Surprisingly specific

Well I got my act together recently and can finally say that I have been on three local rides in five days here! That's quite a feat considering how all over the place I have been lately with this new career! It's been a strange transition.... I mean up in Santa Rosa I knew every nook and cranny of the roads I trained on, and I knew what every local race would have to offer. It took years to build that knowledge and understanding, and I think I really took that all for granted! Now..here in my new home everything is new (in alot of ways actually), but what I am speaking of is the "newness" of all these "new to me" training rides and races that happen around here. I have been nothing but amazed by how many great group rides are out there down here in Southern California!
I am feeling somewhat settled nowadays and have actually been jumping in in some pretty darn good rides (with pretty darn good company I might add!). Now that I am back to spending some regular quality time on the bike, I am also beginning to learn some new/old things about myself. Ultimately, aside from the coolness of each new adventure, what has been so surprising (note the subject line)is that I am noticing just how specific my skills/abilities on the bike are becoming. I mean seriously.....if there is a hill these days I just end up suffering like a beaten dog. But on the flip side, I have no problem hanging with the big guys when things get tough on the flats. It's quite comical actually (the fact that every little hill feels so hard!!). Just goes to show that I really do belong on fast, speedy, FLAT courses despite the fact that EVERYONE thinks I should be a great climber because I am so small.
You know one of my coaches, Mr. Max Testa, once said to me that I had a power to weight ratio that was pretty close to world class, but that I was so full of fast twitch muscle that the only hope I would have in hilly races was if they were rolling courses!! He was so right! (hahaha)....Cant say I don't like a hill as much as "the climber" because I really do enjoy climbing .......but when it comes to racing, well it is safe to say that I am in love with criteriums.
In love I tell ya.

In love.

Cheers... and as always, word to the bike.

serenity...

this pic is from the garden at our host home in Redlands Ca


i have come to realize that serenity only arrives when one takes care of all aspects of the self. addressing and taking care of all aspects of the self can be a challenging task in today's world....but really, do we have a choice?
flowers remind me of the need to keep serenity alive.

Ouch $$$$$$

I just heard that beginning May 5th of this year, we traveling cyclists should expect to see a $200 charge each way for a bike bag.
Okay...now pardon the language, but that sucks.

SEA OTTER is coming... see you there!

What if we could lean like that down the corkscrew.....!

BLOG in a Blog

Hey people.....come follow us :)

www.teamadvilchapstick.blogspot.com

Burning head in Ojai....

Ok....that was what you call "One of those days"!!!

The race in Ojai was a very odd and interesting one. Unfortunately, the event lost it's NRC status for women, which meant we lost the majority of the initial set prize money, as well as the "points" that go along with many team's seasonal goal of earning a high ranking. All of that was a bit of a bummer, and in and of itself as an entirely different topic for discussion.....

As for me and my little one person report -- I decided to race Ojai for various reasons (mainly because I haven't raced much at all yet this season!!....but also because I planned to stay up in the area overnight and get on with work in Santa Barbara the following morning.).
Anyway, about the race...I have to say, the high temperatures really made for a miserable day on the bike for me, and everyone else no doubt!....but I absolutely fell apart in the heat! I was completely knocked out of my own head early on in the race, and all I really did was pedal around, watch my watch to see how many more minutes I had to ride, and wonder why I was putting myself through the torture! Guess that happens sometimes. Of course I knew everyone was suffering with the heat, so I just kept thinking I would come around....but it in the end it was just wishful thinking and I ultimately resigned myself to "just finish" as the goal of the day...

It took about four hours before the post race headache went away.

...should have spent at the beach with my brother :)


see you all at Sea Otter.
peace.

I miss my baby.

I spoke with Myles this morning (in case you don't know...we have been temporarily living apart for almost six months during this big life change of ours). Anyway, our conversation was good, and when we said goodbye we said our "i love yous". I didn't expect to hear from him again today...he is a teenager after all, and it is a Saturday and that usually means life is all about friends (life about parents on the weekends...not so much).
Well I was wrong.....honestly, Myles never ceases to amaze me even during the teen years. He called me late this afternoon and said he was calling from Lake Elsanjo (a lake up at the park where I first fell in love with mountain biking, and the same place I used to take him when he was under ten years old to learn what I came to realize was some pretty techinical mountain biking for a youngster!!)
...Anyway, back to the phone call --he said "Mom, after talking to you today I got inspired to go mountain biking, and now me and Luis are up here at the lake and it's been really fun, and now the sun is just starting to set and it's really beautiful."

...then he went on to say "I just wanted to call you and tell you that."

Now you tell me.....wouldn't your heart just melt.
mine did.

On the job.....

Met one of the owners of this clothing brand along my L.A. travel route yesterday. He was riding the PK Ripper....straight up cool. These are the days that I love.

live it breath it love it

Redlands 2008

Everything about Redlands was a success! We had a great first race with the team and management, we added awesome guest riders to our roster, we rode amazing equipment(!), we stayed in wonderful host housing, and we competed against stellar competition. Of course the highlight was that we took one of the podium spots for the weekend as well! As for me....I obviously couldn't be happier than to have made the podium in an event that I have known for years suited me well. I was so proud to snag a podium for our team and sponsors....and the placing was even more special to me because it was my first criterium this year, and in the last six months my life has been an absolute whirlwind! I just got back on the bike about 8 weeks ago! I was really wondering just how the legs were going to come around.... :)

I love my bike.
I love to ride.

Sometimes it puts tears in my eyes when I think about all the great experiences I have had simply due to this little invention called the bicycle.
Honestly, I don't know what I would do if I didn't have this sport in my life. What a pleasure racing really is.

Enjoy the pics...and by the way, take a look at those podium boys! Who would have known ;)

Precious Moments...

I'm feeling a little political here people.

Stay tuned... I got something to say and I think it's worth hearing, but I need to sit back and figure out how to articulate my message clearly.

More crazy news....hilarious.

Great April Fools
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2008/apr08/apr01newsspecial