When I find myself, I'll get back to you.

Update!

2012-02-02T22:18:00.000-08:00

A new cycling year. Here are the future highlights:

1) I'm racing for Kenda! Support those that support women's cycling.

2) I'm doing RAAM! I'll be harassing people for money soon enough.

Stay tuned for a proper, witty blog post soon. Now I need to cuddle with my sack of kale while I fall asleep.

Yay!

Everest Challenge Race Report

2011-10-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

Every year I come back to the race report, hoping that Mr. Steve Barnes will decide to make it aprx 30,000 feet of descending instead of climbing, but he never does. At any rate, one again I headed out to Bishop and Schatt's bakery.

This year my Everest prep was a bit hampered. You see, even though I'm a vegan and have super powers as a result of this, at some point during my European escapade (I know, I cut my blogging short) I got really really sick. I mean, disgustingly sick, in my lungs and head and throat. It was miserable. My "fun" vacay in London with the awesome Katy Curtis turned into less fun (although we still rocked the double-decker tour bus). My lovely and open-ended trip to New Brunswick was slept away, some days I spent 15 hours in bed. Needless to say, when I finally got back to LaLaLand and put my Powertap back on my bike I was sure that the settings had been messed with. Oh well -- I could only go up from there. HA!

Day 1 of Everest was different this year: the course went backwards! Unfortunately, that didn't mean a downhill finish. I actually had a surprisingly good first day -- probably thanks for my awesome sunscreen application (in the dark no less!)

The start line was also exciting!

The only problem with this new ordering of things, was that the ride back to the car from the top was far, and I was riding back with some dude, and trying to prove how tough I was, so I pulled the whole way. This was stupid, although I'd like to think it's great training for the 508 (coming up soon!) But really, even that thought was stupid. I think (there I go again, with more thinking) that almost everyone else got a ride back. BLah!

Day 2 was painful. I was tired. I actually fell asleep in the car before the start and was rushing to get my shit together. Luckily I remembered all of the important things: sunscreen, lipbalm, chamois cream and I got the order right. Never. Mess. Up. That. Order. Things end up where they don't belong. I thought I was going to die at the start of the third climb. I was so tired and my throat hurt and me feet hurt and basically I was a whiny pain in the ass. Unfortunately, I was all alone, so the only person I could whine to was myself, and I quickly got annoyed. I tried the age-old trick of riding as long as I dared with my eyes closed to try and get a rush of something. I didn't work. Could you imagine if I had crashed myself out, riding by myself, going about 7 miles an hour? I'd would be extra pro. MCJ came cruising past (he normally doesn't catch me) and said "having a bad day, huh girl?" No shit, Sherlock, I thought to my self, but then thought of saying "no, I'm just waiting for the opportune moment to attack." However, by the time the witty thought came, MCJ was long gone with his skinny legs, on his skinny tires, and his climbers lungs. The last 15 km or so (which I usually dread) were actually the best part of the race for me. Somehow, going go slow in the beginning makes it way easier to actually try at the end. This was a pleasant surprise, and I ended up catching people, once again coming in 5th in the Everest Challenge.

The Everest CHallenge is an awesome race. The staff and supporters and volunteers really do a great job of making the race "enjoyable" in that special relative way that most acts of masochism are "enjoyable." You should do it, even if you aren't a climber (like me). You learn all kinds of new things. This year, for example, I learned how to do math when I finally realized that my rarely used non-power bike computer was still in euro-mode and set to kilometers. An ethicist doing math in oxygen debt at altitude. Needless to say, my numbers were WAY off. But I did get to the finish line. Yay!

Up next: The 508!!

Tour de Limousin

2011-07-31T23:44:00.000-07:00

Although I had made a (hopefully) vague mention of writing bits about the race every day, I (surprisingly) didn’t do that. As such, here are some highlights from Limousin:

Team Presentation: It was raining and outside. Luckily, I didn't melt. We got plates! I am the tall one.

Day 1: I noticed on the start line that my carbon bars were cracked. Unfortunately we were literally seconds from starting, so the only thing I could doabout it was picture horrible catastrophic failure in my mind while riding off the back of the group. This was obviously incredibly productive. My teammates rode well, however, and Rhae got in the sticking break.

Day 2: Time Trial! There was a cheeky photog who was obviously mesmerized by my striking blue eyes, if not by my awesome cycling ability. We all did fine and Rhae won the TT and took over GC.

Day 3: Not a good day. In fact, this day was bad for everyone. I had mechanicals ALL DAY LONG, starting 1km in. I wish the amazing team from Golden Saddle Cyclery were there to fix my bike while giving me tasty coffee and providing me a hip place to hang out. I also rode past the spot where I wrecked my hand last year and, to my utter astonishment, did not wreck again. We lost the jersey due to a very badly timed puncture. Sigh. Once again, my favorite photog was on hand to capture my piercing eyes.

Day 4: This was the “mountain” day. There’s not a lot I can say except that my caravan riding was marginally more exceptional than my climbing (although my climbing is improving, perhaps in part due to the French food – Everest Challenge watch out) Katy and I rode together in a group of misfits and Katy realized one of her European goals when one of the pair of “Jolly Green Giants” slapped her, apparently for either going to the front to chat with me or getting off the front. Damn you, language barrier!

Then it was time for the delightful 8 hour drive back to Tielt-Winge. DK and Michel were champs and got us home safe and sound. I had never been so happy to return to the internets.

I can't keep calling my posts Update.

2011-07-19T08:47:00.000-07:00

Hola!

Watch me do intervals on a hill!!!

Toona was great: Katie finished 3rd GC and Missing Link finished 4th GC. Leah and I had to leave a day early, but Anna B and Anna M worked really well for Katie in the crit. It was a great team effort.

