My Nephew has a bike!

Watch out here comes my nephew Jordan! He may not be quite walking yet but he has a bike!

Dirty roads but at least it's outside!

I got to ride outside today! It was great to be outdoors even though it was very windy and there was still some slush around and fallen branches. The picture above is the guardrail that is now repaired from when the buses almost crashed through above the freeway.

The streets were full of grit from all the sanding. It was good to be on a fixed gear bike because you don't have to use the brakes as much. Braking in this weather is horrible for your rims. When I hung up my bike after the commute I could hear the dirt falling off of it on to the floor. I guess I should have hosed it down. I call my commuter bike the road monster because it's great for this kind of stuff. I also rode over quite a bit of glass where the buses crashed that wasn't swept up yet and I didn't get a flat.

Vittoria Randonneur tires

I did get a flat on Sunday when I was riding the trainer! I use a special tire just for riding the trainer so I don't wear my good tires. So there was no glass but I guess I just wore out the tube. I worked at the computrainer booth at the bike expo a few years ago when Allen Larsen (Race Across America Winner) rode the computrainer for the entire day. He got a flat while I was there and I happened to have my bike bag with a spare tube and a pump so I got to fix his tire!

I rode Saturday and Sunday inside, hopefully for the last weekend for awhile!

Trainer Tire

More time in the garage

I've been spending a lot of time in our garage lately. Today it was 45 minutes of trainer and 1/2 hour of weights. I have some free weights that I use with a Swiss ball and bosu ball. I also have some cords and a medicine ball. I try to do as many exercises that involve lifting while challenging my balance. So I stand on one leg on the bosu while I do bent over rows. Or I balance on my knees on the Swiss ball while I do curls. I also do exercises that combine different motions and use the whole body. It's a good workout but I will be happy when I can ride outside again. When I was a swimmer we called this "dry-land training".

This is a picture from Monday. Today the snow is melting and the streets are finally starting to clear.

It just keeps snowing

It looks like I might be riding trainer for a while. It just keeps snowing. Today I did another long trainer ride and then went outside and made a snowman. I am so tired now! I can't remember getting this tired when I played outside as a kid. Later on I saw some kids making a snow-woman friend for my snowman. I thought that was pretty funny. I think I'm done with making snowmen for at least a week.

Tons of Snow!

We are getting tons of snow and it is still snowing! I was shocked to see one of the First Rate Mortgage guys in full kit at the local coffee shop this morning. He said he was going mountain biking but still - it is so cold out. The streets are all iced up again too.

I stayed inside and watched movies while I rode trainer for 4 hours. I watched 2-1/2 movies. One of the movies Le Magnifique was a French Comedy. It was hilarious! I watched it in French and then tried to understand the language while reading the subtitles. It helps with recognizing spoken French and it keeps my mind busy.

Cardio Workout

I built a snowman today at lunch! It was a great workout.

Later on I did intervals. I did the 2-minutes at increasing power, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240 watts but blew up on the last one. I think making the snowman was more fun.

Trainer and Rollers - Icy Roads

I rode rollers and then trainer on Sunday for about 2hrs total. I watched a movie called WALL-E that was really good. Great movie for the trainer. Did some weights and more rollers on Tuesday and then trainer again today. I have to ride indoors to make up for my lost commute. This weather stinks. I did 10 minutes above 200 watts and got really sweaty. It was harder than it should have been so I decided to check my blog to see what I was doing this time last year. No Blog! I didn't start blogging until Dec 27th! It's almost my blogiversary!

I thought I made that word up but a google search reveals that someone beat me to it.

Not rideable today - Greenlake Snow

It's beautiful out today! Time for a rest week! I've neglected taking a rest week but now is a good time since the road is frozen over with a slick sheet of icy snow/slush. It's 30 degrees out so it will partially melt and then refreeze again. Looks like I'll be riding inside for a few days. I'll be getting on the trainer later for a short ride. Yesterday I didn't ride at all - except for getting groceries.

Marymoor-Carnation-Sammamish Plateau Beaver Lake

Today we carpooled from Speedy Reedy to start our ride at Marymoor. Speed Reedy is moving into a new building that they are sharing with Blue Rooster and Five Zero Nine. All who are sponsoring our team!

This is Annette describing the route to the guys. Just a few hills. A couple of the riders from HB went with us because they didn't have enough for a group ride. It was nice to have company.

We went on a road that had a small herd of goats wandering across it. It was pretty funny but I didn't get a picture. They we headed around the corner and one of the HB riders got a flat. I was wishing he had his flat by the goats so I could get a picture! This road had been recently closed due to flooding but it was not a problem for bikes. Later on we saw some Llamas. I love to see the llamas. They are such cute looking animals.

We went through Carnation and headed up a long hill to the Sammamish Plateau. It was a good climb and my legs were burning by the top. We got nice and warm which was good because a few minutes later the rain started really coming down hard. We were drenched. I was happy to reach the parking lot and ride in the warm car with heated seats back home.

Marymoor Carnation Beaver Lake Loop

http://www.bikely.com/

Woodinville + Tuscany

I started out today's ride with a 20 minute time trial. I met up with Sara to ride north to meet the others but Sara was having some mechanical difficulties. We tried to fix her bike but we weren't successful. It was still good enough to get her home but not for a group ride. After giving up on the bike I went on alone to meet the others. I was late so I really pushed the pace. I passed some of the Wines team going the other way. They must have thought I was crazy to be riding out of the saddle in December. I made it from Greenlake to Logboom in 20 minutes! It's not a smart way to start out a 4-hour ride though. I was careful to eat and to take it easy for awhile so I didn't run out of energy before the ride ended.

