The Final Sprint

Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings are may just be normal riding days for some, but for the good boys (or bad boys) of the Nguyen Van Linh, its a suffer fest that this bikermom continues to expose herself to!

Why?

I have no idea!

This particular Thursday morning I missed the start.  I rode hard to catch the back of the pack.. I was successful, but got dropped prior to the turn around, so I turned early and thought, "with my new handy dandy iPhone.... I want to film what I never get to experience"

So.... here it is.... for those of you that think cycling in Vietnam is dangerous... this is NOTHING to how dangerous it could be....

My hand shakes a bit..... one of these days... I'll be in the sprint.

Quieter ride...

Feeling a little distraught (I am half junkie here....) about not getting to ride, Gjermund suggested, "hey, lower the seat on my bike!"....

HEY?!?
WHY NOT?!?

 It is about 7:30am in the above photo.  There are several kilometers of riding with the beach on one side, the sand dunes on the other.  It is easily understandable why a person could be so upset if not able to ride.  It is so calm, peaceful, and recharging.  I rode to the 'turn around' and back, about 60km.  Completely soaked up the conditions, scenery, and enjoyed the ride.

 There was no traffic on this day.  It was the 2nd day of Tet and most locals are celebrating with their families...  It was a beautiful sight to see everyone basking in their traditions!  I think as Americans we often feel we should show the world how to live, but what I have learned living over seas... especially in developing countries, us Americans should step back and take a lesson! 

 There was a mine on this stretch of the road.  Most of the big machinery is gone now, but this sign remains a reminder....

 Pity my camera didn't take a better shot, the mine is on the right directly across the street from the ocean. 

Close up of one of the mine shacks.

Sometimes riding a bike should just be for the fun of it.  If you don't step on the pedals and feel like you are 12 years old again.... you are truly missing out! 

Riding should be quiet....

We took our bikes to Mui Ne for a 6 day vacation.  Gjermund was quite sick with food poisoning...it took him 3 days to recover and I am not completely convinced he's even recovered now!

Sunday I typically ride long.  So, arriving on a Saturday kept me on schedule!  I planned out a great ride, riding north along the coast turning around then a few laps of the upper road.

My bottom bracket was a bit noisy a few weeks ago.  I INTENDED to get it pulled apart, cleaned, greased, and ready to go.... but I didn't.  I had a LOT of work, house work, kids, blah, blah, blah... Also, the noise seems to have disappeared. Or....maybe because where I ride I simply can't hear it? 

I head out.... and within the first hill, click, click....  not good.  I take it easy on the hills knowing I need to get this fixed... but there goes 5 good days of riding....

I was on my way back from the turn around point and the noise in my bottom bracket was horrible.... to a cyclist who knows her vehicle... it was heart breaking!  My bike was sick... I was really upset, only 40km logged and thought, it is a week of rest.

I was wearing my full ANZA kit... then someone going in the opposite direction passed, we did the obligatory, "hey, I am a cyclist, you are to so we shoudl say hi" wave...  I saw he turned around.  I was NOT in the mood for company.... or gettin my ass kicked.  (actually, I thought it was a girl)... then HE said, "I never thought I'd see an ANZA rider out here".. Oh, hey... dude was really nice.  He's a South African guy living in Hong Kong on vacation with his family here.  As it turned out, he'd done the Tour AND Bintan.  WE had a nice chat.  He was recovering from a hamstring injury so kept him to my pace.

I manage to get in nearly 110km with 1000m of climbing.

Recovering with a coconut, fresh vegetable rolls and a swim in the ocean....  They are just base miles, right?

Chúc Mừng Năm Mới

Its always a party before and during Tet.  My first party I was invited to (aside from the obligatroy company party... not that I am complaining, just saying)....

Thought I wouldn't get do participate in a 'Cycling Boyz Tet' party.  Most of the big club house gatherings happened while we were out over break.

But...Alex orgainzed this one at the last minute...wanting to do something nice for the guys.

Some place behind FV hospital, near the market.....Trong Tri III.  I pedalled my market bike and hoped to find it....

Its a new year!

On so many fronts:

A new age:  43
New calendar year:  2012
New lunar year:  ???  Year of the???  CYCLIST, how 'bout CYCLIST?!?

I have come to realize as I enter my mid 40's so many things.

*  I no longer worry so much about what I look like....but, I will never admit to the grey!
*  Scars, wrinkles, stretch marks are evidence that I have LIVED, not that I am weak
*  The thrill of riding my bike is still a thrill, a luxury, and on so many levels, my salvation!
*  Somethings just are NOT worth being upset over anymore.
*  Life simply happens, how you react defines you....

