3 Weeks and Counting!

Cece saw the team off this am and pumped up Yun's tires (this woman thinks that tires do not need pumping!).  Everyone said that they wish Cece would pump their tires up too!  Then, she sent off the team  with well wishes.

She came home and looked at her calendar!  Only 3 more weeks until her vacation to Moab to ride the Moab Century Tour!  Wow!  It has come upon  her very quickly!  She is going with a few friends and they will ride the rolling 73 miles course.    Here are some beautiful pics of what she has in store for her ride!  The pic below is called the Stairway to  Heaven and Cece hopes it is not on her ride profile!  LOL. 

Jeff at High Desert is going to give Cece a list and locations of some of his favorite haunts in Moab..  She hopes they will include some spots for great music!  Knowing Jeff, the blues artist, they will.  Lots of pics and funny stories will be coming you way in a few weeks....in the meanwhile, the training keeps happening! 

Also, stay tuned for a ride report from Stephanie.  She has just completed her 35 mile uphill race to the sun in Hawaii.  There was 10,000 feet of elevation gain and she made it with grace...although she may tell it another way!  We will see!  Stay tuned...probably on The Two Whos.

Fingers,Coyotes and Falling Tree Limbs! OH MY!

It was Cece's pleasure to cycle with Barb early this morning! They have known each other for several years by now... Cece considers her a good friend...that is..... until this morning!

The hill that you see below is called "Blue Sky" and is deceiving! It is one of the "fingers" in Corrales.  It is a mile long climb that winds around  turning  this way and that and than it  hitches up  to a 9% grade.  Then from the left side of this pic it goes up even further to 17.5% grade. Cece took this climb out of the route due to the steep grade at the end.   But, it went back in when the first hill they climbed was no more than a little gulp of an uphill that could easily be navigated at 13mph! However, there was more to be navigated on this climb up Blue Sky than the terrain....and this is where the friendship got a little iffy!  Cece was riding uphill ahead of Barb.... which is unusual in and of itself...when all of a sudden a coyote was seen by Cece up ahead. There was no way Cece wanted that to cross her path....Cece has seen many coyotes both in the male human and canine varieties.....and she did not want it crossing her path. She was a ways off from the coyote and watched it go back into the shrubs on the side of the foothills. Cece cycled on and poured on the power because she wanted to hurry up and get up this darned hill before she started to curse. Meanwhile, Barb was way back and out of view when Cece would turn and look and wonder where she was. So now here is where the friendship gets iffy. Later, Cece asked Barb, 'Why were you so far back on that hill?" She replied, "I was going slow and hanging back to see if the coyote would jump out at you and bite at your ankles!" This is friendship? Letting her friend take a hit from a coyote? Imagine!

Anyway, with lots of grace under fire, Barb made it up the 17.5 percent grade to the top.  Cece did not even try because her heart rate was already at 168.  Enough is enough!  

After our climbing adventure was over and we were cycling back to our parked vehicles, we rode into the Flying Star parking lot.  We saw a man in a tree and one on the ground.  The one on the ground was waving furiously at us. It took us a moment to realize that  the one in the tree was just about to make the final cut in a tree limb he was cutting down.  We stopped dead in our tracks.  The man did not make the cut.  The man on the ground waved us through.  As we looked back, we heard the chain saw and heard the crack of the limb go down...a close call.  Who knew to look for that type of road hazard?

It was a brisk morning and both women wore their "sleeves" this am.  Cece thought about how quickly the temperature changes here in  New Mexico. It seems like mid to end of August comes and it is already fall-like weather.  And even though they had a coyote sighting, a tree almost fell on them and Cece was almost served up for coyote food, Barb and Cece's friendship thrived despite it all!  

Surrounded by Butterflies!

As Cece and Emira cycled south from Bernalillo all they could see when looking right or left were hundreds of butterflies! Emira kept noticing how many there were....they must have loved the beautiful green fields on either side of 313. Cece is getting ahead of herself though!

