Alright, so I am not actually going to write (sing) out the rest of that song.  And for 2 very simple reasons.  First and foremost, I don’t know the rest of the words.  Secondly, if I were to sing out-loud to myself, trying to remember the words, the other occupants of this cozy coffee shop would be grasping their ears as they ran out the doors in an attempt to escape the unmelodic shrill of my voice.  Which, is not necessarily a bad way to gain fame in today’s pop-culture.  Perhaps during the coming off-season, which is still a LOOOONG ways off, I can come up with a new song and dance which would prove to be even more catchy than “Pant’s On The Ground.” In the meantime, the 2010 Road Season is bearing down on me, and its time to get down to biznass.

But “Wait,” you say; it has been something like 4 months with no posting.  What has happened between a day of rock-climbing with your bros and now logging countless hours in the saddle.  At first, my hiatus from the blog-posting was convenience and laziness merged into one cohesive chunk of time where I was able to escape from the daily rigors of cycling.  With time passing by quickly, my off season quickly gave way to reintroducing my ass to chamois creme and saddle time, while my legs struggled to remember how exactly it was possible to tap out more than 80 smooth revolutions in the span of 60 seconds.  Eventually, the bike was no longer a foreign object between my legs, but rather an extension of my own being.  In the mornings, I would sip at my cup(s) of coffee while pouring over cycling related news online, and by the time evening rolled around, I had digested all the day’s news, blogs, transfers, and developments.

It was during that time, that I noticed that I, like many other cyclists, had begun to enjoy all the leisures of the off-season.  Things like eating excessive amounts of delicious food, staying up late, even the occasional alcoholic beverage were all fair game during this short and precious time of relaxation in our year otherwise ruled by concerns of our power-to-weight ratios, fitness/form, and other performance defining idioms.  And after reading the nth account of a night spent enjoying “grape-juice” and hors d’oeuvres, or a holiday feast which was ruled by pumpkin and other savory sweets, I decided that the world really didn’t need another personal account of a near-similar experience.  And I so I left the blogging and story telling to those who exercise and display a greater mastery of the written word, than do I.

However it is now that the days of racing are nigh.  Nay, in fact, the days racing have already begun to accumulate this year.  Lest you think that my 2010 is already passing you by, rest assured that the 2 days of racing which I have logged were more just me remembering how to function smoothly and efficiently under the auspices of racing and not just training.  My first race of 2010 was the Boulevard Road Race held in eastern San Diego County.  This year again brought conditions which would favor the true hardmen who were willing to suffer the most as we set out to race under a cool sky which was releasing a steady bone-soaking rain.  An untimely flat took me out of contention for a result, and left me to suffer alone at the front of a small group of men whom endured the conditions and refused to quit.  A day later, and I was mid-pack in a crit dusting off my crit-sharking-skillz.  Those skills still have much honing to be done, but it was refreshing to get back into a elbow-rubbing peleton as we raced around an old industrial park for all of 75 mins.

Coming out of those 2 races, I am excited to see my form improving, and hold high hopes for another year of learning, growing, and winning.  With my afternoon’s latte long since finished, and a computer battery that is about to die, I am going to power down and head back to the ranch.  It’s true, I am back, and I am ready to rock another solid year of living the dream from the seat of my bike.  I’ll see you on the road…

Keep the Rubber Side Down,
C-

Go to the Source – carsonmiller.missingsaddle.com

With my brother not having school on Fridays, we decided to make the most of his day off last week.  After a sleeping in, we headed into downtown for some errands and a trip to one of Bend’s finest coffee shops.  While he tackled a few to-do’s, I tackled the best latte in town.  With our to-do’s ticked off, and riding high on my delicious brew, we rolled over to the Taco Stand for a quick lunch.  Around Bend, the Taco Stand has become almost iconic.  Inside an older deteriorating building, which is well of the beaten path, Bend’s population has found one of the best inexpensive ways to conquer hunger by means of the all-mighty burrito.  As with most locations offering up quick Mexican food, the portions are large, and you could surely eat something other than a burrito, but I don’t know why.  The flour tortillas are bursting at their edges with fresh ingredients that satisfy all but the biggest of appetites.

Having eaten our fill of Mexican, we returned home in order to pick up some climbing gear.  While my brother never really took to the world of competitive sports, he has found abundant joy in climbing mountain after mountain, and rock face after rock face.  I decided to join in on the fun for a day.  With all the gear in the back of our Subaru, we rolled out to Smith Rock State Park where we meet up with a few mutual friends for an afternoon of climbing.  I should note that it has been many years (like at least eight), since the last time I pulled on a harness or climbing shoes.  While I thought I knew what snug fitting shoes felt like, pulling on a pair of “appropriately” sized climbing shoes was just the first of many surprises that would come my way that afternoon.  After cramming my feet into the impossibly small shoes, and getting over the initial shock of how tight they fit, I found a world of enjoyment.

