injuries and improvement

sitting here with an ice pack on my grotesquely swollen knee i'm thinking seriously about my goals this year and the best way to axhieve it.
i'm focusing on track and downhill. some people have suggested thats a bizarre combination, but to someone like me, with an annoyingly fast moving brain that never chills out, it makes perfect sense. cycling for me is not a chance to be left with my thoughts whilst working out my body. in fact, being left with my thoughts pisses me off, i think about all the things i wanna do and suddenly the frustration and boredom of being miles away from home and unable to get on with it makes me cross, as anyone who has ever been on a long ride with me can confirm! my bike is a tool to distract me, i want to only be able to think about the task at hand, i love the repetition of practicing stuff, i love relying only on my instincts and i love the mind games of a race. track and dh are the perfect choices.

my goals- track is fairly simple, i have nothing to prove, i want to do the team sprint nationals in oct and not embarrass myself. the thrice-weekly sessions at herne hill with my friends should allow for that, without much extra thought. but dh, thats a different matter.

i am soo honoured to be sponsored a bike from mongoose this season. the only other mongoose rider in the uk is the almighty hailed chris akrigg, so i feel rather awed. i had to pass the test though, mongoose want to sponsor cool riders, that bit was ok, so long as you dont get to know me too well i'm pretty cool! then my ride at the red bull mini drome impressed the right guy, and then i had to promise results. and that's the problem!! i've done 3 local dh races, have beaten 6 girls and been beaten by one. i looked at the girl who beat me on facebook, her complete saturation of photos of her doing freeriding stuff gave me confidence. i was only a second. 5 off her.
but really, i know this doesnt mean much (not that im suggesting facebook lies) but i have no idea how good i'm going to be, all i know is that i WANT to be good! i've finally ot the proper equipment, now all i need is experience. i was sensible and told the sponsors that i might do one of the national round near the end, but this season is for me to get good, to learn, to improve.

however, business is taking off, ana nichoola now has a number of stockists, i have a couple of amazing, technical manufacturers, i'm sponsoring riders and pushing the brand. i want the best garments on the market, i want to be stocked by every cool shop in the uk, and all that testing and researching takes time. this leaves me less time to get good.

so the goal is to improve massively with every ride i go on. no staying at a level, and definitely no going backwards. but that leads to injuries. 3 weeks and 3 injuries, last week was a minor gouge to my shin, but it may leave a scar and my looks are important to me too!!

todays injury- i was practicing a gap jump. they come up a lot in dh, and mostly,  at least at the races ive been to, the girls take the chicken run. if i can confidently get mis sized gaps nailed i'll be at a quick advantage. after 5 attempts on a small gap, that was rollable if you didnt want to get air, the ever supportive ed offered to lie underneath and film me. i have NEVER EVER been so flattered by a proposition from a guy!!

the thought process- i dont want to land on his lovely face. i mustnt press my brakes. i wont cover them! wait! i gotta cover them to keep in control of my landing. ok covered. woah! were you about to press them there anna? you were weren't you! it ok, im in the air, i'll quickly look down and check i've missed his face. SHIT, FUCK, CRAP THAT HURTS!!!

i'm noisy when i hurt, no dignity, just howling!

if ed was ugly i probably wouldnt have crashed.

i had a mule bar gel for medicine to get me back to the car.

now here i am, happy to have cleared a nice little gap, with video evidence. but with my weeks riding plans scuppered. the swelling is very bad, i know because of louise that its not broken, but i still cant walk. i have a perfect circle impression of my brake lever screw in my knee. it makes me question the most efficient way to fast, freeride improvement.....

it makes me sad because i want to be good and i wanna ride this week.

OPening my eyes to different ways to enjoy my bike.

www.ananichoola.co.uk

Well this week I've done plenty more cycling, although I was still ill all week. Still ill all, that doesn't look english. I was teaching cycling every day but one, when I was doing a photoshoot. We took the kids out in pouring rain for the first hour of their lesson, then took them back and made them hot chocolate for the second hour. It was really pleasant, and the kids were great, as all kids are in Kenley. On the way home from work on Friday I decided to go for a sprint up a small hill near me, so I got as much speed as I could out of the corner at the botton, stood up out of the saddle, pulled up on my pedal and my cleat slipped out launching me over the handle bars!! I lay in the road for a bit until an old lady turned the corner and I had to get up so that she didn't think I was dead. Injury pics coming soon.
I have a bruise the size of both my palms on my thigh and bloody elbows. I learnt something from this though. Like, yeah, it hurt, I'm not saying it didn't, but it reminded me that falling over and hurting yourself a bit is ok. Kids do it all the time, and I know that adults are heavier and have further to fall, but still, the fear of falling is not worth the reality. Falling over and cutting and bruising yourself is OK. Trust me.