We had a really nice ride through Woodinville and up through the Tuscany neighborhood. Tuscany is a neighborhood of what they call McMansions. I'm not a fan of big houses but the streets through that area are really nice to ride on.

We dropped down to some of the horse pasture areas and Teresa got a flat. One of the horses came up to the fence of his corral and let us pet him while we got the tire fixed. I don't mind flats so much when it's nice out because we get to chat more and take a break.

The others went for an extra loop but I headed back home. I am going to ride again tomorrow so I don't need to train more than 4 hours. I still felt pretty good at the end of the ride.

I captured part of the route on my GPS. I forgot to turn it on at the beginning of the ride.

Woodinville plus Tuscany

http://www.bikely.com/

Energy Bars!

Mark made energy bars! Yummy! I put the official recipes below (this one is #2) but he improvises a bit. This one has pecans in it. And he uses brown rice syrup instead of corn syrup. You can also substitute soynut butter instead of peanut butter.

These are good too but you can use brown rice syrup instead of corn syrup.

Snohomish via Seattle Hill

I couldn't believe how warm it was today. It started out really foggy when I left Seattle. When we hit the Snohomish valley it was sunny and really warm. When I got back to Seattle it was foggy again but the temperature was 55! It hardly seems like winter.

Snohomish loop via Seattle Hill

http://www.bikely.com/

Tiger Mountain Ride

I finally went up Tiger Mountain today! I had never done the road route before - only the mountain bike route. It was a great day for it. Just a little misty but very warm.

We started our ride with one of the local men's teams since they were headed in the same direction. I was chatting with one of the guys I had met once before and he reminded me of a ride we did about 8 years ago when I gave him a homemade energy bar. I had totally forgotten about it. We haven't made our own energy bars in a long time. When I got home I told Mark and we went to the store to get the ingredients to make them again.

I had heard that Tiger was really steep and hard so I was a bit worried but I really wanted to learn the route. We went to the end of Tiger Mt road and headed back towards the West. The road is great, it goes up and is really long but I didn't think it was too steep at all. It was a good hill for getting into a rhythm and enjoying the climb. It might be that it is steeper if you come up the other side. The road doesn't have much traffic and there are lots of trees. It was a real treat.

Then we stopped in Issaquah at a bread store and got pastries. It was good we did because the ride was about 1-1/2 hours longer than I had planed for. It was actually starting to get dark on our ride home. It was mostly due to heavy clouds but the cars had their lights on already!

Issaquah with Tiger Mt

http://www.bikely.com/

Turkey Day Bike Ride to Benefit NW Harvest

There was a great turnout for the Thanksgiving ride to benefit NW harvest. Mick, from the First Rate Mortgage Team organized it. He started doing it a few years back and it has turned into a cycling community tradition. I haven't heard the totals yet but I think we raised a good amount of donations. Somebody was offering to match whatever we came up with too.

There was a huge group of riders out front of the Starbucks meeting place. Even more arrived after I took the picture above. Inside the Starbucks I heard one of the employees ask "what is going on?" Another worker replied "they are here every Thanksgiving". They must think we are crazy.

It felt great to see everybody out and to ride together. It makes me happy to reconnect with old friends. Burton, the Wednesday night announcer at the track greeted me with "Riders to the Rail" in his Announcer's voice. I laughed, it got the juices flowing in my track muscles! I made some new friends along the way also.

It was fun to ride down the street in a huge group. I noticed the surprised look on the faces of people we passed. Some people actually pulled out their camera and took a picture. They are used to seeing bike racers. Maybe even groups of 20 or so at a time but not the 100+ that we had. The weather was perfect for it too.

Frosty!

Today was cold in the morning. When I left the house at 8:30 there was frost on the grass and some of the roofs were frozen. I went by people scraping the ice off of their cars.

I forgot to wear long tights, just knee warmers and I felt the exposed patch of skin between the ankle and the bottom of the knee warmer go numb. Time for long tights I guess. There didn't seem to be ice on the ground but very close to it. I guess the sky was clear last night and that made everything frost up.

I went for an easy ride with my team. The sun warmed things up and by 10:30 it was really nice. The sun felt good on my face.

Since I haven't ridden the past two weekends I was a little sore after the ride even though we rode easy. I took an ice bath to make the legs feel better even though I had just warmed up. It has an immediate effect. I should have done it yesterday too.

Long easy riding

It's the time of year that I do long easy riding. Today was a fun ride out through Woodinville. We kept it relaxed most of the time. There is a tendency for bike racers to overdo it this time of year and then burn out in the summer. My legs felt really good and I think the indoor roller workouts are helping my pedaling efficiency.

I set up the Computrainer this week to get ready for when the weather gets really bad. So far so good though. Today was cold: 42F but no rain. Hopefully tomorrow will be just as nice.

Velibs à Paris! Paris Velodrome

Riding the free "Velibs" in Paris! You can't use these without a French credit card. Luckily I have a former teammate, Mary, who lives in Paris. She led us around the Bois de Vincennes.

There was a vélodrome in the Bois but they wouldn't let us ride on it with our Velibs.

Nice helmet.

We're back on the bikes.

Mary's got a good Velib sprint.

