Top 3 in the country...

Well, top 5 if you consider I am tied with 2 other women. Anyway, I was perusing the USA Cycling website today. I went to the Women's Expert Mountain Bike rankings page to see if I had moved up after racing this past weekend. I was 46th the last time I checked. See for yourself: here I'm now tied with 2 other ladies for 3rd in the country. Pretty cool, huh!

WORS: Sunburst Showndown (Kewaskum, WI)

At the start line.

Lisa and Chloe pushing the pace.

Chloe, Abby, Lisa, me, and Holly.

Lisa, me, and Holly.

Very fast banked turn.

I may be growling here...who knows?

Out of the woods.

This past weekend Kyle and I drove up to Wisconsin once again for a WORS mountain bike race. There was an Iowa mountain bike race this weekend that we would have done, but with the summer quickly coming to an end, we wanted to at least one more race up here. Like the Lake Geneva race, this course was at a downhill ski area, but this course had far less single track. We got there so early on Saturday, registration had not even opened yet. So we got dressed and got the bikes down and ready to ride. By then, registration was open and we got that taken care of. We realized quickly during our first lap that the course was very demanding from the start. After snaking around by the campgrounds, you start up the side of a hill which included about 4-5 switchbacks. Then into the woods, where you go up and up and up. From here you pop out of the single track at the top of the ski hill. Eventually, you head back into some single track which is downhill and somewhat dangerous at speed owing to rocks in the middle of the trail and the trees that hug the trail. At the bottom of this single track you pretty much do a 180 and head back up the hill on single track that runs right next to the trail you just finished. At the top, they have you ride around sort of up and down a bit, until finally you head straight down the side of the ski hill into a huge, overgrown grass area. The second half of the course weaves in and out of this tall grass with short, fast climbs and descents. We did 2 laps on the course, then set up our campsite. After that it was time for dinner and then we vegged out in the tent reading until it was time for bed.

I was not sure who to expect at the start line the next morning. The 50 mile Ore to Shore mountain bike race on Michigan's upper peninsula was on Saturday, so I assumed (incorrectly of course) that the ladies doing that race would not be back for the WORS race. Not only were Abby, Sarah, Murphykate, Lisa, and others at the start line on Sunday after completing the race on Saturday, but Chloe Forsman the current U23 mountain bike champion was also there. Who knew? Anyway, I had told myself that I needed to chill from the start and let someone else push the pace and for once, I actually did that. Chloe took off with Abby on her wheel, while Lisa, me and Holly fell in behind. We pretty much stayed in this order as we climbed the switchbacks and the single track. As we popped out of the single track, Chloe took off, but was quickly sidelined when her rear hub seized up. I continued to follow Lisa until I had gained my composure and then I went around her. Abby had gotten ahead of us by quite a bit. So I just put my head down and decided to ride smart. I pushed myself when I could and eased up a bit on the really tough parts of the climbs. I never caught Abby even though I gained time on her in the last 2 laps and finished just 54 seconds behind her. Needless to say, I was very happy with my finish.

Up next...my 10 year high school reunion on Saturday and then on to Colorado!

Epic Weekend of Racing

Iowa State Road Race Championships:
This past Saturday, I did the Women's 1/2/3 81-mile road race. As many of you know, I don't care much for racing road bikes. Mostly I think they are for suckers, but I am sponsored rider and my team organized this race, so there you go. It was a measly turnout of just 6 racers. We had to do 3 laps, each 27 miles long. Things started off slow. I didn't even warm up, knowing that we would likely be piddling around the first lap. Just shy of the end of the first lap, our group agreed to a mutual nature break. We all stopped and those that had to relieve themselves did, including short Brian who was driving our wheel truck. Then, it was back on the bikes for another 15-20 miles of little to nothing happening.

It was Kim that really started to speed things up. She threw a couple of attacks to which I made the PRC ladies chase down. Then it was my turn. As soon as they had pulled me back up to her, I threw the hammer down and just flew up this hill. Well, half way up it, until I realized it was a much longer hill than I remembered. I made it to the top right as the group was catching back to me. Kim again pushed the pace at this point...and then there were 5.

