No pictures yet...

Argh, sorry to not get pics up here lately...or more posts, for that matter. My To-Do list is very long and it's only growing. This weekend was spent racing and there's really not much time before or after to accomplish much. And if there were time, there's not a lot of energy. Got a lot of great riding in this weekend between the races and the post-race rides. Did the Haystack TT yesterday (used a disc and aero front wheel, first time ever, pretty cool) and the AST crit today. The crit is a really fun course, where the uphill doesn't feel much like a hill and the descent is really fast. My amateur move of the day--sprinting for a non-prime lap. Oops. Oh well, good practice! Finally, the intensity isn't hurting as much. It was a good weekend for racing & it didn't end up raining or snowing, amazing since it kept threatening.

Look ma, no wrinkles!

I had to iron a shirt before going to work this morning since I'm going to be interfacing with people who will probably be wearing suits. This is the first time I've touched the iron in a year. It was a proud moment, so I wanted to share.

Vacation

This past weekend I vacationed in Florida with Eric and his fam. Like any obsessed bike racer, I couldn't leave the bike at home. But, for the purposes of discussion, this past weekend was vacation, since it involved a beach, crashing ocean waves, having a nice time with good people, eating well...even though Saturday was spent driving to a race (hey, the drive was pleasant, so it still counts as R&R time...of course, I wasn't driving so it's easier for me to say that) and Saturday evening involved speeding through downtown Jacksonville.

Thursday the flight to Tampa was pleasant. The in-flight movie was "Freedom Writers" with Jennifer Gardner. I was determined to get some sleep so I missed the first part of the movie, but judging from the last half, the movie is worth watching in its entirety. Eric was waiting for me at the airport, after driving a couple of hours to get there...and on the way back we noticed that where he had driven moments before had become a parking lot. Whew! Spring break in warm places like Florida (especially after such a brutal winter) yields traffic jams of epic proportions.

Upon arriving at his family's vacation home in Bonita Springs, we sat down to dinner and watched the sun set on the ocean. Not long afterwards, it was time to play mini-golf! The mini-golf place was nicely designed and I'm saying this more because the holes were at least twice the size of a normal hole found on a mini-golf course. So, it makes a really rusty mini-golf player such as myself feel pretty good. Come to think of it, I never heard the final score for anyone.

Later that night I got to learn, or begin to learn, euchre. It's a pretty entertaining game...quite fun to try to understand and to watch the players and the variety of reactions a seemingly benign card can cause.

Friday was a truly hot and humid day, but the heat isn't so terrible when pedaling along and creating a nice breeze. Eric and I had a really nice ride on the road, next to some pretty ritzy ocean-side communities. We wished that we could have gone for longer, but it gave us time to get the rental bike back (yes, they rent road bikes in FL), Eric took a long swim and I got in a nap. How easy to be lulled to sleep by the crashing waves and ocean breeze.

Once again, we watched the sun set and took in the last few minutes of calm prior to worrying about packing up and turning to race mode. Moments later, there was a torrential rain, it must have been all of the humidity becoming too heavy for itself. Hey, being able to live without cracked skin for a few days was great, the humidity is fine so long as jeans aren't necessary.

Saturday found us driving most of the day to get to Jacksonville. Countryside driving helped us avoid the interstate which probably saved us hours and lots of stress. Jacksonville is a pretty city.

<>

Jacksonville Crit

And Jacksonville knows how to put on a race, though I just read, through the blog grape-vine, that it doesn't actually count for NRC points. Oooooh, that mis-information could kill the race for next year. Pro teams usually don't attend non-NRC races and there were at least 3 of them (in the women's field) represented this year. With the race on the same weekend as Sea Otter, it makes it harder to attract the big-name pros. Laura Van Gilder showed and I was on her wheel at the starting line. The start/finish area was necked down by barriers so pretty skinny (no bigger than 2 lanes). Figured a good starting position was important (~50 starters).

This time, at the gun, I sprinted as I was taught to do in Redlands but couldn't execute there. That yielded good position early and I felt like my legs came to the race with me. It had taken some effort to snap out of vacation mode, but a long warm-up helped. It is possible that warm-up was long enough to tire me out, but the jury is out on that...especially since I did the warm-up to Colorado heart rates versus low-altitude ones (that would have been higher).

