Bragging Rights

Last Sunday was the last official "team race" for the MetLife cycling team. It was a criterium race in Portsmouth, NH. I loved this race because 1. My Dad came to watch. 2. Aaron raced an amazing race with a hard effort. 3. I got to see some of Aaron's team mates who I haven't seen in a while, and 4. The race was located in my old stomping grounds.

Having grown up in Rochester I would often spend my weekends shopping and dining in Portsmouth. So to watch the boys racing past the stores I frequented often when I was young was so nostalgic.

Aaron/MetLife in the Foster's Daily Democrat click here
Aaron/MetLife in the Portsmouth Herald click here

How cool is that?

Wednesday, Oui?

Aaron is home with his family.
We leave on Sunday for a two week vacation.
I just got home from an amazing trip to Montreal with one of my besties.
That is Oui. Oiu?

Wisconsin

Here are some fun facts about Wisconsin:

• Wisconsin visitors and residents enjoy the state's 7,446 streams and rivers. End-to-end they'd stretch 26,767 miles. That is more than enough to circle the globe at the equator.
• Wisconsin is the dairy capital of the United States.
• Wisconsin produces more milk than any other state.
• Milwaukee is home of Harley Davidson Motorcycles.
• The first Ringling Brothers Circus was staged in Baraboo, WI in 1884.
• Somerset, WI is the Inner Tubing Capital of the World.
• Green Bay is Wisconsin's oldest city.
• Two Rivers, WI is the home of the ice cream sundae.
• My baby is in Wisconsin.
  

Is it weird that I am jealous of a state?

Love:Hate

So, I have to say, I am a little bit depressed today. Aaron will be gone when I get home from work. He is being flown to Austin, Texas for 2 races this weekend.

Don't get me wrong, I am so happy he has this experience, he is able to do this, he is in a league where people want him to do this, and he gets to explore so many different parts of our country.

But still, this can be a lonely and time consuming sport.

I am so proud of him when he races. I am happy he is in such great health. I LOVE his motivation and his drive. I adore his teammates.

I get discouraged with the fact that more weekends than not we are going to bike races. I hate that he was in NJ this year when I went to my family's camp in Maine over Memorial Day. I love to see the different parts of the country that we are always traveling to. I love being at his races to support him. I love that we go away almost every weekend and find some new adventure. I hate that we are never home. I hate that sometimes he has to go without me. I love that I have alone time to be with myself and my girlfriends. I miss him when he's gone.

I love cycling AND I hate cycling.

Race of Attrition

At·tri·tion (noun): a reduction or decrease in numbers, size, or strength; a wearing down or weakening of resistance, esp. as a result of continuous pressure or harassment:

I witnessed something truly amazing on Saturday. Aaron and I drove down/over to Cambridge, New York for the Balloon Festival Classic/Battenkill Valley Grand Prix.

Lets do some math: 92 degrees + 84 miles of rolling/hilly terrain + 53 racers in Aaron's category, totaling pure insanity. I was in the feedzone waiting for our team to come by to get their "feed" (click here for information on feedzones.) Each lap was about 21 miles, for a total of 4 laps. The first lap everyone came by looking good, not too tired, but the weather was a huge concern for me. It was not only hot but really muggy too.

The second lap was a bit more labored for the racers and most of the men took a feed after this lap. Aaron lagged a bit and some racers were dropping out of the race. The heat (and the terrain, in my opinion) was unbearable, and I was concerned. One of his teammates, who had "a mechanical", joined me in the feedzone to assist in feeding the team and told me that Aaron had dropped out. I kept waiting until I knew for sure he wasn't in the race. A few minutes after the field passed the feedzone I saw Aaron from a distance coming up over the crest of the hill. He pedaled over to me and took a feed. I was so elated to see he was still in the race. He took his bottle and I yelled out after him as I was overwhelmed by his strength.

The third lap came, 63 miles into the race, with a lot of cyclists not able to finish. Aaron came over the crest of the hill again to get his feed. I proudly handed him another bottle. By this time, I was feeding him and two of his teammates, 3 others had exited the race. Aaron was behind, but still going.

