Like a fool, I didn't bother to ride yesterday and today has been constantly wet. Sometimes heavy, sometimes light, but always wet and I don't have the motivation to get on the trainer. Maybe if Mom is feeling decent after getting the port-a-cath "installed" so that they can do the chemo starting next week. I wonder how much upheaval her chemo will cause. On the selfish side, I am a little disappointed because I feel I am riding well and fear this will have a big affect on my ride time. That is only a fleeting thought however. Most important is that she be fully "cured" of the cancer. If it destroys my season, so be it. I don't envy her. Six months of chemo. Just the thought of going through the nausea, loss of hair, etc makes me pause.

We'll see what the rest of the weekend brings us weatherwise. A few days ago it was supposed to be great but all I have heard from not weather people is that it will be is a washout. Not that the weather people know what the are talking about.

Spinning was tough last night. For the first time all winter I used one of the old Spinning bikes. They are so sensitive. Just turn the knob a little bit and you are grinding the pedals. Needless to say, it was a tough class.

Jesus Manzano tells a chilling story today:
Former Kelme professional Jesus Manzano has spoken out about alleged doping practices within his team, describing at length his experiences which he claims left him seriously ill on two occasions in 2003. Manzano, who rode for Kelme between 2000 and 2003, was fired from the team during the Vuelta a España after sleeping with a woman during the race, thereby breaching team conduct. Some say that he is now seeking revenge on his former team, and his comments have gained a lot of attention in the Spanish media.

In an extensive interview with AS, Manzano explained that he and the cyclists on Kelme used blood transfusions to keep themselves "healthy" during the season. Before the Tour de France, he had a litre of blood removed and stored as two 500 mL portions. Manzano noted at the time, "One thing I did not see as normal was to leave the portions in a plastic tray without marking them, if you are going to extract from more people. The first thing you should do is to mark them and put them in a blood bank. We are not dogs, we are people and we have the right to be treated as such...Then I became aware that you must first do a cross check to see if it's your blood that is going to be put back into you."

Manzano said that he put in €3,000 at the start of the Tour to cover "medication", and he supposed that the other riders put in the same amount. But because by the end of the race the team's prizemoney was almost non-existent, they actually made a loss.

Manzano described the first part of the Tour as "normal" but things suddenly changed in stage 7. "It was the first mountain stage and in the morning they tested a substance that I had not experimented with. This substance was taken according to your weight. It is injected into a vein and the unique thing that it does is to keep your hematocrit low but raise your haemoglobin.

"In the morning they injected 50 ml of this product into me. Before the start I was in the village, I spoke on the phone with my girlfriend, Marina, and I told her: 'Prepare yourself, because I know today that I am going to ride well."

On the day's first climb, the Cat. 2 Col des Portes (km 50), Manzano and Richard Virenque set off to try and catch the early break with Paolo Bettini, Rolf Aldag, Médéric Clain and Benoît Poilvet. Virenque would not work with Manzano as he had Bettini in front, leaving Manzano to try and close the gap himself. But after three kilometres of climbing, "I started to have sensations of dizziness, with a lot of heat, very cold sweat, contrasts of hot and cold, but above all, a lot of cold. In spite of the July heat, I began to shiver and feel strange. Virenque looked at me and attacked. I went for another half a kilometre and there was a corner. It was so hot that the tar of the asphalt had melted...the only thing I remember was that I was dizzy and I could not longer ride straight, if I crashed, whether they would carry me off, where they would take me."

Manzano recalled his experiences subsequent to his crash, and said that he was given an injection in the ambulance as well as an electrocardiogram. "I felt strange, as if my tongue had swollen, as if I couldn't breathe. If they had put a hole in my throat I would have thanked them."

Manzano believed that whatever he took in the morning before the stage resulted in his near catastrophic dehydration. After the Tour, he began to get depressed and afraid, and lost his desire to race. One night his team director told him that he was going to do the Tour of Portugal. "I don't know if I am going to race any more," said Manzano, to which his director replied "I you don't race any more this year, you won't race next year." "Man, if I don't race year, why would I want to race the next!" were Manzano's final words.

