So Long

It is with great sadness that I finally lay to rest my commuter bike. This untimely retirement came as a result of yesterday’s head-on collision with a SUV as I was traveling north bound on 14th street. In addition to my bent fork and cracked down tube, I also managed to crack the woman’s windshield with my helmet. Once the motorist assessed her damages she decided to alert the police. Within moments a swarm of bike cops arrived and quickly took inventory of the situation. Upon their assessment they concluded that no further action was necessary as damages sustained by both parties were of equal severity. Despite the dramatic display of launching onto her hood, I was relatively unscathed. (photo on top left taken by gwadzilla a few weeks ago)

Today my neck is a little sore, and I am discovering a few bruises here and there, but the real recovery is in letting go of a bike I have grown to love over the last 5 years. It fit me like a favorite pair of jeans. I salvaged what parts I could, and am now in the process of piecing together a new commuter bike with the help of the Freeze Thaw Guys. Turns out that frameset I bought at the Trexlertown Velo Swap is actually going to come in handy. Maybe it was a good $40 bucks spent after all.

Looks like I'm gonna have to double up on my sock sales!

PS - For legal reasons I declined to mention that it was actually more my fault than hers...now that everything has blown over, I'll go ahead and take complete responsibility for my actions.

Well Worn

I think it's about time for a new road bike, but I'm a little short on funds. So...I started thinking outside the box. I've always wondered if people really do sell their used socks on ebay...turns out they do. Looks like an easy way to turn a nice profit. You laugh, but just wait 'till I roll up on my new ride! (logo by omegablogger)

Here are some examples I found while searching for "used socks" on ebay. I have copied and pasted the titles verbatim.

Men's Very Used Socks Well Worn Dress Socks from JB Current price: $9.99

Well Worn USED Socks
Current Price: $4.99

Mens used well worn Joe Boxer ankle socks black ringer
Current price: $.99

USED worn KNEE HIGH socks white with RAINBOW stripes !!
Current price: $12.50

Used Well Worn Red Cotton Socks!!!!!!!
Current price: $7.99

Any prospective sponsors out there? Please leave your contact info in the comments box!

An important public service announcement from ebay:

12 More Days

Just 12 more days until daylight Saving Time begins!!! Woohoo!!!! Can't wait to ride outside after work!!!!

Still Winter

Another lovely weekend. Friday night I went out with my friend Margaux to see the Alvin Ailey Dance Company perform at the Kennedy Center. My favorite piece, Revelations, was originally choreographed by Alvin Ailey back in the 60s or 70s. The energy and emotion running through their bodies leaped from the stage and left Margaux and I moved to tears.

The remainder of the weekend was an amalgam of bike riding and socializing….pretty much all you need to make it through another work week. Both Saturday and Sunday were spent in the watershed.






Saturday’s ride with Dietrich and company.












Looks like Eric forgot to pack food…

It was still fairly cold on Saturday so the snow had some good traction (photo taken by Kate, and is part of Dietrich's permanent collection)







Rode with Matt and Darren on Sunday:






Matt is one B.A.M.F. on his rigid single speed!

The snow was beginning to melt...which meant a little less traction.

DC Roller Girls!!!

Get your tickets before they sell out!!!!

Presidential Rides

Once again, I took a gamble on the weather, loaded up my trusty Tacoma, and headed down south for President's Day weekend. This time it was a solo venture...the eight hour drive gave me some time to do a self assessment on my five year plan. I came to the conclusion that there is some realigning I need to do with respect to said plan.

Arriving in Hendersonville, I immediatly set to work organizing the ride schedule. The following four entries provide a brief outline of the weekend's events.

Cross Ride

Leaving from Hendersonville and dipping down into Saluda, this quick 30 mile loop provides the rider a tour of some of North & South Carolina's finest Christian yard art. Most impressive is the collection of crosses that grace the road side. I believe there were a total of 5:

Some other things I saw along the way....

Ahhhhh! It's a soil and water conservation nightmare!!!!!

southern history

Interesting railroad facts

The site of my new training center

Stopped by Ted's gallery to say hello













THE END!!!

3 Gap!!!

Saturday morning I met up with my good friends Maria, Nick, and K...along with the new generation of UGA kids to ride 3Gap located just outside Dahlonega, GA. This ride is definetly in my top 3 of all time favorite road rides. It is also a popular route for the Tour de Georgia. The roads along this route are littered with painted expressions of support by race spectators from years past. Although these words of encouragement were not intended for me, I still find them helpful as I grind my way up Neels, Wolf Pen, and Woody Gap. (photo on left taken on Wolf Pen 2 years ago)

With temperatures reaching the 60s, it was a popular day to be in the mountains. The roads were an endless (well maybe not endless, but you get the idea) stream of cyclists, with and without motors. Road teams were out in droves...some even with their own support car, which proved to be helpful when one of our own men laid the bike down when turning a gravel speckled corner....

