Bloggin' Like Sunday Morning...

A little Commodores reference for you =) Well, my departure from the hollowed lands of San Francisco are fastly approaching. Its quite weird to think that this is my last Sunday in the city for awhile at least. Next Sunday if all travel plans go smoothly, I will be in my new digs in Niwot, CO just outside the People' Republic. Exciting and sad all at once. Last night I had a get together of friends to celebrate my new adventure. We had 12 people here at the crib. I had promised culinary nirvana on my evite, and I don't think I let anyone down. "Culinary Nirvana" is kind of my phrase for all of my cooking for people experiences. Maybe it a little over the top but we all need a some sort of marketing play on words that people will say and remember. I first started it with my sister's wedding post-reception bash. The crowds were quite delighted by the flavors I brought to their pallets after what I think was an average, vanilla food display at the reception. Sorry to offend anyone but the flavors and creativity didn't wow me. I will address this more shortly. Then came Christmas Eve dinner with the fam. You know all about this because I wrote extensively about it. The flavors were more refined and more attentive largely due to being able to cook up till serving time and the number was far less 8 v 60? people. But enough with excuses, the vast majority was due to my own heightened appreciation and skillset over the 3 months. Now, here we are 4 months later, and I have set the bar higher for myself. In the evite, I told everyone to just bring wine, preferably a Rhone style red or Pinot Noir. Now they are the best matching for the dishes but I love both of these varietals and I am secretly infiltrating all persons to adopt the French Rhones. So delicious and so afforadable. I didn't have a menu until maybe 3days prior. Just lots of tinkering and wheel rolling in my head. I wanted to concentrate on two flavors that have dominated my cooking for the last year: Northern Indian and Southern Thai. Both packed with bomb flavors and just on the edge of being super complicated but also highly appreciated in technique and flavor. I basically worked all day yesterday preparing the food b/c like all of my other exposes, everthing has to be done from scratch. I was telling someone the other day, for me cooking is about artistry. Dropping coin on overly priced prepared foods for your party is vanilla and the food doesn't expose the personality of the artist(chef). Plus its incredibly satisfying for me to just see people taste and enjoy the food i make. Now I can certainly improve upon my display skills but at the end flavor is king.

Concentrating on these two culinary regions, i decided to go with Thai red curry and Pad Sie Eiw; and Chicken Tikka Masala and Palak Paneer with fresh garlic-coriander Naan. With all of my culinary nirvana's that I have created, I always give history on each dish and talk about the ingredients before everyone dives in. Its kind of my thing. Last night everyone was quite surprised at what they had learned. Its important for me to understand the history of the food so i can understand the technique and flavoring that go into the food. Now you will say, Chicken Tikka Masala is not an authentic indian dish. Well you are right, its a british dish with indian influence. What is funny is that its the most popular indian dish worldwide and the #1 dish in the UK across the board. Basically, a former UK ruler wanted gravy to go with his tikka chicken. so his indian chefs made a tomato-cream sauce(masala) for it. And there is born Chicken Tikka Masala. 99% of people don't know that but you do so count yourself as one of the enlightened ones. I completed the tour of India with Palak Paneer(spinach with cheese) and homemade naan. Yes, you just read that, HOMEMADE NAAN. I was quite anal asking everyone last night about the naan and pimping it out like it was the crown jewel achievement. It was pretty much the bomb though. For the palak paneer, I had never done this so I swapped a recipe from an indian cook and added my own touches to it. And yes, I made my own paneer too. It wasn't enough so I had to buy some queso blanco but i guess you can say that you have reached a new level when you are making your own cheese at home for a dinner party =) Of everything, I was most impressed with my Naan skills. No tandori but not too worry(rhyme) I Martha Stewarted my way to naan goodness. and of course I had basmati rice for the indian and jasmine for the thai which i explicited made aware to everyone. I can't hack it and serve just one style, that would not be culinary nirvana. Creating a delicious meal takes a lot of work but the extra steps you go for everyone will remember forever ::::hopefully:::: That takes me back to what I said earlier. When you are going to entertain people or cook up a meal for someone, putting artistry into the food leaves impressions with people that you would not otherwsie seize. My biggest complaint about going too restaurants is the lack of artistry in the food. If I am going to sell something to you, I want you to know that its unique, delicious, and personal, not some out-of-the-box dish that everyone has. Yeah, I am kind of a uber foodie now. I basically have become a uber critic(accent on the last i) since I have have gained my new found confidence in the kitchen over the last year. I eat stuff out and I think it tastes good but then I say to myself, " well it was tasty but I could make that better and cheaper." Its a sick disease I guess. But regarless of my Simon Cowell'ng of food, anytime anyone puts work into creating a meal from fresh ingredients is fine by me.

