RACING FLAVE

Interesting reads

2010-04-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

• Nathan Wallace tested positive for Oxilofrine (stimulant) at the Queensland Natural Physique Titles. Mr Wallace received a three-month period of ineligibility which commenced on 4 October 2008, being time already served.

To give you the truth about what happened with Nathan Wallace. He failed for Oxilofrine which came from ALRI Hyperdrive. An over the counter supplement used by plenty of natural competitors. He also contacted the INBA/ASADA about whether the product was on the banned list before he took his sponsorship from ALRI and was told by the INBA/ASADA that it was fine to take.

Oxilofrine does not appear on the list of ingredients on the bottle (of Hyperdrive) anywhere and Oxilofrine can't be bought as a single product in Australia. The product has since been taken of the shelves in Australia by the TGA.

Now, here's what I learned in retrospect. When ALRI first put out Hyperdrive, it was called 'Venom' Hyperdrive. It was marketed as a powerful B vitamin. Then, after athletes started getting popped for oxilofrine violations, they put a synonym for oxilofrine on their label called methyl synephrine. If an athlete (like me) researched the product prior to the label change (see label before change in the post below), they would have no way of knowing.

Let me say, right now, all I'm trying to do is find a way to sleep at night.

Best wishes,
-F

WHAT???

2010-04-13T19:25:00.000-07:00

Dear all,

If you are reading this now it is likely that you are here looking for more info about the two-year cycling sanction that USADA sought against me. Well, I am sad to say, that it is true. I am still in a state of shock after hearing about the decision today. And mind you, I wasn’t called by USADA or the Arbitrator and given the news before it was posted and made public. No, a friend of mine in Sacramento sent me a message saying that he had read it online in Velonews. I would say that of all the ways to find out such bad news, that was maybe the worst.

For the last several months I have been privately dealing with the positive drug test that I gave at the end of last year. The test result was due to my use of an over the counter product that I thought was safe called Hyperdrive 3.0. Regrettably, the product contained a compound called Methyl Synephrine, which is an optical isomer of Oxilofrine, which is a banned substance. Neither compound was listed on the ingredients label of Hyperdrive 3.0 that I researched. I did not knowingly ingest the banned substance, and the arbitrator that heard the case commented in his report that he believed me.

Needless to say, I am feeling pretty rocked right now. I thought that once I explained everything that the arbitrator would clearly understand that I did not intend to take the banned substance, I didn’t even know it was in there! But, the USADA rules are pretty biased against those that give + tests. For example, here is one section of the rule book:

Riders must refrain from using any substance, foodstuff, food supplement or drink of which they do not know the composition. It must be emphasized that the composition indicated on a product is not always complete. The product may contain prohibited substances not listed in the composition.

So, that’s about that. There isn’t much I can do. Clearly, I didn’t know the composition of all of the food that I was eating and the products that I was using. Mostly because, not all of the ingredients were listed on the label. Like I said, I’m not sure what more I can do.

Best wishes,
F

Oh, and here is the product to beware. Note, the label is now different than what you see here (click to enlarge):

Tour de Limousin

2009-08-06T14:32:00.000-07:00

Unexpected...but delightful 4th overall! I didn't go into this race feeling super confident, specially after the 10 days of hard racing...I wasn't quite sure whether or not I was ready to tackle another stage race. But I must have done something right...well I had help! After the giro I called Max (Testa) and talked to him about my riding and the things I need to work on....blah blah but the most important thing he said was that I needed to recover between the tours...so I did. As an athlete you always think that more is better, well I had to trust what he said that I needed to do just the opposite...to recharge. Then there I was in france...had a great first stage, well could have been better had I not "choked' but still I was happy with my riding. There is always a lesson to be learned and things that can be improved. In a short version of what happened, I found myself having to bridge to the break of three riders in the last 10km of the race, after having worked for my teammate tatiana (guderzo)setting her up for the queen of the mountains jersey, keeping our break away (we were 10) to keep her fresh for the finish. Well, after the last GPM(QOM) a counter containing those three riders Grace Verbeke (lotto belisol) Ruth Corset( Austr. Nat team) and Alexandra burchenkova (russia nat team) and tatiana told me i had to bridge....holy crap! I was totally gassed by then, but I got on it and for about 1-2kms I chased and made my way to the break....took a lot of work..once I got there I thought that I was going to get popped on the rollers....but I kept telling myself ..NO NO WAY YOU ARE NOT GONNA GIVE UP NOW! So I stuck it out, but wasn't very smart coming into the finish...and also not very confident either. 2 big mistakes...and I am working on that ;o) so hopefully I won't be making the same mistakes on the next races to come. After that stage all I had to do is defend my position, or try to move up in GC which was really hard, since the only hilly stage was the first one, the others where all power climbs (sprinters climbs lol) and ended up either in a bunch sprint or in a break not containing any GC riders...it was much harder for me than you can imagine...so much work when nothing gets away and comes back together in the end! It was a great race, and I learned so much...have lots of work to do!!I will post pics when they became available, as of right now, I have none. ... sorry!

MORE SWITZERLAND!

