Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Drag racing...

on a bike is cool!

I just got home from my ride and it's 10:15...but like I told my buddy Marian as we were riding home, I have my excuses all lined up for why I get dropped from the group ride in the morning...

But it was fun!

Marian and I went to check out the Fixed-gear Drag Races they have on Wednesday nights in downtown SB. It is a totally different crowd than those I usually ride with, but after Dave's fun report (see ChickenRanch Team Blog) on it last week, I just had to see what I was missing! Marian said it was fun, so off we went! She informed me on the way down that I had to carry the 'beverages' in my pack, because it was bigger than hers. She also informed me that she was more of a 'heckler' than a racer, so she wasn't going to race. I said I was just going to watch, too...but come on, those who know me know that I'm not one to let a competition pass me by without trying it!!

We get there....a side street in between a warehouse and a garbage truck repository. Lovely. It was dusk, and the riders were gathering. I felt about 15 years too old, and like I had the wrong bike. I don't own a fixed gear bike...so i had to just go in one gear on the road bike. They called us up for qualifying....and off I went. I'm not sure how long the course was...but it took all of 23.79 seconds for me to ride it in the qual round. I went pretty hard, but I didn't have the gear chosen exactly right.

In a few minutes, M comes over and tells me that I made it through the qualifying round. Ok...what does that mean? That means I get to race against someone else in round 1. Yippeeeee! Ok, so the guy I got seeded with is a 16 year old kid! It comes to our turn, and we start. I am in a harder gear this time, so it takes me a bit to get on top of my gear. I suck his wheel for a bit, and pass him about 2/3 of the way through. I win, and make it to round 2! I wonder how that poor kid feels about being beaten by a 35 year old 'girl' (I use the term loosely). On to round 2 . I start to get worried when I figure out the guy I'm racing against (Matt) is the guy who is kind of running the thing! Ack. Thankfully no one told me until AFTER that he has won the event before.... Needless to say it was no contest. By the time I got on top of my gear, he was too far in front to even think about. Oh well. My 60 seconds of fame were over shortly after they began. I don't know who won, because I had to start the ride home before the next round began.

Some of my roadie friends were out there....they really have to all get out and race next week! Unfortunately if they all race, my chances of making it out of qualifying will significantly reduce....but hey, bring it on! Dave put in a good showing, and the people were nice and welcoming, even to us 'roadies.'

Here's the video of me in Round 1, and Dave in Round 1.





I'm hooked! I could get used to these 20 second races.... :-)

Ciao!
drKim

ps. I need to get a video camera so I can record Marian's every move. It would be priceless...

Since we don't have a track...


Sounds like fun!!

Monday, June 9, 2008

Ramblings

I have awesome friends.

I had a business trip last week. A week in Hilton Head, SC. No riding, no forced exercise...I proclaimed it my "mid season break" after last month's VeloNewz' training article said it was a useful thing to do!

I hang out with a lot of athletes...people who are very driven and don't miss a workout, and feel bad when they don't ride...and I always thought I was one of those people. Until...

I was off the bike for 10 days. Secretly, I didn't miss it one bit. I was having too much fun working (yes, sometimes work can be fun), sailing, swimming in the much-warmer Atlantic ocean, playing in the sand, trying to get my phone to work in the hotel (lost cause--doesn't anyone care about contacting the outside world when they are on Hilton Head?), talking to people (networking?), listening to talks, giving talks, drinking (water and more interesting beverages--it was in the 90's (and humid) the whole time), eating at the Squat & Gobble, etc.

I rode my bike yesterday for 4 hours. It was fun.

When I got home...I opened my courtyard door to find these:



Oh!Livia
said "because every house needs a gnome" and I'm guessing the teeny Jesus is there so I don't actually have to ride my TT bike to "see Jesus 4 times" as Mee-Wee-Uhn likes to do.

Awesome.