Team Kits

In the words of the great David Lee Roth, "It's not about whether you win or lose, it's how good you look." Granted, this is not entirely true in the world of cycling (we REALLY want to win), but the last part is definitely apropos. We absolutely, without a doubt, want to look GOOD out there. This is evident in the amount of time it took CAWES to decide on the team kit last year. Geez...we must have gone back and forth about 3 dozen times about stripes, colors, patterns, logos, fonts, etc. But, in the end, it was great, because we have a GREAT kit. We all love it, we get compliments GALORE, we're easy to spot in the peloton, and we know that we ended up with a fantastic look for the bike!

Most of the time, the pro kits are even better than locals - after all, they're paying some designer BIG BUCKS to come up with a kit each year, right. WRONG. Here are a few debacles that will be seen on the road in the upcoming season. Now, I'm sure some will disagree with me on these, and that's fine. But, here's my rating of the newest kits on the road...

First, HTC...Last year's kit may have been a tad bit cheesy with the anime ab muscles going, but the team looked sharp, unique, and awesome in these kits (minus the white shorts...let's face it, white shorts just don't cut it)...

The 2011 kit is best described in one word...ok. It's lost it's flare! A couple of awkwardly drawn stripes pointing at your crotch just doesn't do it for me. It's definitely not the worst one out there, but it ain't great! At least the boys get black shorts this year!

Omega Pharma Lotto 2010 kit. The color combinations have never been my favorite, but the design was okay, I suppose. A bit plain, but ok.

Omega 2011 - looks like they're trying to borrow HTC's abs, but they haven't done quite a good enough job. The red has become too "orangey" and the blue is too pale.

Team Garmin. My FAVORITE team. And, one of my favorite kits in the peloton last year. Come on...it's fun, the colors are great, and it has argyle on it! I think that Garmin, in general, has been great with their kit for the last couple of years. Until...

They became Team Garmin-Cervelo. Boooooring. The argyle is nearly completely gone, relegated like a bad sprinter to the neck and arm bands. The orange has disappeared. Bummer. Now, they just blend in, rather than being wickedly awesome. The kit is still pretty sharp, but it's NOT Garmin-y.

Team Quick Step has always been a sharp looking team. Simple colors and classic design made their kit stand out well. Since they've always had a rather classic look, the 2011 kit maintains their typical style...

I must say, I do like the red chevrons on the sides. Looking good, Tommeke.But the biggest disappointment for me this year. Team Leopard-Trek. With a name like Team Leopard, you would expect something exciting, something fun, something interesting, something wild. Instead, we get this.

BLAH. Oh, what a bummer.

Well, that's it for me...what do you think? Like em? Love em? Hate em? What's your favorite kit out there? Least favorite?

And, if you're wondering what the experts at Cycling News think about these kits and others, check out their fashion criticism here.

Dreamland

Years ago, I remember my mom telling me a very funny story.

She woke up one day and was FURIOUS at my father. She wouldn't even speak to him. He could not figure out what was wrong and why she was so angry. She continued this for several hours, which turned into nearly a day. Finally, he managed to get her to tell him what it was that he had done to make her so mad. Her response?

In a dream, he had broken her leg.

Oh yeah....in a dream.

I thought that my mom was nuts...until...

I woke up one morning absolutely fuming at Chuck. At first, I wasn't even sure why I was so mad at him, I just knew that I had this rage in my whole body towards him. I rolled away from him in bed and didn't even want him to touch me. I thought, "Oh, boy...this is just like my mom!" So, I tried to remember what had happened in my dream. Then it hit me, he DUMPED me! In my dream, he had broken up with me and told me to take a flying leap. No wonder I was so mad. Crazy, yes...but I was sooo angry.

Chuck sent me this cartoon yesterday...My parents and I got a VERY big laugh out of it!

The Gnu News

Mom wants some gnu news. Funny part is...she knows the gnuest news because she's sitting in the other room right now!! 'Cause I am in MICHIGAN visiting my rents! YAY!

It's been a while since I've spent quality time with the parental units - and I decided that since I was out of school for a bit and Chuck would be working, that I could spend some time out in the Mitten state. So...here we are...chilling by the fireplace, making wickedly yummy meals, working out at the state of the art Rec center, and shopping till we be dropping. And, I've got quite a few days left of the visit!

