That’s right – go shopping. The recession is over and it is time to spend some cash. So get yourself down to The Cyclery for the annual year end blow-out sale. Lots of hot deals on bikes, clothes, helmets, sunglasses, nutrition, etc.

Ah, just because I’m a keener, I’ve posted the sale details for you:

Friday July 31st and Saturday August 1st

We don’t want to count it so we’re selling it off!!

* 30% off all 2009 Rocky Mountain hardtails
* 25% off all remaining 2008 models, including road bikes!
* 20% off all current model bikes, including framesets
* 25% off all instock wheelsets
* 40% off all clothing (excluding Assos)
* 30% off all instock cycling shoes
* 40% off all instock Rudy Project glasses and accessories
* 25% off all Giro glasses
* 25% off all helmets
* 25% off all instock nutrition
* 30% off all Ritchey components: saddles, stems, bars, carbon seatposts
Including the new “wet white” bars and stems!!
* 40% off all carbon handlebars (including Ritchey)
* 40% off all remaining carbon forks in stock
* 25% off all saddles
* 35% off Fizik team edition saddles!!
* Tacx Flow trainers $399.99 Blow out Price!!
* Tacx Satori Protour edition trainers $299.99 Blow out Price!!
* NO GST or PST on regularly priced merchandise!!

PREORDER SPECIALS: (non-refundable deposits required)

* Special pricing on powertap wheels and wireless hub units starting at $1199.99
* 5% off any 2010 Stevens cross bike or frameset (as supplies last)

Terms and Conditions:

* No holds or layaways
* All sales are final: no returns or exchanges
* Deposits are required for all preorder specials

So what are you waiting for? Get to the store and scope it out. Then go back and spend your money. You’ve been so good all summer, it is time to reward yourself with some new gear. Happy shopping!

What a great day. Had a really really great ride today. It was supposed to be 90 minutes of recovery but I was so happy to be outside riding my bike and enjoying the strengths of my body that I kind of ignored the SRM and rode for 2:15 instead. I was having one of those rides where I felt like I could ride forever and not feel the effort. My body was treating me right and I was soaking it up. Why this revelry with a simple ride and joy with my legs ticking over smoothly?

Well, yesterday I got some news about my health. Turns out I have ulcerative colitis. This is an inflammatory bowel disease that affects the large intestine or colon. I only found out yesterday so I’m not sure how severe my condition is. At first blush I was a bit upset to learn this news. But after having some time to digest (bad pun) this news and do a bit of reading, really this is not so bad.

Ulcerative colitis can be treated with medication. With the appropriate medicine, I can probably remain pretty much symptom free but will have the occassional flare up. As far as I see it, my life really won’t change that much. I’ll have to take medicine daily but other than that, life will roll along as it is. Oh, with one added extra bonus – I’ll feel much better than I have in a long time.

Yes, a long time. The “bad gut” that I simply thought I had was really more than a bad gut… I’ve been in a flare-up for the past five weeks or so. This is what sent me to the doctor’s office a couple of weeks ago. Initially my doctor suspected hemmerhoids – normal conclusion since I don’t look sick and I spend a lot of time sitting down on my bike seat. I was told that if I wasn’t feeling better in two weeks, to make another appointment. Well, the last two weeks have been pretty rough. I’ve been suffering from pretty much constant stomach cramps, fatigue, weight loss, and bloody diarrhea (sorry for the gory details). I saw my doctor on Monday – he was immediately concerned and wondered why I waited so long to come back in… Anyway, I was able to get in for a colonscopy on Tuesday morning – this is when the discovery of the ulcerative colitis was made.

I know this is not the best medium to let you know about this. And to be honest, I was hesitant to write about this. But I’ve always been honest about how things are going on this site and considering this is a pretty big deal for me, I kind of need to write about it. But, one of the main reasons I’m telling you about this is: I want this to be a signal or reminder to you to not ignore symptoms/signs that something may not be quite right with your body. As a society we are pretty squeamish about talking about digestion and “toilet” issues. But this not talking about things doesn’t get you very far when your health is at issue. I’m not trying to turn anyone into a hypochondriac, but there is a time “to suck things up” and a time to pay attention and deal with things.

