Finally, I got a hook up!!!

So, I've been riding with the same helmet (Giro Xen) since I got back into mountain biking... so that was December 2009.  This is how I take care of my helmet... I throw it in the back of the pterodactyl until the next time I ride.  I don't know if you caught the subtleness of the care I take... I throw it in the way back... sweaty, and eventually (and here is the problem) smelly as all hell!!

This summer it got real bad.  Some days it was hard putting that thing on!!  When the sweat started pouring I think the mixture was some sort of super concentrated fermented salty mess that not only stung the eye, but burnt the retina... bad stuff.

As I was getting my "bike stuff" list together for loved ones to peruse and purchase from I put a new helmet on the list.  A sweet helmet that will be my race helmet... it matches the HiFi's color scheme.  Yeah, I'm turning into one of those "matchy" fellows.  I'm not going so far as to get orange handlebars or anything (the orange ones are DH, so wouldn't really fit my needs).  But, I want to keep the Xen around to mount cameras and lights and whatnot... but what to do about the powerful, smelly, venomous mess it has become?

I contacted the good folks at Giro to inquire about the possibility of procuring replacement padding.  It was as easy as an email to ask, and an email to provide my shipping info and there you have it.  A few days pass and the pads are in my hands... free of charge!  Cha Ching!

Does that mean I'm sponsored??  Free stuff, from a bike company... sponsor??  hmmm... (or as my email yesterday wanted to autocorrect it to - "hammy") I think not.  I just think this is a sweet free service Giro provides to all helmet owners.  One more reason for brand loyalty in my book!

Can you tell the old from the new??

Popped the fresh pads in and the helmet was snugger than ever.  Had to adjust the Roc Loc to loosen things up a bit.  So not only were the pads smelly and angry, they were compressed.  I'm looking forward to an aroma free, comfortable experience on my next ride.

Note to Giro:  I'm fully accepting sponsors and would be happy to ride with any gear you'd be interested in providing me.

or Hammy......??

EDIT:

If you know Annie, you know she simply can not stand having unopened gifts in the house.  Last night we waited around at UPS to pick up a package that could not be left at the door, so when we got home it was present opening time.  Annie got me a sweet rolling luggage since my duffle bag on wheels was an ancient behemoth and it was time for me to travel like a grown-up.

But the reason for the late addition is what else Annie got for me.

Yes indeed... and it matches the HiFi beautifully!!  (I would have included glamour shots but the state of the training room, not to mention the bike thong, made things look a little sloppy)

SWAG!

Check in time: How have I been doing thus far in preparing for racing?

Well, the winter was what it was, so I didn't get nearly the amount of bike time as I had hoped prior to my first foray into racing.  I did however manage to get back into the gym on a pretty regular basis... so that was good.

Since my first race I have not been to the gym.  Boo that.

Since my first race I have been riding weather permitting on the regular.  Yay to that!

This week, with the weather looking dreary, it's been tough... but I vowed at the beginning of the week to get my butt in the gym if the trails were not an option.  Well, work got in the way of that.  Not in the sense that I've had to put in mad overtime and thus not have time to get to the gym...  But in the I'm emotionally destroyed and the idea of lifting anything heavy makes my heart cave in sense.  So yeah.  I love my job.  I love working with kids.  But sometimes it's too much to take emotionally.

(I'm a high school counselor by the way)

The other day I was thinking I would LOVE it if my biggest concern was that the wrong derailleur came in, or the part a customer wanted by today wasn't going to get here in time...  Not that that would be ok in anyway because I'd go nuts not being able to get the customer what they wanted... but still.  The bling on your bike isn't life or death...

Ah, well that eludes to the dream that Annie and I have of moving to Charlotte and opening up a bike-type store.  I say "bike-type" because we were thinking of throwing a twist in there to find our own niche in The Web... plus I would absolutely love to jet out to Oregon or Colorado to learn to be a bike mechanic.  Of course I'd find a way to work with kids, but bikes are cool - and they generally don't have an attitude or indulge in high school drama...

Back to the check in!