My South Park Moment Part II

I learned something today:
DON'T try and keep up with the Joneses, or in this case the Dicksons/Saints.

The candy cane and I will be celebrating our first anniversary soon. That was my last major bike purchase (except my recent acquisition of a hella awesome SECA. Worth it!) And I hadn't ridden the plucky Epic since the four-cross race in Cali. I'd thrown a leg over a burly dreamy SX and a sparkly new Stumpie, and a case of the I-wannas had got me down. I was hemmin' and hawin' in the shop tonight as newly-anointed gravity rider WD posed in his full face and the Saint got his Epicly expensive bike into perfect S-working condition...so he could sell it...so he could...pursue other interests?

"Wes," sez I, "how much could I sell my bike for? Retired folks like me need more suspension."
He eyed the flaking carbon bar and scratched paint. "Twelve hundred."
Now I daresay my little beaut is worth more to me than that. Emotional cost, you know. Devastating failures and soaring victories and all the mediocre bits in between. So I shrugged my shoulders and complained about money like I always tend to do and set off for a nighttime Long Branch adventure.
And that shut me up.
I am going to ride that bike until she breaks.
I love her so.

Adventures After Nationals

What's a girl to do after her team achieves the highest, most bad-ass honor one can achieve in collegiate mountain-biking?
Cook a Mexican casserole, of course.
I usually cook one of maybe four different things (grits, roasted root vegetables, stew, quinoa) so I thought I'd step out on a limb and try something exciting. I ignored the recipe, which suggested kidney beans and Monterey Jack, and used:
sauteed onions and garlic (first step in every durn thing I cook)
tomatoes
chilies
tortillas strips
queso fresca (This is kind of "cheese 101", but SO delicious)
black-eyed peas
So actually this isn't a new and exciting dish at all. I use most of these ingredients all the time. But it's presented in a different way, and isn't that half the battle?

My Mexican casserole was divine. St. Marie gave it his pain face of approval.

At Long Last

BREVARDCOLLEGE2009COLLEGIATENATIONALCHAMPIONS

Another Good Day

Here's some tasty results for you.

Short track.

T. Cowie: He threw down a delicious attack on that tall orange dude and rode into a VERY respectable 2nd.

Rimmer: 15th

The Saint: 16th

Four cross. The fellas were looking SO awesome on that narrow rocky track. Unfortunately, they all experienced some misfortunes on the round of 16.

Real Tall: 11th

Rimmer: 13th

T-Bag: 14th

T. Cowie: 20th

Tina: 12th

Dunc: 9th

In the round of 16, Joh, Dunc, and I were seeded together so we cake-walked down the course to avoid wrecks and fatigue. Second round, I had a bad start and sat up. I was relieved it was over and so, so tired. But then St. Marie forced me back up the hill for the consolation round. I went, grumbling and tearing up. I just wanted to be done! I was bad at 4x! But...then...I gated two Warren Wilson girls and took 5th, smiling (albeit a bit hysterically) the whole time. I was pretty durn pumped. Three podiums in two days!

And then Tuttle pulled off another stars'n'bars! She walked away from her competition like they weren't moving. It was SO exciting.

Tomorrow is the final showdown. The DH shall separate the wheat from the chaff, the cream from the milk, the men from the boys. Park was a darling and lent me his SX so I'll be rolling down the hill in style.

We're reeling in that overall title. I can feel it.

Two Down, Two to Go

The ladies just wrapped up the endurance portion of Natz with another masterful showing in short track. Sarah got caught up in a big stupid wreck at the start but worked her way through the field and danced along to "Let's Get It Started". Alexis snatched up some spots from yesterday and got 8th, Johanne pushed through the pain and got 6th, and I was once again taught my place by Montana girl and Colorado girl. So, I didn't accomplish secret goal #2 but I rode a good race and had fun if you can believe it. I'm so proud of the Brevard girls! Now it's up to the fellas once again to replicate our success. No pressure!

In the team standings BC is third behind Union and Montana State right now...but wait till we whip out our secret weapon: a talented, well-rested, ready-to-go bunch-of-huckasaurs gravity team!! UHHNNHH feel the PAIN Division II!!!

I'm Too Lazy

St Marie summed up the boys' race pretty well here. Ouch, guys. Better luck tomorrow.

