A Big Phat W

Yup, that is right. Two weekends ago it was a Big Phat DNF. This past weekend, it was a Big Phat W.
Of course its easy to get a Big Phat W when the competition doesn't show up! All I had to do was finish the race, which I did at a very mellow pace while practicing my climbing and descending skills on the more technical parts.

Ajusco with Friends

Almost every weekend I drive about 30 minutes outside the city to go mountain biking with my friend Lenny and Endo at a park on the mountain Ajusco called Las Llantas (or San Nicolas). However, the majority of my friends have never been there. So this past weekend I took Barby and Daniel to Las Llantas and we hiked up to the Virgen where
there is an incredible view of the city. It happened to be a very clear day but as Barby looks out over the city she just can't exactly get her head around the craziness she lives in.
They recently constructed this new building, which I believe will be bathrooms. Its pretty darn cool but the coolest part is
the solar panels on the roof. I am a sucker for any building that uses alternative energy, especially wind and solar.
They also constructed a watch tower. Here is Daniel on the observing platform with El Pico de la Aguila of Ajusco behind him.
Finally, what would an outdoor adventure be without a picture of Endo and I? Here we are looking up at Daniel and Barby.

A Big Phat DNF

Last Sunday was yet another mountain bike race. It was a sweet course and reminded me a lot of riding the Ned trails. But I just didn't have it in me. My lower back was killing me, it was pouring rain, and I am a whimp. So I pulled out after 2 of 3 laps. Oh well, you win some, you lose some and you don't finish others.
But I did sport my new socks Micki gave me while she was visiting me from Boulder. I was representin' big time! There is another race this Sunday. I hope my back is feeling better and my whimpiness is gone cause La Campeona de la Montaña, DF is on the line.

I AM BACK

Sorry blog readers that I haven't posted in a while. But here is the update.

On May 5th I accepted a position in Washington D.C. working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Specifically, I will be working in the Office of Research and Development's National Center for Environmental Research where I will be working on global climate change and air quality issues. I will be moving to D.C. in mid-August and my job starts in the beginning of September. I am super excited about my new job but I will be extremely sad to leave Mexico City.

I also recently took a quick trip back to Colorado because my dad turned 60 on May 14th and we celebrated with a nice dinner of family and friends at 4580. However you would never know he was 60 based on the pics below.
Yup, he still acts like he is twelve hiding behind trees in the forest
and riding away from me on long bike rides.
While home I also got to meet Hudson John Agnew who was born on May 8th. Congratulation to Annie and Kristian. He's a beautiful baby. For those of you that don't know, Annie has been my best friend since . . . well since she was born and came home from the hospital where I was patiently awaiting her arrival. So, although not technically, Hudson is like my first nephew and I am super excited!!

Now I am just back to normal life in Mexico City. I'll try to update more often.

The Great Escape

As all my fellow blog readers probably know, Mexico City has been shut down for over a week do to, in my opinion, an over reaction to the swine flu. Since there is absolutely NOTHING to do in Mexico City, I persuaded 5 of my friends that we should get out of town and head to the beaches of Veracruz state.
So we packed up the cars with camping gear and the dogs (Nacho and Endo) and drove 5 hours to the coast.
The destination, La Costa Esmeralda.
More specifically, the small beach town Las Casitas.
It was Endo's first time to the ocean. He loves water and ran down to the beach as soon as the car was parked. Then he started to drink the water, which he didn't like at all. He was a little confused by the salt water but would still join me in the waves.
On our way back to the non-flu infested city, we stopped by Tajin, which supposedly has beautiful ruins. However, due to the stupid flu craze, even all open air archaeological ruins are closed. But we took a picture at the entrance anyway.
In addition to the influenza scare, last week there was a small earthquake in Mexico City (5.7). The above cartoon depicts exactly the reactions of the event. However, I didn't feel the earthquake and I've always wanted to feel the earth tremble. But my neighbors felt it and were yelling my name. So I went to the window on the top floor to see what they wanted . . . uh, I think that is exactly what you are not supposed to do during an earthquake, hahaha. But by the time I got to the window the earthquake was over.

Things should start getting back to normal in this city starting tomorrow. Mexico will suffer from the influenza for years to come economically. It makes me sad because its the last thing this country needs.

