Fergus Lavelle

Have I given you a clue?

2011-09-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

Download Here Here's another mix with a huge clue to my life plans smacked on it. About the mix: starts with a bit of 'future electro jazz,' then some more intense stuff with a bit of a surprise at the end. It's a good representation of the stuff I'm into right now. NCDT OUT.

Sound Waves

2011-07-15T19:22:00.000-07:00

This is long overdue. Here you go Mr. G: Download HereGenre: deep house and minimal tech beats. That is all.

Dear SC...

2011-07-12T22:36:00.000-07:00

Here is some blog material for you. Well, three original songs and a shitty picture. This is a sneak preview of my fixed gear bike.Custom paint, custom build, custom awesome. Now for some strange songs I have been making. In order, they are called Kampf, Sophia, and Light Artillery. The names have deep meanings behind them. Ha. Make sure you are listening with good headphones or speakers or you

Under Construction

2011-03-20T23:22:00.001-07:00

As you can see, I screwed up my blog. I am going to make a new one. Stay tuned...

The First of the 2011 Sets

2011-03-02T10:53:00.000-08:00

I'm living in Vancouver right now. The coffee is nice. The weather is not. However, I wasn't living in Vancouver last weekend. I went to California for an event called 'BrainBike.' While I was there, I got to learn about and test ride Cervelo bikes. I also got to see how they build a carbon fibre frame from the ground up. Tres cool! Here's a hotel room full of Cervelos. Here's a parking lot

Another Day in the Mountains

2011-01-28T23:48:00.000-08:00

I've been heli-skiing before, but I only did a single run as the weather wasn't cooperating and one of the 'advanced skiers' in the group was having a heart attack (figuratively) and couldn't get down. That was an interesting rescue. Yesterday I got the call that magic was a possibility and that my hookups were about to pay off. This was likely one of the most dreamy experiences I've ever had and

Life in Revelstoke

2011-01-23T14:06:00.000-08:00

... is coming to an end soon. I'm off to Vancouver next week to pursue something called real life, which has had a delayed start since graduation. Prior to the move, I've been enjoying shoveling snow, working as a slave, and trying hard to get a career start. Other than that, the skiing here has been EXCELLENT. Here is some evidence: Evidence that I am maintaining my fitness with some xc action.

I can't get enough of this these days.

2011-01-05T20:17:00.000-08:00

Have you ever tried Electro-House? No. Well, would you like to try some? ... Yes! Well then, take one of these pills and your wildest dreams will come true! Ingest Here This is a potent mixture of Detroit, Miami, Montreal, Berlin, and Cologne. It will get you messed up. Side effects are minimal, but addiction is almost unavoidable. ... Now lets be serious. FERGDMA is making fun of MDMA.

A FergieFerg Christmas

2010-12-22T11:56:00.000-08:00

And now for Christmas with the Big Cat... Listen and imagine what is going through my head as the song progresses. This is the first song where I didn't write in midi, I actually live recorded myself playing everything you hear (thank you new controller!) except for the drums. Drums are midi.

Special Beats & Techno Treats

2010-12-17T22:38:00.000-08:00

Hey there Dan Skinner, I know I said I would do this a long time ago so you could use it to hammer your legs out on your compu-trainer, so here it is finally. Yes! I want to download this! It's a good mix of some classics I know you like plus some other high energy house and trance songs. It will help you get some rotations done. Hope you like it. -Big Cat

Christmas Spending

2010-12-15T14:56:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this hobby is getting a little more obsessive (translate serious) for now. I asked for a keyboard with knobs and buttons on it for Christmas and was told, "no chance." So I got it myself and it is awesome. Here's a preview of some tracks I am working on: This year marks the first year I have bought all my Christmas presents online. It's rather weird that I will not have to step foot into

Get off your highhorse!

