Home a Few Days Now

You think a cross country move would be a complicated and taxing endeavour, but it almost felt like flicking a switch.  I had almost no change in routine before the move.  I packed all my things in less than 3 days, totalling two duffle bags and a bike box that was over filled.  According to Google Maps, for a cost of $0 I could walk the ~2800km to Saskatoon in 24 days.  I elected to buy a plane ticket and was back in Saskatoon in little more than 4 hours.  Now how's that for perspective.

Since coming back to Saskatoon I have observed that the week preceding September 1st  has the highest turnover of 20 somethings of the entire year.  There is a simultaneous rush of students retuning to town and a mass exodus of those leaving for schooling elsewhere.  Thank goodness I am unemployed, so that I can attend all the homecomings and sendoffs three times a day.  I have some very good friends who I only get to see a couple times a year, and it feels good to just drop whatever I am doing and go catch up.

To facilitate my transition back to school I feel like I have become a professional pencil pusher.  There seems to be a whole lot of administrative papers involved in your final year of school.  And "they" said computers would be the death of paper.  At least this is conditioning me for the mental work that will come come this winter.  Sometimes I feel like my brain has become really lazy, nay I know it has.

On the sporting side of life.  I spent a couple days cobbling together a cyclocross bike.  Seems to be the only bike I have right now. (My Time Trial Bike is on it's way to Saskatoon, and is still for sale).  Even though I am riding on a cross bike I am not ready to hit the mud.  Right now I am running slick road tires and yesterday went for a great tour around the north end of Saskatoon.  I forgot how flat it is here,  I also forgot how windy it can get.  It's a completely different way of riding, even to the point of changing your equipment selection and altering your riding position.  Yesterday was my first "real" ride in some time, and it was great.  I think I will have another good ride today.  This is the "not training time" when you just go ride around until you think it's time to go home.

Training shall be based solely on feel,
while racing shall be guided by sensations and instinct.



Cuylar Conly 

Bikes for Sale !!!!

2011 Marinoni Rewind Time Trial & Triathlon Bike

Ideal for Triathlon or other timed solo events.   This bike has been used for two months.  This is your chance for fall pricing in the middle of summer.  On display at Fresh Air Experience (1291 Wellington).

Handmade Carbon Fiber Frame, Size Small (53cm, fits 5'8"-6'0")

Ultegra deraleures

Dura-ace shift levers

FSA Gossamer TT crankset

Deda Elementi cockpit

Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels

Mechanic Owned

Retails for $4200

Used for $2300

 

ALSO

Giant TCR Advance SL

Giants top end ultra light frameset, with affordable ultegra groupo.  Stiff and agile this is a real racing machine. 

-High modulous hand made carbon fibre frame

-Complete Ultegra 6700 groupo

-- DT Swiss Tricon R1700, Giant LTD-edition wheelset

-mechanic owned

Size Medium

Retail price $4200

Used for $2400

cracked

Summer is coming to a close.  I have no races remaining on my calender.  This is okay, I have had a long season and my mind has begun to loose pace with my body.  My appetite for riding hard has hit rock bottom but that's okay too.  Normally I place allot of pressure on myself, so right now I am allowing myself to ignore these demands.  I have plans to move back to Saskatoon at the end of the month, so the next couple of weeks will be more about collecting a couple paychecks than stacking kilometers.

The big question is where to from here?  I have plans to go to school full time this winter.  I will continue my undergraduate degree in Biomolecular Structure Studies, and I plan to graduate in April 2012.  I wont lie, I have my work cut out for me.  I have stacked allot of classes into my final year as well as a research project.  I have a daunting 8 months ahead of me.  So much in fact, that I find myself incapable of planning beyond April.  There is a defined finish line, but instead of a ribbon it is marked with a curtain.  I know a few directions that I would like to take on the other side. But, I have never been good at multiple directions.  I have a Goal until April, and some time to realize what comes next.

Cuylar Conly

About those Shoes

FOR SALE!!!!

Diadora Speed Racer Road shoes (size 9.5)

Brand New!  In the BOX!

These shoes where used for three days.  They are not right for me, and I am selling them at a big Discount.

Retail $120

Asking  $90

FIrst and Last Time I Swear!

Yesterday I drove 7 hours into upstate New York.  My Team and I will be racing the Tour of the Catskills, which begins today with a 20km Time Trial.  Despite the car being packed floor to ceiling I awoke this morning to the realization that my helmet and my shoes remain on the closet shelf back in Ottawa.

What followed was a complete systems crash.  My brain become scrambled eggs my legs like noodles and my heart dragged heavy on the floor like an anchor.  I didn't think a solution was possible, and I could not bring willpower into my body or my mind.  It's true the season is wearing hard mentally at this point.  It seems I have motivation enough as long as everything goes smooth.  Unfortunately when I come to a block I haven't the force of will to solve the problem.

Thank god for Michael DeKelver my team manager and directer sportif.  Without him I probably would have just wandered off into the woods and become some harry mountain man.  "There's always a solution," he says.  "You are ridding this race.  That's obligatory.  We can tape your feet to the pedals if we have to, it's been done before."  Right away Michael started on solutions, and eventually he had me coming around too.

Here is the solution.  After aggressively networking we found a man from Rochester, NY who will loan me a helmet for the weekend.  He found me through the twitter-verse, our world really is shrinking.  If you appreciate the kindness of a stranger please follow @k0demonkey and thank him on my behalf.  As for the shoes.  The good semaratin k0odemonkey has also offered his extra shoes, which are 1 1/2 sizes too big.  After some deliberation and a visit to the Local Bike shop to plead my sob story I have decided to purchase a second set of shoes.  This is justified as either rainy weather training shoes or resale.  I bought an entry level shoe in the same brand and size that I always wear.  Big thanks to Windham Mountain Outfitters for hooking up a deal on that.

I am once again equiped to race.  My Time Trial start time is at 6,54pm. My mind is still like mashed potatos and I will spend the rest of the day relaxing and getting my head screwed on straight.  My focus will be the two road races tomorrow and Sunday.  Each is over 150km long and includes several mountain passes.

pray for wings

Cuylar Conly