Calgone Take Me Away!

This was an email sent to a close friend, but I thought it was worth posting since it's an accurate account of the state of things at the moment.

Calgone take me away...
What's happening to me...?
As Gloucester approaches the inevitable seems to be happening all over again...
I think I have developed an allergy to cross...one minute everything is fine and the next I've had it...ready to hang up the bike...why, why, why...? Like clockwork it's happening again...same week, different year.

Arggghhh...I couldn't have been less interested in cx practice tonight...
I'm tired all the time...(I sit all day, how can this be?)
And, worse...I am hungry all the time...
What is wrong with me.....???

PS I submitted an offer on a condo in my bldg - there was a higher offer...I think the universe is trying to tell me something...but it seems to be in some type of code I can't decipher...

Green Mountain CX - Verge Series 1 & 2

Sue Fred, "the Major", and I

Looks peaceful (looks can be deceiving.)

Up and over the whoop-dee-doo!


Running the barriers or catapulting over!

Leaping over the barrier in a single bound (in theory anyways!)
Ok, not exactly faster than a speeding bullet either...but hey...I'm working on it.

Portsmouth Crit

I suppose it was fitting to end this road season crashing in the last corner of the last crit!

Amesbury Cross - 6th!

Much to my surprise I had a good start. I figured if you can’t be in the first row the next best alternative is to be behind Mo, Rebecca, or Amy – and fortunately I was behind Amy, who of course, bolted off the line! Unfortunately good starts are only that if you can’t maintain your position! Usually the middle of the race is where I become unraveled, but in this case, I was able to focus on maintaining an effort without exploding and just riding as smoothly as possible, minimizing mistakes – and only two riders passed me. So that’s progress!

But this race definitely reinforced two things – (1) look where you want the bike to go and (2) think thoughts where you want the bike to go - not where you don’t want the bike to go! The first time I approached the off camber section (after the fence) I was going entirely too fast and nearly wound up getting wrapped up in the tape. All I could think was “oh my God, don’t roll down the hill, don’t get caught in the tape…” (ok, there was no mention of God, just an expletive)…but my point is, if you’re into mental narration, better to say something along the lines of “take the corner smoothly, stay to the right, follow the high line”…and chances are much higher that disaster will be averted and friends with cameras (ie Geoff Martin) won’t have an opportunity to capture a Kodak moment! :-)

Mo

Amy

Rebecca

The Black Mail Photos

Ah yes, but whose plate is that next to mine?

I am not the only one eating badly. (Oh Andrew...)

Gate City Crit

Jeff, Dave and a Few Sheep!

Dave before he graciously allowed me to lead over Smuggler's Notch

Jeff & Dave at Manhattan Pizza downtown Burlington Saturday night.

Beautiful house, beautiful view (lots of grass to mow!)

Would you believe - Merino wool sweaters?

Baby merino wool sweater!