The Best of the Best

Amazing.

The Fab Five at The Tour De Toona

(l to r) Kristin Armstrong, Kori Seehafer, Lauren Franges, Lara Kroepsch, Meredith Miller

Stamp.

The girls put a stamp on the stage today.... well done.

Taking the good with the bad................

Shall we start with the good news? --or the bad? What the heck... let's just get the junk out of the way, shall we?
First of all, thanks to EVERYONE who has made an effort to check in with me. Here's the deal: The injury I had at The Liberty Classic (June 11th) is still very much affecting my body. Honestly, I thought I gave my body the time it needed to heal, but evidently that's not the case. I basically fell apart on stage two of The Tour De Toona, and finished outside of the time limit (by three minutes!...so close!). Anyway, (for my non-cycling friends) that means I am unable to continue the race. Most likely I would have pulled out and not finished.....but more than anything I wanted to be able to get over the hump of the first hilly days...and then help my team on the days that weren't so hilly, knowing full well that we need the numbers here to be able to strategize our race plan. I guess I underestimated both the injury in my back, and the way the hills were going to get me! I have never finished outside the time limit here at this race, so it was big blow for me...but after I checked my ego about the whole situation, I realized that this is all for the best. And that's that.
Ok... done with the bummerside of things. Now, please allow me to share with you what an awesome experience it is to be part of this program! The girls are racing such a smart race and they are truly racing as a team. It's a pleasure to watch (even if from the sidelines!). And as I have said before, Kristin Armstrong is a born leader. The opportunity to be her teammate is a real honor, she brings out the best in all of those around her. All of the girls are shining when they need to, and it's keeping the morale high around the TEAM LIPTON camp. Keep in mind... the girls are racing with only five riders from here on out, and at this point, we have the yellow jersey, and we are leading the team overall classification (we are also within striking distance for the sprinter and climber jersey competition too). Let's just say we are poised for some great days of racing ahead!!! So again...stay tuned :)
ps) we have Mike Tamayo as our team director and it's been great to work with him again!!

Xtra - Xtra....read all about it.

Stay tuned for more....

Brother Todd... daring traits run in the blood.

go ride already...

Notice the BMX trophy on my workbench. I earned that baby decades ago, at a dusty track somewhere outside of central Ohio. Just a testament of my long-lived love for the bike. (oh yea... also notice the framed picture of little myles as a baby...sportin' the flannel! cute hey...)

Today...

a little bit of alot of things i love. that's a good birthday.

Bummer.

When I first began watching and reading about professional cycling, I was completely drawn to Henk Vogels and Stuart O'grady. It was so obvious to me...their passion for the sport. When I used to watch them on tv, they were such a breath of fresh air from all the stuffy Euro guys.... they just seemed like two of the most jovial and animated personalities out there. By the way...guys with big hearts tend to make me melt, and I think it's quite obvious how big Henk's and Stuart's hearts are! And besides, they also reminded me so much of the outgoing, cutting edge types that I grew up with around the BMX tracks (again...very refreshing as a newbie to the road racing scene and the stuffiness that sometimes was associated with road cycling!). Anyway, I've always admired these two guys. Unfortunatley, they are both out of commision, after both having crashed recently. It really breaks my heart to know these guys are out. Here's wishing them a smooth road to recovery.....

And he's off...!

Just dropped Myles off at the bus stop for two weeks of summer camp. He's quite the little jetsetter... he flew in yesterday from Florida (just flew there tuesday from Ohio and just had a week in SoCal right prior to that!)
Now he's in for some mountain biking, ziplining, horseback riding, campfires, hiking, camp songs etc... etc... (ok...and girls!) What a sweetie.... he was so excited. I'm missing him already... it sure is quiet around here!

BTW--

I think it's crap that VeloNews hasn't reported on Nationals yet.....

Two Things---

First ... Kristin Armstrong is (pardon my language) a serious bad ass! The woman is unstoppable. Another title for the champion! And just look at that time trial machine. It's beautiful and stealth.... my favorite combination of adjectives ;-)

Second ... I am finally feeling somewhat back to normal with the backside issue. I am still VERY aware of my injury, but my body has definitely began to take a turn for the better. Gotta smile about that!

Bubble News..

When you live in the professional cycling bubble you miss all sorts of things... like hey..when did the postage go up? jeez.

Times ... they are a changin'

Saw this picture on a desk at my parent's house. Me and my cute little man Myles.... at his second grade graduation (June 2000). Are all mothers in love like this? It's hard to believe that he's just four years away from college already! I think I will have to get a dog (or two) to cure my heart when he goes.....

OHIO--

Made a trip back to see family and friends (yes i took my bike!). The big news of the trip was that I attended my 20 year high school reunion. Hahaha... I know I know... don't say a word!

The Visit with Family and Friends...HB2007

Here's the rundown to the photos:
First one is me and my longtime friend Erin. She and I have a very long history, that all started the day we met(in 1988!)...we went to Mexico to have "fun" in a VW van... and as fate would have it, the van broke down, and we got stuck for a couple of days in San Diego. No extra clothes.. no money.. only a van to sleep all of us in...what an adventure we had! That would be the start of many adventures...and we've been good friends ever since :)
Next up is a couple of pictures with my relatives. My Aunt Terry (in the pink top) is a Grandma. Can you believe it?! She has always amazed me with how young she looks! Those are her daughters, my cousins Bridget and Charlotte, and their little ones in the picture below... two very cool cousins to have!...and their kids are so sweet.
After that, we have Myles and his super sweet friend Patrick. I think those two had a very nice time taking in the two-legged sights ;-)
I saved the best for last.... that little thing in the bottom picture is Dyani. She is my brother's dog. She has got to be one of the most interesting canines I have ever met. Yes... she sleeps under the covers. Sometimes I look at her and I could swear she is trying to be human!

Yep..... it's just like that. Smile and bring on the good life.

My back still "ain't right". I think I might have torn a ligament or something. It's not this often that I am so uberconscious of my... well, my ass actually, to be quite to the point! :)
... Jeez. I have not yet, in all of my years of racing, had an injury like this from a crash. As a matter of truth... I usually don't crash. I think I play a safe game out there. Even though I am known to be a bit crafty and risky on the bike, I believe I have the skills to back it up, and I'm not afraid to say that. Nope. Not afraid.
I may not be the quickest up all them hills, but I am not scared for high speeds, tight spaces, and tricky spots. Truth is... I love it. But...this time, it has gotten the best of me. I think I really am injured. I still stick by my story that there wasn't any dangerous riding going on when that crash happened.... just a little tight riding...which led to some bumping and tangling...and then some of us met the pavement ---in a most intimate way. Ahem.
Damn... that's part of the game though hey...
Well... even though I am having issues.... I'm still smiling ---and still thankful for my rockin life. Hell yep.

Manhattan Beach Grand Prix

Some of us found our way down to the beach after the race Sunday.
My back is not doing so good, and has actually taken a turn for the worse since racing Nature Valley, so.... I decided not to race this weekend at Manhattan Beach.
But it doesn't mean that I'm not enjoying myself! What's that saying? "When you are given sour lemons... make lemonade." That`s pretty much the case for me at the moment. It's really been a great trip, regardless of the setback with the body. I have still been out on some great coastal rides down here, plus... we have been making our long overdue rounds, visiting with family and friends! More later...
And kudos to my teammate Kroepsch, for her top five finish at Manhattan Beach.