and i miss everyone...i miss my bike...i miss riding.
pedals are back on my bike though! laundry from tahoe is finally all done. yes i know that it is terrible that it took a month...so no excuses. starting post heatwave, back on the bike for my own personal sanity. and a road id bracelet or anklet for me so when riding alone versus team, no worries about emergency contact information.
yep. miss everyone the most though. facebook just isn't quite the same.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
the final countdown
so, it was amazing....
this whole experience was amazing...
my apologies for not getting this out sooner. i fear i am going to have trouble putting all of this in prose form so we are going for a list today. i apologize in advance for any insider material...
1. my team as ever is a family of people whom i will never forget and for whom i will be forever grateful.
2. 100 miles is far.
3. lake tahoe is gorgeous
4. lake tahoe is hilly
5. i can not thank the people who donated to my ride often enough or with enough gratitude to truly show how thankful i am for them.
6. people's generosity continuously astounds and surprises me in mostly good ways
7. cathy is a trooper
8. karen is my new hero
9. there was no way i was getting out of that ride without a flat tire.
10. i love my bike
11. training paid off
12. energizer bunnies are the best helmet decorations a girl could ask for.
13. cycling to cure cancer feels good.
i may have to add more later, but right now, that is what truly matters.
Lake Tahoe 2010
Biked It.
Liked It.
this whole experience was amazing...
my apologies for not getting this out sooner. i fear i am going to have trouble putting all of this in prose form so we are going for a list today. i apologize in advance for any insider material...
1. my team as ever is a family of people whom i will never forget and for whom i will be forever grateful.
2. 100 miles is far.
3. lake tahoe is gorgeous
4. lake tahoe is hilly
5. i can not thank the people who donated to my ride often enough or with enough gratitude to truly show how thankful i am for them.
6. people's generosity continuously astounds and surprises me in mostly good ways
7. cathy is a trooper
8. karen is my new hero
9. there was no way i was getting out of that ride without a flat tire.
10. i love my bike
11. training paid off
12. energizer bunnies are the best helmet decorations a girl could ask for.
13. cycling to cure cancer feels good.
i may have to add more later, but right now, that is what truly matters.
Lake Tahoe 2010
Biked It.
Liked It.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
itchy itchy derailleur hanger
flesh wounds are itchy!! oh my. the antibiotics have definitely made huge improvements on the healing front. what a difference a few days make. the deep part of the wounds still has a disgustingly colored greenish yellow moistish scab on it. i know, very pretty. and the bruise around it is spreading and dissipating. yummy.
the bike is out of the shop! my derailleur hanger bent in the crash and broke when they tried to bend it back, as it should have. and here's a fun story about how it got fixed.
but first...life lesson number one here, have many resources for bike repairs...when i first started this journey, my coaches very clearly said ensure you have a relationship with your local shop, your bike will be in there a lot. at first i was skeptical, why would it be in there a lot, it's brand new. naiveté i tell you. here is the lesson, i absolutely have a relationship with my shop however, for some reason they are not open on tuesdays and they can't always fit me in, so i have developed multiple shop relationships. what absolutely kills me is the people that service my time frame and time constraints the best is REI. There is a huge part of me that recoils when i choose a major retailer over local business, but when you have to ride a metric on sunday and the shop wants to give your bike to you on monday, it just doesn't quite work. so back to fun story about this weeks repair...
bloomfield bike couldn't take my bike, so i called REI, they could have it done by friday. sweet. brought it in. they called me thursday morning and said hey, your derailleur hanger is bent, we can try and bend it back; it will probably break. and here is the catch...if it breaks we can not order you the part. crap...since REI is not an authorized trek dealer, no trek parts. so i called my bike shop who couldn't take my bike. they have the part, they think. they ask me to bring the broken one. ok. so after work i went to REI grabbed the broken part, went to bloomfield bike, got the new part (their last one!), and then dropped it back to REI. fun times...
here is what was interesting. when i got the bloomfield bike i actually dealt with the owner. same guy who sold me all three of the bikes we have purchased there. i told him why i hadn't brought my bike in. he asked if i has explained i had a metric, etc. i said yes of course. and instead of apologizing he told me i should have asked for a manager. in my personal customer service opinion, i don't think you should ever have to ask for a manager to ensure you are being taken care of correctly. it was kind of off putting. so instead i told the team at REI that i truly appreciated them putting my repair on the important list and not only did they thank me, but it was incredibly reasonable for them to fix it. $15 new part installed, they cleaned my chain and adjusted my shifter cables. not too shabby.
the bike is out of the shop! my derailleur hanger bent in the crash and broke when they tried to bend it back, as it should have. and here's a fun story about how it got fixed.
