That's how I feel right now. I can't believe the race season is 1/2 way over....and yet it feels like a whole season has already gone by since my crash at Wente. I lucked out by having no broken bones....but not so lucky in that my bike was toast and I lost valuable training days. Giant got me a crash replacement frame at a discount and my favorite bike shop -Mad Cat bicycles - helped me put it together by teaching me how to build the bike. I've been learning how to do more and more of my own mechanical work on my bikes. It helps saves money and time and quite frankly, I think it's just a wise thing to know how to work on your own bicycle. There was so much road rash, and in an 'area' that makes direct contact with the saddle that it took me off the bike for 5 days. I was really looking forward to doing the Cat's Hill Criterium- one of my favorite crits - but I was barely able to do a painful recovery ride that same Saturday. I did another painful recovery ride Sunday and then was able to go back to training that next week. I had lost some high end - which is going to happen - that's the first thing to go when you miss some training. So, my first week back to training was difficult - I felt like I was fighting my body the whole time.
These last few weeks of training during my mid-season race break the beginning of June have gone really well though. I finally feel comfortable on the TT bike and I can feel myself getting stronger in the hills too. I keep looking to next season though because I know what mistakes I made during the off/base-buildling season and I know it's too late to make up for lost time/miles on the bike. I'm doing the best I can now with the 'tools' that I have in my 'bag'. I don't like all the DNF's on my race results and I think by now I've figured out that it's a combination of a lot of things: a not-so-optimal off-season, racing against the best pros in the country, being the domestique for my team and being a new Cat 2. I've tried to put things in perspective and have realistically determined that this year is a transition year. I did so well as a Cat 4 and then as a Cat 3 - finding it relatively easy to just put in the time I could on the bike, show up at races, race smart and feel physically competetive enough to get on the podium - and I did - frequently. I didn't put in anywhere near the time on the bike that I do even now and I know I need to put in more to be competetive at the Pro/1/2 level. But as a Cat 4/3, the other girls weren't putting in anymore time than I was either, so it wasn't that difficult to be competetive physically at that level. You can still work normally, have a normal life, etc and get decent results...as long as you're still commited to your training program. I upgraded relatively quickly (from what I've been told) and now I'm racing as a new Cat 2 against the best in the country who have been racing at the pro level for.....5-10 years. Again...PERSPECTIVE has been my favorite word this season.
I've also learned more this season than the last two combined. And...........the secret is out of the bag. I've been coaching myself since March. I've learned a lot from the past 'coaches' I've had and I've been doing a lot of studying on training with power. I've used a PowerTap for the past 3 years and have looked at/analyzed my own data along with working with my 'coaches'. I do it all by myself now. I'm trying to save money (another step along my journeyis trying to live on less and less....) and I've really learned to listen to my body and have figured out what works and what doesn't as far as training goes. I basically went through every work-out I've ever done over the past 3 years and wrote down what worked and what didn't. I looked at my power numbers and how/why different work-outs were given in different power training zones. I've also come far enough along in my development that I've realized that I'm an all-arounder. I'm too good of a sprinter to be a pure climber (which is probably why most of my podium finishes are in crits) and I'm too good of a climber to be a pure sprinter (which is why I can drop sprinters and some other riders on climbs, but sturggle to keep up with the pure climbers). So...I need to climb more and I still know that my biggest weakness is time trialing. I'm pretty sure that the power I gain from both more time trial and climbing training will transfer over to everything else...in fact, I KNOW it will. So...I wanted to start being more specific in my training to FOCUS on time trialing, while still 'keeping' my sprint, build my high-end with intervals during the race season and do lots more climbing. So....I knew I needed to move......to the hills. The hills are where it's at if I really want to improve. So I made the financial sacrifice and I'm so glad I did. That's step #2 - (Step #1 is below :)....there are more steps to come along my 'path' of getting to the 'pro' level...so stay tuned!
I was really tired at the end of May and I was planning to move soon anyway. I chose to take a mid-season break from racing, get the move out of the way, put in some more base and then....get back to it. Again, another thing I've learned coaching myself is when to take a break and how to change your training and racing schedules when needed......I'm glad I made the choice I made.....still learning from mistakes....and keeping things in perspective. I've done a few fun things though the last few weekends and made some new friends. I went to MadCat Ladies night, had a great time and did some more networking (another step I'm taking along my path...)
