Rode up to the famous Geysers yesterday. A 5 hour training ride, the first real ride of the camp. The pace got a little heated towards the top of the climb but overall it was pretty reasonable.

Most of the ride I was worried about getting back in time for my insole appointment with Bill Peterson of Foot Fitness. I kept asking Morgan the time but he was unknowingly giving me Mountain time. I just couldn't figure out how a 5 hour ride time was 6.5 hours.

In the end I did get back in time for the insoles and bike fit. Bill made a few changes I'm kind of worried about but we'll see how they feel after a couple of days.

The ride rumor today is Cavedale.

The name is on the bike so everything is official. In the past I've had to use white electrical tape and a marker. Who's Euro now Phil Mooney?

I got the Prince about a week and a half ago so have already ridden it a bit. It's really lively and responsive, just the way I like it. Last weekend I got a chance to try it on some of the sweepers on Highway 1 and it held solid. The cornering was fantastic.

The Campy Record is a bit of a change. It took about a week to get used to but now I love that thumb shifter. The 11-speed drive train feels really smooth and the shifting is quick. Now that it's been tuned up by our mechanic Ben O., it's a real pleasure to ride.

What does Bissell Camp day 4 have in store? How about a ride in the hills, followed by some product fittings. It's unknown what the ride will actually be like, but I keep hearing "full gas."

Make sure to check out this article in the California Aggie today. I'm glad to be considered a role model for the Davis youth.

The agenda for today at Bissell Camp is pictures. Drive to a winery, take pictures. Ride around, take pictures. Ride back, take pictures. Good times.

Last weekend saw another Aggie training camp come and go. Saturday we did the classic Kings Ridge ride. I got a flat right at the bottom, but the boys were nice enough to wait for me so we could still hammer together. Sunday we hit Fort Ross and the riding was more mellow.

Today I went mountain biking for the first time with Tim. I think this was his idea of pay back for not setting him up at the Pink Elephant sprint on Saturday.

In my defense, I figured a "versatile sprinter" wouldn't need help and could win even if he didn't know where the sprint line was. My mistake.

The Bissell training camp gets rolling tomorrow here in Santa Rosa. I get the privilege of rooming with Tom Zirbel but the Argentina guys aren't coming in till tomorrow.

Rumor has it that the riding isn't going to get hard till Eric Wohlberg gets here, so tomorrow should be pretty mellow, but we'll see.

Like a vacuum filter without Bissell's Microban Antimicrobial Protection, I've grown some hair. But it all has to go; the hair on my head, the legs and the ... well, actually just those two apply here.

So why shave now when the season has yet to start? Two reasons, Bissell training camp and the annual Aggie Inter-Squad Time Trial. Okay fine, it's just for the Time Trial.

While I don't want to get made fun of at camp by the "old guys," my early season goal is this time trial and I'm willing to do whatever it takes. Even if that means looking feminine to lose a few grams.

So here's the layout, big base miles during the Bissell week. Come back on the 2nd and slowly ramp up the intensity through Thursday, taper on Friday and hello +50 TSB come ITT time. I'm only telling all you guys this because it's going to happen (+50 TSB, seriously) so you're better off training for something else.

No, not in the Journal of Molecular Biology, the Davis Enterprise. Jason Eiserich has been lobbying hard to get an article about me and Taylor Kuphaldt in there, now it's finally happened.

Yesterday we went out with Mark Adkison and took like a thousand pictures for the article. The one that got published (above) in on Cantalow. Note that I'm riding in the big ring, like a true pro, while Taylor is struggling in a little gear. See Taylor, I told you it would matter. Here is another picture from that afternoon.

Unfortunately the article is not freely available online. However, if you are on the UC Davis campus or have Newsbank access you can read it here. You'll find it as the second "untitled" article in the January 20, 2009 issue.

I was just chilling with my lovely wife and watching 27 Dresses when all of sudden it was my vacuum cleaner. Basically, Jane went to go see her sister Tess and George's little brother Pedro was there cleaning with a Bissell Healthy Home Vacuum. It really helped me connect to the characters.

Before you get all on me about watching a rom-com it was either that or Dream Girls. Even though Dan said this musical drama was "pretty good," I stand by my decision.

Yesterday, Nils and I drove out to Santa Rosa to pre-ride day 1 of the Aggie Training Camp.

We did the long Santa Rosa / Occidental / Monte Rio / Kings Ridge / Tin Barn / Coleman Valley / Occidental / Santa Rosa loop. When we reached the top of Kings Ridge the view made the long drive worth it.

The main purpose of the ride was to scout out the run in to the "Pink Elephant" and find good places to attack on Kings Ridge. I plan on cleaning up next weekend, no pun intended.

Santa Rosa is also the home of Bissell Boss Glen Mitchell, so while I was there I took delivery of my gear. I've never had so many options of what to wear on a ride, life is tough. I'll have more on the Red Dragon later.

First Aggie Race Ride left at 3:15 from the Bike Barn this Tuesday. It was way fast and it wasn't long before I heard, "I must have the fit wrong on this new bike, I just can't put out any power."

Anyway, Zach was 2/3 against Phil and Training Peaks says that if I were a woman I'd have Exceptional (e.g. Domestic Pro) power, how flattering.

You may think it's a little too late to write about the weekend on Tuesdays, but Tim Farnham does it and he's a pro.

Friday ended with teammate Jeremy Vennell taking the New Zealand ITT Championship, Congratulations. Now Glen has to find a fancy skinsuit for him in time for the ToC. Of course he probably has a few of his own in a drawer somewhere to use in the meantime.

Saturday I headed out for the famed Wheelworks Ride. I spent the morning lighting matches and throwing them at Zach. He burst into flames way before the first sprint. Typical junior. But then the Freund Brothers ignited the whole group and I stopped laughing.

Sunday was the DBC Master's Challenge. I was supposed to just hang out at the back and mentor so was expecting it to be pretty easy. To my surprised it turned into a lesson about why not to hang out at the back. It made the workout after that much harder.

A couple things have come to my attention recently.

First, now that it's the new year my contract requires me to ride a team bike. But I'm not worried because nothing says "Bad Ass" like riding around with tape over all 14 logos on your current ride.

I've also heard people questioning if this blog will ever return to its former glory. Cut me some slack people!

The lack of posts is due to my off season life being pretty much Research, Riding and the Wife. I'm not going to try the research posts again, just read the comments on the last ones. The "Check out this photo from my last 5 hour ride" posts get old really quick and I'm trying to keep the blog PG so I have to leave a lot of the wife stuff out.

All of this limits the choice of topics. But once the season gets rolling there will be plenty of cool race stuff to write about so you can be sure that this blog is "here to stay." Well, until I get bored or run out of money that is (funny my wife said something similar).

Finally have time to write something about the trip to the Czech.

After Christmas we saw the sights in Prague and some other close cities. Regensburg in Germany was nice. Everything was well kept, clean and pretty. It was also good to see the Mach name alive and well over there and on people's minds in even the most intimate of moments.

New years was definitely the highlight. I drank most of a bottle of champagne and then we headed out to Wenceslas Square to watch the fireworks. I was thoroughly entertained and I'm not exactly sure why. I think it was because I hadn't seen fireworks in 14 years. I've always been on the boat in Alaska during the 4th of July.

In America people would frown upon so many drunk people with fireworks, but there, it was just part of the tradition.

Overall, it was a good trip. I got to see the family and the sights again now that I'm a older and will actually remember them. But, it is good to be back and into my research and riding routine.