I like Mark McCormack. He is classy, he races cross and, can win a road sprint.
I rode my new mountain bike for 12 hours yesterday. Started out riding through Hillsboro and Forest Grove towards Gale’s creek then turned left onto some power lines and rode what we could of the brutal access road. It was amazing. The road turned into trail and wilderness with Matt Hall and I hiking through brush and forest on deer trails. It was pouring rain right from the start and we were damp the entire time.
FYI. Nothing I hate more than being cold and wet. Makes the knees ache.
Matt was sure I would turn around after an hour or so but, I hung tough. Ended up walking a lot of the single track climbs. I think I am so tough with my 2×9 setup. All I managed was this shot of Matt and I stuck in the yellow allergy inducing flower bushes. We basically rode from Hillsboro to Timber to Gales and back to Hillsboro all on dirt. Amazing.
So, I finally have a decent mountain bike. I know, I know. The last few mountain bikes I have had have been nicer than most but, they were all really f’ed up in one way or another. (not however, the big pink Vanilla 29er that I won a few cross seasons ago. I raced the shit out of that bike and crashed it pretty hard a few times, decided to kinda retire it before I actually break it in half. You will still see it around though, I would have felt pretty stupid crashing it into a rock at a Skibowl race and totalling it.) The last bike I’ve been riding, the white “Vaniller” 26″ hardtail bike had a $60 fork and totally crappy geometry. It just rode wrong. I could never quite explain it. And now that I have a super sweet XC machine, I can ride so much better than ever before. It is clear to me how trashy the other bikes really were. “You just paid for speed.” as Matt put it.
Which is likely true. But, at least I have not paid a visit to Dr. Fuentes…
Or maybe I have… Just kidding.
It has been a couple weeks and I know the world has been anxiously waiting for the latest from Molly Cameron. So here it is.
The Veloshop is killing me. I love it and I hate it. I need a bike mechanic so badly that I cry tears of blood like the Virgin Mary. I am so busy I am miserable, training is taking second place to work and my love/social life rolls in for a valiant yet pathetic third place. Which is basically DNF (”don’t know fun”).
There is light on the horizon. GW is out to make a constitutional ammendment to ban Gay marriage! Sources say that while unpopular in Portland, SF and NYC, it will likely go through because: “Ages of experience have taught us that the commitment of a husband and a wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society.”
No shit? I wish my parents knew about that one. Maybe I would not be so queer…
A brutal weekend for the Veloshop team on all fronts. The roadies getting crushed at the Mt. Hood stage race and the mountain bikers just missing out on a State championship win at the Pickett’s charge championship race.
I sat down and interviewed a bike mechanic for a position last Saturday. I feel pretty good about it and offered him the job. I actually had to “lay down the rules” so to speak. And really define the parameters of a job at the Veloshop. I have been consistently let down by past mechanics and feel it is due in part to an easy hand in running the shop. I don’t want the Veloshop to be the Gallery (no offense) yet I do expect a higher than normal level of professionalism. Cut off t-shirts are ok, sending unacceptable bike work out the door is not.
So, I have to lay down the law. Define the rules. Things I assume as understood, I realise I have to explain. For instance: “Every woman that walks through the door of the shop must not feel intimidated or talked down to.” People don’t really think about the effort that consciously goes into making the shop a good enviroment so that ladies don’t think they are being oogled at or pandered to.
He gave his notice to the other shop he works at and will start here in a couple weeks. Exciting.
Ok, I’ve been writing this since 8am today and I am going to wrap it up quickly.
Dave from Campagnolo stopped in today on his US tour. I urged him to get involved in cyclocross.
Jonathan Maus stopped in for a photo shoot with the Willy Week. You will see it soon.
Laura stopped in a finished up the curtains for the Veloshop. They are (and she is) amazing.
I got phone calls about the “Vegan Vacation”. I don’t know anything about it yet but, will very, very soon. And I will let everyone know of course…
I’m off to hang out with a friend. Seriously. I am actually going to hang out with someone who does not race a bike for the first time in years.
Seriously. I mean peace out.
Long story short:
It went in and up and I had to get on my tippy toes and pull it out of my skull.
I remember getting lunch a little earlier that day and as I was leaving the cafe I walked under a ladder. I stopped for a sec and thought to myself “oh Molly, don’t be supersticious.”.
