tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9917598106270805012024-03-14T01:18:04.849-07:00Austin Texas Triathlon News, Reviews, EventsAustin Texas Triathlon and Cycling News. Updates on the latest Bikes, Races, Events and happenings in Austin Texas, and the state's greatest triathlon shop. We offer Cervelo, Cannondale, Kestrel, Litespeed, Zoot, Zipp, HED, 3T and more.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger312125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-64190736030812786802016-03-12T13:31:00.000-08:002016-03-12T14:50:39.227-08:00Electronic Shifting FAQ<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-c884b90a-48ab-ddb5-30d3-0d2fbea265ef" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhA3iyPrAgNmAVUD7hSC2ohYjMJk2-xbqmM6No0YY81wG8OlRfe6g165U6MBgfhTgdcS5lAA0GPguAD3syf1QpMNSMJwZ72cTsKQTjM9LfDEcaFbF8neRIaxipJpDxn9B8-VkPiBjf_do/s1600/IMG_3972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNhA3iyPrAgNmAVUD7hSC2ohYjMJk2-xbqmM6No0YY81wG8OlRfe6g165U6MBgfhTgdcS5lAA0GPguAD3syf1QpMNSMJwZ72cTsKQTjM9LfDEcaFbF8neRIaxipJpDxn9B8-VkPiBjf_do/s320/IMG_3972.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Service Captain, Chris Warren, admiring new SRAM eTAP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Frequently Asked Questions</span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> about</span><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Electronic Shifting</span></b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-c884b90a-48ab-ddb5-30d3-0d2fbea265ef" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-c884b90a-48ab-ddb5-30d3-0d2fbea265ef" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;">By now you've probably heard of Shimano's Di2 and SRAM's new eTAP Wireless groupsets. Below is a collection of questions we've been asked. Feel free to let us know if you have more!</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-c884b90a-48ab-ddb5-30d3-0d2fbea265ef" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="#1">Woah! Is that even reliable?</a></span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="#2">Why would I want electronic shifting?</a></span> </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="#3">Does it need regular service?</a></span> </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="#4">Can I service it myself?</a></span> </span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="#5">How long does the battery last?</a></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="#6">How long does it take to recharge the battery?</a></span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="#7">How many recharge cycles can the battery take?</a></span> </span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="#8">Are the components light?</a></span></li>
</ol>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-c884b90a-48ab-ddb5-30d3-0d2fbea265ef" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span> </span></span><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b><i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="1"></a><h2>Woah! Is that even reliable?</h2></span></i></b></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Yes! Shimano Di2 has been available since 2009. It has been thoroughly vetted on the professional and recreational level. SRAM Red eTAP components were tested in secret for years before they were spotted in the pro peloton and have received widespread praise since their recent public release.</span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHOg6Lb1-sAYHgKxs3zcPAJZYaAMSVvFFXHKxzez3_-mQLfgnmuBZbvYWpA1TdG6KTL-tjTslzJK62z_WKKA-yRGEm_Z5agCJfboaoDPp_9yWIxXklRLGp3H3BRBhIp9a3ORp3vSMgURMm/s320/p5di2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cervelo P5 with 9070 Di2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="2"></a><h2>Why would I want electronic shifting?</h2></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Because you can!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> But seriously, in both Shimano and SRAM the shift quality is superior to the shift quality of the mechanical groups. The elimination of traditional shift cables means no more derailleur adjustments for cable stretch. It means no more frayed cables. It means no need for barrel adjusters. It means no rusty shift cables. In fact, the electronic components are safe in sweaty conditions and rainy days too. The components are also very aerodynamic, in part, because of the wiring (or lack there of).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Probably one of the biggest reasons to lust after electronic shifting is the ability to add accessory shifters. Everyone knows that mechanical shifting can only have one shifter per derailleur, but with electronic shifting the signal can be sent from multiple points. Triathletes can now shift from the aero bars, or the basebar. Roadies can shift from the hood position or a “sprint” position. If you fall somewhere in between a tri-geek and a roadie – you can have road style shift levers and shifters on a pair of clip-on aero bars!</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="3"></a><h2>Does it need regular service?</h2></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Electronic shifting doesn’t require the same type of service, but it will still need occasional check overs. There are still physical derailleur limits that need to be set and derailleur hangers to be straightened, but most people will find that their semi-annual tune ups will be sufficient. Periodically, the manufacturers release firmware updates to fix bugs and improve things like battery life.</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEz1D5t2IGSMp7wRlBKYhhp5H0y98-djZ3NgcPdQzlXbDpoZji3Vygj2fkxTae7pnP9Eano67LV7_I2D9ZS2oPA0mMeIxn4Jd_WyssIiQ2pD0kcWYRI4ttW0AGRLpDQprZR07MzOs8yCC/s1600/di2firmware.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAEz1D5t2IGSMp7wRlBKYhhp5H0y98-djZ3NgcPdQzlXbDpoZji3Vygj2fkxTae7pnP9Eano67LV7_I2D9ZS2oPA0mMeIxn4Jd_WyssIiQ2pD0kcWYRI4ttW0AGRLpDQprZR07MzOs8yCC/s200/di2firmware.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shimano Di2 Charger/Update Interface</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="4"></a><h2>Can I service it myself?</h2></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> Sure! The set-up is relatively simple for those that have some mechanical inclination. While the actual processes are outside the scope of this post, stop by and see one of our expert mechanics for assistance.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCN4nTrLg8tX2XAE8IRTcJb1X74bl-HDc-BaJx94IqCTJDSUkHJM5raOtOZ5Ec3D_LA0kr5iajrK57edlimcHScmoOb6_K0-ipUfPHMU2PwjHuDv2CoTP4uYxmmlVPEKT9Vej-3-R6dTKf/s1600/etapdongle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCN4nTrLg8tX2XAE8IRTcJb1X74bl-HDc-BaJx94IqCTJDSUkHJM5raOtOZ5Ec3D_LA0kr5iajrK57edlimcHScmoOb6_K0-ipUfPHMU2PwjHuDv2CoTP4uYxmmlVPEKT9Vej-3-R6dTKf/s200/etapdongle.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SRAM eTAP Firmware Update Dongle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="5"></a><h2>How long does the battery last?</h2></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Shimano di2 battery will last on average 3-4 months depending on the number of shifts. Some riders have reported as long as 12 months on one charge and upwards of 4000 miles. The A Junction box also functions as a battery indicator and will give an indication in 25% increments plus a critical level.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The SRAM eTap derailleur batteries (each derailleur has it’s own battery) last for approximately 600 miles or 2-3 weeks. This is also dependent on how often you shift. Since the shifters are wireless, they also have their own batteries. These batteries are CR2032s, so they aren’t rechargeable but are expected to last two years.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="6"></a><h2>But I’m still worried, what happens when the batteries die?</h2></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">On the Shimano system the as the battery drops to around the 10% level the front derailleur functions stops first. Your last shift will allow you to drop to the small ring. This leaves you the rear derailleur function. This will operate until the battery runs out of juice, and you’ll be stuck in your final gear combination. We recommend charging the battery when you see the flashing red on the battery level indicator (around 10%).</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">On the SRAM system, you’re rear derailleur battery will fail first, because you use it more often. Lights on the derailleurs will let you know as you reach approximately 25% remaining. SRAM is rumored to be working on a battery indicator screen/data field for your Garmin. When the rear derailleur battery runs out of juice, you can swap the front and the rear derailleur batteries and be back in action. In fact, you could potentially swap back and forth several times to efficiently climb hills on the way home. The batteries are also small and light enough to carry an extra in a saddle bag.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqroaT1uD-5UuHtS6ZB57nNe2OmLc3-9qwO6N99n7IwCiPsN5LnGqywvfWsZ217sdM-LDCM9skFR-MxYBBuW_vpNOhwJkJeRmUgVpkzFF0gAu9L3VDdr8eEwr0pTaoSKxLVx2nn_y4lsMS/s320/etapbattery.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SRAM eTAP Battery and Rear Derailleur</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a name="7"></a><h2>How long does it take to recharge the battery?</h2></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Shimano Di2 battery takes 1.5 hours to recharge. The seatpost battery requires a charger that plugs into the A Junction. The external battery requires a separate charger that the battery plugs into.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Sram eTap batteries recharge in 45 minutes each. They require a standalone charger (included in the upgrade kit).</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a name="8"></a><h2>How many recharge cycles can the battery take?</h2></span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> The Shimano battery can be recharged 300 times at 100% integrity. This practically means you’ll never have to replace the battery, because after 300 recharge cycles you’ll be ready for a new bike!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> SRAM batteries are rated at 100 recharge cycles. So, the batteries won’t last as long as the Shimano batteries, but they will last a long time. When you need a new battery, a replacement is available for $40. </span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a name="9"></a><h2>Are the components light?</h2></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Of course!! While Sram Red mechanical is the lightest full groupset out there, SRAM eTap is the 2</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 8.799999999999999px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super;">nd</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> lightest configuration available, followed by Shimano 9070 Dura Ace Di2. Ultegra 6870 is the heaviest electronic configuration and also is slightly heavier than it’s mechanical counterpart, Ultegra 6800.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOL1ikQCVa5n0SDW2AYSPvcaTt_mYq-g71VqMMYl70xbd1bmc1RxB5p059qVerYfX9VQ30tgRJQBaw2JJ4VtLLUHT_Y-alZwecluG0aN0KGpXIGQy2wCw3MKRVCZpNSR94nNryvEu6sfR/s1600/IMG_3998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgOL1ikQCVa5n0SDW2AYSPvcaTt_mYq-g71VqMMYl70xbd1bmc1RxB5p059qVerYfX9VQ30tgRJQBaw2JJ4VtLLUHT_Y-alZwecluG0aN0KGpXIGQy2wCw3MKRVCZpNSR94nNryvEu6sfR/s320/IMG_3998.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Argonaut with SRAM eTap and Lightweight Wheels, only 14lbs!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14549179964680862395noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-25667011400979979492016-01-07T11:32:00.000-08:002016-01-07T11:32:39.860-08:00Top Posts & a Goodbye<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwZo_gDa-pVWiwoEDguvQM63A-1YwsCLRoTIDrVH9N6CBuaD-rEaj19lYmSPdK31F8FhCRCLHuAT0e7d8WGNXDXuMxGfPKdSMglbPDwnTAYETIGM5m9T2YiybXSddQVKeu9tou8Ryd9iK/s1600/donandmissy3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdwZo_gDa-pVWiwoEDguvQM63A-1YwsCLRoTIDrVH9N6CBuaD-rEaj19lYmSPdK31F8FhCRCLHuAT0e7d8WGNXDXuMxGfPKdSMglbPDwnTAYETIGM5m9T2YiybXSddQVKeu9tou8Ryd9iK/s320/donandmissy3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The <a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/07/atc-turns-20.html">ATC Turns 20</a> post profiles shop employees <br />and celebrates ATC's 20th year in business.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
by <a href="http://www.kathrynhunter.net/">Kat Hunter</a><br />
<br />
I've been writing and collecting posts for the Austin Tri-Cyclist blog since December 2010, and it's been a very rewarding experience. A writer is always lucky to find a project like this—one that's flexible and fun, eclectic in scope, and centered on something she's truly interested in and loves. ATC is a fantastic bike shop, and it's been very nice to be part of the extended family.<br />
<br />
This year I'm handing "my baby" back over to ATC staff as I start other projects and adventures, not least of which is having a second child this spring. If you'd like to follow me and my work in the future, please check out my <a href="http://www.kathrynhunter.net/">writing website</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Kat-Hunter-1524203094489978/">Facebook business page</a>. Eventually you'll find me back on my bike and out on the roads again, too.<br />
<br />
In closing, here's our traditional top-posts-of-the-year list for 2015, along with the most-viewed 10 articles of all time (i.e, since 2010). You'll have plenty of cold-weather reading if there's anything you missed.<br />
<br />
Happy 2016!<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Most read/viewed in 2015:</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/08/austin-cyclists-hit-by-drunk-driver-aug.html">Austin Cyclists Hit by Drunk Driver </a> - Marla Briley and Kent Snead had the experience many cyclists fear the most: one early Sunday morning in July, they were hit from behind at top speed by a drunk motorist. This post tells the story Austin news outlets didn't bother to.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/06/one-done.html">One & Done?</a> - "You’re good at a sport? Great. You have the time and the money to do it? Fantastic. Now ask yourself whether you love it, and figure out how to keep loving it. Unless you’re making a very healthy salary being an athlete or winning gold medals, those are the only two things that matter. In some ways the one-and-doner gets more at the heart of amateur athletic competition than the veteran athlete does—participation may be short-lived, but it's always fun."<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/05/a-ride-for-any-day-of-week-updated-for.html">A Ride for Any Day of the Week</a> - Often bookmarked, our yearly "A Ride for Any Day of the Week" posts are always popular with cyclists. Check out our May 2015 list, but keep in mind the rides are no longer up to date.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/05/why-women-should-race-with-men.html">Why Women Should Race with the Men</a> - Why are women racing with the men? And why should they be able to? This post answers those questions as they pertain to the Austin cycling scene and beyond.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/01/latex-tubes.html">Living With Latex </a>- Latex tubes aren't for the faint of heart, but they have a lot of advantages. Jack Mott tells all about them and why it's really—no REALLY—important to install latex tubes correctly.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/03/so-you-want-to-be-pro.html">So You Want to Be a Pro?</a> - This March 2015 post covers (at some length) my introduction to the world of pro cycling last season: why I did it, how I got there, and what I found. <a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/08/race-report-2015-cascade-cycling.html">My race report on the Cascade Cycling Classic</a> describes the season's, and my cycling career's, bittersweet denouement. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/01/donate-bone-marrow-for-amy-marsh.html">Donate Blood Marrow for Amy Cottrill Marsh</a> - This was just an event post from January about the bone marrow donor drive held for pro triathlete Amy Marsh, so you should read the <a href="http://team-marsh.com/life-gave-us-a-lemon">Team Marsh blog</a> instead. Since Amy was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in December 2014, her husband Brandon Marsh has been blogging about the ups and downs of her treatment and recovery in a way that's both brutally honest and inspirational. If anything puts the year in perspective for you, this will. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/04/race-report-2015-san-dimas-stage-race.html">Race Report, 2015 San Dimas</a> - Another long Kat Hunter race report, but this quote sums it all up: "The San Dimas Stage Race was a vindication for our team. We’d been denied an invitation to one of the big national races this year. The victory was a statement, loud and clear: we have everything it takes to win."<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Though posted only last month, <a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/12/want-to-race-your-bike-faqs-for-getting.html">Want to Race Your Bike? FAQs for Getting Started in Austin</a></div>
<div>
and <a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/12/pregnancy-as-athlete.html">Pregnancy as an Athlete</a> have received many page views compared to our other posts throughout the year. Many thanks for reading and sharing on social media!<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Most read/viewed in the blog's history: </b><br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2012/03/power-meters-explained-quarq-powertap.html">Power Meters Explained: Quarq, Powertap, SRM, Garmin, Power2Max, Vector</a>, March 2014<br />
<br />
<a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2011/07/cervelo-s5-fastest-road-bike-in-world.html">The Cervelo S5: The Fastest Road Bike - <i>In the World</i></a>, July 2011<br />
<br />
A Ride for Any Day of the Week (3 versions, latest version linked above)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2011/10/aero-helmet-reviews-lg-vorttice-lg.html">Aero Helmet Reviews: LG Vorttice, LG Superleggera, Giro Advantage 2, Giro Selector</a>, October 2011<br />
<br />
Austin Cyclists Hit by Drunk Driver, August 2015 (linked above)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2014/01/from-fat-kid-to-state-tt-champion.html">From "Fat Kid" to State TT Champion, A Profile of Nate Sheetz</a>, January 2014<br />
<br />
<a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2012/01/cervelo-p5-pics-simply-faster.html">The Cervelo P5 Unveiled: Simply Faster!</a>, January 2012<br />
<br />
<a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2013/10/aero-tune-up-turn-your-aging-tri-bike.html">Aero Tune-Up: Turn Your Aging Tri Bike into a Super Bike</a>, October 2013<br />
<br />
<a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2011/08/litespeed-aero-road-bikes-archon-c.html">Litespeed Aero Road Bike Review: The Archon C Series</a>, August 2011<br />
<br />
<a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2013/04/boardman-bikes-british-powerhouse.html">Boardman Bikes: A British Powerhouse Arrives in Texas</a>, April 2013<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-67135761978808575152016-01-06T09:26:00.000-08:002016-01-06T09:26:00.622-08:00Excruciation Exam Race Report<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XOpjCctxZR0/Vo1NevUA0lI/AAAAAAAAA-8/3gCPj872fqU/s1600/IMG_1129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XOpjCctxZR0/Vo1NevUA0lI/AAAAAAAAA-8/3gCPj872fqU/s320/IMG_1129.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Excruciation Exam Race Report</b></span></span></span></div>
<br />
By Terry King<br />
<br /><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> After
last year’s 37 degree and raining effort with only 38 riders – I swore
that I would not fight
the Excruciation Exam (E2) under the same conditions. So I watched the
weather carefully, registered when it looked to be clear but by week’s
end the rain and temps were back in the same spot as last year – oh
well. What’s a New Year start and my 48<sup>th</sup>
birthday without some suffering. E2 is typically between 80 and 90
miles (depending on conditions at Warda’s Bluff Creek Ranch and Rocky
Hill and the final single track layout). The race starts with an 8 mile
loop at Warda, jeep trails and fire roads to
Rocky Hill, a 12-14 mile loop at RH, back to Warda with a shorter loop
in Warda to finish. My goals were to finish (last year I DNF’d at mile
63 with a mechanical) and to finish sub 6 hours (I have had a <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_644936941" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">6:05</span></span>
once). No illusions about a top result – in the
past the Open field has featured US pros such as Chad Haga and pro
riders from Mexico - never mind some of Pattie’s top 40+ compatriots
sandbagging in the age group. Nevertheless – this year’s goals were
marked by a solid time and just finishing the race
(the attrition and time cut-off is usually a solid 50%). </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> The
race usually begins with a Le Mans start (i.e. running) but like last
year the conditions were
not conducive to a bunch of mountain bikers struggling through a
quarter mile slog so it started as a mass start with the Open field up
front. The benefit of the Le Mans format is that it strings the group
out and does not bunch things up on the single track.
It also allows groups to settle in coming out of Bluff Creek Ranch for
pack riding on the roads. In the past I have started fast through Warda
and then ridden really strong in the group to RH only to crater while
in the trails at RH – struggling back to Warda.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> The
trail conditions at Bluff Creek were nasty – slick, a lot of roots, off
camber areas and just
plain messy. While not overly technical (particularly the front part
of the course) it created situations where you had folks taking chances,
passing on banked turns and a lot of early crashes. While the field is
limited to 150 – when the group is bunched
up it can be touchy with the technical guys trying to get a leg up
before everyone hits the road sections. Having sprained a wrist last
week – I was not nearly as aggressive in Warda as I have been in year’s
past. Hitting the road – it began to rain and
the RBM guy next to me indicated that the temperature had fallen to 38
degrees (the temp at the finish was 41 with a light rain the entire
day). As we crossed 77 heading to Rocky Hill the wind began to pick up
and the groups on the road splintered. It is
a weird mix of MTB riders and road racers trying to find their place
and as was the case <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_644936942" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">on Saturday</span></span>
– I saw a number of road guys trying to blow things up on the jeep
trails only to crater at Rocky Hill (one guy from a Houston based team
was yelling that
the group needed to work harder and I took great pleasure in passing
him at RH with about two miles left on the trails). I rode in a
smaller group and then went off solo for about 30 minutes heading to
RH. With all of the rain we have had this year – the
gravel roads were worn down and made for solid riding. In order to
stay on my time goal – I had to hit RH by <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_644936943" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">10:00 am</span></span> and was <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_644936944" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">within one minute</span></span> as I made the turn.
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> The
first three miles of RH were similar to the TMBRA race layout with a
lot of climbing – brutal
having spent almost 2. 5 hours in the saddle by that time but the 1X
gear selection made it much easier. I have usually struggled at RH but
felt good and ceded no ground to anyone and stayed on tempo the entire
ride. The rocks were slippery and there was
a lot of water on the course with a few dicey spots – which is not
typical of RH. I stayed within 50 yards of the No. 2 overall girl and
we passed 4 or 5 riders the last couple of miles and she and I hit the
road together. Honestly – despite the nasty and
wet conditions I really liked the overall layout at RH and with a few
new trails cut in – it allowed for better flow and less overall fatigue
(mental and physical) coming out at the turn-around. As you leave RH
heading back to Warda on the road – you hit
an immediate hill which feels like something in West Austin. It can be
demoralizing and can blow people up. We left RH with 5 individuals and
before we finished the hill it was completely strung out. That is the
way it stayed throughout the balance of the
race. As is typical – the group mentality heading to RH gives way to
survival and competition on the way back. In year’s past – you have had
to stop at the check points to receive a tag to ensure that you
completed your runs – this was not the case this
year as they had spotters marking race numbers and I was able to ride
through all but one point (where I ate and changed gloves).
