Tune-in!

Hey all- I'll be racing with Vanessa Drigo at the Glencoe Grand Prix tomorrow afternoon!  Saturday 3:55 PM Chicago time.  Check out http://usacrits.com/glencoe-grand-prix/ for more info on this cool race that supports the Glencoe Educational Fund.  *You can follow links on the USA Crits page to watch coverage of the race live via SmartStop website! See if you can spot us!*

Check out Glencoe Grand Prix Pro Cycling Race Parodies here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E2I8oUXYeI

Heading to Chicago!

Excited for some fast racing in the weeks ahead!  Tinkering with our site while waiting for my plane...fun shot courtesy of Photographer Lars Hofland.  Thanks Lars!  Check out his awesome work at: www.natureloverphotography.com

Local Treats!

Hello all!

I've been fortunate to enjoy a full two weeks at home in SLC!  My break from traveling has been like enjoying a delicious cannolo.  Yum.  A delightfully crisp little envelope of time, filled with tasty greatness.   Possibly sprinkled with awesomeness as well.  *It's me...had to get some type of food reference in here somewhere.  : D

My weeks' ricotta filling:

• The weather has been (mostly) awesome here in Salt Lake.  Sunny, green, perfect.

• Best friend from college moved out here to start the PT program at the U.  So happy for Katey and so happy to spend time with her again!  Let the crazy adventures commence. 

• Fun local racing.  Bear Lake Road Race last weekend was a good one with a strong showing in the women's field.  Unfortunately the race ended abruptly for me.  Similar to dropping your cannolo on the ground when you're three fourths the way done.  Forget about the satisfaction that comes with savoring that last bite, or in the case of Bear Lake, making it to the finish.  Flatted.  Spent some time with bovine friends on the side of a field and walked a mile or so before finally hitch-hiking back to finish.  
  

  

  Rainy and cold.  Thank you to Tom who gave me a ride back after my flat and blasted the heat.  

• Logging lots of solid training in on my sweet machine.  The STRADA SLR continues to perform like the rock star bike it is.  With my State wheels, Michelin tires, new Syntace bars and stem, Arundel bar tape and carbon cages, my bike is totally dreamy.  *Read:  Less like bragging, more like continual amazement and gratitude.  So lucky to be rockin all this awesome equipment and technology.  

Awesome riding in Utah these days

• My first SLC Bees game!  Really a fun time.  Lots of home runs and a hilarious food mascot race.  "Hotdog", "Ice Cream", and "Pizza" raced the perimeter of the stadium.  If you know me, I bet you can guess who I was rooting for.  Ice Cream all the way.  Ice Cream started out really fast though and blew up.  Or rather deflated.  Don't I know what that's like!  It's okay Ice Cream, better pacing next time.  Pizza was at a pretty significant mechanical disadvantage and had no chance of winning.  I think Pizza was a DNF.  Slow and steady, Hot Dog made it to the finish for the win.  

• More fun local racing at Sugar House Park.  Pretty neat to wake up in my own bed, make myself breakfast (cornmeal rye waffles with (MA!) maple syrup), do a little pre-race Millcreek climbing action, and then eventually make my way over to the park for the crit/circuit race.  Gorgeous day... albeit windy.  Again, a good showing for the women's field!  Exciting to see so many strong women out racing... and racing aggressively.  Went for, and won, the 50 dollar prime.  Had an Ice Cream moment when Tiffany Pezzulo rocket launched by me with a gnarly counter attack.  Plan7 and Ski Utah followed, so all major teams were represented in the break.  I couldn't help but hear the voice of Cosmo in my head, "And that's how the race was won."  If you've never checked out his site, here it is http://cyclocosm.com.I won the field sprint and then enjoyed some nice social time at the park with friends Katey, Lars, and Josh who came out to cheer.  Also in attendance and always fun to see was the Pezzulo fan club: Steve, Dimitri and the Woodies.  After refueling with Honey Stinger waffles (yes, plural), I made my way back home with the game plan of getting another hour and a half in like Coach Steveo said to.  Wasn't quite happening, so I pulled the plug opting for some homemade recovery popsicles instead.  Coconut...so refreshing.  1 recovery pop wasn't enough so grabbed some more as I rushed off to catch Matt's race with a quick stop at Tiffany's to deliver her a victory popsicle.

