Hellyer Velodrome Track Clinic - Dec. 29, 2008

Off from work all week! RFA and I went to a special session at the Hellyer velodrome for an intermediate/advanced track workout led by Mark R. There were 7 of us - one other woman Kristine. RFA set me up with his tubular Planet-X carbon wheeels - sweet. We started with a 30 lap warm up, 4 100-meter jumps, 3 flying 1-laps and some team pursuit efforts. Mark gave me a some tips for doing a standing start. I practiced a couple - first was smooth but lacking power. I was off balance on the second. Practice, practice, practice.

San Bruno Pre-Race Ride

New Year's Day marks the San Bruno Hill Climb - the first sanctioned road race of the season. Both RFA and I have entered. Today we climbed San Bruno twice as a pre-race/training ride. We started from the Genentech campus, but that was an inadequate warm-up. My engine was still pretty cold at the start of the climb. The temp was in the mid-forties when we started, but no wind. We met BottleRocket from NorCal Bikeforum at the top of the second climb. My goal is to better my time by at least two minutes from last year. Our training schedule called for 2 hours with two OLH climbs so this fit the prescription.

Hellyer Velodrome Track Clinic - Dec. 26, 2008

We went to the Hellyer Velodrome for an intermediate/advanced track session led by our friend Mark R. Mark had a friend visiting from Chicago so he scheduled some special sessions over the holidays. It was a crispy but sunny day. There were seven people there - I was the only woman among some world champions. We started out with a 30 lap warmup, then did 4 100-meters jumps. Next we did eight six-lap team time trial drills with two lap rests in between. It was a great work out. Next time I need to practice my standing starts.

RFA's New Planet X Track Bike Configuration

RFA got new wheels on his Planet X track bike - Planet X pro carbon 50mm deep dish wheels with tufo track tubulars - totally hot. The ceramic bearings approach "perpetual motion" - I am a witness. (Mine are pigs - I don't approve of my Velocity deep dish - I am insanely jealous!!!!)Also, RFA has new endurance bars (so do I).

Hellyer Velodrome Track Clinic - Dec. 20, 2008

We are in the power building phase - have been working out very hard. So today it was a welcome change to go to the Hellyer Velodrome track clinic - not easy but at least we weren't on the rollers. Very brisk morning. RFA won the Australian pursuit drill! Go, RFA!

Hellyer Velodrome Track Clinic - Nov. 29, 2008

RFA and I went to the novice clinic at the Hellyer Velodrome in San Jose, CA this morning. Right now, it is the only way to get some practice on the track. Like everything else, it takes time and practice to develop and gain confidence with the basic skills. This morning's session was run by Alto Velo's Mark Rodamaker, our friend and world champion. Each supervisor is different. Mark runs the clinic more like an open track session. We did a 30 lap warm-up, followed by 4 - 100 meter jumps, 6-lap team time trial drills (2), and open track. Mark McC. was there, but not Pam. Our TTT was comprised of RFA, Mark McC, James Plummer (35 year old Cat 3 road racer), and me. It was a good effort. After the drills, Mark offered some bike fitting advice so that I am not so low. We turned the stem which brought me up a few millimeters. Funny, I don't mind being low - it almost feels natural, but I understand that the pursuit position is different from the scratch/points race position. I named my Cervelo P3C track bike - her name is Red Rose - Rose for short. The reason? - the color, my mother, and like the roses for the Kenticky Derby winner, she is a winning bike!

A Tradition is Born

Last Thanksgiving, RFA and I did the low key hill climb (LKHC) up Mount Hamilton. We put the turkey breast in the crock pot and enjoyed a nice quiet Thanksgiving dinner. So today was our second annual Thanksgiving Mount Hamilton hill climb. We got everything organized the night before and got up at 6:15 AM. The temp was about 55 and the streets were still damp from yesterday's rain. Turkey in the crock pot and off we went. We got to the start about 8:30 or so. I got recruited to ride for the team "Sisters of No Mercy" - super strong team with Janet and Jennie, so why not? Many WebCor folks. There were over a hundred riders - most for the LKHC, but some just riding (either don't want to pay the $10, but more likely, don't want their times publicly posted!) I tried to warm up some but that was pretty much in vain - too chilly on the descents - so I rode a bit on the back streets but really no warm up. We put our warm gear in the "sag wagon" for the trip back down. Mount Hamilton can be viewed as three climbs totalling 18.4 miles, 4343 feet. The first climb is 5.90 mi, 1514 ft (4.86%); climb 2: 3.20 mi, 770 ft (4.56%); and climb 3: 6.60 mi, 2060 ft (5.91%). I started out at a sane pace and then was able to pick it up when I warmed up after about 12 minutes. Marco and Ruth were there on their Santana tandem; I passed them and then they passed me - I passed them and they took off on the down hill section. I finally caught them on the last 5 miles where the grade got steeper. I eased up some mid way and popped a PowerBar gel - double latte with caffeine at 40 minutes. I never eat much on a ride and I think that is why I tend to literally run out of gas during the races. I am finally getting smart. I kicked it up on the last 5 miles and passed a lot of people. There was little to no wind, we rode through some fog and then were in blissful sunshine above the clouds. It was awesome. I "sprinted" up the wall to the observatory and finished in 1:45:50 (6/12 women). Last year my time was 1:53:16 (8/17 of the women) so demonstrated improvement. Still waiting for the official results and placement to be posted. RFA finished at 1:50:21 (96/112 men) - big improvement over his time last year of 2:01:40. The descent was chilly but we were prepared with thermal jacket, headband, booties, leg warmers. We drove straight to Equinox for a steam, shower, stretching and foam rollers. Thanksgiving dinner was great, especially the 2002 M. Coz (Consentino) wine.

