Some things are better left unsaid.

This is Bob from home.
This is a sex store that had more devices than one could imagine and things we had to ask about. The staff was very knowledgeable and friendly. I didn't realize elctrcal current could be used in so many ways. The pic on the left is not christmas tree and weighed 12 pounds. I'll let you figure out what it's for. No christmas gifts were purchased here.

My Mom worries that all people online are serial killers. I remind her "I'm online"
The people I met in Chicago aren't.

This is Tim. He gave me a standard " NO I don't think we'd be a good match reply". OK that's cool.
But he was at the basketball party and I recognized him. He turned out to be a nice guy and apologized for his reply.

This is Tom. A perfect example of a mid westerner. Polite ,friendly, outgoing and fun. I met him online too. He really showed us Chicago. We had a night time tour of the city's architecture as he drove us around the city and back to our hotel.
Also on my "gold medal tour" night. He took us to a mexican restaurant called Platiyo, www.playtiyo.com. Where we had some excellent mexican food after not being able to get into Frontera earlier in the week.Tom knew the owner and we got right in.Very nice.I had a chilpotle fish dinner. Nothing like at home. We had some after dinner tequila there that was superb with a hot tomato chaser.
Tom aslo showed us most of the shops and clubs in Boystown. The Brown Elephant was like a gay Salvation Army. Gaymart was pretty funny too.
Tom is also a fabric aratis and does some very nice work. Thanks Tom we'll be in touch.

The next few posts are about people who made Chicago really fun.
This is Rich and Jeff. They're from California.I met them online. Rich was really helpful with some things about the games. Jeff's basketball team hosted a party and they invited us. We had a great time meeting them and the party was alot of fun. The bar was packed with people having a good time. We did run into them again after closing ceremonies. Thanks guys.
See you online.

Here's the pics of our team. Before and after.

Final Event the team time trial. Mission Accomplished.
Our team was put together on Sunday at the riders meeting. But after the TT on Tuesday we knew we had a strong team as our individual times we all close to each other.So we had Chuck and Gerry from DC, Dave from Philly, Martin form the Netherlands,our Energizer Bunny! and myself. It was decided Chuck would lead out and I would bring up the rear. We bolted out of the start and Chuck was raging,people were yelling that we had to get a rhythm. Once over the first hill we started to communicate. Then it all fell together.It all went quiet. I love TTT's. The group had become one organism. Rotating smoothly. The stronger riders taking slightly longer pulls,the other doing their share. The humidity was high and it was like sucking water. We hot the turnaround and headed back on lap on. Then my left pedal started to feel like I wasn't clipped in. On my rotation I stood up. Still clipped in,odd. Then my ankle hit the chainstay a couple times. How can this ahppen my crank is falling off. I keep in the group till it does and then it's all over for me. I feel like I've let them down.
But they soldier on. Eventually Gerry falls off and three are left. They powered to the fastest time off the day. Dave gives us all our Lambda Cycling Foundation for our efforts. It's a really nice Giordana kit. The shorts are sweet. The only problem is I can't wear them again, as they have a big Gay.com right across the back. I told him I'd never make it out of my neighborhood alive with them on. Maybe in Chicago or Rehobeth I could wear them.So I came to Chi town with a gaol of a gold medal. After being robbed of it in the mountain bike race I got one. Mission accomplished. Blogger isn't letting up load pics to day. So will try again later. OGQ

The road race was Cat 1,2 and 3. It poured all day right up to our start. So the humidity went through the roof. Seems as though the Cat 1's decided to go from the gun and have a little race among themselves. So it was ballistic from the start. With attack after attack. Iwas hanging on in seventh or eighth trying to get the diesel warmed up as it was hitting redline. The first lap was over 26mph avg. I got tailed off on the finish climb when a dumped his chain in front of me. So it was TT mode for awhile in no mans land. Just near the finish three others caught me. So it was a sprint up the hill. Now my chain decides to jump to small ring. I slam it back up and start sprinting. Not my forte by any means. But I just kept hitting the trigger. Just like it was a hill interval and beat them.The 50+ guy said he was glad I wasn't in his group. I took a bronze in this race. Pesky 40+ kids.
Dinner tonight at the Rock Bottom Brewery. Excellent food and beer.
The Mahi tacos were great. This Brewery blows away Goose Island.

