The Team had some Halloween Spirit this weekend!!
(We are ready to Buzzzz around!)Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Winning Team
Seeing a teammate bring home the well deserved win after a hard race is sometimes a better feeling than winning yourself...
(photo credit: Steve Anderson)... and stacking the podium is always fun!
(photo credit: Jason Perry)Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Rubin Meets Cyclocross
Rubin is new to 'Cross, and he loves it!
(look how happy he is!)
Here he is with his "Cycloross outfit"
(He can't wait to get to the races!)
And here he is on the top step of the CCCX podium!!
(He likes being on the podium with so many Rambuski Law racers!)
(look how happy he is!)Here he is with his "Cycloross outfit"
(He can't wait to get to the races!)And here he is on the top step of the CCCX podium!!
(He likes being on the podium with so many Rambuski Law racers!)Tuesday, September 20, 2011
StarCrossed and RaphaFocus GP
(Barriers -- weeee!)Headed to Seattle this weekend for Starcrossed and Rapha Focus GP UCI races. Course features included twists and turns around a grassy tree filled landscape; a short ride through sand followed by a long and grueling run through more sand; and a barrier and flyover combination ideally situated by the beer garden. It was a fast dry course on Saturday and while mother nature tried hard to bring rain on Sunday, she fell a bit short of providing ideal mud conditions and only brought a few damp corners in the end. The UCI status attracted a number of strong contenders from the US as well as from Canada and beyond.
For Saturday's Starcrossed race, I had a slow start, but moved my way through the field until I settled with a group of 3 racing for 5th place. I tried to get away and keep moving up at first, but when I could not shed the other two riders, I settled in and tried to conserve energy on the windy parts of the course. I attacked again on the last lap, but it came down to a sprint and my slow-twitch legs mustered up just enough to take 5th!
In the Rapha Focus GP the next day I managed to get an even worse start off the line, but after a lap the lead group was in sight. As I latched on to the group of 5 riders, my rear brake came undone and I had to finish half a lap with 1 brake and pit the bike. Aspen was my trusty pit crew this weekend and he got me rolling on the A bike half a lap later, but after two stops by the pit, I had fallen a number of spots. I chased my way back to 5th and found myself in a similar spot to the previous race. This time I did not try to conserve anything, but kept chasing hard in an attempt to move up. In the end I was unable to reach the riders ahead of me but was able to pull out another sprint for 5th again! I improved on my results from last year and had a ton of fun racing with a deep field -- it's going to be a fun season ahead!
(Lots of sand -- ouch!)Thursday, August 25, 2011
SufferFest
(leaving aspen)
The end of the season has been full of suffering for me. Typically, that is what cycling is all about. However, coming back to NRC racing after 3 weeks off the bike makes for extraordinary amounts of suffering.
First race back for me was Cascade Classic -- five days and lots of hills. The prologue was the first hard effort I had done since nationals and it hurt! The next days I would be racing for my teammates which made the suffering worthwhile and a lot more fun. I probably could have sat in the pack and tried to hang on until the finish. But instead, I gave everything I had to make sure moves were made and covered early on to let my stronger teamies save their legs for later in the race. I finished toasted and well behind the pack each day, but got in some good training and watched my teammates dominate in the end with two podiums and a second overall in the GC.
Next up was Charlotte Crit. Home to our national road race champion. The race was fast and furious and hot! My form had improved a bit from Cascade, but I was still in sufferfest mode. The team finished in the top 10 and took a plethora of primes in the process. We had a great support crew from Uptown Cycles and a wonderful team dinner after the race. We also had a chance to venture to Asheville, NC to put on a women's clinic and get in some scenic team riding. Fun times.
My final sufferfest came last week at the Aspen/Snowmass Women's Pro Stage Race. At this point, I had been back on the bike for a while and gaining fitness. I was feeling closer to my normal self and hoping to have a more typical race. Unfortunately, feeling good at sea level does not equate to feeling good 7-9000 feet above sea level! My HR was skyrocketing out of control the first day, my legs boycotted on day two, and my lungs called it quits on day 3. So much for having a normal race.
