It’s a damn good thing that I had it easy on the bike this week since it snowed AGAIN. Is it ever going to stop??? I am beginning to have my doubts, but don’t let that deter from my story…

On Friday, Ben and I drove down to Denver so that I could do a LT test with my coach, Corey Hart, at the International Center for Performance and Health (ch, ch, check it out, www.icphbalance.com). While Ben went off to meet with a physician about collaborating on research projects, Corey put me through the ringer on the CompuTrainer. Not only did he prick my ear, yes my ear, every 4 minutes but I also had to wear that insanely cumbersome, and oh so attractive headgear, so that he could measure VO2 (volume of oxygen used) and RER (a measure of fat and carbohydrate utilization) to get a good idea of how much endurance capacity I have in the tank right now. You’d think that being a bike racer, I’d be a glutton for suffering but let me tell you, I hate doing these types of tests. If it weren’t for Corey, Jen, Marge, and Lee yelling at me that I was a wuss if I stopped now (it went something like…what kind of cyclist do you think you are, you can’t get past 200 watts - PUH LEASE!!), I would probably have quit a good 3-4 minutes before I did. And when all was said and done, I thought I just might spew. I really did push myself quite hard and although I hated everyone one of them at the time, I thank them now for pushing me just to the edge and then letting me stop before I lost my brekkie.

Another reason for going to the ICPH was to have my back checked out. It’s been pretty jacked up for the last month and while I was suffering on the bike, Lee and Marge could immediately see why. From one side they could read Shimano across the back of my shorts but from the other side they couldn’t see a thing. In other words, I am completely rotated through my hips, sitting and standing on the bike, which can’t be the most optimal position for maximising power. So after I caught my breath and regained my wits, Lee, a biomechanics and physical therapy partner who specializes in musculoskeletal and biomechanical dysfunctions, and Marge, a medical partner and P.A., did a full assessment on my back and hips. Conclusion: My back is all out of whack. Several of my vertebrae are out of alignment, my lumbar spine doesn’t flex, and my hips are rotated causing all sorts of problems for my musculature. Prognosis: Good. It can all be fixed with more manual therapy and advice from Lee and Marge and A LOT of work on my end - something I tend to neglect, stretching, has got to become part of my daily routine.

The ICPH is a top notch facility - the team of experts there know how to work with athletes from all different disciplines, ages, and levels. Corey keeps me on my toes by feeding me with good knowledge about training and performance and providing the right programming to keep me on top of my game. And, in just one visit, Lee and Marge have got me thinking optimistically about improving my performance by correcting my dysfunctional issues. There is a lot of good stuff happening at this place - I highly suggest taking a look to see what these experts can do for you.

And today was another doozy of a ride. The weather forecast was calling for blue skies and warm temps (relatively speaking, of course) but what it turned out to be wasn’t the most pleasant of days. Ben and I headed out by going up by the reservoir with plans to head north to the Poudre River and back home. All was going well, the roads were clear and the temps were sweet. And we happened upon a few other cyclists, one of whom turned out to be Georgia Gould, Luna Chix professional mtn biker. Hearing that she and her husband just moved to Ft Collins a few months ago has me really stoked because it’s always nice to have good female riders around who can kick your butt. Anyway, we rode along with Georgia, her husband and friend and I wasn’t even freaking out (like I normally would) about riding through all the snow, gravel and slush - I couldn’t let this pro mtn biker think I was some roadie who couldn’t handle my bike. We were chugging along at a pretty good clip, enjoying the ride until suddenly the temps dropped and we kept getting wetter and dirtier from the spray of cars whizzing by. Riding through the canyon is going to be a beautiful ride, I think, but today all I could see through my muddied glasses was the patches of slush and snow that I had to navigate my bike through, all while trying to get circulation back in my fingers and toes. Not one of the most pleasant riding experiences in my life, but probably not the worst either. But, I do know that when the snow melts, the roads are dry and the river is gushing, it will be a fantastic time to be on a bike.

So, between yesterday’s test and riding through today’s crap, I’ve had a couple days of hard nosed riding. What’s the saying - that which doesn’t hurt you, only makes you tougher…let’s hope.

Here’s to sunny skies and warm days…

Meredith