Leah and I are now in Europe (Beligum, France, and Germany) for a Canadian National Team project. Actually (you know how much I love the word "actually") we are currently sitting at a bar in Bersac-sur-Rivalier making a single shot of espresso last long enough to download an episode of the Bachelorette on what may be a dial-up connection. I am certainly up to the challenge.

Last week we raced the Tour Feminin de Bretagne. It was a great race for the team, Vero Fortin held the climbers jersey for two days, Rhae Shaw won two stages and came in third GC, Leah, Katy Curtis, and I worked our way through the peloton, and Joanie Caron had to sit out because of a stomach bug. The race was a good warm-up for Limousin and a good intro for Katy, Vero, and Rhae, who haven't raced in Europe before. Based on their results and riding you would never know they are neophytes -- they are killing it. Katy is also making an inordinate amount of friends in the peloton. I'm not sure how that happens, but I'm assuming (of course) it's because she is short ;)

My cycling travels could not be complete this year without some equipment damage and don't worry dear readers I have broken parts. My derailleur literally broke into pieces on the final circuit of the last day at Bretagne, resulting in a very unattractive DNF for l'orignal. This is okay as I had lots of time to hang out on the side of the road and talk to the locals.

I have to say I'm not feeling particularly witty in this entry. I think for Limousin I'll make an effort to write some thoughts everyday and then post something that is totally awesome and completely accurate. Ha!

Now I must go and find a vegan, gluten free pain-au-chocolat.

Super-fantastique!

Tour de Toona and Update!

2011-07-05T15:33:00.000-07:00

So that's that. Totally awesome, I know.

You know what else is awesome? Veganism. Check this out. Don't laugh.

Yeehaw!

Canadian Nationals Road Race

2011-07-04T08:59:00.000-07:00

Since I'm lazy, I'm writing this race report with my memories. Sorry if the details are hazy.

The course at Nationals was challenging:

That is a "stupid" hill. The rest of the course wasn't so challenging or technical, although there was a bombing descent. We did the climb 8 times (we did the rest of the lap 8 times too, but I was mostly concerned with the climb since I love climbing so much.)

On lap one, a Juvederm attacked ad Steph R from team BC and I went with her. The move was fine until the climb. Shit. That thing was much steeper when you were trying to go up it hard. In practice I thought: wow, this isn't so bad. Leah said I was crazy. Leah was right -- the climb was insane. We were caught at the top of the hill. Moriah from Juvederm attacked next and managed to stay away for something like 5 laps. She was a beast. Most of the race felt like a hill-interval work out. I would gap off on the climb, chase back over the top, sit in for a while, and then move up before the climb, only to get dropped again. Leah was riding well, in spite of being ill, and stayed up in good position over the climb. At the end of the day, the race came down to a field sprint up the climb. Véronique Fortin crushed everyone, winning my 18 seconds, Lex Albrecht was 2nd, and Erinne Willock was third. Leah came in 12th and I was somewhere in the high 30s.

So I didn't really have the race I was looking for, but since I was sick, injured, and on a much different bike (an Argon18 that HeloVelo.ca generously helped me with) I had re-assessed my goals with MCJ earlier in the week. I met most of the new goals, although I was still a bit disappointed that I was coming into the race with less-than-ideal circumstances. It was still a pretty fun race and the descent (even though I hit a pothole and cracked both of my Zipp303s) was brilliant!

I pulled the plug on the crit, jumped on a plane, and spent the past week decompressing in LaLaLand!

Supèr Fantastique!

Canadian Nationals Time Trial and a Prolegomenon to my Cycling Psyche

2011-06-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

Ah Nationals. It's always appropriate to do some existential investigations in the midst of some very important racing. Get ready for some more deep thoughts from the shallow end...

There are a few defining moments in the development of my athletic psyche. In fact, there are three of them that are so seminal I think it’s appropriate to reflect upon them. Why? Well, I’m having a bit of a rough season and I’ve been pondering the existential question that I usually try to avoid, especially mid-season: why the f&#* am I doing this? This question was definitely looming large after my very sad TT at Canadian Nationals this morning.

Age 11: I was in Pony Club when I was a kid and I used to compete in Hunter events. I won all the time. There was a long period where I had no idea that winning so much was unusual and then came the event when I rode Crystal. Crystal and I were not a good mesh, but since this was 20 years ago I’m not really having too many clear recollections about the course. I do remember feeling pretty detached from her and I ended up coming in 6^th (and getting a very ugly pink ribbon that clashed with all of my other blue ribbons.) Another rider’s mother came up to me and said, perhaps a bit snidely (but I’m sure my 11 year old brain had no idea about this), “Don’t worry dear; it’s character building.” I still remember where I was standing when I heard this and how I felt after she said it. I realized that winning was a lot more important to other people than it was to me. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t like that pink ribbon and I didn’t like not winning, but I really liked riding and the feeling of flying and that was what I was after when I was riding. I couldn’t understand why this woman thought that the pink ribbon meant something so significant that it could fundamentally develop my character.

Age 17: I spent a lot of time rowing and a lot of it in a single. I liked a single. I liked being alone on the water and listening for the sound of water trickling off my oars. I also like being completely responsible for my results. My boat was named “Invictus” (and this is now tattooed on me) after the William Ernest Henley poem with the last lines “I am the Master of my fate; I am the Captain of my soul.” I was perhaps a bit cocky in my single, but I was pretty good and I liked being fast. At the School Boys regatta I came third. I was really upset, not necessarily because I was third, but because I didn’t have a good race. I was mad at myself for messing things up and I was exhibiting the madness by crying. One of our coaches came up to me and said “Cara, there’s nothing to be ashamed of.” I was now extra angry. Of course I wasn’t ashamed: I’d just competed against some of the best high school rowers in the country, by myself, and raced really hard. I then started thinking: why would someone ever be ashamed of a result? Yes, I was mad that I’d messed up a bunch of things, but even if I’d won those mistakes still would have been there. Conversely, had I rowed the perfect race and come in last I probably couldn’t have asked for anything more. Where would shame fit in to that?

