And Kermit makes 7!

I got one.

I'm one of the Geeks.

I'm now the owner of a bike that I never.....ever....ever....ever imagined I would ride.

The freak wagon.

The midget wheels.

The Thing with no top tube.

What the hell IS that?

A Bike Friday.

It's bright green and I've named him Kermit.

I travel quite a bit for work and I always try to take one of my bikes with me so I can get away from my co-workers and explore the surroundings. Dutch Harbor, Alaska, was one of the better places I've explored. My Fat Chance and I rode out to the local landfill at 11 o'clock at night to watch dozens of bald eagles snack on mounds of garbage in full daylight. While it's a liberating feeling to be able to ride around once I get there, it's a serious PITA (pain in the ass) to get a bike anywhere. I pack it up in the big monolith bike box, get charged $60-100 each way, huff it around the airport terminal, then rent a huge vehicle to cart the box to the hotel. It's to the point where the logistics are so expensive and such a PITA that it's not worth it to bring some two-wheeled fun along for the ride. I thought about S&S couplings, which run about $400, but didn't have a bike in hand to sacrifice to the gods.

Then, Zack and I were talking about taking the train more frequently between Seattle and Vancouver, BC, so I could live up there part-time next year and the idea of having a car-free commute between the 2 cities was idyllic. A folding bike would make the commute that much easier - just ride to the train, fold it up, enjoy the scenery for a few hours, then unfold and ride away. No need to box it up or worry if the train would have enough bike space. Take control of your lifestyle and just GO.

We researched folding bikes quite a bit. We quickly discounted many of the cheaper models that are made overseas because we want to support local businesses as much as possible. That quickly narrowed it down to Bike Friday, which is made down in Eugene, OR, and the company runs on wind power to boot. The bikes are also made of steel so we knew the bikes would be completely bomber. Plus if you know Zack and I, we are devoted fans of steel bikes. We crash and we get right back up.

As for what model, there are several to choose from. We leaned towards the more tour-worthy bikes since neither of us has a real touring bike. We didn't need anything sporty or light-weight or for off-roading (yes...they can do the Continental Divide Trail!), so that narrowed it down to the New World Tourist, their most popular touring folder. And while we're at it.....throw in some custom sizing, componentry, our own name plates and frame color, cook for a month and it's ready!

We got them this week and it's been nothing short of pure childish FUN. Zack already took his up to Vancouver on the train with great ease and has been rolling around up there, his bike folded up next to his bed. I rode mine to work once and did more Show n' Tell than I have since 3rd grade. I stopped by Herriott Sports and Russell nodded in sardonic approval of my "Geek Friday", then proceeded to do wheelies around the shop. Punk. I also took Kermit to the track to hang out during one of my workouts and he was quite the hit. Jane thinks that I should put my WSBA # and some aerobars on him and show up in full kit to the start of a TT. The look on those bike snobs would be PRICELESS.

The most popular question is "How does it ride?". You'd really be hard pressed to know that you're not on a regular touring bike while tooling around. I've found it really nimble and stable in turns and it climbs like a mountain goat. A 20 mile commute was as comfortable as my road bike. The gearing is much lower with the 20" wheels so it's a dream to be able to spin up hills for once!

I'm off to New Hampshire next week with Kermit in tow for our first little adventure. The first of many!

A perfect Bike Friday

Friday was Take Your Bike to Work Day, one of my favoritest days of the year. The city was one crazy biking bottleneck with 23,000 people getting into their summer commuting groove. It took me 90 minutes to get to work because of seeing lots of bike peeps I knew and just enjoying the fun. One of the highlights? Going over to take a picture of the BTW Banana and realizing that I KNEW the banana:

(That's one fine banana you got there Brian :)

After a day of commuting in the sun, it was time to head to the track! My Spidey-sense told me that the roadies who have been dominating our pre-season races would be melting in the heat at the Wenatchee stage race this weekend....and I was right! There were only 8 of us for the women's race, but it was all track all the time and by far the most fun night of the season. No worries about sketchy riding or cranking around at 30 m.p.h. like it's the U.S. National Crit Championships. You could feel the positive energy in the pack. Everyone was SO comfortable and confident because we knew each other and trusted everyone's skills. There was lots of strategy and track tactics, hard sprints for the points, and since we're lazy trackies, lots of slowing down to 10 m.p.h. after the sprints. It was laughable to a point because any other night with the roadies and we'd still be barfing up a lung after the sprints, but it was our night so we played by our rules and it felt damn good.