One negative thing did happen during my little off-season....something last Saturday...I posted a public note on Facebook deliberately, and I'll just copy it here:'I'm writing this 'letter' to every cyclist who shows up at group rides across the country. But mostly, this letter is directed at one individual. Last saturday I did the Coffee Republic Group Ride that rides from Folsom, CA up into the Rocklin/Auburn area. This group ride has been in existence for a very long time. There are many group rides in the area, each of them valuable to someone who races or just wants to get some high intensity in their training or practice some group/race skills. I choose this one because A) it's close to home and B) it's in the hills more-so than the River Ride in downtown Sac and therefore more valuble to the training I prefer. For those of you who have been riding a bike or racing for a long time understand what group rides are for, the general etiquette and the 'flow' of a group ride. They have a specific purpose, both for the racer and the non-racer. They also generally have a 'build' season that more-or-less corresponds with the racing season. In the off-season, they're not quite as intense, while in the middle of the race season, everyone is fit and the group rides are fierce; and as they should be. Learning the etiquette and flow of each group ride is essential to earning the respect of your fellow riders and keeping the rides where they should be. Everyone knows the drill. There's a common meeting area to socialize and get everything ready to ride for those who drive to the start, etc. Then around-about the 'start-time' everyone rolls out. Again, this is not always communicated verbally, it's just known. Some group rides are more structured while others are more laid-back. They usually have a known course that is familiar to all the riders and is communicated to those who are new. The idea is to 'hang' as long as you can, and over time as your fitness builds, you hang in longer and longer. It's race simulation and the pack-riding is also valuable. To the Elite female racer, I am used to being one of not more than 3-4 female riders in a group of at least 30+ male riders - many of them masters racers with a few Pro1/2 male racers. The intensity of the group rides in Northern California for me very closely mimic what a women's Pro/1/2 field is like. When I'm not racing (which was the case last Saturday) I put a group ride as a priority so as to not lose any 'high end' in the middle of the race season. I witnessed something Saturday that affected me greatly and has bothered me enough to write about it. Cycling is a beautiful sport and the bicycle is a beautiful machine. Respecting the sport, the bicycle and your fellow riders should be your main priority while riding if you truly love the sport. If you're out there because you have a chip on your shoulder, you only like to beat everyone around you because you have an ego the size of 'Lance' and you allow your emotions and anger to control you, then you simply don't belong in the saddle. You haven't earned your right to ride and you have no business showing up to a group ride, much less a race. It's that simple.The situation was this: The group ride had somewhere between 30-40 riders with two females (myself being one of them). The intensity of the group ride as it rolled toward Rocklin eased up nicely (there weren't any early really hard attacks). Then the climbs came - and right before we got to Sierra College Blvd, the pack split up and myself and 3 other guys began chasing and rotating turns. We could see the main group about 200 meters ahead of us and were about to catch on before the left hand turn that takes you to Virginia Town Road. We noticed two cyclists - one in an unmarked kit and one in a Safeway kit yelling at each other in tones that were filled with more rage than I'd ever heard before in the middle of a ride OR a race. We made the left hand turn, caught up to the gentleman in the unmarked kit, were about to make contact with the back of the main group, when the Safeway rider came dangerously weaving in and out of us to position himself next to the 'unmarked kit' cyclist he had been previously yelling at. He immediatley began yelling and poking his finger at him all while the other guy remained unresponsive - obviously quite willing to no longer be a part of the argument. Then....the unthinkable happened and I think that myself and the other cyclists around saw what was going to happen because we started yelling at the Safeway rider but.... it was too late. Keep in mind, we're still going 20-25 mph down a twisty country road. The safeway rider SHOVED the other cyclist off the road, into a ravine and we all watched as he endoed (sp?) over his handle-bars at a very dangerous speed. One cyclist stopped, and myself and another looked back and saw what we were afraid was going to be a continued fight. The two of us chose to keep going because I think we were afraid to be in the middle of such an ugly dispute. The 'victim' of the crash, I'm sure, sustained injuries. But...regardless of what happened, IT DOESN'T MATTER. If you can't control your temper and choose to put another person's LIFE in danger, then you don't belong on the bicycle. It's THAT SIMPLE. The example that the Safeway rider set for his team as well as his sponsors is repulsive. Technically speaking, this is assault and battery and had the 'vicitm' been killed - homocide. It's that simple. IT WAS WRONG ON SO MANY LEVELS. I expect to hear that the Safeway rider be removed from the race team, a public apology made and any financial/medical restitution made to the 'victim'. You may ask - 'Why is this her business??' Ladies and Gentleman, it's my business because I saw it and to do nothing would be morally wrong. It's my business because a cyclist who chooses to put someone else's life in danger because of unbriddled emotion also puts the rest of the group at risk. Cycling is a dangerous sport WITHOUT controlled tempers. It's my business....because I'm a fellow human being who saw a CRIME commited.I don't know the victim's nor the attacker's name. But I'm sure some of you do and I would encourage you to do the right thing and pass this along.Keep it safe. Keep it respectful.'
