Friday, May 30, 2008

question for all male skinsuit wearers....

i have been wondering about this for awhile so it came up in the car to last weeks friday night race with karla and kieran.
beth: so kieran. i have a personal question.

kieran: uh....... yeah?

beth: so...like... what happens when you are wearing your skinsuit at a urnal as opposed to at a porta-potty. do you strip the skinsuit down all the way to your knees? is that kind of weird? especially if the people next to you aren't in a skinsuit and are in a kit with a separate top and bottom?

karla: hahahahhaha

kieran: [in kieran's matter of fact, short tone.] don't know. never used the bathroom in my skinsuit

beth: what do you mean?

kieran: [again, in very candid tone.] just doesn't happen. i don't ever need to use the bathroom.

karla: c'mon!! what if you are in your skinsuit for four hours or more.

kieran: [adamant this time] it just doesn't happen.

karla: so what do you think happens? do guys strip all the way down--skinsuit to kees? do they shoot it out the leg of the spandex? or up through the zipper?

beth: this would really depend on the skinsuit. i don't think on mine you could go up through the zipper. the zipper is way up at the belly button.

kieran: you are going to have to ask someone else.

karla: joel will tell us.

beth: hernandez too.

however, we failed to ask the appropriate parties last friday night. so yesterday the topic arose again, and karla & mel suggested i open up the question to the blog-world. so comments much appreciated.

also, quads are 60cm.

and also, karla wanted me to express her aggravation that not one 45 yr old dude has offered to sponsor her! do you need to be reminded how cool she is? .... and racing age 45 is okay btw.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

another friday evening

thanks fresnoakland & mike & sabine for a super fun night of racing! you know it must be a fun race atmosphere when you do poopy but you don't even care cause it is so much fun! the dj was kickin' up the jams and the bbq smelled really yummy.

i had a bunch of friends come down for the race, and felt bad that i didn't put on a great show. sorry all. i was expecting to do well with the pollution and all. like i kept telling people: i train in pollution, this is my element-- pollution is the new high elevation training. but, no dice. my friend mary brought her little sister who goes to santa clara college...who also brought half of her dorm... guess the college kids heard "free beer" and all wanted to come along. that was sweet.

my warmup was pretty fun cause i kept getting mad cheers. like donut king, dave, and justin yelling at me: "move up! move up!"

points race was another shelley olds suffer fest. but props to karla for hanging on it for awhile til shelley attacked again and then karla got stuck all alone for lap after lap...but it was totally valiant. the only memorable part of that race for me was sometime early on when i decided to attack, and i think i actually got a real gap on the field. i was kinda pressing my luck with that attack, but i like playing the lottery. (you see, it was a *mystery* points race, so we didn't know when the bell was going to come. i attacked before turn three (i think) and thought: "ring the bell!" then the bell wasn't rung, and i came around the start finish, and thought: "he better ring that bell next lap!" then going into turn three again, i was a little more violent in my thought process: "RING THE F@*#ING BELL". they didn't ring the bell. so i pulled up track. then of course, the next lap they rang that bell. well, i rode pretty lamely and didn't feel quite snappy and got a bunch of fourth places, which was good enough for a free coffee at peets card at the end of the night.

i was ready to defend my win at the miss n out-- especially cause i had six friends who came to watch, plus that college dorm. and then i did what i always tell myself not to do and go second wheel, and was the first person out! there is nothing that is worse than being the first person out in the miss 'n out. well, there probably are a lot of worse things, and perhaps i am speaking in absolutes again (sorry mom-- i know you hate it when i do that!) well, point is, i felt like a total douche bag. my poor friends sit in traffic for so long, and i was just a complete nitwit...and they didn't even get to see me race. felt real bad about that.

i needed some serious good karma for the chariot race. so i coerced matt martinez into throwing me. i kinda asked him last sunday to be my holder. i know, i know. i am pretty lame. then i decided i would race with the red booties. those booties are pretty sweet, empirically. i did okay in this race, but shit shelley olds is really fast. i mean, no shit, yeah? but it is one thing watching her be really fast and a totally another thing seeing her be really fast right in front of you as you are trying to sprint as fast as you can right behind her. anyway, mary ellen started to try and come around me, but i rode it pretty wide around the turn, which saved me in the end, so i got second. which was good for a four pack of hi-ball, baby!

