Like Flies on Honey…or something like that.
Team TIBCO took on downtown Burlingame by storm yesterday. For those of you who missed the hot action on the crowded streets just south of the SF, 7 TIBCO riders were represented at the Downtown Burlingame Criterium.
Why were we there instead of the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix? Simple. Races close to home are a good opportunity to practice our team tactics in a competitive, yet forgiving environment as well as providing an opportunity for our sponsors to see us race locally. Our sponsors provide us with so much support, and it is fun to show them how we can compete and race. They send us all over the world to race, yet it is good for them to be able to witness our form in their own backyard. Some of our sponsors met in Woodside, and rode up to the race. It was great to see them there. Their dedication to the sport and to us is truly inspiring.
Back to the basics. Burlingame Criterium. Very short race. 40 minutes on a .7 mile course through the streets of downtown Burlingame. The course was slightly technical, but was a great downtown crit route complete with trendy boutiques, brunch stops, and two Peet’s Coffee and Tea stores on course. You couldn’t ask for much more. We were already spending our race winnings as we glanced at all the stores. TIBCO and LOOK had a tent in the expo for us to warm-up in and it was expertly located right at the Start/Finish line. Steve, our mechanic, and to get to the site at 6am to secure that spot, and we loved him for it. The posters were up, the chairs were out. So pro.
Roster was—Emma, AFR, Brooke, Kiwi, ARo, Kat, and myself. Game plan—World Domination. If not world domination, at least Burlingame domination. Our sponsors were there, are fans were there, it was game on, show on, and action. My main mission of the day—stay in the front 5 riders, and stay there. Or else. Believe me, I was nervous about this assignment. Tell me to attack, tell me to cover, great. But tell me to maintain position? Yikes.
The race was short, and we needed to go hard from the gun. The gun goes off, and in this case, it was a literal single-shell shotgun to start the race. Wow, that was loud. ARo took off and was solo for a lap. From then on out, there was complete carnage ensuing. Multiple attacks and covering. As I watched the race develop, from a very good vantage point of directly behind Kat’s wheel in 5th position, all I could think about was watching flies swarm honey. No rider could get away without a TIBCO rider on her wheel. As soon as she was caught, we would counter. Flawless racing. I focused on my position, and every once in awhile I would notice Kat glance back to make sure I was still there. I rode up alongside of her in the wind, and she told me to get back on her wheel. This was hard work.
As the attacks and counters continued, the momentum was with us, and at one point, we caught a break and Brooke told me to attack. So, I did. I attacked, and went. I formed a gap and kept putting out the power to maintain the gap. My gap on the peloton was 20 seconds, 12 laps to go. I kept it constant, kept it steady. All I could think about was that I was hoping that Brooke told Kat that I was “allowed” to attack. I was at the right place at the right time, and was told to go, but that wasn’t my original assignment. It wasn’t until I saw Linda leaning over the fence as far as she could, and screaming at me to go for it. With 6 laps to go, Shelly Olds initiated a chase and ARo and Kat jumped on her wheel. I kept the gap, and ended up winning the race. Kat attacked Shelly into the final stretch and took 2nd. Brooke won the field sprint for 4th, with AFR finishing 6th. Team TIBCO took 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 6th. If that isn’t world domination, I don’t know what is. I was once again reminded of how great it is to race for such an amazing team. Yes, I was solo for 15 laps of the crit, but it wasn’t just my effort that won the race, it was my team. There was a bike race behind me that was executed perfectly by Team TIBCO. Wow.
What a great bike race. As we rolled around the course afterwards, Kat told me that I wasn’t in trouble. Phew. I did my job, TIBCO won, and it was a great day at the office. I love this team. After the race, we thought about spending our earnings in the local shops. Nah, with a DvF dress for 300 dollars, the salary of the bike racer doesn’t quite cut it. Oh well, I will settle for a recovery BBQ and some good relaxation with friends and teammates.
Another win to put under the belt, build confidence. Take that NorthStar. I can do this.
To Train or to Ride
Does riding my bike need to transition into training? This is the question I have been pondering. In depth, I know, but I have had the time lately to ride my bike and consider this. What drew me to this sport was the repetition, the rhythm, the scenery, the exploration, the great outdoors, and ultimately—the adventure of it all.
This has worked out for me so far. I have ridden my bike when I felt like it, taught eCycling at Endurance PTC when I needed to, and raced my bike when I wanted to. This very simple, sometimes too simple, philosophy has gotten me where I am today. However, I continue to solidify my goals and aspirations, what I really want to do with my bike, race in Europe, race in the US, and hopefully continue to learn and develop as a racer. I have big goals, and they might require some heavy training not just riding, right?