I am looking forward to a better year.  The troubles and situations that arose in 2011 won't go away, but I hope I can deal with it all a bit better and let more just roll over my back.

That said, having a blast riding with the boys for the first time in over 2 years.  It was so much fun riding with them when I first got here.  Back then, the average speed was 40 to 42.  That was HIGH to me then.

I don't know what happened, but over the past two years, these boys are getting increasingly faster.  Bar none, it is still the best ride in town.  I have yet to venture out on many more rides.  As I know the traffic here.... and I am not in a long ride for a LONG DAY... just bike, please!  A little water please...lets be on our way.  I'll do lunch at home.

Lately, I have been hanging with them the entire stretch.  I have a 2/3 success rate.   The speed has increased, quite a bit to be honest.  My PR for thursday's ride was 40kph for the 27km I measure.  This includes a few stop lights.

My pack skills have improved tremendously.  Also, I am riding more on the front longer then ever before.  I am not staying there the entire ride, but I AM on the front....

So, here's to 43, 2012, and year of the 'cyclist'!

Lately....

Seems I forgot I actually had a blog... or I just didn't want to write anything.

Perhaps more the later then the first!

So many great thing, so many 'tough' things.  So many new hurdles I never thought I'd need to jump!  And that just got me to August!! 

As usual, cycling becomes my salvation and simutaneously, a source of frustration.  However, this 1/2 half of our 7th year overseas, cycling was a gift from God that got me through some major lows.  The beauty is you can take it all our on those pedals.  Guys just think you are getting into shape, you can cry your eyes out, sunglasses hide your pain, and the sweat, salt, and dirt are validation that you've done SOMETHING... if only piece of mind!

Tour of Bintan came on the 11th of November.  To say my results were unimpressive, would be really not nice... but my  heart couldn't have been further form Bintan Island if I tried.


I trained correctly for the race, but life as a mom and PTA President seemed to be more then I could handle at times. 

I arrived from the US in early August.  I was nearly at a nervous breakdown at that point.  I didn't realize it, but perhaps I did.  I had too much on my shoulders and seemed to have to deal with so much on my own. 

I can't really say and/or give details, but it was a HORRIBLE Fall, especially the first few weeks.  Then on August 26th,  thing really got turned upside down.  I never spoke out loud about it and won't....

I think I exhaled about mid October! 

At that point, my training was on track, but I was just going through the motions.  I wasn't trying and actually detested getting up so early.

Mui Ne

After a quick 8 hour drive (200km - think I could RIDE it faster!)... we arrived to Miu Ne about 11pm.  Gotta remember, holiday weekends, everyone is out, so are the police ticketing and making trouble EVERYWHERE.  It took over 1 hour just to get Gj from work...

Packed our bikes, looking forward to some good riding.  The day before on bridge repeats, it was very windy.  Alex said, "Oh, yeah, it will be windy up there!"...

Sure enough..... nuclear winds.... windsurfers delight, cyclists nightmare.  I was really looking forward to one of the great facebook posts, "Rode 110km, 33kph average, blah, blah, blah"... Nope...

no such luck.

Friday's ride I wanted easy and short, recovery from bridge intervals... its in the training plan, but Gj wanted to ride longer.  So, humor him....  considering the garbage we ride in in HCMC and the amazing scenery, open roads, its hard to say no.  Even if I risk overtraining....  my legs are a little achy from Thursday's bridge repeats.  Alex met me about the 7th trip and I though he'd visit, nope, he drafted behind an oil truck and I had to move it!  Set a PR on that climb, 7th climb no less... so pleased.  Ended up doing 8 climbs that day.

So, Friday, we head to the end of the beach road and back.  60km for Gj, 57 for me.  Our bike computers are 'off'.  Well, at least I feel better about that!

Saturday, my long day.  The day I build my endurance about 10km per week.  I was slated for 110km and really looking forward to it.  I got out on the road at 6:45 and knew I could get in at least 50km before I saw Gj.  If we road to the end of the beach and back, I'd have between 105 and 115 depending on where I saw him.

He didn't feel that hot.... we turn around 12km early making the day's ride 25km short.  I was pissed all day.  Trying to console myself in the fact that I did work hard in those 85km, climbed only 70% probably, but tried to keep the heart rate up and cadence up.  Also, doing some intervals that are part of my Saturday routine. 

And today... we go back to HCMC....