Alison Tetrick

Fall has arrived in Marin.

Fall in Marin may  not be like the frigid Colorado snows, or the vibrant Vermont foliage, but it is fall for us Californians nonetheless. 

What is fall in Marin?  It is marked by a slight chill in the air which is complemented by the warm sun.  It is a remarkable combination, a brisk wind and a balmy cloudless day.   The views are so spectacularly clear, you feel like you can cut the definition with a knife.  The bay is aquamarine and the trees are evergreen.   The air still lingers with a damp, pine and eucalyptus essence.  Everything about it makes you crave pumpkin spice and warm vanilla sugar.  And then there is the wind.  The wind makes you want to take up a slower, more relaxed sport.  A sport that doesn’t tend towards high wind resistance.  A sport that doesn’t require you to break the speed and wind barrier thus creating the wind chill factor of a descent.  A sport where you feel the warm sun, and not the cold breeze.  Speed walking anyone?  No, I tried that and it just looks silly.  I will stick to the cycling thing, but maybe drink a chai latte after my ride just to inhale the fall spirit.

1. You can start rides late, when you want to and the duration you desire.  Long or short, it is your ride on your time.

2. You can listen to Willie Nelson on the ride, a violin concerto, Taylor Swift, Enya, or whatever you want because you need no further motivation.

3. You can stop and take pictures of the view, check at the passing banana slug, count the points on the buck leaping by without worrying about ride time.

4. It is completely acceptable to plan your ride around coffee shops, bakeries, and farmers markets.  The rides involve cappucino, pastries, and a tour of bakeries. 

5. You can choose not to ride if its too windy or too cold or too cloudy…

6.  You can choose not to ride if its too clear and too beautiful out to spend in the saddle.  Instead, you opt for a walk and the pool…

7. If its raining, you can decide not to ride because you don’t want to get wet, don’t want to get your bike dirty, or just because you don’t want to.  And if you do?  Go for it.  You can clean your bike when you want…or not.

8. You don’t have to ride, you can run, do you yoga, row, or you can mountain bike, cyclocross, or use those silly elliptical machines in the gym (but who would want to do that instead of being outside).  The options are endless, and they show you how much you really like to ride a bike…

9. You don’t need any data from your ride…no heart rate monitors, no power meters, no altimeters, no measuring of any kind… Yet, if you are like me, and are a little OCD about data, you bring them anyway… Ha.  Just try not to stare at them!

10.  You start avoiding the “fast rides” and start riding with a more mellow crowd that is about chatting, cruising, and eating muffins.

11.  Maintenance can happen later, this time is about you, your relaxation, and your time.  Do what you want, but you will find that doing what you want causes you to want to do what you aren’t supposed to be doing—riding more!

12. The words “laps”, “intervals”, “repeats”, “threshold” are no longer in your vocabulary.  Instead, you have replaced them with “cruise”, “tour”, and “eat”….

13. When you find yourself saying, “so this is what normal people do on the weekends…”

14. You can stop by and have brunch at that cafe you always ride by and wonder who has time to have a brunch when there are miles to be done.  I am not going to say I have done this, but I have considered it. 

15. You can step outside of your comfort zone and try cyclocross, mountain biking, or go to the velodrome for your first time.

16. People ask you what your goals are for next season, and you respond, “Next season? What?”

17.  As much as you take pride in taking your “off-season”…on a perfect, bluebird day, you see fellow cyclists rolling down the bike path, and you get a twinge of jealousy and want to shout out to them, “It’s off-season!  Get off your bike!” But really, you just want to join them… instead you keep walking the dog down the path.

18.  You realize why running is time efficient, but it is slow, and involves impact.  Why run when you can ride a bike?

19.  You remember why you don’t like cross-training, or triathlon.  I still haven’t convinced myself to get back in the pool!

20. You can’t wait for training to begin!

Yesterday I had the best ride of my life.   Have I said that before? Yes.  Will I say that again? Absolutely. 

