Jamie's Racing Adventure

2011 Tour of America's Dairyland (TOAD)

2011-07-02T19:22:00.000-07:00

This is a long one! A recount of each race I did in the 11 days at TOAD from June 16th - 26th and my first big series with the Pro/1/2 women.
This is probably best read in small bits unless your super bored. Maybe I should have posted each day separately...like chapters. Oh well. For the 2 people who might actually read this blog, here it is:

June 16^th 2011

Drove up from St. Louis and started early for our 6 hr drive. Arrived in Shorewood, WI @ 3pm for our 5pm race. Weather was a bit cooler (70's) vs. the heat we were getting used to, which was nice. Shorewood was an interesting course with 4 corners and a chicane right after turn 3. Road was littered with potholes and patches from corner 1 to 2 (a mess). We line up, there are 60 women on the line. Definitely my largest race and only my 2^nd Pro/1/2/3 race. But, I really wasn’t nervous. I always thought I would be freaked out in the middle of a bunch like that on the line, worried about the start, but strangely I wasn’t. We take off, pretty hot from the start and then MAJOR slow down / yo-yo into the 1^st corner. I see a girl drilling it up to the front and jump on her wheel for a free ride. She ends up ON the front though, and I found myself 2^nd wheel. Its fine, Im feeling ok and just riding her wheel. But as a single rider, and all of those big teams, Im not about to do a lot of work. She slows and everyone swarms around us. I end up back further than I would like and the yo-yo'ing continues. I get hung up in a bad spot and cant seem to move up as hard as I try. My legs felt great the 1^st 25 mins, but then they kind of hit a wall. I realize I need to move up, but I just cant. I get caught behind a near-crash on corner 2 and come to a complete stop. I then have to sprint and TT onto the back of the field, which about blew up my legs. Im on by the chicane, but then they call a big prime through the start/finish and moving up becomes impossible. And then the primes don’t stop! Every time I’m almost recovered, there is another prime! I nearly get dropped a couple of times, but I claw my way back on the back. Its SO hard on the back. But, I manage to finish with the front pack and end up 44 of 60. This is not how I wanted to start off the week, but I tell myself that tomorrow will be a better day and Ill learn from this…and hopefully my legs will have opened up more!

June 17^th : Thiensville, WI

Today is a new day! Another beautiful day in Wisconsin! Smaller field today of 46. I dont get the best start at the line, but Im able to move up more easily on this course. Legs feel much better today and I stay in the top 15 – 20 for most of the race. Im feeling pretty good about my performance. The race speed picks up and I dont want to get split off the back so I stay well positioned and out of trouble. There are at least 3-4 crashes and one right next to me that I avoided. I also catch a lip in a corner and my whole bike starts skidding around but I’m able to save it! Whew! Here comes 5 to go. Everyone is vying for position and getting stupid. I need to be sitting top ten going into 5 to go or there is no chance to move up. I try to stay closer to the front, but alas, get myself boxed in and behind the stupidity. I end up 36^th of 46. At least I raced a better race until the last 5 laps! I’ll take it and learn from it.

June 18^th: Giro d' Grafton

Todays course was pretty interesting. 6 corner fast crit with a greater than 90 degree turn at corner 1, and a pretty strong headwind to a long finish. Overall, I did not stay well positioned today. There was a lot of “swarming” again when the pace slowed. Since my positioning was not great, I got caught yo-yoing again and burning up my legs for nothing. After corner 1, it was also a full-on out of the saddle effort up the false flat. Used a lot of energy today! With 2 to go, Im still not in a great position and there is a crash after corner 2 which I narrowly avoid. Its a full out effort to chase back on and I almost let myself get hung up behind some riders who are getting dropped. Cindi Rees comes around me and says “We have got to go Jamie”. She is right! I jump on her wheel. That girl is strong and she pulls us back onto the back of the field just as we see 1 to go. DAMN. OUCH. I tell myself to make it hurt one more lap. We are on the back now and I try to inch up a little, but its hard to do on the last lap! We finish on the back of the strung out pack, but we are with the pack. 38^th of 44. Worse than yesterday, but kept it on 2 wheels and still finished with pack!

June 19^th: Waukesha, WI

As advertised: “This course features a fairly flat fast 6 corner criterium being 0.85 miles in length. The turns vary from sharp to gradual. The entire course takes place in the dense urban heart of Waukesha giving the racers a high energy feel.” More specifically, it was a 6 corner crit with a greater than 90 degree turn at corner 1, into a 3-5% hill, right turn to a false flat, sharp off-camber corner 5 (after small downhill), and then a pretty strong headwind to a long finish. After corner 1, the hill really started to wear on some people and some sat up in the middle of it in the last 5 laps. I had to keep my head up and get around people who were starting to drag. My legs were feeling pretty good today and I did a good job of moving around the pack more and staying near the top 15 as much as possible. They had $1000 of primes to give out this race! Damn! It seemed they waited for the last 20 mins of the race to start calling them! The first ½ of the race felt pretty mildly paced, but we made up for it the last ½! The field got strung out and I had to keep my head up to be sure I went around wheels that were starting to die. There was a gnarly headwind finish and I had to work hard a couple of times to get back on after the person in front of me lost their wheel. Basically stayed strung out the entire second half of the race and it was all I could do to hang on and finish with the pack. Not a vast improvement in my result: 32 of 42, but felt more comfortable in the pack today. Its bound to all come together soon! :)

June 20^th: Greenbush Road Race

Took the day off today. Want a recovery day and seems like the 60 mile road race day would be the day to do it! Went for a nice spin on the bike path then fed the girls during the race and stretched out and got some sun! Thoroughly enjoyed the rest day!

June 21^st: Schlitz Park Crit

Todays crit course was challenging with an 8-9% grade climb for one block, then it leveled off a bit before kicking up again into corner 2. The top of the course was a long and windy false flat into a technical 5 corner decent then to the start/finish with a nice head wind. After taking yesterday off, I guess I needed a better warm up. I had a good position at the start, 2^nd row. However, the person in front of me was not able to clip in and I was quickly humping it up the hill towards the back of the group. :( First lap around and one rider completely misses corner 5 (I think she thought it went the other way) and cuts straight through the middle of the group! I have to come to a near stop to get around her (thank god I didn’t t-bone her) and then Im chasing back to the group who has flown down the hill. I get on the back, but after chasing, I just cant hold on to the back of the pack who is charging again up the hill. I get to corner 2 at the top w/ some stragglers, and Cindy comes around me and tells me we need to go. I know I do, I try to get out of the saddle, but my legs just wont respond. I sit back down and try to hang on to a wheel. I catch one, but she is gaping from her wheel. Next time up the hill and I realize I've popped. My race is basically over. Gone. I chase with another rider for 4-5 laps and my legs actually start opening up and feeling better...but its too late now. The other rider pulls herself out of the race and I continue to chase solo. I see a giant bolt of lightening as I go through the start/finish and soon after, I hear the announcer say they are going to postpone the race until the storm blows through. We are only 20 mins into our 60 min race! The group heads to the parking garage on the corner to take cover. The downpour blows through pretty quickly. 30 mins later we are back on the line. I go just in case they mess up the gaps and I have a shot to get in a good chase group. Plus, maybe my legs will feel better??! I get with a group, but the first time up the hill I realize my legs are locked up now and its pointless. A lap later, I pull myself and call it a bad day. Oh well. Legs should be ready for the TT tomorrow!

June 22^nd: Ripon, WI Time Trail

Time trails. My favorite!....NOT. I go in with a positive attitude though and we get there with enough time to get in a good warm up. I warm up well and head to the start. Everyone has already told me how hilly the course is. Its a 13.9 mile course with rolling hills and some monster cross winds! Fun! I try to focus on my power and find a steady place to hold, but I since I don’t ever practice TT’s its hard to judge how much I should save for the hills and how hard an effort I should shoot for. At times I felt like I was going too hard and other times I felt like I was going too easy. I don’t think I gauged it very well. The bright side was that it was an interesting course for a TT and it actually went by pretty fast. I end up 36^th of 41! Ouch. 

Took an "ice bath" in Lake Michigan:

June 23^rd: Sheboygan Crit

On my morning spin, I rode from the host house down to the course. On the way back and only a couple miles from the house it started to pour! From then on, it rained hard pretty much ALL day. I mentally prepped for a rain race. At least it was a 4 corner flat course. Boring, but safer. Magically, the rain stopped while we warmed up and it looked like it was going to clear for a while. The course was still wet, but at least it was not actively raining while we raced. The roads even started to dry up during our race. Corner one was a little slick and about 12 mins in, we are going into corner one and I just feel something is about to happen. I back off out of instinct and some girls in front me go sliding. I manage to break and swerve around someones arm. I promptly sprint back to the pack glad to be upright! The race is pretty active and I try to move myself up but the wind makes it difficult to stay up there. Legs felt good today. My avg power was higher than any other day, but I didnt feel like I worked that hard today. The race goes by quickly. No one drives the pace the last 2 laps and we really bunch up across the road. People start yelling and it gets ugly. I sit on the back and just shake my head and make the decision to stay put and stay safe. I know I need to mentally get my head up to the front. I’m the only thing holding me back. Oh well. I sprint the best I can from my position: 33^rd of 52. Much bigger field today than I thought! Felt really good about my fitness despite my finish. :)

June 24^th: Fond du Lac Crit

Today was another flat 4 corner crit with a strong headwind into the finish. I started the race on the front of the line! Pretty cool. This made it easy to sit top 5-10 wheels in the first couple of laps. It was nice up there! But, I somehow found myself in the back again. WTF? After a girl swerves into corner 1 for no reason at all, making the whole pack swerve and curse Cindy says to me...you ok? I say “Yeah, Ive gotta move up”...so I did. That got me pissed off enough to just do it already. I sat top 5-15 for the rest of the race. Carrie came to me at one point and said “get on my wheel and stay there, we are moving up”. So I do. That woman can find some holes! What a great lesson in moving around the pack in places I would not have tried! Now, it only lasted less than a lap before I lost it, but I eventually found it again and stayed where I needed to. I went with chases and stayed active. It was great. Unfortunately the pack bunched again on the last lap and I lost a lot of positions. Ended up 28 of 48. My best result yet. Nice to break out of the 30's! :) I definitely raced better today! More and more comfortable in the pack!

June 25^th: ISCorp Downer Classic

If you cant tell by the length of this entry, this was my favorite crit! 

Downer is truly a classic crit. This course used to be only open to the Pro Men, but has recently been opened to all categories. It is more of a triangle with 3 long sides and the 2^nd to last turn leading into a sweeping final right turn. The course is pretty littered with pot holes and cracked pavement, but its all flat and very fast! In fact, it turned out to be the fastest crit we raced so far averaging 25.5 mph and had a final lap average of 27.7! My legs were a little bit tired today, but not horrible. A break went up the road road early in the race and consisted of 5 strong riders representing all but 2 of the prominent teams. I actually had no idea how many people or who was up the road b/c the field was so strung out and at the time, I was in the back part of the pack. I did my normal yo-yoing on the back a little, but also moved up towards the front, mid-pack. I felt comfortable in all parts of the pack today. I quickly realized that I needed to be well positioned on corner 2 b/c it really slowed and then re-accelerated in that corner – its a tricky one...tight and more than 90 degrees. I avoided one crash there and had to chase back on. The back stretch of the course had a head/cross wind, so you really wanted to be ON a wheel! The primes were PLENTYFUL. I think they called it Prima-pa-mooza! They just kept coming! One of my goals was to go for a prime, but it was so fast and SO strung out the entire race that I would have had to been 3^rd wheel at some point just to go for one...and I never moved up that far. Nothing too exciting happened. Some strong attempts from Cari Higgins of Peanut Butter and Co. and Kori Seehafer of Team Type 1 to bridge up to the break, but Mello Mushroom (Carrie and Kristen) were not letting any more up the road. So as the race went, the primes kept coming...and getting bigger...$25, $50, $75, $100, $150...then with 3 to go, they call a $300 prime! This is the big one and the sprinters put it all out there...and just as we see 3 to go…another prime bell! $700 prime at 2 to go!? Holy shit. I move up a bit and prepare to hold on for dear life. Those who can sprint and did not go for the $300, are in an all out sprint for this one! Mary Ellen Ash who is there w/o teammates gets it and then basically sits up as we go through corner 1...who would blame her?! Its now the bell lap! Hold on. I'm sitting maybe mid to back third of the pack and I know I need to move up, but now will be a hard time to do so! We are flying...someone is on the front drilling it. However, about ½ way down the back stretch it slows a hair and I see in my peripheral someone attacking up the right side...now is the time, and I know that if I hesitate, it will be gone and Ill be sitting back of the pack for the finish again. I jump on and go to the front with them and we fly into the 2^nd to last turn...the previous group gets pushed wide and then we fly into the final corner. I get out of the saddle. Im looking around and Im actually in the mix of the pack sprint! Damn this is fun! I sprint through the front of the field and try to find a good hole. I get around some people and actually manage to finish 15^th in the field sprint...20 overall (of 46)! Cool! I get one point! Maybe the only point of the whole series, but Ill take it! :) Great race considering this is day 10! After the race, I sit down and all I want to do is sleep! My throat is sore and my body wants food! (I later find out this is the beginning of my head cold).

