So Bad - So Busy!

I have not updated recently. In part, this is due to the fact that things have been so busy that I haven't had a chance to sit down in front of ye old PC and type up a post!

After the Giro, I spent a few days in bike rehab (hehe)! I had to detox from all of the rainy fun we had that weekend. I also had to prepare to head to Michigan for a BIG event...the wedding of one of my best friends from high school. Craig and I have known one another for over 15 years now, and I adore him. He is one of the sweetest, most genuine people I have ever met. In all honesty, I probably don't tell him that enough...but I think he knows how much I care about him. And his wife Jennifer is totally awesome as well. I wish that I lived closer to the two of them so that she and I could spend more time together. Unfortunately, the best I can do is to try to convince the two of them to come out here for a visit sometime soon!

It was a beautiful wedding. In fact, it was the best "traditional" wedding I have ever been to. The minister was uber charismatic and had a beautiful way with words. They did a few things in the ceremony that really made it special and unique, including some beautiful songs and readings. The reception was a blast, made all the more interesting and fun by being reunited with Amy and Cathy over dinner. The only drawback to the evening was that Chuck, Karyn and Eric weren't there. Karyn and Eric had decided earlier that they were not going to be able to make it, but Chuck's story was more shocking.

He was supposed to fly out on Friday night. Unfortunately, the plane was delayed (just a little) by around 7 hours. When they got out onto the tarmac, they sat for 3.5 hours until the plane RAN OUT OF GAS. After being TOWED back to the gate and told that they hoped to get out of Philly by 1:30 AM, Chuck demanded to get the heck off the plane and to get his money back. He did both. I can't blame him (the Philly airport SUCKS), but it stunk that he wasn't there for the wedding.

Anyway...here are a few pictures of the SHS 96 crew:

Amy, Cat, Barks, and Me
And the 96 crew with spouses:
Amy and Kevin, Sean and Cat, Barker and Jennifer, Me and the invisible Chuck!

What a night! Thanks for a great party, Barks! And Congrats and Best Wishes to you and Jen...I love you guys!

Giro di Jersey

What a weekend...I went up to Princeton to race in the Giro di Jersey with 3 other Salamander teammates (Laura (aka Loz/Lozza), Rachel, and Pat). We had a great time, laughed a lot, got wet a lot, and won a lot...coming home with riders sitting 1st and 2nd in the GC!

Here's how the racing went for me:

Friday morning, Time Trial.
# of starters: 20
Course: a hilly terrain TT that was 15 K. Should have been tough but doable. I had some problems.

Race: This was, unfortunately, the worst race of my life. I had the wrong bike, some major mechanical issues with shifting, rubbing brakes, and poor gearing. I ended up 19th out of 20. UGH. I was heart broken after that day...thinking that I had destroyed my chances at a decent GC finish. And, I was really angry at myself for not listening to George, who told me to ride Falco in the TT.

Lessons learned:

1. ALWAYS check your bike for mechanical stuff before you start.
2. ALWAYS ride with your heart, even when you know your race is going down the crapper.
3. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS...listen to George.

Good part about the TT result: Rachel finished the TT in 1st and Laura in 3rd with Fast Kate sitting between them in 2nd. Pat finished with a WICKED 10th place - Rocket Pat! What this meant for me was...since my chances in the GC were essentially null - I could work my butt off for the two of them the rest of the weekend to make sure that we kept the pink jersey and got Laura into 2nd in the GC.

Road Race
Starters: 27 (I think) lined up in the pouring rain to take on the course.
Course: Beautiful course with some nice false flat sections, one small hill just after the first turn, and one big climb on the return side about 2 miles out from the finish. It was a fast course, even with the climb. Definitely a course that one can launch attacks and make them stick.

Race: We had strong tactics in mind. The race started out neutralized. Once we were let go to race, I was to come to the front and push the pace to the base of the climb. There, I was to try to push the pace up the climb as much as possible and put Rachel in place to do her thing (attack, attack, attack).