My Last Day in DC

I decided to unwind from a week of 12 interviews and dressing fancy everyday (suit required) and stroll around DC to see the sites on a beautiful spring day.
I passed by the White House
before heading to see The Washington Monument
and finally The U.S. Capitol.
While I was cruising along The National Mall, I ran into Molly and Paul. My mom and dad happened to be in DC while I was there and I was able to enjoy a few good dinners with them. My parents are living up the retired life by traveling lots and bringing their nifty fold up bikes with them everywhere they go. Its pretty darn cool 'cause if I were retired, I would be doing exactly what they are doing. Hmmmm, maybe I should retire early and join them on their adventures . . .

La Casa de Melamed Hace 3 Días

Para mis amigos mexicanos . . .
Una foto de la casa de mis papis hace 3 días!!!

Food Coma!!!

I am back in D.C. for a week of interviews with various government agencies (NOAA, NSF, EPA, DOE, etc.) and my first stop was . . .
Whole Foods on P St. It turns out that although I love Mexican food and enjoy all the fresh veggies and fruits there, Mexico just doesn't have the large variety of international cuisine that the US has, which is exemplified by Whole Foods. So I filled a salad bar carton with all these yummy things I haven't eaten in a really long time. My eyes were definitely bigger than my tummy!

The Church Wedding

On Saturday, Wolfgang and Sarai had their church wedding.
The party afterwards featured Mariachis.

Finishing the Race

My friend Mariely, who is recovering from surgery on a completely torn Achilles tendon, took this video of me finishing the race.

La Segunda Fecha del Campeonato XC DF, Chiluca

Yesterday was the second race in the DF mountain bike race series. After pre-riding the course the day before, I knew it would be a tough race. The climb was 3km long and extremely difficult followed by a 1km decent that was ridiculous and the 5.5km loop finished with a fun rolly single track section. The races here start at noon and yesterday was HOT (low 80's). Three times up that climb about killed me, especially when I became extremely dehydrated and my bottle was empty. The climb had these steep short sections and I was mentally able to ride them when I focused on TTT practices way back when on the CU Cycling team. The hardest part about the TTT is after you have done your turn pulling, you have to "get back on." So, on these sections I would just yell at myself to get back on. The results you ask.
Yes, I am continuing to do a great job of defending my jersey. But Ari, the 16 year old who got second, made me work for my win.
I also got a special number for my bike for the races because I am the defending champion. I am just glad that if you win your category they don't make you upgrade because the women in the next category race the world cup and stuff. I don't think I would stand a chance against them riding just once a week for training.

What Would You Do?

Last Saturday, Lenny and I were on our way to pre-ride the course for the second race in the DF mountain bike series when the police motioned for me to pull over. I knew the only reason that they were pulling me over was because my car has Colorado plates on it and I am a gringa. In any case, they started to give me a hard time because the date on my importation document is expired even though that date means nothing as long as my visa is valid. Like most encounters I have had with the police, I am more familiar with the laws than they are. I showed them copies of my visa and that it is still valid and told them the federal law states my car can circulate anywhere in Mexico as long as my visa is valid. They then tried to pull the classic Mexican police move and told me, "well, in the state of Mexico that is not the case." I then said, "fine, lets go to the local police station so I can talk with your boss and explain to him the law." Lets just say they didn't like that idea. I of course knew what they were after, a bribe. But I hadn't done anything wrong. The police then offered to call someone who would give them a "code" that would allow me to circulate in the state of Mexico for the day, but that it would cost me 300 pesos. I asked them if I could speak with the person that would give them the code, they said no. My choices were I could pay them 300 pesos, which I knew they would just pocket, and get on with my day or I could spend the next hour or more arguing with them. I was leaning towards the later but Lenny has a young daughter and had to get back home as soon as possible for farther duty. So, the police wrote a silly code on a piece of paper and took my 300 pesos. The code said X Plata Total 28/3/2009. I believe it essentially meant that if another policeman pulled me over in the state of Mexico that I could show them the code and they would let me go because I had already paid my bribe for the day.

Two things really upset me about the incident:
1) It was racial profiling. They wanted money and they knew they could get it from a gringo even though I had done nothing wrong. I would argue it is no different than racial profiling similar to what happens in the US with the Mexicans.

2) I love Mexico but I get so frustrated by the corruption here. I wanted to fight with the police until the end because I knew I was right. But does that bring about change and as a foreigner is it my place to try to change things? After all, the monthly salary for police is ~5,000 pesos or $350. No wonder they are corrupt.

