Saturday, December 29, 2012

2012 Year in Review


"Winning doesn't always mean getting first place; it means getting the best out of yourself." Thanks to Walt Hundley for sharing this picture on Facebook. This quote is pretty important for any athlete, as we all know there can only be one winner of every race, and actually winning a race is pretty darn hard. Well, for most of us anyway. I thought I would take a moment and look back on 2012 and note some personal accomplishments and set some new goals for the upcoming year.

In 2012 I raced 15 races, which includes 6 mountain bike races, 3 crits, 2 time trials, and 4 road races. I started racing Expert in mountain biking, and even ventured into the Pro/Elite category for the Peak to Peak race. The biggest change in racing Expert instead of Sport is the longer length of the races and how darn fast everyone is! The course is also a lot more open as Sport Women always start at the very back of all the racers. I requested an upgrade on my USA cycling license to Cat 1 for mountain biking and was granted it at the end of the year, so I will be able to race the Pro category next year at Iceman. I did well this year at Iceman placing 3rd, but was hoping for a better time that didn't happen due to some bike malfunctions. My two best mountain races were the Crybaby Classic, where I placed 2nd, and in Peak to Peak where I placed 4th. Peak to Peak will be a race to remember...those were some nasty conditions that I hope to never have to race in again.

I really started to enjoy mountain biking even more as my single track skills are improving, slowly but surely. I also started focusing more on mountain biking, as shoulder pain issues that showed up early on in the road racing season didn't subside, and mountain biking was the only riding I could do relatively pain free.

I moved from Cat 4 to Cat 3 in road racing, after getting 3rd place at Frankenmuth, and 5th for the GC at the Cat 3 and 4 women combined West Michigan Stage Race. It is a big jump for women to cat up from 4 to 3, since we are then racing with all Cat 1,2, and 3 women. I struggled to hang on in my first few races and was dropped. For my first Cat 1, 2, 3 crit at BTR my goal was just to hold on, and I was able to and placed 5th. I was happy that I felt strong and that I was a contender for the 1st time in this category.

Perhaps my biggest accomplishment was finally making it up Smokey Hollow with the group on Tuesday Night Rides. Here is the ride on Strava. I think I was more pumped about that than any race I have ever done. The farthest I made it on a ride was Seven Hills, hopefully next year I will make a whole ride! Also Strava data shows that I rode about 850 miles on my mountain bike and almost 2000 on my road bike. Not all rides were recorded, so its likely I rode over 3000 miles this year. My biggest year yet!

I was able to lose 23 pounds this year from my heaviest winter weight. I definitely noticed my riding and hill climbing improve as I dropped the weight and hope to keep most of it off this winter. This is my third winter riding at Brockmiller Elite Endurance, where I am able to train with power meters. My power tests have continually been improving, and I have gained 25% more power since starting in 2010.

This year was the first year I have worked full time since becoming a mom in 2001. I am happy that I was able to keep up with cycling and continue to see improvements despite definitely having less time to train and more responsibilities to juggle. At the same time, cycling has become a necessity in my life that helps me alleviate stress and build my self confidence. I continue to meet the best people on the planet through cycling, and I am sure it will always have a place in my life, no matter how busy I get.

In the upcoming year, I hope to try racing a few longer races than I have ever done before to test my endurance. So far, I am entered in the 62 mile Barry Roubaix in March. I am still working on the rest my 2013 race calendar, and am very excited to start a new race season! I also hope to cure my shoulder issues once and for all, it's been pretty annoying and frustrating. Another goal is to be a strong team member and be a solid part of any races that my team enters together this season. It's a long time until summer, but thankfully there is some fun that can be had in the snow, I guess. 

Thank you to everyone, from the women I race against to the people I ride with, to the bike shops that fix my bike and those that read my blog. Thanks to Hagerty Cycling to allow me to be a part of the team and helping so much along the way! You have all made 2012 an incredible year, and I look forward to a great 2013!


Tuesday, November 6, 2012

And that's a wrap....Season 2012

Iceman is over, marking the end of another cycling season for me.  Yes, there was snow this year, making it a true Iceman. I get more nervous for this race more than any other. Not sure why, is it the thousands of people? Is it that it's right out our back door? Not sure, but I think all week prior to the race I had the jitters, was on edge, and probably just unbearable to be around.

The kids and I with Georgia Gould
The Iceman Expo is always fun. I went to pick up my packet with the kids and was excited to meet a couple of the pro's- Georgia Gould (Olympic Bronze 2012) and Emily Batty. I spoke with Georgia for awhile (yeah, we're on a first name basis) and thought that she was down to earth, funny, and just awesome. It really made my day. I spent the rest of the day delivering the kids to friends' houses for the night (thanks Kati and Maria!), cleaning my bike, and packing for race day. All night I dreamed about racing. Didn't make for a very restful night
 of sleep.

Emily signing a poster for Nora
At about 7:15 a.m. Russ and I headed to Kalkaska and it was snowing heavily in TC. At this point I was freaking out as I became even more anxious about the race. "Why do I do this??? Why are we racing in the snow??? This is stupid!! It is freezing out! I just want to go home and go back to bed!" Russ is so used to this by now he doesn't even listen. Once we got to Kalkaska and started preparing, it gave me something to do and less time to think about being nervous. Once I got on my bike and started warming up it helped even more. 

Time went by quickly and it was time to line up. I was with Bridgett Widrig from Hagerty and Julie Whalen was also in our wave. We went off hard, but I lost some position due to some hesitancy on my part and lost some spots going into the trail. On our first hill, my shoe came unclipped and I lost more positions. Julie and Bridgett were then ahead of me. I then passed Bridgett on the side of the trail and asked if she was ok-she said she was and she caught back up to me pretty quickly. Bridget then started picking people off pretty aggressively. She really helped me out here, because I tend to just stay on the wheel ahead of me instead of moving on once I realize they aren't going the speed I need to be going. I started lagging a little, but I always had Bridgett in my sight until we entered the new single track. I had heard post race that there were some major back ups through this, but although it was very slow, we were still moving through it. I saw Julie about 30 seconds to a minute ahead of me when we came out, and tried to catch her. She is just as strong as I am on the flats though (if not stronger, go Julie!), so there was no catching her. I didn't see Bridgett anywhere. 

Coming into the finish
When I came onto the VASA, I was tired, but knew this is my best section yet. I went flying down the first gravel road, making good time and looking forward to getting this over with and going down some of my favorite hills. My chain started acting up about now, getting stuck at random times when I was usually in my lower chain ring. In the hardwood section of the trail, one of my favorites, I was able to look up and around to notice the scenery. The snow was sticking to all of the trees, and everything was white except for the dark ribbon of trail. I thought, very pretty...too bad I really can't care less about it right now. Going up a long, gradual hill my chain came to a halt again and I had to get off and run up the rest of the way. It kept happening over and over again and it was very frustrating. I knew I didn't have any time to lose and here it was gettin' lost. Conditions due to the snow were wet and mud was sticking to my drive train. There were a few riders that I kept passing to only have my chain lock up when I was climbing a hill in front of them. They were very nice and understanding and didn't give me any grief about it thankfully. 

