The Reason for the Weekend

Yes, it's true. Someone is still minding this blogity blog, even if all the readers have disappeared. To ease back into it, this one is going to be heavy on the pics and light on the copy.

Things have been pretty serious on the homefront lately and it's nice to have an escape. My recent refuge has been with the fabulous Ali B., who is my HERO (because she loves it when I say geeky things like that). And this weekend was her spectacular birthday celebration.

 

And although Ali was certainly reason enough, all kinds of bike-themed goodness was also happening in the land North of here.

 

First was a chance to sneak in some pre-Kisscross cyclocross racing. Before the race, I looked so excited you could barely notice the apprehension.

Seriously, we rode through this old building. This was one of the most interesting things I've done with the trusty KHS. 

Yikes, I need some work on that form, not to mention that FORM. It's time for that yo-yo to hang out on the low end of the spectrum again.  

 

But that's not going to happen if I keep eating the yummy goodness of the goat cheese fondue at North Peak.

Ali's bday night meal was so tasty, she was prompted to feed it to Glen.

 

Later that evening, we hit the local watering hole.

The proprietor wasn't offended when I called him Gordo. He was, however, offended by my shirt. I was representin' with the big Spartan block S, and I was ready to take one for the team and leave, because that's how loyal I am. If you don't believe it, just take a look at my pic from back in the day.

Di was hangin' with the crew, too. To find out what super secret thing Di and I both did that was extremely out of character for me, go here.

Anyone Hungry? This guy was. Umm ... is.

And he was digging meeting the spectacular bday girl.

Saturday, three starving girls found some seats on the patio of the Blue Tractor to satisfy the urge for food and race spectating. Fabulousness ensued. One of its manifestations was the crab/bacon/scallion mac and cheese.

 

In between races, Ali did some posing. Anyone want one of these jackets? I'm thinking about the faux denim version.

And what wardrobe would be complete without this number? As you can see, Di is considering one of her very own.

These guys are far braver than me. Crits are fun to watch, but racing them? No way.

 

But the most fun race of all? The Commuter Crit. The basics: 1) 4-person relay teams 2) no clipless pedals 3) some theme for your team, complete with costumes 4) must have a basket to do a cherry pie handoff when switching riders. Fun stuff. We are in for this one next year!

 

A little Michigan stargazing. Turns out the race announcers had their own team in the Commuter Crit, with the third leg raced by the famous guy on the left. That's Frankie, and yes, I spent some time gawking. If you don't recognize him, you probably haven't watched much TdF coverage. He's a homegrown Michigan boy and he's a rock star. Surprisingly enough, this secret weapon wasn't enough to make his team pull off a win, although he gave the winners a run for their money.

All in all, it was a great weekend in the North and it looks like it may not be quite finished. Here's what may be on tap for next weekend.