The Calm before the Storm

This week between the holidays is always an "off" week. Those of us working have about half staff. The staff that does show up is blurry-eyed (from lack of sleep or excess of alcohol .. or both) and unmotivated. The upside is that traffic is noticeably lighter and the parking garage at work might actually have an open spot. Sweet.

While "calm before the storm" does apply to this time of year for us boring accountants, I was actually referring to it in the cycling/racing sense. By now, teams have solidified their rosters for the coming year, have finished the begging drive - I mean the sponsorship drive, and are finalizing clothing and equipment orders. All that's left now is the (gasp) training. This week is sporatic with teammates traveling for the holidays, making nice with relatives that will not see them for at least 8 months once we start racing. Ah, but they know the storm is coming, they've been through this before.

This calm is weird for us. Yeah, we've all been doing base miles and we've all reminded each other that ITS DECEMBER, no need to hammer. But January brings a whole new game. I mean, racing starts in February, doesn't it ? The madness begins this month - the dedicated long hours in the saddle, dabbling in some intervals, planning the race schedule and trying to jockey vacation days to get the best bang for the buck. Just typing about is exciting !

The New Years Day ride at Hains Point is always a great way to kick things off. I look forward to it because, lets face it, other than your teammates/close friends, you probably haven't seen many of your fellow competitors since September. Has it been that long ? I run into random people there every year - some of whom I only see once a year at this ride. Everyone is happy to be on their bikes and happy to see each other.

I only go to HP for a few laps to socialize - I do understand that some actually do a "century" at the Point. I am not so sure you could pay me to spend that much time going in circles. But hey, who am I to say? There are plenty of people that think we're crazy to dress up like some lycra-clad michelin man to go for 4 hour rides in 28degree weather. One man's crazy is another man's dedication. Go figure.

TGIF - 12/19/08

Hey, how about that - 3 posts in one week and its the middle of off-season ! I'm proud of myself.

A co-worker just came up to me to proudly show off a "new" CD she just bought - for $1. It was a flashback to middle/high school. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. Heavy D and the Boyz (this was back when it was novel to spell boys with a z). Kris Kross. I include a link to that one just in case you say who ?? An outtake of the wikipedia file on Kris Kross - The duo is ... famous for their....fashion styling—consisting of wearing their clothes backwards. Yes, this was a rough time in the music biz. Anyhoo, as we were reminiscing these old artists, I recalled a hilarious country version of "Gin and Juice".

Mitch had it on CD and played it during our travels to the SE Crit Series in 2007. We laughed so hard we cried ... there's something about hearing gangsta lyrics in a southern drawl to the music of a banjo. For your listening pleasure: you have to turn the volume up to really hear the lyrics (and since it's a Snoop song, you know this is not safe for work !). But it's well worth 6mins of your life.

Happy Friday, ya'll ... counting down the days to the new year.

Gam Jams - Trainer Distractions

It's truly a wonder that I survived my first winter of training. I remember being so thrilled about training indoors when the weather was bad. Oh, the young and naive.

My first realization that it wasn't all it was cracked up to be was when my then-team-coach had 3hrs on the schedule and I sat on a trainer for . all . three. hours. I knew it was going to be a mind numbing experience so I popped in the only movie I could think of that would last as long as the ride: Forrest Gump. Lets just say I've never watched Forrest Gump again. And I never paid attention to that coach's direction again, either.

In the 4 seasons since then, I've found a variety of ways to make indoor training more palatable.

The first distractions were the Spinervals videos. How can we make sitting on a trainer more fun ? Have Troy Jacobson yell at you while you're doing it. Awesome ! I swear my neighbors thought I was abused on a regular basis - from outside my house all you'd hear was a male yelling for 45-50mins at a time. A bonus is seeing some local racers in their early years in the videos. Good for some amusement while you're suffering.

I still use Spinervals during the winter to get in a quick, hard workout and get the heck off the trainer. Troy will help you pass the time and before you know it, you're a schwetty mess but you're done.

I've have since graduated to rollers for most of my indoor workouts. Since I couldn't stand up on my Krietlers, I couldn't very well do most spinervals. So, I was reduced to regular TV.

The winter of 06-07, I watched the Soprano's almost from beginning to end. Side note: the only time I've ever fallen off the rollers was during a Soprano's episode ... one of the characters swept a bunch of clothes hanging up to the right, finding someone dead behind ... I was so surprised at the revelation that I steered in the direction of the clothing on TV ... right off the rollers. Ouch.

The winter of 07-08, I caught up on Heros and Lost.

This fall, I did quite a few roller workouts to politics - the debates would lend themselves to power workouts as I was annoyed by the rhetoric. Other political reporting was good for steady riding b/c I wanted to hear what was going on. Yes, I know, I'm a geek. I'm an accountant, what do you want outta me ?

When the weather on the weekend prevents outdoor riding, group trainer workouts are the best ... 2 hours with a few friends goes by a lot faster and you motivate each other. Otherwise I'm bound to get off to let the cat outside, get a drink of water, answer the phone etc etc etc.

To summarize:


Spinervals - good for trainers, good for a quick workout and good for spotting racers in early
years.

Sopranos - good for rollers as long as you're not excitable.

Heros/Lost - good for trainers and rollers

Political debates - good for power workouts

Equally masochistic friends - good for weekend marathon trainer workouts due to inclement weather.

Forrest Gump -if you're on the trainer long enough to watch this movie, you've got other issues.

What are they going to do with all those shoes ?

It took almost a week, but I am finally finding some sarcastic humor in the situation evidenced below:
This happened late Weds night last week ... I'll spare the gory details but suffice it to say that I have had a rough few weeks. The actual accident happened in two seconds - dark, wet roads, a car stopped in the middle of the travel lane w/o lights ... slam on the brakes, jerk the wheel right and then I'm batting the deflated airbag down and cursing like a sailor. By the way, airbags hurt when they deploy.

The taxi that I hit was operated by a gentleman (using the term loosely) who immediately yelled "my back, oh, my back" in broken english. Police, fire trucks, amublance - we had all the shiny lights going on. It was cold and raining so once the adrenaline wore off and I knew I couldn't drive home (apparently when an airbag deploys, a kill switch is activated in the car so it won't start), I realized that I was freezing and I had no idea how I was going to get home. The police were very kind and put me in their cruiser ... I must've looked rather pitiful by that point. But, they couldn't take me home so they dropped me off at the station, where I called a cab and thankfully found enough cash to pay the $40 to get home. In two seconds flat, things in my life got even more complicated than normal.

Zim immediately went on suicide watch when she found out - its well known that I love my car and that, given the year that I've had, I'm probably not far from the edge. She brought clementines (random, but appreciated!) and team stuff to my house, took me to go see my car and took me to get a rental car. Thank you, Zim - I can't tell you how much you mean to me and how lucky I am to call you "friend".

Highlights from the city lot, where my car was towed: Not Imprizonated.

* which one doesn't belong: 1997 Caravan, 2004 BMW, 2000 Focus ?
* The guy trying to get all of the service women's phone numbers. loudly.
* Salt'n Pepa blaring from the little chevy we piled into for access to the lot
* we document everything - if you're hospitalized, injured or imprizonated. (that last one is a Zim-ism)
* The guy in the car, upon seeing my car, going on and on about how they're going to total it, that they total everything etc etc etc, as I tried my best to hold back tears and/or expletives.
* True to form, Zim had my back. From her car. With the windows rolled up. Around the block.

The pic above is from the lot ... my poor little car looks so sad.

Highlights from the rental car incident: "What are they going to do with all those shoes?"

