Seeing 'Annie'

Before the movie started, we had a "private screening" session going.

Twice in the past week, we had tried to see "Annie." Both times, we arrived at our favorite movie theater, Aksarben Cinema, to learn it was sold out. So this time, we aimed for a late (9:30 p.m.) showing. That's all it took. When we arrived, we were the only people in the theater. It stayed that way until the previews, when two people came in and sat in the back row.

Overall, the movie was pretty good. Having not seen the 1982 original "Annie," I didn't know what to expect – especially since this is "Black Annie" (as many moviegoers have come to call it). It was fine and I even cracked a few one-liners that had Emily and Lauren in near tears. Lauren and Emily had actually been on their way out, having seen a different movie. But Olivia, Julia and Veronica convinced them to join us.

We also got to see Emily in the Aksarben Cinema promo that ran before the movie:



Afterwards, we had some fun with the bikes outdoors:

Olivia was ready to roll.

Veronica said this reminded her of the other time we rode these bikes.

For a moment, I thought Olivia was going to be able to ride it like an exercise bike.

You wouldn't know it from the look on Veronica's face, but it was pretty cold out.

Julia put on one of her priceless expressions for this photo.

Aksarben Village really does it up nicely for the holidays.

Unusual Job

How would you like to have this guy's job? Um, not me.

I was riding my BMC across the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge today when I came upon a worker getting ready to ascend one of the towers. He was changing the lights that sit atop the 200-foot span. Yikes! He said he had already made six or seven trips up and down the ladder.

Back At Rosenblatt ... Well, Sort Of

I enjoyed a visit to the mini-Rosenblatt Stadium that recalls its predecessor.

Finally, A Ride Outside

My view (looking north) along the trail in Council Bluffs.

Before Thursday, the last time I had ridden my BMC outside was Feb. 9. In other words, a long time ago. So getting outside to ride in 50-degree weather was quite a treat yesterday. And then, again today, in 60-degree temperatures.

It was a nice feeling, riding around and not having to haul about 25 extra pounds. And all that riding on the trainer this winter has gotten me in pretty good shape. In fact, on today's ride, I came across a bunch of teens who were riding casually along. There were about five or six in front, with another girl trailing about 50 meters behind them – and struggling.

I rode up on her and asked if she was with them. She said, "yes." I told her it was awful they left her behind and told her to stop pedaling. I grabbed her seat and started pushing her toward them. A few of them looked back and saw her coming as I pushed her straight through their group and into the lead. I'm guessing she felt like a million bucks and the star of the show. It was all quite fun.

We've Been Lucky

Pit stop at the recently re-opened Haworth Park in Bellevue.

The weather has been unseasonably warm this November. And that's been nice. Particularly since I'm home this entire month. What would normally be mid 30-degree days temperature-wise have been mid 50s and even low 60s.

View of the Missouri River.

I have it down on what to wear when it's above 50: Hincapie Sportswear arm warmers beneath a long-sleeved jersey, shorts, a Hincapie Sportswear e-vest and a cap beneath my Bell helmet. Gloves are either thin long-sleeve or conventional short ones and aero shoe covers are good unless it's warmer than 60. I haven't been out when it's much below 50. But if I did, it would be with tights since it's not good to have your knees exposed at that temperature.

Some long afternoon shadows.

Getting out on rides has been a regular afternoon ritual. I try to leave by 12:30 p.m. or 1 and ride at least two to three hours. With a south wind blowing, I'll ride the Keystone Trail to Bellevue's Haworth Park, then double back on surface streets. The climb up from Old Towne Bellevue to Bellevue Boulevard is rated as a Category 5 by mapmyride. No other climbs are long enough or steep enough to be rated. But there's still a fair bit of climbing here and there - including the one up L Street from the Veteran's Memorial Bridge.

Possibly darker than August.

I also like to pass the time on these rides listening to my portable transistor radio (using just one ear piece, not two). At that time of day, the "Jim Rome Show" is on, followed by "Unsportsmanlike Conduct." It really helps take your mind off things, listening to sports talk radio.

All this riding has led to an usual November tan, particularly on my legs. Well, really only on my legs since everything else is pretty well covered. But who knew you could get such a deep, dark tan in the middle of November? We'll see how long it lasts.

Yikes

I rode by Rosenblatt Stadium today. Or what's left of it.

It's All About The Bike(s)

A priceless shot for the ages.  I offered to fix up the girls's bikes for the weekend. This led to a large-scale transfer of six bikes, using my parents' truck (that had a dead battery).

But once all the bikes were on-site at the house, things went really well. The girls helped wash all of them before I set to work checking brakes, lubricating things and getting everything in good working order.

The one sticking point was the fact that none of the bikes fit Veronica. So we made the trek to a couple bike shops and ultimately decided on a sweet little number from Wal-Mart that Veronica enjoyed tooling down the aisle on (pictured above).  The pathway between houses was full of two wheels today.

Not Much To See Here...

This is what Rosenblatt Stadium looked like tonight on my bike ride.

Windy Ride

This is the view I had for much of Sunday's ride.
I need to get my bike in the shop. It is making all kinds of strange noises. The latest squeak forced me to bail on a ride that was already going south (literally) Sunday.

I met up with Brady and Mike at Crane Coffee and we headed into the teeth of a strong south wind. I was hanging just fine (we even gained a guy - then lost him) until I heard a strange noise from my back wheel. I tried yelling to Mike and Brady but they couldn't hear me. By the time they realized I was not with them, I was nearly 200 meters behind.