However, yesterday was the best ride of my life.

For those of you didn’t get to appreciate the day here in Marin, California, it was a flawless day.  It was October 24th and 80 degrees.  Crystal clear. No wind. What a perfect day for a bike ride. 

I left late, around noon.  It was a luxurious start to the day.  There was no hurry and no rush.  It was my day to get on the bike because it was flawless.  Maybe the ride was so great because it is the off-season, and riding is now a treat.  A special indulgence that I can allow myself.  Maybe it was that I was well rested, my legs are fresh, and ready to ride.  Maybe it is because it wasn’t running, it wasn’t yoga, it wasn’t power walking, and it wasn’t hiking.  It was fast, it was rhythmic, it was exhilarating, it was monotonous, it was everything road riding should be.  Maybe riding is just fun, and Marin is a spectacular place to live and ride your bike.  Maybe.

Yesterday was the best ride of my life and I could soak it all in.  Soak in the sun, the views and God’s creation.  I loved it.  Absolutely.  

Riding 4 hours by myself gave me the time to think of all sorts of things.  Life is a good on the bike, and the time to yourself is always nice.  Reflection and enjoyment.  Like I said, it was a good day yesterday.   

I think you should have countless “best rides of your life”.  You should have good days and you should have bad days.  Yet, you should also have “best days”.   This is what keeps us going on the hard days, this is what gets us out on a drizzly day in the the winter base training.  We can remember those days that you allowed yourself to only do what you wanted, and it was perfection.

Go and do it.  Have the best ride of your life.

I think I have the tendency to go a little overboard sometimes.  Sometimes?  Maybe. 

A few examples.

If you had seen my A+ Bug Collection in the 7th grade, you may agree.  My parents just had the opportunity to finally get ride of the thing, but it was keeper, let me tell you.  I had cut the glass to lay over the box I had made, and ever bug was displayed flawlessly.  There may be a reason that my parents have the nickname for me “Bugs”.

Then I moved on to the Science Fair in 8th grade.  Make rock candy?  Nah.  Acid rain display?  Nope.  I decided to do a Genome Project on mice.  350 mice later, I had discovered thier punnentt square on recessive and dominate coloring, and won the science fair. 

The science trend continued through high school and on to college.  It was Biochemistry, throwing in NCAA tennis, with Molecular Biology, Nutrition, and sorority.  Why not? 

I started playing tennis my freshman year of high school, and decided I wanted to take it to NCAA.  I took up running, and started racing.  I took up cycling, and started triathlon.  My first triathlon was a half-ironman.  I started bike racing.  In 3 months, I was a pro.  In 6 months, I was at the Olympic Training Center, and in under a year, I was in Europe for the US. Where will I be this time next year?  I hope Worlds. 

Crazy.  Impulsive? Nah. Overboard?  Maybe.  Driven?  Absolutely.

I take a goal and I run with it.  What may seem like an insane idea, spirals into a target, into a focus, and into a lifestyle.  I recently bought my first pair of MTB shoes.  Do I have a MTB bike or cross bike?  Nope.  But, I have officially taken the first step towards the dirt.  Will I go overboard with this one?  Probably not.  But maybe.

Even though I have ended up in this place because of cascades of reactions and catalysts throwing me into this incredible opportunity and career, I believe I have found where I belong.  I am no longer going above and beyond.  I am right where I am supposed to be.  I am Alison Starnes, a professional cyclist, and I am going to pursue this.

Going overboard?  Nah.  The science projects were overboard.  Cycling.  Nope.

From the pictures with Bob Cullinan, here are some of the “out-takes”.  So photogenic. Ha.

Did I mentiont that Bob is the best?

Apparently the hair gets in the way…

According to Steve Hed, I will need to cut my hair in order to increase my aerodynamic advantage… Tough luck, Steve.  I gotta keep the hair, but will consider tying it back next time.  He would cringe if he saw those TT shots of that pony tail flapping  in the wind…. Trademark, I guess. Now, the shoulders, that is a whole other ball game… 

Off-season continues. Sigh.

