And finally the sun comes out

After mother nature throwing everything she had at us, she gave us a break on Sunday for the elite races - which were probably the best conditions all weekend with sunshine and warm weather (in the 30s).

Judd and I arrived to KC Wed to pre-ride the course lots and lots as prep for our races. However, given the weather and such, I ended up spending about 5 hours on the trainer instead over the few days in the hotel room. Fitness still felt pretty good and I was feeling much better than I had the past few weeks battling a cold. Despite all the training and travel to races all up and down the east coast, nothing really could have prepared anyone for the course at Nationals unless you live and train in a snowbelt or have some serious faith in bike handling skills and tires and ofcourse luck.


The elite women's race probably had about 70 starters. Velo Bella-Kona probably made up 20% of the field :-). Pic from Dave at trailwatch.net
The course was the same layout as all weekend - minus the barriers. The course conditions, which were different each day, each hour, each race. For our race the course still had the ruts from the previous days races in the mud, but they were frozen still at the start of the race. The snow fall the previous night left a granular dry powder on the course which actually helped with traction. For the most part you could still take any line you wished, as long as you were light on the bike, kept your ass back, and plowed over the ruts. However as the race went on, by lap 3 of 4 the mud started to come through and the ruts started to soften and grab the wheels and throw them which ever way.


My start was fair, but I got passed by a lot of folks on the road hill and went into the first corner probably mid pack despite my 2nd row start. I kept the pressure on and blasted through the corners and ruts and did not have any major issues the first two laps other than a few riders spinning out in front of me causing me to stop to pass them. Then the ruts started softening and I took a spill into the metal barrier guards by the pit (as did quite a few elite men as well) and then slipped out in a few other spots, but in all, I rode a fairly decent race. I got really tired and also wasn't confident enough to push the pace much more given the lack of traction and unpredicatability of the ruts.

I was slowly but steadily moving up through the field and finally caught up to my teammates Amy Drombski (who won the U23) and Barb Howe but wiped out on a frozen patch little ways past the last pit but still 1/3 lap to go to the finish. A few riders passed me while I got back up. I head to the stairs one final time and pushed hard, up, up, up, rode down, up, up, up, then realized front brake was totally stuck and wheel wouldn't turn. I tried to undo the front brakes so I could ride up the road (the final stretch) un-hindered. To no avail. Everyone yelled at me to just hop on and go. A few more passed including teammate Steph White (who was 2nd in the Collegiate race).

I hopped on the bike and headed up the finish stretch of road, trying to stand, trying to sprint, trying to preserve the position I already had, but with the front wheel not really moving on it's own, it took all my energy to just get up the hill, and like 3 more girls sprinted by me. Ah hell. I did what I could.

Winter in KC

We arrived to ice encrusted Kansas City on Wed for 2007 Cyclocross National Championships. We planned to arrive early so that we could pre-ride the course on the only days it's really open for any amount of time, Wed and Thursday afternoon.
Given the ice and mud, we opted out of pre-riding the course both days, knowing that the lines would be changing, if not the course, by late Saturday and Sunday, after ice melt, mud, ruts, and more snow that's on the way. Plus we didn't really want to have to spend hours cleaning the bikes for only getting in 2-3 laps in the slop and not even being able to do the workout as planned.

Thursday we watched the Masters 40 plus race. I think that only 1/2 of the registered riders actually showed up to race - granted that still meant 85 or so riders actually raced. It was nice to see a few Mid-Atlantic faces out there with Tom, Kelly, Jeff, and Bill. Bill finally decided to participate in the nationals after watching in RI last year. After the race we ate a BBQ sandwich, cleaned Jeff's bike in a drainage ditch with an old paint bucket we found on the side of the road, and then headed to the hotel for me to ride the trainer and for Judd to explore the suburbs.

Friday we are relaxing in the hotel. We will be heading out shortly to cheer on teammate Anna for her age-group race. She's in top form and fitness this year and really strong and very confident. Mo and Betsy will be tough competitors if the conditions are muddy. I was thinking about doing this 30-34 age group race, but kept hemming and hawing. If it were the day before the elite race, I would have. However with it on Friday, I tend to get really sore two days after a race, which would put me in the hurt locker for Sunday. I finally decided I'd race it anyway, but missed the registration deadline by 5 hours.

So far we discovered the things to do here are to see "Kansas City's #1 attraction - Cabela's" - which has a room with little laser rifles - that would be fun. There's a bowling alley with Martini's served, Dave and Busters, a marble factory, and well, not much else. We are right next to the Kansas Speedway which is impressive and enticing enough to actually make me want to come out to watch a Nascar race. Oh and there's a mechanical bull at one of the steakhouses in the outdoor mall they call Legends - which celebrates the legendary history of Kansas. Unfortunately I didn't see any explanations for the statues they had around the outdoor mall - I did figure out the yellow brick road though.

