The Wolves

I read on the internet a lot. I usually use it as a sleep aid, because even though I'm going at a million miles an hour during the day, I can't wind down at night. I should be fucking exhausted after all I do during the day. It seems that my brain goes from being functional, making organized lists of what I have to do, and gets shit done during the day

To going and shitting itself at night

There's an actual point to this entry. So, my brain was shat one night, as it usually is, and I was scrolling on some sort of social media. Through my mindless scrolling, I came across this picture:

I get it. We live in a society that says, "Think positive! That's how you get stuff done!" And it's true, you have to think positive to get some stuff done. I won't deny that. Even though I seem like an angry person, I'm actually quite optimistic and pretty fucking happy. However, we need some of that greed to survive. If we were to always be super generous and give everything away, we would't have the resources to live. 

We need some inferiority to keep the ego in check, but we need some ego to have the confidence to hit the curveballs that life throws at us. 

We need anger to fuel a passion. We need rejection to feed the need to overcome challenges. We need some jealousy to want more than what we have, be it a better life, a better education, a better something. As long as that jealousy feeds our work ethic and is not a jealousy that will hurt another person, I feel that it's okay. 

I've felt all of that in the past. I've had the rejection, the feeling of inferiority, the jealousy, and it all made me work harder. It made me want a better life for myself, to work hard to get my education, to work hard to have a chance to have a career in the Navy. I had a bit of jealousy some peers who didn't have to work very hard to get state of the art bikes, so I worked my ass off to get the bikes, wheels, and to become a better and faster cyclist. I've had the anger and the resentment in myself for falling off of the bandwagon and quit lifting, so I went back, mad at myself, and have become very strong and have met the expectations that the Navy has for me. I want to exceed those expectations, and I will. 

A person who only has happiness, love, hope, and has only gotten the truth has nothing to overcome. How can a person grow to be a better person if they've never had a hurdle to jump, or gotten hit by that nasty curveball? There is nothing to overcome; it's a comfortable life. And, to me, that's a damn shame, because I've become the person I am now (and fuckin' aye, I think I'm a pretty good person) because of all of the challenges I've had in life. 

So, to this picture, I say that we need a third wolf. We need a happy wolf who loves and shit but who has had some shit thrown at him. A wolf that wants to work to become Alpha, not just be a comfortable Omega. 

That Special Place in Hell

Here's a list of people and things that deserve a special place in hell:

• People with gas vehicles who park at the diesel pump, especially those who park there to go buy something into the little convenience store... not even there to pump car-running nectar. 
• Those who think that men and women can't be "just friends."
• People who give unsolicited advice. 
• People who can't stop talking about themselves. 
• Overly-political douches on Facebook or Twitter. NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR STUPID OPINION GO AWAY JESUS CHRIST!
• Spiders, aka NOPES. 

• Cheap vacuums. 
• Shedding season. 
• Not getting the channel that airs the San Jose Sharks games. 

• Tumbleweeds. 
• People who smoke while driving. 

• My neighbors because every single one of those fuckers smoke and the nasty smell gets in my apartment. Fuck. You. 
• Lifetime movies for being so bad and addictive. 

Expect That Special Place in Hell Pt 2 soon. 

The Master Plan: Hooyah!

I haven't written anything in a while. I've been really busy with The Master Plan. I know that some people who read this wonder what The Master Plan is. I haven't mentioned what it is simply because I didn't want to jinx it, even though I'm not superstitious in the least bit. Still... just in case, right?

Late last year, I decided to inquire about joining the military. Yeah, you know, I'm 26-years-old and have a college degree. What's the next step? Everything wasn't going according to my Original Life Plan so I decided to be open minded and inquire about the military. First was the Air Force (sorry, dad), but after giving me the run-around and only talking to crappy recruiters, I decided to talk to the Navy (Dad was happy). After talking to that recruiter, I felt comfortable and took a practice ASVAB, in which I scored highly. Two days later, I took the real ASVAB, in which I scored even higher, and started signing the remainder of my soul away... or at least trying to.

