Down Time

I haven't posted in weeks - not much to say. Lou's been doing a super job as the blog's eye-candy, hasn't he (refer to previous post)? December has been an odd month. I haven't touched the bike except to teach spin class on the rollers at work. All I've been doing is eating pizza and watching my new TV. Oh, and occasionally I get up from the La-Z-Boy to check email. I vowed earlier in the fall to not ride the rollers for any training sessions forced indoors due to inclement weather and I'm happy to say that I've stuck to that. Rather than ride the rollers, I just don't ride at all! I'm liking this whole "down time" thing. I seem to have gotten used to it and it's working quite well for me.

Yeah. And if you believe a word of that you know absolutely nothing about me - and that's all I am saying.

20 days to SanDiego.....

Montrose - Brrrrrrrr....

Yeah so it was stupid cold and I decided to be a nancy and assume the role of start line jacket and gatorade wench for the day. It was an easy decision for me. My racing brain was tired and really had no desire to freeze, slip, slide, fall or otherwise have any part of racing for the remainder of the year. I was happy to stay in the heated team tent and cheer for everyone who decided to race the Illinois State Cyclocross Championship at Montrose Harbor in Chicago. We'd had snow, sleet, freezing rain and cold temperatures in the days leading up to the race so course conditions were interesting - snowy, slippery, icy, muddy - a little of everything.

I had the occasion to be there for the 30+ and 40+ men's races and the first half of the women's races before I could no longer feel my toes and decided to head home. Congrats to Lou Kuhn who won the 30+ title (that's Lou at the top of this post) and to my teammate Imelda who scored the silver medal in the Cat 4 women's race. Mike Trulson from the Pony Shop took the junior title. Kristin finished a strong 2nd in the 1/2/3 field and is on the way to Nationals - good luck!

My previous post has a bunch of great photos from the day so check it out.

37 days to San Diego....

Montrose - Photography

Chris Strout

'Cross - Chi-town style

Franco, Imelda's BikeHusband - look at the legs....

Lou - Taking the final sprint in front of Kevin for the state title
Mark maneuvering through the dicey slick stuff

MetrLifeGuy powers through

Imelda remounting on her way to a silver medal (on my old bike....)

Brian - on the way to a strong finish


I snagged a bunch of these photos from Luke Seemann (with his permission, of course).

Nine Above

That's the current temp (not the windchill) as I sit here and contemplate what remains of a long season of training and racing the bike after yet another night of epic insomnia. The Illinois cross championship is coming up this weekend and things are looking downright dicey at Montrose Harbor as of last evening - ice, snow, wind, frozen mud, etc. At left is me from 2 years ago doing what proved to be one of the most ridiculous races I've ever done at Montrose. The conditions were far better that day than they are currently so I'm hoping things improve. Below me is a shot of Kristin winning last week's Wisconsin state championships in Hales Corners - doesn't it look like she's having the time of her life?

I fully understand that part of the whole cyclocross experience is racing in bad conditions yet having fun doing it but I have to admit that my strong voices of reason are speaking to me... It may seem to some that I am notoriously fickle when it comes to racing cross in poor weather. To some extent I suppose that's true but after being over to the harbor I have to question the sanity of those who think racing in those conditions can possibly be considered fun (in the traditional sense) for the "prestigous honor" of state champion. Honestly, is it really "racing" to have to ride at 5mph just to avoid falling?

Maybe I just need to HTFU. 44 days 'til San Diego.....

Jingle Cross Rock #1 Photography

See the previous post for the race recap. Here are some fantastic photos - courtesy of Paul Forsythe - to check out...looks like great fun, doesn't it? No, that's not an "I love this!" smile.... oh, and here's another darn cool shot but i'm to cheap to pay for it, so follow this link. Fast, eh?

Jingle Cross Rock #1

The whole day started with a "what the hell am I doing here?" moment and continued on an upward curve from there. It was damn cold at get-up time, a whopping 18 degrees with the prediction being a high of about 40 by race time. Note: One of the best things about UCI races? Elite Women don't start until 1:30pm. My teammates Monique (Mo) and Kristin were up early to head out for Mo's master's 35+ race and I decided to stay back in the hotel for a little while longer. No sense in freezing before I really had to, right? It was a prime opportunity for my mental demons to start their dirty work, eating away at my fragile pre-race psyche until I finally just left and headed to the race venue.

I arrived in time to see Mo and Tammy head out in the masters race. I'd missed the earlier races where Deb and Brooke were representing and both did quite well in the freezing coldness. As I stood there and shivered, Mike informed me that he and Mary had brought and set up their tent - and it had a HEATER! Those were the sweetest words I'd ever heard - a tent with wind sides and heat source to change and warm-up in about 200yds from the start line. All I needed at that point was to get the lizard working in my favor, no small task.

It was at that point I pretty much figured out that there was no way I was going to have a shot at pre-riding the course before race time so I changed and headed out to inspect what I could before having to warm-up. As the temp climbed, course conditions changed immensely. The grass run-up (with nicely positioned log to jump at it's base) had become a slimy, muddy mess. The course also featured a set of barriers, a sand pit that ran through a building and out a doorway, a few patches of loose gravel, a steep uphill (yes, I used the 27 tooth cog, thank you very much...) and a screaming fast descent before heading back to the start finish area. The conditions demanded toe spikes and well, I just didn't have any (sorry John....I know....). My shoes didn't actually accept them anyway so I was in for a lot of slipping and maybe even some falling.

Representing for Kenda on the start line were Kristin, Andrea, Catherine and myself. I got a front line starting position and actually had a moment of clarity and confidence about 5min before the gun went off. Weird how that happens. I have hours of brain swirling anxiety and and soon as it's go-time, I'm good. I need to figure that one out. Anyway, off the line I was sitting in 3rd position after the barriers and the long grass stretch to the run up, feeling damn good. I had a good dismount at the log and as soon as I hit the run-up I felt myself go slipping backward trying to find traction as everyone passed me. That's where my race essentially ended. I fell back to 9th position and it never really changed from there except for a couple of back and forth passes along the way. Lesson learned the hard way: buy the freakin' toe spikes and use them. It can mean the difference between a podium finish and a top 10. With the run-up being 3 times as long on Sunday I decided it was best to head home early instead of suffering the same fate. That, and I was experiencing some knee pain that didn't subside after ice and advil so I thought it best not to further aggravate it.

I have to thank Paul, Mike and Mary for being there and supporting us. It was great to have Brooke, Mo, Tammy and Deb around after their races - thank you for all of your positive energy and for yelling HTFU the hill. You have no idea how much it helped. I posted some of Paul's photography separately - excellent stuff.

I have to say that I kept the race report pretty concise - so many things happened that I didn't include basically because you'd be reading all day. Suffice to say that I had a great time hanging out with my roommates Kristin and Mo and that we all had a great team weekend.

