Say...WHAT?

Wednesday was going to be one of my regular 100km a week days... (just starting the program).  So, I go out... 8:15am, in the midst of rush hour.  For whatever reason, its particularly bad this morning.  I go up the Nguyen Van Linh, but in the scooter lane.  Traffic was so thick and frustrating, it was quite a while before I could actually pedal. 

Enough of that!  So, over the bridge... again...  motorcycle after motorcycle after motorcycle.  Yes, there is typically a lot of traffic, but not this much at this time.

Fine...forget the long ride!  Just stay on the bike for 3 hours.  I'll be happy.  Sometimes, I am just amazed I don't quit cycling for good.  Today, it just plain sucked!  If you don't get it, click on the links in the prior article to understand HCMC traffic....

So, to the Industrial Park... its quiet, but I always feel it is a failure spot.  Gjermund can do the traffic and do  his 42km loop in 1:18... why can't I?

Oh, look....it's me... and who took the picture... me!  Yup, the joys of riding solo...you get to be your own photographer!

So, I do a few laps.... negotiating with myself... 3 laps, no 4 laps, okay, just 3 hours on the bike... I am so bored...frustrated... and realize this is a complete JOKE.  Hopefully, I am burning a bit of fat.

and another bummer... the head wind.... 

I see this group of guys riding mountain bike being escorted by guys on a scooter and they are all wearing white and blue striped jerseys.

They take a smaller loop within the big loop.

Finally, they motion for me to turn around and join them.

I do... they check my speed... 30kph and the scooter guy gives me a thumbs up indicating faster... okay 35.... faster... 40... faster... 45... faster... I top out at about 48... completely dropped them and then notice that I missed the turn... oops! 

The scooter guys chase me down and I go back with those boys.  I pull them for a while.

check it out:

street shoes

mountin bikes

street clothes

most were leaning over their bars with their hands on the tops of the shocks... 

and that's when I got off their line....  my skinny tires... their big fat tires... nope!

They held a very tight line at 35kph!

I guess the bikes are Taiwanese?  I tried to speak chinese, but no one understood me. 

Just gotta say, sometimes you never know what you will see out there!

Cycling Saigon

Its really hard to 'discribe' traffic in HCMC.... you have to live it.  Looking on You Tube for any information about Cycling in Vietnam, I came across some home videos.  Have to share:
Crossing the street...check out the school boy.

and... on a bicycle...

What I love... these videos capture the N O I S E!!!  the noise....so noisy, all the time!

CLB Xe Dap - Race

Didn't even contest this time... ha ha...  The day before we had Family Day at school and we had over 1000 people.  Originally, we thought we would have about 400, max...  in the last two days we realized we would have over 1000....  we worked NON STOP for 3 days straight.

Fun to just go watch a race:

Go boys!  Go Boys!  GO BOYS!  that's right boys, boys, boys, boys....  when I arrived, I asked Alex if Claudia and the kids were coming, "No, but you can stand next to the beer girls!"

Oh my cycling career has definitely gone...

backwards....  less then 1 year ago my breakaway at 2009 Giant Cup securing my #1 position for the racing year amongst the 80+ women who raced age 30+...

3rd year in a row winning the Giant Cup, curciut race...

to being BANNED....

well, actually this year they said I could join.  too late... too exhausted... and with my 4 week periods, thyroid screwed up, just not in the mood....

No surprise they put Alex up front to bridget he gap... course was dangerous as it rained cats and dogs...

Xe Dap - Quan 7

Vietnamese Cycling Club:  District 7

You know you are 'in', when you are the only foreign girl, white at that (okay.... it that NOT PC to say?  well, when you are the only one with pink hues to your skin, I am white... I am not offending anyone by saying it, am I) well, whatever, that said... I am really different in their crowd.

I got invited to 'the party'.

A REAL local party!

It was an HONOR!  Can't even begin to explain.  The majority of guys don't speak one word of English.  It was over one month of me trying to keep up with them that they finally talked to me.  They allowed another foreigner into the group, Alex.  For months they couldn't figure out if I was American, French, Australian, or whatever...  Tuan did ask me for my phone number incase we get together.

I made homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies to share

Alex's wife Claudia and their son Jasper

Announcements and KTV

Gj came after his ride.  It was scorching HOT but he have a few 'iced' beers.  He was quite a hit! 