(Photos by jhadley)

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! Despite the turmoil in the world and the state of the current economy, we have a lot to be thankful for - perhaps on the top of my list this years is the fact we have President-Elect Barack Obama - and we don't have Vice-President Elect Sarah Palin. I am optimistic that this will be a better world with Barack. The rest of my list? I am thankful for RFA and his love and our special relationship, my good health, that I get to go to work everyday at Genentech - inspired, for the cherished memories of my deceased parents, my sister (even though I haven't seen her in years - she is my family and friend), and for the beauty of nature. I am thankful that I have a passion for cycling - it is part of who I am. Perhaps on every ride I experience a moment that captures "life" - the way the sunlight hits the redwood on OLH, or the vista of the bay on a descent down 84 - I am thankful that I am on my bike - this is life.

"Double Treat" Training Ride - Nov. 23, 2008

Today was a "first" - a Russian training ride with 2 times up Old La Honda (OLH). It was 44 degrees when we woke up at 7 AM. Fortunately, we started at 10 AM so we wouldn't be breathing cold air on the climb. It warmed up quickly and by the end of the ride the temp was in the mid0high 60's. RFA and parked at Canada & Edgewood so we had a prelude to the warm-up. On Mountain Home, the strong riders (including me and RFA) picked up the pace and broke away. Dmitrij commented that we rode the last 2 miles fast. I peeled off my vest and arm warmers and headed up OLH. I was working about 90% and feeling pretty good - I kept looking back but no one was in sight. Dmitrij's van passed slowly and Vladimir was in the back with the hatch back open shooting photographs. That was great, but for the gas fumes, and the van was going too slow. I passed and told Dmitrij that I lost 15 seconds off my time - he said "Good job - don't go too hard." I eased up a bit and got to the summit about a minute off my best time. No one passed me - the Safeway guy finished not too far behind me and immediately went back down. I stopped to drink some water and shot a PowerBar gel - my first ever - I figured I needed a boost of energy for the OLH repeat. It was pretty chilly on the way down, but otherwise not too bad. The hill actually seemed longer on the way down. I saw RFA climbing up on my way down - he was looking good. Not so with some of my other team mates. I got down to the bottom and started up again - this time I was about 80% effort and could almost enjoy it - no pressure. The legs felt pretty good - E. passed me near the top and I let him go. On the way back down the second time, I saw Dmitirij in the van and he said that he would wait for everyone at the bottom. I was concerned when I didn't see RFA (or anyone else) coming up the second time. Thought we might have missed each other somehow and he was going down 84 like we talked about. Turns out Dmitrij told the others (everyone but E., Matt and me) to only go up half way the second time. We regrouped and Dmitirij had us do team time trial drills for 20 miles on Canada. It was a blast. Not sure what happened to the weaker folks - I think that Dmitrij dismissed them after OLH. It was funny - while TT'ing I got several comments about my legs - one of the girls said - "Your calves are huge. I am intimidated." Matt said they were awesome and that E. was intimidated." I'll take all that as compliments. What else can I do . . . . can't change them. Same workout for the next two Sundays. We stopped for coffee at Starbuck's on the way home - 'tho I felt buzzed from the Powerbar gel or maybe simply euphoric. Took a long recovery nap in the afternoon and went to Equinox for situps, stretching & rolling on the foam roller. Glad tomorrow is a recovery day.

RFA's Planet X

Rich finally got his Planet X bike this week. It is a full carbon frame - he bought the frame on-line from the UK and order the components from our LBS. It is a beauty! RFA rode the bike at the track this morning and he was happy with its performance. Our friend Mark McC. also bought a Planet X - both made their debut at the track today.

National Championship Photo Shoot - Nov. 15, 2008

A photo shoot was organized for the local National Track Championships today after the clinic and before the "Ride the World Cup" races. It was great to don the Natz Jersey for my 2K pursuit win and share the spotlight with my fellow mates. Mark R. was there with his World Championship jersey and TNTC medals - awesome - same for Larry Nolan. The Webcor AV champs then got together for a photo - too bad Leo wasn't there.

Hellyer Velodrome Track Clinic - Nov. 15, 2008

RFA and I went to the clinic at Hellyer Velodrome, San Jose, CA this morning. Pam was sick and Mark McC. was out of town so they were "no-shows." Kris was there - her last time since she is heading back to Houston following her internship here in Silicon Valley. Rich still didn't have his Planet X, so he had to rent a track bike. Today's session was led by Richard - a Scotsman - and we only had a group of about 15. This was a great clinic - we did some team pursuits, timed flying start 200s (my time sucked - disappointing - practice, practice, practice!) and an Australian pursuit. This time the Australian pursuit had some logic to it as to the positioning. It was an intense effort - approximately 4 minutes of max heart rate - up to 34 mph - me and two guys left and then I got passed and I was out. It was a blast!

