TEST!

TEST!

SICK

Its been a rough couple weeks. After the last good bit of training I found myself semi sick. Over the course of a week it just got worse and worse, and now I find myself with an ear and sinus infection. Im on the tail end of it now, but I really haven't ridden my bike in 2 weeks!

Its hard to deal with because its taking sooooooo long to go away. Im on antibiotics now, but it still seems to be lingering. On a good note, today was the first day that I woke up without having an ear ache, and being able to hear properly. So that's good at least!

Life goes on.

Its been awhile since an update, and few new things to report. Im slipping into my consistent life here in Penticton, which any athlete will tell you is the recipe for a sound mind and good training The weather has been unbelievable the past few days. We are going on a week of 25 degree temps, and I find myself barbecuing in shorts in March!

Training has been decent, but not unreal. Ive been following the plan of my new coach Keith Wilson pretty regularly doing about 17-22 hour weeks. I feel my training could be better(Ie doing more, more stretching, better recovery, better nutrition etc etc), but I think as an athlete you think that every year no matter how good your training is. Im still fighting off the cruise weight, but its slowly coming off. Id like to loose another 8 pounds or so before the real races hit. I think as I get older as a male Im going to put on muscle density weight naturally, simply by getting older, but its a hard concept to be comfortable with as a cyclist!

A couple of us raced one of the Spring Series in Vancouver a couple weeks ago. It was a quick trip as we were in and out doing 2 races. To be honest I got my ass handed to me. With 2 weeks of real training in my legs its not unexpected. On top of that Ive been having some fit issues with the new bike/shoes and rode my saddle a bit too high. With the first race pace of the year, I totally destroyed my back and pulled out both days as it was reallllllllly sore.

I have a fit session with Retul bike fit guru Jim at the shop later this week, so Im hoping I can get everything ironed out. Other than that its been ok.

Clayton and I did a pretty sweet 165km ride last Sunday to a mountain pass called Anarchist. As you can imagine its a pretty solid climb, being about 13ish km all the way up with a lot of switchbacks at a steady(and nice) 7ish % grade. Ive been feeling good on the climbs but have still been keeping my HR pretty low to build a good foundation this year. All the way back to Penticton we had a horrible 65km of headwind to fight. By the end of it I was definitely cooked. Luckily the weather was unreal and my tan lines got off too a great start!

Im pretty happy overall with my life. The lady is scheduled to come out the first week of May, and we have an unbelievable apartment lined up. It is my dream apartment to tell the truth. We can afford it, but it doesn't come with furniture, which was a bummer but expected. Ive been looking for furniture the past week or so and a few good friends are loaning/giving us most of the furniture we need, so Im super stoked about that. I love this town and everything about it.

                                                               (The new apartment!)

Penticton

Keep Going

Advice from Eric

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxGRhd_iWuE&feature=youtu.be

Progressing

Well! Steve and I have been here about a week and things have been going great. We do some rides together, but both being only children we occasionally venture out solo. Ive logged about 500km over the past week, which isn't insane, but the fact that the riding in Penticton is basically alllllllll climbing it throws an edge into your rides. Most rides over 75km will have over 1500m elevation gain....throw that in day after day(especially coming from the east coast) and it leaves a man quite fatigued(especially a heavy one).

                                                      (exploring the local backwoods Mtns)
The weather has been great as well. Temps are usually hovering around 8 degrees but today was 16! This was very welcome as you can imagine. Because of the pre-mentioned insane climbing you always have to wear extra clothes though because during the ride its not uncommon to encounter snow and to be pretty high up....and much colder.

Living with Steve is pretty good, other than his consistent farting which goes off like clockwork every 43 seconds 24 hours a day(I can hear it in my room even when he's sleeping).Ive made a deal with him that as long as he farts, Im going to jump out and scare him at any opportunity...which has been a useless tactic to stop the farting, but pretty fun on my end. He also uses odd feminine products I find in the bathroom.

The cats are hating each other.....Henry is usually in about 23 fights a day. If its not with the fat grey cat, its with the skinny orange one...or the black female cat. At least hes getting some exercise.

