Two Surprise Special Guests at Royal Vale Elementary School!

A special morning activity was held at Royal Vale school in Montréal to commemorate Alex Porter-Rozmovitz, a young Royal Vale student who passed away 5 years ago.  I was honoured to be the special guest to lead an energetic group of 400+ elementary school kids in a fun, upbeat dance party to kick the day off!  What a great way to celebrate Alex!

That's not all though.  The special guest  had a special guest!  My "little" friend Georges Laraque came out and surprised all of the children, joining in on our crazy action-filled "warm-up song" (which is a fond memory of my preschool days ;)) and helped to lead our fun dance party with some impressive steps.  Georges, you've got the moves, my friend!

Lex Albrecht and Georges Laraque leading the Dance for Alex, at Royal Vale School in Montréal, Québec

Post dance-party, some lucky Royal Vale students who happened to be in phys-ed class got some extra excitement... and some big air, with Georges Laraque!  That looks fun!

It was special to be able to share my own story of the challenges and amazing rewards of being a professional athlete, and the loss of my own little sister when I was young with the students.  Thank you to Royal Vale School, and to Alex's family for inviting us to be a part of this special day! See you again soon.

Taught @GeorgesLaraque the #LexFlex, while showing off our #LexAlbrecht collection @ModifyWatches. He's a natural! pic.twitter.com/IIiNJ8F7gP
— Lex Albrecht (@Lex_Albrecht) December 3, 2014

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Une activité spéciale a eu lieu hier à Royal Vale School à Montréal, pour honorer Alex Porter-Rozmovtiz, un élève de Royal Vale qui nous a quitté il y a 5 ans.  J'ai eu la chance et le plaisir d'avoir le rôle de l'invitée spéciale.  La mission : animer une séance de danse énergétique et amusante pour plus de 400 élèves (maternelle - 6e année) pour célébrer la vie de Alex.  Quelle belle facon de partir la journée, et de commémorer Alex!

Mais ce n'est pas tout...l'invitée spéciale avait un invité spécial!  À la grande surprise des élèves, j'ai appelé mon ami, Georges Laraque à haute voix "GEORGES! ...GEORGES!", qui est sorti de l'arrière de la salle avec un grand sourire!   Georges m'a aidé avec la chanson de réchauffement, qui ne manquait surtout pas d'actions (un souvenir de mes jours d'enfance que j'ai partagé!).  Par la suite, nous avons partagé nous meilleurs pas de danse :).  Georges, tu as du talent mon ami!

Lex Albrecht et Georges Laraque animent  "Dance for Alex", à l'école Royal Vale School à Montréal, Québec

Après notre fête de danse, quelques étudiants qui suivaient leur cours d'activité physique avaient l'occasion d'avoir une dose de plaisir supplémentaire avec le Grand Georges!  Ça a l'air amusant!

Ça fut un occasion très spécial de parler aux élèves des défis et les récompenses d'être une athlète professionnelle, ainsi que comment j'ai géré le départ de ma petite sœur qui nous a laissé quand j'étais plus jeune   Merci à Royal Vale School, et surtout à la famille de Alex, de nous avoir invité à cette journée spéciale.  À bientôt!

Taught @GeorgesLaraque the #LexFlex, while showing off our #LexAlbrecht collection @ModifyWatches. He's a natural! pic.twitter.com/IIiNJ8F7gP
— Lex Albrecht (@Lex_Albrecht) December 3, 2014

DÉFI RBC au profit de Centraide

Le 26 novembre prochain, je ferai partie d'une équipe d’athlètes qui tentera de battre le record au Défi RBC au profit de Centraide : gravir à la course les 1 000 marches menant au 41e étage de la tour de la Place Ville Marie en moins de 2 minutes 41 secondes!

