The Right Fit

Getting back on the bike has been a huge challenge for me (Dawn). Many years ago, when I first met Chris, I was able to use cycling to get myself back to health after a nasty bought of CFS that was disabling. It was tough but this time around it is even tougher. I am older, I had another child and I am now cycling in an area with a lot more hills than flats. (The first time around I was cycling around flat terrain.) It is harder to get that same satisfaction that riding gives you when you feel like you are constantly battling hills.

When I was able to use Darth Fuji it was a blessing and a curse. The blessing was being able to take hills a whole heck of a lot easier (Carbon is frickin' amazing!) the curse was that it was sized for a man over six feet tall. I was so far stretched out that after ten minutes of riding I was tormented by the strangest combination of intense burning pain and numbness in my low back. Riding Darth Fuji was the most fun I have ever had in my life but the pain made it difficult to get in the length of rides I need for my goals and recovery was taking much longer than my usual agonizingly slow pace.

Riding Darth reminded me of the Chinese phrase, "to eat bitter". I continued to ride through the pain as if I needed to go through that crucible to earn time on Darth. If I could eat the pain, the bitter, and keep going, that meant that I appreciated what gifts I had been given by so many folks who have been helping me get back on the road.

Okay, self-sacrifice... martyr... yada... yada... yada... After a few rides to purify myself I was done with the pain. That was when I went to The Wizard (Rob) at Body Concepts. He took one look at me on Darth and told me right off that the stem was way too long and that I should get the bike fit to my dimensions. We were really concerned about how much to change as this was a loaner that would have to be converted back quickly if it was needed. Rob said it wouldn't be a problem and whipped out an old, stubby stem he had handy.

Every girl needs her "Spinderella" moment.

Rob set Darth up on the trainer at the Body Concepts office and I mounted up. He watched closely as I pedaled away. He would stop me, take measurements and tweak the seat. I rode more and he stopped me, swapping out the stems, tweaking the seat more. I resumed pedaling and he started talking to me about my posture on the bike. I had deep bends in my wrists that were setting me up for pain down the road. My core was weak and I was slouching as I rode, also not good for back pain. He helped show me how to improve my riding posture and then set me loose for a test ride around Old Folsom.

The difference was amazing! Before I had been afraid of Darth, not realizing that my discomfort was because I had much less control because I was way too stretched out. Instantly I felt in total control of the bike and cornering was amazing. I no longer had anxiety about crashing. The difference of a simple bike fit was intoxicating! I had never even heard of a bike fit before I met Rob. I though you just raised and lowered a seat and that was the best you could expect. The difference that I feel now is like night and day.

Has Darth been lured away from the Dark Side? Will I someday look good in the Princess Leia slave outfit? We shall see, but in the week since the bike fit I have lost two more pounds and I feel like I am on my way to becoming a real cyclist!


NOTE:
If you are interested in checking out Body Concepts and learning some great cycling tips be sure to check out their Presentation Classes! There is even one tonight! See you there!

Please RSVP to: nrobyn@bodyconceptsinc.com  or (916) 939-6800 ... only 30-spots available per presentation 

DATES:

All presentations 7-8:30 pm at Body Concepts

April 28^th      Injuries- how to prevent/recover from them

May 12^th       Flexibility- a less painful performance enhancer

May 26^th       Core Strength- turbo charge your leg power

June 16^th      Bike Fit- a balance between comfort and performance

June 23^rd      Biomechanics- optimize your efficiency

PRESENTER:

Robert Kopitzke has been an Orthopedic-Sports Physical Therapist for over 23-years, he obtained an "Elite" USA Cycling Coaching license in 1998, is a Master Pilates Instructor and certified Neuromuscular Reprogrammer. He has worked with hundreds of cyclists throughout the Sacramento region since 1994 as Peak Cycling and established Body Concepts in 1998.

For more information about Rob and Body Concepts: www.bodyconceptsinc.com 

Sea Otter Onslaught (part two)... The Gravel Strikes Back

Getting to the front of the line.  Not only have I been coached to do this, if you read below I have other plans as well...

(Continued from Part One) It took forever to go to sleep. I was excited by the results from the race and I was amped. I was so into the racing mindset that even though I was in bed my body was reacting as if I was still riding in the race. (Kind of like when you are on a ship on the ocean for a long time and can’t seem to get your land legs back.)  I was excited about how well I performed at the race, excited about taking on the corkscrew tomorrow. (As a child I had seen many motorcycle races on that same course and I couldn’t get over being able to ride that same course first thing in the morning.) I knew my body needed rest but my mind just would not turn off. It was late in the night before I finally drifted off.

