Continuing our extended "we're not gonna see 70 degrees anytime soon" in Cleveland, seems like a good weekend for hill repeats!

Saturday's weather is supposed to be marvelous in Philly, but I'll be biking the flat roads of Delaware. Why? B/c I'm looking forward to doing an actual ride with actual people vs Zwifting away with virtual people, and that's where the crew doing IMTX wants to go.

On the one hand I'll feel like an underachiever by biking flats, on the other I'm sure it'll be windy so the suffer score will end up suitably high. And since I'm going I'd say the chance for wind is 100% (that's my super power, I'm the bringer of headwinds).

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To breathe, to feel, to know I'm alive.

Did a lap each today of bike and run.

Both courses in good shape. Better than I am.

According to Strava, I hit 56.6 mph max speed on the Mohonk decent. : )
Woulda had a faster time, but some jackwagon pulled out of one of the few driveways on the R side of the long straightaway right in front of me.

At the Otter now for some RecoverWrongs.
The Stone House Imperial Stout is yummy.
(And packs a punch at 9% abv)

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float , hammer , and jog

Cool, looks like your ducks are feeling pretty good!

I'll be going around on Saturday. My wife might come along for a tour of the course.

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

Nice!

Yeah, I might've sandwiched one of those stouts around their medicore IPA ;) Yum is right and I'm not a stout guy

You should have gone by him on the left. He would have crapped his pants right there at the wheel!

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

Sounds like we can finally institute a neutral start. We'll have a quorum.

Hit Mexicali Blue tonite, after "rehydrating" at the Otter. HUGE fan of their blackened catfish burrito.

You were 20-something when you had your first taco?
Did you grow up under a rock or something?

PS - Saw Myron when I was finishing up my run, he was just heading out for one of his own.
He sends his regards.

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float , hammer , and jog

Hugely talented guy. Glad to see that he's back after his scare a few years ago. Last year when I had my 20 minute, 3 tube flat change on the dirt road at the beginning of the second bike in F1, all I kept thinking was ''Myron is gonna be coming over that hill any second now!''

Did you see his time at HITS Kingston Full? Smokin'!! at 66 years old!

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

Any sign of the brush fire? Heard their having a hard time containing it. Hopefully Sunday's rain does the trick.

It really is a shame that they haven't updated their IPA. By today's (admittedly high) standards, it doesn't even taste like an IPA.

Picture of the fire from SUNY New Paltz

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

Spot on. I thought perhaps I've just become an IPA snob.

Wow. Sad.

Soaker on Sunday in Rockland, I really hope it's the same 60 miles north.

I saw nor smelled no signs of this fire when I went by yesterday.
Saw that Minne was closed, but otherwise, it seemed pretty normal.

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float , hammer , and jog

Some from Column A, some from Column B.

At the risk of blasphemy, many of the Otter's beers are just "meh".

The Three Pines IPA has always been just ok, at best - but considering where the IPA world has gone over the past 5-10 years, it's now more like a slightly hoppy Anerican ale than an IPA.

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float , hammer , and jog

Beer talk is good but how bout getting some intel on what our beloved RD will be serving?

Some Marketing Director you are ;)

It may be heresy, but Bacchus has started making their own microbrews. Their IPA is outstanding if you like citrusy IPAs.

Cool ... I will check it out

Wife and I have been back and forth to the Kingston/New Paltz area going on 11 years now and have only been to the Otter once. We've always stuck to Keegan's for brews. I know for a long time there was nothing in the way of grub there though. I've actually been to Skytop (which I think is closed now) more than the Otter. Hell, what happened to Rhinebeck Brewing????!!

I'll have to pack up a few of our CLE brews for ya'll to sample, instead of my usual Red Bull contribution to the aid stations.

Brush fire - I thought it was from ML braking heavily on the Mohonk descent to avoid that pesky automobile that pulled out.

Sweet. Will hafta check it out.
I *heart* citrusy IPA's - Ithaca Flower Power is one of my faves.
Ballast Point Sculpin (and Grapefruit Sculpin for those who want actual citrus in their IPA) are some other tasty ones.

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float , hammer , and jog

Yeah ... these were good IPAs ... a couple of years ago. I guess things move slower in your new age group :-)

Oh, like they suck now?

You young hipster punks always trying to be cool. ;-)
I bet you're all over sours now.

GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!

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float , hammer , and jog

Ah, one lap plus one extra time on the first climb. I parked at the Yellow Church making it easy to get that extra climb at the end. I don't know what feels worse; hitting that first climb cold after a 2 hour drive from Long Island or hitting it after the five mile run takes it's toll on the legs. I do know that going up it right after the first lap is tougher for me than in the F1. I also know that I will never know how tough it is on the Third Lap. Never Gonna Happen!

The new IA16, here in front of the Yellow church;




was solid on the first decent hitting 50.1. It could be a real contender with a younger set of legs powering it. I'd have to push harder coming out of the turns at the top to get the speed on the straight higher. I'll see if I can get it faster on race day.

Recovery at Mexicali Blue with a Roast Pork and Pinapple Burrito. When I told the guy that the first time I was in there was 1973. He said ''that's way before my time, my parents were on 13 in '73''!!!

Two weeks to go. I hope you all are ready!

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

Nice! Purty ride.

The 3rd climb up Mohonk is its own special circle of Hell.
One that I have experienced for the last time back in '09. Never again.

Another week+ to build a little more fitness, then it's taper time.
Game on.

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float , hammer , and jog