Through my adventures thus far, I have gained in knowledge, experience, confidence, and determination. What do I want to do with this sport? I want to take this adventure as far as I can. Olympics? Possibly. World Championships? Hopefully. But, ultimately, I would like to also provide something to others, to help someone, to encourage activity and a healthy lifestyle to the community. My wheels are turning, excuse the pun, to figure out what angle I want to take with this. More to come later.
As I continue to develop, not only are my strengths exemplified, but my weaknesses are magnified as well. I have so much to learn, and although I have time, I am impatient. I like to know how to do everything, right now. Yet, I am learning that you must be patient, and you may jump in the deep end of the pool, and just because you aren’t drowning, doesn’t mean you know how to swim. I want to specialize, but I want to be well-rounded, I want to excel, but I am want to learn team dynamics. So much to learn, there is time, but I want to know it now. Patience.
What brought me to this sport, what continues to drive me, is merely the thrill of the open road, the bike, and the work. I love riding my bike. However, I am learning that I may need to put a little more structure in this. I sat down with my coach, Charlie Livermore, to discuss our next plan of attack. Structure will be important to specialize in time trials, but I will also be learning the art of the attack (we won’t call it a sprint just quite yet), and many more entities in the arsenal of the cyclist. Maybe it won’t be bike love every time I go outside, but the work will provide me with the love that I will always have. The work will make the races more fun, more successful, and of course, more painful. I need to buck up and get out there and do some intervals. I need to push myself when no one is watching. What will always drive me will be the riding, the outdoors, and the adventure, but what will continue my growth as a cyclist is going to be the training. Does my riding always have to be training? Absolutely not. The great thing about riding a bike is that the training sneaks in there sometimes, and that’s what makes us stronger but also spurs our love. But, ultimately with a coach, and with power and with structure, I can continue to build on the base and learn to become a champion even when no one is looking. Learn to suffer on my own to be confident and familiar with the suffering in a race situation. Enjoy the pain slightly, but most importantly, it will have been done before. It will be familiar, and welcomed.
Training or riding–it doesn’t turn out to be all that bad after all. The adventure continues.
Back to Sea Level
Lake Tahoe is beautiful, eh? It was Kiwi and Z’s first time to see Lake Tahoe. Although I couldn’t convince them to ride completely around the lake, at least they got to ride alongside some of it. That lake continues to amaze me with its pure, aqua color. I love it.
Bob Cullinan, of CycleTo, has posted a video of me after the TdN race. Check it out! He is a great guy, with a great site! (not that I want to think about this race anymore…my SRM died before the race started, so technically I have no record of ever doing it…) He also has some awesome shots of the races…
Back to sea level, and I am loving the plentiful oxygen. At least I am getting some satisfaction in my breaths. The minute I got home, I noticed the sea breeze, and although I loved the alpine air, the slightly salty tinge of the Bay Area air offered a welcoming taste of pure oxygen.
I did return to sea level with a bit of a bittersweet ending of something that I loved, and the excitement for hopefully the continuation of something special. As of July 1st, EPTC SF is closing its doors. I have loved working here full time for over 2 years. It is a very unique place with amazing clientele and a good product. I am still hopeful that something will occur to help this location. On the brighter side, EPTC MV is remaining open. EPTC has played such a unique role in my development as a cyclist, and I owe so much to not only the staff there, but also my 4pm class. These guys have been with me for 2 years, and I know I won’t lose them, but I look forward to my time with them. They each have providing me with advice and support through all my racing and other life escapades. These friendships are truly irreplaceable. I am sad, but I know this isn’t the end, just merely the beginning of a new adventure. More to come on this.
There is no such thing as a "free lap"…
Well, I honestly didn’t want to write about this, but I guess I should.
I will begin with saying that the Tour de Nez is an incredible race. Each venue was unique with amazing fans, good food, positive energy, and plenty of parties after the races. It was an awesome experience to be a part of this race. Tim Healion (race promoter) did a superb job organizing this race and including the stages for the women this year. You better believe that I will return next year!
The final stage was held at Northstar, Tahoe. How cool is that? The circuit race was a 1.1 mile loop that started in the village, on the cobblestones, blasted out into the turnabout, and then up a hill (about 1k long) looping back into the village after a steep incline onto the cobbles. The streets were lined and the energy was high. You gotta love it.
