Here's Brenda!

I went with the hot pink bar tape. I saw some matching tires that I think I have to get. That would totally pimp my ride.

The cross clinic on Saturday was, to understate, wet. There were 15-20 of us out there in the pouring rain. Randy went over all the basics: starting strong, off-camber turns, the flying mount and dismount, suitcasing and shouldering, running over the barriers. I was uniformly bad at it all, but I now know what to practice.

I've never done any off-road riding, so it was a revelation. Riding through the mud and roots and ruts and pools of water was SO different. I really have no idea how well or poorly I'll do. And I don't want to weigh myself down with expectations. I want to have fun.

I've been pretty glum for the past month or two. Picking up this bike on Saturday, I realized I felt really happy. I want to hold onto that.