My, How Things Change

If eight years ago you would have told me that I was going to find a passion outside of horses, I would have laughed at you. No way! Horses were everything to me. I breathed, dreamed, lived horses. I had big goals and I was inspired. I won championship shows, three-star competitions, etc. I had the drive and the natural talent needed for it. A broken leg, big accidents, and aggressive problem-horses didn't scare me. Nothing stopped me. I was living the dream. My dream. I was to be a top equestrian... even my trainer had that vision for me.

I hit a milestone in my life, which was graduating high school, and started college. I was exploring new things, new ideas. My world was expanding; it was no longer that of an ignorant high schooler, it was now a little more open, a little less ignorant, and extremely hungry to learn more. I was doing well in my studies and doing fantastically as an equestrian.

While I was exploring new paths in my life, I started going to the gym regularly to help with my fitness at horse shows. They were getting harder and more competitive, so I wanted the extra push. I started doing spin classes to help with my cardio. One of the instructors then said, "Hey, you should try riding outdoors, I think you'd be good at it." I laughed and thought it was crazy, but the idea never went away. A few months later, I bought a bike, learned how to ride it (yes, in that order), and started cycling outdoors.

My, how things change.

I started like most cyclists started: I had no idea on what I was doing. I kept tipping over because I couldn't unclip. I then started training more on the bike. After I was done with training horses for the day, I would ride my bike for as long as I could. I started training for my first century and completed it four months after learning how to ride my bike. It wasn't fast, but I completed it, and that made me happy. As Don, the man who is guilty of planing the cycling seed in my head, said, "You will amaze yourself at the things you can do."

So I kept riding...

And then it happened. My primary competition horse got hurt. I wasn't able to ride him. The other horse I was competing was no longer in my line-up due to his owner going absolutely bat-shit crazy. I was only riding polo ponies, but polo wasn't my main event, Dressage was, and I was horseless for that. But my cycling kept me sane. I went out, rode more centuries than a beginner probably should have, started training for the Death Ride, and so on. I did the rehab I had to do on my horse and I kept playing at the polo field.

Later on, I decided that I wanted to try a race, so I bought a day license and raced my first crit. I was terrified, but I'm the type of person who needs a goal. This time it was with a different sport, a whole new world for me. It was fun, but I missed my Dressage. After the first road race, crit, and circuit race, I decided that I really liked it, so I made racing my new goal. I wanted to get better at it. I didn't have the natural talent I had for horseback riding, but I worked hard, and I was going to make it a goal to be a better racer since I had to rehab my Dressage horse.

So I kept racing...

And racing I did. I raced to victories, defeats, disappointment, and happiness. I found a new passion. My horse was hurt so I retired him, and I never went looking for another horse to compete with. I kept cycling. I used it as my main source of transportation to Sac State. It was a daily 55-mile round trip. I made a goal of becoming a CAT 3, and I accomplished that goal. And now I have more and more goals, none of them on horseback.

Don't get me wrong. Horses are still my passion. I won't be getting rid of my horse. If someone were to say, "Choose: The bikes or the horse," I would still choose my horse. He gave me so much and taught me a lot in my young life that I owe him a happy life. He will live carefree, semi-retired, and happy with me for the rest of his horsey life. The good thing is that I don't have to choose between the horse and the bike and I'll keep riding and racing my bike. For now, my horse dreams are put on hold. I won't compete for a while, I won't own a new horse for some time. I'll eventually get another horse when I'm ready and when I feel like competing in Dressage or endurance again. For now, I'll try my heart out at my cycling, and hopefully get a few more victories under my belt.

Red Kite Criterium

Red Kite was the first crit I raced in as an official Red Peloton rider. It confused some people. Most recognized my bike, but not me, since I'm now wearing red/black instead of orange/gray. But, who else around here races a pink and black Grammo and wears a hot pink Rudy Project helmet? Right, no one.

Anyway, we got to the race and got our numbers. I went to look for my teammates since they had my new bibs. Now I have a full kit! I changed and went over to where my teammates parked to talk some strategy. I then kind of sort of joked and said, "I was thinking of doing the E3/4 race to warm up."

"I am, too! Do it with me!" My teammate Lauren said.

"Okay." And that's all the convincing I needed. I went over to register for the E3/4 race.