Now, I have plugged your hear with too much detail into the thoughts that dominate my head everyday, just be happy you don't have to experience these conflicts I go through everyday =)

chow,
Matthew

Poached Eggs with Black Bean Curry

I guess this would a mix between mexican and indian flavors. Black beans, spinach, peas, carrots, tomatoes, curry, and eggs. I got the idea of poaching the eggs in the beans after watching America's Test Kitchen when they made huevos rancheros, a typical mexican breakfast. I think its a cool way to get extra protein post-training and adds a little twist to the norm

Ingredients
1 Can of Black Beans, drained
1/2 yellow onion diced
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 tbs of tumeric
1 tbs of curry powder
1/2 tbs of cumin seeds
1 cup of diced tomatoes
1/4 cup of minced cilantro
1/2 cup of frozen peas
1 cup of fresh baby spinach
1 med carrot diced
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
*chili pepper optional
Heat cumin, curry, and tumeric in a pan until fragrant, 2-3min. Add 1 tbs of evoo, onion, garlic, and carrots. Stir together and heat till fragrant. Add tomatoes, beans and stir together. Add some salt(1tsp) and black pepper. Heat until tomatoes begin to break down. Add peas, spinach. Cover. Stir occassionaly. Might need to add a litle water if it gets too dry. After about 6-8min or spinach has wilted, stir all together. Add cilantro and stir. Now make a spot in the middle of the mixture and crack an egg. Make another spot and crack another egg. Essentially, you should have bean mixture surrounding eggs. Cover and turn heat to med high. Make sure mixture doesn't dry out. You are essentially poaching the eggs in the beans. Eggs are done with the yolks cover is a hazing white, see top picture. Add some extra cilantro when serving. Enjoy!
Very high in fiber, protein. Low in fat, sugar and bad stuff. Ie it fills you up, helps muscles and keeps you regular =)

The Countdown

So this weekend, I had a revelation of the oracle type. I am only going to be in San Francisco for one more weekend before I jettison off to the People's Republic. Its quiet surreal but exciting and sad all at the same time. There will be many new surprises for me in the coming weeks as I move out of my norm and into the un-norm. I decided I need to make a list of things to do so my departure will go off without much disaster. I hope the weather doesn't turn sour and I am trekking east through snow storm after snow storm. After my 12 hour trip to Long Beach earlier this month, I'm kind of exhausted with roadway malaise.

Training this past weekend went pretty well. Saturday was a big day with threshold intervals, 3x20min. I basically felt like collapsing after each one but thats good b/c I know that I am pushing myself. Shawn has been pushing me to try to keep my form together for the entire workout and now kill the first one but keep a steady upward trend through the workout. I think the message got to me on Saturday. I did the first one at 335w, 2nd at 332w and 3rd at 326w. So I had a power decay of only 9w from the first to the last. Thats a super narrow range compared to the Tuesday's workout of 343 and 327, 18w range. I guess the key was starting a little more conservative and not killing myself as I rode out of Mill Valley up to Tam. On the 2nd one, I had this guy jump on my wheel which kind of threw off my rhythm. I don't like when I have people riding my wheel who I don't know. This guy was pretty strong but its just not cool to ride another dude's wheel when he is working out especially on a road as narrow as the one up Tam. Finally got my rhythm back and let the jag ride away from me. The last one was a killer. I started on a flat section which required me to spin pretty high before going vertical. The change in cadence is pretty hard on the system. Fortunately I had my rabbit ahead of me. A fit, ValueAct Capital rider. She was a pretty good climber. But I couldn't identify her on a mug shot which is typical of cyclists. Its funny b/c cyclists get all geared up and go riding and ride with people for year's but never see them w/o their gear on. The guy or gal you race with every weekend could be the one sipping a latte next to you in a cafe but you would probably never know it b/c cyclists like to james bondish. People think I'm just some tall straight-edge bloke but what they don't know is that I have a wild side, yep I do. Now back after my little digression. VAC rider was pretty strong which gave me the motivation I needed to keep the wattage high. Pretty hammered after the last interval but thats good.

Sunday was a flat recovery ride. I was thinking about doing some climbing but legs were just not feeling too snappy so I renegotiated the ride route and chose to go on a high-cadence, flat ride. Ending up doing almost 5 hours. The secret to getting the most from you body is realizing that some days are not going to be good so its okay and definitely recommended to get those recovery rides in. The results of good, hard training can only be fully realized if you take a proper approach to nutrition, recovery and rest. I'm definitely going to heed more to that advice this year. Last year I just rode myself to the ground but it was good, I wouldn't go back and change. But I learned some things which should make me a more powerful rider.

