Finally!

With the summer not bailing out on us and life being a bit less hectic, I was finally able to get the training close to what I was doing when we were in Taiwan. When that happens, the good old happy Virginia comes back to life.

GEARs Wed. night ride.

Since CherylAnn and I usually do our climbing Fox Hollow and McBeth on Tuesdays, I decided to skip Hutch's women's ride on Wed. when they decided to do climbing. I thought going to GEARs' flat ride would be more relaxing given it was my 5th riding day in a row. It turned out to be quite the opposite. I was lucky that Jeff towed me pretty much the whole way but felt sorry that we just couldn't close the gap between the fast guys and us with only Jeff's effort. I was frustrated at first just like always knowing how competitive I am cut out to be. Luckily, I learned I was working hard looking at my Garmin data that night.

Me relaxing in our front yard in my Ironman Taiwan shirt Thursday afternoon.

Ginnie took Sean and me cherry picking Friday morning.

I worked on the floor at the bike shops Thursday morning and Friday afternoon on both my training days off. Sean and I got to go cherry picking with Ginnie Friday morning. I thought about the pre Blackberry bRamble ride on Saturday and still couldn't make up my mind whether I wanted to do the metric century or the century ride until Friday night. I thought having a run on the course before the event day was probably a good idea.

The pre ride began at 8:00, earlier than the usual GEARs rides on the weekends. I would probably prefer starting at 7 but 8 was fine. Seeing Bob first and Brad second was a relief. I thought I might try to stay with them to avoid being lost and/or exhausting myself. Everyone managed to disappear somewhere but Brad was nice to work on the pace so I had him to count on the whole way. Thanks, Brad!

Brad pretty much towed me the entire century. Thanks a million!!

The views along the way were just breathtaking! I had no idea what Brad was thinking, I know that I was having the time of my life seeing the most spectacular views, having the music Tim downloaded for me just for this long journey, and feeling probably nearly the best of my fitness level in a long time.

A hawk near the top left corner.

With a pit stop after 50 miles down the road before going on Vaughn Rd. definitely made the ride very accomplish-able. I was surprised when I saw the last incline on Royal going into Vern Ridge bike path. Home just after 2 pm and not feeling toast.

With a camera in my hand, I got to constantly remind myself not to ignore the surroundings. 

Kirk joined Brad and I for the last portion of the century.

Brad not only worked with my pace from the start to the end, he took care of my dropped chain too. Thank you!!

Tim waited till I got home before going out for his ride. I cannot believe how supportive he is with me on cycling, or just about anything all along. Thanks, Tim!

Tim getting ready for his ride after I got home.

I thought I would not skip my scheduled Sunday training even though I just did a century ride the day before; especially not when my legs were feeling okay. Not seeing Brad on the ride made me think that even a crazy strong guy like him would have days when he was tired. Ironically, not only was he not tired, he did another century ride with the Newman's group ride. That really got me thinking how I still have so much more to get my fitness level up. I am just way beyond being fit enough to do more. (SIGH!)

I was very happy the month finished on a good note!

Peter, Vikki, Paul and I decided to bail on the 58 miles ride. I didn't feel bad on cutting the ride short until of course when I saw how Brad did another century- the competitive part of me was chewing up on me.

Monday nighter with Hutch's has always been my favorite! I decided to wear my heart rate monitor which I had not been wearing for quite sometime just to see how hard I worked. I was very happy to see the results, I must say.

Finally I got to tell who is who a little better on the Monday nighter and just really had a blast riding with them. Eric has been one of the nicest people I met in Eugene who welcomed me to the ride from the very first time. 

Friendly Eric in red kit on the left in the front.

CherylAnn couldn't ride until 6:30 this Tuesday so instead doing our climbing we rode on the bike path to watch the OBRA Cat 1/ Cat 2 crit. It was just so much fun watching the race. It started to stir up the competitive part of me where I was thinking about racing again...

  

I should probably wait though.

A New Chapter Begins!

I didn't think that I was ever going to blog anymore, about my cycling life. A lot has been happening for the past year- moving from the east coast of Taiwan to the west, parting half of the family in Eugene while the other stayed in Taiwan, learning how to cycle in the city in Taichung, accepting a position with Paul's Bicycle Way of Life, Inc., moving all the way across the Pacific Ocean back to Eugene, OR, reuniting with the missing half of the family which was apart for 7 months, slowly adjusting to new work, to finally, back on my bike again. Not until I started to ride to the level I used to ride this past month, did I realize just how much I love cycling.

Thanks to the local riders group, GEARs, for their very organized rides every Wednesday and on the weekends. I would have never rediscovered just how happy I am when I am on my bike.

Gathering at Alton Baker Park at 6:00 pm every Wednesday night.

