my dog Casey, trying to pick his way down the logs- he had already ran up and was coming back down to get us- apparently we were too slow for him...

So the other day tasha and i decided to go for a little hike with the dog to get some fresh air- as we started up the "gentle hike" it was apparent that we were in for more than just an easy stroll. the sun was setting, and the rocks and logs were covered with ice and snow- probably not the smartest thing to do with my messed up knee. i am finding that in colorado, its all or nothing- if you go on a hike or ride or anything, its gonna be epic and/or very dangerous. coming back down we squealed like little girls afraid of slipping. yeah, i swear we're pro mountain bike racers....

the afterparty- nothing like a little gin n tonic and video games- whats better than that? maybe a mechanical bull....

while driving into kc on wednesday night through the icy abyss, amy insisted on licking a rock that she thought was sugar coated. wierdo- i told my dog casey to bite her ass, but he wouldn't. that would have been pretty funny.

ok, so i had to put this picture up- its the essence of what the whole weekend was about- crashing all twisted and contorted, bruises all over as if we had been beaten- badly. nice work, amy. thanks for the wicked grimace on your face as your about to create your 3rd knee. awesome.

mmm, the stairs. it looks like i am
on a sunday stroll-

la de da, just walking up some stairs, in the
mud, la la la....

a little hotel trainer time....
by the way, those are all natasha's clothes.
everywhere.... hehehe
and, i am not sure why amy is hiding behind the curtain... she's a little crazy, that one.

friday's race
riding by the "no tilly zone"
i told them they spelled my name wrong...

hello again, kans-ass.

so this past weekend the boulderites of velo bella drove to kc- back to my roots, and where i started this crazy cult-like following calling cyclocross. amy dombroski, natasha cowie, casey klein (my dog) and i packed into my jetta wagon and headed towards the icy abyss.

we got a late start wednesday, and got into lawrence where we stayed with my coach and good friend adam mills. after sleeping in until about 1pm thursday we headed to the course which was a mud pit. not exactly what i was expecting, since the last time i rode this course it was fast and dry. after one lap i was pretty much done- wet cold and covered with mud. after a few sprints and feeling like total crap, we headed back to rest up and clean clothes- we were getting good at the mud cleaning thing- with plenty of experience from portland.
the next day i was racing the masters race- yeah i know- i am now a master! ha! it was nice to have such a big tent area set up for us, and with only anna milkowski, shannon gibson and i racing, we had plenty of space and support. it was fabulous. shannon raced before us, and won her race. awesome. as soon as i went to the start line, the sun went away and the temperature dropped about 10 degrees. the mud and turned to peanut butter from previous races so it was a struggle to keep the pedals turning. after the start, i warmed up fast and felt really good- my legs felt strong but i had lost the front group. i hovered around top 10 for the whole race. at the end, i was with 2 other girls which made for a great last lap and hard sprint. my legs were tired, but i felt good about my 7th place finish. unfortunately anna had some mechanicals which set her back- i will later in the weekend be able to relate to her issues....
saturday morning i woke up early (well, not as early as natasha and amy who got to the venue before the sun came up- crazy u-23's) to watch our youngsters of the team tear it up in the snow and ice. there weren't many people out watching which was a shame, since amy dominated the race. natasha was not far behind, gritting her teeth to push through the rutted up icy course. i was so proud of them- i ran around the course cheering like crazy and taking pics. probably not the best thing to do before the elite race the next day...
we did a little trainer time in the hotel room saturday, which is always fun- nothing like sweating like crazy while inhaling burning rubber and watching bad tv. good times.
sunday came around fast- and before we knew it we were all on the trainers under the tent (all 12 of us) preparing for the biggest race of the season. all the traveling to chase points, all the intervals and training, all the time and money spent to get to this point in the season came down to this one race. no pressure- ha!
amy and i sneaked onto the course to get a quick preride in to see how it had changed since the day before- every day of the weekend the course was different. today, the sun was out which meant that the top surface had melted, but the icy ruts were still underneath. this made for some really technical riding, which i was fine with- time to pull out the mtb skillz.
i was lined up 3rd row, not too bad considering there were almost 100 girls. i had a great start, being in the top 15 or so. i crashed early on the dirt, trying to take a line that was a little risky. getting back going, i knew i could make up some time. i felt good, and i knew i had the potential to do well on this course. on the second lap, i flatted. but i knew that riding it to the pit and switching bikes wouldn't set me back too much. wrong. the pit crew wasn't ready for me, and although i appreciated the volunteers helping our team out, it would have been good to have them know who i was. so i spent some time in the pits. a lot of time. after rolling my tubular i went to switch bikes again, and the same story. i stood in the pit waiting for a bike. i crashed and bent my handle bar so i wanted to switch bikes. i came into the pit one last time, and again there was no bike- "give her a bike!' someone yelled as i stood there, watching girls pass by. they grabbed a bike off the rack- it was amy dombroski's bike. yeah, its size 45 or something. i jumped on it and i felt like i was in the circus- my knees were hitting the handle bars when i sat and pedaled, so i had to stand the last lap. thats not easy to do on ice. so, needless to say i placed horribly, and i was pretty upset about the whole thing. mechanicals happen, and bad bike changes happen, but not 4 times in one race. uhhh. next year i will do things different- i will take this as a learning experience, and know that things can go wrong- its part of racing. some things are preventable-and for next year i will make sure this doesn't happen again.
the season is over, and now its time to hang out without the bike, at least for a few weeks. it was a good first attempt at doing the bigger cross races, and my first time chasing points. i am hoping to get a little better for next year, and possibly accompany barb and wendy across the pond...
but for now its time to get the snowboard out, dust off the skate skis and enjoy all the snow and the mountains here in boulder...

ok, so this pic was from nationals this past weekend in kc, but i was just as muddy after friday's race as i was after portland. all the races are starting to blend together... cold, rain, mud...

saturday's race in portland-
coming up to the barriers. its early in the
race, as you can see i am pretty clean stil...

