Saturday the sunny skies meant a real ride on the road. I went out with my friend Scotty. It was brisk but invigorating. Scotty enjoyed it so much I’ve convinced him to go again as soon as we are able.
Saturday afternoon brought a club meeting. It was nice to see all my biking buddies.
Sunday required an hour travel to NH for a USA Cycling introductory officials clinic. I’m happy to report that both my husband and I passed. We should receive our licenses in a few weeks and then we’ll be able to officiate at some races. (Just another step with my cycling addiction.)
The next step will be to acquire my racing license so I’ll be ready when the Scarborough Crit series rolls around the first part of April.
Now I’m prepping for the work week, which will also bring more cycling in the form of training, after taking a good part of last week off. I feel energized and ready to get back into my routine.
I’m thankful for a weekend filled with cycling related events.
I haven’t been on the bike much this week. Okay, I haven’t been on the bike at all this week, since my real ride outside.
I’d like to blame it on the ride, thinking that it makes it hard to get on the trainer. But that’s not really true.
It has more to do with the way I’ve been feeling this week. It’s been a hectic, crazy week and I’m so exhausted. Now a week or so ago I put that stress to good use and managed a good workout with it. This week I can barely keep my eyes open when I come home. Well, except to watch the Tour of California.
We appreciate the almost full stage coverage offered by Versus. However, the commentators are starting to wear on our nerves. Craig Hummer is just annoying. Phil and Paul say the same things day after day. Give us Bob Roll!
With several days off I’ll try to manage a spin on the bike Thurday. It’s time to do something. Friday I won’t ride/spin and with the way my Saturday is shaping up I might not ride much then either. Not to mention Sunday is definitely out.
Where does the week go when you are off the bike??
I went out for a real ride with a friend, and should I say coach? (She’s working to develop the Cat 4 team that I’m going to race with.)
It was a spectacular ride. The sun was filtered by clouds but it didn’t matter. We were warmed by our efforts and warmed by the thoughts of being on our bikes on the road.
With no snow storms for a while now the roads were pretty clear. Of course there was some sand and some wet patches, but they weren’t much of a problem. That’s not to say that my bike wasn’t plenty filthy when I returned home. I swear that’s the worst part about riding this time of year and my fingers were numb by the time I finished hosing it off and wiping it down.
This ride also allowed me to try out my new HD video camera that I received from my valentine. I mounted it to my handlebars and was able to record most of the ride. (I’ll try to post a snippet of it here later.)
Now I dread getting back on the trainer.Three hours on the trainer yesterday was all I could stand. The first two hours were productive and manageable. The last seemed like it would never end. I vowed to make it the full 3 hours and I did with 3 hours and 1 second.
To think I chose the trainer over an outdoor ride yesterday due to gusty winds. It just seemed easier. Next time I’ll take Steph’s suggestion and join her.
Tomorrow I’ll swap out my road tire for the trainer tire and be back on trainer this week. My efforts have been paying off and I want to be ready for the road and group rides in a few weeks, provided mother nature graces us with more sunny days than snowy ones.
In watching the Tour of California today, we saw some interesting things:
My husband commented on how strong this guy’s core must be:
We also watched a cycling profile on Mark Cavendish, who is one of my husband’s favorite riders. Don exclaimed, “He has fenders on his bike.” Of course he wasn’t riding in the peloton with them on, it was during a training ride. I wonder how many other pros put fenders on their bikes in the off season when faced with messy roads.
With this revelation, now I’m clear to put fenders on my bike. Thanks Cav for making fenders cool!
After the coverage we saw that Fatty was posting Live Updates on his blog. Really wish we had tuned in earlier but still worth the read after the fact.
There is an anonymous individual, or individuals, known in Portland as the Valentine Bandit.
When I drove into town for dinner tonight, which was takeout sushi from Benkay, I noticed that the buildings along some of the streets were covered in paper hearts.
It’s a great tradition in Portland and every year the residents look forward to our streets being decorated with the symbol of love.
Portland Museum of Art tagged by the Valentine Bandit.
Today was a very stressful day at work. Friday was the same. I was a little upset with myself for not managing my stress levels a little bit better at the office.
When I returned home, I really didn’t want to get on the bike. I just wanted to chill out and relax. Perhaps even indulge in a glass of wine…. or three.
However, I knew that if I didn’t force myself to get on the bike then I’d miss my opportunity for a longer workout. I take an Access class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Since I arrive home an hour later than normal I choose to make those be my easy 1-hour rides.
My goal was just to manage an hour. I started to feel all the energy from the stress motivating me to work hard. (It might have had something to do with the spin music I had made for a friend last year, too.)
So I went with it – I rode the wave. My planned pathetic 1-hour workout turned into a darn nice 90-minute workout.
I’ve always been a little nuts this way. When I was in high school and I was stressed or upset, I would clean the house. My sister managed her stress by playing her flute. I needed a more physical release.
Cycling has been good for me in that regard. It’s a great way to release stress.
I heard from a guy in Iowa today who called cycling his “outlet and inner harmony”. Amen!
I wonder how many of you are using cycling to manage your stress?
A friend of mine sent me an email that she had received notification from the organizers of The Demsey Challenge have confirmed that George Hincapie will be on the ride in October. That’s so cool!!
I’m getting pretty good at swapping out my tires on the bike. I put on the new trainer tire after Christmas. Last night I swapped the trainer tire for my road tire. Then my ride didn’t pan out today so I had to put the trainer tire back on so I could ride the bike inside.
I was disappointed that it didn’t warm up as much as I had hoped. By 10:30 it was only 20 degrees. That’s just too cold for my blood. Not to mention that it wasn’t that sunny, which can make a huge difference with the cooler temperatures.
So I had to make the decision to spin inside instead. It wasn’t what I was hoping for, but I guess it’s what I should expect for February in Maine.
With temperatures predicted to be in the upper 30’s Saturday, I’m officially riding outside. I’ll be joined by at least one friend, Scotty. We’ll ride the safety of Route One from Portland or Falmouth to Freeport, or beyond.
I managed to take off my trainer tire tonight. It was easier to get off then to get on. Now the bike is ready for the road. I should probably make sure to add some lube tomorrow night before the ride. The roads will be wet and gritty and the lube should help. I might even use the wax.
Of course the bike will be a mess when I return. The cleaning should be worth the fresh air, sunshine, and pavement beneath my wheels.
"To be a cyclist is to be a student of pain....at cycling's core lies pain, hard and bitter as the pit inside a juicy peach. It doesn't matter if you're sprinting for an Olympic medal, a town sign, a trailhead, or the rest stop with the homemade brownies. If you never confront pain, you're missing the essence of the sport. Without pain, there's no adversity. Without adversity, no challenge. Without challenge, no improvement. No improvement, no sense of accomplishment and no deep-down joy. Might as well be playing Tiddly-Winks." - Scott Martin
Portland Museum of Art tagged by the Valentine Bandit.
