OMG! i rode with a PRO last night (and embarassed myself!)

[caligurl]

soooooo after work i take off to do the local climb into the national park... i had dropped hubby and his bike off in the morning.. so he was riding home and doing some fitness test... about a 1/2 a mile from where i was going to turn around and head back down the hill... hubby calls (i was shocked i had signal!) anyways.. he was just turning and was going to meet up with me...

so i head down the hill and about 12 to 3/4 of the way down i spot TWO cyclists... hmmmm can't be hubby..... or who rode with him?

so i reach where they are climbing and i turn around and it's erik saunders (http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=5865)! i was so jazzed! i've seen him a lot of times on the road but always going the other way and he ALWAYS waves! http://www.smileycons.com/img/emotions/91.gif (hubby has ridden with him before so they already knew each other.... but i never went on the rides cuz i knew i was too slow *pout* to keep up!)

soooooooo i slow down.. turn around and take off UP the hill after them! they are going at an "easy" pace (easy for erik and hubby.... NOT easy for me!) i'm peddling my little legs off... out of the saddle... finally i say "hey... give a girl a break!" http://www.smileycons.com/img/emotions/207.gif and they realize i had turned around and was back there! and stupid me.... i was "star struck" so the first thing i said was i like that he always waves to me when he passes me ugh! i'm SUCH a DORK! http://www.smileycons.com/img/emotions/200.gif

so they keep going at their "easy" pace and i'm working my arse off! i'm trying SO hard to keep up! then it happened.. i got light headed! ugh.. do i keep going and possibly fall over? or stop? so i said "uh oh" and stopped... http://www.smileycons.com/img/emotions/124.gif they were going to turn around and come back.. but i told them to keep going! hubby was still gonna turn around... but i told him to keep going too!

the lightheadedness stopped... and i started up again.. but of course never caught back up on the uphill! although i did make it almost all they way back to the top again!

when they met me i turned around and they WERE going easy... talking... going down the hill.... i actually had to put my breaks on several times so as to not to run into them!) i noticed that erik has a REALLY nice butt! http://www.smileycons.com/img/emotions/186.gif and really ripped muscular legs (and he said he's currently out of shape!)

i'm not sure what his new teams name is... he used to ride for ofoto.... he and his new wife are moving this summer.. so we won't have our own local pro anymore http://www.smileycons.com/img/emotions/115.gif he was also featured in the dvd/movie Pro (http://www.prothemovie.com/) (they even show him climbing the hill into the park in that movie as part of his training!

so now i've met two pros! woo hoo! (tinker was the first one! and i've FINALLY met erik! even though he was/is "just erik" to all the guys out here! "I" was still star struck!

after we got home i asked hubby if erik thought i was a loser cuz i had to stop.. and he said no... he wanted to make sure i was ok! awwwwwwwwww... that is the first time EVER that i've had to stop cuz of being lightheaded on a bike! i think i need erik to be my new training partner! http://www.smileycons.com/img/emotions/201.gif

[bcipam]

Cali: how cool!

I had a chance in February to ride with Bob Roll and passed because, well, I didn't want to embarass myself. Now I kick myself in the pants. What was I thinking? Who cares? I'm sure he doesn't. Most Pros enjoy meeting other cyclists and taking a "cruise" until it's time to blast off again. Thanks for your story!

[Bike Goddess]

Caligurl- Thanks for the great story. Just think, next time you go up that hill, it will be easier, yes?:D :D :D :D

And, you met Tinker??????? He's been on two rides I've been on and I've still yet to meet the guy! Now I hear he is going to do RAAM solo this year!

[caligurl]

i met tinker last summer... but didn't ride with him! (not that i could have kept up!) the "guys" were doing their weekly sunday ride... but hubby and i didn't go to where they started.. but started from our house instead (opposite end) and rode to where there were going.... (didn't know tinker was with them... just thought it was "the guys") hubby stopped to talk.. i kept going and did meet up with them, including tinker all at the bottom of the hill circling, waiting for everyone to regroup! at that time i didn't even know who tinker was! go figure! but liked his dreadlocks! he was just introduced to me along with the other guys i hadn't met yet! (they are the some of the guys who are going to be on his RAAM crew!) i waited and talked to them til hubby caught up) since then i've ridden with "the guys" a lot (most of my mtb rides have been with "the guys" but i guess when tinker is in town they do road rides)

he was in the area last winter to talk about raam and they talked about getting a ride together... but it turned crummy and i think he wanted to go visit his mom/family...... so no ride... i was all jazzed about getting to actually "ride" with tinker and said i WOULD get a pic of us!.... lol! so i was really really bummed when the ride didn't happen... awwww well... i'm sure there will be future time (where i can ride "with" him while watching his butt disappear up ahead!)

he was VERY nice (erik is very nice too!)

i'm reclimbing the hill today but taking it easier... since we are totally UNSURE of what this weekend's ride is going to bring.... i don't want to burn up/out! it's called the savage hill climb... we THOUGHT it was oak glen.. which we are familiar with...(and what we thought was part of the old "tour of the canyons" inconjunction with the redlands races) but looking at their route slip.. it does not go up oak glen.. but they are advertising 22% grades!!!! uhm... ok.... sure! i hope they mean like 2 pedal strokes of 22% then back to something more manageable!

we get a "i survived the savage hill climb" t-shirt if we make it! hope i get one! :eek:

[maillotpois]

Very cool! What a great story! It's so nice when they're down to earth and normal.

