Learning something new :)

Forty is the new Twenty ;-)

ahhh ok...i'm 40 today.

going to check my birth certificate just to make sure this is true. ;-)

stoked...

Myles is my blessing. Getting to share my love for the bike with him has been one of the most amazing experiences of parenting so far :)

I love(d) my Jetta TDI until I met a bad day with my camshafts..

Trust in your car maker?? Hmmmm. That's going to be a tough thing for me to do from now on. My car needs camshafts at 73k and it is one hell of a costly repair. The service manager at the dealer suggested I seek financial assistance from Volkswagon because he felt the part had worn out prematurely. To use his words exactly ..."never seen camshafts wear out this early before, they shouldn't"...

Well VW turned down my request.

Alot of internet research tells me this is an ongoing problem with these seemingly great cars, but even though I now understand better just what the heck was going on and why the part has failed (by the way....i did every thing right with the oil so it wasn't that!), this is not an easy pill to swallow. I'll be lucky if I can get the repair done for $2k and i just spent $1100 to get the EGR valves fixed. Here we go, into the money pit.......... :(

btw-- i know its all twitter and facebook these days but i sure hope this blogpost helps anyone who has the same problem as me thats doing a google search! here is a little reference for you in case you are reading and you want more proof.
http://www.justanswer.com/questions/1jj6e-06-jetta-tdi-running-rough-idle

a real good day...they just keep coming

this wasnt taken today or yesterday or even the day before that, but it was taken on a sunshiny day, in a beautiful place, at a wonderful time --with the most amazing person.

Wahoo........

thats right. wahoo baby.
(and darn right...two wheels rock this picture too!)

MAMA...

How adorable is that? A mama duck making her way with seven little ones....
And you know what was as adorable (to me anyway)? I was with Myles, we were riding beach cruisers to get tacos for dinner down near the pier on Main Street, he was really taken by the little creatures, and maybe more into them than me! It was a magical little event in our daily life....

So sweet to see my sixteen year-old into that.

Cherishing the "lucky mama moments".
ps) he beat me in the coasting race on the way home...little bugger used my draft!

pedal time always equals a smile...

After a couple of very long days, I finished up my business and anxiously hopped on the bike, excited for some pedaltime. It was a Tuesday in Pasadena, and you know who..in all her buzy-ness, had completely forgotten about The Rose Bowl ride (one of SoCals well known weekly training rides). I was simply looking for some way to enjoy the evening on my bike after the long days of driving and traveling. My good friends at the bike shop (who also forgot it was Tuesday) gave me everything I needed to be complete including directions over to The Rose Bowl. Off I went on the maiden voyage, quite stoked on my plan for a little mini-adventure around the infamous Pasadena spot. When I rolled up to the big bowl, everywhere that I looked I was greeted by all sorts of hustle-bustle, as tons of people had the same idea I had and were out and about getting in their daily dose of fresh air. That kind of "other people" energy is inspiring to me, and I suddenly found myself enthused for putting in a few good efforts around the loop. As I turned in with the flow of everyone (clockwise please) I saw a nice smooth open line on the open road on front of me and I began to increase my speed. I got the legs going as I pushed into the gears ...click' click' click'...big ringing it, 90 rpms. Solid, and feeling my body come alive. I went for a nice big effort around the majority of the loop until I felt the burn. Naturally, the moment came as my legs reached a peak. Ok..time to rest.

Such a good feeling....
My heart, my lungs, my legs all stimulated.
My mind satisfied.
My smile on.

And so there I am --happily soft pedaling off to the side, enjoying a little breather, enjoying the "aliveness" of my once sleepy body. A good moment.

Then....all of the sudden, like I had just entered a dream, a HUGE pack of riders came sweeping by me at what seemed like lightning speed. It took me a second to equate the moment, I was still in my own little world...then it hit me, "oh yes, THE Rose Bowl Ride!"

I had hit the jackpot.

