1st Top 10 in a UCI Race

So, I have neglected my blog for quite some time. Between my rotations and racing, there has been little time for anything else. Wanted to give up a short recap from Jingle Cross this past weekend. Friday and Saturday were a real struggle for me. We ran a lot more than I am used to. The mud was so bad on Friday night I had to take a bike every lap. Saturday, the mud was still pretty bad, but we were running through it more than we were riding through it, so one bike change turned out to be enough. Both days I finished 11th. One spot out of the points. I started to think I was destined to never make it past 11th, until Sunday when suddenly we were riding our bikes, not just running them. I had a good start and didn't try anything too stupid. After a lap or 2 I was locked into a pretty fierce battle with Marne Smiley and Kris Walker. Marne motored away, but Kris and I were back and forth for the last 2 laps. She would kill me on the flats, but I could always catch back up and then some on the climb and descent down Mt. Krumpit. On the last lap, I knew that I was able catch her wheel on the way up the climb, I would be able to finish in front and that is exactly what happened...I came out 8th!!!! I couldn't believe it. I wanted to know what it would be like to be 10th, but I made it to 8th!

This turned out to be a very tough weekend of racing. Meredith Miller just dominated and good on her for it. The Planet Bike ladies are a force unto themselves. They each podiumed at least once and there was someone from their squad that podiumed each day. The Velo Bella ladies were in great form as well. I had a great time battling Holly Klug, Marne Smiley, and Kris Walker.

Good luck to all of you ladies headed to Portand for the last USGP race and to Bend for Nats. I wish I could be there slugging it out with you!

New Rotation

My first rotation (Neurology) ended last friday (July 24th), and after an eventful weekend with Kyle's folks in town to help us paint our front porch, I was off to my next rotation, Psychiatry. This rotation, like the last, is 4 weeks long. I am doing this first week on ECT (or electroconvulsive therapy) and then the next 3 weeks on med psych. This week has been a great experience. I am working with Dr. Jerry Lewis. He has allowed me to get a full range of experiences with the ECT treatment and with following his patients in clinic. I wasn't sure what to expect going into this, but I can't complain. I don't foresee myself going into Psychiatry, but I am definitely getting valuable patient interactions that will hopefully make me a better doctor someday.

Scott County Park MTB Race

A couple of weekends ago Kyle and I had planned to do the WORS Sunburst Showdown race up in Wisconsin. Unfortunately, at the last minute Kyle could not go because of things going on with work, so we decided to race locally instead. The race we did was on Sunday (July 19th), the ScoCoPa Frenzy, and it is part of the IMBCS and the I-74 series. Some of the kids from the shop and the like were there as well, Nickski, Robnett, Nate, and Cara. We were all decked out in the new Geoff's kits (all except Nate that is), I was the only one in red one though. We had a great time. The women went off with the men's sport field just 2 minutes behind. This was great in that we didn't have to fight them when the course bottle-necked into the single track, but it also meant that we had to go through the entire men's sport field. I had a great time though. All of the guys were great about getting over once they realized that I was the leader of the women's race. I took a heuge tumble on the first lap for no good reason. I just went from being upright one minute to endo and on the ground the next. No harm done though.

I finished 15th overall, but I think I could have placed higher up if I hadn't had to go through absolutely all of the men's sport field. Unfortunately, it just wasn't Kyle's weekend and he had to pull out of the race because of a flat. My girl Cara finished 3rd behind me and Beverly Winslow in the women's open race, so I was very happy to see her do that. Robnett finished 3rd behind a couple of Guiness riders and Nate now knows what it is like to be absolutely wrecked after a race :)

Good race...good people! Thanks for taking the time to put the ScoCoPa Frenzy together FORC!

Weekend of road miles and one of the strangest group rides ever...

Kyle and I had toyed with the idea of going to Clear Lake for the Bicycle, Blues, and BBQ races. However, this being the first weekend that I did not have to work since I stared my first rotation, and still having a bitter taste in my mouth from my abysmal showing at the state crit, we decided that long, hard miles near home would be best.

Saturday, we rode out to the state course, did a lap, and then rode back home. I have not felt that tired from a ride in quite sometime. Then, Sunday morning, we got up early for a ride with some of the shop kids. There were 7 of us in all. It was pretty fast paced at time and the pissing contest started earlier in the ride than I had anticipated, but all-in-all we had a great time. We went out Sugarbottom, to Tiffin, then out Cosgrove over to Sharon Center and back in. Another 50+ day.

Since my first rotation started, I have struggled to maintain a riding schedule. I am starting to get back into a groove and this weekend was well spent not racing, but instead getting in valuable training miles. I am pretty excited about the Iowa State Road Race which is coming up in just a couple of weeks. I hope to be in a better place physically and mentally compared to how I was for the State Crit.

Somehow, I managed to be finished with everything yesterday by 4, which meant that I was able to get home in time to make group ride. Since we wind was out of the south we went out of town on Sand Rd. I kind of assumed we were going to Lone Tree, but we turned left and headed east on 520th St. The pace picked up with the cross wind and I was working harder than I wanted to ended up off the back just a little before Wapsi. I was not sure which way the group had gone, so I just turned south back into the wind at Wapsi and headed toward Lone Tree. I suffered alone in the headwind past Lone Tree and eventually made a right turn onto 660th. The wind was now at my back a bit more, so I picked up the pace. I made the left onto Utah and I see a huge group of riders coming at me. I realize that it is the B ride, so I quickly turn around and stick on the back of their ride, so I wouldn't have to ride alone anymore. We make the right turn back onto 660th (the way I just came from) and are almost back to Wapsi when a group of 3 riders turns and starts coming toward us. I realize that it is Hopsin, Fin, and another Mercy rider. As they pass, I decide to turn around again and get in with them. They were moving quite a bit faster than I had anticipated, but I was able to catch just after they turned onto Utah. Hopsin eventually upped the pace, which caused the 4 of us to start a rotation. We rotated solidly pretty much all the way back to 520th. At this point we see the the front 8-10 people or so from the B ride coming down 520th and our group of 4 became a group of 12-14. Amazingly, everyone continued to rotate and we maintained a nice pace all the way back into IC. There was a sprint for some sign, but since it wasn't a town sign or a stop ahead sign, I had no clue what we were sprinting to, so I just rode really hard like Kyle and I always do to the top of the hill. It was a very strange ride, but I had a great time. I hope I can make it out for more group rides in the coming weeks.

