Post Partum Pogonip. Nice Rack She Says...Even the Broken Ones

Nice rack fully loaded

A week ago friends from Arizona were in town - Alynda and Jimmy aka Team Lingwood. Hooray. They came in town to visit, to race the Hellyer track, and to ride some mountains. And eat lots of Mexican food. I think we all ate our weight in tortilla chips and salsa.

The food of champions - tortilla chips and salsa

We decided to hit the Santa Cruz Mountains for some mountain biking - this being my Soulcraft Option 3's first session here. Yeah. And there were single speeds in the house, too like a Plowboy.

View from a beautifully designed cockpit - I stole cockpit from Sean

Out of the gate, I was excited. Excited to the point I could barely contain myself. I was literally bugging out and drooling like the dude from Christmas story when he recieves the leg lamp, "Fra-gee-lee". Haha. But, I really was super excited, perhaps even drooling at thought of riding my mountain bike in good company. Woo-hoo. I couldn't wait. Super stoked.

I had the jitters up on the first climb, eyeing the rocks, the roots, and the terrain. Then, it wore down a bit, and the sweet single track starting sweeping. It was fantastic and I literally could have rode for hours on end. The boys pedaled away on the SSs, and the gals rode it. Too well...

Alynda & I

Sweet Singletrack Santa Cruz Style

About an hour into the three hour ride, I decided to test out my new found skills. Alynda and I had been riding together for a bit, and we rolled up to a log. Log being a big enough log to make us stop and contemplate it. I decided to go for broke since I was into the ride. Before I knew what happened, I ended up hitting the log in such an angle, that it spun the bike perpendicular taking me with it. On the way down, I heard the "crack". My ribs. That can't be good. Lying, and then sitting there still clipped in, I looked up at Alynda, and asked to sit here for a moment. Catch the breath, and scan the body. Well, I got up and did a few twists, bends, rotations, etc. Nothing. Really, what about that "crack"?

Group Shot 1

Group Shot 2 - Jimmy, Aaron, Alynda, & me

We pushed on for another two hours. Nothing. No pain, nada. And I was still taking a spill here and there. Hugging the trees, kickstanding the foot and such. We all still wanted to ride, but made the group decision to call it quits and head into Santa Cruz for post-ride taqueria (we had pre-ride taqueria, too). We rode down trying to find our way down via Pogonip. Finally we reached the bottom, and made our way to the car to change. While changing out of my kit, I took off my sports bra and all hell broke loose. The rib(s) that were broken had been held in place by the bra! Shit. I kept telling myself they are bruised because it doesn't feel like the last time I broke them. Wrong.

The next morning I awoke, and knew better. Rib(s) are indeed broken, but worth it. Worth it that I can't wait to ride again worth it. Even though I have had to go through my yoga teacher training program that started last Wednesday, and goes until this Tuesday (tomorrow) for 10 hours a day, and then onto the middle of August on the weekends, and that I have been waiting to take for almost six years, worth it. And worth it to see Ani DiFranco (picture below) in concert this past Wednesday at the Mountain Winery worth it. Still hoping to make a Howarth Park Dirt Crit worth it.

Ani DiFranco