I Finally Got My Winter

Winter in California mostly consists of clouds, some rain, and 50 degree weather. While people are walking around in their shorts and ugg boots, I found myself loosing my Minnesota skin and bundling up like it was -30, when realistically, in Minnesota, I’d still be running in a tank and shorts. It didn’t feel like Winter, Christmas didn’t have the same meaning, and time seemed to stand still. I need my seasons, I need change, and I need that white fluff that falls from the sky and makes the world seem clean and peaceful.

Snow calms me. It grounds me. It reminds me of a time in my life when skiing and getting out in it was what saved me. I love the way it dusts over everything, leaves frost on my windows, and leaves a chill in the air that cuts your breath short and leaves your lungs cold. It reminds me that I’m getting closer to home, I feel somewhat connected to my family, and gives me a reason to dig out the old ski pants and stocking caps. Sure, its leaving me stuck training on rollers in the warmest part of the velodrome: the women’s locker room. But at the same time, a little roller training never hurt anyone. I’ll take seeing flakes fall from the sky and collect on the ground over an ocean I never swim in, and living in a smog bubble, if it means I’ll be training indoors for a month.

To say it kindly, my weight coach has been kicking my ass. She’s convinced I’m autistic, but only the cool kids are. I’ve only fallen off the rollers twice during efforts. Only tipped over once doing track stands (which I’ve also managed to hold for over 30 seconds, round of applause for me). And even then, haven’t hurt myself too badly.

And now, a little plug for my online fundraiser….here’s the deal…racing begins in 7 weeks. And it’s none-stop after that. My race schedule? Here’s what I’m looking at:

May 31st ->Driving Home to Alexandria for one week with my family (probably the only trip home I’ll get all year)
June 6-8th -> Fixed Gear Classic – Blaine, MN
June 13th -> Northbrook Keirin – Northbrook, IL
June 14-15th -> Midwest Challenge – Indianapolis, IN
June 16-17th -> Sprint Clinic – Chicago Velo Campus – Chicago, IL
June 21st -> T-town Sprint races – Trexlertown, PA
June 28-29th -> Hellyer Velodrome Challenge – San Jose, CA
July 6-11th -> USA Cycling National Team Sprint Camp – Colorado Springs, CO
July 12-14th -> US Grand Prix of Sprinting – Colorado Springs, CO
July 19-20th -> Marymoor Grand Prix – Seattle, WA
August 6-8 -> Women’s Team Sprint National Camp – Carson, CA
August 9-11th -> US Timed Elite National Championships – Carson, CA
August 16th -> Trexlertown Sprint Races – Trexlertown, PA
August 22-24 -> Elite Track Mass Start National Championships – Carson, CA
August 30 -> T Town Sprint Races – Trexlertown, PA
September 5-8th -> Bromont Races – Bromont, Canada

If you haven’t seen the picture already, this is what I’m looking at:

Pretty, isn’t it?!

With all this said, it’s time to rally. We’ve raised just under $1000 so far, but it’s going to take more than $7500 to make this summer and world cup qualification happen. I’ve taken my own responsibility and made a choice to earn part of the funding myself, but I need help with the rest of it. The goal is to raise at least $6000. This helps cover gas, airfare, housing, and entry fees. Equipment, food, etc,…that’s all on me. So far, we’ve done an amazing job….. $950 in one month! If you have the ability to help towards my endeavor,.. please visit this site : http://www.gofundme.com/2bbqic . Nothing happens without everyone’s support. I thank you in advance for helping me on the road to Rio 2016!

With that, I head out into the cold air, breath deep, and enjoy to clean mountain air of Colorado Springs. Back to the daily grind.

I moved again. Whoops.

2008 Talent I.D. Camp

It has happened. I’m back living in the lovely state of Colorado. First time I ever set foot in COS was for a USA Cycling women’s national road talent I.D. camp in 2008…my second summer riding. It was at this camp, that we were supposed to have some track time, but unfortunately it never happened. Instead, I found myself dying as I followed skinny roadie girls up climbs longer than all the hills in Alexandria put together.

