Bike Schwag

yes, the photo is sidways.
Yes this is my new necklace
Yes I love it.

Things that are awesome in May (so far)

* I got to ride in Tallahassee on hilly/canopy roads.
* I'm riding the Trek more.
* I have a Tuesday night group ride with "The Skirts' that I get to look forward to every week.
* Riding into work 4x a week
* Riding to friends houses if they are close from now on.
* GOT A CO-WORKER MOTIVATED ENOUGH TO RIDE INTO WORK AS WELL! His distance is way farther than mine (17 miles) and he still did it! WoO HoO! We will take over the company as cyclists! :)
* Awesome bike schwag coming in the mail left and right
* I now own a car that can hold bikes for road trips/excursions on the bike, AND she'll start reliably as well (unlike my previous car).
* Dimitrios got a mountain bike
* Turning the Storage room by the Patio into a 'Bike Room'
* Planning on doing 200+ miles on the bike this month.
* Chris and his Swine Flu awesomeness (<---).

Crash II

Monday.
Riding into work.
Took a turn..really really well. I was super impressed with my turn skillz on this turn.
Then, met up with a puddle in the turn.
Bike went out from underneath me, my butt and side slide down the road.

Status: Road Rash on my inner elbow on my right side and a raspberry on my hip that hurts like a biotch.
Still got back on the bike and continued my ride though....

April Stats

Since riding my bike/using Map My Ride:

Green Stats

Total Workout Days: 143
Distance Traveled: 1,587.69 mi.
Gas Saved: 88.21 gallons
Money Saved: $306.95
Carbon Offset: 1,707.6 lbs. of CO2


Now, for just April's info:

Total Distance:172.05 mi.	Total Calories:609 (kcal)	Weight Change:2.0 lbs.
Average Sleep:n/a	Average Morale:n/a	Min. / Max.:125.0 lbs. / 127.0 lbs

The Skirts Ride - 2nd time around and still awesome!

I went last night with the St. Pete Skirts on their Tuesday night ride. I really like those ladies. They've been really welcoming and really nice! If you're female and you're looking for a group of ladies who ride and DON'T leave you behind or make you feel like you're not part of the 'in' crowd..I would seriously suggest you come along for this group. They're always happy to see more ladies at the ride and hell, they put up with me and my social anxiety pretty well. Heh.

They're also going to start doing longer rides on Sunday mornings. This, I am interested in. This Sunday starts at 11am and they're planning on heading to Seminole to a friend's house for lunch. This works out for me because I can ride to St. Pete in the morning. Meet them @ 66fixed and then ride to Seminole with them and drop off when I need to head back to the house. So perfect! I can get a ride in on the weekends with a group that I enjoy riding with. Who knows...I might just actually be able to catch up to Dimitrios one day :-O!

Need to purchase a shirt from them and recruit more ladies...also we're going to try and plan on going to the Ft. Lauderdale shin-dig that 66fixed is going to be at on Memorial Day weekend. There's a velodrome down there and both of us want to check one of those out, and possibly ride in it.

Tuesday nights! Again, just the thing I need to keep going during the week! Thanks ladies!

Meanwhile, Back at the B-Man's house...

Wedding awesomeness was going on for me two weeks ago while we were up in Tallahassee. I was busy with the wedding, helping the bride, helping the friends who were in town for the wedding etc etc.

Meanwhile, Dimitrios was cycling galore. He got to cycle Friday, Saturday and Sunday...

Sunday, was an adventure for him.
He went mountain biking...for the first time.

Luckily, he's a freak like Brendan (meaning tall ...long legs, short torso) so some simple adjustments with one of B's 12 bikes (Yes I WROTE TWELVE) fit him perfectly. Put pedals on to accommodate his cycling shoes and viola! he's off and ready to ride.
They were gone from 10am-3pm.
When they came back, The Greek was hooked.
Now, he has been on the search for a mountain bike.
BRENDAN is helping him by getting him a frame from a friend of our's up in Tally FOR CHEAP this weekend.