The next morning I felt like crap. Shin splints from all of the walking, my legs were sore, my calves were cramping. Basically from the knee down I felt like a mess. We were checking out of the hotel room before the race so between packing, boy wrangling and taking care of making meals it was a whirlwind morning.  As the sun was staring to rise, we were headed out to the track.



Destroying my cleats



I was already in my gear (including cycling shoes) and I had to walk with my father and the boys through the two miles of dirt, rocks, gravel, sand and coarse pavement from where we parked to the race course. In hindsight I probably should have worn my tennis shoes and swapped out for my cycling shoes once I got to the race.

As soon as we get to the course I start warming up on the racetrack. Trouble showed up early on as the initial climb at the start of the course seemed to eat me alive from the get-go. Not a great sign. On the bright side, after the climb I went down the corkscrew and the thrill of that more than made up for the work to get to the top.  (Watch video of the climb and corkscrew here.)



Slow first step, but I got to the front quickly.



As race time approached I was still feeling very lethargic and I knew I was going to get off to a slow start.  To counter that, I wanted to line up at the very front and do the initial lead up to the top of the corkscrew.  I figured that if I take the early lead I can set the pace most of the way up, and therefore do it at a pace I could handle, and when they start passing me I won’t move too far back into the group.  (I call it the “Lemming Strategy”.) That strategy worked well as I worked my way to the front and everyone folded in behind me.  It surprised me everyone stayed back as long as they did.  I thought I might just make it to the top at this rate.  No such luck there, I had already milked the peloton as much as could be expected and they started to pass me about half way up.  As I started to get passed I just stayed in my seat and let them go, knowing that I would catch them in the corkscrew.





The second lap is where the trouble really started…  I wanted to start keeping up with the leaders on the climb so I got out of the saddle to start pedaling.  As I did, my left foot came out of the pedal.  As I tried to get my shoe clipped back in I realized that I wasn’t getting a solid clip.  This is when I realized that walking in my cleats from the parking lot had been a really bad idea. I am certain that I clogged up my cleat with dirt and bits of gravel. 

At this point I have some safety concerns.  I don’t feel like it would be good for me to ride up the hills with the pack or be going for a sprint finish.  I decided to alter my strategy a little so that on the climbs, I am way off to the right or left of the pack.  If I am still with the group going into the finish I wouldn’t sprint for it because I don’t want to take out half the peloton.  

Without being able to stand to match the pace of the group up the climb, I was forced into a catch-up mode while riding the rest of the course.  On one climb I fell far enough back that the motorcycle and pace car that was following the peloton passed me.  That didn’t last for long as I put my cornering skills (from Body Concepts Race Team skills clinic) to use on the next descent down the corkscrew. I was back towards the front of the group in no time.  

As I was approaching the hill again I realized that my left shoe finally had a solid clip.  I am back in the race!  I sprung out of my saddle and kept up with the pack on this climb.  Next time around, trouble sprung up again as I dropped my chain! (Note to self: Need to get that chain catcher before my next race.)  I was able to recover without stopping but I was in catch-up mode again.  

I am starting to get tired from burning matches on the catch-up efforts.  I am back with the group with one lap to go.  The pace on the last lap surged up the hill.  I tried to match it but I was totally spent and couldn’t keep up with the pace.  As I made the descent down the corkscrew I realized that there were a bunch of stragglers behind and in front of me.  The main pack was too far off to catch so this became a race between me and whoever was left.  

Maximizing momentum down the corkscrew I came into the sharp left turn after the corkscrew a little too hot and found myself on the warning track.  Thunk-Thunk-Thunk-Thunk-Thunk.  I pulled out of it easily enough and was grinning because it was a very fun experience to be pushing it that close to the edge in my speed.  (I think my wife’s need for speed may be rubbing off on me.) In hindsight I think I also didn’t take the best angle through that turn like I did most of the rest of the race.  I think I was getting anxious for the finish and wasn’t paying as close attention to the details of making a good turn.  

I used my momentum to pass a few people and got behind another guy to get a draft break as we headed towards the finish.  The stragglers were getting restless and started powering towards the line so I did the same.  I passed several people but one guy came by me just before the finish.  I heard him coming but was already maxed out and couldn’t do anything about it.

