Getting Left Behind
With perfect weather and stunning views ahead of us, my team and I woke up in a mountain cabin early Saturday morning to consume our breakfast and drink as much coffee as we could stomach before it was time to kit up. The cool, brisk morning was quickly heating up as we walked less than a mile uphill in loose gravel to get to the pavement road ahead. We ditched our street shoes by the stop sign, put on our cycling shoes, clipped in and rode out.
The morning started with zero traffic, endless landscapes and every animal you can find in the country. The pace gets faster as we warm up, we start getting closer to the rolling terrain that steadily increases, and the ride starts getting a little tougher. As we start winding through the woods, my chain drops and I yell to let the group know - only one person stops to wait and the rest keep going. As I fumble around to fix it, I’m anxious that I’m losing the group and I make a simple task much harder on myself. Once I fix it, my teammate Laura and I, start riding and come to a fork in the road. No one has waited on us and we have zero signal. Right here and now is when I learn to always put the damn route on my Garmin. Rookie mistake. We decide to head left and up we go. Hoping to hell this is the correct route, my brain knows that this will be an additional climb if it isn’t. On one hand, I have nature surrounding me, so I can’t help but enjoy it. On the other hand, my legs are screaming at me and I know I have a long ride ahead. I begin to remember that my thoughts are merely an exaggeration of the mind game that is happening in my head. I get out of the saddle, put down my head, and climb. I know my legs can do this. It’s silent until Laura yells, “12%” as she reads her Garmin. I don’t respond - I can’t. When I ride, I’m so concentrated on what I’m doing that I’m completely silent. We get to the top to find everyone waiting with a few apologies after I explain what happened and we keep going.
Not long after that, every one of us runs out of water so we decide to detour 6 miles to find a gas station. We get what we need and head back to the route only to find a small biker bar across the highway from where we decided to detour. Laughing it off, we continue to ride with only rolling hills, a beautiful river and long stretches of road ahead of us. The last climb on the day is at the very end of the route, the group is strung out and we are all exhausted. A 21% grade is the very last of it as we approach the home stretch. It’s brutal, it hurts and I feel like I could walk faster than I’m riding at this point, but once I get to the top it’s all worth it. At this point we have ridden through Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina.
We regroup at the top and instead of putting my street shoes back on like the rest of the group, I stick them in my back pocket and start riding down the loose gravel hoping like hell my CX skills treat me right. They do. I ride as much of it as I can before the ‘ole road bike won’t cut it anymore. The last bit of the walk to the cabin is filled with small chat about the gorgeous routes we encountered. After rolling our bikes into the open living room, we all take a seat on the outside balcony overlooking the beautiful mountains we just rode. We proceed to pour a few drinks, take out a few snacks and talk about tomorrows ride.
Read the original post on Find Your Fast.
Levi’s® Commuter™ Follow Up
Earlier in Spring, Levi’s® introduced their first Commuter™ line for women (read my original post here). Promising functional clothing for cyclists, the Levi’s® Commuter™ collection has performance and iconic style. Featuring water-resistant fabric, 3M™ reflective details, and deeper back pockets for secure storage, I'm following up to show you what they look like after two seasons of wear and really give my stamp of approval. I love when denim starts to wear in, and I'm pleased that the quality of the zipper, pockets and button held up like new. Although I can only speak about the wear of their denim, they have outerwear, pants, and tops and if the shorts are any reflection of the rest of the line, the other pieces won't disappoint. Shop the entire Commuter collection here.
Always on a mission to be better than I was the day before.
Always on a mission to be better than I was the day before.
Mae here - I’m the newest addition to the Specialized family and I’m excited to bring in a female perspective. Living in Atlanta, I’m the Lead Photographer + Marketing Manager for a small creative agency and when I’m not at work, I’m training or racing.
With cyclocross being my first love, this season of road is my first and I’m absolutely hooked. After this weekend at Speed Week in Athens and Roswell, it’s safe to say that criteriums are for me. I don’t know if it’s the condensed time frame and all out effort that I endured in cyclocross that enticed me, but I’m officially addicted to the speed, tight corners and suffering that comes with racing crits.
Now it’s Monday - rest day. I’m reflecting on everything I did wrong, everything I did right and happily looking forward to the next pain cave session.
See you on the road.
Read the original post on Find Your Fast.
Oakley Jawbreaker Sunglasses
I'm in love with my new Oakley Jawbreaker glasses! As someone who lives a double life as a girly-girl and cyclist, it has been hard to find stylish large glasses. When I got my hands on the Jawbreakers it was a done deal. They fit my face perfectly so I can get in the drops and hammer on my rides without seeing a line at the top of my vision and without having the wind blowing in my eyes depending on where I'm looking like I've had problems with on past eyewear. I train and race with these babies on and as you can see, I've also crashed in them. Highly recommended!
Levi's Ambassador | Unboxing
I'm super excited to announce that I'm a Levi's Commuter Ambassador for the new Women's line that just released. I was sent the denim shorts and I'm loving them! The fabric is incredibly strong with a high waisted cut so I'm not worried about showing off the booty or ripping my pants on a ride. You can either wear them rolled down for a longer look or show off the reflectivity by creating a cuff. Also in the box was a limited edition Brooks England Cambium C17 Saddle made using recycled denim! Am-az-ing. Krys Blakemore designed the small pin that I put on the tote who drew her inspiration from her daily ride and reminds her of sunsets/sunrises over the East Hudson River, so cute! A keychain, stickers and a note were also included. Check the photos to see more. Next post I'll be showing you guys more of what the shorts look when I'm on a ride. Huge thanks to Anna Maria for allowing me to be apart of this awesome project!
Here are the exact specs on the shorts from Levi's:
Climate Control with lightweight and breathable fabric
Stretch and Reinforcement for comfort and durability
Higher Back Rise for increased coverage
Water and Dirt Repellent to stay clean and dry
3M Reflectivity for safe rides at night
Fitness | My Weekend
My weekend consisted of the excitement of the Puma x ICNY "Heartbreaker" release and a lot of working out. A few of my go to items is my knobby foam roller, Skratch to stay hydrated and my bike! I rode solo throughout the city this weekend and really took in the scenery to find a new appreciation for my surroundings. I hope everyone had a great weekend as well!