The bikes are great! Ive never ridden a Norco before, and its far from the first brand you would think of when you say "high end road bike" but I think that may be changing. Ive ridden lots of bikes, and Im very happy with the Tactic. (Not just saying that)

The Bike Barn is swamped so Steve and I are going in tonight to pull a couple hours of repairs. Its a great shop, and I love working there so its almost like not working(especially when you throw in a legit espresso machine(free) and a beer fridge(also free after hours of course...))

Onto the New World!

Whoa! Long time no post!

So after a month of fighting through the snow in February in Halifax I have made it to BC to join my team, RideOkanagan.com! This is my second year with the team, so the adjustment is much easier knowing what to expect.

The weather was mostly horrible in Halifax all February this year. Usually you can ride and have a decent training regime but snowstorm after snowstorm delegated me and the cycling house to the basement for hour after hour on the trainer. I spend quite a bit of time in the gym as well. With the lack of riding though I feel like I'm playing catch up though as I sit here in BC in the first week of March.

I also went on a cruise with my mom, aunt and uncle, for the last week or so of February! Ive spent so much time away from my family the past....6-7 years that I try to see them as much as possible. With Moms cancer scare a few years ago, that time means more to me than a week of training at the end of February.

That being said, I was very happy with my weight when I left for the cruise....but not so much now. It just means a lot of work..and starving in the next few weeks.

It feels really, really good to be in BC again. I am in Penticton living with my team director, in the basically the same set up that I had last year.  Ill working a couple days a week at a great shop, The Bike Barn bikebarn.ca where I worked last year as well.

To be honest it feels that I never left last year, and I am super happy to see everyone and live in this small town that was voted best riding in all of Canada! The basement(Where me and Steve live) got a reno as well, so I'm living in style now!

Which brings me to my other bit of news, that my buddy Steve Flanagan from PEI/Halifax has also joined the Ride Okanagan team this year. We are now room mates, team mates, and work mates. His blog is at summerofstevie.blog.ca.

Steve and I hopped on our new rigs from Norco, which is the new bike sponsor for the team yesterday after many painful hours of travelling. To be honest we both felt terrible! A combination of jet lag, with days of travelling and also the altitude in Penticton had us riding like little girls. I never noticed the altitude that much before, but with our heart rates many many beats higher than normal just cruising around it might take some time to get use to it, and also to the new bikes.

Because Im planning on staying out in BC longer than last year I thought I would take my best buddy...Henry this year. So now the house has 4 cats, and Henry is fighting for his place in it to show who's boss! Also coming out in May is M'Lady Meaghan! So hopefully this year will be much less lonely than most years away cycling.

Making it through....

Whoa! Over a month since a post! I will update more often when my life calms down but at the moment Ive been training and working and feel like my life is made up of running from one place to another.

I leave for Penticton on March 5th. There are many things I am going to miss in Halifax, but Im also looking forward to a life change toward a simpilar life. I find it hard to fully focus on training and racing if I have a lot of distractions. I find I get in the best place mentally and physically when I limit the amount of life tasks I have. Basically it boils down to riding, working enough to live, and racing.

Alllllllll that being said Ive been lucky to get a few warmish days the past month in order to put in some big miles. I got a good 150km in last weekend preceded by the WBL(winter bike league) the day before. Other than riding a couple times a week Ive been throwing in a few gym workouts a week and of course the damn rollers.

Other than this there is not much going on. The team is coming together and bikes and kits are ordered I told. This year we are on Norco and Ill be riding their new Tactic frame. Siiiiiiick.

More updates more often.....promise!

Check out fellow Maritimer Steve Keeping as he rides from Ottawa to Florida
Hilarity ensues....
http://floridaorbust.wordpress.com/

Espresso On Tap!

Coffee Delivery!

The coffee is moving slowly and should be in PEI stores today or tomorrow. I will be selling it at Smooth Cycle on University Ave, and Taylor's Garage in Stratford. If you absolutely cant make it to either of those places send me an email and Ill look after you.

Also, I dropped some off at IDEAL bikes today, so they are loaded up. Look for an Espresso Blend in the next week or so! Also, I have big plans for the coffee in the future, stay tuned!