Tuan and his little girl, he was the first of the locals to speak to me!  Alex in the green with his girl Faber.

Auughh the beer girls... keeping all the beer cold.  Best to keep the glass full when you are finished.  You are never allowed an empty glass.

checking out the club's announcement board.  No clue what it says... 

Gained a few pounds over the summer.  Thinking we are getting to the bottom of whatever it is that's buggin me.  Hope to be back on my bike more 'full time' and my body returns to normal....and the weight will come off.  It isn't my choice... 

The beautiful people of Vietnam.  Its a happy time, times are good, propserity is in the air, the country has recovered from years of war, people are happy!

The Veitnamese are happy people.  You know, when I am riding around on my bike, its scary, the traffic is terrible, but everyone is smiling...  I think to myself, "why are we so hung up on being pissed all the time?"...  If there is anything I learned from living in Vietnam is that, "happiness, its a choice!"

Dude's blog

I always refer to my son as, "dude".  Don't know why... anyhow... they keep blogs as a school project.  They are learning how to be responsible internet users.

He wants a lot of hits...

Click here:  especially friends not from Vietnam!!  Its also on my blog list:  I'm awesome and you know it!

http://blog.ssis.edu.vn/ehaugbro17/

Thanks....

Tour de Bintan - Training Week #1

and a painful one at that!  So, this Bintan thing....  hmph...  I debated, debated, debated... do I go, do I not.  If I go, can I endure the crappy training here in Ho Chi Minh City?  So, then Rachel came along...  there's another Canadian couple, Shannon and Claude.  There's Kristof, and Mike, and I think there are actually other guys that ride road bikes in this City that are not just out for the morning sprint! 

After 13 months of riding alone (bascially) knowing every bump and pot hole on the Nguyen Van Linh intimately.  Being brushed by stuff being hauled off on motorcycles and lets not forget, the yelling, whistles, occasional harassments...  I decide, "Yes, I will go to Bintan".

Anza Cycling:  http://www.anzacycling.com/ will have about 14 women.  The last time I saw 14 women on a bicycle was November 14th, 2009 at the last race I did in Taiwan.  Not even teh Tour of Friendship as many of the registered women did not come (due to the violent political situation in Thailand at the time).  How can I possibly NOT go?

Sunday:  rest

Monday:  60km w/ Rachel, one NVL loop followed by 3 Industrial Laps.

Tuesday:  45km, one bridge lap then out with the boys.  Dropped fairly quickly.

Wednesday:  Tried to fly to Singapore... flight cancelled.

Thurday: rest

Friday:  70km, one bridge lap then out with boys followed with another lap.  Boys actually rode only 35 - 42kph and we actually behaved like a team of cyclists.  They were the District 7 guys and they were actually quite patient with me... 

Saturday:  103km - one bridge lap, three NVL.  Met up w/ Rachel at some point, met a new guy Mike who is a teacher at ISHCMC (ish-mic), and rode a bit with Alex (when he was done humilating me wiht his stupidly fast speed!)

so, total for the week:  278km.  None on a trainer or roller, so... happy about that!

next week will be tougher to get that mileage in as I am soooo busy with PTA.  But, I am hopeful Wednesday can be a triple digit day and I can build the endurance I need.

Where is the love?

Other then a cool 'Black-eye'd Peas' song...  I got a special invitation to join my Singaporean/Malaysian girlfriends helping a shelter for unwed moms.  Oh...  it was raining harder then I have seen without a typhoon in years....  Eirik and I made our way to Christine's house and were totally drenched!  It was only 2 blocks away and we had umbrellas.  The streets were completely flooded with water as the thunder and lightening was all around us.  But, we had a date:  4:00pm!

me, Jane (Malaysian friend), Linda (Singaporean friend).... our little dudes....

Jane with some of the young mothers getting ready to have their babies.  These girls were shamed by their families and had no where to turn.  The shelter helps them mend the relationships between the girls and their parents so that he babies can have a healthy environment. 

Sadly, some of the babies are simply abandoned.

Many of the babies become toddlers.... and are still in the shelters.

Fortunately, many of the moms are able to visit their children in the shelter and things are moving in the right direction.

Fortunately, many women have stepped up to 'foster' care for the babies (some of the foster moms are above).