It took an effort to jump on, but man it felt SO good to get my groove on in the pack that it almost felt like someone was tickling me! What an instant treat. I loved feeling all of my senses really coming alive as I navigated the pockets of space, and the changing wind direction, zinging my way around in the pack, my heart beating solidly --thumping in my chest. LOVE that feeling.

I kept thinking "I gotta go"..."dinner plans"..."long drive" --but my legs and my heart just kept going, my mind saying "one more lap"... "oh that was fun, okay one more lap" vroom vrooom. "alright, just one more lap then I HAVE to go!" ---

Get the picture? ;-)

It felt so good to ride like that again. I didn't attack, or try to be at the front, or anything like that --I was simply enjoying the feeling of racing again, it felt so natural to be in this element.

Grateful moments indeed.
And since when does one ever just stumble onto a ride like that, unplanned?

And so ...that picture I posted above is testament to the bike. Me smiling on my spin back to my car, so thankful for a pleasant little pedal adventure, on a random Tuesday night.....

Peace out.

Proof that the bike is still being ridden ;-)

Smiles are beautiful

How can anyone not love a smile. And I for one...love people and I love capturing their energy with the camera (even though I am a total amateur!). I was actually a little embarrassed taking this shot (can you imagine me standing with these kids, lined up on "their" wall just so I could get a moment to snatch a picture for my "day-tripping in the rep world" photo album). I just needed a split second when they weren't gawking at me wondering what on earth I was doing there lined up like them.... the only female, AND without a board. Ha.

This was a moment indeed.

It was a great moment. The shot was taken in Las Vegas at Pharmacy Board Shop --one of my newest dealers. These guys are SO nice and So mellow and SO cool. No wonder all the kids want to hang out there!

I'm coming in close to two years ago when I was offered the position to come on board with this side of the industry and although it has been a WILD ride learning the ropes, there is never a moment that I do not appreciate the gift of being in this career.

Ride on Ride on...

there was a time when old school was new

Old School BMX Reunion & Show ** Highlights & Invitation ** from Old School BMX on Vimeo.

I'll be in attendance this year :)

Glen Helen --outdoor season opener.

Krista and I made it a day of Mojo madness and took our Ibis bikes out to the track to watch the big guns take on the big hills. Wow. Man oh man oh man those are some steeeeeep hills and serious jumps! Major respect for motocross....

ps) Tecate goes well with sunshine, dirt, and braaaaaaaaaaaaaap ;-)

Cinco de Mayo on the 6th...

So I spent Cinco De Mayo working, working, working and completely forgot it was the annual May "party" night, until I was doing and evening jog and these cars went rippin' past me --one after another in this hilly neighborhood that resembles Fountain Grove in Santa Rosa. I was in Trabuco Hills (a beautiful area in the OC for hill training) getting in an almost "too late in the evening" workout after watching Myles run an impressive 2:12 800 meter race (injured) in a in a high school track meet. It took me awhile to realize that all those people zipping past me were "late" for the party --wherever the party was. I however, was quite content with the moment and my evening and the fact that I actually made my son's track meet! --and in the end, totally enjoyed a late night jog under a soon to be full moon.
Then Wednesday came along and after work off I went to join the guys for a one day late "Cinco de Mayo" mountain bike ride. There were tequila shots (none for me thanks!) and there were Tecates (don't mind if I do!) and there were sombreros (wish I had taken a picture of Lopes wearing his!). It was a grand time indeed...plus we celebrated Joe's (my friend Joe Lawwill's) birthday....so there was also a little chocolate birthday cake presented after tacos and beer :)
Good times for sure.....

Laguna Canyon is remarkably beautiful. If you haven't ridden up around the hills there, I hope you get to do so someday...the views are absolutely stunning and totally worth the trip.

Enjoy the ride...

I am getting a serious itch....

