tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8300377591273851382024-02-07T01:31:54.177-06:00Livin' the Dream!The bike racing exploits, musings and misadventures of that girl with the long ponytail and fingernails...Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comBlogger246125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-49780949255289075332012-02-19T08:23:00.003-06:002012-02-19T08:25:15.378-06:00Wow. Life's Changed.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">So my life has changed tremendously in many ways since I last posted just over a year ago. Some of this change has been tremendously good. Some of it has been profoundly painful and difficult to endure. But here I am, in one piece and enjoying some degree of a normal existence, at last. Life in Chicago had become very unsatisfying for me - on a lot of levels. It was clear to me about two years ago that some large-scale personal and professional adjustments needed to be made if I was going to keep from finding myself in a very sad and dangerous place.<br /></p> <p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal">It's strange to wake up one day and realize that things you've devoted huge amounts of time and effort to are not providing the return (financially, emotionally, physically, etc) you'd hoped for. To finally stop cold and say to yourself, "this is untenable and cannot continue" is incredibly difficult, especially for someone who has a high-achieving, driven personality. But I did it. And I'm better for having experienced it.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: justify;">So I'm in Richmond, VA. My career has once again been placed on a track for growth, I enjoy riding my bike, exploring history, the weather is agreeable, my cats are happy, and life is good. While that's all wonderful and nice, I still struggle with demons every day. I've learned things about myself over the past two years that now allow me to better deal with my own flaws and tolerate those of others without conflict. It's a form of growth that staying in Chicago would not have permitted.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-align: justify;"> Sure, there are people and things in Chicago that I dearly miss but there are just as many that I can easily do without. I suppose there are always trade offs when a change of venue happens but right now, I'm working on me, finding my way, figuring things out and doing as I wish without encumbrances. It's refreshing and scary all at once and right now, I wouldn't have it any other way.</p>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-87340900757923987942011-01-05T12:18:00.003-06:002011-01-05T12:21:45.993-06:00An Old Post I Didn't Post<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjckoE2caeU-ZABmtJySCKwqYwpTNwN44ya6TD2t5vW4bpLZy1lNU5vBZfBSJ6hlo1zSbLIJQ3CuQQXKTlMbWbXT23_lSI0cDp5TyAC8k1vM_s_MTHnLyeJGMpR3-HfgZphUtSmq7q_aB/s1600/evanston1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjckoE2caeU-ZABmtJySCKwqYwpTNwN44ya6TD2t5vW4bpLZy1lNU5vBZfBSJ6hlo1zSbLIJQ3CuQQXKTlMbWbXT23_lSI0cDp5TyAC8k1vM_s_MTHnLyeJGMpR3-HfgZphUtSmq7q_aB/s320/evanston1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5558768213434075730" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Off the front, laying it down in Evanston<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">NOTE: This entry was initially posted back in July but not to this blog. Here you now have my Evanston GP recap.<br /></div><br /></div>Superweek is a 21 day series of races that occurs every July in the Chicago and Milwaukee area. The racing is fast, hard, aggressive and incredibly exciting. The Evanston Grand Prix has been a part of the series for a few years now and has probably become my favorite event - a tight, technical .8mi hourglass shaped course in downtown Evanston, IL that suits me well. The crowd is always huge and the fan support is amazing.<br /><br />Racing got underway a little late for our 35 lap race due to some strong thunderstorms that moved through the area earlier in the day. I knew the field was full of some quality sprinting horsepower so it was my plan to attack and hopefully get away with a small group. My first attack at 32 laps to go was hauled back in within a lap. When I was caught, I immediately counter-attacked my own move and was alone, off the front, for the remainder of the race. I caught and lapped the field!<br /><br />A lot of things went through my mind as I fought fatigue and dehydration on a very hot day - this is insane! You're going to get caught! My legs hurt so terribly bad! I can't believe I did this to myself! As my gap grew and I settled into a sustainable pace things changed and my head came around to a more positive place. In the end, I allowed the peloton to roll away and contest the sprint for second place and I crossed the line alone, hands in the air, tears in my eyes. It was an amazing and wonderful feeling to work so incredibly hard and achieve something I've always wanted.<br /><br />My ride is dedicated to my best friend and training partner who was nearly killed by a truck while training on his bike nearly seven weeks ago. He is my motivation, inspiration and reason for living. Mike - I love you with all my heart and I am here for you as you suffer, struggle and fight to regain your life. My mind was filled with thoughts of you as I suffered and dug deeply into that painful and uncertain place called 'off the front.' It's a place you introduced me to and you are there with me every time I visit. Thank you for being you - I am here for you, always.Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-24021920033517937422010-11-16T09:04:00.000-06:002010-11-16T09:05:15.347-06:00Yep.Don't want to be an actor pretending on the stage<br />Don't want to be a writer with my thoughts out on the page<br />Don't want to be a painter 'cause everyone comes to look<br />Don't want to be anything where my life's an open book<br /><br />A dream it's true<br />But I'd see it through<br />If I could be<br />Wasting my time with you<br /><br />Don't want to be a farmer working in the sun<br />Don't want to be an outlaw always on the run<br />Don't want to be a climber reaching for the top<br />Don't want to be anything where I don't know when to stop<br /><br />A dream it's true<br />But I'd see it through<br />If I could be<br />Wasting my time with you<br /><br />So if I'm inside your head<br />Don't believe what you might have read<br />You'll see what I might have said<br />To hear it<br /><br />Come waste your time with me<br />Come waste your time with me<br /><br />So if I'm inside your head<br />Don't believe what you might have read<br />You'll see what I might have said<br />To hear it<br /><br />Come waste your time with me<br />Come waste your time with me<br />Come waste your time with me<br />Come waste your time with me<br /><br />Come waste your time with meVelogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-22520106199261769492010-09-28T10:12:00.004-05:002010-09-28T10:42:34.365-05:00Back from the Edge But Still at the Zoo...<div style="text-align: justify;">It's been a while and I will make no guarantees that I'll be back for long but after a bit of a hiatus I'm offering today's 5min VO2 effort playlist. I'm on sabbatical on a lot of levels, working through some personal, athletic and professional issues that have consumed my time and attention for a few months now.<br /><br />Here's what we're massaging our eardrums with this afternoon:<br /><br />Keep the Car Running - Arcade Fire<br />Dakota - Stereophonics<br />Emerge - Fischerspooner<br />Wrong Way - Sublime<br />Cuttooth - Radiohead<br />Let My Love Open the Door - Pete Townshend<br />Fortune Teller - Robert Plant and Alison Krauss<br />Up Tight - The Hives<br />No Cars Go - Arcade Fire<br />Breakaway - The Detroit Cobras<br />Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne<br />Trouble - Coldplay<br /><br />Then I'm heading out to do some tasty bump repeats on the LFP on this gorgeous, sunny autumn day before coffee with my best friend. That makes me happy and at the moment, that's all I really want and the only thing that matters.