Going Home

Going Home
Originally uploaded by cbnystrom.

We got home yesterday. On the drive home Mom and Dad were nervous, but Thor slept the entire way. He was resting up so that he could stay awake all night.

The hospital was incredible and the staff treated us like family. They made an amazing experience even better.

sleep deprivation...zzzzzz

Well I got about 30 minutes of sleep last night (in 30 second intervals).

It seems that Thor has confused night and day. He slept all day yesterday and he was awake all last night.
He was constantly hungry (poor Mom) and he needed many many diaper changes...not to mention the 3 clothes changes thanks to the rookie diaper changers (poor Dad and Mom).
He also had the hiccups twice (poor kid). 8-)

The cats were completely freaked out when he got upset. Jack even ran into the dresser after being startled while sleeping under the cradle.

He finally got to sleep just before 8 this morning after I brought him downstairs and put him in his papsan swing.
At this point I wasn't going back to sleep so I made a nice pot of Peet's coffee and some oatmeal.

So now I'm sitting on the couch messing around on the iBook and watching him snooze.
Even with no sleep I couldn't be happier.

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snoozin

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thor & mom

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thor!

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thor 7lb 14.4oz amazing!

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at the hospital 3am

Belly Art

Belly Art
Originally uploaded by cbnystrom.

This is the belly, 4 days overdue.

Col du Glandon

The last part of the Col du Glandon climb
Originally uploaded by cbnystrom.

This is the final few km's of the climb of the Col du Glandon. In a few hours the race will arrive. This is a beautiful climb and long at over 20km. The descent is treacherous with many twists and switchbacks over a narrow road.

I was looking through photos from the 2004 Tour de France and decided to post this one as it brings back some beautiful memories.

We decended Alpe d'Huez via a narrow road of the side of the mountain and rode through the valley before climbing the Glandon. Near the summit we sat at a table on the outdoor terrace cafe on the last switchback.

We could view the race on the climb and then right at our feet entering the switchback. Then we were able to walk 20 feet behind our table to the roadside and stand on the road as they exited the switchback.

It was another amazing day at the Tour.

Lunch

Matt, Rob, Mel & I went out for lunch at Spoons.
Now it's time to veg on the couch and read the Tour of Georgia live updates on cyclingnews.com
Good times.

Stroller Cat

stroller cat

Jack is keeping the stroller & car seat warm until Thor arrives.

Interested in moving to Europe?

I stumbled across this site, http://www.expatica.com/

It looks like a great resource for anyone thinking about moving to and living/working in Europe (specifically Belgium, France, Germany, The Netherlands, or Spain).

Maybe some day...

Nesting

With the baby due any day now we're in nesting mode.

Melanie cleaned out and organized her closet...

I updated the links on the blog...

To each his/her own.

When is Meg going to update midatlanticcross.com ??? She's too busy buzzing our tuesday training ride, hanging out the window yelling at us in Dutch.

Baby news as it happens. Maybe even some live photo-blogging from the camera phone.

8-)

Early Avalon ride

avalon



I got out this morning at 6:45am for a ride at Avalon. The trails were empty and the temp was 38 degrees...chilly.
I finished up at 9:00am and the temp was 58...a little nicer. We're off to watch the Carl Dolan races in Columbia.

Fitness & Focus

After months of long rides and grueling intervals you sometimes wonder if the training will actually produce results. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, you're suffering up a climb or following an acceleration and think you're going to blow. You're hurting, but you go ahead and push it a little harder and whoah! you're not blowing...you're going faster...still suffering like a dog, but you've found another gear!

That's a nice feeling. It makes the long winter evenings on the trainer seem worthwhile. Once you realize that the training is paying off you get more confidence that you can push just a little bit harder. I think that the mental edge from training is almost as important as the physical adaptation. When you believe that you can do it you're more likely to make it happen.

Well, my legs are really starting to come around. After a month of racing I'm feeling stronger than ever...just in time to stop racing for a while!

With a baby due any day now I'm in full parenthood mode. I'm really psyched to be a Dad with all of the experiences and challenges that accrue to that position! I'll still get some riding and training in...if only for the mental health benefits. 8-)

By missing most of the late spring/summer races I should be fresh and very motivated for 'cross. Maybe Thor will be able to ring a cowbell and cheer for his Dad at a couple of races. Good times.

Jack

bird stalking

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House Location

Here's a map of the area where we are building. The mountain bike trails of Rockburn Park and Patapsco Avalon are right next door. All of that green area is park land. Our road branches off of Ilchester Road.





Here's a sat photo of the area. It's zoomed in a bit more than the map. Rockburn Park is in the lower and lower-right portions of the screen. The trail is out the backyard and across the creek. E-Z trail access.







map and sat photo courtesy of Google Maps

Tuesday Ronde

The first Tuesday Ronde was a lot of fun.
The idea is to have a fast, spirited training ride through the hills of the Patapsco River Valley and Ellicott City.

We kept the group together as we discovered the route and determined the sprint/kom points. As the ride gets more established and everyone knows the roads we won't wait to regroup when splits happen.

There are a lot of hills...some steep and some gradual, but there are really no flat sections. It looks like the course will be ~ 44km (27+ miles). With the difficulty of the hills that should be a good distance for about a 1.5hr training ride.

Werk

working

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Tyson's Circuit Race

Tysons 2005
Originally uploaded by cbnystrom.

Here's a good shot of the corner leading into the downhill.

Tyson's photos courtesy of teammate Mike O'Hara. www.phattire.net

LSV/Kelly Team at Tyson's

zkellyteam
Originally uploaded by cbnystrom.

It was a chilly and very windy Sunday at the Tyson's Corner Circuit Race.