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I learned a few things:

1. 10 grain muffins are delicious pre-ride food!

2. I have a major fear of buzzy bugs that I really need to get over.

3. Anyone got a spare suspension fork lying around that I can have? I felt a little scrambled after.

4. BMX pedals are not the best choice. Gotta get new pedals with grips.

The injury came from riding over a sizable root hard enough to knock my feet off the pedals and slam my shin into one at the same time. The pedals were BMX style, with fairly significant grippy pegs that just jammed right on in and caused a killer blood splatter. Ew.

5. More camo me thinks.

6. Rossitron is a very patient and wonderful man. I warned him ahead of time that I might very well be a complete bitch while we were riding (stress + frustration + exhaustion = Anna from hell), and he still wanted to take me. Dawwww.

7. Mountain bikes are fun!

Yeah, it was awesome. The bike still needs a little bit of work before it rides perfectly, but I’m ready to get right back on my steed and go for a much longer ride.

Now I have 4 bikes of my own in my house, along with the boy’s 5. We’re looking into the possibility of a pulley system. Do any of you have interesting storage solutions for so many bicycles that must stay inside the home?!

From here on out I think that Fall will forever be knows instead as Cross Season.  Today I spent a sunny day drinking beer, hanging out and watching CYCLOCROSS! at Sloss Furnace.  Sloss is the only publicly held industrial site in the world, as well as a killer spot for a cross race.   I, unlike Anna, was not racing so I came out ready to take in all the glory that is a bike race. Glorious it was.

Bici Coop team did very well, with Sam (took 2nd!), Alan (flatted out 2nd lap and had to run it in), Jesse Heath, Heath, Aaron Lane and Sean Malone in the mens 4-5 class and Anna (got 4th, maybe 3rd…jury is still out!) for the ladies.

The course wasn’t too muddy but had it’s share of gravel, hills, switchbacks and obstacles.  The site of bikes kicking up dirt in front of the huge foundry was beautiful.  Add beer and some good friends and I had a Sunday to write home about.  Oh and lots of bloody knees and elbow.  I am weird, sue me.

Anna will be writing about her experiences during her first cross race in Part 2.  Thanks to everyone at Bamacross for putting this together.  Besides the beer situation (Blackwell‘s I am looking at you for your no show!), everything seemed to go off without a hitch.

How was your weekend?

Embrocation Cycling Journal Volume 4. That bloody knee, how I love the feelings it evokes…the very spirit of racing, cycling and all things sexy and dirt covered. Everything about this little publication is well done (not surprising considering Jeremy Dunn is one of the Rapha fellas; chicken and egg conundrum, does Rapha pick the classy ones or do you become that way during a Gentleman’s race one day??).  The photos, writing, features…I read and reread it, slowly turning each page so as not to miss anything. It was everything you imagine cycling to be as a kid…european, pretty, gritty, sexy and bad ass.  Hell, even the ad’s are clean.  My favorite feature was the Tour of California, as told by 3 teams. Or was it the Belgium diary?  Or perhaps the…oh just get it yourself and read it.  You won’t regret it.  Pick up a tshirt while you are there, they are pretty sick looking.

*side note: that bloody knee print is for sale.  My order should be going in tomorrow.  Yes, waking up to dirty bloody knees is how I roll. What?!

Coming soon to a Bike Skirt near you: thoughts on Rouleur, Cog magazine, Boneshaker Almanac and Women’s Cycling Magazine.    Whoever says print is dead is not checking out the cycling ‘rags, clearly.  I plan to single-handedly change that.