Iowa State Crit...and lessons learned

Yesterday was the Iowa State Crit. Unlike years in the past in which the race has been in Pella, IA and up against an Iowa MTB race, this year the race was in Cedar Rapids and not up against a local MTB race (at least as far as I could tell). I decided awhile back that I was going to do it, but I guess I wasn't thinking about where I would be in my clerkships or what type of course it was going to be. Well, it turns out that the course was flat as a pancake with only 4 turns (I prefer climbing and desending, twists and turns) and I am just now getting used to the 10 hour days on Stroke ward, which has been very disruptive to my training schedule. Knowing what I know now, I probably would have still done the race, but I probably would have ridden it differently.

Anyway, we start off pretty slow. No attacks really, and pacing at about 20 MPH. It felt like we weren't even moving. They called a couple of primes which got things moving momentarily, but things would always settle back down shortly after the sprint. With about 15-18 laps to go, I pushed the pace around a few of the corners, but was not able to stay away off the front for any considerable amount of time. Then, Kim came around and attacked, but that did not stick either. Then, with 5 or so laps to go a prime was called and I had just worked quite a bit at the front. After the sprint for the prime, I realized I was on the wrong wheel and suddenly a gap formed. I couldn't bridge it, so the rider I was with, Lacey from DMOS, and I took turns rotating until we finished together.

I was very disappointed with this finish, since up until now I had been having my best road season so far.

Lessons learned:
1) My life is changing and I will have to change with it. I don't have to quit cycling/racing just because I started my M3 year, I just have to learn how to make it work in my new life.

2) Bad races happen. Whether it was bad because I have not been training enough or because it just wasn't a good course for me or whatever, life goes on. One bad race doesn't dictate how other races will go, anymore than one good race will.

3) I have a fantastic teammate. This isn't really a new lesson learned, but more solidified what I already knew. Not only does she ride her bike fast and is a great role model, she is a great friend. I appreciate all her support in good times and bad.

Next up, maybe Bike, Blues, and BBQ weekend? maybe? Next MTB race, WORS #6 Sunburst Showdown. The stroke team part of my rotation ends tomorrow and then I start in the clinics on Wednesday. Who knows, maybe I will find somemore time/energy to ride?!

Playing Doctor

My first clerkship of my medical career started this week. I started in Neuro on the Stroke team, so it is pretty much like getting thrown into the deep end right from the start. It's going well, although I am getting way less sleep than I had hoped I would so early in clinicals. I have been getting in before 7 and rounds have been lasting until well after 1 in the afternoon. There are 4 other med students working with me and they are all women. Three of the 4 are 4th years, so they know what's going on and have been very helpful for the other M3 and me.

Since the 4th falls on a Saturday, this friday is a university holiday. Between the 5 of us we have to each take one shift either friday, saturday, or sunday. I took Saturday to ensure that I got Sunday off for the Iowa State Crit. I can't wait to sleep in Friday morning!!!!

Now I'm off to a lecture on seizure disorders.

Subaru Cup Pics

Podium for Stage Race Overall

1st Jenna, 2nd Erin, 3rd Abby, 4th me, and 5th Holly



Super D Start
Placing our bikes.


GOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!


Time to grab the bike and go...


But not before we run a bit more.


Down we go.


Short Track on the Cross Bike :)
Gotta love the WORS series # on the drop bars.


Serious suffering.


Battle with Abby.


Holly joins the battle, but quickly passes us both.


More suffering.


Still suffering.

WORS Round 4...Subaru Cup

We again ventured up to Wisconsin for another installment of the WORS series. As I mentioned previously, we had intended on doing this race last year, but the flooding kept us close to home. This year, everything came together for us to be able to head up there. My Board exam was done and I didn't start clinicals until Monday. So, we were off to Mt. Morris.

We arrived on Friday afternoon. Unlike most WORS races in which the XC race is on Sunday, the XC race was to be on Saturday since it was the 1st race of 3 in a stage race. It had just rained right before we had arrived, but like all the Wisconsin race courses, the course was in perfect shape. 2 recon laps proved to be plenty in the heat, especially after riding the elite course which had extra climbing at the start, middle, and end of the course that no other class of racers had to do.

We camped, which meant we sweated our balls off all night in the tent and then were up at the ass crack of dawn since apparently the sun rises at like 4:30 this far north. On the bright side, we did not have to share the tent with the pup as we had boarded her in I.C. before we left. After we got moving we headed to town for coffee and breakfast and then got registered. This race was again different for all the others in that instead of the Elite racers starting last at 1:30 in the afternoon, we were the first group to go and we started at noon. The comp men didn't even race with us. I got warmed up the best I could, while trying to stay as cool as possible (because it was like 90 degrees) and before I knew it, it was noon and we were lining up. All of the usual ladies were there, Abby, Holly, Lisa, and Andrea. I really love racing these women. Often times they beat me and sometimes I can get them, but no matter which way it goes, I always have fun and I always end up pushing myself harder than I ever knew I could go. New to me was Jenna Rinehart (formerly Zander) and Erin Disterheft, 2 pros who would soon light things up.

The race was off and like so many times before I was moving backwards before I was moving forward. As we weaved in and out of the single track and went from climb to descent I caught a few women and then was passed by a few. By the middle of the first lap, I was in a group of 3 women, Sue Juedes, Lisa, and I. Jenna, Erin, and Abby were out of site. The other two ladies with me would get a bit of a gap on the downs, but I would bridge a bit on the climbs. Then, as we approached this woop-de-do (for the lack of a better term) I see Lisa off her bike in the weeds. She appeared to be moving ok, so I continued on, not knowing that that wreck had just ended her day.

