Half Moon Bay

The photo doesn't do justice to what a beautiful cycling day it was in Half Moon Bay last Saturday. Its a ride I was dreading for the difficulty and distance but the weather and scenery helped ease the pain of the day.

Today we rode with our new assistant coach Jodi Z since Coach Steve isn't able to ride...he however, was with us on and off throughout the ride...coaching and observing from the SAG vehicle. It was like big brother was watching when we would hear the faint hum of the SAG mini-van lurking in the distance.

This was a ride that we really had to go out slow and pace ourselves since we had 70 miles in front of us and over 5000 feet of climbing to do in the process. Most of the climbing didn't happen until about mile 40...so we need to conserve our energy...easier said than done when you are on fresh legs speeding down Highway 1 in gorgeous conditions!



The first climb started subtlety and was became very long and relentless as we searched around every curve hoping to see the top. This was a great test for my mental game and to trust myself and abilities to the top and beyond. We were briefly entertained at the top by couple of our fallen teammates that were taking pictures, dancing and rooting us on...thanks to them my grimace faded into a smile! This was a day about working as a team so at the top of each hill we stopped to re-group and stay together. I must admit that I did enjoy the break.


The first hill might have been the longest but it was just the beginning of some other steep and ruthless climbs throughout the remainder of the ride. We were blessed with 3 SAG stop on this ride which helped us to re-fuel between climbs. It was also nice to be on a lot of back-roads with very little traffic to worry about.

After the last climb, the temperature had really dropped and gotten very cold...especially on a body covered in sweat soaked spandex clothing. The skies were getting very dark, so Coach Wayne sent the group of us waiting at the top, to go ahead and finish out the ride...at this point we were only about 5 miles from the finish.

As I began my decent I could feel the mist turning to showers. It was a very narrow, curvy and steep hill with blind corners. I was riding alone and focusing through the rain around to the left...when suddenly all I saw was the grill of a Toyota 4-runner! I quickly skirted around the outside of him since stopping wasn't an option for me at that moment...and found enough road and balance to safely get around him...it was truly a holy crap moment! I felt very lucky and blessed to have narrowly escape what could have been a tragic end to my day...since my options were vehicle, cliff or about 3 feet of road in between...yikes!


After surviving the last decent, I found my self catching up with some of my other teammates as the rain came pouring down. We were soon back on Highway 1 and traversing traffic to head towards the finish. It felt so good to roll in knowing that accomplishing this ride means that I have what it takes to finish Solvang!

Livermore & Calaveras Road Ride

This was my first team ride after straining the muscle in my leg...and I was so glad it was more focused on mileage than climbing. This 65 mile ride began as a buddy ride and became a team ride to make up for the ride that got canceled due to extreme and unsafe weather conditions. There was a lot of unnecessary controversy over the ride being canceled when the storm didn't appear. However, my body was happy to have the recovery time. Up until this ride I had only went out for a moderate 30 mile ride. This ride would be the indicator if my leg got enough recovery time or not.

It was a beautiful day that the Winter team doesn't get to enjoy very often. Our biggest climb of the day was up Calaveras Road. Since we had a lot of miles to warm up my body and muscles...I was happy to have no issues with the climb...thank goodness!

I got the opportunity to ride with various team mates since the groups were scattered around. This season our staff has been dwindling quickly due to various injuries and illnesses...unfortunately, my coach most likely will be on the sidelines through the rest of the season.



My body was holding up very well on the ride but my tires were not so lucky on this day. I knew it was getting time to change out my tires since I had over 1200 miles on some very cheap tires that were put on my bike when I first got it...those $10 tires got me a long way! At about the 40 mile mark going about 15 mph on a very busy road...I got a flat on my front tire...not fun! Luckily it was a slow leak and not a blow out. James and Craig to the rescue! The 3 of us got back on the road, missed the turnoff to second SAG stop and were heading for home!




In the last 10 miles of our ride I was feeling sluggish...I thought it was me lacking energy. I looked down to see my front tire wobbling and going flat...damn! Craig noticed the actual tire was damaged and since we were so close to the finish we opted for the pump it up and go method! Since it was a slow leak, we could keep filling it with air and ride until it went down again. My pit crew kept air in my tire and we all got back without SAG assistance...yeah! I was a lucky girl and had great weather, great ride and great teammates!!!

Woodside Ride

This was one of the most beautiful rides that our teams has gotten to experience this season. It was originally set up to be a team ride but got bumped to a buddy ride due to permit issues.

It began as a great ride day for me...I felt very strong on this ride, my average speed increased and I was climbing with more ease without dropping to my granny gear every time. Sally and I rode the ride together and enjoyed our own pace.

In spite of it being a buddy ride, we did get to enjoy the comforts of an unplanned SAG stop...thank you Mike! This was the first ride that we experienced another TNT team, the Santa Clara Cycle team was out in the area, on a team ride. As the Spring season is gearing up and overlapping with the Winter season, I am sure we will experience this again before our season comes to a close.

We experienced more climbing than we had anticipated on ride. It was a beautiful and busy day on the roads...since it was the first nice day in awhile and the cyclists were taking advantage of the break in the weather.

As the day continued, we noticed the clouds coming in and the temperature starting to drop. The last 4 miles of the ride suddenly changed for me as we rounded a corner up to a short steep grade. I hit the turn in too high of a gear and quickly tried to downshift...but pushed to the top before I found my lower gears. For this, I paid dearly as it leveled out at the top...suddenly, I felt a twinge in the front of my right leg...I paused my cadence but kept riding unsure what had happened. We continued to ride and what began as a mild ache quickly turned into sharp pain that increased with each pedal stroke. I geared way down and pedaled with my left leg but was still clipped in on the right, so the leg was still felt the rotation. Sally was up front and stopped to check on why I had dropped back...at this point the rain began to fall and I knew if I stopped now that I wasn't going to get myself going again. I am too damn determined, stubborn and tenacious to let some pain keep me from finishing this ride under my own power!


Sorry Sally but this picture made me laugh!


My mind began to race, as I wondered how badly I had injured myself and if it would inhibit me from continuing my training and riding in Solvang. The frustration and fear was building up in me as the rain turned into a down pour and in that moment...I realized my eyes were blurred with tears. It felt like the weather and my emotions were in perfect sync. I was so pissed that a seemingly perfect ride was ending like this! As I was pulling myself out of my internal pity party, I looked up and noticed the finish...thank goodness! I finished pulling myself together and put on a brave face as I rolled into the parking lot.


Surprisingly, we figured out that all the people waiting had come back early for various reasons and we were the first to roll in that completed the route. After taking a handful of Ibuprofen, Sally took great care of me by putting me in the car to get warm and loading up the bikes...thanks Mom! We got out of there quickly to find some ice for my leg, a bathroom and food. Next stop was Sally's tri-athlete, brother-in-law, who is also a Kinesiologist and was willing to take a look at my injury. He found it was a muscle strain and my recovery would be to follow the regiment of, R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression and elevation)...not a dietary plan:)

For various reasons, the Woodside ride was full of high's and low's for me and not just the route...haha! I look forward to getting a chance to ride there again with better weather and less drama:)

Impromptu Hiatus

I wanted to put a quick update on the blog...to let you know why there has been a lack of entries. Yes, I am still riding and training but I also added in moving...which threw me completely off my routine with my blog...I apologize for that. Getting internet access was a bit of a challenge and sitting at a coffee shop with a laptop isn't conducive for focus and writing. I do have a lot of content & photo's to catch up with from my training.


I will be going back through and highlighting my rides and training...well, at least the parts I can remember:)


Stay tuned!