First, happy fall. Where'd the summer go? Not fair to ask that question, this summer was full and I can't complain that the summer has rolled into fall. No, I'm not completely ready for winter at all or the cooler temps, but this is life and the seasons are important. I'd get stir-crazy without them.
The last part of summer was been completely consumed, basically from the moment my uncle and bro left town, with a significant change in my life. I'd mentioned a blog post or two back about the blogging that I've done that were a series of unfinished posts I felt unworthy of publishing to the world. In a few spare moments, I went back and read those posts. It was a bit eerie, they were all centered around my burning desire to do something that very closely resembles what I am doing now.
Actually, what I'm doing now is something I've wanted for a very, very long time in concept. But being the Curator for a bike and coffee shop was not what I had in mind. What I had been thinking, in all honesty, never looked as good in my imagination to the reality I have found myself in now. There is a lot to accomplish in limited waking hours; it's work. But work where effort yields results is sweet. And doing work in an area where one is passionate and making forward progress: it's the definition of fun. This is that kind of work. It's quite similar to what I experienced back in college with the senior design project with the Sharp Shooters. I've been chasing that experience ever since. It's not going to be easy, nor did I expect it to be...would it be fun if it were? Nah.
Since my lifestyle hasn't truly been defined here yet (too new to town and haven't established any patterns with friends), it's so much easier to not feel like I'm giving up anything to spend time working. No, no, this is not to be confused with any kind of workaholism tendencies. I've proven that I know how to take time off and relax; however, I finally get to dictate my own schedule without being on the schedule of someone else...I'm liking this degree of freedom...a lot.
Sure, I would like to have more time in every day to see and talk to everyone who I should, but that's a losing battle no matter how many more hours there are in every day.
This post is something I wrote a couple of weeks ago & it's high time to get it published. There are a few more posts to go up soon (maybe tonight?) too. As fast as time is flying, I know if I don't get this up there *now* it'll just never happen. A little is better than nothing. Part of my job involves maintaining a blog...which I need to write soooo much more for, but I guess this is the only part of my personal life that I am investing time into, so it's important. Then I'll get into blogging some cool bike stuff. There are about 1,000 things to write about. For as long as I've ridden a bike, every day is a new wealth of info, a real insight into so much, and so much of that is worth sharing. In time.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
The Next Bike
This post was written July 12, 2011, modified slightly to be appropriate to post on Oct 12. As you may be aware, I got the itch a few months ago to start checking out new bicycles. Why? Not because I need a new bike. A typical person waits until their bike breaks or gets stolen before getting a new one. Everyone (er, almost) everyone I know who owns an Orbea got it as a result of insurance money after their bike got stolen. This isn't saying anything one way or the other about bike theft or Orbeas, just a point of observation. I bet you have secretly hoped your bike would vanish for the opportunity to buy a new one. I left my Giant in Italy partially for that reason...and sometimes two humongous suitcases and a backpack are all one can humanly handle at the Rome airport.
Note carefully that I chose to take the carbon-fiber Giant (TCR-0 T-Mobile race bike) and not steel Serotta to Italy in the first place. I didn't go with the intention to race or even ride fast so the reason boils down to wanting the bike I cared for less in the foreign country. In this example, the expensive Giant had less value to me than the Serotta at one tenth the cost.
Some bikes actually feel like they have a soul. Others do not. They all have their place, depending on circumstances. But be forewarned, buying a bike with a soul is a commitment and putting it up on Craig's List could be emotionally impossible.
Back to my steel steed. This bike has a soul. It asks me to ride it and is proud to go. But it's growing long in the tooth and when it sees a hill, it is reluctant. Its paint is chipped and has old components (though I discovered with a good tune-up, it could pass as being much newer than it is). It's more "mine" with its candy-cane handlebars and I do take some pride in it.
But yet, I remember the joy of my first bike, the yellow and black one. It, too, was steel, but it fit me pretty closely (it wasn't custom, but was built for me when I ordered it)--it felt like it knew it was mine alone. The day I went to pick it up from the bike shop was so exciting, though I don't know why because before I rode it, I didn't care all that much for riding. Maybe it was because of the investment & my hope--it was an expensive bike and I had a lot of friends who were die-hard riders and their words of encouragement helped get me excited.
Credit must be given to the sales guy who helped me in 2003, who explained it plain as day, I remember him saying something to this effect: "If you want to like riding, you need a bike that will give you a great ride. Otherwise, it will just sit there, you won't ride it and then it will be a waste. Get a good bike, you'll be addicted." Good advice. That's what convinced me the bike would be a reasonable investment and I committed to buy a bike then. (Turns out it was a good investment: it held its value so when I sold it to a woman who needed a bike to show her the thrill of riding as I had needed when I got it, it had only lost a few hundred dollars in value. So it was like buying a great bike for 4-5 years for ~$500.)
Before that bike, I didn't even care much for riding bikes. Most people have stories from when they were a kid, when they took their bike out and explored for hours in the woods or went to meet up with friends without their parents. My experience was a little different: I rode in circles on a short street and once in awhile got out on the bike path, but it wasn't something that ever became part of my lifestyle. The suburbs weren't friendly to kids on bikes, in general, especially someone who tried to always play it safe like me.
Once I got on that first road bike, it happened instantly: I was so happy to ride...it felt like flying. The freedom, fresh air, joy, everything. It was amazing. How'd I live for so long without it?
Only a few short weeks after I got the bike, it was my birthday. That night I went riding with the Wednesday night ladies group who always rode together. It poured the rain and we were somewhere miles from where we'd originated. But we rode through it and got back soaking wet, but happy. That evening when I was on the bike, I remember the feeling of true elation: there was no other place I'd rather be than on that bike. I was alive and it was good to know how that felt. That was 8 years ago now.
Now I feel it is time to have a truly cool bike, one that rides great and fits me. By this, I mean in style and in geometry and I don't care to see another bike like mine on the road. Ever. At this stage in my life, when I buy something, it needs to be right, or I will wait.
This is where the trouble comes in. I have waited to commit to getting this new dream bike thinking that one magical day, I would sit down and figure out what the perfect bike will look like. (I'm only talking about paint/decals, etc., not the actual design of it.) Unfortunately, I never have a whole day in which to sit and ponder. Being a deadline-driven sort of person, and with my current road bike that rolls just fine, there is no "deadline" staring me in the face. I skip hilly races, that is the one thing my current road bike limits me from doing. I know it's holding me back sprinting, but that isn't too critical, especially if I'm just trying to keep up with the guys.
Case in point: my kitchen island. I found the glass that's on the island (shown below) two years prior to this island coming into existence. A perfectly good card table was used in the interim. Yes, here's me drawing a comparison between a steel road bike and a card table. Forgive the analogy.
Back to the island: I knew the glass was perfect for the island (it had been the surface to a coffee table), but I didn't have a clue as to what the base would look like or even what material would be needed.
Long story short, it took two years for me to find myself in a welding shop where I learned how to weld and the design only then came to life. This was my first project after I'd decided to stop chasing the dream of being a pro bike racer and have a little time on the weekends for something other than training. In a way, it was swapping one form of fulfillment with another. Note the steel with copper braised into it on the right wasn't part of the design. It was a mistake turned into a neat feature.
That's the beauty of creativity--being okay with not knowing the exact end result, but modifying and adjusting as challenges are placed in the way and coming out with something far better in the end than what had been originally planned.
It's going in knowing perfection isn't the end goal: it's solving the problem and being able to deal with the speed bumps gracefully as they present themselves.
That's the beauty of creativity--being okay with not knowing the exact end result, but modifying and adjusting as challenges are placed in the way and coming out with something far better in the end than what had been originally planned.
It's going in knowing perfection isn't the end goal: it's solving the problem and being able to deal with the speed bumps gracefully as they present themselves.
I wrote this post back on July 12th--that was the day when I finally decided to say it out-loud and commit that I would be getting the bike. So what bike am I talking about, anyhow?
I did a week-long test ride of the Seven Axiom SL, full-titanium frame, custom built for someone not all that different from me in size. I couldn't believe the quality of the ride and the speed of the bike. It was even better road feel than steel (which is tough to do because steel has such good road feel) and was almost just as light and responsive as my race carbon-fiber bike. It didn't have the serious snap of carbon-fiber, but that snap for me means not wanting to ride day after day in the saddle. I remember hating my carbon-fiber bike after a long road ride. After a time trial, I'd have to work hard to convince myself to get back on again the next day. I rode the Axiom SL really hard in a five-day time trial race and every day my body felt just as good as it did the day before (where it comes to sitting in the saddle). Unreal! The bike helped me win a week-long time trial that involved all sorts of climbing and all solo riding. I took the bike through the paces and it felt incredible. It even let me hit potholes without quivering. That sort of handling translates to a safer ride, too. I didn't expect to see the differences like I did, but it was significant. It was pretty obvious to me that after the test ride, that this is the ideal bike for me.