We hit the point where the neutral car let us go...I scooted to the front and pushed a 24-25 mph pace to the base of the climb. At the base, I slammed up the steep bottom section to the false flat and just held onto a good tempo up to the next steep section. There, Rachel launched off the front. Kate slowly worked her way up to Rachel and the two of them were off the front.

I was hurting when I hit the second steep part, but I stayed within myself and clawed my way back to the chasing group ahead. I then did what any good domestique should do and worked my way up to the front of the pack and slowed them down...just a bit. If they were pushing at 23, I pushed at 22. If they hit 24, I brought it down to 23.

At the start of lap 2, Lozza launched her attack, and I sat at the front and blocked again. We eventually brought Loz back into the group on the 3rd lap, so I came to the front to give her time to rest up for the sprint. After the descent to the line, Loz attacked up the finishing stretch and easily took 3rd place. Rachel had attacked Kate the last time up the climb and finished about 15 seconds in front of her to take 1st. I came in a respectable 11th on that day, with Pat just behind in 21st.

All of this led up to protecting the Jersey in the Circuit Race on Sunday.

Circuit Race: A nice wooded course that had a decent climb on the back side and some false flat sections on the front...it also had some nice, fast descents, so attacking on the climbs was challenging if you intended to stay away.

Starters: another rainy day kept a lot of women off the bikes. I think the starters were somewhere around 20.

Race: Tactics in place again were simple. Break up the field and mark Kate. Sorry, sweetie! I can't imagine how frustrating it must have been for Kate, because we were on her like white on rice.

Loz shot off from the line, intending at the start to shed riders if possible. My legs felt like absolute crud on the first lap, and I was really afraid that I was going to get shelled. Somewhere between lap 1 and lap 2, though...they came around...and I started feeling really good.

We whittled the field down a bit with consistent attacks at the front. At one point, Rachel says to me..."a few people caught back on when we slowed down, we need to try to lose them." So, as we came through the start/finish again, I launched a big attack. Scooting off the front, I built up a small gap and held it for about a lap. Eventually, they pulled me back in, but it worked to shed a few more riders. At the end of the race, I managed to get back to the front to lead Loz and Rachel out through the final turn and up the "steps" 250 meters to the finish line. Loz went across in 1st, Rachel in 3rd and Kate in 4th. I finished 7th, just getting nipped by Swopey on the line (nice job, girlie!).

Loz's first place finish put her 2nd in the GC and Rachel's 3rd place kept her in 1st.

I was so happy with my races on Saturday and Sunday, that I have nearly forgotten about the debacle that was the TT. Almost. I ended up 11th in the GC - not bad considering where I started! :)

8 years = life

For everyone out there who truly believes that cheating (at anything) can get you to your goal more quickly and without repercussions...please remember that it simply isn't worth it. If you still don't believe me, just ask Tyler Hamilton.

I'm still amazed that these athletes continue to do this. I mean, the best athletes in the world are the best athletes in the world for a reason. There are a few of them that are truly physically superior than the rest of us. Those like Michael Phelps who literally have flippers instead of feet and a wingspan as large as a California Condor. There are those like Secretariat, with organs like the heart that are more efficient than the average individual, according to Wikipedia "Post-mortem exam showed that his heart weighed 22 pounds, the largest ever recorded for a racehorse." And then there are the majority of others who simply work their butts off to turn themselves into more efficient and powerful machines.

Unfortunately, the world of sports has turned into a fiasco where every "hero" we pin our hopes to turns out to be a fraud. Boy, I hope this crap stops sometime soon. And, hey Vande Velde and Zabriskie...I find out you guys are doping...and I will come kick the snot out of you! I love you guys! ;)

Tony and Alexis

Chuck's little brother got married yesterday. It was a fun wedding. Probably one of the coolest wedding venues, for sure. The reception was held at the Aquarium in Camden.

Just a few random photos from the wedding...Ken, Charlie, and Chuck.

