Could This Month Handle Any More Awesome?

Forgive the silence. There's been so much awesomely awesome stuff going on that it's a real tragedy I haven't kept up with it.

Downhill nationals at Beech? Crazy good time. East coast racers done us proud.

Lydia's 10k+50k? Great success. She is a fantastic race promoter AND athlete.

Pisgah MTB Stage Race? Absolutely amazing. This place we live earned some HUGE props from everyone involved.

Zombie Squirrel Alley Cat? Total unmitigated shenanigans. This much fun should be illegal.

Bike Mag coming to town? Really killer. I'm pretty sure they get it.

Cyclocross at the Pisgah Brewery? Super fab. Never mind the lame course; there was music, beer, friends, and an unbelievably big turnout.

I would post links and photos but you've probably already seen them all. Just believe it: this area is blowing up.

It Could Have Gone Better

Overall it's been a good weekend. I made it out to Adventure Village for some preparatory earth-moving...the BC labor train has finally gotten on track out there and we're all dedicated to making significant improvements on the courses. I was on point for Saturday morning work, slingin' bread with the best of them. At some point I ate a delicious grilled cheese sandwich on multi-grain sourdough with pepper jack, fresh tomatoes, baby spinach, and lots of Theros olive oil...that was kind of the highlight of the weekend. I went to Jimy's wedding and I got the warm fuzzies being around a bunch of cyclists and friends that love each other. It was almost as good as this:
Then Zac, Katie and I watched a movie with the dubious honor of being the worst ever made.


By reciting some weekend tidbits I'm trying to forget those three little letters I earned next to my name at Fontana: DNF.
Ouch. Second time in my mountain biking career.
It was reallyreallyreally muddy. And I was riding reallyreallyreally sketchy. And I was wrecking a lot. When I lost sight of 3rd place, after the final wreck that left me hanging off the hill tangled in prickly bushes (my legs look like I had a run-in with CatFace, it's AWESOME!), I decided it wasn't worth it. I didn't want a rock-to-face incident during a meaningless regional race to take me off the bike right before collegiate starts. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. On the plus side: I was climbing like a she-demon. So that's cool.
The Saint and Geoff and NewTeammateCory had great races. It's really fun watching Pisgah boys (and soon-to-be Pisgah boys) dominate on home-style courses.
And go Kabush! And Lene Byberg, who won her first WC race at Bromont...on a Specialized! Super cool because she's apparently the first woman to ever win a WC on a full suspension. Get some!

The Weekend

i won't say i hated the trails at fort yargo because that wouldn't be true or fair. they were a lot of fun. but the course somehow managed to tap into every one of my weaknesses.
it was long and repetitive
and there was sand
and tight corners
and crazy whoopdeedoos
there were no long climbs
and it required hard tires...anything over 30 psi is not my friend
i need some practice on florida-style courses, obv.
i spent the entire second lap blowing snot rockets, apologizing to the sport riders behind me (not for the snot, but for my sketchy maneuvering), and debating the merits of a pit stop. occasionally i was passed by a chick and my thought process went as follows: oh, heavy breathing. glance behind. oh dear. it's a chick. glance again. i think. oh dear, she wants to pass. ok. stay on her wheel. you got this. ohhh...or not. sigh. i suppose that's as it should be.
i won't say i was gripped with paralyzing apathy, but i knew once i had been passed by two women in flowery sleeveless jerseys that i should probably relax and let it go. and oh wow did i let it go...tenth place. sick burn. but once again, my plucky epic proved its loyalty and gave me not a moment's worry. i love my bike.
hey, that was a race report! i hope it had a good blend of excuses and feigned indifference, like all the best ones do.
t.cowie, pinnett, and the saint all had podium finishes, the hobbit broke her heart, and the manimal went off and sessioned the slalomy sections on his road bike...yeah, he belongs at brevard...pinnett totally stole the glory/champagne

ok, rewind. aside from those two hours of pain, it was a great weekend. after working au boulangerie, the saint, chris j and i packed up the oh-so-dilapidated minivan and we were off to the GA! we joined forces with em, tristan, and marshal for sweet pre-ride action and sweeter twilight criterium action! so very exciting. perhaps we were all a bit (well...very) short on food, water, and sleep, but i didn't mind. i can't imagine racing for such a huge crowd and for such glory. honestly, it terrifies me. good thing i have nice low aspirations because i couldn't handle that pressure.
to sum it up: a less than thrilling xc race, but adventures in georgia, accompanied by wonderful people!once again, mugging for the camera instead of going fast...

