The real reason I went to Boston...

Okay, that's not entirely true...but north end cannoli was a big motivator in getting me through a challenging end to SKINourishment p/b Paceline Projects 2013 road season.  How challenging?  Well, that box started out full...

After some finagling and promises of baked-goods, I managed to switch labs last week so I could leave UT early with guest-rider Amber Brown and her husband Cortland to drive to Vegas.  We arrived in Vegas Wednesday night and spent most of Thursday at Interbike.  What a scene!  I was slightly overwhelmed, but managed to find many of the team's awesome sponsors in that crazy maze.  I had a blast catching up with folks and checking out some sweet stuff coming out for 2014.  The new carbon fiber SQ Lab saddle with cushioning you can customize, Michelin's new Pro4 comp limited edition tires...fun fun fun!  Great to be able to meet in person all these awesome folks whose generous support of the team has such a tremendous impact.  THANK YOU!!! 

Kat, Brian and former guest-rider Justine of Syntace and SQlabs

 

The Michelin Team!
 

Before I knew it, it was about that time to suit up.  It was great to have Amber, an up-and-coming UT rider who has the crit racing bug, join me for the USA Crit Finals.  The course was pretty gnarly.  I loved it.  Dark, lots of sweeping turns, the occasional barrier legs sticking straight out into the field.  Wished the Pro Crit Championships course looked like that!  Great crowds, including many awesome sponsors in attendance (Arundel and Honey Stinger), aggressive racing, maybe a touch of danger, made this race super fun.   I felt awesome staying in good position and attacking.  Unfortunately, Amber was still feeling the effects of a cold.  In the second half of the race, there was a decent size pile-up in the last corner.  I saw the dominoes start to fall and thought I was going to be able to squeeze through a tiny window to the outside when someone from behind ploughed right into me, launching me off my bike.  I landed hard.  You know it's a hard landing when you have minimal road rash and are so stunned it takes you a second to push yourself up off the pavement. I did and made my way to the pit.  Bike was fine, and for the time being the adrenaline made me feel OK too.   I got back into the race and refocused for the finish as it was looking like it would be a field sprint.  Sadly, I wasn't going to make it to the last lap.  With no more free-laps, I flatted.  The pit wouldn't give me a wheel and the official wouldn't let me chase, so I disappointingly watched the last laps of the race.  Major bummer.  Like most people, I didn't have lady-luck on my side in Vegas. 

Kat & Amber Brown

I was flying out after the USA Crit Finals to get to the east coast to race the TD Bank Mayor's Cup two days later, so didn't have much time after the race.  Amber and Cortland were awesome dropping me off on the strip so I could run in for some first aid supplies to help with my messed up hip.  By the time we rushed to airport, my hip was so swollen I could hardly walk.  My Vegas loosing streak continued.  When I went to check-in for my flight, United informed me that there was no way I would make any of my (4) connections to Hartford, CT because my red-eye flight out of Vegas was running behind.  She even laughed at me.  I wasn't very amused though.  After 30 minutes of them telling me I had to spend about 24 hours in Houston and wouldn't make it to Hartford until Saturday morning, the flood gates opened.  I was very much looking forward to racing in Boston on Saturday in front of my family and friends... and after a painful end to that night's race, I couldn't hold back the tears.  In the scheme of things, silly to cry over.  However, the waterworks proved productive.  Suddenly, they found a solution to my hopeless situation when just minutes before they insisted there was no other option.  They flew me to Boston to get in Friday afternoon with a whole 24 hours to get ready for the race.  Yay!

After a pretty quiet flight (no screaming kids), my dad picked me up in Boston Friday and we journeyed back to western MA to relax and get all sorted out for the next day's race.  There was even apple cider waiting for me in the fridge.  All was looking up.  Then bad luck struck again.  I unpacked my bike in disbelief as I realized United crushed my beautiful Veloforma Strada SLR. 

Okay life, really?  Really. 

What a down kind of moment.  Sometimes you just connect with a bike.  Nostaglia for all the sweet experiences you've had while riding it and sometimes the bike just makes you a different rider- more confident in the corners, faster.  My Veloforma was definitely that bike and I was majorly bumming about it and not being able to race the next day.  But the dissapointments this season have certainly made me appreciate the positives, and there really have been many.  All season I've been blown away by all the awesome people in my life, and this past weekend was no exception.  Their kindness and support has really meant so much to me.  Within a hour or two, I found myself going from spectator back to a participant with too many bikes being offered to choose from.  A huge thanks to Kevin Wolfson, Bruce Diehl and the Sunapee team, my awesome coach Steve Weller for rallying.  Steve got me set up on a bike and got it dialed in, with back-ups waiting at the race just in case.  That freakish stream of incidents aside, how lucky am I!