Monday it started raining here and got gnarly cold by NorCal standards. Boy am I in for a rude awakening. It was only in the 40s and I was pretty damn cold. Decided to play a little touristy on Monday. Had a really nice breakfast at Crepes on Cole then N-Judah'd it to Emarcardero. Walked around a little bit before making my way to Chinatown. I will definitely miss the variety of spots and cultures when I leave here. Chinatown is an adventure all in itself. You basically leave the US by all observable purposes and walk into a street carnival of dried seafood, massive amounts of people, stores full of priceless shit, and weird looking foods. Its basically sensory overload. Its more difficult than a game of frogger to navigate the streets as you have people pushing and pulling all kinds of goods. If you want weird dried game, here it is. Need 20lbs of ginseng? If you have the cash, you can get it here and set up a little herbal medicinal.

As always keep it real, and keep on trucking...

Matthew

Going Tempo

Yesterday training was all about that ohh so sweet tempo riding. A many a pros will talk about tempo riding. If you have ever read any article which a pro is interviewed or listened to them talk you probably heard "tempo." What is it exactly? There are probably several definitions but if you follow Friel's ranges from CyclingPeaks, then is 76-90% of threshold. My definition is: "go as fast as retardly possible for 3 hours without blowing up and without significant power decay." So yesterday I did just that. Riding tempo alone is like racing for 3 hours by yourself without any moto escorts and having to ramp it up after each stop light, nature break, or idiot driver that causes you to stop. Because you can't let your power avg go below your tempo goal. You see, tempo riding is not about just pushing it for 10min or 30min but for 180min or more! At the end, you feel exhausted, hungry and hopefully satisfied with the solid work of the day. Wed was tempo day for me. I did 3 hours and it was everything its cracked up to be: fast, hard, exhausting, calorie crunching, and satisfying. I was happy with the way I responded following the 20min threshold intervals on Tam late Tuesday afternoon(which I consequently set a new 20min avg power number).

For those who are struggling to figure out what to do with your training. Go for some tempo. I think its probably one of the best all-around workouts. Especially if you are crunched for time or if you need something a little spicy. It satisfies a gamet of training needs and can keep you in great shape over the winter periods when your training hours are limited. So go tempo young man!

Now on a sad note for the day, Scottish time-trial champ, Jason MacIntyre, was tragically hit and killed by a van while returning from a training ride. He was only a 34 and considered one of the great Scottish cyclists and an Olympic hopeful. My deepest sympathy goes out to his wife, kids and family. These stories all make me count my blessings as I could have and by all records should have met the same conclusions as this one and many others. Road cycling is inherently dangerous when automobiles come into the scene. People ask me if I am scared to go riding. Because I lost consciousness when I was blindsided by the truck, I don't have memory of the actual pain at impact. I only got to experience the pain when I awoke. I'm definitely more aware of autos around me but actually get more worried when i see other riders near cars. Especially those without helmets and those that are riding sketchy. One thing that you have to realize is that no matter how correct you, as a cyclist, are, the auto will ALWAYS win. Sure you might get roll into a sweet gravy train years down the road but the costs are no where near the potential for a gravy train. I lost 2 months of my "normal" life and not to mention the ongoing physical pain I have experienced in my pelvis and shoulder. Be careful out there, and watch out for cyclists. The tragedies need to end.

~Matthew

Dopers...they're bad...they're bad

Dopers/cheaters have long been a problem for all sports and society for that matter. Whether its shaving points in a game or swindling persons out of money on scams. They are all equally destructive. Over the last few years, sports have taken a huge hit with athletes who choose to cheat and use drugs to get ahead. One story that just blows my mind and continues to make headlines is that of Patrick Sinkewitz. This guy is a total jag. The former rider for T-Mobile was kicked out of Le Tour this year for artificial testosterone in his system. He didn't even bother to deny it or try to have his B-sample tested. Now normally I will hold a little bit in my heart for those riders who are born on or around my birthday, Tom Boonen(Oct16), Patrick Sinkewitz(Oct 20) and we were all born in the same year 1980! But Sinkewitz is not deserving of any such praise because of his cheating lifestyle.

Now, here is a guy who is at the top of cycling, the ProTour and riding with a pretty sweet contract, many a young pros would give everything to be in his shoes. Unfortunately, they aren't allowed or don't get the chance to prove their worth because of jags like this guy. After being fired immediately from T-Mobile, he went in front of German cycling officials months later to discuss his lifetime of doping practices and the doping that was going on at the 2006 Tour at Camp T-Mobile. This was also the year that Der Kaiser was prohibited along with Ivan the Terrible and some other riders as part of El Puerto, a huge blood doping scheme. Well, Jag Sinkewitz later admits in testimony that he has doped his entire career. Do these guys actually think that no harm can be done to their body? It seems they lost the feeling, the feeling that so many of us get from just riding and racing our bike. Remember its suppose to be for fun right???

