I'm selling my Small Giant TCX Rabobank Cyclocross bike equipped with Shimano 105. It has less than 100 miles on it and works flawlessly. I'm just trying to recoup most of my cost. Retails for $1800, but I'm asking $1200 obo.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Giant TCX Rabobank Cyclocross bike for sale
I'm selling my Small Giant TCX Rabobank Cyclocross bike equipped with Shimano 105. It has less than 100 miles on it and works flawlessly. I'm just trying to recoup most of my cost. Retails for $1800, but I'm asking $1200 obo.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Team Scalpel for sale
My 2008 Team Edition Carbon Scalpel is for sale. Brand new in March 2009, I only (barely) raced it a season. It was professionally maintained and kept. This bike is the perfect race bike and comfy for long races, too. Retail is $6500. I'm selling for $3500 or best offer. It's Shimano XTR / SRAM XO kitted with Avid Juicy Ultimate brakes. Out of the box at 22lbs stock. It'll be available for review at Cedar Glades on Sunday.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Not dead.
I'm not dead. I know it seems like I disappeared off the face of the earth, and the truth is, I kinda feel like I have. I'm still riding, and I'm still training- particularly for the Pisgah Stage Race right now. Gotta say that feeling my way around the new world I've created has been exciting, scary, and a bit depressing. Without putting my personal business out there for the world, my life has turned upside down this year, and I've had a bit of a crummy season resulting from the upheaval- DNFing a few races and stinking it up at the Mohican 100. I'm hoping for a better showing this fall....
I've decided to start school- tomorrow morning.
I've decided to start school- tomorrow morning.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Amazing
Ya know, this winter I was totally self absorbed in how my season was delayed- stressing about fitness and keeping my weight in check. You would have thought my world was coming to an end the way I was sulking and complaining. Jeez...what a drama queen.
I've realized recently that it really is just bike riding. Without airing my dirty laundry on the interweb, my life has been in a bit of turmoil lately. This means that I've gained a pant size while eating my favorite Easter candy and comfort foods. It also means that I've not ridden my bike, really. Not only that, but I haven't wanted to ride my bike. Surprisingly, I'm okay with it. This winter I was chomping at the bit to ride and race my bike. This spring I was consumed with the Ouachita Challenge and Syllamo. A month ago, I was completely disappointed in my showing at the six hour. Now? I couldn't care less about racing my bike.
Of course there is one pressing concern: Feeling fat and bloated doesn't exactly help matters, so I'm addressing those. I am putting down the pastry.
Otherwise, I've come to the conclusion that emotional injury takes time to heal, just like physical injury. When life flips upside down, recovery has to happen. I've had to step back, reassess my goals and priorities, and take the time to wallow around in self pity. When I was twenty four and dealing with the hysterectomy and cancer, my therapist told me that if I was going to be sad and angry then I just needed to "own it". That piece of information was totally worth the hundred bucks an hour I paid her. In fact, if she had just told me that on the first visit, I could have saved a ton of money because I think I just needed that permission.
I've been sad and angry. Really sad and really angry, and I didn't want to ride my bike. Now? I suppose it's time to ride my bike again and lose the comfort weight.
I've realized recently that it really is just bike riding. Without airing my dirty laundry on the interweb, my life has been in a bit of turmoil lately. This means that I've gained a pant size while eating my favorite Easter candy and comfort foods. It also means that I've not ridden my bike, really. Not only that, but I haven't wanted to ride my bike. Surprisingly, I'm okay with it. This winter I was chomping at the bit to ride and race my bike. This spring I was consumed with the Ouachita Challenge and Syllamo. A month ago, I was completely disappointed in my showing at the six hour. Now? I couldn't care less about racing my bike.
Of course there is one pressing concern: Feeling fat and bloated doesn't exactly help matters, so I'm addressing those. I am putting down the pastry.
Otherwise, I've come to the conclusion that emotional injury takes time to heal, just like physical injury. When life flips upside down, recovery has to happen. I've had to step back, reassess my goals and priorities, and take the time to wallow around in self pity. When I was twenty four and dealing with the hysterectomy and cancer, my therapist told me that if I was going to be sad and angry then I just needed to "own it". That piece of information was totally worth the hundred bucks an hour I paid her. In fact, if she had just told me that on the first visit, I could have saved a ton of money because I think I just needed that permission.
I've been sad and angry. Really sad and really angry, and I didn't want to ride my bike. Now? I suppose it's time to ride my bike again and lose the comfort weight.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Ouachita Challenge 2009
Those of you who are close to me know how difficult the last few weeks have been for me. I've been battling a bit of a sinus infection (leading up to the taper) and my personal life has been flipped upside down. The Ouachita Challenge fell to the bottom of my priorities. It was originally an "A" race in December, became a "B" race after the hip fiasco, and got demoted to "C" status a couple of weeks ago.
I didn't finish the race, and I'm not disappointed. I had to make a difficult decision to pull out at mile 30 with an upper respiratory infection. To be honest, I shouldn't have started it because I was up hacking and coughing all night Saturday night.