The best coach and friend in the world-Steve!

My folks, Ameerah and I loaded up the car and made our way to Boston, stopping briefly to buy a new helmet.  United crushed it as well but small potatoes at that point.  The weather was perfect and I was excited to race.  The bike seemed to fit pretty well too.  The SKINourishment samples Polly sent to the race went like wildfire!  The race started and I stayed toward the front.  I felt OK but as the pace picked up, the differences in bike fit and handling were a bit more apparent.  I went for a prime to test out the sprint which is usually how this race ends.  I won the prime but essentially seated.  I quickly realized the narrow bars and short stem made my sprint super twitchy, not very safe or fast.  A little worrisome for the finish and I had to resign myself to saving my sprint for another day, opting for the safe approach to the line.  I stayed up to the front in the last lap, but there's not much you can do without a sprint in a bunch finish.   I came across the line 14th.  A decent result, but not exactly what I had my sights on all season.  I was a little sad to have the season end the way it did when I was so excited to race and on good form.  That's the way the cookie crumbled though and I can't help but be grateful for the opportunity to race in one of the best races in the country.  Every year the Mayor's Cup treats the women well.  Equal prize money for women and men... and quite a bit of it I might add.  15,000 each...that's no small chunk of change. 

Wonderful to be with my family, friends, and to do what I love.  So, a big thank you to everyone who helped make it possible all season long.  All my awesome sponsors: SKINourishment, Paceline Projects, Gnar Lube, Pactimo, Veloforma, State Wheels, Arnicare, Honey Stinger, Michelin, Outback Bikes, Syntace & SQ Lab Saddles, Arundel, Smith Optics, CheckMark, Road ID, Bell Lap Coaching.  Some pretty awesome mechanics: Jose, Steven, Chris, and Joe.  Amazing hosts and friends: Pam & Rodney, Wicker Family, Rocky & Joan, Billie & Leif, Chiang Family, Kent, Paul, Pekarek Family, Diego, Loughlin Family, and Kim. The best coach ever: Steve Weller.  Some very special bike racing friends who helped me out a ton this year and kept me laughing all season long:  Carrie, Chris, Vanessa, Julie and Christy, Tiffany, and Laura.  Last but certainly not least, my rock star family.  Thank you everyone for a great year and looking forward to 2014!

: D Kat Carr

 

3rd Overall at Tour of Austin!

Success and lots of fun to wrap up the Tour of Austin!  Although I struggled with the heat (I'm still shocked at how all those fast TX women race their bikes all year long in those kinds of temperatures,) I had a blast racing this past weekend in Austin.

* I've been sent so many photos, I'm not sure where credit is do.  If these are yours, please tell me so I can give you credit!  

After racing at the Formula 1 track on Saturday and liberally applying SKINourishment's new crossFIXE MUSCLE Paste, I was ready to rock and roll on Sunday.  Even had my picture taken with Willie Nelson for good luck on our early morning spin in the "Live Music Capitol of the World."  

Sunday's race was at the Driveway and I went into the race looking to represent the sponsors well with a podium spot.  The race stayed together, even small moves were short lived.  After a 5th place finish the day before, I wanted to snag some of the points up for grabs to move up in the overall. At the mid-race points prime, Jen McRae attacked and I stayed on her wheel until the u-turn/chicane thing-a-ma-bob right before the start/finish straight.  We took different lines through the turn and I was able to come around Jen for the prime earning some points.  On the last lap, Jen Purcell went to the front and started the sprint pretty early as we came up over the hill.  I was on Jen McRae's wheel and we lost a bit of ground through the the u-turn.  I knew that Purcell was gone, but fought to come around McRae at the line earning a 2nd place podium spot and moving into first place overall.  Happy and a little beat!  Thankful the podium shot was in the shade.  :)  

Jen McRae, Jen Purcell, & Kat

Racing in the late afternoon on Sunday with an early start on Monday was a bit of a quick turn around.  What probably would have been do-able in reasonable temperatures, was exhausting in the triple digits.  With 4 other women within 1 point of the lead, I had my work cut out for me to keep the overall. Boy did they put me to work.  The race was pretty aggressive and it seemed like I had to be covering everything.  After following move after move, I was getting tired.  I couldn't come around anyone for the points prime, so knew that my body was not thrilled.  I was having a harder time recovering than usual.  Late in the race, I had just came back from covering a move when Mini Pizzini attacked again.  A number of riders followed, including Jen McRae who bridged up to their break.  I looked at Mandy Heintz (also in contention for the overall) and her couple teammates to help, but nada.  Crickets.  I tried a couple times to bridge up, but they wouldn't let me get anywhere.  In the last laps, I worked on the front knowing that was the only chance I had.  And a small one at that.  Without any help, it wasn't happening and I knew I had lost the overall.   I won the field sprint, so still earned some points to secure a podium spot for the weekend.  I was a little disappointed, wondering if I could have done anything differently.  As my new trophy states though, "Aye, third be good too."  All in all, it was a great trip.  Good racing, great people, and good times.  