I think we're going to try to fit in a somewhat spontaneous trip to see the Grammy in Cincy while I'm here - that would be totally awesome. We'll see if we can make it work.

So, really, the gnuest news is that I'm enjoying time tossing cows, playing cards, and just hanging out with the coolest parents I know. :)

Sufferfest

Saw this jewel of a workout series posted on Velonews the other day: Sufferfest! Oh, YEAH! It looks tremendously awesome. I haven't yet pulled the trigger on ordering it, but I will...soon. I think it's a fantastic idea and already spend my hours on the trainer watching and re-watching the 11-13 hour versions of the Tour. It's one of the only things that gets me through my Average Power workout - climbing the Col du Tourmalet with the leaders in the peloton. So, the idea that my workout would be directly associated with attacks, descents, and other movements of the peloton is an awesome idea.

So, I'm sure that this will soon be downloaded on my computer and will be the source of my indoor torture - I mean, training - for 2011.

I can't believe that 2011 is right around the corner. Holy Moly. 2011!! I have a feeling that it is going to be a good year. There's lots to do - I have to make a majorly gigantic "To Do List" today. It will include things like:

- finish paper for Cleveland conference

- try to get funding for Cleveland conference

- finalize all team business so that we can focus on training/racing

- figure out which weekend of Battenkill I'm racing - certainly not both like the awesomely wickedly awesome Unicorn

- get my courses ready for Spring 2011

That's just the short list. Oh boy!!

Happy Happy Merry Merry

Hello all,

I hope that you have had a beautiful holiday month. Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Cheery Festivus, and all the other lovely holidays abound in December.

Christmas was very good to us here at the old homestead. Chuck and I got up early and opened our gifts to one another like two seven year olds! We're so FUNNY! He was a lucky guy and got sooo many of the goodies on his list!

I was really happy with my gifts before I even got to the now infamous "Big Box." A new ipod (in lime green, of course), a Road ID (also green) to keep me safe when I'm out on my bike, a Magic Bullet to make post-ride smoothies all greeted me prior to the opening of the "Big Box." He saved that one for last and I'm so glad that he did...inside was a photo by Monte Nagler!

Monte Nagler is a photographer who studied with Ansel Adams. My dad recently went on a photo workshop with him and my parents have several of his works. He has a series of bike photos and I was going through them and found one that I really loved. I showed it to Chuck a while back and....Ta-DAA!!

Chuck did the framing himself and I think he did a GREAT job!! (He had help from Sherm) This was a HUGE surprise and a wonderful gift.

The funny part was...I bought him a photographic work of art, too! Only slightly less well known than Monte Nagler, this work is by my good friend Christian Hunold. I just loved it when I saw it and knew that Chuck would like it also!

Oh yeah, that's a beaver!! So cute, right?! Anywho...now we both have gorgeous artworks to hang on the wall and enjoy all the time. Yay!

The Christmas Box.

So, I came home the other night to a random cardboard box sitting in the dining room. Unwrapped and sealed by one strip of packing tape, I was informed that this was one of my Christmas presents. I responded by saying that I did not believe it to be very fair - a large unwrapped box occupying the dining room like a sweet morsel of Christmas goodness. It was a temptation that I feared I would be unable to resist. Little did I know that the temptation would be too great for the Christmas animals!!

They are clearly very organized...

Note the directions:

Beaver - Captain

Moose #1 - Opener

Moose #2 - Back-Up Opener

Dog - Lookout

1. Use horns to rip tape

2. Use horns to open box

3. Eat whatever is in box

4. Blame it on the cats

Ah yes, the animals strike yet again this Christmas!!

Animals Strike Again

These daggon Christmas animals. Every year, they escape from their basement enclosure to appear suddenly in the fridge, my sock drawer, or some other random location. And, each year, they find their way into our very limited alcohol stash for some out of control Christmas animal fun. It never fails that their fun excursions go bad...like last year.

Of course, this year...they struck again.

This time, they decided that a game of beer pong would be fun.

Unfortunately, it devolved quickly and nearly became fatal as they went to fisticuffs and a knife duel. See, it appears that the Penguin has the hots for one of the Turkeys. It was suggested that since it's past Thanksgiving, that the turkeys should be sent back to their box in the basement. In a West Side Story type twist, the Penguin defended his darling Gobbles and a duel ensued.

