Not Lance Armstrong

"No man is more unhappy than he who never faces adversity.  For he is not permitted to prove himself." - Lucius Annaeus Seneca

A buddy of mine recently sent a photo of myself that I'd never seen before.

I'd guess this was taken in 1987-1988.  Looks like we were loading or unloading bikes for some cycling event or group ride.  Judging by how pale my hands are where the gloves fit on, I'd been riding a lot.  Trusty can of Copenhagen in the rear shirt pocket, too!

Below is a picture from one of the Coors Lite Biathlons in 1988.  It was in Balboa Park, San Diego, and it was a lot of fun.  Looks like I'm hard on the brakes for an upcoming turn.  The event was set up for 5k run- 30k bike - 5k run.  I got my first and only ever calf muscle cramp during the bike segment.  It was the weirdest thing watching the calf muscles clenching and releasing while I was still trying to get down the road.

Below is a picture taken in 1988 at Santa Fe reservoir park in Azusa, CA at a minor triathlon - I think this was a 300 yd swim, 5k run and 25k bike.  How about that air with the mountains less than 10 miles away in the background?  I suck at swimming, especially in cold water, so this didn't go very well at all.  A lifeguard on a surfboard had to let me rest with him for a bit.  Right after this photo was taken I started pedaling again, and almost took myself out when the pedal scraped the pavement really hard.  I remember seeing the photographer whip his head around at the sound of a near-crash.