pan ams - uncensored

i am not really sure why i wrote this title, as i really don't have anything to censor in the first place. but, maybe "uncensored" will result in a few extra clicks.  just for the hell of it, i'll throw in periodic cuss words, so my title isn't completely false advertising.  *#&%$  (be imaginative ... or choose your favorite cuss word)

and, if you are lazy and don't want to read - listen to my podcast with angela aldrich of norcalcyclingnews.com - i tried not to be boring on air, but to be honest, i think i am much better on paper.

background bull*#*@

it has been awhile since i blogged, so i'll give a bit of background to the pan am trip.  i was pretty jazzed to get the nomination.  i had done well there the year prior (in 2012), but i sucked pretty bad at track nationals this year.  i had crashed at crit nationals and had some nagging hip and leg pain, which i was pretty much in denial about.  anyway, i was slow and it sucks losing, especially after you've won before.

the picture pretty much sums up how i felt at nationals.

blah blah blah i took october off the bike.  i started a winter garden because i guess you can do that in the bay area.  (note: now the garden is very big, and if i wasn't sick i'd walk outside and take an update picture, but that is like 30 steps away, so i don't want to).

now i have lots of yummies in the garden....thanks to michael, cause he is the one who waters it.  i just take credit for it.

in off-season, some people are psycho and can't go for one day without exercising.  that was not me.  i am totally awesome at being a sloth.  i credit my ohio genes.  michael always calls me a union worker - clocking in and clocking out of my workouts. (i don't see what is wrong with this; you can always count on me to get my *#(@! done!)   anyway, in my time off i did absolutely nothing but talk to my plants for a couple of weeks.  i gave up stretching and hydrating as well, and ate french onion dip cause it is awesome.  i really like french onion dip.

when i started biking again, it sucked.  i was so bitter.  my leg still hurt and i almost threw my bike into a ditch, but that would have been a bit dramatic, so instead i threw some temper tantrums.  my destiny was clear --  i had to become one of those crazy hippy bay area people...  i started yoga.  i got acupuncture   i went to the chiropractor.  got some body work.  i even tried positive thinking. for real, i was out of control.  but, for reals, that &#*%# worked! and in a few weeks my leg was feeling good again.  it felt great to feel pain from going hard, not just that persistent nagging pain.

i was feeling good and we had a USAC track camp in janaury that was going to be selector for the panams.  luckily, i rode pretty well there and got the spot.  like i said, i was really excited to get the spot, as i was not so great at nationals this year; it felt really good to be back on track and feeling good.  anyway, after camp, i stopped roadie training and began trackie training. it was only a couple of weeks before panams, so i knew i had to improve my track mental skills too.  michael got mevictoria pendleton's autobiography for christmas, so i practiced my intimidating stares.

mexico city

after getting into mexico city, the adventure began - where the #*@(! is the track?  

like a bunch of idiotic gringos, we left the hotel and instead of getting directions, we saw a sign on the road that said "velodromo" and followed it.  we walked, went over some train tracks, walked some more, and proceeded into uncharted territory.  we arrived at the velodromo... that is, the outdoor velodrome of the 1968 olympics, and also a subway stop, called velodromo.  we were at the wrong velodrome in mexico city.  walked, walked, walked and finally made it to the correct one.  sprinters (especially boy sprinters) hate walking.  anytime i complain about walking, michael always tells me how gino bartali would walk for hours after a tour stage.... so i have learned not to complain about walking so i don't hear that story yet again.

we built up our bikes, and i hopped on the velo for a short spin.  i wanted to get on the track (not my rollers) so i could get used to it.  mexico city is at 7,600 feet, so that is pretty high.  it meant for some fast times.  it also meant for some strange sensations in the mass start races when i didn't recover as quick as i normally do.  

the velodrome was really hot in the late morning/mid-day.  there were these skylights, so natural sunlight could come in. but then it was sometimes high 80s during the morning sessions.  that is very hot, especially when there is no wind or circulation inside.

math, b*@(%#es

trackies LOVE geeking out about gears.  "what gear you in?" ..  "i need a bigger chainring, so i can use the 15t, cause that is the most efficient cog" ... you can go crazy mad talking gears with trackies.  it is kind of awesomely hilarious....especially if you just talk @*#($ and don't really know anything, like me. 

while gear talk is annoying, i have been around long enough, to know i need to pay attention to it.  long gone are the days of choosing one gear and staying in it for every race...like i used to.  before i got to mexico city, i did some serious dorkage research figuring out my gears.  let me explain....

the first day of racing was the individual pursuit.  figuring out my goal pace was a bit hard, because a) last IP i did i was injured and stunk, so i really had no clue how fast i could go, and b) the times were so different at elevation.  before the race, i made a big spreadsheet with people's times from the previous world cups editions, compared to that at the last world cup (which was in aguicalientes - which is at 10,000 feet...so somewhat comparable, i thought.) i was trying to figure out the the time differential between pursuits at sea level versus elevation.  to my comparison charts (which really was waaaaay too small of a sample size) it was somewhere between 6-10 seconds.  then, i guessed my current pace in LA, figured out my average cadence.  then i figured out my estimated goal pace at the track in mexico city and applied my optimal average cadence, and thus figured out what gear i should run.  DORK ALERT!  

my gear: 98" for the IP -- that is an %*#*ing big gear!

the racing

anyway - the pursuit went like this.  i went out *#@(*#ing fast, and then hit the wall like i never have before.  the thin air may make for fast times, but it also leaves you with some serious oxyogen deficit, especially if you don't pace well.  the last three laps, i had a serious case of the dizzies.  in track, the pole lane is marked by a black line on the bottom and red line on the top...  those last couple of laps, i was seeing six different lines, when i knew there should only be two.  when i finished, it took me a few cool down laps to stop as my senses were not all there.  ben told me i had a 3:36, and i was stoked, as that is pretty fast, even with my elevation calculations.