After much discussion about whether or not we should stopped to pee again (which we thankfully did not), we rolled through town to start our final lap. At this point, all of us agreed to a rotation. Now, let me preface this by saying of the 5 of us, there were 2 women from Mercy, 2 women from PRC, and 1 woman from DICE. Therefore, I can entertain the idea of it being unfair for said single rider to do equal work. That being said...this is Iowa, there were only 6 of us to begin with, and you will never get stronger if you don't push yourself to the limit. How many times did I end up riding alone in races this year because I participated in a group rotation that eventually rode away from me? (Hillsboro - 22 miles alone, Altoona - 41 miles alone, Big Creek - pulled another rider around 24 miles, the list goes on and on). So do I think that everyone should have pulled through since everyone agreed to the rotation?...YES! I have much more respect and would do more to help someone that is giving their all, than to someone full of excuses that just sits on my wheel. If said person had made it to the finish line and had been able to out sprint me, there would have been words, but thanks to Kim and my aggressive riding...that did not come to be...and Miss "I'm not going to do any work" fell off the back.

Sorry, off my soapbox and back to the race...as we come up on the second crossing of the Cedar River, there was this fairly steep, decently long climb. At first, I just sat up and started pedaling, then I decided to start spinning faster. I didn't stand up and really mash on the pedals right at first, I was just pushing the pace. With this, I was pulling away from the group. Once I realized what was happening, I grabbed another gear and really threw the hammer down. Two hills later, I get caught by Kim who had J.R. plastered to her wheel. She is seriously trucking along, so I hang on to the back for dear life. I felt like death...snot running out of my nose, saliva pouring from my mouth, and it took every ounce of effort I had to get air in my lungs and keep my legs turning the pedals over. Finally, after a couple of fast downhills, I composed myself. I honestly didn't know what to do at this point. Do I sit back here and let Kim do all the work? Do I attack again? What now? As we turned the corner with 5 miles to go, I decide to attack again. Hoping that Kim will make J.R. chase me down to wear her out a bit. J.R. does chase me down, but now I am spent again, and with 1km to go, Kim and J.R. come around me and that was all she wrote. I got 3rd, but I also felt I had worked my ass off and that was good enough for me.

Seven Oaks Mountain Bike Race:
On Sunday, we headed up to Boone for a mountain bike race. The Prizm left Iowa City loaded with 4 mountain bikes and 5 people (Kyle and I, the McConvicts, and Mr. Blake). Two and a
half hours later we arrived at the race. Sedore and his cronies did a great job making the trail ridable after all the damage it sustained this year. That being said, it was the hardest course I have ever ridden. There were no less than 10 bridges covering the washed out areas. Some so narrow, they left no room for error. Not sure how I will manage them in the dark at the 24 hour race, but I still have a couple of weeks to figure that out.

As far as racing went, not a single other female showed up for the sport and expert races, so I just rode as hard and at times as easy as I wanted to. The heat index that day was something outrageous like 112, so everyone was suffering. K.M. did really well and finished 3rd overall in the expert men's race. A.L. (that transient) DNFed as did Kyle due to flat tires. Blake finished 3rd overall I believe in the sport race. To top it all off, sandy Austin stopped by Seven Oaks to cheer us on and stayed to have lunch with us in Ames at Hickory Park.

One complete lap at Sugar!

So, ever since Sugarbottom opened up for the year, there has been no way to get from the North end to the South end without going all the way around the park. Sugar sits right next to the Reservoir and when the endless feet of snow we got this past winter melted, the Reservoir swelled and the extra water flowed through the middle of the park dividing it in 2. Don't get me wrong, it was great to have it open when we did, but months of riding just on the South side got a bit monotonous. But then the flood came and many wondered if Sugar would ever open back up the rest of the year.

It has opened back up again. The first time about a week ago, but there was still no connection between the 2 sides. Over the weekend though the ICORR folks did some serious trail work, putting in new bridges, clearing debris, and taming the overgrowth. What resulted was amazing. Kyle and I went out there last night and did the South side as usual (since we park on the south side) and then we went to explore how far we could go on the north side as usual, but it was different this time. We were able to make it all the way to the start of the north side (having to ride on the trail backwards with 2-way traffic since the access road is still underwater). It was great. It was like a whole new trail. The first black on that side and the really fast green after Rock Slide both had reroutes that we had never tried before. It was freaking wonderful.

Needless-to-say we were extremely happy that Sugar is being reclaimed from the water and maybe someday in the near future we won't even have to ride the trail backwards to get to the start of the north end. We also have our fingers crossed that Troll bridge will spring back to life for us before the end of the year.

WORS Firecracker and FORC Side Thrill Ride

Chippewa Valley Firecracker in Eau Claire, WI:
As I mentioned in my last post, Kyle and I planned to head up to Wisconsin over the fourth of July weekend for some mountain bike racing. We had a great time and the course was really fun, but I managed to stink things up pretty bad by coming in 7th overall (out of 20 total finishers). My legs just weren't feeling it. I got a pity prize of 15 WORS bucks for getting 3rd in my age group, but there was no excuse for me not to be in the top 5 or really the top 3. I had raced all of those women before, but you live and you learn. Sometimes you are on fire and other times you suck balls and even other times you just need to get on your damn bike more so this kind of thing doesn't happen again.