Cheerwine and Aaron's were the squads to worry about out there. The other girls? I had *no* idea who was there (a posted pre-registration list would have helped so as to have been able to Google everyone prior to the race). Another reason for good positioning was that I didn't know how much to trust the other racers. Which wheels were safe? Wasn't much time to figure that out. Within the first 4 laps (I can't remember), the girl right in front of me went down in a corner. The best-scenario was to hit her...to go around would have meant hitting the curb on one side or taking out more racers on the other. However, like all crashes, they happen so fast there isn't much that could have been done.

The crash wasn't bad (a little road rash on my elbow and knee, pretty topical), but my chain was pretty twisted and adrenaline kept me from fixing it myself. So I had to run to the start/finish and have them fix the bike. This whole process took two free laps...during the time when 6 riders that included Cheerwine and Aaron's got off the front. So, of course, the wheel-pit guys pushed me back into the middle of the now-chasing pack. Maybe I should have argued that I was near the front when I crashed (which I was), I could have been in the break had I not crashed...really. Obviously, no one knows and it was just bad timing. It's all part of bike racing. Some days stupid things like that happen. Other days everything goes well and you win the race.

So a lap after I got back with the pack, I tried to see if I could help close the gap to the break. One girl gave me a friendly push. I wasn't happy to know someone was on my wheel. She wanted me to stay on the front. Was this a ploy to get me to blow up or was she offering to help? I don't know. And I didn't trust any of the Cheerwine or Aarons girls left in the pack...they were interested in blocking. The rest of the race is fairly blurry in my memory. It was a challenge to stay to the front. I kept slipping to the back (on the downhill section, explain that) and having to make up positions in the uphill/into the wind sections.

I heard someone in the crowd cheering for me (and reminding me to move up on the laps where it applied). It didn't sound like Eric, so it was a bit confusing. I didn't expect to know anyone in Florida. Finally, I was able to look up, it was Josh from Twin Peaks! He and Val, Vince & his girlfriend had all come to the race together. It was really great to have the extra cheering...and to see friends. Josh has put a lot of effort yelling at me in races (Golden crit, Salida, amongst others)... :)

Finally, with two laps to go I decided I didn't want to finish in the back and made it back to a very nice place near the front of the pack. With one lap to go, heading through the start/finish, there was tons of bumping, it was the most contact I've had in any crit ever. Somehow it resulted in being squeezed to the back (I had been in the middle of the mayhem, stuck on whatever wheel I was on) and there wasn't time to recover for the final sprint (each lap was probably 0.5 miles in length). Final result--33rd. Not pleasing, but not disappointing enough to bring me down from the joy of the vacation.

A few short minutes after the race was over, the skies opened up an it rained hard, just in time for the men's race...and I heard there were quite a few crashes in the first minutes of their race. Then the sun set on their race and they were in the dark. It was fun to race late in the day, but I can live without racing on wet, dark pavement. Eric and I enjoyed watching the Pro men's race and spending time not worrying about anything besides eating and reflecting on the weekend.

Pictures will be posted soon! Time to get home and put the bike together again...

Elementary Math

A road sign in Fruita. This may demonstrate that the Fruita school system is lacking a bit. If one addresses an envelope to 11 4/5 Road, will it get to the recipient?

Finally, A Bike Hugger Blog Post

The first post at any blog is the most challenging. Finally, I got it done. Hopefully the next ones will be short and sweet. Suggestions for future posts to the Bike Hugger blog are really appreciated!

Easter Weekend Adventure

There's no other way to describe this past weekend, it was an adventure. Friday morning I would have been astounded had you told me that I'd be in Moab Sunday evening. Friday, over email, Amy and I were commiserating on the super-nasty weather descending upon the Denver/Boulder area that was going to force us to be on our trainers Saturday. She needed to do a very long ride with lots of intensity and I needed a long ride with sprints and intervals mixed in. Riding the trainer this time of year, especially after being on it all winter, is almost impossible. Somehow the trainer feels really different than it did in January. There's a time and place for trainers and this aint it.

The Eta Gamma chapter of Theta Tau celebrated its 10-year anniversary Friday evening. My friend (and former co-worker), Joe, flew in from New York for the weekend so it was fun to catch up with him and see many of the fraternity brothers that I used to hang out with in college.

Amy and I took off for the promised land of Fruitopia (Fruita, Colorado) 6 am on Saturday morning. Getting out of Denver was a bit scary. The rain turned to snow and it had accumulated in Golden. So it was slow going until a little before Frisco. We stopped for bagels at Frisco. There it was snowing happily, the big pretty flakes were lightly falling and there was no accumulation. It was looking better. I think it's here that we saw the sun for the first time.The sun was shining so brightly in No Name, we had to dig out our well-packed sunglasses before continuing on. I'm only wearing a jacket out of habit.