2009-08-06T14:29:00.000-07:00

What can I say! I love SWITZERLAND! the most beautiful country ever! After the Tour in Limousin, I got to stay @ Oscar+Kelly's agian! Oh man, it was so good to get out of the team house, and recharge the mind and body! I was able to do some awesome training in the swiss alps of St. Moritz. I 've heard about that place as a little girl when my dad used to tell me about his rendeuvous in europe. My dad was big into traveling. It was magical. Until I had been told, in the middle of the ride, that it wasn't only 120km, but instead 170km!! I had ran out of food! we still had one last pass to make...this one 22km with 2300meters of climbing. LOL and in the middle of nowhere(beautiful nowhere).... I was ahead in the climb and was thinking to myself ...there has to be something up here, a gas station, a bakery, a restaurant any place that I can get some food at! At a distance, I spotted this little town, not much there, but still that was my last hope, as I was on the verge of bonking, I did not hesitate when I saw the first place I thought would have something to eat, I stopped, walked in, it was a sit down dinner, people were sitting outside in the patio enjoying a quite, quaint little afternoon late lunch, and this mad cyclist comes in, searching for a quick bite to eat. I didn't find any pastries, or cookies, they didnt really have anything set out. That's when I saw the only pie in the store....it was a carmel walnut pie with buttery crust! I was sold...didnt think twice about it... the lady was going to serve it to me on a plate, but i said no ...its to go... i paid my 4.80 francs and out the door I was. I was already half way done with it between paying for it and getting on my bike to get back on the road! People were looking at me...and all i could think about was...thank goodness for this piece of pie....and not only that ...it was one of the most delicious pie I have ever had, too bad I couldn't fully enjoy it...i ate it so fast ! But it was what got me back to the car that day!

2009 GIRO DONNE

2009-07-16T04:38:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I have just finished racing one of the most prestigious races in europe. Not only that, this years edition of the Giro was considered one of the HARDEST yet. Needless to say I was surrounded by incredible athletes, women that I admire and look up to, that inspired me to push myself to see what I can do, how far I can go.

Truth be told it did not start out that great, prolog was flat and fast and furious, and I had several mechanical problems with my tt bike for the 15km time trial. I was very frustrated and upset. But I had to be realistic with myself and put that behind me since I knew I couldn't expect to do incredibly well in the tt since I had only ridden the bike a few days before and had not done much specific training for it. But as an athlete that is also very hard to swallow. So after my tt disappointment I cried ( away from everyone)...let out all of my frustrations and started fresh! Sometimes that helps...a lot! Specially when you are in a place where your support system is not there to encourage you and put things into perspective. Thats tough, probably the toughest thing to go through...alone. I miss my people. The people that believe I can conquer and overcome and encourage me, push me to do the best that I can do. I have been incredibly blessed to have so many people like that in my life. Even from far away I carry those encouraging words with, just wish I could hear them more often....stinks when we are on the road its hard to get internet service! But my heart gets filled once I have the opportunity to check my emails and fb msgs. Thank you soo much for all the positive energy sent my way!

Things began to change when we started to head uphill!!I was able to make up time I had gained on the tt and then some!To have finished 14th overall was an incredible feeling. I know its not like winning the darned thing...but for my first big euro stage race...I was very happy! I just want to say thank you so much to all you (you know who you are!) who have been there for me through think and thin! I hope I can keep up the good work!!till then keep on sending the love!! check out the stages and results here: ttp://www.girodonne.it/portale/

hardest ever...so far!giro de trentino stage2

2009-06-25T18:10:00.000-07:00

Ok so that was the second stage of giro de trentino. it was a super hard race with several heavy hitters present, like Nicole Cooke, Judith Ardnt, Fabiana Luperini(who won this race over 7x and been on the podium at least 11x). 106km...lots of climbing... very hot, and humid, we had very wierd weather for this race. Either way I was out of acqua for the last 20km! I was so dehydrated at the end my lips were stuck together! But I that was my best finish so far. I came in 13th, just 1 outside of the UCI points...yah its a bummer but man...felt like a win to me. I couldn't believe that I was in the top 15 with the best climbers ! Maybe there is still some hope for me, being that started in 2006 and its my first year in the euro scene. I learned a LOT that day...dig dig dig...deep! Those women are incredible!! I want to be like that!!

L'altimetria

Results - Cycling - Road 2009 | 2008

Women Elite Giro del Trentino (ITA)

19 Jun 2009 - Stage 2: Riva del Garda - Faedo Pineta

Rank	Name	Nat.	Team	Age*	Result	PaR	PcR
1	Nicole COOKE	GBR	VOR	26	3:07:12	16	16
2	Carla RYAN	AUS	CWT	24	3:07:20	11	11
3	Svetlana BUBNENKOVA	RUS	FEN	36	3:07:30	6	6
4	Kimberly ANDERSON	USA	TCW	41	3:07:43	5	5
5	Judith ARNDT	GER	TCW	33	3:12:37	4	4
6	Mara ABBOTT	USA	TCW	24	3:12:41	2	2
7	Claudia HÄUSLER	GER	CWT	24	3:12:43
8	Edita PUCINSKAITE	LTU	GAU	34	3:12:53
9	Fabiana LUPERINI	ITA	MSI	35	3:13:11
10	Trixi WORRACK	GER	NUR	28	3:13:23
11	Christel FERRIER-BRUNEAU	FRA	VOR	30	3:13:41
12	Diana ZILIUTE	LTU	SAF	33	3:13:54
13	Flavia OLIVEIRA	USA	MIC	28	3:13:56
14	Patricia SCHWAGER	SUI	CWT	26	3:13:58
15	Modesta VZESNIAUSKAITE	LTU	BCT	26	3:14:00

como in bici sunday ridin!

2009-06-13T14:31:00.000-07:00

There are certain things that only happen in italy! I left for a ride with one jersey on and came back with a different one! Oscar and I decided to go for a nice,easy, med-long spin on sunday and we ran into this great group from Como in bici. they were kind enough to let the girl hang with them. I had a borrowed aluminium bike and they were making fun of the "so pro" with such a bike! Regardless, they were "impressed" with my mad skills hahahha!! turns out that the president of the team is friends with Max. Lol maybe that was the reason why they gave me the jersey. The good news is that they live nearby the World Championship Course for 2009 in Mendrisio, and I am gonna have a crowd cheering for me! Its soo nice to hear people yell out your name when you are racing! I had that awesome surprise at Flanders when my friend Mike Audley was on vacation and had come out to watch the suffer fest and cheered as I was going up one of the Muirs. So nice! thanks again you guys for all the support!! every little bit counts and it goes a loooong way!!