• Movie nights.  We went to the kickoff of the Summer Outdoor Movie Series.  Friends Melissa and Tim set up a projection screen in their backyard, get the movie style popcorn maker going, and tons of people set up blankets and chairs in their backyard.  Good weather, good people, good entertainment, and good snacks.  Good times.  

My little vacation from traveling is about to come to end.  Excited to head off to Chicago in a few days for the Glencoe Grand Prix!  I'll have great company too.  Vanessa Drigo will be guest riding for SKINourishment p/b Paceline Projects and I'm thrilled to be joined by such a talented and aggressive racer.  Vanessa races for Rose Bandits and has had a great start to the season with handfuls of top 10 results at these national crits.  Very much looking forward to having a strong teammate out there and thankful to Rose Bandits for letting her join me for this race!  Stayed tuned as SKINourishment p/b Paceline Projects rocks Chicago.  Charity rides, school visits, and some fast racing on the horizon.  

Thanks for reading!

Tour de Grove and Other News

Greetings from St. Louis!  This weekend marked another great one in SKINourishment p/b Paceline Projects' book of race adventures.   St. Louis has one of the coolest bike communities I've ever seen and really makes this weekend, and the Gateway Cup on Labor Day weekend, something special and one of my all time favorite places to race.

Sadly, the couple days prior to the race were rough ones.  Whitney had an amazing showing at Speedweek and raced her GNAR socks off.  Especially after such a difficult season last year, I was very happy for her and proud of my teammate who had worked so hard to come back from her crash at Speedweek 2012.  She raced so well that other pro teams took notice of her accomplishments too.  When she told me another team approached her, I wasn't surprised!  I would be shocked if folks didn't take an interest in her after that.  However, I was surprised when she told me that she was signing on to another team and wouldn't be racing with me in a couple days.  I was one sad puffy eyed Kat last week.  Happy I had such a great partner, teammate, and friend in all of this for 2 years, but sad nevertheless to lose Whitney when things were off to such a great start for us.

But what can you do?  Wish her all the best as she pursues her dreams and works to develop as a rider AND continue to have fun and race the heck out of my sweet Veloforma on this small and mighty team of one.   :)

So I did just that.  Tour de Grove race weekend kicked off Friday night with the Midtown Grand Prix.  I love night crits and get super giddy whenever I get to switch out my Smith lenses as I prepare to race in the dark.  Made some friends with the locals before the start and they proceeded to cheer like crazy for me the entire race which made me smile.  While it's impossible (I'm pretty sure) to cry and pedal hard at the same time, it's very possible to pedal hard and smile.  As I've been working on the race fitness, I was encouraged to feel things starting to click and fall into place Friday night.  The race grove was momentarily disrupted when a big crash about 20 minutes in neutralized us.  I had to go to the pit, my saddle broke, and then we all waited for a while to re-stage.  We re-started and the racing continued.  Luckily no one was seriously hurt.  An attack with 4 laps to go got me and our team some sweet announcer coverage but it didn't pan out on the road.  Heading into the finish, I got caught up in the middle and unable to move where I wanted.  Fearless Femme did a monster leadout and the race was over.   I finished 21st for the night.

Saturday, was Tour de Grove.  The crit was part of the NCC and USA Crits schedule so many new faces lined up at the start for this race that hadn't raced the previous night.  Perhaps it was the wind and how painful it was to be exposed to it on the backside of the course...or maybe some of the bigger teams were tired coming from Gila or Speedweek...regardless of the reason... there was an uncharacteristic lack of aggressiveness as none of the bigger teams attempted to take control of the race and make the race "I might puke on my top tube if this doesn't let up soon" hard.  Not that the race was a breeze but strange nevertheless as this race was a big one with a lot of money up for grabs. I did well moving around, getting to the front, following moves, etc...another piece of the racing puzzle falling into place.  The last turn before the finish is a total U turn and heading towards it I couldn't go the the right (the sheltered side of the road) and was forced to take the brunt of the wind on the left.  It was literally like hitting a wall.  Even though I was up out of my saddle sprinting into the turn, it felt like I was going backwards.  I wondered afterwards if I had just stayed on the right even though there was no hole to get through and cruised it in would I have actually finished higher up...I'll never know.  Came in 27th, cooled down, and started to prepare for the street sprints that were originally scheduled for several hours to follow, but then found out they were cancelled!  Major bummer!  Instead spent an awesome evening at la casa de Carrie and Chris with their super cool kids and Vanessa Drigo.  We chilled to Life of Pi.

