Yesterday during my ride the classic song by Simple Minds came started playing through my headphones and it really was just the perfect moment for it. I was about an hour into my ride and was dealing with some headwind. I probably looked a bit laboured pedaling my bike and I was feeling a bit slow. But then Alive and Kicking started playing and the next thing I knew I was singing out loud and smiling.

I was doing it. Riding. Getting out and enjoying my bike. Sure I’m not as fit as I was. I’m not as strong as I was. But I can ride. I can only get stronger and fitter. Will I ever get back to the fitness I had – I don’t know. And frankly right now, I don’t care – I just want to ride for the sake of riding.

I’m riding without any “feedback”. In other words – no computer, no heart rate, no cadence, no speed, no power, no distance. Simply a digital watch so I know how long I’ve been riding for. There are no work-outs taped to my stem or power numbers to keep track of. I just get on my bike and pedal. At first I was a bit nervous about riding without a computer but now I kind of like it. I’m forced to pay attention to my body.

Are my legs turning over smoothly? Am I remembering to apply power and pressure through-out the pedal stroke? What is my upper body doing – keep my arms bent and don’t let my core cave in. How does this gear feel – a bit too easy – fine try a harder gear. I feel more engaged with my bike and my body.

This is the essence of riding. How we all started out. We got on our bikes and went for a ride. Maybe it was with friends or alone -but somewhere along the way you fell in love with riding. Your rides started getting longer. Maybe you signed up for a learn-to-race clinic or a bike tour. Gradually you may have become more serious – bought a computer or power meter, strapped on a heart rate monitor, started tracking calories in and out, and even hired a coach. All good things if this is what works for you. But don’t be shy of simply leaving all that stuff at home and just going for a ride.

Take it from someone who is very training and goal-oriented – it is very freeing to simply get on the bike and ride.

Some people have asked me if I’m going to make a “comeback” or if I’m training for the 2013-2014 season. Frankly the answer is: I don’t know. It is too early to tell. I’m still not in a remission from this ulcerative colitis. I cannot train and push my body hard until I’m 100% healthy – and I and my doctors don’t know when that will be. So for now, I simply ride when I can. I’m working on rebuilding my lost core and upper body strength with yoga and other simple exercises. I’m sticking to a low residue diet to try and let my colon “rest”. And most importantly – I’m listening to my body. If I’m too tired – I won’t ride or do those push-ups. If I’m having a good day then I might ride, do the push-ups and some yoga.

There is, as I have learned, such a fine balance between doing too much and doing enough. And right now – just riding is enough for me.

Yes, it is that time of the year. The time of the year when you’re getting your cyclo-cross bikes ready and planning your race season. A fantastic time of the year.

Maybe you’re getting out for some rides on some single track, setting up a barrier and some flags in your local park and doing drills, adding in some running to your training program, or working on nailing that uphill dismount. All good things to be doing right now.

I always found that at this time of the year it helps to get out for even just 20 minutes on the cyclo-cross bike. Even if all you do is practice clipping in and out of your pedals so you can “nail” your pedals on every remount – this will go a long way on race day. Other things you can do include:

– practicing your off-camber riding skills – get comfortable with the bike lean, maintaining constant pedal pressure, and looking forward as you pedal
– dismounts and remounts – practice them any way you can – on corners, uphills, slow, fast, in sand, on a hill, on a slight downhill – the more you’re comfortable with this skill, the easier your racing will be
– cornering – cyclo-cross is not raced in a straight line, get comfortable with how much speed you can take into different corners – think loose terrain, grass, uphill, downhill, blind – get creative
– tire pressure – this is huge – play around with your tire pressure – get used to what your tires do at 15 PSI (yes 15), 18, 22, 25, etc (please if you’re running tubulars do not pump them up so they are rock solid). I typically will race with between 17 – 25 PSI…
– looking ahead – it is easy when out riding a course or on some singletrack to end up looking only one or two feet in front of the front wheel – look up, anticipate – this will help you stay off your brakes and you’ll be impressed with how your brain reacts for you

These are just some of the things you can do with a 20 minute block of time. These might sound trivial or even obvious but by doing small drills like this consistently, you’ll soon build up a really solid base of skills that will come second-nature to you on race day.

Of course number one is to have fun out there.

As always, if you have any questions about racing, training, skills, or about cyclo-cross in general – don’t be shy. Leave a comment. Drop me an email vickith@yahoo.com. Contact me on Twitter (@vickitopcrosser). Or grab me on Facebook.

Just a quick note to let you know the Eastern Ontario Cyclo-Cross schedule is now posted:

Please note that there are two registration nights – September 14 and 15 at The Cyclery.