A few days later in Valencia, Manzano was asked to 'reclaim' his second half litre of blood. "It was July 25 I think. I was in Valencia, I slept in a hotel and the team personnel were already saying to me that there was a problem during the Tour that affected the team, that there was a positive case, but it was nothing to do with me."

Manzano got on a train to Valencia and met an assistant of the team doctor who gave him his blood. "There were no cross checks...it could have been the blood of Pepito Flores," he said. He was injected with 125 ml of blood and immediately "I started to feel very, very bad. Chills and shivers, even with the blankets they gave me I felt colder than if I was at the North Pole."

"If they had put in half a litre I would have returned in a pine box," he continued. "They put 125-175 ml in me and this happened...I understood that the blood was at the Tour and wasn't stored properly."

Despite feeling this way and still shivering, Manzano got in a taxi to go back to the station at Valencia. "I got on the train, went in first class and felt a lot warmer. My girlfriend went and asked if they could turn off the air conditioning. And they asked her if I would be able to survive until Madrid. The guard decided to turn it off and even so I asked him for a blanket, but they didn't have one. There was a man in front of me who said 'This boy will not last, he'll die.' The train wouldn't start unless I got off. The team manager called a doctor and he came. He took me on his shoulders and carried me back to the clinic. And they started to give me more Urbason [a Prednisolone derivative with anti-inflammatory action]."

Manzano passed a another terrible night and in the morning the team director called him to ask him not to tell anyone else on the team. "How could I not do it? It could have happened to someone else too."

Erik Zabel got pipped at the line again in Stage 3 of Setmana-Catalana

Spinning was tough last night. For the first time all winter I used one of the old Spinning bikes. They are so sensitive. Just turn the knob a little bit and you are grinding the pedals. Needless to say, it was a tough class.

Jesus Manzano tells a chilling story today:
Former Kelme professional Jesus Manzano has spoken out about alleged doping practices within his team, describing at length his experiences which he claims left him seriously ill on two occasions in 2003. Manzano, who rode for Kelme between 2000 and 2003, was fired from the team during the Vuelta a España after sleeping with a woman during the race, thereby breaching team conduct. Some say that he is now seeking revenge on his former team, and his comments have gained a lot of attention in the Spanish media.

In an extensive interview with AS, Manzano explained that he and the cyclists on Kelme used blood transfusions to keep themselves "healthy" during the season. Before the Tour de France, he had a litre of blood removed and stored as two 500 mL portions. Manzano noted at the time, "One thing I did not see as normal was to leave the portions in a plastic tray without marking them, if you are going to extract from more people. The first thing you should do is to mark them and put them in a blood bank. We are not dogs, we are people and we have the right to be treated as such...Then I became aware that you must first do a cross check to see if it's your blood that is going to be put back into you."

Manzano said that he put in €3,000 at the start of the Tour to cover "medication", and he supposed that the other riders put in the same amount. But because by the end of the race the team's prizemoney was almost non-existent, they actually made a loss.

Manzano described the first part of the Tour as "normal" but things suddenly changed in stage 7. "It was the first mountain stage and in the morning they tested a substance that I had not experimented with. This substance was taken according to your weight. It is injected into a vein and the unique thing that it does is to keep your hematocrit low but raise your haemoglobin.

"In the morning they injected 50 ml of this product into me. Before the start I was in the village, I spoke on the phone with my girlfriend, Marina, and I told her: 'Prepare yourself, because I know today that I am going to ride well."

On the day's first climb, the Cat. 2 Col des Portes (km 50), Manzano and Richard Virenque set off to try and catch the early break with Paolo Bettini, Rolf Aldag, Médéric Clain and Benoît Poilvet. Virenque would not work with Manzano as he had Bettini in front, leaving Manzano to try and close the gap himself. But after three kilometres of climbing, "I started to have sensations of dizziness, with a lot of heat, very cold sweat, contrasts of hot and cold, but above all, a lot of cold. In spite of the July heat, I began to shiver and feel strange. Virenque looked at me and attacked. I went for another half a kilometre and there was a corner. It was so hot that the tar of the asphalt had melted...the only thing I remember was that I was dizzy and I could not longer ride straight, if I crashed, whether they would carry me off, where they would take me."