I'm delighted to say that I finally found my groove with this night of racing. Having these girls around me instantly brought me out of my shell. A few days earlier I was ready to sell all my stuff, but within a few laps I knew that my faith was renewed. I tried out some fun tactics, got screwed on others, and learned a ton. My fitness felt strong so I know I can go harder next week! I loved hurtling towards the finish of the very last race with some strange grunting noises coming from within and hearing Donna Smith scream "GOGOGOGOGOGO!!!" from the bleachers. She came up to me afterwards with a big smile and said, "You really had your GRRRRRR on!" Yes I did and it was AWESOME!

ISO: My groove

Raced tonight at the track. 14 women!!! Yay us!!

My energy was astoundingly awesome after getting 60 cc's of vitamin therapy earlier in the day. Yay doping on vitamins!

I was feeling mighty fine and put on a slightly bigger gear than last week, which should have given me the rocket boost I knew was in me. I had a game plan all in my head to take charge on certain laps and get points so that I could win those Babeland massage bars (prizes for pre-season ominum winners!), but then girls way faster and smarter than me showed up and put an end to that plan right away. Rats.

I tried to race smart, but once again it turned into more of me just surviving the blazing fast (for me) laps. I tried to stay towards the front of the pack, but then the line in the sprinter's lane would surge ahead and then I'd be stuck in the back. I tried staying down in the sprinter's lane to anticipate that wonderful surge, but then things got sketchy from riders above and I was too spooked to stay down there. BAH. Where's a girl to go?

More than anything though, I don't have my groove on yet. I'm discovering that I'm still racing extremely conservatively because I'm afraid of getting in a wreck and being on the S&I list yet again (even though it's much safer in a pack of people with no brakes!). I can't bring myself to being off the bike again and have developed an anxiety about being aggressive or assertive in the pack, that somehow being conservative will protect me from something bad happening. But with that anxiety comes riding more towards the back so that I can watch everything in front of me "thinking" that I'm in control, when it's actually far worse in that position.

The doctor will see you know.

I think that I just need to get a lot more races under my belt and I'll get that groove back. The confidence that I can own it again. It's been 2 years since any major form of racing so my pack instinct is rusty. I'll give myself a break and keep at it and I know that I'll have that groove back in no time.

The hairless guinea pig

Yesterday I donned my guinea pig costume so that my doc could begin experimenting with an I.V. drip for her chronically ill patients. She's learned about some exciting studies that show that giving patients frequent mega-doses of Vitamin C intravenously dramatically reduces their viral counts. When I mentioned this to a friend, she knew of a woman who did this treatment daily as an alternative to chemo and radiation and is now cancer free. Wow - pretty good company. The thought of killing this virus off for good and leading a somewhat normal life is just too good to be true. I also have a few friends with similar health issues who are following my progress with the hopes that it could help them, too.

So after a few months of training and ordering supplies, we finally began the experiment. My doc and her assistant organized all the hoses and tape, stabbed me good in the crook of my elbow (only spouting a few big drops of blood), and we watched the saline concoction drip drip drip down into my arm. Initially she was going to give me 25,000 units of Vit C (your stomach can absorb about 3000 units/day), but because they didn't know how I'd react they reduced it to half. It went pretty smoothly. I find that a junkie magazine like People does wonders for distracting you from an inch-long needle sticking in your vein.

