I love my friends, I love my bike

I want to thank my friends from the bottom of my heart for helping me through this rough patch of my life. The silver linings to my personal crisis have been my friends and loved ones and my bike. I've cried on many shoulders and surfed some couches and rode some long miles. It was hard and sad and a little pathetic. And I read a few self help books, so I know all the right stuff to do and I try to do the right thing. But, honestly, with such cool people in my life, I can't be too sad for too long. And I really love riding my bike with my friends and realize how lucky I am to be able to do that. I am so grateful that I have you in my life. Thank you my friends in Harrisonburg. Thank you, my friends in Canaan. Thank you my family. Thank you, web friends. I feel your good vibes and got to pay them forward.

Let's never break up, Okay?

Pink makes me happy

MMwwahmmpa!

Yea, I like whiskey and ramps

Never underestimate the power of laughter and endurephines!

And dogs are the best creatures on the planet

What can you do but smile?

Canaan MTB Festival 2012

Thank You, Ruth Melnick, for designing this year's Festival poster!

Poetry

Ah, Spring! The eternal hope of better things, pretty things and freshness. Also the time to renew, clean, and move. As, there is one thing for sure in life, its change. And as much as I would like to hold back that change, I can't. I must move, move forward.

The Summer Day


by Mary Oliver from The Truro Bear and Other Adventures


Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean—
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down—
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

24 Hours of Old Pueblo...fast tracking on kitty litter

Back in the fall I inquired to a couple of friends in the bike industry, if there might be a little sponsorship available for a person like me. I wasn't planning on coming out of retirement and conquering the world, but I wanted "help" to get to some of the great, though expensive, races that I like to do. And really, I wanted to be part of a team again. I missed the friendship and shared experiences of being on a team. And, as you know its hard feeding a bike racing habit without some great equipment easily available. Lucky me, because Stan's No Tubes Elite Women's Team was looking to pick up a diversified rider like myself. The team is filled with really great gals who will be at the biggest races in the country. They are true journey women of the sport. They are racing and training for the sheer passion of it. Its so great to be surrounded by women with that kind of drive. But its a balanced, healthy drive that you see among female mountain bike racers in this country. They are happy to put in the training work, work their jobs, work for the sponsors and work for their families. Its a positive influence for sure. And I'm really honored to be part of their family this year. A contingent of the team met at the 24 Hours of Old Pueblo. I've done this race before on a 5 person team and on a female duo. And had a winning streak going! And of course the girls wanted to win and win we did. It was a solid win for February, most of the girls coming from cold climes. It was such serendipity, that Susan De Mattei, needed a team to be on, and we needed a rider because of illness. Every year the race gets dedicated to someone in the mountain bike community that has made an impact or difference. This year, "Sue Demo" was the honoree. Todd Sadow asked me to say a few words about her. I was happy to recount the time that I first met Susan in Slatyfork , WV in 1997. She was doing a women's singletrack weekend and I was a guide and helper to her. She was the first pro rider that I had ever met. She gave me tips and encouraged me to turn pro. She encouraged and mentored all the women there that weekend. She was exuberant. And she still is. And she is still really fast, cranking out a fast lap of 1:11! She thought that she might only have to do three laps, but the course was fast, that she ended up doing four and most were night laps! Sorry Susan! It was a cold night and the shivering and tense muscles had me questioning why I was doing this again? It never changes for me...the night racing laps are brutal. Its not that I don't like night riding. I actually think it is a magical experience that has so many benefits. And our light sponsors, Light and Motion, gave us some really bright and lightweight lighting systems, so seeing was no problem. I'm a creature of comfort and crawling out of a semi warm tent to crank a fast lap, is just uncomfortable. But never the less, it got done and I had the fastest night lap! So its a reminder, its okay to be uncomfortable and the quicker you go, then the quicker you will get it done! The 24 Hours of Old Pueblo is a great opener season race for all. There is great melding of industry supporters, regional fast pinners, and members of the tribe of the wheel. The course was incredible fast this year, with the fastest time for 16 miles, being 54 minutes! That is so fast for flat tracking on kitty litter. I look forward to getting equipment from sponsors, especially the wheels from Stan's No Tubes, bikes from Cannondale, tires from Kenda, energy from GU and Elete, packs from Ergon, trainers from Jet Black, air from Geniune Innovations, Adidas Sunglasses. Also check out our website

Sedona Pics

These are some pics from Sedona! I was lucky enough to get to spend four weeks out there this winter with my good friends. The riding is ledgy, edgy and mostly grippy. The scenery is so amazing and gives out good energy.

30th year of Jack Frosting

I headed over to West Virginia with a load of wood and lots of anticipation to see friends at the White Grass Jack Frost party. I decided to try "Corridor H" otherwise know as Rt55/48. It is a bit of a hassle getting there from Harrisonburg. I went through Fulks Run, Matthias and then Lost River. I picked it up in Baker. It is a highway with gorgeous scenery and not many curves. There aren't many cars on it. I guess that will take some time and before we know it, there will be too many cars on it. It goes all the way to Knobley Road and then stops.You can see construction of the next sections in the distance It will go to Davis one day soon. I get that bittersweet feeling between making life easier and then destroying beautiful mountain land. It doesn't make the drive quicker from the burg, at least not yet.

We brought wood into the basement for our "cross training"...squat, load, lift, squat, lift. To bad, it was all split because using an axe would definitely give my core some sore! Donna and Brett are new iceboxers and they like "sleeping cold" so they will be great new additons to the co-op.

Tomi and I had skifever, so we went over to White Grass where the snow is there and it has to be used. White Grass where it is always skiable. White Grass where if your sliding, your smiling. White Grass where they farm snow. We got some rounds in on the snowfarm. Sliding and skating on a ribbon of snow, with brown all around us. It was fun to get back to that ever entertaining idea of kick and glide.

The Jack Frost party is the opening party for White Grass. It is always a big party because the fun of nordic skiing and Chipper are infectious. Chipper and his family are american nordic royalty with genuine mountain hospitality. It always great to see old friends at the party and then see them later in the winter after a big dump.

The crew went biking the next day. It was wild with snow on the ground and us in short sleeves. The mountain biking in canaan is so fun and very unique. It has something for everyone. It was wet and muddy, though. What do you expect with 75 inches of rain so far this year!

And of course, riding a fixed gear mountain bike up in Canaan is a blast!

Oh yea, I'm 40, too!

I turned 40 on October 9. It was a great week(s) of partying and celebrating a great life and super fun friends. It is a little daunting turning 40 but I never want to be one of those people who complain about being old. It sounds so negative. Its way more fun to think about possibilities and experiences.