Baby on Board!

Well, there's a new addition to the family--his given name is Buckshot but we call him Junior. It's funny in the sense that his innards were supposed to be filled with buckshot but it turns out he's just filled with 75% rocks and 25% water. Maybe that's why he ain't so bright...chaw chaw chaw.

Anyway, enough of the silliness. Buck is a water bottle (which I now call potion bottles because no one carries water anymore just bottles filled with magical elixirs, aka potions) filled with rocks. Buck gains weight each week and will have to be filled with more dense material than rocks in the future, like buckshot. Apparently, weighted potion bottles are all part of the PRO gram.

Sometimes,  I think my coach just has me do stuff to see if I'll do it. Like the time she made me fill my jersey pockets with delicious candies until they were overflowing and then had me do a sprint workout in the hot sun. The candies melted all over my pockets went flying everywhere, pelting my bike and my legs, leaving chocolate spots everywhere. She said by doing this, I would experience first hand how eating junk food can be a nuisance to your performance. No, this is all a lie. She never had me do this. But if she told me to, I would. I am learning to put my full trust in my coach. This is new to me, as I ALWAYS KNOW BEST. No, not really. I actually like being told what to do. I'll just secretly ponder over it and dissect and analyze and question but still do it. I'm learning how to let go of that. If I can't trust, then I'll be a constant coach hopper, team hopper, etc. I remember Joe Friel saying something like any training plan will produce results--the problem is that often athletes never complete one, but rather jump from plan to plan getting lackluster results. So yeah, trust. I'm working on it. I guess it's called maturity.

Speaking of maturity, back to Buck. I know since I have a baby on board while climbing and descending, I have to make sure he is safe.It's horrifying to think of him tearing out my water bottle cage bolts and flying over the mountain. Oh poor BISCUIT (my bike)--and Buck of course.  I checked out some car seats online and although I was impressed by the Baby Bella, I didnt' want to make a fad decision.

I leaned toward the more classic styling and protection of Eddie Bauer.

So, after researching the features, I built a car seat for Buck on my bicycle. To minimize side impact, I chose to mount him on the seat tube. I removed my carbon bottle cage--lightweight and fancy but will it protect my baby in a collision? Probably not--Titanium is the way to go. Lightweight and sturdy. I heard Garth Algar saying, "You'll never afford it, Wayne! Live in the now!" That's why it's great to have friends. My friend Dejay hooked me up--a titanium bottle cage complete with titanium screws. Oh yeah!

Then I knew I needed to secure Buck so I created a seat belt for him--it just straps around the neck! Perfect! Hmmm...I'm such a great mom, securing my child around the neck. Then I zip tied the straps from behind to ensure they didn't slip.

(The zip tie in the back reminded me of when I would tie the straps of my hand-me-down swimsuit together in a the back when I was younger to keep it from slipping down. So I would run around at the pool as a child with a faded pink one piece, saggy butt, and straps secured with a rubber band like a ragamuffin kid. My mom--who I spent my summers with--was horrified when she saw my swimsuit concoction. But see mom, my craftiness came in handy!!!)

Anyway, here's a look at Buck pre-ride.

 All went well and after several hours of climbing, I definitely started to get tired of carrying around my child. Maybe next time I'll invest in one of those cloths that the hippie moms use rather than putting it on my bike...stay tuned.