Tales From A Bike Path

Big ride on Saturday, Santa Ana River ride, 61 miles. Yes it was a flat bike path but that was enough for me at this moment in the season. We started in Corona at the golf course at Green River and rode along the Santa Ana river down to lovely Huntington Beach and then backtracked. The weather was very cooperative, not like last time when we had to ride back with a massive headwind of about 20-30 mph. There were too many close calls that day, it's not fun to involuntarily blow over into oncoming cyclists. So, when God gives you calm, 70 degree temps in August you take em and make em worth your while.

See, this is lovely Huntington Beach, and on yonder is Newport Beach, land of misfit drunken ho's and bro's. That's why Huntington put up this chain fence.

OBSERVATIONS OF A TRAIL RIDE

-Saw Ms. Jugs O' Fun, 50 something mama in a lose yellow sport tank with DDD's

-5 random recumbants (contraption captains)

-1 of the CC's looked like an anorexic santa listening to news radio

-Just like in driving people speed up when you try to pass

-1 token chiahuha in a basket

-1 Fancy Lad in green tri kit who had a curiously hour glass shape

-Uncountable Scattante's, thank you Performance Cycles, quit sending me catalogs.

-2 Scattante rider's with white crew socks

-Numerous O.P.W.V's (oncoming passers with vengance) I was just waiting for a fishhooked handlebar

-1 Tandem playing I'm a Barbie Girl

-1 tank top with arm warmers

-27 kids with death wishes

-1 rider in full on winter kit, ready for a Wisconsin winter

1 rider standing off to side who looked like he was trying to warn Will Robinson about something.

Then the wolf pack turned to three

The Big Red P

Went riding with my hubby this morning at 5:30. I found it a bit adventurous, starting off in the dark. Always exciting when I get to use my cheap little Knog lights. I wouldn't use them in complete darkness though. I put two on the handlebar and they basically light up my front tire, but at least drivers can see my two light up bike pasties coming at them, oh and my blinky caboose light. Like I said it was 5:30 in the morning and it was already steamy, just ask my hubby about my lawyer lip. Apparently that's what I get when I sweat, so he says. I don't tell him about the sweaty drainpipe dripping down the middle of my sports bra. Ha, that's nasty even for me. I like to think it's because fitter people sweat more. I keep telling myself that, I believe it's a fact, in some medical journal.

Well it was a good ride, no flats, bloody noses, or broken egos(at least I hope not). Although, I'm debating the ride we're planning this weekend, it's 50 miles out and back to Huntington beach. I feel a bit out of shape, but it is all flat, no more than a 1 % grade. Ooh, I just got a feeling, it's about 3 hours since we finished our ride and I feel like a puu-saaay. Flat and 50 miles, my granny could that. O.k. I just talked myself into it again. I'll just watch some Rapha movies beforehand. So look for Mondays entry and find out if I puuuss out or if I just end up riding around town with a big red P on my jersey.

Silly Karma, Can't Catch Me!

It all comes around to bite you in the behind. I have been having really bad luck this whole summer. I thought all my poopy luck was coming from me mentioning at some time that I keep my teeth healthy, I never get colds, and I never get flats. But under more careful consideration I blame this all on the fact that I can't keep my mouth shout when Mark Cavendish is on TV, whether he's talking or riding. Yes, I admit I used to make fun of his nasty English teeth before he had them transplanted by that South American voodoo dentist. I basically had nothing nice to say about him, because he doesn't have anything nice to say either. Well I've been keeping my mouth shut since the Tour, and I will continue to keep it shut through the Vuelta and Worlds. Here are my reasons, take a gander:

1. I make fun of Marky poo's nasty teeth, I get an abscessed tooth that is so bad my dentist lets out an s-bomb. I'm out for 3-4 weeks.

2. I believe Mark's bronchial problems were a lame excuse for his lackluster start to the season. I end up getting a seriously mucousy cold and cough. I'm out for 2 weeks.

3. Mark veers into Haussler in the Tour de Suisse and takes out the sprinters field and again he crashes in Tour de France during the final run in. Also, during the Tour, he sends his henchman Henshaw to take out Julian Dean with a headbutt at 30 miles an hour. I rant about it to my poor husband for days after each incident. Now, the similarities are kind of far fetched because I haven't crashed, but I have gotten two flats within a span of two days. My rides got cut short for a total of a total of 45 minutes.

Coincidence? Nope. I believe that the South American voodoo dentist gave him the power to cause harm to those who speak evil of him. A kind of twisted Karma that will cause the evil-speaker to endure hardships or embarrassments*. I lost a total of 6 weeks and 45 minutes of riding this summer due to this Karma crap. So I am reverting back to my 90's mountain biking days and creating a piece of Ju Ju for my bike. I'm thinking about one of those little rubber finger puppets, they're not too heavy right? I'll just stick one of those puppies right up front in my cables so he can form a sort of deflector shield. Suck on that Cavendish Karma.

*Due to flatting, cutting my ride short, and having 60psi tire pressure (thanks airstick) I had to take a shortcut through a construction zone complete with rivers of mud across the whole street. Equal that with my white Castelli shorts and 10 or so construction workers, you now have embarrassment.

Artsy Fartsybird Velo

I have finally had the creative outpouring I've been waiting for. Like when that underground zit finally turns into a whitehead. Whoops, was that too graphic. I have been painting my whole life, everything ranging from little gimpy horses when I was a little girl, dreamy surf scenes, including Pee-Chee folder waves in high school and college, and now cycling has grabbed hold of my brush.
The painting above was actually a screen print I made for t-shirts. The screen sneaked over to the blank painted canvas and voila! This one is Franco Ballerini, done after I read the Paolo Bettini story in Procycling earlier this year.
This is my interpretation of Andy Hampsten on Passo di Gavia in the '88 Giro. The first real piece of cycling history I read(ever actually) that really made me want to get out and suffer. I was proud to be a cyclist. It made me feel like I could conquer any hill in any weather and it made me quit bitching when my fingers got a little numb.
This is a little series about about vintage bike bits. I'm a big supporter of simplicity so that's why I went for the two tone color scheme and simple line drawing. I love the 60's and 70's cycling era. The Brooks saddle was because I have a soft spot for beautiful English craftsmanship.
I needed a bag to bring back bagels and goodies from Panera so I started making musettes. My other bags were successfully sold to yard sale hounds.
I recycle my jars and keep the lids, so I have a box full of spaghetti sauce, pickle, and jam jar lids. I have magazines laying around with lots of pretty pictures. And I have a ton of resin in the garage because I tend to aim my surfboard toward rocks, concrete parking space blocks, random trash cans, and little kids' heads. This is what came out of it all, fridge magnets, or tool box ornaments if you're so inclined.
Last but not least the start of my T-shirt collection. I mentioned before that I love to suffer, and what first comes to mind: Belgian One Day Classics. This is one of my favorite designs.
I make designs that I enjoy and would want to wear but can't seem to find . All t-shirts were screen printed by hand. There are a couple missing but these are the First Year collection. Francois is the little fellow on the right, Freebird Velo's mascot. They have since been updated and be on the lookout for the new and improved Francois.