June 26^th: Madison Capital Crit

Im sneezy this morning and my nose is runny. I think it’s a cold, but I tell myself its just allergies (at least until after the race). My morning spin does not show promise for good legs today. Tired and heavy. :( But, they kinda felt like that yesterday and opened up by race time. The capital crit is literally around the capital building in Madison, WI. What a great city! It was a warmer and sunny day. Good weather. The course has some crappy pavement (whats new). Its flat through the start/finish, has 4 sweeping left-hand corners, has a slight downhill into corner 2, a flat to slight downhill strong headwind section from 2-3, then 3 leads into a 2 block 4-5% grade climb up to corner 4. From the get-go I dont want to race but Im trying to stay positive and tell myself that my legs will open up. From the start they feel like total fatigued, heavy crap'ola! Damn legs, I just needed you one more day! The hill is tough but a couple of times I climb the whole thing out of the saddle and my legs feel pretty good and surprise me. But then the next time up, they might feel like crap again. It was strange. There are a LOT of tired legs in the field today, that is obvious! I tell myself that Im not the only one feeling this way. I’m sitting on the back with others who are struggling as much as me to hang on just a little longer. I look at my computer and 12 mins in my legs still feel like crap...just a little longer I tell myself. Next time I look its 32 mins in. Half over I tell myself...you can do this....just a little longer. Next time its 46 mins in...Another mental pep talk...really self, thats only like 10 more mins. You can do this for 10 more mins! Just dont let yourself get yo-yoed on corner 3 and you will be fine. I dig deep a couple of laps and hold on through some primes. Ugh. I see 4 to go...ok. Your fine. Just 4 more laps at this point, its an accomplishment to just finish this last race. I hang on and with one to go, going up the hill, someone drops their chain forcing others to go around them and loose their momentum. Im able to keep my momentum and I power up the hill around them! Cool. I literally go from 2^nd or 3^rd to last up to 28^th out of 43 finishers! Not terribly bad. Ill take it. SO glad this is it. Time to go home and recover my body!

What an amazing experience. I’m a different racer because of this series. I’m so glad to have tried something different, gone out of my comfort zone and really stretch myself. This is how you grow and improve in all aspects of life. I like having to rise to an occasion. I’m looking forward to more racing and Im planning to put in for an upgrade to Cat 2 upon my return home! 

Pre-season Blah

2011-03-06T11:40:00.000-08:00

Its been a long, cold, snowy winter in the Midwest. Ive done lots of trainer rides on the 'road to nowhere', lots of weight room sessions, and some long cold weekend rides. My training has been consistent though and Ive been dedicated. However, in the last month Ive been getting restless. I want to pursue other hobbies and Im feeling training burn out. Cycling is such a competitive sport, its all or nothing. I dont like sucking at something, so I have to be 'all in' if Im going to race. I think the burnout has a lot to do with a lack of races over the winter. They fuel my desire to go out day after day and train hard. I love the rush! Plus, it give me a gauge on my fitness level.

I read some blogs today of some racers I follow and also scanned some of my old blogs as well. I was trying to get pumped back up for training and my upcoming races. Im not sure how, but I forgot how well I did last season. Though I did not have a single big "W" (win), I did manage a large number of podium finishes. I really need to give myself more credit for that.

This will be an interesting year for sure. Im planning to remain a Cat 3 racer until after a big race series in Wisconsin in June where I'll race in the Pro/1/2/3 group. I want to see if I can "hang" at a large regional race like this before moving up to a Cat2. Assuming this goes well, then it will make sense to move up for sure. The 'readiness' to move up is so difficult to judge on a local level in smaller races. Fingers crossed that my fitness is good enough to hang w/ the 'big girls' and that I reach my goals this season!

Im suddenly starting to get excited about being in the race scene again. I love that I get to talk bikes bikes bikes with friends, race my bike, watch some races and recount the whole thing with said friends on the long drive home! :)

Catching up

2010-08-17T09:01:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since Ive blogged. Since Tour of Lawrence, I haven't had a lot of racing on my calendar. Here are brief summaries of what Ive been up to:

Wildwood Centaur TT
Wildwood, MO
7/17/10

I did the local Wildwood TT and pulled out a 4th place finish (out of 12) in the Women's Open against some of the strongest triathletes in the area! Might I add that the top 3 had TT bikes and all the best aero gear, while I was on my road bike with just my clamp on aero bars and a borrowed TT helmet! Oh, and I was only 10 seconds off of 3rd place!! Ok, Im a little excited. Probably because Ive never been much of a time trialist and because my TT results have been hit and miss this year. Overall, Ive improved dramatically though, and so Im very happy with this result!

Missouri State Championship Races
Time Trail: 7/31/10
Crit: 8/1/10

I debated going up to Chicago to race the Elk Grove races this same weekend, but opted to stay closer and support the MO state races instead. Unfortunately, these races never seem to bring in the crowds and Im not sure why. In the TT, it was me against only two other women. :( Both of which who beat me in the last TT, and was sure to do the same this time. This was one of the longest TT's I have done at 40K (24 miles). Most are more like 15-20K. Some categories only had to do 20K at this though, so there were two turn around points...(this is key information). I head out the busy road (still open to traffic that was usually traveling way too fast) and Im feeling pretty good. Its about 95 degrees though and its super hot. I see the turn around ahead...I see the 20K painted on the road w/ an arrow and think, ok, this is 20K, only 20K back. I think, wow, this came up pretty quick. As Im starting to settle into my rhythm again, I look at my clock and realize the error of my ways. I turned around too soon! CRAP! I look back and there are a line of cars I have to wait for. I turn BACK around and head back out. Im totally pissed at myself. I pass the 20K turnaround again and realize I have a LONG way to go and Ive just lost lots of minutes. My only calming thought was that Amy and Maureen were going to beat me anyway, it was now just going to be by a bigger margin! I settled back into the suffer fest. Having waves of feeling good and feeling like I wanted to sit up and just save my legs for the next day. I finish...over 3 mins behind Amy. Oh well...lesson learned.

The crit was the next afternoon. I get there an hour earlier than planned b/c I was looking a last years schedule. At least it wasnt earlier! Fingers are crossed that we have enough women in the Open category to hold the race. I had resolved to trying to race w/ the Mens Cat 3 group if we didnt get to race. However, we get a total of 6. I despise racing with such a small group. Its just not very fun. But, Im glad we get our race and Im after MOBRA points! There were a couple of women there that had been racing for a while and most of our group kept the race really animated...and as fun as we could given the size of the group. I try and attack, chase some down and make the best of it. My eye is on Emily, because she is the strongest sprinter. Amy attacks with 3 to go and no one chases her!? REALLY strange. I happen to be in a really bad position to try and go without taking the whole group. I try to bridge on the back of the course, but Im quickly reeled in. I focus on the finish. I get in a great position on the last lap and grab Emily's wheel. However, she hits the apex of the hill and just lays it on. She has an amazing jump! She gaps me and I just sprint as hard as I can to hold my position. I hold off the others and finish 3rd. Wish I had been in a better spot to go w/ Amy. She worked her butt off those last 3 laps, so kudos to her, she earned the win!

Tour of Lawrence, KS - July 3rd & 4th

2010-07-07T06:44:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend in Lawrence, KS!

Saturday was the circuit race through the KC campus. It was an approx 4 mile twisty, hilly loop through the campus and the Cat 3/4 women had to do 3 laps. I was a little surprised that we did not have more laps, and while I did not mind it terribly, I expected this would make for an aggressive race. However, it really wasn't. There was a natural peeling off of some racers over the race on the hills. A Threads.com girl (Roberta Smith) from Denver was on the front for a lot of the race. I held my position in the top 4 or 5 throughout the race because of all of the corners and hills. I didn't want to get taken by surprise and was on the defensive for an attack...but it never came.

Well, not until the last hill to the finish on the final lap of the race. Going into the last hill, there were probably a few more than 10 of the 30 left together. I saw Roberta pushing the pace and Carol Flinchbaugh (Free State Racing) holding her wheel. I spin up the legs and pull in behind Carol. There is a long windy stretch to the finish once you crest the hill and I figured 3rd wheel is just where I needed to be. However, Carol looses Roberta's wheel and a gap quickly forms that I don't think I can cover without dying before the finish. I stay on Carol and when we get to the top I look back and realize that we have a major gap on the rest of the group! I can't make up the gap to Roberta, so I just sit on Carol's wheel as I can tell she is dying...and at approx 150 meters, I jump and sprint around her to take 2nd! I wonder how it would have played out if I had been on Roberta's wheel??! She did a lot of work, and definitely earned her win! Still, I'm very happy with 2nd!
(teammates: Cat Ebling, me, and Suzanne Woodard)

Sunday was a crit in downtown Lawrence. It was cooler but very humid as rain was in the forecast. Another lucky day for the womens 3/4 field...it was dry! This course was a fairly flat figure eight course. I actually had never raced on a figure 8 crit course before...boy was it FUN! The corners were fast and open enough that you could pedal through them if on the front. Me and my teammate talked to a couple of other racers to set something up together. Now rarely in a womens 3/4 race do you have a plan going in and then actually have that plan come to fruition! But, oh how I love it when a plan comes together (well, mostly)!!! The first lap was hot out of the gate, you could feel the excitement from the other racers. The crowds were awesome and lining the streets. It was a great day for a bike race! Then, first time through the start/finish and they ring the bell for a prime. The field doesn't let up. Aubree (Tulsa Tough) gets the prime in a sprint! The pace continues to stay high...someone tries to take a flier...we pull them back....another...we pull them back...it starts to slow down after we pull them in and I jump for another counter attack w/ Aubree in tow!

(deep in the pain cave!)
We haul it and get a 7 sec, 12 sec, 16 sec gap on the field. We hold around 10-16 sec for most of the race. We were only 12 mins into a 40 min race when we went! Aubree has got some power in those legs! Im turning myself inside out to work with her and hold off the field. Im DEEP into my pain cave and giving it everything. At 4 laps to go I hear Aubree say they are catching us and should we sit up...I say no, and try to push it for a little while longer, but look back and realize its inevitable. There were a couple really strong 3-4 person teams doing a lot of work to bring us back and on top that, they gave the field 2 primes in a row at the end of the race which motivated them as well. I thought we could hold them off... Oh well.

I soft pedal and try to tuck into the pack and "recover" the best I can with only 4 to go! Another prime lap is called at 3 to go! OMG! Hang on Jamie! Aubree has something left and goes for it and gets another prime!! Wow! She gets a gap on the field and I think she might hold it...but she gets reeled back in. With only 2 laps to go, I move myself up and get in a better position. I find a decent position and we fly through the final corner and I give it everything. I hear someone bump and go down and just go for the finish. I can see that Ill be able to reel in 3rd place and get around the wheel in front of me! YES! 3rd! I cant breathe for about 10 mins. We averaged around 23 mph for that race and I later learn that I averaged my highest average HR ever in a race! Damn. No wonder that hurt so bad.

After the race, we celebrate our plan coming together and the fun we had. All of the women comment on what a fun race it was. And it was. It was aggressive, had a good sized field, it was mostly safe (aside from the one crash at the final sprint) and we all had fun beating up on each other! Everyone is all smiles! Another podium finish for me. I'm very happy with those performances! :)

(photo cred to Elizabeth Rangel for the awesome action shots!!)

Webster Groves Crit - June 27th

2010-06-29T06:25:00.000-07:00

According to weatherunderground.com it was only a high of 89 degrees today, but I dont believe it. It felt like we were baking out there. And, to add insult to injury, the nice clouds went away right before our race and we had full sun cooking us!

About 5 mins before we race I find out that they are combining the woman's fields. We were supposed to be Cat 1/2/3 and a separate Cat 4 group. While its nice to have a bigger group, its also generally a little more dangerous because of all of the different experience levels.

From the start Chris guns it right away to try and shake the group up. We are quickly all back together. In the first 3-5 laps there is a lot of action. Lots of attacks and a few counter attacks. Im feeling good at first. I try to get away, but get chased back pretty quickly. Its a strong field!

There is sure a lot of bumping going on though! I think I get leaned into, bumped, and then nearly crashed into at least 5 times!! Geesh! Poor Steph gets pinched into a corner. She leans into my shoulder but isnt able to recover as she slides off my shoulder and goes down on the pavement. Im still not sure how my rear wheel missed it all, but Im SO glad it did!! Steph stays out and goes to the medic tent (mostly just shook up and a really bad case of road rash). Turns out Emily also was involved but is able to get back in. Chris has a mechanical...shifter broken and only has 2 gears!! She is a rock star in my book to continuing the race!

Aside from the primes, the race settles down and there's not a lot of action. I don't go for the primes because Im finding it harder and harder to recover after each effort. The heat has elevated my HR. I keep drinking and dumping cold water on my head, but the relief is only temporary. My head feels like its on fire! I save what I have left for the sprint. I know that Chris and Emily are strong sprinters.

I decided to go early and try to hold them off. Right before the final corner, I see Emily on my outside and she gets to the corner first. Chris goes on my inside. I get through the corner and give it all I have. I realize after a few pedal strokes that Im in too big a gear. I decide that taking a gear off in the middle of my sprint could either save me or kill me....it ends up being the right choice. I know Im not going to catch Chris or Emily at this point, but I rev it up and hold off everyone else! Felt great to sprint that hard! Chris edges out Emily at the line and I end up 3rd. Not bad for my first race after my long vacation!

Im ready for Tour of Lawrence now!! :)
(photo cred to Dennis Fickinger and Paul Pate)

Tulsa Tough June 5-6, 2010

2010-06-09T07:26:00.000-07:00

Saturday June 5th: Brady Theater District Crit

Back in HOT Tulsa for the 2nd yr in a row and ready to RACE! Ive been training hard this past winter and Tulsa Tough was a race I wanted to do really well in. Its a great weekend of racing, pretty well organized, great payouts and big fields for a Woman's 3/4 race! I was gearing to go.