The good news is that the Beaver passed out before any real damage could be done, so it was mostly just an evening of threatening posturing. Still...these guys are so much trouble.

Sigh.

Average Power Workout

So, my coach recently gave me a winter workout to complete. He's normally such a nice guy, but this workout is just mean! I think that perhaps he was possessed by a demon that enjoys knowing that it has tortured it's victims to the breaking point. I appreciate that demon, I just can't say that I like it very much!

The workout involves average power output. So...to simplify, I have to build my average power up about 30 points in an hour. When you look at the numbers, it really doesn't seem to be so bad. However, the reality of doing this workout successfully has been hanging over my head like a dark cloud for weeks. I'm certain that part of the problem was just mental. I don't WANT to be hurting this bad right now, so.... The other part of it was figuring out how this thing will work - getting the gearing right, my food and liquid intake right and... getting the right distractions going in the bike room.

So...here's what I came up with.

1. Put on a climbing stage of the tour and hit mute

2. Set the ipod to shuffle on my newest playlist (Metric, The Killers, Phoenix, Muse, etc.) and turn it UP.

3. Get a good breakfast/lunch/snack.

4. Fill the bottles with Orbana or CeraSport! At the moment, I'm out of CeraSport (order will be placed right after the holidays!), so I'm working with the Orbana!

Despite the fact that I failed this workout the first couple of times that I attempted it, I am finally able to say that I've got it! I have finally gotten the rhythm to this workout. And, there is NO doubt that it's going to pay off. The last 15 minutes of this thing is a world of pain. Just like the last 15 minutes of every Pro/1/2 race I was in last year. So...I'll just keep this thing on the schedule for a while. Let's hope it gets me ready for 2011!

Yipes!

Wowza...two weeks have gone by and I have NO IDEA where they went?! The days have seemed shorter than ever lately and my time seems to disappear under piles of papers, exams, quizzes, and my own writing! YIPES! I can't really complain because in a week, I will essentially be decompressing into vacation mode until the middle of January, but for now, I resemble in many ways a chicken with its head cut off. Running about wildly, trying to finish everything up in time to submit grades and still trying to enjoy some time!

Thinking about New Year's resolutions for this year already. I think that they are going to be bike-performance related resolutions. I'm thinking of the following:

- cutting out caffeine. This will send me into an energy detox downward spiral for a bit, but I think that it's a healthy choice that I can live with.

- cutting out alcohol. This one will be terrible - because there's really nothing I love more than a nice glass of wine when I'm cooking and eating a delicious meal.

- busting my hump at the gym and on the bike. This is going to be a big year. As a domestique, I'm going to have some powerful sprinters and climbers counting on my legs this year. I want to be the best teammate I can be and that means figuring out a way to drop some pounds and increase my power so that I can rip the legs off of all the other women in the peloton. I'm going to get really anal retentive this year and construct a calendar that lays out my days in such a way that I can't help but get ready for Battenkill in April!

Well, there it is. My New Year's resolutions for 2011.

Small Venues = AWESOME concerts

Generally speaking, I feel that small venues provide a more intimate and relaxed setting for a show. When you're going to a stadium show, your expectation for lavish displays and grandiose performance is heightened. Take a U2 concert, for example. With their latest stadium tour, they have turned to putting the stage in the center of the arena, expanding walkways out in to the crowd and dropping huge television screens from the sky! Now, their shows are still utterly amazing...but, I can't even fathom the intensity of seeing them in a tiny venue like the Electric Factory. One day, many years from now, when the Killers are playing Lincoln Financial Field to 50,000, I'll be able to say that I saw Brandon Flowers with 999 of my closest friends at the Electric Factory.

The show last night was AWESOME. The man has the most amazing voice. The power behind his performance was incredible (as was his band) and it was truly fantastic to get to see him in such an intimate setting. Soooo glad I was there with Dana and Sara! Thanks, ladies for a great night!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Turkey Day!

Or, to those of you who might be slightly alternative on this festival of fantabulous food,

Happy Tofurky-Turkducken Day!

OK - so, to be slightly mushy today...I have to put out my Thank You list!

My family is, well, AWESOME! I am thankful to have parents that have supported all of my wacky choices in life. Parents that I consider friends. Parents that I call up with good news, bad news, to get advice, and to share my thoughts with. Thank you to my mom and dad for being AWESOME.