Tony and Alexis
The reception site with the shark tank - how awesome was this?! The really cool part was that the later it got into the night, the more active the sharks became. Normally, you go to the Aquarium and the sharks just slowly swim in circles. Well, let me tell you that at night, they get pretty fiesty! It was REALLY cool to watch them as it got later and later!

Me and Chuck - awww...how cute.

Brothers - Chuck, Tony and Ken

It really was a fun evening. Just one more wedding to go for the summer! :)

Lucky Ducks!

After the race, I went over to Lemon Hill to see everyone and to thank them all for hooting and hollering for me during the race. Jen Rhodes snapped this photo of me and my coach George right after he brought tears to my eyes by telling me how proud he was of me. That meant so much. George is a HUGE part of the heart and soul of Sturdy Girl. He puts EVERYTHING of himself into the team and the riders. We are really lucky to have him. REALLY, REALLY lucky!

Pictures

Thanks to Christian, Jen, and Anthony for the following pictures. It is awesome to have visual documentation of the race...and how much I actually enjoyed myself! :)

Laura and I signing in for the race.

Coming up the Wall.

Lemon Hill

A Happy Sarah coming up Lemon Hill!

More from the Classic

I guess I should also post that, in addition to what I was experiencing, there was a much more significant and historical event taking place up front in the peloton. Best described by Anne Rock's article in the Examiner and Ina Tuetenberg's quote.

Take THAT all you folks who say stupid things like, "Women's cycling is dead." or "Women don't actually race their bikes, they just pedal around and sprint for the finish."

Welcome to the new era, boys. :)

Liberty Classic

What: Philadelphia’s Liberty Classic – the largest one day professional bike race in the nation.
4 times through a 14.4 mile circuit for a total of 57.6 miles
4 times up the famed Manayunk Wall with a 17% average grade
4 times up Strawberry Mansion Hill and Lemon Hill

When: Sunday, June 7th at 9:10am
# of Riders: 123 starters
# of Teammates: 4 – racing for Salamander on Sunday, I was on the start line with Laura McCaughey, Amity Elliot and Rachel Warner.

Course:
An amazing course, we start on the Ben Franklin Parkway and head towards Logan Circle. Around Logan Circle and back towards the Art Museum, we then head out along Kelly Drive. From Kelly Drive we head into downtown Manayunk along Main Street. A right turn followed by a quick right-left combination takes you to the foot of the Manayunk Wall. 1K later, you reach the summit of the climb and begin the “Fall from the Wall.” Taking a few turns at high speeds, you begin the descent back down Ridge Avenue. Over the overpass back to Kelly Drive, you head towards Strawberry Mansion Hill. Up through the “Diamond,” you descend back down to Kelly Drive only to make a left turn and ascend Lemon Hill. There, the crowd SCREAMS their heads off for anyone coming through on a bike! A FUN descent from Lemon Hill takes you back to Kelly Drive and to the Ben Franklin Parkway, where you start the whole thing over again!

Race:
Well, what can I say? My dream as a cyclist was to start this event. I mean, that alone was an achievement that I never thought I would see, certainly not in less than three years of racing! I had a few simple goals…#1 – to start the race. #2 – to stay upright. #3 – to finish the race.

#1 was easy. I just had to be there at 9:10 and start the wheels spinning. #2 was not so bad either – I just rode very aware and very smart. #3 – well, not so simple!

I actually started out feeling really good. Even at high speeds, I was very comfortable in the pack and was able to move up towards the front end a few times. Of course, I lost some positions on the road into Manayunk – it basically goes from a 4-lane road down to one lane before a sharp left hand turn onto Ridge/Main Street. I tried to follow Kelly Benjamin’s wheel back up to the front as we came down Main Street and managed to position myself towards the middle of the field as we hit the Wall. Unfortunately, if I was going to survive the attack up the Wall, I would have had to be ON THE FRONT! I started at the bottom on the wheel of Tina Pic of all people. Basically, I was holding the rear wheel of my cycling icon. Amazing. I managed to keep her just in front of me for half of the climb. Then, we hit the steep part. She busted up the Wall, and I got a bit caught behind a slower rider. Still, I reached the summit in a nice group. Unfortunately, that nice group was gapped off of the main field. By the time we made it down the Fall, we were chasing. We nearly caught the field before the ride up Strawberry Mansion, but a stopped line of caravan cars caused us to lose momentum and lose ground on the field. By the time we topped the hill, they were essentially gone.

