Today was the Lakefront road race here on Lake Michigan in downtown Milwaukee. One of the longer stages at 150k (about 90 miles). It had 2 climbs on the course, one twisty descent, and one bike path jaunt.

Pretty cool course right up against the beaches of Lake Michigan. The start was very very slow. Plenty of relaxing time in the first couple of laps for Zack and I to make the entire group laugh as we screamed at one-another from opposite sides of the peloton. 2 or 3 laps in the attacks were taken seriously, and the leaders would gutter the entire field after the twisty descent, before the second climb. Like clockwork, everyone would sit up 400m before the climbs and everyone would catch back on, or so I thought. I kept assuming I was near the back, though I never heard the follow moto. When I did go to the back with only 2 laps left I was shocked to see we had a very very small pack. Did everyone quit when all the money rode away? No training?

I sat in most of the first half of the race. Joseph followed attacks like a mad-man. With 10 to go he was in a big chase group trying to close on the 13 leaders who would never be caught. Adam told me I was on. So on the descent, I tucked and zoomed up to the front, easily. Once I was there though, the easy-ness ceased. Attacks kept coming and I jumped on as much as I could. Another group developed between the 1st chase and the main pack and I was on the front of the pack motoring to the second chase group who had just a few seconds. The yellow and red jersey were both in that group. If you had told me 2 years ago (or even at the beginning of this year), that I would be on the front of the peloton at Superweek, guttering it and holding a group with the leader jerseys at bay, I would have told you that you're f'ing NUTS. Somehow both Monday and yesterday I started feeling good right around the hour and a half or 2 hour mark. So maybe I have better form than I think.

The two chase groups got swallowed up at the end of that lap. I sat in 10 guys back behind the Garnaeu guys. Tim Johnson (who was rocking his 'cross shoes and pedals!) attacked going off the bike path. Joseph was all over him and those two were clear. The red jersey leader, waved at me and yelled something in German as I sat up after he pulled off the front. I retorted with, "I aint chasin' that! Tim motha-f***'n Johnson is up there!" Plus Joseph, who I was really blocking for. I coasted on the front till we hit the first climb again, Menzies attacked, Cole House the red jersey, and a few others followed, and we all sat up. That was it. With 4 laps to go we chattin' it up. I was pretty blown from all the jumping I did in a 3 lap time frame so I was just happy to sit in till the finish. Of course Hack didn't want to just sit in, but I couldn't sprint him yesterday as I did not have my massive sprinter's stem on my bike, and I snap everything else so I just finished in the group.

It's been pouring all morning so we're debating to race or not to race today. IMAX sounds more appealing after yesterday.

The vortex which is Superweek has begun. Now, every day will consist of coffee, easy spin, coffee, spin home, lunch, internet/movie, maybe coffee, more food, get to race, sit around, play with phone, talk about the women's race, gossip, change, talk about warming up, laugh at those doing it, race, still more food, drive back to host house, internet, and finally sleep.

 Its done in this order, every day. Typically with more gossiping than any other activity. Between that and the banter between teammates, friends, and enemies, no one is safe. None of the friendly rivalries are any better than the one between myself and Zack Allison. Today he 'thought' (we'll tell that tale later) that all of the payout places were well up the road today so he sits up mid pack and proclaims says, "I quit." Rolls back, sees I'm still in the race and jumps on my wheel.I see him there a lap later and he says "couldn't quit, not with you still in the race." Wow. Well, I still did a decent lead out and beat him the sprint.

 The race today was fairly anti climactic. I did nothing but sit in until 20 miles to go. Then, I felt pretty good, so I stayed attentive. A group of 12 was already up the road the road, but half of the peloton thought that 22 were up the road, leaving only 3 paying spots left theoretically. I felt good, but no, top 3 in an uphill field sprint, good. So with just under 2 laps to go I was on the front, with Joseph Schmalz a few positions behind me. I strung it out until 1 to keep the pace steady. Fuzzy and Ian Burnett jumped around me going up the hill and I couldn't go so I wheel surfed until the finish. Fuzzy tought the 1 to go bell was the end of the race, so he shot himself in the foot. Joseph took 3rd in the field sprint, 17th overall. I was 40th which is not awesome, but a good opener for the week we have ahead.

