Blogs by Professional Cyclists - Professional Cycling Unplugged™

We’ve relocated to the “big city”, San Jose.  Now I’m close to a real hospital to pop out this baby with access to every type of medication available.  Believe me, if you saw the clinic in my little town of Montezuma, you’d understand.  Their technological pride and joy is an old fashioned telephone with a speaker that has been converted to a stethoscope-like doodad that can “listen” to your heartbeat. It’s very cute.  

Besides being cooler up here at 4,000 feet, there are a couple massive volcanos nearby to explore.  So it’s perfect for pregnant cyclists!  The Barva is almost 9,000 feet up there, and it’s relatively dormant so my husband’s not as worried when I waddle my Orbea out the door.  He’s more concerned with an earthquake high-siding my bike, jarring me into labor.  We’re pretty much in the epicenter of that last big one you may have heard about a month or so ago.  When that one hit, we were on the other side of the country so I thought it was just the baby kicking.

I rode up the base of the Barva a couple days ago.  After 10 km of granny gear climbing  and balancing on the 4 inch strip of crumbly road edge (they don’t do shoulders here) to avoid death by truck, I turned around.  This normally goes against every fiber of my being; bailing before reaching the top.  Especially on something cool like a volcano.  But I guess after millions of years of evolution, my “delicate 9 month condition” presided over my stupid stubbornness.  Besides, I felt like I was going to puke, and I really was in the mood for a nice ripe cantalope with whipped cream.

The downhill was excellent, although I dragged the brakes a bit more than I normally would.  Again, that damn maternal thing kicking in really made me feel like a loser.  But I swallowed my pride along with my acid reflux.  So I toodled down trying not to stare at the scenery, swerving around potholes like it was a ’94 Norba Slalom course. 

This was exhilarating, and I took a moment to “carpe diem”.  At this point in my life, I have resigned to enjoy these little victories.  Maybe it’s no longer stepping to the top of the podium…but stepping through the front door after not having gotten sideswiped by a truck and then going into labor in a ditch by the side of the road on a volcano.  

 Now that’s a victory!

-Marla

P.S. next time I write I’ll be sure to post some gory baby pics

http://www.strebmountainbikecostarica.com

(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Posted under MTB: GRAVITY

Oh yeah, I should always include a photo…  Here are a couple that go with the “Pregnant Ride” blog.  THe riding shot was taken on my driveway, at a sneaky angle so you can see my monstrous belly.   This was for a photo shoot for my new biz, (BING!, place plug here):  running mountain bike skills camps in Costa Rica.   THe site, now that you may be curious

 http://www.strebmountainbikecostarica.com

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Posted under MTB: ENDURANCE, MTB: GRAVITY

Just finished a pretty wicked, pregnant ride.  When I say pregnant, I mean I’m 8 months huge.  I’m living in Costa Rica right now, and the monkeys howl with laughter every time they see my fat figure ride by.  I’m here trying to run a new business, which at the moment requires me to ride a few Km to the jungle with a machete hanging off my hip.  That’s not so ridiculous here, but the fact that my belly hangs lower than the machete gives the tourists pause.   

Anyway, this morning I suited up in one of my husband’s massive t-shirts, grunted my leg over the saddle, and took off up the dusty road.  Normally, any approaching car is an invitation to race.  Now, every approaching car blows by my granny-geared pace.  And if the sun is blazing, I’m swerving.  So this morning was a little hotter than usual, and I was cursing my husband for doing this to me 8 months ago (even though I sort of orchestrated the project… I mean I’m 43 years old!).  

I arrived at the park, and descended into the cool forest, careful not to impale myself with my own weapon. The trails are pretty twisty, and I was flying.  I had to duck under some vines last moment before self-decapitation, which tended to smash my stomach on the top tube.  That always makes the baby kick.  I stopped in an area I call the “enchanted forest”, and parked.  Got the machete out and went to work on a new corridor for this excellent section I’m working on!  This is very therapeutic by the way, kind of like surfing links on the internet.  Well, maybe not.

Four hours later I was completely dehydrated, starving, hot, sweaty, and still evidently carrying a live pregnancy.  All those hormones had gotten the best of me, because I must have gone into a trance while acting out my favorite Crocodile Dundee movie.  I found a nearby spring and took a long drink and a longer cold bath.  Year-old Clif Bars sealed the deal and I would survive.  

Riding home humbled once again, I kept my head down.  You just never know what those monkeys will throw at you.

-Marla Streb

(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Posted under MTB: ENDURANCE, MTB: GRAVITY

THANKS FOR THE RIDE

Hello all and thanks for checking in.  

Just to clear things up:  For blogging purposes, I’m still a Pro Downhill Racer despite being 5.5 months pregnant and burrowed somewhere in the jungles of Costa Rica.  As of this post, I have 26 days left on my team contract, and I’m enjoying every last minute of being a paid professional.  I stubbornly continue to climb onto my Orbea every day, I still force my limited edition Luna Chix action cards on every passerby, and I still wear my very comfortable Luna triathlon kit to bed (see flattering photo).

       Speaking of Clif Bar, I should underscore that they’ve stuck by me through mediocre race results and positive pregnancy tests.  If anyone’s looking for a sponsor out there, bother someone you know at Clif Bar. You can’t really find a classier company. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not retiring from the world of bike racing.  Cyclists, and even motoheads, of every discipline can’t get rid of me that easily.   Since I’m terrified of commitment, I would never claim that, and I would especially never expect someone to throw a retirement party, as was fashionable for the pros back in the heyday.  No, I’m just taking a long break to crunch out a baby.  Just last week my husband Mark had to physically drag me away from the signup line at a local stage race known to be one of the world’s most grueling.  I kept screaming, “But I promise I’ll go easy!”  

They say riding above anaerobic threshold in tropical, humid conditions isn’t ideal for some little innocent person’s development.  Not supposed to actually enhance the little tyke’s IQ.  Nor is it advisable to hit the occasional double jump on training rides.  At least I lower my saddle first for those.

For 2009, I hope to continue working with the Luna Chix, but in a different capacity.  The best it can be described is “Team Point Person”.  That means I’ll be bothering every journalist that I know and many that I don’t, as well as providing absolutely free content to the press.   I’ll have other duties, the most important of which is making sure I can hang on team, corporate, and social rides.  

(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Posted under MTB: GRAVITY, NON-BIKE, OFF-ROAD TRIATHLON