* Rental coverage is not automatically in your insurance policy. Check it now - I found out the hard way. They did offer to add it for future use. I almost threw the phone.
* The whole car rental industry is a scam. $175 for 3 days. Yes, the rate is $30/day, but then you add the fees, charges, surcharges etc etc etc.
* Zim, making polite conversation, mentions DHL going out of business. The kind lady at the desk expresses dismay - to the point where I was impressed with her feelings for DHL. Then she said "what are they going to do with all the shoes"? Zim continues on with the story of DHL as I realized the counter-lady was thinking DSW. It was like watching a conversation in bizzaro-world. They never realized they weren't on the same page.

Mitch and Zim convinced me to go ahead with the planned trip to RTR (another post, I'm sure) and I'm glad I did. It was nice to get away and forget about all the BS that awaited me between work, family, car stuff etc. My SRM did start crapping out while we were in W Va - and now my phone is locking up. Seriously ? I digress.

Chicken and Goat have generously allowed me to borrow the Elephant for the week. Below is the Elephant's first trip to Fells Point.

I have big things planned for the Elephant - not the least of which is a car-wash ! Thank you, Chicken and Goat, thank you so much for your help and friendship. You guys rock.

This morning I got a call from the shop where the BMW is currently residing - so far it looks like they're going to repair the damage (fingers crossed) and NOT total it. I'm 5 payments away from paying it off, and, if I haven't mentioned it, I love my car.

I'm soooo over 2008. Only a few more days and maybe we can start fresh. Here's hoping.

GamJams Reviews: Trainers and Rollers - E-Motion

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love my E-Motion rollers. I have been coveting these rollers for over a year, since Pete Cannell told me that I could actually get decent sprint workout on them. I rode them once and completed the 2-hour Have Mercy spinervals video in full, complete with sprints and spin drills. I was a believer.

I was formerly a fan of my Kreitlers - they were solid as a rock and the customer service I received from the company was above and beyond the call of duty. My Kreitlers helped me muddle through the lower categories as I began this strange journey in cycling. They were a huge factor in me getting through the winters without being literally bored to death from hours on the trainer. I am a firm believer that they were invaluable as a training tool. BUT, I couldn't do fast spin drills and I could not stand up/sprint for any amount of time. So, it was inevitable that I'd eventually get my fix.

I bit the bullet a few months ago - which says a lot since we were still in good weather when I got them. I ordered them directly through the website, even though I might have gotten them for a few bucks cheaper through ebay or something. I just figured that the extra $$ for some peace of mind and a warranty was well worth it.

$795+shipping and about a week and a half gets them delivered to your doorstep, all assembled and ready to rock. I just played with the resistance setting and hopped on. They were super-awesome-cool from the get ... smooth and totally comfortable. It took one or two roller workouts for me to work up the nerve to stand up and give it a whirl. I wasn't very confident at first but within a few minutes I was rocking some decent sprint drills. I can stay on the rollers for 2 hours or so, where my Kreitlers made my shoulders stiff after about an hour. At the risk of TMI - E-motion rollers, much like my new TT fit courtesy of Josh at CycleLife, is much more amenable to my girly-bits (that's a Mel-ism ... give credit where credit is due). I'm sure boys will find the E-motion rollers to be more comfy as well.

The one downside to the E-motion rollers is lack of portability. I miss being able to take my Kreitlers to a race, to a friends house for an indoor training party, or just to fold them up so my living room doesn't look like a bike-rat lives here. E-Motion rollers do not fold and are just a bit too tall to really fit under, say, a couch or other piece of furniture to be out of sight when you're pretending to be a normal person who lives a normal life in a normal house without bike BS as far as the eye can see.

If you can stomach the $$ (come on, we spend way more than that for way less useful bike BS), take a whirl on the E-motions ... be prepared to fall in love ... At least as much as you can fall in love with indoor training equipment.

Things I had forgotten about winter riding

The farmer's almanac calls for a colder than normal winter this year. If the last couple of weeks have been any indication, methinks it might be correct. I missed out on the great freeze that happened while I was in Florida .... I got a call from a friend saying she brushed snow off of her car so I took this pic to sympathize from afar.

Anyhoo - this past weekend I had the pleasure of remembering cold-weather riding. The CycleLife girls met up for a team ride Saturday morning in Rock Creek Park. On my drive down to Casa de Zim, the outside temperature was 19 degrees. I mentally ran down the list of Michelin-man supplies - you know, the layers and layers that make us identifiable only by the bikes we ride and the ponytail/pig tails that trail us. Its a hot look. So, without further adieu, here's my list of things I had forgotten about winter riding:

1. My head grows in the winter. No, I don't get all pompous or anything, it grows because of the layer of insulation necessary when the temps drop below 30 degrees. You know, those skull caps that, for women, become insulating hair nets. Sweet. The problem is the headache I get about mid-ride when I remember that I forgot that my helmet doesn't fit over a winter hat.

2. Vaseline is my friend. Get your mind out of the gutter !! A little Vaseline on my face prevents me from looking like a 90-year-old woman at the end of a cold, windy ride - it prevents windburn and makes a nice little insulating layer. It also allows your tears to slip off your face virtually unnoticed - which brings me to #3.

3. You cry for no apparent reason. No, not really, they're tears from the cold and wind. Most of the time. Another great side effect is at the end of a ride your eyes look like you've been drinking for four days and are currently riding a drug-induced high.

4. Winter gloves should always have that soft material on the outside. Lets face it - we all become mucus machines when the temps drop. The plus side is that when you have some Vaseline on your face, the residual snot that you didnt wipe with your soft-sided glove mostly slides right off.

These have the best name ever - patented "Snotnose" thumbwipes. Super.

5. After about an hour or so in super cold weather, rides get really quiet. At first I thought it was because everyone was in the zone ... but no, we're all suffering from frozen lips. You know what I'm talking about - when you can't form full words because you can't move your lips. This must be divine intervention, because it's usually this point in the ride that I wonder (silently, since I can't move my lips) what the hell is wrong with us that we regard this as "fun".

6. Drinking cold water in cold weather sucks. However, since you've been eating salt (along with whatever else is leftover on the road) and the wind is kicking your arse, you must remember to drink. Teammate Mitch was amused and intrigued when she realized I had hot coffee in one of my waterbottles. Hey, I gotta do what works.

7. Speaking of coffee - it is a beautiful thing to end a ride at CycleLife with teammates, where we can enjoy some pipin' hot lattes, relax and revel in the adventure of it all. Pic courtesy of teammates Chicken and Goat ... a better post-ride recap is at Chicken's blog.

Bundle up and get out there ... you don't want people to think a bunch of girls are tougher than you, do you ?

TGIF - 11/28/08

I hope everyone had a great holiday yesterday - mine was filled with the three F's .... Family, football and food. Actually, FOOD should be in all caps because I believe there was enough to feed a small army by the time the 4 cooks in our kitchen were finished.

Before I go into all of that, I'd like to thank my "anonymous guest blogger" (AGB for those like me who have an affinity for acronyms) for stepping in last week - it's never a comfy thing to give someone full on access to anything that is yours, but AGB did me proud.

So, I spent the last week or so in sunny florida - unfortunately, it was not planned and was not for pleasure. My beloved grandaddy, John Fowler, passed away on Sunday after a long bout with a lung disease. He and I were very close so it has been a tough week for me. I don't say this for sympathy, I only say this because he was one of the most important people in my life so his passing has deeply affected me.

A silver lining this week is that my family took the opportunity to gather, reconnect and celebrate the one common link between us - my grandfather. I met cousins that I had never seen, finally got to know an Aunt that I only knew in name and had the chance to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with some of my favorite family members (oh, come on, everyone has 'favorites' when it comes to family ... its not just me !). We reminisced about funny memories like the time grandaddy put a horse in the back of his car (there was alcohol involved), and how he showed us the Chicken Dance during a party for my graduation (again, there was alcohol involved). His favorite drink was Tequila, so we had a shot in his honor and laughed at my Aunt flapping around like a bird because it burned on the way down. The weather was picture perfect and we even managed a spirited game of backyard football before we lost daylight. I'm sure my grandaddy was laughing at the spectacle we made.

