Simplicity.

29 Jan

Simplicity is not always found where you look for it.

Simplicity.

Sometimes the most presumable simple tasks become complicated in a moment’s notice.  If you need proof of this, watch me try to change a flat or put my rear wheel on my TT bike.   Yet today’s ride was simple.  It wasn’t simple because I was fast and efficient out the door.  It wasn’t simple because of an easy, well-planned route.  It was simple for the mere fact that it was just a bike, a road, and open space.  Every factor agreed with one another.  It was fluidity.  It just worked.  We may have grandiose plans, yet at times, it is just simplicity that we crave.

Snow capped mountains framing a green valley with a quickly moving stream.  A quiet road and a mind full of thoughts.  The bike meets the asphalt, and they dance.  It is a slow waltz that dissolves into the scenery.  It is noninvasive.  It is simple.

Snow

Simplicity was found today.  In snow and no leg warmers necessary.  In a late start on a long ride.  In dropped sandwich on a climb.  In a day that may not have been the best, but it worked.  It was simple.  It was just a bike.  It was just a ride.  It was just what I needed.

Simple.

California Winter Riding Style and Warmth Guide

21 Jan

California Winter Riding.

Does that even exist?

It can vary from sunny balmy days to a crisp frosty morning to a damp foggy afternoon gust.  No matter the conditions, it is always important to dress appropriately, and of course with a little style.

Although I am fortunate enough to live in Northern California, and I don’t have to ride in snow, or sub 40 degree temperatures, but occasionally it may rain or be a bit chilly.  I cannot offer a whole lot of advice regarding “freezing”  hardcore riding, but I can offer some basic tips for “California Winter Riding”.

