pedalpowercoaching.com - Blog » Diary

La Ruta de los Conquistadores!!

Sara — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 02:48:13 +0000

So, the time has almost come. Believe me, it has been a long time coming. Michael and I signed up for this race across Costa Rica in 2007. Our plans took a quick turn when I dislocated and broke my shoulder last fall. So, after waiting a entire year…..we are slated to leave for this adventure on Sunday, November 9th! You can check out the website at www.adventurerace.com. The race is Nov 12-15. What a great way to spend my birthday….LOL

I guess my mood is one of anxious anticipation. I haven’t had much time to think about the trip, and today it finally dawned on me; we are leaving in a few days. La Ruta is described as “The toughest Mountain Bike Race in the World”. It starts on the Pacific coast and after 4 days of racing, 224 miles (360km), with 46,000 feet of climbing (14,000 meters), ends on the Caribbean coast.

So, in the last few days, we have been to the bike shop 3 times a day, been fussing over bikes, been trying to decide what the heck we need to take, and finally have booked a Spa hotel for a few days after the race. When I signed up for this race last year it sounded like a wonderful idea. A group of people I knew were racing and I was ready to jump on their coat tails and head on down. Well, a year has passed, and those people have returned…..and boy did they have some terrifying stories….so now I am wondering…..”Is this really a good idea?”

I informed my Grandmother the other day that we were going to Costa Rica.to race. First words out of her mouth were, “Why do you need to go there? Why don’t you bike in the United States?” “Well, Grandma, because it is there,” I say. She didn’t seem to get it. In fact, when I talked to her yesterday she said, “Oh, you are leaving for Costa Rica on Sunday, I thought you were joking when you said you were going to race down there! HHmmm…..I when do I ever joke about racing??

Anyhow, I have been trying to avoid learning too much about this race. I have been taking an ignorance is bliss policy, but this does not seem to be working. I keep hearing about how hard and horrendous it is and how wonderful it is all at the same time. I have compiled the top 10 reasons NOT to go race La Ruta (people have sent me these)

1. Poisonous snakes!(My boss keeps telling me they jump down on you from the trees…..I think this is a ploy to keep me from taking time off work. But I am terrified by this. I saw a tiny little snake on my ride last week and almost pooped in my pants…..NOT a good sign!)

2. Crocodiles! (WTF!!! I don’t think I need to elaborate on this one)

3. “I got lost for most of the day” (This was from my friend John. Poor guy, was in the lead group and went off course somehow. Lost in the jungle, not being able to speak spanish, now thats a BAD DAY!)

4. First day the race starts at 5:00am (Ummm….are you F*^king kidding me. The only thing that is supposed to be happening at 5:00am is SLEEP! I AM NOT a morning person. I don’t even want to think about what time that means I have to get up!!!)

5. Cow Poop! (For my vegetable garden….GOOD! For riding through and eating…..BAD! Apparently many a person has had to drop out with stomach malfunction after riding through cow poop and sucking it off their water bottles….not on purpose of course. Ick!)

6. Poison Frogs (Is this a negative?)

7. Mud, Mud, Mud (This can be horrible. I call it West Virginia mud. The type that sticks to your bike, and globs up on your tires so bad that you cant even roll the bike that now weighs 50 lbs. NOT KIDDING. This is bad and makes for a LONG DAY!!)

8. Water (Innocuous sounding until you refer to numbers 1,2, and 7. Apparently puddles can be as deep as your eyeballs. Not great to go plowing into!)

9. Infections (My friend came back with a knee that was pretty cut up from a crash. He went to the hospital in Costa Rica where they “cleaned it” and sent him on his way. Lets just say that a long course of antibiotics was needed back in the states……)

10. WIMPINESS (Yah thats right. The final reason NOT to go Race La Ruta…. OH HELL YAH, I AM GOING! Besides….What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger…..and if it does kill you, then your problems are over anyhow

SO…..stay tuned! I wont have a computer with me, but I will try to post somehow. The race website is www.adventurerace.com Michael and I maybe back on the 19th, but maybe we will retire on the beach….who knows.

