extra time

Sometimes I have these mornings where I don't remember the alarm clock giving me a choice of when exactly I wanted to wake up. In fact, I wake up and I'm already late. I don't remember ever hitting the snooze button fifteen minutes prior and I'm in the middle of a ridiculously crazy dream involving Lindsey Lohan and I'm terrified and amused all at the same time... but, alas... work is calling and another day full of activity is ahead of me. Then I remember I just moved to a new house closer to work and instead of a 20 minute commute to work, it's down to a perfectly manageable 12 minutes. So, I sit there for another minute, giving my mind a chance to gather it's thoughts for the day and then within seconds, I'm already thinking of bike racing and new poster designs.

The bike.

I feel like a broken record quite possibly talking about bikes as much as I do, but it's a constant in my life. I have a new commute and I'm always looking for ways to shave time off of it, looking for ways to stay in bed just a little bit longer, looking for ways to sit perched on the edge of my chair putting my shoes on one by one, the right one first (for good luck) and thinking about random things like colors. In some aspects, I miss my old commute. Twenty minutes is a perfect time to ride and think. Vancouver was a perfect sprint track... one light to the next to the next and to the next. Passing other commuters with their pannier bags and yellow vest, passing the hipster on his fixed gear, passing the random lady who needs to be wearing a helmet but makes up for it by having cool shoes on. One after one after one...all the while, thinking about some random thing, racing through the morning mix of pre-coffee clutter in my mind. But now... I have to think: a shorter commute leaves less time for random thoughts while riding. Eventually yes, it'll become as common and complacent as the last commute, but now my twelve minutes is spent trying to figure out what the shortest and fastest route is.

The past few months have flown by.

The summer is always busy here in the PNW. Week to week it's about bike racing and softball and grill outs at friends houses. Usually there are a few guests and a few camping trips thrown in there for good measure, but I always get a sense of relief when Labor Day rolls around and life seemingly calms down. Add in moving in to a new place with my girlfriend and not feeling settled yet - and my mind is all over the place. So much to do, so much to do. I look forward to the afternoon when the appropriate pictures are all placed on the wall and I can bake some cookies in the oven. But now there are just boxes, boxes full of her stuff, boxes full of my stuff... stuff that I could probably go without. Stuff I could minimalize. But to do that would take time. Physical time that I don't have.

Riding the bike is easy, it allows time for my mind to wonder. I can't tell you how many times while racing or riding, I am thinking about something else completely. My mind is multi-tasking while biking. Work is even easy, I multi-task there too. I steal moments away for day dreams and thoughts about other things. But, physical time... time to sort and move through stuff, that is hard to come by. That's difficult. Like taking two whole days to move boxes and carry things up and down stairs. Two days of negotiating heavy objects in spatial relation to the things around them. Two days of not thinking about random things. Two days of disorder. Two days of physical and mental chaos. But, in the end... that time is worth it. It's worth the few weeks of learning where the forks are, it's worth learning the ins and the outs of a new bike route. It's worth giving up the physical auto-pilot for the end result. The end result knowing that you don't have to think anymore about some things. Somethings, you just know. For example, you know that when you wake from that crazy dream with Lindsey Lohan in it, the one where she is trying to run you off the road because you won't call her back... that when you wake up you can breathe a sigh of relief. This is because you know, that when you hit the snooze button, in spite of everything else that you have to do, everything else that calls for attention in your brain, everything that you just don't have time to do, that you're taking an extra few minutes out of your day to stay in bed for just a little bit longer. You are making an attempt to steal away a extra few minutes here and there so that you can spend some time sleeping next to someone you love.

No Complaints here....

photo: Suzie Bush

Last weekend was yet another highlight of my 2010 year in racing... I placed 4th in the Ironclad Crit. There were about 13 riders overall in the field of CAT 1/2/3's and it was a pretty competitive and fast group of ladies out there. I was pleased to place right off the heels of the podium but close enough to gardner my first top 5 finish racing against the stronger women.