this photo is taken definitely before i started to see quadruple!

i made it into the final and was going to be racing maria calle for bronze.  i raced against her in the qualifier; and she had beat me, just in the last lap... i was leading the whole race.  so, maybe if i paced better, i'd be able to win the bronze medal.  i warmed up and was ready to go, then got the "cut it" sign from ben.  she was sick and scratched from the final.. so i got the bronze uncontested.  cool to win bronze, but would have preferred to race for it.

next day was the team pursuit - i was riding with lauren tamayo and ruth winder.  it was super awesome to get to ride with both of them.  lauren went to the olympics and won a silver medal, so it was a huge deal to ride with her in this event.  she was so helpful in giving advice and pointers to ruth and i.  ruth, i have known for years from racing in norcal, so it was really special to get to be on a team with her.  our qualifier went okay, and we made some adjustments for the final; we were racing venezula for bronze.  they won the final, but we had a much better ride than our qualifying.  it was a great experience riding with lauren and ruth and we'll all be getting better at this even in the next couple of years.

third day was the scratch race.  spoiler alert - i won!  lauren tamayo was awesome and i counterattacked off her, and took a lap.  that is the short of it.  the exciting part though, was my mechanical!  after a few laps solo (as i was taking the lap), i started to hear it - my srm speed censor.  (we'd moved it, as it wasn't picking up... but i guess the used electrical tape wasn't a good idea)  it started of mild enough....whoop whoop whoop, clanking on that 1 million dollar disc wheel.    i just kept going, because what was i supposed to do?  as i re-integrated with the pack, it started getting really loud, Whoop Whoop Whoop.  there were 20 laps left to go in the race, and i had just taken a lap, and all that needed to happen was me to finish and no one else get away, and i'd have won.  and there i am, with this speed sensor rubbing on my wheel!  all i could think of was either the wheel exploding or that censor getting stuck in there.  the the rumbling really started to get even louder WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP - everyone could hear it.  i was never given so much space in a track race.  i was white as a ghost for those twenty laps.  with about 8 laps to go the WHOOP just stopped.  i knew the sensor had fallen off and was just dangling there by a thin wire, and i was just hoping it wasn't going to get caught in the seat stays.  when i saw bell lap, it was such a relief.  i rolled off the track and think i was so rattled about the sensor scare, that it didn't really sink in that i was pan american champion.

the podium ceremony was super cool.  the rider from colombia had a 5 minute conversation with me (in spanish) about something.  i tried to tell her i didn't understand, but she seemed so happy to be conversing with me, that i just faked it.  i also got a sombraro which was super awesome.

here is a video nate koch - thanks nate!

i came back to the hotel room and was totally jazzed to be pan american champion.  i check my email and this is the first thing i see in my inbox:

for real?  &#*@$ you, strava!  and #&%*#@ you julie silva!  jesus, i only got 3 medals at panams.  had i stayed at home to train, i would have had DOZENS of strava medals.

anyways...

day 4 and 5 were the omnium.  i think i am more fatigued writing this blog post than doing 5 days of track racing, so i am going to speed it up.   in short, i got third.  like any omnium, there were ups and there were downs. getting bronze is cool, but it is way cooler to win.  third place does not get a sombraro.  

flying lap

some omnium mass start race

omnium pursuit - i know it was the omnium pursuit, because i always put on more and more rocktape as the week goes on.

 omnium pursuit

 omnium podium

now i am home from mexico city, and of course i am sick.  it isn't super bad, but enough that it is annoying and all i want to do is lie in bed... that slight fever, congestion, and cough.  it makes me unhappy to be sick, but at least it gave me a kick in the pants to get this blog post rolling.

huge thanks to all the usa staff and riders!  ben sharp was super awesome and helpful all week.  ruth and lauren were so awesome to ride with.  missy and maddy were great roommates.  travis smith and jamie staff were so helpful, and kevin, nate, and matt were awesome to be around.  thanks all!

my last day at work and a guide to finding health insurance

Today is my second to last day at work.  In just a few hours, I will be going around singing this song.



Most of you just know me as a bike racer and blogger.  But since I graduated college, I have been dedicated to the non-profit field, working in community health and on policy initiatives aimed at expanding health care access for the uninsured and underserved populations.  My last day is January 2nd.  It is a bit of bittersweet time for me.   And given that it is my second to last day at work and the office is completely empty, and I only have a few more files to sort through, I thought I'd take a little time to reflect on my time and use some of my knowledge to cover a topic that a lot of readers might find helpful: finding health insurance!

My background

For the last five years, I have worked at the Alameda Health Consortium in the program and policy department.  This is a small non-profit that is an association of community clinic in the county.  My work has mostly focused on providing support services to clinics that serve the uninsured population.  I have worked on some truly great projects over the years....creating a website, achealthcare.org that provides comprehensive health care information for people in the county who don't have insurance, translated fully in Spanish and Chinese....organizing marches, rallies, and other advocacy events with clinic patients and staff.... creating a partnership with the community colleges to offer continuing education classes to clinic employees....working with primary care provider by offering training in specialty care....lots and lots of data analysis....work with eligibility enrollment systems and programs.  And I am sure lots of other stuff.

My health insurance through my work will be ending on January 31st, and I have three options: to enrollment in my employer's COBRA program (which will cost me $380/month), purchase a private health plan, or go without insurance.