</span></div>
<span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="color: black;"> Within
10 miles of Warda – I realized I had a shot at my time goal but had to
stay on the upper end
of my limit. There was a 30-39 rider who was ahead of me coming out of
the last check point and was able to use him to maintain the pace and
eventually reel him in. I knew that times would be fast given the RH
course and really wanted to hit the time goal
regardless of my result. With 5 miles out, I drank an 8 oz Coke, took a
gel and hit it has hard as could. I reeled in the rider in front as we
turned down the last jeep road to the Ranch in Warda and rode him off
my wheel for the last short pull on the outer
short track in Warda. My time was <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_644936945" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">5:50</span></span> – 5 minutes off of my <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_644936946" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">5:45</span></span>
set goal. I felt surprisingly fine afterwards with no stiffness or
soreness beyond the normal fatigue. Chad had given me few calorie
pointers for the effort and that coupled with the full
suspension 29’er were a big help. And while I was not able to ride
with the fastest groups to RH in the first part of the race as I have
done in the past – I also did not burn unnecessary matches and was able
to move more smoothly through RH and finish the
back half much stronger. Fun day – real tough and it can be a real
sufferfest. There is a huge time gap between the first big groups and
the last group. For some reference point – the time cut off leaving RH
is <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_644936947" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">1:00 pm</span></span>. I finished at <span class="aBn" data-term="goog_644936948" tabindex="0"><span class="aQJ">1:20</span></span>
– so there are
some folks on the road for a long time. The goal next year will be to
focus on results and leaving Warda with the strongest groups and
hopefully put together an overall result for the Team. </span></span>Austin Tri-Cyclisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09012702520361364392noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-78290201124691628682015-12-31T09:02:00.004-08:002015-12-31T11:01:54.913-08:00Pregnancy as an AthleteBy <a href="http://www.kathrynhunter.net/">Kat Hunter</a><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1IWONKSihm801P4ponspp1dnNx1fV-UhhDJ5Wkfr4WJv1DBAsrdztcbnNov-AlW-GYW88xxIlVFkobshJDkXWfRDutI1aKvv3bzVG3Z_wuVIefBiuEBigliWoqQ2JZ5Gc6k2vlZoA9Wn/s1600/23+wks+Half+marathon%252C+megan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju1IWONKSihm801P4ponspp1dnNx1fV-UhhDJ5Wkfr4WJv1DBAsrdztcbnNov-AlW-GYW88xxIlVFkobshJDkXWfRDutI1aKvv3bzVG3Z_wuVIefBiuEBigliWoqQ2JZ5Gc6k2vlZoA9Wn/s400/23+wks+Half+marathon%252C+megan.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i style="font-size: 12.8px;">Austin athlete Megan Wolfe,<br />23 weeks half marathon</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Sometimes I catch myself saying “I used to be a cyclist.” I’m perpetually tired. I’m round. Movement is awkward. People lift boxes for me and discuss the size and shape of my stomach the way they might the changeability of the weather. My identity as an athlete feels like it’s fading into nonexistence as much as my waistline.<br />
<br />
But I’ve done all this once before. And if there’s one thing I know about being pregnant it’s that pregnancy is a very temporary state, one that you might even miss when it’s over, just because there was something so unique and…well, connected…about it. For any woman who’s an athlete and pregnant (or thinking about becoming pregnant for the first time), I’ll share this: First, physically you <i>will </i>be back to where you were or better if that’s your goal, and two, you don’t have to be in a huge hurry to do it.<br />
<br />
When I was carrying my first child I tried to pitch an article on training during pregnancy to various cycling publications. In truth, I wanted to research and write about it because I wanted to know more myself. I was frustrated by the lack of answers on the subject, even via anecdotal testimony; people were remarkably close-lipped. More often than not the advice I found was, “do what feels right,” and “exercise in moderation.” But what was moderation? And when does a quality interval session feel like anything other than dying?<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
Dr. James F. Clapp III's <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Exercising-Through-Pregnancy-James-Clapp/dp/1936374331">Exercising Through Your Pregnancy</a></i> became a source of great comfort to me. The book represented real research, not just a series of chatty internet articles lacking sources, and it didn’t condemn mothers-to-be for “strenuous” exercise; in fact, the studies listed a number of possible benefits. I interviewed Bradley Price, an OB-GYN (and dedicated triathlete) in Austin who had conducted <a href="http://www.bradleypricemd.com/documents/exercise_in_pregnancy.pdf">a study that showed starting an exercise program during pregnancy had noticeably positive benefits even for previously inactive women</a>. Compared to Bradley’s sedentary control group, the group that performed “moderate aerobic exercise” for 45-60 minutes, four times a week, through 36 weeks gestation were shown to improve aerobic fitness, muscular strength, have similarly sized babies with fewer cesarean deliveries, and recover faster postpartum.<br />
<br />
I also interviewed professional triathlete Sarah Haskins-Kortuem and former pro bike racer Jen McRae. I tried my best to get an interview with two-time gold medalist Kristen Armstrong, who’d held her two-year-old son up for the cameras after becoming the oldest rider to win an Olympic time trial in London in 2012. I talked to local multisport elites like Maggi Finley and Missy Ruthven. I outlined a number of ideas.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6il8hTvxptpa6TH16N9VyuDc8gKVZLF8Zv1uk6nR-YOloFYKr8JRIMe4_X6FHQSO9T5tVcigM8hA1_faybmLyEOsYcQqflT2EKtGIuUTR6p-9Z_mH9tSeYbMkg4ZQ0ouT0l-2aU2enF5g/s1600/nadia+29+wks-cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6il8hTvxptpa6TH16N9VyuDc8gKVZLF8Zv1uk6nR-YOloFYKr8JRIMe4_X6FHQSO9T5tVcigM8hA1_faybmLyEOsYcQqflT2EKtGIuUTR6p-9Z_mH9tSeYbMkg4ZQ0ouT0l-2aU2enF5g/s400/nadia+29+wks-cropped.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><i>Cyclist and cycling advocate Nadia Barrera de Ramirez,<br />commuting to work at 29 weeks</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And then I gave birth to my son, and the project moved from burning, to smoldering, to on a cold back burner. As time went on I think I became, like others, more reluctant to speak of my experience, both simply because I was forgetting much of it and also because other people are exceptionally quick to judge and criticize when it comes to anything involving babies, born or unborn. Though exercise is now widely recommended for women during pregnancy, the world at large still gets very nervous when you take it beyond a gentle waddle around the block.<br />
<br />
You can’t blame people for thinking that way. There’s much we don’t know, and the reluctance to study the subject is understandable given the ethical and practical concerns of experimenting on or with pregnant women; research tends to rely on self-reported results. In a sense the unfortunate truth for any woman is that she has to become her own guinea pig. Because of this and the fact that every pregnancy and every woman’s body is very different, the advice to “do what feels right” is actually some of the best that you’ll get.<br />
<br />
To me, a woman’s evolutionary pedigree is more all-weather workhorse than hot-house orchid; the practice of remaining inert and indoors during pregnancy seems more alien and destructive to our bodies and those of our unborn children than being rigorously active. That was my foundation for training during my first pregnancy, and from there I tried to manage my workouts with a sense of practicality and “moderation” as best I saw it. I made a number of mistakes, of course.<br />
<br />
My first mistake was thinking of training during pregnancy in terms of my competitive success post-delivery. From that standpoint it’s not a time to push the envelope; there’s simply no practical purpose. You’re going to have to take some time to recover after the baby is born, whether you deliver vaginally or by cesarean, and regardless, getting back into real race shape is just going to take time. (Less than you’d think, maybe—I was better than I’d ever been long before my son turned one.) In hindsight, I think the real reasons to train during pregnancy are to keep up a consistent routine and to avoid unnecessary weight gain, not to mention emotional happiness and sanity. Maintaining a reasonable level of fitness will make it easier to get back to competition later and will likely help you and the baby manage the effort of labor better.<br />
<br />
The hardest thing about training during pregnancy can be learning to trust your own judgment. It helps to find a doctor who understands and supports your goals; sometimes OB-GYNs can sound about as well informed as those chatty internet articles, so if you have one that can quote real case studies and real numbers, you’ve probably got a doctor who’s going to tell you that you’re doing a good thing by working out. (If you have to see an MFM and are in Austin, I highly recommend Dr. Celeste Sheppard at <a href="http://www.hcmfm.com/">Hill Country Maternal Fetal Medicine</a>.) It helps to be conservative, too, to stop somewhere before you would in a typical pre-pregnancy workout: for example, to not push yourself quite as long or as far, to allow yourself without guilt to stop or slow down when you need to. There’s no reason to put an undue amount of pressure on yourself. You’ll encounter a lot of challenges and changes that you never have before. Because of loosening ligaments and the different weight distribution, for example, you may find yourself more prone to injury. Expect to get slower and to do less as your belly grows, and don’t let this make you feel like you’re failing.<br />
<br />
If you’re a cyclist, whether to ride outside and where to ride outside are very personal choices. Be warned that you’ll receive open criticism from family, friends, and strangers. Of course, you’ll also hear stories of women biking themselves to their own deliveries. Where you fall in that spectrum is your own business. For much of the first trimester the baby is well protected by the bones of your pelvis; later, as your belly begins to noticeably protrude, there’s more risk in the event of a fall. Some people say a woman’s sense of balance is compromised during pregnancy as well, especially in latter stages. (I felt awkward but never off-kilter.)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PV_NzrnCEVu-2MU5gEjr0gNZCwz2ip_SpVgH0fZrFJMfORTy_xbU2pwEHAw9fLWV0je25La1qoT-xnOIKbNvd7gN-Jr-hJLYQhyphenhyphenV4eiZ8LAFYEqXrnaprD8z-Ci7TkNdoyZVjX1Fkd_5/s1600/veloway+May+2013+005-cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8PV_NzrnCEVu-2MU5gEjr0gNZCwz2ip_SpVgH0fZrFJMfORTy_xbU2pwEHAw9fLWV0je25La1qoT-xnOIKbNvd7gN-Jr-hJLYQhyphenhyphenV4eiZ8LAFYEqXrnaprD8z-Ci7TkNdoyZVjX1Fkd_5/s400/veloway+May+2013+005-cropped.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><i>The author at right, roughly one month from<br />delivery in her first pregnancy</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anecdotally…carrying my first son, I rode outside at near-normal levels of training for the first trimester, racing the state championships (second to Lauren Stephens—no shame there) at five or six weeks pregnant in 2012 and continuing on during the following off-season period with hard group rides and sporadic interval workouts. I tried running but had uncomfortable cramping in my abdomen, so that didn’t last very long. After the first trimester, I started parking my car at the veloway and doing all my training by bike on the track, which is closed to cars. When the position on my road bike became awkward I switched to a slow commuter bike with a very cushy saddle, a rack, and unnaturally high handlebars. I did a combination of trainer and veloway workouts up until delivery (which for me came two weeks after my due date).<br />
<br />
I got back on the bike roughly two weeks after my son was born without too much difficulty, though it probably would have been more constructive and healthy to have allowed at least one more week. Weight loss felt slow at first, but eventually I was back to my previous weight without ever having dieted. I breastfed my son for the first year, and with hard training I had zero problems with milk supply—I typically had an oversupply. That, too, was manageable during training, though it meant my weekly long rides were limited to about three or four hours in terms of comfort. Still breastfeeding at around 10 months, I placed sixth in GC at the Joe Martin Stage Race in April 2014. In June I had a significant PR at the Texas State TT Championships and was fastest woman overall. That July when I was in the final stage of weaning, I won the last stage of a pro race, the Cascade Cycling Classic. The momentum and motivation and success of that year following childbirth I have never experienced again and probably never will.<br />
<br />
There's some evidence that a mother's blood parameters are improved postpartum for a period of time (Clapp's book discusses this). And then, of course, there are the disturbing rumors of Olympic athletes in the '70s and '80s intentionally becoming pregnant and then aborting the fetuses for the aerobic benefits. Very early on in the pregnancy, possibly even before you know you're pregnant, your blood volume increases. Some athletes have diagnosed a pregnancy just from the sudden drop that occurs in power numbers. You're <i>exhausted</i> until your red blood cell count catches up, and after that you'll feel good again. The idea is you then benefit aerobically from the increased blood volume, but in my experience, both during this early stage of pregnancy and after in the supposedly superwoman period postpartum there are so many other factors coming into play that any improvements are a wash. You're always tired, you weigh more, you have terrible heartburn, your ligaments have gone Gumby, and afterward your body is also busy making milk, you're not sleeping, you can't train as many hours in one go, you're playing catch-up on overall fitness... My power numbers improved steadily well beyond the period of postpartum benefits, so though an increased red blood cell count may have helped alleviate the downsides post-pregnancy, I don't think it was the reason I did so well out of the gate. I think those nine months of rest during pregnancy—mentally and physically—may have been the key to success my first season back. I was just having a lot of fun racing again.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3uhnOCwKbxMoJmJU62F0ZxpCno4dwNPTU9N5Hq5v0qqpUMSREvlbJhhYgBc3e1Sot_21h5WqS1baOywgkHq3ip8wSISMy-K7uOvNGh46X2GAW5vBIALMLW390kWhZZ_cK50qmXIyUaCTq/s1600/driveway+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3uhnOCwKbxMoJmJU62F0ZxpCno4dwNPTU9N5Hq5v0qqpUMSREvlbJhhYgBc3e1Sot_21h5WqS1baOywgkHq3ip8wSISMy-K7uOvNGh46X2GAW5vBIALMLW390kWhZZ_cK50qmXIyUaCTq/s400/driveway+photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>2014 Driveway Series podium, author and son at center</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
With a second baby, everything is more relaxed, and my goals this time around are very different. I found racing at an elite level with a young child to be really, really hard—more so as time went on because naps were shorter and my son noticed more when I was away. I felt guilty, and I felt differently about things than I expected to; it was a lot harder to take risks when I was racing, to get into that mindset that the finish line was all that mattered. I’m still bothered by the fact that my racing and writing commitments made many of my son’s earliest stages a blur, that I didn’t take more time to marvel at his development into a real person. After racing on a pro team in 2015, I don’t think I’ll ever aspire to that level of competition again.<br />
<br />
It can be done, though, and some women do it exceptionally well. The fact that the way has been paved by other members of our gender is nice—what I didn’t realize, when I was going full tilt in that direction, was that I wasn’t going to be doing anything new and groundbreaking; I didn’t have anything to prove about the capability to be both mother and athlete. And this time I don’t even need to prove that to myself: I <i>am</i> a cyclist. I know I will be as much of a bike racer or competitive athlete as I want to be after I give birth, even if I’m near-spherical now.<br />
<br />
I might still go more in-depth with this topic one day, maybe listen again to those interviews that were so kindly given and piece them into a story with hard numbers and hard facts and the anecdotal testimonies of other women athletes who went on to continued success post-baby. I think the most difficult part of writing that article may be listening to the recordings of my former self: so full of ambition and yet so afraid of what lay ahead, not knowing that it would be better and also harder than anything in my wildest dreams. If this describes you, too, rest assured that you have much to look forward to. Enjoy the ride. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMS6gf-hi7bSCky0u_oYcgytpJv6G1Z-M3nmDxt2sNK_DgppkXIUQ90hd33emgYscDey3YkGT9x1JbCXsJ0WgQ2dUflqbbP8wddQTCIJNtdi-nuKnjpDytJpaz9zZp7TZHIR63Wyl4BAp/s1600/TTT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMS6gf-hi7bSCky0u_oYcgytpJv6G1Z-M3nmDxt2sNK_DgppkXIUQ90hd33emgYscDey3YkGT9x1JbCXsJ0WgQ2dUflqbbP8wddQTCIJNtdi-nuKnjpDytJpaz9zZp7TZHIR63Wyl4BAp/s320/TTT.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><i>2014 TX State Championships team time trial - <br />moms Kat Hunter, Missy Ruthven, and Maggi Finley visible</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Austin-area OB-GYNs personally recommended by bike racers and endurance athletes:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Claire Hoverman, Hill Country OB/GYN (multiple locations)</li>
<li>Celeste Sheppard, Hill Country Maternal Fetal Medicine* (north) [specialist for high-risk pregnancies]</li>
<li>Bradley Price (central)</li>
<li>Felicia Nash, Women Partners in Health (multiple locations)</li>
<li>Joseph Fernandez, Scott & White Round Rock* (Round Rock)</li>
<li>Tyler Hancock, Scott & White Round Rock* (Round Rock)</li>
</ul>
<span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; font-size: xx-small; line-height: 16.08px;">*=recommended by an athlete who has been treated by the doctor during pregnancy</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-88302301260522008482015-12-22T18:48:00.000-08:002015-12-30T12:46:30.807-08:00Race Around Austin 2016! <i>FAQ by Christie Tracy, <a href="http://atcracing.org/">ATC Racing</a></i><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpARSdcOHF2IDJdRsXY6KC1i_G57M5xYSdq0uZyiGGzGOaUZtdH5MA0KvvLmj1YL8COw0DYIUQ_yQiDIs_hpoDI5wSCkn8r-7elS__q0fcKrJyrbxkH5hZ066UzKthBwwwKbsPJgiS1A1/s1600/2016_RAA.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixpARSdcOHF2IDJdRsXY6KC1i_G57M5xYSdq0uZyiGGzGOaUZtdH5MA0KvvLmj1YL8COw0DYIUQ_yQiDIs_hpoDI5wSCkn8r-7elS__q0fcKrJyrbxkH5hZ066UzKthBwwwKbsPJgiS1A1/s320/2016_RAA.png" width="316" /></a><br />
<b>What is <a href="https://www.usacycling.org/register/2016-145">“Race Around Austin 2016” / #RAA2016</a>?</b><br />
<br />
#RAA2016 is a fun-filled field trip/scavenger-hunt style “race” around Austin with four of your closest friends/teammates. Teams of five will depart from Austin Tri-Cyclist and make their way to three highly classified, top-secret check-in points spread throughout Austin before returning to cross the finish line back at ATC. The check-in points will be revealed at packet pickup on Friday, January 22, and team members must work together to determine their team’s route for the next day. The order in which teams stop at the check-in points is 100% up to them, and superior routing skills and an unfailing sense of direction will no doubt be key to the fastest team’s success!<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>What did people have to say after last year’s inaugural Race Around Austin (#RAA2015)?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrm-1S1qlPOgkBoMsXQhBzX-cP9smwTf2TbF6YivRYRhEhl0PrSqOSUrB9MJOWryw8FlajI5Mci4K50OyVVzvXU9o_ICftqkA-tkXyWjCmVJruNpvJoj6f1fJQ23K5GMwGJeDr2MSQCpdg/s1600/paparrazi3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrm-1S1qlPOgkBoMsXQhBzX-cP9smwTf2TbF6YivRYRhEhl0PrSqOSUrB9MJOWryw8FlajI5Mci4K50OyVVzvXU9o_ICftqkA-tkXyWjCmVJruNpvJoj6f1fJQ23K5GMwGJeDr2MSQCpdg/s640/paparrazi3.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>“Rolling into ATC at the end was a great feeling, and I remember being struck by how much fun the overall day was. . .. I definitely plan to do this race again in the future. The idea is a really great one—it fosters exploration of the city, and it was very well supported by sponsors.”</i> <br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
- Jack Cartwright, elite triathlete<br />
<br /></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrm-1S1qlPOgkBoMsXQhBzX-cP9smwTf2TbF6YivRYRhEhl0PrSqOSUrB9MJOWryw8FlajI5Mci4K50OyVVzvXU9o_ICftqkA-tkXyWjCmVJruNpvJoj6f1fJQ23K5GMwGJeDr2MSQCpdg/s1600/paparrazi3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><i>“Huge thanks to the Ladies of ATC for having such a great event. Although we didn't set any records during our "social" ride today, the Rock & ROL team had a blast. The check-in points were awesome with plenty of food, drink, and smiling faces, and all the teams we saw while out on the road waved, said hello, or at least told us we sucked, which was evident many times today. I have to say that this was one of the most fun days on the bike I have had and everyone on the ROL RACING Team felt the same way. Congrats on a fantastic day. You set the bar pretty much out of reach for others to hit.”</i> <br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrm-1S1qlPOgkBoMsXQhBzX-cP9smwTf2TbF6YivRYRhEhl0PrSqOSUrB9MJOWryw8FlajI5Mci4K50OyVVzvXU9o_ICftqkA-tkXyWjCmVJruNpvJoj6f1fJQ23K5GMwGJeDr2MSQCpdg/s1600/paparrazi3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>- Charles Bippert, roadie (ROL Wheels Racing Team)</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrm-1S1qlPOgkBoMsXQhBzX-cP9smwTf2TbF6YivRYRhEhl0PrSqOSUrB9MJOWryw8FlajI5Mci4K50OyVVzvXU9o_ICftqkA-tkXyWjCmVJruNpvJoj6f1fJQ23K5GMwGJeDr2MSQCpdg/s1600/paparrazi3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>
<br />
<br />
<i>“Thanks so much to all the ATC ladies and the other volunteers for putting on such an amazing event! We had such an amazing time! Everyone was so sweet and helpful. The food was incredible too!” </i><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
- Celina Richardson, roadie (River City Market Racing)</div>
<br />
<br />
<b>How far should my team be prepared to ride?</b><br />
Well, that depends on your routing skills (see above FAQ!); however, you should be prepared to ride somewhere between 85 and 115 miles, depending on the route that you plan. Yep, you’d better get to logging those miles if you want to be ready for this!!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmyFXIl7RO137UNk77uMR0jJW8IiShaRxR2fK_cIP5lHh1JJuTVkpnPac9nO-nW8DmhwL7df7o-9e1VUpY3SSQsdphyphenhyphendCvj-cZqmPOEzGxa0LGJDVKJlc2WteB8UrSpXf5tdh61f9pQk-D/s1600/selfie+shenanigans3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmyFXIl7RO137UNk77uMR0jJW8IiShaRxR2fK_cIP5lHh1JJuTVkpnPac9nO-nW8DmhwL7df7o-9e1VUpY3SSQsdphyphenhyphendCvj-cZqmPOEzGxa0LGJDVKJlc2WteB8UrSpXf5tdh61f9pQk-D/s320/selfie+shenanigans3.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What can I expect at the check-in points? </b><br />
SHENANIGANS. (And paparazzi / cameras / screaming fangirls). Oh yeah – and all check-in points will have ride fuel (pb&j sandwiches, bananas, etc), fresh juice courtesy of <a href="http://www.juicelandaustin.com/menu-juices">JuiceLand Austin</a>, water, and potties. If you’re among the first teams to arrive at a given stop, you may even find extra goodies like baked goods prepared just for you by the ladies of ATC Racing. (Remember last year’s #RAA2015 cake at Allison’s stop? Yeah. #Worthit!)<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>What will be required of my team at each stop before we can advance to the next one?</b><br />
If we told you that, we’d have to hang you upside down by your toenails until you begged for mercy! What didn’t you understand about highly-classified-top-secret???<br />
<br />
No, but seriously – you should expect the unexpected. You may be required to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wI46rsQR83k">double-dutch</a> with your teammates, showcase your hip flexibility with hula hoops wearing an orange tutu, or successfully complete a game of hop-scotch on a pogo stick…OOORRRR maybe we’ll take it easy on you and let you off the hook with just a selfie with the lovely volunteers as proof that your team checked in. . . guess you’ll have to wait and see! (In the meantime – maybe brush up on your jump-roping, hip swinging, pogo stick skillzzz?)<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>What will the prize pot be for the fastest teams? </b><br />
Since this is officially a “Gran Fondo” (no USAC license is required to participate), we aren’t allowed to award prizes to the “winners” outside of the obvious social media fame that goes hand-in-hand with winning the Epic Adventure that is #RAA2016. Just ask Paul Fafard, or any of the members of last year’s #RAA2015 fastest team “Team Cycle Progression 2”…they’re STILL fighting off the paparazzi!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3voebiAn-22yvZGDIfqonyREhV-MS4fv2O0TVrk-f5_YFxPDesAd67I5BPnfJcpQzbjkLZS2Z69QhzpLWozTfKVPSU_GeTiKksLBBUPixL7mY_BUR1jc0fnoqN68s1qgTU4AnR6tV-zr/s1600/mason+jars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp3voebiAn-22yvZGDIfqonyREhV-MS4fv2O0TVrk-f5_YFxPDesAd67I5BPnfJcpQzbjkLZS2Z69QhzpLWozTfKVPSU_GeTiKksLBBUPixL7mY_BUR1jc0fnoqN68s1qgTU4AnR6tV-zr/s320/mason+jars.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
That said, though, the first 15 teams to register will receive a highly coveted, limited edition #RAA2016 mason jar from which they can enjoy post-race adult beverages or flouncy summer-time cocktails with umbrellas… HURRY! As of the time of publication, 14 teams have already registered!!<br />
<br />
Castelli AND Cervelo have also come through with some AWESOME swag that we’ll be awarding for random achievements through the day (think along the lines of things like Best Selfie with an ATC Team Member…Most Creative Team Name…Best Double-Dutch Performance of the day…LOL – we kid…or DO we???)<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>What will the finish line festivities include?</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCM2_Fdb6imkZQI4Q4TNtg_f0a_v8EUlqPnKGatCyiGdvr6rfEECOpcvGC9mwdnDCNUNMxuWN_WgR1YMTzANPlATGzZQFiDljkVf2fkOY8929asrfu39HJtW8ZnYIMZ1FNLueLJDof9iG/s1600/PostRideBev1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHCM2_Fdb6imkZQI4Q4TNtg_f0a_v8EUlqPnKGatCyiGdvr6rfEECOpcvGC9mwdnDCNUNMxuWN_WgR1YMTzANPlATGzZQFiDljkVf2fkOY8929asrfu39HJtW8ZnYIMZ1FNLueLJDof9iG/s320/PostRideBev1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
MORE SHENANIGANS! Adult beverages. And food. Lots of delicious food! Last year, we served jambalaya, peach cobbler, cornbread, beer from Independence Brewery, and cider from Austin Eastciders, and ALL were a huge hit. We’re still working out the menu for this year, but we’ve confirmed that Independence Brewery and Austin Eastciders will be donating adult beverages for your post-ride re-hydration needs. We’re talking with several other food and beverage vendors, so keep an eye on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/205597393104594/">Race Around Austin 2016 #RAA2016 Facebook Page</a> for announcements of finalized race-day finish line food and beverages.<br />
<br />
Michelle Hittner from Austin Massage Company will also be returning this year and will be set up at the finish at ATC to help start your recovery off right!<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>So, where do I sign up, and how much is this fun-filled day of awesomeness going to cost me?</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.usacycling.org/register/2016-145">USAC Registration Link</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzAz2j7WHFHEXzRRpUq2j_6HgYYp4EqFKGhc2fHXUAqft1YhyphenhyphenFJlzb6tyzQbHnxpKcYwM_zwYFvaX0lbdXi4cv_D0uH4gwBHnac0y1BENy6X8CvWxVUhPxNNuGi7_tRVHfg_FJw9HpfvQV/s1600/selfie+shenanigans2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzAz2j7WHFHEXzRRpUq2j_6HgYYp4EqFKGhc2fHXUAqft1YhyphenhyphenFJlzb6tyzQbHnxpKcYwM_zwYFvaX0lbdXi4cv_D0uH4gwBHnac0y1BENy6X8CvWxVUhPxNNuGi7_tRVHfg_FJw9HpfvQV/s400/selfie+shenanigans2.jpg" width="400" /></a>**ONLY ONE PERSON (Team Captain) from each team needs to register. After registering a team, please email <a href="mailto:christietracy33@gmail.com">christietracy33@gmail.com</a> with your roster of five and #RAA2016 team name. Team names can be creative and do not have to match your USAC team name.<br />
<br />
Early registration through January 16 is $90/team ($18/person), and the price increases to $110/team ($22/person) on January 17. If you’re able to register early, we’d REALLY appreciate it, as it will give us a better idea of how much food and supplies we’ll need at the check-in points and finish line.<br />
<br />
Need more incentive to register early? This year, teams which register by January 15 will get to choose their own starting time slot (from available slots) in the order of registration. Team captains who have registered a team by the 15th will be contacted on January 16 in the order of registration by an ATC Team Member for starting time slot selection.<br />
<br />
Start times for all teams that register after January 15 will be assigned by and at the mercy of the Ladies of ATC Racing (Bwahahaha [Insert evil laugh here…] )<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>I’d like to participate, but don’t have a team – what can I do?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Post a note to our Facebook Page letting others know that you’re looking for a team!<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzinGfW98sQikwDms1oL_TvUkhpcYyNf60rI8Tq1f9RK2sWObgd1OnLjKnRXwmtKNNorQn-UHGgTOvQyta1_VvNw-eOwPpF__K6jmBzqboWa5v_ZKlWVimcZEyLh5rMIUQi2iDIFf8JJhv/s1600/JambalayaCobbler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzinGfW98sQikwDms1oL_TvUkhpcYyNf60rI8Tq1f9RK2sWObgd1OnLjKnRXwmtKNNorQn-UHGgTOvQyta1_VvNw-eOwPpF__K6jmBzqboWa5v_ZKlWVimcZEyLh5rMIUQi2iDIFf8JJhv/s320/JambalayaCobbler.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>I have a partial team, but we’re short a rider (or two) – can we still race?</b><br />
<br />