and that was the night. oh, i think i jumped in with the geezers in the miss n out. and i think i was the second person out there. no hi-ball there.

so let me just say again how much love i have for the fresnoakland guys. they are just so awesome!! even though i sucked, dave made me feel better by reminding me of the team motto: "in fresnoakland, we don't race for second. we race for second to last." thanks for reminder and then for spinning me around. he's got some suave dance moves for sure. is that what you fresnoakland guys do on those grasshoppper rides, practice turns and dips and other ballroom dancing moves? i am onto you.

and WTF hernando?! no leg wrestling?! i was totally ready.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

toast and other things

that is pretty much how i feel this week.

all i want to do is sleep.

today i took a ten minute nap on the toilet in the bathroom stall at work.

why did i just share that piece of information?

in other news, i saw the baby and mommy ducks again at the port. there were lots more. must have been a goose birthday party. there was one goose that was the ugly one. it kinda was furry like a koala bear.

tomorrow i am going to the track with karla and kieran. friday night fun! in fact, karla is getting my bike shortly, cause i will be meeting them off 880 by kieran's work. kieran was very nice and gave me an alternate way to get there via road bike, so i don't have to go up scary hegenberger. i biked up hegenberger a couple of months ago to get the colisieum BART, and practically got hit by a semi going 50mph. i thought i was accidentally getting on the freeway, cause there was this overpass to get onto san leandro blvd that looked like a freeway on-ramp and all the semis were going SO FAST...and after almost getting hit by this truck, i jumped onto the 1 foot sidewalk on the bridge overpass with my bike and wimpered for a few minutes, before i tried scurrying down this baby sidewalk on the overpass with my bike in my cleats. it was a pretty pathetic site. so i haven't been back on hegenberger since with my bike--and praise jesus kieran showed me some secret bike path to get to where we are meeting.

as for this leg wrestling thing on friday night..... ?!?!

i once had my track & field team have a leg wrestling tournament at a pasta dinner before a meet. i lost to this girl jenna on my team-- but, that was to be expected cause she was like first place in div3 nationals for a couple years in a row in the 55m dash and ran like a 24sec 200m. then she stopped running track to join/makeout with the women's rugby team. but i digress. i don't expect that my leg wrestling skills are really up-to-par. leg wrestling is big on the hamstrings. and my hamstrings are pretty weak sauce since i started biking. when i ran, i think my hamstrings were okay. the last time i ran was around christmas two years ago. i am happy to see i stuck to my guns and haven't run since that awful day. anyway, leg wrestling is really a hamstring thing...so don't expect much out of me. that, and my quads are puny, at 60.0cm still.....

if you need some instructions on leg wrestling, it goes like this:

step 1: two people lie on ground next to each other, with their heads facing opposite directions. their hips should line up.

step 2: two people should touch hips and lock arms to hold each other in place. (picture below is incorrect arm form)

step 3: the counting begins. "ONE"-- each person kicks right leg up to vertical position, then lowers it.

step 4: repeat step 3. except say "TWO" instead of "ONE". these two steps are critical because it allows the participants to stretch before the wrestling begins, so no one pulls a hammie.

step 5: repeat step 3/4, except say "THREE." this time, participants link legs and pull with all their might until one person flips over. the person who gets flipped over loses, obviously.

if there are bets going, don't bet on me. i don't want to be responsible for lost cash.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

what could i possibly have to say on a tuesday?

so i am writing this post for the mere reason to post this picture again.

it is just too amazing to slowly drift its way onto page two. i figured marymaroon gave mark this skinsuit. nope. he bought it.

patten was asking me an awful lot of personal questions yesterday.

it started off like this--
patten: beth, how tall are you?
beth: 5'5"
several laps later he asked this--

patten: beth, should i be concerned about your home life? are you having some domestic disputes? mark is observing the bruises on the back of my legs.
beth: no.
about fifteen minutes later, patton asked me again--
patten: beth, so how did you get all those bruises on your legs?
beth: i was being a fool on my commuter bike and jumped off/on when the pedals were flinging around.
no. patten doesn't stop there--
patten: so what size shoe do you wear?
beth: what is this? are you planning a makeover for me?
patten: yeah. you need more flare. i am all about flare.
i am sure there were some more personal questions in there.

readership, beware. if you find me on match.com, i did not sign-up for membership! patten has a twisted joke planned, and i am onto it!

