Well at least she’s having fun…

End of Season reflection by Kristi Sanborn – October 12, 2008

Well it’s been a year since I started training…a long year, a hard year, a good year. I have to pause now and reflect on where I came from. I started cycling about 5 years ago, and had a tough time of it. I call myself the “pink puffer”. I would make it up some small hill at Bent Creek, and my face was so red, and I was so out of breath, I would dramatically collapse on the ground while trying to suck in some air. I would like to say it has gotten better…but I have this bad habit of always riding with people better than me. So at the end of the racing season last year I was still gasping like a fish by the side of the trail wondering, “where did I go wrong?”

I had spent several years trying different types of racing, from cross country to long distance mountain biking, and never really excelled at any of them. What I was really good at was complaining. I would whine, “I came in last, again…” heavy sigh. Lots of fun for my friends! So I decided last fall that I would once and for all truly TRAIN. I would give it my all. I would put it all out there, and see what came back.

My partner in life is Wes Miller, Physical therapist extraordinaire – I chose him to be my trainer, along with the Mountain Biker’s Training Bible by Joe Friel (which I never actually read…that is what I “pay” Wes to do…). I decided my goals would be to finish PMBAR with the minimum checkpoints on Black Mountain Trail, and place at 12 hours of Tsali in the spring of 2008.

The summer of 2007 was my first year doing 12 hour races solo, and I loved it. I kept coming in just out of the money though, and really felt like –“wow if I am going to work this hard, I want some goodies…”. It was scary to say “I am going to try my hardest”. What if I tried my hardest, and I sucked? What if I didn’t achieve my goal? I felt like at least I could finally just quit knowing I wasn’t good enough. Or maybe (this one is the deep, dark secret we don’t tell people because it is too embarrassing) maybe I would turn out to be really good…maybe I would WIN…

My goal was to log between 600 and 650 hours of training during the year. I would spend several months just building a base. We went out to the track and tested my lactate threshold, and calculated my training zones from that. I remember my first ride with the heart rate monitor, trying to stay in zones 1 & 2 the whole time. I just kept blowing up! It was cool to monitor my progress, but whenever I rode with friends, they just pulled way ahead, as I struggled to stay in my “zone”. I began to feel resentful, thinking, “why doesn’t anyone else want to train with me?” and “this sucks”. Every three weeks or so I would lose patience all together and yell, “why are you making me do this?” to which Wes, or a number of other patient people in the know would say, “Because it works…” and then re-re-re-explain all the physiological principles behind building a humongous fat burning base.

I started riding alone more and more as I realized I wouldn’t be able to accomplish my goals with other riders. I also found myself frustrated on fun group rides – after finally catching up to the group, everyone would stop for a long break, and I would try jogging in place to keep my heart rate up, or would just go on ahead…I didn’t make any new friends during this phase…

After three months I got to start doing speed work. I have never looked forward to anything so much in my life (ok, that is a lie…I really look forward to cake as well). That first day I was out with mama Neubert and Megan and I just felt like a champion. I blazed up the hills! I killed it! Yeah! I had fun with all the different training combos from the Friel book – I sometimes resorted to writing notes in pen on my hand to remember, “ok, so I need to go from zone 4 to zone 5 over 2 minutes, and then back down again over two minutes for a total of one hour…wait, what was my upper limit for zone 4?” I became a master at programming the heart rate monitor, and always had a spare battery in my pack. I was also learning how to eat, hydrate and use electrolytes properly. I had a lot of time to contemplate my IPOD as I discovered beautiful routes to Black Mountain I never new existed. I learned to change my own tires lickety split. I learned to always bring a cell phone…and money…and a jacket. I worshiped the maps I tore from the gazetteer. I learned that training isn’t just about miles and speed, but also about emotion and positive thinking – I started working on my attitude.

New frustrations began with bad weather. Wes would assign me huge weeks of 16-18 hours of training. The day of my 6-hour ride it would rain. I would shout, “how am I supposed to get 6 hours in on my trainer? I will freakin kill myself!” You have to be careful which movies you pick to watch on the trainer…it can’t be too involved, but it can’t be too stupid either. Indiana Jones worked well; action movies ruled. Loud music was king. I never stopped complaining about the wind and cold, but sometimes I just had to be outside. I continued to test my lactate threshold every month, though it was often difficult because the wind would push back so painfully around those curves at the track, I often thought I might go backwards. But I did get some results…I did improve…it was slow, and it was painful.

