October 6, 2012 Andrea

Still Waiting

I know that everyone is waiting and watching my blog every single day for news about what’s up & coming for 2013 (jeez, 2013? It’s just now starting to get a little chilly, and I’m talking about 2013). In case you actually are, the only update I can give you is that yesterday, I got news that almost makes me want to get my hopes up. However, I’ve made that mistake in the past, so for now, I’m just going to talk about pets and stuff.

For all of my roadie friends who read, keep watching in the next couple of weeks. I’m getting one of these. I actually ordered it back in August, but it won’t ship from Cannondale until the 8th. The first order of business? Take the super-pimp one-piece spider/chainring set off of the Hollowgram crank and install this (with a set of Rotor chainrings, which are also on order):

Of course, I’ve been super excited about getting it. Yesterday, the excitement really hit home when I was working on a customer’s several-years-old carbon road bike and realized how the graphics and bigass carbon weave look a little dated. My BH Connect looks very much the same way. Don’t get me wrong- I love that bike. We’ve done a lot of ass-kicking together, and it really is an awesome bike- it’s super stiff, and the fit is perfect. I can only imagine that getting a new bike will be much like a police officer getting a new partner when his old one retires. If it’s anything like my Cannondale SuperX, I won’t be disappointed.

In less exciting news, my “no wheat” experiment is going well. I can’t say that I notice any difference in overall health or wellness, but it has removed a source of high-density calories from my diet, so I’ve lost a small amount of weight (consistently 1/2 a pound of morning weight lower than before I started). I made wheat-free chicken nuggets the other night by taking gluten-free pretzels and crushing them in the food processor before seasoning them, dipping them in egg, then rolling them around in the pretzels. I baked them for 15 minutes, but I’m guessing you could pan-fry them instead if you’re so inclined. They were pretty delicious baked.

And, because everyone loves animal photos, here are some of Indy and Thor kitty. Thor is the most awkward sleeper, ever.

September 21, 2012 Andrea

Interbike #3- Nothing to see here…

Last night, after I made my #2 post, Amanda and I took off in a cab for Lotus of Siam, a Thai food place on the seedy side of “off the strip” that Dejay Birtch had picked out. It was pretty boss.

There was a huge after party to go to. Everyone wanted to check it out, including myself. However, I’ve had enough hangovers to know better than to go out and have an awesome time the night before I get on a morning flight back to Memphis. I don’t consider it a sign of getting old, I consider it a choice based on a lot of experience. Why didn’t I just go and say hi, skip the drinks, and still get back in time to get a few hours’ sleep?

As a result, I slept 6 whole hours and awoke feeling like forty bucks (I’ll feel more like a million once I’m back home and sleeping on my own memory foam). I packed, had a leisurely breakfast at Denny’s on the strip, and caught a cab in time to get to the airport just ahead of the crowds.

Once I’m home, it’s time to get to business. Post-season is over, and it’s time to get to cyclocross training.

July 5, 2012July 5, 2012 Andrea

Stuff about Things

Once again, the lack of any one new and exciting event has led me to compile a post with random vignettes from everyday life…

1. Chris King hubs are overrated. Sure, it looks really nice, and the quality is great, but you can get comparable products that are less expensive and more easily serviceable (NO part is going to last forever without some TLC). A Hope rear hub costs a couple hundred less than a King. It’s also an incredibly simple design and can be completely overhauled in 15 minutes with inexpensive cartridge bearings and tools found in any bike shop. Hell, you can even clean and re-lube the freehub pawls without removing your cassette.

2. On Saturday, I rode hot laps at Herb Parson’s Lake. My lap times were excellent, and I feel like I’ve magically taken a step forward in my bike handling abilities. At first, I just thought it was knowing the trail. Then, I rode a new, long-ish extension loop for the first time, and hauled just as much ass as I had been on the parts of the trail I was familiar with. It made me feel like this song sounds:

3. On Sunday, I did some endurance-pace riding. Five hours’ worth. I started by riding a 3 hour loop with Ryan, came home to cool off, then went back out for 2 more hours in the 100+ degree heat. The first hour was fine, the second, not so much. I ended up stopping at the Dunkin Donuts drive through for some ice. The heat wouldn’t have been as rough if it hadn’t been a low air quality day. We were under a code orange ozone alert, so I ended up with burning eyes and throat and a little chest congestion later than night.