I've never raced in a group of 66 people, let alone 64 dudes (Lauren and me being the two chicks). The plan was to just stay in and get a warm up. We did, and it was pretty easy. I couldn't see much since most of the guys towered over me, but I settled after a few laps and felt fine. It's a completely different than racing with ladies. Everything was going fine and dandy until I heard the announcer say, "Rider 278, you're in the wrong race."
"Am I rider 278?" I asked Lauren, and she nodded. Ugh... So I was right; the ladies at registration fucked it up.

I pulled out of the race to chat with the officials. After being given a run-around, asking if I entered the wrong race, me telling them that no, I entered the correct race, wrote it on the entry form, and paid my money and that the chicks at registration made the mistake, not me. After working registration at so many events, you'd think I got this handled, right? The race promoter was pretty awesome, though, and was able to settle the debate I had with the USAC official. I mean, really, how many times do I have to say that I didn't register twice for the WP/1/2/3 race (wtf?) and that I signed up for the E3/4. I eventually got back in the race and was able to settle back in and get a my warm up. Everything was going great until we had 4 laps to go. Guys were making stupid, stupid moves and were getting really sketchy. Lauren and I decided to drop out. On the lap following the one we dropped out on, there was a crash, which later on turned out to be a drama-fest, mostly by guys in their late-30s and 40s being cry babies.

Racing with men is gross. I don't know how many times I got sprayed with sweat. Ugh.

I'll be racing with the guys as future warm up again, thought. That was a lot of fun!

We then lined up for the WP/1/2/3 race. It was a fairly big field with about 42 ladies at the start. There were a couple of Vanderkitten racers and a bunch of blue dots Metromint ladies as well, who kept doing the norm: Attack and then attack some more. The whole race was pretty uneventful, really. I was happy I stayed with the group. Since I was still recovering from my cold and was having enough coughing fits to make people feel uncomfortable, I was pretty happy that I was even able to participate in the sprint, which didn't go very well, but I tried... while coughing.

Having so many teammates in the race is great. When I felt like my lungs weren't going to cooperate and when I wanted to throw in the towel, seeing so many of my teammates gave me the boost I needed to keep going that extra lap. It's also awesome to have so many teammates in a race, reassuring you, telling you that they're behind you, working tactics, and rooting you on mid-race. Red Peloton has been so awesome!

Kristen, the W1 in our race, got 5th, all the W3s got respectable placings on such a stacked field, and Sam won the W4 race! Overall, it was a good day for Red Peloton.

Things That Are Not Okay 4

Several good opportunities have presented themselves in my career and in my cycling. Thank you to those who have encouraged and supported me on these adventures. You guys are awesome and inspire me to keep the good and self-improving vibes flowing! To those who have been really negative toward my improvements and me, boo on you. Your negativity is not needed and will no longer be allowed to put a bummer on my day.

I actually had to post that status on my Facebook. People are absolutely ridiculous. I get that some people are butt-hurt over some of my decisions, but none of my decisions have a negative impact on anyone or anything. In fact, it can only positively affect me. So, why? Why are people being so rude, so petty, and so damn stupid?

To those who have been awesome and supporting me, thank you. I know some people don't know the full story, but it's in the works. If everything works out the way I hope it does, I'll make an announcement and I'll thank every single one of you for being amazing and supporting me in these decisions. The awesome support definitely outweighs the negativity of those who are nay-saying my decisions, or who are too butt-hurt and have decided to give me the silent treatment instead of telling me that they're butt hurt.

This "Master Plan" has been in the works for a while, so I'm hoping it all works out.

For those of you who were asking about my cycling, yes, I have switched teams for the rest of my season. I definitely enjoy LeadOut Racing, however I've been racing solo for most of my W3 career and after racing Top Sport against so many Metromint ladies, I realized that I won't be able to achieve my goals as a solo racer. It can't be done. When such large teams takes control of a race, all a solo racer can do is sit and maybe get a lucky break, which I wasn't able to get at Top Sport. The Chico Stage Race was a bit different, however. I guest rode for Red Peloton, the second largest team in that race (Metromint, again, being the largest), and we were able to do some damage. Being on a team is what I need to achieve my goals. Being a team player is essential. I've always been a team player, I just needed the team. There are quite a few W3s in Red Peloton, and now I'll be racing with them.

Oh yeah, I'm freakin' stoked!