At the end of the day we decided to go up Neels Gap once more...it was to be my first time descending the south side of Neels. It is one of the most amazing descents I have ever had the pleasure of bombing. The road winds it's way down the mountain with perfectly crafted banks that allow you to confidently lean the bike at speeds that would make your grandmother roll in her grave.

It was a beautiful day to be on the bike in the company of old friends...and the next generaton of UGA cycling. This will be the year they win the SECCC! I feel it!!!

Black Mountain to.....

Well, I tried to do my favorite loop in the Pisgahs again. This time I got a bit farther than Joos and I did in the snow over MLK weekend. Ultimately I had to cut things short on account of the rain. Being the trooper that I am, I pushed on....but things got pretty sketchy. I was alone, on a sketchy-ass descent, in the rain, trying to navigate around tight hair pin turns with steep drop offs, criss crossed with a maze of slick-ass roots and rocks.

Taking all of these things into account, the self preservationist and soil conservationist in me opted to take the gravel road back. On my way back to the car I stopped by a gathering of people who had just finished a 36 hour endurance mtb race held in the Pisgahs. There were something like 7 2-person teams and 2 or 3 solo riders. Such a humble gathering for such an amazing accomplishment!

Unfortunately I didn't get the 4+ hour ride in I was looking for, so I headed to the gym with my grandmother. Together we pumped the iron. At 92, she's a beast in the gym.

Biltmore Forest

Monday morning I met up with my friend Ben at Liberty Bikes in Asheville. Before heading out I had some time to catch up with an old friend from Athens who now works at Liberty. Reminiscing over the town characters we grew to love, he brought my attention to this clip of Rollin’ Joel. What a gem!!!!




Ben and I went on a short little spin around the Biltmore Forest area and caught up on the last couple years of our lives…it’s been a hectic couple of years. It was an absolutely beautiful day to be on the bike, but alas my job awaits me in DC. It was with trepidation that I climbed aboard my Tacoma for the long haul home. There is nothing sadder than driving on a day that would be better spent on a bike. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted!

No More Sugar

This year's NORBA Nationals Race Series will no longer include the Sugar Mountain course in Banner Elk, North Carolina as part of it's schedule and will instead be held in Windham, New York. As much as I love the mountains of North Carolina, I was never a very big fan of that course. Although I am not familiar with the likes of Windham Mountain, I welcome the change and look forward to a slightly shorter drive.

Oh, and I think this is already old news, but the national championships will once again be held at Mt. Snow, VT. My most favorite race course of all time!!! This year I won't drink from the hose!

Poop

While at a gas station in North Carolina, I saw a man drive away in a turquoise Pontiac Grand Am with this bumper sticker:









It is now my new favorite bumper sticker of all time.

ps - ride reports from Pres. Day Weekend soon to follow

Climbing & Cake

My primary goal for this season is to learn to love climbing

as much as I love Birthday Cake.

3Gap 2Morrow!!!

Saturday 11am

Dahlonega, Ga

(Walmart Parking Lot)

2nd Lap Optional

See you there!!!

Three Gap. 52 Miles, 4500' elevation gain.
Start: Dahlonegha/Ga19 (We usually park in the A&P lot just north of town on the way out) -> Porter Springs -> Turn left at Turners Corner -> Neals Gap -> L Ga180 (after signs for Vogel State Park) -> Wolfpen Gap -> turn left in Suches onto Ga60 -> Woody Gap -> joins Ga19 -> Dahlonegha (http://www.math.colostate.edu/~estep/bike/ga_rides.html)

Best Ideas Ever

In effort to even out the slightly negative energy I spit into the cosmos with my piece “Idle Chatter”, I have decided to follow it up with the following:

The 7 Best Ideas Ever

Knog lights: Fashion and function!!!

The rear derailleur hanger bender thing. What a life saver!!!

The WiseCracker: "Because Beer can't open itself"

Very convenient for race weekends. Also a handy substitute for gels.

Butter "Stick Type": No more wrestling with clumpy butter!

Deuter packs: Well ventilated hydration. The best on the market!

Gears, lots of them.

A Grateful Weekend

It was quite a weekend…the kind of weekend that makes you grateful for all the amazing people in your life. Friday night started out with a quick visit to Blondie’s where I had some unwanted facial hair waxed. I hate that I’m such a slave to what society tells me is unwanted facial hair…but it’s always such a relief when it’s gone. There’s nothing like a well waxed pair of eye brows. I then headed over to the National Geographic Museum with Hillary and Nick for the Banff Mountain Film Festival.

