Wintery Mix

There was time Saturday morning to get in 26 miles on the levee before I had to leave for the airport, and so I headed out early to battle the brisk wind alone. My outward bound leg was largely tailwind and I rolled along easily out to the parish line. The return trip, however, was another matter altogether. I was intent on getting a good workout out of it, though, considering I'd be off the bike for a couple of days while up in Iowa, and so I was holding a good pace for the first mile or two until I flatted. Damn. There's got to be something still in that tire, because I flatted just yesterday. I also didn't put another good tube in my seat bag, so I would only get one shot today. I checked the tube carefully, inside and out, and found nothing, so in went the new tube and I was back on the road. Soon I saw John R. coming toward me on his TT bike. He turned around, which was a good thing because by now my motivation was lagging. Getting a flat sometimes feels like a slap in the face. John rode alongside for a little bit, then looked over and said "feel like doing a little drafting?" So I latched onto his wheel as he got down on the aero bars and sucked wheel much of the way back. This head cold still has me down, and so I guess it's a good thing that I will be missing Rouge-Roubaix today, but I still wish I was there.

The trip up to Iowa City was a long one, including about three hours in the St. Louis airport between flights. The first leg featured a yappy little dog a couple of rows ahead of us that barked through much of the flight. The second leg featured a small child who probably had an ear infection who cried much of the time. Both flights were on small planes - you know, the ones with one row of seats on one side and two on the other. If I was a big person, it would be intolerable, but since I'm not it's OK. The second leg was particulary painful for me. This head cold has apparently stopped up the eustachain tube in my left ear, so the changes in cabin pressure when climbing or descending really hurt. It's kind of like having someone sticking a hot poker in your ear. I tried all the usual tricks, but this thing was obviously swollen shut pretty well. Damn, I hate being sick.

So we finally arrive and get to the hotel on campus to find that the room doesn't have internet access. Turns out some rooms do and some rooms don't. Go figure. We changed rooms. A hotel room without internet access is simply uncivilized.

I looked out the window this morning to see a nice little layer of snow on everything. Actually, it's what they call "wintery mix" around here, which means a combination of snow, freezing rain and I guess a bit of unfrozen rain. Anyway, the high is supposed to be 38F. As I write, the Rouge-Roubaix is just getting underway. The temperature there is in the mid-50s with a high in the mid-70. It will be a nice one and I hope Jason and Realdo fare well. I'm not sure who else is going from the club, though.

The gymnastics meet against Minnesota is at 2 this afternoon. I am hoping the girls put together a good one.