Erin Bishop's Blog

In Virginia...

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 13:04:00 +0000

we have apple orchards. This time of year as fall starts to settle in, the apple trees are in full production.

Last week, Jeremiah and I headed up toward Broadway and brought home a peck and a half of green apples, many of which have already found their way into apples pies. Delicious!

It's also the time of year when lots of folks head up to the Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive. Interestingly, VeloNews contributor Bob Mionske has some advice about that bike ride.

This weekend the Rocktown Cutters are heading up to some 'cross races in Delaware and PA. Should be a fun time.

See you out there,
Erin

Half Time Celebration!

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:08:00 +0000

I'm excited because today I get to say '20 weeks down, 20 weeks to go!' Not to imply that I think it's going to be downhill from here, but I'm going to enjoy any milestone I can right now.
:) Erin

Change the World

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:24:00 +0000

If you're reading this you probably already "go by bike." But now, we can add up all that pedal power and see what kind of benefit it has. Trek has a nifty widget, below, that will take you to a fun interactive site where you can tally up your weekly commuter miles.

If nothing else, it's a great visual to see how quickly the miles add up!

Enjoy,
Erin

Bike Racers in the Family

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:37:00 +0000

You know your blog is bad when Jeremiah tells you to get it in gear! Well, I've got a few pictures that will make him jealous he didn't get them posted first...

Last week I received some family photos from west coast Uncle Brad. My Aunt Julie's grandfather was a bicycle racer, and from the collection of winnings pictured here, we're all pretty sure he could've challenged Jeremiah to a track race... and won.

Check out the tiger skin covering that trophy base!

Talk about a trophy case. And, notice the note on the photo, "some of his prizes." Whew!

As for me, I had a fun July, attending Jeremiah's races in Windam and Mt Snow. It was an incredible experience to cheer him on during the Short Track National Championship race. I'll make a deal with you; my next blog will include photos, and I'll link to the video I captured of Jeremiah making what would become the race-winning attack!

For now, I'm tired again and am going to take a nap.
Erin

When it Rains...

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:56:00 +0000

Lots of good stuff to report, so little time to do so. We've been out and about and on the go.

It poured in Harrisonburg last night.

Nohohan gave a smug look and nodded when the clouds parted and the sun burned through the falling rain. I went outside to investigate. My photos are up in the Gallery.

Over the most recent weekend, Jeremiah and I journeyed over the mountains deep into West Virginia for the Appalachian Classic mountain bike festival. With time trial, short track and cross county races, for Jeremiah, it was a great opportunity for some high intensity training/racing. For me, it was a chance to survive.

The time trial was first on Saturday afternoon. I didn't have any mishaps to speak of, just tried to find that perfect pace that I would be able to maintain without collapsing before the finish line. In all of my spring adventures, I'm pretty sure I never tried to ride that intense and I had a difficult time settling into a good steady rhythm. I almost croaked of heat exhaustion at the finish... but I reached the finish! About five minutes later, the pain was gone, and my brain had already played that amazing trick on me - what I'd just done was fun.... a great time... I'd do that again.

Good thing it worked. I was signed up for the short track event that took place a few hours later. I watched Jeremiah and all the other pro/expert men race around the course and I got excited about giving it a try. It was just Betsy Shogren, Mandi Riddle and myself for the women's race, so we lined up with the sport men. I was surprised as my legs were able to power up over the first climb. I passed a guy or two, was passed by a guy or two, and saw Betsy up ahead getting ready to rocket down the descent to the whoop-de-chute. I settled into what was a difficult pace. I go hard up the first 3/4 of the climb, then find a manageable gear to make it the remainder of the way without exploding, crank it into the big ring for the ridge and then try to recover on the descent. I enjoyed dropping into the finish chute and trying to preserve my momentum around the sharp u-turn back onto the climb. This routine worked pretty well until I fell victim to the most unimaginable mystery pain that came out of no where and practically paralyzed me. How's that for drama? But seriously, my gut hurt in ways that are indescribable. I didn't know what was about to happen, but I knew I didn't want it to happen in public. I ducked under the tape and headed for the woods! I writhed around for a few minutes, but nothing happened. Got gas? So, I climbed back toward the course and it still looked like so much fun. I jumped back in where I'd been riding - rules? When I got to the start/finish again, after a noticeable 3-lap absence, I was like "I'm Baaa aacck!" A few laughs from J.R. and I knew I was good to go. So I had a great time and finished up another four or five laps.