Lots of vertical rocks, and lots to accomplish here are Smith Rock State Park. The views are not too bad either…

We spent the afternoon tackling several different pitches and routes and climbed right into dusk.  While my afternoon began with modest ambitions, and a chief aim of spending time with my brother doing something that he enjoyed, I left the state park with so much more.  We made out way out of the park as the sun was sinking beyond the horizon, reaching the car just before the last rays of sun-light disappeared.  The hike out left me anxious for more.  An afternoon of challenging climbs, great time spent with friends, and a new found hobby were just the way to recharge my batteries.

As it turns out, spending time away from the bike is not as hard as I thought it might be.  And with a new found hobby, I still have plenty to learn and plenty to keep me active while taking a break from the endless kilometers of tarmac which I plan to overcome in the coming season.

It was a long way to the top, but I made it. This is a shot on my favorite pitch from Friday afternoon, and I can't wait to try out some new routes.

Between now and resuming structured training in a few short weeks, you can be sure I will be making a few more climbing trips with my brother.

Keep the Rubber Side Down,
C-

Go to the Source – carsonmiller.missingsaddle.com

The 2009 season has been great, but also has been extremely taxing.  Since February, my summer has been filled with more racing kilometers than any prior season, and has also included the proportional and prerequisite increase in training kilometers.  My season culminated with a 7+ week trip to Europe where I raced as a member of the USA Cycling U23 Development Team.  During those 7 weeks, I not only experienced some of the toughest racing that I have faced so far, but I also was riding on some of my best form of the season.  Everything came together for me in an environment that was challenging yet supportive, while also pushing me to grow and develop as a cyclist.  As my return home drew nearer, I could feel that the timing would be perfect.  I had been racing 3 or more days a week for most of the trip, and my body needed a chance to rest and recover from all those hard efforts.  I held on and made it through the last races, before coming home to start resting and relaxing in Vegas style.

Lest you think I am using the term “off-season” to disguise my cyclo-cross season and its related ambitions, let me correct you right here.  This time off will truly be downtime, several days away from the road bike, while getting caught up on everything that I have neglected to do since January when I left the cool icy roads of Oregon, for the warmer and sunny roads of Souther California.  But first, CrossVegas.

With Land Rover Las Vegas stepping up as a sponsor of CrossVegas, they were keen to have several riders pimping the bright yellow and green skinsuits under the lights of the Desert Breeze Soccer Complex.  Along with my teammate, Aaron Tuckerman, I was more than happy to accept the invitation to race before spending a day or two on the floor of the Interbike Trade Show.  It is my humble opinion that one needs to spend no more than 2 days in Las Vegas – 3 at the most.  A testament to this fact can be found in the numerous descriptions by others who departed through the gates of McCarran Airport, and found that most of the passengers whom were departing looked run down, exhausted, and desperate to get out of the Sin City.

My first full day back in Bend was one of the last warm and sunny days in the immediate forecast, so I decided to make a trip to the coffee shop.  I figured that an easy 60 minute spin, with a stop at one of my favorite coffee shops, would be just the way to get the staleness of the drive home out of my legs, while enjoying one of the last pleasant days of Fall.

Yesterday's hail storm signals what is likely the end of warm and sunny days here in Bend.

During the last few days, I have made serious progress in cleaning up my room, as well as unpacking all the bags and boxes which I have been living out of since January’s departure for warmer training grounds.  With my floor devoid of the duffle bags and left over race food, I turned my energy to taming the piles of crap which have overtaken my desk.  It wont be long now utill I have all of my old bank statements filed, and the pile of unread VeloNews Magazines eliminated.  The goal here is that I will have everything cleaned and put away with time left over for a fresh coat of paint.  My brothers and I have slowly been going through color cards, and having settled on a color more vibrant than white, I am looking forward to a change of scenery.

While unpacking and putting away all my clothes, I took the time to organize and hang all of my riding kits. Chronologically and in the same order; skinsuits, bibs, jerseys, and then jackets.

In between trips to the local second hand store (which is a great place to get rid of unwanted clothes and generally junk in general) and getting everything put away in its place, I have found some time to enjoy a bit of cooking.  Spending time in the kitchen is one of those things which I really enjoy, and fancy myself as good at.  These weeks away from structured training also provide a little extra “wiggle room.”  While I might pass on the apple pie or plate of Oreo’s during the season, This is a time of indulgence, and enjoying that second helping of ice-cream simply seems like a good idea right about now.  Soon enough, it will be time to tighten down the belt, figuratively speaking, and get serious about preparing for 2010, but for now, it is time to relax, and enjoy a genuine break from all the structure that I crave.

Starting the day off with a plate of Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict and Chipotle Almonds was a brilliant idea.

