8 days...

Dear Readers,

Sometimes I get tired and lose my shit.

This morning was one of those times. Doing my best to stay positive, but I admit. I'm failing a bit. This has been the winter of discontent, and I'm feeling it for sure.

When I was younger and just finishing up college I worked as a paraprofessional  at the local school for the deaf. The group I worked with had a number of other challenges outside of being deaf: primarily severe autism and Down's.  For a while,  I worked in the dorm, and part of my role was to help some of these guys shower, and clean themselves up- which sometimes wasn't very pretty. Personal hygiene was not high on some of my guys list of priorities.

In my career since that time, I have often said that no matter how tough it is, or how stressful, at least I'm not cleaning up shit (literally) anymore.

Except that I have been.

God Bless Puppies- He made them cute for good reason.

deep breath, good cup of coffee and moving forward. Just keep moving forward.

thanks for reading a little of my frustration...

More snow on Monday.  fucking joy.

respect
vanderbacon.

Playoff Beard

Dear Readers,

I have been growing a beard for a few weeks now. I like having a beard.

Yesterday, Diane said to me, "your beard is starting to get a little bushy, you think about trimming that thing?

To which I responded, "yeah, it's a little longer than I like, but I can't do anything about it right now."

Diane looked at me puzzled.

I continued, " I'd love to trim it but I can't."

I smiled and explained, "it's a playoff beard, I started growing it when I started my last push of school. Frankly with 16 days left to go, well I'm afraid that if I trim this thing I'm gonna fail my last last class and not be finished on March 1."

My lovely wife, nodding understandingly, " got it. totally understand, I want you to finish up school, so don't touch that thing..."

you gotta respect a playoff beard. It's the rules.

BTW my wife rules too.

thanks for reading

respect
vanderbacon.

It's a good crew

Dear Readers,

I have always been proud of the people I get to ride bikes with over the years. While I am constantly amazed at their abilities and the things they do on a bike, I am even more impressed with the fact that they are really good people. On a ride last week at Elk Neck, there was a particularly gnarly steep section of trail. We had a pretty nice sized group. We each cheered for each other while most folks made it up the section and two us, myself included did not. It was one of those moments where you look around and say, you know I'm lucky to be around some really good people.

That same ride, we were charging down a twisty, switch back decent. We noticed a couple and their dog riding up at the most technical, rooty and tricky little section. We pulled to the side as the man and the dog charged by, we cheered a bit for him. As the woman was coming up to us you could tell she was really digging in, she commented between heavy breaths, "I hate this climb.."  Instantaneously, we all went nuts cheering for her. It felt like a tunnel of noise as we cheered her on. This wasn't planned, it was just one group of riders cheering for peer as she crushed out a tough section.

It was courtesy to pull over, it was community to cheer. I was really proud. I felt it right there in my chest, pride to ride with, hang with, be apart of the group that I get to ride with... We cheered the woman on as she crushed out the technical section and began to motor away from us...

I count myself as a lucky man surrounded by some really good people.

thanks for reading.

respect
vanderbacon

yup, yeah just like that...

Dear Readers,

So there I was just sitting on Josh and Joe's wheel, bleeding out my eyes on this climb. I was hoping just to stay on and not get dropped. Josh and Joe were both out of the saddle, standing and throwing head shot after head shot. Toe to Toe, neither would back down. I was hanging on for dear life and all I could think of was Macklamore hanging out in the club wearing his grandfather's velvet jacket thinking, "this is fucking awesome!"

respect
vanderbacon

this is brilliant.

Dear Readers,

I wish I thought of this...

so you want to be a bike racer in the midatlantic?
this winter- you better hit the trainer...

respect
vanderbacon

gone daddy gone

Dear Readers,

Less than one month and school will be finished. I'll walk in May. Had my midterm on Saturday. It was tricky and I'll admit I over studied a bit. Totally screwed up one of my essay questions. Confused two different principles. That may have crushed my GPA, but not my soul.  Group project and presentation due in 2 weeks. Then a final and the term paper.  Just keep hammering away at it. "it's gonna be a fight out there."


Crushed out some great miles with a great group last weekend:

photo by Joe B.

We joked the last time we had a group this good, this fun we got a ton of snow and couldn't ride outside for another two weeks. Sure enough after Sunday's adventure we got another 6 inches on Monday... Here's to hoping it's not another 2 weeks until we get to ride together again...

respect
vanderbacon