A new cycling year. Here are the future highlights:
1) I'm racing for Kenda! Support those that support women's cycling.
2) I'm doing RAAM! I'll be harassing people for money soon enough.
Stay tuned for a proper, witty blog post soon. Now I need to cuddle with my sack of kale while I fall asleep.
Yay!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Everest Challenge Race Report
Every year I come back to the race report, hoping that Mr. Steve Barnes will decide to make it aprx 30,000 feet of descending instead of climbing, but he never does. At any rate, one again I headed out to Bishop and Schatt's bakery.
This year my Everest prep was a bit hampered. You see, even though I'm a vegan and have super powers as a result of this, at some point during my European escapade (I know, I cut my blogging short) I got really really sick. I mean, disgustingly sick, in my lungs and head and throat. It was miserable. My "fun" vacay in London with the awesome Katy Curtis turned into less fun (although we still rocked the double-decker tour bus). My lovely and open-ended trip to New Brunswick was slept away, some days I spent 15 hours in bed. Needless to say, when I finally got back to LaLaLand and put my Powertap back on my bike I was sure that the settings had been messed with. Oh well -- I could only go up from there. HA!
Day 1 of Everest was different this year: the course went backwards! Unfortunately, that didn't mean a downhill finish. I actually had a surprisingly good first day -- probably thanks for my awesome sunscreen application (in the dark no less!)
The start line was also exciting!
The only problem with this new ordering of things, was that the ride back to the car from the top was far, and I was riding back with some dude, and trying to prove how tough I was, so I pulled the whole way. This was stupid, although I'd like to think it's great training for the 508 (coming up soon!) But really, even that thought was stupid. I think (there I go again, with more thinking) that almost everyone else got a ride back. BLah!
Day 2 was painful. I was tired. I actually fell asleep in the car before the start and was rushing to get my shit together. Luckily I remembered all of the important things: sunscreen, lipbalm, chamois cream and I got the order right. Never. Mess. Up. That. Order. Things end up where they don't belong. I thought I was going to die at the start of the third climb. I was so tired and my throat hurt and me feet hurt and basically I was a whiny pain in the ass. Unfortunately, I was all alone, so the only person I could whine to was myself, and I quickly got annoyed. I tried the age-old trick of riding as long as I dared with my eyes closed to try and get a rush of something. I didn't work. Could you imagine if I had crashed myself out, riding by myself, going about 7 miles an hour? I'd would be extra pro. MCJ came cruising past (he normally doesn't catch me) and said "having a bad day, huh girl?" No shit, Sherlock, I thought to my self, but then thought of saying "no, I'm just waiting for the opportune moment to attack." However, by the time the witty thought came, MCJ was long gone with his skinny legs, on his skinny tires, and his climbers lungs. The last 15 km or so (which I usually dread) were actually the best part of the race for me. Somehow, going go slow in the beginning makes it way easier to actually try at the end. This was a pleasant surprise, and I ended up catching people, once again coming in 5th in the Everest Challenge.
The Everest CHallenge is an awesome race. The staff and supporters and volunteers really do a great job of making the race "enjoyable" in that special relative way that most acts of masochism are "enjoyable." You should do it, even if you aren't a climber (like me). You learn all kinds of new things. This year, for example, I learned how to do math when I finally realized that my rarely used non-power bike computer was still in euro-mode and set to kilometers. An ethicist doing math in oxygen debt at altitude. Needless to say, my numbers were WAY off. But I did get to the finish line. Yay!
Up next: The 508!!
This year my Everest prep was a bit hampered. You see, even though I'm a vegan and have super powers as a result of this, at some point during my European escapade (I know, I cut my blogging short) I got really really sick. I mean, disgustingly sick, in my lungs and head and throat. It was miserable. My "fun" vacay in London with the awesome Katy Curtis turned into less fun (although we still rocked the double-decker tour bus). My lovely and open-ended trip to New Brunswick was slept away, some days I spent 15 hours in bed. Needless to say, when I finally got back to LaLaLand and put my Powertap back on my bike I was sure that the settings had been messed with. Oh well -- I could only go up from there. HA!