Happy Trails

Sara

BC BIKE RACE REPORT

Sara — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:09:40 +0000

7 Days- 32 hours ride time- 531kilometers/330 miles covered-

I am back home, still tired, but ready to tell all about the BC bike race.

For anyone who wants to look up the race, go to www.bcbikerace.com

Cycling news also covered it each day. You can find that at http://www.cyclingnews.com/mtb.php?id=mtb/2008/jun08/bcbike08/default

http://www.cyclingnews.com/mtb.php?id=news/2008/jul08/jul11mtbnews (scroll down)

Wednesday, June 25th:

The adventure starts. Michael and I boarded the plane to Vancouver via Philadelphia (it was a free ticket on miles…though not so direct). Upon landing in Vancouver, we found out that my teammate, Kelli Emmett, missed her connection. She would be arriving on Thursday AM. We met Michael’s teammate Rich at the airport hotel, had some wine (hey, we made it this far!) and went to sleep.

Thursday, June 26th:

Thursday was spent doing some “planes, trains, and automobiles.” I never realized that getting from our hotel in Vancouver to our hotel in Victoria would be so complicated. It ended up taking the better part of a day and went like this….

We woke up, ate some breakfast, and hauled all of our luggage back to the airport to meet Kelli. Once Kelli was found, we bought tickets for our shuttle to Victoria. We boarded the bus that would take us to the ferry . Once on the ferry we crossed the bay from Vancouver to Victoria. When the ferry docked, we boarded our bus again and headed to the bus depot in Victoria. The bus depot was 1+ kilometers from the hotel. We got a map, found out where the hotel was, then “borrowed” a cargo cart from the bus depot. We then managed to and put our 4 bike cases, and numerous luggage bags on the cart. Off we went, down the streets of Victoria looking for our hotel. We sure did get a few odd looks!

Friday, June 27th (Day ZERO):

Today we have to catch a shuttle from the hotel to Shawnigan Lake School. It ends up taking over 2 hours before a bus shows up that has room for us on it. To make matters worse, our bikes are built and we watch as our lovely and expensive machines get crammed into a box truck. ”I guess it is time to give up some control,” I think. Hopefully my rig will be in ok shape by the time I see it again.

We made it to the school and started the registration process. For some reason Kelli had trouble telling the staff what our team name was. “Tain…sllooo….” she would mumble. “What,” they would say. “Taint slo…” we would say with a giggle. This went on for a bit. I can’t really say how our team name came to be, but….by the end of Seven days we were saying it with pride!

Day Zero was moving along slowly but smoothly until we received our “BC Bike Race bag.” This would be the bag that EVERYTHING we would need for Seven Days would have to fit in. This was where meltdown number one occurred. I looked with horror at this bag. “How in the hell am I going to fit my stuff in here?!,” I pleaded. I had a sleeping bag, seven days of biking clothing, casual clothing, race food and drink mix, some tools, a helmet, bike shoes, regular shoes…….I was freaking out. Kelli didn’t seem phased. I began the laborious process of taking things from my large and packed to the gills luggage bag, and placing them into this “Race bag.” I fought back tears, and sweat was beading on my brow. There was no going back. The rest of my stuff would meet me in Whistler, seven long days from now.

By this time my parents had shown up. They had a rental car and were staying in Hotels along the route as were Michael and Rich. Kelli and I had opted for the camping….we were tough after all. My parents took a few choice things in the car, and I gave the rest to the people in charge of reuniting me with my stuff in Whistler.

After dinner and a racers meeting, we were off to bed. Time for some sleep, this would be the last bed I would see for a while!

Saturday, June 28th (Day 1): Shawnigan Lake to Lake Cowichan- 89k

We were up early shoveling food in. After breakfast we packed up the bag, and made our way over to the start line. Kelli and I thought we were early, until we found hundreds of people lined up already. “Oh geez, we are going to be starting in the back!” The gun went off, the helicopter was buzzing over head, and the race began! 3 start loops later we were on our way. The masses started to thin out a bit and as we made our way through bunches of people.

