YUCK!!

I smell yucky.

It's not that bad, because i am sitting at the computer. by myself. but i was just sitting at the bank.

I think the reason i swell weird is two-fold. I went up to Idyllwild today to ride my MTB with 13 year old kids at summer camp. I perspired, because it was hot, and then put my street clothes back on and sat in a hot cafeteria for lunch. then drove home in a hot car.

From their, i decided to be green for the rest of the day. Because one of the 13 year olds said this "What are you rich? you drove up here today, are going back, and coming back tomorrow?" um, no, and very good point. i am poor.

So the green theme began when i rode the city bike to the credit union. Funny thing, neighbor Leo pulled out of his driveway precisely at the same time as i did. He was in his SUV. Even funnier thing, he was parked at the curb of the Credit Union. He beat me. But i beat him on green points.

From there i went to Bank of America, because my debit card is pretty wacked. I wanted to order a new one. I had to sit in a waiting area. people looked at me weird. maybe i smelled then. or just looked unkempt. But then they tell me a new card was ordered yesterday. by who? from where? awkward!!

Then i rode the city bike home. it takes like forever on that thing.

But i have committed to riding to the Red Asphalt Ride tomorrow night. and to social security on Monday and the DMV on Tuesday. I think it will help me fit in better, burn some kcal's and save like $3.67 on gas.

I'm gonna jump in the pool.

Yes, it is true.

I pulled a Foist and i threw my bike.

I have felt bad all day about this. But it took awhile for me to start feeling bad about it. I wanted to find the guy who made me crash and see if passing me at said extrememly inappropriate time led to his success in the race. The fact that i never saw him afterwards leads me to believe that well, he did pretty poorly.

I guess i need to fess up and admit that from time to time, i actually do write up race reports. but none of the hum-drum stuff. something great, or superemely lame, has to happen.
(Example of being lame)
WHAT: California State Race - Rim Nordic (Running Springs CA)
WHEN: Today
WHY: Because i need points. And because i race my bike.

This course is a bit of a cluster boasting more single track than any other Cal State race. Problem is, there are a ton of racers on it which means you will be dealing with traffic the entire time.

Today there was Ca$h money to be had (flash back to Idylwild and cash was there too....this could only be bad) and there were only 3 pro wmn, but like a thousand experts. Now i like these girls just fine, but if there is money on the line, i better cross it before they do.

The charge began, another pro Heather and i took the bait and led the group out, with an expert ringing her bell (serious) on our tails. I would like to find her bike and take her bell. just out of principle. Bells are for spectators or Single Speeders. Not the rest of the field.

I was feeling some ailments, but also felt like you know what, i could win my first pro race today. or at least be second. so much better than 35th and 20 minutes, or 30minutes behind the winners.

Then of course i got a flat and was passed by about 8 women. No biggy. Fixed. Ride. Catch all but 3 that had passed me. Come to start finish. The expert men were waiting stage right for their start. Sport men were STOPPING stage straight ahead because they were, well, done. But they stopped and blocked the entire course. I had to get off my bike and yell, "Hey, lets move it" a bit of a skuttle and i was off. Lame. I could see #3 up ahead, about 100 feet. I had a master plan of picking her off on the climb and never seeing her again.

BUT... those expert men started. Some are nice, some are not. Coming into some tight single track, washed out left hand corner, three of them ahead of me, three behind, i can see my Shark Bait about 100 ft ahead. One decides, hey, since this is a really bad place to pass, im gonna do it. He hooks my left handle bar and he falls, stage left, taking me with him. I basically flip over him, hitting my BURN really hard, skinning my arm and knee. If it had been a decent, i would have grabbed my rotor and burned him too. He was under his bike, which was under my bike. So after a "word exchange" i picked my bike up. And i threw it. So 12 year old! Being that it is carbon, it went way farther than i thought. I just stood there staring at him. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. REALLY!!?!??!?!?!? The girl i was stalking was gone, and so was my mojo.
(Massive abrasion. could hardly plod on. but it was the the actions behind the menace...much like the one in Aspen last year)

Peddle, peddle. what to do. I was having fun again, riding with Lisa and Heidi V, started making up some time, then something totally AWESOME happened!! I GOT ANOTHER FLAT!!! No tubes or CO2 left. I started running (you know that is a dark day). I stopped to talk to the girl in the water-feed. She said she runs at high school. I proptly ran away. (Literally) I was completely committed to a DNF. But i just wanted to get out of the sun and heat.