This is Michele Johnson...one awesome woman. Mother of two, kick-ass mx rider and women's racing advocate. Luck me to meet her....."braaaaaap".

my new "kit"

this is my new outfit for picking Myles up at parties..........

Myles gets lucky....

...and finds a lost and lonely Ben!

XTREMEY AWARDS 2009

What a wonderful evening, that's all I got to say.

LUNA FEST

I'm happily attending. whoo whoot.

Pay to Play....

I have had plenty of great times lately, whether with work or play --and both on and off the bike. But getting this patch of Poison Oak was enough to stop me in my my tracks for a wee bit. It was just that small little barrel roll crash from the Laguna Canyon ride I posted about recently....then this little bugger crept up on me and went ballistic. Its all over now.....phew, no more ooze and itching! For the record, this stuff called Kool-n-Fit Spray for bruises, arthritis etc etc... was THE ONLY thing that finally killed it. I ALMOST went to urgent care, and as a matter of fact was on my way... but I just couldn't stand the thought of prednisone, so I took one more trip to the health food store and loaded up on that spray and tea tree oil and non-stick pads and tape and all the goodies to be my own doctor. This time it worked.

Guess it is safe to say "spring has sprung", and so have all the plants!!!

Reunited......

Well Myles is here...FINALLY.

This is a pic from our first "adventure" now that we live together again. The time has come. It's been a bit bumpy getting things going, but we are on a good roll now.

Phew.

EASTER....2009

Religious --or not.

Hallmark Holiday --or not.

....I have to say this Easter is one of the most special ever. I might have to have some help eating up on this bunny ;)

words to live by.........

Ain't nothing sweeter....

Laguna Canyon is full of little beasts. Yesterday I met Stair Step courtesy of Joe.

This is just one section of the trail "Stair Step" to show you what I mean as you read this little story of yesterday's ride.

My life has been full of all different types of workouts lately, definitely not your usual "bike racer training life". For example ---I have been running wherever and whenever I can fit it in, cross training conditioning at the gym, or practicing yoga late in the evening in a quiet corner of the cardio room, and even lately been doing sprint intervals on the bike after dark on quiet streets in Huntington Beach. Between work and all of life's demands, I have had a hard time making it out on the bike in daylight during the week, so being creative has been key ---but yesterday I made sure I was ready to hit the dirt by 5pm. I had been itching do to a ride with the guys for some time and was super excited to finally make it back out for a wednesday ride.

Here is how it went:

I meet Joe, it's chilly. He gives me an extra jersey that might as well be a mini dress on me! We bolt off towards the first climb (i swear mountain bikers don't do warm-ups!),our goal being to go get in a quick "little up then down" loop before meeting the group.

I just follow Joe in complete trust...
Joe says to me --"have you ever been up Stair Step?" I reply -- "no, never heard of it" (and what i guess happens next is that he must have had a little smirk on his face knowing full well what torture he was about to introduce me to..but since he was in front of me I couldn't see his reaction when I told him I didn't know of this trail). Let me just state that Joe is VERY good at just throwing me right into to the wolves when it comes to trail introduction....now I am just used to it and wouldn't have it any other way. It makes it all so cool not knowing what's next! The only thing I wished I had done/noticed is that I had left my front fork locked out because the last ride I did on my mountain bike finished with pavement hill repeats and I forget to release the fork, which made Stair Step even more of a challenge for "Miss Rookie" Laguna Canyon rider.....

Anyway, after a bunch of curse words and run-a-bike efforts --as well as a few monumental moments clearing some tough stuff --I finally made it to the top where Joe was patiently waiting for me. Then we skirted swiftly across some rollers and went onward to Telonics to attempt to get down fast enough so as not to miss the start of the "group ride" --- I took one look at Joe knowing full well what kind of descending I was in for and said..."hey hey hey..don't bother waiting for me, have a good ride --I'm cool on my own".
He was sweet enough to say you go to the right up here at the junction and I'll go to the left to see if I can catch them and hold 'em up for a minute.