Velodrome Clinic - November 8, 2008

Last Saturday, RFA and I planned on going to the clinic at Hellyer Velodrome (San Jose, CA) but got rained out. The forecast for this Saturday went from good to bad to hopeful - partly cloudy in the morning with rain moving in for the afternoon, and the weather cooperated for a morning at the track. I was really excited and looking forward to riding my my new Cervelo P3C track bike and working on my track skills. I subsequently adjusted my Cervelo P3C track bike after this photo was taken so that it now meets the UCI requirements - changed out the saddle and moved it back so that the nose of the saddle is now at least 5 cm behind a vertical line drawn up through the center of the carnk axle. RFA ordered a Planet X carbon track bike from the UK, but due to an ordering snafu (they shipped a TT bike instead), he didn't receive it yet and had to rent a bike at the track. Our friends Mark McC, Pam and Kris were there. This clinic was lead by none other than Shelley Olds who just had a good finish in the Manchester World's Cup. I was surprised that she is so tiny! We started out with a 40 lap warmup, followed by a series of drills, including some individual 200 meter flying starts, team pursuit, a bumping exercise and an Australian pursuit. Today's new experience was hanging on the rail as a starting position - a little unnerving at first. Pam had some carbon knuckle cycling gloves - may have to get a pair!! They look gnarly. For the Australian pursuit, we each lined up on the rail separated by a light post. On the whistle, we dropped down to the poll lane and if you got passed you are out. It was down to 4 people and then I got passed by a guy. Boo! The clinic a couple weeks ago was led by our Webcor teammate Mark R. who just returned from the World's Masters Track Championships in Sydney, Australia with another gold medal (this one in a scratch race). Mark selected Pam, RFA and myself to demo a team pursuit with him. It was totally cool and totally Webcor - we looked damn good too!!

Mallorca Trip - Day 11, October 18, 2008

Up too early (4:15 AM!), last minute packing and coffee before getting on the bus at 5 AM to go to the airport for our 8 AM flight. About a one hour drive. We arrive at 6 AM but no Larry who was to meet us with the bike boxes. Seems some miscommunication between the McCreadys and Larry (who was there!) so it al turned out OK after hanging around (nervously) for 20 minutes. Checking the bike with Iberia went smoothly - although this time we had to pay about 50 Euros. Flight to Palma left on time. Had a Starbucks in the Madrid airport and bought some fun cubic zirconia studs at the duty free shop. Flight from Madrid to Miami on time as well! We cleared customs in Miami and had a LONG layover (about 4 1/2 hours) - now I was feeling almost sick tired. The saving grace was that we flew business class and we got also got to take a shower and change clothes at the Admirals Club. I slept most of the way to San Francisco. Les picked us up at the airport. It felt good to sleep in my own bed. The trip was perfecto! I will cherish the memories. The next morning Rich and I went on a short 18 mile ride on SINGLES - I don't want to see the tandem for a while.

Mallorca Trip - Day 10, October 17, 2008

Today's 35 mile ride covered some interesting sites. First, we did a short climb to a fortress (and a cappuchino stop!) and a 3km climb to a summit with spectacular views. We passed a shepherd and his dog herding his sheep. Then off to Coves d'Arta for a tour of a fascinating cavern. Smiley and Karen tried to shoot past us on the way to the cave, but Rich and I went into turbocharge and blew them away - fun! After the cave tour, we had a late lunch at an old castle (starving!). Time to dissemble the tandems - not my favorite part of the trip! We had our final dinner at the hotel.

Mallorca Trip - Day 9, October 16, 2008

Another transition and island-crossing day across a windmill strewn plain, through some remote canyons, and along a resort pine coast. We stopped at Majorica's pearl factory and outlet where I found a lovely "hip" pendant - a black cord with silver noose and one single large pearl . Lunch was an awful pizza at a bar in town next to the pearl factory. The ride along the coast (Costa Dels Pins - Coast of Pines) was lovely and we were happy to see the Eurotel after 55 miles of cycling. Another lovely hotel with beautiful grounds. Lovely sunset at 7 PM. We had a buffet dinner at the hotel and I tried some red sea scorpion.

Mallorca Trip - Day 8, October 15, 2008

Today's ride out to Cape Formentor was the highlight of the trip for us! The climb over the summit to Formenter junction was challenging and we pushed a good pace, stopping for a photo op along the way. From the junction (beach and ferry port) we continued up the 12km climb along Devil's Tail to the lighthouse. This was an amzing ride we will never forget - craggy mountains and cliffs with no barriers. (The dark tunnel was a little scary!) It was an ah - ha moment when we turned the corner and saw the lighthouse. Certainly worth the climb! We took the ferry back from the junction to Port Pollenca and then rode back to the hotel. Total mielage for the day was 40 miles with lots of climbing. We enjoyed a late lunch (veal salad) with Bobbi and Mark on the beach patio. I took a short nap in the afternoon and did a weight work out and sauna. Buffet dinner at the hotel.