I need to start getting dressed for my ride to the course for tonight's race, but I'm going to write this out pretty quick as I don't have much to say about last night.

 This course is notoriously sketchy and lining up 4 rows back didn't give me warm, fuzzy feelings about the race. A year ago, I would have been full-throttle flying into the turns and staying as far up as possible, but right now I'm just happy to be racing. 

After taking over a month off of training all together I'm not getting much jump in my legs.The race started pretty fast and I maintained a good position, but when the pace slowed, I got swarmed and I guess being out of practice in these types of races makes you get soft. I slipped too far back. I witnessed 2 good crashes, and got caught in the 3rd. I didn't go down, but when I slammed on my brakes and endo'd my knee clocked the tops of my bars perdy good. It hurt real bad. At first I thought about taking a free lap, but I knew that I wasn't going to be any better off doing that.

 I pulled the plug. Sucks watching half of the race you should be in. Nobody to blame but myself on this one. Should have been further up. So tonight, I told everyone earlier that if they see me outside of the top 25 to start screaming some real demeaning stuff at me until I move back up. So hopefully I'll see some better results tonight.

The human people all want the same thing; they want to be what they weren't meant to be. We want to live forever, we want to swim like fish, and we want to fly. Humans have been trying to recreate these phenomenons with little luck.

 

For me, bombing Rist Canyon, aiming at a curve while the outside edges are lined with a wall of rock, and just barely hanging on is the closest feeling I have to flying.

 

We all do the same thing; tighter tuck, check the speedo, drop your head. There it is, 55mph. My thoughts are now overtaken by another voice. That voice that used to tell me to skate right at an opponent and just hope I don’t hit my head, or my knee, or my back in the wrong way. That same voice that these days tells me to shoot the gap in the last lap and sprint for 10^th instead of settling for 12^th. 

 

 Here comes the turn grab the brake, no too much. "Let it go, let it go!" Why won’t my fingers listen to the little voice on my shoulder? He keeps coaching me in my ear, “you can go faster, you can get closer to that feeling that the ‘Big Guy’ never wanted you to have. Listen to me, I’ll take you there.”  And I do listen and the feeling of flying takes me. I rail the turn, the rear tire skips on a tiny pebble, but I’m good I’m already 100 feet past it. There’s the voice again “Forget about that, this section is even faster.” No tight corners, just fast flowing bliss. My tires rub back and forth across my lane, not because I fear the oncoming traffic that I can clearly see is not present, but because keeping this in one lane makes it that much more challenging. That much more divine. I maintain all of my speed through the curves. I sit back on the saddle and readjust for what’s next.

 

Another turn coming up, this time the voice is screaming as I squeeze those little paddles of carbon beneath my fingers. I give in, I let go, I grab again, I let go. Screw it, I switch my hand positions. Can’t get at the brakes now. I can make this. “Yes you can make this, swing out… Now cut it!” I take it too wide, I squeeze the brakes, now even the little guy is panicking. Tires scraping the chat on the outside of the lane. I regain my balance and I’m back on to the road.

 

Last two turns, back-to-back and I’m down. Better make these count. Doing 40 down the yellow line. I buzz a school bus, and it gives off a draft slowing me drastically. “Kick it. Come on kid. Kick it.” I jump out of the saddle 3 quick pedal strokes, nope one too many, 2 strokes. Back into the saddle, switch pedals and plant all my weight on that left foot. Two more quick spins. Cut the last turn at mach 1 and it opens up after the apex.

 

Its over. My brain is functioning again, after not processing anything for the last 15 minutes. What was that voice? Its probably the same voice that was is that reptile that told Adam that he would be way cooler if he ate that funky apple in the garden (if you believe in that sort of thing). These days its known as the voice of competitiveness. I think we all have it. Its just a matter of what your own little devil wants you to achieve. Money, fame, godlyness, it doesn't matter. Every devil is unique as the person who's shoulder they post-up on.

