2010: I'm relocating from an old blog site so I am just copying and pasting here:
Points: 63rd/155 with 26 points (nationals, cali WC)
Team pursuit: 119th/224 with 22.5 points (nationals and both WC)
Indiv Pursuit: 46th/142 with 45 points (nationals, cali WC)
Omnium: 101st with 15 pts (nationals only)
Team sprint: 129th with 5 points (Melb only)
Unfortunately there aren't many more UCI points events that I can enter, left this season, except for my final world cup in Manchester in February. SO much learning already!!! I've crammed as much learning in as I possibly could and while it's been a VERY steep curve (resulting in oft-embarassing moments), I feel I've greatly shortened the overall curve and am just that much closer to where I want to be!
12-30-10: the temps have been cold here, but the roads dry -i'm so grateful! (though it sounds like lots of the white stuff is headed our way today). The past 2 days I had fairly tough interval workouts scheduled and I went out and nailed them. There is no better feeling than coming home from a solo ride with hard efforts, and knowing I hit the mark. The desire to stop when things get hard is sometimes overwhelming, but I am highly motivated and I hammered out those efforts to perfection. Feels good, doing it when no one else is watching and when I hold myself accountable. I am learning more and more that the willingness to suffer while training is what allows me to get stronger and stronger.
12-23-10: just finished my monthly radio show appearance with Scog the Sports Dog and Wingman on milehighsports.com (93.7FM) - I love chatting with those guys every month, they are so enthusiastic about sports and also about my olympic quest and what I'm trying to accomplish. Having people believe in me makes all the difference because -I'm not gonna lie -there are definitely days when the goal seems so impossibly long and far away that I ask myself "is this just a pipe dream, can I really make this happen?" But everytime someone like Scog says "I believe in you, you can do this," it refuels my fire!! I'm really grateful to Scog and milehighsports for taking interest in my cycling goals and career - I think talking about it on the radio is a great way to publicize this amazing sport to sports fans who may not know much about cycling, and especially about track cycling. The more fans we bring into the sport, the better!! Tune in next month -I usually appear on the final thursday of each month around 7pm!
12-21-10: exciting news!!!
Xing tea
has decided to come on board as a sponsor - I am so excited to have
this amazing product and company backing me as I proceed on my olympic
quest!! This tea is fantastic -all natural, made with cane sugar,
yummy, and just enough caffeine to wake me up without making me
jittery. It's the perfect training ride beverage for those long
rides!! Also -tune in thurs nite at 7pm for my monthly chat with Scog the Sports Dog and Wingman!
12-20-10: home, finally! Whoa, what a 3-week adventure that was! The points race on Saturday night went pretty well -better than I expected, to be honest. I was in the group that took a lap and after that effort I realized I would be hard pressed to finish the race, let alone try to sprint for any points, so I just hung in there for dear life determined to survive till the end. It was much harder and more intense than I expected it to be. Several women dropped out -including the Columbian, which had to be tough in front of her home crowd. I ended up 14th. I was stoked to have done it and to finish the race with the main field. then the frantic bike packing commenced and after that i joined some of the us folks for the "uci cycling party" which I quickly learned was worth observing this one time, but not something I need to do again. 5am bus departed for the airport on Sunday and then the travel adventure was underway. Boy did it feel good to set foot on Denver soil last nite and of course, to see my hubby after 3 weeks of missing him! Now -time for some downtime and holiday enjoyment!
12-17-10: quick update with 2 of the 3 events done and then a longer report will happen at some later day (I have so much to write it'll be more like an article than a blog i'm thinking!). Team pursuit last nite: we rode a much cleaner and technically sound race than we did in Melb - which is great, it means the hard work we put into riding as a team in LA paid off, as well as all the skills practice. The downside is, we rode the exact same time. Cali is purportedly a faster track -and it certainly felt fast to us Tues and Wed. But Thurs evening it felt slow and sluggish. Hard to say if it was the air or just us being fatigued from travel, etc. We rode a great race but of course, we were really disappointed to see our time stay the same. Jen and Emy flew out this morning. Today I raced the Indiv Pursuit 3k. I had a schedule in mind and really wanted to stick to it. My start lap was right on the mark, but then my next 3 laps were too hot (even though i was focused on floating them). I paid for it later in the effort and ended up turning a 3:51. This is a new PR for me by 7 seconds over my time at track nats...so, while I fell short of my goal for today, I am pleased that in just 3 months of track training (all of which has been team pursuit and not IP work), that I shaved off 7 seconds. That bodes well for the future!
Time to rest now. Shuttle rides, schedules, foreign food, foreign languages and just the overall 3 week trip fatigue has really caught up with me. Tomorrow is my final event -the 80 lap points race. Then I pack bikes and hop on a plane Sunday morning for HOME. I can't wait!
12-14-10: arrived safely in cali last night and our luggage also made it -which is more than many teams can say, so we were very excited and grateful things worked out. today we had a chance to build our bikes and scope things out at the hotel before we left for the velodrome for our session this afternoon. our efforts went well and everyone agrees - it's a FAST TRACK!! it's a bit strange though, in that, in order to scare off the pigeons, they play a looped recording of an owl screaching and bell sounds. it's quite distracting while riding and a bit creepy. but the way the velodrome is open on the sides is wonderful, allowing in fresh air and sunshine and the occasional breeze. the wood is wonderful -except for a bit of a hiccupy bump in turn 3. everyone here is so friendly, though we are always on guard and careful to travel in groups and stick to either the hotel, the shuttle bus, or the velo. no sightseeing on this trip. in fact, it's a busy day once it's all said and done. for example, here's the schedule benjamin sharp, USA Cycling's team pursuit coordinator, developed for our team for tomorrow:
Event : Cali World Cup, Training
Date : 12/15/10
Forecast: 80 w/ scattered showers
Breakfast: 9:00 – 10:00
Rollers: 10:00 – 11:00 (30-45 min. w/ 4 x :20 high cadence accels)
11:00 – 12:00 (30-45 min. w/ 4 x :20 high cadence accels)
Lunch: 12:30
Shuttle to Track: ~14:30 (TBD)
Roller Warmup: 16:15 – 17:00
Training Session: 17:00 – 18:30
Workout: 17:15 --FS TP 1500m in 50x14 (54x15, 53x15) @ 22.5/ 17.4
17:45 --SS TP 1000m in 50x14 (54x15, 53x15) @ 17.4
:20 cool down on rollers after session
Return to Hotel (Shuttle):
Dinner: upon return to hotel
I'm also practicing my spanish as much as possible, though many in the industry here do speak english, many don't. After studying it for 7 years I should be fluent but in reality, speak like a 3rd grader. Oh well, it's been nice to have the chance to use it and i'm really motivated to get back into the language and learn it fluently.
One more day of training tomorrow and then we race our team pursuit on Thursday early afternoon. Emy and Jen will then race the team sprint, as i'll be resting my legs to race the individual 3k pursuit on Friday and the points race sunday. then i'm HOMEBOUND!!!!
