Cross Nats!

This was the first year I got to race two races at Cross Nationals since I'm now really really old in cyclocross age (and soon to be really really old in real age). Even though I look young, and was even announced as "an up and coming junior" in a road race earlier this year... I'm actually now old enough to be a master.

Racing started off Thursday with a time trial??? This was a first in the sport of cyclocross -- a time trial to determine start position in a race. It was fun though -- it's always fun to get out and ride the cross bike and the TT served as a nice little pre-race ride for the real thing. Despite crashing myself on a slick section and getting caught up with traffic, I finished high enough to get a front row start - yay!

I cooled down with a lap of the real course and then watched Wayne race his masters race. He looked strong, but wasn't feeling strong and didn't have the finish he wanted. Sometimes that's the way racing goes and usually you can say -- "oh well, one bad day." But, it is a lot harder when your bad day falls on nationals, which is the race most people gear their season for.

Friday came around and I was hoping for a good day in the masters race. Going into the race, I knew there was strong competition and that holding the top step might be attainable, but getting on any step would be a hard battle.

The gun went BANG and I was off to a good start leading the way into the first lap with a lot of riders right on my tail. By the end of the lap it was down to three of us up front... I went back and forth into 1st and 2nd spot and before I knew it, it was down to just me and Amanda, in what would prove to be a tough battle. . We had a good gap on third, but neither of us wanted 2nd and we were both fighting hard for the win. Coming into the last lap I could no longer feel my hands, my feet, my legs and I was tired... but i had opened a small gap and just kept telling myself to go! I knew I had to minimize mistakes (which is hard for me) and keep the pressure on. Then I got to the barriers the last time around, tripped over the board, and went to the ground... I was devastated on the inside (and had two more bloody knees on the outside - doah!)... I thought I blew it... but scrambled up and was able to get going again fast enough to stay out front. It wasn't until I made it to the final run up though that I thought I really could pull this win off and when I crossed the line first I could only let out a tired smile... i had left it all on the course and it felt really good to win that way.

(awesome photos by Tim Gasperak)

Saturday was Cypress' big day and he fought a tough battle -- which was a blast to watch and even more exciting to see him finish on the podium in 4th as a young guy in the 17-18 class -- way to go Cypress!!!

Sunday's race came around and I was hoping for better luck than last year when I came off being sick, had a couple spills, and ended up running twice to the pit from quite a ways out. I couldn't envision it going any worse. Unfortunately it didn't go much better. I had a good start... stayed calm and relaxed through a thick field and a number of crashes. Came through lap 1 sitting top 10 but my rear wheel was feeling funny. Thought it looked ok and kept going, but it just wasn't feeling right and I decided to pit to my much less preferred B bike (it's hard to pit when you love your A bike). The wheels felt better but I was feeling drained and struggling to hold my position. I lost some spots by the last lap, but was still hanging in the teens among some tough competition. Then I came around a corner and slid out right in front of the pit. I thought this was ideal timing and ran into the pit to change back to my A bike -- happy to be back on the SuperX despite something off with the tire. But as soon as I exited the pit and hopped on the bike, the tire went "PSssssssss" and ALL the air was gone. Ended up the race with a long, long run in the mud... the mud was so thick that i was hoping running wouldn't be much worse than riding. But it was. Way worse. The only upside was that I had a ton of cheers from a HUGE crowd! So, ended on a rough note but that is cyclocross sometimes... ideally, the bad luck would hold off for nationals, but at least I had some luck on 1 of the 2 days.

Overall it was a great weekend and a fun year of cross. Can't send enough thanks out to all the people who helped contribute to a fun season and the stars and stripes!

Hit Crater Lake on the way home with Aspen...

(it was cold and windy)

(and here was our view... I hear it is even better without fog :)

Portland Cross

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind finish to the cross season. I drove up to Portland for the final USGP and then headed to Bend to finish the season with Nationals.