Spring arrived and I got to test my endurance at a Brevet. Wes and I loaded up in the old Ford and drove east following MapQuest directions that were wrong. Halfway there I realized I didn’t have a helmet. We were late, but we were in the parking lot of a Wally world…so with my new made-by-chinese-children-helmet on my head I finally broke the hundred-mile mark on my road bike and put some real blisters on my keister in the process. After getting lost several times, I finally gave up at around 115 miles and had Wes come pick me up. In the back of my mind I just kept wondering, “will it be worth it? When it comes to a race, will I do better? Will I kick some butt?”

Assault on the Carolinas went really well, as did the Burnsville Metric. And then finally, PMBAR. I had permission from my coach to “open ‘er up” I could go as fast as I wanted to for as long as I wanted to. I was pumped. Kassi and I had two previous attempts at PMBAR – the first was a DNF after hitting 4 checkpoints and then taking the road back after dark. The second was a miserable rain soaked mud fest in which we finished on the road again, but legally this time, after shearing off my derailleur in the first 10 miles, and converting to a single speed for 44 miles of wheel sucking crud. This was our year.

And we did it. We finished in 10 hours in a group of 4 women, and it was glorious. I realized I could have kept going – I could have gone for 5 checkpoints. I felt great, and I was stoked for Tsali.  Just some forshadowing here, but it was right about this time that I went on a nice ride with Amber, telling her about my hopes and fears…she said something I won’t forget, “You may do all this and find out it’s not worth it…being on the podium isn’t that big a deal…” I laughed…”ha” and again, “Ha… but I want to know what it feels like to have really earned it…I just need to know…”

Two weeks later I was ready for Tsali. I had my yoohoo, I had my cookie dough, I had my chopped up fruit and my cans of chicken noodle soup. My nemesis was my friend, Laurie “mama” Neubert, who was ready to kick my a$%. We made the mistake of setting up our transition area together, and since we stayed neck in neck for the entire race it was tough. I would come in and see her eating, and would just throw something down my neck and hop back on, pulling out in front for a time. It wasn’t until the last three laps that I got a decent lead on her, but almost let her catch me in the final lap when I stopped for a whiz…where is that competitive spirit?

The pain I felt during the race was more than I have ever experienced on a bicycle. There were times when I cried while I was riding. I would think, “Why am I doing this? Why don’t I just stop, get off the bike and lie down?” “What is wrong with me?” But I had promised myself that for the first time in my life, I would leave everything on the course. When I crossed the finish line and found out I got second, I realized I had. I had left it all out there, and I didn’t want it back. I had proven to myself I could take it, I could do it, I could deal it, and I didn’t want it. I did many more races over the summer, but none added up to the epiphany I had at Tsali…it wasn’t worth it to me – it never will be. If that kind of pain is what it takes to win, then I don’t want to win.

I spend my time bike commuting now. Wes and I rode from downtown Chicago to Michigan this summer, and it was so cool! I get a big kick out of doing all my errands on the bike, and I love that I am in such good shape that I can do that. My attitude has improved to the point that I can now be last (I still am…all the time!) and laugh. I know if I wanted to I could be up there with the fasties, but I just don’t feel like it. I like being slow and happy. I like taking time to smell the mud, to pet the dogs, to enjoy the view, to be a friend; time to read, and sew and run, and swim, and do all those things that to me, now are more meaningful. I never want to be on my bike again and have it not be the most fun thing I have ever done. I will keep “racing” but from now on it will be with a little song in my heart, “Bicycle, bicycle…I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike…(Queen)”.

Deltec Women’s Road Team Swept the NC State Track Championships!

We Deltec Women are tired tonight after State Track Championships. After a long day of racing, here are our results. Podium pics will be out soon.