Overall, it was a fun race... but really really friggin hot (I don't do well in heat). The start was rather shitty for me because as soon as the gun went off the ladies were out of the gate and well, it took me half a lap to actually get fully clipped in my pedals. By this point, I was pretty much playing catch-up for the first 10 laps or so. Through out the race... the field never really seemed to truly split as it sometimes does, but there was a definitive "front" of the pack and a clear cut "rear" of the pack. My goal was to pretty much stay towards the rear of the front. Ideally, if I had a big ole team with me I'd try my hand at taking some turns up front leading the pace, but pretty much my m.o. for the race was about conservation and trying to catch the attacks when they happened and to stay in good positioning throughout. I'm never one to really go for the prize laps as I'd rather save it for the finish.

The fun thing about crits is that yeah, good wheels are good to have, but it's not like you can camp out behind one person because it doesn't take much for a good wheel to suddenly become a bad one. In crits, the race is constantly in an ebb and flow, in a constant state of flux as it is always moving and always changing and people are always jockeying for position. I would attribute it to be most like surfing, you have to change how you ride based upon the people around you and what they are doing. Sometimes a wave will come at you funny, sometimes it is predictable, sometimes you'll miss it and sometimes you'll get it just right. In this race, I had a lot of things happen that seemed "just right". Some of it could be luck, some of it could be hard work, but I think a lot of it comes from just observing and learning as you go through the race, learning to predict and anticipate and then figuring out what is going to stick and what will quickly wash away (all while trying not to step on anyone's toes or throw in a headbutt ;).

photo: Suzie Bush

Anyways, a special thank you shout out goes to Ironclad for first of all putting on a great weekend of racing, but secondly to the ladies of Ironclad who were throwing out attack after attack and making it fun. As well, thanks for the nice prize package! I got a sweet Ironclad hoodie (did you know the smallest size they make is a medium?) a nice pair of riding gloves and some socks. And boy, let me tell you, I always forget to clip my toenails so I always need socks! This is so much better than the EK Memorial Track Race where all I got for 3rd place was a handshake (while the dudes 3rd place riders got gift certificates). I give it up to Ironclad for making even 4th place feel like a rock star! I mean...I don't race for the sawg, but it certainly helps make up the deficent of funding that goes into this spendy habit called "bike racing".

my june in bike racing

(Fletch and I)

Instead of bore you all with the day by day weekly details of every bike race that I do (which there are a lot) I thought I'd just rather share some images and highlights from each one. A monthly condensed review ya know? Because well, unless you are my mom or "sig o" you probably really don't want to know the minor details of every event (honestly, my "sig o" probably doesn't want to hear them all either... but I tell her anyways and my mom mostly probably wished I told her more -ps mom, I promise I'll call you sometime soon! I swear!).

6/7 - Monday PIR

I always say that I won't start racing PIR (Portland International Raceway) Monday Nights till June each year because let's face it, the summer racing season is long and sometimes boring and it's hard to not get burned out way too early. Racing on Monday nights actually starts in April, but the weather is usually crap till June. So, needless to say I took Monday nights off April-June to do things like teach spin class and travel to europe. You know, little things like that. Anyways, by the time I finally got around to making it out to PIR, amazingly, the rain had subsided and warm spring like conditions had come round. On Monday June 7th a record crowd of twenty six women came out to race. And, while I worked really hard to chase down attacks and pull my fair share, it didn't pan out in the end. Going into the final sprint the only thing that happened for me was everyone in the whole wide word passing me. Afterwards, a rider on another team thanked me for the leadout I gave her. Depressed at my sub-par performance, I went home and vowed that my motto for the year should be "race smarter, not harder".

(here I am doing waaay too much work)

6/11 - Fast Twitch Fridays

That week I also went out to the velodrome on Friday to participate in Fast Twitch Fridays. Happily, this time unlike all of last year there were actually more than two other people in the novice category to race against! And granted, there may be some debate to if two of those girls were actually novice, but I was happy to just get to try my hand at several other types of races as last year all I ever raced were match sprints. Anyways, I put up the points when I needed to and as a result won the novice category for the night. Sadly, I love the track... but sometimes my social calendar doesn't exactly permit me to race out there on most Friday nights. I know there are other nights to race at Alpenrose, but I'm a busy girl and some nights are soccer nights, spin nights, and softball nights. Call me a jock, it's okay... as long as you don't call me a dumb jock.