Mallorca Trip - Day 7, October 14, 2008

Today was a transition day - checking out of the Valparaiso Palace in Palma and crossing the island to the northeast corner of the island to Alcudia Bay. Our 55 mile route took us along lovely rural roads with stone walls on either side - rolling terrain with no real climbs. We stopped at the Kollflex leather factory and outlet where I found a funky leather calf hair belt with a silver buckle. The outlet also had a cappuchino bar! We stopped in Pollenca for lunch - looking for pizza - but the shop was closed. Instead we had lunch at a sandwich bar with an outdoor terrace - I stopped in at a grocery store and bought some turkey, a nectarine and plain yogurt. Our hotel for the next few days was the Parc Naturelle - owned by the same Gruphotel as the Valparaiso - another 5 star, very modern and beuatiful grounds. The hotel was situated on the water with its own beach. We had a nice side view of the water from our room. And the same fantastic spa facilities. I was tired and took a short nap before dinner at the hotel.

Mallorca Trip - Day 6, October 13, 2008

Today was a 40 mile recovery ride out to Port Andratx for lunch and back. We started the morning with wet roads but encountered only a light mist for a brief period. Never needed the rain gear but the rain booties kept our shoes dry and clean. By lunch time the sun was shining! We stopped with the group at Es Capdella for cappuchino. We had lunch at a seafood restaurant Barlovento next to the yacht club and dined in an open air covered patio - watched the divers haul in their catch. Rich and I passed on the seafood (paella, nicoise, sardines) and had a disappointing salad & oversalted ravioli - Rich liked the sangria. It was late and long lunch. There was a climb back and then we had another flat tire - fortunately it was in a village and a convenient spot. We followed the McCreadys back - got lost and hated the MUPS! It was good thing that we were all in the "recovery ride" mode - otherwise this would have been a very frustrating day of cycling. We got back to the hotel late and decided to pass on the group activities (tour of Palma and tapas bar). We hit the sauna instead and headed into town on our own. This was a holiday so our little French restaurant was closed. We went back to the same Italian wine bar and enjoyed salad, caprese and a great bottle of Spanish wine.

Mallorca Trip - Day 5, October 12, 2008

Today's ride was a highlight of the trip! 55 miles including the epic climb up Col de Soller with dozens of switchbacks. We had a flat tire on the stretch out to Col de Soller. We climbed steady and strong and reached the top with plenty of energy. This is a classic climb where the pros start their racing season. The weather cooperated - overcast turning sunny. On the last Santana Mallorca tour, the Col de Soller got rained out and the group had to take a train - I would have been really bummed out. After the descent we had another climb to Deia - a beautiful village where we stopped for cappuchino (we were early for lunch). One of the steeper climbs, albeit short, was to the restaurant Son Marroig. It was next to an old monestery overlooking the ocean on a cliff. We enjoyed a nice buffet lunch with chicken, coucous, parma ham, bread and fruit. We continued to Valldemosa, another climb to Coll Claret and back to the hotel. The hotel has wonderful spa facilities which really felt good after the ride. The sauna area had all these different rooms - salt steam/sauna with tile chairs and new age lighting, traditional sauna, wonderful rain showers, foot baths with water pools of different temperatures. That evening we went into Palma with Bobbi and Mark and found a charming wine bar and enjoyed margherita pizza, caprese and salad - and of course, wine.

Mallorca Trip - Day 4, October 11, 2008

Saturday morning we did a repeat of Friday's 25 mile loop to Calvia with Bobbi and Mark (with the requisite cappuchino stop). We arrived back to the hotel just in time for a light lunch (salad) with the group who just arrived from Madrid. The group then moved to the pool area to assemble their tandems. I relaxed poolside while RFA assisted others. We did another 25 mile loop through a forest, through Puerto Nous along the coast and a variation of the Calvia loop. We enjoyed dinner at the hotel - menu featuring risotto with truffles, pork, a decadent chocolate desert and wine. I ate and drank too much! Good thing we cycled 50 miles today!

Mallorca Trip - Day 3, October 10, 2008

We felt pretty good this morning after a good night's sleep and feasted at the hotel's vast buffet. Tables of cheese, breads, fruits, meats, grilled vegetables, eggs, omelet bar, yogurt, cereals - even caprese. We built the tandem on the tennis courts - it went pretty smoothly and I tried my best to be a patient assistant. The weather was partly sunny and pleasant. We managed to plot out a bike route on our own and did a 25 mile loop to Calvia and back - it felt fantastic! Stopped for cappuchino. We ran into Mark and Bobbi McC. in the bike storage room in the hotel garage. We met them on the Tuscany Santana tandem trip - they live in Cupertino, just down the SF Peninsula where we live. Had not seen them since! Small world. Mark is a very strong rider. We made plans to get together for a Saturday morning ride before the rest of the group arrived. In the evening we went into Palma for dinner and found a lovely modern French restaurant - great Rioja wine. I had a grilled chicken salad. Don't even think about dinner until 8 PM. A great day!