After getting directions from the Over the Edge bike shop in Fruita, we headed out on this really beautiful road. It was an out-and-back, twisty-turny scenic route. It made it easy for us to get our workouts in, sometimes riding together and sometimes doing our own thing. Near the end of the road is a very significant climb, nearly 4,000 feet in elevation gain. It was fun going up and the view was worth the effort.
After the ride we hit the local mexican joint and then checked into the motel. At $20/each for lodging, that was the least expensive part of the weekend. The most was fuel...that is, food. It's amazing how many calories were consumed over the two days.

We awoke to rain Sunday morning. Apparently, it rains in paradise. It seemed logical to let the rain go away while eating a massive Easter breakfast buffet/brunch at the local pub. Everyone else eating there were mountain bikers. I was looking forward to riding the Colorado National Monument and having Amy experience it. But it wasn't going to be much fun with all of the rain. The views are breathtaking and it needs to be ridden on a sunny day. We weighed the options and decided it would be worth trying to get out of the weather by going to Moab, a short hour-and-a-half drive away.
The rain subsided significantly. We got all ready to go out at the bike shop and the rain started coming down in buckets. We stood around trying to figure out what to do.
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????The answer was to pack up the bikes, drive to Arches National Monument a few miles out of town and ride. It promised to be wet and miserable.

Five minutes out there, the rain stopped completely. The clouds parted not much later. The rain kept most of the tourists away. So we ended up with smooth, dry roads, amazing riding and amazing scenery!!!

My head hit the pillow on my bed at 2 am this morning. I can't believe how much the weekend energized me; as tired as I should be, I'm still on the adrenaline high from the weekend. I'm so happy to have gotten away (thank you, Amy!!!), escaped the awful weather here and spent some quality time in God's country.

Sorry to have missed the Easter festivities at home with everyone. I was thinking about you and will try to see everyone soon!

Are you ready to race your bike?

The Team Bike Hugger blog prompted questions from readers as to what it takes to start road racing. I hope this inspires at least a few of you to get out there and experience the thrill of racing first-hand. Here is my take on the fundamentals of racing:

1. Anyone can race. You can be a successful racer.
2. Racing isn’t rocket science. The rules are simple, many are common-sense.
3. You do not need to train like a pro or be a talented athlete (aka a freak of nature) to begin racing.
4. You must be passionate about riding your bike.
5. Racing is addictive. After you race once, the habit is usually formed and very difficult to break.

These are true for men and women racers, though there are significant differences in the men’s and women’s fields.

Anyone Can Race

Just a quick word on how I started: Four years ago, I bought my first road bike. Prior to getting the bike, all I did was walk my dog after work. Once I got the bike, I commuted to and from work for 2 months, did a few group rides and, on a whim, signed up for my first race. I dabbled with racing that season in Seattle. The season after that, I had a blast racing cat 4 (beginner) in Colorado. Last year I got serious about racing (I got a coach and read every article and book that I could about racing) so as to continue to enjoy it as a cat 3. The more I race, the more I want to race and the faster I want to go. At this point, my lifestyle is very bike/racing-centric and I can’t imagine going back to the “normal” life I used to lead since this one is so fun and fulfilling. And I still have a lot to learn and a long way to go. The stamp shown here was on the envelope that contained prize money for winning a race two weeks ago. What I’m saying here is anyone can do it, you just need to start.
I saw a quote recently that went something like:

“A year from now you’re going to wish you started today.”

That being said, bike racing is for people of all ages so don’t despair if you wish you had started years ago. It’s not too late. One of my racing heros, Tina Pic was born in 1966. And don’t forget Ned Overend who is over 50 and still racing, coming second to Scott Moninger (BMC) in the Mt. Evans hill climb by 5 seconds last year.

There are different categories of racers, where the beginners are cat 4 (for women) or cat 4 or 5 depending on state (for men), intermediate racers are cat 3 and the most experienced and faster racers are cat 1/pro or 2. Sometimes there are “open” fields where all categories of racers race together. This means a pro/cat 1 racer could be racing against a brand new cat 4 racer. This often happens with women’s fields in the early season races. I really don’t think it’s a good idea, if you’re just starting, to race against competition that is so much stronger. It won’t be a race, it’ll be a mental beating down. I made that mistake once. It caused me to stop racing for a couple of months. Luckily, the guys on the team I was racing for were really supportive and they helped build my confidence back.