We enjoyed the evening listening to the Weedhawks sing about hillbillies and love, had some tasty pizza down the road at Gino's and hit the hay tired from an afternoon of racing fun.

Sunday was the cross country race, and that is a whole other story so maybe I'll wrap this one up and fill you in later.

Photos from the weekend are up in the Gallery. Look for Down-Home Racing.

- Erin

Epic

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Mon, 26 May 2008 13:33:00 +0000

Enjoyed some big rides this week. A few days over at the 'Nutt where my favorite easy-to-access roller coaster downhill trail off Kaylor's, the Upper Ravine trail, offers some close-to-town fun. I checked out the new Hoo Ha XC course with Jeremiah. It's a great route that makes use of many of the SVBC's new and improved trails. Next weekend is sure to be a good time.

This weekend was the annual Virginia IMBA mountain bike clubs festival out at Stokesville. On Sunday, I joined in the huge ride option with about 30 other riders for some super sweet IMBA Epic riding on the Southern Traverse of the Shenandoah Mountain Trail. I hadn't been up there since our Stokesville-Fort Lewis and Bike Magazine adventures last October. It was great to ride under the leafy green canopy and the crystal clear blue sky made for a spectacular setting and allowed awesome views. This ride is about a 45 minute drive from town, so it's not always a first choice for a weekend adventure, but I'm going to look back at these photos and remember that I've gotta hit the SMT more, more, more! (More photos in the Gallery!)

Benched big mountain singletrack that goes on and on...

The southwest view from South Sisters Knob

The evening ended with a big burrito dinner with many SVBC kitchen volunteers. Jeremiah was a lean, mean grilling machine, and a lot of the riders got a kick out of watching him do the cooking for a change.

We're heading out on a spin to the Rocktown trails before hitting the road for another adventure.

Our flag is 'a flying this Memorial Day,

Erin

Catch Up

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Mon, 19 May 2008 10:41:00 +0000

For the past two weeks, I've been playing catch up in all areas of life. Despite the unrelenting hecticness, one thing I've managed to maintain is my daily escape to play outdoors. I've hiked in the Shenandoah National Park, fished in ponds and lakes on both sides of the Blue Ridge, continued running - something I rekindled my enjoyment of in Germany, and have had an absolute blast on my mountain bike.

Here are some pictures from last week's Ladies Ride. (If you haven't visited the SVBC's new forum, it's a great place to connect with the club and find new rides and events.)

More photos in the Gallery.

-Erin

Green Garden

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Sat, 10 May 2008 22:51:00 +0000

It's been raining like crazy and the days have been relatively cool. The garden is growing!

Sweet Home Virginia

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Sat, 10 May 2008 14:20:00 +0000

It's good to be home.

Woke up at 4:30 a.m. in Germany, drove 2 hours to Frankfurt, flew 9 hours to Dulles, drove 1 hour to the farm, hung out with Dad and ate a nice American hamburger for dinner! After being awake for more than 24 hours, I went to bed. Whew.

Woke up and went fishing with Dad and Grandpa on the pond at Bumblebee Farm. Caught fish all morning! Saw some monster-sized snapping turtles.

Had a good few days in Harrisonburg, hiking in the Shenandoah National Park, cookout with friends and a fishing trip with Jeremiah to Silver Lake. Here's our catch.

Did I mention, it's good to be home.
Erin

Italy

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 09:53:00 +0000

Okay, I'm not really in Italy. Jeremiah, Sue and I are still in Eberweir, Germany. But last night we had the best Italian dinner of all time! We received an invite from Waldeck, manager of the Luna Team, to join them and the Subaru/Fisher Team at one of his all-time favorite restaurants (and this guy is a serious world traveler) - I wish I could tell you the name of the place, but there were no signs - it's totally top secret only for those in-the-know. I'll surely find my way back

We ordered our meal family style and were presented with bowls filled with delicious salmon penne, sausage raviolli, and mushroom cabernet gnocchi. Each dish was handmade from scratch in the kitchen. The olive oil we dipped our bread in was fresh from the restaurant owner's Italian olive orchard. There was a glittering glass case of 100+ euro bottles of grappa - also a product of the owner's family - each with hand painted labels which matched some of the artwork on the walls.

Since we chose to be impressed by the kitchen's finest, we didn't really read the menu - but we enjoyed it being displayed on an easile beside our table. Since the meals are made fresh - there is no print menu, rather a painted wooden window framed display that opens to show a handwritten menu of the day's selections.

