The Ocean

Family photo:

Chris took my niece to the beach to play in the sand and she ended up doing this (go figure):

To Westport, WA

On our way to the ocean. Once last look at the Columbia River:

That "little spillway you see on the left isn't so little:


And, Wesport finally............

Not a bad view from our deck.

Bonneville Resort and Spa

Nothing like wandering around in your bathrobes with other people around. Guess its ok since its a spa. Kind of weird though.


The courtyard was pretty cool:This place is a hot springs that touts "healing" so we got a mineral bath and wrap before we left. They put you in individual tubs that look like these except for that they are clean and on the inside of the spa (big difference!!) and the water that is tapped in is hot springs water. The bath attendant said that some days its bad sulfur smelling (ok.....I am ready for the sulfer comments...):

Driving to WA

Chris and I decided at the last minute to go home and see family, go to a spa for a night and head to the ocean. Why not because I have the time right now?

The Columbia River:






























We checked into a spa. Or shall I say CHRIS checked into the spa.........we pulled up at 6:26pm and I had a conference call I needed to take promptly at 6:30pm but when I looked at my phone to see what kind of service I was getting I had no bars!!! I ended up jumping in the drivers seat and peeling out of the parking lot looking for service and left poor Chris at the check in desk with no phone, no water, no luggage, no food - just his wallet. I think Chris would normally have been not too happy with me since the call took 2 hours but the room came with a six pack of great beer so I was in luck!! The beer kept him very good company.

I had found a place alongside the road to get the call and while I was there I saw an eagle with a fish in its possession flying across the road as well as this guy and his family:

Guess What is Out Again?

You really wouldn't expect me to stay home for more than 2 weeks, would you?

Worlds Collide CX Race - Heber City, UT

Today was a "jie-normous" day for us. We started the morning with Chris racing the Mens B category at the first local Cyclocross race of the season here in Heber City. It was just a 6 minute ride from the house. Gotta love it!!

I spectated the event which I was weird but fine. I am NOT used to going to a race and not racing, but it wasn't bad to watch others suffer for once. :)

The B Men gather for the start of their race:

Chris heading over the barriers:

Chris on his way to an 8th place finish:

They sent everyone through the stables:

After the race I was happy to be able to help clean up the tape, poles, cones and signs that were put up for the race. There are not many opportunities for me to do that kind of stuff since when I am at a race I am usually racing and therefore need to warm up, warm down and get recovered so that I can have a good training day the next day. So it was nice to pitch in for once like that today!

Then we were off to a BBQ for all the racers. And on the way in we spotted this masterpiece......check it out. I believe that bike rack is made to carry FOUR bikes:

But you will notice Steve in the picture telling us how many he got on there:

After this...........yes there is more......we cleaned our house for the first time in heaven knows how long, did some yard work, then had a mini semi impromptu gathering ourselves. Talk about doing too much!

Computer Nerd

Oh my goodness, these last few days I have nuts. Is there something in the air or what? Maybe I am just good at procrastination but don't think so. I think my Inbox in my email filled up in on day and they weren't the kind of emails you could just read and delete. They required some serious thought and attention. How does that happen all at once?

These last couple days I have been on the computer day and night inundated with a ton of work email and phone calls. All relating to cycling of course and all good too which is nice to be able to say.

What in the sam heck have I been doing? ...I have been writing articles for cycling rags, press releases for websites, helping out with details in a Cyclocross clinic that is coming up in a few weeks, updating my race resume, figuring out what CX races I am doing and not doing, scanning media into the computer, telling my other set of parents where I am going to be every day for the next 3 months (you guessed it....USADA), getting emails together, getting the right parts ordered for my new cyclocross bikes............which I only come the conclusion on after calling all my favorite bike shops in SLC and keeping those poor guys on the phone for what seems like hours along with surfing the net trying to get info. And, geez have I ever been in the hem and haw mode over mountain gears vs. road gearing vs. single chain rings vs. double chain rings along with trying to figure what my poor legs can or cannot handle. And no, I still haven't come to a conclusion on that stuff. Aye-yie yie. All fun but WOW that all came at once.