Weeks went by and the process kept getting longer and longer. I didn't know that it would take this long to join the military. Then months went by and I still hadn't done my physical. At times I thought, "Shit... am I not even good enough to join the military?" The signing process started in March of 2013.

And the process kept getting delayed. Curve balls kept getting thrown at me, but I kept hitting every single one of them. I didn't give this up.

Earlier in August, I got a call saying that I have a physical. Sweet! I went to my physical, which was a physical only (meaning I wasn't going to choose my job that day nor swear in). Everything went as smoothly as it possibly could that day, which was odd because I was expecting more curve balls (and yes, I was going to hit more home runs). I volunteered to be first for everything just to get my physical over with.

After the doctor congratulated me for passing the physical and being fit to serve in the military, I went to my liasion to get some of the final paperwork done and to do my interview. I was told, "Well... if the moons and stars align perfectly today for you, you might be swearing in." I didn't hold my breath because, after 6 or 7 months of this, stars and shit didn't align. The curve ball this time was that the planets and stars did align for me and I chose my job and swore in. As of August 12, 2013, I was in the Delayed Entry Program for the US Navy. I'm now a future sailor.

The patience was worth it.

I also have an awesome recruiter who tried his hardest to get all of my paperwork done and whatnot. He gave enough shits to get my stuff pushed through and to get me into the Navy. I thank him for giving shits and for helping me get this opportunity.

So far, DEP has been awesome. I enjoy the PT and I really enjoy learning in the meetings and whatnot. I've been studying so I can start my mentoring and to finish my START booklet.

Finally... I'm moving forward with my life.

Lodi Cyclefest

I raced Lodi for the first time three years ago. I was a CAT 4, injured, and chubby. I got dropped like a rock and lapped at three or so laps to go. However, I fell in love with the course; it became my favorite race of the year. In 2012, I was able to get 5th and on the podium, again as a CAT 4. I've been hungry to win this race... it's close, but dang, it's still far.

I raced this course as a CAT 3 this year, not injured, and a lot less chubby. The field was good and I had a bunch of my teammates working for me. Wait, what? In other teams and in previous years, I've always been the domestique. I'm usually the one doing the work, unless I break away and for some reason succeed. I'm comfortable working for others and taking charge of a field. This year, I was being worked for. The week prior to the race was nerver wracking because I have no idea what to do when I'm being worked for.

That picture also describes how I felt when I graduated college but that's a different story. 

Anyway, the weather was hot and gross. I like hot weather, don't get me wrong, but when it gets over 100 degrees... eh, it's pushin' it. In fact, the all mighty Garmin/Strava combo said that the average temperature was 108 degrees. 

We lined up and started the race. My teammates Jen, Shannon, and Kelli attacked as planned. Jen attacked again and stayed away for a couple or so laps, we catch her, and then I attacked and tried to get into a nice breakaway. It was going okay for some time, until I realized that I still had 25 minutes of racing to do and I couldn't keep that intensity in that heat. Bummer. We got caught and Jen, Shannon, and Kelli attacked some more.

It was great. Team tactics are so cool to play, especially when your teammates are helping you. The problem was that I didn't know (and still don't) how to be helped, so I kind of tried to go with the flow and follow what my teammates were doing. 

About 3/4 into the race, I started to get full body chills. Ugh... okay, suck it up, buttercup. It's only a few more laps. I tried to position myself into the last two corners correctly, and Shannon had a perfect lead out for me. The two girls on either side of me clipped their inside pedal on the asphalt, which made me hesitate because I didn't know if I was going to crash with them or not, then started to sprint. Shannon was ahead of me but my hesitation cost me, and I sprinted for another 5th place and onto the podium. I could have definitely been braver and rode through that potential crash. Was it worth risking the crash? Not really. So, Shannon and I got on the podium in 3rd and 5th, respectively. I could have also yelled out to Shannon to sprint for a higher place, but I was too busy being a chicken and hoping to avoid the crash. Lesson learned on that one. 