<br /></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-1172317002851065712010-07-12T05:12:00.003-05:002010-07-12T08:49:43.814-05:00Superweek - The Homewood International Cycling Classic<div style="text-align: justify;">Homewood is a new Superweek location for 2010. I was especially psyched about this because my hometown, Thornton, is situated immediately east of Homewood. I was able to ride to the race venue from my parents' house 3mi away. The course was excellent - 8 turns, completely flat, running through downtown. Some of the pavement was bumpy but not too bad and there was a nice headwind to deal with on the long backstretch between turns 4 and 5.<br /><br />We got underway with maybe 30 starters. I didn't count how many of us there were so I could be wrong on that but the field wasn't huge which was nice - it made for much smoother cornering in tight spots. Stacy and I were pretty active early on with a few short stints off the front and some work to bring in a couple of early flyers. A break of 3 managed to get away at some point and build an 18-20sec gap. I was tremendously frustrated that everyone seemed pretty content to just let it go. I and maybe 3 or 4 others worked to bring the gap down to 8sec and then everyone sat up and let it go back out with about 10 laps to go. Negative. Even more negative were the riders who literally tailgunned the entire race and then suddenly appeared in the front with 2 laps to go.<br /><br />As things started to get twitchy in the last two laps I worked very hard to keep decent position. I lost a bunch in turn 6 but was patient, moved up before the last turn, was able to hit it up the left side and finish 3rd in a close field sprint. Not the way I wanted things to turn out - I really wanted to haul that break back in - but not a bad way to finish a long crit. Unfortunately, Stacy hit the fencing on the last lap and lost some skin. She's going to be okay and she rode like a champ - I love racing with her and she learns more every time. The ride back to Thornton was a little wet but there were Chips Ahoy cookies waiting there for me which made it all okay in the end.<br /><br />Up next is Evanston next Sunday for sure. Maybe something else before then but who knows - trying to balance work and life right now and with good reason, work and life are winning. And I'm totally okay with that!<br /><br />Thanks so much for reading. If any photos surface, I'll be sure to post them.<br /></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-45818995126917184822010-07-03T19:47:00.008-05:002010-07-05T11:06:07.283-05:00Tour de Villas - Bow Wow Wow!!<div style="text-align: justify;">The brilliant plan for the day involved riding 15mi to Des Plaines, doing two crits (women open and men 50+) then riding home. I'd not slept well the night before and wasn't feeling the love when I rolled out but once I got moving things seemed to open up a little. I connected with my teammate Stacy beforehand for some pre-race planning, got a good warm up and hit the line for the women's race nervous as hell. There were (I think) about 20-25 starters with Alberto's and Project 5 having strong representation with multiple riders. Not sure why but I'm an absolute anxious wreck before small local races. Lots of pressure for no good reason, I guess.<br /><br />The course was simple enough - one big oval, no turns just curves, a long sprint, lots of bumpy pavement and a face full of headwind on the back stretch. I was tickled to see Channel 7's Paul Meincke doing some color commentary at the start/finish - a celebrity!! I wanted to be patient but just couldn't stand the parade-speed of the group so I attacked early. In fact, Stacy and I attacked and counter attacked repeatedly but weren't able to escape thanks to the wind. I didn't count how many times we tried to break things up but it was absurd mostly because we'd get hauled back in and everyone would sit up, look at each other and go 13mph. Frustrating and negative for sure.<br /><br />I think I was away for 2 laps or so at one point but with 2 to go it was clear that we were setting up for a field sprint. Stacy did an <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">awesome</span></span> job of ramping up the speed on the last lap. I was sitting in third position, jumped hard and waaaay early but managed to take the win with Stacy coming across 4th - a great showing for the Bulldogs!! Special thanks to Stacy who kept the pace high at the end - she did it perfectly and still secured a strong finish, nice work!<br /><br />The men's race was surprisingly not very animated most likely because a lot of the guys were doing multiple races. We rolled with 31 starters - Stacy and I were just planning to do some motor pacing. I executed an early 'glory' attack that got me off the front for a couple laps but that was brought back in just in time for Mark Shay to hit it and spend a fair amount of time alone off the front. Of course when Mark was caught (idiot that I am) I countered and ended up spending probably another 6 laps alone in the wind, dying a slow death and thinking to myself, "how the hell are you going to ride home after this, fool?" Sure enough, I was sucked in with 1/2 a lap to go. I stayed near the front and found a hole which enabled me to punch through for a 4th place finish - I think. I left before final results were posted and it's possible that one of the guys ahead of me was 55+, which would leave me in 3rd. Regardless, I worked very hard and had a lot of fun on a <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">beautiful </span>sunny day. Interestingly, I was stung by a bee during my second solo stint. It was a little swollen and itchy but as I sit here and type my ankle and foot are now freakishly edematous and sort of gross looking...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">UPDATE: I did indeed finish 3rd in the men's race. Very cool....</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Quote of the Day from Bill Cassidy: "Next time you're alone and coming through the start/finish on the last lap, go faster if you don't want to get caught."</span><br /><br />I did ride home and probably ended up getting back faster than I would have if I'd driven there. Shower, lunch and good company for some HD TdF occupied the rest of the afternoon. Big thanks to Project 5 for organizing a great event on short notice - you guys did a super job!<br /><br />And yes, I am still at the zoo.....no estimate on when that will change.<br /><br /><br /></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-17358153020654761432010-06-30T11:33:00.003-05:002010-06-30T11:45:38.629-05:00Tunes<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tKSl7gq7NSDnu2xO_V8Xqsa4zqo_WjmsGu7tB59xVuYXJm9rbig31ckIRu5VLKedfERdwbWYsOZqqgDjjztfPMWYA0Hp0qyPzTOg8ftE45lPVHIVQSQCPnzTBYDG_gsWF5FPYEvgdCM9/s1600/eddie.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tKSl7gq7NSDnu2xO_V8Xqsa4zqo_WjmsGu7tB59xVuYXJm9rbig31ckIRu5VLKedfERdwbWYsOZqqgDjjztfPMWYA0Hp0qyPzTOg8ftE45lPVHIVQSQCPnzTBYDG_gsWF5FPYEvgdCM9/s320/eddie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5488605883602142194" border="0" /></a><br />Eddie. The man speaks to me.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I'm very fortunate in that I get to play 'adult gym class' for a living. The money isn't super great but being able to work part time with cool people and have fun doing it makes up for whatever downside exists. This morning in spin we did some tasty LT/<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Vo</span>2 work to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">playlist</span> below.