ToWC Stages 2 and 3!

Stage 2 of the race was the Time Trial.

I was planning to race on Falco and just Eddy Merckx my way through it, but then Robin suggested that I use her TT bike. So, I thought - what the heck - let's give it a go! We got the bike out Saturday after the Road Race and we tweaked it a bit here and there until I felt pretty comfy on it. I was starting to get excited about the TT - I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with them. They HURT, but they're fun!

So, early the next morning, we head up to the TT. It started with a climb - a long, steady uphill into a very long, fast descent. Then, just constant rolling terrain (false flats and some, slightly bigger inclines) out to the turnaround. Obviously, it was a bit of the same on the way back with the finish at the top of the first climb. I felt pretty good on the bike and on the course (although I need to tweak it again before Fitchburg - THANK YOU, Robin for letting me keep it for a few weeks). When the results were posted, I got a bit of a shock...I had finished 3rd in the TT AND was now sitting 3rd in the GC! Holy Poop! But, not by much...I was only 7 seconds ahead of the 4th place rider. Eek!

Alaina rode a wicked TT (as usual), finishing only 3 seconds behind me in 4th and Sonja was 6th. Mitch and Christina were also up there - even though Chicken missed her start!! All of the people yelling "CHICKEN!" to try to find her was pretty funny!

So, we had our work cut out for us in the Crit. We had to try to defend 3rd against Laurel Larson from Syn-Fit who is WICKED STRONG. WOW. She was going to try to collect seconds in the Sprint Bonuses, we were going to try to stop her!

Things went okay in the crit. Unfortunately, she was racking up seconds on me and had gained 6 seconds before the finish. If she finished top 3 and I was behind her, I would lose the podium. Fortunately for us, that didn't happen. Unfortunately, it finished in a way that didn't make me feel too great about keeping the podium. She flatted out with one or two to go. It was really kind of sad - because she was a monster and the finish would have been interesting. Still, that's how bike racing goes...so, I ended up keeping my 3rd place slot by 1 second. Yowza.


Thanks to Robin for the photos! :)

ToWC Stage 1

Today began the Tour of Washington County. I had no idea what to expect from this race, but I was hoping for some good legs and good results. Here's what I ended up with...

The race was (apart from the Liberty Classic) the hardest road race I think I have ever done. First of all, the course was challenging. It seemed like we were ALWAYS going uphill. False flats, longer steady climbs, little walls, BIG walls...it was very tough. Secondly, the field was tough. With a lot of strong riders, attacks were launched from the start and continued throughout the race. A field of 44 shattered into smaller groups spread about the course. I was fortunate to stay in the front group, despite feeling like crud for the first lap.

In the end, I chose the wrong gear for the finishing hill and had to do a bit too much grinding up towards the line. Had I been more attentive, I probably would have shifted down to the little ring so that I would have had #1 a higher cadence and #2 gears to drop into for more speed. Still, despite that hiccup, I managed to finish 9th overall! Sonja was 6th, Mitch was 19th, and Alaina and Chicken came in together at 29th and 30th.

Tomorrow is the Time Trial and Crit. I'm borrowing Robin's bike for the TT, so we'll see how that works for me. I'm just hoping that I don't need to borrow her fresh legs, too! ;)

Air Force Cycling Classic

This past weekend was the Air Force Cycling Classic Crystal Cup. After spending a few days at a conference with some of my students, I was feeling a little iffy about the race. I was either going to be nicely rested, or totally cold.

The field was not as wicked as it had been the day before for the Clarendon Cup, but there was still the standard Colavita contingent (Andrea, Theresa, Shontell, Kate, and Cath), a few Vera Bradley gals (Carla, Erica and Robin), and the ever-present Kenda team. Also out there were our good pals at Fruit 66 (Lenore, Erin, Julie and Patty) and a host of others. In other words, it was a still a strong field!

It was a hot day, but the course was a blast. The course looked like this:

It really was quite fun, despite the heat and humidity. The race was fast at the start, but then it settled down into a nice, steady race. This was partially due to a break that got away about halfway through that included Robin Farina, Cath Cheatley, and Erin Silliman. They ended up staying out until the finish and placed in that order. (Way to rip it, Erin!)

I felt okay today. Still not feeling good about my positioning in races like this. So, as usual, my butt was surfing the back. Still, I felt good back there and still had some strength at the end to come around a few people before the finish. I was 26th and Sonja was 20th (banking a few bucks for the team, no less).

I am looking forward to my first stage race coming up! Oh, how I like Stage Races! Yay!

