The kitchen sink

So the biking has been going relatively well so far. Only 3 flats since I started the trip just over a month ago. Not too shabby, considering my prior record of roughly 8 miles per tube....

Anyhow, I've been doing quite a bit of thinking (mostly when pedaling uphill) about how to cut some of the weight. Ollie's looking a bit more curvy than when we first started. I seem to be acquiring things more quickly than I can shed them: a pretty cool beer can camping stove from the Hoadleys during my sojourn in Shepherdstown, a second (and incidentally much-needed) sweater from my Aunt Barbara in Cumberland, some good hand lotion from Pam (I had developed dry and cracked "farmer's hands" from all of the field work which was just too inefficient when I tried to use gloves so I worked without them) while staying at her home in Bedford one evening on my way east....

Now, I've tried doing a bit of thinking outside the box (or outside the pannier, if you will) and kicked around some ideas: combining the spice kit and first aid kit, for example. Each has its own merits: the traditional first aid kit's space blanket doubles as a shiny cape for costume parties, while the culinary emergency kit would come in handy if I were to, say, run into Michael Pollan at a state park and he wanted to talk about the burgeoning local mushroom culture and asked what I was making on the camp stove and so I invited him to stay for dinner and then as I was handing him a plate of macaroni I became suddenly paralyzed with an overwhelming fear that the food around the campsite was lacking the appropriate level of epicurean sophistication and was just crying out for... oh, I dunno... herbes de provence. (It could happen. Luckily I have a stash of it with me, along with about 25 other must-have seasonings.) But then, I don't know that curry powder or spanish saffron would have helped much with the bangs and scrapes along the way, so perhaps I should keep the Band-aids and Neosporin and Aspirin and... okay, the whole first aid kit. Shoot.

The hills I've made it up thus far along the way are going to make way for mountains pretty soon. Anyone out there have tips on what to scrap to shave some weight off the bike? I've already sent the full-size pepper grinder and whisk home....

(What's really sad is that I'm serious about the grinder and the whisk.)

Morning rash hour

Ever have one of those mornings? One of our staffmembers had a bit of a skid on his ride to work a few days ago. (His face has been cropped to protect his identity. But his name rhymes with Schmen.)

This afternoon we're starting a New Yorker style contest for our fans: Caption The Photo. We'll announce a winner in about a week, so send in your captions (via the blog comment feature). The winner gets... um... one of those handy little tire patch kits.

Actually, considering my flat record, perhaps I will send in a few entries myself. Now off to recruit some judges....

NO boys allowed

Today was our first women's lunch ride, and I kinda wish I'd brought lunch...

I am house sitting this week, so my stuff is scattered about, and I showed up this morning without a bike. I hadn't announced the ride on Facebook, and I figured I wouldn't have any takers. I was a bit disappointed, because it's a NICE day!

Ibti and I waited to see if anyone would show, and I made arrangements to "test ride" a shop bike..... About 1120, a girl named Carolyn came in to get her brakes looked at and asked about any group rides! She was in luck!!

I grabbed a Bianchi Elena, rolled up the cuffs of my jeans, grabbed a test ride helmet and off we went! Short sleeves! It felt great! We rode over the 14th Street bridge into Virginia. There was a still breeze coming in off the river. I was feeling a little overly excited to be riding off the trainer, and I nearly took a spill when I dragged a pedal in a curve near the marina.

The traffic on the trail was light, and the conversation lively! We made it into Old Town Alexandria and stopped for a snack... a snack that I didn't bring. DOH! I knew this as one of those familiar moments when my tri coach would want to smack me in the head with an aero-bar! I have a bad habit of forgetting to fuel up while riding... and running.... and swimming.

The whole ride was at a moderate pace, which I'd post had I been on a bike with a computer! We stuck together well, and Ibti gets props for being a new rider with a touring bike hangin with the road and tri girls!

So, now that the inaugural ride is over, I promise not to forget my bike or my food again! Come join us on Thursdays at 11:30 for a lunch break! We won't leave you behind... No boys allowed... unless you come in drag that is.