Notre équipe sera formée de:

o Lex Albrecht (cyclisme. 7x Championne Québécoise, 3x athlete des Championnats du monde) 
o Caroline Ouellette (hockey sur glace, médaillée d’or aux Jeux olympiques de Sotchi en '14)
o Marc-Antoine Gagnon (ski acrobatique, 5e au classement mondial en '13)
o Pierre Alexandre Rousseau (ski acrobatique, 5e aux Jeux olympiques de Vancouver en '10).
o Marie-Claude Molnar (paracyclisme, médaillée de bronze aux Jeux de Londres en '12).
o Caroline Calvé (surf des neiges, 6e aux Jeux olympiques de Sotchi en '14) 
o Hugues Fournel (kayak, 7e aux Jeux olympiques de Londres en '12)

Le Défi RBC au profit de Centraide est organisée par RBC, en collaboration avec Place Ville Marie.  Près de 500 coureurs sont attendus, principalement des employés de RBC et aussi d’autres entreprises.  Chaque équipe comptera 10 personnes pour un total de 500 participants! Chaque participant monte à la course 3 ou 4 étages, ce qui représente une centaine de marches chacun.

Les fonds recueillis proviennent des dons des participants et des commandites d’entreprises. Ils seront versés en totalité à la campagne Centraide 2014.  Le montant récolté en 2014 sera dévoilé lors du Défi du 26 novembre prochain. En 2013, 180 000 $ ont été récoltés, soit 47 000 $ de plus que l’année précédente.  Depuis sa création il y a 17 ans, le Défi RBC a permis de récolter 932 000 $ au profit de la campagne Centraide.

#LEXvsLARAQUE

#LEXvsLARAQUE ended up being even more "exciting" than we bargained for.

Snow was falling, the air was cold, but the anticipation and excitement of #LEXvsLARAQUE was energizing!  Georges blasted off of the start line with a huge effort.  I followed, hoping that he wouldn't hold his pace for too long.  Otherwise, the climb was going to be a lot more painful than I had planned for.  To my surprise, several hundred meters later where false-flat section began, and where Georges should have had the greatest advantage, he had already fallen behind.

Helping Georges with his cleats & pedals (I can't win against a guy who cannot manage to clip in!) Photo : Guy Maguire (#LEXvsLARAQUE)

Approaching the finish line for my first victory celebration #LEXvs LARAQUE. Photo: Guy Maguire

I won fair and square in the cold and snowy race up the Mont Royal.  The gap was so big that I decided to go back down and finish George's final few hundred meters with him ... so I could win twice.  I pulled out some good sportsmanship spirit and encouraged Georges.  Then, punched it over the finish line ahead of him, again. 

Photo : Guy Maguire

George's huge effort left him totally exhausted, so much that he wasn't responding to anybody once he crossed the finish line.  After a couple of minutes, I was quite scared and flagged down an ambulance.  (I wanted to beat him, not kill him!)

Photo : Guy Maguire

Photo : Guy Maguire

Photo : Guy Maguire

Photo : Guy Maguire

CBC Montréal was at the race (along with around 100 other spectators), and filmed this report :
http://www.cbc.ca/news/george-laraque-loses-bike-race-1.2837627

Thank GOODNESS, Georges was okay.  He got out of the hospital about as fast as he blasted off of the start line of our race.  We laughed about it all over lunch at Crudessence.

.@GeorgesLaraque pensait pouvoir battre @Lex_Albrecht. Il s’est plutôt retrouvé à l’hôpital… http://t.co/kDDJxzBufk pic.twitter.com/OdHKyglJsL
— Yahoo Quebec (@YahooQuebec) November 17, 2014

Lex Albrecht vs. Georges Laraque

It's ON! Are you in the Montréal area?  Come out to see a true battle go down this weekend. 

What's that saying about "picking on people your own size"?  Georges Laraque is probably 4 times bigger than me, is an adamant proponent of vegan-ism, and has an impressive 13 year NHL career that he finished off with the Montréal Canadiens in the bank.

He is also convinced that he can beat me in a cycling race in Montréal.... Game on. I'm up for the challenge.

Georges Laraque VS Lex Albrecht. Sunday November 16 2014, come and watch the battle go down! 
photo source: http://www.rds.ca/1.480303

Photo credit : Brian Hodes

Georges and I are going to see who's truly the fastest this Sunday November 16.  We'll be racing from the base of Mont Royal's Camilien Houde climb.  Who do you think will win?  Let us know on Twitter (@Lex_Albrecht and @GeorgesLaraque) using hashtag #LEXvsLARAQUE


 Where : Camilien Houde.
   Start : Just after the final set of lights at the base of Camillien Houde
   Finish : Crest of Camillien Houde (marked by a while line across the road).
 When : Sunday, November 16, 2014. 10 am. (show up early, around 9:30-9:45!)

