Off season/'Cross season/Eatin' season

Pics courtesy of my daughter.  Airborne's products do me rightly.

Off-season (for road).  Raced 13 times this year. Raced on an Airborne Guardian this year on all my mountain and cyclocross events. Mentally, I have sine-waved through mild burnout/apathy and let-me-in-coach episodes.  I'm currently in the latter due to the placebo affect of: I'm fitt'na get a proper 'cross bike.   Airborne's Delta.  Thank you Airborne.  If you've been following me for a while, you might've noticed I've undergone some considerable changes in my life.  One of my saving graces has been the therapeutic value of riding.  Therefore, my continuation of my two-wheeled addiction via Airborne Cycles probably saved my mental state in immeasurable ways.  I say ways because there were non-two wheeled interventions as well.  Even though Penelope's (my Airborne) not a welterweight, she'll pack quite the punch on the course; and every now and again, when I don't respect Mother Nature, she'll be Mother Nature's conduit and remind me-via crashing painfully-who runs the singletrack.

My friend said when he received a proper 'cross bike he moved up about five places.  Won't be able to race her until December because for the rest of this month I'm saving up my dollars to go see me brah and me Mum (you didn't know I was English did you-I'm SE Asian English as a matter of fact) in Phoenix.  Driving the couch 1600 or so miles with my chilluns.  Rountrip.  Going to fire off a ride in the Sonoran Desert too.  If y'all have never ridden in any desert-type setting it's pretty amazing.  That's why I frequent Moab.  It's quite the audio-sensory treat.  It's so foreign from living in the city or the suburbs that when you get out there, its  newness, and how your senses input that data to your brain could be a touch overwhelming (but in an inconspicuous sort-of-way).  I can see why all the "kooks" of society flock out here.  Whether to channel spirits or burn effigies or for whatever therapeutic/cleansing reasons the desert is a welcoming place with gobs of vastness, with a slight hum if you listen real close and she actually encourages you to do what you want (in an ethical way, that is).  The deluxe deal of this is I get to ride with my brother and afterwards hangout and dine with the family and some of their close friends.  Can't wait.


My cyclocross season (I guess for that matter too my cross country season) on Penelope the 29er has been fairly successful.  Even though I'm not in the upper echelon of 'cross categories I have won one and finished top 15 several times-on my Airborne Guardian 29er!  This season, due to many reasons-the least was treason-and due to my brain seizin' and my Airborne pleasing and egged on by my friends' teasing, since I own my house and I ain't leasin', and this Thanksgiving I'm fittn'a do some eatin', plus this off season I want to ease in, I participated in the most 'cross events ever.  It's basically 35-45 minutes of anaerobic effort-I don't even run a water bottle in these events-and to piss off the racers-I mean to make it more challenging-the organizers throw in for good measure(s):  barricades (which some can bunny-hop, I cannot), (flights of) stairs,

Stairs=cruel

 off-camber steep pitches, and sand pits.  You either ride through or over it or you portage your steed then remount and continue your ballistic velocities before the timer goes off or you bonk or cramp ugly or crash and have a wicked (oooh wicked!) mechanical.  My Crossmax's though are not feeling it (or they're feeling it too much).  Hope I can get another season out of them.  Mavic knows how to make a nice wheelset.  Here's proof that 'crossing can be done on an Airborne 29er.  Came in 12th out of 50 last week..

We finished 12th and 13th today.  Both of us riding 29ers.  Me on an Airborne, him on a carbon fiber Supefly

Eatin' season.  Yeah, I'm going to eat.  Even though I'm vegetarian the eating of pumpkin pie (pronounced PUNK-in pie) will be welcomed.  Probably going to bring some Tofurkey and Qorn to my brother's giving of thanks at the dinner table.  Won't go too crazy with the absorbtive process.  The stresses of racing resulted in my morphology the lightest it's been in years so as a vain road-weenie, I kinda wanna keep the extraneous pounds off.  Had to buy some new pantaloons and punch more holes in my belts because of this.

The Holiday Season's going to have a smidge of a different yet exciting vibe this year with my Dad gone and my kids living in another zipcode (I'm coparenting so we thankfully still cohabitate) and my new relationship with Karen, but isn't that what defines your life? Change?  It's a learning experience.  I like to learn (learning can be painful).  There's always something to learn y'all. Well, I can say this at the very least, on two wheels I'ma learn to fly like Satan on a proper 'cross bike...

Here she is.  This picture says a lot actually.