After passing around and enjoying the pasta dishes, we sat back and relaxed. I decided the food was so good and my running legs were making my stomach hungry, so I could keep eating. I was ready for a big dessert - well I was in luck because we weren't even on to the main course yet! We each received a plate of perfectly seared steak, sauteed veggies and potatoes grilled in what must have been bacon grease - they were heavenly!

Then came dessert. We opted for the assortment... a little bit of everything arragned ever so delicately on a platter for each of us - Sue and I got special plates "for the ladies" ours included every the guys' had, creme bruele, tiramisu, papaya drizzle with something sweet, chocolate brownie drenched in liquor, persimons - but our special ladies plates didn't have the gelatinous hazelnut mountain in the middle. I guess they though we were watching our girlish figures. ha!

It was a fun evening and a great way to wind up the weeks spent together as a team at the world cups!
More pictures in the gallery.

Having fun and eating well,
Erin

Sunny Day in Germany

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:25:00 +0000

The sky is bright and sunny here in Offenburg. The team is staying in a guesthouse in a little village off-shoot of Durbach, named Aberswier. It's a nice place to retreat from the hectic race scene. Our guesthouse is one street back from the edge of the town (it's a four street-deep town) where the apple, pear and cherry orchards cover the hills over to the race course. Today I went for a nice outing into the orchards and explored some vineyards and made my way over to the venue. I got in some nice jogging and a little sun on my nose. I saw some riders inspecting the race course and took advantage of the opportunity to watch the dual speed spectator zone. Within about 30 seconds, Christoph Sauser dropped in and then some other riders followed. I made a mini-movie. Check it out...

Oh! I forgot to mention, I'm borrowing Fraur Meier's bicycle to spin around! It's completly decked out with a basket and a generator light, fenders and a chain guard. It's great. I'm in Offenburg, about 6 km from the the village we are staying. The whole way here I rode on a twisting little path through the vineyard and orchards. The whole thing was paved with interlocking bricks. Amazing.

Having fun and enjoying the relaxed pace. Check out the link the gallery on the lefthand side of the main page.

:) Erin

Photos are up

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 16:43:00 +0000

If you want to see some of the photos from the weekend in Houffalize, go to the main page (www.jeremiahbishop.com) and click on the Gallery link. (The link from my blog isn't working). Open the Racing album and click on Houffalize World Cup 2008.

Today proved to be a tough race for Jeremiah. His fitness is through the roof, it looks like the timing was off. And after an event like the Cape Epic, it can be difficult to make the timing come together - especially because of the team nature of the Cape Epic and the less control over the racing JB really had.

We're looking forward to a few days of quiet time in Offenburg, Germany before the rest of the World Cup circus rolls into town. It should make for a pleasant setting for some recovering and preparation for the races ahead.

Hopefully the internet will be as easy to access.

Erin

Euro Travel

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 09:01:00 +0000

We made the drive from Frankfurt, Germany to Houffalize, Belgium Thursday afternoon. We've got a 9 passenger Mercedes
van, cobalt blue. Very stylish! The drive was comfortable and didn't take as long as I'd expected.
Most was on major highways. We saw many windfarms, the big modern 100-foot propeller kinds along the way, and
two nuclear power plants, and 3 or 4 castles or churches - they look similar from far away.

As planned, our hotel is in the center of the town of Houffalize, but the town itself is much smaller than I
imagined. The hotel is great though! The dinner last night was very good. They had a bar with
heavy appetizers, each with its own sauce, like holandaise for the greenbeans, oils for the shredded
carrots, thick creamy spreads for crackers... all were very good. On the main buffet were pastas, salads,
meats, fish and caseroles - salmon and cheese last night. Chocolate mouse for deseert. Beer and bottled
water are extra, but for breakfast they had champagne in an ice bucket on the buffet with the fruit juices.

One thing that is funny about our hotel is that it's where they filmed the "telephone scene" from Off Road
to Athens - Jeremiah showed me the infamous telephone!

The sun is coming out - it was raining yesterday and when we woke up this morning. I'm going to walk around
town and see some sights. Since we have a good internet connection (FREE) we'll be able to post some
pictures to Jeremiah's gallery.

Having fun,
Erin

greetings from frankfurt

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:32:00 +0000

this keyboard is wild... the y's and z's are in some strange places!

i'LL UPDATE AGAIN LATER SINCE I KNOW THERE IS INTERNET AT OUR HOTEL: A MERCURE HOTEL: BUT THIS ONE DOESNÄT HAVE THE INDOOR DIVE CENTER LIKE THE ONE NEAR THE MUNICH AIRPORT DID:

MORE LATER

Elephants, Baby!

