Heads Up!!

Today, in honor of my 175th post, I've designed a new header for my blog. I'm pretty excited about it. The background photo was taken at stage four of the 2006 Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic, a four day stage race in Fitchburg, MA. It was my first stage race, and I finished pretty close to the bottom of the heap, but I had a blast.

Well, I had a blast in retrospect. I was not having a blast when this photo was taken, as I was struggling to keep up in one of the most competitive crits I've ever raced. My legs, weary after three days of racing over hill and dale in central Mass., were not having it. So I put my head down, pushed as hard as I could on the pedals, and pulled as hard as I could on bars. I somehow managed not to get dropped on that day. If only I'd had similar luck the previous day, on stage three's slog to the top of Mt. Wachusett, during which I did get dropped. No matter. Stage racing is fun.

Anyhow, back to the header. It took a little time to put it together, using some Photoshop and InDesign wizardry, but I think it was worth it in the end. The new header, combined with my blog's new motto, does a much better job of encompassing the spirit and energy that I'm trying to capture here. It's about my life, and my life revolves largely around bikes, and riding bikes. So, "Writing Life. Racing Bikes." it is, and I hope you'll join me as I continue to do both.