Up next, Wisconsin state championships - gotta support the team and help get Kristin a WIN!!

Photos from Lansing

Clifford and Carolyn Golz took some great phots at Lansing and I felt is most appropriate to make an entirely separate post with some of them. Included are pics of some of my most favorite guys who happen to be really strong, talented athletes - enjoy!

SCW Lansing 'Cross Report

So I'm foregoing watching one of the best freak-out flicks ever made (Seven) to post this. Today I did the South Chicago Wheelmen 'Cross race in Lansing, IL. I really had to go, since I grew up in the town next to Lansing and actually was a Lansing resident during a brief, unpleasant episode in my life (and I'm leaving that right there). It was good though, because my parents, my brother Chris and his wife Michelle, the puggle and their friends were able to come out to spectate. It was cold-ish but not intolerably so and the sun was nowhere to be seen.

The course was entirely pancake flat with a sand pit, a single barrier and a set of three barriers. Everything else was pretty much grass with a few short paved sections and some wet leaves to make things interesting. The Women 1/2/3 field was small (6). I had a good warm up and was ready to go at start time, legs were excellent. Things took off fast as usual and I was having no problem staying right on the wheel I wanted, in second position. Problems started when I clipped my toe on the first of the three barriers (how embarrassing - the auto-jones) and hit the ground - hard. My bike was lofted at least 10 feet and everyone passed me. I briefly considered abandoning right there, I was hurting, embarrassed and had a big hole to dig out of. I remounted and proceeded to claw my way back to within 10 seconds of first position but wasn't really able to close the gap after the effort I was forced to do after becoming separated from my bike. I lost a few seconds here and there and ended up finishing second/first loser on the day. Not too bad but second still sucks, I guess. At least I got my entry fee back and did some hard work on the bike. I'd like to give June Upshaw some recognition here too - the girl's been sick for weeks - she fought hard and took third today, nice work, June.

I also have to give recognition to the most amazing, kickass effort put in by Lou Kuhn of the Pony Shop today - he ruled the 30+ race and made it look easy. Nice job Lou! Also not to be overlooked was Mike Trulson riding for 2CC (who works at the Pony) crushing the junior field today, and Mike Jones (MetLifeGuy) again doing 2 races consecutively and finishing in the top 10 in both. The Verdigris guys did a great job and pretty much owned the 40+ race and Imelda was representing Kenda in the Cat 4 race, finishing 4th.

I also need to thank a bunch of people who were present and ever-supportive: Paul, Mike and Mary, my family, Josh, Amy D., Brian, and the Verdigris guys by the sand pit. I'm sure there were more and I just can't think of who right now so if you were there, I heard your cheers and thanks. Hopefully there will be some decent photos - I'll post them later, when they become available.

Right now, I have to spend some quality time with a bag of ice. Coming up, UCI Jingle Cross Rock in Iowa City next weekend....

Chicago Athlete of the Year?

Some of you may recall that I was named Chicago Athlete magazine's Athlete of the Month back in September (which was very cool). Well, I could be Chicago Athlete Magazine's Athlete of the Year if you vote for me (only if you feel that I am worthy). Check it out here: www.chicagoaa.com/. The catch is that votes need to be sent via email to the editor, Amy Rushlow (editor@chicagoaa.com). I realize that sending an email to Amy is a pain but I suppose it makes sense, given that in an online poll I could just sit there all day and resubmit votes for myself over and over. Anyway, I guess what I am asking is for you to decide whether I am worthy of this designation and if you think I am, please take a few seconds to drop Amy an email that says so.

I'm certainly not the very best athlete in Chicago and I can't say that results are necesarily the indicator of how the Athlete of the Year should be selected. Athlete of the Year, to me, is not entirely about me or my performance. Instead, I like to think it's more about my passion to motivate and inspire the athletes that I coach and people I've had the occasion to work with to develop their own athleticism to it's fullest potential. While racing my bike is darn awesome and I absolutely LOVE to do it (for myself and my team), it's incredibly satisfying for me to see other athletes who I've worked with do amazing things - stuff they never knew they could do. To me, that's a pretty damn cool thing and in part what the award is about.

Now go vote for me!! oh, and forward it to your friends....

- and thank you, in advance....

More Estabrook...

I knew there were lots of cameras out there but whoa.....photos keep coming in, so I'll keep posting them since they all do a fantastic job of communicating how much I love to race 'cross (yes, you should detect some sarcasm there). In case you weren't aware, cyclocross is sort of a two edged sword for me - it's kind of fun but it really hurts. Since the fun currently outweights the hurt, I race. Otherwise I'd be sitting in the la-z-boy eating ice cream and watching ESPN most of the time.

Wisconsin - Estabrook Park Recap

Photos Courtesy of Amy Dykema

So I spent yesterday catching up on a bunch of stuff and ended up not racing in St. Charles. Good thing...I actually got a lot accomplished. That lent itself to a bit less anxiety compared to my normal pre-race mind traffic, which is typically somewhat out of control. No, it's typically very out of control. On the drive up to Milwaukee the sky was looking quite overcast and when we arrived at the race venue it was actually raining a little, so the course was a bit muddy in some places. Oh, and it was cold. WTF is up with Wisconsin? It's always cold there - even in July!! Fortunately we were running ahead of schedule and as the day's racing progressed the weather improved and the course dried out.

The Estabrook Park course is decidedly flat with a lot of grass, one short run-up that requires a dismount, a lot of twists around trees, three sets of barriers, a short single track section before the run-up and a few short pavement sections. I was able to take a few laps before our start which provided a small amount of confidence before I hit the trainer and blasted some Pearl Jam, Velvet Revolver, Nine Inch Nails, Led Zep and Perfect Circle through my otherwise fragile, anxiety-filled psyche. Representing for Kenda today were myself, Kristin, Monique and Susan in a field of about 15. I have to mention that I love racing with the Wisconsin contingent - they're all strong athletes and just really great girls to ride with. I'm fortunate to have them as teammates.

Things went off the start line rather fast and before I knew it two other riders and I had established a gap by the end of the first lap. Interesting also was the fact that the three of us started picking off members of the men's 30+ field along the way. We pretty much rode together the entire race, sharing the work at the front and letting things be decided on the last lap. I knew that both of them were strong enough to close any gap that an attack would create so I was content to sit and see how things would be at final sprint time, since I have a decent sprint and was feeling good. As the pace ramped up we started riding through some man traffic and I got nearly Jones'd by a guy on the run-up which created a gap that I could not close. In the end I finished 3rd, a few seconds off the lead. A decent finish and a little money too - the post race coffee was perfect since I was freezing!

Thanks to all the hardcore 'cross fans in Wisconsin who cheered and encouraged us to ride hard and work together. It was a good, positive race - no broken nails, no new bruises, no crashing. Thanks to MetLifeGuy for driving and providing entertainment - the guy did two races today, AGAIN. Makes me tired and sore just thinking about it. I also want to recognize Kristin, Susan and Mo - awesome job today ladies!!