We crossed the finish and I made a direct line for the large dirt area off to the side of the track where other riders had stopped to talk after the race. I was greeted by Jason “Coach” McMillen who had just participated in a race himself (different category from mine).  We exchanged race stories but I couldn’t stay long as my father and the boys were waiting for me.  I waited long enough for them to post my race results and then hurried back to join my family, I had promised the boys a side-trip to the beach on our way home and I wanted to make sure to get that in before it got too late in the day.  I said good-bye to my dad and planned the route to the beach in my head.

Well, the best laid plans… can easily be waylaid once the DS gaming units open. When we got on the road, around 11:00 or so, the boys were already engrossed in their videos games. I asked them if they still wanted to go to the beach or if they wanted to head directly home. If I had an ounce more energy I may have talked them into reconsidering, I couldn’t imagine myself as a kid saying no to a trip to the beach, but at that point I just didn’t feel like I could take on the video games and win so I pointed our car for home feeling a bit defeated by the boys reaction to our “Men’s Trip” to Sea Otter.

Sea Otter is such a big event with so much that I wanted to see and do but between my own time constraints and the boys reluctance to go anywhere or do anything there I only got to experience a small part of it. I feel like I missed out on a lot of what Sea Otter had to offer. Next time I will be sure to do Sea Otter right, both as a “tourist” and as a racer and I want to share it with those who will be as excited about it as I am.

So more lessons learned: I got 8^th in a tough race and I feel great about that; I got 16^th in a race that was full of snags and mistakes; I now know better than to try to sell my idea of a fun weekend trip to someone who just isn’t interested; and I know that I should never, ever walk through two miles of crappy terrain to get to a race in my cycling shoes.

REVENGE OF THE SQUIRRELS!

On a day where rodents rule, we give you our latest Sunday Funny: Road Rash.

Stay Tuned for Sea Otter Onslaught (part two) and GroveTribe coverage of the Sierra Nevada High School Racing Organization Awards Banquet and more photo galleries!

Sea Otter Onslaught (part one)

My first race at Sea Otter 2011. I am tucked in nicely behind the "NAVAL WALL".

The Sea Otter classic has become a massive event over the years. Just the sheer number of vendors alone was mind-boggling. It’s like Disneyland for cyclists, and you can’t take it all in in one day. This year I didn’t have nearly as much time to check things out as I would have liked. Between two races and taking my two oldest sons, my free time was pretty limited.  Luckily, I had my dad there to watch the boys while I raced.

It was a “boy’s weekend” for the GroveTribe with my father, my two oldest sons and I going. I had hoped that the boys would see the cycling community and start getting excited about it. I wanted to help them develop an interest in cycling and I wanted them to have a chance to see me race. Up to this point, all my attempts to interest them in cycling have not been able to overcome their video gaming preference.

We arrived at Sea Otter and I went straight to registration. The boys initially seem excited that we were there with them asking me about when I would race and they thought the racing numbers were cool. They were interested in the gift shop and all of the Otter gear but their interest soon cooled to the event and the rest of the time they would only play in the bounce house when they weren’t begging to go back to play their video games.

They didn’t have much interest in seeing all that Sea Otter had to offer and I have to admit that I was frustrated that I wasn’t able to share the event with them as I had hoped. They weren’t interested in looking around and so I wasn’t able to visit nearly as many of the vendors booths as I had hoped. The “boy’s weekend” turned out to be “Nintendo DS weekend” but I was still happy to have my dad there and be able to share it with him. Next year will be my wife’s turn to go, I want to take someone with me who would really enjoy the event and be happy to share it with me.




Vendors. Vendors. Vendors everywhere.



My race was late afternoon so I spent the day walking around and by the time the race came around I was tired from walking. Note to self: rest before race not run after young boys and try to ogle the massiveness of Sea Otter. Second note to self: cross-train leading up to Sea Otter so all the walking doesn’t kick my over-specialized butt.

A couple of hours before the race I began the long trek back to the car to gear up, get my numbers pinned on, put on my racing chip and trudge back to the starting line. I left my dad and the boys at the bounce house and prepared myself for my first Sea Otter Race.

Racing at Sea Otter isn’t like all the other races I have done up to this point. Instead of taking on the “local guys” I was going against racers from all over, and there was a LOT OF THEM. These races were big with full fields in all the races. I was beginning to second guess entering myself into the Elite category race instead of the 35+. I was going up against more competition, better competition, younger competition. I found out later that I was the oldest guy in the race.