TIME OUT!!

2009-06-12T01:08:00.000-07:00

Hello there! I have been out of reach for the last 15 days since the love of my life came to visit me here in italy! Nathan and his friend Dave came to visit me while I had 2 weeks off of racing...and it was great! I needed it so badly! To get away and to refresh my mind and see people I love and miss so much! I miss home. You might not see me writing a lot about it, but I do,very much, I just avoid talking about it. Anyhow, they arrived May 24th and stayed til June 8th. They went home and I am now in Spain for more racing! They arranged to stay with a friend that lives in Stabio, Switzerland, only 2km away from the World Championship course that is going to be held at in Mendrisio. Oscar and his family where the best hosts I have ever had! They were awesome!We had a blast! He(is triathlete) took us on the course for the RR as well as the TT. It is definitely going to be VERY challenging course! We also did some amazing riding around lake Como and lake Lugano, as well as the Swiss Alps...so beautiful! Those boys were not letting me have it easy either...ripped my legs off haha...no rest for the little ones! They also came to Lucca, in Tuscany to see where I live and meet the team and the entourage! We stayed at a hotel 30mis away and right on the beach in Lido the Camaiore. It was awesome, believe it or not this was the first time I actually have gone to the beach and it is only 3omins away!!that is sad! We also went to Pisa to check out the leaning tower...so cool! After a few days in tuscany we returned to Switzerland...and Nate and I decided to take a quick trip to Venice...love the euro system of traveling the train makes everything so easy! so we spent a day and half wondering the interesting canals and streets of Venice! When we returned we were so wiped out from going all over that all we did was ride our bikes around the gorgeous area we were in and chill out! Oh yeah forgot to mention that the boys raced over the weekend (after we had done 4hrs of riding in the Alps) Oscar set them up with a swiss team so they guest rode for them and Nate came in 11th( no racing wheels or anything!!) just 1 outside of the prizes! oh man..so close!The guys on the team were very excited with both of their performances ;o)

I can't even begin to tell you how incredibly awesome it was to have this break to refresh the mind, body and soul....I feel recharged, brand new! Thank you baby for coming ....to the rescue! The truth is that I could have never done any of this if it wasn't for you and your love, encouragement and support! thank you!

Blooming...allergies!

2009-05-19T05:21:00.000-07:00

It has been over 3 weeks since I have started to suffer from some major allergies! Had no idea I even had allergies! But after waiting (im)patiently, telling them that my nose is totally stopped up, my eyes and skin red and itchy, sneezing uncontrollably ...well it actually took a bloody nose last tuesday to actually get their attention, and me COMPLETELY FREAKED OUT! I had already seen the team doc, and he had prescribed me antihistamine (which makes you really tired!) and nasonex, but he symptoms persisted and got worse. Along with those medications he also prescribed this blood allergy test called RAST which I had to wait until a few days later to get it done, by then it was already Friday and the results take a couple of days so yesterday I got the test results and went to see the team doctor and sure enough...VERY ALLERGIC to the grassfields here ...even olive tree blooms I am mildly allergic to. He wasn't too surprised, specially after taking a look at me....I was red , swollen, with rashes (itchy ones) all over, legs, arms, face, chest, back. Unfortunately until I can get on a proper treatment that involves a corticosteroid for my airways I need to wait till I do this other exam that is required by UCI since if i get tested that would come out + for doping, just like an asthmatic person w/o a TUE would get busted for using an inhaler. Then after I get those test results which I hope I can get it done soon, then the team doc has to send it all to usacycling, then I wait, when I finally get the approval from UCI for treatment, then the doc can start ! Isn't that bananas?? wow...that is not good, on top of feeling horrible, want to peel my skin off and feeling tired from breathing only through my mouth, I shouldn't be allowed outside in order to keep the severe allergy reaction under control. That's not good! how the heck am I supposed to train !!!HELP!! I bet you can't tell I am freaking out! well...its a delicate thing when you have to deal with your own health in a foreign country, I don't really know the language to that extent to where I can explain myself or understand all that needs to be done in order to help myself...treatment and etc. At least we don't race till June 9th hopefully we will be able to get everything sorted out before then!

THE NEWS!

2009-05-19T04:51:00.000-07:00

So much has happened since the last time I posted a blog. I didn't feel I could write anything because things were constantly changing. People leaving, and new people coming. So much up in the air. I didn't even know what to make of it all myself. Sometimes it is better to give it time for things to settle a bit and to process everything. Our first loss was Carmen she returned to the US, after we returned from Holland. We all miss her very much, but after talking to her since she has been back home she sounded much much happier, she made the right decision for her, seems like. Then shortly after tour de Bern, Alessia was the other one who was also out of the team. Hole mole! The same day that Alessia left to go home the team owner and DS had big news for us. We had two new additions to the team. Ok...brace yourselves.... Tatiana Guderzo...she took 3rd in the Olympics last year in the road race. Also her national teammate Monia Baccaile. WOW!!!What I was flattered, excited and nervous...nervous because I want to be able to support my teammates. I hope I can live up to it! I have raced with them in local races before, local meaning in Italy only, since their current team is not UCI one of the reasons why they both joined our team ,the other reason to why they've joined us is because they are both sponsored by Campagnolo and Pinarello and Bora wheels and the bigger teams just could not accommodate their needs, lucky for us I suppose! Too bad we can't get on the same stuff that their on ...cheeky me!

I AM NOT ALONE!