Now it's mid-October and am making final decisions on the paint design. The bike is built: the guy who built it told me so today. Now it's a matter of days before this bike rolls out of the factory shining, asking never to be ridden in rain. I will want to promise it that it will never be ridden in bad weather or over a pothole. Alas, it will be. But we're going to have some pretty awesome times together exploring the world and getting dirty together.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Deliberately Riding Dirt
Every year on my birthday, I go out in search for something that is a nice token of a good way to look at the coming year. I try to take some time to take a glance back to the previous year (always wondering where the time went but yet wonder also how I was able to squeeze everything in) and then think about what's coming up.
Eight years ago (on my b-day), I had just gotten my first road bike a few weeks prior and I went on a great group ride where I ended up getting soaked by a surprise storm. I celebrated being out there, feeling alive on the bike; I knew there was no better place to have been that night.
This year I was fortunate to be able to go on a wonderful 70-mile ride with a group of friends and finish the ride having breakfast with my uncle, bro and friend (who was wise to sleep in & show up to breakfast in street clothes). To have the guys in town over the weekend was a treat. The sun shined all day and that was welcome, naturally.
We ended up at Walden Pond later in the day, thus the Thoreau quotes. I relate the time I spend on the bike with the above quote. To me, it's my time away from the static of daily life. Bike time gets me into nature, in touch with friends and it is quality time to be alone, too. It allows me to feel the sensation of living and being deliberate about it.
There has never been a time when I've ridden where, once I was finished, I didn't feel somehow renewed, happier and left with a better perspective.
I've mentioned so many trips and experiences in this blog through time of all of the places I've gone, people I've met and things I've done that would definitely have never have happened if I hadn't had a bike and a reasonable "excuse" to travel to out-of-the-way towns, back roads and even wind through familiar neighborhoods, but at a much slower pace being able to say "hello" to people outside and imbibing the fresh air into my soul.
I keep expecting the amazing times on the bike to end - like there should be a time when, after having ridden the best ride, that all of the others will pale in comparison and then it should be time to switch leisure time activities. But it doesn't happen, I am confident now that it won't. Having the best ride ever doesn't seem to cast a shadow on the ones following it--somehow the memory of it adds to every experience thereafter.
A trip through the Concord museum found me unable to resist purchasing this journal, the b-day gift to myself.
This year this is exactly what I am doing: going confidently in the direction of my dreams and living the life I've imagined. Both. You're likely to think I have been doing this all along. Yes, to an extent that is true, but not entirely. I went to Italy because I knew I needed to--I was living the dream many others have had. It wasn't ever a dream to me to live in Italy, though once I was there, I realized I was living a dream in many senses and I appreciated very, very much that I had the opportunity to be there. So much of that experience has gotten me here to where I am now.
My dreams from long ago have changed only a little as I've grown older, and there are many basic elements that are what they have always been. This year, the path to those dreams has been clearly set before me. It's a dirt road; there are bumps to be navigated over and around...but this is yet another amazing place the bike is taking me with an outstanding group of people. I'm having fun on this ride, pedaling without hesitation knowing I'm headed to where I need to go and am going to get there.
Allez.
Eight years ago (on my b-day), I had just gotten my first road bike a few weeks prior and I went on a great group ride where I ended up getting soaked by a surprise storm. I celebrated being out there, feeling alive on the bike; I knew there was no better place to have been that night.
We ended up at Walden Pond later in the day, thus the Thoreau quotes. I relate the time I spend on the bike with the above quote. To me, it's my time away from the static of daily life. Bike time gets me into nature, in touch with friends and it is quality time to be alone, too. It allows me to feel the sensation of living and being deliberate about it.
There has never been a time when I've ridden where, once I was finished, I didn't feel somehow renewed, happier and left with a better perspective.
I've mentioned so many trips and experiences in this blog through time of all of the places I've gone, people I've met and things I've done that would definitely have never have happened if I hadn't had a bike and a reasonable "excuse" to travel to out-of-the-way towns, back roads and even wind through familiar neighborhoods, but at a much slower pace being able to say "hello" to people outside and imbibing the fresh air into my soul.
I keep expecting the amazing times on the bike to end - like there should be a time when, after having ridden the best ride, that all of the others will pale in comparison and then it should be time to switch leisure time activities. But it doesn't happen, I am confident now that it won't. Having the best ride ever doesn't seem to cast a shadow on the ones following it--somehow the memory of it adds to every experience thereafter.
A trip through the Concord museum found me unable to resist purchasing this journal, the b-day gift to myself.
My dreams from long ago have changed only a little as I've grown older, and there are many basic elements that are what they have always been. This year, the path to those dreams has been clearly set before me. It's a dirt road; there are bumps to be navigated over and around...but this is yet another amazing place the bike is taking me with an outstanding group of people. I'm having fun on this ride, pedaling without hesitation knowing I'm headed to where I need to go and am going to get there.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Blog catch-up
I shouldn't be blogging right now. There are many other blog posts which have been written but I haven't felt like publishing to the general public. Forgive me for wanting to take the blog in a direction other than a what-am-I-up-to blog...and then finding that everything goes right back to what I'm thinking or doing so I choose not to publish the article. It's the trick of making a semi-personal journal online instead of taking pen to paper like the good ol' days.
Because I can't sleep and I have a whole bunch of other things to get done, I will write, again about racing. Because I'm not publishing the posts previously mentioned, here's a quick summary of what they are all about:
1 - Current Progress of the Great Test Riding. After taking a bunch of bikes out for test rides, I have determined that titanium is the sweetest material known to man for a bike frame. The other half of this is I'd like my dream ti Seven bike, but figuring out if it should be painted or remain unpainted is holding me back from making a decision.
2 - There are numerous posts about how I've been searching for a good project. It was really starting to bug me that I wasn't getting my hands dirty with anything. Well, somehow it came to be - I found it in the form of a whole new life focus & job change, more details forthcoming once it's in place.
3 - Visit with my aunt, uncle and cousins in upstate NY a few weekends ago. Just the absolutely best time with everyone and a true vacation. Was so neat to drive to NY in just a few short hours and magically be there. Still used to things being so far away, but here, everything is always closer than they appear.
4 - Raced weekend before last with the A/B (combined fields) men, 60 total racers, two other women. Took home a $30 prime and a serious race-high from being able to hang with the average 27 mph field, as well as attempting to get in a break, causing the bike to go 35-40 mph for 3/4 of a lap. Fastest race of my life. Finished in the top 1/3rd and enjoyed meeting guy teammates, too. Racing with the men is far more to my liking than the women, even though the women here are very nice from what I've seen so far.
5 - Birthday weekend this past week with uncle and bro. Seriously good time, a little of everything to give them both a great sample of life here near Boston.
6 - Raced tonight with a solid group of fast women. Due to very challenging work/sleep/other schedule lately, decided there would be no way to do the race, but would be best to just watch the men's race. Somehow got talked into it and was very happy to be out there. It's Wed, so did the 6 am training ride this morning for two hours. Also, got to the race with just enough time to change out cassette to proper race wheels. Long story short, it was a fun race where I tried playing near the front while staying safe most of the race and I came in 9th...basically, racing is so much more fun than I ever remember it being in the past, though I'd tell you in the past that it was fun (how could it have been? I was always in the back of the pack suffering like a dog.)
That's all folks!
Because I can't sleep and I have a whole bunch of other things to get done, I will write, again about racing. Because I'm not publishing the posts previously mentioned, here's a quick summary of what they are all about:
1 - Current Progress of the Great Test Riding. After taking a bunch of bikes out for test rides, I have determined that titanium is the sweetest material known to man for a bike frame. The other half of this is I'd like my dream ti Seven bike, but figuring out if it should be painted or remain unpainted is holding me back from making a decision.
2 - There are numerous posts about how I've been searching for a good project. It was really starting to bug me that I wasn't getting my hands dirty with anything. Well, somehow it came to be - I found it in the form of a whole new life focus & job change, more details forthcoming once it's in place.
3 - Visit with my aunt, uncle and cousins in upstate NY a few weekends ago. Just the absolutely best time with everyone and a true vacation. Was so neat to drive to NY in just a few short hours and magically be there. Still used to things being so far away, but here, everything is always closer than they appear.
4 - Raced weekend before last with the A/B (combined fields) men, 60 total racers, two other women. Took home a $30 prime and a serious race-high from being able to hang with the average 27 mph field, as well as attempting to get in a break, causing the bike to go 35-40 mph for 3/4 of a lap. Fastest race of my life. Finished in the top 1/3rd and enjoyed meeting guy teammates, too. Racing with the men is far more to my liking than the women, even though the women here are very nice from what I've seen so far.
5 - Birthday weekend this past week with uncle and bro. Seriously good time, a little of everything to give them both a great sample of life here near Boston.
