Stump Farm

Photos by Velogrrl.

After a little deliberation, I headed to the WORS race in GB instead of the Palos Meltdown. Ripping 35 or so miles a few weeks out from the Cheq 40 seemed like the right thing to do. I was also excited for what is essentially a road race on the mountain bike with some single track to boot.

The start was the typcial frenetic pace for the holeshot to the singletrack. I felt decent, but I didn't put the hammer down hard enough (unfortunately it seems like I've lost a little on the flats compared to earlier in the season.) and someone who is much slower in singletrack slipped in ahead of me. That is all it took to create a gap...once we went from leadout to singletrack back to double track, the top 8 women were gone. The remaining 6 of us were left in the dust.....left to duke out the remaining 30 plus miles. In retrospect that is where the biggest mistake was made....I should have at all costs threw it down harder on the lead out. Losing the drafting train on this course pretty much equals game over.

So I spent the next few miles blowing myself up trying to be the "front of the back". Once I accomplished that mission, Regina showed up and we were off. At a certain point in the first lap she was ahead of me and tearing my legs off. But I made myself stick on her wheel at all costs. My legs were on fire and my back was in some serious pain. I debated packing it in, but my seatpost had slipped as the race continued which eased the pressure on my back. The comp men started to pass us about half way into lap 1. The King of WORS made his way past me and then took down Regina just in front of me. I picked my jaw up off my top tube, thought "Holy Shit!" and cruised around the carnage. Luckily everyone was ok.

Regina caught back up with me and we rode lap 2 and most of lap 3 together. The back and forth was a total ass beater.....I kept trying to rip the singletrack as fast as possible, but there was no shaking her. On the home stretch in the third lap, Regina disappeared. A comp rider informed me that she had dropped her chain. What a total bummer and not the way I wanted it to end. A sprint finish after 35 miles would have been super sweet. So I just threw it down with everything I had and rolled in 9th for the day. Definitely a decent finish, but also a little disappointing as I can't seem to turn the pedals any faster to move my way up the Elite womens' food chain. I fully realize that Rome wasn't built in a day, but a podium finish would be really, really nice. On a positive note, I did ride the singletrack well. It's not the most technical, but you gotta take the small victories when they come your way.

Also mad props to Lori S. Winning the overall and beating Rebecca C. on her home trails is a huge freaking accomplishment.

Border Battle.

All photos by Velogrrl

The my race can be summed up in one word - "blah".

A few of the low lights were:

1. Blowing myself up on lap one trying to hang with a stronger rider on the flats.

2. Almost getting pushed off the first bridge on lap one. Someone had fallen off and was remounting at the bridge exit point while I was riding it.

3. Eating it myself at the bridge on lap two for really no good reason.

4. Riding laps two, three and four with pain in my hip/ass from biting in on the bridge and subsequently feeling disheveled and pissed at myself for the rest of the race.

5. Feeling super sick on lap two (maybe the enduralites?).

6. Having the top elite men catch me on lap 3 in the freaking tightest spot on the course. I just pulled over....when I started pedaling again, a few more top elite men came out of nowhere and whizzed right by me. This caused me to suddenly shift my weight in an attempt to once again get out of the way. I ended up tipping over while clipped in and laying in the bushes. It wasn't pretty. And while I know I'm not gunning for a top spot, I do hope all the elite men appreciate the courtesies that are given to them. And I hope they at least had a good laugh while I kicked it in the bushes.

7. Too much braking.

8. Driving solo for 3.5 hours back to Madison while in a pissed off mood. At least I didn't get a speeding ticket.

9. Skipping 4 hours of scheduled training this week cause my hip/ass hurt.

The highlights? There were a few:

1. I held back a lot on the climbs. I think I can let loose a little more because I'm fitter than I think.

2. I felt slightly less unraveled on lap 4, pulled my head out of my ass and kicked it in the ass.

3. I had a decent pre-ride on Saturday and had a good time riding my bike.

4. While sifting through pictures this week I noticed that a few Comp men had also fallen off the first bridge. This somehow lessens the blow to my ego and all the ass pain I've been having.

I think the look on my face says it all.

Next up: Part of me would like to do the Palos meltdown, but I'll be heading to WORS GB. It should be a good test of my fitness and will be a good race leading up to the Cheq 40.