<br /><br />Walking in Your Footsteps - The Police<br />Devil in Me - 22-20s<br />I'm not Your Man - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Doughboys</span><br />The Fixer - Pearl Jam<br />Walk Idiot Walk - The Hives<br />Where are we <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Runnin</span>' - Lenny <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Kravitz</span><br />Think I'm in Love - Beck<br />Let My Love Open the Door - Pete <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Townshend</span><br />12:51 - The Strokes<br />Low Rider - War<br />Good Times, Bad Times - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Godsmack</span><br />Albatross Joe - Cocktail Preachers<br />This is Your Life - Dust Brothers with Tyler <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Durdin</span><br />Whipping - Pearl Jam<br />Trouble - <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Coldplay</span><br /><br />Looks like I''l be retiring to the beach again on Friday after finishing at work. It's a good place to spend time and decompress when your head is at the zoo. I finished 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' and have begun 'Lunar Park' by Bret <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Easton</span> Ellis. He's a very troubled guy but his writing style makes for easy reading. Up next is 'American Psycho.' I may or may not race this weekend. There's a local <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">crit</span> I'm considering that looks like a good opportunity to stretch the legs and lungs a bit with the boys. And I might even do the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">women's</span> race too.<br /></div></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-53738999656321950362010-06-26T17:53:00.006-05:002010-06-27T14:30:53.360-05:00Apache 40K<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY13a6TzqRGEbwLjIr_0tc6D_bk-L-tKtWJzniu_toGODdxqSuYI25OhguEmafRl_Dl-jAakWRwOmUiN-r8EPG00iGzHRLcYuLyTdsFZIS_KdHz1NsWR6tZ8Gb1WYgA6hX8cXKWCe9jkFL/s1600/IMG00237.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY13a6TzqRGEbwLjIr_0tc6D_bk-L-tKtWJzniu_toGODdxqSuYI25OhguEmafRl_Dl-jAakWRwOmUiN-r8EPG00iGzHRLcYuLyTdsFZIS_KdHz1NsWR6tZ8Gb1WYgA6hX8cXKWCe9jkFL/s320/IMG00237.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487537428111652210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">This little pig-gay is in the window at an interesting place I ride by most days of the week.<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">When I asked, they refused to sell him to me. </span><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Is it a good sign when you see windmill farms on the way to a time trial? Hmmmmm.....for those of you who don't venture out past DeKalb very often, there are a lot of windmill farms out there in corn country so it's a pretty safe bet that any time trial you do out that way is gonna be a real windy mother. I was hoping the corn would be sort of 'up' to break things up a bit but a strong WNW kept things interesting the entire 40K out in Paw Paw. Cupcake and I rolled out west after a line of strong thunderstorms passed through on what turned out to be a really hot though very nice sunny (windy) day.<br /><br />40K time trials are the most challenging for me - I much prefer and do better in 20K and 30Ks. After the debacle that was Champaign, I asked MetLifeGuy WTF I should do to improve my 40K time trialing. His response: do more 40Ks. Thanks for that...though he was exactly right. We don't have many 40K opportunities each season - maybe 4-5 at most - so when one rolls around on the schedule I tend to sit on the fence and get anxious about whether I'll actually do it or not.<br /><br />The course in Paw Paw is out and back, shaped like the big dipper with some nice rollers on the southernmost stretch and a fair amount of false flat/rolling terrain elsewhere. I felt really strong til the last 10K (no surprise there) and really had to dig to finish well. At about 8K to go I really wanted to just get off my bike and lie down on the side of the road - a good sign that I was riding it the 'right' way. In the end I managed to post my fastest 40K time ever - by a minute - I was very pleased. And yes, it was sub-hour by a substantial amount. Definitely a good day and a good test of fitness as Masters Nationals approaches. I am definitely stronger than I was at this time last season.<br /><br />I finished 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' and am nearly done with 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.' A great piece of classic lit and I'm loving it. Not sure what's up next.<br /><br />I didn't have a lift to Peoria today so I didn't do the state crit. Sigh. Though opting out may have been a good thing in the long run. Looking at the race calendar I'm planning to do some of Superweek and will be spending a lot of training time on the TT bike. I will not be denied this year.<br /><br />I am indeed still at the zoo but have settled in here and don't plan to leave for a while - so if you think I'm acting strangely, you're probably correct.<br /></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-2420786558050846462010-06-20T17:16:00.005-05:002010-06-20T17:43:28.665-05:00USA Crits Giro d'Grafton<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobuxv8qu51nRCMocgK1PaceTozZXP18dIzSFu879vKST-h9QdCdXRoeoX1GdjcZ3de1BZkxxflCPpw2YsE_spHdrMrzqcYB3-jUGe8aLmtA_ZBmPLa_8pK261cmX2ApogfoobAEGnTnhO/s1600/DSC_0103.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjobuxv8qu51nRCMocgK1PaceTozZXP18dIzSFu879vKST-h9QdCdXRoeoX1GdjcZ3de1BZkxxflCPpw2YsE_spHdrMrzqcYB3-jUGe8aLmtA_ZBmPLa_8pK261cmX2ApogfoobAEGnTnhO/s320/DSC_0103.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484983871204082674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Solo flyer taken at some point when I was feeling good.<br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I was pretty psyched to head up to Grafton, WI for the USA Crits/Tour of America's Dairyland Giro d'Grafton crit yesterday. Val and I loaded up the truck and hit the road after being able to sleep in! One thing I really like about racing at national caliber events - women P1/2/3 typically race in the afternoon. That's good for me since I normally suck in the morning.<br /><br />We arrived and were promptly informed that our teammate Stacy had won the W3/4 race earlier in the day - very exciting for our team! There were about 65-70 women lined up for the P1/2/3 event. I'd had a good warm up and was feeling great. I knew that if all went well, I could probably place well. Things were pretty aggressive from the gun with a fair number of primes and point sprints. I even won some USA Crits points. For a while I was away with Kori Seehafer from TT1 but we were reeled in at about the 30min mark of the 60min race. Her teammate countered and managed to stay away, being joined by a Metro-VW rider not long after.<br /><br /><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUm-RgMw-toBBXbmBqJupzDw0oL6j1sq8OJ2BsmIXCtxCw0dN6jsb61H8iVkM8LeZ7YXGb3WDpE5BNNGLKioHSqoGjSKyJAnBG2PRb_8SAfNtbOvezjC9ut6-dC9tua_r3C0rS0qhCl8c/s1600/DSC_0107.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUm-RgMw-toBBXbmBqJupzDw0oL6j1sq8OJ2BsmIXCtxCw0dN6jsb61H8iVkM8LeZ7YXGb3WDpE5BNNGLKioHSqoGjSKyJAnBG2PRb_8SAfNtbOvezjC9ut6-dC9tua_r3C0rS0qhCl8c/s320/DSC_0107.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484983769097036898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Stacy in the P1/2/3 race. She did a great job and rode smart in a big, strong field.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">There were a few bridge attempts and some efforts to reel the break back in but nothing ever got organized enough to make any kind of impact. With about 8 laps to go I had a conversation with a Vera Bradley Foundation rider about chasing things down but they weren't interested and were content to take their chances in a field sprint. At that point my main objective became maintaining position going into the long final sprint. The last turn on the 6-corner course is less than 90 degrees and somewhat off-camber so I knew it was important to be near but not in the front. Things got a bit bunched up coming out of the turn but I didn't panic - I knew that I'd have time and space to make up any ground lost early on.