TEAM RED

Trip Dist: 22.26 mi
Trip Time: 1 hr 23 min 38 sec
Avg Speed: 15.97 mph
Max Speed: 33.45 mph

Total Odo: 838 mi
Total Time: 61 hrs 02 min

Weather: Mid 70s to start, then mid low 80s around 11:30. Beautiful weather, slightly hot towards the end.

Pre-Ride Food: PBJ

Team red jersey hit the road today around 11am. Weather was really nice and cool to start, but the sun busted out to ruin that of course. Still feeling quite weak and tired from being sick. Exercise is definitely helping "cleanse the system." Me, Mike, and Joel hit the rec center yesterday. I only rode the bike there for about 15 min on lvl 10, kicking it to 14 every once in a while to get out of the saddle.

Today was really good though, Mike is becoming a true cyclist, I am impressed at his skill early on. He has about 2 feet more of muscle, so I think that helps him....hahaah. Lance is short, remember that!

So we hit the golf course cart path route by The Link to start. We finished up there with the the "mini alps" and went on our way. Extremely hill route today, it was really good. I just wish I felt better, it was a sluggish ride at times for me.

Mike's been having chain problems so that's always annoying when it skips while cranking it up a hill.....oh bicycle frustrations. Someday we will have beautiful, flowing bikes that work flawlessly. For now, we shall train on PURE STEEL.

Directing Numero Du: CONVOCATION

Convocation in the Conn Center was great tonight. Fresh crew on the cams, and I was able to direct the whole night. It feels good to have Jeff's trust the entire time as opposed to him breathing down my neck the whole time. It's a great freedom, and forces you to perform.

Of course there were minor slips because some were first timers, but that's understood. All in all, they did great. They had some great wide and close up pans, and beautiful pulls.

What a blessing the entire night was. Great people to work with, and a great service to record. Thank God for the opportunity to direct so much and I'm only a junior! There is just no other way to get better at it, you need to just DO it.

Seems like my future career specifications have been changing as I learn more in video. It began with the old RCA VHS camcorder me and Carmello bought off of Ebay for about $50. Here is the time line of my involvement in video, as all of this has happened very recently thanks to Lee:

- Analog VHS / Hi8 camera work (early High School)
- Fascination with ULead video studio demo on PC
- Analog to Digital video converting for editing
- Windows Movie Maker
- Adobe Premier 1.5 then 2.0 (College Sophomore)
- Job from Transformers Lip Sync playing in Conn Center Chapel
- First time working with manual camera controlls (JVC HDV110)
- Lee Basketball floor cam (2nd semester)
- Editing for Inside Lee Basketball TV show
- Winterfest Stop Motion Promo (first project with the guys in HDV)
- Massive 65+ freelance VHS-DVD editing project (still pluggin away at it)
- N. Cleveland COG Camera crew for Chad Guyton
- Directing: Dixon center Presidential concert
- Directing: Night convocation 3-cam shoot

I don't know why God seems to throw me into things and FORCE me to be good at them. I give him all the glory for everything I do because it seems to be done fluidly and naturally. Thank God for Lee and the opportunities here. Ron said that in all four of his college years, he only got MINUTES of directing time...so directing entire services is a huge blessing.

Until next post people, hopefully i'll have some epic cycling news. I don't know how much faster I can go beyong 46mph without traveling to the alps.

The old panasonic may just explode.


....................Many new video promos/projects to come. Check facebook and youtube. Thanksssss.

Group Ride #4: LIGHTNING FAST

Trip Dist: 34.76 mi
Trip Time: 1 hr 49 min 21 sec
Avg Speed: 19.07 mph
Max Speed: 46.86 mph

Total Odo: 812 mi
Total Time: 59 hrs 18 min

Weather: Low 70s to start, mid 60s be the end. No wind, beautiful weather

Pre-Ride Food Blast: Mac & cheese, raisins, water

Wow. Look at those digits. My average speed would have been much faster but I slowed down for a guy having bike problems, (his bike started shaking uncontrollably as we were going down a hill. Thank God he was able to take control of the it and stop) , we stopped a few times to regroup, and also there were many stop signs. It was quite epic to say the least.

We rode out with 9 guys. As the ride went on, we lost a few guys. I had lost the better A group guys as we were about to scale a massive hill. Luckily, as we descended (that's where the 46 mph max speed came from) they stopped at a gas station to regroup. I linked up with those guys. We were flying at about 30-32 mph in a chain on the straightaways. SICK.

My legs felt less like rubber bands, and hill climbing affected me less. I felt improvement since last ride.

About the shoes and pedals, I'll be picking them up from Rich sometime this week. I'll have time to putz around and get comfortable in them. I saw some new looks from guys as they saw ole Panasonic screaming down the hill as they waited at the gas station. I'm sure "he" doesn't appreciate being stared down. I don't gaze at guy's Trek's and Specialized all day. LAY OFF the present FAX MACHINE says (DX2000).

So I finished the ride beating two guys behind me. I just had to push my hardest until the very end. It got really dark, really dark. I don't have a light on the rear of my bike so I was trying to get back as fast as I could. The ride lasted from 6-8pm. It was insane, INSANITY.

