Beer, Bikes, and Snow

I generally like to climb.  Well, I should say I don't mind it.  In my mind, the faster I climb, the faster it's over.  However, the Marty's 2015 CX climbs seemed to last forever. Since the course is not far from where I teach, I stopped by the previous Thursday to check out the course.  Yep.  It was just as hilly as previous years.  And they were calling for showers Saturday night into Sunday.  This was going to be...fun?? I prepared for a slick course.  I knew there were some off-camber sections as well as steep climbs that would challenge my bike-handling.  To my surprise, the course was fairly dry and the sun was starting to come out before our race. One thing I love about our local races is that you know who you are lining up with.  And someone always cracks a joke.  This time we were given good luck kisses by Jesse the Wonder Dog.  Some of us loved it...some not so much. I LOVE this photo! by B. Foley I had...

This year's location for Whirlybird was different than the previous few years.  I recognized "Bryn" in the location, and thought it was going to be at the same location as when Lance first raced in 2011.  I plugged in the address in my GPS the morning of the race.  Drove through beautiful Bucks County, PA but noticed some of the scenery was different.  As I pulled into the race venue, I realized I was at Bryn Athyn  College...and not Bryn Mawr  College.  Who knew there were so many "Bryn" colleges in PA? I arrived early enough to watch the other women's races, which I had a few friends to cheer for.  I got in a lap before I made my way out to the woods to watch the ladies tackle the log.  I did two more laps in between races and knew the straight-aways on the course would be tough for me.  I was excited for the switchbacks and woods, knowing that could be a plus for me. Our Elite field was small due to DCCX pulling a lot of ladies...

Since my start in UCI races is a lottery, I put off registering for HPCX.  I signed up midweek prior to the race, with only 20 ladies signed up at that time.  I recognized some of the names.  After registration closed, I checked again.  Now there were 40 women signed up - from all over and some really fast ladies.  I wondered if I made a mistake and was in over my head. The promoters stated that the first day of HPCX would be similar to previous years.  And it was.  I got out for a few laps to inspect the course.  I thought about whether I would ride the steps and what gear I wanted to be at the start.  Since I would be one of the last ladies to be called up, I knew I would have to fight my way up the paved climb. photo by B. White photo by B. White I heard the official give the warning of 30 seconds and before I knew it, we were charging up the hill.  As we approached the top, the group slowed down.  I found myself ...

I never considered myself a cat person.  That was until we adopted our first cat, Grasshopper. I've told the story of Grasshopper through posts and photos on social media but thought I would tell the story of how he because our "first child".   By the way, he has his own Facebook page - and goes by the nickname "Buddy". Five years ago in early July, my mother-in-law (MIL) heard blue jays chirping away in her backyard.  Curious to see what the chatter was about, she went out on their back deck and saw a lonely small black kitten in the grass.  No signs of a mother cat or the rest of the litter.  She scooped up the kitten, his eyes not even open yet, and brought him inside.  My MIL put him in a Grasshopper shoebox and called their vet for advice on what to do. This little guy was rescued from those nasty blue jays How Grasshopper got his name The vet suggested that the kitten go to a surrogate litter - and that the mother cat may nurse him unt...

Caffeinated CX is a relatively new race in the NJ CX series .  For some reason, I missed it last year but heard it was a fun course.  I signed up this year not only because I wanted "in" on the fun, but to support my friend's team and grassroot racing. The race was held at the Gloucester County fairgrounds.  Maybe I have special place in my heart for fairgrounds since I was a 4-H kid.  But I sort of felt at home - the course zig-zagged through barns, woods, fields...dodging manure, riding up small steps, and running up a clay mound.  I knew bike-handling skills would be key.   I got in a few laps with friends, checking out different lines and talking about how we would approach sections.  I warmed up riding around the property rather than on the trainer.  I practiced the start and picked my gear.  I was ready to go.  We joked and laughed at the start, talking about the weather. photo by D. Verlaan The whistle blew and I sto...

Hurricane Joaquin.  We were all waiting to see what the weekend would be.  Rain most of the week had us wondering how sloppy Cooper River CX (CRCX) would be.  I must admit, I was a bit excited for some "epic" conditions. Joaquin was a tease for us here in NJ.  It actually stopped raining the morning of the race and to my surprise, the course was not sloppy at all.  Sure, it was wet and there were areas that were spongy but no "epic" mud.  I arrived at the course early and did a lap on my pit bike just so I wouldn't have to clean my race bike.  Other than wet shoes and toosh, I was pretty clean.  I watched the races before mine, noting how conditions were changing slightly.  I opted to stay dry and not go out again until my race. I lined up in the front row with the other ladies and waited for the whistle.  In the past, the paved start at CRCX has spooked me.  Today, it didn't phase me.  However, I didn't have the best s...

Hippo CX.  Did ya see the hippo? Or any of Lance's videos?  This one is my favorite because, well, the pig is awesome. Lance and the Pure Energy/Bridge Velo crew put in a ton of work prepping for their first Hippo CX race.  Even I didn't have an inside edge to what the course was going to be like, other than it was on a farm outside of Lambertville. I was trying to get revved up the week leading into Hippo CX but had a lot on my mind that week.  The day before the race I was able to get on the course and give it a go but my mind was elsewhere.  That evening our team received news that we were all dreading. The morning of the race I was unsure if I even wanted to race, with all of the emotions I was struggling to deal with.  I figured I would try to race and if I found I couldn't, I would ride over to the beer tent.  Somehow I was able to race despite my heart not being 100% there. We had a great showing of ladies for the 1/2/3 race, of w...

My first Town Hall (TH) race was two years ago. I heard that there was a lot of climbing.  No big deal, right? My climbing legs didn't fail me that day and I enjoyed the course.  Last year we missed TH for Gloucester but this year...I was back. I arrived early and was able to get out for a few pre-race laps.  It was misty, making the grass slick as well as the little wooden steps on St. Luke's Staircase.  I practiced different lines, knowing that if it stayed wet, it would be a place that would bottleneck. By the time our race lined up, the sun was shining and the temps were rising. I had a first row call up, lining up next to some of my favorite ladies.  The mood was calm and ladies were laughing.  Before I knew it, the whistle blew and we charged up the staircase. Somehow I found myself toward the back of the group but cleaned the little steps with no problem.  I made my way up, passing friends who gave me shouts of encouragement.  That...