12-11-10: today was our last official day of team pursuit camp, before some of the gang departs tomorrow for Cali and the rest of us travel follow on Monday. As it turns out, I managed to get myself sick this week. Truth be told, I came back from Melb fighting it, and I started my antibiotic right away to try and nip it but . . . guess it's just a straightup head cold and for that, there's no shortcut but to ride it out. The past few days i've been in the coughy-rusty throat-nose stuff, stage. But i'll be solid and healthy and ready to race my eyeballs out by next Thursday! Generally, "they" say it's ok to train through the head stuff, so long as it doesn't move into the lungs -which, mine hasn't. Anyways, given the current state of my sick head, I spent the early part of today resting and doing an easy road ride. Track session wasn't until 4pm. The cool part of this is that our session coincided with Saturday evening young men's volleyball games - attended by parents; stands with people in them sure makes track practice fun!
Honestly though, the coolest part of tonight's workout was fielding all the curious questions from the volleyball parents. Most had never seen track racing, track bikes, track gears, nor did they know it is an olympic event. When told they were witnessing the women's national team preparing for a world cup competition, they got really excited. I'm a south dakota girl, which means I'll usually strike up a convo with just about anyone because that's how SD folks are. I got to chatting and explaining to a group of parents and the next thing I knew, they were hollering my name during the workout. It was a riot. How cool - to have exposed people to the sport of track cycling, and to have them be excited about it and what we are trying to do! then the group googled me on their phone (?) because they read this very website (?) and learned I am in fact, a SD native. And -you guessed it - one of the parents was also from SD -Sioux Falls . . . the very city where I spent my early childhood. That really fired them up and they started hollering "go hottman" when we'd roll by during our efforts. More parents started wandering over when we'd go up to the concourse to change gears. A fan club during our workout -how insanely cool. The more people we turn onto track racing, the better!!!
It was a great workout and our team ended the camp on a high note. Tomorrow my day will be devoted to figuring out how to pack 2 bikes, 5 wheels, rollers, clothing and "all that jazz" and how the heck to get it down to Columbia without the airline telling me to take a hike.
My apologies for the lack of photos this week. All typing and no color.
12-10-10: my new 2011 road team's cotitle sponsor, Map My Ride, has this sweet app that you can download to your smartphone (FREE) and you simply start it at the beginning of your ride - it uses GPS technology to track your route and then calculates distance, etc. It's shareable with others on the MMR website. Today was my first time using it, so i'm still learning the ins and outs, but check it out -this was my super easy to the beach and back recovery ride today!
12-8-10: my mom posted this quote to FB and I thought it a very fitting quote to share from the midst of track camp, where each day is a new beginning and fresh start and it takes a strong mental state to start each workout fresh, regardless of what happened the day before - or even during the previous effort. Each. One. Must. Count.
"Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." — Ralph Waldo Emerson
12-7-10: first day back on the velo today -our team is experimenting with a different start order and also brainstorming other ways we can improve. i'm quickly realizing much of this team pursuiting involves stuff that happens off the bike -ie managing all 3 of our expectations of the team's capabilities and potential, managing personalities and stress levels, and generally trying to work cohesively. Although I am the owner of the team and the person that put this team pursuit squad together, it seems reasonable that we each have our 1/3 input in the decisions, though of course that does often lead to differences of opinion; we each come to this team with different coaches, different training philosophies and different experiences. But so long as we are all committed to the common goal of going as fast as we possibly can, I feel we are making progress.
After the velo work I enjoyed a nice sunny road ride with Emy . . . wow did that sunshine boost my vitamin D bank and energy reserves. With all of our systems worn down from racing and traveling, it's going to be easy for us to get sick this week so it's all about watching nutrition, vitamins, recovery and moderating efforts to get stronger, but not to get into the hole too deep prior to Cali. If that sounds like a very thin line to walk, you're right, it is. Push, chase, work, push and chase some more, then rest. Recover stronger. Repeat. Cali is an important race for sure, but I continue to have my eye on the bigger prize which requires becoming a stronger rider. Also something that's challenging about this journey -not losing sight of the big goals when the small ones themselves are quite large and quite important . . .
usacycling.org had this story about the track team on its website today.
12-4-10: i slept 12 hours and 40 minutes straight last night and woke up feeling back-to-human. Amazing how 2 international flights and a world cup 4-day flurry can wipe a girl out ;) I'm enjoying some quiet time here in LA before the camp gets back underway...also amazing how solo quiet time recharges me after i've been around others nonstop. I call it the curse of the only child. Every other only child I've ever met completely agrees with me - we don't just love our quiet time, we need it.
So today's post is about my support crew. Doing what I am doing would not be possible without the people and companies that believe in me. In fact, it would be downright impossible.
My husband. How blessed am I to have a spouse that's my #1 fan. Truly supportive, never a guilt trip about me having to be gone, totally stoked when I do well, completely honest with me when I don't do well, and everything in between. He's my rock. I often ache with homesickness, I break down and cry on my trips and wish for nothing else to be home. How lucky am I to have someone to miss that much? I think because Rob played Division I football and hoped to have an NFL career, he can relate to my goals and the hard work it's going to take to get there. He pushes me and he slows me down when I need it.
My parents. Some parents don't follow their kids' dreams. some parents think it's irresponsible to put a career on hold to pursue a dream. some parents have no idea what cycling is or how it works. Not mine. It is amazing to have their excitement and support and prayers, and to know that -although this wasn't the journey we expected my life to take -they are excited and proud of me just the same.
My friends - to have peers that are genuinely happy for me, not tinted with guilt or with jealousy, but full on, all out happy for me, is amazing. I have great friends and I appreciate their emails and notes checking in and sending me well wishes.
My sponsors. No amount of thanks can be said for these individuals. This journey wouldn't be possible otherwise. I'm so thankful for a couple of specific sponsors, one of whom wishes to remain unnamed (but you know who you are!!) and those that put things into motion which have LITERALLY led to me doing what I've done the past few months. It took people having faith in me and going out on a leap to help me and I can't ever possibly repay them but I do hope to make them proud of their investment in me on every step of this incredible journey.
There are a lot of people behind me. Without them, I couldn't do it. I hope they all know how truly pivotal their support of me, is.
12-3-10 (LA date and time): back in the USA, whew what a fast and furious trip that was! There's so much to write and say, I can't even think where to begin. Well -how about results and times, for starters? Our team rode really well in the team pursuit. It's pretty amazing when you consider that, except for the 2 days prior to the event, Jen and I had never ridden with Emy (or even met her, for that matter) and so we were all operating on blind faith and confidence in one another, despite the fact that we'd only had a couple chances to practice as a team. Our objective: to ride a clean, smooth race, to stay to together (ie, not blow apart) and to shoot for a 3:35ish time. Last year, a 3:35 would've yielded us 6th place at the Melb WC. We ended up clocking a 3:38, we had a few glitches, but we each know where we can specifically improve so we know our next ride is gonna be SO much better. Because the Team Pursuit is now an olympic event, the times were much faster and there were 2x as many teams entered this year. While our time would've earned us the US national title at track nats, it only earned us 2nd-to-last place at the world cup. The top teams were in the low 3:20-range. But we know where we need to go and are certain our next ride together in Cali will be fantastically faster.
