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So, I took a short break from the site. It was a much needed hiatus. I had some soul searching to do, some apologies to make, and some friendships to repair. It’s been a nice break from the chaotic clusterfuck of a mind blowing roller-coaster the comment section can be. But I missed it. I dreamt daily of my DC buddies, BJ, Dirty, Lar, Gnomer, often texting Gnome the details of my dreams as soon as I awoke. The dreams continue, some good, some bad, and some downright weird. Last night I dreamt I showed up for the Ironman start with a canoe. What the fuck.
In other news…bike related shit. I’ve been riding my beautiful Voodoo. She’s finally dirrrrty. The trails are drying up, finally, and it’s just a short 45 minute jaunt out of town to ride at Versailles. The bike is just…sweet. I love it. Especially now that we’ve cut the bars down, flipped the stem, and made it much more my own fit. It will be months before the bike fits me perfectly, so we’ll wait a while before we cut the fork.
In other not-so-related bike news…I lost my job. My unemployment was approved so that was a relief. I have all my days and nights and weekends to just ride bikes, go to dinner, and chill with good friends. I don’t think I have eaten dinner out this much in 5 years.
That’s Low Brow on the left. She keeps me busy when I am freaking out about what to do with the hours and the days. We lift weights, ride bikes, and eat a lot. I even clean her apartment while she is at work. She’s fucking good people.
I’ve shown up to a couple of LBS rides that were supposed to be “chill, and easy” but ended up being complete and total hammer fests that had me back to coughing like I just banged a 7 gram rock. It’s nice to know I can hang with some of the faster girls this year and even the guys hanging on were bitching about how fast we were going. I no longer use a computer on my bike so I just look at my heartrate, and mine was in the 180’s for long periods of time. Working the paceline, taking a pull when it was my turn, it all felt really fucking good.
I also raced my bike for the first time this year, weekend before last. Race report is on my blog, along with the stupid elevation profile of the legendary hill called Schababerle. I never, in my life, have seen so many people get off their bike on a hill in a fucking bike race. Triathlons, maybe, but bike races? Never.
In more exciting news, I was asked to be a guest blogger for Bill Strickland last week, on bicycling.com. That post can be read here, it’s a quick and easy read and was fun to write. You should check it out.
That’s all I got for now.
Here’s a great video, I’ve been listening to this band a lot.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Love Burns.
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Okay, so all those people running or walking their bikes up the hills?
They’re mostly my clones.
It’s an experiment, nothing to worry about.
You just being your monster little self and rock the bike.
MONSTAH.
Shit Beth – I drove lead car… toward the end, I passed at least a handful of guys (strong guys, guys I know) sitting/standing/laying down at the side of the road, trying to get the cramps out of their legs, or just plain heaving. Judi just passed ’em by. Solid all the way. Monstah is right on.
That east coast singletrack is looking really nice right now…woah like leaves and trees and mud and stuff. It’s starting to get effing hot out here in the desert.
I’m glad you’re still racing bikes. More people need to show up to Ironman starts with canoes.
Good to see you tapp’n them keys, Judi. Keep the faith.
i’ve missed a few days here & there too, I did notice you not round here lately. Maybe I need to track down some of the other things you type on. It thirlls me to here your are crushing as ever if not more so. Give them hell.
j
Always give them hell.
speaking from current personal experience, unemployment is a blessing in disguise if you feel the need for more quality time with your bike. I’ve done something like 1000km in the past two weeks — getting my new DC jersey some air time :) I’d rather suffer in the saddle than in an office chair!
@judi
The guest blogger post was great. Good to see it all working out for you.
ok, just woke up and had to share my dream. i was at mellow johnnys w/ lance and his girlf was katie holmes and it was a restaurant. we were going in to eat. and the service sucked. we were about to leave and i was going to drive lance in some kind of hotshot car. at that moment, dominic woke up, real life here, and he had a bad dream, he fucking hung himself and was still alive and he was afraid to go back to sleep. we drifted back to sleep and my dream continued back at mellow jonnys – only we were still waiting to get seated. everyone had on a jersey and helmet and it seemed like we werent going to get seated since we were in plain clothing. 40 hands was there, he kept saying “there’s a crit in a sedona, lets do it” and he had 3 kids w/ him…goddamn, when is this dream shit gonna fucking stop???
my head hurts.
yea, its good to be back.
“total hammer fests that had me back to coughing like I just banged a 7 gram rock.”
geezus christ.
“Riding bikes is in my soul. I will ride till the day I die.”
word, judi
@ lars – that isn’t east coast single track. That’s midwest single track.
This is east coast single track:
http://www.rinemba.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/lennonroll.jpg
Always glad to read your words Judi. BRMC rocks live, best show I’ve seen this year.
Ride in the Wind.