Hopefully all the suffering off the back will be good practice for suffering off the front in races to come. Often races come down to who can suffer the most. Ouch!
First race back for me was Cascade Classic -- five days and lots of hills. The prologue was the first hard effort I had done since nationals and it hurt! The next days I would be racing for my teammates which made the suffering worthwhile and a lot more fun. I probably could have sat in the pack and tried to hang on until the finish. But instead, I gave everything I had to make sure moves were made and covered early on to let my stronger teamies save their legs for later in the race. I finished toasted and well behind the pack each day, but got in some good training and watched my teammates dominate in the end with two podiums and a second overall in the GC.
Next up was Charlotte Crit. Home to our national road race champion. The race was fast and furious and hot! My form had improved a bit from Cascade, but I was still in sufferfest mode. The team finished in the top 10 and took a plethora of primes in the process. We had a great support crew from Uptown Cycles and a wonderful team dinner after the race. We also had a chance to venture to Asheville, NC to put on a women's clinic and get in some scenic team riding. Fun times.
My final sufferfest came last week at the Aspen/Snowmass Women's Pro Stage Race. At this point, I had been back on the bike for a while and gaining fitness. I was feeling closer to my normal self and hoping to have a more typical race. Unfortunately, feeling good at sea level does not equate to feeling good 7-9000 feet above sea level! My HR was skyrocketing out of control the first day, my legs boycotted on day two, and my lungs called it quits on day 3. So much for having a normal race.
Hopefully all the suffering off the back will be good practice for suffering off the front in races to come. Often races come down to who can suffer the most. Ouch!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Bike MS
(Fueling up with Terry part way through our MS ride -- all smiles!)Racing with Now and Novartis for MS has not only been a season of great bike racing, but also an opportunity to learn about MS and spread awareness about the MS community. We don't just spread MS awareness at our bike races, but we also participate in Bike MS rides across the country where we ride tandem or alongside someone who has MS. One fact we want to highlight about the MS community is that MS does not define a person.
This message became real to me when I had the chance to ride in a Bike MS Cleveland event with Terry, who himself has MS. Check out our team blog to hear about my MS ride as well as my teammates rides throughout the country:
http://www.nowcyclingteam.com/index.php/pro-blog/
This message became real to me when I had the chance to ride in a Bike MS Cleveland event with Terry, who himself has MS. Check out our team blog to hear about my MS ride as well as my teammates rides throughout the country:
http://www.nowcyclingteam.com/index.php/pro-blog/
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
WIPEooout & Win!
(No blogging lately as I've been dissertating and healing, but both are coming along and it's time for a blog)
Nationals was a big week for NOW and Novartis for MS. We had the full crew except for Anne, our favorite Canadian. Unfortunately those from up north can't participate in US nationals... even if they do live in Colorado.
The racing started off with the TT. It was my first time riding a TT bike and my first time doing more than a 20 minute TT. I used the race as experience and can say I gained a lot. Just getting used to the position of a TT bike is a whole new feeling. It's a little different from my (rather upright) road position. It felt a little funny, but it also felt fast!! and super fun! I might have had too much fun given it was a TT.
Next day was crit day. or crit night to be more precise. The thing about summer evenings in the south is that they are plagued with rainstorms. Really big thunderstorms. It was clear a big one was coming before the race even started! I wish they would have postponed the race and waited until we could ride safely with no torrential storms on the way. Instead, they sent us off racing with pre-race instructions of "if you hear a bell, that means the next lap is the finish." In the end, they gave us a 5 lap warning before the final bell. This was only about 20 or so minutes into the race. So the national championship was determined by a 30 minute race. It was ridiculous and dangerous and in the end, our sprinter was caught up in a crash and off to the hospital with a broken arm. In good news, she is healing fast and expects a speedy return!