Mallorca Trip - Day 2, October 9, 2008

We had a tight connection in Madrid and it took us a while to get to our gate - seemed like endless trains and escalators. We went through passport control and security in Madrid and boarded a domestic Iberia flight to Palma. On the plane we suddenly got the sick feeling that we should had cleared customs in Madrid - thinking how could we be so stupid and envisioning flying back to Madrid to try to sort out this mess. We were encouraged when we saw a customs sign in Palma, and, sure enough, the international baggage was segregated from the domestic baggage. The Iberia agent informed us that the bike bag did not make the flight, but that they would deliver it to the hotel by 5 PM that same day. We arranged our own pre-tour, arriving two days ahead of the Santana group - some of whom were doing a pre-tour in Madrid. We stayed on the Hotel Valparaiso Palace - a beautiful 5 star hotel sitting atop a steep hill (more on that later!) overlooking the cruise ship dock. The people were very service-oriented and we had a lovely room overlooking the pool and the water. The weather was unsettled and windy when we arrived, but no rain. We took a brief nap and felt even worse when we got up. We had a late lunch at the hotel (a parma ham and parmesan cheese salad) and then took the bus into downtown Palma. Palma is an amazing large city - reminded me a bit of Barcelona (no surprise there!) The Palma Cathedral was massive and certainly the dominant landmark, built during the 13th century. We heard that Mallorca had a velodrome and tried to find it using our map - we find the remnants of a demolished racetrack and velodrome, only to later learn that there is a brand new velodrome - next visit!! Then we took a cab to the outskirts of the city to a high end bike shop to see about renting singles for the next day. They were very accomodating and had some decent aluminim Orbeas for rent - only problem was, according to the bike shop folks, no really good plact to ride from the shop and we didn't have a car. We went back to the hotel and just grazed for dinner (South Beach bar and a glass of wine) and went to bed early.

Mallorca Trip - Day 1, October 8, 2008

We are off to Mallorca on a Santana tandem bike tour for ten days! Les from Summit Cycles, Burlingame, CA gave us a ride to SFO in his van so we could transport the tandem - that is a good friend! This time we had no problem checking the bike in the BikePro bag with American Airlines and they did not charge us anything extra. We had free frequent flyer first class tickets. All of our flights were on time (SFO-ORD (Chicago)-Madrid-Palma. We flew on Iberia, AA's partner, on the legs to Madrid and Palma. The transatlantic flight was only half-full which was nice. We ddn't get much sleep 'tho. I was pretty bummed out about the weather - the foreseeable forecast was rain, wind and thunderstorms. To make matters worse, the weather in San Mateo showed a beautiful, sunny, warm forecast for the next week. We packed rain gear, base layers, rain booties, umbrella expecting the worse.

Mt. Tam Hill Climb September 27, 2008

We woke up at 5:50 AM and left the house around 7:15 for the drive to Stinson Beach. The Golden Gate Bridge was beautiful in the fog and then almost like magic, Sausalito was sitting in brilliant sunshine. There wasn't much traffic on the windy mountainous road to Stinson Beach. There was plenty of parking and we rode bikes over to the registration area. We ran into Pete from Bikeforums who was his usual ebullient self. He was racing with RFA in the 55+ category. We also saw Ron L. who was already warming up on the trainer. Phyllis was walking over with pancakes from the cafe - she wasn't up for racing up Mt. Tam and elected to ride her mountain bike on her own. While it would have been nice to have P. race to spur me on, she would have been riding with the Cat 1/2/3s, while I was racing with the Cat 4s. The 4 mile flat lead out in the peloton would have rendered our times disparate by at least one minute (the W Cat 1/2/3 peloton being that much faster on the flat lead out). I did have 2 WebCor teammates in the W Cat 4 -Alison C. (a non-racr but good hill climber) and Jamii N. who had a great time in the 2007 Mt. Tam Hill Climb. RFA and I warmed up on the trainer and headed out to the start line. RFA's group started 5 minutes ahead of the W Cat 4s. There was a chance that I might pass RFA, but it was far from a sure thing. The temperatures were perfect and the sun was shining. There were aout 23 pre-registered in the W Cat 4, but only 16 women showed up at the start line.

The Course: The hill climb is 12.5 miles with about 2000 feet of climbing. The first leg is a flat 4 1/2 miles along the lagoon. Right turn to Bolinas-Fairfax Road through the woods with some steep parts exceeding a 10% grade for 4 miles, followed by the 4 mile "Seven Sisters" stair-step climb to the finish.

The W Cat4 peloton were led out by a race official vehicle and started out at a sane pace (maybe about 25 mph but it felt easy with the draft and tail wind effect). We all behaved and rode in a double pace line. I was well-positioned about 4 riders back. We took the right turn to Fairfax-Bolinas cautiously and crossed the open cattle grate safely. We then started climbing and the group splintered. There were about ten women ahead of me at this point. I passed one women a few minutes later and was hoping that I might make some gains along the way. Soon some of the Men's Elite Cat 4 (this group started 5 minuted behind us) passed me and gave me some words of encouragement. I just climbed steadily and fell into a rhythm, trying to keep my HR up at 150-152. Soon I broke out onto the ridge and took on the Seven Sisters. The sun was hot on my face at this point and I poured some water down my back. I was taking sips along the way to keep hydrated. I passed a couple of the men's 55+ racers. I finished in 58:41, well off my goal of 55-56 minutes. I just didn't have the drive to psuh myself to the limits for this race. RFA and I have been in "active rest" for the month of September and have not been doing any sustained threshold hill climbing to train for this race. Not an "A" race in Dmitriy's eyes. I met RFA at the top - he had a good time of 1:01:57 - never had the pleasure of passing him!