Up next - a weekend off (well, from racing anyway) and more Chicago Cross Cup on the 18th....

Team Kenda Tire 2008 Race Announcement Made

So I'm sitting here watching the end of the Notre Dame/Navy game (which was a freaking amazing game, I must say) when Marek calls to tell me that I made cyclingnews.com. Well, the team announcement made it - very cool. You can follow this link or read it below:

Team Kenda Tire for 2008
In it's 10th year, Team Kenda Tire will bring its mix of seasoned and newer female racers to the US peloton with the goal of higher placings in 2008 National Race Calendar events.

New to the team for 2008 will be Jackie Kurth (2006 Junior National RR Champion) and Jacquelyn Crowell (5-time Junior National Champion). The team also picked up several new sponsors, including SRAM, The Allen Group and their Dallas Logistics Hub in addition to Plant Solutions.
Team Kenda Tire 2008: Kathryn Clark, Jacquelyn Crowell, Debbie Dust, Lee Farabaugh, Anne Guzman, Kristin Keim, Jackie Kurth, Amy McGuire, Andrea Myers, Yukie Nakamura, Catherine Walberg, and Kristin Wentworth.

We also got some print (and my picture!) on the truesport.com website - here's the link.

2008 will prove to be an exciting year for us - we have a strong roster and are looking forward to an excellent season of competition at the very highest level. We'll have a new look for 2008 - gone are the red flowers and in their place will be an interesting print....I'll keep that under wraps for now. Just know our team kit will be very green - and since green is my favorite color, I'm all good with that.....especially now that the all-over print shorts have been deep-sixed and replaced with a sweet looking mix of black and green with a little red and white here and there.

Some Vintage Velogoddess Coming at Ya....

So Imelda was digging through some old stuff and found this vintage photo from 2005 at Carpenter Park and I found one from Montrose Harbor when it was literally like 15 degrees for the state championships. Jeez that takes me back....I seem to recall that the dweeb I was dating at the time accompanied me in Carpentersville that day. God - the things you remember.... Anyway, thought I'd share a couple piecees of VG nostalgia. I'm happy to say that the Trek XO1 I was riding is now the property of John Schultz at the Pony Shop (thanks for dialing in my SRAM - it's the bomb) and that Imelda is now riding the Redline I was on at Montrose. Too weird.

USGP of Cyclocross - Louisville

I'd have to say that my expression in the above photo pretty much sums up my experience in Louisville over the weekend...full recap is coming....when I catch up on a few things.

Carpentersville 'Cross - One of Those Days

So this will be a short, sweet blog entry as I really don't have much to say for a sub-par third place showing in Carpentersville. Technically I rode great - dismounts, remounts, over barriers, through sand - all smooth (thanks for noticing, Josh). At least the weather was good and Lou again kicked ass in the 30+ race. Imelda had a strong showing (riding my old Redline) in the W/4 race. Oh, and MetLifeGuy raced twice in a row making everyone else there look like a nancy. The dude is a beast. Scares me.

The zipps look pretty sweet, don't they?

Going to The Loo this weekend for some more UCI racing. Gonna be fast and hard...

Cincinnati....Cross....UCI Points....Race 2

Alright, back for more....the second race of the weekend was held at Harbin Park in Cincinnati and again, weather conditions were perfect - sunny skies, upper 70s, fast, dry course. My legs and my (lizard)race-brain were both feeling better after taking an ass-whuppin' yesterday so I was hoping to post a better performance on a course much more suited to my strengths as a rider. Again, not much sleep but I got there in time to pre-ride and inspect the course before it was closed and racing started for other categories. Things were much more spread out today on a course that had some uphill pavement, a few off-camber sections, one set of barriers, some single track, a rideable sand pit and a rideable run-up - nothing like yesterday's course, much to my suprise and pleasure.

Melissa was racing the B Women's event so I found a few places to run between in order to catch her as she passed on each lap. She was sitting in second position coming into the last part of the final lap and looking good to hold it to the line. I ran over to the sand pit to see her one last time before the finish....and....she.....never......came.....through!! I looked over and saw her running into the neutral pit area with her bike, taking some 6 foot 6 guy's mountain bike and finishing the race in something like fifth place!! Apparently she ripped her rear derailleur out of the dropout right after I told her to hammer into the finish (wish I had that kind of power). It was great to see her do well. Melissa, I'm pretty sure that it's time for a new bike.

Okay, as if that wasn't enough excitement for the day, I still had to race. Catherine was also representing along with a familiar contingent of elite women. Again, being the mediocre no-name that I am, I got a back/second row position and got pinched off in the first turn/hairpin combination. Mediocrity sucks. Having to hear wise-ass call me Debbie "eat my" Dust also sucks. Three girls almost hosed me when they got together and nearly wrecked within seconds of the start but I fortunately avoided the mess and basically settled into a group of 4 with a group of 5 up the road. Things had gotten so strung out early that it was damage control at that point. I pretty much just dug in and totally cooked myself for about 40 minutes and ended up in 8th position. I think that I would have been able to do better had I made it through the first section with the leaders but it was so tight that I just couldn't get the position I needed to make that happen.

I was definitely more satisfied with my effort today as compared to yesterday. While my finishing position wasn't great, the race itself went much better and I was much more "connected" today than I was yesterday. I surely performed in a way that better represents what I am truly capable of and so for that alone I have some degree of satisfaction. That, and the fact that I again escaped with all fingernails intact, some points, some money and no new bruises. I even made cyclingnews.com again here and here. Maybe they just like my name. Someone told me the other day that I have the name of a porn star. Nice.

My trip down to Cincinnati was made even better by being able to visit with my teammates Sherry (who raced on Saturday and finished 3rd with the B Women - way to go!!), Mary and Mary's husband Jay. We were able to all get together on Saturday night and Sherry and Mary came out to spectate at Sunday's race - thanks for your cheers! So great to see you all, it had been much too long since we'd last visited.

Almost forgot - to all my Kenda teammates who raced in the cold, wet, muddy Wisco races over the weekend...nice job!! That said, Cincinnati was surely a better choice for the weekend...see you all soon!

Next up: Carpenter Park, race 2 of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup...maybe I'll race with the guys...

Cincinnati....Cross....UCI Points....Race 1

I'm back to Cincinnati for two days of UCI racing - for those of you who don't know, accruing UCI points can help me to get a better starting position on the line at nationals and I need all the help I can get! My most awesome teammate Melissa was again kind enough to let me crash at her place, if only to lie there staring at the ceiling all night, since I'm an insomniac. Also, I have to give huge thanks to Lou at the Pony Shop for setting me up on a super awesome set of Zipp 'cross tubulars on short notice - they are the BOMB.

