I can see the finish line..

As we are on the straight away I can see it already.. Yes the finish line..!

The year is coming to an end soon and with the weather changing I don't see my numbers taking a huge drop or a huge increase..

As I woke up this morning I felt sort of melancholic and went reading old posts and a lot of comments from them, till I got to the post that give me the idea for this one.. Do you remember the What your goals are? Well if you don't, just follow the link and it will bring you to it..

So mine were extremely ambitious and involved huge changes in my life and my family life.. Did I accomplish any of them? Did anything change from the day I wrote them to now? Lets find out..!

My goals for 2016:

- Moving to Malaga with the family. DONE!
- Get a job that allows me to follow my dream. (wait for iit is coming) Working on it.
- Buy a nice BIG house in Malaga. Discarded, at least for now
- Start our own B&B. Discarded
- Start offering my cycling guide services in Malaga. I started..!!
- Go back to Argentina to get my older son, Pablito. Leaving on the 25th for Argentina
- Ride 15.000 Km for the year. Have you seen where I live? Not this year..!
- Climb 150.000 meters in a year. Will be close..! Stay tuned for this one
- Lower my weight to 85 kilos. Ha..! Not even close..!
- Write more in my blog. And better should I add. Ons and offs.. I like interaction and the blog doesn't give me that
- Become financially independent. Working on it every day

- Meet more PdC members. Yes..! Yeehoo, thebongolian, maratsafin and Paul from Scotland

-And the most important one….. TO BE AND MAKE MAKE FAMILY HAPPIER..!!! We are HAPPIER!

So to me has been a nice mix of yes and nos but I will take it as us (family and me) finishing ahead with all the changes that we faced..

The Pablo's Cycling Tours Facebook page is running and I am looking forward to this business to take off.. by the way if you didn't like the page yet please do.. If you already did.. Thank you very much..! Feel free to suggest anything that might help.. Good and bad critics are the only way to move forward.

But enough about me.. Tell me, tell us...

What your finish line looks like?

Puerto de las Abejas trip... I wanted to do more....BUT...!!!

So I decided to go out and catch up with a fast group and see what tired legs are made out of…. Lucky me I could not find them so I headed out on my own to see what I could do… During the first hour I was feeling great..! Man I think I am going to beat some times today… I was going mostly downhill and flats till the first climb started…

The first pat of the climb? I was good.. No more great… Started to feel the weight of the legs and the bad knee was saying hello… I had some company..

This is after the first 4 or 5 km of climbing… After that it was a dead march to the top.. It was 10 more km to go… Not a cow picture.. Zoology is not my strength

When I see this sign I know is about 5 km to the top of the climb.. Welcome to Yunquera..!

And they want to remind me of how bad I climb.. With a sign that says Mountain Roads…!!! I see them buddy..! I feel them..!

But I finally I made it to the top.. Oh look..! I got my Podium Jersey fixed..!! Zipper needed to be changed in 3 of my jerseys..

Then I took picture of random riders coming to the top..

As I started talking to them one of them made a comment.. About "mate" my national tea remember? so it happened that he was married to a woman from Paraguay… My mom is from Paraguay..!!! And his wife is even from the same city that my mom is originally from..! How small is the world??

When I turned around this views were waiting for me..

Another angle?? Couldn’t make up my mind so I post them both

So on and off I rode 71 km, climbed 1375 meters in about 3:30 hours.. The other thing that is very interesting? As I was riding I saw two guys I recognized.. Started to get Hola Pablo as I am riding..! Started to be recognized in the local cycling community..!

Another thing that I would like to share with you all and invite you to join if you wish to do so is The Weekend Report Club in +Strava  on that way you can become part of an amazing community from people from all over the world...

Thanks for reading this blog and if you wish to share it.. Go for it..

See you at the next adventure

Pablo

The Weekend Report Guy

Are you ready for the Giro?

For the last couple of years a groups of internet friends and I been running a game that we call Predictors Game... Here we test our knowledge and luck against each other in a friendly way trying to predict the outcome of different races during the year..

So this time we are going, actually we started already running the game with our eyes on the first grand tour of the year... +Giro d'Italia !!! The first stage is this May 6th..!! That is...

Image via Giro di Italia +Twitter account. (thank you!!)

So you want to know what is this about? OK.. Here it goes..!!!