Sunday, May 18, 2008

i don't want monday to come....

this was a fantastic weekend.

friday night alicia was hosting another street sprint match.

alicia's street sprints are extremely fun. i don't really know anyone there, except a handful of people, but everyone is so pleasant and funny. alicia really wanted me to do a sprint, and i succumb to peer pressure very easily, so i requested to sprint against morgan so i would lose and get out of the bracket. my plan worked perfectly. then i got to be a holder the rest of the night.

to be honest, holding can get a bit lonely sometimes. cause everyone hangs out at the finish line. but it is a pretty good place to be if you don't know anyone, cause people come down to visit right before their sprint and you can chat them up for a few minutes then send them on their way.

fortunately, mark altimarano had taught me how to hold just a few days prior. except holding mark was kind of challenging and i think i almost dropped him. but, these skinny fixie boys were very easy to hold.

the picture above is the final round. the guy who won (in the middle- pimp red bike w/ 650 front wheel), garrett, is very, very fast. you might remember him from goldsprint nights. he was also very serious and had quite the game face. i very much enjoyed watching him race. but honestly, i didn't like holding him very much - not because he wasn't extremely kind and pleasant - but because he kept track standing, and it is very difficult to hold someone when they are still trying to track stand. garrett had some pimp wheels on his bike, so when i'd hold people next to him, i'd hum them the rocky theme song. but it didn't matter so much, cause they still got slaughtered, as garrett was an animal. i hope garrett comes to ride the track, because he is very, very fast. he told me he had ridden track in holland at some point. neat-o. i hope he comes down to hellyer. he has an intense competitive side in addition to crazy speed, so i think it would be fun to see him race. but enough on the winner of the night....i am sure you are all curious about me.

i improved very much on my holding skills friday night. my technique improved of squeezing the knees on the wheels and such. it isn't quite hard, but then again, i was holding some very skinny people. but i think what really gave me the extra help with my holding, was my secret weapon: the booties.

this cropped picture is tiny. but those are some pretty sweet red crocheted booties with a bit white ball on top. a very nice lady named phyllis from ohio made them for me. they slide very nicely on over your cleats. plus, they look super cool.

saturday. i did lots of fun things with my friends. one of them included going to my friend evan's art show. evan's amazing artistic talent is only trumped by the amazing ways in which he uses this talent. he has been working with an organization called youth speaks that does spoken word performance with youth. anyway, basically he made 18 portraits of the youth during their performances. you can see them here. also if you click on their picture, you can listen to their poems. while yesterday the pictures were displayed in galleries, this summer they are going to be displayed publicly in san francisco at areas all around the city. evan got some company to donate a system where a phone number will be under each portrait, so people can call the number on their cell phones to hear the poet's work. you can read some more about his project here. i am pretty much amazed at his work time after time. last year, he did a project on the 22 busline in SF (down fillmore). more on that here.

sunday. also a lovely day. did a tiny bit of training at the track before the races. not too many people showed up this week, but still a good time all around. we did the keirin, scratch race, win 'n out, and points race. all were pretty fun, despite tiny field sizes. then, mary talked me into trying the madison with her... which i was pretty nervous about. i LOVED getting flung in-- but the flinging her in was a bit more nerve racking. well, i didn't really ever do it. i think once i touched her hand, kinda sorta. the other times i just kind went..... "go, mary. just go. f*&%! sorry. i missed you." that shit is tricky! but despite me sucking at that, what a cool race! sprint, rest, sprint, rest. that was my kinda race for sure. it is so neat! and if i was really tired...or let's be honest, just nervous cause a lot of people were coming around, as i only wanted to do the exchanges when we were alone.... i'd just be a jerk and go fast on the rail, so it would take her a longer time to circle around. hahaha. that is totally dick, i know. anyway, those exchanges were pretty neat, but really hard, mostly because i am not so coordinated. but it was totally neat-o!