The next day I entered the Women's National Track omnium at Herne Hill Velodrome. I didn't realise it was a Nationals. I just thought it was a local race because it was local. It was my first track race in ten years, and at one point I felt so nervous I thought that I was going to get sick. I didn't have a chance to warm up because I was late, so Simon let me use his rollers. I've never been on rollers before. They're 3 plastic cylinders that lie in a frame and spin under your wheels, a bit like a running machine. You have no support and just have to go faster to avoid falling off. Simon took most of my body weight, until I was given great advice "Look ahead and wiggle your fingers," it really works!!


There were about 20 women there, which was amazing and inspiring! Some of the young girls are already really fast at only 14. Our local Estelle Rogers was storming and as a fairly unknown name I think she took a lot of people by surprise. I did a few sprints and a scratch race, I also did the pursuit but it was so boring I forgot to start when the gun went and nearly fell asleep doing my4 lonely laps. The other races were awesome though and I've signed up to do another one in 3 weeks, to try and beat my last place position!

Sunday offered me more riding- this time I made it to the bicycle ballet rehersal on the right day. www.bicycleballet.co.uk. I met up with a bunch of performers in a tennis court in Woking- who were all delighfully friendly and welcoming. The volunteers included me, a retired gentlman, a Woking coucil member who was forced into it, and a curly haired girl called Marigold. We had to practice a routine that we sort-of made up together, and then put it to music. It was sweltering hot, and we all hand our clothes rolled up to almost nothing (I just wanted to show-off my bruise).
It was a geat 2 hours well-spent. I met a bunch of people who had a TOTALLY different outlook on cycling. They had a mix of bikes, just whatever they had at home and a range of cycling skills. I don't know what I was expecting, maybe people showing-off and doing tricks. But it was much calmer than that, it was about entertainment, interest and making shapes. Each performer had their chance to shine with solo part, but the best bit was watching them snake around in tight circles with perfect timing. It wasn't mindblowing, it was more mesmerising, a soft pleasure for your eyes.

We had to do the real thing in Woking town centre on Tuesday in front of lunching office workers. I got given a really cool green satin scarf that tied up with wire, making it stand back and looking like it was billowing. I loved it!! We got to watch the whole 20 minute performance, which had a vague storyline, before our moment of glory right at the end. It was lovely and really good fun, opening my eyes to a different way to enjoy my bicycle.

I also had a stall in Woking for the Tour Series, that I manned along with my brow-beaten mother. No-one else could work since it was on a weekday. We had a nice time though, and sold a few bits and pieces all the while getting opinions on female cycle clothing and hearing everyones stories. I must say that there were a few grumpy women cyclists in Woking. One woman nearly spat at me when I told her what we were about and said "I don't cycle with women!" Which I think is a great shame to completely rule other women out and dismiss them as worthwhile riders. I bet she's not even that good! We also got a couple of women to start having cycling lessons, becauase they've always wanted to but are nervous now that they are adults. It was wonderful to meet them and my fingers are crossed that they join all the other new cyclists who are being given the opportunity at the moment.

We watched the race, which was won by a Rapha Condor guy who lead the race before as well. It was a tight course, with fast corners and more than one crash. The crowd was huge and with the warm evening and excited atmosphere it was like being on holiday. I'm happy that Britain is starting to put on more events like this, it was clear that the public loved it and the work the Woking council put it was well worth it. The best part was oogling the lycra-clad cycling teams with their oiled legs. Me, my mum and 2 ladys in the cafe really appreciated the view from behind the interviewing stand, mmm!

Thank you to the extention lead inventor

Last Thursday I went to Skaterham, and was pretty bummed about my riding. I was told to stop being so impatient and that I can't improve every time I go, that sometimes you get to a level and stay at it before you take the next step. I know this. I just don't like it.
I convinced my boyfriend Ed to do a race in Hove Park last Friday because I was visiting my cousin at Brighton uni so I thought it would be good. But it pissed it down with rain, Ed finished looking like he'd just done a cyclo-cross race and nearly got blown off the path, and my cousin was cold, wet and unhappy. I felt quite guilty. But I got us all some wine (that Ed doesn't drink) and felt better about it. I then chose not to do track on Saturday morning because it would probably rain and it was far more fun to stay at cousin Alex's. The next day was beautifully sunny, so I felt bad again. We rode 3 miles into Brighton for the town festival and got given free cream teas at a nice cafe.
When I got home I was told that no-one went to track because it had been raining North of the Downs. Nice one :-)

I can't remember much else about my week. I was doing cycle training at some schools, 3 sessions a day, plus the extra session I always have in my head when I fall asleep because my brain has become so repetative. The best part was when I saw a year 7 girl that I taught at the end of her last lesson cycling home EXACTLY how she'd been taught. It was awesome!