Start of the second lap brought pain, but a bit more control over my tempo. It was on this lap that Sue and I came across Abby. Sue had it in her to go around, but I hung back behind. It had taken a lot out of me even have caught her, I didn't have anything left to go around. I continued to fight to keep those 2 in sight, but was the lap was winding down I could feel myself suffering from lack of food and lack of water. If I had not mentioned it enough by now...it was hot! Just 2 weeks earlier in Wausau it was 45 degrees, today it was over 90 degrees. Usually, I love the heat, but today it was not agreeing with me. I'm not sure if it was because all Kyle had to give me was water from the car that was hotter then my body temperature or if I simply had not ridden enough days in the heat yet this year, but things took a major turn for the worst.

Lap 3 started and I began wondering how I could ever do 2 more laps. My legs didn't want to turn the peddles over and I just wanted to quit. I quickly pounded some Hammer gel and drank as much water as I could stand. This didn't immediately help, but I knew if I wanted to finish I was going to have to work more on nutrition and worry less about what place I was in. Towards the end of this lap, I could hear Kyle yelling for me to pick it up because the other 2 women up ahead were opening a bigger gap, but I didn't care. All I could still think about was just hanging on. Then, right before the start of the last lap, I came up on an elite male rider. I don't know his name, but he is WORS series number 69. He and I ended up riding my whole last lap together (I say "my" because that poor bastard had one more after that). He was much faster on the downs, so he lead then and I was faster on the climbs, so I lead those. Even though I was not racing against him, it helped to just have someone else there to ride with.

Despite my lack of will during the last 2 laps, I still managed to finish in 5th place. I was the only non-pro that made the podium. I later found out that both Lisa and Andrea had to DNF for mechanical reasons. It turned out to be a pretty rough day for many of the Elite women's racers.

Saturday night brought continued misery in the tent compounded by the fact that we had now each raced in the heat and humidity and were not able to shower. Sunday morning came early once. I realized as I was getting dressed to go practice for the Super D that I had accidentally packed 4 jerseys for Kyle and only 2 for me instead of 3 and 3. My choices were to wear his or one of my stinky ones. I went with the stinky one. It was mostly just unpleasant for me.

I rode my bike up the ski hill to do 2 practice runs on the Super D course and then used my one free lift token to get up there right before the race. It was a Lemond start, which meant we put the bikes at the top of a short uphill. We had to run to our bikes from the start line, hop on, and then start the course. There were only 12 women, so we al started together. Since running is not my thing I was far from the first person to grab my bike, but with the power of my cross skills I was able to run a few yards with my bike and then hop on. This turned out to put me in 4th place starting into the single track. I should have been in 3rd, but I let this women that I had never really raced against before sort of shove her way around me. I later regretted not being more forceful in keeping my spot since she got tired and sloppy right in front of me, which just meant that Jenna and Abby who were in front of her got farther away and Erin who was behind me got closer to me. After this rider finally had to put a foot down in one of the rock gardens, I was able to sneak around, but it was too late. Erin soon overtook me and I didn't have enough fight in me to get back around her. I finished 4th about 1 second behind her. I won't complain though because I was again in the money and the only non-pro to make the podium.

The short track race in the afternoon was drastically cut down in length. Half joking Kyle and I had brought my cross bike along with us so I could maybe ride it in this race. With the modifications they made, it was the perfect cross course. I was not able to take the downhill as fast, but I felt infinitely better on the climbing part. Don, the race coordinator for the WORS series, seemed less than enthused that I was going to race a cross bike in a mountain bike race, but there was not much he could do about it. He even told Lisa that if people like me were going to ride cross bikes in the race, then anyone on a mountain bike should knock me over :) So, the race starts and like the other 2 before it, Jenna is off and out of sight before anyone knows it. Erin was about the same way in 2nd, which left Abby, Holly, and me to battle for 3rd. At first it was us Abby and I. She would gap me on the downhill and then I would close it on the uphill. We did this for 3-4 laps before Holly came from behind and smoked us both. Once I was able to stay in front of Abby on the downhill for 1 lap, I was able to stay ahead of her for the rest of the race. With 2 laps to go Jenna came around me, and thankfully I was done, finishing in 4th for the second time today.

Overall, I finished 4th in the stage race. I had a fantastic weekend of racing against some amazing women. I can't wait for the next race that we will be attending up there WORS #6 Sunburst Showdown.

Next up...Neurology Clerkship which starts bright and early on Monday morning. The Iowa State Crit is July 5th so we will be racing that instead of the 5th WORS race up in Eau Claire.

So,

Step 1 Complete :)

Not that many people even look at this thing, but of those that do, you probably know that I just finished my second year of med school. As one of the many perks that med school offers, I got to take the USMLE or medical licensing exam (or at the 1st of 3 parts of it) which is an 8 hour test that cost $500 and covered everything that I was suppose to have learned in med school thus far. Sounds like a hoot huh!? Anyway, I took the damned thing today and I couldn't be happier to be finished it. I have been studying and stressing and studying some more for the thing since school got out 4 weeks ago. I definitely didn't blow the thing out of the water, but I am thinking that I at least did well enough to pass. I won't get the results for another 4-6 weeks, but now I can start my clinicals next week with that off my mind.

Up next...Subaru Cup. We had wanted to do this race last year, but we literally could not get out of Iowa City due to the flooding, so we just stayed home and helped sandbag. It should be a great weekend of racing. I have never done a Super D before :)

Revenge at Big Ring

Just wanted to take a quick break from studying to write my race report from the 3rd WORS race that happened this past weekend. After the flat which lead to my first DNF ever (I'm still clearly not over that) the weekend before, I wanted nothing more than to come back and race strong. My plan was to race as hard as I was at Rhinelander, but with more control. No more riding above my abilities.

Anyway, enough of that. We got up there Saturday afternoon around 4 and it's 45 degrees and pissing rain. If I didn't know better, I would have thought it was Portland in November for a cross race, but no, it was truly Wisconsin in June. We got registered and against our better judgment we went out for a practice lap. Over the course of Saturday, Wausau got something like an inch of rain, but the trails were amazing. We were wet and had some mud splatters on the bikes, but the bikes were not at all affected (just needed a good spray) and all of the course was ridable.

