And so it begins.
Hello 2010. Let’s start racing our bicycles.
Cherry Pie Criterium. In the heart of the Wine Country. Napa, California. Well, maybe not the heart of the wine country. It was the heart of an industrial park in the foothills of Napa. Nice. I will romanticize what I can. I love it.
This is one of my favorite races of the year. Maybe it is because I have a sweet tooth and happen to love freshly baked goods (especially cherry pies), but it is also because I love the atmosphere and energy involved. I love this EVENT. The Eagle Racing Team does a GREAT job putting this on. Job well done!
45 minutes of fun. 4 Team TIBCO attendees. Myself. BLWM. Devon. MegG. Amongst the 4 of us, we has already accumulated 4 cherry pies over the last 3 years. This year our mission was simple. Bring home the cherry pie. We wouldn’t mind some wine either.
The attacks were launched. The chases were ensued. It was a hard, fast, fun bike race. Each time up the hill, the legs were getting shredded. Intensity this early in the year is always going to hurt. I like hurting, I am not going to lie. The pain is a good thing. I will get stronger because of it. I started the lead out about 2 laps to go. Started ramping up the pace, like your foot on an accelerator. Steadily putting pressure down on the pedal and steadily stringing out the peloton. Nothing was going to swarm my sprinter, BLWM. MegG was on my wheel, BLWM on hers. I was getting the “steady, steady” commands, and then with 1 lap to go, I was finally unleashed to “light it up”. This is my favorite part. Time to put out some power and drop BLWM neatly off at the line. To the bottom of the hill, Meg jumped, BLWM jumped and won the bike race. Nice. I love my sprinter.
Mission accomplished. Cherry pie won. Teamwork not perfect, but a good start to 2010.
Thank you Cherry Pie Criterium. You were one of my first bike races EVER in 2008, and I am proud to return again.
Skinsuits make everyone fast. Photo by: Bob Cullinan
Greener Grass
The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
You may not believe this, or you may scoff at its impossibility, or shake your head at this inconceivable notion… But, just like an old country western song, even bike racers get the blues every now and then.
Sometimes it becomes like a job, and you have to mash your way through it. However, even during these times, we try not to mash, and try to keep the pedals light, but this is not always the case. It becomes a grind. Recently, I did learn that not only the training can become a grind, but the resting can as well.
While resting off the bike the last little while, I was forced to figure out what “normal” people do. Do they take yoga? Do they hydrate throughout the day and look for excuses to put their feet up? Is it always work, or is it sometimes a little fun? How can you sleep at night with all that pent up energy? Do you go shopping for non-carbed foods? Do you go shopping for new denim, perhaps?
The idea Kat came up with is that “normal” people can go shopping with their real money from their real job. Ha. This could be true.
By the end of the “forced rest” period, my leash was released and I was able to escape back into my “office”. Hwy1 never looked so good. What can I say, it was a good day at the office.
The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. I may not have a new pair of jeans, but I have a good job. It’s good to be back.
Quick Reflection
Every once in awhile you just have to sit and reflect. Reflection could be from a moment of passing nostalgia, an event that sparks that all too familiar feeling, or just the time to actually sit still and think. Regardless, I think reflection is usually a good thing. Maybe we shouldn’t dwell incessantly on the past, but we should also appreciate and remember the moments and people who brought us to this point today. Too often we blaze through life without any concern for those around us, and never taking that small moment to look upon where you are, and who you are.
Maybe it is that I have the time, maybe it is because it is all coming so quickly. Please know, I am very thankful and blessed.
The Yoga Experiment
I was told the more you went to yoga, the better you would feel, and the more addicted you would become.
It was like a simple equation. A direct relationship between an increase in classes and an increase in positive thoughts towards the practice. Is that true? I was skeptical of such logic, so I decided to conduct an experiment to find out. For one week exactly, I took 5 yoga classes. 5 hot yoga classes in a mere 7 days.
I thought I would try the hot yoga, and for once, not leave the class early, and dedicate myself to stay through 90 grueling minutes of stretching. How hard could it be? It didn’t involve cardio, or my aerobic system. However, it involved my core, my flexibility and my patience.
The days went on. Did I feel more limber, or just less embarrassed by my lack of coordination?
Bendie Envy. That’s the term my friend used to describe the feeling of trepidation before each yoga class. The suspicious feeling regarding the yoga “teacher’s pets” and those who warm up doing head stands and can stretch their leg perfectly straight out in front of them holding their big toe with their “peace fingers”. This feeling of insecurity was decreasing with each class attended.
Crow. Cat. Cow. Pidgeon. Animal names? Of course, but also a term for poses requiring strength and flexibility. In yoga class, I could become a tree, a silver surfer, and or I could develop talons and get my “man on”. My breathing can now become oceanic, rhythmic, or something like that.
I was inspired by the yoga classes as they highlighted my stiffness and imbalance. I recruited a US National Team teammate and good friend to join me. I figured with two professional cyclists in the class, the attention of the instructor would surely be divided. It turned out, Kat, was actually much more talented than me in the yoga department, and I was still meticulously corrected.
7 days complete.
Am I sold on yoga? I might be. Not just any yoga. I think I vote for vinyasa, or as the Red Dragon Yoga Studio in Mill Valley refers to their hot vinyasa class, “Power Yoga”. We flow from one pose to the next and through the movements, there is less time to have a yoga Nazi pick on me for my form. I try to blend in, sweat, and move freely. I am challenged, but I am kept interested with few static poses, and the class is based on dynamic movements and upbeat music that doesn’t involve waterfalls or windchimes.
5 days of yoga, and I am sore. Does it make me better cyclist? I hope so. Do I intend to compete in the Olympics for yoga? Thank heavens, no, but I think it will be a beneficial addition to my weeks of training when I am home. 5 days/week? No. I am crossing my fingers for 1 day/week.
There is some truth to the repetition of yoga to feel its energizing properties. Addicted might be a strong word, but I at least can admit that I began ALMOST enjoying yoga. Who would have thought it was ever possible.
If you like this picture…
Photo by Larry Rosa
If you like this picture… and you like to know what the date is, this will be my final plug to get your OFFICIAL Team TIBCO calendar!
We just got our first draft of our schedule for Team TIBCO’s racing in 2010. The good news is that will be touring the world! No matter where you are located, you will be able to watch the team in action. To give you a little taste of that, we will be in New Zealand, to Redlands, to Merced, to Menlo Park, to Sea Otter, to Minnesota, to New Mexico, to Beligium, to France, to Tulsa, to Oregon, to Santa Cruz, to Burlingame, to Italy! You got it. I am pretty sure we will be everywhere.
I love to look at the schedule and think about the exciting times and challenging races in the future! Will you be there with me? I hope so.