2010-11-24T11:40:00.000-08:00

I'm going to brag a bit... Here's my degree: Here's part two of my degree: And here is my precious: Now for my new toy: It's not an iPhone. It's better than an iPhone. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch a movie on my four inch screen, ah-thank-you.

pointless babble

2010-11-16T21:54:00.000-08:00

(brace yourself for the sarcasm) I recently had this undying feeling of insecurity of my personal information spread all over the internet. A google search turns up an awful lot about me and what I'm doing. Feeling that I was too precious to be made available on the internet, I bailed on facebox and blog. Then I had a twitter account for about ten minutes, but I couldn't keep a straight face

DAW

2010-10-26T16:17:00.000-07:00

This is my digital audio workstation. It's where I like to 'emo' out and try and get in touch with my inner musical self. Well actually, I think it looks cool and producing my own shit is really fun; but no one understands: Father: "You left your mood music in the car." Mother: "This sounds a bit like elevator music." sigh... Here is two minutes of spacey-lounge-trance I made up yesterday:

Old Man Strength

2010-10-22T12:47:00.000-07:00

I don't know how it happens, but OMS produces super human ability for beating up on arrogant young adults. Squash is quite difficult when you are up against OMS. I'm not sure if anyone besides Rob, Nic, or me will find this funny. The cat's name is Toby and when he moved in, he became the only cat I could not tame. This video is evidence thereof. If you listen closely, the cat lets out a 'snort.

On Holidays

2010-10-12T17:28:00.000-07:00

Here it is, album #2, 10 tracks, 38 minutes of music, and some explanations: Part 1 - happy and relaxed minimalistic techno, not what you'd expect 1. Introlude - the sound of an oboe gets the album started 2. Adrift - rich synthy pad and bass for a driving, head bop song 3. Reset - funky organ synth with giddiness 4. Beat Brother - upbeat vibraphone with solid tempo Part 2 - fancy basslines

Oh dear...

2010-10-08T13:02:00.000-07:00

Suddenly, I have this odd fascination of music produced by Lady Gaga. And I actually LIKED the latest episode of Glee. I laughed out loud more than once. I am close to finishing another 'album.' Here is a sneak preview of the cover. Yes, I am on extended holidays right now and it is awesome.

A Day in the Mountains

2010-10-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

First, some music for this post, click play below and it will make this read that much better. Composed by yours truly. I went for a hike with my dad last Friday. Pearly Rock: 4000' up over 5 km. Legs: thrashed. Neck: lobster red. Views: priceless. Start down in the Rogers' Pass. Taking a look up Mt. Sir Donald. Getting up a little higher. Over that ridge is a large glacier. Dad in the lead.

Stereo >> Mono

2010-09-30T22:18:00.000-07:00

I made a boo-boo when I exported some of my mixes a while back. I recorded them in mono sound, not stereo. Rookie mistake, and it makes a big difference. I uploaded them again in lovely stereo sound. Keeping in Control my best breakfast LISTEN TO ME Not included is "For the DUB" because it sucks, and "Vision" because I lost the file and don't want to make it all over again, even though it would

Down-Time

2010-09-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

A long time ago, I said I was going to make an album of original electronic songs. Four months later and voila: Download Here It consists of six songs that I made myself, plus I took the song Politik by Coldplay and played around with it. It's still the same song, just electro-fied. I'm starting to figure out this electronic music thing. Right now, I'm trying to find the money to buy a

D(ear) J. Sparls

2010-08-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

Here is a mix for you as you move into the Sandell Palace. Hope you love it here. Download

Reflection Time

2010-08-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

After trying so hard in vain to synthesize the sound that is heard in Deadmau5 music, I finally caved to using a preset sound. I think I made a half-decent effort at it: (quality is a bit low in this garbage blogger player) Before this, I was struggling trying to figure out how to use four oscillators together to get that sound. Turns out, it's just three saw waves and a sine wave so I was

I have a high metabolism

2010-07-07T14:54:00.000-07:00

This is a blessing because I can get away with eating nearly anything I want (or crave). Trans fats? Pfffff... they don't phase me. Glucose-fructose? Whatever... Maple donuts and peanut butter cookies? Yes please. This is a really big spider that crawled onto the couch with me a few weeks ago. Alexisonfire sits sentinel below our cat window. It must suck to be a black cat in the heat we are

Revelstoke

2010-07-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

I was ordered back home for a week to go to my brother's high school graduation. No more 'Lavelle Legacy' at RSS.He is coming to UVic this fall. My high school is in the process of being demolished and a new one is being built. It got a little nostalgic being back there. Being home was sweet. I got to play with the dog, watch the dog scare off a black bear, enjoy some mountains, and reiterate to

Scrapin' et Beignets

2010-06-20T17:37:00.000-07:00

This is a sweet video: Scrapertown from California is a place. on Vimeo. I wish I had a scraper bike... on the scene. Today, to my great pleasure, Safeway began making maple doughnuts again. In August, when I can let my health go a little bit downhill, Rob has challenged me to eat 50 of them in an hour. This is a similar bet to the Burger Family bet.

