Yin-Yang

This Simbol(Yin-Yang) represents the ancient Chinese understanding of how things work. The outer circle represents "everything", while the black and white shapes within the circle represent the interaction of two energies, called "yin" (black) and "yang" (white), which cause everything to happen. They are not completely black or white, just as things in life are not completely black or white, and they cannot exist without each other.

 



 While "yin" would be dark, passive, downward, cold, contracting, and weak, "yang" would be bright, active, upward, hot, expanding, and strong. The shape of the yin and yang sections of the symbol, actually gives you a sense of the continual movement of these two energies, yin to yang and yang to yin, causing everything to happen: just as things expand and contract, and temperature changes from hot to cold.- I stole this quote from "http://fly.cc.fer.hr/~shlede/ying/yang.html"


I believe in the Yin-Yang, very much so. I've blogged about it several times- http://alipowers.blogspot.com/search?q=ying+yang.


Driving to the airport after Sea Otter, I had a funny feeling something bad was going to happen--ask Anne or Olivia. I announced it in the car and they thought I was full of BS. 


Everything went so well, amazingly well, at Sea Otter (4 stage wins, sprint Jersey, and Overall GC win) that life had to balance out. One way or another something bad was going to happen.


Call it what you will- negative thinking, pessimism, whatever. I call it life.


Sure enough, Wednesday evening the Yin entered my body in the form of a stomach virus. After 20 hours, the pain was so horrible I had He Who Must Not Be Named take me to the ER for fear of appendicitis (you're welcome insurance company).


After many tests and lots of pain medicine, it was determined I am a very healthy person and should feel better in a few days. I felt like wuss who had to go to the ER with a little abdominal pain.


This Yin has kicked my ass the past few days, but if it means more Yang is on it's way, then let's get it on. I can deal.

Teamwork

To win a bike race, you've got to a have team behind you. Bike racing is a team sport. 

I've got that team.

 

My teammates make winning races easy.

When each person on the team does her "job" in the race, everything works. Results happen, fun is had, and good juju prevails (like our helmets).

 Here at Sea Otter, results are happening. Yesterday, my NOW Cycling team, had text book teamwork. It paid off as I won the race, and teammie, Olivia got second.

In yesterday's podium, all three riders use Specialized bikes and other cool stuff, so we all got "branded". It was awesome--until the shower when I thought I was bleeding to death.

Today is the TT. My first real (TT bikes on a non-all-uphill TT) in 21 months. Almost 2 years... bring it!

3 days

Day 1- wake up, emails, get ready to go.
Leave house slightly late
Get stuck behind a train
Get stuck behind a semi in the canyon
Pick up Anne late
Barely make flight to Charrrrrlotte
Arrive, change, ride bikes in Charrrrlotte 5pm traffic
Meet 'n Greet at Uptown Cycles
Get giant bag of new team clothing

Dinner
Bed

Day 2
Wake up, make 3 press pots of bad coffee (annoying), breakfast
Ride
Lunch, chill, have time to get bord
Team meeting, eat, get ready to race
Race
Accidentally ride solo for the first 5 or so laps
Ride solo again
and again. Begin to get very tired and eventually get dropped with one lap to go. Oops, I missed my leadout job.
Feel like I'm gonna barf, cool down, feel better, shower, find food.
Eat food, text with Olivia about how hard the race was, 12am bed time

Day 3
Wake up, make more bad press pot, breaky
Pack, taxi to airport, fly to Denver
Drop off Anne, drive home, do tree work with He Who Must Not Be Named (he chainsaw, me haul slash)
Go to Mexican restaurant for chips and margs. Eat dinner there too.
Bed time

Post Race Fuel

Question-
What do you get when you have a 5 hour ride that includes:
- 40 miles riding with a 20 lb backpack
- 55 mile road race--30 of which you do that solo
- Burn 3,400 kj's in that 5 hrs?

 Answer- 

A Mocha Milkshake

Back to Normal

 

I've had an amazing 3 weeks. Three weekends, three wins--2 road races, 1 criterium. People are saying things like "wow, you're off to a great start!", and "what an amazing season you've had and it's only April". Yes, all these things are true, but truth be told, it's normal. Or, it used to be normal. I am officially back to normal. I'm motivated to race, I'm motivated to train, and my fitness is back to where it was 2-3 years ago. I'm back. Plus, I should win these bike races. I'm paid to ride and race my bike. Anyone who is paid to ride their bike better be winning races.

Saturday's win at the Boulder Roubaix was awesome. Racing on dirt roads is fun and we should have more races like it. I was solo for 30ish miles, so it became a head game for me--how much can I suffer? I just kept thinking, "the harder I go today, the less I have to train this week".

I was tired, and yes, I don't have to train much this week because that effort almost killed me. I couldn't even ride home with my "rock". Had to give it to Lilly to drive home.

I couldn't have had that kind of ride without my teammie, Anne. She made it possible for me to solo for 30 miles to win the race. She finished 3rd. It's always cool when you get to stand on the podium with your teammate.

Up next is Charrrrlotte--a big money criterium in my teammie's, Robin, home town. I have a feeling my win streak will end. That's fine as long as NOW's win streak continues.

Thanks Jody Grigg for all the Boulder Roubaix photos. He's takes amazing photos and is a super cool guy.