Emira is Cece's new friend from Bosnia. She is a PhD Candidate and is writing her dissertation when she is not dreaming big thoughts...and then Cece finds out the next day, that she has carried them out! Emira cycles all around campus and has never owned a car...so she is used to cycling everywhere. When they met and rode together a few weeks ago, Cece invited her to join the team...and so she did much to Cece's delight. When they met yesterday to get situated for the ride today, before Cece hit the tree, she was excited to make a new beginning. Now Cece is her mentor! They are happy women...but this pic was taken before the climbs into Placitas and beyond! Emira rides a mountain bike and she has never ridden long distances, so she was very brave and stubborn too.....to undertake a ride with lots of climbing and 45 miles of road. Cece told her her strategy while hill climbing...to imagine the worst pain you can remember and compare the climb to that. Some how it helps to put things into perspective.
As they cycled up,Emira kept apologizing to Cece that she was going too slow. She felt like she was holding people up. Cece decided that she would have to fine Emira...and charge her $5.00 every time she said "Sorry" and Cece could have made a fortune...but then...she thought about collecting that money and just re-depositing into Emira's Leukemia Lymphoma fundraising account...she might still do this, if the sorrys continue....she is going to keep a tab !
Emira is riding a mountain bike. It is hard to push that thing uphill and to keep up with the lighter bikes. She did a fantastic job despite all this and made it up each hill. At the top of one hill, Cece prompted Clyde to tell Emira if when Cece had started cycling ...if she could have made it up the hills that Emira had . Clyde's response, "Maybe Walking!" And that is true! So, Emira gets kudos for sticking out a hard day on her first day as a team member!

Cece met Keith and cycled with him again a bit, and he told her a funny joke, which he commanded her not to put on the blog...so it is not. Sandy is tenacious and strong and spotted this "Go Fast sign" as the perfect location for a photo op.

Cece needs to get more men in these pics. Luckily we had Clyde this week...the others were well on their way...before she could take a pic. She will work on that next week!

Now Cece is off to repair her car and her tires after the fateful tree attack at the Frontier restaurant yesterday. But that's another long story!

Meet Two Very Interesting People!

When a married man meets you at 6am , at his front door, in his bathrobe, you know it is time to take stock. What day is it? What time is it? Why is he not in spandex? Cece was unloading her bike, putting on her front tire, when Keith appeared. He was unsure if she was coming. He hurriedly got ready. His very kind wife Martha came out in her robe and kept Cece company.... and soon off they went!

Keith wanted to do some climbing and when he heard that Cece was not in a rush, grand plans started to form! They warmed their legs up before starting to climb and went by Tingley and then to the Hispanic Cultural Center and then back to warm up. Tingley is so beautiful in the early morning light!
Cece, Keith and Martha do not know each other very well. As a matter of fact, this was their first real time spent together. Keith and Cece had a bonding moment climbing Oak Flats last week when they both contemplated whether they were actually in hell, but that was the extent of their knowledge of each other! And so, as they cycled, they got to know each other a bit.

Cece always laughs when she discovers just who is that person under that cycling helmet? You never know. Later, over a wonderful breakfast of cheese, thick sliced fresh bread , yogurt and french pressed coffee....all of which Cece enjoyed tremendously, Keith handed her 8 business cards. Seriously folks! These just confirmed the enthusiastic conversation they had while cycling almost 30 miles together!

She had no idea she was cycling with the past president of the local and National Boards of the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, an Internationally known Motivational Speaker with big cooperate clients, a wine connoisseur and wine taster/master licensed corkman..... a professor of English literature, a coffee snob (Cece is too) a published author of soon to be 2 books and a travel cruise organizer for cancer survivors and wine makers. Yes, there is much more, but that is the synopsis! No grass goes under this man's .....or his wife's feet!


Meet Martha, Keith's wife! This is a woman with abundant joy! They have been married for 25 years and Cece could tell that they are a great team as they speak and organize around the world! Cece loves to hear the stories from married couples of how they met, their first date and then how it happened that they got married...and as they both told the tale, and giggled and giggled and interrupted each other's stories with more and more anecdotes, it was clear that they had that deep love that lasts and lasts. Sometimes, in Cece's opinion, a man like Keith can over power the woman, but not Martha! She runs a large EBAY business, is a Barter and Trade Broker and organizes "FunRaising" on cruise ships. Not sure how many business cards she has...but probably at least 8! She holds her own in every way. If you are interested in a wine tasting cruise or a cancer survivor cruise click the link.