Its 12:45 and about 95 degrees and we line up with a field of 60 women! Wow! I think this is the largest woman's field I have raced in. Unfortunately Im not able to work my way up as close to the front of the starting line as I had hoped. They start us quickly and I easily move up throughout the first lap. The course is 'L' shaped with 6 corners and while it really isn't a "technical" course, the number of crashes in each race would beg to differ.

Approx 1/2 way into our 45 min race I'm about mid-pack and trying to move up and we round the last corner. We are probably 3 wide through the corner and all of a sudden I see a girl from the inside of the corner sliding out and towards Allison and then me! Sometimes crashes happen in slow motion. This one did not. I dont remember what I thought or exactly how I hit or what hit me. All I remember is feeling the back of my head (helmet thank God) bouncing off the pavement. I wait for anyone else who might hit me and then jump up and quickly assess the damage. I think Im ok. I dont see any bleeding and I'm moving, so things don't seem broken. I pick up my lens from my sunglasses and pop it back in. I see Carrie running down the sidewalk to assist. She gets my chain back on and looks over my bike. I try to catch my breath and get my head on straight. I head back to the pit for my free lap. About 10 of us try to merge w/ the group on the next lap which requires a lot of work to chase back on since I wasn't able to clip in as quickly as normal...a bit frazzled... Im back and and work on settling in a bit and catching my breath.

There is a prime lap which I think is only for the group and not the person off the front. Apparently she wasn't off the front until after the prime was called. I guess I wasn't all with it b/c I sprint for the prime which she clearly had. Oh well. I end up bridging up to her, but the group is close behind. Turns out that was going to be my only sprint in the race. After the first crash I tell myself I need to move up to the top 5-10 riders. With laps to go Im approx 8th wheel and on the tightest corner of the course, someone in front of me touches wheels and goes down RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! I yell "Again?!" and roll over her wheel, grab my breaks and sort of step over my bars to catch myself before gently falling over w/ my bike - AGAIN. No more free laps now.

I rush to try and put my chain on so I can at least finish the race but I can't get it back on. Some spectators try to help and its just really jammed in my front derailleur. I yell "F*#@&" about a zillion times knowing that my race is over. The girl who went down in front of me just sort of stands there looking at me. Im not sure if she was scared or what. I feel bad I didn't have the fame of mind to ask if she was ok. All I can think about is the fact that this was my "A" race and Im not even going to finish!! I limp down to the start/finish stretch in time to watch Cindy and Aubree duke it out in the sprint! OH how I should have been right there w/ them!! Cindy takes the win, but if Aubree had another 50 meters, she would have had it...it was close!

I calm down and gain some perspective and realize that if I were to crash again, Id want it to go the same way. Nothing broken or majorly damaged!! I was just thinking a few weeks ago that Im not sure how I have managed in 2.5 yrs of road bike racing not to go down in a race. I knew my time was coming... Ill heal, my bike is basically fine.

I start focusing on tomorrows race!

Sunday June 6th: Riverside Crit (Cry baby hill)

I wake up pretty sore from Saturdays tumbles. But, my headache has gone away, so Im grateful for that! I decide to race and Teresa and I ride to the race from the hotel. There is a great riverfront trail and we do a long warm-up to help loosen everything up. My tailbone is pretty sore! The weather is great this morning. There is more wind, but is probably only in the low 80's, which is a welcome relief!

I line up early to get a good starting position. The group is smaller today maybe between 30-40 riders. I establish myself in the front of the group early into the race and have good positioning. I realize quickly which riders are good climbers and which can corner well. You could get screwed unless you got on the right wheels in the right places. The really sharp final corner would really gap off riders and you could end up having to work really hard in the finishing stretch just to get back to a wheel.

As I crest the hill over and over I feel something very familiar...Ive done this before! Not just last year, but my coach has had me doing some very similar hill repeats over past weeks and I'm feeling really strong on the hill! Sometimes I actually don't feel like I'm going to die when I get up to the top! My gearing is good and Im keeping pace w/ the front of the pack which has formed a split in the field.

During the race, at the top of the hill, the official rings the bell for the KOM prime! I knew where I needed to be positioned to get it. I stay on the right wheels and let someone else lead up the hill and then on the little "kicker" after the big climb (where everyone died each lap)I kick it into gear and attack her and get the prime! Wow! cool! I get a nice gap on the field and find a strong pace and lead off the front until the next time up the hill where the group catches back on. I get back in and recover. There were some other primes, but I focus on the finish instead of expending more energy on primes. 3 to go and I end up on the front. I take it easy and slide back a bit going up the hill so I can get off the front. I find a good position and stick it for the next two laps. On one to go, I decide to try and attack on the small hill after the climb. Its a little early, but I think I can hold them off. OOPS, I was wrong. Right before the downhill, Im caught by a group of 4 and they fly past me down the hill and get a big gap on me after the final corner. I sprint so I dont loose anymore positions, but I know Im sprinting for 5th. Oh well, lesson learned! It was still a good race, I felt strong and I finished MUCH better than last year! I also feel like I made up for my lost Saturday.

Time to head home and recover this aching body! Man I love my chiropractor! :)

Tour of St. Louis - April 24th - 25th

2010-04-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

Weather report was 50/50 for rain this morning. It was actively raining on the way to the race, but stopped by the time I got there. I think we had about 11 women in our race. Here are the highlights: I tried to stay well positioned and not do too much work chasing every attack. Then the call for a $50 prime! Thats pretty good money! I jumped REALLY early and got a large gap on the field and took the prime! I was caught less than a lap later though. Then, I got in a 2 person break with Cindy Reese when she attacked. We held off the group for almost a whole lap. Came down to a group sprint where I took 4th...some strong sprinters in this group! Good race overall, and still in the money! :)

Arrive at the time trial and the clouds and wind are plentiful. Its approx 4/4:30pm when I go out for the TT. I hear there is a brutal head wind on the way out, but an awesome tail wind most of the way back! Cindy is kind enough to lend me her TT helmet and shoe covers. It was the first time I even put a TT helmet on my head! Slick! Man, I gotta get a TT helmet, that thing was cool! (total bike nerd, I know) So Im feeling fast as I head out into the head wind. I try to focus on not breaking my form and staying set in my aero bars. The last thing Cindy tells me is "dont wipe your snot, just let it drip!" HA! Really! Well, it makes sense, the more you break form, the more you loose time. I take her advice, but its pretty gross! I push hard, and the 30+ mph wind gusts are demoralizing as I slow to 16 mph at one point. My cadence is slowing and Im forced to break form so I can shift gears at various points. I turn around and get to the tail wind section! Woo Hoo! WOW! I get in the biggest gear I have and just crank it! I look down at my computer at one point and Im going 30 mph! As Kate said...you will feel like a rockstar! She was right! Until...I get to the last 500 meters or so when I have a direct cross wind from my left side. Im leading 45 degrees into the wind just to avoid getting blown over, my wheels are trying to wash out beneath me, I have a death grip on my aero bars as I hold on for dear life, and I push the biggest gear I can! OUCH! I end up in 5th place and only 30 sec behind someone I was 2.5 mins behind just last weekend! Very happy w/ these results! I think I did the best I could in the weather conditions given.

As I was finishing the last mile or so, I hear a noise, but think its just the wind. After finishing I realize its the tornado sirens!! I get back to the car and Aubree points out the funnel clouds. Scary! We load up asap and I rearrange my whole car so I can get my bike inside. SO glad I did that. We try to rush out but should have stayed where we were. All hell breaks loose. It dumping so much rain I cant see and the is instantly a ton of standing water on the road. We drive through some small hail and I call Aubree and Adam who are following me to tell them Ill be stopping at the gas station up the road to wait this out. Even more scary, there are still folks out on the course! A woman I know gets hailed on, a guy runs into the concrete bathroom structure to seek shelter, the Big Shark van drives out the pick up people who are out there! Im SOOOOO glad to have finished when I did. What a great bunch of volunteers and what an unforgettable race!

Weather report later that day!
KMOV.com
Posted on April 24, 2010 at 10:24 PM
Updated today at 11:57 AM
Related:
KMOV -- Clean-up crews have a lot of work ahead around the St. Louis region.
Strong storms pounded the area on Saturday with hail, damaging winds and heavy rains, leaving many homes and businesses damaged.

Des Peres was one of the more heaviliy hit areas, where many reports say a tornado touched down. Ballas Road stayed blocked off into Saturday night. Three houses on that road suffered extensive damage from the storm.

Next up the Sunday crit. Again, more rain on the way to the race, but it stopped for the race! Highlights: My teammate Allison attacked and got in a 3 person break w/ Mesa and Dogfish. Me and the other Mesa teammate (Chris) held off the group to give our women the advantage and try to help the break stay away. They did stay away and Allison ended up 3rd and me 6th with Aubree getting me at the line for a 2nd day in a row! Great tactical race!

Herman Stage Race: April 17th - 18th

2010-04-20T06:25:00.000-07:00

I have mixed emotions about how last weekend went. It definitely didnt go as planned. Now I know its early in the season and I was up against a small but really strong field of women, but I just expected more from myself. I REALLY dont like to get dropped and it seemed that that was pretty much the theme of the weekend for me.

It started w/ an 11 mile TT on Sat morning. After all of the hard work I have done over the winter, I knew my time/speed HAD to be better than last year. This years course was 11 miles, one mile more than last year. Also, had a pretty strong cross wind and never had a good tail wind like last year. Im not sure if it was the wind, my legs, or the fact that I was in such a rush I didnt get a great warm up and totally left my saddle bag on my bike! HA! Did I look at my HR too much? Can I think of any more excuses??! :) Anyway, I averaged about .5 mph SLOWER this year than last. I end up 8 out of 10. Next TT Ill focus on perceived exertion only....just focus and GO! Now, it DID make me feel a little better to look at the Womens 3/4 results and realize that I would have been 3rd in their group! But only a little...

Saturday afternoon was the crit. Same course as last year with a steep hill top finish. There were only 8 of us in the Open category who lined up for the crit. I was able to hang with the group for the first lap and then our 1st time around, they announce the omnium points prime for the next lap! The pace picks up and I work hard to hang in. There were some women with strong cornering skills and I was forced to take some corners at a speed that was out of my comfort zone...but it all worked out. At the bottom of the hill, they jump on the pedals and I just try to stay as close as possible. At the top, I have to chase back on and managed to catch the leaders wheel before the downhill. I hang until the next time up the hill and I get dropped like a bad habit. Am I dragging an anchor behind me? Is my break on?! Nope, just feeling like everyone else. I end up gaped off the front group of four but no where close to anyone else. I just keep pushing as best I can. I climb that hill 9 times in total! All of the 3/4 ladies and other cheerleaders are standing on the hill screaming at me each lap! What fun!

With I think 3 to go, Amy passes me on the hill and I TRY to grab her wheel at the top of the hill but just can't hang as she throws it in her big ring and gasses it like she is on a mission. Ok, I have to hold my position! At 2 to go, another rider, Carol, comes up beside me on the hill. NO! We stay together on the top of the course and then I descend much faster than her and try to smoke it fast through the corners to get ahead of her so I have a gap going into the hill. She gets pretty close again on the hill, but then its 1 to go and I give it all I have for the last lap. She stays close but never catches my wheel and manged to hold her and Teresa off and hold on to 6th place. OUCH!

We head back to our host housing in this awesome little cabin. Ashley, a Hub racer and local Hermannite offer up some accommodations! What a beautiful piece of land! I got to pick up and pet a live chicken, something I havent done since I was 12 and see the nice sky w/o the light pollution of the city! It was pretty cool. Ashley's parents also had an amazing spread of food ready for us when we arrived. They were awesome! I slept great and woke up and made everyone a big healthy breakfast to prep them for the long day of road racing ahead!

Oh, the road race. The first hill was going to be the worst. I wasn't sure if someone would try to attack there given that its in mile 1 of 60! No one did, but it felt like I was struggling to stay w/ the group again. By the top of the 1 mile climb, Im a little gaped off the back but knew that there was a nice flat section and then a downhill where I could catch back on...and did. I actually knew the course pretty well from past years and from riding it just a few weeks prior for a training ride. I knew that the first 15 miles of the loop were going to be the hardest. I continue to struggle each climb. I tried not to let negative thoughts come in. Thats very powerful stuff. I start telling myself to "climb my own hill" since I felt like I was going to blow up trying to keep pace w/ them. But Im not sure that was the best strategy either. I ended up gaping and chasing on multiple hills and then on probably the last bigger hill before it leveled off, I REALLY get dropped and I want to fight for it, but Im just not going anywhere fast. The wheel truck passes me and Larry shouts something encouraging.

I stop fighting, try to find my own pace and just ride....alone...for the next 30+ miles. Right before the KOM, the Womens Cat 3/4 passes me (they started 5 mins behind us and only have 1 lap). Buzz kill! They all shout encouraging words and I tell them they are the rock stars! 1/2 way up the KOM, Natalie (Dog Fish) drops her chain and has no idea how to put it back on. I figure I have nothing to loose, and stop, quickly put it back on for her and tell her to chase her tail off!