(another Friday night at the bar)

6/14 - Monday PIR

Anyways, after the disappointing show at PIR the week prior I sent my team an email urging for some more BTV representation. And well, I guess if you ask for it, they won't let you down. Pretty much, most of our women who are racing and not injured came out... even Amy and Michelle who haven't raced since giving birth last year came out! I was such a happy camper, never before had I raced with so many of my teammates... we had eight women out there and the sight of a mass orange crush kinda sent some shivers down the spine of others. And, we didn't just look sharp, we acted sharp too! Anne and I had a nice break with some other ladies that stayed for a while. However, in due time the pack caught up. We had some awesome sprint points too. Going into the final sprint, it was a BTV sweep of the podium with Fletch edging out 1st, me in 2nd, and Anne taking 3rd. Oregon Cycling Action got such a great photo of that happening, that it even managed to make it to the OBRA.org website main page and stay up there even to this day (three weeks later). Afterwards, we had some team building things to work on... but overall it was a great experience and I loved seeing all my teammates out racing together.

(the front page of the obra site)

(btv women in full effect)

6/21 Monday PIR

On this Monday PIR, only Fletch and I made it out but we worked together pretty well. Most of the race was pretty uneventful but Fletch took one of the sprints and I rounded up with 2nd and 3rd in the other two. Fletch even had a really nice break for awhile. I was really tempted to chase her down since that's what I'm conditioned to do, but then I remembered she's on my own team and well, I let her go. When everyone had finally all caught up again and going into the final sprint, Fletch and I got into a really nice position and she gave me a stellar lead-out behind some Sorella girls that I took all the way to the line for the win. As Fletch sent me off, she even had some encouraging words, like "get in your DROPS!!!!" because I do usually tend to forget. Anyways, it was a great day for racing, I felt really strong and turbo charged and think I raced pretty smart too. Overall, I was pretty pleased. ;)

(all the sprints were about this close)

6/26 - Swan Island Crit

Small secret, after placing third in the Cherry Blossom Crit for the Cat4's I actually upgraded; however, everyone kinda missed that. I mean, granted... I hadn't raced in a categorized road race since and it's not like it was a huge deal or announcement, but the funniest thing about showing up at the Swan Island Crit while the Cat 4's were racing, is the amount of comments I got from people (even random strangers) about why I wasn't out there racing. The easiest answer was the truth, that I had upgraded... but it was still quite amusing at the confused people. Deep honest jennlevo truth here: this was the most nervous I think I've ever been before a race. Even though it was very comforting not really caring how I placed or having anything on the line in regards to results... it was the unknown factor. This race would be my first race as a Cat 3 and the first race I'd ever raced with "the big girls", you know, the Pro Cat 1 & 2's... all scored together with us Cat 3's. Granted, several of them I face and see quite frequently out at PIR... but a crit, esp a 45 min crit (I've never raced a cirt that long).. I was shitting my pants a little prior. No joke. Going into lining up at the start, I got a nice little pat on the back from having my name announced on the loudspeaker prior to the race (that's never happened) so that actually calmed me down a little and gave me a little boost of confidence.

Going into the race, my main concern was about conservation... I didn't want to get too far back from the front... but at the same time I didn't really want to go out for any of the sprints and wear myself out. So, I just kinda tucked in and played it cool... watching everyone else and figuring out who would be the best wheels to follow going into the final bit. So, going into that final lap... I found myself in a place I did not want to be. For fear of getting boxed in and not being able to sprint, I made a quick maneuver and got to a happy place. Going into the final turn I was about five people off the back and sprinting for the line. All of the sudden, I saw a rush of yellow zoom past me in a mad dash to the finish. When I realized it track champion Heather Van Valkenburg I felt a little bit better about getting beat out of 6th place. Anyways, as it was a points based race I actually got bumped back to 8th for the final placing, but out of 21 strong riders... I'm not complaining at all.