To my siblings, I have always looked up to you. You have always shown me (as the Littlest One) the options in life and have helped and encouraged me to find my path through the world. Today, I look to you both as parents - I watch you raise your children with love, adoration, amazement and patience, and I admire you even more than ever. I am grateful that Emma, Noah, and Eloise will have such amazing people to learn from as they grow up (and that DEFINITELY includes Scott and Liz!).

To my friends - I am often amazed when I look around and I see the people that surround me. I am lucky to have friends that have walked with me through life for the past 20+ years and lucky to have those that have just entered my life in the past 20 months! You guys know who you are. I thank you for accepting me and all of my flaws. For helping me daily to become a better person and better friend. For supporting my endeavors and providing great advice. You keep me sane in a crazy world, you keep me crazy in a boring world, and you keep me happy ALL the time!

(Don't worry, good readers, the mushy stuff is nearly complete)...

To my hubby. You are nearly indescribable. You are my best friend. You are my rock, my partner, my joy. I am thankful each day for you.

So...to all - STUFF yourselves silly today! Eat your hearts out! Enjoy family, friends, and food!

I'll see you on the flip side!

Wasabi Weekend

This 2010 is running out fast. Before I know it, it's going to be 2011. And, you know what 2011 is? It is the year of the Wasabi. :)

To think that only one year ago, I was "pledging" CAWES. Crossing my fingers that the girls would like me on and off the bike. Hoping that I would be asked to join an amazing team of women that I highly respect and admire. I feel like I was really lucky. (Lucky that they didn't realize what a goofball I was until it was too late!! Bwah-ha-ha-ha-haaaa!)

Now, after 12+ months, the team has changed a lot. While there are aspects of these alterations that make me sad, the reality is that I'm trying to remind myself that change is a part of life and that it can be good.

So, as 2011 nears, I find myself surrounded yet again by an amazing group of women. A group of women who have a consistent set of goals for the bike and who LOVE spending time together off the bike. Therefore, this is my year of the Wasabi! I hope that we can win some races, show off some decent skills in the NRC circuit, and compete in the Liberty Classic again. But, regardless of what our stats look like at the end of the season, I know that this will be a great year to be green.

2 Months

That's right...it's just a 2 month countdown until the most fantabulous holiday that ever existed! What? What do you mean, you've never heard of PorkChop Day?!?! Well, allow me to enlighten you.

PorkChop day occurs on or about (the entire week is typically considered PorkChop Week) January 16th. It includes celebrations of the best kind: great food, better wine, cool evenings in front of a roaring fire with at least one cat on the lap, cuddles with the hubby, and just general pampering of the PorkChop. YAY!

I suppose it's not much of an important week if you're not a PorkChop. But, if you are...well, then you're set.

Last week was tough. Lots of introspection, self-doubt, long days, short workouts, and shorter fuses. The weekend really turned things around for this week thanks to an amazingly warm and gorgeous couple of days. Oh, and being ensconced in a bubble of pink love for a 56 mile jaunt through the hills of Pennsylvania.

A VERY special thank you must go out to my friend Dana. I am truly grateful for you in my life...that pretty much sums it up.

Change

I'm trying to figure out if I am good at dealing with change. My thought at the moment is that I'm trying to be good at it. But, the reality is that it challenges me. I suppose it challenges everyone.

Some change is undoubtedly good. The shift from a cruddy job to the job of your dreams. The change that involves finding the perfect life partner. The change of meeting new friends that affect your life in a positive way.

Some change is less obviously categorized. That's the change that I am currently struggling with. Change that clearly has a positive and negative to its character. An alteration in my life that was inevitable due to the choices I've made, but nonetheless brings with it an undesirable outcome. So, my conundrum is how to deal with this? How do I allow myself to embrace the decision that I've made (I have no doubt that it was the RIGHT decision) and simultaneously accept the consequences of the action; consequences that I knew would occur but do not want. Therein lies my dilemma.

My Niece...The Dinosaur

I'm not sure when my niece became a dinosaur...but nothing else could explain the roaring she does in this video!

My little niece-a-saurus-rex!

Respect the Turkey

That's right, folks...it's that time of the year. The time of the year when I request, politely, that we all RESPECT THE TURKEY. Our dear gobbling friend would like his time in the sun (and eventually in the oven), so please make sure that you are not one of these folks that simply jumps from October to December! November exists and has it's own special day...a day that involves this guy.
I mean, come on...George Bush respects the Turkey. In his own special way.
And, please be aware that the Turkey has it's own legion of defenders. Like this guy...