On the topic of coffee I have a friend who lives in Sackville who wanted a bag, but couldn't make it into Halifax. Since no one wants to drive to Sackville ever, I decided to get two birds stoned at once and do a coffee delivery Incorporated with the basin.

Its funny how the strongest I felt all year was in August/September, and a month or so off the bike has left me weak as a kitten. I was still fairly active with lots of hot yoga and a bit of running but man, cycling puts you in your place quickly if you ignore her.

Growing up on an island has left me with a worse sense of direction than Captain Sir John Franlkin, and I promptly got lost trying to find my way back to Halifax on secondary roads. After a few gravel path rides and riding through some fields on a road bike I was back on track to complete the Basin loop.

Good news is that I didn't get stabbed and am $15 richer!

Coffee is at Ideal!

As of noon Thursday THE FINE GRIND COFFEE is now available at IDEAL BIKES in Halifax! $15 a bag(tax in)

http://idealbikes.ca/wp/

Come and get it!

Its ready! My 2013 coffee fundraiser has come together and will be available either through me or available for purchase at select locations throughout Halifax and Charlottetown. It is Fair Trade, Rain Forest Alliance approved, and locally roasted in Halifax NS. If your in Halifax and want some ASAP send me a message at ryan_taylor123@hotmail.com and Ill deliver!

$15 a bag, tax in.

My next fundraiser will be Ryan Taylor approved custom blend Cigarettes.

IT BEGINS!!!!!

Blog...again?

I didn't think this would happen but here we go. Ive decided to start racing again in 2013 and I plan on re-joining the team I raced for last year in the Okanagan Valley. Properly named rideokanagan.com . Even writing this makes me feel weird as the words don't flow out as easily as they once did.

I am currently fat and working a ski-tech job in anticipation for many long hard months of training and racing ahead. Currently my game plan is to find/raise/earn/prostitute enough money for the upcoming year so that I wont have to work as much as I did in 2012, and be able to properly train. Its proving to be more difficult than I anticipated.

My latest idea is to do a coffee fundraiser, whereby I sell fair trade organic coffee beans with custom blend, label, etc etc.

More on that in the next few days!.

I will leave you with summer pics from Penticton! Where the team is based.

Ryan

Tip to Tip

I decided to do the Biking for Breakfast Challenge over the 8 Hours of Gore because I haven't done the tip to tip thing before, and it was going to be much cheaper than the 8 hour jaunt through the woods. I figured I could pull out about 8-10 hours on the roadie, but that on a MTB might be a bit rough.

I also realized Im partially retarded when I decided to do the tip to tip(285km) on an antique Peugeot I had recently restored. I tried to go as close to the real deal days of racing complete with spare tubular strapped around my shoulders, steel bottles and of course the old rig. I topped everything off with some wool and an ashtray to smoke for good measure. I retained some of my sanity by keep my clipless pedals and chamois creme....

There were a few of us who headed to North Cape the evening before to stay on the gym floor as to forgo the 3am departure from Charlottetown the next morning. The bus ride was fine and the dinner provided at the school was just dandy. It was early to bed as the crew of us awoke at 4:30 to make our way to North Cape.

To my surprise the Jay boys showed up which proved to be good company. They also pushed the pace a little bit faster than I was planning and within 15km I realized the decision to ride the old bike was a big mistake.

We pushed on and the first 150km flew by. I popped my Ipod in one ear and the soothing voice of Lady Ga Ga helped to numb the pain in the legs, it also brought back memories of french sport directors singing in perfect English who could normally not say a word in my mother tongue.

It was when the hills hit in Bonshaw that Trivett and the Jay boys put down the pepper. Maybe it was the 150km before that, or it being the longest ride since May, or even the fact my smallest gear was a 42x19 but I was off the back like it was 1992. I huffed and puffed as Im sure I looked like I was attacking my own bicycle but couldn't hold strong with those boys.

I coasted into Charlottetown with Matt and a few other guys and I was pleased the see we weren't stupid late, and in fact the Jay boys hadn't left the mid-ride feed station yet as we arrived so quickly it simply hadn't been set up!