Given that I have spent my entire adult life working on issues of the uninsured, the third isn't really an option.  Although given the amount of case work I have done and my knowledge of and ability to maneuver the many bureaucracies... I probably am the most prepared to be uninsured!

Anyway, as I am going through the process of purchasing insurance, I thought there may be many readers and bike racers reading this, who were interested in some information.  So, I thought I'd provide a rare, somewhat useful blog post.

Finding health insurance, a short guide:

If you are looking to purchase health insurance, I would first direct you to the website: www.ehealthinsurance.com   I have looked as several, and I think this is the most comprehensive and best site that compares difference insurance plans.  You type in your birthdate and zipcode, and can see a variety of health insurance plans. It is easy to use and you can sort and toggle options in a variety of ways.  You can compare things like your monthly premium, deductible, coinsurance, and copays. 

If those words are greek to you... a premium is what you pay every month, whether or not you use it.  A deductible is how much you pay "out of pocket" until your insurance "kicks in."  If your deductible is $1,000, then you most spend that much money before your policy begins.  Coinsurance of 30... means that, after the deducible, you pay 30%, the plan pays 70%.  Up until your out-of-pocket maximum... meaning, that is most you will ever pay in a given year.  Lastly, copay is what you pay at the door of a visit; usually, you have either a copay or coinsurance. 

After looking at my plan options, I decided to go with a high-deductible plan, as I don't use the doctor very often, and preferred a smaller monthly premium, as I don't have a lot of income coming in right now.  I went with a plan offered by Kaiser Permanente, as that is where I have had coverage for the last 8 years.  I could have decided to go with a plan offered by Blue Shield, Blue Cross, Health Net, etc. - but I have been in the Kaiser system a long time, and didn't feel like change.  I went with the 2700/30 plan, which was a $2,700 deductible, and then a 30% coinsurance, for $149/month.  The reason I went with this plan, was because I could also purchase an HSA to cover my expenses.

A Health Savings Account, is a pre-tax account, where you can set aside money to pay for your health expenses.  It rolls over from year to year (differing from a Flexible Spending Account that many people are familiar with).  In addition to paying my premium, I can also set aside some money to my HSA, that I can use to pay down on my deductible (if needed), and also use for things like dental, optometry and eye glasses, chiropractic, and acupuncture.  I wondered if I could use my HSA to pay for my premium...as then I would be able to pay for my health insurance pre-tax.  You can only use your HSA to pay for your premium if you are received unemployment benefits. If you are doing COBRA through your employer, you can use an HSA to pay for that as well.

I did a bit of research on HSAs.  They are typically offered through banks, e.g. Wells Fargo, Chase, US Bank.  Some have start-up fees, some have small monthly fees for administration, some allow you to invest money, some provide interest to contributions, etc.  All of them I found offer a debit card that you can use to pay for your expenses.  Here is one list I found of HSA administrators.  I decided to go with the OptumHealth HSA.  After the financial meltdown, I closed my bank account, and enrolled in a credit union... so there was no way I was going to open an account with Wells Fargo or Chase.  I don't know much about OptumHealth, other than they support a bike team, so I thought they should get my business!  Also, I was very impressed with their packets and information on their website. 

If you put $500-$1000 in your HSA, you can that pre-tax, and then can use that for health expenses.  (Here is a calculator you can estimate how much savings it would be to you to do this pre-tax)  If you don't use it this year, it rolls over.  I will prefer to set aside a little bit of money each month to put in the HSA, so if I ever had an accident, then I will be able to use the HSA to spend-down on my Kaiser deductible.  It is also kind of nice, because if I go to the chiropractor, accupuncture, or buy some new contacts of glasses, then I can do that all pre-tax.  I don't know how much savings that would really be, but I am counting pennies now, so every bit helps!

Getting denied

 

I did not get denied due to a per-existing condition, but it does happen!   Thankfully, because of the Affordable Care Act (e.g. health reform), no one will need to worry about this after this year!  But in the meantime, if you get denied, here are your options.  The most obvious option is to make an appeal, or apply to another company.  But, there is another option.

As part of the Affordable Care Act, each state is required to operate a "Pre-Existing Insurance Plan" where you cannot get denied because of your health status.  You have to show proof that you got denied from a carrier.  So, keep that letter!  The deducibles vary by state, but I believe they can be no more than $2,000.  For people age 20 - 35, the premiums are usually in the $150 - $250 range.  The above link is the federal government link.  For some states, the federal government administers the program, and for others, the states administer it,  itself.  You might need to dig around a bit. If you are having trouble finding your states info, feel free to email me... bethbikes at gmail.

Under 25

If you are under 25 years old, you can stay on your parents insurance -- if they have employer-based insurance --  and that might be the best option for you.   You should have your parents talk to their employer about this.  The amount of cost-sharing might vary.

Still uninsured?

If you didn't heed anything in this guide, and are still uninsured - a few tips.   If you need primary care, you should go to a community health center.  They typically have a "sliding fee scale" where you can pay less.  Here is a national database where you can search.  This might not be the best source for your information, but it is a start.  

If you have to go the ER, go to the public hospital.  Prices will be less expensive for you, and they are more likely to have charity care programs that deduct your costs.  If you have a bill you can't pay, know your rights and your payment options.  Here is a website to get you started.  Be sure to contact your state Ombudsman.  Each state has one and you can file disputes and they will help you negotiate the process.  These are all free services, so look into these first.

Health Reform?