4. Tuesday, in order to avoid the heat/pollution, I only rode outside for two hours, then came home and did my intervals on the trainer. As motivation, I sent this photo to Amanda Carey and told her I was coming for her:

5. Having 4th of July off was pretty boss. I woke up early and rode first thing. After Tuesday’s kickass training, I decided a laid back exploration of the newest links to the Germantown Greenway were in order. It did not disappoint:

Afterward, I went to yoga (which turned out to be a great idea since I ended up sleeping in this morning instead of going to the 6am class I usually go to), then had some lunch before going to Fullface Kenny’s Pool Party, a wine tasting at Corgi Nathan’s house, then back to Kenny’s to watch the Germantown fireworks display from the pool.

This morning, I’m extra glad that I was the designated driver.

May 11, 2012 Andrea

Terriers

Terriers are awesome. At 12 years of age, Indy still pursues the elusive mole… sometimes in the confines of the empty compost bin

April 23, 2012 Andrea

Recovery Day Shennanigans

Trophies are nice, but they tend to sit around and collect dust. Not the case with the Slobberknocker trophy. Ryan’s George Foreman grill was falling apart (thank gawd), so I finished it off with style.

February 17, 2012February 17, 2012 Andrea

101 Bits of Life Advice- Addendum

The stuff we eat while we ride is horrible for our teeth (this includes you, Mr. “I eat real food.”) Turns out, no matter WHAT you eat, if it includes sugar, and you consume it while your mouth is relatively dry, your teeth will suffer. So, this morning, I went to the dentist for a crown. They asked me if I wanted to pay $30 extra for gas, and, while I’m not particularly bothered by dental work, I agreed to it… just for giggles. The receptionist looked very uncomfortable when she asked if I didn’t mind the charge, and I commented, “not at all- most drugs cost more than that.”

I suppose my wit is not always appreciated.

Fast forward a little- I’m laid back in the Chair, nitrous taking effect, and I begin reading the “101 things to do in life” poster on the ceiling above the Chair. It included things like “leave the toilet seat down,” “send lots of valentines day cards,” “never refuse home-made brownies,” and “call your mother.” Through the expertise I’ve gained from watching the TV show Criminal Minds, I gather that the author of the poster is a slightly overweight, single, middle-aged white woman who either didn’t get along with her mother at one point or has a child that never calls.

I digress.

I think she left some valuable words of advice off of the list.

-Don’t let this (your time in the dentist’s chair) be the only time you’ve experienced mind altering drugs.
-Try yoga. You don’t have to be athletic, flexible, strong, skinny, or anything else of the sort. In fact, the worse shape you’re in, the more you’re likely to benefit. (I’m looking at you, MOM)
-Most people are jerks. Some just do a better job at hiding it.

I’m somewhat certain that I had more of these in my head while I was laying there and being subjected to various drills, impressions, and suctions, but those are the highlights.

On a totally unrelated note, I sold my geared Air9 Carbon frame and fork. If you’ve been around the internet at all lately, you’ll know why. It was ordered on Valentine’s Day- a sure-fire reminder that carbon fiber is far superior to any precious metal/gemstone conglomeration. I’ve been told it should be on its way sometime soon after the Southern Cross/Southeastern Bike Expo weekend. I can’t wait to stare at it.

Lastly, in other “taking care of your significant other” news, I’m going to be coaching Ryan. Yes, I have a coach of my own, but it’s really going to be less like coaching and more like “educated training advice.” Time will tell how well I do and how well he follows instructions.

January 18, 2012 Andrea

This is what happens when I don’t ride for a few days…

(Warning, this is about to sound a lot like a pseudo-philosophical rant that your one “stoner” friend might tell you an hour or so after eating a “special” brownie…)

In light of the giant, heat-producing contusion on my right thigh, I haven’t done any riding since I arrived home from Louisville on Sunday. I decided yesterday that I’d venture to the mall in search of a pair of jeans. However, rather than actually go into stores and try things on, I ended up wandering around pondering the meaning of life instead.

