Happy Belated Birthday to Me!

For the past year Sonja and I have been sharing a Powertap wheel.  It really was not that big of a hassle because it was the wireless version so we just ordered a few extra mounts and were good to go.  That is unless we both wanted to use it on the same day.  Or the same ride.  Or I was in a hurry to get to work and didn't take the time to transfer the wheel from her bike to mine.    We rarely butted heads over the wheel until the ever so uncoachable Sonja hired Bill Gros to be her coach.  (I'm sorry, Bill.)  Now he was asking her to do specific power workouts and such and interfering with my wheel use.  There was only one solution.

I looked at SRM's (just too expensive), Quarks (do not come in a compact version, yet), and all sorts of Powertap wheels and decided on the above:  Williams Cycling 38 full carbon clinchers.  I wanted a wheel that could withstand training, yet be good enough to race if I wanted.  I've got a set of Williams 50 full carbon clinchers (they don't make this particular wheel anymore) and love them (even won the MABRA Cat 3 TT championship on them) so going with another Williams wheel was a no-brainer for me.  I've used my 50's in everything from road races, crits, wet weather, training rides, and TT's and they rock.  (The only other wheels that I've had this much luck with are my Rolf Vigors.)  Besides Rachel Lloyd, my favorite bike racer, uses them and I would just love some of her fast.

I took the money that I demanded from Sonja as a buy-out on our shared wheel, pooled together my birthday and Christmas money, and ordered the wheels on January 6th.  I was aware that they needed about a week lead time to build them, but as the weeks wore on, I started to get antsy.  Today I called the number listed on Williams Cycling to inquire about the status of my wheels.  I got a voicemail and decided not to leave a message, but to email instead.  About 10 minutes later I received a phone call asking for "someone that just called Williams Cycling."  Turns out none other than Keith Williams was returning my call.  Talk about customer service!  He informed me that Saris was having trouble keeping up with demand on the new hubs (as I suspected anyway) and that he would inform me the minute he got my hub and could start building my wheels.  We went on to chat about various wheels, etc.  What a great guy.  Anyway, I later received an email that he had just received my hub, so my wheels should be here soon.  I can hardly wait.

But seriously folks.  If you are looking to buy new wheels, check out Williams Cycling.  Awesome product combined with some of the best customer service around... you can't beat that.

West Virginia Day 8

Not much to say. After 6 days of riding out here, I'm pretty beat. I managed to ride 2 hours today and took Jen and Bill on a preview of the Lost River Classic race course. After that, I pointed them in the direction of Middle Cove Road and headed back up to the Barn by myself.

3 tired pups!

Maya, Rena, and Azucar posing for the camera after our morning hike.

When Jen returned to the Barn after her 4+ hour ride she saw Azu with what she thought was a weird looking stick.

Azu and her stick.

That was no stick!

Thanks again to Badger, Jen, and Bill for keeping us company in WV over the past week, and thanks for all your cooking. Now back to the daily grind in DC but with fond memories of my Lost River Barn vacation.

West Virginia Day 7

The departure of the Badger Friday evening left us sad. At least she left us with some yummy banana bread. We were asked to save some for our new guests set to arrive Saturday morning, but needless to say, that bread never saw daylight.

Badger's gluten-free banana nut bread.

Saturday morning Jen Ras and Bill arrived, along with a cold front. Jen and Bill prepared breakfast and we settled upon a route that included Old 55 and the climb up the "back side" of the Barn. Sidenote here: Bill was amazed at the amount of pancakes we ate. I guess 5 straight days of riding in WV builds up one's appetite.

We bundled-up and set off on our ride which we expected to take around 3:30 hours. It was bitter cold and snowing but we trudged onward. At one point I had so many snowflakes on my glasses I could barely see.

Bill descending Howard's Lick.

Jen descending Howard's Lick just a few minutes later.

Down in the valley I did my best to hold onto Jen's wheel. That girl is a beast and was pulling me at speeds I've never seen before. I was just thankful to be out of the wind as I was slowly losing feeling in my fingers and toes.