Along with this my feed bag with my fresh supply of cigars also hadn't arrived so I was forced to keep the lungs clean for the further kms.

We sat around for enough time to grab a bowl of soup, some bread and a coke and off we went again. The final kilos weren't much fun as it was a steady push all the way to east point. Many of us(myself included) bonked hard but managed to pull it back together enough to finish.

One things for sure, no one was talking the last 100km......

The final 20km were the toughest for me. We maintained a steady pace and the pain of a consistently slipping seat post was setting in. I relegated myself to sitting on the back avoiding all pulls as I knew that would be the straw that broke the camels back. Once again Cory did the brute of the work and we rolled into East Point in 8h 3m. I was cooked....that's for sure.

Trivett proved he is the real deal and stayed strong the whole ride.....scary strong.

I was fully done by the end of this and the only stop I made after was Macdonalds to get a chicken burger and fries....Jesus it was good.... then promptly went to bed at 8:30.

(the fini)

I was up early the next morning at 7 and headed for work...anther day of Kayaking.

Opus Stakh

(MTB bikes look better dirty)

I figured it was time for a new ride. The problem however was the I had no coin to throw down. After thinking about new Mountain bikes for months I decided to take the plunge and borrow some cash. With my strategically laid down new part purchasing along with using some of the newer parts from the old rig I managed to put together a pretty sweet new ride for myself.

I decided on the Opus Stakh. Opus has always been good to me and my Fhast was one of the best riding bikes I have ever ridden, so it wasn't a hard decision to stick with them. There have been many Stakh's floating around PEI the past few years and everyone Ive spoken to has always had good things to say. Because of this I figured I wasn't going to get any bad surprises.

When I pulled then new frame out of the box I was shocked to see I had been given the 2009 paint scheme. Most of Opus paint jobs you either love or hate, and for me this was one of the worst. In my opinion it looks like the french tried to pay tribute to the Crucifixion of Christ with the black, white, and crimson color combined with the weird barb-wiring like font.... I was honestly thinking of painting the front triangle before building it up. hah

I waited a week or so for the remainder of the parts to roll in and between hectic work and drink schedules I build up the new girl. To my surprise and shock the bike doesn't actually look that bad built up. I threw on a mix of Sram XO, Mavic CrossMax wheels which are always solid and the new Fox F100. Ive never ridden a Fox but their reputation is something to hear.

First Ride:

Unreal. That's all I have to say. I took the rig out to the trusty St Catherine's trail on a down pour kinda day(only days I have off really). Despite the rain I had the new rig looking at me begging to be ridden. I have test ridden a few duellys of many brands in my time, but never liked any of them which was why I stuck to the tried and true hardtails until this bike.

I imagine its the VPP technology that Opus used to design the bike but its simply unreal. The bike handles great and instead of feeling like your always working against the bike , it feel like it is complimenting each pedal stroke. I find the bike is the best tool Ive ridden yet for finding flow on trails that have a hidden line. The Fox fork is everything I imagined it to be in a dream fork, and I can see why people have been ignoring the few extra grams in favor of them.

The Sram components are tried and true and have always proven to work well. I would go as far to say I prefer Sram over Shimano XTR now.....which was a bold statement even a few years ago.

I haven't run into any problems with the rig after a few weeks of riding. Its still proving to be a dream machine for me. I find myself looking for the odd couple hours that I can rush out to the trail to get a quick ride on the rig.....its proving to be something that motivates me to ride!

I'm moving to Halifax in a few weeks and I'm looking foreword to doing some exploring on the new rig on some gnarlier trails and testing its limits!

eeeeek

Life has been moving very rapidly, and find that it has taken a complete 180degree shift from merely 2 months ago. As you all know I was racing in Europe and now I'm living the chilled life here on PEI. I went back to my old job of being a kayak guide which is pretty stress free and also a great way to stay outdoors. Along with that Ive been pulling the odd shift at Smooth Cycle.