200 meter qualifier –

• 1^st -Lesli
• 2^nd – Marilyn
• 3^rd – Erica

Team Pursuit – 3 k

• Gold- Deltec Homes – 4:26

Team Sprint-

• Gold – Lesli and Marilyn
• Silver – Erica and Laura Wislo ( BMW)

Scratch Race-

• Gold – Marilyn
• Silver – Lesli
• Bronze – Erica

Match Sprints –

• Gold – Lesli
• Silver – Marilyn
• Bronze – Erica

Keirin Race –

• Gold – Lesli
• Silver – Erica
• Bronze – Marilyn

 Well thanks to BioWheels and Cane Creek we had our wheels “daddyed” up for the weekend and Sunday we took on the Individual time trials and points race. We had stiff competition with a Bejing Parolympian, Jennifer and member of the BMW squad, Laura Wislo. Marlilyn ( Deltec) finshed second to Laura in the 3 K and Lesli took the gold in the 500 meter TT for the state championship. Jennifer, who is headed to the Olympics nipped Lesli by .10 of a second for the Velodrome medal. In the points race Deltec women took the top 3 spots! This was the warm up for Deltec women as 2 of us will head to San Jose for track Nationals on Sept 1 where we will encounter women who will make us look like midgets. All we can say is they will have to hurt to beat us. For photos you can go to www.teamvpc@blogspot.com.   

Summer Mountain Biking Essentials

I guess I should consider myself lucky that I am spoiled enough by living in Mountain Bike Heaven that I can say that sometimes it is just TOO HOT or TOO MUGGY to go mountain biking. Luckily, in Western North Carolina, the summer heat is rarely so stifling to keep me off the bike for long, and rarely does extreme heat stay around. 

Just like in the winter months, there are certain things that you need to have with you while riding in the summer that are Season Specific. I have not listed out here things that you should have that are just no-brainers like multi-tools, gloves, FOOD, patch kits, mini-first aid kits, cell phones etc. Cause you should know all that already. 

Water- LOTS OF IT. I carry a Camelback Mule with a 100oz bladder that I fill up with water and ice. I keep all drink mixes out of my camelback cause I don’t like stinky bladders. On the bike, I try to have two bottles, but usually smaller bike frames only have room for one, and so do full-suspension bikes. In the waterbottle is where I put a yummy citrus drink mix. My favorite is Hammer HEED, because it is very light and not too sweet. Watch out though, HEED will get SUPER stinky if left in a bottle for a day or two. 

Salt- No, I’m not talking about table salt, I am talking about electrolytes. Hammer Endurolytes are great if you are sweating a bunch, Continue reading Summer Mountain Biking Essentials…

BioWheels Tough Girl Amanda McKay Rocked Mt Snow Nat’s!

The NORBA National Championships in West Dover Vermont was unseasonably dry, well at least until midnight on Friday night. Rain fell out of the sky in buckets prior to my race at 8:00 in the morning.

There were nine starters from all over the United States in the Expert 25-29 race. I had a great start and was the first one to the climb but it wasn’t long before Disterheft was climbing on by me. Demeter grabbed my wheel and the three of us were off. We kept each other in sight through the long winding descent with a few rocky technical sections thrown in. What a fun race course!

We stayed together for the first lap but broke apart after the second descent. I was gaining a lot of time on the descents but Disterheft was clearly the strongest climber out there on Saturday. The course had a great climb and an even better descent. I caught Disterheft on the second lap when she crashed and I narrowly avoided running over her. She caught me mid-way up the climb on the second lap and I grabbed her wheel.

Erin Disterheft (Galesburg, Mich.) finished first in a time of 1:54 riding for Team Billy’s. I finished 27 seconds back rolling out my fourth, second place finish in a row. Erin definitely made me work for that second place; she was climbing like a champ.

Janel Demeter (Glenside, PA) rounded out the top-three in 1 hour and 55 minutes.

It was great to get up on the podium at the National Championships and even better to be wearing my BioWheels Jersey. Thank you for all the support! -Amanda McKay

AVS/Deltec Woman’s Team 1st Race

The women learned a lot about racing yesterday.  The moderate pace and surgi-ness of the pack was surprising.  I had been warned, but I didn’t expect it to slow down as much as it did.  Erica experienced being forced to the front of the pack first hand.  She tried to some extreme slow downs, but the pack just went with her.  This may have been pack punishment for a couple of wobbles in the first first lap.  They left her in the front until she blew up.  With that said, she probably pulled the group for 10 or so miles. That shows a lot of strength.