  • Leg Warmers, Knee Warmers, In Heat. You all have heard this “rule” before : If it is under 60 degrees, cover up your knees.  Knee warmers or leg warmers, your choice.  In my opinion, I always prefer leg warmers.  I actually don’t know why, I just think you look faster with leg warmers as opposed to knee warmers.  Sometimes I will opt for just some DZ Nutz In Heat Embrocation if the temperature and conditions are right.  Not only do your legs stay warm, they also look fabulous with a bit of a shine to them.  Regardless, in the cooler conditions, your joints will thank you for taking care of them.  You are more injury prone if you don’t keep those important muscle groups warm!
  • Shoe covers.  I like shoe covers for time trials, rain, and cold days.  Of course the thickness of shoe covers can differ due to each specific purpose.  Time trial covers are in a league of their own with super power latex capabilities that slice through the air and wind.  Simple sock covers may be sufficient for a mildly cool day, or you may have to go full waterproof neoprene booty.  Sometimes my only motivation for wearing shoe covers are to keep my shoes white and sparkly.  Clean shoes are fast shoes.  Warm, dry feet are happy feet.  Always wear your shoe covers OVER your leg warmers.  Wear longer socks to avoid chafing.  Shoe covers will rarely last more than one season, but use them for what they were made for-warmth, style, and speed.
  • Skull Cap or Ear Muffs.  I actually rarely wear a hat under my helmet since it usually isn’t cold enough here, but you do lose a lot of heat through your head.  Imagine all that hot air in there escaping!  If it is in the 40′s, I think it is important to cover your head, or at least your ears.  You won’t get that “brain freeze” effect like you just inahled a pint of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream too fast, and it is a good excuse to tune out your training partner’s complaints of the cold temperature.  Obviously you don’t wear ear muffs, although that would look pretty funny, but a ear covering headband is an awesome addition to your cycling wardrobe.
  • Socks.  Wool socks are warm and wicking , and I suggest wearing them in rainy conditions.  Although shortie socks aid in the lack of a tan line, taller socks cover up more of your leg, hence increase warmth and decrease the chance of your booties or leg warmers rubbing you the wrong way.  My rule of thumb is if you have leg warmers or shoe covers on, you wear tall socks, yet if the sun is shining and your legs are free, shorter socks are completely acceptable and encouraged.  No one likes sock tanlines.  Tall socks do look fast though.
  • Cycling Cap.  These look slightly urban chic and are worn near the Ferry building by hipsters on singlespeeds, yet they also are a great item to wear in the rain for the serious cyclist.  It keeps the water from dripping in your eyes, your head warm, and limits the spray into your face.  I do find it difficult to see sometimes, but you can always “flip” the lid up for a different approach.  Same hat, worn two different ways.  It serves as a fashion statement and a rain accessory.
  • Fenders.  I hate putting fenders on my bike.  I thought it was only to save my training partner from the infamous “rooster tail” of gritty water spraying into her face, but it turns out it also saves you from that “diaper chamois” effect of a water logged pad.  You are warmer and get less water when using a fender.  If you want to put it on my bike for me, I will use it.  Other then that, you will be sprayed, and my bike looks faster without a fender anyways.
  • Gloves.  Wear them.  Full fingered.  Wool.  Waterproof.  Gardening.  Just keep your hands warm and protected.  I prefer my gloves pink.
  • RoadID.  Duh.  Always wear that.
  • Jackets and Thermal Vests.  My most treasured cycling apparel is my thermal vest.  It is so versatile and blocks the wind that much better on those cold winterized descents, yet I don’t over-heat in it while climbing.  People tend to start looking like a garage sale in the winter since your winter clothes don’t always match your cycling kit.  I am fortunate enough to have my whole kit in a fashionable summer and winter line.  Yet, when choosing a thermal jacket or vest, go for a basic color that is easily integrated into your already existant cycling wardrobe.  Your training partners will thank you for not showing up at the coffee shop with a red jacket, orange vest, blue shorts, pink gloves, and yellow shoe covers.  Although on a positive side, at least you will be extremely visible.  When wearing a thermal jacket, I usually keep it simple by only wearing a base layer underneath to avoid getting to hot or feeling too bulky.
  • Base Layer.  Wear one.  Sometimes they get smelly, but they are necessary.  Wash them.  Spray body spray.  Repeat.  I like my base layers to be well fitting and short so they don’t bunch up under all my layers.  They are to be worn under the bibs.
  • Rain Jacket.  Just in case you should have one with you.  It should block the rain, be large enough to fit over all your layers, but small enough to go in your back pocket.  Riding in the rain isn’t fun, but staying dry and warm while riding in the rain is bearable.
  • Arm Warmers.  If I know I am not going to take them off, I prefer a long sleeved jersey over arm warmers.  More streamlined, and you don’t have the danger of showing the dreaded “arm cleavage” where your arm warmers fail to meet your sleeves of your jersey.  This is even worse if you have that issue with your leg warmers.  You make the call.

Tough Winter Riding with my Sister in California

Tough Cookie

16 Jan

What defines the word “tough”?

According to the dictionary:

tough adj \ˈtəf\

Definition of TOUGH
1 a : strong or firm in texture but flexible and not brittle b : not easily chewed “tough collarbone” “tough expired energy bars”
2: glutinous, sticky “tough ShotBloks”
3: characterized by severity or uncompromising determination “tough hill repeats” “tough ride”
4: capable of enduring strain, hardship, or severe labor “tough cyclists”
5: very hard to influence : stubborn “a tough negotiator”
6: difficult to accomplish, resolve, endure, or deal with “tough goals” “tough luck”
7: stubbornly fought “a tough race”
8: unruly “a tough peloton”
9: marked by absence of softness or sentimentality “a tough critic”
Although I don’t want to be considered sticky or unruly, the word tough contains more meaning than most.  The people that I respect and admire, are those that I use “tough” as a descriptor.  I recognize the feats they have accomplished, their resilience in times of chaos, and I am impressed and deem then “tough”.  I have even used the term “tough cookie” as if to add some sort of sweetness or deliciousness to a hardened situation.
Tough is a word I use when I am reminded of my own humanity and weakness.  When the odds or the terrain are stacked up against you, it is common to say that was a “tough” ride, or I am going through a “tough time”.  Tough can be a challenge.  It can be a magnifying glass on your vulnerability.  It can humble you.

