Happy Halloween and other thoughts

Happy Halloween! I was a witch today at work! lol. Of course, some people would argue that I'm a "witch" every day at work. My friend Grant, one of the photogs here at the paper, snapped a photo of me to e-mail Jake. Jake's response? "A witch. How appropriate." LOL

In other news, the race at Tumbling Creek went well. It felt like more "fun" than "race." Ashley was the only other chica in my group, so I pretty much knew I had second place sewn up. I didn't kill myself trying to keep up with her, but just decided to ride hard and good and encourage Beth along the way.

Gotta give props to Beth, who I've now taken to calling "the next Krista Park," or "the next Kathleen Tokuda" (both of whom are STELLAR riders and very encouraging, friendly ladies). After being on the bike for 9 months -- as in, she wasn't riding at all 9 months ago -- Beth cats up to Sport class. Tumbling Creek was her first Sport race ... and she got third!! The best part was we got to ride together most of the time -- until she passed me on one of the last climbs and took off like a freakin mountain goat.

After getting in some base training this winter, I can't wait to see what she does next year. Those other Sport ladies should beware!

Really though, it's great to see someone take to the sport so quickly. It's always encouraging to see new riders develop and come into their own. Seeing her excitement about riding and willingness to challenge herself reminds me of how I felt when I first started riding, and makes me enjoy it all over again.

Have a spooky day!