2009 Race Season in Photos

All photos by Velogrrl, Rusty, Superfly, Gary and Holly.

IOLA

A slow start....nerves danced around in my stomach...GOOOOO!!!!! and the pedal was missed.


Looking good on first quarter of the lap.....until I crunched my left hand between my bike and a tree. Writhing on the ground as all the Elite ladies passed me is not the way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Writhed a few more times on the ground that day.

Smokin Spoke

Drafting on the lead out. Had a decent race but my back was shredded by the second half and rode the singletrack slower than desired. Navagating the singletrack with the Comp men was tough....cut off and forced off my bike a few times.

Jumping on the Comp train. Thanks for the pull fellas.

Wausau

Fucking miserable - muddy, rainy, windy and cold. 40 degrees in June in Wisco. WTF. Back still shredded from Smokin Spoke and from churning 9 mile mud; pulled off to stretch the back and to DNF but got talked into finishing the race. Thanks Michelle.

Subaru Cup

Nothing like going from 40 degree temps to 85+. Heat exhaustion in the XC race. Took it easy in the Super D and had a respectable finish behind Lisa in the Short Track.

Getting the race done early in day has it benefits - kicking it friends.

Women's Dirt Retreat

Got to be an instructor at the Dirt camp.

And got instruction from the likes of Alison Dunlop. We will be seeing her shortly at the Wisco USGP races.

The Firecracker

Had a good ride...until I didn't. Took a spill the beginning of lap numero dos and had hydraulic brake fluid all over my left hand. Life as a chemist has taught me that brake fluid is not miscible in sports drink....but in the thick of it, that is how my hand got rinsed. Yard saled it two more times. Lost a handful of confidence and spots in the overall. Additionally a select few of the Comp and Junior X men created moderately frustrating situations.


These rocks can Suck It Trebek. It was this chica's last race as a Wisco resident. And I had good company for three hour ride home.

Levis Trow

More on this later. It's so beautiful there that it deserves its own post.

Alterra

Here you can see a Comp man who hit my wheel, pushed me off of my line which nearly forced me off my bike.... not the way you want to start this heart busting climb. Comp dude (whoever you are) I forgive you cause shit happens during racing.

I'm a pretty chill chick and try to be as smooth and gracious in the singletrack as I can be. I certainly forgive many of the stupidities that happen because I'm far from perfect also. And the majority of you are great guys who are generally skilled, safe and super polite. But if you happen to be the 25th Comp dude that day who bumped into me because you don't know how to pass, knocked me off my bike because you are riding outside your ability, shoved me off my line because you think you have the right to the best part of the singletrack or almost crashed me because you didn't think to call your pass....I may lose it and explode at your ass. So I apologize in advance for any unkind words that might fly out of my mouth during the rest of the summer.


Racing in singletrack is getting better as the summer progresses even when dehydrated and hungover. WORS 2009 to be continued.....

Two weeks of debauchery.

Riding and bike racing took a back seat for the last few weeks as I had a friend in town from California. We partied like rock stars, lived on junk food, got way too much sun and slept very little. After her better than two week stay in Sconnie, thankfully Brooke headed home last Friday.....cause my liver couldn't take anymore.

Alterra

Picture by Velogrrl

I can't seem to get my shit together this year with bikes, life or blogging. Somehow half a WORS season has passed me by and I have failed to get excited enough to blog about it. Maybe because the last few months of racing have consisted of mediocre results, face plants, crashes, hitting trees, smashing fingers, sore backs, poison oak and heat exhaustion.

My race at Alterra just was what it was. It began with an embarrassing start as my foot missed the pedal and I almost ate grass. You would have thought it was my first race ever. Lap one was spent expending my energy trying to make up for my slow start. Rode with the Comp men for the second and third laps. Nothing too exciting, but I was pleased that I was smooth in the singletrack for laps two and three. Not to mention that I stayed upright for the entire race. Mediocre result. Blah. That's what I get for partying for the last two weeks with my California pal, Brooke.


Picture by Velogrrl
Climbing never gets easier. You just go faster up the hill.

Thanks to the Alterra team for putting on a great race and also for lengthening the lap. My legs were very happy to only climb up that damn hill three times. Last year I remember climbing it four times. My head almost exploded, my legs hurt, I got the chills and realized I had my first case of heat exhaustion.