Yoga, run or indoor cycling class anyone?

The trails of Marin welcomed me back tonight.  I love those trails, and it was great to be able to go “trot” around on Tam.  The sun was still warm, and the carpeted redwood floor smelled of pine and moisture.  It was a great transition to get off the beaten path and back onto the trails.  No, I wasn’t mountain biking.  I was trail running.  So far, I don’t do dirt, but I am looking forward to giving it a shot one of these days. 

It was a perfect time to be out there.  That is the Matt Davis Trail, one of my favorites.

I met up with Bob Cullinan, from CycleTo and we took some cool shots up in the Marin Headlands… And just because I think he is so awesome, I have to show a sample… This is unedited, and just one of many… but it was a beautiful day out there today.

With a day like that, I should have been on my bike, instead of taking photos off of the bike… Gr.

I was running along the bike path with nothing but the dog and an iPod, and I noticed a cyclist on the side fixing his flat.  I stopped alongside the path and asked him the age-old cycling question, saved for those particular times…

“You have everything you need?” I asked

He looked at the dog, the leash, the running shoes…and then revealed a puzzled expression.

“Yes, Thank you….” He mumbled with a confused tone..

I verified he was all right, and then trotted off.  It took me a second to realize what had just occured.  Really, Alison?  What would have done for this cyclist?  He had no idea, but I just had to chuckle to myself… Once a cyclist, always a cyclist… running shoes or not.  I wanted to go back and explain myself…that it was just a habitual question… and that I rode bikes too… but I didn’t.  I left a puzzled man on the side of the bike path, deftly fixing his flat tire, shaking his head at the nosy runner.  Once a cyclist…always a cyclist… even in the off-season.

This weekend, I had the honor to participate in the Marin Classic.  The Marin Classic is a fundraiser ride for the USA Cycling Developmental Foundation.  The USACDF is a non-profit organization for the developmental and fostering of national team and future Olympic athletes.  This is an awesome program!

The ride was highlighted by several “celebrity” appearances, like Dave Zabriskie, Amber Neben, Kat Carroll, Shelley Olds, and the Specialized Masters team (which is full of celebrity talent)… We did a 60 mile loop to Olema and down the coast… The ride was escorted by CHP, so no stopping at traffic lights, although some of the riders “utilized” the CHP support for assistance climbing out of Muir Beach… Ha.

It was a true honor to be a part of this ride, to thank those who supported me in Europe, and gave me the chance to race for the USA!  It was a good time for me to thank those that attended, and meet some of the people behind the USACDF, like Steve Johnson and Tom Weisel… and re-connect with those who I have seen in a while…

Thank you for joining me on such a great ride!  Bob Cullinan (local media celebrity) was there and took some good shots of the ride…We met at Poggio in Sausalito and enjoyed cappucino before the ride, and a great meal and spa treament after.  Life is good.  A big thank you to Julia Violich for organizing the event…

It’s all relative. 

We have relative challenges and concerns.  As we grow and develop, conquer our fears and complete our goals, the very elements that use to worry us, are no longer important.  We move up and on to larger challenges and loftier goals.  It’s interesting how you can try to change your perspective forcefully, and try to make yourself think or feel a certain way….yet at times it is just requires time and experience to develop yourself.  It is all relative. 

