My first stage race win ever: the Wenatchee Stage Race, the state championship omnium. I am currently the Cat 3 BARR leader.
Pretty pleased.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Walla Walla Weekend
Headed to Walla Walla tomorrow morning for Vanessa's graduation. And awesome riding. And maybe some wine tasting...?
I can't wait!
I can't wait!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Things I Learned (or was reminded of) at Wenatchee
Last weekend was the State Championship Omnium in Wenatchee, Washington: time trial, crit, and heinous road race, and each stage contributed points towards deciding the overall winner.
(1) I need to work on my confidence around corners and descents.
(2) When you hurt, EVERYONE hurts. Just put your head down and keep going. And try not to puke/fall over/pass out.
(3) Always bring extra water. You never know when you might be 2 hours early for your TT, or have to stay an extra 2 hours after your race finishes...
(4) Always take the neutral feed. The water will be useful. You can always dump it (especially on your head, in hot weather).
(5) Always sprint. Especially when you have no idea who was ahead of you.
(1) I need to work on my confidence around corners and descents.
(2) When you hurt, EVERYONE hurts. Just put your head down and keep going. And try not to puke/fall over/pass out.
(3) Always bring extra water. You never know when you might be 2 hours early for your TT, or have to stay an extra 2 hours after your race finishes...
(4) Always take the neutral feed. The water will be useful. You can always dump it (especially on your head, in hot weather).
(5) Always sprint. Especially when you have no idea who was ahead of you.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Friday, May 08, 2009
Gila
A LOT has happened since I last posted, even though it wasn't all that long ago.
I had a chance to fly down to the Tour of the Gila to play "soigneurita" to three Hagens Berman team riders who decided to compete at the last minute - in 3 different fields!
And I had the time of my life.
I knew it was going to be fun, but I had no idea that I would get to see the likes of Kristin Armstrong, Rory Sutherland, Floyd Landis, Phil Zajicek, Burke Swindlehurst, Chris Horner, Levi Leipheimer, and Lance Armstrong so up close and personal! I had no idea I would get to run around downtown Silver City dance-partying it up and collecting crowd primes for the Pro/1 crit. I had no idea I would be riding some of the most epic courses ever, end up in the cycling e-zines, and see my boyfriend kill it on the last stage of the race.
Every day was a new adventure, a new race, a new place, a new course, fantastic weather, beautiful scenery, great food, and warm company.
Our hosts Marcia and Alan (yes, there were THREE Alans staying in one house) were as kind as could be, and had more than enough space for all of us AND all our bikes AND all our FOOD. (There was a LOT of food.)
And they shared their Tecate. (:
The Tour of the Gila is a great race. Silver City is a welcoming place. And I will definitely be back next year. As a RACER.
I had a chance to fly down to the Tour of the Gila to play "soigneurita" to three Hagens Berman team riders who decided to compete at the last minute - in 3 different fields!
And I had the time of my life.
I knew it was going to be fun, but I had no idea that I would get to see the likes of Kristin Armstrong, Rory Sutherland, Floyd Landis, Phil Zajicek, Burke Swindlehurst, Chris Horner, Levi Leipheimer, and Lance Armstrong so up close and personal! I had no idea I would get to run around downtown Silver City dance-partying it up and collecting crowd primes for the Pro/1 crit. I had no idea I would be riding some of the most epic courses ever, end up in the cycling e-zines, and see my boyfriend kill it on the last stage of the race.
Every day was a new adventure, a new race, a new place, a new course, fantastic weather, beautiful scenery, great food, and warm company.
Our hosts Marcia and Alan (yes, there were THREE Alans staying in one house) were as kind as could be, and had more than enough space for all of us AND all our bikes AND all our FOOD. (There was a LOT of food.)
And they shared their Tecate. (:
The Tour of the Gila is a great race. Silver City is a welcoming place. And I will definitely be back next year. As a RACER.
Monday, April 27, 2009
I woke up hungry and dehydrated this morning.
Both signs of a weekend well worth the effort.