I know I have to go out for a 2nd loop. Everything inside of me wants to get back to the finish and just quit. But I say aloud to myself "Jamie is NOT a quitter". I make it back to the finish and need more water for sure. Jessi hands me a bottle and I throw her my car key since I know Teresa will need in before Im back. I turn the corner and head toward the worst hill of the race...Guttenburg. OMG! Its about 3 blocks long and ranges from 14% - 18% grade. On the 18% section (at the top of course) I have to zig zag across the road just to make it up. I want to get off and walk! NO! I have to conquer this one! I make it. Now I did not ride this section on my training ride and thought that it would take me to the top of the 1st hill we did prior. No, sorely mistaken, Im only in the middle. I have to climb that bastard again! Im going so slow up it, I feel like walking would be faster, but I keep going. Every hill I creep to the top and continue. I sing some songs in my head and try to keep a good attitude. Its a beautiful day after all, Ive paid good money for this, and on top of that, the omnium paid 10 spots and there were only 8 of us in contention, so I knew Id get some prize money just for finishing!

About 1/2 way through the 2nd lap, I see someone alone up ahead. I figure its a guy, but as I get closer I realize that its Jacqueline Denny. What? She was in 2nd overall so I was very surprised that she got dropped. She said she fell off about 25 miles in. We were happy to see each other and have someone to work with for the next 15 or so miles! We take turns pulling and we are both climbing about the same...slow as snails. I was glad we felt the same and I wasn't holding her back. The last 10 miles were the WORST. My stomach started growling and I wished I a brought something solid to eat and not just GU and powered drink stuff. (Note to self!) My legs start cramping and I just try to focus on going forward. Can I hitch a ride or something?! That would be great! No no, forward! That big downhill to the fish is right around the corner...I can feel it! There it is!! YES! I was never happier to see downtown Hermann! I finish DFL, but I finish.

I roll back to the car and Chris and Jessi are just rolling up. I stop and un-clip and put my head on my bars and a wave of emotion rushes over me. I cry b/c Im more exhausted than I can remember being in a long time, I cry b/c Im starving, dehydrated, cramping, and b/c I finished the race regardless! Chris tells me Im a stronger racer for finishing. Tells me all the things I need to hear right then. Thanks Chris! I collapse on the curb and Jessi hands me a sandwich that I start quickly inhaling. Its SO good. I drink some water and start shivering w/ goosebumps. About 20 mins later I start feeling more like a normal person again.

I ask myself why I do this. Why torture myself like this? As me and Chris and Teresa talk racing in the car all the way back to St. Louis and then continue sharing stories over beers on my back deck, I remember why. This connects us as friends for life. It gives us stories that we will never forget. This makes us stronger people and Ill look forward to the next torturous race weekend with them! Thanks ladies! :)

Thanks to Paul Pate for the photos!

Tilles Park Women's Open: April 11th 2010

2010-04-13T10:19:00.000-07:00

Another day in the saddle! After the grueling 58 mile race the day before, I had NO idea how my legs would feel today. It was also really warm today and more humid. Everyone was trying to adjust to the sudden rise in temps (low 80's)! I get kitted up and roll down the road to find a place to warm up. My legs are a little tired, but not as bad as I expected! Not sure how long they would last but ok for now.

The field is much smaller than yesterday with 20ish riders. Still, much better than most local races!! The Bicycles of Tulsa (BOT) team is still in full effect and ready to race. Both of my teammates are not able to do the race, so I am solo today.

The whistle is blown and the pack is hot out of the gate. I was ready for this and grabbed a wheel and hung on waiting for it to settle down a bit. Just as it started to settle the BOT girls start taking turns attacking the field. I chase a few of them and stay w/ all of the accelerations. My legs are feeling good, but I can tell Im not going to have a "full box of matches" to burn today!

About 15 mins or so into the race, an attack sticks. Chris goes with one of the BOT girls (Cindy Reese). The pace picks up as the group tries not to let them get away, but then it slows down as fellow teammates go to the front and block the field. Im waiting for someone to attack and try to bridge up. They have a pretty big gap now. No one does...so I do. There were too many strong women to let me get get away and after a short 30 sec effort, the whole field is on me. I sit up and get back in. A few others attempt attacks as well, but none of them stick. It was the perfect storm. Too many strong sprinters in the field who wanted their teammates off the front to let anything get away. But they were the ones who would have done work to bring back something if it were a different team up the road. A Big Shark racer (Amy S) tries to organize a chase group, but there were only 3-4 of us who would work and the bockers kept working their way to the front in the rotation and slowing it down. Frustration. I wish I had attempted a bridge sooner so there was less of a gap to make up!

The race was fairly uneventful after that. Some more failed attacks but basically nada. At 2 or 3 to go (or maybe right before then) Chris and Cindy lap the field and jump back in. I start thinking about the final sprint and where I need to be. At 2 to go, Im NOT in the right place and Im wondering how Ill move up. Then at 1 to go, Chris takes off and I just happen to be on her wheel and hold it. Im sitting 2nd wheel. Not ideal, but better than the back of the pack. At 350 meters or so (well before the left turn to the finish) I hear people jumping for the sprint already. What, really? Already? Dammit! People start going around and Im trying to sprint through a sweeping corner (that was a first and crazy). I grab whatever wheel I can find and just try not to loose any more positions. Ugh!! Im not sure of my placement, maybe 9th(ish) (dont quote me on that).

(Me on the left, 4th wheel)

I tried to check results, but didnt remember my number, so had no idea how I finished. But if I counted right, it was right around that. Mid-pack again. Ok, need to work on my positioning for the sprint!! Always something more to lean. I guess thats why Im hooked on this racing thing! :)

Thanks to Paul Pate for Photos!

Hillsboro-Roubaix with the Cat 1/2/3 Women

2010-04-10T18:00:00.000-07:00

Ouch! Thats all I can think right now.

As we rolled up to the line there was a nervous but positive attitude amongst the field of women. Everyone was reunited for this 1st big race of the season. It was hugs and hellos all around! Surprisingly, I was only a little nervous for this 60 mile road race - the longest Ive ever (or never at that point) done.

The group of 47 women roll out and for the first 5 miles, Im trying to move myself up the double pace line while staying out of the wind. We had a lot of strong cross winds the whole race. Given the fairly flat to rolling terrain (aside from the two hills right before the finish), the front of the group used every little hill and tight corner as an opportunity to attack and try to get away from the group. The first lap went really quickly, I almost couldn't believe it when we hit the feed zone. Unfortunately, I missed my hand-up bottle and so all I had were the last 1/2 bottle of my HEED mix and the other mixed bottle I had stashed in my jersey pocket. Im SO glad I carried that extra bottle!

The main part of the field was still together going into lap two. I knew the attacks would be stronger and more frequent...and they were. A group of 4 made a break stick and the main field didnt have enough people willing to organize and work together to catch them. I tried to help chase for a while but once I realized that only about 4-5 people (out of 17) were willing to work, I tucked back in out of the wind. Plus, my legs were starting to cramp up. I focused on drinking more and trying to save some for the last two hills and cobblestone which was just power zapping! As much as I hurt the last 15 or so miles, I kept thinking about how cool it was that I was still with this amazing group of strong women racers including our very own Carrie Cash! :) (She is on a pro team this year - Vera Bradley Team) She has totally been my bike racing mentor and to be in a group with her the entire race was something I couldn't even have imagined just a couple of years ago. Of course no one was able to match her bad ass sprint and she won the field sprint to take 5th! Way to go Carrie!

Me, well, I found myself in the back of the field going into the feed zone hill and as the group slowed for a car stopped in the middle of the road, I got yo-yo'ed off the back. I hung close but then on the final hill I died. I pushed, but felt like I was getting nowhere. Two other riders had fallen off up ahead of me and I tried my best to catch them but never did. Just before I get to the line the pro 1/2 men fly by for their final sprint. It was cool to see, but I felt bad being in the finishing stretch at that point.

So, the short story is that I finished 21st out of 47 women. It was mostly very fun, very challenging, and just what I needed to get me ready for next weekend when I do Hermann. Only difference is, Hermann is the same length, but with WAY more hills. Oh God help me! :)

Photo to come soon...

The Great Forest Park Bicycle Race: March 28th 2010

2010-03-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Dennis Fickinger for the photo!

Wow, I am long overdue for a blog entry! Geesh!

Today marked the first race of the 2010 season for me. Unfortunately it was 45 degrees and raining for this first crit. But, to look on the bright side, at least this is one of the least technical, open cornered crits I will do all year! Also, not a big draw for this race...we only had 7 women in the Women's Open field. (Cornering is not so difficult in a single paceline!)

I knew all the members of the field well, this is the first of many local races we will do together. There were five of us Cat3's (a couple newly catted up) and Chris Roettger (Cat 2) with Mesa Cycles and Carrie Cash (Pro-Cat 1) with Team Vera Bradley Foundation. I knew they would put the hurtin' on us, but was anxious to see if I could try to hang.

Carrie attacked from the line and I grabbed her wheel. A short time later, I hear Teresa behind me telling me my rear skewer was undone...that would explain why my bike was doing some funky shifting off the line. Everyone yelled at me to stop and fix it and that they would wait for me since this wasn't something that warranted going to the pit for (they would not give me a free lap for that). That was totally cool of them since we were only a 1/4 lap into the race!!! It really would have sucked to not get a fair shake at the race. So I jumped off, fixed it, and was shaking trying to get clipped back in. I hauled it up the road to the group and tried to calm my HR which was so high you thought I would have just sprinted! I got in the back to catch my breath. Not more than two laps later, Carrie attacked hard and Chris went to follow. I was on the front and wished I wasnt. I attacked from the front to chase. They had quickly made a large gap on me. I put my head down and pushed to try and bridge the gap. I was probably within 50 meters when we turned into the headwind and I pushed a little longer, but soon had nothing left and just couldn't quite make it. I was SO mad too. Just a little more and I would have been on a wheel.... Anyway, Theresa came around me and I got on her wheel and she tried to do the work going into the headwind. She also died trying to chase.

After a couple of laps, our group organized and all did some work to bring them back but we never seemed to make any headway. I was able to grab the first prime lap by attacking early and quickly gaping the field. Theresa was right behind me and we worked together for a while to try to stay away, but it did not stick. Chris and Carrie lapped our field and helped try to mix it up a bit. Chris was strong and when she attacked a couple of times, I had to fight to hold her wheel.

I guess I wasnt the only one struggling though because come the final lap, I lined up 3rd wheel and didnt even jump until about 100 meters and was able to pass Theresa and keep the rest of the group from coming around me. So, I managed 3rd place! Not bad for the first race of the season. I just need to get my race fitness back and that will come in the next month or so. Thanks to my coach this winter (Coach Chris Mileski (www.otfracing.com), I definitely feel more ready this year than last, so it should be a fun and challenging season!

Superweek - Day 7

2009-07-26T17:13:00.000-07:00

Superweek – Day 7
Saturday, July 25th
Cat 3/4 Women: Humboldt Park Crit (Milwaukee, WI)
Approx 16 miles, 20.6 mph average

Today we raced in Humboldt park near downtown Milwaukee. This venue brought out a very small crowd today. However, it was a great place to race and to watch a race as you could find many great vantage points that allowed you to see nearly half of the course. The course had a downhill finish into a near 180 degree turn which leads into a steady climb. Overall, it was a very nice course except for the rough pavement on the hill. On the 2nd lap, an ISCorp girl attacks hard on the hill. She quickly gets a very large gap on the field. She had not raced all week and so she had very fresh legs. Still, I was impressed that she kept gaining on us (and stayed away the entire race!). The race leaders were more interested in holding their overall position than chasing her down to finish better. About 5 laps later, a Wild Card girl attacks on the hill to try and bridge to her. Im boxed in at the time and then when I could go, with another woman who jumps with her, I hesitate a second too long and loose my good chance. I should have gone, but you can always “could have, should have, would have…” I decided to focus on the field sprint instead. I didn’t think it was going to stick. I somehow miss that there was another girl that went too and so there are 4 up the road and they were all working well together and stay away from the group. We were all about to sprint for 5th. No one wanted to work long enough to pull them back. On the final lap, someone jumps in the middle of the hill – much too early. I stand and stay with the surge with Teresa’s help. We go into corner 3 and 4 HOT. Someone else jumps, but there is a pretty strong headwind into the finish and even going downhill is an effort. I jump on one wheel and then another and then jump out into the wind and drive my sprint as hard as I can. I cant catch the two leaders in front of me, but I see someone edging up on my right side and I push a little harder so she doesn’t nip me at the line. I look over at the line and realize that it’s Teresa! I get her by a few inches and she looks over and says “That was really fun!” I smile and agree. We snag 7th and 8th (3rd and 4th in the field sprint). We move up to 5th and 7th overall. While I should have, could have, would have, gone with the break, I really enjoy sprinting and overall it was a very fun race!
Because of my work schedule Ive decided not to race tomorrow. I had an awesome time at Superweek though, and it was fun to see how much my fitness and race experience has improved over last year.

Superweek - Day 6

2009-07-26T17:11:00.001-07:00

Superweek – Day 6
Friday, July 24th
Cat 3/4 Women: Chase Food Folks & Spokes Crit (Kenosha, WI)
Approx 20 miles, 22 mph average

I had done this same course last year. This was a very fast and flat 4 corner course. This course is a lot of fun because there is a carnival/festival in the middle of the course with lots of spectators and good energy. There were some, but not nearly as many attacks today. I was in the top 10 wheels toward the beginning of the race and less than 5 laps in, a girl in front of me takes herself out (slides out) on the outside of corner 2 and I narrowly avoid running over her head by an inch or two! I had to work hard to lower my heart rate after that! And, it really shook me up for a while. After that I had a really hard time positioning myself up closer to the front. I just felt like I was not mentally in the game. After fighting my way up toward the front, I would easily give up my position and end up back in the mid/back of the pack again. On the last two laps I tried even harder, but to no avail. On the final lap the Manitoba girl started moving up on the back side of the course and I jump on her wheel. She won the first day and had not raced every day, so I figured she would be pretty fresh. She moved us up from nearly the back of the pack to the top 15 wheels/mid pack. I wasn’t as far up as I had hoped going into the final turn, but I figured she would be a great lead out for the final sprint. After the final turn, she stands up and starts sprinting; however, about ½ way to the line, she dies and sits down/slows down. I have to react and go around her and all I can do is add gears and sprint as hard as I can. I make up a lot of spots and my legs feel better than anticipated, but I still only end up with 14th. I should have put myself up at the front long before that. I guess that narrowly escaping the crash just shook me up a little? I don’t know what happened today. I hope I can find my mojo before leaving the house tomorrow. I could really use it now!