More on the Liberty Classic

So, here are a few additional videos from the race. AND, an update on how my teammies did...

Jen Tetrick - very scary incident coming down from the wall on Lap 1. There was a loud gunshot sound - she and I both thought #1 - fireworks? #2 - an actual gunshot?! Turns out, it was the sidewall of her rear wheel (brand new tire bought the night before). The whole thing just exploded. She managed to get herself to the side of the road and hit tarmac just a bit on one leg/knee. It ended her race today :( - SUPER huge sad face, but we're so glad that she is okay.

Alaina and Mitch - both worked super hard to stick out this race...forming some nice chase groups and going gangbusters to keep in contact. Unfortunately, they met the same fate that I met last year and were pulled. :(

Sonja - stayed in the race and with the pack through the 3rd climb up the Wall. She had a bit of a rough go of it after that and lost contact with the chasing groups - she crossed the finish line at the end of lap 4 and should have been given 81st place, but we're not sure if they placed her.

Arley - stayed in the race and with the pack through the 3rd time up the Wall. She and I worked together with a group through the remainder of lap 3 and first half of lap 4. When I gapped off the front of the field - Arley stepped up as a great teammate, refusing to work with the chasing group behind me and cheering me on over the radio! She finished strong in 77th.

I forgot to mention in my earlier post that I also won a very special prime! $50 - which I shared with Arley for her work on that last lap. It was a $50 prime put up by my friend Christian for the first CAWES rider to the top of Lemon Hill on lap 4! :) That was ME! hehe!

Videos:

Lemon Hill, Lap 1

Lemon Hill Lap 2

Liberty Classic 2010

So, today was the famed Liberty Classic (round 2 for me!).

This morning, in the heat and humidity and threat of thunderstorms and tornadoes, 123 women lined up for the 26th annual Liberty Classic. Of the 123, there were some powerful women...Theresa Cliff-Ryan, Ina Teutenberg, Jeannie Longo, Evelyn Stevens, Alison Powers, and Shelly Evans, just to name a few. We lined up today with the champions of Germany, New Zealand, and the United States. It was, as usual, the best female cyclists in the WORLD.

I was feeling surprisingly calm this morning. Sure, I was nervous and anxious - but not like last year. I had a better idea of what I needed to do today and I just really wanted to see it happen. I had a goal in mind for the Wall and I was going to meet it! I also think that the following story helped take the edge off right at the beginning.

We're standing around in the staging area before being led to the line for the actual start. Jeannie Longo is spinning around in front of us doing some figure eights. All of the sudden, she stops and rolls right up to me and Julie K from Fruit 66 and starts talking to us. "So, how are you gals feeling today? It is going to be very warm, no? I hate that we get all warmed up and then we stand around. Silly, no?" Holy CRAP, Jeannie Longo is TALKING to us! Um... we have to talk back! :) So, we had a little chat with her before the race. WOW. Not something I expected to have happen as we're lining up. Very cool.

And then...we were off.

I felt really good today. My legs were warmed up and loose, my brain was in the right place, and I was really ready to rock. Alaina took a bit of a flyer with Rachel Warner off the front right when we hit Kelly. It was awesome! :) I held a good position on lap 1 leading into the Wall and though the pace up the Wall was wicked, I managed to conserve my losses and get back on while descending down to Kelly Drive. I got back in with the field and felt really good going up Strawberry Mansion and Lemon Hill on Lap 1. Lap 2 seemed to be going about the same. Good position heading into the Wall and, despite getting hit by a flying styrofoam cooler lid, feeling really good. Lost a bit of time AGAIN on the Wall, but again managed to catch back on as we got onto Kelly Drive before Lemon Hill. I knew that the next time up the Wall was going to be a killer, but I had made it this far and that Wall was NOT going to stop me.

A few attacks were launched on the start of Lap 3 and the pace accelerated a LOT. I held on to the back end and managed to hit the base of the Wall with the group. But, I was hurting. I got to the top and just tried to hammer it with the folks I was with. I found myself in a group of 6 with Arley, Natalie from MVP, Julie from Fruit 66, Mary Costelloe from Verducci, and Thea Parent of Human Zoom. We worked pretty well together and conserved for the remainder of the 3rd lap and through to Lap 4. When we crossed the finish line at lap 3, I was so happy - I had officially done better than last year - I was going to FINISH!

