Drum Roll Please...2013 Sponsors & Races!

To all our loyal readers,

We are sorry we have neglected you.  It's been a crazy fall.  Eh em...and start to the winter.  While you can imagine Whitney and I hanging out on the couch with our feet up these past couple months, our Veloformas patiently waiting in the corners of our rooms for our return, it would be nice vision but far from reality.  Although we have taken a break from riding and training, we've been busy bees.  In typical autumn fashion, change has been in the air and we got lots of exciting news to share as we welcome the New Year.

So, some updates!

We continue to be very lucky to receive such generous support from rad people and businesses, and of course our families and friends.  For 2013 we are excited to announce the addition of many great sponsors to the Carr-Schultz Racing team.

Drum role....

We are please to welcome our new title sponsor for 2013, but we can't tell you their name yet! The company is undergoing some exciting changes so things are still hush-hush. We are so excited to spill the beans, but alas we must wait a few more days. We'll just say that the company is a perfect match with our goals and missions and we are so so excited. We are also thrilled to have our returning primary sponsor Paceline Projects, a project management consulting and training business from the east coast, as part of our team for 2013!

Another new and major addition to our team providing tons of fun support and flare, we would like to welcome Gnar Lube, a CA based company, super fun and innovative.   They make some playfully gnarly chain lubes, which are scented (Pina Colada anyone?) and packaged in honey bear containers.  They also made a new life long friend when they sent Whitney a sweet jersey featuring a dinosaur roaring the rainbow.   Whitney has a bit of an obsession with bikes and dinosaurs.

Yes, Whitney owns dino onesies...yep, she's shameless

Gnar Lube dino jersey & Gnar socks

We have grown quite attached to our Veloformas and psyched to continue our partnership with the cool dudes at Veloforma!  These guys rock and create amazing bikes.  Seriously, check them out... how beautiful?! Have you seen the other shades they come in? Road, Track, CX, MTB...

New on the scene for 2013, Pactimo!  Pactimo is based out of Denver and is one of the most innovative custom cycling apparel companies in the industry. They go beyond just good quality and truly spend the extra time to customize fit, customize colors, materials, and put a huge focus on women. For every men's line (which they have three), they have an equivalent quality and style women's line.

New in a formal sense, but Pete Wicker, owner of Outback Bikes and the Wicker family have been helping us race bikes for a couple years now.  We are very fortunate to have Outback Bikes, our sponsor shop in Atlanta Georgia, on board for next year!

We are also excited to welcome our first and totally sweet wheel sponsor, State Cycling Wheels to our team! Dutifully researched and continually tested, State Cycling Wheels is able to offer handbuilt (in Austin, TX), durable carbon wheels for the toughest of crit racers that require the lightest of maintenance with buttery hubs.

We couldn't have made it through the season last year without the care and the nourishment of two very important sponsors, Arnicare USA and Honey Stinger, and are excited to have them on board again for next year.   Honey Stinger makes the best race food out there and Arnicare's homeopathic remedies help keep us healthy and help us heal when we're down.   If you didn't see it check out the write up in the VeloNews fall addition on crashes :)

CheckMark Inc. who is also Whitney's employer and one heck of a fan of bike racing, is also joining us for 2013. Find us at races for the latest schwag and prize giveaways from CheckMark. Oh and if you need small business software or services, they have you covered.

Prana, Celestial Seasonings, Road ID are all on board for next year and joining their ranks are Smith Optics (personally they make my absolute favorite glasses!), Arundel (lightest cages & the best bar tape!), Bont (lightest shoes on earth), and Dakine.

With all this generous support, we are very excited for a kick ass season and the addition of third rider  (hope to announce in the upcoming weeks!) and some new races to the schedule!

• March 9: Old Pueblo Grand Prix (Pheonix, AZ)
• April 27-May 5: Speedweek (GA, SC)
• May 11-13: Tour de Grove (St. Louis, MO)
• June 7-9: Tulsa Tough (Tulsa, OK)
• June 20-23: Tour of America's Dairyland (WI)
• July 13: Exergy Twilight Crit (Boise, ID)
• July 18-21: Prairie State Cycling Series (Chicago, IL)
• July 27: US Professional Crit Championships (High Point, NC)
• Aug 17: Tour of Vail Crit (Vail, CO)
• Sept 19: USA Crit Finals (Las Vegas, NV)
• Sept 21: TD Bank Mayor's Cup (Boston, MA)

And now to our final announcement, we've been cooking up quite the community project this fall and winter.  Whitney has been working with several other women in Fort Collins, CO to bring the first women's bike program to the area.  Carr-Schultz Racing will serve as mentors to this fun program, affectionately named Fort Follies, where riders and racers will have a fun and positive learning environment to grow and a cool bunch of hip mountain women to support them!  It's a great opportunity to give back to the community and help support the growth of women's cycling.  With Fort Follies, we'll be launching a website, likely in lieu of the blog, so be on the lookout!