We were pretty excited thinking about the riding and adventure that he next 7 days would bring. We spent the day pedaling up wicked climbs and down crazy logging roads where we easily hit about 40 mph on the bike. There were some great views, but we were going a bit too fast to really enjoy them. We crossed the line in first place for the women for the day. After a quick interview, and some coke and cookies, we found a tent and took a shower. My parents were called in to bring some chicken sandwiches….I was starving! I ended up eating 3 plus dinner. After dinner we had the first of many awards ceremonies. It was great to be up there in the orange leaders jersey. Just six more days to go! Sunday, June 29^th (Day 2): Lake Cowichan to Port Alberni- The legs were a bit stiff waking up this morning! Infact, they ached like crazy. I decided it was due to the long “hike a bike” section from Day 1. We were up early for breakfast. It appeared that the wake up call for this week would be a guy blowing into a device that sounded like a dying rooster, a REALLY loud dying rooster. “This is going to get old really fast,” Kelli mumbled. We had a call up for day 2 so were up front and ready when the gun went off. The whole peloton stayed together for the first 11k of logging roads, then broke up a bit on a short climb. After a short chase, we were back with the lead group that kept swelling in numbers. Nothing is more frightening than bunch of mountain bikers in a group racing down the road at 30 mph. That is a recipe for disaster. As if the group weren’t scary enough, a school bus got caught behind us and in an act of frustration, the driver sped up and flew by the group on the left side of the road…terrifying!!! The pack got smaller and smaller as the day went on and broke up at the 90k mark on a tough climb. We spent the next 20k riding with a small group and then entered some sweet single track to the finish. We ended on a track at a sport complex. First place again for day 2. The orange jerseys would be ours for the start of day 3. It must have been 90+ degrees out. Kelli and I decided to head down to the hotel with Michael and my parents for some sweet air conditioning and food. Big burgers have never tasted so good. My parents came back to dinner and the awards ceremony with us that evening. They could not believe the massive amounts of food everyone was eating. They got some pics of Kelli and I on the podium. It was time to get some rest for day 3. Monday , June 30^th (Day 3) - Port Alberni to Cumberland-80k Legs were a bit more sore this morning, though I didn’t think that was possible. I was wondering if I could actually make it through seven days. It was getting tougher to plow through breakfast, but I knew I had to eat in order to make it through the stage and the days to come. Like magic though, once back on the bike, the legs knew what to do; Pedal, pedal, and keep pedaling. There were beautiful views to be had on day 3. I didn’t know how it was possible to get used to seeing snow capped mountains and such beautiful forest. I was feeling pretty good today and after a tough first climb, Kelli and I were moving and grooving with a group of people. It is funny how we ended up riding with many of the same people each day. It just kind of settles out like that. The guys never seemed to mind riding with Kelli and I…LOL.

Stage 3 was going splendidly until we came to a raging river.