We'll report back later.

Fast turkey

USGP NJ was like a Velo Bella festival (pre-show for Nationals) with 8 Bellas on the course, representation in each group and practically at each level of the race. Saturday's key words were sun and power. Sunday, mud and steady. Teammate Amy took the most aggressive rider award on Sunday proving that she is a power house and she has skills. I think the rest of us were all hoping for a little better than our finishing numbers, but I know there were many lessons learned out there and all hoping for some better luck and faster legs.

This week is hopefully some hard training, turkey, and racing in New England again Sat and in the MABRA on Sunday.

Changing tactics

Beacon and Highland Park this past weekend were as much fun as always. The parks are absolutely lovely, especially in the fall - with the water, the leaves, the crisp air. I love getting to the venues early and just checking out the trails at 'new' places like these. It was nice having these two races back to back again - which allowed Judd and I to stay in NJ and also see a part of the state other than the turnpike. Because of the misty cool weather we decided to forgo Atlantic City and the beaches for some other time.

This weekend I continued to see improvement in my fitness and was almost pleased that I could stay with Rebecca and Mo for a good chunk of the race. I was actually confused at the beginning of Beacon, thinking that the two of them must have started out really slow. But after a few laps up the stairs-of-the-giants (or the amphitheater of pain) I started to feel it (and actually still do - three days later).

Riding with Rebecca has reminded me of what it means to race. We have two different styles of riding and racing. I prefer the slightly more technical sections, love corners, and ride consistently - one speed. Meanwhile, Rebecca forces the challenge - she makes it a true race. She attacks, then peaks over her shoulder to make sure you are suffering if you are still riding her wheel. She leaves it all out on the course. She is tactful and well aware of her own and her competitors strengths and weaknesses. She wares down her competition and then finishes you off with a killer sprint. That is pretty much what happened at Beacon, even when my brave teammate stormed up the stairs and kept the pressure on and closed the gap to Rebecca and bravely fought for that last podium step.

Sunday, at Highland Park, half the course was a long slow rise and you get to feel which muscles were worked in the amphitheater stairs at Beacon the day before. The silver lining was the second half of the course, an awesome descent that dares you to take the off-camber turns with no brakes, which is doable, but I kept flinching and tapping the brakes right before the turns anyway.

The race pretty much blew apart by the top of the hill on the first lap. Mo and Georgia were gone. Anna, Rebecca, Wallace, Betsy, Erica, and I were settling out who was going to chase. Once teammate Anna took the helm I defensively took up a resting spot and made sure no one would bridge up to her. She kept her distance and secured the last podium spot. Erica had a perfect race and kept the pressure on. I learned that there is no advantage to "drafting" in cyclocross as the trailing rider has to accelerate twice as hard to catch back up out of corners. The effort took its toll and my one attempt at being an offensive rider did me in as I launched an 'attack' before the start of the hill in hopes of dropping Erica. However I fear my 'attack' was more of a slow acceleration as Erica appeared unfazed and rode right on by me as the hill got steep and I wasn't able to close the gap.

It was really nice to see Mandy and MegA again back on the their old 'stomping' grounds. And it was really fun to have Morgan and Alicia and Bill out there cheering and hanging out.

It was really cool to see Brewer have a phenomenal race on Sunday.

******

Now with four or so weeks to go till Nationals, it's time for a change. I'm training through the next few weeks and will also try to launch more of an offense to my racing. I'm not sure if it will change anything or not, but it will hopefully bring me more satisfaction with the race and not the chase.

Northward Bound

Judd and I once again packed up the car and headed out for the North again (for the second of four trips to New England this season) for the Farmington and Northampton races. Although I'm to the point now that every New England race is my favorite - not to diss on the MAC series, but there is something quaint about the small towns in Mass and CT, the local spectators, the snow, the dunkin donuts, the fans, the announcers ....

Our first trip to the great North was Gloucester. Below is the pic of the Velo Bella-Kona squad that raced (Jen, Steph, Melanie, Melody, Anna)

Farmington and Northampton were both a blast. Sat in CT I had a great race and was almost about to catch the lead chase group before they launched some attacks to make sure I wasn't going to join them. I rode the sandpit really well for a change and rode hard the whole course with Wallace hot on my wheels. The rain/sleet mix was coming down and it added to the fun by making some of the turns a little slick - allowing the course to claim many victims at some point. I was quite pleased with my 5th place (my best so far in New England) and not that far back from the leaders (until the second to last corner where I had a spectacular wipe out that required me to practically regain my consciousness, put my chain back on, and limp to the line with crooked handlebars and bent derailler).

