Nature Boy

A few years back during a cold winter, a opossum would creep onto the front porch, stumbly drunk as they'd walk.  We'd leave a bit of dry cat food out for him.
On came a good cold snap and that night I saw opossum laying by the food.
I took a towel, and picked up the pretty non-moving body.
Put him in the little access room we had to warm up.
We'd look in, to check up, he seemed happy and alive.
His little toes curled as I rubbed the pink bottoms of his feet.

Nature Boy is not a long segment,  just up from the river, a way to get to the Wissahickon.

                           dusk comes quick


We took the opossum to the wildlife center on the edge of this nice patch of nature.
We found out that the opossum was a girl, we named her Virginia.
opossums don't like the cold.
they like the southern climate.

I'm healed up and got the OK to ride hard.
It's two races left for me now in this racing season.
Wonderful Reston.
and
Limestone.


Nature Boy is one of my favorites segments.

Virginia lived for a about a year longer up at the Schuylkill Wildlife Center,  she liked to be held, always had a full stomach and warm place to sleep.
Cheers, dlowe

The Female Gaze

   I looked for quite a while at the above photograph, by Diane Arbus.   It was in the show I went to see today in a small gallery, empty except for me and the prints, at Haverford College.  I went to see the Dorothea Lange, the famous print,  Florence Thompson, and her two children,  The Migrant Mother.   The antibiotics have started to work on my arm, and the redness is shrinking.  No riding, no riding the long annual Thanksgiving ride this year.  I think I should be out on the bike Friday.  I plan to take the opportunity to make the best of this really grand cyclocross racing year.  To take it right to the end, December 14th Limestone CX.  It is important to me to train hard, or rest right,  to not lose concentration at this ending late stage of the season.  To see it through.    Photos @ Haverford: The Female Gaze.

waving

I go bit by our cat yesterday morning,  He, Pascal was riled up by a cat sitting on the other side of the door, outside looking in.   I tried to shoo Pascal away,  but he spooked and chomped my right fore-arm.

This morning my arm was red, infected.   Of to the ER.  Got some IV antibiotics, a prescription for more, and luckly sent on my way.    
A couple of instructions,  don't do strenuous stuff, and keep your arm elevated above your heart.

Its 70 degrees out today.
I had plan to get a mini end of the season training block of 10 days of nice riding.
get some fitness pep back into the legs for Limestone CX,
and I love Reston, maybe if the weather looks good do Reston too, on 12/7
Its a great course and staying at the sweet suites hotel, with a bike path next to it,  just a few minutes from the course makes it a good race trip.


Yesterday racing went well,  12th, got a good jump and sat 5th wheel for the 1st 1/3 of the lap and dropped back to my battle and I am happy to say I rode hard, smart, hard, as hard and as smart as I could.      

                                            photo: Anthony Hennessy

                                           photo;  Dennis Smith


keeping my chin tucked like a boxer and my fingers away from the brakes


please a bit more CX...
cheers racers, dlowe

longing

today is Ljiljana and my, wedding anniversary
We got married in 1986.
Pretty much we meet in college, and started seeing each other, and have been together since.

I got home late last night,  from seeing a show, the Twilight Sad:

a bleak sadly romantic album,  I love,   The Twilight Sad - "Sometimes I wish I could fall asleep".

Ljiljana was up very early, this morning,
I heard her,  finishing getting ready for work, and I got up to have a cup of coffee,
chat a bit,
Send her off with a kiss, and I'd go back to bed.




I have not been on my cross bike since the last race,
and I might as well stay off till the next, tomorrow.
one ride this week,  today, on the mountain bike.


I don't know why about me, that I yearn for one, to stick with something,


I like the cathedral, and the multi-generations of life that is built into them.
I like riding down the path, that most likely the german mystic monks walked, in Wissahickon.
Cross feels that way to me,
these short efforts, seasons of racing,
I like just being part of something, that last.  I feel that I am part of something that will last.



xxoo.
dlowe

some of my photos of Ljiljana...

Zero

with a little effort, I was behind Fergy, I could of closed the ten foot gap he'd opened on me.
I thought maybe of saying, shouting up to him something,
or. just rubbing him into a number of post scraping him down the tape.

                                                        went to the art opening at PAFA

                                               took my good friend G. Klimi.
                                           stopped at a bar afterwards,  talked good.

                                             picked up a leaf, and a Zoey Strauss book.

zero feet of elevation.  Kutztown CX.