Then my article in surf girl mag came out, written and photographed by Kate Czuczman. She's really talented. I was so excited to see it, right there, a full page spread on page number 24! Raising money for the RNLI by doing something amazingly fun and cool- cycle surfing! www.justgiving.com/cyclesurfing

Saurday I did track, but was a bit ill so I only did about 10 laps. I hung around and chatted to people though, which was very nice.
Sunday was a funny sort-of day, I can't decide if I loved it or hated it. At the beginning I loved it because I fell in love with the person who invented the extenstion lead. It meant that I could sew in the sun and I suddenly didn't hate sewing anymore. Then I got in the car, which took all my mental strength on such a hot day, only to find that someone had stolen my petrol whist I had slept!! I was on my way to bicycle ballet in Woking. Yes, that's rights BICYCLE BALLET! I didn't know what it's all about, and I still don't know what it's all about, because I got there to be told that I had the wrong day and that it's next week.
So I drove an hour home (still in the sun) jumped on my bike and gunned it the Herne Hill for the London Fixed Gear and Single Speed race day. It sounded so fun and I really wanted to get there, I was snarling at all the red lights. I got there 3 and a half hours late and was told that I couldn't ride. Bum bums. So I was given a beer, and watched the last couple of races. We all went to the pub after and I met some lovely people who talked about bikes, and just generally doing stuff. I like people who do stuff. I was flattered to cause a bit of a stir with my bike part Brierley jewellery and SPD high-heels. I gave out a few cards and went home to bed. Sad that I hadn't done any proper riding all weekend, but happy that I hadn't really noticed.

Legs like a little boys

This has been a great riding week so far, I'm going back to my roots!
At Herne Hill on Saturday I had a good training ride, I stayed riding for about an hr and a half but packed it in before the races started. It was particularly exciting this week because Sam Hart, a London fixie rider, came down to take portrait photographs for Cooler Magazine. I also had a stall set up. The sun didn't exactly shine, but it was warm and pleasant enough. There were a good few girls riding, and a very friendly gang they were indeed.
And if I hadn't had enough, I got on my BMX and headed over to the rollapaluza photoshoot that evening. I raced against the legendary Estelle, who is immensley strong and probably unbeatable. I was well happy with my first ride where I did 23.98 seconds, albeit accompanied by yelping noises that I couldn't control. For those of you who aren't aware of Rollapaluza visit www.rollapaluza.com. They hold races on static bikes that are rigged up to a timer, 2 people race at a time, side by side. A crowd gathers around and scream at you to ride faster and harder until you think you are going to die. It is without doubt the most painful thing I have ever done. Its wicked! See the "making of" pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/creativeexposures/sets/72157617858194081/
At the back of the studio I got chatting to lots of cool people, who were all bike fanatics. We practised tricks on the fixed wheels and BMX's lying around, and I still have a beautiful bruise on my knee from it.

When playing badminton in the garden on Sunday it was pointed out to me that I have legs like a little boys, with their fading yellow bruises, giant new purple bruises and cuts and scratches.

For the rest of the week I have been working from home. Spending countless hours on the internet and making phonecalls. Which reminds me, I need to call the dentist. To keep me sane and to clear my head I went out for a BMX ride on Tuesday. I think that there is a bug (no, not swine flu) going around, and I barely had eaten anything when I went out. My mate Deke and I explored the local area, now that we can't go to our local skatepark because people, Deke included, keep getting attacked by a gang with knives. We found some halfpipes dotted around the place and a run down dirt-jump place in the woods. I decided to try and clear a small gap jump, it really was tiny, but the gap on the other side although it wasn't wide was very deep, you could almost call it a void. I reckon. So I amped myself up and gunned it down the start slope, pulling up massively in a panic. I landed on my back wheel, which rolled out from beneath me and I dropped cartoon-style onto my bum and coxix. I nearly cried, but was too winded to get the tears out. After that, combined with not having eaten, I got very shakey and we decided to call it a day and head to Deke's mums house, who brought us tea, buscuits, sweets and breadpudding.

I headed to Crystal Palace in the evening to watch my big bro and my Dad race. I also wanted to talk the girls there into doing the Smithfield Nocturne. Rebecca Charlton and I came to a "if you will, I will" arrangement, and have managed to convice a few others to give it a go. It will be my first race in 8 years! I should get some training in, and stop just messing around trying to do tricks.

Although Thursday night is BMX night at Skaterham, so I suppose I'll have to start training another day.

Wet Friday meeting

So the Good Friday track meeting was rained off half-way through. After setting up my stall and having everything ready I was really gutted. We got to see Chris Newton take gold on the points race, but aside from that it wasn't the big day that we had all hoped for! Riders came from Italy and France, my brother trained through the Winter and there was the largest ever number of women racers...who were all left disappointed.
It is such a shame that the weather in England is so unpredictable, its holds us back on many things. The Brits are always talking about the weather, but it is something that makes or breaks a day and there is no way of knowing which way it it going to go.

Maybe we should all just take up mountain biking.

However, we did get t-shirts signed by the 4 biggest track stars at the event, which are on sale from the website.