In June 2008, Nature Valley Grand Prix was the most terrifying bike race I had ever experienced.  Granted, this was just 3 months into my racing career.  I tried to survive my first NRC race, and failed.  And this year I found myself racing, and finishing on the podium of national level races.  I felt fearless and confident in the domestic peloton.  Yet, in May 2009, the same impending feelings of doom reoccurred on the start line for a Ronde van Gelderland UCI 1.2.  Suddenly, that was the most challenging racing moment in my career.  As the season progressed, I was back in France at La Route de France in August and had to try to suppress my fear and nerves before the start.  But as entered the stages, I was no longer trying to survivethe race, I was racing the race.  There is a big difference there.  I went from a “flight or fight” feeling to a confidence to race aggressively and hard.  So much can change in a year, and I have great expectations, but cannot rush the issue.  These feelings are all relative to my experience and my confidence.  As much as you can try to cultivate this and force yourself to respond a certain way, you cannot control your own fears sometimes.  However, several times this year I was thrown into the fire…kicking and screaming the whole time…and survived.   Iwent from trying to survive to trying to win.  These events made me stronger, and at the time I thought I wouldn’t make it, and now I look back and realized that I belonged there the whole time.  With each new step, I have to continue to tell myself that, but with each new step I continue to grow.  It’s all relative, but I have some big goals to complete.  

I went on a group ride with the Endurance PTC gang and my coach, Charlie… These rides use to be challenging, and I would worry about all the “what ifs” that a group ride consists of… I had to chuckle to myself as I completed this ride without a second thought.  The things that use to “scare” me, or challenge me, just one year ago, are not relative any more, but I have other fears to conquer, like the local yoga class.  Ha.  There is nothing as humbling as my attempts to complete a yoga class without giggling or falling over.  To have so much conifdence in one area of my life, to feeling completely useless in another.  What is challenging for me, like any yoga position, is not challenging to even the slightest devoted yogi.  But, do you ever feel like the more “advanced” yogi attends the beginner class to show off their headstands to those that can’t even do a backbend?  I mean seriously, a headstand in a beginner class?  It’s all relative., I guess.  I won’t take it personally.

From traumatizing races, to the rides that use to be challenging, to downward dog, there are relative challenges that we face on a day to day basis.  If we constantly stay within our comfort zone, we will never grow.  However, if we force ourselves, ever once in awhile, to get outside of our normal rhythms, and step into the fire, we may discover that we belong to be there… This being said, I may never belong in a yoga class, but I hear it is good for me…or something like that. 

In then end, it’s all relative.  From national calender to international competition.  From group rides to racing.  From a 50 mile ride to a century to a Gran Fondo… Whatever your challenge is, conquer it.

Check out this Look Keo Demonstration that I helped out with at InterBike….

Where's Waldo, or your favorite TIBCO rider at Levi's GF...

Bob Cullinan, from CycleTo.com , captured Look’s new technology to determine which type of cleat you may need…

Go here on CycleTo!

The great debate begins.  To run, or not to run? 

I have recently taken up running again.  It is my first time running in 2009.  I had no idea what to expect of the outcome, but I decided to venture into the “dark side” of running in order to get some of the off-season energy released.  

I am four days for four days for running.  And what have I noticed?  The scenery goes by much slower when running as compared to cycling.  However, you may find this relaxing.  Nothing to think about but placing one foot if front of the other.  There is less hassle.  All you need is your shoes, and it is so time efficient.  I forgot how much impact was involved in running, and my calves, back, and quads are feeling the pain.  But, in all, the run was a nice break…but I am ready to get back on my bike.

When training specifically for cycling, running does not mimic the demands for cycling… However, a little cross-training never hurt for the off-season.  The big difference in running versus cyclings, is that running is an eccentric contraction.  This means that the muscle lengthens as you are attempting to shorten it.  Yet in cycling, you are using concentric contractions which means the muscles shorten as they contract.  Running is an extremely high impact sport in contrast to the low impact properties.  You can cycle longer then you can run and your energy or focus will wane long before your joints/muscles/ligaments fail.  Interesting, huh?  Does running benefit cycling?  No.  But, now is the time to do it!

To run or not to run?  Depends on the time of the season. 

Sunday, I will participating in the Marin Classic which will help benefit the USA Cycling Development Foundation!  Joining me will be Dave Zabriskie, Kat Carroll, Shelly Olds, and Amber Neben!  Should be great!