...
Now..I have no problem with the cycling.
I do have a problem with the BIKE SHIT BEING ALL OVER THE HOUSE.

Resolution: We're turning the storage shed that's outside into a 'Work Station' and storage for Dimitrios (and myself) as I'm sure that I'm going to end up getting a mountain bike as some point as well to keep up with the boys (and from what D told me -- it was awesome and a full body workout as well, which I'm all for).
So yea..this will make...SIX bikes in my house..

SIX!

12 week Goal

This is my goal
School starts this week
I start riding moreso than ever..this week.
Going to ride with the skirts tomorrow afternoon/evening and continue on to ride to work Wednesday and Thursday.
Friday is out as I will be in Tallahassee again to take care of some business...but maybe we'll do a night ride while I'm up there.
Saturday D is going to do the Chaires Ride -- I'll probably do a ride of my own on Saturday morning when they get up - just explore Tallahassee on my own as I haven't done that in awhile.
Sunday when we get back - going to ride in the morning.

Then starts the new ride schedule for work. Monday then Wednesday-Fridays ...weather permitting.
May is RIDE YOUR BIKE TO WORK Month..so that's just what I'm going to do.

This goal will continue until I get out of my second to last quarter of school - I'm going to see how much riding I can do possibly with hopefully, no interruptions.

FOGGGGGGG

Ever see Fog roll in while you're on a ride?
It's a pretty amazing thing.
However, riding in it and getting soaked due to the moisture is a little funny feeling.
But man, was it cool to see on my ride to work this morning.

Visit to Tallahassee

The visit to Tallahassee was a sucess. We rode about 25 miles to Bradley's Country store. Took Bradfordville to Centerville Road. The canopy roads are so nice and so peaceful out there.
There's also a WHOLE bunch of road kill out there too, but that's to be expected with the woods. Even passed an owl on the side of the road.
Had one driver who was annoying to us, but other than that - everything else was fine.

I wanted to ride more, but the weekend wedding took up a good bit of my time, and after the bride said her 'I DO's' - I drank a bit more than I wanted to due to finally being able to relax as that unstressful stress of a wedding was over (meaning, it really wasn't that bad..but it was a stress at the same time).

This week is my off week from school. Wanted to ride with 'The Skirts' this week, but I was just too tired after coming back into work and getting back from vacation. Next week starts the riding again with them and I'm looking forward to that. That will definitely help motivate me during the week.

White Oldsmobile Aurora

You have 'buzzed' me more than once on my drive home from work.
It's not necessary and it's rude and feeling your muffler exhaust ON.MY.LEG. is just too damn close.

Today - when I talk to you and tell you the laws and rules of the road (I'm allowed on the road by law and you, by law are to give me three feet distance), calling me a stupid dumb bitch and telling me you will get out of the car and beat my ass etc etc when I have not cussed at you, called you names or any other such thing...well there's a number of things...

1) Makes me feel like my life is at risk and you are a reckless driver
2) Cussing and threatening violence in front of a minor (child was in the backseat). I'm sure DCF would love to get that phone call about a man threatening to beat a woman in front of his child...I really think you might have abusive tendencies.
3) Going down your road (which happens to be the same way I go home), making a U-Turn and then going back to your run down trailer home. I now know where you live as well.

I'll be driving by your house to confirm the license plate number that I have is correct and making a phone call to the police about you. Granted, they may not do much, but who knows maybe when I tell them this is the third time this has happened and I fear for my life while driving now, maybe just maybe a police officer will visit your TRAILER WITH IT'S WOOD DOOR and you will be spoken too.

God - why do people have to be such trashy crappy disgusting people to each other. It's really just...ugh. And why do they LIVE NEAR ME.
I want to fucking burn that trailer down so badly now it's not even funny.

Dear Weatherman:

While we do need the rain, I do need my ride tonight too...can we compromise somehow? Say, you stop ..like RIGHT NOW and let this place dry up a bit so I may ride?

