Did ya miss me?
Y'all, it's been a FULL week for this CrazeeCyclist! I have so much to share and so much to write about - so let's get this goin'.
Last Thursday, I set off with my group of friends for a very deserved vacation to Chicago (a.k.a Chi-town, the Windy City, the Secondcity). Whatever you want to call it, Chicago is AMAZING. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the trip:
This first picture is significant because the adult snowcone in my hand was a reward for conquering the second biggest fear in my life: RIDING A FERRIS WHEEL. (My biggest fear in life is clowns, by the way).
This is a fantastic picture on the first day of our Chicago trip with all of my friends who went. We really did have a great time. Wrigley rooftop game, watching the Blackhawks win game 5 at The Lodge on Rush Street with the local fans (probably my most favorite part of the trip), deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati's, an architectural tour by boat of downtown Chicago, Grant Park and Buckingham Fountain, the Magnificent Mile, lots of laughs….too much to mention!
We COULD NOT get enough of these Chicago dogs, you guys. My goodness were they tasty. I didn't feel bad about enjoying a lot of Chicago food and drinking Chicago beer because I was on vacation.
This is me - on the Magnificent Mile - with 4 of the most handsome police officers on the planet. They were so polite and indulged my by taking their picture with me. I know it's nuts - but it's oh so fun!
Speaking of Chicago, it has to be one of the most bike-friendly towns in the world. Bikes, bikes everywhere. I couldn't help but capture what I saw around town during my visit.
This was at Grant Park. I counted approximately 50 people on bikes in just the hour I was there. Some were leisure riders, others were out to put some serious miles in. Regardless of their reason "why" - they were on bikes and loving it. It makes my heart happy.
These bikes were for rent at Navy Pier. I saw numerous bike rental places at various spots in the city. How fun would it be just to go to Chicago for vacation and see the entire city from the view of a bike? Believe me, it's on my bucket list for the very near future. (And, I'm hoping to be able to ride with the biggest and best cycling team in the city, the SpiderMonkeys, when I'm there. I want to do a ride along the lakefront.) BEAUTIFUL.
This was hanging in a downtown bike shop in Chicago. My goal, as a women's cycling team captain, is to get more women on bikes. It's such a great workout and the clarity and freedom that come with being on a bike is unparalleled.
One of the bike stores I saw in downtown Chicago. I joke that I'm just a girl, standing in front of a Chicago bike store, asking it to love her. I could not get enough.
Here's the deal though - I really missed being on a bike for 7 days while I was gone. When you make something a part of your life so quickly, time away from it is rough. On the flight home, all I could think about was getting back on my Ridley. I wondered: did she miss me as much as I missed her? (Confession time: I did give her a little rub when I walked in my door at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday morning). Don't judge me.
Part of my excitement is due to the fact that I put Speedplay Clipless Pedals on my bike before leaving town. Here's what they look like:
They're tiny and look like little lollipops. Much different than regular pedals on bikes. And, you may be asking yourself, why clipless pedals? (By the way, for those who don't know, clipless pedals are called clipless because they refer to the lack of toe clips that riders used to use before these came along).
Clipless pedals are generally safer than regular platform pedals. (I know, I know - just wait until I blog about the first time I fall off my bike because I forget to unclip). Your feet can slide off platform pedals in wet, slippery conditions, which is especially dangerous if you’re not sitting in the saddle at the time. Your foot is released when you twist your ankle to the side.
Clipless pedals are also more efficient than platform pedals or toe clips. (This is my biggest reason for switching). These pedals keep the balls of your feet connected to the center of each pedal. Your feet remain in correct foot positions for max cycling efficiency. You use your hamstrings to lift through the back part of your pedal stroke and your quads through the front of the pedal stroke. And, with increased efficiency, you get maximum power output. You can ride last and longer before becoming fatigued. You accelerate faster, balance the workload evenly between your quads and hamstrings and you can transition out of the saddle to use your body weight without fear of slipping off of the pedals.
They're also more comfortable. If my shoes were more stylish, I swear I'd wear them all the time.
So, how do you "clip in"? With the cleat on the bottom of the cycling shoe. They look like this:
Believe me, this isn't easy at first. I tried for just a few minutes before leaving on my trip last week and I became very frustrated when I couldn't immediately feel that click of my cleat against the pedal.
FINALLY having a chance to get back on my bike tonight, I was nervous about trying these out. (Rumor has it that people either love speedplay pedals or they hate them…I was afraid I was going to be part of the latter). See my nerves?