Then super teammate Shelli rolled by, and began dropping the contents of her pocket on the fire road. Here's your tube. 100 yards later, here's your CO2. UGH!!! now i HAVE to finish!!! But you know that is pretty cool when someone is willing to empty their pockets for you with another 10 miles to go. ACtually, come to think of it, i think she yelled over her shoulder "if i flat, i will blame you." Rude!

(We both are complete winners. We both came in third. but Shelli was not last. you can tell a lot about or personalities by the way we wear our vests. i am all zipped up - pretty kosher and rigid. Shelli is pretty unzipped....

also - this is STILL an aside - i am getting a hair cut on Wednesday. this is 2 months of growth. and helmet hair. but should i go super short again>!>!>)

I lesuirly made it to the feed zone, where i stopped to talk politics with my parents and unload the useless contents of my pockets. I asked another feeder of the whereabouts of some other experts. I was getting bored and needed friends. Come to find out, they were having about the same level of high quality race as i was.

Although 2 experts pocketed 2 of the 3 money prizes (BTW...Bear Valley bikes added $25 to each of the MENS prizes, going 5 deep. The women went 3 deep. Maxed out at $50. Men maxed at $125. LAME!!!!) it was a good day after all.

Why, was i on crack? no.

But, Ma and Pa were there
I got to see ALL my homies
And this gradual sifting and serging within the race categories makes it so i can get to know a ton of people. I like people.

Also, the sport men were FANTASTIC about allowing us to pass and the pro/semi-pro men were completely gracious when they made their passes.

Sometimes, you just have a big target on your back. and things just do not work out.

Oh yes, people really like my burn. it is looking horrid and causes quite the stir.
(Don't worry. i know i am also covered with dirt and sweat. i may shower. before i go anywhere. tomorrow.)

Dude, is that a Magura?

i run these pretty sweet brakes on my MTB. This is what they look like on my bike.

This here is what they look like on skin.


Yes, in fact, that is a Magura rotor. Burned into my right calf.

There are many ways this conversation can go. one being the first aid technician telling someone on the other end of the radio that they were treating a burn. Silence. Then a "what?" they must have thought i was working the BBQ grill at one of the food vendors.

we could also discuss the fact that this could be on my calf for well, ever. the blister is getting larger and larger, and will continue to do so. if i let it pop (yuck) it will get real bad (ouch) so i need to wrap it when i sleep and ride. done.

Ah, how did i do such a stupid thing?? first off, i must use my brakes. a lot.
Secondly, i was probably off my bike when i should not have been.
And yes this leads to some sort of crash or flailing about.

Where: USA MTB National Championships, Mount Snow Vermont
When: Today, lap one of three.
HOW: this course is riddled with fantastic, technical, rooty, rocky, descending single track. For the first time in 3 years i rode the whole thing and had an absolute blast. The course was lined with spectators with cowbells, horns and whistles. Pretty cool experience.

But of course, all the space i made up on the climbs, i began to lose in the descents. one girl passed me and I bobbled on a root which shot me into a tree, then onto the back of my saddle and onto the ground. All that happened was that my seat looked like a BMX seat, pointing to the starts. So i went around the bike the try and push the nose back and down when OUCH!!!! I hit the rotor and when i looked down there was SMOKE!!!! No lie!!!

By the 3rd lap i was thinking ouch some more and wondering what i had actually done. by then i was covered in mud so at the end of the race i went to the bike wash to asses my issue. The race folk said to hit up first aid, where i got bandages and what not.

the race was great, not sure where i finished but a really fun day!

i don't take photos. other people do.

today i am in Albany New York at staring out the window and sometimes onto the computer screen to do some work. But since it is Shelli's computer, i have looked at a few photos on her desktop and tra-la-la, i have found myself in a few. imagine that! so we will go on a brief photo tour of Shelli's and my history of cycling with Team Jose Ole. It started a few years back, like 2004 as freaked out beginners, and has brought me all the way to New York in '08 as a freaked out Pro. I know, i should have stellar course photos, race updates of positions lost and descents fumbled, but instead, lets take a gander at the great times that have come before. or that i just found on this computer...