Thanks much,
BikingBettie

FOR SALE: TREK PORTLAND

The Greek has a Trek Portland for Sale...
<-- Here is a photo:
Specs are as follows:
Details: 60cm seat tube C-T and 57.5cm effective top tube. For someone 6ft and up. Comes with the stock fenders. There are other photos of the bike on my flickr account (http://www.flickr.com/pitaphotos). You can't miss them.

Price: 850.00
Ask me if you would like more details and I'll get you in touch with the Greek of course.

School work = NO RIDE

I've got a FINAL that's going to be due this week.
Plus assignments and a quiz that's due tonight.

Woke up this morning and just could not justify going for a ride when studying MUST/NEEDED to be done.
*SIGH*

I'll be glad when school is done in October. Then I can really crank it up like I want to.
And hopefully won't be so tired.
Oh, and it's easter...HAPPY EASTER everyone!

Week riding plans look good though - Riding with the Skirts on Tuesday, then Riding to work Wed and Thurs. Thursday is a half day for me so I'll come home and do the final - then we're heading to Tallahassee for the wedding of the year. We'll be riding on Friday and Sunday for sure. Yessssss....

Sunday = The Riding Begins again

Writing this as I sit here, cooling off from my first 'back into it' ride after the accident.

I did [meh] ok today. Only went about 14.75 miles. I wanted to do 20-30, but the elbow was just doing this nagging PAIN everytime I went over a bump. The stitches are out, the skin is still fresh, but I must have bruised the motha-fu***ng HELL out of the bone cause I still cannot rest it on...ANYTHING, even a pillow or let it get touched.

I was also REALLY dehydrated this morning. NOTE TO SELF HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE the night before.
I think I also have a mental fear now of drafting. Something I will have to get over, but Brendan was telling me to get in closer on Dimitrios to draft and I did for a bit, but then I would immediately get farther back. Just a little mental block. It'll pass over time.
Kept up with the boys though for a good 7 miles averaging about 18-20mph. The ride back was even easier since I didn't have any headwind (Dimitrios planned the ride that way so they should have fun coming back.
So next weekend I WILL make it to 10 miles before I turn around...the week after, I'll increase it until I get to my goal.

St. Pete Skirts - An Awesome Tuesday night experience!

Last night, I went on a ride with the St. Pete Skirts ladies. Dimitrios's riding buddies girlfriend, Cathryn had suggested I come out and ride with them, and while she wasn't there for this ride, she said she usually is every week.

I was kind of torn between which bike to ride. I love love love my Trek, but the riding I've been doing lately (mostly commuting) hasn't really given me the opportunity to ride with her and race it up/train ride lately. Dimitrios told me that the ladies' ride didn't really seem that much like a training ride, but more like a casual/fun ride. So the Miyata was taken on this excursion.

I still wore my helmet. The other ladies didn't wear one. Probably because it wasn't like we were going at RAMMING speeds or anything like that, but now that I have fallen and didn't hit my head (just everything else). My theory is that if I don't have the helmet on, I am probably going to fall and hit nothing BUT my head since I didn't have the helmet on. So yea...helmet stays on. :-).

The ride we went on started at the 66fixed store and kept going through Snell Isle and DT St. Pete which I had never been to (the Island, not DT St. Pete). It was a really nice ride :). And the ladies were totally nice and welcoming. I'll admit I'm a little shy at first and terrified that I would speak and say something ...stupid but they didn't treat me like a retard so I must have done ok. *wink*.

We ended at a really nice barista that had THE BEST milkshake I have ever tasted (and Dimitrios..he came and checked on me after the ride to make sure I had made it ok and was having a good time).
I got up a good sweat, made some new acquaintances/friends and enjoyed myself throughly. All in all, I can safely say I think I'll be trying to come to this ride every Tuesday afternoon as it was a lot of fun and definitely something to change around the monotony of the work week.