Why so nervous? Because this was completely out of my comfort zone. I haven't done it before. But you know what? I ran across this image about a week ago and I've been enamored with it ever since. It's absolutely true and is a real motivator for me right now.
So - time to HTFU and get going. (What's HTFU? It's cycling rule number 5. Harden the Fuck Up. Stop being a whimp. No excuses - just push yourself through it. Excuse the language - and I don't mean to offend anyone - but I will write was is real and true and that's exactly what it stands for).
Of course, I rode inside tonight, on the trainer, to practice. No need to ride outside, ALONE, for my first time! The first few times I practiced clipping in and out tonight was pretty humorous. There's a skill that's involved in learning how to master these pedals. Thank goodness I have a lot of time to try and get it right. I probably practiced getting in and out of the clips over a hundred times tonight. And you know what? Each time it got easier and quicker. By the time I was done with my ride?
Yep. That's me. The CrazeeCyclist is a happy girl. I think I'm going to be just fine with these pedals. By the end of my ride, I barely had to look down to clip in. I felt like I had a rhythm going each time I stopped, unclipped and got off the saddle, pushed hard with my right foot to start going again and finally clipping back in with my left foot. Outside on the open road will be another challenge, but that's for a different day. I will take the success tonight. WOOT!
In fact, I was having so much fun testing my new pedals out tonight that I just kept right on riding. When I looked down at my time, I was surprised to see that an hour had passed. Longest trainer ride inside so far!
I didn't ride particularly hard tonight - just a quick, medium pace. Practice, practice, practice. That's what I need. I will tell you that I didn't feel as fatigued as I have in the past. I probably could have kept riding. I really do feel like I was able to pedal on a stronger, faster level because I was clipped in.
Is it too early to go for another ride?!?
Okay - enough yammering about the pedals. Because……..
THIS
LESS THAN 48 HOURS UNTIL THE BIGGEST CYCLING EVENT OF THE YEAR BEGINS! I can't hardly sit still right now because I'm so excited. I've been reading stories and watching interviews and talking to other cyclists about this year's race. I've never watched the Tour de France before. Never. Not one single second of it. Not even highlights on SportsCenter. So, it's a pretty big deal for me. My DVR is already set up to record every single stage of the Tour so that I don't have to miss a single second of the action. (I'm missing the Tour preview tonight as I type this - thank goodness for DVR. I'll watch it as soon as I'm done).
My cycling team has a Tour de France fantasy league. Yes, you read that right. Just like football and NASCAR. I absolutely LOVE this. I finished reading Velo magazines Tour de France special edition last night - so I felt a little more ready to make my picks tonight. I don't know how I will do and I'm fully expecting the members of my team to make fun of my selections but I don't really care. I actually took the time to do a little research before I made my picks and even if I don't do well, I've learned a few things along the way. Here's what I ended up with:
Just in case you're wondering, the team is made up by selecting riders from the following categories: 2 All-Rounders, 2 Climbers, 1 Sprinter, 3 Unclassed Riders and 1 Wild Card. I went with Froome overall. He just looks stronger and better prepared than all of the other contenders. Of course, if Contador is in prime shape, he'll give Froome a run for his money - but I'm still sticking with my gut instinct. I will be sure to keep you updated with how I'm faring along the way!
21 days of some amazing racing by some of the most talented men in the world - in a beautiful country. BRING IT TO ME NOW!!!!!
And, speaking of my team - things are moving along nicely. I still don't feel comfortable telling you the name of the cycling team because while we have chosen a team name, the logo isn't quite complete - and I don't want to share it until all of those kinks are worked out. However, I will tell you that tonight I picked up my first cycling sponsorship money from a local business and I was very honored and excited to introduce myself as "Sara with ___________ Cycling." Such a cool moment. And, because the money from them has been secured and they are on board, I do feel like I can share with you the sponsor that I was able to secure for the team (we do have more than one). Here they are!!!
Y'all, they're as excited to be on board with us as we are to have them on board. I met with the owner of Johnny's last week (his name is Pat) and while this type of sponsorship is out of the box for them, they cannot wait to see what we come up with in terms of partnership. Stay tuned for more information because our team is going to have SO MUCH FUN in the upcoming months!
Okay - I've gone on and on and on tonight. That's probably enough information and rambling for one blog entry.
The Tour starts Saturday and I'm going to watch my very first crit races this Sunday in Lawrence, KS (ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK) at the Tour of Lawrence. One of the men's team cyclists is competing in one of the races. I'm absolutely giddy about getting to experience both of these events for my first time. And in the SAME WEEKEND!
Whew. So much to smile about. My soul is content.
Happy Cycling!!
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