Sunday the leggies were a little tired but I surprisingly had an awesome start and was in perfect position for the first few corners and finally where I wanted to be - in the lead group...for about 1/2 a lap. Little mistakes kept costing me seconds and eventually sealed my fate. Whether it was not picking up the bike or getting back on quick enough, slipping or stumbling on the rooty scramble drag/pull-your-self-up hill, or stalling out on the steep ride-up and having to hobbley-ho my bike up the rest of the hill (how embarrassing - I hope there are no pics of that anywhere). I was fortunate to finish 6th and happy to see my teammate Anna finally regaining her form.

Now it is time for the Amphitheatre of Pain at Beacon - back in the MAC. I'm looking forward to Mandykins taking a break from Darden to race with us all again and I'm pleased to have the New England gals coming down. We are all like a travelling circus.

Halloween (a little late in coming)

People in Louisville take Halloween seriously as you can see from the pic of one of the houses decked out. Perhaps because it's home to one of the most haunted places in the US - the Waverly Sanatorium. I'm still really upset that we didn't even realize that it was in Louisville. We first heard about it on the Sci Fi series Ghost Hunters.

It is Velo Bella tradition to do a little something for the holiday. We had candy for the adult kids, and I used the spider rings to bribe the local kids across from the VBK tent for some stale cookies since the Papa John's trailer was empty. Rumor has it Sir Papa was even at the race.

The Velo Bellas had a blast trying to add goblin flair for Sunday's race - whether it was skeleton hands, devilish horns, a scarey skrunken head. I was lacking in flair as my pumpkin socks were dirty from wearing them the past few days. All I had was a hair band with a witch face I put around my headset which ended up falling off before the race was over anyway.

Louisville wasn't a bad experience for my first taste of the mid-west/south or whatever geographic region it should be considered. I higly recommend visiting for the Halloween festivities.

Racing the Derby Cup USGP in Louisville KY

The 10 hour drive of fall foliage and mountain views ended in clean and quaint downtown Louisville. Although long, it was one of the least stressful drives of the cx season. Our very accommodating and fun host was located only a mile from the venue alongside the Ohio River and just past the Louisville Riverside parks.

In Louisville, at night we enjoyed seeing the houses along Hillcrest over-decorated for Halloween. The best was the bike graveyard, the worst was the house that tried to be a pirate ship but looked more like it was under construction.

The food choices along Frankfort Ave were all local and also excellent. I hope to go back some day and eat more. El Mundo for Mexican was by far the J Gumbo's for Cajun was a real tasty deal. Burgers at WW Cousins could have been good if I didn't have racer tummy which allowed me to only eat three bites of my burger and one onion ring.

Okay the race course was alright. It did leave a little to be desired but it wasn't bad considering it was pancake flat other than the flyover. They did at least break up the long straightaways with a few semi-technical sections such as corners or sand. The most frustrating part however was the narrowings and too tight of corners for the early part of the course - with in the first 150m which forced all the races to be single file from that point on. That's not very spectator or racer friendly.

About 40 women lined up - the best of North America (and in some ways the world). It was also a preview of Nationals with the west coasters and Coloradoans coming out. I'll admit I wasn't ashamed to line up third out of four rows in this crowd. It definitely takes a lot of pressure off having not to be on the front row. On the other hand - you biff a start and you'll be left all alone really quick (thank god for those tight corners right off the start stretch).

Saturday was an odd race day. Warmup, pre-ride, all were fine. However once the race got going I just didn't have it. I felt like I was going hard but still going backwards. Unfortunately, almost all of us that have been racing together the past few weeks felt the same and us gals from the East coast didn't fare as well as we all had hoped. What did make me happy was that from a team standpoint, Velo Bella-Kona is talented and has some depth -- if a few racers don't have a good day, there are teammates who will be able to put in a good show - and it all balances out. Barb, Amy, and Kathy all did pretty good. Anna and I were kind of left with our wheels spinning and trying to figure out what just happened. I finished 25th out of 35 and 7+ minutes down from the leader.

Sunday the course was basically the same but they removed one of the bottle necks at the start and shortened up some of the long straightaways with some S-turns. The course was a little bit tackier and the Griffos were hooking up perfectly for me. I actually was able to race and pick off riders. Although I was still basically a back of the packer (pretty much anything worse than 50%), this time I finished only like 5 minutes down from the leader (which is still kind of embarrassing I'll admit). In the grand scheme of things though (although I had hoped for a top 15) I finished about where I was expected, I guess - ironically enough in the same position as my starting line up - 20th. And it earned me one USGP point. Which is kinda cool.

After Saturday's race, a discussion with a teammate got me wondering if perhaps I need a rest week since I had said that this was my 10th race of the season for me - to my teammates 3rd. The question came up - 'Do you race on a rest week?' Dumbfounded, I didn't know what to say. Judd and I race every weekend from mid-Sept to Christmas. I honestly couldn't imagine it any other way. I love each race so much that the thought of missing out on any of them literally gets me all choked up. Now that I've been doing some of these races for years, I look forward to the travel and to the experience of the race on courses I've grown to love and against competition that I know. I'm at the half way point of the season. Let's see how things continue on for the rest of the year.