We took a cool-down lap and I went to turn one to chat with other friends. I got off my bike and instantly got tunnel vision. The heat got to me. It took me about an hour or so to recover. Everyone was super nice and took good care of me. I decided to not race the WP123s. Death in that heat seemed like a lame way to go. I got a nice workout and a decent result at my favorite race of the year. 

I'm still hungry for that win at this race. It'll happen...

Red Peloton has definitely been an amazing team. I'm super happy and honored to be racing with this team this year. Thanks again to my teammates for being so awesome to me! And thank you for showing me the ropes on how to race intelligently... and for being so patient with me!

When The Glass Breaks

You see it happen so often. People separate, find a different group, stop talking to each other, or avoid each other because they don't want to talk things out. Many people think that if they ignore it for the right amount of time, things will go back to the way they were. People don't realize how horribly incorrect they are. Things don't simply "go back." Once something is damaged, such as a friendship, it needs repair.

There are reasons why people won't talk things over:
1) They're too chicken shit and don't know how to approach the problem
2) They don't care and don't want to approach the problem
3) They actually want to move away from the friendship

In my case, if I don't talk things over with most people, it means that I don't want to be a friend to that person, or at least not be as close as I was to said individual. Talking things over takes a lot of work and time. There are some cases in which I no longer have the interest or patience to take the time to talk things over. In other words, it's no longer worth it; the friendship has been too damaged.

Keep in mind that I usually care enough to talk things over. I usually care enough to take the time to make things work. However, I have a limit. Once that limit is reached and abused, it's game over.

The biggest problem is that people don't realize that once something is too damaged, it won't be reparable. There's a tipping point, a point where a mere ice cube will make the water spill if you take the wrong step. After that, every ice cube you add will spill more and more water. A person eventually gets tired of cleaning up the spills. That's the point of no return. That's the point where you either stop putting ice cubes so the water stops spilling, therefore walking away from the problem, or having a giant spill, potentially breaking the glass. Slow evaporation or catastrophic breakage, those seem to be the most common choices. It's too late to apologize at that point. You've gone and fucked up.

There's a pattern. People who used to talk to you on a nearly daily basis start hanging out with other people and make it a point for you to find out. It's as if they're saying, "Hey look, I've replaced you! What'cha gonna do about it?" This is a lot easier to do now with social media. Some people get really hurt feelings. I tend to be a mix of points 2 and 3 mentioned above. We're no longer in grade school. If we're going to deal with a problem, it's going to be dealt with, and not in a "haha look at how replaceable you are!" Because seriously? Fuck you.

The pattern is extremely damaging. Here you are, being all loyal and shit to people. If your friends don't like an organization or they get fucked over by one, you riot! You get angry! Okay, maybe you don't riot, but you're loyal enough to your friends to no longer support whatever or whomever fucked them over. It's an unfortunate thing that 98% of people I've met and have said that they're my "good friends" don't reciprocate that. I'm finding myself getting more and more fed up with that, too, and I'm not tolerating it. If you expect me to be loyal, you better not be fucking around. Tango is a two-way dance.

I'm definitely noticing that I'm less tolerant of things. I don't have to be uncomfortable, I don't have to deal with things that make me feel unwanted, unappreciated, or less than ideal. So, fuck it. Here's a shape... within a shape within a shape.

Boggs 8-hour

I originally decided to race Boggs back in December or so of 2012. I was at a point in my cycling where everything sucked and it was so boring and ugh, what am I even doing? That I decided to sign up for the race. However, I wasn't sure if I wanted to race it solo or with a partner, so I thought about it. And by thinking about it, I didn't really at all unless someone brought the race up. At one point, I read a post that Frank wrote on FaceBook about needing a partner for Boggs. I said I wanted to do the race, and then it was decided that we were going to do it as a two-person coed team.

