Where Am I?

For a while I thought I was in Ghent. Then I thought I was living under the bleachers in Fenway Park. And I was soggy because they poured beer on me. And then I was back in Ghent and soggy because the weather is soggy.

But then I figured out I live in Brookline, Massachusetts now! Allow me explain.

For the first two plus weeks here it rained. It felt more like October than June and July. And Red Sox fans are crazy and angry all the time. It all makes sense now, right? If I was a Red Sox fan I'd be crazy and angry too. You know who else is crazy? Drivers. They're less malicious than New Haven drivers but equally inept and dangerous. Why is it that nearly everybody is allowed to drive once they reach the magical age of 16? How can it be that there is such a high percentage of the population that is good enough to do a task? I don't think that many people are literate or capable of breathing without difficulty. Maybe we should rethink the system.

We're settled in our new home now. It's really quiet and out of the way on a hill surrounded by green. Niv has more space to play in the house and another yard to explore. He's also starting to stand on his own without holding on to anything. And he has four teeth. He's ready to start talking; he has all sorts of new sounds that he says. Shiri continues to find homes for our things in our new home. We hope that you'll come and visit us.

After that last race at Bethel in June I got sick and was off the bike for a week. Then we moved. It wasn't ideal training conditions. But I raced the Fitchburg-Longsjo Classic for the first time anyway. I didn't expect too much; I was hoping to get some fitness back and help out my teammates.

Fitchburg is one of the biggest races on the calendar all year. I was excited to be able to do it finally. It really lived up to the hype; it's hard, well-run and fun. I think I exceeded my expecations. I didn't get blown out the back. The field was initially almost 100 riders and I got 31st overall. There were moments I was hanging on for dear life over the four days but I did manage to hang on.

The two most exciting moments came on days three and four. Day three is a big road race. I got dropped from the dimished front group twice in the last 20 kilometers. I caught back on both times, only to get dropped just before one kilometer to go. I finished 34th that day and it moved me up 30 spots on the overally classification. On day four I broke my chain in the crit and finished on a neutral support bike. It was sketchy diving into corners on a bike I wasn't familiar with but I managed not to kill anyone.

You should read this message from a bike shop owner.

Niv has his own desk and chair in his new home to read the finest in literature.

New tricks!

I'm so pale because it only rains here!