My eyes are buggy. I am out....

Velo Bella - Kona

I mentioned that I am racing Cyclocross full-time and I know some of you are wondering........

I am happy to announce that I will be racing for the Velo Bella - Kona Pro / Elite Cyclocross Team for the 2007 Cyclocross season. I am very excited for this opportunity to have full team/mechanic support through my Cyclocross endeavors this Fall/Winter.....because if you are going to have that, Cyclocross is the time for it since it is usually a muddy mess of fun!

This is an extremely well organized and very fun team of 19 gals from around the country with lots of talent; for the last 4 years, Velo Bella - Kona has had at least one member represent the US at the Cyclocross World Championships in Europe. I am excited to be a part of the action and look forward to meeting all my new teammates very soon!

If you are interested check out my very ambitious CX schedule on the left hand side of this page. All the USGPCX races will be a focus as well as the Nationals in Kansas City.

Slap on the Hand

That is what I got today by my Physical Therapist. When I went in today for my treatment I expressed my concerns about STILL having problems and pain with my rib cage. I told him that I don't feel like I am even halfway healed at times and it seems like its so dang slow to heal so far. This is about the time my PT reminded me that the 12 weeks of recovery that he told me it would take was WITHOUT racing in 2 World Cups, 7 National races, 1 regional race and training every day on top of that.

OH. Oops. Ok. I get it now.

In addition he told me that I have a very severe injury that is hard to take serious because you cannot cast it. He claims its the worst and most deceptive kind which I can relate to all too well.....you don't LOOK like there is anything wrong but your body (my core) is a coiled up mess that is trying to heal. He told me that he now knows that I am the type that just flat out needs a cast in order to STOP. He's right but I am going to be smart about this one, starting right now.

I left like a dog with its tail between its legs after being told to STOP riding if I could. Well I can and I will even though I really really really want to race this weekend in the Heber Cyclocross race.........see? That is wicked nature of this -I am not burned out, I love racing, I love riding and I look like I am in one piece.......but I am not in one piece dang it. So I better not race and I won't race because I need to look at the big picture. Sometimes you have to do that I guess especially since I am contracted to race Cyclocross full-time this Fall/Winter. Need to heal up while I am allowed to here in the off season.

I will just go to the race on Saturday and watch everyone else race which will be cool. It will be good to see everyone again!

Cyclocross Skills Clinic Offered

What: Join us for a two day cyclocross clinic focused on techniques for Beginner to Elite levels!!
When: September 15th - 16th
Mountain Bikes welcome
Complete schedule and info coming soon: www.myspace.com/BSGevents

Kathy Sleepy

Today I am soooo tired for whatever reason. Actually I think the reason is a combo of being so hammered from the season and just socking it to myself by doing the last half of it with a rib cage that got ejected from its spot in June. My body is hammered.

I also feel a bit like a caged rat since every single last person I know to include my husband has gone for a ride today or is going for a ride today. Sounds like fun but I have to lay off and let this rib deal heal. Now is the time for that action.

Update

I haven't been writing much because there hasn't been a whole lot going in. What can I say.....its off season?! That is how its supposed to be I guess.

Yesterday I went it for some PT and was there a joyful 2 hours while they iced, rubbed, poked, stretched, heated, prodded my ribs the whole time. I was happy to get out of there when I did but yet I really need the treatment still as my ribs are still super aggravated.

Today it rained like crazy but that didn't matter because I didn't have to ride in it or at all if I didn't want to! That is a nice feeling every once in a while or shall I say that is a nice feeling one month out of 12.

Hey and on that note I figured out how much time off the bike I get a year (as if you guys cared but I am going to go into it anyway). I decided to do this because everyone has been like "oh THAT must BE SO NIIIICE to have one month totally off" and I agree with them that it is quite nice but unfortunately I don't think they quite understand the whole picture........