Mexico and the War on Drugs

I am sure many of you have been hearing about Mexico and its war on drugs. Some of you have even expressed concern for my safety. The truth is, the majority of people living in Mexico are not affected by the violence being reported in the press. In addition, I think Mexico is receiving a very bad reputation for a problem whose roots are in fact in the US. The editor of a great magazine called Letras Libres (its the Mexican version of The New Yorker I think) wrote an editorial about Mexico and its current state of affairs. I think you should all read it, especially the second to last paragraph.

Uh O Spaghetti O

Look what happened to my brand new tubeless tire today : (
Looks like my tubeless tire will have to become a tube tire because tubeless tires are super expensive here. Now say that 10 times fast!

Lots to Celebrate

On Tuesday evening we celebrated Wolfgang's birthday.
The following morning, Wolfgang signed on the dotted line
and then Sarai signed on the dotted line
and then they were pronounced husband and wife. Although the civil marriage is official, the real wedding is on April 4th. Good times.

Vuelta a México

The Vuelta México finished in Mexico City on Sunday March 8th. I went to watch of course!!!
The race started and finished right in front of the Angél de la Independencia.The race was a 6.4km circuit along Reforma, one of the most well known avenues in Mexico because it connects the center of Mexico City with Chapultepec Park. There is a lot of history along Reforma.
I also got to see some friends from Boulder, Chris Baldwin and Ian MacGregor (not pictured, but check out his web page). It was nice to see familiar faces in Mexico City, especially those from the cycling community.

Who Is That?

Its me in D.C. in front of the White House wearing a suit.

New Furniture

I have recently acquired some new furniture.
A bookcase made of individual cubes.
A sideboard.
And a sidetable.

Centro Historico with the Parents

My parents and I went for a quick walking tour of the Centro Historico a couple Fridays ago (yeah, I am way behind with my blogging). Our first stop was to go up the Torre Latinoamerica, one of the tallest buildings in Mexico City.
From the top you get a good view of the the Palacio Nacional and the Cathedral bordering the Zocalo and . . .
the Palacio de Bellas Artes.
We also went to one of the coolest buildings in the Centro Historico, the Palacio Postal or the main post office. Its an incredible building.

The Race Season Has Started!!!

The '09 mountain bike race season in Mexico City began yesterday with a great course on familiar terrain at Las Llantas, where I go mountain biking every Sunday. The pressure to defend my Feminil Experta championship jersey from last year's mountain bike season was almost too much to handle (hahahaha). So, I tired to my hardest to show up to the race Erin Huck/Megan Melamed style, which means getting to the start line just in time with no warm up. Problem here is that nothing starts on time so I had more than enough time to sit around and wait for the start. Normally the race has between 1 to 3 women in my category. But yesterday, there were 5 women!!! The outcome?
Yup, that is me in first place. One race down and about 7 more to go in order to defend my title.
But really, the best part of racing is the friends I have made. These women have been super nice to me and I love being part of the racing scene here.

The Rents are in the House

My parents are here for a brief visit on their way to do a cycling trip in Chiapas, Mexico.
Here they are outside the Frida Kahlo Museum. A short walk from my house and a must see if visiting Mexico City. It is the house that Frida grew up in, lived in with Diego Rivera, and eventually died in. Frida and Diego are two very fascinating figures of Mexican history.
A castle and flowers on our walk home from the center of Coyoacan.

Katie's Visit

My very good friend Katie Moulton came to visit me and here are some pics from our adventures.
This is the Angel of Independence on the street Reforma in downtown Mexico City.
We took a day trip to this lovely town called Tepoztlan. I went here several times WAY back in 1996 when I was studying abroad in Cuernavava, Mexico. It was nice to see that the town hasn't changed.
The main reason to go to Tepoztlan is to hike up to the pyramid Tepozteco and enjoy the great views of the valley below. The hike is rather beautiful, similar to climbing the top part of Sanitas in Boulder. Only here in Mexico everyone is climbing up to the pyramid whether thy are 80 years old or teenagers in high heels. Its a great hike to do a lot of people watching!
Tepoztlan is a beautiful town with cobbled streets and old catherdrals.
TepoztlanOn the way back to Mexico City we saw this great disco billboard. Not really sure what it is for but we got in a good laugh.