Hahaha... a minute. Impossible.

Not only did I crash down what seemed like the dustiest day ever on Telonics, when I tumbled, somehow my bike seat landed on my calf and gave me the biggest charlie horse ever --i was stuck in the pedal and i couldn't move for like two minutes!...then I finally get up and start to walk down this dang hill to a spot where I can remount the bike (keep in mind, my top tube is tall and makes it hard for me to hop back on easily), but here's the funny part, as I am walking I slip on the "dusty" trail and go tumbling and sliding out of control with my bike rolling with me and ultimately landing dead on top of me ---- that part made me laugh out loud.

God you gotta love adventure hey.

So, needless to say, I roll by the pit and the ride is long gone, so I take myself on a little journey up Canyon Acres (one of the best ever "rideable" sustained dirt climbs that makes Manayunk Wall look like chump change) then I head up and over the rollers across to Rockit --down and back up and then basically back down Canyon Acres to my car. First I made a little pit stop by that big giant crystal place to rinse off my wounds (yep more rash) and all the dust from my barrel roll. The water running from the pretty crystal fountain was tepid and wonderful. Then onward ho and back to my car right before sunset....

After that, it was back to home to Clo Du Bois Merlot, organic sloppy joes and a tasty organic green salad --with avos and tomatoes. A lovely ending to yet another great adventure in Laguna Canyon.

I truly know how fortunate I am to be where I am, and getting to do what I do....Laguna Canyon is special and is full of challenges, lessons, beauty, and wonder.

On a side note: I can only imagine what all the people were thinking that I passed along my little solo ride when they saw my bloody arms and my body coated in dirt from head to toe --he he he ;)

Let the good times roll....

okay okay....still in love

Weekend days in the desert.......watching SuperMoto with my young man.

parental management....the greatest challenge of all

can you even imagine what it's like to go out of your way a BAZILLION times over and over and over and over for a little person you love beyond life. The act of standing by your baby through thick and thin through all of life's stages. the art of making major life choices to improve and grow to be a better person, a better parent --- to work hard to lead by example, show your young one to follow their dreams even if it means sacrifice. To believe in "truth" ---to follow the light, to respect and listen to those who know and have been ther before and ---to trust that mom is not a ding-dong that was born yesterday? Man oh man.....do I owe my parents THE BIGGEST APOLOGY ever.

good luck to all the parents out there who are raising teenagers, and best of luck to all and not be marred or jolted by the teenage years. it makes no difference sometimes how good you are, or what doors of wisdom you open to show them the way. rebellion, challenge, defiance etc etc etc.....it comes in all shapes and sizes regardless, no matter what ---and no matter how hard you try to save them from the stumbling blocks..


wow....was i just like this???? i wonder??? hindsight is......

CALI

This little guy is the sweetest, and most gentle little tomcat out there. He is all healed up and has been back to the vet to make sure...
LOVE HIM..

...one more from the fundraiser day.

love this shot. 90mph felt like cruising :) :)

Now that was a wonderful day--

....and all for a GREAT cause! I've ridden my two-wheel pedal bike up Palomar Mountain, but doing South and East Grade on a Ducati was a whole different kind of treat .......words cannot describe the feeling of being on the back of a bike driven by one of the best. Pure luxury.

OH BOY....

The parents are visiting.....stay tuned. ;)

Sweet hey.

Now that's a HOT looking Fuji Track Pro.......lucky me to meet this guy and his bike at random along my daily route. Made me smile fosho.

Time to get an alarm clock....