During a respite in the pace I noted to Jen that it looked like we were headed towards sunlight. The forever optimist in me, as Jen pointed out, turned out to be correct. The rest of the ride was under sunny skies, and even though still a tad too chilly for me, good company always makes a cold ride seem not so bad. The only hiccup of the day was a flat tire suffered by Bill.

Flat tire repair. We are looking at a dog and trying to decide whether or not he was going to come after us. He did not.

The last part of the ride included the climb up the back side of Howard's Lick. I don't have fond memories of this climb, but big thanks go to Jen who pretty much paced me up the entire way.

Afterwards, Jen and Bill prepared dinner, there was some beer/wine involved, and we sat in the comfort of the Barn comparing notes about the day's ride and as the Goat likes to say, chillaxed.

West Virginia Day 6

The day started with another round of Badger's awesome pancakes and discussion of the day's ride.  The Goat announced that she was done.  Seems that Badger and I wore her out the past 2 days and she was going to take the day off.  Or maybe it was the peanut-butter salmonella that I saw Zim sneaking into the Goat's pancakes.

The morning's feast.

Zim and I set out in arm-warmers and knee-warmers, and even then were overdressed.  The day was beautiful!  We scooted down the mountain from the Barn and did a lap of the proposed race course for the West Virginia Classic.

The only thing I can say about the course is bring your climbing legs.  This will definitely be one for the climbers.  But don't think all you skinny climbers can get by on your climbing legs alone.  You will also need to be a fearless descender.  I would download my Garmin data to show elevation gained/lost, but I don't know how to do that.

Zim and I stopped a few times along the route to say hi to some dogs and take a few snapshots.

The sign on the door says "Neighborhood Witch."  Zim was taking photos left and right.  I just wanted to get out of there.

And finally, the long climb back up to the Barn.

The last stretch before exiting the park and the real pain begins.

West Virginia Day 5

There's nothing much to say.  Badger, Goat and I took it easy today... just a cruise down the mountain and back up.  The day was one for the dogs.  And cookies.  Badger makes some damn good gluten-free chocolate walnut cookies.

Even Azucar loves my Specialized shoes.

I had to crop the Goat out of this picture.  She threatened me if I didn't.

West Virginia Day 4

I was too lazy to blog today.  Thankfully the Badger has me covered over here.

A Badger and a Chicken enter a bar...  Notice the smart choice of snack cracker that I made.  No peanut butter salmonella for me.

Maya begging for some of my gluten-free banana walnut pancakes.

West Virginia Day 3

It was too cold today to take pictures.  The thermostat read 12 degrees when we left for our ride so we decided to drive down to the State Park and ride from there.  No need freezing to death on the descent from the Barn down to the valley.  We did a nice 2:30 hour loop which was plenty enough time for our water bottles to freeze.

Sonja and I in the warmth of the car after our ride.

The highlight of the day was the arrival of Zim.  Thoughts of her kettle corn kept us going even though it was so cold.

What Sonja and I brought to the Barn.

What Zim brought.  Where are the melons?

Oh, there they are.

Zim did cook up a fantastic dinner of chicken, sauteed mushrooms, and corn casserole.  We are now ready for our ride tomorrow.

West Virginia Day 2

Sonja pretty much summed up our ride over here.

Before we hit the snow covered roads we took the dogs for a short hike.

Azucar is extremely athletic...

... and crazy for the fetch.  (However, Maya seems to be the Alpha of the bunch.)

For our ride we did a loop that consisted of going from the Barn out Shenandoah Mountain Road to Branch Mountain Road, down to Bergton, then back up to the Barn via Crab Run, Jenkins Hollow, and Howard's Lick.  

This snow plow driver was the only other person we saw on the road until we hit Bergton.

Most of the roads up high were covered in snow.  I was glad to be on my cross bike and the Challenge Fango clinchers worked surprisingly well in these conditions.

Sonja won this state line sprint.

Tomorrow we hope to ride Old 55 on the road bikes.  We'll see how this snow clears up overnight.

West Virginia Day 1

No ride today because we got here too late.  We did take the dogs for a hike.  This is what we found when we returned to the Barn.