We hope you all enjoyed the fall and are having a nice start to the winter!  Happy Holidays and we look forward to the new year!

Kat & Whitney

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!

A Podium for the Finale

Our season ended quite the bang at the USA Crits Final in Vail, Colorado with a 3rd and a 5th. With a 4pm race, both Kat and I drove up the day of, Kat with a hefty 7 hour drive, and me with a meager 3 hour drive into the heart of the Rockies. Fall has hit and it made for probably the most scenic drive to a race imaginable.

Ugly, huh? :)

It was a bit shocking with how narrow the course was. The rumor was the Corvette lead car had acquired some damage after leading a few of the fields and was out of commission for the pro races. When I say narrow, I mean, one pretty small lane wide...with big metal barriers enclosing the entire course. You can think yourself skinny, right? The course was also full of cobbles and manhole covers, and some roller-coaster like waves on the cobbles. Luckily the corners were sweeping and no real crashes resulted from the craziness of the course.

I wasn't anxious at all for this race...after a somewhat personally disappointing season for me with the shoulder fracture and trying to come back from that, I had no real expectations that I could break. I didn't really feel exceptional on the bike all week either. I wanted to enjoy the final race with Kat and enjoy some time off the bike and come back stronger. Zack found me and stood next to me on the start line and whispered "try going from the gun- I think that's the best for this course." Going from the gun has way fewer consequences than later risky behavior- plenty of time to get caught, plenty of time to recover too if you get caught.

A half lap in, I attacked hard. Another couple laps later, I hear Alison Powers behind me with Erica Allar. They had bridged. It was a decent gap and we worked together to really expand that. The field got close a couple of times, but then we lapped them with 35 minutes. I chose not to go for primes as I wasn't sure where my fitness was and was really focused on making the break stick and surviving.  Kat did an excellent job of playing defense and making sure nothing got up the road. Here is a good pic on Cycling News of the break: http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/usa-crits-tour-of-vail-2012/tour-of-vail/photos/240755

After we lapped the field, things were strange. It seemed game over for aggressive racing. After trudging slowly for a few laps, the attacks started flying from everywhere (Kat and I were both very much involved), with Erica Allar sticking on Allison Power's wheel wherever she went. Eventually Amity Elliot from Kenda was able to slip away and got 30 seconds on the field and held it. With two to go, thinking I'd be unable to outsprint Erica or Allison, I attacked and was brought back with 3/4 lap to go. I should have just continued to go all out but instead I pulled off and got stuck on the wrong side for the finish but finished 3rd. D'oh! Kat did excellent and snuck on the inside line and finished 5th, narrowing avoiding this pretty gnarly crash: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAI48YtyPl0.

A podium finish to conclude the season!

Finishing 3rd and 5th was such a fun way to finish out what has been such a fun season, full of learning experiences with the new program, triumphs and tragedy. Racing is such an adventure. The word on the street is that they will be posting the race on YouTube in upcoming days :)

Ok...I'm leaving... seriously...

but before I start the drive... forgot to mention...

"USA CRITS CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES 2012 FINALS TO BE STREAMED ON-LINE AT http://t.co/CM8MtHyI! Can't attend the upcoming... http://t.co/mbbmBLqO"   tune in if you like!

USA Crit Championships in Vail, CO- tomorrow!

Tomorrow will mark the end of the 2012 road season for Paceline Projects p/b Veloforma.  Whitney and I will race in Vail, CO tomorrow afternoon at the USA Crit Series Championship!  We are excited, although...I'm still in Salt Lake City, UT right now and I've received a couple "you're crazy!" comments today on my SLC to Vail, race for an hour, Vail to SLC in one day plan.   I concede.  The plan is not the best and maybe I've lost a marble or two, but it's a plan and Whitney and I are excited to race.  A special thanks to one of our sponsors, Avenues Yoga, for making the trip possible!  Earlier this year, Avenues Yoga sponsored our "Yoga For Cyclists" workshop to raise money for the team to compete at this event.  Thank you!  

Stay tuned...  