I've had a lot of distraction this week with family coming and going and being in a different environment all week, but I'm home now and will have some time to reflect on everything that has transpired since I left on a last minute flight to Florida last Thursday.

Sorry for the somber post, but it would have been disingenuous for me to try to be witty and light. Enjoy the weekend and, wherever you are and whatever you're doing, take the time to tell your loved ones how much they mean to you - not just during the holidays, but every day. You never know when they'll be gone and you don't want to live with regrets for what you should've said.

Some sage advice from my grandaddy : you only get one go'round, so you might as well make it good.

Guest Blogger Gotz Nuthin'

Plain Jane was called out of town and bestowed upon me full access to her blog as a "guest blogger." Alas, nothing seems witty enough or even mildly entertaining to the usual TGIF. So, failing a blank page, I am filling this TGIF page (and my guest blog responsibilties) with a classic cartoon from Dilbert.
This cartoon should not reflect in any way on Wendy's feeling about work, her work responsiblities, or desire to cook smelly food (popcorn) in the office microwave. This cartoon may reflect guest bloggers' feelings about the above.

Time flies .... whether you're having fun or not !

Good lord - Thanksgiving is next week. I was on the phone with a client in the UK who mentioned "our" upcoming holiday and when I looked at the calendar I wondered where the time went ? As a side note, it was an epiphany when I realized (about the age of 12 or so) that other countries didn't celebrate Thanksgiving. Don't laugh, you know you had those kinds of realizations, too.

As to where the time went - its seems like just the other day we were contesting the sprint at Greenbelt and today I saw snowflakes in the air. Seriously, there were snowflakes falling in downtown Baltimore. My Sunday ride in Howard County was so windy and cold we shortened it to 45 miles instead of 55. Thank goodness I had company - if not for the 4 brave souls who showed up to ride, I might not have made it with just my ipod. Chicken has a couple fun photos from the ride - we're smiling but dont let that fool you.

Other random events: I was driving home on Friday night from work in the dark ... cruising down 895 around 7pm (yes, just leaving work on a friday at 7pm - and that's early compared to recent days!) ... and I realized - I have no headlights. Both lowbeam headlights didnt work. Thank goodness the highway was well-lit, but as I was switching from lowbeams to parking lights to highbeams etc - just trying to figure out if I had any lights - I'm sure the people around me thought I was either drunk or stupid. Either way, they did tend to stay away from me - maybe this is a good strategy ?

After a spin session at CycleLife on Saturday, I went in search of someone to replace the lights. I know what you're thinking ... PlainJane, you raced cars. You can fix a silly headlight. Yeah, I thought that too, but no, that wasn't going to happen. Have you ever tried to replace a headlight in a BMW ? Darn German engineering makes it downright impossible. Anyway, no repair shop in DC would have anything to do with it. So I drove home before dark and kind of appreciated the excuse to stay home.

no, this isn't actually my car. It's way too clean


To make a long story short, I finally wound up at the BMW dealer in Towson. They're great, I just wished I didnt need to go there for lightbulbs ! Turns out there was a recall on some small part on my car so I got to cruise around in a new 5-series X-drive for a day. Almost made me want to get a new car ... almost. Anyway, $120 later, I now have headlights.

Zim - was that blogworthy ?

TGIF- 11/14/08

The great thing about Friday is that we're happy whether it's a dreary, rainy day (like today) or it's a perfect sunshine-y day. I have heard the term "working for the weekend" for years and I believe I now know the exact meaning. Knowing you made it to Friday in one piece makes the day go by just a little quicker.

Last night was the Grand Opening pah-tay for CycleLife. You can read the press release here. It was definitely well worth the wait - the shop looks phenomenal and both the owners and employees are super excited to get rolling (pun intended). Of course, the ladies of CycleLife were there to represent for our title sponsor. A few quick words from Mike and Rui (partners in the venture)along with corporate partner ING Direct and Mayor Fenty set the evening off right as we mingled with cyclists, industry reps, employees and local big-wigs. Everyone was so excited about the CycleLife concept and business model ... almost like the upcoming administration change in Washington, the level of optimism and excitement was palpable.

I can't wait to see the pics that were taken of our squad, in particular and the gathering, in general. Suffice it to say, CycleLife knows how to throw a party - I mean that to include both the company AND our race team !

On another note, I've decided these long hours at work have officially gotten to me. in a good way, though, because I find myself laughing at random stuff. Kinda like the silly-drunk laugh but without the subsequent hangover. My recent amusement has come from bumperstickers. As a rule, I dislike bumperstickers because it forces me to know more about the driver than I care to, or they tend to be crude/in your face statements.

But with my newfound easily amused-gene, I saw two yesterday that made me laugh outloud so I thought I'd share. (please excuse the crude language on the one and the political statement on the other. no matter where you stand on either item, these are still funny!!)







As E.E. Cummings once said, "The most wasted of all days is one without laughter"

Happy Friday.

TGIF 11/7/08

Ha - I bet you didnt think I'd do TWO posts in one week ! During the off season, no less. But, here I am, blogging on a Friday night. I lead a very exciting life, can't you tell ?

Random stuff: the weather today was super-awesome-cool. I took a much-needed and much-deserved extended lunch and ran a good 5miles or so in the city. It was probably one of the last "shorts and short sleeves" outdoor events of the year. Everyone and their brother had the same idea. It was funny watching people as I ran by - some were in shorts and t-shirts, some were in layers and some were bundled up like it was February. Hey, whatever works. I was just happy to get some sunshine since the last few days have been so dreary. I'm definitely one of those people that suffer from lack of sunshine and warm weather.

A couple years ago when I did the Bermuda Grand Prix, a few locals found out I was a CPA ... much to my surprise, job offers started coming in immediately. Usually some time in December or January, I start to think that maybe I should have considered those offers a little more !

Okay - now that the election is over and I was soooo good in not using this blog as a platform for politics (I'm positive that it took years off my life to refrain from posting my opinions), I have earned the right to say - Go Obama ! The amount of hope that I've seen and felt as a result of his election has been good for the soul - I dont think he's "the" solution and I am not so naive to think that things will change quickly, but I do think he offers something we haven't had in a long time: Hope.

I read an article in WSJ the other day that said all of a sudden, it was "cool to be American" again. The world believes that we are finally living up to our hype, that anyone can be anything in America. Even if all of this turns out to be talk, the goodwill that has come of this can not be ignored - for the first time in a long time, the WORLD feels hope over something that WE did. Very cool, indeed.

I'll hop off the soapbox for now ... and thanks for listening. Not looking for a political debate anymore (have had plenty of those with friends/ family/ acquaintances in the recent months), I just hope that despite the difference of opinion that we may have, we can still believe in hope for a better tomorrow. Isn't that a nice way to begin the weekend ??

Enjoy the weather - see you out there.

Go vote - Then read this !

If you haven't voted yet, stop reading right now. Seriously. It'll be here when you get back. Step away from the mouse and take your coffee with you, just GO VOTE. The last few years of apathy or ignorance (either way)have taken this country down a bad road ... If you don't vote your conscience today, you have officially given up your right to bitch, whine, complain or lament what happens over the next four years. This is YOUR country ... for crying out loud, have a little pride and VOTE.

After a quick spin on the rollers this morning, I waited in line for about 45mins to vote before work and lamented that I didn't think to bring caffeine. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits, despite the wait, but there was a general feeling that something big is going to happen, whatever the outcome. History is already made and will continue to be made whether we elect an african-american president, a female vp or the oldest man ever elected to the first term. This is our opportunity to right the ship, to get back on track, to regain our footing - whatever cliche you want to use. All that really matters today is that YOU - yes, you - go vote.