When it was 4K to go I realized I had some juice left so I went as full out as I could go, but there were a lot more riders on the trail.  I was hesitant to start passing aggressively, mainly because this was about where I crashed last year. That was definitely on my mind as I loudly proclaimed that I was "passing on your left!" to all riders this year. Maybe a bit too loudly, but hey, rather be safe than sorry, right? Coming into the finishing chute, there were quite a few guys chugging along when I needed to be ripping it up. I got held up by one man for a few seconds as he navigated a small down hill. It was impossible to be patient at this point. I went through the finish knowing I had a time of about 2:16 on my Garmin. A little disappointing, I had hoped to do a bit better but the glitch with the drivetrain put a kink in things. 

Kathy Everts (5th), Melissa Ryba (3rd),
and Jan Van Hof (2nd)
After changing, eating some delicious white chicken chili, and chatting with some other racing friends, I went to check out the results. Bridgett had nailed our age group with a time of 2:10, and I saw that I had missed 2nd place by 6 seconds to Jane Van Hof. Man, that hurt! 6 seconds. I could think of 100 different ways I could have made that time up over the past two hours. That is the hard thing about Iceman though, it is a time trial, and unless you are racing pro-you don't know how you are doing against your competition until the end. But, still a podium! I'll take it!

I spent the afternoon hanging out, waiting for Russ to come in and looking forward to the pro race.  Russ had a tough race as he started in wave 43 and was in the back-logged trails. He went renegade and tried to cut through the woods to go around and had people screaming at him that there was a line he was supposed to be in and he should wait like everyone else. Doesn't sound much like a race at that point to me, and I am happy I wasn't in that mess. 

Now, watching the pro's come in was the most exciting thing that I did all day. It was awesome to be a part of the energy of the crowd and cheer them on. The men came in first, and Jordan Wakely was right up there with them, coming in a close 7th place with men who just competed in the Olympics. Just awesome! Nothing against the guys, but I was really looking forward to the women's race and Georgia (my new BFF) came cruising in ahead of them all, with a 1-2 minute lead. Next came Heather Irmiger, Emily Batty, and Mackenzie Woodring battling out the next 3 spots. I went crazy when I saw Mackenzie up there with them! She came in 4th, missing 3rd by half a wheel. Such an incredible race! I am so proud of all our local women who raced, they definitely held their own. 

Me, Georgia, and Rich (arch nemesis/riding partner)
Despite being pretty tired, that night we went out to the Bell's after party at the State Street Grill and Georgia (mi amiga) was there. I stalked her We all hung out, I heard her recap her race, and was just absolutely geeked. Talking bikes and racing, drinking beer, and knowing I had a good season made for a very nice night. The next day, I realized that, yes, indeed I did give that race about all I had because I could hardly move. Literally. 

Can't wait til next year! (Georgia did say she would be back!) 


Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Iceman Cometh. Let's get this over with.

Evidence that I finished...2011
After lots of chilly out and backs to Kalkaska testing the Iceman course, races in cold, wet, and windy weather, and a long season of bike racing, I am ready to call it a season. It's not so much that I am tired of riding my bike, but rather the 30 minutes of deciding what I should wear on each ride to stay warm, or warm but not too warm. It is rare that I get the combination just right. I love the days that I can just put on my jersey and shorts and head out the door. Those days are long gone now, and unless I can find a way to get away this winter, it will be a long time until they are back. I am not a cross country skier, so I am not looking forward to snow in any way this winter.

Iceman is but a few days away, and although the start is always too cold for my blood, once we get going it is a fun race. This will be my third year racing and I am hoping for my best race yet. Last year I had a great race...right up until I crashed and landed on my head. I will try to recall the events the best I can...

I was feeling great, probably the best I had felt in any race all year and was making awesome time, and had but a few miles left to go. I was passing a line of people in a narrow section, and my mistake was not calling out along the way that I was passing. A rider moved out to pass and I saw his handlebars hit mine. The thought "Crap, I'm going down" crossed my mind and that is about all I remember from that point on. I was knocked out cold, and Shane Vandekerkoff stopped to help. I came to, and didn't know where I was. I guess I sat there for about 5 minutes with Shane, then got up and took off on my bike.

There are a few images of events that I remember from this point, and one was that at the time I couldn't remember anything about the race previous to that moment. I have to say I was happy when I got on my bike that I saw I was almost done! Nothing like "waking up" at the end of a race. Another moment was passing someone that I had already passed. That freaked me out and clued me in that something not quite right going on. I remember then crossing the finish line and someone asking me if I was ok. I think I answered that I didn't really know what just happened. I didn't really know how bad it was until Gary Chastain came to me after the race and told me Shane had talked to him and said I had a bad crash. I asked Gary if Shane had seen it. Gary looked at me like I was crazy and told me Shane had stopped to help me. Russ then promptly took me to the hospital, and we found that I had a concussion, (no surprise) but was otherwise ok.

Needless to say, I am hoping for a great, crash free race this year. Iceman is one of the biggest races of the year for me, and it is just awesome that so many Pro's come out to race it.  It's a goal for me to race the pro category next year. This year I'll be starting in wave 10, my best wave yet. Updates on my race will be posted automatically to my facebook page, or you can get them texted to you. Hopefully this Iceman is one that is so boring that I don't know what to write about. Good luck to all racing the Iceman this weekend!

Monday, October 15, 2012

Peak to Peak 2012

There was a time, long ago, when a high school friend of mine, Becky, lived on a dairy farm.  One weekend when I spent the night at her house, she warned me that I probably shouldn't come because they had to "pick up rocks" the next day. She gave me the option of just waiting for her while they worked, but I was desperate for money, and I thought-how hard can it be to pick up rocks out of a field? We headed out early the next morning, and as her dad drove a tractor with a trailer behind it, the kids followed, picking up larger rocks from the field and throwing them in. It was hot and windy (picture a dust storm complete with tumbleweeds), and the field was a lot larger than I imagined. I had pictured a large garden, this was larger than several football fields (that's how I remember it anyway). My shoes filled with dirt and I wasn't sure if it was better to keep wearing them or take them off. I changed my mind several times, thoroughly irritating Becky's dad, since I was slowing down the process by messing around with my shoes. By the end of that eternal day I was covered in dirt from head to toe- even my teeth had dirt in them. I earned $5. Becky's dad called it a "good experience" for me, which, of course is "priceless". I didn't think there was any way I could ever get much dirtier than I did that day.

Then there was the Peak to Peak Mountain Bike Race, 2012. The weather was calling for rain early in the week, and it was the kind of forecast that held little hope for change. Sure enough, day of the race was about 40 degrees and about 12:00 the drizzle turned into a solid rain that downpoured at times. My race began at 12:30. I was about to begin my first Elite/Pro race, making a big jump up from Sport last year. This was my 4th year doing P2P, and I wanted to give the Elite class a good try. We huddled around, waiting impatiently for the race to start in the rain. There were issues with the number plates. They were made of cardboard and were disintegrating and falling off of the bikes, so we were told to remember our numbers and shout them as we crossed the line if they fell off.