Superweek - Day 5

2009-07-26T17:08:00.000-07:00

Superweek – Day 5
Thursday, July 23rd
Cat 3/4 Women: Racine, WI Crit
Approx 18 miles, 22 mph average

I had raced Racine last year and besides the terrible pavement, it was a fun race. I realize on race day that they have changed the course and added a different section giving us better pavement on all but one section and more corners. More corners is actually an understatement - it now had 8 corners (instead of 4) in a 0.7 mile course! Geesh. Fortunately my cornering felt a lot better this year than it had last year. That was something I had struggled with last year. I used to gap on corners and then have to stand up and sprint out of them to get back on. This year, I felt better motoring though corners and holding my line, etc. The attacks started early and often on this mostly flat course with a strong cross wind to the finish. My legs weren’t feeling super fresh, on this 5th day of racing. They actually felt pretty dead and I tried my best to stay out of the wind and just stay on a wheel towards the front in order to avoid all of the yo-yoing in the mid/back of the field. I head a pretty good position most of the race. Though, I had to put up with a lot of bumping and got pushed so close to the barriers once that my shoulder brushed against it. We were also taking the corners so fast that once, I was pedaling though one and clipped my pedal on the pavement…a little scary! No attacks stuck until the end but we had chase after chase going though most of the race. I had held a pretty good position the whole race but then found myself on the front at 5 to go and had to slow way down to pull off and then of course someone attacked and strung it out for most of the rest of the race. I found myself way too far back on the final lap. It was still strung out and really hard to move up and I was not where I needed to be. I worked my way up a little bit, but still only ended up in 15th place for the day but still holding on to 4th overall. Sigh. I think I raced a good race, especially considering how bad my legs felt, I just need to work on those final few laps!

Superweek - Day 4

2009-07-26T16:57:00.000-07:00

Superweek – Day 4
Wednesday, July 22nd
Cat 3/4 Women: AltoLab Lakefront Road Race
Approx 21 miles, ? mph average

Today was a road race format again. It was a 4.2 mile dumbbell shaped circuit with two climbs and one windy descent and an out and back flat stretch along Lake Michigan on Lincoln Memorial Dr. (which was rather windy). It was dry at the lake front until the start and then just as the whistle was blown, the rain started coming down. I immediately wished I had put less air in my tires. On the first lap, coming down the first curving descent, two girls on the front take themselves out. One goes into the guard rail and the other is smack in the middle of the road. I ride between them and take it very easy the rest of the way down the hill. It rained for the first two laps and there were a couple more crashes that I could hear behind me. I tried to stay in the top 5 and avoid getting mixed up in anything crazy. Unfortunately that meant that I did a lot of work. Only about 5 or 6 women were willing to do any work out of the 25 women in the peloton. As the rain stopped, the descent dried out and a few riders began descending faster and faster and would create a gap on the field every lap. I couldn’t quite stay on their wheel (too worried about keeping it on 2 wheels) and ended up having to chase each of the last 3 laps. At three to go I actually tried to attack (off the front - generally not a great idea) on the first hill and my bike started ghost shifting up the hill and so I had to sit down and forget about that. Right before 2 to go, we were neutralized so that the mens field could pass and so the gap our front group had created on the rest of the field allowed them to catch back up to us. After starting again, I think some of the front of the field were angered by this and went back out the flat stretch very hard. The field was pretty strung out for about a mile. I managed to move back up though and tried to stay close to the right wheels. On the last lap I had expected someone to attack on the first hill, but they didn’t. Right before the 2nd hill, one of the Dolce Vita girls attacked and strung out the field again. I think I would have climbed that hill better in my small ring, but I had such a hard time shifting back into my big ring the first time, that I ended up doing all climbs in my big ring to avoid dropping a chain. Anyway, I do my best to hold on, but end up at the back of the group going up the hill. Fortunately, I end up at the back of the field with the overall leader! And, I hear she is a very good time trialist (Jeannie Collins – Atlantic Shores Velo/Golds Gym)! I promptly jump on her wheel at the top of the hill and she works very hard to pull us back to the middle of the group on the straightaway. I tell myself that this is the wheel I need to be on and I hold it for a long time and then I feel like Im out in the wind too much and tuck back on the back right side of the group to do so. This means I loose her wheel and as we approach the final sprint, Im on a terrible wheel AND Ive boxed myself in. Arrrrrrgh! All I can do is do my best to get around and jump out in the wind. I finish 14th and curse myself b/c I knew what I was supposed to do and I didn’t follow through. Needless to say, I’m not so happy with my finish today, but because of the low turnout today, Im still in 4th overall and only 1 point behind 3rd. I hope I can pull out some magic over the next 4 days! Fingers crossed.

Superweek Day 3

2009-07-21T18:31:00.000-07:00

Superweek – Day 3
Tuesday, July 21st
Cat 3/4 Women: Whitnall Park Crit
Approx 20 miles, 22 mph average

Today we were back in Whitnall park for a shorter crit course. Part of the course went backwards on the previous days course making for a very different but fun course. It started with a sharp, greater than 90 degree turn into a small 5%ish grade hill. The back side had a false flat to a small downhill into a longer false flat with a small headwind. After that, it was an easy sweeping downhill to the flat and fast finish. The first few laps were pretty mellow, it kind of seemed like everyone was warming up and seeing how their legs felt on day 3 of racing. There were a few attacks but they did not stick for long. It was a very hard course to find a good place to attack and stay away. We didn’t have any primes to mix up the race, so that also seemed to keep the attacks down. Because of the width of the road, it provided lots of opportunities to move up on the outsides. When the pace slowed down, that meant positioning would have to be fought for. Everyone seemed to be vying for position from lap 1 and some folks were more aggressive than others. One woman tapped my hip to let me know she was on my side (where I couldn’t see her) because we were all so squeezed together in the front of the field. Later, that same woman would do the same to another rider who apparently didn’t want to be tapped b/c she yells “don’t touch me!”. Then, the verbal altercation ensued! Back and forth they went, and I knew there was one way to stop them from yapping at each other – ATTACK! I was just contemplating attacking when the SRAM girl attacked from the back left of the pack. YES! I had worked hard the last two days to bring many of the attacks back, and I decided today I would let others do the larger share of the work. If someone went, I jumped on their wheel, but I didn’t initiate the chase. The last couple of laps, I found a good wheel 3-5 back and worked hard to stay on it. Then, on the last lap we were all together and I was holding my position and then an unexpected attack from a rider came from the back of the field on the left side and the field went crazy! I try not to panic b/c for one second I think there is no way I can ever make up all the spots I just lost. I look for a wheel. I find one and hang on, the pack sort of yo-yos a bit as we crest the false flat and go down the small decline and I just keep pedaling and adding gears. I find an opening on the outside left and sit a second or two behind a group of 5+ riders. I jump around them in the final 200 meters and just give it all I have. Im out of gears so I spin as fast as I can. I cant believe I have made up this many positions. I somehow manage a 4th place finish! Wow! Where did that sprint come from?! Very happy today! :)

Superweek Day 2

2009-07-21T18:22:00.000-07:00

Superweek – Day 2
Monday, July 20th
Cat 3/4 Women: Whitnall Park Road Race
Approx 20.5 miles, 22 mph average

Today would be a different day. This was a course I had done last year. It was a 2.3 mile course I was glad to see that they had patched some of the really bad parts of the road, but the pavement still left a lot to be desired in some spots. Fortunately it’s a very nice park and a fun place to watch a race. The trickiest part of the course is a slightly greater than 90 degree turn into a big two tiered hill to the finish. Good positioning into the turn and good gearing on the hill could make or break your race. Today the Dolce Vita team turned up with 5 racers and they were strong! The race was fairly uneventful until the last 4-5 laps. Dolce Vita set up some attacks. They sent a girl off up the hill with a strong attack. Our group doesn’t organize well at first. Then someone yells, “pull through, we will all work together, this is bike racing!” it was kinda cute, but it worked, and the pace lifted dramatically. Me and the front of the field worked very hard to pull her back. Then, we catch her right before the hill again and they send another off the front. Now we only have two to go. Some others attempt to bridge and I go with them. Three of us (I think three) are gaped off the field and working hard to pull her back. We finally catch her and the XXX girl in our group, Greta, (who is totally kick ass for racing with one arm!) goes off the front on the back side of the course. A Dolce Vita girl looks back at me as her and I lead into the hill and she says “wanna get her” and I say “sure, lets go”. We quickly close the gap on her 1/2 way up the hill. One to go and I need to tuck in a bit after that. I find a good position and the Dolce girls start lining up their lead out train. They have all 5 of them lined up on the front and drilling. I think to myself, self, this looks just like what Team Columbia does in the Tour de France. The only way to stop this is to disrupt the train! So, I put myself out in the wind and push my way into 3rd wheel to break up the train. It sort of worked. Im third wheel leading into the hill but the girl behind me goes to my left (outside) instead of my inside where Im expecting. I end up on another Dolce Vita girl’s wheel, who I also expect to be a good wheel, but then I see a buzz of people on my left just flying up the hill. Im TOTALLY taking the wrong side of the course for this! Ahhh! All I can do is find a hole, grab the best wheel I can find and finish. I end up in 10th. Still in the money, but not where I had hoped since the road races award higher points. Oh well, hopefully Ill know better next time!

Superweek Day 1

2009-07-21T17:55:00.000-07:00

The new Team Rev mascot! Bea-Ver! :)
(a pix of the new mascot!)

Superweek – Day 1
Sunday, July 19th
Cat3/4 Women: Evanston Crit
18 miles, 23.5 mph average

Crit course in downtown Evanston, IL was fairly technical - Lots of manhole covers to dodge and 6 corners, but completely flat. It was cool weather for July, in the upper 60’s and breezy. The crowd was abundant and downtown Evanston was bustling. Very cute area with many cool shops and restaurants.
Lined up with 27 Cat 3/4 women at the line. I was a little nervous but surprisingly not as much as last year. I was excited this year to be a Cat 3 in a 3/4 field and not a 3 in a 1/2/3 field! Big difference! The whistle sounds and we fly out of the gate right away someone starts pushing the pace though the 1st corner and the pace is high for the whole first lap. Things settle down a bit, for a second, and then the attacks start. Im holding a good position in the top 5 of the front of the field. Maybe a little too close to the action though because I had to help cover many of the attacks. I wanted to be there for a break, but did not necessarily want to burn myself up on a bunch of attacks that were not going to stick. There were a lot of attacks on the finishing stretch, which did not make a lot of sense at all. There was a tail wind to the finish, and it was a long 3-4 block stretch with the start/finish pretty much right smack in the middle. A very long stretch to the finish after the last corner! There was a crash to my left at corner 4 midway through the race. Im well clear of it but see a couple girls flying into the padded barriers. Someone attacks while everyone is distracted (tacky if you ask me) and I have to chase back on the strung out field. I try to find a good position for the last 2 laps and I do and I tell myself I have to hold it. Im doing a good job and just as we are starting our final lap we start lapping dropped riders. With all of the corners, its getting very hairy. Its hard b/c the main field needs to get through and they are also trying to race their own race and place as best they can in the final lap. It gets even more dangerous on the 5th and 6th corners. I loose my wheel in the name of safety and have to work VERY hard to make up some spots on the final stretch (at least 600 meters). I find a wheel and move up with her and then pull out from behind her and give it all I have. I hit the giant manhole cover right in the middle of the finishing stretch and my back wheel jumps all over the place. I loose a pedal stroke, which doesn’t help. I regain control of my bike quickly and drill again all the way to the line. I pull out a 5th place finish even with all the craziness of the last lap. Ill take it!

Tulsa Tough 2009

2009-06-02T12:18:00.000-07:00

Got to Tulsa, OK late on Friday night with my teammate Teresa. We headed straight to the Blue Dome crit in hopes of seeing the final laps of the pro women's race - no dice. The air was electric through the "Blue Dome district". People lined the figure 8 course cheering and having a great time; sounds of cowbells were plentyful. There were many bars and restaurants along the course and a double decker party bus that was statigically parked at the start/finish. We quickly found Chris and Carrie right after and got the low down. Sounded like a tough race and they both did great! Had some food, met some other pro women and watched the end of the pro mens race. Wow! Talk about fast! St. Louis native, Brad Huff took the win! What an amazing sprint he has!