Age 30: For a while now I’ve been spending most of my free time on my bike. In 2009, I’d started to really figure out the whole elite cycling thing and knew who was fast and who wasn’t. It was my second year doing San Dimas and I really wanted to do well on the TT. So I finished the TT but I had no idea what my time was since my computer had died half way up the climb so I went to look at the results. I saw that I had finished a few seconds ahead of a VERY good rider, someone who had won a bunch of big NRC races the year before and was a seasoned veteran. Granted, I was in 21^st place, but I was so stoked that I’d beaten said rider. I was talking about how awesome I was when someone said “Did you know [rider] was hit by a car a few weeks ago and is racing with 2 broken ribs?” Hmmm. No, I did not.

These three moments stick with me every time I race my bike. This year, I’ve had some great advances and some pretty bad set-backs. What I was realizing when I finished what was a very bad TT today was that the reason I race my bike has nothing to do with the results I get, nothing to do with how many people I beat, and nothing to do with impressing people. I race my bike because I like seeing how close I can come to having what I consider a perfect ride, a ride where I feel like I’m flying, where all of a sudden all of the suffering starts to feel good, and where I know I’m completely wringing out the sponge that is my potential. Sometimes this year I’ve raced or trained or put a lot of pressure on myself after I’ve crashed, or been sick, or am tired. In those cases I need to reassess what counts as a “perfect” race. Today was no exception. I’ve just crashed, my body is beaten up, I’ve been travelling a tonne, and I’m tired. Overall today I didn’t do what I know I can do BUT there was one moment (a brief one) where I had that feeling that everything was going well and I was flying. If I think about that, then ride was awesome.

I’d come in to this race with some high expectations: I wanted to have a perfect TT, something that’s really hard for me to do, and I thought that if I had a perfect TT I could have a good result. What I’m leaving the TT with is the thought that….actually, I’m not sure what I’m leaving with. I got another chance to test myself, to practice focusing, to try to feel like I’m flying. The result sucked, let’s be honest, but I’m one step closer to figuring out how to have a “perfect-for-this-moment” race. So now we come to the point of this investigation: the reason I race my bike is to get that “perfect” feeling. If I get a good result it’s great, and if I can help a teammate win it’s awesome, but it’s that feeling that ultimately makes all of the pain, suffering, time, and money worth while.

Congrats to Clara Hughes, Tara Whitten, and Rhae Shaw for their great rides.

Tomorrow’s road race is going to be insane! Luckily, thanks to Hello Vélo, I have a great bike to race (my Specialized broke in the nasty crash), a bike that actually fits me! Things are looking up!

Supèr Fantastique!

Nature Valley Grand Prix Recap

2011-06-22T17:48:00.000-07:00

It's over.
I'll dwell on myself for a bit: After my crash, our mechanic John got me a bike from Shimano neutral. It was HUGE, but it worked. I survived the last two stages. Anna did great at Menomonie and got 4th from the break. Anna and Leah did really well in Stillwater. I was, admittedly, glad when the race was over. My poor body is battered, sliced, and bruised but I'm moving on to new things...like Nationals!!

Will I go back to Nature Valley? Probably. I need to have a good race there at some point in my life. I met some really great people, including out hosts Tim and Shannon, and Sophie a great massage therapist. We also had fantastic support from Maggie and Don (the magic behind out team.) I would like Minnesota if it wasn't so muggy and rainy and filled with crashes. I'm sure it will be that way next year. Yaya!

Nature Valley Grand Prix Update!

2011-06-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

Hello,
Get ready for some awesome video!!!

Here's the awesome pic of the damage:

Now, off to Menomonie!
Supèr Fantastique!

Liberty Classic and the very prestigious S. California State TT Champs!

2011-06-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

Hola!

Much has been happening. First, after desperately looking for someone to share a room with me in the middle of nowhere/aka Palmdale (I'm sorry if that's pejorative) Woody from the Golden Saddle (the best new bike shop, apart from Nicollet South, which is out of my neck of the woods) agreed to share, and we headed out to the TT Champs. Yay! A great roommate and a pro-star mechanic all in one! TT race reports aren't exciting. The only exciting thing was the 60 mph wind gusts. FUN! I'm being serious. How often can I go close to 40mph on a flat? (The answer is not very often and not for very long.) Of course I paid for it on the crosswind and headwind sections, but whatever. Ruth Clemence (world masters champ) won, and I got second!! I took almost 5 minutes off my previous 40km time from out there and closed my gap to Ruth from 5 minutes to 2 minutes. Maybe in other 10 years I'll be able to catch her. Overall, I was pleased with my race. I've made some changed to the mental work I do in TTs and it seems to be paying off this year.

Up next was the Liberty Cycling Classic with the infamous "Wall." (First, when I think of wall I think ah yes, the thing that's perpendicular to the floor. Second, my awesome geometry skills tell me that "perpendicular" means 90 degrees. Third, people should be daunted with the prospect of climbing something 90 degrees unless you have Stealth or Vibram on you feet and no bike attached.) Much to my relief, the wall isn't a wall, it's just a hill!!! Who knew! Those crazy predicate nominalists would not be happy with the people at Liberty. It is stupidly steep though, but thanks to all of my crazy workouts this year and my obsession with "living the dream" I am beginning to like these strange uphill things. The "harder" part of the course are the turns going into said wall. I digress....