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5BjsBaHFfhWMX_lChPZYUnmzDuS8sbMpK26Zu6Kp9Hxro-_FZx2APwbNSmgfgTIoiMicUJqFrA3y2prIk0cvL95Y3Q11EiIC41cG3-X2DEtHUs7xzm-1hTUp6th7LfoCzcPZ47mnzcLM/s1600/DSC_0112.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5BjsBaHFfhWMX_lChPZYUnmzDuS8sbMpK26Zu6Kp9Hxro-_FZx2APwbNSmgfgTIoiMicUJqFrA3y2prIk0cvL95Y3Q11EiIC41cG3-X2DEtHUs7xzm-1hTUp6th7LfoCzcPZ47mnzcLM/s320/DSC_0112.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484983599042252338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Val, playing it smart</span>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">As things wound up a hole opened and I went through, straight to the front and moving fast as hell. On the line I was third in the field sprint, fifth overall. I was very pleased with my result - there was a lot of horsepower in the field and a fifth place finish is a strong result. Val had good position in the end but got caught up behind some junk that caused her to roll across 22nd with Stacy a little farther back. In all, a darn fine showing for the Bulldogs! I'm really looking forward to doing more racing with my team - such great girls and excellent racers.<br /><br />Special thanks to Grafton native John Walker for his fine camera work! Thanks for coming out and cheering for us, John. Always good to see a familiar face in the crowd.<br /><br />Beyond that, I guess this helps my head get back on track a bit. I'm still at the zoo but at least I'm seeing things that I like. Not sure what the plan is for next weekend. There's a 40K TT and the state championship crit in Peoria. I held the crit title a long time ago and it might be nice to wear the jersey again....<br /></div></div></div></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-22263362081738123292010-06-17T10:31:00.003-05:002010-06-17T10:41:34.056-05:00Hearing and ReadingWe'll be doing some threshold/hard tempo zigzag stuff in class today. Here's our playlist:<br /><br />Not an Addict - K's Choice<br />White Palm - B.R.M.C.<br />Salvation - The Cranberries<br />Wong Way - Sublime<br />Berlin - B.R.M.C.<br />Burnout - Green Day<br />Pretty Vegas - INXS<br />Fire - The Jimi Hendrix Experience<br />I'm a Believer - Smashmouth<br />Hang Fire - The Rolling Stones<br />Beautiful Day - U2<br />Isn't She Lovely - Me First and the Gimme Gimmes<br />Don't Change - INXS<br />Awake - B.R.M.C.<br /><br />We listened to this yesterday:<br /><br />Slave to Love - Brian Ferry and Roxy Music<br />Breaking the Girl - Red Hot Chili Peppers<br />World Wide Suicide - PJ<br />Demolition Man - The Police<br />Backwards Down the Number Line - Phish<br />Forever Yellow Skies - The Cranberries<br />Mr. Jones - Counting Crows<br />Sabotage - Beastie Boys<br />Morning Glory - Oasis<br />Trouble - Coldplay (yep, my favorite Coldplay tune...)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I finished reading 'The Pacific' by Hugh Ambrose. Wow. Compelling stuff. That's all I can say. I started 'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil' by John Berendt last night. Very good so far.<br /><br />Not a whole lot to say. Still in a tentative place. As I like to say, 'fuck it - sometimes you have to go to the zoo.' I'm at the zoo. Don't know when I'm coming back or what I'll be like upon re-entry.<br /></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-76024480371294390282010-06-14T11:03:00.006-05:002010-06-14T19:18:04.288-05:00Bong 1.5 30K TT<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGcRnVZS_E42ISoqkSQVSt1pvxiUSdDv3CaEI6ShlKPhiS6z1Z1Xjkb0WSeXGp-6Fmbs-2H8izz7DHTozI9cxE8NLy5VYvMDVI_PpsRHxntUU7PBgenmjmWaMWp1We8UrC3dvdWhfq2dP/s1600/IMG00229.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGcRnVZS_E42ISoqkSQVSt1pvxiUSdDv3CaEI6ShlKPhiS6z1Z1Xjkb0WSeXGp-6Fmbs-2H8izz7DHTozI9cxE8NLy5VYvMDVI_PpsRHxntUU7PBgenmjmWaMWp1We8UrC3dvdWhfq2dP/s320/IMG00229.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482660764490805794" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Jim and Tom after racing but before a shower. They have nice faces, too.<br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Admittedly I am having a hard time feeling the love for racing right now. Or really much of anything, to be honest. But I guess grinding things out might be a good way to maybe find some sense of structure and normalcy so yesterday I rolled to Kansasville, WI for the Bong and a Half. We had a decent day weather-wise with some wind in a few places and some damp pavement spots but it was otherwise pleasant. Turnout was good with the usual suspects showing up to have some 'fun.'<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I had a solid warm up and ended up posting a personal best time for 30K at the Bong by 20sec and first in the Open women's category so I'm pleased. My power file looked solid, too. It was nice to see a bunch of my teammates and other characters of interest at the TT - sorry I didn't bake this time, guys. I'm always good for some brownies or cookies but I just didn't have the motivation.<br /></div></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Up next it looks like Grafton on Saturday with my teammates, Val and Stacy. It's an NRC race that's part of the USA Crits series and I'm looking forward to it. I did Grafton and finished third a couple years back so I'm confident that I can do well with the heavy hitters who show up. I think we'll have a good time and a strong showing.<br /><br />Til next time, be safe out there....<br /></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-28402829365046969812010-06-11T16:31:00.004-05:002010-06-11T17:27:16.075-05:00What a Week and Some Tunes<div style="text-align: justify;">Don't know that I can articulate exactly how I feel at the moment. Imagine that - I'm stymied! For the most part, I can express myself freely when it comes to unimportant conversation, but the past week has been difficult. Or maybe it's just that this particular diatribe isn't unimportant. Once in a while stuff happens that, to some degree, can tend to dictate the direction of your future. I think that maybe this past week has proven to be the precursor to a shift of things for me.<br /><br />I'll say it here, right now, that during this past week I have seriously pondered retiring from the bike at the end of this season. I entertained doing that about three years ago then decided that I wanted to get stronger and still had more to accomplish, so I kept going. Of late, too many of my good friends have been seriously injured on their bikes and I'm having a really hard time wanting to continue exposing myself that risk day in and day out. I still <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">love</span> to train hard and race but the environment within which I ride (the city and north shore) has become incredibly dangerous and hostile. I've always said I'd walk away on my terms - when it's no longer fun and I get nothing positive out of it. Racing and riding is still enormously fun and positive for me, which is why I am so conflicted.<br /><br />To consider eliminating an activity so central to my very existence is deeply difficult. Racing bikes does not pay the bills, support my lifestyle or make me who I am in this world. Nor will it ever determine the quality or size of the impact I have on the existence of others. That said, I'm not sure what I will do with myself if I decide that I'm finished. Go back to running marathons? I don't know if I can do that. Work more? Maybe a little bit but not much - I start to hate if I work too much. Get a life and meet some men? Terrifying. The prospects aren't so great!<br /><br />Until I have a more clear idea of what I'm going to do, I have fully committed myself to the goal of winning a jersey at Masters Nationals in 2010. Time trial or criterium - I owe it to myself to throw everything I have into making that a reality. I'll re-evaluate at the end of the season and hopefully a bit of clarity will have come to me by that time. The end of the season will be in December, after 'cross ends. Til then, I will work my ass off (or rest) every single day and when the smoke clears, hopefully I will know what I want to do.