Blogs by Professional Cyclists - Professional Cycling Unplugged™

Athens is always an exciting racing stop on our calendar. It has been a few years for me, so I was definitely looking forward to coming back. I have always seemed to have good luck with this race.

On Saturday morning after a nice spin at home, I drove to Athens to meet up with our short-staffed team for the weekend. As we drove into town the excitement was already building. The expo around the course was already in full swing and cycling enthusiasts of all kinds were out wandering the streets. A few hours before start time we had our team meeting and we were ready.

To add a little more excitement to the night as Jo and I were pinning our numbers, Meredith comes running into the room. “Did you hear there was a shooting a couple miles from here, and the guy is on the run?” So all the helicopters that we heard flying around were not actually for us, instead they were for the manhunt. So needless to say we were a little leery about heading out on the roads for a spin before race time.

We rode over to the course about 30 minutes before start time, and we were ready. The crowds were already getting thick, and the partying had already begun. The atmosphere of this race gives you such a high, and you can’t help but get anxious for the start.

When the gun went off Brooke was the first one to attack stringing out the field. A few more attacks followed, and then finally on lap 8 I followed an attack by Jacquelyn Crowell from Type 1.

We worked well together and stayed off for the better half of the race. Unfortunately with Colavita not in the mix they were eager to bring us back. So with 17 laps to go it was all together and from then on nothing had any room to go very far. We were ready for the field sprint. With only 4 girls we had to be careful to not over extend and start to early. The most vulnerable section on the course is the back straight. So with one to go Meredith took over with just enough to keep us together but saving gas for the back straight.

When she hit is there was no one coming around us, it was amazing. I took over coming into turn 3 and just after turn 4 Brooke opened her sprint. I was waiting for the swarm, and waiting and waiting. It never really came. Brooke won the sprint, Jo was 4^th and I held on for 6^th.

We were so amped after the race. It was amazing. Everyone rode extremely well and the plan was flawless. It was a great way to start the week of crits.

Oh and by the way the last we heard the shooter was not found and is still on the run.

(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Posted under ROAD BIKE

Now that our foreigners from Down Under are in the US, the season has started. I just came home after 2 weeks of great training, building more friendships, racing and of course lots of fun. My spring has been very light this year. Normally at this time of the year I would be in Europe with the US National team. I would have competed in the infamous Ronde Van Vlaanderen and should be gearing up for Fleche Wallone. Instead I am at home, training and doing things that I normally can’t do while on the road.

My big venture for this spring is planting a garden. Anyone who knows me knows that I was not born with a green thumb. I have been seeking advice from anyone who is willing to offer. Last week after a good soaking rain we prepped the soil with fertilizer and a tiller. I have started growing my tomatoes and jalapenos indoors to try and get ahead of the season. By the time I get home from the Joe Martin Stage race they should be ready to transplant outdoors. I am hopeful that at least one of the plants will take. Fingers crossed. I am starting with the easier to manage vegetables to see how it goes, if all goes well maybe next year I will get more adventurous.

I have also been filling my time with paperwork and phone calls. Changing your name is not an easy task by any means. I have spent 25 years being known as Lauren Franges, it is amazing how many affiliations I have under that name. Every time I call a company and they ask for the name on the account I have to hesitate for a minute, did I change my name with them yet? Do they know me as Franges or Tamayo? Slowly there are less on the list, and I am sure soon enough most will only know me as Lauren Tamayo.

Next up for me is Speedweek with the team. I am excited. A whole week of crits, starting with Athens Twilight. There should be some exciting news to report, so be sure to check back.

(3 votes, average: 2.33 out of 5)

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Posted under ROAD BIKE

So here I am in Qatar competing in the first ever Ladies Tour of Qatar with the US National team. The Qatar Cycling Federation puts on the event, with the assistance of the ASO so things have been very professional and well organized. It was uneventful travel for the most part, and the 12-hour flight goes by really fast with a glass of wine and some Ambien. 

The team we have for this trip are some of my Tibco teammates: Brooke Miller and Katharine Carroll, and then our Webcor nemesis: Rebecca Much, Janel Holcomb and Katheryn Curi-Mattis. We arrived a few days before the start of the race and were promptly treated to the life of luxury. When we walked out of the airport we were surprised to see the line of Jaguar taxicabs waiting to take customers to their intended locations. Our bags were quickly taken from us and loaded into one of the trucks that had been waiting for our arrival. We were then shuttled to the Sharq Village Inn and Spa, owned by the Ritz-Carlton. Can you say swank!! It was amazing. While we were waiting for our room assignments we were served with treats and Arabic coffee. Once things were figured out we were personally escorted to our Villa where we would spend the night. 

Our first full day was the last day of the men’s stage race. So the plan was to parade the women behind the men after they started, so we caravanned out 55km to their start, had a quick lunch and then started our ride back to the Villa. The winds were pretty mild for the day, so it was mellow ride catching up with old friends and teammates. There was not much in the way of scenery to look at it. It is desert for as far as you can see, at least until you get a little closer to Doha which is the major city. Every once in a while you ride into a little oasis town and ride right out into the desert again. The Qatari’s do have their sense of humor though; this was a billboard for Chevy trucks near the start of the stage. 

