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.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
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...
Sunday, October 14, 2007
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...
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...
Sunday, October 7, 2007
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.
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.
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