non-race-month

2010-06-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

There are lots of things to do when not racing! Ha... A couple days ago, I got up in the morning, poured a cup of coffee that was made for me, poured a bowl of oatmeal that was NOT made for me, then watched live, and in horror, as my favourite pro-rider jumped on the ground in the Tour de Suisse. This week I got a job as an allergy sufferer. I get up in the morning, breath in pollens and dander

Dear Nic

2010-06-06T11:15:00.000-07:00

When you win an important race, cyclingnews will always have to get their boner jam on for UHC in the first few paragraphs before they say, "oh by the way, Nic Hamilton of Red Truck won the race today, but UHC did this, did that, blah blah blah, they were looking strong on their bikes today, yadda-yadda-yadda..." What I am getting at is you deserve more credit for coming first in a bike race.

Victoria Cycling Festival

2010-06-04T21:31:00.000-07:00

First, some music. This is a set I did for Sarah on her birthday. I call it girly electronic music. Download MEOW Now for Victoria Cycling Festival. It started with a hill climb up Bear Mountain. Naturally, I sat this one out and took pictures of the pain. Unfortunately my camera skills were nothing compared to the Duane skills. Some of these are his pictures. This is Jordan Maynard. Instead of

Victoria Racing!

2010-05-28T13:35:00.000-07:00

Ok so last weekend was Enumclaw. I slayed the time trial; many thanks to Nic's deep dish dangs that he let me borrow. I couldn't believe how much these wheels changed the riding characteristics of my bike. I took 90 seconds off my time last year which was sweet, but then it was downhill after that and the crit and road race took me down a couple notches. I was one cranky big cat. Here is Andrea

"Would the British Subject please provide evidence of his status in Canada..."

2010-05-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

bitch please... (if I said that aloud, I'd be on a plane to the UK so fast...) That's pretty much standard procedure for me coming back into Canada these days. Definitely annoying it is; earned the nickname "body-search" from Jeremy Storie. Apparently those kind of nicknames stick. On the racing front, I raced the A group at Caleb Pike last Wednesday and had my ego put in the ground. Although I

Body, Bikes, Beats, Bros, & Pros.

2010-05-02T17:47:00.000-07:00

I just about wet myself on my bike ride today. I had just finished a large coffee on Cook St. and was riding the waterfront home when the plumbing alerted me to a situation. Riding through the Uplands, I desperately was looking for a flower bed that was somewhat hidden. Squirrel-bladder-syndrome is something I'm unwillingly developing these days. Not cool. Right now, I am having a delicious

More please!

2010-04-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

I think I would like to have more of these moments in the future.Thanks for the picture Duane!

Walla Walla, Easter, Sports.

2010-04-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

Walla Walla went a bit like this: Stage 1: 105km, 5000'. Was all good until I made a move to get up to the front. As soon as I did, the attacks exploded and the pace was too hard for a big cat. I got dropped and finished with a group nine minutes back. Lame. Stage 2: 15km TT. This is the first TT I took seriously. It went well but was momentarily hard because there was a short climb and I hit

Large Cat Tracks

2010-04-10T12:37:00.000-07:00

I made this mix for waking up, eating food, getting dressed, then going for a bicycle ride. The intro is nice and mellow, easy to wake up to. Then it progresses and is all business for the last few songs. This is exactly how much time I need to get ready in the morning from the moment I wake up, to the moment I walk out the door. Download Race tomorrow. It is a french toast flat course. Gonna

NEW STUFF!!

2010-03-31T19:53:00.000-07:00

I love getting toys to play with. 17lbs and 1oz of snappy, stiff fun between my legs: Roommate Rob is back. Here was the welcome home meal: This was probably one of the best pizzas we've made. It certainly is nice to have another human being around to cook with. Try and find his 'secret' blog for details on his many cycling adventures. Or settle with one of his teammate's blogs I find very

LISTEN TO ME

2010-03-18T00:19:00.000-07:00

This set has seen about 20 different tracks come and go... sometimes tracks just don't mix well together and it is very frustrating, to point where I throw a tantrum. I narrowed it down to 11 tracks for about 48 minutes total. This one is way more relaxed than Vision; it has an interesting intro with a nice bright finish, just like a delicious cup of quality coffee. I tried to make it somewhat

Season Start

2010-03-08T14:51:00.000-08:00

Rewind a bit, went to Van during reading break to check out the Olympics. So pumped I did. We were in the Bay during the Canada Slovakia game for the final few minutes and everyone was losing their minds. There were unlimited screens to watch the game on and with two minutes to go, everyone froze and no one was going through checkout. Pretty cool... then on the streets, everyone was drunk and

Stepping it up a notch

2010-03-03T20:21:00.000-08:00

This is my new whip. It is awesome. I'll probably build it up for Walla Walla. We made calzones tonight with wholewheat dough. They were awesome.