Friday, May 16, 2008

oh, i am so behind....

okay, so i am way behind so here is the week in recap.

friday: yes, i did say i won the miss 'n out. but i didn't say how. well, you can watch marc's AWESOME video here. it is so cool! what is also cool about it, is how he edited my cheating out. well, not really cheating but this is how it went...this part is what happened between the cut of me rolling a bit ahead of the group, and then me being far ahead of the group.
  • isprints to not get 4th place. this is usually my designated spot in the miss 'n out-- and i think rick adams even made my name autotext for "Group C" "Miss n Out" "4."
  • so then it is me, shelley, and mary. yeah, i know. HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA. i was pretty content on third place. but i think i had some speed built after that last sprint, cause i had to accelerate a lot in the last few meters, so coming out of turn 2 i was in front of everyone and thought: "newell, what the hell are you doing in front?" so i did a quick shoulder check before i pulled off to let the big girls pull.
  • but to my surprise, i did not see them. so i didn't pull off.
  • shelley and mary we having tea and crumpets on the rail between turn 1 and 2, having a nice little discussion.
mary: beth's pretty rad.
shelley: yeah, she is real nice and has such a good attitude.
mary: isn't it cute how she is rolling away from us?
shelley: yeah, that is totally cute. we should cut the kid a break.
mary: definitely. i need some more peet's coffee anyway.
we have a very supportive learning environment our track. plus, it helps being from the midwest. everyone has the impression that i am very nice.

we also did a points race. that was fun, except i was a total boob in the first couple laps, stuck in no man's land actually thinking i could catch up shelley. why did i think that? i often don't think. then i got really tired and kinda missed the break. but then we caught back on. but all this is boring. but, it was definitely fun to have a race with so many fast women!! the women at hellyer are all very awesome, so it was quite an honor to be riding with all them at once!

me and jenny.
and there we are!

i drove down with karla and the nolan-ator. i can't even say enough how awesome larry is. so i will say this: larry is awesome!

even though this is what larry looks like when he races, don't be scared of him off the bike--he tells funny stories about joe fineman trying to ride his rollers backwards!

and after he kicked ass and took names all night, he didn't even want a cream puff! steven woo brought me some yummy, yummy cream puffs on friday! THANKS STEVEN! and larry didn't even eat one. but karla and i figured out his secret. all i will say is it involves 7/11. on the way home, larry told us all his bike racing secrets. so watch it. then karla and i went to the most wonderful restaurant which was like a hometown joint found in the midwest. all for ten dollars we got a bowl of soup, a huge salad, and huge entree dish, and then they brought us out a bowl of ice cream too! we talked about how much we love the midwest. then i went to sleep, as it was late, and i was racing in the morning.

saturday: i went to that EBC crit. it sucked balls. yeah, i guess i was perhaps kind of a pissy loser, which sorry justin for being so moody. but i just didn't really have any fun at all during the race and got in a worse and worse mood as it progressed. next time i am bringing ear plugs to race in. the chorus of 'on your left' 'on your right' 'inside' 'outside' 'hold your line' that continued the whole bloody forty minutes was driving me insane. i didn't particularly enjoy riding around at tempo for forty minutes with people screaming at each other. well, i don't in general like to be around people screaming at each other in large groups.......it got me in such a bad mood, i didn't even care about the race. which is never really a good place to be in.

i think this i probably the only time i was near the front this whole race... so glad it was caught on film. gotta represent the jersey, even with bad placings.

i was thinking about this race a lot this week-- and trying to figure out what happened to me for sucking so bad and why i couldn't shake it off and get in it. and i think it is the first time i have ever been in a race and didn't want to be there and half checked-out in the middle. now, i have raced a lot before bike racing. seven years of track and three years of cross country-- so probably hundreds of races. and of course i've had crappy races: not going as fast as i should have been, pacing myself poorly, being totally injured and limping across the finish line, just not doing well in general, etc. but i don't really ever remember an apathetic feeling amidst the action. i guess a big difference is that running is so individual, and at the end of the day everything is timed...and while you are competiting against others, it isn't really the same as in bike racing. so i guess it makes sense that the dyanmics of a group can really alter things dramatically.... which i guess i have felt to a small degree thus far...but not to the degree i did on saturday. anyway, the whole race wasn't very fun, and i needed a big attitude adjustment in the middle of it.