Okay, enough with my public service message. Now that you've voted, we can discuss other, less important but sometimes more entertaining subjects.

The ladies of CycleLife (sans Sara and Mel) took off this weekend to Raw Talent Ranch - most of our racing community has been there but for those who haven't, it's a fabulous spot in W Va owned by D20 stalwart, Jay Moglia. Awesome destination for training, escaping the rat-race or just taking a weekend away to hang out. The roads were just as good as I remembered and the fall foliage was out in force. Jay and Audrey took great care of us, leaving some goodies for our arrival, coming over to hold a bonfire one night and treating us to some live entertainment while we were there.

Michelle's Bday was Friday, so we celebrated with a gorilla and a bank robber: an odd pairing, but it seems to work for them.

Jason's bday was Saturday so we celebrated with a bonfire







and s'mores-









afterward, we rolled around on the floor for good measure.



As Paul observed: the ultimate bike-geek gathering. Thank you for understanding.












The area around the Barn is so serene - I took a long walk on Saturday evening, just enjoying the views and the silence of nature. It was breathtaking, absolutely what the doctor ordered given the hectic few weeks I've been having. Its funny - after a weekend of resetting your mind and spirit, coming back to the political rhetoric is comical. Politics are so out of touch with what's important, especially in the last minute election frenzy.

Many of you know this past year or so has been a tough one for me for various reasons. This weekend at RTR reminded me of the more important lessons I've learned in the recent past:

* Enjoy the good things in life for what they are

* When you ask someone how they are, actually listen to the answer

* Take the time to get to know people - whether they become friends or more, or you never see them again, it's a gift you've been given

* Tell your friends and loved ones how much you appreciate them on a regular basis

* Turn off the ipod or the tv - enjoy silence sometimes to let your mind go where it wants to.

* The past is gone and the future is yet to come - live in the "now" and enjoy it !

Yes, I'm aware that I'm feeling a bit profound right now. Humor me.

Thanks to the boys and girls that made this past weekend's trip an adventure - a good time was had by all, some new friends were made and some mountains were conquered... what more could we ask for ?

TGIF - 10/31/08

I would have updated today but, according to Zim, "not everything that happens to you is blogworthy"

TGIF - 10/23/08

Seems like all I blog about is how hard the week was, how busy I've been and how GLAD I am that it's FRIDAY. Well, I do have something of great import to blog about ...

SUCCESS !! (in baby steps)



So, I finally took my mountain bike to my LBS (Avalon Cycles - Donald is great!) to make sure everything was in working order. Recall that two years ago I had a little ... mishap ... on the mtb. A mishap that involved a cast up to my bicep so I looked like a cartoon character. And it really put a damper on my "I want to enjoy fall riding" that year. Anyhoo. The bike was quarantined for a year. Then it sat in my basement for another year. I kept saying that I should get back in the saddle but it was always bad timing - ie, if I break something now, I won't be able to race Nationals. If I fall and hurt myself now, I won't be able to enjoy Coach Slavedriver's bump and grind drills. These were really excuses, but they were viable excuses.

So, Donald and crew hooked my bike up and sent me on my way. I was invited to take part in a "shop" mtb ride in the park but decided that maybe I should get used to the awkward shifting (in comparison to my road bike!)first.

The old adage goes "it's just like riding a bike" ... and it was-shifting came back to me quickly, the trails at Rockburn Park were in good shape and there weren't too many other bikers out there so I didnt have to worry about accidentally running someone over. My goal for the day: don't fall, but if you do fall, don't break anything. I did not set the bar high.

I managed to stay upright and, I'm happy to report, I am still in one piece. I will admit to dismounting and walking over a couple of spots ... those of you that mtb would have pointed at me and laughed, I'm sure, but we're taking baby steps here. I judge this 2hr outing as a success.

In other news, cross training is going well. I had one of my best ever times on the rower this week for 5000m. Made a spin class. Actually did some honest-to-goodness intervals on the rollers. Even got out for a quick 4 or 5 miles (running) in the city one day for lunch. Tomorrow looks like either a quick run in between rain showers or an indoor workout. Boo.

On Sundays I've kind of gotten in the habit of starting my ride at Glenelg High School. I've spent bunches of time on the roads out there and absolutely love the riding - now I have to actually drive to the ride start, which isn't ideal, but it's such a great ride I'm okay with it. Besides, there's a Starbucks on the way. What can I say ... will travel for Starbucks.
I am always looking for good company to occupy the time over the miles ... otherwise its just me and my ipod. Thank goodness for Apple/iPod. I know some people don't like to ride/run with music but I dont know if I could do it without my music. As I explained to Coach Slavedriver, who asked me if I always ride with music: its like having a soundtrack to my life. Hmm ... wouldn't it be revealing to say what song is playing right now ?

TGIF - 10/17/08

I have been uninspired with regard to blog postings in the recent weeks. I'm fairly certain that the cycling community has no interest in my running escapades. My plain-jane accounting job does not hold any appeal to readers. I've been biting my tongue as far as politics - which is nearly killing me, as anyone who knows me will attest to. So, if I'm not racing, one must wonder: what else is worthy of blogging ? What indeed - how about some random ramblings:

I'm looking forward to seeing the new Oliver Stone movie about "W" (it's released today, I think)... even if you're still a Bush fan (one of few), you have to admit the movie looks intriguing. I think I can say that without ruffling political feathers, can't I? Trailer is below, courtesy of youtube.



Speaking of ruffling political feathers, I have had several debates with my grandfather about the election. We have agreed to disagree, but it got pretty heated. We went from politics to religion to money, so it was a doozy of a conversation. The great thing is that while we did get into it, he understands that I enjoy a good debate - I learn from it, I enjoy the sparring and I find it to be quite interesting. Some think that the second you disagree, you should shut it down. I dated a guy like that once - anti-conflict, wouldn't even approach a subject that MIGHT cause disagreement. That didn't last long !

Update: the good news is that my basement is back in order. Without the half-bath that I had hoped to put in. At the risk of alienating anyone who deems themselves a "contractor", my recent experiences with contractors leaves me with one word to describe them. I'll leave that to your imagination. Suffice it to say, the Great Flood occurred in early July, I literally just got carpet put in last week. Sigh. I wish I could do MY job that way ... it'd be a helluva lot easier than these 12 hour days I've been putting in.

I figure that the 12hr days this time of year are much less painful than they would be, say, in July, when race season is peaking. Brownie points are a good thing !

Team stuff - a couple of teammates have put together some great photos and summaries of the season for Team CycleLife ... after reading it and looking through the pics, I'm motivated to ride again !!!




I've actually been on the bike quite a bit these past two weeks - more than I expected and much more than Coach SlaveDriver called for. I've been trying to get my running-miles in during the day (as a self-imposed break from work) but have been missing out on outdoor cycling miles. I LOVE my new rollers - they're super-awesome-cool. I prefer to ride outdoors, as we all do, but if you have to train indoors, you gotta get yourself on some e-motion rollers. I don't get paid to say this, they aren't a sponsor etc etc ... they just make indoor training a little less painful.

Not surprised but still disappointed by all the new positive tests for doping amongst the pros. Don't mistake me for a pessimist, I much rather the phrase "a realist". I have often said that the riders who succeed w/o being caught for doping are the ones who have the best doctors. The issue now is that the best doctors might be ahead of technology THIS MINUTE, but now we can go back to race samples and test with newer technology.

I've always said that hey, we know they're doing it. We know they're going to keep doing it (although the proposed 4yr suspension MIGHT discourage a few - 4yrs is a long time in this sport). We know they're usually a few steps ahead of the testing. Without absolutely destroying the sport's image (we're pretty close right now) what can we do realistically about it ?

