What a great surprise to find a cheque in my mailbox. A cheque from the Canadian Cycling Association. The money for this cheque came from donations that people like you made to the CCA to support mine and my team member’s race at the 2010 World Cyclo-Cross Championships in Tabor, Czech Republic.

I really appreciate your support! Every little bit makes a difference and allows me to keep pushing on the pedals and focusing on my goals.

Without your support and that of my sponsors like The Cyclery, KingsBridge Disaster Recovery, Stevens Bikes, Clif Bar, and Bell Lap Coaching – I definitely wouldn’t be able to pursue my dreams.

So thanks! I really do appreciate it.

Had a few days of big rides. Epic actually would be appropriate. Lots of kilometers covered. Lots of good sensations in the legs. Big smiles on my face. A little bit of a sunburn. All chased with a sweet Sunday afternoon nap and a solid Monday rest day.

Yep, it was a darn good weekend of riding and training. Saturday was all about tempo. The plan was to ride for two hours and then wind up for a 40 minute tempo effort and then simply roll home. Sounds good right? Amazingly warm day on Saturday. I hit out for my ride after a solid yoga work-out to get my body loose and limber. The ride as a whole went really well. I rocked the tempo block. Felt super strong and really just was grooving on the bike. But I didn’t do a very good job of timing the ride… At the of the tempo block, I was much further from home than I had planned. I thought about calling Marc to let him know I’d be a bit longer than estimated. But I sort of figured it would all work out… Well, after an extra hour of riding (rather than the 20 minute cool-down), I arrived at home.

Guess my brain was a bit scrambled because I really didn’t clue into how late I was and that Marc was getting a bit worried. And to top it off, by this point I was pretty darn hungry. Oh, and somehow I ended up breaking a spoke in my rear wheel. Ya, like I said, it was epic. A great ride.

Sunday started bright and early with a 7 a.m. ride at Kanata Lakes. I had three hours of mountain biking on the schedule. Cool. Very cool. The trails were basically empty at that early Sunday morning hour. Nice. Very peaceful. I had trouble hooking up with the trails initially, but once I got used to the slightly damp rocks and took off my glasses (lenses were too dark), I was good. I had a blast. I discovered some new trails. Conquered some obstacles I had previously struggled with. As usual, the ride was over all too quickly.

Bit of a quick sit-down at home, time to eat some food and then I was out again. This time on the road bike for an easy two hours. What a warm day! I had a great ride. I was a bit tired but I relished simply being out in the fresh air and sun. Explored some of my favorite road routes and took a detour through the nearby town of Manotick. Nice to see that the road construction is complete and that there is a smooth new shoulder along the main road running through town (sorry, don’t know the name of this road).

I crashed out for the rest of the afternoon. Napped. Read the newspaper. Sat with Murphy the grey cat. And just generally lounged. Great way to wrap up a solid weekend of riding. Monday was a well-deserved rest day. I was feeling a bit run-down from the sunburn (guess it was very sunny on Sunday…) so I just did an hour of hot power yoga – great way to sweat out the toxins and clear my head.

As for today? Well just finished an excellent road ride. Some tempo intervals chased with a bunch of sprints. One of those rides that taps a couple of energy systems, gets a bit of a burn in the legs and lungs, and just long enough to savor riding the bike. Re-fueled with a super tasty smoothie made in my trusty Magic Bullet. Today’s mix had dates, carrots, an entire orange, yogurt, chocolate protein powder and puffed kamut. It was sooo good. I know the carrots sound strange but they really add to the flavor.

By the sounds of the thunder out there, I’m pretty darn relieved I got my ride in this morning. This afternoon is all about writing, researching, emailing, and an important airport pick-up. Hoping to make it out to the crit tonight as well.

Good times indeed. Now it is time for some chai tea.

I’ve got in some in great bike rides this past week. Lots of time on the road bike and some time on the mountain bike as well. Good times indeed. It is so refreshing to be able to mix things up with both types of riding and training.

I really enjoy riding my road bike but there is something to be said for being out in the woods surrounded by nature. I’m starting to feel more comfortable on my mountain bike. The confidence is coming around. I’m relaxing a bit more and really starting to feel the bike and the trail underneath me.

Friday was a recovery day. So I loaded my mountain bike into the car and hit up Kanata Lakes. I had a blast. I could have stayed in there all morning. But since it was a recovery day, this would not be happening. I made the most of my precious 90 minutes in the woods. I went back to the same trails that Karl showed me. I practiced some of the new skills, got more comfortable on the descents, and just generally had fun on my bike.

I kind of felt like a kid. Just pedaling along, completely relaxed, not worrying about power numbers, cadence, or heart rate. Just riding my bike for the sheer joy of it. Can’t ask for much more.

Hooked up with KingsBridge head honcho for a brainstorming session. Keep your eyes on the KingsBridge blog – the action will be hotting up on this web site. Did you know that KingsBridge also has a Facebook page? This is the place where we post our riding and racing news – go check it out and become a “fan”. You’ll be glad you did.

