Why falling on your butt makes you better

This morning it was cold. Very cold. My garmin said 53 degrees. Which, for a Californian, is verging on Arctic temperatures. Last night it was raining. And dark. Both days I rode my bike. Part of the reason I was able to find this motivation is that I recently finished reading Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin. This book has reinvigorated my drive to be a successful cyclist. While mainly directed toward business employees and managers, his concepts and ideas are applicable pursuit of any passion. He supports his argument through research on the concept of deliberate practice. According to Colvin, deliberate practice is designed specifically to improve performance, is endlessly repeatable, highly demanding and not very much fun. This is much different from putting your headphones in and spinning down the bike path without regard for cadence, HR, power or anything else. Though he allows that enjoyment definitely helps to improve motivation. People that desire to be the absolute best in their field, world class even, engage in deliberate practice for hours. Colvin supports Malcolm Gladwell's theory, proposed in Outliers, that 10,000 hours of practice are needed to achieve greatness in any field. I once did the calculations on this, and in order to ride 10,000 hours, averaging 10 hours a week (just to make the math easy ;) I would become a very good cyclist by the time I am around 50 years old. So watch out masters categories. I'm getting ready now.
I chose to write about this book because of the final chapter. To conclude his book, Colvin asks, What do you want? And what do you really believe?
What do you want? And what are you willing to give up in order to achieve that goal? The title of this post is taken from an example in the book of a gold medalist ice skater. Her goal, her all-consuming passion, was to win a gold medal. And in order to reach that goal she had to fall. Many, many times. On ice that is not forgiving. She had to wake up early, skip going out with her friends, skip the pizza, skip the beer, and engage in thousands of hours of deliberate practice.  Colvin is clear, the path of deliberate practice is fraught with difficulties. Failed relationships, lonely evenings, isolation. Somehow, great performers find the motivation to persevere.
What do you really believe? Do you think that because you were not born with an innate gift, you cannot excel? After reading Colvin's book, be ready to examine that belief.
So, while the book emphasizes world class performers that started their practice before the age of five, the ideas and lessons can be applied to any pursuit at any age. I found it inspiring. Though I may not be an exceptional cyclist for many more years, every time that I get on the bike I am pursuing my goal. 

Women's Cycling is GHETO

Saturday presented the unique and rewarding opportunity of hearing and riding with several accomplished professional women cyclists. The Women's Cycling Association hosted a forum with some very well known cyclists telling their stories and offering suggestions to build equity in the sport. It was inspiring. Several had given up lucrative careers to pursue their dreams. They spanned all ages and all disciplines. After the forum the audience and the speakers rode from Winters to Davis, a beautiful, flat, country-style spin. I had the opportunity to chat up Emily Kachorek about her recent cross races and get super excited about racing at Lange Twins Winery on Sunday. She explained to me the UCI rules governing cyclocross starts. Basically you have to kick ass and get points to start without several rows of people in front of you. Tough. She also put the bug in my ear about LACX After Dark in a couple weeks. Hmmmmmm.
Then Sunday dawned clear and warm and cross ready.  I recently joined TBBCX\GHETO cross team and Sunday was the first day all cross season that I got to have a team behind my name and a matching kit. Also my first day ever wearing a skinsuit. Gulp. I almost chickened out and wore the other black kit, but I figured I'd be going so fast (yeah right) no one would care what it looked like. 
Unfortunately I was a complete mess from the moment I arrived at the course to the end of the grueling race. I knew it was going to be a difficult day when I didn't bring enough money to reg, forgot my bib number, had to go back to get pins and was debating about what kit to wear. Way too much going on. I finally got everything together and realized that pinning a number on a skinsuit is not something you can do in public. Jeez. Once I was pinned, and all happy and ready to go, my number was on upside down. All this mental distraction makes it really difficult to get prepped for a race, especially cross, where there is no time during the race to settle in. Somehow I managed to get to the start line with my shoes on the right feet and everything in order, but I had not had a good pre-ride. The course was loose, technical and there were fast women on the line, as always. Though I was intimidated and nervous, I was there to race and was going to Go Hard Every Time Out no matter what.

Post by Cycle Masters of Turlock.

