Adventures on bicycles

A New Addition

2011-06-01T14:15:00.009-05:00

Long overdue update! We now have a baby! Eleven days after my due date I started having contractions 5 hours before we were scheduled to go in for an induction. After 15 hours of not much progress I gave in and got an epidural. Two hours later they inserted a fetal heart rate monitor and the baby's HR dropped into the 60s and didn't rebound after 5 minutes. Suddenly there were a dozen people in my room and I was being whisked away for an emergency C section. Not exactly the way we hoped it would go but 11 minutes later he came into this world crying and perfectly healthy. I awoke 30 minutes later to see Dave holding our beautiful baby boy. We did not know the gender of the baby and I had come to believe we would have a girl based on friends and family who swore that my body looked to be housing a female. So I was a bit surprised but totally in love with our new little guy.

The past 7 weeks have been an adventure. The C section recovery has been frustrating as my incision decided to open up slightly after a week. Because of the emergency nature of the surgery a blood clot likely formed beneath the incision and the accumulated fluid needed to drain. This has taken over a month and is still not fully healed but luckily I am back to feeling mostly normal and my range of motion is much better.

Most importantly though, Thomas is healthy and perfect. He unfortunately had a one night stay in the NICU (for a temperature .1 degree above the fever threshold) but has been fine since leaving the hospital. The kid eats like a champ and was back to his birth weight after 6 days.

It's amazing how much he's changed in just the past 7 weeks. He smiles and makes little cooing noises and he's much more interactive than those first couple of weeks. And his lungs have developed a little more as well so his cute little baby cries occasionally erupt into some full blown screams!

We've been trying to integrate him into our lives so he's gotten out to a couple of Farmers Markets and of course some bike races. Collegiate Nationals happened to be on Mother's Day and we got out to see the crit and visit with a lot of our friends in the cycling world. We also got to see my friend and former teammate Kaitie Antonneau take the win in the Women's D1 crit. It was fun to introduce Thomas to so many people and to bike racing!

We've also had a couple of weddings to go to and we discovered the Baby Bjorn is great for hands free baby carrying. Dave even played some lawn games with a sleeping Thomas strapped to his chest.

I had 8 weeks of maternity leave so T and I have gotten to spend a lot of time together and it's been great. Getting out and about with an infant can be kind of challenging but he loves being in the Bjorn so we've made a few trips to Trader Joe's and Target. And we've gone for lots of walks around the neighborhood with it or the BOB stroller.

So I'm not really sure if I'm going to continue this blogging business. I have to say that my motivation to keep up with it is not very high right now! I'll probably try to do occasional posts and perhaps I'll get back into a routine with it at some point. Cycling is obviously taking a back seat for the time being and it remains to be seen whether I'll race cyclocross this year or not. Either way I'm just totally grateful and happy that we are now a little family of 4 - I've got to include Cider in there - she's such a good big sister. Here she is hanging out with Thomas while he sleeps!

So perhaps this will turn into a baby blog or more likely just a very erratically updated blog on our new adventures as a family. Thus far it's been a fun ride and we can't wait to see what awaits us in the future!

A New Adventure

2011-03-02T15:18:00.000-06:00

Okay - it's been a very long time since I had an entry on this blog. I don't know what it was with 2010 - I just couldn't get very motivated to post. And while I raced quite a bit through June a break was in store for July and beyond. I've had a ton of fun racing the past few years but we had some other plans in the works and I was ready and prepared for a change of pace. And by August I was pregnant with an early April due date.

A change of pace indeed. Dave and I have always wanted kids and have spent the first 5 years of our marriage in various athletic pursuits and enjoying our relative freedom from responsibility. We enjoyed this time but are greatly looking forward to the year ahead and all that is to come.

So despite not racing I still spent the majority of my weekends this past fall at cross races in support of Dave. He totally immersed himself in cyclocross this season and did all of the WCA races as well as the USGP in Madison and Jingle Cross in Iowa. He was a rock star and I think he surprised a lot of people (including himself!) with his success. He consistently placed top 5 in the 1/2 races all season and won the series for Cat 2s. I joked that with me on the sidelines he had to race for two while I got to eat for two. It was awesome to see him do so well and I had a great time hanging out and socializing at the races. We love the ambiance and the community of cyclocross and at this point we both have plans to race in 2011. Granted it will be a much different situation since we'll be doing baby handoffs between our races but we're up for the challenge. Having Cross Nationals in Madison for the next two years adds a little extra motivation for us.

So I'm currently just over 8 months into the pregnancy and all in all things have been going really smoothly. I was consistently commuting in to work until Thanksgiving but once the snow and sub 20 degree temps came I decided to hang up the bike and opt for the safer drive in to work. I've done some cross country skiing and kept up with half an hour trainer sessions 4-5 mornings a week. Definitely a bit different than my normal winter training routine but I'm enjoying this down time too.

So rather than try to do too much of a recap of the last 10 months I'll throw some links at you from my blogging with Women's Adventure Magazine. We at Planet Bike advertise in this cool publication and website and figured it might be a fun way to share with folks my attempts at staying active throughout the pregnancy. So I've done roughly one post a month since October. It's been a neat way to document the pregnancy and I've gotten a lot of great feedback on it.

October - A Whole New Ride

November - More Cowbell and More Miles

December - Riding for Two in the Cold and Dark

January - A New Year, A New Life

February - The Pregnant Tourist

So look for this blog to change tone a bit and still be pretty randomly updated. But I'll add some photos and other thoughts now and again. Any day now we're going to find ourselves with a tiny new bundle of joy and I can't wait. The next chapter begins soon!

3 week update

2010-06-16T21:53:00.008-05:00

Taken after Tulsa Tough Friday - a scorcher! Photo: Jason Perry

Mostly photos - but at least it's something.

Catch up - May 22/23 - 2 local WI crits - we showed up en masse with about 8 girls every day and our aggressive racing paid off. Kaitie won in Hartland after attacking with 4 to go and I won the field sprint. Team Kenda's 3rd straight race of going 1/2 - pressure on. Next day in Sussex Beth and Kelley got in a break with 2 other girls and went 2/3 after being subjected to the fierce sprint of Holly M. Kaitie won the field sprint for 5th.

Ahhh Memorial Day racing in Iowa was next. Another huge turnout of Kenda riders - 11 on the start line. We even had our excellent manager Paul and fantastic mechanic Mike along for the weekend. We needed them - Ashley busted a shifter and was forced to ride Paul's bike - not exactly fit to her.

Snake Alley is one of my favorite races. Seven (?) cobblestoned switchbacks up, a fast technical descent, a few more flat turns and repeat. We do 12 laps and it ends up being just over 10 miles and about a 30 minute effort. Yeah it's short but it hurts. I won this race in 2006 and 2007 so coming back and getting anything less is a bit of a letdown. I knew last year's winner Amanda Miller was coming back and she is phenomenally talented. I'd give it a shot though. Somehow I led the first lap, Amanda passed me, I grabbed her wheel and looked back to see Jill coming up to us. Next time up the snake it was game over though. Amanda danced up the climb and a group of myself, Jill, Ashley, and Lisa V. remained. Lisa attacked up the snake the next lap and so began each of us riding in our own little caves of pain. I think the first 7 riders came in solo . . . Kenda happened to have 4 of those riders. Ashley was 3rd, I was 4th, Jill 6th, and Kelley 6th. Nice work team.Oh, and did I mention it was hot? Near 90 degrees and muggy - ick - the girls try to cool off in the shade.
A little spectating on the Snake is always a fun post race activity. Made even more fun by short shorts and tan lines. Here Beth, Lindsey, and Jackie strike a pose.

I don't really have many pictures from the Sunday in Muscatine. We sort of screwed it up a bit when Lisa got away solo after a small break was off. Gotta work on communicating a bit better in the race but luckily Kaitie is a superstar and won the field sprint for 2nd. Jackie was 7th and I was 8th.
Monday in Rock Island I also don't have any pictures from. After having a good aggressive race and keeping the pace high a crash in the final corner mucked things up and took nearly everyone in the race down. Luckily no one was seriously injured despite an initial scare by my friend Chris R. from St. Louis. Catherine was our top finisher in 5th, Jackie in 7th. REALLY fun weekend with all of our various teammates. HUGE thanks to Mike, Mary, and Paul for all of their help!

The next weekend was a trip to Tulsa with Ashley, Beth, and her boyfriend Ross for some NRC racing. $35,000 up for grabs and we went down there in search of it. Always easier said than done. Above all Tulsa is an awesome city with an incredible community of cyclists. These races are so professionally put on with a huge expo area, 2 huge jumbotrons, great announcers - the whole thing is quite a spectacle and a really fun experience. We had wonderful host housing as well - thank you so much to Marty and DeeAnn, and the Watson family!!

Not a whole lot to write about the races. We'll just leave it at the fact that we raced to the best of our abilities and had a lot of fun ;) Oh . . . and it was hot again - mid 90s and humid. I never got the chills anyway but some of my teammates did.

The jumbotron - impossible to try to take a photo of.
Going for a $400 prime . . . ummm, not so much!
Jill and Kenda before Sunday's race
Tom's Bicycles Party tent - thanks so much for all of the hospitality guys and gals!
A solo move by me - c'mon . . . somebody want to come with?
Here's the hill from Sunday's race. The fans were unreal - I felt like I was in the Tour or something. And the guys with the hoses spraying us at the top were awesome.

I think our best finishes were in the low 20s . . . just outside of the money . . . dang!
Here we are with our great host Marty and superstar announcer Dave Towle.

Came back home to a busy week of work and Bike to Work Week. We at PB take that pretty seriously all year round but we have something extra special for the week. Bacon on the Bike Path . . . oh yeah, ride your bike and you get some tasty bacon. Here's Chris and Heath hard at work on the grills.
The best part was we transported everything we needed for the event (25 lbs. of bacon, 144 donuts, 50 pounds of fruit, tent, tables, etc.) by bike. Sweet.
And the week just further proved that we live in one of the best cities in the country for cycling. Riding on the paths and biking to work puts a smile on my face every day. I counted 110 cyclists on my 11 mile commute one afternoon - impressive.

And that brings us to this past weekend and the State Crit Championships. I will add a report but for now you'll just have to look at photos. Thanks for checking in!

Photos thanks to John Wilke!

Don't call it a comeback

2010-05-21T16:42:00.008-05:00

Thanks John Wilke!

Okay . . . ummm, is anyone still visiting this poor decrepit site anymore? I don't know what's happened to me. Seriously . . . I like blogging and I really do miss it. You know when you procrastinate something and then you feel guilty about neglecting it? And then it turns into a vicious circle where you continue to ignore it and then feel more guilty? . . . No? . . . yeah that's probably just my twisted psyche then :)

Well here goes - an attempt to return to blogging.

Where to begin? I'm going to try to give a whirlwind update so bear with me. We'll see how good my memory is and how detailed I feel like getting. The bicycle adventures started back in the beginning of April . . .

Georgia was awesome. Dave, Cider, and I headed down with a whole brigade of Wisco folks. It was incredible. We had amazing weather, a really cool and huge rental house, beautiful roads and scenery, and great company. We were just outside of Dahlonega and were surrounded by 6 glorious gaps. I love climbing mountains. Just getting into a rhythm and ascending for 15-30 minutes is awesome. We went and rode Brasstown too and I'm not ashamed to say I had to get off and walk. That was one really steep mother. All in all a perfect week and I was super happy to get almost 450 miles of riding in.

The next weekend began the race season with Hillsboro Roubaix. A nice road race down in Illinois that always draws a good crowd. Needless to say not my greatest race. Maybe I was still tired from Georgia or maybe I just needed to do more intervals in preparation! Kaitie and Beth both stayed in the lead group and Kaitie finished a strong 6th. I was back in a second group and finished :)

The next day was a local crit and with 7 Kenda ladies on the line we knew we had the numbers and now just had to race smart.
My teammate Kelley and I got in a break with Rachel from ISCorp and as the laps dwindled we attacked and counter attacked. Luckily it worked out and I took the win with Kelley taking 3rd. A bit of a boost to the ego after Hillsboro's lackluster performance!

The next weekend was another local crit and after some good aggressive racing by Kenda. Beth had an awesome last lap attack and nearly held it but the race ended up with a field sprint. . I led out a little to early and was beat out by Jessica from Hollander. Still, I wasn't too disappointed in 2nd.

A weekend off for some family time and a wedding and the following weekend was a road race in Baraboo - northwest of Madison. I ended up in a break of 6 with my teammate Kelley but unfortunately got popped on the climb on the last lap. I was in no mans land the rest of the race and luckily held off any chasers. Kelley raced smart and strong to take the win! Again a little frustrated by my lack of fitness but I know my training was a bit reduced this year and it would take longer for me to start feeling good. Luckily I've got some good teammates!

And then came one of my favorite races all year. I went down to Arkansas for the Joe Martin Stage Race. It's a great race in itself but I really love the entire experience of going down to visit with the host family we've stayed with 3 years now. Carolyn and Marion are the best and this year they took in almost the entire team! They willingly let 6 riders plus Paul and Mike take over their home and they are exceptional hosts. I woke every morning to the smell of bacon frying and the elaborate team dinners every night were out of this world.
The team we had put together for this race was exception as well. A really great group and we had our best finish ever at this race. Representing Kenda were Amity, Anna, Catherine, Jill, Melissa, Mitzie, Silke, and myself. Anna finished 12th GC, I was 23rd and as a team we finished 5th behind 4 big teams. Huge thanks to my teammate Jill who helped me chase back on after dropping my chain twice during the second road race. After 10 miles of pacelining I sort of gave up hope but seeing the race caravan approach was a thing of beauty! Finishing 13th that day was a slight bit of redemption. The next and final day was a crazy 12 corner crit with a solid little climb to the finish. I unfortunately went down on a slippery corner that plagued riders all day. I was in the front group of 30 and with 4 laps to go a girl went down in front of me and I had nowhere to go. I slid nicely across the road and left a good chunk of skin in downtown Fayetteville. Luckily nothing too serious though and I took my free lap and managed to finish 15th on the day and move up in GC. Lots of girls went down on that corner throughout the day and the medical area was full of girls getting rash scrubbed out after the race. Yeowch!Thanks to everyone who helped make this race such a huge success for Team Kenda. Team Manager Paul and mechanic Mike were instrumental in keeping us organized. Our two host families were unbelievable - Marion and Carolyn are truly the greatest hosts ever and their neighbors Wes and Kathy were also gracious enough to host a rider. Thank you all for your generosity!!

A couple of days off after the crash was much needed. Nothing too bad - just road rash - but still oozing wounds are not real comfortable. Super excited for the next weekend of Wisconsin racing though with Jill flying in from Boulder and Ashley returning from her collegiate season.
Saturday was a 40 mile road race in the hills northwest of Madison. The course was a 20 mile loop with two mile long climbs each lap. A field of 16 with myself, Jill, and Meredith representing for Kenda. Over the first long climb we were down to a group of 5 with both Jill and I making it over the top. A lack of organization by the riders caused a few more to catch back up. Jill got a separation over the top of the second climb but saw the group coming back together and eased up. Again a lack of riders willing to work together caused the group to remain at 7. We were pretty frustrated by a few riders and decided to really attack the next climb. I gave it a go midway up and saw Jill pull up next to me. The other girls were just slightly behind and I told Jill to give it her all. A gap quickly formed and I sat on the remaining 3 riders as they struggled to get organized. That hesitation was all Jill needed to increase her lead and soon get out of sight. Being a good teammate I sat on the other three until the final climb. One rider upped the pace and I sat on until near the top when I attacked hard and got a gap. I had 5 miles to the finish and I knew the other girls were getting tired from the day's effort. Luckily I was able to hold them off and came across the line for 2nd. Jill had a good TT effort on the day and rode 14 miles solo to take the win. An awesome display of teamwork and a satisfying finish with the old 1, 2 punch!

Sunday was the Wheels on Willy Criterium in Madison. Team Kenda came out in full force with 9 riders toeing the line in a field of 30. Ashley, Beth L., Beth E., Jill, Lindsey, Meredith, Monique, Shelley, and myself. Not everyday you can comprise a third of the field! With those numbers the pressure was on and we wanted nothing less than a win. The plan was to be aggressive and get 2 of us in a break. From the start attacks came from Jill, Ashley, and Beth keeping the pace high and the field strung out. Nothing quite stuck until about 10 minutes in when Ashley attacked with an ISCorp rider in tow. A gap formed and some of the other riders began to try to chase. The field got a bit closer and I saw the ISCorp rider falling off so I attacked hard and bridged up to Ashley. Thanks John Wilke

We began to work together to hold off the hard charging field. Ashley was taking strong pulls and I did my best to equal her effort. Soon we saw our gap increasing and we knew we just needed to ride steady for the next 30 minutes. Back in the field a chase ensued and the remaining Kenda riders were covering any bridge attempts and doing what they could to keep Ashley and I off the front. It was another perfect example of strong teammwork and soon we saw two laps to go and the field not far in front of us. Electing to stay off the back, rather than ride back into the field, we enjoyed a slightly easier last lap and raised our arms in victory as we crossed the line. Ashley, who instigated the move and worked really hard to make it stick, took the win and I was again thrilled to take 2nd to my teammate. Thanks John Wilke

A last lap attack by Jill nearly stuck but she was pipped at the line - still finishing a strong 4th. A fantastic race and incredibly fun. We had wanted to get two of us in a break and little did we know that there wouldn't be any other riders with us! Congratulations to all the Kenda riders at the race - go team!

Alright - I think that should do it for now! Thanks for reading!

Winter Break

2010-03-25T18:15:00.006-05:00

photo thanks to Madison Guy

Well I definitely took a long break from blogging this winter! I guess I didn't feel the need to really update on the mundane details. This is, afterall, primarily a bike racing blog and I can tell you that there was definitely no bike racing for me these past three months.
It was a long season in 2009 and with 75 race days (a new high for me) I needed a break. Plenty of cross country skiing this winter with one of the best snow seasons we've had in years. Consistent, good snow from early December through mid February.
I also stepped up my bike commuting and rode the 22 mile round trip most days. Studded tires and ski goggles were key items in making that happen. Over 800 miles this year so far just riding to work.

But it's mid March and the bike season looms and it's time to fire up the blogging again. I will continue to race with Team Kenda on the road this season and can't wait to be out on the roads with both my new and familiar teammates! A trip down to Hillsboro, IL will bring the first race of the year on April 10 for the Hillsboro Roubaix - a sure to be fun 60 mile road race that usually draws a solid Midwest field of riders.

But first up is a week in Georgia riding with a group of UW cycling alums. Nothing like riding in the mountains to help kick your training up a notch!

Bend

2009-12-23T08:47:00.017-06:00

Alright - after much delay here is the final bicycle adventure of 2009 - Cyclocross Nationals in Bend, OR held December 10-13. After a relatively uneventful drive from Portland over Mt. Hood we arrived in Bend late Wednesday night. We had rented 3 homes for the Planet Bike team - 16 riders and associated crew made the journey. The area had gotten about 6 inches of snow a few days earlier and frigid temps had moved in since then. With nighttime lows below zero and daytime highs in the low teens I can't say we were looking forward to the cold, icy conditions. But, it was supposed to warm up - highs in the upper 20s to low 30s were promised. Ah - us Wisconsinites can take that, right?

The next morning we decided to acquaint ourselves to one of Bend's fine local restaurants.
Chow is an awesome little cafe and both the food and ambiance were very cool. My oatmeal blueberry pancakes were delish. It was then back to the house to kit up and head over to the course to get in a preride and spectate a couple of races that we had teammates in. Here's Jordan in the kitchen of our place.
We checked out the expo which had tons of cool vendors and tents set up. How cool is this bike? The Lantern Rouge was the creation of some talented local artists. Impressive.
We watched Greg and Gordy in the Masters race. The snowy course was incredibly slippery and some technical corners were causing plenty of crashes. For a more complete race write up of the day for the team go here
I rode a few laps along with a couple hundred other people. The course is open for only a limited time so everyone jumps on to get a look. It was hard to ride at speed but it was still fun. A technical course that was mostly flat. All snow covered and slippery in spots. We knew conditions were likely to change as the days went by and the temps warmed though.

After cleaning up we headed over to one of the houses for a fantastic pasta dinner made by Greg's girlfriend Kathie. Excellent food and a fun time to hang out with everyone.

Friday was a big day for the team. We had riders in every event on the day - 11 total. I raced my 30-34 masters race at 2pm but our first event on the day was Kaitie and Sarah in the junior womens races at 8:30AM. We were to the course by 7AM - it was still dark out.
Kaitie, Jordan, and Sarah warm up in our glorious tent. Walls and a heater sure are nice!
I had a blast watching the girls race. It was like 20 degrees out and the course was pretty slippery. They were in different age categories but raced at the same time. Katie Compton came out to cheer them on as well which was awesome - here she is encouraging Kaitie.
Kaitie had a great race and finished 2nd. Sarah smoked the competition and won her race easily. Check out the full day's race recap here.
The spectating didn't end there. It was then time for the boys. Ian rode a great tactical race and held on to win his race also.
Jordan raced after that and took 8th. I got on the course to preride a couple of laps before hopping on the trainer to warm up. While I was in the tent Planet Bike was winning more races. Here is Diane taking her third straight National title in the womens 55-59. Sweet! Go team!
And finally my turn had come. Due to my 5th place finish last year I was the second seeded rider. A little bit of pressure comes with that for sure.
I knew this was going to be a tough race given both the conditions and the competition. Some very strong riders were lined up like Howe, Winfield, and Studley. The temps were warming and a thin layer of mud was now covering several stretches. The technical course certainly didn't play to my strengths - sure it's a blast to ride but all the slippery corners scare me and I tend to ride too conservatively. Plan was to go out and race hard and have fun.