So... its just been me and my silly little cell phone every night ever since I moved down here for my new job. I haven't got a true clock next to the bed. I use this little phone for everything, it goes with me everywhere ...but this ding dong also uses it for her alarm clock too, and guess what?... The phone battery went dead overnight last night (of ALL times!) and I missed my wake-up call to be on a special, out of the ordinary 6:30am conference call with work. Dang....major work foul, I think I'm sent to the bench for this one. Bummer...I hate missing work commitments!!!! ---- nevermind the 6:30am conference call time, don't let that shock you, that's a normal time for us west coasters for our regular Monday morning calls since we have an east coast based company. It's a little odd sometimes, being groggy on these Monday morning calls, but I'm used to them now. However, today was a special Friday call ...and yours truly slept til 7am without the alarm and missed the call.

Man......I suck. You can bet I'm buying an alarm clock today.

I'm kind of liking the looks of this one below. It could make every morning an adventure, and hey...you know me, I like adventures! :)





The clock works like you'd expect an alarm to, but has an ominous little propeller up top that shoots off when it's time to get up. You won't be able to turn it off until you retrieve the prop and return it to its holder on the clock. Just don't sleep with your face toward the ceiling, or with any of the windows open.

Hahahahahaha...wouldn't that be fun.

Girl Time :)

Ryan Hostetter came to spend the weekend with me and we had just a fabulous time! Yes, of course the weekend was centered around riding and we rode a beautiful training loop everyday day, but we also made sure to add in some twilight pier walks, nightime pedaltime, tasty dinner eats, special vino, and yum-yum desserts into the weekend as well. Love this SoCal "training weekend" life. ;-)

Anyway, she's a way cool chick, super strong on the bike, and I'm just blown away at the fact that even though we hardly knew each other, we had such a great weekend hanging out. It's cool when life deals you people that really mean something and make you feel that just by knowing them your life is enhanced. That's how I feel about Ryan. If you see her at a race say hello (she's an adorable auburn haired beauty with blue eyes and fair skin....but sorry boys she's married to a special guy!) If you do meet her, you'll see what I mean, she's a great gal. Look for her, she'll be sporting Velo Bella kit (one of my favorite all around women's teams ever for many reasons!!...love you Sabine) and if you watch her race, I bet she'll be making every effort to be right in the thick of the action ---and perhaps find her way to the top step of that podium!

Go Ryan Go ...I might be your new number one fan :)

Flying B Ranch--- compliments of Joe Lawwill

View Larger Map
Yo People......get ready there is a new thing coming into the world for dirt lovers. Joe Lawwill has been working HARD to get approval for an epic soon to be mountain bike trail park in Irvine Ca. --- and guess what baby?.... it's been approved! We not only need to thank the owner of the land for his generosity and support for mountain bikers, but we also need to thank Joe (and his partners) for their diligence in getting this park approved.

Now this is where you come in....
We ALL need to do our part to make this baby come to life. It's not easy times in the world of money and we all know that.....but we also know that a park like this is the kind of thing that you will be happy and proud to have been a part of supporting so that you can enjoy it, as well as feel good about leaving a legacy behind for generations to come.

So when the time comes......PLEASE get involved, volunteer, spread the word, kick down some money...whatever....just do it. It will be good for us all! :)


Thanks Joe...you rock. And by the way...Joe will be posting more as time comes about breaking ground and getting things going.....I'm just spreading the love and the excitement. Cheers :)

PRETTY IN PINK

What do you call this? --- perhaps a little "early-season" training prep for taking a slider across the pavement? whatever it was it was a doozy, and a damn good skid. i may have been granted all "10's" by the judges had they been there, for my slide across two lanes only left me with one "new to me" temporary tattoo. although i think that type of sliding practicing should remain in softball pre-season practice rather than cycling pre-season. i must admit i'm pretty darn sure that might have been a record distance pavement slide for me, however i think i much prefer the 180 tailspin view of oncoming riders on closed race circuits versus oncoming cars on open public streets! ....someone was on my side that's for sure. let's just call this a lucky day. i actually feel bad for the lady who braked in the lane i ended up in, she really looked petrified when i made eye contact with her at the end of my slide. the whole deal --the crash i mean, it was nobody's fault, just a training ride where one of things can happen ---and this time it did. how could i let it ruin my day? the day was glorious for many reasons, i just added a little adventure and excitement to go with the warm weather and sunshine. and i am once again learning the art of being grateful. things could have been a whole lot worse.
may i also say how nice it is that the city of Irvine takes such pride in the surface of their roads --for the digger took i had no gravel, no road pebbles, and really almost no grit and road grime on my road rash at all either. that was pretty wild. i swear they MUST power wash their streets when no one is looking!

