Chipseal, Cobbles, and Pedals

After the team’s ‘team camp’ plans fell through due to scheduling and finances, a few of my teammates, also living in New England, decided to organize our own mini-team camp.  Silke, Anna, and I met up on Saturday in Ware, MA at the start of a popular course around the Quabbin Reservoir. The air was much warmer than we anticipated, so the wind had some invitation as it regulated our body heat from over-dressing. We rode up to the start of the big climb and looked out over the valley and hills below.  It was so beautiful. But immediately we got to business and rode, single file along the course’s long stretch of rolling highway. 

Silke and Anna

The pulls were quick but so efficient that it was a breath of fresh air to finally be with other women who shared the same passion. It’s always a treat, especially when you’re used to being the only female in a group of guys. We took turns for several hours and finally, on hour 3, we turned onto  a quite side-road, spread out, and began sharing our life stories. Anna’s a PhD student in biology at Harvard but is incredibly competitive and loves to Nordic ski and bake.  Silke is from Germany and works as a chemist for Pfizer.  She too has many great stories to share.

After the ride, we drove to an Italian bar for a warm bite to eat, and then we hit the road with plans for the racing season, soon to begin!

Sunday was a whole new ball-park.  Landry’s in Boston was hosting an indoor-TT event (mostly for tri-athletes) and Aaron, me and the Landry’s crew decided to enter in the same time-slot so we could not only race one-another but have a reason for trash-talking!  Our heat consisted of 18 compu-trainers and the event took about 8 heats from the entire day. 

Aaron's revival of the "Mr. Goodbody" kit.

Aaron and I drove up to Boston, pouting the entire ride as it was the most beautiful day of the month, and we were somehow choosing to ride indoors!  Ironic, especially since we refuse to ride the trainer during the worst conditions!  When we arrived, we weighed in since the compu-trainer is set up for your weight. Immediately I changed and set up my bike to warm-up.  Aaron came walking into the warm-up garage and I heard guys laughing….he had on his Mario Cipollini muscle suit!  I was surprised and shook my head!  Aaron parked his bike next to mine and sat there whining about his stationary position.  I looked over and said, “Hey, if you don’t start warming up, Jeff over there is going to kick your ass!” Aaron grinned and just decided to go on strike!  I had no idea what his plans were.

It wasn’t too long before they shuttled us into the store and set-up the bikes.  Ahead of us were two large screens with a data sheet for each person in the heat: our position, speed, watts, and distance.  Above this data was a profile of the course with colored markers to depict the position of each rider on the course. The count-down began and when the start beeped, I stood up and took off on my stationary wheels!  For the first minute, I was in the lead, but after each minute ticked away, Aaron took-over and I fell back. He was unstoppable and soon the whole building was cheering for the guy in the ridiculous muscle suit!  I pushed hard but found it so hard to focus. The announcer was raving about the power behind the Cipollini suit!  Aaron wore it proud.  I pushed but the course was painful; several climbs with little descents.  I tried focusing on my speed, but had no bearings on where I was compared to the other women.  Finally, I heard my name! “Melissa Ross is looking strong…she’s going to finish as one of the top females.”  I felt the encouragement.  Meanwhile, Aaron was dumping more and more water on his head.

Boy do I look happy!

He broke away and finished 1st in our heat and 5th overall for the event!  Aaron was beaming, Cat 3 and out-rode a few Cat 1 & 2 riders.  His goal this year is to upgrade to a 2, so this was the encouragement he needed. “I think this is going to be my best season yet, Melissa!” I on the other hand wasn’t as excited about my time or average watts, but I did win my heat for the females. We stayed, cheering our friends in the following heats, Aaron celebrated with beer, and I sipped on my recovery bottle, my stomach twisting in knots.  We arrived dreaming about riding outside, and left with sunshiny faces and dreaming about the upcoming season!

A. Ross & M.Ross side-by-side

Hour 3 of a little snowfall.