The thing was, I was supposed to be riding with the ladies tonight. But given that it was my fifth day riding in a row, I decided to go on GEARs' flat ride over ladies' climbing McBeth which I did yesterday. It turned out I couldn't even keep up with the fast group, not even close! I was thinking it could have been I was tired, my legs were tired from climbing Fox Hollow and McBeth yeterday, I was hungry, the wind was crazy strong tonight, I am a woman against all the fast strong men, etc.

The fast guys!

When I was asked by Tino, "How did you do?" as I arrived home, my immediate response was, "Oh, this bike just couldn't do it!" Man oh man! Tino shook his head with a smile on his face. And then I realized- it was not the bike! It was just me! I was the one who just couldn't do it.

I was all the way in the back, all evening long!

For one minute, I was frustrated. But then I realized just how much I wanted to be in the fast lane. That's what makes me happy- to breathe like there's never enough air, to pedal as fast and hard as I can, to pump my heart up all the way, to blast, and to get to the finish fast. I love the thrill! I love the training process that takes me there. I love how everything could be left behind when I ride. I am happy when I ride. That's all that matters.

I never saw most of them again for the rest of the ride.

Jeff waited up on me to tow me home. Thanks so much, Jeff.

I am not gonna give up! I am gonna be there- however long it's gonna take! So this is the new chapter, where the cycling aspects of Virginia wakes up and tries hard again. No matter how many times people are going to drop her. No matter what bike she is riding. No matter what! She is gonna get to the finish line, fast, with the fast guys.

The Chapter Officially Ends （本章節正式結束）

Sun Moon Lake　（日月潭）

I don't really know if my Blog is followed by anyone or not but I know it's been a wonderful journey for me. The friends I've made, the places I've been to, the ups and downs of my training life, the wonderful laughter, smiles, tears, and everything from racing- all of my cycling adventures and life in Taiwan are recorded most truthfully on this Blog.
我不知道有沒有人在看我的部落格，但是，我很清楚從開始到現在，對我而言，這個部落格一直是一個美好的旅程．這旅程中我所遇到的朋友，我所去過的地方，我的訓練生活的起伏，美好的笑聲，微笑，眼淚，和所有比賽中的經歷，我的公路車冒險和我在台灣的生活都真實的紀錄在這裡．

Thanks you, AS, for the most relaxing and enjoyable 140k ride to Sun Moon Lake today.
謝謝你，ＡＳ，跟我今天騎了最輕鬆和舒服的１４０公里到日月潭．

A lot of things have happened this year. I have never been able to race the same since the unfortunate death of a young female cyclist during the YunLin road race hosted by Taiwan Cyclist Federation. And now with the move from Hualien to Taichung, all the getting-used-to my little boy and I have been working so hard to survive living in the city of Taichung, and not having the company of my older son and husband, riding has never been the same for me. I missed riding with my husband, riding with my training pals in Hualien, riding next to the Pacific Ocean whenever I wanted to, riding to Taroko Gorge and practically have the whole National Park to myself, riding on the endless miles of roads without having to fight through the traffic, you name it. All and all, I just feel that I have nothing to offer on my Blog anymore. I want to write so much about my family but this Blog was crated to mainly record my cycling life.
今年有好多事發生．自從在自行車協會的雲林公路賽中喪生的年輕女車手事件後，我再也沒有辦法跟以往一般的騎車競速了．然後再加上我們從花蓮搬到台中，所有我和我寶貝需要努力的適應在台中的都市叢林求生存，沒有我的先生和我的大兒子在左右，騎車再也不一樣了．
我想念我跟我先生騎車的日子，我想念跟我一起在花蓮訓練的夥伴，我懷念想要騎在太平洋旁邊就能騎在太平洋旁邊的時光，還有那騎在太魯閣時好像整個國家公園就是你的的感覺，更別說那公里接著公里的無須與車陣交戰的騎乘，列不完的．總而言之，我深深覺得，我在這個部落格再也無法提供任何東西了，我想寫的只有我的家庭，但是這個部落格主要是為了紀實我的騎車生涯．

Thank you, Keith for the most excellent and beautiful road bike on earth! （謝謝國璽全世界上最優最美的公路車）(http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/ksmulticolor)

So there you have it! It doesn't look like I'll be racing in Taiwan anymore for the upcoming year. Before I find the passion I used to possess on cycling again, riding will never be the same for me. With this note, the chapter officially ends on "A View From the Seat of a Bicycle on the East Coast (and Now West Coast) of Taiwan."
所以，就這樣了．看來，我明年不可能再在台灣比賽了．在我找到我對騎車曾經擁有的熱愛以前，騎車對我而言都不會一樣了．隨著這個短文，＂台灣東海岸單車椅座上的視野（現在在西海岸）＂正式結束．

Stupidity Doesn't Pay

It was great seeing my student Schleck before the race! A picture was a must.