I managed to power through another weekend of racing. And that's what it felt like - just forging ahead, despite my body's strong desire to not turn the pedals over and over and over... It was rough, and the legs felt tired, but I convinced them that they could do it, and they more or less pulled it off. I'm fairly sure we managed to hold the lead in the series.
And now I am so ready for this rest week.
2 days of hardcore working, planning, and a little playing, then OFF TO ALTITUDE, SUN, and BIKES!!!
I managed to power through another weekend of racing. And that's what it felt like - just forging ahead, despite my body's strong desire to not turn the pedals over and over and over... It was rough, and the legs felt tired, but I convinced them that they could do it, and they more or less pulled it off. I'm fairly sure we managed to hold the lead in the series.
And now I am so ready for this rest week.
2 days of hardcore working, planning, and a little playing, then OFF TO ALTITUDE, SUN, and BIKES!!!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Anticipation
Next week I fly with a new friend to a place that holds promises of sun, mountains, sweet gelato, boys on bikes, and the Gila monster.
Don't let me down now.
Don't let me down now.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Holy. Freaking. Tamales.
The course: 3 laps of a 19.5-mile loop with 2 climbs each lap. The first climb is ~4 minutes long, and the next one is shorter (but, to me, more surprising).
The competition: The field is a combined women's 1-2-3 field. But the race is part of the Washington Cup (a 1-2 series) and the Volkl Cat 3 Series.
The lead-up: It is raining. The sky shows no signs of letting up. Linsey picks me up at 10am to make it there in more than enough time for sufficient warm up, team meeting, registration (the usual) before our 1:15 start. The punctual pick-up happens, but I proceed to forget my shoes, not noticing this until we're 15 minutes down the freeway. We turn around to go back (I can't race without the shoes), knowing that at this point we're giving up our valuable warm-up time. After we're successfully back on the road, I receive a text message from a teammate who is already at the race: "It's snowing here," I read aloud to Linsey. WTF?!
Arrival: Yes, it is certainly snowing. We reluctantly exit the car, after putting on a few more layers of clothing (including my down jacket and my polar cycling jacket on top of that), and join our teammates who we see huddled together under a tent. We confer. The morning racers have finished. They are shivering and un-functioning and they look like heaps of dead, water-logged, quivering flesh. The ones who can think enough to speak tell us that we would be crazy to race out there. The officials say that the snow is not sticking to the roads, so they do not plan to cancel the afternoon races. Tricia registers. So I register. Half our teammates pack up and go home, leaving me, Tricia, Sirikit, Linsey, and Laura as the team's contingent.
It continues to snow. We put on all the clothing we brought. We don't bother to do a warm-up because, really, what's the point? We huddle under the tent until we see the field before us get sent off on their neutral roll-out, and then we all look at each other, and roll to the line.
Race: 19 ladies line up for the start. We're neutral for the first few kilometers, then we hit the first turn and it starts slightly up -- more than a false flat, less than a hill? My face has frozen. We lose people up the first climb, and I gap off from the front group, but hold on to some other stragglers and get brought back after the descent. Still a sizable group, though I can tell we've lost a few. We start some attacks; nothing sticks. Linsey and Laura both put in some really solid efforts. I go off on an attack, and in the process, I lose the right lens from my glasses. I try taking off the glasses, but on the next descent, the snow is pelting me in the face and eyes so hard I can't keep them open. So I put the glasses back on. Now at least I can see out of the one eye that is protected by the remaining lens. I look at Laura and she tells me it's like The Terminator. Hah.
Second climb comes, and it's hard, but I make it over and reattach again. Long flats along the finishing straight that we'll go through once more before the actual finish on the 3rd lap. The girl up front, K (Tricia's main competition), is messing with her glasses. I can hear Tricia and Sirikit talking about something, but I'm not sure if they notice that K is totally not paying attention, and I go on the attack. I drill it hard, watching my power, trying to keep it high but not too high so that I pop myself. They're not chasing! I'm gaining time. I make the turn and am told I have 1 minute on the field by the lead car driver holding up a pointer finger out the window. Whoa!! I start climbing that first climb again, this time alone and with determination. I can see some people coming, but I push it HARD. I push so hard I gag myself and almost puke. I make it to the top without getting caught, and descend as madly as I dare in those conditions, putting time into them again. I push it harder along the flats until the second hill. Here I can see the follow car coming up with the riders in front of it. They're going to catch me. Tricia, my teammate, comes by with K on her wheel and yells at me to grab onto the small group behind them. But I manage to snag K's wheel, then the small group catches us, and we're now 7 people. Whoa. That's a lot less than what we started with.