My team, Missing Link Coaching/Specialized, is having an awesome year, in part because of the amazing talent on the team and in huge part to the support we have from Maggie and Don Williams. They are literally sending us everywhere and coming with us to direct! It's because of them that we are getting to "live the dream." Maggie came to Philly with us and kept us all calm and sane in preparation for the race. Leah G, Anna B, Rachel W, and Kristina S were ready to show the wall that it wasn't a wall at all. There were some very strong riders there, including world champ Georgia Bronzini, and we had a plan to have some fun should the occasions present themselves. Lex A. from Juvéderm rode like a rock star and the pack seemed content to let her stay away. I actually covered attacks on the hills and was having a grand time. That sounds pretentious. I was suffering and snot was flying everywhere and I was probably making weird noises. But I was having fun anyways! How cool is that?!? In the end, we had a few hiccups, but did well overall with all of us riding aggressively and finishing in the front group. Leah had our best result at 21.

There were some interesting asides that happened in Philly:
1) Our bike boxes got stuck in the elevator at the airport. No one knew how or how to fix it. After over an hour, they became unstuck.
2) The collegiate rugby championships were also that weekend and all the teams were staying at our hotel. I had just watched a game on TV and was riding down to dinner when one of the players I'd just seen walked in to the elevator. I said "hey! I just saw you on tv! You scored a try!" He was stoked. I secretly thought he'd been taller in person and was disappointed when he came up to my xiphoid process.
3) Leah is still the best roommate ever and makes me coffee every morning. Aw. I entertain her by strewing my clothes everywhere and flexing in the mirror.
4) Speaking of Leah, she is totally awesome. I know I say that all the time, but this time I mean it. To put it in perspective, I LIKE rooming with her. How often does that happen? In addition, she is smoking hot, totally normal, and likes long, romantic hikes for 10 hours in -20 degree weather where you get stuck in snow drifts, but laugh it off because you have a thermos filled with Bailey's hot chocolate stashed in your pack. She's also smart AND a model! Yes, she really is my "hot" friend. And, yes, the purpose of this digression, she is single!

On a sad and serious note, Don's brother passed away that weekend after a long bout with cancer. Please send good vibes to his family.

Up next: another chapter of living your dream. I'm about to embark on a cyclorgasmic summer of awesomness!! First up, Nature Valley with Missing Link Coaching.

Yaya!

Grand Prix Cycliste Gatineau

2011-05-27T17:32:00.000-07:00

Salut!
Since I just finished racing in Gatineau, Québec, I'll pepper my blog with more Frenchism than bastardized Spanishism. Peut-être.

As I've been mentioning in the past few posts (because I've been excited about it!!) I had the chance to do another Canadian Team project and race The Grand Prix Cycliste Gatineau, which is a one-day UCI road race. The team was made up of people who I've raced with or met before (Leah K, Leah G, Julia G, Annie E) and the living legend Clara Hughes. Between the great teammates and the supèr fantastique staff (DK, Craig, Shawn, and Matt) the trip was totally awesome (I know that's not a Frenchism -- I'm paying tribute to the valley.) Here are some highlights:

Leah G and I were only doing the road race on Saturday, while the other four were racing the TT on Thursday as well. This gave Leah and I more time to bond (ha) by going on some rides around Gatineau. So there's this big park in Gatineau which is coincidentally called The Gatineau (Meech Lake is there!!) and it's basically all trees and hills. I honestly thought we were going to get lost in the wilderness and never find our way out. Would I no longer be a vegan if I had to eat Leah to survive? The trees were EVERYWHERE! I have truley become an Angelino. Sigh. I did survive that ride, but got many new freckles.

On Thursday we did an easy spin and then went to watch some of the TT. We saw Clara give an epic performance, crashing and getting back on her bike in what seemed like 5 seconds and winning the TT. It was wicked (an East coast-ism) being privy to how someone of her level prepares for a TT. This was definitely slightly paradigm shifting for me (can you have a slight paradigm shit?) Perhaps my "fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants" mentality for TTs isn't as effective as it could be.

Friday we did a group ride, again in the Gatineau, although this time I wasn't worried about the trees eating me. At dinner that night we worked through our team plan. I have to say, those discussions always stress me out. I really do need to work on having more focus going in to these things. I think I have focus, but then I start thinking about if my focus is really focus, or merely something else pretending to be focus. What's it like to be focused? Have I ever been focused? Can I focus on focusing? Does that lead to an infinite regress? The mind boggles. It was definitely good for me to hear how everyone conceptualizes the race, especially DK and Clara. We had a plan, some tasty food, and I got stumped on a spoon puzzle. So much for my big brain.

The race was a lot of fun and very fast. Everyone rode really well and watching my teammates' positioning and tactics was very good for me. I covered some things and attacked several times but most of my attacks were like flaccid wet spaghetti. Leah K and G and Annie seemed like they were always exactly where they needed to be and Clara was never out of the bubble. Ah yes, the magical bubble. As we all know, I tend to drift all over the pack, falling out of the bubble as fast as me and my heavy bones go downhill. Seeing my teammates in the right spots kept me more aware of those spots, and I was riding more intelligently than usual (although still not as intelligently as I should be. Why won't my big brain work for me on a bike?) At the end Leah K and Clara were in the right spots and both finished in the top 10. World Champ Bronzini won, and Canadian Joelle Numainville took second.

Juila, Leah G, Clara, Leah K, ME!, and Annie post race. (Thanks DK for the pic,)

After the race and our post-race debriefing I got to hang with my parents! We went to tasty vegan food. But then I had to pack. Packing, like most things that require a detail-oriented mind, is not my strong suit.