I was looking skeptically across at the other side as there was a super steep embankment that we had to get up and over with our bikes. I was not thrilled about hoisting my bike way over head and trying to get it up that cliff. There were people on the other side helping the racers which gave me hope.                                                                                                                                                                          Kelli plunged into the icy water first with me following. The cold river sure did feel good as temperatures were soaring into the 90s (unseasonably warm for the area). We both struggled a bit, but made it through the strong current with the bikes to the other side. As I was fumbling to get out of the water, I looked up to see Kelli dangling by a root ½ way up the embankment. “Hell no,” I thought, “not with my shoulders!” Luckily there was a camera man at the bottom. “Hey, can you help me with my bike,” I pleaded. “Sure, just hold this,” he said as he plopped his 30 thousand dollar camera into my hands, just above the raging river. Luckily I didn’t drop his equipment, and he was able to hoist my bike up and over.                                                                                                                                                                       Once on dry land, we pressed forward. We hit some amazing trail somewhere near the finish of the day.   I was beginning to “bonk” and I needed food, but I was tired and figured we were almost there.   This is when I came across the odd phenomenon of what we aptly named “The Canadian K.” Let me explain. There were numerous volunteers and spectators on course throughout the race. For some reason they would always yell out, “only 2 k to go” or “5 min up and 5 min down” or “3 k to the next feed zone”. Unfortunately this “Canadian K” unit of measurement is not exact; the 2k would really be 4k, the 5 min would turn into 15. Since I was fooled by the Canadian K, I crossed the line seeing stars and totally out of energy. Over the course of the voyage, I became skeptical when someone would yell out “Only 1 k to go, almost there.”                                                                                                                                                                                          We had completed day 3,  and the Orange Leaders Jersey was still ours.                                                                                                                                                            Tuesday, July 1^st(Day 4): Cumberlandto Sechelt- 60k                                                  Canada Day….EH!                                                                                                                                                                                               Day 4 began ridiculously early with that damn rooster wake up call. We had to take 2 ferries before the race started at 11am. I want to say we had to get up at 4:30am, though I’m not sure, I blocked it out. We boarded a bus, which took us to the first ferry. We ate breakfast on the first ferry, then got on a bus to ferry number two. The second ferry docked 2o min before the start of Stage 4. As we got off the ferry, we found our bikes, and made a mad dash to the starting line.                                                                                                                                                                                          After frantically making sure the bikes were ready, we were off. The legs felt pretty bad after hanging out on the ferries all morning and then jumping on the bikes. There was no time to get them moving as we started climbing right away. We climbed a bit then hit some super fast downhill trails.                                                                                                                                                                                 I was leading the pack, flying down the trail…..until…..before I knew it I was lying on the ground in a heap. I guess, from what Kelli said, I must have hit something with my front wheel. As I did this, my bike stopped dead, and I pile drove myself over the bars. I immediately jumped up (adrenaline) as Kelli yelled, “Oh my God, don’t move”.   I got my whits about me, sort of, and got back on the bike only to notice that I had totally bent my saddle. We stopped again, as I tried to fix it. In the mean time, my ribs started hurting pretty bad and we were passed by a few of the women’s teams. Realizing, the saddle was not going to straighten out, I got back on the bike, as Kelli plowed forward passing all of the other women’s teams within a minute or two.                                                                                                                                                                         The rest of the day was great riding, though I was getting a bit sore. At the four hour mark, as we closed in on the finish, I saw my parents out there cheering us on. Day 4 was in the books, and we were still flashing that orange jersey!                                                                                                                                                                                                  After finishing up, I went on a hunt for a new saddle with my parents. My father couldn’t figure out why I wasn’t happy with any of the 30 saddles the bike store had in stock. “I need my saddle,” I kept telling him. “This one looks good,” he would say over and over again. A new saddle wasn’t in the stars but I was able to get some laundry done after begging a poor bartender for laundry soap.                                                                                                                                                                                            Since it was Canada Day….EH…. a Canadian cyclist asked to place a Canadian flag tattoo on my arm. I kept insisting it would give me hives since I was from the US, and that it wasn’t a very good idea. She looked up insulted and I just busted out laughing.  She quickly realized I was joking, and stuck the flay on. I also commandeered a Dr. Seuss looking red and white Canada Day hat from our waitress at pre dinner (real dinner was still later when I stuffed more food into my mouth).  I explained that I was racing and we had won today’s and I would wear the hat on the podium. The waitress was excited by that idea and gave up her hat.   I did get a few odd looks when I appeared on the podium with it on.                                                                                                                                                                                                         Wednesday, July 2^nd (Day 5): Sechelt to Squamish-65k                                                                                                                                                                                     The best word to describe the way I woke up this morning was “shambles”. I had tried to sleep on a sweet pink inflatable raft inside the tent, but the ribs were NOT happy.                                                                                                                    To make matters worse, the coffee was not at breakfast, and I could just go on and on, but it was a BAD morning.                                                                                                                                                                                      I managed to get onto the bike, and wouldn’t you know it, I started to pedal.   The ribs were super angry at this point, and I was sure I broke them. The riding today was amazing and kept me going. I kept thinking I was in a scene from Jerrassic Park. There were big huge ferns, and huge trees, it was just awesome. After climbing all day we hit the high point and got to enjoy an incredible descent. There were crazy bridges, and the trails just put a huge smile on my face. After at least a 30 min of screaming downhill, we crossed the finish line yet again. We had to shower up quick and walk down to the ferry terminal for our 3^rd ferry trip of the race. Of course I was starving, and without money. Luckily, a nice guy who was also racing loaned me money for a sandwich. He is forever in my debt.

