Jan

31

Foiled.

Category: enjoy the blog | 6 Comments

In an attempt to keep the New Year's Resolution I made day before yesterday, I set out on my ride today with a camera in the pocket where I normally put my jacket (thus, no jacket on the ride - but hey it was sunny and I would totally be back before dark!).I planned my route so that I could ride along Grizzly Peak during the 5 o'clock hour and maybe get some shots of the sunset. But as I headed up Wildcat towards the ridge, I suddenly realized I had a flat front tire!I got a flat one time a couple years ago. It was during a race. I got a spare wheel. ...
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Jan

30

The County Line Sprint

Category: enjoy the blog, quotables | 4 Comments

Setting: Sunday evening, Devon and I are pedaling across the Carquinez Bridge into Crockett. We are approaching the Contra Costa County Line sign. For all you non-cyclist blog readers, geographical limit signs are universal sprint lines for bike riders. Winning the county line sprint gives you license to fist-pump and woot-woot for at least 20 feet...Me: And you know what's dumb? The Golden Gate Bridge!Devon: Oh really? Why's that?Me, eying the sign: Um (shift gears)bbbbbbbecause apparently (shift again)4444444445 people a year (one last gear shift)jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjump off it? (get up to sprint)Devon: (putting his hand on my shoulder like a parent blocking ...
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Jan

29

Look Ma! No Hands!

Category: enjoy the blog | 4 Comments

More accurately: look Ma, I don't look like a startled animal in the photograph!Honestly, I have gotten so used to making dumb camera smiles that when I first saw this photo I was like "whoa that chick looks kinda like me! And I have that bracelet, too! Crazy!"When I first started blogging, I pretty much had a photograph in every post. I have gotten lax in that department for many reasons (I could blame it on there being no bike races for me right now, but I think laziness is the primary reason). So, I am aiming to get back to posting images.O.K. ...
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Jan

28

Delerium #2

Category: enjoy the blog | Leave a Comment

Just in case if you are wondering: I did it. I finished my 32.5 hours, my 500 miles, my countless kilojoules... That was pretty much the funnest week ever. I don't know, maybe it was escapism in its purest form, but everything that happened when I was not on my bike seemed incidental and trivial at best. I guess I gave myself license to be almost a total slacker in all areas but one!Half of the riding was spent alone, thinking about myself and my life and me me me. To be expected, since I am a bike racer and therefore self-centered by necessity and nature.The other half was spent with/drooling-and-suffering-on-the-wheel-of someone I have ...
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Jan

27

Delerium

Category: enjoy the blog | 1 Comment

O.K. I don't like to use this blog as a forum for bragging. Generally I leave that to the boys.That said... I am in bed after seven and a half hours, supposedly 9ish thousand feet, 115 miles, a couple drooling intervals, and 4000 kilojoules on my lovely bicycle. In the rain. With company that was pleasant enough to make it seem like a 2 hour summertime recovery jaunt.Whoa.But wait, there's more: if tomorrow goes as planned, I will be at 31 hours and almost 500 miles for the week.AND I am getting ready to email last year's bike sponsor to tell them how much I still love my lovely Time ...
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Jan

26

A Photograph

Category: enjoy the blog | 4 Comments

All these long winter rides mean that my pockets are stuffed with gels, baggies of drink mix, and extra clothes. I have no space for a camera. But I see so many amazing things on my rides.I am just going to have to stock up on little bitty canvases.

Jan

23

Surrender

Category: enjoy the blog, in my opinion | 5 Comments

Dear Peet:I give up.I have given you so many chances to be more than just another cookie-cutter coffee chain, but I can't do it any more, I can't handle the constant disappointment.So I surrender.My standards are officially,sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssadly,lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllowered.No longer yours,Courtenay

Jan

23

Futile

Category: enjoy the blog, in my opinion | 2 Comments

Warning: more Peet's-related complaining below. Exacerbated by the fact that today's lunch place is gross... messing with my comestibles makes for irritated blogging!Last week, after posting about the end of the world and after realizing that my daily coffee from Peet's was generating a good amount of trash each week, I decided to suck it up and buy one of their ugly travel mugs and thereby reduce the waste I produce. Buying and using something unattractive... whoa I must be really committed to this cause. Anyway, now I am not sure WHY I am so committed. Two days in a row, I ...
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Jan

22

Partner in Silliness

Category: enjoy the blog | Leave a Comment

SO, Holly thinks my tri idea is a great one and wants to do it with me! How exciting! I am actually looking forward to becoming a multisport dork.In other news: I have very minimal other news. I am riding my bike a lot and napping a lot. Yet somehow it doesn't feel like I am doing either one enough.But I can't complain about long days on the bike. Especially when blessed with lovely weather and good company. On Saturday I went for a nice long ride with the girls, and since I am so homestar runner obsessed it was all I could do not to be like "okay, my spanish galleons!" ...
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Jan

18

More Silliness

Category: enjoy the blog | 8 Comments

I have an admission to make.Oh god.This is so embarassing.Anyway:I amgulpwellI kinda wantto doa tryathalon.O.K.I said it. I want to do a triathlon. I love cycling. I love running. After a 5 year hiatus due to injury and the like, I am back running again, which makes me really happy. And I think I'd be a good swimmer. Somehow this harebrained multisport idea, at which I once scoffed, now seems awesome. I think this world-is-ending-in-5-years thing must really be getting to me.
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