Top Cycling Blogs for 2012!

Unfortunately, Racer Diaries didn't make the cut for the 2012 Cycling Blog Top Dogs -- but I'm super stoked to see that the top mountain biking blog belongs to a woman! So three cheers for MTB and extra fist pumps for girls who ride.

Officially Unofficial Olympic Team - US/CAN

Great news for Ontario mtb sweetheart, Emily Batty! Can't wait to see Catharine Pendrel on the podium, too! Thanks Cyclingdirt.org.

 
Watch more video of The Dirt 2012 on cyclingdirt.org

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday everyone!!

And this Friday is extra good ... May The 4th Be With You!

Race Track: Santigold - Disparate Youth

Put this in your playlist. Santigold's new album, Master of My Make Believe is out NOW! Another reason May is a merry month. Stoked.

May: A "Challenging" Month

I pulled off a personal best 5K at lunch today ... running ... and am now sitting here wondering where the heck that came from. It's my first run in my second week on Nike Women's Half Marathon program, which I started with no particular half marathon in mind, but for which I will be ready sometime in July. So that's challenge one: maintaining a regular running schedule because, turns out, I enjoy it.

So every day I'm up running around at the crack of dawn, and as luck would have it, the new neighbourhood features rec trails almost as close to home as the Humber trails were to the old apartment. Meanwhile, while running I can't help but notice all the bits of mountain bike trail I recognize, which means in theory, every time I ride my mtb home from work, I could add in a Don Loop + Taylor Creek and probably accomplish 50% of the ride off-road. Wow! More investigation required, possibly tonight.

Challenge two: push ups. I'm helping out with a girls' soccer team -- the Wildcats! -- and they are the stars of my Saturday mornings. At 12-13 years old, they are just a great group of young ladies and I'm glad to be "part of the team" for the next six weeks. To keep them in touch with their training between Saturdays, I've issued the "Push Up Challenge" and today, we're up to 19! We started at one, and we add one every day. On our last session, we'll reach our goal of 50. I like to lead by example, so I'm determined to share the glory with my young champions.

For the next seven weeks I'm also "Living My Moksha" through the local hot yoga studio and their healthy challenge. Every week we focus on one of the "seven pillars" -- this week is "Be Healthy", so the challenge is to practice yoga every day, and also to cut out processed foods from our diets and our cupboards. So far so good (she said, on day two.)

And my spin class has embraced the famous cycling workout, 30/30s, aiming to complete an entire class's worth of the agonizing intervals. That challenge is nearing its conclusion, with the big day coming on Monday, so wish them luck, or better yet, join us! It will be my first class teaching at RPM's brand new location! Double exciting!!

That leaves only one more challenge, but since it's still under consideration, I'll just go ahead and leave you hanging.  Stay tuned!

The Goodie Box

*knock knock knock* Who's There? Goodies!! 

I was very excited to come home Thursday night to this innocent looking package outside my door. Hmmm, what could it be?

So of course I brought it in and immediately ripped it open to see what was inside: Bike clothes!!

And none too soon either because I was just the other morning having one of those embarrssing moments that happen in private when you realize there was a moment that happened in public in which you should have been embarrassed, but that has passed you by.

Yup, the seats in some of my "A-shorts" have become indecently threadbare. Thankfully, I can convincingly tell myself that no one has really noticed, since most of my riding has been done indoors lately, and I'm the instuctor, so no one is looking at my bum. Butt (ha!) I digress.

 

Speaking of free shows, hopefully my new neighbours weren't paying close attention because I was so excited by the contents of said box I decided to try on everything immediately. In my dining room.

The good news is it all fits, and it's all awesome, and it's coming to this blog in much more detail in the coming weeks as I properly try it out. So stay tuned!

Photo of the Day

That's a good price.