My parents picked us up from the ferry terminal and drove us up to Squamish.   It was a beautiful 45 min ride up the coast. I was able to get a massage, and due to the ribs, I broke down and slept in the hotel with Michael as Kelli bunked in with my parents. The two of us definitely woke up in a better mood.   Finally, some sleep!!!

Thursday, July 3rd (Day 6): Squamish- 65k                                                                                                                                                                       Sleep does wonders, especially having a bed for the cranky ribbies. I definitely woke up a bit more chipper, though no less sore this morning. It was hard to believe it was day six already. It almost felt bitter sweet. We were still dressed in Orange, and at 9am the gun went off.                                                                                                                                                                        The riding today was super technical. There were crazy stunts and drops. I was mad because if not for my ribs, I really would have enjoyed it. There were great descents, followed by some not so fun climbing. Kelli was riding like the energizer bunny. At one point I pulled beside her, grimaced, and said, “I am going to kill you in your sleep tonight.” She didn’t seem phased, and kept on riding.                                                                                                                                                                             We met up with our friends Katie Compton and Mark Legg on the ride today which was nice. They weren’t having a great day, but it was nice to do some riding together. The 4 of us crossed the line together…another day in the books.                                                                                                                                                                                         We met my parents and Michael for a great dinner at a restaurant overlooking a beautiful river, I even had a glass of wine…. it didn’t take much to feel tipsy at this point.  After dinner we hurried back to the venue for our awards ceremony, and were quickly off to our tent for bed.                                                                                                                                                                      Friday, July 4^th (Day 7): Whistler- 47k                                                                                                                                                                                                         Completely haggard and in shambles was how day 7 started for me. I wasn’t able to sleep at all with the ribs. The inflatable raft did not work…so half way through the night I threw it out of the tent. Unfortunately, the ground was no better. Kelli looked happily asleep…hhmmm….                                                                                                                                                                           The morning started with breakfast, packing of bags, and then a bus trip up to Whistler. We arrived at Whistler, gathered our bikes off the truck, and got over to the line. It was the final day of the race; dressed in orange and hopped up on celebrex, I was good to go.                                                                                                                                                                                           The course went straight up a ski slope today, then up some more, and more, and more. I was suffering BAD. After what seemed like forever, we went down, down, down…which unfortunately was only slightly better. There was some great trail today, including one called “River Runs Through It” which had bridges and crazy stunts all over it. That definitely brought a smile to my face. We thought it would be a short day today, but after 4 hours we crossed the finish line, arms raised high.  We had won the BC Bike race.                                                                                                                                                                             I want to send a huge shout out a few people:                                                                                      First to Kelli who lead me all around British Columbia…LOL.                                                                My parents were a huge help as they shuttled us around, grabbed us food and generally were there to help. My father even paid for dinner a few times!!                                                                       Our amazing Mechanic Tim was invaluable, as was John, our “cruise director”. Tim and John were out helping the Spike Shooter teams and graciously took Kelli and I under their wing. They made sure our bikes were washed and ready, which was more of a help than you can ever imagine. Additionally, John found me a brand new saddle to start Day 6! My buttocks are forever greatful!I also want to thank Landry’s Bicycles for their help this season and Bill Hand of Trek Bicycles for securing an amazing Trek Top Fuel for me to ride this season. The bike was amazing!                                                                                                                                                                                  Thanks for reading. I am not sure if anyone actually got this far!                                                                                                                                                                                       Happy trails :-)                                                                                                                                                 Sara

BC BIKE RACE HERE WE COME!!

