Tuesday means Alt-Bomb
Last night's training plan called for a "hard" group ride as compared to some Tuesday nights when my training calls for a "hard!" ride. This is a subtle but important difference.
Either way Tuesday group rides mean the "alt-bomb" ride with the boys. For those of you not from Madison this ride is basically a bunch of really fast Brazen Dropout racer guys, some other team's fast guys, a couple of Chainsmokers and my CVC teammate Samantha and I. Their used to be a couple of other gals that did this ride but they've moved on to other things (probably a wise move on their part).
Anyway, I had low expectations because my whole body felt screwed up from my inbalance analysis. Apparently one hour of trying to get my body into alignment was hard on me.
The ride started off kind of funny. The rule is that no one is allowed to pass the girls until the end of the Arboretum which allows us to get out of town without pissing off the whole world. The funny part is that the boys were all riding along gossiping and Sam and I dropped them. Of course, they had caught us by the time we got to the end and were headed up the hill on Seminole Hwy.
One we hit Seminole the ride is on and we start to pick up the pace. I'm not up as far as I would like but I'm not in a horrible spot. We're hauling down Seminole Hwy like normal in a group of maybe 25-30 as we keep picking up more riders as we go. We hit the first hill on Whalen and I'm still holding strong. I'm still back a little far in the group but I'm not too bad. A few people are opening up gaps in front of me but I'm amazingly able to close them down. That actually kind of freaks me out since normally I am screwed if a gap opens but I was having no trouble for a change.
When we get to Hwy M there is total confusion as to what direction we are going (since there was differing opinions about where the ride should go). In the end we go left and in the confusion I'm able to move up in the group which is perfect as we're about to hit a hill where the group usually sprints and kills me. I'm in a good spot in the group though and I am actually able to keep the pace all the way to the top where we hit Blizzard.
I'm feeling good as I made it with the group up the hill and made the right turn onto Blizzard. And then a bunch of guys pull out of the group for some unknown reason creating this huge gap. I start hammering. I suddenly realize that I'm caught in no man's land. The front group has a gap but the next group is not on my wheel so there is no one to pull around me so I can suck their wheel. I can't believe this has happened. Finally riders from behind catch up and I'm hammering after the front group. At the bottom of the hill at the stop sign I get back on the tail end of the group.
However, at this point I have to decide whether I want to last one, maybe if I'm lucky two more hills, with the group and then ride alone or drop off and ride with Samantha as she's tailed off and not looking to rejoin the group. I make the wise decision and join up with Samantha. Riding with the group would have been "hard!" for a little longer and then after getting dropped would have just been me riding along easy. Riding with Sam is always "hard" as she's a better rider than me and so pushes me to ride better.
The funny part is that for once I actually felt like I could ride with Sam on the hills. Usually she kills me and I'm struggling behind. Today I was actually riding alongside her. Maybe trying to get my body in alightment is good for your riding . . . or Sam was taking it easy on me. Either way I had a pretty good ride and feel like maybe, just maybe, I've got a bit of form finally. I'm a long ways from where I had hoped to be this season but all things considered maybe I'm doing better than I thought.
After getting home, stretching, and eating dinner I spent the night crafting a couple of sponsor proposals and getting them out. I want to finish up all my sponsor proposals this week as the race is only a month away.
Oh yeah, and Chris's blog reminded me that the Michigan UCI race is only 3 weeks away. CRAP! I'm so not ready.
Either way Tuesday group rides mean the "alt-bomb" ride with the boys. For those of you not from Madison this ride is basically a bunch of really fast Brazen Dropout racer guys, some other team's fast guys, a couple of Chainsmokers and my CVC teammate Samantha and I. Their used to be a couple of other gals that did this ride but they've moved on to other things (probably a wise move on their part).
Anyway, I had low expectations because my whole body felt screwed up from my inbalance analysis. Apparently one hour of trying to get my body into alignment was hard on me.
The ride started off kind of funny. The rule is that no one is allowed to pass the girls until the end of the Arboretum which allows us to get out of town without pissing off the whole world. The funny part is that the boys were all riding along gossiping and Sam and I dropped them. Of course, they had caught us by the time we got to the end and were headed up the hill on Seminole Hwy.
One we hit Seminole the ride is on and we start to pick up the pace. I'm not up as far as I would like but I'm not in a horrible spot. We're hauling down Seminole Hwy like normal in a group of maybe 25-30 as we keep picking up more riders as we go. We hit the first hill on Whalen and I'm still holding strong. I'm still back a little far in the group but I'm not too bad. A few people are opening up gaps in front of me but I'm amazingly able to close them down. That actually kind of freaks me out since normally I am screwed if a gap opens but I was having no trouble for a change.
When we get to Hwy M there is total confusion as to what direction we are going (since there was differing opinions about where the ride should go). In the end we go left and in the confusion I'm able to move up in the group which is perfect as we're about to hit a hill where the group usually sprints and kills me. I'm in a good spot in the group though and I am actually able to keep the pace all the way to the top where we hit Blizzard.
I'm feeling good as I made it with the group up the hill and made the right turn onto Blizzard. And then a bunch of guys pull out of the group for some unknown reason creating this huge gap. I start hammering. I suddenly realize that I'm caught in no man's land. The front group has a gap but the next group is not on my wheel so there is no one to pull around me so I can suck their wheel. I can't believe this has happened. Finally riders from behind catch up and I'm hammering after the front group. At the bottom of the hill at the stop sign I get back on the tail end of the group.
However, at this point I have to decide whether I want to last one, maybe if I'm lucky two more hills, with the group and then ride alone or drop off and ride with Samantha as she's tailed off and not looking to rejoin the group. I make the wise decision and join up with Samantha. Riding with the group would have been "hard!" for a little longer and then after getting dropped would have just been me riding along easy. Riding with Sam is always "hard" as she's a better rider than me and so pushes me to ride better.
The funny part is that for once I actually felt like I could ride with Sam on the hills. Usually she kills me and I'm struggling behind. Today I was actually riding alongside her. Maybe trying to get my body in alightment is good for your riding . . . or Sam was taking it easy on me. Either way I had a pretty good ride and feel like maybe, just maybe, I've got a bit of form finally. I'm a long ways from where I had hoped to be this season but all things considered maybe I'm doing better than I thought.
After getting home, stretching, and eating dinner I spent the night crafting a couple of sponsor proposals and getting them out. I want to finish up all my sponsor proposals this week as the race is only a month away.
Oh yeah, and Chris's blog reminded me that the Michigan UCI race is only 3 weeks away. CRAP! I'm so not ready.
posted by MadCross at 9:00 AM
1 Comments:
hey renee! just stumbled across your blog- cool! one day I might be able to keep up with y'all through the arb....
Hollis
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