I haven't dropped off my bike duties completely and still ride often. My interest in cycling has never wained but sometimes the motivation to pound out a hard 5 hour ride does. With that being said though I hopped into the 100km Mtb race Concour the Pass with Ardelle and Brucious. It proved to be a tough day for me though day for though as I suffered from heat stroke and pulled out at the 70km mark. During the last section of single track I wondered whether I was going to make it out alive as I was so dizzy riding the rig. Luckily I had the shops Scott duelly equipped with a Fox Talas which in all honesty did most of the riding for me in the last parts. Not only was I not accustom to the distance, but also the high heat just killed this guy. Bruce had a great race and is showing great form now. The old man took the show...you know who I mean.

I ordered a new MTB being a Opus Stackh. I plan on throwing some of the parts from the Fhast onto the frame along with ordering a couple new bling pieces to spruce it up. When I ordered it I asked for white, but received last years color......which you either love or hate as with most Opus paint schemes.....this one Im not so much a fan, but I think it will grow on me. As it stands I'm waiting on a new derailleur then the bad boy is ready to be built up.....ohhhhh exciting!

I think life is a continual search for balance and Im constantly working on it in pursuit of happiness. PEI in the summer offers this and I find work, riding,fun, and dancing are fairly well balanced in my life right now. Im still throwing in the odd race here and there which is good for me. The problem with racing is that it falls after a Saturday night. Hah.

(Damn bridge was out...added over an hour to ride for 10pm roll in)

Spell Check works in Canada

Life has been moving on. After France I absolutely needed some time off. I needed to see my friends and family and have some beers and live the easy life here on old PEI. I think I hit the rest a bit too hard as its been about a month since Ive done a race. hah

Im starting to get back on the bike mixing between some mountain bike rides and the odd ride with the boys. The itch to ride and race is gingerly coming back. I felt my life was so one sided in France that when I rolled back into Canada I had to go the opposite direction for a little while....which was a success for sure. I find myself looking to go back on the rig again...which is a good feeling. Toward the end of my time in France I was getting burned out thats for sure.

The Cyst has gone....It lingered for a good few weeks and I tried to pop it a few times with no luck as I didn't have the "balls' to go as deep as I needed to. One night I simply got tired of the damn thing and drove that needle in as far as the bite piece could take and managed to get to the root of the bastard. Its good as new now!

I haven't been taking my camera out on rides mostly from being absent minded so no pics this post.

IN other news Im selling my SRM. Mainly because I want the money to put toward MTB parts and because having the numbers there drive me crazy. It works great, but not for a guy who is slightly obsessive compulsive. hah $1700 or best offer.

New Lands

Racing has been going horrible to tell you the truth. I was in the Tour de La Manche late last week. It was a 5 stage, 4 day race and is one of the premeier races in the region which has a very high calibre of racers, mostly filled out with DN1 and Dn2 teams.

The first stage proved to play out for me as most other races have done this year. I rode well the first 50km. When we went into the hills I got a flat and had to chase. I managed to get a horrible wheel change from a friendly team that too way too long, and I also got a Campagnolo cassette which didnt work very well at all. Its tough trying to get back onto the pack after a series of tough climbs, especially when the pack is 150 guys strong and pushing it. Needless to say I didnt make it.

So, becuause I didnt make it back on I rode that last 100km by myself into a the head wind(pt to pt) with the broom wagon 15 feet behind me. My lead moto got lost 3 times and twice I had to stop and wait for them to look at the map of where to go. It was brutal.

Ive been nursing a solid cyist that I got form riding my TT bike a few weeks ago and nothing seems to make it better. I even got a perscription form the doctor for it, but its still keeping on.....Anyway. So I rode he TT a good 14km. Nothing crazy..I wasnt the best but wasnt the worst either. The problem was the 20 minutes hard effort with MR cyist caused it to inflamme like crazy.

I started the next stage later in the day, but pulled out after 50km as it was like riding with marbles under your skin...what a nightmare.

So that was it for my racing in France. I go back to Canada......tomorrow actually...and Ill be looking foreward to it.

I had 3 days left in Flers and couldnt ride becuase of Mr cyist so I decided to take a little trip up to Caen to help the time pass. Its a bigger city and there is more going on. I mostly just walked around and did some shopping. Nothing crazy. Its and old town right on the coast of the continent. You may know it as its the closest city to the Juno beaches where the Allies landed during the war.

