race report: Cyclonauts Racers Criterium, 23. May 2009

The Thursday night before my birthday, I ran into my fellow racer and CrossResults nemesis Natalia at a party. We talked about upcoming races and concluded that we were both on the fence about whether to do the Cyclonauts Racers Criterium that weekend.

Friday I e-mailed Natalia asking if she had decided, as I was still on the fence. She said, "Yes. Let's go!"

Saturday morning at 6 a.m. we loaded up my car, left sunny Somerville, and drove southwest toward the thunderheads hovering over the Stafford Springs Speedway. It was still spitting rain when we arrived, but cleared up after we registered and picked up our numbers. We set our trainers up by my car, opened the hatch, and warmed up while blasting The Pixies' Trompe Le Monde.

* * *

As we lined up at the start, I muttered to the people next to me that my birthday was the following day, and that my birthday wish was for everyone to stay upright. "Awwww!" said a fellow racer. Given the way things have been this spring, she knew I wasn't kidding. About 3/4 of the course followed the speedway; the remaining quarter was a chicane that cut across one of the pit strips on the inside of the track. Heading into the chicane shortly after the start was a bit awkward, but it also saved my ass, as I was having trouble clipping in.

After that, though, things went pretty well.

Let me backtrack a bit: the first couple months of my season were a bit awkward. I was in okay shape, but mentally... ugh. Finally, after a lackluster day at Sterling, when I was drinking a much-needed Mark & Stormy and moaning about how I was not looking forward to Sunapee, my friend Ken told me, "You know, if 'cross is your focus, you don't really need to worry about those long road races if you don't want to. Road riding, crits, mountain bike racing, and time trials will keep you in shape."

OH SNAP!

Cyclonauts was great: some of the bike handling in that race was sketchy as hell, but my head somehow snapped back in the game, and I spent the race reacting--exactly the mental and physical training I need for 'cross. If I felt myself falling off, I told myself how to catch back on, and immediately did it. If I saw another rider become sketchy and a potential obstacle, I worked on moving away. For forty laps, I stopped thinking about anything other than being on that broken oval, and it was exhilarating. With a few to go, Diane barked at Julie Lockhart, "Julie, this is your last lap!" and Julie barked back, "You betcha!" Something about that orderly exchange made me deliriously happy to be racing road again. I wasn't able to get my shit together to set up a sprint, but I didn't DFL either, and I crossed the line feeling better than I had in weeks.

Then I went home and cleaned my house.

race report: Sterling Road Race, 9. May 2009

I had a terrible race individually, but we got two teammates into the top ten despite half the peloton crashing. That about sums it up!

I came home with my tail between my legs, then went out to a bar and revamped my training plan with a little help from my friends. To be continued...

Embro Bingo: The Saga Continues

me: haha I keep getting hits on the embro bingo page
Lodrina: Yea I mighta sent that to coworkers
me: SNORT oh no
Lodrina: Well one of them sent out the hipster bingo thing
Lodrina: and was like
Lodrina: "when are we hanging out and doing this?"
Lodrina: and I was like
Lodrina: "yo.. that is sooo last week"
me: HAHAHAHAHA
me: YES
me: we win scene points
me: they lose scene points
me: we are their scene nemeses
me: on scene-results.com
Lodrina: KLSDFHJFHYOT&*#RWUIG^EFR&*OTY@$UIGL#GHJwe

overheard post-bike race, 3. May 2009:

"Yay! The weekend is over! Now I can relax."

fashion: 'cross cut--not just for fries anymore.

A number of cyclists bitch and moan about how they can never find pants that fit right.

I'm not one of those people--the bitchers and moaners, that is. As I am fairly easily amused/entertained, I get a little giggly over a lot of things, but few things make me LOL harder than trying on "fitted through the thigh" jeans: the waist area always ends up flopping and sagging; the leg area practically need to be greased down to allow my (climber, 'cross, not eeeeven crit) quads in and out. So basically, I would need Viagra and Crisco to get such pants to work, and if I had Viagra and Crisco, well, I would probably be hanging out someplace OTHER than the Gap. You know the scene: dubious mixed drinks, some LED lights, leather accessories strewn about, and a rollicking game of Twister in progress*... but I digress. The point is, it's all very amusing to me.

The best post I've ever read on cycling and (off-the-bike) fashion is Beth's request that Michael Ball make keirin-cut jeans. Beth also proposed a line of slightly smaller-thighed "climber-cut" jeans. Recently (while waxing poetic about compact cranksets, of course) Lodri and I got to talking about further denim options for girls who race...

me: I never really liked the 53T ring, I'm just going to admit that
Lodrina: it's hUGE
me: it's horrible
me: I'm a small girl, I'm never going to be a track racer, I don't need it
me: Lodrina: No Track Jeans (tm) for you?
me: Keirin-cut? nahhh
me: I need 'cross cut jeans
me: which I think would be slightly smaller than keirin-cut
Lodrina: With a flash pocket and chamois?
me: flannel lined
Lodrina: erm, flask
me: and with deep pockets... YES
Lodrina: Big belt loop for cowbell clipping
Lodrina: BLOG ENTRY ^^^^
me: YES

Getting Michael Ball to go near a bolt of flannel is probably going to be pretty difficult, unless we convince him that, for the supermodel sizes, the "flask pocket" can be converted to a "stash pocket." Um... yeah. Beth, we gotta join forces.



*P.S. Did I fool y'all back there? I would sell the Viagra at street value, buy a Kitchen Aid, and use the Crisco to make cupcakes. Duh!

race report: Wells Ave. A/B race, 12. April 2009

Three words to describe doing a combined A/B race at Wells Avenue one week after doing one's first B race: "Ow... ow... OW." While much of Boston was out at services celebrating Easter's tomb exodus, I was lining up to enter the elite Pain Cave. My fellow sufferers, including Kathy, Geoff, Loraine, Matt, and Julie, were also there, which helped.

There's not a whole lot to report about this race. I'd get dropped after one lap, catch back on for another lap or two, and get dropped again. Finally I got to the the point where I felt like merging with the pack yet again would just be rude to the elites... by the time I pulled out, with 10 to go, the only women left were three elite cyclocross racers.

The upside for me: at this time last year, I was struggling to survive five single--not consecutive, SINGLE--laps with the C race. Getting dropped by, and jumping back on to, the A/B race for an hour is a HUGE improvement for me, strength-wise. Hopefully it will aid me when I'm doing women's 3/4 races again.

firsts!

I'm pleased (!) to report that the new road bike received her first catcall this evening. I was stuck behind a truck in the dicey construction zone near Beacon Street and Somerville Ave., feeling the first few drops of rain and hoping that we would make it home from our short training spin before the roads got completely wet and gross, when I detected a whistle over the sound of the idling engines.

I turned to see a guy with dreadlocks grinning and saying, "Hey, cutie, looking good!"

Naturally, this was directed at the bike, and I have a feeling that, with her plump, stiff rear triangle and generous bottom bracket, she's going to be hearing a lot more of these kinds of sentiments.

My Anaconda don't want none unless you're Carbon-Aluminum, hon!