It's like Sasquatch.  You know he's out there, but actual sightings are rare.  At best you find footprints in the snow.

Or maybe it's just payback?

Haiku by Zim

Many have asked how

Chicken crosses the road?  Fast.

On her Specialized!

Thanks to Robin for this edition of Wednesday Haiku.

Weekend Update

CycleLife powered by Specialized.

For once my weekend did not involve dogs and I was kind of upset about that. The weather was not looking all that great for Saturday so the CycleLife gals decided to move our previously scheduled clinic from Saturday to Sunday. That left Saturday open for our "photo shoot." I use that term very loosely. Look for updates on our website soon.

After the photo shoot, Sonja Retuled some bikes. She is going to fit all of us to our new bikes....

Sonja loves her Zin. I'm afraid she might try to Zin me.

... which are just waiting to be built!

Our new Specialized frames awaiting some love from the CycleLife mechanics.

Saturday evening we attended Ken Bob's and Jean Bean's cross party. Thanks Ken and Jean. We had a blast.

Backtracking a bit to Friday, Sonja and I played "Bike Path Warrior" and rode up to Mount Vernon on the bike path. We love being Pathletes.

We checked out Fort Hunt on our way to Mount Vernon.

The Mount Vernon bike path is one of our favorites. Lots of scenery along the way. We once spotted some bald eagles as well. However, we were disappointed this time because the cafe at Mount Vernon was closed for renovations and we were not able to warm up with some much needed hot chocolate.

View of the Potomac from the bike path.

Round 2 of the CycleLife coached clinic sessions was Sunday. We worked on pacelines and race tactics. For a few pics check out the Team CycleLife blog. Afterwards we all sat around Mike's place and made fun of Wendy. How could we resist?

Wendy aka Plain Jane accountant.

I was trying to upload some video of Coach Mike demonstrating pace lines using his son's building blocks, but my internet connection seems to be a bit slow (or maybe it's just me that's slow), and now I've finished the bottle of wine (I had help!) and am going to bed. Consider yourselves spared.

Thanks Mimi and Lisa

That was a fantastic dinner.  Caramelized apples with duck.  Yum!

2008 in a Nutshell

2008 is officially in the books, has been for almost a week now, and I can safely say it was a year like no other. The way January 2008 started out with Mom getting sick and missing vacay out in Breckenridge, I was digging in my heels and preparing for the worst, but by the time December rolled around, I have to say, I had a good year.

On the family front, everyone is healthy and happy. I did not get home to Alabama near as often as I would have liked, but I did get to spend a week with my father riding across the great state of Iowa. It was an experience I will cherish always. Sad to say, I only made it home to Alabama twice. So here is resolution #1: spend more time with family this year.

On the work front, things went well. I have the most boring job in the universe but suffice it to say, I have a good job, with good co-workers, at a location that allows me to ride my bike to work every day and even provides indoor secure bike storage and shower and locker room facilities. What more could I ask for? Resolution #2: have a better attitude and motivation for work. It's hard to get excited about crunching numbers day in and day out, but it was my choice to become an accountant (a government economic accountant at that) so suck it up Nancy and try to set a good example.

On the running front.... ha! I think I ran a total of 30 miles this year. I had to bow out of the Myrtle Beach marathon that I was scheduled to run way back in February due to injury and never seemed to get in the rhythm again. I had a few more injuries that kept me from running later in the year. Would I like to run another marathon? Absolutely, but I don't see one in the near future. However, resolution #3: run more. Hmmm, maybe I can run the Nation's 1/2 marathon in March. I'll have to see what Coach has to say about it.

And now to the meat of the post, cycling. I can be a bit more specific here since I actually had goals for 2008. In a nutshell, I had my eye on the following:

1. Poolesville Road Race

2. MABRA Time Trial Championship

3. Win a MAC race.

4. Top 3 in the MAC series.

5. Top 10 at a USGP (Mercer Cup)

6. Cross Nationals

Along with these very specific goals I wanted to basically "not embarrass myself" in the women's category 1/2/3 road races and try some of the larger stage races. I spent a lot of time as a cat 4 getting dropped and being forced to upgrade with all of 6 points to my credit and only having won one race by virtue of being the first cat 4 across the line even though I was 5th overall.