This will ALL be changing next year... the affordable care act will require everyone to purchase insurance and will offer subsidies and a centralized place ("the exchange") for people to research and purchase insurance.  These things are all getting established currently, and enrollment for your new policies will occur this fall.  Insurance companies will be required to offer a minimum amount of services, and people will be able to get assistance with their policies, based on their income.  Of course, if you receive insurance through your work, not much will change... except that certain employers who offered crap policies will now be required to provide more robust options.  Anyway, as more information on the roll-out process begins, I will write a new post to help guide people through the process.  I, myself, will be enrolling in the exchange - so I can offer some first-hand knowledge.

That is a wrap

This was probably the most boring blog post I have ever written, but hopefully someone found it useful.  If you have questions - please leave them in the comments, as someone else might have the same question, and then I can answer it.

Thanks for reading!

scrapers - i am specialized

it is no surprise that i grew up a fairly sheltered life in suburbia, ohio.  i went to college in a different (but equally) sheltered environment  at a small liberal arts school in connecticut.  after college i moved out to the bay area to near-berkeley (technically, north oakland, but berkeley pretty much just vomits into this section of town).  this too, sheltered.  the last eight years i have bounced around different parts of oakland. now, i live in east oakland, which i will say is totally legit. 

the first time i heard the word "scraper" was in the spring of 2007, when i was a juror on a murder trial.  the kinda creepy district attorney on the case attempted to give a definition of the term "scraper" to the pretty (square) jury.  i somehow knew something was lost in translation, so i consulted urban dictionary that night, probably against court protocol.

since then, i started noticing scrapers ALL the time... especially once i moved from lake merritt to allendale, and now to eastmont.

scrapers.

I LOVE THEM!  i know i am a super white girl from the midwest with about zero street cred - but i think the rims and colorful cars are so damn cool!!

thus, i am beginning a new photo series...  I AM SPECIALIZED

here are the first two shots from my ride yesterday.

unfortunately i missed the picture of my bike with the AWESOME bright blue scraper with huge rims and the candy red scraper -- as we were both rolling, and i couldn't get a picture of my bike with the car.

note: the photo series is a BIKE with a scraper, not just a scraper on its own.  anybody can take a picture of a car.  join the fun if you can- get a picture of your bike with some sweet scraper.  ....and sorry if you live in the peninsula or marin....or colorado or oregon, etc, etc.... a prius or subaru doesn't count.

#oakland #scraper @IAMSPECIALIZED

NY Times - Yep, I made it!

my awesome blog - which doesn't even have a unique domain name - has been cited by the new york times as expert opinion.

when i got a random email from greg bishop, the journalist who wrote the article, i was a shocked, to be honest.  'me?  a expert opinion on quads?  AWESOME.  i hoped he found me by googling "big quads" or something like that... but i found out the U.S. national coach, Ben Sharp, referred him to my blog....which gives some street cred to the coach who also brought home a silver medal. 

don't believe me? it even made the front page of the online nytimes!  Here is a screenshot i took at 8:15am.

and here is a screenshot i took at 9:30am.  it looks like QUADS bumped lebron james as trending article.  yeah, dog!

anyway, mr. bishop emailed me a bunch of hilarious questions.  they were so awesome, i want to publish the interview in full.  enjoy!

-----------------------------------------------

Let's start with the genesis of the blog. How did it come about? How did quads become a sub-topic? How did you come to write the legendary quad post?

I started by blog (http://bethbikes.blogspot.

com/) when I first started cycling, back in 2007 (there’s an article about how I got into cycling in our region’s weekly: http://www.eastbayexpress.com/

ebx/the-road-less-traveled/
Content?oid=2967113)

Blogging was kind of "the thing" back then, before Facebook and Twitter (http://twitter.com/bethbikes) saturated social media. Tons of people in the biking community in Northern California were blogging, and it became a fun way to communicate with people between the weekend races.  At that point in time, I was definitely blogging more than training.

I measured my quads the first time back in the summer of 2007.  It was kind of a joke, a very skinny friend of mine would kid me that my quads were bigger than her head.  I rolled with it and did a measurement and wrote a blog post about it.  A few other people tried to measure their quads on their own blogs - but they were measuring in the wrong spots.  I mean, cyclists (especially "roadies" ... aka road riders) have an obsession with being skinny - so I had to kick that mindset in the pants, and sort of became a crusader to glorify the big quad.  

How did you learn about the proper way to measure quads? Or is that your step-by-step guide, ie something you made up?
Have you ever had to correct someone?

I made it up.  I mean, I had very big quads at the time – and yeah, maybe they weren’t all muscle … but I wanted to make the rules so I would win!   What’s the saying: "you no playa da game you no maka da rules"?

Anyway, the point of measuring quads is to get the biggest number possible.  It isn't like measuring waist lines for skinny-minnies … this is about bragging about massive (sometimes) muscular quads!  So, naturally, you measure in the biggest spot.  I have to correct people all the time as they almost always measure to low, saying "oh that is just fat up there."   Sure, that may be true …. but people making those kind of comments obviously didn’t get the point of measuring quads.  Go big or go home!

This might be a dumb question, but you say in the blog that you can measure improvement by measuring the quads. What would be indicative of progress? Like how much could someone gain, ie your quad before cycling, afterward?

Quad size does not necessarily correlate with cycling speed, but that doesn't mean huge muscular quads aren't awesome.  Back when I was writing about quads all the time (and doing my first races), I was measuring in above 60cm in diameter!   Now, that’s pretty huge … but nothing in comparison to someone like Jennie Reed (world Keirin Champ and current Olympian for the US Team Pursuit) who’s quads were OFF THE CHARTS!  Nowadays, I am a measly 57cm … which is puny.  But now I am a national champion, so I guess I can't be too down on myself for losing some of my quad-tasticness.  

