Haha, yeah Crash, a new Felt would be nice! But won't be replacing my Trek for some time...

Good news update. My TT times have been drop, drop, dropping. Wooo. For the 9.8 mile course,
Week 1 - 26:05
Week 2 - missed
Week 3 - 25:35
Week 4 - 25:40
Week 5 - 25:05
Week 6 - 24:29

I thought my watch was lying to me today at 24:29. Last week I thought I had an awesome ride and felt really strong, and today I was worried because I had forgotten to have a mid-afternoon snack. I had a lunch at 11:30, then a large Gatorade around 3, but no food before my 5:15pm warmup and 6pm TT. I realized my mistake about 10 minutes into my warmup when my tummy started rumbling! Was worried about bonking especially when I started the TT and my legs started off already feeling tired. But...guess not! Maybe I am more of an empty-stomach type? Didn't think so. And I'd definitely rather have some glycogen ready to go...

Been riding on the weekends with the CU (Cornell) team on relaxed rides and that's going really well. They seem to think I'm a strong rider so outlook is good for racing season next spring. Last Saturday I invited a buddy who rides on the team for a 57-miler. I set pace the whole time and at the end he fessed up that I was going pretty fast and his legs were tired! Haha, surprised me.

I'm going to make my real racing debut on Aug. 27 at the Chris Thater Memorial Crit in Binghamton. There's a public race in the morning, just 12 miles, and a women's Cat III-IV race in the afternoon, 20 miles. A woman who rides for CU and went to nationals last year has encouraged me to give it a shot. She thinks riding the public race in the morning would be a good warmup, but I'm wondering if maybe it would be best for me to use that as a chance to check out how things go down in a crit? And then give it a shot in the afternoon. What do you all think?

One problem: cycling costs too much money! I always choose the pricey sports - skiing, hockey, cycling. So many parts on a bike and clothes and equipment that just beg to be bought/upgraded! I'm finding lots of things on my bike need to be upgraded/adjusted...swapped my stem out for a better fit, need a new, better fitting saddle, plunked down the cash for pedals and shoes...need some new shorts, too. Can't get by on 2 pair very well at all! They're the old school, thin chamois Pearls, and I'm interested in trying out some of the new chamois styles. I wonder how much that will help my soreness down there. I especially am uncomfortable when leaning forwards at speed, particularly during TTs, when I place my lower arms across the bar and hang my hands off the front, aero-style except without the aero bars. Ha! I find it much more efficient and I enjoy to stretch out.

Speaking of which, anyone have any experience with a Selle San Marco Aero for women? It looks cushy in all the right places, at least online. And it has a wider cutout, something that appeals to me. Pretty pricey, though.

Wow, I think I just wrote a book! Sorry...