...all above two wheels...: Blog? What Blog?

For anyone wondering....blogs apparently don't write themselves, laundry doesn't wash, dry, and fold itself, and my house hasn't figured out how to sweep, mop, do dishes and dust either. Boo urns.

I was riding the other day cursing all of these things and wishing that I was not an elite cyclist but a pro cyclist....those mythical, speedy beings that get paid to ride their bikes, go to races, and train...but then I went to work, had twenty-some-million things to do and wondered how I could give up these days that seem to flash before my eyes in endless "wish lists" of things I would like to get done.

But I'm pretty sure you didn't check this blog for my post-interval-mid-glass-of-wine ramblings...

First off: Cross-quitlam and Pumpkin Cross. Two more BC Cups, two seconds for me, firsts for Jean Ann, and the loss of Kelly Jones to a shoulder injury from a crash on day 1. I'm pretty sure I was half asleep for Cross-quitlam (apparently legs don't warm themselves up either) and just couldn't hammer with Jean Ann. Pumpkin Cross, everyone was in costumes, I wasn't (three weekends of racing in costumes was a bit daunting for me), and the costume gods came out to haunt me with sand and gravel packing in my shoes. Not clipping in meant that not only did I have to try to hammer with Jean Ann (no easy task) but that I had to catch back up every time I got off the bike (an even harder task). The weekend turned out Ok but not fantastic.

NISCCOTU: Nutcase Inter Continental Singlespeed Cyclocross Championship of the UNIVERSE. Drew and I kept things even by running the same gear (38-17t) and winning our respective gender categories. While Drew slayed, I battled it out with Kristin Magnussen "within hair pulling distance" the entire race. Awesome race with fire works, fire pits, costumes, and the 1km run to start the race off--no, the run was not my favourite part...I was almost DFL...dead....freakin'....last.

SSCXWC09: Just to keep with all of the acronyms--Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships 2009. Drew headed back down to defend his title (which he did quite successfully!) I headed down to try to keep things even in the household (which I did not do as successfully). Drew in his golden speedo and superman costume braved the Portland mud, was victorious through the Thunderdome, and skipped the Stripper bus shortcut (what a good boy!) to defend his title and win a Tony Pereira handmade, custom frame. I braved the mud, managed to slide unscathed through the Thunderdome, DIDN'T come in DFL in the run this time 'round, took advantage of the Stripper Bus shortcut (yes...real female strippers, in a bus...not necessarily a shortcut for the guys who got distracted), to sprint (relative term, we were both spinning out our gears) to the line against Megan Faris. My cousin claimed I won the sprint, which ended up being for 2nd place as Kari Studley took the golden bikini. Results post me in 5th place...but the poor score keepers were not having an easy time in the semi-dark, very muddy, costumed conditions.

That pretty much brings everyone up to speed...we got back to the rock on Monday from Portland to a disastrous house, muddy bikes, and clothes that needed a hosing before heading to the washing machines. Tuesday was a crash course at work for "how-to-wing-it-when-the-shop-is-busy-and-your-brain-has-stopped-working" which went marginally well. Wednesday came a glorious day off. Drew and I made the difficult decision to stay home from the remembrance day ride and put in a solid day of training and house cleaning before he headed off to Vancouver for work.

And now....I am sitting on 1/3 of a chair (Eric the cat has claimed 2/3 of it) with my glass of wine looking forward to my last weekend at home without racing before my last push of the season: Cross on the Rock Finals, BC Cup Finals, Provincial Championships, Portland USGP's, and then (finally) USA Nationals in Bend. After that it will be 2 1/2 glorious weeks at home with family cookin', basketball games, and no formal training in sight! (Though I think we all know I'll be on the bike while at home!)

NISCCOTU Podium 1-4-11th places