LiveSTRONG Challenge

(the wall)

I rode the LiveSTRONG 100, San Jose yesterday... with many people passed and present in my thoughts. It was inspiring to see so many riders who were survivors of the disease and to see many others out supporting or remembering friends and loved ones. Cancer reminds us that life is precious and can't be taken for granted -- got to get out there and enjoy it. What better way than to ride along scenic roads with friends on a beautiful day.

The 4th

After a month spent between Tulsa, D.C., Reno, and Bend, it was nice to have a weekend at home. I was able to get out on the Santa Cruz Harbor Ride on Saturday which I've been wanting to check out for quite some time. I don't know the full history on the ride, but I know it has been around for a long time, since before I was even born I believe. It starts out at the harbor in Santa Cruz and then winds along the coast making its way towards Aptos. The ride begins with a small group of riders and along the way more and more people join the crew until it swells to nearly 100 riders (on a big day). The pace is pretty mellow until leaving Aptos and then the ride picks up here and there with sprint points, rollers, and a climb up Hazel Dell -- it gets fun when the pace gets fast! In between the hot spots, the ride mellows out, regroups, and allows for a bit of socializing along the way. It was a nice chance to meet a few people from the local cycling community. While I've lived in Santa Cruz for months now, I still feel new to the area and haven't met a lot of locals since I'm often gone to all sorts of far away places.

On Sunday, Aspen and I ventured out to Davis for the 4th of July Criterium. I didn't have teammates to race with, but I had a super duper support crew composed of Aspen and the Tibco II team. The course was a flat L-shaped loop through a downtown bustling with 4th of July festivities. The pace was high and there were quite a few attacks, but nothing stuck for long. It was a hot one and I believe everyone was melting by the end... I sure was. I made the mistake of looking at my heart rate during a lull in the race only to find that it was exceeding my usual max! With 2 laps to go, I was ready to pull out and find water, but I had a good position and an awesome cheering squad so I pedaled on. The race came down to a field sprint and I decided my best bet was to go early. Unfortunately somebody beat me to it and sprinted into the second to last corner. I went after it and got to her wheel after the next turn into the finishing straight. Then I put my head down and gave my best shot at a sprint. I was coming around into the lead right as the finish line approached. Was it too late? I was exhausted, cross-eyed, and unsure of the outcome. It was only during my cool down lap that a friend informed me I won! It was a happy 4th of July.

Coming Up

In a couple weeks I will be taking a day off of racing (gasp!) and participating in a ride with a cause... Aspen and I will both be joining Team Fatty and riding in the Livestrong Challenge San Jose edition. The purpose of the ride is to raise funds and awareness for cancer. If you'd like to donate to the cause, you can visit Aspen's page or My page (any donation is much appreciated).

For me, the ride will also be a day to remember my grandpa who suffered from the disease and to think of my college teammate who is fighting a tough battle right now.

That's Bike Racing

I was once a runner... I had my share of bad races and was often beat... but usually I could attribute these things to a bad day or a stronger opponent. I don't think I ever had a shoe failure; nobody once fell down in front of me to end my race; and I never worried about errant cars, potholes, or little pieces of glass on my course.

In the past week of bike racing, I've had a car nearly hit me during a prologue; two girls crashed and took me down 200 m from the finish line; and a broken wheel unknowingly rubbed my breaks during the nationals criterium. But the worst case of bad luck came for my team last night right before the final lap of the national criterium championship. After a strong race by the team, the crew was ready to duke it out in a sprint, but our sprinter was taken out and the race was over with 1 lap to go. Not even a chance to try for the victory...

Hard preparation and strong execution aren't enough for a good bike race -- you also need to have a little luck on your side. It can be a difficult and heartbreaking sport some days.

But I still can't help but love racing.

(photo credit: shortCHINESEguy)

I Like Bend!

(A view from my evening ride)

(Checking out the Road Course with some teamies)

(A Reservoir View)

Little Ones!

I was in the DC area for Clarendon Cup and was able to stop by my cousins school to talk to some little ones about bike racing. I think the main point these guys took home was that our bikes are blue... but it's a start!

(The Hand Raiser wanted to point out that his bike is red)

(even a 5 yr old can lift my bike!)

Tulsa Tough

The name doesn't lie... Tulsa Tough was a weekend of tough racing under the hot hot sun! But it was also a weekend of fun races. The series starts out with an evening race -- the Blue Dome Criterium in downtown Tulsa. The figure eight style course is lined with enthusiastic fans, big screen TVs, and lots of cowbells. The race organization really knows how to create a fun race atmosphere for fans and racers alike. Amanda attacked with 4 laps to go in the race to give Team Tibco a win to start of the series! And when we went home that night, we saw the replay of the win on local TV -- pretty sweet that women's cycling gets airtime in Oklahoma!

(A good post race cool down)

The next day was another top notch race only blocks away from the previous night's venue. It had a small hill and lots of sunshine (hot hot hot!) and another fun atmosphere for racing.

(another good post race cool down)

But the best race was saved for last. Sunday's race featured a steep climb followed by a false flat, a steep downhill, and a long finishing stretch... back to the steep climb. Now a steep climb in hot weather is not ideal, but the climb is lined with rowdy fans dressed up in costumes and spraying cold water (ahhhh!). Tulsa fans really know how to motivate the racers -- I had so much fun reaching the top of the climb every lap. And the race was a great day for Team Tibco. We had two riders in a break with 10 laps to go and the rest of us were controlling the pack hoping for the break to stick. With 2 laps to go, the break was clearly a success so my teammates helped me get off the front and finish ahead of the pack... then our sprinter, Sam, finished strong out of the field sprint. I think we ended the day with 4 in the top 11 and a 2nd place finish for Amanda. It was a great all around team effort!

Thanks to the promoters, the fans, and our wonderful host house for giving us a fun weekend in Tulsa!

(top of the steep steep hill courtesy of Lyne Lamoureux from podiuminsight.com)