Alison Tetrick

We all have big plans, and some of us may have big dreams as well.  And every once in awhile, dreams become a reality. 

When is that deciding moment? 

When does a dream that has been floating in your peripheral vision finally come into a grasping reach? 

How many minor decisions do you make, small sacrifices, and commitment along the way to solidify your dreams into a black and white reality?

I don’t know.  I have big plans.  I have big dreams.  And one by one, I am taking small steps into making these dreams a reality.  Big news.  Exciting times.  Want to join the journey?

Never lose sight of your dreams.  Set yourself small goals along the way to accomplish and use as milestones.

Speaking of big plans and big dreams.  Check out THIS VeloNews article about Team TIBCO’s European and Domestic adventures!

Plan Big, but dont’ forget to Dream Big too.

I have got a calendar for you!

The Team TIBCO 2010 calendar!  You NEED one, right!?

Check it our HERE!

Once again, I am sorry about the lack of blogs. I have been suffering through trying to update the blog a little, and at one point, all I had was the blank screen of death. Excellent. A white screen. A white screen is different then a white Christmas. Let’s give this one a try.

Merry Christmas from the Tetrick Ranch. It doesn’t get much better than this. The air is perfectly clear, with an almost blue tint to it. There is word of impending storms coming, but you couldn’t guess it by feeling the sun today. 65 degrees, warm sun. Nestled in the northern valley, the views expanded from Mt. Lassen across to Mt. Shasta, and to the borders of the Trinity Alps. The hint of rain is heavily anticipated by not only the weathered ranchers, but also the grass waiting for the moisture. But as for me, I soaked up the sun.

Christmas at the Tetrick Ranch is different then most.  We like to ride our bikes, and we like our steaks on the rare side.  What we may lack in the fanfare, we relish in the simplicity of being together as a family.  Life is good on the ranch, and I am happy here. 

Merry Christmas to you and yours.  May you be reminded of your blessings and be thankful for this holiday season.

Sorry about the huge delays here.  I hope you are all planning some great Holidays with your friends and families!

Will be posting soon.

Remember that prom dress?  Dug up in the archives to find the prom dress in 2003! Ha.

Happy Holidays!

You know I love Lady GaGa, but I think I love the girls that I went with to the show even more!  We had a great time watching her as she toured San Francisco.

It was 7 of us.  4 professional cyclists. 2 uber good amateur athletes. 1 electric friend from ACU.  Can you pick a better group to go with?  Irish national TT champ, US National team riders, EU pros… and a little Lady Gaga!  We “just danced” the night away.

Lesson learned: 4 hrs at a concert in high heels dancing is as good as cross training.  I woke up sore, tired, and in need of a rest day after this concert. How do people do this stuff?  Give me my 9pm bedtimes back! 

Dancing + Lady GaGa + High Heels = Cross Training*

*Heart rate monitor was not worn for this equation

We might have upstaged the Lady.

My coach e-mailed me that night to tell me my plan for the next day.  I decided not to respond during the concert, but wait until the next morning.  We all need a little fun every now and then, right?  I couldn’t ask for a better night or better friends!

Back to training, but with some good music to listen to and a little motivation, also a high appreciation for cross training in heels!

Sorry if you have been trying to read my blog lately. I have been working on it, and it is slightly under construction at the moment. They say that coding is poetry, and I have been working on the coding of this site, and there has been nothing poetic about it.

It will probably be a week until I get it all sorted out, but I will be back!

Sorry about the inconvenience!

‘Tis the season of most things great.  It is that time of year isn’t it?  Where has the time go? It seemed to really sneak up on us this year, but for the last week it has been raining constantly here in Marin.  I have had a week of “winter” here, and I am ready to be done with it.  Give me back my mediocre warm days and predictable weather patterns.  ‘Tis the season to start training, and then it starts raining.  How nice.

‘Tis the season for holiday parties!  I like a good excuse to get dressed up and celebrate the season. 

