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!) 

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!

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!