We worked together to the base of the Wall again and this time, I came through at the front of our group. I just put my head down and started mashing my way up the hill - literally. I hardly got out of the saddle on the last climb - my legs hurt too much when I did, so I just sat and put the power into it. I noticed as I was nearing the top that the crowd was really screaming for me, but I wasn't sure why. Then, I heard Mike's voice in my ear saying, "Sarah - you've got it...GO! You've got a break...GO!" Oh, boy.

So, I did. I hammered my way up the the remainder of the Wall and just started to shoot down the back side. I soloed my way from the Wall to the finish line! I saw Andrea and Kristine from Human Zoom and Erin from Fruit 66 in front of me, so I just kept trying to catch them. I got pretty close the last time up Lemon Hill...

I finally caught them as we rounded the fountain at Logan Circle (about 700 meters from the finish). When I tried to punch it my left calf started to seize, so I just came in with them. I finished 75th out of 80 finishers and 123 starters. I have to say that I am ECSTATIC. By far, the hardest thing I have ever done.

THANK YOU to an incredible team who were fantastic to race with - Sonja, Mitch, Alaina, Arley and Jen. It was a PLEASURE. Robin and Jencheng - we MISSED you!!!

Thanks to Mike for leading us and being that voice in our ears telling us that we could do it and do it harder, faster and better.

Thanks to Mike, Justin, Hoover, Sara, Barb, Lisa, and Julie (sorry if I missed anyone) for being a WICKED awesome SAG crew! We could NOT have done it without you! AMAZING!

And THANKS to everyone who screamed for the riders! It is always an amazing experience to hear so many voices along the course. And trust me, I heard you all (Liz and Diane, Sally and Gail, George, Reuter, Fred and Pam, Christian and Jen, Camille and Richard, my fantabulous hubby just to name a few)!

More videos and photos to follow.

Somerville

Yesterday, I celebrated Memorial Day by finishing my first NRC crit! YAY!

Mitch and I lined up for the Tour of Somerville yesterday in Somerville, NJ. I had a pretty brutal week of training last week, but my legs and my brain were feeling good, so I had decent confidence going into the race. The big teams were out in some amount of force - Colavita had 7 women on the line, Team Type 1 had 3, Tibco had 2, Verducci had a bunch, as did Kenda and Fruit 66. So, essentially, it was going to be a tough one.

I LOVE the course. As much as I normally say that I dislike 4-corner crits, I realize that the reality is that I dislike SHORT crits. The longer they are, the more I like them. Somerville is a 4-corner crit, but it's 1.25 miles in length, so it feels a lot more like a circuit race. There are long straights that allow you to get a rhythm and a sense of the pack before they sweep through another turn. I like that kind of a 4-corner crit!

photo courtesy of Marco Quezada

I felt really good at the start. I actually had a decent position from the start heading into the first turn, even though I started near the back again - because I was inside for the first turn, I was able to move up pretty quickly. I held my position pretty well, though I was in the back half for most of the race, I did move up to the front a few times (once because I heard Mitch behind me say..."Sarah - MOVE UP!"). I managed to stay safe and comfortable through the entire race until the last lap. I lost the decent position I had gained with 3 to go and found myself gapped off the back behind some riders who had started to sit up. I tried to gun it around them, but the field was setting up for the sprint and had already moved too far away. So, I gritted my teeth and just kept drilling it. I finished strong - meaning that I NEVER sat up - and was so pleased to have officially crossed the line on my first NRC crit in 39th and Mitch was 50th. I know that 39th might not sound so great to some, but I'm just glad that everyone kept the "rubbers on the ground" as Mitch's mom would say, and that I finally accomplished a goal of finishing an NRC Pro Crit.

The best part of the day - photos to follow from Sara - was that we unknowingly parked next to the County Jail. So, basically, the entire time that we were near our cars, we had to listen to inmates BANGING on their windows to try to get our attention. It was funny at first, then a little creepy, then just kind of annoying! I mean, really...what exactly are you trying to get us to do? Flash you? Come in and hang out? Become your favorite pen pal? What? No idea.

Same Blog New Look

Don't worry, I just needed a new look. It's like getting a hair cut. Sometimes, you just feel the need for a change! :)

Had a great night at Greentree last night! In addition to some of the normal female faces seen at the training crit (Lenore and Thea), we were graced by Theresa and Kelly from Colavita and some of the Verducci gals. It was really nice to have them there for a little extra incentive (I HAVE to keep up with Kelly and T!). We managed to finish the training just before the rain started to fall and I am really happy with how things went.

Sat in the pack and practiced moving around a bit - went to the inside, went to the outside, sat in the middle. I even launched an attack/jump near the end to bridge a gap up to a break group. Felt good and really boosted my confidence for Somerville on Monday.