To be here today, as an off-campus resident, is…amazing. When I was 18, I looked at the people who lived there, and prayed I would someday be as great as them. I looked up to their ability, and I envied it. Had I known that in 4.5 years I would finally find my place in the track sprint world and be one of those people, I wouldn’t have spent the past 4 years on road, cx, and mountain bikes.

With a total of 20 hours of travel, we finally made it to Colorado Springs. The puppies were not stoked on the long travel day. We left at 4am, traveled well over 1,000 miles, and ended up in COS at 1:00 AM local mountain time.

I moved to L.A. last May, accomplished more in the last 10 months than I ever thought I could. And just like that, I’m back. Time to put my head down and give it everything I have. Team M&M is go.

Moving, A Race I Did, Eva, and a Photo Shoot.

Part 1: Moving

Why are you moving? The question that continues to come and come without a sign of stopping. So, without further ado, let’s look at the reasons…

#1: Finances – Yes, I have a super fun, nice full/part-time position at a bike shop, I have a place to live, I have some support for USAC for training/gym time….but, I don’t have money to cover the 120 miles I have to drive on a daily basis to and from the track/work, on top of the oil changes and other normal car maintenance. I’ve put more miles on my car in the past 10 months than I have in all the 4 years I lived in Durango. Included in this pile is rent, utilities, other living expenses…. Rent in COS is going to be much cheaper compared to this place, by like 70%. Meaning more money for gas, which I’m going to be driving way less as well, meaning more money for supplements, recovery, training, traveling, racing, and to pay bills….maybe go to the doctor for once when I’m feeling like complete crap…

#2: Training – My coach lives there. My team sprint partner lives there. The OTC is there. I get to be an off-campus resident of the OTC with full access to food, recovery, and anything else I can come up with. I get to train alongside the fastest female track sprinter the US has ever seen, and my coach will be there to single-handedly design my training by the minute. He can watch me, and pay attention to me. In LA, we don’t have any of that. There’s no coach, no training times, no access to anything… The moral is down, its negative, it’s not fun, it’s not motivating. I need something positive in my life, like a fast girl who’s chasing the same dream I am.

Well, I guess those are really only the two biggest reasons we are moving. Money, and training. This is why I fundraise..for training, to chase my dream. And moving is going to help me get this dream. At least until there is a program again in LA that can help me improve. USAC has stepped up and is helping its national team members an incredible amount, and I could not feel more blessed that i have a chance to take part in this. I’m poor, I can’t afford to stay here, even with my job, even with the fundraising, even with the small amount of support we get…

Part 2: A Race I Did

Last night I drove up to the Encino Velodrome to race the Boneshaker. It was a three race omnium that consisted of a Encino style flying 200, 4k scratch, and a 12 lap snowball. I love racing at this track. Everyone is so supportive, and just wants to have fun! I knew I was going to hurt after this. We had a nice women’s field and we had each other work for those races. My legs haven’t hurt that bad in a long while. When I finished the last race, rolling around the warm up circle, I thought they were going to fall off. An incredible pain it was!

My Encino style flying 200 reminded me a lot of what I did at Pan Ams. Not being psychologically ready for that jump and dive into the track, and then when you’re on Encino, keeping your bike down with an IO and disc on…that’s an experience. Not to mention the wind…

I managed to come away with three out of three wins, to seal the omnium win for the night. I thought I was brining home $100 in cash, as the race flyer stated, but instead have a set of Tifosi sunglasses for sale if anyone wants them. (You should definitely buy them so I can fund my move to CO).

Part 3 : Eva 

Not only has she chewed on my Specialized S-works road shoes, but also my Lululemon clothes. Our little rescued husky pup is just shy of 8 months old, and the poor thing gets so bored. When we come home, she knows what she’s done is wrong, but the little girl just can’t help it. Ryu and her play so well. They can’t be separated. She sleeps on her back, snores a little bit, thinks she owns everything, and gets way too excited about any situation.