So there I was in a field of about 50 to 60 racers and I had no teammates entered in this race. As I look around I see a wall of the Naval Postgraduate Academy racers at the head of the pack. There I was, an “Army of One” hoping to take them on without any support. Things were looking grim but I wasn’t about to lie down and die because the odds were stacked against me.  I planned to stay towards the front, looking for breaks and getting on one if I can. If I wanted a chance at a top-ten finish I had to be in the lead group for the final climb.

The weather was warm and windy for the 3:30pm start time.  It was to be a neutral start down a canyon road to a looped course and then we would climb back up the hill that served as a neutral start.

The wall of the Naval Post Grad team numbered at least 9 riders (that is how many were in front of me at the start, there might have been more scattered around).  I lined up directly behind then so that I could spy on them and use them as a wind break as the race got started (is it legal for me to do that to our military?).

As the race got off to a neutral start, the peloton was really sketchy, especially on the descent down Barloy Canyon Rd.  My spider senses were tingling and I was looking for a safe spot to descend when someone in front and to my right crashed.  His crash went left (towards the riders in front of me) and took all of them out as well.  I was suddenly dodging bodies, wheels, hands, legs, and a frame pump (who races with a frame pump?!?!?).  I made it out okay but somehow my seat angle got knocked all the way forward.  I couldn’t get it to go back in place while riding so I got off the bike, got it close enough, hopped back on and caught back on to the peloton.

 

As we went around the loops we would lose riders off the main pack with every climb.  I was worried that the Naval team would have some sort of strategy, but most of them dropped off the main group quickly.  On an early break attempt I used momentum on the rollers to slingshot the gap but the break didn’t stick. 

As the race was going on I was getting tired keeping the pace up the two climbs in the loop.  I sucked through one of my bottles in no time.  I still had a full second bottle when I hit a series of small pot holes the knocked my second bottle (Good bye Body Concepts bottle) out of the cage.  Fortunately Hammer Nutrition was providing support with bottles filled with some sort of energy drink.  It was foul tasting but I needed the energy more than the taste. 

At this point there are about 12 of us left in the lead group. As we go around to the start of another lap a racer aggressively attacks the hill.  I didn’t really consider it much of a threat (the guy seemed pretty tired on previous climbs) and neither did anyone else.  Next thing we knew this guy had a huge lead.  The lead was too big for me to try and gap and I was barely hanging on as it was.  The group eventually organized to get a pace line going to try and catch him.  I was extremely tired and decided not to participate in the line and hung off the back.  That may have ruffled feathers but I felt that if I took a lead I would be too tired to latch back on at the end of the line.  Once organized, the guy was caught pretty quickly and the pace settled down for the last lap through as everyone was anticipating the big climb out.

There were some strong climbers in this group and I didn’t really think I stood a chance at finishing in the top 3 as they had outpaced my best efforts in the loop.  So my plan was to work my way up as many riders as I could on the climb out.  Top 5 isn’t out of the question.  During the climb I was with the group when some riders started to fall off the pace.  Things were going well until a guy next to me started to have shifting problems.  He stared down at his gears and veered left, right towards me.  I stopped pedaling and veered left as well to avoid being hit.  This instantly gave the group a good sized gap on me.  And I was left going solo the rest of the way up.   I did pass another rider, maybe two…  Not enough oxygen to keep the brain working properly so I can’t remember. 

Because of the brutal pace the final hill was difficult. The final hill wasn’t really that steep which I would have preferred as that would have worked to my strengths. I tried to push as hard as I could all the way to the finish and I was thankful to see the white line coming up because I was getting light-headed.

I was so tired at that point that I realized late that I had to do a course correction. I had been drifting towards the right side of the road which is for people who are abandoning the race. As I certainly was not one of them I had to use what little ability and strength that remained to turn back towards the left side of the course. I felt like I was riding through molasses in winter.  There were a lot of people on the side of the road cheering the race on which gave me the extra motivation to keep my exhausted legs moving and finish the race.

In the end I was satisfied because I was utterly wiped; I had put forth my best effort and I raced in the strongest group of riders I have ever ridden against in an elite age-group in such a major race with folks participating from all over. As the results came in I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I had finished 8^th!

