Houston CX

Another round of CX races under the belt and I am feeling good. I met Steph in Houston Saturday for a much welcomed late start time of 2:45! YAY! So I drove the speed limit and it felt excrutiatingly slow but, alas, 3 hours after I pulled out of my driveway I was searching for a parking spot at Tinsley Park. I remembered this course from last year...not too technical. Lisa Ferris showed up, I was glad for another girl to line up with. Saturday the open women raced a full hour at the same time as the open men. It was not bad at all, despite the fact that I had taken off my water bottle cage and was use to the 45 minute races. So at about 45 minutes I had sweater teeth and my lips felt like they had a glue-like substance on them. ugh! After the race I joined David Kay's daughter on the swings.

Steph had fanangled us a really nice hotel and I was stoked to see the living room and 42 inch panel TV. They even shuttled us to dinner and back! I am so use to staying in Hotel 6 and other similar places that this was a real treat!

Sunday's race was at a new venue and looked fun! It was more tireing than Saturday's race because there was more climbing and more twisty turns that I slowed down for then had to speed back up.

all to nothing

Wednesday - 2.5 hour round trip commute
Turkey day - 3 hour ride in the mist
Friday - 3.5 hour ride in the rain
Saturday - 3.5 hour group ride
Sunday - 6 hour death ride with horrible wind

Monday-Friday - 0

Hmmm, I guess I jumped back into a training regimen full on, and it caught up to me. I have done nothing but work and sleep all week. I guess I will be well rested for the cross races this weekend. Yeah buddy!

Fort Worth

4:30am on Saturday; I should be asleep but I am in my car headed to Round Rock to pick up Stephanie and continue to Fort Worth for the Cyclocross races. Making good time, my cruise control is set to 75mph, just 5 miles over the speed limit. I did not see the speed limit drop to 60 in Hillsboro, nor did I see the construction zone with the worker present. But the cop DID see me. And so I got, yet again, another ticket. This one will not be dismissible since there was a stupid construction worker out there at 8am on a Saturday. UGH! The cop was not letting me off either.

So, I collect myself and continue on the way, and we end up at the location early. I was in a good mood by now though because I remembered the course from last year, it was one of my favorites! The race was pretty tough though, Christina off the front and I had Tammy not so far behind me. I faired with 2nd place. Steph and I then went on the search for a hotel and I turned hostel since I was hungry and the GPS didn't seem be on our side. After shutting it off and just looking along I30, we found one and unloaded. Then to Jason's Deli...mmmmmmmm.

Sunday's race wasn't as cold so I was happy but I was a bit nervous since Tammy was out there again and I know she was aiming to beat me. I started out ahead of her and then she passed me in one of the corners. Fortunately for me she was behind a guy that crashed and she had to break. I took advantage of that and opened a gap. I spent the rest of the race trying to build on that gap but was never satisfied. I was getting tired. 45 minutes passed and I new it was over, until the ref said "One to go". I hated that person. I made one final lap then thought I would die. But I was satisfied with my race, and took another 2nd to Christina.

The drive home was slow, as I stayed UNDER the speed limit. Okay---I stayed at the speed limit to the dot. We almost got into an accident in Waco...Some one's cheap, aftermarket fiberglass hood flew off their car and just before it smashed into my windshield it hit the ground and I straddled it best I could. No major damage happened so I was able to drive home (with the smell of exhaust filling my car, not a good sign).

Cross Pix

Madison HS

Lonely and heartbroken today. I went to a craft fair with my mom and then TV shopping for my uncle. Good quality mother-daughter time.

Then I went to Blaire's house to watch a movie. NEVER EVER watch Two Days in the Valley. What a waste of time! It took forever to get the story set up, then it didn't even have a closing on some of the situations. LAME! I was so mad that I accidentally knocked over my glass of lemonade. It shattered on the tile floor, leaving glass shards and stickyness all over the place. Sorry Blaire! It was good lemonade too...

Weekend Warrior

Everyone at work had to come in on Saturday for 4 hours to get caught back up. This meant that I would have only enough time to do the medium ride from Bicycle Heaven. I was upset at first, but soon realized that I would be good to just be able to make it home from the medium ride.

