The woes of summer...

About 22 hours and counting, I will be "free" for a few weeks. Free from snotty kids, free from acceptable pay (jk), free from my watch and free from my sneakers. So the good news is I will always be late and my feet will be dirty and swollen because I am barefoot. Sweet.

The other great news is the heat. We have ramped up our "overheating prevention" in some very key ways. Last Sunday on my high-noon mountain bike ride (YES I still have one and I swear, if someone else asks me if I still do, or if I ever ride it, I will kick them in the shin and run away) I put a bag of ice in my jersey up between my shoulder blades. Although it soiled my outfit leaving sweat/water/dirt lines like Dr. Seuss bathtub rings, it whittled my core down to about 101 degrees. Thank goodness.

With the shipment of our new kits, I also have an improved tan-line. My previous jersey (yes singular - I wore 1 kit, since last June. No bueno.) was a hand-me-down that the owner had cut the sleeves Bam-Bam style. Now I actually boast cuffs on my sleeves, thus tattooing those ever coveted tan lines. Genius.

In the theme of Giving Back, which seems to be rampant in the cycling community this season, I took a few newbie Junior Boys out to a mountain bike race. On a Tuesday (while Brian had his Junior Ducklings - i hope they don't know we call them that - here in Redlands for some skills training). Here's the cool thing. Unlike our local Tuesday Night Championships, you actually pay an entry fee, get cool stuff, have a closed course, course marshalls, droves of fans, and free food afterwards (if you count Clifbars and cookies) All in just under 1:30 minutes. Not bad, not bad at all.

The boys were pumped! Locked them in the team car and headed to the OC where the temps are 15 degrees lower and the middle school chicks 15 degrees hotter (so the young lads said). The course suited us all well in that it was a figure 8 with fast laps, crossing through start-finish 2 times per lap so I could see the whites of their eyes each time we crossed. The venue had a slight cyclo-cross feeling, with tight turns, sponsor pits and BBQ on the grill while the music pumped. Pretty much one of the most well put together and run Mountain Bike events I have been to in quite some time. Oh wait, I haven't raced my mountain bike since August....anyways, lets just say it was Super Sick!

Check it out if you get a chance! Over the Hump Series

They even had a photog out and pictures are online if you want to check them out and see the course a bit better. Some hills

And a way cool bridge!

Does anyone know how to get a sponsorship from Oxyclean? My white kit...dirt...sweat...I wonder what its gonna look like after my first crash....that's gonna be hot.