As Amber Neben said, "the worst words for an athlete to hear are 'in-season, forced rest."

 With that the case, the best words to hear are probably, "I could have you racing next weekend." Which is exactly what Rodrigo of Diamond Peak Physical Therapy said to me yesterday while he was pulling, cracking, and forcing my body beyond its limits. 

 I can honestly say that was the first time I left a PT's office better than I did when I went in an hour before.  I'll be seeing him again on Monday and Wednesday. Hopefully, I'll be back to some full-on training by this time next week and I'll still be able to ride Superior Morgul Classic. 

 I was super excited about how well the session went, I was even more excited to learn that Adam Wisseman had gotten second at the Collegiate National Road Race. He's had an amazing few years, considering he just started racing 2 or 3 years ago. My boys will be doing the crit today, and I think that we may have one of the strongest leadout trains and one of the most talented sprinters. Wish I were them with them, but I'll be stuck here on the Front Range, studying, but when 6pm rolls around, no one will be looking for race updates and coverage as much as me.

I read a tweet by Adam Myerson this past weekend, “Sometimes bike racing is like a future ex-wife. You do everything it asks, and it still kicks you in the nuts and makes you feel like s**t.”

 

That is how I feel after this weekend. Broken and mangled by something that I work hard to succeed at. Myerson’s update was published after he got dropped out of the Tour of the Battenkill, on a 40 degree and raining day. Which is weather not too unlike our crit on Saturday at USAFA except we only raced for an hour, not 5.

 

My crit lasted less than an hour though. With the freezing temps and not bringing any good rain-racing, warm clothes I was left cold and wet. The race started, I jumped hard to try and warm up in the first couple of laps. I chased down an early break on the long uphill and then I started to feel it. The pain, not coming from my hamstrings, but shooting down my IT band and across my knee. My fingers started going numb and amidst all the pain, I sat up, drifted out of the tail end of the race and quit. Normally, on a rainy day I’m more psyched than a 5^th grade girl at the American Girl store, but Saturday was not my day.

 

This knee pain started in January. 4 months ago in Tucson I started getting shoots of pain that wrap across the front of my knee and stop my pedaling all together. I had hoped that it would heel quickly and I wouldn’t be dealing with it very long. Well, 17 weeks have gone by since the pain started and its only mildly better than it was.

 

Now I’m in this hole, unable to see a way out. In the road race yesterday I felt awesome! I was on the front riding tempo on the false flats to the first climb and then chasing down the solo FLC rider with Dylan and Fuzzy, still feeling good.  Then I missed a shift, gears skipped and my knee slipped. That was it. The pain shot through my knee and that was the end of my day. I soft pedaled to the car trying not to push it anymore than I had to and I quit again.

 

I have no one to blame, but myself.  I should have taken more time off. I should have stretched 3 times a day. I shoulda woulda coulda. I don’t see myself racing anytime soon. Riding will consist of going so easy moms pulling both of their toddlers in a Burley will pass me. But I’ll come back stronger and smarter.

I have been on a bit of a hiatus from the blogosphere (sp?). Anyway, I shouldn't even be typing right now. I should be finishing my warm-up for the CO School of Mines criterium. Alas, I'm sick and not racing today in favor of an additional 3 hours of sleep and maybe some quiet time in celebration of the holiday of the rabbit... or is it the colored egg, I always forget.

Since my last entry  I have been racing, reporting, and studying. Unfortunately my racing, if you would like to call it that, has taken a bit of a hit due to illness injury and life. Fortunately, I reminded myself at the Oval Criterium two weeks ago that I can still race my bike. I gave Zack a stellar lead out that resulted in him taking the field sprint. To be honest I thought for sure he was going to lose it as I lead the entire last lap and Zack had to jump around me with 300+ meters still to go. It really wasn't a stellar lead out either, but good enough, since it was me for the entire last lap. Hopefully, this is a sign that he, and myself, can still put in a solid effort with Collegiate nationals quickly approaching.