6 - Raced tonight with a solid group of fast women. Due to very challenging work/sleep/other schedule lately, decided there would be no way to do the race, but would be best to just watch the men's race. Somehow got talked into it and was very happy to be out there. It's Wed, so did the 6 am training ride this morning for two hours. Also, got to the race with just enough time to change out cassette to proper race wheels. Long story short, it was a fun race where I tried playing near the front while staying safe most of the race and I came in 9th...basically, racing is so much more fun than I ever remember it being in the past, though I'd tell you in the past that it was fun (how could it have been? I was always in the back of the pack suffering like a dog.)
That's all folks!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Race Report
There are two words I didn't know I'd ever put together again: race report! I hardly feel the race last Sunday is something giving the blow-by-blow on, but the fact that last Sunday happened is what is significant.
Last week was full of fear-facing. I stared it in the face and saw who flinched. Not I. Er, well, outwardly I didn't. Inside was a different story, as it always is. Facing fears doesn't mean not being afraid, but getting through it and, hopefully, feeling less the next time.
Last summer of racing Italian Gran Fondos never felt quite the same as racing an American criterium. They were so much fun, but there wasn't much fear of getting dropped or of not doing well as neither of those two things could ever happen. If that's confusing, I'll explain offline, but it's true.
Racing a men's criterium (cat 3/4 men, mostly) is a whole other scenario. I used to train really hard to feel ready to take on such a race. Granted, training hard often meant resting well. I didn't train too hard, but how many intervals were there when I used to train for real? Last weekend, I went into the race with the prep of many fun rides with friends. Maybe it's all of the rollers here that are what added up to be good training, who knows. But it's been ages since I've done a real training ride or a set of intervals.
It's compelling to write this only because I've found it really fun to go back to the earliest entries in this blog and read them. My experiences from racing and training (this includes the fun rides!) have added so much to my life throughout the years, it's nice to capture the moments and how I'm thinking about them as they're happening. Memory does change the story somewhat.
The long and short of the race is this: my goal going into the race was to not get dropped. When I'm scared of getting dropped, I ride like a maniac to stay up front so my position was pretty good most of the race. They called a women's prime (meaning only women could contend to win it) and I used that as drag-race-sprint practice. Too bad there was a girl on my wheel who was able to pull around me. But at that point, we were way off the front of the field. So I kept going. Yeah, I know that wasn't smart, I wasn't trying to race smart. I will attempt that when there are real prizes at stake (more than a muffin, though they looked tasty). If there's one thing my coach taught me that has served well is that when it's not an "A" race, experiment. An attack group came up after a lap and, digging deep, I caught onto their train. We weren't away too long and the field caught up. Around and around we went, each lap was short with only a small rise in the road and hardly a corner to worry about. There were attacks and at times I would catch onto a small break. Even went to the front and pulled. (I know that's not smart racing, but the guys were yelling at the people at the front to pull, so I thought it would be amusing to play along with their request).
The race ended (1 hr long, avg 24 mph) with staying safe and finishing in the first third to half (have no idea where, exactly). The point was, I am back racing and it feels very good to be back, though this time, I am committed to keeping a much better balance. Balance: some racing, lots of fun rides with friends, time in street clothes doing good things in work and life. This is what I need and it just so also happens to be my definition of happiness.
Last week was full of fear-facing. I stared it in the face and saw who flinched. Not I. Er, well, outwardly I didn't. Inside was a different story, as it always is. Facing fears doesn't mean not being afraid, but getting through it and, hopefully, feeling less the next time.
Last summer of racing Italian Gran Fondos never felt quite the same as racing an American criterium. They were so much fun, but there wasn't much fear of getting dropped or of not doing well as neither of those two things could ever happen. If that's confusing, I'll explain offline, but it's true.
Racing a men's criterium (cat 3/4 men, mostly) is a whole other scenario. I used to train really hard to feel ready to take on such a race. Granted, training hard often meant resting well. I didn't train too hard, but how many intervals were there when I used to train for real? Last weekend, I went into the race with the prep of many fun rides with friends. Maybe it's all of the rollers here that are what added up to be good training, who knows. But it's been ages since I've done a real training ride or a set of intervals.
It's compelling to write this only because I've found it really fun to go back to the earliest entries in this blog and read them. My experiences from racing and training (this includes the fun rides!) have added so much to my life throughout the years, it's nice to capture the moments and how I'm thinking about them as they're happening. Memory does change the story somewhat.
The long and short of the race is this: my goal going into the race was to not get dropped. When I'm scared of getting dropped, I ride like a maniac to stay up front so my position was pretty good most of the race. They called a women's prime (meaning only women could contend to win it) and I used that as drag-race-sprint practice. Too bad there was a girl on my wheel who was able to pull around me. But at that point, we were way off the front of the field. So I kept going. Yeah, I know that wasn't smart, I wasn't trying to race smart. I will attempt that when there are real prizes at stake (more than a muffin, though they looked tasty). If there's one thing my coach taught me that has served well is that when it's not an "A" race, experiment. An attack group came up after a lap and, digging deep, I caught onto their train. We weren't away too long and the field caught up. Around and around we went, each lap was short with only a small rise in the road and hardly a corner to worry about. There were attacks and at times I would catch onto a small break. Even went to the front and pulled. (I know that's not smart racing, but the guys were yelling at the people at the front to pull, so I thought it would be amusing to play along with their request).
The race ended (1 hr long, avg 24 mph) with staying safe and finishing in the first third to half (have no idea where, exactly). The point was, I am back racing and it feels very good to be back, though this time, I am committed to keeping a much better balance. Balance: some racing, lots of fun rides with friends, time in street clothes doing good things in work and life. This is what I need and it just so also happens to be my definition of happiness.
Saturday, July 09, 2011
Race Report #2
I was nervous going into the race with the men last week (finally just posted that race report). The goal of that race was to finish with the pack. If that was nerve-wracking, today (Saturday) was far, far more so.
Today was my inaugural get-to-know the women racers of New England race in Attleboro, MA. Of course, it's a new place to me as it is, seemingly, every time I go anywhere even slightly out of the routine.
Why was I so nervous? Because of expectations. Racing with men is easy. There are no expectations for an unknown woman who enters a men's race. If you get dropped, no biggie. If you hang in, wow, good for you. However, racing with cat 1-4 women of whom I have no idea of anyone's strength is intimidating. Which wheels are good? Which are sketchy? I have experience, but I haven't trained to race in a loooong time. I've been riding for the sheer pleasure of riding a bike with friends, that is all. This means that I haven't done any intervals, no sprint practices, nada. And, funny enough, I've really been having fun every time I go out on the bike. I refuse to burn out on something that is so important to me.
First thing this much-too-early morning, I saw Sara-Jane, a friend and wife of one of the guys I ride with. She was nervous about officiating her first race ever and I was nervous about racing. It helped calm me to know I wasn't the only one jumping in head-first. Huge kudos to Sara-Jane and all of the officials out there (Jay, etc...) We wouldn't have racing without you out there.
8 am was simply too early to start racing for my tired legs. A four-day work week meant having to squeeze 5 days worth of things in 4 days. Not complaining, last weekend was a good holiday weekend. Can't remember, though, the last time I got to sleep in. This is the way I like it.
Tomorrow is going to be a mellow start, but I do want to get this up before any more time transpires. Previous race reports have meant a lot to have in the archives, so this needs to go there, too.
Turns out, the women in the field are pretty cool here. I had no issues with anyone in the race, I saw a lot of camaraderie between racers on different teams and it wasn't a problem being totally new out there. After the race, everyone was friendly and I got to meet a lot of the ladies I'd just raced with. On a side note: the cat 3 and 4 women seemed satisfied with the race, too. Many were proud of how they raced and I didn't hear anything negative.
Will tell the rest of the story in pics:
After the race, the girls I had warmed up with were cooling down happily. They both raced great and were so fun to have out there. We will be training and racing more together. Now I've just got to not get sucked into cyclocross (they're really into it, the CX racing here is all the buzz right now...I think lots of people race on the road just to get ready for the dirt).
Was able to get in a break with these two girls, but it didn't last very long. We needed to commit a bit more and I think it would have stuck. I bet the other two are known out there as girls to not let get away. It was so interesting to race as a completely unknown entity.
I spent most of the race riding at the front just trying to stay safe and ride smart. Finally - FINALLY - I figured out how to go into a sprint on other people's wheels and ride around to cross the line first. Yes, it was like breaking some impossible barrier: won two primes, the first time to win a prime since I raced in teeny-tiny cat 4 fields 5ish years ago. One was $10 cash and the other prime is for embroidering a race jersey so that the safety pins don't ruin the jersey. So as soon as my Ride Studio Cafe jersey comes in, I will want to take advantage of it. A nice wool Rapha jersey needs to not be destroyed by safety pins!
The final result: 2nd place in my cat and a whole lot of relief to have that over with.
Afterwards was a fun ride on a gorgeous bike path in Rhode Island (hello, Rhode Island, my you're close to Mass. and I can't believe we just met for the first time today!) Lunch of seafood, ravioli and fabulous veggie burger (very green, all that much better) was enjoyed over the water and then there was still time to get home, read, relax and get a few other things done.
