the count of TmonT cristo

one of these pics is of a cell in the infamous chateau d'If, the horrid island prison where the future count sat plotting and planning his revenge. the other is my own personal training studio. as you may note, if i could photoshop like i wish to learn, you would be very hard pressed to tell the difference.

this is how it should be, with indoor training.

cycling is a sport of pain, suffering, vicious beatings, vanquishing one's foes, humiliation, plotting, patience, revenge, glory in others' defeat, merciless attacks and desparate riposte's, endless preparation, risk, and so forth. we all know this - it is the beauty of cycling.

so then, in what way are these themes represented and/or cultivated in a climate-controlled, carpeted studio with a dasani machine, 64" flat-screen, hidden studio-grade sound system, soft lighting, and computer controlled efforts ?? no - those things are not for me. my first training studio was arguably worse than dante's cell in the chateau - in the basement of a rooming house in the 'hood in racine where i had to kryptonite lock the frame to an exposed gas pipe to keep the burglars from walking out with it. THAT, is a training studio. MK and gretchen ride out in our converted-garage former graphic-arts studio, and gretchen worries about me in my private d'If, but i say anything taking place out in the pleasantly lit and furnished studio ain't training - how could it be ?? for god's sake one time i went out there and caught 'em watching The Princess Diaries !!

but, to each their own - best of luck to ya hammering away here:

the count of TmonT cristo will be suffering here, and plotting, planning, tempering, preparing . . . . . . . . . .