As I pulled in, I said Hi to one of the A group guys that I don't really know well. He just got in a bit before me. He said, "That's impressive man." I felt real good when he said that. I guess I won't realize how much heavier and less efficient the Panasonic is compared to the Treks of today until I get one. Until then, I will RIDE ON.

Thanks for enjoying the posts everyone. MORE TO COME!

Cycling and Directing

So recently i've been on the tuesday / thursday hard ride program. Today will be our first Lee U Cycling club ride (about 20-25 miles). We'll see how many people actually make it out. Thursday I'll be getting some sweet new pedals and shoes so that should be interesting to get used to clip ins. Me and mike have been doing some light riding between Tuesdays and Thursdays, just to turn the pedals a little bit. School and videos have consumed my life, so I wish I could be riding more. I guess God wants to use me for all kinds of video projects, so I'll DO WHAT HE WANTSSS.

Presidential concert was last night in Dixon center. I was on board just as backup in case they didn't have enough people helping out. Ron didn't know I hadn't directed before, so he gave me the reigns a few minutes after it started. The show was a string quartet, really good in fact. So I was using the standard Def. switcher for the whole show. Basically, it was EPIC. I had been praying about it since last semester when I was going to direct a few events. This was my first time, and it couldn't have gone any smoother. Jennifer was laying down heavy audio as the "top dogs" in the studio were grillin' and chillin,' sucking down Jazzmines coffee and cookies.

The camera ops were new, some newer than others, but they really did a great job. Initial explaining was thorough, and they really performed well. All around, a great multi-cam shoot to start on. Hopefully I'll be directing more as the semesters go on so I can get more comfortable in more intense settings. What an epic day, time to study, eat, video edit, film, go to class, ride, VIDEO VIDEO VIDEO.

A Ride Only God Could Have Brought

Trip Dist: 29.04 mi
Trip Time: 1 hr 27 min 58 sec
Avg Speed: 19.81 mph
Max Speed: 32.49 mph

Total Odo: 750 mi
Total Time: 55 hrs 33 min

Weather: A beautiful 80 degrees, then decreased to low 70s as the sun went down. Extremely beautiful for cycling.

Pre-Ride Food Blast: Mac & cheese, peanut butter and jelly, grapes, water.

What a ride! Whenever it's Thursday I become excited from the time I get out of class at 10:25 until 5:45 when I leave for the ride. It's a mix of feelings becuase I know I will be pushed to my limits, increase my strength, yet have a great time. Today, I said a prayer for the ride and he definitely answered every one and more. All I have to say is that I serve a God that has a daily plan that is like what parents spend all year conjuring up for their children at Christmas time. I have been blessed. I see the effects of tithing more and giving when not asked. Praise the lord.

Mixed bag today. I guess people are afraid of possible biking in semi-dark conditions for the last few miles. Small group (7 this time), but it was really enjoyable. One of the head "A" riders was leading the pack most of the time. I forget his name, but he's really southern. He has the superman logo tattooed to the back of his right calf...he's good, but he can't fly. Come on man...uh booouuuuyyy. He's really strong though, that's for sure. His bottom of his calves are twice the width of the top of his calves. Basically...he's rock solid. So we went half way out, then he took off taking a few more with him. He's a nice guy. I met him today, he rode up beside me and shook my hand as I was in the 3rd position almost half-way out. Good guy. They lost me on an intense hill set, and he said, "you doing alright boss?" Of course I replied yes. My legs were the consistency of yogurt, but I had to keep going...it was only midway leg death. I knew I would pull out of it.

TURKEY CROSSING: We flew down a hill at around 30mph pretty close to one another. I heard some yelling and what sounded like "hold up!" I was cranking pedals, looking up and down every now and then. I quickly looked up, saw the bikes coming closer quickly, and slammed on my breaks. Turkeys! SUCKERS! (as Rich would say) My back brakes locked my wheel up and I skidded a bit at about 27mph. My back wheel wobbled a bit quickly back and forth. I let off the break and they straightened out. Uh bouy...could have been disastrous.

So the other guys broke off, and me, Rich, Dale, and George stuck together as we headed back through the beautiful country roads. We caught up with another one of the guys in the front pack when we almost hit the pack. I came in 3rd to last. I always fight all the way to the end, I have to beat at least one person. We hit the final hill, and took on some rolling hills to the shop. Last week I came in 2nd to last, this time 3rd to last.

So on the way back I met Rich. Apparently he gets a tons of Pearl-izumi socks and resells them on e-bay, making a buttload of monay monay. He said he has a pair of size 10 shoes and clip in pedals he's going to give me next week. So yeah, God just speaks FOR me. I didn't say anything at all! So I'll switch out the clips, with new ones. I'll be able to generate a lot more power with those solid shoes and get a consistent pedal every time. Praise the lord!

I cruised into the parking lot and said hi to George and Dale. Those guys are ridiculous. Dale is a good looking guy, he's a tower of a man. George is about 50, he's got a crazy laugh that is in your FACE. He is hysterical, really nice though. He's always rolling in with his VW hatchback with matrix bluetooth plugged in to his nucleus. He's got a great black spezialized Rubaix with a supercomputer plugged in. Major money.