The Portland races were some of the biggest, deepest fields I've seen in women's cross outside of nationals. It is great to see the sport growing and fun to have such a deep field to race with. There was always pressure in front and behind and every little mistake mattered. The Portland USGP was also a super fun atmosphere with crowds of cross enthusiasts, a spectator friendly venue, and even a marching band! We didn't get the rain that Portland is known for, but we still encountered a bit of mud and overall fun course conditions. In addition to great racing, I also had a lot of fun pitting and spectating... getting to watch Cypress tear it up in the juniors race, Wayne pull out a podium in his master's race, and a very exciting finish in the elite men's race.

Here are some pics from the weekend from Chuck, our super host (and photographer)...

After the weekend, the fam and I headed to Bend for one final week full of cyclocross fun.

(saw a cool waterfall on the way to Bend)

Jingle Jingle Jingle

I raced 3 Days of Jingle last weekend with my favorite support crew and my big midwest cycling family! Jingle Cross is always a fun, well-run event... and on top of that, it supports a good cause with proceeds benefitting the local children's hospital.

Jingle also always includes Mt. Krumpit -- a big, steep, muddy hill! Going up Mt Krumpit is a leg killer in a cross race where you repeat everything again and again and again... but for me, going down is the hard part. Steep slippery slopes are not my forte on the bike -- i'm a bit of a wimp and get scared at the prospect of crashing down such climbs. Two years ago, I developed a good strategy of dealing with the slippery slopes... just slid down on my butt!!

(mudslide technique -- also see movie at 2:07)

This maximizes the fun (who doesn't love a mudslide) and minimizes the danger (you can't fall if you are already on your butt). However, the approach is not the speediest way down (although for me it was... when i tried the riding technique, I ended up falling in a ditch over the course fence -- see movie at 0:26). Moreover, this year was just muddy enough to be a bit slick, but not muddy enough for my mud slide technique. So... I tried the "big kid" approach of actually riding my bike. While I managed to make it down on my bike (opposed to my butt), heavy application of the brakes is not helpful in a race for speed!! I still managed a couple of top 10's and overall had fun racing and think I managed to get a tiny better at the slopes by the end.

But my forte is really running up the steep slope. Luckily, day 2 of the 3 day weekend had us running up instead of riding down. This is not so scary!! And I'm a lot better at running up than riding down. After a bad start, I kept moving up throughout the race until I was battling it out for the last podium spot. I took the lead for 3rd in the final lap after my opponent slid out in a corner and then almost lost my spot when I got my bars tangled up in course tape (oh no!)... but ended up hanging on for a podium finish.

All in all, a super fun weekend of racing and nice to see lots of friends back in the midwest. I do miss the midwest some days... but was happy to return to CA where the weather does not require lobster gloves!

A New Perspective...

Learning To Ride

I live very far away from my home town - according to my dad, I live in the furthest place possible within the continental US. But I do love my family, and fortunately I am lucky to have cousins living only 15 minutes away from me. And my cousins have very bright, active, and energetic kids that are 7 and 10. However, these kids had one very big flaw: THEY DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO RIDE A BIKE!!!!!!!

Their mother was a bit embarrassed by this fact (who wouldn't be) but there wasn't much she could do as they live on a very busy street which makes learning to ride a difficult endeavor. Luckily, I live in a not-so-busy neighborhood and love riding bikes -- so my cousins came over to learn! We started out ignoring the pedals... just learning balance on the bike while coasting down a slight incline.

Jonah took this up very fast and was whizzing down the inclines scarily fast. Soon I told him to practice finding the pedals with his feet... and next his mom comes out and says "all you need to do now is pedal" and there you have it... Jonah was riding!

(Jonah flying along without pedaling)

(Jonah Riding!)

Kahlo had a much greater sense of self preservation and started out slow and steady with the coasting drill. She gradually built up her balance and speed and persevered with a little brother zipping across her path. After practice, practice, practice, she became quite good at coasting and we decided to put the pedals on and give it a go. Before long, she was pedaling too!!

(Kahlo pedaling away!)

I think my heart skipped a beat when they announced "Bike Riding is Fun!!!" -- hopefully they get as much joy out of two wheels as I do.

(Happy Devon)

2, 1, no bloody knees!

