Training Camp: The End of the Beginning (in Photos)

Posted on by Lindsay
[caption id="attachment_3883" align="alignnone" width="614"] Visiting Christmas Circle, the traffic circle renowned as a Borrego Springs landmark. Notice the bike lane sign in the background? The residents were very considerate of cyclists on the road, with the notable exception of a police car that buzzed our group twice on one ride.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3868" align="alignnone" width="614"] Gathering at home base before a ride. I'm subconsciously trying to hide my pasty legs with my pasty arms.[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614"] Post-ride burrito refueling with teammates and Dan, manager and master of the service course. Of course I'm busted with my hand in the bag of tortilla chips. Not pictured: the stern look I got from Dan when I dove in for more chips after swearing I was done.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3869" align="alignnone" width="614"] My first ride back with the team after The Plague. My hunch in this photo isn't poor posture (this time) - ...continue reading.

Training Camp: Fortunately, Colavita offers a variety of ideal post-illness foods

Posted on by Lindsay
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614"] Cruising around Borrego Springs in the Colavita team van. My butt felt honored to occupy a seat that had previously been filled with so many talented butts.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3852" align="alignnone" width="614"] Doing a photo shoot for Fine Cooking magazine. While it felt a little silly to pretend to be sipping wine in our kits immediately after a ride, it was pretty close to reality to have all of us swarm the kitchen to make post-ride food. And between the Colavita supplies and the Fine Cooking recipes, we have made some amazing meals here. I was starting to worry about coming home from camp five pounds heavier...until the death flu/food poisoning/horror struck.[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="614"] Chilling in the shade during the team photo shoot. I was able to perk up enough for the photos, but then spent the rest of the day curled up on the ...continue reading.

Training Camp: Don’t eat the spinach

Posted on by Lindsay
Not pictured: The part where I was knocked down yesterday evening with a wicked case of food poisoning that put me in the ER and eventually took down a number of my teammates as well. More team photos by the wonderful Dan Coleman, who kept me company while I was miserably ill in the hospital and then drove me the long way back to camp in the middle of the night, can be found here.

The best conversation of training camp thus far

Posted on by Lindsay
The Scene: We're all sitting around the dinner table talking about The Bachelor (having already exhausted the topics of periods, birth control, chamois/girl part interaction, chocolate, etc). Everybody has various levels of experience with The Bachelor, and then comes this: "Big Suze loves The Bachelor!" "Is Big Suze your cat?" "No, my mother-in-law." Maybe this won't be nearly as funny to you, but everybody who heard this interaction broke a sweat from laughing so hard. It's a conversation I won't want to forget, much like everything else about this experience.

Training Camp: Making my way to Borrego Springs.

Posted on by Lindsay
[caption id="attachment_3829" align="alignnone" width="225"] That musette bag in my hand is stuffed with travel food that started to smell within minutes of walking into the airport. Pity my seatmates on the 5+ hour flight. When I pulled out the first baggie, the guy next to me looked over with raised eyebrows and asked, "Spinach?" I felt so proud to smugly reply, "No, kale." [/caption] [caption id="attachment_3831" align="alignnone" width="300"] The first stop after leaving the airport in San Diego was to get fish tacos, because FOOD.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3832" align="alignnone" width="300"] Team vehicles! Holy balls, I feel like a pro. Then two seconds after I took this, our director called me a dork and everything felt right in the world.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3833" align="alignnone" width="300"] Borrego Springs is gorgeous.[/caption]

Cramming several weeks of joy into <1,000 words

Posted on by Lindsay
Hello friends. Sorry to be light on posting lately, but things have been busy. I just had a delicious and healthy dinner of vegetables and lean meat and it was SO satisfying that I'm basking in a smugly nutritious glow while trying to figure out whether I'm going to eat chocolate, cheese, bacon, or all three. I've also thought about making another batch of scones, but the last thing I need is that gastric ballast before tomorrow's intervals. Although my body seems to have developed a method for coping with food mid-ride: Breakfast is my favorite meal, so having it several times isn't so bad. Riding is going well. Team Colavita training camp begins on March 2 in Borrego Springs, CA and I can't wait to meet my teammates and kick off the season. We've paired off to handle cooking meals for the team and staff on assigned nights and ...continue reading.