As I was riding to work this morning, I realized that it has been a while since my last post on this little site. Sorry about this. I guess I’m in a phase where I’m not sure if I have anything really to say here. I’m not in the thick of racing. Training is rolling along. Ticking off the boxes and making progress. So what is there really to say?

Sure, I could rant and rave about the positive drug tests. But why bother? Frankly I’m not surprised and I’m pretty sure you aren’t either. Honestly, I thought more athletes would be caught. I could go on and on about Lance and Co. doing the Tour of Gilla. But why? Rules are being bent, followed, etc. You know so long as North American bike racing comes out on top and for the better, this is what really matters. I heard that Lance’s participation has resulted in the race being televised in Spain – this is a good thing. Cycling has also made it into the NY Times for two days in a row. Again a good thing. (No matter your opinion on the veracity of the articles.) I could write about the upcoming Giro. But really, I have nothing to say about this race. I’ll leave this to the people on the ground who really know what is going on. In fact be sure to keep your eyes on Canadian Cyclist as word on the street has it that one of my pals will be posting live from the Giro.

So, then what it is left for me to write about? Nutrition – not feeling it right now. Not to say my nutrition isn’t on track and going well. I just don’t feel like telling you what I think about it right now. Nutrition and cyclists is a touchy subject – in my opinion, nutrition is an individual thing – what works for me, may not work for you. This being said, I did have a super tasty breakfast – 1/2 cup of canned pumpkin (not canned pumpkin pie mix), 1/2 cup of non-fat cottage cheese, two tablespoons of ground flax seed, a dollop of cinnamon – dump all in a bowl and give it a good stir. Tasty, chock full of fiber and will keep you going for a little bit. I’m a big fan of canned pumpkin these days.

I could write about training. But you all pretty much know what is going on with me and training these days. I’m learning to balance riding, commuting by bike, weight lifting, yoga, and stretching. Squeezing everything in takes some learning and focus. Soon enough I’ll be adding in trail riding and technical skill work. Yep, the plate will be full. But you know me, I like it that way. Speaking of lifting weights, I had a super session at the gym this morning. Day 3 of the new program from John Zahab. Geez, this program looks innocent on paper, but looks are deceiving. Loving the back squats. Big fan of lat pull-down (only because this is my path to the elusive and tempting chin-ups). Big fan of the Bosu ball – one minute you think you’ve got this thing conquered and the next you’re wobbling all over the place. Gee, can you tell that I like spending time in the gym? In another life I think I could have been a bodybuilder.

I could write about racing. But I think I did this earlier in the week.. I’ve got a race on deck this Sunday. Brossard criterium. Should be good. No expectations. Plan is to go, warm-up, line-up, pedal and see what happens. One thing is for sure I’m stoked to watch the young Gee race at 12:40. I never stick around for the kids races so this will be a treat. Yes, I’ll write a race report – check back on Sunday for the details.

Huh, seems like for someone who didn’t think she had much to say, I did a pretty darn good job. You know quickly reviewing this post, one things come to mind: balance. This is the trickiest part of being a full-time worker/wannabe-full-time bike racer. Finding the balance so that one doesn’t consume the other. It is funny, my career as a technical writer I think really makes my bike racing so much better. Sitting here in this chair really makes me value the time I spend on my bike, traveling to races, my time in Europe, etc. Everything is just that much more sweeter. This is not to say that if someone offered me a “package” that would allow me to focus solely on training, racing, and recovery that I wouldn’t be all over it. I would be on it fast! I think one problem these days, is too many athletes expect to get the full-ride. This is sad. We are lucky to race our bikes. We are lucky to be able to afford to travel to races. No one makes us do this. We want to do it. So when I see bike racers/athletes griping about lack of funding, no sponsors, etc. I really am tempted to speak up and point out that no one is making them race their bikes – they chose to do it. Okay, I better stop, I feel some dangerous words creeping into these fingers.

But I think you get my drift. Enjoy it. Savor it. Find balance. Remember what is truly important. Ultimately, most of us do this for fun. And if you’re living in North America, chances are you have a pretty solid education to back you up for the time when you don’t want to race anymore.