Alora, it's time for the Giro, arguably the craziest and most UN-predictable of the Grand Tours. Loaded with sprint stages, TT's and transitional stages as well as the usual super high snow filled MTFs it will sure to be a fun filled, exciting race. Are you suffering worse than Scarponi-face in VDS? Need a Ferrari-style boost to your ratings? Is your team descending faster than a Shark from Messina? Do you have what it takes to take PINK! Then you need to play the Predictor Game...yet another way to beat ourselves up over our love of cycling!

If you have not played before read below and feel free to play along. It’s really fun and gets you even more into the race! We have a spreadsheet with graphs, etc that you can view at any time and we will post a link to it in the fanpost for each stage. It is a great tool to see the popularity of riders and results. It is also good to double check your picks as we have been known to make keying errors. For actual race info we find cyclingquotes.com previews pretty good!

Rules

In this game, only the stage results matter. You're not committed to keeping the same riders throughout the race, you make fresh picks before every stage. Our overall competition is a combined total of all 21 individual stage scores. You're eligible for the overall even if you miss some stages.

Pick 4 riders for the upcoming stage. The order of your picks doesn't matter. All of your riders can score.

Riders score points down to 10th place. Less popular riders score more points than heavily-picked favorites. See below for scoring details.

The strict entry deadline is the official start time of the stage, the neutralized rollout or Départ Fictif. Be warned - if your post is timestamped one minute late your entry won't count! So do remember that there's no disadvantage to getting an entry in early, even the day before, because you may always change your picks up until the deadline. Feel free to rethink your picks when it emerges which riders are more or less popular with other players. If you make changes, post your revised 4 picks in a reply to your original post.

Try to enter just the last name of the person...Cancellara not Cance for example. And Izagirre I or Costa R. It helps us with the data entry into the spreadsheet.

Scoring

Forgot to mention..!!!

The last 3 stages will be secret entry between the top contenders… To avoid defensive picking..

When we say top contenders we leave the number open because who knows how many will be within striking distance...wooley7 scored the win in the Classics with a long range suicide attack in Liege so you can never count yourself out...NEVER!

We will notify you by email if we need you to do a secret entry.

Results:

We will try and post results in a timely fashion as soon after each stage as possible. However we are all busy so will just do our best there. We will post them along with a post for the next stage.

And if you want to check your entries and results:

Our spreadsheet master msbee created: THIS

Good luck, invite your friends and ATTACK! ATTACK! ATTACK!

Post your entry for the first stage below!

Special thanks to all the hands around the world that make this game possible.

So what do you think? Are you ready for it? Do you have what it takes? If you think so and want to become part of one of the best cycling communities online please stop by at Podium Café and join us..!!!

We are taking picks for Stage 1 already..!

Hope to see you over there..! or over here..!

Thanks for reading and stay in touch for daily updates on the Giro PG competition..!

P.S: if you know someone that might be interested in this sort of game feel free to share 

Pablo

The Weekend Report Guy

100 km..! First time in Spain! La primera en España..!

The title kind of gives it away. Right? El titulo lo dice todo.. No?

My first metric century in Spain..!! Mi primer vuelta de 100 km en España..! How was it? Como estuvo? What about I tell you this with some images? Que tal si te lo cuento con imagenes?

It was a cloudy start... Un poquito nublado al empezar..

That made for some cool riding at the start.. Esto ayudo a tener una agradable temperatura para andar

The views? Las vistas? Amazing..! Maravillosas..!

You have more then one kind of riding... Mas de una opcion a la hora de montar..

And the ups and downs are better with company.. Y las subidas y bajadas son mejores en compañia

We shared the route with everyone..Compartimos la carretera con todos..!

A classic view of an Andaluz town..Una vista clasica de un pueblo Andaluz..

An always welcome reminder.. Un bienvenido signo para recordar..

Heading up again.. De vuelta para arriba

Flowers? Flores?

The swamps? Los pantanos..

Had to stop and get a pic here.. Tuve que parar a sacar una foto aquí

One of my faves from the day? Una de mis favoritas del día?

Quiet roads for the win..! Rutas tranquilas para disfrutar..!

A lake? Un lago?

I had the chance to go and take a closer look.. Tuve la oportunidad de mirar de mas cerca..

Local residents... Algunos habitantes del area..

Even fixing a flat looks nice here.. Hasta arreglar una pinchadura parece lindo..!

\
It wasn't a lake..! No era un lago..!

The dam..La represa.. The mountains..Las montañas..

I am inlove with the water color..! Estoy enamorado del color del agua..!