2009-05-19T04:30:00.001-07:00

difficulties and the infinite passion

The cycling season has entered the women live in all the fire, a nerve schizzandocome early live appearances. The national calendar, increasingly anorexic, now does not allow more circuits to warm in spring, just as happened after allowing the quest for brilliance and pending verification of the condition of international events of a certain weight. A losers were sprinters, and especially since the first races of the year, as a rule they were exclusive. March and April, the first two competitions, there were just so few races, all international, all selective. Faticaccia for "old" long experience, almost a "mission impossible" for girls to be baptized with the professionalism. It was a beautiful dive into the storm for many of them, with the aim to survive and escape from the storm strengthened, unless your name is Marianne Vos, able to dominate uphill, downhill, sprint and time trial, thus imposing on the road, track and cyclocross since the first impact with the big. The variety of his collection rainbow is really feeling and inspires respect. The sudden impact with the harsh reality was not sure how experienced a problem. Has no puffing or made of grimaces, indeed, meet and face after an endless winter is always nice. Ben is racing to the forefront and prestige with streets that tell the story of a heroic cycling, but also new ones, still filled with hills, walls and Pavè! Percorsi true, as thick athletic world, battle, challenge, entertainment: these are the synonyms of "we want to grow." However, if the first tests of the World Cup - which contain the highest summit of cycling - were joined by race "contour", we would have a different picture. A painting that does not urlerebbe, but there would be more balanced, less hurried, more comprehensive, multi, just as they did once, and as always happens in the men's professional cycling. And to us ... what we are missing those short tours of three - four, maximum five points, distributed between March and May, or Giro di Pordenone, Giro di Bolzano, Giro di San Marino ... all jump events as bowling, one after the other within a few years ... even as the spring meetings in France (Tour de Vendee, Tour de Epinal), or Spain (Vuelta Castilla y Leon, Tour of Mallorca), all stored and forgotten. A framework, this current, which unfortunately has very little to be admired.
But nothing happens by chance: all these and many other races have flat rate for a heavy financial problems. We are told that the economic crisis has stifled any good way ... and the only desire, is not enough anymore. No passion, even the most innocent, pure example is capable of self campare air. Companies-say-live with the fear of failure and this fear is discouraging investment and causing a standstill of the sponsorship.
Another similar painting to the museum hypothetical cycling women, are giving the training cycle of the peninsula. Some are in trouble and do not have enough money to pay their travel abroad, which would cost too much for a budget cut very suddenly. Others struggle to pay back the athletes, creating anxiety and nervousness in a group already solid and cemented. The sponsor is in stand by - we cover - does not get more requests, production is temporarily stopped, a momentaccio ...

The economic crisis hits and it hurts .... we are not speaking about other things now ... But sometimes the difficulty fortified, they grow and mature. Money is short, but we must also keep the nerves strong, confident in better times. And meanwhile, try to erase with the sweat of the ride, those useless rusts of dissatisfaction, frustration and ammarezza from the period of uncertainty .... Taking the example of those who suffered and are suffering real. I am referring to the earthquake in Italy which has just cleared whole countries, erasing memories and lives.

The people of Abruzzo has reacted with great courage, character and personality by inviting all of us, far more fortunate, to be an examination of conscience, reflecting and re-evaluating certain values. We have chosen an activity-based effort, but the physical suffering will never be comparable to the pain they cause the cracks of the soul.
We wander for a moment that "throws" and a little fatigue, but they are miserable and problemini ridiculous to compare with the loss of life. We are here to ride and chase dreams, meanwhile someone lives (still) in a few blue tent ... waiting to start from scratch.
The passion and the desire to cycling remain a shining beacon for the strenuous climb to the stars. The wheel of the caravan was never stops ... turns slowly, it then takes the brakes, makes a tour in vacuum but then again rotate regularly. The passion does not ever dipingerà its colors everything we encounter on the way, riding alone on the edge of the road, but is in need of reliable travel companions. That pink demands for increased visibility and professionalism, but also of clear, precise and uniform, universally accepted and respected.

Un abbraccio

Edita Pucinskaite (former world champ)

http://www.ciclismoinrosa.net/

I had to use google to translate it so not all the italian words had a proper english translation ...but I think you can get the whole picture. I have been struggling with my own potential, abilities and goals since I have thrown myself in to this level of racing. Most of you know that I have not been cycling for a long time. I did my first cat4 race in 2006. Being here makes me feel like it all over again. So much to learn! So many amazing women that inspire and motivate me. I can't let go, I can't give up , I won't give up!Stay tuned I have more news coming....

tour of flanders....ouch!

2009-04-19T02:57:00.001-07:00

I can honestly say that the pave is one of the hardest things I have ever encountered on the bike. And to top it off I did not have such a fresh day on the bike today. I got crashed out and was definitely not impressed when I got to the place where we were staying that night. Apparently it is race tradition, to stay at the boarding school nearby the race. There were a total of 10 teams staying there altogether. Crazy eh? Just like in the showers after Paris-Roubaix...it is all real...it still happens! Let me walk you through this interesting stay in Belgium, help you make more sense of those pictures. They might not make much sense at first but after a looooong painful day on the bike we find ways to entertain ourselves since we had no phones, computer, tv...thank goodness for i-pod! Everything here is communal. That long hall with the colored curtains are the single bedrooms where each rider spent the night. tiny winy bed, no pillow, and no privacy...after we settled in our bunks we started to wonder around and look for the bathroom and showers and what not. Then we came across the "douches" ....that's when the goofing off started...you DOUCHE ...no YOU DOUCHE! You DOUCHE first! hahaha....did it sound like we were bored??or exausted maybe..or both? That was a rough night of sleep for me. I was sore everywhere and not really looking forward to the next day at Dottignies...luckly I had bounced back and was able to finish this race only to get dropped out of the front group on the last lap due to a rider flatting in the hardest section of the course rough road, cross wind....strung out....we could close the gap...and off they went ...its pretty amazing how hard it is to race the rollers and the flats over here...you almost look forward to the short hard climbs than the flats thats where the hurting begins...FULL THROTTLE! geeez!!!

no rest for the weary!

