That race from forever ago

Posted on by Lindsay
The Race: NCC Andersen Banducci Twilight Criterium in Boise, ID The Course: Flat, short, 4-corner crit The Field: Pro women The Finish: 3rd place finish for the team This race feels like so long ago it might as well have been last year. (In reality, it was on July 13th.) To recap: there were a lot of attacks from other teams, especially Exergy/TWENTY16 since they had a full squad in attendance. Whitney and I did a lot of bridging and chasing throughout the race to keep the field together so Jen could sprint at the end. When it came down to the finish, we set up a leadout and Jen crossed the line in 3rd. I crossed the line ready to barf from fatigue; it was great. The announcer interviewed me briefly at the end of the race and remarked, "You were working so hard out there! Every time you went by, you ...continue reading.

Winning all season long

Posted on by Lindsay
I'm still working on race reports from the Boise crit and the Cascade stage race; they're coming (probably), but in this moment, when I'm freshly home from this last trip and sitting at my own kitchen table, I'd rather say this: Being a professional cyclist has made my life. I love it. It's hard, the travel is sometimes exhausting, and the learning experiences keep coming, but it is so wonderful. I see places all over the country that I might otherwise have never seen, I travel with people that have become my family, and I get to ride my bike so much that I never want to see it again and then miss it instantly when the race ends. Sometimes I whine the entire way to the airport because I don't want to go away again blah blah boo hoo but then I do and it's always fantastic. This past trip ...continue reading.

For Cat

Posted on by Lindsay
Oh, Cat. I heard terrible news earlier - that you were hit by a car while riding your bike yesterday - and I feel helpless to do anything while you lay in a hospital bed trying to heal. I just saw you on Thursday night while we were both headed to the 6pm RBC ride, but we barely had time to talk before the ride rolled out. Now it will be a little while before we can talk again and, while I thought about putting these sentiments into a card that could be waiting when you wake up, I'd rather share them here and tell everybody about how special you are to me. I remember the first time we met: it was in the bathroom before the Black Hills Circuit Race in 2011. I was new to road racing, fresh off that bad crash from the week before and somewhat ...continue reading.

Perhaps the third time is the charm

Posted on by Lindsay
Dear Diary, I rode my TT bike for the second time today. It was great! Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. Actually, it was terrible and I hated it. After one hundred and four minutes of riding (not that I was counting), here are the parts of my body that hurt: 1. Neck 2. Quads 3. Feet 4. Lady Parts 5. Forearms 6. Butt My face hurt, too, but that was from so much scowling. It also poured rain on five separate occasions. And did you know you could get stung by a bee through spandex? I didn't, at least not before today. I'm keeping my spirits up, though, and looking forward to taking the TT bike out again for another try on Sunday. I'm certain that time will be much better! And if it's not, I'm going to throw the bike into traffic. Hugs & kisses, ...continue reading.

The Internet is a magical place

Posted on by Lindsay
From NYMag.com: By extension, the NSA leaker Edward Snowden (“a little narcissist”) and “the pack of idiots” that see him as their hero were also on her mind. “Surveillance is important in the war against terror, which exists,” she said. “Snooping into what? Most sane people would say, 'Go ahead, look at my e-mail correspondence, what do I care? As long you stop the bombers in Boston.' I mean, that is the normal, visceral American response.” .......................... On the bikes otherwise benign human beings become menaces, because they don’t feel bound by traffic laws. “Unless I was having too much wine after dinner, I actually saw somebody on a bike stop at a red light,” she said. “Once. That may have happened. If it happens more than once, I will submit myself to psychiatric examination on the grounds I'm having a delusion.” Also from NYMag.com: How has your life changed since [the EP] ...continue reading.

In which I carb loaded with an entire cake in advance

Posted on by Lindsay
The Race: Tour of America's Dairyland NCC series The Course: Four 1-hour crits The Field: Pro women The Finish: 2 podiums, 3rd in the NCC omnium At the end of Nature Valley, Team Colavita split off in different directions, with the Canadians going to their national championships, Jamie heading home, and the rest of us driving over to Wisconsin to do the four NCC crits of Tour of America’s Dairyland (ToAD). Mary was taken out violently* with a stomach virus the day before ToAD began, which left our squad down to four – Jen, Tina, Whitney, and myself. Tina was coming back to race after taking over a month away from racing to recover from an injury, so she was fresh and ready to roll while the rest of us were well-worn from so much time traveling and racing. Even the team van had taken on an old, broken-in, decaying food and sweaty shoes smell. ...continue reading.