<br /><br />Up next is the Bong and a half TT on Sunday and I am ready! I considered the Sherman Park crit on Saturday but decided against it. I think I may head down to Kankakee for Cobb Park next weekend. I won that race many many years ago and would like to maybe try it again, as it might be my last time :)<br /><br />Thanks so much for reading. To all my friends out there who are recovering, stay positive and be patient. This will pass and things <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">will </span></span>get better. You are in my thoughts. And to everyone else, be careful out there. You just never know what's around the next corner.<br /><br />What my ears are hearing, in no particular order or importance. Just put the ipod on shuffle.<br /><br />Backward Down the Number Line - Phish<br />Four Sticks - Led Zeppelin<br />You've Got to Hide Your Love Away - Eddie Vedder<br />The Step and the Walk - The Duke Spirit<br />Get on Your Boots - U2 (God that song kicks ass!)<br />Mr. Brightside - The Killers<br />If I Can't Change Your Mind - Sugar<br />Jerry Was a Racecar Driver - Les Claypool/Primus<br />Cult of Personality - Living Color<br />Fade into Me - Mazzy Star<br />Right Now - Mocean Worker<br />Cinnamon Girl - Neil Young & Crazy Horse<br />Can't You Hear Me Knocking - Rolling Stones (might be my favorite 'stones song)<br />Spring and By Summer Fall - Blonde Redhead<br /></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-84302151467008060002010-06-06T16:40:00.009-05:002010-06-07T15:30:41.617-05:00Spring Prairie, WI Road Race<div style="text-align: justify;">I haven't done a road race, much less raced with women in a really long time so I was actually a little nervous about racing today in Wisconsin's state road race championship. In fact, I hadn't renewed my USAC license til last night - with my women's team, Bouledogue Tout Noir. In my absence from the women's peloton, a bunch of new, strong riders have arrived on the scene and I am unfamiliar with the present dynamic of things. I do know that I am riding well right now so the plan today was to observe and respond appropriately with my teammate Stacy. The course is one that sorts things out on its own so being more reactive as opposed to proactive was a smart strategy.<br /><br />I've never done this race before so I made sure to take a lap of the 6.5mi course before start time. It's a big rectangle with some rollers and one steepish hill before the start/finish that pretty much determines how things shake out. We had great weather and some stiff cross/headwind between turns 1 and 2. The P1/2/3 field was only 13 and comprised mostly of Wisconsin riders save a few of us so I was content to watch some friendly smackdown til the field shrunk down to 7 by the end of the third lap. Stacy took a great flyer at one point and was away for about a lap - it was well-timed and properly executed. I did a whole lot of sitting while the chase ensued.<br /><br />There were small attacks here and there but nothing beyond Stacy's hit really went anywhere which set things up for a field sprint. There were times along the way where this 'race' was more like a freakin' goat rodeo...7mph with women wobbling around and nearly falling over. Sheesh. In fact, at one point, I looked around and asked, 'now ladies, do we really want to go...8?' NOTE TO READER: This is why I race with the men. They just don't tolerate this kind of crap. Of course, once we had a tailwind the speed was more like 35mph. Maybe it's just me, but speed fluctuations like that tend to suck the life out of my legs. Must be my inner time trialist begging for steady, strong, pacemaking.<br /><br />Per some pre-race coaching from Stacy's studly boy, Chris, I exercised restraint when a hard attack went up the hill and got a gap at the end. He told us, 'they'll blow up and you'll reel them back in before the line.' When the attack went I remembered what Chris said and went up the hill steady, anticipating that I could swing around and go by them on the way to the line as they died...only it didn't come back!! Ugh - I ended up third. That sort of sucked because I felt really strong and surely could have finished better. Ah well, live and learn.<br /><br />Stacy and I had a blast racing together and I'm looking forward to a lot more of that! Val will also be coming out for some road stuff. We're all excited about our new arrangement which will surely lend a bit of fresh aggressiveness to the local and regional scene.<br /><br />In other news...I want to send my most deeply heartfelt love and support to one of my very best friends in this world who is going through some serious and difficult shit. I just want you to be whole again and am here for you, whatever you need, anytime and always.<br /></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-17635339206893235092010-05-31T17:24:00.009-05:002010-05-31T19:03:51.506-05:00ABD Masters Weekend<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9jwSp7LtWybXkE-QZa_gRggEu_2YsNu3nEuaFDeZ2bDmDcCvfe9B4r8Q3oi-RhQNQN93FxzSL3kIt02uCBa2OQT_wWxd2BBA_ty5PSLtYO8rU-0z3EYscxABrc2kUiEPVyW4P5uqYrQyb/s1600/BHFinal.Logo_horiz.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 303px; height: 174px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9jwSp7LtWybXkE-QZa_gRggEu_2YsNu3nEuaFDeZ2bDmDcCvfe9B4r8Q3oi-RhQNQN93FxzSL3kIt02uCBa2OQT_wWxd2BBA_ty5PSLtYO8rU-0z3EYscxABrc2kUiEPVyW4P5uqYrQyb/s320/BHFinal.Logo_horiz.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477563815457883906" border="0" /></a>The best new chamois cream-evar!!! You should getcha some...<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I no longer spend the time, money or effort to go out for the Quad Cities weekend. I have no teammates which means I just get worked over in a women's field - not very positive. Instead, I opt to do the ABD Masters weekend in Wood Dale with my PACT/Dishnetwork teammates. Yeah, the self-proclaimed 'old guys.' The same ones that beat my ass over and over - which makes for fun, positive, hard racing. In addition to some daily payout there's an omnium so it's to one's advantage to work hard and finish well every day. As a team we had a great showing each day with Jim, Andy, Ziggy, Victor, Richard, Tommy, and Mike coming out for at least some if not all of the weekend. To provide every detail of each day would make for a really long post, so I'll do some summarizing, in the interest of keeping it brief.<br /><br />Day 1: The break got away with PACT representation (Mike) with about 10min and 3 laps to go. Things had been pretty fast to that point. The field sprint developed nicely as Mack led things out into the final two turns. I felt good about my chances in the sprint, sitting fourth wheel when Don Lowe rolled his rear tubular in front of me. I had about a tenth of a second to make a choice: run him over or lean left and hope he sticks to the road. Fortunately for me, he stuck to the road and I finished 8th on the day. Mike ended up 3rd so our work to contain things paid off with a strong finish. I know Don went and had some things sewn back together and he's got to be pretty sore. Don, I'm so sorry you went down - feel better soon. I rode in the back of the 40+race after the 50+ ended and finished safely with the field. Tired legs!<br /><br />Day 2: It seemed like today was even harder than yesterday and I wasn't really feeling the love. Things were very animated and the usual suspects were killing each other til the break finally escaped, again with maybe 10min and 3 laps to go. We had Mike up there so our work was done. After they were away, nothing much happened in the field except a lot of slow so the break caught us with a few laps to go. Everything got crazy and fast going into the final sprint but I managed to finish well enough to take 7th on the day. Mike did a good job too - taking 4th out of the break. I didn't do the 40+ which was a wise choice given that I felt like ass.