More concrete critters

Remember those pink elephants from March...
These aren't quite as large but what is it with stuff like this?

Went for an epic mtb ride today. All up or down. Sure not what riding in Michigan is like.

Gene Hamilton's Mountain Bike Skills Clinic

So here I am back in Virgina, real close to D.C.
Made the 10+ hour drive yesterday along with hundreds of very loud Harleys. Did I know it was Rolling Thunder weekend? When the Harley crew descends on D.C. for Memorial Day weekend? I do now.

Lack of sleep haunts me yet today but the clinic has been great so far.
Lots of skill drills and I finally learned to do both coaster and pedal wheelies. The first pedal wheelie I surprised myself by getting three pedal rotations in before the front end came down. The second one didn't go as well so I apparently overcompensated on my third effort and promptly pulled the bike all the way over (Did I manage to hit the rear brake??? No.) So I hit the pavement real hard, backside. Ouch.

Clinic is very cool and fun. Learning sure makes one tired. Could be the sudden summer heat too! Later.

Badger Badger Badger

Badger v2 has made it! Sleek-n-slender seatstays with LOADS of clearance are the order of the day with this frame. Sneak peak here. Final build pic and ride impressions to come later.

What can I say?

Other than I'm lame? Reality is just too busy. You all know how it goes. So things like this go to the end of the list and languish. Have some fun stuff to post up but just haven't gotten it here. Like the pics and the whole experience of the Peaks Coaching Group Training Camp almost two months ago.

Or how Midland Forest and Cone races went (or didn't)

Or how I've trashed two der. hangers in less than a month after 20+ years of not having done it once.

Training Crit

Well, seems that the epic on Saturday just wasn't enough. I headed to A2 for the last of the spring training series crits. Plus I had a box full of new SpeedyChix (AAVC/SalonXL) team kit to deliver.

I felt surprisingly good after Saturday's ride. I warmed up mostly off the back of the B race. I'm hoping that for 2007 they flip the order of these races so we do the women's race first and then can burn up any remaining energy in the B race. In any case I had to make sure I kept a bit in the tank for our short race.

They split our field so we were small groups. Most of us were all on the same team making for limited dynamics. Threw down some attacks, got a pair off the front, soon we got another teammate away solo. That left us in a 3 on 1 quartet. This is where I was having trouble behaving. I kept wanting to attack but knew I shouldn't. The individual racer made a couple of really solid efforts and woke us from our slumber as we entered the final two laps. I made one last jump to draw her out and hoped to leaver her a bit tired so LJ and Wendy could sprint by for the finish. Mission accomplished.

Then to make the weekend complete once I was back home I started to work on that new pile o' mulch. Oh, the deal here...last Saturday I took care of a 10 yard pile. At least this one is smaller.