All teams must be made up of five people, but we’re encouraging solo riders to post to our Facebook page, so check there often for solo riders looking for a team in order to fill up your roster.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>How do the ladies of ATC Racing plan to pull off such an EPIC event for the second year in a row??</b><br />
<br />
We absolutely could not even begin to put on an event of this scale without the help and support of our sponsors and local businesses who graciously pitch in product and services in support of the local cycling community.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
We need to send a HUGE “Thank You” out to the following businesses for their sponsorship and support of this year’s event. Please feel free show your thanks as well, by patronizing their businesses in the upcoming year!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFmxfD8bO2CrwteGG2P2CtYztR9Rg5-WqKiFQDcPCn37QkuSzV3Ev_ErBWFR-NHTL4eHBHe1QDZ0Q2UQavS8PdFwhpv3i0lpDe4_Mkf8bX_wwykdreQt4l_7JDUDzK-PajjGsRNWRhooTm/s1600/PostRideBev2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFmxfD8bO2CrwteGG2P2CtYztR9Rg5-WqKiFQDcPCn37QkuSzV3Ev_ErBWFR-NHTL4eHBHe1QDZ0Q2UQavS8PdFwhpv3i0lpDe4_Mkf8bX_wwykdreQt4l_7JDUDzK-PajjGsRNWRhooTm/s320/PostRideBev2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>Local Companies that are donating goods/services for Race Around Austin 2016 (More to come!):</i><br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="http://www.independencebrewing.com/">Independence Brewing Company</a><br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="http://www.austineastciders.com/">Austin Eastciders</a><br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="http://www.juicelandaustin.com/menu-juices">JuiceLand Austin</a><br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="http://austinmassagecompany.com/">Austin Massage Company</a><br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/">Austin Tri-Cyclist</a><br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="http://www.cervelo.com/en/">Cervelo</a><br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="http://www.castelli-cycling.com/">Castelli</a><br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="https://parks.traviscountytx.gov/">Travis Parks & Recreation</a><br />
<br />
<i>ATC Racing Sponsors whose support help to make this event possible:</i><br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/">Austin Tri-Cyclist</a><br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="http://www.bradhoustonlaw.com/">Brad Houston Law</a><br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="http://nieceequipment.com/">Niece Equipment</a><br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="http://www.pureaustin.com/">Pure Austin Fitness</a><br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="https://www.gtfcu.org/">Greater Texas Federal Credit Union (GTFCU)</a><br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Herrera Construction<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>B&W Truck –Trailer & Machine Shop<br />
•<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><a href="http://austinmassagecompany.com/">Austin Massage Company</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<i>And now, a selection of some of RAA's most photogenic participants from 2015: </i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdq9tqOh1NzcyabwNoBLBaQLf4gINFirtAbHOGqwM_7TvzaJJf572onT_A2DqqkkJPFT1DpnJt-_ISUqN4q6DuDxIAO-mST6dAtLJB-P4wbKJ2N0ZNKMdXWzyuvTe3lTdoUmjh717FatD/s1600/selfie+shenanigans5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifdq9tqOh1NzcyabwNoBLBaQLf4gINFirtAbHOGqwM_7TvzaJJf572onT_A2DqqkkJPFT1DpnJt-_ISUqN4q6DuDxIAO-mST6dAtLJB-P4wbKJ2N0ZNKMdXWzyuvTe3lTdoUmjh717FatD/s640/selfie+shenanigans5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KHEGs8vGisPJDGlc9yFByjz9jMDCkP9-nE8QU31K47_-pupEFL438QuZu8YflRC5Eu3EvUZk6DXSaHAQJBcIDVPMrSlvEfAq9btT0-_hoitAPPRjIs9OuhxDc-wSFj31Ji-Rbzr1Q1xr/s1600/selfie+shenanigans4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-KHEGs8vGisPJDGlc9yFByjz9jMDCkP9-nE8QU31K47_-pupEFL438QuZu8YflRC5Eu3EvUZk6DXSaHAQJBcIDVPMrSlvEfAq9btT0-_hoitAPPRjIs9OuhxDc-wSFj31Ji-Rbzr1Q1xr/s640/selfie+shenanigans4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfl2BaVfw7HvZN08WK-wY_v9ygT1uTnNSMhbIp224G-wmpOS1GGH0TTD23PdnP5lIMOAIiOEXTjZGY_23vvVIV_LUrm_7qxcbMt79HZ_KQrRJyc1DwsMbOCADr996Jb5hQTr2mlXoD9UCh/s1600/paparrazi2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfl2BaVfw7HvZN08WK-wY_v9ygT1uTnNSMhbIp224G-wmpOS1GGH0TTD23PdnP5lIMOAIiOEXTjZGY_23vvVIV_LUrm_7qxcbMt79HZ_KQrRJyc1DwsMbOCADr996Jb5hQTr2mlXoD9UCh/s640/paparrazi2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZr7FsQ3Z5OQk_sofiReG9eubmN41ZRnm8KyM4oNx_S5L4bysFDBtQYUVVmnE8_kgBFCRSqmEWy78JF0mE_sufVKXvI0rUmNr_S363lhY48HlTr6cr_5cLpyFEwgBiRooMw9IT9gS4K6ay/s1600/paparrazi1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZr7FsQ3Z5OQk_sofiReG9eubmN41ZRnm8KyM4oNx_S5L4bysFDBtQYUVVmnE8_kgBFCRSqmEWy78JF0mE_sufVKXvI0rUmNr_S363lhY48HlTr6cr_5cLpyFEwgBiRooMw9IT9gS4K6ay/s640/paparrazi1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYjIAG2XfbmmuJMRA5btonWmGtDObWlnCTWIP0dsfxVHzdk_ebgkDMPEg9TUXft0MVkOhVB9sGxmW5qzVmJXWIaYM8-n0XSdRouL45k295JgOlN2tTV2eDBgjMsJycNnSEe4LX5Flv9j3y/s1600/paparrazi4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYjIAG2XfbmmuJMRA5btonWmGtDObWlnCTWIP0dsfxVHzdk_ebgkDMPEg9TUXft0MVkOhVB9sGxmW5qzVmJXWIaYM8-n0XSdRouL45k295JgOlN2tTV2eDBgjMsJycNnSEe4LX5Flv9j3y/s640/paparrazi4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqsY8osINYNRqIb1VTlq_EDe0tkl9LIgyBTZ9ywC-CgLQX6KrobieIbgSRRDFs00AxSP7Rx8oBFTSNWer9K1z2RYUH4JOU6jMzRPrgbZys-JHyWc5ojxSkm3mRhUkYBEqtIl_4RttwzsT/s1600/selfie+shenanigans1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRqsY8osINYNRqIb1VTlq_EDe0tkl9LIgyBTZ9ywC-CgLQX6KrobieIbgSRRDFs00AxSP7Rx8oBFTSNWer9K1z2RYUH4JOU6jMzRPrgbZys-JHyWc5ojxSkm3mRhUkYBEqtIl_4RttwzsT/s640/selfie+shenanigans1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-38068874090407127342015-12-17T07:34:00.001-08:002015-12-17T10:34:54.310-08:00Want to Race Your Bike? FAQs for Getting Started in Austin By <a href="http://www.kathrynhunter.net/">Kat Hunter</a><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh70Y5gomxjae1Qu4SID2iHC-HFIsEOfooyM-DuaoW_QqtNE909bA8XsZb0Z8bhCyeb7SGMSsexNKeLwxXbcMyD3Hg2Liy0RKaBwP24b6CLL_6jyGXZwaoxtFuBI9ymv81grVNCRNgngUy/s1600/HHH-2015-Friday-258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh70Y5gomxjae1Qu4SID2iHC-HFIsEOfooyM-DuaoW_QqtNE909bA8XsZb0Z8bhCyeb7SGMSsexNKeLwxXbcMyD3Hg2Liy0RKaBwP24b6CLL_6jyGXZwaoxtFuBI9ymv81grVNCRNgngUy/s640/HHH-2015-Friday-258.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Hotter'N Hell P1/2 criterium photos courtesy of <a href="http://www.robertspangle.com/">Robert Spangle Photography</a></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Everyone has to start somewhere, and at the very beginning we’re all in the same boat: we know we like to ride bikes, but how one goes about doing that competitively is something of a mystery. Often “the way things work” in the Austin cycling scene is word of mouth, and you might not have the right person to ask or even have a firm grasp on your questions. Here’s a very basic FAQ for someone who knows nothing but wants to learn more.<br />
<br />
<b>What is bike racing? (also: upgrading and the category system)</b><br />
There are lots of different types of bike racing, from track racing to mountain biking to adventure racing to cyclocross. This post will focus almost exclusively on road cycling—criterium races, road races, stage races, time trials, and the like—all of which take place on pavement and on a road bike or time-trial bike.<br />
<br />
Most of Texas’ road cycling events are mass-start races, meaning you’ll begin with a group of people (in a “pack” or “peloton”) and complete a certain distance or duration to the finish line. The <a href="http://txbra.org/home/index.asp">Texas calendar</a> is very heavy on criteriums in particular, and there are also a number of popular road races (which take place predominantly in the late winter/early spring); pure time trials can be scarce and are usually less well attended.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpXbSA-sOkuqe_HXy0kvckLHPzYkNcBma5RgW-QUsHpbGnjeOloPy99Ww2-OEkkU6w-jW-uv9AJmv2fT0RXwVi_bKlvkHimZCk0RQU5LrwNg9rH4LjwqYpvHg0hYWVKBrAPFG8niUk6lM/s1600/HHH-2015-Sunday-272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpXbSA-sOkuqe_HXy0kvckLHPzYkNcBma5RgW-QUsHpbGnjeOloPy99Ww2-OEkkU6w-jW-uv9AJmv2fT0RXwVi_bKlvkHimZCk0RQU5LrwNg9rH4LjwqYpvHg0hYWVKBrAPFG8niUk6lM/s320/HHH-2015-Sunday-272.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>HHH, Christie Tracy of ATC Racing</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Road cycling has a category system, cat 5 being the lowest and greenest category and cat 1 being the highest category short of an official UCI pro designation. You “cat up” by placing well in mass-start events (TT results don’t count), so a rider’s category reflects a combination of experience and talent. A cat 5 man needs only to complete 10 mass-start races to upgrade to a 4, and from that point on he earns points to upgrade. A woman starts out as a cat 4, so she’ll need points to upgrade from her starting category. Races tend to be split up according to predicted field size—as a typical example, the men might have separate masters, cat 5, cat 3/4, and Pro 1/2 races, while the women almost always have three fields, which are cat 4, cat 1/2/3 (or possibly “Women’s Open,” meaning that 4s can opt to race in that field), and 40+ masters. It’s not uncommon for fields to be combined and scored separately if attendance is low (e.g., the women 40+ race with the W4, or the WP123 races with the masters men).<br />
<br />
<b>How do I get on a team? </b><br />
Before you start thinking about joining a team, you need to race. This is not only a matter of practicality but necessity. Most teams aren’t going to consider you unless you’ve raced before and they know you personally. Cycling is largely about who you know and how you interact with people, not your power numbers. You have to prove that you can race well, not just go fast in a straight line. <br />
<br />
<i>For men:</i> You might be able to get on a team fairly quickly if you have the right connections. Men have more club-type teams that have large numbers and don’t require a specific amount of participation or experience level. Ask around at group rides and bike shops. <br />
<br />
<i>For women:</i> In Austin the women’s teams tend to be very small and selective. Most teams are comprised of cat 3 riders or above, meaning as a cat 4 you have very few options. Being a solo rider for a season until you meet everyone and figure out where you might best fit is probably your best option (see below).<br />
<br />
<i>Why Solo Is Good:</i><br />
Whether man or woman, being an unattached rider for a season or a few months gives you time to figure out the sport and the teams you could see yourself riding for. Without teammates or the pressure to perform a specific role, you can focus on your own personal results and simply play the part of observer and opportunist—these things can be very nice. And don’t worry: there are a lot of other solo riders just like you, and you’re going to get to know people very quickly, whether that’s your aim or not. Bike racing is social, and everyone knows everyone else. Keep in mind that if you want teams to look at you the next season, you need to go to a lot of races, not just for the results and upgrade points but also to show your commitment level.<br />
<br />
<i>Timing: </i><br />
Allegiances begin shifting and teams begin deciding their rosters for the next season in the late summer or fall. You may be approached by them, or you may need to give the team organizers a heads up that you’re interested. Switching teams mid-year is typically considered bad form. Some teams may have extra kits or mid-year kit orders that make it possible to add riders during the season; if you’re interested in joining a team, it doesn’t hurt to ask, but don’t be offended if they turn you down.<br />
<br />
<i>Important Things to Consider When Choosing a Team:</i><br />
First and foremost, think about how well you get along with the other riders. It might also be more enjoyable to race in the same category as most of your teammates—you’ll find some teams have more masters members, for example. You might also decide on a team based on who you can most easily train with, maybe one whose members live around the same part of town. Make sure you understand the commitment level the team wants (e.g., number of races) and that this aligns with your personal goals. Some teams will pay full or partial race entries and heavily subsidize kits; some teams require you to pay all costs yourself. If you start by asking “what do I get,” though, you’re probably not going to get a warm welcome from the team.<br />
<br />
<b>How do I get a free bike? </b><br />
You're kidding, right? Teams sometimes get sponsor deals that they share with members, but the free-equipment crowd is an elite group of 1s or 2s on small and very selective teams. Often they're essentially full-time bike racers and travel to national races. If you join a team that has a good relationship with a local bike shop you may get shop deals on bikes and other equipment, but don't expect this, and treat those opportunities with respect. <br />
<br />
<b>How do I learn more about racing? </b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfjHF7oAoaQDDmsDcFRbuAFwptAK24rgqgIKfoPuEDN5x4pf9_3jHBZq3QQHwkqBIR4dMwQRDN6-kM7LrZhh5xPo-P_30qr_3YvMHWRHQvwAgSuykqsBy6GITZqIKPpa5saG7A2aFEZsnp/s1600/caad12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfjHF7oAoaQDDmsDcFRbuAFwptAK24rgqgIKfoPuEDN5x4pf9_3jHBZq3QQHwkqBIR4dMwQRDN6-kM7LrZhh5xPo-P_30qr_3YvMHWRHQvwAgSuykqsBy6GITZqIKPpa5saG7A2aFEZsnp/s320/caad12.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>If you're looking to buy new, you might consider the <br /><a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product/cannondale-caad12-105-5-237328-1.htm">Cannondale CAAD12</a> or <a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product/focus-cayo-al-tiagra-10499.htm">Focus Cayo AL Tiagra</a> <br />as a quality "starter bike" for racing.</i> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Before you even think about doing your first bike race you need to be experienced in riding with large groups of other people. Go on group rides. Challenge yourself to the hard ones. (Here’s a <a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/05/a-ride-for-any-day-of-week-updated-for.html">list of area group rides</a>—note you’ll need to check on current ride times and details, as this post was written last spring.) Start asking around about what races other cyclists are doing and what they’d recommend. Most people are very willing to help and answer questions. Read race reports (see our ATC blog archives—we have lots!); also check out <a href="http://texasbikeracing.com/">TexasBikeRacing.com</a>. The Texas race calendar can be found at <a href="http://txbra.org/">TXBRA.org</a>. <br />
<br />
<b>What kind of bike do I need? </b><br />
You need a road bike to do crits and road races. It doesn’t have to be expensive—the real priority is a good set of race tires. Tri bikes can only be used for time trials. If you’re worried about your setup and looking silly, go out and watch a race before you register for one, or take your bike to the shop and ask what you need to do to make it race-ready. Staff should be able to help you, and if not, switch to a shop that has more of a competitive customer base.<br />
<br />
<b>Will I get dropped? </b><br />
Probably. Just make sure you have an idea of the route and make your way back. Don’t be embarrassed—it happens to the best of us sooner or later. Road racing is not a participatory sport; it’s not about completing a certain distance but rather being the first to the line.<br />
<br />
<b>I can’t get injured. Should I do this?</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNpXbSA-sOkuqe_HXy0kvckLHPzYkNcBma5RgW-QUsHpbGnjeOloPy99Ww2-OEkkU6w-jW-uv9AJmv2fT0RXwVi_bKlvkHimZCk0RQU5LrwNg9rH4LjwqYpvHg0hYWVKBrAPFG8niUk6lM/s1600/HHH-2015-Sunday-272.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>No. Better you hear this now than later—you have to be willing to leave some skin on the asphalt in this sport. Sooner or later you will crash. The result may be minor road rash or broken bones. You have to accept the possible outcomes going in. If you’re completely averse to risk or you’re particularly uncoordinated, it’s probably better to focus on non-drafting events like time trials or multisport races or just going on challenging group rides or gran fondos. Roadies are accustomed to crashing, dusting themselves off, and getting back on their bikes to finish the race—if this grittiness and element of danger appeals to you, you’ve found your sport.<br />
<br />
<b>So why should I do this? You make it sound like a lot of work, not to mention a big hospital bill. </b><br />
Competition is beautiful. There’s nothing like beating someone at the line in a sprint, split seconds between you. It’s an endorphin rush you’re never going to feel from a steady time trial. Racing works your mind in surprising ways, too—you learn to read people’s movements and thoughts, even predict the future. You’ll get into the deep dark depths of yourself—what you’re afraid of, your physical limits and strengths, how far you’re willing to push yourself, how well you can manipulate and manage other people and situations. In the process you’ll find talents you never knew you had, like performing well sprinting for a certain distance or sliding into a tight spot. Getting to race on a team in a sport in which a team actually matters is fun, too; the opportunity to contribute and work toward a mutual goal is immensely satisfying. Racing is addictive, and you’ll have a hundred sane reasons for not doing it, and you’ll do it anyway. It’s kind of like eating ice cream.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>And now for those of you who aren’t satisfied yet… </i><br />
<b>I’m a strong time trialist (or triathlete), so I’m going to be awesome at road racing, right?</b><br />
Not necessarily. This was me…I did a few Mopac TTs and the Tour de Gruene TT and thought I was going to win my first road race easily. I learned a few very hard lessons. Lots of roadies don’t do TTs and tris, especially in the road “off season” when they’re all taking a much-needed break, so you’re going to see whole new levels of fast in your first mass-start races. The format is also very different—you don’t get to choose the pace; expect sharp accelerations throughout and adjust your training to prepare by incorporating intervals and hill climbs. You’ll also have a lot to learn about race tactics and positioning. If you’re a strong time trialist, you’ll figure it out if you make an effort to, but it’s going to take time, so don’t be too disappointed when you don’t make the podium your first couple of races.<br />
<br />
<b>Yeah, but you don’t understand. I’m really fast. People keep saying I could be a pro. How do I race at a professional level? </b><br />
Well, that changes everyth…no, it actually doesn’t. Not at all. You still have to work your way up from the bottom like everyone else. You may win your cat 5 races, and that’s great, but old fat guys are going to be beating you at local races when you get to 1/2 if you don’t train like a demon and learn how to read the group. If you’re the prodigy you say you are, you’ll rise through the ranks quickly and eventually you’ll hit the plateau where either talent or experience is curbing your rapid rise, and there you will learn all the things you may have skipped in the easier categories. Like I said, everyone pays their dues.<br />
<br />
The way it’s done in most cases for men is that they start young, maybe riding for a junior development or local elite team. They usually spend quite a bit of time racing locally before they sign up for National Racing Calendar events, which represent the U.S. domestic pro circuit. If they’re really, really good, they might eventually start racing for a team in Europe, which is where the only real money in the sport is. But don’t give up on the idea of racing —if you’re not young and you’re not earth-shatteringly fast, in Austin there’s still a lot of prestige in racing at the top categories on a local level, and you’ll have incredible competition.<br />
<br />
Women tend to start later and come from a wider variety of backgrounds. The advantage of being a woman: you can start racing with the best in the country as a cat 2, possibly even in your first season. Most NRC races are P12 fields for the women. For some events you can enter as a solo rider, and if the race is limited to invited teams, often you can still get a guest-riding spot on one of the smaller elite teams. The disadvantages of being a woman: there’s even less financial support than for the men, and there’s a huge jump from local races to NRC in terms of talent and field size. It’s a good idea, if you’re thinking you’d like to race pro, to race with the local men’s fields as much as possible. In general, the path to racing for a woman’s domestic pro team is very simple: 1) cat up to at least a 2 and learn how to race in big, fast fields; 2) guest ride for pro/elite teams to get some exposure and experience; 3) make connections with other riders and team directors to get invited onto a team. <br />
<br />
To be a professional cyclist you’ve got to love the sport. There’s very little financial incentive. As a woman, you won’t get rich, period. You’ll be lucky to get paid anything. As a man, there’s a 99.9% chance you won’t get rich, either, and only a slightly higher probability of receiving a minimal salary. That’s the reality. So no matter what, have fun with it; that’s the only real reason to race.<br />
<br />
<b>Links:</b><br />
<a href="http://txbra.org/">TXBRA.org</a><br />
<a href="http://texasbikeracing.com/">TexasBikeRacing.com</a><br />
<a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/05/a-ride-for-any-day-of-week-updated-for.html">List of group rides</a><br />
<a href="http://www.robertspangle.com/cycling">Robert Spangle's cycling photography</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-297260827008515022015-12-11T10:35:00.000-08:002015-12-11T10:38:28.003-08:00ATC Under the Tree<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQupGtnxfmd60SRHIVDGPvtrKWfH8j6pbdBgIpA8gKBJbCcw25lQ0Jzaao5ogkPPhFhvPvgmDjRAAv7_psmNDp-sacr9MzuC20Id_3VrbjoCx_Gw-o9DTLidOwx5Oc8JVVMQcBLxk80AqQ/s1600/dillobike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQupGtnxfmd60SRHIVDGPvtrKWfH8j6pbdBgIpA8gKBJbCcw25lQ0Jzaao5ogkPPhFhvPvgmDjRAAv7_psmNDp-sacr9MzuC20Id_3VrbjoCx_Gw-o9DTLidOwx5Oc8JVVMQcBLxk80AqQ/s320/dillobike.jpg" width="320" /></a>Imagine the scene: the tree trimmed to Christmassy perfection, a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the fire crackling, brightly wrapped gifts stacked in orderly piles of anticipation, the sun just dawning on the perfectly peaceful holiday morning… And then, as the first present is opened, the biggest surprise of Christmas day bursts forth in a grunting, armor-plated ball of pent-up terror. Tree and presents are toppled, drinks are spilled, sparks fly from the fireplace, the children are terrified into absolute silence, and all adults present are racing to subdue the creature before all is lost.<br />
<br />
As the smoke and debris clears, the bundle of cheer is revealed to be an armadillo, perhaps dressed up to look like Rudolph in a small-dog costume, complete with red nose. Why gift scented candles and kitchen appliances when you can be so original, daring even? <br />
<br />
We don’t know why no one ever likes our most creative ideas.<br />
<br />
Austin Tri-Cyclist is, unfortunately, not licensed to trade in live armadillos. Staff do their best to keep things exciting, however, and while this year’s list of holiday gift ideas might be more practical than a wild animal, they’re still sure to be loved by the recipient.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Garmin Forerunner 235, $329.99 </b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6u-U-w0w-DGcdmBw7W7ehmhHDNfjbcIKZsyXGDF-aflAF78zUamrD0nFI4M3dVjgx_wnwEvMTOcYuOTWj_U52RUYdWKgkQbqdknxvOYi-NIb6cIHHxV44rP50kvdpe9cqggVRMmR_k_h/s1600/garmin+watch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6u-U-w0w-DGcdmBw7W7ehmhHDNfjbcIKZsyXGDF-aflAF78zUamrD0nFI4M3dVjgx_wnwEvMTOcYuOTWj_U52RUYdWKgkQbqdknxvOYi-NIb6cIHHxV44rP50kvdpe9cqggVRMmR_k_h/s200/garmin+watch.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Now in stock, this running watch includes a built-in heartrate monitor. Getting heartrate from your wrist versus an uncomfortable chest strap will put an extra spring in your step. The watch also tracks distance, pace, time, and more.<br />
<a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product/garmin-forerunner-235-246460-1.htm">Link</a><br />
<br />
<b>Light and Motion Vis 180 Micro Taillight, $44.99</b><br />
Winter training means lots of time in dim light or pure darkness for cyclists and multisport athletes. Try this bright little gem for compact and rechargeable rear illumination.<br />
<a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product/light-motion-vis-180-micro-taillight-173933-1.htm">Link</a><br />
<br />
<b>Skratch Labs Cookbooks, $24.95 </b><br />
<b><i>The Feed Zone Cookbook</i> or <i>Feed Zone Portables Cookbook</i></b><br />
Store-bought bars and gels can get boring and expensive; make your own with the <i>Feed Zone Portables Cookbook</i>. Or check out <i>The Feed Zone Cookbook</i> for healthy meal recipes designed specifically for athletes.<br />
Links: <a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product/skratch-labs-the-feed-zone-cookbook-189018-1.htm">Feed Zone</a>, <a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product/skratch-labs-feed-zone-portables-cookbook-202234-1.htm">Feed Zone Portables</a><br />
<br />
<b>Speedplay Zero Aero Walkable Cleats, $54.95</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPOXAeQDuxlmpW0L1z34bWv-vgwRvQXb_CFtR1xJUpw-JA-vOhqHZFNvX9TY29Cu8EBbJ7ceVi2kphr_a-y1I98YYP_vFI5FCzRBCeYrp5XyAqRDmqwFruHeDbnZ9fdHm-xrNyZP9jRqnp/s1600/runatcshirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPOXAeQDuxlmpW0L1z34bWv-vgwRvQXb_CFtR1xJUpw-JA-vOhqHZFNvX9TY29Cu8EBbJ7ceVi2kphr_a-y1I98YYP_vFI5FCzRBCeYrp5XyAqRDmqwFruHeDbnZ9fdHm-xrNyZP9jRqnp/s320/runatcshirt.jpg" width="240" /></a>Off the bike, Speedplays used to have the downside of being more delicate than other pedals and more prone to slipping. These beauties let you take a hike without fear of embarrassment and protect the cleat from wear (and damage to floors). Included "cleat buddies" can be plugged into the center cavity for walking in dirty conditions. Speedplay also claims an aero advantage.<br />
<a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product/speedplay-zero-aero-walkable-cleats-10640.htm">Link</a><br />
<br />
<b>Run ATC T-Shirt, $24.95</b><br />
Still not the real dillo, but close…this fashionable tee is perfect for the runner/triathlete with similarly good taste in music.<br />
<a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product/atc-run-atc-shirt-10642.htm">Link</a><br />
(and find the V-neck version <a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product/atc-run-atc-shirt-v-neck-10643.htm">here</a>)<br />
<br />
<b>Nutrition</b><br />
<a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product/skratch-labs-fruit-drops-energy-chews-10641.htm">Skratch Labs Fruit Drops Energy Chews</a> make a nice stocking stuffer. Check out ATC’s other nutrition options as well, in powdered, gel, and bar form.<br />
<br />ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-77746134359036487612015-12-05T13:05:00.000-08:002015-12-08T07:15:33.798-08:00Bike, Run, Paddle in Dingle By <a href="http://www.kathrynhunter.net/">Kat Hunter</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkqVL3qb1TbOZZo6ppcY3Dk5uhBUhDA6iJCsWd56uGORBhj1hieiTfJ9g9i6GpO4q4uwst_0f1XrocGP1j4es8TD-3HqAd5idh8PfernuP_B1JBVLhIgZBIWk_ICX8wUlH7LBBE9DD6rbi/s1600/Enda.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkqVL3qb1TbOZZo6ppcY3Dk5uhBUhDA6iJCsWd56uGORBhj1hieiTfJ9g9i6GpO4q4uwst_0f1XrocGP1j4es8TD-3HqAd5idh8PfernuP_B1JBVLhIgZBIWk_ICX8wUlH7LBBE9DD6rbi/s640/Enda.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
“You’ve done this before,” our guide Enda says, obviously surprised to see that I’ve caught up so quickly.<br />
<br />
I feel a sense of pride, though I know I probably shouldn’t. The water is smooth, the group is slow, and I’ve got enough muscle memory to remember how to use a paddle, even if it’s been five or ten years. The kayaking guides of outfitter <span id="goog_628367052"></span><a href="http://www.irishadventures.net/">Irish Adventures</a> <span id="goog_628367053"></span>are simply accustomed to pure beginners. But this is exhilarating, the feeling of floating on the water, so like flying. I realize that my satisfaction in the activity is not all that different from what I’ve felt for bike racing—a sport that has been my passion for the past five or six years and part-career through the 2015 season—or the idea of travel as a whole: it reflects my deep-seated need to always be moving, to be hurtling forward in whatever arbitrary direction, and not only that, but to do something that other people can’t or won’t…and, of course, to do it better. There’s perhaps something wrong with me, in that competition is at the heart of nearly everything, especially if I think I have reason to be good at it. A big motivator is my rather combative streak of feminism: a quest to raise expectations that always seem to be set too low. <br />
Enda points out historical structures along the cliffs. We explore narrow sea caves, where starfish cling to rocks in the dim green light. One of our group falls out of the boat in the rolling waves near the mouth of the harbor but manages to pull himself back in without too much trouble (we’re wearing wetsuits). We look for Fungie, a friendly solo dolphin who’s frequented the area since 1984 and has become a regular tourist attraction, but he fails to make an appearance. Dingle’s intensely green, sloping hills and the cold, clear salt water are very different from Austin’s end-of-summer brown and boiling heat, and I find myself falling in love with Ireland and this unique slice of County Kerry for its beauty and its ancient history and its opportunity for adventure and, yes, even its inexplicably eccentric, people-loving porpoises.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-EzyLomnKzwTDfV_6vv2Uf3jHAulvkxdRsYmxgowiBLwIMGSQmmJD1DkdSYt4TTIn9lv4DxE7V2_g7Uu3gJ3WFmeyscZpWkjzatDtKOA8337B_eFSZO_i3BJStFtDKO2DnZt1OIIjrl82/s1600/DAR+jersey.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-EzyLomnKzwTDfV_6vv2Uf3jHAulvkxdRsYmxgowiBLwIMGSQmmJD1DkdSYt4TTIn9lv4DxE7V2_g7Uu3gJ3WFmeyscZpWkjzatDtKOA8337B_eFSZO_i3BJStFtDKO2DnZt1OIIjrl82/s320/DAR+jersey.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
