Getting through the winter

It's that time of the year where I become an even lazier blog updater. The past few weeks have been spent trying to ramp up base training and also included a short trip up to Minneapolis to visit with Dave's two brothers and their wives (technically one's a fiancee but close enough!) It was nice to spend time up there and the weather was awesome so we spent some time outdoors and walked around Lake Harriet in the sun.

We also took Cider and her cousin Milo to a dog park near the airport. Cider gets a little nervous around other dogs so we weren't sure how she'd be with dozens of other dogs off leash. She generally stuck close but got in a few good chases with Milo. He's the one in the stylish coat.



It was nice to hang out with Mike, Karla, Ryan, and Rachael and we also ate at a few of the many awesome restaurants in the Cities. We also met up with my cousin Liz and her boyfriend Zach who recently moved to St. Paul. It seems like more and more friends and family are living in the Cities so it makes it tough to try to see everyone while we're there!

The weather in Wisconsin has been sort of blah lately. It stopped snowing a few weeks ago so the snow has gotten kind of yucky. January was really cold so the snow that was left got pretty icy and crusty and skiing wasn't all that great. I got out a few times though and it was still fun to be out in the snow. My studded tires got a few days of use commuting and a 2 hour ride once when the temperature got up to 30. I felt tough to be riding in the cold but I pale in comparison to my extremely hardy Planet Bike coworkers. Chris and Marko will both ride in any conditions and I admire and applaud them for their perseverance!

This time of year I always learn to embrace the treadmill at the gym and logged several hour long 10K runs which was nice. I don't run fast but this time of year I like to mix it up and not sit on a trainer in my basement for every workout. Some good music or a podcast helps the time go by and dare I say I actually enjoy the monotony of it.

But alas mother nature gave us a break this past weekend and with a 45 degree day on Saturday I happily joined in the weekend group ride and got about 4.5 hours in. The roads were gritty, wet, and snowy in a few spots but luckily almost everyone had fenders. I took the cross bike and opted for some slick 32c tires to give me more traction and flat protection . . . and some added resistance! It was an awesome ride though and totally worth the hour or so of bike cleaning afterward.

Here's Meredith as we wait for someone to fix a flat.


We also stopped in New Glarus at a cute little coffeeshop to refuel.


I didn't even see this sign but Jordan took a photo of it - I love it!


Sunday was a bit cooler but a sunny, 35 degree day is rare this time of year and another long ride was in order. With 4 women and 2 men showing up for the ride we drafted off the guys for awhile before splitting up and heading back home. It was a fun girls ride and so nice to be out in the sun. The 3.5 hours flew by and I'm so glad I didn't have to try to log in that time on the trainer! I'm hoping that mild weather is here to stay but this is Wisconsin and I know better. I'm guessing another major snowstorm will hit us in the next few weeks. But today it's supposed to be record temps in the mid 50s and even though it's a rest week I'm going for a long ride!

I've also got a minor rant on the cancellation of womens cycling races (specifically those on the National Racing Calendar) for the upcoming season. Now I realize that our economy is in a bit of a pickle and that both businesses and consumers are trying to trim down their expenditures to keep their heads above water. But the recent slashing of several races still leaves me disappointed. And the inequality shown towards cutting mostly events for women is frustrating and disrespectful.

First the Tour of California womens edition went from a 3 day stage race to a one day crit (hardly a tour!). Then a one day classic type race, Tour of Leelanau in Michigan, was cut completely as were a weekend of crits in Grand Rapids, MI - keep in mind these were all NRC events for women only. Next Tour de Toona - a wonderfully epic 7 day stage race in Pennsylvania was mysteriously reduced to 3 days on the NRC calendar. For a fleeting few days last week it went back to 7 days and now . . . it's back to 3. A smaller stage race in Arizona, the Vuelta Bisbee, canceled all category races (including pro/1 women) to host only a pro mens event. Also about two weeks ago the Oregon Pro Cycling Classic announced it was canceling the 7 days of NRC racing for both men and women that had been scheduled for mid May. The only bright spot on this one is that more riders should make it down to Arkansas for the Joe Martin Stage Race which ended the day before the OPCC started. I can't help but wonder which race will be the next victim of the cuts.

And although cycling isn't immune to our economic downturn the cycling industry certainly seems to be holding its own in these tough times. This past weekend the Row had record breaking sales for February and at PB we're shipping more and more product out of the warehouse. Sure, these are two somewhat small observations but in general I think people are embracing the bike in all of its beautiful glory. Recreation, transportation, sport. And even though I'm a racer I foremost appreciate the functionality of bikes and their potential to transform our car dependent society. Anyway - I'm an optimist and hopeful that good things will continue to happen in the sport and that more businesses will recognize the benefits of supporting cycling in its many forms.