I knew I would probably find some English here. It seems like finding English people is what I would think buying drugs is like. Everyone seems to know someone who is from England or is fluant in English. The thing is you have to ask, and they may or may not know depending whether they like you or not.

I had my ears open all day listening for the framilier English jibberish when finally at the end of the day I heard two gals speaking English to each other. Now, this is where it gets tricky as you dont want to appear like some crazy person. Basically what I said to them was "You speak English! want to be friends?!"

So this is how it went down. The two gals are here for school to better their French and they are from differant parts of the US. We later got some pizza and met up with two of their friends form England and had a few beers in an Irish Pub. It was great!

Being in an Irish Pub speaking English is very bizzare for me. When ordering you definetly get a shock when you realize your not in either Ireland or Canada for that matter.

It ended up beign a great night. The next day I bummed around the town a bit and headed down south to Flers. Here I sit at the computer desk with my life skattered all over the floor as I have to pack and do laundry...tie some loose ends and fit my life back into the suitcase before heading to the Great White North.

Uncertain Days

(Canada comes out on top!)

No posts in awile but a few interesting things have been happening. Zack and I went to Mont St Michelle last week. It is a huge attraction in Europe, but I had never heard of it until Benoit mentioned it. Its basically an old Abbey that was made in 700Ad, which turned into a jail and a few other things throughout the years. Words cant do it justice, as its turely amazing to see. It was nice to be purely a tourist for a day.





The real fun started later that night when Benoit dropped us off at the train station. No big deal. He was headed to see his girlfriend who lives in the area, and the plan was the take the train back to Flers for the night.

We soon found out that there is only three trains that depart from that town in the course of a day, and of course we had missed all of them. Well friends, we didnt really have many options of what to do. I miraculously had Francks number in my bag so we called him in Flers to see if he could get us, but he wasnt home. Zack and I then walked to an internet cafe and facebook stalked Benoit to get his cell number. We tried calling him to see if we could devise a new plan, but it turned out Bens cell had died.

Well it seemed Zack and I were shit out of luck(excuse my French). We walked around the town with the ten oclock hour approaching and went into random bars to see if we could use their phones, to make a long distance calls to Flers. Of course with this I had to buy beer at each place. Zack doesnt drink so I found myself with 3 beer into me at 3 differant bars within an hour.

Anyone who knows me knows Im a cheap date, and I was feeling pretty good by this point. Also, it had becoome obvious that no one was answering their phones and we should find a place to stay for the night. The train station seemed like the best option, but was something each of us were looking to get out of.

Keep in mind I dont speak french well, Im basically useless to tell you the truth. Any progress we had made was solely from Zacks french skills, which he tells me arent very good. If it were up to me to get us home and we had gotten ahold of someone, I would have no idea how to get the message accross that were stuck in a town 100kms away. My key role in this was to drink the beer that got us the use of the telephone.

So, Zack and I walking around this cool little town when we spot a group of 4 girls. We walk up the them and Zack speaks french when they abruptly cut him off and say "We speak English" in perfect English! Turns out we meet 4 gals who are teachers. Ones from England, ones from Mexico who speaks perfect English and the rest are from France who also speak English well.

I instantly have a mini freak out, as other than Zack this is my first face to face conversation with anyone who speaks English in over a month, Ho daisy.

So we head to the bar. We all get drinks and I have a couple more beer which puts me in a good mood. The ladies offer us to stay at their place for the night and it ends up being a great night, and an even better story.

The next day Zack and I wake up early and head out to explore this little town that proves to be a sight in itself. Its directly on the water and reminds both of us Maritimes boys, of home. Feeling the salty air and seeing the active fishing harbour is something only a guy from the Maritimes can appreciate.


With that we get some breakfast and wait for the train to take us to Flers. An omlette and a few coffees later we meet up with a brother and sister from Austrailia that just finished an extensive bus tour of Europe. They were quite the cats and we chatted for a good 45 minutes before they had to take off to find a rental car.



We made it home later that day with tired bodies and the scent of adventure still in our minds. It was the random and uncertain days like that, that will stay with me as memories from this trip.