sunday. i had to race to the feed zone to give michiko a bottle. i made it there about 15 seconds before she came by well, i actually was out of the feedzone at that point, but... she didn't want a bottle that lap anyway. so i waited for the second lap. then i biked home in my civilian clothes, which is always fun to do when surrounded by spandex-clad people.

monday. nothing to report.

tuesday. went to the track with paul yazolino, now referred to as the yaz. he is the coolest dude ever. at one point we were bullshitting about sprinting and i said something along the lines of: "yeah, i mean, i think it is really building muscle in my arms, like my tricep." and as soon as i said that, i got embarassed cause paul was a professional bodybuilder and was MR. USA many years ago. he looks at me and goes: "yeah, beth. you look really cut." nothing like having 70yr old men make fun of my puny arms again.

wednesday. in the evening met carol & mel for laura's bday. his was fun. HAPPY BDAY LAURA! tespecially when the evening ended with mel showing us her new pimp wheels.

i must have been so sloshed after two drinks, i spilled something on my skirt and didn't even notice until carol sent me this picture.

"oh stop! radial lacing? bladed spokes? stop it! those bearings are so smooth?"
geez....mel is such a tease!

laura, about to steal that wheel. mel, showing us good biking position. me, still amazed at how smooth those bearings are!

thursday: well, quad measurement day. 60.0cm. i am getting bitter.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

why?

why did i go to the track tuesday morning, and not tuesday evening-- and miss this?


(thanks jen coler for keeping me informed of yesterdays festivities)

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

pre-order today!

Warning: non-bike related post.

Pre-order today the hottest book on health care reform on the market! Now I realize that release date isn't until October 15th-- but you will want it in your hands on October 15th, so you can read it a few times before the November presidential election and get super-educated on what the candidate's proposals should be, but aren't. [sigh.]

For a little background, this is a book for which i did all the research and editing the last couple of years. I also made all the non-nonsensical diagrams and flow charts in the book, that are supposed to make things more comprehensible (but that is questionable). Perhaps I wrote a few paragraphs or sentences here or there as well; however, those sentences might not be as entertaining as my blog. You can find my name in the "acknowledgments" section, along with a couple sentences which I still don't completely understand, which includes the verb: "eviscerate."

For a little background on the content, this book sidesteps the normal health care reform debate (single-payer government-run like Canada vs. employer-based like in the U.S., etc.) -- instead asking the question: if we were to just wave a wand and everyone had health insurance, would the system operate how we would want? would quality be high? would patient preferences be met? would providers be satisfied? The answer to all these questions is a simple "no." The system, as it currently operates, is broken, inefficient, and undesirable to many parties. Simply expanding what-is, is not an adequate solution. In addition to looking at how to "expand coverage" to the uninsured, this book explores specific ways in which to transform the current system for everyone by changing economic incentives to providers, insurance companies, and physicians. If you like economics and/or are interested in health care financing, this book will be especially interesting. If not, well, I still think this will be a very interesting read-- as it explores some of the fundamental reasons why things aren't functioning and explores out-of-the-box solutions. Also, you can see all the bad jokes and analogies my boss kept in the text, that I desperately tried to edit out on our 1000 revisions. Who knows, maybe you will find them funny. In addition to looking at the organization and financing of the health system, the end of the book has brief sections on malpractice, pharmaceuticals, medical education, and public health/prevention. Some might argue this book is unrealistic and a far-fetched reform proposal. (However, good ideas only stem from broad-thinking, and I believe there is enough in this book that takes into account the many special interest groups, that things could surprisingly work.) Moreover, considering around 25% of Americans are insured by either Medicare or Medicaid, payment reform on the federal level can have a huge impact across the system that can affect delivery.

Well, that was my long plug. Please pre-order. And if you don't, please pick up a copy in October! And I would be more than excited to talk health care with anyone this fall. I will also autograph any copies, right next to figure 5.1.

