Anyone out there?

It's late in the afternoon. I'm procrastinating. My sister's class was recently at sparklesandspit (why did I call it that?) and so the address is in my internet history. I've clicked on every other link so I clicked this one too. I signed in. And now ... a post.

Maybe even a rebirth.

I'm not going to make excuses for my hiatus, but I will fill you in on some of the happenings of the past year as they pertain to bikes. It's February Blahs season, so may as well stoke the fire a little bit

A few posts down I introduced the "fun bike". I remember when it was shiny and new as pictured, but now it is mostly covered in dirt. Even though it's winter and it's just been sitting on the rack mostly. Cleaning that bike is one of the things I've been meaning to get around to since October. Oh where does the time go? 2008 is the year I learned to jump. I'm still a total novice and get stoked just clearing the tables so don't expect reports of any great feats. A tail whip may not be in my future and I'm okay with that. But what the bike has enabled is a whole new level of confidence for cross country -- cornering, handling, and balance are all noticeably improved. Plus, since it's a single speed with flat pedals, I've unlocked a few secrets about momentum too. But it's not all fun and games -- I also got my first-ever stitches in 08. Nine of em, in the shin. Really, I was probably due for some anyway. Gotta pay to play, so they say.

photo cred: Monk

So cross country! 09 race season is only a few short months away. Still waiting for my weapon: a Trek Top Fuel 9.8 WSD. I've got great ambitions to take it on the road (as in travel) to get comfy in as little time as possible. I'll also try and arrange for a proper fit with Steve Neal Performance. I met with Peter Glassford in December and while I can't afford to call him my coach, he's been kind enough to respond to email questions and we also had a long meeting to start things off on the right track. The main thing I took away from our chat? Vegetables. Eat your veggies!! Of course, I gleaned some other tidbits as well but those I'll keep to myself. You know, in the spirit of competition.



2008 I also made my first attempt at Downhill. I was at Mont Ste Anne for the World Cup as a spectator and in the rainy days leading up to the race, I got in some wicked runs. Man is it addictive. Mountain biking without climbing!! I was most blown away by the tires. Traction was a completely different story from what I'm used to. Even though it was wet and sloppy, I stuck to almost everything (except the ladder bridge where I hit the back brake. Idiot.) Gotta be careful or I'll end up on a big bike. It was highly addictive (and expensive) and let's face it: that's where the real glamour of the sport is. Those are the guys and gals in the magazines. They're the ones filming all the time. That said, the XC race on the Sunday looked so gnarly. There's masochism and then there's masochism. In DH, the race lasts 5 minutes and if you don't fall, it's just a gruelling five minutes. In XC, the race lasts approximately 2 hours. And you know you're going to be in pain for every single second. And then usually for the afternoon and the day following, too.

You know, sometimes I think about all the time and money I'd save if I just gave up bikes entirely. But that train of thought usually leads to ideas about what gear I'd buy with the spare cash, and where I'd ride with all the free time. Which is basically back where I started, so I guess I'll just keep on keeping on.

Anyway, hello from oblivion.

Rubber side down.


KL