Part 4 : Photoshoot

I had the awesome opportunity to be offered a photo shoot by Jim Maher, who lives here in SoCal. I met him at his house, set up a little session in his garage, and started shooting. It’s my first “cycling” photo shoot, and first “professional” style shoot since, well, my senior photos in high school, but those were directed by my mother and the photographer, so this was a little different. They weren’t anything too special. It took me a little while to relax and kinda just get into the element. But it was fun, and I’m so thankful to Jim for taking his time to offer me such a great opportunity. Here’s a little sampling of what we did:

I am an American burrito!

Huge thanks to Tri Pacific for helping to support me this year, even with a job!

USA jumpsuit!

Well, I think that is all for now. Still training, still taking care of my little dogs. Still adjusting to owning a husky, still trying to fit the dogs in our bed with us. Still fighting LA traffic, which I’ll get into on a whole other day. I can’t wait to move, get settled in my new life, and chase down some UCI points this summer.

My new fundraising page is back on GoFundMe. If you would like to donate, please visit the page, and if now isn’t the right time, please share it amongst your friends, family, or anyone you think would be interested. It’s necessary to help me get where I need to go. I appreciate the smallest of donations…

http://www.gofundme.com/2bbqic

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading, bearing with my long post, ramblings, and complete non-sense.

Post-Pan-Am-Depression

Velodromo CNAR

Walking into the track was incredible. Sure, it wasn’t all decorated up, and it wasn’t a world cup. It didn’t have stands, a big jumbo-tron, or a loud-speaker system. But to me, that didn’t matter. This was all new. My first international race, my first time racing at CNAR, my first USADA test, my first time racing in the US kit, my first Pan Am championships…it was a whole ton of firsts. It took me until 7 hours prior to my first event, the 500m, to get nervous. Sitting in the hotel room until 3pm seemed like an eternity. But once things started rolling, and racing was in full swing, things went great.

Still on my borrowed Felt Tk1 frame from Tara McCormick, I took on the 500m, team sprint, match sprints, and keirin. For the first time, I felt like I belonged there. I felt like I deserved to be there, but I also felt like I had a lot to prove. And that’s what I set out to do. As I told Cyclist Illustrated, “I exceeded a lot of people’s expectations. I’m very proud of how I raced” (Click here for article).

Flying 200m

I love racing. There’s so much I have to learn, so much speed I need to get, so many tactics I don’t yet understand. But the racing was unforgettable. It was nice to get out of the US and experience other racers, and have some fun, and try some new things. I rode with the instincts I had, I made a ton of mistakes, but it’s also important for me to make them, so I can learn from them, and grow, and get better.

My 500m start wasn’t very strong. When I sat down I smacked my knee on my bars. I didn’t have a very straight line, I was all over the place. Our qualifying ride for the team sprint was bad. I never got on, my gear was too big, I was scared. Our second ride was good, we set a new US National Record. Not many people can say that on their first international journey. My flying 200 was like a snail winding up. Nobody should negative split their flying 200. My match sprinting skills are seriously lacking, we’ll just put it that way. As Kevin says, I have bigger balls than him in a keirin. I love that race, but I need to get stronger, and faster. Like everyone else wants to become.

This was the first trip, and it’s not going to be the last. My story just started. It’s been 8.5 months in the making, and I’m just going to get better from here on out. I got my first taste, and I’m not satisfied. I’ll be back.

And what can I say? I miss all my favorite sprint people! Maddie, Nate, Matt, Travis, Jamie…..(I live with Kevin, so he doesn’t count). It’s like going to summer camp as a kid and then coming home. Maddie is back in CO, and we’re all sprawled out across the states…until we meet again…

For now, I have some time off, time to recollect myself, get back to work, make up for being gone, and relax. I’m enjoying my junk food, eating some ice cream, and looking forward to getting back on the bike in a few weeks. And I’m pretty excited to start racing again.

(And for those who weren’t there, here’s all the racing in a nut-shell)

International Extravaganza Numero Uno

It’s arrived. Tomorrow I will getting my first stamp on my passport, traveling to my first international race, first Pan Am championships, first use of my UCI  license, and first time pinning a number to my very own US national team skinsuit. What more could a girl ask for?

