Brides & Bikes

Friday night kicked off the weekend right with a low-key night at Grumpy's to catch the Cold Sprints. Again, Jay and I showed up fashionably late to keep from racing and it worked. We got to catch up with friends and take it easy.

Saturday was Girls' Day! My mom, step mom, cousin Cassi, and my step sis Megan, and I hit the bridal shop for my first take a dress shopping. It was like the Wedding Channel threw up all over a store - brides-to-be in every inch of the store, moms and friends in tow (and one poor gent dragged along and definitely not having fun like the rest of us), bows and beading, shoes, and row after row of dresses in large plastic covers.

Dress after dress, we kept getting closer and closer to a gown that looked like 'me'. Roxanne, our attendant, brought a gown over that I had seen online but it was 3 sizes too big. Instantly, I liked it. Fortunately, another attendant nearby saw the slew of pins in place to try to make the dress fit and realized that she knew where a smaller size was. The second version was still a size too big, but I really fell for it! I couldn't take it off! Cassi & Megan grabbed the bridesmaids' dresses off the rack to join me in a pose in the midst of all the excitement. They looked beautiful in their tea length black dresses.

Then, karma smiled down on me for trudging through a tough winter as Roxanne walked up with the right size! I rushed back into the dressing room and came out in My Dress. It was perfect in every way (minus the wrinkles and wear from being a floor model). We found a stunning veil to go with it as I waltzed around the dressing room floor. Our bellies were growling endlessly, but I just couldn't take it off - I knew I'd found the one. My mom ordered up a new, never worn model and we headed off to lunch with rice and wedding marches in mind. Thanks to my favorite ladies for helping me and enjoying that day with me! It was magnificent!
On Sunday, Jay and I kept the fun going my enjoying a hot day in MN - yep, it finally got back over freezing! Chucker joined us for a crisp bike ride in Mendota. The temperatures were just right and the fenders were lifesavers with the small amount of water on the roads. The route was full of hills, perfect for some late winter base training. I was having a great time, getting into a rhythm up eat hill, focusing on my pedal stroke and starting the year off with good technique.

Unfortunately, about a 1/2 hour or so into our ride, my body reminded me of why I was so out of shape. I don't know if it was the hills, or just looking up the rode, but my neck and shoulder were on fire. When I couldn't take it anymore, I turned around. Jay rode ahead to catch Chucker and they followed me home. It was agony, tucking my weak arm into my jacket to relieve some of the pressure, as I soft-pedaled up the hills. Jay and Chuck were sweet enough to slow the pace for me, even though they probably could've gone on for hours. Luckily for us though, we got back to the car just in time for Jay to find his rear wheel had flatted. We still got in a solid hour of riding without stopping on our little single speeds, so it wasn't a total loss.

We rested up afterwards before heading back out to Grumpy's for the MCF year end banquet. It was so much fun seeing all our friends from the races that we hadn't seen in months! And, it's always a kick to try and figure out who's who out of a helmet and lycra. It was a blast! To top it off, I won a ton of schwag for placing 6th in the Women's Cycling Made Real series, and a SWEET personalized cube for winning the 2007 Women's Time Trialist of the Year award! (that one's my favorite!)Oh, and did I mention we finished my TT bike for 2007?? Jay's been so sweet and understanding this winter, taking care of me every step of the way. So, why would he stop being so mindful when it came to racing? Exactly - he never stops. We've played with my position night after night to get it just perfect for my body, injury and all. I can't wait til she's all put together so I can see how she feels on the open road. If you look close enough, you can almost see the fast Karma all over her.....Terminally optimistic,
Kristy Kreme