So how did the season pan out?

• I hit a pothole 15 minutes into the Poolesville race and had to abandon because my shift lever snapped off the handlebars.
  
• I won the MABRA time trial championship.
  
• I won a MAC race (4 of them!)
  
• I won the MAC series.
  
• I did not attend Mercer Cup or Nationals due to a fall-out with my team at the time.

Overall, I have to say that's pretty good. I did manage to survive most of the 1/2/3 races and would like to think that I even helped my team to some good finishes on the road. I also managed to make 1 major stage race (Fitchburg) and two local ones (Washington County and Millersburg). Performances at all three were mediocre. The TT championship just happened. I had not trained for it but had just gotten back from RAGBRAI and had some good miles in my legs. Honestly, the way my season had been going until then it really came out of nowhere. And winning the MAC championship, it was truly unexpected and I think I am still in shock over it.

My 2008 season ended on a great note... I won my last race at Capitol Cross. It was somewhat bittersweet and a summary of my entire cross season. My motivation to actually race had been waning because according to the new rules of the MAC and being allowed to drop races, I had already sealed the MAC championship. But then I spoke with a friend of mine and he told me I should not race if I was not out for the win. His words to me exactly: "You need to beat that field like it owes you money." Besides, I wanted to do well for my new team. At the mid-point of the race I had established a pretty good lead when I started thinking about the entire cross season and the tremendous ups and downs I had faced. I typically tune out everything when I race but now my concentration was being interrupted by thoughts and words, like a flashback of everything I had experienced in every race with C3. That's when the "money" comment came to mind and I regained my composure and stomped on the pedals again. Knowing you are about to win a race is an incredible feeling so coming up to the finish line I was thinking to myself, "Take that C3" but then out of nowhere I thought of Buttercup, my former teammate on C3 and how much she has meant to me. Thru everything that happened with C3, Buttercup was by my side, offering support (she even offered to go to Nationals and pit for me!) and motivation. I burst into tears and was crying as I crossed the finish line. No victory salute, just tears of joy, tears of sadness, and even tears of relief if such a thing exists. I then went to hide in my car until I was able to regain my composure.

And as for the team thing since so many of you have asked, I've been told never to speak of why I left. Kind of funny considering but I will just say this.

I will not be on a team that plays favorites. I will not be on a team that conducts back-door meetings to try and kick people off the team. If you have a problem with someone on the team, bring it up with them, or better yet at a team meeting at which they are present. Not saying these things happened on C3, I'm just saying that I will not be on a team that conducts itself in such a manner. I won't even go into the rest of my spiel. CycleLife has already proven that they certainly don't play games. If someone on the team has a problem it's all over the listserv. It's actually quite refreshing.

I will close with some pretty random photos from 2008. Here's looking forward to 2009.

Off camber downhill at the Reston MAC race, the last race of 2008 for me.

Podium shot from the Reston MAC race. This win was dedicated to Buttercup (aka Lorraine).

Amanda provided laughs at the Fitchburg stage race. She's a good traveling buddy and roomie, even though she lost my sock. How's that dollar bill patch job holding up?

2008, the year of the dog. Sonja and I dog sit for fun and would like to get one of our own,but we don't like vet bills. Besides, we pretty much had a dog every month in 2008.

Off season cross training at my local gym. I will make it thru this cave, just need to perfect this heel hook move first.

West Virginia riding. Not enough of it in 2008 and my climbing suffered. Or maybe it was that extra 10 pounds of lard I'm carrying around.

BP aka Beagle Pup aka Puppers.

Driver and Gary.

Crash victim. I fell in WV and hurt my hip forcing me to pull out of the Giro di Coppi.

WV back-country exploring on the cross bikes.

The White Dog.

Dad at RAGBRAI.

Gabby and I ready to go hiking.

Sandra Baby and I at some vineyard in Napa.