April 2010 – Runs, Rides, Weddings and … a New Bike?
Hello there friends!
What’s this? We’re already in May? What happened to April?
April sure flew by for us as the month was stacked full of activities. The big event was my cousin Kristine’s wedding to her longtime beau Jay, who
after dating for 13 years (yeah, that’s no typo), had a beautiful wedding at the Immaculata at USD followed by a gorgeous reception at the Prado at Balboa Park.
For the wedding, Becky and I were paid a special visit by my brother Justin, sister-in-law Karen and my three year old nephew Mateo who stayed with us for a week. My nephew absolutely cracks me up. I understand that every kid has their own genuine personality all their own, but this kid takes the cake. As he was the ring bearer for the wedding, Karen and my brother wanted to make it easier for him to get down the long aisle, so they put “Ben 10″, “Ironman” and “Spiderman” stickers on the inside of his tuxedo jacket so he’d keep it on, and even bought him a new toy that they kept at the altar so he would walk up the aisle to go and get it. Unfortunately, Mateo got stage fright and ended up lying down in the middle of the aisle and never made it to the altar, but he was still adorable.
Mateo and Bailey were absolutely inseparable and our house was filled with laughter as you’d often see Mateo racing around the corner with Bailey running after him, and then Bailey running for cover as Mateo was chasing after him. They had a heck of a time. One funny moment was when Bailey was lying on his back letting Mateo scratch his belly and I walked by to hear Mateo counting. I said to him, “Mateo, what are you counting?” to which he replied “counting legs, Uncle Bobbin.” So I said, “okay then, how many legs does Bailey have”, to which Mateo replied “FIVE!” After correcting him, saying that Bailey only had four legs, Mateo got upset and said “NO UNCLE BOBBIN, FIVE” as he counted each leg out loud and then ended by pointing at Bailey’s “rocket”. Toddlers are hilarious.
Riding buddy Pat and I finished my brother’s new road bike, a 2010 Bailey D-503 just in time for my brother’s arrival. Got
him fitted, adjusted and he was amped to go out for a ride! Perhaps one of my favorite parts about riding bikes is the way it makes you feel, not just physically with the endorphins pumping and the calories you burn, but the way it takes you back to being a kid.
My brother and I grew up in Mira Mesa in a home to two loving and hardworking parents who provided for us the best they could and always had a hot meal on the table at the end of the day. Products of the baby boomer generation, both my parents worked full time and my dad, for as long as I can remember worked two jobs to support his family. Because of this, my brother and I formed a special bond, and with 5 1/2 years between us, my brother was always a very important person in my life, serving many roles — babysitter, wrestling coach, bully and best friend.
Growing up as a kid in Mira Mesa, I distinctly remember us frequenting Black Mountain Bikes, on the corner of Mira
Mesa Boulevard and Black Mountain Road. We’d often walk in and stare at the beautiful bikes that adorned the shop, GT BMX bikes, Schwinn road bikes, beach cruisers, tandems, and always recalled the smiles people had walking in and out of the shop. But we were still kids, and knew that while our folks loved and gave us everything they could growing up, that we couldn’t afford any of these expensive bikes. So we just admired these beautiful steeds from a distance, and happily rode back home on our Sears brand bikes mom and dad provided.
As we’ve grown older, it appears that there comes a point in one’s life where he fulfills the passions of his past, and endeavors to make the dreams of his childhood a reality, and I believe that’s why we got into cycling. The kids who frequented the bike shop as children are all grown up now, and they’ve returned with a newfound joy for riding. And now my brother has the bike perfect for him, one that he’ll enjoy for years to come. Sure, it’s not his Sears brand “Bull Cruiser”, but it’ll do just fine:)
After we headed out for a one on one bike ride from my house to Coronado and back, I arranged for some of the buds to get together for my brother’s first group ride the following weekend, and friends Chris Macaraeg and David Dias joined regular riding buds Mark Estrada, Pat Moneda and I on our regular hill training ride from Eastlake to Jamul and up the dreaded Honey Springs. 
We had an amazing time, great friends laughing, joking, sharing stories and experiences both on and off the bike on our way up the 2300 feet of elevation to the top. We even saw a rattler lurking on the side of the road, but I was the only one to notice it because everyone was either laughing their way through the ride or huffing and puffing it up some of the climbs.
The month of April also brings heavy training off the bike and on my feet as it marks the second to last month before the Rock n’ Roll Marathon on June 6, 2010, which according to my calendar, means that my longest run before the marathon would take place this month. And it did. On the last Sunday in April, me and running buds Estrada and Moneda ventured out to Miramar Lake where we ran four laps, totaling 20 miles in 3 1/2 hours. It was a grueling experience, and we were all pretty beat afterwards.
The crazy thing about marathon training, is that you’d assume that after doing that kind of distance, you’d expect to be 
hunched over at the finish line, gasping for air, but the reality is that you’ve trained your body and lungs to repetitively run for such a long distance that you just plain stop. No gasping, no collapsing on the ground, you just stop. And after a Jamba Juice and an hour to let your body relax, you’re back to normal again. It’s funny how the human body works and surprises us every day.
A NEW MISTRESS?
After much deliberation, I finally decided to take the plunge and dismantle the 2007 Gary Fisher HiFi and pop it on craigslist. After numerous bites 
from potential buyers, an unexpected and yet fortunate opportunity came when I received a message from QMDC alumni and top fundraiser Dr. Jeffrey Keeny, who is looking to get into mountain biking! During our conversations, he mentioned that he was looking at bikes and I mentioned that my frame was for sale and he said “DONE” and now the G-Fish HiFi is in a new home and will take on new adventures with Dr. Jeff as he pursues his next challenges of taking on the Xterra races.
As for me, I met up with my friend and frame designer John Bailey of Bailey-Bikes.com and decided to finally match the mountain bike to the road bike and picked up a 2010 Bailey Carbon Hardtail. The best part is that John’s still teetering the fence on deciding if the company is going to head into the world of mountain bikes, so this one’s not on the website yet. In such a prototypical stage, it makes it one of a kind, and he and I are the only ones that have these beauties for now:)
Built it up, packed it in the car, and took it out for a couple local rides in and around San Diego from Sweetwater Canyon to Daley Ranch, and the bike rides like an XC dream, climbs insanely fast, is incredible on the flats and while the descents are still superior on the full-suspension HiFi, I’ll just have to relearn how to use my legs as my rear shocks. All in all, I’m amped about my new Bailey and couldn’t be happier.
Until next time, have a great month of May, do something nice for your mom on Mother’s Day and keep on riding…
-BB