by 
It’s 11am and I am rushed to get out the door and get some miles on my legs. My 12 hour is in 10 days and there is never enough time to get these long ass fucking rides in. Pain in my ass. Except this week I get to play all week. Until Friday. Then I have to work all weekend long. Which means I don’t get to race.
Speaking of races. I did a 40 mile road race last weekend and had a fucking blast. It was a learning experience. Pack riding is FUN. When the 50+ lead men came passing by me in a huge whooooooosh and my friend Aaron who was in the lead (riding right next to my new coach) patted me on the back and said “good job” it about gave me a fucking heart attack. That was probably one of the coolest parts of the race. Cornering with that pack of men wasn’t fun at all and I was all the way to the right, all up in the sand and rocks and shit but then they were gone and I was alone. Some other girls bridged up to me and we bridged up to the next pack. I pulled way too much and then they said “see ya” at 200 meters to go and left me in the dust. But it was a great fucking day. The next race I won’t be pulling so much. Gotta save my legs for the sprint.
So I got myself a coach. OB Forbes. Check him out. I have heard nothing but good things about this guy. He won the last race I was in. We talked on the phone last week and he really thinks he can help me with CX. Oh, and he’s a reader of DC. HI OB!
I am outta here. I’lll leave you with a shot of of me at the starting line last weekend. That cycling cap got me in trouble with my team director. What the fuck do I know about this stuff?
by 
funny about your hat…i once lined up at the start of a Cat 5 cross race in upstate NY rocking a wife beater in the rain, drunkcyclist style, and the prick running the race said i couldn’t start unless i had sleeves
its very important to keep those cat 5’s classy…so i went mountain biking for free instead
DB – thats hilarious. my kenda director was PISSED. good thing i didn’t podium.
Good shit Judi. glad you’re getting your elbows sharp in the pack… and that road shit is all about working the pelican, so learn that shit.
chop wood.
Carhartts is bibs, right? Gonna get cleats fitted to my steeltoed Wolverines. Fuck ’em if they can’t take a working man.
Judi, that wouldn’t be a brewski in your jersey pocket?…
Fuckin’ tight-ass roadies ’round here bitched me out at a lousy Tuesday night training crit for rolling up my sleeves. WTF. Never hear shit like that on the mtb trail.
Good on ya Judi, and good luck in the 12er…that’s some fun shit right there.
and the really good news is that it’s always 4:20 somewhere in the empire… stay safe, people.
Sommer, that’s why my legs will forever be hairy.
…gee…i remember a chick on this site who was all nervous n’ shit about entering her first road race several weeks ago…sounds like she’s gettin’ to be a seasoned pro, comfortable in the pelican (mis-gnomer) & learnin’ the basics n’ all…
…some good serious racing (road & mountain bike) @ sea otter this weekend…alison powers of team vbf (vera bradley foundation) woke up on sat morning, told her teammates, “i really wanna win today’s circuit race” & w/ help from her team, did just that…
…helped create & then went from a 3 woman break, dive bombed the corkscrew on the last lap & did a pursuit mode ride to the finish…her 2 break-mates closed near the line but it was a great, well timed move for the win…
@joe – no beer in my jersey. thats my tube and c02. haven’t drank in about 9 years or so.
bgw – i love this shit. bike racing a trip.
I’d have gone all “Is that a tall boy or are you just happy to be there?”, but you bein’ a chick of the female persuasion and all…
And Judi, you do look like you’re having the time of your life. Wha’d that one feller say about more people having more fun being a good thing? Yeah, it’s like that.
Judi and DB– The hat and the sleeveless remind me of my first cross race last season, here in Baltimore. It was September, and hot out that morning. So I showed up in a sleeveless jersey. Some guy during pre riding the course was quick to point out that I had to race with sleeves. So I put my tshirt on under my sleeveless jersey and did the race. So I looked and felt like a real amateur, but had a blast racing, and still managed to beat a bunch of dudes wearing their pretty skinsuits. What did I know.. I’m just a half ass, mid-pack finishin mountain biker.
Never heard of the hat law. Heard of the shirt law. Minus-5 for both because that don’t help the road set become cool.