Once we had finished, I was mildly hypothermic, but confident that doing this race in spite of the rain was a good idea. After spraying down the bike and changing into dry clothes, we found our hotel. Yes, we got a hotel this time. Kyle had made the decision the day before we left that we should not camp this time and BOY WAS HE RIGHT. Not only did we not have to sleep in the cold and the rain, but as soon as we got into the room after riding, we were able to take hot showers before we got dinner. It was glorious. Maddie came along as well and was kind of a problem because she slept on the bed with us and she never does that at home, but it was definitely much better than sharing a tent with her out in the cold and rain.

Sunday morning brought a mixture of good and bad fortune. Things were going well in that although it was still cold out, it had stopped raining and it did not look like there would be any precip during the races. Bad news came in the fact that my bike was broken. Kyle went to adjust the shifting for my rear der and found that once in the biggest cog in would not shift back down. We didn't know if it was from the der itself or the cables and housing or something else. Kyle started by replacing the der hanger, then lubed the cable and put it back in the housing and finally monkeyed with the der itself. After all that, it was happy as a clam and I was happier than a clam (if that is possible) since it was fixed. I really don't know what I would do without him :)

After a long debate about what to wear for the race since it was only 45 degrees, I decided to go with a short sleeve jersey. I had to quickly change my number over from the long sleeve it was on, since Kyle said that he was burning up with arm warmers on. The start line was full of familiar faces and a few ones. I spoke briefly with Lisa who was behind me when I crashed the week before and who had actually DNF'ed herself after flatting in that race. She said she got her flat in almost the exact same spot as I got mine but on the second lap. This made me feel a bit better about the situation since maybe it wasn't completely my incompetence that caused my bike failure, but it didn't change the fact that I was bound and determined not to make that kind of mistake again.

And then we were off...we were moving pretty fast, but nobody was really pulling away right at first. After a few ups and downs on the fire road, Kim suddenly jumped and took off up this moderately difficult climb. No body even batted an eye. She rode away and we kept on battling our own little war. I switched places several time with Abby and Lisa. Once we were in single and double track, they would get a few seconds on me, but them I would catch and pass them on the climbs and the fire road. When we hit the horrible climb that lead into Ho Chi Minh trail, Abby was in the lead followed by me and then Lisa. It was just like last year. One of us would spin out on the rocks and the 2 would go by and then another one would slip and we would change places again. It didn't matter though because we were still together when we popped out the other end. The 3 of us battle it out until the slow (due to the mud) climb to the water station. I passed Abby and pretty much pushed myself as hard as I possibly could. At the top, I took a water, but was breathing so hard that I couldn't even swallow it. I looked back thinking one of the 2 would have grabbed my wheel, but I was alone. With that I took off. It was mostly downhill fire road with some rolling climbs for over a mile. I just hauled ass. Then, whenever a group of single speeders or comp guys came around I would up the pass to stay with them for a a minute or so. I was in second and I thought all I had to do now was ride strong, but smart to the finish.

With one lap to go, Kyle said that Lisa was only 30 seconds back. I again pushed the pace on the climbs and when I got passed, knowing that 30 seconds would be pretty hard to get back from me as long as I didn't do anything stupid. BUT THEN, out of no where, with like 1.5 miles to go, I look back and see a chick. I looked back like 5 times not believing my eyes. Then, I hear Kyle yelling "you have one right behind you. She's 8 seconds back." All I could think was that this was Iola all over again. This rider was closing in on me in the single track and I would say got within 5 seconds of me. Once on the open track through I was able to put time back between us. Then with only one strip of single track left, I gave it everything I had. My plan was to keep riding smart, but to stay just enough ahead that she could not see me. I made it without her catching me there and when I hit the last open section to the finish, I pushed those pedals with everything I had. My head was down and I just prayed I had enough left in my legs and that she had worn herself out trying to catch me. This would be the case and I managed to finish 2nd just 20 seconds ahead of Kyia, who I was later introduced to. Kim finished an amazing 9 minutes ahead of me. She is clearly in a league of her own.

Next up...Step 1 of the boards. Then, the Subaru Cup. Can you guess which one I am looking more forward to? :)

Goodnight!

WORS #2...1st DNF

Kyle and I decided to make the HUGE treck up to Wisconsin again this weekend for the second race in the WORS series. The weather was cool up there and the course was perfect. It had some climbing and some tough single track. I was feeling really strong after the epic weekend of road racing last weekend. The race started out great. The first 1/4-1/2 mile was gravel and flat. Then we hit a couple of climbs, the second of which I hit pretty hard and split the group up so it was just Abby, Lisa, and I. I was riding second wheel, faster than I should have in the single track, and within a fraction of a second I was on the ground. My handle bars had spun around and my front tire had blown off the bead. Lisa continued round me. I was glad that I didn't take her down to after doing something that stupid. I tried hitting my tire with CO2, but I couldn't get it to seal. Since I didn't have a tube to put in it, my day was done.

I don't know why I let these things happen. I get so caught up in the moment and then ride above my capabilities and crash. All I had to do was slow down in the single track, but I got so rapped up in trying to stay with Abby, I ended up ruining my whole day AND receiving my 1st DNF ever :(

Congrats to all the ladies that didn't screw themselves and actually got to finish the race! I will be back next weekend hopefully with lessons learned. See you at Nine Mile!

Memorial Day Weekend Races

I raced the Snake, Melon City, and Quad Cities Crits this weekend. The Snake was one of the worst races of my life. I was never able to recover and I just kept moving backwards after each lap. I finished 20th, 2 spots worse than last year. But what can you do, a bad day is a bad day. Kim however had an amazing race and finished 4th.

Melon city turned out better for me this year than last. I got driven into the curb by another rider last year on the last lap. This year I stayed upright, but the pace was unbelievably high. Lipsmackers + Meredith Miller + Kenda + Alderfer Bergen + Flanders = non-stop pain. I was able to stay with the lead group, but was way in the back on the final ride up the hill. I checked the results after they were final and found that a lapped rider got placed ahead of me. My fault for not checking them sooner, but still peeves me a little.

Not much to say about Monday. I just stayed in the main pack in both races. Participated in the final sprints. Didn't do much, so I didn't get much. I probably won't do this race next year as everyone else I know was on a bar ride to the Amanas.

This was a great weekend of racing. Since I don't do any of the big stage races, this was probably the most talented group of riders I will ever race against. My hat is off to you ladies...you are truly amazing!!!