Speaking of optimism - I thought this was an interesting article in PEZ - The 7 Day Mental Detox. It seems like this is the time of year when the upcoming season holds a lot of mystery - weeks of training in anticipation for the first races can cause some weird thoughts to drift through your mind. I've always been a believer that mental strength is just as important as physical strength in cycling and most sports. I consider myself a positive person but trying to purge all negativity as the article advises is tough! Give it a shot.

Okay - I think I've rambled on enough for this blog post. Thanks for reading!

Team Kenda camping in FL

Last week was the first gathering of Team KENDA for the 2009 season. We gathered in Mt. Dora, Florida for a few days of riding and team bonding. It was soooo much fun and almost all of the Elite team plus a few regional riders made the trip to our castle on the water. We stayed at this amazing house that had some interesting decor

there were literally over 100 of these guys throughout the property. The sunsets were nice too.



The weather was cool by Florida standards but downright beautiful for anyone from the north. Temps were in the upper 50s to nearly 70 during the day and it felt great to ride in bare legs and occasionally bare arms. Our loooong drive down started with 5 hours of tense driving on slippery roads and our poor car was in desperate need of a de-salting.


We made it there safe and sound though and enjoyed several days of long rides and lots of laughing and fun. We have a really amazing group of girls put together for this season and I can't wait for the racing to begin.




Our house was on the route for several rides in the area which was super convenient. Jackie's dad Steve and his teammate Kirk also led us on two awesome rides through the area - thanks so much guys! I was truly impressed with the roads and terrain around the area. It was great to get in 100 miles on Sunday and all in all 17 hours of riding over 5 days - a very welcome break from the subzero temps Wisconsin was having!

And the guys made sure to bring us to the locally famous Yalahala Bakery for some nourishment in the middle of the long rides.


Here are a few more of my favorite shots from camp!

Kat is our cookie queen! She brings these tasty treats with her almost everywhere she goes - thanks Kat!

This is Ally getting up close and personal with one of the gargoyles. You can't help but be laughing when Ally is around. While passing by random people on our ride she liked to wish them a Merry Christmas and she also came up with the perfect idea of playing hide and seek in our castle. I haven't done that since I was like 10 but it was soooo much fun and the house had a lot of great hiding spots.

Mary also introduced many of us to the team bonding activity of levitation. Many of us had played "light as a feather, stiff as a board" as kids but we were amazed at how we could seemingly make people practically float out of their chair.

Here is Becca looking a little skeptical as the lifters focus their energy above her

and up she goes!

So all of the cyclists made it through the rides without a single flat tire - KENDA tires rock! But unfortunately near the end of our century ride Paul (who was driving sag behind us for pictures, etc.) managed to get a butter knife stuck in his tire! Bummer!


A few boyfriends/husbands came down for the camp including Dave. Here we are outside at another bakery stop.


Jackie even branded her car with some team graffiti


A fun team picture on the last day.


All in all an awesome trip and a great way to kick off our season together. Racing is still a ways off but camp definitely helped motivate me to focus on getting in some solid base training in the coming weeks.

Coming back to 20 degrees and Wisconsin is a little rough but I put some new studded tires yesterday on the cross bike and commuted to Planet Bike. It was pretty fun to cut through the snow with ease and I'm looking forward to getting out more even when the conditions are bad. We've still got plenty of snow so the skiis will see lots of use in the next couple of weeks too.

Thanks for reading!

This and That

I know my readership has decreased during the slow winter season but an update is still probably in order. Our friends Jordan and Rachel were married last weekend and it was a beautiful wedding and a fun time spent with some friends. They instituted a unique policy on the clinking of glasses which required a visual example of how the newlyweds were supposed to lock lips. The majority of our dinner was a brainstorming session at our table on how we might outdo all the previous kisses. We finally decided on forming a human pyramid with Kim on the top and Nick leaning in for for the kiss. Nevermind that the bride now had to scale up the wedding party pyramid in her gown - if they wanted to play this game we wanted to make it interesting :)
They didn't back down from the challenge and even outdid us by adding another level of people - impressive!

Not a whole lot of other exciting news. I taught a bunch of smarty pants high schoolers this week taking on a couple of sub jobs for AP Calc and Rocket Science (aka Aerospace Engineering). Can't say I was a big help to those students but they were all nice kids anyway! Somehow I avoided ever taking calculus so all the integrals and derivatives mystify me. Dave and a few of the guys at PB spoke fondly of their calculus classes and I'm under strict orders to snag some homework packets if I teach that class again!

