2 weeks ago, my man and I headed up to Ottawa valley for a weekend filled with family and racing! I finally took the big step and rode in my very first road race at the Calabogie Speedway!

The boys of the Kurzawinski Team rented 2 cute little cottages in Calabogie, and of course I was the only lady there. As we all sat and ate dinner the night before the race there was a lot of “man talk” going on – stories of past races, victories, blow outs, mechanicals and drama! Men being real men, or something like that. Luckily they’re a great group of guys, and I didn’t mind being the one woman to laugh with them (and at them).

Sunday morning came quick and I wasn’t nervous or scared like I thought I would be. Really, I just wanted to ride my bike… see blurry picture above! I was all smiles. Literally, for the entire race I stayed at the front and smiled the whole way into the wind! I had so much fun! Also, my parents and my man’s parents were there, so I could hear them cheer me on, which added to my excitement! I was probably so annoying to the other ladies I was riding with! If you can picture it, her is this girl, first race ever, and she’s smiling and waving to her parents every time I pass them (I did 11 laps…10 of which I smiled like a goof) “hi mom!”. I’m a big loser, but I loved every minute of it!

In the  words of Krzystof the coach, races are training. And that’s exactly what this was. I stayed out of trouble by staying at the front of the group, but I worked too hard because of it. The last lap around I ended up at the back because everyone was now pushing to the front. I ended up 5th in my category and finished somewhere mid-pack. Not bad for my first race!!

I have my sights set on racing at the end of May, if I can get enough hill climbing in before the race.

Wish me luck!
Rocket Girl 2012

The last 2 years I’ve managed the CYKL road group. Each year has been so fun! I’ve met so many amazing people and had some great times/rides. Unfortunately, the time and effort it took to manage the club was a bit overwhelming for myself and the studio. We had close to 30 people ride with us at one point, all with different abilities (many brand new to road cycling), and there wasn’t enough support staff to ensure all riders were comfortable and happy.

My riders were adults, and of course, they could take care of themselves, but in my opinion the group loses it’s appeal when there are riders who are left behind or who don’t feel challenged because the pace is too slow. In addition, a large majority of my riders needed to learn the basics (everything from changing a flat tire to pedal stroke and gearing). Of course, I had educational sessions at the studio and chatted one-on-one with some riders out on the road, but it was hard for me to teach everyone what they needed to learn. Overall, having 20 to 30 new riders in a group proved to be challenging and at times chaotic, and it made me re-evaluate the club.

In light of all the learnings from the last 2 years, this year I’ve decided to teach a 4 week CYKL on the Road program for cyclists, instead of the running the the CYKL road group. The course will cover “getting to know your bike” (maintenance and repairs), and riding form and technique. The group is open to all abilities, but it’s for people that want to know more about their bike and riding. The end goal of the 4 weeks is that you’ve learned the basic principles and practiced them, so you can go out for long rides and feel confident that if anything happens you can deal with it (for the most part).

If you’re interested in this program it kicks off on Thursday April 19th at 7am at CYKL (68 Bathurst). We chose an early morning timeslot so the traffic would be quiet and a week day, so you could make the most out of your weekend with your bike.

Email me @ jen@cykl.ca

Rocket Girl 2012

My man raced the season opener, The Good Friday Race in Flamborough. It was an early day for us, we were up at 5am, to make it to Flamborough for the registration table at 7am. My man raced at 8:30am, and even though it was chilly, the sun was shining and it was a great morning for a bike race!

The Kurzawinski Coach limo bus was there!

Start line for M3!

Phill crossing the finish line! 9th Place!

We celebrated Phill’s hardwork with a Gorilla Cheese, grill cheese!! It was the size of my face! YUM!

Next race is the Calabogie Speedway! I’m going to give this race a go! Yippee!

Rocket Girl 2012

Last week was a quiet week for my BMC and me. I went out for one ride in the country with the boys and got my butt kicked severely (ending up in a solo 50km ride). On top of that the weather was cold and snowy/blowy, so in my blue mood I decided to cheer myself up with a good old bike cleaning in my kitchen. Yes, cleaning my bike makes me happy. Pathetic I know! I need more friends I guess. But it’s been a while since I’ve cleaned my wheels, cossette, chain, and checked my break pads for flakes of metal (which I found).

She’s all sparkly and new again!

When was the last time you thoroughly cleaned your bike?

Rocket Girl 2012

The weather was fabulous last week and I got out for 3 rides, 2 of which were with the boys of Kurzawinski Coach (my man’s team). Besides the glorious sunshine and summer like temperatures, my legs were feeling great!! I definitely have some work to do to keep up with the boys, or my lady friend Medeine (she’s a machine), but I’m proud that I wasn’t the first to be dropped on the hills or when the headwind picked up.

AND the thought of racing is tempting me more and more. We checked out the Good Friday race course in Flamborough on Sunday! Riding it showed me how a race could play out, especially with the little hills and cross wind. The coach kept telling me to stay out the wind (save energy) and to push harder downhill to keep up the group. Once your dropped it’s so much harder to get back in with the group, and I got dropped (for good) on the 3rd lap! Humble pie!

I’ll be at the Good Friday race to cheer on my man and the team! If you’re there stop by and say hi!

Rocket Girl

2012

Where the heck did this winter go? Who cares really!!! I spent a LARGE portion of January, February (pausing for a week to go to Mexico with my parents, explains picture above) and March training indoors, AND now it’s time to ride outside!