À la fin du jour, I made some mental improvements as a result of this project. These are currently still ruminating (can a thought ruminate?), as I wait to see if they stick, but watch for a post about the metaphysics and epistemology of racing in the near future. One of the things that did (finally) stick, was that travelling all over and racing my bike is FUN! I tend to get stressed out about stupid things associated with travelling and racing, but on this trip I (again, finally) realized that I'm in a very priviledged position: I'm doing exactly what I want to be doing. How often does that happen!? Holy shit!! Hardly ever!!! (Too many exclamation points, I know, but don't be a hater.) Granted, winning would also be great, but that's more like the proverbial icing on the tasty gluten-free vegan cake.

With that in mind, I'm excited to get on the road tonight to drive to the State TT champs. It will be a trip to the desert, driving with someone who's brain I haven't yet had the priviledge of picking, and a chance to practice some new-found focus in a TT.

Magnifique! À la prochaine!

Death Valley Stage Race

2011-05-20T14:46:00.000-07:00

So it's that time of the year when things can start to go downhill for me. My quads, which are massive to begin with (like my calves, duh), are getting so big that they are busting through my premium denim skinny jeans. My tan lines are getting fixed, despite my rolling up my shorts to obscene levels and wearing armwarmers all the time. And, worst of all, I'm convinced my already heavy bones are getting heavier. Sigh. I decide that the best way to obviate this mid-season malaise is to do the Death Valley Stage race. The name is a bit of a misnomer: you kind of are in the vicinity of Death Valley, but if I were the name-ologist in charge, I'd call the race the "Super-Windy-Snowy-Bad-Pavement-Massive-Climb-Glad-You-Have-a-Compact-Race-of-Epicness-(with awesome support)."

I headed out with the Ritte Boys for a weekend of camping and racing in the high sierras. The wind warning, t-storm warnings, and snow warnings did nothing to thwart my excitement. Why was I so excited? I'm glad you asked. I got to go to Schatt's Bakery! A trip that normally only happens in September. Here is the requisite picture:

I'm smizing.

Apart from that, and the totally awesome night-time, high-wind, conceptual dollar poker game we had, the racing was pretty cool. Day one saw me trying to be a hero at the mass start to intimidate the cat1 men. It totally worked: they were so intimidated they let me hang out there for a bit and then dropped me. I soooo stuck it to them. I spent most of the remainder of the day by myself, catching people that blew up, and well in front of the other women. The temperature changes were intense, as were the winds, and I flatted a tubular on the way back to the car, but everything worked out. It was difficult playing poker in the wind and in the dark, but because we are awesome we dominated it.

Day two was a different story. I did not want to start the race. It was obviously snowing up the mountain, I'd done too much internet research on the climb (Onion Valley) and was a bit daunted, and the wind was howling so hard it was difficult to stand upright at the start. But then I reminded myself that this is, in fact, supèr-fantastique and that I was going to totally crush it and I was good to go. Granted, "going" meant climbing at 5 mph while my heart rate was 177, but at least I wasn't moving backwards. I made it to the top faster that I'd anticipated and had fun on the descent. It turned out to be good that my 303 had flatted because I think that would have been too much wheel given the wind.

Drive back to LaLaLand, change my cranks, fix my tubular, and fly to Ottawa for the Prix Cyclist Gatineau!

Yay!

Update!

2011-05-06T19:35:00.000-07:00

So....

A correction from my last post: my hot ambulance driver is not an ambulance driver, he's a paramedic. So much for my being smart -- I blame it on hitting my head.

It turns out my Sea Otter injuries were enough to keep out of Gila. It was a really hard decision, but ultimately an intelligent one. Missing Link did awesome at Gila, winning the final stage and coming in 3rd in team GC!

After much depression and moping around, I decided to a) get a hair cut, b) paint my toenails, and c) suck it up. I kept riding, got properly diagnosed (thanks to Dr. A!), and got my bike tuned up (thanks to Jack!) This turning-of-my-frown-upside-down turned out to be a good thing, because I got invited to race the Gatineau UCI race with the Canadians! (Yes, many exclamation points.)

Up next for me is the Death Valley Stage Race, where I will once again get my ass handed too me by the men. It will be fun and hopefully warm, but not Death Valley hot. Although I could totally handle it.

No I must return to sitting on my deck, watching the sunset, eating vegan, gluten-free banana bread. I have such a hard life.

Sea Otter Classic Race (Crash) Report

2011-04-20T19:42:00.000-07:00

I hate Sea Otter. But, as my great Aunt Vonnie used to say "Hate is such a strong word," let me qualify that: it's a zoo, and there are crazy people everywhere, and the courses are so hilly, and it's usually cold, and you can never find any food, and if you break something it's almost impossible to buy a new part even though you're at a bike expo! Sure, there are tonnes of boys, but they are either neurotic über-roadies (or masters riders re-living their über-roady days) or dirty, dirty MTBers. Although I'm loathe to admit this, I think my ideal cycling-man is either the cross-racer or the ultra-endurance rider ( :) ) Why? Because they are the thinking person's cyclist: both of those disciplines require Fabian's engine, Cipo's swagger, and MacGuyver's brains (that's the big turn on), all wrapped up in kits that aren't super shiny or reinforced with kevlar. I digress..... Boys aside, every year I say I'm never going back and every year I go back. Sigh. This year I went with Kristina and Anna and the race was a mandatory omnium. WTF? Omniums are omniums and stage races are stage races, so what's the deal with a mandatory omnium? Well, all the stages are mandatory, but the tally is based on points not time. Fun! Crit, RR, TT, CT. Lovely.