I found myself in a group of 6…working VERY hard to stay within the time limit and finish the race. We pacelined our BUTTS off - keeping a high cadence and a high speed at all times. But with Highroad pushing the pace of the peloton, we really didn’t have a snowball’s chance in Hades of keeping our losses to a minimum. Still, we managed to complete 3+ laps of the course before we were pulled as we crossed the finish line on lap 3.

So, in tears, I made my way back to two other teammates whose bodies wouldn’t let them continue on with the race either. We had one girl left in the field – Rachel – and she was powering her way to an attempt at a Top 3 finish in the Under 23 Category. She ended up finishing 4th in that competition, but made a great showing with a fantastic breakaway from the field that lasted 4 miles! She was eventually caught going up the wall – but what an incredible attack she made!

Though I was clearly upset at getting pulled from the race (which was the ONLY way I was not going to finish – even if I had to walk my bike up the daggon Wall!) – I had an incredible experience. My group was the last group to get pulled from the race – a few groups behind us got pulled at the end of two laps. I was pretty excited to have lasted that long and to have made such a great effort to race with the group that I had around me. I was lucky to have Sonja Evers with me, and she and I really worked hard to keep the paceline moving at a good pace.

I am so grateful to Pat and Jame for asking me to be a part of this team and letting me gain this experience. I hope that they, or someone else, will take a chance on me again next year.

And, most importantly, I am SO THANKFUL to my husband, my Sturdy Girl teammates, and my friends and family for their support this weekend. EVERYWHERE I went on that race course, I heard my name being yelled out. And, I do mean everywhere. It was such an amazing outpouring of love and support, it was probably part of what brought tears to my eyes at the end of my race. And to hear people tell me how proud they were…I honestly can’t tell you how amazing that felt. That’s such a powerful word.

So…there you have it. The biggest race of my life. I stood on the start line next to Ina Teutenberg, Mara Abbot, Tina Pic, Judith Arndt, and so many other women that I have admired. I managed to ride WITH them for a while and follow them for a while longer. Next year, if I get the chance, I’m going to pummel that Wall and cross that finish line at the end of lap 4.

And to all of the other local gals that raced this – Lenore, Swopey, Pam, Lorraine, Nonnie, Bianca, Andrea, Kristine, Diane, Christine, Sonja, Amanda, Peanut, and Erica…WAY TO GO!!!! It was AWESOME being on the start line with you ladies. I’m very proud of all of you.

Bike Porn

Just sharing a little bike porn with y'all - blog readers. Hopefully, these will help me FLY up and SWOOP down the Wall on Sunday! :)

Be Careful Out There...

Here's a message from a fellow Sturdy Girl who had a rather frightening encounter on our local bike path. For the life of me, I can't understand people whose lives revolve around violence for the pure, unadulterated sake of violence.

"Tonight I was out on the trail, by myself, coming back from Phoenixville. At around 7:30 pm I was cruising through Norristown & as I approached the area where the basketball courts are, I notice 6 or 7 guys all wearing red t-shirts & black jeans hanging out on the side of the trail. They were looking conspicuously nonchalant & by the time I realized something was wrong, it was too late to turn around & get up enough speed in the other direction.

I decided that no matter what, they weren't getting me off of my bike so I hammered as fast as I could. As I approached they spread out across the trail. No one else was in sight. I was going 22 mph when I went between 2 of the guys and the one to my right who had his back to me swung around & punched me in the face. It is with extreme gratitude to the universe that I can say that with blood streaming down my face & amazing pain, I was able to stay on my bike & not even slow down until I got to the train station where I called 911. Police came. Medics cleaned up my face & I rode home.