I had an alright start and was in the top 10 as we took the first corner. I was definitely riding a bit cautiously and taking the 180 degree corners pretty slow. I was riding some slight hills and the off camber after the stairs that were giving a few riders trouble.
After a couple of laps I was a little more comfortable and was sitting right around 10th. I wasn't too surprised when my rockstar teammate Linda - who was racing the age above me and started 20 sec. behind my group - passed me on the third lap. She was sitting in second place in her catergory - awesome.
With one lap to go I passed another rider or two and was hoping to move up as much as possible. This was it - all in. I knew there was little chance of me making the podium but I wanted to try to finish as high as I could.
On the back section in the woods I'm trying to power through when all of a sudden I slip and ride into a wooden post . . . hard. I don't even really know what happened but my bars are caught in the course tape and the tip of my right middle finger is throbbing. Several riders pass by as I try to untangle myself and I hop back on to finish off the race. What little confidence I had is now shaken and I am disappointed in my race. I end up finishing 15th. The crash really didn't change the race for me. Had I stayed upright I would have finished 10th or 11th - still further down than I feel I was capable of. But so it goes. Not my greatest race on a day when it matters a lot but I try to look to my teammates and share in the many victories on the day - 3 gold medals, and 2 silver. After being on the podium last year it's definitely a bit tough to watch from afar but it was awesome to see Planet Bike represent. My finger was gushing blood after the race - I'm still not really sure what I did but I had a pretty good cut near the nail and it was swollen. Thanks to Kathie for being the team doc and helping me with it!

What goofballs!

Kaitie and Linda with their silver medals - way to go!

The three National Champs - Diane, Ian, and Sarah - awesome performances!

After the podiums and cleaning up we headed out to a team dinner at a restaurant nearby the course. Question - how do you fit 10 people in a minivan? Answer - put the juniors in the trunk. Just a note that each had a parent present in the main cabin!
We had a great dinner together and took a womens team shot sans spandex.
Saturday was going to be a little more low key with fewer PB riders racing and a bit moe time to relax. Team write up here. Right away in the morning though we all rallied to watch Bob in the Masters race.
He was looking great the first few laps and was in 3rd place before a crash brought him down on the slippery course. A great ride nonetheless and he certainly had the best cheering section out there! It was nice for both Jonathan and Katie C. to come out to support Bob and chat with other Planet Bikers.
Since we were all together and that rarely happens we took a team photo with the crew.
KFC also presented Bob with one of her UCI World Cup Leader's jerseys. How cool is that!
We have such a great womens team that spans the generations - 3 stars and stripes jerseys and 2 silver medals in here - Planet Bike women rock!
After a bit of relaxing at the Old Mill shops and getting some coffee it was time to preride the course at the usual noon hour circus. The warming temps had made the course even muddier. Fenders recommended.
My finger was still really tender and I worried about shifting and braking with it and decided I'd ride the trainer instead. I enjoyed watching the afternoon U23 race and doing some people watching. There were a lot of dogs out there - several of them in messenger bags.
The spectators were wild - there were soooo many people out to watch and there was a very talented drum corp as well. The 8 or so drummers were rocking some chest shaking beats - it was incredibly cool.
A low key dinner with most of the team and then we decided to check out the Clydesdale race that was going on under the lights. A layer of frost now covered the course and quite a few spectators came to see the spectacle. Lights, costumes, crashes - what more could you want.
The 15 minute race was soon over and it was time to go home and get ready for the final day of racing. No need to get up very early as we raced at 11:15. This was it - final race of the season for most riders. All four of us (KFC, Kaitie, Linda, and myself) set up on trainers/rollers in the tent, music in our ears, and minds trying to focus on the gravity of the race

The rack of Ridleys waiting to race

It was time. With KFC obviously ranked #1 we were just pleased to fill spots 12-14. We lined up behind her and the sight of all of us at the start was pretty cool. Turning around to see over 80 women behind us was a bit scary. Over 100 on the line - biggest cross race I've ever been a part of.
Had an okay start - not perfect but good enough to be in the top 20 or so through the first corner. In the line and just trying to keep position and ride smooth. As expected, KFC was rocking it solo off the front.
With Kaitie and Linda both in front of me I settled into my position and tried to stay upright. I was feeling okay but was definitely taking a lot of the corners slow and getting passed by some riders. A few went down in front of me on the off cambers or other corners and somehow I stayed rubber side down.
Up in front of me Kaitie A. was having the ride of her life. She was in the group going for 8th place.

Linda wasn't too far behind her.

When all was said and done KFC won by over a minute on nearest chaser Meredith Miller. Well done.
Kaitie ended up an impressive 12th, Linda 14th, and I was 22nd. I outsprinted former National Champ Ann Knapp at the line and then nearly ran into the pile of racers/media that had converged just past the finish. I suppose sprinting for 22nd is pretty silly anyway.
All in all a great experience. Again I was a little disappointed in my race but this course certainly didn't suit my strengths. I was ecstatic to see Katie C. win and Kaitie A. have such a great finish. Linda's no slouch either - my teammates sure know how to set the bar high!

It was then time to join the ranks of the superfans and spectate the mens race. With Jonathan, Mark, and James all racing for Planet Bike there were plenty of guys to cheer for. Here they come - JPow in the lead.
The fans were unreal. They filled the course in the grassy area - it was so cool. An estimate put the crowd at 5,000 folks.
Jonathan was looking good and was sitting in second before a couple of bike changes pushed him back to 5th. He kept fighting though and finished 3rd for the second year in a row.
Mark was plagued with some bad luck and had 4 flat tires. Bummer. More photos and report on the team blog here

We stayed to cheer on our winner and podium finisher.

The guys

The ladies

And my awesome road teammate Ashley James won the U23 race which was within the Elite race - she was the top finisher under 23 years of age (for the record because Kaitie A. races the juniors 17-18 race she's unable to also race the U23 category). Nice job Ashley!
And so concluded Cross Nationals for 2009. Another couple folks flew out after the races and then we packed up and headed over to a party for Jonathan held by his sister. It was fun to chat with folks and a nice way to close out the weekend. No after parties for us though - we were tired and had a drive back to Portland in the morning. I helped Chris and David pack up the van in the morning - 15 bikes inside the van - I think that's a new record! Then Jordan, Jim, and I made the drive over Mt. Hood and to Portland to catch our flights. It was snowy but beautiful over the pass - and the minivan deftly handled the conditions.
And that's it - season wrapped! What a fantastic year it has been. I'll do one of those recaps - of course it will be after the new year but that seems to be the way I roll lately. The cross season especially has been incredible - lots of fun and all in all a pretty successful year. Thanks to everyone who made Bend and the entire season roll smoothly - Chris, David, Jim, Gordy, and Hans were all super helpful. Huge thanks to Bob Downs of Planet Bike for his commitment and encouragement of this team. It is an honor to be part of such a talented, hard working, and respectful team of people. The fact that this team has a strong presence of both men and women across all ages is unique and truly special. Check out this article by Milwaukee Journal blogger Tom Held which highlights the team and accomplishments at Nationals.

Thanks to all the sponsors who made it possible - Planet Bike, Edge, Ridley, Lazer, TRP

I hope this finds everyone enjoying the holidays and spending some quality time with family and friends. Thanks for reading!

Sightseeing in Oregon

2009-12-17T18:59:00.008-06:00

I've travelled a lot this season. And even though the destinations are usually really cool places the reason I am there is to race my bike. We usually try to visit some local restaurants and drive by the iconic establishments when possible but the focus is on racing . . . these are not vacations. The opportunity to become a tourist for a couple of days between the Portland USGPs and Nationals in Bend was awesome. Not packing up the van immediately after the race on Sunday and driving countless hours back home was refreshing. We took advantage. But not without first sticking to our training and spinning on the bikes in the hotel.
It was below 20 degrees outside so trainers in the hotel room it was. I introduced the girls to the dark comedy mockumentary Drop Dead Gorgeous and we cracked open the window. The hour went by surprisingly fast.

It was then time to go downtown and see some of the local "must see" places of Portland. Stop number one . . . Voo Doo Doughnut
Seen on the Food Network, loved by many we'd heard good things about this place and were anxious to view the much hyped selection of pastries. They make some very interesting creations there including this
Yes . . . that is bacon resting atop a maple iced doughnut. I didn't give it a try but it was certainly intriguing. Of course we needed a photo with our choices next to the big doughnut. I went with the Portland Creme - it was delicious.
We were a little dismayed by the level of homelessness in Portland - specifically homeless teenagers. The kids flocked to VooDoo. Perhaps because they knew lots of out of towners would be there and might be sympathetic to them. It was really sad and I was shocked to see so many people on the streets throughout the day.

We then got some coffee at the locally famous Stumptown Coffee. With a belly full of doughnut and caffeine we continued on to Powell's Bookstore.
The sun was out and it was a gorgeous day in Portland. It was abnormally cold though - the high for the day was 25 and the wind was howling. The supposedly typical Portland clouds and rain had cleared for our stay and we were happy to have the sun and blue skies.
Powell's is this huge bookstore downtown. It was a bit overwhelming and we gave ourselves just over an hour to get lost in the pages.
I haven't done that in awhile and it was really fun. Internet and Kindles be damned. There's nothing like wandering aimlessly through a bookstore or library and flipping through a book on a whim. I think we all could have stayed there the rest of the afternoon. They had a really cool bike rack in front of the store too. Notice the Superflash on the back of the bike - way to represent Planet Bike!
Linda, Daniel, and Dave left to go visit with some family and Kaitie and I decided we wanted to continue our downtown adventure. So we walked and browsed some stores. The calories from our doughnut had been walked off long ago and we decided we needed a snack. And there stood a cute little sushi shop. Kaitie has never had sushi and I decided now was the perfect opportunity to give it a try.
It was delicious and Kaitie really liked it. We were now fueled for a few more hours of shopping downtown. We hit up a cool mall downtown and Kaitie convinced me to use a JCrew gift card that had been sitting idle in my wallet for nearly two years. We were on a roll and started going into fancy purse shops. I think Kaitie would have been the proud owner of a Kate Spade bag had the right color been in stock. We were having a blast though - everyone is so friendly in Portland and the city was beautiful as the sky darkened.

Kaitie and I after a fun day in Portland.

Back to the hotel to check out the free dinner and we were surprised to see a really good salad bar, pizza, and Monday Night Football . . . with the Packers! I'm more of a fair weather fan but something about just coming across a game in Oregon made me feel more connected to the Pack. So we watched some of the game and I even had a small glass of the free beer . . . which happened to be Fat Tire?! Geesh - how much better can it get?

The next day Kaitie, Dave G., and I decided to drive to the coast. Just over an hour away we figured it was too close to pass up and the weather was supposed to be decent. A little chilly but we wanted to get a ride in and the opportunity to ride on the Pacific Coast Highway sounded really fun. Off to Cannon Beach we went and this was the first sight we saw of the ocean.
The picture doesn't do it justice at all - these rocks were impressively large. I happen to be a huge fan of the movie The Goonies which took place on the Pacific coast and featured these rocks. I got to see the Goonie rocks in person . . . sweet.

After parking the car and changing into all of our layers we were on the bikes and riding the PCH.
The views were spectacular and the ride was a lot of fun. We got one long climb in too which was pretty cool.
We all got a kick out of this sign.
I don't really think there was a threat of a tsumani the day we were there but the waves were HUGE. You could hear them crashing and although we guessed they had to be 10-15 feet high. It was unreal. I was pretty cold by the end of the ride and we were all hungry so we hit up a cute little cafe afterward for some grub.
Bread bowl of clam chowder - yum.

Back to Portland and Kaitie and I headed over to the Zoo to check out their light display. The second Tuesday of the month they offer a special $2 admission and it just so happened today was the day. So we took advantage of the cheap entertainment, bundled up, and walked the Zoo.
It was pretty cool - they had a ton of lights up. We also got to see the elephants - including the 2 year old baby Sam.
Another great day hanging out in Oregon. It was time to get serious again and the trip to Bend on Wednesday loomed. Kaitie left with Daniel and Linda in the morning while I hung out and waited for Jordan and Jim to fly in. I ran a few errands and was constantly impressed by the mountains.
I did a little window shopping in Portland and got some lunch in a cute neighborhood. I was sort of puzzled by this sign but found it funny nonetheless.
Finally it was time to pick up the guys and head to Bend. The fun was just beginning.

Portland USGP

2009-12-17T10:49:00.008-06:00

Okay . . . I've been an especially bad blogger. 10 days spent in Oregon and my only internet access consisted of using a crappy hotel computer that crashed multiple times and my IPod touch which was very useful but not so great for blog updates. So we're going to go backwards with the entries - first a USGP entry, then some Portland adventures, and finally a Bend/Nationals update. Hopefully I haven't lost my handful of loyal readers in my absence! If you want more Team Planet Bike content head on over to the Team blog where there are lots of race recaps and photos. All I have to say is what an honor it is to be a part of the Planet Bike team and the successful season we have had.

Alright . . . here we go . . . the trip began with lots of aiports

Here was my view leaving Madison. A light dusting of snow on the ground - the first we've gotten on the year. I flew to Chicago where I met up with Kaitie and we headed to Seattle.

A view of the setting sun from my seat on the plane. I've never been to Seattle before so I needed a shot. Someday I'll have to go back - I hear it's an awesome place. Once we were in the air to Portland I was in awe of this mountain pushing up through the clouds.
A quick survey of my flight companions concluded that this was Mt. Rainier - very rugged and way cool to see. Kaitie and I arrived at PDX and quickly gathered our luggage and hurried to get our rental car. We were hoping to make it to the USGP Number presentation at Hopworks Brewery. Turns out all 3 of us (Linda, Kaitie, and myself) made it into the top 10 and thus would be presented with our numbers in a ceremony. We made it with time to spare and decided to get a picture with this sweet bike/bar.
The number ceremony was fun and we got to rub elbows with all the cool kids. Linda played up her superfan persona and snapped pictures of anyone and everyone. Kaitie and I give her a lot of crap about this but it's nice to have the photos ;) We also met up with Daniel and Dave G. who drove our bikes all the way out to Oregon - you're the man Dave, thank you tons! Thanks to everyone associated with the USGP as well - it's been a blast racing the series in its entirety and the announcing crew always gives a lot of praise to Planet Bike and the team for their support of the sport. Likewise we appreciate the opportunity to participate in some high caliber, well organized events - thanks to Joan, Bruce, Barb, and countless others for their hard work!

We were starving so we hit up the amazing Paradox Cafe for some tasty food and a discussion of the weekend's race course. Daniel used napkins to draw it all out for us.

Somehow Portland was dry and sunny the week leading up to the races - rather unusual for a city known for its rain. But it was still chilly and there was a lot of fog Saturday morning. Luckily most of it had disappeared by the time we got to the venue - Portland International Raceway.
Supercool course with a mix of motocross dirt track and some twisty sections of tacky mud in the woods. The series of swoopy bumps was so much fun. We really enjoyed our preride and the wet mud had dried up by the start of our race.

photo: Dave McElwaine

Off we went. There was a big crash on our first passing through a sloppy mud section and riders were flailing. I think only about 7 made it through and unfortunately we all got stuck behind it. It was time to try to make up some ground. This picture doesn't do the terrain justice - riders were catching air off these - so fun!

photo: Dave McElwaine

I was riding alright but admittedly am not a great technical rider. Luckily there were enough straight away power sections that I could make up for that a bit anyway. The last lap my left foot didn't unclip right away and I nearly smashed into the barriers. My bike hit them and my chain dropped. I quickly put it back on and was able to keep off the chasing rider behind me to finish 13th. Linda rode awesome to finish 8th and Kaitie a strong 11th.
Following the race I noticed Kaitie was talking to some random guy who I assumed was interviewing her. Turns out she was picked as a random for drug testing. The one race we're at all year that actually is testing and Kaitie is the lucky one! Since she's under 18 I got to be her representative and hang out in the tent with her. What a process! Interesting to talk to the nice couple who work for USADA though. We watched the mens race afterward and then packed up to head home. The venue also had a Christmas light drive going on and we figured we'd check it out. Little did we know we were driving the wrong direction and when we finally got to the "end" there were a line of cars waiting to enter - woops!
After cleaning up Kaitie and I headed to a little local pizza joint while Linda got dinner with her family. Portland has so many cool neighborhoods and restaurants and the cycling culture there is awesome. Bike lanes everywhere! And the Planet Bike Superflash is the light to have there - I saw the boom, boom, pow light pattern on many bikes.

The next day was even colder (high of 35F) and extremely windy. Brr. We layered up and got on the course which had quite a few changes. A few tough short steep hills with some thick mud going into them. Another techie course but again a lot of fun. The long headwind section was cold and speed zapping.
Off we went for Day 2. Getting through traffic was again tough on the first lap as many riders were forced to dismount a few sections as there were only one or two good lines.

photo: Dave McElwaine

I felt like I was riding okay but just never got in a good rhythm. I bobbled a couple of times on a section I had ridden every lap on Saturday and my confidence was shaken. I ended up 17th - a bit disappointed but so it goes. Linda, who has been riding like a rockstar got another top 10 with a 9th place finish, and Kaitie was just behind her for 12th.

Cyclingnews report
A cooldown on the trainers and then another chance to be a superfan with the guys race. We bundled up and ran around the course trying to see how fast the guys can ride some of the tricky spots.
Eventual race winner JPow over the barriers.

I also got a little post race recovery food - fries! C'mon - it's a cross race - live it up.
We had dinner that night with some Wisconsin transplants to Portland, Dan and Jen, as well as a friend from Madison, Dave T, who was in town for the cyclocross spectacle that was hitting Oregon for the week. Excellent food once again and following dinner some more Midwest crossers joined us for drinks and conversation. Kaitie and I had to pull the plug around 9 though as we were pretty much falling asleep at the table - maybe we were still on CST?

And so concludes the first leg of the journey. Next up we had 2.5 days to do something we hardly ever get to do while travelling for cross races . . . we got to be tourists!

Kaitie A. in CX Magazine, UCI standings

2009-12-05T09:01:00.003-06:00

Team Planet Bike's 17 year old cross sensation Kaitlin Antonneau has been competing in Elite UCI events all season and her strong results are starting to get noticed. Cyclocross Magazine recently interviewed Kaitie about how her season has been going. Read the article here.

This week the UCI point rankings were updated and the Planet Bike women have all four of their Elite riders in the top 50. Katie Compton still reigns supreme in 1st with Kristin 39th, Linda 40th, and Kaitlin 43rd. Kaitlin is the only rider under the age of 20 in the top 50. Way to go ladies!

On the mens side Jonathan Page is ranked 22nd, Mark LaLalonde 75th, Tristan Schouten 87th, and James LaLonde 175th.

Full UCI rankings can be found here

Jingle through the Mud

2009-12-01T07:30:00.010-06:00

Had a super fun three days spent in Iowa City, IA for the Jingle Cross Rock UCI events. This is my 4th year coming down for the races and this was the first time that they added on a Friday night under the lights race. I convinced Dave to join us for the weekend which was awesome as we got to spend a weekend together and he even raced too. This meant we got to bring Cider too. We broke out the down jacket for her as it was chilly and she's a wimp.The night race was pretty intense. They had some really cool lighting that helped with visibility. There were still a couple of dark corners where you couldn't really see what you were riding over but that made it kind of fun!
They had forewarned us that record rainfalls in the month of November would make things muddy. My overly optimistic attitude told me it was beautiful outside and would dry up. . . . not so much. It was a mixture of sloppy, thick mud and it was a mess. And it was wrecking equipment. I must have seen or heard of 20-30 rear derailleurs busting. The worst was the pea gravel sections after the mud. The rocks would stick to the mud, get lodged somewhere and then you were done for. The grassy mud was also clogging up near the brakes and bottom bracket - not good. And the course was tough. Up and down the famed Mt. Krumpit the run up was incredibly long, steep, and muddy. Shouldering the bike was essential if you didn't want it to weigh 50 pounds from all the mud that would collect on it while pushing. And then you got to come down the ridiculously steep, rutted, off camber switchbacks. I didn't preride - might as well let the fear hit me in race mode! Bike changes were going to be crucial too and luckily we had an amazing pit crew with Chris, Dave, Daniel, and Jim all helping out.

