SSUSA 2019 Ch. 3 - Old Friends & the Treehouse of Horror

Since 2013, we have been to every SSUSA (Single Speed USA) except for one.  What began as "let's go to our friends' race cuz we LOVE single speed mountain biking" turned into me being the 2013 women's Champion, making a bunch of awesome new friends, and created a new annual vacation for us to plan around.  In the last few years, we've planned days preceding and following the race into our vacation to give ourselves extra fun and more time together exploring new cities!

With the 2019 race being in Smithville, TX, just 45 minutes away from Austin .. a city we've heard tons about and had never been to, we added in some additional time to see the city and catch up with old friends. What better day to play in Austin and figure out the joy behind the credo of "Keep Austin Weird" than taking it in on Halloween of all days?!

The four of us woke to the sunlight filtering into the barn windows and birds singing in the trees in the yard.  Jay and Coach loaded the bikes into our van and we headed out to Austin early to take in as much as we could.  I pulled up the Burning Bike Podcast's latest episode and plugged it into the van's aux jack so we could hear the recent interview Hollywood and I did with Spinner after Homie Fest to hear how our first podcast sounded (sponsored by One on One Bike Studio)....for a good laugh, stop now and take a listen!  [Men's 2019 Champ Jay Drasher is interviewed first, Hollywood & I start at 37:46 and it's all things Mpls, Homie Fest, single speeds, and trails in far places!]

Done?  F'yeah!  Hope you got a good laugh or two.  Back to the trip... Austin, TX... sunshine, tourists, Halloween, and making new friends!

We started out with brunch at a place called Forthright after a quick Google search and was blown away to have found the most amazingly delicious avocado toast I have ever had.  I could have eaten 10 lbs of it!  Fresh, homemade bread with perfectly ripened avocado mash, topped with pumpkin seeds and over-hard eggs and a touch of heat to make sure I chugged my water... OMG, if I ever go back to Austin, this better still be there!!!

Afterwards, we wandered through town, pointed towards Mellow Johnny's, taking in the costumed locals as they moved about... Penguin on an e-scooter, devils and kitties, oh wait... that's an average Thursday?  Anyway.. once in MJ's, we took in some of the memorabilia and debated over souvenir tees.

Next up, the Stevie Ray Vaughn Statue!  Thinking of our buddy Jay Drasher, we sunbathed like lizards at the statue as Jay streamed some SRV on this cell phone and we took out artsy shots.  I called buddy Jay and it turned out he'd just landed and parked his rental car just across the park from us so we lingered a lil longer for him to arrive and catch up briefly before moving on for an afternoon ride.

   

Jay, Coach and I headed out to one of the Barton Creek Greenbelt trailheads for a lil afternoon ride while Mary enjoyed her book in the sun.  With a still stiff left knee and starting our ride in a black diamond section of the trail, the first half of our ride was slow and included a lot of walking.  By the second half, we found ourselves on more flowy trails and enjoyed the warm fall Texas day, killing time and burning off energy before we were to meet a friend of Jay's for a late lunch/early dinner.

Jim, who Jay hadn't seen for 15 years and I had never met, asked us to meet him at El Alma for some recommended Mexican cuisine.  It was such a joy to meet Jim and hear them reminisce on their bike and life adventures of years ago, sometimes hearing a story from a new perspective then Jay had previously shared.  Top that off with AMAZING food (get the Queso Fundido!!!), tasty local beers and the warm, southern atmosphere topped off the afternoon.

But the best Halloween fun was yet to come....

With the reunion FAR from over, Jim invited to take us out for drinks after dinner.  He hopped in the van as I rode the cooler like a jump seat in the back and he navigated us to a fun local hang called Nickel City. And what could be cooler than a rad local bar in Austin on Halloween for a 80's baby ???

How 'bout one that literally converted the ENTIRE PLACE into Moe's Tavern, straight outta The Simpsons!!!!!!!  Being a gal that has watched the Simpsons since the debut in 1989, memorized every word of every song and soundbite on the original cassette "The Simpsons Sing the Blues", I was a touristy child drooling over all the visual fun, the costumes of characters I love and some I'd forgotten, and my wonderful friends that let me just run amok and take all the pics!

  

If I had only known, I would have planned for weeks on the perfect costume... but the true bliss of it all was the utter shock and amazement that followed a simple step through their doors.  Satiated and in awe, we called it a night as the party grew and the line outside began to wrap around, dropping Jim off at home to meet his doggo's before returning to Smithville for another restful night in anticipation of more fun to come.

