An Incredible Journey- Thank You!

A year ago, Carr-Schultz racing, now Paceline Project p/b Veloforma, was in its infancy nothing more than an idea in our heads.  *Kat says, "Actually, it was Whitney's crazy idea.  Whitney was sooooo adamant, so energetic, so passionate, that we could start our own team that...I thought well, heck...this train is leaving full steam ahead and heck yes, I'm gonna board."  We honestly had no idea what we were getting ourselves into and that has been part of the adventure...

The start of something great

We have enjoyed every minute of this adventure (blood and broken bones aside).  We love the more logistical side of this adventure, from formulating and articulating who we would become as a team and our mission, some crazy list making (both of us actually prefer the satisfaction of putting pencil to paper...you can be sure there are some crazy paper trails of this whole process), to connecting with extraordinary businesses and individuals who share a love for women's racing and the desire to promote happiness and health.  We love the crazy parts of this adventure, from sleeping in airports with bike boxes and driving 14 hours in one day for a 1 hr race, to racing on wet streets in the dark or eating a fried chicken and waffle cupcake right before a crit just to see what happens.

Crazy packing jobs

New friends

We obviously love racing our bikes, the thrill of it, the challenge, the movement and sensation of going fast.  We love the tangibles, and also the harder to articulate moments and feelings of being part of something that's more than just riding a bike or getting a good result.  We love connecting with people and families all over the country and forming friendships.  We are very fortunate to have had such a tremendous amount of support from the family, friends and businesses that all make up Carr-Schultz Racing.  We consider ourselves extremely lucky, so this post really is a thank you.

Amazing hosts!

Here are some highlights from our first-oh so very memorable- season:

• Entering our first local races of the season in CO and UT as Paceline Projects p/b Veloforma and fueled with Honeystinger.  That obviously felt good!
• Team fundraiser was a success thanks to the beautiful folks at Avenues Yoga!
• National Crit Calendar and USA Crits Speedweek kicked off with our first race as teammates in Athens, GA.  Unfortunately, Whitney was injured during the second race (not a highlight of the season for sure).  Kat continued the series, visiting schools and earning some top 10s and a 9th place overall on the racing front while Whitney began the healing process with considerable help from Arnicare and a new bike from Veloforma to replace her broken one.  A special thanks to the Wicker Family, Rocky and Joan Keith, and our racing buddies Chris Roettger, Carrie Cash, and Sara Clafferty for making the trip!

We're always traveling in Prana, even when injured!

• Tour de Grove- Kat spent a great weekend with friends Billie Wiant and Leif Irgens who she met the previous season during Gateway Cup.  Oh yeah and she raced.  A crash on the first night left her pretty sore and with a broken bike.  SRAM friend Steven stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to fix her bike and fashion a part that would enable her to race.  Judging from the praise of his fellow mechanics, this was a bit of a feat.  By the third and final day Kat was feeling a bit better (probably due to that crazy cupcake she ate) and earned a 5th for the day, 4th in the field sprint.

• St. Francis Tulsa Tough- Kat spent the weekend with Tulsa friends, Jill Abbott and Kent Stockstill in their super cool pad in downtown Tulsa.  Jill and Kent are awesome and totally spoil Kat and Whitney whenever they are in town, especially in the food department.  The racing was tough and didn't go very well for Kat until the final day when her legs started to come around and was looking like she was going to nab a good result.  However, in the final laps, Kat went down in a famous type fashion- meaning her poor mother in MA was watching the action live on the TV.  Road rash aside, Tulsa Tough is an event like none-other and one of our favorites.

• Tour of America's Dairyland- Kat raced the last several days of ToAD which were on the National Calendar.  The racing was tough and Kat was in the midst of one of "those periods" in the race season where things just weren't quite clicking on the bike and she was struggling to get out of a rut.  She was grateful to have support and good company around her to keep her positive during these races- many thanks to the Pekarek Family, Karen Larson and her husband John, and Paul Warloski.

• Exergy Twilight Crit- Kat journeyed to Boise, ID with her sweet Rocky Mounts rig for the Exergy Twilight Crit.  The crit was a blast, Kat stayed upright in the rain thanks to her new Michelin tires from our sponsor, and secured a top 20 result.

Luckily Michelin tires are good and sticky in the rain!

• A comeback!  Finally in August, Whitney was able to rejoin Kat for Tour of Elk Grove after a several month hiatus.  With only 6 weeks of riding in her legs, Whitney arrived in Chicago to throw down.  And that she did.  While Kat and Whitney didn't earn any stellar results that weekend (1 top 20), they did perform well as a team, mentally connecting during races and learning how to benefit from each other's strengths.  That was a win in and of itself.  They also had a great time with family and Chicago friends, Hannah Rossman, Jesse Dudley and the Loughlin Family and were grateful for the help of friend Jose Alcala, SRAM super mechanic who comes to our rescue on many a race occasion.  

Kat in our slick Jett kits at Tour of Elk Grove

• Gateway- Whitney and Kat met up again for Gateway Cup in St. Louis over Labor Day weekend. They had quite the trip together and were able to clean up with some great results and primes.  Of note: Kat sprinted to 2nd and enjoyed some time on the podium Day I, Whitney received substantial coverage for our team, attacking and winning some big $ primes, earning quite a lot of attention from the announcers, and they both enjoyed their time with Billie and Leif and ate their fair share of frozen custard which is the thing to do in St. Louis.

• TD Bank Mayor's Cup- A homecoming event for Kat and a first time adventure to New England for Whitney.  Kat and Whitney raced well together, Whitney killing herself to deliver Kat to the front of the field in the finish and Kat sprinted for a 6th place result.  We enjoyed a great time in Boston and it was a treat to be surrounded by so many family members and friends and our two title sponsors were in attendance Paceline Projects and Veloforma!

• The season finale was the USA Crit finals in Vail, Colorado, on the narrowest crit course either of us had seen. Whitney obviously ate her HoneyStinger blossoms before the start and attacked in the first lap.  Whitney initiated the break and after lapping the field with Alison Powers and Erica Allar, she was able to finish 3rd and Kat won the field sprint for 5th.  3rd place for the USA Crit finals and a 9th overall for Kat in the USA Crit competition.  Big time results.  Of course Whitney looked totally pro on the podium, rocking our sweet kit with all of our sponsors' logos and her Prana hat (it was pretty chilly at that altitude after all).  An awesome way to end the season!

USA Crit Finals in Vail

Podium at Vail

Reflecting back on the season and all the sweet places we traveled to, it's undeniable that we couldn't have done so well without the stellar friends and families we have met along the way, the incredible product and monetary sponsorship, the support of friends and family, the cheers of the crowds, and pushing each other to do better on and off the bike. So THANK YOU, to all of you who have been a part of this. Here's to a great first year and exciting things to come in 2013!