There's riding, then there's training

The other day I chicked the pants off some guy. We were heading towards each other, each destined to turn north onto the county road. He was there long before I and made his turn. I patiently waited to make my left, and hunted him with all I had. There was a good headwind, and a bit of a false flat, but I pushed, and pushed, and pushed at a previously inconceivable in those conditions 18-23 MPH. Yeah hot stuff! Show him what's up! For a brief moment I wanted to quit, but he needed to be showed. So I caught and passed him, and despite his aging ride, a guy with sinewy legs like that should not be caught by a girl with ghetto booty.

Anyway, I told that little anecdote to convey that there is definitely fire in my belly right now. I have managed to convince myself myself I'm strong and awesome, and myself believes it. My mental game is getting much, much better.

Now, I just need to know how to actually train to become the crit and TT superstar I know I can be! I've peeked a few books but they seem super complicated. I don't want this to suck the fun out of riding, rather I'd rather have something I can see as "challenges." Mind you there are tons of great trainers in Boulder, but I can't afford that.

I'm a super big book nerd, so if anyone can point me that way, it would be awesome. I don't need to win everything, I just want to graduate from end of pack to mid-pack finishes and I'll be happy. We can discuss winning later.

So any resources you have for the grooming of a crit and TT supah-stah, please share!

crit requires patience, strategy and team work. TT is more of you and yourself only. hmm even on TT you do have to think about the course and decide on how you want to ride it.

Train with the men and hang on for your dear life. And don't let them cut you slack. Take your turn at the front in a rotation. A free for all hill climb, attack like the aggressive male riders. You'll improve a lot more if you train with those who are all better than you ;) Guys are not going to let you pass them on a free for all hill climbs. They don't want to be beaten by a girrrlll. ;) You just have to get better than them.

What happened to 'track supa-stah'?

Nothing to do with cycling, but love some your language use:

The other day I chicked the pants off some guy

or a guy with sinewy legs like that should not be caught by a girl with ghetto booty.

:)

'Ghetto booty' is not one of my favorite terms.

+1 Lisa.

I can't tell you how to get better at your races, but I have to say I loved reading your post! You sound like me! Well, sort of. :)

The mental thing today remind me of today when I was near the end of my second 75 miler in two days and there kept being hill after hill, which my friends and I were all SOOOO hating. Finally when we turned a corner and I saw another hill, I said, "I LOVE climbing hills! That's MY hill! I call that hill! Get away from my hill, it's MY hill to climb. I'm the hill girl!!!"

I started doing it just to be goofy, but found it actually started to mentally help me. :) I couldn't eliminate the hills. Might as well embrace them!