I couldn’t see Candance the entire race, but I learned later that she was right behind me.  She hung in there very well for the first 4 laps, but got stuck behind the yo-yo-ing at the back of the crowd and had to keep working hard trying to catch the pack.  Eventually that burned her out.  That made me wonder how teams know where everyones at.  I never knew where she was the whole time.

I stayed with the pack until the end.  I sat in through the entire race and watched the teams work.  I listened to what they said to each other, watched how they pulled in a break, and watched how they tried to support breaks (by the way, I didn’t think any of the teams were organized enough to be at the front and block for a girl on on break).  I thought the actual effort of the race was minimal.  I tried to make one break in the last lap because I had so much energy, but I probably went too hard and gave up too easily.  I was surprised at how lonely you feel all of a sudden when you go off the front.  You really get used to how easy it is in the pack and the security of having everyone around you.  All of sudden your alone and exposed and you know your getting chased.  After I got pulled back in,  I sat back and recovered.  I tried to position myself around one of the girls from the Lee-McCrae Team who I knew had to be their sprinter.  I’d ridden with her before and had pretty good idea what her strengths were.  I wanted to be where she was and watch how she moved up at the end of the race.  I was able to easily move up in the last half mile.  I finished the last hill about five back with nothing in front of me.  I could make a million excuses for myself, but the bottomline is, I didn’t go for it.  I stayed in my seat and peddled as hard as I could, but that didn’t comptete with the ladies who stood up and hammered.  I lost that race the second I knew I’d have to sprint.  I was 8th in the Cat 4 category.  I was dissappointed in myself for having so much left and not giving it my all in the end.

Lastly,  thoughout the race I saw a lot of teams working together and controlling the race.  I made an assumption that they were higher categories only to find at the end of the race that they were cat 4 teams.  That was a wake up call to me that it’s time for us to really start working together.  I feel good about the strength of our team, now we need to fine tune some skills and start working together.

Most importantly, my biggest fear was not realized.  I did not hate racing.  I had a lot a fun and I’m excited to go back today and do it again.

I watched The Juniors finish and can say they finished first and second by a pretty good gap.  No cameras needed!
-Jody Mcfarland
AVS/Deltec Womans Racing Team (sponsored by BioWheels)

Jill in Alaska

Jill up in Alaska writes one of my favorite blogs. Jill rides a lot, and she rides a lot in REALLY horrible conditions!

Definitely worth a regular check – Up in Alaska Blog

Little did I know…

I have always had an inner pull towards the dirty side of cycling…that was apparent when I was 13, out on my 1983 Nishiki 12 speed’s maiden voyage and I hucked a woopdy-do resulting in a bent rear rim…ooops!!!

Three years ago I was introduced to what has grown to a slight obsession. (OK OK…for anyone who has tried to have a conversation with me about ANYTHING besides mtbikng knows d@mn well I am COMPLETELY obsessed!!…but let’s move on about why!!!)

I was getting my life back in order (after what I would like to call one of life’s unfortunate detours)…I joined a gym, hired a trainer, started running & lifting weights. I had heard many stories about this place called Oleta. It had dirt, little hills, roots, rocks and something known as “singletrack”. Everyone who had been there always had a huge smile when they talked about it. A client of mine would come in for pedicures with her mtbike shoes on…the one with clips on them so she would tip-tip-tip all the way to my chair. She had mud on her shins, spots on her face, her hair was mussed, and stories of escape! I wanted to experience that freedom…I would in time. So I took my 1994 Diamond Back rigid mtb (a little boys model) in for a tune up…I was gonna be a “mountainbiker” !!!

…little did I know that escape was going to become a passion!

Somewhere between breakfast and dinner my good karma cashed in (with a little help from a friend) and I met “him”. He borrowed a bike, some of those clippie shoes and told me to follow…and follow I did. We rode as fast as we could (ok…so I had some fitness to work on) but I think I impressed him a bit! Apparently I passed the pavement ride with gold stars so off to that “singletrack” I had yearned to see.

