#kitdoping is real

June 30, 2016June 30, 2016 / audreycycling / Leave a comment

Sometimes, you want to put down the team kit and pick up something different. A kit handpicked from your favorite brands, something with outrageous colors and patterns. I did some reading, and it turns out kit doping is real and good for you.

Reason #1: A special kit makes you faster. We all have race day rituals for important events. Pinning up a much loved team kit and other pre-race rituals helps get to the starting line with confidence. Some of us even use the same safety pins over again. For the everyday, sometimes you need a little extra boost. To finish up that last interval, attack the weekly group ride, or clear that tough rock garden. Maybe it’s time to take back your KOM. Not only can having a super sweet, bright colored kit make you feel better and ride more confidently, there’s proof. Color affects your mood and athletic performance. One study showed that Olympic athletes won more often when they wore red. It’s no surprise. New kit day is always a no-chain day.

Reason #2: You join a community of other awesome kit lovers everywhere. This community consists of local bike shops, one-man shows, shops from other countries, everyone! The interweb and instagram (especially this guy) make it possible to find and order kits from all over the world. Branching out to kit retailers builds the cycling community, and you learn about even more sweet kits. Then when you visit the cool places where the kits come from, like AZ or NC, friends and new shops await! And the customer service is always impeccable, from sizing questions to help with shipping and returns. These local businesses all find ways to give back to the community too. Seeking out different, diverse kits supports the people who are coming up with fresh ideas and trying different things, and you get to make new friends in the process.

Reason #3: A bright, obnoxious kit makes it easier for drivers to see cyclists. A rider in a black or dull kit is very hard to see, especially moving in and out of shadows. Something flouro, even just socks or arm skins, may help a car to see you. This also works on the trails. A runner coming toward you won’t be surprised when you jump out of the shadows because they saw your bright orange kit from a few turns back and are ready for you.

Reason #4: Sometimes you want to stand out from the pack. To express individual style and taste. Clothing is “a little ode to creativity and novelty. It gives a hint of personality… It is a reflection of your unique complexity as a human being.” (Psychology Today) It feels good to let a little of the non-cycling personality shine through. Matchy-matchy with your teammates feels good on the line and helps identify each other during the race. But on the other days, I just want to stand out and wear something crazy. -Side note, it’s best to only poach trails when not in a team kit. Though I would never encourage that.

Reason #5: Look gorgeous. All those colors, patterns and designs mean there is one for everybody. Pick the one that best compliments your tan lines, or a perfect fade to match the evening light. Maybe you want to highlight the green tones in your bar tape, or bring out the blue in your eyes. There is a flattering kit out there for everybody, no matter what feature you want to accentuate.

Thanks for reading! Now get out there and find some new kit!

The links here and above are some of my favorite people:

Train Yourself to Suffer

April 25, 2016April 27, 2016 / audreycycling / Leave a comment

“I had made the lift a million times in my head. I felt confident and let my body go to work.”

Cecily Basques-Champion Weightlifter

Even with the best support, equipment and teammates in the world, you still have to suffer to accomplish anything. I raced Wente Vineyards Road Race Sunday and got to suffer with the best ladies in the NorCal peloton. That is, I suffered with them until I gave up.

This isn’t Wente, but getting dropped always looks the same.

Our course was four laps on a 14 mile loop that took us over Altamont pass, up steep pitches and into grueling headwinds. This was my second road race of the year, and I was looking to improve on my last outing at Copperopolis. Which went something like this: Holding Katerina Nash’s wheel over the cobbled pavement to the bottom of the climb on the first lap and them blowing up and proceeding to ride 60 miles solo to finish the race. So I figured that if I could at least hang on for the first lap at Wente I would be showing some progress.

The first time up the Wente climb was pretty mellow. It hurt, but more like a soft hurt. There is a sweet descent on this course, but I was in poor position the entire time. This lead to wasted energy spent catching back on. I would definitely need that energy later. When we got to the climb the second time it really hurt. Like being turned inside out. My body burned, I wanted to throw up, I could barely see. But I managed to stick on over the top. However, this is racing and relief is always short lived. I was still gasping and at the back of the group, when some attacks were launched and the whole group sped up. My treacherous brain said, “I want to give up” and just like that I did. No second chances and no make-ups. My body quit and wouldn’t work for anything.