This car is actually parked on the corner.

We had to watch on the sidelines as a French track rider rode around.

We had fun riding the Velibs!

Later on we were riding along through the bois and one of the French national riders passed us. I rang my bell at him as he passed.

Pictures from Avanti/Blue Rooster Meet the Team Ride

Her are some pictures that Kelly took from the Meet the Team Ride.

Meet the team Ride

Saturday was our meet the team ride. It doesn't make sense to have your meet the team ride in November, after all of the other teams have closed their rosters and people have already made choices. We had three new riders where, in the past we have had as many as 40 new riders. Hopefully the three who came out will want to join us.

It was too bad because our team has a lot to offer this year. We have a really cool new sponsor, Blue Rooster, who is designing our new team kit and a new team website. We are really excited about it. We have some other great sponsors too that are enthusiastic about supporting the team.

It was a good chance for our team to ride together though. There were some faces that I haven't seen in a while. We had a good ride even though the group had three flats! We didn't mind too much because it was really warm. In fact there were some really warm air currents as we came around the southeast side of Lake Washington. It was bizarre for November!

Several people were taking pictures but I forgot my camera. Hopefully I will get some pics to post soon.

Rollers!

I couldn't find anybody to ride with today so I opted to stay inside and ride rollers. I did one hour - my record so far for rollers.

Cedar River Loop

We had more beautiful fall colors on today's ride. I feel like I'm cheating somebody when I get in 60 miles without paying for any gas! I rode with a couple of friends who hadn't been on the Cedar River loop and it was fun to see the route through new eyes. You feel like you are out in the country on those roads. We saw horses, goats, and even some really cute ponies. It was a long ride though and my body wasn't quite used to the distance.

We took the back road through the arboretum on the way home. The road was closed to cars and the road surface has been recently redone. It was really nice. People were walking their dogs, families were out together, and there were leaves falling around us as we rode. Very relaxing.

I snapped a picture of the fall colors from the Ravenna bridge on my way back.

Cedar River Loop

http://www.bikely.com/

Fall Leaves

We had a nice sized group of women on the ride today. It seems as if everyone was drawn outside by the sunshine. The Fall leaves were beautiful. As we crossed Mercer Island we got a progression of green-yellow to yellow-orange to yellow-orange-red. It made me think of Popsicles. Maybe I was hungry.

I learned this week that the group of men I rode with last week formed a splinter group and left the team. I was sad because I have been on the same team with some of these guys for a very long time. It was really surprising. I think the girls are rallying though and we will still have a good group of racers.

Go Annette Go! Master's World Track Championships in Sydney

http://www.cyclingmasters.tv/stream.aspx

I've been watching Annette race at the Master's World Track Championships in Sydney. She already has a second in the 500 and a world championship and world record in the Pursuit! Woohoo! In the picture she is about to win her semi-final sprint heat. More racing tomorrow but it will still be today for her. That track is beautiful!

Cold but Sunny

Last night we had our first frost warning of the year. Leina and I rode early this morning - 8:30 so we could go with the men's team. We only had two women so we thought it would be more fun to ride with the guys. We headed north but mostly took side streets instead of the trail so we didn't have to dodge the runners. It was cold out and I wore several layers - four in fact - to keep warm. We stopped at the bathrooms after about an hour and when I came out the guys all had steam coming off of them. It looked really cool with the sun peaking up just over the trees and fog hanging around the edges. The sun eventually came out and warmed things up. It was nice to have a big group although I never knew exactly when we were going to have a "sprint". The guys like to sprint for the "city limits" signs but I haven't figured out where they are yet.

Our Burnaby Track Racing Adventure

We raced track again!!!









Mark and I were moping about, lamenting the end of track season when he suggested we go up to Burnaby, in Canada and race on their indoor track. We were both very excited at the idea of more racing, and to try out a new track. We had heard stories about the steep banking and sharp turns. Burnaby is half the size of our track at Marymoor, 200 meters instead of 400 meters. The turns are tighter, so have to be banked more. The turns at Marymoor have about a 28 degree banking and the surface of the track is concrete. The turns at Burnaby have a 47 degree banking and the surface of the track is wood.

It was amazing when we got there. The building has a bubble type roof which uses air pressure to maintain the support of the roof. So to get into the building you have to go through a special air lock.

We got there pretty early and were the first racers to show up. It felt surreal inside the building. The sound bounces around the inside of the roof and comes at you from all different directions with strange echos. There were volley ball games going on when we got there. The whole inside of the track oval is full of volley ball courts with high nets to keep the balls out. It was a strange combination for us. One of the Canadian racers, Mike, greeted us when we got there. They were excited that folks from "South of the Border" were there. We felt like special guests.





We couldn't warm up right away because they had to put in a piece of the track (see pictures). They needed several people to get it in to place. But then in didn't fit. They had it together a few days ago but there was a big temperature & humidity change in the last few days which changed the size of the wood. No problem. They got out a saw and made a new shim piece to fit it back together. I was impressed.