Happy Memorial Day to all, hope to see you out on the roads!

Wilmington and Kelly Bike Jam

This weekend was, as expected, a little rough. Wilmington was pretty much what I had expected and feared - an absolute suffer-fest. Colavita was there with their crit team, along with Laura Van Gilder, some of the Vanderkittens, the national Collegiate champion, and a few other ringers. It was destined to look a lot like the 2009 race.

It started FAST. I really loved the course this year, a few extra turns here and there made it much more interesting and challenging, but far more fun than getting dizzy on a 4-corner crit! :)

Thanks to Bob Wellmon for a few nice shots of me in the race - here I am coming through the 2nd corner.
As feared, I was popped out pretty quickly. Wilmington is a bit frustrating because some riders realize that they are getting shot out the back, so they sit up and quit. I don't sit up and quit. I don't care how bad the race is, I don't care how far I am off the back, I am going to RACE until someone tells me to stop. So, on the 3rd lap or so, I was coming through the start finish stretch, and the rider in front of me simply sits up and lets a gap form. I still had legs then, so I jumped around it, only to have the EXACT same thing happen a lap or two later. That time, I just didn't have the jump to get around and ended up in limbo-land. I knew then that it was only a matter of time. I got in with a few riders and we worked together for a few laps before getting pulled. I finished two laps more than last year. At this rate, in another 15 or 20 years, I'll be winning this one! ;) Sonja managed to stay in for about 15 laps - she was the best of us for the day, and it was great to watch her race from the sidelines. She really is inspirational to me...she is mad-strong and REFUSES to quit - which I obviously admire.

On to Kelly Cup/Bike Jam. This race, though many folks hate it, is a good one for me. I got a much better start - at the front of the line. I kept myself up in the front half for the first half of the race, and tried to just sit comfortably and not drop out. My confidence was definitely a bit shot from Saturday, so I didn't really try anything or try to get to the front at all, although I should have. Mainly, I just sat in and made sure that I was safe and sound in the field. I had a good position going into the last lap, but lost a bit of it with some sketchiness on the back side. I ended up finishing 29th out of the ~50 starters, which I am happy with. Like Sonja on Saturday, I was the top finisher for the team at Kelly Cup - the rest of the girls had a rough day, Mitch got caught out by one of the two crashes and Alaina and Sonja got stuck behind some riders who sat up.

Here's an iMovie from Kelly Cup made from footage taken by the very talented Sara Brams-Miller (commentary included)! Thanks, Sara!!!

Worries and Wilmington

It's a beautiful morning, even though I didn't sleep so well. Today is the Wilmington Grand Prix. This was the first NRC race I ever started (last year) and I never really finished it. The race last year was crazy fast and nearly half of the field was pulled after only 7 miles because we were getting lapped by the front group. It was a disappointing race, but I came back the following day at Kelly Bike Jam to finish and feel good about the weekend.

Well, that weekend has returned. Today is Wilmington, tomorrow Bike Jam. I'm feeling better about it all this year, even though crits are still not my favorite kind of races and it's still going to be wicked fast! I've learned a lot in the last year about positioning, moving up in a pack, and conserving my energy, so I hope that this will pay off (today especially).

I have also started having anxiety dreams. Last night, I dreamt that I got all ready to head to the line at the Liberty Classic and just as I pulled my cleat cover off of my shoe, my cleat went with it! With all of the screws gone and missing, I had to try to scramble to take the cleat off of my old shoe and steal the screws. Needless to say, it didn't work and I watched everyone roll out for the race while I sat there messing with a screwdriver (and not the good, deliciously alcoholic type of screwdriver!).

This was the same type of dream as I had before my doctoral exams, and I did well on those, so I'm hoping that this is the same type of thing! For now, I'm going to fill my belly with yummy food and finish packing up so that I can hit the road for Wilmington. Let's hope for a good weekend!

Catching Up With the Joneses

Well, it looks as though I about to finally catch up with the Joneses. Well, at least a little bit. After four years of training and racing my bike, and after four years of everyone and their brother telling me that I need to train with power, I am FINALLY going to be doing it.

Yep...gonna get me a PowerTap!

I got pretty lucky - G has a friend who is getting rid of a slightly used PT that's a couple of years old, and he's getting rid of it for a pretty cheap cost. So, since I know that it's a move in the right direction - and it's an inexpensive move in that direction, I'm going to do it!