I can't even think about what would have happened if they had gotten me off my bike. People have always cautioned about being on that trail, alone, on off hours & though my hard head may have saved me tonight, I get that I should have paid more attention. Hopefully it can serve as a cautionary tale to others."

Proof

Here's the visual proof that I worked hard at Bethlehem! Thanks to Anne Racioppi for the photos! Those are some great shots, dahling! :)

I think that Diane and I had a little gap on the field here and were trying to hold it. We got swallowed up eventually. Pushing the pace at the front of the field. From the look of some faces (including mine) I was doing a pretty good job.

Nonnie and Diane with the winning gap. Too much work done to go with them...sad face. :(

Pedal, Pedal, Pedal!

It was a weekend of racing for me! This was actually the first weekend in which I got in two full races (I don't think I can count the debacle of Wilmington as a race!). I did the Bethlehem Crit on Saturday and the New Jersey Time Trial Championships on Sunday. I thought (as did George) that I need to work on my TT before the Giro and Fitchburg. Plus, it can't hurt in getting ready for Philly this weekend (HOLY CRAP, PHILLY IS THIS WEEKEND!!!!!!!!).

Anywho...here's how things went.

Saturday, May 30th
What: The New Bethlehem Crit
Where: Bethlehem, PA
18 laps of a .89 mile course to complete "15 miles" - it actually ends up being quite a bit less than that, but whatever!
Category: Age groups! 30+ and 45+ with a separate Cat 4.
# of Starters: 24 on the line (not including Cat 4s who started 30 seconds behind us)
# of Sturdies: 6, including Sara B in the Cat 4 race - Jody, Sands, Jen Rhodes, Judi and Me

Course: Really fun course with 4 corners and one small rise. Turn 2 is always a bit dangerous due to rough road surface and off-camber downhill leading into it.

Race: Having held on for dear life in the NRC races, I was excited to have the chance to work on some tactics! I had a goal of finishing well and trying to put some damage on the field in the process. The second part worked - first part, not so much! ;)

I spent a lot of time working in this race. I attacked, I chased like a bandit, I pushed the pace at the front, and I generally just worked to make the race as interesting as possible. At one point, I got away with Nonnie with about 5 seconds over the field - but they simply would NOT let me go. Should I take that as a compliment??

At one point, Diane Grim took off. Unlike the determination to keep my butt planted in the field, she was let go. I knew that was a big mistake as Diane is a STRONG rider and completely capable of TT-ing her way to the finish. I went to the front and pulled her back to within an arm's reach before my legs began to putter out. When I pulled off to let the next person chase, she didn't. Boom - Diane pulled away again. Man, that sucked. A few laps later, Nonnie jumped and bridged up to Diane. I was in a bad position at that time, trying to conserve and couldn't get up to go along.

I continued to try to save up for the finish, but a sketchy corner by someone in front of me on the 3rd turn of the last lap forced me to hit the brakes, slip back from the front, and lose my legs. I finished in 8th - not too bad, but not where I wanted to be at the line. Still, I worked my BUTT off, practiced my jump, and felt like I raced really well even if I didn't finish exactly where I had hoped!

My teammates, on the other hand, ROCKED it OUT! Jody pulled in a strong 7th place finish, with Sands just behind. Jen Rhodes did some good work at the front and she finished 10th behind me with Judi finishing 12th.

Sunday was another big race day for me, as I went out to the Pineys for my first 40K Time Trial! Nothing like jumping into your first 25 mile Time trial at the State Championships! :)

What: NJ State Time Trial Championships
Where: Chatsworth, NJ (Pine Barren Country)
What: 40 K on a beautiful stretch of 563. Rolling terrain.
Category: multiple categories, I did the 30+
# of starters: In total, there were 32 in state riders, and 10 women competeing from out of state. (2 people in my age group category - me and Teresa DiSessa from Riptide)

Race: In typical fashion, as we got ready on the line, it began to drizzle. The drizzle turned into a veritable downpour on the road. It was CRAZY! Fortunately, the rain was NOT accompanied by wind, so it was wet and chilly but not windy.

