Pinning numbers...

i just got back to the room from dinner and started my pre-race routine. i am SO excited to race! it has been nearly a month since i have really gotten to race... i did a couple of local races, but this is the big show. this is a world cup race. this is a big deal. the top riders in the world are here... and we get to race against them! it means so much to me to get to wear my TIBCO kit... to ride with my TIBCO teammates... this is very special. i am eager to show the world what we have been not-quite so quietly building...

so, pinning race numbers. i love pinning my numbers. there is a routine to it. a mental game of getting focused. i am very anal when i pin my numbers- putting my jersey over a pillow and stretching it carefully out. pinning over my pockets, but careful to make sure that each one is easily accessible for me to reach in for race goodies. later, i will heat up clif shots (putting them in warm water) so that i can more easily squeeze them into a large flask and dilute them up with water. i already did my silly pre-race ritual of meticulously shaving my legs & (yes, i know it is weird) arms... it just helps put me in the race mode. it started back in 2005 when i crashed and had to shave my arm to keep the tegaderm from getting caught in my arm fuzz. i liked how it felt and it grew back soft. about a month later, i did my first NRC race- downer’s grove- and for some reason, decided to shave my arms. more than anything, it was the product of too many antsy nerves that had finished shaving the legs for the third time and moved on to the upper appendages. now, it has become part of my big race focus. when it is a big race... i shave arms and legs. now, the numbers are pinned, the course has been pre-ridden, the previously mentioned body parts are no longer fleecy and i am thinking about suffering... ahhhh! the sweet pre-race evening!

i have a lot on my mind. for me, this is a big race since it is a world cup- but it is not a race that is particularly well suited to me. so it is one where i have no pressure and am just racing to have a good race and try and help my teammates as best i can. each lap (we do 11) that i can managed to hang on over the hill, is a mini victory. so i am relaxed and happy. i am very happy to be back in the saddle! at dinner, we saw a bunch of riders who i have now grown to recognize and know quite well. it is a small world that we race in and it is always good to have our little reunions.

anyway- i am off to pin stacy’s jersey since she does not have the same bliss in number pinning that i find... so i will say good night.

on a different note- i just wanted to say thank you to sarah who comment on my blog yesterday. it made my day. thanks. good luck in your racing!!!! it was a sweet memory that she invoked of the old days when old la honda was THE hardest ride i could ever imagine doing!