I was elated! I knew I would be in the final 12 but with all the factors working against me to reach all the way to 8^th place in this kind of race was more than I could have hoped. I immediately called my wife and she freaked out with excitement. She kept telling me how proud she was of me and I was so happy and satisfied that all this work and sacrifice to race was paying off. It was important to me that I could do well and show my family that with hard work and training I could make the most of their support and help.

Once the adrenaline wore off the full brunt of the exhaustion hit me. I had been invited to a Body Concepts party at a house that had been rented by BC teammates in other categories but I had to miss it. I just couldn’t get the energy to try and wrangle two bored boys who hadn’t been listening very well at a “grown-up” event and attempt to recover in time for an early morning race the very next day (what was I thinking?!?).

I finally collapsed into bed wondering how in the hell I was going to survive tomorrow’s race…. (to be continued in Part Two, click here to read)

We interrupt your regularly scheduled…

…Sea Otter blog for a special announcement. I am now officially a Cat 4 racer! When I decided to start racing my goal was to reach Cat 4 this year. I am here ahead of schedule thanks to teammates willing to carpool with me and do double race weekends. It feels great and when I told my wife I think she may have been more excited than I was. Her beautiful smile lit up her eyes and I couldn’t help but grin like an idiot right back at her. And so I guess I should thank a few people.

(Holding imaginary Cat 4 trophy)  I would like to thank my Body Concepts teammates: especially Todd, Felix and Rob S. for hanging in there with me and carpooling. Without your support (and gas money) this precipitous Cat 4 would not have been possible. To Rob (The Wizard) and his beautiful consort Linda, you have given my feet wings. To The Punisher, thank you for all the punishment. To my wife, thank you for your support, encouragement and love. To my Dad, who helped make these races possible and for the excitement of sharing them with me.

Now I have to really work, Cat 3 is a lot harder to earn and I have a lot of folks that I don’t want to let down. See you on the course!

Dreams, Sacrifice and Getting to Sea Otter

April 16, 2011 Hanging with the Otter while awaiting race results.

Pursuing dreams often involves sacrifice.  Bicycling, like any hobby (and most forms of exercise) isn’t cheap.  I take pride that I have worked hard all of my life, earning my degree, working hard as a teenager at fast food jobs to help me get through college, buying my own vehicles and paying for my own home. But being the good guy, the one everyone can depend on, has its sacrifice. While I was working hard and caring for my family, I always put my dreams and often some of my basic needs aside for all of them.

Without the help of members of my family and the cycling community there is no way I could pursue my dream but even with such help we still run incredibly tight on money with me being the sole-supporter of my family. And so with our family situation, finding a way to get me to Sea Otter wasn’t easy.   

So there we were, still painfully short on funds and as the trip approached, we had some unexpected family expenses come up.  Suddenly we didn’t have enough money for gas or the groceries needed to pack for the trip or for the family members I had to leave behind. So we had to get creative and look at what really matters. A lot of it came down to STUFF vs. LIFE.

We held a last minute yard sale the weekend before Sea Otter to help bridge the gap.  It was a little bit sad because I had to sell keepsake items.  Even more painful than having to sell my motorcycle a couple of months ago, I had to let go of my vintage Vectrex gaming console. I was the original owner of the system bought when I was a child in 1986. I still loved that game system and had so many fond memories of it. However I also realized that I am exchanging old dreams that are just sitting and taking up space in the garage, for new dreams. 

Right before the trip my wife went into extreme baking mode to conserve costs on the trip and to give me a typical diet going into the race.  Since I rarely eat out I didn’t want to flood my body with restaurant food.  (Or pay their prices!)  She baked a lot of chicken, cobbler, and as a parting gift of love for me she created a new recipe -a Peanut Butter Cream Crumble (heavenly creation)- so I could get easy protein or carbs on the go.  I spent hours packing snacks, drinks, utensils and the like so that we could avoid eating out whenever possible.

With my dad going to Sea Otter as well, we were able to share a hotel room and split the cost of the bill.  We also minimized the costs further by only staying two nights. As we were planning the trip we needed to fundraise so we sold some older items on craigslist to pay the registration fees. It seemed like we were giving up so much but my wife viewed it as a spiritual cleansing and potlatch; maybe a hold-over from her Native American heritage. 

In the end the sacrifices were worth it.  Racing at Sea Otter, with its rewards and challenges (to be talked about in a future blog), was more than worth trading in the old dreams.  I feel especially good about being able to engage in a hobby that is both physically and mentally rewarding.  As I get older I am staying in great health (so I can continue to care for my family) and I feel good about myself and my positive contributions to the cycling community. 