After the TP, I raced the team sprint with my Aussie sprinter teammate Jessica Laws. Confession time: i've never before in my entire life raced a team sprint. Some would say doing it at a world cup isn't the best place to begin, but I felt that it just wasn't tolerable to travel so far to only race one event, and Jess was game for it to open her legs for her important events on the following days. The team sprint is a 500m effort-2 laps - the first person pulls the first lap and then bails, while the 2nd person keeps going. we rode a 37 second effort. the winning times were 33-34 seconds. For the record, it was a second faster than my 500m time at nats. It was a great way to end the day and it also earned me a photo opp on cyclingnews!
We had so much help in our pit area, many thanks to our pit crew, Kevin Laws, and Stu and Matilda, Emy's good friends. They took care of everything for us. That's crucial when the prerace stress/jitters take over and you can hardly think straight.
I can't even begin to describe what it feels like to be competing at a world cup. dream come true. looking around at the world's best track racers and knowing i'm a part of it all, the track, the spectators, the excitement. i had goosebumps the entire time. I also can't begin to list all that I learned, both about aussie culture as well as about team pursuiting (ie all of us coping with stress differently and needing different things to perform at our best), to the travel learning curve . . . what an amazing education I just received in 4 short days.
Sooo many photos are on FB from the melb experience -here's my fave:
12-2-10: the day has arrived!! after talking about this and planning it and working towards it since last January, my first race of my first world cup has actually arrived. It's funny how such a large target initially, ultimately boils down to 3-4 short minutes on a track and then it's done! I feel VERY blessed that we are all healthy -no illness, no injury, no catastrophes slowing us down. When you are dealing w/a team sport and rely on all 3 members, it's so crucial for everyone to be going well - and we are!
We had a very encouraging session at the velo yesterday, we did a 2k @ race pace using race gears -I came off the track not even winded afterwards saying to the team "wow we need to adjust our schedule because we can go much faster than that!" It was very exciting, after all the travel and the time difference, eating foods I wouldn't normally be eating, not in control of my sleep or rest schedule and in sum being totally out of my element (It is very challenging to me not to be in control of any of this but that's what foreign travel is all about!) and to still have my legs feel invincible. Many thanks to coach Clay for getting me to this point -it appears all of those slugfests on the trainer in the dank basement have paid off for me ;)
After our velo session Emy let us into the VIS (victorian institute of sport -statefunded facility and program to grow their athletes into olympians -quite impressive!!!) and we enjoyed (painfully) alternating between ice baths and hot tub and then walking out the legs in the pool. After that we journeyed into downtown Melbs for a late lunch. Lots of logistical fiascos in light of Jen's decision to move over to Emy's when Emy has a tiny little car and we've got so much crap for racing to lug around. By the end of the afternoon Emy and I were exhausted from all the driving, walking and navigating! We then enjoyed a fantastic meal with Emy's father and brother before we called it a night.
We'll head to the velo about 1215p and start warmup around 2p for an anticipated race time of 315p tonight. Can't wait!
12-1-10: (technically, it's 1:31pm on 11/30 in Colorado) - arrived safely in Melb -wow that travel stretch was like an ironman. sitting for 14 hours was really difficult, and to think we have to do the trip again in just a few days!! But we made it and our teammate Emy here is fantastic and her family is so gracious to host us at their lovely home. "Melbs" is beautiful and the weather is great with today being their first official day of summer. We went to the velo yesterday and had an easy session as Jen and I attempted to work out the plane legs slowly. Today we head back for some efforts at race pace using our race gear and to work out final logistics and then tomorrow it's GAME ON! My phone isn't working here so will have to load the pics i've taken once back in the US to post here.
11-28-10: well. the day has arrived. I have been talking about going to race these world cups since last January and after all the talk and planning and preparation, the day has arrived. Funny how it sort of snuck up on me ;) I have mastered the art of packing as much as possible into my bike box, and managed to fit 2 bikes, 2 wheels, 2 helmets and lots of other good stuff into it this time:
I
know United is going to charge me a fortune to check it, but that's the
price of traveling to race internationally so no sense fussing about
it. Hope to update this blog over in Melb, especially after the races,
but if not, look for an update on Dec 3rd when I'm back in the US!11-25-10: happy turkey day!!!
We enjoyed a nice lowkey day filled with a trip to the gym, a trainer workout (too cold to ride outside!), a nice healthy turkey dinner and some rest and also some productive work time too. It is nice to have this week at home to recharge before leaving again - I don't think I would be going into Melb WC with as much fervor, had I missed the chance to come home and get "regrounded" here in my space before departing. Even though the week is FLYING by, it sure feels great to be here. It is funny how my avoidance of injury-potential activities and places where I could get sick, has been very hyperactive this week. No hiking. No shopping. Nothing out of the ordinary. I've developed a hand sanitizer obsession! But knowing I'll be traveling abroad and also gone for 3 weeks really heightens my sense of wellness and wanting to be as healthy as possible before I stress my systems with travel, racing, packing, team stress, foreign foods, foreign languages, jet lag, different time zones and all that jazz. So far so good, I am healthy, and happy as a clam . . .
11-23-10: the new track bike is officially complete. I got my front zipp back after the nats crash, my hubby glued on brand new super fast tires to both wheels, and I just received my new saddle this very evening. Now, this hot machina deserves a name:
I'm posting this to Scog the Sports Dog and Wingman's page on Facebook, because they've assured me they are the world's best nicknamers and we will soon have a name for it. (him, her, it?)
here's the rundown: 2010 Dolan D3 frame, Alpina seatpost and fork, Zipp 808 front wheel and Zipp disc, bith with brand new Vittoria Pista tires on them (they pump up to 220psi!), Ritchey Logic handlebars, Shimano DuraAce Cranks, Speedplay pedals ... and the hottest part of the bike - my new CUSTOM "Nique" saddle, courtesy of Dash cycles in Boulder. SEXY!!
11-22-10: wow. yesterday was like, the most exhausting day ever. Rolled out of the hotel for the last time and went to the velo where we reviewed some videos and then got busy with our warmup. The last workout of the week was 4 x 2k TP efforts. I botched the first two and could feel my brain slipping into the "whatever who cares let's just get this over with, we're cooked let's just get moving along and get home." But I fought hard and rallied back mentally for the last 2 efforts, which I felt were very successful. I was so happy to end the 12-day training block on a high note! Packing the bikes and returning the rental car and navigating a very busy travel day, plus a delayed flight and an after-midnight arrival at home nearly did me in. It was almost too much to cram into a day. That damn bike case may be the death of me yet, it's so challenging to travel with all of that gear! But. I made it home and the sight of that garage door going up has never seemed so welcoming. Time to chill, not schedule stuff, not stress, eat, sleep and most importantly, enjoy the thanksgiving week with my hubby before i take off in 6 days for a 3-week journey. These 12 day trips have been super hard - i can't even imagine how hard 21 days is going to be. All in pursuit of a dream . . .
