Making Circles

I went for a nice ride for a couple of hours today, and although I enjoyed it, I am still dealing with the effects of the accident. I cannot go full speed downhill because I’m afraid a car is going to pull out in front of me or into me. I still can’t even ride down the road without bracing myself for getting hit by passing cars. It’s pretty ridiculous, but even when I calm myself a little, as soon as a car flies by, I think, “Man, if that one hit me, it would probably kill me.” It’s pretty bad. I know that I have to be patient, and that I will get over this, but I really miss the days of being able to ride without thinking of my mortality pretty much the whole time.

It’s officially started- The much anticipated Mid Atlantic Cyclocross Series- There has been plenty of excitement the last few days, first with the setting up of the Wissahickon race, and then a great double weekend of cross racing.

THURSDAY/FRIDAY : COURSE SETUP
I helped set up Sunday’s course at Ludwig’s corner, a fast and fun venue with lots of switchbacks and off camber slopes. Kelly Cline masterminded the event and managed a small team of us as we helped him put the course together.

I hadn’t set up a cross course before, so it was nice to see the whole thing rise out of the broad expanse of grass surrounding us.

One of the final touches was the installation of the infamous barriers. They are particularly difficult to get over at this race because they are at the base of short steep hill, so for the vertically challenged, like me, things get a little interesting…

Our hard work paid off when we got to ride the course after a brief rain shower that added just the right amount of mud to make the corners a little tricky.

SATURDAY : GRANOGUE

The race is pretty amazing- It’s held on the property of a very kind Dupont family member, who happens to really like biking. He also hosts a mountain bike race in the forest on his property in the summer. We pretty much trash his grass, and he doesn’t seem to mind so much, saying that it will grow back anyway- cool.

The morning of the race definitely went better for me than the last few weekends. I’ve been having a bit of stomach trouble race mornings and have had a hard time getting breakfast down, forcing myself to eat our standard 2 eggs and a bowl of oatmeal with fruit. So Tim had the truly brilliant idea to bring hot water and instant oatmeal for me so that I could eat once my stomach calmed down. Getting just the two eggs down before we left the house wasn’t bad at all, and I was able to eat two packets of oatmeal once at the race. My tummy thanked me for it, and this made a big difference in how I felt overall- it really is the little things that count.

This year, with Tim racing the B Masters category, and me racing the A’s, the logistics of our race day are pretty smooth. Because we have so much time in between our races, we can help each other out without having to rush around. So with Tim’s race at 10, we got there at 8:30 so he could pre-ride the course while I chatted up some of our friends. I helped get him setup on the trainer for his warm up, and then yelled at our friends racing the C-men and B-women’s races. I even got a shot of Dennis, racer and race photographer extraordinaire just as he was going to take my picture:

Working the pit for Tim was good- he ended up switching bikes half-way through the race when his shifting started acting up. We botched our hand-off though… guess we should spend some time practicing that :) Tim still managed a strong finish, placing 14th out of many men (I can’t remember the exact number.)
Before my race at 1:30, Tim was able to wind down, and then help me with my race prep. We have a nice routine-

I was really happy with how my race went. It’s the first time this year that I felt like I was able to leave it all out there. My focus was not bad and I buried myself in the race. This time I actually kept contact with the pack and had a good race with two other women, going back and forth for the lead, until my left calf cramped up at the top of the steep run-up on the second to last lap. I subsequently blew up, and one of the women eventually passed me on the other side of the course. On the last lap, the calf cramped again so badly, that I had to jump right back off the bike to run it off (kind of), and the other woman, Tammy passed me. I worked to stay on her wheel, but lost contact at the steep hill that I had to run because I could no longer ride it (I was happy that I could ride it in the first place, because last year, I couldn’t do it- it was too steep.) Not only were my legs beat, but my arms were also dead. Once back on the long driveway leading up to the finish line, I pedaled as hard as I could for a strong finish… Turns out I finished last, but with two women DNFing (Did Not Finish) I didn’t feel too bad :)

This race was so much fun, not just because of the course, but also because the women are really friendly, and the spectators are awesome! At the top of the muddy run-up, a huge group of people yells like crazy at each person climbing, ringing their cow bells and yelling words of encouragement to each racer. Maybe I had no idea I was last because these people yelled at me and cheered each time I made it to the top- it was really great-

SUNDAY : WISSAHICKON CROSS

By the time Sunday morning rolled around, I wasn’t sure how my race would go that day- I actually felt ok physically, but you can never tell until you get on the bike…

Well, the day turned out great. Tim finished 9th out of over 60 guys! Here he is peeking around one of his competitors at the start line:

I had a great race too- and actually didn’t place last this time!

I felt really calm at the start, and kept my focus throughout the race, working with whoever I found myself at different times. In the first lap of the race, I tried to stay on Meg’s wheel, and then from the 2nd or 3rd lap on, worked with Christine and Tammy, taking turns with the lead, until Christine got a little ahead of me after the last run through the barriers, and then took off like a bullet as soon as we touched the tarmac. I took off after her, and went so hard I could hardly see (must have been oxygen debt because as soon as I crossed the line, I was breathing so hard, I was almost hyperventilating) Didn’t catch her, but I did get away from Tammy this time. Turns out there were a couple of other ladies behind us too, and we were only a few seconds from the women ahead of us, so I did a much better job that day staying close to the riders ahead. I was pretty stoked!

