Last weekend was a special occasion for me.  I had the privilege of returning to Chicago for a great weekend of bike racing.  When I look back at my cycling career, Chicago is where it all started.  I started racing collegiate when I came to the U of C as a grad student… and then raced the local scene with the support of some great Chicago bike shops.  From there I entered the pro ranks and have been racing all over the country and the world… and despite the fact that I no longer live in the windy city, Chicago always feels like home for racing.  It amazes me what a great cycling community Chicago has… despite the flat roads and sometimes dreary bike path riding… the enthusiasm of Chicago cyclists can't be beat and I love coming back to race!

The weekend started out with a new USAcrits race held in Lake Bluff.  Our host family did a lot of work putting on a top notch event and our team didn't want to let them down.  We went out and raced hard from the gun.  Attack after attack was the plan and about 20 minutes into the race, I counterattacked as my teammate was being brought back and got a gap. After a lap, I had a partner in crime and after another lap there were 3 of us working together to stay away.  I was in a break with Katie and Liza -- Katie I raced with in my early chicago days and Liza I race with at the local bay area races.  We had a good crew… except when you mix the tallest and the shortest riders of the peloton, it does not make for good drafting -- doah!

We had a tiny gap for the majority of the race and I expected to get gobbled up at the end, but suddenly our gap grew and it came down to a sprint… since I do not have much of a jump, I decided I needed to go early… and when everyone slowed into the last corner I put my head down and went for it.  I pedaled as hard as I could and didn't look back.  I kept waiting for that moment for somebody to sling around me right before the line, but it didn't happen -- I got the Win!!  I usually spend most of the races working hard for my teammates and they always pull through for the team.  It was nice being able to pull through for them!  And it was very special to get the win in Chicago.

But to tell the truth, I really wanted the win because I love ice cream and all season my team deprives me of ice cream… when I beg and beg to stop the team van for ice cream I am told that I don't get ice cream unless I win a race!  That is kinda harsh, but also very motivating!  Finally I get the win… yet… my team still hasn't provided the ice cream.  I am hoping they are just waiting until they find the very best ice cream (as I am an ice cream snob)… but I hope I don't have to wait too long.  

As you might imagine, without ice cream to refuel, Glencoe was a hard race!  Our team went from the gun and despite many attempts we didn't manage to get a break away to stick.  However, Gokey pulled out a fast sprint and finished on the podium in third!  All in all, a great weekend for the team!  And a great weekend of racing thanks to Glencoe and Lake Bluff!  I'm looking forward to returning to the area for Elk Grove.

Exergy Tour

When it comes to professional sports, Title IX no longer comes into play. Most men don't make a career out of sports because they can't compete at the highest level.  But women, even those who dominate their sport, don't make a career out of it because they simply can't make a living through athletics.  This becomes painfully clear in the world of cycling.  The top men are rich while the top women struggle to get by without taking on a "day job." 

I do not think the heart of the problem is that men are faster, stronger, more athletic… I would argue that women's racing at the top level is just as exciting as men's racing.  Whether we are averaging 25mph or 30mph… racing looks very similar.  There are the same same dynamics, the same passion (if not more), the same gut-wrenching efforts… all ending in the same heartache or triumph.  And all the women have interesting stories, backgrounds, and personalities.  I think the problem lies in lack of support and lack of media.

Most companies are not lining up to sponsor women's teams, promoters do not want to put money into women's events, and the media provides little coverage.  It is a bit of a catch 22.  Why would sponsors and promoters want to support teams and events that get no media coverage?  And why would the media want to cover small events that are not well funded or well established?

Exergy broke this trend last week by putting on a world class cycling event in Idaho… for women.  They didn't skimp or scale down the production because it was a women's race.  The accommodations, the support, and most importantly, the races were what every pro male would expect.  And what every pro woman dreams about.  We had a top notch event to call our own.  Top teams from all around the world came to participate.  And people could follow from the comfort of their own homes on Tour Tracker… for the first time, friends, family, and fans could watch a women's cycling tour live from their home computer (or even their mobile phone).

