6 months later...

Bozeman, we have a problem....

Not really. How can I complain about going on a 40 mile road ride on January 4th with a great friend and training partner? Ryan and I put in some time on the tarmac on Sunday. Quiet roads, blue sky and no mechanicals.

The last six months have been good. Design 5 has been gaining clients and we beat our first year goals and we still have two months to go! We are opening up our marketing campaign to MN so we can spend more time at home. Anyone in MN need landscape design, planning, graphic arts, presentation materials, or anything creative from two talented folks in Bozeman? Check on us at www.design5landscapes.blogspot.com or on Facebook at Design 5 Landscapes!!!! We have a website coming soon as well...

Bike racing in 2009 was almost non-existant. I did three cross races and absolutely sucked wind in all of them. Oh well. What's unfortunate is that the only weakness I can point to is my bike handling. I need to practice, practice, practice! I did make a breakthrough discovery with tire selection. I rode tubular clinchers this season which made a huge diference with handling and grip. "Discovery" isn't right. My brother has been beating me over the head, trying to get me to ride some good cross gear. He has been on tubulars for two seasons and can't believe I was rolling on clinchers. I am slow to change. So, I now have two sets of tubular wheels for 2010. One set of Ultegra tubulars and one set of Zipp 303s. Even so, these nice wheels won't do anything but lose fabulously if I don't seriously improve my handling skills. Timid McGee on the race course.

On the upside, this year was one of the most fun on the mountain bike! The Trek made it through the season without any mechanicals and I flatted only once. I felt like superman in August and was firing on all cylinders on the dirt. Ryan and John were great riding partners and I hope this coming season is as fun. I registered for Leadville 100 and have a couple of connections for getting in... Let's hope they work. I am very excited for it and have set the goal of sub 9 hours. Ryan and Drew are registered as well and everyone is in full training mode.

Christmas was fun and busy, despite having "no plans". Ben and I hit Theo Wirth on the Pugs. That was a real blast and wish we had more time to spend churning snow.

Jenny and I ate a ton of food, enjoyed some time in St. Cloud, went to museums, saw the Bodies exhibit at the MOA, had a sushi blowout at Origami, gorged at Cafe 128, ate Blucys at the Blue Door, swallowed House of Pizza with recklous abandon, sipped on some great Belgian White ales, at approx. 40 peanutbutter / hershey kiss cookies, ate one pan of my moms nut roll bars, hung out with Tomas and my sis, helped Jim and Nancy with a landscape plan, signed wills, visited Granny Franny, saw Mike "The Godfather", watched South Park, went to Avatar, visited the MN Zoo, got my sisters car sideways doing only 20mph, hung with the Hawkins, drove my dads tractor, set up my parents new TV and hardly slept at all.

Hope this finds you all well!