Well my GHETO acronym for the race turned out to be Go Headfirst into Every Turn On-course. The swoopy, loose section turned out to be trouble the second lap in. The above photo is taken right before I went down there, I know this because I am still clean. Thankfully there were plenty of hecklers on that corner to make it worth crashing. I figure if I'm going to go down, do it in front of an audience to improve bragging rights later. Before this crash I had been holding pretty good position, about 4th with 3rd in sight, but it took me a second to get up and I lost contact. The next time I came through I could hear the guys yelling, "slower, slower" Ha! never heard that from the hecklers before, they must have felt sorry for me. My plan to catch back on was to hammer in the straightaways on the back of the course and take those loose corners way way to hot. In the dirt again. This time was hard and it hurt. Took me a while to get back up and on the bike and my shifter was bent sideways. I whacked it and it started working but my rear brake was gone. My knee was bleeding, my thumb was swollen and my bike wasn't working. Ick. Way to indoctrinate a new kit, crash and burn. I managed to get the pedals turning and headed back on course. As I was struggling up the flyover, my friend Tony Troy gave me some great advice. He said, "Find it" I took it to heart. There was a cross racer somewhere inside my bruised up self and I was going to find it and finish the race. I kept that mantra for the rest of the race and didn't let anyone else pass me. The GHETO crew kept yelling at me to smile and give high fives. So I remembered that racing was fun. These are my friends on course and supporting me. I smiled and gave high fives and felt better. And actually, riding the course with only a front brake helped because I couldn't come into the corners too fast and was forced to be smooth. I've never been so happy to finish a race and position didn't even matter. Every race out I'm trying to learn to be smooth. Next time, no crashing.
As I was doing my laundry this morning I found that even my clothes know more about cross than I do:

The last line says, "AVOID CONTACT WITH ROUGH SURFACE" Well duh. I'll try next time.
Thanks for reading and please click on the highlighted links, they are great sites run by cool people.

Lembi and Super Prestige

It's been an exciting two weeks of 'cross racing. First up was the classic Lembi Park race hosted by Sac CX, a great local race that has a special place in my heart. It was at this race two years ago that I was introduced into the world of bike racing. I was the person racing a mountain bike with tennis shoes. Here's the unfortunate proof:


I'm pretty sure it wasn't even cold that day, but that grimace is definitely a smile in disguise. Needless to say, I was hooked. I went to one more 'cross race that year, at Howard Park and then my first road and mtb races in the 2012 season.
This year was different. I have been recovering from (what I think was) a torn hip flexor, and have missed the most recent cross races. Also, I'm training hard for next years road season, so I haven't been going out to the park to practice dismounts and skills as often as I would have liked. None the less, I lined up with the stud women of the A class and got ready to have it handed to me. I only hoped Ellen wouldn't lap me, 'cause that would just be embarrassing. I started out of the gate hard. Way too hard. There was no way I could hold the pace and I started slowing down dramatically. I decided that instead of worrying about my placing, I would focus on skills and handling. Unlike all previous cross races, I was actually riding at a pretty good clip. So fast that I slid out around the hairpin before the run-up. This was actually exciting. To be going fast enough to slide out in a corner was huge. I was actually fit enough to fall! So cool. I finished the race with only one more minor mishap. One the second to last lap, I misjudged the timing for dismounting over the double barriers and my bike crashed into it. It whipped around and smashed me in the leg. I recovered, but the bruise was epic.
 
The best part of the racing local is the atmosphere and I was happy to hang out with the gheto.cx crew and heckle the elite men. So much fun.
Then the weekend after I headed down to Sierra Point to race Bay Area Super Prestige. This is the night race. The event of my cross season. So exciting. I even got a new pair of socks to rock.

They are so rad! ;) Best socks ever
I drove down with a fellow girl racer and the atmosphere when we got to the venue was just amazing. We could see the course lit up and the tape going pack and forth as we were driving up, there were racers warming up and the announcers over the PA. I was already excited and feeling the adrenaline. Unlike the Sac CX series, they don't let you warm-up on the course, but I had been there last year and knew what to expect, so I wasn't that bothered by only have ridden a half-lap before rolling up to the start line. Then I got placed into the grid. Ick. I have been following awesome racer Emily Kachorek as she races around the country and she talks about starting in last place. Now I finally understood. Here is her awesome website: #ghetomoto
I was last. Literally. There were 28 fit, competitive B women in front of me. The race started and it was a cluster. I had to use some mental strength not to get frustrated and still ride smooth. As my carpool partner knows, I get severely frustrated in traffic. Luckily there was a bit of a mud section that slowed some people up and I took the opportunity to shoulder my bike and run past a bunch of racers. I settled in and started to get familiar with the course and try to make up places. As I was riding past the heckle zone, I head some people start cheering for me! I was so excited! Some of the Sac crew was at the race and they were heckling away! There is nothing like having people to support you at the races. Nothing like it. I got a fresh wind and passed another racer. I was feeling good. There was one lap to go. I had no idea of my place, but I could see a racer in front of me. I decided to catch her. I made up some time up the stairs, but couldn't get clipped in after the ramp and lost a little space to her. Then we hit the kitty litter and I was on her wheel again. There was one more dirt section and then the finish. One chance left to pass her. I have big gears on my bike, down-shifted and came around her. When I hit the pavement, I gave it everything I had left so she wouldn't pass me. I finally crossed the line and my place didn't matter. I had a great race and gave it everything. I ended up on the podium (5th) and that was just the icing on the cake. All the people out there I talked to were so supportive and the great atmosphere made everything worth it. Especially the Sacramento crew. So much fun. That is why I race my bike.