While most people get every weekend off which accounts for 104 days a year in addition to all the special holidays, most cyclists get one month plus maybe 3 more days each of the other 11 months which gives cyclists 64 days off a year. So really, whoop dee dang doo on that one month off. I mean its great and all but that one month is well deserved. And I do agree that it IS nice that it falls it a large chunk like that but still....not much down time really overall. You really have to love this sport to be successful and those numbers above are just the tip of the iceberg on that score.

Sinful

Every year at this time Chris and I celebrate the off season by heading to Granny's in Heber City, UT. Granny's is a milkshake/malt place that has been around forever and ever. They also serve very evil cheeseburgers, onion rings and all that other what I call "fair food". Now that is what I am talking about! So once a year I let myself go there for nice nutritious meal (not!!) with Chris who is always an accomplice to this disaster of a meal. But lord its sooooo good especially after racing almost every weekend since March. But its only good once because afterwards when you are sitting back with your belly full, you realize what you have done and then guilt sets in and its ruined for another year.....thank heavens.

I am a

SLOTH

Ok, so maybe it is not that hard to lay off because my body has come to a screaming halt. And when I say halt, I mean a super duper halt. Wow, my laziness is pretty impressive for sure I must admit. I guess my body needed some serious rest time because I have been sleeping 10 hours plus a night, napping everyday and just feeling washed out altogether. I can barely move around to be honest. I must be in RECOVERY mode. Geez.

On another note, I have also decided to go back into Physical Therapy because my ribs aren't feeling super right. I have found what I think is major scar tissue/bumps in addition to having a lot of other stuff still going on (spasms, tightness, etc.) and I want to get all of it taken care of sooner rather than later!

NMBS Overall Standings

Well despite all my mishaps this season I still managed to pull out a Top 10 in the Overall NMBS (National Mountain Bike Series) Standings for both Cross Country and Short Track. I know I am capable of way more than 9th overall in the Cross Country and 7th overall in the Short Track (read this as confidence, not cockiness please) which is where I ended up, so that just gives me HUGE fuel for the fire starting right now.


I have to say that despite all the weird things that happened to me this year out on course I still had my best season to date with two podiums - one in Short Track and one in Cross Country. That was my goal and I achieved that goal.


Now I am in my off season which is kind of tough for me because I would still like to be out there racing because that is just what I do! I still feel fresh mentally even though physically my body (ribs) is telling me otherwise. I think that must be the natural drive all athletes have just to keep going and going and going and going despite what their bodies and minds tell them. I know deep down I need to lay off and let these ribby's heal up and that is going to take some serious self discipline on my part.

Red No. 5

Ron, Chad and I drove home today from Snowmass, CO and had to stop off in Vernal, UT at Ron's moms house because The Chad decided to spill Cherry fricken Powerade all over the passengers side floor mat and beyond.

The hope was that the Powerade might actually come out using some of Ron's moms powerful cleaning aids but no go. That Powerade stuff is like red dye and it didn't budge, not even a bit. Nice work, The Chad. Hee hee.

What I want to know is .....what does that stuff do to the inside of you if it does THAT to a floor mat? UGH. Gross. I might have to take Red No. 5 off my highly sophisticated cycling diet after that one.

80's Party Time!

Kelli looked like she was wearing curtains:









Sara ready for the 80's prom:
AND
I have always loved neon and
Swatches:

The Ron and The Chad:

(who blame me for not letting them know it was an 80's theme.....well yeah.....maybe I forgot to tell them that minor detail-oops).

Sunday night was party time! It was the end of the season party with all teams, racers, mechanics, soigneurs, managers, event organizers and anyone else you could imagine. It was an 80's theme party and most of us dressed up and hung out until the wee hours of the morning.

NMBS #6 - Super D Snowmass, CO

So I just had to see what this Super D thing was all about. I had never done a National Super D race and I was dieing all season long to race one but the timing just never worked out as my focus was always Cross Country and Short Track.