No big races next weekend, so I’ll do some long rides for fun this week, and maybe even a good hike for a change of pace…

Just got back from a really lovely ride out to Valley Forge and back- Been practicing riding no hands, and today made a big step: I was relaxed and actually rode for a few minutes without holding the handlebars. (most of this ride was on a bike path, less you think I’ve gone nuts riding on the street for minutes at a time without holding the handlebars, but I digress) Now some of you might think this is nothing, but for me, this is kind of a big deal. I remember riding hands free as a kid, but since then have been terrified to do it. So maybe it’s that my new road bike actually fits me, but it’s also that I’m getting comfortable on my bike again. At this point, anything that builds my confidence on the bike is good… so I’m going to allow myself to bask in this feeling of having a won a small victory today.

I took a much needed day off the bike today. Lin and I played with clay out in the courtyard this afternoon. I haven’t modeled the human figure in so long, I was a little rusty. But man, is it nice to dig my hands in the clay. I tried to make a portrait of Tim, and realized after a while that my memory would only take me so far… luckily, Tim walked by just as I thought to go get him, and he happily modeled for me. Jim documented it-

Jim gave Tim and me a cd of images from the weekend- I particularly like this one of Tim cornering nicely:

and this one just makes me laugh because I look so serious (as usual) on my bike:

I don’t have a good poker face-

jim just finished putting together this little movie of tim and me at the race today-

see it here

So we just got back from the Iron Cross Lite race in Michaux State Park. Awesome course- I’ve realized at this point that this entire year is going to be all about lessons in life. Today I learned to swallow my ego. But before I get to that, I’ll start with a couple of images from our morning. Jim, my dad in law, came out with us to the race.

Here he is in the back of the car. Now that I think of it, I can’t believe I didn’t offer him my seat in the front. Tim and I have such a set routine for going to races that we are on autopilot on race mornings…

Jim and I spent the drive taking pictures of our bike shadows on the road-

I like how abstract the bike shapes look on the large space of road and grass… The light was really nice today-

Anyhow, the race was a lot of fun. I finished last out of 6 ladies, and something funny happened somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd lap: the 5th place woman started getting away from me, and surprisingly I didn’t care that I was last. I learned to have fun just riding my own race, kept going as hard as I could, trying to make a clean run of it. You know the old adage, keep the rubber side down. During the race, it didn’t even matter so much to me that my stomach was feeling pretty crappy from the exertion. I don’t remember having stomach issues racing in years past, but I’ve also never raced in this kind of shape… If this were mountain or road season, I would definitely not have jumped into racing coming right out of injury, with no training. But this being cross, the season is short and it is just too sweet to waste. Why just go for a regular ride, when I can go ride circles on someone else’s grass, carry my bike over man-made obstacles, ride in “unrideable” race conditions like snow and mud, and make myself sick doing it?

Our buddy Fitzy also loves cross- Here’s his pimped out car with two matching bikes:

I’m not generally a big fan of SUVs, but I’ve got to admit, this thing is pretty sweet. Mostly because it looks like a Tonka toy truck- and the bikes on the roof are the finishing touch :)

So the season has officially begun. Tim and I are going into our third weekend of races… The first race we did, the Hillbilly Hustle, has got to be one of the coolest races around: grassroots, superfun course, good folks, and well-run. Last week was a double race weekend, with a race out in Lancaster County on Saturday and another up in Bryn Athen (don’t know if I spelled that right) on Sunday. Because it was a big race weekend in New York, the fields were really small, which is fine by me since I am slowly riding into shape after my year of injuries…

Tomorrow is the Iron Cross Lite- a fun race with lots of climbing out in Michaux State Forest. The full blown Iron Cross is on Sunday, and considering what happened during the race last year, I was looking forward to getting my revenge on the course. But this year didn’t go as planned, and a 60+ mile cross race is not something I want to do with not many miles under my belt this year… I’ll have to wait ’till next October-

This has been a tough year! Since I’ve been coming back from months of injury, my body has really changed. I’ve lost muscle from not being able to ride much, but mainly my fitness is not so great… I’m working on getting my head right for races though. Not riding means that my handling skills are pretty icky right now, and my confidence is low. I’m not willing to take risks on the bike right now, since I’m afraid of falling on my wrist which is still recovering- not a great place to be to race- I’m looking forward to feeling more fearless again! I’ve got to be more patient with myself and be willing to take it slowly (like I have a choice)-

On the other hand, I love my new cross bike..

This thing rocks! I get giddy thinking about it: Dura-Ace rear derailleur, single chain ring on Dura-Ace cranks, Bontrager Race X-Lite wheels, Michelin Muds (just went back to these after trying out some Hutchinsons which were ok, but hey, nothing beats the Muds), pink and black WTB saddle… and the green paint job is gorgeous… mmmm yay!

Must go get my race gear ready for tomorrow!

cheers- j