A Day of "Firsts" Bike Valet at Balloon Fiesta 2009

Today was the first day that I CHOOSE to ride my bike in the dark! High Desert Bike Shop saved my butt again. They hooked me up with lights yesterday when I realized I could not figure out HOW to drive into Balloon Fiesta and find the Bike Valet without a portable GPS! LOL. Sad but true! My lack of directional sense is very embarrassing!

So, I rode in with lights and dealt with my fear....the fear that I developed from the last time when I DID NOT CHOOSE to ride in the dark... but ended up riding 9 miles in the pitch black of the Bosque. I faced my fear that I would once again look eye ball to eye ball with a coyote! I faced my fear that I would not be able to see (Hey Jeff! that light ROCKS!) AND I faced the cold....I hate to be cold! It was a moderate 50 degrees when I left my house at 4:30 am! Guess what time I got up?...you do not want to know. Only for cycling will I do these things! Mark it down!

I wore my camel back...as a back pack for the first time since my shoulder injury. I was able to ride without pain! We will see how the shoulder feels later.

Bike Valet! Another First! What could be more fun...... an early morning ride in moderate temperatures with no wind....then cycling into Balloon Fiesta avoiding all crowds and hassles?

That is what more than 200 people kept saying to me this morning as well as "thank you" for having this bike valet parking service for the first time at the Fiesta! Also they hoped we could have it again next year! We all second that! The parking went off without a hitch and those of us parking bikes got to touch and see some pretty cool bikes...some ...we even lusted after!

It was a very social and festive morning parking those bikes and we met old friends and got hugs and kisses and handshakes...and some were joking with each other...like old homes week! KUDOS to those that designed, planned and implemented this because it went off without a hitch!


So, if you want to see balloons and want a hassle free entry into Balloon Fiesta, cycle in by way of the North Diversion Channel. Go under Paseo and under Alameda and see the long bridge that goes right into the Fiesta. Follow the Bike Valet signs and you will be good to go. Parking is free! See Slide show below!

Bike Valet 2009

The Climb

A friend from Team in Training had a very bad accident. His name is Gary White. Evidently he was out riding with a friend when he had a freak cycling accident and hit his head and had a serious brain injury.

As cyclists, we always are aware that we can crash and we take precautions, but if we were to think about this all the time, we would not get on the bike at all. We would be paralyzed with fear. Gary was doing what he loved and he did it with gusto.....

He was always very nice to me and gave me advice at a send off party as I faced the century in Lake Tahoe. We talked and I told him I was afraid I would not make it up those horrible switchbacks at mile 10. He told me that when I approached, not to look up and be intimidated by what I saw...to look the climb in the eye and go for it without fear or trepidation.

This is what I hope for Gary's recovery... that he will look his rehab in the eye and not be intimidated by the tasks at hand....to go for it without fear or trepidation...to give it his all...and to know...that he is not alone.