Finally, the Elite Men and Women lined up, and we were off! Like a rocket, everyone took off. I was a little stunned at that start. I heard gears grinding next to me, and it kind of snapped me out of it and I kicked in, and tried to catch up to the pack. Heading into the golf course, I heard someone come up next to me and it was Johanna Schmidt. I caught up to Amanda Schaap and passed heading into the course. Rain was pelting down, and the course was very slick. I tried my best to take a good line and keep my speed up. Mud was flying onto my face, and it was so hard to see anything. We caught up to Amanda Ryan a few miles in and we rode together for awhile. I was surprised to not see Johanna with us, and assumed she was having more bike problems.

Thanks to Jody Hofstra for the great pictures!
The first real climb of the day came up, the steep single track that is pretty tricky, and I was able to get some distance from Amanda Schaap here. Heading into the next big climb up the back of the ski hill, I went as hard as I could and got some distance from Amanda Ryan. I spotted Erin Vicary not too far ahead of me. My favorite part of the course is the round of roller coaster single track at the top of the ski hill, and it was a whole new trail with it as slick as it was. My bike was thoroughly covered in mud, brakes making a grinding sound the entire time, each pedal stroke an effort. I made it through the single track, dodging a few who went down, and came out on the ski hill. Heading down as fast I could I came through the start/finish area.

Cody Sovis had caught up to me and I tried to catch his wheel, but I couldn't get my bike to shift back up to the big ring. Heading back into the trail, I was amazed to see how much worse it was this time around. The rain was still falling, the wind was picking up, and I still couldn't see. I took my glasses off because they were so dirty, just to have dirt fly right into my eyes. Blinking it away I would ride a bit longer, before I resorted to putting them back on. They promptly gunked right up again and trying to wipe them clean with an equally dirty, wet glove was not helping. Meanwhile, the trail was completely under water, or rutted out with wet, slick mud. I caught up with Erin, who told me she didn't have any brakes and let me go down a hill before her. My mind had to really just focus on pedaling to be able to keep going. I was steadily getting colder and my bike was getting louder, and I wondered how this could keep going on for another lap. Erin caught up to me and passed me, and I headed into the last single track climb and came again onto the climb up the back of the ski hill. Kim Thomas was out on the hill, and let me know that this was to be our final lap. It was the best news I have ever heard and gave me some spark to finish that last climb. I guess many had dropped out of the first lap because their brakes or bikes were failing. I headed into the finish relieved that it was over and happy to have finished. I came in 4th overall that day. Mackenzie Woodring came in 1st, Sue Stephens 2nd, Erin Vicary 3rd, and Amanda Schaap 5th.


The local ski club offered some help by way of having a hose of warm water there, originally intended for cleaning off bikes as a fundraiser. They ended up also cleaning up riders, and I am grateful that I was able to get hosed off before changing. They also did a fantastic job of cleaning my bike. I was so grateful not to have that chore to take care of when I got home! Dry clothes and some hot chili did a lot to warm me up again. It was quite a race, and I can hear Becky's dad  nodding and telling me that it was a "good experience." At least this time I made more than $5.

As always, it was great to see all the racers out there and to catch up with those from around the state. Thanks to P2P for putting on a great race, and to all of the volunteers and spectators who also endured that weather to support a bike race.







Thursday, October 4, 2012

Crybaby Classic 2012

I headed up to Harbor Springs Friday night with my daughter Nora and we stayed with my sis-in-law, Victoria Ryba Holt, who lives just down the road from Nubs Nob. Nora got to hang out with her cousins while I rode my bike, so we were both happy. I registered Friday night and enjoyed the spaghetti dinner, which had some really good veggie lasagna and chocolate chip cookies. I could go for some of that lasagna right now....Anyway, Saturday morning I still got up before the sun to start the pre-race rituals. The race had a pretty early start at 9:10. I slipped away before anyone was even awake. Such slackers. :)

It was a gorgeous day. The sun was shining, it was cool but not too cold. There were lots of people from Traverse City racing that day so it was fun to see everyone in the parking lot getting ready for the race. I put my headphones on and warmed up, trying to get rid of some the jitters. Before I knew it, it was time to line up. We had 7 women in the Expert field, and all of them are great riders. I was so nervous to compete against them! No matter what though, racing 3 laps with about 1200 feet of climbing per lap was going to be good for me, right? I also was a part of the team competition, the Kolo TC Gentlemen's Club (I didn't pick the name) so I knew I had to try as hard as I could to at least dominate on one lap. The competition took the best lap time of all the riders on the team. 

The gun went off, and I went as fast as I could out of the gate. I hit the trail and attacked on the first climb, and when I looked back I didn't see anyone. Not quite believing that this could be true, I kept going as hard as I could, sure that the whole group would over take me at any minute. Kati Krikke did find me pretty quickly, and we rode together for awhile. When the Crybaby Climb came up, I knuckled down and made it up, losing Kati for awhile. I got to the single track first, but not before too long I heard Kati behind me. Not too much longer after that I heard the sound of another rider joining us. Whenever we came out into the open, I would go as hard as I could. I was completely freaking out, and in unfamiliar territory to actually be out in front! I was sure that Kati would fly by me at any minute and leave me in the dust. At the top of the hill, right before the chute (a fast, steep downhill singletrack that spills out onto the ski hill), Patty Devost, our third rider, tried to pass. I attacked again and made it to the chute first, which is such a blast to go down. I cruised as fast as I could go through the start/finish area and hit the trail again. I was alone for a minute or two and then Patty caught back up with me. We were together until the Crybaby Climb, where she passed me. My legs couldn't grind up the hill again so she gained some time there and she is also pretty fast on the singletrack. 

I kept up a good pace, but slowed down a lot from the first lap. After I lost sight of Patty I occasionally saw some of the women elite riders going past, but other than that it was the men racing. Knowing I was in a solid second, I just tried to maintain my pace. Knowing that there was another lap ahead was very intimidating at times, and I tried hard to keep focusing on that moment, and not get worked up about what was ahead. 

Going into the third lap, my legs were getting tired, but I told myself that I only had four more miles of climbing, and then it would just be single track after that. Once I got to the single track I told myself I just needed to get to the chute. The closer I got to the chute, the faster I started racing again, happy to know that I had made it and it would soon be over!

I went through the chute one more time, and it was all just down hill from there. At the top of the ski hill I noticed my vision was getting blurry, which kind of freaked me out, but luckily there weren't any obstacles I needed to go around. I made it through the finish and had to stand there a minute and recover before I went anywhere else. 

I finished 2nd in women's Expert, with a time of 2 hours 34 minutes and Kolo TC Gent's Club also won the team competition. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon and I enjoyed a beer while soaking up the sun and the satisfaction that I had a great ride that day. Thanks again to Vicky Holt who watched Nora and kept her well entertained while I was pushing the pedals. 