If you do Super D you need to be very prepared from pre-riding the course whenever they decide you can pre-ride it (which may or may not coincided with YOUR plans) to carting the right bike around with you from race to race (one with rear suspension ideally). But for me - no team truck-y equals only one bike-y for Kath-y. And that bike is going to be my awesome Titus Eleven custom hardtail hands down. I love that thing! So that is what I raced on in the Super D today. A hardtail. As I stood at the top of the course waiting for the race to start I got some pretty good "what the hell are you thinking" stares from men and women alike along with a few outright comments asking what the world I was thinking. I thought it was funny though and was planning on just checking out Super D and see what it was all about vs going for the win you know?

I mean it certainly would have been Super Smart to have my Titus Racer X...a dually which would have been Super Plush down the Super D course but I didn't even decided to race Super D until after I pre-rode the course which was only right before I had to immediately head back up on the chairlift just in time to start the race!

Super D races have very little uphill and a ton of downhill....but not the type of dh that you are thinking of with drops and rock gardens and all. The dh was actually held a bit on the cross country course that we climbed UP the day before so it wasn't that technical at all. There was of course single track and super fast fire road descents in it as well and it was about a 13 minute race.

So yah.....the start of the race was pretty interesting for sure. Get this...we had to lay our bikes down on their sides on this line that we were 10 feet away from. They then had us lay down on our backs as they said 3, 2, 1, GO!!! We all got up on our feet as fast as we could, grabbed our bike off the ground and then had to run with it about 70 feet I am guessing out and around these orange cones to another spot where we had to lay our bikes down again and then run to where our bike was originally laying at the beginning, touch our feet to that line and run back to our bike that we were now finally able to jump on and start peddling down the mountain as fast as we could. I can't believe I remembered all those pre race instructions to. Geez-Loo -Eez. Luckily I wasn't even close to first place at any of those points and could just follow the leader. So I guess technically I really didn't remember the instructions myself. Wishful thinking I guess.

I was almost last as I jumped on my bike to finally start peddling it too but I was able to make a few passes and was in about 10th as we started on the first super fast fire road descent. Everyone was flying down it trying to maintain a solid pace without supermanning off into the trees. We hit another uphill and I was able to make a few passes there and then there was more dh where the gap grew behind me. I made my final passes on a bit more uphill before we hit part of the actual course that they used for the National Downhill event. Everyone else had dual suspension and probably felt as though they were riding a couch down the mountain but I was on my hardtail so I had to be super careful in spots although the bike handled extremely well given the conditions I must say!!! Oh man that was sketch but I managed to pull off a 6th place in my first Super D for Pro Women. Super D was Super fun and I would love to do it again but probably not on my hardtail I am thinking.....although quite doable, a dually is a safer bet in these conditions. :)

My husband Chris also raced the Super D and he placed 4th in his category!! His time was a whole minute faster than mine too! He knows how to kill it in these races. Not bad for someone who doesn't train too much but instead just goes out and rides when he feels like it and doesn't when he doesn't. Nice work Chris!

NMBS #6 - STXC Snowmass, CO

Pain, suffering, wondering why I am not up front, sweat dripping off my nose, fire in my legs, ribs hurting with each deep breath, not recovering in the 10 second downhill section, missing my peddle more than once right at the start. See the peddle mishap for yourself in this video as I get swallowed by the field-I am on the viewers front left.....

What happened to me today? I don't know but I do in fact care. I was a mess today. Off season starts tomorrow for me and I must need it based on what is going on because I think my body is half surviving right now. My ribs hurt again today and I am thinking that its from the abuse of XC race the day before......its the only thing that makes sense since I had no pain yesterday. I guess the NO SLEEP from Friday night doesn't help either but whatever, I should be able to work through that.

I need to heal up and stop this madness that I am putting my body through. The doc said that with every race I did I prolonged the already 12 week process of healing up (June 23 was the magical day that changed the rest of my season).

