eBay arrives at Vietnam

For those of you who are Vietnamese and can still read in your native language. Here another way to search for your next bike.

tibet landscape

This is a typical view throughout Tibet: wide open mountaineous spaces, sparsely populated. Those rainbow colored fabrics stripes are seen everywhere. Tibetans attach them to their houses, trees, mountain top, or just about everywhere for good luck and protections.

After this photo was taken, I looked down and saw a human body submerged in the clear and freezing water. I did not try photograph it out of respect for the departed, but a small part of it was caught in this photo. Can you guys spot it? Tibetan culture do not bury but expose bodies of the deceased to nature after funeral.

climbing the himalayas

It was raining, we were at 16,000 feet elevation and going up the Himalayas range in our bus. I could barely walk half a block without stopping to catch my breath and the road was slippery and scattered with rocks from mountains. That's when I saw this lone cyclist fighting his way up the steep hills slowly on his cyclocross weighed down with gears and maintaining composure despite all the honkings from annoyed passing bus drivers.Well, if you are going die doing something you love....might as well do it on the Himalayas instead of some other wimpy hills.

my latest bike

This thing can climb mountains with constant nudging.....and this model even comes with its own "bike babe"

Bike messenger rides with one leg

Tech feature: 2008 Trek Madone

Is it just me to notice the sexy new look of the 2008 Trek Madone? I can see a lot of resemblance between this frame and those by Orbea

ABC Ride on mission trip 2006-2007

Team Time Trial Lance's Years (TTT)

After turning some heads on Greenway last Thu night, I started to think of the bright future of our group and how good we can become.

Arden Hills - Stillwater Training Ride

I've been riding this route for the past few weeks on my own and enjoy it a great deal. The route includes some residential area up to the intersection between Highway 61 and 96 - around White Bear Lake, this segment is very smooth with a huge bike lane as wide as the size of a truck. The next turn will bring us to a rural country road along the East Highway 96 where you will see some Apple Orchards and several adjacent cute farms in the middle of the open corn fields. About 4 mile before arriving at Downtown Stillwater, there is a big finale of descending slope heading toward the River front district at Main Street. It concludes a 19 miles ride (approx 40 mile round trip) with plenty of treats along the way. To see the satellite traffic of the route, click on the "Traffic" link on the map.

Specialized outlaw in lycra high speed cop chase

I should have bought the Specialized instead...

You know you're a serious runner if....

A change of pace.....

You know you’re a serious runner when….

...your Saturdays for the next 4 years are ruined.

...your weekends are shot.

...a 12 mile run is an easy day.
...pizza, pasta, pizza, & pasta are your four food groups.
...your watch is more expensive and complicated than your car.

...watching the New York Marathon on T.V. made you get up and go for a run.

...you drink more water than Free Willy.
-you run through goosepoop like it doesnt exist
-you use frozen peas/vegetables to ice
-you know carbs are good
-you know the ammount of time to digest before you run
-you know what PR's are
-you get mad when people dont know what a 400 is, or any distance for that matter
-you own more running shoes than regular shoes
-you enjoy running in the rain
-you get excited when a new flavor of gatorade comes out
-theres no such thing as too much pasta
...your shoes have more miles on them than your car does.
...you need a magnifying glass to see your name in the paper.
...people say, "You run three miles...at once?"

...you combine phrases like "10 mile run" and "Easy Run" in the same breath.
...a meal involves more than 3 servings.
...you spend more on training clothes than work clothes.
...your christmas list includes more than one pair of running shoes.
...you feel lost without your water-bottle.
...you have running withdrawl if you don't run everyday.
-you won't drive by any running store without a quick look inside.
-you know exactly how far a kilometer is.
-you have more old dirty shoes piled by the door than a farmer. .
-you not only know how you did in a race, but you know exactly how every other runner finished.
-you know splits are something that not only cheerleaders care about.
-you get up earlier to run on the weekends than you do for school/work.
-you think that the inventor of Powerbar should have his likeness engraved on Mount Rushmore.
-you have hundreds of safety pins scattered around your house.
-you have more T-shirts than a souvenir shop.
-you check out the running stores for the new styles.
--you could watch a whole marathon and not be bored.
-you think of distances in terms of mile repeats.
-you can convert miles to km and back in your head in a second
-when someone asks you what you did today, you respond with a number
-you run 2 miles for practice and tell your coach that was a nice warm-up
-you enjoy racing your shadow.
-your wardrobe consists of at least 1/2 race t-shirts.
-your "nice" shoes are your new running shoes.
--you look dumbfounded when everyone asks you how long your marathon was. (26.2 miles... duh)
-instead of candy bars you keep energy bars in your desk.
-you don't blink an eye at $100 for running shoes, but you have to think about $100 for any other shoes.
-you save bib numbers in a scrap book
-you know to the hundreth of a mile how far it is around your neighborhood
-you have imaginary lines on the ground (start/finish)
-you look at other people's running shoes to see if they really run....you can tell

-you count your strides per minute

-you know the optimum stride rate (180 – duh!)

-You run hills just because. The turn around and do it again.

-You run small marathons in the boonies just so you can say not a single Kenyan beat you.

-You know that those cotton race shirt giveaways are for show and not to be worn to races.

-You can tell your IT Band from your patella.

-Gait, stride and over-pronation makes sense to you.

-You’ve had the gel of your ASICS freeze from running in extreme cold.

Thoughts on Self-Assessment and Personal Growth Plan - Correlation between cycling and leadership - a refelctive response to Quang's email

Not as lucky as many of us, I don't get to go to bed early after today ride even though it was the fastest group ride I've ever been a part of. Surprisingly, my body is not aching up as usual, just a little discomfort on the quads and some soreness on both palms of my hands for leaning so hard downward. Bad techniques! I guess almost two weeks off from biking did yield some positive effect on my overall condition. The tank is half empty!

I've been up all night catching up on the final paper - Self Assessment & Personal Growth Plan for Leadership Developement, a class I am wrapping up at Bethel. I have a habit of listening to Classicals/Jazz while working or studying. Spontaneus nature of this genre of music intended to smart people up, someone once told me. The luscious sound of a violin by Joshua Bell beams out from a cheap set of speakers on the bookshelf: "O Mio Bambbino Caro" by Puccini. The soothing tune didn't quite carry the calming effect I hope for to quiet Quang's booming voice still echoing in my head: "ON YOUR LEFT! ON YOUR LEFT!". So much for serenity and creativity.

After a couple hours of goofing off online shopping, suddenly I had an epiphany: cycling is a great metaphor for leadership. In order to get to that distant destination, one cannot be in a leadership position all the time, but have to relinquish that to others. Rewind back to the moment when my heart just about to jump out of my chest heading toward the end of Greenway around Farmer Market, I realize this is the purest physical form of collaborative teamwork. ABC Riders has transformed themselves from a "group" to a "cohesive team". From friends who share just common hobbies, to common goals that build up and encourage each other toward higher, worthier accomplishment. From an internal focus to an external outlook for better relationship among us. I am about to cry. Hick~Hick~