I sit on for a little to try to recover, and then we try to all work together to keep others from catching. My other teammate in the group, Sirikit, attacks, and a cat 3 goes with her. K chases, and catches, and no one wants to work. Then Sirikit gets dropped going up the first hill on the 3rd and final lap. We drop one more girl, and it's now 5 of us: me, teammate Tricia (cat1), K (cat2), and 2 other cat3's who are my actual competition for series points. I am feeling everything in my legs now - the cold, the wet, the hard solo break, and as we start up the 2nd hill, I start to detach. K picks up the pace and I'm gone for good. I see the two cat3's get dropped in front of me, but they're faster up the hill than I am at this point, and I can't catch them. I don't want to be caught by anyone else, though, so I push as hard as I can until the finish, which can't come soon enough. Neither of those girls has cat3 series points yet, so as long as I can finish 3rd, I'll hold my placing in the overall.
I manage to do just that, and roll into the finish to be greeted by Tricia who beat K in the sprint. (:
Post-race: It takes me a good 45 minutes to an hour to warm up, and my toes stay cold for a while longer. I eat and eat and can't eat enough. Everyone has had a great race. Sirikit came in 4th in the 1-2's. Laura finished for 4th place cat3 points, and Linsey put in a long, hard effort, but ended up flatting out on the final lap.
This was an EPIC race that I will remember for a LONG time. It rained and snowed CONSTANTLY. Just when I thought it might be warming up because the snow had turned into freezing rain instead, it would start snowing again. In the last 5 miles or so, I couldn't shift with my left hand because it was so numb. I tried using my entire left arm to shift into the big chainring, but all that would happen is I'd hit the brakes (unintentionally) instead. I had to reach over with my right hand (which I could still kind of feel) to pull the shifter over. Ridiculous.
Another race that tested my mental fortitude and made me grateful for amazing teammates. Now, seriously, it can ONLY get better from here...right?
The competition: The field is a combined women's 1-2-3 field. But the race is part of the Washington Cup (a 1-2 series) and the Volkl Cat 3 Series.
The lead-up: It is raining. The sky shows no signs of letting up. Linsey picks me up at 10am to make it there in more than enough time for sufficient warm up, team meeting, registration (the usual) before our 1:15 start. The punctual pick-up happens, but I proceed to forget my shoes, not noticing this until we're 15 minutes down the freeway. We turn around to go back (I can't race without the shoes), knowing that at this point we're giving up our valuable warm-up time. After we're successfully back on the road, I receive a text message from a teammate who is already at the race: "It's snowing here," I read aloud to Linsey. WTF?!
Arrival: Yes, it is certainly snowing. We reluctantly exit the car, after putting on a few more layers of clothing (including my down jacket and my polar cycling jacket on top of that), and join our teammates who we see huddled together under a tent. We confer. The morning racers have finished. They are shivering and un-functioning and they look like heaps of dead, water-logged, quivering flesh. The ones who can think enough to speak tell us that we would be crazy to race out there. The officials say that the snow is not sticking to the roads, so they do not plan to cancel the afternoon races. Tricia registers. So I register. Half our teammates pack up and go home, leaving me, Tricia, Sirikit, Linsey, and Laura as the team's contingent.
It continues to snow. We put on all the clothing we brought. We don't bother to do a warm-up because, really, what's the point? We huddle under the tent until we see the field before us get sent off on their neutral roll-out, and then we all look at each other, and roll to the line.