So you know about the Heel ‘N’ Wheel-a-Thon on June 13 – the annual fundraiser for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada. But did you know that May 19 is World IBD Day? World IBD Day is a day where we focus on raising awareness of these diseases. I’m involved with the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada’s campaign – helping to put a face to these diseases and showing people that a rich and full life can still be had. The main goal though is to get people talking and thinking about these diseases – unfortunately IBD doesn’t have the public profile of many other diseases, making it a challenge to raise the funding we need to find the cause(s) and ultimately the cure(s) for Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis. May 8 is also a pretty bid day – this is the annual M & M Charity BBQ Day – stop by your local M & M, donate $2.50 to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada, and get yourself a tasty burger or hot dog.

Alright, I’m stepping off my soapbox now….

Time to get ready for yoga and then out for solid three hours on the road bike. I’m hitting up Kanata Lakes on Sunday at the crack of dawn (7 a.m.) – three hours of trail riding. See you there?

What an excellent day of training I’ve had today. Just one of those days that makes me feel so thankful I have this opportunity to focus on my training. (Thanks Marc for this amazing gift!)

Kicked off the day with a steady three hour endurance ride. Super windy out there so my strategy was to ride out into the headwind and then cruise with the tailwind home. This worked for the most part. Sometimes I find the crosswinds are actually worse than the headwinds. Anyway a great ride where I was able to focus on keeping my power high and keep my feet turning over at a nice smooth cadence. Entertained by my standard podcasts. Even remembered to eat on this ride. Yep, I’m learning….

Got home and quickly dashed around the house. Gobbled up as much food as possible. Had one of my favorites: frozen raspberries, 0% fat cottage cheese, chocolate protein powder and shredded unsweetened coconut. Tossed this in a bowl and gave it a good stir. Really, it is just like ice cream but good for you. Then I was in the car zipping out to Kanata.

Highlight of the day definitely was my ride at Kanata Lakes. I hooked up with Karl Hoppner for an excellent skills ride. Karl was gracious enough to offer to take me out and give me some pointers regarding my technical skills. I must admit I was a bit nervous – wasn’t sure how I would do. But Karl is an excellent teacher. He is super patient and really gave me some confidence in my abilities. We rolled around exploring some pretty cool trails at Kanata Lakes. Great way to spend an hour or so. I’m stoked to get back out there and practice the skills I’ve learned and put the tips and tricks to good use.

So there you have it – my most excellent day of training. Feels like I’ve been going all day, but this is a good thing. Life is for living, not for sitting around watching the time tick by on the clock.

Tomorrow is a 90 minute recovery day and then back at it on the weekend with two days of big rides. Sunday is shaping up to be another double day. Can’t hardly wait.

I was standing in the shower pondering the finer points of life, when my mind wondering to this online space. What should I write about today? I wasn’t feeling jazzed about simply telling you about my ride. I wanted to write something interesting but not too crazy deep that it scares you off… I got to thinking about friends, life, things that make me smile, and just generally what I’ve experienced. (Yes, I’m still in the shower at this point… I had a long ride in the cold wind – needed to warm up!) And these thoughts of life and what makes me happy really kept on coming back to the bike.

I think what really reminded me of how valuable the bike is in my life was this past Sunday’s Almonte-Roubaix. Now, I didn’t do the race and haven’t done it since 1995. But just being there hanging out with all the hardy folk who raced the event, really drove home how valuable the bike is to me. As some of you know I started riding after graduating from university in 1994. As luck would have it, I had a job at Southam News and my desk was just outside of Ian Austen’s office. For those of you involved with the Ottawa cycling scene, you know Ian – he is the organizer along with Bob Woods of the esteemed cyclo-cross series and the Almonte-Roubaix. It was Ian who got me into cycling and helped me find and choose my first bike. He pointed me in the direction of the Tuesday night women’s time trials and advised me against stuffing tissues into my shorts (my nose runs when I ride) and suggested I start using the big ring for the time trials…

On Sunday, I got to talk with a lot of people I hadn’t seen in a long time. It was great. I really have never had so much fun at a bike race. It was just awesome to connect with people over something so simple as a bike. Thanks to the bike I’ve met people from all walks of life and I’ve learned some valuable life lessons. The bike has brought me all over the world. It has kept me feeling and looking young. It has been my escape when my brain won’t stop chattering. Really, sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I hadn’t got that first road bike way back in 1994? How would my life had turned out? Would I have even met Marc?

The one thing I can honestly say is that the bike will be with me for life. I can’t imagine not riding my bike. One day when I’ve hung up my skinsuit, I know that I’ll still be out there riding. Simply seeing people riding around town on their bikes brings a smile to my face. They may not recognize it, but that trusty bike being used to get to university class or to the grocery store, is a friend for life.

This is getting a bit wonky here. But what I’m just really trying to say is Thanks. Thank-you bike for giving me such fantastic gifts. Great friends. Great life experiences. Freedom. The chance to get out there and really learn what is truly valuable to me. Without the bike, I really don’t know what I’d be doing.

For most of you, I’m guessing you have a similar connection to the bike. But for others, I’m assuming there is something else in your life that gives you this feeling. Whatever it is, take a second to really consider it and what it has given you. I sincerely hope that none of you are sitting there scratching your head trying to figure out what it is that has given you this feeling of freedom, joy, belonging, escapism, and pure happiness. Everyone deserves to feel these things each and everyday.