I don't know what I've gotten myself into, but I'm determined, and I could use all of the support you can give!  Come share your energy, cheer for your favourite and watch the battle go down - Let us know that you'll be there with an RSVP on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lex-Albrecht/137026036359510?ref=bookmarks

Professional cyclist Lex Albrecht.  Photo : N. Paquet. Kipphoto.ca

Excited to Ride for Optum Pro Cycling p/b Kelly Benefits Strategies in 2015

I'm excited to announce that I've signed a new contract for 2015, with American trade team, Optum Pro Cycling presented by Kelly Benefits Strategies.  I rode for Optum in 2012, my first year of professional cycling and I'm excited to return as a more experienced, and stronger rider.  I'm eager to contribute to the team's exceptionally talented and strong roster :

Lex Albrecht (CAN)
Annie Ewart (CAN)
Jasmin Glaesser (CAN)
Janel Holcomb (USA)
Ariane Horbach (USA)
Maura Kinsella (USA)
Leah Kirchmann (CAN)
Ally Stacher (USA)
Alison Tetrick (USA)
Brianna Walle (USA)

Optum will compete on the professional circuit in the US and Canada, as well as in Europe - where they had considerable success the past 2 seasons since their European program was launched.  Being a member of a trade team with a European program was a very important element that I was seeking for 2015, and I feel fortunate to have the chance to be a part of Optum Pro Cycling presented by Kelly Benefits Strategies in part for this reason.  Optum has an excellent group of respectable, knowledgeable and motivated people running the team, as well as a knack for creating rosters with super good chemistry - which makes all the difference during race season.  The strong group of sponsors and supporters behind the team also helps make Optum the highly reputable and successful team that it is, and I'm so glad to say that I'll be a part of it next year.

January 2012 : kicking off my first professional season with Optum Pro Cycling.  I'm so excited to be returning for 2015!

 I will continue to be based in Montréal, Québec, and train at the PowerWatts Premier Studio in Montréal. 


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With two of my TWENTY16 teammates, Greta and Abby. What an awesome season!

I am  grateful to have had the chance to ride with TWENTY16 Pro Cycling for 2014.  The opportunities they provided during 2014 were second to none, and the moral and material support that they gave to me and all of their athletes was always top-notch.  During the highest parts of the season, and the lowest.  Thank you for your consistant support and patience when I needed it (early season concussion and late season illness). I am proud to have been a part of a program that has played an essential role in winning Olympic medals and World Championship titles.  It was an emotionally difficult decision to have chosen to step away for 2015, but I continue to have the utmost respect for the program, sponsors, riders, and especially the management and staff of TWENTY16.  Thank you for an exceptional year...I feel like it changed me as a bike rider and as an individual for good, and for the better! 

Photo: B. Hodes.  TWENTY16 Pro Cycling, 2014

Cooking With Lex : Bite Sized Cookies. Homemade Ride Food!

This is what I usually ride with a bit of this stuff in my pockets:
   Clif bars (fav flavour : coconut chocolate chip)
   Clif Shots (fav flavour : vanilla)
   Clif Blocks (fav flavour : black cherry)

This past summer I started baking my own snacks for the bike to go along with my classic Clif choices.  I discovered this recipe while on a 3 week training block in Tahoe.  Here's a recipe for simple banana-oatmeal bite-sized cookies that are easy to make, and perfect to eat on long rides.  Give it a shot!

This recipe requires a Vitamix - traditional blenders aren't strong enough.  Don't have one yet?  Visit Vitamix and use coupon code 06-009501 for free shipping, or click on the link below to get a deal on a refurbished model!

https://www.vitamix.com/shop/Certified-Reconditioned-Standard.aspx?COUPON=06-009501

The Story of The Appeal ...

I'm home resting in Montréal after a rock-and-roll World Championship Race (see what happened HERE , with a video).

 

 Earning a spot on the Canadian National Team's roster was particularly difficult this year.  I was happy to learn that I had been in the World Championship selection pool for the 4th time in my career.  Several weeks later however, I learned that I did not make the final selection.  I appealed Cycling Canada's decision, and after losing went through an arbitration process.