Friday, May 09, 2008

may 9th, 2008

"the day i beat shelley olds."

i won't give the details of the race just now, because my win will seem much cheaper and less glamorous. so let me bask in glory for the next 22 minutes until the clock strikes midnight.

then, i'll be real with y'all tomorrow.

speaking of which, i should go to sleep, cause i think i signed up to do a crit or something tomorrow morning?

Thursday, May 08, 2008

good reasons for spectators to come to friday night racing

lots of reasons to come to spectate at friday night races -- fast bike racing, hernandez on the microphone, beer, food, live music, shelley olds, karla kingsley, AND hanan alves-hyde ALL in spandex-- wow, i can't think of what else you would rather be doing?!?! Festivities start at 6pm, racing at 7pm. More info here.

jenny oh told me: "I think if we promise that Liz Hatch will be there, we'll get some spectators. Let's get her to recruit!"

well, i have never met liz hatch. and it is a bit of short notice for a guest appearance. she is pretty famous, i hear. how do i know that? well, she has a blog that sometimes gets over 50 comments! ....man, i think the best i ever did was twenty, and that was almost a year ago..... but she definitely has a bunch of fans, and i'd really like to tap into that for friday night spectators. so, i did some research about her modeling to best entice spectators to show on friday. typically she models for different occasions, so below is me taking some cues from liz, and noting differences where applicable.


Here is Liz modeling for Maxim. However, this would be false advertising for Friday night racing. This scene, my friends, would never occur at Hellyer. Why? Track is not cyclocross. We stay very clean. The only way this scene could possibly get re-enacted at Hellyer would be if Liz Hatch accidentally fell off her bike, took off her clothes, started rolling around on the new sod, just as those pesky sprinklers on the infield started going off. Then, maybe this would be realistic advertising. Below is a bit more accurate.

Here is me modeling for Swobo. You can see the resemblence of the above photo by my slightly tilted down head. The difference in our photos lies in the long contrast in art history over impressionism versus realism. This photo is more in the realist style. In fact was taken at a track race at Encino. That's rights folks, that means if you show up Friday night you might be lucky enough to see me looking pregnant with a uni-boob.

I can't remember if this is an ad for Gillette Venus razor or Miller High Life. This scene also will never occur at Hellyer. Why? 1) We don't have a bathtub there. 2) Track racers quads aren't that puny. 3) It will be night and we will probably all have leg warmers on. However, in the same style, is me below.

Now here is me advertising for Neutrogena (tagline: dermatologist recommended). After Katie Holmes got all scientology on them, they called me up. I happened to be at ADT that weekend, so I said they could do a photo shoot. How does this resemble the above photo? I can't believe you need to ask this! Just as Liz's legs are silky and glimmery, so to are those arm warmers silky smooth. Again, the contrast in these two photos is much the impressionism/realism contrast. This scene you might see on Friday night: me putting on a helmet-- slash-- me with bushy eyebrows that should have been plucked two months ago -- slash-- me looking terrible in the before picture for a Proactive commercial.

Now, I realize that perhaps my pictures do not quite have the, what do you call it, "sex appeal" as Liz Hatch's pictures. I admit it, I am an amateur-- these were kinda DIY shots. Nevertheless, I think the photographs above give sufficient enticement for lots of people to show up as spectators this Friday night. I mean, after you have a few beers, that bushy eyebrow is going to be looking pretty good regardless and my 60.0cm quads with a dozen layers on will practically look like that bathtub shot.

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

i hate adrenaline

now it is 11pm and i can't sleep. this is what track racing does to you.

i had the pleasure of going down to the track with mike & ali in the last race they have before they get married. they have a race moratorium so not to get road rash before they tie the knot. this tuesday was fun because we were done with that scratch race crap, and onto the points races!!! woooooooooo! why do i like them better? because i have a poor tension span, and they kind of dictate to you what to do. bell=sprint. and they came every five laps, so not much time for snoring like in the scratch races. that is why track is fun, cause all the weird races keep you on your toes.