11-20-10: redemption. The rest yesterday paid off, and luckily today my legs decided to attend the workout. We used a huge gear today - the biggest I've ever ridden on the velo, and while I expected an explosion in the legs, the opposite happened - I actually felt like my legs adjusted and grew stronger throughout the workout... The short version of the long story is that I'm leaving this camp a changed athlete-- both mentally and physically stronger, more determined, hungrier for results.
Afterwards, I enjoyed a solo spin to the beach for the final time on this trip. A front was moving in so the clouds over the ocean had serious character. No, I don't think I could live here, but I do enjoy visiting and getting my ocean fix. One final workout tmrw, then packing the bikes and to the airport to fly home tomorrow night. Cannooooooot wait. I've been insanely homesick this week.
11-19-10: today megan cracked at track camp ;( it's ok - going hard was always part of the plan in the leadup to the world cups. so, not gonna post much about camp today but instead, I want to share a VERY exciting press release that was announced today:
DENVER - November 19, 2010 - Primal Wear, a leading designer and manufacturer of branded and custom cycling apparel, today announced the official launch of Primal/MapMyRIDE Professional Women's Racing powered by BH Bikes. The formation of the eight-member team aims to support professional women's cycling and create an avenue for better feedback on the development of women's specific technologies.
Over the course of the training season, team members will also be using
the iMapMyRIDE smartphone application which tracks and broadcasts speed, distance, and heart rate to the team's group page on beta.mapmyride.com and on the team's main site www.primalprowomensracing.com.
Cycling fans and potential racers will be able to learn from team
members' training regimes by monitoring that data, reading team members'
blog posts and interacting with them by using the site's social media tools."We've formed a very strong team of women. People that other women, and even men, can look to for training advice and competitive inspiration," said Team Director Susannah Gordon. "Besides riding to win, two unique aspects of the team will be helping develop women's specific products, and fans will be able to learn from and interact with team members using GPS-based social media."
Primal/MapMyRIDE Professional Women's Racing powered by BH Bikes' roster includes the following riders based in California, Colorado and Utah.
- Emily Kachorek, Sacramento, Calif. - Former U-23 National Champion, 20 podium finishes in 2010
- Gwen Inglis, Lakewood, Colo. - 2009 Colorado State Criterium Champion, 2005 Master's National Road Race Champion, 2005 American Cycling Association (ACA) Best All Around Rider
- Kasey Clark, Louisville, Colo. - 3rd Colorado Senior Road Championships, multiple podium finishes in Colorado area stage races and criteriums
- Liza Rachetto, Los Altos, Calif. - International racing experience with teams in France, Italy, Japan, El Salvador, Australia and New Zealand, 1st GP 24h di Feltre (ITA), 17th stage 2 Trophee d Or Feminin (FRA), 1st Monterey Circuit Race, 2nd Speedweek Dilworth Criterium, 12th USA Cycling National Crit Championships
- Megan Hottman, Golden, Colo. - 2010 Colorado State Criterium & Time Trial Champion and Colorado Best All Around Rider
- Nicky Wangsgard, Salt Lake City - 2009 and 2010 SUPERWEEK Women's Pro Tour Champion
- Nicole Evans, Salt Lake City - 2010 Utah State Criteium and Time Trial Champion, 2010 Utah Cycling Association Women's Current Points Leader
- Tiffany Pezzulo, Salt Lake City - 2nd overall 2010 USA CRITS Series, 2009 Utah State Criterium Champion
In addition to riding and winning, Primal/MapMyRIDE's mission is to support and promote women's competitive cycling.
"There are a lot of talented female cyclists around the country that would like to race," said Dave Edwards, Primal Wear founder and CEO. "Our hope for Primal/MapMyRIDE is that others will see what we are doing, build similar teams on the same model, and come out and race."
To garner national-level results and to encourage growth in the sport, the team will compete at the following high-profile USA Cycling sanctioned and National Racing Calendar (NRC) events:
- February 9-13, John Earley Memorial Valley of the Sun Stage Race
- March 30 - April 3, Redlands Bicycle Classic
- April 14-17, Sea Otter Classic
- April 27 - May 1, Tour of the Gila
- April 30 - May 8, USA CRITS Speedweek
- May 5-8, Joe Martin Stage Race
- June 10-12, The Saint Francis Tulsa Tough
- June 21-26, US Elite Road Nationals
- July 19-24, Cascade Cycling Classic
For more information about Primal/MapMyRIDE Professional Women's Racing powered by BH Bikes, go to www.primalprowomensracing.com.
11-18-10: well well well. Today started out a bit rusty but sure ended on a high note. Since this whole second week is completely uncharted territory for me (ie -i've not trained or raced hard on the velo more than 5 days conseq so this is allllll an experiment at this point), I really had no idea how the legs would go today. We had an easy roll for the morning session and the velo session didn't start till 1pm. Normally i'm a morning-worker-outer, so afternoons are a bit harder to get going for me but i rallied and relied on positive thoughts and 2xcaffeine PowerGels to get me pumped. My team today again consisted of Jen and Coryn - shuffled in order and we also took turns as starters so it really helped share the workload throughout.
We haven't yet seen the data -aka split times- from our rides today, but from what we could tell, the 3 efforts went pretty well and I was actually able to negative split the final effort on my last pull when I just totally buried the needle and went for it. A new beast was unleashed ;) One of the biggest struggles I have is holding back. But you just can't let fear get in the way, it's ok to go so hard we pop or fail or bail on the effort midstride. That's better than holding back and not giving your all. Today I worked harder and harder on spending EVERY CENT in my legs in each of the efforts. i've heard the other girls talk about feeling like they were about to vomit, or feeling their body tingle all over from the intensity -and i hadn't felt that until today when i DUG DEEP DEEP DOWN. Jen was psyched to see the final push and said she wants to see more of that in the days ahead. . . have I mentioned how cool it is to be training and riding with such supportive and encouraging women? Coryn is like a ball of energy, always positive and upbeat and is similarly quite wonderful to have around. I couldn't have chosen better partners in crime for the week. Incidentally, Coryn has so many nicknames, I have given her another one: nicknameable.
11-17-10: first day of elite camp. done. today was a simulated warmup, qualifying ride, break, rewarmup and then a final ride. The idea was to practice the race day type of schedule and pressure, and boy was the exercise effective. I was so freakin nervous for the first ride!! I biffed my exchanges, I wasn't steering quietly and was just all round psyched out! I am so glad I got that out of my system in camp and not at the world cup! So after the "qual" ride, we had a few hours to chill, which I spent stretching and resting outside in the sun, and then it was time for warmup #2 and our "final" ride. We used a slightly bigger gear for the 2nd ride and everything was much smoother, less nerves and allround a better ride.
Today our team: JTrip in P1, me in P2 and Coryn Rivera in P3. We dropped 2 full seconds on our 2nd ride -- SAWWWEEET! Today was very encouraging and very motivating - especially seeing the super fast girls go 10 seconds faster than our team! Talk about a serious carrot and a whopping dose of inspiration to train harder and get faster!!
