1.  Reduce, refine and streamline – things and relationships: On this front I continued to improve. I created an art studio downstairs and in the process I threw away a bunch of junk. I’m working in acrylics and water color for now.

2.  When in doubt remove excess. Refer to rule #1: I bagged up a bunch of clothes and gave them away. I also eliminated a bunch of clutter in my closet. Double yeah.

3.  Be budget-minded each month; plan it and work the plan: Yes, I worked the budget again. As my better half said, “it’s pretty easy to save more money when you focus on saving more money.”

4.  “Make due.” Good enough is good enough: When I set up my studio I used fabric (black) to create a 12×12 area rather than paint the walls. Doing so saved money and gave me the flexibility of moving it to another area – just in case. When I needed objects for my still life paintings, I went to Goodwill Industries. So far, so good.

5.  Plan ahead – enjoy the moment: The month was a blurrrrrr. I had a couple of days to chill, but mostly I worked and stayed focused. Really.

6.  Take ALL vacation days … every last one: I got one.

7.  When purchasing find a deal, and keep a tote board: Like I said earlier, I bought some objects from Goodwill, and when I added more paint brushes to my stash I snagged those that were on sale at Jerry’s Art-o-rama.

8.  Save more, and SELL what’s not needed nor used: Ok this is one area I made virtually NO progress. The March report will be “outstanding.”

9.  Travel a lot … for vacation: Our Florida plans got moved, but we’re going to Hawai’i in May for 10 days (yeah). We’ll get a Florida visit during the summer months.

10. Remember family. Go visit them: I talked with several folks, wrote some letters, emailed my dad more often and thought about them much more than any February I can remember. We are planning a trip to visit Mom and Thurman. Then when it warms up, we’ll go visit the LGE’s parents. At some point I need to visit my great aunt in Jonesboro.

Ok then. March is underway.

“You who think you know
it all are annoying
to those of us that do.”

“Life, like all other games,
becomes fun when one
realizes that it’s just a game”

Courage is not the absence
of fear, but rather the judgment
that something else is more
important than fear.

Ambrose Redmoon

One of the most frequently asked questions is how do the organizers determine the ratings for the climbs in the Tour de France.The Tour organizers use two criteria 1) the length and steepness of the climb and 2) the position of the climb in the stage. A third, and much lesser criteria, is the quality of the road surface.It is important to note several things before this discussion begins.First, the organizers of the Tour have been very erratic in their classifications of climbs. The north side of the Col de la Madeleine has flip-flopped between a 1st Category to an Hors Category climb,even though it seems to be in the same position of a stage every year.Secondly, rating inflation, so rampant in other sports has raised its ugly head here. Climbs that used to be a 2nd Category are now a1st Category, even though, like the Madeleine, they occupy the same position in a stage year after year.

Let’s talk about the ratings. I will give you my impressions on what I think the criteria are for rating the climbs based on having ridden over 100 of the rated climbs in the major European tours. Note that gradual climbs do not receive grades. It has been my observation that about a 3-4% grade is necessary for a climb to get rated. Also, a climb must gain at least 70m for it to be rated.

The organizers of the Tour de France also claim that the quality of the road surface can influence the rating of a climb. If the surface is very poor, like some of the more obscure climbs in the Pyrenees,then the rating may be bumped up.4th Category – the lowest category, climbs of 200-500 feet (70-150m). 3rd Category – climbs of 500-1600 feet (150-500m). 2nd Category – climbs of 1600-2700 ft. ( 500-800m) 1st Category – climbs of 2700-5000ft(800-1500m) Hors Category – the hardest, climbs of 5000ft+(1500m+)

Points awarded for the climbs ranges are as follows (from the 1990 race bible):4th Category: 3 places: 5, 3, 13rd Category: 5 places: 10, 7, 5, 3, 12nd Category: 10 places: 20, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 11st Category: 12 places: 30, 26, 22, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1Hors Category: 15 places: 40, 35, 30, 26, 22, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1

Steepness also plays a factor in the rating. Most of the big climbsin the Alps average 7-8% where the big climbs in the Pyrenees average8-9%.