I'm excited and nervous about it. I don't want to become one of those number junkies that can't just ride without worrying about how much wattage I'm doing or why I can't get wattage to a certain point. Nor do I want to be so wedded to my numbers that I freak out if I am too far above where I "should" be. It's unlikely that I will do much racing with the PT, because I won't have it on multiple wheels, but I'm certain that it will help me with my training and my preparation for Philly and other big races this year.

All in all, I'm excited about it! :) Thanks, G...for hooking me up!

Poolesville Road Race

The Poolesville Road Race is one that I have wanted to do for a long time. Why haven't I? Well, mainly because it's 3 hours away in Maryland and until this year, I just didn't want to drive down there by myself. It would figure that the year I finally decide to do it, I'm in the Cat 1/2/3 race that starts at 8:40am and I have to get up at 3:30 in the morning to get there on time! Thanks to the speedy driving of the Grizzly, we got there in under 3 hours and with plenty of time to get warmed up and ready to rock!

Nearly the whole team was on hand for the race - everyone except for Robin who is busy on a trial right now. So, hitting the start line was Alaina, Chicken, Goat, Jencheng, Mitch, and me. Very nice.

We had a good plan going in which was to try to get Alaina or (preferably AND) me into a break. If that didn't work, we were to work for Mitch to get the sprint finish. We wanted to launch attacks and, more importantly, counter attacks.

The first lap was pretty uneventful. People were checking out the gravel section and checking out the competition's legs. Thank goodness they couldn't see that mine felt like hammered dog do-do. Ugh! There's been something going on with my quad muscle for a while - a big giant knot that won't go away and lots and lots of pain. So, I was working through that. By lap two, I felt pretty good. People started to launch a few attacks here and there...I launched one in the dirt section and got a bit of a gap with a few good riders, but we got pulled back in.

The real turning point in the race was the neutralization. The men's field was catching us, so they STOPPED us on the side of the road at the base of the climb for about 2 minutes. Just long enough for a few gals to hit the natural potty and for my legs to get filled up with lactic crap. Once we started up again, the attacks were thrown like CRAZY. I got whomped and found myself in a REALLY bad spot. There was a leading group of two, a chase group of 6 and I was dangling dangerously off the back of that group. Two of the 6 jumped up to the leading two giving us a break of 4, a chasing group of 4, and me...trying desperately not to lose it. I managed to chase back on, despite the leg issues and get up to Sonja. The good news was, Alaina was in the front break of 4.

Sonja turns to me and says, "We're going to attack going into the gravel and I want you to go." I'm thinking, "Oh, CRAP." I say, "Okay." We attack heading down the hill to the dirt section and we HAMMER it into the dirt. We got a nice gap and started working together. We managed to maintain our gap through to the finish, even pulling the leading group in to about 15 or 20 seconds. We never quite caught them, but we held off the chasers behind us to take 5th and 6th on the line.

End results for the team were great...Alaina in 3rd, me 5th, Sonja 6th, Mitch won the field sprint for 7th.

We worked really well as a team at this race. We talked a lot, we launched some strong attacks and counter attacks when our legs would let us, and we ended up with a strong showing. There are still things that we could do better, but we're on our way.

Only a few more weeks until Philly. Man, when I say that my stomach does a little flippety-flop. Sigh.

Trip to the Mitten

Chuck and I decided that we needed a trip to the Mitten. Partially, we just wanted to see the mom and dad, but also because Julie, Scott and Eloise would be visiting also!

So, we packed up the car and drove the 9 hours to the homestead. We had a GREAT visit. Eloise is absolutely adorable and it was so awesome to spend time with her and with the rest of the family. Here's a cute little vid of my two nieces together on Emma's birthday. So adorable.

Julie presented Chuck and I with a rather strange gift at one point in the trip. A small stuffed hamster. She tells us that the hamster needs to come home with us so that we can hold onto it for Eloise. Then she says that we need to hold onto it in case anything were to happen to her and Scott because Eloise might have to come stay with us because they want us to be her guardians. WOW! We instantly accepted. The hamster, and a photo of the 5 of us (me, Chuck, Eloise, Julie and Scott) will sit on top of my shelf in the dining room from now on! I'm really just honored and humbled that they would entrust this responsibility to us. Makes me REALLY happy.