Sara — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 01:48:53 +0000

Hi all.

A quick update for you.

We have made it to British Columbia. More specifically, Victoria.

We will be competing in the BC Bike race.

Check it out at www.bcbikerace.com

I will be competing with my good friend Kelli Emmett.

Michael will be competing with our friend Rich.

This is a seven day mountain bike stage race from Victoria, British Columbia to Whistler, British Columbia.

I estimate we will race 400 miles, though I have been too afraid to look.

I will try to post over the seven days, but am not sure if I will have internet, or be awake long enough to post anything!!

I think you can keep tabs on the website. Our team name is “Taint Slo” (don’t ask)

Happy trails!!

Sara

RACING 2008!!

Sara — Fri, 09 May 2008 22:32:40 +0000

So as per usual, it has been way to long since my last post.

The season has started off really well. I would like to send a shout out to my sponsors for the season.

Landrys Bicycles has been a huge help, and it is great to be able to be riding for them this season. Trek has hooked me up with a sweet mountain bike, the Trek Top Fuel….I love it!

A great new bike company called Aerocat has hooked me up with one of their Carbon Road Machines. What a nice bike; along with my new Zipp 202 wheels, it is a rocket ship!

I have also received product help from Zipp, Shimano, and Time, Zeal Optics, and Maxxis Tires. Thanks to all of those great companies.

Last but not least, Michael Engleman and his US Womens Cycling Development Program has been of great assistance.

So on to the racing…. I started out down in muddy West Virginia in early March. My friend Jesse was more than willing to beat up on me. It was so muddy and gross down there, my Trek was definitely broken in! Mud everywhere. The “training camp” culminated with a great local Mountain Bike Race. It was 35 degrees and precipitating. Boy did I feel at home. I beat up a bit on the local talent, but my greatest feat was beating Jesse…he broke his chain and had to run the last 5 miles. He was so angry, but in proper form, I had to rib him a bit about beating him in the race as he beat up on me all weekend! Thanks Jesse ;-), and no, I am not ready to move to West Virginia.

After West Virginia it was time for some Local Racing. I forgot how much I enjoy local mountain bike courses. I have been having a great time at the local Root 66 Race series. Here I am leading the pack in Connecticut. It has been great to see so many women out racing too! I think that is a smile on my face!

This past weekend I went out and tested my Aerocat road bike in the Jiminy Peak Road Race. I also had my new Zipp wheels on thanks to Zipp, and I was flying. I managed a 2nd place podium finish and first US finisher out of 70 women. It was nice to be back out on the road. This weekend I will try again for the big “W”. Here I am on the road rig…

Last but not least was my trip back out to the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California. It was great to be back out there. The course was a bit sandy for my liking, but it was a great trip. A big thanks to Neil, Tracy, and Madeline for letting me share their camper. What fun!

Thats all for now.

Happy Trails

Sara

CALIFORNIA DREAMING

Sara — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:31:24 +0000

On January 5th, I boarded the plane and flew cross country to the sunny haven of Hermosa Beach, California for my 3rd year running. Unfortunately, they were in the middle of a monsoon. For two days I endured 50 degree rainy weather. I threatened to leave, but my cousin, her husband, and her baby did not seem too concerned.

After being relegated to the indoor trainer all fall due to my shoulder ordeal, I was more than ready to find some sunny weather and ride my bike outside. As per usual, I have taken over my cousins apartment with my two bikes and luggage. Only this year, I have competition. Her name is Elliot, and she is my roommate! Let me just say that my ear plugs are working wonders.

