Still Fighting

Friends from three different time zones have sent "all well?" messages after reading some of my recent posts. Thanks. 

These same folks have also expressed a desire for cheerier, action-oriented content.

Others have asked, "Where's the bike stuff?!" Well, I'm training. I did some plyometrics and lifting on Monday, rode 30-30 miles in the hills on both Tuesday and Wednesday, ran and played soccer with Abbey last night, and will practice yoga this afternoon. My back is a wee bit creaky, but it hasn't slowed me down.

I'm also researching a new bike. Mod's fascination with 'cross and gravel has piqued my interest, so the two candidates are the Fisher Presidio and the Surly Crosscheck:


I want smooth-riding steel because aluminum has always beaten my back into submission.  And carbon won't survive the weeks of cold-weather gravel riding I hope to do with my new friends this winter. I guess Ti would be ideal, but who wants to spend that kind of coin on a second bike? And while I don't want to seriously race 'cross, a well-made steel frame with SRAM Rival components will let me toe a start line and not get totally destroyed.

These two bike options are what I can get through my one-day-a-week gig at the Trek Store of Omaha (South) . I could also opt for one of Trek's XO bikes, but the aluminum ride is just a bit too harsh for me. Don't get me wrong--I loved my ride on Lowell's version of the XO2. But the steel of the Presidio will be a bit more versatile for light touring and randonneuring with racks and/or fenders. Plus, I really like the understated and below-the-radar vibe these bikes exude.

So I'm still riding. I'm still reading the archive and writing the book. But mostly, I feed the girls breakfast, pack their lunches, take them to school, pick them up in the afternoon, take them on beaver-lodge hunts at a lake, accidentally expose them to patriarchal proselytizing when trying to teach them some Nebraska history, hike with them along the riverfront, take Kate to acting classes, and cheer for Abbey's soccer team. 

 We're still fighting it.



Everybody knows
It hurts to grow up
And everybody does
It's so weird to be back here.