Anyway, the measuring is a fun thing to do, like after races - it is a good way to bond with competitors (keep things friendly – after all, it is just a bike race!), and to check out their goods up close when you put a tape measure around their leg and give a little squeeze.  But, you probably should get permission before grabbing folks thighs.  Otherwise, you could get a knee somewhere you don’t want.

Regardless of measurement size, quads are a major intimidating factor across all cycling disciplines.  For real - we bike racers ALWAYS check out our competitors’ legs.  Bike racing is totally mental, so the more you can psych out your competitors with intimidating legs, the better.  And there are a few things you can do make your quads look better.  Rub on some of that warming oil before a race - the shine makes the muscles look way bigger and if you’re lucky (or dehydrated), you might even get a little bit of that freaky ‘cut’ look that bodybuilder types get.  Or, you can make sure that your team’s clothing has a design that creates a bulging (not slimming) effect in the quads.  Thinning stripes are a serious no-no.  Some cycling kit designers totally don’t get it! Oh, and when standing around before a race or at a podium presentation, be sure to flex and stand in a way that makes your quads look their biggest.  It’s all about the presentation.  

Speaking of, is there a range of acceptable quad size in cycling?

I am sure that height has something to do with it, but if you are over 60cm you are pretty badass.  And we always measure metric.  It's international friendly.

Who has the biggest quads?

Jennie Reed's quads are pretty big.  I saw them up close and got to measure them once.  It was awesome!  What is most impressive about her quads is that the lower quad muscles by her knees are almost as big as the muscles up by her hip bone.  Dude - that is why she is a world champion!  I know that German guy, Robert Förstemann, could be the Quadzilla of the cycling world … but, Jennie Reed’s are legit.  And she doesn’t use a tanning salon.

Jennie Reed’s quads and mine

 

Me measuring Jennie Reed’s quads.  World Champ Stripes – FTW!

The skinniest? And do they get made fun of for how small their quads are?

Amber Neben's quads are pretty small, but she can pretty much kick anyone's butt whenever she wants, so I doubt she gets made fun of for it.  She’s a world champion in the time trial and rides more miles in a month than most trackies do in a year … I mean, she probably does five hill repeats while a track sprinter is still resting between their first and second 8 second sprint.  But if Amber ever came out to the velodrome, I’d totally make fun of her quads and make her leg wrestle me.

Any urban legends from the past? (Like this dude had quads the size of oak trees in 1912.)

Those German track sprinters are pretty much legendary.  I don't think any of them have names, even - they just get referred to by their quad size … “Herr Achtzig to the line”

Love this line: Friends and strangers love touching your strong legs.  ... How often has that happened? Unprompted? Any strange stories in that regard?

Well … I force my fiancé (and coach) to massage my legs all the time … so that’s not really unprompted … but, I can say that he loves touching strong legs.  But at this point in our relationship, it’s only my legs he’s going to ever touch again!!  I don’t care if some 61cm chick goes waltzing down the street!

Perhaps another dumb question. But what exercises are best to make quads bigger? How often do you lift? Reps? Most cyclists say they don't do a lot of upper body. I think that plays into this. Do you agree?

Weight lifting can definitely bulk up the quads.  The one year I did Olympic lifting at this awesome Tongan gym in Oakland, I got up over 60cm.  But I also ate a crap-ton of ice cream that year, too - so, I’m not sure if that’s causation or correlation.  Anyway, that was back when I thought I was a track sprinter ... and now that I have conceded to my fate of being an track enduro and (gasp) a roadie - I really don't lift much anymore.  Well, my coach does make me do core work and some weights for my arms to keep my biceps from being laughable.  Biceps can be intimidating, too …so, I think weight lifting is important if you want to intimidate other racers and aren’t interested in getting a bunch of tattoos or body piercings.

Have you ever participated in a quad-off? 

Not really.  Most of my competitions were virtual via the internet.  And we know how much lying goes on over the webs … but I did do some leg wrestling a few times.  That was awesome.  But I think I pulled a muscle in my butt … so, haven’t done that in awhile.

Is there a legendary one (ie the walk-off in Zoolander)?
Is there someone no one else would challenge?

Well … I’d love to see a quad-off between someone like Jennie Reed and Robert Forstemann, but every time I see that picture of Forstemann in his underwear I kind of get the heebie-jeebies … so, maybe not.  

Anyway, I wouldn't challenge someone like Jimmy Watkins because his quads are massive and he’s super intimidating with his scowls and facial hair (note: he’s actually a TOTAL teddy bear).  Oh, and Jimmy is a firefighter, so if Forstemann ever needs the jaws-of-life to pry those undies out of Forstemann’s thighs … he’s your man.

Some US guys told me they had to get specially made jeans. Is that true? If so, where? How do they label the sizes or whatever?
I also heard there used to be some Brazilian jeans store in Philadelphia that cyclists liked to flock to for custom fits. Ever heard of this?

I am SO happy you brought up jeans!  In addition to quad measuring, jeans have been another big campaign on my blog.  Finding jeans - especially for a woman - that fit an athletic body type is next to impossible.  All the jeans we have access to are way too tight in the quads and just overflowing in the waist.  Jean companies are missing a huge market in their designs … athletic women!

In 2008, I began a campaign on my blog for "keirin cut" jeans.  Doesn’t that have an awesome ring to it … keirin cut!  The keirin is the coolest track sprinting event and that’s why jeans designed for athletic women should have that name.  These jeans would be designed to have room for big quads, but also have a smaller waist.  Back then, there was a US domestic professional road racing team, Rock Racing, with Rock & Republic jeans as the title sponsor.  Michael Ball was the CEO, and I sent him a number of emails - all chronicled on my blog  (http://bethbikes.blogspot.

com/2008/08/r-and-quads.html ) - trying to get him to make a new jean design based on this ‘keirin cut’ technology.  He ignored me, because he sucks.  But, I am still hopeful that someone will make some keirin cut jeans and give me 10% of all profits for the genius idea and name.

