Beer, Bikes, and Snow

With my first CX race of the 2015 season out of the way, Nittany CX would be no problem. Right? The week leading up to Nittany, our cat Grasshopper got very sick.  The emotional roller coaster I went through had me wondering if I would race at all that weekend.  Long story short, we got good news the night before our races and I wanted to spend the weekend with friends and teammates. The course was similar to previous years and I got in a few laps before the countdown to my race.  I knew how I wanted to take the corners, where the roots were and what pressure I would run in my tires.  I started to feel a drizzle as I finished my warm-up and headed to the start line. Since it was a UCI race and I have no points, my start position would be total luck.  Well, actually a lottery.  I lined up toward the back with most of my friends and familiar faces.  I was completely relaxed and laughing.  I waited for the countdown and the ladies field was o...

As someone who is active, I have the usual aches and pains.  A few years ago, I was starting to have pain in my hips. I noticed it was more prevalent during my CX season.  I attributed it to the “mashing” and grinding through mud and sloppy conditions.  I talked to our school trainer and he mentioned it could be my IT band and a foam roller might be something to use. I talked to my friend Beth , who is a massage therapist.  I made an appointment and she started doing a series of tests on how my muscles were working.  What she discovered was pretty shocking to me.  A lot of my aches and pains were actually the result of my body using the wrong muscles or imbalances.  Rather than using my core to support me, I was relying on my neck.  And I was using my lower back for the powerhouse to push a pedal. Not the leg muscles I thought I had built strength in. What Beth has been doing each week during my visit is pretty cool.  She finds what m...

I was first introduced to track racing two years ago.  We heard that there was a world-class velodrome nearby, so Lance and I went to see what it was all about.  It was something completely new and I didn't really know what was going on, other than people were going really fast in circles. Last year we went to a few more races and learned what goes on and what each race is.  I was obsessed with the Madison  and curious as to what it's like to be on a track.  The Valley Preferred Cycling Center offers " Try the Track " clinics three times a year and I signed up for a Try the Track session last May.  It was the only date that did not conflict with other life events. I was so excited to go but Mother Nature had other plans for us that day.  Due to the rain, the event was cancelled after an hour. It was enough time for me to see what it was like to ride a track bike - which is a fixed gear.  No brakes (for safety reasons) and no coasting (when t...