Realizations

2016 Road Season started off slow as usual. Louisville Crit was a dud but did what it always seems to do "get you butt in gear" and we met a Canadian Olympian. By the time Rio RR came along I was hitting my stride and getting prepared for my 1st of 3 "A" races with Superior in my sights. Last year I raced the Lafayette Crit so when Kasey mentioned we could use it as a warmer for Mogul I was all in. With only 12 in the field, cool weather and pre-ride 2 days before, I felt great! As I handed of my jacket to EMT's I actually joked "hope to not see you soon"...well as with any race, discipline and high speed equate risk. At 20mph I didn't have but a millisecond before my Kask helmet bounced off cement and skid me head and shoulder into the curb, Sidis released immediately and I was staring at an overcast sky. Thankfully Jen and Doug had come to cheer me on and we quickly got to Bo. Community. AC4 separation assured that if I worked hard on recovering the rest of my 2016 Road season would be Crits; BRAC road races seemed few and far between this year. I told myself (mind gaming) that I could do well in Crits, so I did, snagging a few podiums.
Kask , hands down is the ONLY reason I was able to rehab as quickly as I did; I just can't say enough about how safe I feel with this gear! The ER Doc was so impressed that I was not concussed badly after looking at my helmet, torn jersey from back neck down and scraped up Sidis. The cradle and dial never disengaged so my head was secured until ER staff took it off.
OK, on to better news: Inighten now has an employee who commutes 3 days a week. I'm going to try a CX race, Gran Fondo Road looks be a series I will do in 2017 and I conquered 103miles in Ashville, AL muggy and humid but beautiful terrain. Tour De Cure on books for end of September and then hit the Fall/Winter training...Oh, Rhonda and I are off on a Viking Ocean Cruise in mid October to celebrate the big 52.

BIG thanks to Kask, Sidi, Champion Systems kits, Treads Bicycle Outfitters, Dietz & Davis PC, Crazy Mountain Brewing Co., my supportive Bike Ambassador team, coach Kasey Clark for keeping my goals on track and the gal that makes this all possible, TheCyclist-Lawyer.com, Megan Hottman!

 

 

Denver needs more bike commuters!

Bikes could help Relieve some of the issues mentioned in this article!

http://www.denverpost.com/2016/09/15/denver-area-work-commutes/

Taking the road less traveled

On my commute home from work today, I found myself trying out little roads I had never explored. It was really fun. I purposely rode my gravel bike to work so I could explore some trails. I would encourage those of you who commute to try a different route to mix it up a bit.  We are always in such a hurry to get to work and back home for obligations, but I had such a great time tooling around today exploring new things and seeing new views.  After all life is what we make of it! 

Embracing the Neon

With the days getting shorter, commuting for me has changed a little.  Instead of rolling out of bed, throwing on a kit and hitting the path (after hitting the snooze button a few times), I'm now finding that snoozing is no longer an option, as I need those few extra minutes to add more layers and get my bike lights situated before heading out.

As I started out of my neighborhood this morning, I looked down at my outfit and started laughing. The only thing I could think of was "now that's a '90s flashback"!  I'm not much of a bright colored clothing-type person....except when it comes to cycling and especially when I'm trying to be as visible as possible for the sleepy drivers also on the roads.  The yellow socks, yellow commuter bag, my neon yellow vest (which I forgot I even had until digging around in the closet last night..score!!) and my bright lights, I was sure to be seen by everyone which was the goal!

As you start heading out on those early morning rides before the sun rises, just remember.....
Be bright...be visible...embrace the neon!!  :-)

   

CX is (FINALLY) here!!!

Last week I found out that I'm not the only one who lives for the crispness in the fall air, the changing of the leaves and inevitable ringing of cowbells at cyclocross races!!  

I heard of a week-long CX kick-off session coordinated by the awesome gang at Panache and of course, I couldn't resist going to see what the buzz was about.  Boy am I glad I did!!  What better way to get to meet other cyclists (especially the crazy CX kind) and get amped up for the season than by dusting off the cobwebs with some practice!

I've always been intrigued at how other people share their knowledge of something that I struggle with.  Admittedly, I've been timid with fast cornering on both my mtn and CX bikes (one too many crashes in a corner will do that to a person!). This summer, I've made it my goal to soak up as much info as possible and overcome this dumb fear of mine.  Thankfully, the CX group worked on this skill every day last week and we had a different "coach" each day who give his insight on what techniques he used and why.  It was absolutely great!!  Hearing the different ways each leader described the same corner and providing his experience was a huge help to me and gave me the understanding that I lacked (or maybe was reluctant to embrace).  The 5am wake-up call was well worth it if I had only improved on this one skill, but we covered everything! Starts, dismounts/remounts, bunny hops, stairs, pump track (my FAVORITE place now!) and hot laps were all part of the early morning fun!  

As if it couldn't get any better, on Friday we were fortunate enough to have the one and only Katie Compton join us!!  She came to Panache for a photoshoot and ended up doing some laps with us and even jumped in on the pump track fun.  After ripping around on the pump track for a while, I was able to talk to Katie about her acceleration out of the turns and through the straightaways.  I was absolutely ecstatic to stand there and chat with the most recognized CX racer of all times, and then later to hang out at Panache and chat some more over coffee and donuts.  

PS - even pros eat dirt once in a while and Katie wasn't shy to show us a video of one of her epic crashes. Talented, fast and super nice doesn't scratch the surface of what makes KFC the best CX racer ever!

PSS - I'm happy to share the tips that Katie gave me, but you'll have to join me at the pump track to find out what they are!!  ;-)