Saturday's race, JavaJohnny's Lionhearts Cross was held in Middletown, OH, not far from Cincinnati. While Melissa and I arrived plenty early, there wasn't time to actually pre-ride and thoroughly inspect the course before the Elite Women's race started. I toed the line basically clueless about what I was seconds away from doing. What I did know was that conditions were dry, the course had a set of barriers, some off-camber sections, a small amount of pavement and a large sand pit that required a dismount and run for the mere mortals. Katie Compton (current US National champ and World's Silver medalist) was able to get through the sand entirely on the bike but I'm not sure that was necessarily faster. It was, however, impressive.

My Kenda teammate Catherine Walberg (a current masters national 'cross champion) was there representing. Because I am literally a no-one when it comes to the 'cross universe, my starting position in the back row wasn't much help in getting to the first turn in good position, nor did it help when I was forced to clip out in the first hairpin turn around a tree when the field slowed. At that point it was clear that I was racing for a top 10 place and that's about it. Things got strung out pretty quickly from the start and I basically fell into the rhythm that my legs could tolerate - though I was in no way really burying myself. Someone got a really "nice" pic of me stuck in the sand pit - at that point I was pretty much laughing at myself and Melissa who was standing there with a stupid cowbell and yelling at me. I couldn't get through that whole ordeal fast enough and I was thoroughly relieved when it was finally over. Adding insult to the day was the wise-ass announcer who took to calling me Debbie "eat my" Dust...

I ended up in 9th position - really, not very good but all things considered (lack of a pre-ride, no sleep, 5 hours in the car) I suppose it could have been worse. I got some UCI points, a little money and at least I didn't break a nail or get any more bruises on my battered legs...

Racing With the Guys....

Today, just for a change of pace (and scenery...), I raced with the 40+ men at the Lombard Criterium. Lombard was the final event of a 4-race series and the top 5 overall positions would be determined today - only a few points separated them so it was sure to be a day of team tactics and good hard racing. The 40+ guys are a group of super strong (and super cool) athletes - lots of them Cat 1 and 2 racers with years of experience. I was riding unofficially in support of Mike Jones (MetLife) who was wearing the yellow jersey at the start of the day.

The course in Lombard is mostly flat with a small rise between curves 3 and 4. I say curves because there really are no true turns - it's a loop through an office park in the 'burbs. There were about 35 guys (and me!) at the line. Someone (who shall remain nameless) remarked that he was surprised to see a "girl" racing with them after noting my ponytail. I just sort of smiled and shrugged. He had no idea what I was capable of. Fool.

Things started out pretty fast - there were guys shelled off the back in the first three laps. I hung tough the entire way - actually bridged a few gaps and even took a flyer off the front at one point. I was ready to do whatever I needed to in order to secure a high place for Mike today. There were 3 other Met guys in the group so things were looking good. A group of 6 had broken away but we were content to let it go since only one of the guys in the break group was a threat to the overall, and a remote one at that. Along the way there were numerous attacks but everything was together with a few laps to go. The Met leadout train got rolling and things were looking good but at the very end it just wasn't quite enough to get our leader to the line in front.

In retrospect, there were a lot of things that could have happened to change the outcome - I could've been third in line in the leadout train and things would have definitely been different. I could have attacked up the side while everyone was looking around in effort to draw someone over and start the sprint early. I could've bridged to the break group early on - I felt good enough to do that. There are always so many opportunties and missed opportunities in every race - often frustrating, sometimes not. I guess that's why we keep racing - every race is a learning experience. There's always something to do better the next time.

As it turned out, Mike ended up 11th on the day (I was 12th) and took 3rd in the overall. While he's surely not satisfied with 3rd after being in yellow at the start of the day, he raced like a champ and I was proud to be a member of the team, if only for a day.

Fun Times in Delafield - NOT!!

I think nearly everything about this day was meant to test me - one surprise after the next. I was awake at 3:30am, suffering from insomnia and wishing I could sleep just a little......bit....longer. But noooooo. Steve was kind enough to travel with me to Delafield, WI today for a 'cross race at Lapham Peak State Park about 20ish miles west of Milwaukee. Imagine my surprise when we were informed by the very nice park ranger that we had to pay $14 just to get into the park. Sheesh. I reluctantly coughed up the cash and we parked. Yet another fine suprise when I went to register - start times had been changed (moved later) so I ended up having to sit around, kill time and let the pre-race anxiety build.

The weather was rather warm (in the 80s) and conditions on the course were dusty but fast. While doing pre-race course inspection some poor guy bit it hard in front of me and I inevitably followed him down into the weeds. Nice. I got Jones'd. Another fine bruise for my growing collection. I have to say that I've never had the occasion to do a 'cross race on a mountain bike course before today. Again, nice. It was 2 miles of grass with a narrow dirt trench in the middle that snaked around the park. I couldn't decide whether to ride on the grass or in the trench as it had a way of grabbing the front tire and dragging you down to meet the earth if you twitched an inch to the left or right. There were three sets of 2 barriers and for some reason the race organizer/course designer felt the need to put the barriers at the tops of hills. No momentum, no speed, slow barrier crossings. Not terribly fun at all.

Everything started well enough. We stood around at the start line for a good 20 minutes (as the warm-up disappeared) before finally being released for 45min of fantastic fun. Kenda was represented by Kristin, Monique, Susan and myself. I think there were about 10 women on the line. I got the hole shot off the line and basically blew up about halfway through the lap, watching as 3 or 4 riders passed me. That was humiliating. I definitely went out much too hard and payed the price. After about the third of 6 laps I was able to establish some sort of rhythym, started taking the trench route, quit riding on the grass and actually pass a few people. At the bitter end of things I was able to scratch my way to 3rd place, approximately 40 seconds off the lead, according to Steve who was providing time splits (which I really had no desire to hear). Congrats to my teammates - Kristin won and Mo and Susan weren't far behind me. Way to go, ladies!

Not a very good day but I suppose it could have been worse. Thanks to Steve for accompanying me on this epic day. Thanks to Greg, Michael and Thomas for taking time to swing by and say hello. Up next is a lovely office park criterium in the 'burbs and then another trip down to Cincinnati for two days of UCI 'cross racing. I have a bit of work to do before then....

Cyclocross...Dirty, Broken, Angry Things

I haven't posted for a while - not a whole lot going on lately. Things have been in a sort of holding pattern as road season ends and 'cross season begins. Last weekend I attended a FANTASTIC 'cross clinic in Burlington, KY and spent time in Cincinnati, visiting my ultra-cool teammate Melissa. I learned a ton of technical 'cross stuff from my coach (he's amazing) and from Dan Tille - who's coaching business hosted the event.