Later in the day we moved to the Ritz-Carlton on the north side of Doha and started preparing for the first day of racing. The first stage was a 95 km loop, and lucky for us the wind decided to show up and bring it’s A game. The stage started at the newly built Islamic Museum of Art. This structure along with just about every other building in Doha is amazing in architectural design. It is considered one of the most distinguished modern buildings in the entire Middle East. 

We started directly with a cross tailwind and it was game on as soon as the whistle blew. I initially made the first split, but my legs quickly reminded me I only have so many matches in them this early in the season. So I came back to what was left of the peloton and rotated to bring back the quickly shattering front group. The catch was made with about 50 km left, but my day was pretty much over. It was all survival mode from there on out.  I am guessing that the next two days will be the same, so more pain and suffering are in my near future. 

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Posted under ROAD BIKE

So now that the pressure is on to write a post, I will give a quick update on what has been going on. As Rebecca mentioned we just finished up another track camp in LA. It was a great camp filled with some more new comers, as well as juniors and U23’s. There was never a dull moment to say the least. The business end of things consisted of some more team pursuit work for the women. Somehow it is so much easier to make yourself hurt when you know your teammates are feeling the same kind of pain. The second half of the week we will call skills training, or madison practice for those that were actually skilled enough. I had Rebecca for my partner and we were both gungho to jump in and start the slinging. It was cool because when you had a good exchange you could really send the other person flying. After the technique was down, we all got on the track for some paceline madisons….this on the otherhand was crazy. I saw my life flash before my eyes once or twice, but we all managed to keep it up right and get in a good workout in the process. By the end of the week we had some fried critters so we did one last day of team pursuit work, before calling it quits for the week. Thankfully we had some awesome weather so it was enjoyable to be out on the roads after the track sessions for some good rides and good company. 

Ok on to the fun moments of the week…for most of us it was the first time meeting the juniors and U23’s, but once the ice was broken there was some inter-team bonding for sure and you could see everyone opening up just a little more. The highlights of the week would be the discovery of Pinkberry, for some it became a nightly routine after dinner. If you haven’t had the joy of experiencing Pinkberry I highly recommend you look one up. It is a frozen yogurt shop with fresh fruits and other various toppings and it is “good” for you because it has live & active cultures!! So bring on some more Pinkberry.

This week also brought my first race of the year, and yes it was on the track. It was fun to try and blow some of the cobwebs out, but it was a long night. The women had 3 races on the schedule, first up a miss-n-out, followed by a points race and then a scratch race. I forgot how much chamois time you get when you are at the track. We started racing at 3 and didn’t get out of there til 8:30. Taylor Phinney made sure to keep us all entertained both on and off the track with his impressive riding skills, and his yoga tricks. For those yogi’s out there, we have a new pose. It is a modified version of the Tree Pose. I am seeing a Yoga Mater in the works right there. See the picture below:

After camp I got to spend 3 quick days at home, which was quickly filled with running around, unpacking and repacking, and finding a few spare moments to visit with friends. Next up a 13 hour flight to the first ever Women’s Tour of Qatar. It seems somewhat absurd to be traveling that far for a 3 day stage race, but it will be an amazing experience and we have a great team going for the US National Team. I am really looking forward to it. So be sure to check back for updates coming soon.

(2 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)

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Posted under ROAD BIKE

Every year for one week in December I fly to LA for a track camp. Sometimes it is against my will, but once I am here I get into the track spirit. The efforts are hard and mentally you have to be on top of your game. Coming off of base training and then expecting your body to function when you are going anaerobic is a challenge, but once the pain and suffering has subsided you just head right back out and do it all over again. One of my biggest peeves about LA is the road riding. You are in a city, with way too many people. So imagine how welcomed a group of 15 cyclists cruising down the road is!! Well the other day I finally had a day where I somewhat enjoyed riding on the road here, unfortunately it takes way to long to get north of Santa Monica so getting a good quality road ride in everyday is not so feasible. I took some pictures on the ride to remind me that there is some good in LA, especially when we find a climb that is 5km long and averages about 15% with pitches from 16-22%. This picture is just before we started the climb up. The rest of the group did not know what was ahead.

The view from the top.

Everybody made it, some were smiles, others were just looking forward to the decent on the other side. Fortunately for everyone it was a beautiful day, since for most of us here the weather has finally turned beyond bearable and into full blown winter. Unfortunately for me (and this seems to be the case every year I am here) the weather in Asheville has been gorgeous, a good 10 degrees warmer than Socal, and this is not making for a very happy me. As I look at the extended forecast for home, I am going to be welcomed back to the cold weather that I had just before I left. Thank you weatherman!!! How many more months of winter?

I hope everyone is having a great holiday season, and wish ya’ll a Merry Christmas.

(5 votes, average: 3.40 out of 5)

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Posted under ROAD BIKE, TRACK