Last night, the Team TIBCO ladies (plus dates, that were NOT Look585s) could be found at Vivek Ranadive’s residence for his annual holiday party.  Vivek is the founder of TIBCO, and an amazing, high energied guy.  There is a great article in The New Yorker about his approach to coaching his daughter’s basketball team.  Very cool. 

What to wear to such a fancy, black-tie affair?  I searched the local discount shops, considered selling a bike part or two to get a sufficient dress to wear… Then remembered something… I have my prom dress here in Marin! My mom always told me to re-wear that thing!  Perfect!  The prom dress was recycled from my senior year in high school.  2003.  Too funny.  My mom was very proud.  I was missing the corsage, but this time around… It was a little different. 

LJ had considered wearing her business school graduation dress to the party, circa 1988.  She didn’t, but she thought about it. 

‘Tis the season, and with that comes the time to get tough, ride and train in not the ideal conditions.  This will make us stronger, and give us an excuse to enjoy those Christmas parties even more!  ‘Tis the season, and I might as well embrace it.

I had the best weekend ever with my family.  It was a great trip up to the Tetrick Ranch in Millville and quality time with my sister, my grandparents, my parents, and Mike Read.  The original Tetrick clan was reunited.  The weekend included bike rides, Zoomba class (who know my mom could dance way better then me), the best food ever, and other top-secret family traditions (if I told you I would have to kill you).  I love my family. 

There is nothing normal about us, but that is why I love it.  My grandpa may just be the fastest 78 year old a bike in the world.  I am not going to lie, he dropped me last year.  This year, I was happy to be able to hang with him and go on a great ride.  To brag about him for a second, he has over 12 national time trial jerseys.  Nothing about him is normal.  He is about the strongest, dedicated guy a know.  What an inspiration! 

My sister was up from DC and if you should look for her on a bike soon too!  The Tetrick sisters reunited is always a great adventure. 

It was Thanksgiving with the Tetrick’s, although a week late.  The best turkey I have ever had, soaked in a brine overnight, and then cooked in a rotisserie.  Wow.  We are simple, and may need to come with a disclaimer, but it was nice to be with the family.  What other family does KOM challenges pre-Turkey dinner?  What other family goes riding rain, wind, or even snow?  And now, it wouldn’t be the same without MRead joining us too.  Great friends, great family, great time all by a warm wood stove .  I am truly blessed.

Thank you for family, normal or not…

Z and I got Abbye (our cousin’s precious daughter) this little Skoot bike last year for Christmas.  A year later, she is still riding it around!  How cute is she?  We are trying to start her young… Why not?

For the 7 days that I was in Texas, Z and his family (now MY family too) graciously allowed me to bring my other half.  No, not Z (but of course he was coming), but my other “other” half, that light blue Look 585.  She had never been to Texas, and she wanted to come explore the West Texas plains.  I had to oblige her, didn’t I?

Charlie had given us a simple plan, and instead of getting lost on the countless country roads, I opted to stick with the roads that I knew from running on them in years past.  Riding in West Texas is unlike anything I have ever experienced in California.  West Texas doesn’t actually have any hills.  No, not really any.  The most elevation I gained in my adventures was the occasional roller up and overpass or something like it.   As I sat at consistent wattage and pedaled along, I realized that I had learned quite about riding in West Texas.  Marin is one of the most beautiful places on earth, but don’t take for granted the endless open roads of other places on the map.  Welcome to Snyder, Texas.  Home of the White Buffalo.

