Home at last....

This year's speedy steed

So, as a warning, I wrote this post just after we got home from Sea Otter, since then, the excitement of being engaged, buying a house, working full time, and my birthday has gotten in the way of me attaching photos and posting it. Yesterday was the annual Snow to Surf race from the top of Mount Washington to Comox. As always, it was a (albeit wet and chilly) fast, fun, and (though we were supposed to be a recreation/fun team) competitive. Our mixed team raced to 2nd place in the mixed division and 17th overall...enough to keep us in the delicious chocolate medals from Hot Chocolates, my favourite part of the weekend!

We are back from Sea Otter, I'm feeling productive, so I get myself settled to blog away...and realize that I still haven't posted the entry from the Cumberland XC. Wow, where have I been? So a quick catch up, since things have been happening since the beginning of April:

Cumberland XC - awesome race, awesome course, awesome legs for lap 1 and 2 (shaky and done-in lap 3). Wendy Simms came out for her first post-baby race and won...but she was nice and let me ride with her for 2 laps before my legs gave out and she demonstrated her world-class ability and rode away from me like I was standing still.

Drive South - Drew and I headed down a week ago Tuesday so that we could stop and say "hello" to both of my parents before making our way down to Monterey and Sea Otter. On the way down we stopped in Grants Pass on a whim and a Google search to try out the local trails....they were awesome! Really well maintained, fast with steep up and downhills....it was the closest thing I've felt to riding on Hornby Island. The wild flowers were in full bloom and it shorts, jersey, arm, and leg warmer weather.Grants Pass Trails

Home - Gotta love the family, went for a good ride in the sun, checked out my step-dad's latest project, ate some delicious home cooking by both my mom and dad, and had my fix of Ramone's coffee and cornmeal-blackberry scones...not good for the race weight, but great for the euphoria factor!

17 Mile Drive...just before the ask

Monterey - after spending the day driving we ate Chipotle (one of Drew's motives for coming down to race) and headed out on a spin around 17 mile drive. The road winds around beautiful coastline homes and the Pebble Beach Golf course. Just before the sun dived into the ocean we ducked down onto the rocks just above the beach. Drew headed down to the sand:

joele: Drew what are you doing?

drew: lookin' for rocks.

joele: what?? (follows Drew to the sand) What kind of rocks are you looking for?

drew: this kind (pulls out an engagement ring)

joele: REALLY???

The Races - I headed down knowing they would be a shocker and my expectations were met. The short track started on a slight downhill into a barely ride-able corner. Chaos ensued and I jumped off my bike and cyclocrossed around a cluster of girls. Into a fast uphill that made my mouth taste like blood, into a fast descent, up and through the start/finish line, and back out for more 5 minute laps of pain. I got pulled with 2 laps to go and watched the top women fly around the track.

Short Track Descent

The cross country race started with a sprint, but settled into a fast road peloton around the Laguna Seca raceway. Headed out to the "trails" (read dirt highways) down a tattered four cross course, and then back into the raceway. Four times around that trying to use my non-existant road tactical skills left me in 26th place. Not as high up as I would have liked (I was aiming for top 20) but not bad for a course that didn't suit and a good (not great) leg day.

Post Race Smiles

Back in the car to sit in traffic for 3 hours before getting to San Jose (normally a 1.5 hour drive). Drove until we couldn't see straight, quick sleep in Ukiah at les Holiday Inn Express and then back in the car..."hello" to mom on her lunch break, and then we powered through until we got to Eugene for a sleep-over with my cousin. After a huge hugs from him (he thinks Drew is pretty cool) we had an awesome dinner out of the Market of Choice deli, some wine, and another quick sleep. By Tuesday at 2pm we were on the Port Angeles ferry heading home...thank goodness!

You would think that we would take a night off and relax at home...not so. Late lunch with Drew's mom at Rebar, Yoga at 7:15, and then drinks and dessert with two of our favourite people to celebrate our engagement....not a bad way to be welcomed home!