Christopher here!

I hope everybody had a great holiday and enjoyed a little bit of gluttony. I know we did (as we do every year at this time) and now really looking forward to getting things back to normal!

Now that things are going back to normal and our workout routine will be switched up after the first of the year, I wanted to boast a little about  a goal that I had set for myself before the end of the year and I accomplished last night: the 150 lb dumbbell bench press. The most I have ever done was 140 lbs; and although 10 more pounds may not seem like much more of a jump, trying to pop those weights off your leg and leaning back is not as easy as it sounds. I was nervous that I might lose my balance and drop them. Even though my trusty spotter and wife was there to watch me, one of those dumbbells still out weights her by 40 lbs. But with the security of her being there, I was able to press the weight to reach my goal. I would also like to mention that in the last two weeks I was also able to leg press 1000 lbs and squat 455 lbs. At 39 years old I am at the strongest I have ever been.

It’s been tough getting to this point. Weightlifting is like any sport; you run the risk of injury and I have definitely had my fair share. I just like to see what my body is capable of before it’s too late. I enjoy pushing myself and I know that I am not alone in this. All kind of athletes do this everyday. It makes you feel alive and it keeps you motivated.  “Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion.  You must set yourself on fire.” ~Arnold H. Glasow  Luckily for me, my wife is of the same opinion. I couldn’t do this without her nor would I want to.

OK, I am done bragging. I just felt good to reach my goal that I had to tell everybody about it.

Everybody have a great New Years and be safe and please please please DO NOT drink and drive!

Cheers!

M&C

Since the holidays are upon us and the next two weekends will be filled with celebrating, this might be our last ride of the 2011 year. This time we were met up by our good friend Brittany. Having recently moved back from Tucson, Arizona, she was able to join us for her first Sunday Funday bike ride.  After parking at our usual spot, we debated on where our first pit stop would be. We thought of a couple of different spots, but that Irish Coffee from the Gaf just sounded too good. Unable to resist, we made our way to the Gaf. We grabbed some fun Santa hats to show off our festive attitudes, and they were a hit with everyone as we rode by! Everyone waved and shouted Merry Christmas!  After a small bite to eat and a couple of Irish Coffees, we made our way back to the Plaza.  We lucked out and had pretty fantastic weather for our bike ride.  We stopped in at Kona for a drink before heading up to Old Westport to stop in at Fric and Frac.  We fueled up and enjoyed some good ol’ comfort food while enjoying another drink as the sun started to set.  It was dark and getting cooler as we all rode back to our car.  Not yet ready to end the evening, we grabbed some snacks and wine at the grocery store before camping out in front of our TV to watch Zombieland.  It was a great Sunday Funday to round out the 2011 year!

In the past year, we have done quite a bit. 5K’s, adventure races, marathons, Tweed ride, Halloween ride and countless other events. It was certainly a glorious year, and we definitely had a lot of fun. For those of you that have joined us or invited us, we just want to send you a great big THANK YOU for helping us make this a fantastic year! We have made many new friends in 2011, and we hope to see more of you in 2012.  Next year we have already planned a jammed pack list and I’m sure we will be adding to that as the year develops.  Please join us as we hope to make 2012 even better than the previous year!  Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to you all!

M&C!

Hear ye! Hear ye! April 14th, 2012 marks the day for the 3rd Annual Kansas City Tweed Ride! That’s right, a date has been set and we are more than excited to start finding our tweed attire! This year, we are gonna change it up a bit and move toward the Steampunk style. Basically the same as before, but a bit more spiced up. So mark down the date, reserve it and plan on attending this magnificent event and enjoy the day with the rest of us tweed heads.  For more information, check out the Kansas City Tweed Ride webpage!

We are also excited to be a part of a small group that was invited for the advanced screening of the of the new Warner Bros. Pictures production of “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows”. A local agency is wanting to promote the movie and in doing so, they have invited members from the Tweed Ride. They have asked us to be in our full tweed attire along with our bikes for display during the screening. Not only do we get to see a fun thriller, but we can also raise more awareness for cycling in the community. For further details of this event, go here.

Also, don’t forget about the 2012 Kansas City Cyclists Calendar that is on sale now! It has over 100 different KC cyclists featured with their velos in this entertaining publication. If you would like a copy of this calendar, click on the photo below for more information or just ask us for one!

Wow, the cold weather is really coming in on full force! Will that stop us from going out and enjoying a Sunday Funday bike ride? Oh H. E. (double hockey sticks) NO! It was cloudy and a brisk 27 degrees (F) when we parked at our usual spot in Westport. We unloaded the bikes and made our trek to The Gaf. With our toes and fingers nearly numb, we had a couple of Irish Coffees to work us up. By the time we finished, the sun finally started to come up and  it warmed up to a warm 32 degrees. OK… still not warm, but warmer.  To get back out and get in some more riding time, we headed back towards the Plaza and stopped in at O’Dowd’s for lunch.  You can’t have lunch without dessert (!), so we made our way to The Cheesecake Factory for some cheesecake and drinks.  By this time the sun had begun it’s descent, so we decided to bike back to our vehicle in Westport and called it a day.  In all it was a great day, and it felt oh so good to be back out on our bikes! It had been a few weeks, and we were really missing it.  The holiday season is upon us, and things inevitably grow busier.  Hopefully we’ll be lucky enough to have more sunshine, because now we know the cold isn’t enough to hold us back! It’s fun to bundle up and get out to enjoy the day and breathe in some fresh air and clear our heads.

M&C