Paceline Projects p/b Veloforma 6th at Mayor's Cup

Saturday afternoon Whitney and I staged in front of over 10,000 folks in downtown Boston for the 2012 TD Bank Mayor's Cup, the final National Criterium Calendar race of the year.  This was Whitney's first visit to Boston, but perhaps she felt like she had raced there before since it seems like I've talked about this race (and how great New England is) non-stop all year!  As a Massachusetts native, this race is a special one for me as I get to visit home, spend time with my family and friends, and satisfy my fix for New England food all weekend long.  *Yes, food will make an appearance in this blog. For those that know me, would you expect anything else?

Blades succumbs to Ameerah's charm during our race.  

I've raced the Mayor's Cup since it began 4 years ago and it's one of my favorites.  Not only is the venue great (we race around City Hall Plaza), the crowds are the best (mostly because they consist of my family and friends who are especially enthusiastic...and of course the average Bostonian enjoys a good sporting event so you can count on the city folk to join in on the fun), and the race is exciting.  Although there was a change up in the race's structure this year, the Mayor's Cup is action packed with primes galore.  Over 3,000 dollars in primes alone which generally makes for an animated race.   In years past, there were primes given on both sides of the course.  Theoretically, a rider could go for 2 primes within one lap.  With big money being given away every lap, this makes for a hard race.  This year, they limited the primes to the start/finish line which made the race a tad mellow in comparison.  Another reason this race is exceptional is their fair AND EQUAL treatment towards both the professional women and men.  The TD Bank Mayor's Cup is one of the very few races in the country where professional women pay the same entry fee as the men, race on the same course for the same distance/time, and are awarded EQUAL prize money ($12,000 to be split among the top 20) and EQUAL primes.  If you're going to travel and do just one big race all year, I would urge you to consider using your resources to do this race.  That's our team philosophy at least: Support the cities and promoters that do right by women cyclists.

Okay, back to the race....

Photo courtesy of the Boston Globe- Whitney's on the right

The 40 person field was stacked with some of the most decorated female cyclists in the country and the accolades of the various riders given call-ups were quite impressive- a number of national championship, grand tour, national calendar, world championship, and Olympic medal winners were racing. As we began the 60 minute race, the race was aggressive from the get-go.  Most notable was the solo attack from the Optum team, one of the few teams with the most numbers.  Janel Holcolmb stayed off the front  for quite a few laps.  With a field of many individual sprinters, many were looking around to other small teams to see who would bring her back.  Although my perception of the race was probably a little skewed from my vantage point mid-field or so, sure seemed that when the announcer mentioned she had grabbed at least 1,000 dollars worth of primes as she rode 25 seconds ahead of us, the attitude in the field shifted and the field closed in on her.  With about 13 laps or so left, Janel was within 8 seconds of the field, and I found Whitney to see how she was feeling, hoping she was feeling good and wanting to counter as soon as Janel was brought back.  As we were moving up along the side with this in mind, a rider in front of us hooked her bars into the barriers and took out several riders in front of us and causing us to stop and get bumped around a bit.  Whitney and I were both OK and we made our way to the pit to check out our bikes and get back into the race.  Unfortunately a number of riders were not OK, including Lyne Bessette (cool person, role model, and incredible racer) and they neutralized our field so they could tend to Lyne who suffered a fracture shoulder and knee cap.  After a couple laps, they restarted the field giving Janel 8 seconds ahead of us.  After the neutral laps and with less than 10 to go, the field caught her instantly.  Unfortunately Whitney wasn't feeling great, to be honest I was also somewhat surprised at how tiresome I found the wind coming through all the buildings to be as we came through some of the corners.  So, nabbing some primes wasn't in the cards for us Saturday.


Heading into the final laps, Whitney and I found each other and Whitney did a good job of getting me closer to the front along the side and out of trouble.  Whitney dropped me off near the front just before the last corner as Jade Wilcoxson from Optum launched a pretty fierce attacked.  Although I was hoping I would get a little bit of a breather before the sprint began, that was not how it worked. I had to come around Whitney immediately in order to follow the other sprints dashing through the corner.  I attempted to get on someones wheel but I was just far enough off that catching their draft didn't happen, (oh crap), and I stood knowing the sprint had really already started.  I was hoping my legs would cooperate when I stood up, oh crap (again), not the case.  I sat back down, really just grasping  to see if anything would make up some of that ground...nope.  Realized I wasn't going to pass anyone, but might be able to hold off the rest of the field.  So, I stood back up again and gave everything I had 'till I got to the line, coming in 6th.  Not too shabby of a result for us.