It would have been, except for my massive crash on the crit. But before I launch into the woe-is-me tale of the decade: Kristina and Anna raced like superstars, with Kristina getting 2 PODIUMS!! and Anna finishing just outside of top 10 GC! They rode like pro-stars and put up with all of my whining.

The crit course is lame, but everything was going well until the second-to-last turn when either my front tired rolled (a clincher!! that didn't go flat!!) or my front wheel got cut out and took off my front tire. At any rate, I ended up slamming my right shoulder and both hips (??!) on to the tarmac while my Tarmac emerged relatively unscathed. (My front shifter, however, did not. Thanks to the guys at Pedro's and SRAM (and Anna) for getting my bike up and running ASAP). At any rate, I hit my head, so I don't remember any of the crash. The next thing I remember was Kristina telling my how hot my ambulance driver was (he was, she wasn't lying -- we joked about crashing again just to see him ;) Hi Mike!). I went to the ER where, after a protracted wait and Kristina going on a food run, I was discharged and told I was good to go. Hmmm. Okay. My left shoulder (weird) was killing me, as was my head, but if the doc says I'm okay, then I must be okay (no -- that's not Argumentum ad Verecundiam). I finished the next three days without totally embarrasing myself, even though I was bitching and moaning like an OC Housewife. Again, K and A were totally awesome and rode amazingly well.

When I got home MCJ (aka TCTMJ) insisted I go to my proper doctor. MCJ, knowing about head trauma, said it was really dumb that I kept racing. Whatevs. I was more concerned with the massive pain in my left shoulder (by shoulder, I mean entire chest/clavical/scapula area), which at this point was getting more and more swollen. Dr. A is so awesome that I drive all the way to Seal Beach to see him. After taking some xrays he said "Cara, you didn't say your back was hurting." "Oh, yeah, it's hurting behind my shoulderblade, but it's my collar bone that's really killing me." "Well," he said, "that's because you've separated two posterior ribs and your sternoclavicular joint." "WTF?" I said. "They didn't mention this in the ER" he asked? "They didn't look there." Sigh.

So I have a pretty messed up "shoulder" which will take 6-8 weeks to heal. Isn't Gila next week? Why yes, yes it is. Dr. A said that, with respect to my shoulder, as long as I can handle the pain (which he said should be pretty bad but is mostly driving my crazy when I sleep, laugh, sneeze, or do magic yogi breathing) I can ride. There are some other injuries that I need to keep an eye on, but the shoulder is definitely the sexiest.

So that was my Sea Otter experience. Apart from the crashing, we had fun staying at the Blue Sky Lodge, had awesome support from Missing Link Coaching Systems, and got to see Kristina on the podium with Kristin Armstrong. Gila is going to be fun and I'm using many magical vegan products to get ready for the altitude.

Totally über-fantastique.

Vlees Huis de Ronde Race Report

2011-04-09T21:13:00.000-07:00

Actually... ;) this is a really bad race report. So bad, I probably shouldn't call it that. Instead, let's call it "random, eratic, ponderings, on race time shenanigans." Hey: that's an acronym for REPORTS! I guess this is a race report(s). I'm so clever.
Here it is, in all it's glory.

In related news, the Ritte men seemed to have done quite well.
In non-related, yet still cycling news, and still news about me and Ritte riders, so I guess it is related, but I digress...tomorrow (Sunday) is an awesome day. Paris-Roubaix starts streaming at 3:30 am, FMLIR (Feel My Legs, I'm a Racer) starts at 7:30 (it's a race up the 10 steepest climbs in LA), since I'm not that crazy (Fargo, 31% grade, is number 9 of 10 --- Ha!) I'm doing a long coast ride with Chris "Original" G (I just gave him that nick name), and CicLAvia is from 10-3, finishing at Cafecito Organico, where I'll get a wicked (yes, wicked) vegan chocolatine! It's going to be an EPIC day of bikes!
I'm so excited I may not be able to get to sleep!
Yaya!

Redlands Bicycle Classic -- Day 2-4

2011-04-05T06:54:00.000-07:00

Redlands is done!
It was definitely up and down for me, but my team did fantastic! You can check out the team race reports at Women's Bike Talk.
Friday was a bust for me. I was riding like an idiot, sitting too far back, climbing like a blue whale, and not drinking enough. Eventually all of this caught up with me and I came off on the last climb, unable to get back on. Sigh. I finished 1:00something down. This was, in fact, the best I've done on this course but I ended up moving backwards in GC. Always a bummer.
Saturday, the infamous nine corner Redlands crit, has always been my achilles' heel. Not this time! Yay Cara. The crit was actually *gasp* enjoyable. I was still fat too complacent, but I rode much better and stayed out of trouble. There were some pretty horrific crashes.
Sunday. The goal of Sunday is to be able to get to finish the whole course. I did! We were six minutes down from the leaders, but I only came off with 2 laps to go.
All of these details are boring. What was really exciting about Redlands? Hanging out at the pool at my great host house, having deep philosophical conversations about protein with our mechanic Chris, braiding Kristina's hair, and dealing with the 30 degree temperature swing from Friday to Sunday. That part was awesome.
Sorry this is so lame. I'm typing it while watching Top Model -- I've got to work on my smizing for future photoshoots.
Up next: Sea Otter with Kristina (Seeley, who just joined us!) and Anna B. Yay!

Redlands Bicycle Class -- Day 1

2011-03-31T16:50:00.000-07:00

Clearly a success.
Missing Link Coaching/Specialized had a great day with 5 of us on the first page of results. I was close to a PR, but not quite.
More importantly, Kristina and I did some unpaid, unsolicited, promotional work for FLUID, the most awesome recovery drink ever!