I learned…

1. Flat roads yield great option for high cadence. High high cadence with no worry about changes in the terrain interrupting your rhythm
2. With that glorious rhythm comes some extreme “saddle” damage if you don’t take advantage of either a) chamois crème, b) getting out of the “saddle, c) mixing up your celebrated rhythm, or d) all of the above.
3. A TT bike would have been excellent.  No worries about running out of road, stop signs, corners, descents, or anything else except a really long (think the size of TX long) stretch of smooth pavement with only the occasional car, I mean truck. 
4. If you get a flat, don’t count on seeing a fellow cyclist.  Or better yet, don’t consider seeing another human being for quite sometime.  Either bring all your supplies, and if you run out, also have a back-up tent and survival kit, or have a BlackBerry with excellent reception to call your nearest loved one.  If you sit on the side of the road long enough, the buzzards will start hovering waiting for their next meal…
5. The water tower in the distance may be your marker that you are almost home, but don’t let it fool you.  Just because you can see it, doesn’t mean you are close to home.  That Snyder Tigers water tower can be seen for miles, and miles, and miles…
6. Who needs hills when you have a headwind?  I was complaining I didn’t have hills to scurry up in Scurry County, but found that the 30mph headwind in 46degree weather was worse than any mountain I have ever encountered.  I was in my littlest gear possible and barely turning the pedals.  Puts a whole new meaning onto the SFR…
7. When embraced by a headwind, either spin it out, and if that fails, it might be faster to get off your bike and begin running.  Running can be faster than riding in a headwind, even if the road is pancake flat.  If not, look for a draft of an oil truck passing by, but I learned I can’t draft them at 70mph.
8. People, when you see them on your ride, honk, wave and are generally happy to see you, not that they know what you are doing in a superhero costume riding around their farmland.  They may even stop to ask what you are doing and why.   
9. The squeaking isn’t your chain, it is most likely the oil rig you are passing near someone’s front yard.  Inhale the sweet smell of money getting churned out of the ground.
10. If it is not an oil rig, it may be a giant windmill generation clean energy to provide the rest of the world.  Thank you West Texas for your wonderful, energy producing wind that is a clean, green sustainable energy.
11. Take note which road you are on at all times.  They can get confusing, and when you call to be rescued, it would be good to know where you are located.  There are county roads, highways, and farm market roads.  I don’t know the difference, but you will need to know.
12. Don’t except the local Walmart to carry tubes, a pump with a presta valve, or anything else you need.  Be prepared to pack in your bike stuff and pack it out.  No one wants to keep it there.
13. In order to encourage higher power output in an interval, frequent the roads where you know there is a feisty pitbull, blue heeler, or any other creature that wants to chase you while nipping at your heels, I mean, back wheel.  As you yell for them to quit, and pedal like your life depends on it, because it does, the owner runs out on his front porch and scoffs, “He don’t bite!”  I don’t want to take my chances, buddy. 
14. Then, learn how to explain your Z2 interval to your coach with a 900w peak in it, and place the blame on the rabid ranch dogs and their owners. 
15. Find the farm roads that avoid such dogs.  And if not, ramp up your speed prior to passing the house, and pray you are down wind…
16. Ride.  Wind.  Snow.  Ice.  They are farming in that weather, so you might as well ride.
17. They like football, and you aren’t a football player.  Get used to it. 
18. Intervals are your rescue for flat roads, and they can be done with such ease.  The roads are open and ready for you to do laps and laps on them clocking in your intervals.  Besides, if you do intervals up and down the same road, the chances of you getting lost are slim.
19. If you hear gunshots, don’t fear.  That’s normal.  Packing heat amongst your Clif bars is not necessary.
20. When you ride from one town to the next, which is 80 miles away, be prepared for the shocked expressions of those asking you where you came from.  Then take a little satisfaction in the fact that yes, you might be considered a little hard core in this neck of the woods, I mean plains…
21. There are lots and lots of roads out there, just waiting to be ridden!  Let me know if you want some suggestions!  Me, I prefer Hwy350 to FM1609.

Overall, my bike was thrilled to join the family for Thanksgiving.  She was received with a genuine Texas welcome, and she will be back… I am ready to see if my legs remember how to climb, but I also have gained a new appreciation for the ease of intervals on an open, flat road.  I had an amazing time learning the focus and determination I was made up of when it really counted—when there were no distractions, no excuses, just me and a long, long stretch of pavement. 

Thank you West Texas for making me stronger.  And thank you for giving me a reason to inhale BBQ and buttermilk pie.