I felt very daunted by the steep angles on the track. I asked a lot of questions about how to get on and off of the track safely. I was worried because they say you have to be going at least 30 to not fall off of the track. That's 30 kilometers per hour which is about 19 mph. I don't have a speedometer so I have no idea how fast I usually ride. I talked to one of the Canadian women, Jen, and I followed her onto the track. It wasn't bad at all. Then I got the feel of the corners. Wow! It reminded me of when I was stuck circling a thunderstorm at the Denver airport. Every time you hit the corner you feel like you weigh twice as much and the ground is pushing up at you. This happens about every 10 seconds. Whooom! You really have to try it. And when you get going fast you feel it even more. As you come off of the corner you feel lift - as you come out of the G-forces of the turn, kind of like a roller coaster. I couldn't help yelling "whee" the first time I took a fast lap in the sprinter's lane.


Soon we were going to be racing! The novice racers went first and I went over to hear the instructions they were being given. They have special rules for the novices about when you can attack and they require the field to regroup. This forces the riders to ride as a pack so they improve their group riding skills. You have to ride up the banking and grab the rail just to start the race. Then you drop down the bank and get up enough speed to hit the corners. The first time the group went around the announcer yelled at them "you guys better speed up or you'll be on your butts!" My stomach lurched.

Then I got to watch the guy's 4-lap heats. They usually have an A and a B race but they combined them since there weren't that many in the A group (I rode with the C group). We had four from the USA - Guy, Mark, Brian, and myself. Mark and Brian both made it through their heats by riding hard from the front.

I was really more worried than I needed to be. They called my group for our first race and I rode up to the rail and grabbed it, no problem. We dropped down and they started the race with a "whistle". Which was a guy whistling through his teeth really loud. I chuckled. They are really low key and friendly at Burnaby. In fact they don't even wear race numbers. I asked one of the racers about it because having the right race number is a big deal at Marymoor. The racer said, "oh it's no problem, Mike (the announcer), he knows everybody." My race was an unknown distance. I played it safe and rode conservatively to get my bearings. It was fun! No problem. Whew, I felt much better after getting in a race.


They guys did their final 4-lap heat and Brian rode awesome to get 3rd place!



Then it was already time for me to race again. Almost no break! I'm using to having several races in between at Marymoor. I did a snowball race and shortly after finished with a points race. They were playing volley ball still while we raced and it was a bit disconcerting because you could here them yelling in the center of the track as they played. At one point my bike hit a loose board and jumped sideways. I freaked out for a second but then calmed down and kept going. It's a way different feel on the boards and the bike handles differently. The key is to stay relaxed and calm. I started to feel motion sick after the end of my race. I was told to look further ahead into the next turn to keep that from happening.

We all finished racing and had the luxury of taking a shower before the ride home. It's nice to be indoors! It was pouring rain outside too so if this were Marymoor we would have not been able to race at all.

It was a great experience and I can't wait to go again.

Good Luck Annette!

Good luck to my teammate Annette and her husband Kenny! They are at Track Nationals this week down in Carson California. To keep up to date I found all of the cycling blogs I could and loaded them into my Google Reader. If you haven't discovered the Google reader check it out. You can read all of your favorite blogs and it sorts them out for you and tells you right away which ones have new posts.

Here are a few to start with...
http://teamtype12007.blogspot.com/
http://ouchprocycling.blogspot.com/
http://fcshannon.blogspot.com/
http://proman-paradigm.blogspot.com/
http://chainandpedals.blogspot.com/
http://www.armstrongcycling.com/
http://lizreapcarlson.wordpress.com/
http://www.hipsternascar.com/

And the official page here

The best story so far is Shelly Olds bike being found after being stolen.

Now I really need to get some work done and stop surfing the Internet!

Intro to Women's Cycling and Racing Teams Sunday Ride

Today I went on one of the general recruiting rides for women cyclists. The idea is to have all of the local women's race teams represented and let new riders meet everybody at once. I represented my team the past two weeks. There are four rides total, all on Sundays. The rides are very interesting because you meet all sorts of riders with different backgrounds but all wanting to find out more about racing.

It's difficult to sum up why my team is different than the other teams in a few words. Mostly it's the size and the race focus. Because we have a smaller group of riders we can more closely interact with new riders. We build their skills and get them strong and confident before their first race. The other teams have larger groups but not everybody races. Some of the other teams are more of a club atmosphere. We look for riders who really want to race and are training through the winter with that goal. Our training rides focus on racing skills and building a strong base to anchor training later on in the season. We also have some really strong riders that know the kind of training needed to go fast. Training with fast people is the way to get faster. We have a relaxed fun atmosphere that is less rigid than the sturcted organization of some of the other teams.

So I tried to find out what each person was looking for and tell them about my team during a ride with 40 or so women who I hadn't ridden with before. It's fun but draining. I hope some of them will join my team because I'm excited to mentor new riders and pass on my love of bike racing.

At the half-way point we stopped at the rest rooms and I just happened to see one of my old teammates, Jennie, out riding with one of the local teams. It was great to see her again. I remember when she started cycling! Maybe one of the riders starting today will make it to the top like Jennie.

Saturday Ride around the North End

Saturday I took a relaxed ride around the north end of Lake Washington with my team. It was a beautiful day. The best part of the ride was when one of the riders had some friends cheering for us on the route. We were riding through Kirkland and I saw her on her phone as we were riding. I thought maybe she was going to have somebody meet us but she explained that some friends with kids love to watch her ride by and cheer so she was telling them when we would be riding by. So as we were climbing the hill a few minutes later I saw the family with three kids wildly cheering for us. I high five-ed one of the boys as we rode by. It was so cool. I felt inspired by their energy. It was a perfect day for riding too.

Fender time already!