I was totally stoked to be racing the first event of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup this morning - my legs were feeling great and I was totally ready to go hard and fast. I missed 'cross season last year with elbow tendonitis so I'm really looking forward to putting my road fitness and 'cross-specific skills to work in prep for a season of UCI races, Masters and Elite Nationals. The Chicago series is not a focus for me but I will do some of the races when I'm not racing elsewhere. Kenda was well represented with myself, Kris Over, Corie Berrigan, Monique Karlen and Susan Uphill on the line - all really strong athletes. The field was (I think) in the neighborhood of 15 for category 1/2/3. Imelda was representing in the cat 4 race.

The course this morning was pretty straight-forward and very fast. There was a fair amount of open grass with a few technical areas, a short run-up and a couple of barriers but not much in the line of difficult stuff (like sand and mud - ick). The race started off well enough - I got the lead from the gun and actually caught the 40+ men's field within the first couple of minutes. I wanted to work through as many of the guys as possible and try to open up a gap early. Things were looking pretty good until I hit a deep divot (where it came from I do not know) and the head of my seatpost snapped down. I finished the lap with my saddle tipped forward and ended up pulling off, knowing full well that another bump would surely break it in two and possibly hurt me. This was a tremendously diasppointing chain of events mostly because I was feeling good and ready to have a fantastic race. A trip to the Pony Shop is definitely in order!

Speaking of the Pony Shop, owner Lou Kuhn beat the snot out of the 30+ field this morning - soloing away early and putting on a clinic. Way to go Lou!! Now, if only I could have a second bike in the pit the way Lou does..... Also representing in the 40+ field was Josh Mallan who had a strong finish. Word from the Edens traffic snafu is that Mike Jones (who opted for a nice, paved criterium course in Kenosha....Hey Mike! Harden the f#@* up!!) finished 2nd in the 40+ and 5th in the 30+ categories today, taking 2nd overall in the Tour of IL/WI point series. Nice work guys!

Thanks to Mom and Dad and Steve for coming out - sorry I couldn't show you what I can really do. Thanks to Paul, Mike and Mary for being present and ever-supportive. Hello to Karlen and Troy who rode down from Evanston on the tandem. I'm going to work my butt off at 'cross practice this week in prep for another race in Wisconsin next weekend.

A Change of Pace: Directeur Sportif...

The past training week has been super easy as I am transitioning to cyclocross for the remainder of the year after a long spring and summer of skinny tires. This was a welcome dead weekend on the race schedule for me so I volunteered to drive the support vehicle for the MetLife men's team entered in the ABR 4-Man Team Time Trial "World" Championship. The team was a quartet of a bad-ass masters - Mike Jones, Josh Mallan, Paul Swinand and "Time Trial" Ted Westerheide. All of them are extremely strong, hard-working, talented athletes who had a legitimate shot at defending the 30+ Masters title. I was happy to do whatever I could to help them. My only demand was hot, black coffee to awaken me at that ridiculous hour - and they delivered!

The guys start time was 9:15am which necessitated an early (5:15am!) departure to allow adequate travel and warm-up time (since, in their own words, they're old and need extra time to get warm). The course was 60K long with a fair amount of turns on primarily flat roads. There were a few small grades on occasion but nothing difficult. It appeared that while the corn was still up, there wasn't much shelter to be had. The wind was definitely going to be a factor on an otherwise perfect day for racing - temp in the mid 70s, nothing but sunny skies.

We rolled in, parked, registered and I went to work making sure that numbers were pinned, extra wheels were in the car, tires were up to pressure, bottles were filled and all the guys had everything they needed before start time. They'd worked together in the previous weeks to figure out the best rider order to use on race day and spent time practicing exchanges and doing some rotating paceline work - team time trialing is a difficult thing to do so this type of work is essential in helping to be more comfortable on race day.

They rolled off the start and up to speed quite smoothly and were a solid working unit for the majority of the first half of the TT - everyone rotating through, working at the front and passing a lot of earlier starting teams along the way. Things were going great until a minor mishap occurred at about 30K coming out of a left hand turn that had a bit of debris. Josh and Paul got through the turn fine but Mike appeared to have adjusted his line which unfortunately caused a slight crossing of wheels that sent Ted sliding to the pavement. By the time I pulled off to the side of the road to help, Ted was already back up, getting on his bike and hauling ass to get back up to the guys who had eased up a bit to wait. Once they were all together it didn't take long to ease back into their rotation and get up to speed. I wasn't watching the clock while this all happened but I have to think that they probably lost somewhere between 30sec and 1min when Ted went down. I was just happy that he was okay (only a little road rash) and that no one else had gone down with him.

Author's Note: We decided on the ride home that from now on "getting jonesed" will officially be how we'll refer to getting wrecked on the bike. Sorry Mike - had to include that...

It was clear from my vantage point that they started to really kick things into high gear as they entered the final 7-8mi or so. In fact they'd cranked it up so much that Paul took one last pull at the front at about 4mi out and sat up - he'd done all he could to help the team today. That was totally okay because timing was taken from the rear wheel of the 3rd rider to cross the finish line. Mike, Ted and Josh hammered all-out the rest of the way and posted a time that held up for the remainder of the day, giving them the 30+ title and overall 4th fastest time on the day. They averaged close to 27mph!

Aside from the outrageously long wait we had to endure for results to be posted and medals distributed, it turned out to be a most excellent day. 4th fastest time on the day? Pretty darn good for a bunch of guys who do this stuff for fun. I was happy to spend my Sunday helping them and appreciate the opportunity to be part of it.

Up next: A trip to Kentucky and the first cross race of the season....

State Time Trial Champion!

Labor Day weekend wasn't entirely restful - I did the state time trial (TT) championship on Saturday in Harvard, IL. I think there were about a dozen women total in all categories so I can't say the attendance was all that good but I had a good enough race to set the new women's course record and take the state title.

Up next is the last night of track racing, a low-key weekend with no racing then a trip to Kentucky for a cyclocross clinic and a race before heading home to start the Chicago Cross Cup series. I didn't race 'cross last season because of some elbow tendonitis but I'm good to go this year and am hoping to represent at Elite and Masters Nationals in December.

Happy 3rd Birthday to my godchild Elise!!

Track Season is Winding Down

I'm feeling summer slip away! I can't complain - this has been a pretty decent summer for me. I'm still wired from racing at the track tonight so I figured I'd post as long as I have the energy to burn. The evening started off simple enough with a 15 lap point-a-lap race (the leader of each lap gets 1 point, the rider with the most points at the end is the winner). I sat in until 7 to go then accelerated/rolled off the front and stayed away, accumulating points and winning the race.