Shown here with teammate Jen before the qual ride:
Incidentally, it's about time I made the official announcement about the Treads.com/DFT track team world cup plans . . . Joining me for the team pursuit in Melbourne and Cali will be Jen Triplett and Emy Huntsman. Emy is an Aussie and we're glad to have her joining us. We'll depart for Melb, arrive 2 days before the race to train and suss things out, race the TP in Melb, hop on a plane, fly back to LA for a camp and then fly to Cali for the 2nd World Cup. It means we'll miss much of the holiday season but at least i'll be home for christmas ;)
11-16-10: rest day for me today -- slept in, nice easy ride to the beach, a couple errands, a nap, and laundry.
and -posted about one of my errands here: http://dftwomen.blogspot.com/2010/11/visit-to-2010-team-sponsor-energy-muse.htmlstrangely, the goal to do fun things on my day off wasn't realized, primarily due to low energy, wow. amazing how the body reacts to a day off after 5 days of pushing hard. one thing about being so idle today was how noticeable my homesickness was. aches deep down in my belly. but, gotta rally. psyched to get back at it tomorrow . . . based on benjamin's schedule for us, the ante has been upped significantly.
11-15-10: the day began with a solo recovery ride to the beach. I watched the active folks and their dogs and the personal trainers working their clients out in the sand . . . folks generally looking fit and satisfied, and it hit me, life is good. Life is so full of so many wonderful blessings. I have such an amazing and supportive husband and parents and we have our health and each other and lots to look forward to. Some days it hits me in the face and brings tears to my eyes, like my heart will explode with gratefulness. So it was a contemplative ride with good self centering and focus before the velo ride began.
Short workout today -- 2 timed efforts . . . I was very pleased with our team.
whew . . . phase one complete, today put the cap on an excellent week!! I get a recovery day tomorrow and then elite camp starts!!!
11-14-10: wow day 5 . . . wheels came off at camp today, for all of us. If you think camp is fun and games, think again. up at 6am, at track for 730a clinic, warmup starts at 9 and we've been ending track time around noon-1pm, heading out on road and not getting back to our rooms until 3-4pm (just late enough that napping isn't an option-doh!!!). The cumulative effect seemed to smack us all in the face a bit today - We sure rallied and gave it our all, but the splits showed we were pretty roasted. . . Still - training the effort gets us stronger, even if the times were slower than hoped-for. I was proud of everyone for staying positive and encouraging. We went on a nice easy recovery ride afterwards and then a few of us met us for girl time which included UNO. Super fun. Tomorrow- race sim!!!
11-13-10: camp day 4 in the books . . . standing starts and then 1k efforts implementing the starts plus proper timing in laps 2-4 (much trickier than you think). It was a good day on the velo, followed by another fantastically warm road ride -a recovery ride to the pier where we stopped for coffee and yummy things and then rode back. yummmm coke and croissant!!!!
11-12-10. camp day 3. today was a solid day. last nite i awoke in the middle of the night thinking about how i could get my moxy back as i've still been hesitant to ride high for fear of slipping off track . . . it was time to put the crash behind me once and for all. let a bit of air out of the rear tire and cleaned it with rubbing alcohol till it was nice and grippy again and VIOLA! Moxy back. Boom.
On tap today were 3 x 4k team pursuit efforts, flying (not standing start). Teammate Jen led each of the starts, which I know from when I led at the last camp, taxes the hell out of that person (you spend 2-3 laps in the wind winding it up before the effort even gets underway!). But she's "strong like bull" and led us to some solid efforts. I truly appreciate the opportunity to get to train with her before we head to the world cups. She is tall so I benefitted from her draft as the 2nd rider. Because i've been dreaming about and visualizing my exchanges (seeing myself swing up and then drop RIGHT back down on the 2nd wheel), my first exchange in our first effort was so spot-on I literally shouted YEAH! Then the efforts got hard so no more shouting but i was smiling like a goon the entire first 4k. Did I mention this is fun? 2nd and 3rd efforts hurt more so I had game face on, but what I found is that my tunnel vision is expanding, where I'm taking in more and processing more and feeling less and less of that "I'm in a blender at high speed" sensation that I felt at the last camp.
By way of explanation, here are all the things our brain is processing while we're going around @50k/hr speed for just under 4 minutes:
1. start. flying starts today are simpler but the standing start -it's an art form. also 2nd and 3rd rider want to get right to the wheel in front of them PRONTO.
2. following the wheel in front of you as closely as possible. no overlapping. no gapping. of course, MUCH easier said than done.
3. watching the lap card counters.
4. doing clean exchanges after your pull. up and down, no closing the gap. btw- missing the wheel and having to surge to get on costs you DEARLY. exhibit a - powerfiles -show those surges pop the legs for about 450w. not good.
5. pulling hard and steady - my objective has become riding so that my teammates say neither UP nor STEADY, which means the porridge is the perfect temp.
6. concentrating on my teammates' pace, giving them commands if they need to incr/decr speed, but generally i keep my mouth shut and just feel the tempo.
7. turning smooth round pedal strokes, accelerating certain spots, floating certain spots -pull pull pull.
8. final lap, moving into finishing formation being sure to pay attn so there's no crashing one another out
and whew . . . all the while, watching coach for feedback on speed so we know if we're on pace or not.
After the track workout we took to the roads for a nice ride. Sunny and warm again -near 80 here. No action shots today, except this one of Jen sporting her new team skinsuit -
11-11-10: camp days 1-2. i have settled into my home away from home (aka the hotel that shall remain nameless for safety's sake until i'm back home again) and have hunkered down for the long haul, as i'm here for both the devo and elite camps, 11 days thank you very much. i'm pleased that the weather this week is warm and sunny and feel badly for leaving the hubby at home in the cold cold burrrrrr. but- this isn't playtime, it's a lot of work and hard intensity before a taper before melb.
yesterday we did a nice easy spin to the beach and back to open the legs. nothing notable . . shown here with entire camp crew (photo lifted from jen's FB page):
today we started camp off the same way as last time: time standards in the 1500m, kilo and 500m. I was psyched to get the brand new bike dialed in and to see if the legs were stronger, the position was more aero . . . and the answer was yes. My 1500 time was almost identical as last camp, but this time the laps were very consistent as opposed to starting too fast and fading out in laps 5 and 6. So I considered this progress. The kilo time dropped by a full second! Still waiting to see what the 500 time was. All in all, the legs felt great, the bike felt great, and it just felt all round awesome to be on the boards.
But actually the day was awesome because of what happened before we even put the chamois on today. Listening to the lecture pre-track workout I found myself with sweaty palms. I found my heart rate racing. We were watching videos of team pursuits and we were talking about 2012 and 2016 and I had this ache in my belly. I asked myself "megan why are you acting so nervous and almost distraught?" And I realized it was because I WANT IT. I want the shot, I see the shot, and I am going to work my hinney off for the shot at the olympic team. It's funny to write that, because many cyclists shy from this topic -like it's taboo to say you want to make the olympic team, like you show your hand when you express it as your ultimate goal. Many will hedge around this issue acting like it's not their goal when it is. Few come right out and say it -afraid that when you put it all out there, you risk looking foolish if you come up short. Well, I don't care how it makes me look. Each day, each training session, I am that much closer. Today deep, deep down, I had a moment of clarity when i just knew with everything in my heart that someday it will happen.