The race was well-organized, and I look forward to doing it again next year and shaving minutes from my time!

Recap of 2008 Racing Season and 2009 Goals

The 2008 racing season is essentially over. Today was the last “Beat the Clock” Canada time trial, and next Saturday is the Mt. Tam Hill Climb – and that is it. The Russians have us in “active rest” for the month of September, so we haven’t been doing any special preparation for these events. Even the Sunday Russian rides for September are shorter distances, no serious hill climbing and medium-paced. We get chastised if we ride too fast (Vladmir at the side of the road motioning “down, down”). Our workouts are designed to maintain our current level and provide a rest period so that we are mentally and physically ready to start hard training in October. Except that RFA and I are heading off to Mallorca on Oct. 8 for ten days on a Santana tandem tour. The cycling in Mallorca will include some good climbs, and although it will be social, just by riding every day, we should be ready to jump right into the Russian’s October training schedule. It will back to the weight workouts in the cycling gym immediately followed by the trainer workouts. Nasty stuff. We have been duly warned that we will be doing repeats up Old La Honda with the lead water bottle and long (70 mile plus) hard training rides on the road in November, more intense weight workouts, and 1 ½ hour trainer workouts. We also need to work in training at the Hellyer velodrome on the track bikes 1-2 times a month. While I have been regularly doing weight workouts (5 times a week) on my own at Equinox, I haven’t done any leg strength training since the end of last January.

This is a good time to evaluate my cycling over the past nine months and contemplate what lies ahead for 2009.

A look back at 2008 racing season:
We have been training with the Russians for a little over 9 months. We have been very dedicated, not missing a workout and following the program. I must admit that I am very pleased with my improvement. I have a LONG way to go, but have made measurable progress.
By far, the highlight of the year was winning the Masters Track National Championship in the 2k individual pursuit with a time of 2:59. Along with that, being named “Rider of the Month” for that feat by my Alto Velo WebCor Racing Team and my first place finish at the Esparto Time Trial (that elusive victory).
My biggest disappointment: missing the podium at the Northern California Nevada State Time Trial Championships (Sattley)

A review of the statistics with some short commentary:
# crashes: 0
# falls: 0
# cycling-related injuries: 0
# friends made through cycling: Many
# new bikes: 2 (Orbea Ordu TT bike and Cervelo P3C Track frame)
# pounds lost: 9 (117 down to 108)
% body fat change: 5 % (13.8% down to 8.8%)

# Races this year: 26 (updated for Mt. Tam)
4 hill climbs
11 time trials (3 tandem TTs (one unsanctioned)), 8 ITT (5 unsanctioned)
6 road races (1 circuit race)
0 crits
5 track events (3 unsanctioned)
# DNFs: 0
# first place finishes: 7 (2 sanctioned/5 unsanctioned)

Details
Hill Climbs: (updated for Mt. Tam)
San Bruno Hill Climb - 10/20
WebCor King of the Mountain - 5/16
Mt. Diablo Hill Climb – 4/8
Mt. Tam - 10/16


Time Trials:
Berkeley Hills TTT (tandem) – 4/5 – happy we knocked 3:36 off our 2007 time
Bay Area Senior Games – 1/2 (non-sanctioned/on road bike)
Dunlop TT – 8/23
Northern CA/Nevada ITT State Championship – 4/4 – only 7 seconds out of second place; disappointing results because I know I am better than my results show.
Northern CA/Nevada Tandem TT State Championship – 2/2 – knocked 4:22 off our 2007 time and I had just done the 20k ITT
Esparto TT – First place (1/10) – My first victory!
Canada Beat Beat the Clock TTs
ITT 27:11 (7/19); Tandem 27:54 (2/2) (both RFA and I did ITT beforehand)
26:30 (6/11) – a Personal Best
26:51 (4/11)
26:37 (1/7)

Road Races/Circuit Races:
· Brisbane Circuit Race (24/40) – my first road race; happy that I didn’t crash, and made up time on the climbs and caught my team mate
· Wente Road Race (7/19) – in a breakaway and lead peloton until the end; dehydrated and neuroma foot pain
· Berkeley Hills Road Race (13/38) – in the lead peloton until the end
· Spring Hill Road Race – (11/16) – dropped by the lead peloton on the first climb, poor results
· Diamond Valley State Championship Road Race (4/6) – dropped by first and second place finishers on the first climb; almost dropped out due to extreme neuroma foot pain
· University Road Race (10/10) – finished last of the finishers – lapped – disappointing but acknowledged as the hardest RR.

Track:
Beat the Clock: won the 2K, 3K and 4K pursuits on my Orbea Ordu TT road bike
Track Masters National Championship: 4/5 in the 500 meter; 1/3 in the 2K individual pursuit with a time of 2:59.

The Year Ahead:
On Thursday, Dmitriy shared his goals for me for next year.
20’ OLH time (I am currently at 23:30 with a hard but not full out effort)
2:45 2K pursuit time at the track (my National Championship time was 2:59). I will need to do this in order to have a chance to win at Nats or Worlds.
Upgrade from Cat 4 to Cat 3 by the end of the year
I embrace these goals and I will definitely be working hard to achieve them.

