Catchin' My Breath

I have been so busy with non-cycling "things" that blogging was moved to the bottom of the list. Between trips to the doctor (for all of us), negotiating selling my interest in the clinic, helping my avid little reader, Carly, explore the world of books, and income tax preparation, I have had little free time. And when that did occur, I used it up as extra "sleep" time.

We have all been sick this month: Charlie--the flu, Carly--cold and ear infection, and me--mono! Yep, seemed I picked up that nice little virus sometime between La Ruta and Christmas. We all all on the mend now, doing much better. And man, our house is so CLEAN, you could eat off the floor, carpet, couch, door knobs, phone, etc. Lysol's profits are definitely UP!

I am trying to go from business owner to associate. I've come to realize that I would rather play now, while I am young and healthy, then, if I need to, I can always work when I am old and decrepit. There are no do-overs in life and I am not about to let it pass on by. So by selling out (with the option of buying back in later) I will have much more time for my family and cycling.

Carly has picked up reading in the past month. It was like a light switch went on in her head. She is loving it and now she is reading me bedtime stories. So I am spending much more time fostering this newly found interest of hers. I am secretly hoping she can learn how to ride a bike this quickly.

Taxes, ughh! They are so complicated for us now, that we have to hire an accountant to do it for us. Who has the fair tax on their platform? I may vote for them.

With all that has been going on, I did manage to slip away for 5 days ... down to Florida. I got in 24 hours of training and it was all good. Rode 5 different trail systems around Ocala and Tampa. The Floridians know how to make due with what little topography they have. got to hand it to them ... sweet trails.

The final Snake Creek Gap race is this weekend(think I'm ready), and then in 11 days it is on! with Danielle and Namrita. Looking forward to riding with some fast chicks!

Wandering and Wondering

With a beautifully warm and sunny day, Zeke and I headed out for a 5 hour training ride in the Coker Creek area of the Cherokee National Forest. We did most of our usual loop, but then decided to ride some new trails and fireroads. It is fun to ride new places as you are always wondering what might be around the corner. On one trail we came across an old CCC camp. Not much left except what appeared to be a cistern and perhaps the remnants of a still. I am sure the still came long after the CCC camp.

The trail forked and we decided to go right. (Note to self: don't ride ungroomed trails after a windstorm.) Immediately we came to a barracade of downed trees. Zeke took the low road and I the high. After several minutes of fighting branches and doing a butt-slide down the embankment, we made it through. Back on our bikes, we were able to ride about 30 meters before we were off again. Hop over the fallen trees this time, then back on the bikes. We repeated this multiple times on our ride, and I was beginning to feel like a cyclocross racer! On the sections of trail we could ride, it was tight, twisty, and technical; way fun!

Soon, however, we were beginning to wander as we had no idea where we were. Time was getting by us. When I ride, there is always a point in time where I need to begin heading back to the truck so that I can make it in time to pick up Carly from after-school care. Not knowing exactly where we were, I began to worry. After only a few minutes or worrying, I looked up and saw a forest service road. Once we were back on the road, we regained our bearings and started riding back to our trucks. Heck! We made it back with just enough time for me to climb the 5 mile gravel road up to Buck Bald again!

Wicked Fast

Today I took Stumpy out for its first ride. I was a little worried about how she and I would mesh, but my fears were unfounded. I changed the steering up a bit by replacing the riser bar with a flat one and dropping the stem, aiming to make her a bit more like my Epic. I also put on Ergon GE1 grips. That was the trick. She climbed like a mountain goat and descended like a peregrine falcon. She felt more solid and stable on the descents, not twitchy like my Epic. I just pointed the wheel where I wanted to go and held on. I swore I used less brake.

Hmmm. What do I race now?

A Long Day

The Snake Creek 6 Gap Mountain TT has come and gone and I am pooped. It was definitely a good day for me, even though the trail conditions were muddy. But that is to be expected for a February race. I was definitely feeling much better than last month. Although the conditions were not ideal, I managed to finish with a slightly better time. I was rollin' the first 23 miles, but the last technical section, I felt like a pinball. I was all over the place, either bumping off the rocks or sliding down them. I don't know if it was my tire choice or exhaustion; maybe a little of both. I chose to ride the LK Fast Tracks due to their light weight. Last month I was on Captains, which are rock crawlers! I will have some decisions to make next month, the last race of the series, as I attempt to improve my position.

Here is a breakdown of my day:

Driving: 3:00
Race Prep: 1:00
Shuttle to Start: :45
Racing: 3:52
Post-Race Change, Eat, and Greet: 1:15
Trip to Carter's to buy Jeans for my Long-Legged Daughter: :45
Bike/Gear Clean-up: 2:00
Shower: :30
2nd Meal: :30
Blog: :10

Total time: 13:47

Is racing worth it? You Betcha!

