Wed. night shoe puddles

It seems like the past few weeks (months?), it's been raining every Wed. night. Which is a shame, because our team has either a coached practice or a group ride out of Ann Arbor on Wednesdays. Of course, the weather is only really a deterrent when it's bad enough. I'm perfectly happy to ride along in a bit of drizzle, even a light shower, but this morning I woke up to find a tree next to my house had fallen down during our typhoon last night. Thankfully, it fell away from the house. And last night I was lucky enough to time my ride so I cruised back into the driveway just as the first fat drops were falling. But enough about the weather.

Last Wed., on our ride, Jenny and I decided to go for it, and hope those dark clouds on the horizon stayed out of our way. And they did for a while, but then finally caught us about an hour in. Which had us talking a bit about why we ride, and even, why we ride in the rain.

Riding with teammates adds a whole new dimension to biking. It's amazing what having someone else around can do for you. Last week, we worked on dealing with a handful of little fears we have: like wet pavement and skinny tires, descending, riding shoulder to shoulder. It's not only the physical aspects of adjusting to having riders around you, and seeing that they can ride quickly and successfully through that corner in the rain,  it's also that mental boost from having a place to try out these things that might scare you a little, with people you know and trust. And you sure want to be confident about these skills on race day. Particularly if it's a rainy, windy race day. Practice really does make a difference.

My mom and her friend recently bought bikes and have been riding regularly on the bike path in town. It's great! They're committed to riding together, which means they do it more than they would alone, and they're challenging each other a bit each time they go. It's really worth it to find a training partner or team, and have them help you progress and enjoy it even more.

Good luck today and this weekend to Jen, Emily, and Christy, as they race in the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic. It's a 4-day stage race, near my hometown in Massachusetts. Today's the opening time trial, and as Jen put it, on the phone last night, at least it's only uphill for the first 5 miles of the 6.5 mile course. Tomorrow is the road race, which loops around Mt. Wachusett, where I grew up skiing. Hopefully, my mom'll be out there, handing out water bottles to the team, as they go. Wish I could be there too, but my current challenge is writing my dissertation. Close enough to a mountain stage (or two), I guess. And Laura, after a monster road race at Nationals, will be lining up to race the Nationals Crit on Friday. Good luck everybody!

-- Ann