The lead up to this race hasn’t been smooth. Mental breakdowns, physical breakdowns, my grandmother is in the hospital, plans falling through, emergency plan B’s….always something. I’m incredibly blessed to have a strong family that can get together, include me in phone calls through to my grandma since I can’t be there with her right now. I’m blessed to have a boss that allows me to take time off work to prepare for this trip, as well as going on this trip. It’s hard to find support like this. I have amazing sponsors, Atomic High Performance, CNP Professional Sports Nutrition, Good Karma Racing, and Tri Pacific, who have helped me get where I am right now, with the opportunity to race along side Maddie Godby in the 500m, Team Sprint, Match Sprints, and Keirin.

Maddie and I, training, being silly, enjoying life.

Despite what’s been going on in my life, I’m excited. Not nervous, not yet. I haven’t had time to get nervous. I’m excited to get out of LA! Excited to not drive 150 miles a day. Excited to rock some races, and go for some records. I’m excited to see all my hard work pay off, and represent my country. I’m excited to be chasing my dreams, and taking my first steps forward.

It’s hard to believe that I’m where I’m at. One year ago I was racing road for Fort Lewis College. Nine months ago, I moved to LA, and did a 12.8 200m, which I’m sure was less than impressive to Jamie Staff. And now, I’m on the national team. Wow. Excited doesn’t even begin to explain.

I’m thankful for my family, friends, supporters, sponsors, coaches…everyone who has encouraged, supported, given me some words of advice, and helped me get here. This hasn’t been an easy journey, and I’ve made it because of the encouragement, determination, and support of everyone.

Please say a few prayers for my grandmother. I have no idea what my internet situation will be, but I will try to keep everyone updated as much as possible. Upon my return, I’ll have plenty of pictures to share, things to talk about, and hopefully some good results to brag about.

Off on a trip with some of the coolest people I know, how can this not be fun? Thanks again. I love you all.

1.12.2013

Maddie and I just finished up a rather intense week of training. Tyson flew down to LA for the week to help us with moto efforts and making sure we put all the work in we need too. We’re moving, pretty quick. Getting ready for some cool stuff happening in the near future.

As you see….it’s been intense. Falling asleep in a Starbucks chair in the middle of a training ride? Yup. That happened.

In other news, I’ve taken on the adventure to make my own kit for the next season. Without a team to ride for, I’ve chosen to find my own personal sponsor, and in order to represent them in the best way possible, I’ve paired up with JL Velo to create a super cool kit representing every person who donates to helping get them made, as well as Tri Pacific, Atomic High Performance, Good Karma Racing, and Velo Stuf.

If you would like to donate, or get your company logo on the kit, please visit this link : http://www.gofundme.com/1tlhms or email me at missyerickson_08@hotmail.com .

I’ve raised almost 1/2 of the money I need to get 3 skinsuits, 2 bibs, 2 jerseys, and a jacket…enough kits to get me training and get everyone represented all the time! Everyone who donates gets their name on the back, showing your support, and carrying you with me through all my upcoming adventures and achievements!

I’ll be having some more fundraising options, to help me get to races this summer. I’ve updated my “race schedule”, so you can check that out. The USA Cycling NTC Calendar was released yesterday, so hopefully a few of those races with offer UCI points this year.

Anywho, I’m off to get ready for work. Just a quick update on life. Nothing has really changed. My dog is still crazy, the weather is still cold, and training is still hard.

Ryu, the Jindo Pup

He loves tuna.

He jumps up, hoping to catch the fireworks as they explode.

He chases his ball like a cat.

He plays with his food before he eats it,

and then he buries the leftovers when he’s done, saving them for later.

He watches airplanes as they float across the sky.

He puts his face in the Christmas tree branches, and sniffs loudly.

He eats the popcorn off the string on the Christmas tree.

He is amazed by every new food item he is introduced too,

including grapes, cherries, ice cubes, broccoli, or steak bones.

He licks the Hot Spot foam off his body, making it completely useless.