Ice monster

The Overall: Jen, Mini & Kat 

That's right... Pirate trophies

I gigantic thank you goes out to Polly & the SKINourishment crew (Paul, the kids, Ryan, & Cristi) for their fun vibes and cheering all weekend!  Oh and airport runs! ;) Also, to Andrew Willis of Holland Racing and all the volunteers and sponsors who put on such a top-notch event.  Last, but certainly not least, Kim Ciolli for hosting me.  What an awesome person.  I had an absolute blast getting to know her and her crew.    

Kat & Kim (Addison and Ken not pictured...but helped with the pizza...maybe...)

From NY to TX...

Post-race hang time with Ameerah

After about a month off of racing, I had a blast returning to the crit scene in Binghamton, NY for the Chris Thater Memorial.  My folks and I made a road trip of it and I was happy to spend time with them and ride my bike too.  The race was fun and I felt decent.  Was getting excited for the sprint finish and had good position into the last corner.  Not sure why the rider in front of me hit the breaks, but she did and that doesn't usually help when going for the sprint.  A little history, Chris Thater was one of my first NRC races when I started...and I've done it several times.  I don't think I've ever been allowed to finish the race though.  (Dropped & Pulled) This course was always tough for me.  However, not this year.  I managed a top 20 result... 11th.  Definitely always aiming for higher, but content.


A SUPER MEGA THANK YOU to Joe Mai for getting the race machine all fixed up and ready to rock!!!  Joe's the best.  If you ride these sweet roads in Western Mass, you should stop by Joe's Garage.

Heading out on one of my favorite rides...

After Chris Thater, I returned to SLC for a few days then was packing up the bike again to head to Austin, TX for the Tour of Austin.  This is my impression of Austin so far:

: D

Honestly.  What a neat city.  Whitney always spoke highly of the cycling community here and now I can see why.   This city loves riding.  Any kind, any speed, for any reason.  I've been very impressed.  

Biking in the city

My celebrity host has been showing me an awesome time.  She's famous.  I'm sure of it.   Kim has been such great company.  We rode over to the Driveway series on Thursday night to check out the course.  We have a midweek race series in SLC too... but not like this!  The Driveway seems to be equal parts suffering and equal parts partying.  Music, drinks, food, and lots of folks having a good time, enjoying each others company, and enjoying life on two wheels.

So the official race weekend kicked off with a 3.4 mile circuit race around Austin's Formula 1 track today.  Pretty darn cool.   As in awesome.  With a steep hill after the start finish line, the blazing sun, and a good sized field of fast women, this race sapped the energy right out of my legs.  Polly kept warning me about the heat here.  Glad she encouraged me to fly in a couple days before the race to get well acquainted with it.  I wasn't completely shocked when I lined up today for the first race, but 102?!.  I'm sure it was actually hotter on the track.

Circuit of the Americas

The women here raced aggressively.  A break of 3 went fairly early on the hill, but it didn't appear to have the right team representation.  I didn't attempt to bridge across immediately because it seemed as though the big field would bring them back over the course of the downhill.  My mistake.  Apparently it was the right combination of riders up the road.  They stayed away to the finish and I started preparing for the field sprint.  Within 1K to go, the notable sprinters were pretty much lined up across the road.  I don't remember who jumped first...but it was a drag race to the finish.   I avoided crashing when another racer cut diagonally across the road in front of me as everyone started to sprint.  I thought there was a chance I could make up some ground, but in the end I wasn't going fast enough to come around Jen McRae.  She won the field sprint coming in 4th and I finished in 5th.

SKINourishment tent!

I was glad to get out of the heat and enjoy the company of the wonderful SKINourishment team!  Also, super thankful for Polly's cheering and the wonderful and amazing new Cross Fixe Muscle Paste.  Made my legs and back feel ridiculously good.

Polly and Cristi

The good stuff.  Food grade!  

Next race tomorrow!  Stay tuned.....

A break in the silence

Greetings from UT!  I've been enjoying a nice break at home.  The past few weeks have been spent visiting with family, heading out for some fun riding, and generally enjoying the last little bit of summer.

