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.