#783 gets swamped at the end.

The 2010 Copperas Cove Classic has become the de facto start of the annual road race season for bikes here in Texas. The course is lollipop-shaped, with a 9 mile out route, then a loop, and the return 9 miles back in. The course has one or two loops, depending upon the category you race.

In years past, we’ve been burdened by harsh weather, sometimes with rain, but always with strong winds that tend to batter the riders. The road conditions aren’t perfect, either, and when you combine that with early-season rolling terrain, it makes for a tough course. This year, however, we had a medium-strong wind from the northeast, I think, and I actually got a suntan on my arms from the warm sun and weather. Temps were in the 70’s!!!

The Mirage Cat 3’s continue to impress me. We had five entrants: Chase McKinney, Shawn Hodges, Lee Eldridge, and Gary Dutschmann. We went in with a plan, agreed to work together and communicate, and to support or block as we saw the race unfold.

And, it worked.

Here’s how it unfolded…

The race was filled with over 95 Cat 3/4’s. I had originally agreed to do the 1/2/3’s to try and get the mileage in, but was persuaded to drop down to the 54 miler when the other guys signed up for that distance. We led from the very start of the race. Chase McKinney just rolled off the front, and when he was finally reeled in, Shawn Hodges and I stayed at or near the front to cover breaks, and keep the pace up a bit. However, at around the 4 mile mark, a rider from Joe’ PRO Bikes got off the front, and about a minute or two later, one of his own teammates launched off the front, to join him. I made a mental mistake in letting that happen, and by the time I had realized it, they were both a minute up the road, and they had a third rider blocking for them. Without really trying, I moved to the front to try and pick up the pace, and ended up just rolling off the front. It was left to me then to try and either bring the pack up, or bridge. If you know me, you know what I did.

The break of two remained 10 to 60 seconds in front of me for over 20 miles, as one rider bridged to me, then completely blew up, and I had to continue on my own. I tried shouting to them to slow down and let me catch them, but they didn’t hear me. Had they let me bridge, there is no doubt in my mind that we would have taken it to at least the 48 mile mark, where the final turn is to the finish line. But as it was, I was out there on my own for 52 minutes, 2-3 minutes up on the pack, and just able to see the two ahead of me by 15-60 seconds. I was finally reeled in by an SMU rider, but it took us about another 20 minutes before we finally caught one of the two guys, who had blown up. His teammate had played the spoiler quite well, breaking up our efforts to form pacelines quite well.

On this one really crummy road, which is sort of infamous for its’ potholes and deteriorating edges, we finally regrouped as a team, and I hid to recover while Hodges, Eldridge, and McKinney came to the front to pick up the pace. TBi and AT&T made several moves to bridge up to the solo rider as well, but it was Chase McKinney and a TBi’er who finally crossed that crucial 20 seconds, caught the kid, and then DRAGGED HIM ALONG while both TBi and Mirage blocked. Efforts to bridge were useless, and by the time we left the bad road and got back on to the final six miles of the loop, they had about a minute.

For years, the final six miles of the loop has been the area where I usually go flat and lose my energy or momentum. This year, though, I had no intention of letting that happen. In fact, after such an incredibly hard effort in the first 90 minutes, I had recovered quite well, and was around when Lee started to put in several fake attacks, which were designed to keep the other teams on their toes, and also to take the pepper out of their legs. That also worked. At one point, Lee, Shawn, and I completely blocked the front of the race, corking it at about 18 miles per hour. We held this for about 2 and a half minutes, which turned out to be critical, and gave Chase, the TBi’er, and the Joe’s PRO rider a chance to take their break up to 1:30. We lost the cork at the turn back toward the finish line, but we had done the damage. There was no way the pack was going to reel those guys in.

With about 8 miles to go, Lee rolled up next to me and said, “I’m going to go here at the top of this hill.” I said “okay”, and we waited for an attack from one of the more aggressive AT&T riders to get pulled in before I told Lee to go. He’d been saving everything for this moment, and when he unleashed it, he put 30 seconds in to the pack before they even knew what hit them. I remained on station at the front, covered breaks, and fostered general mayhem and frustration. The TBi kids did the same, though for some reason, we didn’t see the Joe’s Pro guys much at all in the last half hour. Several efforts were made to reel in Lee, but he gained more and more time, to guarantee himself fourth place. I could only wonder what was going on with Chase up at the front.