Twenty minutes later I was all finished. She's not sure how long I'll do this procedure, but for now it will be once/week at the full dose. It's also not covered by insurance, so I'm hoping I'll only need it for a few weeks. I'll also continue the Meyers Cocktail shots that I've been getting this winter and spring, which are the only reason I'm as active as I am right now. They're mega-doses of Vitamin C, the B's, folic acid, zinc, and a few others that do an amazing job of boosting my energy since my body is so busy using these resources for fighting this virus that I'm not left with any more to do simple things like ride my bike. I've gotten a few of my other sick friends to get these shots and they've done wonders for getting them back on their bikes too!

A day after the I.V., however, I'm pretty wiped out. It's not too unexpected since my body is working overtime to knock out the virus and my liver is also being taxed expunging the toxins and dead carcases. It kinda sucks because I've had so much energy just from the shots, but now I'm at a crossroads about whether to continue the I.V. and hopefully knock out the virus, but continue to be wiped out for a month, or just go with the shots and hope that will be enough to get me through the season. Maybe doing both will allow me to still race and train and commute to work? But will that whack my body even more? No one knows. This is new territory.

Guinea pig oink oink.

By any other means

The universe is conspiring for me to not drive my Jeep any more. Witness:

Someone at work has been driving a Sparrow electric car the past month. It is absolutely EYE POPPING to see. You get out of your gas-guzzling car that you just filled up at $3.95/gallon and you feel like the biggest heel walking past this efficient machine (esp at a federal environmental agency). It even has dimples to make it slice through the air! They actually don't make the Sparrow anymore. They went bankrupt in 2003, but were bought by Myers Moters and are now made under the NmG (no more gas) name. Zero emissions. 76 mph. 30 mile range/charge. It has 6 cubic feet of space in the trunk for all the crap you'd ever buy during your daily errands.

I got a ride to the track last night in Tamara's Prius. While not totally off the gasoline grid, it's about as efficient an automobile as we have on the assembly line right now. Plus it fit 2 track bikes and gear in the back with the seats folded down. Spacious!

Jane just bought a super crazy cute Ducati Buddy scooter to zip around the city to her new job and errands and leave her Element at home. The Buddy has a 4-stroke engine and gets 100 mpg. She had to call and tell me that they have last year's model on closeout in PINK. I've always wanted a scooter to use when I just don't have the energy to ride to work or to do errands around town. But would I really ride it in the cold, dark, rainy winter? Probably not. And in the better weather I'm far more motivated to get on the bike. Maybe if my money tree starts budding it would be a nice addition to the stable. And maybe by then they'll have a solar powered scooter!

So tired....so good

Today I had my third track workout in 5 days (one being a race night actually). I could tell my legs were pretty whipped from this new repetitious intensity, but I dug in harder and made it hurt more. I've waited so long to have it hurt like this. The lactic acid searing through your legs, the top speed staring back at you from the computer display, the stratospheric ascent of your heart rate. It's like burning your hand with a candle to remind you that you're alive.

Tomorrow I go in for my first I.V. treatment to knock this virus so I want to give that bag something to really work on.

I'm on top of you, you little fuckers!

Friday night track!

Last night was the first of the "pre-season" track races. The pressure has been on for the women to show up to these 4 Fridays in May so that we can "prove" that we have the presence to be included in the summer Friday Night Racing schedule. Otherwise, the Cat 4 men get our slot. Do the spectators really NEED to see any more men in skinsuits on Friday? Can I get a HELL NO?

So last night we had 11 women racing! We had mostly Cat 3s and "elite" Cat 4s (as I call them), a Cat 2 and some other Cat 4s. It was an awesome evening and everyone was gushing on what a great group it was - lots of attacks, very challenging paces, safe riding, etc. Initially I thought, "Oh I'll just work on my spinning tonight," but that literally made me go no where fast. The first 2 races I was seriously undergeared and could not keep up with the other women when they surged forward. Of course during the race I thought it was just my lack of fitness, but when Zack told me after the 2nd race that I was bouncing like crazy on my bike I told him, "Put on the 15!!". Finally, with a decent gear under me I was able to accelerate and keep up much better in the 3rd race. It gave me a much better sense of where I am compared to the others and some faith that with proper training I'll be right up there.

Here's to a great season!