Getting Underway, at a Turtle's Pace

Caroline in T-ride last year before the collar bone debacle got started. Heal fast Carolenka!!

The race season that is. I headed down to Nathrop, CO with Caroline on Saturday morning for the Spring Series race that Keith Darner was putting on. It was cold and windy when we got there. I made it up to the slalom track and got two practice runs in. I was standing in line for a 3rd when I looked over and saw Caroline going for the little doubles on the top of the slalom track. I could tell something wasn't quite right when she was in the air, so I turned away and didn't see the aftermath. Turns out she ended up crashing and rebreaking her collar bone. I got our stuff all packed up and we drove back to Boulder in time to get to the ER at 2:00. It turns out her collar bone never healed properly after she broke it last year racing DH in Telluride at the end of July. She is going to have to have surgery on it after finals are over next week. It's a huge bummer for her. As soon as she gets healthy, something always seems to happen and she has another major injury. :( Send her quick healing thoughts!

I went to the premier for Clay Porter's new film, F1RST on Saturday night. I thought it was really good. As usual, I am always disappointed that he rarely shows any 4x footage. Oh well, maybe there will be some in the extras again. :)

Sunday morning came bright and early with getting a ride from Brian and Tom Buell back down to Nathrop (at 5:30 in the a.m.!!). I had already registered for both days of racing, and Sunday was 4x day, so I actually really wanted to go back, I just didn't want to drive myself there, again! I had some really good practice runs. Unfortunately my qualifier was a little off, and I didn't have a great time, but it didn't matter too much. Jess and I were the only girls there, so we ended up racing with the expert boys. I was pretty pleased. I beat them all to the first corner from lane 4, and then I didn't really know what to do with myself clear out there. Duhh! I'll figure it out one of these days!

Sea Otter, sort of

Me and Buhly in Santa Cruz on the way back to San Jose

Well, the stars had to align for me to make it to Sea Otter. They did. What I failed to plan for was actually being able to ride my bike in the condition in which I would arrive at the event...that didn't go so well.

We'll suffice to say that I should have saved my $80 entry fee for slalom and just had a weekend of cheering for others and hanging out with friends, cuz that's what I pretty much did anyway! :)

It was so much fun to get to hang out with Jaymie (who has a much more entertaining post on the events of the weekend), Melissa, T, Polly, and everyone else. In the end, I'm glad I went, but delusions of racing after so little time on the bike and so much time in the lab in the weeks prior will have to be remembered for future adventure planning!

Pinkish Purple is Good!

My stem cells that have turned into chondrocytes (cartilage making cells) and are beginning to produce some of the components of cartilage!! Wahooo! Finally. :)

This week has been crazy with school, hockey playoffs (go Avs!! 3-2), writing exam questions, grading said exams, oh ya, and my thesis committee meeting is tomorrow! One might think I'd have my presentation ready to go by now, but in typical Neven-style, I like to save everything until the 11th hour...my presentation for tomorrow, getting to Sea Otter in time to race, just to name a few. haha

Lucky for me, Cody is a rockstar. He drug my bike around to Hayes, DT Swiss, and e13 today getting it all ready to go for me when I get there. He also get me all registered and probably already has my # plate on my bike for me. Best teammate ever! I'll get in tomorrow night round 1:00 in the morning. DS practice is at 9:00, qualifying at 11:00 and racing at 3:00 or something like that. Should be a good time! Can't wait to see Jo Jo, Buhly, T, and Miss Mart (all the way from the land of fish and chips and haggis)! :) Cali, here I come!

Sweetness

Cody is my team manager, teammate, and one of my best friends. He is also, one of the nicest people I know! He had the opportunity to get a new Yeti 4x frame this season, and instead, he gave it to me and took a new DJ frame instead. I'm pretty sure I don't know anyone else who is that selfless!

New bike all built up

Sad DJer robbed of many parts!

I went up to Winter Park on Friday night and we built up my new bike with some new parts and some parts from my DJ. The bike is sweet! I love it, and I can't wait to race it at Sea Otter this weekend!!

Ready for her first ride!!

Until then, though I have to focus on all of this silly school crap...writing exam questions, grading homework, summarizing all of my experimental results from the last year, and trying to put a decent presentation together for my committee meeting on Friday.

Oh ya, and go Avs, we're going to the playoff game tomorrow night, wahooo!!

$100 Donation to the City of Boulder on my Way to Pick Up My New Sweet Ride

How fast I was going...

How fast I should have been going leaving Boulder to pick up my new sweet ride at Yeti. :)

Gotta keep her safe in the front seat with me!!

Got some good riding time in at the Arvada BMX track after I picked up my frame at Yeti. I was excited to see that there were 20-25 people there riding. Everyone from little tykes on wal mart bikes that had some crazy pretend like it's a moto plastics (I'm sure Phil would have LOVED it!), to some of the good local MTB talent. Good times, for sure!

At Least She Waited Until the Weekend Was Over

Mother Nature that is. What's up with waking up to snow, again?!?! I'm ready for summer, no more of this snowy springtime stuff. :) Sorry no pictures. I was too busy doing silly school stuff and riding bikes ALL weekend!! :) That makes me happy. Oh, and hopefully I'm getting my new 4x frame this week!! I will make time to take pictures when that happens!! :)

Can't Believe I Forgot...

I was sitting on the bus heading down to Denver after workish last Friday. After a little bit, the guy one row up and on the other side of the bus breaks out a brown bag. I start laughing a little. He pulls out a beer and starts drinking it. I thought people eventually grew out of drinking on the bus, well, I might not, but whatever. I felt bad for the guy. He kept twirling his wedding band like he was thinking about the wife at home who won't let him enjoy a beer. Damn, I promise I'll never be that sort of wife, EVER!!