On our way back home, we thought that a 9 hour drive just wasn't long enough and that we needed to stop by Barry and April's house on the way home! They're place is near Harrisburg...out in the country and is so beautiful. Here are a couple of videos of us trying to find their place! :)

We finally got home around 11:40pm. The drive really wasn't so bad and we've already agreed that we would like to do it again sometime in the future. Of course, Chuck agreed to that because I let him stop at Phantom Fireworks to buy things that go boom! :)

Crazy Weekend

So, this past weekend was intended to be my first double of the season...the Murad Road Race on Saturday and the Bunny Hop Crit on Sunday. I was looking forward to a weekend with the team and a weekend of great racing. I ended up with a race and a half of good racing. Allow me to explain.

The Murad Road Race was on Saturday. This had the potential to be a great race for me...nice rolling course with a strong field that WANTED to get a break going.

Plan A - Get In The Break

I was super attentive to what was going on at the front and what was happening around me in the field. It was a strong field and I spent a lot of time at the front, setting tempo and covering attacks. I launched a few attacks as well in the desperate attempt to get something going. There were some drawbacks to the race - the yellow line rule (though necessary) kept it tightly packed and made moving around in the pack very difficult. If you found yourself at the back, you needed to be REALLY aggressive to get back up to the front. So, I tried to make sure that I was never more than halfway back in the pack. The yellow line rule also made it so that people were really squeezed together. This, of course, causes people to get a bit sketchy on occasion and twitchy. There were more than a few moments when things looked like they might get nasty.

Still, there were moments. Like this one...

Where it looked like there was a CHANCE of getting away from the field - notice the gap between us and the group behind (that's me on the front at the right). But, it just never happened.

So, I turned to Plan B. Get the pack strung out on the final lap, make sure no one attacks, and get Mitch to the finish line. Alaina and I came to the front for most of the final lap. We tried to keep the pace high and keep the group together in the hopes of getting our sprinter to the finish straight in good position. Again, with the narrow roads, we had no idea that Mitch was boxed in at the back. We came through the final turn in good position with me at the front and Alaina behind me. I was cooked and the field started to come around - that's when I realized that Mitch wasn't there! I tried to punch it as much as I could to the finish, but ended in a disappointing 17th place. :( I worked hard, raced well for my team, but I hate that my finish was poor. Alas, we had another day to work it out.

Bunny Hop was destined to be a fun race. A fun race that was made brutally fast by the arrival of the Kenda Team (in force), Leslie Jennings, and the fierce ladies of Fruit 66 (Amanda and Erin). The course was a three corner crit that should have been smooth and fast. Unfortunately, we had some riders in the field that seem to still be getting their pack legs and it took its toll. About 15 minutes into the 60 minute crit, there was a pile up in the final corner. I managed to eek my way past by doing a track stand as riders fell to my right and then sneaking through on the inside of the corner. Alaina touched tarmac on that one, but hopped right back up and chased back onto the field.

Not more than two laps later, there was a touch of wheels coming through the start/finish line. I saw it all go down and had enough time to think the following:

1. She's going down. And she's right in front of me.

2. I know I can't go left - the peloton is there.

3. Looking over my right shoulder, I now know that I can't go right - rider there, too.

4. Oh, CRAP, I'm going down!

I hit the brakes...hard. I turned the bike to the right and fell to my left, landing directly on top of Wendy and Amanda. It took me a moment or two to realize that no one was going to land on me, so I jumped up. One look at Wendy and I knew that things were not good. I also knew that I was bleeding from a few spots and wasn't really looking to get back into the race. I got my bike to the side, got Wendy's bike to the side and then went back for her. We got her off the road, but she was not in good shape. We later discovered that she has fractured her pelvic bone in three places and has a fracture to her sacrum. Definitely NOT good.

I cheered my team on from the sidelines for the remaining 30 minutes...Alaina ended up the top finisher at 9th - a nice finish for her weekend, for sure!

Sonja taped me up afterward to help minimize the bruising on my scraped up hip. Let me tell you, it WORKED. Here's the hip that night.

It's a bit more black and blue than that now, but only in between the taped areas...thanks to Sonja, it didn't balloon outward or spread across my entire bod! YAY!

I guess I should be pretty happy that my first crash occurred about 4 YEARS after I first started racing and ended in only a few cuts and bruises. I just wish it hadn't coincided with what looks like the end of Wendy's 2010 season.

I've already been back out there training...so, I'm looking forward to a tough month of training and racing. After all, in a few weeks, the local NRC races begin and...

CAWES got in to the LIBERTY CLASSIC! Looks like I'll be hitting the Wall again this year! HOORAY!

Sturdy Girl Shout Out

I simply HAVE to post a MAJOR shout out to my Sturdy Girls!

Today was the Lower Providence Crit. Though they will certainly describe it best on their own blog, I have to brag about the girls a bit here, too!