In New England style, the day ended with ice cream. This is ridiculous...can you even tell what it is?
That's right, it comes in a cardboard box because it's guaranteed to drip everywhere. Banana split with a single banana but pints of ice cream and whipped cream....it is not humanly possible for four people to eat something this size!
With that, it is definitely time to sign off. Tomorrow is a day I have been looking forward to quite some time...going to test ride a Seven bicycle (full titanium)!!! Can't wait to see how it feels as compared with my steel steed. Considering that my steel Serotta bike is doing great keeping me happy in the saddle for loooong 150-mile rides and it's hanging in there for the crits (and I haven't forgotten the carbon bikes that I've ridden recently--TCR-0 Giant and Trek Madone), this is going to be interesting to add a whole new dimension of bicycle in the mix to those I've experienced up to now.
Today was my inaugural get-to-know the women racers of New England race in Attleboro, MA. Of course, it's a new place to me as it is, seemingly, every time I go anywhere even slightly out of the routine.
Why was I so nervous? Because of expectations. Racing with men is easy. There are no expectations for an unknown woman who enters a men's race. If you get dropped, no biggie. If you hang in, wow, good for you. However, racing with cat 1-4 women of whom I have no idea of anyone's strength is intimidating. Which wheels are good? Which are sketchy? I have experience, but I haven't trained to race in a loooong time. I've been riding for the sheer pleasure of riding a bike with friends, that is all. This means that I haven't done any intervals, no sprint practices, nada. And, funny enough, I've really been having fun every time I go out on the bike. I refuse to burn out on something that is so important to me.
First thing this much-too-early morning, I saw Sara-Jane, a friend and wife of one of the guys I ride with. She was nervous about officiating her first race ever and I was nervous about racing. It helped calm me to know I wasn't the only one jumping in head-first. Huge kudos to Sara-Jane and all of the officials out there (Jay, etc...) We wouldn't have racing without you out there.
Tomorrow is going to be a mellow start, but I do want to get this up before any more time transpires. Previous race reports have meant a lot to have in the archives, so this needs to go there, too.
Turns out, the women in the field are pretty cool here. I had no issues with anyone in the race, I saw a lot of camaraderie between racers on different teams and it wasn't a problem being totally new out there. After the race, everyone was friendly and I got to meet a lot of the ladies I'd just raced with. On a side note: the cat 3 and 4 women seemed satisfied with the race, too. Many were proud of how they raced and I didn't hear anything negative.
Will tell the rest of the story in pics:
Here's the starting field...~30 women total, not bad! Combined 3/4 race, 30+ and 45+. Interesting, huh? Very different from Colorado. It wasn't timed, either, just a set number of laps from the gun!
Afterwards was a fun ride on a gorgeous bike path in Rhode Island (hello, Rhode Island, my you're close to Mass. and I can't believe we just met for the first time today!) Lunch of seafood, ravioli and fabulous veggie burger (very green, all that much better) was enjoyed over the water and then there was still time to get home, read, relax and get a few other things done.
In New England style, the day ended with ice cream. This is ridiculous...can you even tell what it is?
With that, it is definitely time to sign off. Tomorrow is a day I have been looking forward to quite some time...going to test ride a Seven bicycle (full titanium)!!! Can't wait to see how it feels as compared with my steel steed. Considering that my steel Serotta bike is doing great keeping me happy in the saddle for loooong 150-mile rides and it's hanging in there for the crits (and I haven't forgotten the carbon bikes that I've ridden recently--TCR-0 Giant and Trek Madone), this is going to be interesting to add a whole new dimension of bicycle in the mix to those I've experienced up to now.
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Some things never change...
I've been writing a lot lately, but nothing that is publishable. Someday I'll piece all of these bits and pieces together, as I'm sure they'll fit together eventually but at the moment they don't.
Here's an attempt to capture some images and thoughts from the past couple of weeks. Gotta do this fast--I feel my immune system has been a bit compromised and with an upcoming trip and a go-go-go schedule, there's no way I can fall victim to this.
Will work backwards here. Last night was a big bike block party in Davis Square. I was skeptical when I first arrived, but then, by the end of the evening, it was clear that it was a good party as it was totally packed and it wasn't just the young hipster population--there were people of all ages and backgrounds. I found some friends to hang out with and it was a work event, too, so there was always the comfort zone of the table and tent.
This past weekend were good rides, Sunday was a particularly great one. It ranks in the top 5 of fun rides of my life...yes, that's pretty high considering there have been lots of terrific rides. It was a good composite group of people that pushed a decent pace the whole distance - to Mt. Wachusett and back to Concord: 102 miles, average speed of 17 mph.
The morning of the ride started particularly well. The bike was happy as was I (read: clean & tuned bike).
Breakfast was carb-rich and excellent to keep me satisfied for the better part of the ride.
The Ciclismo crew came out and partook in portions of the day. Turned out we had 3 guides on the ride.
Into the ride, we were rolling along...
Everyone was all smiles just after we hit the 100 mark. Really, we should have kept on going! No, no...the point of this was to train for a 148 miler coming up soon. Wouldn't want to be too toast after a training ride. 2 weeks and counting down...
I still want to post about the Burlington trip over Memorial Day weekend, it was really cool to go there and spend most of it being rained on. Meeting up with friends for a marathon that they were participating in was relaxing and good.
Also had a BBQ at my place, it was super fun to entertain and hang out with friends in street clothes. Entertaining is something that has been a bit of a challenge for me for....hmmm....now that I think about it, my entire life. I've never actually been in a situation where I could entertain very well. (Now I do remember packing in bodies in my wee-little loft for a couple of gatherings, but to be able to sit outside and fire up a grill...doesn't get better than that.) Pics and stories will have to wait for another day.
To complete the post, a couple of interesting things to mention before I forget. The first is that I met a really nice woman who's been reading my blog ever since I did the Gelato Diet flick. She read the stories of my life, packing up and moving to Italy & everything that ensued there. It was wild to meet her yesterday & she knew me from those stories. I wonder what kind of image she had in mind, as she's learned who I am from what I've written. Cool, eh? Thanks to her and you all for reading. And I know these posts are long, I know I need to cut down on the length significantly. And I'd like to shift the focus. There are some cool things to be writing about and my day-to-day stuff can take a back seat. Really, though, I will say this: it is really eye-opening to go back and read old entries. I suggest everyone keep a journal or blog of some kind. I really surprised myself at some of the things I said YEARS ago that, if it weren't dated, could have been said last week.
I might have changed my situation by moving, doing the Italy thing, etc, etc, but I didn't change who I am. Nor was I trying to do that. Yes, I wanted to learn and discover more outside of my world, but I wasn't looking to turn into someone else.
Here's an excerpt that I found from the last post of 2008.
I guess I could say almost the same today as I did back then. Of course, I'd change a few items: get rid of the racing part and the Europe part can go away, too. Looks like I'll likely be guiding in Italy this fall, but if that were to fall through for some reason, I would be happy to stay right where I am. There are too many days I've had here when I wish time would stand still because I don't need anything more than what I already have. Sure, there are still unfulfilled goals that I yearn to reach...those will be completed in proper time. Finally, though, I think I'm coming to find here what I've been looking for my entire life.
Here's an attempt to capture some images and thoughts from the past couple of weeks. Gotta do this fast--I feel my immune system has been a bit compromised and with an upcoming trip and a go-go-go schedule, there's no way I can fall victim to this.
Will work backwards here. Last night was a big bike block party in Davis Square. I was skeptical when I first arrived, but then, by the end of the evening, it was clear that it was a good party as it was totally packed and it wasn't just the young hipster population--there were people of all ages and backgrounds. I found some friends to hang out with and it was a work event, too, so there was always the comfort zone of the table and tent.
This past weekend were good rides, Sunday was a particularly great one. It ranks in the top 5 of fun rides of my life...yes, that's pretty high considering there have been lots of terrific rides. It was a good composite group of people that pushed a decent pace the whole distance - to Mt. Wachusett and back to Concord: 102 miles, average speed of 17 mph.
Breakfast was carb-rich and excellent to keep me satisfied for the better part of the ride.
Into the ride, we were rolling along...
And we finally made it to the 2,000 ft climb to Mt. Wachusett--a bit steeper than Colorado mountains...ouch! I will never, ever be a climber. (Not complaining, there are rollers all over here and I like those.)
Everyone was all smiles just after we hit the 100 mark. Really, we should have kept on going! No, no...the point of this was to train for a 148 miler coming up soon. Wouldn't want to be too toast after a training ride. 2 weeks and counting down...
I still want to post about the Burlington trip over Memorial Day weekend, it was really cool to go there and spend most of it being rained on. Meeting up with friends for a marathon that they were participating in was relaxing and good.