The schedule looks really good with some interesting and challenging race venues. This is the perfect series for all levels of racers from new-to-racing, kiddos, hardened elites, weekend warriors, and those looking to extend their fall cycling. Definitely some of the most fun you’ll have is at this series.

I first raced in this series in 1994 on my trusty Specialized Rockhopper at Conroy Pit. I was hooked instantly!

Looking forward to getting out this year to cheer all of you on and of course if you have any questions about ‘cross – shoot them to me… I love all things about cyclo-cross so I’m always eager to talk, share, help, etc.

Big thanks to Ian, Bob, Cheryl and the countless volunteers for putting together another great season of local cyclo-cross racing for us.

Hey – did you miss me? I sure missed you. Wow, I had no idea when I wrote my last blog post on August 9 that I wouldn’t be able to write again until today. Long story short – I went in for the scheduled colonoscopy and was finally discharged from the hospital on August 20. What initially was supposed to be a two or three day stay kept on getting extended.

Such is the complication of treating this terrible disease. Compound the fact that I’m apparently more healthy than the average individual, it became a challenge for anyone to figure out what to do with me. I had some rough times in that place – but the nurses were fantastic in helping me be as comfortable as I could be.

For me going forward, well I’m on a new drug – Prednisone and we’ll see if this works. Also stocking up on potassium because apparently this is very low for me. I’m sticking to a low residue diet. Getting rest but also slowly asking my body to move a bit. It will be a while before I can get on a bike again. I plan to be back at work next week. So now it is just the path of trying to get out of this ulcerative colitis flare and into a remission.

I’ve got lots of thoughts swirling around in my brain right now and soon enough I’ll put them down in black and white. Of course most importantly is that cyclo-cross season is just around the corner. Although I won’t be racing this year or even pre-riding the course now – I hope I can still give you guys lots of tips/insight and share my experiences from racing over the years. I’m thinking of doing a couple of weekly blog posts about different aspects of ‘cross (so if you have questions, ideas, etc – let me know!).

A big thanks to everyone who contacted me through this website, Facebook, Twitter, email, came in person, called, etc – Marc and I are truly appreciative of this.

The biggest lesson I learned from 12 days on an ICU floor with lots of sick people – take care of your health. If you’re already unhealthy and then you get sick, it is so much harder for you to heal and recover. Drugs can only take you so far. Eat your vegetables. Move your body (even just a little bit). Get some fresh air.

Yes, it has been a while since I’ve shown up here. In fact it has been a while since I’ve shown up at all. I’ve been struggling lately. I always say that I’m going to be honest with you and let you know what is going on with me. Well as you likely know I’ve been dealing with an ulcerative colitis flare since late April. There have been days when I’ve felt like myself – convinced that next week I’d be fully recovered and ready to get back out and have some fun. And there have been days or dare I say weeks when I’ve felt the complete opposite.

Tired. Beaten down. Broken. These last few weeks have been rough. Maybe it is realizing that the summer is almost over and I haven’t done anything. It feels as time simply melted away from me. I went from believing that I would get better and still manage to have some fun to how I feel these days. It is almost the middle of August and I’m still waiting to get better. I’ve had days where I’ve moped around the house feeling sorry for myself. I’ve had days where I’m full of energy and manage to do too much (tricking myself that I’m getting better).

And now here I sit waiting. The latest medication has not helped. The numerous dietary changes have not made a difference. But today is big day. Today I’m going in for a colonoscopy – not a fun procedure (actually it isn’t so bad since I’m asleep for it – the prep is rough but when you have ulcerative colitis you get used to running to the bathroom quickly!) – but this procedure will tell me and my doctor a lot. Decisions will be made on my next course of treatment. I have a couple of options: Remicade or steroids. Both options have pros and cons. Essentially it comes down to trusting my doctor and choosing a treatment plan that is going to get me healthy for the long-term.

I’m ready to get my life back. I’m not really sure right now what this will entail. But I can guarantee that I won’t be wasting a single day or moment. I lost the fall and winter to a fractured vertebrae in my spine. I lost the summer to this beast of a disease. I’m ready for the fall of 2012 to be mine. I want to go to each and every of Marc’s cyclo-cross races and cheer him on. I want to see my friends out racing and giving it their all. I want hop on my bike for an easy ride without worrying about bathrooms. I want to lace up my running shoes and get out on the trails. I want to be myself again. I need this for myself but more importantly I need this for the number one person in my life. As hard as this has been on me, it has been harder on Marc. He has to watch from the sidelines completely helpless – there is nothing he can say, do or even dream that can help. I can’t imagine how horrible this must be.

I’m pressing the reset button today. No matter what happens today, I know that at least I’ll be moving forward.