Race: 19 ladies line up for the start. We're neutral for the first few kilometers, then we hit the first turn and it starts slightly up -- more than a false flat, less than a hill? My face has frozen. We lose people up the first climb, and I gap off from the front group, but hold on to some other stragglers and get brought back after the descent. Still a sizable group, though I can tell we've lost a few. We start some attacks; nothing sticks. Linsey and Laura both put in some really solid efforts. I go off on an attack, and in the process, I lose the right lens from my glasses. I try taking off the glasses, but on the next descent, the snow is pelting me in the face and eyes so hard I can't keep them open. So I put the glasses back on. Now at least I can see out of the one eye that is protected by the remaining lens. I look at Laura and she tells me it's like The Terminator. Hah.
Second climb comes, and it's hard, but I make it over and reattach again. Long flats along the finishing straight that we'll go through once more before the actual finish on the 3rd lap. The girl up front, K (Tricia's main competition), is messing with her glasses. I can hear Tricia and Sirikit talking about something, but I'm not sure if they notice that K is totally not paying attention, and I go on the attack. I drill it hard, watching my power, trying to keep it high but not too high so that I pop myself. They're not chasing! I'm gaining time. I make the turn and am told I have 1 minute on the field by the lead car driver holding up a pointer finger out the window. Whoa!! I start climbing that first climb again, this time alone and with determination. I can see some people coming, but I push it HARD. I push so hard I gag myself and almost puke. I make it to the top without getting caught, and descend as madly as I dare in those conditions, putting time into them again. I push it harder along the flats until the second hill. Here I can see the follow car coming up with the riders in front of it. They're going to catch me. Tricia, my teammate, comes by with K on her wheel and yells at me to grab onto the small group behind them. But I manage to snag K's wheel, then the small group catches us, and we're now 7 people. Whoa. That's a lot less than what we started with.
I sit on for a little to try to recover, and then we try to all work together to keep others from catching. My other teammate in the group, Sirikit, attacks, and a cat 3 goes with her. K chases, and catches, and no one wants to work. Then Sirikit gets dropped going up the first hill on the 3rd and final lap. We drop one more girl, and it's now 5 of us: me, teammate Tricia (cat1), K (cat2), and 2 other cat3's who are my actual competition for series points. I am feeling everything in my legs now - the cold, the wet, the hard solo break, and as we start up the 2nd hill, I start to detach. K picks up the pace and I'm gone for good. I see the two cat3's get dropped in front of me, but they're faster up the hill than I am at this point, and I can't catch them. I don't want to be caught by anyone else, though, so I push as hard as I can until the finish, which can't come soon enough. Neither of those girls has cat3 series points yet, so as long as I can finish 3rd, I'll hold my placing in the overall.
I manage to do just that, and roll into the finish to be greeted by Tricia who beat K in the sprint. (:
Post-race: It takes me a good 45 minutes to an hour to warm up, and my toes stay cold for a while longer. I eat and eat and can't eat enough. Everyone has had a great race. Sirikit came in 4th in the 1-2's. Laura finished for 4th place cat3 points, and Linsey put in a long, hard effort, but ended up flatting out on the final lap.
This was an EPIC race that I will remember for a LONG time. It rained and snowed CONSTANTLY. Just when I thought it might be warming up because the snow had turned into freezing rain instead, it would start snowing again. In the last 5 miles or so, I couldn't shift with my left hand because it was so numb. I tried using my entire left arm to shift into the big chainring, but all that would happen is I'd hit the brakes (unintentionally) instead. I had to reach over with my right hand (which I could still kind of feel) to pull the shifter over. Ridiculous.
Another race that tested my mental fortitude and made me grateful for amazing teammates. Now, seriously, it can ONLY get better from here...right?
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
San Jose AVC
The 2009 AVC is slotted for June 26-27, 2009, in San Jose. Right now they're boasting a prize list of $14,400 broken down into the following categories:
Elite Men $6,600
Elite Women $5,400
Master $1,400
Madision $1,000
TOTAL $14,400
Check out the video Rick Adams created to round up a sponsor for the upcoming races:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Lf-R0bzsiA
(Yes, I basically copied and pasted from Jen's blog.)
Right now I'm thisclose to deciding to go...!