(one of the best parts about the Swan Island Crit was the Ironclad cheering section)

6/28 - Monday PIR

Going into this race, I had a slightly unsettling and uneasy feeling that I may be in the lead (or at least tied for the lead) in monthly points. It's not that I didn't want to be in the lead (no, hell... I WANT the green Castelli jersey that goes to the monthly winners), but up to that point I really hadn't been paying attention. I had just been racing my bike, doing well and having fun. However, now I found myself a marked woman. I didn't want to be a marked woman and I especially didn't want to be a marked woman without a posse to support me. I mean yes, most of the races I've ever done it's been a solo effort on my part... but it's not like anyone ever really payed attention to me. Here, on the converse though, I had a whole team of Sorella's who had had rallied and marked me for demise ;) and at the same time I had a handful of other riders I was watching out for and wanted to beat. And despite everyone's efforts in the race, thanks to a crappy group of mens' riders obscuring and mucking with our final sprint, I didn't do what I wanted to do. I didn't move to where I wanted to be - so, I got 8th place, 4 points, and lost the jersey. On that note, I don't think Sorella did want they wanted to either. I think the underdog and solo rider Daphne won and I'm really happy for her as she's really strong and has placed well in all of the sprints.

I think when it comes down to it, my head got the best of me in this race. I spent too much time worrying and thinking about what other people were doing and as a result, I didn't race the race I wanted to race. I got psyched out. I tried to play it too safe and lost out on the points I needed to keep my lead in the end. As well, I am always a fan of the underdog, the coming from behind victory. Give me the lead for once and I don't know what to do with it. It's like those big elephants who give birth and are so anxious and afraid to break their babies, they sit on them and crush them to death (granted, that may be a weird analogy, but shut up - it works). Anyways, I'll have to work on that. I still have the months of July and August ahead. I just need to relax, not worry, and not count points. I mean, I'm out here for fun right? Life is too short to get wrapped up in the PIR World Championships or anything like that, but then again why in the hell do I spend $15 every week to race if I'm not going to try to give it my all?

Honestly, I don't race my bike for fitness and fun. If I wanted to stay fit and have fun I'd watch Ellen on the treadmill at the gym. I mean, don't get me wrong... I'm not out for blood or anything, bike racing isn't everything and most of the time I'll choose sleeping-in and brunch over riding my bike, and it's not like I'm going pro or earning any money from this, but having said all of that, I race because I like to "race" and I love the "competition"... and I unabashedly don't think there is anything wrong with that. July, here I come.

(many a photo credit to Pat Malach of Oregon Cycling Action)

to do list: experience

On Saturday I went out and competed in the Eric Kautzky Memorial Track Race out at the Alpenrose Velodrome. I was looking forward to this event because while I had only just started racing at the track late last summer, I had only raced against one or two other riders at a time in Match Sprints and felt a little insufficient when it came to proper competition and race experience. Here though, at an early season track event I could race against a few more people and also learn and try my hand at some of the other “types” of races that riders will do in an omnium. We as CAT4 women, were slated to do an 8 lap scratch race, a 15 lap points race, and the Alpenrose mile (6 laps). Due to the low numbers of junior women and masters racers... they also combined them into our Cat 4 race, adding to the number of people we were racing against but scored separately from.

For me, I hadn’t been on the track or on my track bike since last July and August when I raced in several of the Fast Twitch Fridays and won them for the month. In fact, the track bike that I bought was one of the former GT rentals from the velodrome. After I purchased it, it was disassembled and has been resting in the corner of my room all winter in eager anticipation for it’s big paint job. I finally took the bike to get painted last month and sadly, did not get the bike back till Friday morning... the day before the race. With a tight building/racing deadline on the forefront, I went to Cyclepath, and pleaded for them to get the bike built up for me in two hours, to which (a case of beer later) they happily obliged. Long story short.... a bit of time and a fair amount of cash later, I finally had my track bike back. It was powder coated all bright and shiny orange, with a custom decal in periwinkle blue and then a coat of clear gloss over top. Accented with some bright blue bar tape and it’s one lean, mean, BTV racing machine. I just hoped I was ready to race too.

pretty...