Well, now the latest development is Mr. Jag is appealing his lenient one-year ban from racing. So this guy screws over his team, his sponsors, his fans, the cycling public and thousands of aspiring pros. He admits to all of his doping and how he did it his entire career and now he wants no punishment. Ridiculous! This guy should be banned forever from cycling.

I just had an incredible week of training and I used hard work and nutritious food to fuel me....Training for me is so much about trying to see how far I can push my body. I don't have the greatest palmares but for me training and racing are all about the rush and the ride. Records will continued to be set but they will also be broken and there will be new winners each year. But what will withstand it all are the feelings and memories you take away from the experiences. So get out and ride!

Chow,
Matthew

A Tale of Three Flats...

After 8 days off the bike during holiday(totally euro slang), legs have come around. Last week I got in two workouts then got some hotel trainer time in while I was in Long Beach. After taking Monday off as usual, I hit it hard on Tuesday with some low-cadence, high wattage intervals. These are great strength building workouts which should pay dividends later on in the season. The first one I thought I was absolutely flying then I looked at the final number and it was on par with what I did right before holiday. A little bummed but somedays the legs just aren't there. I did the next two intervals and saw substantial power decay. Some was attributed being sketched out by a van whose *ssh*** driver blew his horn at me and nearly ran me off the road when I was on the edge of the road not wanting to go in the ditch. There was no oncoming traffic either. Every cyclist knows that every ride presents danger and the threat of getting annihalated by a vehicle, case in point, me =) Just this week, 2007 UCI ProTour winner and TDF Runner-Up, Cadel Evans, talked about the dangers of training on his home roads in Australia. He said Australian and US drivers just feel that anything aside from their own vehicle on the road is a nuisance which makes training here and in Australia increasingly more dangerous than Europe. In 2006, the Australian Women's national team was struck and Amy Gillett was killed. I could have been handed the same card but fortunately I was given a second chance. I encourage all of you to check out the site that was put up to tribute her and also helps raise awareness for cyclists. When I was struck and laid up in the hospital, I had a similar idea of starting a site/non-profit that helps raise awareness and provide legal and hopefully financial support to victims of such tragedies. I know I can lend quite a bit of experience to others so they don't have to deal with the issues I have dealt with so far. I am sure I can get some pros on board to help support it.

http://www.amygillet.org.au

Now back to wheels of training...My Wednesday high cadence workout was really good. Legs felt supple and were spinning like a mcdonnell-douglas turbine. If you are in need of some good drills, I highly recommend high cadence intervals. The form and technique you gain from these workouts translates nicely into pro smoothness on the pedals and better sprinting. It also devastates the competition when you are spinning high and looking smooth and they are questioning why they do this. Thursday was strength and plyo day. If people in the neighborhood saw me through the window they had to be wondering what the hell I was doing. "But officer, I was just doing some power jumps and box jumps =) " This is also the day where I work on my sprints. After my first set I was totally blown away by my numbers. I was over 100watts better! This is huge. I'm talking taking it to the mattresses huge. I was getting 12-16% more out of my legs. Shawn has been working me hard on the strength and explosive stuff. With continued work, I should see increased improvement and more arrows in my quiver come race time.

After just a one hour easy spin on Friday to push the lactic out, I was ready for the low-cadence, high wattage workout on Saturday. After thoroughly amping myself on New Mexico Piñon Coffee, I was ready to go. I first had this delectable treat while I was in Silver City, NM for the Tour of the Gila. I highly recommend it. On the way down through Golden Gate Park, I punctured. No worries, I will fix it and be on my way. Fixed on and the way I went. On the first interval, I just felt like I was flying and the SRM said I was too. Over 40 watts higher than on Tuesday! A 14% jump! I was so stoked about it. I did a 10min recovery and puntured again as I was heading to the starting area and this time i busted the valve. No worries, I have an extra tube. Now I am fixed and a little more rested. It would have been very easy to get frustrated and just bag the whole day, but thats not pro right? So I banged out the 2nd interval and was again 15% higher on the my 2nd one as compared to on Tuesday. What was it? I have a few ideas...So after pumping my fists in the air after finishing my 2nd one, I headed back for my 3rd and final one. I pushed with everything I had and tried to leave all the cards on the table. SRM check: 19% higher than Tuesday and over 15% higher than before holiday! So I am getting faster and I have more endurance...boom shackalacka! On the descent down Mt. Tamalpais, I punctured again. After finally getting home after spending way too much time working on flat tyres I had the appetite of a great white(because they can eat an enormous amount of kilos per day and they are my favorite animal in the world) =)