With that being said, no, I'm not a traitor. I'm still the same person, the same cyclist, who trains just like everyone else does. I still want to ride, train, and hang out with those who were my teammates, because I consider a lot of them my friends. The only thing that has changed are my kit colors. For those of you who have called me a "traitor" and who have said that it was a bad move on my part, you can kiss my Latina ass. It's as simple as that. I'm not going to deal with your petty and stupid ideas that I "belong" to one team. This is amateur racing; if I'm not having fun, it's not worth it. Being a solo racer and not achieving my goals eventually gets tiring. Having a team with several riders in my category is ideal for someone who has goals and wants to build up a good race resumé.

Seriously, I cannot believe some people's reaction. I haven't even told my whole team and the reactions are already stupid. And no, I will not sugar-coat how stupid these reactions were, because the reactions of me switching teams were just stupid. Those reactions are not okay. These decisions are not affecting anyone in a negative way. If anything, the effects of these decisions are all positive. These decisions are affecting no one but myself, so back off and quit saying stupid shit.

So thank you to those who have supported me. I know some of these decisions are hard ones, such as my career one, but they're good. I'm hoping everything works out. I'm taking all the necessary steps, I just have to be patient. I'm extremely excited... but the wait.

... stupid waiting game!

Chico Stage Race

I really wanted to write something about the Top Sport Stage Race. There really isn't much to write about, though. I could sum that race up with this:

In case some of you didn't get it, my field had 13 Metromint ladies, so all I saw throughout the weekend were blue dots. They basically took control of the race and kept it that way. The only reason I finished the race was because I wanted the work out. I also found out that I can actually time trial. If I keep at it, I can actually become a pretty good time trialist. I was 7th overall in my first Stage Race.

Okay, on to the actual race I want to chat about...

Chico Stage Race
I was excited for this race. It looked like a good one for me. The road race has gravel in it, and we all know how I love to ride dirt, the TT is flat, and there's an L-shaped crit. Perfect! Thursday night I got sick... really sick. So there went that. I was also invited to guest ride for Red Peloton Racing. I was assigned to work for one of my teammates who had a great change of the GC. We all chatted and executed a plan for the road race.

Road Race

I felt like hell on Saturday (this feeling did not change throughout the weekend). I went to pick up my jerseys from my teammates and we chatted about our plan. Since I'm a confident rider when it comes to dirt and gravel, I was to lead Jen (our GC) out so she had the highest chance of winning the race. I've never ridden the race, so I anticipated the dirt too much. I wanted to ride it. As soon as I saw the hill with the gravel, I attacked and took Jen with me. About three quarters of the way through, I blew my last match. Claire Morgan from Folsom Bike took off and Jen followed. I went as fast as my legs could take me, which wasn't very fast. I blew my last match for my teammate, which was awesome, even though I was getting passed by people. Lauren and I rode through the finish line together, where I found out that Jen got second (Claire getting first). So the plan worked; Jen was in the GC.

As we were riding back to the truck, a bug decided to go under my sun glasses and bit right under my eye. At first I thought it was a bee but it wasn't, given that I didn't go into shock. That turned out to be awesome for the rest of the weekend, except without the awesome part.

Downtown Crit

Saturday night was terrible. I felt extremely sick, my head felt as if it were in a bubble, and my throat hurt. I woke up at 0400 and had a hard time sleeping. As I lied in bed, I thought, "I'll do the crit to help Jen and then I'm dropping out of the race." I had to meet my teammates at Starbucks at 0730, where I had some awesome coffee, chatted tactics, and I met more of the Red Peloton Racing members.

I got ready and warmed up a bit, which consisted of riding the course once, then putting on my arm warmers and shivering while watching the CAT 4 race. It was then time for our race. I took a lap just to get used to it with the pack, then Metromint attacked. Ugh. Okay. I answered the attack. After three laps, I was pretty warmed up and the games began. Metromint would attack, I countered. Attack, counter, attack, counter. I went for a prime, but failed on the first one since my legs weren't fully awake. That sprint woke them up a bit, though. There was a time bonus prime so we set Jen up to get it. She got it. Back to the front for me. Another prime, I got it. Kept it at the front. Metromint attacks, we go for a prime, I got the prime (a cool klean kanteen bottle!). Another time bonus prime and I tried to set Jen up for it, but I didn't think I did that awesome of a job. She still got it because she's got an awesome sprint.

At three laps to go, I looked at Lauren and told her I was going to attack at two to go, and to make sure that Jen is behind me. Lauren said, "Uh... are you sure?" and I just nodded and got into position. Two to go, I get to the front. One to go and I'm still at the front. We go around corner one and I see that Aliya (Chico Corsa) is attacking, so I counter. Right as I was countering after corner one, I hear bikes hitting asphalt. I just said, "No no, don't look back" and kept going. I really hoped that none of my teammates were in the crash. Last turn and we went all out. I eventually burned my last match and Jen was able to out-sprint Metromint. We got her the win!

