I grew up in Ojai, so it was somewhat of a reunion tour for me. I took the girls on a few of my favorite rides. The first day we rode from the Inn to Santa Paula and back up to Ojai. It’s about a 50 mile loop, but there is a fair amount of climbing. I was a bit concerned because we had a big range in ability and I was concerned that it might be hard to keep us together. But, it turned out to be no problem. We had no big attitudes, and everyone was just interested in enjoying the day, and seeing the beautiful scenery. It was also cool because I could show them where the Tour of California went on the same roads.

After our ride, we went to the spa. We sat by the pool and enjoyed the sunshine. We all had massages and mani/ pedis. It was an incredibly relaxing afternoon. I have had a lot of pedicures, but this one was by far the most decadent I had ever experienced. I think it was even better than the massage! They put you in this chair that actually ends up with you lying down, and wrapped in warm blankets. It was unbelievable.

Ojai is known for the “pink moment” and we were outside watching for it before Deb’s big Birthday dinner. The sunset did not disappoint, and our evening was a perfect extension of our day. It was great to unwind and bond with girlfriends especially basing our whole weekend on the riding.
The next day we rode one of my favorite rides of all time. It is the loop from Ojai to Lake Casitas, down into Santa Barbara and back through Ventura to Ojai. Not only is this one of the most beautiful rides in the area, but it is the first ride I ever did on a road bike. I had borrowed a bike and shoes when I was 12 and went with our junior cycling team around the lake just like I did with the girls. I loved the challenge then, and I still love the ride now. I never go to Ojai and not ride the Casitas Loop.

There were a couple good climbs on the ride and I told the girl to go for it. They all pushed themselves super hard, and really surprised themselves. We worked on descending too, and everyone finished feeling like they had learned something new to help their riding.

We had to get out of our rooms by 1pm, so we hurried back and got on the road. We wanted to miss the afternoon traffic. It was a great few days, and we all came back more relaxed and happily tired from working out. It was the perfect vacation

I’ve never had a “Birthday Ride” before and there was definitely a lot of hype leading up to it. I was on email chains that had all kinds of interesting banter going on in an attempt to convince people to ride. It wasn’t me that was scaring away the troops (I hope) but mainly our route, from Rancho Santa Fe to the top of Palomar and back. It’s about a 95 mile round trip. The other issue is that there are a couple of really strong guys, and it is always painful to ride with one in particular (you know who you are ). Anyway, those of us who wanted to more relaxed pace decided that we would leave a half hour earlier and leave from Del Mar. I chose to go with this group because I decided that on my birthday I really wanted to be social, and was not so interested in hurting all day. And trust me, it would have been all day…

So, as I woke at 5am on my birthday, I was wondering just how insane I must be. I love to sleep in and relax. Getting ready to ride before the sun comes up is not my idea of a sane way to start the day. None the less, I’m out the door and get a Sausage McMuffin with Egg on my way to the start point in Del Mar. I know, not super healthy, but it was my day and I’m was going to enjoy it!

It was definitely sprinkling in Del Mar. I got all bundled up and after everyone was loaded up on Vigil’s espresso we were off. Luckily, we had a follow car (thanks to Super Wife Becky) and had been able to put more clothing in the car.

We kept the pace really nice. We were able to talk and even laugh I had ribbons in my hair, and was feeling very birthday-ish. We crested the first climb, and the sprinkling was actually becoming rain. We hadn’t been caught by the fast group yet and we were shocked. I was wondering if they had taken a different route and somehow got ahead of us. We were on the second major climb of the ride and then the skies just let loose. I’m not kidding when I say I thought we might get hail or something. It was cold and miserable. By this point we were losing steam, and went down a long descent to Harrah’s casino. This was the rendezvous point for the follow car (Becky was the smart one who slept in). Since we beat the car, and we were freezing, Deb and I ran into the casino to get warm. What a bizarre scene we created! We were soaking wet and frozen, sitting on the big leather couches inside a casino in the middle of nowhere. The place was spotless, and we definitely looked strange, but it was like no one even noticed. Deb got the great idea to get a room to take showers and take a taxi home. I think that we would have done it except that when my soaking wet friend tried to get a room they informed us that there were no vacancies! I couldn’t believe that someplace like that in the middle of nowhere, could be completely booked!

So, we headed back out into the cold and by this time the car had arrived, so we got inside to warm up again. I had decided that I didn’t need to be this miserable on my b-day so I was going to drive home in the car and get in the hot tub. The two faster guys decided that they were going to venture on to the top of Palomar. They had somehow missed the rainstorm that we had gotten. Super Dave from my group decided he was going to ride home. I finally relented and decided to join him. It would still be a 70+ mile day, and it just meant not going up into the mountain and chancing more freezing weather.

