2008 Recap

(Our apartment, decorated for New Year's Eve. Click on the picture to see the whole thing)

I've been looking through old posts on my blog and figuring out where the year went. In the beginning of the year, I was working at SRAM, eating and sleeping. One of those weekends I went up to Minneapolis for the Stupor Bowl, which pwned me. But with my weekly schedule, there was no time for posting. My first post of the year was in March, after my first road race:

March
My first road race! I raced with the dudes in Kenosha, it was cold, and I got teased for wearing my big 'ol winter cycling boots. Oh yeah, and I guess I kinda liked the racing.

April
The first of many lovely mtb rides out at Kettles took place, I planted my very own garden and the H8TR 100 made me want to cry for my mommy. Milwaukee's big alleycat, MMI, took place and I acted all hip and raced in that, getting second for the women. I think I also started working for Hayes in April, too, so Huzzah! for that :)

May
Kettle rides continued, Cale and I debuted at New Fane, racing our first 12 hour as a mixed duo. I acquired two new bikes: a hand-me-down track frame from Cale and my mountain bike, the parts of which I scraped together for while at SRAM. Cale and I also started doing some road rides for fun/training.

June
More Kettles, more road rides. Mmmm, the weather was so nice... Track season began and I actually won some races. I won my first women's road race, saw a car on fire and glued my first set of tubulars (not at the same event, mind). The mosquitoes at Kettles were unbearable, Cale and I went camping and visited the World's Largest Cabela's (check that off the list of 'Places I must go before I die'!) I got a huge bruise in the shape of the Holy Mother on my leg and won the SS State Championships for mtb- coincidence??

July
Unfortunately, July brought a bad accident at the track, which shook me and still makes me wary of track racing. But ah, Superweek began. I had more fun spectating than racing, but what spectating it was! We housed part of a team from California, guys who were easy to get along with and were great house guests.

August
24-9 rocked my world. Even after a summer of racing 12 hours, I was barely fit to teeter in on my last lap. I got some t-shirts produced and went home for my 5 year HS anniversary, which wasn't as awful as I thought it would be. I got wary of cars on training rides because there were a lot of accidents and 'accidents' in the papers. I saw some of my SRAM products make the podium in the Olympics, and we finally got rid of the plaid couch that I had begrudgingly sat on for years. Last but not least, I got yet another bike, my Salsa cross bike.

September
September ushered cross season in. Cale's Miss-N-Outs started and we went to a cross clinic with JP. We also went to Interbike! Little black dresses, topless pools and the industry race win made for a good trip. To this day, some of my relatives still think I raced with (against) Lance Armstrong. I didn't- he raced a different race, but I did see him with my own two eyes :)

October
October saw some purely wonderful cross weather and I got two wins under my belt to upgrade to a Category 2 racer. Cale and I moved to the new apartment, our old place got foreclosed on and I struggled to put together the Team Pegasus calendar, which turned out great in the end! Lots of talented ladies helping, posing and photographing made it happen!

November
I got a cat, dressed in an inappropriate Halloween costume and made a sweet Pegasus Cross sweatshirt. The new cat went to the vet, I agonized over what car to get and then purchased my first vehicle- a Ford Ranger, which is want I wanted in the first place, negative aspects be damned!

December
Got pulled over by the cops with 125 other Santas. Bought a spectacular road frame, went to a great holiday party at Kelly and Gunnar's and went on a nice impromptu snow bike ride during a blizzard.

That about wraps up the year. I guess it's kind of silly to list everything again, but I've enjoyed looking through my old posts and remembering the summer, et al. Besides, without those blog posts to remind me, how would I remember that I've cried over road, at the track and at an unsanctioned race? I've never considered myself a crier but I think it's time I seriously reassess. And where have my smelling salts gone?

I had a great time Mountain Biking, a good time with cross and a fairly tempestuous time with track and road. I've talked to my teammate Jon Royal about coaching me, and it's actually going to happen this year. I'm going to start there, and maybe look into seeing a sports shrink later, if I have the means. Hey, it helped Victoria Pendleton.

I lost about 15 pounds or so this summer- blame it on all those 12 hour races, I say! Don't worry, I've been working on tracking down those lost pounds and securing them to my person in this off season.

I got three or four new bikes this year. But one was a $50 commuter we cobbled together, and the other was handed down, so it's really just two! To count them off: Salsa cross, Zion mtb, Motobecane SS mtb/cross, track bike, Blue road bike, Raleigh commuter, Gios and two formless frames (both old commuters, minus components, which the winter salt and I destroyed) That is a complete family right there. And I don't care what Cale says, I don't need a back-up cross bike.

That about wraps up the year. I have a few goals, none of which are terribly exciting, some of which are terribly vague. "I want to get better.... at biking! Generally better!" Mainly, I'll set goals and resolutions when I see fit. Just give me a minute to reflect fondly upon the rosy colored 2008 year :)