Read the post “Conserving Energy in Bicycle Road Racing”from Joe Friel’s blog. I found it very interesting, and encouraging. So no more trash-talking the “wheel suckers”, because they are actually the smartest racers in the field!
School started today. So did work. The new shop is awesome. Back to the daily grind, I guess. I miss summer…and home.
-A
Read the post “Conserving Energy in Bicycle Road Racing”from Joe Friel’s blog. I found it very interesting, and encouraging. So no more trash-talking the “wheel suckers”, because they are actually the smartest racers in the field!
School started today. So did work. The new shop is awesome. Back to the daily grind, I guess. I miss summer…and home.
-A
Headed to Nederland, CO with Chris Hall (aka Fuzzy) and Julia Manley on Saturday for some mountain bike racing action. We pre-rode the course Saturday night. I had no idea how high Eldora was. I honestly thought it was just outside of Boulder, and might be around 6500feet. Wrong, it was around 9000feet. Ya. I just got to Colorado on Wednesday, and am definitely not acclimated! The pre-ride was hard. I was going at a recovery pace but my heart, lungs, and legs said different. The course was fun though. Lots of climbing, some technical decents (that reminded me of Mt. Snow), and some fast flowy sections. Would have been a great race, if I had been out here a little while longer. So Saturday night we camped. It was a good time. Sunday morning we all woke up and decided not to race. It would have been a waste of money (at least for Chris and I). We both arrived earlier this week and Julia has been living here all summer. Anyway, we decided to go check out some trails outside of Nederland. Founds some cool trails and spent a few hours on them. Then we tried to go up Rollins Pass. That’s where things got epic. It was a fun weekend, and I don’t really feel like typing much longer. So enjoy the picture story!!
-A
This is from a ride I did earlier this week. The views never get old out here in Colorado.
Ya. Luckily we didn’t go climbing, just acted like tourist and looked at the pretty waterfall (shown below).
The pretty waterfall.
Storms a brewin’ in the mountains.
Checking out the views. This is part of the ride we did when we were originally planning on racing.
Long story short, I had to borrow a Trek kit. Kind of weird to think it actually fit…
Yay, mountains!
The start of our epic journey to Rollins Pass. Julia came prepared.
Blue skies, pretty views.
Nothin’ but pot holes. It was crazy. Glad I don’t get too motion sick.
The afternoon storm produced lots of hail. This is just the beginning of it. Pea-sized at first.
That’s hail, not snow.
The temperature was around 44degrees. Brr…
More hail.
For real.
Headed to Nederland, CO with Chris Hall (aka Fuzzy) and Julia Manley on Saturday for some mountain bike racing action. We pre-rode the course Saturday night. I had no idea how high Eldora was. I honestly thought it was just outside of Boulder, and might be around 6500feet. Wrong, it was around 9000feet. Ya. I just got to Colorado on Wednesday, and am definitely not acclimated! The pre-ride was hard. I was going at a recovery pace but my heart, lungs, and legs said different. The course was fun though. Lots of climbing, some technical decents (that reminded me of Mt. Snow), and some fast flowy sections. Would have been a great race, if I had been out here a little while longer. So Saturday night we camped. It was a good time. Sunday morning we all woke up and decided not to race. It would have been a waste of money (at least for Chris and I). We both arrived earlier this week and Julia has been living here all summer. Anyway, we decided to go check out some trails outside of Nederland. Founds some cool trails and spent a few hours on them. Then we tried to go up Rollins Pass. That’s where things got epic. It was a fun weekend, and I don’t really feel like typing much longer. So enjoy the picture story!!
-A
This is from a ride I did earlier this week. The views never get old out here in Colorado.
Ya. Luckily we didn’t go climbing, just acted like tourist and looked at the pretty waterfall (shown below).
The pretty waterfall.
Storms a brewin’ in the mountains.
Checking out the views. This is part of the ride we did when we were originally planning on racing.
Long story short, I had to borrow a Trek kit. Kind of weird to think it actually fit…
Yay, mountains!