After the birthday girl decided to go, all the troops rallied and we all decided to get it done. JJ and Bruno took the over achiever awards for doing the whole ride, but I was super proud of our group to get the ride done. Scott Kaplan really impressed me since this was his first big ride of the year.
We got back to Del Mar, had birthday cake and enjoyed the hot tub at Dave’s house. It turned out to be an amazing day, and I was happy that I got in a good ride, and an adventure with friends!

Anyway, for all my worry, I actually had a blast driving. I have never gone through so many red lights and passed so many smiling waving policemen. It got to the point where I had to actually remind myself after the races that I needed to change my attitude so I wouldn’t be arrested or something!.

My other job was as a field reporter. I have to say that while it looks easy on TV, it is really difficult. I was lucky that they assigned a wonderful woman to help me and coach me. She eased me in and I never felt overwhelmed although sometimes it came very close. I was so glad she was there because I was very nervous, and I trusted her to make sure I didn’t look like a fool.

The most interesting thing to me was that I experienced a huge level of stress that I haven’t felt since I was racing well. The last few years of my career I didn’t ever really feel that nervous stress of having to prove something to myself. When I was riding well in the 90’s and early 2000’s, I raced a lot of times out of fear of failing. I haven’t felt that scared or fear in five or six years. But, I felt it at the Tour of California this year in a totally different context. I felt like I had a big opportunity to try some new things and I really wanted to do well. I had a self induced pressure that had me in bed by 8pm almost every night, and fighting a cold. I was terrified to fail, and ironically it made me feel alive. I have spent the last few years trying to find a life that makes me feel comfortable, and to realize that I’m at my best when I feel huge pressure was an interesting revelation. The balancing act of find a happy medium is going to have to be what I come to terms with in this new phase. I guess my attempt at advice today is that it’s important to realize what it is that drives us. What makes us passionate to move forward. Sometimes being scared is a good motivator, but the most important thing is to use whatever it is that drives you and pursue it because at the end of the day feeling alive is what makes life worth living.

So that’s my two cents for today

The reason I’m writing about the race, is because almost every city has a “local” time trial. These races are a great way to assess your fitness, and also to see improvement over a season. There aren’t many big tt’s in bike races, and the opportunity to perfect your position and technique is awesome.

The other thing that makes the monthly series a great opportunity is that you can practice your pre-race protocol. You can work on fine tuning your warm up, and also test out different strategies. In big races there is too much on the line to tryout different styles. You have to go with the safe or tried and true strategy. But, in a local tt, you can try starting harder than you might think is comfortable, because if it doesn’t work out for you it is not a big deal, but you might find out something important. You might learn that you can go harder than you think, or that you do better when you don’t hold anything back. It’s all a learning process and local races are the perfect place to try out new ideas. There’s always next month to try again!

My athlete’s did great, and the event was a lot of fun.

It is almost 85 degrees here in sunny San Diego, but I know that the weather is supposed to change a bit over the next few days. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be beautiful, but riding on the coast can sometimes be tricky. As they say, layering is the key to success.

Typically, I will ride with an undershirt, arm warmers and a vest in the morning. That way as the day heats up I can pull off the arm warmers and vest. I almost always wear a light undershirt unless it is super hot. I like that I have a barrier between myself and the jersey.

Since the weather could get rainy, which I think might be a bit optimistic for Southern California… I will bring along a clear rain jacket. I like plastic type rain gear because it really keeps the weather off you, and if it’s cold, the plastic help keeps the wind off you too. The only problem is that sometime they make you sweat too much, so if I’m racing or going hard, I really have to weigh the options. I hate to be too hot when I’m going hard.

I will also pack knee warmers and leg warmers. I don’t think that they will be necessary, but it’s always good to be prepared. When I was racing, they would say that you should always keep your knees covered if it’s under 70 degrees. I think that might be pushing it a little, but old school ways always die hard.

I have long fingered gloves etc., but I will most like likely stick to short fingered racing type gloves. If I were going to Colorado, then I would make sure I had winter gloves and shoe covers, but I am only heading to Northern California.
For those of you in really cold climates, I think that one of the most important things you can do is keep your head warm. I always had a larger helmet in the winter that I could fit a ski cap under. We lose so much heat through our heads. Also, the trick is to keep your body dry. Good base layers are incredibly important, and thermal gear is necessary if you are riding in freezing conditions.

Well, I’m off to finish my packing… Don’t let the winter weather intimidate you. Just be prepared and plan. I always felt so good after finishing rides in bad conditions. There is nothing like a cup of hot chocolate while you are warming up after a good winter ride. Have fun and dress for success!