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:07:00 +0000

I just got off the phone with Chris Eatough who is in Knysna, South Africa with Jeremiah. Racing starts tomorrow with a team time trail through a private vineyard and/or safari park - I'm not really sure which. Either will make for a great setting.

The guys have entertained interview after interview and been swept from one media event to the next. When you're a front runner in the most televised mountain bike race on earth, sponsors can get some serious bang for their bucks. What a great way to start the racing season!

In between interviews and press conferences, Jeremiah and Chris were escorted to an animal reserve where orphaned and injured African elephants are raised or rescued. Some of the media crews needed additional images and film to use throughout the race's coverage, and seeing the guys feeding a baby elephant is sure going to be an awesome. (By the way, this is extra amusing to me because I watch a segment on Myth Busters just yesterday about how elephants are scared of mice... myth confirmed!)

I'm really excited for the racing to begin. That is when I know that everything has come together and the guys can to what they do best. It is an amazing amount of logistics and planning that have gotten the Trek VW team to where they are right now.

The online coverage for Cape Epic is going to be extensive. I've tried to compile some of the most pertinent links on the News page (http://www.jeremiahbishop.com/messages/index.htm). Jeremiah will check in when the internet allows.

Have fun on your adventures this weekend!
Erin

Back to Bike Racing

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:41:00 +0000

The racing season is upon us.

Jeremiah's birthday was yesterday, and he kicked off another year - and another racing season - at the Camp Hilbert Race Series near Goochland.

We had a great time and enjoyed hanging out with friends we haven't seen in a few months.

I'm still refining my iMovie skills, but managed to put together this little clip:

See you at the races!
Erin

Rainy Day Movie

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 14:41:00 +0000

Last night we watched The Darjeeling Limited. I think it's the kind of drama/comedy that's a hit or miss, depending on who's watching.

For me it was all hit. I loved the awkwardness that served to make the comic scenes all the more funny.

Throughout his performance, it seemed like Adrian Brody was channeling a bit of Jeremiah Bishop in his role as Peter. I'm not sure if JB took this comment of mine as a compliment or a bit of a stab.

"I love you guys... but I'm going to mace your faces!"

I was rolling with laughter. Jeremiah thought I'd lost it.

Maybe I have.

Erin

All Around the World

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 17:14:00 +0000

The IMBA World Summit is happening in June. It looks like early bird registration is the way to go - saving up to $100. Great speakers are lined up. You might recognize some names on the list. I was excited to see Jeremy Wimpey is among them!

June seems light years aways right now. In just a few days, our 2008 travel season begins. This year, Jeremiah's team training camp will take place in Moab. He's looking forward to some big rides that Marty is helping to plan, and he's looking forward to testing out the season's new race bike.

While JB's in Moab, I'm going to kick things off in style at the annual "Chick Week" in Hatteras village for a few days of surf casting, hot tub-lounging, billiard shooting and soaking in some sun. Heaven.

Then Jeremiah is off to SA for the Cape Epic. I'm pretty excited that the race is going to have substantial media coverage. I think that I'll be able to watch most of the stages (delayed) on the Internet or maybe television. The later depends on whether the World Championship Network is partnering with a broadcaster for the event. Either way, it's going to be exciting. In addition to being followed by TV cameras and helicopters, riders will wear transponders that will allow us to watch their position in the race, heart rate, speed, etc. Definitely as good or better coverage than the Tour of California... I'm assuming that SA won't be as dreary and dank as TOC. Some of the fastest guys in the world will be racing. I hope Jeremiah gets to use his great form and battle it out for the lead. It should be exciting.

After SA, it's on to Europe for the beginning of the World Cup series. It looks like I'll be able to join in, meeting JB in Frankfurt and attending the races in Houffalize, Belgium and Offenburg, Germany. (If it's not apparent, you should click on the Union Jack for English versions of those links.)

I went to the race in Offenburg last year, and it seems like yesterday that I was in the feedzone waiting for riders to appear from the edge of the forest. We knew they were close when the roar from the spectators sounded like an army was about to pour from the woods in an attack. Even though it was pouring rain and chilly, that race had an electric energy about it. I can't wait to go back.

From there, Jeremiah will continue on to Spain for another weekend of World Cup racing. I'll probably come home.

