Responsible Cx Babysitter!

Costume? Check!

Beer? Check!

My bum leg makes me the perfect babysitter during Cx races - the best part of the weekend was hanging out with Spencer cheering for both Margi and Scott as they raced on Saturday and Sunday.

Halloween weekend in Bend

We spent the weekend in glorious, SUNNY, Bend for the Halloween cx races. Thor cranked out a lot of miles on his mtn bike both days, and I went on a couple short 'walks' (hobbles) with the dogs, read a lot, and hung out with good friends.

The races themselves were fun to watch - I was more bummed about not mtn biking with Thor than I was about not racing. Soon, hopefully! (by soon I mean I am hoping maybe by the end of December I can do some soft pedaling).

Overall great weekend - and I even got to borrow a teen wolf costume to cheer on today (and no, I haven't actually seen Teen Wolf for any of you out there who know about my appalling lack of 80s movie knowledge. The costume was just given to me. :)






















Sent from my iPhone

A Morning Stowaway!

This morning I hastily grabbed the Oregonian that was sitting on our driveway, stuffed it in my backpack, and headed off to work.  When I got to the office and pulled the paper out of my back I discovered I had a little buddy along for the ride – I’m glad he didn’t fall off in inside my backpack!

 

 

Alpacka Raft video: Pilgrims, Pioneers and Prophets

This is a really neat compilation of Alpacka Raft footage from a couple of Alaska boaters. A nice way of showcasing Sheri's boats!

Coast!

Chanterelles!

Thor's mom, Sheri, is in town for the day - so we headed out mushroom hunting in the hopes of finding a few late season chanterelles. Success! Thor, Sheri and Laea did the actual hunting while I came along for the ride as a field trip away from the couch. I did some reading and caught up on a little knitting - all in all a nice fall morning!

Highlight of the Week!

It has been a slow week without much to report. My MRI was last night - but I don't get the films read until Wednesday of next week.  I talked Adele into driving me over to Chris King to pick up my new wheel set that I won for getting 2nd in my cat at the Oregon Super D series this summer.  They should be a lot of fun once I get the green light to hop back on my bike!

Cross Crusade at Rainier: Sarah's First (and last) Cx Race of 2011!

This past weekend Thor and I were finally around on the weekend and able to go to our first cyclocross race of the season.  The rain had been coming down, the mud was thick, and our entire team was going to be out for the second Cross Crusade race of the season at Rainier High School.  

In typical Tingey fashion we left the house waaaaaay too late and got to the race venue about 35 minutes before the start of our race.  We rushed to registration, and then warmed up for about 20 minutes before our start.   Thor's field went out first, with mine following about 1.5 minutes later.  I got to the top of the first hill and around the corner with the main pack, and as I entered the woods for the first time there was Thor standing on the sidelines cheering.  He'd blown his rear tire out in the roots on the first turn.   The first $30 registration down the tubes.  Rainier 1: Tingeys 0.

I continued to race hard - (although not that hard if this picture is any indication of my effort level) - and quickly remembered how tough cx can be!  I think it had been at least 5 or 6 weeks since i'd put in a hard effort on my bike, and my lungs and legs were feeling it!  About 4 laps in I burped my rear tire going around a corner, and lost almost all the air.  I hopped off course and almost quit then (ahhh - hind sight is so 20/20) - but a bunch of well-intentioned hecklers on the sidelines convinced me to hop back in it and just run my bike to the pit (about half a lap away).    I made it into the pit, pumped up my tire, hopped back on my bike and made it about another 1/4 lap before the final disaster struck.  I was coming around a corner and realized the line I was on was going to put me right up against the tape at the side of the course on the outside of the corner.   There were about 4 spectators there who did not appear to be moving even though it was becoming rapidly apparent that I was likely going to run into them because of how close to the course they were.  At the last minute I put down my left foot without really thinking about it - and my foot stuck in the mud, catapulting me over the handlebars somehow and onto my back off course.   I laid there for a bit thinking that they pain in my knee would go away and I would be able to get up and keep riding, but it did not.  Second $30 registration of the day down the tubes.  Rainier 2: Tingeys 0.

Soooo - anyhow. The end of the story is that I have a torn MCL (medial collateral ligament) in my left knee, and I have a super sweet ankle to mid-thigh brace that I get to wear 24/7 for the next eight weeks.  I don't know if I'll need surgery yet - I need to go in for an MRI first, and before I can go in for an MRI my insurance has to decided that I do, in fact, need an MRI.  Lovely.   In the meantime I am at home icing and elevating my knee to try and get the swelling to subside.  I'll probably be back to work next week, but it will be a slow couple of months for me coming up.  At least it's not mountain biking season!

Here's a fun recap from the Tireless Velo crew - and a fun series of pictures that Bob Croucher on our team took of me clearing the barriers at the race before my untimely end.

The end result.