That was a nice warm up for the 35 lap Elaine Nekritz Trophy Race, a scratch race where the first rider over the line at the end of 35 laps is the winner. I was feeling lazy (sorry....) and sat in/ sucked wheel/saved my legs for most of the race while the other riders battled it out on the front. Someone offered $1 per lap to the leader of each lap so there was a fair amount of movement at the front to make some money. At one point an Alberto's rider got off the front and everyone pretty much let her go. I decided with 4 to go that she'd been out there long enough so I punched it and caught her in about a half a lap. Predictably the entire field sucked my wheel and then sat up. Ugh. So I let her go when no one pulled through. I'd chased and gotten everyone in position to do something and they did NOTHING. By that point things came down to a field sprint for 2nd, which I took.

I'm very happy for Kristen from Alberto's - she made some pretty bold moves that no one respected. She earned that win and my hat is off to her.

Up next - a nice long weekend and ick....another birthday....

Glencoe Wrap - First Loser!!

First - gotta congratulate my brother Richie and his wife Sandy on the birth of their second daughter, Lindsey Erin. I would be remiss to not mention that her big sister Elise, my Godchild, will be 3 next week (and the author will also be - ugh - a year older...). I further understand from my little brother that Payton, the Puggle, would like to be a star. So I put her on the blog today. Nice underbite...

We could not have had better weather today - perfect in every way. I was feeling good and confident that I would do well today. The course was pretty straightforward - flat and fast with 4 turns, corner 3 being more than 90 degrees and corner 4 a bit tight before a long sprint home. The 1/2/3 field was pretty small without much team representation except for ABD and Alberto's, each with 2 riders. There were a couple of strong sprinters present so I knew my work was cut out for me. We only raced 40min +2 so I was hoping to get away with someone else and get a break to stick but nothing seemed to work. I took a prime along the way, just to test the legs and get a better idea of how to time the final sprint. There were a few small breaks along the way and I worked to keep the pace high after every prime that I didn't contest hoping to wear some other riders down a bit. Things otherwise stayed pretty much together until about 1 1/2 laps to go when Jen Greenberg from XXX-Athletico took a risky flyer that (amazingly) everyone seemed content to let go. On the last lap I decided that I had to chase and in so doing, also decided that I had to straight up win the field sprint since it was obviously too late to catch Jen. I did just that. I am totally happy for Jen - she's a strong rider and deserved to win today.

Thanks to CJ and Bill for swinging by to watch as well as all my Judson buddies that were on hand to race and cheer(thanks Scott!). Way to go Ken Schiffman, Mike Jones, Bill Nedza, Pat McNally, Chris McNally, Dan Rudrud, Troy Henikoff (with Karlen and Addison), Dave Scher, Lou Kuhn, Jerry Ortega, Bob Issac, Brian Kavanaugh and everyone else not listed who raced today. Special thanks to the town of Glencoe and Alberto's for hosting and sponsoring the event in it's inaugural year. I hope the GGP becomes a fixture on the midwest racing calendar for years to come.

As a sidenote - to everyone who did the Accenture Triathlon today - well done!!

Up next: the Elaine Nekritz trophy race at the track on Thursday. I'm ready!!

Rain Rain Rain!!

Well, the plan for today was to go to Ed Rudolph Northbrook Velodrome to race but the insane winds and heavy rain have basically trashed that whole plan. CJ called while on the way home from the Loop to report that she'd just exited an el train that was stopped due to a tree blocking the track. I've been watching the reports on TV while hearing the thunder outside and WOW - there is some serious weather moving through the area right now. I'm sort of bummed too - I was looking forward to racing the Elaine Nekritz Trophy scratch race tonight. I have fantastic legs right now and wanted to improve upon my first place finish in the Cat 4 race last season with a victory in the Pro1/2/3 field. Hopefully it will be rescheduled soon - track season is winding down and we don't have many more opportunities to race before the weather starts changing.

National Criterium Championship - Downers Grove

Oh happy wet, cold, slippery, yucky day...the National Criterium Championship was held in Downers Grove this morning, a mere 25min drive (traffic free, on the way there anyway....) from the city. I'm going to probably leave lots of details out of this report basically because it will end up being long enough without going into the minutia of the day. I felt AMAZING today and was thinking a top 10 finish was definitely something within my reach, if I stayed out of trouble and played my cards right. Warm up was excellent, my brain was connected and I was ready to rock. I knew I had good legs after winning the state points race championship at the track (and also qualified for elite track nationals in the process) on Thursday so this was going to be a good day for me.

Kenda had a great squad with Gina V., Kristin W., Tamyra B., Marni H., and myself representing. Paul and Mike were on hand to see that we were wired and had everything we needed before and after the race - thanks guys!! Imelda was circulating too, keeping things together for us. There had been steady, heavy rain in the area for the last 2 days so I was not surprised when the rain started again right after we got underway. The streets became more and more slippery as things progressed.

Racing got off to a decent start, since I got a spot on the line in the second row - close to the front. I'd have to say there were about 70 in the field but I'm not 100% certain on that. The pace was pretty high with lots of primes being called early on. I stayed near the front and out of trouble (so I thought) until about 7 laps into the 31 lap race. Someone went down in turn 7 and took a few of us with so a trip to the wheel pit and a free lap later I was back in and feeling good. After the halfway point the gnarly crashes started - it was sort of unnerving to see bodies flying over the bars out of the corner of my eye almost every lap.

The size of the field was dramatically shrinking as more and more wrecks happened and riders abandoned. I was very lucky and stayed safe until 2 to go when someone took a bad line through the last corner and overcooked the exit of the turn - taking A LOT of riders out with her, including me. I flew over the bars and onto someone else's bike and my foot was stuck in someone's wheel. When I finally managed to get free of the spokes I realized that the spectators in the corner had taken my bike away and over the crowd control fence so that I couldn't get back on to chase. Now THAT PISSED ME OFF. I had come this far and wanted so badly to at least finish, even if it was dead last. I worked way too hard to be a DNF. My day was over and I was not remotely amused. I understand that the people in the crowd were just trying to help clear things but no one even bothered to ask if I was going to continue.

Later on Carrie Cash from XPLANE-Revolution came over to apologize for causing the crash that ended the race for many of us. I respect her a great deal for that and appreciate that she made the effort to express her apology. She's an excellent athlete and just happened to make a bad move at the wrong time. It doesn't fix the fact that I'm sore and disappointed but it definitely reinforces the fact that she and so many of the other girls that I race with are really gracious, honest and tremendously good people. I guess that's why I can't be terribly angry and why I can look forward to the fact that there is another race next weekend.

Many thanks to my family (Mom, Dad, Aunt and Uncle) who came out to watch. Thanks to Luke Seemann from XXX and chicagobikeracing.com for the lovely shot of me biting it. To Steve, Bill, Donna, CJ and Mary for cheering for Kenda - even though they were soaking wet we could all hear them and appreciate the support. Can't wait to see the pictures!!

