Thanksgiving

I'm thankful that I have gone an entire year without losing a friend to a drunk or distracted motorist. I lost Jim Schwarzman in the summer of 2011 to a drunk hit-and-run driver. I pray he is the last. I still won't ride that stretch of PCH through Leucadia.

I'm thankful my wife is riding again. I just bought her a new carbon bike to replace her old steel one. I hope she gets many thousands of miles out of it. We're planning on riding her first half century in almost ten years on Saturday.

I'm thankful I'm still able to ride and so is my daughter with whom I enjoy riding the most. There are so many things that can knock you off the bike, both temporarily and permanently. I only spent two weeks off the bike from injury this year - more than most years but less than it could have been.

I'm thankful I have built my website www.noheadwinds.com. I find I'm riding much more on my exercise bike because of it.

I'm thankful I still have a job, that my youngest daughter just married a great guy, that I still have my health and sanity, that my wife is getting stronger, and that I will have ridden about 8000 miles by the end of the year.

Have to go shave now - the in-laws will be here soon.