It's Not About the Bike

Teamwork is one of the qualities that is really hard to force on any group. It often has to grow out of a mutual respect and understanding between group members. Sometimes it works best when it extends beyond the core activity and develops organically through shared experiences. Last night we were working on a little Headstrong teamwork.

For those of you that don’t know, Cristina Lindsey is now a proud homeowner. Linz invited our expert chef (Ray) and expert eater (me) along with supporting cast members Emily, Brian and Sam over dinner last night and we had a blast. You know what they say…a team that plays together stays together…err, is that, a team that eats together stays together? OK, I made that up but you get the idea.

As I arrived at Linz’s house, I was seriously impressed that there was a sign in her yard proclaiming that her yard was the “Yard of the Month” in her neighborhood. I might be able to give Linz a few tips on the bike this season, but now I know that she can definitely give me some tips on yard maintenance and landscaping!

In the kitchen, Ray walked Linz through the preparation of his popular fish tacos and we all pitched in to lend a hand. Emily made some awesome guacamole for starters. Brian’s slaw was coming along great until he realized that his avocado dressing would have to be made using avo’s that were as hard as baseballs. He did not despair and hatched an ingenious plan to pulverize those little beauties in the blender. Let’s just say it wasn’t his best effort, but he made the avocado soup work in the slaw. I decided that instead of baking brownies at home I would mix up the batter, pour it into the pan and bake them at Linz’s house. Now that worked like a charm as the smell of baking brownies is hard to beat.

Let me just say that the meal was a huge success. Linz’s first attempt at fish tacos was very yummy and we all ate our fill. We ate a lot and laughed even more. We told some stories and relived some awesome experiences right there at the kitchen table. We were even treated to a retelling of Emily “The Hammer” Woods’ now infamous Mallet Wonking story from Master’s Nationals. That had us all crying just like it did in Bend. Man this is a fun group of people.

Headstrong Invades Issaqueena

The beautiful colors of the changing leaves always signal the end of the road racing season and the start of one of my favorite times of the year. Fall is here and there is no better way to enjoy the season than to hit the mountains.

Mountain biking is one of my all-time favorite pastimes, especially when Mother Nature kills all the bugs and poison ivy in the woods. Many Team Headstrong members enjoy a good dirt fest as well, so we all loaded up last Sunday and headed for the Issaqueena trail system in Clemson. Local resident Emily agreed to be our tour guide for the day so we wouldn’t get lost in the many miles of trails available. It was a fantastic day of riding.

Our group was about as mixed as you could get. Brandon showed us that he only needed one gear to blaze a trail on his tricked out 29er singlespeed. Ray, Brian, Randall & Nicole had new 29ers as well, while Sam, Debbie, John, Emily and I were on our trusty 26ers. It really didn’t matter what you were riding when the pedals started turning. We regrouped often and sampled an enormous selection of trails in the forest. Even after a flat tire, a few summer-salts, 1 or 2 missed turns and a botched stream crossing, we were all loving getting dirty.

I hadn’t ridden at Issaqueena in several years and I was pleasantly surprised to see that people have done some decent trail maintenance on some of the routes. While exploring the course normally used for downhill racing, we found some really cool man-made terrain park obstacles to ride…or should I say view, since some of them were a little intimidating for the average rider. My rule is that if you see man-made stuff, look first and ride second, because there can be some pretty insane stuff to ride. That didn’t stop several Team Headstrong members from showing their bravery in the saddle on some of the manufactured bits.

I wish we had more photographic evidence of our MTB adventures. It’s always a catch 22 situation. You want to ride and have fun, but you also want to document the experience by stopping to take photos. We didn’t do any stopping for photos this day. There was too much fun to be had by all. Maybe next time we’ll take a few shots for you. On second thought, just get a mountain bike and join us on our next dirt adventure.

Tucson Camp

This is the view that participants will enjoy on the veranda at Western HQ.   Teenie and I are bringing remodeling and furniture to a close.

Bird is completing bunk beds in spite of his bike crash and finger issue and will come out to assemble them in November.   Of course, he will take time out of these duties to race El Tour de Tucson with Teenie and I.

We have 13 team mates confirmed to take part in the  Jan 25-29 Camp in Tucson:



G
Bird
Emily
Wein
Linz
Brian T
Ray
Teenie
Bake
Sam
Nic
Schusler
DS (me)

The Camp will include 5 days of riding and 3 very epic rides:
*  Mt Lemmon
*  Gates Pass
*  The Shootout

We also shop, hike, learn some stuff and generally hang out!

Developing New Talent

Andrew Wambaugh is finding himself as an athlete at 12.   He is at Riverwood Middle School where he plays middy on the lacrosse team and cornerback in football.  He also plays the piano, snowboards and brings home a lot of A's.

In between he rides his bike.  Built a lot like Charlie Hough, Andrew sometimes he gets out on the street with his Dad or his Grandma!  He rides a mountain bike on local bike paths and trails.   We have our eyes on him for the future!

