one year

A year ago, I won the Princess Of The Hills Award: Or something like that. I got to wear a Tiarra. Cyn is so cool like that.


I am guessing this had something to do with climbing????

Cyn was gracious enough to notice that racing was difficult for me psychologically, but massively successful physically. Last year, she was my 'manager'. She took care of me while I freaked in the face of the sheer numbers of people in the XC race scene. She managed my fears and doubts and freaking insanity at the start lines. She made sure I ate, and drank (and looked decent). She and I pre-rode courses, we pre-inhabited the race town, we pre-road-tripped every weekend before the race weekend. Cyn is a damn good pal. One of the best, hands down.

Tomorrow night is another night ... another Dirt Crit Award night. I am excited to go ride with my partner, and then excited to attend (dirty, sweaty, and post-ride-luminescent) Cynthia's what... 5th year of award giving? This year ought to be interesting. Having abandoned this (2007) follow up year of XC racing, I have been remarkably absent not only from the 'race scene' as I knew it (green girl that i was anyway), I have been remarkably absent from The Presence of Cyn... which leaves a bit of a hole in my heart, as I absolutely love being around her.

I guess 'absent' is not quite the right word. This season (not that I am only a seasonal friend of Cynthia), she was equally deeply there for me ... as a pal, as a guide. This year, Cyn basically saved my ass (among other deeply supportive gestures). Sometime between the hours of 11pm and 12 am one particular night this last spring, Cynthia answered her phone when I rang from the edge of NoWhere in the midst of a ToBeBrilliant Ride, calling Cyn in the middle of the night. Cyn delightfully hopped out of her comfy bed, and hauled her ass out into the middle of the desert and picked my sorry ass up. I was afraid of the dark. I was afraid of the darkness inside, as well as the claustrophobic feeling of the darkness that was surrounding me. Cyn saved me. There is no way to express or explain the internal situation from which she simply saved me. She was simply There. I will never be able to repay her.

Not only that, but she gave me this super cool, super comfy, totally sexy wool jersey to wear in the process (Cyn, you should know that I wear it: on rides, to bed, on hikes, out on dates with Ed, to the movies, and out to dinner (both fancy and otherwise).

Cyn, thank you.

Cyn, I am posting this blog tonight to warn you: Watch Out! ;-) Awards are fun, and we ALL like giving them to the people we LOVE, adore, admire and ... . You'll just have to wait and see ;-)