New Year...

Well, it's here. Happy New Year 2011! Now time to get into the habit of writing the correct date on all my checks.

December 31st was my birthday and the day couldn't have started off any better. I got a 40 mile road ride in with some friends. The temps were in the low 60's which made for a sweat in my long sleeve jersey. The headwinds were a bitch but it was all good in the end. When I got home, the wife had a gift sitting on the kitchen table all wrapped up. I gladly ripped open the present to discover a brand new Brooks Swift saddle! I've been wanting a new Brooks for a while. I was then surprised with another present. I immediately opened it to find some matching Brooks leather bar tape! Now I can really get my touring bike looking nice!

Happy Birthday Me!

Later in the day, my folks showed up and we stopped by the local bakery for some cupcakes. We then hit the road to Loveless Cafe for dinner. If you have never been to Loveless Cafe, you are missing out! They have the best homemade biscuits. I selected the BBQ and Eggs as my dinner of choice. My selection fared very well! After stuffing our bodies with such great food, we retired to the apartment for an evening of relaxation and liquid spirits! I now prefer to stay in on New Years as you don't have to fight the crowds and high priced alcohol. Overall, this was the best birthday I think I've ever had and I was glad to enjoy it with my family!

Dinner at Loveless Cafe

On New Years Day, I said my goodbyes to my parents and they hit the road back to Knoxville. The wife and I made a quick trip to REI for the "Scratch and Dent" sale to only find an overcrowded store and all the good stuff already gone. Once back in the Boro, I met up with my buddy Eric D. We hit the local pub for some beer and food. Eric is started a local courier company in Murfreesboro that focuses on the use of bikes for delivery. If you are in need of a fast delivery in the Boro, check out Clean and Green Couriers.  Things are in the beginning stages but they have an awesome business plan that I am sure will be successful!  Anyhow, I got a quick ride in on the new saddle and loved every minute of it!  I'm looking forward to it breaking in a bit and then it will be really comfortable.

Sunday road ride

Sunday was mostly spent on a long road ride.  A small group of us hit the road towards Pulltight Road out in the county.  The ride included a fair amount of climbing.  I had never been this far out into the county and really enjoyed the ride.  The "Pulltight" climb wasn't as bad as its reputation.  For the most part, its pretty quick and steep.  We did the ride at a pretty casual pace and just enjoyed the conversation and Ellis' bitching.  We ended up with 54 miles of riding and blue skies. 

The climb up Pulltight Road

This week is gonna be spent getting things organized and ready for classes starting next week.  I'm definitely going to incorporate some riding plans in there.  My goal for 2011 is to ride 6,000 miles.  We'll see if that happens.  Anyhow, Happy New Year!