The Dutchtown Classic on Sunday finished off the race weekend.  This course is a fun one with an uphill finish that I really like.  We had perfect sunny weather and I was thankful for my new favorite sunscreen from our title sponsor.  I'm very particular when it comes to sunscreen so imagine my joy using an EFFECTIVE and SAFE mineral sunscreen that's actually super easy to put on, doesn't clog up my skin, and to my freakishly sensitive nose has a subtle comforting and sweet fragrance.  Natural anti-inflammatory properties too!!!  With my sunscreen appropriately applied 20 minutes before hand, I got out on course to scope out the conditions.  Windy again...but the legs were feeling good.  With a Honey Stinger gel on the start, I was ready to race.  I was aggressive with positioning and when I heard the bell for the first of only two primes in the race, I decided to go for it.   On the downhill before the last two turns into the very long and straight uphill drag to the finished, I moved up to 4th wheel or so. Primal was on the front, but as we came out of the last corner I attacked through the small gap on the left.  As I neared the line, I looked back to see how big my gap was and even though I could see everyone going for it I knew I had it comfortably.  I eased up a bit before I crossed the line to start to recover in case someone countered.  I won the prime and sure enough, Optum flew by with a counter-attack.  I managed to get on somewhere towards the back of the single file pack and desperately hoped the pace would ease up enough for me to recover in the next lap or two.  That didn't happen.  I clearly went way too hard to win the prime and when riders started popping off/opening up gaps, my legs weren't recovered enough to continually close them.  I got disconnected, but stayed out there to get more riding in the legs and back in the field work on that surging race pace. I finished in the 30s, a little bummed in myself at my miscalculation and a lack of sweet results, but pleased with general tone of my racing and the improvements made all weekend.

Of course it wouldn't be a race weekend if I wasn't speeding off to the airport for a rushed exit.  Somehow I always manage to convince myself and others there is time to stop for treats.  :)

At St. Louis hot-spot... Ted Drewes photo booth style...post-race with Carrie Cash and Vanessa Drigo:

A huge thank you to all the amazing sponsors who support this team.  It's truly an honor to race for you.  A huge thank you to Chris, Carrie, and Vanessa who made the race weekend a fun one, not to mention opened their home to me and carted my butt to and from the airport and around St. Louis, to Billie and Leif who managed to sneak away from all their packing in the middle of their move to come cheer me on at the race (I was so happy to see you both!!!), and to my super rad mom on Mother's Day for being the coolest women I know!

Speedweek Conclusion

Hi all!  I know I'm a little late on this post, but we had quite the exit from the southeast and just now sitting down to report on our last race of Speedweek.  We had a little luck from mother nature on Sunday, as our race just so happened to coincide with a break from the clouds and rain to reveal the glorious sunshine we had been craving all week long.   Whitney was especially happy about this as she prefers crits in dry conditions.

The Global Imports Sandy Springs Cycling Challenge is a fun course, lots of turns, and certainly not flat.  Pete Wicker of Outback Bikes drove us to the race and it was super fun to have one of our major sponsors with us!  Mike from the shop also met us at the course and it was awesome to have them cheering on.  Very special experience to race for the good folks and businesses that support and believe in us.

Thanks to Mike for all the race photos!

Whitney was sitting in 4th overall for the Lap Leader competition, just a couple laps behind.  That's where aggressive racing and countless attacks will lead you.  Whitney continued with this approach during our race and snagged up some more points.  After so many days of racing, the little bump in the course (the hill) started to take its toll and the last lap consisted of a handful of racers who were still hungry enough to hightail it to the finish and many whose legs just didn't want to go around in circles anymore.  We attempted to be in the former group, weaving through the later group, on the last lap but of course if you're weaving through the later group, you did something wrong in terms of positioning.   Oh well.  I managed a 16th for the day and Whitney came in 26th.  It came down to a tie breaker for 3rd place in the Lap Leader competition as Whitney scored enough points to catch up with Christina Gokey-Smith.  Unfortunately for us, it went to Christina as she finished in the top 10 for the day.  In the end, Whitney finished with a 15th place overall and I finished 25th.