I spoke with Keir Plaice, from Canadian Cycling Magazine about the details.  Here is what happened : http://cyclingmagazine.ca/sections/news/lex-albrecht-wins-appeal-added-to-canadian-team-for-womens-road-race/

Up Close and Personal About 2014 with Pedal Mag

Photo: Justin Knotzke, 2013

I spoke with Pedal Mag about getting to the World Championship race in Ponferrada, what happened before, during and after.  We touched on the highs and lows of 2014.  I also shared a bit about what it was like to race with TWENTY16 this year, how I prepared for the season, and touched on some targets for 2015.

Check out the interview here : http://pedalmag.com/interview-with-lex-albrecht/

Ponferrada World Championships Crash

The UCI has taken a really cool (and awesomely clever, in my opinion) step, introducing on-board cameras into the peloton.  This year at the World Championships road race in Ponferrada Spain, 4 women had these special little cameras on their bikes.  My teammate, Leah Kirchmann (this year's triple Canadian National Champion - time trial, road, and criterium) had one on her bike.

There was a nasty crash at the Championship race that took out a big part of the field.  All 4 Canadian riders : Karol Ann Canuel, Leah Kirchmann, Joëlle Numainville and myself went down hard.  One rider's on board camera caught the moment of impact for Karol Ann and I (see at 1:11 minutes)

Here is the video that shows the crash, and also discusses the introduction of these cool new gadgets.

Roster for the 2014 World Championships

Canadian National Team. 2014 UCI Road Cycling World Championships.  Ponferrada, Spain  (not all athletes present in photo)  Photo : Canadian Cycling (Canadian Cyclist)

I am proud to be representing Canada at the UCI Road Cycling World Championships in Ponferrada, Spain.  Thank you for those who have helped me earn this opportunity, and to those who have believed in me.  It is an honour to represent Canada.

CyclingNews.com article : http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/lex-albrecht-wins-appeal-to-race-world-championships
Editornial by Laurent Martel : http://laflammerouge.com/cyclisme-canada-je-ne-comprends-pas/
Statement by Cycling Canada (English) http://www.cyclingcanada.ca/sport/cycling/news/lex-albrecht-joins-canadian-team-at-road-world-championships/
Statement by Cycling Canada (French), via Veloptimum.net : http://veloptimum.net/velonouvelles/14/COMM/9sept/CyclismeCan23.htm

Championnats Québécois 2014

Deux jours après mon retour d'un bloc de courses et entrainement aux États Unis (Idaho, Oregon, Californie) je suis contente et fière d'avoir défendu, avec succès, mes titres de Championne du Québec (en vélo de route, et contre la montre).  La compétition était forte.  Les victoires étaient surtout satisfaisantes après un bouleversement de mi-saison qui m'a fait très peur...en menaceant ma carrière (voici ce qu'il s'est passé)

Championnats Québécois 2014 - Podium contre-la-montre. (1. Lex Albrecht -TWENTY16, 2, Alizée Brien - TIBCO, 3. Catherine Desserault - SAS Magocep).  Photo : Antoine Bécotte

Le parcours de contre-la-montre était de 18 km, et assez côteux.  Avant la course, je me demandais comment j'allais distribuer mes efforts sur le parcours.  Mon "powermeter" Quarq m'a aidé à juger quand j'allais assez fort et quand j'étais mieux de sauver mes énergies.

Je me suis rechauffée pour le contre-la-montre avec mes rouleaux spéciaux : E-Motion Rollers de la compagnie Inside Ride.  Je les apporte souvent à mes courses, et je m'entraine avec à presque tous les jours l'hiver chez PowerWatts  www.insideride.com

Contre la montre des Championnats Québécois 2014. Lex Albrecht sur son vélo Felt DA2 avec les roues Zipp.  Photo : Antoine Bécotte.

Le parcours de la course sur route offrait des défis importants également, avec ses longues montées avec des pentes aigues.  Rendu au premier tiers de la course, une sélection de 8 coureuses a déjà été fait.  La course se passait bien...  Aux deux tiers des 110km, je savais qu'il y avait une montée qui serait difficile pour quelques unes des autres coureuses, et j'en ai profité.  La sélection s'est encore diminuée.  Quand il ne restait qu'environ 25km à parcourir, j'avais reconnu une pente qui allait me favouriser... j'ai fait un gros effort et ce n'est que Kirsti Giroux (SAS Magocep) et Dafné Théroux Izquierdo (Espoirs Quilicot TRJ Télécom) qui ont suivi.  Dans les 15 derniers kilometres, nous travaillions ensemble pour rester en avant des autres filles. Des fois, on se testait en lanceant des petits attaques.  À l'approche de l'arrivée, Kirsti a parti son sprint, mais je suis resté dans son draft, avec patience.  Quand le moment était le bon, j'avais sauté de sa roue pour gagner la course... et le titre de Championne du Québec.

