Independance Valley Road Race 2009

Funny to think about now, but one of my original posts covered my participation in this race last year. The IVRR is in our back yard... and Saturday it was a cold/rainy/snowy mess. I started with the pack and ended by myself, having been dropped on one of the hills. (Okay, the first hill...) The temperature hovered around 34 degrees, with large snowflakes falling and lots of rain. I was soaked within a few miles. The two laps of my race were very different from one another. Each was 20 miles, but the second seemed much longer, of course.

I worked through my first lap with a chase group that had one or two strong riders in it. I wasn't one of them, but as it turns out I was more stubborn/persistent as they chose to go home after the first lap. I turned uphill for the second lap which I would complete mostly by myself. I made sure to eat and drink all I could during that lap because I was getting cold by then. Not shivering yet, but getting very tight though my upper back due to the cold. I did have the pleasure of riding along with Kerri from the Women's Cat 3 race who was passing me. We shared our Green company for a few miles until she turned off to take her third lap. I was done, though, as my two laps were up!

Back at the tent I was greeted by well wishing from my teammates and then started shivering that didn't really stop until I was nearly home! I finished 25th out of 58 with more than 25 competitors having dropped after lap 1 due to weather.

A Very Big Checkmark for 2009

One of my cycling goals for this year was to accomplish a pack finish in the race without being dropped. Well, I did it last weekend at Mason Lake #3 in Shelton, WA. I decided to race Masters C category which is beginners 35+ instead of Category 5 which is also a beginner category, but, well, less old. :)

I started with a group of 75 riders and ended up finishing 41st after a grimacing sprint to the finish. The bigger story of the day was all of the work that our team accomplished up in front of the pack as they did a lot of pace setting up there. I hid in the pack behind others and did my work to hang on.

My favorite part of that race was the thrill of using my head to keep myself focused on where I was in the pack. What I was doing there, and whether I needed to be somewhere else doing something else. That was WAY different from other races where all I could do was hang on until the team took off ahead of me and I waved goodbye for the day.

Next week... Independence Valley Road Race. Big hills in our own backyard!!

Cheers, Andy

St. Patty's Day Wishes

These are some of our patient's wishes for St. Patrick's Day:

~I wish Oly had an Italian Deli.
~I wish for Peace on Earth.
~I wish that you know LOVE.
~I wish I had a fireplace (and a livingroom.)
~I wish I had a canoe.
~I wish Dan could play Cribbage.
~I wish I were in preschool right now.
~I wish my birthday was a National Holiday.
~I wish that I had Luke's bike.
~I wish for a prosperous and sustainable future.
~I wish for a bountiful garden.
~I wish my cats would let me sleep for more than 3 hours at a time.
~I wish I lived in a Dome Home.
~I wish I could teleport.
~I wish for a prosperous future.
~I wish for a true love.
~I wish for my granddaughter's healthy outcome.
~I wish my family would come visit.
~I wish I could be a goat.
~I wish I didn't have to be here.
~I wish I were a female singer-songwriter.
~I wish my moma would move to Olympia.
~I wish it would stop raining on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at lunch.
~I wish for a new pair of bike shoes.
~I wish to make a heart as a present for Dr. Andy.
~I wish I had super powers. (invisible forcefield, transport, shapeshift, superfast)
~I wish I had a puppy.
~I wish I could solve the Rubik's cube.
~I wish I could eat cheese.
~I wish I didn't cashier anymore!
~I wish I could own a farm (yay for chickens!)
~I wish I could grow taller.
~I wish all kids could have free healthcare!

HAPPY ST. PATTY'S DAY EVERYONE! Dr. Andy

Whatcha Doin' with Those Old Bike Tires?

Even though cycling is a relatively "green" form of transportation, it's not a lifestyle that is devoid of environmental costs. Unless you are extra crafty or creative, there are only so many chapstick carriers and braided belts you can fashion from your old bike tires and tubes. The truth is that most tires and tubes end up in landfills. Some companies offer to re-use these items, and this is great, but often they are selective as to what kind of materials they will collect. One alternative to that in the Olympia WA community is to take them to Les Schwab (yes, the "Free Beef" people.) They have a trailer out in the back of their downtown shop where they collect used auto tires, destined for recycling. When I spoke with their manager recently, he was more than happy to accept bike tires and tubes for free by just tossing them in the trailer. Join in the fun!

Mason Lake #2 Race Report

If a picture can tell a thousand words, I could keep this short because you already know... Instead, though, I present the following 862 words for your reading pleasure.

Yesterday was a wicked day for bike racing, but ended up being a very good one, too... in reflection. Michael picked me up at 6:45 for our trip out to Shelton and Mason Lake. Good laughs were shared as the rain picked up right as we started driving. I needed this because I'd been having a lot of anxiety over this first race of the year. By the time we arrived, the rain was full tilt and perfect for bike racing. I tried my best to keep eating so I had plenty of energy to keep myself warm later. There was a lot of green hiding under our red tent to stay out of the rain as much as possible. I must say, our kits look AWESOME! A little St. Patty's-ish this time of year, though.

Our team had 4 starters in the Cat 5 race and we quickly moved to the front once the race rolled out. During most of the first half of that lap, all 4 of us were up near the front along with a group of Lenovo riders in red. (Their red and our green made the front of the peloton look a little Christmas-y.) I was getting soaked from all sides as the rain had picked up and the tire spray was heavy. Up in the front, though, was calmer than in the back where there was a lot of yelling. "Slooowing!", etc. It was very calm compared to that, in fact. It was nice to be there with teammates, as well, since last year in this race and most of my road races, I was the only Valley rider in the Cat 5's.