Its hard knowing how hard you worked to get where you are only to have an injury caused by your own selfish act of wanting to pass someone during a race change everything. I have worked my tail off ever since ever and I get to the peak of my career (Deer Valley) and get on the podium and one week later (World Cup) undo everything I worked for it seems like...in a crash. Its a tough spot to be in but now I just need to develop that side of my mental racing skills. Really what I need to do now is get healed up completely instead of partially and I can do that starting tomorrow.

NMBS #6 - XC Supplement

It is weird when you don't remember things that
happened during a race until someone mentions something and you suddenly remember it. A couple strange things did take place during the XC race. One I wasn't even aware of and the other I am just now remembering. Guess you just get in that racing zone with your blinders on and become too focused to remember incidences.

What I didn't see happen out there that Chris my husband did see, was that there was paintball war going on ON THE COURSE during the Pro Womens XC race. Are you kidding me? Chris said that as I came thru the last section of singletrack before hitting the feed zone that I rode not even 6" away from this dude that was lying smack dab NEXT to the singletrack in his camo. Chris said he didn't realize what was going on until a paintball whizzed past his own head. At that point he went banana's trying to find someone to help remedy this safety issue but no official in the feed zone could help nor really seemed concerned. Chris's concern of course was for the riders that could potentially get hit with a paintball unexpectedly while rippen the dh at 30 mph and then flying off the bike and hitting a tree or something. Luckily nothing like that happened but wouldn't you think the dude in camo might be concerned for HIS own safety as well? Dumb.

When Chris mentioned this to me after the race I remembered that I had another incident of my own while trying to chase down the gal that was in front of me on that last lap.

I was flying down the descent and came around this corner and saw an old man and women with their 2 dogs ON THE SINGLETRACK. Oh crud!!! I was way too fast for them as I flew towards them in race mode. The lady was able to grab the one big dog and jump off the track but as the man went to grab for the little ankle biter, he missed and ended up falling IN and across the singletrack. And his little dog that had broken free started running up the singletrack in attack mode towards me!!! I tell you what....I think I am going to win on that one, little guy, but maybe that is where natural selection comes into play hugh? Not really wanting to run over the thing, I had to SLAM my brakes on almost to a complete stop, and was then going slow enough to ask the guy if he was ok (the dude was OLD) and get a response before I had to start up again to get back to speed to continue my quest (which only got that much harder now) of passing the girl in front of me.

So what is the deal with all of this? Why weren't he hiking trails marked off (or were they?) and why were paintball games allowed to start and proceed in the middle of a National XC race? I would like to think that safety for all parties (paintballers, hikers and bikers) is a high priority during these events but I wasn't seeing that today unfortunately.

NMBS #6 - XC Snowmass, CO

I am on the mend and I am so excited about that. I placed 14th today which isn't stellar for me but given that I had NO sleep last night at all it wasn't too bad. I was pleased with the fact that I am coming around again and am feeling better overall again rib wise. I just started sleeping again as of 2 weeks ago (aside from last night of course) and that was after a month of hell and painful nights where I had interrupted sleep every night. But today I had no rib issues or pain and it didn't hurt to breathe during the race! Kathy is coming back!!!...........well just in time for the off season. Oh well.

So like I said, I raced this morning on NO SLEEP-what the!!? NONE. And when I say NONE I mean NONE. I went to bed at 10pm and just couldn't fall asleep. Not even for 5 minutes. I never dreamt or even got close. I thought about just getting up and writing letters or surfing the net or something but I just had to TRY and fall asleep at least. When it turned 2am I thought that would be the cut off and I would at least fall asleep a little but I didn't. I decided at that time that maybe it was my stomach needing more food because sometimes that is the case so I munched on a Cookies and Cream Power Bar while lying there wide awake but that was a "no go" as it didn't do the trick. Our XC race was starting at 9am so I wanted to be up at 5am so at about 4:45am or so I just got up since I was already up. It was weird being so awake at that time because I am NOT a morning person usually.