The start of our epic journey to Rollins Pass. Julia came prepared.
Blue skies, pretty views.
Nothin’ but pot holes. It was crazy. Glad I don’t get too motion sick.
The afternoon storm produced lots of hail. This is just the beginning of it. Pea-sized at first.
That’s hail, not snow.
The temperature was around 44degrees. Brr…More hail.For real.
My first year racing Downers Grove was in 2006 as a cat. 3. I did decent in the 3/4’s race, but barely hung on to the 1/2/3’s race later in the day. I love the course. It’s got some climbing, enough to make the legs hurt after a 50k race. It’s also pretty technical. I wasn’t able to race here last year because I had already moved to Colorado. This year, I made sure to stick around.
Saturday’s race was late in the day (6:10pm to be exact). Lots of people use this race as an “opener” for the race that really counts the next day. The field was stacked. Colavita, Aaron’s, Advil-Chapstick, Cheerwine, ValueAct Capital, and Kenda were there to name a few. It was fast (we averaged over 25mph). I don’t recall there being any crashes. I tried to maintain my position near the front, but found it hard to do. Eventually a break rolled off the front, including Meredith Miller (Aaron’s). The last laps came, and teams set up their lead out trains. It’s pretty amazing to watch teams get together and set up these leadouts. My teammate, Sam Schneider, was guest riding for Colavita (which she does on a regular basis). She was in on the leadout train that got Tina Pic the field sprint win. I managed to pull off 22nd place of 62 finishers. Of course I missed the money by two places. Oh well, it was a good experience and a fun race.
Sunday’s race was in the morning. There was a larger field (over 80 riders). I found this odd since yesterday’s race had cat. 3’s included. This was the “real” race of the weekend for the women. It wasn’t what I was expecting though. I figured it would be attack after attack and I’d be holding on for dear life the entire race. However, I found myself bridging to break-aways and moving throughout the peloton. Not quite sure why I bridged to a few breaks because I knew they wouldn’t stick. Anything that didn’t have Tina Pic or Brooke Miller in it was bound to get chased down. I guess I did it to see if I could. I still didn’t feel 100% comfortable riding in the group. I get a little scared when I go through corners 5 abreast and have no hole to get out in. So I’d make my way up to the front, then find the pack slowing down and I’d get swarmed. Oh well, it was good practice moving through the field. The final laps came and the big teams did their thing again. Brooke Miller pulled off the win with Tina Pic taking second. I came acrossed 22nd, again. What was really impressive was Sam Schneider taking 10th place. I watched Sam win the field sprint against Brooke Miller a few weekends ago at the Chicago Criterium. Brooke Miller as since taken two national championships in field sprints. She has a ton of potential and is a phenominal rider.
The season is winding down. I only have one more road event planned for 2008 – Gateway Cup. After that, mountain bike season is in full swing. Still trying to figure out how I’m going to get the mountain bike nationals if I qualify. This not having a job thing all summer is starting to catch up with me!
I’ve started to get the ball rolling for 2009. Sent out my resume to some teams. Things are a bit shaky on the women’s end of cycling with teams. Seems like everyone is up in the air. I think that happens after most Olympic years though. So it will be interesting to see what next year brings.
Next up, possibly a Mountain States Cup race in Nederland, CO. Yep, headed back on Wednesday. It’s been fun being back in the midwest, but unfortunatley school starts next Monday (the 25th)…yikes!! Thanks for stopping by! Good night!
-A
My first year racing Downers Grove was in 2006 as a cat. 3. I did decent in the 3/4’s race, but barely hung on to the 1/2/3’s race later in the day. I love the course. It’s got some climbing, enough to make the legs hurt after a 50k race. It’s also pretty technical. I wasn’t able to race here last year because I had already moved to Colorado. This year, I made sure to stick around.
