Alison Tetrick

Who like peanut butter?

A hundred hands immediately started waving in the air. I realized I was getting nervous.

Who likes bikes?

More hands.

I went on a school visit today to the Redland’s  Montessori school.   I didn’t know what I was getting myself into as I walked into a room with 100 children from the ages of first grade to sixth grade.  They anxiously awaited a presentation from a couple of the PB&CO2012 riders.  Is bike racing cool?  What can I share with these kids?  My passion? My excitement? My safety?  My health?  As soon as we started, the conversation started rolling as the kids peppered me with questions.

How do you go to the bathroom? I will tell you when you are older.

What happens if you switch water bottles? We try not to.

Can you ride a unicycle? I can’t, but apparently this little girl could.

Why don’t you wear leather?  It sounds fun, but it would probably be too hot.

Do you wear knee pads?  No, but I probably should.

If your bike is made of carbon fiber, which airplanes are made of, can it fly?  I make this thing fly.

Really?  No.  Not literally, but it goes really fast.

What happens if you crash?  I don’t crash, or at least I try not to. Next question.

How do you promote Peanut Butter & Co while racing bikes?  Wow.  Good question…See this monkey on my jersey?

Do I eat vegetables on the bike?  No, just peanut butter.

And jelly?  Yes, I have a little of that.

Have you been to China?  No, but I have been to Europe, Canada, NZL….

I have been to China.  Oh, sweet.  Good for you.

Do you go slow or fast?  Always fast.

What can I say, kids are growing on me.  I loved their energy, their questions, and their innocence.  Sometimes they just see things the way they are.

Through the eyes of babes…

Bikes are cool.

Finally settled into my next destination.  Up early.  Not sleeping. Oh the glory of stage racing.  Thank goodness for this cup of coffee.

Oh the San Dimas Stage Race.  100 women.  3 days of racing.  The perfect build up into this week’s racing in Redlands.

The first day the truth of gravity was tested as we scaled the 6k climb up Glendora Mountain Road.  There is nothing fun about a 6k hill climb.  There is no time to appreciate your ascent into the mountains with a lofty view of Los Angeles.  There seems to be only room for self-doubt and extreme searing pain as you scale the multiple switchbacks of the mountain road.  PB&Co2012 had 4 riders in the top 10 after that.  KStrong 3^rd, KMac 7^th, Me 8^th, and AWelsh 10^th.

With the ammunition to make a big explosion into the 2^nd stage, a 7mile circuit completed 8 times through San Dimas, our team was firing on all cylinders.  It was a fast, hard race.  I was reminded what bike racing felt like.  Welcome to 2011, Alison.  Wait, didn’t I already say that?  The race was chaotic with each lap containing a “hot spot”.  Sprints.  Time bonuses.  QOM.  Sparks were flying.  Field of 100 was suddenly under 40.  Gaining some time bonuses for KStrong gave us a tough job to go for gold in the crit.  Stage 3.  Sometimes even the best laid plains do not succeed.

Pain Face.

We moved on from Rancho Cucomunga, about 40 miles south, into Redlands.  A big week of racing starts on Thursday.  This is the big show.  As we packed up from our hosts to get back on the road, I started feeling homeless.  I looked at my small Zipp duffel bag packed to the brim with just the bare necessities for the next 5 weeks of racing.  One week down, 5 to go.  Many more races.  Many more houses, hotels, beds, and air mattresses.  Many more cups of coffee.

Where is the coffee now?

Is that snow in Southern California?! Yes, it is.  The San Dimas Stage Race starts tomorrow with a 3.7 mile hill climb into the Angeles National Forest.  We rode it today and kept climbing and climbing.  It is a 22mile climb!  Good thing we are only doing 3.7 miles of it.

And the 40day racing block is starting.  Bring it on.  40days.  San Gabriel Mountains is where it starts tomorrow.

First destination: San Dimas. Race#1.

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” Dr Seuss.

It is easy to lose who you are sometimes amongst the shuffle and chaos of life.  The street nose and rushing wind often numb the senses and the awareness.  Sometimes you need to stop.  Just stop.  Reacquaint yourself with your surroundings.  Breathe.  Find your grounding.  And just be.  Be who you are.  And be.

San Dimas.  Redlands. Europe. Gila.  Before I know it, it will be Cinco de Mayo.  The next block has started. and I have began the whirlwind of duffel bags, aero helmets, tupperware lunches, wire ties, electrical tape and the growing to-do list and disappearing time.  Who knows what timezone I will be in, what race I will be doing, where I will be staying, or when I will have that moment.  But I will take that moment.  That moment to stop.  To be.  To listen.  To breathe.

Why not take it now?  Just stop.