My job was clear (to me, anyway.) Since I haven't had a successful pack finish yet, that's my "Goal o' the Year." Still, I had delusions of being able to lead out one of my teammates at the end and be close to the front for a finish. Oh, yeah, and like I said, to be there at all in the first place would be a huge step for me. So in my mind, I was focusing on staying hidden in the pack, doing what I could to stay out of the wind from the front or the side. So far, so good.

Somewhere along the way, we hit some very bad asphalt and I thought for sure that I had a flat so made my way to safety on the side, even raised my hand, thinking I needed my wheels. But as I rolled along now behind the pack, I realized I had just been fooled my own senses. I quickly jetted back up and found a comfortable place behind the pack. Honestly, this could count as a big success for me since last year my race would have been over at this point since I wouldn't have been able to have caught back on. After a few minutes of this, I found a lot of room on the right and found my way all the way to the top third of the peloton and into good shelter behind a very tall Lenovo rider. It was right then, though, that the front started pushing the pace and drove away from the crowd. I saw green rolling away with them (Jeff and Perry?) I started to drift back as I couldn't keep the pace and found myself being too jerky, and feeling the pressure of people wanting to pass me. I led myself to the right and bid farewell to the group. Blah.

I wasn't the only one, though, and soon found myself working with 2 others in a chase group that was going at a nice pace, but not nearly what we'd need to do to close the gap. We caught a glimpse of the follow car about a half mile ahead, and my heart lept up. I remembered the awesome chase group I was in during one of our team rides and thought for sure we had a chance. Unfortunately, these riding companions dropped off and I was left to ride out the rest of the race by myself. I was left with plenty of time to listen to the mental storm that happens when I get dropped. I really had to struggle yesterday to keep my thoughts positive and forward thinking. Admittedly, this is a very big part of my riding. Cycling is no place for me to be a perfectionist, but instead to take it for what it really is to me: A personal development project, physically, mentally, and emotionally. By the time I got near the end of the race, I'd come around to seeing this race for all of it's positivity and that I would, indeed, continue bike racing in the future.

As I was just shy of the finish line after my third lap, I heard "Go Green!" from Kevin's niece (I think). I smiled because this totally made my day. Next week, maybe I'll stick to the group. As for this week, 22nd is a great result.

Biking in this Economy

I read a great editorial in the recent issue of Bicycling Magazine (A Bike is Not a Luxery by Loren Mooney, April 2009.) In a time when so much seems out of control, she brings good focus to the things that we can have influence over. In this article, she names things like miles, hours, watts, and heart rate. All things that are far more within our influence than, say, the evening news, or the stock market. She didn't mention other things that I also think make a bicycle an indispensible tool for self-discovery and emotional development. My reading of her editorial rekindles the coals of enjoyment in my sport, hobby, and passion for cycling.

Whether it has been the negative energy around me, an unusually weird full moon, or some other unknown force (dare I say collective national panic?) I'm ready to bring my focus to a stillpoint of calm and move forward again. This time, with a more robust appreciation for the opportunity to enjoy my rides... despite all else.

Relief for Aching Knees while Cycling

Recently I found a great list of tips for taking care of aching knees in Rene Wenzel's book Bike Racing 101. First of all, the book is great, and filled with tips and useful information for anyone who wants to race or understand bike racing more. I fall into both of those categories, and a third one, which is taking care of people who ride bikes. Drum roll...........

1. Wear leg warmers or tights when the temperature is below 75 degrees. (My comment: Most people will don tights when it's much colder than this, raining, or snowing. The knee is constantly exposed to the wind and is constantly having heat sapped away from it. This can cause muscles to tighten up and create compression and stress in the knee joint.)

2. Get your bike properly fitted by a professional. Position on the bike can change muscle activation patterns and wear and tear on joints and soft tissue. (My comment: Due to the high repetition involved with cycling ..pedaling 90rpm for a 1 hour ride can result in 54,000 pedalstrokes... small errors in fitting can lead to mechanical stress over a short period of time.)

3. Use a good quality stiff-soled cycling shoe. Experiment with float in the pedal for increased comfort. (My comment: A great deal of stress can be taken off the knees by improving the efficiency of energy transfer... cycling shoes accomplish this by limiting wasted energy going into bending a shoe.)

4. Get orthotics fit to your feet or use a stock model from a store for arch support if you have flat feet. (My Comment: I often recommend that someone try superfeet or another stock orthotic that can be purchased at a running/sports store or podiatry office. Pronated feet cause excessive wear and tear on the underside of the kneecap.)

5. Learn to spin. Pushing against big gears can lead to excessive stress on the knees. (My Comment: True enough. If I had one thing to change about my cycling skills as a kid, it would be to spin rather than push heavy gears. Who knew I was going to get older?)

6. Train consistently. Corralling all of your training to one or two days a week or taking time off the bike creates large gaps of training stress on the body, and it's easy to over do it when you get back on the bike again. (My comment: If your weekend rides turn into races and that's the only time you get to ride, your body could be missing out on valuable adaptation time that it needs by having lighter sessions of training on a more consistent basis.)