VeloVixens

Today, despite temperatures in the low to mid 30's with a 12-15mph wind and sleet turning to snow, my intrepid teammates and I got together for a training ride.

We're brand new, and this was our second ride together in a team effort. Our improvement over the last ride together was incredible. We stayed on the relative flats of Mountain Cove Road (rollers don't count, really) and got to see exactly how a team, working together, can overtake a breakaway.



Rural Georgia's roads saw the strength of our passing.


All I can say is, we're gonna do great. Look out boys, we're on the road, and we're taking over!

Of Bikes, Rides and Names

I hadn't realized I'd named my bike until yesterday.

I met up with several of the guys from the velo, including my current favorites Dean, Steve and Pat, with a plan to put in about 55 miles (in the cold) and without a climb to avoid the cold cold descent. In theory, it would be a base miles ride. No pushing and shoving for place, no knuckleheads, just base miles.

Some of the other guys do not understand base miles, as evidenced by Elwood who thought a 20mph average in a 15mph headwind is "taking it easy" when in fact even for Elwood it isn't. He and Russel get excited every time they get on a bike, until they wear themselves out from all that excitement in the winter and bottom out in the spring. They kept ploughing on and I eventually decided they were smoking crack and slowed down. My favorites looked back and joined me. Steve started riding behind me and shouting shift changes like a regular coach or something. I cussed him soundly, then thanked him for the advice. Its a balance, the cussing and the thanking. My three years experience do not match his decades of cycling and racing, so I'll listen, and cuss, then thank. I got back in the game when the big boys calmed down post ridge climb (about a mile up Shinbone. I'd never been there before) and I got to suck down some gu. The boost to my energy levels was immediately apparent.

As we were finishing the ride, now at a pace more in line with the concept of "base miles" and all together, Steve and I got to talking about bike maintenance. His bike (name forgotten again, but she's a beautiful Colagno) he said had just gotten back from "the mothership" and was now shifting perfectly again. I explained to him that mine is a man. He visits the mothership and gets to shifting more in line with my demands, but never perfectly. Sometimes, he simply doesn't bother. Since he has the new wheel and cassette, he no longer shifts without me and this is a huge improvement over the last time he and I rode. As we spoke, I called my bike by name.

I've always known this name, and it belongs to something entirely *other* but, my bike has now taken some of the qualities I associate with that. My bike has gained the name Issgar.

Soon, I will be taking Issgar with me to meet the other ladies in the seed Cat4 team for some road riding. I have been informed I shall be working with one of the triathlete girls on drafting and pacelining. I've more experience with how to do that, how long to pull, how being in the front doesn't mean "push the speed." We will begin learning to ride as a team. This should be FUN. Fun, and Cold.

Issgar will probably enjoy it.

Spring Planning

To say my cycling dance card is starting to fill up would be an understatement. I have my team schedule for the next few months, including another "test" time trial in March and then my first road race on March 10 in Knoxville, TN. It should be a 30 mile crit or 25K time trial. Lets see how well or badly I do. We talked about USCF licensing, but I think I'll hold off on that till I try this one out. It won't count towards "catting up" but I don't know if I want to do that or not.

In addition to this, we have some sponsor support activities to do that will both bring them and us some additional attention. I find myself on a committee to plan our team kits and name since we don't really have that for "the girls" yet, I did make us pick a general color scheme before we left the meeting. It was easy. We're basically around to be a training program, bring more attention to Women's cycle racing and provide a seed group for our local pro-women's team to recruit from. So, our colors will reflect the local pro-team colors.

Over the past week I started getting calls from the American Diabetes Association asking if I would captain a team again this year. The past few years I rode with a company team, but most of us are no longer with said company, and so we no longer felt comfortable riding as such. After a few phone calls and some deliberation I decided to go ahead and create a team for us to sign up under. So, any donations to my ride in the Tour de Cure this year would be GREATLY appreciated. Our new team name is the Zen Wheelers, and I've started inviting the ladies in my CAT4 program to join me.

In addition to this, I was voted co-education coordinator for the local bike club. I plan to continue my beginner ride program weekly as a beginning seed program to get people excited about road riding sans speed pressures. Maybe some of these folk will also join the Tour de Cure.

Lastly, yesterday one of my former beginner ride fellows contacted me to let me know that the Marines (he is one y'see) have agreed to fund and support a charity ride in the area to raise money for their Toys for Tots program. This ride is in the very beginning planning stages, and naturally I am on board to help him figure out what he needs to do to make it a success. So far that's meant dipping into the pool of expertise in my contacts list to help decide on a time and location. Talk about a great cause, and I think it can be a great way to showcase one of the CAT4 team sponsors, Walker County Georgia, by holding the ride in their area. The county is wide open to holding such rides to bring more attention to their area, there are some very beautiful areas to ride in, its close, and if us Ladies are able to be a part of that we can provide them some great photo opportunities as well. Win Win all around if my plans work out.

With all this going on and my continuing attempts to make ends meet with my day job, I wonder if I'll have the time to actually ride this season!