A Smashing End

Mike and I had a great day up in Maine, until it all came to a "smashing" end.

We got up late, enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, did some shopping, went for a bike ride to open the legs before tomorrow's race (ride ended with lemonade and fresh french fries at the town's fair) and were just heading up to Grafton Notch to take some pictures at Screw Auger Falls, and maybe see a moose.

Coming down the hill on Rte 2, I turned on my signal to make the left turn onto Rte 26 and started to slow. With oncoming traffic, I stopped. Unfortunately, the girl driving behind me (talking on her cell phone) did not. Smash.



We are both fine, but the van, as you can see, took a good hit. Good thing the bikes weren't on the rack! Oh, and the other driver claimed that the sun was in her eyes...

Insult to injury? It took Maine's finest almost 45 minutes to show up, and when they finally got there, the skies opened in a vicious downpour. And the bugs? There were MILLIONS!

The tailpipe has been cut off the car with a sawzall, and Mike has removed and straightened the rear shock which was bent and would not compress. Now it's up to the insurance to deal with the aftermath.

HANG UP AND DRIVE!

What's New?

Well, since my last update, life has continued to be busy here. So much so, that you get a summary of what's been going on instead of the full on blow-by-blow! Not to worry though - I am at least providing some pictures for your enjoyment ;).

• Mike started the Working Man's Stage Race last night, along with several other friends and teammates. Sadly, this is my first year in the past 4 not participating in this race! I have requested that the promoter consider a Women's Open field next year. I think the highlight of the evening though was Colin's initiation to the TT - he thought we were all kidding when we told him he needed to ride for over 15 minutes with the nose of his saddle stuck up his butt.
• Last year, I didn't get to race at Pat's Peak. I was determined NOT to have a mechanical during my warmup this year, and to see what this course was all about. Well, it was about climbing and lots of it. Oh, and that bright thing in the sky we haven't seen in two months? It made a grand appearance on Sunday, making it hot. And thunderstorms the night before (not to mention two months of rain) made for lots of energy-sucking, stinky, bug-filled mud. Oh, and I almost forgot about the wrong turn I took in the first lap taking me downhill to the lodge when I should have been going UPHILL... Short story on my result: if your glass is half empty, I lost; if your glass is half full, I won ;). Where were all the other Cat 1 women????
• Mike and I went to Lynn Woods for the first time in years. Of course, it was the day before Pat's Peak, so we only rode the fire roads and some lesser technical trails, but it was still invigorating to ride somewhere different.
• Last week, I played hooky from work to spend the day with my mom, dad and niece up in North Conway. We went to StoryLand for the day, and had a blast, despite gray skies and chilly temps. I've never been in StoryLand except for racing my bike...
• Mike has fully recovered from a debilitating bout of food poisoning. No more Chinese buffet lunches for us!
• Putney came, Putney went. 'Nuff said.

So, I think that finally brings me up to date! Here are some photos from some of the events listed above. I'll try to be better about timely updates ;)


How many roadies does it take to get an MTB racer ready for a TT?

Katherine kicking for 2nd; Colin with his MTB game face - no reverse hole shot here!

Mike looking super fast; Hey - are those MY wheels? ;)

A fun ride at Lynn Woods


My niece loves to drive!

Weather Weary

These are at least brighter to look at than the weather outside...