This ride started off slow…I think I actually closed my eyes a few times. Somehow I made it over the first drop (not very gracefully I am sure) but failed the little climb littered with roots. My guide would holler out “PEDAL HARDER” in hopes I would make the next little hill….whew!!! Barely, but I did! He would stop and give me tips, yell out words of encouragement, constantly ask “are you having fun?” as if the grin on my face was not explicit enough!!! As the ride developed the speed accelerated…the risked increased…and the ego bloated! I was a mountain biker…hehe

He tried to warn me…”after the next little hill you have to swerve blah left blah blah then blah blah blah” I thought I was invincible, a natural, this trail is MINE!!! Hahahahaha…splat!!! I flew to the right…the bike to the left…and boulder (yeah! Boulder as in rock) in between. My guide, shocked and scared, ran to see if I was OK. HA! Of course! What is a little scrape? I popped up and swung my leg over the bike and wanted nothing more than to pedal farther down this “singletrack” to see what else it had in store for me!!! I think it was that very moment I had truly won that guides heart…

That night, tired, bruised, in pain and still grinning, I knew I would be visiting that “singletrack” again and again and again! A new passion was sparked in me…I found a sense of escape, freedom and challenge. Something that no matter how long I pounded away at it I wanted more, something that would bring me to tears but I couldn’t stop, something causes suffering and pain but I longed to endure…I wanted to pedal farther and farther and farther!!!

And pedal I do…I get cranky (pun not intended but made me giggle) when I can’t ride. I ride a roadie now too…have a commute/touring bike, as well as a unicycle (I hope to actually ride one day). I have had many hobbies and “things I like to do” but nothing seems to keep me as happy as simply riding my bike.

Thank you my Love for guiding me and continuing to ride along with me on this wonderful adventure…

Laurie

Something Special About The Road

Three years ago you couldn’t have paid me to ride a road bike. “I don’t like riding with cars, I don’t feel safe, I would get REALLY hurt if I fell,” I would say. My husband (Kris) would say,“You go downhill mountain biking at Killington – you’re chances of getting injured are much greater on the trail than on the road.” And of course there are statistics to back up his point. Nevertheless, I had no interest. Welll…I wouldn’t say I had NO interest, but I didn’t have enough interest to justify spending money on something I might not like.

Hubby knew me well enough to know that it was more about me being cheap than anything else. He saw how jazzed I was mountain biking – downhilling, cross country single track or simple fire roads and furthermore, I couldn’t get enough of spinning class. Kris knew cycling was in my blood and it was just a matter of time before I’d answer the call from the road. So…he devised a plan.

Kris and his parents jointly bought me a road bike for Christmas. They gave me a Bianchi Volpe in October, as late December in New England isn’t the best season for road biking. And even though some of the funds came out of our joint checking account, I didn’t complain. I was thrilled; but extrememely nervous – about cars, pace lines, not being able to clip out fast enough at an intersection…did I mention cars?

I vowed to only ride by myself. Again, pace line fear, didn’t want to hold others back, didn’t want to feel pressured. Also, I had a baby at home and it was nice to have true “alone” time. That fall, I got used to the bike and to being on the road instead of the trail and treasured the time by myself.

Winter in New England came quickly. When our daughter went to bed, we headed to the basement to pedal on trainers and watch reruns of Seinfeld. On rare temperate days I’d venture out on the road for 12-15 miles and needless to say, I didn’t get hit by a car (knock on wood!!) or get stuck in my pedals and tip over as I had so feared. Instead I nurtured my growing connection to the road and anxiously awaited the spring thaw.

About a year and a half later, I decided to ditch work one day and attempt my longest ride ever. To that point I had never ridden more than 35 miles, so I set my sites on 50 miles. I did it and was thoroughly impressed with myself. Kris was too, and he was so proud that I had called in to work to ride my bike!

Not long after that, we decided to leave behind long commutes and long winters and head south. In Asheville, we are immersed in a cycling lifestyle; partially because hubby left his sedentary computer tech job behind and pursued his dream of working in a bike shop. But there are other factors at play. In my previous life I left my home in suburbia at 6am to get to my desk by 7am where I stayed until 4pm before getting back in my car for the second hour of the day. Now I live a 5K away so when possible, I bike commute to work. There are far more cyclists in Asheville than in metrowest Boston and plenty of girls that are into the sport too. We got a Burley trailer for Greta who LOVES mountain biking with mommy and daddy at Bent Creek and thinks she is too cool for school when daddy brings her to day care in the Burley. Cycling is definately a lifestyle for our family these days.