I raced yesterday too, for a short while anyway. I did the Koppenberg circuit race down in Superior, CO. The wind was crazy. No it was crazy! This stuff was ridiculous, maybe even by Kansas standards. Port-a-potties blowing over, crazy. I sat in for the first bit and attacked the first time up the climb. In hopes of creating a more selective group, but once over the top noone would work. I lead the next lap as well, but took a bad line and eventually fell over into a dirt pile. After leap-frogging every chase group and a few un-suspecting pedestrians' cars I was back in the first group. Once, back in the group I couldn't catch my breath, even with the sub-leisurely pace, I couldn't stop coughing. Bad stuff, and I eventually got popped the next time up the climb. Short race. Rolled around for another hour and was amazed at how many of those "pro" guys had dropped out of their races too. Must have been their tires. Should have gone with Challenge.

 So here I sit wondering if I could have stuck it out in the crit today. Probably could have. Probably wouldn't have done my immune system any good. So, I'll get ready for the CC criterium (because Zack "really wants to win") and the Boulder Roubaix. Laters

To announce that I will be racing with The Mercy Elite Cycling Team this summer.

I know that only a week ago I said I would be racing with Green Street Properties, and I am sad to say that I will not. Green Street sees what a great opportunity this is for me and they told me to go for it. Which is something that I'm very thankful for because it was with this team that I got my start, and just as then they still want me to take forward steps and leaps. 

This is such a great opportunity for me I can hardly put it all in to words. I don't know yet what the best part of it all is... knowing that I'll get to wear J.Steadman designed Verge kits all year, racing with George Michael (well, kinda), doing all of the races I had tentatively scheduled with little hope of getting to, or riding on the same team as my coach. All of that aside, the best part is racing with a group of guys that I already have great friendships with and guys that I know I can learn from. Plus, they're Amurican....they are from Kansas.

Speaking of America. Lets talk about North American cycling. No, not just Radioshack, the ProTour teams, Trek -Livestrong, and Taylor Phinney. I'm talking about North America's entire road and 'cross scene. This includes the too often forgotten women, Canadians, and cyclocrossers. Well, a reporter who has NOT forgotten about the entire scene is Lyne with Podium in Sight. Which leads me to announce another great event in my past week of craziness. I will be helping Lyne to reach even further into North American racing with me reporting on the collegiate scene. I will be covering the RMCCC races here and hopefully nationals as well. This will give me a great chance to further my writing and get the word out about our awesome racing here in Colorado.

I want to race now, but I don't feel the need to make this season any longer than it should be. I thought last year was rough and this year is looking to be even grander. Bigger, longer, and more races. Bring it.

Well, for the past 31 days myself, along with a handful of other would-be elite racers have been pulling the "it's January" card. Even Caley, the hardcore winter trainer, tried to pull the "its still January" card last night in regards to the Oval Ride and the aspect that those people who are in great shape for it, won't be in such good form come May when the real racing starts.

My formal training starts today. This year I am making many changes to my racing and training goals. This year I'll be having Adam Mills of Source-Endurance   set up my training plans with the goals of being super fast in May, July, and December. Not exactly an easy task for any coach, but Adam is one of the smartest guys I know. Speaking of smart guys if you've failed at clicking the above link to Source-E you should if for no other reason than to see the pimp web page layout done by none other than J.Steadman himself. 

 Also, I've joined a re-amped version of my Dent Wizard team as it is now Green Street Properties Cycling Team. I've seen the new kits and they are PIMP. Can't wait to have them in my chubby little hands. If you've never seen one of my former Dent Wiz or Mesa kits you should check out my eBay! auctions as I'm trying to dump them all now so that I can eat in the coming months.

 Back to my training...This past month has been the first January in my 4 years of formal training that I've been able to form any type of "base." During high school, hockey always took priority in January and February, while that left me with some serious fast-twitch muscles in March, I tended to hit a bit of a plateu  earlier in the season than I would like. Last year, as some of you may remember, I had a broken hand from a skiing accident the weekend before 'cross nationals. Though I still managed to get a better collegiate result even with my arm wrapped up like a gordita. I still spent the better part of January with my hand in a hard cast and again, I was behind.

