If a Tree Falls in the Forest...

Hypothetically speaking, if a tree falls across the road, missing a cyclist on her morning ride by about 2ft as she skids to a stop but said-cyclist does not have a camera/phone for photographic evidence, did it really happen?

How about if the aforementioned cyclist went back this morning and got pics of the aftermath?

the road in question
(you can see my new ride on the guardrail near the aftermath)

the tree stump

the aftermath: the cut-up tree on the other side of the road

I only had one earbud in so I heard some crackling but thought it was a car behind me. I slowed up a touch, pulled all the way to the right and suddenly grabbed the brakes hard as I saw the tree come down. I won't pretend that I didn't shout an expletive (something akin to HOLY SH*T!) as I skidded to a stop.

After I caught my breath, I started laughing. Yes, I realize this is not a normal reaction.

I was laughing because I knew I didn't have my phone so I'd have no proof (I almost grabbed it on the way out but thought - who am I going to call? Most of my friends and loved ones are at least an hour away!).

Mostly I laughed because my luck must have turned around - lets face it, there's no doubt that I would have been going two seconds faster and that tree would have taken me out if this happened a year or two ago with the luck I was having.

TGIF 7/22/11

I hope everyone got in their pre-Lost River Race ride this morning 'cause things aren't getting any cooler today. (thanks to Peggy for sending the above- started off my work morning with a giggle)

It's always good to start my day with a ride but today still it felt like stepping into a sauna the second I opened the front door. Luckily it's a bit cooler in the park - I was only dripping with sweat instead of sweating buckets. It was an easy-ish ride this morning so I took the time to snap a couple pics of my morning views -not a bad way to start the day.

entrance to Patapsco St. Park from Ilchester Road



view of the path leading into the main park

And under the category of Random:

A pretty cool photo of my trusty Specialized Tarmac (which I'm in the process of selling) from our last trip to Skyline. The current proposed caption from the photographer:

Even the native wildlife was impressed by your numbers

What else ya got?

FeedZone Etiquette for Racers

This past weekend I had the pleasure of revisiting Feed-Zone-Mania at the Giro di Coppi. I had long forgotten (suppressed?) the pleasure of being pelted with bottles and having random riders try to schwig the bottles you hold out for your riders. I've never had so many friends and admirers amongst the 1-2-3 men as I did when I was holding out a cold waterbottle - I felt like a celebrity the way guys were shouting my name that I didn't even know KNEW my name.

I've been on both sides of the feedzone and given the chaos I witnessed on Saturday, I thought I'd throw out a couple of general rules for the feedzone(for riders who don't know - or maybe conveniently forget):

1. Be prepared. With few exceptions, everyone is there specifically to feed someone or a team. No one is basking in the glory of the feedzone only to enjoy the pleasure of handing up bottles to whomever might want them.

2. If someone is feeding your friend/teammate(s) and you might need a feed, ASK your would-be feeder BEFORE the race starts. It's really special if you actually hand over the full bottle that you'll need.

3. When one person is feeding multiple people do yourself and everyone else a favor: space yourself within the pack. This is especially important when the feedzone happens to be on a downhill.

4. If you throw a bottle at me, try not to HIT me with it and I will try not to throw it back at you.

5. Feeders are not responsible for seeking out all of the team's empties that got thrown in the feedzone. We do our best to pick up ones we know were "ours" but if we miss one you'll have to get over it. If you're that upset, find yourself a new feeder (and good luck with that).

6. If we're holding out a bottle and you know damn well it isn't for you, don't be a jackass and try to schwig someone else's. You aren't going to make friends with anyone that way and those of us who are more experienced will yank it back so it could get real ugly for you, real quick.

7. THANK YOUR FEEDER. Standing in the middle of a field in BFE waiting for a race to fly by every half hour so you can dodge bottles, fight would-be bottle thieves and generally get berated by riders when you - gasp- make a mistake or the rider misses his feed does not rank high on anyone's list of things to do on a random summer weekend day.

(steps down, once again, from her soapbox)