A solid crew of Midwest women signed up for the race with national powerhouse (and fellow UW alum!) Meredith Miller also showing up. She's the current US road national champ and is a talented rider and she's super nice. Linda led out for the first little bit before Kaitie ended up getting around and getting a bit of a gap on all of us. She's a great mudder and it showed. Super announcer Dave Towle was calling out her name along with his usual grandiose analogies. Meredith was just biding her time though and came around on the next lap to take the lead. At one point Linda, Kaitie, and I were all chasing Meredith together on like the second lap and the announcer was dramatizing the situation - calling us the aramada and saying we weren't friends anymore as we were all trying to outrace each other. It was pretty funny. Kaitie pulled away from us and I was back in a group with Linda and Rebecca Much and by the end of the third lap had gotten ahead of both of them to sit in 3rd place. The course was a mess but it was fun. I was running down a few of the crazy off camber descents and riding a couple. I'm certainly not a great mud racer but I think my balance is at least improving - now I just have to stop grabbing so much brake! Lots of cheering fans made for a great atmosphere. The order stayed the same - Meredith won, Kaitie 2nd, and I was 3rd. Linda was 4th proving that us Planet Bike women are really closely matched. We were all taking bikes every lap and huge thanks go out to all of the guys in the pit working for us. Trying to pit for three people who generally ride very close together and all wear the same kit is not an easy task - and it was dark out!

photo: Velonews

The next day the sun was out and it was really nice out - mid 50s. Mud had dried up a bit but was still causing some problems. Here's Chris working hard on cleaning the bikes. He had a lot of bikes to take care of this weekend and he did a great job.

Here's Jim C's bike after his race - yuck!

Luckily he didn't break any derailleurs but I knew of at least two riders who had broken them on Friday, bought new ones, and then broke them again on Saturday. Bad luck!!

Here is Cider chilling out in the van while James pins his numbers.

Dave slapped on a PB skinsuit on Saturday and had a great race in the 2/3s. He ended up 12th - not bad for only having one bike and not really racing much cross this year!
Linda, Kaitie, and I decided to wear white on Saturday. Why not? It was a beautiful muddy day! Jordan was also wearing his white skinsuit underneath his jacket and pants. That kid tore it up this weekend taking 3rd in the 2/3s race on Friday and winning his juniors race on Saturday and Sunday - he's 14!?!
So the course was changed up a bit for Saturday - this time a really steep run up (still so long!) and a slippery straight descent down. Similar situation as Friday with Meredith proving her strength and going off the front early in the race. This time Linda was chasing after her with myself and Kari Studley battling for 3rd. I didn't have the oomph today and ended up 4th. Kaitie was 6th. Whew - too much running in these races! My quads were killing me and my shoulder was bruised from all the bike carrying - I know I'm a whiner!

photo: jared roy

We then watched the mens race - Tristan, Mark, and James were racing. Tristan and Mark were both in a chase group of 4 guys going for 2nd place behind Todd Wells. Marko crashed late in the race and had to chase back on. Tristan rode awesome and finished 2nd with Mark in 4th. Nice racing guys!

Saturday night we amassed the large Planet Bike crew and had dinner together. It was a lot of fun and is a little taste of what things are to be like out in Bend for Nationals.
Here Kaitie and Jim are scheming up something. Those two plus Jordan are always looking to pull pranks. I better watch my back in Bend . . . or should I say they better watch theirs ;)
Sunday was cool and windy with just some sun in the morning. The festive atmosphere was taken to a new level during the single speed race when a crew of bikini clad riders hit the course. It was awesome and for a second I felt like I was in Portland.

One final day of racing and another tough trip up and down the "mountain". My legs were killing me today - the running was taking it's toll for sure and a good warm up on the trainer was going to be important. I started out fast and knew I wanted to be first through the barriers so I could get through a likely bottleneck area. I actually got a gap on Meredith and led the lap until she passed me going up the hill. I tried in vain to stick to her wheel and was left chasing her the rest of the race. The switchbacks down Krumpet were so steep and I was pretty scared going down each time. photo: Nikicyp

Somehow I made it down the first lap but then crashed into the snow fencing on the second lap. I lost a bit of time and I could see Kaitie gaining on me. photo: Nikicyp

The next trip down I dabbed again and we rode together for a bit before she pulled away. On the last lap I could see Linda coming up on me too and despite my slow descending I held her off to finish on the podium again in 3rd.

photo: Mark Considine

photo: Nikicyp

The mens race was another impressive ride by the Planet Bike guys. This time Marko was on the podium for 3rd and Tristan was 4th.

What an awesome three days of racing. Thanks so much to everyone who helped make it happen and who helped make things go smoothly.

Chris

Daniel and Dave G.

Gordy and Jimmer

and Dave!

Jingle Cross was a great way to wrap up the Midwest racing and a good preparation for what we might face in Oregon! I fly out Friday to Portland for the USGP finale. I'm incredibly excited for the racing and the opportunity to visit Oregon. We'll have a few days off after that before we drive over to Bend and get ready for Nationals. We've got at least 16 Planet Bike riders racing out there and it's going to be a blast. I'm predicting some good things!

Thanks so much to all of the sponsors - Bob and Planet Bike especially. And thanks for stopping by to see if I've actually updated yet! No promises but I'll try to update from Oregon!

North Carolina - UCI win!

2009-11-24T09:02:00.012-06:00

We decided to make the 12 hour drive down to North Carolina to race in a couple of UCI events in Hendersonville (just south of Asheville). Sure it's a long drive but we knew it was a chance to get some valuable UCI points, some $$, and a perfectly good excuse to go to one of the most beautiful states in the country. We could also keep the trip cheap as the promoter was offering free entry to all Elites and we were going to stay with my friend and Kenda teammate Kat at the awesome house she rents in the mountains.

So we started our journey on Thursday night with Kaitie, James, Linda, Daniel (Linda's husband and our team support for the weekend!), and myself. We drove to Seymour, IN (the home of John Mellencamp in case you didn't know) before calling it quits for the night and then driving the final 7 hours on Friday.
Things were going well and we were enjoying the amazing mountainous scenery of the drive. Little did we know that a major rockslide shut down our intended route through NC and we had to take a detour - shoot! We were chasing daylight now and our hopes of preriding the course weren't looking promising. Daniel is driving like a champ when all of a sudden we hear a "woop, woop" . . . ahhh yes, we were getting pulled over. Didn't help that the interstate was a total speed trap with a limit of 55 on a major four lane road. We sit politely while he goes over the documents and then a second cop car pulls up. Geez - we get a bit nervous now. Unbeknownst to us, apparently I-26 is a major drug trafficking route and the good ole boys in Tennessee have to search every vehicle they stop. A third car pulls up, we sigh silently in our heads, and one by one file out of the van to get frisked and stand by the side of the road while they start picking through our stuff. Now we've got absolutely nothing to hide so we're not really nervous but rather just annoyed and bothered by how long this is likely to take.
James was able to slyly take this photo. Luckily I only had my ankles patted down. So we stand by the side of the road making small talk with the cop. The two guys searching the van occasionally stick their heads out to spit from the dip of tobacco in their lower lips. After about 10 minutes I think they realize we're really not drug dealers masquerading as a bike racing team and thankfully don't take out the bikes and go through the back of the van. We all sort of laugh at the predicament, get back in the van, and drive slowly and carefully our final hour to Hendersonville.

We actually made it in time to ride one lap in the dusky dark and with the lights at the park we got a good idea of what we were in for. Fun course for sure - a good mix of some trail in the woods, some swoops, straight stretches, a hill run up, and a short steep grassy wall before the finish. We also met up with Linda's coach, Dave, who was also helping us out for the weekend.

We did a little grocery shopping and had some tasty dinner in the very cute downtown of Hendersonville before driving the 10 miles to Saluda where Kat is staying. It was great to see her and we so appreciate her opening the house up to all of us. It is beautiful there and this is the sight we awoke to.
Saturday looked to be beautiful with sun and temps in the low 60s. We got to the course and registered.
Very cool park with lots of wooded areas and I loved that the course went through some of them.

Team PB warming up.

So with only 15 women signed up for the race and not a lot of huge names we knew that this was a chance for us to do well. Maybe a little road racing tactics of attacking and counter attacking if possible. From the gun Kaitie went to the front before Dede came around but we were still a big group. I decided it was time to give it a go and attacked.

photo thanks to Shane Orr

I got a decent little gap and had maybe 5-10 seconds lead by the end of lap 1. I could see Dede Winfield riding alone behind me and kept the pace steady. She bridged up to me by the middle of the lap. I wasn't going to pull hard as I hoped perhaps Linda or Kaitie might bridge up to us and we'd have a better shot of going 1/2. Dede threw down a few attacks but I vowed to stick to her wheel.

photo thanks to Shane Orr

The laps ticked by and as we rode the course I realized that I was climbing the "wall" much better than she was and needed to be in front of her as we went into that. There was only about 200 meters to the line following the climb so the first one over the wall would likely win the race. As we went into it before bell lap I took the shortest line whereas she took a diagonal line and I was forced to put a foot down as I ran into her back wheel. I attacked before the woods hoping to get ahead of her there but I took a bad line and she came around. I got out of the saddle and pushed to get back onto her wheel. As we came into the grassy turns I attacked again and put it all out there to try to get a gap. I could hear the crowd cheering as I crested the wall and as I made the final turn onto the pavement I sprinted, looked back to make sure my lead was safe, and raised my arms. Incredibly awesome feeling to have won a UCI race! Dede is a strong rider and it was great to have the race play out like it did. Linda finished 3rd and Kaitie 4th. Excellent finishes for the PB women. Thanks so much to both Daniel and Dave for helping us out and working the pits. Linda and I got some really cool homemade trophies - sweet!
We cleaned up and then watched James race in the mens race. He was having some stomach issues and wasn't feeling top notch but still finished a solid 12th.

photo thanks to Shane Orr

Kaitie and Linda goofing around as usualMmm, post race bagel

Following the race we headed back to Kat's to clean up and James and Daniel even rode their bikes down the mountain to let their tires touch South Carolina. The setting sun over the mountains was spectacular. Then dinner at the Purple Onion - a cute little cafe in Saluda. Yum.

Followed by some intense air hocky action. Kat is unstoppable. No one was able to beat her, I think the duck slippers must have had something to do with it.

James did manage to score a goal against her somehow though.

The next morning we awoke to rain and temps in the 40s. We knew this was coming and my crazy mud loving teammates were super excited for the wet course conditions.
The spitting rain turned steady maybe 30 minutes before our race. The course was thin, slippery mud but luckily wouldn't bog the bikes down and bike changes would probably not be necessary. Brr it was cold though and all of the women huddled under a tent and shed lots of layers on the line. Off we went and Dede took the hole shot with Kaitie and I close behind. The third swoopy corner I took a little too hot and down I went - sliding across the mud. Back up and in nearly last place I began trying to move up. Linda was on the front killing it.

photo thanks to Shane Orr

I kept picking off riders and as I neared the end of the first lap I came upon Linda trying to put her chain back on! She had gone down and dropped her chain. I passed by her and she lost nearly a minute with the mechanical. Soon I moved into third place with Kaitie in front of me and Dede in front of her. That would be the rest of the race. I tried to get to Kaitie but just couldn't get there.

photo thanks to Shane Orr

She's an excellent mud rider and she finished second - about 30 seconds behind Dede. I was 3rd about 20 seconds back from Kaitie. Linda fought incredibly hard after her mechanical and was 4th.

photo thanks to Jeff Zimmerman

After the race I couldn't really feel my fingers or toes and Linda and Kaitie were shivering uncontrollably. We wanted to take more pictures but we needed to get cleaned up and into warm, dry clothes. Here's a picture of the bike.
I sprayed down with a hose and oddly enough the water almost felt warm compared to the air temp. We warmed up the van and got toasty before heading to the podium. More cool trophies.
Yakima had some tents set up with firepits so we went and hung out there to stay out of the rain. They also had free coffee and brownies.

The course was a sloppy mess. Here's the wall - it was virtually unrideable although a few guys were making it up.

James was riding really well in the messphoto thanks to Shane Orr
It was cold and rainy

James rode awesome and finished 6th - he was just a little bit dirty after the race

Ouch - mud in the eyes!

Congrats to fellow Wisconsinite Brian Matter who had a great weekend of racing to take 3rd and 2nd on the weekend.And then we got in the van and drove . . . or moreso Daniel drove. That guy is a rockstar - he got us all the way to Chicago. We pulled into Madison at 3:30AM safe, sound, and a little muddy. What a trip. Hands down one of the best race trips of the season. Granted taking the win probalby skews my perspective a bit but it was a beautiful drive, an awesome course, varied conditions, great people, and overall just a fun experience. Thanks to all the sponsors who help make it possible - Planet Bike especially.

Huge thanks go out to all of our great helpers this weekend!! Daniel helped us with bikes, worked the pits, and drove much of the way. He also entertained us with lots of fire fighter stories.
Dave helped make sure the bikes were dialed in, worked the pits, and helped clean them all up after Sunday. We really appreciated all of his hard work!
And Kat for hosting us for the weekend. We loved staying with her in the mountains and really appreciated her hospitality. And not only will she kick your butt in air hockey but she makes really good pumpkin pie too. Thanks so much!

Thanks so much for reading! A quick trip home for Thanksgiving followed by 3 days of UCI racing in Iowa City for Jingle Cross and then the Oregon beckons. USGP Portland and Nats in Bend. We're in the home stretch and I'm enjoying every minute.

Muddy Jersey

2009-11-19T06:13:00.011-06:00

The third installment of USGP racing in New Jersey last weekend. Left on Thursday with Kaitie and our buddy Chris (who served as our mechanic for the weekend) for the 15 hour drive. Big Beaver Falls, PA served as our resting place for the night before finishing up the drive on Friday and picking up Marko at the airport in Philly. Linda also flew in and met us at the course for the preride. The preride was actually cancelled but we were on the road all day and did not realize this . . . so we rode anyway :)

Rain all day had left soft grassy ground primed to turn into thick mud. If the course had a chance to dry out it would have been flat, fast, and all about power. But it misted rain all night and we knew this would be a sort of deja vu experience from last year in NJ.

Headed into downtown Princeton for some tasty pizza at Cafe Theresa. It was a hopping place and we even ran into Meredith and Cody from Cal Giant who also decided pizza was a good prerace meal choice. Alas I forgot my camera but the highlight was Mark getting a pizza that had egg on it - called the Uova - it was pretty impressive.

Saturday we woke up to more misting rain and reports that the course was a mess. Bike changes were going to be key today and we were ready although poor Chris was a bit worried about having to help 3 of us in the womens race. This would be tricky. This year at least more of the course was rideable but there were still a couple sections you had to run. It was thick, grassy mud that quickly bogged down the drivetrain and wheels - ick.

I'm going to keep the report brief. Huge field here this weekend - except for Compton - all the top riders were present. Getting anywhere near a top 10 would be awesome. I had a great start - clipped in, up in the top 10, and then we hit the muck. I was doing alright and just trying to get through the mud. I was in the top 15 for awhile but decided to not take a bike change until the third lap. This was likely a mistake as it was getting clogged up. There were about three sections you had to run and this was definitely slowing me down as well. I was at least happy to not fall down at all today. I was balancing fairly well through the slop and my lines (while not fast!!) at least kept me upright. I ended up 19th on the day with Linda finishing an impressive 12th and Kaitie 14th. Not super happy with the result but so it goes. I'm trying to improve my technical, muddy skills but that's a slow process for me! Thanks Chris for all your help in the pit! Trying to help out 3 ladies in one race is a feat and he did a great job!

We cleaned up and watched the guys race. Another slogfest and Mark finished 19th.

We then headed over to Linda's friend's house for dinner. She cooked us up a bunch of pasta which was awesome.

Thanks for the dinner Anjou!

We headed back to the hotel and made ourselves some dessert. Smores!

Sunday the sun was out and the course dried out a bit. It was definitely tackier and would make for a faster race but it was still soft and messy. Luckily dry enough that the bikes didn't get bogged down and getting bike changes would not be necessary.

Another good start for me. That has long been a problem for me and I was happy to have a weekend where that wasn't an issue. I didn't exactly get the hole shot but going into the grass in the top 10 is good enough for me. A muddy 180 turn with a slight hill caused many to dismount and clogged things up a bit. I picked off a few riders and just tried to take advantage of the straights. There were some muddy turns that I was taking awful lines through. I felt ridiculously slow and after the race Kaitie told me she was running them. She was riding like a rockstar, by the way, KFA is her new nickname. Doesn't quite have the ring to it that KFC does but you get the point. She ended up a very strong 10th place and nabbed the last UCI point spot. Linda passed me on the last lap to finish 13th and I was 14th. An improvement and given the field of tough riders I'll take it. Check out the team blog for more pictures, links to various reports, and full results.

PB girls post race

We cooled down, cleaned up, and watched some of the guys race. Marko in action

The fans were pretty good throughout the weekend and by the stair run up the cheering was great. During the races they stuck chips and dollar bills in the mud for riders to grab. Odd but funny.

Dorito and dollar bill alley

We had to hit the road right after the mens race so that we could drop Mark off in Philly and he could catch his flight. A quick stop at a Chipotle after that for some burritos and then began the long drive home. Made it to Akron, OH on Sunday night and then finished the rest on Monday.

And now we're hitting the road again! This time to North Carolina for some racing in Hendersonville. These are UCI events and are generally not attended by lots of people so it's a good opportunity for us to go after some points. Kaitie, Linda, James, and myself will make the trip down. We'll be staying with my KENDA teammate Kat for the weekend and I can't wait to see her!

Thanks to all of the sponsors for making all this travel and racing possible - Edge, Lazer, Ridley, TRP, and especially Planet Bike. Thanks also to Chris for all his help this weekend!
And thanks to everyone who still checks in to see if I've posted yet - sorry to be such a slacker about updating!

Race Local

2009-11-11T07:13:00.004-06:00

photo thanks to djonnymac

This past weekend was the last time I'd be racing in Wisconsin for the rest of the season. I've got an ambitious and busy travel schedule these next 5 weekends leading up to Nationals. So I was excited be at home and have two back to back races in the state series. Sure it's cool to travel and do the big events but we've got an awesome group of people and events here in Wisconsin. Racing local is fun.

Saturday we were in Whitewater and the course went up and down this huge hill at a local park. Very physically tough course with lots of climbing. We had our Indian Summer this week too with temps in the upper 60 and lots of sun. I'll take that any day over rain and cold and it felt awesome to ride in short sleeves. Dave decided to come along too despite recently getting over the flu. The bug he had was bad - out for a solid week - and I'm not sure how I managed to avoid it but I did. A brutal course to come back to as there was no going "easy" and only one stretch to "recover" on.

It was a small turnout and we had 6 women in the race including my teammate Kaitie (that's my junior teammate Kaitie A. - KFC was off in France smoking the competition). We start and Kaitie takes the lead with Sam S. and myself following. She goes off course on a corner and we come around as she tries to get back on the bike. I sit on Sam's wheel figuring that Kaitie can catch back up - I really want us to go 1,2 in the race. After two laps I can see Kaitie has moved up well and is not too far behind us. On the longest climb I attack around Sam and give it a go. This race hurt! All of the climbing made it tough and it seemed like we did a zillion laps. On the last two laps I could see Kaitie had moved up into second place and was now hunting me down! :) I wouldn't have minded at all if she had passed me but I admit I was trying to hold her off! She has great endurance and really seems to get stronger as the race goes on. I took the win and she finished 2nd.

I then stayed and watched Dave race with the 30+ guys. I often do this race too but not on this course when there's another race tomorrow. He rode well for a guy who lost 5 pounds in a week and hadn't been on a bike much the past 2 weeks. It was fun to cheer the guys on a bit and chat with some fellow racers/fans.

Sunday was Estabrook in Milwaukee. I've always liked this race - in a park along the river. Pretty flat and mostly a power course but a few twists and turns and a fun little stretch in the woods. Dave decided to sit this one out so Cider and I drove to Milwaukee and met up with my parents, brother, and his girlfriend who came out to watch some cross racing on a beautiful day.

I decided to do two races today and wanted to really go out hard in the womens event. My starts haven't exactly been a strength for me and I wanted to push it now in preparation for the UCI races to come. The women in those races certainly don't ease into things and my version of "fast" is still slow compared to theirs! So off we went and I was out of the saddle and sprinting hard. Sam was on my wheel for two laps before she slipped off. I was passing a lot of masters men who started in front of us and used them as carrots the rest of the race. It's easy to settle in and be complacent when you're off the front but I tried to accelerate quickly out of the corners and push it on the straightaways. All the cheering superfans made doing that so much easier! Thanks especially to my family for coming out and for Chris and Billy yelling for me over the barriers! I took the win and then lined up for the 30+ mens race.

photo thanks to djonnymac

I didn't quite have the energy to push super hard in this race so more just tried to have a good steady effort and get some more solid training in. Seeing that we had 11 laps in the race made me wonder if I'd really make it through them all! I settled in though and just tried to keep up a good pace and have some fun. That really is the whole point of cross! I ended up 8th out of about 15 guys. James killed it in the Mens Elite race and won. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel did a nice little write up of the race here.

thanks Renee!

After the race I went out to dinner with my family at Cafe Hollander. Cool little restaurant on Downers Ave. that sponsors a cycling team. Tasty food and fun to hang out with my family and celebrate my moms birthday a day early.