I knew it would be tough racing with only the 11 of us; not to mention a good half of them were from Team Exustar and all of them are much younger than me. Plus it was that time of the month for me. All and all, things didn’t look all that optimistic for me. I was not worried one bit though, which was very good.

At the line-up, I didn’t at all want to be in the front row. I was thinking that it would be a miracle just to finish all 5 laps without being overlapped and pulled.

 

First 2 laps, all the ladies were having a picnic. I knew the attack would happen sometime soon as we started lap 3. Sure enough it happened soon after we crossed the senor on lap 3. I could see clear as daylight as the attack started to take place. I knew I wanted to give it a shot no matter what. I followed, probably for 50 meters? I saw soon 3 of the Exustar girls left us behind. Fine! It was expected anyway. Everyone else soon bridged up with the few of us who didn’t fly with the breakaway.

The real picnic and mind game, which are the most interesting parts in races with ladies only, came right into play. No one wanted to take a pull at the front and we were only going like 24 kms/hr. I signaled a few times for someone to take over the pull and tried to go behind the pack but my efforts were of no avail. I lost my patience! Call me stupid! I know it was stupid to make my own break but I did it anyway knowing there was no way I could out-sprint many of them by staying with them. My one-man break lived for a whole lap! They watched me dig my own grave! I passed the arch alone with the rest of them behind me, right in sight. It was just a matter of time once lap 5 began.

They kindly picked me up right before the 12 o’clock position. As we approached the 6 o’clock position, the sprint took place. I tried but I didn’t have a one-kilometer sprint in me. I gave up and let them go until I saw the last girl passing me. That was it! I knew I wasn’t gonna win but I wasn’t gonna settle for the last either. I sprinted one more time to the finish line with my last little bit of pride. There! See! I might be the oldest but I sure wasn’t going to settle for the last! No offense to the girl I out-sprinted by all means, of course.

Given my effort with the average heart rate of 169 bpm and maximum heart rate of 180 bpm, I call it a “win”! I know what I do not possess and what I need to work on clearly now. I can work on them and see if I do better next time around. Wish the Spinning Girls were with me.See: http://cyclingintaiwan.blogspot.com/2009/10/2009.html It was absolutely fun doing the ITT and TTT with you guys last year!

選手名稱	號碼布	記錄時間	排名
黃合旬	453	00:28:56.650	1
美利達申騰隊-易芳如	458	00:29:15.840	2
曾筱嘉	454	00:29:17.260	3
李育萱	460	00:29:36.220	4
蕭美玉	451	00:31:55.830	5
美利達申騰隊-黃亭茵	457	00:31:56.160	6
郭允中	455	00:31:56.453	7
王文君	461	00:31:57.703	8
黎晏真	452	00:31:57.953	9
Virginia Xing	462	00:32:04.703	10
唐先慧	456	00:32:05.203	11

Thanks you, Schleck, for all the great pictures. A very great TTT you guys did for a great year ahead of you! JiaYou!

Month Ended on a Good Note

My Priorities

I’ve been doing solo rides for about a month now. At first, I was doing something like 50 kilometers. Gradually, I was able to do a ride to GuoXing/國姓, climb Route-136, and back to TaiPing/太平 for over 70 kilometers. When I didn’t feel like going that far away from town at all, I did Gold Dome loop with the 2 kilometers climb in the end to Metropolitan Park for 5 laps. Yesterday was a big success, I did my solo ride out further- I took Tai-21 off Tai-14 to Tai-8, and Tai-3 home for a total of 110 kilometers. Today as I planned to climb in the neighborhood, I did WanGaoLiao/萬高寮, Gold Dome, and finished it up with HuaShan/華山.

Stage 7 in Club Series- AMD Cup YangMing Mtn. 全國俱樂部聯賽第七站- 陽金公路自行車大賽

It was 2 a.m. when I got up on Saturday heading north to FengYuan/豐原 for the bus ride with the team. It was the first time I traveled with the team for a race so it was somewhat interesting. Not being much of a person with good sense of directions, I made triple sure I knew the way to get to our team headquarters in FengYuan the night before. I was happy once I got there without getting myself lost. Thanks to Lv DaShuai/呂大帥 and a couple of young guys on the team for loading all the bikes into the bus. With only 15 of us on the bus (the teammates in ZhangHua/彰化 and YuanLin/員林 managed to drive on their own), I got to have both seats to myself for a nap up to JinShan/金山. By the time I woke up, it was just after 5 a.m. Just the right time for my breakfast and what not for racing at quarter of 8.

