So last Friday I rode my bike to work like any other day. As I get through the front door, one of security guards at the front desk asks me "How can I help you?" I politely replied " just getting to work" while I showed him the badge that I had dug out of my jersey pocket. I continued walking and as I am scanning my badge over the access sensor, he says: "That's an interesting costume!" "I know, I wear it almost everyday! I said and went on with my day.
Anyway, I later discovered that he was a new guard at our location, so he had never seen me come in to work wearing spandex and a helmet. It was also Halloween, which means that throughout the day, he had seen quite a few other people wearing stuff much different than what's normal for a Friday, so I guess he's excused but it sure was funny!
Other than riding a lot, including a 4-hour road ride on my mountain bike, I have been working with Coach on my bike fit. I have never really devoted too much time to my position on the bike, nor am I meticulous about my saddle height. In fact, I've been known for lowering or raising my saddle by close to an inch just before a race. Sometimes my back would hurt, but it'll go away after a while, then my aquiles tendon would start acting up or I would get muscles cramps on odd locations. So a few weeks ago I met Art and we went over my position on both the mountain bike and the road bike. After close to an hour of pedaling on a trainer, moving, measuring and checking alignments of things we ended up with a completely different position. The most drastic change was my saddle height. I had it so high that I was not only rocking my hips (which explains the saddle sores) but I had also gotten used to pedaling with my toes down.
At first, it was hard to feel comfortable with the lower saddle position. I felt like I was riding a downhill bike but after a few continuous days of riding, I have gotten used to it and really enjoy it. I still have to remind myself to drop the heels while I pedal but I'll get there soon.
Racing is still in the down low for me, however Norma did race last weekend at McDowell. I did a horrible job assisting her as I missed her second hand off. Thankfully Art was there to cover me. My goals was to give her the first bottle then ride to a point on the long loop to give her the second one. I under estimated how long it would take her to get there, then I wisely decided to ask some of the expert riders that were coming up this hill, crossed eyed and almost delusional from the unusual heat if they had seen my wife back there. One of them said "Yes, I saw her back there" but I guess he was referring to seeing her on a previous lap. Anyway, by the time I got back to the finish line, Norma had already finished and had even changed out of her racing clothes after finishing 4th overall and 2nd in her age group. I suck at doing hand offs!
Looking ahead, coach has given me the green light to participate on two races this month. Dust Devils #3 at White Tanks will be my next one, then I am going to give Cyclocross racing a try on the 23rd. Stay tuned for that!
Pura Vida!
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