Back at Irish Adventure’s headquarters, I again eye a bike jersey hanging on the wall. Out on the water I’d asked Enda about the <a href="http://www.dingleadventurerace.com/">Dingle Adventure Race</a>—what was it, when was it, how many people participated, and if they got many international competitors. He’d smiled and asked me if it was something I was considering. I answered with an immediate, rather guilty, “No.” It was August, and it had only been about a month since I’d hung up my bike helmet, body and mind burned to a cinder after one pro season. I wanted a sane life. I wanted to be a good mom and a better writer and a normal person who didn’t train for nine hours on the weekends. And yet…<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9dGydUhwW6_-a4uaYdBgIgCB4dOJ3RQ5RNRKcL4_5ngUJzU6ALmDRqafYqh2reQGSKW-2dxPF7LHeWx8uG2IelAMuI5CwMz259hYBF9s5fYn2KRmFo_Txg6iyT-EhmgeumbvvNemXTFOM/s1600/DAR+map+full+course.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9dGydUhwW6_-a4uaYdBgIgCB4dOJ3RQ5RNRKcL4_5ngUJzU6ALmDRqafYqh2reQGSKW-2dxPF7LHeWx8uG2IelAMuI5CwMz259hYBF9s5fYn2KRmFo_Txg6iyT-EhmgeumbvvNemXTFOM/s320/DAR+map+full+course.jpg" width="224" /></a>The Dingle Adventure Race seemed awfully inviting. DAR is a bike, hike/mountain run, road run, and kayak—the annual adventure race takes place on June 11 in 2016, with three course options of a Full, Sport, and Mini. For the Full, the road cycling portion is 25K (elevation gain 480 meters), followed by the hike/mountain run of 10K (elevation gain 950 meters) and a 10.5K road run, and ending with a 2K paddle by kayak and a 0.75K sprint on land to the finish line. It’s not one of those race courses that repeats a dozen circles on top of itself but is actually one very large loop of the peninsula, and the two shorter courses take a significantly different route, those going directly west versus north. Another big plus, at least for a sink-like-a-stone person like me, is the fact that it’s a multisport race without a swim leg.<br />
<br />
A kayaking guide on a trip later in the week at inland salt lake Lough Hyne would tell me that in the past most Irish people didn’t learn how to swim, even the fishermen; it was thought better in the cold water to just get it over with and drown quickly. I have to say that after taking a very brief dip in Lough Hyne, which was my first full-body ice bath, I can appreciate their logic. That said, the elderly Irish lady who got in the water the same time as me, saying it was warmer than she expected, outlasted me by a factor of about 10,000, smiling all the while, so I’m not certain how truthful the guide’s the-Irish-don’t-swim myth was.<br />
<br />
In 2015, the male winner of the DAR full course finished in 2 hours 43 minutes with the next two competitors roughly one minute and two minutes behind, and the female winner finished in 3 hours 40 minutes with a six-minute lead.<br />
<br />
Given the club names, the DAR results list appears to be overwhelmingly Irish, and to be honest, I’m not sure if I’m sharing a closely guarded national secret. Dingle itself, however, is a tourist magnet for both Irish and international visitors—the population is roughly 2,000, but the town has 50-something pubs, and the Dingle Peninsula is referred to as “the jewel in the crown of the Wild Atlantic Way.” At the beginning of my eight-day trip with <a href="http://vagabondtoursofireland.ie/">Vagabond Tours</a>, we used our accommodations in Dingle (Emlagh House) as a jumping-off point for stand-up paddle boarding in Castlegregory, golf, historical sites like Gallarus and Kilmalkedar, the dramatic seaside cliffs of Slea Head, some incredible hiking and beach lounging near Annascaul, and a distillery tour. I had a lovely eggplant entrée at restaurant An Canteen. I also enjoyed the fact that Dingle is a true Gaeltacht region, or enclave of Gaelic speakers. Never mind that I can’t parse a single syllable out of it, it’s enchanting to hear. <br />
<br />
Dingle is a good place for endurance training, as well. I had no bike to try the road routes, but I went for a run along a bluff trail that bordered the harbor. There’s something about running along the water, especially a cold-water ocean like Ireland’s with all its rocks and innate moodiness, that I love. I ran there late one evening and then again first thing the next morning. I stopped by the 19-century tower near the harbor’s entrance, peering around and inside. I walked cautiously through a pasture heavily populated with cows that didn’t seem to want to budge from the path, asking them in an exceedingly peaceable tone to please not chase me off the cliffs because, honest to God, I was a 15-or-so-year veteran vegetarian. Though I was imagining the terrible irony of any incident and the Irish newspaper headlines that would result (“Daft Texan Trampled by Cattle”), I successfully managed to get past them to reach the red-and-white lighthouse and the bend of the trail, where I ran a short way along the open sea. Seagulls swooped around me, and I noted that even they seemed to have a different sound, an Irish accent of sorts. As clumsy and exhausting as it was after several years of strictly cycling, running there felt like an expression of pure joy.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06U-msjf2r40CjnmotBe-wK3kq7VnAZaqH6HqU8HkLhNeAbqbCWYKkQvVJfzWqhfA_JDU1gR2uNExcyezldeY6cdLzELh3pUDe5OCQvWDCa5CthLiC3VO6M5auMCNfa2-XXXUmtlSVn7Z/s1600/081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06U-msjf2r40CjnmotBe-wK3kq7VnAZaqH6HqU8HkLhNeAbqbCWYKkQvVJfzWqhfA_JDU1gR2uNExcyezldeY6cdLzELh3pUDe5OCQvWDCa5CthLiC3VO6M5auMCNfa2-XXXUmtlSVn7Z/s640/081.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I’d come to Ireland on a trip with Vagabond Tours to write an article for lifestyle magazine Prime Living, which will be published in the 2016 March/April issue. These sporadic press trips are the best part of my professional life, a top-shelf reward for otherwise being a semi-starving artist back home. Though technically work, the experiences bring out the best in me. I think that in traveling and going to see things, we’re really going to visit a part of ourselves that we only let out to play an odd week or two during the year; we are free to be indulgent observers, seekers of unscripted adventure, to be completely and unabashedly at play.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8bMs2l7ZBXGCS8P77vYc-PVvU87kmKcembF-0ZXrCPhPlY1JYSePjD_qBUb6DyML5qg2jUyR4Yp0wAQ7SlX7RkD_aPTzYrn-vLBFqJykDSiBb9Fh4rXxN42-uBv4pfbNHD6HerfXPU22Q/s1600/rusty+bike+irish+adventures+headquarters.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8bMs2l7ZBXGCS8P77vYc-PVvU87kmKcembF-0ZXrCPhPlY1JYSePjD_qBUb6DyML5qg2jUyR4Yp0wAQ7SlX7RkD_aPTzYrn-vLBFqJykDSiBb9Fh4rXxN42-uBv4pfbNHD6HerfXPU22Q/s320/rusty+bike+irish+adventures+headquarters.JPG" width="320" /></a>For me, an unintended consequence of these exotic excursions is often a swing back in the “wrong” direction. In late 2014, surrounded by the myriad bikes of <a href="http://www.kathrynhunter.net/articles/PLJA15-DiningUndertheNordicLights.pdf">Copenhagen </a>and a few weeks later the beautiful trails and roads of <a href="http://prime-living.com/escape/afoodiescaliforniadream/">Monterey, California</a>, that November I’d put all my chips back onto the table and joined a domestic pro road cycling team for the next year, breaking the firm promise to myself that I was done with competition. Now I have this new unsettling set of ideas from my experience in Ireland, the tantalizing prospect of adventure racing, or maybe pure kayaking, or maybe multisport again, or maybe mountain biking, or maybe…you see what I mean. <br />
<br />
I’m no longer ruling out the Dingle Adventure Race as a possibility, some day. I do very much want to return to Dingle, if only just to wander through it again. I may even have promised as much to those cows when I was bargaining for my life—tourist dollars, you know. And besides, I still have to meet Fungie.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn55NrP6qDm3SBVXtMpdaeR1q14G2-WSBfDfARMDjRrJpJCS7tmwDNtCMf0i6vIZRh6fh1qWEO78y1Y6OgN3hRTMbcjsyt4i-rxw9bBPyho8g8PGQzrO2tCAQYv-4OqRsT5PXCQOxzhxGS/s1600/bike+DAR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn55NrP6qDm3SBVXtMpdaeR1q14G2-WSBfDfARMDjRrJpJCS7tmwDNtCMf0i6vIZRh6fh1qWEO78y1Y6OgN3hRTMbcjsyt4i-rxw9bBPyho8g8PGQzrO2tCAQYv-4OqRsT5PXCQOxzhxGS/s640/bike+DAR.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-50719360227269815072015-11-23T06:13:00.001-08:002015-11-23T06:45:50.932-08:002015 Longhorn 70.3 Race Report from Brooklyn Visitor<div style="background-color: white;">
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">by Jimmy Pearson</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tDkgbtsGsu3aYjTr0J67DV9KrUqfL0FShGmr4VLzhaDMQWrWW8jJgM5Wh3NzKj_rdiX5XziiL4Zlwp1Siz3xPT2bKCh9rVfYCTKsiMsa2Psb6G0VtLYcDQKg4G8ZE4plM_6KCaFXrKMR/s1600/jimmyandallan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_tDkgbtsGsu3aYjTr0J67DV9KrUqfL0FShGmr4VLzhaDMQWrWW8jJgM5Wh3NzKj_rdiX5XziiL4Zlwp1Siz3xPT2bKCh9rVfYCTKsiMsa2Psb6G0VtLYcDQKg4G8ZE4plM_6KCaFXrKMR/s400/jimmyandallan.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mile 27 of a 34-mile ultra Nov. 21, Jimmy at center <br />and husband Allan at right</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">I am not a highly trained and experienced triathlete, nor a coach, nor a pro, nor even someone who bothered to train properly for the Ironman 70.3 Austin. I had a solid beginning to my training season, but one IT band injury and several months later, I was facing the race indisputably and embarrassingly unprepared. The night before, my husband and coach even said that he was “disassociating himself” from my race performance. I had decided long before the start that this half Ironman would be my last, which liberated me a bit to just enjoy myself, no matter how reckless I felt as I pulled into the Travis County Expo Center on race morning.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">As soon as I arrived, it seemed like all anyone could talk was the two separate transition areas, and the attendant hassles of getting all of their gear to the right places before the transitions closed. And while it did cause me a little bit of extra stress on race morning, it was honestly much ado about nothing. I arrived later than I had hoped, had to shuttle back and forth between T1 and T2 an extra time (I somehow missed the memo that the run transition should be set up before the bike transition), and still had plenty of time.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">In fact, if there was one drawback, it was all of the extra time I had between getting set up and my wave start, which was a full 90 minutes after transition closed. Having already turned in all of my gear other than what I needed for the swim, I spent that 90 minutes trying to keep warm and kicking myself for not bringing a pair of throw-away socks.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Austin begins with a floating start, and by the time my wave was preparing to start, the relatively warm water of Decker Lake was actually a relief from the cold and wind on the beach. That said, I could have done without all the other 30-34 year old males telling each other about how they were peeing in the water just a few feet away from me (we all know that we do it, but that doesn’t mean I want to think about it).</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJkc5RhMJ5f1CIJnSr1b1cAUj0oK2NEXZkXqrsJVuXb-zl8-_3B63ESkqi0gh3TPNpxUhupetisJX7QmZyB5ixd1KhOun-L7-JjKtobC9jOllsTqzkFYWuvH9iYRjHK2t9TJef24x6FYN/s1600/jimmyandrider.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJkc5RhMJ5f1CIJnSr1b1cAUj0oK2NEXZkXqrsJVuXb-zl8-_3B63ESkqi0gh3TPNpxUhupetisJX7QmZyB5ixd1KhOun-L7-JjKtobC9jOllsTqzkFYWuvH9iYRjHK2t9TJef24x6FYN/s320/jimmyandrider.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>No guilt here: Jimmy and Rider sleeping in<br />while Allan goes out for a run</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The swim is actually my favorite leg of any tri, and I managed to enjoy it out to the first turn in spite of being squeezed by swimmers on both sides. I like to think I can maintain a pretty good line, and I took the fact that swimmers from all sides were trying to cross right through me as a nice confirmation that I couldn’t be far off. After the first turn the swim leg turns due east, which unfortunately put the rising sun and its glare off the water right in front of the pack, making sighting pretty difficult. That and a strong westerly wind caused me to take a wide turn into the last stretch towards the beach. One of my weaknesses as a swimmer is that when I am off course I often don’t correct early and decisively, so I traced a wide arc on my way back to transition.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">I was a little anxious beginning the bike leg. Our friends and hosts in Austin were kind enough to loan me a bike for the race (a Litespeed that felt lighter and all-around superior to my Felt F3), and had asked me to send them measurements ahead of time so it would be ready for me. This would seem simple enough, but I had actually never even heard of terms like “frame stack,” “handlebar stack,</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"> “frame reach,</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">”</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> and “handlebar reach” before, let alone set out to accurately measure my bike fit. Combine that with the fact that I arrived the day before the race and had almost no time to test out the fit, and I was a little nervous. I have always been taught not to try anything new on race day, and an entirely new bike seems significant enough to try out well in advance.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Luckily, my fears were unfounded <span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span> the bike felt great, and I enjoyed every minute of riding on the farm roads outside of Austin. Texas is where I first started to bike seriously; I haven’t lived or biked here in over eight years, and riding on the farm roads felt like something of a homecoming. Sticklers might find it a bit frustrating; the course was far too crowded to be concerned about drafting rules, and the road quality often left something to be desired. Nonetheless, I had a great time and rode into T2 with a smile on my face (even if the sight of a pro passing me during his cooldown on the course was a little bit of a bummer.)</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">The run was a different story. As I mentioned, I was somewhat less than adequately prepared, and unfortunately my lack of preparation often manifests on the run. As soon as I got off the bike, I felt my lower back seizing up, and it caused me considerable pain at the beginning that necessitated stopping and stretching a few times. Austin’s run leg is a loop course, which I usually try to avoid; I find it mentally challenging to run the same loop over and over, and in this particular instance it meant I had to tackle the one significant hill of the course three times. That said, I was glad for the loops because it meant I got to see my husband and running coach six times during the run. Thanks to his support and my very gradually warming up lower back, I managed to negative split my way to the finish.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Austin 70.3 makes a big deal in its promotional materials of having an indoor finish at the Travis County Expo Center, and I have to admit that the energy at the finish line was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. That said, if you’re anything like me, the first thing you’ll want to do once your chip is off is GET OUT OF THE EXPO CENTER. It’s crowded and smells terrible. Unfortunately, the only way out is through a nearly immobile crowd and up a very unwelcoming staircase. If the race doesn’t make you feel like you earned a few celebration beers, getting out of the Expo Center in one piece just might.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">In the end, I had a blast racing in Austin. And my husband and coach, even after his formal “disassociation,” was nonetheless supportive and happy with how everything turned out. Even if it wasn’t enough to make me reconsider trying another half Ironman anytime soon, it was enough to make me very happy that this was my last.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i>Jimmy Pearson</i></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i>originally from Chappaqua, NY, a suburb about 45 minutes from NYC</i></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><i>is an alumnus of Rice University in Houston, TX (Wiess '07). He now lives in Brooklyn with his husband, Allan, and their dog, Rider. </i></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><i>A consultant focusing on social and public sector organizations, he did his first triathlon in 2007. The Austin 70.3 was his second half-Ironman event, following Timberman in New Hampshire in August 2014. </i> </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"></span></span><br />
<br /></div>
</div>
ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-90303274844505644512015-11-19T09:07:00.000-08:002015-11-19T09:07:42.547-08:00Q&A on Garmin HRMs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvvT7_bREdlrr7ZxFv_EPJdVZt1nMsCvBA4qE3ylQuQ6LA4GJTXvrQInXrym71sDBgrqquOIpwfolEz_SHslMLlcVeoovjxPXegPUCu-NhKEP60xjkUSIatlsXzg10x0OPTs3KbKT_vej/s1600/hrmswim21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqvvT7_bREdlrr7ZxFv_EPJdVZt1nMsCvBA4qE3ylQuQ6LA4GJTXvrQInXrym71sDBgrqquOIpwfolEz_SHslMLlcVeoovjxPXegPUCu-NhKEP60xjkUSIatlsXzg10x0OPTs3KbKT_vej/s1600/hrmswim21.jpg" /></a></div>
Adding a little tech to your workout routine can provide a big boost in overall efficiency and results, but the practical side of things is important, too. How well does the device work in different training scenarios? Is it easy to use and comfortable to wear? We asked triathlete and ATC customer Jaaron Sanderson, who purchased both of Garmin’s two new heart rate monitors, for a quick rundown on the <a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product/garmin-heart-rate-monitor-hrm-swim-10557.htm">Garmin Swim</a> and <a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product/garmin-hrm-tri-244038-1.htm">Garmin Tri</a> and their performance in the water. <br />
<br />
<b>What’s your experience with the Garmin Swim and Garmin Tri, and how do you use them for training and racing? </b><br />
<br />
I have used Garmin HRMs in training for about the last five years, mostly running and biking but also for rock climbing, soccer, and kayaking. I use a 920XT and an Edge 520 (all the Garmin heart monitors will send info to both devices simultaneously). I have been doing triathlons for about 8 years. I am not all that serious about racing, but I enjoy destination races, training, and using HRMs as a training method. I also do a lot of adventure races, rock climbing, and mountain biking with my 8-year-old daughter. She did her first cyclocross race this weekend!<br />
<br />
I bought the Tri about 2 months ago (right after it came out). The Tri works great for biking and running. It gives you all the same running dynamics (Cadence, Vertical Oscillation, and Ground Contact Time) as the Garmin running HRMs. I have practiced with it at Barton Springs and Lake Austin. It works great in the open water with or without a wetsuit. As far as races, I used it in the Cabo Ironman and the Austin Half. It's great not to have to mess with putting on a HRM during T1—one less thing to worry about. For me, it was worth buying for that reason alone.<br />
<br />
As far as the usefulness of the HRMs for swim training and racing, I am still figuring it out. Everything I had read before said that your swimming heart rate was lower than your biking and running heart rate at the same perceived level of intensity. For that reason I had never really worried about my swimming heart rate but always wondered why it was so high at T1, then lowered on the bike. What I have found since using these HRMs is that my swimming heart rate is around 10 beats higher than the bike and slightly higher than the run at the same perceived levels of exertion. In addition, in races it sometimes hits 175 bpm—definitely not good for an Ironman! I still haven't fully absorbed this info, but it will certainly affect my training and racing.<br />
<br />
<b>How do the two HRMs differ? How accurate do you find them, especially for open water? </b><br />
<br />
DO NOT expect to be able to use the Tri in a pool unless you don't push of the wall at all or don't mind cutting off the circulation to your lower torso. Even lightly pushing off the wall with the strap very tight, it slips down or flips over, which made it unusable for me in the pool. That's why I bought the Swim. I have gotten used to it being a little tighter than I would have preferred, and haven't had issues with it slipping/flipping off during flip turns. One other note: while training in the open water you can roll over on your back and the HRM will almost immediately sync with your watch (to check while swimming). Same with stopping at the edge of the pool.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_g4XPiVC_55mA2EDCCMAmlvY46yxLq4x0oaGfjn9vfCiws6R0ZWsuT6YEqG0vdI5HAr7lGghrIyT1Y-h-cCU7tsj2JyCJz7I9fprQs0WTk7PZzTl-ejQzgmt0OL1N56dcS27hfJDUSLW/s1600/Barton+Springs.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_g4XPiVC_55mA2EDCCMAmlvY46yxLq4x0oaGfjn9vfCiws6R0ZWsuT6YEqG0vdI5HAr7lGghrIyT1Y-h-cCU7tsj2JyCJz7I9fprQs0WTk7PZzTl-ejQzgmt0OL1N56dcS27hfJDUSLW/s400/Barton+Springs.png" width="400" /></a>The GPS on the 920 when swimming is not that accurate. The file shows me swimming on the shore half the time at Barton Springs. Granted, I was swimming at the edge of the pool, but still, it's a good 5-10 feet off. That said, this inaccuracy doesn't really bother me. When you are swimming distance in the open water the inaccuracies will more often than not wash out (no pun...) and who cares about a few feet or even a few dozen. If you really care, you can always attach your watch to a pull buoy.<br />
<br />ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-48820322934498583712015-11-12T08:55:00.000-08:002015-11-12T08:55:29.504-08:00Cultivating the Roadie Coolby <a href="http://www.kathrynhunter.net/">Kat Hunter</a><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKP4XNptUbyfGlUOwo-JAH-2BkgBs90xNpsOzYvau2r4nH-Kl8yLJcSvCQVrxSltKGPgZmKb_f1AKULs16LAEhXIgKH8G1JWcH6l9AkYryPM6NJ8qaOSDqZ2_NLsAdYa9HQKlqN9iNhJ9e/s1600/cool+roadie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKP4XNptUbyfGlUOwo-JAH-2BkgBs90xNpsOzYvau2r4nH-Kl8yLJcSvCQVrxSltKGPgZmKb_f1AKULs16LAEhXIgKH8G1JWcH6l9AkYryPM6NJ8qaOSDqZ2_NLsAdYa9HQKlqN9iNhJ9e/s320/cool+roadie.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pro cyclist and bike mechanic Tristan Uhl, unflappable</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Long-time roadies are the cool kids of the cycling world, and not just in terms of their general aplomb and fashion sense. They're also remarkably composed.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
For me, the sound of a car horn is one of the worst in the world, like being called the dirtiest of all dirty names. I find that even when I'm mostly in the wrong, if a driver lays on the horn, I'm more likely to defend whatever action inspired his anger and respond in kind. If a car intentionally cuts me off or does something dangerous, I give the person a piece of my mind with colorful words and descriptive gestures. I take it all so personally that I'll still be angry days later. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
At the root of it, I get startled or scared. Being on a bike is a vulnerable position, and with Austin's roads and traffic, I often feel like I'm entering an all-out war zone—without the two-ton steel armor everyone else is wearing. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
But when I ride with a truly "pro" roadie, the atmosphere is much different. Someone just yelled at us to "get off the road"? Or (an entertaining Easter Sunday a few years back) to "get to church"? The experienced roadie responds one of two ways: sarcasm or complete disregard. A wry wave, a smile, a blank stare, an expression of casual indifference...all seem to communicate smug disdain rather than anger.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I aspire to that, like a kind of Buddhist bicycle philosophy that, while not accepting a call to battle, doesn't back down from it, either. It's dignified. It's productive. You can't be arrested for it. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
But <i>how</i> do they do it? In my case, all the good and noble intentions in the world won't stop a surge of anger from flowing helmet-to-shoes like a lightning bolt. I have three theories: 1) Serious roadies have no fear. Obviously. The personalities involved in competition tend to be the least worried about leaving skin on the pavement. 2) They ride so much that they've just come to accept and ignore drivers' aggressive behavior, as they would rain or wind. 3) All physical and emotional resources are being reserved for the workout itself, which makes responding to or steaming about an unrelated incident not worth the effort required.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
These unruffled roadies, whatever their true intentions or compulsions, have a good strategy. A calm approach will usually get you further in a dialogue with someone. If the only words a driver can exchange with you are antagonistic, you probably weren't going to accomplish anything with the communication anyway. And, of course, sometimes the fact that you're keeping your calm when the other person clearly can't has its own hidden bonus: it can be infuriating. All in all, the system works much better for minor infractions, and can be adapted as needed for other situations. There's certainly a time and a place for being angry and taking a stand in spandex and cleats, but it should probably be the exception rather than the rule, if for nothing more than your own sanity and a little positive cycling PR. </div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Maybe the important thing to at least TRY to remember, in the quest of roadie cool, is that the person on the high road usually does win. Or at least looks really suave in the process. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-4894169420812064282015-11-05T12:03:00.001-08:002015-11-05T12:12:27.682-08:00Bringin’ Back the Lunch RideBy <a href="http://www.kathrynhunter.net/">Kat Hunter</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EGQG9JCgP_Ug1xHCAToer1JRyZXvLB3dSRo2Ek_yfL6ZXPAo5V-Eo4y6KUSMOqJQXc0y3oimxjRwcNhYWcFcA5FkTJhVm90luVUHtBwJYNJqv6zRvDeQJlLPQt4pMF-MmMof_G1L3rdU/s1600/npadrejackandtheo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3EGQG9JCgP_Ug1xHCAToer1JRyZXvLB3dSRo2Ek_yfL6ZXPAo5V-Eo4y6KUSMOqJQXc0y3oimxjRwcNhYWcFcA5FkTJhVm90luVUHtBwJYNJqv6zRvDeQJlLPQt4pMF-MmMof_G1L3rdU/s640/npadrejackandtheo.jpg" width="640" /></a>I could have killed him. My favorite sunglasses—Oakley Radar XLs, sponsored team glasses which retail somewhere around $300—lost to the Gulf on a Labor Day beach trip. Granted, my road season was already over, but they were a cycling fashion accessory I would have taken to my grave.<br />
<br />
My husband, who’d been borrowing them from time to time, didn’t tell me they were gone. Or at least not until we were back home and headed out for a ride, which only made me that much more furious. I went full gas up every hill along our route, and eventually split off on my own. The cold, hard, immature truth of it was this: I wasn’t going to let him replace the Oakleys given their price tag, not in a million years, but I was still going to make him pay.<br />
<br />
Now I knew why Jack had been strolling up and down the beach. At the time I’d naively assumed he was—very uncharacteristically—shell-hunting. “Ah, would you look at that! The<i> </i>rare and beautiful <i>Oakleyas sunglassus</i>.” I’m sure it was a stellar find for someone. Captain Nemo, maybe.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpoeZ3P_z9Mgf_r54cjt877GsCmtzV9qHcy7_3SqGxXVOWb22R-beG-DDz8EhManR_hBkteRPi4n0LEbzVK70KsCa4J3PAh1bR-PPE4AIidIVvBtqAqF1hb1RR8Cpmg6J_95_iGR8pVkMY/s1600/drivewayus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpoeZ3P_z9Mgf_r54cjt877GsCmtzV9qHcy7_3SqGxXVOWb22R-beG-DDz8EhManR_hBkteRPi4n0LEbzVK70KsCa4J3PAh1bR-PPE4AIidIVvBtqAqF1hb1RR8Cpmg6J_95_iGR8pVkMY/s320/drivewayus.jpg" width="320" /></a>Jack and I have been together a little over eight years. This wasn’t our first squabble, and I know it won’t be our last. Sometimes it’s my fault, and sometimes it’s his, though often we lose sight of the beginning of an argument completely, and it just <i>is</i>, like the color of the sky. We have a two-year-old son now, which also makes married life very different, in both good and bad ways. Kids are cute as buttons, but they’re a physical and emotional full-body workout. Parenthood takes conditioning. I estimate we’ll be fully fit and prepared, oh, in about two decades, give or take a few years if Theo inherits my knack for finding a career that requires utter devotion for very little pay. I’ve tried two so far: professional cycling and writing. <br />
<br />
What I’ve missed the most since we became parents, angry days aside, is cycling together. Jack and I used to do weekend group rides, or go out just the two of us. I give him credit for my being fast on the bike, both because he bought me my first road bike and because those early training days of being dropped by him were so maddening that I was motivated to get better quickly. For several years we raced together, descending the rabbit hole of the roadie world. When I was pregnant in 2013, he did his biggest block of training and racing. Post-baby we reversed roles, more or less out of necessity; he gave up the bike and I went all in. <br />
<br />
My husband and I are very different people. I was an English major; Jack was comp sci. In high school I lived in the sticks of rural Southeast Texas; Jack graduated from Greenwich High School in Connecticut. He doesn’t understand why I can’t sit still, and I can’t understand how he can play a computer game for hours on end. He’s got a loud, quick temper; I’m a quiet, vindictive smolderer. We’re both guilty of the same thing—sometimes one of us will start talking, and the other’s eyes will get this glazed, vacant look, like a kid stuck in a classroom lecture. <i>Exhibit A, Kat:</i> strongly held beliefs concerning commas and hyphens, home-improvement ideas. <i>Exhibit B, Jack:</i> databases, the extremely detailed aerodynamics of every bike part known to man. Our marriage is a Venn diagram: there’s a big chunk where we intersect, but there are also these vast outlying realms that might as well be separate celestial bodies. (My planet will be neat as a pin, by the way, and his will be utter chaos.)<br />
<br />
Earlier this year I was racing as a domestic pro in a largely failed experiment to see how far I could go with bike racing. Jack was coaching me. If someone gave me a ticket back in time, I probably wouldn’t do things any differently, but all the same, we’re lucky our marriage survived the experiment. Those days were a flurry of training and travel, frustration and elation, physical highs and mental lows: in sum, it’s not a sane lifestyle.<br />
<br />
