I've never

Though I'm going on my 6th year of bike racing, the first race of 2010 proved to be an interesting one. Now thinking back on it, and talking about Redlands, I keep finding myself starting sentences with "I've never...".

-I've never raced a time trial knowing exactly how long and how many watts it took to do same race the last time I raced it.
-I've never won the Queen of the Mountains Jersey-I've never missed the break and f-ed up my GC position so badly
-I've never had a teammate get hit by a car 20 minutes before the race start
-I've never hit the barriers and not crashed
-I've never had such strong and smart teammates-I've never won the Team GC.
-I've never looked forward to Gila as much as I am now.

Compare/Contrast part 2

Race days versus days at home training are a little bit, well maybe, actually a lot bit, different.

Home- wake up, lounge in bed for a bit, espresso, frisbee/walk with the doggies, breakfast.
Race- wake up, lounge in bed for a bit, chamois up, ride (brr and dark), Aeropress, breakfast.

Home-internet, goof off, ride.
Race- internet, poo, poo, nervous, drive to start, sign in, chill, race.

Home-finish ride, put bike away, shower, eat.
Race- sprint to finish, give bike to mechanic, swanny wipes the dirt off my face (and arms and legs) like a little kid, then gives me a chair and a sammy to eat (gluten and meat free!).


Home-do chores.
Race- chill with teammates, wait for awards, drive home, soak in cold pool, shower, eat, chill.


Home-chores (maybe with some goofing off too), dinner, hang out, bed time.
Race- get a 30 min massage, dinner, team meeting, hang out, bed time (usually go to bed with achy legs and high heart rate only to wake up at 4:30am the next morning hungry and not tired anymore. Time to chamois up and start it all over again).

Compare/Contrast

One thing I really like about traveling and staying at host houses is seeing how other people live. What are the towns/cities like? How big/small are the homes? What kind of food do they eat? How does their house compare to my house?

It works like this-
1) Nice people sign up to be a "host house" for the bike race.
2) A cycling team is put in contact with these nice people.
3) The team arrives (and takes over).
4) Bags are unloaded, bikes fill the garage, food fills the fridge, the coffee maker is on double time.
5) This "host house" has now become the "team house" for the length of the race.

This morning, I am sitting in my host house's kitchen in Redlands CA. I'm not sitting IN the kitchen (as in on the floor), I'm sitting at the island bar stools looking outside and drinking coffee.
The biggest difference between this house and my house is the fact there is no snow on the ground. Instead of a foot plus of new snow outside, there is a pool surrounded by green trees and plants. The second difference between this house and my own, is the size.

My host house is GIGANTIC! I am pretty sure the garage is bigger than my house in Colorado. Another interesting thing to note, is there is at least one TV in every room here and at home, we don't even have 1 TV.

I enjoy comparing and contracting new places to my "own place" at home. And though I enjoying going new places and seeing how other people live, I always end up missing my own home.

First Day of Spring

March. The snowiest month in Colorado. As a cyclist, I like to think that March signals the end of winter, the end of nordic skiing, and the start of 100% bicycle riding.

Again this year, as it is every year, that is not the case. The first day of spring 2010 brought a blow to my bike riding fun.
I should have expected it. It happened last year too (even in April). Last year, I said to myself, "if it snows in March in 2010 and the riding is not very much fun, I should go nordic skiing. I do it all winter long, and technically, March is still winter time (even though bike racing has started). Come September, I am tired of my road bike anyway, so nordic skiing would be good for me".

Today, I remembered that thought and reluctantly pulled out my nordic skis, scrapped the "storage wax" off them and drove to Eldora for some skate skiing.

It was actually pretty nice. After a month of not skiing at all, my muscles were shocked and fatigued in a way that's different than the bike and that felt good. Even in March, cross training is still a good idea.
I rewarded myself with a trip to Happy Trails in Nederland for a Chai, a muffin and a banana and some alone guilt free chill time (though somehow I still attracted the weirdo-s who want to chat).
Tomorrow, the roads will be clear, the temperature more bicycle friendly, and my bike riding motivation high.

Sometimes

Hello. My name is Alison Powers and I am a bad blogger. You see, I pretty much just ride my bike.
Sometimes I ride it at home.
Sometimes I ride it in other cool places.
Sometimes I ride new bikes.
Sometimes I ride old bikes.
Sometimes I ride bikes with SRAM, other times I ride bikes with Shimano. Most times, that leads to confusion.
Sometimes I ride bikes in snow.
Sometimes I ride bikes in sun.
Sometimes, however, I don't ride bikes.
Sometimes I nordic ski.
Sometimes I am entertained by Floridians seeing snow and skiing for the first time.
Sometimes I lay around and do nothing.
Sometimes I bake muffins and drink espresso and dream of the bakery I would one day love to own.
Sometimes I make training plans and talk to athletes who I coach and challenge them to ride their bikes faster.
Sometimes I feel boring and don't blog.
Most times, I have good intentions of blogging, but never get around to it.
Sometimes I promise to be a better blogger.
Sometimes I follow through.