Nothing To Do With Bikes

my life is not one-dimensional! yesterday tasha and i went exploring in asheville, managed not to get lost, were only slightly intimidated by the hipper-than-thou vintage shop atmosphere, AND had great sartorial success. she bought pumpkin-colored leather boots...need i say more? well, yes, actually, i DO need say more: i bought a vintage lacoste polo and some luscious pink suede charles jourdan peeptoes with amazing architectural heels...sometimes i give in to my inner brand whore. these shoes will spend some quality time in my closet nestled next to my coquettish green satin j. crew pumps and scary scarlet 4-inch steve madden sandals...i buy gorgeous heels all the time and never wear them! it is unfortunate that i ride or walk to school and never sit down at work. nothing in my life is conducive to any heel higher than an inch...but very conducive to ronald-mcdonald-vomited-on-my-feet kicks, so i can't complain.

i imagine every bike-riding boy who reads this has run screaming at this point. shoes? ick.

we also ate at salsa, which remains one of my fave restaurants ever. instead of branching out and trying new places, i drag friends there every time i get the chance. and their mojitos are the jam.

well, i guess the title is a lie. i do want to talk about bikes. the saint and i rode daniel ridge again today and oh lordie lord, i officially LOVE that trail. LOVE. 1: i love prolonged singletrack climbs and 2: i love pick-your-way-through downhills. therefore, daniel ridge is perfection. except then i slit my tire on the bottom super-fast razor-rock section. whenever i get a flat i revert back to 12-year-old julia...i stomp my feet, act frustrated, and wait for someone to change it for me. fortunately matt, playing the role of ever-patient wrench/soigneur/boyfriend, talked me through it (and possibly helped a bit). yes, i am an idiot. it's okay. i've come to terms with it.

fortunately, the ride was not over. onward to long branch! i shall weep when cat gap closes this wednesday.

and tomorrow we and the cowies are venturing into the great unknown: bent creek!! hold me, i'm scared. despite riding in brevard since fifth grade, i've never been to bent creek OR the old fort/black mountain area. i need to expand my borders. which leads me to announce with great pleasure my plan to do ORAMM this year. frankly, i'm terrified. i've never even ridden a mountain bike for over four hours. it's going to be awesome.

oops. it would appear that this post actually is all about bikes. but also shoes. glorious shoes.

Living For the Weekend

Friday, Saturday, Sunday: FABULOUS! Sixty degree weather!!!
Contra dancing (and all the old men with clammy hands that it entails)! Pastry slingin'! Caney Bottom/Daniel Ridge/Long Branch with my favorite S-Works rider! Marshal's faux-hawk!

And to top it all off, Lake Logan! Like omg what an endless suffer-fest...thank you, old dudes who were laying down a scorching pace the ENTIRE time. KOP: I don't think you'll be losing your crown anytime soon.
I pretty much love everyone here. I don't think there's anywhere on the east coast with as fab a riding crew as B-Town. (This counts for people not in the picture too, including those of you who abstain from skinny tires.)



This is probably the least picturesque and amazing view from the entire ride. The rest of the time I was too busy banging into a forty-foot brick wall over and over to take purty pictures.

Number One!

i don't have anything of merit to say today. that's sort of status quo. i just wanted to start one of these things. it's self-aggrandizement.

i mean, except that a good percentage of the english (y español) speaking (hablando) world (mundo) has been begging me to blog.

i went for a fat tire ride after the rain ended. i was throwing down so much torque that when i went through puddles, lo and behold, they became lakes. i was at my lactic threshold the whole time. except that my body processes lactic acid so efficiently that i have to train at my citric threshold.

at the shindig (if you weren't there, shame on you):
there's been a lot of dancing recently. i would not be opposed to a lot more dance parties in the future. sassface and disco ball dan, this means you!

in the timeless words of robbie hart, "you mean your name's going to be julia gulia?"

--the hoo