Wednesday, May 26, 2010

A Womb With A View and The Incredible Tale of MT

It's Hot.

Hot Hot Hot



Heat.

Hot Hot Heat.



Reverend Horton Heat.



Mr. Heat Miser



I like the heat. I like riding in it, I like basking in it, I like it so hot that I break a sweat brushing my teeth. Monday and Tuesday were unseasonably warm for New England in Spring. You gotta have that. It makes you appreciate a fucking blizzard, and vice versa.

When it's hot you get to see things like this:



But you don't often get to see this:




I work in a century-old converted mill building that made textile machinery for the mills in lowell and lawrence in the bad old days of corporate robber barons during the industrial revolution.

In the adjacent mill pond there are, of course families of water birds and amphibious creatures. I've been here almost 5 years, and this is the first time I've seen turtles laying eggs, let alone an 18 inch snapping turtle. I'm sure her hatchlings (if they make it that far) will appreciate their mothers choice of real estate with a view.



Since it was tuesday, I decided to make the trip up to Plaistow for the tuesday night fights (BOB smack-down). From work, it's 15 miles to the ride, about 35 miles of 'the ride', and 5 home. 55 miles in 90 degree heat, 35 of it race training.

Nice.

I was disappointed at the light turnout. Of the riders there, it appeared only two besides me really felt like working.

One of them was MT. I've known MT since about 1990. He was a cat 2 during the '80s. During the 90's, he took time off to establish a career and family, and now he's back. Last year he won at least two masters races in solo break aways. Last night he showed up on a new Felt.



And yeah, he can ride it. The guy was cruising 27 mph on the flats and didn't seem to be working hard. It ended up just him and me at the end, I set the pace on the hills but he did the work the rest of the time. Finally I had to cry uncle, I had a hard time even coming around to take a pull. I haven't had anyone work me over that badly on the BOB ride in a decade. The bike was part of it - I was riding my 23 pound commuter, but he would have hurt me on my race bike.

When I got home I felt worse than I did after the vermont trip. I drank alot, ate alot, and now I'm going to try my first TT of the season tonight.

Hot
hot
hot
hot
hot
hot.....

not.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hot in the city.
Cool as here.
Turtley awesome pics.
Drank a lot..
Ate a lot..
Awesome race prep!
Smash the TT!

Amanda said...

um. where ya been?
the heat melt you?
word verification: miect (loosely translated: "mie CT") 2 weeks dude

Anonymous said...

So yeah.....where have you melted too......
Come on.
Come back.
Hope you doing ok Zen one.
Miff
My word verification 'psicsk'....so I'll just psicksk off now ;-)