NATHAN'S BLOG: The Official Blog Of THE ELMS.

Wow

Really, you guys, I'm bad at this blog thing.  I'm a bit of a hermit and I like to be alone so blogging is something that goes against my nature. 

As most of you know, we've been in the UK and Europe for the past week and a half or so working, site seeing and visiting.  It's been a lot of fun and tiring as well.  I'm so damn tired right now that I can barely stay awake.  My body aches and my brain is running on fish and chips, which means it's running sluggishly from all the fat and cholesterol I've taken in.  Not being on the bike and eating the way we've had to has been hard on me.  I've literally been living off coffee since I've gotten here, and the coffee here is fantastic.  Strong and bold.  I don't think I'll be able to enjoy a cup of coffee in the states again.  We drink it so weak at home.  I almost think I  might be switching to espresso, exclusively,  when I get back.  Or at least a nice dark roast coffee for the Bunn. 

Anyway, the first things I'm going to do when I get home is drink a lot of water, sleep, then drink more water and then go for a long long bike ride.  I've got to jump start this body of mine.  After that Petty (my dog and best friend) and myself are going to walk to the park and play Frisbee together.  That's his favorite sport.  He can't get enough of it.  He's bad ass at it too.  I'm getting better.  I miss my boy.  We're buds.  

I'm sure you've gotten plenty of updates the shows over here so I want to talk about the place.  I'm a history buff so seeing the history that all the cities and villages we've visited hold is simply amazing.  America is so new comparitively.  We were in a village today in The Netherlands called Deventer which was founded in 768, burned to the ground in the middle 800's by vikings and then rebuilt with a wall around it.  Big stretches of that wall  still stands today.  The town has remained relatively untouched since it's rebuilding in the middle 800's.

One of it's main attractions, the Waag (or the Weighing-house), was built in 1550 in Brink Square.  On one of it's walls hangs a 500 year old kettle that was used to boil people to death for wrong doing in the late middle-ages.  Hows that for history?!  Our oldest towns are lucky to still have buildings that still stand from the late 1700's.  I like walking around and picturing these old cities they way they might have been when horses and buggies where transportation and not bikes and cars.  When dogs, chickens, goats and whatever else where owned my the inhabitants would roaming the steats and life was slower, smaller and much harder. 

Guys, thanks for checking in.  Sorry for being a slacker and not updating more often.  It's something I need to push myself to do more of. 

I hope all is well and we'll see you soon

NB

More Cycling...

...I know.  Please forgive me. 

This is a well done, little, 8 minute YouTube video of one of my favorite riders during his 4th place finish in the 2001 Paris-Roubaix.  It looks to be an excerpt from a documentary or movie or something.  I'd love to know what it's from.

Anyway, Paris-Roubiax is the most brutal, dirty and dangerous race in all of cycling.  There are, I think, 54 cobble sections in the race.  This video shows how animalistic, smart and crazy the sport of cycling is. 

George's director is Johan Bruyneel, who directed Lance Armstrong to his 7 Tour de' France victories.  He's the best in the business.  It's really cool to see a guy like him work.

This video shows why I like Hincapie so much.  He's a tough as nails workhorse.  He seems to win and do well when the all the elements are at their worst.  There's a lot to learn from people like him.

By the end George is completely covered in mud from the weather and all his crashes.  It's worth taking a look.

NB

This cartoon says it all...

Dumb Dumb DUMB...

What the hell was I thinking.  I guess I wasn't.  That's what happens when you get caught up weeding your lawn. 

I went out to mow the yard on Thursday and thought, "I think I need to get this white body of mine a little sun", so I took off the ol' shirt and put some sunscreen on my shoulders because I didn't want to burn them.  I was only going to stay out for about an hour, because that's all it takes to mow my yard. 

Well an hour's worth of mowing turned into a visit from my sister and nieces, a chat with my wonderfully eccentric, little old lady neighbor across the street and then into pulling weeds in my front yard.  Needless to say, I spent about four hours in the yard with sunscreen only on my shoulders.  I'm sure the picture below won't do it justice, but OUCH!!!!!!!!!   

I've been keeping it covered in aloe vera, but what sucks about that is having to unstick your shirt every few minutes.  Notice the crazy designs from where the sunscreen did its job.   I think I even see some finger prints there in between my shoulder blades.

Lesson learned.   Always wear your sunscreen if you don't want to sleep on your stomach all night and wake up the next morning with a crick in your neck.

Sunscreen =  No Melanoma!

NB

 

 

Blogging schmogging...

So, I just got back from a group ride.  That's what I've been doing lately.  Yes, sporting the spandex (don't knock it 'till you've tried it) , riding fast and burning mundo calories.  Yep, as many as 800 calories an hour.  Most of my rides are around two hours, so you do the math.  I'm going to be nonexistent here soon.  Actually, it's great.  You get to eat a lot and you still lose weight.  I love it though.  It's such a challenge.  That's the  part I love the most.  To get, not just you, but a machine,which you're sitting on up a few hills and home, which may be 30 miles away.  And the spandex... it's actually worn for a purpose.  It wicks away the sweat and it doesn't leave you legs raw like they'd be if you tried to wear regular shorts on a bike.  There is extra padding in the crotch of the biking shorts as well to help your toosh and jewels alive while you're sitting in the saddle for those long hours.   

Anyway, enough about that.  I don't want to bore you, it's what I did today.  Thought I'd write about it.  I had to put something on my blog before we launched the new site.  Speaking of the new site, looks pretty damn good, doesn't it?   

Here's a little crash video for you.  It's Tyler Farrar from Slipstream Chipotle.  It's really not a bad one.  It's  more of a test to make sure I'm working this damn blog correctly.  There's a curse in it, so... just a warning in case you care.  I think I might start posting bad crash videos on my blog for fun.  We'll see.  Endless possibilities. 

Cheers,

Nathan

Chute Paris Nice 2008 FARRAR Tyler
by Maxio