Saturday, September 22, 2012

Feeling like a kid again

The past week or so I have had some great rides. I conquered my goal of riding 100 miles last Sunday at the Leelanau Harvest Tour. I left my house while it was still dark, light strapped on my road bike as I headed to Suttons Bay via the TART trail. I eventually met Susan on the trail, along with John from City Bike. Sunrise happened quickly as we rode along quietly and it was honestly just beautiful. Take a deep breath and just enjoy life kind of beautiful. We got to the high school, registered, and headed out with a big group doing the 65 mile route. As we rode along we picked up some solo riders and smaller groups, and so I got to meet some new people as well. The smile that lights up a person's face after you've introduced yourself and welcomed them to the ride is priceless. One of the best things about cycling is all the people you meet! There was a lot of wind that day, so being in a group was definitely a help. The tour was great as there were three food stops, plus the stop at the high school, so the breaks helped make 100 miles seem like not such a big task. The last climb up Herman road was unexpected, I haven't done that climb before-but the descent down was a blast. I TT'd it all the way down to the stop sign and was just flying. It was the best part of the ride. I stopped briefly at the high school, and John and I decided to skip lunch and head back to TC. When I got home I had my 101 miles. The biggest accomplishment of the day was taking care of the kids when I got home rather than heading to take a nap.

On Friday I took the day off from work and went to go ride the Peak to Peak route at Crystal Mountain. Rich and I were riding along that day discussing the benefits of using a camel pack during a race. I was dismissing the idea, hating camel packs myself. He was saying that it's good to use them because it is hard to let go of the handlebars to get a drink when you need it. Well, about 1/2 hour later, I was in a clear, open stretch and I thought that this is a great time to grab a drink of water. As I was drinking, I hit a small depression in the ground and lost all control of my bike. I was swerving around trying to get out of it but knew that I was going down. After an eternity, I finally hit and hit hard. I lay there for quite awhile, kind of half crying and feeling sorry for myself. Rich came back eventually, and had the decency not to say, "I told you so" about the water bottles. I got back on my bike and finished the lap and called it a day.

This morning, very sore and bruised, I contemplated if I should head out for a mountain bike ride today. The weather wasn't looking good, but I decided that I should go for it. About 5 minutes out the door it started raining, almost sleeting, pretty hard. I met a group at Einstein Cycles and the initial plan was to do an out and back to Kalkaska. We headed up Bunker Hill Road and it started raining again, and by the time we got to the VASA I decided not to go to Kalkaska, and just get a trail ride in with some single track. Gary and Cody ended up riding with me. I was thoroughly soaked, and in the single track there were some big puddles on the trail. There comes a point though,  where I don't care how wet and cold I am anymore (I am probably just completely numb) and just have fun with it. As I rode through the mud puddles I had a big smile on my face, and just felt like a big kid. The rain was actually pretty at moments as the sun came out and everything around us sparkled. This is stuff that you just can't see from your couch! We finished our ride strong and rode back home. After I hosed off my bike I kind of Frankenstein walked into the house since I couldn't feel my feet or hands. Russ took a look at me and had to laugh. He took my picture, but you really can't see the amount of dirt that is covering me, and how soaking wet I was. I am happy that I got back out there and didn't let a fall and some sore bones keep me home.


Thursday, September 13, 2012

The Happiest Place on Earth

Today was Power Test Day at the gym. Time to see what the legs got! What is an absolute must for me is some great music to sink myself into the middle of the pain. The last song I had on my playlist for the last 5 minutes just seemed so perfect. The title of the song is "World Divided" by s/he, a band out of Ann Arbor. Take a moment to listen, maybe it can help you on your next long climb.

 

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Battle of the Burg

This past weekend I raced my first mountain bike race since Mud, Sweat, and Beers way back in May. Kolo TC helped spread the word about the race, and offered up banana points for anyone racing in Elite category. I was up for a new challenge, even though I didn't think I would race Elite and score any banana points. Turns out the women's attendance was pretty low, with only two Elite racers and three Expert, myself included. The officials raced the women's and men's Elite together, and scored them together, so the Elite women, Sue Stephens and Johanna Schmidt, opted to race the Expert category. Jane Van Hof and Kati Krikke were the local talent there to kick some butt in the Expert women category.

After scoping out the start and waiting a long time for my race to start, we were off. I am proud to say I was with everyone until we hit the woods. Which for me is an accomplishment! Jane and I were together for a little while, before she eventually pulled away. The course was all single track except for a long climb at the end of lap up the ski hill, and a few small hills before you entered the the single track. I went with the goal of learning how to ride single track better, and I think racing three laps helped me with that. There were definitely some corners, roots, and drops that I would have either fallen on or jumped off my bike in the not so distant past. I may creep past some of this stuff still, but I was happy that I was able to stay on my bike and I felt pretty in control also. At then end of the second lap I could see that Jane had quite a lead on me, but I had heard some awesome news at the finish/start line-I had entered a raffle that day and they let me know I had won a single speed bike! The last lap I decided just to enjoy the trail and think about my new bike. The trail was a lot of fun, with some really great banked corners and good descents. I think I had a smile on for most of the race. All in all a good day. I came in 5th out of 5. :)

Training wise I have been enjoying some group rides, including a fun single track ride last Thursday that ended with headlamps on. Everyone was very nice and waited up frequently for us slower bush wackers. On Sunday I headed out with my friend Rich for a fun recovery ride on the Old Mission Peninsula, but since my legs hadn't been stretched in awhile, I ended up gunning it more than planned. It felt good to get out and road ride again! The Brockmiller Elite Endurance indoor cycling classes started up today, and it felt good to be back inside again, actually. The thing I like about riding indoors on the CycleOps bikes is how measured my efforts are, and I feel like I can push it a little harder, since if I fall flat all I have to do is get off the bike and go home, not ride back miles and miles.

Over the next few weeks I am looking forward to riding my first century during the Leelanau Harvest Tour, and will hopefully race both the Crybaby Classic and Peak 2 Peak before the Iceman. It's great time of year to be on a bike!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Shit Happens

This weekend was the big Cherry Roubaix weekend here in Traverse City.  It's nice to have a race so close to home, but in some ways I wasn't as prepared. Just like being late to an appointment that is a block away from your house, I was pushing the envelope time wise getting to the Time Trial on Friday night. Plus I was battling with myself over the thought of even doing the races this weekend. I came down with a cold and was feeling like crap.  I hunkered down and went for it. I had a quick warm up, and a bit of panic as my saddle suddenly moved. I needed an allen wrench and I didn't have any tools with me. I found one, tightened it up, and was ready to roll. It was a 6 mile course over a lot of familiar terrain that we cover on Tuesday Night Rides. The wind so blowing so hard that I was thrown around a few times on my bike as I tried to pedal through it. Lady Hag teammates were ahead of me and behind me. Marci Bultemier was within sight, but I was not able to catch her. I ended up 4th. Bridget Widrig came in 2nd and Marci was in 3rd. Some other girl from some other team got 1st.

Saturday morning I woke up feeling worse. I headed to the doctor to get some antibiotics, and I rested most of the day. I had the crit at 5:15 and at 3:00 I still felt sluggish so Russ went on a mission to get me a 5 hour energy drink. I was really desperate at this point for something to kick start myself. About 4:00 I started warming up on my trainer at home, and again my seat slipped up. I tightened it again, so hard that I thought I can't go much more and I didn't want to break my seat post. I continued my warm up and the seat held fine. I headed out the door to the starting line. I was there early this time, and was able to ride a lot of laps of the course before the start of the race. This helped with the jitters a little, although I knew I was in for one of the hardest races I've ever done. I was right, but not for reasons that I thought.