Other goals for 2009:
First place in the State Masters TT championship (or at least close in on "she who cannot be named's" time and take second)
Improve my time at Dunlop TT by at least 30 seconds
First place at Nats Masters TT
Defend Esparto TT first-place victory
First place at State Masters Track Championship – 2k individual pursuit
Defend National Championship at Nats Masters Track Championship – 2k individual pursuit
First place Worlds Masters Track Championship – 2k individual pursuit

Beat the Clock Time Trial Report - Sat. Sept. 20, 2008

This was the last Beat the Clock Time Trial of the season. RFA and I debated whether to participate, and if we did, as individuals or perhaps as a team. The racing season is over and we are in "active rest" for the month of September, so it was hard to get excited about this event. On the other hand, it is for such a good cause, always fun, and there are so few TTs. We decided not to do the team time trial (TTT) since we haven't practiced and didn't want to crash just before our Mallorca trip. When my friend (and competitor) registered, that was enough to solidify my decision to do the individual time trial (ITT) event. In an attempt to do some preparation, the week before, I rode my TT bike at the cycling gym two days and on Thursday did another speed workout (110 cadence) on the trainer on my road bike. I was also hoping that some of the track workouts would carry over. We got up at 5:15 AM and left the house at 6:15. It was still dark when we arrived at Canada and Edgewood. We used flashlights to put the bikes on the trainers. At least the air was moderate (low 60's) and almost no wind. The air however felt heavy with moisture so it would be difficult to set any new personal bests. The important thing is that the pavement was dry. RFA had a 7:30 start time and I was scheduled to start at 7:31. So it appeared that the start times were purposely set so that RFA would be my one-minute "rabbit." RFA used the Easton tubulars on his Cervelo TT bike and I was set up with the disc and the tri-spoke. In theory, the disk and the tri-spoke are definitely more aero. I felt that my top speeds were faster, but the wheels didn't seem as responsive on the climbs compared to my Eastons. My goal was to beat PD and LH but PD decided to scrap the ITT and only do the TTT, and LH was a no show. So now my goal was to pass RFA. We both had good starts. Nearing the turn around, I saw RFA already heading back. I guessed that there was a 30 second gap to close to pass him. I passed the guy who started ahead of RFA after the backside of the water temple but still no RFA. I started my Garmin before the start and guessed my time to be around 27 minutes. I was not real happy - but happy that RFA had a good time. If the starting times were correct, that would put him in the neighborhood of 27:30 which would be phenomenal given that his personal best for BTC was 27:54. Results were posted today and we are trying to make sense of them. I have a time of 26:37 and RFA's time is 27:56. If the start times are correct, that means I would have passed him - which I didn't. (BTW, RFA's electronics weren't set, so he has no personal data.) We surmise that his time is correct, the start times were one and one-half minutes apart and my time is about 23 seconds too fast. We'll see if they post corrected times. Regardless, I was the fastest woman! Even with a corrected time! The #2 woman was 27:24. Sweet!

Proud Owner of Cervelo P3C Track Bike

I rode my friend's Cervelo P3C track bike to victory in the 2K pursuit Masters National Track Championship a couple weeks ago. I am committed to track racing (Worlds next year in Sydney??) and bought the same frame. Cupertino Bike Shop had a small (51 cm) in stock and had a special where $300 of the sales price is donated to the local Hellyer Velodrome in San Jose, CA. We are having Gebhard at Cyclepath San Mateo built it up. I am happy to be part of the Cervelo family! More photos to follow.

Webcor Rider of the Month

Last night was the monthly Alto Velo (AV) WebCor racing club meeting in Mountainview, CA. RFA and I met a team mate who is the track guru to get some advice on track bikes and components at a local cafe before the meeting and then walked over. The AV president awarded the race reimbursements and I received $74.00 for winning Esparto time trial and the National Masters Track 2K pursuit. Very cool. Every month a male and female "rider of the month" award is bestowed. And, yes, my "fairy tale" of winning the track National Championship with a sub-3 minute time on a borrowed track bike just two weeks after my first time on a Velodrome on a TT bike at Beat-the-Clock gained me the honor. And an honor it was! The AV WebCor racing club has over 400 members and many many extremely talented cyclists. This meant a lot to me to be acknowledged by my peers. I won a gift certificate for Voler leg warmers (I need them!), a case of PowerGels and a huge jar of electrolyte replacement powder.