At home...

in the Mid-Atlantic....
The series opener Granogue is my old favorite cyclocross race - races at this venue have been going on forever and it's a course everyone loves to hate, but always return to. I remember doing this race many years ago and walking up the hill to the tower with tears in my eyes because it seemed so hard. And yet each year I return and am able to ride a little faster and my form gets a little better. Yeah, sometimes I still have to push the bike a few feet while the others can grind out the gears over a little hump. But I am happy that I can finally shoulder the bike and do the whole run-ups with semi-ease and can sorta almost navigate the technical corners without too many issues. It's fun to see how much you progress year to year with a challenging race like this. One day, I hope to ride away with a pink flamingo.

Despite the tough course the day before, I still felt pretty strong at Wiss. I was inspired seeing Anna leading the charge to bring Kari back and wanted to bridge back up to that chase group to try to help. While I was focusing on trying to catch them I rode into the sand way to fast losing control of the front wheel. The pileup with Amy and Betsy and god knows who else ensued. I was so embarrased and annoyed to have crashed, resulting in a huge gap to the top 5 and ruining other people's races. I did manage to stay focused enough to keep trying to close the gaps that resulted from my mistakes. Lesson learned was that it's okay to slow down to navigate tricky corners. Speed and momentum will get you through some technical sections, but there are certain times when the skill required is the patience to go really slow. I think I always had this fear that if you slow down, the effort of going fast will catch up to you. But on the other hand the risk is that if you are going to fast, you can not get out of your own way.

Gloucester, smooth sailing

I'm sending a quick note to say we have 5 Bellas out here in Gloucester Mass, for the New England series opener weekend. Jen Tilley flew in from CO, I drove in from DC to join the local contingent of Anna M, Steph White, Melody Chase. There were so many of us the announcers and spectators were getting confused.

We were delighted to start with three Bellas on the front row to lead the field of 40+ elite women and Lyne Bessette. When Lyne went, only one rider was brave enough to risk everything to try to stay with her. While the rest of us were content to race for the scraps, Anna was there to race and to give Lyne a run for her money.

Although Lyne in usual fashion dominated, Anna's efforts didn't go unnoticed by all those watching. It's one thing to race in your "comfort zone", but it takes a certain level of poise and confidence to challenge yourself beyond those limits to try to stay with someone like Lyne. It was heartbreaking to go by Anna mid-race and to know that there is nothing I could do or say to help. However based on her performances in the early season at Long Island last week, it's obvious Anna is one powerhouse rider who is ready to race for the podium. Anna taught me a lesson today, sometimes in order to break through you have to take a huge gamble and keep pushing your limits. In doing so, you may not get the results you want, but you gain from the experience in the long run.

This year's course at Gloucester was one of the best courses I have ever raced. Aside from the picture perfect venue, the crowds of spectators, the huge field of racers, the expo area, the course always has flow. However this year's course was so smooth and flowy it was a lot of fun to ride...The wide sweeping course with gentle undulating terrain and a small enough of little hill to force a little power to the pedals, to put a little hup in your step, and a little scare in your offcamber ups-and-downs which are totally rideable without tapping the brakes.

Oh. I can't tell you how much fun it was - just enough challenge but moderate enough to keep the pace fast. The corners forced you to handle the bike just so and to not be afraid to ride tape to tape and to brush a stake or two with your hip. Through some of these sections it was easier having a good wheel to follow. Steph's wheel was just that. It's obvious why she was on the World Champ Mtn bike team - she can navigate any technical terrain with ease and riding sand was nothing. And she dug deep, accelerated hard out of every corner and every obstacle. Cyclocross is not about going the same speed the whole 40mins. Steph reminded me of that everytime she attacked.

Because of the course and the depth of the field, the name of the game today was riding in packs - something that isn't that often seen in the few races that I have done. Maybe a bunch of 1sy 2sy groups, but not a pack of 4-5, like today. Lyne was solo and a bit of a gap between her and the first chase of 5 riders. The second chase eventually developed and contained Jen Tilley, myself, and former Bella Christine V. We tried our best to reel in the lead group and work over the other few riders mixing it in with us. We didn't quite catch the lead but the time span between their group and the sprint from our group wasn't too big. It surely made the race exciting to watch.

I am really happy for Wellons and Wallace to finally have some good strong racing and results.

I'm content with my 9th place eventhough last year I would have been bummed with anything less worse than 7th. During the race I thought I was 13th and out of the points but even then I was happy because it was a fair race and I handled the course well. I was constantly thinking and trying to figure out where to make up time and how to not lose time. It worked as I had to claw my way back to the front after being to scared to go to the front at the beginning of the race because I was one of the first ones off the line. As a result I sat in for the first 1/2 lap and pretty much wasted my front row start. I realized my error 1/2 lap too late and by then the leaders were gone and there a lot of time to make up. Eventually I was close to catching the lead group, but wish I had that little extra 5% of fitness and I could have done it without thinking I would blow.

