MUTUAL OF ENUMCLAW STAGE RACE

Enumclaw stage race this past weekend. Mutual of Enumclaw Stage Race, actually, which reminds me of the old TV show, "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom" wherein the host, Marlin Perkins, would safely crouch behind a giant boulder whilst Jim would approach the rabid wildebeest to yank a thorn from its paw. But I digress.

Fanatik's Celio Guifarro, as you can see in the top photo, wins the Cat 4 Crit. Way to go, Celio!

I won the Masters C/D Crit with an epic push over the final three laps -- no, wait, that's not true at all. I got yanked, a whistle blown at me (how rude) and the off-with-his-head motion made, after 18 minutes of the 30-minute Crit. Voted off the island, as it were. But at least I really hated the experience and will probably never ever do another Crit as long as I live.

Time Trial was kinda cool. Rode 6 miles in 16 minutes and 2 seconds. (Which just sounds fast, doesn't it?) Good for 33rd out of 57 Masters C/D riders. However, had I done Cat 5, where there seemed to be a dearth of aero helmets, disk wheels, and time trial bikes (just like me), I would've been 8th. Which sounds better than thirty-frickin'-third, don't you think? So next time I think I'll ... anybody? ... that's right, I'll do Cat 5.

Woke up Sunday. Felt crummy. Skipped the road race. Drove home. Watched The Sopranos that night. Two episodes left.

I think Tony's going down.

First Time Up the Mountain

Did a double Mount Baker Hill Climb ride on Tuesday (asterisk attached), but before I get to that, let me tell you about the two Golden Retrievers we saw on the way up. Only they weren't Golden Retrievers.

I was riding with Stewart Bowmer (of Fanatik Bike Co. fame), his wife Mary Margaret, and their friend Shannon. Anyway, Stewart and I went ahead, then Stewart went ahead of me, and at one point I round a bend and see Stewart and a pickup truck stopped to let these two dogs cross the road. Thing is, nobody lives near here; the closest house is 10 miles away. So they're not dogs, but black bears. But young ones, and cinnamon in color, unlike any I've seen before. They mosied, took their time, and finally scampered down off the side of the road.

Quite a thrill. The only disappointment was that I chickened out on getting a photo. Just to be on the safe side, Stewart wanted to pedal past the bears right behind the pickup (so we'd be somewhat shielded in case they turned into grizzlies) which sounded like a capital idea to me. So I put away the camera and quickly latched on to Stewart and the pickup.

As for the riding, it couldn't have been better. Warmish, sunny, no wind and the road is plowed only to the upper ski area lodge so we didn't have to ride all the way to Artist Point. As for the giant asterisk alluded to earlier, we started about three miles before the D.O.T. shed so there was no Nooksack Falls (Powerhouse) hill. Each repeat was 2,200 feet of climbing over about 7 miles. It was enough for me to get them done.

Stewart, on the other hand, turned it into a prescribed workout, muscling out some miles in a high gear and low cadence. Other times he sprinted as hard as he could--"Until I blow up," he said--then climbed steadily until his heartrate dropped back down to 150. At which point, he'd stand and sprint as hard as he could until explosion time. On and on all the way to the lodge.

I'll leave that for next time.

Or the time after that.

BIRTH OF A LAMINATION

Friends with saws help McQuaides go get elaminated!

(BELLINGHAM)--In a surprise move that stunned as many as a few, the McQuaides decided to get rid of the horrible carpet and redo the floor in Jen's computer room-guest area place where Mike's sister Kath sleeps when she comes to visit. It all started when friend Deb Robbins stopped by for a de-cluttering session. Mike, who's first impulse was to find something else to do that night, actually found himself quite taken by Deb's ideas and encouragement.

Decluttering lead to carpet removal which led to painting which led to Costco and 10 boxes of wood flooring. Friends with saws, they being Deb and the oft-mention cyclist-runner John Clark, stepped in and let the McQuaides have at it. Five days and not much more than $500 later, voila (or however you spell it) a new room was theirs. (And sis Kath's when she comes to visit.) Because the room will house Jen's computer, a TV and stereo (remember stereos?), Deb has named it the Media Room, which the McQuaides find quite charming.

"Sounds like a place where we'll be holding press conferences or something," said Mike, thinking he was being absolutely hilarious.