May 26, 2009



Last race of the series. The rain kept away a couple of folks so I won the category tonight and my age group overall. Steph came along to cheer for me, so I included a couple of her pictures.

May 25, 2009



Last day in the woods, playing behind the waterfall, a Lady Slipper (rare?) and packing up camp.

May 24, 2009


This is what we do, wonder around and wait for the sun to set.

March 23, 2009


A quick trip to Monongahela National Forest for the long weekend.

May 22, 2009


This kid had grown his hair for 5 years to get to this, his prom date wanted him to have shorter hair, so he auctioned off chances to cut a piece, they raised over $1500 for a charity. It's cool to see kids who march to their own beat and do good for the world. PS that's his mom getting first snip.

May 21, 2009

Truthfully, I didn't shoot anything better.

May 20, 2009


Sometimes a bright smile can save a dull assignment.

May 19, 2009

Another race day change. Andy tries new tires and I switch cassettes. I won my age group by 10 minutes and was 4th overall in class, Andy finished a trio of spots in front of me.

May 12, 2009


Well folks after 17 months I have raced again...

Andy Fleming and I headed to Fairport tonight to race the first of three RV&E mtn bike races. On the way there we decided we would "race into shape" despite being sure we would get out asses kicked. After sizing up the competition we were sure of it. We registered, bought our annual cycling license and took off on a warm-up lap. Wow, I am pushing my bike up as many hills as I can ride... wonder if I can get my money back and find an ice cream stand?

Well we made it back to the starting line and have a bit of time to kill, lets change our tire pressure a few times and put on/fix a longer stem on my bike (what better time)

Time to line up.

Experts are off, then Sport, then us. I decided to go easy and try to finish... but on the first hill Andy is in front and I have passed everyone to suck up on his wheel. I know a big descent (over 30 mph) is coming up so I pass Andy (gravity is my friend) and I am leading the race... at the bottom of the hill there is a U turn and up a hill... as I start to pedal, I have nothing, my chain has fallen off on the bumpy downhill, crap, off the bike as 4 or 5 riders pass by. Back on the bike and start passing a couple of riders, including sport riders who started 3 minutes on front of me. Now I am alone in the woods, feeling like Jan Ulrich in the spring... remember the race into shape idea? After I while, I am between sucking in air like a fish on the bank, pushing my bike up a hill (I did feel better as the expert riders lapping me also pushed up these hills) and screaming downhill and loving disk brakes!

OK, I am not seeing anyone in front of me till the end of the second lap, where there is a by-pass for a huge downhill, jump, U-turn, I of coarse did the fear inducing downhill, at the top of the climb, I am passed by a rider from the by-pass, wait he was way behind me, and he's in my class... by-passes should take longer!

Third lap, I am, lets just say, not my strongest. The by-passer does it again at the end of the lap, but I have gapped him and am not letting him gain on me. I finish the lap, didn't crash, and survive to finish third overall in my class and win my age group (the by-pass was second in my age group)

Remember my friend Andy, he did OK too, finished just a couple of spots in front of me (it's about me) in the class ; )

May 11, 2009


$25 Craigslist find!

May 9, 2009


Loading up the new bike...

Well 4/5s of the 24 hour race team made a trip to Dryer Park, after an
exhausting 40 minutes of riding, we called it a day when Kevin smacked
a tree with his brand new bike, breaking off the brake handle and
cutting his leg.

Deciding his leg would hold, we decided to drop off the bike at Park
Ave. for a JRA warranty repair and see if they could help with my
nearly brand new bike's shock lack of.... umm shock.

After a lunch at DiBellas for Andy and his just back from Africa starved self, we
headed back to the bike shop to pick up Brian's brand new mtn bike.

so 5.5 hours after I left my house, we:
a. rode for almost 50 minutes
b. broke Kevin's bike
c. maybe caused in infection by not taking Kevin home
d. had lunch
e. spent over $1000 in a bike shop

May 8, 2009


Can you hear me now?

May 7, 2009


Congrats Kat.

May 3, 2009


My view all day. My recovery is going slower than I wanted, so I hardly left the couch... the one in the basement.

May 2, 2009


A flower in the yard, after Deb and I watched a Discovery show on the deadly things in Australia, this looked deadly to me.