1, 2, 3, 4, FIF

Since I sold my computer earlier this year, it has been difficult to update this thing as often as I would like. So, here is my Iola recap, as it is long over due. I was so excited leading up to this race, it is surprising that I did not find a way to post sooner, but that's life I guess.

We got up to Iola on Saturday afternoon with plenty of time to register and get a couple of laps in. We registered first and as we came out to get ready to ride we ran into the Eppens. They were on their way to try out the trails. Since we had Maddie Bean with us (and she can be a problem) it took a bit longer than usual to get our gear together to go ride, but we were in no hurry. On top of it all, the wind was HORRIBLE! It was so strong that it actually blew Kyle's bike over several times. Mind you his bike is pretty light, but the wind should not be able to blow it over. Anyway, we got out on the course and did a couple of laps. It had plenty of ups and downs, especially at the beginning, and gradually flattened out a bit and turned into mostly single track. It was going to be a tough race, with lots of suffering, but I felt that I could live up to the challenge.

After our practice laps, we got out tent set up in the campgrounds and went to town for some dinner. Then, we watched as much Off Road to Athens as we could with the battery life Kyle's computer had left and then went to sleep. Maddie spent part of the night in the tent and after having to go potty, she spent the rest of the night in the car. After getting up with her, I had a really hard time trying to go back to sleep, but of course, shortly after I was able to fall back to sleep, Stinky started whining from the car. So, I got up to tend to her.

The morning of the race was great. It was cool, but the wind was gone. I pretty much piddled around until Kyle's race started at 11:30. Then, I started to get myself ready. Kyle ended up 39th over all in the sport class out of 250 people and 6th in his age group (30-34).

As I was warming up, I saw Brian and Kim warming up too. I had been worried the day before that there wasn't going to be a good place to get my heart rate up. Pretty much the first thing you do on that course is go up a HUGE f-ing hill, so I knew I needed to get my heart going pretty good before we started. Fortunately, there were a couple of decent sized hills to climb around the place, so that turned out to not be much of a problem.

We lined up and less than a minute after the Men's Expert race started, we were off. Kim just tore the place up. She was off the front and I never really saw her again. As I was climbing that first hill, I somehow got boxed in and the only way I could get around the fodder was to take this horrendous line on the right through all kinds of crap. It worked in the fact that I got around a bunch of people and was in 6th at the top of the hill, but I had used so much energy, it would several laps before I could compose myself.

After that hill and for the next lap and a half, the battle was on between me and another rider Holly Liske. She would school me on the down hills and through the single track, but I was able to close the gap every time we started to climb. As a said, this went on for a lap and a half when I finally got around her on one of the up hills. She told me good job as I passed and I must have looked like a jerk for not saying it back, but I literally could not speak on account of my lack of oxygen. The fact is she was also doing a great job and I was having a great time racing this closely with her.

At the start of the third lap, it seemed to me that I had settled into 5th place and was just in it for the long haul. Lisa Krayer was 30 seconds up the road, but I only had enough energy to maintain the position I was in and I thought that was the case for Holly behind me as well. Then, out of nowhere, this rider comes flying around me and says "Good job Kim." I look up and she has a number in the 500's and I realize, this is a woman in my race!!! How had I let this happen? Not knowing who this was, I quickly grabbed her wheel and started following her lines. She was amazing in the single track...so good that she eventually pulled away from me. Before then though, she and I chatted. She realized I was not Kim and I learned that her name was Sue. Battle #2 for me at the old Iola was about to begin.

She had pulled away from me enough that she was at the top of the first big hill before I even started it. I had all but assumed she was going to beat me, until we hit the next big hill. This time she was only part of the way up when I started climbing. Then the next hill I was even closer again. Finally, on the last of the monster hills, I not only caught back to her, I passed her. The race was now truly on. I knew she was better than me in the single track, so I had to push every little short climb and work the single track as best as I knew how if I was to stay ahead of her. It seemed to be working until about a mile before the finish when first this kid that was in front of me went down in the middle of the trail and then the leaders from the men's race came up behind me and essentially demanded that I get out of there way. As I did I knew she was closing in on me. As we got to the last tiny bit of single track I rode it faster than I had all day, just hoping it would be enough. As I emerged from the woods, I put my head town and got to the finish as quickly as possible. It turned out that I only beat her by like 13 seconds, but it was enough to take fifth.

Kim won of course, but like 5 minutes over Abby. She caught the back of the Men's Expert field on the first lap. It was an extremely demanding race against some of the most talented women I know. I was a little disappointed for not being closer to the front from the get go, but I raced hard and 5th against this group of women was not easy.

Round 2 for me in the WORS series will be the weekend of June 7th up in Wausau for the Big Ring Classic. Should be fun...I can't wait!

Second year is over!!!!!

My last final was at 1pm today. I needed a 44% to pass and I ended up getting a 90%. It was in my medical ethics class. Apparently, I am an extremely ethical person. :) Girls ride tonight was awesome. We were down a few since the Mayor's ride for Bike to Work week got moved to tonight. I think we will have a better showing next week! 

We leave for Iola Saturday morning...I can't wait! 

and then there was one...

My last final is tomorrow at 1:00. I just finished my second one. I'm going to hit Kim's spin class tonight to try to unwind.

WORS countdown...4 days until Iola!

One down...

and 2 to go!

I just finished my Path final. Pretty sure I scored high enough to pass the class :)

Countdown to Iola...6 days!

Finchford-Roubaix

So, Kyle and I rolled up to Finchford, IA this weekend for a circuit race put on by Bike Tech Racing Club. We have not previously done this race because it has been up against Iowa Cup mountain bike races. Kyle had originally wanted to go to Omaha for a mountain bike race, but when my fork broke, that pretty much dictated where we were going.

We got up there with plenty of time to do a lap around the course. It was 5.5 miles and I was scheduled to do 6 laps while Kyle in the Cat 4s race had 7 laps. The wind of course hit you on the back side, so you had to battle it for like 2 miles right before the finish. There were 6 women in our field, but filled with heavy hitters. Julie from Des Moines with a teammate, Kelli from PRC, and my teammate from last year Anne who now rides for BH. Kathleen also joined us as well even though she had just done the Women's 4 race!

