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Draper CX

I de-virginized the new cross bike this past Saturday at the Draper CX race. The bike performed flawlessly, except for a minor brake mishap with three laps to go (my front brake got stuck in the engaged position for the last three laps which proved to be a pretty darn good workout!). I received multiple compliments on the frame from fellow riders. I should point out that none of those nice words came from anyone who owned a carpet fiber frame. Snobs! They just don't know what they are missing out on with steel!

I'm excited to try it out at Buenaventura this weekend. That course seems to suit me better. Draper is too hilly for a big guy like myself!

New ride. No ride.

It's 2:00pm, Saturday afternoon. I should be trying to catch my breath after riding my guts out for 50 minutes at the cyclocross race in Heber. Instead I just put my little girl down for a nap and Maxman is in his room playing with his dinosaurs. Yep, no race today. One thing that I've learned in my 7 years of being married is that marriage is a game of give and take. Sara has been on the "give" side so many times throughout the years of me training for Lotoja or some other bike race, that when she asked me to stay home with the kiddos today so she could take a yoga certification class, I knew what was the right thing to do. I actually love playing with the little guys! They are a lot of fun, and with Max riding his own pedal bike now, we can go out and ride our bikes, together! Fun stuff!

It's probably not a bad thing that I didn't race today. I've been in Denver all week attending work meetings and didn't ride the bike once. I would have gotten smoked for sure! Next week will be better. I'm taking pretty much the whole week off and should have plenty of saddle time.

I've also been meaning to post some pics of my new ride! Yes, I am the proud owner of a brand-spankin' new Sabrosa crosser! I'm so stoked! I've actually had the frame for quite a while now, it has just taken longer than I thought to get it all built up the way I like it! If you don't know about Jon from Sabrosa, you will soon! He is definitely an up-and-comer on the hand-built bike scene and his craftsmanship is second-to-none! Like many other custom bike builders, he's starting to amass quite the wait for one of his frames. If you want one, you better get on the list quick! You won't be disappointed! He's in the middle of updating his website, but in the meantime, check out his blog for more info and pics of his handy work!

Here are some pics:

Butter

Max: "Mom, does butter come from butterflies?"

Me: "Well, no. Butterflies are a bug and butter comes from cows."

Max: "Oh okay. So cows and butterflies make butter."

Not exactly. But, sure, I see his point too, so we'll just leave it at that for now.

Pedaling with two wheels

The real reason I've been trying to catch up on blogging is to post a clip of Max on his pedals without those training wheels! So happy for him! We took them off a couple weeks ago and he loves it! Saturday we took him on his first BIG ride - three miles around the lake (complete with a stop for ice cream!) and he's ready for more. I think he already has the endurance bug. Great job Maxman!!

Our dinosaur and ballerina

Halloween was a blast this year. I know Mike will post about his cross race that day, but it was fun to watch! Then we stopped by his parents with kids in costume. That night we went to our neighbors for dinner - where Max got to go trick or treating with his buddy, Canyon. While the trick-or-treating was fun, I think Max had more fun passing out the candy when he came home!

Mind of Max II

(we had one burst of cold weather, and a decent amount of snow at our house. Here's another mind of max excerpt.)
There they were. Neatly sitting in the hall closet, just waiting to be found. I'd almost forgotten about them, but running from my bed this morning, feeling the cold floor on my bare feet, I knew I would need them. I'd already tried going without them this morning as I ran along the crusty, cold, snow-covered grass with my dog. But I couldn't bear the shock I felt as the chill ran through my body like lightning. It was then I knew I had to find them. Winter would not be the same without them.

The hunger pain of breakfast could wait. Some time earlier, my mom had made sure they still fit. She must have known this moment would be soon. She must have known I would have an unbeliveable sense of urgency to use them as soon as it arrived.

So there I was. Standing at the hall closet with the door ajar. Staring at the corner of darkness where I knew they must be. One step in, and I've got them. I just have to reach around the vacuum.

Whew! Before I could think they were in my hands. But wait. I needed more. So when I again went out into the cold I would feel a buzz of warmth. A sticky sweat under it all keeping me insulated and comfy. I needed it all.

The pants. The coat. The hat. The gloves. All of it. It was time. No more swimsuit summer days. Mom was right, the season had changed. Summer to fall to winter to summer. No wait, there was one more season I know I've learned about. It had the song with flowers and rain. Spring. That's it.

But here I am. On the brink of winter and mom is worried about feeding me breakfast. Food can wait. She must not understand what it feels like to sink into the depth of snow. To make the first footprints. To fall and slide and build like nothing else. Maybe she's never experienced the snow. I will have to show her how amazing it all is.

Today is the day.