While the announcer was chit chatting, the official blew the whistle and we kind of clumsily started the race. I was about in the last 1/3 of the pack for the first lap. Around the second lap a large gap formed which turned into a break, and the back 1/3 got left behind. As I came around a corner I was starting to think of what I could do to get up there and assessing who was left in my group when my seat slipped again. It went up at a 45 degree angle. "Are you f'ing kidding me?" I was screaming to myself. I tried to stand up and push it back down with my hand but it wouldn't budge. I was quickly at the back of the pack and had to just stand up and pedal to keep with them. I sat back down, holding on to the handle bars for dear life as my ass was sliding off the back of my bike. I wondered if I actually could continue racing like this. I certainly couldn't stop to fix it. So, I kept on going. I thought that if I could just hang on and not get dropped, this would be an accomplishment. I heard so many cheers from the crowd during the race, it really helped keep me going. There were a few moments I thought that I might just quit, but it seemed the girls would just slow down at that moment which was too close to my breaking point. 

The main field overcame us on the final lap and we had a messy finish. But I finished! I was a bit delirious and definitely not looking very saavy (as seen below). At the end of the day I could at least say that I finished as I wobbled awkwardly back home. Got 8th place in the Cat 3 women and 30 bucks too. Here's to hoping the next race goes smoother!  But yeah, shit happens. You can train all you want for a race, but sickness, crashes, mechanicals, anything can come along and mess up your plans for a good race. Nice thing is that there is always another race to go for. 


Sunday, August 5, 2012

Home Sweet Home

It took awhile to write another blog post because I became a bit brain dead after being in NYC for so long. After about a week I was ready to head back home. What overwhelmed me the most was dealing with the people-the sheer amount of people everywhere as well as those who shove, those who try to get your money, and those that can't understand what you are saying. Every time we went out we were solicited over and over again by the homeless, by people selling tickets to the bus tours, and by people just selling anything. I know that a family walking together through New York must have a huge stamp that says, "try and take their money" but it was tiring. I was torn between trying to go see some landmarks in the city and trying to just find some quiet corners. It was the tourist areas where it was the worst. We did learn how to kind of split up and not all walk together and other little tricks to keep some of it at bay. The next thing that kind of put me over the top was the amount of rats everywhere at night. One night Russ and I were walking back home at about midnight and I was about a foot away from the garbage put on the sidewalk for pick up when one of the bags moved. I jumped a mile and screamed like a little girl. I know I am a wimp when it comes to these things, but I will take our little field mice over a big, nasty rat any day.

A sample of the amount of riders out on the 9W in
NJ on a Sunday morning.
Now, with that all out of my system, I can say the cycling community is a beacon of light in any city. I contacted my new NYC cycling friend, John, to see if I could join in on a group ride and he was nice enough to put together a ride with some other local cyclists on Sunday. It was a nice ride through Palisades Parkway in New Jersey, which runs along the Hudson River. There were actual nature type things to see-like a little waterfall. It was really nice. No rats spotted. We also headed up the 9W, a highway that is among the most traveled by cyclists in the U.S.  I haven't seen so many cyclists out just riding recreationally on a road before. They kind of just dominate the road and make the cars figure out how to get past them all. There were four rows of bike racks at the coffee shop we stopped at in Piermont, and they were all chock full of bikes. New Yorkers do like their bikes, so I guess they all can't be that bad.

I did a few more Central Park rides, but mainly looked forward to returning and cycling at home. My first full day back I took out the mountain bike and did a fun ride on the VASA trail, just taking a meandering route through some single track and the main pathway. It felt great to be in the woods again. I keep looking around at our beautiful beaches and our downtown area with clear, rat free sidewalks and breathe a deep sigh of relief that I am home again.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Exploring NY on a bike

Meet the stairs of potential doom. Don't let looks deceive you, these steps lead down to a nice, "spacious" apartment that we are staying in while in New York. These steps are the scariest part of my rides here. I am a clutz, and every time go up or down these stairs carrying my bike wearing shoes with metal cleats I pray that I make it. So far, so good. After this achievement, navigating NYC is a cinch. I haven't explored as much as I would have liked since you know, I have family here and we are supposed to do things together while we are on vacation. Nevertheless, I have had fun riding through Central Park, which depending on the time of day can be great. The roads are closed during certain times of day, which is a great way to ride through the park. It definitely can get very busy at times, and I have to admit that I almost ran over a pair of runners after I got squeezed in by traffic and rollerbladers in the bike lane. Just doing what I can to give cyclists a good rep while I am here! 

A section of the greenway
I have ridden the subways, driven, walked miles and miles, and rode my bike around while here and my vote definitely goes to biking for the best way to get around and see NY. The other day I was riding along Central Park West, admiring the buildings and architecture and such and realized that I rode 10 blocks past where I needed to go. Would that ever happen walking or driving? Not likely. 

The bike paths are great here too. Russ and I went out today on the Greenway- a bike/pedestrian path that runs along the outside edge of Manhattan. It even splits up at times and allows bikes and pedestrians to go their separate ways and each enjoy their own space. How brilliant is that? Helps me avoid running over any more runners, anyway. Before we knew it we were down by the World Trade Center site, a place that we had seemingly slogged to on subways and walking the day before. We didn't ride the whole perimeter since we had family to get back to, but I would like to do that still before we leave. We are getting through our list of must see's and I feel very lucky to be able to spend so much time here!



Sunday, July 22, 2012

Strava Shenanigans in NYC

After arranging a house swap with a New York family for our Traverse City home, I asked naively, "So, do people in New York cycle much?" It's been 13 years since I was in New York, and even then it was a blaze of running from here to there to see what ever we could see in one day. I'm surprised I didn't hear the snort in Michigan, because you can't look down a street here without seeing someone on a bike. Our "host" family was very nice about it though, and even suggested a few routes for me to try while here through recommendations of friends.


We arrived in NY on Saturday, and by Sunday I was excited and ready to head out on the bike. I had an idea of a route, and had it in my phone to reference if needed. Problem was, I wasn't sure how to even get to the first place I needed to go just yet. I was at a red light and another cyclist pulled up. I struck up a conversation with him, and he was nice enough to let me tag along to the George Washington Bridge, as he was heading that way himself. We met up with his friends and they led me as promised right over bridge with instructions on how to proceed if I wanted, or an invitation to join them on their mission of the day. Peter, John, and Don were heading out to help Don get KOM on a Strava segment by doing a lead out train for him. A slightly downhill, one mile segment. The sprinter/Strava addict in me could not resist. With a smile I gladly joined in and headed out with them. Is it ethical to do a lead out train to improve your Strava position? Some could say it's cheating, others wish they had thought of it first. 


We stopped for some coffee before heading to the segment, Floyd Street TT. I questioned the sanity of this whole thing once I saw the that the end of the segment was at a stop sign. How exactly do you sprint down a hill as fast as you can, knowing you will have to stop at the end or possibly get killed by a car? Rational thinking never deterred me before though, so why stop now? The current leader was at an average speed of 31 mph, so we had to beat that today. 


At the top of the hill, we lined up our train. The first to go would be John, who due to a bent rear tire had no back brake (yikes). Next up would be me, followed by Peter, then Don. We decided a practice run would be prudent, lined up, and set out. Practice makes perfect, as we decided on the first run that John and I had peeled off too quickly, leaving Don and Peter out to do most of the work themselves. Lined it up again, and this time we nailed it, and Don had an average speed of 31.9 and was the new KOM. Once I got back and loaded my data, I found that I was the new QOM with an average speed of 29.1 and was in 7th position of 185 riders. Sweeeet! Now, no matter what else happens while I am in NYC, I can at least know I was QOM of at least one Strava segment. 