It's a well known fact that cycling is the most self-tested/regulated sport as far as doping. Lets not get into the argument that pro-football players/baseball players are tested from time to time - their player unions require notice AHEAD of the testing (thereby eliminating the surprise element) and their suspensions are nearly non-existent, even when a player is found guilty. It is a well known fact that the size and weight of NFL players today is exponentially higher than those players back in the early days of the sport. Is it because they're just training harder ? I think not. They still have plenty of time to get themselves in the news for a suspected rape, murder, beating etc. I digress.

Went for a fabulous ride this morning before work - I had forgotten what a great way to start the day it was. The weather these past two weeks has been fabulous ... perfect for any outdoor activity. This weekend looks like a great weekend for some long miles - break out the light underlayers and the long-sleeve jerseys, highs are in the low 60s but sunshine is abound. The leaves are starting to fall so get out to enjoy the views, if nothing else. See you on the road !

TGIF - 10/3/08

Wow - political debates, controversial legislature, bank failures .... I think that in a few years we'll look back on this time and say - that was a crossroad. Things changed after that. In a few weeks' time we will either elect the first female VP or the first african-american President. The controversial "bailout" will either succeed in some small way or it will fail miserably. The American way of life - banks, lines of credit, loans and mortgaging away your life ... it will change one way or the other. Its exciting and scary at the same time - you can feel it in the air - things are going to change.

It is killing me not to espouse my opinion, make my case for the issues that matter to me, say why I think that one candidate is a better choice than the other (I dont think either of them are the perfect solution), what got us to this place in the first place ... but given the drama that my race reports have caused at times it seems an irresponsible thing to do.

On to another, lighter discussion. My good friend and teammate Michelle came up with this gem while running this morning - she sent me an email describing her thought process that ended with a nice thought for all of us to take home ... our perceptions of ourselves are never quite accurate, and in reality, we are our worst critics instead of our best cheerleaders. Since we tend to surround ourselves with competitive athletes (and we are, by nature of doing this silly sport, competitive ourselves) we are always striving for perfection - which I agree with Michelle that perfection is nearly impossible to achieve. Despite our own criticisms of ourselves - our weight, our musculature, being slower than we want to be, not having the ability to break the hour on the in the TT ... in reality, just being a part of this sport and being a part of something that is so competitive and demands so much dedication - we are truly much better people - inside and out- than we comprehend.

Despite the fact that the philosophical thought was a bit much before coffee, it was a nice moment to take a deep breath, smile at the accomplishments and goals I have achieved and re-motivate to keep at it ... a good reminder to to do it for the right reasons. Don't do it so that when you look in the mirror you can validate yourself, dont do it because you want to beat so-and-so, don't do it to show up your ex ... Do it for your health, the adrenaline, the rush, the release, the love of the sport, and the love of your body.

Thanks Michelle - it was a much needed moment of pause for me. TGIF.

TGIF - 9/26/08

Summer is officially over. Actually, it was over on Monday but since it is "officially" off-season, I haven't updated my blog since last Friday. These past two days have been a pretty shocking dose of "summer is OVER" and "put away those sandals, break out the sweaters". I actually love this time of year because of the gorgeous colors and the lack of humidity. This past week (until it started raining yesterday) was just about perfect for me.


So, the ING Direct Capital Criterium was last Sunday - Click on that link and see the best finish-line shot ever ... with the US Capital in the background.

Since I've been off the bike for three weeks, I was not disappointed that I couldn't race. I found it kind of novel to be able to enjoy watching/helping out with the race without being stressed about being on my legs, what and when I should be eating and where I need to be for my warmup. Huge props to ING Direct and CycleLife, whose support made it all happen, Mark Sommers, who promoted the race, and the members of DC Velo (especially those guys that were up at 5am to work the race and still gave us something to cheer for during the big-boy race!). Joe Jefferson gave us some great color commentary during the early races and some fun interviews during/after the big-boy race. Everyone I talked to seemed to be having a great time and locals were genuinely impressed and curious about the race, the sport and what the heck was going on in their "backyard".

I had the pleasure and opportunity to have dinner with a few of the pro-guys over the weekend - I wasn't overly thrilled at the prospect as I don't do the star-struck-fan kind of thing but it turned out that they were totally cool, normal, down to earth and personable. Its funny - "real" pros are passionate about the sport but it doesn't define them. The pseudo pros that I have met during my limited career in cycling are completely over the top. Kudos to the real guys - it restored my enthusiasm in the sport.

Thanks to everyone that came out to support the race - It's not every day that you shut down Pennsylvania Avenue for a bunch of lycra-clad cyclists to play for a few hours. I ran into lots of guys and girls that I haven't seen in a while and I got nothing but good feedback ... I am looking forward to doing the race next year because everyone that did the race kept saying how great/fun the course was.

Speaking of restoring enthusiasm, I am happy to report that I got on my bike for the first time in 3 weeks on Saturday. With all the talk about the race and some interaction with some of the racers, I was inspired to get back in the saddle. Saturday was a beautiful day and the ride went well - much better than I thought considering that I've been running so much. I enjoyed it so much that I actually did my pre-work workout tuesday morning on my brand-spankin'-new e-motion rollers ... yes, you read that right - I got on the rollers/on the bike on purpose ! Look out, cycling world ... I'm back !

Well, kind of. I'm still running and doing other things, but I am looking forward to my bike workouts again. Except today because I'm pretty sure I'm coming down with a cold. Dammit. Two friggin' days of fall and I'm already coming down with a cold. At least it waited until it was cool and rainy - I won't feel so bad when I bundle up in bed with a good book and some hot tea tonight. Yeah, I know how to live it up.

Happy Friday !

TGIF - SERIOUSLY (9/19/08)

My, my ... what a week ! Running, rowing, spin-classing, hiking, planning the weekend - a girl's gotta go to work just to get some rest ! Seriously - I ran almost 25miles last week (not at the same time, silly ... longest yet was 7+ miles last Saturday). I am already up to 15 this week, not including the 8+ mile hike at Old Rag.

Jilly and Mitch went with me last Sunday to climb the mountain ... remember, when it was a thousand degrees ? I'm not complaining, it's just a - different - experience when it's 90 degrees versus 60 degrees. It was the first time I've been really hiking in almost two years so I was super excited. We were so busy chatting when the hike started (and distracted by the two guys finishing their "speed hike" by almost running over us) that we missed the turn off ... we wound up doing the hike backwards, which was cool. Kind of like a whole different hike. Highly recommend. However, as Mitch learned, you need to wear your hiking boots a few times before attempting a "real" hike. And if you have blisters from running, they ain't gonna go away while you're climbing a mountain. The rock scramble at the top was super cool - better than I remembered it. Of course, my memory of the rock scramble was attempting to do it while still nursing a broken collarbone. I have no idea how that went down, I think I blocked it out of my memory.

Anyhoo. Updates, updates ... basement is slowly but surely getting fixed. Apologies in advance to any of you who are "contractors" but my experience so far is that contractors suck. I think they suck worse when you're a female trying to accomplish something - it's almost like they think as long as they say something with confidence, you have to believe it. Seriously. Don't even get me started on their surprise that I actually read the insurance estimate and I actually pointed out where they didnt do what they were supposed to. A female who reads. Who'da thunk ? I'm not bitter or anything, can you tell ?

This weekend is the BIG RACE in DC. I've heard info about it on a couple of different radio stations - nice piece on WTOP with Mark Sommers. Since I dont live in the immediate area, I did not get to see the commercial. I'll have to find that on you-tube or something. Anyhoo, all the big boys are flying in over the next day or so ... DC should be the happening place for cyclists this weekend. Hopefully we'll see you there - the CycleLife ladies will be out in force on Sunday to help out at the race. Robin and Z are currently riding with the ING folks - their 3rd day of 50+ miles to do the trek from Wilmington to DC. The weather Gods have smiled upon this whole event - the ride has had some awesome weather and Sunday looks to be picture perfect. Get out there and welcome/cheer on the big boys. Its not every day they close down the streets in front of the Capital !