Some highlights:

• Hanging out with the rad folks of SKINourishment, Inc. at the OR show in SLC! After talking with her on the phone all season, I was thrilled to meet SKINourishment's Creator/Founder Polly Glasse in person!  I had an absolute blast...can't wait for Tour of Austin next week!   

Team SKINourishment: Polly & Kat!

•  My folks were in town!  Enjoyed a fun-filled week of Bee's games, High West Distillery, Utah's Natural History Museum, mini-golf, and being dive-bombed by hummingbirds in Big Cottonwood.  

Good times in the Big Cottonwood Canyon

• Tour of Utah spectating!  Managed to catch 3 stages this year.  I rushed to the capitol building after work Friday to catch the last couple laps of the circuit race.  Saturday, I joined Tiffany, her husband Steve and friend Justin, and Theresa Cliff-Ryan and her husband Gary for a ride.  Tiffany and I continued to the top of Guardsman to cheer on Jens...that was my objective at least!  Here's a video clip...I'm not sure Jens Voigt is in the video, but I was cheering for him anyway.  I just got so excited.  What a character.   

Guardsman Pass: Kat & Tiffany 

Sunday, Matt and I rode mountain bikes to the race.  We ended up watching just after they came over the final climb and started to descend down into Park City.  The ride was sweet...not the best place to watch from though...mostly because there were some zealous spectators around us and I don't mean the fun variety.  I mean the policing variety.  Some lady told me I couldn't be on or near my bike because I might try to jump in the race.  The actual police officer marshaling and I had a good chuckle over some of the ridiculousness.    

En route to the final stage... 

• I survived my first encounter with a rattlesnake. Funny thing was I started out for my ride heading up Rattlesnake Gulch.  Didn't see a rattlesnake.  Despite the name of the trail, the thought of seeing a rattlesnake didn't cross my mind.   Ironic.  After getting on the Pipeline Trail, the thought did cross my mind and I kinda lost it.  Somewhat irrationally...I essentially stopped riding because I was super anxious.  What if I saw a rattlesnake hanging out in the middle of the trail?  What would I do?  Is there a safe distance to pass a rattlesnake?  After being paralyzed with fear for a couple minutes, I told myself to get with the program and continue with the ride.  The next half hour I enjoyed the beautiful scenery pictured below... 

Then I was hammering out of the woods around a bend, and sure enough a huge a** rattlesnake is crossing the trail right in front of my wheel.  Did I scream like a girl?  If a girl screams like this...

....then yes, I did scream like a girl.  It happened super quickly...no time to hit on the brakes...it's very possible I severed the snake from its rattle.  Or the rattling I heard meant the dude was super angry at me for scaring it.   While I hoped I didn't hurt it, I was terrified and I didn't stick around long enough to find out.  I booked it super watts style down to the road.  Last mountain bike ride for a little while at least...

Tomorrow, I head east to race in the Chris Thater Memorial.  Let the end of season racing block begin!

Welcome Bell Lap Coaching!

I wanted to take a moment to recognize a new official sponsor of the team!  Many thanks to Bell Lap Coaching for their support!  Founded by Steve Weller, Bell Lap Coaching brings a practical and scientific approach to training.  Steve coaches riders from all levels and offers a variety of coaching packages to meet your needs and assist you in achieving your goals!   

Steve has coached me as a sponsored athlete for many years now as I've come up through the ranks of cycling.  He has been instrumental in helping me make the transition to the professional level and I can't possibly express how important his coaching and support has been to me.  I've always been especially appreciative of his encouragement and his talent for creating challenging and realistic training plans which make it easier for me to balance my cycling goals with work, school, and family.  Steve has a wonderful perspective on cycling and life, and he has a sense of humor which makes him a joy to work with!  If you are in search of a coach, I highly recommend Steve Weller with Bell Lap Coaching.  Go check him out!  http://www.belllapcoaching.com/

Crit Nationals Recap

One word to describe the women’s pro championships:

WHAT!?!?!?

Yep, who knows what was going on out there.  Certainly not me.  It was a haze of suffering.  The course was actually not a crit course being well over a mile in length and about as wide open as you could get.   The rain was coming down before our race, so the roads were wet, but the course was not technical at all.  Geez was it hard though.  Somewhat shockingly so.  When I finally saw lap cards I was relieved.  Then I saw our time and was overcome with dread.  We still had another good 30 min more to race.  Unlike all of our crits this year which have been about an hour in length, the crit championships was 1.5 hours.  Allison Powers of NOW and Amanada Miller of Tibco broke away about 15 minutes into the race.  With two full teams not represented in the break, no one thought the two would stay away for so long.  Stay away they did....although the gap came down to 7 seconds in the end.  In the last laps, my legs said no more.   I was thoroughly spent after an hour and a half with no place for recovery.  For whatever reasons I kept getting gaped on the downhills even though I was hauling.  I finished 29th.   Allison took the victory, Amanda in 2nd, and Theresa Cliff-Ryan won the field sprint.    