There seemed to be a wide variation in film quality this year…at least for the Friday night show. However, I was particularly intrigued with the film entitled “20 Seconds of Joy.” I won’t try to give you a synopsis (you can check out the trailer), but I will say that it was an interesting insight into the psychology of high risk sports. I’m a hobby psychologist and am fascinated by the mind and body connection. Oh, and it didn’t hurt that the documentary was based on an absolutely gorgeous Norwegian woman…which made me wonder…would this story have been told if she hadn’t been so beautiful? That conjures up lots of questions…I’ll let you use this as a conversation piece at your next cocktail party.

Saturday morning I joined my HPC/List teammates, Lorena, Kate, and Jenn on a ride in the Mt. Weather area. The general theme of the day was to turn up the intensity a bit, so we had fun launching attacks on each other, making it hurt, and then setting back into tempo. Between attacks Lorena and I did what we do best…talk…a lot…we don’t stop….ever…it was awesome. It was a fabulous day on the bike. I love my teammates and it’s so good to finally be finding my niche here in DC.

That evening was our big SECOND SATURDAY art exhibit featuring DANA ELLYN!!! It was a great crowd. Dana was glowing and her new pieces are striking. Strong vibrant colors carrying messages of political satire and societal sickness…my favorite. I love how she is able to present painful realities in a way that is appealing to the eye.

The following morning I awoke from my slumber with a bit of a headache… which quickly wore off as I prepared for a nice long ride in the watershed with Nick’s friend Luke. All the ice and snow had melted from the trails. It was a beautiful day with just the slightest bit of snow falling. It was good for my bones to put in some good time on the mountain bike. Oh, and it was Luke’s first time to the watershed! I was honored to be the one to introduce him to the miles and miles of fabulous, rocky, single track. (forgot to take pictures...so I've included a watershed photo from the summer)

A perfect ending to a fantastic weekend. Fabulous art, long rides, and good friends…a lot to be grateful for.

Idle Chatter

In honor of lent I have decided to give up idle chatter…more specifically, judgmental idle chatter. This means that for the next forty days I will do my very best to refrain from making unnecessary judgmental comments of any form. I think this will be good for my soul.

In preparation for the long road ahead, I have decided to compile a list of what I believe to be the TOP 7 WORST IDEAS EVER. Take it for what it’s worth….

The full bike roof rack. Why do these look so dumb to me?

The new skewer, ratcheting, quick release thing on Specialized bikes. What was wrong with the old ones?

Spinergy Mtb Wheels. Am I missing something? I don't get it.

So....what is this thing really for?

Rock Jerseys...is there really a market for this?

Hazelnut flavored coffee. Coffee has never been so disrespected.

Collectible Samurai Swords. Never date anyone with a healthy collection of samurai swords.

Wew, alright, I think I got it all out. No more idle, judgmental chatter shall come from this mouth (or from this blog)...at least not for the next 40 days.

Song on the Brain

Oh, and I forgot to mention...ever get a song stuck in your head on a long ride? This one followed me all the way up Mt. Weather last Saturday:



Former teammate and fellow Penn State alumni, Joe (TenSpeedRacer), is currently comprising a list of the worst songs to get stuck in your head on a long ride. Any suggestions? How about Scraper Bike?

Second Saturday!!!

Maggie's Visit!!!!!

Maggie came came down from New York City for a weekend of girl time on the bike. No boyfriends....no crushes....just Maggie and I. Long rides and long talks....that's what this weekend was all about!

Upon her arrival she immediatly set to work exhibiting her prowess in parallel parking...the mark of a real woman. She almost rivals me!


Saturday morning we headed out to Mt. Weather where we happend upon Darren of City Bikes and his friend Chris who joined us on our ride. There was a surprising amount of ice up on Mt. Weather!

Back in Marshall, Maggie and I enjoyed a warm meal (and more girl talk) at the Marshall Diner. The best deal in town! (mt. weather photo courtesy of Darren)

That night Maggie and I spent the evening in the basement cleaning our bikes while drinking wine, reflecting on our lives, and listening to The Smiths. There has never been a more perfect evening.

Early to bed and early to rise, we set out for the Watershed on Sunday morning. Again...there was a bit more ice out there than I expected, but it got much better as the day wore on.

Mud soaked and tired, we hosed off....Maggie climbed into her Zipp car (which now shows evidence of the weekend's events in the form of chainring marks on the ceiling) and headed back to the city from whence she came.

Well, it was a good weekend. I miss her already. Maybe one day we'll live in the same town again. Until then, God bless the Zipp car.