That reminds me to mention—it is far easier to start racing as a woman. Women racers are generally supportive of each other and I’ve found the men to be very enouraging and supportive of the women, too. Usually, though, women are scared to ride with the guys or have some excuse that I can’t understand.

Mike Magnuson, author of “Heft on Wheels” said it well: “Nobody wants to hear you whine.” My experience has shown that guys respect the women who ride hard, even if they are riding slower than the men.

Hopefully, you now see that you can race. It’s all a matter of whether or not you want to.

Racing Isn’t Rocket Science

Check out the rulebook of USA Cycling. Sorry, it’s 138 pages long, but actually doesn’t take too long. Check it out, you’ll learn a lot. There are a few major rules to follow, and usually they’ll be explained to the racers prior to the race start. The biggie is the yellow-line rule. There are so many things to learn about racing, for example, how to corner properly, sprint, work in an eschelon, etc. It certainly helps to talk to people about these things prior to racing so you know the basics, but most of this stuff will be learned while racing. Every race I enter, I learn something new. So don’t worry about not being prepared at first. Experience is the best teacher. A few things, though, that are good to be proficient at going into the first race:

Know how to “hold your line” Be able to drink and ride with one hand Be comfortable riding in the drops through corners and while descending Be comfortable getting out of the saddle on climbs Know how to draft and be comfortable riding close with people on all sides of you Stay relaxed, elbows bent at all times.

It’s helpful to pre-ride the course just for peace of mind. The less nervous you are, the safer you will be and you’re more likely to enjoy the ride.

You Don’t Have to Be a Freak of Nature

There will be people out there who are insanely strong, but the majority of cat 4 racers are fairly new to racing, and competing. You will meet others who are similar to you. Bike racing is a unique sport in that there is no stereotypical body type that defines the successful racer.

Love Thy Bike

Many people get into bike racing because they like competing. This is a good reason, but think about it, only a tiny fraction of time will you actually be racing the bike. Many hours a week, even as a recreational racer, will be spent on training and group rides. You gotta love being out there on the road, sometimes doing intervals alone, to have fun and be successful racing…and to guard against burn-out. Years from now, I know that I won’t be racing, but I also know my quality of life won’t be the same if I’m not going on long bike rides. So my top priority is to love every minute on the bike and not do anything to jeopardize that.

Racing is Addictive

Ah, c’mon, try it, you’ll like it. One thing, though, if you really don’t feel like racing, don’t let anyone talk you into it. Get to know your body and your gut instinct. Racing can be dangerous and it’s important to listen to your subconscious. But do try that first race and meet other addicts, you just might be surprised at how difficult it is to stay away from future races.

Obviously, these are just the basics. There’s so, so much more to racing. I think that’s one of the things that really attracts me to the sport. It’s something I was able to do when I was really new to bike riding, but I’m always learning and growing as a racer and as a person.

Good luck!

April Fools

Can't believe I let another April 1 come and go without any fanfare. Does this mean I'm getting old and boring? The officials at the race today tried to make the race an hour versus 45 minutes. I was hoping they were serious.

It has taken awhile, but finally the full-blown allergy attack hit at the moment yesterday's race was over (expected it to hit in Redlands, or at least after the TT Saturday). Now it's like I have a cold...but I've resisted all of these horrible sicknesses going around all winter and this spring.

Is it worth it? Absolutely. And the allergies should be gone tomorrow if this year is like the past two.

Happy Belated Birthday!

Mom and I enjoyed the day together. We had some super yummy food at Mona's (great service, everyone should go there). They delivered a piece of french toast to her with a candle on top. We bummed around the boutiques in LoDo and finished the day by watching Cars (another super cool Pixar flick, highly recommended for all ages). A lovely day (though a bit windy). It was nice doing some "normal" stuff. I almost never spend a day kicking around like this because races are usually later in the day.

This morning was a time trial up Lookout Mountain. Windy, cold, what a morning! Since I hadn't pre-registered, it was tempting to go home and go back to bed. The race is hard, as a climbing TT should be. This is the first time I've ever gotten sick after crossing the finish line of a race (due to a long, hard sprint at the end). According to the results, Partna Lan Frandhi won the race. The race was a cold, less fanfare-filled version of the Redlands TT. I really missed not doing the Wenzel warm-up with Melissa and Jeanie, not having everyone around, it was kind of lonely. But, the Redlands experience with the team did get me into better habits. For the first time ever, I got to the race early enough to have a full warm-up, visit the porta-potties and arrive to the start line completely cool and collected.

Now it's time to figure out which race to do tomorrow...there are 2 to choose from, one with dirt, the other without...decisions, decisions...