monday ramblings

well ... you know

1. if you want to read an article that says nothing new but needs to be read more.
   
   
2. Sunday = wake up at 5am ... gently nudge the woman up out of bed for her final stage at Kernal. The daily units were thusly run:
   
   1.5 hours drive time.
   
   30 minutes damage control with Rancher Matron who allows bike racers to park in front of the "family cemetary." Apparently some spandex dipshit chastised her for parking her truck in the way of her own cemetary as she was doing her morning weeding of the graves.
   
   oy. Liebold totally owes me for that one.
   
   45 minutes of biker mechanic, number pinner, bottle n' goo stuffer, and race photocrapper.
   
   2.5 hours drive time as follow vehicle for 35 women.
   
   1 hour of feeder for women's 3 and p1/2 for their final laps of the final (thank buddha) stage.
   
   1.5 hour of clappy-skippy cheer-boy as Liebold hands out goofball awards and winnings for the ladies.
   
   30 minutes of breakdown of food, tent, chairs, n' clean up.
   
   3 hours of drive to Fresno using Liebold "short cut." I'm soooo kickin' his ass.
   
   2.5 hours more driving until home.
   
   30 minutes of nerding out with pics of day and bloggage before passing out while spooned with the woman.
   
   
3. women racing bikes is hot. damn hot.
   
   
4. Stage Racing is such a soap opera. Emotions pinwheel all over the spectrum and those who are up will be down, down will be sideways, and sideways will be me most the time after watching it all.
   
   Examples? Seeing a racer melting on a hillclimb ... i mean, just melting. Her morale was bootbottom, her body drenched dry of sweat and puddled in pain. No energy, no motivation to continue, no confidence that she belonged there.
   
   And then the next day. She is afraid, but ready to try. Confidence has been solidified, but it is a small concentrated kernal deep inside ... needing to be watered, nurtured ... wanting to blossom.
   
   Sprints for the win.
   
   Soap Opera.
   
   Mo' examples? Secret alliances, desperate attacks and feints, and ferocious drives to move up, win, consolidate, survive. Everyone has a story. Every single one of the ... RACERS.
   
   
5. Bakersfield ... jaysus.
   
   
6. Starbucks ... those bastards do a ton of business. But you know, sometimes you just need a cup o' joe and they are the only ones you can find while driving through some butt-backwater town.
   
   
7. i cracked.