Saturday’s race was late in the day (6:10pm to be exact). Lots of people use this race as an “opener” for the race that really counts the next day. The field was stacked. Colavita, Aaron’s, Advil-Chapstick, Cheerwine, ValueAct Capital, and Kenda were there to name a few. It was fast (we averaged over 25mph). I don’t recall there being any crashes. I tried to maintain my position near the front, but found it hard to do. Eventually a break rolled off the front, including Meredith Miller (Aaron’s). The last laps came, and teams set up their lead out trains. It’s pretty amazing to watch teams get together and set up these leadouts. My teammate, Sam Schneider, was guest riding for Colavita (which she does on a regular basis). She was in on the leadout train that got Tina Pic the field sprint win. I managed to pull off 22nd place of 62 finishers. Of course I missed the money by two places. Oh well, it was a good experience and a fun race.
Sunday’s race was in the morning. There was a larger field (over 80 riders). I found this odd since yesterday’s race had cat. 3’s included. This was the “real” race of the weekend for the women. It wasn’t what I was expecting though. I figured it would be attack after attack and I’d be holding on for dear life the entire race. However, I found myself bridging to break-aways and moving throughout the peloton. Not quite sure why I bridged to a few breaks because I knew they wouldn’t stick. Anything that didn’t have Tina Pic or Brooke Miller in it was bound to get chased down. I guess I did it to see if I could. I still didn’t feel 100% comfortable riding in the group. I get a little scared when I go through corners 5 abreast and have no hole to get out in. So I’d make my way up to the front, then find the pack slowing down and I’d get swarmed. Oh well, it was good practice moving through the field. The final laps came and the big teams did their thing again. Brooke Miller pulled off the win with Tina Pic taking second. I came acrossed 22nd, again. What was really impressive was Sam Schneider taking 10th place. I watched Sam win the field sprint against Brooke Miller a few weekends ago at the Chicago Criterium. Brooke Miller as since taken two national championships in field sprints. She has a ton of potential and is a phenominal rider.
The season is winding down. I only have one more road event planned for 2008 – Gateway Cup. After that, mountain bike season is in full swing. Still trying to figure out how I’m going to get the mountain bike nationals if I qualify. This not having a job thing all summer is starting to catch up with me!
I’ve started to get the ball rolling for 2009. Sent out my resume to some teams. Things are a bit shaky on the women’s end of cycling with teams. Seems like everyone is up in the air. I think that happens after most Olympic years though. So it will be interesting to see what next year brings.
Next up, possibly a Mountain States Cup race in Nederland, CO. Yep, headed back on Wednesday. It’s been fun being back in the midwest, but unfortunatley school starts next Monday (the 25th)…yikes!! Thanks for stopping by! Good night!
-A
This past weekend I made my first trip, ever, to the Tour of Kansas City. Not sure why I’ve waited until now to hit these races up, but it was well worth it.
Friday night there wasn’t a women’s race (bummer), so I raced with the men cat. 3’s. I worked on staying near the front of the pack the entire race. I was able to do so and never fell back more than 20 places. The last lap I drifted back to avoid any carnage and didn’t contest the sprint. It was an awesome workout and I’m glad I raced it. The course was pretty fun too. It had some climbing in it and a few technical turns.
Saturday I woke up to cloudy skies. I had thought about doing the men’s cat 3 race again today, but the rain scared me away. I figured it would be safer to race with a field of 15 as opposed to 60. The race was 7 laps, each lap 2.5miles long. There were two decent climbs, enough to take a toll on your legs at the end of 7 laps. The race was pretty mellow and everyone tried to play it safe since it was pouring. There were some slippery spots on the course where mud covered the surface. I chose to run 80psi in my tires. Why? Not sure. I didn’t slip at all though. It was just a pain to climb the hill every time, especially when I stood up. Lessons learned, and next time I’ll try 85. Anyway, there were a few attacks. There was a girl from Tulsa who was really strong on the hills and we were all watching her. Crazy bike girl was there too. Most of the women in the midwest have seen this girl at one point. She rides a yellow bike, screams at people during the race, and is just plain rude. Last year at Gateway Cup I turned her in to the officials because she shoved me in a corner. After the race she was hanging out in her under gaurmets by the water truck, spraying guys down…awkward. Ok, back to the race. The last lap came and I tried to hold position in the top 3. There was a crash on the hill behind me. At that time, Carrie Cash from St. Louis Revolution, put the hammer down. I was unable to respond and took off at my own pace. We got a gap from the rest of the field. Carrie had a decent lead on me, so I worked on maintaining my 2nd place.