Elite Men $6,600
Elite Women $5,400
Master $1,400
Madision $1,000
TOTAL $14,400
Check out the video Rick Adams created to round up a sponsor for the upcoming races:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Lf-R0bzsiA
(Yes, I basically copied and pasted from Jen's blog.)
Right now I'm thisclose to deciding to go...!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Can't Sleep
I can't sleep because visions of today's race keep rolling through my head. It's late, and I had a full day, and I have to be up super early for Sunday's race, and it's going to be just as cold and rainy (if not more so) than today's, but I can NOT sleep.
------
Car ride there: team decides to attack and keep on countering, practicing lessons learned from last weekend.
Christine blithely thinks: attacks start after first lap, just like last week (this race = 4 laps).
Arrive early, leisurely get ready, end up with little warmup time.
Rain starts falling steadily after a brief respite. Ground and road are already soaked. Car thermometer reads 37degF.
Race begins. Someone decides it's a good idea to attack on the first half of the first lap. Teammates attack and counter and get reeled back in. Heather counters, Cheryl follows. Christine knows this attack is a strong one. Should stick.
Pack slows. Teammates sit in. No one else works. Few people attempt to bridge or chase. Motivation wanes. Heather and Cheryl put 5 minutes into the field over the next 2 laps. Field is soaked. Snot covers face. Rain clouds glasses. Rain decides to freeze off-and-on. Fingers and toes lose feeling. Arms lose feeling.
Christine gets a flat on the third lap. Expletives follow. Waves wheel car down. A quick swap is accomplished, followed by a nice shove, and Christine chases back on to group. Decides it's a good idea to sit in and rest now.
Last lap: two remaining teammates Shannon and Laura decide to begin attacking again. They counter each other. Pack chases. Christine attacks, Daisy follows. This is a strong break. Christine and Daisy work well together, putting time into the field. 200m sign is reached. Christine and Daisy are side by side. Acceleration ensues. Daisy stands. Christine stands. Sprinting. Christine beats Daisy for 3rd!
------
Heather also took 2nd, and we're waiting on results for Laura and Shannon.
In other news, at the MVA fundraiser auction I won myself and 5 friends a weekend at a cabin (the Buchanans') in the Methow Valley at some point in the next year. Should be rockin'. My teammate Mary-Lynne won a signed jersey from Christian Vande Velde, whose dad was the featured speaker. Jennie Reed was also in attendance. Yay for local World Champion.
Ok now it's way past bedtime! (:
------
Car ride there: team decides to attack and keep on countering, practicing lessons learned from last weekend.
Christine blithely thinks: attacks start after first lap, just like last week (this race = 4 laps).
Arrive early, leisurely get ready, end up with little warmup time.
Rain starts falling steadily after a brief respite. Ground and road are already soaked. Car thermometer reads 37degF.
Race begins. Someone decides it's a good idea to attack on the first half of the first lap. Teammates attack and counter and get reeled back in. Heather counters, Cheryl follows. Christine knows this attack is a strong one. Should stick.
Pack slows. Teammates sit in. No one else works. Few people attempt to bridge or chase. Motivation wanes. Heather and Cheryl put 5 minutes into the field over the next 2 laps. Field is soaked. Snot covers face. Rain clouds glasses. Rain decides to freeze off-and-on. Fingers and toes lose feeling. Arms lose feeling.
Christine gets a flat on the third lap. Expletives follow. Waves wheel car down. A quick swap is accomplished, followed by a nice shove, and Christine chases back on to group. Decides it's a good idea to sit in and rest now.
Last lap: two remaining teammates Shannon and Laura decide to begin attacking again. They counter each other. Pack chases. Christine attacks, Daisy follows. This is a strong break. Christine and Daisy work well together, putting time into the field. 200m sign is reached. Christine and Daisy are side by side. Acceleration ensues. Daisy stands. Christine stands. Sprinting. Christine beats Daisy for 3rd!
------
Heather also took 2nd, and we're waiting on results for Laura and Shannon.
