The original Wonder Woman

This is a dear friend of mine and a client of four years. Roma is a cycling wonder woman.

At the age of 68, we met for the first time and she rode almost an hour, for a total of 5 miles. Slowly her strength, confidence, and balance increased. Her goal--to do the A.I.D.S. Ride! Riding her bike everyday from San Francisco to Los Angeles; over the hills, through traffic and the daily distance was more than she ever imagined.

Roma accomplished her goal and then moved on to century rides. Since we started training, she has lost weight, her energy level is through the roof, and her determination is amazing. She said that she has to keep riding, because she does not own a rocking chair and has no interest in learning how to knit! That's attitude!



Her license plate says it all.....

My podium shot.....

So, I decided to make the 2.5 hour drive to do this criterium in Stockton and had a kick-ass time.....I got 2nd place. The course was great, it was nice'n warm, and there were plenty of Port o'Johns, which is a plus in my race book. An EMC gal and I agreed to work together on the last 2 laps, so we could place--which we did.

I quickly realized that if you race in the front of the group, the announcers will call out your name on most every lap, which makes you feel like a rock star. Since, I had no other teammates in this race, I was able to move about pretty easily, with no other worries, except keeping myself safe and riding smart.

Here's a recap of how dang famous, for 40-minutes, I really was:

"Denise Ramirez of Velo Bella is out of the saddle chasing down
Webcor."

"Velo Bella is charging around this corner."

"Velo Bella was nipped at the line for this preem."

"Here comes EMC and Velo Bella for the sprint finish! Velo Bella is
coming along side and is she going to get it?! EMC takes the win, with
Velo Bella second, and Team X taking the third spot!"

So with that, EMC gal and I gladly scooped up our prize envelope and we looked around for the podium. What?! No podium photo?! If I bust my female balls, for any race and I place, I want to relish in the limelight a bit longer and have my picture taken, like the rock star I am!

I decide to take my own picture with my prize envelope. Cheesy I know, but this is my race and my blog, so here you have it--taken in my backyard. I pulled out my 4-hour old, wrinkly, sweaty jersey from my backpack and put the dang thing on, just for this podium shot.


I just opened my prize envelope and not only was it chock full of $$, it contained a hand-made card and lots of glitter'n stuff. Someone took their time to make this and I think it's lovely.....it makes up for the lack of an official podium shot.

Early Morning Girls Ride

This is a landmark for the local cyclists, called Butt-Rock. Some moron painted a red thong on it and now it's been painted over, making it look worse. Idiots.







We approach the first part of Wildcat. It's part of the Pine Flat Road Race and Climb to Kaiser. This road is 10%-16% for a 1.5 miles. Good times.





Once at the top, we can see over the valley. It looks barren and yukky, but it's quite serene.






Bella Liz, Becky and Bella Lisa are relishing their break at the top of the climb. It was the first time for Bec and Lisa. Woo-Hoo!







Like cows to the barn, we're headed home. We got in 2.5 hours and we were done before lunch time. That is the best part about our summer mornings; we can roll out at 7:am and it's already warm'n sunny.

Simply simplistic......

I love my fixed gear, but some rides are better than others.....and today was one of those rides. My Specialized Langster was a birthday gift 2 years ago and coach has had me using it 1-2 times a week. Today was to be an easy day, so I opted for the fixed gear. Geez, I love this sport.

Adult video humor

Turn the volume up and toss the kids out of the room....
http://toilette-humor.com/ketchup-effect.html

Taking the Oldwing for a Ride....

These are our friends, Bill and Alicia. We rode with them to the Dinuba carshow. It was a great turnout, with several hundred cars and motorcycles. Afterwards, Jimmy and I met my mom, sis and brother-in-law for lunch. Drats! I forgot to take pics of them!!! Drats oh drats!

Hours later, I remembered I had my camera. On our way home we opted to take the scenic route, which proved to be spectacular.

Miles and miles of agriculture......

The river from Pine Flat Dam looked so inviting on this 100 degree afternoon.....

Another year older.....

This is the most recent pic I have, since they live in Oregon. It's a bit racy, but I don't think there are any close-minded people who view my blog. Sheree' is the blonde and the other is Brandy-her mate.

Sheree' is 28 years old today! I cannot believe that my kids are full-fledged adults.....Happy Birthday, Sheree'!!!!! Moochies!!!!

Woo-Hoo to us!

Today is our 26th wedding anniversary. We are so fortunate to have found one another at such an early age. We are truly, soulmates.

I could write an long, drawn out, and mushy post,

but words cannot really convey the love I feel for

this guy.

Tonight, we are going to do our favorite things, which may not seem romantic to most. We are going to a great (but casual) restaurant, followed by a baseball game. An evening of fun with my hubby.......