And for me, the biggest factor that has kept me engaged over the last year is the female contingent here. In fact, it’s what got me to where I am today, which is literally the 62 mile mark. With two girl pals I completed my first metric century; and not any ol’ metric, but the Hilly Hellacious!

Stretches were tough and I’’m tired for sure but I never once thought “why am I doing this?” Instead I rode in a pace line and thought, there’s something special about the road.

Laurie’s Off-Road Assault on Mt. Mitchell

ORAMM 2007

These are not trails unfamiliar to me, in fact I rode 83% of the ride only 2 weeks prior. So why…why…why was I soooo nervous??? I laid awake for most of the night; when I actually did slip into REM my dreams took every wrong turn on the ORAMM route…why was my head in such turmoil over this??? Breakfast was just not going to happen either…I managed to get some breakfast drink down and compensated my lack of appetite with a gu and started on my Perpetuem drink early. Chris & I arrived in plenty of time to get situated…chat amongst The Misfits…visit the port-a-john waaaaay too many times (at least waiting in line gave me something productive to do) Finally, time to line up with the rest of the crowd and embark on what is known as the hardest ride in WNC….

GO!!!! I manage to stay with the Misfits, drafting…chatting…calming nerves that had
inexplicitly taken over. We turned up our first gravel road where I latched onto Mr. Stone’s rear wheel…not sure if he was so happy about this…he kept looking to see if I was still hanging on! And, yep! I was gonna hang on for as long……ARRRG!!!!!!! MY GLASSES!!! *%$#@#$% NOT AGAIN….I dropped my lenses! See ya boys… (I must get duct tape and secure those things to my head before the next big ride!)

Back on my bike struggling to make up for lost time. We are then directed to a surprise bit of single-track which happens to be a conga line of hike-a-bikers. I snag my place in line right behind out-of-towner local Cory…we babble our way to the top catching up with mindless chatter wishing we were actually ON our bikes pedaling away. At this point I feel compelled to mention that I was once again behind Mr. Stone…of course that would not be the case as soon as the hill began its negative elevation change. Continue reading Laurie’s Off-Road Assault on Mt. Mitchell…

Getting ‘Girled’

This will be one of the only posts you’ll ever see in ‘She Rides’ from a guy.

‘Getting girled’ is the latest in bike racing jargon from the man-pack. Admittedly, I know little of the history of strong women in cycling. My basis for discussion is simply emperical. Many years ago, only a few elite females could hand it to the guys. The lead pack of a road race was seldom anything but a sausage fest. In the dirt, even the Pro women were seldom pulling faster times in than the men’s Expert field. But women’s competition was marginal at the local and regional level in the midwest and SE US. Still, many men have blown themselves up to avoid being ‘girled’.

Before anybody finds any reason to be offended by the phrase ‘getting girled’, let me explain that it is a great thing. Moreover, ‘Getting womanned’ is just too hard to say.

In the mid-90’s thousands of women like Amanda McKay, Trish Stevenson & Karen Masson (now a mom!) got into the packs with the men, put up with our attitudes and egos, and perservered. In the new millenium, these grassroots heroines are huge players in the bike racing scene. They are inspiring all riders, shattering the glass ceiling of the male-dominated sport.

In 2003, I had the opportunity to ride the Shenandoah Mtn 100 with Trish S. I was in pretty good shape at the time and expected to finish in the top 10%. About 30 miles in, Trish grabbed my wheel, and we worked together for the next 30 miles or so. She probably did most of the work. Eventually, she pulled away on a long singletrack climb. I never saw her again. Damn, it made me smile. She won the women’s category with a big margin, and I made it into the top 10% of the robust field about 20 minutes back. (This was my first time at being ‘girled’. Frankly, it was a turn-on.)

Personally, I think this strong woman phenomonon kicks-ass. Maybe it is just because I love the balance women bring to the scene. Maybe its because they smell better than the guys. Maybe its because I own a bike shop and know that stong woman are growing our sport. Maybe its because I was raised in house full of women, and have a daughter. Maybe its because I enjoy watching guys wrestle with humility and their personal demons. For whatever reason, I have no choice but to look forward to ‘getting girled’ more often.

Show the world what you’ve got, ladies!