Okay, so their site could use a lot of work. RacePhotos.net is an IE-only (try to browse their photos with Firefox), screwed-up-background, in-need-of-some-optimizing website. Maybe I should offer my services.
Regardless, here is a picture of me, halfway up a very steep hill. If there is a slight smile on my face, it is only because I am laughing at the irony of the goofy “smile” poster sitting next to the guy with the camera.
I don’t look half as wet and miserable as I felt at this point—about 20 miles into the 100 mile jaunt. Fun.
Cycle me blue.
Sky blue like an early morning stretch.
Cycle me silver…
Quick like a wet downhill tragedy.
Cycle me green.
Feel the pine-scented descent into happiness.
Cycle me white.
Puffy cumulus, sleek stratus, moments before the rain.
Cycle me grey.
Showers shiver my bone.
Cycle me black.
Eyes closed to dark sleep in preparation
Cycle me blue.
I made it… well… kinda. What should have been my first century (100 mile) ride in the Mt. Hood Challenge ended with both a sense of accomplishment and mild confusion. An incredible amount of rain forced a change in the course. The race organizers failed to properly announce the course change before the start of the race–or for that matter at the 25 mile rest station–and I ended up taking a wrong turn that lasted nearly 18 miles.
I don’t know why I kept riding along with the guy who I correctly assumed was as lost as I. By the time we got back on track, I had completed 50 plus miles–according to his odometer, mine was on the fritz–but I knew that I would need to add a little mileage or risk not making the full century, so I started up the course detour for at least 5 miles–perhaps more–before turning at the 100 km rest station.
Now the realist in me says that it is unlikely that I completed as long a race as my friends who started the race with me. (I should not have left them behind in search of a port-a-potty.) On the bright side, I finished at least 2 hours before them and had to have completed at least 90 miles total–perhaps it was a little closer to 100, but I won’t know until I map out my modified route. The fact that I did not spend two additional hours in the pouring rain without a rain slick probably saved me from a case of hypothermia and a trip to the hospital.
Now that I’m safely sitting at my desk at work, I can say that it was a grand accomplishment. I can also whole-heartedly proclaim that I never want to experience such a miserable ride again. So when is the next sunny-weather century ride?
Well, I have nothing better to do than update my blog at this point. It is the second day at Pacific and I don’t have a username or password to log in.
I don’t hold it against them–HR warned me yesterday that it would take 24 hours for things to get into the system–I haven’t quite reached the 24 hour mark.
I’m anxious to get started, but a little nervous as well. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I’m beginning to miss “my” old site (and system) a little. (I’m also a little worried about the person who takes it over. You never realize how little you document until you takeover someone else’s site.)
Concordia University – Portland, Oregon
The new website design is up and running on the Concordia website. I launched it on Tuesday, spent the last two days finding the bugs and responding to the insane requests that come from launching a new design. (“What we have a website? This is great… but…”)
I’m happy with the design, but as with any project, I’m already finding things that I would change. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately depending on your view, I won’t be around to make those changes. I start at Pacific on Monday. The next web lackey at Concordia will need to take up the banner. (No reference to SCT Banner was meant here.)