Age: 46

Hometown:
Wakefield, Nebraska

Education:
BS University of LaVerne, CA

Family / Pets:
19 yr old daughter, husband Kenny Williams and 3 cats

Annette at the Track Worlds 2005 in Manchester England. Note Annette's relaxed face and the desperate grimace on that of her competition. She took 2nd that year in the sprints, and won the points and pursuit.

Employment/Work/Career:
Work full time as project manager for Slalom Consulting.

Racing Category:
Cat 1 on the road and cat 2 on the track

Years racing:
Racing on the road for 15 years.
Racing track for about 9 years.

Currently racing with:
Avanti Racing Team (Soon to be Blue Rooster?)

Annette racing for Avanti at the Marymoor Velodrome.

What bikes are you currently riding?:
Tiemeyer for the track
Blue for the road
Salsa for my rain bike
Surly for my commuter bike

Year started cycling?:
1993

How did you get into cycling?:
I was a runner and having knee issues. I started competing in (run/bike) duathalons until I couldn't run anymore.

What were your athletic experiences before cycling?:
I ran the 400M in high school, dabbled in 5 and 10k's as an adult and then duathalons.

What does your yearly cycling schedule look like? Miles per week/year?:
In the winter I try to workout 10-15 hrs and then during race season 8-10 hours. This includes ride time, weights and yoga. I am usually peaking in October for track.

Tell us about some of your cycling career highlights:
-Elite track title from 2004 in the pursuit
-7th in pursuit and points race at Moscow World Cup 2004
-Multiple Master Natl and World track titles
-Currently have 2 world Master track records in the pursuit and 200M

What other sports do you do? Do you cross train or mix things up during the year?
Weights and yoga.
This winter I hope to do some snow shoeing and cross country skiing.

Annette ahead of the competition at the Marymoor Velodrome.

Do you have any advice for folks getting into cycling or for cyclists thinking about racing?:
Join a team. Teams help you learn to ride safer and smarter as well as providing you with lots of opportunities to forge new friendships.

What keeps you excited about cycling?
Having my husband always there with me.

The Velocity Blog's "Rider Profiles" highlight the accomplishments of some of our amazing local cycling athletes, and provides insight into their lives that may inspire us all.

Continuing the theme of women's cycling, a few weeks ago (or was it more like a month??) I had a chance to pot luck with members of the newly-forming Seattle Tailwind. The Seattle Tailwind is a women's-only team/club with an emphasis on cycling skill development, cross training, social networking, and community volunteerism. Many of the current members are focused on training for and riding the Group Health Bike MS Ride (happening on September 12 & 13).

The Tailwind is led by Sarah Jensen and Rosanna Snyder, both of whom had raced a bit with Starbucks, but are now establishing a club with a women-only focus, and intending to fill what they see as an open niche in the Seattle area cycling scene.

Members of the Seattle Tailwind show off the new jersey.

To give you an idea of Tailwind's membership, here are some brief profiles:

Brenna Johnson--Tacoma, WA
Brenna enjoys doing triathlons in the summer and skiing in the winter. She is self-employed and works with her mother who is also a member of Seattle Tailwind. Brenna also dedicates a lot of her free time to volunteering.

Brenna enjoys riding with Seattle Tailwind because she likes meeting like-minded women who have a passion for cycling.

Jessica Emerson--Seattle, WA
Jessica moved to Seattle by way of Wisconsin four years ago and quickly fell in love with the landscape and culture of Seattle. She had always spent time outdoors, but really committed to spending her weekends hiking and backpacking in the Olympics and Cascades. When she is in the city she enjoys reading, entertaining, cycling, running, swimming and spending time with her friends. When Jessica is not playing she raises money for City Year.

Jessica enjoys riding with Seattle Tailwind because the diversity of skill levels means everyone has an opportunity to learn from one other. She likes the culture of having women riding and meeting their fitness goals together.

After the potlluck, Brian Snyder gave a lesson in how to fix a flat.

Mikal Kelly--Seattle, WA
Mikal enjoys getting outside anytime her schedule permits. She loves pushing her limits in running, biking, and swimming. Being with her French bulldog makes her happy. Mikal also loves pickles, black licorice, and oatmeal cookies.

