In January of 2020, I set my sights on riding Ride the Rockies. After finishing my 5th RAGBRAI in 2019 and riding both the Buffalo Bicycle Challenge and Pedal the Plains that fall, riding the premiere bicycle tour in Colorado was something I wanted to do. As spring approached, I trained, kept my weight down, and then saw my plans change as the COVID-19 pandemic triggered the cancellation of all the summer bicycle tours. Given the choice of a refund or moving my registration to 2021, I moved my registration. Riding the Rockies would have to wait another year. As it turned out, even if the organizers hadn’t postponed RTR in 2020, I wouldn’t have done it. In April, I had shock wave lithotripsy to break up a kidney stone, and in May, I got a deep vein thrombosis in my left calf. (These were unrelated. I’d had bouts with kidney stones for a few years, and, the best I can tell, the DVT was triggered by the abrupt transition from a super-hard Zwift ride in the late evening to sleeping wit
The first president I ever knew was Ronald Reagan, so his death today and the accompanying media coverage held my interest for most of the day. I don't know where I place him on the list of great presidents, but he certainly had some admirable qualities - the eloquence, the charm, the humor, and the ability to get Americans to believe in their country. I've recently read some about Watergate, and am currently reading David Gergen's Eyewitness to Power , and am gaining a better understanding of those times and how Americans had lost faith in their leaders. Reagan's stability and longevity in office helped restore confidence in the system, even for those who didn't believe in his policies.
I expected to spend most of the day watching D-Day specials. I remember the 50th anniversary of D-Day, but with this, the 60th anniversary, and the recent dedication of the World War II Memorial, I'm enjoying the focus we seem to be placing on those WWII vets still with
I've never been real big on entering NCAA basketball tournament pools. I know some people who do a ton of research and enter dozens of brackets. I entered two brackets a couple years ago and won, so I figure my luck has run out and there is no need to ever enter another. But it's still fun to fill out a bracket and follow along, even if there isn't anything at stake.
Here's all you need to know about my NCAA tournament bracket . First, I'm a fan of college basketball, but I don't watch a ton of it. I usually only watch if it involves Kansas, my favorite team. Occasionally I'll watch an Iowa game, but beyond that I don't see much. Second, because I'm a Kansas fan, I'll root for them and many of the teams that I've seen them play. And that's about it - no specific research, RPI ratings, history of past matchups...none of that extra stuff. I guess all I can say is, "Go Jayhawks!"