So I trained some. I was really excited because I had a sweet ride for the race (my Grammo Toa). As the race approached, though, I didn't feel like doing it. It was stupid. We were going to have no showers, and why the fuck am I racing an endurance mountain bike race when I'm a crit racer? Whatever, I still rode my mountain bike and tried to sharpen my technical skills a bit more before I went to do this stupid race.

And then it was a week away and I really didn't want to go, but I unfortunately paid for the race and agreed to be on a two-person team, so I felt kind of stuck and went to do the race anyway. I could just hear my brain say, "I told you so, asshole."

So, we went to the race on Friday, May 3rd. We set up camp. I had a self-erecting (yeah) tent and it was pretty easy to set up because it seriously just self-erected. It was magical. I should probably mention that we camped with the SuperPro guys, which apparently meant that we were going to party a lot because these are the signs that were at the entrance of the campsite:

 Then we got on our bikes and pre-rode. It was getting dark and I had dark lenses on my sunglasses. I thought I was going to crash since I couldn't see shit but I didn't. Good for me, I guess. I proved my brain wrong one more day.

It was really pretty up there and the trails were a lot of fun. We went back to camp, had dinner, and got stuff ready for the race in the morning. I put my number plate and timing chip on my bike. As you can see, we were Team Bad Part. 

On race morning, I found this:

I'm not sure who put that empty beer bottle on my bike. I never found out. I didn't drink that night so it wasn't me, and it was no one I traveled with, so who knows. The mystery will remain. Anyway, we got ready for the race. Frank was first to go, so he went down to the start line while I brought water and a chair down to the pit. Our plan was to do two laps each and then alternate laps. And we did. I set everything up in the pits, got myself and my bike ready, and then went down to wait for him so I could start both my laps. 

The race was fun. It was really dusty, though, and that sucked for allergies and breathing. And you couldn't breathe because of all of the dust. I did my two laps. My second lap was more eventful than the first. Some dude decided he was going to pass me on the cliffy side of the single track and fell on me.

"Dude, get off!" I told him.

"Well if I could just pass you..."

"If you get the fuck off I'll be able to unclip and you can pass me. Get. Off." He was a prick.

A guy on lap three decided that he was going to pass me on one of the really crappy switchbacks and hooked his handlebars on my back, then blamed me for almost crashing. He was all, "AH SHIT WHAT THE FUCK!?"

"I WAS HERE FIRST YOU JERK!" He went on his way. 

As you can see, I don't let other riders bully me, whether it's on mountain or road.

Anyway, on my very last lap, I passed the SuperPro hand up station and Frank yelled out, "I'm not doing another lap!" and I immediately relaxed and took my time. I was exhausted. I actually stopped at one point to drink water and relax a bit because I was making so many stupid mistakes due to how tired I was. I was taking stupid lines. I mean, stupid. My legs and lungs were fine... well, as fine as my lungs could be with all of the dust, but my shoulders and huge roadie upper body were tired and sore. 

After my last lap, I sat with Krissy, Amanda, and the LeadOuts and hung out. I had a beer. I pretty much wanted that beer after racing 34 mountain bike miles. At that point I hadn't actually drank since my race season started in January, so I got pretty drunk pretty fast. After getting an autograph from an 11-year-old who was killing it out there on course and not being impressed by Levi being there because I don't like him at all, I slowly walked my bike up to camp with Ashley, where I proceeded to drink a couple more beers and passed out after being a complete dipshit. I achieved my goal of doing four laps. I wanted to celebrate... or something. 

Moral of the story, kids: If you're going to party with SuperPros, you better be prepared. Not drinking for months, racing 34 dirt miles, and then drinking makes you a super cheap date. I slept in my self-erecting tent like a champ that night. 

It was a fun race. I was glad to be home to take a shower. I enjoy camping but being without a shower after racing isn't as fun as it sounds. At all. It's actually really gross. I had to wash my hair twice because it didn't lather the first time. With that said, everyone should experience a race like this at least once in their lives. I'm hoping I can do this next year, either solo or as a team with Boyfriend.

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!