The only problem is that it is only mid-April and I already feel like I have achieved my major goals for the year: racing at Sea Otter and getting enough races in to upgrade to a Cat 4.

Time to start dreaming of what the next step will be...

...and figuring out what I could possibly have left to sell to get there.

    

ROAD RASH!

Well, gang, we had to do it. We created a cycling comic. We apologize in advance for horrible puns, bad jokes, lame artwork and possible offensiveness. (Hey, if you want quality go find Gary Larsen's blog or sumthin'!)

In the meantime, we are busily going through images and writing up blogs about our exciting weekend at Sea Otter so check back in tomorrow for the beginning of THE OTTER ONSLAUGHT! 

Off to Otter

Dad and I freezing to death at Sea Otter 2009.

As I am packing -and my wife is baking- our conversation is, of course, all about my trip to Sea Otter this weekend. Sea Otter has often been a fun destination for my family, something my father and I have shared as a way to renew our cycling bond. It may be the biggest cycling event in our region but when I get a chance to go with my Dad it is so much more than just an event.

The scenery is certainly worth the trip to Sea Otter.

He is on his way there now and will be waiting to greet me but this time instead of the two of us being just spectators, I will be racing and he will be my pit-crew, photographer and official GroveTribe support person. This will be my first time racing at Sea Otter and it feels as if I have changed, grown, finally tasting the potential that has been there for so long. It is fitting that he be there to see this transition in my life, like my first steps or college graduation.

In two years I have worn my Chumba shirt into a rag. Need to stop at their tent and get a new one.

I will have two races to blog about when I get back and hopefully a ton of pictures to share in our gallery. (Have I mentioned that my father is one hell of a photographer?) Perhaps I will have more insight to share with my fellow cyclists about what I have learned but most importantly, these will be my ninth and tenth races as a Cat 5 racer. At the end of Sea Otter I will be applying to move up to a Cat 4 rider. So I guess it is a graduation of sorts. This time the funny hat I am wearing is nicely vented and I only hope no one decides to go streaking at the festivities.

So if you see a guy wearing a black “Blood or Mud” or yin-yang chainring t-shirt, or looking devastatingly handsome in my Body Concepts gear, be sure to stop me and say hello. I have plenty of extra, freshly-baked cobbler from my wife to share with you. See you there.

Revenge is... Pink

Last night in Folsom. The hapless victim (right) and one of the "perps" (left).

Revenge is a dish best served... Pink.


We did a bit of late-night grocery shopping last night and when we emerged from the store our eyes were immediately drawn to a glittering, fluttering, pink bicycle being handled by a grown man (with no ladies or girls in sight).


My wife had to be a smart-alec and assure the man that his bicycle was "very pretty" to which he blushed and admitted: "It was a gift I got tonight from my bible study group."


Of course, it begs the question: why would a bible study group gift a man with a bicycle that was wrapped in so much pink that it looked like a rolling glob of cotton candy on wheels? The answer: REVENGE.


It seems that our hapless gent had once thought to wrap a similar gift of a bicycle to a male friend in an equally feminine way and tonight Karma came knocking at the bible study group.


To the gentleman who shared his pink balloons with our overjoyed toddler. Many thanks for the balloons and the smiles!

Life Happens...

We apologize for the interruption in your Cycling Blog Service; we are experiencing technical difficulties caused by back-to-back weekends of racing paired with coordinating transporting young children to said races with further complications of squirrels. (Well, actually, there are no squirrels but as a cyclist I feel it is my duty to blame the squirrels anyway.)

We hope to have your blogging service back up and running with a new post in the next day or two. We thank you for your patience.

To reach an operator, please press nine....

-GroveTribe Staff

The Richest Man

I have a race tomorrow morning. Getting my gear ready, making sure all is packed away gets me to thinking about what I have experienced so far. Looking back over my races, I have yet to place in the top five but I feel as if I have already won. In the past year I have experienced more in my cycling life, and progressed further than I ever thought possible in such a short time. None of it would have been possible without the people who surround and support me.

My teammate Brad rebuilds the Tarmac.

By sheer luck I stumbled upon an amazing team of men and women who I have come to admire and enjoy their company. So many of my fellow teammates have come to my aid; they have loaned me their bikes to race, helped me to rebuild or make repairs, carpooled with me to save money on gas and supported me in my racing efforts. I have access to an incredibly knowledgeable coach who takes the time to really understand what my goals and needs are and helps me to fulfill both.

