Recovered Sprinter

Several months ago I wrote about my journey from sprinting to endurance.

This past week in Beijing, I was outnumbered by sprinters. The USA athletes included Bobby and me (endurance)... Cristin, Liz, and Jimmy (sprint.) It was as if I was let out of my full-time rehab facility (National Team Pursuit Program) to test the rehab progress... like letting a someone in AA go to a bar. Will she slip back into old habits?

Two funny stories confirm I am no longer a sprinter.

In the San Francisco airport, my coach, Neal, bought a American super sized Snickers bar. He told me he was putting it in his bag until the end of the Omnium. If I were to get a top 10 result, he would split it with me. Fair enough! A little more inspiration.

The first night in Beijing, we had a full team meeting in the coach's room... endurance and sprinters together. The sprinter girls noticed a Snickers bar (not Neal's) and started talking about it. Jamie, the sprint coach, announced that if they got a top 10 in the Team Sprint, that he would buy them A DOZEN Snicker bars. Neal and I looked at each other and couldn't contain the laughter.

The inequity. Endurance girls get 1/2 a Snickers bar for a top 10. Sprint girls get 12 Snickers bars for a top 10.

I guess I passed the test back in SFO when I truly thought 1/2 a bar was good enough for inspiration. Endurance brain.... check. (And, yes, I did get that 1/2 a Snickers. And, yes, I did it eat it in one sitting.)

Neal and his Snickers.

The next was a conversation that Liz started when she asked what wild animal would be depict a sprinter... and then later a enduro. The conclusion- a sprinter is clearly a lion.

You see, sprinters are really good at laying around and sleeping most of the day. But, when they wake up, beware. They are hungry. They can go from sleeping to violent movements in .01 seconds. Once they satisfy that hunger, they can instantly go back to sleep mode.

Endurance athletes (omnium in this case) on the other hand are constantly busy. Antelopes best describe our state. Always grazing, always moving.

The analogy can be taken much further but you get the point. We laughed quite a bit about lions and antelopes.

See, I kind of stink at relaxing. It isn't something I am proud of and something I would like to get better at doing... but, it is rare that I can take a nap. There is always something to do... clean my room, send another email, stretch, fill a water bottle, eat an apple, play on iTunes, make my bed... you get the point. I am an antelope.

Seriously, those sprint girls were ALWAYS sleeping. They are true lions.

Chinatown

Actually Beijing...but I don't really get to see it when I'm there, so it might as well be Paris! I know I was in China because I have a plane ticket to prove it and don't think I need to have a bowl of rice for a while!

Our interpreter/helper. She's a student and spoke great English.

The roof of the velodrome while laying on the floor.

What was different about this trip than other trips this winter? First of all, I was not traveling with the women's endurance team and I did get used to that. Hm, Jennie should be here for coffee any minute! On the other hand, I did get to travel with my coach, Neal Henderson, and Jamie Staff, US National Team sprint coach. It is great to have these guys at competition with me. I have been working with Neal for about nine months and glad to have him there to see my progress (and success!) during my transition from sprinter to hmmm...well...something else! I look forward to having Jamie in LA when I train there in the future...and I am very impressed by his "indoor voice" that can heard over all the velodrome noise and still reach me through the pain of my final pursuit laps! Thanks guy...you (and the staff) are great! Look forward to the next one!

Picture of USA Cycling Staff- Alec, Andy, Jamie, Neal

THE RACING

I love to race. In the Omnium, you get plenty of racing. All kinds of racing and all of it at the highest level. Seven (including a qualifier) races over two days. Highlights for me...a PR and top ten in the pursuit. On the other side of things, there was the crash in the Elimination on the first day that didn't help. There is the adrenaline of the crash, but then there is also the comedown afterwards. But that is the point of the Omnium, dealing with something like a crash and coming back in the next race. It is not all about one race, but who is still standing when it is all over and the smoke clears!

I always manage to carve out my own little corner for my bag explosion. Heated floors at this velodrome!

QUESTION: WHAT IS AN OMNIUM?

Best described as cycling’s own version of the decathlon, the Omnium tests the all round track racing abilities of each competitor demanding skill, speed, endurance and tactical abilities in order to win. Riders score points according to their placing in each event with fewer points awarded the higher the placing. The rider with the lowest number of points overall wins.

The Omnium at the Track World Cup consists of:

Flying 1 lap time trial

Points race 20 km for women

Elimination

Individual pursuit 3000m for women

Scratch race

500m time trial

A couple random photos:

This store was so busy at the airport. We discovered that those walls are packed full of duck... in a bag. ?? Spring festivals are next week in Beijing.

The local landscaper and he wheels.

This was how I kept track of my "countdown" until I was back in Boulder. How many more meal cards?

Reflection

Feeling sentimental tonight...

It's Friday and I am enjoying doing nothing. Really, when I say nothing, I mean nothing. There is nothing left on the internet, I ran out of podcasts, TV has rotted my brain, and I am about to start a new book. Fun, eh?

Sometimes people think the life of a professional cyclist is always exciting. And, frankly, the fact that I get to sit here and do nothing is actually really exciting for me. It means I am doing my job; my job today was to rest so I can be ready to kill it this weekend in workouts.