You might see him at SCTAC next summer!   Gotta keep the future in mind for TEAM headstrong.

STICKY BUNS AND ALL

The Saluda Bakery ride took us to sticky bun heaven. These sticky buns were large, layered with a thick coat of icing and cinnamon and made the plates they were plopped on look like dishes meant for a dollhouse. Now, Mel was a 'little' disgruntled because the sticky buns didn't undwind in a true spiral fashion, so he turned into Lady Mel Petit with his Halloween bonnet and fashionable pose. I heard he was going hunting after the ride??

The ride was a great time with teammates and friends. Sam and Steve, Debi and John, Mel, Emily, Brian, and I all enjoyed the beautfiul fall temperatures and the fellowship.

The question now.....Mel? Did you have a successful hunt after the ride?

A Life Style

Sometimes I forget that there are people who play sports and then there are people like Teenie, I and our TX kids who have chosen a lifestyle.

Friday
4:00 PM - We arrive at Houston IAH
6:30 PM - Aly (grandaughter) plays Lebarro on the Kingwood HS Volleyball team - wins 2-1 over Woodlands

Saturday
7:30 AM -  Teenie, Jim (son-in-law) and I take on the Starbucks Ride 3+hour ride.   Jim and I pull like crazy.  Teenie easily completes as the only woman.   They want to put her on the email list.
8:30 AM - Tammy (daughter) runs 3 miles and then attends a spin class.
10:00 AM - Andrew (grandson) has Lacrosse practice.
1:00 PM - Aly heads to HS for a pickup beach volley ball afternoon.
2:00 PM - Adam reports to HS for pre game.  He is outside linebacker for Varsity Kingwood Team and the Homecoming game is at 6PM.

We haven't even been here 24 hours!!

It is definitely a lifestyle that we have maintained for very long time.  Some people paint or play instruments???

Short Track MTB

Ray was so fast last night at Cleveland Park, he was a blur!  Brian raced after riding his new Carolina Tri Specialized Stumpjumper at least 3 times.  Gillespie did the A race on her cyclocross bike.....can you believe it?

The race was put on by TEAM headstrong's own Brandon Lee.   If you missed it, you missed a real social affair. We had a strong cast of spectators including Teenie's parents!!   You really can't take this MTB too seriously as it is too fun.

Hope to see you out!

PARTY + RIDE

You can't have party without a ride!   Our TEAM party is Oct. 21st as you guys know.   We are going to ride the next morning, Sat. Oct 22nd, as well.   Info on time, location and route will be forthcoming but mark your calendar.

Weekend in Tsali

Sam, Steve, Ray, Brian T, and myself piled into two fully loaded vehicles and headed to Tsali to go camping/mountain bike riding this past weekend. From the amount of stuff we took you would think we were going to be there for a week. The weather forecast called for a beautiful weekend, so I was really looking forward to checking out the trails for the first time and experiencing a true camping weekend other than my ARMY days of camping.

When we arrived we found out that some of our 2012 teammates, Nicole and Debbie and their crew, would be our camping neighbors. Steve was master of setting up tents...you could tell this wasn't his first camping rodeo. Ray is definitely the camp King. He brought his huge 3 room tent to make us all comfortable. Yes it really did have 3 rooms and Steve could even stand up in it!! Ray also had all the bells and whistles to ensure maximum comfort during our camping experience to include a hammock for afternoon naps! Not to mention he knows how to
cook some mean chicken chili on a camp stove. We were camping like Kings and Queens.

Every night after dinner, we sat around by the camp fire roasting huge marshmallows, sharing jokes and good times. There is something about a campfire that brings out the good conversation in people, especially when the marshmallows are as big as lemons! I was in charge of bringing the marshmallows so I found the biggest ones we had ever seen. We were a little competitive on the trails, but I also found out that some TEAM headstrong riders can roast a mean marshmallow. Brian was learning the ropes on how to eat a marshmallow.

As we were sitting around the campfire, I realized how lucky I am to be able to be on a team that I can not only race bikes with but enjoy life with. Life is good!!

Grandkids

Taking off can be good thing.  I had oral surgery Thursday afternoon.....nothing big.  I rode Friday morning solo.  It was a beautiful day.   Just about 1.5 hours easy with return over Paris (my favorite return option).

We shipped out on US Scareways to Manchester NH in the PM.   I met Charlotte, now two months.   We were fast friends immediately.  More bonding today.

Also got to give Chloe, a budding gymnast, some attagirls.  Attempting a triple summersalt off her swing, she had a hard landing.  The pink cast says it all.

Of course, Teenie and I did squeeze in some spinning at the local gym this AM.

I am looking a little like a chipmunk right now but I think the swelling is already going down.

Hope you all are having a great weekend like we are!

Hope to see you out there soon.