Pretty gentle weekend all in all. Did the House of Pain ride on Saturday and fared okay. The usual shenanigans were tempered a bit as people were saving themselves for Mt. Hamilton or destinations north. At one point I saw Lieto move to the front going up Collier and I thought, "oh for goodness--although I didn't say "goodness"--sakes, here we go." But he just kind of soft pedalled up there and the pace stayed pert near easy. Like the rest of the weekend. It's nice when the rats flee the city and leave it to the rest of us. The Bay Area as it was meant to be. The above is some hot action from my driveway.

Had one of those great workouts today that make you happy to be alive. I did 2 and a half at lunchtime with about and hour and 40 minutes in the tempo zone. Heavy cadence, HR about 150, wind in all directions, temps around 75, legs burning, and thoughts of racing coursing through my veins. Can't wait to see where all this work gets me come the next mountain bike race in Utah come the middle of June.

With a little bit of time, I thought we'd reach in to the mail bag:

Johnny-
Love the site. My question is this: do you think it a little odd that you answer mythical mail? I mean, you have no mail bag, there is nobody writing in with these questions, don't you think people will think you are weird? Chieko Kakihana--Alamo, California

Hey Sugar-
Thanks for writing in. For those of you that don't know, Chieko is my wife. She'd be more recognizable if she could put down the Gloria Steinem autobiography for just a second, but where was I? Right...answering mail. Ummmm....no Chieko, you're the only one that thinks I'm weird. Which makes you weirder for marrying me in the first place. So neaner-neaner-neaner.

Johnny-
Long time reader, fantastic site by the way. As you know, I fell on my face at Madera. Literally. Any suggestions on what not to do in the future? Steve Griffiths--Granite Bay, California

Hey Griff-
Hear you are feeling better and your wife reports that you've been putting in some three hour rides. Seeing how just a couple of weeks ago you could barely move faster than a shuffle, I'd say you're making some quick progress. To get back to your question, I'd advise staying off your face during the sprint. Although I'm no one to talk when it comes to throwing myself on the ground for no apparent reason. I still get a great chuckle out of the part where you asked your teammates to make sure you got credit for finishing so that you could start the road race the next day. Giving them detailed instructions while laying there in a gigantic puddle of your own blood. That's the stuff of legends.

You've been a great audience, stay that way.

Johnny GoFast