Training is slowly starting to pick up after two weeks completely off. My back was horrible after nationals and after Christmas I finally decided to see a chiropractor. After two adjustments Ridge had me realigned and feeling tons better. I started running and lifting this week and got out for some skate skiing both days this weekend. Today some friends and I hit up the Southern Kettles for a solid two hours of skiing. Conditions were awesome and it was so nice to be out in the woods. And a stop at the LaGrange Country Store is mandatory when you're nearby so I introduced Jill and Meredith to the amazing food and famous peanut butter balls. Mmm.

We're at T-minus 3 days until Kenda team camp in Florida. Wisconsin is going to get hit with a couple of days of near zero high temps so the timing couldn't be better. Dave's tagging along too for a few days of warm temps and riding outside. I'm really excited to meet and hang out with all of my cool teammates and hopefully log in some big hours on the bike. I got my sweet new custom painted Blue RC8 last week and can't wait to get it built up. I'm waiting on just a few more parts so unfortunately it won't be making the trip to FL but should be ready to ride soon.

Next update will hopefully be from sunny, warm Florida!

2008 Season Recap

It's that time of year to look back on the season and remember all of the fantastic experiences I've had in the past 12 months. The above picture is one of my favorite shots from this year. Taken at a Wisconsin cyclocross race at Estabrook Park by the great djonnymac it embodies the spirit of the sport. Not a part that I regularly partake in but I wholeheartedly appreciate and respect the offer here.

Here's a look back at some pictures of the season - first some numbers. They certainly don't define a season but I still like to keep track of them.

63 race days
9 wins
28 top 5 finishes (including wins)

States raced in 11 - IL, WI, IA, AR, MN, OH, MA, KY, NJ, MO, Ontario (Canada)


No racing yet but a fun training camp in NC in March with some WI riders as well as a few KENDA teammates
a windy weekend of racing in Iowa City in April had me in second behind Sydney Brown both days
another fabulous edition of Joe Martin in Arkansas in May and the opportunity to stay with two amazing hosts - Carolyn and Marion
While in Arkansas we found peace on top of a mountain during a training ride - Lee looks like she's about to do the move from Karate Kid and I love the look on Kat's face
In the Tour of Arkansas crit - going after an attack
The podium at the Tour of Arkansas - can you guess the two major teams in the race?
In Iowa at the end of May trying to defend my two Snake Alley titles
but . . . couldn't drop Sam up the climb and she outsprinted me in the end
Another favorite race of mine - the Stillwater Crit at Nature Valley Grand Prix in June
Racing the Grandview crits in Ohio at the end of June and staying for a second year with wonderful host family the Camerons
In Massachusetts in July for Fitchburg and enjoying the local dairy bars
Back in Wisconsin for Superweek in July - here I was second at the Ripon crit
Brooke Miller and I were off the front for a few laps of the inaugural Chicago Crit in August - cross your fingers they give the women a race here this year
Last road race of the year for me - Downers Grove Crit Championship in Illinois
September was all Dave - he raced an impressive Ironman - 10:35 - check out those quads!
First cyclocross race of the year at the Jonathan Page Planet Bike Cup UCI race in Madison at the end of September
A full plate of UCI racing this year - at the USGP in Louisville in October - I'm liking those black skinsuits!
A trip to Toronto for two more UCI races in November - so much fun - great courses both days and excellent support of the women
Getting on the podium both days in Toronto was an honor
Another weekend of USGP racing in New Jersey - holy mud fest - lots of running and lots of wanting the pain to stop!
Going down at the State Champ race - this was from the mens 3 race I did before going on to win the womens race
At Jingle Cross day 2 in the sloppy snowy mud - one of the most frustrating races I had all year . . . but fun!
Racing the Womens 30-34 race at Nationals
and getting on the podium by less than a bike length in the sprint
last race of the year in the Nationals Elite Womens race - see how cold the spectators look.

Thank you to everyone in my life who supports me in my racing!

First and foremost Dave for his unconditional love and support.

My family for coming out to so many races and being my biggest fans.
Dave's family for being supportive of my addiction and not disowning us for missing family weddings!
Bob Downs and Planet Bike for their incredible support of the sport of cyclocross and the Planet Bike team. It was such a pleasure to race on the team this fall and I'm proud to represent such a respectable, hard working company.
Paul Forsythe, the owner/manager of Team KENDA for his hard work with the team and providing opportunities for so many women to be involved in racing.
Team KENDA mechanic Mike Wakeley who is one of the most generous people I know. And he races too!

And thanks to all of you for checking in on me and reading my ramblings! Hope you all had a great 2008!

Happy New Year!