Today was the big endurance day, 100mi. There is something that has always appealed to me about long efforts. I guess its the feeling of accomplishment at the end as well as the intense hunger and fatigue. Feeling fatigued after a big workout is quite satisfying. I google map'd out my course which took me out to Nicasio in Marin County then up to the Cheese Factory and then onto Marshall along Tomales Bay. In all the 2.5 years I have been here, at the junction in Nicasio I had never gone to the Cheese Factory. I must say that the roads back there are quite nice and quiet. Some steep climbs too. I started out before the ride with ample coffee, a huge bowl of rolled oats with wheat germ, flax seed and pecans and a little maple syrup. Then hunter's eggs and a piece of whole grain toast with soybean butter(kind of like peanut butter but not). A long day in the saddle needs a proper breakfast. Then I packed the jersey pocket with ample ammunition, a banana and 3 nature valley bars. This is a lot for me but I always seem to bring less than I need and arrive back at home only by a miracle. Not today, i felt pretty good the entire time and put in some nice efforts on the flats and on the climbs. SRM stats: 6hr 25min, 161km, 4100kj. This is definitely the longest day I have had since La Vaujany in France. 4100kj is a big day by yourself. When I got home I was quite famished so I made a grilled cheese sandwich, a piece of toast with honey and soybean butter and a cooked a can of black beans and a cup of jasmine rice. Beans and rice are great after workout foods b/c they pack on serious carbs and the beans are non fat and contain a good source of protein and fiber. They also fill you up so you can still eat and be a weight weenie =)

So a big week is behind me, and I am pretty jazzed about my form. Everything that I have been working on is finally coming together and translating into some good power numbers. Now I just have to put it all together for the Valley of the Sun Stage Race in mid-Feb in Tempe, AZ. Should be a fun weekend and great way to bang out the beginning of the season.

Chow,
Matthew

Another shameless plug...
http://www.nmpinoncoffee.com

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

After a well received meal from my family on Christmas Eve, I have decided to share part of the experience with all my online supporters. I should have a nice photo to accompany in a few days. I will just have to teach my mom on how to attach files to emails. Love you mom! =)

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup
this soup is boasting with red pepper goodness and the slight hint of smoke. To get the full effect, you should roast your fresh red bell peppers on a grill or on the indoor range burner. If you want the similar but still tasty version, buy yourself some roasted red peppers in a jar. Available in the italian section or in the can good section.

Serves 8
Ingredients
4 roasted red peppers, sliced up and de-seeded
1 qt of whole tomatoes (prefer San Marzano tomatoes), drain and deseed
3 cups of low-sodium vegetable stock
4 cups of water
Sea salt and black pepper(1-2tbs a piece) to taste
3/4 cup of fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
2 tbs of italian seasoning
2 shallots, minced
6 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 cup of lite cream(optional)
2 tbs of sugar
1 lemon, juiced
cup of bread crumbs(thickener)
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

To process

Heat EVOO in a large saute pot. Add shallots and garlic, pinch of salt and black pepper also. Cook until fragrant. Add the tomatos and red peppers. Mix together with shallots/garlic. Cook for a few minutes. Add the stock and water. Stir everything together. Turn heat to low and simmer for 20minutes. Add herbs, sugar, breadcrumbs and lemon juice. Stir together. Use an immersion blender to puree. Taste. If too acidic, add cream. Mix together so milk doesn't curdle.

Let soup cool and taste again. Adjust flavoring for more heat with red chili peppers. Serve with toasted baguette and enjoy this mouth-watering surprise!

Cheers,
Matthew

A New Year and a New Beginning

Well,
My first entry of 2008...hopefully it will be inspirational. I've been getting a lot of flack from my audience for not keeping up to date for this I ask for your forgiveness. The last week has been pretty busy for me with getting things sorted out with my move to CO and wrapping up responsibilities here. Things are never as easy as they appear on the surface.

On Friday, I headed down to LBC for my last college regatta. Trying to get an early start, i left the house at 0830 only to find that the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge would be closed to several overturned semis. Great way to start a miserable drive to LA. The winds and rain were absolutely ridiculous the entire trip. What should have taken me 6 hours took me almost 12 hours. Went through downpours, sick winds, dust storms, and on the way back, snow on the Grapevine. Total craziness...

At the regatta I caught up with some old friends from the east coast schools. They are all headed out to Salt Lake City this week for some epic skiing and college sailing discussions. They were disappointed in me not going. I'm still a little worried about my bones healing to go downhill skiing. When I go skiing with this group, I always seem to push the envelope ie skiing through chutes, trees and hiking up the steeps to the sick drops. Maybe I will go next year but this year its all about getting back on the bike and riding hard and fast.