In the meantime, I'm here with my new TP teammate Jen Triplett and we are both giddy with excitement to race at the melbourne and cali world cups. WORLD CUPS. A year ago I was slugging it out at a law firm and yet here we are, going to 2 other countries to race the world's best track cyclists. To say that we are excited is an understatement. And it just makes the olympic quest feel all the more real and achieveable.
After the track workout we took to the roads. Gorgeous and sunny here- wonderful! We suffered 3 flats so the ride was extended a bit, but I didn't mind - vitamin D dosage . . . (shown here near the pier -again photo lifted from jen's FB page)
11-10-10: a day of grand adventure today. Why you ask? Because for the first time I flew with 2 bikes, 4 wheels, and the rest of my cycling "schtuff." Well to be accurate, I rode the shuttle from long term parking, I lugged it into the airport . . . and then when I arrived I lugged it from baggage claim to another shuttle, to the rental car stop, and then . . . well you get the idea. I'd never really stopped and thought about how cyclists traveled with more than one bike but rest assured, today, i had the chance to test the theories and to learn how best to navigate the airline system with my equipment. Here's what I learned:
1. bad news late last nite: my brand spankin new trisports double bike case doesn't fit in my car. so - disassembly required to load into my backseat (picture driver seat smooshed up against steering wheel. yup). reassembly required once i arrived in long term parking at dia. 24 degrees, me lugging a 60# case . . . well whatever, i finally got it all into the shuttle.
2. my sweet giant monster dual bike case does NOT hold 2 bikes/4 wheels, despite its advertising to the contrary. so - 2 wheels had to come with me as carryons.
3. Southwest airlines rocks (duh). only $50 each way to check my monster bike case. stopped over to united counter to see what i should expect on my next flight and wHOA. $200 to load the bikes there and if it weighs over 50#, they ding me an additional $200!!! SHEESH. SWA - get going on international flights!
4. Getting bike wheels onto the plane as carryons is actually really simple. They fit into the overhead compartments -who knew! so -nice and safe. but . . .
5. getting bike wheels through security is another matter. Today i drew the "nazi TSA supervisor card" and although visual inspection is the norm, today my wheels had to fit through the scanner conveyor belt thingy. it took a bit of finagling but they went through.
6. mid-size cars, although advertised as including models with hatchbacks (perfect for my monster dual bike case thingy), don't really include hatchback cars. So.
7. My packjob of the dual bike case had everything thus and so, protected in yards of bubble wrap, no rubbing anywhere. Thanks to TSA opening it to inspect it and apparently, to move all of the protective wrap in the special spots, both bikes (including my new super sweet track bike) got some paint removed on the journey. ARGH! TSA JUST LEAVE IT ALONE.
All told though, today really went smoothly ;) I found kindness on my part as the customer was met with kindness by the service providers. They probably get treated like crap all day so I do think that good customer service follows a customer being nice first. So here I am, back in LA, ready for some intensity on "the boards" . . . Here are some pics of the Home Depot campus, which includes a huge tennis and soccer facility, as well as the velo:
11-7-10: when you build a bike from a frameset into a complete racing machine, a lot of time and care and attention goes into the process. And so it was yesterday, as my new D3 took shape. First, to Treads' amazing mechanic, Brandon, for bottom bracket prep (shown) and facing:
before facing and install of the BB, Brandon cleared the frame threads so there would be no resistance or tension once the BB was installed.
While at Treads, we read a funny sign:
Then the bike came home for BB and crank install. Next it was time to take my brand new super beefy chain and remove the right # of links. Long enough to accomodate a big pursuit gear, but also short enough to work with small warm up gears (easier said than done). Luckily this bike features nice long dropouts, giving me many gear options using a single chain.
Finally, it was handlebar-tape time, and while I practiced my skills, Rob did the actual wrap job to be sure it was perfect. Decals applied. Position dialed in. Done and done.
11-4-10: we've been so lucky to have such a nice pleasant fall here in Denver -a couple windy, cold days, but otherwise it's been sunny and warm enough to continue training outdoors. For that, I am so very grateful, since the trainer in the basement can really get mental after awhile. I have to say that, now that I've recovered from nationals and the crash, I've been getting in some great training sessions and I'm excited to go back to the track next week and see how many gains I've made. I'm highly motivated these days -- something, to be honest, I was a bit worried earlier this fall, since I've been training and racing hard since March! But the hunger is alive and well, and I embrace each training session with anticipation and hope that I will come out the other side stronger for it.
I did purchase a new track bike (fits better, more aero, better dropouts), which I'm in the process of building . . . more photos coming soon, but here she is (still need to name her properly) out of the box:
10-28-10: wow, booking international trips, I'm learning, can be a full time job! Mid-November through late December is shaping up to be an exciting blur of travel and racing (can i express how EXCITED I AM!!?!). The logistics of packing bikes and shipping them, getting overseas and back and then back again, lodging, teammates, manager meetings . . . it's all quite a bit to process. But I'm getting a handle on it ;) Next up: another team pursuit camp in LA in mid-november and then one month from TODAY -- departure to Melbourne, AUS for my first-ever World Cup.
10-20-10: i am REALLY excited about my new relationship and sponsorship by DASH cycles. These guys based in Boulder make insanely-light saddles and hubs and are working on improving and increasing their product lines by expanding into women's high performance, lightweight race saddles! I am so grateful for their willingness to involve me and my feedback in their creation of their women's line and as a matter of fact, as one of their sponsored athletes, I even get to work with them on designing a saddle to my very own specs, which I hope will lead to the saddle being added to their women's product line for other female cyclists to enjoy too! Partnering with a company like this, that's open to feedback and the needs and wants of women racing bikes at the highest levels, is such a great opportunity for me and I am really excited to be able to promote them and share the cool news as we go along. Good things ahead -be sure to check their website at http://dashcycles.com/.
Bike shown here sporting super light and sexy hot pink DASH saddle:
10-19-10: usa cycling posted a blurb about our camp: http://usacycling.org/news/user/story.php?id=5582
10-18-2010: i'm back from my first-ever usa cycling track camp -what a blast! Camp was held out in Carson at the velodrome and we worked each day on specific skills, which included reviewing video-taped footage of us doing the drills so we could see for ourselves the good/bad/ugly of our form, technique, etc. It was VERY insightful, and I learned a lot. We would also do a road ride each day and the 2 workouts really made for a good week of training intensity, as well as plentiful opportunities to get to know the other ladies attending. I don't consider myself an "old" athlete, but there were only 2 of us over the age of 30 -the youngest was 15 and then 18, 19... Wow -to have started at that age!!! . . .
