Solvang

After 19 weeks of training...Solvang finally arrived! It seemed surreal...that these strangers that I met, on that Saturday morning in Berkeley at winter kickoff were now my friends and teammates. Together we had learned, laughed, struggled and supported one another through our fears, injuries and tough training schedule all winter season.


So now, here we stand all together in the lobby of the Marriott Hotel...geared up, fueled up and ready to ride! Our ride groups hit the road before dawn, spread out in 15 minute increments. We rolled out to the cheers of our coaches and teammates. The support and encouragement we received all season was one of the keys to us making it here.



As we rolled out of Buellton towards parts unknown, the group found their legs and our pace. We also discovered that the wind was beginning to pick up. Our best defense again the windy conditions would be to have the team pace-line as much as possible to preserve our energy. The idea was for each person to rotate to the lead position about every five minutes. This way we all got a bit of a break.


About 17 miles into the ride after we had cleared the first SAG...the winds began to get vicious. The head winds we were encountering made it feel like we were riding uphill the entire time. Combine that with the occasional gusts...now we were fighting to keep your front tire straight and your bike on the road...yikes!

The team was working together great and by this time we were surrounded by pelotons of cyclists. As we were heading up Highway 1, I was beginning to feel sluggish and out of it...I began to struggle to hold pace with the rest of my team. My coach identified that I was "bonking"! It is a term in cycling letting me know that I was hitting a wall...not a fun experience! I could not believe that today of all days I would have an off ride and experience my first bonk (!@#$)! I was pissed and frustrated with myself! Not enough calories at breakfast and fighting the wind had also attributed to my energy plummeting. I kept going as my coach & teammates slowed the pace and tried to fuel me up until the next SAG.

The second SAG was a rough one for me...I felt drained and defeated. I forced as much food, gels, supplements and water into me as possible in a short amount of time. I wasn't going to let my team down or give-up but I was still feeling weak & dazed as I hopped onto my bike. My saving grace was I knew the next SAG was only 10 miles out...so I focused on that...I could make 10 miles!


My team was awesome, they kept me in the middle of the pack to preserve my energy until we reached the lunch SAG. I was still drained but starting to improve. I was feeling sick from the amount of food I was trying to consume to get my body to recover. I was determined as ever to get through this ride!

By about mile 50 I was beginning to equalize. As the day warmed up and we were hitting tougher climbs...I was amazed to see the amount of people cramping and struggling up the hills. I never felt 100% after the bonk, but I was able to regain my pace and strength enough to not have problems with the climbs. In the later part of the ride most of our issues were other cyclists, traffic and the very rough roads! At times, it felt like we were riding on cobblestone surfaces!


About 3 miles out when we crested the last hill...I finally spotted Solvang! I spent the entire day fighting mentally, physically and emotionally through this ride that seeing Solvang, completely caught me off guard. I tried to be present and take it all in as we rolled into town. Then the emotional realization finally hit me..."Holy Crap...I just rode 100 miles"!

As a team we rode across the finish line to the cheers and cow bells of friends, families, honorees and teammates lining the streets! It was a complete blur of activity and excitement! After we signed in and re-grouped, the team shared their stories and celebrated on the sidelines with shots of tequila!




The ride was one of the toughest and most amazing experiences of my life! In the process, it tested who I was as a person...and I was very pleased with the results:) The feeling of being part Team in Training and completing my first century cannot be explained...only experienced!



Thank you to the LLS staff, Coaches, Mentors, Captains, Honorees, teammates and friends, for making my first season with TNT a success!


Stay tuned...this cyclist adventures have just begun;)

Novato Send Off

The team gathered in Novato on Saturday for the send off ride and gathering. I thought it was a great place to have a final team ride since this area was where we rode with our coaches for the first time very early in the season. It was a wonderful gauge to feel how far we have all progressed through the season. This time I knew my gears, my bike and myself as I effortlessly rode over that first hill that caused me so much anguished and concern early in my training. It was a fun ride to enjoy the scenery and reflect a little. My ride group also had a interesting experience by having our pace line joined by a local Norweigen fisherman...with all his fishing gear attached to his bike! We were laughing at how this guy made what we had trained for all season look so easy!