I woke up and headed to the shop (~10 miles from my house) on my bike. Kim met me at the shop with some Solar Eclipse kits to wear until we get the 2009 uniforms in. I was happy to see her there, I haven't gotten to ride with her in a while. Of course Brandon Z took off with a faster pace than the group and I was on h is wheel. Well, once we got to the first hill in a neighborhood of Spechts Rd, I was dropped. I kept looking behind me for the rest of the group so I can get some rest while hiding in someone's draft. It wasn't until the right turn off 46 when I saw them. They caught me and I hung on for a efw miles. Then I got the joy of riding Bulverde from Smithson VAlley all the way to 1604 all by myself, in an unfriendly headwind.

So I made it to work on time with my legs feeling full of fluid. I won't be riding tomorrow!

Cyclocross TX Cup Series (weekend 1)

The opening races were in Austin! Yay, not far to travel. It was fun, even though there was next to no girls to race against. I will have to get strong enough to hang with the masters or 4s. I hope to be getting back into shape soon... Saturday's race was tough, even though it didn't appear that way. I crashed on the last lap right before the barriers but was okay.

Still sick

It has been 2 weeks since I took amoxicillin for my sinus infection and it seems to still be here. I cannot breathe through my right nose hole...ugh! This sucks big time!

Still loving my ScootScoot

After a bike ride I couldn't resist the urge to jump on my Buddy. Obe wanted to join too!

Sister Bike Ride

Becky doesn't ride bikes. I have been riding since 2002 and have always wanted my sister, Becky, to ride with me. Today I got her to go! She didn't agree to wear the shorts, jersey or even my shoes, but she was going so that is all that mattered to me. I changed out the pedals on my KHS soft tail and was ready for some fun and laughs! She hasn't been on a bike in 10+ years.


We decided McAllister Park would be a great place for a short beginner ride. At first Becky was a little shakey and had some doubts about the seat height (her feet wouldn't touch the ground flat when she was in the saddle - haha), but after a short warm up she was ready to go! Riding with my sister reminded me of my first mountain bike ride, she was "whoa"ing every time she hit a rock or a root but she didn't go down. After about half an hour she was making some serious progress but because she didn't wear the shorts, her but was getting sore... It was a great time and I am glad she finally joined me in a ride!

Happy Birthday

The big 29er. My allergies were still bugging and I had to work since I used all my PTO on loosing races this year. Still a good day. Thanks to everyone who thought of me, or even better got me goodies!

CAMPING

Choke Canyon with my best bud Blaire. We saw hogs, alligators, rabbits, a bob cat, owls, a fox (dead), birds, fish, deer, and too many spiders!!! ACK! I hate spiders. Had a great time!!! I love roasted marshmellows! The dogs did good on their first camping trip...

Work Peeves

I absolutely cannot stand it when lazy people take the elevator at my work. I work in a building that has two floors and the elevator is right next to the open staircase. I understand that there needs to be an elevator to get all the big and heavy things upstairs (computers, file cabinets, cubicles, etc) but it isn't intended to carry the heavy carcusses of lazy people from one floor to the next. Today there was a perfectly able person standing at the elevator waiting for the doors to open. I walked up the stairs at a slow pace and when I got to the next (and only) floor I saw the elevator doors open and that able person walk out. She was not carrying anything. Ugh!

So all you lazy people -- you know it is you -- please burn an extra calorie or two and take the stairs!!

Down hill

I am not doing good this month. I have been having sinus problems and just feel depressed. I am trying to not dwell upon the past and need to focus on the current and future, but I can't help listening to my sad music and asking "What if?". I have done some pretty unruly stuff the in the past and am having a hard time dealing with it.

This weekend I tried doing the local shop bike ride and had to do the short route because the sinus infection and antibiotics were telling me to get home. This weekend I was the laziest turd ever, watching a whole season of worthless America's Next Top Model, and about 5 hours of CSI Miami. Pathetic.

I even had to drive in to work today...boooooooooooo

Homebody

Not much has been going on. I have had a headache for the past week and am ready for the weekend!!! Me being lazy with the dogs:

ByeBye VW Metro

2008 road racing season is at an end and I have decided no Metro VW for me next year.