A photo before the race started with my teammate, Lin YingFan/林盈汎, who finished No.2 and Li BoFang/李伯芳, who finished No.5. Good job, girls! (Photo by courtesy of A-Fu/ㄚ福, BoFang's husband.)

Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

You could tell me all you want that things will be better but as it was for me last week, they were absolutely rock bottom.

How could things be good when:
Your sweetheart and one of your babies are all the way across on the other side of the Pacific Ocean? You are always the only woman on the intense team training rides? You said hello to the riders who you had been riding with for a few times but they acknowledged with their chins up in the air? People never introduced themselves but instead they wanted to comment on just how huge your thighs are by yelling, "Look at how big her thighs are, everyone!" People gathered the ones with the same team jersey for a photo while you were the only one that didn't have it? People asked if you were going to dine with them after the ride but you just felt you didn't belong? You showed up for a ride that you had been going to for weeks and they decided to ask you why you didn't ride with your own team? You got dropped on every single ride and worse of all, ended up getting lost? The list could go on and on.

Monthly totals- August, 2010

Count: 21 Activities
Distance: 1,375.45 km
Time: 75:41:05 h:m:s (w/ 2 duplicate data)
Elevation Gain: 8,696 m (w/ 2 duplicate data)
Avg Speed: 25.2 km/h (w/ 2 duplicate data)
Max HR: 209 bpm (w/ 2 duplicate date)
Avg HR: 133 bpm (w/ 2 duplicate date)
Calories: 37,928 C (w/ 2 duplicate date)

Hualien Race 150k (洄瀾單車嘉年華)

Since I came to Hualien mainly to see old pals and to get another glance of riding in Hualien, I didn't think of today's race as a race at all. I thought the most I would just use it to build up my endurance again for my first relay triathlon in Kending end of October. Jennie told me she would do her own ride regardless where I was so I guess we weren't going to be working together as much as I wanted to.


















I got to line up with all the local riders at the race start. I knew the route well so I was planning on staying with the main group all the way till we started to climb on Route-193. Everything went as planned. Once I got dropped on Route-193, I knew it would be a solo ride all the way till RuieSuie. It was a LONG and LONELY ride on Route-193 but luckily I had my iPod with me. Tino got it all set with his music choices for me Thursday night. Thanks, sweetie.

There was one feed zone before we turned out to Tai-9. I stopped to refill my water and have a banana before I continued my ride. Once I got on Tai-9, my legs were ready to cramp for the first time since I started cycling 2 years ago. I knew clearly it was from the saddle adjustment of one and a half centimeters higher A-Fu and I did right before the race. I knew it was not wise to do any bike adjustments before the race but I did it anyway since I didn't think of it as a race. It crept up on me slowly but surely. I had to make a stop on the second feed zone for a stretch. Man! I couldn't believe how far this ride actually felt.

Hello, Hualien!!

Coming back to Hualien for a visit and a race was like the best treat ever! Jennie and I both took Friday off and got the early train right before 8 heading for Hualien.

We arrived Hualien just before noon, checked in at Sushi's B&B (Thanks for the excellent room and the pickup at the station, Sushi!) , and headed out to get our hot pot lunch straight away.

Centuple Training Camp/Trip to XiaoLiuQiu 小琉球 (230k)

Tino got up quarter of 5 to give me a ride to ZhangHua with Mae-mae so I didn't have to ride in the dark. Thanks so much, sweetie! Thanks for letting me go on the 2-day trip with my team on Chinese Father's Day weekend, too!

Our teammates from FengYuan arriving ZhangHua at around 5:45 a.m.

We had more around 10 of us waiting in ZhangHua for the guys from FengYuan. They had to add another 30 kilometers to their total mileage.

My team told me about the trip to XiaoLiuQuiu when we were at CCK Airport for TUAA. I had no doubt that I wanted to go when they asked if I was going. However, I really doubted that I would be able to complete the whole ride of over 200k in the heat.


Different guys started to lead the group at different speeds, fast, at the front of the pack. In order to not get dropped, I had to just hang with the very front of the group. It wasn't easy. I was glad once we got to JiaYi. They called for a stop for JiaYi's specialty- turkey meat with rice, for breakfast. It was just past 9 am at that time. I had my breakfast 5 hours prior to the stop but knowing how they had been riding, I had to pass on the turkey meat with rice breakfast idea. Instead, I went to a nearby 7-11 for some fruit cup, yogurt, a few bites of my leftover bagel from this morning, and a bottle of Coco Cola Zero.

Monthly totals- July, 2010

Count:	16 Activities
Distance:	792.45 km
Time:	41:50:46 h:m:s
Elevation Gain:	5,063 m
Avg Speed:	18.9 km/h
Max HR:	180 bpm
Avg HR:	138 bpm
Calories:	16,342 C