Big Cat Tunes

2010-02-21T16:06:00.000-08:00

This is completely not related to cycling. Jamie definitely had some influence here... and about a year later, I have finally figured out how to make mix tracks with Ableton. With Rob and Nic out of the house, I can spare them the pain of tweaking, scratching, and beat matching music tracks. They were always 'jumping with joy' when they came home to MMM-TSSS MMM-TSSS MMM-TSSS but with me and cat

Home Alone

2010-02-15T13:29:00.000-08:00

I'm taking full advantage of having the house to myself for reading break. While Rob and Nic are living it up in California, Andrea is Tuscon bound for the National Team Training camp and Sean is back in Cow Town. I'm obsessed with electronic music and I'm working hard on some original compositions and some Sparling-influenced mix tracks. Here's a few pictures I stole from Rob's new blog. Goodbye

Anecdotes from Sandell

2010-01-29T15:45:00.000-08:00

Just got my bike back from the hospital. It got sick after too many sprints with Rob. But after two and a half weeks of being in the ward, she's back on the road and I can stop being a triathlete. Swimming and running suck. Rob and Nic are leaving this weekend for California so they can live the dream. Two months sans Nic and Rob is going to be hard. Maybe I'll lose my eating disorder and return

From last year

2010-01-04T17:12:00.000-08:00

Westjet has this neat baggage tracking service now so when you lose a bag, they know it before you do and they take care of it and let you know exactly what is happening. I was impressed, just had to wait a day to get my lappy back. Then for the last three days I've been clinging to the Ron Burton Cycling Program. Friday = 30 minute ride, flat, another flat, broken valve stem, rain, try to find

New Year's Resolutions

2010-01-01T19:29:00.000-08:00

Bagheera just watched Rob and I apply some self inflicted pain to our abdominals. I can barely hold onto my spoonful of very plain, bland rice I am trying to eat. Sigh. Welcome 2010. Resolution #1 - Drop to 180lbs by Enumclaw. That gives me just under five months to drop 14 lbs according to our scale. No problem. Resolution #2 - Stop talking behind other people's backs. I do it way too often

Exam Time

2009-12-09T14:21:00.000-08:00

I love exam time. Except next week; three exams all at 7pm Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Super lame. Then I fly back home a few days after that and I'm pumped. Then I'm off to visit some peeps in cow-town which will be a blast :) Otay... onto some pictures... Here is a Jamie Oliver/Rob Britton breakfast. I can't remember who's pancake failure this was but they were really suited to be doormats

This just in, I am fat. And a doper.

2009-11-28T23:50:00.000-08:00

It turns out that I am fat. I finished the sulbutamol trial study and I wasn't on the placebo group. Over the three weeks, I got fatter but faster (cough doper cough cough). My VO2 wasn't anything to boast about though. But I was told how to improve it; DROP THE LBS!! Ok Rob and Nic, you were right. I am fat. Anyway, after my supper of half a carrot and tablespoon of rice, I have some pictures

Feeling more Human

2009-11-10T22:52:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, I signed up to participate in a study to see what performancing enhancing effects an asthma inhaler have on people without asthma. I was essentially humbled down to my toes during the asthma screening, a wingate test, and a VO2 max test. I thought I was going to die. Then on Thursday, I went back to do a 20km time trial on a computrainer. Immediately after, I was told some bad news

XXX

2009-10-26T11:47:00.000-07:00

Cross racing is very hard. I've realized that to get good, I have to be way more motivated than I was for road racing. In any case, this past weekend was super fun! It all started Friday night while we were playing Taboo with the ASMA household. We played that until about midnight, then decided we needed to kick the girls out of the house so we could pack and sleep. Then all of a sudden 5:30am

X!

