New Years Eve

Well I took most of the week off from work between Christmas and New Years. This allowed for some time with family and friends and was spent doing some fishing, cycling and relaxing in general. Now I know this is not a fishing journal but that was a nice redfish.

The riding was highlighted with a nice 83 mile ride on Friday through the North end of the county. Derek rode with Bernice & I and we had a very nice pedal. We saw all kinds of animals ( horses, cows, llamas, turkeys, donkeys,rabbit, baby bulls and others).

Training now consists of mainly just getting in miles and time in the saddle. We will begin to focus more as the time gets closer. We are 164 days from departure. Time is passing quickly...it will be here before we know it.

Today's bike photos were taken by Derek. I like the composition of the one to the right with the wheel in it--- nice touch

If you are reading this click the comment button and let me know what you think. Feel free to ask questions - I will attempt to answer them

Also----If you want to help (and I hope you do) -- click the button -- HELP the MILLER's FIGHT CANCER. and make a donation online. Or you can send a check-made payable to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Be sure to put Participant ID: 150474715 in the memo so it will be counted towards our goal. Mail them to: Lance Armstrong Foundation PO Box 161150Austin, TX 78716-1150 Thanks for your support

Merry Christmas

Well tomorrow is Christmas that means we celebrate the birth of Christ and good family time. It also means there are only 171 days till departure. Wow.... time is flying and there are still many things to do before we leave.

Tomorrow we will all be home for the day. Mike is down from UF and Bern's Mom will be here for dinner. The tree is trimmed and all is ready. We had a good day today with friends and family and a nice Candlelight service to remind us what this holiday is all about.



This past week I had to take a continuing education test in Gainesville. We went out for ice cream before the test. Bernice found the T-shirt she is wearing to the left. She said it is the way she plans to ride 3600+ miles -- "Fueled by Ice Cream"
If you are reading this click the comment button and let me know what you think. Feel free to ask questions - I will attempt to answer them

Also----If you want to help (and I hope you do) -- click the button -- HELP the MILLER's FIGHT CANCER. and make a donation. You can also send a check-made payable to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Be sure to put Participant ID: 150474715 in the memo so it will be counted towards our goal. Mail them to: Lance Armstrong Foundation PO Box 161150Austin, TX 78716-1150 Thanks for your support

Ahhhh....nice Florida Weather again

Well after last weeks chilly riding weather; this week was back to incredible. We had temps with lows in the 50's and highs near 80. Great training weather. Got in several nice rides including a 43 mile one on Saturday with some intervals thrown in. This was done using a heart rate monitor. After about 25 miles and being nice and warmed up and on an appropriate stretch of road (long & straight) I pick up the speed to about 25 - 30 and hold it there till my heart rate goes north of 165 then ease off and when it hits 130 then time for another effort. This is repeated about 5 times.

The picture above is on they way up to Donner Pass this summer a rolling acent up to about 8300 feet. Interval training helps make you stronger and that makes mountian assents easier.

This weeks "gear moment" is the handelbar. To the right you can see the view I see when I look down. You can see the brake hoods and the bike computer (I will talk about the computer another week) and the rear view mirror. You will notice the bars are covered with padded tape to cushion my hands and there are a number of places to hold onto. Varying my hand position is critical to good bike health (meaning not getting stiff & sore.) The mirror lets me see what is happening behind -things like traffic of course but also other riders (allowing me to know if the current pace is comfortable for the group)

If you are reading this click the comment button and let me know what you think. Feel free to ask questions - I will attempt to answer them

Also----If you want to help and I hope you do -- click the button -- HELP the MILLER's FIGHT CANCER. and make a donation. You can also send a check-made payable to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Be sure to put Participant ID: 150474715 in the memo so it will be counted towards our goal. Mail them to: Lance Armstrong FoundationP O Box 161150Austin, TX 78716-1150 Thanks for your support

Brrrrr 38 degrees this AM

We waited a little bit and it climbed into the mid 40's by about 10:00am, we donned leg and toe warmers, long fingered gloves, and a wind jacket and off we went for a 47mile ride. It was not only cold it was breezy steady winds at about 12mph, the good news was that we headed into the wind so the last 20 or so miles had a nice tail wind.

You might ask why? I would tell you things like the picture above of the Mt. Rose Summit and knowing what lies ahead this coming summer. There will be cold mornings and windy days and we will pedal; therefore we might as well learn what it is like before it counts.

This weeks equipment feature is the bicycle seat configuration. You can see the seat post serves many duties. Mine is carbon fiber with a clear Zerts insert this makes it light and it allows it to reduce road vibration. It serves as a mount for my rear flashing light used in early morning light. It holds my seat which also holds my tool kit (CO2 tube inflator, multi-tool, quick stick, extra tube).

The seat itself is very comfortable. Notice several things: wide enough to rest my pelvic bones on - no wider. Gel inserts for comfort. Cut out in the middle to avoid excess pressure on the prostate. We can ride all day in comfort.

If you want to help -- click the button -- HELP the MILLER's FIGHT CANCER. and make a donation. You can also send a check-made payable to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Be sure to put Participant ID: 150474715 in the memo so it will be counted towards our goal. Mail them to: Lance Armstrong FoundationP O Box 161150Austin, TX 78716-1150 Thanks for your support

December means it is only 7 months away

Well it seems as if time is moving forward at high speed. We will embark on our journey in just over 7 months from now. We have the dog, the lawn, and the pool issues taken care of; yet there is still much left to do.

This week we took my Dad back to the airport, we enjoyed His two week visit, and miss having Him here. The dog misses him too. She was his constant companion and liked all the attention she got from him.

Riding this week was impaired by weather and travel. I got a good ride in the woods on Monday. Wednesday it rained and I climbed on the trainer for an hour (not nearly as much fun as real riding-- but a good workout. Friday I got no ride in due to an all day meeting. Saturday it was wet and drizzling but we hit the road anyhow as the radar showed nothing scary. It ended up being a nice ride just under 50 miles.

I have been getting questions as to equipment. So I decided to feature some of the gear we use. At the left are my cycling shoes. They are very comfortable with lots adjustments as to fit. They have a very stiff sole ( mine are carbon fiber) to spread out the pressure from the pedal and this reduce foot fatigue.
If you notice on the one that is upside down there is a cleat like thing on the ball of the foot this actually locks into the pedal making it very efficient. It does release if you need it to.

If you have a question or comment please click the comment button.

We passed the 6 percent mark in fundraising. I am starting in earnest to ask people to make a contribution. This is a very good cause and one that has or will affected all of us in some way. So.... go ahead and click the button -- HELP the MILLER's FIGHT CANCER. and make a donation.

You can also send a check-made payable to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Be sure to put Participant ID: 150474715 in the memo so it will be counted towards our goal. Mail them to: Lance Armstrong FoundationP O Box 161150Austin, TX 78716-1150 Thanks for your support