2009-04-03T07:24:00.001-07:00

so i finally was able to fall asleep at 4 am! and at 8:30 I hear this knock on my bedroom door. It's Rosane telling me that she needed my passport and my italian immigration documents. Apparently Brunello had a dream that we were at the airport and unable to travel into Belgium. So he came by the house early to grab our documents and get to the immigration right away to make sure everything was ok for the 3 of us to travel, actually the 4 of us, Rosane needed to get her documents squared away as well. Needless to say I was completely out of it this morning and had no clue what the heck was going on....but all i knew is that we might now not be traveling to Belgium and Holland. I gave my passport to Rosane and tried to fall back asleep but at that point my brain kept me awake wondering whether or not we were going to make it to this race or not...so i got up stretched, and was in the middle of having breakfast when Rosane's cell phone rang and it didn't sound good. She was kitted up ready to go for a ride and was told that we (all 4 of us) needed to be at the "questura" (aka immigration) at 11 am. By then it was already 9:45am. There was nothing else to do but wait when then wait some more when we got there. Apparently we didn't have the permanent immigration papers only the temporary, and if you knew how the italians are efficient that would not come as a big surprise to you...it could take months to get the simplest things done! Aware of the situation Brunello pulled a few strings and got our permanent paperwork ;o) so now we are good to go! Belgium+Holland watch out here we come!

1 am blog!

2009-04-02T16:14:00.000-07:00

Let me start from the begging, otherwise it won't make much sense at all. I am pretty sure that you have a teammate like that yourself. She is italian, 33years old (she is holding the donkey in this picture)and honestly we don't quite get her, but somehow have to manage living with her ...go figure how that happens....it is a daily struggle. Luckily we have other italian girls that come to the house that helps us handle her...I suppose it takes an italian to better "understand" or deal with another italian, anyhow she is a headcase! she had made our lives living hell at one point, maybe several. But what can you do? She is just one very small problem in the big scheme of things. Anyhow, i am the lucky girl who gets to share a room with her! yoo-hoo more like uh-oh! Thank you so much Sally for helping me through that period! i thought i was gonna loose it! Lol. Funny thing was when she went home to Puglia for 10 days and our lives were so peaceful...i felt so boring there was no drama nothing new and extreme to tell Sally about. I do have a point here...so bear with me, i am almost getting to it. The team massage therapist arrived this afternoon. He is from the same region as that teammate of mine i was telling you about. He is here because tomorrow (today now) he is going to be taking the team bus(with all the bikes etc)to belgium (about 10-12hr drive)where they will be picking us up at the airport. So he needs to get up at 4 am. Guess who volunteered our room out for him to sleep in??Oh yeah...she did it! the problem is that HE SNORS SOOOOOOOOOO LOUD i can't fall asleep...i have been in bed since 10:45...I have tried everything...ear plugs, music(oh yeah and of course my nano was dead within 5 mins!) tossed and turned till 1 30 am. She went to bed at the same time as him, actually she talked his head off then she passed out, before him, and now I probably won't be able to sleep til 4 am rolls around! HOLY CRAP! welcome to my world these days! maybe ...i am hoping i will get to sleep in tomorrow, I will leave a note out so they know what the heck i am sleeping in!

READY OR NOT HERE I COME!

2009-04-02T12:36:00.000-07:00

OH YEAH BABY!

Well...I never thought I would see this day! Not that this is my type of race, but I am soo excited to be doing the Belgium and Holland Spring Classics! Hole mole! PAVE here I come..oh boy oh boy prepare your bums and neck and palm of your hands....and hang on cowboy! I am praying for good weather..well it is hard to see a sunny day in belgium so I hear, but as long as there is NO RAIN it will be fine! we fly sat morning race sunday. and then it is on: we race the 5th and 6th, 10th and 11th and 13th and maybe the La Fleche Wallone on the 22nd! wow! oh yeah and then back to Italy for another race on the 25th. I will keep you updated!! Wish me luck!! Keep on sending all the positive "E" (energy) to the little one over here! ;o) catch you soon....

it was a rainy cold one!

2009-04-01T05:54:00.000-07:00

Iam finally finding energy to process all that happened this past weekend. Aside from the fact that it was my VERY FIRST WORLD CUP race it was pissing down rain ...and i mean cold rain (the race was in Varese, pretty far north close to Switzerland.) We arrived in the rain and cold at the hotel and hopped on the rollers right away...well maybe not so much right away i was the last one...so not happy about one...a whole other story for another blog post! Then we had team presentation: each one of the girls from each team received a Lindt easter egg! We were all called up on the this podium thing where we were introduced to the crowd. It is a big deal. Holy cow! The rest of the evening was uneventful we just had a nice dinner and went to bed. Race day: was bananas... i was soo worried about the conditions and wanted to make sure that i rode in the front to avoid crashes. well that alone is hard to do in a good day let alone in the rain, but I managed ;o) i was pretty happy about that my biggest mistake was to race in my leg warmers ( if i had known that then...) well they kept my legs as cold as ice as they were completely drenched with cold water...so all the heating oil did absolutely nothing for my legs. when we hit the first climb i saw myself in the tail end of the first group and my legs were just not responding. I felt as if i had no legs! it was awful..they were in a steady state of contraction. I was in a world of pain when i heard my teammate rosane ask me "come on little one bridge me over" i dug in and took her to the front group and had nothing left for me....the front group kept going and i found myself in the chase group ...I was disappointed, learned a hard lesson, but felt good that i was able to help a teammate out since specially when you know you are not having a good day , we chased for 90 km on the last lap we got pulled! now that was the most frustrating thing ! after racing 90km of 120km , just one more short lap to go ....we were soaked and cold ...i could barely reach for food in my jersey pocket or grab my water bottle out of the bottle cage...the best was the "shower" at this chancy little soccer stadium...NO HOT water! OMG! i stood under this hot dryer i couldn't move or feel my toes i was red from head to toe and shivering uncontrollably! it was not fun! then we get in the team car after rosane who finished 34th got in and hit the road it was about 7pm when we stopped a gas station and asked our DS whether or not we were going to stop for food...and he said: "you are not worthy of food" because only rosane finished the race and he was soo disappointed..pissed off ...or maybe both. WE WENT BANANAS!! there were tears of disappointment and anger and sadness and homesickness....gosh and you thought it wouldnt get any worse eh?

hell day...DAY #2!