In other news, at the MVA fundraiser auction I won myself and 5 friends a weekend at a cabin (the Buchanans') in the Methow Valley at some point in the next year. Should be rockin'. My teammate Mary-Lynne won a signed jersey from Christian Vande Velde, whose dad was the featured speaker. Jennie Reed was also in attendance. Yay for local World Champion.
Ok now it's way past bedtime! (:
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Double Life
I walked in to work on Monday feeling like I'd stepped out of a movie. Or at least out of a dream. The first race weekend of the year took so much out of me, and Monday morning came as if someone had pulled open the stage curtain too soon, and too quickly.
I arrived at work exhausted, windburned, sunkissed, and reflective. And I was supposed to concentrate on work? I'm still hopeful that by Wednesday I will have regained my focus.
Getting back into the swing of things is tougher this year than ever before. And swing they do - back and forth, from engineer to racer. Perhaps this is a good sign for things to come. On both fronts.
I arrived at work exhausted, windburned, sunkissed, and reflective. And I was supposed to concentrate on work? I'm still hopeful that by Wednesday I will have regained my focus.
Getting back into the swing of things is tougher this year than ever before. And swing they do - back and forth, from engineer to racer. Perhaps this is a good sign for things to come. On both fronts.
Monday, March 02, 2009
Ahead
Cat 3 series,
Stronger teammates.
Never weary;
April stage race.
Growing muscles,
Increased hunger,
Reaching farther,
Plunging deeper.
Ever harder-
Stepping up.
Even faster-
Giddyup.
Stronger teammates.
Never weary;
April stage race.
Growing muscles,
Increased hunger,
Reaching farther,
Plunging deeper.
Ever harder-
Stepping up.
Even faster-
Giddyup.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
A Dream
I wake up. Pancakes are cooking. I make bacon. I devour the pancakes, covered in yogurt, strawberries, and bananas, along with eggs and bacon and strawberry-rhubarb pie for breakfast. I don my kit, pump up my tires, fill up my water bottles, and get on my bike. I ride alongside a lake, and descend through amazing scenery. The temperature is perfect, with the sun warming my back and the breeze cooling my face. At the end of the fun, technical descent, I begin to climb. I climb for 11 miles, looking over mountains that go on forever, and looking down on canyons and valleys that take my breath away. I inhale the fresh pine air and hear the scampering wildlife. I eat. I drink. I converse with the tourists. I photograph the adventure. I descend. I eat. I drink. I bask in the sunlight, admiring the clear blue skies. I share margaritas with my teammates. We make fajitas, and I cook plantains. We eat. We drink. We share stories. We share wine.
This is the perfect day.
It would be a dream.
But this is what happened today.
This is the perfect day.
It would be a dream.
But this is what happened today.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
San Diego Bound
Lots to do. Pick up bike box. Buy packing foam. Wash kits. Pack food. Pack bikes. Pack clothes. Plan transit. Print tickets. Print rental confirmation. Clean room. Make dinner. Perform field test.
Oh, and sleep.
And share some smiles for a few minutes, hopefully.
So much. Little time.
Tomorrow: rise early to plan it all. Now: bed. Thursday? SUNNY SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA!
Oh, and sleep.
And share some smiles for a few minutes, hopefully.
So much. Little time.
Tomorrow: rise early to plan it all. Now: bed. Thursday? SUNNY SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Digging Deep
I feel like this weekend opened my eyes even wider.
It was a lesson in realizing my potential, and learning how to dig deeper.
The pain cave almost beckons, now, and I think I'm even fumbling around looking for the key to lock myself inside.
Bring on the season.
It was a lesson in realizing my potential, and learning how to dig deeper.
The pain cave almost beckons, now, and I think I'm even fumbling around looking for the key to lock myself inside.
Bring on the season.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Riding Home With Ed
Today began with me convincing myself not to let tiny things keep me from riding my bike. Wet bike clothes still in the washer? I've got others. Can't find my booties? I don't need them. Tires aren't pumped up and I'm gonna miss my bus? They'll be fine and I can use the pump at work for the ride home. Missed my first bus? Go get coffee and wait for the next one in half an hour.
