King of the Mountains

That’s what I felt like after our ride from Apollo to Indiana last Saturday. Our ride was full of intense climbs and fast descents; just how I like it. I’m happy to be out of our flat terrain training and into the climbing. I have always loved the climbs; in mountain biking and road riding. Even when I was out of shape, gasping for breath and nearing the point of puking, I still loved the feeling of reaching the top of that mountain, and even better, getting to ride back down!



I started the ride with some fresh new gear which totally rocked. While my Lazer helmet didn’t really feel any different than my Giro mtn biking helmet, it definitely looked cool. And my Sidi road shoes and new Shimano road pedals made a HUGE difference. I was getting more power out of every pedal stroke and my feet were comfortable and secure. A big difference from my 6 year old mtn biking shoes that were so stretched out my heel would come out every time I’d climb a hill!


My Dad warned that the hardest part in the beginning would be taking it easy, not killing it on the first hill. As I passed him on the first big climb, I told him I was just trying to keep my momentum, but when I reached the top my heart rate was at 191, 6 beats over threshold. I realized then that I didn’t know what it meant, not to “kill it” on the first hill. It was too early on in the ride for me to be at threshold so I backed off.

The first half of the ride consisted of lots of rollers and momentum climbing. Last year I learned how to shift properly and use my momentum to carry me over the hills and it’s improved my riding and climbing dramatically. I’m making it up the hills in record speed and with a third of the effort! By the time I actually have to work, I’m ¾ of the way up the hill. During the last half I really decided to step it up. I attacked the hills without looking back, more confident with every pedal stroke. My legs felt really strong and I didn’t get fatigued or cramped at all during the ride. We finished with 62 miles and 5700 ft of climbing. This Saturday we'll be doing the same route but with an additional 20 miles; I can't wait!

Surround yourself by greatness and you will become great

I know I am supposed to be blogging about my training and my riding, but what has been persistent on my mind lately has been the incredible feeling I get as I continue to meet people who are selfless, giving, and passionate about helping others. One of the greatest benefits cycling has given me is the opportunity to meet tons of caring, ingenuous, and downright good people. People who truly care about others and will sacrifice not just their hard earned money but their time as well, all to help out not just their friends and family, but people they’ve never met and never will meet.

It is easy to see the negatives in people, to pick out their weaknesses or faults, but I challenge you to find the good in people. Inherently, I think people want to do good things. It brings an inner peace to your soul. The more I see people helping others, and the more I help others, the more I want to continue to do so.

I like to think that things happen for a reason and at all times, the small steps we are taking are part of a staircase that leads to a bigger future. While raising $6,000 so far for LIVESTRONG may be just peanuts in the grand scheme of things, I like to see it as a step in the right direction and a foundation for a new beginning.

The Urban Century

If you’ve never ridden your bike around Pittsburgh, you should, just to put this all into perspective. For those cyclists that live in or near the city and have no other choice but to ride there, I feel for you. If I were in that category, I probably would be fighting hard with the city of Pittsburgh to make it a more bike friendly city.

Our journey began in the parking lot of the Pittsburgh Zoo in Highland Park. There were two others riding with my Dad and I that day who we met on Facebook – Jason and Bob; both enthusiastic cyclists happy to be spending the day, along with us, on our bikes. Jason, being from and living in the city, had a route planned out for us that would amount to 100 miles while keeping us on virtually flat roads the entire time. If you’re from Pittsburgh, you will understand that even finding a short stretch of flat road can be a task sometimes, so 100 miles is impressive!

Our route began crossing the Highland Park Bridge, and I discovered that there are joints that go across these bridges with teeth that seem just wide enough to eat your tire, or so you’d think. Fortunately though, we rode right across with no problem. I realized then, as I would throughout the day, that I am definitely not an urban rider. From there we headed out Freeport Road, which, even on a Sunday, is by no means a low traffic road and was a bit nerve racking at times. I don’t know that it was necessarily the traffic that was causing my distress or if it was the constant swerving, jerking, and jumping that my bike and I had to do to avoid the potholes, construction, barriers and other random obstacles that we came across. I knew as a driver how bad the roads are here, but had no idea what that meant for cyclists. Riding here in the city requires focus, quick thinking, and good bike handling skills. Otherwise, you, or your bike, will soon be broken. I'm sure though that this was due in part to it being so early in the season. Most of the road crews have not even been out yet to fix the winter damage, especially since the snowflakes are still falling!

We did have a few stretches of road that were smooth and free of potholes and we thoroughly enjoyed those sections of road. It gave us a chance to do some pace lining as well. That was the only time I felt comfortable all day in a pace line. There were just too many craters to watch out for and I wanted to be able to see what was coming in front of me. Even on the Jail Trail pace lining was difficult as we had to watch out for walkers, bikers, joggers, skaters, children, and dogs, all of whom seemed to not be paying the least bit of attention to where they were going. And, for some reason, shouting from behind, “on your left!”, does not inspire the sense of urgency I would like for it to in most people.
I nearly had a head on collision towards the end and was thankful to be back on the open road!

Although road conditions were poor, we had a great time on our bikes and made some great new friends. I think having to stay so alert and in tune with my surroundings helped me to keep my mental focus, at least, until the very end. By mile 84, I could “smell the barn”, as my Dad would say, and was quite ready to get back to the car. We’ve done a century on flat roads now; next up, bring on the hills!

“A winning effort begins with preparation” - Joe Gibbs

I was not setting myself up to win on Sunday when I failed to prepare in advance for my ride. I had only given myself half an hour to get myself, my bike and my gear ready. By the time I realized my Global Ride gear wasn’t clean it was too late; I’d have to stop by the club to get a new jersey and shorts. In addition to my cycling clothes not being in order, I had forgotten my riding tights, glasses, full fingered gloves, and my IPOD wasn’t charged!

Regardless of my poor planning and typical Pittsburgh spring weather (cold, dreary, windy, etc), once I got warmed up it felt great to be on the bike. I did 3 laps on river road which amounted to 48 miles – not bad since it was the first week back following my recovery from overtraining. The sun even graced us with its presence a few times! We rode again as a team in pace line formation, each taking our turn pulling at the front. We even did a little filming of our training so we could share the experience with you; click here to see the footage.

I am also happy to report that my new Terry Carbon Saddle made a huge impact in my comfort level on the bike! It was definitely worth spending the money to get a woman specific saddle. Now just to invest in some cold weather gear!