i'll never say a bad word about florida again.

after playing golf with ron (father-in-law), escaped the clutches of the beast to the left (my cell phone camera works! - thanks andy), took a nap (first one of those in a loooong time), then headed-out on the bike for a hard effort, the final blast before tapering for sea otter. the legs are feeling so primed, it's going to be hard to keep things in check the next 4 days, but it's all for the best - and it's not like i won't be riding, just 25% less than normal, but when you've got one of these compulsive riding disorders and your mind is always telling you TO RIDE, it's hard to say no. Like those old anti-drug ads say, "just say no."

i used to get-down on florida. but not anymore. these folks rock. there are bike lanes everywhere and not one person has honked, yelled, spit at me, given the middle finger or tried to run me off the road. so much for boston and new england being the "educated" state. f'ing massholes. today, i'm stretching on the side of the road, getting ready for a series of LT's after warming-up for 30mins and a guy drives by, turns-around and asks me if i'm ok. i quickly explain i'm stretching, he wishes me well, cranks back-up the country music and blasts back out onto the roadway. that's crazy nice! in boston, you could be run-over, laying on the side of the road bleeding to death, someone will stop, steal your bike, then someone else will stop to pick your pocket, then someone else will slow-down to yell at the others to get-out of the road. you get the point... not to say there aren't good folks in boston, for there are many. it's just that there are more than enough idiots sometimes - and it's been a real nice break to be down here in florida where the temps are warm, the roads w/o stoplights, wide bike lanes and friendly folks all around.