At this point things are back to normal, or even what I’d call “pre-normal” because for many years before I got the UCI license the norm for me was an uber-intense, all-consuming focus on bike racing. Right now we’re both training a little but not a lot. Once or twice a week we go on a lunch ride together while our son is in daycare.<br />
<br />
It feels like we’re dating again. One day we rode to do a quick errand and then to a hole-in-the-wall, pay-by-the-slice pizza place. As we sat there in our kits eating greasy pizza that I knew wouldn’t sit well on the ride home, I had warm and fuzzy feelings for the “us” of things. I thought: People who go to marriage counseling, and buy expensive presents, and whack each other with frying pans, and jump through other complicated or painful hoops, maybe they should try this first? Two bikes, a bit of road, the willingness to speed up or slow down to keep pace with the significant other, and you’ve got this recipe for a magical balm to smooth out some of the rough patches. <br />
<br />
I could market this, right? I could work on my image, get a memorable hairstyle and fashion ensemble a la Richard Simmons or Lady Gaga. I could come up with a catchy slogan or jingle (Take your “nooner” on the road!), craft a dedicated Facebook campaign. I could write a book and give TV interviews. Fortunes have been made that easily.<br />
<br />
Maybe it wouldn’t work for everyone, though. For Jack and me, cycling is an area of shared interest and a way to revive and remember a shared history, the one we had pre-parenthood. But there’s also something about being on a bike and being outside that I think <i>could</i> work for most couples. And to be asked on a casual lunch ride—for a certain kind of person that’s like being handed a bouquet of flowers. It’s saying, “Hey, I’d really like to spend some time with you,” and “Even after all these years, I still think your butt looks great in spandex.” You can do your best to try to hold on to the anger and petty resentments, but in the end, how can you? The breeze is in your face, your legs are moving, and you’re going somewhere, or maybe nowhere in particular, with the person you chose—out of all the other people in the world—to spend your life with. <br />
<br />
I’m not going to lie, though. It took a lot of lunch rides to get over those sunglasses.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUTApNl5ZfUmVI21xIJVquPe_epkUuA61qq7NwurH1KGQtAF2dD8uOACXdXwVL1XlszvDGw2OVK8_r9CNmtz_UYheyKV2ULbVuiSG9yojAoln0KmWOGdXEToFPCBo8mjo_SQ6-U1MQ3om/s1600/Theooakleys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUTApNl5ZfUmVI21xIJVquPe_epkUuA61qq7NwurH1KGQtAF2dD8uOACXdXwVL1XlszvDGw2OVK8_r9CNmtz_UYheyKV2ULbVuiSG9yojAoln0KmWOGdXEToFPCBo8mjo_SQ6-U1MQ3om/s640/Theooakleys.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-89808208920511121802015-10-29T11:40:00.001-07:002015-11-01T06:01:24.035-08:00November Events for a Good Cause<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-2nB0_B85y0i9_PZo5w3HUaw4cMG4YdxvvjN4_tXQeAMVL-8orQ3gGnGn4Ky8MRHtNVplFXQKSapSXsE6a_CF_-Yt1fXKQmwP_9lR6zIsv30Ze6jUp1fdOBpzqdyvZhZScIBgCwgMcnNu/s1600/Ghisalloimage1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-2nB0_B85y0i9_PZo5w3HUaw4cMG4YdxvvjN4_tXQeAMVL-8orQ3gGnGn4Ky8MRHtNVplFXQKSapSXsE6a_CF_-Yt1fXKQmwP_9lR6zIsv30Ze6jUp1fdOBpzqdyvZhZScIBgCwgMcnNu/s320/Ghisalloimage1.jpg" width="320" /></a>Bikes aren’t just a toy, or a means of physical exercise. What you often forget, once you’ve become an adult, is that they’re also a ticket to freedom. They open up new worlds of opportunity in terms of getting outside, riding around the block or to the pool or to a friend’s house, or even just being involved in something constructive and new.<br />
<br />
“Our primary clients are low-income kids,” Chris Stanton, founder and executive director of the <a href="http://ghisallo.org/">Ghisallo Cycling Initiative</a>, explains, “so as much as this is about bikes, it is about opportunity, access, independence, and equity.”<br />
<br />
Ghisallo, a 501c3 in operation in Austin since 2011, puts on classes and clinics, ranging from one-day “Bike Rodeo” skill-based clinics to weekly “Bike Clubs,” typically in the form of semester-long after-school programs. The “Earn-a-Bike” program encourages kids to learn how to repair a bike; if they don’t already own one, they receive a donated bike and work with an instructor to refurbish it. “Apprentice Mechanic” classes provide in-depth bicycle mechanical skills training and feed into a program that places outstanding students in paid apprenticeships at local bike shops and bike organizations.<br />
<br />
The Ghisallo name is one you’ll see everywhere, and it’s one that’s doing real work in the Austin community. If you’re looking for an event benefiting a worthy cause, look no further—in November, take part in one of the races or festivals below. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Urban Assault Ride</b><br />
<i>When: </i>Nov. 1, 9 a.m. start<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvBCyKR5ZgAvOgu_yN5hoEaccUXvkgC8pzvNO6-UYQe_7lNrZR3OIHXreuqeGVe3dU6lETbGEo1A0ICApYBUKe6PZp-NQvSe6xcU1oIBISQqTRSpr8tjiZ011Ka7LT-SnMxCgosxfi5-Q/s1600/UAS+logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="84" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRvBCyKR5ZgAvOgu_yN5hoEaccUXvkgC8pzvNO6-UYQe_7lNrZR3OIHXreuqeGVe3dU6lETbGEo1A0ICApYBUKe6PZp-NQvSe6xcU1oIBISQqTRSpr8tjiZ011Ka7LT-SnMxCgosxfi5-Q/s200/UAS+logo.png" width="200" /></a><i>Where: </i>Camp Mabry; see checkpoint locations <a href="http://urbanassaultride.com/city/austin/course/">here </a><br />
“Beer, Bikes & Big Wheels” is what it’s all about, apparently. This event takes place in five cities across the U.S., and Austin is one of them; in fact, UAR was born here in 2003. Teams of two visit checkpoints across the city, taking on obstacles at each stop. Ghisallo is a beneficiary of the ride, and you can use code <b>Ghisallo</b> to save $26 per team when you register at <a href="http://urbanassaultride.com/">http://urbanassaultride.com</a>. Sign up to volunteer <a href="http://adventurefit.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/?id=10509">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eLaqjpcPU70h2EegcQeC1JxUfvimf9bJhOlZL9dCToBJc4JD-WeatwNYOJI56m8mIa3yRxS5qhsSgy04QY5xYbYYjUWa0e4ErmM5_oUen1a1VqF3K6caIWMYwzPsrqqrg9YI7QkklCa4/s1600/ghisallobikevillage-FFF2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eLaqjpcPU70h2EegcQeC1JxUfvimf9bJhOlZL9dCToBJc4JD-WeatwNYOJI56m8mIa3yRxS5qhsSgy04QY5xYbYYjUWa0e4ErmM5_oUen1a1VqF3K6caIWMYwzPsrqqrg9YI7QkklCa4/s320/ghisallobikevillage-FFF2015.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<b>Fun Fun Fun Fest</b><br />
<i>When:</i> Nov 6-8<br />
<i>Where:</i><b> </b>Auditorium Shores<br />
Now in its 10th year, <a href="http://funfunfunfest.com/">Fun Fun Fun Fest</a> is billed as “one of the most relaxed, creative, and pioneering festivals in music today.” The Ghisallo Bike Village will be a highlight for those traveling to the event on two wheels, providing secure parking for more than 1,500 bicycles. Split between a free bicycle valet by Bike Austin + Spinlister and a monitored self-park area, it will be the largest public bike valet to occur in Austin. The site will also include B-Cycle (Austin’s bike share system), free mechanical support, and a managed pedicab queue. Ghisallo is a beneficiary of the event. <br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG10ttp252AT2QmFDC0BpZdeiAyKC0XMdl7Gbm4NPKsXHzzDSXzir8UdPVOkiyeAcHq7lxK7oLzBywULbajxny4YzAj0TFkQ7D4IuItNESSM8yAJ6I59j3m6vsyoBT4I2jAwMX9nsRudIj/s1600/GTCXFEST_2015_Race_Flyer_2015_Final.V3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG10ttp252AT2QmFDC0BpZdeiAyKC0XMdl7Gbm4NPKsXHzzDSXzir8UdPVOkiyeAcHq7lxK7oLzBywULbajxny4YzAj0TFkQ7D4IuItNESSM8yAJ6I59j3m6vsyoBT4I2jAwMX9nsRudIj/s200/GTCXFEST_2015_Race_Flyer_2015_Final.V3.jpg" width="154" /></a><b>Georgetown Cyclocross Festival</b><br />
<i>When: </i>Nov 14-15<br />
<i>Where: </i>McMaster Athletic Complex, Georgetown<br />
The <a href="http://georgetowncyclocrossfestival.com/">Georgetown Cyclocross Festival</a>, put on by the <a href="http://texascxproject.org/">Texas Cyclocross Project</a>, will kick off a dedicated four-week fundraising campaign for Ghisallo. The event is the Austin Cyclocross Cup finale and offers a roughly 1.75 mile course with a railroad tie run-up, 250 feet of sand, and bleacher seating for spectators. A beer garden, face-painting for kids, and lots of other fun extras make it an entertaining weekend for both racers and spectators. If you’re a supporter of women’s cycling, there’s even more reason to attend and support the Georgetown CX Festival: the women’s prize purse will equal that of the men’s P123.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<b>Bike E.A.S.T Art Attack</b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXuNddeTweAxPrPhEr566UeqHQY4lsrWlL4aCEhE9jekilQFJa1-JKUGol4VIZn-hYiiJOdeTDfpLjAPyVKlu1BO1ydradxaSdby3TTGpmZhVfYHUQdcRY9MbsHvKm3N7lU3zDRFi9Kd0/s1600/bikeeastflyer.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXuNddeTweAxPrPhEr566UeqHQY4lsrWlL4aCEhE9jekilQFJa1-JKUGol4VIZn-hYiiJOdeTDfpLjAPyVKlu1BO1ydradxaSdby3TTGpmZhVfYHUQdcRY9MbsHvKm3N7lU3zDRFi9Kd0/s320/bikeeastflyer.png" width="197" /></a><i>When:</i> Nov. 15, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.<br />
<i>Where:</i> 1500 E. 4th, Big Medium’s East Side venue<br />
A social-media scavenger hunt by bike for the artistically inclined, the second annual <a href="http://thefreshfestival.com/bikeeast2015">Bike E.A.S.T.</a> takes you a tour of East Austin studios. You’ll earn valuable raffle tickets along the way for prizes, including the grand prize—a new bike from MJ’s. In addition to the swag, expect food, live music, and a worthwhile-in-itself experience of exploring great art and the East side. Cool for the kids: 12 and under ride free with a registered adult. The event benefits Ghisallo and the East Austin Studio Tour. For a discount, use the code <b>ACT15</b>.<br />
<br />
<i>Schedule:</i><br />
11 a.m. - start from Big Medium’s East Side Venue<br />
2 p.m. - live music with Dreamboat<br />
3:30 p.m. - prizes awarded for best costume and most pimped-out ride<br />
4 p.m. - free after party at Handle Bar with food, drinks, and live music<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-18237414102045742742015-10-22T07:07:00.000-07:002015-10-29T09:38:15.406-07:00Halloween EventsBy <a href="http://www.kathrynhunter.net/">Kat Hunter</a><br />
<br />
Living in Austin, the options for Halloween are endless. Now that our son is two years old and understands enough about what October 31 entails that he’s been talking about it since October 1, I feel a bit of pressure to take advantage of all the events going on around town.<br />
<br />
Theo loves being outside. His round belly belies his affinity for running down trails and riding his balance bike at top speed; he’s a ball of motion that prefers to stay in motion until it is at last, sometimes forcefully, placed under the covers by his two exhausted parents. Well, for the week of Halloween 2015 he’s going to have so much activity he’ll be ready for lights out, because Mommy has carefully curated a long list of energy-burning events for all three of us.<br />
<br />
<b>Oct 27, Dirt Derby </b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4br3hs9kNMgqHLpws0wqxrP2bGPPlPpBOcdS8kpFJ1fsSInzYNsn9rU8OeBgis0VzsimZNRobMmd0b9Kx8h3xG3jf_K9PfBg6nXOgsO8etN1bsiiCyKin1HagpiPg3ZnlL_HurBscdg4/s1600/dirtderby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji4br3hs9kNMgqHLpws0wqxrP2bGPPlPpBOcdS8kpFJ1fsSInzYNsn9rU8OeBgis0VzsimZNRobMmd0b9Kx8h3xG3jf_K9PfBg6nXOgsO8etN1bsiiCyKin1HagpiPg3ZnlL_HurBscdg4/s200/dirtderby.jpg" width="200" /></a>Expect the usual Tuesday night <a href="http://www.dirtderby.com/">Dirt Derby</a> fun, but with costumes! Decorate yourself and your bike.<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/354720454696874/">Dirt Derby’s Halloween Event Facebook page</a><br />
<br />
<i>Schedule:</i><br />
<i>6:15 Kid's Race</i><br />
<i>6:30 Beginner CX and MTB</i><br />
<i>7:00 Intermediate MTB</i><br />
<i>7:30 Tom Mahnke Realtor Intermediate CX</i><br />
<i>8:00 Austin Tri Cyclist Open Race</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Oct 28, ATC Wednesday run + costume contest </b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQGsocGG87vKF4KWFPZ-ypAzIMruzx5tVw4qgjx1yO61PgVGab2sv0nlP5-N7t4BHkveEyXQRAuIZ9dkCyyuWiVjjQtoq5C4_LzyrF9N58ABrfjuCj6hz2b73ya3qzacWnM445-o4Axc9/s1600/atcrun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpQGsocGG87vKF4KWFPZ-ypAzIMruzx5tVw4qgjx1yO61PgVGab2sv0nlP5-N7t4BHkveEyXQRAuIZ9dkCyyuWiVjjQtoq5C4_LzyrF9N58ABrfjuCj6hz2b73ya3qzacWnM445-o4Axc9/s320/atcrun.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Last year’s costumed ATC run hosted such celebrities as Aqua Man, Cruella Devil, Snow White, and a Wizard-of-Oz triumvirate of scarecrow, Dorothy, and tornado. Expect to complete your choice of one of the usual Wednesday routes around Town Lake (roughly 2, 4, or 7 miles) at a more relaxed pace than usual, since there are capes, fins, hats, and such to contend with. The winner of the costume contest gets a free pair of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/onrunning">On running shoes</a>. The little ones will have their own short run and costume contest in Butler Park to kick things off, along with other active games, prizes, and treats. (Meet at the shop at 5:30 p.m. to be ready for the kids’ event.) The group leaves ATC at 6 p.m. and reconnects after the run at the shop for local beers and snacks. <br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/926352277447024/">ATC’s 2nd Annual Costume Contest and Fun Run Facebook page</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Austin BikeFest, Oct 31</b><br />
<b style="background-color: yellow;">UPDATE: <a href="https://www.biketexas.org/news/community/1947-austin-bikefest-canceled-?lang=en_US.utf8,+en_US.UTF-8,+en_US,+eng_US,+en,+english,+english-us,+us,+usa,+america,+united+states,+united-states">Event cancelled for bad weather</a>, as of 10/29.</b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZNnBevgIulU6m4zUxyOLcoO5RmKuDjrY_4fPvd_N7USXZqOeJC9N3S6MBb80pshg714MdFdqtujRso_8kKdx_Pw7zO1kjngA_VvGqfNh2ndF3DezBMMqmNftx3VFWiqymQvvRc8_Zk-U/s1600/woombike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZNnBevgIulU6m4zUxyOLcoO5RmKuDjrY_4fPvd_N7USXZqOeJC9N3S6MBb80pshg714MdFdqtujRso_8kKdx_Pw7zO1kjngA_VvGqfNh2ndF3DezBMMqmNftx3VFWiqymQvvRc8_Zk-U/s320/woombike.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo by WOOM bikes</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last year’s Austin BikeFest was the first, highlighting the completion of the 7.3-mile <a href="https://austintexas.gov/department/southern-walnut-creek-trail">Southern Walnut Creek Trail</a> with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. This year’s event remains on the route at the trail’s southernmost access point, Govalle Park, and features a host of bike-themed activities and exhibitions for all ages. Free and open to the public, <a href="http://www.biketexas.org/en/get-involved/austin-bikefest">BikeFest</a> will be held from noon to 4 p.m.<br />
<br />
Anna Kong, development director of BikeTexas, says the turnout is expected to be around 1,000 people this Halloween. She points out that there’s a little something for everyone: craft beers (Independence Brewing Co., Uncle Billy’s, Austin Eastciders), food (Wahoo’s, Cold Ones Pop), a bicycle fashion show by Ilonka Designs, demonstrations of bike polo (ATX Bike Polo Social Club, noon-2 p.m.) and unicycle football (Unicycle Football League from San Marcos, 2-4 p.m.), bike games like “slow race” and “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footdown">foot down</a>”, a costume contest, vendor tents, unicycle lessons provided by the Austin Unicycle School, and more. <br />
<br />
Among the highlights: The KidsKup obstacle course, which is designed for children on balance bikes. A number of balance bikes will be available for children to try out on the course. (Never heard of a bike without pedals, or an 18-month-old cyclist? Here’s a <a href="http://texasbikeracing.com/bikes-and-snails-and-puppy-dogs-tails-woombikes/">review of WOOM bikes on TexasBikeRacing.com</a>.) An obstacle course geared more for older children and adults will include bike-thru haunted houses—but don’t worry, nothing will jump out at you and make you fall off your bike—and a bike bridge, bike teeter totter, and ramp made for novice cyclists.<br />
<br />
If you don’t arrive by the Southern Walnut Creek trail, do check it out. The wide and very popular multi-use trail, designed for cyclists and pedestrians, winds through fields and trees and makes for a very pleasant family outing. (<a href="http://www.austintexas.gov/sites/default/files/files/Public_Works/Capital_Improvement/2011-04-05_SWCT_Graphic__compressed_.pdf">trail map</a>)<br />
<br />
<br />ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-29856688058349967932015-10-20T06:55:00.000-07:002015-10-20T06:55:47.610-07:00Kona 2015By Kat Hunter<br />
<br />
Every time I watch an Ironman, it blows my mind. The athletes are amazing, of course, but what shocks me each and every year I see Kona is the sheer span of time they’re on the course. While the live broadcast is on, you can watch it in passing as you go about the business of your own day—you can go on a long ride or run, get some errands done, take a nap, wash the car, eat three square meals, watch a couple of full-length movies…but don’t worry, they’re still out there, the poor souls. You haven’t come anywhere close to missing the finish.<br />
<br />
Austin had lots of quality representation in 2015: ATC was watching for updates from age groupers Mike Minardi, Jack Cartwright, and Toni Ferreira da Silva Neto. Kona tends to be extra windy and extra hot, so PRs for the distance are rare; not everyone’s race went as planned or hoped. The experience of qualifying for and attending this prestigious competition, however, is an accomplishment in itself. As an added bonus for Minardi and his fans back home, his photogenic good looks got him on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IRONMANWorldChampionship/videos/734945019971867/?pnref=story">IRONMAN’s highlight reel</a> and <a href="http://triathlon.competitor.com/2015/10/photos/photos-2015-kona-finish-line_124409#FYP7lbxec8DRjyuU.99">Triathlete.com’s favorite finisher photos</a>. <br />
<br />
My husband and I were also following <a href="http://www.getugly.ca/">Jeff Symonds</a>, a Canadian pro we’d hosted a few times for the Longhorn 70.3; he was racing his first Kona and looking good, but had a mechanical on the bike course. He still managed to finish the run in about 2 hours and 50 minutes (third fastest run time this year), so despite bad luck the first time around, he could be one of the favorites going into next year. There was a surprise in the women’s race that caught our attention, as well: Mirinda Carfrae dropped out midway through the bike; she’d had a crash on a training ride leading up to the race and was injured. You usually expect Carfrae, an incredibly talented runner, to give the strong cyclists a run for their money (literally) in the final miles. She’s the current course record holder for the women, with a time of 8 hours 52 minutes and 14 seconds.<br />
<br />
In the end, the <a href="http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironman/world-championship/ironfan/2015-oct-10/leaderboard.aspx#axzz3oqhdUNX0">leaderboard</a> was still very interesting, full of the latest and greatest names in triathlon. In the women’s race, Swiss pro Daniela Ryf, who also holds the 2015 70.3 championship title (and is often compared to Chrissie Wellington in her abilities and the decisiveness of her victories), took the win with an impressive bike split; Rachel Joyce (Great Britain) and Liz Blatchford (Australia) were second and third. Former ITU athlete Jan Frodeno (Germany) and Andreas Raelert (Germany) took first and second overall for the men, with Americans Timothy O’Donnell (Mirinda Carfrae’s husband) and Andy Potts (for his highest Kona finish yet, though he’s often first out of the water) finishing third and fourth. Early on, the men seemed to be on pace to beat the bike course record, but nobody did, and Normann Stadler, who still holds the bike course record from 2006 on a not-very-aero Kuota bike, tweeted this:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCXRZgfjXvnLEhxWTshcnhdMQzjB-MwkiWDs3NYxcjbbjCF0ts1YvVaSxV9yjiYrbJMzUcsIVmxSDJT0noUvBZmuV4WQCtRIxi1o4CLW1gnVxU7I0o4bzQsmZ4TC2RlkLuRO0_KajWfZv/s1600/stadler+tweet.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZCXRZgfjXvnLEhxWTshcnhdMQzjB-MwkiWDs3NYxcjbbjCF0ts1YvVaSxV9yjiYrbJMzUcsIVmxSDJT0noUvBZmuV4WQCtRIxi1o4CLW1gnVxU7I0o4bzQsmZ4TC2RlkLuRO0_KajWfZv/s400/stadler+tweet.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Updated with info from the 2015 race, Jack Mott’s Kona Bike Stats post on the ATC blog delves into bike tech and bike course records from the ’90s to the present day. Check it out <a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2014/01/kona-ironman-bike-stats.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
The NBC coverage will air November 14, so you’ll still have a chance to view the 2015 Kona highlights if you missed the live feed. The action and drama will be condensed to 1.5 hours, though, so there’s no way you’ll get a true perspective of just….how….long…an Ironman can be.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-26139706115068088012015-10-08T11:28:00.003-07:002015-10-08T12:45:44.414-07:00ATC's Next Generation<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJV_yZBq5bdXG-51idqSzT8muz9dnHqunyFrLLGovmqSu-ZdibS4vx5xIGuJXwGewwi0F50Aqs9gXncEyy04urcS03hEGlPilqdbN96RKIW-hwrQKCbNap59S0zZe7K_x7_ydDKCVcjv0/s1600/harrison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCJV_yZBq5bdXG-51idqSzT8muz9dnHqunyFrLLGovmqSu-ZdibS4vx5xIGuJXwGewwi0F50Aqs9gXncEyy04urcS03hEGlPilqdbN96RKIW-hwrQKCbNap59S0zZe7K_x7_ydDKCVcjv0/s320/harrison.jpg" width="320" /></a>ATC is proud to introduce Harrison West, first child of shop manager Kaleb West and his wife, Megan. We checked in on the West household and the other youngsters of the ATC family to see how things were going. Here's what they said!<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Harrison West, 4 weeks old </span></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><i>Let's hear the stats...</i></b><br />
<span style="text-align: center;">"When Harrison was born (2:15 p.m. on Sept. 11), he was 7 pounds, 13.4 oz, and 21.5 inches long. He's up to about </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;">9 </span><span style="text-align: center;">pounds already!"</span><br />
<br />
<b><i>What are Harrison's favorite things? </i></b><br />
"Harrison currently enjoys relaxing in his baby swing, getting snuggles from mom and dad, and above all else, pooping."<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdWLO7VCW2nmu1oxArwE0Rk38RPhW6sgWJGuv-jYUNZunK1B8UsFPrQ3rwnLZ9OoQc1lBNgz_VoiGNKzfU3fscPZxau-Qo4HaO662O7woAuzJNRaOjIhZlmyxfv8qs_A1SZkzwttiHeoT/s1600/west+family+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijdWLO7VCW2nmu1oxArwE0Rk38RPhW6sgWJGuv-jYUNZunK1B8UsFPrQ3rwnLZ9OoQc1lBNgz_VoiGNKzfU3fscPZxau-Qo4HaO662O7woAuzJNRaOjIhZlmyxfv8qs_A1SZkzwttiHeoT/s320/west+family+2.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<i><b>Who do you think Harrison looks like? </b></i><br />
"We've heard that people think he looks like Megan and Megan's dad. He also has Kaleb's toes, but we aren't sure he looks like either of us yet."<br />
<br />
<b><i>What's being a new parent like? </i></b><br />
"Equal parts Terrifying and Magical." - Megan<br />
<br />
"It's very surreal. It's also easy to get worked up and nervous about things, but the reality so far is pretty simple - He needs to eat, poop, and sleep. Which we feel we can handle, sometimes." - Kaleb<br />
<br />
<b><i>What's the funniest thing that's happened since Harrison arrived?</i></b><br />
"It's hard to get away from potty humor here... Probably the funniest thing that's happened so far was a few days ago, during a routine diaper change, Harrison started peeing. Then, while peeing into his own ear, he pooped on Mom."<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20AibOJi3CH3iLdiB8EbQQS8TSlFBna2yxoawQT0DM8CxrSg2RzhdFM6H9NOcmX0U_cla5meqD4G6X0S9UXakoimfJNRjRVh1vY1X7_jzxP_5H24c4xupIv5-FRLGvsXx_LfXOymplrgW/s1600/ruthvens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh20AibOJi3CH3iLdiB8EbQQS8TSlFBna2yxoawQT0DM8CxrSg2RzhdFM6H9NOcmX0U_cla5meqD4G6X0S9UXakoimfJNRjRVh1vY1X7_jzxP_5H24c4xupIv5-FRLGvsXx_LfXOymplrgW/s200/ruthvens.jpg" width="200" /></a><b><span style="font-size: large;">Taylor & Emily Ruthven </span></b><br />
<i>parents Missy and Don Ruthven (ATC owners) </i><br />
<div style="font-style: italic;">
<br /></div>
<div style="display: inline !important;">
Taylor, <span style="background-color: white;">18,</span> is a freshman at St. Edwards University (studying theater). Emily, 14<span style="background-color: white;">,</span> is a freshman at Westlake High School. Emily is also involved in theater and will be running track in the spring. She likes sprints, not distance.</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Addie & Jack Stroobandt</span></b><br />
<i>parents Adam (shop manager) and Rita Stroobandt </i><i></i><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaHwgjbvMPMYoBe_rcAIhQDeQKjxnDD9kjKzqMemgIkcdMKzK1Yw_z-JwmfFYe93URcW0NtppOGznc8lkn3Ftmau7GH1lSSsbroJZ5_dUGSCr-nXQry9EYA2dJKieMo3C3kX5OwYDFYC4H/s1600/addie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaHwgjbvMPMYoBe_rcAIhQDeQKjxnDD9kjKzqMemgIkcdMKzK1Yw_z-JwmfFYe93URcW0NtppOGznc8lkn3Ftmau7GH1lSSsbroJZ5_dUGSCr-nXQry9EYA2dJKieMo3C3kX5OwYDFYC4H/s200/addie.jpg" width="95" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfAmHxUYKxGy0q6TDC3wUWIU-GL5mbt1JyjFB2Uiep0aEnnn4w__MqnLe5hpl_pWfJxGifsMtfI3o54m2wzQUcUCebhUv9T37HUzF5Sa7YBaObFqCBfSgR3rRHy2yOf0ORO-yI02TZYK4/s1600/jack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtfAmHxUYKxGy0q6TDC3wUWIU-GL5mbt1JyjFB2Uiep0aEnnn4w__MqnLe5hpl_pWfJxGifsMtfI3o54m2wzQUcUCebhUv9T37HUzF5Sa7YBaObFqCBfSgR3rRHy2yOf0ORO-yI02TZYK4/s200/jack.jpg" width="150" /></a><i><br /></i>
Addie is 3.5 and Jack is 1.5. Both are card-carrying Thinkery members and you can find them hanging out there weekly. Addie enjoys trying to outrun mom and dad and is getting pretty quick. Jack is determined to keep up also and is looking forward to being big enough to take his sister's Woom bike out for a spin. Raiding the nutrition isle at ATC is also a fun game they like to play. They dream of one day opening a bike shop and will probably name it after themselves.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOkTZ7E60WE-nLcg5M_RmZhBmooFROUM8zY6dNTqeLdszWteSh1smMOZjPyiinkqnEEE5fXRsT2e-j09MmbBGZ4hXUHLwQJMV7y5CQuofHiaW2srDLgFjBLa7ScolHd7fIL7zSctwjHvx/s1600/theo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSOkTZ7E60WE-nLcg5M_RmZhBmooFROUM8zY6dNTqeLdszWteSh1smMOZjPyiinkqnEEE5fXRsT2e-j09MmbBGZ4hXUHLwQJMV7y5CQuofHiaW2srDLgFjBLa7ScolHd7fIL7zSctwjHvx/s200/theo.jpg" width="108" /></a><b><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></b></span></b>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Theo Mott</span></b><br />
<i>parents Kat Hunter (ATC blogger) and Jack Mott (frequent contributor)</i><br />
<br />
Theo is now a little over two years old and is very large for his age. If he's not destined for a future in endurance sport, he could make one heck of a linebacker. He loves being outside, finding spiders and bugs, building with Legos, and riding his bike. Anytime he heads down the street in a car, real or pretend, he's "going to the bike shop." ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-1021310886936262472015-10-02T11:10:00.000-07:002015-10-02T11:12:32.340-07:00Time for New Shoes? By <a href="http://www.kathrynhunter.net/">Kat Hunter</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0w2AQ157a2uHav51m4sI4HYyNEplGOarpJ0l7KWuAcrZ63RpYv4Wlm5-aq00ILZEHxWsqmqazxez_ppAcYXMPNdtKLLCRYyrfhmuw4NAuIUuZ3PKsSPsJtTdcWKRKp8QbSkQvRlxfXk4/s1600/A2544_AquaRed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0w2AQ157a2uHav51m4sI4HYyNEplGOarpJ0l7KWuAcrZ63RpYv4Wlm5-aq00ILZEHxWsqmqazxez_ppAcYXMPNdtKLLCRYyrfhmuw4NAuIUuZ3PKsSPsJtTdcWKRKp8QbSkQvRlxfXk4/s200/A2544_AquaRed.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
I bought a new pair of shoes at ATC yesterday, <a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product/altra-running-provision-2-womens-9375.htm">Altra Provision 2’s</a>. I’ve never been a good reviewer of bike frames—they feel good or they don’t, and I can’t really tell you why. With running shoes, my opinion is similarly cut and dry. What I observed with the Altras: They felt very different, which happened to be exactly what I was looking for.<br />
<br />
Now that the bike racing season is over and I’m trying to run, I’ve been battling what’s probably a manifestation of my same old hip/lower back issue, this time in my left foot. I’d gotten to the point where I knew I had to do something or give up running altogether. I weighed my options, which ranged from seeing a doctor to changing my equipment. Since “equipment” in running means shoes, that was an easy enough place to start. But which kind?<br />
<br />
ATC carries HOKA, ON, Altra, Saucony, Newton, and Zoot brands, all with different selling points and fits. Employee Kimble West guided me through the options when I told him my suspicion, which was that my left foot was turning inward. The Altra Provision 2 is a zero-drop shoe with a good deal of cushioning and a wide toe box. In the past I’ve worn more of a “traditional” run shoe, never something so flat or wide. <br />
<br />
I’m almost hesitant to say it worked because I feel I might jinx myself. But it seemed to. On my first two short runs (both on Day 1…I may have gotten a little carried away), I felt pain, but it was different, not the sucking-air-through-my-teeth sharp stab and then limping home, but something mild and manageable, something that didn’t feel like I was tearing or breaking anything permanently. My foot seemed to have more stability.<br />
<br />
It could be the placebo effect. It could be just a good day. It could be that many different kinds of shoes would improve things, giving my ankle and foot a different way to move. Or it could be that the Altra was the one shoe, Cinderalla-style, that could change my runs for the better, and it happened to be waiting for me on the shelves of my favorite bike shop. <br />
<br />
I guess my point with this long-winded story is that you never know until you try, so you should try. And if the quick fix works, why not take it?<br />
<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Safety net</b><br />
All the brands ATC sells allow a 30-day comfort guarantee, meaning you can get store credit for shoes that don’t work out.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDraq2s4IJCk_fastA5elyAR9I4qpc4tDHa3DKNsrlCJbGmR4eIlDKCY9Rn54gNjKE04ehgda_UE3Qyw1kkGSGq_LlHx3q1AxYtqDIQi0YQdUZpRWsXRWejaf8TMFMF1734Ts6hqZNDSWl/s1600/3211094-p-2x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDraq2s4IJCk_fastA5elyAR9I4qpc4tDHa3DKNsrlCJbGmR4eIlDKCY9Rn54gNjKE04ehgda_UE3Qyw1kkGSGq_LlHx3q1AxYtqDIQi0YQdUZpRWsXRWejaf8TMFMF1734Ts6hqZNDSWl/s200/3211094-p-2x.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Run shoe closeouts & new models</b><br />
