Hello all,

We just got back to New Jersey after a few days away in the Outer Banks.  The Clark family had a great little get-together in Corolla, North Carolina.  We got to spend a few days enjoying the beach and catching up, cooking good food, drinking wine, and relaxing.  I got to do a couple of rides with Uncle Scott, who hasn’t been riding much this year, but he did really well nonetheless.  He certainly hasn’t lost his touch with the trash talking, though - we had everyone worried when we headed out the door.  They were certain that they would be calling the EMTs for one of us, after all the verbal jousting that preceded our rides.

Riding in the Outer Banks is definitely taxing in different ways than riding in NJ.  It’s flat and windy, and with only one road it is difficult to avoid traffic.  The shoulder is wide enough for one bike in most places, although we could occasionally ride two abreast for a moment, but to ride a paceline we had to cross over the white line/rumble strip when we rotated.  It’s not too pleasant.  The wind was relentless, but not horrible.  What hurt most was the endless flatness.  Sitting on your butt without the constant shifting of positions that NJ’s hilly terrain requires can really get old quickly.  My butt was sore after 30 minutes!  Plus I think it would have been more interesting with a fixed gear bike - I only used two gears the whole time.  Regardless, it was good to ride with Scott and to get a few miles in.

While Jenn and I were enjoying some R&R, some friends of Endurance Guru were out and about, kicking some butt.  Mike and Kira Theesfeld both set PRs at the Newport Half Marathon.   Amy Carow rocked at the Danskin Triathlon, finishing 2nd in her age group and posting the fastest swim split in the process.  And Kathryn Bertine rode to 37th place at the World Championship TT in Mendriso, Switzerland, riding for her adopted country of St. Kitts and Nevis.  Congratulations to all of you for facing down the pain and going for it.  Great results, all of you!

Amy Carow enjoying those sweet Zipp 404 wheels!

So I said goodbye to a good friend today.  I sold the Roubaix Pro on eBay last week, and the new owner picked it up today.  He seems like a great guy, and he’s totally jazzed about the bike, so I know she’ll have a good home.  One of the great perks of working in the bike business is that I can buy a new bike each year, ride it enough to learn all it’s qualities, and hopefully sell tons of them as a result.  It’s cool to be able to give customers an honest evaluation of a bike’s features and speak from personal experience when I give a buyer some guidance.  Next up:  a 2010 S-Works Roubaix SL2.  This bike was my favorite ride at the Specialized Dealer Meeting in Utah, and I’m really looking forward to the upgrade.

And here’s something to look out for:  Race Across the Sky - the movie.  It looks like a great profile of an amazing day.