Post-race hang time with Paceline Projects

The rest of the evening was spent cheering for our friends in other races, catching up with friends and family, and enjoying cannoli.  Yes, that's right.... I ate more than one cannolo...and they were not mini.  Amazing.  I would do it again, anytime, anywhere. Yum.

A huge thank you to our supporters and friends who came out to cheer for us at the race and enjoyed the city with us afterwards: my dad Steve (Paceline Projects), mom Erin, and the new cute ball of fluff Ameerah, Matt, Leslie and Fred, my brother Matt and his girlfriend Kelsey, Josh from Veloforma, our good friends and forever Sunapee teammates Bruce & Debony, Kevin Wolfson and Amalia, and Whitney's good friend Tammy to name a few.

Liz Lemon style.  

Back to UT reality of work, school, etc this week.  Luckily, I was allowed to check one free bag last night and filled it with as many Macintosh and Cortland apples the bag would hold to slowly ween me off of my New England trip.  I had to chug my apple cider though.  Very sad to leave.

2012 TD Bank Mayor's Cup

Saturday Kat and I will be racing in Boston at the TD Bank Mayor's Cup, a quick 60-minute criterium with a few swooping turns right around City Hall. We're off at 2:45pm Saturday! Here is more information on the race: http://bostoncyclingcelebration.com/. This is our second-to-last race of the season too. We're hoping for big things and are both super amped for the event!

Any recommendations for things to do post-race in Boston?

The Role of Fans in Women's Cycling

Howdy! Here is an awesome read on women's cycling and the role of fans! Had to share!

Aspen Blue Ribbon Alpine Challenge

A bit belated of a post! During the men's Pro Challenge in Colorado a couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to participate in the women's Alpine Blue Ribbon Challenge in Aspen. This crit was in the heart of downtown Aspen with a course that finished in the same sport as the men's race that day, about 45 minutes before the men came in. Let me just say the crowds were roaring and rowdy in the best possible way. I rode in the Aspen Valley Composite Team jersey with other young lady racers.

We wasted no time getting up to speed and managed averaging 27mph for the hour crit. With over 50 starters and a small hill each lap, the speed caused riders to be shelled left and right. I wasn't feeling well, but did manage trying g to bridge with Alison Powers to a break that looked like it was going to stick but I never could quite connect with her. I spent the entire rest of the race just hanging on for dear life and finishing in the single file of racers in 26th. I am very happy with the progress I've made coming back from being off the bike for so long with my fracture but I'm sure ready to be back to my normal self so its hard to ever be satisfied.

The race was such a great experience and the community and crowds were so supportive of the women. People were coming up left and right telling me how that was one of the coolest things they've seen.I stuck around to see the men come in, ran back to my awesome Snowmass we were put up in, showered, and heading back to the great after party with the other women racers. Sadly that was concluded with a 5 hour night drive through the mountains to get back home so I could be in to work by 7:30. The whole event now feels like a dream...a really good dream. THANKS Aspen, see you next year!

Belated photo of Whitney working with the Pro Bike Center in Loveland on the computrainer

Black Veloforma Ninjas

So I know we've mentioned our badass Veloforma bikes over and over but here is a little more insight of these sweet machines (pssst if you are interested in one, email us!):

Kat and I have been fortunate to be sponsored by long-time friend and former director of mine, Mark, who owns Veloforma Bicycles, based out of the Portland area. Veloforma has always been very generous in supporting women's professional cycling and we're very fortunate to have them on board this year.

Kat and I are both on the latest Strada SLR. This sweet, slick machine is light, fast, and STIFF. It handles confidently on Colorado and Utah mountainous descents and just as well on sharp crit corners at Tulsa Tough. I've gotten to ride Veloforma bikes for the past three seasons. I had a break last year, riding another larger company's bike frame (which never really did it for me), I was super pumped to get back on a Veloforma last year and am so, so happy to be riding one again this year.

Kat at Tour of Elk Grove 2012

Whitney (L) and Kat (R) on our trusty steeds at Gateway Cup 2012

Veloforma is a small company with limited production that sells out quick, so if you are interested in purchasing from them, don't hesitate to get in touch as soon as possible! You'll find all the crew at Veloforma super friendly and reachable :) Hey- they think ladies on bikes are badass. They have a super sweet blog too!