<br /><br />Day 3: Probably the best course of the weekend - a 1.6mi circuit that combines the Saturday and Sunday courses into one loop with a short rise before the final turn. We had three riders (Mike, Richard and me) in good position in the overall so getting strong finishes for all of us was important. I tried an early attack that was covered by two others and we stayed away for a little while but Mike put in the attack that successfully got him away for the remainder of the race. Tom Doughty bridged to him and we put the brakes on anything that twitched in the field. In the end, I was hosed in the sprint by a couple guys nearly bouncing off each other before the last turn so my finish pretty much sucked. It was all okay, though, because Mike took 2nd on the day and secured 3rd overall for himself. Richard's finish helped him to a 6th place overall and I managed to earn enough points for 7th overall.<br /><br />I'm mostly pleased with how my weekend went. I would've liked to make the break the first and second days but both times I was boxed in on the wrong side of the road when things got hot. Big picture tells me to just be content and look to what's next. Racing with guys like Tom Doughty, Mike, Jim Host, Wayne Simon, Brent Emery, Andy Kerr, Bob Downs, Fabio Orlandi and the Mack boys makes me stronger, faster and smarter. Thank you for killing me, tools - you guys ROCK.<br /><br />Also, many thanks to ABD and ABR for all they do to make this a great weekend of racing - all of the racers truly appreciate your efforts!<br /></div></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-56784035404690949422010-05-26T12:43:00.000-05:002010-05-26T12:44:48.679-05:00Woof.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05evglvCQ8UyPbKxxUVApSAv1G2lSG6d5GMGsQUS_jAruu04yZ-fJFpjQb6lWbxpGUfWEl61OTIoM_gvRd2eihJGM52ftwLMsqEWPD1P5mYVkTtJjJROWxWHxSAKxVhdRn1Xu-7hYHfs1/s1600/btn_zen_logo.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 104px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj05evglvCQ8UyPbKxxUVApSAv1G2lSG6d5GMGsQUS_jAruu04yZ-fJFpjQb6lWbxpGUfWEl61OTIoM_gvRd2eihJGM52ftwLMsqEWPD1P5mYVkTtJjJROWxWHxSAKxVhdRn1Xu-7hYHfs1/s320/btn_zen_logo.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475635996904691410" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Yep....there it is....<br /></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-34961699697245224162010-05-25T10:27:00.010-05:002010-05-26T18:42:41.423-05:00Barstow 20K - A New Course Record!<div style="text-align: justify;">Barstow is one of my favorite 20Ks - completely flat, straight out and back along the Rock River which makes for a fast, fun ride. It's a long, boring drive over to the Quad Cities area but totally worth it - I love the course. I set a new course record last season and this year I really wanted to go faster so admittedly I felt a little self-imposed pressure to perform.<br /><br />We were fortunate to have great weather on Sunday - it was sunny and warm with a strong cross/cross-headwind. I wasn't feeling so hot after a night of not great sleep and sort of tired legs so the sensations during warm-up weren't providing me with much confidence. That, and I wasn't seeing great numbers on the SRM so I resigned myself to just watching the speedo and going by feel. At certain points along the way in my first ride (I did two) I felt awful and wanted to just get off my bike and lie down. At other times I felt strong while seeing the speedo pegged at +27mph. In the end, the clock stopped nearly a minute faster than last season - a new course record, fastest women's time and a personal best 20K performance for me. Turns out I hadn't zeroed the offset on the SRM so the power numbers I got were crap. Big picture: who cares?<br /><br />My second ride was cake - I rolled it in comfort for the fourth best time in the 50+ men's field. It was a good day for me. Wakes came out and tore things up a bit as well, taking 1st in the cat 4 field - nice job Mike! Ziggy, Richard and Mark made the drive and posted fast times as well. MetLifeGuy won the 50+ and (I believe) also the P1/2 with the second fastest time on the day. In fact, it was his fastest 20K ever - well done, Mike!<br /><br />Up next - a couple of crits with the guys over Memorial Day weekend and some state TT course recon. I'm lacking top end lately due to all the TT's so it'll be 'nice' to get some lung searing, sick-hard efforts in my legs. I won't be heading back out to the Quad Cities area, opting instead to stay near home. I've done the QC weekend so many times it just really doesn't hold much excitement for me anymore.<br /><br />As for my team situation, look for a separate post detailing my new gig...<br /></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-64190796596705634132010-05-21T05:09:00.004-05:002010-05-21T05:21:03.219-05:00Cham Pain 40K TT Recap<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTYwYQAzzvFSghhMF9z_9chutaQR5PSfoM3EE6qq1bp1eWEMZosCaKC4qsdWSJUwE9UQguuJkUxZ_zoDWn6bUvYuam-hk02hPPILdgW9zYETkwjLPDKcG1Y5W4qHLTX-E7-EfTAdH_W38/s1600/VG_ChampaignTT.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTYwYQAzzvFSghhMF9z_9chutaQR5PSfoM3EE6qq1bp1eWEMZosCaKC4qsdWSJUwE9UQguuJkUxZ_zoDWn6bUvYuam-hk02hPPILdgW9zYETkwjLPDKcG1Y5W4qHLTX-E7-EfTAdH_W38/s320/VG_ChampaignTT.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5473664355217264178" border="0" /></a>Snot, drool, a bit of everything.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don't have much to say about last weekend's 40K TT in Champaign. I'd originally registered to do 2 rides but pissing rain, cold temps and the mother of all headwinds beat me down and made me declare, 'uncle!' after my first (not very good) ride. Down South, the corn is not up yet so as nice as the 25+mph tailwind was on the way out, it was a killer on the way back.<br /><br />That said, I loved the decidedly unscenic course and think it would be great to try again when the corn is up. Straight out and back with a couple doglegs through two small towns, pristine smooth pavement and minimal traffic. State championship caliber for sure. Thanks to Wild Card Cycling of downstate Champaign for hosting and promoting the race.<br /><br />The event wasn't very well attended but I still somehow managed to have the fastest women's time on the day, though I was far from proud of it. The PACT guys were also out - Ziggy, Mike, Mark, Richard and Bob all ended up with strong showings and some of the fastest times on the day. You guys are awesome! Wakes came down with little sleep and had a good ride as well - nice job, Mike!<br /><br />Up next, two 20K TT's in Barstow, IL. I hope to improve upon the new course record I set there last season. Beyond that, some crit racing and a new women's squad - all good stuff!<br /></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-31886465602192854562010-05-20T11:15:00.002-05:002010-05-20T11:17:39.747-05:00Minor Newsflash...<div style="text-align: justify;">More to come but the short story is that I will finally be renewing my USAC license - with a new team. I will continue to race ABR events with PACT/Dish but will be racing USAC stuff with a small, very talented women's squad. Details will be forthcoming as things evolve...<br /></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-7002256964863052062010-05-10T10:23:00.006-05:002010-05-10T10:50:45.473-05:00A No Race Weekend and Some Tunes<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigikMCWn5dbOHFfOs6GXD_NMFUK_HFJxklSxEnkxMvTnrAHgD87tKJL5Aim90tr5yjYHJwSW2j8c0ZxTjQS3AlleL-g66QQPjn9L-85TGbH1DLeaQPs5eOWV3JGabutMAG5AZ4give731J/s1600/IMG00061.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigikMCWn5dbOHFfOs6GXD_NMFUK_HFJxklSxEnkxMvTnrAHgD87tKJL5Aim90tr5yjYHJwSW2j8c0ZxTjQS3AlleL-g66QQPjn9L-85TGbH1DLeaQPs5eOWV3JGabutMAG5AZ4give731J/s320/IMG00061.