I know how important it is to train and have well-maintained equipment. But knowing how to suffer, knowing how to turn off that traitorous brain is essential. The best equipment and focused training are no help if you won’t suffer. And this goes for any challenge in life. The brain will always quit before the body does, it’s evolutionary. All those pain signals from the body make the brain think I’m dying and have to quit. But I’m not. This kind of aerobic pain doesn’t mean injury or danger or death, just muscles working hard, doing what they do best.

Post-race exhaustion. If I wasn’t so dead, I would have taken off those silly arm-warmers.

The race continued. The rest of that lap I was able to work with a girl who caught up to me. We took turns in the wind and the third time up the climb, we were in sight of other girls who had fallen off. Making good progress. Then up a steep section I lost concentration and dropped my chain. It immediately wedged itself in there and I had to get off my bike to free it. There went my chance at getting back in the race. The girl I was working with would go on to catch several other women. I completed the last lap solo, in the wind and up the hills. Painful and slow, but I finished what I started.

I chose the quote at the top because it reminds me to visualize success and believe in myself. Suffering and sacrificing over and over means my body knows better than my brain what needs to be done. And knowing the exact moment my brain gave up helps me prevent it in the future. Next time my brain wants to quit, I’ll turn it off and let my body go to work.

Thanks for reading!

People and things that remind me why I suffer:

My Team: Mike’s Bikes. I couldn’t ask for better support from the shops and camaraderie from my teammates. Classy ladies who know how to work together and encourage others.

Equipment: Atom Composites Inc. Stunningly fast wheels that look great and perform better. The highest quality builds and parts. And great people standing behind their work.

Family and Friends: Surrounding myself with people who respect sacrifice and suffer for their own goals. Always setting the bar high for success and following through.

Gratitude=Watts

March 11, 2016March 11, 2016 / audreycycling / 1 Comment

“When the work you put in is realized”

–Tim McGraw

Focusing on gratitude gave me 5 extra watts on the bike this afternoon. At least five. Intervals today were hard, over/under lactate threshold. This basically means spend some time hurting and then hurt more for a little while and then go back to just hurting and then hurt more for a little while and then repeat again several times. After doing that a few times, rest for a bit, but not too long because the next set starts soon.

“It hurts!” Shut up legs…

All day long I keep in my head plans to complete my workout. Negative thoughts, like too tired, too busy, don’t want to, have a way of multiplying, so I kick them out entirely. This mental commitment makes getting on the bike easier when I get home, because I’ve been planning it all day.

Once the interval heats up it hurts, and it’s hard to keep up the same pace. My legs tell me, “It hurts, I tried, I’m too tired” and countless other excuses. They want to give up or slack off, and it becomes a mental battle to get the work done. In these instances, I remind myself to keep adding fuel, like Mia Hamm says, “I am building a fire and everyday I train, I add more fuel.”

And I focus on being thankful. I’m grateful to have the support, resources and health necessary to carve time out of my day to train. So many little details go into making even one ride possible, let alone a steady stream of rides, day after day.

These thoughts give me extra power. They show me to treasure every interval, make sure to get as much out of it as possible. If I don’t, I’ve wasted my time and shouldn’t have gotten on the bike in the first place. Not only have I wasted my own time, but I’ve wasted Scott’s time, when he adjusted my derailleur so my bike runs smoothly. I’ve wasted the money and support from my sponsors, who make products and equipment accessible.

The mechanic and his lovely assistant keep everything dialed.

If I don’t treasure every interval, why get on the bike in the first place? This specific interval at this specific effort is only going to happen once, I only get once chance to make it count, get everything out of it, that last 10 seconds when my legs and lungs are screaming, I have to treasure that. This moment is the opportunity to complete this workout. If I wasn’t going to put all my effort into doing it right, why do it at all, why get on the bike?

So I put all my thoughts into why I’m grateful to doing what I’m doing. I think of all the fuel I’m adding to the fire. And I carry this with me into all aspects of life. Don’t start something I don’t intend to finish, and be grateful for the opportunity to work hard.

Grateful to be riding

Sea Otter 2014

April 20, 2014April 20, 2014 / audreycycling / Leave a comment

These kids know cycling is all about friends. And vuvuzelas.