2009-10-19T15:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Cross on the Rock #3 Providence Farm; my first cross race ever. I rode in the B race and it was a big learning experience. There were thirty riders in the race and it turns out the winner was a guy I used to idolize back when I was into mountain biking. He used to ride for the Norco Factory Team and apparently this year decided to try cross and has been ripping it up. Nothing more

Thankful for Cross

2009-10-12T21:10:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful for being introduced to cyclocross. Friday afternoon, I came home after a mind-numbing stats midterm to a built up cross bike provided by Rob. It was joy. I learned how to dismount, mount, and re-learned how to ride trails. Having grown up on mountain bikes and trail riding, I figured I'd be good at it but I definitely have some cobwebs to clean out. That was when my xcherry

X - PERIOD

2009-10-07T20:35:00.000-07:00

I just watched a cyclocross race. I just fell in love with racing again. Somehow, I am going to get my hands on a cross bike and do a race. Period. It looks like the best time on a flippin' bike! On the flipside, Bagheera is having very fast bowel movements. Research into the issue has commenced.

Roommate Five

2009-10-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

Bagheera The story: Three weeks ago, a crazy lady brought in about ten cats to the SPCA that she owned but she couldn't take care of them anymore. Bagheera was in very tough shape; he had fleas, ear mites, and worms and was very unhealthy. The SPCA gave him an overhaul and snipped off his manhood (which the lady told me was a very difficult operation) and then he began to recover. He's about a

meow what did you say?

2009-10-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

We adopted a cat today. He is one year old, and panther black. Two weeks ago, he was snipped and still walks a little funny. When we were in the shelter, we were sold when he came out of his cage, put both paws on Nic's shoulders and pushed his head into his cheek very affectionately. AWWWWHWHWHHHWWWWWW... His name is Bagheera. Nic, Sean, Rob, and I just became fathers. Photo shoot to come

Picture Time

2009-09-27T22:11:00.000-07:00

Here is our bike room at capacity. Here we are at the top of Hurricane Ridge with unlimited visibility. Pictures do not do justice to the epic nature of these mountains. Looking south at the majesty. A very unflattering picture of three companions. Zach is digging through pockets looking for his camera, Nic is mid-chew, and Sarah is explaining how cracked she is. Zach and his

Defeated

2009-09-19T11:11:00.000-07:00

... the Burger Family that is. 35:08, new PB. It went Papa, Uncle, Teen, Mama, Grandpa, and Baby. Grandpa was a bitch. Baby didn't taste very good. The first three were awesome. Even though I won the bet and Rob owes me the $25 it cost, and despite the glory and fame of eating the burger family, I still feel I lost. The adverse health effects gave me terrible, terrible dreams and I had

The Burger Family

2009-09-16T13:55:00.000-07:00

So here's a non-cycling entry. Yesterday I experienced my first free church dinner. It was sweet. I will go again. During the dinner, we started talking about the Burger Family. A little while later, Rob bet me that I couldn't eat the Burger Family. I think I can. I can't find a picture of all six burgers (baby, mama, papa, grandpa, teen, uncle) but here's what's in it: 1262 g of food 3020

Blog Reboot

2009-09-10T13:15:00.000-07:00

Since the Sidney/Oak Bay crits, I definitely neglected the blog and even cancelled the thing. Not anymore... RECAP: TT Provincials: hardest time trial of my life. I placed last; except for Nic who DNF'ed due to a flat tire. He was likely on his way to 2nd place behind Will Routley who locked up the win. Oh well oh my part, I will do better next year. RR Provinicals: sitting at the start line, I

Some Fave Vids

2009-08-14T20:31:00.000-07:00

These are some videos off youtube that I watch more than once. "It doesn't matter who you are; if you surround yourself with the best people for you, you'll get the best out of yourself;" Milan-San Remo is the longest one-day race. Mark won it this year by a hair. Even strongmen cry: I can't find the english version of the Champs-Elysee but I love watching it and how Columbia-HTC plays out

Triple DNF

2009-07-26T23:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the last criterium races I will do this year. And man oh man... this was one rough weekend of racing. I went into the Sidney crit thinking nothing but getting upgrade points to make it to cat3. Bad idea. I got tuned by the Sidney crit. I gave it so hard for the first prime, missed it by half a wheel, then it was all downhill from there. The field seemed a lot different than the

The Taste of Podium

2009-07-21T22:59:00.000-07:00

Once again, I placed 4th and missed out on ANOTHER podium finish. Last time I podiumed was in Wenatchee at the crit and they didn't do awards for the individual stages, only GC so there was no celebration :(Anyway, this is an aerial view of the White Rock criterium course. It looks nice an easy from above but when I got to it Saturday afternoon, it was terrifying. The whole left side is on a