Thanks to Peter, John, and Don for a great first ride in Manhattan. So far, I'm loving this town!

Ladies and Gents, in the middle is your new King and Queen of Floyd St TT.




Thursday, July 12, 2012

Dog Days of Summer


With the major Michigan road races over until Cherry Roubaix, riding my bike this past month has been a little less exciting and left me wondering what to train for next. It has been difficult to train this last month. I have a shoulder issue that started early on in the season and got steadily worse, culminating in a painful end of the race in Mt. Pleasant. That race was painful in many ways. :) But anyway, I have been trying to get it resolved, but it is slow going and definitely limits my riding. Rides longer than 2 hours are painful on my road bike. I have been going to physical therapy, getting medical massage, and rediscovered how much I love yoga. I also have been spending more time on my mountain bike, since this does not bother my shoulder. I have loved returning to mountain biking and I think last summer at this time I spent all my time on the road bike. I am learning the unmarked singletrack on the VASA through the help of some friends and having a blast! I did start out as a mountain biker, and think I will always be one at heart. There's just nothing like twisting through the woods and seeing the nature. I love flying down the hills-nothing beats it. No worries about traffic going by-just you and your bike and maybe a snake or chipmunk or two crossing your path. My friend Rich said he saw a bear on one of his rides near Kalkaska a few weeks ago. I don't think I want to see that much nature anytime soon though.

Mountain biking bliss aside, I am still trying to keep some road biking skills going and will be doing the Miller BTR Crit this Saturday. I hated crits when I first started out, but I they are growing on me. Its also a race I can do now since they are shorter and I am not bothering my shoulder as long. Next race will be Cherry Roubaix, as I will be heading to the Big Apple next Friday for two weeks. I am excited to see where my bike takes me while there! It's hard to leave Traverse City during the summer, but this should be a great time.

And if your into le Tour, my vote is for Wiggio. And I love to read Jens Voight's blog, Hardly Seriouswith Jens Voight, he is just such an awesome human being. Keep on pedaling!



Thursday, June 21, 2012

Wednesday Night Youth Development Ride

Wednesday nights through July kids ages 10 and up can join in a guided road ride with Hagerty Team member Frank Tafelsky and myself and any other Hagerty members that come and volunteer their time for the ride. We meet on the TART trail near the Cherrybend Animal Hospital and ride about 10-20 miles depending on the skill levels of riders. Kids aged 10-13 need to have a parent attend with them for safety reasons. Introductory group riding skills are covered as well as riding safely on the road. Come join us! Email me if you have any questions.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Kolo TC

In case you have missed it, Kolo TC is a great blog for those who like to pedal. Last month, Kolo TC author Cody Sovis did an interview with me-A Few Good Questions with Melissa Ryba. Cody has interviews with Michigan racers periodically on his site as well as the latest local and international racing news, recaps, and bike reviews. Check it out if you haven't already!

Currently I am taking some time away from the bike as I am desperately trying to recover from an ongoing shoulder and back pain issue. I was spotted out on a trail running yesterday, as I try to keep up some fitness while giving my shoulder some time to heal. I appreciate that there are runners out there who really enjoy the sport, but I have to say that in my view, it pales in comparison to flying down a hill on a bike.  Or even slowly crawling up one. Hopefully I will be back soon!

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Over the Hill...

Women's Cat 1/2/3 Field in Mt. Pleasant
What a difference a week can make. Living in Michigan can be really annoying some days. The weekend of the West Branch Classic was cold-hovering around 50 degrees, windy, and rainy. The following Sunday the Mt. Pleasant Road Race was a scorcher, sunny, again windy, and in the 90s. I had planned on racing all three of the Mt. Pleasant events, but my sister was in the hospital, and I was taking of my nephews. I didn't feel quite right leaving Russ home with four kids all weekend, so I opted to just ride the road race on Sunday. We had a strong showing of Hagerty women at this race, with 6 of us represented in the Cat 1/2/3 race. Lauri and Susan were doing well in the omnium, so it was our job to protect them and try to get them on the podium. We all worked hard and eventually Bridgett got away in a break with about 6 riders. The race picked up to try to bridge the gap and bring the rest of the racers up to the break, and that is when I was done. I had worked a lot at the front and attacked twice and my legs were not able to attack again. A few others were dropped as well, so I at least had two people to ride back to town with. It was still a very long 20 miles, and I don't think I could have been much more miserable. I drank a bottle of water on the ride down, and had three bottles with me, and it still wasn't enough. I was getting chills from getting dehydrated and the only thing to look at was flat farmland. I really don't know what is worse, riding in cold rain or the hot sun. I made it to the finish though and I came in 12th overall in a field of about 25 and 4th for cat 3 women. Susan made it to the podium with a strong 2nd place finish. 

My biggest victory over the last few weeks and perhaps my whole cycling experience is....I MADE IT UP SMOKEY! With the group. Didn't get dropped. Mark the date, it was June 5 on the fateful Tuesday Night Ride that I made it up Smokey Hollow, to the lighthouse, and all the way out to 7 hills. I did get dropped there, but that is ok. I made it farther than I ever have, and hopefully one of these days I will make the whole ride. But just the fact that I made it that far was so exciting, that I was shouting for joy at the top and probably everyone around me thought I was a bit crazy. It really felt awesome though, and I can't even think of a finish in a race that felt like as big of an accomplishment as this. 

The following Tuesday was windy again and I have had just about enough of riding in the wind, so I finally took the number plate off of my mountain bike from the Mud, Sweat, and Beers race and revisited the woods. It felt great to be back mountain biking again! It's been nice having a few Saturdays at home and relaxing after four busy weekends of racing. Nothing is on the calendar right now for races, I will see what happens in the next few weeks. Thanks for reading!

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Against the wind...

If anything, cycling is a very humbling sport. You can feel great and ride strong one day, and fall flat the next day. Heck, you can even feel great on a single ride for a solid 30 minutes, and then find yourself suddenly riding solo, against the wind, wondering why the heck you (I) ever even thought this sport was so great to begin with.

Jane Van Hof, Katie Whidden, and myself at the finish. 
I had a good weekend in Frankenmuth, riding a road race with some really fun women. We made the best of the cold, rainy conditions and had a great race. I enjoyed myself, and took home 3rd in that final race as a Cat 4. For a race recap, click here. Taking the plunge I requested to upgrade to Cat 3 and it was approved. Tuesday Night Ride, I decided to hit the A group again, and see how long I could hang with them. It was very windy, and a very fast pace out to Smokey Hollow. I did well and was in front of the group for the ride out there. When ole Smokey came up, though, I realized I had nothing left to climb that hill at the pace everyone was hitting. Well, this being no stranger to me, I headed out to regroup with them. Shortly after regrouping, I was dropped again on the long, gradual climb just past the lighthouse. I pedaled my ass off trying to catch back on, but knew I had a snowball's chance in hell as I was riding into a headwind. I lost sight of them after the Eimen Rd climb. After they crested the hill, they were long gone. I look around and see no one ahead of me or behind me and I am out pretty far. There is a strong headwind beating down on me and I launched into a huge pity party for myself. I was swearing up a storm and talking out loud to myself. I just did NOT want to ride all the way back home alone. Again. Just as I wiped the last tear away and told myself to harden the f up, I came upon a rider who had a flat tire, and who was just finishing up fixing it. I skidded to a stop, relieved to have at least one person to help ride back, and shortly after two others came up who were behind me. Now we were four, and I was grinning ear to ear. We had a great ride into town, fighting the wind together like cyclists do. 