2009-03-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

wow...I am not even sure how I can start this one! There are just one too many things to be said about this race day. I think that the best way to tell this one is to start from the end. yes! backwards!! totally! So I learned on our way back home that the team bus ( oh ya the one we have been traveling on!) ran out of brakes...completely! well not only the thought of that was freaking scary but that also meant NO FEED for us! OMG! I raced 3.5hrs of FULL ON ALL OUT in the gusty wind with deep dish alum wheels on 1 bottle of mix that I had made for myself since (USUALLY ) we have our bikes ready to go with at least 1 bottle of acqua. That was NOT the case this time, when I went to reach for my second bottle...well it was EMPTY!! HOLY CRAP! I just couldn't believe it! So I told myself that ...you can hang till the feed zone... that was 50km mark we were almost to 40...so the went by the feed zone and there was no one from the team to feed us! I was thinking to myself ...WTF! Sorry but at that point there were not many pleasant thoughts going through my mind or words coming out of my mouth....oops...well...I am sure you can understand why! the race was 112km long and no more feeds were allowed (roadside) after 80km. I had worked so hard to make the cut ( out of the almost 200 racers only 50 finish usually...and you better be in that group if you want a chance to contest a race) but coming along the 80km mark i broke down and had to call for the car which i did not want to do since we were approaching the end . I had no choice, not having water for so long in the wind, and the efforts and unable to feed myself since I had nothing to wash it down with...it is just not good...not power producing...not smart...not gonna work for much longer on an empty tank. Finally when the team car got to me and i grabbed the 2 bottles there was surge right before the steep narrow but short climb that I couldnt get to fast enough after getting my bottles....well...I got in trouble...with the DS but the way i look at it I was already in trouble...regardless...so i finished in the chase group. ;o( live and learn ...one step at a time.

in the presence of greatness!DAY1

2009-03-22T15:31:00.000-07:00

So...this past weekend (march 20, 21, and 22)we had a block of 3 one-day races! the first 2 days were the worst not only because of the tough course but also because of the massive wind! Also the presence of the most powerful teams like Cervelo (Kristin Armstrong), Bigla, Team Vision 1(Nicole Cooke's team), and Mariane Vos's team, Equipe Nuremberger, Flexpoint, amongst many others. 200 riders app. HOLY CRAP! just that in itself is pretty amazing! Usually only 60 finish! I have finished in the top 30 OR SO. but holy cow it is sooo hard to move in the pack! it takes soo much energy! I have learned a lot in one weekend! And learned the full throttle feeling ...wow! awesome!! learning as i go. It is sooo key to stay in good position...but how the F do u do that when you have to move past almost 200 people!! oh yeah...just do it...where there is a will there is a way! its crazy! and i love it! it gave me an entirely different respect for the women's cyclists. it is sooo hard to get up there and then respond to the final move ...the constant attacks the super duper fast pace, the well planned and delivered tactics from the powerhouse teams. just amazing! can't wait to soak it all in!!

TEAM PRESENTATION #2

2009-03-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

So the next morning we were to be ready to go at 11.30 am. I was wiped from the day before, and also feeling sore from hitting the deck on friday so I decided to take sunday off. The girls went riding for a little bit in waves so we could manage the shower situation. I didn't ride so while they were out I showered and got ready before the chaos. We arrived at the hotel where we were to have television interviews with the press and newspapers and what not...BIG DEAL! hole mole i didn't realize how big this thing was going to be! All of our sponsors were sitting at this table, and were honored during the team presentation. We were all introduced to the crowed, it was this formal sit down lunch ( well really long luch i would say!) with how ever many courses we had...apperitivo, primi, secondi...you name it! then in the end this huge cake was brought and i was this huge celebration! it was supercool! Actually the real celebration started later...when we were all having shots of "prosecco", dancing and having a great time...finally!! hehe!! then came monday...with the DS trying to make us pay for it!! haha! it was all good!! ;o) bring it!

PS: the links on the right have the pictures of the presentation!

TEAM PRESENTATION #1

2009-03-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

wow...let me start out with that...I have never been so tired like this before..to tell you the truth I would rather be training/racing than so another one of those things!! Day #1 started at 8:30am. I had been up since 5:30am(for those of you how know me...you know what a HUGE deal that is) to ride the rollers and talk to Nathan on skype since my friend let me borrow his mac charger cable..yay! All the ( 10) girls all staying at the apartment ( 3 bedrooms, 1 shower, 1 small kitchen) we were stacked up to the ceiling!! But we all managed without killing each other.... haha...that is a good sign right? So after our departure, we went to Michela Fanini's grave and paid our respects to this phenomenal champion that she was. It was very sad, to see a father and a mother stand by their daughter's grave, but also very honoring to be part of the team that carries on her dream. And there were PICTURES LOTS AND LOTS OF PICTURES ...ALL DAY LONG! Then we proceeded to the "commune" in cappanori where we live. that is the city hall and we met with the Higher-ups, they expressed how proud they are to support our team. Then we went to Brunellos shop where we hopped on our bikes for a ride to one of our sponsor Rox (shoe company) and we were filmed along the way then took more pictures we got there...after that we rode to Brunello's house were we took more pictures..did i say we took pictures yet??? right...well by then this lil one here was not willing to smile at cameras anymore cuz I was starving!! once we finally left brunello's we went to have lunch ( at 2.30pm) uuuufff!! it was a long day.....but there is more....to be continued!

