The Amgen Tour and I got in Lance's way!

We were hanging out on a blocked off street before the time trials were going to happen. I was being a dork and doing track stands (basically balancing in place) with a friend in the middle of the street.........I looked behind me and realized a car had stopped just 2 feet of hitting me because I was in the middle of the road..........I rode away and watched the car pass.......15 feet later it stopped and some dude gets out and starts walking towards the team area........tons of reporters start running up and yelling "lance" questions...........So I almost got hit by, and totally was in the way of Lance Armstrong on the way to the time trials.........I know, it's a silly story, but fun!

Not much new to report, I rode in the wind and rain to work today..........ughhh, not fun, but still feels good to pedal!

$425 Raised

That is the number of dollars I have raised for my ride that starts on May 31st. I am so grateful for the financial support I have received from my friends, but I need more. I need to pull together another $2,575. (cracking my knuckles) Let's do this!!!

http://www.aidslifecycle.org/about/

-danny

Typical Man

I am home sick, and in bed. I have been unable to go to work because of my asthma. When I get a cold or the flu, allergies or a cough, my lungs tighten up. This time, my (step) son passed on his germs that he picked up from being a sweet 3 year old boy. Poor little guy was sick and with fever and couldn't sleep at night. He joined his mom and I in our bed during his terrible sleepless nights meanwhile his germies made their way into my chest. He really had it bad for about a week! Hearing his tiny chest rattling all night made us so sad.
When I get the sickness, it lays me out hard. This time around, I caught it relatively early. Other times I try to fight it,and would not give in, trying to outlast it like a typical man. HAHAHAHA! So far, that has never worked.

Today I am starting to feel a bit better and I can't wait to get back to work... and on my BIKE!!! My bike hangs over head right next to the fireplace and I am always looking at it. Thinking about cleaning it up and lubing the chain. It has been hanging there for over a week and has not been ridding as it deserves. I bet the tires are low too. But I just keep looking at it. I bet I will not be able to ride it for at least another week or so. I need to be fully better before I take off on it again...

-danny
It's an old picture, but you get the point...

REPRESENT!!!

I must have one of these, VATO!
-Danny

Bikes are Bikes

I had just turned 5 years old when my dad taught me how to ride a two wheeled bicycle. It was an old rusted hand-me-down from my sister Sandra, originally purchased at a thriftstore. I can picture it as a 1950's style cruiser with a red and white spray paint job my dad did behind our tool shed. I remember the way the over spray of white paint felt on the plastic sun baked grips, all cracked and rigid. Dad really tried to make things appear to be new or better than new when he purchased things from a triftstore. Regardless, it was one of the happiest times in my life for I experienced freedom for the first time.

I was only allowed to ride my bike in my back yard for the first year by myself, but as I gained trust from my mom as a "peddling pro", I slowly rode my way out to the front of my suburban home. Just shortly after, I was riding up and down my street which lead to my friends house a couple of blocks away. By 7 years old I was either on my skateboard or my BMX bicycle on a daily basis. Most kids my age in 1981 were riding bikes and had little to no experience with riding skateboards. So, I was part of a neighborhood BMX gang called "THE GENERAL LEE'S" after the car the Duke boys drove.... Yes, it's true I wanted to change my name to Luke because it was both Star Wars and The Dukes of Hazard related... It just didn't fly with my mom or my first grade teacher...

My BMX bike turned into a road bike in the late 80's then to a mountain bike in the early 90's. Through the 90's I juggled back and forth between a cruiser and my mountain bike. Today I ride a fixed gear conversion. If I had the space I would have as many different bikes as I could store. (Fixed, Track, Mountain, BMX, Cruiser, Road, Vintage, Time Trial, ETC...) Because my personality finds change refreshing and exciting, it would be awesome to be able to have a bike to suit my current moods. When I see a dirt trail, I wish I could tear it up with a mountain bike or a BMX. When I need speed, a geared bike or my fixed gear. When I cruise Critical Mass, a vintage 3 speed or lowrider bike would be sick!

Just like everything else, bike trends come and go. (Riding fixed gear isn't so cool anymore, geared vintage bikes are back! LOOK OUT!!!) That's all fine and dandy, but it's the freedom you feel when riding a bicycle that doesn't change. And that is what I will always love about my bike!

-Danny