[Jo-n-NY]

What a great story Cali!!!! especially with all the smiliey faces you put in.

Thanks for an afternoon smile!

JoAnn

[caligurl]

hubby hates my smilies! i've had the program at home for eons... but don't use it too much... but since we got our new computers at work.. decided to try to d/l it and install it again.. it worked! woo hoo! so i send him all the cute love/kissy ones all the time: http://www.smileycons.com/img/love2/103.gifhttp://www.smileycons.com/img/love2/106.gifhttp://www.smileycons.com/img/love2/102.gif http://www.smileycons.com/img/love2/100.gif

he called them stupid (or something like that) http://www.smileycons.com/img/emotions/155.gifhttp://www.smileycons.com/img/emotions/154.gifhttp://www.smileycons.com/img/emotions/153.gif

he's so mean (ok.. not really... but i like my smilies!)

[snapdragen]

You downloaded those at work? Your IT department must love you.....

[Bike Goddess]

Well, you know how we are here- we love anything animated. Nothing like something to make us smile! :) :) :) :)

BTW- Tinker did the SF/LA AIDS ride with us last year. It was his first long distance road ride on a real road bike (if I'm not mistaken). Anyway, after that he did the Furnace Creek 508- finished in the top 3, don't remember which place. Not bad for a mountain bike guy, eh?!

[caligurl]

i wanted to be at the finish of the 508 to see him come in.. but alas... we were out shopping that day! we did see someone coming in.. but it was after dark! so not sure who it was! i forget, too if tinker was 2nd or 3rd (i'm leaning toward remember it being 2nd??????)

i've had smileycons for a couple years... yes.. i actually paid for a cute smiley program (http://smileycons.com/)... it has no spywar, malwar, etc like a lot of them do! and they do regular updates of sets of smileys! (i even pay for the "gold" membership so i get all add-ons at "no charge") my old old work computer had it.... but the old one (last one) i couldn't d/l it on... i decided to try it on this one and it worked! woo hoo! it's easy and fun... you just drag and drop the smiley you want into an email or onto a website! easy as pie!http://www.smileycons.com/img/Fun_pak_3/mouse_bath.gif

p.s. i only provided the link to show the program... i'm not spamming... not endorsing (wsell.. ok... i like it and have fun with it.. so i guess that is an endorsement).. i get nothing if you decide to try or buy it!

[snapdragen]

cali, please don't be offended, but the smilies are really obnoxious. Maybe one would be tolerable, but they really cause sensory overload when a post is riddled with them.

[caligurl]

i'm sure i'll get bored with them soon enough! i just figured out you could use them on forums! so i've only been playing with them for a few days! i don't think the original post looks too bad.... i agree there are a lot in the other one.. but i was showing how i offend hubby with a gizzilion of them in my emails to him! (and that on top of cute stationary :rolleyes: ) there... see... i used a forum eye roller!

[tprevost]

How fun is that to get to ride w/Erik!!!!! I read the link w/his picture and was trying to find a link to more pics so I could check him out ;)

I don't think telling him its nice when he waves is dorky at all - he probably loves to hear that! Besides, you are such a cutie that he probably really enjoyed having you there!

I drive my DH nuts with my little 'extras' in notes etc. too. I don't have smileys but typically like little feminine things - flowers, birds, butterflys etc. He things I'm a dork. But, if I stopped, he'd wonder what was wrong!!!

Tracy :D

[caligurl]

his reply was that everyone (riders) around here are all so friendly.. and people ask him "don't they try to run you off the road" and he tells them no... they (we) are all friendly! the reason hubby has gotten to meet him before and ride is cuz he's out with normal guys riding on occasion on impromptu rides! i kicked myself when i stayed home from the last mtb ride he showed up at.. but it was COLD and i was a wuss and waited til it "warmed" up and rode my road bike! lol!

i don't see that many riders.. but they are nice and wave... just the kids don't usually.. but i still wave and say hey!

[Dianyla]

cali, please don't be offended, but the smilies are really obnoxious. Maybe one would be tolerable, but they really cause sensory overload when a post is riddled with them.
Oh good, I'm glad I'm not the only grouchy one when it comes to the gigantic anime smilies. I like the little petite ones that can be easily viewed inline with text like :cool: but the big animated ones almost send me into a pokemon-induced epileptic fit.

[SadieKate]

but the big animated ones almost send me into a pokemon-induced epileptic fit.Ha! I thought I was having double-vision problems again! Sorry, cali, we don't mean to be ganging up on you, but . . . . uh . . .they hurt.

[jobob]

I completely agree with Dianyla, snap and SK. Those large animated smiles give me a headache. I'd be most grateful if you stopped using them.

[Joy]

Thanks for the best laugh of the week!