Just a note: please click on the highlighted links. They are good websites run by good people.

My Time Machine

It was a very adult evening. I was relaxing with a glass of wine and a non-fiction book. Very civilized. But somehow unsatisfying. The night sky was calling. Instead of taking my lawn chair and another glass outside to stare at the stars I put on my helmet and shoes and boarded my time machine.  As I left the driveway, the machine started to work its magic. The only sound I could here was the whoosh of my tires on the pavement and the only sight I could see were the stars above. I clicked into a lower gear and sped up, feeling younger already. As I rolled on into the past, the road dipped into dry creek beds and rose onto little crests and the abrupt temperature change helped me to escape my adult body.  I started to remember a turnout I had visited in high school, off the side of a long deserted road, and that became my destination. On the way there, I slipped farther back.
It was dark. There were monsters on the side of the road. My shifters were the edge of my vision, except for the occasional oak tree looming up out of the night.  Anything could be lurking on the side of the road. The only civilization was the gently lit houses set well back from the road. I started to hear the rustling of the night creatures. How big were they? Could I out sprint them? (unlikely) I thought of how my mom used to point out the constellations in the sky and looked up to find familiar patterns. As I was looking up, my time machine malfunctioned and I slipped back into the deep, deep past.
The monsters on the side of the road weren't modern imaginations, there was only one monster. The father of all monsters, Typhon. He was in the blackberry bushes, waiting for me, a giant, with two coiled pythons for legs and fire-breathing dragons for fingers. There was no way a puny cyclist could escape. I got into my big ring and pedaled harder, hoping to get away before he noticed me. I looked to the stars again, trying to find comfort and return to the present. All I saw were the ravages of Typhon. I saw the familiar V of Pisces, but that was just Aphrodite and her son Eros turned into fishes while trying to escape Typhon. They offered no comfort or escape. I tried to find solace in my constellation, Capricorn. Only that was another reminder of the danger of Typhon, as Pan became the sea-goat while trying to escape Typhon in a river. Because he was panicked, he got confused and turned his bottom half into a fish and his top half into a goat. Desperate, I searched for something familiar that would help me to escape this terrifying world of mythology. I saw a flash of yellow on the side of the road, Typhon's eye! He had caught up with me at last, I had no choice but to confront him. As I rushed by, prepared to be burnt to a cinder, I peeked out of the corner of my eye and it was a reflector. Whew. My time machine clicked back to the semi-present.
I started to climb. Gently. The road was patched and bumpy, but the asphalt comfortably reminded me of the era I was living in. Finally, I arrived at the dirt turnout that had been my destination. The view was incredible. Any small rise in the foothills gives an advantage over miles and miles of rolling hills. I heard cars in the distance rushing by, but couldn't see them. I thought of the cozy yellow-lit houses, but couldn't see them. There was almost no light pollution and the night sky lit up in a thousand tiny fires. The Milky Way spread from horizon to horizon and I felt I could jump right into it. I heard The Pixies line, with your feet on the air and your head on the ground. I had traveled to a time without civilization. There was nothing but me, my time machine and the sky. I breathed deeply.
As I rode back, I spun gently toward adulthood. I longed to be in my own yellow-lit house, finishing up my book and sipping my wine. I started to worry about if I got a flat. The rustling in the bushes wasn't a ferocious monster, but deer eating the last of shriveled blackberries. But I accepted this intrusion of reality, because I knew the next time the present pushed too hard, I only had to jump on my time machine and spin.