The shadowy form of The Punisher as I visit his lair.

Not all who have helped me have even been on my team. I have discovered a cycling community that has embraced my family and I. Where other racers, far out of my league, not only allow me to train with them but help me understand more about my bike and equipment and help me obtain gear I could never afford on my own.

I have seen my family come out in the worst weather with smiles on their faces and cheers of encouragement for my teammates and I; all without expectations of my performance. Not once have I come in first and yet they tell me that I am their hero and that they are so incredibly proud of me.

At the end, I have a gorgeous wife who greets me with a kiss and allows me to warm my race-chilled feet with hers. She massages away the aches of my efforts with love in her eyes and eagerly takes in every detail of every race and ride, adding her observations and wisdom to help me learn even more than I would have on my own.

Winning the race is not the true triumph. The true victory I have is in the people who surround me.

WE DID IT!!!!

We have reached the goal of $800 for Eric Taylor to replace his stolen bicycle thanks to members of the cycling community! We will be giving a proper thanks to the donors along with pictures and a blog of the moment when Eric meets his new steed!

THANK YOU EVERYONE!
You did make a difference!

Read about Eric's story:
The loss: http://grovetribe.blogspot.com/2011/01/have-you-seen-this-trek.html

The Plan: http://grovetribe.blogspot.com/2011/03/cyclists-making-difference-you-can-help.html

Folsom College's "Green Machine" Day

Watch out Davis! Folsom is breathing down your neck as one of the top-cycling communities in the region and we are about to kick it up another notch next week.

On Wednesday, April 13th, as part of it's Earth Week Celebration, Folsom Lake College is holding a "Green Machine" Alternative Transportation  Fair and I can't think of a machine much greener than a bicycle.

In addition to the regular Earth Day coolness and activities the Green Machine Fair will feature Free bike Valet parking, bicycle powered music and smoothies, adult size tricycle rides, experience biking under the influence with a "beer goggles" simulation by the campus police, bike art and reps from 10 local bike stores. This is just a partial list folks!

So if you are in the area stop by during your lunch hour (these events run between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm) and check out the festivities honoring our two-wheeled friends. For more information on this event, click here to visit their official website.

Darth Fuji

So the day that I had been dreading had come, the “safe” indoor clinics and classes at Body Concepts had now progressed to practical clinics actually on the bike out on the road. Not only did I need a suitable bike but I was also concerned that my lack of recent cycling experience and physical fitness would be my undoing. I just didn’t feel ready; I had been struggling for so long trying to figure out how to get back into some sort of physical shape.

It was only in the past week and a half, after getting some much needed advice from “The Wizard” (Rob Kopitzke), that I felt that I had begun making some good progress towards the eventual goal of “fitness”. After the big "Thud”, I was at a real low point in my morale and had all but given up on myself. Late last month I had attended a class at Body Concepts about training where I was able to ask The Wizard about my challenges of training with CFS.

For those who may not be up-to-speed on my saga: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) can do a nasty number on your health. Recovery from illness, injury or exhaustion can become a life altering ordeal. Overtraining is dangerous, especially for someone like me who is caring for a rambunctious toddler alone for 8 hours a day. I have to be able to function to care for my son –and two daughters, two step-sons and a racing husband- so working out is often something I have been too afraid to take on lest it made me too weak to care for my family. The Wizard had a solution for me that was so practical and logical that I felt like a complete idiot for not thinking of it myself: he advised that instead of one longer work-out session break it up into several smaller 10 to 15 minute sessions spaced hours apart.

So for this past week and a half I did yoga in the morning, took my son for a brisk 15 minute stroller walk during the day and then throw in something else like a short ab workout, tai chi or running after the kids at the park. The result? I lost five pounds. So with those kinds of results do you think I would miss out on taking a skills clinic with The Wiz for lack of a bike or a little anxiousness of my own abilities? As one of my students from Bryan College would say, “Oh, he-e-ell nah!”

Now that I had decided to go I had the other problem to solve: What does one do when one is signed up to go to a cycling skills clinic and one has no ‘cycle? The short answer: you borrow one.

My loaner turned out to be a sleek, black carbon-framed Fuji. When I lifted him for the first time I felt an electric jolt. The lightness was unreal; it was a paradoxical entity of power and ethereal beauty. I admit that I was intimidated and fearful, his dark carbon frame held a Force I couldn’t fathom and wasn’t sure could be harnessed by the likes of me.

