About me...

Just in case you were interested, I'll tell you a bit about myself.  I am a IT consultant who currently lives in the Phoenix area.  I have been cycling for about 4 years.  I started when I lived in Seattle where I regularly commuted to work (about 12 miles each way).  In my current job, I spend quite a bit of time travelling so bike commuting is pretty much out of the question.

My current (and only) ride is a Surly Long Haul Trucker.  This was a great bike for commuting in Seattle where it's rainy and hilly.  The bike is pretty much indestructible, easily fits racks and fenders, and has wide tires to carry a lot of cargo and a relatively heavy rider (I'm 6'1" and weigh 185) in comfort.  The downside with this bike is that it is a) heavy and b) slow.  When it's loaded up with racks, fenders, pump, lock, lights, computer and bottle cages, it has to weigh close to 28 lbs.  In addition, the super upright position the bike puts you in and the 38mm wide tires (with significant tread) don't help with the speed either.  Long story short, a great Seattle commuter bike makes a pretty lousy Phoenix sport bike.  For this reason, I'm in the market for a new ride, but that's a story for another post.

Regarding my family, I am married and have 3 sons, 2 in college and one in high school.  My oldest likes to ride a lot, and a few years ago I got him into watching the TdF with me while he was home on summer break.  He is the one who will be accompanying me on the trip to France.

My wife does not ride now, but has expressed some interest in doing so down the road.  I would love to get her into cycling as it would be a great activity for us to do together.  Instead of me being away from her for 3 or 4 hours on a Saturday, we could be together during that time instead, enjoying an activity together.  I've got my fingers crossed on this one.

So why do I want to go through the expense and hassle of flying to France for the TdF?  Well, I became interested in the Tour about the time I started riding.  I started watching it on Versus and found it absolutely fascinating.  I'll go into more detail in a future post what I love about the TdF, but suffice it to say that I am glued to my television (or laptop when I'm on the road) for hours on end every July, and the idea of actually being a part of that madness is pretty exciting.