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.

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. 

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.

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.

 

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!

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. 

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.