Chicago's Finest Rollin on Dubs?
We saw these police ATVS with really low profile tires.
It would have been cool to see them in action.

I rode the Lake Shore trail.
Needed to clean the legs out so I hit the Lake Shore. Eighteen miles of it total. The lake is a really nice blue green. Very inviting. The trail takes you by some beaches on the north and south and you go by all the museums on the south end along with Soldiers Stadium where ball sports take place. What? No velodrome? Odd. Traffic on the trail was ok. They even had crossing guards that work for you to keep the flow going. A nice ride.

Actually got to sightsee a bit.
Hit the Art Institute of Chicago and got to see a A Sunday on the Grande Jatte by George Seurat. It was amazing to see the real thing. He painted it square inch by square inch using equal numbers of complimentary colors in each square. Also saw some Miro's and Magrittes I'd never seen
A few Dali's too.There was a cool Van Gogh named the Drinkers. Of course you all know Edward Hoppers ,Night Hawks at the Diner.
You could take pictures but no flash.
I'm looking kind of chubby in that pic.HA!

The Race of Truth
The individual time trial was my next event. Conditions were aquatic between the heat and humidity. At the start the road was a mirage from the heat. When you started it felt like you parted the air/water and it closed in behind you. Breathing was like sucking in water. At the turn around was Michael the "Super Volunteer" of the events. He was cheering everyone and reminding you drink lots of fluids. He worked at helping everyone. Even if he didn't know the answer to your question,he'd try to find out.
Barb Reiber tooks tons of pics for the event. Here's a link to a pic of me in full TT mode. I took sliver in the TT.
http://barbrieberphotography.smugmug.com/gallery/1684895/31/83022671/Large
Her brother rode the sweet Predator TT rig and was a motor.

I'd hate to see this guys shoulders.
If the rule of thumb is run your bars as wide as your hands in a push up position. He is one stick figure.
These are some seriously skinny ass bars. I know they're for threading traffic. Saw lots of SS street rigs but many had freewheels on the not fixed. No brakes on this bad boy. This rig had some coin in the wheels even in its urban camo.

This is "Green Girl" aka Anne.
Anne rides for Nature Valley and was styling all week in her seriously green kit and matching bikes. Very pro. She dug my pink helmet at the mtb race. So at the time trial I began to lure her to the Darkside by giving her a pair of pink,purple and white with bunnies argyle socks. She proudly strolled up to me at the start and flashed her new socks before I started. Nice.
As she was leaving she hooked me up with a big box of Nature Valley bars. Thanks . Get yourself a single speed girl.

MTB pic and interview shot

This is the day I've been waiting for.
The mountain bike race.
So we're told we have to be there by 8 am. We are. we are the first,not a soul in sight. People trickle in. Turns out the course isn't even marked yet. More riders come in. More disorganization. But, I know what it takes to put on a race. So I roll with it. I'm approached to do an interview for Sirius radio......on the "Older athlete". Ok cool.
So the plan is race from the front like all year. we line up for the start and I ring my bell ala single speed. This gets a quick "You have a bell,a bell on your bike?" Ding Ding ,sure do and only one gear too. So I'm the only One gear queer here.
Off goes the gun I take the start a down hill start one guy passes me at the trailhead I tuck in behind we are flying. Now it gets weird. We hit an intersectio flat out and there's yellow tape on the right he turns I turn,still flat out we go down this trail only to realize this isn't right. We turn and race up the hill. I'm thinking. Damn it the whole field is way ahead, my day is shot. But then I remind myself I didn't come to lose. We start to catch a few stragglers. The the freight train starts of about 6 riders in front of us. I debate about stuffing them all in one turn but the trail opens up. We're now on one of the many road/double tracks. Legs and gear are spun out. We catch a few more riders in the next section of single track. I hear one say. "Holy Shit those guys are now second and third". I'm thinking no way. We break into the grove. Bob tells me I'm in third..Seems as though we had quite a lead before our blunder. Crazy. I end up third overall. Turns out second was in my age group. Damn. But the first medal. After the medals we get interviewed by Logo Tv. My next 15 minutes of fame.

