To:Shawn
From: Jack Brown
Re: Lenoir 'cross race
Hey Shawn,
Deb got a couple of great shots of you (one out of focus unfortunately) at the race Saturday. You can now talk all the smack you need to Howard because here’s the proof Baby! Had a great time but like you said, it’s ‘bout quittin’ time for now. See you soon, Jack.
Thanks Jack! I think I need to tape that picture to my stem for motivation. Howard, I appreciate racing with you this season, but why the heck did you have to attack before the runup?!? That just blew things all to hell, but it's not like I suffered because of it. I was gonna suffer anyway...
To: Shawn
From: J-Mac
Re: Lenoir 'cross race
Shawn-
Good evening. Hope your doing well. I wanted to thank-you for a great race on Saturday. While a ton of pain was involved, I really thought I was going to barf after the finish, I look back to another great installation of a cycling memory. It wasn't because I had a stellar race - I held my own but definite room for improvement. It was because the course set-up was awesome and the race was run smoothly. It was because of the mud - which I am still picking out of my nose. It was because a lot of my friends biked, jumped, crawled and cursed their way around the loop of doom - something I will enjoy talking about over the years. And finally, it was because my son Josh got second in his junior category and my wife and daughter were there to see it all.
Shawn - while Owen will cause you to pull out the little hair you have left, he will also bring you to the mountain top of joy. You'll love it. I enjoy hearing about Owen now and look forward to hearing about him in the future.
I can sense your frustration with not getting the results you want in cross. I used to never show up to races unprepared. However, it was your cross racing group that taught me - you don't have to be in great shape to have fun at races. You guys (you andJeff) about made it impossible for me to back out of this race. I didn't have a bike - Jeff supplied one. I didn't have shoes - Jeff supplied those. I didn't think I was in shape - you stated most aren't either. Since I was out of excuses, I raced and have no regrets. My point in all that blabber - you racing Shawn, no matter what the results, spurs others to race. This breeds excitement in biking. Just wanted you to know that.
I hope you have a great evening.
John
See, that is the kind of thing that friends do: force you to go race 'cross in the worst conditions of the season until you think you're gonna puke. Yep, friendship - it's a beautiful thing. I'm beginning to figure out that I have been coming across as a bit of a puss in my last few posts. I guess I have been belly aching a bit. Well, I would like to set the record straight. I had a blast racing against the largest cx 4 fields of the NC series. I had a top ten and then just missed the podium at Hendersonville with a 4th place (I outsprinted some dude to the line - thought I was going to throw up and pass out on that one), so it was a season with some success. I gladly gave up riding with any seriousness to hang out with Owen. And though his body fat percentage is a tad on the high side right now (like 30% or something), the kid is gonna be hell on wheels when he can finally hold his head up. Now I gotta just do some sort of aversion therapy when he is playing in the bathtub to keep him from being a triathlete...
These letters definitely make me feel fortunate that I have such good friends and such a tight knit cycling community here. I am also sorry that I missed the post race festivities at Sledgehammers (Jeff was there for like 7 hours and had a self-described "entertaining" bike ride home afterwards).
On a non-bike related note, have you seen the new Apple iPhone? I am in serious lust for something that doesn't go on a bike. Check it out at Apple. Buddha says that desire is the root of all human suffering... screw it, I want one!
Tomorrow I get to go to gang awareness training and then saturday morning I'm traveling to Hickory to take another Praxis test to get licensed for teaching high school. I am just expanding my horizons left and right these days...
3 comments:
Expand your horizons and the I-phone may follow. Don't worry, Owen will never be a triathlete. With you and Golden as influences and the rest of your biking buddies helping, he will never go over to the "dark side". Keep up the good work and never forget to have fun and to inspire yourself and others.
Dad
The triathlete force lurks everywhere. When the cyclist thinks they have it all is when the force strikes in a subtle sinister way at first, messing with the mind. A cyclist might get creeping thoughts of a 5k road race, you know, try something a "little different". Have you heard this before?
When the cyclist has on off race - the tri force is there having waited patiently for just that occasion and gently places the idea that a duathlon sounds like good "cross training".
At that point - the claws squeeze a little tighter and some easy swimming at the AFC sounds "refreshing" after a hot bike when it's 90 degrees outside. Surely a cool dip has crossed your mind when the heat index is 115?
At this point with few people knowing, maybe not even their own family, a metamorphosis is happening. Then one day, that fateful day, the "cyclist" shows up on a group ride with aero bars. It's too late then, there's no turning back. All you can do is shake your head and wonder -- "Where did I put that speedo?"
"And though his body fat percentage is a tad on the high side right now (like 30% or something), the kid is gonna be hell on wheels when he can finally hold his head up. Now I gotta just do some sort of aversion therapy when he is playing in the bathtub to keep him from being a triathlete"
That is the funniest thing I've read in a loooong time.
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