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The Enchanted “Half” Circle: Cycling Tales from New Mexico

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  New Mexico was beautiful!  The views were amazing! Taken from outside of our VRBO.  Looking into downtown Red River.  Such a lovely site.   Friday we headed up the mountain to the top of Red River via the chairlift.  OMG it had been twenty years since I had gone up a chair lift.  I white knuckled it on the way up.  My anxiety was through the roof.  However, I made it to the top without a complete melt down and again lovely sites to be had.   Red River, New Mexico loves Willy's, Bill's, and Billy's.   The biking in the mountains was hard.  The first little hill I road up had me bent over my handle bars gasping for breath and coughing.  The altitude was definitely a factor.  However, after acclimating to it over the next 48 hours the altitude was not the issue on race day.  My tummy however was.  I certainly didn't have my best day in the mountains.  I mean technically I road the fastest 10 miles in my ...
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It is all over but the Dying… oops I mean Crying… crying….

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It is all over but the Dying… oops I mean Crying… crying…. August 2, 2025 I have consistently joked about my demise in New Mexico.  Mainly, because 85 miles and 6,000 feet of climbing sounds like a lot.  I double that mileage on the weekends and matched that climbing in the month of July.  Physically, I think I am as ready as I can before The Enchanted Circle.  Mentally, I am working on it.   I tried to lie down last night and imagine myself successfully climbing the Circle.  Leaving Taos and pushing my way back to Red River.  All I thought about was all the times I had stopped and had to walk or rest going up hills.  That wasn’t exactly what I was looking for.  I need to stop saying I am going to die in New Mexico and start to think about how much fun I am going to have.  No work.  No drama.  Just me and my bike and a big challenge in front of me.  I got this....
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Tarwheel and wind, wind, wind…

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  Tarwheel and wind, wind, wind… Tarwheel and it strong winds and flat roads are three weeks in the rear-view mirror.  Time flies when you are having fun.  Tarwheel was so much harder than I expected it to be.  It was not the distance.  The distance I can do.  It was the wind.  14/15 mph head winds.  I guess that is what happens on the East Coast.  The winds come off the Atlantic and swirl.   I talked to a co-worker about this after the event.  I said it didn’t matter which way I went I got hit in the face with a 15-mph wind.  He was like yes, that is how the coast is.  I sort of wish I would have known that.  It is something I will remember as I look for rides along the rest of the original 13.  I will be looking for lots of tree cover, and or some ups and downs.   Look the weekend itself was great! I can’t complain.  ...
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Trapped Inside: The Madness of April 6, 2025

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  04/062025 Trapped Inside – The Madness of April 6, 2025 Maybe the ride was doomed from the outset.  If the mind wasn’t ready for the ride. Then it was not ready.  The 40-degree temperature didn’t bother me or keep me from going outside.  The on and off again rain certainly didn’t keep me indoors.  The combination maybe.  I think it was really the warning that popped up on my phone from the weather app.  The one that warned of potential ice.  I think that and driving around and seeing the puddles of water everywhere just did me in and I was trapped inside.  I went upstairs with the best intentions.   I had a proper meal.  I got my CamelBak ready.  I filled two bottles of water, and packed my PB&J.  I spent some time on the world wide web and looked up the best movies that were on Prime right now.  I am mean I just finished Reacher season 3, I was go...
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Back Outside II: The Bureau of Positive Self Talk

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03/31/2025 Back Outside II: The Bureau of Positive Self Talk The Bureau of Positive Self sounds to me like something out of pre-revolution Russia.  However, I sort of like it.  I think I will adopt it as my modus operandi.  I have the Russian Revolution on my brain.  Not because I am a socialist at heart or because I am some type of radical.  More so because when you have spent the last five months listening to the revolutions podcast and you are on Season 10, Episode 70, it registers on the brain. The Revolution Podcast is fantastic.  It is done by the same guy who did the History of Rome Podcast which was my first podcast I ever listened too.  Really it is great.  Maybe don’t binge it straight through or you will also start referring to you dog as Comrade or Robespierre. Also, when you are out on a 2:15 minute LDSR ride in granny gear, you might also start asking yourself questions like would my dog have h...
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Back outside!

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  Back outside! One hundred and six days since the last time I had been outside on my bike, but then again who is counting, not me.  After a winter spent spinning indoors and lifting weights, the temperatures finally warmed and the sky dried up enough for me to get back outside!   I couldn’t wait.  I was trying to get everything done in a rush yesterday.  Breakfast, lunch, recycle center, car wash, taxes, everything that was on the list, I had to get done so that I could get outside and get on my bike.  It had been far too long.  Plus, when the cleaning lady is here, Kona, is sufficiently distracted and I can sneak off and go, go, go.  Yesterday, my training schedule had me scheduled for a LSDR for two hours.  That is a long slow distance ride.  The goal is to keep my heart rate low and not go to hard.  This is tough for me because I can’t walk out of my house and spit without hitting a r...
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The Man in the Box….

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  The Man  in the Box... 03/09/2025 The Man in the Box…. “I’m the man in the box, buried in my shit” Man in the Box - Alice in Chains  The Box I can’t help it.  Every time I go to get into my sauna tent, I hear Layne Staley’s chilling words in my head.  I know whatever Alice in Chains meant in their song, has nothing to do with what I am going to do, while in the sauna but there it is.  Every Tuesday and Thursday after I get done throwing around some weight, I finish my chat with Clayton and then I turn to the box and as you can see, it really does look like a box.  Probably why, the song runs through my head.   On February 18 th  I took my heat training for Enchanted Circle to the next level and started getting into the sauna tent for 20 minutes.  I was skeptical that the thing would really work.  However, I was super surprised how hot that sauna tent gets.  Thing is amazing.  ...
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