Halloween Laughs!

Have a great weekend - CHEERS!

What A Difference a Week Makes and the Real Athlete in the Family

Thanksgiving weekend was one to remember! The weather was amazing - hot and sunny. People were out in force enjoying the weather. Logan, Emily and I went to Canterbury Hills in Ancaster for a hike (Sara was doing a massage course in Toronto - pretty agonizing considering the weather and the fact she was indoors!). The trails had a couple of beautiful waterfalls - here's Logan posing at the biggest one, very cool.

This view is from the falls looking back down the trail.

We went exploring and followed the trail deep into the forest. We only covered a few kilometres but it looks like a cool place to do a trail run in the future.

Another smaller waterfall.

There were trees galore and it looked awesome with the sun shining through.

Logan did a couple of tris this summer - the final one in the later part of September at Lakeside. John Salt and the Multisport series do a fantastic job with the kids and the focus is on participation and fun. The kids really enjoyed themselves and it was apparent nobody cared what place they came in - they were definitely there to have some fun!

At Lakeside pre-race they always take a picture of all the kids together. Logan's on the far left, second row with all the other 8 and 9 year olds (Logan turns 8 at the end of October and did fine with the older kids). Check out how many kids were in his wave! The swim was 100m long, followed by a 2.5km bike and finally a 800m run.

I was lucky to get this shot as Logan was moving pretty fast - he loves the bike!

Here he is coming down the home stretch. The girl on the right is a local kid who happily ran back and forth to support the participants - a great atmosphere all around.

Basking in the glory of a job well done!! Mom and Dad are very proud!

CHEERS!

Some Funny Pics to Chuckle By

I don't know why but this picture cracks me up every time I read it!

CHEERS!

Tour de Youngstown 2.0

Although I'm a little late getting this out I still need to report on a fabulous weekend in the bustling metropolis of Youngstown. Instead of riding down to Youngstown, this year we set out from the cottage to explore the area surrounding Youngstown. The weather was perfect with light winds and the terrain was predominantly flat. Beast's wife Sheila held down the fort while we were out (code for read for a little while followed by nap - we would learn later that John shares the same hobby).

The area around Youngstown was perfect for riding with lots of quiet roads and usually a decent shoulder. Beast here was doing his best to create a cone or vortex of silence as he "powers" his way up the 1% climb!

Peter doing a pull with no hands to impress the ladies! Very Lance-like Peter, well done. As you can see in the background the countryside was quite nice.

If you look closely at this picture you can see 3 riders riding safely and one rider who thinks he's a car - a Cervelo Coupe.

Self-pic - DORK!

Our furry friends - Peter's pups had a blast at the beach and on the trails and were up for eating anything they liked.

Post 50 mile ride Beast went straight into an interval workout of several beers and a couple glasses of wine which culminated in a early hibernation for the Beast - unlike his shirt's message the Beast's energy had some limits. The rest of the weekend ended with (in no particular order) more wine and beer, line dancing, headstands, steaks, more steaks and a 20+ km run into some hurricane-like winds. All in all we had a blast and look forward to next year.

See ya in 2012!

Freakin Awesome Bike Skills!!

http://tinyurl.com/3n3tsyk

Check out the video and, do yourself a favour, listen to the commentary - it's hilarious! The dude is unreal on a bike.
 
Cheers!

Lake Placid - Whiteface Mountain

Post Ironman Sara, Logan and I drove up Whiteface Mountain. For those that don't know, the paved road leading to the summit is 13km long with an average gradient of 7.9%. Cyclists who have ridden this road and Alpe D'Huez say they are similar in profile except that the Alpe has 21 switchbacks! I rode Whiteface last year and it took me 1 hour and 5 minutes to make the summit. The temperature at the bottom when I started was 21C and a 5C when I reached the summit and covered in cloud. Since Whiteface tops out at 4863 feet I couldn't imagine some of the Tour de France climbs which regularly cover at least 3000 more feet during their mountain stages!

Even though my quads were sore from the race Logan said he was "training" me. He wanted to "test my ability to cope with the terrain" (his words). I had difficulty stepping down, going up - not so bad.

The instructor.

Sara, Logan and I at the Whiteface summit - 4863 feet. The view is incredible and you can see at least 50 miles. The ranger said that, on a clear day, you can see Montreal.

There is an elevator built into the mountain but Logan, Sara and I chose the gnarly route (Quads loved it!)

Here's the point to where the paved road ends. If you ever get the chance to head up - do it; it's awesome.

Cheers!

BAMF - I Need to HTFU!

Hey everyone,

check out this video - it's unreal. Fast forward a couple of minutes at the beginning if you don't have time. It's worth a look.

Cheers

http://www.youtube.com/...ture=player_embedded