Tamara Stephas

Pre-season track racing began in early May at Marymoor Velodrome. I have raced May 9th and 16th so far, and had a great time. Training has taken a far back seat to art and school this year, but fortunately there seems to still be enough in my legs to hang in, contest a few sprints, and generally have a whole lotta fun. It’s great motivation to work on tactics and ride smart. May 16th was particularly fun due to a good women’s turnout and unseasonably warm weather. What a beautiful evening. Check out Stephen Rusk’s flikr site for photos of racing on the 9th.

All’s well that ends well, as the bard said. My vision is nearly 100% again. Something finally clicked (metaphorically) about three weeks after the last surgery, and one day I simply realized I had been using stereo vision all morning. The convergence continued improving and now functions in most of my visual range. I rarely notice double vision anymore. It makes a big difference to many activities we take for granted: pouring a glass of water, accepting change at the store, driving, walking down stairs, and of course riding in a pack of cyclists. Pacelines feel so much easier and safer now, I’m amazed looking back on it that I was able to compete in mass-start races at all last year! Apparently I’m stupider and far more stubborn than I ever thought; it would have been much simpler and very sensible to have just given up racing. Huge thanks to Dr. Raghu Mudumbai and the other doctors at UW Medical and Harborview where I had my surgeries.