Keep the Rubber Side Down,

C-

Go to the Source – carsonmiller.missingsaddle.com

Last weekend, I fell victim what seems to be a variation of the “stomach bug” that has been going around the European peleton.  While I don’t even put myself in similar to company to that of Andy Schleck, or Tom Danielson, I did find it interesting to note that they both fell victim to a stomach bug.  I think our only similarities beyond a love for the bike, came in the form of some of our symptoms.  Friday afternoon I noticed that my stomach didn’t feel good.  I chalked it up to nerves, or some other random affliction which would soon pass.  While I was out riding and warming up for a criterium that evening, I noticed that I was most “comfortable” on the bike when I was working hard.  Every time my heartrate came down below like 155 my stomach would start to turn itself in knots as it worked out a bug.  Simple enough I thought, I just have to make sure I ride really hard, and smart, in the criterium tonight, and I will have no problem.  I suppose the theory was at least mildly beneficial, considering I pulled a top 25 after going in several breaks over the course of the 70km race.  What followed that evening, was four days of laying in my bed, scarcely able to eat.

I spent saturday evening hugging a porcelain pillow as my body worked viciously to rid itself of an unwanted infection in my stomach.  No such luck – just lots of time curled up over the toilet.  After several days of forcing myself to eat small amounts of rice and other simple carbs, the writing was on the wall.  Whatever sickness I had was going to take more than just rest and not eating to be expelled from my body.  I went to the doctor on Tuesday morning, and was diagnosed with a stomach infection and given some medicine which will hopefully clear up the infection, and allow my to resume normal eating and training habits.  So far so good.  I have been able to slowly re-introduce more complex foods and meats into my diet, and the normallness is coming back on the bike too.  Today was the first time in nearly a week that I have felt good on the bike, and I am looking forward to a weekend of kermesse racing to conclude my trip here in Belgium.

As soon as I get home, it will be back on the road as I head with my team to Las Vegas for the Interbike show and the Cross-Vegas race.  I don’t know exactly how the legs will hold up to 2 days of steady travel before the race, but I had a blast being there last year, and I am excited to get in some racing under the lights this year.  Its going to be a busy next 7 days, and I am excited for all that fills those days.  See you in Vegas.

Keep the Rubber Side Down,
C-

Go to the Source – carsonmiller.missingsaddle.com

Wednesday was a day of traveling and sleeping for me.  After getting up early, we drove 4 hours to the airport, where I enjoyed a 2 hour nap, er, I mean flight.  Arriving in Belgium, we all enjoyed a small bit of ice-cream before jumping into a bus for the drive back to our house in Izegem.  No sooner than I climbed in the bus, did I pass out, only to wake up as we took the exit ramp from the freeway into Izegem.  After dinner, I got caught up on a few e-mails and tweets before spending a few hours at the square (towne center) with Cole House and Chris Butler.  Coming off a big block of racing, it was nice to get out and relax for a bit.  We all enjoyed a little Belgian brew before returning to the house to pass out.

A team of 7 riders plus staff, pac along A LOT of gear. After the vehicles returned from Spain and unloaded, this is what our Service Course looked like. Lots to unpack and put away.

From Thursday through today, the days have been pretty relaxed for me.  With double-digit hours of sleep coming almost daily, along with a few short rides, and a daily napping session, my batteries are finally starting to feel recharged.  When not sleeping away nearly half of the day, I spent a good deal of time in my bed or on the couch with my computer.  I always laugh at how many quality hours us cyclists can kill with a computer (or phone) and a good internet connection.  While most people back home have a hard time comprehending the laziness of a cyclist, we all embrace the world of technology, for its great ability to kill vast amounts of time.  David Millar recetnly wrote a great blog about killing time.  As a cyclist it was funny to read about someone else, who’s daily routine was so familiar to me, yet one that many cannot fathom.  One of my recent time-killing discoveries has been the world of literature.  Surprisingly enough, I generally love to exercise my gift of gab, yet find in painfully difficult to finish a book.  Recently, I have found Out of The Silent Plant, the first book in The Chronicles of Narnia trilogy, to be an oasis from my electronic world.

Several rides this past week involved stopping at the coffee shop. While the coffee tends to not be as volumous as what I have become accustomed to back home, they definitely know how to make a good cup of coffee. All the extra's are a nice complimentary touch too.

When not behind the glow of my computer screen, or reading, I found another great way to pass time. Some will understand what is happening with this deck of cards. Others will wonder. I still need a lot of practice…

This afternoon I get back into the swing of racing with a 110km kermesse.  The next three weeks will be packed full of kermesse races, internet, and my electronics before I fly home to kick off my off season, er, rather cyclo-cross season.

Keep the Rubber Side Down,
C-

Go to the Source – carsonmiller.missingsaddle.com