I had a whole entry ready to go here.

All about my racing, my planning to race, my thoughts while racing and my placings. Nearly finished, just needed to be edited and submitted.

But then I realized that I was missing the point. I thought that I had gone to Sea Otter to race my bike. I was wrong.

I went to cheer for my teammates as they raced around the track in the circuit. I went to enjoy a beer and a waffle during the cyclecross race. I went to cheer for Cody as he threw down against the pros in the MTB short track. I realized that I went to Sea Otter for the community.

One of the reasons I treasure riding my bike is because of the cycling community. Even in Monterey, I had friends to hang out with. They cheered for me and I cheered for them. We drank beers together and watched dual slalom. Most importantly, I got to ride my bike with my best friends. I got to watch as my teammate Cara formed a break and won the road race. I knew my teammates pain struggling to hang on in the circuit, up that brutal hill again and again and again.

I’d gone to Monterey to race my bike and that means spending time with the best people in the world.

Win.

Joanne and Ben watched Dual Slalom with me, met Marianne Vos with me and went to the SRAM ladies lounge with me. Good people.

Even after the organizers screwed his start, Ryan is upbeat and happy. He always has the best attitude. Even when I messed up his name.

How Justin can look clean after racing MTB I have no idea.

After punishing me up the hills, the Thirsty Bear ladies were all smiles.

But if you still want to read about my racing, check the next post down.

Racing Sea Otter 2014

April 20, 2014April 20, 2014 / audreycycling / Leave a comment

‘Cross flyover. Maybe next year…

Last year, I took the opportunity to attend the Sea Otter Classic in Monterrey. For the uninitiated, this is the biggest bike event of the year. I had a good time last year, racing in the circuit and the road race. My results weren’t terrible, and I had such a great time at the expo, that I decided I would go again. I even held onto my numbers, to remind myself that there was to be NO FLAKING. The calender rolled around and I was reg’d and ready to go. I’d had a solid couple of weeks of riding beforehand to get ready. Several of these rides included a lot of rain. Like, the entire trip from Placerville to Town Center in the pouring, drenching rain. I’ve never been so cold in my entire life. I stripped that kit off as fast as possible and was still shivering 20 minutes later, even while sipping hot chai and wearing sweats.

Even when sopping wet, my Pactimo kit was comfortable.

Then the next Thursday, I set out from my sunny house for a nice cruise through Fiddletown. As I gained elevation, the sky started to darken. Soon, it was raining. Then it was hailing. Hail hurts. I was out in the middle of nowhere, no shelter and no cell phone and just trying to get through the hail. Not thinking about anything but putting my head down and pedaling. Finally I got to Fiddletown. I ducked under some eaves to try to pull myself together to get home. Luckily, I had my Smartwool arm warmers, and there is something about wool that just hits the spot. Oh yeah, it’s that it keeps you warm even when even completely soaked from riding in my back pocket. I was able to limp home. In the shower I could see all the red spots on my arms and legs from being pounded by the hail.

