Reunited and it feels so good

Posted on by Lindsay
Life here in Tucson is great! I'm just sitting here at the kitchen table, stress eating and waiting for the locksmith to arrive. My car keys are missing and after ransacking the house and dumpster diving the neighbor's rolling trash can (try to look dignified while doing that), I've resorted to calling a professional. The $46 fee is spent at this point, so now I'm really hoping the keys are locked in the car. If not, I will be devastated that my keys are still missing because I will have no way to go buy the alcohol required to move past this. Other than the obvious, things are good. I did the famous Shootout group ride on Saturday morning and while I wanted to die a million deaths during the ride, my first thought after it ended was that I couldn't wait to do it again. Sunday was a sufferfest up Mt. Lemmon, noteworthy for the glorious ...continue reading.

You made my dreams come true so here are some nice socks

Posted on by Lindsay
This trip has already been amazing - while I've written about many of the wonderful moments here, there is so much more that has been left unsaid. I feel like a different person than I was a month ago. Happier, lighter, more confident, more relaxed. I've met so many new people and dropped into so many different places and lives. It's give me a chance to let go of many of the bad habits and dead weight I was carrying around at home. Instead of wishing my life were something bigger or feeling angry that it's not more like I'd hoped, I'm getting the opportunity to make it everything I've ever wanted. Holy shit, that feels good. I feel so lucky to have this be my life right now. It's not all luck, though. I have people - my parents, my coach, my friends and teammates - who are making this possible and ...continue reading.

In which we address labial abrasions

Posted on by Lindsay
Monday morning after Valley of the Sun, I had a bike fit scheduled at Cyclologic in Scottsdale. My appointment was with Steve Merz, Lead Cycling Analyst, but Paraic McGlynn, founder and Chief Technologist, came in to provide input (and make dry, delightful comments like, "Hm. You have Bont-shaped feet."). The session was awesome; they made a lot of adjustments that already feel like improvements. I also got to hear phrases like "bony protuberance" and "labial abrasion" all day, and the guys were polite enough to ignore my inability to stop giggling. We didn't have time to start working on my TT fit, so I'm going back this upcoming Monday for another visit and to discuss the updated state of my bony protuberances. I love elite athletics because instead of seeing the body as a thing about which to be shy and modest, it becomes merely a machine that we analyze and discuss openly. Having two ...continue reading.

Three cheers for not quitting

Posted on by Lindsay
If I could go back 12 months and tell myself something, I would say, "This season will not be what you expect or want, but it is what you need to grow up on and off the bike." If I could go back 6 months, I would say, "Don't give up (and stop crying, for christ's sake). Things are about to work out and this will all have been worth it." I might also recommend taking a pass on that bird tattoo. If I could go back 3 weeks, I would say, "What you are about to do will be totally worth it. This is what it means to live the dream." On stage 3 of Valley of the Sun, we pulled off a 2nd place finish for Sarah and a 4th place GC finish for Laura. The crit was fast and fantastic - it was too exciting for me to ...continue reading.

The Unstoppable Pepper Palace

Posted on by Lindsay
Today was the second stage of Valley of the Sun and, despite sounding like Louis Armstrong on a bad day and hacking up green blobs that deserve their own area codes, I am still in the race and happy about it. I didn't commit to starting the time trial until the officials pushed me off the start ramp and then figured what the hell, I'm wearing this ridiculous helmet and can always stop pedaling if things get really bad. But it's a time trial; if things aren't feeling bad, you're not going hard enough, and so I finished. When I wasn't feeling worse this morning, I decided to start the road race and then stop if my symptoms worsened. My symptoms worsened exponentially right about the time I followed an attack from Andrea Dvorak up the main climb (PAIN), and again when I made the break (MORE PAIN), but just when I was certain ...continue reading.

That time we hit up Pepper Palace and ate all the sauce

Posted on by Lindsay
In case the name wasn't obvious, our title sponsor Pepper Palace offers a huge and delicious array of hot sauces and related items. I love food sponsors because food, but even I knew that trying too much sponsor product during a store visit could end badly. Fortunately, the manager was kind enough to keep a supply of chips, bread, and ice cream to help idiots undo their painful, burning mistakes. If you have a chance to visit a Pepper Palace store, I highly recommend it because few things are more invigorating than lighting your insides on fire with condiments. [caption id="attachment_5810" align="alignnone" width="600"] So much burning.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_5811" align="alignnone" width="600"] The ladies of Pepper Palace.[/caption]