Manzano recalled his experiences subsequent to his crash, and said that he was given an injection in the ambulance as well as an electrocardiogram. "I felt strange, as if my tongue had swollen, as if I couldn't breathe. If they had put a hole in my throat I would have thanked them."

Manzano believed that whatever he took in the morning before the stage resulted in his near catastrophic dehydration. After the Tour, he began to get depressed and afraid, and lost his desire to race. One night his team director told him that he was going to do the Tour of Portugal. "I don't know if I am going to race any more," said Manzano, to which his director replied "I you don't race any more this year, you won't race next year." "Man, if I don't race year, why would I want to race the next!" were Manzano's final words.

A few days later in Valencia, Manzano was asked to 'reclaim' his second half litre of blood. "It was July 25 I think. I was in Valencia, I slept in a hotel and the team personnel were already saying to me that there was a problem during the Tour that affected the team, that there was a positive case, but it was nothing to do with me."

Manzano got on a train to Valencia and met an assistant of the team doctor who gave him his blood. "There were no cross checks...it could have been the blood of Pepito Flores," he said. He was injected with 125 ml of blood and immediately "I started to feel very, very bad. Chills and shivers, even with the blankets they gave me I felt colder than if I was at the North Pole."

"If they had put in half a litre I would have returned in a pine box," he continued. "They put 125-175 ml in me and this happened...I understood that the blood was at the Tour and wasn't stored properly."

Despite feeling this way and still shivering, Manzano got in a taxi to go back to the station at Valencia. "I got on the train, went in first class and felt a lot warmer. My girlfriend went and asked if they could turn off the air conditioning. And they asked her if I would be able to survive until Madrid. The guard decided to turn it off and even so I asked him for a blanket, but they didn't have one. There was a man in front of me who said 'This boy will not last, he'll die.' The train wouldn't start unless I got off. The team manager called a doctor and he came. He took me on his shoulders and carried me back to the clinic. And they started to give me more Urbason [a Prednisolone derivative with anti-inflammatory action]."

Manzano passed a another terrible night and in the morning the team director called him to ask him not to tell anyone else on the team. "How could I not do it? It could have happened to someone else too."

Erik Zabel got pipped at the line again in Stage 3 of Setmana-Catalana

A sharp cold-front moved through last night and dropped low temperatures a little below freezing. I waited until close to noon to allow for a little warmer weather. Despite knowing it was cool, the bright sunshine still lulled me into a false sense of warmth. A few weeks ago I would have relished 40 degree temperatures but after a couple days around the 70F mark, 40 was cold. The wind only added to my discomfort. I was a little tired so most of the ride was spent spinning instead of mashing a big gear. After an hour fifteen, I was happy to call it a day.

I got home and logged on to find out what happened at Milan-San Remo today. Boy, do I feel stupid. Milan-San Remo was yesterday. Again this year, the race came to down to a sprint finish. In an unusual ending, four-time M-S-R winner, Erik Zabel seemingly raised his arms to early in celebration of victory. However, Oscar Freire never quit and nipped Zabel at the line. A surprising blunder from an experienced sprinter like Zabel.

As forecasted, the roads were damp this morning and the skies were not welcoming. The radar however showed no rain to the west. Should I go? Should I not? My mind see-sawed back and forth and ultimately made the decision at 8:10 to go. At least the temperatures were moderate if the rains did come.

I got dressed and hit the road by 8:30 for the ride to Kirkwood. I like to leave a little more time for the ride but I kept a good pace and the Flat Tire gods were with me. The weather and my lack of an announcement of the ride kept attendance down and only Ted M and Bob W showed up. While we waited a Tri from our team, Greg M, showed up and asked if he could tag along. We headed through Valley Park and by 141 Greg was already hurting and begged off the rest of the ride in favor of riding at his own pace. I always like to see riders hang in and go through the ride but we must listen to what are body tells us. His training was just starting so it may have been best.

We did a nice loop of maybe 40 miles. By High Ridge, Bob was starting to lag some when the roads turned upward. He has been off the bike because of sickness for the last few weeks so that is to be expected I suppose. He really struggled once we got on Kennerly. He began to battle leg cramps and could not push much of a gear. Weber Hill and Rott Rd were a struggle for him. I felt pretty good today. Out of the saddle, I had a pretty good rhythm unlike past rides when I felt more comfortable in the saddle.