So I raced at 9am after being up for around 26 hours straight. I was in a daze when we started the race and was dazed during the race. When I started the race today I was told with a laugh by some of the team managers "Now NO mechanicals today Sherwin". It's been some kind of crazy season that way for me with crashing and cranking my stem to the left, losing brake function, bonking, throwing up, cracking my seat rail, cracking my ribs, dislocating my entire rib cage, flatting, having a loose seat mid race. Hmmm??? And that is just the list from the top of my head. But I didn't have any mechanicals today which was awesome.

I started strong and faded back a bit on the climb up the lollipop stick but I was happy with how the legs felt. I was so pinned on the climb too that I was nauseous the whole way up and there were thoughts that I was just not going to make another painful peddle stroke up the mountain. But I kept going as the thoughts of the unbearable pain drifted into and out of my head. I was pushing so hard. By the time I got to where we were doing the loops at the top of the mountain I was on the verge of popping. I could feel it because I know what it feels like when I am at that point. It is one that I will never forget: nauseousness, hazy/dazy feeling, NEEDING water in particular NOW, dry mouth and yes the feeling that you are actually peddling backwards. For me that all results in throwing multiple times, drinking lots of water, dry heaving and feeling sick for the next hour. That wasn't today but that happened to me at the Time Trial up the Luge track in Park City years ago and I will never ever forget it. So now when I get close to that point I KNOW to back of just a little which is what I had to do today and eventually got passed by a few a women while making my way around the lollipop. I think I was closer than I thought to popping too because as I climbed I wasn't feeling the love on loop #1. But as we descended and started heading out on loop #2 I started to feel good again as my body recovered from almost popping and I was able to re pass a few of the women that had passed me.

The next gal that had passed me had the advantage of being right in front of me on the technical singletrack descent leading to the finish and there was no room to pass. I had a few opportunities but every time I surged, she surged. She was having NONE of it. It made for super fun descent down to the finish line though as I was chasing her all the way down the mountain and trying to remember where I could and couldn't try and pass. But before I knew it we came around the last corner towards the finish line and bam..........she crossed the line first a second in front of me. I high fived her at the line because that was fun even though I lost the battle outright.

We all went to a mexican restaurant in Aspen (Chris and I had never been to Aspen before if you can believe it) for dinner. Here is the crew.......

Fists of Fury....Ron P
Blake the Snake:Sara not feeling the love:

Happy Kelli:
et moi:Not pictured: Chris Sherwin, photographer
The Chad

Party in the parking lot at the condo after dinn dinn:

Snowmass XC Course

The Snowmass course this year changed a bit and now has 3500 feet of elevation gain in it which is more than in years past. And I think the race starts at around 8000 + feet so you are climbing high. Nothing like good ole thin air but that is what we love being from Utah! Yeah! The race starts at a new base area that is further down the mountain from the Snowmass Village area. About a 6 minute coast from your condo in fact.

The course is (what we are all describing as) a lollipop shape where you start at the end of the lollipop stick, head up into the thin air, go around the lollipop twice and then head back down the to the finish. The upper part of the lollipop is all the old race course that we all know and love so well. The rest was all new and had varying degrees of sweet singletrack, paved roads, to "lets put a trail here smack dab in the middle of a grass field", to dirt roads, bridges, etc. Everything was very ridable and super fun. But pre-riding the course was like an epic event that took a LONG time.

After getting my training in this is what I came back to in the condo. Funny too cuz when I walked up the stairs to find these guys sleeping, there happened to be a commercial on TV with baby music playing. Perfect given the situation!

Blazing with Blake

Well, maybe we went too fast on our way to Snowmass:


Then Blake just HAD to find a homemade sandwich in Vernal so where does he go? He decides to go here:
They also sold this kind of stuff at the "sandwich" place:This is me ready to ask what the heck this is. Suppose I should know since I live in Heber and all.