He WILL get you if you fail to Respect the Turkey.

You've been warned.

Puppies!

The puppies were born last night starting at 9pm and with the last of the 6 arriving sometime around 2 in the morning. Chuck and I stopped by this morning to visit with them. Here are some photos of the little munchkins. Seriously, they resemble hamsters or gerbils a lot more than dogs right now!

Pretty cute...for now...while they can't bark. They only squeak currently, which is sort of cute. Once they start the yapping though....I'll keep my cats! ;)

Happy Halloween!

Last night was Movie Night! It was a success, with everyone enjoying the movie and the food and the decorations! Thanks to all that made it out and enjoyed the festivities by arriving in costume! :)

Coyle, Lisa, Pedro, Sara, Kacy and me (I was dressed up as Sarah from the TV show Chuck!)!

Halloween morning started with a gorgeous ride with some great folks! Thanks to Kacy for getting me out of bed and on the road! I'm sure that this little gal is thanking her, too!

I saw this little Downy sitting in the middle of the road as we rode past. I just HAD to stop and turn around and get her out of harm's way! I think that this made for some excellent karma on the ride. The weather was perfect and we had a GREAT day out there!

Hi Mom!

My mom reads my blog. Wanna know how I know this? I got an email this morning that said, "What's with your blog? Been waiting for some stories!!!" Well, we can't possibly let down the mom, now can we?

So...here's what we've been up to.

Halloween preparations....

Of course, the Halloween preparations have been underway for some time now. We went pumpkin shopping a few weeks ago. I crafted some new homemade Halloween decorations with some inspiration from my sister-in-law Cheryl. Finally, Sara and I worked on carving the pumpkins the other night. We made a spooky spider and a kurious kitty pumpkin and I even carved an owl into a fake pumpkin! Sweet.

Chuck and I went to the zoo. He posed with a monkey - I was one.

Just today, we visited the mother-in-law. Well, actually, we visited her puppies. See, of the 9 dogs that she currently has, the smallest of them became pregnant by the newest addition to the household. Now the poor, tiny Rootie Toot is going to have SIX puppies! That's right, I said SIX! Holy Shamolies! These puppies must be so tiny...we'll find out soon, she's due to have them as early as Monday. Groovy.

Shout Out

This is a shout out to my friend Jen who is walking across Pennsylvania this month. That's right, I said walking. With her good friend Geronimo the Mustang turned pack horse in tow, Jen is trekking her way from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh this month enjoying the beauty of this great state and all the people and places within it.

A local Berks County paper got wind of her journey and published an article about her and Geronimo.

If you want to follow her and her four-legged ferryman as they follow the westward sun, please check out her blog!

SAD

No, it's not that I'm teary eyed at my desk or anything, but I fear that my Seasonal Affective Disorder is kicking in again. Ugh. I LOVE Autumn and I LOVE the month of October, but it really does get to me.

I feel a bit like a groundhog prepping for hibernation.

All I want to do is stuff my face and sleep. I'm lazy, I'm a bit grumpy and tetchy, and just basically not very Porkchoppy. :( Zzzzzzz....


I think that I will soon have to visit my dear friend Marnie - she'll stick some needles in me and I will undoubtedly feel much better!

Sushi Ninjas

If this photo is any indicator of the amount of fun we're going to have this season, then we are in for quite a treat. Robin and Ky came up from the southern regions this past weekend to spend some time on the bicycles. Ky and Alaina went out to rip it up at the HillBilly Hustle, while Becky, Robin and I went out to Lancaster for a gorgeous 75 mile road ride with a crew of the prettiest Sturdy Girls I ever did see (and Alex!).

But, of course, before we could ride our bikes on Sunday, we had to stuff ourselves with sushi on Saturday. Hey, even ninjas have to eat!

Yeah...we're a wacky crew...but I love it. Go WASABI and orchid!

Oooh....shiny

The bits and bobs of my new bike arrived with a Badger and a Ramba at my doorstep on Saturday evening. There are, of course, still things to be purchased and a bike frame to build. But, for now, I'm pretty happy pulling the pretty shiny parts out of their boxes and just looking at them every once in a while.

Ooooh....shiny!