married

It used to be all over my rented room, apartments, homes, that these were abundant.

Music.

It the whole of my heart, and most of the time on my mind or blasting into my ears.

I got out of it.

Put the studio in a pile and sold the lot.   It all!

my good friend, my old traveling racing mate got married,  

It was all to quick.

I loved it all, and it always warms my heart so, watching a  friend about to get married.

Looking out and across,  to see his love,  waiting to see his love walk his way.

I wish I couuld of had them both to my own for days, to catch up,

laugh, ride, listen to records.

To pick up Logan the dog, and hug him really strong. 

 This is Pongo.  My mountain bike.  We've been having fun together,  I'm a bit anxious to enter a race, but I feel it coming on me.   today   I got up early today to race my road bike.   36 lap crit,  and a couple of team mates got up the road in the brake, and we got an early bell to sprint.   I was sitting in a Cat Bird Seat,  till I ran over a metal pipe 1" sticking up outta the road at 34mph.   My rear tire went flat in an instant.  I thought nothing of it, only to slow and come to a stop in the gutter.   I found the hole and discovered the piece of pipe, flipped up.  I pulled it outta the hole and left it on the curb.
 I hoisted the road bike cx style, and felt,.... not lucky, odd.  and walked back to the start line.
I thank cross for the even keel-ness handling, and mountain for the non-panic.

I have not played a guitar in years, a decade or so.  this by far is the nicest i've had, and I'm in love. I just sit holding it in my lap not playing it, watching tv.   So much I love.

a toast to Chad and Cate,
a wonderful journey of love to you two.
Love David.

starting a fire

the trails are simple, really fast, and nothing hard.  
At the last minute I joined my two team mates, Arthur and Ankers, for a weekend of camping and riding over at Raystown.

Friday night was spent drinking.  Saturday.  Rain fell and we waited to ride.  We got out after noon, and got a big-ish ride in, something we all enjoyed.

Saturday as dusk fell, 1st Ankers gave lighting a fire a shot.  Then me, the wood wet, it'd smolder a bit, but not catch.  Arthur tried, and out it went.   So he had other ideas and went down to the lake to fish.


I skipped racing.  To ride.  And I see myself, as a cyclist as a racer.

We'd tried the Lincoln logs formation, and the tee-pee.
    I built a base, a square, outta charred wet wood.
Then filled the pit in the center with the driest bits of paper, splinters, whatever could be used.
then built the tee-pee with the best dry-est logs left.
I lit it, and it came to.
I told Ankers to go barter some beers for a some dry wood, he came back with 6.

One at a time we added the good fuel.
and the wet we had plenty of we put close to the fire to dry and the fire burned.

We talked the night, and drank the night.  Listen to Steve Gunn, Steve Earl, and War on Drugs.
The fire got easier and burned hearty strong.


I crawled into my tent and slept with lots of daddy long legs.
Sunday we got up early to do the riding we could do before we had to leave to do the things we had to do at home.

Not as much talking.  I went faster, on the simple trails.
shook hands, and left.

dlowe.

Green

 a lot of riding this week
despite work, and despite working a night in the middle of the week

I've been thinking about  "champion"
and most of the people I like, do what they love,  if by themselves or not.
they are Champions, of a cause.
or addiction, or intense love.
Those champs, they lead by being themselves despite what flaws and quirks they are made of.

with cross coming up,  I think, "what is my top weakness"?
1. Technique
2. Training
3. Tactics

So I've been riding harder, and resting harder.
doing The sprint workouts, I've been tactic-king better.


I need to run more.
I need to be able to gauge my blow-up point better,  how hard can I go, before its to late,  know and recognize my limits.
and harness my eagerness.

my new stoudts church key.  found it on the road, warming up, kicking shit, for the morning sprints.

a real green path I found on my ride today.  short and sweet.  some local beauty.

cheers champs,

dl

good-bye

I feel so guilty for selling a bike I love.  Like I should be the one paying someone to take it from me, for all the joy, blood, sweat, pain and companionship it brought me.   I want my steeds to move on.    I do regret many of bikes I've sold.  Like the Schwinn Homegrown.   I've sat on this bike, stopped, a leg up on a downed tree next to the trail.   and looked out across the valley.  and listen to the wind, felt light snow, wish I'd brought another bottle, cause I sure was fucking hot and thirsty.

I have all the bikes I need.   and If I get anything out of this, its not the cash, nope, that just goes towards bits for cx,  its that when you ride my old bike,  you buy a bike,  it holds you up to a standard,  honor, a privilege.

ride on Raleigh

my sadness,
dl

Minotaur

hit up the sprints this morning.   misty ride over.   stopped by the top of the plateau.

just a brief bit of rain fell,  the work was good.  

I went to see Picasso's show.  At the Phila. art museum.

a very romantic show.   go late, after a good lunch, nap.   Enjoy a bottle of wine and candy out in the garden, then take your lady's hand and view the show.   Maybe sneak down by the river and smooch.

I like the sprints, the short battle, to win.


alas,

best regards, dlowe.

Behold

I,  CX!

I road, up early today, from the city to the stones, in a way to start building my foundation for cyclocross racing,  not that I have been not riding my cx bike,  or that I've not been ridng a lot anyway; road, mountain.

and head back into town, down the towpath,  I hit the big ring and dropped the gears to the 12, and the Jets skipped,  flew.   Splattered dappled sunlight and shadows, slapping leaves, loose little rises, really flying.

This morning was a morning where I had the honor of riding with the Valkyries.

To Cross!

dlowe.