Finally…February is almost gone. Gone is the chocolate (please don’t tempt me!) and soon beginning the training races, stripping off the tights, on with the knickers, and at last, the thrill of racing with the cool air kissing your skin.  I can’t complain about February’s romance; the staycation, sushi, and hours upon hours of riding together, Aaron and I, in the fridgid air. Aaron actually bought me a pretty necklace for Valentine’s day…I guess that’s a true measure of how brutally cold riding can be utterly romantic! Who would have known?!

Aaron polishing my bike.

I reminisce as wind pummels the windows and snow falls heavy to the street below. The other day, our favorite bike picture blew off the shelf and I had to run to close the window in the bedroom. Today it is snowing. The last few weekends, I pushed the big ring for hours on end. My legs ached, my stomach tightened out of hunger. Yet it felt so good to suffer in the dense air. Every morning I awake to birds chirping like mad. “It feels like spring,” I say to Aaron. “the beginning of a new season.” The scent of fresh dew and morning birds reminds me of high school track and of the spring I spent in southern France, racing with the National team. Do I ever long to return to France and finish what I started. The Olympics have begun. It was Bonnie Blair back in 1994 or ’95 who got me started. I sat watching the TV, wide eyed and only 8 years old… “I want to be like her,” I announced to my parents, and that’s where the passion started…it was all about doing the unthinkable, and being a champion. It’s that young 8-year old girl that’s still whispering in my head, “Finish what you start,” she says, “Don’t give up your dream.”

Aaron and I have what most people would consider a bizarre idea of a romance vacation. Our version consists of eating, drinking, biking for hours outside in the f’ing cold, and watching lots of movies. Aaron took the week off to use up some vacation time, so I took a 3 day weekend and we stayed in our lovely apartment in Norwood. I’ll just say again that the thermometer was below what most people see as welcoming to leave the realm of a heated enviroment…and below what would least be considered romantic!! 

Aaron eating our ginormous Sushi Boat

Thursday night we decided to splurge on sushi. We drove into Canton, bottle of wine in hand, and downed a ‘Sushi Boat B’ in 15 minutes. It was sooo good and the specials on the board above my head still looked inviting, so after our boat, we ordered the ‘Seven Sisters’ and suddenly my appetite emerged once more! We went home, watched movies and the next day were charged up for our 3 hour ride. We had no idea that it was going to be so frigid cold. It had started snowingthe night before, but we figured it’d dry up and we’d be fine. Nothing beats training during a Wyoming winter…so we can handle anything.

Weather.com read ’14 degrees F, high of 16′. Damn. It’s going to be so cold. “We can do it Aaron!” I spent the next 20 minutes applying my 10 layers, embrication to the feet (my secret for keeping my toes warm) and soon we were out on our blustery ride. 30 mile and hour winds….god did it feel so much like Wyoming! I stayed on Aaron’s wheel and we had to avoid ice patches here and there. (I might note that we’re on road bikes.) Because the windchill was horrific, we made a 10 mile loop out past Sharon lake, and did our tempo workout; hidden from the wind and safe from the ice. The two hour mark was brutal. My body was thrashed from pushinghard through the cold, dense air, but I knew I could make 3 hours. “One more lap Aaron” My body was dehydrated from only ½ a bottle of water (the rest froze) and a Snickers. We made it home and spent the rest of the day lounging, eating, watching movies and drinking wine.

Again on Saturday, the air had a strong bite!! It was in the single digits but the wind wasn’t blowing as hard. ”We can do it!” I was supposed to do 4 hours, but we decided 3 was a good goal, considering the conditions. It was soo cold, but I added knee warmers under my tights, still embrication on the toes and a scarf. I was set! Aaron motored all the way to Taunton and I hung on his wheel. The air was fine, but then the overcast sky dropped the temperature, and soon we started feeling chills, half way into the ride. Our friend Rob called us, “Hey Rob!” Aaron said, “You out riding?! Me too! You’re one of 3 people!” We started headingback. I had drank as much of my water as possible the first hour so I was more hydrated and sane the second half of the ride. Aaron was tiring out so he rode my wheel the way back.

Sunday was better as the temperature rose to 22 degrees and it was sunshine all day.  Aaron took me on some new, scenic roads so it felt more like a ‘Sunday-stroll’.

So there you are…the perfect recipe for a romantic stacation.