Women's cycling hasn't been changed overnight, but Exergy took us a step in the right direction and I can only hope that this step will take us leaps forward in the future.  Thank You Exergy!

Tour of the GILA

(Waiting for the race to restart... not a bad backdrop!)

Last weekend I added a new state to my list of places travelled --- New Mexico!!  The NOW team travelled to Silver City for the Tour of the GILA.  I was cross eyed and gasping for air during most of my time there, but I did get a few chances to look around and appreciate the beautiful scenery full of grand mountains and clear skies.  We also found some pretty good Mexican food and a delicious restaurant that serves locally foraged treats (unfortunately i didn't get to try the local gelato... my team doesn't really appreciate fine food...  i'll have to go back!).  And we had great host houses with super hospitable hosts.

Besides this being my first time in New Mexico, I also had a lot of firsts in the races.  These included:

• getting stopped mid race because the break-away was directed the wrong way
• jumping off my bike to avoid a crash (bike crashed, I landed on my feet!)
• turning white in a crit (how'm I s'posed to breathe with no air...air)
• running out of water way before the finish (luckily there are a lot of nice people in the peloton)

Overall, our team set the tone on the first day when we started racing hard from the gun... and we continued to race strong all week.  In the end, we had 3 riders in the top 10 of GC, including AP on the podium in 3rd.  

Next up Exergy Tour!  But first, I get to ride in the Twin Cities Bike MS ride!

RR Wente Well

(photo credit: norcalcyclingnews)

Some days on the bike you are gonna feel tired and sluggish.  I had one of those days last weekend at the Wente Road Race.  Going up the climbs, my legs were hurting.  When I tried to jump, I felt no pop.  I just felt sleepy and slow.  It is days like this when you have to quit analyzing how you feel and just race the race.  

Luckily for me, I had a teammate, Beth, who was riding strong and spent a lot of time up the road.  This took the pressure off of me and let me sit in and take it easy for part of the race.  In the end, it came down to a group of 6 going into the final climb to the finish and Beth and I were both there.  

Going into the climb I was a bit nervous... I suffered up the thing all day and didn't think I would be able to survive the final, fast surge up the hill.  Again, I tried to put the tired thoughts aside and positioned myself best I could up the climb.  The first part is steep and then the grade levels off and it is a long way to the finish.  I focussed on staying up front for the steep part and as we approached the gentle grade I was surprised to find I was on the front.  At this point I jumped to get up my speed and was surprised to find that I had created a gap when I looked back.  I told myself to go Go GO (or maybe that was Aspen telling me to Go from the sideline :)  and with the finish line in sight, my gap had grown and I rolled in for the W -- My first of the season!  I turned back to watch Beth sprint her way to an easy 2nd! (she's got a jump!).  I wish we could have traded places at the end -- Beth did a lot of work in the race and it was definitely a team effort for the W!

Redlands

(Thanks Veloimages.com for the great pic!)

There is nothing better than being a part of an amazing team in cycling. Cycling is pretty much fun in all forms... a weekend group ride, an adventure with a friend, or even a solo exploration... it is just fun to be out and on the bicycle. Racing a bike takes the fun level up a notch. Not only are you out on your bike, but you get to go fast and you get to strategize. Even though racing is already pretty high up on the fun scale, it goes even higher if you get to race with a team. And racing with an awesome team is Tops!

Now that you have an understanding of the top of the cycling fun scale... you can probably understand that being sick during your chance to race with an awesome team is pretty much the bottom of the fun scale. That was me at Redlands... tummy monsters didn't want me to have fun.

The only thing that cheered me up was seeing our team come together and rock the races! Seeing NOW cycling cross the finish line first on the last day of the stage race turned a down Devon into a happy Devon! And the good news is that I get to race with this amazing group all season!!

