Yep, today was all about turning. Tight turns. Big wide arching turns. Turns on loose terrain. Turns on long slow grass. Turning and looking ahead. Turning and not touching the brakes. Turning and pedaling. Turning and remembering to ease off on the pedals a bit before the turn. Turning the bike and keeping the body upright. Turns. Turns. Turns.

I realized on Friday when riding around in my favorite training grounds, that turning is one area I really need to enhance. I discovered that I simply don’t keep turning my front wheel. Not sure what this. Almost like I don’t commit to turning, so then I have to stop pedaling, brake, or blow the line – simply because I didn’t keep turning. This habit of course has a trickle-down effect in a race, because now that I’ve messed up the turn, I’ve had to slow down to recover and now – you guessed it – I have to blow some bullets by sprinting to get up to speed and to catch the group I just lost. So this half-turning thing just isn’t working long-term.

The other thing I finally realized on Friday is that when my brain is working – i.e. thinking about an upcoming obstacle, corner, barrier, etc. – guess what happens? I stop pedaling. Not cool. I need to keep pedaling. Need to keep the speed going, need to keep applying pedal pressure. Not sure where this thinking=not pedaling thing comes from. Maybe because I’m coming from a road background? Maybe because I can be a bit tentative in tricky situations? I used to brake way too much – I think I’ve conquered this, but now I seem to have compensated by not pedaling. Grrr. One step forward and one one step back.

But, hey at least I’ve finally clued into this. Marc has been telling me I do both of the above for a while – but my stubborn streak refused to acknowledge it. Luckily, I’m onside and I’ve realized that I need to fix these two things.

So today, as much as I would have preferred to hide from the heat in the woods, I took my trusty bike out to the park down the street and spent a solid 90 minutes turning and pedaling. The park was completely empty (pretty normal). So I had free-range to do whatever I wanted. I warmed up by riding the lines on the soccer field. Lucky for me, there was a kiddie tournament on the weekend so the field had been marked up to be four kid-size fields. Lots of lines – lots of corners – lots of turning. Then I hit up the ball diamond. I know, maybe I shouldn’t have done it. But I never ever see anyone playing ball at this park and the ball diamond is perfect for practicing turning in loose terrain. This particular ball diamond has soft and deepish sand/gravel and it is the perfect size to do drills in. I set up a little obstacle course and got to work.

Yikes, there were a few ugly moments there when I forgot that you really have to let the sand control you and just go with the flow. But eventually I got the hang of it and was getting through my course okay. I know I still have some work to do but, baby steps. One of the most challenging aspects of riding in loose terrain is keeping the body relaxed. I found I would hunch up my shoulders and my arms became super rigid. This doesn’t help when I’m trying to roll with the sand and let my bike do its thing. Takes time as well to get used to the feeling of the sand giving way underneath the tires and feeling the wheels slip around.

After playing in the sand for a while, I decided to set up a big grid in the grass and practice turning in the grass. I set up a massive grid, using 20 flags. The idea was to just do three things: commit to the turn, look ahead, and keep pedaling. Man, I had a blast. I was able to get a bit faster as the drills went on and my confidence began to grow as well. I did big wide turns. Tight turns. Wide turns followed immediately by tight turns. Figure eights. You name it, I did it.

All in all, a pretty solid session on the ‘cross bike. I have to admit though, it is darn hard to get out there and do these drills alone. But I know this time will pay off once the racing starts. The one bonus about being out there alone, is I’m forced to keep things moving and interesting since there isn’t anyone to talk with! I’m impressed with how much I can get done in 60 – 90 minutes.

What about you? How do you practice your ‘cross skills? I know a lot of you are fortunate to live places where there are organized ‘cross training sessions and ‘cross races mid-week. We do have some of that here, but not until September. I’m thinking it would be fun to start up a mid-week training race. Get a group of people together, set up a course and just race it. We can do stuff like follow-the-leader to warm-up and then get a little race in. Doesn’t have to be a long race – even 20 minutes is good. Everyone gets a chance to practice, get in a hard effort, and hang out with friends. Any takers on this?

Good news, sold both my ‘cross bikes. Super happy that they are both going to great homes. I’m looking forward to getting out on my new Stevens Super-Prestige bikes. Thanks so much to Vince at The Cyclery for helping me out again this year with some fast frames and smooth groupos! Hey – did you buy your Dugast tires yet? Better get on it before they’re all gone and you’re left riding around on some silly little copycat tires.

Alright, I’m out. See some of you I’m sure at the races on Sept. 19/20. Looking forward to catching up and having some fun racing bikes.

