Cyclists keep coming back for more

(Ed. Note: Cyclist Kim Geist is a member of the Pretty Tough Team)

I think cyclists are one of the most interesting types of athletes in the world.  This is because not only is skill very important to the cyclist’s success, but it is vital that he or she must be in the absolute best physical shape one can be at the time of the big event.  It is not like other sports where a good majority of the time is spent in “practice.”

I will admit I am prejudiced, but most of our American stick and ball sports have their athletes spend their time “practicing” how to dribble the ball more efficiently, how to scan the field for the open teammate, or how to implement the best new formation.  Cycling is not without its practice, but it rarely comes in a controlled environment.  A cyclist never says he or she is going to “practice.”  Cyclists go to “training.”

Cyclists definitely have to acquire skills like the ability to place a front wheel just inches away from another cyclist’s back wheel, the ability to change gears properly with varying terrain and speed, and the ability to make the best decision on during which part of the race it is smartest to spend energy.  It is just that these skills, unlike typical American sports, simply can’t make the whole game.

Unless the cyclist is fit enough to maintain the pace of the other cyclists whom he or she is racing with, skills acquired during “practice” will never help the cyclist to win the race.  So, right off the bat, being a good cyclist becomes almost all about training and the “practice” becomes all about covering up where training is lacking!  We cyclists ride in the draft behind another rider and shift gears at certain times – we use our skills – to make riding as easy as possible until the moment comes in a race when we can use the strong points of our fitness to make the right move at the right time and to win.

It did not take me long to figure out why many people call cycling the hardest sport in the world.  It is all about the question:  just how hard can you push yourself?  And, if a cyclist can answer that question in training, competing becomes just another day in the saddle.

Finding an answer to that question was the point of my latest venture.  I recently returned home from a national training camp held at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.  There were six of us female cyclists invited.  We each had different goals we were working towards for the near future such as competing in the road world championships or the elite national track championships (that’s me), but our common goal was to push each other as hard as possible in training in order to bring out the best in each of us individually.  The group was perfect for the task; among the resumes of the riders were an Olympic gold medal and multiple world championship and world cup medals.  We obviously were a group of competitive women!

So, needless to say, I can describe our week together as training.  Was there practice of the nuances of team pursuit, an event that requires pure precision in exchanging in and out of the draft of other riders to cover a distance of three kilometers as fast as possible?  Sure there was.  But it was done at mock speed.  The quickest way to learn the finer points of the event is to make a mistake when you are already on the rivet physically.  Mess up and it is curtains.  You won’t make that mistake twice!

It helped to be at the training center where the athletic lifestyle is on center stage and all the external stresses of life are already taken care of.  Comfortable and convenient housing, tasty and healthy food (there are labeled nutrition facts for everything) and a great medical and recovery staff make concentrating on the training as easy as it can be.

Then after a week of training that would leave most people in bed for the week after, we cyclists ask, “When’s the next camp?”  We keep coming back for more.

You can follow me at my next major race, the elite national track championships at the ADT Event Center at the Home Depot Center in Carson (Los Angeles), CA September 30-October 4.  Then, yes, I will be back for more at the next national training camp in October.

www.kimgeist.com

Gina Carano to be auctioned to highest bidder

November 5, 2008 – We talk so much about how empowering and motivating women’s sports can be but we often forget the business side of things.  Professional athletes, like movie and TV stars, are often little more than commodities.  

So what happens when you’ve signed a contract with a company that goes belly-up? Well if you’re MMA fighter Gina Carano, your contract is an asset that can be auctioned to the highest bidder.

The bankrupt EliteXC, who promoted Carano, recently posted a notice of public sale saying its assets will be sold, including the following:

all contracts between any Debtor and mixed martial arts fighters (including, but not limited to, Kevin Ferguson a.k.a. “Kimbo Slice”, Gina Carano, Jake Shields, Robbie Lawler, Frank Shamrock, Antonio Silva, Brett Rogers, Dave Herman, Scott Smith, Nick Diaz, Cristiane Venancio Justino a.k.a. “Chris Cyborg”, Eddie Alvarez, Yves Edwards and Wilson Reis)

Carano and Cris Cyborg, who are two of the highest-profile women in MMA, are caught in the middle of this mess.  They can’t look for fights elsewhere and there maybe potential legal battles when their contracts are bought by promotions they have no interest in fighting for.

Unfortunately, business is business and it’s not always fun.

Gina Carano, Elite XC fighter

October 3, 2008 – Women’s mixed martial arts has hit the main stage and the biggest star on the female MMA scene is Las Vegas native Gina “Conviction” Carano. Carano (6-0) is set to return to action for EliteXC tomorrow night against Kelly Kobald (16-2-1).

Carano’s bout against Kobold, on the main card of EliteXC: Heat, takes place at the BankAtlantic Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and will air live on CBS October 4 beginning at 9pm ET.

Carano’s celebrity has grown in leaps and bounds over the past few months after putting on an exciting fight at EliteXC’s debut show, appearing on the Oxygen network’s Fight Girls show amd NBC’s American Gladiators, and being seen in numerous magazines all over the world.

Though known as the “face” of women’s mixed martial arts, it’s not necessarily the label  she’s looking for. BecauseIPlayedSports.com provides some nice background on Carano. There’s also an LA Times interview today where she talks about her life, ‘American Gladiators’ and the guys at the gym.

Since she’s fighting this weekend, check out Gina’s bio and a video promoting her upcoming Elite XC fight.

 New to MMA?? Read ProElite’s “MMA 101″

(Editors Note: Carano beat Kelly Kobold improving her pro MMA record to 7-0. According to EliteXC, Carano’s next matchup will be against Cris Cyborg and will be the biggest fight in the history of women’s MMA.)