Month: July 2008

Andrea

So I’m a biological weapon now?

I like riding my bike in the heat. It suits me because I sweat like crazy. There’s only one problem…

My sweat makes stuff rust. Casualties of summer so far…

Bottle cage and brake caliper bolts
Headset bearings/races
Brake/shifter cables inside the housings
Worst yet… parts of my bottom bracket :(

Luckily, I caught the BB before any permanent damage set in (not the case with my headset, which I had to replace). Good thing, because it’s one of the badass ceramic bearing GXPs that came with my SRAM Red group. Looks like I’ve got a long summer of lubing/greasing ahead of me…

Andrea

2 days, 132 miles

…and I feel good :)

After trying to race hard/recover for 3 weeks then traveling for a couple more, I was feeling a bit out of form. So, I’m skipping the race in Huntsville to train & prepare for the last part of the season. The state TT is in a little less than two weeks, but I’ll most likely train through it so that I can be fully prepped for the state RR on August 2nd and the BMW Omnium (River Gorge) later in the month.

Right now, I love training. I’m so happy to be back into it after spending so much time taking it easy between races & travel, etc. I rode a hard 70 miles Sunday & an easy 62 yesterday, and, although both rides revealed some weaknesses brought about by the last month’s activities, I’m looking forward to working on them.

See you at the races!

Andrea

From one trip to another

Ryan and I made the 17 hour drive from Marquette yesterday & got home around midnight. Now, I’m packed up & ready to head off to the NSCA’s National Conference in Vegas to present my thesis data. I’ll be glad to get home on Saturday. In light of my recent race performances, I may end up not going to the Huntsville race on the 19th so I can prepare for the State TT Championship later in the month (as well as the remainder of the season!)

It’ll be a few days before I post again- in the meantime, if you’re bored with my blog, take a look at some of the links or go back to some earlier posts. Who knows- you might find something interesting… I’ve got some other good photos from my WI/MI trip to post. I’ll do it sometime in the next week once I get settled back in :)

Andrea

Birthplace of the Centerline Rule

I found it today just outside of Marquette, Michigan. Ryan and I were bombing down a hill when the sign off to the left side of the road caught my eye. I yelled at him to stop and turn around. Sure enough- we’d just ridden past the spot were the first center line was marked on a road!

Check it…

Andrea

On the Road Again

…but this time, not to a bike race. I’m making this post from Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Ryan and I made last minute plans to visit some of his family in Wisconsin and Michigan. We made the 12 hour road trip yesterday. Once it warms up, we’re gonna go for a bike ride up the east shore of the lake. It’s nice to do something out of town besides racing for a change :)