So I made it onto the 2nd bus. There was an accident at Northgate. Ice on the road. When I got off at my stop, the roads were totally frosted over. The cars at the park & ride needed ice scrapers. The first portion of the ride was downhill, and I. Was. Cold. Thank goodness I'd borrowed Tricia's gloves the other night. (Both my other pairs were still in the wash, too.) I don't think I've really ridden in weather that cold. My toes were frozen by the time I made it to work. But at least the rest of me was starting to warm up.
As the day wore on, the sun warmed things up. I made sure to leave in time to do my whole ride home in the sun. And what a great ride it was! I was smiling as I made my way down Airport Road, and saw another bike commuter ahead. As I caught him, I realized it was Ed - a guy who works in my organization! He drafted me for a while, till we hit a light, and then I followed him. He showed me how not to wait for a stoplight that I've been annoyed with lately. Then, because he knew a shortcut, got ahead of me on the trail. But he waited for me! I caught up, and he said, "There's another shortcut coming up if you don't mind riding through the dirt a little." So I said sure - and with Britney Spears wailing through my earbud, I followed Ed (easily 55 years old, probably older) through our own little cyclocross course, me on my Madone, him on his Portland. I was grinning behind him, and he showed me all sorts of shortcuts and trails that I had no idea existed! It was a fantastic ride, and I'm so thankful to him for letting me follow his wheel all the way back to Seattle. He lives on Queen Anne, so we parted ways in Greenwood. And as I made my way down 85th, I was smiling at everyone - people in cars, the UPS guy, kids waiting at the bus stop... It was a wonderful end to a sunny day.
Thanks, Ed. And thanks, sun!
So I made it onto the 2nd bus. There was an accident at Northgate. Ice on the road. When I got off at my stop, the roads were totally frosted over. The cars at the park & ride needed ice scrapers. The first portion of the ride was downhill, and I. Was. Cold. Thank goodness I'd borrowed Tricia's gloves the other night. (Both my other pairs were still in the wash, too.) I don't think I've really ridden in weather that cold. My toes were frozen by the time I made it to work. But at least the rest of me was starting to warm up.
As the day wore on, the sun warmed things up. I made sure to leave in time to do my whole ride home in the sun. And what a great ride it was! I was smiling as I made my way down Airport Road, and saw another bike commuter ahead. As I caught him, I realized it was Ed - a guy who works in my organization! He drafted me for a while, till we hit a light, and then I followed him. He showed me how not to wait for a stoplight that I've been annoyed with lately. Then, because he knew a shortcut, got ahead of me on the trail. But he waited for me! I caught up, and he said, "There's another shortcut coming up if you don't mind riding through the dirt a little." So I said sure - and with Britney Spears wailing through my earbud, I followed Ed (easily 55 years old, probably older) through our own little cyclocross course, me on my Madone, him on his Portland. I was grinning behind him, and he showed me all sorts of shortcuts and trails that I had no idea existed! It was a fantastic ride, and I'm so thankful to him for letting me follow his wheel all the way back to Seattle. He lives on Queen Anne, so we parted ways in Greenwood. And as I made my way down 85th, I was smiling at everyone - people in cars, the UPS guy, kids waiting at the bus stop... It was a wonderful end to a sunny day.
Thanks, Ed. And thanks, sun!
Thursday, February 05, 2009
A Tragic Loss in the Cycling Community. Now Show Your Support.
Rest in peace, Kevin Black.
Memorial Ride Tonight, 2/5/09
5:30pm
24th and 65th in Ballard
View Larger Map
(Map corrected.)
No determined route yet. All are welcome - on bikes, on foot, whatever.
A great way to show support for friends and family.
Memorial Ride Tonight, 2/5/09
5:30pm
24th and 65th in Ballard
View Larger Map
(Map corrected.)
No determined route yet. All are welcome - on bikes, on foot, whatever.
A great way to show support for friends and family.
Monday, November 17, 2008
These Go To Eleven
This is one of the best things I've seen on YouTube. Just had to post it. You'll be glad you watched the whole thing.
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