Stayed local this weekend. Although I really wanted to be in the mud and snow of fort collins, I had a lot of fun racing near home. Saturday was a night race in San Fran. Got off to a bad start (which is easy to do when you start in the last row), but eventually made my way to the front of the field and battled it out with Kerry and Gina for the last few laps. Couldn't manage the W, but hung on for second in a fun, tough race.

(photo credit: Jon Suzuki)

Sunday's race was even closer to home at the country fairgrounds. Should be good practice for Jingle (also taking place on fairgrounds), except it was sunny and hot... not snowy and cold. Ended up with the V on Sunday, but had to work hard for it with Karen hot on my heels.

(photo credit: Miss Mary Perez)

Best of all, I managed to stay upright all weekend and my knees came through unscathed for once! yay! (Oh, and I also saw a really cute puppy :)

Bloody Knees (mom, don't read!)

The last four race weekends have resulted in bloody knees...

(double bloody knees from tripping up a rocky climb)

...missing the bloody knee picture from running into a fence...

(bloody knee from sliding out on an off camber section)

(bloody knee from a super-man dive into the dirt)

Do they make cross specific knee pads???

CO Racing

Courtney and I headed out to CO for some fun Halloween weekend racing at the Colorado Cross Classic and the Boulder Cup. Our costumes were kinda lame... just a couple of cyclists. But the racing was super fun! The first day brought lots and lots of sand. There was so much sand that the UCI officials forced some of the sandy course to be cut out. That's a lot of sand. I got off to a great start but quickly discovered that breathing is hard a mile above sea level... the rest of the race I got passed and passed and passed... I held on for the last UCI points in tenth. Not too bad with a field of top riders, but it is really not fun getting passed the whole race.

The next day, I thought maybe I should start a little more conservatively so that I don't get passed throughout the race. Here is a picture of the start... Sure it says Gould gets the whole shot... but it fails to mention that Devon is very very close behind... which is not a conservative start. Oh well, that is a dumb idea anyway to start conservatively in cross.

Moments after the start, we fly over an island in the middle of the straightaway and I hear a "crunch" as I come off the curb -- not a good sound when riding a carbon bike on carbon wheels. I didn't have time to analyze the situation as the race was on (but it turns out my wheel... which is supposed to be very strong... broke coming off that curb... so so sad. luckily it held up enough for me to finish the race on it).

Next the race takes a sharp off camber turn and this mess happens -- my coach describes it as a "cat 4 pile up". The corner was trickier than it looks.

Crashes happened all over the course. I think a lot of people came away with a little less skin... but it was a fun course and a fun crowd. Check out the guy in the monster suit! At the end of the day I just missed the top 5 and finished with a 6th place... behind a lot of strong CO riders.

Overall a fun weekend. Plus I got to see family (my father and bro-in-laws were crushing it on the courses) and friends. Cross+Good People=Good Times.

Face Plant!

My bro face planted in the mud during his cross race -- check it out!

He was the crowd favorite for sure!! And still got top 5!

Cross Racing...

(zoom... photo credit to Jon Suzuki)

This weekend was a double cross weekend near home. Both courses were not typical cross courses... a lot more single track and rocks and dirt than I'm used to, but still a lot of fun. Both days were also a reminder of how you need a little luck on your side to win a bike race. Saturday, I had a bit of bad luck wiping out on a steep little kicker to lose the lead... which I was never able to regain. Still ended up in second to a strong opponent. We raced again the next day and I had a flat (a slow leak which was not a problem due to my super duper bike change -- thanks aspen!) and then decided to eat it on a run up of rocks (sorry knees). But my opponent had even more bad luck than me... 2 major flats (with no super duper pit help) plus a minor wipeout on the runup. She had a good gap on me, but after a major flat we were back together for the final lap...

(down to the last lap... I am looking kinda tired and bloody (photo credit: jon suzuki))

She was probably stronger on the day and more deserving of a win, but in the end the race came down to a sprint on the final straight and I had a lot of air in my tires to help with the sprint... and ultimately a W. It's always a bummer to lose a race and wonder what if and it's not quite as fun winning knowing that your opponent had a lot of bad luck, but that's cross racing. Gotto love it no matter the outcome!