Women's Cat 4 race:

Beth Fayant won a Prime lap and Lisa Bowerman (in her first year of racing) took 5th!

Women's Cat 1/2/3 race:

Probably best to just let George explain it himself...

"Sally and Becky worked the 1-2-3 almost to the script we envisioned in our pre-race meeting. Sally did her usual job of chasing down any break attempt and Becky sat in and waited for the right break to form. She, Lenore, Kim Geist and a fourth rider stayed away till the last lap when Dana Walton and another Prime Alliance rider bridged up to them ... that put three Prime Alliance riders in the seven rider break. But Becky sprinted for 3rd ... so it was just a really great tactical race for us. Becky is the real deal and Sally is every DS's dream of a domestique."

AWESOME job, Sturdies!!!!!! YAY!

Carl Dolan Circuit Race Report

Carl Dolan Circuit Race

21 miles

Cat 1/2/3 Race

29 women at the start line

6 CAWES riders - Alaina, Badger, Mitch, Wendy, Me, and Jencheng

Course: AWESOME! One, big loop with one easy corner and one wicked uphill. Start/finish was at the top of the climb - from there, you went into a VERY short downhill and a right hand bend into a strong headwind and a false flat rise. Somewhere in the back, there was a descent into the only actual turn on the course, which lead into the climb. You could easily hit 29 or 30 going through the turn and take a lot of speed into the climb. But, the climb was long and "big," so it wasn't easy to keep speed and a lot of folks were spinning out on the climb.

Race: Started out strong. There were a few attacks at the front, but it didn't look like any of them had any real gumption to stick. I stayed at or near the front, it was my job and Alaina's to go with anything that went. So, we did. We were sort of taking turns doing this when it happened. Alaina hopped on a break and it ended up being THE break.

I was just behind her and pulled up to the front. As she was already gapped a little off the field, I thought that it was best to sit the front rather than try to bridge and go with. I thought that if I bridged, I might bring the field with me. So, I sat. The good news was, the two other big teams in the race (Kenda and Fruit 66), both had a rider in the break, so we all worked together to keep the field in line. The bad news was, the break attacked up the climb with 4 laps to go and gapped Alaina.

We knew that she was off the break (thanks, Jason) and tried to organize a chase. Unfortunately, with Kenda and Fruit 66 still trying to keep their rider "safe" up front, it was a challenge. We managed to pull back the break from 1 minute to just over 30 seconds, but that was the best we could manage by the finish. I led the field from the top of the climb through the final turn and then some of the other girls took over - not sure who exactly - jencheng?, Robin?, Wendy? and Mitch and Leslie Jennings. I hung on to them knowing that the finishing hill would be more tactical than power. Shooting off at the base would cost you near the top. I was, perhaps, a bit too tactical and sat in a bit too long before pushing for the sprint. Still, I watched a lot of riders gun it at the bottom and die out near the top and I hung on for 12th. Mitch was 6th and the rest of the girls were somewhere in the pack (not sure of exact finishes). While we didn't have the finish that we had wanted, I feel as though we really raced strong as a team and tried to be smart.

The course was AWESOME! I can't wait to ride it again in the future! Really, really cool.

Chuck was there and took some videos....I used iMovie and put them together into a pretty cool movie. Here it is...

Athena's Make Over

So, when I first began racing my bike, I did this aboard Athena.

She was a great steed. Far too big for me, and quite heavy, but a wonderful bike. After my first year, though...I needed something new, so I was lucky enough to purchase Falco.

Athena stayed on as my back-up bike...getting spun out on the trainer a lot and basically functioning solely as a room ornament in our house. Until my brother decided to start racing. It seemed logical to me that he should have her...since she really was too big for me and she wasn't being used. So, I shipped her off to Michigan to be ridden by my big bro!

He raced his first year aboard her and then he, too, needed to upgrade his ride. I thought it was the end of Athena. I thought that she was going to end up shipped off to the bike graveyard or something. And then, she was reborn! My bro decided that she was perfect for a metamorphosis into a Time Trial Bike!! YAY, Athena!

I think that she looks pretty sweet with her red tape and cable housings...and she sure looks happy! Thanks, Bro, for keeping her in the family and in great use! :)

Battenkill Recap

picture courtesy of Dave McElwaine: www.cyclingnews.com

The Battenkill was a race that I was looking forward to, but also dreading a bit. I've been working on my climbing and feeling pretty good, but this was a lot more than just climbing. There was a lot more to worry about than the hills at the Kill...