But, the downtime here in LA has given me the capacity to reflect on how exactly I am sitting here in a rented bedroom in Huntington Beach.

It was 5 years ago (actually June of 2006) that I decided to actually try this track bike thingy. Greg and I got married in the summer of 2005 and in the fall of that year I did my first real bike race, a stage race in Taos, NM. Greg convinced me that I would love the velodrome and to sign up for a beginner clinic in the spring. It's a long story but the short version ends with... by the end of June I was taking part in a National Team Sprint Camp at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs and way in over my head.

Here I was.... working 60 hours a week, traveling 3-4 days a week for work, running on the treadmill in various hotels across the country, and hurrying home every Friday night so we could be weekend warrior athletes. Then, I rode a track bike and my life drastically changed. The only constant has been the support of the husband and the dog :)

From designer suits to dirty sweats... it has been a hell of a ride the last 5 years.

My evening ride here in Huntington Beach.

Be Here Now

Actually, as much as I would like to be living in the moment on my last leisurely morning in Boulder, I can't help this lack of Zen balance in my life today! I've got luggage from one country (is this a bag of coffee from Columbia?) and have to switch to over to bigger suitcases and bigger bike boxes for a longer trip to other countries. Lot of coffee today! My passport has seen more action than...prize for the best finish of this sentence!

Where have I bean (that's what the Canadians say!)? You know the lull between Christmas and New Year's? Sure...right! Packing for Canada on Christmas Day. Off to a suburb of Vancouver, Canada for the UCI Burnaby Four. That is a six-day (condensed into three nights of racing) and a final full day Omnium. Translation for "normal" people...four looong days of racing! Neal...can I get a day off? Flying on Boxing Day?

Props to Jeremy Storie, the Burnaby promoter, for a true World Class race! Unlike certain tracks (you know who you are!) that could care less about women's racing, Jeremy went above and beyond to have a stacked women's field that included three World Champions and five different countries. Thanks you for your support of women's track racing! It is not often that I am able to line up with a field of this quality outside a World Cup and work on trying out different tactics...like taking a lap...ha! No pressure racing at that level...so much fun!

Picture from Burnaby.

Now what? After a couple nights at home, I am back to LA for a week of Omnium training before the next National Team pursuit camp next Monday. Two weeks in LA and off to Beijing to World Cup #3. This will be my second WC Omnium. I love this because I love to race my bike...and you get six different races! Look forward to some great results in China!

Madison winners at Nationals, 2010.

Before stepping on to my first flight in 2011, I would like to take a minute to thank all of my personal sponsors that made 2010 a great year! Peanut Butter & Co/ TWENTY 12 for their great support! Tiemeyer for the best custom track frames (total of 11 National Championships on Dave's bikes!)...D2 for the best custom cycling shoes (call Don!)...both from Colorado! SKINS for providing the recovery clothing layered under my jeans on every trip! Zipp for all my track wheels...including the new Super 9 rear disc...short range missile!

Omnium Pursuit, Nationals, 2010

Last, but not least...I want to thank a hand full of people that put in lots of hard work making "it" all happen...it couldn't happen without you!

Neal Henderson of Apex Coaching for helping me through a crazy transition from sprinter to...pursuiter? Oh man...never say never! But if you do, I got the guy for you!

Mark Tyson for being there at the track everyday on the moto. Hey, pull the throttle already, baby...or I'm gonna smash that roller again! Looking forward to lots of lunches in 2011. Thanks for answering phone calls from the other side of the globe in the middle of the night! Don't worry, Noreen...just another crazy female trackie!

Ben Sharp, US Women's National Track Team coach, for all his hard work (and the other USAC staff). Wish I had been there when you told your buddies over a beer how easy it was going to be to coach women! Trial by fire, Benjamin! You can sleep after London! I hear Tyson is writing a book about dealing with women athletes...

And Nicola Cranmer, GM for Peanut Butter and CO/2012. Thank you for all your dedication! Looking forward to my third year! Every year is better than the last...and it doesn't just happen! Some of us know that it isn't a job for you...it is your life...and this "job" is my life, so thanks for all you do!

Finally...to my hubby for all his support...I couldn't do it without you...I miss you so much...you're hawt...hahaha! WOOT! When we stop laughing about all our personal inside jokes on this one...from our favorite 2010 Twitter, FB and blogs...whew...comedy! Seriously, enough people... you are killing me.

And for Tony, a moment of silence. Wait...Tony wouldn't want silence...I'm going into 2011and going to turn the volume up to 11 just for you Tony!

Boulder for the Holidays (kinda)!

Let's see... Denver-LA-Melbourne-LA-Cali, Columbia-Denver. That's the short story. I won't give the long version. It's three weeks long and exhausting to even think/talk about. Let's just say that after 22 hours of traveling on Friday, it was good to be home (until I leave in a few days for Canada).

Sleep has been priceless the last couple days and Greg has been spoiling me with homemade food- Winter Minestrone soup with orzo, Blueberry Banana Buckwheat Pancakes (thanks for the syrup KfC!), Farro salad with dried cherries/toasted walnuts, etc.