I had a blast this year and got to hang out with some awesome people. I admit that I will miss this next year. The reason why I will not be racing on Metro next year is because I cannot compete at the same level of my teammates and travel to all the races with them while I have my current job. Unfortunately, my job will not allow me to take the time off to train/race that is needed in order to compete at the races with the top females. So, I plan on racing locally with my friends in San Antonio. You never know though, I may just venture out to a few of the National races.

Thank you Metro!

My Genuine BUDDY 125cc

I have a new hobby! I bought a scooter and absolutely love it! It is a Genuine Buddy and goes almost 70 mph, but I have only gotten it to go 65ish. And great gas mileage: 85mpg. The crazy part is that I have to actually get a motorcycle license now. The Buddy is going to be great for motorpacing, yeeeeeeeeaaaaahhhhhhh!!!

Obe Juan

Today I expanded my little family and adopted another Boston Terrier! His owner was forced to find a new home for him. He looks just like Reagan but he is 10 years old! I thought that I would be cool and let him lay around my house for the rest of his life and expected him to sleep a lot. Well, turns out that he has more energy than Reagan so I will have my hands full!

FOXY

ORIGIN8 Foxtrot, I will call her fox! My new cyclocross frame/fork came in and I can hardly wait to start commuting on it. YIPPIE!

Random Pictures

SO I am bored at work and found a few pictures to share with ya'll...



The state crit wearing baby shirts:


I love night rides:




Women's Metro Team at the State Crit.:

State TT

It Blew! Got a front flat about 5 miles in. Boooooooooooo!

Saturday Bicycle Heaven Ride

I rolled from my house headed towards Bicycle-Heaven at 6AM Saturday (instead of the normal 8:30 ride) with plans to ride 200k+ (124miles). It took me about 30 minutes to get to the shop and I was already soaked through with sweat, I could tell it was going to be a humid day.

At the shop I was surprised to see a dozen people ready to go. I knew that several or the riders would need to be back at the shop earlier but guessed there would be about 9 that would atempt the whole feat. At the start there were the 4 Slauson's (Jim, Teri, Will, JW), B-H reps Matt and Foxy, B-H team riders Phillips, Ayers and Bentley. There were a lot of Bicycle Heaven kits! The non-green/black outfitted riders where Park (Solar Eclipse), Dan Lazarine (the guy I credit my past cycling accomplishments to), Jun Longhurst (one of the first guys I met when I was working at Britton's Bike Shop), and lastly me in my Metro Volkswagen kit.

We rolled up Blanco Road over 46 past Edge Falls (bone dry despite the recent rain.) Stopped in Kendalia to eat (Will had 2 breakfast tacos) and refill fluids. From there Jim planned to head towards 281 then drop down Rittiman to keep as many riders together as long as possible, Nathan suggest continuing with the original plan and head up to Blanco on Crabapple. Good move as we might have bailed earlier on the ride if we headed back toward B-H with the riders going shorter. Plus the Crabapple, Trainer Wuest, 102 roads are some of the coolest roads to ride around.

I ended up with 114 miles, and was exhausted but the ride was a good one. Jun bailed on the longer ride a little earlier as we unfortunately rode fairly near his house at about mile 80 so he quietly slipped out of the group there.....

**Blog copied and pasted here from www.bicycle-heaven.com written by Jim Slauson-> Blog. I made some changes. I am a lazy slug...heheee**

Boise Wells Fargo Twilight Crit

It was kind of a last minute decision to do the WF crit in Boise. The air fair was just right and Nathan would let me use his bike so I wouldn't have to deal with the hassle of bringing my bike along. Woohoo! SO I fly up there Friday night and instantly fall in love with it! Hmm, I work for WF and the same department I work for is located in Boise as well. There may be a job transfer in the future~. So when I wake up Saturday morning I am happy to see my teammates Shannon and Ashley, and also got to meet Coryn. The host house we were staying at was almost unimaginable. It was located on this mountain road with the best view of the town. Me and the girls rode down the mountain into downtown where we met Nathan for breakfast at a little cafe. The weather was great and the feel for the town was great. There were people outside, and many of them were riding bikes. Not just race bikes either, all types/breed of bikes.