This is good timing to get a deal on older shoes with <a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product-list/running-shoe-closeouts-pg204/?rb_br=1881">ATC</a><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product-list/running-shoe-closeouts-pg204/?rb_br=1881">’s run shoe closeouts</a>, or to try on new arrivals like the <a href="https://www.altrarunning.com/men/superior-20">Altra Superior</a> or <a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product/hoka-mens-clifton-2-9914.htm">HOKA Clifton 2</a>. </span><br />
<br />
<b>Weekly run events at ATC</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">The Hills and Ales run is a new weekly event at ATC (Monday, 6 p.m.), and this week Altra demos will be available for a test run. The group completes a looped hill repeat course in the Bouldin neighborhood, so you can do as much or as little as you’d like and choose your own speed. Afterward everyone meets back at the shop for beers, and this week there will be giveaways, including shoes and (for the first 20 people to arrive for the run) a free Newton Running pint glass. Check out the regular Wednesday night fun run on the Town Lake trail as well, also starting at 6 p.m.</span><br />
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-87035537504735877412015-09-25T05:08:00.001-07:002015-09-25T05:08:29.432-07:00John Trowbridge & Two Decades in Triathlonby <a href="http://www.kathrynhunter.net/">Kat Hunter</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLy1CbJCJk2aZAY4gU_PWJAyaRN_3Sbf9kC-z5l9vpp37k9_Tsz6IKmbCOPwXcSjcNbaH8gHBDXzxCmmARlu62m8q685hjF70UJlxFrB0wnQ7gDXYAD0SQOE_UIaWypiVRIdKIeyX2eNp/s1600/captextri.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwLy1CbJCJk2aZAY4gU_PWJAyaRN_3Sbf9kC-z5l9vpp37k9_Tsz6IKmbCOPwXcSjcNbaH8gHBDXzxCmmARlu62m8q685hjF70UJlxFrB0wnQ7gDXYAD0SQOE_UIaWypiVRIdKIeyX2eNp/s400/captextri.jpg" width="266" /></a>John Trowbridge—or “JT,” as most call him—makes me feel nostalgic for an Austin I never knew. When he started competing in triathlons in the early nineties, Austin’s population was roughly half its current size, you could bike on quiet roads that are now busy freeways, and there was essentially one core training group of triathletes. Among the endurance set, JT says he knew everyone, and everyone knew him.<br />
<br />
When JT left Austin to work out of state in 1998, Austin was already growing by leaps and bounds. He discovered even more change when he moved back in 2005. The tri scene had exploded along with the population, with a variety of different, smaller training groups and new faces. Two familiar individuals, however, were now the owners of Austin Tri-Cyclist.<br />
<br />
“I knew Donny and Missy before they were Donny and Missy,” JT told me, by way of explaining how long he’d been associated with ATC. He was a participant in the University of Texas study in which the Ruthvens first met. (Missy was a nurse helping to conduct the study on increased blood volume in trained athletes, and Don and JT were among her subjects.) Early on, JT says, the shop was a kind of second home.<br />
<br />
I start to do the math—if JT’s first triathlon was in 1993 or 1994 and he’s still competing in 2015, that’s 22 years of racing. Doesn’t he get tired of it, I ask? Has he ever taken an extended break?<br />
<br />
JT laughs. He and his wife, Kay, have two girls (twins) about to turn 18 next month, and a son, now 16. Training was very limited for a while, JT says, and he fit in what he could. He reverted to time-efficient, just-stay-in-shape workouts when his kids were young. He never gave it up entirely, however.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiIdoK3awPltjc2GGcQcGK0bSPSeJTJcwf84l0mImJ5Hb72tmUL6rSkXZ0TZVOBExEnBHj7Xth98kQWqDpn2Ln-gamkyj_Ixr5T-9VvnoFVd-2oqGFXRHRvm5ihGT68UMS9ZZLOmg8TIf/s1600/TXHillCountry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGiIdoK3awPltjc2GGcQcGK0bSPSeJTJcwf84l0mImJ5Hb72tmUL6rSkXZ0TZVOBExEnBHj7Xth98kQWqDpn2Ln-gamkyj_Ixr5T-9VvnoFVd-2oqGFXRHRvm5ihGT68UMS9ZZLOmg8TIf/s320/TXHillCountry.jpg" width="219" /></a>“I’m a bit of a hyperactive person,” he says. “When I exercise, I enjoy the endorphins. I enjoy the sensation.” He says he finds he’s more focused when he exercises and sleeps and eats better.<br />
<br />
This I understand: for a certain type of person, physical activity is a necessity; without it, we’re packing a picnic lunch for the looney bin. But as a mother and an athlete, I’m always interested in how other parents make it work. How does one strike a balance between the self-interested, absentee workout junky and the obsessively doting, 30-lbs.-overweight couch potato? JT’s philosophy on family life runs between the lines of our whole conversation, something that stands out to me but that JT clearly takes for granted: the kids come first.<br />
<br />
Though his kids are older and he’s on the cusp of being an empty nester, JT still limits his workouts to an hour or less, and does most of his training on weekdays. JT works for Austin Energy as an engineer, in an office located about 50 feet from ATC. Commuting by bike from work to home, he rides 26 miles round trip rain or shine (with the exception of lightning) nearly every day of the year. This, he admits, is 99 percent of his saddle time. He bikes to work, runs at lunch, and swims in the mornings. His daughter Kaitlyn wanted to become a soccer referee, so he got his certification as well and for the past five years has been refereeing club soccer games at three Austin-area facilities. <br />
<br />
Because his training time is short, JT keeps his races short: typically sprint- or Olympic-distance tris. That’s also simply what he prefers. “I like the speed,” he says. “I like the intensity.” He often signs up for the open/elite wave; after racing for so many years, he says he has no problem entering a wave in which he has no chance of going home with “hardware.” <br />
<br />
At his first race, the New Braunfels Tri, JT was one of the first out of the water. He’d been a swimmer growing up in California and had long been a runner for fun; biking was new. On the bike he was drifting back like a rocket. Not knowing any better, he pulled in behind another competitor, and a race moto drove by. He remembers the official looking at him very suspiciously. JT didn’t know that you weren’t allowed to draft.<br />
<br />
“I got penalized in my first triathlon,” he says, “and I went from being like top three out of the water to middle of the pack, or middle of the <i>back </i>of the pack.”<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9N0ZlWcp1X2ahs1J5O4BG1YtP5jlQ-eQ-yKQ-vWwKzbpCAw53eWrRoZMBMGkhbbfOf9rFra10CPDZgckgpr2cnngbm2bz7-0dIQCPEgk8rbKPcdO_jY_dnC3DLW1334gKLJblSFbl9u-/s1600/RTN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl9N0ZlWcp1X2ahs1J5O4BG1YtP5jlQ-eQ-yKQ-vWwKzbpCAw53eWrRoZMBMGkhbbfOf9rFra10CPDZgckgpr2cnngbm2bz7-0dIQCPEgk8rbKPcdO_jY_dnC3DLW1334gKLJblSFbl9u-/s320/RTN.jpg" width="247" /></a>Since that somewhat inauspicious start, he’s won or podiumed at many races and was on the cover of <i>Runner Triathlete News</i> in 1997. One goal JT set for himself recently was winning a race overall post 50th birthday—he accomplished that in July at the Tri for Old Gl<span style="text-align: center;">ory Olympic-distance race in San Marcos. Adding a touch of modesty, he says a win really just depends on who shows up at an event in a given year, and you never know who that’s going to be. </span><br />
<span style="text-align: center;"> </span><br />
When his kids leave home, JT wants to focus more on training and see what he can do at the Olympic-distance national championships in his age group (currently 50-54). He says he’s often asked whether he’ll set his sights on something longer, maybe a half Ironman or Ironman, but his answer is always no. “I did my last marathon in 2006, and I really prefer to get up in the morning and be functional as opposed to just beating yourself into the ground like that,” he says.<br />
<br />
Maybe only other athletes will understand what two decades of elite-level competition in a sport means, and maybe only the parents among them will appreciate the difficulty of balancing race fitness with family and a full-time job. I don’t think JT does it for the applause, though. During my interview with him, he refers to triathlon as a “bug” and a compulsion and an obsession, but again, between the lines, I can read the truth: it’s love, in all its complexity and its equal measures of pain and joy. <br />
<br />
<br />ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-76943866101226402122015-09-19T04:58:00.000-07:002015-09-19T05:02:20.781-07:00ATC Racing 2015 Highlights<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ORf6Fc7l3t_bu5CqbLypCwZG26mGtZZ7_uSd5g74DAWBzY7GeXOrpN8XQo2FjaoamtLCb0oq9glCsVW9C4Uy1FqUt0dSNiGweY_4wC8AEbAZy81UANdHDqwwYLND_xMz0cG7LnEQ66xy/s1600/Sammi+and+Allison.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ORf6Fc7l3t_bu5CqbLypCwZG26mGtZZ7_uSd5g74DAWBzY7GeXOrpN8XQo2FjaoamtLCb0oq9glCsVW9C4Uy1FqUt0dSNiGweY_4wC8AEbAZy81UANdHDqwwYLND_xMz0cG7LnEQ66xy/s320/Sammi+and+Allison.jpg" width="320" /></a>As winter approaches, we’re looking back at a fantastic season for ATC Racing. Shop athletes have represented the ever-speedy dillo in duathlons, triathlons, criteriums, time trials, road races, and even the <a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/08/2015-tour-de-france-adventure.html">Tour de France</a> (erm, on the route, at least!).</div>
<br />
A few races remain on the calendar—including the skills-based and age-based State Championship Road Races on September 26 and 27—and the dillo doesn’t hibernate, so expect to see more ATC action this fall and winter.<br />
<b style="text-align: center;"><br /></b>
<b style="text-align: center;">Team Marsh</b><br />
If you haven’t been following Amy Marsh’s battle with cancer, catch up with the variously heart-wrenching, thoughtful, and brutally honest posts from Brandon Marsh on the <a href="http://team-marsh.com/">Team Marsh blog</a>. Professional triathletes and longtime friends of ATC, the Marshes have accomplished the biggest “result” of any ATCer this year by far: Amy came home this month.<br />
<br />
<b>ATC Junior</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ1Mg8LLol-UJWXJpHfbsseQF1oyaN77cVVt1jkIMGU3ZJQanky4C781diqxkyXfPJZPZhCQvZd6DLcrAl7tyZmiVFW8Ndb5eKuIrJUzvZK1d5is7Dhw5FddL4UNN7GI4-iTWhWgjBppEJ/s1600/estefy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ1Mg8LLol-UJWXJpHfbsseQF1oyaN77cVVt1jkIMGU3ZJQanky4C781diqxkyXfPJZPZhCQvZd6DLcrAl7tyZmiVFW8Ndb5eKuIrJUzvZK1d5is7Dhw5FddL4UNN7GI4-iTWhWgjBppEJ/s320/estefy.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
Junior rider Estefy Gonzales, part of ATC Racing’s new initiative to promote junior women’s racing, is a 15-year-old student at Cedar Park High School. This is her first year of racing for the team, and she’s had great results, including a second-place finish at Bike the Bricks in the W4 race, second-place junior 15-18 at the age-based state crit championships, and fourth out of the 25 cat 4 women racing Houston Grand.<br />
<br />
<b>CX Nationals, <span style="font-size: x-small;">January</span> </b><br />
Spotted on a Portlander, a T-shirt sold post-CX Nats that said: “Even disappointment is bigger in Texas.” Indeed. Austin’s attempt to host the event was a disaster, but we’ll still list out the ATC highlight reel: mechanic and pro cyclist Tristan Uhl (787 Racing) raced the single-speed and elite men’s races, taking fourth in the singlespeed race. Mechanic Chris Warren competed in the 10-29 non-championship race, and Sammi Runnels (Team Super Awesome for CX, racing for ATC on the road) competed in the stacked women’s elite field. Read Sammi’s race report <a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/01/sammis-cx-nats-race-report.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Race Around Austin, <span style="font-size: x-small;">January</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDBtbYKjNVhHwSg_cVB_Ju9hTOPvqXzvFENDjfnasmHJB4_OX9Ak41nRFcWIV9AYlL79p0yFjPDq69PhtQPZRL_bX1R_QX_Z3rzH36NRIjWElSWhESsbrVtUMT_TKE7QBBvY3LwxcW3-A/s1600/pint+glass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfDBtbYKjNVhHwSg_cVB_Ju9hTOPvqXzvFENDjfnasmHJB4_OX9Ak41nRFcWIV9AYlL79p0yFjPDq69PhtQPZRL_bX1R_QX_Z3rzH36NRIjWElSWhESsbrVtUMT_TKE7QBBvY3LwxcW3-A/s200/pint+glass.jpg" width="138" /></a>The ATC Racing women’s team started the road season off by putting on The Race Around Austin, a fun, gran-fondo-style event in which five-person teams competed to reach three “secret” (until race morning, that is) checkpoints for a grand total of 90ish miles. Marla Briley said all hands were on deck to make sure the event ran smoothly: Christie Tracy was the spreadsheet guru (providing live calculations on who had checked in where, and also the final rankings) as well as sponsor organizer, Allison Atkinson was in charge of marketing and PR, Missy Ruthven provided day-of event coordinating, Mina Pizzini took care of timing, and Sammi Runnels, Katie Kantzes, and Anne Flanagan were tireless worker bees, taking their places in the field to provide racers with nutrition and snap photos. Marla was the “Little Engine That Could “ in getting the idea off the ground (all in one month!), from becoming a race director on TXBRA to setting the event up and ordering finishers’ mugs, organizing rest stops, and cooking jambalaya for the finishers. As with bike racing, in which each team member offers a special skill (whether it’s sprinting or climbing or time trialing), the ATC women used teamwork to make RAA happen.<br />
<br />
For more on RAA2015, Read <a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/01/raa2015-allison-atkinson-interviews.html">Allison Atkinson’s pre-event interview</a> or <a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/02/race-report-from-2015-race-around-austin.html">Jack Cartwright’s race report</a>. Start collecting your teammates for January 2016! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXeAU25dDWJoQNr6fU0AODKA0A6EMxPdxodh5Tsv2Chclg_Bo8nA-LC4TPD-LiX7fPG7eR2BzGrGGi99dAsgp2zZL-u14CMbUiIJ1JmFD51LQjT9YqilFGZHQo7Yt5uWUgIbkA8KukoHo/s1600/IMG_0544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXeAU25dDWJoQNr6fU0AODKA0A6EMxPdxodh5Tsv2Chclg_Bo8nA-LC4TPD-LiX7fPG7eR2BzGrGGi99dAsgp2zZL-u14CMbUiIJ1JmFD51LQjT9YqilFGZHQo7Yt5uWUgIbkA8KukoHo/s200/IMG_0544.JPG" width="195" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Blue Norther Duathlon, <span style="font-size: x-small;">February</span></b><br />
At the 25th annual rendition of this little multisport classic in Seguin, Jason Lewiss and Missy Ruthven were the overall male and female winners, with Marla Briley taking second overall for the women and the fastest female bike split. Usually the Blue Norther earns its name with bitterly cold or wet conditions, but this year the weather played nice. Missy was a big fan of the post-race eats: homemade baked potatoes and cookies! <br />
<br />
<b>Lago Vista Day 2, <span style="font-size: x-small;">March</span></b><br />
This much-loved bike race, in its 24th year, is known for being hit or miss on the weather. In 2015, Saturday’s race was sunny, and Sunday’s was miserably rainy and cold. On Sunday, Katie Kantzes and Allison Atkinson took hard-woman points as well as second and third in the Women’s Open race, aided by teammates Chelsea Smith, Christie Tracey, and Missy Ruthven.<br />
<br />
<b>Hammerfest Stage Race, <span style="font-size: x-small;">March</span> </b><br />
Though a long way from Austin, this Fort Davis event is one of the most scenic and worthwhile races in Texas. The women’s ATC Racing team had stellar results: Saturday’s hill climb – Sammi Runnels 1st, Allison Atkinson 2nd, Christie Tracy 4th, Chelsea Smith 5th; Saturday’s road race – Allison 1st, Chelsea 2nd, Sammi 3rd, Christie 5th; Sunday’s road race – Sammi 1st, Allison 2nd, Christie 3rd, Chelsea 5th; GC – Sammi 1st, Allison 2nd, Chelsea 4th, Christie 5th. <br />
<br />
<b>Fayetteville Stage Race, <span style="font-size: x-small;">April</span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5okOUfDQ0NlgGPRFA10t70VCTWxUGUzrGnNiTTLnoS54KctcofhI-Veu8crP1XQdwrFkP8KyZ6YB3Kpmipa9oZpyBRnWPgAsvUELkmA1KrjduHKyh9Lcse0fIoqkVbLWrDhUQmHpZ4R-7/s1600/fayetteville+podium+GC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5okOUfDQ0NlgGPRFA10t70VCTWxUGUzrGnNiTTLnoS54KctcofhI-Veu8crP1XQdwrFkP8KyZ6YB3Kpmipa9oZpyBRnWPgAsvUELkmA1KrjduHKyh9Lcse0fIoqkVbLWrDhUQmHpZ4R-7/s200/fayetteville+podium+GC.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
For most ATCers, this two-day stage race is a favorite on the road calendar. Missy Ruthven tends to have bad luck: in 2013, forgetting helmet and shoes and starting the second stage in clown-sized shoes borrowed from Kat Hunter (5'10" to Missy’s 5'2''), and in 2015, realizing right before the TT that her Di2 battery was dead and thus racing it on a “singlespeed.”<br />
<br />
This year the women’s 123 field was very small, perhaps because the weather was rainy or because the race had been moved from its typical early-season spot on the road calendar to a later date that conflicted with other events. The ATC team of seven made up more than half the Open women’s field. ATCers took the top three podium spots in GC, with great results across the board in each stage and a good team effort by all. Read <a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/04/2015-fayetteville-stage-race-w123-race.html">Marla’s W123 race report</a> and the <a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/05/2015-fayetteville-stage-race-w40-race.html">W40+ report from Colavita rider Pam Downs</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Burnet Tri, <span style="font-size: x-small;">April</span></b><br />
This year the Burnet Tri at Inks Lake State Park, a sprint tri traditionally held in the winter, took place in the spring and added an Olympic-distance option. Missy Ruthven competed in the Olympic-distance race, which included a tough trail run, and went home with the overall female win.<br />
<br />
<b>Texas State Sprint Tri, <span style="font-size: x-small;">April</span></b><br />
Rounding out a string of victories for ATC owner Missy Ruthven, this San Marcos race was another example of everything “falling into place,” which Missy admits doesn’t happen often! Missy again took the overall female win, with ATCer Liz Shelton placing second with her usual smoking-fast run split.<br />
<br />
<b>CapTex Tri, <span style="font-size: x-small;">May</span></b><br />
The swim was cancelled for poor weather, so this popular Austin event was actually a duathlon. Missy Ruthven’s group was fortunate to have the only no-rain window on Memorial Day weekend, and she placed third in the elite division (Olympic distance) with what she termed a “solid” bike and a “suffering” run.<br />
<br />
<b>Castroville TT, <span style="font-size: x-small;">May</span></b><br />
On the third of the Castroville TT series (May 10), Mina Pizzini finished the 40K TT in 2nd with a time of 1:01:09, and Christie Tracey took third. <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HUBVSmE2C9Hn8aIVFFxb1Gx2DXSWnYBSKsszVF4Ee1b7GoEAUgx5lNPGrPJz3q3-snu4CgMR6sw5-5FuEPX2x2_UDzeidtPT9Mkc0gLJP_gpOm2HtXQgP0jjKRQMn86tW-TpZfnJsG4O/s1600/mina+state+crit+champs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HUBVSmE2C9Hn8aIVFFxb1Gx2DXSWnYBSKsszVF4Ee1b7GoEAUgx5lNPGrPJz3q3-snu4CgMR6sw5-5FuEPX2x2_UDzeidtPT9Mkc0gLJP_gpOm2HtXQgP0jjKRQMn86tW-TpZfnJsG4O/s400/mina+state+crit+champs.jpg" width="350" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mina Pizzini in the P12 State Crit. Photo by Kato Bentley.</span></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Oklahoma City Pro-Am Classic, <span style="font-size: x-small;">May</span></b><br />
In its fourth year, the Oklahoma City Pro-Am Classic offers three days of crit racing. Christie Tracy finished second on day 2 in the women’s W3/4 race.<br />
<br />
<b>State Criterium Championships, <span style="font-size: x-small;">May</span></b><br />
In the skills-based P12 State Crit Championship in Greenville, Mina placed fourth , and Christy Tracy was second in the 35-39 age-based crit championship.<br />
<br />
Chelsea snagged the win in the 30-34 age-based crit championship. In the last lap she got stuck behind a crash, but she put in a hard effort to get back to the pack. She says she decided to take a risk and start her sprint early, which paid off in the end with a win. Chelsea, who’s new to the team this year, says the best highlights of the season are really off the race course. “It’s been wonderful to get to know each of my teammates,” she says. “ATC girls are a group of amazing women who give their all to everything they do, not just bike racing. I’ve enjoyed road trip jam sessions, naming llamas and cows on our training rides, countless dinners, and more frozen yogurt than I should have eaten. I’m looking forward to a great 2016!”<br />
<br />
<b>Pflugerville Tri, <span style="font-size: x-small;">June</span></b><br />
Meet Q—Mina Pizzini’s Quintana Roo TT bike—on his first road to multisport victory, the Plugerville Tri. Read Q’s story, as told by his owner:<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">It has been almost four years since my last triathlon due to a nagging hamstring injury, three job changes, three moves, and a divorce. Sometimes life gets in the way of racing. It was Q's first tri! He was very excited, having only raced a couple of TTs in his short life.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">I had to start with my age group (45-49) vs. the open wave in order qualify for Olympic Distance Nationals. There were at least 50 in my AG. Quite a turnout for this popular little sprint tri. I went out fast and quickly found some feet to follow, but the owner of those feet wasn't going to give me a free ride. Rather than lose time over who would draft whom, I went to the front and navigated my way through the prior wave and the long grass growing up from the bottom of the lake. I was first out of the water in my wave and happy to see my trusty steed, Q, waiting in the transition rack. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Out of transition, I did a clumsy cyclocross mount and spent the next two miles trying to get my feet into my shoes. Once firmly strapped in, I got down in the bars and set off for real under threatening skies. Q was wondering why all these people with aero bike weren't actually down in their aero bars? No matter, we slipped by them. Halfway through the bike leg, the skies opened in a serious downpour. Q wanted to keep pushing, but I eased him back. Better safe than sorry. Rounding the last corner we saw a rider on the ground. He had t-boned a car looking for a parking spot. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Back in transition, I racked Q and set out on the run. I knew this would be the tough part; I'd been slacking on my running the last couple of months to focus on riding. I figured I could gut my way through a 3-mile run. My goal was to break 20 minutes, and I was on pace at mile 2 and decided to pick it up a bit. Then my calf tightened and shut it down to 8-minute miles. I came in off the run at just over 20 minutes. I was 5th woman overall and won the masters division.</span><br />
<br />
<b>State TT Championships, <span style="font-size: x-small;">June</span></b><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaSNARQq4Y22nglLkqTE8kzGapwXMFZIp4XQIBS0cTgvW72BFnq4auIkcjtmzRIjxclng-dS0EMtpkomkAHFbbFV1iltscjwsrKS0Wnvx5oPUgfE7O_V-7305Tb-QHi8sc5WCb4Ff7K_jw/s1600/driveway+waiting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaSNARQq4Y22nglLkqTE8kzGapwXMFZIp4XQIBS0cTgvW72BFnq4auIkcjtmzRIjxclng-dS0EMtpkomkAHFbbFV1iltscjwsrKS0Wnvx5oPUgfE7O_V-7305Tb-QHi8sc5WCb4Ff7K_jw/s320/driveway+waiting.jpg" width="320" /></a>In two sweltering days of fun, ATCers posted good individual and team results at the State TT Championships. In the ITT, Mina took first in the masters category, and Allison Atkinson took second in cat 1/2. Christie Tracy was fourth in cat 3. In the TTT, the team of Allison, Christie, Katie Kantzes, and Kat Hunter (guest riding) were first in the TTT. Read Kat’s report <a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/06/2015-state-tt-championships-race-report.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Duathlon Nationals, <span style="font-size: x-small;">June</span></b><br />
ATCer William Jabour competed in Duathlon Nationals in St. Paul in June, claiming his spot for Worlds in Aviles, Spain, in 2016. His <a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/06/race-recap-du-nats-st-paul-mn-june-6.html">race report</a> for the ATC blog tells the whole story.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaSNARQq4Y22nglLkqTE8kzGapwXMFZIp4XQIBS0cTgvW72BFnq4auIkcjtmzRIjxclng-dS0EMtpkomkAHFbbFV1iltscjwsrKS0Wnvx5oPUgfE7O_V-7305Tb-QHi8sc5WCb4Ff7K_jw/s1600/driveway+waiting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>
<b></b><br />
<b><b><br /></b></b>
<b>Charter Reserve Stage Race, <span style="font-size: x-small;">July</span></b><br />
At the Charter Reserve Road Race in Tyler, Christie Tracy took the win with help from teammates Allison Atkinson and Katie Kantzes.<br />
<br />
<b>Redhook crits, <span style="font-size: x-small;">summer</span></b><br />
Sammi Runnels, who races for ATC on the road, competed in the Redhook fixie crits in Brooklyn, Milan, and Barcelona. Read her race report on Milan <a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/07/race-report-redhook-london.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0w9a8AXFunMpRSyuLhjbvhwk_1kcOPMW41axYyrrr6xFva6RIbEPyfE9tOk-ooO7C6uvQOc2Ig7x4InKRwFfdWx83B6-hY0xcAtIgP_2ubRWAfFX3Y3fsmgjO1dXJcyi60GGSqZwoWoB/s1600/team+at+driveway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0w9a8AXFunMpRSyuLhjbvhwk_1kcOPMW41axYyrrr6xFva6RIbEPyfE9tOk-ooO7C6uvQOc2Ig7x4InKRwFfdWx83B6-hY0xcAtIgP_2ubRWAfFX3Y3fsmgjO1dXJcyi60GGSqZwoWoB/s320/team+at+driveway.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>Driveway Series, <span style="font-size: x-small;">March-October</span></b><br />
The ongoing Pure Austin Driveway Series is a playground for team tactics for the women of ATC Racing, who are weekly devotees. Check out <a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/07/disneyland-for-bike-racer-atc-racing.html">Christie Tracy’s personal season recap</a> and the <a href="http://drivewayseries.com/results/">2015 results</a>. In the “Summer Solstice” miniseries, Marla Briley was third in the WOpen and Mina Pizzini was second in the W123 (combined with masters field). In the “Dog Days of Summer” miniseries, Christie Tracy and Allison Atkinson were first and second in the WOpen, and Sammi Runnels was third in the W123. In the “It’s Still Hot Out” miniseries, which concluded Sept. 17, Mina won the WOpen; racing the combined field of women and masters men, she has finished 4th and 6th overall the past two weeks. Mina is now riding a new 2015 Cervelo S5. <br />
<br />ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-86862314059814774512015-09-08T14:20:00.001-07:002015-09-08T14:26:20.327-07:00Running - Start Slow even if you are awesomeby Jack Mott<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrcmVxjzOb1ehzp6_fQGBLm2kTf8qlu0_bxjQgH13FZuw-IOS6j-s2JB2YJO60mGtGmHsFSdW0TTBYPcpAnmYBkCaXlNeXUag30pSEAOfQ_kMTBCEKi5OE9FEoNjsouWpX2FKHWTLbQqm/s1600/Cricket+is+fast.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrcmVxjzOb1ehzp6_fQGBLm2kTf8qlu0_bxjQgH13FZuw-IOS6j-s2JB2YJO60mGtGmHsFSdW0TTBYPcpAnmYBkCaXlNeXUag30pSEAOfQ_kMTBCEKi5OE9FEoNjsouWpX2FKHWTLbQqm/s320/Cricket+is+fast.bmp" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>ATCer Marla Briley, who recently suffered a fractured foot <br />and is now gearing up for <a href="http://support.bestfriends.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1020046&pg=personal&fr_id=1110">Strut Your Mutt</a> </i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For any beginner, running is tough. You're uncomfortable. You're tired. And what's more, you're slow. If you've started your new run routine in the middle of an Austin summer, you've learned to multiply the intensity of those complaints by the heat index.<br />
<br />
As a self-proclaimed sadist, you at least expect to get back what you put in. A gold-star effort should equal gold-star results, right? So you work hard. And when you get shin splints, knee pain, plantar fasciitis, or some other injury that halts your training or throws it out of whack for months, you're understandably disgruntled. <br />
<br />
Fortunately, whether you're completely new to running or have just set your running shoes aside for a few years, you can reduce the unpleasantness and risk of injury with one simple trick: SLOW DOWN. And not only where speed is concerned, but also in terms of total mileage and overall goals. You're not going to become a great runner in a few months. But the good news is, your fresh start means that any running you do will make you better. If you start slow and start gradually, you'll avoid the lost progress that comes with trying to fly into the sun before you have your real wings. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>But what if I am super fit and awesome?</b><br />
<b><br />
</b>Running is deceptively simple—move in a forward direction as quickly as possible while doing your best not to look like a flailing ostrich. You might already be a cat 1 cyclist, crossfit champion, or super-fit rock climber. Maybe you ran in college a decade ago or qualified for Boston a few years back. Don't kid yourself: if it's been many moons since you're done any jogging, your tendons, bones, and muscles simply are not adapted for it the first time out of the gate. Being able to squat 600 pounds or bike at 400 watts for an hour isn't doing anything for the fascia under your foot.<br />
<br />
The truth is, the already-fit person is probably most at risk for preventable injury. The cardio is there, and the will is there, but the rest of the body simply isn't ready for the pounding. You may not feel like the athlete you imagine yourself to be, going short and slow, but your patience will pay off in the long run. (See what I did there?)<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>What if running is just horribly awful?</b><br />
<b><br />
</b> If you are like me—which is to say, not very talented at running—it <i>can</i> be really awful. When we first start we struggle to run even a single mile without walking, let alone string together three or four in a row. One problem is that many of us remember running as kids, running fast. That kind of pace just isn't sustainable for a long time, even if you <i>are</i> still young. The pace may seem absurdly slow, but if your heart rate is up, you are doing some good. You are getting your muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones adapted to the act of running. You are preparing your body to run harder in the future, and to do it with less chance of interruption via injury.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>How many miles do I run, and how fast?</b><br />