All in all a great weekend of racing. Next up is the third weekend of USGP racing - this time in New Jersey. Last year this was a mudfest. This year's forecast thus far looks better. Kaitie, Linda, Mark and myself will represent for Planet Bike. Should be fun. Road trip starts tomorrow! Thanks for reading!

Wisconsin Halloween Race

2009-11-02T19:44:00.006-06:00

So after some fleeting thoughts of going to Boulder for some UCI racing in the mud we decided to take a weekend off of travel and race locally. The Midwest has a great scene and it's always fun to stay home and support the local events. I missed out on the Halloween race last year as it coincided with the Louisville USGP so it was nice to be a part of it this year. Breaking out of my normal boring routine I decided to actually attempt a costume this year. Granted I wasn't quite as intricate as many of my fellow racers I was proud of myself for at least making an effort! Devil horns and red fish net stockings are cheap and easy!

Teammate Kaitie was a cute lady bug - nice!

Made the trip to Milwaukee alone as unfortunately Dave has caught the dreaded swine flu. He was laid out on the couch for 4 days so I headed to the race planning on doing both the womens and mens 30+ race. Dave is leading the overall 30+ category so I told him I'd do my best to try to beat some of his closest competition!

All in all a perfect day for racing with cool, windy temps. Course was a bit wet in a couple spots from all the rain the day before. Two sets of barriers (one set on a hill) and the dreaded coffin jump were the obstacles for the day. Lots of people were choosing to run the coffins as they were pretty wide. I figured I'd make my decision once I got to them! About 10 women on the line so a pretty small field - awesome to see about 30 women raced the two lower catergory races earlier in the day though. Kaitie, Sam Schneider, and I formed a group early on. Halfway through the lap I came around and tried to push the pace a bit. By the start of lap 2 I had a gap on them and soon saw that Kaitie had pulled away from Sam.

Other than the first and last lap (when there were some riders nearby me and I decided to run) I jumped the coffins. I have to say that I was pretty nervous about smacking my rear wheel each lap. I also heard about some nasty endo's and I really didn't want to do that. All the pictures I've seen show me with this goofy look on my face - jaw clenched and bracing for impact. I'm just happy I made it over.

With two laps to go I saw my teammate Patti down on the ground near the start/finish. She had several people around her and it didn't look good. She was unable to finish but luckily nothing was broken. Then I noticed I couldn't see Kaitie anymore and as the course looped back I saw her shouldering her bike and I knew she had a mechanical. Her front deraileur bolt had popped out and she had to run for nearly half a lap.
Unfortunately Kaitie's mechanical caused her to drop back and finish 4th behind Sam and Holly Klug who were 3rd and 4th, respectively. So after the womens race I tried to stay warm and then lined up with the guys for the 1/2/3 30+ race. There were about 15 guys on the line. Off we went and I tried to steadily move my way up as the race wore on. It's fun to do the mens race because you can stick with a group of guys generally and try to be more tactical. I was trying to be smart and ride the course technically well. I decided to use some Dugast Rhyno tires today and I have to say those things are amazing. They really handle well and I feel so much more confident taking corners hot with them. By about halfway through the race I had picked off some guys and was feeling alright - admittedly I was ready to be done though too!
On the last lap I was with another guy and I wanted to try to beat him so I turned on the gas through the twists and turns and then put my head down for the final pavement stretch before the finish. I was happy to hold him off and finish 5th. Thanks to all of the costumed super fans on the hill - they were awesome.

Some more costumes on the day included the classic Tighty Whitey

Katy's impressive hand sequined showgirl outfit (during the mens elite race she put on a trench coat and was "flashing" riders as they ran up the hill - hilarious!)
and Holly's Cruella deVille

We've got lots of creative and artistic racers and it was super fun to see everyone's creations.

Another weekend at home planned with two Wisconsin races. The next month will be filled with travel after that so I'm enjoying the down time. I'm also desperately trying to avoid getting sick - Dave is finally starting to feel better but I figure I'm not out of the woods yet. Keep drinking that Echinacea tea!

Thanks to Renee for all of the great photos used here!

Trick or Treat

2009-10-31T20:32:00.002-05:00

Awww yeah - nothing like racing bikes on Halloween. I even put forth a weak attempt at a costume. The coffin jump scared me every lap but somehow I managed to clear it. Thanks to Kerry Drake for the sweet picture. Report and definitely more photos later.

USGP Louisville

2009-10-29T07:20:00.009-05:00

Second weekend of USGP racing in Louisville. We loaded up the van on Friday morning and a good crew of Planet Bikers headed down to Kentucky. We had several junior riders come with us which was pretty cool. The Planet Bike team has so much talent across so many ages and it's awesome when a bunch of us can come together and race. This weekend we had Emma (age 12), Jordan (age 14), and Sarah (age 14) plus our Elite junior Kaitie (age 17). Marko and myself both raced Elite and then Bob and Greg came out for the Masters races. Mechanic David and Jordan's dad Jim rounded out the group and helped us out all weekend.

After driving in the rain the entire morning it was nice to see the sun as we crossed the Ohio River in Louisville.

Always a good idea to see the course before the race and we enjoyed the 70 degree temps and got in a preride.
Totally flat course with lots of straight power stretches. Soggy, spongy grass with a few muddy ditches and a couple of packed down sand pits. And who could forget about the Green Monster.
Not really as bad as it might seem - the steps are huge though and hoisting your bike up (when you're short like me!) is no easy feat. You also have to be careful not to clip your pedal on the ramp as you fly down - often unclipped.

We got a little muddy on the preride - we tried to stay clean but at some point we just gave up and tried to have fun with it.
After cleaning up and checking in at the hotel we headed out to grab some dinner at PF Chang's. Had a really fun time with everyone and we even finished things off with the Great Wall of Chocolate - 2 of them to be exact.
We had a little competition - 4 adults vs. 4 juniors - who could polish off the wall first? I'm proud and somewhat surprised to say we whooped up on those kids.

The next morning Jim and the juniors headed off to the venue early for the races. Katie and I slept in, ate breakfast, and watched some MTV - we're lazy Elite racers and drove out to the course a bit later. We were pleased to hear that Jordan won the Boys 15-16, Emma won the Girls 10-14, and Sarah was 3rd in the Womens 3/4. Way to go everyone!

We made it to the course and watched the guys finish their masters races - Greg won the 55+ race by a huge margin. Bob was 9th in the 45+. Not bad for a guy who had spent the week overseas on business! Kaitie and I warmed up on trainers and got ready for the race - the sun even peeked out and with temps in the upper 50s the conditions were perfect.

Kaitie and I both got front row call ups in the field of about 40 riders. It was great to see and catch up with lots of fellow racers - the USGPs always have a good turnout. Off we go and the muddy ditches soon after the start caused a bit of a bottleneck. I had a decent start and was maybe 12th through the first set of barriers. I tried to move through some riders on the first lap and settled into the top 10 by the start of the second lap.

By the third lap I was 9th and saw Sue Butler just in front of me. Sue is a really strong rider and I knew she was having an off day. I tried to pass her quickly and continue moving up. As I heard bell lap I saw Alison Sydor maybe 10 seconds up on me. photo thanks to Dave McElwaine

I tried to take advantage of the straightaways and bridged up to her. The possibility of taking 6th place seemed very real and I tried to take advantage. I came around her with half a lap to go but couldn't shake her and she came back around as we headed up the Green Monster the final time. She came back around me and I tried to stick to her wheel through the last twisty, muddy sections. As we came out on the road she turned on the gas and I couldn't come around. I crossed the line in 7th - solid.

Kaitie rode really well and finished in 10th for the final UCI points spot.
The race was a blast - it was just muddy enough to be fun. Bike didn't get bogged down and you still got to play around in some sloppy sections. And being more of a power rider the soft, flat sections suited me well. Kaitie and I post race.
We ditched our dirty bikes and went and cooled down on the clean pit bikes. There's this awesome road near the course that was beautiful with all the colorful leaves.After our ride we cleaned up and headed out to watch the Elite men race.
The junior Planet Bike riders are rock stars. They got up early, raced early, and then hung out on course the entire day to watch the rest of the races. Here are Emma and Sarah during the Mens race.
Marko had a solid race. He wasn't feeling super good but he still managed to finish 13th which is still points for guys at a C1 event. You can see the muddy straights were getting good and rutty by the end of the day.
Post race we loaded up the vehicles and chilled at the hotel for a bit before getting dinner together at a local Mexican restaurant. Another fun night with the team and we relaxed for a bit back at the hotel before calling it a night. So last week we Punk'd Linda by hiding her bike on her and I knew that more pranks would be pulled as the season went on. So I'm crawling into bed and as I sit on the edge of the bed (in the dark room!) I feel all these weird cold things in my bed. Kaitie had put a bunch of juice boxes under the covers - I was pretty confused!
Watch out Kaitie - you're next! Actually Jim got her Sunday morning by putting sausages from the continental breakfast in her boots - eww!

The juniors again made us proud on Sunday with more great finishes - Jordan repeated and won again, Emma was 2nd, and Sarah won the womens 3/4. Greg also won the 55+. Way to go everyone!

Temps were a bit warmer on Sunday and again the sun was out so the course was a bit drier and faster. A few changes to the course had us go through a muddy section with a stair run up and then through a sloppy puddle that had formed from the bike wash near the pit.

Off we go. I had one of my best starts of the year. Clipped in immediately and was sitting in 7th place through the first set of barriers. A group of 5 had formed and Amy Dombroski and I were chasing after them - actually I was desperately trying to stick to Amy's wheel!
By the end of the first lap she had gapped me slightly and I was riding alone. This was pretty much the entire race for me. And I even took a dollar hand up on the second lap - the guy made it so easy! I was feeling slightly worse than Saturday and found myself slowing down a bit and with just under 2 laps to go was passed by Kari Studley.
On the last lap I was trying to stick with her and at one point went through the tape and off course. Luckily I stayed on the bike, lifted up another section of tape, and rode back onto the course. But my hopes of retaking 7th were gone and I just tried to stay smooth and finished 8th.

Kaitie (rocking the white skinsuit!) had another strong race and finished 10th again after attacking Devon on the last lap. Nice riding Kaitie!
Another really fun race! The USGP events always seem to have a good crowd of specators and the announcers also really make for an exciting race. We had some Wisconsin folks travel down to Kentucky also and it's always great to hear people yelling your name.

We again grabbed some recovery drink and clean bikes and headed out for a cool down. This time with Devon for company. We miss having her in the Midwest!

Required muddy leg shot.
We cleaned up and went to cheer on Marko in the Mens Elite race. He was feeling better today and had a good ride to finish 10th.

And that was pretty much the weekend! We hit the road for the 7 hour drive back home and made it to Madison just before midnight. All in all a really fun weekend of racing - great to have such a big crew of PB riders and lots of success for the entire team. Thanks so much to Bob and Planet Bike for the support. Also huge thanks to David and Jim for all of their help throughout the weekend. Most of the photos are also thanks to Lyne Lamoureux - I can't say enough great things about her beautiful shots. I always admire the folks that travel across country covering bike races and putting photos up online. Check out Podium in Sight for excellent photos/reports.

The next couple of weekends will be spent at local events. We almost made the trip out to Boulder for some UCI races but after hearing about the wicked snowstorm that's hit the area with nearly 3 feet of snow I think we made a good choice! It's been a crazy month of travel and it will be nice to stay home before things ramp up mid November into Nationals. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Canada, eh?

2009-10-21T07:33:00.014-05:00

Last weekend several PB riders headed up to Toronto for some international UCI races. I went last year and the racing was awesome and it was a good place to try to pick up some points as many racers choose to attend events in the Northeast. So Linda, Kaitie, James, and myself loaded up the van along with Linda's friend Dave who would help support us for the weekend. Getting through Chicago is always interesting - we lost about 40 minutes in traffic - could have been worse I guess!

We picked up Tristan at the airport Saturday morning and headed to Centennial Park for some ski hill racing. The course is super cool and goes up and down (and up and down again!) a ski hill.

photo thanks to Dave McElwaine

It's especially cool that you can see almost the entire course from the parking lot. Very spectator friendly. It was a beautiful day out - 50s and sunny - perfect conditions for racing! About 20 women signed up for the Elite race. The odds on favorite was Canadian Natasha Elliot who has been having a great season and won both these races last year. From the gun it was her and fellow Canadian Pepper Harlton pushing the pace. I had my usual mediocre start and had to pick off riders on the first lap. By the start of the third lap I passed by Kaitie who was in 4th and saw Pepper and Linda not far in front of me. Linda got a gap and I sat on Pepper's wheel figuring I'd attack her near the end of the race. I just didn't want any of the girls behind us to catch us. With just over a lap to go it was clear she was fading so I went around her and bridged up to Linda. As we heard the bell I pulled through the straightaway before Linda came back around in the technical twisty section.

photo thanks to Jon Safka

Linda was riding incredibly strong and I knew she had rightfully earned 2nd. I crossed the line with a big smile on my face for 3rd. I had an even bigger smile on my face when I saw Kaitie come across for 4th. After some stomach issues in the middle of the race she made up some impressive ground and passed 4 riders on the last lap.

photo thanks to Jon Safka

It was awesome to have 2 of us on the podium. And really if they had done the 5 person podium as they did with the guys we would have had 3 on there. Great results for the Planet Bike women!

After the podium we cleaned up and watched the men race. James made up lots of ground after staring in the last row and finished 13th.

photo thanks to Dave McElwaine

Tristan had an awesome ride and finished on the podium for 5th. Impressive!

photo thanks to Jon Safka

After the race I hung out with my former Kenda teammate Anne and we got some dinner and coffee at the Buck! It was a lot of fun to hang out with her and chat. I haven't seen her since last year when we came for the races and it had been too long! Thanks for coming out and cheering Anne!

The next day's race was on the opposite side of the park. The course was more technical with a few ditches, some twisty sections, and a few short steep climbs. Still plenty of power but not quite the same as Saturday. Here Kaitie, James, and I are hanging out waiting to preride.

photo thanks to Jon Safka

I at least clip in quickly off the line but again I settle into about 10th as we hit the barriers - which they moved on us! During the prior races they were on a hairpin turn and you had to dismount before the turn. Kaitie and I were both fooled and dismounted before the turn and there were no barriers there - they moved them about 100 meters further on a straight section. Woops!

photo thanks to Jon Safka

As we approached the first steep ditch leading to a steep climb Pepper (riding second wheel to Natasha) hit the ground hard forcing nearly everyone to dismount and run up the hill rather than ride. This clogged things up a bit and I spent the lap trying to move up. I was having some trouble with a hairpin turn on a hill and was taking the corner waaaay too slow. At one point I was in 5th place and coming into that turn had to dismount as I nearly hit a tree. Two riders came around me and I was only able to pass one of them before the race was over. On my last lap I was ecstatic to see Kaitie sitting in second place not far behind Natasha! What a great ride by Kaitie - and she was making up time every lap. At the finish Natasha only won by 15 seconds. Watch out for Kaitie - she's having an awesome season thus far!

photo thanks to Dave McElwaine

Linda was riding well also and finished a strong 4th place.

photo thanks to Jon Safka

I ended up 6th - a bit disappointed as I was close to 5th for much of the race but just couldn't close the gap.

photo thanks to Peter Kraiker

They went 5 deep on the podium today so once again Planet Bike had two riders up there. Sweet!

photo thanks to Jon Safka

Kaitie was a rock star today and had lots of post race interviews to attend to.

After all the paparrazi let Kaitie go we went for a cool down before watching the guys race. Here Linda and Kaitie are hamming it up for the camera.
And a bit of refueling with some oatmeal bars - Linda digs in.
The guys raced really well and we had fun shouting at them and handing out Planet Bike beanies to specators. Same finishes as Saturday with James in 13th and Tristan in 5th. Nice job boys!
Here James is jumping on the compression bandwagon with his cool socks.
Tristan representing on the podium.
It was fun to hang out and chat with lots of folks associated with the races. Photographer Peter Kraiker traded me this awesome hat for a couple of Planet Bike beanies. I've been looking for a cool cycling cap and this totally fits that criteria. His son, Zef, makes them and you should check out his website here.
Kaitie wanted her photo taken with Saturday's winner and all around nice guy Tim Johnson.
Tim then asked Kaitie to tell Jeremy Powers that he's not as cool as Tim and that she doesn't want a picture with him.
Kaitie bravely told him what Tim said but quickly clarified that she was just joking. I mean who wouldn't want their picture taken with J Pow.

The Planet Bike ladies also got their photo taken with race promoter Craig - thanks for all of your support of cross and giving the women such great prize money!

photo thanks to Jon Safka

We had fun goofing around with the Cannondale/Cyclocrossworld guys as well as Natasha.

photo thanks to Peter Kraiker

We also Punk'd Linda when I decided to move her bike which was parked near the podium area. I hid it behind a truck and Kaitie and I watched from afar as she proceeded to freak out thinking someone had stolen her bike. It was pretty hilarious and she got pretty worried. I'm sure she's scheming of how she's going to get us back - I'm prepared.

We packed up, dropped Tristan off at a hotel, and hit the road to head back home. It was pretty smooth sailing other than about a 15 minute wait at the border.

We made it back to Madison about 2AM and collapsed into bed. Another weekend of travel and racing down. All in all a really fun and successful weekend of racing. Huge thanks to Dave for helping us out with driving, getting the bikes ready, and keeping us organized. Thanks to Jon Safka, Peter Kraiker, and Dave McElwaine for all of the photos. It was great to see all of you guys again. Also much love to the sponsors for helping make it happen - first and foremost Bob and Planet Bike.

USGP weekend #2 on tap with another roadtrip planned to Louisville, Kentucky. We've got a huge crew of Planet Bike riders headed down for some big races. Weather looks wet right now so it may be muddy - oh boy!

Thanks for reading!

Ohio 3 day

2009-10-15T07:42:00.012-05:00

Another belated race report but it'll have to do! Lots of pictures anyway!

First road trip of the year for me with some PB teammates - Mark, Linda, Kaitie A. and myself hit the road on Friday to head to Ohio for 3 days of UCI racing. We would meet up with Katie Compton who has been unstoppable so far this year and won the World Cup last Sunday.

We pulled into the race on Friday to soggy conditions. Rain for pretty much 48 hours preceding the race meant it was going to be a muddy race. A hilly venue that was actually on a golf course - it was a little surreal to see this beautifully manicured course and this muddy lane that had become the race course. Lots of off cambers and some short little climbs.
It was a frustrating race - the off camber sections were so difficult to ride (at least with my poor technique!) that I ended up doing a lot of running. And a lot of crashing! I got a nasty scrape on my forearm from my first slip slide in the mud into a course stake. I sort of settled into a rhythm to the lap but my bike was getting super mucked up and I decided to not go with a bike change.
With two laps to go I was disappointed to see Kaitie A. on the side of the course with a shouldered bike - turns out she snapped a derailleur hanger and she had to drop out. It was too bad as she was riding so well and was sitting in 6th place before the mechanical. KFC took control of the race in typical fashion after the first lap. She was riding alone and easily took the win.
Linda rode an incredible race and finished a solid 4th. Way to conquer the mud!
I ended up finishing 11th after a last lap crash and an unclipped foot allowed two women to pass me. I was just happy that the race was over - it was one of those races I just wanted to get through. I know I need to embrace the mud but I'm still figuring out how to ride it in all it's permutations. After spraying down the bike and myself and trying to contain the resulting sopping mess I headed over to watch the men and see how Mark was doing.
Mark was having an awesome race and was sitting in 3rd when I first saw him. Parbo ended up passing him with about 2 laps to go but Mark was able to finish a really strong 4th place. He was a little muddy after the race.

After cleaning ourselves and the bikes up and loading everything back into the van it was dark and we were hungry. We headed to one of my favorite post race dining establishments. Mmm - burritos.
After dinner we headed back to the hotel to relax. You know what they say about chamois time.

Saturday brought the race in Middletown. Beautiful sunny day with a mostly dry course. Just one slightly muddy section. I had a bad start - seriously . . . clipping in to your pedal shouldn't be so difficult - and then got caught behind a crash in the sand volleyball court. Took me a lap to get my bearings and then I needed to work on hunting people down. Katie C. of course was riding incredibly and was alone off the front. Linda and Kaitie both had a great race and were sitting in with a good group.
In the end Katie C. won, Kaitie was 6th, Linda 7th, and I was 8th. Fun race and solid results for all the PB girls.
After our race we watched the exciting mens race. J Pow was impressing the crowd with his barrier bunny hopping skills. It was pretty cool.

Mark had an awesome race. He and Wicks were sitting about 30 seconds behind Powers. On the last lap Wicks attacked him and he couldn't quite respond but finished 3rd - on the podium!

Final day was the big one at Harbin Park. The great promoters of the event worked hard to secure huge prize money for the race and even had equal payout for the top 5 men and women. A good course for me with lots of power sections and not too many technical twists. There were 3 large mud puddles, 2 long sand pits, and 2 bunny hoppable wood playground borders. I had a much better start today and was feeling decent. I was actually hopping the borders (I was told only myself and KFC were doing it cleanly - sweet!) and was soon sitting in 6th place.
Dede was just up ahead and behind me were my teammates Kaitie A. and Linda. I tried to reel Winfield in but all of us remained in the same spots the rest of the race. I was 6th, Kaitie 7th, and Linda 8th. Our superstar teammate repeated once again - she is fierce. I only wish I could watch her race rather than struggle minutes behind her!A little muddy after the race due to the big mud puddles. Finally after a few laps I found the good lines but I still got plenty dirty.
Hung out after the race and chatted with Katie, Mark, and her cheerleader mom Debra. Check out Mark's awesome T shirt!
We also watched Mark's race - he put on a good show once again and finished 7th.