I showed up for the Saturday ride and it was raining. There is a big cross race today so I only had one teammate to ride with. While we were in the coffee shop before the ride we convinced the Cucina Fresca team to ride with us. So there were 6 of us instead of 2. It was nice to have company in the rain. The bad thing was that I didn't have a fender on my bike yet. I thought I could get through October without putting it on but I was the only one on the ride without one. I felt bad because the person behind you really gets sprayed by the puddles if you don't have a fender with a buddy flap. It rained the whole time but not too hard. I noticed that a lot of the cars had their headlights on though. One of the Cucina Fresca riders said that he could tell I was a track rider because of my smooth pedal stroke. That made my day!

On Wednesday I rode the rollers again. I am getting a little more brave but they are scary since nothing is holding you down. I went 20 minutes with some modest spin-ups. I lifted weights too and was quite sore the next day.

Happieness and Sadness

This week was a tough week. We got the news that my good friend Jen lost her husband in a tragic rock climbing accident. We raced on Wednesday but with heavy hearts. Yesterday Jen came out to the track to watch with her dog. We paid tribute to her husband, Ryan who had helped out at the velodrome and was a fan. On Sunday there will be a service to celebrate his life. Our prayers are with her and I hope that the spirit of the bike racing community will help her heal and make it through.

It was also a time to reflect on the past year and how great a season it was for bike racing. Mark and I had more fun this year than ever before. The racing was great and the camaraderie was even better. We are looking forward to more years of fun at the track.

Wednesday night I got to race my new bike with the guys. It worked great but it really responds fast and I have to get used to how it handles in a pack. I raced a little conservatively just to be safe. I came really close to getting the first sprint in the snowball race. The power of the bike allowed me to keep up a pace I couldn't have with the old bike. I got to watch the old bike race too though since I sold it to Mark's teammate and she raced it the same night. I was happy to see it get immediate use. I hope she gets as much fun out of it as I did.

I raced the new bike again on Friday. I was really tired from the emotional week. I also started French classes this week which were on Tuesday and Thursday. I had to do homework at lunch on Wednesday because I didn't have any other time.

The new bike is a great fit but it is very different from the old bike so it uses my muscles differently. So I would have great power for a short period of time. I will ride it a lot on the rollers in the winter to get conditioned for next year.

The first race of the night was a scratch race. I didn't do that great but it was fun to see my friend Jane win it. The next race was a miss-and-out. Annette raced it with me and rode strong on the inside. I stayed right next to her until one of the riders came around me. Then I had to back out quickly and come around on the outside before I got swamped. It worked for that lap but the next lap I was on the back and I let one of the riders get by me and I got boxed. Annette did great and won the race. She was able to give me some valuable insights after the race on how to hold your position.

The last race was a points race and I was able to take the first set of points but then I got really tired and wasn't able to get any of the other sprints. I think everybody raced well and it was a good night to end on. Afterwards they had a celebration and passed out prizes for the season. I think I was about in 6th place for the year - just out of the prizes which went 5 deep. Not bad but just wait...

New Bike!

New bike!!!!

Annette sold me her old bike and I rode it on the track today. Boy does it ride nice. It is amazing. I can't wait to race it.

gearing down

Last night I finally geared down to a 50x15. I have been pushing a bigger gear and I've really liked it so I was reluctant to try a small gear because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to stay with the group. I think I like the smaller gear now though.

Our first race was a win-and-out. These have always been pretty tough for me since the pace goes high and stays there. I finished somewhere near the back and I was thinking the small gear was going to be harder for me.

The next race was a Keirin heat. I drew first position which means I got the motor. It was the first time on the motor for me. I had no problem moving up to it, the only problem was that I felt I was going to run over it. I need to do some motor pacing so I can feel confident getting really close. The motor pulled off with 1-1/2 laps to go. I surged a little and one rider came around but I was able to hold off the next rider to advance to the final heat. There were only 4 of us in the final. I did not get the motor this time and felt that I could just sit on the wheels. The motor pulled off and the two strong riders slowed way down. I knew this was a disadvantage for me because they both have better jumps so I tried to keep rolling down on the inside. They jumped hard and gapped me, but I was able to just barely out-sprint the 4th rider to take third. My best placing in a Keirin.

The last race of the night for me was a points race. After some early "shenanigans" by the women the real race started. There were a lot of primes in the race so it kept the pace up. I got one prime early on but was not close on the others. In the final sprint though I either got 3rd or 4th. I was excited to place well and felt that the smaller gear helped me. Annette watched the race and said she thought it was easier for me to get on top of the gear in the sprint. I think I'll stick with the smaller gear now.

The last race of the night was the Cat 2 men's madison. Mark just got the upgrade to Cat 2 and got to jump right into the premier event, the Madison. He paired up with a guy from the Old Town team and practiced exchanges during warm-up. After the race I asked him how he liked it and he said it was the funnest track race he had ever done.

Wednesday Night - Marymoor Velodrome

The cat 4's were fast last night. I raced with the men's 4's again and they were split into two fields. It was sunny, so attendance was fairly good considering it's so close to the end of the season. One of the guys in my group was a cat 2 on the road and won every race without much trouble. The rest of us tried to hang on once he went for it.