I'm looking forward to another nice sunny cool day tomorrow and chance to make up for some of my mistakes today. We'll see how the legs feel and how well the awesome dinner helps me recoup. Time to drink more water.

Another summer day

This past weekend in the Hamptons was quite a treat - I just wish I had time to go to the beach that, hopefully, last weekend of summer. The weekend was once again full of thinking of bikes, racing, and belgian chocolate. I especially enjoyed hanging out with cycling friends old and new and dining on fine cuisine at Wild Thyme and the Southampton Bagel deli, home of the Flagel.

While hanging out with the ladies, I learned a few things this weekend - like the power of positive (or not so positive) thinking, that women in their mid 30s have sex drives comparable to an 18 year old boy, that I'm not riding hard enough because I haven't ever puked on the bike......

I wish I could say the highlight of the weekend was the racing itself, but unfortunately my fondest memories are of hanging out with the Erwin supporter club and adoringly gazing at the finest man in cyclocross - Mr. Vervecken himself.

Of course other memories would include watching the amazing last three laps of the men's race both days - coming down to a real race between three of the tallest men in cyclocross. As with any race, it isn't over until something goes wrong or you win. And so it was exciting to see the final duel each day and to see Wicks win on Sun.

And finally off to the cooler temps in the Northeast - please no snow or rain or hail! Did you see the size of the women's field? Can't say the sport isn't growing.

Voodoo Doll

I haven't ever seen one, but I think someone has a voodoo bike-rider doll.

I took a different approach to today's race. Goal: Don't panic when the gun goes off - I don't need to lead from the start. Strategy: Rest early, win late. With that comes the risk of being stuck behind slower riders when the leaders go, or behind a crash or some one's mistake. Luckily that never happened.

Jen and Jess made a solid run at the start and kept pace high keeping the race single file from the start (exacerbated by the narrow course and kazillion corners). When the opportunity arose, usually from someone overshooting a corner - like Vible nearly going in a pond, I moved up a spot. For a while I was very content riding Heidi's wheel - she was having a great race and was in great position to attack for when the leaders got tired. I kept an eye on the leaders from there, and also on Betsy, the sleeping giant, who was just a little bit behind.

While I was chilling out and staying rested with a group of friends for a Saturday joy mountain bike ride, Betsy was doing a 50 mile mountain bike race. Betsy too was taking it easy from the start recouping and biding her time.

Just before the runups on the second lap I saw that Jess was backing off the pace a little at the front, and Jen was getting ready to retake the poll. Heidi and I were just cruising. However to slow up this much would mean Betsy would catch us. So I decided that I'd make my move after the second run-up (which was a ride for everyone else but it was faster and easier for me to run).

We were through the runups and on the bikes. I dove in to the off-camber drop and was just about to make my race winning move....when all of a sudden - I heard this awful metal gnashing sound and my cranks seized up. "What the....." I yelled in horror as I saw my front derailler sticking out nearly perpendicular from my bike and it appeared to be bent around the big ring. Ugh.

With the pit like a mile away, I reluctantly picked up the bike and started running, then jogging, then rest, a sorrowfull frustrated look at the bike, a glance at the sun gods, and then I was about to give up and started to cross under the tape - calling it quits because I only had wheels in the pit anyway. After a few yells from spectators and also cheers of encouragement, I set the bike down to inspect my misfortune. With some strength that eventually came out of nowhere the derailler hanger was bent back and moved in to place and I was able to be on my way. I rode away like a woman possessed in hopes of catching someone - eventhough I was already nearly 1/2 a lap down by that point.

And so it ended with me chasing my shadow the rest of the race to the finish line, while Betsy finally made her move and took the win and Jen M in second, Heidi third, Jess fourth, Cara the great cyclocross teacher in fifth.

Day's highlights: Beating Judd at ping-pong. Realizing at the road closed signs the detour signs we saw 5 miles back were actually for the road we were on. Exchanging words of encouragement when I passed my littlest teammate Alicia on the course. The support and energy of the Styer family. How sweet it was for George to offer his water bottle even though it would have been an illegal feed. The post-race banana bread. Randy. Seeing 'lil Jake on the podium. The crazy fans getting drunk on the run-up. Seeing Jeremiah race cyclocross again. Seeing first timers out this year for cyclocross (Libby, Morgan, McNeely) to name a few.

Charm City CX

We headed out a little later than planned because had to clean the bike and check it over again. Plan was to arrive in time to watch the C race and two of my teammates in the B women's race of nearly 30 women. We left the house without directions but with Judd's good sense of direction and my good map reading skills, we were okay enough.