I ended up stopping and checking my back wheel, thinking I had a broken spoke. It turns out the spokes opposite the freewheel are loose, so that's one thing I will have to have checked when my bike goes in the shop this week. It cut my ride short, but that was fine. My legs were pretty toast from yesterday's race and I didn't really want to ride into the wind much longer.

Back In The Saddle

My race number included the number 16
– fitting since I last raced 16 years ago.
So I took the plunge today and ventured back into the side of bicycle racing I had not experienced since 1993. The decision to race Saturday in the Twin Bing Classic originated with Craig Harding, Team Type 1's regional team director, and was finalized when my brother-in-law, Jon Brooks, told me "you should do it!"

So there I was, early Saturday morning, getting things ready to go. Harding and Nancy Stirek picked me up (thanks!) and we made the 90-minute-or-so drive north to Climbing Hill, Iowa.

My expectations for the race were pretty simple: finish, don't crash and have fun. The Category "B" race was only 42 miles, but advertised as "having plenty of hills." Geez, they weren't kidding. The climb out of town to the finish line (about 3 km) was a gradual uphill with a steep kicker (10 percent, perhaps?). I knew getting dropped right off the bat would mean starting the climb at the front and slowly going backwards.

Two funny things happened before the race. First, the registration folks were thoroughly impressed with my pre-printed athlete waiver (thanks PDF Pen!) - which nearly caused them to forget to collect my $20 check. The other "classic Sean" moment came as we were getting ready to line up. The 72(!) people in the field were staged, then lined up on the road. I told Craig to hang way back (I think he was a little nervous about doing so, particularly since I hadn't been at this for some time) and then we'd dash up to the front. And that's precisely what I did - riding through the grass, around a mailbox and to "pole position" for the start before you could say, "Boo." Mission accomplished.

That first climb, though, was a leg-breaker. Or more precisely, gut-wrenching. I was warmed up - or so I thought - but didn't feel good at all. I was pretty "blocked" and went from front of the line to right at the back once over the top. It was going to be a long day. It got longer when the group I was chasing missed a right-hand turn. Five miles later, we figured out we were going the wrong way.

From there, we chased back to get back on course. It wasn't long before we hit more hills and I was off the back again. UGH. Roller after roller put the hurt on, but it was getting warmer (probably up to about 50 degrees) so that was nice. Eventually, I caught the remnants of my group and worked together with them as we got back to town.

Heading out for a second lap of the course was pretty much out the window, though, as I didn't want the race officials to be there until 4 or 5 p.m. waiting for "Mr. Slow" to make it around again. So I did my good deed for the day and told the officials I was "retiring" and headed back to the car. (Click here to see the official results.)

I met a lot of great people and it was kind of nice to be a little incognito at a bike race (as much as I can lay low). Of course I'm a little tired, but have some great memories.

It was pretty chilly at the start.

Kitted up and ready to go.
(Yes, I need a Louis Garneau helmet.)

Check out the lead vehicle for the "A" race.

Navigating The Pedestrian Bridge

The bridge was busy Monday night, the first full day it was open.
It's been a long time in coming, but the pedestrian bridge (officially the "Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge" is now open. How long? Well, I had to dig through my photo archives to find the photo at right, which was taken at the groundbreaking in October of 2006. Yes, I was on hand - and still have the commemorative pin to prove it. It was a windy, chilly day with grey skies that threatened rain. The ground was saturated (read: muddy) and most of the people on hand will probably never walk across the thing.

Here are two more pictures from the groundbreaking:

Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey was one of several speakers.


Posing with Council Bluffs Mayor Tom Hanafan.
So what was it like today? First, the bridge was fairly crowded. Lots of walkers, a running group and several cyclists. Lots of picture-taking (myself included) and many people who apparently never walk a trail regularly (they were drifting all over the place.


The view from the bridge itself is pretty breathtaking (the view above is looking south). Although I will readily admit I am scared of heights, I wasn't scared at all. There's little chance of falling - unless you make an effort to climb the railing - but it can be a little unsettling to feel the bridge sway and bounce, particularly in the middle.


The bridge spans about 3,000 feet and ends in Playland Park in Council Bluffs. There is a trail there that heads north and south, though I don't know how far they stretch. That will be a future ride. I also didn't see the emergency call phones that are on both sides of the bridge, as well as the middle. (Though I did read on another blog that they are in place, but not yet functioning.)

You can see a live image (still camera) of the bridge by clicking here. This will be a handy link when someone decides to jump from the thing (and I'm sure there will be a few).

Downtown At Night

One downtown Omaha hotel is making it look festive at night.
So there's a lot of work to be done between now and tomorrow morning. But my mind is on the girls - who will be with me all weekend. We have a lot of fun things planned and the weather should be cooperative.

I had a scary exchange on my bike today when a large truck (some type of industrial storage container-type vehicle) came up behind me and honked his horn. It startled me, especially since he was so close to me. I turned around and thought to myself, "sure, I heard - and see you."

But the guy tooted his horn again. Then again. And even longer this time. I turned around and waved my arm and yelled, "what's the problem?"

At that point, he started gunning the engine. So I slowed down. Way down. He did, too. Then I sped up. He sped up, too. And then ended up going by me. I still don't know what the deal was, but I'm just thankful he didn't take me out. I did get 26 miles in, which was nice.