Auburn Omnium

After racing as a three for about a month, since Sea Otter, I finally had a good result last weekend at Pescadero. I ended up fourth in a very tough field. One of my main competitors was crashed out (she's okay) and I was able to hang onto my spot in a very tough uphill finish.  I'll post the link to the finish photo here, but don't look too closely, it's scary! (BTW-thanks Alex!)
Alex's phot of me looking scary
Like I said it was a tough field and I was happy to finally get some upgrade points. I want to give credit to Felicia Gomez of Pinnacle Training, my coach, because working with her has helped me improve tremendously.
So I'm getting ready to race the Auburn Omnium hosted by Victory Velo this weekend and I wanted to write down some of my thoughts to help me get focused:
not being intimidated by a tough field-there will be many strong women in my P/1/2/3 field. I have to remember that even though these women are fit and skilled, I belong in this field. At the Town Center Criterium, I was jittery and shaky before my race because of the caliber of the field. I am not going to focus on my performance and not those of the women around me.
strong body, strong mind: At last nights BP ride, I started all over the place. I couldn't hold my line and I was freaking out about every little crack in the road. I found myself at the back of the pack about to get dropped. Wrapping my mind around the fact that I was on my bike and not going anywhere in was difficult. I need to maintain focus the entire time at both races.
relax your hands, relax our face, breathe: There are going to be some technical corners this weekend. I have the skills to take them, and need to relax. Especially at Montserrat. The roundabout at the bottom scares me and I haven't even ridden it yet.
getting the proper amount of sleep each night: so essential. In fact I'm going to bed now.
the chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want most for what you want now: This ties into so many things. Eating right, sleeping, alcohol consumption. Everything. I need to stay focused on my goals and not let what I think I want at a specific moment ever overshadow what I want for my life.
Just some prerace thoughts. I hope to add a race report on monday night since I won't be working...

Ride All Weekend

As usual for Northern California, there were two racing opportunities and beautiful weather this weekend. On Saturday, Bicycles Plus hosted a criterium in Folsom and and Sunday was the famous Cherry Pie Criterium in Napa. Two very different style of racing though they were both short and fast. Early in the week I had planned to race the BP crit, since it was close to home and I had several Rio Strada Racing teamates who were going to be there. Then, while at my parents' house on Tuesday, planning for our amazing trip to Japan to celebrate my brother and his wife, they lay on the news:working cows Saturday morning and wouldn't I please help? Since I lived with them for over a year and they are incredibly supportive of me and my bike racing there was no way I could say no. BP Winter Crit out, horses and Cherry Pie in.
Saturday morning arrived and I got my horse, Tardy, out and ready to go. He really is a gorgeous animal and I have finally gotten back into riding him this year. This is a pic from a couple weeks ago.
 
Everything went smoothly, except for the time he took me under a tree because we were going in the opposite direction of the other horses helping. Minor freak out moment! Loping into a tree and yanking on the reigns, and there was a large branch he was headed right for that would have completed scraped me off. Luckily as I started to crunch into the smaller branches he stopped and I backed him out. Thank goodness, because I was really sure I was going down. The rest of the morning progressed smoothly, cows moved into the corral and I was excused to go and watch the rest of the crit! 
When I arrived at the crit I learned that my teammates had an awesome race for the women's 4s. One of the women even one after an early crash! I was so proud to be a Rio! After a while I spun off down the bike path to try and keep my legs loose for Cherry Pie. I was definitely taking it easy, as my legs and butt were feeling the 2.5 hours on the horse that morning. Hit the foam roller before bed and was ready to go!
Then I was running terribly late to Cherry Pie, standing in reg in street clothes 10 minutes before the start. I finally talked them into giving my my number, went back to the car and my bike had been run over! And my car had been broken into! And then I work up and it was 4:00 in the morning! AHHHHHH! terrible pre-race dreams. Yuck!
I actually arrived on time to the crit and got a great warm-up and was on the start line with the biggest field I had ever raced with. They combined the Junior Women and there were 35 of us. The race started downhill and was blazing fast from the start. The last crit I raced, Cal Aggie in William Land Park, I spent way too much time on the front, trying to get the pack to pull in a two person break. This race I was determined to stay protected and race smart. With that big of a field there was some sketchy movement around the turns, but I stayed near the front and those women were racing smart. We came up the (moderate) hill after a couple laps and it was a prime lap! I stayed protected all through the course, took a good line on the final left hand turn and was in the top five at the chicane. I jumped out of that, up the hill and got it! My first prime ever! Yes!!! There was no one around and I actually started to feel like I could do well in the race, which I have never felt in a crit before. I was spent after sprinting up that hill for the prime though, so I tucked back into the pack and waited. That has been one of the hardest things for me to learn in road racing, is to wait and let others do the work. I didn't go for anymore primes, just hung in until the bell lap. Then I started moving up gradually. Took the same great line out of the sweeping left and was in the top 10 for the chicane. Coming out of it, I got around and was sprinting for the top with two other women! We were all evenly matched with nothing left and I couldn't get an edge on them. So I was stoked on my top 3 finish! Then I found out one of the girls was a Junior, whose field was picked separately, and that I had finished 2nd!
So awesome! 2nd came with some cash (much needed for the gas out to Napa) and a delicious cherry pie from Model Bakery ! 



Here is me on my first Criterium podium along with two of the spectacular ladies I raced with!
So overall a fantastic weekend! I think I like this road racing stuff.