Tough is not brittle.  Our bones can be breakable, our hearts can be soft, but tough holds resolution.  It is desired to be flexible, to be understanding, but at times it is important to hold your ground.  To be stubborn.  To stand up for what you believe in.  To be “tough”.

Some days I feel tough, and other days I feel far from it.  It is a distant memory of times that I conquered, and a blatant reality of those times that I failed.  But those are the days that make you “tough”.  The days you perservere.  The days that you quit.  The days that you learn from your mistakes.  All of this is defines “toughness”.  You aren’t always right, and you don’t always win.  But I can still consider you “tough”.

I think bike riders are quite “tough”.  We are stubborn.  We can be fragile, yet we can be extremely determined if not slightly insane.   Take this toughness factor into your life but don’t forget that even the toughest can still laugh at themselves and love others.  Don’t take yourself too seriously, but feel free to continue to be a “tough cookie”.

Come to think of it, I actually dislike that phrase “tough cookie”, I prefer my cookies to be slightly undercooked with all sorts of gooiness, yet I may prefer my teammates to be a bit tough.  I think I will take that term out of my verbal arsenal now.

Tough Luck.

Just another day…

9 Jan

Riding my bicycle.

Conquering the day.

Waiting for my training partner. Tick tock.

Taking nothing for granted.

Clif Family Wines

Keeping it pure and simple.

Sister Time. Best Time.

It is just another day in my life.

Do you have it what it takes?

3 Jan

A good training partner is hard to come by.  Not that I have children, but I am sure it is comparable to a good babysitter or life partner.  I have been able to ride with my sister for the last month, and it has been amazing. A gorgeous professional triathlete who happens to be my sister and closest friend? Doesn’t get any better.  It got us discussing the qualities of a solid training partner and the seriousness of that job and what the requirements are.

What is the appropriate chemistry and etiquette?  Do you have what it takes?  Or are you destined to train alone, or constantly be the brunt of the group ride joke.

You either find that training partner, or you really start learning about yourself.

What are is the job description? Is there an app for that?

My Top 10 Qualities of a Training Partner.