Championnats du Québec- Course sur route - sprint final .  (Photo : Antoine Bécotte)

Championnats Québécois 2014 (podium course sur route) 1. Lex Albrecht, 2. Kirsti Giroux, 3. Catherine Desserault.  Photo: Antoine Bécotte

Félicitations à Alizée Brien, Kirsti Giroux, et Catherine Desserault qui ont aussi fait des résultats méritant une place sur le podium aux Championnats cette année.

Prochaine course: Green Mountain Stage Race, au Vermont, États-Unis.  J'y representerai mon équipe TWENTY16 Pro Cycling toute seule, en esperant d'avoir du plaisir, et une participation à des courses difficile qui va traduire, j'espère, en préparation parfait pour la fin de la saison... plus de détails à venir!




SOMMAIRE DES TITRES DE CHAMPIONNE DU QUÉBEC À LEX ALBRECHT
- 2014 Course sur route
- 2014 Contre-la-montre
- 2013 Course sur route
- 2013 Contre-la-montre
- 2012 Course sur route
- 2010 Critérium
- 2010 Contre-la-montre par équipe

Champion of Québec

Two days after returning from a 1.5month training and racing block in Western USA, I am so happy to have defended my Champion of Québec (time trial, and road) titles at home in Québec.  I was up against great competition.  It felt good to bring home the titles after a scary and difficult mid-summer Bump in the Road (this is what happened).

2014 Québec Championships - Time trial podium. (1. Lex Albrecht -TWENTY16, 2, Alizée Brien - TIBCO, 3. Catherine Desserault - SAS Magocep).  Photo : Antoine Bécotte

The time trial course was an 18km race with some significant hills.  Before the race I questioned myself on how I should distribute my effort on this atypical sort of course.  My Quarq powermeter was a useful tool to help determine when I was going hard enough, and when it was time to ease up and save some energy.

Warming up for a time trial with E-Motion Rollers, one of my favourite training tools.  I always bring them in my car when I drive to races, and I train with them almost every day in the off-season.  They're a lot different than regular rollers!  www.insideride.com

Québec Championships time trial. Lex Albrecht and Felt DA2 with Zipp wheels.  Photo : Antoine Bécotte.

The road race course was also challenging, as it offered long climbs, and steep pitches throughout.  By the first 1/3 of the race, we had already created a selection of 8 riders.  Things were going well.  Coming into 2/3 of the race, I knew there was a good climb that would be difficult for other riders if the pace was high enough.  Some couldn't hang on, and we whittled the selection down again.  In the final quarter I recognized one more climb that I knew was to my advantage, and drilled it.  Kirsti Giroux (SAS Magocep) and Dafné Théroux Izquierdo (Espoirs Quilicot TRJ Télécom) were the only two who followed.  In the last 15km the three of us worked together to stay away, and tested eachother at certain points.  Coming into the finish in Amqui, Québec, Kirsti launched her sprint but I waited patiently in her draft, jumping off of her wheel when I knew it was the right moment.

Québec Cycling Championships - Final sprint.  (Photo : Antoine Bécotte)

2014 Québec Championships (road race podium) 1. Lex Albrecht, 2. Kirsti Giroux, 3. Catherine Desserault.  Photo: Antoine Bécotte

Congratulations to Alizée Brien, Kirsti Giroux, and Catherine Desserault who also brought home medals from the Championship races.  

Next stop : Green Mountain Stage Race in Vermont.  I'll be heading there to represent TWENTY16 Pro Cycling on my own, to enjoy some good hard racing, which will hopefully translate into some great preparation for the final part of the season...

Ride safe, ride hard, have fun!



SUMMARY OF LEX'S CHAMPION OF QUÉBEC TITLES
- 2014 Road Cycling
- 2014 Time Trial
- 2013 Road Cycling
- 2013 Time Trial
- 2012 Road Cycling
- 2010 Criterium
- 2010 Team Time Trial

Sneaky USAC

It's no secret that I like to start my day with a nice cup of coffee.  At home I pull myself a shot of espresso.  On the road, I like a good cup of drip coffee.