The first race was a point-a-lap. I got split off of the main group when the pace increased but so did quite a few others. The next race, the win-and-out, went about the same. In the last race, the points race, I went for an attack 1-lap before the first points. I went intentionally when I saw the fast guy on the front because I was gambling that he wouldn't feel threatened by me and wouldn't chase. As I attacked down the banking I heard someone yell "let it go" but the other guys in the pack weren't going to risk losing points and were right on it. They caught me and I hung on as the pace ramped up for the sprint for points. I really had to dig deep to avoid getting dropped. I felt like I pushed my legs beyond a barrier and was able to get more power out of them. It was great! Now I just need to remember how to do that for the women's race! I hung on until about the last three laps in the race. At that point the group was completely shattered and I was passing lapped riders. One of these days I'm going to stay away for points!

Blackberry Crit

I wasn't originally going to go to this race. It's the last race of the season and Bremerton sounds like a long way from here. I knew you had to take a ferry to get there so I figured it was too much of a hassle. But then I was talking to other racers and they said it was a great race and you could get there by bike.



I was skeptical but decided to try it out anyway. It was only about a 30 minute ride from my house to the ferry. When I got there I saw a bunch of other racers already in their kits waiting to load. I saw quite a few of the track racers and we got a chance to chat. The ferry ride was long, about an hour, but it beat driving. It was a beautiful day and we saw about five seals in the water. I rode the ferry with my teammate Brenda who was doing her first bike race with the faster category women. We exited the ferry with about 20-30 racers and rode in a peloton to the race course. It was a fun way to arrive. You could feel everybody watching the group trying to pick out who would be racing next.


We started off the race and I got an OK start, but not great. Then I realized I was right behind Gina. I knew this was a good place because it doesn't take Gina long to attack. Sure enough just as soon as that went through my head, Gina is going up the side, fast, and I am with her. We round the corner and Gina underestimated our speed just a bit and hit the barriers on the far side of the turn. I got a good jolt of adrenalin but she handled it fine and didn't go down. We came around the start with a small gap as I heard the announcer say "and three riders are making a move already". It was fun but didn't last long. We were swallowed up in the pack. I was on the back resting for a while and then came up towards the front again but I must have moved up too fast because all of a sudden the pace jumped and the riders were in a single file. I couldn't keep up the pace and went off the back. It was too bad because we were only 15 minutes into the race. The group came around I got back in the back but was not allowed to go for points since I was lapped. It was frustrating because I felt pretty strong. Next time I just have to hang on during the rough parts. All in all I really liked the course. It was a bit of a roller coaster with ups and downs. The hills were fine because you could get good momentum going into them.



It was my last road race of the season and I wish I had ridden stronger but it was still fun. My teammate Brenda was very excited to survive her first race with the upper category riders!



I have a few more track races left and then will be in off-season mode.



I have a bunch of things to work on during the off-season. I want to be more flexible and have a stronger core muscles. Today I rode rollers which are supposed to smooth out your pedaling. 20 minutes! It was hard because the balance is tricky and it feels like you are going to wipe out.



I am having a four-leaf clover streak. If you want one just ask me. I have a lot now! I just looked down for a second today and saw one.

Marymoor Velodrome - 5-leaf clover!

I didn't think we were going to get to race last night. It didn't look like we had enough women for a field and there was a 70% chance of rain. Everything worked out though and we had a nice sized field and it was just dry enough to race. There was a light mist but not enough to wet the track surface. We were on edge all night though wondering if rain would suddenly break out.


As I was crossing the infield to set out my stuff I found a 5-leaf clover right in the middle of the infield. I rarely find five-leaf clovers! I'm not sure if it is supposed to be good luck but I picked it anyway.


My first race of the night was a tempo race. I went for the sprints on the second lap and got the points but I mis-judged the speed of the field as they caught me and didn't catch on. So I spent the rest of the race trying to catch up. It was a silly mistake but I'll be more alert next time. I ended up 6th just out of the overall points.

The next race was a two-lap heat. Two riders advancing to the final and two to the consol. I was paired with Christine and Amara, two of the top sprinters. I got the jump on them but they closed just as I got to the line and I ended up a close 3rd. I felt pretty good about challenging them all the way to the end. I think with a little work over the winter I will be winning some of those close ones. I went to the consol heat and was going to try the same strategy but Laura C took it out fast. There were two Group Health riders in my heat so I got behind them and waited until the last half a lap and came around. One of the Group Health teammates caught me before the line so I got 2nd. I think I should have come around just with a little more punch so they couldn't catch my wheel.

The last race was a points race. I was trying to keep an eye on Jaydeen because I knew she would try to break away. I think she was waiting for me to be distracted before she moved though. I went for the second round of points and right after the line as I was easing up Jaydeen attacked hard. Whoops! There was a prize of $100 if someone lapped the field and I knew she could do it if we sat up. I took several hard pulls to keep the pace up. If someone gets that $100 I am going to make them earn it, even if it means throwing my own race. I was in good position for the final sprint and picked up a few more points. It was fun but I felt like collapsing afterwards!

Mark's parents were at the race so I chatted with them while watching Mark's final race.

Here is a short video of Mark's Keirin heat:

Sprint Mania at Marymoor Velodrome

It looked like it might rain but we got lucky again with the weather.

Last night was sprint mania at Marymoor. They changed up the format and I think it made it more interesting. They divided everybody up into three fields and had a Tourney in each group. So you sprinted against a wider variety of riders. It made it challenging to try to figure out how to race someone stronger. Some of the fast riders showed up that you usually only see on Fridays. It made it feel like an "event".

