DNF.

Cross Race again. Today's special guest was Kari. Her first cross race ever! We did the warm up together and I showed her the ropes and gave her a few tips. It was a terrible warm up with respect to getting me warmed up but it sure was fun. We got accused of giggling too much. That doesn't sound like me and Kari, does it? okay, me and anyone really...

Today I'm featuring the ladies of cross in my pictures.

Mel, Kari and Yours Truly. All three of us were back and forth the whole race. That is, until the incident...

The incident. After about 40 minutes, a stick lodged itself into my derailleur. It created all kinds of havoc and there was no more shifting after that. I think my hanger is bent because when I pedal my drive chain says "ca-chunk, ca-chunk, ca-chunk, crunch crunch crunch". So I had to DNF. Boo. Hiss.

Introducing Anna!

And Joanne! Both fast ladies in the second race.

An interesting thing happened as I was leaving. I'm passing by this guy who I swear I've never seen before in my life and he says in a low, taunting voice "Whoooop Asss". Hmmmm....I guess he was at the party last weekend but I wouldn't recognize him without his costume.

So I jammed a lot in one day today. After the race, I had a choice of three rides to go on. It was a beautiful day so everyone was out riding. I chose the latest one because of time.

Group ride, Kanata Lakes ten riders deep. It wasn't a great start, people were dropping like flies...literally. By twenty minutes in we had 4 crashes, one being hard enough to bust this guy's hand forcing him to abandon the ride. I got a good 2 hour ride in but had to bail on the group early because I was off to my next commitment of the day...

Ball hockey. This one is different, its ladies only. And I'm the goalie. I accidentally discovered last year that I love playing in the goal so every now and then this team asks me to spare for them. We crushed the other team 7-1. Eat it yellow team!

As long as the other team doesn't discover my weak blocker skills, its all good. Glove side? Forgetaboutit.

Riding the yellow line

It snowed on Thursday night. As usual I was fairly oblivious in the batcave so when I went out that night for errands and hockey, I was surprised to find a blanket of wet snow on the ground.

It was good sticky snowman snow.

Friday I went for a road ride. It was just above freezing, making a sheltered mountain bike ride in the trails a much better choice. But I've been itching to ride in the car-free gats before too much snow made it impossible. The Thursday night flurries increased the urgency so I bundled up and headed out the door against my better judgment.

Bundle I did. I thought my ninga attire might be overkill but I was wrong. It was just right.

I rode up Blacks on the yellow line. Just cause I could!

Is skiing on this actually fun? I know I'm a backcountry ski snob but really, come on!

About halfway to Champlain, as I got higher and it got colder, a few inches of snow were still on the ground. I took one look at these tracks and shook my head. Crazy skiers. Then I realized they would probably (or at least should) be doing the exact same thing in response to my ride.

I wasn't the only nutbar! I saw 5 other riders out. This icy bit is between the top of Blacks and the Fortune turn off. Its rideable.

After three hours in this cold, I had lost contact with most extremities. My fingers were beyond numb as I rode home in the dark.

Can't wait to get out there again!

The Full Catastrophe

This is the weather for the weekend.



I know I should be happy about it. And I kinda am. However, just once I'd like to have a full-on catastrophic, code-red, batten the hatches weather situation for a cross race. Isn't that what cross is all about? I've had nothing but sun and +10C for all my races.

NO MORE SUNDAY MORNING SUNSHINE PLEASE!!

I don't think I'm the only one who wants to experience cross at its worst. We want mud! We want wind! We want driving sleet!

We want this (minus the little red tighties):



Or this:




And we also want this but that's another topic...

(This is from a race in Victoria that my friends Dave and Roland did. I'm insanely jealous of its awesomeness! Maybe I should ask if the OBC would be willing to incorporate flames at Almonte this weekend)

All Wrong

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.

Oh what a night

Getting ready to go.

Warning: Contents under pressure. If mishandled, a wee ball of fury may be unleashed on yo ass.

I was one of four finalists for best costume of the party. I don't feel bad about not taking top prize though, because the winner was Andrew and Kim as Hal Johnson and Joanne McLeod. Hilarious. Andrew wore bibs and tucked the leg up under some classic track shorts that were short enough to do Richard Simmons proud. Sorry no pics.

So yeah. Maybe it could be said that I had too much fun last night because I didn't quite make it to my cross race. Even with the extra hour, 9:30 came far too soon for me.

Lenny and Gilles called to heckle me from the race asking me what place I was in. At least I made it halfway through to watch. Beautiful day to be outside.

Unfortunately a couple of hours is all I could muster and now I'm in for the rest of the day, sitting on the couch watching season five of Weeds.

OMBA's Crap, does summer have to be over Party

First we "rode". I put that in quotes because I think we did more of this than riding. But that's what fall riding is all about, right?

Confederation Bridge is floating again. Unfortunately no one fell in the slimy water but the paparazzi was ready with the camera if they did.

Lenny

Then we went to the official OMBA end of the year party at the Barley Mow. Many people came out. Eric was there!

Chris, the baking biker, supplied draw prizes. Everyone loves his goodies.

John and Tina, a smiling Lenny in the background and many others were there.

Scott, Matt and Pete

Number 9

A while ago I started finding uninvited squatters in my apartment. I didn't get rid of them as soon as I should have and they multiplied like crazy. This is number 9 in the past two weeks. He's full grown but about half of my little friends were babies.

I trap them in here. The lid flips down when they go in. Usually they go looking for their peanut butter snack at about 4am. Just like Big Ring.


Like clockwork I'm woken up each night at 4am from the snapping lid. I grudgingly get up and transfer them to the old recycling bin stocked with food, water and nesting materials. Look at number 9, he's freakin adorable. Oh those eyes.




Then the next morning, I take them far away so they can find a new home. They are always so tentative going out of the bin. Run for it, dude!



I've put up eviction notices. I need them to be gone. I really don't want to be having to deal with them when its below zero. Surely there can't be more than nine, right? Right?