Another fact that those close to me know is : I despise washing dishes.  The dishwasher is on my list of favourite appliances, next to the microwave and washing machine for clothes.

Since I didn't run the dishwasher last night before going to bed the mug that I've grown attached to here in Tahoe was dirty.  I grabbed a navy blue one from the cupboard that would suffice for today, filled it, and sat down with a book on how longitude was discovered.  It's a good read.

I looked up from the pages to take a swig of the java, from the white mug with cyclists decked out in the Stars and Stripes.  Hm. Cool mug.  I went back to reading

I was ready for my oatmeal (that's how the morning routine works).  I got up and cooked it, in the microwave (a few feet from the trusty dishwasher).  I sat back down to the book and drank from the navy blue mug.  Wait... didn't I just have a white American cyclist mug?  I've got two mugs going.  Great news! Double the coffee.  Where's the other one?

I throw an egg and banana into my oatmeal sometimes, to make for better sustenance.

My book was too good. I couldn't be bothered to find the missing cup, it would show up later.  I refilled the blue mug to warm the coffee that was too cold.  Suddenly something remarkable happened.  Before my eyes, that darn blue mug turned white, and American cyclists appeared all over it.  A colour changing mug, who would have known!

I love the US, and my American friends, and teammates, but I am a very patriotic girl and will always remain true to my Canadian roots...I'm not sure I would have chosen the American mug because I'm pretty sure there was a crimson one sitting in that cupboard...  Sneaky USAC (Pronounced You-Sack, for USA Cycling), and their schemes to get Canadians to drink from their mugs ;).

Mid-Summer Racing and Training in California

Lex on the attack.  The San Rafael Twilight Criterium race started with 85 riders, and TWENTY16 made it so hard that 35 could finish ... Photo Credit : Garrett Lau

I've been on the road since early June, leaving Montreal to travel to Boise ID to cheer my teammates on as they raced and I recovered from being under the weather. We hit the road for Bend OR, to race the Cascade Cycling Classic. I ate my first and last Red Robin burger after that race. Never again. Then, my teammates and I trekked to Marin County, CA to race the San Rafael Twilight Criterium, where they blasted Notorious B.I.G.'s Hypnotize over the loudspeakers as they called me up to the line. With a welcome like that, I had to stick around longer.

Photo Credit : Garrett Lau

Marin County, on the opposite side of the Full House Bridge (the Golden Gate Bridge) relative to San Francisco California, is one of the world's road cycling paradises. As I sat outside of a grocery store one late afternoon, downing a bottle of ginger kombucha, I thought about how out of place I might feel in that particular instant had I not been a cyclist. Everybody either looks like a cyclist, is pedalling their bike at a given moment, or is cruising around with a bike rack hitched to their car.

Easy-day spin. Riding across the Full House Bridge with my teammate Allie Dragoo.  Because.  It's cool to be tourists.

And why shouldn't it be that way. Like I said, Marin County is a cycling paradise. The twisting roads offer ample climbing, and a good deal of spectacular views. Leaving the quaint town of Fairfax with its fair share of coffeeshops to climb up Mount Tam through the shady, humid forest of Redwood trees, across Seven Sisters' rolling golden hills (not yellow, golden, as I was corrected) that tower over a thick blanket of misty fog that often covers the Pacific Ocean at that area, before descending down the fast, curvy road to Stinson Beach, was one of my favourite rides. On Wednesday morning a large group of very fast, competent, and just-competitive-enough-for-a-group-ride road enthusiasts gathered to “drill it” for nearly 2 hours. It was a great training ride and a nice way to do some socializing. Two birds with one stone, you've got to love it. I was thankful they let me tag along.

The Golden hills of Seven Sisters, with the Pacific Ocean laying way down below, blanketed with a thick mist!

During my stay, I got pulled over by a cop for rolling through a few intersections in Ross, CA without stopping “enough” to his taste (I thought every state would adopt the Idaho Stop?), saw a few deer and wild turkeys, chatted with a Maserati dealer, drank enough kombucha at the grocery store patio that they were probably wondering when I was going to move in, and got motorpaced up a climb by Barry Bonds. I had to ease up because my Quarq Powermeter was telling me I was pushing more watts than what my coach wanted me to do. He's the boss, since he's pretty much always right.