You can tell by the funny faces below that my teammate and I are loving it!! :)

(funny face #1... maybe a tired face (photo credit: Dale Tapley))

(funny face #2... ok, maybe this is a game face (photo: Jon Suzuki)

Oh boy Oh Boy!!!!

My ride just lost weight - 2 pounds lighter and very pretty! Thanks Bike Station!

Hill Repeats

(photo credit: Steve Anderson -- he takes some awesome race pics)

I finally had a weekend at home which was nice after a busy month of travelling, racing, and festivities. After a lazy Saturday, Aspen and I loaded up the car for a local bike race on Sunday (I can't be lazy allll weekend). Last year, I felt a little lonely at the local races because I didn't really know anybody. It is fun to have a great group to race with this year and to start to know some of the awesome people that show up and race. The community is a part of cyclocross that I love!

The race was a brutal one which started with a hill climb, headed back down on a single track roller coaster, weaved through some sand, grass, and dirt... and then back to climbing a wall! It really was like hill repeats with some added 'cross fun in between. Add some dry air and heat, and it was a tough race. I made it up the first climb in second position and then took the lead at the bottom. I had chasers hot on my heels keeping the pressure on, but by the end of the first lap I managed to open a little gap. The gap grew a bit over the next lap, but the chasers were never out of sight and made me work hard for my first W of the cross season! My teammate, who probably wasted a bit of energy cheering me on as we criss-crossed paths during the race had a strong finish to take the last podium spot. We both went away with some delicious giant StrawMmmmBerries.

Afterwards we tempted racers with cookie handups (we are poor and don't have a lot of dollars ;). I don't blame most people for turning down a cookie during the middle of a brutal, hot cross race. But we did have some enthusiastic takers!! Maybe we should try popsicles next time... hmmm....

(Courtney cranking across the finish line)

Krosstoberfest!

(very muddy after a not-so-muddy race)

Headed down to San Dimas with my Bike Station teamie, Courtney. We had a fun adventure on the way down... drove through the middle of an airshow, saw a plane being followed by two helicopters, and we only got lost twice due to navigational neglect (we don't need to mention who was navigating).

We arrived a bit later than planned but kept with our agenda to check out the race course before going to our host house. The only problem was that the cross park was dark and the gates were closed. However, after a bit of searching for a parking spot and with a couple of flashlights in hand, we set out to scope the course -- nighttime cross!!! The course was very tricky in the dark and there were some added obstacles with all the critters running around. The bunnies didn't bother us so much, but when we encountered a skunk with it's tail up we decided to call it a night. We made our way over to our host house to be greeted by 3 seeing eye dog failures (super nice dogs... they just didn't make the cut) and two very nice hosts who set us up in their villa out back.

The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out at Krosstoberfest -- riding the course, cheering on family and friends, and racing! Both courses wound around on power sapping grass, with some twists and turns through the trees, and a stair step run-up. Saturday also had some gratuitous mud... just a pit of slop that made a mess but it wasn't really a muddy cross race. Both days were similar as far as the races went. Somehow I got the hole shot which was nice after having terrible starts at the USGP. I ended up leading most of the first lap but eventually ended up in second slot with a gap ahead and a gap behind. Two podiums and lots of UCI points! yay! Courtney also had a redundant weekend with two 7th place finishes (but oh so close to 6th on day 2) -- her first UCI points!! nice! My dad-n-law had the best weekend with two top podiums in the masters and C rocked the juniors and then had a nice showing in the 123's on day 2 despite some bike woes. All in all, a fun weekend of racing. It's nice that there is a promoter on the west coast who is willing to put on a UCI weekend. I know it is a lot of extra hassle and expense, but it brings out good competition and gives the west coast racers a chance to earn some points for a good starting spot at nationals. Thanks Dot!