All in all a great experience and an honor to compete in the event.  The women’s field outnumbered the men’s field  which was neat and equal prize money was offered to both fields.  Good stuff.  Many of us are hopeful the race modifies the course next year for the 2014 Pro Crit Championship to better highlight the skills and strengths of the crit racers in the country.  A great trip despite the suffering on the road, and a huge thank you to all of my sponsors who made it possible!  Also, much thanks to Vanessa Drigo, Diego Garavito, and his family who hosted me and cheered me on in the race.

Some photos:

The calm before the storm...pre-race ride in Charlotte

Start/Finish straight

Tune in live! Pro race 4:50 EST. go to High Point Cycling Classic!!!

Looking forward to...

Pro Crit Championships tomorrow in High Point, NC!  SKINourishment p/b Paceline Projects will line up to race at 4:30 PM EST.  Stay tuned!  *Also, SKINourishment's website launched today...go take a look!  I don't leave home without my Climb On Lip Tube or my Climb On Mineral Sunscreen- two of my absolute favorites!

Prairie State Cycling Series Recap

Hello- SKINourishment p/b Paceline Projects had a successful last four days of NCC racing in Chicago!  I was joined last minute by guest-rider Vanessa Drigo from the Rose Bandits squad and was happy to have a teammate in the races sporting the team's sweet Pactimo Summit kits.

Vanessa Drigo on the attack

The NCC races began in Beverly, IL Thursday evening. Luckily, Steven and Jose from SRAM came to the rescue with a new shifter.  The race would have been challenging without the ability to change gears on this fun, but not at all flat, course.   Huge thank you to SRAM once again for saving the day!  The bike was ready to race with about 5 minutes to spare, so I was slightly frazzled in the heat, wanting to get water, and maybe a warm up lap of the course before the whistle went off.  Luckily, I had enough time to do both.  Vanessa was aggressive early in the race, winning a generous prime.  I was a bit more conservative working on getting into the groove of the field and taking the corners.  Maybe it was the couple days off the bike before the race.... maybe all the travel.... but I felt strange on the bike and not at all smooth.  People were aggressive, especially with all the primes being given out.  In the final laps, Kelly Fisher-Goodwin from Fearless Femme attacked and held it for the win.  In the last lap the rain started to come down which made for a sketchy downhill corner into the finish.   Folks went down, or off the road to avoid the pile-up.  I managed to narrowly get around the crash and sprinted to the line for 10th.   

Friday we traveled to Elmhurst for the second race of the series.  I don't remember much of the race besides suffering in the heat.  After going for a prime, Carrie Cash from Pepper Palace and I had a decent gap and worked to get a break going, but eventually we were caught.  I didn't have much left in the legs at that point and couldn't contest the sprint.  Rolled in at 20th.  Recovered well that night in my super fun fort the Chiang's set up for me and made s'mores with Amelia and Elise.

The race tent!

The sweetest ride

Saturday morning, the girls took their mini motorcycle out to motor pace me down the street to meet up with Laura Van Gilder and Sara Tussey for a nice spin before our evening race in Lake Bluff.  We got to cheer on Michael and Diego in their races and appreciated a dip in the temperature compared to the previous day.  When our race started, it was pretty aggressive from the get-go.  Also, a very fun course with lots of corners.  Both Vanessa and I won primes.  Unfortunately, we were both out of position when the winning break went.  I moved up when the split happened and tried to bridge by myself, but was too late.   So, we raced in what was left of the field and had a lot of fun with the course.  In the final laps Vanessa was awesome with a lead-out.  She's so strong and such a great bike handler... it was awesome to be on her wheel.  I overcooked the second to last super narrow corner and did some mild off-road action though.  I didn't loose a ton of speed so when I got back onto the pavement I just took off.  Super early.  Maybe from 700 plus meters out?  Early.  I held it until right before the line when Kelly from the Fearless Femmes passed me like I was standing still.  I came in 8th for the day and Vanessa 12th.

Race photos thanks to Michael!