All of the races were 2-lap heats with 2-4 riders in each race. In my first race one of the guys had a very low race number which meant he was a Cat 2 rider - very fast. There were three of us in the group. We rolled around the track waiting for someone to break for it. I rode in the back and tried to keep them guessing by changing my speed and changing my position on the banking. The strongest rider finally made the attack and I couldn't catch him but the race for second was very close. I lost but it felt good about trying out my ideas.

The second sprint I had to race with one of Mark's teammates who is very strong. I decided to go really early. I jumped hard and got a gap for 1/2 a lap but the other riders caught and passed me before the line. If I get a little more strength that kind of move might work.

On the last race I felt I had pretty good position, riding high on the track - right up until the rider down low attacked hard and I couldn't get to his wheel. I was closing before the finish but couldn't quite get there. I wasn't sure what I did wrong and then I talked to him on the warm down circle. He said that he used the third rider in our group to block my path to his wheel . He moved up slowly until I was blocked and then went for it. He got this great advice from racing against Annette in his previous heat. Annette! My teammate! I gave her grief for helping someone beat me but it was all in good fun. I probably won't forget that tactic.

It was also fun to watch how the riders who beat you did as they advanced to the next round. You could see what they tried and if it worked. Mark did well and took third overall in his group (beat by a Junior).

Velodrome Pictures from last Friday

The Wheels in Focus pictures are up from last Friday. I think this one is my favorite. I'm off the front (not pictured) and the two Giant girls are looking at each other while my teammates are waiting in the wings to strike!


I had to leave work late yesterday because there were thunderstorms, hail, and a chance of a funnel cloud! I'm going to miss summer track racing when it's over.


I found a 4-leaf clover today!

Seward Park Criterium

There were a lot of tired racers at Seward Park today. There was a road race yesterday (I didn't go), a national track qualifier down in Portland, and of course Friday track races. After doing so much track I've neglected my hill climbing. I wasn't too disappointed though, I finished the race and didn't get lapped. At the start of the race there was an attack every lap. I brought the group up to one but I just didn't have any extra energy in my legs. There was a group that got off the front that represented all of the teams so after that the pace became manageable for a while. I got dropped from the group a bunch of times but I kept catching back on the downhill. I lasted with the main group until about 3 laps to go. Then the pace picked up and that was it. I kept riding to finish the race but was very tired at the end.

I found another 4-leaf clover this morning! It was a tiny one.

Welocome Canadians! - Marymoor Velodrome

I got to the track and was unpacking my stuff when I saw this tight group of about 8 riders circling the track in matching kits that I wasn't used to seeing. We had company! The Canadians had stopped by on their way to a big race in Portland. They had three of their top women riders with them too! Since the women's field was going to be stronger than usual some of the local women who usually race with the men decided to join us as well - Kelly and my teammate Annette. This meant we would be doing some fast riding! I could feel the pain in my legs already!

We had three women from my team in the race, Karen, myself, and Annette. Annette discussed strategy with us for the first race, a snowball. I was to go on the attack and try to get early points and then Karen and Annette would go for the later points. So I warmed up good, since I knew I was going to go all out right from the gun. We lined up for the first race and the gun went off and I attacked hard. I wasn't sure if I could get a point on the first lap but I thought if I didn't, at least Karen would be there if I got caught. But I kept the gap and took the point. I kept on the gas because I needed to get as many points as possible to help Annette. I heard Mark yelling from the infield "go for two!" Karen and Annette were in the pack, discouraging them from chasing. I got the next round of points and saw I had a big gap so I didn't let up. The announcer was really getting the crowd going and I stayed out for three more laps! The local girls in the pack decided to make the stronger ones chase and the stronger women were waiting around hoping to sit in. Finally they realized they had to close the gap and the pack caught me but by that time I had been off the front for 5 laps. I had enough points to get second place in the race! Annette was able to get the sprints at the end and win the race so we went 1-2! Hooray! I was really excited to do well.

The next race was a keirin and Annette discussed strategy with me and Karen. Annette was done for the night because she was resting her legs for the races down in Portland. I didn't get the wheel I wanted at the start so I tried riding up the side to mix up the order. But that didn't work and I ended up in back. I came around as the motor pulled off and got a great wheel. But then I wasn't able to match the speed of the strong riders and watched them get away. I need to work on my top end speed! Those girls are strong!

After racing with us the Canadians jumped in the men's field to race with them too. Incredible! They just didn't seem to get tired.

Our last race was a 25 lap scratch race. I was planning to try and rest for the whole race and place at the end but I couldn't resist a good opportunity to attack. I went off the front at least two times and was joined by one of the Canadians on the second attack. But my legs were so fried at this point. They say you should not burn all of your matches before the end of the race, well I might as well have had a bonfire with my matches. I hung on to finish the race but was thoroughly exhausted! That was FUN!

Today is a rest day before racing again tomorrow.

Rain Out

Wednesday night was rained out! I did a few quick intervals instead before our team meeting. I did two 5 minute intervals but was surprised at how low the power was. It was a struggle to hold 230 watts. Maybe I should be working the intervals on the weekends.

Last Sunday I went to the sprinting grounds and did 30 sprints. You can really learn a lot doing a sprint 30 times. You can really think about what your body is doing and how balanced or unbalanced you are. Every part of me was tired after that workout. It reminded me of doing "puke in the gutter" sets when I was swimming at the UW.

Hot racing at Marymoor Velodrome

It was hot last night - at least for a Seattlelite.

