Catwonsports: May 2007

Would Di Luca eat a budino?

Chocolate budino - A popular dessert is the chocolate budino, a warm chocolate creation-halfway between a soufflé and an underdone brownie topped with coffee ice cream, light melted caramel, and toasted almond slivers.

Very yummy dessert. So far this week: 1 budino and 0 bike rides unless I count the 100 miler on Sunday. But, my week starts on Monday. Not the way to win the Giro but a lot more fun. I'll ride my bike tomorrow.

Pink

Flandria found this most excellent link
FREE ITALIAN GIRO FEED...

GIRO D'ITALIA

11!

We had a super fun weekend and came away from Kern with a bunch of goodies. This is just a few things the kitty people brought home. I would need a wide angle lens for the compete Velo Bella picture.

I heard that someone was trying to take this award from me. They were going to hide at the top of Woody and then wait until I went by just so I wouldn't be Latern Rouge again. How sweet is that? That same person waited for me on the Breckinridge hill climb too. I didn't like that climb at all but company made it more bearable. Thanks Andrea!

Another Kern has come and gone. It's hard to believe how the Kerns seem to be harder, but they keep getting more fun. This was by far the most enjoyable and rewarding Kern of them all. The Velo Bellas and the Bella Fellas were just so amazing. Its like an energy circle that just continues to feed on itself. Sustainable postive energy that is incredible to feel and be a be part of. I've heard the term economy of scale, and the teamwork we had this year is just that: efforts of scale. All of us pooling our efforts to achieve something larger than one individual effort. I know our team goal makes me race better and pull more out of myself.

A heartfelt thanks to Zsa Zsa for everything like when I get grouchy cuz' the keys are gone and for making sure I don't get dropped, Miss Mary for taking care of our nutritional needs and making sure we have less worries, Sa'Bella for being my energy expenditure reminder and for all that being on VeloBella means, Bunny for setting an awesome pace on Woody and keeping me in the race, LillyBella for your humor and for that push on Woody which was enough to keep me focused on the climb when I was drifting off into droppage land, Suenago for being Triki and for always being so encouraging, PAB aka CID for water when I was needing it the most and for all the cassette swapping which was so important during the hilliest part of the weekend, Olaf for encouraging words on the Woody climb when I was going so slow the flies were landing all over my arms, and Tyler for making sure our bikes were always where they should be either on the trainer or ready for the race with the race wheels on. The team effort helps me continue racing Kern and finishing. And, it makes me look forward to #12.

under pressure

Kern is quickly approaching, and I feel less ready than ever before. This last week has been a most trying time. It started with my step brother's funeral and went downhill from there. My step mom went into the hospital yesterday to get a new pacemaker and a little "zolt" to her heart. At 95 years old and after just losing her oldest son, I wonder about the wisom of that decision.

Along with the family news, I saw my downer rheumatologist last week. The 4 MRIs that he recommended were not authorized by the insurance company. Well thank you very much I didn't want them anyway. I found that they were denied after I had already had one of the MRIs done. I am appealing. But, not the type of thing I want to be dealing with right now. The hemaocirit dropped down to 34 and is now officially under the normal range. Again, just in time for a series of hilly races. The bone density results came back too. What's a little spinal osteopenia on top of everything else?

So, I am trudging on and trying to get back into my Kern mode. I feel a bit sad that a lot of my season has been built upon this event, and I don't feel mentally that up to it. I guess Kern is a little more important to me than I have given it credit for being. The thing about it all is that in previous years, I couldn't wait for Sunday when it would all be over. Today, despite it all, I want to savor the weekend. I am excited to be racing and had been feeling pretty good on the bike. I'll just try to relax and let myself have a fun time. Because after all, Kern is really where I want to be with all my Bella teammates. However, there is one Bella that I will miss this year. But who knows, maybe she will be back racing next year. I am in need of new Italian recipes that she always told me about during the Woody road race.

freds...

Today, I got my Astana bibs...and I wore them. On my ride, I ran into my cool teammate with the broken ribs. I felt so nerdy and dumb. I didn't have on my team kit, but I had the whole fricking Astana outfit: bibs and jersey.

But today, it was a stolen ride. And, it was lovely ride because I didn't care if I was a fred or a slow poke or anything else. All that mattered was being alive and riding my bike.