Good luck to those of you doing the Charm City Cross this weekend - I'm sorry I'll miss it; it's so close to my house but I will, once again, be trekking down to DC. You'd think I lived there, I'm down there so much.

See you on Sunday - TGIF.

Silly Season 2008

Since I've been MIA on the race scene as of late (congrats to all of you who made it to the final couple of races ... I wimped out!), I'm relying on a reprint from a prior "journal" posting I made a couple of years back. Ali (ABRT) just reminded me of it and I thought I'd dredge it up ... despite the fact that it was written two years ago, it still applies. Enjoy. And yes, this counts as a blog update ... we're allowed to reuse and recycle, dammit !

(as an aside, obviously my team affiliations have changed but my feelings toward my friends and surrogate teammates on ABRT have not!)

*******************

.... Well, the 2006 road racing season is, to quote my grandfather, all over but the shoutin’. Congratulations to everyone for making it through another year, hopefully with a few new race numbers to keep as souvenirs, maybe a medal or two and some personal bests. Now the time for silly season has begun.

What is silly season, you may ask ? To give credit where credit is due, it is a term I borrow from my childhood in rural Maryland where everyone followed NASCAR. No comments, please! Silly season began as the racing season wound down and drivers, owners, crew chiefs and sponsors were all playing musical chairs to determine where they might land for the following season. There are inevitably rumors; some with foundation and some completely out of the ball park, contradictions and big changes in store. I think this is a great description of the bike racing community during this time of the year.

In my 3rd silly season, I've noticed that each year is a little different, but not much. Several riders are outwardly free agents, several are quietly checking out options, a couple of people are talking about starting new teams and others are talking about folding their teams. Last year, since I raced unattached, I was in the midst of the madness. Thank goodness that this year I get to be on the other side. Despite this, I heard the other day that I was not returning to ABRT. Then I heard that ABRT is not fielding a team next year. Both rumors have absolutely no basis – but hey, it’s silly season.

If you are looking for a new home for the 2007 race season, there are a few things I learned during my limited time racing that might help. I know a bit about the issue as I’ve been on 3 different teams in as many years ! This will be the first year that I am returning to the same team – which is pretty cool because I’m thrilled with ABRT and really excited about the direction that the women's team is going. Okay, enough cheerleading … on to the lesson of the day:

Goals – your goals have to be at least compatible with your potential team/teammates’ goals. If you want to win a MABRA championship but the potential team plans to run an NRC schedule, there are some compatibility issues.

Training- some people train alone, others like to train frequently with teammates. If you’re a loner and you’re joining a team that trains together weekly (or vice versa), there might be issues.

Teammates – if you’ve been racing at all, you know that there are people in the peloton that just rub you wrong. For whatever reason, you can’t see throwing yourself on the sword to help out this person as a teammate, and you’re pretty sure that he/she wouldn’t do it for you either. This is a really important red flag. You don’t have to love everyone on your team, but you probably want to be able to tolerate and work with everyone. If you don’t know your potential teammates well enough to make the call, you should ride with them a few times before making a decision. Usually they will want to ride with you to ensure a good fit anyway.

Since clothing orders usually go in by November, you now have less than two months to play musical chairs. Sounds like you better get to it ….

***************

Shameless plug: Team CycleLife has been awesome in our inaugural year ... we're looking forward to continuing our team building in 2009 and doing things bigger, better, faster, more ... maybe my next post will be a season recap - just to get myself back into thinking about cycling. Heck, I might even get on my new e-motion rollers soon !

See you all at the DC race this Sunday. It's going to be awesome.

TGIF - 9/5/08

Life outside of cycling ... can there be such a thing ?

I've been struggling as of late with the word "balance". No, I don't mean the fact that I'm not the most graceful thing in the world. I mean having some semblance of balance in life: family, work, school, social life, vacation etc etc. Given that cycling is a haven for OCD-prone people (myself included), balance isn't exactly our ... forte.

We tend to have blinders on, eyes on the prize, pushing to the limits to achieve something that seems worthy at the time. I've heard of cyclists lying to significant others to get to races or having secret bank accounts so they don't have to justify paying more than double a mortgage payment for bike parts and accessories. I've seen kids, wives and husbands being hoodwinked (yeah, I said it) into a nice weekend trip only to find out later that they'll be spending half of it on the side of some godforsaken road in the "feedzone" for the privilege of a glimpse of their loved one about every hour or so. This is not balance. This is insanity !

I am not preaching here - I am guilty of the same. I suppose being a single professional keeps me from getting into too much trouble: no one to lie to, not in danger of going bankrupt for those new e-motion rollers. But I started to find that all the interactions I had with other people had something to do with cycling. I was living, breathing, sleeping - cycling. Any guys with potential for dating had to be as obnoxious about it as I was. I was missing out on weddings, celebrations, family gatherings, vacations ... all for the sake of not missing a race. The last real vacation I took without a bike was before I started racing. 5 years ago. All vacation time at work was reserved for out of town races or training camps.

Lets not even mention the lack of maintenance/upkeep on my house. Luckily my wardrobe consisted of mostly lycra other than dry cleaning items for work, so laundry was done on a regular basis if only to have kits to wear. My poor cat thought he was an orphan. He seemed more surprised when I was home on a weekend than not. My car hadn't been washed in months. My vespa sat idle because you can't carry a bike on a vespa.

The problem is that you get so caught up in training and racing that you don't realize that "real" life is passing by. I have had a couple of "off" weekends as the season winds down. I've caught up on some reading, devouring about 4 books in the last two weeks. (loved the twilight series ... easy, fun, mindless entertainment ... always looking for suggestions for new books. I digress.)

My non-cycling friends and family have been shocked to see me appear at late-summer events. My nieces declared that it must be really special if I'm there, 'cause I'm always racing. My sister kept asking when I had to leave, because she knew I needed to be on the bike somewhere at some point. As some of you probably noticed, I even took a break from blogging/participating in anything bike related. I didn't realize how stressed I was trying to finish out the season. How much I let it take over my every thought. These past few weeks have been eye-opening, at the very least.

The scary thing is that I was just contemplating trying cyclo-cross. I think I'll hold off on that until I can balance out road racing. If there is such a thing.

Have a great weekend !

TGIF - 8/22/08

Okay, I'm back in action with my TGIF posts ... I kinda flaked out last week with a little too much going on all at one time. This is going to be a bit of a rant, I believe, so hold on tight.

First, can I just say that the sheer amount of negative energy out there is astounding? Everyone has something to b*tch about, and the anonymity of the internet/email gives people an outlet without consequence. I don't mean this just b/c of the anonymous replies to my last post - I welcome CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, commentary, jokes (even at my expense) and suggestions. I do not welcome people who want to take shots and belittle someone else's opinion or perspective. Come on, people: you wouldn't say these things in this way if you had to do it to someone's face. You know why ? Because you know it's not how you should treat others. It's mean and nothing good comes of it. The only reason you feel comfy doing it is because you think there is no consequence.

This is kinda like the guy who flips you off in traffic, or throws something at you as you're riding your bike on the shoulder. Kind of like the idiot in front of you that brake-tests you. They can do it from the safety of their vehicles and will likely never see you again. That doesn't mean it's right, it just means that they are showing their true nature - absent all controls, this is the person they would be. The thought that this is the nature of so many people is scary.