Mt. Tam Hill Climb Pre-Ride Sept. 14, 2008

RFA and I are signed up to do the Mt. Tam Hill Climb on Sept. 27. The climb is 12.5 miles with about 2000 feet of climbing. We don't do much riding in Marin and have never climbed Mt. Tam. We wanted to do a reconnaisance ride in advance of the race and met up with our friend Geoff who would lead the way. The drive on Highway 1 from Sausalito to Stinson Beach (the start of the race) was winding and spectacular but no bike lanes. The weather was in the high 50's but only a light overcast - no dense fog. This was our first time to Stinson Beach since we moved here 2 1/2 years ago. It would be a tough commute to South San Francisco (where I work). The first leg was a flat 4 1/2 miles along the lagoon and Geoff led a strong pace - we were going over 20 miles an hour with a tailwind and I was just sitting back in the draft - sweet. We turned right to Bolinas-Fairfax Road. We stopped to take off our windvest and arm warmers before the climb. Since we stopped, I had to walk my bike over the cattle grate and am not looking foward to riding over this on race day. I took this next leg pretty easy - there were some steep parts exceeding 10% grade but some gentle grades to allow for recovery. I had a close call with a skateboarder who came careening right at me - I think he sort of lost it after that - he went off the road but was OK. Total elevation gain along this section is about 1500 ft. Next the Seven Sisters - we had to go through a wooded area with wet pavement and wet leaves - another thing to watch out for on race day. Took the Seven Sisters at an easy pace and finished in about 1:06. My goal on race day is 55 minutes. The ride down was uneventful; going down Bolinas-Fairfax was bumpy and my hands were sore from braking. The three of us had a nice lunch in the Stinson Beach picnic area.

Met Max Testa and Eric Heiden Today

RFA and I cycled to Peet's in Los Altos (CA) today and decided to cycle with some Webcor teammates to Bicycle Outfitter where Max Testa and Eric Heiden were doing a book signing. Their new book is Faster Better Stronger. There were quite a few Webcor and Protech cyclists there. We bought the book and had Max and Eric autograph it. Max was very congenial and was very interested in everyone's cycling stories and successes. Both Eric and Max looked very fit! I even learned some Italian - at the start of a race in Italy the racers don't wish each other "good luck" but say "In bocca al lupo" which literally means "in the mouth of the wolf." The appropriate response is "crepi." (This is a fast way to impress your competitors the next time you are racing in Europe! ) The book is very basic, but sometimes it is a good thing to go back and revisit those basics.

Russian Massage - August 24, 2008

I figured that a massage would be in order after the mountainous University Road Race. I decided to give the Russian masseuse a try. Elena is affiliated with the Russians and is married to one of the Russian pro cyclists. She is this cute petite platinum blonde and shows up in her Skins. We met at Five Rings Cycling Centre where she often sets up on the second level. I arrive at 6:30 PM and Dmitrij is there - he was very disappointed when I told him about my race results. He suggests that Elena set up in the front ante-room on the first floor since the second floor would be too hot. So we lock the doors and pull the shades. Elena apologizes that her English is not too good - I say don't worry, I will just sleep through the massage. Ha! Was I wrong! Elena's is incredible - her hands are strong and feel huge for a little girl. She does long long strokes with just the perfect amount of pressure. She does my butt and torso. This is truly a sports cycling massage. Ambience is poor - no incense or music - we have bright lights and traffic noise. But the price is right and it felt great. I am sure that it helped my recovery.

University Road Race - Sunday, August 24

University Road Race is part of the CalCup series. I signed up because it was held on the Santa Cruz campus with beautiful ocean vistas. It was still a long drive from San Mateo, but a pleasant one and no bridges to cross. The good news and the bad news - my start time was around 12:30 which meant I didn;t have to get up at an ungodly hour, but the temps were going to be quite warm. The course was billed as "mountainous" (not simply hilly) and I was warned that this is the hardest road race of the season. This is more like a circuit race - 14 laps of 3 miles with 400 feet of climbing per lap. No flat areas on the course - you are either climbing or descending. I am a good climber but an uncanny ability to recover, so I (and my coach) thought that I would do well. Wrong - what was missing from that analysis is that only the strongest and lightest racers entered. I dropped RFA at 8:45 at Canada and 92 for the Russian ride and headed out to Santa Cruz on my own (after a stop at Starbucks). I didn't have a chance to pre-ride the course but got a glimpse of the steep part of the climb while driving to the parking lot. I had a good warm-up on the trainer. It was foggy when I arrived, but soon the sun was shining and the afternoon temps were in the low 80's - hot for this kind of racing. The Cat 4 women's field was pretty small - I finished tenth - dead last if you don't count the DNP person. It seems that two other folks either dropped out or didn't get captured in the standings (that happens, I know!) because we had 13 at the start line. The race started with a climb and my heart rate was at 160. I stayed with the peleton for three laps and I was the first to drop off. There was one heart-stopping moment on the fast descent when someone braked and I came way too close to hitting Janet Martinez' wheel. After I got dropped, I simply decided to do my own training ride. I lost a lot of time on the descents since I didn't have anyone to draft (except for one Webcor guy who told me to grab his wheel on one of the descents - that made a difference of 32 mph v. 28 mph which is huge over 14 laps. Eventually I got lapped which really sucked. The feed station was well-manned and I was able to drink plenty of water and pour water down my back to cool off. I was glad when it was over. Not sure if I will do this again. The Cat 1/2 women were really fast. I am not a big person (5' 41/2" tall and less than 110#) but the women's field was full of these little midgets!!

Roses for National Championship Win at Masters Track

I never received so many roses in my life! Red, white and blue roses (or close to it) from my husband (and my soigneur – he has been upgraded from bike slave) Hermes and yellow roses from my coaches Dmitriy and Vladimir. If it is possible, my coaches were even more excited than me! I owe so much to my husband, coaches, Webcor teammates and training mates for their inspiration and encouragement. They have more faith in my ability than I do – I am just glad that I did not disappoint them.