No they didn't have to be from different folks. I think he used about 7,8 and went to coach twice.

True - military came out, met to say service academy, could have said USAFA. I can't think of a better place for a cyclist student (Pepperdine is close). I didn't mean to suggest it was hard. I doubt much is as hard as cycling. I don't suppose the other schools are much different. I think all have toned it down a bit.

And thank you for your service.

I'm just kidding when I bash on USAFA....I'm just conditioned to never say nice things about them or navy. You're right, it's definitely been toned down across all the academies (for better or worse), but in the end they're all great places, and I'd advise you to encourage your son to take full advantage of all the opportunities he'll have there over his 4 years. It's way too easy to get into a nice comfy groove at those places and end up missing out on some once in a lifetime opportunities (kinda like how I passed up marching in a Presidential inauguration parade). That may mean he's off the bike for a while, but IMO, it's worth it.

Well I rather think a Country Club is superior to roughing it, so no offence taken. When you are the branch in charge of satellites, ICBMs and cyber warfare, other than discovering character (not building it) I'm not a fan of making it harder for no real purpose. I'm right next to Camp Pendleton (500m - really). They are different. But they need to be.

I watched the end of yesterday's stage of the TOC on the computer. I've climbed those roads many times and to watch them do it is amazing. The last 4 miles gains 2000 feet and has some 15% ramps and these guys were attacking each other up there. It's rare that I can make it all the way up without stopping for a minute.

It reminded me of the time RacerX hosted the event (he lived near the bottom) and we rode up to watch. He put on orange dredlocks and ran alongside Quintana, yelling in Spanish. He fed us at his place after the race, and I saw the orange dreds on TV on the late repeat show.

Have a teammate who graduated from the Naval Academy, and raced collegiate there.

He said it was great for cycling. He had 3 hours or so every afternoon to train, after classes, before dinner.

I learned with my daughter that with good grades and athletics - doors open where great grades alone won't do. So with both kids we leveraged sports. The cross for cycling was rowing.
We visited Georgetown,Annapolis and Princeton as he was thinking of rowing for college as a lightweight.
He thought he'd have to give up cycling at all those campuses both due to rowing and area. Then he decided he didn't want to give up the bike, unless he had to, and that changed things. The Navy campus is amazing (we didn't go to West Point) but while I have not seen all the area around it I'd be surprised if Maryland can compete with the Colorado area for cycling. Maybe the East Coast riders will correct me. I am often surprised what hidden great cycling roads exist where I'd never expect them. Anyway, now service is first, there is a balance between riding and school. Both are suffering because of each other. I guess that is a normal thing.

USAFA "campus" has a nice paved 20 mile loop on it using the 1986 worlds RR course - which he owns the final hill KOM on :-) https://www.strava.com/segments/9093042

I'm not terribly familiar with the riding around the naval academy, but the riding around (north) of baltimore far exceeded my expectations.

Anybody have any experience with electric tankless water heaters.

We're finishing a basement, and the existing water heater is in the way of where the bike will be stored.

So one answer is tankless. We've got a gas tankless water heater in our first home, and it works well, and pays for itself.

This would need to be electric, given where it's located. The reviews of this one are excellent. I'm just doubting you can heat enough water fast enough with electric to be functional.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001AHO8AK...ed96a9aced7d84

A few years ago, people were doing tankless in tandem with a very small (5 gallon?) tank. Don't know anything about lately.

I don't know about the riding near the naval Academy, but I raced a collegiate crit there that had a downhill 130 degree turn with a sharp transition from hill to flat and lots of sand from recent snow.

There were many crashes.

"Tempra 36 models require 208 or 240 volt electric service, with a maximum draw of 27,000 watts at 208 volts or 36,000 watts at 240 volts

A minimum of 300 amp total service to the residence is necessary, as a Tempra 36 has a power draw of 150 amps via 3 separate 60 amp breakers with 6 gauge copper wiring."

36,000W of electricity...

Wow. 36kW in a house is seriously intense. That's like 25 microwaves at once or something. Better put that close to the electrical panel, I wouldn't want to run that wire very far at 6 gauge without getting out my code book.

300 amp service? I've never heard of such a thing for a regular house around here. We have 100 amp service. The normal "upgrade" is to go to 200 amp.

The biggest normal thing you'd plug into an outlet is 1500w, like a hair dryer or toaster. Our microwave is 900w I think? I should check. 36k watts is nutty.

I bet that water is plenty hot, quickly.

ahaha i love that crit! although it was never sandy when i did it.

I did the Farmer's Daughter gravel grinder ride with my brother in law. It was a gorgeous course and a fun day, but I have to say I don't really get the whole organized ride thing. I'd have been much happier to just ride the course without the 400 other people. TBH I'd also have been happier to ride it 2 hours faster, but that's what brother in laws are for.

https://scontent-lga3-1.cdninstagram...02602496_n.jpg

Beautiful pic, @globecanvas. I'm with you on the organized ride thing. If you will chip time me, ok, I'll pay and race that day. Or Ifyou proved water in a waterless place, that I'll pay for. Otherwise, I'd rather ride with 4-5 people & keep the day chill.

I've been getting a bunch of phone calls from the same number in DC. I don't answer calls if I don't recognize the number, and this caller has not left any voicemails.

But when I googled the phone number, it is apparently an extension at the Department of Justice.

I'm checking with the Contractor and the Electrician to see if its feasible.

ruh roh...

:roflmao2:

I get calls to some number in DC fairly regularly. I figured out it was some sort of IT helpdesk at a federal agency. My prefix is 202 and people forget to dial the 1.

When I lived in Brooklyn my 718 phone number was the same as the FBI's 212 number. I got calls meant for the FBI at least once a week.

https://www.andersenwindows.com/-/me...6000C3F267BC84

Trump that.

So done with being sick. It's affecting my sleep. I've had so much mucus in my throat I wake up coughing trying to clear out an airway. It's only bad at night when I'm laying down which is probably making this worse since I can ride and exercise through it. Expectorants seem to help, and anti-histamines do not. I can clear it by making that gross clearing my throat noise and spit out a bunch of phlegm, but I can't do that in class or around others..

What can I do but wait....

Nation,

If a race is all together at the finish, what's the best way to help out a teammate who has no sprint? All I can think of is to get on the front for the last 3-5 minutes or so and try to drill it all the way to the finish. A sprinter will still win but at least that will weed out the tired sprinters and minimize the number of non-sprinters who pass him. Or maybe try to slingshot him off the front with 1-2k to go? Except that seems just as likely to do nothing useful, if he can't get separation from the field (see the part where he has no sprint, above). ???

I vaguely recall that someone here live in New Orleans or is from there? I'm heading down for a conference next week and thinking about bringing a bike, if it makes sense.

Anyone have recs for rides/routes/etc.?