Whew, and that's just the beginning! I can't remember what it's like to be bored. Almost sounds dreamy.

Erin

New Read

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:07:00 +0000

It looks like BRO is venturing into a new field, publishing women's magazine Breathe.

I hope this new women-specific mag rocks without compulsively reminding us in every other sentence that we are in fact women. Many girls-only magazines forget that this most central theme of womanhood can quite successfully remain simply implied.

I'm looking forward to reading the first issue. Hopefully there's a fresh stack in SBC.

Erin

Extreme Cycling Fanatic

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 22:34:00 +0000

I watched some of the Tour of California coverage on Versus this weekend. Big Hair Super Fan amused me. I can imagine him circling around the race venue on an over sized trike.

Speaking of tricycles, check out Trek/VW mechanic Steve's super skills.

Yesterday, Jeremiah and I went over to the Western Slope and put in some serious trail clearing time. Our mountain bike club keeps the area's trails in primo condition, but we were hit hard by a one-two ice storm punch in recent weeks, so there was a lot of work to do. I sawed through a bunch of downed cedars, cleared some streams, tossed hundreds of branches, kicked loose rocks, and clipped back face-high over growth. Don't thank me yet. I wasn't being a good citizen, I was just helping because Jeremiah has been so excited about a new course he's mapped out on the lower trails. Now that it's clear he can get in some great rides on it, set some time checks and practice like a maniac.

This morning I woke up with sore muscles in my back and neck, and was reminded that I can't wait until our hot tub gets hooked up. It's next up on the electrician's list. I still haven't figured out what I'm going to use to keep the water clean. I don't want to use chlorine or bromine if I can avoid it. Salt sounds good in theory, but I don't want to rust the tub's inner workings, and I'm skeptical of colloids (silver, copper...) not because of the efficacy, but because the companies that sell them don't really provide any factual info for their products. Hippies. I don't want to turn blue. I'm looking for feedback, so if you or someone you know keeps a hot tub working with less chemicals - give me the 411.

Thanks!
Erin

Video

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:08:00 +0000

I'm having a brain explosion.

How about a new page at JeremiahBishop.com just for video? A YouTube-ish blog. Highlights. Cool Music. Race Clips. Interviews. Submit your own. Get featured for a week.

What do you think?

There is so much information out there, just a quick search showed me how much I didn't know.

Erin

Pretty in Pink

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:40:00 +0000

Trek/VW ladies will be sporting bright pink team kits this season. Extreme pink. Sure to get noticed.

I wonder if the guys will be jealous?

They should be.

:) Erin

Bring Your Fast

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:15:00 +0000

The 2008 ABSA Cape Epic is going to be fast, fast, FAST! The race will be televised around the world, with the top teams wearing high-tech transponders for real-time data for everything from speed, elevation, heart rate and race position.

It dawned on me that I won't have to worry about Jeremiah being attacked by lions or hippos because the TV helicopters overhead should scare them away. How's that for a reason to stay at the front of a race: avoid becoming safari snacks. 'Race fast Honey, I'd like one less thing to have on my worry list.'

Seriously, can you imagine how dull my life would be if Jeremiah worked in an office?

Here's a peek at quick race-recap from a previous Cape Epic. Some of the world's fastest guys were there, dishing it out day after day!

Snow Day

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:39:00 +0000

I'll keep this one short and SWEET. The snow is here. Our xc skis were ready. We slid right out the front door.

Happy birthday, Carp!

We are headed back out.....

Check out more pics in the new gallery: http://jeremiahbishop.smugmug.com/Weather

E Bishop

Friendly City Food

noreply@blogger.com (E Bishop) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 20:11:00 +0000

If you've not been so lucky as to visit Harrisonburg, Virginia and experience our little city's charm firsthand, the 'Burg's slogan says it all.

Welcome to the Friendly City.

Not only are we friendly here in Harrisonburg, we're treated to a great variety of good food. Considering our relatively rural location in the Shenandoah Valley, the 'Burg is big time.

While there is already a great selection of local farmer's markets, worker-owned restaurants, and nuts-and-berries shops o'plenty, I'm looking forward to the creation of the Friendly City Food Co-Op. It plans to offer a "consumer-owned, democratically run, grocery market that emphasizes healthy foods, quality goods and local produce."

If you live in Virginia, you can join! I am.

I like thinking about our money being spent on local goods in a locally owned shop... that we can ride bikes to! 'cause it won't be on the "NOVA" side of town. I can't wait!

Who else loves a good co-op?

Erin