  1. Ride Leader.  There must always be a ride leader.  As a ride leader, you must accept this responsibility with utter seriousness.  You have to pick the ride and adhere to the appropriate parameters that have been designated.  Therefore, whoever is the ride leader must be prepared to accept full responsibility if the duration of the ride falls short or longer than the planned time, as well if the terrain or weather does not cooperate.  If it is too long, or too short, or your training partner gets stuck in a headwind all day or a monsoon downpour, the ride leader must apologize profusely and make amends in a comparable way.  Please take this job seriously.  Too many chiefs on a ride lends to arguments, and too many Indians causes uncertainty.  The rider leader may vary on the day, and does not have to be a lifetime commitment, just a ride commitment.
  2. Consistency.  I hate stopping while riding.  I don’t get coffee while riding (unless the Ride Leader has predestined the ride as a coffee shop ride).  Coffee may be consumed after the ride, or before the ride.  But if it is a training day, the ride is just that.  A ride.  Your bike must be in working order, you must be prepared with the flat fixing necessities (especially since I have the tendency to be ill-prepared), and you must be ready to ride the said ride.  You need to count on each other for timeliness, fitness, and motivation.  You need to have consistency, preparation, and resourcefulness.
  3. Understanding the Job. If one rider has 3x20min at Tempo, and the other rider has 5x6min at SFR, you may start out the ride together, but you must be prepared to split off and do your individual effort if that is what the agenda is.  There is no fluff and no bragging.  It is a simple parting of ways to get the work done.  Although you may be envious of the others training day, you don’t make a snide comment that they don’t have the stamina to do what you are about to do.  It is all in a days work, and you understand.  Sometimes you just need a training partner to get out the door on a foggy morning or early time, and after the appropriate warm-up, you might not see them until the next ride, yet they had a purpose.  They understand the job, and you both support that.
  4. Cohesion and Craziness. Yet, who really wants to ride a 4-5 hour ride by themselves?  I know I am quite entertaining to myself, but that wears off eventually.  I discover that I would rather not be alone in my thoughts and head day in and day out.  The company is phenomenal to have, and they need to be just a little bit as crazy as you are.  Ride out to the Pt. Reyes Lighthouse?  Why not.  What happens if we take a right to Fort Jenner?  Let’s find out.  You are cohesive in your exploration, and you are both just a little crazy.
  5. Correct Phrasing. A good training partner doesn’t tell you that they “dropped” you, yet they may refer to it as “that time that I rode ahead of you and then waited at the fork in the road”.  You didn’t get dropped.  You let them ride ahead.  They know they dropped you.  You know they dropped you.  But for your confidence and delicate self-esteem, they use correct phrasing of the event just to ensure you don’t become a puddle of sweat and tears into the asphalt for a rough day.  We all have bad days, no sense in rubbing it in.
  6. Challenge.  Yet, they need to challenge you.  Through good days and bad days, they are still there.  They know the time to leave you alone in your misery, and they know the time to hang back with you.  It is a fine balance.  It is a team effort at times, and a solo mission at other times.  Sometimes their fitness is so beyond yours all you can do is hang on, and other days, you are the stronger rider.  They challenge you.  You challenge them.  It simply works.
  7. Patience.  Yes.  I may be tough, but sometimes I require some patience.  I might forget a glove or two.  I might not want to change my flat.  I might complain about the weather, my legs, or the movie I saw.  Be patient with each other.  There are more important things than riding a silly bike, but we are out there together with a similar goal and determination.  No one is perfect.
  8. Timeliness.  Oh yeah.  I like to be on time for my rides.  Ok, so I actually show up a little bit too early because I am a dork that way.  I will be patient, and you will be on time.  Sounds like a plan to me.  Who is the first one to show up?  Oh yeah, me.  Can we say nerd? Absolutely.
  9. Entertainment.  If you are cracking, sometimes the only thing that gets you up that hill is a good story.  A funny anecdote.  Something that has nothing to do about cycling.  A story about your first scary movie, or your first job as a lifeguard and that one girl.. Anything that gets my mind off of the slogan “just keep pedalling, just keep pedaling”.  Like I said, I train the majority of the time by myself, but every once in awhile I need out of my own head.  I will recripcrate when the time is right, I promise.
  10. Just a ride. And like I told Bob Roll.  It is just a ride.  Nothing more, nothing less.  It is just a ride.

Growing up and Roses

26 Dec

I liked growing up for awhile.  I always looked forward to the next day, the next year, and my next milestone.  At 26 years old, I don’t think I want to grow up any more.  I think this has been a hard enough year as it is.  There has been plenty of “big girl” lessons to be had, and frankly, I don’t want anymore.  I quit growing up.  I don’t think that is an option, but I am putting my foot down on this one.

Movies with my dad. I think we dress alike...

Nothing says growing up like Christmas.  My stocking got exponentially smaller.  It was so small in fact, it could only hold some candy, a key chain (mighty cute I might add), and a yo-yo.  Yes.  My parents got me a yo-yo for Christmas.  Why?  Maybe to prove that I was still as handicapped as ever with that silly toy.  I re-gifted it to the cat.  It is now shredded into pieces, but he was better at the game than I.  However, my wishes were granted with the perfect gift of an amazing vacuum cleaner.  Yes.  I got my vacuum cleaner for Christmas.  I am getting old.  Maybe I don’t mind after all.

My motto for next year will be to surpass all that rhetoric I came up with this year.  To rise above it.  To move forward.  To stop and smell the roses.  Yes.  My dad recently reminded me to do so.  I responded that I didn’t like the smell of roses sometimes.  He told me to learn to.  Yes.  Learn to slow down.  Learn to appreciate.  Learn to breathe.  Learn to quit worrying about the next big thing, be confident in yourself, in your decisions, and in you.  Learn to grow up at times, and learn to cling to your childhood at others.  Smell the roses. Don’t take that for granted.