It was a deal with the devil, if I wanted to make that skills clinic I had to make an alliance with the Cycling Sith Lord: Darth Fuji. I had to wonder if he would even deign to carry me: would he blow a tube at the indignation of being ridden by a woman still packing too many baby pounds? Would he crack in frustration at a frightened, physically limited CFS sufferer who hadn’t ridden more than 30 total minutes since the loss of her last bike several years ago? His frame had carried the likes of riders like The Punisher and my husband! Even if Darth Fuji would agree to carry me, could I even carry myself? And yet, Darth Fuji and I showed up to the clinic last weekend; a mismatched pair as you ever saw.

To say that I was anxious was an understatement – I was, in fact, TERRIFIED! I didn’t care how well I did at the skills I was just hoping that my body wouldn’t give out on me, forcing me to drop out of the class early. I was also plagued by visions of not clipping out in time crashing to the ground and damaging an expensive and insanely light carbon bike. Darth Fuji was intimidating but he was also beautiful and I could not bear the thought of marring his frame or the shame of returning a borrowed bike in anything less than perfect shape. I was shakier than a Cat 5 Squirrel. God, please don’t let me wipe out one of the other students!

We met at the Body Concepts office and mounted our bikes to ride out to the bike trail. The myriads of doubts in my mind were only exacerbated when I found that clipping in and out of my left pedal was about as smooth as a budget vote for the California legislature. Was it that the pedal was just worn out from age and years of use or was Darth Fuji already showing his displeasure using dark powers of the force to make me yield to the dark side and turn back home before it was too late? Would my world explode with millions of voices suddenly crying out in terror, only to be suddenly and forever silenced?

With all of these thoughts running chaos through my brain I somehow I managed to wobble my way along at the end of our pack until we arrived at a straight stretch of bike trail as our final destination. My back was already aching from being stretched out on a bike set-up for a much taller man to ride. We had lowered the seat to help but the stem was too long and had my arms way too far extended. Over and over I tried to shake the knowledge that I was going to bail, going down in the flames of insult and injury. It was only when Rob began to speak that my mind calmed and I focused on what he was explaining.

We were to start with braking skills. He set up two BC water bottles filled with a day-glo orange liquid spaced about ten feet apart as markers. We were to head down the trail, return at a quick pace and practice braking beginning at the first “cone” and ending at a full stop before reaching the second “cone”. My legs quite literally shook and if it weren’t for Linda’s humor I think I might have just turned around and headed for home. She galvanized us students and took the lead in braking drills.

From the very beginning I was scared to death of the tight u-turn we needed to make on the trail and I have more visions of disaster: these with me taking a turn wrong and Darth Fuji sliding out from under me. Linda was perceptive; she saw my worry and once again came to my rescue coaching me to lead my turns with my eyes, looking to where I wanted to go with the bike. It worked like a charm and I thanked her to which she responded that she was only repeating advice she had heard Rob give over and over again to other riders.

Once I was turned around I became focused on the problem with clipping in and out of my left pedal. So much so that I made a mess of the drill, clipping out way too early over and over again. I will admit that I am an incredibly slow learner -easily the slowest learner in the class- but I understand this weakness of mine so I try to make up for it by repeating the drill over and over and over and over until I pound it into my wee unreceptive block of a brain. I rode up and down our small stretch of trail braking repeatedly and when I felt fearful I punished myself by going faster and faster. If I didn’t learn how to brake I would go down on asphalt for my failure.

It was then that the tide changed for me. Between Rob’s confident and encouraging coaching and the thrill of speed all the doubts fell away. The adrenaline hits and the fear melts away, it washes away my weakness and clears my mind. A small voice far, far back in the recesses of my mind warned me that I would pay for my repeated bursts of speed but I was having so much fun with the drills and with the new skills I was learning that I put my faith in Darth and The Wizard and let it all go. I was free, no longer worrying about kids and bills and everything else.

Today I sit here writing this blog and I am shaking all over. My legs are weak and I know that every ounce of energy I have today must be saved for caring for Jax and helping the older kids with homework. My juice is gone, I am weak and recovery will be a few days of as much rest as I can scrape up interspersed with gentler workouts. But despite my exhaustion I feel STRONGER; more able to take on the world, more joyful and more hopeful. Now I just have to figure how to weasel another date with Darth Fuji for the next Body Concepts skills clinic…