My goals were to finish strong and fast. At mile 30, I was almost exactly where I was time wise as my recon ride. I wanted to do better than that, and hacking up yellow phlegm wasn't going to allow that to happen. So, I called it a day, went back to the school, napped, and read a book.
I didn't finish the race, and I'm not disappointed. I had to make a difficult decision to pull out at mile 30 with an upper respiratory infection. To be honest, I shouldn't have started it because I was up hacking and coughing all night Saturday night.
My goals were to finish strong and fast. At mile 30, I was almost exactly where I was time wise as my recon ride. I wanted to do better than that, and hacking up yellow phlegm wasn't going to allow that to happen. So, I called it a day, went back to the school, napped, and read a book.
Monday, March 23, 2009
OC Recon
I binged on Doritos, Rotisserie Chicken from Kroger, Candy, and popcorn today. I was STARVED. Yesterday, Kevin and I left town at a ridiculous hour and headed for the planned Ouachita Challenge Recon.
First-
It's a hard course. I've been riding pieces of it these last eight weeks, but I forgot exactly how HARD it is when put all together. Todd, Lelo, Kevin, and I started out about 9:30 or 10:00 and by the 45 minute point, I was questioning my coaches sanity for making me do this. When you start out, 65 miles seems like a really long way. I just tried not to think about how daunting it seemed and keep pedaling.
I set a decent pace on the Womble, hitting HWY 298 about where I had planned~ not quite tempo, but not slouching, either. The course splits with the 80 continuing on the Womble while the 60 has a decent road section.
Todd continued on the 80 route while Lelo, Kevin, and I rode on. Unfortunately, though, Lelo was smart enough to call it enough at about 30 miles. So, when Kevin and I turned right to hit the Ouachita Trail sections, she continued onto the start. The pavement / fireroad section will be really important to me this year. My hope is to find a solid wheel and just hold on there.
Kevin and I hit Chalybeate just as the day was warming up. I really like Chalybeate because it's the easier of the three major climbs. The whole thing takes maybe 45 minutes. At the bottom of Chalybeate is a sign that says "Food 100 yards. Next Aid 8 miles".
Blowout is 8 miles long, but takes forever. My average dropped by 2 miles per hour on Blowout Mountain. Kevin had blocked out Blowout mountain from when he, Susie, Lelo, and I rode it last month. So, when I said "8 miles to Big Brushy" he said "Really? Fireroad?". Ha!! "Nah, dude. Blowout, remember?" He said "F*&k, I blocked that out" and took off on his singlespeed, setting a really good pace. I was able to keep him within sights, mostly because he was pushing a ridiculous cog still on his bike from the 6 hour race. I sat and spun the 29x34, threatened to puke, and just thought "so, this is what IT feels like?". The "IT" is the Ouachita Challenge. IT hurts.
We descend Blowout~ both cooked, refilled our bottles at Big Brushy, ate a bar and Gu, and took off on Big Brushy. The whole thing is 6 miles, but it felt like forever last year. I kept preparing myself this terrible climb that never ends, and to be honest it wasn't THAT bad. Don't get me wrong, it was HARD, but not totally unbearable.
What was unbearable? The fireroad and pavement section to the finish. The course is a little long, and I just kept hoping to see the end.
My coach is smart. I'm glad I put on my big girl panties and rode the course in full before race day. The difference between my fitness this year and last is really amazing- I rode the entire 63 miles faster than the abbreviated 48 mile version last year. It's gonna be a good season.
First-
It's a hard course. I've been riding pieces of it these last eight weeks, but I forgot exactly how HARD it is when put all together. Todd, Lelo, Kevin, and I started out about 9:30 or 10:00 and by the 45 minute point, I was questioning my coaches sanity for making me do this. When you start out, 65 miles seems like a really long way. I just tried not to think about how daunting it seemed and keep pedaling.
I set a decent pace on the Womble, hitting HWY 298 about where I had planned~ not quite tempo, but not slouching, either. The course splits with the 80 continuing on the Womble while the 60 has a decent road section.
Todd continued on the 80 route while Lelo, Kevin, and I rode on. Unfortunately, though, Lelo was smart enough to call it enough at about 30 miles. So, when Kevin and I turned right to hit the Ouachita Trail sections, she continued onto the start. The pavement / fireroad section will be really important to me this year. My hope is to find a solid wheel and just hold on there.
Kevin and I hit Chalybeate just as the day was warming up. I really like Chalybeate because it's the easier of the three major climbs. The whole thing takes maybe 45 minutes. At the bottom of Chalybeate is a sign that says "Food 100 yards. Next Aid 8 miles".
Blowout is 8 miles long, but takes forever. My average dropped by 2 miles per hour on Blowout Mountain. Kevin had blocked out Blowout mountain from when he, Susie, Lelo, and I rode it last month. So, when I said "8 miles to Big Brushy" he said "Really? Fireroad?". Ha!! "Nah, dude. Blowout, remember?" He said "F*&k, I blocked that out" and took off on his singlespeed, setting a really good pace. I was able to keep him within sights, mostly because he was pushing a ridiculous cog still on his bike from the 6 hour race. I sat and spun the 29x34, threatened to puke, and just thought "so, this is what IT feels like?". The "IT" is the Ouachita Challenge. IT hurts.