After all this weather BS my bike was in sorry shape, but my LBS fixed me right up.
So I was feeling pretty prepared for whatever Sea Otter had to offer. At least it likely wouldn’t hail.
Circuit:
45 brutal minutes on the Laguna Seca track. Up the hill on the back and ripping down the corkscrew on the other side. An absolutely punishing race. Last year I got dropped, had to fight back on, and then ended up completely spun out in the sprint. This year would be different. I talked to Larry before the race and he said the most important thing was not getting stuck behind someone else on the climb and getting dropped that way. My personal performance goal was to pedal on the descent and rip. I’ve been practicing descending this year and have really improved. And that’s basically how the race went down. There were a couple times on the climb where I was in bad position and had to work harder to get around some people, and a two person break got away somehow, but overall a great race. I ended up sprinting for the finish and came in fifth in the field, second in Cat 3 women. Unfortunately, I was tired and sweaty and distracted and so I missed my podium. But now I can keep the number for next year and strive and strive to get on the podium again.
Road Race:
Finish hill. There is an almighty long and brutal finish hill in this race. Last year I blew up, lost contact and got passed. So this year, I was going to save something for the finish hill no matter what. The race started out tame, with some attacks going, but nothing sticking. Then in the 3rd lap, my teammate and a Davis girl started pressuring the climb. I tried to respond, but my legs just didn’t have it. They got away and stayed away for the rest of the race. The rest of us formed a pack and some girls tried to get organized to chase, but I focused on having something left for the finish hill. That was my mantra for the entire race. At the feed zone on the last lap, I saw a woman pouring out her leftover water and followed suit, thinking at least there would be a mental advantage of being lighter. Then we got to the finish hill. After a little jockeying, I planted myself second wheel, behind a tiny little climber, and held on for dear life. The weekend before, at the CR ride, I had an epiphany. I was staring at the wheel in front of me and imagined a little string attaching me to it. No matter what, I could not let that string break. No matter how I felt, I could not let that string break. I bent my mind to the task and it worked. I practiced the same technique. No matter what, I was not losing this wheel. I held on, and with a little less than 200m to go, a woman attacked from the left. I latched on to her and continued on. All of a sudden, we rounded a corner and there was the finish chute. I started to come around her. We were standing and sprinting for all we were worth. I could hear her yelling, NO NO NO and I was yelling the same thing. We got to the line and she was an inch in front of me. We both collapsed on the ground and I tried to make the world come back into focus. It was an amazing finish. I haven’t tried that hard for something in a very long time. After, we got to congratulate each other on a job well done. So I ended up 4th, and proud to be so. My teammate won.

In addition to all the great racing, the expo was awesome. The best part is seeing all my friends from the cycling community, and making new friends. Saturday night is the epic ‘cross race and the heckling and cheering is great. I tried not to drink too much beer, because of the 7am RR start, but it’s hard when most of it is free!
When I got home, I reflected on my performance. I had raced to the best of my current ability and done well. Happy.

Then I got to watch my teammate Natalie’s TED talk about losing. She expertly captured all I love about cycling in 6 short minutes. Everyone needs to watch this. TI had finished well, but there is still room to improve and a whole season left of racing.

And this car was just straight awesome.

Trainer

February 19, 2014April 20, 2014 / audreycycling / Leave a comment

Somehow I have managed to embrace the trainer. As we speak this blog is being updated. That’s one reason to embrace the trainer. Productivity.
And on that happy note, I turn to my favorite subject: bike racing.
Specifically this quaint town. Which, though dying, is a great place to kick it for a bike race. Speaking of dying, there is a very interesting spot nearby.
The cobbled roundabout circling the town square made for interesting riding and spectating. Folks were bbqing, dogs were frolicking and there was plenty of Lycra. A local tavern kept people in beer and food, so the atmosphere was close to a cross race. Without all the antics.
We have interim kits from Fast Freddy, very comfy stuff. Looks great on the podium. (As my teammates modeled this weekend in nearly every ncnca race. Yep. Except Dinuba, there was a VSG woman on the podium for every 1/2/3 field. Amazing. And tons of hard work from other teammates put then there. Feeling very stoked about my team right now.
Anyway. So addicted to the trainer. Don’t have to wear a bunch of gear; don’t have to worry about light and cars. Relaxing. Except for intervals. Which are easy to hit because there are no giant rollers. Hmm speaking of giant rollers; I better ride outside soon to get some practice. I mean the trainer’s nice, but maybe a little too relaxing. Is it still recovery if you’re drinking wine?
Oh and I adopted a cat.

Epic Thursdays #2

December 13, 2013 / audreycycling / Leave a comment

Wow. Last week it was dirt. This week it was snow. What about next week? I mean, where do you go from snow? I guess to observed trials on a road bike. Or not. Ever. But I have come to believe in the madness that is #epicthursdays. Follow @keithhillier on twitter to get the low down on the originator of epic thrusdays. Somehow the stars have aligned and I have found a solid set of people that will throw down in a big way on thursdays. The madness started when we bypassed a road closed sign to traverse a snow covered bridge into placerville. I was feeling pretty good about that. And then we got to a little road called Bayne. Of course this was after a lot of painful climbing. I decided it was better to ride slow and take pictures than actually try and found these guys chillin at the top.

waiting

And then we got to Bayne. This road drops down into Coloma and is a common climb for the more adventurous. At the top we had a warning.