Sir Pukesalot

2009-07-12T22:40:00.000-07:00

There was a pubcrawl Friday night for the engineers and that name was usurped by roommate Sean Walsh. While I went home early after tearing up an empty dancefloor at Plan B (seriously it was 11:30pm and it was me and two other engineers throwing down some moves with no one else) Sean stayed out later and I went home early. I awoke to that all-too-familiar sound of stomach heaving and "... are you

Inspiration for the next month

2009-07-04T14:49:00.000-07:00

Tour de France kicked off this morning. Mark Cavendish is my fave for this race. I've been reading a lot about him and apparently he is one of the fastest sprinters in the world. Seeing as how I've grown up through sports with a pretty good kick myself, this guy is a bit of an idol for me. Oh, and he's British. So am I.Seriously, look at him. He is beautiful.But apparently the guy cannot time

Race-High!!

2009-07-02T19:50:00.000-07:00

I just did the Yaletown Grand Prix. It was the hardest crit course I have ever done and somehow I managed to place 4th and won $30! For a 30 minute race, my legs are incredibly sore compared to other 30 minute crits.Now onto the pictures... here's the start line. Three dEVo's at the right lookin' to rip it up...Here's Kyle and Dustin coming out of corner one. Yeah team!Here's me a lap

Sweet Hot Love

2009-06-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

That was the silly name I came up with for our Half-Iron Relay team. [S]kinner [H]ollman [L]avelle... I think I heard the race announcer pause a bit as he said "we've got the ... sweet hot love squad in transition right now..." haha Unfortunatley our team organizer Jennifer SKINNER couldn't make the team so really, it should have been just Hot Love.But onto the race. Heather and I did the

K-Town

2009-06-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

Apparently dried apricots give you really bad gas; and eating 2% milk for the first time in about six months gave me terrible trips to the bathroom (or honey buckets). Race nutrition killed me this weekend! Lessons learned...Everyone has bad races and I guess this is my first time having one of those. The hillclimb hurt, I made dumb decisions in the crit which cost me and my team, and then I was

EnumCRAWWW

2009-06-01T18:36:00.000-07:00

I love saying enumCRAWWW... particularly because it goes so well with the snarf persona to which I retreat on occasion.So here we go... Wednesday before the stage race I raced Caleb Pike and crashed on the bell lap. I don't want to talk about it but here is a link to a picture about 30 seconds before the crash. I am very embarrassed. Big shout outs to those who made sure I (and my bike) were ok

TRIATHLON!!!

2009-05-24T21:51:00.000-07:00

I just did the Shawnigan Lake Sprint Triathlon; and it was the hardest sporting event I have ever done. I don't know where to start to describe all the stuff that happened but here is the short story sans details.Swim: Torture. I was one of two athletes out of 72 who didn't have a wetsuit. I probably burned 5000 calories trying to stay warm (and alive). I was 43rd out of the water.First

My new baby

2009-05-22T21:57:00.000-07:00

It's been almost a year since I bought a road bike and joined the darkside. Here is the bike I bought at the end of May 2008.Now, a year later, here is the new carbon rig to replace the broken one above (name pending).Only the shifters, brakes, rear derailluer, bottom bracket, bars, and stem are original. Everything else has been replaced with new or slightly used!! A fair chunk of moola went

Pics from Wenatchee

2009-05-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from last weekend's stage race in Wenatchee, Washington.This is looking east at the high plateaus of the interior to give you an idea of the landscape. This is the same kind of climate as the Okanogan in BC aka freaking hot and dry.Here's Kyla about to start her time trial. Note that the race organizers couldn't manage to have someone to hold you up so you don't have to

Fishwrap

2009-05-19T03:57:00.000-07:00

Right now, I am waiting for more copies of the Fishwrap to come through our incredibly slow copier. I'm the new Director of Communications for the Engineering Students Society so I'm in charge of writing the Fishwrap, a funny engineering newspaper filled with all kinds of stuff.So today, I learned how to use this annoying program to format an eight-page tabloid style newspaper. It was mayhem. I

Weekend Goals

2009-05-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

The Wenatchee Omnium; my first big stage race! Here are my goals for the weekend:Saturday:Top 3 in 9 mile time trial (9am)Top 5 in Crit (4pm)Sunday:Top 10 in 33 mile road race (9:15am) - also a 'sub' goal for this is to crest the big climb with the lead pack. Nic told me yesterday that this is key so since climbing is my weakness, this will be a big accomplishment. Let's see how it goes! I'll

Mother-Son Time

2009-05-06T13:54:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was pretty awesome. My mom came down to Vancouver to do the BMO half marathon on Sunday. She drove down on Friday and picked me up at the ferry that night. I was originally coming over to do the Warp Speed Time Trial but it got cancelled. Mom convinced me I should come over anyway and so I did. Coincidentally, I saw this as a great opportunity to get in a ride with my team!

