It's been a full spring, and a wet, and long, and cold spring; June sort of crept up on me. What do you mean it's time to ride my mountain bike? So, totally and utterly untrained, unprepared, and otherwise un-ready - I hit the dirt last week with the rest of Team Slow.Excellent mood-setter before the race? "Officiating" the kids' mountain bike race. There are super-serious seven-year-olds on bikes, and confused, not-talking-just-staring-at-strangers toddlers. Beth and I prepped the course; Ed and Beth served as "rabbits" for the kids to follow/chase; I was the starting gun/announcer/official. Totally awesome. I'll be doing this for the rest of the season, I believe.
After the kids, the Cat 3/Junior's fields took off - and I cheered on Rob and Erinne. Next up: women's singlespeed! Erp.
My goal for my race? Ride my bike and have fun. Check and check - I think this was my favorite short track racecourse, period. Fun and fast and up and down and wheeee! Don't get me wrong - I wasn't winning in any standard sense - but I was having a damn great time out there. Although, based on the pictures, it seems I was intent on snacking on my teammates. (That's supposed to be a smile.)
So - goal for this week was simple. Don't DO that shit. So, while I didn't break any records (remember: in no danger of winning), I rode a hard course well. I had a great time. I didn't crash, I didn't crash into anyone, and I didn't yield unnecessarily. (Thanks, Tomas, for the cheering, and Audrey for photoing!)
Race, check. Counted laps again for the two races post mine (which is somewhat satisfying, as it involves chatting with an awesome lady-official and also paying attention to details/being smart), then back to the Red Fox for tacos + cans of Old German. (Goal: by the end of the season, Mike, the bar owner, will know us all by name.)
This evening: rode up Tabor on my fixie. Decided that, while I might be behind the beyond-retirement-age fellow who races for Portland Velo... I'm doing it. I don't race for SLOW for nothing.
No records broken by me, for sure - but it was fantastic to have a huge group out there - Ben, Ed, Chris, me, Beth, and Fool and Erinne out for their first STXC races! I stayed late to volunteer, then many of us headed to the Red Fox for burgers and cans of Old German. (Hey. It's hydration.)
This week my goal was... okay, don't laugh. I have a hard time not feeling like a big fat slow course-plug when I know there are fast-pants people behind me. (Remember - singlespeed women race with the singlespeed men/cat 2 women. It's fast.) So I... I've been known to, on occasion, by which I mean every race... pull over and let them go past me.
This week my goal was... okay, don't laugh. I have a hard time not feeling like a big fat slow course-plug when I know there are fast-pants people behind me. (Remember - singlespeed women race with the singlespeed men/cat 2 women. It's fast.) So I... I've been known to, on occasion, by which I mean every race... pull over and let them go past me.
So - goal for this week was simple. Don't DO that shit. So, while I didn't break any records (remember: in no danger of winning), I rode a hard course well. I had a great time. I didn't crash, I didn't crash into anyone, and I didn't yield unnecessarily. (Thanks, Tomas, for the cheering, and Audrey for photoing!)
Race, check. Counted laps again for the two races post mine (which is somewhat satisfying, as it involves chatting with an awesome lady-official and also paying attention to details/being smart), then back to the Red Fox for tacos + cans of Old German. (Goal: by the end of the season, Mike, the bar owner, will know us all by name.)
This evening: rode up Tabor on my fixie. Decided that, while I might be behind the beyond-retirement-age fellow who races for Portland Velo... I'm doing it. I don't race for SLOW for nothing.
Tomorrow: Race fixed on Tabor. Possibly finish DFL. Be fine with that.
Next week: Attempt back-to-back races @ short track. Possibly finish the second DFL. Be fine with that.
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