He HATES water.

He avoids walking on wet grass, and opts for the side-walk instead.

He wants to be a bird really bad.

He runs, oh my, does he run.

He’s quite picky about the location he goes to the bathroom.

He likes wearing his sweater.

He really misses his toy goose, which he destroyed, I sewed back up, and he destroyed again.

He’s selective with giving kisses.

And really doesn’t like some people.

He’s the best judge of character I’ve come across.

But watching him shake never ceases to make me laugh.

He’s named after a Korean ninja,

yet he gets spooked by the leaves rustling as we walk past.

He knows exactly what annoys me enough to get me out of bed.

He sits backwards when he rides in my car.

He makes me feel safe in the dark.

And brings more joy to my life than I imagined.

He’s a huge pain in the ass, sometimes.

But….how can you not love this?

Welcome to the Team.

Well, I did it. I can’t think of a better Christmas present to myself.

An 11.70, the fastest flying 200 I have done by .41 seconds. And in the world of sprinting, .4 is A LOT, especially in under three months.

Since nationals, I’ve been training alone. 5:30 AM weight sessions, followed by riding, followed by work. Paying my way through, hoping this past week I could pull off a miracle. The goal was to go under 12 seconds, prove I was showing some sign of improvement. And…well..I definitely did that.

The future is looking good. I am officially part of the U.S. Track Sprint International Development Team. And I’m going to get faster.

Thanks to my supporters, everyone who has donated to my Go Fund Me account, my sponsors, Good Karma Racing, my work…Tri Pacific, family, friends…everyone.

It’s Time.

 

At work, we have a big TV, connected to the internet where I can play YouTube videos of Anna Meares, Victoria Pendleton, and any track cycling I like. I’m sure it drives my boss and coworkers crazy, but I love it. I sit there and dream. I watch and I learn. I find motivation to continue on this crazy journey and chase my dreams. I study movements, positions, tactics, form…anything I see, and I visualize how I would do it. I get emotional when I see them celebrate victories and hug their families…and I want that same feeling so bad. I’ve been at this for 7 months now. Every second of the day I’m dedicating to get faster. I work to sustain my ability to train..anything to push my career farther. I’ve never wanted anything so bad. The day I can wear a USA National team kit and represent my country internationally will be one of the proudest moments of my life.

I’m doing this for my parents, my entire family, my supporters, my coach, my sponsors, my country, the younger generations… For the people who said I never could. But most importantly, for myself. To believe in the people who believe in me. To push forward, knowing I could fail, my dreams may shatter, and they are a 1-in-a-million shot. But always knowing, it is possible. I’ll continue to work, to support myself towards this dream and to prove to myself that missing the holidays with my family is worth it. To bring home a medal in Rio. To hear the US National anthem played over  the stadium.

I’ll keep studying, and keep this dream alive. I want to win. I want to be the best. And I want to be given the opportunity to do it. And that is what I’m giving myself.

This week, I’m doing some trials. To see where I’ve come since nationals, now uninjured and recovered. These trials are going to help determine how much support I will possibly receive, and what my racing season may entail. I’m hoping for big things, but in the big picture, any improvement is a sign of promise. I’m nervous, scared, and hopeful. But no matter what happens, I’ve got incredible support behind me, and a lot to learn. This dream doesn’t stop this week, It will stop when my heart does.

Spending the holidays away from my family is hard, but having my two favorite boys here isn’t so bad. If I can’t have mountains, frozen lakes, or ski trails…at least we have the ocean. (Kevin and Ryu, running along Huntington Dog Beach, 12/16/12)

 

 

Today

Today was my first day back.

Walk into the track, get kitted up,

get on the rollers, warm up,

change gear, and walk down the stairs.

The wood squeaks underneath the weight of my bike as I sit down and clip in.

Tighten the straps, 

and roll down. 

The wind rolls past my face

and I couldn’t stop smiling,

and giggling.

Kevin asked me if i was drunk,

while he held me for starts. 

And I was,

mostly on the fact that I was back. 

Back on the track, for day #1. 

I love this.