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469663984074984642" border="0" /></a><br />Gandalf, killing his ratty stuffed animal thing.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This past weekend saw me do no racing. Bummer in a way but probably not an all-bad thing. I was hoping to do the 2-person 40K on Saturday but plans fell through and I ended up on a group ride that left something (a lot...) to be desired. Sunday was nicer weather-wise which made for a longer, better ride on the new bike.<br /><br />Here's the playlist for today's lunch hour spin class - after warm-up we'll be doing some tempo/threshold zig-zag stuff.<br /><br />Bad - U2<br />The Day I Tried to Live - Soundgarden<br />Lay Down Your Weapons - Scissors for Lefty<br />The Fixer - Pearl Jam<br />Far Behind - Social Distortion<br />Strange Times - The Black Keys<br />Spring and By Summer Fall - Blonde Redhead<br />Lounge Act - Nirvana<br />Runnin' Wild - Airborne<br />Salute Your Solution - The Raconteurs<br />Devour - Shinedown<br />Little Wing - Jimi Hendrix<br /><br />I'm reading 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelly and will next start 'The Pacific' by Hugh Ambrose. I caught the HBO series a couple of times and was intrigued, so I figured the book might be interesting. I'm not any kind of war/history junkie but it's a good story. After that, 'Tell All' by Chuck Palahniuk (one of my favorites).<br /><br />Up next race-wise, maybe Monsters and a 40K near Champaign. I had a weak moment and signed up for 2 40K's. Stupid, stupid, stupid.....<br /></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-17427283011822017122010-05-07T18:09:00.004-05:002010-05-07T18:27:31.469-05:00That New Bike Smell<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELvJBRoTjcyI3MfyevdqI8kjp6QMdN72VB9_I7g2tzCDTs92VtDjOgHbcKPnGMhgUQYY_Zee-MfNEsHfII0oWN5mMaXhulyD8-xmuNqs-3YYfyq3JjEnQViwagrcDXYOXo_twvNwPMb2Q/s1600/IMG00215.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELvJBRoTjcyI3MfyevdqI8kjp6QMdN72VB9_I7g2tzCDTs92VtDjOgHbcKPnGMhgUQYY_Zee-MfNEsHfII0oWN5mMaXhulyD8-xmuNqs-3YYfyq3JjEnQViwagrcDXYOXo_twvNwPMb2Q/s320/IMG00215.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5468669453276168514" border="0" /></a><br />The new B bike - white saddle is on order.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">In my small world, there are few things in life more excellent than a new bike - even if it's 'only' a new B bike. I brought it home this afternoon and am psyched about taking it out on it's first ride tomorrow, that being the famed Judson ride. I scored the frameset from Vince at Village Cycle Sport in Elk Grove - thanks Vince! And special thanks to Alex at Roscoe Village Bikes for doing a great job on the build.<br /><br />My racing bike is old and tired but the expense of a new #1 is out of the question. I'll be logging a lot of training miles on this one - usually 350-400mi a week. It's built with some of my used parts, a fine vintage Syncros post from MetLifeGuy and some new Rival drivetrain pieces. Training wheels (with Power Tap) are compliments of PSIMET. (thank-you, Rob!!) Including pedals, it weighs in at a hair over 17lb. I think that's pretty good for a #2 bike - so exciting!!<br /><br />The Cannondale has not been retired - it's status has been changed to 'rain and decent winter weather' bike. SKS race blade fenders at all times and of course, a set of old though still functional DT Swiss wheels - with Power Tap.<br /><br />It's not real blingy - and it's not meant to be. It's going to see lots of hard miles and probably a few crashes in it's lifetime - it will owe me nothing when it's retirement day arrives.<br /></div></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-66040937238767871832010-05-02T19:14:00.009-05:002010-05-03T16:22:57.826-05:00Twice the Thrill in Kenosha AND-A Retirement...<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXbK_pCMk6ZfAl_1yUuZvKyMP-F4-Q0l-2mVoX22hMQIKqmaI-hlJuP6NoZJa8RUOr_6feLezylv8MR2K2AJE05ZEATlz4LSGWtBPfOlym8D_Ep1SimqWc8dwJq4gktZMAs76Xj6shI1_/s1600/IMG00214.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXbK_pCMk6ZfAl_1yUuZvKyMP-F4-Q0l-2mVoX22hMQIKqmaI-hlJuP6NoZJa8RUOr_6feLezylv8MR2K2AJE05ZEATlz4LSGWtBPfOlym8D_Ep1SimqWc8dwJq4gktZMAs76Xj6shI1_/s320/IMG00214.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5466830803434485698" border="0" /></a><br />Mike, Dan and Ziggy eating post-race cookies.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We had a great day for racing in Kenosha - mostly sunny, a little wind and decent temps. Fields weren't too big due to the simultaneously held Vernon Hills GP. In 50+ and 40+ masters we had probably around 15-20 riders respectively with a strong showing for PACT/Dish Network. First up was the 50+ and how things would end up was determined about two laps in. On the first and early in the second lap I made a couple small attacks and one somehow actually stuck. Mike bridged up from the group and we were away for the remainder of the 40minutes. We had Richard and Ziggy sitting back in the group disrupting as much as possible. In the end I decided to not contest the sprint for a few reasons:<br /><br />1 - He towed my ass through the headwind section every lap (except the final lap, thanks for that!).<br />2 - He gets more TOI/WI and ROTY points for the victory in a series that I don't contend.<br />3 - He's retiring the six13 and what better way to do that than with a win?<br /><br />Next up was the 40+. I think we had 6 PACT riders on the line so we basically dominated the race. Dan took off a few laps in, Mike bridged and we basically sat on and disrupted every chase attempt. I flatted with about 15min to go, got a wheel from the pit and was back in on the next lap. When things wound up for the field sprint, my head was somewhere else entirely so I ended up 4th. In retrospect I wish I would have gone with Mike - the 'racing' back in the group was really negative and I felt bad about sitting on so much. I guess that's just how racing goes when your teammates are off the front and it's your job to help keep it that way. In the end, Dan outsprinted a very tired Mike for the win. It was a great team effort all around.<br /><br />Not sure what's up next - maybe the 2 person 40K next weekend. Or, a non-race weekend. That remains to be seen.<br /><br />My new B bike should be ready by the end of the week - I'll be sure to post some pics once it's finished. It's nothing fancy but that's the point of a B bike, right?<br /><br /><br /></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-84445342646539668452010-04-25T17:51:00.004-05:002010-04-25T18:28:47.148-05:00Two Hits on the Bong<div style="text-align: justify;">It was an early get-up this morning for the Single Bong 20K TT in Wisco and the weather was looking iffy. We'd had rain all night and the forecast was for more of the same. After training in the rain so much it really doesn't bother me to race in it anymore so I was ready for anything. We sort of lucked out, I think. The pavement was wet, there was no precip but there definitely was <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">wind</span></span>. There appeared to be a fair number of no-shows and given the weather, I was not surprised.<br /><br />I like the Bong course - a mostly flat to rolling 20K circuit with three right turns. I'd registered to do two rides and while I briefly pondered only doing one, I took a big bite of HTFU after my first ride and lined up for number two. It seemed that the wind was a little stronger the second time but the pavement was drying out so my feet were just cold, not cold and wet. Turned out that I had the first and second fastest times on the day for women and improved upon my previous personal best time by about 30sec. I'll take it. It was a good day for me and while I wasn't feeling so super, I am definitely pleased. It was my first race with the SRM and I love it!<br /><br />PACT/DishNetwork was well represented and scored some excellent results today - nice job, guys. Bob, Ziggy, Krystian, Dan, Richard and Mike - you boys are the best! I also have to send a shout out to Peter who had a fine performance today - well done.