The bump on the course

While the crit ended at 4:30, the race continued as we quickly disassembled our bikes to screech out of the parking lot for a 5pm departure to the airport.  My flight was at 7.  We made it to the airport at 6pm thanks to Pete!   How my bike and I ended up on the plane... I'm not sure.  A HUGE thanks to Pete and Kate, Outback Bikes, the Keiths, Steve and Elizabeth, and Ashley from Swagger for their great company and help all week.  We couldn't have done it without you!!!

Next up: Tour de Grove in St. Louis!

USA Crits: Spartanburg Regional Classic

Some highlights as USA Crits Speedweek continues:

• Friday... birthday time.  I woke up to nice birthday wishes and a neat gift from Rocky, Joan and Kiley!  There's only one place to use this cash-money...looking forward to more travel adventures in the future!

• Whitney and I enjoyed another beautiful spin and got bikes ready before heading off to Spartanburg,  SC.  Sad to say bye to Joan, Rocky and Kiley...we had so much fun!  

Gnar 

Candid shot of Rocky, Me and Kiley

•  Even though we had a 3-4 hour drive ahead of us...and we may have been running on the later side...we made a rushed decision to steer the Outback van in the opposite direction of Spartanburg for SPEED strawberry picking.  SOOOOOOO worth it. 

Gnar again.  

Best birthday activity in Kat's book

•   Since we were back on schedule to Spartanburg, we figured we had time to let the birthday shenanigans continue as we veered off course again.  Where to you ask?  Cupcakes!!!  How well does Whitney know me?  This well... "Kat, you get out now and go in and start looking at the cupcakes.  I'll park the van." However MANY minutes later, I had only narrowed my choice down to 3 cupcake flavors and a 4th that was risky but I was still considering for the heck of it.  Groan, I can't decide!  To which Whitney responds, "We are getting a half dozen."  Brilliant, Boss.  We're out of there in less than an hour which is nothing short of miraculous.  

Columbia, SC

Yummmmm

Pre-race cake.  

•  We arrived in Spartanburg with plenty of time to spare and were able to connect with former Mayor Barnet and Valerie.  I actually started riding in Spartanburg, SC during an internship with Mayor Barnet and the SEAD program.  I enjoyed my time there and it's neat to be able to return and visit every year.  They are such wonderful people and it was great to chat with them before the race.  

Whitney's pre-race routine...looking a bit crazy

•   Whitney and I were both feeling good for the race, and narrowly avoided many crashes and close calls.  Whitney won a prime, or maybe two.  I was gearing up for the finish.  Some major improvements for me in terms of positioning and moving around in those last several laps.  Unfortunately heading into the last lap, another crash right in front of me left me having to close a huge gap that took almost half the lap to do.  I managed to get back on and pulled off an 11th in the field sprint.  Whitney finished the day just outside the top 20 but with some good aggressive racing as usual.  

Spartanburg Spring Fling festivities at the race

• We stayed at the race for a bit with Spartanburg hosts and fellow cyclists Elizabeth and Steve in their team tent.  Eventually, we made our way back to their sweet abode for some good conversation, more cupcakes, ice cream, strawberries, showers, and cat shenanigans.  Seriously, he put himself in there... 

• Another year and Speedweek race in the legs and enjoying every minute of it!

2013 Speedweek Day 6: Belmont Crit

Whew! We're almost there! After a late morning start at Elizabeth and Steve's house, a quick spin, and a quick Veloforma wipe down with goodies from Outback Bikes and Gnar Lube, Kat and I started our quick hour plus drive to Belmont, North Carolina for our second to last race at Speedweek. After replenishing our race candy supplies and acquiring ample chocolate espresso beans, we were feeling jazzed to race.