Lastly, I guess, on the more serious side.
Have you met cyclists who were self-conscious about their thighs? Or is it a sport in which everyone can truly embrace that?

I hope that all cyclists - from track to road to BMX to mountain bike - are proud of their quads and bodies on the whole.  I mean, we pedal hours and hours every week - it’s a full-time job – so often, our bodies are seen as a measurement of our ability.  And that can lead to some crazy concepts of self-worth.  So, I’m a big advocate of embracing quad pride.  And hell, we are always checking out each other's legs anyways … that’s why we cyclists shave our legs … to make the muscles look ripped!  Don't let anyone tell you differently.  

Also, is there a way to quantify quad size relative to performance?

Are there any elite sprinters with small quads? Any folks with huge quads who aren't that great?

Vicky Pendleton's quads don't look that big - and she is amazingly fast.  And she gives the best interviews in the world.  Maybe you can get her to measure them for you?  That would be awesome.  Be sure to send them to me!  And I wonder how big Marianne Vos' quads are – she’s the best cyclist in the world, man or woman.  So, that would be a huge get.  I have always wanted to measure Sarah Hammer’s quads, but I think she might be a germaphobe, so I have never dared to get close enough.  She did take a picture with me once, however, and put her hand on my back, so maybe the germaphobe thing is just hearsay.  As for folks with huge quads that aren’t that great?  … I’m sure there are some sumo wrestlers who could go off the charts – but thinking about those boys on bicycles just makes me giggle.

the bermuda triangle and other waxing endeavors

today is the eve of my team camp excursion.  if you haven't heard yet (which i am sure you have, as the few people who read this blog know me personally...) next year i will be racing with the NOW and Novartis for MS team.

when they told me team camp was going to be in bermuda my first thought was.... yeah right!  but then i got sent a flight itinerary and realized it wasn't a joke: 1) i really was on on this team for next year - it wasn't a practical joke! and 2) team camp was in bermuda.  score!

knowing absolutely nothing about bermuda, i channeled my one reference point: the beach boys song, "kokomo" and immediately started humming: "aruba, jamaica ooo i wanna take you to bermuda, bahama come on pretty mama..." 

not feeling a need to fact check the beach boys, i began day dreaming about 80 degree weather bike rides, followed by sitting on the beach.  (although, the sitting on the beach part made me a bit nervous, as i knew i would have to deal with me being a bit out-of-control down there, if you get my gist....)

i finally decided to check the weather last week and saw this:

which made me realize, the beach boys' sense of geography is probably just about as good as the beach boys' sense of women (as indicated in the great song "california girls.")  so, i decided to look at google maps, and  learned some interesting thing about Caribbean geography, the first being that: no, bermuda is not in the Caribbean. 

i kindly circled or labeled all of the key reference point in the beach boys song.  and, as you can see by the map... although 'bermuda' does kind of near-rhyme with 'jamacia'... it is not close to it.

anyways....

my other reference point for bermuda is, the bermuda triangle.

the bermuda triangle - that place where things get lost and are never found - has recently actualized itself a lot closer to home.

yes, down there.

while talking about the team camp trip the other week to my old teammate susannah, i lamented about being out-of-control, my eastern european heritage, and how i desperately needed to shave before even being seen in boy-cut swim shorts. hey, some people get fat in winter...other people get hairy.

susannah breen, being my trusted source on all things female, replies: "Shave? WTF - you should be waxing.  Maybe you could even right if off as a "work expense"".

this, of course, got me thinking...she's genius! however, the thought of putting hot wax on a bunch of hair down there, then ripping it off, really just didn't seem like a good idea.

so i did what i normally do: put it off and tried not to think about it.

and the same thing happened what normally happens when i ignore things...it got more wild, wild west... i mean seriously.  totally out of control.  the jungle became pretty laughable.  "can it get any worse?"  "let's see!"  it got to the point where i think my boyfriend needed a road-map to maneuver all the detour signs down there. (hi mom!)

anyways....you get the seriousness of the situation.

team camp was getting closer and closer and something had to be done.  i decided i was going to make the waxing plunge, but i wanted some more information.  what is an appointment like?  what kind of wax do i get?  where do i go?  what do i wear? do i need to trim up?  how long does it last?  how much further ahead of time should i get it done?  i had lots of questions.

so, being an excellent researcher, i did what i normally do when i wanted information: i sat down at my computer, and began typing into google.  as i started to get answers, i had more questions.... i learned there were different types of waxes...  bikini wax, brazilian wax, french wax, hollywood wax.  (predictably enough i did not see hungarian wax, as that is a bit of an oxymoron) ....  i sat there contemplating what i wanted, and decided i needed some pictures, and went to images.google.com and started typing  but stopped myself just before i hit enter... what the hell was i thinking?!?!   i was totally going to give myself a computer virus and open some porno!

i stopped myself, but still needed some answers... so i emailed susannah.  who, of course, provided me sufficient detail.  susannah gave me some good suggestions.  some of which i unfortunately forgot about.  "First of all, the hair should be at least 1/4" grown....so you can "trim" if you want, but no shaving of course.... hey, if I'm going to have another woman messing around my lady parts - I want them to get it over with asap."  that was sound advice.  unfortunately, i forgot it...

so i had to find a place to make my waxing appointment, and instead of basing it off recommendations or yelp reviews, i picked the place closest to my work.  this technique typically works well for me, and this one was no different.  Serenity Skincare by Nicole - she looked pretty cool on her website. 