Sunday, we were off to St. Charles for the last race of the series.  The course was interesting.  We crossed the water twice going over bridges, the start/finish was slightly downhill and not all straight, and in general the course was a bit windy and wide.  I went off the front after a prime and felt like I was blown backwards when I crossed the water heading onto the backside of the course.  I was relieved when I was joined by 3 others and then later on came a larger group.  Erica Allar (Care4Cycling) went by me, Laura (Mellow Mushroom) pulled through, and then I tried to pull after Laura, but could barely get around her.  The rest of the field followed soon after.  Despite more attacks, the field stayed together until the end.  Vanessa and I were game for another lead-out, but I lost her wheel and then we ended up on opposite sides of the field.  The last corner was slightly uphill into the wind and if there was a fast way through that corner, I certainly couldn't find it.  The sprint was further slowed down by an almost crash and seemed like I was starting the sprint from zero.  I finished 7th and Vanessa 8th for the day, and I ended up 8th overall.  Vanessa, Diego, and I ended the Chicago racing trip spending a nice evening with the Chiangs which included a concert by the girls.  Up early Monday to the airport-thankful to Diego for the lift so I could make my way home to UT.

Continually SO grateful for all the wonderful support I receive from sponsors, family, and friends. Pretty sure most made it in this shot from Elmhurst (Smith Optics, Road ID, Veloforma, Syntace, State Wheels, Gnar Lube, Pactimo, Prana, Outback Bikes, Honey Stinger, Arundel, Michelin, Bont)!  Note the absence of crazy tan lines thanks to SKINourishment's awesome sunscreen.  Arnicare kept my legs feeling good day after day.  Unofficial cupcake sponsor:  Pepper Palace Pro Cyclist Carrie Cash and Chris Roettger!  Last but not least, a HUGE thank you to the Chiang family for being so much fun, fueling us with Regina's amazing cooking, and cheering us on at the races.

Thankful for all the support! 

Boise

Hi all- Traveled to Boise, ID this past weekend to race in the Boise Twilight Crit.  I have to say, these past several weekends of "local" racing have been a nice break from all the time spent schlepping a bike box through airports which is a must for the majority of the racing season.   Matt and I drove to Boise the day of the crit and arrived with plenty of time before the race.  Laura Van Gilder had invited us to stay with her in Boise, so we settled in and then rode over to the course to  check-in for our race at 7pm.  The race was fun and pretty smooth...unlike last year when the clouds opened up spitting rain and people were going down left and right.  Exergy and Primal were the most aggressive and represented teams out there, with some dangerous breaks and lots of prime winning.  I got to where I needed to be in the last several laps and stayed towards the front.  With three to go I was on Tiffany Pezzulo's wheel, but then in the re-shuffling of 2 laps to go found myself no longer on a good wheel and in poor position.  Not sure what happened...regained some of the aggressiveness I lost in that 1 lap to get back up to the front, hauled it into the last turn, and sprinted to the finish not gaining or loosing much ground on anyone.  Finished 11th.  Clearly fighting for position in those last laps has been a challenge for me.  One of these days.....

SKINourishment p/b Paceline Projects and Mellow Mushroom spin through Boise

Coffee...bacon...gnar. 

After the race, we went to FORK...which is now a Boise Twilight tradition.  Enjoyed a great dinner and dessert :) with Matt and Laura.  Super awesome company and a neat place Boise.

The next day, we decided to stick around for the ID Crit Championships.  Matt and I went to BACON for breakfast, another Boise Twilight tradition.  After enjoying a tasty breakfast, I left with a maple bacon, oat, chocolate chip, and walnut cookie.  A treat for the long ride back to UT that may have been nibbled on here and there throughout the day.  The women raced with the masters guys and a lot of UT riders came out which made for an aggressive race.  The race doesn't offer any prize money, but usually offers cash primes.  I'm not oppose to this approach for local racing actually and think it makes for a fun racing atmosphere.  I was definitely wishing I was not alone in the race though, as it seemed like Primal and the DNA riders were going off the front constantly (with the guys too) and I was getting pretty tired out there in the heat.  I heard the bell ring for a prime and heard either 50 or 15, so decided to go for it and won it.   After multiple attacks, Tiffany went off the front towards the end of the race again and held it.  I came in 2nd for the field sprint.  Glad to get some water and into the shade.  After the race folks were wondering why I went so hard for the prime. Turns out it was a cookie prime.  Well, I'm all for cookie primes too... Kim & Jake's Cakes has sponsored cake primes before, and I've entered races solely to compete for those primes.  Watts well spent if you ask me.  So when I found out it was a cookie prime I wasn't bent out of shape that it wasn't a cash prime.  I'll admit though I was slightly put off when I went to collect the prime and was thrown a bag of melted subway cookies, like the leftovers from the volunteers' lunch cookies. Oh well, at least the course was good and the women raced hard.  Plus I did have some of my bacon and chocolate cookie left.  Delicious.

