There was something terribly intriguing about Stephanie's essay titled, "I stole my first bike" that captured our attention. Although it was her description of her transformation from utilitarian riding to a true love affair with her bike that sealed the deal. Stephanie's story is familiar to many of us at Trek, from saving money for six months for a new set of wheels that cost more than her first car, to the Zen feeling she gets from truing a wheel. And only after two years of riding she says, "I know what cadence means, how many watts is a lot. I can fix a flat in my sleep and tell the difference between a pinch flat and goat head at 50 yards." Clearly she fell in love with cycling hard and fast. But her husband fully supports her cycling affair.
With her recent move from Idaho to Minnesota, she is expanding her horizons quickly to city riding and cruising the river bottom trails. Without a doubt you too will be intrigued by Stephanie's cycling journey from utilitarian riding in College to a true love affair on and off the road only two years later.
I was riding my bike home from work today, and I got into the left hand turn lane. As I coasted toward the RED light ahead, I heard a car behind me honking like crazy....beep, beep, beep, beeeeeeep! As I usually do when I am riding my bike, I ignored it and did not look back at the fussy car. To my surprise, the car comes swerving around me, and almost hits me, all while a lady is waving her crazy arm out the passenger window for me to get over. They stopped right in front of me, and I had to slam on my brakes so I would not rear end them with my front tire.
I wasn't too upset at this point, but they did make me a little mad. The light was red, and if I had been a little bolder, I would have pulled up next to them to let them know the laws of the road. I didn't though...I just stood there and stared at the back of their car, giving them the stink eye.
As I was staring, I realized two things: 1. They were deaf. 2. They were talking about me! Now I don't know sign language, but I can certainly read body language. And, I am pretty sure when you take your pointer finger and make small circles around your ear, that means "crazy" or "stupid". It made me more mad that they would talk about me like that...especially since they were the one's who cut me off and apparently don't know all of the rules of the road.
After the light turned green, they caught another red light, so I had an opportunity to pass them. I wanted really bad to use the one-finger sign language that I DO know...but I didn't. Instead, I just smiled at them as I rode past.
Now that I think about it...it is kind of funny that I ignored their honking...I hope they think their horn is broken.
Kevin Pavlis: good friend, great father, loving husband, and cyclist.
My good friend Kevin Pavlis was struck by a car last Thursday while riding his bike in Boise, ID. He passed away the next day on Friday, June 12th due to his injuries. He leaves behind his wife and 2 year old daughter. You can read about his life here: http://www.legacy.com/
I feel so sad when I hear about things like this happening to fellow cyclists. In Boise alone, two other cyclists were killed after being hit by vehicles in the last month. This news hurts even more when it is a close friend. I worked with Kevin at Idaho Mountain Touring when we lived in Boise. He was a wonderful friend, and co-worker, and a great person to go cycling with.
I have this picture of me and Kevin...it is the only one I could find right now. The picture is from a LAC group mountain bike ride two summers ago. We went to the foothills and practiced going off rocks and maneuvering down drop offs. I was very new to mountain biking at the time, so Kevin was helping me out by pointing out the lines I should follow and making sure I was safe going down the rocks. He got off his bike and was helping me and the other timid cyclists, rather than riding around himself. He is such a gentleman, and great friend. I am glad I have this photo to remember that day.
I will always remember his big smile, his boisterous laugh, and his Green-Tea Frapuccinos. (Actually, I don't know if he drinks them anymore, but he used to). Thanks for all the good times at IMT and all our bike rides Kevin! I will miss you!
PLEASE: when you are cycling on the roads, take an extra second to be aware of your surroundings, and always wear a helmet. Kevin was wearing a helmet, and though it did not save his life, it could save yours. Also, if you are driving, please pay attention to the road. These accidents happen so fast, and are so tragic, so please give driving your undivided attention. And...Slow down! Getting somewhere a little faster is not worth someone's life. I hope everyone will be more careful and aware out there on the roads.
We just bought our first house. It is a cute little house on a corner lot. It is one block from a creek and bike trail, and five blocks from a sandy beach on a lake. Of course, we love it!
Only one bad thing so far...We may have a dandelion problem in our yard. Take a look at the pictures and see for yourself.
Despite the odds against me...I finished the Boston marathon! My time was 3:59:31. Just under four hours, and my slowest time by a long shot. I am happy with it though. I was not able to train well during the last 6 weeks because of my knee, but it held out and I was able to run almost the entire race. (I only walked for 20 seconds at a time and stopped to stretch twice.)
Overall, it was amazing amounts of fun...I couldn't have asked for a better 26.2 mile run. Thanks so much to Bill and his parents for coming out to Boston to cheer me on. I love you!
I am running the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20th, 2009. Last year I ran the Fargo, North Dakota marathon and qualified for Boston. Check out that post here. I have been training very hard, and I had hopes of getting a phenomenal PR (personal record) in this marathon. Due to an injury, I will not be running my fastest marathon, but I will preserve and cross the finish line.
I am aware that all of my fans will not be able to make it to Boston to watch me run, so you have another option: You can track my progress online or on your phone through text messages. Just go to this site before race day: http://baa.org/BostonMarathon/Att-Athlete-Alert.asp
We moved out of our apartment last week, and into our friend's house. We are waiting to close on a home that we are buying. So we are going to live with our friends until then.
Some may say that it is unwise, painful, or damaging to move in with friends...but I disagree. It has been a total blast! Here are my top five reasons why:
1. Pizza (homemade)
2. Long bike rides to work
3. Staying up late
4. Sharing groceries, and clothes
5. TV (we don't have one, but they do!)
On a side note, Spring is on its way...I am so excited!
DIRECTIONS: As soon as horn button can be felt, when calf is three to seven days old, remove hair over horn button with sheers of clippers. Apply Dehorning Paste with wood applicator once only. Keep the calf tied away from other animals out of rain for at least six hours.
Those are the real directions...none for human use. Despite being caustic, and lacking human instructions, it works great for warts. My friend used it on his wart, and I had to snap a picture for my blog.
I do not encourage anyone to use this method for wart removal...mostly because we would have to tie you up for six hours if you did.
I consider myself a pretty handy person, especially when it comes to bikes. Just the other day, one of our friends brought over his bike because the brakes needed to be tightened and the derailleurs were not shifting very well. I threw the bike up on my stand, and 10 minutes later it was ready to ride.
This is a frequent thing for me. I rarely take my own bikes into a shop unless I need parts, or if I don't have the right tools. Flat tires are like candy to me and I can build a bike from scratch.
So, I was going to continue on with my life thinking that I was this great "handy person" or bike mechanic.
Then I saw this kid changing a car tire after church. His name is Spencer and he is 16 years old. We came out of church and their family van had a flat tire. He just took off his dress shirt and went to work.
I don't even know how to change a tire on a car. I have a lot to learn! Maybe I should stop thinking I am so hot shot at fixing bikes. My admiration goes out to Spencer. Good work!
