My surrogate cycling father told me on Sunday that if having a malfunctioning bike is the worst of my problems, then life is pretty good. If I stress out, he puts things in the right perspective.

My girls on the women's cycling team have been very supportive and have helped me tackle various stressors that have popped up recently. I'm slow to warm up due to the scars on my back from failed friendships with females in college and high school, but I'm getting there.

At a dinner party last night, we managed to spend at least a little bit of time during four hours to talk about topics other than cycling. It's a start. I spend so many hours with these folks and what I know about them is limited to their training schedules (except for closet training) and how they feel about bikes.

Since college I've played USTA league tennis and ultimate frisbee before finding a home in the sport of cycling. The running folks are nice, too. This is a good place I've found. The thaw can begin; I'll warm up in time.