No major mishaps on the way other than Judd's bike coming off the roof and slamming into the side of the car making a nice little scratch and dent in the car and bike. Then an SUV deciding to take an exit then changing their mind last minute to make a suicide attempt to join back in traffic and nearly wedging itself between my car and the jersey wall if I hadn't slammed on the brakes. A long "scenic" drive through the city (always an eye opening experience for a country girl like me) and we finally arrive at Druid Hill Park.

It's a long hot day but so nice to see friends again not seen since last cx race. After some time of catching up and hearing race stories from earlier in the day it's my turn.

About 20 women showed up for our local race in Baltimore (more than the UCI races elsewhere that day). Gun goes off, Maxwell blows us all away. I love the fast starts. We go flying through the first sweeping corners and over the rutted braking bumps. All the while I'm trying hard to stay within the tape and navigate the turns while keeping on the speed. We drop down past the pit and head out towards the fields and the barrier run-up. The field was strong though and despite the Velo Bella train coming to the front, we had a nice gap on the rest of the field, but we didn't drop as many riders as I hoped with the fast start. Jenny did get the first lap prime and a little cash to spend while in Vegas next week.

Erica and Carolyn patiently waited on our wheels and Jess Hill, calculating, waited just far enough back for the effects of the pace, the heat, and the errors of mistakes to take their toll before they took over the lead. Meanwhile as the race wore on I was having a really hard time controlling the bike - not sure if it was too high pressure in the tires, not used to going fast, being dizzy from the heat, going too hard, loose headset (or all of the above). I pitted the last three laps and wouldn't have finished if it wasn't for Morgan being loaning me his bike twice during the race.

Yeah we really wanted the Bellas to win from the start. But bad luck happens and one must always learn to overcome adversity and get through it. In the end it was such a great race overall and so much fun to see how the sport has taken off in the Mid-Atlantic - over 400 riders on the day - now that is impressive.

Baltimore Sun has a great little writeup about the race.

And some awesome pics at:
MLK Images
Dennis

End of one, start of another...it all blends together

The road season in the DC area came to end conveniently one week before the start of the cyclocross season. I actually enjoyed doing the few road races that Judd and I ventured out for this year - not really making it a season, but more like just something to do - an excuse to drive somewhere to ride someplace different - other than the bike path.

We did the first race of the MABRA, a race in the middle, and now the last race - so it's kinda like doing the whole series. We went in to the "last week of road" with a desire to get some new jersies at the end of the week - a white one to be exact - most MABRA racers are familiar with this one. Judd just missed out and was third in the field sprint.

In the women's race I was dozing at the back, dreaming of cyclocross, and a break of 7 got away with each team represented. My goal (as was everyone else's) was to win the jersey for our category (for me cat 3) and there was one cat 3 in the break. So it was all or nothing and so I took my turn along with Sonja and Jeanette and the LSV gal and tried to pull. I felt like wonder-woman trying to pull the pack in the wind, up a hill, over a long stretch, working hard cranking out the watts, thinking I must have the whole field strung out for the longest pull ever.

I kind of laugh when I see the pics that it was just me working hard, everyone else was still chilling, being good teammates not working. My pulls that felt forever, were probably only like a minute. But I can't say I didn't try. It was the first time in a long time I finally got that desire to really win or nothing. In the end when we realized we couldn't quite catch the group, I did manage to hold my own in the sprint thanks to heeding Judd's words to wait wait wait for the final sprint. Ended up finishing third in my cat, 10th overall.

Keystone State Road Race

The Mid-Atlantic Velo Bella contingent convened in the center of PA for the state road race championships. Although only half of us are from PA, the race was open to all women who wanted to support the event. Many successes all around with Hilary doing her first race, Nikki surviving her second, Zina inspired to race, Barb pulls out a surprise sprint and takes 2nd. Happy day for the team and fun too. Thanks to Laser for the excellent pizza recommendation in Mt. Holly Springs PA. We missed the other gals from the team but we will all be racing together soon in the fall.

A different kind of Amish

We did the Tour de Christiana this past weekend. Turned out to be like mini "vacation" and bike race in one. Back at the office I told everyone I went sight seeing in Lancaster PA and checked out the Amish. It's the touristy thing to do.

The Amish I know. I grew up in a small farming town in NY that some Amish moved to back in the mid-1980s. They came in on horse and buggy and quietly made themselves at home eventually. They did their thing, the rest of us did ours. Even though my town is so close to the Baseball Hall of Fame, people don't go to my town to see the Amish. They are not very "tourist friendly" since they don't like their pictures being taken--the kids scream and runaway when you pull out your camera. There is no quaint town with an alluring name like Intercourse. And so even folks from my hometown go to Lancaster to see the "real" Amish.