and cool she was.  i gave a call and had my appointment yesterday.  she is located in the back of a hair salon.  i walk in and immediately say: "i have never done this before. and i am kind of out of control."  hey, no use beating around the bush. 

so, i am not sure how waxings normally go, but i could have stayed in there for hours.  she trimmed, she waxed, we chatted, laughed -- this was a blast!  i heard her life story.  i left feeling like she was my new bff.  as i walked out i gave her a hug. 

what? it seemed normal!


anyway, it wasn't until i got back into work and went into the bathroom that i really looked down and was like: holy shit i am bald!  i look like i am eleven. 


this of course resulted in a freakout for a few minutes.  i composed myself, left the bathroom stall, went back to my desk, looked around with shifty eyes...and no one was giving me creepy looks.  i know, why would they?  it's not like my co-workers have x-ray vision.  but for some reason it felt like they should. 

so there we have it.  i am bald and heading off to team camp.  looks like rain.... guess it was all for naught.

2011 wrap up

it is december 31st and i am spending this day how i spent it two years ago: sick and miserable.  i went for a ride today and almost tipped over from going too slow.  now i am sitting in my bed with just enough energy to stay awake and look at the massive pile of shit on my dresser than i need to go through, but not quite enough energy to actually do anything productive.  i tried about 45 minutes ago and my temperature went up by .2 degrees fahrenheit, so i sat down back in bed, perused facebook, looked at forums i haven't looked at in years, read the new velonews magazine, which was quite un-entertaining.  i contemplated getting a new book to start, but the bookshelf is on the otherside of the house...and that seems like an effort.  so, then i figured i would blog.

i found a blog post i started in february-- so i figured that would be where i would begin my 2011 season wrap-up.  i actually have a lot to wrap-up.  i didn't really blog about any races in 2011 (except my drug test at nationals).  between all the stage race days and track days, i think i had almost 80 race days....  so, mostly as a way to waste time in my illness, i will open up my usa cycling profile and re-live some memories of 2011.  maybe i'll throw some pictures in if i really get bored tonight.... but that is asking a lot.

now, the usa cycling profile is used for a few important purposes:

1. find out the age of that person that you might potentially be romantically interested in. this is, of course, the most important use of the usacycling.org/results page. of course, you can sometimes lie to yourself, as this displays "racing age," not "actual age" - but it is still fairly accurate. having a mechanism like this is extremely important in a sport where you: a) often see people in helmets, which can hide indications of age, such as baldness, and b) cyclists' skin wrinkle early because of sun exposure and lack of moisturizer. the usacycling.org/results is really an excellent service that USAC provides to cycling singles everywhere. (not that i am a cycling single, but at one time i was, and greatly appreciated this stalking service).
2. sniff out the competition - it is quite helpful seeing how your competitors are doing. or if you are going to a race with no one you know, see what you have yourself matched up against. however, let's be honest on how i really use the results.... looking up races i didn't do, and saying: "oh, i totally beat that girl in a sprint once a few years ago at the early bird criterium when we were cat4s, so had i showed up, i totally would have won." you can really find anything you want, and thus, everything can be a morale booster.
   
3. provide painful memories of missed opportunities in races - yes, it tracks all those bad results that you want to forget about... like that time i clipped my pedal as a cat4 and got 13th in crit... or that time where hanging out on the sidelines just looked more fun than riding in circles... yep, it is all there... forever...

i am so happy that on february 20, 2011 i took the opportunity to do a screenshot capture of my usacycling profile.  really, i should've considered retiring permanently so it would look awesome forever.


it really doesn't get better than that.

okay, onto the 2011 wrap-up

san bruno hill climb

for most people, january 1st typically starts with a hangover. except my boyfriend loves to register me for the san bruno hill climb on jan 1 every year. "merry christmas, beth!"  uh...thanks! guess we have no new years eve plans! well, i can't actually say i am bummed, because i never really do anything cool for new years eve...

the first race of the year is always a pain, because it is really hard to pack the race bag.

i was actually looking forward to the hill climb last january, because word on the street was that it was a big mass start. that meant i would be able to race my favorite competition: OLD MEN. nothing makes me go faster up a hill, than seeing some old guys in the distance. and given that there are a lot of masters men racers in cycling who sign up for timed events, i was looking forward to picking off the slow ones on the climb and saying "on your left" in the most girly voice i can muster.

however, my whole race plan imploded when they actually started us by category at 2 minute increments. bummer  although i didn't get to race along side any men, i at least still had my time. and, as such, i want to mention that i beat ralf medloff. he wasn't too happy about it, so i wanted to announce it to the internets. please note also: his bike was *way* pimped out. lastly, i would like to note that he failed to bring a pump to the race. what kind of professional mechanic is that!?

this here is a very bad picture. unfortunately the photographer missed the total rockstar shot of me holding the girl scout cookies in the air with the "WHOOO!" face, and unfortunately caught me mid motion with a stupid look. oh well, next time.

san jose time trial

not an official usac event, but i pinned on a number and filled out a waiver, so it counts. this is a cool series the san jose bike club puts on - a type of winter training series. the TT course was hard. 15 miles. but there were hills and really turny decents. given that this was my first time racing on a time trial bike, and that i hadn't ever used it on anything more than a 1-2% grade, this proved very tricky.

i was totally planning on beating my boyfriend. we talked shit about it forever. however, out he comes and takes me to a technical course with a decent, that of course i sucked on, and he put mad time into me.

no worries, though, SJBC had my back.

to make their TT series more fun, they give people handicaps. and cause i was a girl, i got a handicap, and my boyfriend didn't - resulting in my just beating him. HA! cheap win, maybe, but i don't care!