<b><br />
</b> Runners get started for all kinds of reasons. Some are just doing it to get in shape. Others are targeting an event like a 5k, marathon, or triathlon. These are all endurance running events, though, so the approach to training will be similar in every case. One popular program is the <a href="http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml" target="_blank">Couch to 5k program</a>. Take a glance at it for an idea of how gradual the training paces and mileage are for beginners.<br />
<br />
For a person brand new to triathlon or running, this schedule is incredibly comforting, manageable without an undue amount of suffering. You will get a chance to enjoy your runs while you build up your body to handle more serious training in the future. For someone who is an accomplished athlete in another sport, the program may seem beneath you. But you would be wise to be humble; consider taking it about that slow as well. It is just nine weeks, so get through them and then <i>slowly</i> add more mileage and intensity.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>But don't I need to put in a lot of volume to be good at this? </b><br />
<b><br />
</b> Many find that keeping runs more frequent, and less long, is a better way to improve your running early on. Find a way to run every day, even if some of those runs are just one or two miles. Because each run is shorter, running form does not break down as much as it would towards the end of longer runs, keeping you safer. Because you are running every day, your nervous system gets consistent practice at running, which can help to improve running economy, which in turn helps keep your body safer from overuse injury as well. Perhaps most importantly, running frequently gets you psychologically adjusted to the idea of getting outdoors and moving <i>every</i> day. You might be tired and busy, but you can find time to run for ten minutes, and it will make you stronger to do so. You can even consider getting two runs in per day if that works for your schedule. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Well, what about my long run during the week?</b><br />
<b><br />
</b> Many new runners are like I was, and are very concerned about how long their weekly long run should be, especially when training for a marathon. A big tip to enjoy running more, to make your scheduling more flexible, and to avoid injury is to worry more about your total weekly run mileage and less about how long your long run is. It is the total training load you accumulate over months of training that transforms your body and gets it ready to run a marathon or other endurance event. If running 10 miles twice a week is more pleasant, or easier to schedule than a 20-mile long run once a week, then do it. (Check out this <a href="http://forum.slowtwitch.com/cgi-bin/gforum.cgi?post=2545826#2545826">Slowtwitch post</a> for more detailed commentary on this.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>Other Tips for Getting Started from ATCers</u><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Write it down</b> - Tracking your mileage or time is the first step to maintaining accountability and meeting your goals. You can easily chart your progress with online tools, Excel, or the old-fashioned method of pencil and paper. When you're starting slow, it can feel like you're doing nothing (which leads to "why do it at all?"), so this is a good way to show that you're putting in the work and that you're not doing too much or too little. </li>
<li><b>Get the right gear</b> - Equipment-wise, you're in luck. Compared to most sports, running is incredibly cheap. Invest in a good pair of running shoes. Shoes that are old or that don't fit your feet right will cause you more grief than the pennies saved could even begin to offset. </li>
<li><b>Enjoy it - </b>Keep yourself motivated with varying routes, a new playlist or two, joining a training group, or signing up for a race that you allow yourself a reasonable amount of time to prepare for (just going to keep hammering that nail in). Whatever your goal is, you're not going to reach it if you make running a daily torture session.</li>
<li><b>Run everywhere - </b>Being away from home for vacation or work is no excuse for scrapping a run workout since you can run almost anywhere. In fact, it's one of the best ways to explore an unfamiliar place, and you can usually head out straight from your hotel. If you don't have room to fit a lot of running clothes in your suitcase, consider packing a small container of laundry detergent and washing your clothes out by hand. </li>
<li><b>Need company?</b> - Get yourself a running pawtner from a local dog-rescue <span style="text-align: center;">organization like <a href="http://www.austindog.org/">Austin Dog Rescue</a>. </span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<i>The <a href="http://www.zilkerrelays.com/">Zilker Relays</a> will be held this Friday, Sept. 11! A team of four runners completes a 10-mile fun run, each person completing a leg of 2.5 miles. </i><br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-27425399969023963922015-08-29T19:03:00.000-07:002015-08-29T19:05:51.013-07:00Labor Day Sale! Barbecues, boating, Tri Rock…and bikes, shoes, and gear. Pay a visit to Austin Tri-Cyclist for our traditional Labor Day sales. <br />
<br />
<table border="2" bordercolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" style="background-color: white; width: 100%px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2U1Xx6V5clIY4dxJW-pAPshU-_vIFA2yEUq1HtZn5S4Fi-veX9ntRcOcOxiIC1IATTOMpW_44ZtM4SYhy6LchYdcaB3I_XkoSoAgNlPpOffFHnQDcZhrk90wVKlvEkV1tNVTMTVVZ16xU/s1600/hoka+clifton_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2U1Xx6V5clIY4dxJW-pAPshU-_vIFA2yEUq1HtZn5S4Fi-veX9ntRcOcOxiIC1IATTOMpW_44ZtM4SYhy6LchYdcaB3I_XkoSoAgNlPpOffFHnQDcZhrk90wVKlvEkV1tNVTMTVVZ16xU/s200/hoka+clifton_small.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><b><a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product-list/running-shoe-closeouts-pg204/"><b>Closeouts on Run Shoes</b></a></b><br />
Altra, Asics, Hoka, Newton, ON, and Pearl Izumi models are on sale. Try on the cushy <a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product/hoka-clifton-8822.htm">Hoka Clifton</a>, marked down from $129.95 to $95.</td> </tr>
</tbody></table><table border="2" bordercolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="background-color: white; width: 75%px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td><a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product-list/closeout-bikes-pg124/"><b>Closeouts on Bikes</b></a><br />
Select Boardman, Cannondale, and Cervelo models are up for grabs. Give the mean, green (or gray) Cannondale Caad10 105 a test ride ($1400-1600). With purchase of the Caad10, get a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AustinTriCyclist/photos/a.211021258940991.55103.210973132279137/949588118417631/?type=1&theater">Cannondale kit made by Castelli for 50% off</a>.</td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymb_Twq4nsQrwvNT2Uu_uYPTlwI-Pk7oNkF-YytsS4mmHICN20h8-U3kdBdKQg_laLz3kC6fMlvOBEYyHVjvgjAIfIYsNtxdIGL-UvdhhFi73mhFxS_0AA9aWWrWYDWcxTOgXpVjtlRtg/s1600/cannondale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjymb_Twq4nsQrwvNT2Uu_uYPTlwI-Pk7oNkF-YytsS4mmHICN20h8-U3kdBdKQg_laLz3kC6fMlvOBEYyHVjvgjAIfIYsNtxdIGL-UvdhhFi73mhFxS_0AA9aWWrWYDWcxTOgXpVjtlRtg/s200/cannondale.jpg" /></a></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><table border="2" bordercolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" style="background-color: white; width: 80%px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwAMPY8ir9DLoxlnqjSDd5aZQ5QDBqyR_RRk35x3DFJKkpFWK5VLVamLE6xj79d_Kxjt20qdJfXT7_pG4438PaCfEPF250Yt_ESQH3au885nhaErsaBQI_fCrG0mFrTiWd55KPBxeVLAp/s1600/zipp_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkwAMPY8ir9DLoxlnqjSDd5aZQ5QDBqyR_RRk35x3DFJKkpFWK5VLVamLE6xj79d_Kxjt20qdJfXT7_pG4438PaCfEPF250Yt_ESQH3au885nhaErsaBQI_fCrG0mFrTiWd55KPBxeVLAp/s200/zipp_small.jpg" /></a></div></td> <td><a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product-list/wheels-pg66/"><b>Wheeeeeeeee—ls</b></a> <br />
20% off in stock wheels, including Zipp Firecrest (404s, 808s) and Mavics</td> </tr>
</tbody></table><table border="2" bordercolor="#FFFFFF" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="3" style="background-color: white; width: 65%px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td><b><a href="http://www.austintricyclist.com/product-list/closeouts-pg81/">Other Stuff Too!</a></b><br />
Browse for accessories, clothing, bike computers, and more in store!</td> <td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cMdJKfSFtkuFuuGhhpqQMftlscXnTyJTTANXWUnnAuhtoRff6YB0V8Fy8zFunp564GtsESg2CmhrTHX7gT5PNmaqBErvqeb9gWRs5mTH2j6oVoPZqccZpDPtrUzQazup_3mwnJK1xkeu/s1600/gloves_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3cMdJKfSFtkuFuuGhhpqQMftlscXnTyJTTANXWUnnAuhtoRff6YB0V8Fy8zFunp564GtsESg2CmhrTHX7gT5PNmaqBErvqeb9gWRs5mTH2j6oVoPZqccZpDPtrUzQazup_3mwnJK1xkeu/s200/gloves_small.jpg" /></a></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table>ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-14842863890131280482015-08-16T18:45:00.001-07:002015-08-16T18:45:28.975-07:002015 Tour de France AdventureBy Marla Briley<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnsxqDOOvIgEws9d3E2hTNOilbh64ZvV9tdSEgi8lvDhPnDXeYmL2WaRAq7cbJaLyXxh6RzTg71nwvSp9dQT4Tfl6F9TVZBhUDKwRTXPlmGiwg3JTFNQE75awtGfEalXk0wT2Lujrt7hS/s1600/20150725_132159.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnsxqDOOvIgEws9d3E2hTNOilbh64ZvV9tdSEgi8lvDhPnDXeYmL2WaRAq7cbJaLyXxh6RzTg71nwvSp9dQT4Tfl6F9TVZBhUDKwRTXPlmGiwg3JTFNQE75awtGfEalXk0wT2Lujrt7hS/s640/20150725_132159.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Before Kent and I left on our <a href="http://trektravel.com/trip/tour-de-france-bike-tour/">Trek Travels Tour De France</a> adventure, I had coworkers ask me if I was traveling for fun or was I riding my bike. For us, it is one and the same, and for me, riding my bike on the same roads that the pros would be riding was to be the vacation of a lifetime. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0HmM0QBl4F03WBXqo8Z5yisicifpAiuMTC-CpuAUlucJd9D9khyphenhyphenyJc8gAd1wTIA9zWhBqrWibt7dzaoiU52wPwj-Y85HBLtwZw3BxxbDEmBSpOPeNx5uYsiriW_N2LNWN27bjGRUuJYEK/s1600/20150725_115716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0HmM0QBl4F03WBXqo8Z5yisicifpAiuMTC-CpuAUlucJd9D9khyphenhyphenyJc8gAd1wTIA9zWhBqrWibt7dzaoiU52wPwj-Y85HBLtwZw3BxxbDEmBSpOPeNx5uYsiriW_N2LNWN27bjGRUuJYEK/s400/20150725_115716.jpg" width="225" /></a>Our trip was a total of six days; five of those would include us riding through the breathtaking (literally and figuratively) French Alps. During those five days, most of us would climb a total of 30,000 feet over 184 miles. How fantastic it was to know what the racers were experiencing when I watched them climb the 22 km up the Col du Glandon! I knew firsthand the difficulty of the last 2.5 km, which averages around 11% grade, of the Col de la Morte. Trek set up a viewing of Stage 19 with an open bar and buffet, and I watched as the peloton rolled down the Col de la Croix de Fer and knew, from my own ride down that same road, how spectacular the views were. <br />
<br />
On day number five, our group rode up Alp d’Huez two hours prior to the actual peloton. The 21 switchbacks were jam-packed with Tour lovers from all over the globe. Each switchback seemed to have been taken over by a different country, the biggest and craziest of them all being switchback #7 where we were greeted by a sea of orange as, I believe, all of Holland had camped out and were eagerly awaiting the riders. My favorite part of that ride to the top of Alp d’Huez is when our guide Jonathan’s playlist turned to “Living on a Prayer” by Bon Jovi. It seemed to transcend language barriers, as everyone within earshot took up the chorus: “<i>Ohh you’re halfway there. Ohhh living on a prayer!</i>” Together, our group rolled across the actual finish line, and the people along the barriers cheered as if we were truly part of the Tour. I had a grin on my face that reached from ear to ear.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNdoE8L3i_Vbu48Mj_5vJR_hIAvoNCWivr9hKBL8lO3JSzUg7PCzX23klq96wTF3WVegbVstP7VQzXieKTCVr7ybGcE1xcL9kiJ_Vn4qHQwkZKolN92WUWwmBJdigiQYIZneVjsnV7Qxx/s1600/20150725_165513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlNdoE8L3i_Vbu48Mj_5vJR_hIAvoNCWivr9hKBL8lO3JSzUg7PCzX23klq96wTF3WVegbVstP7VQzXieKTCVr7ybGcE1xcL9kiJ_Vn4qHQwkZKolN92WUWwmBJdigiQYIZneVjsnV7Qxx/s400/20150725_165513.jpg" width="400" /></a>That night we got to meet one of the iconic figures of the cycling world, the man who coined the well-known (and while I was climbing, often repeated) phrase, “Shut up legs”: Jens Voigt. On TV he comes across as direct, witty with a dry sense of humor, and that is exactly how he is in person. Jens spent an hour with the group, answering questions, taking pictures, and signing autographs. There were three teams staying at our hotel, and I had already snagged a picture with Andrew Talansky and Ryder Hesjedal and photo bombed Tony Gallopin. Some of the group had noticed André Greipel, aka The Gorilla, sitting in the bar. I convinced Jens to help me get a picture with him, seeing as how they are both German. Afterwards, Jens stayed behind to chat with Greipel and take selfies with him and his Lotto teammates while I immediately posted my prized picture to Facebook.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tUasWbmQEgX70vEAkBl_GBhC-k1V_9kEzLjnIfNDjCF8cIKZdbcpxroN3SfrRDCC21QPir-GZPwa9h_3thRbVWOXhdZNPZmXJwtiEgmZZIOo4v083sbIDETAToAZau0C_8TerwNY9KID/s1600/20150725_204241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tUasWbmQEgX70vEAkBl_GBhC-k1V_9kEzLjnIfNDjCF8cIKZdbcpxroN3SfrRDCC21QPir-GZPwa9h_3thRbVWOXhdZNPZmXJwtiEgmZZIOo4v083sbIDETAToAZau0C_8TerwNY9KID/s400/20150725_204241.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
The sixth and last day of our adventure found us hustling off the mountain and on to Grenoble, where we boarded a train that would take us to Paris and to the final stage of the Tour de France. Trek had reserved the illustrious Automobile Club de France, which is located on the course about 500 meters from the finish. I felt a tad bit guilty as throngs of onlookers crowded behind barricades, while we sipped our drinks inches away from where the peloton was finishing the last stage. The most exciting moment came on the last lap as the sprinters flew past trying to get set up for that final push. After they passed where we were standing, we turned to where we could see the giant screen and got to watch as The Gorilla won the most prestigious finale in cycling on the Champs-Élysées.<br />
<br />
We finished the night and our TdF trip with a toast to our amazing guides and the experiences we would never have had without their and Trek’s help. <br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Shortly after their return from France (and writing this article for the ATC blog), Marla Briley and Kent Snead were struck by a drunk driver while riding near downtown Austin. Both are on the mend. Read the story <a href="http://austintriathlonstore.blogspot.com/2015/08/austin-cyclists-hit-by-drunk-driver-aug.html">here</a>.</span></i>ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-52959930593930620012015-08-12T12:45:00.000-07:002015-08-12T12:49:21.925-07:00Race Report: 2015 Cascade Cycling Classic, July 22-26by <a href="http://www.kathrynhunter.net/">Kat Hunter</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKFGKfb8c2byOQPz8bUANCMwyxJa3buiuyZkJdZpVRJ7hxr0Q_T4w6dmwRJtIDvaDm8s_TXpLx9WNOqYaDQ5kqXxvDb0oxiPMIwaTlXXAyK07BJML3bEHML_saJKK5dOVz4Q1JHpbABciw/s1600/team+at+the+finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKFGKfb8c2byOQPz8bUANCMwyxJa3buiuyZkJdZpVRJ7hxr0Q_T4w6dmwRJtIDvaDm8s_TXpLx9WNOqYaDQ5kqXxvDb0oxiPMIwaTlXXAyK07BJML3bEHML_saJKK5dOVz4Q1JHpbABciw/s320/team+at+the+finish.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9b-TakcacYB3OavPLSz14v3lK6JvyKeUS0K7VAGdHhdFsfuXLcgiTlll3RkNQ_1Btdxz4Y-AAmVkASkA_89sX26ziQ4O0Q79qNE8APFKMDItV-qlIljjF8GafmJ11MvaqzS9Aj_eXluGW/s1600/theobend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a>Returning to Bend this year for the <a href="http://www.cascade-classic.org/">Cascade Cycling Classic</a> was literally coming full circle. Everything looked the same (down to the road construction), and it felt both like no time had passed at all and like it had been a million years. As with the 2014 race, I was planning on it being the last of my cycling career, so I had a lot of the same thoughts and fears and sense of being unmoored.<br />
<br />
Yet there was a finality to it all that was new. In signing on and racing with pro team <a href="http://fcscycling.com/">Visit Dallas Cycling p/b Noise4Good</a> for 2015, I’d gone to the end of the road, and even if that road had ended in the same place where it had started in Oregon’s High Desert, my questions had been answered along the way. Yes, racing at a professional level was something I was physically strong enough to do. No, I wasn’t ever going to be a team’s GC rider, or make it to the Olympics or even Europe. My weaknesses, which had been easy to mask when I could cherry-pick my races, were all too clear after a season of racing events like Redlands and Nationals and the men’s P123 at the Driveway. Where other riders commit themselves, body and soul, I hang back. I can push my own body to its limits, but I can’t shove another rider out of the way. I have a pathological fear of sweeping left turns, and I dislike tight spaces. Pre-race anxiety turns me inside out, and even the most minor of equipment changes can throw a wrench into my training. In short, mentally and technically, I’m a shit bike racer.<br />
<br />
In 2014, I won the last stage of Cascade, the Awbrey Butte Circuit Race, by bridging up to another rider in the final miles. That was my first and last pro win, just as 2015 has been my first and last year of competing as a pro rider. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9b-TakcacYB3OavPLSz14v3lK6JvyKeUS0K7VAGdHhdFsfuXLcgiTlll3RkNQ_1Btdxz4Y-AAmVkASkA_89sX26ziQ4O0Q79qNE8APFKMDItV-qlIljjF8GafmJ11MvaqzS9Aj_eXluGW/s1600/theobend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9b-TakcacYB3OavPLSz14v3lK6JvyKeUS0K7VAGdHhdFsfuXLcgiTlll3RkNQ_1Btdxz4Y-AAmVkASkA_89sX26ziQ4O0Q79qNE8APFKMDItV-qlIljjF8GafmJ11MvaqzS9Aj_eXluGW/s320/theobend.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
My son, Theo, was born in June 2013. I probably play the “baby card” too much, but most times I use it I figure I’ve earned the privilege. Being a parent feels a little like falling headlong. There’s all this relentless momentum: you’re Alice going down the rabbit hole to who knows where, dodging the debris along the way—neurotic bunny rabbits, grinning cats, sharp objects, choking hazards, the latest puking sickness. Don’t get me wrong: I love being a mother, and I very much want a second child, but liking the boat you’re in doesn’t change the fact that the waters are rough. Can you be a parent and an elite-level bike racer? Absolutely. What I discovered, though, is that <i>I</i> can’t. I couldn’t separate anything out: when I was with Theo, I was tired and thinking about my next training ride or race, and when I was on the bike, I was thinking about my failings as a mom and how I couldn’t afford to get injured. Not being able to pick Theo up wasn’t a viable option with my husband working full time and no grandparents or other family living nearby. As a rider I’d had many of the same fears and shortcomings long before I gave birth to my son, but as a mother they were magnified.<br />
<br />
I went into the five days of the 2015 Cascade Cycling Classic in the best fitness of my life, riding for one of the top teams in the U.S. pro peloton. I didn’t come anywhere close to the podium, and I offer a limited perspective at times (this is a domestique’s race report through and through), but it describes what for me was an unforgettable experience, the denouement of an immensely difficult but rewarding season as a career athlete.<br />
<br />
<b>Stage 1, Mackenzie Pass Road Race</b><b> –</b><b> </b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1Hr2kBmZQefcj8sRYK5FZ7BlGtBiqPArfAaJMDIdurXW_D8_MAnRjk82nvFSZGmAKxDiMY5i2ni2sp38DQkAnlXk2WY7GP-xl3gcOvJKAiA_M3BNQwmrmims41bN2mdFKq6Rzq45778E/s1600/Mackenzie+pass+preride.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1Hr2kBmZQefcj8sRYK5FZ7BlGtBiqPArfAaJMDIdurXW_D8_MAnRjk82nvFSZGmAKxDiMY5i2ni2sp38DQkAnlXk2WY7GP-xl3gcOvJKAiA_M3BNQwmrmims41bN2mdFKq6Rzq45778E/s400/Mackenzie+pass+preride.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Exploring Mackenzie Pass on the pre-ride</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When Bendites tell you it’s “hot,” you’re looking at fall-like temperatures for Texas: 70s during the day, a downright chilly 50 degrees or even cooler at night. The scenery is exactly what you’d expect from the Pacific Northwest—which is to say, gorgeous.<br />
<br />
Stage one was 81 miles, starting from the small town of Madras and ending at the Dee Wright Observatory on Mackenzie Pass. The route is unremarkable until you start the gradual climb out of the town of Sisters—a small road lined by national forest and, at the top, passing through a beautiful lava field that Theo firmly believes is inhabited by dragons. The only real steepness comes at the end in the <span style="background-color: white;">final six or seven </span>miles, and even then, it’s nothing that would satisfy the appetite of a true climber.<br />
<br />
The race got off to a slow start, a conversational pace. I went to the front just to be away from the back, and there my teammates noticed the unwrapped shot blocks hitching a ride on my top tube. A note for converted triathletes: you can pee in your chamois, spit and blow snot in fountains, crash yourself out… But shot blocks on the top tube? You’re talking cardinal sin and endless teasing. It was an experiment I’d only tried in a pro race once before (which had gone unnoticed that time), and was meant to help me remember to eat early. I have to admit I’ve never been a fashionable roadie or one to adhere to custom, but lord have mercy, I won’t do that again.<br />
<br />
Early in the race, Amber and a Twenty16 rider pulled off the road for a pee stop. Four or five others stopped on the other side of the road when they saw what was happening. I coasted briefly, never having executed a mid-race pee break before, but in the end decided I’d regret it if I didn’t take advantage of the opportunity.<br />
<br />
At my first pro race in 2012 when I was guest riding for Landis Trek, my husband had driven the team car the last day and saw a rider pull just off the road to pee solo; he said he thought at first she had a bee in her clothes. This could have described me as I stopped, threw my bike down, tore off my jersey and bibs, and tried my best to pee like the wind as I saw the comm car go by and the other riders beginning to get on their bikes. Quasi successful, I threw my leg over the bike and chased the others with jersey open and flapping. The field was going easy, so it wasn’t hard for us to rejoin. As I sat up no hands at the back and zipped my jersey up, I congratulated myself on finally being a real pro: I’d just speed-peed behind desert foliage about four inches tall, in full view of the caravan, and managed to get all my clothes back on.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERDU1TEAJxpZ-M6MFkrWULMiSzDlWGwQpKWeYznYAiMyIBuBvmY2cyIASYJbhIQpd0KtDJREJukrYT85f06XVq4gSouWsloICqYMm4BWOmEe-g0RFfMKzqU9yghqBJ1OacEXRclbU7El4/s1600/preride+mack+pass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiERDU1TEAJxpZ-M6MFkrWULMiSzDlWGwQpKWeYznYAiMyIBuBvmY2cyIASYJbhIQpd0KtDJREJukrYT85f06XVq4gSouWsloICqYMm4BWOmEe-g0RFfMKzqU9yghqBJ1OacEXRclbU7El4/s400/preride+mack+pass.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>View of the finish, day before the race</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When the first break formed, it was on a small hill still earlyish in the race. Amanda Miller, a new rider on the Visit Dallas team but a veteran pro cyclist, was in it, but so were at least two or three riders from Twenty16 p/b Sho-Air. At first the peloton was chasing hard, with individual riders trying to get across to the move and others covering. I tried a few times myself, but had no success. At one point I saw a group coming toward us on the opposite side of the road. That’s odd, I thought, and wondered if they were dropped riders from the men’s race; just as I recognized the faces flashing by, the peloton was coming to an abrupt, messy stop, and we were turning around. The lead car had taken the break past the left turn. Before the snafu, my teammate Beth Ann Orton had just gotten a small gap and started to bridge. S<span style="text-align: center;">he made a second attempt soon after and was successful. Now there were two Visit Dallas riders up the road. The peloton slowed, the break quickly gained ground, and we were at cruising speed for many miles. </span><br />
<br />
As we neared Sisters, we got word that we’d need to pick up the pace and start closing the gap to the break for our GC rider, Amber Neben. Amber would hit the gas from the right turn onto the last steep, twisting miles to the finish, shadowed by our other climber Anna Sanders, so the rest of us were to drive it on the gradual climb (more like a false flat) to that point. Amber and Anna played gatekeepers while Olivia Dillon, Nina Laughlin, Mia Manganello, and I rotated at the front. This was the first time I’d ever really been in a successful team paceline at the front, and it felt both good and bad. It was exhilarating to be a part of the effort, and I was happy to finally be going consistently hard. But with the excitement it was hard to stay steady, and I literally forgot to slow every time I moved over on the front: brain off, legs on. It was also difficult knowing that by doing my job well I was digging a hole for myself before the most crucial point of the race, that I was going to be done and dusted before the peloton really started moving.<br />
<br />
When Amber came around us and started motoring up I was able to stay with the front group for a very short bit, but soon I knew if I didn’t back off I would blow up so hard I’d be one of the last across the finish line. I hung on to the first splinter group, huffing and puffing. The next few miles were the most difficult for me, each passing so slowly, but after a while I started to recover even though the pace was hard. It was an exciting, new kind of feeling, getting my legs back underneath me after such a big effort. I even had a little bit of a sprint at the end, finishing 19th on the stage toward the front of the group I’d been with. From the pack, Kristin Armstrong (Twenty16) had taken first at the line, with Amber in second. Andrea Dvorak (Twenty16), who’d been in the initial break, finished third.<br />
<br />
My husband had packed his bike in the rent car to get a ride in. While Jack rode back down to Sisters, I drove Theo in the car. Mommy hat back on, I felt strange and muddled, exhausted and elated from a race that I knew had been one of my best even if the result didn’t show it. As for Theo, after a morning of screaming “Go fast!” at the riders and looking for dragons among the rocks, sleep was near instant when the car was in motion.<br />
<br />
<b>Stage 2, Crooked River Time Trial</b><b> –</b><b> </b><br />
The mid-morning, 16-mile TT started about an hour’s drive east of Bend in rolling farm country. The course is a fun one, with gentle curves and mild elevation changes that keep you entertained without really adding anything technical. The winds can be strong, however. <br />
<br />
In my other most recent TTs this year, I started too hard and faded fast; the heat was usually a factor. It’s a miserable experience, burning your matches early and then feeling like you’re fighting a losing battle the whole race. At the Prineville TT the temperature was probably in the low 70s and I was actually wearing my long-sleeved skinsuit, but I still aimed low versus high. My husband, also my coach, said to start at 260 watts and pick it up to 270 at the turnaround if I was still feeling good.<br />
<br />
I felt amazing the entire time, and the miles flew by. I was able to pick it up over 270 on the way back, and I finished the last few minutes fast enough that I knew I’d gone too easy on the leg out. All in all, however, it was a much better feeling than the last three or four TTs I’d done, and I was very satisfied with it. The time was about the same as last year, but I’m on completely different equipment, and it was a different day with different conditions; the average power was significantly higher. I placed 9th among the pro women. Armstrong had set the fast time of the day (34 minutes), with Amber in second and Leah Thomas (Metromint Cycling p/b The Freewheel) in third. My teammates Beth Ann and Anna had finished fifth and sixth.<br />
<br />
<b>Stage 3, Cascade Lakes Road Race</b><b> –</b><b> </b><br />
The Mackenzie Pass stage had been a new course for everyone (it had been run the opposite direction previously), but like the TT course, Cascade Lakes was a route I was familiar with from last year. In 2014, however, the race had been an NRC event, and there had been a completely different dynamic between the teams in attendance. This week, Amber was sitting second in GC, and the feeling I got throughout was that if anything was going to happen, it would always start with us.<br />
<br />
Just before the race I was instructed to put in the first attack at the start of the uphill section, a slog that continued gradually upward for something like 15 miles. I knew that it was possible, but unlikely, that mine would be the break that got away. Everyone was going to be fresh to follow the first move, no matter how hard the acceleration, and it was only after the peloton had been run through the wringer a few times that they’d let something slip off the front. It also had to be the right mix of riders from the various teams.<br />
<br />
When I went, my teammate Mia was on my wheel, and a handful of others quickly joined. I put in a harder dig than I’d really meant to—it was reminiscent of last year in the same stage when I’d initiated the break that stuck and then had been dropped from it a few miles later. Fortunately, I hadn’t pushed it quite as hard, but I was still feeling winded when the field (very quickly) caught us. My teammates Amanda and Nina countered with a handful of other riders in tow, and this would be the move that stuck. The right mix for most of the teams made the move or bridged to it, so the peloton let them go and we slowed again. I quickly regretted not following the riders who had bridged up, though for about an hour after that point I had a wicked case of heartburn, or whatever you call it when something about the combination of when and what you put in your stomach goes terribly wrong and makes you wonder if you’re having a heart attack. I drifted back and sat last wheel, burping like a sailor.<br />
<br />