Next on the calendar... Prairie State Crits in Chicago.  4 days of crit racing starting tomorrow!

A little California Sunshine

Hello all- back from a very brief adventure in southern California!  Matt and I packed up the car Friday afternoon and began the trip south shooting for Vegas.  Got to Vegas and we weren't especially interested in stopping.  It's very hot in the desert.  The record temp reading on our trip was 115 degrees.   Yeah.  We pushed on straight to CA.

We stopped for the night conveniently close to the San Dimas tt course which meant I knew exactly what my pre-race ride was going to be like the next day.  Fun and not at all flat.  It was also hot, but not 115 and the roads were closed to cars which made for a sweet ride up Glendora Mountain Rd to Mt. Baldy village and then down to the Claremont area.  

The rest of Saturday was spent enjoying a delicious meal with east coast friend who just moved out to CA, Robbie King.  Very fun to catch up with him and they were good natured waiting for me to make very difficult decisions when it came to my dessert.  Frozen yogurt with over 20 toppings to choose from...not an easy decision.  If you're interested...in the end, my final combo was vanilla frozen yogurt with brownies, coconut, caramel, and rainbow sprinkles.

Perfect post-ride recovery nutrition

Sunday, woke up fairly early to make it across LA to Manhattan Beach and try to catch the end of Peta's (new friend made at ToAD) race.  Not too much traffic until we got to Manhattan Beach.  Parking... geez.  Unfortunately I missed her finish, but still was able to catch up with her- she's a fun lady.  The Pro Women's field was a little on the smaller side-- there was a large CA contingent with several teams well represented and a handful of solo riders like myself.  There were many gift primes from race sponsors, essentially every lap.  I won a one night stay at the Hyatt- fancy, fancy.  Despite the constant opportunity for primes, the race was a little on the mellow side.  Or maybe a long ride in the mountains works well for my legs before a crit?  More likely, the lack of representation in terms of numbers from big teams, no cash primes, and a fast/wide and non-technical course meant that the race wasn't the hardest race we've done this year.  Heading into the last lap I got myself into good position.  I had Laura Van Gilder's wheel heading into the last sweeping corner, but lost it to Sam Schneider who didn't stay long on the wheel and attacked along the outside of the final corner.  That moment of reshuffling and not being committed meant I lost the good position in that one corner and was in the worst position into the last 200 meters or so of the finish.  I passed a couple in that last bit, but was kinda kicking myself for not being more aggressive.   I finished 8th for the day.  Erica Allar, Sam Schneider, and Laura Van Gilder went 1, 2, 3.    

Made a quick exit from Manhattan Beach...stopped long enough to get a quick picture of the ocean....then hauled it home to SLC.  

Next crit battle?  Boise Twilight Crit on Saturday.  Yep, that's handmade armour.  Chain mail made with re-purposed can tabs by friend Josh...pretty impressive. 

Allan Butler Crit

Hello all,
Not too much time this week to sit down to write...or ride for that matter.  Busy busy.   Quick little snippet though...

Last Saturday, Matt and I drove north to Idaho Falls for the Allan Butler Crit.   We've done the race for several years now and it's always a fun one.  Unfortunately, few people travel for this one which is a shame because it's a great course (lots of corners but very smooth and you can keep a good speed and flow throughout the race) and the people are awesome, and the prizes are good too.  Fireworks for primes?  I certainly wouldn't play with fireworks, especially in this arid climate....but folks here like their firework celebrations a seemingly daily event in Utah during July.  Anywho.   I  dig the sentiment.  What better prize for a rider lighting it up in the race?

So, no women came.  What a different perspective racing when you already know you'll win!  Maybe I was being presumptuous... what's the likelihood that I would crash myself out of the race though? :)  Not worried about results whatsoever, I HAD A BLAST.  Its been a little bit since I've had that much fun in a race.  They put me in with one of the guys fields and I enjoyed it.  There was a break that went on to win, but our group was good and worked together well.  On the last lap I attacked into the second to last corner, lead into the last, then unleashed the sprint which I haven't been able to use in quite a long time, and won the bunch sprint.  The sprint felt good and the crowd liked it too.  Lots of cheering from the Idaho fans,"You go girl!"

Matt's race was also fun to watch...well kinda... the rain came in and literally every lap there was a crash... a littler nerve racking.  They stopped the race and re-started when the roads cleared a bit.  Matt was in the break of 3 that stayed away, so we left Idaho with some neat trophies.  Oh and the Great Harvest on the course MADE me take treats for the ride home.  Yum.

On another note, Vanessa Drigo and boyfriend Diego are in town.  Fun to have them stay with us on their trip across country.   Connecting with them again in a few days for Manhattan Beach GP in California!  Until the next report... stay Gnar everyone!