Onto West Branch Road Race. It was again cold and rainy. I was nervous about doing a 44 mile hilly course as my first Cat 3 race. I had Bridget with me again, who is a great climber. I set out to do what I could to help her. I was feeling preetty good. Then I wasn't. I couldn't climb those hills the way the others were and got dropped at mile 13. There were just ahead, so I didn't give up and tried again to catch back on.  Chasing being too familiar, I decided to pretend for awhile that I had attacked, and was going as hard as I could to win. Not able to fool myself for very long, I kept chasing as I had them in sight until the long climb right before the finish line. They attacked on that climb, and set up to go around for the next loop. As I rolled through, I tossed around the idea if I should quit or do the next lap alone. Nate Shuff from the Hagerty U-25 team was also dropped as he was having knee issues, so we decided to at least rally each other for the last loop. I figured it was at the least a good training ride, if not a good life lesson to finish what you start. So, almost deja-vu like, there I was again, far out without anyone to ride back with in the wind. This time there was no one for me to draft off of though, so I did harden up and battled it out alone. I am proud to say Bridget did awesome and got 1st place. I had plenty of time to think during those 22 miles and was trying to send her winning vibes from where I was. I think it may have worked! Great job Bridget! One other woman dropped out of the race,  and we didn't have a big field to start with, so I ended up with 5th. 

Next weekend is Mt. Pleasant, a nice, flat course. If it isn't rainy or windy I don't think I will know how to ride. 

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Its a Love/Hate Thing and WMSR


Race season is here. The season I have been pedaling for all winter and spring. I was looking so forward to it! So why then was I a bundle of nerves with a side of nausea throughout the week before the West Michigan Stage Race? And any race for that matter? As much as I tell myself to “relax, we are just doing this for fun anyway, right?” I can't help but get the jitters before every race. It gets so bad at times that I wonder why I even put myself through this. I need to learn how to “wooshaaa” away the anxiety, as a fellow co-worker puts it. Friday night before the race a few things were weighing on my mind, so I did not sleep well. I was awake at 3:30, out of bed at 5:00 to get ready for the first race of the weekend, the time trial. My jitters were not improved by the fact that I pulled another classic Melissa blunder by forgetting my shoes at home. In Traverse City. Over 2 hours away. The cycling community in Grand Rapids is great, as some hard work went into finding shoes and pedals for me until I could go to the store once they opened and buy a new pair. After all of the effort that was put into finding me shoes I felt obligated to do the best I could. It seems the shoes were good luck, as I placed 6th in the time trial that morning, out of about 30 women in a cat 3 and 4 combined field. Sweet!

I'm on the inside, taking a "shitty line" as Amy Jenema succinctly put it.  
The crit was scheduled for 1:30 that afternoon, and after buying some new shoes, Bridget and I went out to warm up and scout the course. We had 7 people represented from our team in this race. We tried to figure out how to best use our numbers to our advantage, and set up some strategies. As the race started the pace was fast, and it was so hot and dry out. My mouth dried up almost immediately, and the pace of the race was so intense I couldn't reach for my water bottle. I had never raced a crit before with this many women and I was overwhelmed. I was bouncing off the back of the pack, wondering how the heck I was going to be able to get up front. The course had lots of tight corners and hairpin turns, testing all of our biking skills. It was a fun course. I can say that now...now that its all over. During the race I was gripping my handlebars with all I had, praying to stay rubber side down, and in the pack. At one point I almost asked a teammate how much longer did we have to go, because I hadn't set my computer. I rather not know sometimes, and I think in this case it was better that I didn't. I heard the shout for the last lap and was so happy to know that it would be over soon. The pace picked up even more, and as we rounded one of the corners, a racer ahead me skidded her back tire out and crashed. The rider behind her crashed but I was able to get by. A few more corners to go and at the last corner I gave it all I had. Another 6th place finish. (Bridget got 3rd!) I almost caught the racer in front of me, but not quite. I was happy with it, the women in this field were some awesome competition. I sat back and watched the rest of the days races, happy to be done with mine, and with the results so far.

Saturday night we had a great meal with our team, and we rehashed our stories of the day. I was starving after the days events and we had some great food to eat. This is a "love" of racing. Spending time with some great people, talking about something we all love to do, and eating! We headed to bed early, and got ready for the road race the next day.

The road race was ok. I still felt nervous riding with so many people so close together. We tried attacks, they tried attacks. Nothing stuck. The leader of the overall standings, Kaitlyn Patterson, had a bad crash that further rattled my nerves. I don't think I have witnessed a crash that looked as bad as hers. I heard she is ok though, thankfully. In the end, I realized that I made a big mistake by not scouting out the end of the race. I could have taken the clues of the pace that the people were hitting around me, but in my brain it didn't sink in that this was IT. When I looked up and saw that it was, there was too much of a gap to be able to make it up in time. I came in about 18th. Live and learn! I have to say that I do learn something at every race. My TT time kept me high up in the rankings though, and I ended up 5th overall for the weekend. The pre-race anxiety is now forgotten, the pain of the work and the race a subtle memory. Now bring on the next race!  

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Mud, Sweat, and Beers 2012

First big race of the season and my first race in Expert Class! It was a big day, and after scouting the rumored single track portions earlier in the week, I felt that I was ready as I ever was gonna be. Not a fast single track rider, I realized the race had changed a lot. If it would affect my time was debatable, as they took out two of the biggest hill sections and I don't exactly fly up those either.

We lined up and I was surrounded by a lot of blue. I think all of our Hagerty women were out today in force. Julie Whalen from Grand Rapids area was also there, one of the women that I participated in the Ray's Women's Weekend with. It was great to see her and and the other women out to race!

A few Lady Hags before the race. 
We lined up at the start, and I was behind Susan Vigland and Bridget Widrig, thinking these were perfect tires to be behind.  I was behind them for about 5 seconds! Ha. At the start I watched a lot of women pedal away, and one person next to me hit the fencing and went down. I trudged through and ran up Willpower Hill and got out to the neighborhood and tried to hammer it as hard as I could to make up some time. As I entered the trails again, I was doing ok, and hoping to see someone ahead sometime soon. I then followed behind two men who took a wrong turn. Doubling back, I jumped back on the single track as quick as I could. Amy Jenema was near me at this point, and we headed into the highwaters area of single track, where we saw Lauri Brockmiller down, and who told us we weren't too far behind and to go!