It has been great to be back on the bike. I even joined the gym across the street to work on strengthening my shoulders. It is a bit demoralizing when I have to ask for the one pair of 3 lb weights in the gym. I am of course surrounded by grunting bronzed men and women with big boobs…they are bronzed as well. You gotta love LA. I don’t think I fit in at they gym. They look at me like I am a creature from mars…or at least Boston. I cannot figure out why there are so many people running on the treadmills when it is 65 degrees and sunny out and there is a beautiful running path along the beach 3 blocks over. Here are a few pics of me on the bike path on the beach. They are self portraits so don’t be too critical

I am off to try my first day of mountain biking tomorrow. Wish me luck and stay tuned for more blogging

Happy trails

Sara

Shoulder surgery 3.5!!???!!

Sara — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 23:22:04 +0000

A lot has happened since my last post. Yah, I know. My last post was a long time ago, so grab a coffee and a chair and start reading.

My cycling season ended in mid August after races in Canada, North Carolina, Vermont, and Colorado. I was a bit burnt out and over trained by the end of the season; isn’t hind sight 20/20.

A week after the season ended, I took a cruise with my family in the Baltic. We all had a great time, and it was nice to be back in Europe without having to lug a bike and luggage around. We visited some really neat places like Russia, and Estonia. I ate too much, drank too much, and by the end of the week was really itching to be back on my bike.

Some time in July, I convinced Michael that we needed to sign up for La Ruta de los Conquistadores (www.adventurerace.com). This was a 4 day stage race across Costa Rica and I was really excited about it. I was ready to get back on the bike and start training big time for the race which was in November.

(more…)

STOP AND SMELL THE EDELWEISS-

Sara — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 22:09:11 +0000

EURO TRAVEL…..The good…the bad…and the uuuhhhooohhh!!!!

Anyone who knows bike racers understands that there is ONE thing that trumps all others in order of importance. Any guesses?? Well…that one important thing is….ROUTINE. Yes, we are creatures of habit. We love our consistency, our routine. It keeps us somewhat grounded, though I am not sure that we are a very grounded bunch. It helps us feel as though we are in some semblance of control; that our world is not reeling off its axis.

Our days are spent waking up and tinkering with bikes (God forbid those aren't set up correctly down to the last millimeter). My husband has often referred to me as the princess and the pea. "I know my saddle is off," I mutter. "My handlebar height doesn’t seem right." "Sure," he states. "Well DOES it look off to you??" I squeal. "Uuuhhh…looks the same as it did the last time you asked," he mutters. He knows he can't win that conversation, no matter what he says.

We eat and must have the correct foods to eat. Some need soy, no dairy; others chicken, no beef; rice, can't do pasta; apples, no citrus….the list goes on. Don't even get me started regarding race day and race fuel….holy hell does that get complicated. More important than food is coffee. Absolutely every bike racer worth his or her salt drinks coffee. We don't drink that crummy Maxwell House either. It has to be from beans grown at the right altitude and roasted at the right temperature from the correct part of the globe. It has to be made just right, usually strong, but never burnt or bitter.

(more…)

THE AMAZING RACE!

Sara — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:52:20 +0000

So do you know that show "The Amazing Race"? Lately, I feel like I have been in my own version of the amazing race. Since I last wrote from Arizona, I have been back to Massachusetts, across the coast to California, home for a day, across the pond to Europe, and back home again. The last few weeks have been a crazy blur, and unfortunately, wireless was hard to come by. So here I sit, with so much to write about that I am overwhelmed! I promise to write more frequently in the future.

Since I last wrote, I was home for a few days and then was off for a big mountain bike race in Monterey, California. I had a SWEET set up in an RV right on the race grounds. The Adam's family (Tracy, Neil, Madeline) was nice enough to put me up in style. Though we had never met, somehow they knew that the key to my heart was food! After a few feedings, we got along famously. I warned them that unless they stopped feeding me, they would not be able to get rid of me. Tracy and Neil have a daughter named Madeline. She was so cool, and amazing on a bike. The four of us shared the RV, and Neil and Tracy were also put to work as race support. They were AWESOME!