So DC Velo announced the DC Crit yesterday. My inbox is full, I have stopped checking emails right now. Some are supportive of the event and asking how they can be a part of it. THANK YOU for positive karma !! Some are asking genuinely honest questions - I am doing my best to answer them as well as I can. Some are just plain crappy. Accusing me (and sometimes my squad) of not supporting womens racing. Um ... excuse me ... have we met ? I am no Evelyn, but I have done plenty to support racing in general and, specifically, womens racing - number 1, I actually SHOW UP TO RACE when promoters have womens fields. Heck, I even sometimes show up to race when they dont ! Most of those that are chastising me and my team are those that I haven't seen at races more than a handful of times all year. Seriously ? How can you preach that everyone should hold a field for you when you don't show up ? Is it just in case you decide to show up ?

I am excited about the DC Crit. This is going to be a race on a grand scale - the first in downtown DC and on the level with CSC, which, unfortunately, is not going to happen again (so I'm told). Bike racing is going to be on the national stage. The sheer amount of goodwill, positive publicity and exposure that this event will garner is GOOD for anyone who rides a bike ! Look at the big-picture - if this does positive things for the sport in general, aren't we all winners ? The promoters and sponsors want to grow this into a marquee event - that means a big-girl race is in the future !! Isn't it worth getting something off the ground, however imperfect, in order to give us a bigger, better venue in the future ? Is it so bad to have a little patience that you'd rather torpedo the whole event - and all that it can do for the greater good - just because it can't happen immediately ?

My vote is to be a part of the solution. So I can either race with the boys or help with the race in general. You'll see me and my team helping out with the race - we'll be there to make sure they know that women's racing is alive and well, and we support the clubs that put time, energy, effort and money to try to expand bicycle racing in the region. Given the paltry schedule of 2008, perhaps instead of trying to tank one of the new and exciting events, maybe we should concentrate on some of those clubs that haven't bothered to support the sport by throwing a race of their own - much less one on this scale.

I just can't deal with so much negativity. I realize we all have our opinions and we all have a right to them - thank goodness we live in such a place where we can express them openly. But please, for crying out loud, can't we try to be positive ? Can't we have intelligent and educated discourse instead of devolving into childish name-calling ? We have so much good stuff to offer - each of us - if we just try to be a part of the solution.

That's all I've got for today - let the anonymous comments and criticisms ensue. See you at the races.

Tour de Millersburg

For those of you that have never been there, Millersburg is a little town in PA just outside of Harrisburg - it's small-town-America where the townsfolk come over to chat during dinner and invite you to their homes to see the beautiful landscaping they have done. I'm not making that up, that happened.

This was the 2nd year that Millersburg pulled out all the stops for a 2-day, 3-event stage race. The courses were thoughtful, safe and challenging, but not so much that the racers couldn't impact the race. Everything was located in/around the center of town so parking, registration and getting to the courses was a breeze. They added a ton of nice touches - neutral water, cookies and wraps after the road race, two opportunities to schmooze with Bob Roll ... very cool. The best part was the obvious support from the community. People came out to see the racers they met last year. They would see us riding on the roads to warm up or cool down and they'd wave or cheer for us. They gave us recommendations for food, tried to hook everyone up with host families (see the C3 blog here) and generally encouraged us to have a good time. We were treated like they WANTED us there. It was novel and much appreciated.

On to the race. The 1-2-3 field was small but had some depth - again the Juice Plus star, Laura, showed up. HPC sent 4 strong riders, C3 had a squad of 5. Team CycleLife sent a team of 3 1/2 .. I say 1/2 because I was but a shell of myself. Three or four consecutive days of little or no sleep, stress from work and family combined with being on my feet Friday night finally caught up with me. I had lost most of my personality and felt terrible before we even got there.

The TT course was perfect for me - I should have rolled it pretty well, but I didn't. I couldn't get focused, I couldn't get my pacing right and when I finally got into the groove I nearly missed the turn around b/c I wasn't paying attention. I lost a good 10sec there, I'm certain. Sara got 9th, Robin, 10th, Mel , 14th and I came in 12th -even with all that drama, I was only a couple seconds off the top 5, so I guess I should have been pleased with that. I wasn't and so the day went on.

The girls went to check out the crit course and I was grateful for a little bit of solace while I tried to regain my personality and recover for the crit. Given our TT finishes, we were protecting Sara as our GC contender. I raced fairly conservatively most of the race, chasing a few things and bringing back a couple of dangerous moves ... I was in good position and tried to stay relaxed the whole time. On the whole, I felt much better about this race. Until we got the bell lap. Someone attacked and (unnamed rider) decided she wanted to chase as we were leaning over into the first left turn - she didnt even look before she abruptly swerved left. I saw it happening and yelled at her not to do it ... she did it anyway and I had to slam on my brakes or T-bone her. Seriously ??? I know we all make questionable moves sometimes but this was blatant. I slammed on the brakes. And then had to get restarted in the middle of a hill. In my 53-13 (at least it felt that way). Fabulous. That was the split in the pack and while I chased my little heart out, I couldn't catch. I wound up about 12th while Sara made the split and wound up in the top 10. Melanie finished right behind me and Robin stuck it out to finish at the back of the pack.

My lack of filters kicked in here b/c I tore off in search of (unnamed rider). I was pretty heated - I absolutely HATE when people take my safety into their hands... If I hadn't seen it happening, she would have taken half the field out in that turn, going about 22mph up a hill. For my fellow competitors, you're welcome - I made it crystal clear that this was unacceptable.

That night we stayed in a cabin - a straight-up cabin, bunk beds and a bathroom, that was IT. It was mildly entertaining but I was so tired I don't think it would have made a difference. We slept until we woke up, which was good.

Our race was at 1:15 so we had plenty of time to relax and get our things ready. 54 miles was a long race for us but by this time I had something to prove. We were again protecting Sara since she was highest in GC. Race was fairly animated with the big guns launching attacks and the field responding. 3-laps,18 miles. By lap 2 I knew it was going to end in a field sprint. There was a fabulous downhill into town with a hard right turn and a chicane leading into the sprint so this was going to be interesting. I went back and grabbed Sara several times to bring her to the wheels she needed to be on (near the front). I chased a few things and helped bring back a few things we weren't in.

After a last lap move by Lorena (HPC) was brought back, Juice Plus jumped. We had about 2k to go and it was ON ... we were like a freight train, no moving up and back, you were on the wheel or you weren't. We came into town and had it up over 40mph for the final sprint. I was in decent position - We made the final turn and I jumped with the sprint. I saw a white line and thought that was the finish - I hesitated for half a second before realizing the finish was another white line 5meters ahead. I lost a good 3 or 4 positions to that Cat4 move. But, still finished 10th and I'll take it. Melanie managed to sprint for the correct line for an awesome 5th place, while Robin and Sara survived the pack finish.

Once all the racing was over, things relaxed. We sat down for some pizza at the "Wooden Nickel". A local couple correctly pinned us as cyclists (what gave us away? Do we have it stamped on our foreheads or is it the panda-tan?) and chatted us up, asking about the race and our input on improvements.

We saved room for ice cream, because everything is better with ice cream. Truly. We sat in the town gazebo and read a little about the town's history on the plaques in the town square. The same couple from dinner came over and offered a tour of their beautiful yard- in DC or Baltimore, this would be odd and borderline frightening, but we're in small-town-America.

They lived about a block away in this gorgeous old home. Kathy had attended school in DC (horticulture) and was dying to show these DC dwellers what she does in her spare time. Their yard was absolutely covered with beautiful annuals and perinnials; trees, shrubs and flowers of all types. It looked and smelled wonderful. A winding stairway, lined with flowers, led us up to their wrap around porch where you could see the river and the sun setting.

Now thats the way to cap off a weekend of stress, sweat and tears ... If you can make it next year, put Millersburg on your list of things to do. You won't regret it. More Millersburg stuff on the Team blog.