Abandon all hope ye who enter

Then there was snow. And ice. And awesomeness. At one point I ended up in the ditch because I got scared and couldn’t hold my line and started panicking. Panic is always a recipe for disaster. It was a flat section with some car tracks and bigger lumps that had frozen on the side of the lines. I was going a bit to fast, but couldn’t brake because of the ice underneath. I was really panicked. That ground would have hurt going down. I ended up in some deep stuff and kinda went into the ditch to slow down so that I could unclip safely. No harm done. After this, we regrouped and Todd said, raise your hand if you’re not having fun. Just sayin’ my hand didn’t go up and my grin got huge. Awesome.

I eventually got the hang of the conditions and had a great time.

not that hard after all

I have to admit, I was thinking about all the hard core ‘cross racers up in Bend last weekend. While the temperature difference would have been terrible, I almost envied that chance to test my skills on the snow and ice. It was certainly fun on my road bike.

Then we dropped into beautiful Coloma and a neat historical place, the place that started the Gold Rush in California. Funny story about that park…I actually got locked inside the gates one night several years ago. I was visiting with a friend from Sweden and we were exploring until well after dark. We got back to the car and the gate had been padlocked. Yes, I panicked in that situation also. We started to dismantle the slat fence in the hope that my car could fit though. General mess. Luckily the park steward nearby saw the car lights and released us. I was not looking forward to spending the night in there.

Back to the ride…

Then I bonked. Grenaded. Generally exploded. But with the help of the guys, managed Salmon Falls to make it back. Whew. What is going to happen next week?

hmmmmm

Deliberate Practice

November 25, 2013November 26, 2013 / audreycycling / 1 Comment

Last weekend’s team camp put me way out of my comfort zone. Camp began with meeting my twelve new teammates. Though everyone was very welcoming, I already felt out of my element. Some people shine at meeting new people and thrive in that environment. However, I feel shy and withdrawn in when asked to put myself out there. Just being around all those new people got my palms sweaty and my heart racing. This was nothing compared to what was to come on the bike in the next 36 hours.

doorway of Kyoto hostel

We headed over to a local corporate park to practice drills and skills. As a ‘cross racer, I went into this with the expectation that the exercises would be easy, because my handling skills are reasonable and I am used to feeling the bike slide around. I was so wrong. While I can’t divulge our team secrets, it is enough to say that I was challenged. Almost immediately after we started, I began to feel nervous and slightly sick to my stomach. My thumb is still swollen and sore from cross and I thought that was the problem. I didn’t realize until later that I was feeling ill because I was being pushed mentally. There were women riding who were completing the drills with ease and excelling where I had failed. There was the chance that I could fall, which even at a slow speed was very scary after hitting the ground so hard last weekend. The worst part was that skills I thought I was good at I had to accept that I needed to improve. At one point, we were practicing bunny-hopping over rubber chickens, which is hilarious because they squeak when you land on them, and I couldn’t even do that. I was falling apart!

Then we started a drill where three of us were loosely joined together and had to negotiate a course with several turns. I was paired with my long-time bestie and another skilled, experienced cyclist. The first time we went through the course, I took one turn too wide and lost the connection. My teammates encouraged me and gave me some helpful advice and we tried again. This time, my turn was smooth and I stayed next to them the entire time. Success!! At this point I started to realize that I was benefiting and improving from being pushed. I remembered the concept of deliberate practice put forth by Geoff Colvin in his book Talent is Overrated. (read my take on it at the link on the bottom)

I had been engaging in deliberate practice! It wasn’t fun and it was very taxing. I was mentally exhausted for the rest of the day, and we had another ride scheduled in the afternoon. Loosing the connection to my teammates was the immediate feedback so important to improving. Have the ladies gently correct and assist me were the teachers passing on knowledge and observing me in ways I can’t see myself. It hurt, but it was good for me.

The rest of the weekend continued to push me out of my zone. Which is another way of saying that I was learning. For the entire weekend, I was in my cycling zone of proximal development. Vygotsky, a familiar name in the education field, proposes that learning occurs in this zone, when attempting tasks that can only be accompanied with the help of an experienced teacher. This weekend showed me that I have plenty of room to grow and the support to get there. Thanks everyone.

Why falling on your butt makes you better (outsidecycling.wordpress.com)

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