Martha agreed to be a guest blogger on October 1st on The Two Whos .

The Whos have joined thousands of Women bloggers across the world to set aside October 1st to talk about cancer in women on their blogs. Martha will be the featured blogger.Check out the Army of Women and sign up to work towards fighting cancer.



And Finally, meet the most playful fun loving basset hound! Cece loves basset hounds. Cece had a wonderful morning full of excitement at meeting new friends who graciously invited her into their home. They are strangers no more!

HDOB or I Hear that Train a Comin"

It was a hard day on the bike for Cece. They were doing a climbing route that Ellie called "Good Morning Legs!" Clyde called it, " The Afternoon Leg Burner." Cece called it "Hell in Disguise! " They should let Cece name these routes!

As they climbed yet another summit that ended in dirt at the top of a trail head in the foothills, Cece exclaimed to Sue,. "I should have worn my other jersey!" Sue said " Is it more aerodynamic?" Cece said, No it just puts into print my feelings about hill climbing!" Remember picking the petals off a daisy as a kid..."he loves me, he loves me not.....well.....she loves hills, she loves them not! NOT! Cece is not quite sure what euphoric state she was in when she heard Johnny Cash in her ears, she knows her heart rate was way high....and she was chugging up these hills when she heard "I hear that train a comin'.....its coming down the track...." She chugged and she chugged and it was only because she is so stubborn and was cursing that she made all the climbs of the day! She had to apologize to Sue about her foul mouth and her cranky attitude. It did not seem to phase Sue who cheerfully trotted up every hill with seemingly little effort.

Here they are the happy climbers Sue and Barb! You notice there is no pic of Cece...it probably would have broken the camera! Thank goodness for the great companionship on this ride. It actually made it fun!


    Johnny Cash Singing Folsom Prison  Blues......For your enjoyment!

Early Morning Ride in The East Mountains

As the sun rose over the East Mountains, Cece got gifted with a beautiful array of sun and shadow. It was early and it was very cool and the team began to arrive and warm up for what would be a long morning of climbing up to Oak Flats. It is a 10 mile climb straight up and while you are breathing and trying to compare your suffering to other things you have survived, you can look out and see and smell a high pine forest...one of Cece's favorite places. The canyons are deep and the drop offs are steep and it is a beautiful place to be.

It is wonderful to have friends who know you and ride your pace and agree to ride and stay together! It is such a great feeling to work cooperatively with each other calling out road hazards and taking care of the other person! You know, if it is 10 miles up, it is 10 miles down...and none of us really want to go fast on the descents. Going fast on the descents could mean 40-50 mph...we try to keep it about 20-30 just to play it safe. We even stopped to ensure the safety of Toto...a cute black Scottish terrier who was running along the highway. Cece tried to give her some water but her little legs kept her scurrying along and then across the highway. None of us could bear watching that erratic little dog get hit by the fast moving traffic...and as far as we know, she did not. We tried to shuffle her off the highway.
Once on top and into the Gonzales Road loop, we were gifted with lots of wonderful rollers, sunflower fields and fast downhills that enabled us to just coast up the next hill. Ahhh! We all loved this. As we finished the loop, Cece made a point to stop into the Chameleon Cafe to see the owner Josephine. Cece rides in honor of her mother Geraldine, who passed on due to Leukemia. Jo was there and happy we stopped in. She told Josephine that visiting her is what gets her up this mountain each time! And this is true!
Yun and Cece decided to come back to the Chameleon cafe in the next few weeks and do the Gonzales Road Loop a few times. They decided they would drive up and park at the cafe rather than climb that hill any time soon! Just so you will laugh, as we climbed up, Keith looked down and saw the top of a red plastic pitch fork. He said, "We are climbing up the road to hell!" We already knew that! But Cece wonders if we were in hell or Oz....after all, we did have Toto!
Post Script: Many have asked about the person in the background. That is our 15 year old teammate who did not eat properly for the ride and she suffered and threw up as a result.

The Unexpected Beauty of New Mexico!