Traveling with this cycling circus, the one thing I have learned to loath is packing/unpacking my bikes. Luckily, while I am home, I have a live-in mechanic for those duties (when he's not cooking...or while). This morning, after my hot yoga, I got dressed to ride and, BAM, the bike was miraculously built and waiting for me.

How do you travel (a common question)? Here is a snapshot of how I pack my $20k worth of bikes and wheels and stuff them in a large box. I complete the task by crossing my fingers and hoping they arrive, like I left them, in the next city.

People make think this is a glorious job...

Wouldn't you want to travel the world and coach women cyclists? Seriously, we are a ball of fun! Ben... Ben... um, Ben! Who's got the Sharpie?

No seriously, this guy works his butt off (that's why he is sitting that way) for our program and always gives us 110% of his attention. We just seem to wear him out. The old saying..."Women, can't live with them...pass the beer nuts."

Back riding today. Beautiful winter day in Boulder! Cool to see this beautiful stretch litter free thanks to Clif Bar volunteers (there is a nice sign)!

Change of plans

I write from Cali, Columbia.

This week I was planning on being home snuggling with my 100 pound rottweiller but instead I wrestled my 100 pound bike box down to Columbia. The second World Cup is this coming weekend and the original plan was for me to be home for training. But, all has changed and I am here to race the Team Pursuit. :)

We headed back to LA last week... I caught a nasty little cold... I am hammering the vitamins and sleep... and, we are all hoping I am healthy in 3 days!

Too many bikes... way too heavy... made for a headache for team management. Although we eventually got on the flight, 5 of our bike/equipment boxes didn't. My bike happened to be one of those five so today I went without a bike. Rumor has it that the bike is here now though.

Travel was long. Weird to travel about 15 hours and only change 2 or 3 time zones. Finally arriving in Cali, we load all the boxes into a moving truck and pray they show up at the velodrome.

This track is a covered, open air velodrome and beautiful. You can slightly see the mountains in the background from this photo.

Not everything is as high tech here. This is a music system I found. No promises this is the one they will use during competition though.

Must sleep now... more later.

Welcome Home?

This is a message a friend sent me. Well, if you consider "home" our hotel in beautiful Torrance, CA home... then, yes, welcome home. (oh, I dream of the Flatirons of Boulder.)

Anyway, I digress.

Quick race recap of the Omnium in Melbourne, as promised:

(P.S. Omnium for those who don't know is 6 events over 2 days. 1st place in each event gets 1 point. Last place gets 24 points. The person who ends up with the least amount of points, wins.)

-Each country can send 1 athlete but the rules state that only 24 cyclists can race on a 250m track (which is the international standard). We had 31 countries (I think) send athletes for the Omnium which meant we had to start day #1 with a qualifying race which was a 10k Points race. My goal was to spend as little energy as possible to qualify. I felt in control and accomplished the goal.

- Next up was the Flying Lap. I started early and held the fast time for a bit but ended up 8th with a 14.856. The fast time was a 14.589.

- After about 2 hours we raced the 20k Points Race. For those who don't know, this means we sprint for points every 10 laps. If you lap the field you get 20 points. Well, we had 5 girls lap the field and I wasn't one of them. Funny tactics in the Omnium Points race vs. a normal Points Race. I sprinted for 3 points and scored in 2 of them. Good for 12th place. The bummer is 1 more point would have given me 8th or so place which is a big difference.

- Then the Elimination or "miss-n-out". For those who aren't familiar with cycling, this race is sometimes chaos. Basically, the last person over the line on every other lap is out. The problem with this race is telling people they are out... especially if we all speak different languages. Solution? A brick sized computer they mounted to our handlebars that flash LED lights in our face when we are out. Good solution but not perfect. I raced a less then desirable race this time around and finished 15th.

Day #2

- Individual 3k Pursuit. Basically, a race against the clock. In my world, this is considered "distance" and an event I am least experienced in. I posted a 3.47.7 for 13th place. This was a personal best in this event and I didn't even feel like I was going to die.

I forgot to zip up my skinsuit before the pursuit. DUH! I wasn't trying to show anything off but basically just look silly!

- Scratch Race. 40 laps and first one to cross the line, wins. This is the one race I play over and over in my mind. I was SOOO close... but, in the end I ended 9th. AHHHH! I can't wait to watch this one on video. I had the position and the legs but... well, whatever, it didn't come together. Next time :)

- 500m time trial was the last event. I was no where near my personal best time but ended 9th with a 37.3 seconds. At least I am consistent... this was the same time I posted at the end of the Omnium at Nationals in LA in October. There is easy improvements to be made in this event with some work.

So, at the end of 2 days, I ended up in 11th place. In the big picture I am happy but not satisfied. With a micro-view, I see lots of places for improvement and remain totally inspired. With the exception of Great Britain (and maybe China if they have a Omnium athlete), every big country had a athlete. So, against the best in the world, not bad for my first showing.

All photos are from CJFOTO.COM.

Thanks for reading... more soon!