but first...life lesson number one here, have many resources for bike repairs...when i first started this journey, my coaches very clearly said ensure you have a relationship with your local shop, your bike will be in there a lot. at first i was skeptical, why would it be in there a lot, it's brand new. naiveté i tell you. here is the lesson, i absolutely have a relationship with my shop however, for some reason they are not open on tuesdays and they can't always fit me in, so i have developed multiple shop relationships. what absolutely kills me is the people that service my time frame and time constraints the best is REI. There is a huge part of me that recoils when i choose a major retailer over local business, but when you have to ride a metric on sunday and the shop wants to give your bike to you on monday, it just doesn't quite work. so back to fun story about this weeks repair...
bloomfield bike couldn't take my bike, so i called REI, they could have it done by friday. sweet. brought it in. they called me thursday morning and said hey, your derailleur hanger is bent, we can try and bend it back; it will probably break. and here is the catch...if it breaks we can not order you the part. crap...since REI is not an authorized trek dealer, no trek parts. so i called my bike shop who couldn't take my bike. they have the part, they think. they ask me to bring the broken one. ok. so after work i went to REI grabbed the broken part, went to bloomfield bike, got the new part (their last one!), and then dropped it back to REI. fun times...
here is what was interesting. when i got the bloomfield bike i actually dealt with the owner. same guy who sold me all three of the bikes we have purchased there. i told him why i hadn't brought my bike in. he asked if i has explained i had a metric, etc. i said yes of course. and instead of apologizing he told me i should have asked for a manager. in my personal customer service opinion, i don't think you should ever have to ask for a manager to ensure you are being taken care of correctly. it was kind of off putting. so instead i told the team at REI that i truly appreciated them putting my repair on the important list and not only did they thank me, but it was incredibly reasonable for them to fix it. $15 new part installed, they cleaned my chain and adjusted my shifter cables. not too shabby.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
80 mile lessons
yesterday was our 80 mile ride...
we started strong, made it to 2 rest stops. mile 47ish and then one thing you never want to happen happens. not flat tires. accidents. jen and i collided. it was terrible.
i keep playing the whole thing over in my head thinking; could i have done anything different, said anything different, maybe yes, but would it have prevented it, i truly don't think so. it happened so quickly and next thing i knew i was flying off my bike, landing on my forearm, then shoulder, then hip, and finally smacking my head on the pavement. thank you helmet, you saved me big time.
i looked over to see where jen was and all i could see is her laying face down about 20-30 feet from me, face down legs tangled in her bike. i called out her name, no answer. i saw coach evelyn run to her and all i could think was please be alive please be alive and then i saw her foot move.
the rest was a whirlwind, emts, ambulance, fire truck, state troopers, locals. jen was taken to the hospital on a back board...leaving a pool of blood on the pavement from a head wound. it was all that was left of such a crazy scene and heart breaking agony.
our 80 miles turned in to 47ish. we were all very shook up and i don't think any one of us looked at our bikes that had been thrown on the ground in reckless haste and thought, yep let's get back on and finish it out. we had spent the second stop "kibitzing". it took 7 miles to change the entire day.
major and minor lessons from today:
1. there are still many many people in this world who have incredible concern for their fellow man. thank you to all who stopped and helped and offered their services. especially to the nurse who stabilized jen's head until the emts arrived.
2. this team is unlike any other i have ever been on. it is not a team, it is much more of a family.
3. carry your emergency contact information with you at all times. when people need to find it, it is very helpful to have it on you.
4. routes should never contain poorly signed left hand turns on a downhill.
5. lightweight sport fabrics do not provide adequate coverage from road rash, bike shorts however, provide exceptional protection.
6. sometimes it's the little things that get you, like when the emt cut off jen's red jacket and her TNT jersey from tahoe last year. those things represent so much of that person; when you see them removed it almost feels like they are taking off a piece of them, not a piece of clothing.
7. always wear your helmet, it will one day save your life. until i joined this team i had never been a 100% helmeter. i will never ever ride without one again.
we started strong, made it to 2 rest stops. mile 47ish and then one thing you never want to happen happens. not flat tires. accidents. jen and i collided. it was terrible.
i keep playing the whole thing over in my head thinking; could i have done anything different, said anything different, maybe yes, but would it have prevented it, i truly don't think so. it happened so quickly and next thing i knew i was flying off my bike, landing on my forearm, then shoulder, then hip, and finally smacking my head on the pavement. thank you helmet, you saved me big time.
i looked over to see where jen was and all i could see is her laying face down about 20-30 feet from me, face down legs tangled in her bike. i called out her name, no answer. i saw coach evelyn run to her and all i could think was please be alive please be alive and then i saw her foot move.
the rest was a whirlwind, emts, ambulance, fire truck, state troopers, locals. jen was taken to the hospital on a back board...leaving a pool of blood on the pavement from a head wound. it was all that was left of such a crazy scene and heart breaking agony.
our 80 miles turned in to 47ish. we were all very shook up and i don't think any one of us looked at our bikes that had been thrown on the ground in reckless haste and thought, yep let's get back on and finish it out. we had spent the second stop "kibitzing". it took 7 miles to change the entire day.
major and minor lessons from today:
1. there are still many many people in this world who have incredible concern for their fellow man. thank you to all who stopped and helped and offered their services. especially to the nurse who stabilized jen's head until the emts arrived.
