021 Mosquitoes

They're back, I got bit by a mosquito on the upper portion of my ear. Where this person got a rad tattoo, my ear is red and swollen and looks like that cauliflower ear wrestlers get. It itches bitches.

I received the bite on Sunday while trying to pull the most gigantic spring onion out of the ivy patch. I used a proper dead lift technique but it wouldn't budge. Ripped the top off without getting any of the goods. Total onion fail.

I worked on my hamstrings while picking up the millions of sticks and branches that littered our yard after Saturday's storm. My kind neighbor saw me out there picking up sticks and stopped by to return some that belonged to the trees located on my property. We both have the same species of trees. I guess when your a weakling these things matter. I thanked them and continued on my dead lifting spring onion workout.

020 Punk Rock Rescue

The free punk rock show at the American Bar and Grill was just what BA and I needed. When I wonder what is happening to this world, are policy makers following a good path, am I loosing too much hope in humanity or did I have too much faith to begin with.

Punk Rock was there to the rescue. When a show is free, well you never know what to expect. The bands were good, and I was refreshed by the community spirit. It was simply put a pretty rad show.

And just what we needed. A night out, some loud music, and a few two dollar beers.

019 Weener

Wins come few and far between for most cyclists and athletes in general. I'm not the type of athlete that gauges their sucess on wins. I would have been out of the cycling game a long time ago if that was the case.

Taking my first legitimate win ever at the Leesburg Baker's Dozen, three female catagory, was just the reassurace I needed that I am making some fitness progress. There was something really rewarding that it was a team effort. Team Estrojets. We had a solid team and we just rode. That simple.

I brought my A game, I knew we had a chance to do well. The funny thing is though I wasn't nervous. I was excited to race my bike. Bring it mud, bring it slick roots, bring it rocks.

I'm seriously loving my new hardtail 29er. It's changed by whole outlook on mountain biking. I feel just as powerful as when I'm on my cross or road bike, which was not the case before.

Since January BA and I have been working out at the Crossfit Collective. Crossfit is a serious butt kicker, but so rewarding. I'm feeling so much stronger on the bike. The combination of weight training and gymnastics was just what I needed to add to my training recipe.

018 Fast

I haven't felt fast for awhile. Since the Sterling Ma. NACT Finals Cross Races, Thanksgiving weekend. I keep reminding myself that it's okay not to feel fast in January and I probably shouldn't be fast in January. I had an entire Fall Cross season where I felt fast. On the long winter rides it's easy to forget.

On Saturday I decided to ride out to the fields. The roads where the traffic is sparse and the farm fields are plentiful. I avoided these roads last week due to the threat of snow drifting and blowing. The cross winds are strong on these flat roads that traverse barren fields. I feel at home, they remind me of growing up on the farm. Long walks around the fields. I didn't move far from home, but some days I miss being right there surrounded by them.

As a child I loved the wind. When a storm was approaching or just blowing across the barren fields. It lended a sense of excitement to the outside. I would run outside into the wind and let it whip my hair around as I leaned into it letting the force hold me up.

As a cyclist I loathe the wind. I stay in during wind advisories, I curse the cross wind that pushes my bike into the gutter, and I fight the head wind that makes turning the easiest gear incredibly hard. On Saturday as I rode through the fields, I accepted the wind. It's winter and I'm feeling slow. I will not fight the wind but instead ride my pace. There will be plenty of windy spring days to slice through the wind with speed and determination, but for now I've accepted the wind. As I turned the corner onto the Brownstown Road Race course the head wind pushed me back. I accepted it and kept pedaling. Up the hill, across the finishing straight and off course I continued on my long winter ride.

I passed an amish teen in Rumspringa. He was scooting along in a sweatshirt, beanie, jeans and sneakers. His scooter basket was full of packages. He was not fighting the wind. He was simply moving.

I allowed myself to enjoy the scenery. I had no intervals to do or recover from. The length of Stumptown Road there was a line of toilet paper strung for miles disappearing into the white snow, as if someone had held a roll out of the car window and let the wind take it a will. I pressed on into the winter wind.

017 Chasing Old Trails

Yes this is a little old. I'm getting back into the groove....

The holidays means spending time with family and returning to old hometown haunts. For BA and I it means packing up the car with mountain bikes and presents. We try to squeeze in as much riding time as possible. I hang onto BA's wheel as he whips around the trails of his high school days. The days of night ride poaching with flash lights and ski gloves. I'm told of story's long past. Of winter rides in waffle thermals, hooded sweatshirts, and corduroy shorts.

The trails are rough, one giant rut, fallen trees, and frozen mud. The hills are tiresome, but we attempt to ride them all. As I dismount my bike and begin the trek uphill BA says, "yeah this isn't even rideable in the dry, in case you were wondering".

Then there's the moments where the trails flow, through the pine forest, down the descents. I'm permitted to lead the chase every once in awhile. I scream all the way downhill. Entertainment for the more confident BA.
I sweat like a fiend, we remove rain coats. It rains a lot, the trails are always muddy. If you want to ride around here you get used to the mud I'm told. BA reminisces of the "dry" summer, when they rode everyday. There's talk of changes to the trail, better drainage through a nasty mud pit, and the hill that he's only made up once without dabbing.

We return to the car. I'm exhausted. I never tire of hearing the old mountain biking stories. Races in corduroy shorts and waffle thermals. I'm reminded, I may never be that hard, no matter how good I get. We can only strive with all our technical gear and carbon bikes to retain the passion of corduroy shorts and waffle thermals.

It's the feeling in our guts, the highs and lows, the goals we achieve and the ones we don't. On these winter rides I'm reminded of why I pedal.