@gnomer – my hat wasn’t a “sponsored” cap. kenda is strict on what you can and can’t wear in a race. ESP if you podium. fucking weird. i really need to call the team thing quit and just wear a DC jersey. i want one of those “ride clean” jerseys.
@luky – they must have thought you were a tri-dork, eh? that’s good you beat the guys in kits. i love that.
@joe – my friend aaron says my excitement for bike racing shows all the time. when he passed me in that race he said i had this shit eating grin on my face. the same grin i have in every race i do. thanks for taking notice too.
Mikey#6: sorry bro, but it’s always 4/something/ somewhere. it’s only 4:20 somewhere at 20 past the hour. heavy.
Oh Shit!!
AND the glasses are under the helmet strap !!
BIG Fox poo, (Faux Pas in French).
Nahh, that HUGE AS Smile just makes it all right.
Good on you.
@15— d00d, so what if it takes me 59 minutes to pack a thumb-buster, I’m the safest guy out there, seen?
ken.
It’s not just a roadie problem. Ever read the UCI rules for BMX and now downhill? There’s actually a standard for how baggy clothing needs to be. Something like 3cm when pinched.
@#16-I wear my glasses to see. I wear them all the time. I have done so for more than fifty years.
I ride my bike to get where I am going. That sometimes entails frequent stops at various points. Usually I remove my helmet when I enter the store, the bar or wherever.
If you think I’m going to go through the hassle of taking the glasses off, removing the helmet, putting the glasses back on and then assembling in reverse order, think again.
@snake hawk – what does that mean? ken?
Shit is hilarious and true. Tri geeks MUST run sleeveless. I was following one last week (I give ’em room, they tend to be inexperienced at riding with others) and the guy kept trying to reach his sippy cup, located behind his saddle… he couldn’t reach, he tried alternately with both hands, it was hilarious. The sunglasses-over-the-helmet-strap is mainly a roadie thing, I think. As a life-long corrective lens wearer like Dave, I think it looks retarded. Except on George Hincapie, he looks cool. And UCI rules for bagginess? You can’t make that shit up. And around here, MTBers are REQUIRED to run camelbaks… I’ve been on large group rides where I was the ONLY guy with a water bottle. Basically, I’m completely uncool at any form of cycling.
@judi— “ken” is a verb, as “to know.” I think Mr. Hawk was agreeing with my 59-minute safety break comment. Not that such a productive citizen as Himself would partake in such activity, he’s just gettin’ his compassion and diversity-celebratin’ on.
“Basically, I’m completely uncool at any form of cycling.”
Er, except safety breaks. I rock at safety breaks. d00d, which way did we come from?
I just got the results. i finished 15 out of 26. meh.
15th? There are only three places in a race that matter; won, finished, and did not finish. Either of the first two beats a good day at the office. Don’t sweat the details.
Judi, what he said. DFL still beats DNF and it always will. Good on ya, kid.
I think the team’s issue with the hat was that it was a Syncros hat, and you guys are sponsored by Thomson, I think.
From the “dude who runs the team” perspective it’s enough of a pain in the ass to find sponsors — riders using/advertising competitor’s gear makes the sponsor sell that much tougher.
Having said that I think your team boss could have handled it better considering you’re new and all. And like I said this winter there are pros and cons to riding on a team — you’ve just discovered one of the cons.
In any case, don’t you fucking dare let that take any of your enjoyment away from the bike. It’s too much fun to let one wanker ruin it for you.
@aaron – thanks. nothing can take away my joy of bikes.
@Mikey. is ‘ken’ really a verb where you’re from? where is that?
would that be an Irving Welsh influence or borrowed from german?
Kark, a grasp of language other than that spoken “where you’re from” (sic) is part of a well-rounded education.
hopethishelps
@Kark— yes, “ken” is a verb here in the United States. It is also a noun, and I suppose Mr. Hawk’s usage could be considered vague; it was a one-word comment, after all.
Irvine [sic] Welsh is an absolutely singular master of the English language. I’ve been reading Wallace Stegner— just stunning— and for kicks, reviewing a little E.B. White. Read and learn, people.
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Damn. OB looks ever harder than he did when he was smoking the tueday night time trials.
hodgepodge – OB smoked it today. did you race today? im supposed to help w/ the timing this tuesday nite – do you do that TT? and who the fuck are you? are you local?