2. this team is unlike any other i have ever been on. it is not a team, it is much more of a family.
3. carry your emergency contact information with you at all times. when people need to find it, it is very helpful to have it on you.
4. routes should never contain poorly signed left hand turns on a downhill.
5. lightweight sport fabrics do not provide adequate coverage from road rash, bike shorts however, provide exceptional protection.
6. sometimes it's the little things that get you, like when the emt cut off jen's red jacket and her TNT jersey from tahoe last year. those things represent so much of that person; when you see them removed it almost feels like they are taking off a piece of them, not a piece of clothing.
7. always wear your helmet, it will one day save your life. until i joined this team i had never been a 100% helmeter. i will never ever ride without one again.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Cross training of the most beautiful variety
We hiked Heublein tower today. The bike was still in the shop and both Kat and I needed some outdoors, so Heublein it was. I can tell how much stronger my legs are from riding. Last summer hiking Heublein was winding and I had to stop at least a few times. This round...could've have made it all the way no worries, we did stop a couple times to admire the view though! What a beautiful piece of the world we live in... legs feel good and picked up the bike after the hike. New tire on the back, I do think that the voodoo bill worked is by far going to fix the issue though! No credit to the bike shop!
Trying the new shoes tomorrow, again huge thanks to Karen. She is my own personal heroine if these work out!
Trying the new shoes tomorrow, again huge thanks to Karen. She is my own personal heroine if these work out!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
65 Miles and Counting
65 miles is hard work. over 12 miles of hills (mountains!!), over 5000 feet of vertical climbing, and 8 hours in the saddle. i did it. yay me!! even crazier, another flat tire, the bike is in the shop being checked out as we speak!
but the most amazing things about this past weekend are the following:
1. there is no team like this team. One of my teammates, Karen, actually gave me a pair of bicycle shoes.
2. one of my team mates, who is at a minimum double my age, not only finished the ride, but put us all to shame on the hills. that woman is unstoppable.
3. you can see bears while you are riding, i unfortunately missed it, but the people right behind me did..
4. realizing recovery rides are important and make Monday so much better...
5. when you complete a ride that is called the "cookie" ride you do think about having cookies at the end, but junior's cheesecake is by far a better choice! thanks bill!
and that is really just the beginning of how amazing this has been.
I spent last night cleaning and degreasing my chain, coach henry scolded me for a dirty chain on Saturday. :( As karma would have it, I am allergic to the degreaser I used and my whole hand is swollen and itchy and red. should have taken better care of the bike. Also, couldn't get the new pedals on, the other reason the bike is in the shop. hopefully i will get some time on the new pedals before Saturday!!! 70 miles! flatish miles, but 70 miles. wish me luck and feel free to donate to the cause!!
but the most amazing things about this past weekend are the following:
1. there is no team like this team. One of my teammates, Karen, actually gave me a pair of bicycle shoes.
2. one of my team mates, who is at a minimum double my age, not only finished the ride, but put us all to shame on the hills. that woman is unstoppable.
3. you can see bears while you are riding, i unfortunately missed it, but the people right behind me did..
4. realizing recovery rides are important and make Monday so much better...
5. when you complete a ride that is called the "cookie" ride you do think about having cookies at the end, but junior's cheesecake is by far a better choice! thanks bill!
and that is really just the beginning of how amazing this has been.
I spent last night cleaning and degreasing my chain, coach henry scolded me for a dirty chain on Saturday. :( As karma would have it, I am allergic to the degreaser I used and my whole hand is swollen and itchy and red. should have taken better care of the bike. Also, couldn't get the new pedals on, the other reason the bike is in the shop. hopefully i will get some time on the new pedals before Saturday!!! 70 miles! flatish miles, but 70 miles. wish me luck and feel free to donate to the cause!!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
conquering spin class!!!
avg heart rate:153 (which is REALLY good for me)
max heart rate:179 (which is REALLY REALLY good for me)
tired?: only a little bit...
energized?: heck yes!
legs tired?: yes, but not sore!
could have done it three or four times over! training is paying off peoples!
Also, on a side note, have fell in a bit of a state of heart with a pair of Shimano WR40 bike shoes in a 42...big sigh..must find room in the budget....
max heart rate:179 (which is REALLY REALLY good for me)
tired?: only a little bit...
energized?: heck yes!
legs tired?: yes, but not sore!
could have done it three or four times over! training is paying off peoples!
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