St. Louis here we come!

The Gateway Cup begins tomorrow evening with the Tour de Lafayette!  Whitney heads to St. Louis, MO today and I'll follow tomorrow afternoon to meet up with our great friends (and amazing hosts) Billie and Leif.  Paceline Projects p/b Veloforma will then head to one of the many historic and nifty neighborhoods in St. Louis and race around Lafayette Square (the city's first public park created in 1836) under the big lights.  Wahoo!

For more info on the Gateway Cup, check out http://gatewaycup.com/.  Equal prizes for the Pro women and men... that's what we like to see!

Prana Power!

When we are on the road racing, we rarely are lucky enough to get a post race shower.  Often we resort to a rinse off courtesy of an extra water bottle (if lucky), change, pack up and drive home or to the next race which could be hours away. Nothing like feeling a little grimy and overheated for a long car ride :)

We usually aren't this grimy...but grim happens.  

Of course we are out there to compete, not look like models; however, women are beautiful! Having the opportunity to change into fashionable but functional and very comfortable clothes geared for the bodies of female athletes is a godsend. Kat and I are lucky enough to have sponsorship with Prana. When I go to bike races, nothing is better than a Prana mini skirt (with shorts underneath!) and an airy tank to keep cool in the summer heat before and after...plus I get to show off my leg tan and my farmer's tan. Nothing beats that.  I also commute via bike about 5 miles to work each way every day. Prana apparel has been great for that too. It looks fashionable and nice enough to wear to a casual workplace and comfy enough to withstand longer commutes without needing cycling apparel.  Kat's summer favorite has been her Amaya dress which is her go-to race/travel outfit.

Kat on the road to the airport, post-race.  Can't see the chain grease from taking apart her bike, can you?

Post Elk Grove, Prana-style

Prana is very focused on preservation of the environment, sustainable living, and healthy bodies. Their clothing materials and styles reflect that. So whether you are heading to a bike race, going on a hike, attending a yoga class, or scaling a rockface, Prana has the functional yet fashionable clothing for you. Plus they support lady bike racers like us- that's pretty cool too :)

Check out their website and new fall line here: www.prana.com

*Prana's Kara jeans are awesome for women with muscular legs!  Seriously, they are sprinter tested and approved!

Hidden Gems

A big shout out to all the incredible friends and family who have supported Kat & I along our journey this year so far! From all the travels we've experienced through bike racing, we've met some truly incredible people along the way, many who have become life-long friends, hostesses year-after-year, and generous team supporters. Without the kindness of these folks, racing would be that much more challenging. Thank you, thank you, thank you! (And see you soon!)

• Alex Raicer
• Quinn & Lisa Schultz
• Leslie Abramson & Fred Rossman
• Pete Wicker & Family (and their shop, Outback Bikes!)
• Rocky & Joan Keith
• Billie Wiant & Leif Irgens
• Marnie Long (Remax Realtor in Fort Collins)
• Kent Stockstill & Jill Abbott
• Paul Warloski
• Karen & John Larson
• The Pekarek Family
• Judy, Terry, Connor, & Daisy Loughlin
• Hannah Rossman & Jesse Dudley

Final Colorado Double-Header Weekend

The road-racing season is largely winding down here in Colorado and this past weekend served as my final "double-header weekend" of the season. Golden, Colorado, hosted the Racing for Hope Crit benefiting a nearby hospital. The race is definitely a hidden gem! The course is a police-training track so the roads are smooth, gently-curved, and wide. It is also on top of a mesa with a beautiful overlook of Golden and Denver. Boy, it was windy up there though! About 25 of us started at the painstakingly early time of 8:55am (The race was an hour and a half away). Lap two, I attacked hard and after a few laps, the field had blown apart and there were about 8 of us left. We all worked pretty hard to ensure there were no bridgers and that we could stay away. Another couple were lost in the wind. Kenda attacked for a prime and stayed away. We were reeling her back in when another Kenda rider (Gwen) flatted, and a Naked Juice rider crashed in a corner. Then we were 3 with Kenda still up the road. I made the final push to catch Kenda (I should have attacked, honestly), and then was sorta stuck on the front for the end. The pace wasn't high enough to drop the Kenda rider and I was toast. I came in 4th for the day. A bit of a disappointment, but I have to work on being less nice in breaks :)

Sunday was the Historic Boulder Park Crit. Ummm this race was crazy. At least 50 women lined up. The course started on an uphill, turned onto a narrow, bumpy alley, left and up a CURB, down a narrow-one-lane alley, left and down another curb, right/left/left on pot-holey loose-gravel roads, to the finishing downhill/uphill stretch to the finish to go again. I did was what recommended to be and started on the front line. Of course I missed clipping in not once, or twice, but three times in a row (GRUMBLE!). With the wide variety of ability and the narrowness of the course, it made the course extra challenging with constant stopping for corners and sprinting out of corners. Still being a little limited on fitness, the constant 0% to 100% efforts left me pretty wasted. I did end up making the final cut of 19 riders(?) but don't have much more to speak of for the race weekend. I was a bit bummed about that, but sometimes it's good to have a race where you see your current weaknesses laid out and mentally and physically focus on improving those. Being more selfish, more aggressive with positioning (so I'm not having to yo-yo as much which killed me), and better/smarter gearing for coming out of turns on courses like that will go a long ways for the next race. Mentally seeing myself being successful with those things will make for easier implementation :)

Alexian Brothers Tour of Elk Grove Recap

I'm very happy to report Whitney and I had a very successful first race back as teammates!