(big rainbow)

The drive home was another adventure -- with rainbows, beautiful skies, crazy NC drivers, and a bit of panic... The gas was getting low as we hit the CA valley, but we decided to wait until the light turned on to minimize our stops... so we pass exit after exit. Meanwhile the light turns on, but the navigator is unaware of this turn of events so makes no mention of the big gas exit coming up. As we pass the turnoff with no gas for miles and miles ahead, it becomes clear that we made a big mistake! However, after a little detour, some drafting off semis, and a lot of panic (as the gas needle was below the lowest line) we made it! The rest of the drive home was smooth sailing with good tunes!

(pretty skies)

Mad Cross

(Super Fan Hill)

The first round of the USGP series took place in Madison, WI this weekend. I flew into Minneapolis to meet up with my brother and drive down for the race. We arrived to town Friday evening and had a chance to ride the course a bit before heading downtown for dinner. It was a fun and windy (both twisty and breezy) course. The twists are not my forte, but it was fun getting to practice them a bit and riding a well designed cross course is always a blast.

Saturday morning came fast and my brother's race was the first of the day. I let him use my bike as a pit bike, but made him promise not to crash on the first lap just so he could use it (my bike is a little nicer than his bike :). He got off to a great start and right as he was overtaking a guy for the lead, he was squished into the side posts and went down. he got back up and his handlebars were pointed sideways (not good). He was conveniently close to the pit and made a run for my bike (this almost seemed planned). I hurriedly fixed his bike and anxiously watched him race while hoping for no crashes. In the end, he lost a lot of spots with his crash so his plan to steal my bike did not work out so well for him, but he did gain quite a bit of ground back throughout the rest of the race!

My race came later in the day and I didn't have my best start or my best race, and I was kinda caught in no-man's land throughout most of the race. The Chicago and midwest fans were awesome and kept me motivated though -- I got a ton of support all around the race course! I think the crew on the U-turn hill was the best. They made me smile every time around. It was awesome!

Sunday brought similar race conditions, but a bit faster course which I liked. I ended up racing most of the race with phenom junior Katie A -- she is probably the tiniest racer out on the course while I am likely the tallest so it was a pretty funny matchup. Katie also has a big cheering section in the midwest so it drowned out some of my super support, but there was still great cheering all around the course... with some musical instruments too! We were riding back and forth most of the race until about 1.5 laps to go when i caught my handle bars on a post and went flying (the same place my bro crashed -- not good luck!). Then I was back in no-man's land to finish up the race. Missed out on the UCI points this weekend, but hoping to get some more next weekend when I head to San Dimas for Krosstoberfest! Fun Fun!

Want to throw out a big thanks to Becker Law Office for helping to fund my travel -- a great idea by the promoters and generous support from Becker Law to help get more women to the races. A lot of people focus on the prize money to attract bigger women's fields, but women also lack a lot of the travel and race support that men's teams provide, so it's really nice to see promoters helping out the women's field in a new and creative way! Thanks!

Cross is Here!

It's my absolutely all time favorite time of the year!

Cross always goes by quickly and then I spend months and months longing for it to start again and after waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting... it somehow sneaks up fast and woah -- it's cross season!!!

This year started off with a fun filled weekend up in Seattle for the Starcrossed and Rad Racing NATC races. The conditions were wet, muddy, and perfect for cyclocross! The weekend began with Starcrossed under the lights and surrounded by an enthusiastic crowd. I went into the race feeling a bit rusty and still a bit exhausted from the previous weeks (who knew weddings were so tiring?), but I was also very excited to be racing cross and energized to be back on the knobby tires. I was hoping to squeak into the top 10 and snag a UCI point or two and was shocked when I found myself racing for a top 5 spot. My body was a bit shocked too and by the last lap I faded into 6th, but I was happy with the finish in such a strong field of women.

The next day brought more mud, torrential downpours, and sand -- more cx fun! I got off to a much better start than the first race and was up in the top 5 from the very beginning. Even after a dive in the sand (this is not the ideal way to dismount) I was hanging in there near the front. I was also having a ton of fun getting muddy and being back on the cross bike! In the end I struggled to hang on in the last lap, but finished one place better in 5th! Overall a fun start to the cross season -- I can't wait for more!!

Next up, I'm headed to madison with my bro for the first USGP races -- Mad Cross always puts on a great race -- I can't wait!