Going Fast Enough

This weekend was a doozy. It went from being the third "off" weekend (from racing) in a row to being a busy, two day, 6 hrs of driving 250miles to race a blazing 45 miles - weekend. It felt great to be back in action - two weekends of no races was more than enough for me.

After swearing off time trials (for all of a month - essentially the period of time where there weren't any local ones anyway), I was a bit anxious about Saturday's Church Creek TT. At the advice of a teammate, I made a last minute appointment to get a bike fit - last minute as in we were finishing up around 6pm on Friday for my noon-Saturday start time. Hey, I like to keep things interesting. Long story short, I had my best TT ride to date on Saturday. I came in 2seconds off the winner- Rockstar Sonja Evers. And, better yet, I was not in excruciating pain - sure some muscles were sore because I never rode my TT bike except in a race, and sure my legs felt the effort - but I wasn't hobbling around because of knee pain. I wasn't having hamstring or glute issues. More importantly, (to quote a teammate), my girly-bits were all in tact. I was comfortable on my TT bike - I even (gasp) enjoyed the TT. Good gosh - did I just say that ?

Shameless plug: Josh Frick, Performance Director at CycleLife, helped me with my bike fit before the TT ... CycleLife is not yet open to the public, but our squad is filling the role of guinea pigs as they get up and running ... CycleLife has all the gucci equipment, Josh has tons of experience, success and hands on knowledge - a perfect combination. Bike fits are just one of the myriad of services that CycleLife will offer once they open their doors in September. I'm a believer - I went from asking Rick Norton to push my TT bike out of the car into oncoming traffic to 2seconds from winning the district jersey. As Josh told me after the TT - I was the one who had to pedal the bike, he just unleashed the beast.

Okay, after all of that, teammate Robin and I headed up to Christiana, PA to take part in the remaining event from the crowd favorite Tour de Christiana. Again, a shame the event didn't go off as the classic stage race, but I was glad to take part in my favorite of the three events - the criterium. For those that don't know the course, its a pretty technical 1.25 mile course with 9 ... count them ... 9 turns. That's not the best part - the last turn is into a fabulous hill to the finish line. Sweet. Field was fairly small - maybe 25 starters - but had some heavy hitters ... an Aaron's pro girl, the Juice Plus woman that won Wilmington Grand Prix ... a couple non-pro but super strong gals (ie Betty Tyrell, National Champion TT'er) and then some locals. I had no idea what my legs had left in them after the TT but I was bound and determined to make a run at it.

The race started well enough - a slow start up the hill, some minor attacks, a break of 2 got away but was subsequently reeled in. I chased a few things, followed a few wheels... halfway through, it started to rain- a light rain at first, just enough to make things slick. I saw Betty go off with Juice Plus and thought that looked dangerous. Two riders jumped through the turns to chase on and I jumped to chase onto them. I knew THIS was the race - I also knew I could make up time in the corners because I am pretty comfy cornering at high speeds. I was about 10 meters away from them going into the last turn before the hill and calculated in my head that I could catch them at the top of the hill, just in time to recover before the next set of turns. I set up for the turn and immediately knew I was coming in too fast for the newly paved and now slick with rain pavement.

Instead of flying through the turn, I slid through it, knocking over the barrier and generally causing the crowd to stir. I hopped up, checked to see how my bike was, ran to the pit and tried to breathe. I checked to see how much of my arse I left on the ground (not much - slid mostly on the wet pavement) and whined about how bad a spot for a pit this was -at the bottom of the hill !

While I was waiting for the field to come back around, Juice Plus had gone off the front only to slide out in the same corner I just came from. She, however, is a bad-ass and didnt even take a free lap. She kept on going, got caught by the rest of the "break" and later broke off again to win solo.

With Juice Plus going down, the officials were a little distracted so they pushed me out a little later than they should have so I chased up the hill to make contact. I made contact just as we were going through the turns. It was really raining now and I found myself behind Betty in the turns. Betty doesn't like cornering with other people and she's strong enough to sprint out of the corners and gap off going into them - that about wore me out but when I tried to get around her, I blew myself up and got gapped off the split. Damn !

I chased. And chased. I was in proverbial no-mans-land ... no one in sight ahead or behind me. It was pouring by now and I had 5 laps to go. By myself. I was bound and determined that I wasn't going to be caught by the field so I settled into a modified time trial position. It was raining so hard that I was laughing by the end - I was timid in the corners since I already played that game so I was coming to a near stop for each corner. The crowd was super supportive - after seeing me take a dive on the pavement I think I had their sympathy vote. Long story longer - I managed to finish pretty much solo, 7th overall. Tired, cold, wet and a little bloody ... but happy with the finish. I'm down a saddle, a skin suit and some skin ... well worth the sacrifice.

Quote of the day: (Mario Andretti) If everything seems in control, you're just not going fast enough.

Today I went fast enough.

TGIF 08/08/08

Yes, I'm finally updating my blog. I've been MIA most of the week because those people at my paying job actually expect me to work ... the nerve ! Don't they realize that work is just a means to an end and except for the fact that I kinda need the weekly paycheck because I am not independently wealthy and I have yet to find the elusive sugar-daddy, it really just gets in the way of things ?

I did manage to ditch work for the Greenbelt race on Weds. It was good fun - large fields and short races made for some fairly fast racing. I'm finally starting to get my legs back from that whole running thing a couple weeks ago. In the words of a fellow racer upon hearing that I was suffering b/c I went running - Why'd you do that? That was stupid. Why yes, thankyouverymuch for pointing that out because I hadn't thought of it.

Anyhoo. I had recently sworn off TTs because of my dismal TT rides this year but that didn't last... I'll see you at Church Creek tomorrow. Why ? I haven't raced for two weekends in a row and I'm kinda jonesing. I'm a glutton for punishment. I figure that if I keep banging my head against the wall, eventually it'll get through. I like to go by the old cliche - that which doesn't kill you will make you stronger. Yes, I've thought this through. The start times are super late compared to prior CCTTs; thankfully it's not supposed to be 100 degrees tomorrow.

If that weren't enough for one weekend, I'll be trekking up to PA to take a ride in the Christiana crit. What a great course - its a shame the stage race didnt work out this year (reference the RedRoseRaces debacle) but its worth the trip to go up to do a real crit.

Non-bicycle related: So I'm riding my vespa home from work yesterday and hear a crashing noise behind me ... I looked back (bad first reaction when you're on a bike/motorcycle) to see my shiny new top box flying across the road. For no apparent reason. Thankfully there wasn't that much traffic so I didn't cause any real issues ... more importantly, my laptop wouldnt fit so it wasn't in there. So much for having a place to put my helmet when I get off the bike ... I have to believe it was an installation error but I'm sure the installer (a local authorized Vespa dealer) will disagree. Sigh.

Thats about all I have for this Friday - I'm tired of being a corporate slave and ready for the weekend.

Gummi Bears - Miracle Fuel/Recovery Food

Breaking News : It has been reported by several reliable sources that Haribo Gummi Bears are, indeed, a miracle fuel and recovery food. These sources revealed the little known fact about the "real" gummy bears noting that cheap, imitation gummy candies do not hold the same benefits. If you find yourself getting dropped from the Greenbelt B race (*cough*), you may want to replenish energy supplies and boost recovery with Haribo Gummi Bears.

Yes, for those who witnessed PlainJane's dismal showing at Greenbelt this week, she is accepting pity donations of Haribo Gummi Bears. Don't try to fool her with the fake stuff, though.

***Update***

My sources adds: A little known fact is that G-Bears are the only performance enhancing substance known to mankind that is not banned by the International Anti-Doping Agency. They are recommended by United States Medical Association as a cure-all for everything that ails you, and are guaranteed to replace hair loss, aid waning libido, melt pounds away from your midriff and knock four minutes off your best 40KM time trial, ever. No lie.