The finish to this race is held on a slightly downhill run, just about 500 meters after a peak on a rolling hill. When you have about 40 guys all trying to gain crucial places for points and money, it creates a lot of mayhem. I ended up getting sort of boxed in at the end, but was surprised to see that my combination of trispokes and aero helmet actually helped me glide PAST a few more people as we approached the line itself. I guess I could have sprinted harder, but what I really should have done was go at the top of the hill, one last time, and drilled it. However, I had been on the rivet and had played my hand as the team player, and had contributed to the animation of the race. My day was done. The final crown in the cap was learning that Chase had won the race, with Lee 4th. I finished 11th, still out of the money, and still out of the points.

I’m not discouraged at all, however. I think we have a great team, and I think we have a bright season of success ahead of us. I know where my training is going to take me, and I know that I have the support of the team when my moment happens. EVERYONE came up to us later and congratulated us on a great, clean race. We’re marked men now, but I have no doubt that we’ll respond appropriately.

Finally, I have to credit my belief in my training and in my firm belief in aerodynamics. I rode my trustworthy Nimble Trispokes, and a KED aero helmet, which HAD to have made a difference on the escape and again in the sprint. I also drank two full bottles of fluids, knowing that I was going to lose a lot more due to the helmet being a cap and not a ventilator. No cramps at all. I’ll write later about my belief in the two supplements I’m taking, Extreme Endurance and, well, Beet Root Juice. But that’s another discussion for another day. For now, I am grateful for my health, for Texas Racing, for my wife continuing to let me spend weekends away, and for my teammates – guys, you are making this more and more fun, the more we do this together.

I’ll write more regularly from here on out, and may modify this post to include images as they become available. Look for more about the training on my Cycling Center of Dallas Weblog.

Here is a quick look at our family portraits.  It is tough photographing your own family but we did it!

Victorian Pointed-top Scallop Picket Design by Advent Fence Company. Located in Indigo Palms subdivision in North Charleston. Not only is this beautiful due to craftsmanship, but the water sealing also makes this one stand out!!!

If you’re already in Copperas Cove, our office is easy to find, just off 190 at 913 South Main Street.

If you’re not familiar with Central Texas, our office is north of Austin and west of Temple, within easy driving distance of the major Texas cities.

hey y’all!

love and hugs,
terry lee

love me tender, love me true

bonnie! stop staring at elvis for just a second! The FAGs ...

playing a 'little' guitar ... haha

elvis with my baby girl (she's an angel, but the devil in disguise!)

elvis getting serious as a heart attack

this little lady never stopped shaking, so enamored was she with elvis. bless her heart.

bon and terry lee

FAG jannetta and FAGette tara

after the show ... a little closeup time with elvis

Did you know? Mortgage interest rates are at an All time low!
Did you know? Owning a home. You pay towards the principal on your loan each month increases the % of your home that you own. In effect, you’re paying yourself
Did you know?If you itemize deductions, you can deduct the interest you pay on your mortgage.
* You leverage your investment by buying the home with (mostly) the bank’s money. You might put only 10% down, but your whole house (all 100%) of it appreciates every year. If you put $10k down on a $100k house, the whole $100k appreciates, not just the $10k you put down.
Did you know? Rent gets more expensive each year with inflation
Did you know? 1st time Home Buyers who have not owned a home in 4 years.
Did you know? The 1st time Home Buyer credit does not have to be repaid if you close on a home before 12/1/2009.
Did you know? The seller can pay your closing costs.
Did you know? FHA is 3/5 % down payment
Did you know? Va is 100% financing.
Did you know? This is a great time to BUY!
Did you know? Flower Mound Texas,Coppell Texas,Highland Village Tx, Carrollton Texas, Lantana Texas. Offer many 1st time home choices.