Just a quick post to let you know that I’m still floating around. Just been some busy days. Not crazy. Just the kind of days that make you wonder where all the time went. I’ve got to say, this heat wave is not fun. I want the cool days of June and July back. I can’t take this heat.

Riding in the humidity is a challenge. But add running into the mix, and it is simply not a good time. But this could be chalked up to the running itself. Hit up the pavement for my second run. Think I’m getting the hang of this running gig. Learned that it helps to run with music – this way I can’t hear my own gasping/panting and my plodding elephant-like feet slapping the ground.

Looking forward to getting out for some more cyclo-cross action this weekend. Plan on Friday after work is to hit up the secret training grounds for some singletrack action. Might do more of the same on Saturday or go to the park and ride around the flags and jump over the barrier. See really what the weather is like. I don’t think it is worth baking in the sun riding around flags.

Bummer about Masters World Cyclo-Cross Championships being canceled. But remember this is only one race. There are so many awesome races in Belgium and Holland for all racers – elite and masters. I think it is still worth the trip. Come over, race, watch some elite racers, go out on some fun group rides, eat some waffles, drink some beer, and have lots of stories to tell when you’re old and rickety.

And if you’re going to do so, you’re going to need some tires. So don’t forget to check out The Cyclery and the fine supply of Dugasts in stock. All prices are in Canadian dollars. I’ll be down at most of the New England Verge races and a bunch of others, so if you need some tire transport, just let me know. Check out my race calendar, order some tires, and then ping me. We can get you set up for a fast and smooth season. And while we’re at it, I’ll hook you up with some easy living in Belgium.

Okay, I’m out. Training is done for the day. I’m off to the movies. Julie and Julia is on the schedule. Happy Thursday!

Well, I finally posted my racing schedule for 2009 – 2010. You will notice that there is a bit of a gap between the World Cup on Nov. 28 and the next World Cup on Dec. 18 – this gap will be filled in with some smaller local races as well any other weekends where I’m not scheduled to race double days. I just haven’t taken the time to go through all the Belgian and Dutch race calendars to sort this part out. This race scheduling is easy to do once I’m in Belgium anyway, since the drives are so short. So take a look at the race calendar and if you’re going to be at any of the same races, please do stop me and say hello.

Got out for a great ride on Friday with Marc. We hit up my favorite training grounds for some fun single track riding. Gotta love these trails – sand, mud, roots, pine needles, tight twist and turns. I also had my first crash of the season! Yep, silly me caught my crank on a tree and went down immediately. Got some cool bruising and blood out of it. Nothing major – just enough to tell a good story. And you know how bike racers are – always love a good story.

This weekend I got in some excellent training on my road bike. Some crazy tempo intervals yesterday and a smooth three hour road ride with Skip of Kingsbridge. We had a great ride – chatting about this that and the other thing. Time flew by and I think we both got a good had ride in. I for one had to follow-up the ride with a nap. Skip has a nifty Garmin device that has a GPS built into it – very cool. Nothing like gadgets for the bike.

Looking forward to another good week of training. Each day I’m starting to feel a bit better and I really notice this in my recovery and my riding. Things are looking on track for the start of the ‘cross season. Can’t believe how soon it will be here. I’m looking forward to it. Racing. Travel. Friends. New places. Doesn’t get much better. I find the weekends away are like mini-vacations. We visit a new place, check out a bit of the surrounding action (typically the wonders of Whole Foods Market), race our bikes, cheer on our friends, relax and then come home. A pretty good way to spend the fall and winter.

Well, I’m out of here. Just getting ready to head out for some supper. Hope you had a good weekend and I’m looking forward to catching up in person. You can always email me or ping me on Twitter (vickitopcrosser) if you’re going to be at the same race as me – I love meeting people through this little site.

Happy pedaling.

Wow, is the WWW ever hotting up with cyclo-cross talk. Ever web site I visit seems to be consumed with cyclo-cross. I don’t remember seeing such enthusiasm so early and so fervently before. I’ve got to say – I love it. The more people the better. This sport is growing and is getting better every year. It really starts at the grassroots – little kids, juniors and people just out having fun on their bikes. Sometimes those of us traveling all over the place racing and chasing points forget where it started for us. So really if you do one thing this season, try to volunteer at your local ‘cross clinic, host a ‘cross clinic or go out to your local race and cheer on the folks who are out there at the crack of dawn racing. Remember without these hardcore racers doing it for the passion, we really wouldn’t be so fortunate to be racing.

