Superglue

The lenses are superglued in. I'm glad Danielle could have so much fun with my cycling sunny-g's. She was mildly impressed by the road bike. She's one kid I could babysit (very few children pass that test).

October 1, 2006

What a day to begin training for the 2007 racing season!

I got to talk to Tina Pic (see pic to the left), ask her all about sprinting, training, racing...OH WoW. How absolutely cool.

And then I talked to Kimberly Baldwin of T-Mobile, world-class racer, recently retired (as of a few days ago). Might get to ride with her this winter, would that be cool or what? Check out her latest diary entry. All of them are interesting to read, but this one might be her last and it hits a few key points about racing.

She and Tina are both heros of mine...so nothing could have been more motivational or timed more perfectly. They were part of a panel with other world-class athletes speaking to a group of ~40 people on junior development and women's racing.

Last Season Recap

With next season in my sights, I wanted to post a quick low-down on last season.

Races: 45
Wins: 3
Crashes: 2
Training & racing time: ~575 hours on the bike, numerous other hours spent lifting weights

Goals as I had set them in October, 2004 (I looked at them many times every day from the moment they were set until last month, when I checked off the last one):
1. Hang with the 1/2/3 field, some prime wins
2. Win a crit
3. Finish in Top 5 (in a stage) in a stage race
4. Upgrade to Cat 2

All of my goals were successfully met. Last season's successes would not have been possible without Julie (my very awesome coach), my mentors, supportive friends, teammates (which are mostly one and the same) and family. I feel so fortunate to be able to dedicate the necessary time and energy to something I'm so passionate about.

Life is so full of humor

Got an LT test done today. They take blood from your finger every few minutes (this makes it very scientific, so very worth it). Check out my poor ring finger. I was cursing (in a nice way) the sweet man who was performing the test and doing the pin pricks. THEN, much to my dismay, I accidentially stuck that same finger with a safety pin right after the test was over.

Bring on the winter training. I'm ready.

Slow and Steady...

Lance, take your time. Fast cyclists aren't necessarily fast runners. I'll understand.

A 5k benefit race/walk is coming up soon, I'm signed up and not quite sure how to feel about it. Tis the season to stay in zone 2 until February...that will be my excuse for being off the back.

Italian Food and Wine

Dad and I went to an Italian Festival today. We went to a wine-tasting (pinot grigios), ate lasagna, watch Italian musicians and performed a cannoli taste-test. This cannoli was half-right: pistachios and chocolate were in the filling, but the filling was much too light. The other cannoli had cinnamon and chocolate in it and the proper consistency.

Now how'd that happen?

The cross bike was spotted fraternizing with a buffalo in downtown Golden yesterday. I, um, have *no* idea how it got there. One more week of staying "off" the bike. This is more challenging than I thought it would be.

Bike Fasting

Six days off the bike is simply too long, even with a million other things to keep my mind off of riding. I'm not supposed to touch the bike until Oct 1. Aaaaaccckkkk... (yes, looking for sympathy.) The first CX race of the season is this weekend. Shall I go and be tempted?

Because I don't want to spam you

Three days into the off-season, three days off the bike. Tomorrow I fully expect to be going through withdrawal. I've kept busy, though, and that's key to not missing the bike too much. Cleaning up the loft is a very high priority right now. Here's something I found that I want to share, then I'll throw out the paper it's written on.

A Little Sage Advice... I'll add more as I find them lying around (amazing what you find when cleaning out).

• Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.
• A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.
• Happiness often comes through door you didn't even know you left open.
• Accept the fact that on some days you're the pigeon, and on other days you're the statue.
• The early worm gets eaten by the bird, so sleep late.
• Never buy a car you can't push.
• Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.
• Birthdays are good for you; the more you have, the longer you live.
• You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.
• Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened.

End of the Season

The racing season is officially over. I think I'm happy about that, right now...but my legs are still tired from the season...as soon as that wears off, my tune will change. The last race was yesterday so the off-season has only just begun. The bike is hanging on the wall (it won't be touched for two weeks) and it's time to do everything I didn't have time for during the past 6 1/2 months (when racing began).

Yeah, so this is a look in my modified closet--bikes take precedence over the clothes. It is possible to have 4 bikes in a tiny loft that has no storage space.