and we had a good handle on the race, putting guys in both attacking and counterattacking positions and also working to close gaps when we had to. We made mistakes, too, like missing a few breaks we should have been in... And then there was the finish...

We lined it up before one lap to go for two reasons: 1. to catch one guy with some distance up the road and to set up a good lead-out for Rob Campilla. We did real good, everyone to the front, but the course was 1.8 miles and we ran out of legs before the last turn. The final stretch is long and wide. There was a wall of guys and Gil found his way though, with good kick. I went right and nearly rammed a flatbed truck carrying port-o-poties. The finish also narrowed and there were spectators standing in the way. Scary, for sure.

The sprint was about 40 MPH. I heard a crash behind me as we neared the line but I didn't look back to see it and later learned it was Chris Lotts and others that went down. I hear they're all okay. Scraped and bruised, but okay.

At various times after the race, I had 9th, 10th, and 11th place. First results posted: me 11th. Then, a guy (4th or 5th pl.) was DQd for taking a free lap (flat?) with less than 5 to go. Revised results posted: me 10th (in the money!). Then another guy got DQd for the same reason as the first. 2nd revised results posted: me 9th (more money!). But then, after much complaining by the two DQd riders, the officials changed their minds and said they'll reinstate the two guys because the flyer didn't say there was no free lap and without it saying, free laps can be given with more than 5 to go or with more than 8 KM to go. Funny how they never mentioned a pit in the flyer or at the start of the race. I thought it would have sucked for the two guys to get DQd so I didn't argue it when they changed back to the original placings, despite them being listed as "official" after 15 minutes. I was pretty pissed they couldn't get make a decision and stick with it, and that I had to stand around for an hour after the race to find out what was what. Gil had to wait around, as did everyone else in the top 10, since they didn't pay out any $ until the issue was settled. I left my # with Gil and he told me later how it worked out.

So, not a bad race, not a great one. Our team is coming along well. Everyone finished and everyone did their work. I was surprised with how comfortable I felt, overall. I had plenty of legs for the finish but did a piss-poor job of getting position after having drifted backwards after my leadout effort. I think if I had sat in instead of having done work in the last two laps, my result would have been better. Alas, that's part of being in a team.

Thursday, 01/19 - I decide to skip the Kings v. Thrashers game to get a speed workout at Hughes. I get home in time to see the last half of the game where Luc Robitaille breaks the club's all-time goal scoring record held by Marcel Dionne. At least I saw it on TV.

Sunday, 01/22 - Kobe drops 81 against Toronto. You can be an 8-er hater, but the dude has skills!

Tuesday, 01/24 - Mario Lemieux retires (again). This time it's for good. At least I got to see him play.

Wednesday, 01/25 - Artest to the Kings, Peja to the Pacers. Lakers still have a guy named Smush Parker.

Coming Up Next:

Just finished the AA Club DVD. This included making the photo slideshow, authoring the whole thing and menus to DVD, creating the DVD insert, and burning all those disks. What a task!

The second race of the season is this Sunday. It's a 100K crit. Lord knows how many rights turns that adds up to, but I think I'll go out Saturday and do nothing but left turns so I get even wear and tear on the bike tires.

BUY SOMETHING! Or HIRE ME!

-adm
Tell Me A Joke