She Rides Colorado

I am a Marketing student at UNC and spend my free time exploring the fun Colorado has to offer on two wheels

Baby steps to CX

Cross_crash

photo credit http://bit.ly/w20gUC

I recently stumbled across this strange hypbrid sport called cyclocross. To an outsider, it looks like an insane combination of running, hiking, jumping, and occasionally falling- all while riding or carrying a bike. I watched a video that was actually pretty miserable looking back on it but it got some part of me excited. Maybe some people look at riders falling on each other bleeding, covered in mud, with struggle written all over their face and think “thank god I never have to try that” but all I felt was curiosity. Even after reading a blog post that said “the 18” hurdle feels then feet thall, that measly little 10’ runup looks like Mt. Everest and all you really want to do is find a quiet corner to go lay down and die…or puke, your choice,” (Lonefrontranger) I wanted to know more. Thus, I set my sights on cyclocross and began to ask questions and discover my next step. It is a sport that I knew literally nothing about but thankfully there is a plethora of tech-savvy people who are pumped to share everything they know about cyclocross.

I have found some helpful tidbits of information from eHow.com under Cyclocross bikes, such as how to race in mud and what type of bike is used. I also found some excellent advice from lonefrontranger at http://bit.ly/tGQMAd who referred readers to this site http://bit.ly/uqhMJF for dismount, negotiation, and remount instructions. He says that cyclocross is “the most anaerobic thing you’ll do on a bicycle, bar none” and “If you don’t like pain, don’t bother.” Pain? I love pain. Next: this cyclocross coach/ blogger suggested that come next July/August, I should be out on my bike for at least 5 to 6 hours per week. In August, I will need to add sprints, grouprides and VO2max intervals. I will find a local group with a good mentor to help me practice, and I will also use my current mountain bike with removed bar-ends until I decide to be fully committed to the sport and put in the cash for a cyclocross bike. I found several camps that should be helpful here http://bit.ly/sl0aFk and am excited to try them out in the spring.

BIKE: noun /bīk/  bikes, plural

Some of my favorite biking jargon

Yard_sale

(no, not that kind of yard sale)

Yard Sale- a crash that leaves all of your various articles (water bottles, tools, pump, etc) scattered if on display for sale.

Wild pigs- poorly adjusted brake pads that squeal in use.

Wash out- to have the front tire lose traction, especially while going around a corner.

Washboard- small pock marks in the road that make for a very rough ride

Veggie Tunnel- a singletrack heavily overgrown with foliage so a rider must duck and bend to get through it.

Ugly Geek Jerseys- shirts worn by posers that are covered with advertising logos to which they are receiving to compensation. (GUILTYYYY!)

Trail Swag- equipment or accessories dropped by other bikers and found on the trail. Can be incorporated into a competitive skill-based event where riders are rated for their ability to clean an ultra-difficult section of trail.

Taco- to bend a wheel over on itself, in the shape of a taco.

Superman- a rider who flies over the handlebars and doesn’t hit the ground for a very long time.

Spuds- clipless pedals

Skid lid- helmet

Rocket fuel- pre-ride coffee

Gutter Bunny- bicycling commuter

Gonzo- riding with reckless abandon. Generally not appropriate for singletrack

Handups- food offerings which are typically shoved in the mouths of riders by vendors and friends during a race

Corndog- to become covered in silt, usually after a fall

Bacon- scabs on a rider’s knees, elbows, or other body parts

Babyheads- small boulders about the size of… a baby’s head

 

The Healing Power of Cycling

Courage_classic
My brother suffers from multiple brain injuries and was never expected to run or ride a bike.

Owen was stricken with an illness when he was only four years old that caused his bowels to twist and lose function. In a complicated turn of events, his body went into shock, he arrested, and almost died. After the surgeon refused to resuscitate him, my Dad did CPR to save his life. He woke up a different person; a “vegetable” to use the doctor’s terms. Over the next few months, Owen took every opportunity to amaze everyone by slowly learning to breathe without a tube, smile, and speak. Over the years he shocked everyone by getting out of his wheelchair and starting to walk, with leg braces. It would be many years before he could learn to read and write. One thing that even the most hopeful of us never expected Owen to do was run or ride a bike.

Biking came before running for Owen. He was the only 12-year-old I knew still riding with training wheels but for him it was a miracle. The task was maybe even harder for my mom, who had to watch him crash several times and risk re-injuring his brain. It was all worth it for Owen, who never considered the risks but only wanted to go fast, be normal, and prove his haters wrong.

Next came running, which was really a sight for sore eyes. He loved to “run” which, in its early stages, resembled a wobbly camel crossed with Phoebe from Friends (if you’ve seen that episode, you have a great visual). It was frightening to watch, because while he was great at accelerating he had no brakes whatsoever. The only way to stop was to crash, and I’m not making this up. Owen didn’t care what other people thought of his running, he just kept his head up and continued to practice. By his freshman year of high school, he was trying out for the track team. His running still needed practice but by senior year he was a valuable member of the cross country team and able to beat me by a long shot.

Where Owen’s proudest accomplishments came were with cycling. My Dad has been an avid cyclist for years and encouraged my brother to start. Owen still has sub-par balance and can’t ride a normal bike but he rides a three wheel bike. He began training for The Children’s Hospital Courage Classic three years ago. Each year he put in hours of practice over hundreds of miles, only to be hospitalized the week of the race for complications with his condition. This year, Owen trained as usual and never got sick. He successfully completed the 200 mile race with a smile on his face. Owen is a person that never takes “no” for an answer and will be the first person to say “If I can cycle, you can too.”

 

Father Knows Best

(Mountain biking edition)

Me_and_dad

A few tips I've learned from my mentor; my dad- Mike Huss, who has inspired me to ride from a young age:

1)      Dress for the part

  • Sunscreen ( I like a sport kind that is sweat-resistant)
  •  Bike shorts ( I like my pair of Canari Venice Pro’s with a pair of athletic shorts over them)
  •  Helmet (whatever floats your boat, really)
  • Shoes (I don’t have clip shoes because I’m a poor college student so I wear tennis shoes but clips have the advantage of push AND pull)

2)      Get to know your bike

Since my favorite bike, a purple trek that was just my size, was stolen, I have a weird hybrid bike that looks like a mountain bike without shocks. I use it for some of my street rides. I once used it for an unusually sore mountain bike ride, so now when I mountain bike I borrow bikes from generous friends. I like to spend a few minutes before each ride, introducing myself to a new bike, playing with the gears, making adjustments, and asking it to play nice.

3)      Push the easy button 

 One of the most key ingredients to a good ride is shifting your gears. Know which gear to push going uphill- it be an easier gear- and which to pull going downhill- it should be harder). This will allow you to manage your power without wasting it on hills.

4)      Keep your head up

On rocky and twisting rides, it’s tempting to focus down on the jagged rocks and sharp turns as you pass them however it is better to constantly look forward a few hundred feet. Doing so helps you prepare for what is ahead of you and eliminates the issue of dealing with surprises as you are riding through them. It keeps you from overcorrecting on turns and focusing on each giant boulder you have to steer around.

5)      Choose a good trail

 My dad has always been good about asking around for trails that work with my skill level. I’ll never forget the time I tried to ride Devil’s Backbone with my friend, without helmets, and was almost hurled off the jagged trail, down the mountain slope to my death. His response when I told him I did the trail was “Oh, well yeah. I can’t believe you tried that.” There are some good websites you can google about trails in Colorado and they have maps that typically indicate a skill level for each trail.