Seeing the lifestyle of the "real" Amish in PA was a rather unsettling experience for 2 reasons. 1) The Amish themselves were different and had capitalized on their charm and tourist appeal, smiled for pictures, used leafblowers and lawnmowers, and drove cars. In fact, I wonder if they are all really Amish. 2) The fact that there religion, ethnicity is a spectacle to the non-Amish is kind of gross. As we drove along Rt 30 we saw tourists in lounge chairs laying like overstuffed half-baked potatos on the lawns of seedy motels waiting to see the next buggy go by or kids kick their way down the highway on a half-bike/scooter like thing as tractor trailers zoom by. And if you go to Lancaster to see the Amish - spare yourself the disappointment of actually visiting downtown depressed and dormant Lancaster - there are no Amish there. Be sure to check out visitpa.com for all the things to do in "Amish country".

And so the Tour of Christiana was a vacation and bikerace in one. It was a great weekend of racing with the most fun crit I've ever done with fast tricky corners and tons of cheering Amish spectators, a scenic and many cornered time-trial, and a road race through farmland and along a windy creek. The only unfortunate thing is we didn't get to visit any of the Amish tourist traps, rootbeer or fruit and vegetable stands. We planned to stop at some places in Intercourse after the TT but found out everything is closed on Sunday - which meant there were no lines of tourist cars on the roads but there was a buggy rush-hour as they were all heading to church.

Check out these MLK pics from the race:
The country side

Amish family

The course

Buggy

At least I felt like I was "aero" in the TT

Not-so-Lucky Clover

Not all clover has three leaves. I have found some that had four leaves and even more. Sometimes they brought good luck. Recently I found a "clover" that did bring a rash of bad luck.

Watching the RR on Sat, I found a small shady section and a nice patch of grass next to a small bushy tree with some vines and plants. I needed to stretch my legs out and so I kinda had to put my feet in the plants, rather than the road. I asked the lady next to me - "This isn't poison ivy, right?" And the lady responded, "I don't think so". And so I sat for 2 hours, legs under the bushes, sitting cross-legged, massaging my legs now and then, enjoying the only shade around. Thinking back, I remember laughing at some lady made a comment about all the poison ivy arond as she walked by. I just shrugged it off and said to myself, "Guess I'll find out tomorrow".

Well two days later, I can say that I will never ever forget what poison ivy looks like. The mere sight of it along the trail on the ride today nearly made me sick to my stomach. I never knew what the big deal was about the stuff, but now I hope I never have to deal with it again....Hoping for some good luck.

The sleepy lioness

Judd and I did the Pleasant Valley RR in MD on Sat. It was a first time event, they had a great turnout, good marshalling, neutral feeds, friendly and helpful promoters and volunteers, a few locals waving and cheering along the route, a decent course...all around, the event was actually pleasant, aside from the brain simmering heat. Note to self - don't wear a black helmet on a 95+ degree day. That may have contributed to the awful headache I got on the 2nd of 4 x 10mile laps which made me wonder if I was having an aneurysm or something (yes I'm a slight hypochondriac).

What's the first you thing you do when you arrive at a race, and before you register? Well, on the fourth trip to the port-o-potties and all of a sudden feeling REALLY sick to my stomach I started worrying that I must have a stomach virus or maybe food poisoning. "I shouldn't race. I feel sick." After a brief rational moment I realized it must be nerves and not some mysterious illness. I reassure myself (with my internal coach kicking in) "Just get out of the friggin' jon, to the start line, and then the upset stomach feeling will magically go away once the gun goes off". And sure enough it did.

We had a decent field of 43 women or so. It was an open women's race, but they were scoring the cat 3s separately for the series. I started near the front of the group but once we started going I suddenly was at the back of the pack. Damn. I'm a little sketched out by the size of the pack since I hadn't ridden in a group larger than 8 or so all year. And so as it goes with riding at the back, I got yo-yo'd all over the place and my quick brake grabs, overlapping of wheels made me think I was the freakshow at the back who didn't know how to ride in a pack. "Watch out for her," I chuckled about myself in frustration of my own lack of experience.

The group stayed together for the first lap until the only real hill, the one through the feedzone. At the end of the first lap those unsuspecting riders silly enough to reach for a bottle on a 90+ degree day, got dropped. The group split and in the end only those 10-15 or so that hung on during the split would finish. I and 2 others were caught off-guard but with a lot of hard work and battles with self doubt, we were able to close that gap after 15mins of all out TTT to catch back on because the group's pace had slowed up finally, thank god!

Once back in the pack, I took a few mins to enjoy the leisure pace of the group before questioning what the point of the "race" was. As I watched the race "unfold" the image came to my mind that the pack was like a sleepy lioness. She would let a little mouse go out for a little bit, while she would doze in the hot sun with half-open eye. When she felt the mouse was just about out of reach, she would stretch out her big paw and pull the mouse back in. This game continued on a few times and even I played it. In the end the frustrated little mice wanted to get away but knew they couldn't.