Race the Ridge weekend

2009-04-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

I didn't clue until just last week that the "ridge" in Race the Ridge is Maple Ridge duhhhhh... Oddly enough I love that feeling when something suddenly makes perfect sense. Gooood feeling :)Now for the race report...Road Race: Basically it kicked my ass. There were so many freaking hills! I got popped after the first lap, then lost my brake pads coming into a chicane at about 50-60km/h. Thought

In the news...

2009-04-23T13:26:00.000-07:00

Stuff from today:I hurt from my 5km run on Tuesday (delayed onset muscle soreness?)I'm getting a new, top of the line carbon frame to replace my broken alloy frame :)I have to wait at least two weeks for this new frame :(Those two weeks will be stressful because I want to have it before I race in WenatcheeI am racing the ridge this weekend on Nic's cross bikeSince I am going away, I haven't

Humans need bottle cages

2009-04-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

... or I just need to suck it up and carry a water bottle with me while I run. Thirst was all I could think of the entire time.Having said that, it is at least two and half months later than I planned, but I finally got out for a run. I bought runners on Friday and today I put them on. I ran a very hilly 5km out near Cadboro Bay. By very hilly, I mean if I were to bike it, it would've been no

In the news...

2009-04-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

I just read a good news story regarding Chrysler's imminent demise and how Fiat is looking to takeover but is insisting on more concessions from the UAW and CAW. This is my favourite quote because it makes so much sense:Mr. Marchionne, 56, said Chrysler workers on both sides of the border have to end their sense of entitlement if the wrecked auto maker is to have any chance of repairing itself."

Tumbles at work and VCL

2009-04-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

AHHHH... I was almost done this project at work and then apparently this pump needs thirty inches of clearance for maintenance purposes and it currently sits with only ten inches. I swore... I was really looking forward to finishing this package by the end of the week because the boss has a new project waiting for me and it's a ship I've never been on or worked on which is exciting for me!So that

Race Report

2009-04-01T10:20:00.000-07:00

A year ago in January, I would struggle to catch my breath if I jogged for five minutes. Last weekend I won my first bike race! How I made that jump is beyond me but it's just another reminder of how well my training is working! Throughout high school, I would always lift weights at the gym hoping for overnight results and larger muscles. I even ate that rubbish whey protein powder, much to my

#654 takes it

2009-03-29T21:16:00.000-07:00

http://canadiancyclist.com/dailynews.php?id=16175I'll post more details soon. I am tired and want to slip into a nice bath... mmmmmmStay tuned...

A couple race pictures

2009-03-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

Here we are staging for the Armstrong race. I was right on the front for the entire first lap. Boy oh boy did I set an easy pace!This is probably around lap 4/7. My pain face isn't as intense so it was probably earlier in the race. I distinctively remember the taste of a vanilla power gel on my lips on this hill. This is right after the race. I felt like my entire body was twisted up and I needed

Questioning my hybrid-ness.

2009-03-24T11:41:00.000-07:00

I've only done two races so far and I am in love. But then I got thinking about triathlons and realized that my interest there has dropped a bit. I just read back to my post where I set out all the triathlons I wanted to do but I'm not feeling the drive for them anymore.But hold that thought. This is probably something similar to having second thoughts about getting married (ok so I wouldn't know

RECAP - Birthday, parents, stress, RACE!