Mikal enjoys riding with Seattle Tailwind because everyone has the same expectations and they all understand that they have busy lives. However, each woman is athletic and interested in bettering their abilities. Mikal loves the support, friendship, and passion for a healthy lifestyle.

Jo Morken--Snohomish, WA
Jo has been a passionate cyclist for twenty years. She's really enjoyed road riding with her husband Rob and friends. She also enjoys hiking and snowshoeing in the Barlow Pass area. Her hobbies include gardening, reading, cooking and bible study. She has been married for 29 years and has 3 grown sons--all single. For the past 10 years Jo has been a wedding coordinator in Everett, she enjoys meeting people.

Jo enjoys riding with Seattle Tailwind because she gets to ride with her friend Ann (a friend she's had since they were 13--39 years!). Second, she has two good friends with MS.

Ann Jensen--Snohomish, WA
Ann is a wife and mother of 3 grown children. She rides a lot with her husband on a tandem. Ann thought it would be a good idea and fun to ride with the girls, especially her daughter, Sarah and friend, Jo. Ann's ride resume includes STP, RSVP, RAMROD, the Wenatchee Century, and is a Randonneur who completed the Paris-Brest-Paris with her husband on their tandem.

Ann enjoys riding with Seattle Tailwind because she gets to ride with her daughter and club leader Sarah, and good friend, Jo. She is especially interested in riding with women who share the same passion for cycling.

Laurie Matthews--Kirkland, WA
Laurie is a young professional who finds herself working too much, and not finding enough time to train for all the races she's signed up for.

Laurie enjoys riding with Seattle Tailwind because she enjoys meeting women who enjoy athletic hobbies. Seattle Tailwind motivates her to get involved with the cycling community and stay active.

Join us for the third annual Intro to Women's Cycling and Racing Teams! In late September and early October, a combination of women from many of the local racing teams will host Sunday rides similar to the Saturday Meet the Teams rides, with the exception that this ride is for women only, and each ride is hosted by women representatives from multiple teams. If you are new to the racing community, looking to strengthen your riding skills, thinking about racing in 2009, or looking to speak with other women about local racing teams or riding opportunities, this ride's for you!

Dates: September 21, September 28, October 5, and October 12

Time: 9:00 AM at Pert's in Leschi. Prepare to be on the road by 9:10 AM. Please don't be late!

Route: south end of Lake Washington

Skills: pacelines, riding a straight line, and racing tactics/techniques. Depending on turnout, we'll break into groups no greater than 10 to keep it manageable and go over the basics, making sure to keep things fun and not stressful.

Bakery stop: Pert's either before or after for scones & coffee.

Feel free to contact Gina Kavesh with any questions: gina [at] rentonww [dot] com

I live in a naive, sheltered world. I somehow had the impression that only elite athletes or recreational athletes willing to spend the $$ had access to cooling vests of the sort that team Garmin Chipotle has been using effectively in recent months.

Last week during a business trip to the east coast and wasting time flipping through a Sky Mall catalog, these caught my eye:

Cooling vests are available to everyone.

No self-respecting pet should be without its own cooling vest.

Maybe something to add to your wish list for next season?

The common thread that runs through the sports many of us enjoy is the ecstasy of movement.

In cycling, the ecstasy of movement comes in at least three varieties:

1. Velocity
The simple act of pedaling propels the cyclist, and the nervous system delights in the sensation of velocity.

Velocity has healing properties. Midsummer, with lots of miles in my legs, I typically start to feel burnt out and not particularly inspired to get on the bike. But, because I have a training objective, I gear up, step onto the bike, snap into the pedals, and make the first few pedal strokes. The bicycle accelerates, and within moments the frown disappears and the apathy is gone. Velocity is a natural anti-depressant.

Velocity has an infectious quality. Just watching elite cycling, track, or skiing athletes move causes the nervous system to react with an increased heart rate and sweaty palms.

Cycling legend Jacques Anquetil was probably addicted to velocity. Close family members report that he claimed he had to move fast because he somehow knew ("the prediction") that he was going to die at an early age. Jacques' prediction was correct and he died from stomach cancer at age 53. Even though he died relatively young, velocity was such a big part of his life that maybe he enjoyed twice as much of the ecstasy of velocity as the average person.