San Dimas

(Addy's got her game face on)

The NOW team came together in Santa Barbara for a training camp to kick off the season of racing. We practiced skills such as sprinting, pacelining, and leadouts. We talked tactics (sorry have to keep those secret). We had hard days and we had coffee ride days. We had yummy team dinners and lots of team bonding. By the end, we had done everything except actually racing.

Luckily, we headed straight to San Dimas to get the "show on the road"! San Dimas is a three day stage race that starts with an uphill time trial, proceeds with a hilly and often windy road race, and finishes with a fast and furious crit.

The weather gods stirred it up for the weekend. The skies started getting gray for the uphill TT. The day before we had been climbing in the sun, but on race day we were riding up the mountain into the fog. It was cold coming back down that hill, but luckily it stayed dry. Despite no sunshine, the NOW team rode strong and clocked several good times.

On Saturday, the temperatures dropped and the clouds unloaded. Our team warmed up well on our Kurt Kinetic trainers under the shelter of the NOW Energy Bar tent. But after a minute of waiting for the gun to go off we were all shivering on the start line. It's no surprise that the race started fast and furious. Not only was the field ready to race, but we all wanted to get warm! Attacks went from the gun and when we hit the leg-breaking hill, the pace barely slowed. The roads were wet, the winds were furious, and crashes were happening left and right. The pack was quickly dwindling, but the NOW team had all it's riders remaining. After several laps of attacks, the winning break finally formed around lap 3. We had our top GC rider up the road with all the top teams represented. The pace of the pack slowed as the break rode away, and we were happy to see our rider get further and further up the road. A bit of panic ensued as we learned that our rider got dropped, but a couple laps later we were happy to hear she was un-dropped. Meanwhile, shivers and shakes were starting in the pack as the downpour continued and the winds picked up. Nobody complained when the officials mistakenly ended the race a lap early! Unfortunately, the officials also messed up the finish for the lead group so there was no exciting sprint at the end and the 4 riders in the breakaway tied for first.

(I think Anne loves the rain!)

The weather calmed down briefly for our crit on Sunday (except for a tiny hailstorm during the warmup). Anne got in the winning 4-man break and Alison held on to a 4th place GC ride! Not a bad start for the team. We quickly loaded up and were on the road to Redlands before the skies unleashed again -- a few days of rest for the team and then another stage race!

Merco 1 - 2 - 3

(veloimages photo -- they are always good ones)

CA is the only place you can kick off the season racing in the sun against world-class athletes in March! This weekend the miniNOW team consisting of Olivia, myself, as well as our super mechanic and awesome swanny headed to Merco for three days of racing.

Day 1 -- 12 mile TT mostly flat with a couple little bumps. The legs were feeling slow, but the Specialized Shiv doesn't need much power to go fast!! It was the first ride on the Shiv and I was loving it!

Day 2 -- 30 mile Downtown Crit. A flat, 8 corner course in the heart of Merced. This one was fast and furious with an average speed of about 26 miles per hour. After months of not racing, my legs were in shock but I hung in there. Meanwhile, Olivia sped her way to the front and made the promising break of the day. A five woman break with the biggest teams all represented. Unfortunately it got caught with 4 to go and ended in a field sprint.

Day 3 -- 72 mile RR. A long 24 mile wide open circuit with a few rolling hills. The race was aggressive from the start with attacks starting less than a mile into the race. After that it was non-stop action with attack after attack. Olivia and I were a little outmanned by the other 8 person teams... but we managed to get in a number of moves. None of them got very far on the first lap. Unfortunately, on lap 2, a pothole took a bite out of my brand new front wheel and my race came to an end. Olivia was all on her own against a star-studded field. She got herself in another promising break, but in the end it came down to a field sprint with Ina taking the win for the 4th? 5th? 10th? year in a row.

All in all, it was a fun weekend and a good chance to break the legs into racing against great competition. Next up... Team Camp, San Dimas, and Redlands!