I was going to do a cool down lap when I saw Jen had crashed on corner one. Wait... didn't she win? I lead her out, didn't I? Who the hell did I lead out!? It turns out that she had won. When she and the Metromint rider got to the corner, the course marshals gave them mixed directions, telling one rider to go straight and the other to turn, to avoid the first crash on turn one. The mixed directions made them run into each other. Jen was okay. That corner was a hot mess during the race. Whomever set the course up really needs to rethink the placement of those cones.

Time Trial

I'm surprised I was able to perform the way I did in the crit, but I should have probably dropped out of the race after that. I was still sick and I was feeling very crappy. Boyfriend got my TT bike ready and I went over to my time trial. I felt like I was in a fish bowl. The helmet didn't help the "fish bowl" feeling.

My warm up was standing under the sun and moping about being sick.

Compared to last week's time trial, I was really slow. It hurt, my throat was hurting, my nose was dripping because of my cold, and I couldn't breathe. My body also hurt more than it should have. There were crosswinds and headwinds, never a tailwind, so that was pretty painful, too. I finished in an okay time, but still pretty slow for me. Oh well. I really just wanted to get this over with.

I rode back to the truck and hung out for a while. Saw Boyfriend race and cheered him on as much as I could, which wasn't much because my throat was hurting like no other. We waited for results and saw that Jen got 3rd in the GC! Woo! I apparently got 5th or 6th or whatever and I got a pint glass. A nice surprise.

I should have dropped out after the crit. I suffered the consequences of not doing so on Monday and so far, today, too. I feel like absolute crap. I'm trying to lay low because the Red Kite Criterium is this Sunday, so I want to recover so I can race that with my new teammates!

So, what did I learn?

1) Road races are not my thing.

2) I'm definitely a crit racer. I love crits. 

3) I can become a decent time trialist if I practice.

4) It's awesome to race with a team!

Clovis Criterium

I pretty much lied. I remember saying that March was going to be a pretty slow racing month for me. Originally, I was only going to race Cool, which I did, and that was it. But then I got this itch, as if a bad fungus was growing on me, and I really wanted to race a criterium.

I've been trying to race in my own category lately, so I've really been trying to only support races that promote a separate W3 race, or at least a race that picks them separately. I've mentioned that getting my ass handed to me over and over by the Pro/1s got really discouraging, so, why not support and race the races that offer a separate race?

On March 24th, I decided to race the Clovis Criterium. This race was far away. As in, near Fresno far. At first I didn't think it was that long of a drive because I have no sense of direction/driving time, but then I looked at my phone and Siri, being the bitch she is, told me it was a three and a half hour drive. I don't like to drive my truck that far because it's a diesel and it costs a lot and I'm cheap, so I posted on my Facebook and asked if anyone was going to this race and if they were willing to take my bike and me. I usually try to behave and not yell in my native language, and although I never promise being successful, I'm usually pretty well behaved. It's as if someone used a shock collar/spray bottle trained me when I was a child.

Eh, where was I?

Right, so this race was a 3/4 race. It was also 30 minutes long and there were hardly any women there for me to get points in the case that I placed. Actually, there weren't enough 3s for me to get any points in the miraculous case that I placed, but whatever, I still went and I raced. Boyfriend did, too. My friend, Ashley, who races SS cyclocross drove us there because she's awesome and I hope to convert her to racing asphalt soon.

Boyfriend raced the Masters 1/2/3 race and kicked everyone's butt. Then I raced, and things were super slow, so I broke away for a while. Got caught after some time, then I broke away with two other girls. The course is a basic rectangle so it's hard to get away, and my sprint has been crap lately so I wasn't able to sprint. After 30 minutes of rectangles, I come home with 3rd place. I won like $25 total that day, so I bought myself something nice (a Chipotle burrito).

It was a fun race. While it was a short racing day, I was happy to see Mary Maroon and support promoters who are helping the W3s keep their hopes up in racing. It gets very discouraging when we race with the Pro/1s right after upgrading. I know a lot of women who simply stop racing after racing as a W3 for a while because it's not worth it.

So, thank you, Back of Nowhere, for supporting women's racing so well. I'll hopefully be able to make the next race!

For those of you interested in these races, the next two in the series are on May 12th and 19th. Click here for more of their info/registration links.