Amy and I rode together for awhile, until going up the gravel hill past the bridge her chain gave her trouble. I had just started recovering a bit from the start and started to feel stronger. I kept going and not too long after Lauri caught up to me. I was surprised to see her as she looked like she was out of the race when I saw her. Down, but definitely not out! After endo'ing her bike, and nursing some good injuries, she was hauling ass. I rode with Lauri for awhile until her chain fell off. Trying to beat the odds, I kept on going. I did ok on a lot of the single track. I am still slow, but I was able to maneuver through it without falling or having to unclip. That in itself is a big improvement for me! There were a lot of guys through the single track right on my wheel, which stresses me out, so I would move over and let them go by.

At some point I got off the single track, and was supposed to take a sharp right, but didn't see the sign and followed the same guy who led me astray the first time down the wrong way. This time it took out a LOT more time. Lauri had seen me going the wrong way and shouted my name and a warning, but I didn't catch it. After heading down a sandy hill and noticing there were no other bike tire tracks, I told the two guys who went down that way we were going the wrong way and I had to walk my bike back up the sandy two track and get back on the route.

Lauri was long gone now, I just did the best I could to hammer it out for the rest of the ride on any of the flats. I was feeling good and pretty strong. Two guys were drafting each other and I caught on their wheel for awhile. Between them having to pass people though and going pretty fast, I didn't hang on as long as I would have liked, but it was fun while it lasted.

After Timber Ridge I saw Amy Jenema again ahead of me. The last few hills coming into Mt. Holiday were killer on my legs, but I pushed through and came ripping down the hill so fast through the sand that I almost couldn't stay on the route. I went through the mud pit at the end and was happy to call it a day! I finished 10th. I feel that I had a good race, despite the few setbacks I had. Racing is a lot about luck, as this race proved for many.

Johanna Schmidt held onto her reign as champion, Susan Vigland came in second, and Julie Whalen came in third!  Special kudos goes to Michele Howard who stopped her race to help John Leach of Einstein Cycling. John had a spill and once again she stuck by the side of someone with a head injury until help arrived. Great job to everyone who raced! For full race results click here.

Kandace Chapple added 1 mile to her race after getting lost in the woods with 20 other racers;
Cassy Stone also did an endo; and I went off route two times. Still smiling at the end!



 






Friday, May 4, 2012

To the dude in the orange...thank you.

It was a mere women's Cat 4 crit during the 2011 Cherry Roubaix bike fest. I had quite a learning curve last summer trying to figure out how to race a crit. FYI for my non-cycling friends: a crit is a closed course where racers do laps for a certain amount of time, a bell usually rings for the last lap, and the first across the line wins. I started out with the naive notion that if you are in the front of the race, you are the winner. My thoughts during a race- "I am out in front! I am winning! Look how long I can be in front!  Wait, now everyone is going really fast, aaaand I am last."

It really didn't take that long to learn that lesson, but it is still a trick to learn how to stay out of the wind but close enough to catch a wheel if an attack happens. The Cherry Roubaix was my last crit of the season, and I decided after learning from my initial mistakes and then subsequently usually playing it too safe, I would try some moves out and see how they fared.

The women's cycling community is small, so when a new rider races, it is noted. This poor rider played my out in front mistake right out, and I let her stay in front of me as long she could. After a few laps she got tired, and then I decided to go for it and attack. I was out in front and freaking out a bit for a few laps, hoping to get people tired. It was a short race, maybe only 20 or 25 minutes so I knew I would only have to suffer for a short period of time.  Ellie Burke bridged up to help me, and we tried to stay away together, but my legs were not there anymore, and we got caught by the group. There were a few primes (races within a race where you can win a prize), and I sprinted and won one. The final lap came down and it was an all out sprint, very close between all the women, but I got 2nd. Definitely my best crit of the season.

Jody Hofstra was there, unbeknownst to me, taking some great pictures. I have enjoyed looking at these pictures so much, because it shows an aspect to a race that I never get to see. Sometimes I will hear people cheering me on, and that is awesome, but often I am too focused to hear anything and am oblivious to anything going on other than the race. When I asked Jody if I could get copies of these pictures recently she asked if I knew the guy in the orange, but I didn't know what she was talking about. He was originally cropped out of the picture that I had seen on facebook. Opening up the picture on my computer I discovered my biggest fan of the race. I have no idea who he is, but thank you! Seeing everyone's expressions in the crowd is awesome. I can't believe how lucky I am to be able to race and ride bikes as much as I do.  I look at that picture and can hardly believe it is me. I appreciate everyone who came out that day to watch a women's bike race...or who happened to be in the neighborhood and stopped a minute to watch.


Friday, April 20, 2012

1st TNR and Good Bye Indoor Season!

Indoor season is officially over, and we celebrated with some wine and appetizers at Black Star Farms the other night. It was a nice way to wrap up class and talk with everyone who suffered together over indoor trainers through the long winter months. The next few weeks will be difficult for me as I transition from one routine and try to create another routine to get my riding in. I'm really dependent on needing someone to ride with...as in if there is no one waiting for me I am not likely to get out there and ride when I need to do it. I'll get there, it always just takes me a week or two to get the new schedule going.

I am continuing strength training at Rockbottom Gym two days a week. My shoulder and lower back have been an issue for me for the last two years, and I have pinned it down to just needing to get them stronger. It is funny how weak my upper body is. I picture myself like a T-Rex, big strong legs...tiny little arms. Hopefully I will start to balance out a bit! I have noticed a difference lately in my rides, so it is helping already.

Anyway, Tuesday Night Ride. TNR is a 40 mile loop out on Old Mission Peninsula that is one of the most competitive rides in the area. Last year it was split into an "A" group and a "B" development group. I rode with the development group, and we had some great mentors out riding with us and giving us racing, riding, and training advice. It was great and I learned a lot. At the end of the season, less people showed up and it was consolidated into one group one night. I was on for awhile, but got dropped kind of quickly and regrouped with what would normally be the "B" group.

So now for this 1st TNR of the season for me, I showed up not sure what to expect. It was a cold night. It was only in the 30's, and I was wishing for some warmer head gear and warmer gloves. I am also battling a sinus infection, so that wasn't helping my motivation for being outside. There were about 20 guys and one other woman showed, Marci, another Lady Hag who I was happy to see! No "B" group tonight, so we started out together at a decent pace and after about 20 minutes my hands warmed up. No one tried to sprint until Smokey Hollow hill, when a few went for it, and the rest followed. I tried to keep up, but my legs felt like bricks and would not move. I could still see some at the back of the group and I worked to try to catch up.  After it was clear I wasn't just going to hop back on, I decided to not completely kill myself and rode to Center Road to regroup with them as they pedaled back from the lighthouse.

I caught back on with them, and felt hopeful; it always seems I get stronger the second half of the ride. We hit the rollers off of Center Road, one of my favorite spots. As we approached the hill before Eimen Road, I vowed I would not get completely dropped again and worked very hard not to. The group split into 2, and I kept up with a group! We had 6 with us, and as we went back on the west side of the peninsula, we did a rotating paceline at a pretty good clip. The first group caught up with us (not sure where they went), but we remained together and went up Wilson Rd. Looking up that hill I thought I would ditch and just keep riding the flat road back to town, but in the end hunkered down and went up, last in line. To my delight, they regrouped again at the top, so I wasn't left behind.

Heading back to town, I was happy even though I couldn't feel my toes anymore. I made it through the first TNR and kind of survived.