The first 2 laps we just spun. We all took turns at the front...most notable was Julie, who pulled us through the wind section on both those laps. Then, with the start of the 3rd lap, I kinda sped things up a bit. Around the first corner, then with the tail wind, and finally I hit it really hard as we turned the 2nd corner and started up a hill. At this point it was only Kelli, Anne, and me. We decided to start a rotation and that's how we rode for the next 3.5 laps.

Something kinda cooky happened toward the end of our 5th lap. I should say 1st that we were lapped by the lead pack in the cat 4 men's race. They came around us right at the start of the 5th lap. The 3 of us had a short discussion about the fact that they had 7 laps and we had 6, so them lapping us shouldn't change the number of laps that we have. We continued on rotating not thinking much about it. As we made the final turn I could see that the lap counter said 1 so we kept rotating. Then, as we hit the last little hill before the finish, the officials changed the lap counter to say 0, so without saying anything I took off. As I crossed the finish line, I yelled out "are we done?" and one of the officials yelled yes while the other one yelled one more. I held up for the other 2 since they didn't know what the hell I was doing and we eventually decided that they had just made a mistake and we need to do another lap. After about 3 miles into this last lap, a car came around to tell us this was definitely the last lap.

We maintained our rotation until about the 200 meter mark on the hill. I jumped before the other 2 and got the win. I had a lot of fun working with and racing these ladies! I look forward to racing with them again in 2 weeks at the Memorial Weekend Races :)

Next up...you guessed it Iola! Won't hear about the fork until Tuesday, but I am hopeful it will be back before Friday! I also have 3 finals this week, 1st up is Path at 8am tomorrow :( Wish me luck, I would hate to have to repeat my 2nd year!

Only 10 days before Iola...suspension fork crisis

Last night after Kyle and I got done riding a couple laps out at Sugar, part of the dropout on my Magura fork just broke off. It actually just dropped right into my hand. I got a hold of Magura today and they are going to get a new one out on Tuesday, but believe me, I was really sweating this one. If I had to miss the first WORS race, especially after a week of 3 finals, I may have had to hurt someone. Boo to my defective fork, but Yay! for Magura for helping me get to my race!

MTB Race postponed...got my ass kicked on gravel instead

Well, this was suppose to be the 2nd MTB race in the Iowa series Waverly to be exact, but due to rainy weather, it had to be postponed. Two years ago, Kyle and I raced this race in the rain and mud and I swear to God we will never do that again. We came way with broken bikes and broken souls. So we appreciate the promoters postponing.

We decided instead to ride/race to the Amana's with some local folks. It was the first time Kyle and I had attempted this ride and it was as cutthroat as it had been touted to be. There were 4 B road sections mixed in with the gravel sections on the way out. The first had been eaten up and was a total mess. You would be riding along in a rut and suddenly it would end. When I hit one of these I took a header into the ground. Of course things heated up whenever we hit these sections, so staying up with the big dogs was impossible for me. But Kyle and I kept pushing ourselves even when we were off the back and finally getting to the Amana's was a wonderful break.

The Amana's were having Maifest, so there was much drinking and partying going on. This would have been a good time for Kyle and I to get something to eat, but we chose to drink instead. This would come back to bite me especially hard on the way back.

Back on the road, things did not take long to heat up. They got so crazy that Nenninger ended up into the backside of Nick Martin which promptly tacoed Nick's wheel. After all the hub-bub of that, we were off at light speed once again. I held on for a few more miles before the lack of nutrition finally hit me and I just imploded. I spent the rest of the ride home by myself, feeling worthless. I used to feel like this on the bike all the time, but this was a low I had not felt in months if not years. I limped home where Kyle was waiting for me, pretty haggard himself.

Lessons learned: 1) eat! 60-miles on 2 poptarts and 3 beers = disaster, 2) just because someone is on a singlespeed does not mean they will be slower than they usually are :(

The plan for now is to do Finchford on Saturday with finals the week after that.

Countdown to the first WORS race is on: 13 days!

I.C. Weekend

Kim in the break.


After the break rejoined the group.


Field sprint.

The Iowa City Road Race and Old Capitol Crit were this past weekend in Iowa City. The first time I did these races was 2006. At that time, the Road Race was women's open and there was no separate cat4 race. Actually the first 2 years I did this race, it was like this. Anyway, that first year I got dropped within the first 5 miles in the pouring rain. I rode the three 13-mile laps all alone. It took me so long to finish, they almost sent a car out to look for me. Then, the following year I made it a half-lap before being chucked off the back by myself. Then, last year, my first year as a cat3 they separated the women's races into a cat1,2,3 race and a cat4 race. While I didn't make the break, I did manage to stick with a chase group and for the first time since I had done this race, I was not alone at the finish.

This year this race turned out to be completely different for me once again. While we were missing the powerhouse that is Sydney Brown, we had the collective power of a green monster known as Team Kenda. Even though no one was ever able to stick a break, they kept the tempo high. First, Catherine would go...then we would collect her and Kristin would go...then we would collect her and Jill would go. I spent a lot of time mid-pack hoping that my teammate Kim would make the break if one ever stuck, but the wind was fairly calm and there was enough power in the group that nothing ever stuck. As we rounded the last turn on our way to the finish, I realized that this race was going to come down to a sprint. This scared the crap out of me since I have not found myself in many field sprints. I had a few moments to collect myself after Bart (one of the motor officials) informed us to hang back while the pro men's race passed us by. After they passed the tension was thick, but no one was really making any moves. Kim told me to go to the back and get ready for the sprint. I stayed back there until the church was about to be in sight. At this time, one of the Kenda girls (who I thought was Kristin, but I now know was Jill) peeled off the back and made a hard effort to the right. I stuck her wheel and after pulling past the group just slightly, we were suddenly just on the front pulling the group. I thought I had really screwed up...but I stuck with it. Suddenly we were just a few hundred meters from the finish, I just dropped my head and went. When all was said and done, Catherine from Kenda as 1st, my teammate Kim was 3rd, and I was...5th?! I couldn't believe it. Who would have ever guessed I could have been able to get a top 5 finish just 3 years after riding this race off the back and alone.