On the forth lap, one of his teammates came by, both he and Aaron behind the field. When his teammate crested the hill, basically crawling and soaked with sweat but upright none-the-less, he called out "I am so glad to see you, I could just kiss you. I didn't think anyone would still be here waiting to feed me." I gave him his bottle and told him I was proud of him and that he was almost done and could finish. He pedaled off toward the start finish and I yelled again, encouraging him as he climbed a hill.

I waited for Aaron. It was hot, I was burned, I had been standing in the same spot for about 4 hours filling water bottles, collecting water bottles; concerned for Aaron and his teammates. It was really hot. I got word from a race marshall that most racers were done, and only about 25 of the registered 53 were due to complete.

I still didn't see Aaron. Did he drop out?

I continued to wait, I wasn't going to leave until I knew the team was done, and mostly that Aaron was done. There was no way I was going to leave my post and have Aaron come over the hill, exhausted and thirsty, and me not be there.

Finally, amoung a group of cyclists, I saw a familiar figure and knew immediately by the stature and movement that it was Aaron. Aaron has very unique movements when he cycles; unmistakable. He came by me looking tired, but still smiling. I gave him his final feed, told him he could do it, and he took off for the finish. I was, for some reason, overwhelmed by emotion.

I am a strong woman. I am persistent. I am stubborn. If I put my mind to something, I do it; there is no discussion. There is NO WAY I would have been able to finish that race. I would have easily given up. Aaron, kept digging, just wanting to finish. Approximately 53 racers started 25 finished.

I knew absolutely nothing about cycling before I met Aaron. Now, I have so much admiration/adoration for the sport and the athletes. Absolutely amazing.

I know there is no way I have accurately translated what happened at that race on Saturday, how proud I was of Aaron to finish, regardless of his time. Seeing him crest that hill every lap, pushing through the pain, reminded me exactly why I respect him as an athlete. I just wanted to write that here.

The race was that of attrition. There were amazing athletes from all over New England competing; it was hot, it was humid and I am in awe of their passion and persistence.

April Vacation: Wrap up

Day 7, Friday: There isn't really much to report this day. Early in the A.M. I went to get my hair cut (5 1/2 inches) and Aaron went for a ride. We hung around all day; I laid on the hammock drinking margaritas and Aaron did some work around the house. I finished the book I was reading, Pieces of my Sister's Life by Elizabeth Joy Arnold... amazing, and we played a lot of chess. I don't think we even took one picture that day.

Later that night one of our best friends and Aaron's teammate, Charlie, came down? over? from Vermont to stay the night so we could go to the race on Saturday in the Palmer/Sturbridge MA area. We stayed up way too late talking over Margaritas, but, a good time was had by all.

Day 8, Saturday: We were up early again (I don't think we 'slept in' one day during our vacation!!) We left for the race around 9. We had about 2 1/2 hours to travel. The race went okay; Aaron had some stomach issues when racing, so dropped out after the first lap or so, and poor Charlie dropped his chain and couldn't catch the field. So Aaron, Charlie, and I cheered on the rest of the team from a feedzone (I was responsible for feeding the team water.)

Charlie & Aaron

After the race Aaron and I headed to Connecticut to look for a hotel. We had a mountain bike race in the Farmington, Ct. area the next day (Aaron does cyclo-cross, mountain, and road races). We ended up staying at the Marriott just outside of Hartford, CT. What a beautiful area. It reminded me a lot of DC. We scooted around the city for a bit that night, ate at Baskin-Robbins and Friendly's, but turned in pretty early because we were both exhausted!

The Beautiful Hartford, Connecticut

Day 9, Sunday: We woke up, EARLY to explore more of Ct. before Aaron's race around noon. I wanted to go to Trader Joe's. I love Trader's Joe's. If you haven't been there, you need to go... it's pretty much an all local/natural/organic-ish food store. Very cool.

I know we look chiper, but this was about 7:45 and we had already packed up, showered and checked out.

Iwo Jima memorial.

We had an amazing breakfast at I-HOP. I love I-HOP, I'm a huge fan of french toast, and not a fan of pancakes. I-HOP had the "Tour De French Toast" going on, so I engorged myself on stuffed french toast. I could eat it everyday. Sooooo yummy!

Aaron did awesome in his race, he came in 5th, and even won a little bit of cash. I am glad he was able to do a mountain bike race. I really like the culture of the mountain bike races. Granted I have more friends at road races, but the people at road-races are a bit more uptight than at mountain bike races where everyone is pretty chill.