REMAX DFW
Suzy Britz
www.myhomedfw.com
www.myhomedfw.net
Cell 214-448-2888
www.twitter.com/realestateladie

http://remaxtexas.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/1st-time-home-buyers-8000-credit-information/

http://remaxtexas.wordpress.com/2009/05/18/homebuyer-tax-credit/

SInce 1/1/2009 below town and cities are showing 1349 sale pending/sold homes priced up to $300,000
Denton County: Flower Mound,Lewisville,Highland Village,Denton,Corinth,Lake Dallas, Trophy Club,The colony

From $300,000-$1million only 256 sale pending and sold homes

Tarrant County: below towns and cities showing 3747 sale pendings/sold homes priced up to $300,000
Southlake,Grapevine,Keller,Fort Worth,Hurst, Euless,Bedford,Haltom City

From $300,000-$1Million 475 sale pending/sold homes

Dallas County: below towns and cities showing 1070 sale pendings/sold homes priced from $300,000-$1million
4090 sale pending/sold homes up to $300,000
Dallas,Plano,Allen,Coppell,Irving

People are buying real estate.
They maybe buying more conservative. Downsizing, Buying smaller when Relocating,
1st time home buyers are on the rise! If you have not owned a home in 4 years you qualify as a 1st time home buyer.
Rates are great! $8000 1st time home buyer credit is not a loan to pay back as in 2008.

Data on pending and sold home information provided by the North Texas Real Estate Information Systems “DFW MLS”

Facts and Figures

Number of Transactions Closed in 2008

3.5 Transactions – The average number closed of the 1.2 million NAR members
5.0 Transactions – The average closed in MLS from the 25,000 NTREIS members in North Texas
14.5 Transactions – the average closed per agent at RE/MAX DFW Associates (includes all licensees: licensed assistants, managers and agents)

Average Volume per Agent

$1.2 million – average of NAR members nationwide
$1.4 million – average of NTREIS members
$4.1 million – average of RE/MAX DFW Associates agents

Average Age of Realtor

Age 54 – NAR members
Age 55 – Texas members
Age 48 – RE/MAX DFW Associates agents

Ethnicity of Agents

88% White – NAR members
72% White – RE/MAX DFW Associates agents

Internet Inquires for 2008

4 Inquiries in 2008 – NAR members
37 Inquiries in 2008 – RE/MAX DFW Associates agents

(Source: NAR website, Dallas Mornings News, Thursday, May 14, 2009, RE/MAX DFW Associates internal figures)

Flower Mound Homes, flower mound homes for sale, Lewisville Texas Homes, Lewisville Texas Homes for Sale, Flower Mound TX Homes for Sale, Denton Texas Homes, Highland Shores, Real Estate, Highland Village TX, Lantana Texas Homes, Double Oak Texasr, Copper Canyon TX Homes, Argyle Texas Real Estate, Flower Mound Texas Homes, 75022, 75028, 75057, 75067, 75077 76094, 76096, 76210, 76248, activerain.com, blogspot.com, colleyville, colleyville texas, suzy combs, suzette britz, suzette combs, remax coppell texas, real estate copper canyon, copper canyon texas, dallas condos, lifetime fitness flower mound, relocation, moving to texas, dfw schools, Lewisville Realtor, Plano, Frisco, Carrollton, Coppell, Grapevine, Lantana, Highland Village, Argyle, Adams Estates, bakers branch, stonecreek flower mound, grapevine homes, lake homes flower mound, horse property flower moundes, wellington flower mound, neighborhoods flower mound, lantana golf, twitter.com/realestateladie, activerain.com/suzybritz12, http://www.linkedin.com/in/suzybritz, dfw texas housing, plano texas homes, realtr flwoer mound, realtr dallas, realtr denton, realtr southlake, carroll isd, carroll dragons, carroll isd homes for sale, lewisville isd homes for sale, flower mound isd homes for sale

hey again,

love and hugs,
terry lee

my GW bargain barn treasures

sweet tin with vintage lady

belt buckle bought because of bling ... but you can't see it very well in this pic

old luggage. as IF i needed more baggage ...

but i never can seem to resist this old stuff

these old wooden boxes just whimpered and whined until i picked them up. so dusty, so musty. will shabby them up with some pink paint and bling

my son liked the shape of this box with the attached lid, but NOT the flowers. he's taking it on as an art project ... will paint it red and use it for something, well, something.

an old mother's day cup ... couldn't resist the roses

lotsa, lotsa pink lacy curtain panels and valances

50 cent victoria's secret purse ... love, love, love, just in time for valentine's!

what to do with a stack of 24 plain white plates your husband drags home for you? this!

am WILD about this color!

stacked my freebie plates and used them as a pedestal for a beads and feathers table centerpiece

yummy beads (thanks sue) in glass, on top of the stacked plates

love these turquoise feathers!!