A new day.
Sunday found us waiting to sit in the "Mandatory" cycling meeting from 2-5 pm. That sort of shot sightseeing for the day. bob couldn't get in because he wasn't a registered participant. When I asked about the Team Time Trial teams. I was told "You're on your own to form teams." Like most meetings it was useless. Nuff said about that. Though I did get on a team. tomorrow is the the crit, skipping that. The days have blurred in my head here as I write this.

Escape from the South Side
So I cruise through registration and a metro pass is part of it. With directions in hand we board the red line and head to the Biker Bash to support the Chicago Bicycle Federation. 300 people at a brewery ought to be a good time.
We depart the train for the Walk to 100 Fulton St. The first couple blocks are sketchy. Then it's just gets worse. Crumbling buildings. I keep reminding myself . "It's at the brewery,not the pub" as it said on the tickets. Well not industry in sight and just poverty. I approach a pair of local ladies. Who now appear to have all sorts of chemicals and alcohol coursing through their veins. One has a drink and a smoke. My magnet for the weird reeled them in faster thean I could let the line out. "Baby yuz need to take da bus to Washton to,blah ,blah." As she dances to the music in her head. Her friend is trying to get the cigarette. Ok,thanks. We head North. I go in a Barbeque take out place to ask directions and get the look of. You must be one crazy ass white boy to come in here. I step to the counter and ask about Fulton. Silence. I take my cue and bow out the door. So we make it back to the train and go a few blocks North ahh Fulton except 2800 not 1800. So back on the train the map says the 1600's are one stop back. Ok cool . BUT we get off and it's 300. I've had enough and get a cab. Four,Four blocks later we're there. How does that work? Any ways the Bash,seemed to be friends of the Mayor or something. No cyclists in sight just the PIBS People in black with their Prada and Gucci. So we had a few beers. Not that great, the food was interesting. Then split the pic is off our escape. As we met people from Chicago later in the week, they said you went there??? Meaning the South side. Yes we did and walked out alive.

Day two, On the Road again just can't wait to........
After dealing with a dome light that wouldn't shut off. We headed west again then North over the Skyway to Chicago. Here was the only glitch in the trip. We needed to take 90/94 into Chi Town. It was closed for construction. So I dive for the breakdown lane. Hmmm,this 55 to Lake Shore looks perfect and it was. Time for a shower then head out to the Biker Bash at Goose Island Brewery instead of opening ceremonies.

Well we loaded up the truck and headed to Ohio.
Three bikes,any parts I could imagine I'd need, tools and all the other gear needed for a ten day trip. Directions were simple go west old man on Interstate 86 across NY, which then connects to 90 for the roll across Ohio to our stop in Wauseon,Ohio. Dead straight,boring and not much to see. Although we did see a couple fields of gladiolas in bloom. Kind of hard to get a pic at 80 mph.
So we rolled into Wauseon to torrential rain. Now we just came from the flooding of Bingo and here are these pancake flat fields in standing water. A few roads had water across them. High water signs posted along certain roads. Our gracious host John doesn't have a lake in his front yard. But he did that day and the peacock and guniea hen enjoyed it. The peacock spent the night on the roof.
John treated us to a midwest buffet and a great breakfast at a local diner. Thanks, come to NY and the favor will be returned.

Quick Games update. I did(we) did it.
Our team took the gold medal in the Team Time Trial.
That's Martin from the Netherlands holding up his bike. Check the orange shoes. Very cool.
So the week was productive. I took a bronze in the road race, a sliver in the Timetrial and a silver in the mountain bike race, then the gold in the Team time trial. I'll give a full report soon. I just want to celebrate another day of living!