It is now 8pm and I am all alone: no husband or child (they are at the in-laws).

Whoo-Hoo! A night of peace and quiet.

I'm Official

After 7 years of racing on Specialized bikes, I am officially racing for them in '08. Many thanks to Bruce Blevins of The Outdoor Store and Matt Shanly, the regional rep, for making this happen. I will still be racing "Pinky" and my carbon epic, but will be adding a Stumpy to my arsenal. Hopefully, with a lot of hard work and a little luck, I will improve upon my '07 performances.

In other news, Ergon, who sponsored me in '07, will continue through '08. I am eagerly awaiting a goody bag from Jeff.

Sweat Threshold

I do believe today was the coldest day of riding for me. I was not sure how long I could go before my toes and fingers lost all feeling. But I finally got it right when dressing for the occasion of 20 degrees. Now to put what I wore in writing so as not to forget for future reference: 5 layers up top, Gavia cycling tights, beanie, neck gaitor, booties, hand and toe warmers. And I also put my Camelbak under my jacket (learned that one the hard way).

Zeke and I rode the singletrack at Chilhowee, figuring we would have more shelter from the wind as opposed to riding fireroads. We ended up getting in a little over 3 hours; it was truly a gorgeous day. Sunshine and blue skies always seems to make it a little warmer than what the thermometer reads. At least with the freezing temps, we had it all to ourselves. I kept my heartrate up enough to stay warm, but low enough not to sweat. That was the trick for me.

We did have a few creek crossings. This caused a small problem for my bike. My lower derailleur pulley froze after I stopped for a pee break. Hmmm! How do I fix that? Zeke comes up behind me and immediately gets down on all fours and starts blowing on it! Not quite enough hot air (although sometimes I think he has enough to power a balloon!) so I get down on the other side of the wheel and start blowing too. That is the closest to a man's lips, other than my husband's, that I have been to in 18 years! Thank goodness for the spokes between us. And thank God no one else came along and saw us. What a sight that would have been! Here we are, on all fours, on either side of the wheel, huffing and puffing, trying not to get spittle on each other, unthawing a pulley. I never laughed so hard! Well, it did work, and we finished up the ride in good spirits.

As Good As It Gets

The first running of the Snake Creek Gap 6 Mountain Time Trial happened this past Saturday. With the weather sunny and in the high 40's/low 50's, a dry trail, and the NWGA Sorba crew working hard, this race could not have gotten any better. Hats off to a wonderful event! If you have February 2 or March 1 free, you need to check this one out!

The biggest excitement occurred not on the course but en route to the start. This is a point-to-point race and the racers ride a school bus to the start. As the bus was coming off the mountain on a two lane, there was a little Subaru just ahead of us that was going WAY TOO SLOW! It forced the driver to use her brakes more than necessary and as a result, the bus lost air pressure. A buzzer went off and then there were no brakes! Thankfully we had a good driver and there was no oncoming traffic. She had to pass this idiot on a blind curve to keep from running the Subaru over. Talk about getting your heartrate up!

I started off feeling sluggish but it was a bit chilly and I did not have an adequate warm-up. My bike also felt a bit funny in the rear and there was this knocking noise when I would hit some rough terrain. I hit the first section of singletrack after a 2 mile fireroad climb and began to feel better. That was short-lived as I was passed by Kristy like I was standing still. She was superstrong. Man, I wish I could ride like that, so early in the season!

The downhills were fast and sweet! I am really beginnning to love the descents. La Ruta definitely helped my confidence and prowess going downhill. My Specialized Captain tires were also hooking up great. Although a bit heavier than the Fast Tracks, they seem to grab better.

I rolled into the midway point and swapped out Camelbaks. My time for the first half was slower than usual, but at least I was feeling better. I set off determined to have a better second half.

I managed to settle into a rhythm and was feeling good. I began passing more people, a lot of those which had passed me in the first half. My climbing legs had finally arrived! However, my bike was "knocking" horribly and beating me to death on the descents. Since it was still rolling in a forward direction, I did not want to get off to check it out.

Arriving at the top of the last major climb, I began to smile. Only 8 miles left and my favorite part: the technical rocky ridges of Hurricane and Dug Mountains. Except for the middle 1/3 of "The Wall" (a steep loamy, rocky, and rooty 150 yard climb) which I walked, I cleaned everything. O.K., I had two toe dabs and one tree grab. But this is the best I have done, especially during the race and when I am in oxygen debt.

During the hike-a-biking of "The Wall," I did stop and look at the rear of my bike. A LOT of oil was running down the shock. I now know what it feels like to ride on a blown shock; probably similar to a mechanical bull.

The last two miles of the race is a curvy paved downhill which is a nice reward to a hard day's ride. I ended up finishing in 3rd place in the money class, only a few minutes down. With proper training and a little good luck perhaps February and March will be even better!