Kyle and I hosted a former teammate of my mine and some of her teammates on Saturday night. Even though we were racing against each other this weekend, it was great to get to know them. I love meeting female cyclists and hearing about why they race and how they got into racing. It is one of the perks of racing for me.

I was honestly dreading the race on Sunday. Last year, Sydney lapped me twice and I felt dreadful the entire race. I assumed I would feel about the same this year...but before I get into that I have to give a huge at-a-girl to my teammate Cara. Saturday was her first road race and she finished 7th in the cat4's race. I thought she had done awesome, but she wasn't completely happy with her performance. Then in her race on Sunday (remember it was only her 2nd race ever), my girl just lit the place up. She was out front on the first lap, had a gap by the 2nd, and had the race rapped up on the 3rd. Even after she was ahead of everyone by more than a half a lap, she kept pushing herself up and over the hill. This girl has a great attitude and works really hard and I was extremely proud of her both days!

Sorry, I digress. Things did not go anything like they did last year. The first 2 laps were fast, but not blistering. I was toward and front and in the mix of things. Then on like the 3rd or 4th lap Kristin from Kenda took off. Then her teammate from Kenda (and winner of the race yesterday) Catherine took off with my teammate Kim in tow. At the time I thought I could have caught them, but I was afraid of bring the pack up to Kim, so I just hung back. On the next lap, I attacked on the hill and got away with only one other rider in tow. I was hoping that she and I could work together...not to catch the 3 up the road, but at least stay away on our own, but this was not to be and we were eventually swallowed up by the group. Knowing that if Kim and the 2 Kenda ladies made it back around to us would, then she would be guaranteed at least 3rd, I sat on the front and held things up. I felt like a true teammate right then. I have been so accustomed to riding by myself and for myself that I didn't really get how great it is to be apart of something bigger than that. This would however also cost me a little in the end, in the fact that I slowed up just enough that some of the dropped riders were able to bridge back up...and then those same women beat me in the sprint. Like Cara on Saturday, I questioned how I had played the game, but I learned some valuable lessons...the most important of which was how fun it is to get to race these ladies. I finished 9th after things got kinda crazy once the lead riders joined back into our group. My legs were shot and my sprinting effort was cut short when my body just said that's it.

On a side note, one of Team Kenda's girls was injured during the race on Saturday. She ended up having to go to surgery on Saturday night and spend the following 2 nights in the hospital. I believe she was released this morning and I wish her a speedy recovery :)

Sylvan Island...or should I say Mud Island

The season opener for IMBRA was this past Sunday at the Sylvan Island MTB trails in Q.C. There were more than a few people chomping at the bit for this one. With dry conditions on Saturday, the race was for sure a go. That did not stop the rain gods from dumping a massive amount of rain on us all day on Sunday. Oddly enough, Eagle Point in Dubuque (the other major race on Sunday) got no rain and neither did I.C. Apparently, a few angry clouds set up shop in Q.C. all day Sunday and we alone got to enjoy wet, soggy chamois.

So, Kyle and I arrived in time to do a practice lap before the beginner race. The trails had not absorbed much water yet and although we were wet and a bit muddy, we had not yet experienced the true nature of what those trails were to become during the race. We were smart enough to bring 2 sets of clothes...although in hindsight I had twice as much stuff caked full of mud to wash, but it was nice to get out of the first wet chamois while we were watching the beginner race.

True to the shop, they threw their newest recruit into the beginner race on flat pedals. Sal did a really nice job...although to his credit, he had not only ridden a mountain bike before he had also raced one, which was in stark contrast to poor Thomas the train last year. Anyway, I digress. All of the beginners did a nice job in those tough conditions!

Next up was the men's sport and women's open races. Having caught the tail end of the men's race last year before they even got into the woods with only a one minute time delay, I asked for a 2 minute delay this year and none of the other women seemed to mind. Thank goodness for that suggestion. There were 2 relatively bad wrecks on the straight stretch before the woods. Two minutes turned out to be just enough time to get the men off the road and bikes out of the way before we came plowing through. Unfortunately, Kyle was one of the men caught up in the second wreck, but eventually he made his way back into the race and he finished very well considering how far behind he was and how hurt had gotten.

Although it was much later this year when I reached the back of the men's sport riders, it was a very similar scenario to last year. The guys at the back seem to be in complete denial that a woman or multiple women for that matter could be stronger than them and so they ride themselves into the ground trying to stay ahead of us. Luckily most of them made some stupid mistake and going around was quite easy. It just amazes me each year that that mentality still exists. By mid-pack though, I felt like a rock star because the guys were bending over backwards to let me around. I will usually just stay behind someone until a big open section comes up or until they make a mistake, but at this point in the race guys were actually getting over while on the single track. I say a resounding "THANK YOU" to these guys. I know that they did not have to do that, and I really appreciate the respect that shows me and the other ladies in my race!

The race turned into a total mud fest. Unlike the pre-race laps that we did, there was true mud and HUGE puddles now on the course. Before the race, the promoters changed the number of laps from 4 to 3. What a relief! It was brutal enough with 3. Oddly enough, I had a really great time. Unlike Waverly a couple of years ago when the mud was so thick that we were pushing, pulling, and dragging our bikes, you could just plow through this stuff. I never once have to push and all of the "climbs" (if you even wish to call them that) were easily ascended without spinning out. Honestly, I know I could have talked myself into do one more lap if we had to but 3 was more than enough.

I placed 1st for the ladies and was 12th overall out of the 54 people that finished. I was only 36 seconds behind Mr. Perrill on his single speed which made me feel even better since that guy is ridiculously fast. Nickski that little snake in the grass finished 4th overall, while Darcy and Brit finished 3rd and 4th in the women's race. Then in the expert race, Robnett aka J.T. finished 2nd, Nenninger finished 3rd, and Darryl finished 4th. It was a great day for I.C. kids!

As of yesterday, I was still digging crusted dirt out of my ears and nose and my eyes continue to water profusely, but it was a great time. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Next up, we are back on the road with the Iowa City Road Race and Old Cap Crit...

Sugar's OPEN!

After a long and tireless wait...Sugarbottom has opened. Kyle, Nickski and I did a loop out there this morning. Kinda muddy, but no complaints from me :) It was glorious to ride MTB again!