Saturday 5/30/09: Main & Brady Crit
Woke up after tossing and turning all night. Nerves were plentyful. I knew there were going to be at least 35 racers in the womens 3/4. This was the biggest womens field that I have raced in since Superweek last year. The money was good, so I knew the competition would be high. I had NO idea how well I would hang with this group. New racers and I didnt know the good wheels from the bad ones. This would be a learning process.
The course was an L shape with 6 corners and had a long false flat on the back side. It was also about 30 degrees warmer than just the day before. At the start I was a ball of nerves as I realized there were actually 44 racers in the pack! Wow! Once the whistle was blown, I was quickly focused on the task at hand and forgot about being nervous. There were some squirley bike handlers in the pack and so I tried to stay as close to the front as possible. Still, I almost got taken out in a corner at least 3 times. Our front group lapped three different groups on the course some were lapped 3 times! We averaged 23 mph - not too shabby! There were some great primes offered, but I opted to save my legs for the final sprint. Then, someone got off of the front (Kelli Mente - Punk Rock Cycling). She was strong and not enough people would work to bring her back, so it stuck and she finished a good 15 seconds in front of the pack. The final three laps were brutal with the pace driving higher and higher. I started to fade back into rear of the pack. This is NOT where I wanted and needed to be. I made up a lot of spots on the final gradual downhill before the last corner. I took the inside corner hoping to jump on a wheel, but couldn't find one to save my life. I stood up and sprinted from the final corner. It was about 300 meters, but it felt like 3 times that. All I could do was try to stay ahead of anyone else behind me. I managed 13th place out of 44 riders. Im happy with that, but that sprint set up really needs some work! I tell myself this will be my goal tomorrow.
http://www.tulsatough.com/site/tulsatough/download/144?disposition=inline

Sunday 5/31/09: 13th and Riverside Crit
Our race was early and so I woke at 7am after a great night of sleep (thank goodness). The nerves were there much more subdude today. Everyone kept saying that this was the course that deems Tulsa Tough well, Tough. I quickly learn why. There only 4 corners, but you assend a steep hill into the first corner that is a block long (at least 10-12% grade), the top of the course is rolling, and then you basically descend the same sized hill on the other side into a sharp 90 degree turn to a flat straight away start/finish.

I did not get a chance to ride the course first, so the first time up the hill I was trying to figure out my gearing. Everyone seemed to be setting up for the small ring, so I follow suit. With the right amount of momentum and the right gearing, it wasn't a bad hill. Get on the wrong wheel, and you could be killing your legs each lap. My legs surprisingly felt really good! Ok, I can do this. Down the steep hill you have to break if you want to make it around the hair pin turn on two wheels, the first girl into the corner slides out and into the curb and someone uses the distraction as a great time to attack. She is quickly caught. I stay in the top 5-7 riders and often times Im the first one up the hill. Im feeling great! I look at the lap counter and much to my demise, we still have 9 more times up that hill. I hate it when I look too soon. Ok, put it out of you mind. Some really good primes come, but Im feeling so good, I feel like I could win this thing and the pay out is $325! Im saving my legs. 3 to go - Im perfectly positioned 5th wheel. 2 to go - Im 3rd wheel but as we go through the 90 degree turn into the start/finish, I give up 3 spots. Darn it. I pull myself out of the draft and make up my spots on the straight away. This must have burned up my legs just a little too much b/c that last time up the hill someone attacked hard and I DIED! NOOOOOOO, this is MY race. I put my head down and try to catch them on the back of the course but my heart rate is maxed out and I cant get enough air. Im starting to get tunnel vision. I tell myself, breathe. Ill make up some spots on the final downhill. Nope. They were hammering. I end up in the back of the group into the final corner and my legs are totally burned up for the sprint. I look back to make sure there is no one else there to pass me, nope, Im it. I sit down and cross the line in 12th out of 37. Im not happy about my placement and my final lap, but I feel really good about my fitness. This was a great learning experience and a lot of fun. I cant wait until Superweek!
http://www.tulsatough.com/site/tulsatough/download/130?disposition=inline

Tour of STL and Slyvan Springs Crit

2009-05-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

(Velo Force: Alane Carder, Jamie V, Teresa Sedlacek)

The Tour of STL was a lot of fun at the TT above). We had windy but warm weather and great courses! We only had 8 in the womens open group - I always wish there were more. It was a weekend of learning. Working on team dynamics and trying to remember how to sprint again!

The Saturday morning crit went really well. We had a couple of new racers to mix it up and Vanessa McKenize (Peoria Bicycle Club) really laid it out there and went off the front very early in the race. It took is a while to pull her back, she is a strong racer. Our group wasn't organizing well and no one wanted to work. This is my least favorite thing about the open races. On most of the the Cat4 races I did last year there were a larger group of people willing to do some work on the front. But, we got her back. Right after we caught her, I attacked but it did not stick. Even Vanessa was right there! Wow. Kudos to her! My positioning on the final lap was poor to say the least. I had a terrible sprint setup and sort of fell off around the last corner and barely got 6th. Ok, better work on that sprint!

The Saturday afternoon TT was SO windy. We were getting 20-25 mph wind gusts! Out of the gate it felt like I was shot out of a canon! There was a massive tail wind and I was easily hitting over 30 mph. The sad and spirit breaking part was when I turned into the cross and then head wind. It was really hard to stay arero and focused. Had to do a lot of gear shifting and a TT bike sure would have helped out. But, I finished. I was a little disenheartened by my time and place, but when I looked at how I would have placed as a Cat 4, I was a little more happy. I was still placing better in the 4's than I did last year, so an improvement I should be excited about!

The Sunday circuit race was fun as well. My legs strangely enough felt great eventhough they felt like total crap on Saturday. I attacked 3-4 times as I really wanted to work on this. It was fun, though nothing stuck - it would have been hard in the wind. A few other women attacked at various times and overall it was a good race. The final jump came a lot earlier than I expected and I had a hard time staying with it as I was AGAIN not on the right wheel. Darn it. But, I managed 6th....again...still lots to work on...

Slyvan Springs Crit was a really fun course. Flat stretch to the start/finish, long gradual downhill, sharp 90 degree left, down some more, small climb to a false flat, and then another short gradual climb. Would have been more fun if I had fresh legs. I decided to go on a really long training ride on Sat and my legs were cooked. I counter attacked once, but knew that it wouldn't last. Just wanted to tire some folks out! In the end, I had a really hard time staying with the front group. I knew I woulnt have anything left for the final sprint, but if I hung on I would have 4th (pay out to 5) so I was happy with that. Forget sprinting on that one! Good race though!

I was kickin' it in the tall socks - they are damn cool!

Tour of Hermann - Stage Race

2009-04-19T18:13:00.000-07:00

Welcome to race season, and what a great (ahem, rainy) weekend to get it going! I just finished the Tour of Hermann which included a time trial Sat morning, a crit Sat afternoon and then a road race on Sun at noon. All races only offered me a Women's Open category, which meant I had to race w/ the 'big girls'. I wasn't sure how my leg would do as this was the first race after the injections. Actually it felt really good on Sat but my hip was pretty upset with all that hill climbing on Sunday, however, I survived and actually did better than survive, I managed to place in the GC! How did that happen?? I guess I just embraced the pain!

TT: 10 miles
Well, not much to say here. It was half raining/sprinkling for part of the race. Not bad really. At least it was 55-60F all weeekend and not a cold rain! There was a headwind going out, which meant a nice tailwind on the way back. I used this as a good opportunity to test my lactate threshold as I have not done that in a while. (It really didnt change much.) The small hill up to the bridge on the way back to the finish was a total buzz kill. Manged a 21.8 mph average and finished in 27:31 which was approx 30 sec faster than last year. Though, I think there was more wind last year, but Ill take it. Finished as I always do in TTs, middle of the pack.

Crit: 7 laps (only approx 8 miles)
This course was fun/challenging. was flat out of the start/finish until you rounded to a 12% bumppy downhill, which gradually leveled out before a few quick 90 degree turns. Short flat/false flat for 2 blocks and then 2 more 90's to a 7% grade hill which was probably 400-500 meters long (to the start/finish). Add rain to the mix and you have a strung out field! The downhill could make or break your race. If you got freaked out going 40 mph down a bumpy wet hill, forget it! I just decided that no amount of breaking on that surface was going to do any good and might actually cause me more problems, so I just held on, tucked and flew down that hill. It was actually quite fun! The uphill was more troublsome to me! Ouch! Im not the best hill climber. Not bad, but not great either. If I lost a wheel on the hill, I was able to make it up on the flat or downhill. But I knew It would hurt my finish. I manage to get in a group of about 4-5 women. We were the 2nd group behind the leaders. I managed to stay until the last lap when a couple of them attacked hard on the hill. I was smoked, but still managed to hang on to 8th place! I can live with that! Here is a great pic of me finishing the final hill. I obviouslly cant really breathe!

Road Race: 30 miles, 7 hills of Hermann
Well, from a short 1 mile neutral start, we end up at the bottom of a giant hill and the Mercy team attacks hard. I knew it was coming, but as my HR spiked, all I could do was try to breathe and hold a wheel as best I could. The first hill kind of leveled off a bit and then continued up again, maybe 2-3 times. I think on the 3 time I managed to hold the wheel of a Punk Rock Racing girl and there was a Big Shark girl w/ us too and we stuck and manged to catch another Big Shark racer. The 4 of us had a strong break from the rest of the pack and held them off the whole race. Every hill hurt and it was a struggle for me to hold their wheels all 3 of them were great climbers. After the first hour, I started to get pretty fatigued. I wanted to work more for them, but my pulls got slower and slower. I knew that if I pulled too much, I would eventually not be able to hold on for the last big hill. I somehow managed. The Punk Rock Racer girl attacked very early as we approached the first turn going into the finish. There was still 3 corners and a long sprint, but she stayed out there. I had little to nothing left and had hoped to hold off one Big Shark racer, but she got me close to the line. Oh well. I was very happy to finish with this group and hold off the field. Wow, that was a kicker! We averaged 18.4 mph (in the hills) for 30 miles! I manged to get 9th place!

General Classification (GC):
With my crappy TT finish, I wasn't sure Id get anything for GC. But, not everyone raced all 3 races. So, I manged to get 8th overall! I was very excited and happy about that!

My Velo Force teammates also performed awesome this weekend. Teresa ended up with 10th in the GC and Suzanne kicked butt in the TT and crit, if only she had done the RR too! Great rainy weekend!

PRP Therapy

2009-04-14T13:10:00.000-07:00

Yep, Im doing it. Had major pain last November in my right knee while running and found out that its tendonosis - not a good thing. Tried rest - didnt work, physical therapy, yoga, stretching, massage - nope, not those either. Then I found out about platelet-rich plasma therapy (PRP) injections from a friend of mine. Went to see his Dr., Dr. Crane (Crane Clinic in Chesterfield, MO) and had my first injections don on May 2nd. Ouch for a few days! Then it felt like it did when I first injured it. Doing the yo-yo thing right now (good day/bad day) but waiting and hoping to see good results! Still training as long as it doesnt hurt any more than it did normally. 2nd set of injections yet to come - June 2nd. See interesting article published in the NY Times!
___________________________________________________________________

A new medical procedure might be the cure for stubborn cycling injuries such as knee and Achilles tendinitis. Called platelet-rich plasma therapy, it's already being used successfully for pro athletes. The New York Times reports, "The method, which is strikingly straightforward and easy to perform, centers on injecting portions of a patient's blood directly into the injured area, which catalyzes the body's instincts to repair muscle, bone and other tissue. Most enticing, many doctors said, is that the technique appears to help regenerate ligament and tendon fibers, which could shorten rehabilitation time and possibly obviate surgery." The procedure costs around $2,000, or about 8 times less than surgery, with virtually no risk of infection. The NYT article concludes that "its largest effects would be on the amateur, weekend-warrior athletes for whom sports is recreation and healthy lifestyle." Read the details at http://tinyurl.com/c2zw57

Married in Costa Rica! Feb 17th

2009-04-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

Yep, I tied the knot! My biking friends are amazed that Jason proposed in August (7th), in the middle of racing season! He IS a very amazing and understanding guy! He actually had a hard time finding an opportunity to propose with my crazy schedule.

We decided to run off to Costa Rica with just one other couple and get married on the beach. It was perfect in every way! No stress, just pure bliss and very special! The pictures prove just how amazing it was. The entire trip as also amazing. We spent the first week with our friends and then the 2nd week was just us. We did lots of scuba diving, some hiking, a day of mountain biking, took surfing lessons, and even went white water rafting the morning of our wedding day! It is so awesome that Jason and I enjoying being active together, I feel very lucky. :)
Well, enough gushing, but had to share this very major event in my life. We just had a party back home for the family and friends and it was a blast! That was the way to do it! Loads of fun having all of our favorite people in one place!

Jefferson City State Championship Crit

2009-04-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

Shame shame shame on me for not posting about this crit! I just read my last entry again and realized where I left off. The Jeff City crit had a very small turnout, but was a lot of fun. I raced with all of my Team Rev girls and a couple others whom Ive raced with many times before.

The pack held a strong and steady pace the whole race and then with 2 laps to go, I attacked on the small hill leading out of the final corner. (see photo) I made a solo break and stayed away for the last lap and won the race! It was a hard final lap, but Im so glad I really eared the title! check out the cool pics from www.ficksphotos.com!

Superweek (International Cycling Classic) - Wisconsin

2008-08-02T08:43:00.000-07:00

Well, there was a lull there in my racing. There wasn't a lot of local races and I was preparing to peak for a series of races in Wisconsin called Superweek. I went up for 5 days of racing and had a great time up there. I was living the good life of a full time bike racer. Wake up, eat, race, eat, watch racing, eat, sleep, repeat! For 5 days in a row! I was also sleeping on an air mattress and co-habitating w/ 7 other people in the basement of a host house! Here are some recaps of the races. All of the races were Cat 3/4, and there were some REALLY strong 3's racing, so it was challenging to say the least. I did learn a LOT and gained tons of fitness. Overall an awesome experience!

