Cubs 4, Giants 2

My boss hooked me up with the company Giants tickets for the Cubs game last night! This was my first time to AT&T Park and it was an awesome time...especially since the Cubbies pulled off the win in the end.

Observation: Whenever you hear cheering from just outside of Wrigley Field you know it's for the Cubbies...at AT&T Park last night the cheering was evenly mixed.

The picture above is Bonds up at bat...unfortunately the Cubs intentionally walked him a couple times and we didn't get to witness the fury that Balco adds to a swing.

Seth's out west

My old teammate Seth Meyer flew in late Saturday night to meet up with a couple of his Northwestern buddies, Geoff and Will. We (Seth, Will, Geoff, Anthony and I) got out for a great trip around Alpine Dam with a climb up to East Peak on Sunday. It was great to get out and ride with Seth...he can climb like a mt. goat...I took a beating. If you ever played the old NES game "Ice Hockey", it was similar to pairing a team of the stocky characters (fats) against a team of the thin characters (skinny-minis).

Unfortunately, Seth, who is allergic to bee stings, fell victim to a nasty bee sting during his ride yesterday and he couldn't make it out to the Golden Gate Sprints tonight (too drowsy from the Benadryl...read about it HERE). Yes, GGP Sprints were tonight and it was fast...seemingly faster than normal.

Cupertino Bike Shop Ride and Highway 9 - Congrats in order...

Today I went down to Cupertino with my friend Anthony for the Cupertino Bike Shop Ride. It was a pretty sweet ride. The shop ride was about 15 people and hit the first 33 miles of this profile. It was a really great ride. The climbs were not extremely high, but they were all pretty steep...a bit more steep than my normal routes in Marin. I had fun in the flats though! After some espresso back at the shop, Anthony, Claudia and I got back out to do a nice slow climb up Highway 9. This was an amazing climb, the views were fantastic...on the edge of a valley and very dense forest all the way up. At the summit, we turned around and enjoyed one of the fastest descents that I've hit out here so far (very little need for breaking).

The ride was followed up with lunch at a local Greek joint, hanging out at the shop and a short nap on the shop couch. A quick stop at Jamba Juice, followed immediately with more espresso and we were on our way back to the city, with some old school Eazy E helping us along the way.

If you are ever near Cupertino, CA...I highly suggest a trip into the Cupertino Bike Shop. Vance and the rest of the crew are super-friendly and the bikes they have on the floor are amazing. Added bonus is that they carry Freddy's Choice Embrocation Oils (AKA: "BKDubb's")

Back in Chicago, James "Cipo" Holton (Team Get A Grip Cycles) has pulled back-to-back 3rd place finishes in two of the biggest local races around, Elk Grove and Downers Grove. Congrats!

Today's Ride

I got out for a great ride today:

Blue is the new green

I'm not even sure where to start...these guys in the picture are the guys I've been riding and racing with for years back in Chicago. Not everyone is represented in this team photo taken after the Winfield Twilight Criterium, but these guys and those not represented have been awesome teammates and friends...well, they'll always remain great friends.

I'm jumping ship. Racing solo is a tough task and that's pretty much what I've been up to whenever racing out here since I moved to SF. This week, I've accepted a spot on the Kovarus/Squadra Ovest Racing Team. This team reminds me much of my Chicago roots with TGAGC...serious about racing, fun guys, train together and just have a great time racing/riding.

New kit is on the way. Here's a small team photo they took a while back:


In other A.DIG news... I've been hitting it pretty hard lately...
My buddy Anthony and I have been jetting out after work for some hill training, mainly in the Headlands. I pulled off an exciting 11th place finish at the Timpani Criterium in Santa Clara (my best result out west so far). Did a bit of business travel on Monday (The OC) and then went on a nasty ride yesterday with Anthony, Phil and Vince - the wind was insanely in our face as we climbed and even the descents were scary with the crosswinds. Tonight was a short recovery ride, followed-up with a trip to Trader Joes for some fuel.