The response was immediate. The comments and e-mails flooded in. The support in the local cycling community for not putting up with such abhored behavior helps me feel hopeful. Everyone seemed to be just as appalled as I was and applauded my decision to speak out. I've been e-mailing with a member of the Safeway team, as well as other well-known cyclists in the area, to try to come up with ideas on how to turn this infamously-bad-rapped-group-ride into one that is safe for cyclists of varying levels of fitness as well as the motorists.
Next up...the Beginning of the End...the start of my Big Races for the 2010 season....Tour de Nez and the Nevada City Bicycle Classic! But now for some race reports!
5-29-31 Memorial Day Weekend - First 'Build' Weekend - I use the word 'Build' because another thing that I've learned is that to race at the Pro/1/2 level also means that you have to build your body to become accustomed to doing multiple race days back-to-back, recover, and keep going strong. I had gotten qualified to race on the track (see below) and since I was starting to feel like I was getting some 'form', there was a track race in San Jose the Saturday before the Memorial Weekend races in the same area...I thought this was a perfect opportunity to train my body to do 3 hard days back to back. I did well again in my first 'real' track race on Saturday and walked away surprisingly exhausted. The races are very short, but very intense and the whole effect on your physiology of track racing is very different from road racing. This is because you warm-up, do a relatively short, but incredibly anaerobic effort, cool down, legs up (for recovery), eat, warm-up again, anaerobic race...repeat....repeat...repeat.....Your metabolism has to work differently too. I did everything right all weekend though to aid my recovery. I ate right, made sure I was hydrated, did as little as possible outside of the racing scene, legs up, naps, rest, etc. Unfortunately though, I couldn't help what happened Saturday night before the Mt. Hamilton Road Race. I had a TERRIBLE night's sleep. All I remember thinking was 'I'm awake AGAIN?!?!' I woke up Sunday morning before the road race EXHAUSTED. I'm sure that effected my ability to perform on Sunday. That combined with the fact that the field was DEEP with pros (it was a Nature Valley Grand Prix qualifier) and so competition was stiff. Also, the course was brutal. It literally BEGINS on a 19 mile climb that averages somewhere between 6-7%. It took me 1 1/2 hours to climb it. I stayed with the main pack longer that I thought, but once Allison Starnes from Tibco attacked, and Peanut Butter (Shelley Olds and Kat Carroll) went with her...I was done. I did the majority of the rest of the race by myself. Things to keep me entertained along the way: an inordinate amount of caterpillers littering the road during the entire climb, the fantastic views taking in all of the lower East Bay/Penninsula, being 'assaulted' by a pouring down rain of bugs at the top of the climb, a few super fun and technical decents and then......the road the never ended. I had been warned about this race by my teammates. They said that the climb was only half the battle. The rest of the race is a series of rollers that NEVER SEEM TO END. And they were right....I caught up with a pro girl near the end and we came in together. We were both relieved to have someone else to 'suffer' with the remainder of the race. Surprisingly, I was riding stronger than she was when I caught her....and I had been racing alone for a longer period of time...a good sign for me?? Who knows at this point....
Like I said, I continued to do all the right things to recover for my third day of racing. A nice, long nap, legs up, food....the drill was becoming second nature. It's my lifestyle. All I think about when I'm racing is....'Is this going to unnecessarily drain my energy??' It's what I do off the bike now that determines how well I do on the bike....it's all the little things in-between that add up....and they did add up for my last race day. I felt AWESOME at the Morgan Hill crit. I had a fabulous warm-up, my body was incredibly responsive and I worked my a$$ off for my team. Tibco had attacked and there was a break up the road that consisted of several different riders, but ended with the two main contenders- Allison Starnes and Kat Carroll. My teammate - Mary Marroon - was in contention for qualifying for Nature Valley. Getting her in the top 10 was now a priority for our team. Every time I felt recovered during the race, I went to the front and helped chase. With two laps to go, there was still the two riders off the front that would we knew now would win the race. The pack was racing for third place now and I knew it. To discourage anymore 'fliers' and keep the pace high so Mary could end well in the pack finish, I went to the front again to keep the pace high and burned what would prove to be my last match.....I DNF'd.....and Mary finished in the top 10 and earned her place on the 'Pro Team' to Nature Valley. When I came around to my teammates for our usual 'post-race-chat' the looks in my teammates eyes left no doubt that I had earned their respect. Their verbal 'patts-on-the-back' were nothing less than genuine as well. I've never felt so proud of DNF'ing in my life....