I had a bunch of problems to start with, but all of them were part of my learning curve on this race. Everyone kept warning me not to blow up, not to go out too hard, etc. I took that advice a bit too literally and ended up doing the whole race too conservatively. On top of that, my new computer was NOT working, apparently. When I hit the turn around, it said that I had gone 14 miles. So, I was cautious - I thought the race was only 25, looks like it's going to be 28. On the way back in, I kept an eye on the odometer, thinking that with 2 miles to go, I would start ramping it up. Then I saw the 1K to go sign. WTF??????? Stupid computer! :(

Still - considering the rain and everything else, I really enjoyed my first "real" TT. I really liked the meditative aspect of it. Just me, the road, my legs, cadence, etc.

Anyway...in the end, I was pretty excited to find that I had won my category - but not by much! Teresa is a fantastic TT-ist and I only got her by about 15 seconds! Overall in the state, I was 3rd behind Betty and Beth Bonilla. Those out of state girls were amazing, and on the day, I was 8th overall. With a time of 1:02:50 and an average speed of 23.87 mph in my first race, I know what I have to do to go a lot faster next time. Maybe (just maybe), I'll catch the woman who finished first overall - I mean, she only did it in 58:21!!! HOLY poop! That's Olympic. Literally.

Still, I was pretty happy with my gold medal and 6-pack of beer! :) Can't wait to try another one. Honey, can I look into buying a TT bike now? :)

I Love This

This photo just totally sums up my family, I think. It's a picture of my dad and his siblings. They apparently tried to take a few serious pictures, but this is the one that ended up being my favorite. Come on, Auntie and Uncles, you know you can't be serious! HA!

Quality Wall Time

I went out for a little spin yesterday and decided to stop in and see my good pal "The Wall." Yep, we needed to be reaquainted a bit before it sadistically rips my legs off next weekend during the Liberty Classic.

I still can barely believe that I am going to be on the start line for that race. I have to thank Nicky and Tina for their incredible words of wisdom at Somerville. I was lucky to get to chat with both of them for a while after the women's race and they both gave me some great advice about the course. While some of what they said made basic logical sense (take it one lap at a time - do NOT think about anything past the lap you're on), other things were more experience based suggestions (getting up front before the bridge so that you're near the front for the wall). So, to Nicky and Tina...THANK YOU! I hope that I can follow through with the advice you gave and do well for my team, my family, my friends, and myself!

Asleep Standing Up

I do not know what my problem was yesterday. By the time I got done with work, I could barely keep my eyes open. I felt like a zombie...trying desperately to pull together enough energy to hop on my bike for a workout (not encouraged by the 58 degree, rainy weather outside). Eventually, I managed to get out and do some intervals (weak ones), but I rode, and that was the most important part.

Today is another "beautiful" day - rainy, but not quite as cold. Unlike yesterday, I am actually feeling like a human being. That's a bonus. I'm hoping that I can suck up the cruddy weather and hit "The Wall" today. I need to get over there for some repeats, so I guess today is as good a day as any!

Appropriate Fortunes

One of my favorite places to eat out is a local Sushi joint in Collingswood called Chow's. This place is great. They have the cutest waitress, Yen, who is there pretty much every day. They have GREAT sushi and great prices, making it a perfect spot for a quiet dinner.

I have had pretty good luck eating there before races - carb-loading via sushi rolls works for me.

I went there the night before my win at Mount Joy and the night before my first pro race....these were the fortunes that I got upon leaving on those two nights. I kept both of them because I thought they were so appropriate. I hope to add to this list over time...