Please remember that I am giving very, very rough guidelines and there are exceptions to every rule. For example, L’Alpe D’Huezclimbs 3700ft(1200m), but is an Hors Category climb. This is becauseit usually comes at the end of a very tough stage and the climb itselfis unusually steep(~9%) by Alpine standards.

More confusing is the Col de Borderes, a mere 1000ft (300m) climb outside of Arrens in the Pyrenees mountains. I have seen it rated anywhere from a 3rd Category to a 1st Category !!! This is most likely due again, to its placement on the stage. The 3rd Category rating came when it was near the beginning of a stage where its 1st Category rating came when it was near the end.

Flat or downhill sections can also affect a climb’s rating. Such sections offer a rest to the weary and can reduce the difficulty of the climb considerably. This may be one of the reasons that the aforementioned Col de la Madeleine, which has a 1 mile downhill/flat section at mid-height,flip-flops in its rating.

People often asked how climbs in the United States compare to those in Europe. Most of the US climbs are either steep enough by European standards(6-8% grade), but are short(5-10km) so they fall into the3rd Category or 2nd possibly; or the climbs gain enough altitude, but are too long(they average <5%) so again they would fail to break the 1st Category barrier and end up most likely a 2nd or 3rd Category.Fear not, there are exceptions. Most notable to Californians is the south side of Palomar Mountain which from Pauma Valley climbs4200′ in 11 miles, a potential 1st Category ascent, though it mayfall prey to downgrading because of the flat section at mile four.The east side of Towne Pass in Death Valley is definitely a 1stCategory climb!

A popular Northern California climb, Mount Hamilton, is similar toPalomar Mountain but, fails to be a 1st Category climb because of two offending downhill section on the ascent and an overall gradient of 5%.For Coloradoans, you can thank the ski industry for creating long,but relatively gradual climbs that rarely exceed 5% for any substantial length(5+ miles). I never had to use anything bigger than a 42×23on any climb in Colorado, regardless of altitude. Gear ratios of39×24 or 26 are commonplace in the Alps and Pyrenees and give a very telling indication as to the difficulty of European climbs.

One potential 1st Category climb for Coloradoans may be the 4000 ft.climb in about 15 miles from Ouray to the top of Red Mountain Pass.Also, it should be noted that there is not a single uniform rating scheme for all the races on the UCI calendar. What one race might call a 1stCategory climb, may be called a 2nd Category climb, even though the stages of the two races are almost identical.

One last note. I think it is inappropriate to compare the ascents of climbs by the European pros with the efforts of us mere mortals.I have said this time and time again and I will repeat it now. It is very, very hard for the average person to comprehend just how fast the pros climb the big passes. Pace makes all the difference. Riding a climb is very different than racing it.

One week from Saturday. 1 week.

The 2008 course reflects will create the right pace from the start while ensuring the suspense is maintained as long as possible. For the first time since the Prologue was added in 1967, the traditional time trial will make way for a road stage. The fight for the yellow jersey should prove only the more disputed in Plumelec, with sprinters facing some stiff opposition. The Cholet time trial, held on day four, will take place over some thirty kilometers and come only two days before the first altitude finish, in Super-Besse, leading up to an early and noteworthy crossing of the Massif Central.

Five mountain stages, one less than this year, and four altitude finishes, one more than last year, will provide ups and downs. Joining Super-Besse will be Hautacam in the Pyrenees, the Italian resort of Prato Nevoso in the province of Cuneo, and lastly …. the out-of-control “orange” peelers … the Spanish … aka “enthusiastic crowds,” will once again flock to the Alpe-d’Huez and its famed twenty-one twisting turns.

Though less passes will be climbed than in recent years, riders will face daunting challenges: the Tourmalet and Gallibier, both so much a part of Tour lore, but also the splendid Lombarde Pass in Italy, making its Tour debut, and Bonette Pass, too often overlooked, set in a moonlike landscape atop Europe’s highest road, making it the 2008 Tour’s pinnacle at some 8,195 Ft. Oxygen masks anyone? Anyone?

Tour – on.

Photographs from the 2008 Tour de Ephrata on Elco Road.