San Dimas Stage Race Report

2011-03-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

Hola!
So the SDSR is done and for the first time I finished in the $$. Don't get too excited. I ended up 17th gc, definitely far away from the top 10, but since my main foci for the race were setting a pr on the tt and not riding like an idiot on Sat and Sun I must say that I'm quite pleased. Saturday and Sunday were fast and aggressive and over 40 people got cut. It was great having Anna B and Leah G there (although Leah left after the road race on Saturday to head to Europe) and we all rode really well.

Time Trial (3.7 miles of uphill fun)
Last year after this TT I was about ready to quite racing. I had gotten slower and was convinced I was a fat moose. This year I set a PR by 24 seconds! Fantastic. Amber Neben of HTC won (of course) and Kristin Armstrong of PB2012 was in third. Again, keeping the excitement to a minimum, I was 1:30 something back in 22.

Road Race (56 miles of some hillyness with a few technical sections)
Although this isn't a particularly long race, I think the course is stressful. There are two climbs, the second of which is a stinger with a false flat that tops out only 2km from the finish. Although there were many attacks, nothing really got away until a solo move by Heather Logan Sprenger of Colavita got, and stayed, away with two laps to go. Most of the race I worked on staying out of trouble, avoiding crashes, and being smart on the climb. Leah and I executed that plan well. Anna had never seen the course before and we forgot to mention all of the random poles and hay bales in the middle of the course. The first lap was a surprise, but since she has amazing skills did great. There were a lot of near and actual mishaps. People need to not unclip at the slightest slowdown. sigh. Something to work on: although Leah's dad was in the feedzone, I only drank one bottle for the whole race. Very dumb. A litre of Pedialyte after the race totally fixed my dehydration. Ha.

Crit (6 corners, what else can I say?)
Historically I have hated this crit. Last year was pathetic and Ina almost lapped me. ugh. There are always crashes in the same spot, and this year was no different. I always ride like an idiot and tail gun. But this year I didn't. Finally. The pace was quite high with nothing ever sticking. Usually if a break goes the pace slows a bit, but since the time gaps at the front were so close, no moves were getting daylight for long. But that meant people were always trying to get away and there was a lot of work happening at the front. I took every chance to move up and stay out of the wind (which is hard because I am 2 feet taller than all the other cyclists, who are the size of smurfs) and was very happily tucked in for most the race. Yay! Anna rode like a rockstar and we both finished safe and sound.

In Canadian related news, Lex Albrecht of Juvéderm won best your rider!

The race was an excellent mental prep for Redlands. Now I must finish watching the Real Housewives of Orange County (no, I'm not getting tips for my future) and then go get on my bike for a ride in the sun. Finally!

Yay!

Some thoughts on defying gravity from the LA Marathon and a chat with Vegan Nutritionsit Matt Ruscigno

2011-03-21T08:56:00.000-07:00

It's raining. It will (Humean problem of induction aside) continue to rain off and on for the next 2 weeks. Blah.

This weekend, after a very crappy, long, windy, cold, and wet ride on Saturday, I reclaimed the Cara-Appreciation Weekend by getting some inspiration from the LA Marathon. As we all know, although I am secretly a truly excellent climber, I often struggle with the vertical dance. The front runners (ha! pun!) of the LA Marathon seem to be able to defy gravity and as such I wanted to suck some of the lightness from them and add it to my dance moves. They really are amazing to watch.

And so I will head forth to the next two stage races, both of which have uphill tts, with this quote in mind: "No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings." (William Blake, The Proverbs of Hell (how ironic)).

Of course, I will bastardize that quote to the following: "The moose who climbs the mountain with her own legs gets there faster than last year by a handsome margin." (Cara Gillis, Not-So-Smart-Ass Witticisms)

Next up on the CAW was a tasty dinner at Flore, our neighbourhood hipster-vegan joint, with some very famous people: Matt R, Lacy D, and Mr. Secret. Matt Ruscigno is a vegan nutrionist and ultra-endurance athlete who, even in my perhaps excessively elitist eyes, is a stud. I asked him some questions that had been burning holes in my mind.

So go vegan already and you can maybe offset some of the carbon footprint we generate with our carbon fiber bikes. ;)

Now I must go ride in the elements (ie: what looks like rain, but might just be fog, although I have no idea how to dress for these conditions. Embro perhaps? I hope I don't mix it up with my chamois cream.)

Yay!

Madera Stage Race -- Day 2

2011-03-13T22:38:00.000-07:00

Day 2 did not suck. In fact, we won the stage and took over GC! Yay.

We had a team plan that we executed perfectly. The road course is quite tame but has a few distinct features: a very long, flattish, windy stretch, a horrific (I mean HORRIFIC) stretch with some of the worst pavement in the US, and the finish/feedzone has some painful rollers. All of this in a 16-17 mile loop that we did 4 times. As we were far-ish down in GC, we were hoping to aggressive enough to get in a sticking break and go for the stage win, with me designated as the sprinter.

Over the rollers on the first lap, Olivia D for PB2012 attacked, and for the next 5 miles or so attacks kept happening. Anna got in one break with several of the GC contenders. As that was getting caught, a Mintie countered and I got on her wheel, pulled through, and popped her off. Great. Once again I was out alone in the wind. Lovely. After what seemed like an eternity but was probably around 5 minutes, I looked back and saw Leah coming. Yay! And she was bringing a Mintie with her (double yay) as that meant MetroMint would not chase. Leah and I proceeded to drill the break for the next 50 miles, getting neutralized once (since the pack had been neutralized). Back in the pack, Anna covered every move and basically tried to suck the wind out of any attacks that looked promising. This was crucial since the top 5 GC contenders all missed the break and probably had a chance to catch if things had gone their way.