Enjoying Austin's Weird,
Kristy Kreme

Coughs, Codeine, and Not-So-Soft Landings *SSUSA 2019 - Ch. 1*

We left Minneapolis last Monday night at 7:00pm as the radio reported on snow falling in southern MN and throughout Iowa.  Although the morning started with me at the office Dr's clinic with a cough that had kept both of us awake for the last few nights, we still loaded up the van with a bag full of codeine, Mucinex, cough drops, tissues and a crap load of positive thoughts.  Add to that three bikes, a bin full of snacks, riding gear for all weather, and one bitching ass Champions Belt...  Texas here we come!

  

We drove through the night on a mission set on breakfast and ridin' dirt with Coach and Mary in Bentonville, AR by 8:00am Tuesday.  Jay did almost ALL of the driving with his amazing night driving superpowers as I faded in and out of a codeine-fueled slumber.   [Nothing beats opioid warning labels to scare you back into #SoberOctober after Homie Fest, just sayin']

After a couple stops in the dimly lit outer rims of roadside gas stations to both sleep and burn some time as we stayed ahead of schedule, we found ourselves bellied up in a booth at the Village Inn in Bentonville, AR.  Coffee, eggs, and a strawberry crepe later we were off to meet Coach and Mary at the Southern Trailhead of the Coler Trails in town.

The sky was grey and the cool air was full of moisture after multiple rainy days preceded our arrival.  I should have taken heed when I saw this as we entered the trails...


Within a minute, I lost my front wheel as I exited a slick wooden bridge smattered with wet leaves that broke loose as I leaned in for the upcoming turn, crashing full speed and with all of my weight into the unforgiving surface of the stoney ground all on my left kneed camp.  It instantly sucked all of the air from my chest and I struggled to get out of my pedals with my bike on top of me.  I writhed in pain on the muddy trail as I made every effort to slow my breathing while dry-heaving over the creek below.



After a few minutes (Garmin says it was 7 min), Jay helped me up and I walked along the trail in an attempt to 'limp it off'.  I finished out the next 7.5 miles jostling between pure admiration of the nature surrounding us to the searing pain in my left knee every time I stomped down on a climb or riding a goofy-footed ready position.  The rocky trail was slow and slippery, but the pace and pausing a few times along the ride were quite peaceful and pretty.

{turn on audio!}

... the hauntingly beautiful song that emitted from the bridge was captivating for so many of my senses.  My knee ached and the cold cut straight to my core, but the sounds flooded me with a flood of peace.

Enchanted, I reluctantly left the bridge as the rain started back up and we loaded up the muddy steeds to find a tasty, warm lunch in the lil town square where the original five n dime still stood.  In a mild food coma, we left the cozy Italian restaurant, Tavola Trattoria, said "see ya later" to our friends and headed south again, Dallas-bound, as I searched Hotwire for a steal of a deal on a 4-star hotel on a quiet Tuesday night.

We pulled into town and found the Velvet Taco, a counter-service taco joint with an upscale twist on the street taco.  After dinner, we retreated to an amazing deal on a suite at the Wyndham where we snuggled on the couch for Game 6 of the World Series as I iced my knee.  Thank heavens for the king size bed to keep me from bumping my knee into Jay during the night!

We were back on the road by 9:00 am to finish the sub 4 hour drive to our final destination of Smithville, TX just outside of Austin.  We stopped in Carls Corner for gas and coffee where I wandered around the store gathering dorky souvenirs and Jay awkwardly waited for the Dunkin Donuts gals making the breakfast sandwiches to figure out how to make each one... she asked the cashier for step my step ingredients for each one she made (even if she was making a repeat of the previous order), as she lazily grazed from the ingredient bins, popping them in her mouth as if she were just making breakfast at home.  :oP

Bewildered, we grabbed our coffee and his breakfast and returned to the road.  We saw a longhorn steer somewhere outside of Waco but nothing I'd seen yet has made me think "they're right, everything IS bigger in Texas".  But then again, the adventure is just beginning....

Limpin' in TX,
Kristy Kreme

It's about which direction you look...