we had enough ladies so we did two thirty lap races, with sprints every five. i like points racing, cause i like math, and it is fun to do addition while exercising. it helps that the numbers are small, and it is typically easy to add 1, 2, 3 or 5 to any number. but i didn't even add in these races, cause i kept winning sprints. and i made sure to win the sprints when larry said: "this one is for a brownie." in the first race, i broke away for a little bit. that was fun. in the second half of the second race, i blocked for ali as she was trying to get points away from sabine. sorry sabine. but ali was driving me home.

then i was feeling good, so i decided i was going to get my $10 worth and jump in the B/C race with the big bad men. i wasn't really planning on racing-- just wanted to get some workout in and hang on wheels. there were lots of people here, so i just followed mark patton. he attacked a few times, and i stayed on him, and he didn't make me do any work cause i am a girl. that was kinda the mantra of this race. in the middle of the race, there was a break ahead of the pack. then i let mark patton take me up to the break. then i don't know where he went (suuucka. take that race across america....), cause suddenly it was me and 3 other guys with many laps left and the field was nowhere. i kinda realized at this point, that maybe i should have been trying for points earlier, as i don't think i had any! i just sucked wheel like it was my job and got some thirds and fourths. then we dropped one guy, and it was me and two others. this was a race of attrition, and it looked like i was going to place just cause i was in the right place at the right time. points racing can be weird sometimes! on the last lap, i decided i would finally try to sprint and not just get dragged across the line again, and i almost won that sprint, but got second. oh well. that serves me right for not doing anything the whole race. i think larry said i got fifth in that race. not bad for not actually starting to race til the end. i guess i just ended up in the right place at the right time. that, and all those nice forty year old men, don't make me do a bloody thing out there. xoxo.

for my efforts i got not one, but TWO packs of jen coler brownies! yum! ali, mike, and i ate them on the car ride back and they were gooey, yummy goodness. i love jen coler!!

well, i thought blogging would make me tired, but it hasn't. this is no good. it is an hour past my bedtime.

Monday, May 05, 2008

track racing and treats

first and foremost, let me thank my sponsors for this week's track race.

#1- Amanda Seigle. What a gem. Several months ago, she let me try on her sunglasses and I think I made a remark along the lines of: "whoa! i can actually see out these!" and she tried on my $5 sunglasses that are very scratched and from the gas station, and realized how I was riding my bike essentially blind. Amanda cares about public safety. She is also very thoughtful and generous. In the mail on Friday, there was a box with my name on it-- wrapped up were some of those totally official bike racing glasses-- with changeable lenses! I had to ask what the different colors were for (typical dark, for obvious... but then there were clear and yellow glasses too. wtf? apparently, you are supposed to wear glasses even when it is dark out to protect your eyes.c lear is for night- and yellow is for foggy or overcast days. who knew?!) Anyway, I wore the new glasses (dark shades, cause it was sunny) on Sunday, and they were awesome! Cause Amanda Seigle won these in some crit cause she is fast, and was kind enough to bestow her prize on me. Thanks, girl. I owe you big. I'd say I'd give you a lead out, but you are always in front of me anyway.

#2- Steven Woo. For real. Has anyone seen his flickr account? All he does is post pictures of food that make me very hungry. I won't complain about his food pictures anymore, because he brought me the yummiest treats ever at the track. Steven Woo is basically my favorite person. Do you see how yummy those things look? I was a good girl and didn't eat any until I was finished racing, even though I wanted to shove that danish in my face after the scratch race.

I was also a good girl and shared the treats with the hellyer women. We picniced on the lawn and yelled "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" during his points race. That is why the "C" group is the best. We get to eat treats while everyone else still has to ride their bikes.

Okay, I am guessing I should get to the races. Let's see. We did four races at the track. Keirin, Scratch, Miss 'n Out, Points. It was an okay day. I kept getting nipped at the line, but I will blame that on the fact that my quads are shrinking.

The keirin was a blast and I brought back my old 4x400m relay trick--running like bird flapping her wings-- so the outside runner has to go further around. Except this time we were on bikes. I really hung my elbow out so those big old men didn't get in my way. I was in good position in this race and just kinda rode the wave around. I can't say I remember much, except spinning very very fast, but apparently not fast enough. But those other dudes were very fast in front of me.

