Rubber,road&resilience

CONVERSATIONWITHLINDAJACKSON ||| BYCHUCKBARNEY

LindaJackson isamong the thousands ofBayArea residentswhobelievelife isbetterontwo wheels. In1993,she leftthe world of investmentbanking to become a professional bicycle roadracer.To sayshethrived is anunderstatement. Jacksoncaptured six Canadian national championshipsandcompetedin the 1996 Summer Olympics beforeretiring in2000. Since then, she hasmaintained her connection to cycling as the managerofTeamTIBCO-SVB,anelite women’ssquad. ThePescaderoresident took some time to chataboutherpassion forthe sport, agreatnewride andLycra.

LEARNMOREATWWW.TEAMTIBCO-SVB.COM

Wehear thatyour friends call you “Action Jackson.”What’s that all about?

Ijustcan’treallysitstill. I’m usually doingseveralthingsat once. Ihave naturally high energyand am a very lightsleeper.Combine that withmylove of caffeine — morning only — and I am usually buzzingaround all day.

Clearly, much of yourenergy is expendedatopabike.And you’ve riddenallover theworld. What makestheBayAreasuch agreat place for cycling?

TheBay Areaisphenomenal. We’vegotgreatweather most of the year, anamazing arrayof terrain and scenery,andthekind of ridesthatmatchany levelof ability.There are so manyrides here thatyou could do a different one every weekand not run out of places togo.

Do you have a favorite?

Ihave alot of favorites. Anewer one — thepiece de resistance—is theJohnNicholasTrail, out of Sanborn Park (in the Santa Cruz Mountains). It’sgreatfor both mountain and road bikersand hassome incredible views. It’sa breathtakinglybeautiful ride.

What advicewouldyou giveto someone just gettingintocycling?

First ofall, youdon’tneedtogo buy a big,expensive bike. Geta usedoneoffCraigslist.Justmake sure it fits you. Also, ridewith oth- er people.It’sso much more fun.

Butwhataboutthefunny, snug-fitting clothes?For some, that may beadeal-breaker.

Letmetell you something about those“funny”clothes.Icommuted toStanford on a clunkyold bike in the mid-’80s —before I was into cycling. I wore regular clothes, and people inLycra wereflying right by me. I wondered: “How is that happening?” Thefunnyclothesare actually important. Lycra keeps yourbutt comfortable on the seat.

Any othertips?

Learn safetyfirst.Seriously.Iwas hit two years ago byanSUVon Skyline Boulevard. I spentfive days in the ICU and had 14broken bones. A lot ofmotorists don’tpay attentiontocyclists.You’vegot to be a defensivecyclist and really pay attentionat all times. …Oh, and put some lightson your bike.

Howdidyou first get intothe sport?

Indirectly—via another injury! I was skiing one weekendin 1990 withagroup of reallytalented skiers. Iwasn’tthat good, but I tried to do thesame jump they weredoing,andIblewout my knee.Ineeded reconstructive surgery.Biking was a bigpart of myrehabilitation.

So one thingledto another.

Yep.Ienteredmy firstrace,in Morgan Hill, and finished second.

Fromthat moment on, it was in myblood. I gotinto itby afluke, and it changed mylife forever. I oftenthink: I couldbeapastywhitewoman inacement tower, working on some kind ofdeal. Instead, I’moutside and active,enjoyingthesplendorof California.

And nowyoumanagethe topranked women’scyclingteam in North America.

That’sright.We startedout asa modestlittle team 11years agoout of Palo Alto Bikes andhave built it intoagreat place whereour riders canrealizetheirdreams.

Is thereanything a casual, beginningcyclistcan learn fromthepros?

Perseverance is abigthing.I remember how one of our retired riders, BrookeMiller, couldn’tget up Old LaHonda Roadwhen she first started. But practice does make perfect, andshe eventually became one of the best sprinters in the world.

I’ve oftenwonderedifhighly competitive cyclistscanever do just alazy afternoon ride?

Ijustdidthat the other day.Iwas out on my bike, and a group of riders shot pastme. Myimmediate reactionwas, “Grrrrrr!” I wanted to speedupand gojoin them.Ididn’t, though.Imaintained myslower pace.So, yes,I candialit down,but …

Butwhat?

That’sonly because I know that on four out of fivedays,I’llbe going as hard as I want.

OK. So that’show itworks.

Yes,that’showit works. Andthank you. You’vefired up my passion. I’ve gotta gojump onmybikenow!