It may have been November, i can not really remember now, but Shelli, Cody and I did what some of my compatriots have labled a "disease ride" better known as the MS 150, Waves to Wine


I got to ride down a hill in some of the most prestine riding roads in the north


We all got to ride through some bridges, by some vineyards, and up HWY 1


We have one guy, that well, if it wasn't for him, i wouldnt be updating my blog tonight. This is Jesse. he's the man, well, he is Shelli's man, and great guy. he has sat through, walked around, and taken some killer photos of countless MTB races. And the disease ride.



These rides have a purpose you know. Cody rode the whole thing with this sign on his helmet for his dad. The gusty wind, especially along the coast, had a great time flopping his head around.


Obviously Shelli races bikes too. This is her shredding some one track in Santa Ynez. It was hot. very hot. She also likes to Scuba dive, wakeboard, and next weekend she and Jesse will hike Half Dome. what an over achiever!



Ah, Sea Otter. Contrary to popular belief, i raced there once. Shelli and i both got podiums there. In beginner class. She passed on the last climb, i was "coming apart" as only beginners can, and she beat me. We were mad at each other. just for a little bit. We have yelled at each other on the course before too. Now we laugh about it. But once i remember being very "upset" that she beat my by like a handful of seconds. Somewhere.

Please note, i still wear my pink Baby G watch. every day. and i have a lance bracelet. but i think it is a different one than the one i had in 2004. I also have about 15 inches less hair. man, that was A LOT of hair!!

Those were the good old days for sure. but i have a premonition - word of the week, i have had a few of them already - that we have many more to come.

National Championships next weekend. there could be mud, roots, rock drops, and fast girls. something that so cal is not the best at prepping you for.

one...week...closer....to .....fitness....? i can only hope!

Whack

It is summer, so i squander my time. big time. I find myself rushing to get a ride in by 8PM and wondering where all the time went to fix my hair. Which had not been fixed. then spending that valuable time trying to see what in fact i have accomplished. not much.

But i am on the road to productivity. i am planning on completely revamping my Geography Curriculum for the fall - this will take me about 13 minutes, and finally completing my PE toy inventory.

I also bought a book today, and my plan of productivity is to have it read in under 2weeks. i know, i know, aim for the stars. it is 203 pages long and it is about bikes. So this could become a reality.

This is the book: ROADIE: The misunderstood world of a bike racer

If you ride bikes and have someone in your life you love, used to love, or would like to have love you, make them read this book. it will give them a better appreciation of why you are the way you are so when they run away, they have solid proof of your life-wasting antics.

The WHACKS are for all the extremely annoying people you run into while wasting daylight. If i could, i would kick them square in the neck. But i am a bike racer, so my hip flexors are pretty much seized up.

*The guy driving REALLY fast in ANY parking lot - Vons, Barnes and Noble - who gets super annoyed that you would even think of crossing the cross walk at the legal spot.

*Cars that honk at you just because you are on a bike, on the right side of the white line, single file.

*the rest of them would go for myself, but as i stated already, i can't reach there.

Things like looking for my storage unit keys for 4 days and finding them in the first place i looked on the first day.

Or doing the same thing with the locker keys for school

Or putting in my rear brake pads wrong and thinking it was broken, or something

Thinking that a drip line on plants means that water actually gets there. but if it is not hooked up to a water source... you get my drift

Now to pack a bike for the east side. Much staring, turning, jumping the box lid to get it closed and head scratching is in order.

WHACK!

Not Everyone Thinks Short Hair is Lame

Sister Julene sporting her new Mom cut. She's a mom, i ride bikes. Both are quite taxing and time consuming, thus the option for short hair is just too great to pass up.

Julene and Rouru just celebrated their 5th wedding anniversary! Eesh! Although i haven't seen Sister since October 2006, i still think she is pretty cool. But i am very jealous of her homies that get to play with her kids, deal with her, i mean the kids, tirades, and well just be part of their every day life.

Maybe a trip to NZ is in store. No racing next year, no new bikes, just a plane ticket to southern hemisphere. maybe i will never come back!

She finally created a blog, so you should check it out!!