AFR was first in the omnium, so we just needed to make sure that she held her position, and finished high. A break could happen, we just needed to make sure no one who was in omnium contention was represented in the break. Aggressive racing was the plan, but also the freedom to be in a break and work the break if it was a good selection. We started the race and Jerika dictated at the front. It was awesome to see her bridge the gap to an unsatisfactory break…and jump onto attacks. It was a killer effort by JH. AFR kept good position. The race was fast and the hill caused a selection of about 10 riders. AFR and JH were present.
I struggled at first with some mechanical issues, and was forced to get some adjustments. There was a slight misunderstanding on the rules of the race, and when re-entering the race, I was put towards the back of the strung out peloton. I chased solo up to the lead break for 2 laps, and attacked the break. With the attack, I was able to solo the last 4 laps of the circuit race. However, there was no “free lap” rule in effect, therefore, even though I crossed the line first, I was relegated to a lap behind. I was more embarassed then anything else. AFR took the win, which is awesome. Not only did she win 2 of the stage of the TdN, she won the overall. I was so satisfied in this, I was not looking for a personal win at all. I was supposed to attack the break, and our race had gone according to our team plan. I was thrilled for the Team TIBCO success. Not at a bad day at the office at all.
Through this experience, I learned that paying attention to the specific rules is always important, and bike racing will be bike racing. A slight technicality may have cost me a podium, but it didn’t matter because AFR was there to take the stage win as well as the omnium. I am so proud of the way she raced, and took control of the situation. This whole race was such a great experience for me to continue to build on my experience, not take “free laps” for granted, and once again, humble you like bike racing always seems to do. Just when you think you got it covered, it throws another hairpin corner at you, and you are stuck trying to find the right line to follow.
Thank you for understanding.
There may be no such things as a free lunch, or a free lap, but I will return to the mighty mighty Tour de Nez, and I will take on that Northstar Circuit Race once again. I know I can attack that course, free lap or not. I would never want to take it unjustly, so there is always next year. Team TIBCO will be at Burlingame Criterium on Sunday in full force, if you are in the area and want to check it out…
No Excuses as much as I would like to.
Excuses. Excuses. Last night was just one of those nights.
Downtown Reno Criterium. This was another awesome location for an epic crit. With the city skyline around us, the crit started on a false flat in downtown and took 10 turns in its short .7mile path. It went over the Truckee River, up a two-tiered hill, then a fast corkscrew S-turn back to the start/finish line. The mighty, mighty, Tour de Nez delivered once again with a great location, awesome course, and good music and fun crowds.
As the race started, the winds were swirling and making positioning everything. We began the race, ready to dictate the pace and make it fast from the gun. With a course like this one, it is important to gain position fast or else you will be out of the race. When the selection process occurred, I made a rookie mistake and was in very, very bad position. I found myself fighting somewhere in the middle. BY in the middle, I mean in middle of no-man’s land. Somewhere between the break, and the peloton, I was dangling. I was fighting to get to the front to help Amber, but fighting to keep my position. What I find are my strengths as a bike racer were barely visible on such a course, yet it was as if someone were taking a magnifying glass to my weaknesses and showing the Reno population what mistakes to not make in a bike race. AFR was doing great in the break, keeping it fast and aggressive. Rush was covering all the moves, and with a bold attack, she went down on a sharp corner. Meanwhile, I was struggling to stay in the bike race, and try to help AFR in the break. With Rush out, it was more important then ever to get up there. Why couldn’t I?
I will admit that I found myself searching for a possible explanation for my lack of assistance. Was I sick? Surely, I was. Nope. Maybe my food wasn’t settling quite right? Nope. Brakes rubbing? Nope. It must be a flat. Nope. I was already thinking of what excuse I could use for such poor position and performance, yet could not bring myself to do that. With 3 laps to go, I got back to the break, just in time to see the barrage of attacking occurring. Brutal. AFR got 2nd, I rolled across the line in 11th. AFR had a great race, no thanks to me tonight. Bold racing in her hometown of Reno. With frustration, I admitted my mistakes. And that, is bike racing. It can’t be perfect every time, as much as I wish it could be.
I guess we all have those days, the days that you wish you had a button to release that either transports you out of the humbling experience, or at least lets you start the race over. Oh well. AFR told me to not beat myself up over it, but it is hard not to. Each race we need to approach with new resolve and focus to not make those mistakes, and each race we cannot let ourselves become passive. No excuses for last night. Rookie mistake, and I am moving on…NorthStar Circuit Race tonight.
Rush is fine and in good spirits. She just has a little road rash, some deeper than others, but her wrist survived.