I wish this picture was scratch & sniff so you all could experience the delightful  scents of vanilla and coconut greeting me as I opened this gnar package from Gnar Lube.  Go check out their stuff!  It's awesome and super fun.  

Thoughts on her experience at ToAD- From Justine Boddy

"Racing 4 crits back to back gave me lots of opportunities to practice new skills and push myself to be a little more competitive in the field. The level of competition was a lot higher than what I'm use to since I'm a new Cat 2 but it was great experience and gave me a better idea of where I can improve. The experience of being at ToAD as a whole was really fun and I met a lot of interesting and respectable women cyclists that I can learn a lot from."

Thanks Justine!  

ToAD- A summary

Well, I’m en route to SLC and finally have a moment to sit down!  The past six days or so have been a bit of a blur.  Kinda the nature of traveling and bike racing.   Also, my excuse for not posting any race reports? :) I know... horrible excuse.  I apologize.

Courtesy of Michael Chiang!  

Unfortunately, we don’t have amazing results to show from our time in WI...we were on a mission for them…but that’s not how the racing played out in the end.  Mechanicals, sickness, crashes, and then sometimes the legs just checked out early ( what’s up with that legs???) resulted in a number of mid-pack finishes.  Regardless of results, we had a lot of positive experiences in the races and that’s always something to be excited about.  Attacking, getting in good position, being aggressive…all good things. Also, more fun times and making new friends! 

 Snippets from Tour of America’s Dairyland!

-After a grueling race at Nature Valley and feeling under the weather, Justine was a trooper in WI.   If she was grumpy from being tired and sick, you would never know!  What a pleasure to have such a nice and cheerful teammate for ToAD.  Nature Valley and ToAD were her first national/professional level races and she did awesome, working on process goals in the race and keeping a good perspective.  She did great and I was thankful to have her racing with me! 

-While I may not be fond of flying with a bike or road rash, I love that I get to make friends through cycling and that I get to visit with them throughout the year.  How cool that I get to catch up with friends who live in other time zones at least once every year!  How neat that every week or two I get to see and race with friends.  I most certainly don’t remember many of my results over the years, but I absolutely relish in all the awesome memories and conversations I’ve had with so many neat folks all over the country.  So awesome to be able to catch up with so many people over the course of this racing trip:  Paul Warloski and Lori, Karen & John Larson, The Pekarek Family, Ellen Comiskey, and the Chiang Family!  Thanks for all the cheering too!!!

The Chiang Family! 

-Ice cream.  There was a lot of dairy on this trip and I LOVE IT.  Voted Best *by me*: Mascarpone pistachio in a waffle cone.  Justine’s find in Grafton.  Voted “Kickin’ it Old School Awesome” *again, by me*:  Bubble gum ice cream in a waffle cone.  A post-race Waukesha tradition.   This was one of my fav flavors as a kid because if you wait (ehem Justine) and save the bubble gum pieces until they warm up a bit, you can continue to enjoy your treat long after the ice cream is gone.  Awesomeness. 

-Our fan club!  Kids are hilarious and a lot of fun.  Justine and I made friends with the school kids watching our race in East Troy and we had a pretty big cheering section on the last corner.  It was great!  After the pro race, I lined up for the parking lot race to ride with the girls.  One of the little girls rode without training wheels for the first time!  That was awesome.  There may have been some crashing involved but no tears.  One of the little girls was pushing the limit of her bike and bee-lined it for a plastic toy in the parking lot.  She hit it, sent it flying across the street, fishtailed it, managed to somehow run off her bike as it fell, and then just kinda stumbled onto the ground.  As I walked over to her to see if she was okay, she was shaking, and I thought she was hurt and crying.  Nope.  As I got to her I realized she was laughing hysterically.  She looked up at me and said, "Wow, that was awesome."  Her mom caught the whole thing on tape.  Those were some mad bike handling skills. 

-The fan club continued in Sheboygan with Molly and Morgan!  Morgan sported the SKINourishment p/b Paceline Projects jersey at the race while Molly rocked the Pepper Palace jersey. They are too cute and I couldn't help but give them a thumbs up and wave when I was off the front.  It's also very possible they beat me in our ride and our race the next morning.  The legs were starting to check out... or they've been training over this past year.  :)

Off to post-race ice cream...Morgan rocks the SKINourishment  tattoo ...I'll have to figure out where she got that done. I'd like one myself.  

Our morning ride!  

Big thanks to everyone at ToAD for their help, cheering, and general awesomeness!  Up next on the National Crit Calendar:  Manahattan Beach Crit!