FORC Side Thrill Ride in Davenport, IA at Sunderbruch Mountain Bike Park:
Just this past Sunday, Kyle and I headed up to D-port with a couple of the shop guys for the 3rd race in the Iowa Mountain Bike Championship Series. We had ridden here about 3 other times, so I was comfortable with the course. This race had a women's open instead of separate women's expert and sport races. We went off with the sport men which as always was a giant cluster. There was no major competition there for me, so I just kinda went with the flow. The first lap was obviously the worst, but I was on my own by the second and ended up catching a few guys (including Kyle ;). Overall, I ended up getting 1st in the women's race (there were only 6 of us) and 14th in the men's sport race (I think there were 35 of them). Poor Kyle took a header into his handlebars on the last lap and banged his head up pretty good, but I think he is going to pull through.

Next up RAGBRAI, which we leave for this Saturday. Riding, drinking, and no sleep...what could be better?

A Case of the Mon-Graze and Mountain Biking

So, this past Monday, Kyle and I decided to join the shop in their weekly ritual of Mon-Graze. It's a spin-off of a quote from Office Space "Sounds like someone's got a case of the Monday's." We had a great time and again it ended up being just us with Adam and Lauren having too many shots and getting home way too late. I imagine we will do it again in the future, but maybe not get quite as crazy.

Then, on Wednesday, Kyle and I headed to Beverly Park with one of the shop guys and another friend of ours. While that place is no Sugar, it is definitely a good place to go ride after work. It was a nice change from the road bikes, which I am getting a bit sick of riding at this point. I think we may have to plan a weekly trip out there with the shop guys as long as Sugar is closed.

Up next this weekend is a WORS race. Finally, we are going to get back up there and do some racing. I will post with results hopefully early next week. Have a safe and fun 4th of July!

Our Story - 2008 Flood of Iowa City (from ASK)

It has been a terrible time these last few weeks, but the flood waters are finally receding and residents are starting to view the damage. As I mentioned in one of my first blogs about the flood, we helped some friends of ours escape the flood waters. Here is the wife's account of those days...

Hi Everyone,

Below is a summary of the events that have transpired over the past couple weeks. It is mostly a blur!!! All in all, we are VERY lucky. We are all safe (family & cat included). We had warning to get our “important” stuff out. We only rent (sorry Bev). And we were going to buy a house this year anyway! Now we’re just jumping that ahead a bit…

Currently we are safe, sound, and dry in a 2 bedroom condo up in North Liberty. It works for now and even has a garage to store some of our stuff. Plus we have our own washer/dryer which is a must with an 8 month old! J They were willing to do month-to-month lease which works perfect for our current situation.

Hope this finds everyone doing well. Love you all – ASK

Thursday June 5^th – Sandbagging started in our neighborhood (one of the hardest hit in IC back in ’93). It was thought, at the time, to use ’93 as a guideline for where to sandbag. I had a rather unique perspective seeing things from the public works end as well as the personal end.

Saturday/Sunday June 7-8^th – Adam and I took turns sandbagging the houses along the river in our neighborhood and babysitting Katelyn. (BTW: Katelyn decided to roll from her back to her tummy for the first time as I was sandbagging the intake at the corner of Manor/Normandy in our neighborhood. Adam was nice enough to text message me!!!) Our landlords explained we were safe in ’93 and they just didn’t have vehicular access. So, we bought a little red wagon (radio flyer) to haul things up the back hill and stocked up on groceries b/c one thing was for certain – our only entrance was most likely going to be under water for awhile.

Monday June 9^th – Again, we took turns sandbagging. Adam was supposed to start his new job at Optherion on this day, but I guess it worked out better that he started the following Monday! Still, we were hearing to use ’93 as a guideline with rumors of higher elevations. Little did we know, it would be our last night at 721 Manor Drive.

Tuesday June 10^th – Predictions were starting to climb with possibilities of ’93 levels and above. Since our sump pump was running frequently, I was afraid we might loose electricity and get water in the basement. A lot of great friends helped us move things from the basement to the top level. A couple hours later, we called them back and moved some of our “important” stuff to friends’ places – just in case.