Sisters Reunited=Love

What was my favorite Christmas gift?  Laughter with my sister? A bike ride with my dad? Tennis with my mom?  Prime rib? Corn bread stuffing? Yes and yes.  It was also the reminder that growing up isn’t all that it is cracked up to be, but it is a fact.  Life is here.  It is precious.  Family is priceless.

 

Seriously though, who can yo-yo anyway, besides on the back of a crit of course…

Riding your bicyle all day…

22 Dec

The other day I got to ride my bicycle all day.

You may ask, don’t you do that all the time?  Aren’t you a professional cyclist?  Don’t worry, I am a professional, but that doesn’t mean I don’t “get” to ride my bike all day all the time.  Sometimes I don’t want to.  Sometimes I am not allowed to.  Sometimes I don’t like it.  But then there are those days…those days you clip in, ride all day, and never look back.  You aren’t bridled to your power meter.  You aren’t worried about time constraints.  You aren’t ignoring fatigued legs or a growling stomach.  If someone told you that you were about to cover the furthermost distances withing your reach, and the deepest inward depths of your insides that day, you would think it was impossible.  Then, it wasn’t.  You did it.  You got to ride your bicycle all day.  And you loved it.

Have you ever finished a ride thinking, oh the places I have been.  No one quite understands the ground I have covered, the challenges I have conquered, and the personal battles I have won.  I have not only travelled the world, or at least the great expanses of the wide open spaces in my backyard, but I have loved every minute of it. I never fought myself.  I didn’t fight my bike.  I didn’t grimace at others.  I laughed with good training partners, and I even found humor in myself.  It wasn’t just a bike ride, it was a privilege.

I got to ride my bicycle all day the other day.  And I loved it.  Where did I go?  That is my secret.  When was it?  Not important.  It happened.  It was my day.  What was yours?

Rite of Passage

19 Dec

Call it a rite of passage.  Call it a stroke of bad luck.  Or just shrug your shoulders and say, “It happens”.

And happen it did.

I have ridden a bike for about 4 years.  And since I have an affinity for the number 4, I like things to happen in either even numbers, multiples of 4, or with at least a balanced 4 type of a number.  It could be that my birthday is on April 4th (4/4), or it could be I am just that neurotic.

4 years.  During these 4 years I have thought about the possibility, but never knew when it would come.  And the other day, I achieved the miraculous 4 flats on my bike ride.  A pinch flat.  A CO2 dud. A broken nozzle.  A faulty tube.  1, 2, 3, 4.  At least it was 4.  It was hopeless.

I was stuck.  Stranded.  Walking my bicycle.  Miles from home.  After utilizing both my and Olivia’s spare tubes, I plead martyrdom and sent her on her productive 4 hour way sans any flat fixing equipment.   I was stuck at the mercy of fate.  It was raining.  It was a week day.  Where are all the cyclists?  Oh right.  People work.  People don’t like drizzly cold mornings.  I went from feeling tough to feeling alone.

Eventually I was rescued.  Thank heavens.  Upon reaching home, I self appointed the day a rest day.  I was not meant to do my training that day.  I was meant to take that day as a gift.  A gift of gratitude for those that helped.  And that I survived the rite of passage.  4 years.  4 flats.  Now what.  Hopefully broken pelvises don’t come a pack of 4.

I learned the more prepared you are for these events, then better… To pay it forward.  Help those in need, and it will come back to you at times you need it most.

 

The Best Christmas Gift.

13 Dec

When do you know you are important to someone?  One one level it could be that they buy you a RoadID, but you reach a whole new status level when you are on their RoadID!

One of my favorite products is my RoadID.  You have to briefly let me get up on my soap box here.  This product has helped save my life.  It has brought my loved ones to me when I was unable to contact them.  It has offered me peace of mind and assurance that I am not anonymous.

You better check that list twice, Bob.

You don’t have to be an endurance athlete to benefit from having emergency contact available.  You don’t have to be Bob Roll.  You can be skiing.  Commuting.  Dating.  Horsebackriding.  Bikram.  Holiday shopping.  Elderly.  Young.  A pet.  The list goes on.

