Being fairly new to the cycling world, I came to realize there aren't many resources out there for women who are just getting started. I am hoping to help change that. Tune in and follow me on this exciting adventure and we can learn and grow together!
The best part about taking pictures at the crit races is seeing what I end up with. Half the time the pictures are blurry or I've cut of the head of the rider I was trying to shoot. Every so often I manage to take an AMAZING picture, but my favorite ones are the infamous "Race Face" pictures. I get it, it's hard out there, you're giving it all you've got and that is clearly read across your face.
Here's a few of my favorite Race Faces so far. If you're in any of these pictures, I mean no disrespect! Race Face is a badge of honor. Wear it proud! I can only imagine what I am going to look like when I start racing, but I am sure I will fall into one of the categories below.
POOP FACE. He's either got to poop or Rob's let one loose. Either way, I feel for the guy.
AHHHH!!!! FACE. Now there's a distraction technique.
CHEESE FACE. This is my favorite. Whoever you are, keep it coming!
WANANBE-A-WINNER FACE. Eau de Final Sprint. These never disappoint.
GRUMPY PANTS FACE. Someone's realized he isn't winning.
BLOWFISH FACE. Breathing not required.
50+ FACE This just looks like it hurts!
LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD FACE. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...
It wasn't until my whole routine was thrown off by one simple misplacement that I realized, I have a cycling ritual, and it's a mood changer.
One small hiccup in my 20 minute prep ritual falls out of place and my ride is guaranteed to start off on the wrong foot. Luckily, after 5 minutes on the bike I have usually snapped out of it, but still... it messes with my mojo!
The order of my assembly is crucial in keeping the balance:
Strap the girls in and put on the sports bra
Apply my chamois cream in the appropriate places
Wash hands
Slap on the heart rate monitor
Get into the bib and do the Lycra dance. I was shocked to find that nothing comes up when you google "Lycra Cycling Dance". I think I found a video that needs to be made. Stay tuned.
Put on the jersey, followed by the socks and then cycling shoes.
Hook your Garmin to the bike (I do so using a FABULOUS K-Edge Garmin Mount) and turn it on because sometimes it takes FOREEEEEEEEEVER to get it up and running.
Load in a water bottle with fresh water. I say fresh because once I kinda, sorta, forgot to put a new water bottle on my bike and learned the nasty way.
Pump up the jam on those tires. I do100 in the front and 110 in the back. Why? Because Rob said so.
Pull hair back into a ponytail, put on Oakley's, tack on the helmet, slap on the gloves, toss a GU, cash and ID into my pocket, turn on the Garmin (nothing is worse than realizing you forgot to do that) and hit the road.
Today I road a quick ride on my lunch break and my whole world was turned upside down when:
I forgot a hair tie. Rob said, No worries, use a rubber band. A RUBBER BAND????????? He just doesn't get me sometimes. I could never do that to my hair.
I realized my lack of time to sort laundry came back to bite me in the arse when I put on a bib that seems a little bigger than I remembered. Did I lose weight!?!?! YAY! Oh no wait... they say OTR Racing on them and were clearly Rob's. Riding in mismatched Lycra is a sin and so I started my ride in shame, with my head hung low. I look like that person who has no idea what's going on. That can't be me, IT CAN'T!!!
H&S Bikes and OTR Racing, what a beautiful union.
Despite my ritual being incomplete and me having to do a little improvisation, the ride wasn't all that bad (well except for the side wind that was determined to take me out). I started out a little grumpy, but that might have been due to the fact I broke the stem of the valve off in my pump and I wasn't sure if the tire was going to hold. I decided to risk it. It was lunch time and I knew one of my 70 Wipeout co-workers would pass me on the road and I wouldn't be stranded for long.
Post ride, now I am in a great mood, relieved a little stress and discovered that sometimes you got to take what life hands you, and make due with what you've got. If you're determined, anything is possible, and it's not worth it to sweat the small stuff. So it's time I throw, not the routine out the window (I'm a Virgo. I could never) but the little anxieties that come up when something is not perfect and out of line... I'll learn to do without those.
Post ride, it turned out to be a bright, bright, bright, bright sun shiny day!
It's been quite an eventful week to say the least.
As I sit and type, the boyfriend is currently under the knife, getting a steal rod placed in his right collarbone (to match the titanium in his back of course). Before we know it, he really will be RoboRob. I wonder if the rods come in carbon fiber...
The past 3 days have gone on forever. What a trooper he's been. There is no way I would have had the strength to handle the injury as well as he did. After getting patched up, I drove him to the hospital. All was good until we got into the ER. As soon as the nurse came in to check him, I turned the palest of whites and broke into a sweat I started to faint and so the nurse made Rob get up off the gurney and put him in the visitor chair while she laid me down in the bed with my head below my feet. Rob desperately searched for the phone to take a picture (thankfully he couldn't find it). How dare I steal his thunder!
Sunday, at the 3rd Annual NOW Energy Bar Criterium in Carson, CA, Rob was in the final sprint. He held his position as planned and everything was coming together. He was right where he needed to be to get a Top Ten finish. Of course, a 1st place was most ideal, but at this point we were shooting to bank the one more Top Ten finish that Rob needed to upgrade to Cat 3.
That didn't happen. In that final sprint, Rob got tangled with a junior rider and hit the deck like a sack of bricks. I don't know how everyone else in the pack managed to avoid him, but I am so thankful they did.
In case you missed it, here's the video (fast forward to 1:30).
The past 3 days have been spent in and out of the hospital. It's amazing how quickly your life gets turned upside down and nothing else matters anymore. Getting Rob fixed is all that matters now. With his great spirits it's evident that he will pull through quicker than anyone else who's gone through this and will be back on his bike before we know what hit us (well, maybe not as fast as that guy from the Tour de France, but pretty damn close).
Despite all this, I managed to pick myself up a USA Cycling license. Why not? Seems like the practical thing to do. It was actually more of a "in the heat of the moment" purchase so that I could discuss Rob's situation with the Technical Director at USA Cycling (can you believe they wouldn't talk to me because I wasn't a licensed member - OH NO YOU DIDN'T). But in all fairness, after we weeded through the initial banter, they ended up being pretty helpful. Kudos for restoring my faith USA Cycling.
So what did I learn? Bicycle racing is an EXPENSIVE hobby (doesn't mean I will quit before I start), and USA Cycling has an insurance plan if you get injured during a race. Just be sure to get it reported by the officials otherwise it will be another level of hell added to your life. No bueno.
So now I have a license. I guess that means I better get on my bike and start training so I can catch up to the lovely ladies of H&S Bicycles!
- Keep on pedaling. I'll be out there with you all soon!
