Sunday, January 14, 2007

Recent Moments of Fame

Aah. Nats. The best minute and a half racing I've ever had. :) Okay, kidding about that, I have had lots of great race moments, but it was really exciting to be up there with Katie and Georgia. I stayed in third until the road section on top, when I realized (thanks to AHM yelling at me) that I would blow up trying to maintain that pace for the whole race. I let the chase group behind me catch, and the rest is history. Thanks for all your cheers and support. It was incredible to hear so many people cheering my name at the races like partners in my suffering.

Check it out!!
I had a great time at the NEBRA banquet last night.
I was honored to receive both the road race champion and cyclocross champion jerseys!
David Manibal, the President of the 2007 Montreal-Boston Tour was on hand to whet our appetites for the new tour! Sounds awesome. I wish I were a man so I could race it! (Let's not read too much into that one, k?)
So, any ideas on how I can get the time off work so I can race the Montreal World Cup this year?? Or Nature Valley?? Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for July and August. Few people have the flexibility teachers do to race during the summer. But "waaaaaaah!!!" There is so much good racing in June! To redesign my life... to devote to cycling...
oh, I so want to.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Où étions-nous ??

Où étions-nous ??
Nous avons recherché l'hiver et l'avons trouvé au Québec !

We went on a little vacation with Ward's parents the day after Christmas. We stayed just a block from the touristy but still charming Vieux Quebec, had some great meals, and found some snow, too! We cross country skiied at Mont Sainte Anne, where despite a poor snow year so far, the conditions were easily better than mid-season in New Hampshire. I now have the impression that Canadians are all great at skiing and skating! The green-circle "easy" trails at the ski touring center were more difficult than most intermediate trails I've been on in N.E., and there were parents pulling babies and toddlers in trailers skiing faster than I could believe. I guess when you grow up in that climate, you ski and skate from an early age!

I had fun trying to speak French. I could hardly believe that when I used the language I was actually understood. (I kind of assumed my pronunciation would make words indistinguishable.) Unfortunately, I guess I sounded good enough that whoever I spoke to usually responded speaking so fast that I had no hope of understanding! Repetez, s'il-vous plait!!

One true "highlight" from the trip: in a French-Canadian provence, eating in a touristy Italian restaurant called "Parmesan" with everyone around speaking French, and an accordianist singing "La Bamba" with a French accent!

















And you thought you might read about cross nats on my blog! Well, you will. I'm sure you've seen all the pics and videos by now, and maybe it's a long-distant memory for you. But I'll soon post a few thoughts and favorite pics, if anyone's still reading!