History time! Tiempo de histroia..! That is the chair the king used to when the dam was open over 100 years ago.. Esa es la silla que el Rey uso hace mas de 100 años cuando se inaguro la represa..

Tunnels? Tuneles..?

Into the light..Hacia la luz..

The chase was on..! La persecucion habia comenzado..!

And at the top of the last climb I am been chased by a Colombian..!I am doomed..! Y en la cima de la ultima subida me persigue un Colombiano..! Estoy listo..!

And +Strava said we did... Strava dice que hicimos... THIS/ESTO

Hope you enjoy the adventure and images.. Espero hayas disfrutado la aventura y las imagenes

Don't forget to share it.. No te olvides de compartirla..

See you next time... Nos vemos a la proxima..

Pablo

The Weekend Report Guy

The Golden Rules?

As part of our new life here in Málaga, Spain we decided to get the kids out the door a bit more and away from all the video games, computers, tablets, DS's, X-box and whatever else they are using that goes beyond my knowledge.

Now we do not have the excuse of the bad weather... Doesn't rain all that often and the temperature is just borderline perfect.. So NO EXCUSES...!!! 

Lets take a walk around to see the different activities... Karate..!!! MTB for kids..!!! (did you see the picture about this in the pictures page of the blog?) Basketball..!!! (so many memories!!) and lets face it this is España..... FUTBOL...!!!

After studying the different options for the little one and asking the main person involved in taking part of the activity we decided for.....:

The little man choose to play futbol... Don't ask me why I am not a futbol person and we only watch soccer when the world cup is on... But he can't deny the German/Argentinian gene pool he has right?

I was so happy to see him running and having fun with other kids his age just wearing shorts and a t-shirt under the warm sun of South Spain... This another reason we moved here.. For the kids to be that.. KIDS... Been outside run and play with others like them to us is very important and believe it or not the weather has a lot to do with this... Is impossible for them to be outside if the weather conditions don't allow it...

After the practice was done and we were walking out of the field I found one of the best picture and signs ever..!!! And perhaps should be golden rules when it comes to kids and sports.. But is not up to me to decided on this one... Is just up to me to put it out there and maybe help someone to remember why we wanted our kids to play sports.

Yes they are in Spanish but don't worry I do my best to interpret the meaning of each one... Translation doesn't make justice or gives the true meaning of them:

1- DO NOT yell at me and give me instructions.

2- DO NOT yell at me in public.

3- DO NOT yell at the coach.

4- DO NOT say anything bad about my team mates.

5- DO NOT say anything bad about the other team either.

6- DO NOT say anything to the referee.

7- NEVER loose control.

8- DO NOT tell me my mistakes after the game.

9- DON'T FORGET to smile and have fun with me.

10- DON'T FORGET this is just a game, I will do what I can but doubt I will become the next

"SUPER STAR'

Hope this lines can help someone out there or someone you know to remember the true meaning of playing any sport at young age, as a kid all you want is to have fun and even better if the parents join and have a smile while doing it.

Thanks for reading and sharing

See you at the next post..

Pablo

The Weekend Report Guy

Remember that one?

Do you ever think about that time on the bike? What do I mean? That time when you knew you wanted to do this riding stuff for the rest of your life..

Well this post is about that day.. That summer evening in Hillsborough, NJ somewhere in September or August of the year 2011.. At a local Club race event..

The race itself is a well organized event for a small amount of people, during the 3 years i was riding with this group I can't recall seen more then 40 of 50 people at the time during the peek of this races. yes 40 or 50 people racing together in open roads with traffic can be dangerous but here is where the "handicap" starts playing a great effect in splitting the groups for various reasons:

1- Safety..! Is much easier for cars to go around 4 or 6 riders at the time then 40.. Right?
2- Competition..! everyone has more fun if they know they have chance of getting away and winning.

At any given event of this Club CRCofA will be any amounts of groups set to go at 6 pm from the Woodfern Elementary School..
Between each group will be a time gap of 2 minutes, sometimes 3 according to the level of the riders that start after each group..

With the slower riders starting at 6 and the faster ones following after them in intervals of 2 minutes like was mentioned above..
The course is very much the same every Thursday... A loop around 8 miles long with a little bit of everything, OK we are missing a proper climb here but believe me there is a few short steep hills that I learned to hate on the beginning of my racing days with them..

So you understand a bit of what is coming this is me (already lost a ton of weight here! I was bigger when the ride itself took place)

So after the introduction now you are ready to know what the race, Well to me was more like an introduction to racing looked like right?