<br /><br />Some exciting news - I am building a new 'B' (bitch) bike! I scored a sweet aluminum/carbon Blue frameset and while I briefly thought about stripping the Cannondale to build it, I changed my mind. The new ride will be almost entirely new and will become my primary training bike. I really love my RC-7 but it is getting tired (30,000+ miles on it) so it'll be used mainly for racing and only in good weather. I'll post pictures after Alex finishes building it at <a href="http://www.roscoevillagebikes.com/">Roscoe Village Bikes</a>.<br /><br />Up next, probably a crit next weekend. Best of luck to Wakes who's playing in the dirt next weekend. Beyond that - Blackhawks, Sox and Cubs, oh my!!! Keep winning, boys!<br /><br />And!! Congrats (?) to my 5 year old niece Elise who lost her first tooth the other day!!<br /></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-7510715605546918942010-04-18T17:06:00.007-05:002010-04-19T06:08:21.609-05:00Cherry Valley 30K TT<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYhRBc8iPoMMJwL5ihHIFUbtS_r6Tuo74u0-_YAIZao3PUOXsBvNOOFiP7s_2LQdsq-8oD0qkhJyUk5nWfg-LrvyL0SebM8638EENWO82ArTBoCjNI1qanJOL03ltriGT_5jj-P1DIkvH/s1600/PolishPowerTools.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYhRBc8iPoMMJwL5ihHIFUbtS_r6Tuo74u0-_YAIZao3PUOXsBvNOOFiP7s_2LQdsq-8oD0qkhJyUk5nWfg-LrvyL0SebM8638EENWO82ArTBoCjNI1qanJOL03ltriGT_5jj-P1DIkvH/s320/PolishPowerTools.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461602462390276866" border="0" /></a>PACT Power Tools l to r: (interloper) Bob Beck, Ziggy, Mark, Richard, Dan, Bob and Mike<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I saw no reason to do the Leland Kermesse yesterday. Riding/racing on a course that includes 6mi of gravel roads in a small, unanimated women's field isn't a fun way for me to spend a weekend day. Don't worry Illinois women, I will be coming out to play soon enough. I have some time trials to do first.<br /><br />Not sure whether I like or dislike the roughly 30K course at Cherry Valley. It's curvy, rolls a bit and is always windy. I like the first part for sure but the second part is decidedly unscenic as it passes through a wide open, windblown stretch of fields until the corn is up. A set of railroad tracks is a nice bonus feature provided that you don't pinch flat - it's not a very smooth crossing. Seemed to me that we had a cross-tailwind out and cross-headwind back today, so really not a whole lot of relief to be found.<br /><br />I was feeling decent today during warm up and ended up riding my fastest time ever on the course by nearly a half minute, though it wasn't as fast as I would have liked. I paced my effort just about perfectly with the stretch back being about 20sec faster than the way out. It turned out to be the fastest women's time on the day - hard not to be pleased with that! My SRM still hasn't returned from battery service so I was using a less than optimal aero setup though it wasn't terrible. Hopefully it will be back this week and I'll be able to run both tri-spoke wheels at the Single Bong next weekend.<br /><br />My PACT/DishNetwork teammates nailed down fast times in the 60+, 55+, 50+, 40+, cat 3 and P1/2 categories today. I don't recall everyone's results but Bob won the 60+, Mike ended up winning the 50+, took 3rd in the P1/2 and had the second fastest men's time on the day. Mark, Mariusz, Jim, Dan and Richard were also at or near the top of their categories. Way to go guys, you rock!! I also have to send out congrats to Peter who did his first TT today completely 'naked' - no aero equipment. In fact, he did TWO!! Nice job Peter!<br /><br />Beyond that, I'm finishing 'The Bullpen Gospels,' managed to read 'Anthem' by Ayn Rand last week and up next is the classic 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Bronte. I read it in high school but my level of comprehension back then was admittedly lacking. After that I'm thinking it's time for some Chuck Palahniuk (he has a new book out!) or maybe 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley.<br /><br />As always, thanks for reading.<br /></div></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-48173781514075926812010-04-15T09:31:00.003-05:002010-04-15T09:43:26.634-05:00Tunes<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEh4LKZ3uthvg3fcQr6Q-CjGOHH3UPrO7PupLSN9Lxx19M7rd9rPkQkIR3tXOBvQeifbKp7lNLhXSxos3iMZvBPHx75vygB70fAY66uu9_0_hAjF95MZm4IDNOgXX-MWQgHZtXPyOTJJ-/s1600/plant-picture-2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEh4LKZ3uthvg3fcQr6Q-CjGOHH3UPrO7PupLSN9Lxx19M7rd9rPkQkIR3tXOBvQeifbKp7lNLhXSxos3iMZvBPHx75vygB70fAY66uu9_0_hAjF95MZm4IDNOgXX-MWQgHZtXPyOTJJ-/s320/plant-picture-2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460372949147149122" border="0" /></a>Robert.<br /><br /></div>I felt like doing some old-school classic rock for today's playlist and this is what I came up with. After warm up we'll be doing this loop twice: 2X2min Vo2 (hill efforts) on 2min rest then a 5min LT with 3min rest between loops.<br /><br />Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones<br />Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple<br />Paranoid - Black Sabbath<br />Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap - AC/DC<br />LaGrange - ZZ Top<br />White Room - Cream<br />You Really Got Me - Van Halen<br />I Can See for Miles - The Who<br />Heartbreaker - Led Zeppelin<br />Fire Woman - The Cult<br />Angel - Jimi Hendrix<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I really wanted to include 'Whipping Post' by The Allman Brothers but I don't have a quality digital copy that does that song any justice. It's one of the most ass-kicking classic rock tunes ever, in my estimation anyway.<br /></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-830037759127385138.post-17983860746363567732010-04-11T18:13:00.006-05:002010-04-12T09:30:46.512-05:00Game On!!<div style="text-align: justify;">The outdoor TT season has officially begun with today's John Frasier Memorial TT. My goals for today were pretty manageable - finish top 3, have two good rides and most importantly, have fun. Weather in Maple Park was decent this morning - temps warmed up nicely and the sun came out while the wind blew like a mother. Headwind out, tailwind back made for a tedious grind on the way out but allowed for some big speed on the return trip.<br /><br />I was feeling good during warm up and ended up having a strong first ride. Good enough to take the Women Open category and the fastest women's time on the day. My second ride was just cake - another interval, really. That time was third fastest so I guess I had a pretty good day. In fact, it was a great day for all of PACT/Dish Network - lots of solid placings in all categories - well done, boys! That would be: Mike, Jim, Andy, Ziggy, Mariusz, Krystian, Richard, Dan, Mark, Bob and Marian. Extra special congratulations go out to Mike who clinched the 50+ overall indoor series title and took 2nd in the P1/2. Mark, Krystian, Dan, and Richard also placed well in their respective categories overall. You guys are the best!<br /><br />It felt great to get out and rip the legs and sear the lungs a bit but I think the best part was catching up with friends I've not seen for a few months, especially Wakes and Preston. I need to send a shout out to Bill (cupcake) who did his first ever TT - and loved it! Great job!<br /><br />Up next is a 30K TT in Cherry Valley. Undecided as to whether I will do one or two that day - though I'm leaning toward just one. After that is the legendary Single Bong. I plan to do a 'double' Single Bong that weekend. Hopefully my SRM will be back from battery service by then and I'll be able to use a full aero setup.<br /><br />Other than that, I'm reading 'Anthem' by Ayn Rand and 'The Bullpen Gospels' by Dirk Hayhurst. All good so far!<br /></div>Velogoddesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16602889279554242005noreply@blogger.com