Ted was on his brand new Look KG486 with Dura-Ace 10-spd. A beautiful black bike with just a hint of the naked carbon fiber weave showing. This bike is very sexy with swooping lines and constantly changing tube shapes. If he had some Speedplays I would have hopped on for a quick spin.

Got home from work today and had to get out for a short ride. The temperatures were in the upper 60's and there was not a cloud in the sky. With the forecasted rain tomorrow, the urge to get out and spin the legs today was too great. Needing some speed work, I went down to Meramec Bottom to do a little sprint work. This was probably only the second time for any type of sprint work this year. Truth be told, its hard for me to motivate for this kind of workout but I always feel stronger afterward for having done it. This time I only did 5 standing sprints. As the weeks go by the number will grow, but this was a good start.

Spinning class was tonight and was riding strong. Doing a pretty hard workout and knowing you had more to give always is good for the confidence.

With the Tuesday Night Worlds starting in a couple weeks, these classes will be ending after next week. Thats fine. Spinning is a nice winter workout but with the onset of spring I am ready to be done with the classes. How do these places stay in business during the summer. People who voluntarily do Spinning in the Spring and Summer when its nice and sunny out need to have their head examined. Get out and enjoy the outdoors, people.

Seven of us gathered to do what is becoming a standard ride from Columbia down to Maeystown. Once again this week, the winds were mainly from the North, making the return trip more challenging. I felt strong. My guess is the legs were sufficiently worked during the race yesterday and today were fresh. In the last few miles. Jeff, Aaron J and Joe W all went for a sprint to a road sign. I gave a half-hearted effort while Joe F was behind me a little. As they eased up, following the sprint I just kept the pace high and rode right past them. With the four of them behind me, I expected they would start a paceline and begin to reel me in. At the first turn I looked over my shoulder and I still had at least a hundred yards so I kept pushing the pace. There are days when everything feels good. The breathing, pedal stroke, etc all come together and you feel fast. Not until the last little rise before the turn onto Valmeyer Rd did I look back. When I did, there was no paceline, just Aaron even further back than before, followed to 2 or 3 others. I cruised into the parking lot with a very satisfied feeling.

Saturday
Sylvan Springs Crit
I've been sick for the last week and a half. I have fought a valiant battle but in the last couple days the cold started to settle a little bit in my chest. Being the smart person i am i forgot to take a decongestant in the morning and my sinuses were draining like crazy. Brilliant! Since I had been sick I decided to ride the 45 minute Masters 35+ race instead of the 60 minute 1/2/3 race. I registered, put a few clothes on to judge how warm it was and took a couple laps. I was uncomfortably cool and my legs felt terrible. Perhaps I should have ridden since Tuesday's Spinning class. Brilliant! I went back to the car and rode the trainer for about a half hour before taking my wheels up to the wheel pit. Before the race, we got in a couple more warmup laps and they went a bit better than before and gave me some hope for the race. That hope disappeared quickly and my legs were burning each time up the hill. After 3 or 4 laps, I was ready to pull out. Thankfully, the race settled down a bit and I was able to find a rhythm. A few laps later, Sam Moore, Tracy Smith and Ethan Froese from Columbia broke away. The pack let them go with only a few attempts to bring them back. A little over halfway through the race James Roseberry and Tim Rister broke away. The rest of the race was punctuated with a series of small attacks there were quickly covered by the rest of the pack. The longer the race went, the more comfortable I felt. In my usual manner, however, once the last lap came I found myself near the rear of the pack. As the pack went up the hill for the last time I had resigned myself to finishing anonymously in the pack. Right then, people started slowing and others seemed to completely crack. I still felt good and decided to give whatever I had in my legs and I slid threw most of the pack and made the right hand turn onto the home straight. I saw I was in a good finishing place and while I couldnt pass anyone else, no one else came by me. The result was 5th in the sprint finish and 10th overall. Not bad. One thing I feel needs work is my sprinting and top end speed.