We left the race and went straight home. I wanted to pick up the boys and give them a bath for the month.

How many people could say they spent their vacation in New York, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Connecticut?! I am really blessed. I could not have asked for a better vacation, better weather, and better company. I am very fortunate to be able to do the things I want to do, and the ability to afford it. I try very hard not to taken for granted the path my life has taken . Thank you, Aaron for such a great week.

Aaron + Atlanta = Lonely Jessi

I don't think I discussed this here, but Aaron is in Atlanta right now for the Steadman Hawkins Cycling Classic (races.) He took a flight out of Boston at ~4:30am this morning, but left last night, sleeping at a teammates house.

He just called me and has landed safely. He and his teammates are now going to drive to South Carolina for an 8:00pm race. Good luck Aaron and MetLife Cycling.

I'll miss you Pumpkin, but I have lots of plans, and will see you Monday.

April Vacation: Day 1

Saturday began our first official day of April vacation. We had been throwing around all sorts of ideas about where to go, what to do, and how to best use our time. We talked about Vegas, Florida, Arizona, Mexico, Hawaii, and Foxwoods, but couldn't really decide and neither of us seemed too psyched about flying somewhere (tickets are so expensive!) So, for once, we didn't really plan anything (well, we had a loose plan.)

Friday night we headed out to Bennington Vermont, as Aaron had a race in Salem, NY on Saturday. Bennington is a strange little town, like most Vermont towns, (sorry Charlie) but beautiful. We stayed at the Knights Inn (formerly the Fife & Drum.) The hotel was, to say the least, very inexpensive. We usually insist on staying at a locally owned hotel, but this one, boy was it... interesting.

We had a hard time finding the hotel the night before because they didn't change the name on the sign, yet, to Knights Inn.

Yep, that's a coffee maker, in the bathroom!

Next to the (empty) toilet paper roll, near the toilet, can you see it? A bottle opener :)

You didn't get courtesy bars of soap. Instead, this was attached to the wall. You had to get a handful and run to the shower to lather up.

Our room- it did come with a fridge. Who knew such luxuries existed?

We kid, but love staying in odd places. It really makes us laugh, we leave with a ton of memories, and give small local business' support. Our visit would have been completely different had we stayed at the Hampton Inn. What would we laugh about?

We woke Saturday morning, had an evil but tasty breakfast at Friendly's, and drove the rest of the way to Salem (about 45 min.) The weather was extraordinary, 85 degrees in April!! The race, called Tour of Batten-Kill, is about an 80 mile race for the guys, and it was sweltering outside. My job for the day was to be in the "feedzones." What this means is when the guys (MetLife) come careening by me on their bicycle, I hold out a bottle of water for them to grab because they can only carry so many bottles, but need to consume lots of water on an 80 mile, 85 degree ride. They throw their empty water bottles on the ground, we went to collect them, refill them, and jump in the car to hit the next feedzone. I actually really enjoyed it. During the downtime, Claire and I talked and enjoyed the sun.

Claire and I, at the feedzone, waiting for all the boys of MetLife to come by.

I must state, MetLife is one of their sponsors. It would not be appropriate to disclude the fact they are sponsored in many other faculties. If you want to learn more about their team, click here. For the sake of time, I will refer to them as MetLife.

On the way home, we stopped to capture some pictures of the State lines and other tidbits that NY and Vt had to offer.

New York

Vermont

On top of Hogsback Mountain, Vermont

My covered bridge. I love covered bridges!!

Once we got home, we pretty much crashed!! What an exhausting day, but beautiful weather, exciting race, lovely scenery/ride and a great way to start our vacation!!

Race to Happiness

We had an amazing time in North Conway this weekend. Although it was raw and cold on Saturday-- Sunday turned out to be gorgeous!

Aaron raced in the Porky Gulch Stage Race. It was a series of three races. The first, a 2-mile time trial (as fast as you can) up Mt. Washington on Saturday morning, then we were off to Storyland for a Crit (racing in a circle, but there are lots of twists and turns in Storyland), and then a cyclocross race at the base of Mt. Washington on Sunday. He placed 7th overall, which is great! Good Job Pumpkin!

