Ruby Art

Kidder was commissioned to create a masterpiece on a section of wall in Tim's house. He created a funny masterpiece. Its Ruby in her prime. She liked his work so much, she even cuddled up with him while he slept and she doesn't do that for many people.

I ended up only doing one of the crits this weekend. It was too much to drive up to Baltimore, then back to DC then up to Delaware, especially on this memorial day weekend. The crit was super fun. I felt pretty good. I gave it a couple of goes to go with some girls, but it was so wide and fast that a getaway was difficult. I didn't do to good in the sprint, but I won $75 bucks. None other than new england's own, Richard Fries, was the announcer.

It is nice seeing my parents and riding around Delaware. There has been good progress on the greenways around here and its really pretty right now. I also saw a bunch of my cousins at a cookout. They are going to be going to Mt. Snow to cheer for me at my last big race.

I'm psyched because my parents house is only 20 minutes from the Philly airport. That is a real treat instead of the usual two hours. Its a direct to Barcelona as well.

lots of laughing

I had a blast out in California. The team was really fun to be with this weekend. That is a little difference between the more serious, stressful world cups and the National races. But also having five girls hanging out and giggling a ton makes races a lot more fun. We celebrated Lea's 25th in grand style with shots, dancing and a great pillow fight. No one got in trouble this time and nothing burned. My stomach hurt from laughing so much. That is just what I needed!

What I didn't need was the bad travel day back home. The plane out of Denver had two mechanical issues that made a six hour delay. I arrived home at 5:30 am just crushed.

I did win the Super D. That felt good. For now, the only races that I have won of late have been under 7 minutes. I think I'm best suited for events under 7 minutes and over 7 hours. I think that has to do with not being very good at sustained lactate threshold.

I'm going crit racing this weekend to work on leg speed and play with the roadies. I'm then going to visit my parents in Delaware. They are going to take me to the airport in Philly for my flight to Barcelona. The next two world cups are in Andorra and Scotland. They are going to be super tough, but they are in the mountains so I'm sure its going to be beautiful. And LLC is making her European World Cup debut. I have a feeling she is going to do awesome. And as long as she keeps me giggling, I'll be in good spirits.

Hotter than Africa

The race yesterday in Santa Ynez, California was hotter than any day at the Cape Epic. It was really crazy hot. It seemed like we were racing in an oven with a hair dryer blowing on us pedaling in slow motion. After the race I felt like I was on fire. Zack and Laura were so wonderful to have tons of ice and cold towels for us. None of us could have raced without all the good folks helping us keep cool. There was this angel of a guy out on a very hot climb dousing our backs with ice cold water. Who was he? and why did he care so much? Thank You.

The big news was the very strong racing by the Trek ladies in their full pink kits. Lea, Jenny and Michal were all on the podium disrubting the usual Luna dominance. I finished in ninth place. The good news being that I'm starting to feel more normal. Last week, I was so out of wack and over tired that I was feeling pretty hopeless. After 8 weeks in a row of races all around the world and the intensity of the Cape Epic, I was fried. This is why it is so important to have a coach. Racers often don't know whether they need to train harder or rest. KC says rest, so that is what I need to do.

I'm taking a pass on the short track to try to continue to recover for the next round in Europe. I'll be on the sidelines cheering on the pinkies. Maybe there is even a win in the cards for a lady in pink today. I will be doing the super D with some other very fast girls like Lea, Kellie and Rachael.

My cousin Chris and Deanne and Paige came out to cheer me on. They brought some amazing organic strawberries. Thanks!

Tomorrow is LLC's 25th birthday! Wow! I wasn't even a pro yet at her age. But she is keeping me young. The team is going to celebrate tonite with a dinner at a super nice Italian restaurant, Grappolo's.

The power of positive drinking

This post is to the great alcohol of the world. Its the universal welcome and the thing that can make you feel right at home and to help you forget about all the lame race results. Cheers to the good folks that we met our last day in germany. The Franz family invited us to their May Day celebration which involved hiking through vineyards, through the woods, lots of drinking, playing with kids and then a backyard barbeque. It was the best cultural exchange that I've had in a long time. Plus, it was Bork's birthday and they all sang Happy Birthday to him in German.

I haven't had any West Virginia moonshine in a while...maybe thats my problem!