Also had a BBQ at my place, it was super fun to entertain and hang out with friends in street clothes. Entertaining is something that has been a bit of a challenge for me for....hmmm....now that I think about it, my entire life. I've never actually been in a situation where I could entertain very well. (Now I do remember packing in bodies in my wee-little loft for a couple of gatherings, but to be able to sit outside and fire up a grill...doesn't get better than that.) Pics and stories will have to wait for another day.
To complete the post, a couple of interesting things to mention before I forget. The first is that I met a really nice woman who's been reading my blog ever since I did the Gelato Diet flick. She read the stories of my life, packing up and moving to Italy & everything that ensued there. It was wild to meet her yesterday & she knew me from those stories. I wonder what kind of image she had in mind, as she's learned who I am from what I've written. Cool, eh? Thanks to her and you all for reading. And I know these posts are long, I know I need to cut down on the length significantly. And I'd like to shift the focus. There are some cool things to be writing about and my day-to-day stuff can take a back seat. Really, though, I will say this: it is really eye-opening to go back and read old entries. I suggest everyone keep a journal or blog of some kind. I really surprised myself at some of the things I said YEARS ago that, if it weren't dated, could have been said last week.
I might have changed my situation by moving, doing the Italy thing, etc, etc, but I didn't change who I am. Nor was I trying to do that. Yes, I wanted to learn and discover more outside of my world, but I wasn't looking to turn into someone else.
Here's an excerpt that I found from the last post of 2008.
What's up for 2009? Once again, I can't foresee the future and that's okay. I'm comfortable not knowing what surprises are in store. If this year is anything like the last four, it will be anything but boring...I hope to race a lot more, help the company I work for thrive, have many adventures in Colorado and abroad with my friends, (finally) travel to Europe, squander time less and make every moment matter more, stay positive and optimistic and have fun every day.
I guess I could say almost the same today as I did back then. Of course, I'd change a few items: get rid of the racing part and the Europe part can go away, too. Looks like I'll likely be guiding in Italy this fall, but if that were to fall through for some reason, I would be happy to stay right where I am. There are too many days I've had here when I wish time would stand still because I don't need anything more than what I already have. Sure, there are still unfulfilled goals that I yearn to reach...those will be completed in proper time. Finally, though, I think I'm coming to find here what I've been looking for my entire life.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Just a little time off...
Nice to have a little time to step back during the week. After a red-eye back from the Tour of California, it is time to finally post some pics (yeah, sleep, too, but not quite yet). I put together a photo album full of the past six months, but that'll have to be completed before posting. Here are a few from California. Will attempt to say more with pics and less with words this time!
Yesterday was a day of visiting bike shops and seeing who I could find in the SoCal area. Shockingly enough, I met a lot more people than expected, considering the day started with me believing that all the good shops were closed on Mondays.
But before doing anything, it was necessary to take a stroll along the beach! Okay, so this shot was meant to be a play on the whole Bay Watch thing, me in my Ciclismo Classico shirt and all.
I'd previously been freaked out about driving around California. Turns out it's a whole lot easier than driving in Italy or Boston, so that was a very pleasant surprise, but trying to change over 7 lanes of traffic at a time can be quite intimidating. The drivers do seem to be a bit more relaxed, however, maybe it's out of necessity for health and personal welfare reasons.
Lunch was here (above), a bike-friendly craft brew pub in Santa Monica. The woman I was sitting next to (randomly) has a brother who lives really near here and works for a nearby bike shop. That was small world story #1. I found out all this about her when I overheard her talking about cyclocross racing. Of course, I had to interject at that point in her conversation and see if she's a racer.
After lunch, this lovely gentleman made an absolutely delicious & creamy smoothie...he'd be rich if he imported his business into this community.
Then it was off to find all of the shops in LA. What a trip! Cool feeling to be making "sales" calls. Not that it was totally salesy, but close enough. Everyone was nice to talk and I have a lot of data points to consider. This was reminiscent of the work dad did for work, and there's a certain pride I felt in being able to try my hand at the same kind of thing.
Small world story #2: I was chatting with the guys in one Santa Monica bike shop when suddenly appeared a couple who I'd met a couple of days prior (they're clients) and they were there for a bike fitting. It's shocking in a place the size of L.A. to see familiar faces!
This is me with Nancy and Nate Loyal, bike fitting & coaching guru. She was so happy to feel the significant difference of a pro bike fit. (Note: If there's one thing that everyone should put $ into, it's doing a proper bike fitting...I say this as someone who cares about your knees, back & general well-being, it's super important!)
There were many other bike shop visits, but nothing in particular to report from those. Oh yeah, maybe one thing: have you ever heard of the Wonderful Pistachios Pro Team? Me neither before yesterday, but they race in Europe as well as the U.S. They have green/black kits. Their website will make you want to eat pistachios. One of the guys at an L.A. shop is affiliated with them. Just a random piece of trivia to share. I was chuckling at the mascot for the team: an over-sized pistachio.
Being at the Tour of Cali Sunday for the final stage of this HUGE U.S. Pro race was awesome, of course. Thousand Oaks was a very supportive town of the race & racers. I noticed quite a few people who were very unlikely cyclists but out there cheering like mad. That's a good sign, in my opinion, for the sport, in general.
Here are a few pics from the day:
Chris Horner is in the midst of the crowd.
Sooo many people!
Now it's getting time to wrap this blog up. As you may or may not know, I use this more as a personal journal so I don't forget some of life's highlights (without the nitty-gritty personal stuff). If it happens to motivate you to travel, do something cool or have a good day, cool!
Here's the most beautiful image from last weekend's riding. This is Hidden Valley in SoCal. Home to lots of famous people & people who are really into very well-bred horses.
On Saturday, we rode with the Old Kranks, a group of people who are anything but old cranks!
Here's the group shot mid-ride:
What else to say about the weekend?
It was delicious and yet another wonderful set of experiences had thanks to bikes and the terrific people who are into them. [Note, this was written yesterday, a couple of extra pics added today.]
Yesterday was a day of visiting bike shops and seeing who I could find in the SoCal area. Shockingly enough, I met a lot more people than expected, considering the day started with me believing that all the good shops were closed on Mondays.
But before doing anything, it was necessary to take a stroll along the beach! Okay, so this shot was meant to be a play on the whole Bay Watch thing, me in my Ciclismo Classico shirt and all.
Then it was off to find all of the shops in LA. What a trip! Cool feeling to be making "sales" calls. Not that it was totally salesy, but close enough. Everyone was nice to talk and I have a lot of data points to consider. This was reminiscent of the work dad did for work, and there's a certain pride I felt in being able to try my hand at the same kind of thing.
Small world story #2: I was chatting with the guys in one Santa Monica bike shop when suddenly appeared a couple who I'd met a couple of days prior (they're clients) and they were there for a bike fitting. It's shocking in a place the size of L.A. to see familiar faces!
There were many other bike shop visits, but nothing in particular to report from those. Oh yeah, maybe one thing: have you ever heard of the Wonderful Pistachios Pro Team? Me neither before yesterday, but they race in Europe as well as the U.S. They have green/black kits. Their website will make you want to eat pistachios. One of the guys at an L.A. shop is affiliated with them. Just a random piece of trivia to share. I was chuckling at the mascot for the team: an over-sized pistachio.
Being at the Tour of Cali Sunday for the final stage of this HUGE U.S. Pro race was awesome, of course. Thousand Oaks was a very supportive town of the race & racers. I noticed quite a few people who were very unlikely cyclists but out there cheering like mad. That's a good sign, in my opinion, for the sport, in general.
Here are a few pics from the day:
Yes, I was close to Levi & all of the winning cyclists, got a lucky spot behind the podium during the final awards ceremony. I've been a fan of Chris Horner for a long time, so I enjoyed seeing him take the yellow jersey.
Chris Horner is in the midst of the crowd.
Here's the most beautiful image from last weekend's riding. This is Hidden Valley in SoCal. Home to lots of famous people & people who are really into very well-bred horses.
Here's the group shot mid-ride:
What else to say about the weekend?
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Feeling Inspired
Now that I write a lot for my job, writing for personal reasons has gone way down on my fun-things-to-do list. Most of what I write for work is awesome: it's cool to talk to a guide and hear all about where he's from, his family, stories from tours, etc. and then write about it for the world to read. Other assignments involve researching a destination, again, talking to a guide about it, then putting words and visuals together to make the place come alive. There are newsletters, events, Facebook, Twitter, and a million little random things that keep it interesting. I like variety and this is definitely that. A lot is fun, but it's still work. There are deadlines and responsibility--the point is for people to have a dreamy travel experience that's right for them. When you add the biking part to the mix, that complicates everything significantly. It's nice to get it all just right and, of course, always avoid any discussion of the weather since that's so impossible to know. Heck, the weather could be great and a volcano could explode, you never know in this business.