After the ride we all gathered at the school for our official send off...to the Solvang Century! Some of our honorees where there to talk, support and inspire us to our goals. This was the day where it became very real, that I was about to complete our first century! We received our ride packet and new jerseys. The talks, the awards and the team atmosphere was very encouraging. We laughed and had fun but it was also bittersweet to know that my season was coming to a close with my wonderful team that has become like family for me. This was the beginning of the build to our one last challenge as a team...The Solvang Century!



Can I get a GO TEAM!!!

Morgan Territory & Mt. Diablo Ride

This was the last tough ride of the season, combining long miles and longer climbs! It was also messing with me mentally since all week I would look up at Mt. Diablo and wonder if I would be able to make that climb? I was in awe of the cyclists that seemed to scale the mountain like it was riding any other road.



All season I knew Diablo would eventually be part of one of our training rides and the day finally came...however, it also brought rain, wind and higher elevation fog! This ride and day was doing everything possible to scare me. I decided I would ride as far as I could and feel accomplished with whatever the outcome of the day would be...my first victory was just getting myself loaded up and to the ride in spite of the weather during the pre-dawn hours.



Thankfully, as we rolled out towards Clayton the rain began to let up. I was feeling good and encouraged to see patches of blue sky as we began the portion of the route that was completely unknown to me...Morgan Territory. I went into this ride using the "ignorance is bliss" theory...the less I knew the less I would worry;)



I had heard horror stories about the difficulty level of riding Morgan Territory road but as I rode out away from my group I found it to be milder climbs than I had anticipated. Most of it was rolling and traffic was non-existent this early on a Saturday morning.



I was feeling good and the bike was shifting beautifully, so I was completely lost in the scenery and freedom of riding. As I was riding deeper into Morgan Territory and the dense tree covered roads...it became very silent...not even birds singing. It occurred to me that I had not seen or heard my team in awhile. I had a Little Red Riding Hood meets Deliverance moment in my head and thought a girl alone in the woods of redneck country is probably not a great idea...haha! I found a place to stop and re-group with my team, they were at this point spread out into 3 segments.



Of course the last couple of climbs out of Morgan Territory were the worst but they led us our first SAG stop...yeah! Matt was also thrilled that his wish to have "More Cow Bell" was granted and we were greeted with its robust sound at the SAG. The cow bell is what Team in Training uses to encourage us along the ride.



Our first big decent down Higgins was steep and curvy...I was conservative and still hit 36 MPH! It was a favorite of a lot of the thrill seekers on the team. It was also nice to be out from under the tree and knowing one of the big tests of the day was behind us.



I got my first taste of wind as we rode through the open ranch areas of Highland Rd. and Camino Tassajara. My ride group had our own personal support crew...Coach Steve,is out for the season but continues to coach and support us from his vehicle. Today my mentor and ride support was also in the car due to a very bad cold...each week our ride group continues to shrink. We did get to ride with Coach Jim's group on and off throughout this ride..." The Harem" (his group's name) is always a lot of fun!



Out of the second SAG stop was the trip up the mountain! This is where some people opted to go around instead of up Mt. Diablo...I was not one of them. I needed to test myself and try to see how far I could go...this was my chance and I was not going to let it pass me by. The residential road going up south gate is horrible...some of the potholes are bigger than my bike! Therefore, it gave us no chance to gain any momentum before climbing...just slow and steady all the way up.



I chugged up the mountain...peering around each corner to see what degree of climb was next. Physically my body was doing well but I needed to not mentally get defeated. I took each section as it came and self-talked my way through. I was never so happy to see a flag sticking up through the trees...the Junction Ranger Station! This was our stopping point to re-group...it felt great to know that I had made it up the hill! Coach Jim's group was there to cheer me in! The fog, wind and cold really started to hit us at this point. In spite of already riding over 45 miles and tackling a tough climb...I was feeling good. The worst was over! On the decent, it was extremely chilly and at one point a wind gust hit me so hard, that it moved me and my bike over a couple of feet...scary!



Once we were all down the hill safely and heading toward the finish, I got my second wind. This was our cooling down phase but my body wanted to continue. Since I knew the route and was feeling energized, the group elected me to lead us back to the finish. It was great to discover that my body still felt so strong this late in the ride...after all, just hours earlier I questioned I had what it took to complete this ride.

Today, I felt that TNT's promise of turning me into an endurance athlete was accomplished...as well as relearning some life lessons. This experience has helped me move through my fears and regain my inner-strength and self-belief. It feels great to have the confidence and know that I am ready for my first Century ride in Solvang!