We got lucky with the weather - at least a little. It was cold at the start. Cold enough for arm warmers, leg warmers, a hat and long fingered gloves. But, the rain that had been predicted the day or two before never arrived (THANK YOU!!!) It was, however, wickedly windy. Which basically meant that if you were not in a pack, you were in trouble.

The course was AWESOME. Honestly, I really enjoyed it. I need to work on my strength on steep pitches. This is where I always get gapped and I have to figure out how to improve my performance on those sections in order to stay with the leaders next year. The reality is, this is a climbers race. I don't know that I could ever race up front with Patty and the top 5 or 10, but I'd really like to come out closer to the top half! ;)

The first off road section caused me one major problem that would taunt me for the remainder of the race. I hit about 6 GIANT potholes right in a row and my handlebars dropped...about 2 inches. So, I spent the rest of the race totally stretched out with my hands reaching for hoods that were WAY off. Needless to say, I stopped at CVS on the way back from the race to get an Icy Hot patch for my back. Still feeling like I'm 92 today!

When we hit the first big climb, I was REALLY uncomfortable, trying to figure out how to pull on hoods that were too low. It wasn't working out very well. I lost the front pack early. I stayed with Sonja for a bit to try to chase back on, but I just couldn't get my legs going. I wound up racing alone for a little while.

And then my angel appeared. Decked out in a slightly different green than me and wearing a big old smile on her face was Amity! Just as I was settling into the thought that this was going to be a loooong, lonely race, she came up alongside and I had a partner in the sufferfest! Seriously, we shared a huge hug after the race and I told her how much it meant to me not just that I had someone else to race with, but that I had my former Salamander teammate to race with! She was like a second wind for me. It was awesome!

We rode the remainder of the race together and actually ended up in a field of nearly a dozen when we came to the finish. Though my finish was not what I would have liked, I feel really great about the race and about having conquered something that difficult. I'll be back next year with a vengeance and ready to take down that first big climb! :)

New Furniture Post

It's been many, many years since we even considered the purchase of new furniture. But, with the chair torn to shreds by the kittehs, we decided some new stuff might be needed. So...here's what we ended up with!

5 days...

4 days from this very moment, I will be getting up and getting ready to get Battenkill-ed. Oh, yeah, baby!

In all honesty, I'm sort of looking forward to the race. I think that it is going to challenge me on so many levels. Certainly, there is the obvious nature of the physical challenges. A 62 mile road race, 25% of which is dirt or gravel roads, climbs that are WICKED steep and screaming fast descents on uneven roads. Please note the course map below and, in particular, the profile of the course at the very bottom of the map.

Then, there are the mental challenges of this course. #1 - I'm not really a climber. Therefore, heading up to a steep climb is not just about the physical (which I know I can overcome), but the mental. I have to remind myself to "Climb within yourself" and that it's only one climb - deal with one at a time and move on. #2 - This is my first real Pro/1/2 race of the year. Jeff Cup certainly had some ringers in it, but this race is jam packed with women who are more than capable (on their worst day) of ripping my legs off.

There are also the fun aspects of this race.

1. It is one of the biggest, one-day classics races in the nation. Right up there with the Liberty Classic, this is one that I have wanted to do for a long time, but just haven't had the nerve. It's amazing to be part of a race that currently has around 2220 racers, nearly 200 of them women. To think that all of these people are challenging themselves on this course is amazing, and I am proud to be one of them.

2. I'm heading up there with some amazing teammates and friends. Not only will I be riding alongside Jencheng, Grizzly Gurski, and the Goat (and Chicken in the Cat 3), but SaraB, Pat, Officer Kulicki, Dana, Lenore, Julie, Peta, Big-Fast-Kate, Patty, Maria, Cass, Emily, Amity, and Amanda will all be up there (plus others that I'm sure that I forgot). Knowing all of these women, we'll all be supporting one another and trying to make sure that everyone is pushed to the limit!

3. My hubby is coming along! It will be so fun to have his support up there with me. Just knowing that he is on the side of the road waiting for me to come by really does make my cadence a little higher, makes my breathing feel a little easier, and pushes me toward the finish line.

I guess you can tell that I am looking forward to this race. Am I nervous - heck yeah - after all, Evelyn has decided to come back and defend last year's title! Am I excited - definitely.

See you on the flip side!!!

Too Cute!

I just got these photos from my sister and I had to share them. Is she just adorable, or what?!





She's getting to big and is just changing so quickly. I can't wait to get out to CO to see her in person! :)