Paris-Roubaix 2010 - Cancellara attacks

Ski2Sea 2010

So....first off - apology. I signed up for two separate cycling challenges for April - hence my riding has been everyday - full on. As per the Twitter #30daysof biking -> We ride our bikes every friggin' day. Love it. As per Mike N's dailymile 4th Month Fool's 500 - I am currently at 622 kms - not counting running or tonight's ride. All is good. I bike, bike, run, bike, bike, poop, sleep and eat. LOVE IT. This is base baby.

So - my blogs have been a tad sparse. Add me as a friend on FB, or dailymile. More action on a daily basis. Brent Prokop.

So - April 11, 2010 was the Ski2Sea. Our group - Snow White and the Seven Dwarves - put on a great outing. Here's the video to help you understand the logistic nightmare that is S2S. Every year - teams go from Big White alpine to the drink in Okanagan Lake. AWESOME kudos to the race organizers and all of the volunteers !!

http://vimeo.com/10955582

Enjoy - and yes I'll try to pick up the slack......

Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope

Today marks the 30th Anniversary of Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope!
Terry started his run in St. John’s, Newfoundland on April 12, 1980. 

http://www.terryfox.org/

As I've stated in other social medium posts - Terry Fox - hero defined.

not as diligent as BP....

So - we were in Australia from March 5th - 20th - YES we loved it. Didn't take any means to communicate ( no computer or phone - I kinda planned it that way - make it a real holiday ) - really a small problem. It was hard to get computer access ( I wasn't looking too hard ) - hence my lack of posts and FB & Twitter absence. Blogger was even worse. I was the polarity of Mr. Payne's near twice daily postings ( BTW his blog post is awesome stuff !! Don't stop Bryan ).

This is my sister's deck pool in Trinity Beach - Cairns - Queensland looking out at the Coral Sea. The cyclone Uliu was ~ 1200 kms offshore - making for more than average winds and churned surf. It landed south of Cairns about 3 days after we left. Queensland - LOVED it. Too humid - killer jellyfish and crocs prevent swimming at the beaches - but it is paradise in the Tropics. Running was a bitch with the humidity and heat.

This is Longreach Bay on Rottenest Island off Perth Western Australia. My brother lives there with his wife and daughter. YES - my sibs couldn't live any farther apart ! A five hour direct flight thank you.
WA is gorgeous - and yes you can swim in the surf.  Did LOTS of running along the West Coast Highway. The driver's are so disrepectful to cyclists ( even worse to pedestrians ) - that the roadies also use the paved path on the WCH. I didn't get to ride a bike - probably a good thing. While I did drive cars on the wrong side during the stay - I felt that riding a bike with the locals would have been a shitty endeavour. Couldn't believe how many Giant bikes there were - at least 3/4's of all bikes I saw were Giants....

So - one of my highlights was a little reconaisance in Busselton. Why ? Oh this little get together every December called IMWA. My goal is to participate in 2011. Scouting report ? Everybody I've spoken with about this race LOVES it. I can see why - a near perfect 1.84 km long jetty makes the swim a follow of it's periphery. Flat course - lots of international participants. Mind you - December in WA is gonna be stinky hot - so get ready for a 38 - 40 degree Celcius day.

Near Busso is Margaret River. Home to at least 60 wineries and a real playground for the Perthites for weekends - holidays - whenever. Again paradise. This does make for costly accommodation - so be prepared that anywhere near Busso - Dunsborough - Yallingup - is gonna be pricey for the stay. But well worth it !!

If I had the cake - I would live 2 months of the year in Yallingup. A gorgeous little villa on the slope of the Cape Naturaliste point - overlooking the Indian Ocean. Mind you - I would miss the mountains and snow and dark hours run & bike training.

Thanks again to our extended families on both Coasts of Australia - the hospitality you extended our way was incredible !!

So - gotta cut short on this post - will write more in the next couple of days.

Cheers

Brent

p=mv

So - last post before heading to BOTH sides of the continent we call Australia. Perth, WA and Cairns, Queensland. Will try to post and post whilst going walkabout.

Sunday. Participated in my first ever Sunday Road Ride. Some very talented big engines in this town - reasons are too many why I've never rode in it before. Average an 80 km loop all over East Kelowna, Belgo, McKenzie Bench and Airport areas of Kelowna.

http://vimeo.com/9828166

So here it is for you to watch. The ride ? AWESOME. I really enjoyed getting spanked by the tandem boys. I tried like a bastard to keep up with them - couldn't do it. Then I remembered........

              p=mv                           Momentum = mass x velocity

In high school - this was a lost in the crowd equation - too simple. This video blasts the reality of this little equation through your brain like a shock wave. The chap Frank on the rear deserves a round of kudos. Getting off the couch brigrade - wants to drop a shitload of weight. He's out there - he's starting.

Too many of the boys cut out early to watch the men's olympic hockey final game. Poofs.
I'm more excited about our Cross Country ski results.

Men's 2 man relay 4th !!!!!!
50 km race - 5th ( off the Gold by 1.6 seconds !!!!!!!!! )

Watching NHLers is not something I'm gonna blow a ride off for. I like hockey - but I LOVE riding my bikes !!

The Total Restoration Cycling team did the Round the Lake ride - so some of the big engines were not in this ride. All said and done - a robust 110km ride for me - definitely a harder pace than I planned - but was expecting. 1/2 barf pace if you will. The sprints and sporting climbs left the downhill recoveries too short..........

Enjoy the video. Best of luck to all participants in Ironman China - coming up fast. Fellow blogger Bryan THE PAYNE TRAIN is trying to qualify for Kona. I've been enjoying his posts - his journey has been long and hard - let's hope his destination is as planned......

Power to the pedal

Brent

How can you NOT be happy ?

Family Fun Day for the Big White Racers Saturday Feb 20th. Kids vs parents on a large Slalom but not quite GS course. Timers, Start Ref, Finish Ref, Chief of Course ( a VERY cranky one too ! ). It was all official.

http://vimeo.com/9613318

So - I knew Ilana was going to kick my arse. Did I know this bad ? NOPE. Was I happy ? OF COURSE.
I cannot believe the skill development she's evolving here - it's spectacular. For Ilana - this was 4 years in the making. I was always busy working - never available to race her.

Boy did she make up for the years past.

Yes I realize this is every parent's hope - the kids have fun, learn, and develop many skills with their choices. Sports, music, video mediums....the life skills, friendships, etc they build in these electives is priceless.

So here is a happy music video to look at on a rainy day. Enjoy - try not to laugh too much at my getting whooped. It was fun

Cheers,

Brent

Mike's new trail " UP "

Been slamming busy folks. The two school assemblies were incredible. Been running lots in the am. As far as the biking - well - no slack is the catch-phrase.

Rode last night at Rose Valley with 5 hearty mates. Ken dropped off early w battery issues - and my video camera was not running for the time I wanted it to.

See for yourself...

http://vimeo.com/9525130

Cheers & Enjoy,

Brent