On the last lap, I worked a lot in the wind, thinking Leah had a better chance to take the hilly sprint, but she decided that we were sticking with our original plan. It worked! After some "incentivizing" from her that terrified me, I took the win or Annie from MetroMint. Leah got third and moved up to third GC.

Here's yet another thrilling video, filmed by the one and only Olivia D.

Most importantly, I won this sexy cowboy hat.

Madera Stage Race -- Day 1

2011-03-12T21:02:00.000-08:00

So....
I actually have all kinds of video for today, but all of the people in them say that if I post it they will beat me up. Okay, they don't actually say that, but I don't want to alienate anyone.

The crit was okay.

Can you see me?

We were pretty agressive and launched tonnes of attacks. I was off the front. A lot. No one ever came with me. Sigh. I give a good draft, you should really come with me. At least I didn't have to take sketchy lines through the gutters when I was off the front. I'm sure eventually I'll find some totally awesome pic of me off the front and post it, but until then take my word for it that I was looking good. The sprint didn't go exactly as planned, but Leah, Anna, and I all finished safe and sound. Beth Newell took the win.

The tt was a tt, with lots of bees. Since I'm a space cadet I forget both my computer and my heart rate monitor. So I did the entire effort by counting pedal strokes and imagining I was doing a 20 minute effort, with a bit tacked on at the end for good measure. I was pretty happy with my time, but ended up 7th, well out of GC contention. (Isn't it cool of GC is my initials backwards?) A new course record was set in the TT and the GC breakdown is going to make for some interesting racing tomorrow. Anna finished 9th and Leah, riding with no TT gear, rode pro style.

More importantly Kristina, Olivia, and I had a chance to re-create this iconic image from 2009.

Now I must take a bath, as I am dirty from all of the bee secretions that cover me. I'm also a bit chaffed by the whole "spring ahead" thing tomorrow, but I'm sure I'll get over it in time to totally crush the bad pavement, wind, and rollers. It's my favorite kind of course -- I can't wait! (No, for once I'm not being facetious).

Supèr Bon!

Madera Pre-Race Seriousness.

2011-03-11T18:39:00.000-08:00

I think adding suffixes to the end of words makes them more awesome.

Superstar Leah G came to town for us to drive up to Madera together. We had a very serious training ride.

And then saw the Hollywood sign. It is iconic after all.

(Yes, I am wearing an ALF jersey with team Canada shorts. So pro and poignant.)

Now we are sitting in our shwanky lodgings at the Days Inn. Leah put it best: "Dude, it smells rank in here."

Lovely.

Mid-Week Fun in the Sun!

2011-03-09T11:40:00.000-08:00

Canadians be jealous! But don't be jealous of the smog, traffic, crappy health care, and rampant consumerism.

Yay Cara!

Best Ride Ever!

2011-03-05T15:28:00.000-08:00

On a bicycle. Get your mind out of the gutter.
Today was a great day -- I rode up in the mountains with the Ritte boys. It was sunny and warm and I looked totally hot. I was also climbing better than I have in years, but I think the hotness is, like, totally way more significant. What more could you ask for?

How about a tonne of "witty" videos?!

I thoroughly documented the ride, from my cautious optimism at the start of the climbs, to a totally unplanned PowerBar pitch, to my sad realization that attacking on hills when you're not really a climber and you're surrounded by dudes who weigh 120 pounds, climb at 350 watts, and must have three testicle is stupid, and some other candid, sweaty-faced emotional outpourings. I know you'll all just love seeing my amazing cinemetography in action.

In other news, yesterday didn't suck either as I had an impromptu Cara-Appreciation-Day (complete with mountains, beach, and dessert!) and the fun today continues since I'm going to get a massage! (Oho: 2 exclamation points in one badly formed sentence. Shoot me.) The CAD, combined with my awesome riding today, has taken a toll on some weird body parts that haven't been stressed in a while. Until my bodywork session, I'm going to sit on my deck and pretend I'm a hippie by burning incense and playing cheesy ballads on my guitar.

Tomorrow: A very early Piru TT (let's hope I can redeem myself from the last one, and that I can wake up that early -- at least it gets in over with before brunch time -- Eggs Benedict anyone?)

Yay!

Canadian Nat Team Endurance Camp -- Wrap Up

2011-02-28T12:12:00.000-08:00

I'm back in always-sunny-and-72 LaLaLand.

The camp was "fun." I had a blast meeting some new people (I'm not lying -- even though I'm slightly misanthropic I don't think I've ever laughed harder, luckily I have amazing abs) and did some really good riding. There were lots of hills, some mountains, wind, and a bit of rain, but overall the riding was great.

We also did lots of off-bike stuff. Our house was on a lake, and many of the riders kept talking about how good it was to go in to the lake for a modified ice-bath. Hmmmm. I don't like ice baths, and hate cold water in general, but I'm such a joiner I decided to tag along one day.

Never. Again.

Another fun day was the 6 hours we spent riding in the mountains somewhere. There was this climb called "Sassafras" that everyone was stressing about all week. "How hard can it be?" I thought. After all, I've done the Everest Challenge loads of times and the Team Director DK said I wouldn't need a compact. HA! In the following video, you'll see Katy, 5 feet of super-star cross racer, having a great time dancing up the 20% grade (it's a 6 mile climb and the vid is at mile 4). A few second later you'll see me doing what can at best be described as a "slow waltz" up the hill.

Needless to say, the descent was amazing.

Now I am resting for a few days. I'll do a local crit this weekend and then start into the season of stage racing with a wicked based, some new-found knowledge, and my ever-present upbeat attitude.

Supèr Fantastique!