I feel very lucky today. Hence the super happy feelings about being able to ride my bike. I’m excited to get on the medication, to meet with my new doctor and really learn how to control this condition. I’m stoked to discover what it will feel like to be healthy and symptom free. I’m looking forward to having a big piece of cake again (foods with refined sugar are not good for me right now). I’m looking forward to munching my daily carrots and celery again (too much fiber is not good during a flare up). I’m looking forward to having some spicy food and eating more than fruit smoothies for supper. I’m looking forward to feeling good again.

Don’t worry. This news is actually a relief. A relief to know that there is a reason for the current situation and that this won’t be my “way of life”. As Marc said “This is your reality and we’ll learn how to handle it”. Everyone has their own “reality”. Will this ulcerative colitis change my plans for the cyclo-cross season? Nope. In fact it strengthens my desire.

This condition really makes me appreciate my health and my healthy lifestyle. I firmly believe that I’ve been able to get through this flare-up thanks to my fitness and good diet. As an athlete, I don’t want to be sick. But as a normal person who is sick, I’m very thankful that I’m an athlete. The lessons learned out training and racing will help me get through the rough patches that I’m sure will come up and will help me appreciate even more the good days.

I’m pretty confident that my ride tomorrow will be even better. See you out on the bike!

Looking forward to tomorrow.

Sorry for the delayed post on Sunday’s bike racing action. Ended up being a long day and I decided not to open up my little black apple last night. So it was a good day on the bike. Didn’t win. Didn’t get on the podium. But I had a really good race. I really really wanted to win. I tried. But it didn’t turn out in my favor. Such is bike racing. Play the cards and hope it works. Reality is that everyone else wants to win as well, and there is only one top step. Anyway you can read the full on details over here.

Have to say a big thanks to Alyssa and Sophie for the great riding on Sunday. We were able to work together a bit to try to make things work. It was a nice change to race with some other people and really to feed off one another’s energy. Also thanks to Marc for helping me out and keeping me relaxed and chilled out. Also for pointing out the good things that came from the race even though I didn’t reach my goal.

Definitely was a great way to spend a Sunday. I raced earlyish – 9:15 and then we came home for a bit before going out for Marc’s race at 2:15. Gave me a chance to shower and chill a bit and gave Marc time to relax and get in a decent lunch. One of the best parts about such a race day is hanging out watching Marc and our friends race. I get to see a lot of guys race who I don’t normally get to watch and the extra bonus is hanging out with friends. It was the perfect day for it. Marc’s race went well – super fast and quite aggressive. He rode well and finished 12th in the Senior 1/2 field – so a good day for him as well.

All in all, I’d have to say it was a pretty fine weekend in July. Didn’t do much besides race our bikes, but this is the way we like it. Not much on the race calendar for me until August 30 when I’m going to Binghamton to race at Chris Thater. Always enjoyed this race – great way to finish the road season and bring on the ‘cross season. Now I’ll be spending more time on the ‘cross bikes and getting into even more specific training. Looking forward to it. Alright, I’m out. Have a good one. I’ll check back in with you in a few days. Dig out that ‘cross bike – because the season is just around the corner.

Up at the crack of dawn this morning for the OBC Grand Prix. This is a great “little big” race in the Gatineau Park. This year Peter T. of the OBC was the race organizer. A big shout out to Pete and his volunteers for a really well-organized race. Many thanks for continuing the tradition and keeping this race going. I especially appreciate the earlier start time for the women’s race.

We made it out to the Gatineau Park at around 6:30 and it was wet. Really wet. Ah well, I don’t mind racing in the rain. I prefer rain over the heat. And besides it is not like it is November and raining. This was a warm rain. Have to say though, at times during the race, the rain felt like little knives going into my arms and legs during the descents.

