Packing so much into so little...

What is it about trade shows??? After spending Thursday and Friday doing editor booth tours for my clients (Briggs & Stratton Commercial Power, Profile Golf, Standard Golf and Turfco) at the Golf Show in Orlando, FL., I went down sick hard Saturday night. Didn't sleep for more than an hour at a time, but for some reason, was still compelled to make it up for the 8am ride from D Street.

Snow fell as I walked out the door, a full six pounds lighter than I'd weighed 48 hours earlier, courtesy of whatever bug I was carrying around. To say I felt a bit hollow would be an understatement. I'd later find out exactly what hollow would feel like... about three hours later, to be exact. Unfortunately at that point, I was still an hour from home.

Shooting one-handed in the fresh snow proves the La Cruz is a super stable steed. Here, I approach Lincoln High School at J Street and Normal Blvd. That matching Salsa stem is lookin' good...

Even with the snow, we had a pretty good crew of maybe 10 guys at the start, and we picked up a couple more guys on our way out of town. The snow wasn't icy, so the traction was actually pretty good, up to a point. It was predictably sketchy, at least. You gotta' like that!

KW!! He's clean-shaven too... Crazy. It's always good ridin' with you buddy.

Here's lookin' at you kid... An in-action view from the front of the gravel destroyer.

Things start getting a little foggy with my camera as we stop somewhere in Gage County. My body was still holding up pretty well at this point. We were in hour two, I believe. There was a sign across the road (pictured below) that read "Lincoln 14-mi."

MW: Local legend and fixxed gear hammer. He had it pegged all day. I had to apologize to him at the end of the ride for hollering at him. In my sickness I yelled at him for coming around me too fast and not letting me pull for long enough. In reality I should have been thanking him. He was really doing me a favor...

Thanks buddy. Sometimes pride is a bitter pill to swallow.

Are you sure we're only 14 miles out? I think they measured miles differently back in those days... Maybe it's just that, between the snow and the soft gravel, it was some tough pedalin'. Combine that with being sick prior to the ride, and it pretty much KO'd me for the rest of Sunday.

When I got home from the ride, I hopped in the shower and immediately went to bed. Slept the entire day, through the night and finally got up at about 10am Monday morning. So I'm at home today, recovering. I need a recovery day.