Norman, Oklahoma's own Andrea Ratkovic has returned with her new TDS cycling team from Mallorca, Spain, and she's keeping us up-to-date on the day-to-day life of a professional cyclist. She'll provide an updated journal periodically on the RTN web site.

Read journal entry #10

I'm out in Redlands, CA. now getting ready to race in the Olympic Road Trials. I am not doing the time trial. Things just didn't work out in that department, and I'll just leave it at that.

More or less, I am using the road race as a training race simply because I cannot possibly peak for a race when I haven't been able to put in the proper amount and quality of training (due to the month long flu/bronchitis bout). It is good that I am near mountains because I will use this time to climb. In addition, I am using this time to run on the sand. There seems to be plenty of it around here. My focus has shifted to longer term goals. Don't get me wrong -- I fully intend to ride my ass off on Saturday. I'm not offering up excuses here. I'm gonna do what I can do, you know? What I'm also saying is that when I run I'm in the happiest place I can be...

The last day of the Nature Valley Stage Race went pretty well considering the amount of muscle damage I had from the previous day's efforts. Jeez, were my quads sore! The circuit race on the last day had an average grade of 18%. That's right -- you read that correctly. I didn't know how I was going to get up that friggin' hill THAT many times, but I just gutted it out. I stood up on that climb as long as my legs would hold my weight. Sometimes I had to sit down, though, out of sheer exhaustion. My endurance is simply below par at the moment, and it will take weeks to get it back. As you know, the body doesn't respond to training in mere days; it takes awhile, and that's just how it is. I finished just behind the lead group, and I was pleased with that.

I will be looking to ride better at races in late July and thereafter. I may dabble in a couple of duathlons, but I don't expect to be competitive. I am not going to run fast for many months. I do not know what my Achilles can endure. I'm taking a different approach this time and will concentrate more on swimming and cycling.

I miss all of you multisport athletes. You people enrich my life.

Speaking of...I really enjoy my teammates, but I am here alone with my hosts as my other two or three teammates don't arrive for a few days. Last night, the lady of the house and I shared a bottle of chianti. It was wonderful. I actually forgot why I was here and thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her. We discussed and solved the world's problems in all of 3 hours. LOL!! We had a nice salad, shrimp, and brie (is that right? that cheese). I didn't have a hangover which surprised me, and I couldn't have been happier the following morning when I stepped out into the crisp air and began my run.

Andrea