I always get a little nervous before I race, but before this race I was so nervous I couldn’t even eat my pre-race bagel. More than anything else, I think I was scared of the unknown. I hadn’t done an all-day track omnium before. I’ve never raced a points race, an unknown distance race, a win and out race, a point a lap race, or any of the other crazy types of races that go on out at the velodrome. As well, even though it seems a little silly saying this as an adult... but I didn’t have a posse and I felt a little lost at times. It was just me... out there sitting on my little carpet square in the sun for the majority of the afternoon alone. While I don’t mind doing things by myself, there is some type of security in knowing that other people are going through the same things for the first time as well. I never was a new kid in school, but I imagine it must feel a lot like that. You kinda know the routine, you know what you need to do, but all the while you’re getting your bearings, trying not to do the wrong thing and the only way you’re ever going to figure those things is just to go out and do it. So, this race was kinda my sacrificial lamb. I was hoping to do well, to be competitive but most of all... rip that band-aid off and learn from my mistakes.

One thing that I was not really prepared for in regards to the race was sitting around all afternoon. I guess it really isn’t that much different than being at track races in jr. high or crew regattas in college.... I just hadn’t really experienced that type of racing scenario in a while. All of the races I’ve done recently you go out for 25 minutes or 2 hours and then boom, you’re done for the day. Here, it was race for five minutes... sit for an hour or so, race for five minutes.... sit for an hour or so, etc. And basically, it’s hard to keep the momentum going with so much downtime.

So, needless to say, my first race which was an 8 lap scratch race, was probably my best of the day. I had amped up for that race and felt good to go at the start. Legs fresh and ready to roll. I did well, placing first in the CAT4’s and gaining some points. I was pleased with the finish, but I was out in front for most of the race which isn't really the best idea. It’s not that I wanted to be there... but no one was willing to come up and pull the group so I just stayed there, setting the pace. Granted, the front is nice because there is no one to box you in, but in track racing a quick attack from the back or the side can pretty much make or break your race and one thing that is going against you in the front... is the element of surprise. By the time someone sprints past you, it’s gonna take a really quick response to answer back and chase them down and more often than not, you’re not going to have enough room. So, I think in racing, my socialist desires to “help the group” and “do my share” need to take a back seat. I should be more of a capitalist; sit in, let someone else do the work and then blow past them in return for their kind efforts. But once again.. these are the things you learn the more you race, and this is why I was out there. To learn and slap my head saying “doh” when I find myself pulling in the front again.

(photo by the amazing Eryn Barker, to which i have to thank her and her family for cheering oh so loudly. thanks!)

The second race was a 15 lap points race. Meaning, every five laps there was another sprint for points. I really had no plan or strategy going into it. The earlier sprints were worth more than the later sprints and if I could win a few sprints, I’d be that much closer to securing my lead. However, having not done a 15 lap race at the velodrome yet... I didn’t know how much gas I had in my tank and how hard I could push myself for those early sprints. I didn’t want to go out hard and then die at the finish... but then again... what if I waited and reserved and missed an opportunity? So... I didn’t push as hard as I could have early on and going into the end of the race... I didn’t have enough room to get past the girl who had passed me with a lap to go (we’re talking a wheel of difference at the line). While I gained some points coming in 2nd or 3rd in the sprints and then 3rd in the final sprint, my lack of points in the sprints gave the other girls a chance to gain some points on me. Bleh.

By now it was about 2pm in the afternoon and at this point (being out there since 9am) I was getting a little tired of waiting. This once again goes back to my earlier comment about having a posse out there, I think that would have helped me not get so mentally drained. I mean, for a little while at the start some friendly faces showed up and I chatted with them - but the majority of the time it was me, trying to stay out of the sun and trying to stay hydrated. Not that I’m blaming lack of a posse on not being able to pull it together, it just helps to stay mentally focused when you can take your mind off of things. Anyways, by now my water was warm and kinda nasty. I had tried to eat a clif bar, but just like that bagel in the early morning... I couldn’t really eat it. So, I was pretty much malnourished for the day. It’s funny because my mom is a nutritionist and I have always been quite the avid reader of sports nutrition and even served as an nutritional advisor to my rowing team ... so I know what I need to eat and to do... but sometimes knowing and doing are two completely different things. But like I said, I was out here on a sacrificial exploratory learning mission... and learning I was. (Oh and ps dear readers, pretty much by this point I’m giving you excuses).