I mean, the entire contents of the vast expanse of building seemed incredibly useless to me. On the flipside, there are individuals who would feel that their well-being would be compromised if that building burnt down tomorrow. Which led me to think, Why?
What I figured out was that the average individual needs this stuff because they dress up/down/out/etc to do things. Those things that they do add interest to their everyday life. The clothing defines you and what you do. I’m not judging or saying this is bad at all- quite the opposite…

I find those things useless because I don’t do anything.

All those things that all of those people are doing in order to need to dress up/down/out/etc. don’t exist here. Most people would think that, from the outside, that sounds incredibly boring- a large portion of my everyday existence is dedicated to being able to ride a bike faster than everyone else. Outside of that, I work on bikes, and many of my friends are bike people. I’m not saying this is bad at all, either, just that I briefly noticed the stark contrast between my reality and that of the general public.

It’s not for everyone, but I love it.
(Thank you, mall, for provoking my deep thought of the day. )

December 27, 2011 Andrea

Random Culture

I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for stencil street art. This little jewel is from Euro-artist FAKE:

Enjoy.

December 25, 2011December 25, 2011 Andrea

December 25th

This post is a little backwards, so if you want a look into the December 24th debauchery, skip this sentimental stuff and go straight down to where you see the alien holding a glass of wine.

Since I don’t personally know anyone who was born on December 25th, I typically take the day to either ride my bike on reduced-traffic roads and/or visit with family. Today I drove down to Drew, Mississippi, where my grandmother (on my Mom’s side) lives. We eat large quantities of various casseroles, then everyone rolls around on the furniture like colicky horses and “visits” for a while before dispersing.

Granny, Aunt Scarlett, and Mom (front to back)…

Several cousins (l-r) Brad, Brittany, Aunt Georgia, Brad’s Wife, Brent, and his wife (the hair in the foreground):

We agreed that Brent (who works as a crop duster pilot) and I used to be “the bad ones,” but now, his kid has taken over that role. Probably so, considering I thought she was cute, and I normally have a strong dislike of anyone under the age of 20.
Uncle Johnny and the “new” bad one along with Uncle Pete and my dad…

And yes, hate on it all you want… Those ARE house shoes, and exactly zero f***s were given.

My family is great, though often times when I visit, I feel like Roger from American Dad.

Yesterday, the foldies (nickname for any non-bike shop employee) celebrated making it though nearly 1 month of being really busy (good thing they don’t work in the bike shop, where we’re generally slammed from the first day of spring until the first time the temperature drops under 50). Everyone in the store gets to let their proverbial hair down a little, have a catered lunch sandwich, and drink a beer or two. This year, Matt Robbins put his PT training to the test in checking out all of Boyd’s vertebrae injuries:

After that, the atmosphere was electric. Like a tazer.

When I left work, Matt and I took off for a little night ride. He rode Death Bike 3000 for the first time… it basically did OK, unless he had to pedal harder than 300 watts:

I guess he still has a little work to do on that one.

Basically, a good two days of laying off a little and pretending like I’m a “normal” person instead of someone who is systematically repeating a cycle of destroying herself with intervals and recovering just enough to rinse and repeat. Tonight, whiskey. Tuesday, back to work.

December 5, 2011December 5, 2011 Andrea

Phone Dump

It’s time for the next edition of phone photodump- lots of fun photos, not enough time/content to blog them separately…

First, from the “cool bike shit” files, is this:

No, I didn’t get a new powermeter. I decided that since I’m gunning for a world championship in Cyclocross that I should be doing a majority of my training on my cyclocross bike. So, on Saturday, I took the Quarq off of my road bike and put my cyclocross chainrings on it. Yes… shit just got serious.
The only problem that I’m running in to is that Quarq recommends that you re-calibrate the slope for your powermeter when you change the rings. They provide a table for calculating this change. However, I had new rings installed from the beginning, and I don’t know if the slope was ever changed or not. I might have to pull that crank and send it to them for calibration.

The RDO fork is pretty boss. Consider it a rigid fork multiplier… it makes everything that’s fun about riding rigid even more fun. It also makes everything that’s challenging about riding rigid a little more challenging.