I’ll be wrapping up cycling posts with this final note. My hobby has taken me into racing my car (road racing only; no drag, street or autox on the docket).

On schedule will be a full track day at Talladega Superspeedway in early September. The nine of us have got the whole track reserved for the entire day. I’m really looking forward to learning all the ins and outs, ranging from car prep to classroom to pavement and hope to advance through the groupings in a reasonable amount of time.

There’s a bit of a learning curve as I build and prep the car for race days. We’ve started the process to lay the garage floor covering. My hopes are to have a clean, well organized shop in addition to a clean, sharp high performance vehicle.

Cyclingrocks.com will remain online until the machine it’s running on breaks down. The galleries of photos will be moved if the primary machine fails. There’s some good photos that still deserve perusing (as I’ve noticed from the web stats).

Everyone: Have fun. Be safe. Keep making good memories. Do this on a daily basis. I do. You should too.

All my computers are taking a dive. One by one. Seems fitting. Murphy’s Law in effect.

I’ll post more pics of Saturday’s race late on Monday. Got a couple good pics from three vantage points.

We only had time to attend the men’s race and got there late. But then when we got home, Tivo had it recorded and we got to watch it all over again!

“What do you want for your birthday?” She asked.

Without hesitation. Without doubt, I said, “Cold Air Intake for the car.”

“How much is it?”

“Probably around $310.00.” But then, I don’t need another project and it would take me a day to install it. So, with a twenty percent discount on parts from the dealer + labor, it’s probably a wash if the dealer puts it in. And it’ll be done right.

“Oh! And it’ll pay for itself in at around thirteen thousand miles because we’ll get better gas mileage in addition to the 20 whp …”

So on my errand that day, dog in his seat harness, I’m goosin’ on the onramp to the freeway. I settle in at 67 mph to notice the black and white closing in on me. I’ve been here before. They look. They pass. And they’re on their way. But not this time. He pulls right up on me, turns on the light bar and I’m soon pulling over at the next exit.

C’est la vie

Yes. More images of bikes and wheels will follow!

That’s gotta be it.

I’m mowing the lawn yesterday and pass the air conditioning compressors. I thought to myself, “I bet they’ve never been cleaned.” So I stopped the mower by the “compost” pile so I’d remember to empty the bag and head to the garage to grab a wrench and Simple Green.

“Wow, it’s hot out here.”

Beer thirty and chug some water. I remember way back when I rode (yeah, it’s been sometime hasn’t it?) that I’d swig water constantly. There’s no reason I can’t do that while working in the yard in the heat. Shit. Might as well pop some electrolytes while I’m at it. Gotta have some potassium.

Oh. I’m supposed to clean the compressor. Turn off the thermostat, cut the power, spray SG and rinse until I don’t see anymore bubbles. Sweet. I bet it’s getting hot in the house. Cut the power ON, pop the thermostat and we’ve got cool air. Did it help? Sure. A little.

Dang. That backyard isn’t mowed yet? Empty the bag, finish the yard. Empty the bag, park the mower.

What’s next? Hmmmm. Brown grass. I think I’ve got a rack and seed and fertilizer in the garage. If I focus hard enough, I won’t find another “project” on the way back to the yard.

Geez.

.. and before I even think about starting a new one; it’s time to organize. The main computer has blown. I’m looking a MacBook Pro to replace it.

I used to TiVo all three broadcasts, everyday. Then watch ‘em all. I love the different commentaries from Liggett, Sherwin, Roll, Trautwig.

This year’s a little different. I Tivo the two hour afternoon broadcast (for Liggett and Sherwin) and watch it after I walk the dog. It’s still exciting as ever. I don’t read the spoilers. I don’t log into Bike Forums to read the online talk. I haven’t poured over standings, predictions, hype. I just watch. It’s awesome.

What a great tour we’re getting to see this year.

Spent most of the afternoon yesterday power washing the front of the house. It fun was being up the on the ladders, it’s been years since I’ve done any work like that. The sides and the rear have higher walls upwards of forty feet to the gutters. I think a highlift is in order. I hope so. I’d be frickin’ rad to use one.

Here’s an older shot of someone riding the trail by the waterfront.

I’m looking forward to the day off on Wednesday.

I did catch that bug that was going around. Five days away from work. Total of about eight days sick though. It’s wonderful what Gatorade and Perptuem do for you while you’re sick too. Who knew?

So, now I’m playing catch up. These monitors are going to recycling. I pulled twenty-three from the closet. Geez.

While waiting for my bags at the baggage claim (after a gruelling thirteen hours of travel), I started a short yoga routine of basic stretches and breathing. It was contagious. Soon, a dozen people around me were touching their toes, stretching their necks, waists, arms, legs.

Take a break. Right now. Breathe. Stretching. Straighten your Back.

For fun. Go to the airport at the baggage claim and start stretching. It’s cool to see how contagious it can be.