One thing I really struggled with all week was the trepidation I experienced riding high on the track. After my crash at nationals, I just didn't have the confidence to be riding high on the track at slower speeds, and in my head I could feel my rear wheel about to slip out from under me. Although I wasn't nervous heading into camp, each day on the track I had the death grip on my bars during the warmup and was really mentally wrecked riding higher up on the turns. It was amazing to analyze this reaction and to acknowledge to myself that the madison crash was pretty traumatic and had more effect on me than I realized. The upside was that just a week or so had passed since the crash, so it was good for me to be "getting back in the saddle" so soon after. I think the more time that elapsed, the worse off I'd have been.
Anyway, I learned a lot, improved some skills and technique, got in some great training and enjoyed the camp very much. I really appreciate USA cycling making camps like this available to developmental riders as it gives us goals and real objectives to shoot for.
10-9-2010: I found some footage of our Missnout from nationals on youtube.
10-8-2010: slowly but surely i feel i'm pulling out of the fog that i was in when i got home. after going full steam for 5 days at nats and then driving through the nite and nursing my injury i was really in a hole, energy-wise. but a few days at home resting, doing recovery rides on my mountain bike and i'm good as new. i am really excited to have the opportunity to attend a USA cycling camp next week so it's back to LA for me for a week, starting tuesday. my calf is healing nicely and while i won't be 100% in that leg for awhile yet, it's good enough to let me ride and lift weights. speaking of -today was the first time back in the gym. I expect I will likely be unable to walk normally tomorrow ;) but it's all for strength gains so i can go faster on the bike, so any pain is worthwhile as i ease back into lifting.
10-5-2010: All in all, i'm satisfied with how nats went. I didn't have any travel debaucles (like having a window shot out!), I didn't have a single mechanical on my bike (more than I can say for my last nationals experience!!), I didn't get sick, I wasn't injured (prior to crashing), my fitness was where I'd hoped it would be, I learned a lot, had a bunch of laughs, met a lot of cool folks, bonded with the CO contingent, and came home with some hardware. I really enjoyed my hotel out there -the Staybridge Suites in Torrance. I highly recommend it if you travel there, it's close to the velo and close to beach!
10-4-2010: day 5 didn't go so well for me, I should've ended it on a high note after my points race on Sat. But - I didn't. My madison partner wasn't feeling well, we got the schedule wrong so I hadn't warmed up at all, things were just awry. It was my 13th race. Madison races are tricky because you throw your partner into the race with a hand toss and while they are racing, you ride around the top of the velo on "relief" and the idea is to ride as slow as possible to give your partner the chance to get back out of the race as soon as possible. My biggest concern about racing the madison at the ADT velo was riding relief. The wood is slippery and slideouts happen EVERY year. But -after racing 12 events over 4 days and having not ONE slip, I had full confidence in my tires and my skills. Nevertheless, in the first 1/3 of the race, I was up riding relief just before turn 3 and whoosh, my rear wheel came right out from under me -it didn't just slip, it was out before I knew it. I hit the track on my right hip and then to my horror saw the field coming underneath me as I slid down track. That moment will haunt me for a long time -I honestly believed it would be complete carnage and the entire field would be on top of me with catastrophic results.
However as it was, only one rider tagged me as I slid in her path. I'm not exactly sure how, but something on her bike made serious contact with my right calf and I immediately knew something was very wrong. I curled into a ball and closed my eyes as I waited for the rest of the field to ride past. My front Zipp wheel was totally demolished.
I didn't get up right away I was really shaken. But then I began moving and things were fine -except the calf, and I got up and off the track so they could resume racing. It was an awful way to end a really successful week and of course, quite embarassing to be the rider to slide off the track in this year's madison. But I didn't do it on purpose and I guess we live and learn. Luckily the other rider, Jenn, that went down-was able to get back into the race. However I couldn't continue and so I let my madison partner down by having to pull. Then we loaded up and began the 20 hour drive back to Denver. BRUTAL way to end a tough week. Absolutely brutal. I'm so appreciative to be home! I saw a doc today and he said the calf muscle isn't torn, so that's a plus.
Here's the writeup and photo of my bike:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/usa-cycling-elite-track-championships-cn-1/day-5/photos/144307
10-3-2010: ok day 4 went quite well. I rode the points qualifier in the early afternoon and made it into the final ride last nite. The race was hard and fast -a crash went down 30 laps in and they paused the race while they tended to the girls down. Then we restarted for the final 50 laps. As the race wore on, the fatigue in the field was evident, which worked to my advantage since I was still feeling strong and able to jump for the last few sprints and even into a 4-to-go breakaway with Kim. I ended up with 7 points - enough for 5th place! I was so psyched. So I got to stand on the podium for the 3rd time this week!!!
Here's the cyclingnews writeup: http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/usa-cycling-elite-track-championships-cn-1/day-4/photos/144216
If you're counting, that made 12 races so far. Today is the 13th and final event -the women's madison. This is the first time in HISTORY that the event is offered as a championship event for women!!
10-1-2010: day 3 is in the bag. This am I raced the scratch race. No heats, just finals with 25 (?) women. Exciting stuff. I took a mid race flyer hoping to take a lap on the field but once i realized the gap was staying at 30m i drifted back. Then with 5 to go i lept again, but didn't get far so drifted back to contest the sprint. Positioning wasn't awesome, but huge progress for me in terms of putting myself in spots I normally would avoid. Tonight was the 3k indiv pursuit. in the prelims I put down the 4th fastest time, so i got to move into the finals to contest for the bronze. (1 and 2 ride the finals for 1st, 3 and 4 ride for bronze). Unfortunately in the finals my legs said ENOUGH and so it was a 4th place for me. 2nd medal of nationals and another shot at the podium - I can't complain ;)
1st - Kim, 2nd- Cari, 3rd - Beth, 4-me
So - 9th in omnium, 4th in team pursuit, 13th in scratch, 4th in 3k pursuit. 2 more events - points race (quals and finals) on Sat and MADISON on Sun!!
9-30-10: 2 days of nationals down (7 races), 3 days to go! Day one featured 4 of the 6 stages of the omnium: flying lap, points, missnout, and 3k pursuit. I am happy to report that in each of the timed events I bested my PRs, setting new personal best times, and I was especially pleased with my 4th place in the 3k pursuit at the end of a long day yesterday! However, I did not race the mass start races well, and as a result of those poor placings, I ended up 9th overall in the omnium. I came for a top 5 placing, so I fell far short of my goals on that. But -had to set it aside and move on. Tonight I raced my first-ever team pursuit with a couple gals I race against in colorado. There were only 4 teams and we were hoping to take 3rd, but in the final round Julia's wheel slipped and was rubbing so she was struggling to hang on. So we ended up 4th out of 4 teams but the upside was that it got us a trip to the podium and awards ceremony!
Tomorrow is the scratch race and 3k pursuit (standalone events).