This is just a quick post really to let you know that I haven’t totally forgotten about my blog, even though I haven’t been able to post much this winter. I plan on getting my lovely man to update the look and feel of my blog (it needs some love), and to continue reporting more about the rides/training/ and awesome gear as the season progresses!

It’s 26 degrees and sunny, at it’s only March 21st! Life is good, hope you are too!

Rocket Girl!

2012

Well here we go! CYKL is once again hosting an awesome winter base training program. BUT since the program sold out, I am left to doing my training on my own at the studio! Next week I’m doing a Lactate Threshold Field Test to get my training zones, after this it’s back to wearing my heart rate monitor on a regular basis (if I can remember!) and watching my zones while I teach.

I’m not sure about my spring or summer riding goals. Everything is still up in the air (to race or not race). But I do know that I need to strip my riding back and work on building my aerobic base again. I’ve been pushing hard for almost a year (6 to 7 classes a week, with outside riding & running in between) and it’s time to re-set. Working in a true endurance zone for a lengthy period of time, along with cross training (more planks, push-ups, light running) will help me get my legs ready for harder riding in the early spring and hopefully strong results in whatever I do this 2012 season.

Rocket Girl 2012

yep, I thought running in these shoes was a good idea. yarg.

Yep. It’s true. I started my 1/2 marathon training and it was going great. One night I left my running shoes at CYKL, and I had to go for a run, so I decided to wear my shitty new balance “fashion” running shoes. The run was amazing. I felt so comfortable and quick, light on my feet. It was crazy how my shitty shoes, with no support changed my running style. I was relaxed and loving it. So, I decided to rock out these shoes again, and again (three time in the same training week).

Unfortunately, my body wasn’t ready for all this non-supportive love.  I ran to work and my right calf was in serious pain. It eased a bit with the run, but after the run it was aching. Turns out I gave my self a shin splint. No surprise since I was running in shoes that have less support than a paper bag.

If I haven’t told you before, but I’m a firm believer on fore-foot running… light striking, quick step running. In the summer I had no real pain running. So, right now I’m a bit pissed at myself because I was on a great running streak! I was starting to feel comfortable and faster. Anyways, I’ve been off for 4 weeks, and I’m sure I’ll be off for another week before I can run again without pain. My 1/2 marathon may be outta the window.

I’m officially retarded.

Rocket Girl 2012

With this Movember Challenge happening at CYKL, I find myself riding more. In 4 weeks I have taught over 25 classes. My legs are starting to feel tired, but I’m doing my best to take hot baths, and do some extra stretches. What seems to be hurting more than my quads, are my lady bits. Unfortunately, I have been riding in a pair of shorts I picked up 3 years ago (when I was 10 pounds heavier), and now they’re giving me grief!

The golden rule of cycling comfort is: ALWAYS wear a GOOD pair of shorts that fit (snug as a bug), and I broke my own golden rule. I thought “whatever, I can teach in them, it’s not like I’m riding 100+kms in them”….I was soooo wrong. With every ride my lady bits were more angry. This is a bit embarrassing to put on the internet, but it’s the harsh reality when it comes to cycling, especially for women. NO ONE ever talks about the “s” word. Sores, saddle sores to be exact.

Last week I got my first saddle sore. And my lord almighty, it hurt. I quickly googled “saddle sore” and was even more frightened to learn that when left untreated they might get so bad that it needs to be drained by a doctor. BARFFFFFFFFFFFFF!

Believe me when I tell you, I was never more nervous in my life to find a solution to my little problem that didn’t involve my family doctor and a syringe. Upon more reading it, one website had some tips in clearing up the problem, and I’m here to tell you that these tips worked! Thank god the cheetah is all better.

Tip #1 Throw out those shitty-ass-poor-fitting shorts. Indoor or outdoors you need to wear good shorts, that fit properly. Enough said.

Tip #2 Adjust your saddle. Take a look at your set-up, and see if you’re sitting too far back or forward on the saddle. I moved my saddle forward about 2cm and it help keep my sit bones on saddle, even when I was riding more aggressively (sliding forward and powering through my quads, which is a dirty habit because I should be using my hamstrings and glutes as well). This helped.

Tip #3 Get some Benzagel Acne Gel – 5% Benzoyl Peroxide, smear a tiny dab on the tender area twice a day. This will help clear up the infection.

Tip #4 – Generously apply the chamois cream. I have been using Seat Saver from Hammer Nutrition. It helped but I don’t love the cream. There is a liquid in it that separates from the rest of the cream, and it squirts every where when I squeeze the tube. What a vision you must have of me at this point. Embarrassing.

Tip #5 – Take off your shorts right after riding and shower! Don’t lounge around in your spandex, especially when they are wet and gross after class or a ride. Bacteria and other grossness like to form. Common sense.

Tip #6 – Sleep in the buff. Let that lovely area air out over night. Wearing pj’s or undies at night doesn’t let the area breathe. Go nude and it’ll help speed the healing process.

It took about 5 days for everything to return to normal, but I now know why pro cyclists pull out races due to saddle sores. It’s a serious injury.

Thought I would share. Promise to keep chatter about my cheetah to a minimum here.

Rocket Girl 2011

Cool stuff! I’m in the latest issue of Canadian Cyclist Magazine, talking about winter training on behalf of CYKL!

“As winter approaches, many cyclists are putting away their bikes for the season and are left considering how to train indoors. Training is as unique as the rider and there are plenty of different ways you could stay fit when the snow flies.“ Read the rest of the article here!

Rocket Girl 2011!