Universities RR

Last weekend, the racing came to me! The race course consisted of riding up the campus hill at UCSC and back down many many many times.... this is the campus hill that I ride from home to my office several times a week (when i'm not lazy... on lazy days, i take the bus because there is no easy way to ride to the top of campus). The course passed right by my driveway again and again and again... there were times that I contemplated taking a turn for home and calling it a day as this hill is not meant to ride 14 times! But I hung in there and in the end had a good race.

I was ready for this race to be a bit of a letdown after a fun visit to Chicago where I had huge support lining the course. But it turns out, I have a great section of superfans here too! Our friends and families from the neighborhood came out and provided a super cheering section on the uphill which was supplemented with Bike Station support on the downhill (while only one person, she provided enough enthusiasm to earn the status of a full cheering squad!) I appreciated all the cheers, but I have to say the little fans were my favorite -- they made me smile every time up the hill (and it's not an easy feat to make one smile going up that hill again and again).

They even had signs!

Little fan with sign (and a very very little fan being held in the background)

Two little fans (one seems very excited about the sign!)

(Tired little fans -- it's not easy being a super cheer squad)

All in all, the race went well. About 4 laps in, Shelly from PB&co initiated a break and the two of us were off for the rest of the race. In the end, she had the punch to take the win -- it would have been more fun to end my road season with a win, but her win was well deserved.

Afterwards, Aspen and I had a little BBQ for the super fans and some racing buddies. It was a great way to end a hard, hot day on the bike.

Road racing is pretty much winding down for me now. This weekend, I am off to the great state of Ohio for the big event! Then Cyclocross season! Oh boy!!!

ChI-tOwN

Went back to Chicago for a week after being gone for almost a year. I got a few rides in on the lakefront path during my time back in chi-town. It's amazing how even after a year, the nooks and crannies along the path are all imprinted in my mind. I still remember the cracks and holes to watch out for (with some new ones of course:) and the curves of the path are so familiar I feel the bike just goes on autopilot. As much as I love the mountains and variety that I have at my new home, part of me really does miss the LFP. It is nice being able to ride along the city without worrying about cars, to have beautiful views of the city line and lake Michigan along the whole route, and best of all to see friendly faces. Every day I went out to the path I saw someone I knew... teammates, race competitors, and friends. It never feels lonely on the LFP.

(Chicago riding)

In between LFP rides I kept very busy all week with school and catching up with friends. By the time the weekend came I was exhausted, but also excited for some fun cycling...

Saturday was one of my favorite races -- The Glencoe Grand Prix! I have always enjoyed the course, the organization, and the fun atmosphere at the race. The race promoters are also very supportive of women's racing which is really nice to see. They ask for feedback on how to make it better and listen... they've built bigger purses, given the 3's a separate category, and even brought in clinics before the races. I think it is not always the purses that matter, but also offering good races and catering to the up and coming categories that will help women's cycling continue to grow. Anyway, I've always liked this race for many reasons... not just because I've had good luck at it the last couple years.

This year, the race was especially fun because it felt like I came back to my cycling home. I got to see my cycling family again and hearing all the cheers and support during the race was unreal. The finishing straight, the Tati corner... all along the course I heard a ton of cheers. I wish I would have had more than a day at the Chicago races because there are so many people that I would have liked to see more of (or people I didn't get to see) -- I really miss the great community.

I did not finish up as lucky as I had in past years... I've never actually felt good in the Glencoe races with the heat and humidity that always seems to come full on for the race... so I really do feel like I've gotten lucky in past years. This year, I was just lucky to be home. And lucky to have a strong team that finished on the podium!

Sunday was another fun riding day -- I left the chicago flatness and found the closest "hills" with two of my favorite riding buddies. Even though the hills were more like bumps compared to CA, they crushed me after an exhausting week. I was zonked! I refueled with frozen custard, my favorite pizza (Piece -- mmmm), and ice cream (this is different that custard).

(super riding buddies in super sweet kits)

(hi-tech ice cream -- mmm)

Then a little more hanging out with friends before heading back to the west coast. It was sad leaving my old home again... but I was also happy to return to my new home.

(home)