Oh deer.  I saw this one in somebody's yard as I walked home from drinking a fresh kombucha on the grocery store patio.

Ross, CA is a good place to have an espresso...but if you're riding through, don't go skimpy on your stopping!  The cops are on the lookout ;)

Always looking to have fun, and ride hard!

And if that wasn't enough, instead of going home to Montreal right away, I hit the road to Tahoe, to explore some more new roads for a few weeks. I feel like I'm in a retreat. I have no cell access, have to pirate a wifi signal a few blocks away if I want to connect, and there's no TV to watch (my last resort for electronic entertainment). So between long hard rides, I've been reading (I'm on book #3), trying out new ride-food recipes, religiously taking an afternoon nap, and never neglecting my stretching and “foam rolling” with my Travel Roller. It's the perfect training environment ... and I haven't even told you about the awesome roads ... ;)!

Truckee River, Tahoe California.

The first view I have every morning when I roll out on my Felt road bike, ready to train hard on the roads of Tahoe.

I love riding my bike.  I matched my Modify Watches with the colour of the sky today ;)

Bump in the Road

The season was going great.  The plans were made, some goals already met, my aspirations were big, and the "Cœur Jambes Esprit" were committed in unison.

Want a watch like this? Or do you just want to know the story behind it?  http://modifywatches.com/collections/lex-albrecht/lexalbrecht

Only one week before Canadian National Road Championships in early June, and several days after making the 6 hour round trip drive to test-ride the Championship courses, I woke up in my bed, planning to do a tough, long ride. Tough, as in : you might see funny colours at some points because you're so far in the red zone.  I like those.  I took no more than 10 steps from my bed before I knew it wasn't going to happen.  I went back to bed.  For two days.

I'm used to putting out big power on my Felt F1 road bike and its Speedplay pedals.  I had to be patient for what seemed to be an eternity before my body would be back to normal, after being hit with a nasty virus though.

The next four weeks were challenging.  I spent a lot of it on the couch or in bed.  Everything nauseated me.  I saw a girl wearing "too many" polka dots.  I thought I was going to puke.  I saw a car that looked too "Euro".  It made my stomach turn.  Once, I tried to do a long easy ride, and after 1 hour, I found a picnic shelter to nap in.  I fought to make it the rest of the way home that day; pushing about 50W felt like my Quarq powermeter should have been reading 300W instead.  I had trouble eating and my weight plummeted. I didn't like coffee anymore and I hadn't the slightest desire to paint my nails bright colours.  I couldn't do a grocery store trip without sitting down in an aisle to take a break, and once I had to lay down on a scuzzy subway station floor...  A nasty virus had attacked me.

I kept hope that I would be healthy enough to race the Canadian National Championships, right until the end.  I had my numbers pinned on my jersey.  Impossible. And, kind of heart wrenching.

There are times when you have to fight with all you've got to get what you want, and there are times to sit back and be patient.  It's like that in bike racing.  It's like that in life.  This was one of the times when I had to wait.  I didn't like it, and I was scared that I'd never be back to normal.

Racing the Prologue at Cascade Classic. Photo Credit: Dave Adams

The Cascade Cycling Classic in Bend OR was my first race back.  I didn't know what to expect.  But one thing was certain : I was so grateful to be back with my teammates, back on my bike, and back in the race peloton.  Sometimes I felt like a useless rag when my body wouldn't fight hard enough to help my teammates, and it was weird at first to get dropped where I knew I typically "shouldn't".  I felt my legs coming back though, and I was thankful to be with my TWENTY16 team who were supportive.

Back racing with my teammates at the Cascade Cycling Classic in Bend, OR. This pose (that I picked up from a guy who used to do the same group rides as me almost a decade ago) has been coined as the "Lex Flex" by my teammates.  The secret: if you shove your biceps out from behind with your fists, you'll look like you have big pipes.  It's not the look I should be going for..but I still think it's funny.  These girls rock!

I feel like I'm back to my old self again.  This bump in the road was a scary one mostly because it lasted for so long.  It was a good reminder to appreciate good health and strength when we have it, do all it takes to maintain it, and just how lucky I am to be living the dream as a bike racer. 

It feels good to be gross and grimy again after a good solid training ride in California.