We loaded up the van after the races and hit the road right away. We had 7 hours back to Madison and finally made it home around midnight. Thanks to everyone involved with the races - it was a super fun weekend. Thanks also to our helpers before, during, and after the races - Daniel and Mike did a great job helping make sure the bikes were ready to go. Thanks also to all of the sponsors for helping make the weekend happen. Planet Bike, Edge, Lazer. All of the race photos are thanks to Lyne Lamoureux - she does such an incredible job of covering events and her photography is beautiful.

Travel continues as I leave for two UCI races in Toronto tomorrow morning!

Wisconsin racing - Lapham Peak

2009-10-07T10:20:00.004-05:00

So Dave and I both raced this weekend at the first event in the Wisconsin Cylocross Series at Lapham Peak. Dave hasn't done a cross race in 3 years and it was fun to both be racing together. Cool weather in the 50s which I suppose is perfect for cross but after our mild September I'm still getting used to it. Turnout was pretty low but there was a WORS race as well as a Chicago CX race going on.

Brian and Dave lube up the chamois for some bike racing (way more fun than triathlons right guys?)

I signed up for two races - womens 1/2 and Mens 30+ 1/2/3 - figuring I could use the extra training. A bit disappointed that there were only 6 women for the race - 3 of which were my own teammates! I let Kaitie lead out the race before coming around after half a lap. I tried to just keep the gas on and pick off guys from the Masters race that started in front of us. New shoes and pedals had me a bit frustrated as my left foot just didn't want to unclip - I nearly crashed several times!

Not really sure why I chose to stick my tongue out at Renee but it's a funny picture nonetheless - thanks for the photo and being out there documenting the day Renee!

After taking the win in the womens race I lined up for the mens. Dave was also racing this event so there was some joking amongst the field that he better ride hard if he wanted to stay ahead of me! That he did. He took off on lap one and was riding solo by the third lap.
thanks Renee!

I tried to push a bit harder in this race and was riding with a group of three guys for the majority of the race. I didn't realize where I was at in the field until a friend of mine yelled that I was in 4th place. That meant 2nd and 3rd were the two guys just in front of me and Dave must be winning - sweet!
thanks Renee!

Each lap got tougher though and the steep hill we had to ride up every lap was hurting me each lap. Thankfully there were some amazing super fans out there to help keep a smile on my face every time up. Thanks for all the cheering guys and gals!

The last lap I had a solid gap on the rider behind me and the two guys ahead were too far up so I indulged the superfans by taking a beer hand up. They always offer and I generally always decline but I was getting thirsty and I knew they'd get a kick out of me taking a swig of PBR. And I must say it tasted really good!

All in all a really fun day. Dave and I both scored some wins and I was pretty excited to get 4th in the mens race and win some $$ there too!

Next few weekends will be spent on the road with UCI races in Ohio, Toronto, and Kentucky. I leave this evening for 3 days of racing down in Ohio with teammates Mark, Kaitie A. and Linda. Lots of $$ up for grabs for the women and we'll also get to see our superstar World Cup #1 champion teammate Katie Compton. She's just back from her win in Italy on Sunday and it will be good to see her on American soil for a few more races!

Thanks for reading!

Las Vegas/USGP

2009-10-04T20:23:00.007-05:00

photo thanks to Matt Cook
Another belated update - I'm sure my readership is dwindling but hopefully the family appreciates it!

Immediately following our weekend on Lake Superior I flew out to Las Vegas for Interbike with the Planet Bike crew. Here's a company photo - I work with some pretty darn cool guys.

Worked the booth for a few days and got to meet lots of folks associated with the bike industry. Here's some of our products on display.

The biggest draw to the booth this year was Chris's sweet bike. It was crazy how many people were taking photos of it.
Besides working at the show I was out there to kick off the cyclocross season by racing at CrossVegas. A great turnout for both racers and spectators made for a fun time under the lights. Also got to meet my new teammate Katie Compton and her husband Mark Legg. Katie is frickin' incredible and is known as KFC for valid reasons. She schooled the field of 50 riders and won by nearly a minute. I was happy to settle into a group with LVG, Dombrowski, and Sydor. The dry air ripped my throat to shreds and I tasted blood the entire race. Made sort of a bonehead move and went to the front on the last lap - I blew up and finished in the back of my group - 13th. Totally exceeded my expectations though and really happy to be riding with those girls. I had my awesome coworkers shouting at me all over the course.

Watched the mens race afterward to cheer on the PB guys - Jonathan, Mark, and James. JP was able to snag a strong 3rd place. photo thanks to Lyne Lamoureux
Another day of working the show before the Lalondes and I flew back home to prepare for the weekend of USGP racing in Madison. A slightly delayed flight gave us some time in the airport to read some new cycling related mags. Here James checks out the Special 3D Edition of "Road"

Flew in late Friday night to Madison. We had a houseful of guests with Kenda team mechanic Mike, Katie and Mark all staying over for the races. Fun to hang out with them all and it was awesome to have such a high caliber event in Madison. Huge thanks go to John and Renee for making it happen!

A really fun weekend of racing and socializing with lots of cyclocross folks. Katie put on her usual show and dominated both days.
She's not only extremely talented but also incredibly nice and down to earth and it was great to hang out with her. Here are three of the PB women with myself, Katie, and junior/Elite rider Kaitie Antonneau.
It's very cool to have such a range of ages of talented cyclocross women on the Planet Bike team - from Emma winning the girls 10-14, Katie the Elites, and Diane the Masters. The guys are also rocking it out there in all age categories from Jordan winning the boys 15-16, JP scoring 3rd both days in Elites, and Greg winning both 55+ races.

The races went well both days and the competition was tough - I'm going to skip the blow by blow report - and I was happy to finish 10th on Saturday and 9th on Sunday.
photo thanks to Lyne Lamoureux

It's going to be a fun season for sure. Lots of big races coming up and thanks to all of the sponsors (Edge, Ridley, Lazer, TRP) and especially Planet Bike for making things happen. Check out the Team blog for more pictures and results.

Update from this last weekend to come in the next day or two. Stuck around home for the first Wisconsin series event. And . . . Dave marked his return to cyclocross racing. Check back soon!

September Update #1

2009-09-29T21:32:00.009-05:00

Whew! It's been sort of a crazy month and the blog has gotten neglected once again. Here's a recap of the first two weeks with an emphasis on photos.

Labor Day weekend involved heading to St. Louis for 4 days of crit racing with the Gateway Cup. Super talented fields of riders with about 60 women per day. The last races for me on the road for this season and it was a really fun weekend. Kenda was represented by Kat, Catherine, Christy, and myself. Here's Christy showing us her serious side.

I felt good about how things went and tried to stay active up front and go with some moves. Finished in the mid 20s every day.

Huge thanks to Carrie and Chris for helping make this year's event so great.
They brought in some talented racers and made sure the support was there for the women.

They also helped us get really great host housing. Here we are outside of our awesome host house - thanks so much Edgar and Julie!

After our big crit on Labor Day we got to see the start of the Tour of Missouri. Lots of Pro Tour teams in the States for the event so I turned into a crazed cycling fan and tried to get photos of the pros.

Jens Voigt

Mark Cavendish

George Hincapie's leg (sort of creepy!)

Paul Sherwin and Frankie Andraeu

The next weekend was the Wisconsin Ironman. Dave competed in his 3rd IM and the predicted hot temperatures had him a bit nervous. It was a beautiful morning for watching 2,000 people flop around in the lake.

He had a solid swim and looked good coming out of transition.
The bike was going well until his stomach started to bother him during the last 20 or so miles.
He stomach continued to bother him and he ran half of the marathon feeling really bad.
He walked for about 3 miles and at mile 18 his stomach had shut down and he decided it wasn't worth pushing it to end up in the ER (we've been there before!) and dropped out. He sat in the medic tent for over an hour before they released him and we enjoyed a nice dinner with both sets of our parents. It's unfortunate that he wasn't able to get some closure on his season and capitalize on his excellent fitness but I'm super proud of him nonetheless. It's so hard when you train a whole year and race only a handful of days. Everything has to fall perfectly into place and there are plenty of things that you just can't control. So it goes, though, and he's enjoyed the process of preparing for the event. No IM this next year though and he's already planning on mixing it up this fall with some cyclocross races! :)

The next weekend we headed up to Madeline Island up in Lake Superior to spend some time with Dave's family and go to the wedding of Ryan (Dave's youngest brother) and Rachael. It was a really great weekend - the weather was phenomenally warm and it was a lot of fun to ride bikes with the boys, spend some time with family, and we got to meet our new nephew Adrian. A nice way to cap off the summer. Cider and I enjoying the fresh air

The happy couple

Wedding on the water

Mike and Adrian on the ferry

Riding on the quiet island roads

Dave might have a future in push up contests - here he is demolishing the competition at the post wedding bash.

Well that should suffice for now. Immediately after our weekend up north I flew out to Las Vegas for Interbike. I'll save the Interbike/Cross Vegas/USGP Madison weekend for the next update. Perhaps by the end of the week? Thanks for reading despite the infrequent posts!

Long overdue update

2009-09-03T09:12:00.003-05:00

So I've been a bad blogger the past few weeks and neglected writing any updates. Here's a recap. Elite Crit Championships in Downer's Grove a few weekends ago was pretty fun. Big fields of women show up for the chance at the Stars and Stripes jersey with 90 starters on Saturday and 70 on Sunday. The 8 corner course with a couple of hills is always fun and we were all curious to see if Tina Pic would try to reclaim the jersey from Brooke Miller. Team Kenda had Christy, Kat, Catherine and I on Saturday with Jackie added in on Sunday.
We went for a couple of primes on Sunday and tried sticking in the mix at the end. I was 22nd Saturday, 26th on Sunday - Jackie was our top finisher in 20th on Sunday.
Solid enough results for me as the legs aren't feeling incredibly snappy this time of year. I'm back into base/build mode in preparation for the fast approaching cyclocross season.

Speaking of cyclocross . . . have you heard the big news??

American cyclocross superstar Katie Compton has signed with Planet Bike as her title sponsor for this season. Pretty unbelievable. She dominates this sport in the states (she's won the National title the past 5 years) and consistently finishes top 3 at World Cups and races in Europe. It's super cool that she's signed on with Planet Bike and I look forward to racing with her in the early season before she heads to Europe for the majority of the fall.

We've got a great team put together for the upcoming season. All 3 LaLonde brothers will now be sporting the Planet Bike colors as well as Minnesotan Linda Sone. Wisconsin is a hot bed of young cyclocross talent and we've also brought on 2008 National cross Champ Sarah Huang (age 13-14) and bronze medalist Kaitie Antonneau (age 17-18). It's going to be a fun year!

Life has been sort of hectic but good the past couple of weeks. I've been working a lot and splitting my time between Planet Bike and Machinery Row. At PB we're ramping up to Interbike time and I'm really excited to be headed out to Vegas for the biggest bicycle industry tradeshow in the nation. In addition to working in the PB booth I'll be racing in Cross Vegas which should be a blast. A wicked way to start the cross season but with a planned schedule of mostly UCI events I might as well get used to it!

Cross Vegas is on Wednesday night September 23rd and then it's a flight back to Madison Friday night to prepare for our BIG Planet Bike USGP race in Madison that weekend. I'm super excited for the event and it will be a who's who of North American cross racers with a few European guys thrown in for good measure. I can't wait.

As a preparation for cross I decided to do a WORS mountain bike race last weekend up in Green Bay. The course is literally a mile away from my parents house so it was fun to go home and do the local race. It was a looong race at 36 miles but a fairly non technical course with some fast singletrack and some doubletrack for roadies like me ;) I used to race a few MTB events back in the day but it's been 3 years since the last one and I was admittedly a little nervous.

I'd only been on the bike twice before the race - Dave's sweet Specialized carbon hardtail. It's very convenient than we ride the same size bike! The race was super fun although my back was killing me midway through. My singletrack skills are severely lacking and I couldn't stick with the lead two riders and they pulled away at the end of the first lap. After a couple of crashes I was in a group of 3 other women and by the start of the final 3rd lap I pulled away in the open stretches and tried to maintain my lead. Thanks Gary for the photo!

I'm not used to a 2.5 hour full on effort though- that last lap I was hurting! Another crash with a few miles to go almost had me losing my position but I pushed through the final doubletrack section and finished in 3rd place overall.
Thanks Amy for the photo!
It was an awesome day to be riding a bike out in the woods and it was nice to have my parents and some friends cheering me on. Cyclingnews report

One final weekend of crit racing in St. Louis starts tomorrow with Gateway Cup and the Tour of Missouri womens crit on Labor Day. Racing will be fast and furious with lots of the nations top riders coming out for this fun series. Team Kenda will have 4 riders in the races and it will be a great way to finish off the season for us.

And then next weekend is the event we look forward to all year in my household . . . the Madison Ironman. Dave has been training really hard for his 3rd IM and I'm looking forward to being a superspectator again. He puts in so many hours throughout the season in anticipation for the big day and his fitness is really good right now. Will be a fun day!

It's been nice to hang out more with Dave the past few weeks with some weekends at home and with no racing.

We celebrated his birthday by riding bikes to our favorite local burger joint . . . mmm, burgers!

We are also very excited to announce we have a new baby nephew! Congratulations to Dave's brother Mike and his wife Karla on their beautiful son Adrian. How cute is this!?

Thanks for checking in - hopefully I'll get back in the routine of regular updates!

Elk Grove report

2009-08-04T07:35:00.009-05:00

Photo thanks to Lyne Lamoureux

So . . . the report from the weekend!

Saturday the weather was not ideal. It was spitting rain and about 70 degrees as I drove down to Chicago in the morning. Three Kenda riders this weekend with Catherine, Joelle, and I. I met up with my teammates, Paul, and regional rider Karen Drennan and her family who were housing Joelle for the week. Luckily the rain was light rather than an all out downpour but still the roads would be very wet on the 2 K course and with corner one being a 180 we all knew the field might be nervous. Looooong sprint finish with about 600 meters to the line from the last corner - into a headwind. Plan today was to be aggressive and go for primes and hopefully help out Joelle for the final sprint. A solid $3000 up for grabs and with only 21 riders toeing the line only one would not get paid. A good crew of riders though including Laura Van Gilder, 3 BH riders, 3 Vanderkitten, and 2 Team Rev.
Photo thanks to Lyne Lamoureux

The race started pretty fast and as we finished lap 1 the bell was rung for the first prime. LVG and Joelle had their first match up of the day with Joelle snagging $50. Two laps later she took another $100. Photo thanks to Lyne Lamoureux
The racing was pretty fast and there were some aggressive moves but no breaks were really forming. Catherine won a prime for $100 in there as well. The rain had subsided by mid race when a $150 prime was called out. The two sprinters dueled again with LVG this time getting the cash. A lap of rest before the bell was heard for another $100. Chris from Team Rev put in a hard attack and got a good gap. A moment of hesitation before the chase ensued gave her some separation but the field was getting closer as we made the final corner. With 400 meters to go I attacked and passed by Chris with 50 meters to go to get the prime. I had a gap and decided to work it for a bit as there were only 6 laps left at this point. As I came around through the finish LVG had bridged up to me we began working together. I wasn't pulling through too hard though as I knew we were really hoping for a field sprint for Joelle. Photo thanks to Lyne Lamoureux
The next lap the hard charging but splintered field was nearly on us and as we went through corner one I heard a rider hit the pavement. I looked back to see Joelle on the curb! The worst was that we had just seen 4 laps to go - the end of free laps! The field was now a few small groups with a lead group of 8 of us including my teammate Catherine, LVG, Kristen from BH, Jeannie from Mack, Leigh from Vanderkitten, Megan Elliott, and one other rider. A group of 4 riders was just behind us and we finally got organized to try to stay away. With Joelle out of the race it was now up to Catherine and I. On bell lap things slowed down a bit as riders prepared for the sprint. I didn't want the group behind us to catch and I can get a bit impatient . . . so . . . as we rounded the last corner with about 500 meters to go I attacked and hoped Catherine could sit on wheels and get in a good position. I was passed at maybe 150 meters to the line and watched as LVG won the race followed by Jeannie, then Catherine grabbing 3rd. I held on for 7th.

It was great that we were able to still get on the podium but we were all pretty bummed by the bad timing of Joelle's crash. We still walked away with a lot of prize money on the day and were satisfied with how we raced as a team. I told Joelle not to dwell on it and just be more determined for Sunday's race.

Sunday was a beautiful day. Sunny and warm with a bit of wind that wasn't too noticeable on the sheltered course but still created a headwind on the finish stretch. Same exact course as Saturday which is a bit disappointing. Not exactly my idea of a great crit course but so it goes. More money and primes on the line today and our strategy was the same - get some cash, race smart, protect Joelle as much as possible. A few more women came out for the good conditions and there were about 30 on the line.

Again we started pretty fast with BH going from the gun. As we came across the line a $100 prime was called out. Sitting second wheel on the back stretch I decided to attack out of the third corner. I had a bit of a gap and pushed as hard as I could through the finish stretch to get the money. Sweet. Still had good separation from the field so I got into TT mode - might as well let my teammates sit in as much as possible and get the other riders to chase.
Two laps later Paul tells me on the radio that a $200 prime will be called out next and if I can push it a bit harder I might be able to grab it. The field is about 10 seconds back. I get out of the saddle and go for it figuring the money is well worth the effort. My gap opens (also due to a crash on the 180) and I come through the line alone for the $200. One more lap away solo before the field gets closer and I decide that I've had enough time off the front. $200 is called for the mid race prime next lap and Catherine and Joelle are up near the front while I sit in the pack for a bit. I am ecstatic to see Joelle take the cash over LVG in a close sprint. A lap or so later she grabs another $100. The primes keep the racing fast and exciting and thus far no other team has been able to take any of them. Somewhere in there Catherine takes $100 as well. We're down to three laps to go and a final three place prime is called with $200, $100, and merchandise. I attack on the back side of the course but am caught before the final corner. Joelle and Catherine are near the front and as we barrel down the last 200 meters it's another duel with Joelle and LVG. Joelle just barely comes around Laura to get the top spot. Unbelievable! We're up to $900 just in primes and there are two laps to go.

The last lap comes and Team BH is at the front. Then the pace slows a bit as riders try to prepare for the sprint and I get on the front for the last half of the lap. I try to keep the speed up and after we round the last corner I'm leading the group until about 200 meters to go when riders jump. I try to grab the passing wheels and hope that Joelle has positioned herself well. I'm out of the saddle trying to finish in the money and as I cross the line I hear that Joelle has won! Such a cool feeling to have the team on top again. Catherine finished well for 7th and I got the last money spot at 20th.

I feel like the three of us raced really well together and our numerous primes throughout the race proved that but it is always nice to take the win. Joelle is an incredibly talented rider and her sprint is amazing. It is so fun to race strategically and try to help out a rider like her.

Huge thanks to the Drennan family for hosting us for the weekend. Joelle, Laura, and I all stayed with them and it was lots of fun. Karen, Greg, Ian, Nora, and Emma are all pretty passionate about cycling and their generosity is much appreciated! Loyal blog readers may remember our mascot from Superweek last year - Phlecia. Emma has been taking great care of her for us and she came out to cheer us on Sunday ;)

Also thanks to local rider Ricardo and his teammates from WDT-Allvoi for hosting us all for a dinner on Saturday night. The Italian food was amazing!

And last but not least thanks so much to Team Kenda manager Paul for all of his help over the weekend. And thanks to all the great sponsors. This season has been exceptionally fun and successful and we couldn't do it without your backing! Kenda, Blue, SRAM, Thomson, Powerbar, Rudy Project, Headsweats, Skins, and Plant Solutions.

Elk Grove

2009-08-03T08:28:00.003-05:00

Another weekend of racing in the Chicago area. Our two days of racing for $8000 were a little overshadowed by the mens $152,000 three day event but we'll take it nonetheless. Sounds like plans are in the works to make the womens racing even better for next year though. It was a very good weekend for Team Kenda. Only three of us racing - Catherine, Joelle, and I - but we were able to really take control of the race and it ended up being a fantastic weekend for the team. A full report is to come but here are some pictures for now.

Chicago Crit

2009-07-28T14:22:00.005-05:00

So Sunday was the Chicago Criterium. A really cool downtown course that has you right on Lake Michigan near Grant Park. This is a big money criterium that is NRC ranked for men and has a solid purse for women with $7000 up for grabs. With the NRC stage race Cascade going on in Oregon and Superweek finishing up I expected there to be a smallish field of women. I wasn't too surprised when I heard that Laura Van Gilder was there and all in all there were about 40 women on the line. At Fitchburg I had convinced my Canadian teammate and super strong rider, Joelle, to fly in for the event even though it was two days after her Pan Ams race in Mexico . . . which she won! Congrats to her on that awesome result!