2009-03-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

SOLID WEEK PAST!! I had it planned down to the minute... and of course things go wrong and I get stressed... you know how it is. Gotta work on that, the not-getting-stressed part.Fresh off my first spring series race, I was dying to get back on the bike. Tuesday I managed to get out after work and have a good coffee shop ride and rep'ed the new kit. I'm riding with the dEVo team which stands for

Tacking into the wind

2009-03-15T19:11:00.000-07:00

Here are some things I learned this weekend:Drinking wine and coffee, then dancing my brains out in spandex gives me mad headaches.Dancefloors are not limited to clubs and bars.Packing overnight to Vancouver requires more than 30 minutes of thought and packing.Cornering will make or break a race.Racing in the rain isn't as bad as I thought.Having a 3 second solo break makes me feel tough and

Accidents out of our control

2009-03-07T15:00:00.000-08:00

Set the mood, turn on Essential Exponential (shout out to D. J Sparls) and start with the blog.Today I did the OBB ride for the fourth weekend in a row. I was super excited for this one because it was another chance for me to try to keep up with Simon Whitfield (a MACHINE on a bike) and the other triathletes that are so darn fast. But that didn't happen. There was a huge accident on Lands End

Adventures with Alternative Foods

2009-03-01T18:24:00.000-08:00

Well, that title is a bit misleading, I just tried soy milk for the first time in my life. And it was A-OK. Actually, it didn't taste any different so I've made the decision to have it replace my 2% lard that I keep in the fridge at current. This is yet another step in my grand adventure into sport training and nuitrition. Stay tuned for more...Ferg OUT

Raggin' on Tri-Geeks

2009-02-28T19:04:00.000-08:00

Today I did another OBB ride. Third weekend in a row! And second time Simon Whitfield was out there. And he dropped me. I don't know why we always turn right at this one intersection and take this extra hilly and terribly annoying loop because it always pops me at the final hill before getting back onto West Saanich Rd. So this time, I said, I'm going to own these tri-geeks this time; show them I

Less than 3 weeks!!

2009-02-24T10:31:00.000-08:00

I was having a mini freakout the other day because I realized that Spring Series is drawing closer and after not competing in a sanctioned race since high school, pre-race stress was getting to me. There are only two things that have ever given me butterflies (as weird as that sounds) and this thought of racing definitely raises the ol' heart rate. Even when I look at pictures from past races I

Chocolate almonds for my soul

2009-02-16T19:12:00.000-08:00

I am sitting upright in my bed at the moment eating chocolate almonds. I usually limit myself to eating two (of those delicious morsels of poison) each day; but then there came a few days where I didn't eat any. So then when I remembered to eat some, I thought, well the ones I didn't eat I can eat now so I essentially banked about ten chocolate almonds. Then it was hard to eat two the next day...

Inspiration comes plenty

2009-02-08T20:52:00.000-08:00

Ever since I turned to the darkside, I have been surrounded by amazing athletes and an unreal amount of support and positive energy. There are so many people I've ridden with that unintentionally inspire me to go further with my training and lifestyle. I have learned so much about the body and and what it can do. I've also learned a ton about the power of the mind.Yesterday, I went with Zach and

You are the first guy I've seen do that...

2009-02-04T15:54:00.000-08:00

I get that a lot at my new job. Some of those things include but are not limited to: eating a whole cucumber, eating a whole baguette, eating a large bag of green beans from thrifty's, stating that I love being at the grocery, having a can of tuna, a pepper, tomato, and half a cucumber for lunch, and so on...This one time, I had at my desk, a large bunch of bananas, a cucumber, a baguette, and

Post Sick

2009-01-25T11:25:00.000-08:00

I had the sweetest dream this morning. I was racing in a criterium that I think was up and down Mt. Doug somehow. I know Mt. Doug isn't a circuit but that's what the dream was so there. I remember vividly being terrified at the beginning looking around at all the other seasoned riders that were out for glory. I'm pretty sure it was my first race so I had no idea what to expect. I remember the

Onward with 09

2009-01-11T23:30:00.000-08:00

I bought a plant today. First plant ever. I have no idea what it is or how to properly take care of it but it looks nice and makes my room look delightful. We'll see if it can stay alive. But as Andrea just pointed out, we looked after a cat for 6 months and he did fine. Which, by the way, we had to give Muldoon back to his original owners last week. It was a very sad day for me. He was the

annnd back to reality...

2009-01-05T19:49:00.000-08:00

But it's a reality I really missed during the break back in Revelstoke. Speaking of which, I loved Revelstoke! Oh man, it just warms me every time I go back there. I spent a good deal of time with my brother, skiing and playing video games. I was a big homeboy the whole time! Not once did I set foot in a bar and the only times I drank were the day I arrived and on Christmas. I laugh at myself for

Home is always there

2008-12-21T18:06:00.000-08:00