On Saturday night I went to a really great Thai restaurant with my friend Alyssa. It was quite delicious. The ordering dialogue went as follows(reminds me of Soup Nazi):
Alyssa: "tom khan soup"
Waiter: "coconut soup"
Alyssa: "no, tom khan soup"
Waiter: "coconut soup"
Alyssa: "uhh okay"
Alyssa: "Penang curry with chicken"
Waiter: "red curry"
Alyssa" Penang curry with chicken"
Waiter: "red curry"
Alyssa: "okay"
Alyssa: " pad thai"
Waiter: "pad thai with shrimp"
Alyssa: "okay"
Alyssa: "mango sticky rice"
Waiter: "okay" (it had to be reordered later on)

I am there just sitting and kind of laughing because everything she ordered, the waiter said something different. I don't think there was a language barrier, maybe there was. It felt more like Alyssa wanted one dish and the waiter felt otherwise or felt we were going to have this and not that. Quite funny b/c we had no wiggle room with this guy. Food was great though.

Enjoy the rest of your week and I will be more on top of blogging so I don't get harrassing emails from a select few in my viewing audience =)

BTW, if you are in the Bay Area, be sure to come by the house on Jan 26 for a culinary expose and send off party. Email me for details.

Chow,
Matthew

Une Année à Se Sappeler

A year to remember which is the English translation. Not sure if the French say that or if its even its Francaise grammar proper(accent on the e), but this is my online message to the world so...

Well, I am closing out 2007 with a blog. A lot has happened this year, smiles, tears, fears, and many laughs. The eve of the New Year is always bombarded with new year prognastications and new year vows. Why do we put so much emphasis on this day to change our lives? Why don't we start making changes in our lives today, rather than talking about doing them tomorrow or the next day or the next week or the next month. Maybe it was Mark Twain that said "don't do tomorrow, what you can do today." Or perhaps it was some other literary figure or philosopher, but I like to think its a little bit of my own. Now a little digression..

On July 26, 2007 at approximately 4:30pm, I truck struck me and my friend from behind. We were both knocked unconsciously off of our velos and into a grassy and poisin ivy infested ditch, some 5m from the road. By all statistics and all evidence of my injuries, I should not be writing this blog or even considering a return to riding. But by a divine miracle, I received a contract extension and from the moment that I awoke stuggling to breathe in that poison ivy to this moment of blogging at la casa de parents in Tennessee I have had a renewed passion for life and for doing what makes you happy and brings good to the world. Will 2008 be any different? Yes, and its starting out rather quickly and full of adventure.

After several years of contemplation and all the desire to take my training and cycling to the next level, I have decided to take my chances and pursue my dream of going pro(or atleast racing at my highest potential). At the end of January, I am moving from the foggy Golden Gate to feet of the Rockies, Boulder. I have not been very good about relaying my news to everyone. It will be sad to leave so many great people I have met in CA but I'm confident they will be happy for me and hopefully understand eventually. Since my decision to move, I have had a resurgence in life. SF has been great to me, but life needs new challenges and experiences. You will have to keep posted on Bomb This Hill to get the play by play of my new life in the 90sq mi surrounded by reality(ie boulder).

Now that I have let the cat out of the bag, I'm going to go a little generic but with a twist.

Top 5 List of 2007 b/c a top10 list is too cliche and gets cumbersome =) I am going to use * so as to not rank any one in particular.
*Learning and Experiencing the Meaning of Family
*Getting Hit by a Truck and Surviving
*Going to Europe and Racing my Bike Without Knowing Any Flemish or French =)
*My Blog...Its awakened by inner writer and allowed me to share my thoughts with the world
*Creating Culinary Nirvana for My Family During this Holiday Season and During My Sister's Wedding Day!

Things to Avoid in 2008
*Westchester Medical Center
*Poison Ivy
*Negative and Nonpassionate People
*Auto Traffic Jams(see new 2008 adventure news)
*Blogging lapses

Well, I will close out 2007 to the World with a short note...

In the words of Mark Twain, "In Twenty Years, you will look back and be more dissappointed in the things you didn't do than the things you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

I know this isn't a Mark Twain fan site but I think its pretty good. My office mate Nettie hung it up on our door so its an everyday reminder for me. What can you do in 2008? I don't know but don't let the things that could happen drive your decisions but let the things that COULD HAPPEN drive them.

One last side note, my sister questioned my homemade turkey chili cooking tonight b/c I had no recipes. Well, I went for things I thought would go well and didn't think about total disaster but about total culinary envy from Megan. And I was right because it was the bomb chili of 2007!