The next day was a rest day and then the road race... we were down to 4 people but ready to race hard in the hot hot Georgia sun. The race started with an attack up the first climb that led to a break. We had nobody in it, but we hedged our bets that it was a little early for a break to stick. The rest of the lap was pretty boring as everyone was being patient to start the full on racing. By lap 3, the break was still off the front, but people were ready to race and the gap was closing. There were a number of attacks and the pace was picking up!
Just as the race was getting "fun", a rider came up on me, hooked bars, and wipeout... I keep playing the scenario over in my head.... so many what ifs... but in the end, I was sliding fast along the hot pavement. nothing i could do. I came to a stop and before I knew it our DS was there telling me to take my time. Meanwhile I'm shook up and thinking "where's my bike, can i get up? can i ride?" As I'm trying to assess all the pain signals coming into my brain, i look down and see a gaping hole in my knee full of blood. Eeeew! Luckily I didn't pass out, but I knew the race was over.
I had a long long wait in the ER. I was super bummed not to be racing, sad to be laying in a hospital, anxious to get fixed up, and incredibly annoyed at the stupid heart rate monitor that wouldn't stop beeping because my hr was below 50. My only smile for the day came when I heard the news -- Robin won!!!!! My teammate just won the national championship. I let out a scream - probably the only happy scream of the day in the ER! Check out the jersey:
(note -- this is not Robin... it is her dog)
As for me, the damage ended up being a lot worse than usual. Instead of a little road rash, my whole right side was missing. I ended up being sent to the burn unit to get taken care of. Next morning I was in the OR getting cleaned, stitched, and covered. I came out looking like a mummy. Unfortunately, mummies can't ride bikes :(
Nationals was a big week for NOW and Novartis for MS. We had the full crew except for Anne, our favorite Canadian. Unfortunately those from up north can't participate in US nationals... even if they do live in Colorado.
The racing started off with the TT. It was my first time riding a TT bike and my first time doing more than a 20 minute TT. I used the race as experience and can say I gained a lot. Just getting used to the position of a TT bike is a whole new feeling. It's a little different from my (rather upright) road position. It felt a little funny, but it also felt fast!! and super fun! I might have had too much fun given it was a TT.
Next day was crit day. or crit night to be more precise. The thing about summer evenings in the south is that they are plagued with rainstorms. Really big thunderstorms. It was clear a big one was coming before the race even started! I wish they would have postponed the race and waited until we could ride safely with no torrential storms on the way. Instead, they sent us off racing with pre-race instructions of "if you hear a bell, that means the next lap is the finish." In the end, they gave us a 5 lap warning before the final bell. This was only about 20 or so minutes into the race. So the national championship was determined by a 30 minute race. It was ridiculous and dangerous and in the end, our sprinter was caught up in a crash and off to the hospital with a broken arm. In good news, she is healing fast and expects a speedy return!
The next day was a rest day and then the road race... we were down to 4 people but ready to race hard in the hot hot Georgia sun. The race started with an attack up the first climb that led to a break. We had nobody in it, but we hedged our bets that it was a little early for a break to stick. The rest of the lap was pretty boring as everyone was being patient to start the full on racing. By lap 3, the break was still off the front, but people were ready to race and the gap was closing. There were a number of attacks and the pace was picking up!
Just as the race was getting "fun", a rider came up on me, hooked bars, and wipeout... I keep playing the scenario over in my head.... so many what ifs... but in the end, I was sliding fast along the hot pavement. nothing i could do. I came to a stop and before I knew it our DS was there telling me to take my time. Meanwhile I'm shook up and thinking "where's my bike, can i get up? can i ride?" As I'm trying to assess all the pain signals coming into my brain, i look down and see a gaping hole in my knee full of blood. Eeeew! Luckily I didn't pass out, but I knew the race was over.
I had a long long wait in the ER. I was super bummed not to be racing, sad to be laying in a hospital, anxious to get fixed up, and incredibly annoyed at the stupid heart rate monitor that wouldn't stop beeping because my hr was below 50. My only smile for the day came when I heard the news -- Robin won!!!!! My teammate just won the national championship. I let out a scream - probably the only happy scream of the day in the ER! Check out the jersey:
(note -- this is not Robin... it is her dog)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