So the head "A" rider, wish I could remember his name (maybe terry?) It was talking me up, it felt really good. He said, "Man! You were trucking it man!" (even though I got stuck back, i was carting ole steel along). Then we got talking about riding, and where we ride back home. He goes, "Man, we ought to get you on a carbon bike just to see how you'll ride!" In a really slow, southern accent he said, "You'd be one Hell of a climber! I'd hate go up a hill against you!" Haaahaha, ridiculous. He was asking me about my inseam measurements. Apparently he bought his girlfriend a bicycle and it only has about 200 miles on it. He said if she will part with it, he'll sell it to me for a great price. It's a GIANT bike. That sounds so sick, I just don't want to get my hopes up. George said he's got an alloy bike he may get me on.

Man, that would be so awesome getting on a smooth, carbon or alloy. What a diffferent experience it would be. I think I would still train on the ole Panasonic and race group rides with the carbon. I don't think I even want to stop riding the Panasonic. We've gone far, very far. He's got 4 states under his belt. Well, we'll see how it goes. New pedals and shoes next week from Rich. Thank you Lord. Great ride, SO INTENSE. Hilliest ride I've done yet, LOOK AT THOSE DIGITS! Fast ride, very fast. Praise lord. It was great getting to know them better and joke around. I told Rich about chainlove. Hopefully he an enjoy the sweet deals on it. Praise God for today's ride. What a blessing. UNTIL NEXT TIME!

Haha, I feel like I am their little project. "Rocco," test subject A. Also, i've been working with spinning higher "lance" cadence. They say you expend less energy the more rotations you spin. We'll see. Great ride. The panasonic lives another day!

Time to slam some major angel hair! BOM!

Pecs are way sore as well...100 pushups HERE I COME!!!!!! (carm, if you're reading this, you're probably feeling your pecs...stop)

Devil's Hill

Trip Dist: 20.50
Trip Time: 1 hr 14 min 14 sec
Avg Speed: 16.57 mph
Max Speed: 33.45 mph

Total Odo: 715 mi
Total Time: 53 hrs 35 min

Weather: About 80 degrees. Very beautiful weather, cooled down considerably. Once we descended devil's hill, we explored into the countryside. It was extremely beautiful, with almost no cars (no road lines either).


Michael "Pectoral" Land hit the street today on his new (used) GIANT road bicycle for his first long distance ride to date. His K-Swiss cranked the pedals with no regret, backwards Ron Paul hat aerodynamically cut through the wind, and cutoff jersey kept him quite cool as sweat basically evaporated instantly.

The ride was great. Drafting on and off was really cool. Working as a team has only just begun. I'm sure out communication will become unstoppable come next semester. Winter training must be rigorous and persistent. Mike pushed me up a bunch of hills, my legs were exploding. Post-burn was minimal, but burn was full on through the up hill sprint. WOW. Epic.

My legs were feeling rubber-bandish. Scott's club ride pushed me the hardest I've ever been pushed on thursday, then all weekend was filled with running through fields with a heavy HD camera on my shoulder, coupled with minimal sleep and no milk. This weekend was rough, to say the least. Luckily, Michael brought the blessing of milk back into the house last night. "The river of milk, sets the feet a dancing." We rejoiced as 5+ bowls of cereal and oats followed.

Today was a blessing even though we needed to get Mike a new tube. his rear tire presta valve seal to the rubber had broken. Quick change, inflate, and we were on the road in no time. Thank you Jesus for an epic ride. Minor tuning is needed for the GIANT, but will be dependably cranking soon enough.

"Let them come" I say, Lee University Cycling club has BEGUN!

My Civil War

This isn't about cycling, but I have to write about my war experiences.

For those of you who don't know, my boss Ron Gilbert has a contact with the head of Lionheart Films. Me and some other Lee students volunteered to help. Our names will be put in teh credites whether or not our shots are used. I WILL FIGHT FOR MY SHOTS! This crew does a lot of war reenactments, plus much more. So basically, I am driving to Chickamauga, GA back and forth all weekend to film the 5 battles in the area. It is in the middle of no where. I felt as though I was at the set of a LOTR set, but with a southern twist. Horses from all hemispheres gathered and hundreds of Federal and Confederate soldiers joined together in a massive hobby-game of LARP....hahaha that's the way I saw it.

It was awesome. I'm starting to get used to the random BOOMING of cannons at any moment. earplugs are a must. So I am shooting with them all day Saturday, and one midday battle on Sunday. It has been fun meeting a lot of freelance video people. I enjoy the freelance life, bit I would like to do that on the side. I pray that God would provide me a steady video job preferably as senior editor of a film company. That is the dream. Something to do with wildlife would be insanely awesome. I've always loved videoing nature, animals, and scenery.

So this opportunity is pretty huge for the resume. Back to war tomorrow bright and early. I shall report back....

CYCLING: Me and Mike took a nice, hilly route tonight and cruised around campus afterwards. He has the downhill weight advantage for sure, but his climbing abilities will come in time. FEEL THE BURN MIKE! FEEL IT! So life is good people, life is gooooooood.