Here are some pictures of Kat & my "black ninja" Veloforma bikes this year:

Benton Park- Gateway Cup Day 4

The final day of Gateway was muggy and warm and included the most technical course with the crappiest roads of the bunch, laden with recessed potholes in the turns. Each long-ish lap included 10 turns, a quick descent and a long uphill drag to the finish. I'm happy to say today was also rain free. It would have been a nightmare otherwise.

With GC pretty close, Kristen LaSasso, single-handedly kept the race together protecting her teammate Laura Van Guilder, who ended up winning the overall as a result of her work (and the stage, and all the stages. What a badass). Nevertheless, Kat and I were both pretty active throughout the race. I almost got the first $100 prime solo, attacking half a lap before, but Carrie Cash bridged solo to me and then outsprinted me. Ouch. I went for the others, but it would have been better if Kat and I were able to connect and go for them jointly. It seemed that attacks were fruitless in this race, nevertheless we each attacked throughout. On the last lap, Kat and I moved up to the front, but the pace also slowed. We (or I) should have probably just gone at this point, but instead, we let groupthink get in the way and we were swarmed and spit out the back in the next mad-dash mile to the finish with fellow racers taking some crazy risks. We finished 17th and 20th, putting Kat top 11, we think.  It was a bit disappointing but we did come up with some strategic things to work on together and also on our own before we unite again for Mayor's Cup in three weeks.

We pedaled the 40 minutes "home" as quick as possible, before a quick shower and pack up and headed out to the airport for our respective journeys home. It was a really great weekend with some great results. I finally feel like I'm back to where I was ability-wise and I know I'll still get a teensy bit stronger between now and Mayor's Cup. Thanks to Billie and Leif for hosting us again and all the extra support above and beyond. Till next year :)

Giro della Montagna: Gateway Cup Day 3

We had a dry race!! It was so cool! This course is in the heart of a largely Italian neighborhood. Although very rectangular, one long side has a huge power hill known, well, as THE HILL. It's gradual enough to big ring but long and steep enough to be in the pain cave. The finish is on the dowhill so super speedy. The race was super aggressive from the get go with attack after attack. I launched one to test the waters then tried to go with Kristen LaSasso and Laura Van Guilder for the first $200 prime. Holy crap Van Guilder is a stellar sprinter.

Breaks started to stick and Gwen Inglis and Laura Guilder got up the road. Attacks were launched to try to close it. Kat launched her own with Vanderkitten chasing then attacking when she got to Kat. I hopped on that but the field brought it back again. It was an incredibly active race.

There was a lull when another person was brought back with two to go. I jumped at the opportunity and got a good gap which seemed to widen until the last two turns. I was caught with 100m to go and left in the dust. Ouch! I came in 16th and Kat came in 18th. Ready for revenge tomorrow. Personally, I'm happy to have my aggression back that was a breakthrough in itself.

The race may have been concluded with additional recovery custard.

Francis Park- Gateway Day 2

The day was rain free and more comparable to a sauna than anything else. The second the women were called to the line, the sky opened up with a monsoon so bad we could barely see. Kat got a sweet call up to the line and we were off shortly after. The field was more conservative today with the slick roads and some faster turns. Luckily, we all stayed safe. With more limited 'matches' I launched an early attack to test the field and found myself a dissatisfied with the result. Attack after attack was launched but the field was all for another bunch sprint even on the prime laps. Kat and I stayed conservative.

On the last $200 prime lap, Carrie Cash was almost being brought back so I took a risk and launched a sneaky attack from the back but going up the opposite side of the road when the field finally realized I could stick it, it was too late and the chase was futile. $200 secured. At this point we only had 4 laps left, so after a brief recovery, I helped Kat get to the front for the sprint but was a bit too toast for the beautiful lead out I saw in my head.the last turn was so slick to the finish, the field pretty much stopped before turning and then dashed madly to the finish 100m away, Kat placing 11th. Like good racers, we got some recovery food shortly after, today in the form of infamous Ted Drewes Custard. Perfection.

Big plans today and hoping for dry weather!

Ted Drewes recovery custard 

Cultural excursion

does the car match the bikes or the bikes match the car?