I felt a bit weak as I was fighting off a small cold that I had during vacation, so I didn't feel 100%. The first race was a point-a-lap. I tried for some of the points but ended up missing it and then just hung on until the end. I had one teammate in the race but she had also been on vacation all week and was feeling tired as well. After the race I was coughing a whole bunch. I was worried that I might not be able to finish the night. I spit in the grass to clear out the crud.

The next race was the miss-and-out. I stayed out of trouble for the first three laps but I really needed to rest on a wheel. On the 4th lap I was beat and the wave came around on the outside. I think riding in the front is a really good strategy but I think at some point you need a wheel to rest on for at least at lap. After the race I noticed my cough was pretty much gone! Hooray!

On the final race I tried to be in front for the points laps but I didn't have the acceleration in my legs and I kept getting 5th (points go 4 deep). At one point I tried an experiment. The plan was to counter my own attack. To do this you get a gap on the field but it's not a real attack. After the field catches you - you counter. Well the attack went well and I soft pedaled and felt good and was ready to counter when the field came but I misjudged their speed and got swamped. I'm going to try it again sometime but I have to work on the timing. I think if you get it down the field will have trouble deciding if you are going for real or not.

We had about two laps to go and my teammate had some points so I decided to try and set her up for the finish. I attacked hard with about 1-1/2 laps and when the field caught me Karen was right on my wheel. I looked back and she said GO! I hammered around with all I had. I was worried that if I didn't go hard enough someone would come around and box her in. It was not a problem though. She rested and then sped around to take the final points! It was exhilarating to get it together as a team on the final lap.

Upper Latitude Training

Mark and I were on vacation last week in Anchorage. The hotel we were at had some bikes so we got a couple of rides in. We saw some moose too! I don't know if high latitude training has the same benefits as high altitude training but it's worth a try.

The last day we went riding the hotel had already rented out 30 bikes! So we got what was left. My seat had a shock absorber and was really cushy. The position was so upright that I didn't even have to stand going up hills. It made the handling a bit tricky though, the slightest move and the handle bars turn. I almost rode off of the trail a few times.

Attacking the field

Last night I raced in the men's category 4 field again but this time I raced more aggressively. It was a nice warm night and my legs felt great. I took the bus over from Seattle and rested my legs. Mark brought my track bike to his work and then took it with him to the velodrome.

My first race was a snowball. I thought it would be a fast race since the points increase each lap. But it seemed slow and a bit sketchy in the pack. I got swept up track at one point and lost my wheel and had to chase back on.

The next race was a win-and-out. Six laps around and then each lap someone "wins" and leaves the field. I figured we might have a slow pace for the first six laps as riders tried to jockey for position. So I attacked the field right from the start and was off the front for at least a lap before the field caught up with me. It was great fun and I really caught the guys off guard. The crowd was rooting me on too. I finished with the group but felt good about being able to get away from the group and forcing the pace.

The last race was a points race. I had two teammates in the race and I worked out a plan with one of them to do another surprise attack. Mark was watching from above the banking and on our neutral lap he yelled to me "attack the field!" He didn't think I was actually going to do it though! About two laps into the race my teammate went to the front to cover while I attacked hard up the side. I got a good gap and was away from the group for 3/4 of a lap when I heard Mark yelling "work together!" I didn't realize it but a rider from the Wines team had bridged up to me. This was awesome, we had blocking from two teams now. It was a vote of confidence that another rider was willing to take a chance with me. I pulled up track and we worked together for another lap until the field caught us. We were almost away long enough to take some points!

After the group caught me I got gapped off the back for awhile but one of my teammates pulled me back to the group and I finished with the pack. It was fun!

Slang

Check it out - there is even an entry for Jerry Baker:
http://www.velodrome.org/cms/files/downloads/terms_slang.pdf

Sunday training at Marymoor

Mark and I did a workout at the Velodrome today - 2 hours. It may be the longest I've ridden on the track at one time. Mark did some pursuits and some 1-lap efforts. I practiced hanging on to his wheel. I think I am getting better at staying on the wheel. I can stay on Mark's wheel at least! I found that using my core muscles helped.

At the end I practiced coming around Mark in the sprint. One of the other riders, Hugh, was helping me with the timing of slingshotting around. It was fun but my legs were toast afterwards. I took an ice bath to cool them down.

My own cheering section at Marymoor

I had a real cheering section last night. My Mom and Dad, my brother, his wife and son, and my cousins from Iowa all came to watch us race. It was great to have everyone out. It's also fun to hear what others think when they see the racing in person. They all liked watching us race but the kiddie kilo was a show stealer! They couldn't believe how many kids were out there. I can't wait until my nephew is old enough for a tricycle so he can "race" too.

I made the mistake of resting too much after the FSA race and my legs felt like they were missing the snap needed for the sprints. I had a good time racing though. The first race was a tempo and Devon and I got away for several laps. The Women's field was small though and everybody got points so my placing wasn't very high.

In the miss-in-out I managed to get through the first couple of rounds by riding on the front but I was out on the third round on a very close finish. I was pleased not to be out in the first round though after the last two miss-in-outs.

The last race was a 15 lap scratch race. I conserved energy for the finish but wasn't able to do much more at the end. It felt like my gear was huge even though it was the same one I've been using all year. I think I need to do some sprints during the week to keep the legs strong even if I am recovering.

Thanks everyone for coming out - and for taking pictures!