Last week put me through the ringer and left me feeling lost as I tried to embrace the weekend.  Stress at work twisted my brain into knots and I took every action I could to ward off another weekend of migraines, nausea and fatigue.  Then a ghost from Kristy's past surfaced before our Friday night ride, bringing back harsh memories of days when I let people walk all over me.  I shook the whispers that bounced between my ears by tearing it up on my new Specialized Crux CX bike with Jay, Peterson, and Zack down by Fort Snelling before we headed to dinner that evening.

Back at home with doggo at my feet and merlot in my paw, Jay and I settled in on the couch and tuned into a podcast I found that two of our friends put on to help promote, hype, and corral all the single speed miscreants for this year's edition of SSUSA.  The guest interviewed was 2012 W's Champ Kerry W. who made it quickly apparent through the fast termination of any discussion of my current responsibility over the Champion's Belt that dark waters ran deep within her in relation to me.  It was funny at first, but the vehemence behind her sharp words soon got to me and I turned it off 1/2 way through.  The same dark wave washed over me... I was warmed by the kind things my friends would say about me early in the podcast, but shocked at the way each statement was so violently shut down.

The murky waters lingered come morning as I tried to prepare for our local CX race.  I know I beat her for the belt in 2013 and have seen her at a few events since, but I had no idea what created such depth of hatred to fester.  Jay tried to talk me out of my sullen mood and, when he left to grab breakfast, I knew I had to change the direction I was letting my mind go and look for the better path.  I plugged in my headphones and turned on my race playlist... first up "How You Like Me Now?" by The Heavy.  I put on mascara (cuz I have blonde eye lashes and never leave home without it), packed my bags, and readied myself to push that new bike to every limit I could find.

It's odd and something I am grateful for every time it happens... but sometimes the universe reaches out and turns your head in the right direction... that's if you're willing to look there.

We got to The Loppet Trailhead for the open pre-ride, kitted up in my pink camo Podiumwear skin suit, pink helmet, pink shoes, and hot f'in pink Crux ready to see what we had in store. Jay and I tore through three super fast and fun laps to check out the course and I was confident that today was going to be a good day.  I laid my bike against a wall to collect my thoughts and plan for the next hour and a half before my race, standing on the back patio of the chalet.

I noticed out of the corner of my eye a young boy in blue (maybe 5 years old) slowly walking towards me who slowed as he neared, making eye contact with an inquisitive look on his face.  I squatted down to his eye level and asked how he was doing.  "I'm going to cheer for you today!  I want you to win because that's my sister's favorite color!".  I'd never met the boy, the family didn't have anyone in the race; they only came to check it all out.  His younger sister approached in an Elsa dress, holding a pink cycling water bottle that matched mine.  I thanked him for his kindness and grabbed my bike in which he responded "Your bike is pink, too?! You ARE going to win!".  I thanked him again and returned to my pre-race preparations.

At race time, I rolled back up to the Chalet to see my new favorite family leaving and I stopped to tell them how much my day was truly brightened thanks to meeting them.  The young boy came back to me and held out his small pinky.. "I pinky swear you are going to win today".  I twisted my pinky with his and said "I'm definitely winning today, thanks to you!".  

When it came to the race, I felt amazing.  I have learned so much this year that I am proud to say I am a more technical rider than I have ever been.  Me and the Crux (aka "Lightning") were flying through the twists and turns, catching air and holding a great position in 4th place lap after lap.  It was a feverous rush in my veins to be flying through the course after battling injuries in the last few years, feeling as if I'm finally on my path back.  And when I burped my tubeless front tire on a rock midway through the race, my friend Charlie who was in the pit for Megan, kindly put air back in my tire as I took my single speed out for a hot lap to retain my position until I could return to the pit for Lightning again.

Photo: Carlos Sabillón

I didn't win the race but I held my 4th place position for the entire race in a field of some awesomely talented women!  Sharing great conversation with the gals in my field was the perfect way to wrap up the day before loading up the bikes and heading back home with an exhausted body and cleansed soul.

I made a choice that day... I could have stared down the dark hallway in anguish and loathing, or could turn my back and walk into the light and choose to live my joy, share encouragement with others, and high five new friends.  I hope others know that, too.. sometimes you just have to choose to look in the other direction to find the life that's inviting you to live it.

Focused on the light,
Kristy Kreme


PSS... What else is on my playlist?
"Bleed it Out" - Linkin Park
"Bad Girls" - M.I.A.
"Happy Go Sucky Fucky" - Die Antwoord   \m/