I KNOW the East is the Best

Permit me to quote myself:

"If you're on the wrong side of the Rockies, feel the fear."

The SE-motha-f*ckin-CCC packed SEVEN OR EIGHT GIRLS IN THE TOP TEN. Can you say "Powerhouse Conference"!?

Brevard results, for your viewing pleasure......

Sarah Dunkey Monkey: 11th

Caroline Alexis "Tina" Decosimo: 9th

Joh "I'm a TOTAL B.A." Tuttle: 5th

Meeeee: 3rd (that's one secret goal checked off the list!)

Boys are starting in approximately 4 minutes. Updates later.

P.S. Word has it that the phone is ringing off the hook at Sycamore Cycles with people wanting to know results. That's how you know the town of Brevard is AWESOME. I can feel the love from all the way across the country!

St Marie Thinks I'm Blogging Too Much

Team BC is clustered around the big screen watching Chapelle Show while the womenfolk (and Danny...and Park) labor in the kitchen over a hot pan of lasagna.

XC chic race: tomorrow, 8am

XC bro race: tomorrow, noon

High spirits around here. I think everyone loves the courses. I know I do. They're pretty darn fabulous. I am excited to race XC, which is a strange state of affairs indeed. The course is maybe 3 miles up then 4 miles down and so much fun.

And of course, everybody loves everybody.

No Big Deal

Midway through the DH

Top of the DH

Day One

"'Stick your finger in it' should always be a step to everything. "

3:59am--I fell down a flight of stairs in the middle of the night. Yikes. Big old boo-boos all over my body and I haven't even gotten out of the state yet. Talk about an inauspicious start.

4:45am--We hung out with Herndon and Tuttle in the airport. And saw Dirty Wes D briefly, since he dropped them off. It's a bit disturbing to run into him so early in the morning; he is one sketchy bearded man.

6:00am--Joyfully reunited with most of the team. I swear it's like being part of a family.

10:23am (which is actually 12:23)--It seems that the artery between Charlotte and Las Vegas is the main conduit of grossly fat travelling people.

10:56am--Wow wow wow I've never flown over the Southwest before. Wow.

11:15am--Las Vegas! (Cibola, bumpty bump)

2:31pm--I love California! Home away from home. Driving up Highway 80 and what glorious vistas!

4:21pm--After wandering like Jews in a desert we find food in Truckee. Dunc and I head straight for the sushi/tapas bar, while everyone else prefers pizza.

7:00pm--Add to the amazing list:

-scenery at Northstar

-snowcapped mountains

-the chalet that we're calling home

-the biggest rainstorm of the year that just hit Truckee. It left the DH course tackier than Westerners can even come to terms with! (according to Herndon)

7:34pm--Now we're hanging out in the girl room watching Planet Earth on a massive flat-screen. Bedtime is coming very soon. Tomorrow: pre-ride XC, walk downhill, great shenanigans no doubt.

Talihina Sky

yesterday the saint, captain america, some tall kid, and i ventured out of our little town for some bent creek action and rewarded ourselves afterward at the best mexican restaurant in the 828. we cruised all the uphills and enjoyed the scenery, and it got me thinking about life after racing. here's my secret: after this weekend, i'm retired.

why? bicycle racing has always struck me as just a tad bit absurd. it's high pressure. it's a waste of fossil fuel. it's riding around in circles and paying for the privilege to do so. it's having conversations with your friend in which each of you wait impatiently until the other is done talking about himself so you can go into detail about your obviously more important self...and then blogging about it.

but before you call velonews, i'll have you know there are exceptions. retirement does not include: cyclocross. ORAMM. 12 hours of tsali. collegiate road (alas...squirrel sez). the icycle. in other words, if i plan to do a race, the number one criteria? FUN.

so, off to california. the plucky little epic has been loaded into a trailer, after a wash, a tune-up, and the installation of some I-9s, mmmm delicious. thanks, st. marie. i have secret goals for nationals but i would hate to jinx anything. plus i like being sketchy and vague like t. cowie.

and then when we get back, the leaves will all be aflame, the seasonal trails will be open, and that special mountain chill will have set in. i'm going for a run when i get off the plane.

Foregone Conclusion

After a month and a half of white-knuckled point tabulation and high-pressured website-checking I am pleased to announce Brevard College's conference win and receipt of a full Nationals allocation.

We're coming for your nuts