The racing went well, and I was able to use my brand new Lynskey Mountain Bike. The bike is amazing to ride, hands down, the best I have ever ridden. It is tough though to be upstaged by a bike. When greeted at the race, no longer did people look at me. Their eyes were immediately drawn to my beautifully painted titanium bike. I guess this is not the worst problem to have! (more…)

Off To The Races

Sara — Fri, 30 Mar 2007 23:39:58 +0000

So the time had come. I was more than ready to trade in snowy New England for some Sweet Californian Racing. It was hard to believe the routine was starting again, but I was excited for the upcoming season. I ran around the house like a chicken with my head cut off trying to find all my gear, which someone had evidently hidden on me. I jammed bikes in boxes, I ran to and from the bike shop, I made phone calls, printed itineraries and threw a few temper tantrums. All of this nonsense culminated in me getting on a flight to Los Angeles with most of the things I needed and a husband that was thanking God that I had finally left the house.

Once I arrived, I met up with Team Advil-Chapstick. I would be guest riding with them for The Redlands Bicycle Classic which was a four day road stage race. Six women, our team director, and our team soigneur/mechanic, all descended on Glen and Suzanne- a sweet couple who had opened up their house to us for the race.

Redlands is one of the toughest domestic road races and these women had been racing for weeks to months by now. I had chosen to jump right in! What is that saying??? “Go big or go home!” I was really excited and also nervous to start racing and the first day of racing was a short but evil time trial which finished on a very steep climb. Before I knew it, I was in the starting gate and then off….the race against the clock was on. After 13 VVVEEERRRYYYY long minutes, I crossed the finish line. Boy was that a shock to the system, but what a blast. I finished somewhere mid field, not bad for day one.

Day two was a 70 mile road race with some crazy climbing. I was looking forward to it. It was going to be a long day ending with a 6 mile march up to a mountain top finish. The gun went off at around 10 AM and roughly 120 women set off. It was a nice day and the pack was slithering though the countryside. I bet it was pretty out there, but I would not know as I spent my time focusing on my place in the peleton. Our team was outfitted with radios which was new to me. The other women set my earpiece up and shoved the radio into a sock that they had pinned to my sports bra. Now I really felt official. I begged our team director to sing something to me during the race, but we were all business. I got a quick, “Roger…Roger” and, “What is your vector Victor” out before the race, but that was it.

I was having a good ride and stayed up front until the base of that final climb. When we hit the base of Oak Glen the climb to the finish had begun and the field shattered. I stuck to my pace and rode steady. There were people cheering on the way up but my vision was a bit too blurry to really see them. After what seemed like hours (well it really was hours), I crossed the line in 34th place.

(more…)

Don’t Hate Me Cause I’m In Cali

Sara — Thu, 15 Feb 2007 04:23:42 +0000

So for those of you not in the know, I have been residing in Hermosa Beach, California, for over two weeks now. Since many of you have told me how much you love my updates, I figured it was time to sit down and start typing.

I arrived on Jan 5^th and immediately took to messing up my cousin’s condo “Tasmanian Devil” style. Before 5 minutes had passed, I had succeeded in dragging in two bikes, and a huge duffle bag full of stuff I would probably not use… though I was minus a coffee grinder which was a HUGE problem. You would think that by now I would have this packing thing down. Then to the chagrin of everyone in the condo complex, I very nicely spread all my bike stuff into the common hallway and took to building my bikes.

The weather here has been less than perfect, but I have managed to overcome this hurdle by riding with arm warmers and a vest. My favorite Sunday ritual is showing up at 7am for the Sunday group ride and listening to all the soft SoCal guys cry about having to ride in 40-50 degree temps. These guys need to toughen up a bit. Maybe I will suggest they come to Boston and ride in sub 20 degree temps. I think they are just upset that they have to cover their bronzed shaved legs with leg warmers.

As for adventures, I have had many. I will try to highlight the best ones for you. (more…)