May the 4th Be With You

I'm a firm believer in the simple avocado. Specifically, I'm a firm believer in guacamole, of which the avocado plays a central role, but both are delicious. The sun is currently shining on California and avocados are ripping into ripening season. It's with weather like this that lately I've been either going to restaurants that feature guacamole -- a la, places that have "Cantina" or "Taco" in their name. Or better yet, I'm making my own because I'm the son of a good New England family and I recognize the value of the dollar.(Plus, given the quantity with which I'm consuming guacamole, despite happy hour prices, it's fiscally advantageous to make your own.) It was one year ago right now that the Cannondale-Garmin team convened high up in Truckee, CA to practice breathing thin, crisp, mountainous air in preparation for Tour of California. Bike racing is bike racing, training is training, so I could nerd out on that racing/training minutia here for you, but I prefer to think back on the fond memories of the guacamole competitions in which I partook against none other than professional team mechanic and guacamole excelsior, Sam Elenes. I pride myself on a being able to whip up a pretty tasty guac' -- my tips being lots of lime and a healthy dash of piquant -- but Sam's guacamole was unanimously voted the winner.Thankfully the backdrop of Donner Lake was still something we all wanted to eat up. So May 2015 Truckee guacamole was great and with a few more pointers from Sam (keep it simple stupid), my May 2016 guacamole is equally on-point.As is my travel schedule. I just touched down in Denver, where I am hanging out for two days for a SRAM photoshoot. Conveniently it will unfold for me primarily in the form of a massive bike ride all over the front range, which is right up my alley. Flying into Denver took us over the Rockies, of course, and holy guacamole is it still snowy and white! I guess four feet of snow a week ago will do that. Next I swing through SFO again on my way to Italy with my dear friends at inGamba on Saturday for a weeklong trip and then a full barrage of Tour of California. Oh hey, come on out:-- Pretty much every day of the Tour as seen here. (And stay tuned because registration for all events will open soon.)-- Friday May 20 in Folsom.I fly back on the same day as the World Bicycle Relief ride in Marin, which I've done the past two years and it pains me to miss this year, but if you're in NorCal and are free May 14, for sure put it on your to-do list. I've been asked how my 2016 schedule compares to year's past. It's busier at some times and more calm at others. I'm certainly more dynamic in my travels, or at least able to embrace the environment and people I'm with more than past years. The life of a professional cyclist is monkish, so focusing on cycling alone is top priority. Anyway, I'm doing a little schedule forecasting as we speak and am pretty sure I don't sleep in my bed again until June.And then when early June rolls around, I have my first 200 mile ride of the year, Dirty Kanza. "First" implying there might be a second. I can't even think of 200 On 100 without getting really excited. In fact, it was exactly 10 months ago today that we rolled out this stunner of a day.And to wrap things up, I'm pleased to say that I experienced culture firsthand with a trip to the San Francisco Ballet. My very good friend Mark got us tickets and we got to hang out backstage, sit in the pro'est of pro boxes, and share a beer (or three) with the lead, Luke, his wife, and a bunch of buddies after the show. Onegin was fantastic, and so much more special for this rookie since I got to whisper questions throughout the show, mostly along the lines of, "What's happening now?"Nothing but class, I'm a ballet rookie no more.