Well, the third race of the day was the Alpenrose mile, which is six laps around the track (basically three minutes of racing). Trying to learn from prior, I didn’t want to be out in front but I found my self there but with another rider on the side. Ok, that’s not bad... I thought, I know I have one rider behind me and one to the side and one behind her. Just keep tabs on everyone, I kept reminding myself. And it pretty much lasted this way for the whole race... but then going into that last lap and a half we took off in a sprint and a chase... and shit, I thought... I just don’t have it right now. I gave a good fight at the end, but the other girls out sprinted me and I came in third again. By this point, my third place overall in the Omnium was pretty much cemented.

Oh well, it could have been worse I guess? At least I gave it a try and I’ll have some knowledge of what an all day track race is like so that I know how to prepare myself mentally and physically for the next one. Which, even though I beat myself up about it, I need to remind myself that this is what this this race was for. And, the more I go out there the more I learn and the more experienced I’ll be. And that... when the race comes down to milliseconds between wheels crossing over the line, is what matters the most. Regardless, till I get some of that experience, I’ll still throw in a few more leg squats at the gym.... just to keep it on the safe side.

POC Race (crash) Report

Due to the uncharacteristic nature of the Piece of Cake road race, I was really looking forward to it. Had it been forty some degrees with rain, howling winds and massive lung busting hill climbs... I probably would have stayed home last Sunday and decided to go eat pancakes instead. But, once you say the course involves rain, howling winds, and flat and fast roads with quite possibly a narrow sprint finish at the end, well... now you've got my attention. When it was all said and done, I could say that I enjoyed 95% of the race. That other 5%, well... lets just say I've had better days. And so has my bike, my body and my precious very expensive kit.

95%:

Pretty much, I was pleased with myself during the race for catching all of the breakaway attempts, bridging the gaps and trying to stay out of the strength sucking wind while doing my part for the group. My main objective was to stick with the lead pack and be a attempt to be contender when it came to the sprint finish. So, going into the last few miles I was right where I wanted to be... about five or six off the back and in good condition to chase down anyone who tried to break away. At this point, the pack was about 13 deep of fierce competitors left.

that other 5%:

At about two miles or so out from the finish, the pace kinda slowed up with everyone in eager anticipation of a break. Waiting, waiting, waiting... then all of the sudden I hear the clanging of bikes behind me and the next thing I know I'm sprawled out on the ground watching my bike flip down the road in front of me. Whatever had happened, wiped me out from behind... I never saw it coming. I laid on the ground for a few seconds, grasping my head in pain and assessing my body. It appeared as if everything was in working order other than a burning sensation on my shoulders, across my face and on my forearm. I can live with that, I thought. Parts of my kit had sadly designated on the road. Surprisingly enough... unlike motorcyclists clad in leather, the uniforms of bike racers (spandex and lyrcia) have minimal protective qualities when it comes to hitting asphalt even at low to moderate speeds So, I picked myself up... winced, and ran over to my bike to find it pretty much in working order as well, aside from the right handle bar being completely bent in and not shifting. So I quickly put the chain back on... rode a for a minute, attempted to shift, then hopped off the bike to manually move my chain onto the big ring and then time trailed it through the wind all the way to the finish, coming in 8th out of 40 overall.

Apparently, the only people who escaped the entanglement were those front three or four... the rest of us all got ensnared. Overall, the crash took down about 10 of us with the worst injury being a broken pelvis and a broken collar bone. Thankfully, I just have a massive case of road rash across my shoulders, a beautiful strawberry on my shoulder, a sore neck, bruises and lacerations on the left thigh, a sore cheekbone and a nice goose egg on my right shin. I also need to get my bike fixed, mend my kit, and buy some more advil and jack daniels for the soreness that seems to be residing all over my body today.

I guess now that I've reached that elusive mile-stone in everyone's bike racing career called "first race crash" (woo!!! Now where's my where's my cake?!) I'm going to take some time off to get my self repaired as well as everything else. It's hopefully going to be a long season of bike racing lasting all summer long, and hopefully not as eventful as sunday's race.

ps... I hope everybody and their bikes and bodies heal quickly. I look forward to seeing everyone out on the road later this spring.