Friday's time trial was a bit of an opener for the both of us, and after some generous help from Jose Alcala from SRAM,  I was good to go for the TT and pleased to have a solid paced ride that got the legs moving just fast enough to make the time cut.

Whitney finds shade before the race

The heat was a major concern Saturday and definitely took it's toll.  The Tour of Elk Grove courses are through residential areas and while flat, are pretty darn technical.  With some 180 degree turns, the field came to almost a standstill, and then accelerated back up to WTF single-file speed lap after lap.  With the heat and humidity, this type of riding definitely wears on you and almost 20 riders were in groups off the back of the main field.  Despite a 2 month hiatus from riding, Whitney rode super well and had no hesitation throwing herself back into the mix, attacking and getting some announcer coverage for Paceline Projects p/b Veloforma.  Too far back with 6 to go, Whitney told me it was time for us to move up and as we were doing so, erratic riding in the middle of the field caused some chaos and there was an unpleasant crash.  While we were caught up in it, we both were fine and got to the pit just before the free laps ended.  Our bikes got sorted out, new wheel for Whitney, and the officials and Shimano guys did a great job of putting us back in the field safely.  While we made multiple efforts to move up in the last several laps, I think we were both pretty spent and just couldn't get to where we needed to be for the finish.  Whitney came in 33rd and I rolled  in at 37th.  We were very thankful to the Loughlin Family (Judy, Terry & Conner) and the Rossman posse (Matt and superfans Hannah and Jesse) for their cheering and support.  *Hannah managed to score me a whole leg's worth of ice in some pantyhose just before the start.  I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have finished otherwise.  We spent the rest of the night relaxing with our friend the Irish Wolfhound Daisy and the Loughlins
.

After the storm Saturday evening, the weather cooled down and was perfect for Sunday's circuit race.  Since we were not going for GC or sprint points, we decided to go for the mid-race $1,000 prime.  Whitney was in a number of moves in the beginning of the race and one that appeared to be promising before the mid-race sprint.  Unfortunately, no one else in the move was willing to work, so Whitney came back and found me.  In the last 1K, we took a sharp 90 degree turn which spits you out on a narrow road that bends and twists slightly before you hit the line.  I was probably 20-30 back coming into the corner, but what the heck, I went up the right side of the road all the way to the front.  Just as I got there Meredith Miller from Tibco and Theresa Cliff-Ryan from Exergy started their sprint.  *Read no chance for me.*  I came across the line in 3rd which meant nothing for the 1 place prime, but provided some useful information for the finish.

On the last lap, some riders in the middle of the field thought we were suppose to turn when we were actually continuing straight down the road and caused a big crash.  I was on Whitney's wheel and went safely around as she brought me up towards the front.  She then found herself on the front with me sitting second wheel still well over a kilometer from the finish.  Not ideal, but with all my difficulty getting and maintaining good position in these finishes, I was willing to hurt a little more to be safer and give this approach a chance.  Whitney kept it up as long as she could and then I was on the front heading to the last corner.  I glanced back and knew I was going to be swarmed in the corner by Tibco's train.  I made an effort to keep my speed up even though I was starting to crack (I didn't want the corner to be super sketchy when they blew by me and I was going at a snail pace.)  Made it through the corner without incident and got on the back of their lead-out.  I was sitting about 5 or 6th wheel just outside 500 meters to go, thought SWEET, and planned on starting my sprint to the left.  Unfortunately, there was absolutely no space for me to get out as the road bent and Tibco hugged the left side of the road.  When another rider from the right came over into me I was forced to hold up to avoid going into the curb.  Lots of riders passed at this point, but we finished with an encouraging 20th place team effort.  We are psyched to race together again in St. Louis for the Gateway Cup at the end of the month!

Again, many thanks to all the folks who make it possible for us to race.  We greatly appreciate your support!  Judy, Terry, Connor & Daisy, Hannah & Jesse, and Matt and all the nice folks we met at the race, thanks for a great Chicago weekend!

Kat, Judy, and Whitney

Elk Grove TT

Stage one is complete with minimal issue. The 4.5 mile course was a T-shape and fast, through a neighborhood. Kat and I were unable to make the managers meeting that morning so we sought out the race director only to find the officials had given away my prime start time and moved  me up 45 minutes...or 40 minutes from when we were able to find the race director. Racing under pressure is good sometimes :-) Luckily Kat was in the clear.

 Kat finished 53rd and I'm in 36th. Allison Powers killed it. A TT bike was necessary for this course which neither of us had. I'll admit I was a little bummed with my time compared to last year but I guess it takes time to come back from injury and not riding.

We race at 2:30 today-a crit! 

And We're Off! Alexian Brothers Tour of Elk Grove

This weekend Kat and I are finally reunited to race together again. Today we both fly out to Chicago to hit of the Tour of Elk Grove in, well, Elk Grove, IL! This event is a huge support of women's racing amd we are very excited to be participating!

The race kicks off Friday with the Woodfield Chicago Northwest Convention Bureau Pro Women Time Trial. It's a very technical 4.5 miles through the neighborhoods of Elk Grove. Saturday we'll be racing the Comcast Pro Women's Circuit Race, a 1.2 mile course for 60 minutes. Finally Sunday we amp it up for a 1.2 miles course for 75 minutes at the McDonald's Pro Women Circuit Race. The event is a stage race and the overall is sponsored by The Alexian Brothers.

We are so excited to be back racing together as a dynamic duo. We're ready for some great and aggressive racing this weekend! Here is the race website if you are interested and want to follow along: http://www.tourofelkgrove.com/index.cfm