Life in Massachusetts has gone well beyond my expectations. Boston was never on my list of cool cities (Montreal is at the top with NY, San Fran and Denver not far behind). Every day I'm here, I'm warming to it (I'm referring to the city itself). The town I live in, I adore. It didn't take much before I was in love with this community. Technically, I shouldn't like it all that much. I live in a place where most everyone is married with kids and anyone my age is, minimally, married. But I guess I'm enjoying everyone's company enough not to care a whole lot. Everything takes care of itself, so as long as I don't go live in the wilderness, Mr. Wonderful is bound to jump out from behind the rock he's been hiding behind someday. Everyone has an interesting story here and it's a friendly population. Whatever reputation Bostonians have earned, I think those people must be just in the city, because those on the periphery are very warm, good people.
This area is not all that different from where I lived in upstate NY. It has many of the same nice qualities of a good community without the craziness...but it's not all that far from a city of some size. Note that when I was in upstate NY, gas prices weren't a concern so it was nothing to jump in the car and drive for 3 hours to NYC or far less than that to get to the mountains (big hills for you Coloradoans), lakes, skiing, etc. I'm very happy to be here and it seems to have the best of the things I liked about Italy and the U.S. It was also quite helpful to have my mom drive out here with me to get me all set up & see her enjoy the area. I guess I needed that, mom's approval has a lot of weight, still, and possibly more than ever. The time with her was the best time I've ever had with her and it was not too different from a two-week long slumber party. We (and she, in particular) had so much fun. I had to work much of the time she was here, but we still had solid time to spend together.
After a very long winter of traveling and not touching the bike (it was good for me, the break, though it killed my fitness, was healthy and, simply, had to be done to manage the traveling, visiting and living situations I found myself in). Now, I'm absolutely thrilled to be back on the bike, loving the nice, comfy ride of steel and not missing the jarring of the light race bike. I just want to ride long, fun miles with people who are interested in conversing during the long ride. I'm absolutely done (ummm, at least for a year) with training rides where I have to worry about my cadence, heart rate, etc. every moment of it. Right now my thing is to train for a long almost 150 mile ride coming up in June. Good excuse to get long miles, explore the area and work towards something tangible. It's a brewery-to-brewery ride, so you can imagine what edible tangibles there will be at the end of that long day in the saddle.
There's pretty much the coolest bike shop/coffee shop combo in the world (as far as I'm concerned), in the area. It's my happy place, where I go to start rides, have a really tasty cup of coffee after rides (Italians would be impressed), hang out and chat with other cyclists, and simply be with nice people. Every time I go in there, I know at least one person, if not more. For being new to an area, that's an awfully good feeling. I likely speak for a lot of cyclists--that it is the dream of a cyclist to have a shop where they can go and simply spend time without feeling like a shop rat. This place invites you to stay awhile. So I do.
It dawned on me today that I really need to get out a bit more socially--you know, in Saturday night clothes. It's easy to not go out when my social life is at work (I am fortunate to like my co-workers a lot) and through bike riding. I have a few other things that I've managed to find to do and if only I'd start going to Toastmasters, my life would closely resemble life in Denver...though, of course, Denver & other friends, you will never be replaced...just added to. :) It's impossible to keep up with everyone and there is so little time. Tonight I got lucky and had to do something for work near home so I got home well before dark. Few evenings are like this one.
Well, on that note, it's time to sign off. After starting the day with a very hard road ride, my metabolism is going crazy and I'm hungry. Will go pet a very cute kitty that I'm pet sitting and get it all together for tomorrow. I know I owe you/the blog pictures. Will try to make that the next post...one with waaaay fewer works and many more pics. Ah, there's the kitty now, nudging and purrrring, gotta go! Hope this finds you all well!!!
Life in Massachusetts has gone well beyond my expectations. Boston was never on my list of cool cities (Montreal is at the top with NY, San Fran and Denver not far behind). Every day I'm here, I'm warming to it (I'm referring to the city itself). The town I live in, I adore. It didn't take much before I was in love with this community. Technically, I shouldn't like it all that much. I live in a place where most everyone is married with kids and anyone my age is, minimally, married. But I guess I'm enjoying everyone's company enough not to care a whole lot. Everything takes care of itself, so as long as I don't go live in the wilderness, Mr. Wonderful is bound to jump out from behind the rock he's been hiding behind someday. Everyone has an interesting story here and it's a friendly population. Whatever reputation Bostonians have earned, I think those people must be just in the city, because those on the periphery are very warm, good people.
This area is not all that different from where I lived in upstate NY. It has many of the same nice qualities of a good community without the craziness...but it's not all that far from a city of some size. Note that when I was in upstate NY, gas prices weren't a concern so it was nothing to jump in the car and drive for 3 hours to NYC or far less than that to get to the mountains (big hills for you Coloradoans), lakes, skiing, etc. I'm very happy to be here and it seems to have the best of the things I liked about Italy and the U.S. It was also quite helpful to have my mom drive out here with me to get me all set up & see her enjoy the area. I guess I needed that, mom's approval has a lot of weight, still, and possibly more than ever. The time with her was the best time I've ever had with her and it was not too different from a two-week long slumber party. We (and she, in particular) had so much fun. I had to work much of the time she was here, but we still had solid time to spend together.
After a very long winter of traveling and not touching the bike (it was good for me, the break, though it killed my fitness, was healthy and, simply, had to be done to manage the traveling, visiting and living situations I found myself in). Now, I'm absolutely thrilled to be back on the bike, loving the nice, comfy ride of steel and not missing the jarring of the light race bike. I just want to ride long, fun miles with people who are interested in conversing during the long ride. I'm absolutely done (ummm, at least for a year) with training rides where I have to worry about my cadence, heart rate, etc. every moment of it. Right now my thing is to train for a long almost 150 mile ride coming up in June. Good excuse to get long miles, explore the area and work towards something tangible. It's a brewery-to-brewery ride, so you can imagine what edible tangibles there will be at the end of that long day in the saddle.
There's pretty much the coolest bike shop/coffee shop combo in the world (as far as I'm concerned), in the area. It's my happy place, where I go to start rides, have a really tasty cup of coffee after rides (Italians would be impressed), hang out and chat with other cyclists, and simply be with nice people. Every time I go in there, I know at least one person, if not more. For being new to an area, that's an awfully good feeling. I likely speak for a lot of cyclists--that it is the dream of a cyclist to have a shop where they can go and simply spend time without feeling like a shop rat. This place invites you to stay awhile. So I do.
It dawned on me today that I really need to get out a bit more socially--you know, in Saturday night clothes. It's easy to not go out when my social life is at work (I am fortunate to like my co-workers a lot) and through bike riding. I have a few other things that I've managed to find to do and if only I'd start going to Toastmasters, my life would closely resemble life in Denver...though, of course, Denver & other friends, you will never be replaced...just added to. :) It's impossible to keep up with everyone and there is so little time. Tonight I got lucky and had to do something for work near home so I got home well before dark. Few evenings are like this one.
Well, on that note, it's time to sign off. After starting the day with a very hard road ride, my metabolism is going crazy and I'm hungry. Will go pet a very cute kitty that I'm pet sitting and get it all together for tomorrow. I know I owe you/the blog pictures. Will try to make that the next post...one with waaaay fewer works and many more pics. Ah, there's the kitty now, nudging and purrrring, gotta go! Hope this finds you all well!!!
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
One Year, 365 Full Days Living out of a Suitcase ... An Essay
Last year on this day, I stepped foot on an airplane that took me to Italy. It served as a symbolic gesture as it was a total dedication to leaving my comfort zone, leaving my job, family, friends and everything that I held dear (except my bike and computer). The trip to Italy was a chance of a lifetime to step back from normal life. It turned out to be a lot more than that.
I went almost on a whim when I found out that logistically, it's not that hard or expensive to live in Italy and take language classes for a period of time. The logic at the time was that I had family to meet in Italy who I had never known, it would be fun (and good for my brain) to learn a foreign language and when else in life would I be that single, that easily able to put a bow around my U.S. life and live overseas?
That's all it was supposed to be. Taking a step out of the working world was a real education. I got the chance to turn back time. Living a fully immersed life in Italian before I knew the language was being turned into a 2-year-old. How does that feel? Truthfully, at first, everything was fabulous. Everything was a discovery. Each interaction at every store, every new vista, every new person who welcomed me into their home with open arms. I was no different than a child seeing the world for the first time. Things that would be commonplace and nothing to notice in the US was wildly interesting there. Had that conversation happened in English, I wouldn't have noticed or remembered. And at that point, it was okay I didn't know Italian.
As this toddler grew up, it became harder. The reality of life came into view. Understanding more of the language, it was possible to understand more of the political realities and truths of what appeared to be the perfect place proving it's not. It also became more challenging not being able to speak. Understanding comes long before being able to speak a language and to me, both were difficult because my ear hadn't ever been exposed to another language. There are sounds that need to be heard that we don't listen for in English, there are sounds we need to make with our mouths that are really tricky if the mouth has never had to make those sounds before.