Tour of Elk Grove....Hot as Hell and Crashed Again

So the BIG dollar Tour of Elk Grove was held on a sub-par, mundane, ridiculous course in some pretty steamy hot weather today. I am amazed that there aren't more complaints about the course - it's horribly boring and really not all that fun to race on. For such a high-profile event it makes sense to me that the organizer/promoter could be a bit more creative and maybe come up with a better course - one that's worthy of such an amazing prize purse (well, for the pro men at least...). OK, I'll stop whining now - I suppose any chance to race an NRC event withing 20 miles of home is a good thing. The women's pro 1/2 field was small - I think maybe 40 - but the caliber of the riders was amazing. Cheerwine, Value-Act Capital, and Aarons had full squads and HUB, expresscopy.com, Colavita, TIBCO, Priority Health, Advil-Chapstick, Lipton, and TargetTraining also had representation. Every woman on the line was capable of winning today and the racing proved to be fast and aggressive with lots of breaks for the entire 60K.

Kenda had a strong team with Kristin W., Tamyra B., Gina V., and myself lining up in the black and red. Kristin started off with an early attack that she was able to stick for a few laps and picked up a $500 prime along the way before getting sucked back in. Gina worked her tail off to haul in a break and Tam was super aggressive - she bridged to a break and nearly won a prime too! Me? Well....I've been a bit 'off' for the last few days after some dental work and having to deal with some stress and the super hot weather. I suffered a lot in the heat, hung in and yo-yo'ed around in the group but wasn't ever able to really do anything significant until I somehow started feeling good with 2 laps to go. Weird.

On the final lap I was sitting toward the front and actually feeling confident when a little contact happened in front of me that took down Lara Kroepsch from Lipton and a few others as well. I hope Lara is OK - I had to ride over her and her bike... That crash was pretty much screwed up the end of the race for anyone in the vicinity as the peloton pulled away and the remainder of us scratched and clawed our way to a respectable finish. I think I heard 22nd from the reviewing stand. Not a great result but it's better than being road kill.

It was unfortunate but stuff like that happens all the time in racing. We had a fantastic team day and we're all looking forward to Nationals in Downers Grove next weekend. Of note is the fact that Corie, Karen, Greg and Mike were on hand to cheer for us and Paul was around to get us wired up with radios and take care of any problems - thanks so much everyone, it means so much that you took time to be there for us!

That is a pic of Izumi - she's a little devil sometimes but in this shot I caught one of her more 'mellow' moments.

Wowie - Chicago Athlete of the Month for September!

I got a phone call yesterday from Amy Rushlow at Chicago Athlete to inform me that I've been selected as the Athlete of the Month for September! I did a brief interview and the hard copy should be out in a couple weeks. What's coming up: NRC Tour of Elk Grove and the US National Criterium Championship in Downers Grove. Kenda will have good representation at both events which is GREAT. I am ready - and feeling good!

Oh, and I couldn't help but post this pic of my kitty, Gandalf. Such a charming little boy he is!

Superweek Post-Mort

Nice shot from Downers Grove last season - we're missing Molly this year in the Midwest. I hope she is recovering and will be getting back to racing soon.

Yeah so stuuuupidweek has been over for a while now and I've had a chance to digest everything that happened. I am still having a hard time swallowing the fact that my very nice wheel was ruined by a malicious act, but thankfully the guys at the Pony Shop are working to resurrect it. For actually accruing points in only 4 of the 9 events (the one I was crashed in I got no points), I have to say that finishing 20th overall is pretty respectable. Surely if I'd done more of the races my overall place would've been higher but doing every race was not part of my plan.

Looking at August there are races every weekend in the Midwest - big ones like Elk Grove and Downers Grove and I am SO ready for them!! My coach has set me up perfectly to do well at all of these events - all I have to do is execute and stay out of trouble.

Something needs to be said for the Kenda team that went to Altoona for a brutal week-long stage race. Those girls are to be congratulated on surviving probably the hardest NRC stage race on the calendar - well done girls!!

Further, special mention goes to the cat 3/4 Kenda girls who raced at Superweek - well done ladies! Representing the team, doing your share of the work (not sitting on and sucking wheel, waiting for the sprint), getting into breaks, being aggressive and attacking is the way to get faster and to earn respect. You should all be very proud of your efforts.

Public Domain....

It's interesting to me how links to my blog and my various inocuous comments pop up on other blogs, especially because I can count on one hand the number of individuals to whom I have given the address....hmmmmm... I suppose it's to be expected since this blog is technically public domain, right? Don't worry, you won't find much drama here - just the occasional mundane race report and some pictures.

Oh, and in case you are wondering what the blog title is all about, it's basically a way of saying, "same old stuff, different day," because trust me - my life ain't no dream!!

Evanston Grand Prix - Whoa....

First of all - not race related at all...my little brother Chris and his wife Michelle are having a BOY!! yay - a nephew for me!! Anyway...

So the Superweek Pro 1/2 women's series culminated today at the Evanston Grand Prix on a flat, fast, tight 6-turn course in downtown Evanston. So many awesome, amazing, supportive friends were on hand to cheer for Team Kenda today including:
Steve Seide
Mary Nelson
Eric Bremer (who was volunteering!)
Karen and Greg Drennan
Mike Ferren
Steve and Peggy Thordarson
Brian Kavanaugh and MerriEllen
Tony from Judson(I don't know his last name....)
Bill Nedza and Donna
Jerry Ortega
Troy Henikoff with Karlen and Addison
Bob Issac
Josh Mallan
Kris Over and Brad
Ted Anderson
Mike from Judson - again, don't know his last name but he was giving time splits!
John Walker
Marek Jasinski
Jim Brady
Lou Kuhn with Chloe
Mike Puzen

Thank you so very much everyone - it meant so much to me that you were all there - and surely I forgot a bunch more or just didn't see you...

The race was pretty fast and the field was rather sketchy, especially in turns 5 and 6. There were a few pileups that I fortunately avoided. Corie (my teammate) and I stayed toward the front and out of trouble for the majority of the race. I even snagged a cash prime! With about 2 laps to go things were getting pretty strung out and crazy so I tried the best I could to hold decent position and stay out of crash danger. Between turns 5 and 6 someone touched the brakes a little so I had to hesitate and that was the difference between winning and 4th place for me today. 4th is acceptable, given that things were pretty dangerous out there.

The really bad news was that Corie was bumped after crossing the finish line (behind me, so I didn't see it) and crashed hard into the barricades. She ended up at the hospital in a ton of pain but after x-rays fortunately without any broken bones. There were countless people who selflessly gave their time and made an effort to help us get Corie's things over to the hospital and make sure that she was taken care of including:
Catherine Walberg
Jessie Cole
Imelda March
Kris Over and Brad
Cathy Corbett
Steve Seide
Also, thanks to Heidi Mingesz (USA Cycling Official) for her kind words - they mean more than she knows!

It looks like Corie is just bruised and sore so hopefully she will be able to do the 24X9 National Mountain Bike Championship in Wausau next week. She's tough as nails - I think she'll recover this week and be ready to go!!