NOT a goodwill find ... a sweet old mailbox painted, from sue's booth

pink feathers in the pink eiffel tower bottle ... just as sue suggested, it looks FAB!

I am so excited to start blogging.  Hopefully, I can create a great blog everyone will enjoy reading and of course beautiful images.  Enjoy!

So, I’ve spent the weekend cleaning house and organizing and getting ready to start my den/trophy room remodel, so I’m offically exhausted! But there was an article I read a week or so ago, and I think that everyone needs to read it, and boom bard the STUPID school board with letters, phone calls and emails. How heartless this world has become. The article is below…

Dad calls from Iraq, son gets suspended

by Roger Sinasohn

Master Sgt. Morris Hill is serving his country in Iraq, a long way away from his beloved sons back in Texas. Luckily, these days, we have the means for people on opposite sides of the planet to talk to each other in real time, almost without regard to where they actually are. We have cell phones.

Unfortunately, the only time Hill could call his son Brandon was during the school day — a time when students are generally forbidden from using their cell phones. It would seem, however, that this situation would count as extraordinary circumstances and an exception could be made, but administrators disagree. Brandon was suspended for taking the call.

“He called me during class, because that’s the only time that he could,” Brandon said. “I answered the call as I was walking out of class. The teacher followed me out and said, ‘Oh what are you doing?’ I said my dad was calling from Iraq, and I know he needs to talk to me.” Brandon was sent to the office and given a two-day suspension.

The odd part is that the father had apparently made an arrangement in advance with the assistant principal to allow his sons to receive calls from him. “He had spoken with Mr. Fletcher,” said Pat Hill, the boys’ mother. “He thought there was an agreement understood that if he called either Joshua or Brandon at school, that everything was fine.”

“If this would have been the last phone call from my husband, and he’s in trouble for it and then has to deal with something happening to his dad that would be even harder,” Mrs. Hill added. “These schools have to stop and realize, especially when you are in a military community, we support our soldiers, we support our troops. What about them when they are in Iraq trying to reach their family?”

Mrs. Hill is trying to get the suspension removed from her son’s record, but the school says the matter is closed. Whether or not you support the United States’ actions overseas, you’ve got to understand that the soldiers are doing their job and that they and their families are still people — people who care very much about each other and have a need to stay in contact. It seems to me that the school could be more understanding on that point.

When I lived in Texas, a group of friend’s (and co-workers) and I got together once a week to craft. After a while, we had a supply built up and needed something to do with them. We started by selling at a school craft fair. We made some sales and the fires were sparked. We then did several other craft fairs. My favorite was always the Krist Kindl market in Copperas Cove, TX. If you’ve ever been to Texas, you know that more often than not, you can wear shorts on Christmas day. But, it would never fail that a cold front would roll in and the winds would pick up just in time for the market. Yes, it was freezing and miserable out. But, nothing set in the Christmas spirit as some good ole brisk weather!

Since moving to Tennessee, I have thought many times how I would like to get back into the crafts. Sure, I make them for my husband’s customers at Christmas or for a gift exchange now and then. But, I am talking about really putting in the time on them. Which brings me to today.

The owner’s of Heartland Candles and Gifts here in town are moving to a new location and opening a crafter’s mall on their second floor. I took a leap of faith and joined in the mall. Today, I selected my space and paid my first month’s rent. Then I went home and thought …. how am I going to decorate it? Better yet, what am I going to put in it? So, my mind went into it’s flight of ideas! I have a few crafts “saved up.” But, not even enough to get a return of my first months rent. Then came the panic! So, now I am having that buyers renter’s remorse. I have tried to enlist friends to join me. But, so far, I have only been able to convince my Mom and my older brother to contribute. However, he lives hours away. So, he can only bring his “Stuff” when he comes again to visit. Now, I guess it is time to buckle down and get to work. Nothing like a deadline to get my booty in gear!

My favorite crafts to make are Christmas ornaments. However, when a friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer, and the miles were between us, I thought of her often. She was the inspiration for this breast cancer awareness ornament, which I sold on eBay. 

Well, I was more long winded than intended. But, if you made it here, I am taking suggestions for great ideas to decorate my booth. I have a few ideas myself, but would love to hear some of yours!