Team Kenda had a couple more riders make the trip to the Windy City with Ashley, Catherine, and Christy also there. We also had lots of support in the form of manager Paul, mechanic Mike, and regional riders Monique, Imelda, and Karen (plus her family including Emma who was rocking a Team Kenda skinsuit!). The plan was to race aggressively, go for some primes, and try to keep Joelle as fresh as possible for the sprint.

A talented field of regional riders with a few making quite the trip to attend. The race started out fairly fast and as we finished our first lap the bell was rung for a $100 prime. As we rounded corner one I attacked and got a decent gap. I got into TT mode - not easily done on lap 2! - and crossed the line with maybe 5 seconds for the cash. A lap or two later Ashley attacked and Team BH's Kristen Meshberg went with her. They got a solid advantage on the field and held it for about 5 laps including nabbing another $100 prime which they agreed to split. A few more attacks were going and with many primes being offered the race was fairly quick. Joelle practiced her sprint by going for and getting two $100 primes during the race - her finishing kick is impressive. We were represented in most moves off the front including both Catherine and Ashley in break attempts. LVG put in a strong solo move to grab $200 mid race and Joelle put in a big effort to pull her back before things all came back together.

As we got down to maybe 5 laps to go I attacked once more and Debbie Dust came with me as well as one other rider. We were a bit disorganized and as we went through the finish a hard charging LVG came past us. We worked together for a bit but it was not to be and the field was soon back together. Admittedly I was feeling pretty tired! As we saw two laps to go a gamblers prime was called for $400 and BH's Madeleine put in a strong attack. No one went with her and it seemed like now was not the time to hesitate. Christy went to the front and tried to pull her back before I attempted to bridge up to her. Meshberg was on my wheel and as I got to Madeleine I sensed the entire field was with us. My legs were not feeling very snappy and I was just hoping I had a teammate lurking and ready to go for the big money. Unfortunately we were a bit out of position and former Chicago rider Jen Greenberg got the big money as we saw one lap to go.

Now our original plan was for me to attack with a half lap left to go so that Joelle could sit on wheels. I felt pretty bad that I couldn't get up there and put in the effort. On the back side I tried moving up on the left side but didn't have enough left in the tank. I knew that as the largest team there we should have been more organized with our last lap and attempting to lead Joelle out. The speed was fairly high but as we approached the final two corners things got a little squirrely. I was in a bad spot and couldn't get through traffic. I took a bad inside line on the last corner and got squeezed in a bit. I just hoped that Joelle was on the wheels she wanted to be on. I got out of the saddle to sprint but knew I was out of the money. I desperately tried to see what was going on at the front of the race and was ecstatic to hear the announcer call out Joelle as the winner!

What a race for Team Kenda!! An awesome result and an awesome effort by Joelle and the entire team. We raced well as a team and our aggressive racing style and numerous prime wins proved we were the dominant squad at the event. I feel like we did a lot of things really well but there are definitely some things for us to work on too. It was really fun to be racing with the team and executing some strategy throughout the race.

We cooled down a bit and then watched Joelle's podium ceremony which had LVG (in 2nd) helping show her how to properly open a bottle of champagne. She had no trouble knowing what to do after it was open though and sprayed her podium mates as well as anyone nearby!
Very cool to see the team represented on the top step and we headed to the fountain for a few photos afterward.

This upcoming weekend are some more Chicago area crits with two days of racing at Elk Grove. Should be a similar field as last weekend and Team Kenda will have pretty much the same crew - minus newly engaged Christy - congrats to her and Ben!!! Should be a fun weekend and a chance for us to continue to work on our tactics!

Thanks for reading!

Chicago Criterium

2009-07-27T08:05:00.003-05:00

Report to come later today but I had to at least update the big win for Team Kenda. Five of us raced in the crit yesterday in downtown Chicago - Ashley, Catherine, Christy, Joelle, and myself. The team dominated much of the race winning 5 $100 primes and with Joelle demonstrating her amazing sprint and taking the big win. What a fun event and a great showing for the Team and all of our great sponsors. More photos and info later!!

Superweek and Triathloning

2009-07-18T22:28:00.010-05:00

So I decided to enter a few Superweek races since they are in my neck of the woods and have a longstanding tradition. This series has changed in the past couple of years though and I have to wonder what the future holds for it.

Thursday evening brought the Shorewood Criterium in Milwaukee. The course is in a great little community and they always support the races with lots of primes. They stepped it up this year with $1100 on the line for the women - thank you Shorewood! Being that I'm not racing the entire series I can easily say that I'm doing these races to try to earn some cash. And with first place being only $120 (just for reference 6th place at Tour of America's Dairyland was $125) the $100 and $200 primes were looking mighty tempting.

About 35 women on the line (Colavita, Hub, and Ultralink being the largest teams) and I was impressed with the aggressive racing after hearing that in prior days things were a little negative and slow. Money will do that to a field of poor racers! There were several breaks of one or two riders that would stick for a few laps before being brought back. About 15 minutes into our race I attacked at the line and an Ultralink rider went with me. Three laps later we're still off and a $100 prime is called. We agree to split it and after we grab the cash we're caught on the next lap. This is pretty much how the race goes - nothing gets too far up the road but there are some strong attacks thrown down. I try for a few other primes but it's a long ~300 meter sprint with a stiff crosswind and I'm having trouble being patient and go too early. With 5 laps to go I decide to attack and as I come through the line I hear "$200 to the winner of the next lap". I'm alone and push hard figuring that this is my goal for the race. Finish doesn't really matter - but $200 sounds very nice. A couple minutes later I cross the line with the pack just a few seconds behind me. I sit up and get on the back of the pack not too concerned with how the rest of the race goes. Two laps later is a $250 prime but there's no way I'm going to get that and a rider goes off the front to grab the money. We're on bell lap and the solo rider nearly gets the win but is caught as we approach the last corner. Jen and Shontell of Colavita go down on the last corner and luckily I get around. I'm not in the money though and just try to finish somewhere midpack. I end up 18th but $250 richer in primes.

Nice job to Monique on her first real race back after her horrible incident in Iowa in April. She suffered it out and finished off the race.

Thanks to my brother Jason and his girlfriend Jesse for coming out to watch the race. As always it was nice to see them and we got some tasty food post race with them as well as got to stop by their apartment and check out all of their cool pets - 2 crazy cats, 2 guinea pigs, and this awesome gecko.

Saturday I came back to Milwaukee for the Schlitz Park Criterium. A course with a solid climb every lap I figured this race suited me better than a traditional flat course. A cold spell hit WI so temps were in the upper 60s and rain clouds lurked everywhere. It sprinkled as we warmed up and then it looked like we were going to be in the clear. A larger field tonight with a few new teams and about 40 women on the line.

We start the race and 1 lap in the clouds open up and it's a full on downpour. Two riders are off the front almost immediately and I hear the announcer say that one of them is Sydney Brown. I didn't even see Syd on the line and I know she is a great person to be in a break with - super strong. I let some other riders chase the group down and we all are riding a bit conservatively in the rain - especially on the downhill and puddle filled corners with manhole covers. As we reel the riders in a bit I attack on the climb and attempt to bridge up. Success - I'm there and I immediately go to the front to try to open up our lead. I pull nearly a lap before Syd is coming back around me. She's amazingly strong and is taking monster pulls. The third rider is just holding on and unable to help us out. Syd and I take turns and our gap quickly increases. The wet roads are pretty nasty and trying to draft often results in a face full of gritty water. Luckily the rain stopped and with about 15 laps to go we can see the field in front of us. We lap in and I hear that there are 5 more riders off the front of the race.

Not wanting those girls to catch us Syd and I go to the front and continue to keep the pace high. With about 10 laps to go Syd attacks and a small group of us breaks off. Syd and I plus three other riders. We mostly trade off pulls to keep ourselves ahead of whatever group is left. Syd is again taking really strong pulls and I tell her that she's got this win - she worked so hard and I'm not going to contest her in the sprint. I don't think there was any way for me to beat Sydney that night - she was riding phenomenally and on the last lap when she attacked on the hill I couldn't match her effort and she pulled away to take the win. I let the other three girls in our group sprint it out for 7th place and came across the line for 2nd.

It was a fun race and I was really happy to be in the break. The conditions made it tough and many riders dropped out. No primes to be won today so finishing place was the only payout up for grabs. I'll be doing one more Superweek race on Monday - the Whitnall Park Road Race. It's a nice 2.5 mile circuit course with a bit of a hill before the finish - should be fun!

Sunday it was time for me to be on the other side and spectate Dave's Half Ironman in Racine. He was racing along with our friends Brian and Vanessa so I had multiple people to cheer for. I got up bright and early and Courtney (Brian's girlfriend) and I hit the road to catch the guys and Vanessa out on the bike. After getting eaten by mosquitoes we drove back to town and watched the run.

The guys literally came in to the second transition at the same time. They were both doing awesome and looked good as they headed out for the run. Check out this awesome setup we saw while watching the run! This guy had two adorable dogs in the sidecar of his scooter and they both had visors on - so cute!

Courtney and her two adorable dogs ran alongside Brian for a bit on the run

Dave was running like a mad man and was on pace to finish the course in 4 hours and 30 minutes. He looked really strong out there and came across the line at 4:27. Way to go babe! Nineteen minutes faster than last year - amazing! 12th in his age group :)

Brian and Vanessa also each had great finishes and both got PRs for the Half.

On our way home we had to stop to properly refuel after a hard day of racing and spectating to get some Kopps Custard. Mmmmm - custard.

All in all a really fun weekend! Thanks for reading!

On Tap . . . come to these races!!

2009-07-15T09:33:00.014-05:00

It's been nice to have a week off of racing and getting to be at home for awhile. I went for a ride by myself last Thursday and it felt sort of weird to be out on a solo ride. After almost 4 weeks where nearly every ride was a race and the days in between were spent off the bike it was nice to just ride alone. And it's been really good to be home with Dave and Cider. We're in the home stretch to Dave's 3rd Ironman in September and I'm super excited to be a spectator for his half in Racine this weekend. Not able to stay away from racing for too long I'll also enter a couple of Superweek races starting with Thursday's Shorewood Crit and likely Saturday in Schlitz Park. I chose to race the Dairyland series over Superweek this year as I appreciated the larger prize money, equal race days to men, and the variety of courses. It also fit better into my schedule between NRC stage races. I'm curious to see how the SW racing will go . . .

So I feel like I need to promote a couple of upcoming races in an attempt to increase the womens field size for these events. To do my part I plan to race all of them. Here they are in chronological order:

1 - Chicago Criterium - July 26th - Sunday

This is a cool event. I went last year for the inaugural edition and it was fantastic. Big prize money for women - this year is $7000 (down from $10000 last year) The course is right on the lake in downtown Chicago - it's super fun to be racing in the city. Last year TIBCO brought a full team and there were some other talented riders as well - a field size of about 40. This year with NRC stage race Cascade finishing up on the 26th there likely won't be many pro teams sending a full squad. Also this is the final day of Stupidweek . . . err, I mean Superweek. C'mon though - $850 prize purse vs. $7000 - not too difficult of a decision there. I'm really excited that my awesome teammate Joelle is going to fly in for this one - she'll be fresh off of the Pan Am Championships in Mexico.

2 - Elk Grove - August 1/2

Last year this race didn't go spectacularly. There was one day of womens racing (4 days for men) and the $3000 prize list paled in comparison to the $165,000 for men. The race conflicted with the huge money ($25K) Presbyterian NRC crit in North Carolina and the womens attendance suffered as a result with only 15 racers. Did I mention it was an all categories race too - that's right Cat 4s and Cat 1s all together. There was open discussion following the event and promises that 2009 would be better. And so far on paper it is. There are two womens races on Saturday including a separate Cat 3/4 race and 1/2/3 women get an additional day of racing on Sunday. Prize money increased as well with $3K Saturday and $5K Sunday. Hopefully there will be a good showing of Midwestern women and perhaps some will travel for the weekend.

3 - Downer's Grove - August 15/16 - I don't think this one needs any promotion ;)

4 - Gateway Cup/Tour of Missouri Crit - September 4-7

This Labor Day race series in St. Louis has always been a really fun event. I did the races in 2006 and had a blast. There are 4 crits including a super cool twilight (as in the womens race starts at 8:30, men at 9:30) crit on Friday night in a hip neighborhood. Each day showcases a different locale and the courses are interesting and fun. St. Louis is the stomping ground of some awesome riders, clubs, and teams including my pals Carrie and Chris and their Team Revolution. A great group of women who focus on riding and racing they have always been terrific advocates for womens cycling. This year these gals and others involved in the event have gone above and beyond and have secured solid prize money for women with $1900/day for Fri/Sat/Sun and then on Monday is the second running of the NRC Tour of Missouri Womens Crit with $9000 up for grabs (plus $1000 overall points competition). It should be a great weekend and a fun way to finish off road racing for the year. Also, despite a scare last week when the state considered cutting out the 1.5 million bucks it planned on giving the race it looks like the race is safe for at least this year.

Soooo - if you're looking for some good events in the Midwest - take your pick! Hope to see lots of familiar faces out there!

Fitchburg Update 2

2009-07-07T08:50:00.008-05:00

Took me longer to get to this post than I intended - better late than never!

So stage 3 of the Fitchburg Longsjo Stage Race was the 64 mile Wachusett Mountain Road Race. 6 laps of an 11 mile loop with the start at a ski hill in the middle of a rip roaring descent and the finish at the top of a solid little climb (maybe 500meters and fairly steep) into the small town of Princeton.

With three fields on the course at the same time and a relatively short lap this race has the potential of being messy due to riders being lapped by another field. This happened last year and we were neutralized on our 5th lap just as things were starting to hit the fan and the pro men passed. It was annoying and I forewarned the girls that it would probably happen again this year. We were also thinking the yellow line rule on narrow, twisty roads with a 110 rider field would also make things interesting. 7 KENDA riders today – with Krystal needing to head home due to a family issue.

Off we go. At about mile five a couple of girls in front of me run into each other on the edge of the road and I’m off into the brush. I have to come to a stop and nearly fall over but just unclip and sort of jump off the bike. Quickly back on and am in the caravan but luckily am back into the pack after a minute or two. A few steady rollers before town and the pack is riding well but not too aggressively yet. The first time up the climb into Princeton I’m feeling pretty bad. My position is not the greatest and I decide I’m not going for sprint points this lap. The pace is pushed and I’m still “warming up”. The worst is the slight uphill through the finish line and into the feed zone – a steady grade that seems to go on for too long. A few more rollers and then we go down . . . fast. And did I mention how windy it was? Coming down this hill going 52mph with gusty cross winds is a nerve wracking experience.
I’m riding my deep dish Edge wheels (I love these!) and my front end is shimmying. I’m freaking out a bit and try to slow down and stop my wheel and handlebars from shaking. I get down alright and make a mental note to try to put more weight on my front wheel in the future laps.
The laps go by quickly. Attacks are thrown down and breaks are forming. Most are short lived. Joelle pulls one back by herself – impressive. I try to move up for the sprint points but everyone else feels too fast and I can’t get up there for the top 3. On lap four a split is made in the field and there are maybe 50 riders in the front group – Joelle, Denise, and I in it. Another 5-10 riders, including Silke, catch on after the descent. The pace is high and soon after we start our 5th lap we hear the beeping of the motos. We are being neutralized due to the passing pro mens field . . . hmmm, déjà vu? They force us to pull over and stop for nearly a minute. And you can probably guess what happens – a group of about 30 riders catches us and when we restart the field is nearly all intact. They need to figure this situation out in this race – either pick a new longer course or learn how to neutralize two groups of riders equally. Frustrating.

Once restarted we have 1.5 laps left and girls are itching to get a break off. And I admit I didn’t even realize riders got off – 4 of them. Guess that’s what happens when you’re not up at the front enough on a narrow course. I’m pretty sure they went after the neutralization but honestly I’m not sure. With about 15 miles left in the race Denise attacks on the rollers before Princeton and it looks promising. A group of about 7 forms but no one is willing to work. We’re back together and as we come into Princeton the pack isn’t going too hard and I decide to go for the sprint points. I attack on the climb and get a gap. I turn the corner at the top of the hill and get out of the saddle for the line when I hear the announcer say there’s a break of 4 riders off. Whoops! I felt like a total idiot – no wonder why no one else went with me. But as I approach the feed zone I see a group of about 10 riders coming up on me – including yellow jersey Evelyn Stevens, Allison Powers, Jeannie Longo, and my teammate Joelle. I latch on to the group and off we go. I see the rest of the field back there and think that this is a good group and perhaps we can hold off the field for the final 11 miles. We’re a bit disorganized at first with Evelyn, Jeannie, and Alison doing the majority of the work. After the descent we begin to work together but the field is hot on our heels and we are caught with about 6 miles to go. The break is still off. The pace is fast and I’m tucked into the group. I try to move up for the climb but it’s tough. I don’t even realize that three of the 4 riders from the break are pulled back in the last 1K. I fight for the line knowing that gaps will open and that the time is extremely important. I end up 21st, and Joelle ends up 3rd! I am 17 seconds behind her and most of the riders finish alone or in small groups with lots of time gaps. Joelle is so amazingly strong and fights so well for position. And she's incredibly funny to be around - check her out prerace shouting at riders from the car.
Denise finished 25th in my small group, Silke is 2 minutes back, Jackie at 5 minutes, and Becca at 8. Results There were enough time gaps for most of our GC spots to move up – Denise and I both sneak into money spots at 17th and 20th, respectively. Velonews report

We congratulate Joelle and watch the
podium ceremony and then we ride our bikes back to the start and then head to Outback for dinner. Mmmm – burger and sweet potato fries :) Thanks Paul for being in the feed zone for us today! It’s really nice to have him here supporting us. For just one guy he does a phenomenal job of getting our bikes ready, packing up the car, and keeping us organized.
A few hours after dinner a few of us decided to check out a local ice cream place. Definitely a good idea!

So Sunday brought the final stage of the race a 25 mile criterium in downtown Fitchburg. Another windy day and with a long 300 meter sprint into the wind. There will be 7 sprints throughout the race and although I’m now down in the competition I still figure I might try for a couple. It’s 5 points between leader Kelly Benjamin and Theresa Cliff-Ryan. Three laps in the first one is called and I’m in a good spot. Both Kelly and Theresa are also up there and after we turn the final corner I decide that I’m going for it even though I know I’ll never hold anybody off for that long. I go and about 50 meters to the line both Theresa and Kelly come around me with Theresa taking the top spot. I come across for third and some token points. The race is mostly fast with lots of attacks but it also has it’s lulls when things bunch up.
Luckily everyone is riding pretty safely. As the other points sprints come I find myself a little too far back and I don’t end up going for any more. The laps tick by and as we come to the finish we’re one big group. I try to get good position but I chicken out a bit and end up finishing 26th. Joelle once again proves herself with 9th place.
Velonews crit report
After the race it’s sort of chaotic as we all pack up and try to get people on the road back home. Jackie and I hop on the train to Boston where we’ll stay at a hotel for the night and fly out Monday morning. Once we got there we walked to Revere Beach and got some overpriced food for dinner and watched the moon rise over the Atlantic. My flight the next day was uneventful and I made it into Madison late afternoon. It was so nice to see Dave and Cider and know that I’ll be home for awhile now! What a month! I’m very happy to say that I survived the 19 days of racing and all in all everything went better than I expected. Two great NRC stage races and an awesome 10 day series – it’s the most racing I’ve ever done in a month and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. Great teammates and support crew, excellent events and competitors, and the opportunity to get to know lots of wonderful people.
Now I’m looking forward to a few quiet weeks although I still plan on doing some races. I’ll enter a few Superweek races next week, the Chicago Criterium at the end of July, and Elk Grove in early August. All in all about a dozen road races left, one mountain bike race (haven’t done one of those in 3 years!), and then the cyclocross season looms!! I love cross and can’t wait to be racing for Planet Bike come September!

Fitchburg Update 1

2009-07-04T08:04:00.005-05:00

So we all made it to soggy Massachussets on Wednesday. I flew out and had sort of a crazy day - 3 hour delay in Madison and then another 1.5 hour delay in Detroit. At least I got upgraded to first class for the flight to Detroit! So five hours later than expected I finally landed in foggy Boston and met up with Jackie. We had an awesome cab driver who sounded just like Borat (and who nearly killed us several times!) drop us off at the train station. Here's Jackie waiting for the train.
We then hopped on the train with all our gear and rode to where our host house was in Leominster. Jackie had her bike (Paul had taken mine in the car!) and we stuffed it into one of the train seats - we had so many people eye it up wondering what it was - it was pretty funny!

We're staying at an awesome host house in Leominster - thanks so much for opening your home up Thom and Janice!! We've got 8 girls for this race - Ashley, Becca, Denise, Jackie, Joelle, Krystal, Silke and myself. A really fun bunch of strong riders!

We woke up Thursday morning to a downpour - there was tons of local flooding and we hoped somehow the rain would move out before our TT. The drive there was foggy and very wet!

It was just a mist as we were warming up though but the fog was moving in as our start times neared.