I was sad, the officials at Storyland wouldn't let spectators in. Aaron said that it was sooooo hilarious flying through Storyland. I don't know if any of you have ever witnessed a bike race, but it is an entirely different culture and society. These cyclist take the sport so seriously, spend hours training, and have a physical fitness that, in my opinion, rivals most sports. So to hear about pedaling full bore past Humpty Dumpty sitting on that wall, and Goldilocks breaking into the bears house is quite a treat, and I laugh at the absurdity.

A big thank you to my Dad who drove 60 miles to watch the race from outside the park with me on such a bitter day!!!!

I must also add how beautiful it was to see these athletes racing against Mt. Washington and some of the Presidential's as a backdrop. Gorgeous! Usually, I have time to explore before the race when Aaron is warming up. On Sunday I did a lot of this; collected some pine cones and took some lovely pictures.

A view of Mt. Washington.

I ran into this magnifient birch while exploring and collecting pine cones.

Aaron warming up.

1st lap- notice the view behind him!!!

After he hopped some barriers; he was about to mount.

We had a lot of time to explore North Conway, and even did some Christmas Shopping. We stayed in a delicious little resort called the Merrill Farm Resort. You can see our room #105, the Edna Saint Vincent Millay room, at http://www.merrillfarmresort.com/. Aaron and I travel as much as possible and always make a conscious effort to give business locally. We avoid "chains" at all costs. (And I must say it is a different experience. Our time in North Conway would have been completely different had we stayed at the Hampton Inn and eaten at Applebee's, plus we supported the locals.) Our room was so sweet and the breakfast area of the Inn was so reminiscent of the movie Funny Farm that I had to laugh. Aaron went alone to the first race on Saturday, so I had a chance to explore the Inn and ate breakfast in front of a big picture window looking out at pumpkins and an old maple shed. The Inn was at full capacity too, so the breakfast area was filled with laughter and friendly people making their plans for the day.

Being goofy in our room.

We also ate at all local restaurants. The Muddy Moose was wonderful. We ate, and ate, and ate. Stuffed mushrooms and steak sandwiches was our meal of choice on Saturday. And, of course, we got coffee to start because it was so brisk and we were chilled to the bone. Lately, it seems, we have been getting the same meal.

How unhealthy and delicious does that look? It was worth every calorie!

Many of you know I have a small problem with milk. I could drink it 24/7 but not just any milk, whole milk. I am well aware how bad it is for me, but it tastes so very, very good. The Inn used this milk for breakfast and it was in this same old fashioned container. I made the lady give us directions so we could stop and get some on the way home. It was a beautiful little farm. We bought some milk (chocolate), half and half, a pumpkin whoopie pie, and maple candies. Yum! The milk was gone almost immediately, but we are going to reuse the bottles. We haven't tried the half and half yet but perhaps after dinner tonight in some tea...

Thank you, Aaron, for always driving everywhere we go.

What a wonderful weekend! We already are scheming about where to go next weekend, and we shall keep you posted.

Do you know what today is?

When Aaron has a race that's the first question he asks me when he wakes up in the morning. He will open his sleepy green eyes, look over at me, and with a smile that makes me want to eat his face for breakfast asks:

A: Do you know what today is?
J: Race Day!

And so goes our morning of packing up all Aaron's equipment and race paraphernalia. This Sunday we went to Canton, Massachusetts for a cyclocross race. Aaron does several types of racing; mountain bike races (self-explanatory), road-races (Lance Armstrong stuff) and cyclocross (in my opinion, a cross between mountain/road.) We had a great time, and this was his first cross race of the season. He did very well.

Following the race, we drove through Boston and decided to stop for a bite to eat at the restaurant that sponsors Aaron's team. Legal Sea Food is right on the water near the harbor. The food was amazing (but pricey) and the atmosphere was to die for! I had a great weekend and enjoyed watching Aaron race. It was a brisk but beautiful day.

Just as they were taking off. Aaron is in the middle in the Legal Sea Food kit.

One of the barriers they have to jump. I know, it's so hott!

There were fake wolves on the field. Why? I don't know but I loved them!

Outside of Legal Sea Food- one of our sponsors.

The food was amazing. We started off with coffee and rolls, then fish chowder for me- clam for him; followed by coconut shrimp, and for entrees I got fish and chips-- with the fisherman's platter for him. We finished with an amazing chocolate pudding cake!

After eating entirely too much, us, in front of the harbor.