Day One of Team TIBCO Spring Training Camp:
When we arrived for our housing in Carpinteria, I was amazed at the beautiful home and the beach frontage. This place is simply amazing. It is a beautiful old style Santa Barbara beach home complete with outdoor showers, patios, tennis court, and of course the deck on the sand. I couldn’t think of a better place to be vacationing—what bikes?
The first night we went over our team “handbook” covering the basic rules of management and operations. I still can’t believe that I am on this team. Each of the girls has all these accomplishments and talents, and I get to be not only in the same room as them but get to ride and race with them! Wow.
I slept sound last night because I am just about 200 feet off of the beach and I could hear the waves crashing on the sand. When I woke up, I just had to smile because I was so thrilled to be here and also really excited to get on my bike today! We had a leisurely breakfast, and met at 10am to ride. We rode from Carpinteria over the pass, around Lake Casitas, and down into Ojai. It was a beautiful ride that covered not only breathtaking views, but steady climbs and smooth descents. The team automatically shifted into a double paceline and we were covering the ground at a steady pace. There is nothing quite like a well organized team.
I learned a variety of things to today as my team offered the “newbie” tips and tricks of the trade:
Amber Rais on Descending…
“Have a mantra to tell yourself as your are descending”
1. Chin Up - Look 5 feet above the ground and look where you want to go. Your brain can’t process it if you are looking at the ground. Look far ahead into the exit of the corner.
2. Relax Your Arms – Stay relaxed, and don’t tense up. Keep your muscles loose and supple
3. Counter Weight – Weight on the outside leg
Amber Rais on Drafting…
1. Commit to one side of the wheel, if you are on the inside, choose the right and stay there. If she is going to make a sudden move, you will have an automatic exit without breaking.
2. Look through her legs and front fork to see what is going on in front of her to see if there is a hazard or something you may want to avoid.
Emma Rickards on Descending…
1. Keep your knee parallel with the top tube of the bike. This keeps your center of gravity centrally located
2. Always jam your weight on that outside foot. It stabilizes you around the center of the bike.
Ali Rosenthal on Cornering..
1. Keep your knee in, don’t throw it out. Once again, this keeps your weight centralized
At one point on the ride, Jeff Corbett, our associate director, had us “open” up our legs on a approximate 12 minute climb. We were supposed to do an aggressive paceline to the base of the climb, then it was “game time”. Apparently, game time meant launching up that climb as fast as you could. Ouch. It was a blast though to dig really deep and scrape up that climb. When we got back, it was all about eating lunch, letting Steve, our mechanic, know what was needed on our bikes, and get the swimsuits on to hit the beach! There is nothing as funny as a group of 12 girls in bikinis with some pretty sweet tanlines. I love it. The weather is so warm here and the place is so beautiful. I can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds! I am still holding on to my day job for now, but I could definitely get used to this.
