And I wept for humanity

Posted on by lindsay
So I'm a few hours into today's ride, a ride that embodied the whole "the days where you feel terrible, the weather sucks, and you hate your bike are the ones that make you win races" philosophy, and I realize my front wheel is being unusually noisy. I pull over to the side of the W&OD bike path and, sure enough, my bearings are shot. That blows. As I'm standing there processing this new level of suck, a middle-aged man on a hybrid bike comes to a skidding halt next to me with what appears to be a flat tire. He squishes the tire with his hand and then starts throwing a fit. After a moment of drama, he asks if I have a pump. "No," I reply, "I only have a CO2 cartridge. But first you'll need to fix the flat." "I just need to put air in the ...continue reading.

Share The Road

Posted on by lindsay
There are two kinds of drivers that scare me when I'm on a bike. First is the aggressive driver, the one who sees my presence on the road as a personal insult and a waste of his time. This person might pass too close and too fast, may yell or honk, or might even throw things as she drives by. The aggressive driver is frightening, but I take comfort in assuming that she doesn't actually want my blood on her car, so she's probably going to toe the line of harassing me and then drive off and disappear. She may intimidate me, but she at least she clearly sees that I'm there and probably won't try to actually harm me. The worst case scenario is that in a moment of rage, this driver might miscalculate how close she can get to me without making contact. Hit-and-Run Leaves Cyclist Reluctant to Ride, See ...continue reading.

Thater: Bike racing doles out some tough love

Posted on by lindsay
The Race: NCC Chris Thater Crit The Course: 35 miles, 40 laps, 5 corners The Field: 1/2 women The Finish: 4th When I planned to go to Thater, I knew it wasn't going to be the best set-up for a race. Flying back from Aspen on Thursday, working on Friday, driving six hours to NY on Saturday, and racing Saturday evening were a recipe for less than stellar recovery. But I committed to the plans and figured I could handle one last big effort for the end of the season. Then came a few days of stupid. I stayed out too late the last night in Aspen and slept for four hours before catching my flight. My layover in Denver was short (like no Wolfgang Puck airport pizza kind of short, which should really say something) and I had to make it from one end of the terminal to the other by running. ...continue reading.

Aspen Crit: Have I mentioned that I love bike racing?

Posted on by lindsay
The Race: Blue Ribbon Alpine Challenge Criterium in Aspen, CO The Course: 60 minutes, four corners The Field: 1/2 women The Finish: 5th Short backstory on this event: the men-only US Pro Cycling Challenge is rolling through Colorado and stopped in Aspen on August 22/23. Last year, a three-day women's stage race was hosted in Aspen concurrently with the stage of the men's race. That same event was scheduled for this year, but had to be shortened to a one-day criterium in downtown Aspen. Let's see how many times I can say Aspen in this paragraph. Aspen! USA Cycling was kind enough to invite me to join five other women to race on a composite team for this event, the Aspen Valley Hospital Composite Team. We got cool pink and black jerseys from Primal that helped us blend in seamlessly with the riders from the actual Primal pro team. I was thrilled to ...continue reading.

In which I settle in more than anticipated

Posted on by lindsay
When I was younger, I wanted to live by the sea. The thought of settling down in a land-locked state like Colorado seemed claustrophobic and confining. Mountains were for other people who liked cold weather and skiing and plaid. This might be the time to mention I'd never seen the mountains. Now, after three days of living in Aspen, I realize that there is nothing claustrophobic about this place. When I stand outside and see peaks in every direction and endless sky, it feels expansive. It's a forceful reminder that the Earth is three-dimensional. Also, in the dry mountain air, my hair spends less time being a frizzy animal, which is a selling point against the sodden rainforest that is East Coast humidity. The last few days have passed in a blur of riding, eating, and sitting around. I've made it into downtown Aspen a few times, sampled more than ...continue reading.

Aspen: Acknowledging each lovely vista with a snack

Posted on by lindsay
[caption id="attachment_3360" align="alignnone" width="400"] This shouldn't need a caption. It's The Pizza at the Denver airport. Five minutes after this photo was taken, this box was empty and I was eyeing my carry-on's potential to hold another.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3361" align="alignnone" width="400"] Riding up Maroon Bells with the Susan G. Komen Ride for the Cure. This would have been the TT course for the stage race, but I was happy soft-pedaling up while taking photos and stopping to harass wildlife. Marmots are just asking to be hugged.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3362" align="alignnone" width="400"] My Aspen Valley Hospital teammates Amber and Abby rocking the ride.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3363" align="alignnone" width="400"] The view was breathtaking. No, wait, that was the lack of oxygen at the high altitude. But the view was still awesome.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_3364" align="alignnone" width="400"] Apparently Abby was so moved by the ride with Amber that, upon reaching Maroon Bells, she proposed against a ...continue reading.