Summer evening in NJ, hot and humid...  Remember this was my beginning.. I was set to go with the slower group..! No wait..! I left by my self 1 minute before the slower group..!! because I knew the first part of the course... On the first group was the older riders and the new riders.. And not this is not offensive I am saying older riders with lots of respect for them..!  Specially after they passed me in the first part of the course like I was standing on the side of the route.. I kind off held their wheel for a few minutes... To me holding a wheel meant I could see them for a while...

The fun didn't last long at all as we hit the rail road bridge.. Man I hated that bridge a little more after each lap..!! Not long but steep.. I was still getting used to the gear changing stuff.. So quiet often I was on the wrong gear going up that thing.. suffering and I think I walked up to it once or twice (and that's all you are getting from me)

By the second lap around this circuit when we were going "again" over this bridge and after hitting a lot of other rollers and going as fast as I ever went on the bike I was cooked..! Done! Finito! Kaput! and still had to finish 1 and 1/2 lap more..!?? Here was coming the bridge again.. When Mr Frank pulls next to me and grabs me by my gym shorts and t-shirt and pulls me over the bridge..

Now at that moment I felt a lot of different feeling in me.. Shame! Lets face it, no one likes to be slower and weaker then the old man. I did my best to finish the second lap, didn't even try to go for the third one rolled quiet and deep in my thoughts about what just happened to me...

Stayed by the finish line still thinking about what happened and watch everyone crossing the line.. net to Mr Frank since he is the one keeping track of all the results and points and all that.. I was quiet.. Clapping as everyone was crossing the line..

Now you read Mr Frank here a few times right? He is close to 70 if not there already (sorry if I am wrong Mr F) cancer survivor, at that point he was going for treatment 2 times a week if I remember correctly... And this was the guy pushing me from behind on every little bump on the route and waiting for me and trying to pace me on the flats..

Here is a pic of him with Felix and his 2 granddaughters

Like him there was is a lot of people at the CRCofA.. And that is the ride I remember, the people I remember and you know what? This day after everything was done and I was home showered and trying to understand all of it.. If to continue or not...

That day..Yes that day I decided to become a cyclist..! 

Just to be one of those old guys riding their bikes if i get there..

Do you remember yours?

Thanks for reading..

Till next time.

Pablo Alves

A B-Day Weekend..

No, not my B-Day... So hold your thoughts there for a minute, I didn't have the opportunity to go and ride a monster ride or an epic day on the saddle... But I had the pleasure of spending the whole weekend with some of the most important people in my life...

This is us

As the title says this was a b-day weekend.. The little man became 7 and we decided to do stuff that makes him happy... We looked around during the week for possible alternatives on what to do..
don't forget we live in Belfast, Northern Ireland so we decided for an indoor fun and active place..

On our way to this place we passed this:

You see this and think of? Belfast..!

Our option was at the end W5 and it was a great decision..! Glad we picked this place.. The kids and also us grown ups had a great time with the different games, experiments, facts, exploring and puzzles to mention a few of the activities..

Some climbing? Not sure how this is called..

We made some music..!!

We completed puzzles..!

We learned some physics laws..!

Made and watched hot air balloons rise..!

- First you filled them with hot air, then when they got full or reached the pressure needed they went up..!

Another view..!?

The little one enjoying some indoors climbing. (This looked really cool!! I wanted to go in!)

After a nice day out with the kids was time to come home and start cooking for the hungry family.. Katja and I decided to make an Argentinian BBQ for dinner for us and some friends that were coming... (salads, bread and other stuff too)

Here is a pic of the main dish... Obviously before grilling it... (Asado, Short ribs, beef)

The cook, having fun by the grill.. Noticed the matching clothes with the food? ;-)

In Argentinian tradition Asado and Vino goes together (BBQ and Wine)

And we found some tasty wine from back home.

And after 2 to 3 hours of slow cooking and drinking some German beer while doing it..

Dinner was ready..!!

We all sat together at the table, inside by this time since the weather got cold really quick when the sun started to go down..

We ate, we drunk, we sang happy b-day to Felix and had cake..(by the way the cake was made by Savannah from scratch.. Our daughter)

The B-Day boy had a great time and made it all worth it..!

The only problem with this is that I didn't ride the bike at all..! Ate a lot..! Drank a lot ! and gained some weight that I have to try to burn during the week..

Thanks for reading my blog.

Till next adventure.

Pablo Alves.