Wednesday June 11^th – Predictions are continuing to get worse and my coworkers are encouraging me to get my stuff out. From what the Corp is predicting – we both agree… Adam and I get lucky and rent the last U-haul available. Again – we rely on fabulous friends to help us pack, move & store our stuff. We stayed with Adam’s professor’s family for which we will always be grateful. (They were probably happy to get rid of us, but actually I miss them now!) After using the U-haul, we loaned it to a neighbor who accidently hit another car with it – everyone was okay and from what we’ve heard from insurance agents, he’ll take care of everything! (Good grief! He was able to save his important stuff, however, so all was worth it and we would do it again anyway!)

Thursday June 12^th – We returned to the house to get KC and grab a few final items. I emptied out the contents of our fridge – freshly stocked only a few days earlier. We made use of the Radio flyer wagon since we didn’t want to get our cars stuck down there. Good thing we did. Normandy Drive (along the river) had been evacuated late Wednesday/early Thursday and the sandbags around the entrance intakes blew late Thursday morning. Community Service representatives knocked on our door around noon and said we had 30 minutes to get out – mandatory evacuation! We packed our stuff, grabbed our cat, and traveled up the back way out of our neighborhood along side our landlord Bev and her son Trey. Very surreal! There were vehicles that got stuck in the neighborhood.

Friday June 13^th/Sunday June 15^th – We happily traveled up to NE Iowa to see April get married!!! My little sister… It was a great reason to celebrate and get away from things. We took KC with us and my parents adopted her temporarily until we figured out what was going on. It was slow go on I-380 which they closed about 8 hours after we drove across the reservoir. Seeing Cedar Rapids under water was horrible. Sunday we had to drive through Des Moines and across on I-80 b/c almost all of the bridges over both the Iowa River and Cedar River were closed due to flooding.

Monday June 16^th/Friday June 20^th – We played the waiting game and continued to stay with Rams & his family. Adam started his new job on Monday. Katelyn decided to get her first ear infection and the poor girl didn’t feel well Monday and Tuesday but that yucky pink medicine sure made her feel better. Many neighbors snuck into the neighborhood via canoes and boats to take pictures. Some coworkers took pics and news crews showed aerials. We found out water had reached about ¼ of the way up our front door but didn’t appear to reach the upstairs (split level home). We started searching for items stored at various places, registered for FEMA, researched our insurance which covers basically any natural disaster EXCEPT floods, canceled utilities, held our mail at the post office, and began to look for housing.

Saturday June 21^st – We moved stuff around and obtained a new condo willing to rent month-to-month in North Liberty, a town about 5 miles north of IC. We stayed at Rams’ for one last night as we packed up our essential items. A neighborhood meeting was held at the local library where representatives from FEMA and the City answered questions as best they could. Many home owners were angry, sad, and/or numb from the blow mother nature had thrown. Several wanted someone to blame, while many others simply wanted to know what they needed to do next and how to do it. It is hard to fathom not being able to enter your home and once there not having water, sewer, electricity, gas… And many won’t for quite some time. For us, it was almost comforting to see the familiar faces of neighbors and new friends who had been strangers only a couple weeks prior. The mayor lifted the evacuation for foot traffic along Manor Drive only from 6:00PM-8:30PM. We stayed away.

Sunday June 22^nd – Foot traffic alone was allowed in our neighborhood during daylight hours. Adam’s parents came down to help us move into the condo and watch KJ. Dan and Deb (expecting on July 3^rd) watched KJ while we visited the house for the first time around noon on Sunday. We met with the FEMA rep who didn’t really have any new info for us, but took down some info in his little flat touch-screen computer. It was a mess! Walking in everything was covered with mud. The mold/mildew smell was so thick you could hardly breathe. The water was gone from the basement, leaving behind wet, muddy carpet, moldy walls, and trashed furniture. As we went upstairs, things seemed just as we had left it, but damp from humidity. I hadn’t realized how much we left behind in our frantic move – as shown in the pictures. But the reality of it is simple – it is just STUFF. We opened all the windows including the sliding glass door and basement windows. Adam and Lee pried open the garage doors (no electricity!) and rigged them to stay open a few feet when we left for air circulation. Our bikes were okay! And Adam even salvaged his golf clubs… Sunday night we stayed in our new condo for the first time.

Monday June 23^rd – Vehicular traffic was allowed on Manor Drive so we rented a U-haul. Again, our friends pulled through and helped us move the rest of our stuff out of the house. Bev worked like a crazy woman alongside friends and family gutting out the basement – removing carpet, drywall, furniture… A lot of things were tossed to the curb for pick-up by the City solid waste department.

