Collision #2

Posted on by Lindsay
While on a ride this morning, a squirrel darted out from the grass on the side of the road and under my front wheel. It was so sudden that I shrieked in surprise at the impact and immediately looked back to see if I had another body to add to the pile under the bridge behind my house. The squirrel had already dashed frantically back into the trees (hopefully not to die and end up in pieces), but something small and black was rolling across the road. I assumed it was something from my bike, so I circled back to check. It was a perfectly round, nearly black little ball. Without thinking, I poked it. It was a poop. The squirrel was so startled by the collision that he shot out a marble of poop.

Final Thoughts After Redlands

Posted on by Lindsay
While I was boarding my flight home from Redlands today, I ran into another racer who was on his way home. “How did you do?” he asked as we made conversation at the gate. I didn’t know how to answer that question. He was looking for numbers; I wanted to talk about feelings and revelations and moments. Since the flight was already delayed (thanks, American Airlines!), I settled for a noncommittal answer and hurried to my seat. I don’t know how to explain to most people how I did at Redlands. Prior to this season, results were measured in numbers alone and I rode and answered only for myself. Every race was a chance to be a supernova, a unicorn, a winner. I wanted badly to win, over and over, and why? So I could get on a professional cycling team. Now I’m here and it’s like learning to race ...continue reading.

Redlands: Stage 4

Posted on by Lindsay
The Race: Sunset Road Race The Course: A 5-mile uphill prologue from downtown, followed by 9 laps of a hilly, technical course, ending back in town The Field: 1/2 women The Finish: ?? This is going to be another short and dry race report, because these episodes of Downton Abbey are not going to watch themselves. Going into this race, we knew the five-mile "neutral" prologue from downtown to the start of the lap course was going to be a fast, chaotic, uphill grind of riders fighting for position. We warmed up accordingly and I felt fine at first, but the effort started to hurt towards the end and by the time we hit the course and the field took off hard to grab the first KOM, I didn't stay with the front for long. Laura, Mary, and Jamie (our GC contenders) rode on ahead, while the rest of us trudged over the climb. ...continue reading.

Redlands: Stage 3

Posted on by Lindsay
The Race: City of Redlands Criterium The Course: 60 minutes on a 1-mile, 9-corner course The Field: 1/2 women The Finish: 15th When I first got the tech guide for this race, I noticed there was an abundance of anxiety-inducing corners on the course map. It turned out better than I'd expected though; after a few laps, I started to feel the flow of the course and actually enjoyed the distraction of constantly turning. That's not to say there isn't room for improvement in my cornering - often it feels (and looks, I'm told) like I'm fighting the bike or hesitating - but I think it's getting better. The pace of the race was fast, but it never felt relentless or overly painful. That seems promising considering that it's only early April and my season is just getting started. Our team goal yesterday was the keep the GC contenders rolling smoothly while Tina, Jen, ...continue reading.

Redlands: Stage 2

Posted on by Lindsay
The Race: City of Beaumont Road Race The Course: 3 laps of a 25-mile circuit The Field: 1/2 women The Finish: 29th I'm behind in knocking out these race reports, so this will just be a quick recap. This stage didn't quite go as the team had planned, but our GC riders moved up to 11th and 13th overall, so that was a plus. I felt decent on the first lap but got separated from the front bunch on the last climb. Just after the start of the second lap, the field came back together and I stayed with the front over the climbs the second time through. On the third lap, just after the climbing started, a break formed up the road with riders from Exergy, Lululemon, SC Velo, and two from Optum. Although my legs hadn't been reliable on the climbs, the grade at that point wasn't hurting and I felt strong ...continue reading.

Redlands: Stage 1, Mea Culpa

Posted on by Lindsay
The Race: Big Bear Lake Time Trial The Course: 7.8 miles of rolling, winding road The Field: 1/2 women The Finish: 51st This race didn't go as well as I had hoped. My team didn't have time to preview the course before the race, I had to use my road bike for the event since I didn't get to try using a TT bike beforehand, the course was at 6800 feet and the altitude made it feel like I was sucking in bits of glass with every breath, etc. These feel like excuses, but they're just facts. What is also a fact is that I just did not feel good. I can figure out reasons for why I didn't feel as strong as I could have and they are all due to my mistakes and bad choices. When my coach says ride for 1.5 hours, I ride for 2 because ...continue reading.