Metromint hadn’t made the break, and their rider Leah Thomas was then third in GC, so they were the only organized team moving things along. It seemed like they were holding the gap around 2:40, which might have been golden for us if there hadn’t been a crash at mile <span style="background-color: white;">43</span> (estimating from the power file) in the middle of the pack shortly after a left turn. My best guess was that someone touched wheels. The crash took out Mia, who must have gotten up immediately; I was surprised when I saw her again so quickly. Leah Thomas had gone down and rejoined, as well, but in the lull we’d lost about two minutes on the break, and no one was working the front anymore.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHInjzdGYj_9FMBj5S9BeT2ogi5AS4smwrEIArKZITogHfndzhhzUfybzn9fYPoCjdJUN-qxVHAs4p2z-TiErBWP1hyGxcrUJnS2b2pgYmUIRIYCIW6sZtF7IDeGbciRoMlQkIP35b-VvG/s1600/coffee+shop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHInjzdGYj_9FMBj5S9BeT2ogi5AS4smwrEIArKZITogHfndzhhzUfybzn9fYPoCjdJUN-qxVHAs4p2z-TiErBWP1hyGxcrUJnS2b2pgYmUIRIYCIW6sZtF7IDeGbciRoMlQkIP35b-VvG/s400/coffee+shop.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Crit day coffee stop, caffeinated riders + the amazing Annalisa Fish, master PT</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Soon Mia and I were ordered to drive it the to the feed zone, which was near the beginning of the final, roughly 10-mile climb; the plan was that Amber, Anna, and Beth Ann (all pretty high up in GC from the first day) would start linked attacks from there, forcing Armstrong and her Twenty16 teammates still in the pack to chase.<br />
<br />
Mia is the team’s undisputed crit star. I’d long ago labelled her a “sprinter,” but this week I seemed to always be riding around or with her, and holy Moses that woman is fast in everything. I started wondering toward the end of our effort at the front—which pretty much mirrored my all-out TT from the day before, except it was in the middle of a 73-mile road race—if I was going to make it to where the others were supposed to take over. By the feed zone, Mia and I had closed two minutes or so on the break, essentially only regaining the ground we’d lost during the crash.<br />
<br />
Strategically, our team had messed up. Everything we did was not as planned, or too late, or involved the wrong people. Amber and the others took the pace up after the feed zone and dropped many riders (including Mia and me), but the major players were still with them, and the break that had been up the road nearly all day survived to the end. From the break, Dvorak (Twenty16) finished first and was now in the yellow jersey. Abigail Mickey (the only rider at the race representing UnitedHealthcare) took second on the stage, and my teammate Amanda finished third. Nina took sixth.<br />
<br />
The last 10 or so miles of this stage were pure hell for me. Both my knees were aching, and my body was done. It was all I could do to hang on the back of the dropped group I was with, finishing 32nd. <br />
<br />
<b>Stage 4, Downtown Criterium</b><b> –</b><br />
The crit course is a simple rectangle. In 2014 it was left-hand turns, but this year it was reversed. Right turns are generally better for me, so I was happy enough, though the last turn before the finish (pictured below) is downhill and a little unsettling. The crowd was great, and there were tons of primes. It seemed like every time around the loop someone was making a couple hundred bucks. The sprint jersey was also being hotly contested, which made it a fun race to watch from the sidelines.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuxQrxWukJkygQnrb04oYVrhAkAeobWE0bq091QV7euv4muENu9kqEMq6c7W4B9UhYqykVoz4ahIGkgSYfq-seRpoeUeOHUelX3eRvaWlTLmOwSF76y3VzUrnBzZMy8_WgDU_t0I8yNRRv/s1600/kat+crit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuxQrxWukJkygQnrb04oYVrhAkAeobWE0bq091QV7euv4muENu9kqEMq6c7W4B9UhYqykVoz4ahIGkgSYfq-seRpoeUeOHUelX3eRvaWlTLmOwSF76y3VzUrnBzZMy8_WgDU_t0I8yNRRv/s400/kat+crit.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo by Tim Schallberger</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As for me…I hate crits. My teammates were on the front, and I was on the back. And that was a very brutal place to be. As predicted, Twenty16 was flying from the gun and a hefty portion of the field was shelled in the first few laps. Rumor had it our average speed was higher than the pro men’s race. The good thing was that this kept things safe, with zero crashes as far as I could see and hear.<br />
<br />
On the rare occasion when things would slow during the race, I would think, “I need to get up there. I can attack.” But then fear would take over. I worried, once I was caught and back in the field, that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the surges. I knew without a doubt that I’d go right back to my place at the end of the line, where it was already all I could do just to hang on. I also worried I’d go at the wrong moment, when the team was trying to set something else up. So I did nothing, and I regretted it.<br />
<br />
In the final sprint to the line, Mia took second behind Lauren Hall (Twenty16), which was an exciting result. I was 39th with a pack finish time. <br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Stage 5, Awbrey Butte Circuit Race – </b><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPvZLxFyYeP082ZcLNCuhKWq2ceULuixQcjin5E-eGOHMh1pSRICj320BAsgHQbInuDBiiScv2gNB_BgIaQb7uiKe6raeDwrTtQvvQOn7Cy87I_h2jpRTMuVI-ILr23yeJxeq7sxGANd7a/s1600/amanda%2527s+finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPvZLxFyYeP082ZcLNCuhKWq2ceULuixQcjin5E-eGOHMh1pSRICj320BAsgHQbInuDBiiScv2gNB_BgIaQb7uiKe6raeDwrTtQvvQOn7Cy87I_h2jpRTMuVI-ILr23yeJxeq7sxGANd7a/s400/amanda%2527s+finish.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Finishing sprint, Denise Ramsden and Amanda Miller. <br />Photo by Tim Schallberger.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This is the stage I won last year in a late break. As we started rolling, I remembered why I’d been able to put in that huge effort at the end of the race. The course is a nerve-wracking one for me, with lots of turns and downhills and steep uphills that it’s best to be in a forward position for. Last year I’d tailgunned the whole thing until the last five or so miles.<br />
<br />
This year, I was hanging back again, but my teammates called me out on it. From the second lap on, our team was attacking. Before the start I thought my legs were doing okay—they certainly felt better than they did before the 2014 race—but from the first time I tried to put them in use they were disappointingly empty. I had no acceleration. And I also had no sense of timing. I managed to wear myself out quickly with no real net gain for the team.<br />
<br />
A small break got away in the third lap with a few of our riders in it. In the peloton, Amber told me just after the climb up Archie Briggs that she was going to attack on the hill after the big descent and get up there to them. She was able to drift around and give most of our riders a heads up. Though I was in the loop, I still wasn’t in a good place to follow the move and missed it. By the time I’d moved up and onto a wheel, I was gassed. Mia was able to stick it just ahead of me and tucked in behind Armstrong. As they gapped me, again I was thinking, “She’s supposed to be a <i>sprinter</i>.”<br />
<br />
I thought that was it, that would be the selection that made it to the end, but the group was caught. At the finale it would be the two-woman break just after the feed zone that would survive: Amanda from our team and Denise Ramsden from Trek Red Truck Racing p/b Mosaic Homes. Amanda crossed the finish line first, triumphantly taking the stage win.<br />
<br />
I started at the back of the main pack, or what was left of it, on the final turn and finished 13th. I’d nearly been dropped on the preceding hills, but there was something about the finish and the length of the hill that brought my legs back to life again, and I was sprinting with all that I had left, mouth hanging open, for no real reason other than I knew this might be the last time I ever had a chance to do it.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6Ej0K-Cu7mm6c-tal3EY2oCSTGRvMUP3vWSZMm4izM3AUhc9J1tgtPxYih_MjFau3-wVUfPSrTJbNyDIP9x8ezILzHGupzyAcx2D4J7MEFayFeueN8bjKo83bpONNG9tc8Ihb2Ag-MmW/s1600/most+aggressive+pod.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr6Ej0K-Cu7mm6c-tal3EY2oCSTGRvMUP3vWSZMm4izM3AUhc9J1tgtPxYih_MjFau3-wVUfPSrTJbNyDIP9x8ezILzHGupzyAcx2D4J7MEFayFeueN8bjKo83bpONNG9tc8Ihb2Ag-MmW/s640/most+aggressive+pod.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Podium presentation for "most aggressive team": from left, Olivia Dillon, Beth Ann Orton, Amanda Miller, Mia Manganello, Anna Sanders, Amber Neben, Nina Laughlin, Kat Hunter</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It was a strange, inverted feeling of déjà vu to ride up on Amanda stopped just past the finish line, the team surrounding her and patting her on the back. That had been me, last year. What did I feel? Was I jealous, happy, relieved, disappointed? In my very honest emotional inventory I came up with a little of all of the above, but really I mostly felt one thing—bone tired. Though I hadn’t done much to make it happen, the team <span style="text-align: center;">had gotten the stage win. Amber took third in GC behind Dvorak and Armstrong. We also stood up on the podium for the impromptu award of “most aggressive team.” I was proud to be in their midst. </span><br />
<br />
Whatever the day and the race had been, it was over. That’s what I thought, as I strapped Theo in his carseat and we left Bend for the Portland airport: it really was over this time. There was both sadness and satisfaction in closing the book on this segment of my life, simultaneously a feeling of freedom and a feeling of loss. But hey, I reminded myself, eyes always forward when careening down the rabbit hole. You never know, good or bad, what you’re going to run into. On to the next big adventure.<br />
<i><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9LcbgeMFxSUvitxCCBrR_aSliPEIKchICMaKKslt2VFQc06sEdZLbcfIpK1OEX2m1B10ZXqM27Q5RxLsc848dwPoICIrOdSKdZ3cLpJuji-J5iMNy4WLbPJA42jCO3Cpq1u8dELUpDf2/s1600/IMG_20150726_184918.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ9LcbgeMFxSUvitxCCBrR_aSliPEIKchICMaKKslt2VFQc06sEdZLbcfIpK1OEX2m1B10ZXqM27Q5RxLsc848dwPoICIrOdSKdZ3cLpJuji-J5iMNy4WLbPJA42jCO3Cpq1u8dELUpDf2/s640/IMG_20150726_184918.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Oregon provides a cheesy leaving-day rainbow photo op.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</i><br />
<div>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kat Hunter is a freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. Find her on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kat-Hunter-Writer-Cyclist/1524203094489978">Facebook </a>or check out her <a href="http://www.kathrynhunter.net/">website</a>. </span></i></div>
ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-66577081667291161632015-08-06T19:38:00.000-07:002015-08-06T19:52:02.179-07:00Austin Cyclists Hit by Drunk Driver, Aug. 2, 2015By Kat Hunter<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIYPL3NQSGL7AkYtiXXFaxMIa30zIG8NO03nE35P7_n7Qm5bGDYhU07BJvm61ghO1UjdUKzf9IKZEHTnUWmwPQiVBQZRgR_1dG908Wzqoy3hoCGGuim6Yc6YMLOnT4_gz_V0x6Pt9U_tz/s1600/balconyroad.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrIYPL3NQSGL7AkYtiXXFaxMIa30zIG8NO03nE35P7_n7Qm5bGDYhU07BJvm61ghO1UjdUKzf9IKZEHTnUWmwPQiVBQZRgR_1dG908Wzqoy3hoCGGuim6Yc6YMLOnT4_gz_V0x6Pt9U_tz/s320/balconyroad.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kent and Marla the week before the accident <br />on a cycling trip to France</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last Sunday around 6:30 a.m., Kent Snead and Marla Briley parked their car at Austin Tri-Cyclist and rolled east down Barton Springs Road. Both competitive cyclists, they were starting what was meant to be a 65-mile training ride south to a loop near Buda. Marla’s rear training wheel had been flat that morning, so they’d swapped it out for a carbon race wheel to save time. Shortly after turning onto First Street as they were riding past the Texas School for the Deaf, Kent heard a noise. Thinking it was something wrong with Marla’s brakes and the different wheel, he started to look over his left shoulder at Marla beside him and suddenly felt like he was on an amusement park ride, up in the air and spinning. There’d been no warning before that, no sound of the car approaching at roughly 40 miles per hour.<br />
<br />
“My memory is like a GoPro thrown out of window or something,” he says. “White, black, white, black, white, black.”<br />
<br />
Kent never lost consciousness and says he remembers it all: hitting the passenger side of the car and landing on the sidewalk, hearing the crunch of the bikes being run over, the sensation of color returning. The car stopped, and the driver’s door opened. He realized he couldn’t see Marla.<br />
<br />
“My first thought was that I’d lost her, she’s under the car,” Kent says. “And then I saw her from the edge of my vision as she got out of the road, heard her screaming ‘call 911!’”<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZgiFmA9vjzi4p3DNFipR9dlXzMgmp595FEbLWn1N099HajfH6euP6Cyntzg_CPFEpZT4sUD6kWIUNaT6ynAQ3qYRhBPA-cK81ry6RP_b1AYRtM0HiE0uO-ZNmEN-oi7ALh6_Qsw856xN/s1600/car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZgiFmA9vjzi4p3DNFipR9dlXzMgmp595FEbLWn1N099HajfH6euP6Cyntzg_CPFEpZT4sUD6kWIUNaT6ynAQ3qYRhBPA-cK81ry6RP_b1AYRtM0HiE0uO-ZNmEN-oi7ALh6_Qsw856xN/s320/car.jpg" width="272" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Photo by Joseph Iley</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Kent could move but knew he probably shouldn’t, feeling a great deal of pain in his lower back, as if he were having severe muscle cramps. Marla was moving around well enough that he knew she was okay, though hysterical. The ambulance arrived and took them both to Brackenridge Hospital with Kent strapped to a backboard. Even then he realized they’d been lucky, he says, and that it could have been a lot worse.<br />
<br />
The 23-year-old driver, who to his credit was one of the first to call 911 and stayed on the scene to render aid, was arrested by the police for drunk driving.<br />
<span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span>
<span style="text-align: center;">For Marla and Kent, the eventual prognosis was good. Marla had a fracture in her left foot (next week she’ll see a specialist to determine whether her cast can be removed). A chunk of her hair had been ripped out in the crash, there was a heavy bruise on her right hamstring, a deep cut in her finger would require stitches, and she had some minor road rash on her arms—all told, she looked better than the windshield she’d shattered. Kent, however, had rolled more down the side of the car, in the process breaking his scapula and fracturing vertebrae in his lower back. Fortunately, there hasn’t been much swelling, and all the bones are in place, so no pinning or surgery has been required. He’s now home after three days in the hospital, and the prescription is immobilization. Doctors say he’ll likely be in a brace for the next four or five months, and he’s currently on bedrest for six weeks. It’s still a long road ahead. </span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBzXJn1esORpfkHLX4Xudr7796yaeg_ya3GzNsQtLeO2h5uONa8CvhMg7yJwsqM9WU4eKbQoivwoiCUo19hAxDXgz2rF1ENPj99kuVeQ1FmhlAU3GuezBxeSF0sNKYxFqtMZx-KI-dbpqM/s1600/kentsbike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBzXJn1esORpfkHLX4Xudr7796yaeg_ya3GzNsQtLeO2h5uONa8CvhMg7yJwsqM9WU4eKbQoivwoiCUo19hAxDXgz2rF1ENPj99kuVeQ1FmhlAU3GuezBxeSF0sNKYxFqtMZx-KI-dbpqM/s320/kentsbike.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Kent's bike</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When news media report on an accident involving a cyclist, there’s often a witch hunt, and oddly enough, it’s usually the victim who’s put on trial. The title of the Aug. 3 article published by KXAN, an Austin news station, was “Cyclists: Area where drunk driver hit bicyclists is dangerous.” I saw the article all over my Facebook feed, shared by cyclists because it was the only one available.<br />
<br />
What KXAN posted online essentially mirrored their TV coverage. The first match to light the pyre: the cyclists didn’t have lights. Ironically, this was a false claim, ostensibly made by the drunk driver in his statement to police but attributed by KXAN to “police documents.” The second match, struck (disappointingly, I might add) by a spokesperson for cycling advocacy organization Please Be Kind to Cyclists: this was a “scary stretch of road” that wasn’t “safe at all.”<br />
<br />
As I read the article, still reeling, I figured their meaning was loud and clear. We might as well just go ahead and finish the job they’d started, for a mercifully quick end if nothing else, right? Let’s haul Marla and Kent out of their hospital beds, tie them to the stake, and break out the marshmallows and graham crackers; clearly they’re the ones to blame, not the man who was driving drunk at 6:30 on a Sunday morning.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHGpL_1yeG9U3da1PPsKKu7gSQmjjrYHIfVxFo4a7FwFdI3tAHTICRZiX1km1uno7JVw-tmkzFEU8W7AYL9V0CSGdDIOKS5Z4KFQVsp3PlAjN_VF4QLM2288ydWBanU0a9yZqYjXhwBLlt/s1600/marlasbike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHGpL_1yeG9U3da1PPsKKu7gSQmjjrYHIfVxFo4a7FwFdI3tAHTICRZiX1km1uno7JVw-tmkzFEU8W7AYL9V0CSGdDIOKS5Z4KFQVsp3PlAjN_VF4QLM2288ydWBanU0a9yZqYjXhwBLlt/s320/marlasbike.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Marla's bike</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Most cyclists don’t take South First on a typical weekday, but lots do on weekend mornings. On Saturdays and Sundays, the early hours are the best time to ride in Austin: the streets are empty, the temperatures are as cool as they’re going to get, and the whole city is almost eerily quiet and calm. Any Austin cyclist knows that in addition to “good roads” and “bad roads,” there are good and bad times. If you say that cyclists don’t belong on South First at 6:30 in the morning on a Sunday, you might as well come out and say what you really mean to, which is that they don’t belong on the roads at all. To make that one stick, however, you’ll need to change state and municipal law.<br />
<br />
When I spoke with Garret Nick of Please Be Kind to Cyclists about the statements he’d made to KXAN, he said his intent was never to say that the cyclists were at fault or were not 100 percent within their rights. He was thinking of things more “big picture,” he said, and cited needed improvements to infrastructure and reductions to vehicle speed in the urban core. Though I agree with his point that Austin could do a lot more in the way of bike planning, I still can’t get past one overarching thought: where are you safe from a drunk driver? People have been killed biking, walking, driving, sleeping in their beds…none of them responsible for or capable of preventing what the drunk driver had done. <br />
<br />
The morning of the accident, I was supposed to meet up with Marla and Kent farther south along the route. I’m probably the only reason they were even going that way. When Marla called I had helmet and shoes on and was about to walk out of the door. Her voice was distraught, and when I asked if she and Kent were okay, I couldn’t understand her answer; there were other voices, sounds, the muffled background noise of an emergency.<br />
<br />
I’d literally seen a cyclist in a body bag the day before—I’d been hiking on the trails near Bauerle Ranch, where a father mountain biking with his son had died of a heart attack. Carrying my own two-year-old son in my arms, I’d walked right past his family, had seen their grief-stricken faces. As I drove the eight miles from my house to the site of the collision, resisting the urge to speed even though I seemed to be one of the only cars on the road, I wavered between the best- and worse-case scenarios of what I’d find when I got there, from “everything’s okay because Marla wouldn’t have asked me to pick up the bikes if it weren’t” to “Kent’s going to die,” or “Kent’s going to be paralyzed.” I thought of his three daughters.<br />
<br />
We don’t always consider what police officers do for us, the burden they bear to not only protect but to take on the worst of what can happen in our lives, whether crime or accident. After two days of seeing what they saw every work day, I was at the point of breaking. In both emergencies, APD officers were exceptionally kind to me, going out of their way to explain the situation or to help me locate my friends in the hospital. I was overwhelmingly grateful to them, and to the doctor who saw my face (and cycling kit) when I first came running into the hospital and said, “They’re doing okay,” and to Kent for being alive and in one near-whole piece, friendly as ever even as he lay prone on an emergency-room table in terrible pain. I had to fight the urge to give each of them a bear hug, and I’m not a huggy kind of person.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuZgiFmA9vjzi4p3DNFipR9dlXzMgmp595FEbLWn1N099HajfH6euP6Cyntzg_CPFEpZT4sUD6kWIUNaT6ynAQ3qYRhBPA-cK81ry6RP_b1AYRtM0HiE0uO-ZNmEN-oi7ALh6_Qsw856xN/s1600/car.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>You want to know what the loneliest place in the world is? A hospital parking garage. I’d been to the collision site, then to Brackenridge, then back to the collision site when they said I could pick up the bikes, then parked the car again at Brackenridge. The rear wheels of the bikes were bent and shattered or crumpled like paper, so I couldn’t attach the frames to my roof rack. All the pieces were tangled up in the backseat, and as I pulled into a space in a dark corner of the garage I saw the gleam of flashing lights behind me. “What now,” I thought in what had become an all-too-familiar state of panic, but it was only the red rear lights blinking on the bikes, still illuminated from earlier that morning when Kent and Marla had turned them on, just headed out for another training ride on another day. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncj8Ndv9Qvc0_L0HImRk1p1co-hA4kR1_VmlKNfCWaTGb-knkR9Kz0tT2jc1loJo8aKQ71zdniJdnph0Yv07ASzDi2ykHBK839xVnlqBCDk6vvhvtzQEQwcgSepAvB4n4vw71lD-gyo5b/s1600/20150723_184745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncj8Ndv9Qvc0_L0HImRk1p1co-hA4kR1_VmlKNfCWaTGb-knkR9Kz0tT2jc1loJo8aKQ71zdniJdnph0Yv07ASzDi2ykHBK839xVnlqBCDk6vvhvtzQEQwcgSepAvB4n4vw71lD-gyo5b/s640/20150723_184745.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<i>Kent and Marla asked me to include an expression of their gratitude to all their friends and family and the local cycling community. They say they’ve been overwhelmed by support and feel fortunate and humbled to have received so much help and kindness. </i><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-991759810627080501.post-1706055666811938972015-07-30T08:25:00.000-07:002015-07-30T08:25:32.349-07:00Race Report: Redhook LondonBy Sammi Runnels<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XteQxhGTNZ9DKotv5BTl1dPQDZMZP8pOB9oLqjaoKgH-DeEX0DEF0gsX1rRA2iK6-myFBHTQhoX49wptOtj1J3XZw4uYFGbs2Z_CoDYBHAJ0aDtAcey1l0GsVHTdaZznwRHHh8CGZtFJ/s1600/sammi1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XteQxhGTNZ9DKotv5BTl1dPQDZMZP8pOB9oLqjaoKgH-DeEX0DEF0gsX1rRA2iK6-myFBHTQhoX49wptOtj1J3XZw4uYFGbs2Z_CoDYBHAJ0aDtAcey1l0GsVHTdaZznwRHHh8CGZtFJ/s400/sammi1.jpg" width="290" /></a><a href="http://redhookcrit.com/">Redhook London</a> was actually my first trip outside of the country. It’s very fitting that cycling would be the reason to go to the UK. I was super excited to get an offer from <a href="http://aventonbikes.com/">Aventon Bikes</a> to race the European Redhook.<br />
<br />
Our team director, Sean <span style="background-color: white;">Burke</span>, put the team up in a hostel near the race. It was my first time meeting the team, most of whom are based in San Diego: Gretchen Stumhofer, Kym Perfetto, and Esther Walker. We had the whole day before the race to get to know each other and explore the city. We went to the pre-race party at the Oakley residence, which was pretty wild. I’ve been finding it really interesting how the bike scenes differ. From road to mountain, the various disciplines are fun to observe. The fixed scene I would definitely compare to the cyclocross scene—lots of tattooed, trendy riders, and it seems the party is just as important as the race itself.<br />
<br />
To prepare for the race the following day we did some tactical discussion. It had been decided we would work for Gretchen. Though she’d never done a fixed gear crit before, she’d competed in a lot of pro races and had been invited to the Olympic training center twice; she’d also recently won the SRAM Chicago Criterium, part of the Intelligentsia Cup Prairie State Cycling Series. Gretchen never received her bike when she landed, however. It turned out her bike never made it on the plane. She was able to use our teammate <span style="background-color: white;">Lucas</span>’ bike thanks to the similarities in fits (a quick stem swap was required between races). Obviously the circumstances were not ideal, but we made it work, and she was able to race. Gretchen still put in the best qualifying time for our team, so the original plan was on.<br />
<br />
The qualifying race is about four hours before the main event. I just want to explain how qualifying works real quick. (It was never explained to me in my first Redhook event in Brooklyn; at first I was under the impression it was like any other crit or mass-start race, and during the qualifier I went hard the whole time thinking it was first over the line versus the individual fastest lap time.) In the qualifier your fastest lap time determines your start position for the main race. You have 20 minutes to do a lap (about 1.2 miles) as fast as you can. Everyone starts together, you get used to the turns, and then you take your hot lap whenever you feel ready. The problem is, not everyone will be taking a hot lap at the same time. So during your hot lap you will be dodging riders that are going easy. This makes getting a fast lap time a little more difficult. Gretchen qualified third and I qualified sixth, so we both were able to line up first row.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYKDvRJstjEcaAU4dG1Y6Wxq9RaI9SxkyahoztIuSNwUkC_JYrVm_v0E2Hcxwhnp0Pv2NFPb7W6EOQy5RiiZ72EPCAlPsJ5EpZcEMJXv3-XfWB3Av30M-8xr1VUhyC4fDs6A-gPvQXIMRi/s1600/aventon+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYKDvRJstjEcaAU4dG1Y6Wxq9RaI9SxkyahoztIuSNwUkC_JYrVm_v0E2Hcxwhnp0Pv2NFPb7W6EOQy5RiiZ72EPCAlPsJ5EpZcEMJXv3-XfWB3Av30M-8xr1VUhyC4fDs6A-gPvQXIMRi/s640/aventon+2.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Generally, I don’t let myself get nervous before racing. I wait till about a minute before the race starts to let myself be nervous, and at that point there is no time for doubts. 3, 2, 1, GO! We strung the race out from the gun, really taking advantage of our start positions. Breaking a fixed gear crit up from the beginning definitely felt like the safer option. While I don’t find these crits especially different from a road crit, it still takes some getting used to. Surely a brakeless fixed gear is less forgiving when you take the wrong line, I thought. So when there was a crash, it wasn’t super surprising. I just didn’t expect it to be the girl directly in front of me. On the third or fourth lap coming around turn two Gretchen went a little too wide and went down. Luckily there were strategically placed hay bales to break her fall. I was right on her wheel, and with no brakes to slow me down the only thing to do was hop and roll right over her bike. While I completed this task without much trouble, I let out a pretty loud yelp, as I figured I was going down at that point, too. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8XteQxhGTNZ9DKotv5BTl1dPQDZMZP8pOB9oLqjaoKgH-DeEX0DEF0gsX1rRA2iK6-myFBHTQhoX49wptOtj1J3XZw4uYFGbs2Z_CoDYBHAJ0aDtAcey1l0GsVHTdaZznwRHHh8CGZtFJ/s1600/sammi1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>Kacey Lloyd (Rockstar Games) and Ainara Elbusto Arteaga (Conor Wrc) took this opportunity to get away. Ash Duban (Affinity) and I chased for two to three laps before catching on the back. At that point I figured we should keep the pace high, though it didn’t seem like we organized ourselves well enough, as Fleur Faure (Poloandbike) and Jo Celsco (Team Cinelli Chrome) caught on after four or five more laps. The rest of the race was very much cat and mouse. No one had teammates to rely on, thus it was in no one’s best interest to pull. I tried putting in a couple of hard attacks to possibly drop off some of the girls, but the pace would slow down again when they caught me. With one to go, Fleur attacked and led the final lap. At about 500 meters to go, Kasey attacked and led Ainara to the win. When Kasey attacked, Fleur shot backwards, forcing Ash and me to pass her on opposite sides. I finished just behind Ash in fourth place.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CQ1i8MTRIpxs7gFOSuk0sKY76g42cWo_iHleBPyja2LugONVVSUIOWmjXYSl217xuHa_LlqRriXfp1xXnQ_92VYvXBTDlihyphenhyphen4v3EsJXLZN0lyksP1x11YERLQrHL1yC98t4THHY9I1Vq/s1600/aventon+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0CQ1i8MTRIpxs7gFOSuk0sKY76g42cWo_iHleBPyja2LugONVVSUIOWmjXYSl217xuHa_LlqRriXfp1xXnQ_92VYvXBTDlihyphenhyphen4v3EsJXLZN0lyksP1x11YERLQrHL1yC98t4THHY9I1Vq/s640/aventon+1.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The Aventon team pre-race, Sammi posing at far right.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I am happy with my result in my second fixed gear crit, but I always strive to push myself hard. In retrospect I should have gone from the final turn. It was about 800 meters from the finish. I don’t believe I could have held it for the win, but I might have pulled off a better result. I feel that my teammates and I have learned a lot from the London race. Aventon will be sending five ladies out to Barcelona. We’re preparing ourselves to step up in this next race and take the win.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTpNy7tlEmBdZfiDT5Wsqs_uPdRExOmOc32-oly9bfeJaFaTKgKB6854gTsTlJ_8QgcQrp89XMYZhdcel2xfi8sp8a7SrWDCmLqbHIjykf7TJ-ve2LxZmb1A2lxjRHPD3VI-v_4cGOXIO/s1600/sammibiopicresized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTpNy7tlEmBdZfiDT5Wsqs_uPdRExOmOc32-oly9bfeJaFaTKgKB6854gTsTlJ_8QgcQrp89XMYZhdcel2xfi8sp8a7SrWDCmLqbHIjykf7TJ-ve2LxZmb1A2lxjRHPD3VI-v_4cGOXIO/s1600/sammibiopicresized.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><br /></i></span></i></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Sammi Runnels is a bike messenger in Austin, Texas. A native of Tennessee, she started riding when she was 19 and has been racing for three years. She enjoys road cycling, cyclocross, mountain biking, and fixed crits. Sammi is a reptile lover, owning a snake and a roughneck monitor lizard. In her time off the bike she enjoys modeling and drawing. </i> </span><br />
<br />ATC Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11444851098841577789noreply@blogger.com0