Best Wishes, Good Food, Great Riding, and Great Memories to you all in 2008

Ciao, Adios, Bonne Journne!
Matthew

Cooking and Riding

Last week, I had my cooking lesson with Chef Kerry. It was pretty awesome. We cooked up 3 different dishes: chicken tikka masala, red thai curry, and arriabbiata sauce. He helped me out with my knife skills which were pretty good already but a few tips never hurt. I came away feeling super confident in my new abilities. I must say that the thai curry is the absolute bomb. I could go battle to battle with any thai eatery here in the city. I added my own twist too it and produced a wonderful, butternut squash curry for the Recreation and Leisure Studies Department holiday party on Friday night. Last year I produced a pumpkin curry which was well received and highly requested again. I was hesitant about recreating the same dish. I like to be new, adventurous and keep my audience expecting something new and flavorful. Its also more challenging. This latest project was good for me to make because I could put my new skills to the test with a new ingredient. Based upon the reception of my dish(which was the only one that got completely finished), it was amazing. It was likened to this: "last year, your pumpkin curry was good but pales in comparison to this." I like to think that last year was 6th grade and this year is a complex, graduate level job. I'm pretty stoked about my new work. Everyone wanted to know how I did it and wondered why I was till on the market, ie not in a relationship....I just laughed.

This Friday, I am going to a dinner party at the house of my good friend and awesome office mate, Nettie. Her mom and aunt are coming into town and have requested the pumpkin curry. They loved it last year and we corresponded via email for recipes etc. Well they are in for something off this hook this week.

My family will also be experiencing my new found culinary skills next week when I go back for the holidays. Still working on the Christmas Eve menu but it should be off the hook.

Yesterday did a good 5hr 15min training ride. Rode out to Pt. Reyes Station then to the coast and down Hwy 1. Cool 132km. Wasn't feeling super good but I kept telling myself that I need to get the kms in. Felt good on the last major climb from the beach to mt. tam. Once the road got steady uphill, I got into my rhythm and just keep turning the cranks. Last weekend's training in north Sonoma County was up and down and hard to get a rhythm. I did my first big training test on Saturday, a 30min max effort. My avg wattage was 297w. I did the test on the climb from Mill Valley to Mt Tam. Lots of power dropoff on the flats which was a big reason for the lower number. Just couldn't keep up the watts on the flats, something I will have to work on. It should improve as I get more training. After beating myself up about the low numbers, I averaged 370 last May, I went and looked at the numbers from last year at this point. Now last year I was 77kg, I'm 72kg now. Last year at this week, I was 317w which makes me at or better in pw-to-kg now vs last year. I wasn't feeling the greatest on Saturday. Legs still tired from the strength workout on Thursday. When I completed my test on Saturday, I realized that I traveled the same distance on the course as last year but avg fewer watts. I think this is a good indication of things to come. Now, I have a long way to go to contest TDF climbs but I'm on the up and up. I also need to keep in perspective that I got nearly killed by a truck this summer and lost a lot of high end fitness when I was off the bike for nearly 8 weeks and I really haven't done any super intensive blocks of training yet.

While I was out riding this weekend, I noticed that I'm trying to be a little more professional on the bike. While I use to chase down everything that tried to pass me, I'm reminding myself that to be professional, one needs to act professional in training and focus on the current needs of your training. So, with that, this is my proclamation about my future plans...drum roll please...

I want to be a professional rider. Do I have what it takes? Yes. Is it going to be wicked hard? Yes! Emotionally and physically demanding? YES! What happens if it doesn't happen? No worries, atleast I tried because its only failure if you don't try. With that I have made some really important steps into reaching this goal which have been emotionally taxing. I will outlay these plans over the next week. It might be a shocker to many of you, but just understand that what I am doing has been on my mind for several years now and with the events of the last year, I can't afford to not try.

chow,
Matthew

Shout out to 525 Lake Point Drive

Lots of things going on in my world these days which is the reason I have been so lax on the blogging despite the pleas from my brother michael and sister megan. These two have been commenting all week on my hack blogging. Well, I have good reason, I had blogging block, similar to writers block but for those who write to the www masses.

Okay, so lots of things going on. I can't elaborate on everything right now but there are some big changes going on in my life. To tease my readers, I will just say that its better to do what you need today rather than putting it off till tomorrow.

