See? That's What I'm Talkin' 'Bout!

This past weekend I did a mountain ride out of Saluda, NC with a couple of teammates and other riding buddies. I am notoriously bad at climbing – if you’ve read my blog then you know that I constantly gripe about my weight. For a cyclist, I’m a fat chick. This makes climbing an issue for me, although I love doing it. On this trip, though, I felt really good by my own standards. I was still last up the hills, though.

On the way home, my teammate and I were talking about how the ride went. My teammate admitted, “I’m surprised how well I climbed today considering I’ve only been doing intervals 2 days a week and doing a group ride on Saturdays.” I nearly slammed on the brakes and threw her out of the car. I’ve been killing myself riding no less than 5 days a week, mostly 6 days – doing climbing specific intervals, long rides and strength training. And I STILL can’t keep the gap respectable on the climbs. Mentally, that’s hard to take.

At some point I’m going to have to pinpoint a strength that I DO possess in cycling so I can quit focusing on what I CAN’T do. Maybe sprinting…after all, Mark Cavendish is the fastest finisher in the pro peleton, but at the same time, by his own admission, is a horrible climber.

Christina DeKraay, Myself, Stacie Schnitkey