We descend Blowout~ both cooked, refilled our bottles at Big Brushy, ate a bar and Gu, and took off on Big Brushy. The whole thing is 6 miles, but it felt like forever last year. I kept preparing myself this terrible climb that never ends, and to be honest it wasn't THAT bad. Don't get me wrong, it was HARD, but not totally unbearable.
What was unbearable? The fireroad and pavement section to the finish. The course is a little long, and I just kept hoping to see the end.
My coach is smart. I'm glad I put on my big girl panties and rode the course in full before race day. The difference between my fitness this year and last is really amazing- I rode the entire 63 miles faster than the abbreviated 48 mile version last year. It's gonna be a good season.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Hell's Kitchen...
Kevin, Frank, Nate, and I rolled out of Little Rock at about 5:30 and hit the venue with 2 hours to spare. It was cold and we were all lacking motivation. Along with the road bikes, we brought our mountain bikes to ride Devil's Den after the race, so we had this conversation on the line (after a really lame warmup) about just ditching and going to ride mountain bikes instead. Fortunately we took off before we could turn around...
My directions for this race was "to get in the mix, get some intensity, and stay out of the wind. Conserve energy to do well".
They started the Cat 5 men and Cat 4 women together. I had this dilemma about whether to race Open Women or Cat 4 Women last week. I have to confess that I knew I'd get dropped in the Open Women (who started with Master Men), but I'd feel safer. Instead, I signed up with the Cat 4's. It was clear within the first 3 minutes that I should have been more assertive and gotten myself up front. Instead, I let the boys push me around, and I missed the break.
Okay, I get myself into time trial mode, decided that since I paid the cash, I was going to get my money's worth and started working. Fortunately, I caught up with bad ass Tami from OKC Velo and we worked together for over half of the race~ That girl is STRONG! She was killin' it, taking massive pulls and really driving the pace. I just tried to totally bury myself and commit to the moment. We started catching girls, and I managed to break on or just after (I don't remember) the big Hell's Kitchen climb, where I was wheezing like an asthmatic, slobbering all over my stem, and snotting all over myself. At one point, I didn't know if I was going to pass out, puke, or make it up that damn thing. I caught two other girls after the climb, and pushed all the way to the finish. When I crossed the line, I said "Is it over?" A lady assured me it was, and I said "Thank God.". I was so deep in the pain cave. But, I kinda missed the pain cave this winter.
I didn't race with my powermeter because the rear wheel is heavy, and I had access to Dura Ace wheels that were super light and wanted the advantage. Also, I didn't race with a heartrate monitor or computer; it was just me, my bike, and my perceived exertion. My lungs hurt. My legs were toast, and I was more tired after that fifty five minutes (I guess?) than the six hour last weekend. Seriously, it felt like I was out there only 10 minutes total. Had I made the split in the beginning, I wouldn't have had the chance to push myself that far.
I called Coach and said "I didn't do a damn thing you told me to, but I worked hard, got the intensity, and survived".
I'll call that success for a mountain bike racer.
My directions for this race was "to get in the mix, get some intensity, and stay out of the wind. Conserve energy to do well".
They started the Cat 5 men and Cat 4 women together. I had this dilemma about whether to race Open Women or Cat 4 Women last week. I have to confess that I knew I'd get dropped in the Open Women (who started with Master Men), but I'd feel safer. Instead, I signed up with the Cat 4's. It was clear within the first 3 minutes that I should have been more assertive and gotten myself up front. Instead, I let the boys push me around, and I missed the break.
Well. Shit.
Okay, I get myself into time trial mode, decided that since I paid the cash, I was going to get my money's worth and started working. Fortunately, I caught up with bad ass Tami from OKC Velo and we worked together for over half of the race~ That girl is STRONG! She was killin' it, taking massive pulls and really driving the pace. I just tried to totally bury myself and commit to the moment. We started catching girls, and I managed to break on or just after (I don't remember) the big Hell's Kitchen climb, where I was wheezing like an asthmatic, slobbering all over my stem, and snotting all over myself. At one point, I didn't know if I was going to pass out, puke, or make it up that damn thing. I caught two other girls after the climb, and pushed all the way to the finish. When I crossed the line, I said "Is it over?" A lady assured me it was, and I said "Thank God.". I was so deep in the pain cave. But, I kinda missed the pain cave this winter.
I didn't race with my powermeter because the rear wheel is heavy, and I had access to Dura Ace wheels that were super light and wanted the advantage. Also, I didn't race with a heartrate monitor or computer; it was just me, my bike, and my perceived exertion. My lungs hurt. My legs were toast, and I was more tired after that fifty five minutes (I guess?) than the six hour last weekend. Seriously, it felt like I was out there only 10 minutes total. Had I made the split in the beginning, I wouldn't have had the chance to push myself that far.
I called Coach and said "I didn't do a damn thing you told me to, but I worked hard, got the intensity, and survived".
Totally. Spent.
I'll call that success for a mountain bike racer.
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