Now, I've got some serious base thanks to the stellar yourgroupride.com / CSU Cycling training camp, plus a desire to go out and do nothing but have fun on my bike. (Un)fortunately, tomorrow I start intervals and in 6 days I'll be doing a VO2 Max test. So stay tuned for the results on that. Which should be interesting compared to the last test I took in Austin, TX at Source-E over 2 years ago. 

 See you at the Oval on Saturday!  

We, the CSU Rams Cycling Team, only have one ride left here in beautifully warm Tucson, AZ. Tomorrow is the big Shootout, a 100+rider group ride that has the same level of competitiveness as The Wednesday Worlds ride in FoCo. 

 The last couple days have been great, except for yesterday's ride. Every ride has been sunny, warm, and scenic. Its interesting seeing the different levels of experience all on the same ride. There's a lot of experience, and different types of experiences on our rides here. Our C-Men are absorbing like sponges. Some guys who could barely hold a line are now pace lining like an experienced MidWest Crit racer. 

 I seem to be totally lacking any sense of creativeness. I must apologize for this utterly non-interesting nor funny entry. I know how it can be to read a blog that is completely DULL. You get up early to check your Google Reader updates, there's only one update so you sit there and read for 20 minutes. You finish your coffee and then think, 'hmm I wonder if there's anything funny on youtube.' Then you move on, never remembering what you read. So I'll leave you with this, its warm here. I'm tired, and I don't want to think hard just yet. I still have 3 days of break! Peace!

 

Nationals have come and gone. While the course in Bend was not ideal for me, I fell in love with the town. Its an awesome winter retreat, and I may have to see what their summers are like too. My races were a mixed bag. While I’m happy for the team and all of the podium appearances that KCCX | Verge made, my races were not the way I had hoped that they would end up. My crash in turn 1 of the U23 race definitely put a damper on my great start, but the rest of my race was good. The only other hang-up was when I snapped the seat mast on a SCOTT Addict CX bike, turns out I only screwed up the seat clamp, but it slowed me down for the quarter of a lap that I couldn’t sit down. I finished in 23^rd, not great, not what I had hoped for, but I showed up and I raced my bike.

The Collegiate race, was frustrating. Crashed in turn 1 chased into a group that was riding in the top 10. Then I crashed on icy pavement, twice. On a course that was 80% grass and snow. I crashed on pavement, like a rookie crit racer. O well, lessoned learned there. I’ve got plenty of Collegiate National Championships to have a good race at. I have to be happy with my ‘cross season. I took a big step this fall. I did 10 UCI Elite races, and I successfully took a punt to the face in all 10 of them.  But I also had some good times with my teammates, friends, and family. I took a warm up lap and chatted with none other than Erwin Vervecken, and that makes up for him blowing past me like I was tied to stump in Day 2 of the USGP.

As some of my teammates are racing in Europe, I need to start preparing for the Collegiate road season. Base miles are starting now and I can’t wait to head south with CSU Rams Cycling. Tucson will be awesome, and anyone who’s reading this can come. Just talk to Dan, the wonderful curator of this website. I’m taking apart my SCOTT CX bike before it summers in the garage all year. Thanks to everyone who helped me this fall. First, Tom Price, no joke this is the best mechanic I have ever seen and anyone passing through or within 100 miles of Kansas City should go to the Trek Store and ask for the Tom Price tune-up.  Thanks Giro, Oakley, Mavic, Easton, Challenge Tubulars, Maxxis, TRP Brakes, SRAM, Paceline Products, SCOTT, and of course Verge Clothing. Thanks J. Steadman and Outlaw Earth for keeping us looking fresh. Trek Stores Midwest thanks for lending us the KC-Portland freight train and for giving Tom the ability to take time away from work and help us in our quest of world domination. Big thanks to our fearless leader Bill Marshall and KLM Marketing Systems.  Finally, and certainly not least thanks to my parents who not only got me to all of these races, but were also at most of them offering encouragement even if Tim Johnson would end my race quite prematurely.