Hillsboro-Roubaix

First race of the 2009 season was this weekend. It was supposed to have been Kent Park last weekend, but like all things good it was cancelled due to crappy Iowa weather. Since Kyle's race was full in like the first 2 hours after registration opened, he was not able to race. So, I rode down to the race with Hopson who also gave a lift to Nenninger and Price. We left the morning of the race at 5:30. Pretty f-ing early, but I wasn't driving, so not really a problem. We got down there before 10, which meant we made great time, but something seemed to be missing...that something was my front wheel. No one saw it come off the top of the car, if you are ever driving between Iowa City and Hillsboro, IL on I-80, 74, or 55 take a good look around, you may score a sweet front clincher wheel.

Registration was a real pain and took nearly half and hour, but during that time Hopson managed to find a race tire to put on a backup front wheel that Nenninger brought. Thank goodness he did and he put the tire on there for me!

I started like dead last. Not really sure how that happened, but being one of only like 3 ladies that was there sole without teammates may have had something to do with it. I actually didn't even see the break happen. I later learned there were 7 girls that got away and we managed to swallow one of them back up.

The race was full of dumb mistakes on my part and some general misfortune. I locked handle bars with a girl that had come up next to me. Of course she blamed me even though she came up next to me...but that's just how it goes I guess. Then, about 2/3 the way through the 1st lap I drop a bottle while trying to put it back in my bottle cage. It got worse when we came bombing down this hill into town. At the bottom of the hill you hit a really rough patch of road and apparently that was where my second bottle was lost. So not a single drop of water for me on the last lap.

Not much happened the second lap. We picked up a lost sole from the break and that was about it until about 2 miles from the finish. That's when the ladies started to really turn things on. As you came into town you had to climb 2 hills, bomb down one hill, go up a gradual climb and then there was a flat straight away. I decided early on that I wanted to push the pace on the second hill in hopes of stringing out large group out. Then I hit it hard again up the gradual hill but after turning the corner, I was just about out of steam. About 7 women beat me across the line, but there had been like 15-20 of us at the start of the hills. So I was happy with that. I placed 14th which was 6 places higher than last year.

Next up is Sylvan Island MTB race on the 19th. Finger's crossed that there will be opportunities to ride mountain bike before then :)

Back in I.C.

So, Kyle and I rolled back into town at 4 this morning. It was a long drive back, but we managed to do it without stopping to sleep this time. The ride on Friday was epic. We headed out to the Kokopelli Trails for another day of mountain biking. The day was amazing. Not a cloud in the sky and a high of 78. We ended up riding Russler's, Horsethief, Mary's, Lions, and Troy built. Round trip, we did 30 miles. The trails out there are super rocky and more than half of what we rode was on the edge of the cliffs above the Colorado. It was a great way to end our week of riding.

I can't believe we had such great weather while were in CO. (The forecast for Monday in Grand Junction is 46.) It was an amazing week. Seeing Tom and Joanne again was fantastic too. Now it's back to class and the cold of Iowa.

First race is a week from today. It's Kent Park...let the season begin :)

How did we get so lucky?

So we made it to Palisade, CO on Monday. We left on Sunday around noon. Stopped to sleep in Avon for about 4 hours and rolled into town around 10am. I am kinda getting used to that drive. It is the 3rd time we have made this trip in the last 3 years. Of course our friends here are amazing. We weren't out of the car more than 2 hours when we were already headed out to ride. We did the Colorado monument ride. It was breath taking. We have done it twice now and it still amazes me. After getting cleaned up from the ride, Tommy and Jo took us to Kannah Creek Brewery for dinner. We have eaten there all 3 times we have come out here and the food is amazing. They also have great beer. After a ride like we did plus the drive from Iowa, a nice microbrew was just what we need.

On Tuesday, we rode from Tommy and Jo's place toward the monument for another ride. It was a 15 mile mostly flat ride to the bottom Little Park Road. From there we started up this brutal 12 mile climb. From the top we rode down Monument Road and then back the 15 miles to their house. It was a pretty tough ride and my body is aching...but that's what are here for. Tonight for dinner Tommy brought home steaks and grilled out. A man after our hearts :)

On Wednesday, Kyle and I were on our own. Tommy and Jo both had to work. We decided to do some mountain biking. So we headed over to 18 Road. The trail conditions were perfect. Unfortunately, Kyle suffered multiple mechanicals, but we still made the best of it. Did I mention that the weather has been heavenly here? It hit 70 today. It has been in the upper 60s the last couple of days. No wind! Anyway, of course I had to crash pretty hard once. It's not a good ride unless I ride too fast, crash and Kyle has to tell me to control myself. This was my frist real ride on my new Yedi full suspension. I think I am really going to love that thing. Obviously, it is fast...if it wasn't my arm wouldn't been all scraped up and my shoulder wouldn't hurt. I can't wait to race it.

Today, Jo was off again so we headed out on another road ride with her. This time we drove out to do the Kannah Creek loop. It is about 40 miles of climbs and descents that wind around a creek bed. Our legs are starting to suffer, but we found it in ourselves to push up some of the climbs and we really unleashed hell on a couple of the flat/false-flat sections. It is so liberating to be able to ride like that. Now we are just waiting for Tommy to get back home so we can get a beer or 2 at the brewery in town and maybe dinner out again.

We have one more day of riding tomorrow and then back to cold, flat Iowa. Kyle think we should stay until Saturday because there is a 4 mile time trial up one side of the monument. One Monday when we did that ride, my body felt great and I thought, oh yeah I should do that. Now, not so much. I feel bet to hell...but we will see. If daddy says I have to, then I have have to.

CO or bust!

Spring break if officially here for me. So, Kyle and I are headed to Colorado tomorrow. We will be visiting our friends in Grand Junction and maybe crossing over into Utah for some mountain biking. The plan is to ride our asses off...literally, since we have both packed on the pounds over the long Iowa winter. Not looking forward to the endless hours of driving through Nebraska, but it will all be worth it once we are there. The weather forecast looks amazing. Upper 60s to lower 70s all week, no rain. We just might be in heaven :)

The hotness!!

My new road bike is here!!