Kat & Elizabeth on our morning spin

Whitney & Elizabeth on our morning spin

Leftover birthday cupcake pre-race fueling

A few hot laps to warm up showed the course would be an excellent break away course with six corners over a quick .66 mile course...oh and a big finishing hill and a speedy downhill turn. Unfortunately Kat and I have been starting pretty far back, as you'd literally have to stand and stage for 30 minutes before if you want a second row start...however I did enjoy a nice conversation with a couple who were out there watching their first bike race ever...they were pretty excited about our cycling page on CheckMark's website where you can win an iPod :)

Starting in the back definitely makes for a pretty tough beginning and on this course massive gaps were opening up left and right all over the course. Kat unfortunately got caught up by one of these...I secretly believe it's because tomorrow is her day with an excellent uphill madwoman's sprint to the finish at Sandy Springs. Pretty quickly, the winning break formed and the field started to sit up as the strongest teams were represented. Insert panic-mode. I turbo-ed to the front in the slick Pactimo speed jersey and when the break was about 15 seconds up the rode, I dug deep. Ouch! Legs are sore. Nevertheless a break was formed with Sara Clafferty and Lindsey Bayer from Colavita.

Sara and I largely drove the break throughout the duration of the break desperately trying to catch on to the 6 ladies ahead. That break split in two groups of three but both were able to lap the field. Beth Newell from NOW joined up with us with about a dozen laps to go. Both Beth and Lindsey tried to get away a time or two but it wasn't going to happen today. We barely missed being caught on the last lap. Sara and I jumped Beth and Lindsey for 7th and 8th for me. Yippee! It was definitely sufferfest of a race, largely fueled by a deep determination to not get caught.

Kat is sitting 29th and I'm sitting 14th for overall. Keep your fingers crossed for fair weather tomorrow for our last day at Sandy Springs. It's a pretty technical course!

Cat's out of the bag- we're looking to go out with a bang tomorrow!

USA Crits Speedweek: Walterboro Downtown Crit

After such a rock star performance by Whitney Schultz Tuesday night at Tybee Island, SKINourishments p/b Paceline Projects was eager for the next race.  Whitney and I enjoyed a nice breakfast with Joan and Rocky, then hit the road yesterday morning to meet up with the kids at Forest Hills Elementary School in Walterboro, SC.  I had a blast with the kids last year, so was excited for the opportunity to hang out with them again.  Whitney and I seek out opportunities to connect with youth.  Super fun and a great way to share a bit about our sport and learn about the communities we are racing in.

Forest Hills Elementary

We joined the Primal team for the school visit, talked about bike safety, healthy lifestyles and the importance of working hard in school even while pursuing a career in athletics.  The kids always ask great questions...why are the tires so skinny and are they safe? (Michelin's Pro4s are super fast and yes, they are stellar in the corners)...Do you ever eat junk food? (Could you please define the term junk food? If you mean ice cream, then yes, absolutely because it makes me happy and that's important)...and how many times have you won?  Nicky Wangsgard answered that last question beautifully, pointing out that for every one time we win, we've lost ten times leading up to it.  Not sure if all the kids took home the message behind that, but after a rough start to the racing season for me personally, it was an aptly timed remark and really sums up bike racing and the need to embrace both the good and the bad moments on the bike because it's all part of the experience.  We held a mock race around the school parking lot for them and I think the kids enjoyed the banter between teams.  Luckily there were no crashes.  Really the Pro4s do well in sandy bus circles as well as crits.  :)

Kat in sneakers on speedplays...the odds were stacked against her.  

After the school visit, Whitney and I relaxed a bit and got some work done before the race.  I know relax and work in the same sentence seems contradictory, but that's kinda how we operate.  Before we knew it, it was about that time to pin the numbers.  Whitney insisted I chug some coffee before the race, so I complied.  It seems as though she's started to call me mom on this trip....chaco's on the podium....ugh uh Whitney, bring your shoes....okay Mom.... and I think I should start calling her boss....when I get indecisive, in comes Whitney to get shit done.  Ummm I don't know if I really want to drink this right before the race...Whitney chimes in, DO IT!