9-28-10: watch track nats live! http://www.ustream.tv/channel/la-velodrome
9-27-20: one more day and then racing begins! Today Coach Clay and I went to the velo to get a feel for race gears. I did 3 different efforts using different gears to try and get a feel for the humidity, sea level altitude, g-forces in the turns, etc. It's amazing how truly different each and every track feels, but especially the difference between this wood 250m indoor track at sea level vs my "home" track in COS, which is 333m, concrete, outdoor and above 5500ft. You'd think living at altitude would give me an advantage but actually it feels like any advantage is offset by my adjustment to the thick air/high humidity here. So -gear selection is really important and takes some thought and practice runs to get it all dialed in. I was encouraged by the splits we saw today and feel like my legs are finally coming around after driving and Vegas, etc. One more day of training tomorrow and then Wedneday kicks off with LOTS of racing, as it's the omnium event part I.
9-26-10: checking in from LA just before track nationals kick off on wednesday . . .I left Denver last Wednesday, drove to Vegas and arrived Wednesday nite. I spent Thursday and Friday at INTERBIKE with my new 2011 road team, the Primal/MapmyRide women's pro team, meeting sponsors and spending time with director Susannah and Primal owner Dave, as well as the Primal crew -what a GREAT bunch of folks!
Puma had these giant shoes that just begged to be tried on . . .
With primal ladies Brit and Andrea, and Bob Roll -
Friday afternoon I loaded up again and drove the final stretch to LA, where I unpacked with relief in my home away from home hotel room. Saturday I went to the velo to warmup and then raced the nats prep races omnium -points, missnout and scratch. Unfortunately only 5 women attended, but actually it was a low-stress way of getting use to that track again (I find it so intimidating!). Cari won the omnium, Heather Albert took 2nd and I was 3rd. My legs felt yucko from all the driving and standing in Vegas, but I feel like they are coming round and with a few more days should be good to go by Wedneday when racing begins!
9-18-10: I had a bit of a defining moment on my ride today. Coach wanted 4 hours at a pretty solid pace. As everyone else is done training hard and enjoying the off season, instead of ramping up for nationals like I am, I found myself embarking on this ride solo. No problem though, that's what God made ipods for. I found I had the wind at my back on the climbs, that I was feeling good and the miles were ticking by steadily. Until I neared home and I had only done 3 hours. I was out of fluids and food by this point and the house was right there. My right knee was bothering me. I was so tempted to say "well, 3 is about as good as 4, I'm calling it a day." But I didn't. Because when I think of olympic hopefuls, shorting out on workouts isn't what comes to mind. So I began to ride east from my house, and then turned around. 40 more minutes. I then rode west and then doubled back. 20 more minutes. I rode north 10 and turned around. It was 3pm. My ride had started at 11am. 4 hours. ahhhh it felt so good to do it right.
Then I opened my package of goodies from Smith (my sunglasses sponsor) -it was like christmas in September!
9-14-10: today was a rough day on the bike. The riding and training part were going great. Until I got a piece of glass stuck in my rear tire and flatted. No big deal, I pulled over, switched out for a new tube, inflated and thought I'd be on my way. Except: new tube wasn't holding air. Ugh. I only carry one spare tube because in all my years of riding, that's all it's ever taken. So today I tried calling my husband. No answer. I tried emailing him, hoping he'd be on his itouch or laptop at work and could see I needed help. No response. Well, where I'd flatted was about 2 miles away from his workplace, so I coasted downhill standing up/ riding both brakes with my body over my front wheel, trying not to ruin my rear wheel or tire as it flopped around with the flat tire on it. This totally stunk, esp since I had to keep the speed really slow for fear the tire would roll off the rim. Finally I make it to his workplace. I run inside and, they inform me, he's just left. AAARGH!!! His co-worker overhears my plight and says "here take my keys and run to the nearest bike shop for a new tube." So I load my sweaty self and bike into his car, drive like a maniac to the nearest bike shop, they put in a new tube and sell me another spare for good measure. This was the sort of day I was planning for when I memorized my credit card info. (I only carry a few bucks when I ride so I wouldn't have had the dough to cover 2 tubes). I drove like a maniac back and returned the car (whew!!!) and then got back on my bike and started riding like a bat outta hell to get home (as by this point i was under a time crunch for afternoon commitments).
Moral of this story? Perhaps there are 3: first, definitely memorize a credit card # just in case (be sure to get the exp date and 3-digit code off the back too). 2nd- consider carrying 2 spare tubes. And 3rd- always have at least TWO people you can call on for a ride home, in case the first one goes MIA like my plan A did today. If I'd flatted just about anywhere besides where I did, i would have been in big trouble - thank goodness for his sweet coworker who lent me his truck!
9-9-10: Excellent news! After being runner up the past 2 years, I have finally succeeded in winning the Colorado Best -all-round rider (BAR) award. Our SW1/2 team also won the prestigious BAT (Best allround team) award as well! Read more here: http://dftwomen.blogspot.com/2010/09/treadscom-takes-colorado-bat-and-bar.html
Labor day weekend, September 2010:
well, the road season has officially ended for 2010. Hard to believe it! I wrapped up the season that began for me back in March and consisted of over 50 race days, this labor day weekend with a 4-day stage race in Steamboat. I had put in a pretty monster training session at the velo thursday afternoon, followed by Thurs nite velo racing, so I came into the weekend with what coach called a "fatigue handicap." Therefore I had to be very true to my real goals for attending and couldn't vary from them, as hard as it was at times.
Day 1 was the prologue TT with an uphill finish. I took 2nd to Jeannie Longo (who put 40 seconds into me in 10k!). Day 2 was a hilly circuit race with technical descent in Marabou Ranch - SAWEEET course on normally-closed roads. Longo rode away from us mid race. Towards the end we had a very small group of riders left including teammate Kasey. Toni Bradshaw of Vera Bradley attacked up the final climb but began to fade, so I countered and took 2nd and the time bonus.
Day 3 was a brutal road race. Only 50 miles with some climbs, but we started at 1pm and the wind never died down below 25mph. Early on, Jeannie, Toni and I rolled off the front. Teammate Kasey was just a few bike lengths back so I told Longo I would not pull through until she caught on. Longo proceeded to berate me for my "stupid tactics" -I just sat up and let her ride up with road with Toni. They proceeded to put minutes into our chase group - mainly because our chase group refused to get organized and I eventually quit trying to form a paceline. With a few miles to go, Kasey rolled off the front of our group and no one chased, allowing her to make up significant time in her GC standings. I finished the stage 6th and was feeling pretty punished for having spent a good deal of time in the wind. It was a really really tough day for as short as the stage was.
Day 4, Monday, was the crit. A rectangle with slight rise through the s/f and a short popper hill on backside, with the descent into a headwind. The race was fairly active but the final 15 minutes was where the action unfolded. Kasey and I each sprinted for $50 primes -yeah! We ended with a group of 5-6 of us and on the final lap Longo attacked me and got just enough of a gap; I couldn't close it before the line. So, 2nd for me. Kasey pulled out a sweet sprint, taking the 3rd place time bonus and with that effort, moved herself up in GC from 6th to 4th overall! So we had 2/3 of the crit podium - super! crit podium:
final GC podium: Longo, Bradshaw, Hottman:
It was a nice weekend of training in preparation for track nationals which are in 3 weeks, and it was a positive way to end the road season, and my tenure with the team that I've run for the last 5 years.
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