On an easier note, I am taking my first cooking lesson with Chef Kerry tomorrow. You can check out his website, www.chefkerry.com. He is going to give me some knife skill lessons and my first lessons on sauce-making. We are suppose to do a Italian puttanesca and a Thai red curry. Both should be delicious but will also provide some solid framework for other sauce making. I have a big meal planned for my family on Christmas Eve, one that will require us to pass the food around. You might think this to be trivial but we have not had a big, pass the food around meal at our house before. I think it will be beautiful and we can finally satisfy Megan's Hollywood dinner dream lol lol More importantly, it will be a great time for everyone to gather together. Lauren and my new brother-in-law, Alex will be coming up. So it will be the beginning of a new book for the Barrowclough's. To those that will be attending the festive event, we will be holding nothing back, full courses, antipasta, soup, salad, pasta, entree, and desert along with lots of wine =)

My cold is on the way out which is good for the training. I was up in Sonoma County this past weekend doing some riding with the team. I made my butternut squash risotto which was pretty tasty and enjoyed by all. Riding was good, lots of quiet roads and incredibly steep pitches. My accelerations on the hills is like nothing i have experienced before. Result of hard training and some weight loss, at 72kg now versus 75kg last year. I have been a little a laxer on the diet the last two weeks b/c I have been sick. Still just watching my calories. the fall back is that I get crazy cold now but it will be worth it come race time when I am flying up the hills. Last night the CMA sailing team members commented on how thin I was as did the cycling team this weekend. I like hearing it just like the models do hahaha.

Well, I will end with that. I hope to reveal more to everyone in the coming days.

Chow,
Matthew

No I'm not dead...

I know its been quite some time since my last blog, or "its been 10 days since my last blog." As the recovering blogger my say. Well, lots of updates...

1) Last Monday marked the 4month anniversary since I was run over by a truck
2) Cranksgiving was a wild success with over 1100km of training and 25000kjs over 36hrs
3) Like all flights back from my parents house, I got a cold
4) Jury Duty

Okay so on to the first topic at hand. Yep, 127 days later and I am reporting good results with my recovery. I still experience the occasional pelvic pain and strain in my left shoulder, but all-considering, I'm in pretty good shape. It will be a awhile before I muster the courage to do a pull-up. Holding off on skiing this year, a) because I want to train on the bike b)don't want to re-injure myself right now. Yesterday when i was out riding with teammate Harry, saw a helicopter landing in Sausalito. Harry says he took a chopper tour in HI, and I said, yeah I took one of those too in NY. Of course my tour wasn't very scenic unless you get off on the scenery of an inside of a chopper. I don't. Did a nice ride up to Alpine Dam then across the panoramic ridge towards Tamalpais and down to Bike-Rx before heading into SF. 4 hours. Felt good but didn't really press it because I don't want to tax the immune system too much but it was a really nice ride, super windy though. Reminded me of a similar ride last December with Harry and Co when it was raining sideways. Fortunately, no rain just lots of wind. Scott from Bike-Rx hooked me up with a replacement pair of CapoForma bibshorts. The Bike-Rx kit I bought had bad stitching in the gripper. He immediately gave me a replacement pair. These guys are just incredible. Be sure to support them and other great independent shops this season!

On to #2, Cranksgiving was super relaxing and allowed some good fitness building. Some head off to the glams of Mallorca or South Africa, yours truly, heads to East TN! 1100k and I only saw 8 other riders on the road. Kind of ridiculous but I was left with some beautiful roads and quite times by myself turning over the pedals. I think long training rides appeal to me on multiple levels. But one major reason is the time alone without distraction. I really enjoy the quite times, maybe I am introverted but its less stressful to just go out and ride by one's self sometimes. I said the same about running but runs only lasted35-90min and they included a lot of pounding which is NO BUENO! On the 25th, I did 166km, just under 6hrs, nothing to brag about but its endurance/base season right? Well, thats a pretty significant time by oneself especially on a bike. It was good though. First ride of that distance since La Vaujany. Still had some in the tank at the end so good sign for 2008.

#3, I have been experiencing very very light chest congestion for over a month now. Nothing stopping me just felt like something was down in the engine room trying to wreak havoc. Well, on the flight home from TN on Tuesday, I had a 0400 wakeup then a drive to CLT. 5.5hrs of flight time, and a kid kicking you the entire way, Priceless but always perfect remedy for a cold when people are hacking up ugly stuff. Well, I succumbed to the torture. Now I'm feeling better but blowing my nose a lot. Could be worse.

#4, Jury duty this week. I was suppose to serve my city's judicial courts in August but it was when I was in the hospital so again, NO BUENO! I was able to reschedule. I picked this week arbitrarily. Well, I woke up this morning not wanting to get out of my bed, then all the sudden I am reminded and frantically get out of bed, grab my summons and go to the web to see if I have been selected for today. Fortunately, only group 611. I have to check back again today after 4:30pm to see if group 607 is chosen. Could be a one day or a bunch of days depending on my ability to serve my judicial duty. This will be a first for me so I will keep you posted on SF Jury Duty!

Well, lots of updates. I found that I can add labels to my posts which I allow all my great readers to instantly go to a topic, ie: training, life, food, etc.

Also, my awesome coach, Shawn Heidgen, is having hip surgery today. Keep her in your thoughts.

Chow,
Matthew