So what do I think that the best Christmas gift is this year?  Besides world peace, another pair of Uggs, and that new vacuum cleaner that you always wanted (no really…I want a vacuum cleaner this year), is a RoadID!  A gift card for your favorite person or pet.  Show someone you care about their safety.  Gift cards are perfect as well.

Since I care:  Save 15% off any Road ID purchase with code pcAS15. 

Do it!

Maybe I will go on that ride with Bob…

Thanksgiving Roll Call Day 5: “Support”

7 Dec

Yes.  I know that an intoxicating evergreen scented wreath adorns your front door, you are envisioning prancing reindeer on top of your roof, and you are currently enjoying an egg nog latte at your computer desk.  But to me, I am still dreaming of Thanksgiving.  Christmas may be coming upon us, and we are supposed to be sending holiday cheer, but I am going to keep relishing those people and things (my bike does have a personality though) that I am most thankful for.

I am thankful for the support.  Support could mean team.  Support could mean all of the other people dedicating their time into the sport.  The mechanics.  The soigneurs.  The officials.  The media.  But in this instance, for the sake of this post, I am going to call it, the friends.  The fans.  The hosts.  The cheers.   You all know who you are.

Those that have motorpaced me.    I know it may be super exciting to ride around on a scooter at blistering speeds, and it is probably a great way to pick up chicks (who doesn’t like a guy in leather and a bicycle helmet), I have a feeling those that help me out aren’t concerned with their “cool factor”.  Not that a scooter isn’t cool, and I know that I am super fast, but driving around at 50kph can get old.  So thank you.  I am sure I got faster from it.

 

Trying to find a draft....

 

Those that have “hosted” us.  Thank you for host housing!  What I wouldn’t do for a “princess” room (one which I have to share with NO ONE else and is sometimes decorated in pink and boas and large signs that proclaim it is “princess parking only”) and a limitless kitchen available for our creations from carnitas street tacos to tri-tip and brussel sprouts.  Thank you for opening up your hearts and homes to my team and myself over the years.  Thank you Mr. Novitsky for the use of altitude training in Tahoe.  Thank you to the Fowler’s who have the best home in Silver City, and the Mansour’s for allowing me to call Bend home for a couple of weeks (and the princess room)… and the list goes on.  I have a plantation home in Augusta, and an Apsen getaway… Just opening up your home is sometimes the best support!  You are each in my heart, and I thank you for extending yours.

Our Augusta "hosts" Pat and John Curry

Sometimes the only thing you need is that little bit of cheering.  A cowbell.  A yell.  Anything to make you press on those pedals just a tad harder.  To dig a little deeper.  I love going out to a race that is well attended and full of energy.  I like hearing the cheers, and sometimes the heckling.  It is all in good fun.  Thank you for supporting the races!

However, please beware if you ever tell me to “move up” or that I am “almost there”.  I may throw a sideways glare your way, I apologize.  It is just in the moment.  There are times I am not sure if I am going to make it, and other times I am well aware I am going to survive, but will I win?  Will I be fast?  Will it be enough?  These are the questions I ask.

One of my favorite hosts, Jack Apple, decorated the incredible Maroon Bells TT with chalk for me.  Yet, at that time, nothing helped.  Oxygen would have helped, but at that altitude I would have had to have it transported in.  I was feeling more like a marmot than a mountain goat.  Yet, that was one of my favorite.  Nothing like a little “Allez Alison” that doesn’t get your heart pumping. Whether I am in Europe, Aspen, or just in Norcal, I love it.

Jack and my self portrait at the "scene" in Aspen

So there you have it.  Even as you enjoy that peppermint bark, carmel corn, and a candy cane, just know that I am thankful for your support.  Sometimes I don’t have a lot to give to show my appreciation.  Sometimes the results don’t even exemplify that.  Sometimes you may just get a bottle of wine or a jar of peanut butter.  But know that I thank you.

We thank you.

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