Last SS of the Season

So the SS wasn't as bad this time with getting ready to leave for the last National race of the season. The packing wasn't bad only because its only a 5 or so hour drive from my house to Snowmass so there was no need to disassemble the bike and pack it, I went grocery shopping for the weekend in my refrigerator and have been perma packed since March. Its funny too because my bag is huge but I swear there is only one cubic square foot of normal clothing in there. Everything else in my suitcase (is that an old word now....should I be using luggage or bag or something?) is in there in case stuff hits the fan.....you know.....rain gear, bolts, d. hangers, warm gear, extra set of race shoes, posts, brake pads, peddles, wheels, saddles, etc. But it can get kind of crazy bringing all those extra bike parts because you almost get to the point where you just need a trailer for all of it. Need to know when to say when I guess.

Bee Keeping

Chris found a bees nest the size of a cantalope in our Cherry Tree. Here is Chris's famous bee keeper outfit plus Doc looks like Tom Hanks here. Compare Doc and TH here.

In case you are wondering.....the water bottles are full of Dishwashing soap and water. It kills bees instantly and doesn't kill your trees. The Raid is a second mechanism of defense for Doc. He was kind of nervous. I would be too........you don't see ME out there that is for sure!

They go for it:

Bees are all by by now.

The wind sucks up here today. Been at 22mph + since 9am. I go batty with the wind hammering my ears while riding. It is so loud!

Chris and Doc

Chris and Mark (Chris's best friend from Seattle, WA) went Canyoneering this weekend in Zion National Park. It was Docs (Marks) first time ever Canyoneering so they started easy and did the the Subway on Friday and then upped it a bit and did Pinecreek the next day.

Chris said that with all the flooding going on down there that Pinecreek had pools of nasty/stinky water in it that they had to swim through. YUCK!! And hence the reason I am home and not with them - a boys trip is fine by me!! Chris said on a scale of 1 to 10 with one being crystal clean/ flowing/non stinky water and ten being nasty/cold/stagnant/debris laden/dark/thick water, Pinecreek was about a 6. I guess there was a 150 foot section that they had to SWIM through. UGH. Don't get THAT junk in your mouth. Yicky.

Here is Doc getting all the necessary repelling tools from Chris before they left:

IB.....Still Hurten'

I was all excited last night because I realized right before I headed to bed that I hadn't wanted to take IB Profin ALL DAY. And considering that since I displaced my rib cage just over a month ago in a World Cup MTB race that I have gone through bottles and bottles of that stuff I was happy with that.

BUT unfortunately it was all too good to be true because last night kind of sucked again sleeping and turning over on the cage so the fight isn't over yet. They told me 12 weeks so I ought to know better. Wishful thinking I guess but it IS better to some extent at least! Gotta go hit the bottle again. :)

Bread Bag

I went to Costco yesterday and once I emerged it was pouring rain. I am talking buckets. I wondered at first glance why everyone was huddled under the huge roof overhang and I realized they were scared to get wet. Good lord people. Suck it up and quit wasting your own time!!

Not wanting to stick around any longer at the pearly gates of Costco (I love that place) I undid the tie on the clear plastic bag that was holding the two loaves of bread that I just bought (that are individually wrapped), stuck it on my head and started towards my car. People laughed and seemed to be impressed with the inventiveness cuz I got some funny comments. I think they were really wishing deep down that they had bought Costco's Honey Whole Wheat Bread too.

Yeee - Ouch

What is it about bees hitting you while you are riding and then stinging the heck out of you? That happened to me today and it was like a orange hot needle had been jabbed in my leg without warning. In fact, I didn't know what the heck hit me and whatever stung me did a great job because I have never had a sting hurt THAT bad. The searing pain didn't go away for at least 10 minutes. Dang that hurt. And now that part of my leg is as big baseball, itches like heck and there is so much heat coming from it I am going to cook my dinner on it right now.

Worlds Collide CX

I realize that the MTB season isn't over yet but I am really looking forward to the Cyclocross season already. Seems to be a lot of buzz regarding cross this year too. I think its catching on in a big way and is a growing sport which is awesome. I mean it must be growing if our tiny town of Heber City, UT is having a race, right? Check the race out here.