The highs were high--all of the time I had great experiences with the bike team that I was on. The long story of that can be found in this blog. Being on the team and making friends in the biking community was key for living the immersed life. No one spoke English so I had to learn Italian. And I also had to train and race. I had mixed emotions on that. When I quit racing three years ago, I had only reluctantly raced a few times since then. Training and racing is all-consuming. It is a lifestyle and doesn't leave much room for much of anything else. As long as one's friends ride or race, at least there is a great social aspect.
My desire to do one Gran Fondo race turned into something like 8 Gran Fondo races and uncountable training rides. The memories I brought back with me are from those days on the bike. There were so many great rides through the heart of Italy. Then there were the days when riding the bike was all I could do, trying to speak and comprehend a new language is initially very exhausting. Typically it was okay, but it's hard to feel that stupid when you know you're not. The Gran Fondos are super fun races. If you've been following along, you've read some of my stories.
If I were in Italy, I would continue to race. I was looking forward to racing this season (which, in Italy, started at the end of February). Racing with the men, doing long courses that are always gorgeous and continuously interesting on the terrain and having pasta parties after each are the main highlights of Gran Fondo racing that I miss in the races here in the U.S.
Mixing the great language, Italian bike racing and the adrenaline of racing made it good to go back to. It was where I was comfortable and happiest. Not having much competition with women wasn't bad, either. I'm just going to say it: I loved standing on the podium and winning things. I don't know how strong I was last season compared with my how strong my Colorado competition is, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be winning races here. It stayed fun and the pressure to do well wasn't there.
At around month 4 (July), I was starting to speak in simple sentences that would flow somewhat. July was so hot, it felt good to bask in the sun and get a tan. There was a pool that I got to go to a few times and it was high on a hill in the countryside. The landscape surrounding it was stunning.
Backing up a bit, the language class for the first three months was cool. I've discussed my classmates here before, but it's really important to reiterate it. I ate the best Chinese food I've ever tasted, made by the housewife from China who was taking Italian. I never quite understood why, but she and my other Chinese classmates were really sweet to include me in their circle.
The conflicts in Egypt and Libia have all new meaning to me. Every day I think about my Libian friends who I got to know in Italy and I think of their families. Of course, we all know that all people are the same and good people have compassion for all humans, but yet there's something different about knowing someone and realizing that this could be them in those pictures, they could be part of the fight. Likely, they are very affected by the current events of today. The world is a very small place and everyone is a neighbor.
How many countries mean more to me now? Every single one where I met someone and now, every time I hear the name of a country, the next thing I wonder is who is from that country? What is it like there? The public school system did its best to bore me out of ever caring about the rest of the world. I had a lot of good teachers, but unfortunately, every social studies class and every geography class was awful. I really detested maps. They were always associated with incredibly boring coursework. Now I love maps. Geography is incredibly interesting. How anyone teaches it so badly is beyond me. But, in a way I have them to thank. I never cared to travel the world, seemed silly and only for people who had lots of extra cash and no need to have a summer job. So I didn't travel until I was old enough to have enough life experiences to appreciate seeing the world through the eyes of one who had experienced being an adult for awhile. The stories I've heard of people who have gone away for a semester or more are cool. So many people formed who they were as adults based on what they learned while they were away.
The experience certainly offers book knowledge, that's obvious. There are so many other things that it teaches that no one can ever put on paper or describe. For as long as I live, I have the memories and lessons influencing every decision and every interaction. It's nothing that can ever be learned in school (quite the contrary) and certainly nothing that has a price.
Living out of a suitcase is a liberating feeling. I've been accused of being a vagabond more than once and I'm trying to figure out why it's such a bad thing. Being alone and traveling makes a person have to have complete confidence in oneself. You have to have everything you need inside yourself to enjoy traveling alone. Anyone who suspects a vagabond like myself of being one who is a wanderer, who doesn't know where they're going in life is one who simply doesn't understand. To do what I did meant that I had confidence that though every step was into unknown territory, I would be okay. My faith kept me strong when everything seemed too overwhelming and the future could absolutely not be seen.
Often I believe that by surrounding oneself with familiar people and objects, it's easy to create a very safe comfort zone. Staying within that place is certainly not bad, but it's the vagabond who is tested daily of whether or not they have what it takes inside to survive.
There are the more practical sides of living out of a suitcase, of course. It's a lot less to worry about, it's a lot less to lose if something were to happen. The value of stuff changes a lot. It's easy to realize that if it's possible to take a whole house full of stuff and whittle it down to a single suitcase of what's necessary for a year of living, none of it was really ever that important. My computer & camera were the two most valued possessions followed closely by comfortable shoes.
The best part of traveling light was that it allowed me to live much more flexibly. I learned to really value hostels. Shared spaces mean shared conversations. I remember the guy who I can't remember his name, but I remember that he was from Japan and traveling alone in Barcelona. We went out to dinner and had really good Catalan food, ordering the sampler dish that could only be served to two. It was a great dinner that I won't forget and nor will I forget when we were walking back to the hostel and there was a piano on the street available for anyone to play. The guys playing it let my new friend sit down and have a go at a tune. He ripped out an amazing piano concerto. The guys standing around loved it as did I. Had I stayed in a more expensive motel that night, I might have grabbed a quick bite at a take-out place and watched tv.
I am still living out of a suitcase and am walking around with a big hole in my jeans. This pair has literally worn out. It's a great feeling to know I got the full useful life out of something. The next new pair of jeans I buy will be a real treat to put on. There are so many other examples of simple things having a greater meaning. I remember when I had to learn how to drive stick shift. How would I find a car to practice with, how to rent a car even? I remember the jealousy - yes, jealousy - that I felt when I watched someone driving by. I couldn't believe how powerless I felt and to have feelings so foreign than those I have in the U.S. Of course, I would feel similar feelings when I heard an American speak good Italian. How easy we have it in our own country doing the things we're familiar with. Nothing will ever seem as hard as it did before going away.
I didn't have any explicit thoughts about what I'd do for a living when I'd get back to the States. It was a trip based on faith and allowing the future to create itself since it's impossible to engineer it as I'd tried to do in the past.
It's official that in the last year, not only was it a journey of another land--the land of my Italian ancestors, but also a chance to really clean the slate and allow things to fall into place without my interference.
Where does this leave me? Interestingly, in the Boston area, someplace I'd never thought about living. Heavy technical work is finally behind me and has been replaced with sales and marketing--creative jobs that I really enjoy. I've thrived on creative projects forever and have always known I wanted something that would allow me to be creative, but was wrong to think I'd find that by becoming an engineer. If I had to do it all again I would do exactly what I did, though, because it has been the enabler for the very interesting and rich life I've had so far.
What's next? There are a lot of other discoveries I've made concerning living with others and being part of a family. The decision to be here means being away from family, but considering there will be lots of chances to visit and over the past year, I've spent more consecutive time with them than I ever would have had I been living nearby during this period, everything just has to be looked at in the right perspective. Maybe I'll live there again, who knows. I have found a community and a place to live. If that place becomes a home, I will be happy. There's no way to know until time passes. I have a mad desire to be part of a family or something that looks like a family, but I am fine if that family isn't one of my own creation. The last two months of living with a family has been good to illustrate this. Just the local bike shop ride and hanging out with my co-workers during work fulfills so much of what I need in the way of community and family.
It was important to me to reflect on the past year. There are so many other highlights and low lights that I could share, but this is a good taste of almost everything. Thank you for everyone who made the last year possible, everyone who lent a smile or a hand, family for supporting from afar and those who are part of my new, extended family. I hope to have not just done all of this for myself, but it is for you, too. I'd keep this post in my private journal if it were mine to keep to myself.
It's my wish that everyone do something to force this sort of introspection, to really experience the world in whatever way works best. When is the last time you took a true, running leap into the unknown? Would you land right back to where you are or not? Doesn't take an international travel experience to do it. I also wish for you to think differently about the things you take for granted. Think a little harder about the people who are in the midst of crises in the world. Stop worrying about the stupid little things. And remember that almost everything is a little thing. When you jump in your car to run an errand, think about how different it would feel if you hadn't driven for a year. Stop to smell the roses, but do try to do it with someone else and the experience will be that much richer.
Take a moment to really think about how it would be that if, for the next year, you were to live somewhere else far from home all on your own.
What would you pack in your suitcase?
I went almost on a whim when I found out that logistically, it's not that hard or expensive to live in Italy and take language classes for a period of time. The logic at the time was that I had family to meet in Italy who I had never known, it would be fun (and good for my brain) to learn a foreign language and when else in life would I be that single, that easily able to put a bow around my U.S. life and live overseas?
That's all it was supposed to be. Taking a step out of the working world was a real education. I got the chance to turn back time. Living a fully immersed life in Italian before I knew the language was being turned into a 2-year-old. How does that feel? Truthfully, at first, everything was fabulous. Everything was a discovery. Each interaction at every store, every new vista, every new person who welcomed me into their home with open arms. I was no different than a child seeing the world for the first time. Things that would be commonplace and nothing to notice in the US was wildly interesting there. Had that conversation happened in English, I wouldn't have noticed or remembered. And at that point, it was okay I didn't know Italian.