It was a 9 mile winding course with a few rollers but nothing too big. The fog was so thick it was hard to see anything beyond 50 feet in front of you. Several of us had TT bikes and that was a definite advantage for the course. 118 women started the race so the competition was pretty fierce. Alison Powers, as expected, won the TT. Our top finisher was Denise in 39th (1:30 back) and Silke in 40th, I was 1:45 back for 45th. Solid finishes by everyone and we headed back home and had a feast of burritos for dinner!

Friday was a 35 mile circuit race in Fitchburg - 11 laps of a 3.5 mile course. A two step 500 meter climb to the finish every lap that would tire riders out as the race wore on. A beautiful day though with sun and warm temps - we were all excited for some good, fast racing. But first . . . Team Kenda had to continue the scooter tradition and Jackie and Ashley kitted up for some antics!

And after that we got to the course and got ready for the race :)

The race started fast and as everyone had some first race jitters a crash occured on the first lap on one of the fast downhill sections. Luckily only a few riders went down and Kenda stayed safe. Lip Smackers and Colavita both raced really aggressively and the racing was fast. We were staying near the front and trying to be involved in some break attempts. At one point Joelle was on the front and the group was strung out - gaps were starting to form and the main group whittled down to about 60 riders. With 3 laps to go the final points sprint was called and as we rounded the last corner I was in a good position and I attacked. The announcer was calling out my name and then I heard him say that Theresa Cliff-Ryan was moving up on the right. I pushed towards the line - feeling a bit of deja vu from last week! - but she came around me at the line and I finished 2nd for the sprint. We had a gap and while Theresa sat up Rebecca Wellons was also with us and the two of us began to work together. We had a decent gap and worked it for maybe a mile but we were brought back just before we heard one lap to go. The pace was high and we were all trying to move up and not let gaps open. The GC is tight and you have to stay in contact with the group to get the same time. Joelle is a rock star and despite being quite far back after the last corner she was out of the saddle and sprinted to finish 6th behind winner Tina Pic! Nice work! Jackie, Denise, and I also finished in the main group with Silke unfortunately getting gapped off just at the end and finishing 37 seconds back. Becca, Ashley, and Krystal all finished in another group behind us. The GC was shuffled a bit and Denise moved up to 30th and I moved into 35th. It was an exciting race since Evelyn Stevens from Lipsmackers got a time bonus for her 3rd place finish and moved into the yellow jersey - one second up on Alison Powers.

My 15 sprint points are good enough to put me 4th in the competition so today we'll see if I can add some to the tally! Kelly Benjamin and Theresa Cliff-Ryan both have a huge amount of points (70 and 60, respectively) but 3rd place only has 25 so perhaps I can try to move up!? Should be an intersting race - 64 mile race, 6 laps, and yellow line rule with 108 women. Position and moving up will be difficult!

Thanks for reading :)

Waukesha Crit

2009-06-30T20:38:00.004-05:00

Alright - so I've procrastinated getting the final race report up and now time is tight! I'm flying out of Madison early tomorrow and arriving in Boston for the Fitchburg Longsjo Stage Race that runs Thursday through Sunday. I decided to skip out on the Masters Nationals TT in Louisville as it would have been a lot of racing, travel, and just a bit too stressful. Getting to spend an extra day at home was well worth it!

So . . . the final race of the America's Dairyland Series was a crit in Waukesha. A windy day with temps in the low 80s it was certainly more comfortable than the high heat earlier in the week. I was only one point behind Theresa for 3rd in the overall so I was hoping to somehow gain a point or two on her today. Unfortunately on lap 2 there was a crash in which my friend Rachel from ISCorp went down on corner 1. She ran into the curb and then into a tree and had to be taken to the ER. Collapsed lungs (one 5% the other 25%), two broken vetebrae, and a separated shoulder - a nasty crash. Get better soon Rachel!

The race was fairly aggressive - I was off solo for 5 laps or so after getting a $50 prime but Theresa soon bridged up and then the rest of the field came too. With about 6 laps to go Jessie and Davina from Verducci attacked together and were gone. With a disorganized chase - but a huge effort by Devon - we were sprinting for third. I was in good position and took an inside line on the last corner and charged toward the line. I thought I was going to take 3rd but 10 meters before the line Thersea came around and I finished 4th . . . down two points on her for 3rd overall. Oh well - it was a great series and I had so much fun racing!!

Thanks so much to Dave for coming out to watch me, Monique, Jason and Jessie and other friends out there cheering!

Alright - time to go to bed!!

Downer's Ave Race

2009-06-29T07:23:00.005-05:00

So Saturday was a criterium in Milwaukee on Downer's Avenue. This race has a long history in the state and has been part of the Superweek race series for years. It had always been a course that only the Pro men got to race. It's in a hip neighborhood just north of the city and always draws in huge numbers of specators. Four corners but kind of shaped like a big triangle there's one turn which is greater than 90 degrees and if riders aren't paying attention they might swing wide and hit the curb. Fun course though! When the promoters of America's Dairyland secured the course they graciously allowed all the categories to race and I was super excited for the chance to race in front of a big crowd on this legendary course.

Just three KENDA riders (Ashley, Jackie, and myself) on the line with Krystal heading home to get a few days rest before Fitchburg. A few more riders showing up for the weekend and we had 30 on the line. Lots of friends and family watching including my parents, my brother Jason, and his girlfriend Jesse. Monique also made the drive over from Madison to be our superfan and take pictures and be on the radios.

I knew I wanted to race aggressively and made sure the girls were prepared to be watching wheels and going with promising moves. It seemed that in most of the crits breaks were sticking and I expected something to work out in this race too. There were some attacks early on and both Ashley and Jackie were involved in some short lived breaks. Things were pretty strung out and about 15 minutes in a $100 prime was called and I attacked hard. I got a good gap and crossed the line solo for the cash and continued to ride tempo. I soon see two riders working their way up to me with a big gap back to the field. Toni from Lipsmackers and Davina from Verducci were soon rolled up and we began to work together.

This was a great break for me. Before the race I was 5 points behind Theresa for 3rd in the overall classification. If this break stuck I had the possibility of gaining some points on her. I also liked riding with Toni and Davina - both strong riders and with all of us having teammates back in the field we were likely to stay away. I figured Verducci might not be super happy with the break since I was relatively close to Theresa for points and I made sure to take strong pulls in our rotation.
As the minutes ticked by and our gap grew I knew this was the race and it was time to start thinking about how I was going to try to win this race. By this point in the series I knew Toni liked to race aggressively and that Davina is a great sprinter. I figured my odds were better by attacking in the last two laps. I was planning on attacking with 1.5 to go but with our rotation my position wasn't right so instead as we came through the finish stretch and heard the bell I went for it.
Figured I'd at least make it exciting for all the spectators watching by the announcing stand! I had a gap through the first corner and made it through the wide corner alone but saw Davina charging up behind me. I knew I was caught and slowed up to try to recover as much as possible. Toni, who had been on Davina's wheel, saw her chance and attacked on the other side of the road. I had been ready for this and quickly got on her wheel. We slowed up again and Toni began to ramp up the speed and essentially lead us out. I knew I wanted to be on the outside on the last corner as I felt there was some wind advantage and as we swung around it was Davina and I drag racing to the line.
As we got closer she was pulling just ahead of me but I continued to push remembering that the line was beyond the banner. We were right next to each other and as the line approached I threw the bike in hopes that I might pip her.
As we crossed I heard the announcer (the very talented Brad Sohner!) call out Davina as the winner and I was bummed at how close the win had been! I congratulated Davina and Toni and I chatted on our cool down lap. There were lots of friends out on the course and many were asking what happened and I smiled and held up two fingers. As we came around the final corner a buddy of mine shouted out to me that I had won! I was shocked and didn't believe him. As I rolled up to the finish more and more people were congratulating me and Brad was in the road on the mic telling me that it was a photo finish and that I had won by millimeters!

I was ecstatic! I had so badly wanted Team KENDA to take a win in this series and now I had done it and had won at Downers in front of so many family and friends. What a great feeling. I found my parents and hugged them and then found my screaming teenager teammates and hugged them. After calling Dave to tell him the news I headed back to the podium to see the photo finish.

This picture of me and Davina checking out the finish is pretty classic!
It was a real honor to take the top step of the podium and the chocolate milk tasted very sweet!

By getting first I had also moved closer to Theresa in the overall. She had taken 5th so I was now one point out of 3rd place! It was all going to come down to the final race in Waukesha (race report to come Tuesday!)

Thanks so much to all of my cheering family and friends out there on the course - getting a win in front of people who are important to me is an unbelievable feeling! Thanks also to my fabulous teammates Jackie and Ashley who were blocking and sticking to wheels back in the pack!

All of the photos are thanks to the fantastic John Wilkes of Peloton Pix. John did such an amazing job throughout the series. He was there every day taking photos and his race recaps were always up so quickly! He has a great eye and I really appreciate being able to purchase some shots to remember the race and the series by!

Thanks for reading :)

America's Dairyland Update

2009-06-27T10:11:00.005-05:00

Away from the internet for a few days once again so a brief update on the last three races!
Here we are before Friday's race - we wore one glove as a tribute to the late Michael Jackson ;)

Wednesday was a criterium in Fond du Lac. Team Kenda had 3 riders today - Krystal, Jackie, and myself. Another scorcher and with our 3pm start time temps were in the mid 90s and very muggy. Only 20 women on the line and the field of riders were tired. I was not feeling very good in the heat and the previous day's road race was still taking its toll. Not for Jessie from Verducci though! Twenty minutes into our race she jumped off the front solo and after some hesitation from the rest of us she was clear. I don't think anyone really expected her to hold it. We organized a chase for a few laps but the conditions and fatigue were affecting us all. We were now racing for second and soon Jessie had lapped back into the field. It was definitely the Verducci show with Theresa and Davina taking nearly all of the primes too. Madeleine from BH attacked with 2 laps to go and again no one went with her so she took 2nd and we were sprinting for 3rd. I was trying to stay close to Theresa but couldn't come around her - she took 4th, my teammate Jackie was 5th and I was 7th. Thanks to my parents for coming out to see me for the 3rd time this series!! It's so nice to have a cheering section :)

Thursday was another crit in Sheboygan. Temperatures were cooler and the low 80s felt soooo much better than the previous two days. Another small field (unfortunately!) of 18 riders and this time Ashley joined in so we had a team of 4. I really wanted to get a break off with one or more of my teammates in it. Things worked out well when early on in the race a break of 6 riders with Jackie in it got off. The top overall riders weren't in there so I liked the mix. I liked it even better when a rider went to bridge and I saw Ashley glued to her wheel. So the break had 8 in it with 2 Kenda riders. With Verducci, Lipsmackers, and several strong solo riders also up there I knew this was likely to stick. Krystal and I did some blocking and watched the Verducci riders who tried to bridge several times. I went for a couple of primes mid race and took one while getting outsprinted by speedy Theresa on two others. With about 10 laps to go the break lapped back into the field. Krystal rode a great race and was helping keep the pace up throughout and trying to let us sit in and prepare for the sprint. Team Kenda organized ourselves at the front of the field in the final laps to keep the pace up. I hope there's a picture out there somewhere of all 4 of us lined up at the front! I was trying to communicate to Ashley to attack with two laps to go while we were up at the front. I was hopeful she might be able to stick it out for the win. It would cause the other teams to chase and I know Jackie is smart about position and a good bunch finisher. The worst that would happen to Ashley is she would be caught and finish 8th. It's hard to communicate midrace though and as we came through with one to go Lipsmackers was at the front and through the final corners Verducci took over and I got a bit boxed in with Jackie on my wheel. She gave it her all though and was able to finish a strong 2nd!
Ashley also stuck it out to get 6th! Nice racing girls! Theresa finished a few spots ahead of me and I was now 11 points out of 3rd place in the overall. Thanks to Jackie's dad, Steve, and her grandparents, Bill and Nancy, for cheering us on in the race!

Friday was our final road race. 60 miles through the rolling, wooded terrain in Greenbush. A beautiful 10 mile loop with some twisty, narrow roads and a set of 2 short steep climbs before the 300 meter downhill finish. About 25 riders on the line and thankfully temps were again in the low 80s. The first lap was pretty chill as we all warmed up the legs and got a feel for the course. Thanks to Peloton Pix!
The second lap the attacks started from Verducci and after several miles of failed break attempts we settled back in to a tempo ride. Verducci and Lipsmackers were both racing aggressively and I threw down a few attacks as well. Nobody seemed happy with the mix of riders though and anything that looked promising was quickly absorbed back by the field. The yellow line rule was being strictly enforced as well and several riders were relegated for attacking across it. As annoying as that can be I appreciate the strict adherence to the rules - there have been some unfortunate accidents when the rule is not enforced and we certainly don't want any more of those.

As we got to the final lap I think we were all trying to formulate how to win the race. Before the final steep hill before the descent to the finish Theresa attacked hard. Those of us near the front went after her and I was a bit overgeared going up the climb. I shifted down and my chain lost tension and I nearly put myself into my top tube and headset! I was able to hold it up though and tried to catch the wheels in front of me. Theresa couldn't hold it and a group of 4 riders (BH's Devon, Lipsmackers Amanda, Verducci Jessie, and ABD Jessie) went clear and about 200 meters from the line I passed Theresa and her teammate and was going for 5th. I saw a rider coming up on my right and I'm ashamed to admit I sort of leaned into her hoping to hold her off. Rebecca D. came around me just before the line and I finished 6th.Thanks to Peloton Pix!
I was really hoping to put riders between me and Theresa so that I could close the gap to 3rd in the overall. My teammate Jackie was able to finish 7th with Theresa taking 9th so I regained some points but am still 5 points out of 3rd place. We'll see how these next two crits go - it will not be easy trying to beat Theresa! Thanks to Steve for feeding all three of us throughout the race - it was hot and we definitely appreciated the bottles!

Thanks again to everyone associated with this race series - the organization is top notch and the racing has been really fun. I know I've said it many times already but these promoters have done a fantastic job and their commitment to womens racing by giving us the entire series of events and nearly equal prize money is incredibly encouraging. I sincerely hope that they are not discouraged by the relatively small field of women and that they will commit to that same level again for next year. I know I will try to spread the word on what a great series this is and believe that attendance will increase for next year. If you raced the series and have some feedback for them they'd love to hear from you - email them here

Thanks also to all of the great sponsors Team Kenda has this season and their support of us in these races - Kenda, Blue, SRAM, Thomson, Powerbar, Rudy Project, Headsweats, Skins, and Plant Solutions.

Thanks for checking in - look for a final series update sometime on Monday!

Happy Anniversary!!

2009-06-24T11:04:00.006-05:00

Today marks 4 years since Dave and I were married. He's a stud and his support of me throughout all of the racing is unbelievable. The time spent apart is tough but soon we'll be together more! I love you babe!

Fond du Lac Road Race

2009-06-24T10:05:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Peloton Pix for the photo

Tuesday was the 5th stage of the America's Dairyland Series with a 65 mile road race in Fond du Lac. The heat was going to be overwhelming with temps in the mid 90s - thankfully our race started at 9AM so that we would be finished relatively early in the day. Road races are worth double points in the series and with me tied for second and two points away from the two riders tied for first in the overall we knew we'd have to race smartly. But with conditions what they were we were all a bit nervous with how things would play out.

Just 4 Kenda riders today - Ashley, Jackie, Krystal, and myself. It was a long race and we weren't too interested in racing aggressively too early. There is a great group of women racing these events but it's too bad just a few more teams/riders haven't come out to support the series. The promoters have done a fabulous job with the race organization and their commitment to giving women such a large prize purse is admirable and appreciated. There is over $17,000 up for grabs throughout the series and there is not much difference between the payout for men vs. women. A big thank you to everyone involved in putting these races on.

Anyway . . . back to the race report! The first lap was pretty chill - everyone just riding and checking out the 10.5 mile loop. By the second lap fewer riders seemed willing to ride at the front and a few attacks were thrown down. Jackie helped bring back the first one and then a counter move went. I saw both Devon and Jessi in it, as well as Jessica from ABD and Toni from Lipsmackers and knew I needed to be there too. I bridged up and pulled through. Turning back I saw Theresa from Verducci and a Mack rider were also there. With all the major teams represented and the top 5 overall riders I knew this break would stick if we worked together.

Thanks to Peloton Pix for the photo

And that was that - we worked together the next 4 laps. The heat was so oppressive and I felt horrible for some portions and then decent for others. Thankfully Ashley's boyfriend Clayton was in the feed zone to give us bottles - I went through 6 during the race. Thanks so much Clayton!!

The last two laps I felt like my head was in the clouds and seriously thought I was going to pop off the group at times. As we came into the closing miles I tried to consider my options for the finish. The line was about 600 meters from the last corner - a slight uphill for the first 300 followed by a gradual decent to the finish. I thought about an attack but I was feeling pretty terrible and decided to just watch the wheels of my breakmates.

We made the corner and the sprint started about halfway up the gradual climb - I was in the mix with both Verducci riders and Devon but as we got out of the saddle I knew I didn't have much left. It was a long sprint and as Devon and Jessi pulled away I was with Theresa but couldn't stay with her and then Jessica from ABD came around as well. I finished 5th which now leaves me in 4th place in the overall - 10 points behind leader Devon who won the race. Congrats to her!

Immediately after the race I found a hose and sprayed down to try to cool off - I also downed two bottles of water and then just sat in the shade hoping I'd feel better. Back in the pack Jackie and Krystal got a bit boxed in for the sprint and finished 13th and 14th, respectively. Ashley was a bit further back at 22nd. Great job by them to help ensure the break stuck! Luckily everyone was feeling okay post race and after some fluids and cooling off we were all doing well. On the drive back to Madison Krystal and I stopped at Chipotle and then I felt even better ;)

Today is another scorcher and we're back in Fond du Lac for a criterium this afternoon at 3pm - pretty much the hottest part of the day. Hopefully 60 minutes feels better than 60+ miles! We'll be staying in Cedarburg with Jackie's grandparents the next two nights and I won't have internet so likely no updates until Friday after our last road race of the series!

Thanks for reading :)

Grafton and Manitowoc

2009-06-22T09:30:00.005-05:00

No internet access this weekend so a late and brief update.

Saturday's race in Grafton went well and with 7 Kenda riders toeing the line we knew we wanted to control the race. We won nearly every prime and my team was able to let me stay well rested in the field for almost the entire race. As we rounded the last corner I had an open road and started the 300+ meter sprint. Somehow I nearly took it but wasn't too surprised when Theresa Cliff-Ryan passed by me in the last 25 meters. I was very content with another 2nd place finish and this time did not miss the podium!

With Jessi and Devon separated by one point I was down by 2 points for 3rd. What an amazing job by my teammates throughout the race - Team Kenda worked so hard to try to keep the race fast and aggressive. Great racing girls! Also nice finishes by Catherine for 6th and Jackie for 7th!

All in all a great race at a fun venue. Thanks so much to my parents, Jason and Jesse, and Darlene for coming out to cheer me on!! Also huge thanks to Monique for helping us out, cheering us on, and taking all the great photos!!

Pressure was on Sunday in Manitowoc. We raced aggressively but by 40 minutes in nothing was sticking. I was most concerned with watching the two riders in contention for the overall and was hopeful to get a teammate up the road in a break. A huge group of 11 ended up rolling up the road with both Krystal and Catherine in it. Sort of a weird situation that it stuck and in retrospect we should have chased it down. Theresa from Verducci was also in there and her second place finish allowed her to move up in the overall and she's now tied with me. Catherine took 3rd in the break while I was watching Jessi and Devon in the main field. Jackie and Ashley gave me a killer leadout on the last lap and unfortunately I just couldn't come around to move up in points. Jessi took the bunch sprint followed by Devon and then me. The overall now has Jessi and Devon tied for first and Theresa and I tied for second.

Tomorrow is a 60 mile road race in Fon du Lac with 95 degree temps - eek!

Waterloo Classic

2009-06-20T10:29:00.005-05:00

Thanks Mo for the pictures!!

Stage 2 of the America's Dairyland Series brought us to the hometown of Trek in Waterloo, WI. A 1.6 mile circuit race that included a winding hill through a nearby park and a long 400 meter flat sprint finish. A hot, humid day but luckily the rain and storms cleared out for our race. We were hoping to watch the other teams and be involved in moves but our legs were feeling Thursday's road race. Monique came along to cheer us on, take photos, and be in our ear on the radios - thanks Mo - you're the greatest! :)

30 women started the race and by lap 2 some attacks were being laid down by Lip Smackers and Team BH. After Krystal chased down a flyer I was involved in a counter move and I soon found myself in a group of 4 - Jessie from Verducci, Toni from Lipsmackers, and Rachel from ISCorp. We got a small gap and we began working together - I really didn't expect this break to last as we were lacking a Team BH rider and I wasn't sure Lipsmackers wanted a break to go off without series leader Amanda in it. A prime was called next lap and I decided to go for it. I took it without really any competition and sort of felt bad that I attacked the break. I waited up for the girls and we began rotating through. The pace was high and we held a 20 second gap for several laps. Suddenly the gap went up to 40 seconds for a few laps and then halfway through the race we were at a minute. This looked like this was going to be the race as long as we continued to work together. Huge thanks to Krystal and Jackie for blocking and disrupting the chase back in the field!