The mover and shaker aka Boss aka Whitney Schultz

After Whitney's proven success on Tuesday, she was very well marked.  No one was letting her get anywhere last night.  She raced with her usual sass, attacked, went for some primes but it didn't pan out.  Meanwhile, I was working on some of those little (or big) things I needed to address to get back into the racing groove.  Midway through the race we were neutralized after a crash.  Luckily everyone was OK and while we were waiting to re-start, I connected with some of the kids on the sideline.  Once we were off again, it was all business and Whitney and I worked on making our way into better positioning amidst the  attacks and primes.  In the final lap, I knew I wanted to be in the top 10 before the last two corners but the connection was getting lost between the brain and the pedals.  That's when the boss piped in from somewhere near me to get my butt in gear and go.  It took a couple seconds of her yelling at me, but the message was received.  So I sprinted and found myself about 16th wheel through the last two corners.  And that's the position I stayed in on the narrow finishing straight.  Whitney followed close behind to squeeze into the top 20.  We finished 16th and 19th for the night.  Sure, it wasn't a podium finish but it wasn't without success either.  The kids found us immediately after the race and stuck by us for the remainder of the evening.  When they noticed a photographer taking a picture of us from afar, they asked if the picture was going on the internet.  I figured their family didn't want them to have their picture on the internet so I was preparing to say something to her, but then the kids exclaimed, "Sweet, we're going to be famous!!!" and clung to me, waving her over to take more pictures.  We didn't win last night, but they sure made us feel like we were a BIG DEAL.  They were a hoot.  

Another new canine friend.  Kiley sure thought we smelled good when we got home to Beaufort!

A big THANKS to Reeve's for hosting yet again, a wonderful post race reception for the women.  Such an awesome gesture!  Whitney and I hopped in the Outback van, not before enjoying ice cream cones and nice conversation with the folks at Cliff's Hot Dog Station, and drove back to Rocky, Joan and Kiley's.

Race #4 down and 3 more to go!

2013 Speedweek: Day 3- Coastal Empire Cycle Fest & A PODIUM!

Our morning started out with a 10am hour-long ride with our host Rocky who showed us around his neighborhood including the local alligators. Definitely squeal-worthy.  Thanks for the ride, Rocky! After a quite tasty lunch of paninis it was already time to hit the road to Tybee Island just outside of Savannah for the Coastal Empire Cycle Fest.

I spy an alligator!

Beaufort

Kat & Rocky

In the Outback Bikes van I admitted to Kat that today I was feeling sassy. But not so sassy when going over the huge bridge to Savannah.

We arrived at the course pretty early and enjoyed a pretty leisurely time before the race getting checked in, getting bikes checked, get kitted up in Pactimo speed jerseys and chaimois butter and sunscreened up with our title sponsor's amazing goodies, looking at the course and getting ready to race. Oh and I totally chugged a cold coffee right before...and candy. Yes. The course was crazy narrow with some pretty sketchy turns (dips, manhole covers, etc). We started in the back unfortunately and I spent the first 10 laps moving to the front group to stay safe. The second I was able to get up there, I attacked and snagged up two primes while away. Whew. That was tough. Unfortunately, the course was not as suited to Kat and she was pulled when the tiniest gap opened up...boo!! But the Walterboro course for Wednesday night looks great for her mean sprint! 

With ten to go, there was a tiny lull so I took that risk and jumped. Laura Brown of Colavita and Erin Silliman of Fearless Femme went with. We gunned it and maintained that gap. I snagged up another prime, some points, and a gambler's prime. I should have attacked the break but instead I lost out of the break for 3rd. Sounds like a good growing opportunity for me to work on but it was really great to get what is probably the biggest result yet for me. I have to admit, we have the sweetest equipment set up- the combo of the crit master ninja Veloforma, the aero but durable State Wheels, super stiff Syntace bars, and the sticky Michelin Pro 4s made for one sick machine to be off the front with. 

The finish

Yep- total goober interview post race but check out the sweet Pactimo Speed Jersey

Podium

After waiting around for the podium after the men's race, Kat and I darted to the low-tide Atlantic ocean to dip our feet in. So worth it. Joan and Rocky were wonderful and greeted us at "home" in Beaufort with some pretty fancy pizza to round out the long but awesome journey for the day.

Day time ocean view when we started racing

Post race running towards the ocean