016 Hoagies and Fries

Our car smells like hoagies and fries again. You know what that means, another great weekend of cyclocross racing has occurred. It has become a bit of a ritual for BA and I to enjoy rest stop veggie hoagies and french fries on our Sunday post race drive home. Something about a long weekend of racing, riding like a fool with drool coming out of your mouth, and you butt cheek hanging out of a ripped skinsuit that makes french fries taste all that much better. 
 
This past weekend the MAC Series wrapped up with races #10 and #11 in Long Island. What a great MAC season, great turn out, great courses, great promoters, great officials, great racers, great people. 


I took the line on Saturday with a stacked B-women's field. I was fresh from a weekend off racing. Last weekend I bought this book shelf and made BA built it. He pulled a muscle building it. Our books are off the floor now, even this Dewey Decimal book.
 
The B-women go off, I really need to work on my starts. I felt like I didn't have enough room on the start grid. BA says I need to make room, that's what elbows are for. We hit the grass and I kept trying to move up. I'm not in good position. Around the first corner the rider in front of me eases up ever so slightly, I try to go around. Our wheels rub. I think that's okay these things happen but then BAM I'm over her wheel and BAM I'm falling into a rider to my left and then BAM I'm on the ground. I hit the ground and rolled like 5 feet from my bike and unknown to me my skinsuit ripped and my left thigh, butt cheek was hanging out. 


The cheers today were awesome. I rode my butt off and apparently showed everyone. I also may have not been so nice to some folks. Let's face it in a class of sandbaggers those who actually want to get upgrade points are fighting for every spot every race. 9th B-women. 


BA rode to 8th today. Dinner was delicious. Hotel was bed bug free. What more could you ask for?

Sunday BA and I both rode to 6th in our fields.

Yesterday was Thanksgiving. I made the pecan pie and green bean casserole. The family mentioned they hadn't seen us in awhile. BA and I tried to explain the cross season and how many races we've been doing. Maybe next year with races going into January we'll be around some more weekends in the fall. 

I rode on the back patio on Wednesday night. Fearing the darkness and Thanksgiving travelers I decided to stay off the roads. I think Danger Scout would approve. Our patio light created this eerie shadow of me across the back yard. The neighbors probably think I'm nuts. 

Today we are heading up to Sterling MA for the NACT Finals and some New England Cross Racing. PA States is tomorrow. If your a resident of PA or any state for that matter you should go. BA decided 4 years of the PA State Championship Title was good and this year we should try out a new race.

I'm off to ride the trainer in the basement now... gearing up for a winter of staring at the basement wall. 

015 Episode XV

I'm behind, I wrote this 2 weeks ago and never posted. Enjoy.
 

Two weeks have flown by and 4 more races are done, until next year!
 
This Halloween C3 - Athletes Serving Athletes busted out the top secret special skinsuits.

Stormtroopers are the personal army of Darth Auer and of his commanders. They are portrayed in collective groups of varying organizational sizes ranging from squads to legions, and, for some, their armor and training is modified for special operations and environments. The troopers' most distinctive equipment is the white battle armor they normally wear. 

Two weeks ago BA and I headed over to New Jersey for MAC Race #7 Beacon and #8 Highland Park. Beacon has always been good to me, especially last year. The course is usually the same. Fast flat sandy trails, a beach run, the amphitheater of pain, barriers right after a turn, nice uphill road finish. I was expecting to have a decent to good day. This is what happens when you start expecting in bike racing. A bad start, I thought I'll sit in for a moment and continue to move up. When I decided to move I got pinched in a turn. I kept trying to move up the entire race, but ended up the 14th B Women. 

BA and I are having some serious regrets about being the "house with the light out" on Halloween. Sorry kids I just didn't have time to get candy. They spared the eggs and TP this year. Thank Gawd.
 
Highland Park Mac Race #8, I might have said "I never have a good ride here". Well that's what happens when you start expecting in bike racing, sometimes you surprise yourself. The course has got some climbing and tricky turns. I had my climbing legs ready. Another bad start, but I didn't give up. I just kept keeping on and being aggressive until the end. 5th B Women, my best Highland Park. 

BA had two nice rides to 9th and 10th. 
 
I've got to give a shout out to the C3 elite women's team. Cleaning up the podium at the past 4 MAC races is not a feat to take lightly, rock on!
 
Last weekend was my first trip up to NOHO, Northampton Mass, for the 20th annual Cycle-Smart International. I was pumped because I'd never been and BA was pumped to check it out again. It was awesome; fun course, great people, super organized, totally rad. Thanks to Skinny Craig, Beth and the family for letting C3- Athletes Serving Athletes crash their house. You can't turn away darksider Fat Marc and Monkey cause their family, but to host and cook for the rest of us was super cool. 
 
Once again I'm so proud of my B gals, 75 strong starters. The numbers in our races just keep increasing, it really is awesome. Even in the MAC we've had a solid 40 strong most races. 

Starting 5th row was a challenge that I accepted and concurred fairly well. 25th day 1 and 22nd day 2. I just kept trying to move up through the field the entire race, and had some of my best last laps of the year. I must say it really was awesome to get the feeling of a giant pack of racers behind you while your trying to bear down on the giant pack of racers in front of you. I did find myself in no mans land most of the time but only because I refused to settle for the pack I was with and kept trying to move up. 

BA had a respectable ride to 12th on Day 1 and an awesome ride to 6th on Day 2. The piece of snot running out of his nose on Day 2 was rock awesome. Skinny Craig mentioned if he just licked the snot it might act as some sort of power gel / cliff shot for added energy. Something to consider for the future.
 
I'm now more in love with New England Cross than ever. Spectating Gloucester in 2004 inspired me to race. Racing NOHO in 2010 has reminded me that cross is boss.