We watched the minutes tick by and our gap grow to just under 2 minutes. With 5 laps to go we were still taking equal pulls. Early on in the break Rachel sat on for a few laps and told us she wouldn't outsprint us at the end and I knew she'd stick to her word. With two laps to go Toni attacked but we were quickly back together. Rachel did most of the work on the last lap and I was thinking of attacking on the hill but Toni again laid down an attack. I soon got back to her and sat on as we rounded the last corner. She slowed up and now it was time for the games to begin. I didn't come around her and waited for Jessi to make her move. With about 200 meters to go Jessi made a monster move on the far right side and I sprinted to try to get on her wheel. She was about 2 bike lengths ahead of me and I couldn't catch her wheel. She took the win and I came across for 2nd, Toni 3rd, and Rachel 4th.

I was happy with how things played out and Jessi got a well deserved win - she was doing a lot of work in the break and is a really strong rider. Jackie was able to finish in the money for 11th. This was a really fun race and thanks to everyone for working hard and putting it on. This series has been really well organized and the events have been great thus far - I'm looking forward to the upcoming races!

Thanks so much to Monique for helping us out and cheering! She was so great on the radios and her direction and time splits were perfect!

On Thursday they had taken awhile to do the podium ceremony and I assumed they'd do the same for Friday. So I unfortunately took too much time changing out of my kit and by the time I got to the podium they had just finished the ceremony!! Darnit! Only gives me extra motivation to get back on there sometime this week ;)

Today's race is in Grafton and it's an awesome event. We've got a few more teammates today with Christy and Ashley joining in for the fun. Should be a great race!

Blue Mounds Road Race

2009-06-19T07:41:00.008-05:00

Thanks to John of Peloton Pix

Thursday was the first race in the America's Dairyland Series with the Blue Mounds Road Race. A 44 mile race for the women - it included two laps of a 22 mile course that gains 2200 feet per lap. In addition to the constant rollers it included one extremely steep half mile climb on Pinnacle Road at about mile 12 and then a long steep 1.5 mile climb at mile 20 on Mounds Park Road. With the severe terrain we knew that this was essentially a race of attrition and that if you didn't enjoy climbing you probably weren't going to have much fun in this race!

Not many of the girls had preridden the course so few knew what they were really in store for. There were about 30 of us on the start line with Team BH, Verducci, and Lipsmackers, and Vanderkitten being the biggest teams there. For Team Kenda we had Jackie, Krystal, and myself.

I was sort of shocked to see riders attacking on the downhill section of the course which is nearly the first 8 miles of the lap. This made enough other riders nervous though and nothing stuck.

The first time we got to the Pinnacle climb Amanda Miller pushed the pace and over the top a group of 9 of us had formed with only Verducci having 2 riders in the break. After a bit of disorganization we finally began to work together to increase our lead. Once we got to Blue Mounds Road the pace was again lifted and the entire group was strung out with Amanda and Devon from BH getting a gap at the front. Over the top of the climb the remaining 7 of us were all split up and by the time we reached Bringham Park to begin the long descent we had organized together and began to work to chase the duo down. The SRAM neutral car came around us to follow the leaders and we knew we had to work together if we wanted to catch them.

Verducci worked hard to bring them back and really all of the riders were taking turns at the front. Our group split up slightly on the Pinnacle climb again but over the top we reorganized and really pushed the pace - at one point I thought I was going to pop off the back of the group! Thanks to John of Peloton Pix
The SRAM car came closer and closer though and we finally caught them with about 4 miles left in the race. We rode together with no one really wanting to push the pace as we all knew we had a solid 2 miles of tough climbing. As we reached the base a rider attacked but we were soon all back together. As the pitch increased the group strung out with Amanda and Devon leading the charge. A group of 4 formed with myself and another rider dangling off the back. I got past her and tried to push hard over the slightly flatter section before the final corner. The group was just 10-15 seconds ahead and as we turned and came to the steep final half mile I got out of the saddle desperate to get any last power out of the legs. I couldn't get there though and as we neared the top I just tried to hold my spot to finish 5th.

Congrats to Amanda on the win and Devon for second. Those two valiantly tried to hold onto their break and their ability to still take the top two spots after we caught them is a testament to how strong they're riding this year. Our chase group rode really well together too and the vibe was positive and encouraging. I'm really looking forward to racing with this field of women over the next 11 days. Check out Verducci's wild looking bikes - it's like a carbon skeleton!

Krystal hung tough and finished in the money for 14th place. After a lap Jackie knew this course had the potential of killing her legs and she smartly pulled out to conserve for the upcoming 9 races of the series.

What an amazing course and a well run event. Everything from registration, to the corner marshals, to the race vehicles was flawless. This course is the proposed 2016 Olympic road race course if Chicago gets the bid and I think everyone racing agrees that this would be an excellent venue. Very tough terrain and beautiful scenery make this a true test of fitness and skill. We'll find out in October whether Chicago gets the bid or not!

Congrats also to local ISCorp rider Matt Busche for winning the men's Pro event in an extremely talented field of riders. It was so cool to see him cross the line nearly 30 seconds ahead of the nearest competitor. ISCorp helped put on this race and it was awesome to see one of their most talented riders take the win.

After the race we "Skinned" up (gotta give props to the sponsrs!)

and headed back to Madison to get some food and rest up. Today is a 1.5 mile circuit race in Waterloo near the Trek Headquarters. Several severe thunderstorms passed through Wisconsin last night and there are more coming our way this morning. We're hoping we somehow race in dry weather but it's not looking good. So we're preparing ourselves for 60 minutes in the rain/storms. Sounds like fun!? :)

Nature Valley Wrap Up

2009-06-17T07:41:00.006-05:00

Kat is missing from this picture since she was getting drug tested!

So of course the last couple of days got hectic and the blog updates came to a stop. Here's some pictures and an update of how the last two days went.

Saturday was the 92 mile Mankato Road Race. A nearly 2 hour drive to and from the course it ends up being a long day. We really lucked out with weather this year and we got sunny, upper 70s, and calm winds. The race takes you out on an 86 mile loop through the rolling countryside of the area before you come back to Mankato and race 4 finishing circuits. There is a rather long, rather steep hill each circuit and the race always splits up here. Generally the race is not terribly hard the first 86 miles as everyone knows the circuits are coming. Crosswinds can sometimes be a factor but this year they were virtually nonexistent.

Fueling up on PowerBar!

So off we went and there were several attacks as some riders were hopeful to get a break off. Webcor was especially aggressive as they were caught up in crashes at Cannon Falls and lost many of their GC spots. I played around at the front for a bit and was involved in a few moves but I knew conserving for the end was very important. There were times when the race was fast but it generally was relatively easy. A break of 4 riders formed somewhere around mile 60 but they were lower GC riders and I think everyone assumed it would be brought back as we got closer to Mankato.

I took a feed from the car at one point and was yelled at by a few riders from big teams when I dropped back a bit behind COM1. Geez - I'm sorry I'm not a P-R-O like you girls and don't take feeds very often. I don't understand why they can't try to be a bit more positive and encouraging with the smaller teams!

We roll into Mankato and the pain cave begins. I had decent position and as the girls charged up the hill I was at the tail end of the lead group. The second time up a split happened and I ended up at the back of the second group. Whew - that hill is a grinder! It seems to never end and is darn steep. The third time I tried to hold my position but was falling behind the group. I could see a group of about 10 riders but could not reach them and the final time up the climb I tried to push hard and fight for every second. I finished 41st on the stage and 1'45" behind the leaders of the race. The break of 4 stuck and finished 2 minutes ahead of Kristin Armstrong's group. She nearly lost her yellow jersey but at the end of the day held onto it by 12 seconds.

My teammate Ally had a great race and finished 21st - in the group with the leaders. Poor Jackie got a flat tire with one circuit to go and ended up waiting nearly 5 minutes for neutral to help her out. Silke, Christy, and Kat were giving their all out there and finished strong.

We had photographer Frank Rowe in the team car for this race and he took some pretty amazing shots throughout the race. Check them out here

Christy was a little tired after the race!

Post race we had a nice team dinner in Mankato and Kat dispersed out some of her special cookies - squirrels this time!!

What a long day though - it was past 10 when we got back to the host homes and we had to prepare for Sunday's hellish Stillwater Crit the next day. Ally had eaten a bit too much sugar throughout the day's race and had some extra energy and challenged Christy to a wrestling match.

Ally wrestled in college and has got some skills - Christy was a trooper for sparring with her!

Sunday is the toughest and final stage of the NVGP. This is always a crazy race with generally only 40 or so riders actually finishing and everyone else getting pulled and getting a prorated time. Stillwater is a beautiful town right on the Mississippi River and is thus located right on a steep bluff. The 1.3 mile course climbs up Chillikoot Hill which is a 700 meter climb that averages 22%. After you get to the top of that there is some false flat and another little kicker before you finally get to turn and come down a fast but really fun descent. I took a picture of the hill but it's not very good!

I really like this race because I like power climbs but I also love this race because so many of my family and friends come out to watch it. Thanks so much to my parents, aunt and uncle, Mike and Karla, Ryan and Rachael, and anyone else out there cheering me on!

We prerode and then hopped on trainers in the shade and tried to get the legs ready and stay cool. You start at the very base of the climb so positioning is important as you don't want to have to be navigating your way up through tons of traffic. This is it - just under an hour of pain!

I had decent position and tried to pick my way through riders the first time up. Still a big group over the top but by the second time up riders were popping. I was out of the saddle and trying to move up and stick to wheels. I was feeling decent but as the laps ticked by I found myself in a second group maybe 30 seconds behind the leading group of maybe 15. I was so happy to see my teammate Ally in my group of 15 riders and we rode together for the next several laps. The fans were so awesome and people were lined up on the hill screaming. This race has such a cool atmosphere!

With about 3 laps to go I found myself hitting a wall. I struggled to stick to the wheels in my group and was gapped off. Myself and another rider worked together and we could see the group just ahead of us. On the final lap I pushed through and charged up the hill nearly catching the tail end of the group. I finished 32nd on the day - 3 minutes behind winner Kristin Armstrong. results

Ally rode awesome and finished 22nd. All of my teammates rode well and everyone made it through to finish off the race. The GC can totally change after this race and I was able to move up to 23rd - my best finish in my 4 years of doing this race. I'm really happy with how things went for myself and for the team. Team Kenda ended up 10th on the Team Classification out of 18 starting teams. It was a great showing for us and as a team we had so much fun throughout the race. We had an awesome group put together for this race and the comradarie and positive energy made for a successful and fun race experience.

Thanks so much to Team Manager Paul, Team Mechanic Mike, and all of the sponsors that helped make this team and this race possible.

After the race I got some lunch with my parents and my aunt and uncle. It was so much fun to chat with them and get some good food - mmm salmon burger (with bacon!) and sweet potato fries.

After lunch I gathered up the girls and we headed back to host housing to pack up and head back home. Jackie and Ashley had been stalking Floyd Landis all week and after Stillwater they surrounded him and got him to sign their arms. Such groupies! :)

The car was pretty packed to the gills with three people, 4 bikes and lots of luggage and wheels. Gotta love the Subaru!

Thank you so much to all of our wonderful host families throughout the week. We had such great accommodations and it was so nice to have us all within a few blocks of each other. Thank you Kirk and Angela, Robbie and Linda, and Jeff and Nancy!! We really appreciate your generosity and hospitality!! Also thanks to Ryan and Rachael, and Mike and Karla for taking Kat Sunday night and helping her get to the airport Monday morning!

Wow - this entry ended up way longer than I intended!! Jackie and I are in Madison waiting for the America's Dairyland series to start tomorrow. Krystal will arrive tonight and a few more Kenda riders will join in on a few days. The racing should be great with solid prize purses and great courses. Tomorrow is the Blue Mounds Road Race which is sure to be tough! I'll try to post race reports as often as I can!!

Thanks so much for reading!!

Nature Valley Day 3

2009-06-13T08:53:00.003-05:00

So Friday's stage was a crit in Uptown Minneapolis - a very hip neighborhood with lots of cute restaurants and shops. We didn't race until 6:30 so we had a leisurely day beforehand. Our host family has an electric Razor scooter and we decided we had to just give it a quick spin. Here's Ally taking a lap.

And then she decided to hit a slight bump in the driveway and nearly took herself out. Check out Kat's expression!

The scooter fun didn't end there because once we got to the race course there were some neighborhood kids setting up some sweet ramps and jumping their scooters over them. Ally decided she'd use her newfound skills and challenged one of the kids to a race. I think the helmet may have given her an advantage.

Once the shenanigans were over it was actually time to race our bikes. Most of us were just concerned with staying safe and making it through this crit as we knew it wasn't going to affect the GC. This stage race really comes down to Saturday and Sunday so we wanted to conserve some engery in preparation for those races. The race was incredibly fast though and we averaged just under 27mph. Unfortunately Ashley was gapped off early on but the rest of us made it through safely.

Thanks so much to my parents, aunt and uncle, and Dave's brothers Mike and Ryan and their wives Karla and Rachael for coming out to spectate and cheer us on. It was great to see everyone and we had a nice dinner afterward. Happy Birthday Ryan!!

On our walk back to our car we noticed that someone had decided to TP the Team Type 1 Van. We were not involved but we decided to take a photo as it was pretty funny!

We leave shortly for our 92 mile road race in Mankato today. Should be a very important stage in the race and the big hill on the finishing circuits should split everything up. It'll be a blast!

Nature Valley Day 2

2009-06-12T14:11:00.003-05:00

Thursday night we had Stage 3 of Nature Valley with a 67 mile road race that didn't start until 5:30. We enjoyed our lazy morning by sleeping in and going for a team shopping trip at Target. Good times!

We arrived in Cannon Falls with plenty of time to relax and go preride the notorious gravel road and gnarly paved descent that takes you onto the finishing circuit. Getting onto the gravel in the top third of the field is super important if you don't want to kill yourself trying to chase onto the surging field of riders.

The race started out pretty quickly with a QOH (Queen of the Hills) sprint just under 4 miles in. I decided I would give these a go but didn't have enough kick to make it to the line and finished 5th - points are only awarded to top 3! There was a minor crash about 5 miles later that Christy got caught up in but she recovered quickly.

The race went by really fast. There was some attacking at the front and I was in a short lived break at about mile 20. Nothing seemed to stick and as the miles ticked by we were a big field of 100 some riders. About 5 miles before the turn on the gravel road a huge mass of riders went down in the middle front of the field. I was able to slow down and get around it fine but many girls were caught up in it. Luckily no Kenda riders were involved. The field surged ahead and there was no attempt to wait up for fallen riders.

Mike was on the radio warning us of the coming gravel road so we knew to be prepared. I was in a great position in the front third of the group on the inside of the corner. For whatever reason the front riders didn't realize how quickly the turn was coming and either missed it or overshot it causing everyone on the outside to be caught off guard. I took advantage of my position and was in the top 15 onto the gravel.

I rode hard trying to move up and ride solidly through the section. As we got onto the broken up paved descent I hung onto the drops and bombarded down the hill. I heard someone say "I'm right here Kristin!" just behind me and once we had safely on the circuit was ecstatic to see my teammate Jackie on my wheel.

The first circuit was wicked fast as riders were hoping to open up a gap on whatever chaos had occured in the gravel. I encouraged Jackie to be smart with her position and hold on for the next 5 laps. The pace slowed slightly after the first lap and we rode smartly. Gaps were opening though and we had to jump around a few riders who were getting popped. There were just over 40 riders in the lead group and on the last lap I wasn't in a position for a top 10 and was just pleased to get the same time as the leaders. Jackie ended up 26th and I was 31st.

Ally and Silke were in the first chase group just over a minute back and Kat and Christy 3 minutes back in the second group. Ashley got a flat in the gravel and rode awesome considering her predicament!

What a crazy race! Totally shook up the GC with Webcor and TIBCO being the major teams that got caught up in the crashes. I've now moved up in the GC to 30th with Jackie in 39th. This race is really decided on Saturday and Sunday though so there is plenty of time for things to change.

After the race was over we enjoyed a quick cool down ride. Check out Kat wearing Mike's jacket - she looked like a superhero!

Huge thanks again to Paul and Mike for all of their hard work. Mike was great on the radios giving us a heads up on things and our bikes were tuned up perfectly. It was a late night and we didn't make it back to host housing until after 10.

Luckily today is only a crit in Minneapolis this evening so we got to have another relaxing morning/day. We went for a nice spin this morning with the guys.

Tomorrow will be a big day with the 92 mile Mankato Road Race. The finishing circuit that we do 4 times has a killer climb in it and the field will shatter once we hit it the first time. I'll try to give an update on tonight's crit if possible! Thanks for reading :)

Nature Valley - Day 1

2009-06-11T13:13:00.004-05:00

Up in Minnesota for the Nature Valley Stage Race. This is my favorite race of the year - 6 stages over 5 days with two brutal courses on Saturday and Sunday. Lots of family and friends up in the Cities so it's great to have such a prestigious stage race so close to home. We have a really great team put together for this race with Ally, Ashley, Christy, Jackie, Jo, Kat, Silke, and myself all representing Team Kenda. Manager Paul and Mechanic Mike are here to make sure everything is running smoothly. We drove up on Monday night so that we could take care of airport pickups, corse previews, and other logistics on Tuesday. On the drive up we stopped at a Dairy Queen to get Ally a little birthday treat! Happy Birthday Ally :)

We're staying with three wonderful host families in Oakdale, MN (just east of St. Paul). Thanks so much Angela and Kirk, Robbie and Linda, and Jeff and Nancy!!! All the homes are within 2 blocks of each other so it's an absolutely perfect setup.

Wedensday was the first day of the Nature Valley Stage Race in Minneapolis, MN. The only 2 stage day of the event, we started off bright and early in the morning with the first riders going off at 8:30. A 6 mile course with a 2.5 mile flat out and back section before you take a final turn and go up a winding half mile climb to the finish. A cool course that follows the river but also some busted up concrete that zaps your speed in a few spots.

This is the first year I've got a TT bike and I was stoked to race it. I've been doing our local time trial series in Madison and had been feeling good with the position. Here's Paul with my sweet bike.

I was the sixth rider off and tried to get up to speed quickly without going out too hard. I was in a rhythm and feeling good and after the turn around caught the rider in front of me. As I went past the start I caught another rider and pushed through to the beginning of the climb. It's fairly steep and long so I tried to stay seated and keep my cadence high. It hurt!! As I took the final corner I was out of the saddle and fighting for seconds. I crossed the line and soon after I heard the announcer say I was the new leader with a time of 15'32" . . . for about two minutes!! That's an advantage to being one of the first to go off - there's a good shot you can be the race leader for a little while anyway! By the time I turned around to go down the hill my time had been beaten :)

I was still super happy with how things went and beat last year's time by 36 seconds. There are some very fast women here including arguably the fastest woman - Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong - and I ended up 1'44" behind her. I was Kenda's top finisher on the day in 46th place. All of my teammates had strong performances though. Poor Jo missed her start but rode well enough to avoid the time cut.

Once we were all finished it was back home and time to rest up for the 6pm criterium in St. Paul. We napped and got some food before loading the cars back up and heading downtown. This crit was changed to a 4 corner course which we hoped would make it safer but still a 1 KM course with 120 women is kind of ridiculous. We knew the lap times would be fast.

The usual race to the start line started extra early this year and pretty much the whole field was parked on the line 25 minutes before the race. So we stood and waited. What a cool atmosphere though. Lots of spectators, good music and announcers made for an energetic vibe. 60 minutes of pain - we were ready.

The first 30 minutes of the race were incredibly fast. We averaged nearly 28 miles an hour before things finally settled down just slightly for a lap or two. Armstrong was drilling it at the front keeping the pace high and breakaway attempts at a minimum. My positioning was decent and I felt good - although there were a few times I thought I might pop! Once we got to the halfway point I told myself to just hang on and finish this race off.

With about 10 laps to go I see a rider bump into my teammate Ally. They were both fine but then the rider overcorrected and hit Ally again . . . hard. There was nothing she could do and I cringed as I saw her hit the ground solidly on her left side. Luckily only one other rider went down and no one was seriously hurt. But Ally's bike was jacked and after getting pushed back in she was pulled and given a prorated time. Bad luck!! :(

The laps ticked down and I wanted only to finish with the main pack. Perhaps I should set my sights higher but in this race it's all about time and I'm more concerend with the weekend races. Jackie, Silke, Kat, and I all made the main group and Ally, Christy, and Ashley all made the time cut. Jo gave it a great effort but unfortunately didn't make the time cut. This was a tough race though and our final average speed was just over 26mph.

Thanks so much to my future sister in law Rachael for coming out to spectate as well as my Aunt Terese and Uncle Kim. I heard my name from some other friends out there as well - it was awesome.

HUGE thanks to our mechanic Mike for taking such good care of us and helping us all day with our bikes and everything else. He is such a calm, sweet guy and it's so great to have him around. Paul is also super helpful in keeping us organized and prepared. Thanks guys - you rock!

Off to Cannon Falls for today's 67 mile road race! Look for another update tomorrow!