Sunday was a better day. It was cool and sunny. The race was 35minutes plus 5 laps. The course was different from the other days. It was flat with lots of corners, and one 90+ degree corner. People attacked all day long, but nothing seemed to stick. I was in a few short-lived breaks but we were quickly realed in. I tried to cover as many attacks as I could. The last lap came and I attacked on the slight uphill before the last corner. I got a gap, but didn’t know how big it was. I started to sit up in the corner but heard no one coming around me. So I put my head down and sprinted to the finish. I was able to hold off Carrie Cash for a first place.
This was a fun weekend. Awesome courses and some great competition. Kelly Benjamin was there all weekend, racing in the men’s cat 3 races. Next up is Downer’s Grove. Then it’s back to Colorado. School starts the 25th. I’ll be back for Gateway Cup. After that, my road season is done. Amazing how time flies. Thanks for stopping in!
-A
This past weekend I made my first trip, ever, to the Tour of Kansas City. Not sure why I’ve waited until now to hit these races up, but it was well worth it.
Friday night there wasn’t a women’s race (bummer), so I raced with the men cat. 3’s. I worked on staying near the front of the pack the entire race. I was able to do so and never fell back more than 20 places. The last lap I drifted back to avoid any carnage and didn’t contest the sprint. It was an awesome workout and I’m glad I raced it. The course was pretty fun too. It had some climbing in it and a few technical turns.
Saturday I woke up to cloudy skies. I had thought about doing the men’s cat 3 race again today, but the rain scared me away. I figured it would be safer to race with a field of 15 as opposed to 60. The race was 7 laps, each lap 2.5miles long. There were two decent climbs, enough to take a toll on your legs at the end of 7 laps. The race was pretty mellow and everyone tried to play it safe since it was pouring. There were some slippery spots on the course where mud covered the surface. I chose to run 80psi in my tires. Why? Not sure. I didn’t slip at all though. It was just a pain to climb the hill every time, especially when I stood up. Lessons learned, and next time I’ll try 85. Anyway, there were a few attacks. There was a girl from Tulsa who was really strong on the hills and we were all watching her. Crazy bike girl was there too. Most of the women in the midwest have seen this girl at one point. She rides a yellow bike, screams at people during the race, and is just plain rude. Last year at Gateway Cup I turned her in to the officials because she shoved me in a corner. After the race she was hanging out in her under gaurmets by the water truck, spraying guys down…awkward. Ok, back to the race. The last lap came and I tried to hold position in the top 3. There was a crash on the hill behind me. At that time, Carrie Cash from St. Louis Revolution, put the hammer down. I was unable to respond and took off at my own pace. We got a gap from the rest of the field. Carrie had a decent lead on me, so I worked on maintaining my 2nd place.
Sunday was a better day. It was cool and sunny. The race was 35minutes plus 5 laps. The course was different from the other days. It was flat with lots of corners, and one 90+ degree corner. People attacked all day long, but nothing seemed to stick. I was in a few short-lived breaks but we were quickly realed in. I tried to cover as many attacks as I could. The last lap came and I attacked on the slight uphill before the last corner. I got a gap, but didn’t know how big it was. I started to sit up in the corner but heard no one coming around me. So I put my head down and sprinted to the finish. I was able to hold off Carrie Cash for a first place.
This was a fun weekend. Awesome courses and some great competition. Kelly Benjamin was there all weekend, racing in the men’s cat 3 races. Next up is Downer’s Grove. Then it’s back to Colorado. School starts the 25th. I’ll be back for Gateway Cup. After that, my road season is done. Amazing how time flies. Thanks for stopping in!
-A