G. Fergy really did not have to ride to hard to get around me or drop me.    I felt his shoulder, a soft weight come into me, and steer me, carry me out,  farther, from the apex, into the tape, and into the stake.  I was off course.  He road on.

work today kept me from racing, and there are only a precious few races left.
Yesterday 17th.   I am now a binge cross racer,  in over my head on the weekends,  totally committed to doing my best to do myself in.

ah I've got nothing against Fergy,  I like him,  he's the best guy that's every put me into the tape, hard.

Cheers,   MORE CX!

dlowe.

Luxury

cross racers, at least the old bloaks I race and the locals/team mates I ride with are pretty,
tough, fast, skilled,  they beat me up, stomp on me, smile at me while we suffer on.

I'm whooped,

cross is not any brand, or style,  my reward is to be part of it, participating or sharing, or putting together a good ride, hitting up a new ride.  Riding out on my own. Grasstrack,  Waterice, Spooky,  even a way, the early 3 stage Phila. spring classic, is why I race and ride.

I hit the ground once, and had two, strange mechanicals racing this weekend.

Saturday
there is majestic land,  open land filled with trails,  a great outdoor space, close by, in Maryland/DE.
The race 1st State Velo at Fairhill,  is a grand grand good one.
The course is perfect, long, good for large #of racers to be out on the course at the same time.
and the best features of the rolling land, is built into the course.
spoiled as we in the MAC are,  just another primo course, a well put on race, that I just show up and ride, and have a blast.

sunday,
out west of the city is a clan of riders,  really skilled, good drinkers, with the right attitudes.
They took the land around a brewery, Slyfox, the brewery opened up and made it a party, and a great day was had.

a bombing dirt downhill into a cx racers dream of a run-up

the course, its short, tight, and features rare features of some tough riding, and the run up in the woods.
not a course for large fields of racers,  but with the numbers dropping off towards the end of the season, perfect for our 45 man field.

                                       photo: Jennifer Jackson Sears

I have a bit of a luxury,  I'm not in the top end of the field, so I race to compete, against myself and whatever group I land in.
Both days I gave it my all, we beat on each other,

                                         photo: Jennifer Jackson Sears

I'm tired, a  bit bruised, but with an off day today, some nice spinning out the legs tomorrow,
next weekend I should be chippy and ready to elbow, chop, and drop my competors.

I saw that Rapha put on a CX ride, www.cyclocrossrider.com/riding/rapha-cross-rides   I question, The very esquire $$$ riding apparel,  is a bit au contraire, to the nature of the "Real" cx rider? don't worry about rapha,  its a brand, a bussiness.
just ride out your door,  look around each time your out there,  make a  loop, of the segments, add a flow, fly over the map on google and find the hidden connectors, invite some friends, or make it an open call
or just enjoy by yourself.  The cross bike gives me a freedom,  its really nice to be out, riding somewhere, beat urban or pretty,   and look over my shoulder, from an old access road and see the traffic lined up,  snarled on the highway.



I am ready for my cyclocross,  bring on the end of the season.
Go Ride!
CX!

thanks for putting on some great races this weekend, bros and sis's.

dlowe.

Catty

"hey Rubber Legs,   Get up the hill!"
day two of racing,  Sunday at Stoudts Cx.
John Lux was prompting my ass, to get a moving,
It did not move any faster so he passed.
Stoudts CX was not the best race course,  they had to put a lot into a little.
I loved it anyway.

I saw Trevor , as we were coming on to the straight he was on,  we could see him,
the chase group I was in.
"Trevor,  we're coming for you"  I yelled.
Racing Saturday at Swashbucklers CX.
I like a lot of the course, but am not quite fond enough of quite a bit of it.
If it weren't a MAC race,  I'm not sure I'd make the drive to race it.
Our group caught Trevor,  and we raced,  sneaking a pass in a corner,
coasting into the pavement uphill and drilling it.
Gapping an yo yo-ing each other,  a blast!
Trevor got the group,  and the group got me too, as I finished at the tail end of it.

Frickn,  I'm trying to keep my shit together.  Me I am doing well, sleeping as much as I can, and training as much as I can,  and I've dropped a few pounds.
Believe me I want to have a sassy smart mouth out there, and I need some legs to back it up.
I like the yapping, during racing.
As much as it hurts it always cracks me up.

I gotta get my ragged shit rolling,  my bikes, tires, it all needs some love, I'm just nursing it on, and we got a lot of season to go, and I can't wait for the next races, Fairhill and SlyFox. I still need to steal a corner from you. and.....  "dude keep on his wheel,  you drunk, we are all back here are counting on you."

cheers, I Heart Cross.  dlowe.


a lonely place

photo: Stephan Kincaid

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