I haven't mentioned yet that Nathan's bike was just wonderful! It actually felt better than my bike! Go figure. So after the morning ride we just relaxed and watched movies until it was time to race. not many women lined up at the race compared to the other crit series races I have been to and quite a few of them seemed to be local riders. We waited 15 minutes for the Wells Fargo Stagecoach to make it around the course then we were off. I though I for sure was going to do well in the race until the second lap (also the second minute...the laps were so short) when my mouth dried up and it stung to breath. SO I guess we were at altitude. I lasted half the 50 minutes and then was pulled from the race. I got to watch the second half of the race and Kristen lapped the field on the last lap. Dang. So, anyways, only 15 girls finished, and more than half the girls were pulled. I was pulled. I still had a blast though and would have loved to stay in Boise longer.

Mountain View, AR (Day 2)

The beds/futons in the cabin were not that comfy to sleep on, and after a day of crashing and a rough night's sleep I wasn't too eager to start a day of adventure. Judging by the way my neck felt and how wet the grass was outside, I opted out of the morning mtb ride and decided it would be a great day to check out Blanchard Caverns. I only saw one bat but got to see a lot of bat pooh! This is a picture of the river coming out the backside of cave, it was 58 degrees but very clear!

Walking back to the car I could have sworn I walked into a spider web this big:

After the underground expedition, I was ready to go explore more trails on Daisy! This time I thought maybe Steve and I should take the beginner trail.

The beginner trail ended up being not so beginner. There were some parts that were easy but I was on my guard because I did not want anymore crashes! There was a lot of climbing...

...and it was worth it to see the view!

I was super glad that I didn't crash on this ride.

Mountain View, AR (Day 1)

I needed to break in my new hard tail (yellow Yeti named Daisy), so I found the Syllamo Trails in Mountain View, AR. Back woods, ya baby! 50+ miles of awesome single track.


(TREES)


(Getting ready for the ride)

After a rough 11 hours drive time, Steve and I pull up to the trail. We decided to ride the 7.3 mile Bald Scrappy Loop. There were dark skies and thunder off in the distance as we started the loop. I was quick to notice that Daisy had a much lower bottom bracket height than I was use to. The scenery was awesome but the rocks were covered in a slick moss because it had been raining the past few days (weeks?). So I slip over the first technical rocky descent and after a few choice words I am on the ground. A few more light crashes and bobbles later it starts to rain. Hard rain. I didn't mind because I was already completely drenched in sweat and covered in dirt/mud from rolling around on the forest ground. The rain eventually stops but my crashing does not cease. I try to hop over a fallen tree (normally I could do this with ease)but am unsuccessful as my chain ring catches it and I am sliding down the mud-slick trail on my belly. Nice. That one surprisingly did not hurt at all. Back on my bike I get into the rhythm and start adjusting to Daisy and how she rides. She likes to go fast. So I get comfortable and start talking to Steve, who is ahead of me and hasn't crashed once. I was mentioning how epic the ride was when I found myself laying on the ground again. This was the hardest of my 8+ crashes that day. Apparently my pedal had clipped a rock (again, taking time to adjust to the low BB) and sent me to the ground before I could even realize what was happening. Lucky for me, no major damage was done. Just a little whiplash, and some scrapes and bruises. That was my last crash. We were soon back at the car and I survived possible the longest 7 miles ever! And, I had a blast!
(The cabin)


(No cell phone reception)

WIPEOUT

Okay, so here is the reminder. Wipeout is on tonight at 7PM on ABC, you will not be sorry if you watch it.


Other than waiting for the funniest tv show ever, I am still waiting for my beautiful Yeti frame to arrive. It should be here any day now.

And, I have started my commute successfully 3 days last week. After riding in yesterday (Monday) by back was in a lot of pain from the heavy back pack I have been using. Sooooo, my awesome buddy and personal mechanic, Rick, has orded me the Topeak RX TrunkBag DX! I will get to try that out tomorrow. I can't commute by bike on Tuesdays since I have to get my weekly allergy shots...


This past weekend I did the local group ride and got to catch up with my old buddy, Abby, who is home this summer from college. On Sunday I did the University Oaks crit with the boys. I didn't do too good though, my legs are sore from the commute. Pathetic, I know. HaHa. I still was able to chase a few attacks at the beginning...lol.

YESSSSSSSSSSS

So, I won the ebay bid for my new mtb frame! YAY. I also commuted today instead of going to the local TT. I am already benefiting from the commute. Things are looking up!