7/23/08
Whitnall Park Road Race:
Course was a 2.3 mile circuit – approx a 30 mile race. The back side had two false flats and a hill to the finish. Hill was 5-6% grade. The hill wasn’t too bad if you could get some momentum going into the corner before the hill. I had to work very hard to stay with some of the accelerations, particularly on the hill! And the 30 mile race was definitely longer than I was used to. The last few laps were rough. I stayed with it though and Siobhan helped me get in a good position on the last lap and actually tried to lead me out a little on the hill, but I couldn’t match her acceleration and my legs died. I didn’t even contest the sprint – my legs were spent and the main pack pulled away from me very quickly. I Finished 22nd out of 37.

7/24/08
Racine, WI
Course was a 0.78 mile loop with 4 corners – approx 30 miles. A very flat course and VERY bad pavement section on the back side. Our field was again very strong. Lots of attacks and counter attacks. I actually attacked once and got away from the field on my own for approx ¾ of a lap. I went hard, but Shioban said it was a good attack. I think I caught a lot of people off guard. I attacked going into the 2nd corner. Unfortunately once they caught me they sat on and wouldn’t go around me until I slowed WAY down. Then, someone counter attacked HARD. I fell to the back of the field as I was still recovering, but I managed to hang on. After that effort everyone chilled out a couple of laps and we all got some recovery time. It was a constant struggle for position. Just as I would get to the top 5 -10, it would slow and then everyone would go around the outside and box me in. It was a little frustrating. I need to work on staying up front and stay there. It is SO much easier in the front. Easier to go into the corners and less yo-yo action. Goal tomorrow is to stay closer to the front! Finished 21st out of approx 37.

7/25/08
Chase Food Folks & Spokes
Kenosha, WI
The course was a very flat and fast 0.6 mile loop w/ 4 corners and a headwind into the finish. We raced 50 laps – approx 30 miles. The race was again very aggressive. I tried to position myself closer to the front from the beginning of the race and be very aware of my position and be aggressive about holding it. I actually tried to use Rae’s wheel much of the race and that was helpful. After a couple of attacks I found myself towards the back of the pack and quickly realized that I did not want to be there. The whole race I continued to work on moving up. I got back up toward the front which was good b/c there was a girl off the front and a series of attacks and counter attacks started (probably 5 in a row!). I stayed with it. Then, I was approx 5th wheel at one point and someone attacked hard. I went after them and then ended up on the front. I thought that they were behind me and I was ok doing some work, but I looked back and realized they let me walk away. I found out that they let me go b/c Rae and Siobann told the lead girls that I wouldn’t be a threat – too bad someone couldn’t bridge to me or that there wasn’t 27 laps to go! I looked back and realized I was gapped from the field by 15+ sec. I decided to put my head down and just try to hold a steady pace and see how long I could stay out w/o blowing up completely. I ended up out there on my own for 5-6 laps! It was a crazy feeling w/ that giant field behind me. Eventually they swallowed me up and I tried to recover as I saw them coming b/c I knew the attack would come…and it did. I fell back towards the back of the pack for a couple of laps and recovered, but moved back up. Then, with 2 to go, there was a crash on the back side of the course. I narrowly avoided running over Rhionan and then had to chase hard to get back in the group. The pace picked up and the field strung out and I had a really hard time moving up for the final sprint. I just jumped on someone’s wheel and did my best to sprint around her in the final 100 meters. I had a lot more left in my legs than I expected. I wish I could have been in a better position, b/c I think I would have placed top 10 if it weren’t for that last lap. I should have just put myself out in the wind for a better position. Oh well. I ended up in 20th.

7/26/08
Downer’s Ave Crit
0.8 mile course * 20 laps = 16 miles
The course was very flat, triangle shaped with 4 corners and a long front and back stretch. It was again littered with bad spots in the road, so you had to watch you didn’t get your wheel caught in something bad. The worst part was turn 2 where there was some uneven pavement going right into one of the sharpest turns on the course. Our race was supposed to be 25 laps, but was shortened to 20. I knew it would be aggressive w/ such a short race. I again was trying to stay closer to the front, and I did for a few laps until someone attacked and I ended up too far back. As the counter attacks started, and I was with the sketchy cornering in the back of the pack, I found my self in a very bad position. There were 7 off the front, a chase group up the road of about 4-6, and my group which was basically the rest of the field. The chase group was probably 15 seconds in front of our group and I quickly realized that our group was not going to organize well enough to catch them. I was going to be sprinting for 14th place if I didn’t do something about it. So, on the back stretch I attacked out of the pack for a bridge to the chase group. I pulled WAY out of the pack b/c I didn’t want to pull the whole group w/ me. Only one other girl jumped and followed, we left the rest behind. It was HARD. I sprinted about 200 meters and then sat down and hammered until I caught them – right after turn 4. It took a while to recover from that, but Im SO glad I did it. Our group was able to stay out from the main pack, and ended up lapping the field toward the end of the race, but we never did catch the break away. They were probably 35+ seconds off the front by the end of the race. There were a few accelerations in our group, but nothing too bad. When we lapped the field, Rae jumped back in and offered to help me position myself toward the front. It was a big help. I ended up about 5th or 6th wheel going into the final turn to the finish. I really should have jumped when the DePaw girl did right before turn 3 and stayed on her wheel. She stayed out front and took the pack sprint. I was 7th in the pack sprint and ended up in 14th! I was excited about that. Learning lots and getting more in the Cat 3 mind set!

7/27/08
Whitefish Bay Classic
Whitefish Bay, WI
0.8 mile course * 20 laps = 16 miles (shortened race)
The course was 4 corners and the 3rd corner had a median right in the turn, so you could not swing to the outside too much and then it jogged to the right before the 4th corner. There was a very strong headwind into the start/finish (worse than yesterday). The pavement was ok, not horrible, but not super smooth. The field was much smaller, only 21 riders. Overall the pace was slower than the other races. The strong Cat3's had all gone to Chicago to race for the big money! When attacks came, I chassed or followed the surge, but my legs were not happy about it. They seemed a bit fatigued today. Overall I did not feel fatigued, but my legs just weren’t opening up. A couple of times a single rider got off the front, but I did not feel I had the legs to bridge and work w/ them. They both eventually wore out in the wind and came back to the group. I did not attack the whole race until the final lap. I jumped WAY too early (right before corner 2), but I wanted to go into corner 3 in front. I didn’t jump hard enough, b/c, though strung out, the field was behind me going into corner 3 and I knew my sprint was not going to be what I wanted. I think I kind of slowed up at that point and I should have just kept my head down and pushed as hard as I could. As a few girls went around me after corner 4 for the sprint, I tried to catch a couple different wheels. However, my legs were still dead and I think my gearing was off (too big a gear). Anyway, I should have let someone else do the work that last lap, but its always good to test your body!

Thats about it. After that I drove the 6+ hrs home and was SO glad to finally sleep in my own bed! Next race is the Jeff City State Championship crit!

It's been a while!

2008-06-27T06:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, Im a blogging slacker. Oh well. This entry will have to summarize what Ive been up to the last month or so! Wow, it HAS been a while!

O'Fallon Grand Prix:
Ok, so first was the O'Fallon, IL road race on May 31st. I was feeling good that day and so, on first hill of the race I was on the front of the pack and really pushed the pace up the hill to break up the group. All of the Team Rev Dev racers stuck with me and we organized and got an pace line going to share the work and stay away. Good work as a team. Then, when Teresa went for the sprint line, she broke up the pack some more. There were about 7 of us after that in the lead pack. Then at about 5 miles to go, Natalie (Dogfish) attacked and I went w/ her. Me, Teresa, and Allison stuck on her wheel. Then, one unattached girl bridged and joined us. The last hill was tough. Allison stuck to Natale's wheel and me on hers. Allison kind of died after the hill and so I grabbed Natale's wheel and stuck until the 200 meter sign and then sprinted around her. She had lead me out without even knowing it. Great sprint finish! Got 1st! Allsion 2nd, Natale 3rd, Teresa 5th. We had raced all but about the last 5 miles as a team, it was a great race. All Team Rev women did an awesome job!

Winghaven circuit race:
The womens 4's did 4 laps on 2.65mi circuit course. Very moderate pace most of the race. No attacks at all. Very windy day, so attacks could be risky. On the last lap I attacked right before the start/finish and made a nice gap on the field (with Teresa's help by getting on front and slowing down the field). Worked very hard for 1/2 a lap on my own and a group of 4 caught me on the back side of the course on the service road. Sat in until the final round about and then attacked the corner and hill with all I had. Very close sprint with 2nd place, but I got it! CBC got 2nd, and Teresa got 3rd. I was glad I pushed myself and tested my limits. I was surprised at how much I had left after such a hard effort and a short recovery before the sprint! Getting stronger every race!

Side note: I also did the Womens Open, but only completed 5 of the 9 laps. MUCH harder pace. Lots of attacks and counter attacks. Stayed w/ pack for 2.5 laps before getting dropped. Worked with another woman for 1.5-2 laps and then she dropped me. I DNF'ed as I was out of water and smoked from racing before that. Good learning experience though. The pack dynamics in the open field is MUCH different!

Webster Groves Crit:
We found out at the start line that there was not going to be a staggered start for the Women's 4's from the Womens Open field - suddenly we were all racing an Open race. So, my strategy had to change in a matter of 10 seconds. My goal was going to be to stay w/ the attacks and surges and be in a good position for the final sprint. I was hoping that not many 4's would be left by the end, but since very few W 1/2/3 racers were willing to work on the front, the pace slowed dramatically between surges and some Cat 4 kept jumping back into the mix. I was happy that I was able to stay w/ the open group through all of the surges, I was feeling strong and could have won the race, but went into the final corner in a bad position and on the wrong wheel and ended up in 2nd, and 5th overall. There was only about 100 meters after the final corner to the start/finish, so you HAVE to be in a good position in this race. I learned a valuable positioning lesson, should have been where I wanted to be at the start of the last lap, or even with 2 to go...

Overall its been a great month of racing and Im excited to have done so well. Everyone keeps asking me when I want to Cat up, but that is a BIG jump and Im not sure Im really ready yet. It is not something I want to rush. Im sure I will at the start of next season, but Im not sure it is a good idea before then.

Joe Martin Stage Race 2008 - 3/4 Crit

2008-05-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

Sunday Morning - 8am 3/4 Crit

I have never done a Cat 3/4 crit before, and I knew this would be challenging. Racing with them on an easy course would have been hard enough, but we were racing them on a course that was rated one of the top 5 most challenging crit courses in the nation (by Velo news). In less than a mile, the course has 8 corners, a fast downhill with those new brick cross walks all the way down and a brick corner at the bottom to a short flat section, false flat, and then a 90 degree turn to an ~8% grade hill (3/4 of a block in length) to the finish!

Its in the 40's and very windy that morning and we all stand shivering at the line for about 10-15 mins as we wait for cars to be moved from the course. The race was only 25 mins, so I knew it would be fast, but wow! The cold muscles didnt stop some of the stronger riders from sprinting out of the start. The pace was super fast from the gun. The leader was probably on the 3rd corner when I hit the 2nd corner. The field strung out immediately and Im off the pace of the front pack before turn 3.

I find a group of 3 women and we all try to work together. The problem with this course is that it really displays your strengths and weaknesses and makes it very difficult to work with a small group. They dont want to wait for you after the corners if you take it too wide and fall behind and you dont want to wait for them if they cant stay on your wheel on the false flat.... etc. It was hard to keep the group together. Then, you had the hill every lap and it wears on you very quickly. Most laps I stood on the hill since I had to to keep the wheel in front of me. I could hear Bri yelling for me every time I went up the hill - she totally motivated me to keep pushing up that thing! Thanks Bri!

In the end, I was glad I avoided being lapped and managed to get a good group sprint and placed 21st (and had only 3 other 4's in front of me). Again, this showed me how much work I need to do and will keep me motived to train hard! Need more speed work! :)

Joe Martin Stage Race 2008 - Time Trail

2008-05-13T08:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday evening - 5pm

Warming up for the 2.5 mile uphill (6-8% grade) time trial. Im not sure Ive ever climbed a 2.5 mile hill and Ive only done 2 other TT's and they were flat!! The pro women are giving us advice as us 3/4's warm up. Dont go too hard out of the gate, dont even look at your heart rate monitor, push as hard as you can - its only 2.5 miles, push even harder at the 1K sign, the finish isn't where you think it is....

They have a seat holder and that was kind of cool. Carrie and Bri see us off and hold our water bottles for when we return. I keep it in my small ring and add all my gears in back to avoid pushing too hard too fast since I was warned not to! I start the climb and start taking all of those gears off one at a time.

My heart rate spikes as I try to find my rhythm and my breathing - and the right gear. I climb and climb. As people who have finished turn around, they coast back down the hill on the other side of the road. Many of them yelling - "push", "you've got this", "good job", "keep it up". It was pretty cool. Maybe it was because of the horrible look of pain on my face (as seen on the pics) - don't even think you will ever get a cool TT pic, they dont look good - you will always look your worst in a TT! But, I enjoyed the encouragement just the same. They started us 30 seconds apart and Chris, just 30 sec behind me, quickly passed. I could see the woman in front of me for a while and could tell I was slowly gaining on her. I kept my rhythm and she started to slow when the hill kicked up again towards the end. I pass her!

I see the 1K sign. Ok, Im supposed to push harder now. Uh, ok, well, never mind, my legs say no, Ill just keep this pace b/c Im doing all I can at this point. At about 100 meters from the line I stand to push harder and Im able to muster a short sprint. Ouch! Glad that is over.