Okay, that is the end of my soapbox. Sorry, just had to get that out. Not sure where it came from. Maybe because I’m kind of getting tired of seeing bike racers moaning about not having sponsorship and having to “scrape” by. This drives me crazy. Really, remember that we “choose” to race our bikes. No one is making us do this. For the most part, we as North Americans have a lot of other options in life. Bike racing is a middle/upper-class sport here in N.A. – so there are options. Like working. Like working part-time and racing full-time. Lots of people do it. There is no “owed” or “entitlement” out there in the world of bike racing. We are not finding a cure for cancer here – we are pedaling our bikes.

Yikes, another rant. Sorry not my intention. But I guess that was building up in me for a while.

So in other news… I went for a run today. Yep, a run. I kind of thought, “ah 15 minutes of running – no problem”. Well, unfortunately that message did not make it to my quads. Yep, they are tight. I’ve stretched. I’ve hydrated. I’ve rolled out. I think I might need to sleep in the almighty Skins tonight. But this running thing will get easier – right? I have to remind myself that back in the day, I was a runner. Heck, I even ran a marathon. Next week my goal is 20 minutes…

Looking forward to ride on my ‘cross bike tomorrow. Planning to hit up my fave training grounds after work for some thrills and spills. Feels like forever since I’ve been out on my ‘cross bike. Fatigue has been the problem. But I think I’ve got that licked now and I’m starting to feel better.

The racing calendar is coming together. Still have a few gaps to fill in and the okay from the master planner before I post it here. But pretty much I’ll be all over New England this fall and then heading over to Belgium in mid-November. Pretty darn good. Pretty darn lucky.

Speaking of lucky, feel free to check out my sponsors and send them some action. Without these fine companies and people, well I don’t know where I’d be. So huge thanks to: Kingsbridge, The Cyclery, Bell Lap Coaching, OGC, and Clif Bar.

Busy times here in the land of Ottawa Cross. Putting the finishing touches on planning for the upcoming cyclo-cross season. Took the new Stevens Super-Prestige bikes into The Cyclery to get Fearless Leader to put together and make super fast. I’ve got some new fly TRP brakes to go on them not to mention a couple of sweet groupos. Yep, really counting my lucky stars and feeling the overwhelming support of Vince. This is the third season that Vince has come forward to help me out and help fuel my quest for cyclo-cross racing dreams. Like I said, lucky stars.

Worked on pulling together my cyclo-cross race schedule on the weekend. I’ve got to run it by the master planner (aka Marc the Shark) and then I’ll post it up here for you to browse. Lets just say, the racing action kicks off on Sept. 19 – at Nittany Lions in Pennsylvania. Cool – never been to Pennsylvania. I know it is going to be a good time. The new racing schedule is looking pretty jam-packed – perfect. I feel the need to race my bike.

The new Ottawa Cross kit is going to be sharp again this season. My order is in at Champion and the goods will be arriving any day now. New this year are shorts, long sleeve jersey and some super duper full-length bib tights. Oh yeah, not only will be I fast but I’ll look good doing it. (Sorry a little ego action there – a girl has got to have some fun…)

Training is going well. I’ve been forced to cut back a bit while I get on top of this ulcerative colitis gig. But I’m getting there. Feeling better everyday. Spirits are coming around. Body is feeling better. I’ve got to say that this experience is really reinforcing a few wise words shared by Tim Harris “The hardest thing a bike racer can do is not ride his bike”. True. So very true. I had to face facts and admit to myself that I needed to rest, to sleep, to take some serious recovery days and just leave the bike alone. So hard. But, I did it. I suppose the faith in my training so far and knowing that I have been doing all I can, made it a bit easier. But wow, is it ever hard to not ride, especially when the season is just around the corner. Really, I guess this is why it is so important to rest right now…

I’m stoked for the season. Looking forward to seeing my “cyclo-cross pals” again, traveling to new and familiar races, amped to go back to Belgium. Just generally feeling happy about cyclo-cross. The support and I’ve received from you guys and my sponsor is simply overwhelming. Just know that every time I line up, I’ll be doing it with you in mind. Everywhere I look, I see inspiration and commitment. People pushing themselves to new levels and putting the words “I can’t” on the shelf. The super smooth guys at Kingsbridge are going for it and are jumping on their bikes doing so in the name of cancer research. These guys have such a contagious energy for all things “bike and life” that I agreed to do the 24 Hours of Solstice with them next year. Yes, I know – it is a mountain bike race, a 24 hour mountain bike race – this means riding my bike in the dark… Like I said, contagious energy can be overwhelming and inspiring.

Thanks for stopping by and checking in. Really looking forward to catching up in person at the races. And if we haven’t met – please stop by and say hello. 2009 is looking pretty darn special. Happy pedaling.