Velofoma speed machine

Kat 2nd Gateway Day 1

Kat finishes 2nd day 1 Gateway Cup

Day one is complete and, boy, Paceline Projects p/b Veloforma is off to a great start! After stressful, delayed flights for both Kat and I that resulted in missing bike boxes for both of us (mine ended up on Chicago, despite my flight being direct), we got our bikes together just in time to race during the aftermath of tropical storm Isaac. Read: an incredible downpour of a crit on Lafayette Park at 8:15pm. About 40 of us lined up looking like wet cats, hopeful of our tires sticking well through the turns. Luckily this square course had pretty wide and smooth turns and the water was draining well, so it was as safe as it gets while racing in a downpour. The race was super aggressive throughout. Attack after attack was launched with Vanderkitten initiating many of them as one of the few teams.

After one such attack was being brought back, I snuck up the right side in the dark and launched an attack with 11 to go and one other lady bridging to me. We worked together but after a few laps, the fields decided nope, no breakaways today and brought us back with 8 to go. The pace stayed super high those last laps. Kat was able to sprint for a few of the very generous primes, barely coming up short in 2nd...nipped at the line. The last lap, I tried to get Kat up as far as possible. The second to last turn, a Vanderkitten lady crashed out in the corner sending the field out like fireworks trying to not crash on the slick ground with me right behind. Luckily Kat snuck by on the right and went for the finish before the last turn...a super smart move with how wet things were. She held her own and finished second behind Laura Van Gilder!! Woohoo! I ended up eeking out a 19th.

We were very happy with the day hand have great hopes for the rest of the weekend! The race in Francis Park this afternoon is also supposed to be quite rainy as well. Keep your fingers crossed and wish us luck!

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

Ode to Arnicare!

*Okay, so technically there is no poetry here.  Just praise from a long-time fan and some before and after pictures of Arnicare's handy work.  If you are squeamish, don't scroll down to the pictures at the end.  Consider yourself forewarned!


I began using Boiron products after I injured my ankle playing soccer in high school.  The swelling, bruising, and incredible pain that accompanied the severe ligament tears were unlike anything I had experienced.  The negative prognosis I received from my doctors was discouraging.  A competitive athlete never wants to hear it will be months before they will be able to walk normally, a year or longer before they can run or compete again.  With my season starting a few months later, naturally, I considered their very conservative recovery timeline to be a challenge to overcome.  The more they insisted it would be quite a long time before I was playing competitively again, the more determined I became to prove them wrong.    

My family was incredibly supportive of my decision to dictate how and when my healing took place.  I was very lucky my mother kept me supplied with Arnica Montana, a homeopathic remedy used for centuries to relieve pain, inflammation and to promote the body's natural healing process.  With the help of this Mountain Daisy, taken both topically and sublingually, the swelling, bruising, and pain in my ankle diminished quickly and I was able to start getting movement and strength back in my ankle within weeks.  Arnicare was instrumental in my ability to start the recovery process quickly, to be productive during physical therapy sessions, and to be back on the field playing soccer again 3 months later!    

For over a decade now, I've kept Arnicare creams and gels on hand for tough training days, bumps and bruises, and long car rides.  The form of my occasional aches and pains have taken over the years has changed with my transition from a D1 soccer player to a competitive cyclist.  With long hours on the bike, a great deal of time lugging a heavy bike case through airports, and racing at the professional level (with some races lasting 7 days in a row!) I still rely on Arnicare to keep my body feeling fresh and ready to go, but I've also added two new essentials to my cabinet.  Calendula and Sportenine.  I've found Sportenine, a homeopathic medicine which reduces the symptoms associated with prolonged physical exercise, to be a great recovery aid, particularly when training or racing in the heat!  Calendula ointment (available in creams and lotions too) has been so good to my skin and keeps me from looking horrifically scarred considering how often my skin comes into contact with the pavement at 20+ mph.  After an unfortunate downhill slide on the pavement at one of my last races, I cleaned the deep gashes (nothing left to stitch according to the doctor) and road rash and began using Arnica Montana immediately after the crash.  I put 5 Arnicare pellets under my tongue to dissolve, applied the cool Arnicare gel everywhere with intact skin, and then applied the slight sweet smelling Calendula to the road burns.  As the deeps cuts started to heal, I began applying Calendula to those as well.  Photos below...

Sorry for the blurry photo, but you get the idea...

A couple days later....

A week and change after the crash!

Before...

After!

Paceline Projects p/b Veloforma Women's Cycling Team is very proud to partner with Arnicare this year.  We can't thank the folks at Arnicare enough for their support, keeping us healthy and healing us quickly so we can do what we love!  Next time you or a loved one is in need of some healing aid, check out the health section at your local co-op, or natural grocer to find Boiron products, or read more about their homeopathic medicines online at http://www.boironusa.com/ or http://www.arnicare.com/