Back from a great vacation in Vermont, spending several days at Ma and Pa's cabin on a lake. Took our bikes and took a couple of beautiful rides along the Connecticut River, and along some isolated gravel roads. It helps to have 38mm tires and a touring frame. The weather was typically cold, wet, sunny and gorgeous in the course of each day. Hiked the Benton Trail up Mount Moosilauke, the 10th highest mountain in New Hampshire at 4,802-feet. The trail ascends about 3,000 feet in 3.5 miles. My calves hurt for 5 days afterward.

The cabin didn't have a tv for many years, but now there is a satellite dish and Direct TV, and I felt guilty hooking it up. That is until I sat transfixed watching Lance Armstrong destroy the field in the Tour de France. He has been amazing, timing his attacks perfectly, sprinting up the final ascents of the mountain stages. Ullrich has been fighting hard, with his team setting a blistering pace much of the time, attempting to break away from the elite peleton near the top, only to have Lance sit on his wheel until the right moment and then just riding away after a long glance into the face of Ullrich. It's been a truly great tour so far.

It was pretty amazing to see Ullrich do a flip on his bike during one of the mountain descents, only to pick up his bike and catch the pack within a few hunder meters. It helped that Lance didn't attack during that time, but Ullrich showed real determination.
posted by Bruce Wright at 9:21 PM #