As this toddler grew up, it became harder. The reality of life came into view. Understanding more of the language, it was possible to understand more of the political realities and truths of what appeared to be the perfect place proving it's not. It also became more challenging not being able to speak. Understanding comes long before being able to speak a language and to me, both were difficult because my ear hadn't ever been exposed to another language. There are sounds that need to be heard that we don't listen for in English, there are sounds we need to make with our mouths that are really tricky if the mouth has never had to make those sounds before.
The highs were high--all of the time I had great experiences with the bike team that I was on. The long story of that can be found in this blog. Being on the team and making friends in the biking community was key for living the immersed life. No one spoke English so I had to learn Italian. And I also had to train and race. I had mixed emotions on that. When I quit racing three years ago, I had only reluctantly raced a few times since then. Training and racing is all-consuming. It is a lifestyle and doesn't leave much room for much of anything else. As long as one's friends ride or race, at least there is a great social aspect.
My desire to do one Gran Fondo race turned into something like 8 Gran Fondo races and uncountable training rides. The memories I brought back with me are from those days on the bike. There were so many great rides through the heart of Italy. Then there were the days when riding the bike was all I could do, trying to speak and comprehend a new language is initially very exhausting. Typically it was okay, but it's hard to feel that stupid when you know you're not. The Gran Fondos are super fun races. If you've been following along, you've read some of my stories.
If I were in Italy, I would continue to race. I was looking forward to racing this season (which, in Italy, started at the end of February). Racing with the men, doing long courses that are always gorgeous and continuously interesting on the terrain and having pasta parties after each are the main highlights of Gran Fondo racing that I miss in the races here in the U.S.
Mixing the great language, Italian bike racing and the adrenaline of racing made it good to go back to. It was where I was comfortable and happiest. Not having much competition with women wasn't bad, either. I'm just going to say it: I loved standing on the podium and winning things. I don't know how strong I was last season compared with my how strong my Colorado competition is, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be winning races here. It stayed fun and the pressure to do well wasn't there.
At around month 4 (July), I was starting to speak in simple sentences that would flow somewhat. July was so hot, it felt good to bask in the sun and get a tan. There was a pool that I got to go to a few times and it was high on a hill in the countryside. The landscape surrounding it was stunning.
Backing up a bit, the language class for the first three months was cool. I've discussed my classmates here before, but it's really important to reiterate it. I ate the best Chinese food I've ever tasted, made by the housewife from China who was taking Italian. I never quite understood why, but she and my other Chinese classmates were really sweet to include me in their circle.
The conflicts in Egypt and Libia have all new meaning to me. Every day I think about my Libian friends who I got to know in Italy and I think of their families. Of course, we all know that all people are the same and good people have compassion for all humans, but yet there's something different about knowing someone and realizing that this could be them in those pictures, they could be part of the fight. Likely, they are very affected by the current events of today. The world is a very small place and everyone is a neighbor.
How many countries mean more to me now? Every single one where I met someone and now, every time I hear the name of a country, the next thing I wonder is who is from that country? What is it like there? The public school system did its best to bore me out of ever caring about the rest of the world. I had a lot of good teachers, but unfortunately, every social studies class and every geography class was awful. I really detested maps. They were always associated with incredibly boring coursework. Now I love maps. Geography is incredibly interesting. How anyone teaches it so badly is beyond me. But, in a way I have them to thank. I never cared to travel the world, seemed silly and only for people who had lots of extra cash and no need to have a summer job. So I didn't travel until I was old enough to have enough life experiences to appreciate seeing the world through the eyes of one who had experienced being an adult for awhile. The stories I've heard of people who have gone away for a semester or more are cool. So many people formed who they were as adults based on what they learned while they were away.
The experience certainly offers book knowledge, that's obvious. There are so many other things that it teaches that no one can ever put on paper or describe. For as long as I live, I have the memories and lessons influencing every decision and every interaction. It's nothing that can ever be learned in school (quite the contrary) and certainly nothing that has a price.
Living out of a suitcase is a liberating feeling. I've been accused of being a vagabond more than once and I'm trying to figure out why it's such a bad thing. Being alone and traveling makes a person have to have complete confidence in oneself. You have to have everything you need inside yourself to enjoy traveling alone. Anyone who suspects a vagabond like myself of being one who is a wanderer, who doesn't know where they're going in life is one who simply doesn't understand. To do what I did meant that I had confidence that though every step was into unknown territory, I would be okay. My faith kept me strong when everything seemed too overwhelming and the future could absolutely not be seen.
Often I believe that by surrounding oneself with familiar people and objects, it's easy to create a very safe comfort zone. Staying within that place is certainly not bad, but it's the vagabond who is tested daily of whether or not they have what it takes inside to survive.
There are the more practical sides of living out of a suitcase, of course. It's a lot less to worry about, it's a lot less to lose if something were to happen. The value of stuff changes a lot. It's easy to realize that if it's possible to take a whole house full of stuff and whittle it down to a single suitcase of what's necessary for a year of living, none of it was really ever that important. My computer & camera were the two most valued possessions followed closely by comfortable shoes.
The best part of traveling light was that it allowed me to live much more flexibly. I learned to really value hostels. Shared spaces mean shared conversations. I remember the guy who I can't remember his name, but I remember that he was from Japan and traveling alone in Barcelona. We went out to dinner and had really good Catalan food, ordering the sampler dish that could only be served to two. It was a great dinner that I won't forget and nor will I forget when we were walking back to the hostel and there was a piano on the street available for anyone to play. The guys playing it let my new friend sit down and have a go at a tune. He ripped out an amazing piano concerto. The guys standing around loved it as did I. Had I stayed in a more expensive motel that night, I might have grabbed a quick bite at a take-out place and watched tv.
I am still living out of a suitcase and am walking around with a big hole in my jeans. This pair has literally worn out. It's a great feeling to know I got the full useful life out of something. The next new pair of jeans I buy will be a real treat to put on. There are so many other examples of simple things having a greater meaning. I remember when I had to learn how to drive stick shift. How would I find a car to practice with, how to rent a car even? I remember the jealousy - yes, jealousy - that I felt when I watched someone driving by. I couldn't believe how powerless I felt and to have feelings so foreign than those I have in the U.S. Of course, I would feel similar feelings when I heard an American speak good Italian. How easy we have it in our own country doing the things we're familiar with. Nothing will ever seem as hard as it did before going away.
I didn't have any explicit thoughts about what I'd do for a living when I'd get back to the States. It was a trip based on faith and allowing the future to create itself since it's impossible to engineer it as I'd tried to do in the past.
It's official that in the last year, not only was it a journey of another land--the land of my Italian ancestors, but also a chance to really clean the slate and allow things to fall into place without my interference.
Where does this leave me? Interestingly, in the Boston area, someplace I'd never thought about living. Heavy technical work is finally behind me and has been replaced with sales and marketing--creative jobs that I really enjoy. I've thrived on creative projects forever and have always known I wanted something that would allow me to be creative, but was wrong to think I'd find that by becoming an engineer. If I had to do it all again I would do exactly what I did, though, because it has been the enabler for the very interesting and rich life I've had so far.
What's next? There are a lot of other discoveries I've made concerning living with others and being part of a family. The decision to be here means being away from family, but considering there will be lots of chances to visit and over the past year, I've spent more consecutive time with them than I ever would have had I been living nearby during this period, everything just has to be looked at in the right perspective. Maybe I'll live there again, who knows. I have found a community and a place to live. If that place becomes a home, I will be happy. There's no way to know until time passes. I have a mad desire to be part of a family or something that looks like a family, but I am fine if that family isn't one of my own creation. The last two months of living with a family has been good to illustrate this. Just the local bike shop ride and hanging out with my co-workers during work fulfills so much of what I need in the way of community and family.
It was important to me to reflect on the past year. There are so many other highlights and low lights that I could share, but this is a good taste of almost everything. Thank you for everyone who made the last year possible, everyone who lent a smile or a hand, family for supporting from afar and those who are part of my new, extended family. I hope to have not just done all of this for myself, but it is for you, too. I'd keep this post in my private journal if it were mine to keep to myself.
It's my wish that everyone do something to force this sort of introspection, to really experience the world in whatever way works best. When is the last time you took a true, running leap into the unknown? Would you land right back to where you are or not? Doesn't take an international travel experience to do it. I also wish for you to think differently about the things you take for granted. Think a little harder about the people who are in the midst of crises in the world. Stop worrying about the stupid little things. And remember that almost everything is a little thing. When you jump in your car to run an errand, think about how different it would feel if you hadn't driven for a year. Stop to smell the roses, but do try to do it with someone else and the experience will be that much richer.
Take a moment to really think about how it would be that if, for the next year, you were to live somewhere else far from home all on your own.
What would you pack in your suitcase?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)