Day 1 of Everest was different this year: the course went backwards! Unfortunately, that didn't mean a downhill finish. I actually had a surprisingly good first day -- probably thanks for my awesome sunscreen application (in the dark no less!)
The start line was also exciting!
The only problem with this new ordering of things, was that the ride back to the car from the top was far, and I was riding back with some dude, and trying to prove how tough I was, so I pulled the whole way. This was stupid, although I'd like to think it's great training for the 508 (coming up soon!) But really, even that thought was stupid. I think (there I go again, with more thinking) that almost everyone else got a ride back. BLah!
Day 2 was painful. I was tired. I actually fell asleep in the car before the start and was rushing to get my shit together. Luckily I remembered all of the important things: sunscreen, lipbalm, chamois cream and I got the order right. Never. Mess. Up. That. Order. Things end up where they don't belong. I thought I was going to die at the start of the third climb. I was so tired and my throat hurt and me feet hurt and basically I was a whiny pain in the ass. Unfortunately, I was all alone, so the only person I could whine to was myself, and I quickly got annoyed. I tried the age-old trick of riding as long as I dared with my eyes closed to try and get a rush of something. I didn't work. Could you imagine if I had crashed myself out, riding by myself, going about 7 miles an hour? I'd would be extra pro. MCJ came cruising past (he normally doesn't catch me) and said "having a bad day, huh girl?" No shit, Sherlock, I thought to my self, but then thought of saying "no, I'm just waiting for the opportune moment to attack." However, by the time the witty thought came, MCJ was long gone with his skinny legs, on his skinny tires, and his climbers lungs. The last 15 km or so (which I usually dread) were actually the best part of the race for me. Somehow, going go slow in the beginning makes it way easier to actually try at the end. This was a pleasant surprise, and I ended up catching people, once again coming in 5th in the Everest Challenge.
The Everest CHallenge is an awesome race. The staff and supporters and volunteers really do a great job of making the race "enjoyable" in that special relative way that most acts of masochism are "enjoyable." You should do it, even if you aren't a climber (like me). You learn all kinds of new things. This year, for example, I learned how to do math when I finally realized that my rarely used non-power bike computer was still in euro-mode and set to kilometers. An ethicist doing math in oxygen debt at altitude. Needless to say, my numbers were WAY off. But I did get to the finish line. Yay!
Up next: The 508!!
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Tour de Limousin
Although I had made a (hopefully) vague mention of writing bits about the race every day, I (surprisingly) didn’t do that. As such, here are some highlights from Limousin:
Team Presentation: It was raining and outside. Luckily, I didn't melt. We got plates! I am the tall one.
Day 1: I noticed on the start line that my carbon bars were cracked. Unfortunately we were literally seconds from starting, so the only thing I could doabout it was picture horrible catastrophic failure in my mind while riding off the back of the group. This was obviously incredibly productive. My teammates rode well, however, and Rhae got in the sticking break.
Day 2: Time Trial! There was a cheeky photog who was obviously mesmerized by my striking blue eyes, if not by my awesome cycling ability. We all did fine and Rhae won the TT and took over GC.
Day 3: Not a good day. In fact, this day was bad for everyone. I had mechanicals ALL DAY LONG, starting 1km in. I wish the amazing team from Golden Saddle Cyclery were there to fix my bike while giving me tasty coffee and providing me a hip place to hang out. I also rode past the spot where I wrecked my hand last year and, to my utter astonishment, did not wreck again. We lost the jersey due to a very badly timed puncture. Sigh. Once again, my favorite photog was on hand to capture my piercing eyes.
Day 4: This was the “mountain” day. There’s not a lot I can say except that my caravan riding was marginally more exceptional than my climbing (although my climbing is improving, perhaps in part due to the French food – Everest Challenge watch out) Katy and I rode together in a group of misfits and Katy realized one of her European goals when one of the pair of “Jolly Green Giants” slapped her, apparently for either going to the front to chat with me or getting off the front. Damn you, language barrier!
Then it was time for the delightful 8 hour drive back to Tielt-Winge. DK and Michel were champs and got us home safe and sound. I had never been so happy to return to the internets.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