Compliments of one of my favorite photographers: Veronica Lenzi5-22-23 Women's Track Clinic - Step #1 - So....again....there are lots of things/steps that I've thought about as being necessary to take along my journey. One of the things that I've always lacked is a lot of pure power. Focusing on my time trialing and doing more climbing will help that. I've also heard that racing on the track will help. So, when the opporutnity came up to attend a track clinic at the Hellyer Velodrome that basically meets your qualifications for racing on the track in two straight days rather than three seperate saturdays, I decided to take advantage of that. I'm so glad I did. the people who put on the track clinic were so impressed with how fast we picked it up. A world champion watched me during my first 'Mock' Team Pursuit and said...'You're a natural...' I don't need to state the obvious that compliment really helped boost me mentally after in the middle of such a difficult racing season. Racing on the track is a whole other animal, just like mountain biking. When I was explaining to people about racing on the track, I kept telling them that the whole dynamics between yourself and the other racers are completely different than when you're racing on the road. There is a much greater sense of respect and commeradery between you and your fellow racers because of two things: 1-your number one concern is safety for you and the other riders around you, while winning becomes secondary, and 2-You spend a lot of time hanging out in-between the races getting to know each other. Having all the rules and constantly thinking about safety while you're racing the track has an interesting affect though - it makes you WORK HARDER to win.... and makes you a smarter and stronger racer because of it. Also, you have to QUALIFY and pass tests to race on the track. You don't have to do that in road racing. Again...safety....this is because racing on the track is so dangerous. You are on a fixed, single speed bike with no breaks going 30+ miles an hour handle-bar to handle-bar to people. 99% of what we learned that weekend were about rules and safety. If they had the kind of rules in crits that they have on the track, it would be a whole other race...and MUCH tougher. As expected, I could definately tell that racing on a fixed gear bike was going to help me build power. I also realized quickly that my natural ability for high cadence came handy when I decided to attack each time I did well in a race and went well over 130 rpm's....quite easily. The Hellyer Velodrome is far away though - San Jose. That combined with my main focus being on the road makes it difficult to do much racing down there. I'm going to try to fit it in when I can, but mostly, I'm using it to add to my set of 'tools in my bag' to get me where I want to be.....and...it's just a lot of fun! Remember, I love anything on two wheels ;-)) Naturally, I've added a track bike to my list.....
I did well my first two weekends on the track, took the test, and got my 'FastTrack' Upgrade to a cat 3. (Thanks Larry Nolan ;))
5-15 Winter's Criterium - A Race to Get Back in the Game! This was a very confusing weekend - a lot was going on. I was almost able to race the Sacramento Grand Prix.. and that went back and forth 3 times....it's a long story and it doesn't really matter. I ended up doing the new, local criterium that is on a really fun and technical course, but was in strong competition with other really big-named bike races going on that weekend, namely Scott's Valley and the Sac Grand Prix. As a result, the field was really small but I felt really comfortable getting back into the middle of the pack. My teammate said that I looked really good. Unfortunately, the small field size didn't lend itself toward many places to hide and I screwed up my position on the back-side of the final lap and ended up somewhere between 5-8th place. The USA cycling results show me as a DNF - but that's not true. I didn't go check my results after the race, I just did a cool-down lap and then left the course immediately to finish my training ride - another hour + or so. Again, at this level, you have to commit to putting in more time, which is why a lot of crits turn into training rides before and after. Below is a pic from the race....
I also had my birthday that weekend, family was in town and I helped build my new race bike...
Yea...she's a beauty...and a DEFINATE upgrade! I LOVE climbing on it and the aggressive compact geometry is still something that I value racing crits. The perfect bike for me :-) I took her on her 'Virgin' ride the morning before the Sac Grand Prix on Sunday. And the coolest part....I rode some of the same roads that the Tour of California were coming on just a few hours later up in Auburn. It was really cool to see the signs, course marshalls, lawn chairs, tents, etc. set up for the race that would be coming through on the same climbs that I was just doing. I headed straight to the Sac Grand Prix after my training ride....still on my new race bike...to do race support for my team. It was a lot of fun to be there and a cycling journalist (cyclelicious) took my picture just as my teammate was racing by and asked what I was doing there. I was yelling time splits etc at my team....
5-9 Berkeley Hills Road Race - A Race to Suffer Through Like I said previously, I hadn't raced since my crash at Wente. I knew I had lost some high-end and I was still 'coming back'. I knew Berkeley Hills would be more of a training ride for me, I just didn't know it would be that miserable. Everyone has those days on the bike where their body just doesn't respond...mine was doing that...and more. I felt like I was fighting my body, the bike, everything....the whole time. On top of that, it rained, was cold and very windy. It was also a very difficult road race with lots of climbing each of the 4 laps - and of course...more pros to contend with. Had I finished the race, it would have been over a 5 hour ride...and my body was toast at 4+.....another reason I know I need to 'change-up' my winter base-training. I've GOT to be able to do several 3-5 hour rides back to back....it's difficult doing that during the race season when you're trying to build intensity; so having that BASE underneath you, while still maintaining it with a few long rides a week during the mdidle of the race season is CRUCIAL. Again...more lessons learned. I DNF'd...and I was grateful it was over.....Below is a pic on one of the climbs.
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