On the way back down, I realize how long that thing really was! I cheer on my teammates and other competitors as others did for me. Im happy with my performance, but end up in 21st place, this time, with a few more 4's ahead of me. Oh well. My time trial (flat and uphill) needs some work, but now I have a good baseline for next year! :)

Joe Martin Stage Race 2008 - Road Race

2008-05-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

Where do I even start? What a cool and exhausting weekend we had...

Sat morning Road Race
Got into Springdale, Arkansas around 9pm on Friday night, unpacked and made plans for meeting up in the morning. Left the hotel around 7am, got there and got equipment staged.

There were 35 women in our field for the 34 mile Cat 3/4 RR. At the start, all I could think about was trying to stay towards the front on the first big hill which was only approx 5 miles into the race...and actually ended up being around mile 3. Ouch. There were bigger teams and more experienced riders in the field and everyone was more aggressive than in my previous road races - trying to jockey for position towards the front of the pack for the hill. I managed to work my way up to the top 15 or so.

The hill appeared quickly and the group quickly splintered up, which made it easier to get around people. I knew that Chris was going to try to go hard on the hill. I tried to go as hard as I could and stay as close as I could to the front of the group. I kept hearing Carrie tell me to stay on, or blow up trying, so thats what I did - push, push, push - round a corner and then push some more. I found myself with Jess and another girl and we started working together to start the chase.

It was windy, so we would need to work together. However, not too long into our chase and a large group of 12 (including Allison) caught us and so we joined them. The group was pretty well organized and there were some really strong riders who were pushing the pace fast! Most everyone was taking turns and many times on the flats I looked down to see us going 25 - 30 mph. The rollers would slow us down a bit, but then we were off again. We could see Chris' group ahead and finally caught them with only 9 miles or so to go.

However, not long after, Chris let me know she was going to go, and attacked on a small hill. I let her go knowing that my legs were not there. She quickly pulled away from the group and 4 riders bridged her gap to finish with her. Our group surged, as others like me wanted to go with them, but couldn't quite find the legs to make it happen. I stayed with the surge and our group of 15 split in two. Jess stayed with us for a little bit, but got tired of people not wanting to work the last few miles of the race and broke away on her own and stayed. (Great job!)

Me and Allison hung with the group and did't chase Jess. We did not want to bridge the group to her, so we stayed in for a group sprint. Allison got up front and sacrificed for the group and pulled the last mile or so. I could see the finish now and the group picked up the pace...someone drops a chain... Allison tried to lead me out and I had to push really hard to stay on her wheel and then the next wheel. I try to stand for the sprint, but my legs give out quickly and it sit back down, tuck, and draft a wheel in front of me. OUCH! I end up with 18th place.

After the race I say its the hardest race Ive ever done. I guess that depends on how you define hard. It was definitely the fastest hilly road race Ive done so far. We averaged 21 mph over 34 miles. I descended a hill with a group of 15 at over 49 mph. And after all of that we had a hard group sprint at the finish. During the race I couldn't help but wonder how many of the women that were in our group were Cat 3's or 4's, and I was super happy to find out that only two 4's finished ahead of me and besides me and Allison, there was only one other 4 in our group! The race made me realize how much work I still need to do and every race is definitely a new learning experience. I really enjoyed racing w/ my teammates - Jess and Allison - the whole race. Everyone did an awesome job!

Tour of STL - what a ride

2008-04-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

Well, its all over now. Three races in two days...a first for me. It was interesting to see how the legs and body respond to multiple days in a row of hard efforts. I definitely felt the fatigue set in.

Saturday Morning Crit:
Bright and early was the first crit in Carondelet Park. Nice course, wide open turns, but pretty windy on the back of the course with a couple small hills/inclines - including a pretty nice grade to the finish. It was a 7:30am race and I think we were all still sleepy eyed as we rolled up to the line. I was feeling fresh and ready for this. This was my first 'A' race of the season and I had peaked for this weekend. I was anxious to see what that felt like.
We had a pack of about 11 or 12, mostly Team Rev women. I feel bad for the other women out there on their own w/o a team, Im already seeing the advantages of that. They did incredible out there on their own (and we were nice :) Anyway, I got out front right away for a lap or two and then tucked in from the wind for a couple. I was in a good position when they called the prime and went for it by attacking on the hill to the start/finish. I think I had one other person on my wheel (maybe two) and was able to win it! I had made a small gap on the field, but there was no way I would be able to stay off the rest of the race, we were only 10 mins in at this point. So, I basically sat up and jumped back in. Kate mixed it up a bit by trying to go off the front a couple of times, but the pack wouldn't let her go. Everyone just hung on. Though I did bump wheels trying to get out of the inside and catch her wheel once. Good thing Allison was holding on! :) The pack stayed together the rest of the race with a couple of people trying to make some moves, but nothing really sticking. It would take a big move to get out and away. With one to go I decided to jump early (around turn 3) and go for it. I didnt know for sure how my legs would react, I was hoping I could stay out front of the pack for the finish. Teresa followed and soon we were elbow to elbow hammering up the hill to the finish. We were both sprinting out hearts out, digging as hard as we could. I wanted 1st BAD! I got her by milliseconds, what a rush! An awesome sprint for sure! Ill post the video. Jason was sweet enough to record that! What a great boyfriend! The rest of the Team Rev women kicked some butt too. I was impressed at how well everyone seemed to move around the field and work together. Some good attempts at breaking up the field and making us all work. Thats what it all about, helping each other improve. Great race and exciting to get my 1st, 1st place in bike racing! Im still smiling! :)

Saturday Time Trial:
Well, after some food and a nap, it was time to race again. I purchased some aero bars for my road bike and decided to try them out for the first time on the race. It was actually pretty easy to adjust to, they need some adjustment, but they were much more comfortable than the drops! This was only my 2nd TT. My first was just last weekend in Herman and I had definitely found my threshold and wanted to focus this time on not going over my threshold so I didn't burn my legs out so much. However, I guess from the hard effort earlier, I wasn't able to hit my threshold. Instead I was about 6-8 bpm less than what I had hoped to level off at. My legs just didnt have the strength to get my HR up there. My legs felt dead and I felt like I was going in slow motion. Probably because I must have bumped my computer signal and it wasn't reading my speed. Ugh. Then, a guy with a flag in a turn around confused me and I turned around at the wrong spot. If I had know what my mileage was, I probably wouldn't have confused it. Oh well. I am bummed that I made such a stupid mistake since it cost me 1 place, maybe 2! The strongest head wind was on the way back. I was miserable and just wanted it to be over. I passed many Team Rev women going out and they all yelled encouraging words, but most of the time all I could do was nod my head and try to keep focusing on my form. Once I could see the finish I added a gear and pushed harder. My legs screamed NO, but I knew it would be over soon! Thank God! I finished 6th. Just 3 seconds behind 5th and approx 13 sec behind 4th. Damn turn around!

Sunday Morning Crit:
Up early again. No one looked very awake this morning! It was cruel. But, the nice thing was that the weather was supposed to be rainy and cold and miserable, but the sun came out and it was near 50 degrees! Very awesome. I was a little anxious about racing in the rain. Though, I need to do it sometime... Anyway, we had 2 new women this time. Not sure if they did the TT, but they had not raced in the crit yesterday. I wasn't sure how I would fare against fresh legs. I went up to pull the first couple of laps and had a hard time tucking back in. No one wanted to pull. Ruth got up there and helped me out and other Team Rev women took some time on the front, but I ended up spending a lot of time up there. At one point I pulled way to the left and slowed down to about 16 mph and the whole field was still behind me. I couldn't believe it. I know that everyone was fatigued today, that was obvious, but so was I! They called the prime and I was 2nd wheel. Steph was up front and I offered to help set her up for the prime and jumped in front of her. However, right before turn 4, Ruth jumped and went for it. I stayed with her. She gapped the field very quickly. Jackelyn Denny (a very strong 14 yr old Jr) was on my wheel the whole race and stayed for the push to the prime. I urged Ruth to take it easy until she got closer, she had a lot of room. Then when Jackelyn jumped, I yelled for Ruth to go for it. She sprinted and grabbed the prime! I was hoping the 3 of us could stay off the front longer, but by the 2nd corner, the field had caught us. Like the last crit, a couple of people tried to make a move, but the field stayed together. I kept trying to get tucked in, but it didnt happen for long. At one point I was on the back and with only 5 to go, I did not like my position. I was afraid someone was going to attack and I wasn't going to be in a very good place to bridge. I moved up some and then at 3 to go Karen put the hammer down. She definitely mixed it up and picked up the pace. Again, I was worried I was going to be too far back, but I squeezed into 2nd or 3 wheel and thought Id be good for another lap. However, at 2 to go I somehow ended up back on the front and at this point NO ONE was going to pull. I slowed down the field a bit, but everyone was enjoying the draft. This is exactly where I didnt want to be for the final 2 laps. Ugh! I knew it was going to come down to a field sprint and I wondered how I would ever sprint well enough to place after pulling so much. on turn 4 I could hear everyone adding gears and I did the same and picked up the pace hoping no one would go around me and I could sit until 200 meters. Then Ruth yells, "Jamie, watch out, on your left" a girl had jumped and was sprinting past the pack. I stood up and added gears and tried to stay on her. She was one of the fresh legs and had not pulled once during the race. I knew this wasn't going to go well for me. I pushed and my legs and lungs screamed at me. I could tell that Teresa was going to get the 2nd place and me and Allison were now just millimeters for each other. I pushed as hard as I could over the line and beat her by a hair for 3rd! Another great sprint, I just wish I had been able to recover more before it all went down!

Great weekend of racing. My goal this weekend was to finish top 3 in both crits this weekend and it feels SO GOOD to have accomplished that! We have such a strong team and I couldn't have done it with out everyone working together at various points in the race. It was also awesome to watch the Women's Open races and hear them talk after the race about how things went and what they wish they could have done differently. Its a great way to learn! We have an awesome group of women, and Im SO proud of all of us!
Rev on!

Herman RR Report - Cat 4 race

2008-04-21T08:11:00.000-07:00

We lined up and listened to the rules, and to our (Cat 4) joy, found out that we would not have to go up “the hill” since we were only doing one 20mile lap! Woohoo!

There was a neutral start through the town, nice rolling roads, and I was trying to figure out where the race would start. The only thing I knew was that the pace truck would start going faster. Winding through the outskirts of the town, we found ourselves at the start – the bottom of a pretty big 6-10% grade climb! Great place to start! (moan) The Cat 1/2/3 group quickly pull away from the Cat 4s and then about ½ way up, there is a lot of heavy breathing and suffering going on, and two Cat 4 women (Rebecca Baker and Cheryl Rathert) attack on the hill. I couldn’t catch their wheel, but I tried to stay as close as possible and really push it up the hill. I get to the top and look back and find myself torn between chasing the Cheryl ahead of me on my own, or waiting for Teresa and Allison who were not too far behind me so that I could work w/ them to chase. I tried to chase for a while, but the hill had obviously not fazed the 2 women ahead. It looked like Rebecca was still with the 1/2/3 group and Cheryl was out there on her own. Teresa and Allison caught me, and I enjoyed a bit of a break on the back of the line. Then on the first KOM hill I knew there were points for top 3, so I pushed – hard. I had hoped to catch Cheryl on the hill, but she was a really strong climber. I managed 3rd place though! Then at the top, I was in the same situation again. My legs were pretty smoked, so I recovered and waited for Teresa and Allison. To my surprise, Gina Richard (Big Shark) had caught them as well. Cool, more people to work with! Gina was great, she pulled a great pace and then pushed me to pull fast and keep ahead of the women behind us. I told her I REALLY wanted to catch Cheryl and so we made it our mission to catch her. Cheryl was my carrot the entire 1^st half of the race! Thanks to her for keep me pushing so hard!

We finally caught Cheryl about 3-4 miles from the 2^nd KOM and it was all I could do to stay on her wheel. I zoned in on her rear break for some reason and just tried to ‘embrace the burn’ and find a rhythm in my breathing. Ouch! She stood up right before the KOM line and I did too, but couldn’t get around her. Oh well, 3^rd again. She was an animal. She tried to let me pull, but I wasn’t pulling hard enough for her, she rode next to me for a while, and then jumped back up front before she even caught a draft. I figured fine, she is stronger, so she will have to pull. We hit the flats and the last 3 miles were fast. I just wanted to hold my 2^nd place in line with the hopes of sprinting around her at the finish. However, as we came upon the final left turn in town it was at a busy 4-way intersection. There was a flag guy, but cars were confused as were we. I thought I might get hit my an oncoming car as I couldn’t see around the 2 cars in front of us, but the other women cut the corner and around me. I was suddenly 20 ft off the back and worked hard, but could not make up the loss for the sprint. Oh well, better 5^th place than dead or injured, but I do feel a little cheated out of my sprint. Such is life.

There were some beautiful roads and perfect weather! There were some screaming down hills (got up to 40 mph), and plenty of climbs, but some nice rolling roads as well.

I felt good about the race and my climbing performance. It was a tough race! Hats off to the women who did 3 laps of that! No way could I have done that 3 times! It was awesome to watch them finish and to be there as a group! All the Team Rev women really represented at Hermann!

Am I really a blogger?!

2008-04-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, I guess I am. When people first started blogging I thought it was silly. Why would I want to read peoples rants about random crap? Boo hoo. But, then I got into cycling and found that I really enjoyed reading others blogs about cycling, their training info, race reports, and developments on the sport. It was a great way to get and share info w/ others with particular interests. I see the 'why' of blogging now. I started racing as a Cat 4 (woman) last year and have dedicated myself to racing all season this year. I am part of an awesome women's cycling group, Team Revolution, and I thought this might be a good way to share and document my development as a racer, person, and team member. So...here I go..time to blog! :)