We get near the finish (which is at the top of the feedzone hill) and the pack all of a sudden is awake. I'm not sure what happened other than I was on the wheel I had marked as a likely winner and when she pulled off, there were only two others just a little ahead that had come around on the side. I tried to catch them but went too late. And so I rolled across the line 3rd overall, first in the cat 3s. Pretty cool.

With Judd doing just as well in his race, it gave me confidence, finally, in myself, my training, and my little yellow adviser.

2007 MTB nats results

Every day the course changed and brought new surprises. Although the races Fri and Sat were both full of running sections and slippery downhills, the grassy flats on Friday were mud bogs soaking up everyone's energy and momentum and on Sat the grassy flats were much drier and a relief...

On Fri Mary and Georgia controlled the race for one and two. Sue finished 6th. The most impressive performance of the day was Betsy's. She loves the mud and technical courses more than anyone else and proved it by riding an impressive 11th place and on a single speed. Go Betsy. Wes kicked bum in the Semi-Pro race and finished a very close 2nd while crushing the field at the same time. And Velo Bella teammate Stephanie White took the women's junior natl champion stars and stripes. Yeah Steph.

Sat morning we got up at 5:30 with the sun already awake and shining on the mtn but not warming up the air at all. The expert races were the first to go. The women's fields were pretty small about 7-10 women or so in each age bracket. Mo took the 30+ women's field and I finished quite a few mintues behind for third. It's pretty cool though to get a medal and be on the podium at a national championship regardless of the category or place. My little bella teammate Alicia got a natl jersey in her agegroup too. I also got to meet a bunch of new Velo Bella teammates.

In the afternoon, we climbed back out on the course which had actually dried up quite a bit for the pro men's race. Adam and Jeremiah each had an amazing race. Adam flew down the descents faster than anyone. It was unreal to watch. Jeremiah was working really hard and rode a tremendous race and could climb better than anyone else out there but it just wasn't enough to close the gap. And so they took one and two.

We watched the dual slalom and are now waiting for the sun to set before heading out to the post race festivites - the night crit and some live music at the hotel next door and maybe a dip in the pool.

A black cloud over Mt. Snow

We spent the easy rest day with the family shopping at the outlet shops in Manchester. The weather there was lovely - blue skies, warm sunshine, nice gentle breeze. A perfect day. As we headed back to the race venue in late afternoon you could see the dark clouds looming ahead on the horizon. Sure enough huge black clouds were hugging the top of the mtn by time we arrived. The light mist had turned to light rain by time we headed out for our easy ride. And the black clouds still loom above the mtn.

It has been raining at Mt. Snow pretty much constantly since we got here--either a pouring rain or a misty soaking rain. The course is so treacherous and slow that they have shortened all the races on the first day of nationals by a lap. I'm not sure what they will do for Saturday. 3 laps or 2 laps - either way I'll probably be off the bike more than on it, running through the slop, unless these new tires really hook up somehow in this slippy stuff.

I'm looking forward to the adventure tomorrow. I'm a little nervous but trying to stay more relaxed than at cx nats last year where my jitters were just so out of control I didn't have a chance to really enjoy the experience.

On Vacation

Vacation time. My vacations are really just an excuse to do a long weekend of racing. I've been saving my vacation time for cyclocross season, but I'm dipping into it now to attend USA Cycling Mtn Bike Nationals at Mt. Snow VT.

I was hesitant to come up to Mt. Snow for nationals, but the coaxing of some friends and the support of coworkers helped provide the positive mindset to come up to VT and to view it as a race and a vacation rolled into one.

A vacation is about relaxing - which I'm doing by sitting at the Inn, updating the blog, enjoying the cool mtn air, and hanging out with friends. A vacation is a time to explore - which is what I do everytime I head out on the wet, muddy, slick trails on the mtn. A vaction is something fun to share with coworkers and friends - which I'll do by bringing back pics and treats from VT - maple sugar candy, VT cheese, and maybe some baskets (VT has a town named Basketville).

I was hesitant to come up to Mt. Snow this year since my offroad bike handling skills seem to have regressed over the past year which is not good since they are already not that impressive. However my fitness is pretty good right now. So I need to get past worrying about the course and focus on racing. With a few days of pre-riding I will gain more confidence and tackle some of the obstacles of the course that I have difficulty with. Once those initial fears are gone, then I can let my fitness come through and go out and enjoy the actual race.

With two laps around the course already, the hills seem smaller than I remember and already some of the technical sections seem a little easier than last year - which some actually are. It was helpful to see some of the lines that others were taking down sections that I just couldn't figure out. The rule of thumb, or my ah-ha moment, just point the bike down the trail and don't touch the brakes because that is what will cause you to lose traction in the wet stuff. Duh. But for some reason when I get to the top of some of these little downhill sections or drops it's like I get a case of stage-fright. I get there and then it's seems and the rocks and roots are staring up at me and then I forget what to do next.

Time to head out and tackle some of these sections right now.