2011 - the rest of it

okay. that gets me through, like january 8th. and i am already petering out. i am never going to finish before the clock strikes midnight at this pace.  now i will resort to bullet points for the remainder of the 2011 bicycle racing year.

• early bird road race - i somehow got dragged to this race, despite being told by my master's men track team there is a hill in it. i didn't really listen to them, because one has to be hesitant listening to trackies who talk about hills. a little bump suddenly becomes a hill. having officially turned roadie, i wasn't going to be scared away. plus, i had just won a hill climb, right?  this time, though, they weren't lying.   i was the only chick who showed, so instead of making me ride alone, they let me start with the 35+ 1/2/3. this was fun, because i got to race with my boyfriend. he won.  le sigh. but i kicked all of his teammates asses.  score!
• snelling - the highlight of my snelling was being in a break with erinne willock & ali powers.  i thought this was pretty rad - as they were like, real professional.  and when i saw the photographer on top of a little bump - i made sure to go to the front so i had a cool picture with some PROs.  unfortunately our break did not stay away and i barely survived sucking wheels the rest of the race.  that is okay, i got a cool photo for life that i can tell people was at a big time race, and not .. snelling...
• then there were some stage races: merco and madera.  i actually discovered i thought time trialing was fun.  unfortunately, i kinda stink at it.  (i think my fever is going up, because i am getting a bit delusional in my recollections of "likes").  merco was super fun and i really liked the first stage.  madera was okay.  the roads seem to get more and more crap each year.  and this year, i flatted about 2 miles from the finish, so that sucked.
• redlands -  i guest rode at my first NRC race.  it was very hot and i was very overwhelmed and couldn't figure out how to get a bottle in the feed zone. (okay, now i am getting tired and not so funny...in fact, i can't even recall the stupid shit any longer.  but i am almost to april and i must push through)
• chico stage race - another really fun race!  it was going awesome until the gravel section in the road race.  the crit was also going awesome until i crashed myself out being in a two person break off the front with 1.5 laps to go. how do i crash myself out when there is only one other person?  i don't think i have to answer that. it's my blog, afterall.  but i took it like a grownup and threw my bike in front of a little kid.
• copperopolis, wente, berkeley hills:  it was the battle of breen/newell vs. werner.  the aussie superstar pretty much owned us...but luckily we at least got things right at wente.  and that race had the best prizes, so that is what matters.  that's the race sponsored by a vineyard, and werner isn't even old enough to drink.
• crits: there were some dumb crits that i got roped into doing that i didn't do too well at.  (this line might be copy/pasted at several points throughout this bullet pointed list)
• mutual of enumclaw - a super fun stage race i went to up in washington.  i was trying to win the nature valley grand prix qualifer spot...but didn't.  i had a great time racing regardless and at least had a stage win. if you are ever up there during this time of year - definitely do this race!  also, i finally got to have the beer "mac & jack's african amber" i had been dreaming about for three years when i had once in seattle...
• mt hamilton - goonies never say die.   i went from off the front to off the back several times, but molly v-h and i never said die - and i ended up third.  i consider this race, perhaps, my biggest accomplishment for the whole year.   susannah and i were a bunch of crazies and biked back to the start in san jose... to put in a full 100 miles.  ouch.
• testarosa velodrome challenge: pascale schnieder (swiss champion in everything) pretty much put on a track clinic for the rest of us.  but it was still a really fun race and i felt good sensations for the track season ahead.
• mt hood: officially my favorite race of the year. the courses were awesome and painful and just finishing the last stage felt like an accomplishment.  had a fun time guest riding with metromint team.
• taleo criterium: small but fun race where i won a prize of a palm reading (yet to be cashed in)
• nature valley grand prix: had a super fun time guest riding with the vanderkitten team for my second nrc race.  i think that first criterium was the hardest race i had ever done.  holy mother.  i rode behind the world champion, which, in the words of nacho libre, was: pretty sweeeet.
• lodi criterium - i was solo for about 35 minutes or so, but it all paid off because i won a bottle wine that i can't even bench press it is so big. it has yet to be cracked open, as we are too lame to have a party
• alpenrose velodrome challenge - one of my favorite races of the year!  i came a few seconds off the track pursuit record (next year!), did a scratch race not so well...then the rest of the events got rained out.  super bummer.
• cascade cycling classic - my third nrc race, and this was my favorite by far.  except the day where i got a little hypoxic from the elevation.  oddly enough my worst stage was the prologue - the stage that most resembles the pursuit....explain that one to me.
• mt diablo hill climb - that was pretty stupid in retrospect
• some more crits - see crit line above.
• tuesday and friday night world track championships - they usually started off with a junior attacking really hard in the first lap of the race (who inevidably ended up pulling out about 20 laps later). i actually had a chance of placing with the men when the races were long enough.
• LAVRA race - i went to a track race in LA and ended up riding with the men and getting third in the points race for lapping with a couple others.  that was cool, but i still hate LA.
• track nationals - that went pretty good for me, but i already wrote about that.

okay, i kicked that out.  a few details are missing, the post got more and more boring as it went on... but, i don't sell adds on my blog (like some blogs) - so the quality is shit.  maybe i'll add in some pictures later, but i am still going to publish now, because - you read it here first - my new years resolution is i am going to blog at least once a week.  that's right.  once a week, bitches.  hopefully this post will set the bar low.

okay, i am out. michael is making me drink a glass of water...because he is still going to make me race san bruno tomorrow.  considering i get winded walking to the bathroom, let's just say i am not so thrilled about it.  at least my pathetic crawling up the hill will make for a good blog post.  hey, not every year can start off as awesome as it did last year... thank god i at least screen captured it.