When you stop for that moment, you start feeling gravity once again.  Aside from broken pelvises, you appreciate gravity.  It keeps you centered.  It keeps your present.  It keeps you, you.  If you can be you, recognize you, then you will say what you feel.  You can trust your intuition.  You can speak freely.  You can express your dreams.  You can share you love.  When this happens, as Dr. Seuss says, those that mind won’t matter, and those that matter won’t mind. Those that love you will accept you for who you are.  Take confidence in that.

It sounds like a leap of faith to me, but it that is life.  Life could be a gamble, or as I am learning it can be a game of calculated risk.  I have faith in the future, even if I can’t grasp tomorrow.  There is a plan.

Just remember to stop every now and then.  Breathe. Be. Listen. Be who you are.

is up…but you know the good stuff is always here….

Check out the front page CyclingNewsBlog

You like the pictures from Wil Matthews?  He is an excellent photographer, and great guy.  He took some pictures of me for DZ Bliss…

Oh yeah, and I was inspired for my blog by a facebook comment by my good friend, Rob.  You just never know when you are going to be inspired.  He told me I wasn’t making a comeback, I was making a statement.  It was clean, it was simple.  It was me.  Thanks for letting me be inspired.

I like Oakleys and Yellow.

Sometimes I find myself taking things for granted.  I live in a beautiful place with excellent rides and weather.  Why did I leave for my ride today without checking the weather?  Surely it wouldn’t rain.  That must have been a heavy fog.  A heavy fog that turned to a shower that turned into a coastal squall.  I am not complaining.  Some are riding in snow.  I had a 60 degree rainy day.  Poor me. Nothing a hot shower can’t fix.

Days like this allow me to appreciate what I have been given, the creation around me, and the sun when it appears.  Each day is a gift.  Remember that.

Also remember that if you ever win a stage race where the prize is a rock, be careful.  It is heavy.  Remember to thank those that contributed.  Remember at the end of the day it is just bike racing.  True happiness comes from deep within and your loved ones.

Check the weather.  Don’t be caught outside in a rain storm without a rain jacket or leg warmers.  Not that a professional rider would do that…but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.  Not everything can be fixed with duct tape and chewing gum.

Thank you for the well wishes on my win.  I really appreciate it.  I am excited for the year

Don't forget to thank the little people.

Chemistry.  It may not even be as complex as biochemistry.  It is just plain chemistry.  Do we work together, or not?

I have spent the last 2.5 weeks with my team, and I am coming off of the high of being around such incredibly supportive, strong women.  I am back to reality.  I am actually feeling a little lonely without my team around me.  I am even looking for drafts while walking down the street.

I am trying to digest the career monuments I have just reached.  7 months after a broken pelvis. First domestic race with my new team. First time trial of the year. First time riding my fast B2Pro Felt TT bike.  First professional stage race overall win. I didn’t win.  My team won.  I was a piece of a plan that completed our goal.  Win the Merco Cycling Classic.  To me it is simple.  It is a chemistry equation.  It is stoichiometry.  It balances itself out.  There isn’t too much of a reaction, and not enough product.  All the catalysts are available, in excess even.  It is a smooth process.  It is the best team.  Ever.

If you don’t know, I recently won the yellow jersey at the Merco Cycling Classic, in Merced, California.  4 stages.  Amazing teamwork, and one fast time trial.  I could ramble on and on how Giana, our director, gave us the flawless race tactics that secured the win.  I could divulge you in the details of my sacrificial team, and their hard work to protect the jersey.  I could share with you the laughter, the tears, and the raw rainy day grit that sanded out our win.  Yet, to me now, it is quite simple.  It was a cominbination of elements.  It was rain.  It was speed.  It was teamwork.  It was hills.  It was Merco, and it became a yellow jersey along with a very heavy rock trophy.  If you are science minded like I am, you will appreciate the following equation.  If you are not, I will attach pictures for your reference.  This weekend was a very special time for me, and I am thrilled for 2011 with this team.

4(Plans) + 1(Team)xY(Riders)

12miles/speed + FeltB2Pro

Aerodynamics + speed

Perfect Team.

Cheesy, I know.  But I am happy with the start to the season.  A cohesive team with great chemistry, and we are ready for the year!

Getting ready to race...

Merco Cycling Classic. 4 days of racing in the heart of Central California. Day 1 is done and dusted.  The team rode strong.  Really strong.  3 of us are sitting top 10 in GC.

The course was a beautiful circuit in the Merced Irrigation District, and although that doesn’t sound impressive, the climbs and views were beautiful.  We did a 12.5 mile loop 4.5 times before heading up the finishing climb.  The canyon along the Merced River was framed by the lush ranch lands rolling underneath the Sierra Nevada Mountains capped with snow.  I love Spring in Merced.

TT tomorrow. 12 miles.

Oh, and we have our new kits in.  I love them.  Pearl Izumi makes some amazing products.  Get to try out the Speed Suit tomorrow!