Great to see lots of friendly faces from Quebec and Ontario – made it an easy way to relax before the racing action started. Many thanks for the words of encouragement and cheering during the race – it really does make a difference.

So what happened? Well, I’ve written a race report and posted it here. But suffice it to say, all in all, I had a good day on the bike. At first blush if you simply look at the race results you might think otherwise. I don’t know my final result. I didn’t finish in the main pack. But the key here is that I finished. I haven’t finished this race in some time. Last year I dropped out on the first lap. The year before, I warmed up and didn’t even start. So this year, my goal was simply to finish. My problem is that I “beat myself” up over this race and then get frustrated with myself and everything else. But I told myself today would be different. And it was. The crazy thing is that the first time up Camp Fortune I was shocked when we hit the top of the climb – I thought we still had a couple more turns left and wasn’t ready for the acceleration across the top. Yep, made it up with the lead group and got popped during the acceleration. Sigh. I chased and chase, but couldn’t catch back on. At times I felt like I was close, but distance can be deceiving on climbs.

Anyway, I’m okay with the ride. I had a few goals and all things considered, today is a win for me.

Congrats to Sue S. for winning today. Also congrats to Cynthia and Sophie for their great rides. In fact, congrats to all the women who came out and raced today. The great thing about this race is that women who don’t typically race come out and race. This is awesome to see. In fact, quite inspiring.

Had a pretty chilled out afternoon. Relaxing lunch at Kettleman’s and then home to get cleaned up and ready for Sunday’s racing action. Marc did lots of time in the garage getting our bikes cleaned up and ready for the crit tomorrow. Me, well I put the laundry on and stuffed our shoes with newspaper (and then I watched the track and field on CBC). Got to say this was a great way to relax and keep things in perspective. Seeing these elite athletes going for it in rainy and windy conditions in Paris was just what I needed. Not to mention seeing some impressive feats: female pole vaulter who won today was pretty dominating, Usain Bolt – well he is amazing, the sheer force and speed of the hurdlers always dazzles as well.

Thanks for reading and maybe we’ll see you’ll tomorrow.

Wow – what a great day it has turned out to be. One of those days I just feel so fortunate to be surrounded and supported by such fine people. This may sound like over-the-top gushing, but it isn’t. I really do feel super lucky today.

I met up with Vince at The Cyclery today and I was overwhelmed with his generosity. Along with running a bustling cycling store, Vince is a huge supporter of the local racing community. Once again he has gone out of his way to support me for the upcoming cyclo-cross season. I’m feeling pretty darn lucky today. Thanks Vince! Go check out the store. The shop has a fine shipment of Dugast tires and you know you want some. How about a new bike? A new helmet? New shoes? Okay – you get the idea. Anyway, check out the store – you’ll be impressed by the quality of service and knowledgeable staff.

Really this support I get with bikes, groupos, wheels, service, handlebars, pedals, etc. is simply awesome. It makes my life so much easier knowing that I am riding super reliable and fast bikes: Stevens Super Prestige. These bikes are well-designed, agile, and have a pretty darn nice paint job as well. If you’re thinking of buying a new ‘cross bike this year or maybe you want a new road bike – go check out Stevens Bikes.

Sure sign that ‘cross season is around the corner – registration for the first weekend of the New England Verge Series opens on Monday. Crazy that we are registering for ‘cross races in July. Definite sign of the incredible growth and popularity of the sport. I’m stoked to return to Vermont this fall to race at Catamount. These are super fun race courses that offer terrain for everyone. Extra bonus is hooking up with all my ‘cross buddies who I haven’t seen all summer. Be sure to remember to register on Monday.

Well now I best be off. Early to bed for me. Have to get up at the crack of dawn to get ourselves out to the Gatineau Park for the OBC Grand Prix. Marc is up for 6 laps of the park. I have to do 3. Check back later tomorrow for a race report and story about the day. Feeling like this good luck and fortune will keep following me this weekend. Looking forward to some fun on the road bikes. As for next weekend – who is up for a ‘cross ride? Come on you know you want to…