The reality of it finally hit me… We were loading up all this stuff into a U-haul, only to unload it into an empty garage in North Liberty, only to wait and see if mold starts to grow and then toss/move it all again! We will never live in mosquito flats again – a short ½ block walk to City Park w/ that fantastically cushy burnt orange carpet. What is nearly the end of our nightmare, is only the beginning for so many neighbors/families who lost so much more than us… They lost their family home which may or may not still have a mortgage ridding on it. Lining the streets were people’s belongings – pianos, photos, beds, clothes, furniture, appliances… Cars were out in the sun with their windows and doors open in an attempt to “air” them out. Families and friends were working side-by-side wearing rubber boots, gloves and face masks. Seeing all these people pull together is very overwhelming. And there are so many we will forever be indebted to. Thank-you to everyone who helped us – physically & emotionally. I truly feel we have been very lucky throughout this ordeal… Material items don’t really mater as long as you have your family and friends – simple yet TRUE! - ASK

Pictures from our friends' home.

From the outside of their home.






Damaged lower level of their house.







Our friends' garage.




Trash and flooded streets.






Our friends' yard.







Baseball Diamonds in City Park

The most up-to-date information on the effects of flooding.

This message is sent on behalf of the Office of the Vice President for Medical Affairs.

The flooding situation in eastern Iowa is changing rapidly. In order to stay abreast of these developments, all faculty, staff, and students should be aware of the following resources for getting the most up-to-date information on the effects of flooding in Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty and other areas in Johnson County and the surrounding area. Another update will be sent later this afternoon.

Please be aware that weather conditions and the locations of flooding can change very quickly and that pedestrians and drivers should be aware they may be diverted to alternate routes.

Flooding on the University of Iowa campus http://uiflood.blogspot.com/

General information about flooding in eastern Iowa, including road closings and evacuations

http://www.gazetteonline.com/

http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage

http://www.kwwl.com/Global/story.asp?S=8449204

Road closings Johnson County http://www.johnson-county.com/emergencymgmt/index.shtml

Road closings in Iowa http://www.511ia.org

Flood info for Iowa City http://www.icgov.org

Flood info for Coralville http://www.coralville.org

North Liberty Web page http://northlibertyiowa.org

Diana Lundell
Co-Director
Joint Office for Marketing and Communications

From Sally Mason, President of UI

As you know, the flooding situation on campus, in the community, and in our region is growing more dire by the minute. I am inspired by the way the UI family has come together in support of each other, our neighbors, and all of our state's citizens who are in peril. I am asking you today to hold onto that spirit of support and cooperation to the greatest extent that you possibly can in the days to come.

We will very soon see unprecedented threats to our campus and community, and our resolve and collaborative spirit will be both required and tested. We will all be affected by this disaster in some way. Please stay closely apprised of announcements from the UI regarding our situation, and please continue to help in any way you possibly can.

Rarely has the UI community been so tested, but I am confident that we will get through this historic disaster as we stand together. Thank you for all the help and support you have provided so far, and, again, please respond to this dangerous situation with as much patience, fortitude, cooperation, and assistance as you can.

Sally Mason
President

Flood Update

Normandy Dr. (near where we moved our friends out)

Some bridge...it will probably closed soon.

Water rushing over the penninsula.


The US Army Corps of Engineers projections for outflows from the Coralville Reservoir are now at 30,000 cubic feet per second by late Friday; 35,000 cfs on Sunday; and 40,000 cfs on Tuesday, with the water level at the spillway reaching 717 feet on June 17th. -KWWL

The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) is making preparations to close the east- and westbound lanes of Interstate 80 in eastern Iowa. The closure is tentatively scheduled for Friday afternoon, June 13. The roadway is expected to remain closed for approximately two to three days. The closure is flooding related. -KWWL

River, reservoir continue to rise; No end in sight
This morning's rain has caused another round of flooding headaches in Iowa City and Coralville, and the worst is yet to come.Here is the latest need-to-know news:First off, flood waters continue to rise, almost unabated. The new projections released by the National Weather Service have the Iowa River cresting at 33 feet by Tuesday, it is currently at 27.1 feet and flood stage is 22 feet.

Iowa City officials approved a mandatory evacuation ordinance at a special council meeting yesterday at 6 p.m. and then put the order in effect some eight hours later for residents in the Normandy Drive area (this is where the friends we moved out lived). "Public safety officials have determined there is no longer a sufficient factor of safety for the residents in the Normandy drive area. If the sandbag levee should breach and fail, the volume and velocity of water released would present a significant risk to the lives of the residents, rescue workers and volunteers in that area,” a news release from the city said.

Flood Pictures from 6/9/2008

Park St. bridge...which is now closed.

Lower City Park from Park St. bridge

Lower City Park

Dubuque St.

Another view of Lower City Park



A glimmer of hope...