Next weekend is looking open...maybe just some hard training rides and a lot of rest.

Superweek...Shorewood Criterium Report

The Shorewood course is actually pretty long and boring except for the bumpiest pavement on the face of the planet between turns one and two. I can't tell you how many times butts left saddles going over the bumps on that stretch of road today! It's otherwise a pretty straightforward course - mostly flat with a chicane between turns three and four with a LONG sprint to the finish (at least 400m... - that's waaaay long). Did I mention that there were various potholes and recessed sewer grids in the middle of the chicane? Oh, there were.... I think the course's best feature was the guy beating on the bucket with wooden spoons between turns one and two...gotta love those cheeseheads!

I think they called primes on 22 of the 29 laps we did today which kept the speed high and the movement at the front of the group pretty crazy. I stuck to my plan of staying protected from the wind and getting good position for the sprint. There were a few small break away attempts along the way - the most impressive being from my friend Jen Rasmussen from the East Coast racing for HPC/List. Jen was away for nearly 3 laps when she was finally brought in - she's exceptionally strong and one of these days she will attack and stay off the front for a huge win. Anyway, coming out of the final turn I was a little too far back but was able to pick up a bunch of positions to finish in 4th today - sorted out by the camera. I'm satisfied with the effort and after a day of rest I hope to continue the top 10 streak into Waukesha and Evanston.

Now, it's time for some Biofreeze (many thanks to CJ...) and some catching up on what happened at the British Open today...I LOVE golf, in case you didn't know!

Another Lovely Day in the Saddle - Superweek....

Weather permitted and we raced the Saturn Whitnall Park Circuit Road Race yesterday. The course is a 2.5mi rolling circuit with a short steep hill before the finish. I again rode conservatively and kept my face out the wind in favor of letting the teams take care of the chase work. We rode 19 laps today and everyone was pretty much together by the time the final sprint came - uphill and around the curve to the line.

We were about 200 meters from the finish line when a rider on my right pushed me (yes, literally pushed with her hand) into another rider on my left - at top speed. My front wheel locked into her rear derailleur - shredding my $700 wheel and taking me down with her in the process. Words do not describe the anger and frustration at that moment. I had to walk away to keep from screaming and saying things that could have repercussions in the future. I returned a few minutes later to retrieve my bike and walked it across the finish line, dead freaking last. There is no doubt in my mind that I again had a top 5 finish. It was taken away by a rider who made a 'questionable' move - not cool at all.

I decided to come home this morning because I'm still angry - I couldn't be around that girl today. I'll head back up to Milwaukee for the Shorewood Criterium tomorrow....

Superweek #2 - Bensenville

A most excellent day - a bit warm but all good for racing. I was feeling quite sore after all the carnage yesterday but decided to stick it out since the race was so close to home. Today's course was a bit more technical than yesterday so there was some twitchiness but nothing that took me down.

Breaks were off the front most of the race but with about 2 to go everyone was together and I was in the Cheerwine leadout train once again (no better place to be!!). Heading into the final turns before the finish I saw a wheel coming up under my right arm and had a choice to make - stay where I was and risk a bad crash or slow and let the wheel come by. Choosing the path of lesser resistance, I let the rider take the low line through the turn which pushed me off the train and back into 12th place. All together, not a bad day but a little frustrating since I surely had another top 5 sprint in my legs.

Next up: Whitnall Park, weather permitting.....

Superweek Starts!

The International Cycling Class (aka Superweek) started today in Blue Island, IL - about a 15min drive from my parents' house - I was totally stoked to be racing in the 'hood! I had a great night's sleep at Mom and Dad's place and a low-key morning of an easy ride, a bit of reading (with feet up) and good old mac and cheese for a pre-race lunch. The weather was perfect albeit a little windy and my warm-up was great so I was confident that it would be a good day on the bike.

We had 40 laps to do on a 1 mile course - pretty long for a criterium but Superweek races tend to be a bit on the long side. Things got started pretty fast with lots of manhole dodging and twitchy turns that led to the first crash about 3 laps in(yes, I was in it...). I went over to the wheel pit and got put back in without event, except for the growing bruise on my left ankle. My plan was to basically stay protected and out of the wind since I didn't have any teammates in the race (Karen was there but admitted that she was racing to survive today, and not to expect much from her). I kept an eye on the Cheerwine, Aaron's, HUB, XPLANE.com and two east coast teams that had at least 3 riders in the group. There were some attacks and small breaks throughout but nothing stuck. At about the halfway mark there was another ridiculous crash that took me down yet again - another visit to the wheel pit and another uneventful return to action. Things started picking up with about 4 laps to go. I made sure that I was near the front and continued to watch the sprinters and their teams, looking to jump into their leadout trains for some help to the line. Coming out of the last turn I moved up and sprinted with everything I had - passing a bunch of riders along the way and finishing 5th behind some heavy hitters from Cheerwine, Aaron's and HUB.

It felt great to stand on the podium with Mom and Dad there - they don't often get the chance to see me race so this was a very special thing for me. I gave my flowers to my Mom and we all ended a most excellent day with some pizza and pepsi's in the shade.

Next up: Bensenville tomorrow....icing the war wounds tonight and an easy morning ride before going back to battle.....

Columbus and Some Sad News

So Kristin, Karen, Corie and I went to Columbus, OH for some high quality racing over the weekend. We worked hard on Saturday and put 3 girls in the top 10 (I finished 3rd and won a prime!). Sunday's course had a bit of a hill on it - I went from the gun with a girl from Michigan who basically attacked and dropped me on the climb after 8-10 laps or so. I tucked my tail between my legs and went back to the group.....she stayed off the front for the entire race and I had nothing left in my legs so I cruised in at a respectable 15th.

The sad news of the weekend....we got a phone call Saturday from Peoria, IL where the state RR and crit championships were taking place. An athlete from XXX Athletico had been stuck by a truck and killed on Saturday but I didn't know who that rider was at the time. Subsequent email confirmed that the rider was Beth Kobeszka - a girl I knew from my days at LPAC who I coached in the triathlon group and who attended my Spin classes quite regularly. It's a horribly sad and unfortunate thing - Beth had so much energy and enthusiasm. We will all miss her dearly.

iZumi

This is Pearl iZumi, and a little shot of G in the back on my dresser. She likes to get pets, sit on my shoulder, talk to the birds and squirrels in the yard, and play in her kitty tunnel. She's got quite a devilish streak too - she's been known to break through kitchen window screens and chase neighborhood strays up the tree in the backyard!

Gandalf

This is Gandalf, the sleeping devil. He's the sweetest not-so-little kitty I could ever ask to have. He really likes to eat, chase the laser pointer, watch the birds and squirrels in the yard and give my other kitty, Izumi, a good whuppin' once in a while. Did I mention that he likes to eat?