The ecstasy of velocity depends on context. Driving a car down the freeway at 60 mph doesn't result in ecstasy (maybe the opposite!), but pedaling at almost any speed down a country road does. And alas, at least for me, pedaling a mountain or city bike doesn't generate ecstasy, but pedaling a snappy road bike does. The quality of the machine seems to matter.

2. Cadence
Cadence, the frequency of the pedal stroke, is the rhythm of cycling and is a reflection of the individual's natural frequency. We all have a frequency, a "vibe," and cadence is a way that vibe expresses itself.

Although cadence is a cycling term, the same phenomenon occurs in other sports. In skiing it's the frequency of the skier's turns, and in running it's the pitter-patter of the running pace.

Since moving to Seattle I've been running more and I've noticed that, maybe as a result of settling into middle age, my running cadence doesn't match my cardiovascular capability. If I run at what I perceive to be my natural cadence, my heart rate skyrockets to an unsustainable level. One of the pleasures of cycling is that it enables the rider to settle into the pleasure of his / her own natural rhythm at a sustainable heart rate.

Cadence is akin to dancing, and when you're having a good ride or a good run (skiing or jogging) it feels like a Snoopy happy dance.

3. Group cycling
Group cycling is an ecstatic orgy that combines velocity and cadence with camaraderie and teamwork. I don't think any other sport has anything that compares to being in a group of cyclists moving briskly at speed. Maybe playing in a hockey or basketball team?

I usually have so much fun riding in a group that I'm often more preoccupied with the movements of the group than anything else. Cycling through scenic countryside, I probably miss more sights than I should.

And with all this ecstasy comes fitness too!

1. The secret to Michael Phelps' speed? The perfect swimmer's body? Nope. Superhuman cardiovascular ability? Nope. The secret: Check out those eyeteeth.

2. Elvis is alive and well and living in Moscow. Need proof? Check out the Russian warm up suits. Either that or the Russians have a thing for Vegas.

3. CBC's color commentator for women's gymnastics sounds like Mister Rogers giving a pep talk while on Quaaludes.

4. We didn't miss Al Trautwig on Versus covering this year's Tour de France, but his sportscasting career seems to be alive and well covering gymnastics. Hopefully he doesn't irritate gymnastics fans as much as he did cycling fans.

5. World-class athletes deserve world-class uniforms. Why do all of the women's gymnastics outfits look like they were issued for a middle school PE class?

Racing correspondent Martha Walsh sent in a friendly reminder that cool things are happening in the racing scene.

First off, congratulations to Martha who set a personal best by more than 2 minutes in the 40K time trial at the state time trial championship last weekend. Martha's time of 0:59:58.23 put her at the top of the podium in the Master Women's A category race. Robin Secrist took first in the Women's Category 1/2 race with a time of 57:06.64.

continue reading

Often referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease (though the most familiar face with it is Stephen Hawking), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neuromuscular disease in which patients lose the ability to walk, speak, swallow, and breathe.

Although Stephen Hawking has lived with ALS for decades, in most cases patients die within 3 to 5 years of diagnosis.

Cyclists assemble for the mass start of the ALS DoubleDay.

Last weekend (July 26 & 27) 230 riders from families and friends of those who have or had ALS cycled around Skagit County in the ALS DoubleDay to promote awareness about the disease. This ride benefits the Evergreen Chapter of the ALS Association, which has won "best chapter" 2 years in a row. Our local chapter's services include support groups, equipment loans, speech augmentation devices, respite care, home visits, and even serves to facilitate the sale of wheelchair-friendly vans.

continue reading

Mission
RideCivil promotes civility between motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. We signal and stop, smile and wave, ride 2 abreast and yield to pedestrians. We won't be corking or blocking traffic, just safely cycling our city.

The Ride
Meet at: Westlake Center park
When: Starting around 5:30, but generally not departing until 6:15. Aug 8 (2nd Friday of the month)

Route, Destination, Duration and Pace: Determined by participants, including a post-ride sit down someplace with food and drink. We usually ride more than an hour at a no-body-left-behind social pace.

Cyclists armed with u-locks and knives + motorist wound just a little too tight = recipe for disaster

After Friday's fracas here are a few questions that deserve answers:

1. What has Critical Mass actually accomplished to produce positive changes for cyclists?

2. How many fewer cars are on the road as a result of Critical Mass' actions?

3. Can Critical Mass participants provide evidence that the cycling community is safer or better off as a result of their protests?

continue reading