"Don't wait for your ship to come in, swim out to it."
- The night before Mount Joy. Keep in mind, I needed ONE POINT to upgrade to Cat 2 at that race. Yep - I'd say I swam out to it...with a motor attached to my rear!

"Toil awhile...endure awhile....believe always...and never turn back."
- The night before Wilmington. Yep - another pretty accurate one.

BOOOO HISSSSSS!

Well, this just sucks.

Not much more I can say about that.

Training Week

Deciding that the weekend was a little too hectic to do any "big" races, I spent the week working on my training. I focused on a few specific things that I wanted to work on and got busy.

I hit the Drives on Tuesday night to work on speed and staying with the pack. It was going pretty well until a stopped car in front of the museum created a small gap in the field and I couldn't catch back on. I happily cruised back to the "B" group and spent the rest of the evening rocking it out with them. All in all, I got a good evening in on the bike and got to hang with some of the great local gals and my teammate Dana! :) YEAH!

I spent Wednesday being a big nerd and going to listen to a talk by Alexander Nemerov at PAFA with one of my mentors, Susanna Gold. Man, that guy is brilliant. He has the most poetic way of writing academically I have ever heard and his ideas consistently break the barrier of academic processes and limitations. He essentially makes all of us young scholars realize that we can do ANYTHING with the material that we desire, as long as we can convince others that we are right.

Thursday was the weekly Greentree visit. I'm always a little concerned at Greentree because it can get a bit sketchy with some of the Thursday night World Champions on the road. Still, it's such a great opportunity to work on pack-riding and cornering skills (and a high pace) that I HAVE to do it. I've been feeling good on the bike lately, so I was confident that I could have a nice evening on the road.

Off the start, I ended up in a break with a female Verducci rider and a few men. We stayed away for a few laps and then moved back into the field. I missed one lap due to some funky breathing stuff that was going on, but once I moved back in to the pack, I had an EXCELLENT night. I focused on my pack riding and actually felt really comfortable when I was blocked in and cornering. The pace (24 mph average) felt EASY, and I was just grooving to the sound of the wheels on the pavement. Excellent. At one point, I was sticking on a GREAT wheel of a Verducci gal only to discover later that it was Theresa Cliff-Ryan. No wonder it was so solid, so graceful, so easy to follow. She, by the way, may be one of the sweetest women I have ever met. SOOO nice.

A HUGE thank you goes out to Alaina. She and I were chatting before the ride:
A: "Last week, I kept trying to get you to move up."
Me: "Yeah, I know...that's the thing I'm really trying to work on."
A: "Well, I'm pretty good at it, so stay with me. If you're not moving up, you're moving back."
Me: "No kidding!"

So, I did. Every time I saw Alaina in front of me, I thought..."I need to be with her" and moved forward. Apparently, she was doing the same thing, so it worked out perfectly. We both had a great, safe ride, and enjoyed ourselves.

Today's training goal - hills, baby....hills.

So Big!

This is Quin saying, "look how big I am, Mom!"

SOOOO big.

Kelly Bike Jam - My Pics!

I'm looking around for shots of the Womens Pro 1/2/3 race from Kelly Bike Jam. If anyone knows who was out there shooting, please let me know!! THANKS!

In the meantime, I will entertain y'all will some pics that I took of the Sturdies and some of my other favorite girls racing in the 3/4 field. It was great to watch these ladies race, and Robin's attack before the final lap was well-timed and beautifully executed!

To my Sturdy Girls - great racing that day! Sally, Jen, Sands, Brams, Jody, Jenna, and Julie...you ladies rocked it!

Jen Rhodes and Sally at the start

Sally moving up in the field

Talk about a "Game Face" - go Brams!

Jenna rocking it out!

Sturdy Girl train coming through!

Sally pushing the pace up the hill.

Sally and the Gursk...nice.

The CycleLife Gals...what a great bunch. Sara, Chicken, Jen May, Robin, and Jennifer Cheng.

Kelley and the Gursk...mentally preparing to whoop-butt!