friday the 13th

2009-03-13T16:41:00.000-07:00

so today we had our team training ride. we were supposed to have a similar session to what we had on tues, 100km in 3hrs...oh ya and not all flat either...there is some climbing in there too...we were averaging 40-45km in our rotating paceline...holy crap...talk about finding the 'E' to go up the climbs after pushing the pace like that...is oh so hard! either way, on our way out of lucca, heading towards the coast, we were rotating through at 35km/hr on this not so busy road with very open crossroad, as this car coming from a crossroad on to the main road came on us as we rode by . It was chaos. The car came from the left side, and we were rotating from the left to the right which put rosane and i *the ones who went down* between the car and the riders on the right side...in other words not a pretty picture...her carbon frame is cracked long ways on the top tube, scrapped knee, i have a massive contusion on my right buttcheeck elbow and knee, but thankfully no broken bones!! we spent 6hrs between police reports, hospital, xray etcs etc....if there is one thing i learned about italy today is that there is no such word as efficiency in their vocabulary!!! hole mole...how do they cope!!??

and then...and then...NO MORE AND THEN!!

2009-03-13T16:29:00.000-07:00

well how can i start!!??so much has happened! I don't even know if I can fit it all in one post. But if you have not yet been made aware of the fact that I have a burned charger cable for my mac, and have been completely allienated from planet earth, a lot has happened since then. I had my first euro race in brissago, switz on marchc 7th. That was AWESOME! i must say i am actually pleased with my race! it was all i thought it would be...VERY HARD!SHOOT...I LOVED IT..GIMME SOME MO OF IT! it was very windy, and there were very steep short (3km long) climbs (10%) with even steeper descents(20%) ...a real rollercoaster! I made the front group during the last 2 circuits to the finish, then on the last one, i just didn't have enough saved up in the tank to respond to a surge, and a consequent gap that was opened by the rider in front of me...i finished 26th, and jeanie "grandma' longo took 2nd!! holy cow i want to get old like her!! i will be posting pictures as soon as i get my charger !! the area was gorgeous and the trip was very short...i think that they were afraid we would get our hands on some yummy swiss chocolate....I CAN'T BELIEVE I WAS ACTUALLY THERE AND DID NOT HAVE ANY!!AAARRRH!!

and then there was more rain!

2009-03-04T13:59:00.000-08:00

Ok, so we did our first amateur mens race on sat Feb 29 and we were also supposed to race on Sunday, as you can see in this picture we were at the course but it was pouring down rain and the DS called off the race since it was a men's race anyways. Either way we decided to watch the finish of the U23 men, holy cow...it was great..to watch as it was so wet and cold. We ended up being podium girls ! Ha! that's was funny. Lol show up for a race..don't race, then end up giving the winners flowers....that wasn't exactly what I AM HERE FOR! but on a day like this...none of the girls complained about not having to race a mens race in the pouring rain...as you can tell we are all smiling and having ourselves a good much better time than the guys in the race!

I didn't want to say anything but....

2009-02-28T11:50:00.001-08:00

so i thought this link here would help u understand what i have been going through lately....i was a little skeptical to share this you guys but it has been very interesting having to deal with these issues here

http://velonews.com/article/88654

CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON!!??

2009-02-27T05:52:00.000-08:00

So in the past few weeks I have had to learn how to let go of making plans or knowing what is going on. Things change here...pretty fast. If you thought you knew what you were meant to do the next day...eeerrr...YOU RE WRONG! You could go to bed planning your day and thinking about the other things you might like/need to do, whether it is going to the post office, bank, grocery store or meeting a friend up for coffee, and get neither of them accomplished. All of the things I am used to doing at home are practically unexisting here. Even your "alone" time is cut off if you are needed for something, driving the car somewhere picking up something from the shop. It is almost frustrating that I have been here for almost 2 months and have yet to walked in the proper town of Lucca. THAT IS BANANAS TO ME. Look at this place! it is surreal! I want to see it..ALL OF IT!

mi bici!!

2009-02-24T14:31:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah the pure greatness of a new bike ;o) they are custom made italian bikes called SWITCH, with PROLOGO saddles, FSA bits, and D/A SHIMANO components(and no its not the 2009 bummer) VUELTA wheels(these are our training wheels in the pic). LOVE IT! The hard part was to convince the italian management that I need a compact! ha! the response :"IN ITALY, WE DON'T USE COMPACTS" ...lol In Italy, they don't to a lot of things that most places do to make their lives easier, better ;o) ....they told me that I would get popped on the first climb and that I wouldn't be able to motorpace. After a LOT OF CONVINCING they managed to get me one! YAY! I was sooo excited and surprised that I managed to get my message across and that they actually decided to meet me half way. So step #2 was to prove to them that it was the right decision to put me on a compact... and I think that they liked what they saw ;o) so we are all good now ....me+compact=better riding !

team captain!

2009-02-24T11:35:00.001-08:00

So this is pretty much what we do when we get back from training ...EAT or I should say MANJA!Rosane Kirch is our team captain or CAPO in italian...and the little one is Samantha...Sammy!

I am realizing that even the smallest things take sooo long here in italy. Our entire day is filled somehow...not to mention that the entire town closes down for siesta..from 1 til 330. Nothing stays open, from gas stations to post offices LOL not even our own bike shop! Basically you just can't get anything done. So wierd, sundays and mondays are totally dead days as well. It is like dead city..total opposite of the US. Most of our day is consumed with training, stretching, doing laundry, cooking, visiting sponsors, etc. It is definitely hard to understand where our days go! We have one vehicle to be shared amongst the 4 of us who live in the team house. One of our teammates doesn't know how to drive. The other one has to be dropped off at 330 mon-fri where she works a fews hours to make a few more euros...guess who ends up doing all the running around?? lol...yeah...seems silly...but that's how they do it...it's the italian way...the hard way!