On Parenting a teenager.

just a random definition that came to me ---using nature as the analogy.

I liken being a parent of a teenager to witnessing lightning and thunder ---it can be startling, shocking, intriguing, wild, uncontrollable and even down right disturbing....but undoubtedly there is always the most beautiful rainbow somewhere nearby ---usually appearing before, during or after the storm. I choose to focus on that rainbow, and to ride the waves of lightning and thunder as needed elements to bring about the creation of the rainbow in the first place.

Myles Anthony, you are my rainbow. (and as you can see in the picture, he is clearly playing up the lightning and thunder! ;))

Word to morning rituals.....

Getting the skinny tire itch.....

These shots are a sample collection of a three week racing trip we did in Europe in The Spring of 2007. That yellow helmet would be the back up helmet I am using now (since I cracked my Giro when I flipped over my mountain bike a couple weeks ago). That yellow helmet sure has been around. The team was "Team Lipton" (for my new friends who may not know my prior race team experience), my teammates were phenomenal athletes as well as all-around amazing women. It's hard to believe that trip was almost two years ago! We were there for three weeks and although we had a smaller team there than originally planned (injuries kept some of our girls home), we still had a great racing experience. We had the privilege of staying at THE SRM house up on a gorgeous hill in Lucca, and honestly....the weather, the accommodations, the people, the experience, the lessons, the racing ....none of it could have been better.
When I look at pics like this it reminds me that I still have the itch to race my road bike......expect to see me out there this year, just can't quite tell you when or where but I can tell you that a certain Wednesday ride I am doing might just make me a bionic woman come summer time! ;)~

KESTREL 2009

The man behind the plan is Steve Harad (Steven Harad)....go on Google him, educate yourself. He's great guy and is a man with vision for Kestrel that will not disappoint.


....read the post below, I'm not saying we're perfect (not one bike company out there is by the way!), but I read this this little excerpt from a another blog and thought it was worth sharing and noting, especially since mr bikesnobnyc seems to think that all we are is some wack job company that produces bikes without brains and thought and engineering and that only retired dentists will bother caring that we are back in business. Whatever yo-ho....to each their own.

Here's the forum post:
"A little extra positive feedback to Kestrel (parent Company - Advanced Sports Inc. - ASI - maker of Fuji and SE Bikes). Especially to Steve Harad - Kestrel Manager. I had a warranty situation and Steve took care of business! He took special time out from an Ironman Kestrel booth to communicate with me several times and get some action going. Just what one would hope all good business people would do. Also, "job well done" to Roy Hough at Kestrel for getting my frame "in the mail".
On the local front - Nytro took care of the actual Kestrel transactions - David Hull - Customer Service/Shipping and James - Service Manager worked with me in a very professional and positive way.
Disclaimer - I have no connection (other than spending my money) with either of these companies. Sometimes one hears complaints about business dealings - so it is good to deal with some folks that did thing correctly - right from the start to the finish. - and nice to have a great bike again."

Cool hey.

So without sounding like to much of a brat...can I just say "shut up and ride". If we all did that, the world would be a better place ---GUARANTEED. I don't care if you ride a cruiser, a fixie, a BMX bike, a tandem, a comfort bike, a touring bike, a friggin unicycle, a downhill bike, a tricycle, a hardtail, a rigid, a triathlon bike, or a bike made of whatever material.....aluminum, carbon, steel, titanium, bamboo etc etc......you get the picture. Just enjoy yourself already.