The scratch race, I also happened to be in the right place at the right time. I was having a lucky day. I was in a break with four fast guys that wasn't getting caught. fresnoakland had my back and blocked for me. I told justin, carl, and the donut king earlier that day: "team strategy is let me win." And they weren't a foolin' -- love ya guys! Props to my favorite team. Anyway, in the break, I decided I was going to ring in some affirmative action and not pull-- so I just swung up and down taking a free ride even though I probably didn't need it. Sometimes it is fun seeing how much you can get away with without getting called out. And I have learned I can get away with a lot. Finally, I decided to pull through once Jim-bo was in front of me. I know he is fast from goldsprints, so I was going to ride his wheel to the line. Which I did.

Next was the miss 'n out, and I stayed at the back and would plop around each time. Until there were only four of us, and mr. penvelo swung high in turn 3 and i was big sissy and backed off, so missed the three person show down. I think fourth place is my designated place in the miss 'n out, cause I always get it.

Last was a points race. I was pretty dumb shit in this race and should have been attacking earlier. I can't really remember it much, but i kept getting snipped at the line, losing some critical points. Regardless, I won some coffee gift cards and cliff bars, and pretty ribbon to hang on a wood paneled room. First I need to find a wood paneled room. Anyone? Anyone?

Thursday, May 01, 2008

some QT with DebbieB

so i was planning on going to this may day rally/march this afternoon regarding immigration rights-- but i was pretty strained walking from my bedroom to the kitchen, so walking 3.5 miles down international from fruitvale to downtown oakland wasn't going to happen. for future reference, an insane amount of jumps probably isn't what you should do before planning on going to a march.

i had the day off work today, and desperately needed to work on my jump/hang out with my favorite demographic (xoxomarkpatton). as any of you can attest who have seen this pathetic attempt during a race, i certainly needed some practice to get a bit more coordinated, as me getting out my saddle attempting to jump on my track bike is usually a pretty ugly site.

i practice jumps on my road bike and things are great...however, things are different on my track bike--DebbieB-- and i just can seem to put it together. i always feel all clutsy and fumbly jumping out of the saddle down the bank-- so i usually only do it half-assed.

me and DebbieB needed some good quality time together, apart from other distractions (e.g. races), so i could iron out my position and figure out how to put some ooom-pa into her. jumps have been kinda like this: it's as if me and DebbieB have been holding hands for a year, with an occasional peck, and when i would go in for the kiss, it was always kinda awkward.... things just needed to change.

hit up the thursday morning training session. at the beginning of the session i was doing some 100m jumps behind the guys. on one, i was right behind this guy alan... the jump happened and it was like, insta-gap, just add water. after four jumps, the dudes rolled off the track into the infield, doing who the hell knows what.... i just kept jumping and jumping and jumping-- 1 to 2 laps rest, jump....lather, rinse, repeat.... how many did i do? well, the first set, i kinda stopped counting after i hit around 20-- and just kept jumping away, at all different parts of the track. i think around number 23, me and DebbieB finally hit stride and got acclimated to each other. then i did a bunch more and was finally feeling like i was getting into it. then i took a little break and had some water and finished set one. then i went out there and did a lot more jumps....although i was pretty pooped at this point, they felt better and better, and i think i was finally done fumbling around. i kept jumping, pretty much until peter bohl told me stop.... but such an insane amount of repetition is really what i needed to feel things better. (---- next step is actually being able to do this next time i go out---and then, actually be able to do this in race situation--- but one step at a time for now.)

then i did seven standing starts. i guess that is a lot of standing starts... especially considering i did dozens upon dozens upon dozens of jumps beforehand..... just as expected the first couple sucked balls...and let's be honest, the last couple probably sucked balls too. but after about four or five, some things felt better, and i do think my coordination improved a bit...but i really think for those standing starts to get dialed in, me and DebbieB are going to have to do thirty in a row...kinda just like today and the jumps.

that didn't really seem like an insane amount of jumps until i walked in my house. If my legs feel like this after a couple of hours, I think tomorrow is going to be interesting. But, it was all worth it, cause me and DebbieB finally made it to first base. ooo la la.

all this talk about jumps, really makes me want to measure my quads..... 60.0cm?!?! wtf?! no fair! now i am mad.