2009-02-24T11:19:00.000-08:00

THIS IS HOW WE DO IT BABY! AARRRH I almost almost lost it... completely when we had consecutive days of rain...and I mean butt cold rain! Sadly that's how had to do most of our training..trainers not even rollers to keep you focused. This is my teammate Guilia Lazzerini, she was on the team last year ....she is great ;o) and so is her english speaking abilities...that comes in handy when you are ready to loose your marbles! It was incredibly hard to spend several weeks without my "normal" life. At home, rain or shine, I have my own car, my own routine, alone time, etc. Here I have none of that, aside of the cultural differences the most difficult thing is let go of what you know as self and have to re configure to something completely new, adjust, adapt, survive.....

paradise lost!

2009-02-23T11:37:00.000-08:00

wow...aside from the major cultural differences Italy , well...LUCCA, is beautiful. The riding here is amazing. For those of you who know me well enough to know that i can get lost on a straight road, italy is definitely not the easiest place for a gps-less, italian-less person to get lost! the good thing is you might end up doing circles around yourself...some smaller, some bigger, sometimes all you gotta do is remember which direction you took on the "rotonda" lol!! I hope I can in time! ;o)

...beautiful backyard view ;o)

2009-02-23T10:10:00.000-08:00

...and then there was sun and blue skies! yay! So i guess I brought some cold weather with me?? from cali...we have had several weeks of rain and really low temps, kinda put a damp on our training camp and training, which was really unusual for this time of the year, so was said to me. So when the rain finally gave us a break I was able to see what was surrounding me! wow! so beautiful that mountain in the very back is Alpe Apuane, and the closest one is the Matraia, super awesome climb right in our backyard...WAY COOL!love it love it! thought I would share it with you ;o)

First ride!

2009-02-08T11:47:00.000-08:00

Even though I felt a little tired from the flight and the long to do list ( and very little time to get it done!) me and my new teammates ( Carmen Small(USA), Carly Hibberd(Aus), Rosane Kirch(Bra), Sara Grif (Ita)i ,Serena Mensa(Ita) and Samantha Galassi(Ita) went on a 3hr ride on the most epic climbs and scenery I had seen! We were by the sea and the mountains and it was just beautiful! I could careless at that point if was just to go for an easy spin...I wanted to go and see all that this place had to offer!Viareggio is very popular place for vacation amongst the italians and cyclists for training camps because of the nicer weather. Unfortunately this year it hasn't been so nice, it has been raining off and on, actually more on than anything else. Let me tell you ...it is very hard to be confined in a hotel room with people right up in your face questioning you about the way you do everything you do ! I guess I was feeling the same way about them!

MEET THE TEAM

2009-02-08T11:24:00.000-08:00

So they had carefully arranged that the foreign riders would be placed with the italians so there wouldn't be any segregation of any kind from the beginning. I was rooming with Samantha Galassi and Alessia Quarta. Very nice girls, as were are the rest of the girls on the team. I was a bit jet legged but there was an endless(felt like) things we (I ) needed to get done. Specially since I arrived a few days later, the camp started on tuesday and I arrived on thursday. First I had to put my cleats on my new shoes and get my bike somewhat fit for me so I could ride it the next day, and oh yeah dinner at 8...I arrived at the hotel at 5 I had a 20 some hours flight and was famished and didn't think I was going to make to 8o'clock! Which for me is waaaay to late to be eating dinner!Ok so that was the first difference! they eat dinner late. As time went on and I started to reduce the amount of things on my to do list it was almost time for the "capo" (boss aka Brunello) to arrive tha's why dinner was so late! Every night we had to wait for him to get off of work and join us for dinner. The first thing that was put in front of me was a huge bowl of risotto of some sort...but I was eyeing the veggie and salad buffet. I just couldn't stomach a bowl of rice right off the bat! So difference number two....they all stared at me as I got up and made myself a big plate of salad and veggies. Apparently you re supposed to eat you "primi" (pasta or rice) first, since its hot ( i don't care either way, cuz I that's just now how we do it at home!!) then they serve your "secondi" meat of some sort along with you buffet of salad and veggies. So all the foreigns were criticized and judged by the locals! I could careless but by the end of it I must say I was a bit annoyed that they can criticize the way we eat saying that it is wrong and tha's just not how it's done in Italy! oh man I have heard that one too many times in the past 15 days!

ITALY HERE I COME!

2009-02-07T13:16:00.000-08:00

WELL ...How can I start? 2009 had barely started and I was off to embark in a great journey in my life and cycling career. It was all very different from the VERY beginning. As I landed at the Pisa Airport and had the team DS, who does not speak any english pick me up, had a hard time communicating since I couldn't not come up with any italian at all!! I had only english in my head! But somehow we managed few lines were understood such as I am thirsty and I need to "pee"!! So we rushed off to the hotel where we were staying for team camp, but before that we made a quick to the Brunello's shop so we could quickly pick up the temporary bike I 'd riding till we got our new bikes....well ...I was on the count down!! I just could NOT wait another 2 mins I needed to go pee!! Noticing how uncomfortable I was the DS said...5 mins and then 5 mins after that he said 5 mins! Once we finally arrived at the hotel, in Viareggio, tuscany, I ran inside,desperately asked where the bathroom was and the lady looked at me sorta funny then I realized she didn't understand a word that came out of my mouth! I asked then for bano(haha in spanish) but I think she got it and pointed me the direction as I rushed there I realized I had used the men's room instead of the ladies room, but it was a little too late for that!!

Relieved I went on to meet the rest of my team.....