Portland usgp

i know its been a while since this race happened, but things have been a little crazy since then and now that i am warm and dry again i can finally try to remember some of the details of the portland weekend.
going into the race, i knew that it was going to be a sloppy mess. last year i came out to watch so i had some idea of what i was in for. i flew out with teammate amy dombroski and stayed with another teammate sara johnson who lives in portland. it was raining when we got there, and didn't stop until i left- i saw the sun the day i was flying away. i have no idea how people live there. seriously.
amy and i went to pick up anna milkowski at the airport and headed to the course for a preride friday, and it was muddy, just as expected. it was a different course than last year, but really fun with some good technical/off camber sections which made it interesting. so after riding until it was dark, we headed back to clean our stuff- which we will have down as a routine by the end of the weekend...
waking up saturday morning to snow was not what i was expecting in portland. but, i would rather have that than rain. sitting on the couch, amy and i decided that if we lived in portland, we were pretty sure we would never go outside, and just eat all day by the fire in front of the TV.
but a race was waiting for us- we bundled up and headed to the venue. unfortunately the snow turned to cold rain, and the conditions were just as muddy but the puddles were a lot colder as it splashed up onto you. ahhh, cross racing- a little snow, a little rain, and a lot of mud. what more could you ask for?
sara and her friends graciously came out the races to help us over the weekend- i think i will be forever in their debt- no amount of beer could repay them for standing out in the rain fixing our bikes and being in the pit- they did a fantastic job, and things couldn't have been smoother in and out of the pits. considering most of them had no idea how to hand off a bike, i would just like to say i would never had known- thanks guys if you are reading this. sara and the gang had things going like clockwork, and we really couldn't have raced without them.
i started ok, not great. after standing around waiting for call ups, i got really cold and by the time the race was on, i might as well had not warmed up. it wasn't a bad race, but not a great one either. i figured i had another day to get things going, so i left it up to sunday to try again. my knee was killing me, and i limped around afterward trying to loosen it while overdosing on ibuprofen.
waking up sunday morning was almost the same as the day before- only it was pouring rain instead of snow, and after a phone call from tim brennan telling me our kona tents had blown away during the night, i was a little worried about the day. we packed our bags full of every piece of clothing we owned (and borrowed some from sara too) and headed to the venue. it was true- no tents. so amy and i scouted around searching for another team to mooch off of- luckily ben turner was there with his trusty set of green clif tents and allowed us to use their space for warm up. i have no idea what we would have done if those guys weren't around- thanks again to another bunch of people who helped out the velo bellas.
in the pouring rain, we lined up waiting for the gun to go off. it was the longest 2 minutes of my life. i was shaking so hard from being cold and wet, and the race hadn't started. needless to say, i never got warm, only colder. the wind began to blow harder, and it was a constant 40 mph with gusts so hard it ripped up a tree on the side of the course. i wanted to quit after the first lap- my body was freezing up and i would never get warm throughout the race. i thought to myself there is no way in hell they will run the men after us, these conditions are too bad. after finishing horribly i rode straight back to the car and ripped off all my clothes. i didn't care if anyone saw me. i was so cold that i just wanted all things wet off of me. after putting dry clothes on over myself (and over all the mud still coating my body) i sat in the car with amy and we cranked the heat- i shivered uncontrollably for a good hour. i considered going to the hospital since i had never been that cold before-
it was over. my portland experience. i have to say that it was NOT epic, and i am not looking back and glad that i did it. i could have done without that weekend i think, although in between the racing was fun. i made it through but you could not pay me to ever live there, thats for sure.
i did realize one thing- if i could finish a race in those conditions, being that miserable and cold, i could do any race. nothing could ever be as mentally tough as getting through those races. at least i have that experience. oh and a lot of mud stained clothes.

Ahhh, another pic of me running on sunday- yeah getting pretty good at that...

Running through the sand on saturday- did quite a bit of this since i couldn't keep my power up through the 50 feet of it- at least i look like i know what i am doing...

This was before the race on Saturday, before the embarrassing crash over the barriers which cracked my ribs- yeah thats why i had a smile on my face...

Teammate Kathy Sherwin and I trying to keep warm while watching the guys duke it out on Sunday...

USGP #2

ahh, finally got my chance to race a gp, since last year i spent every one of them on the sidelines. i was really excited to get on the start line with everyone- i have been doing other cross races but this series is the one that matters- and since i was sick for the first gp in KY, i was definitely looking forward to this set of races.
we arrived in the philly airport thursday night (barb, amy d., and kathy sherwin) and headed towards trenton NJ. luckily we found a whole foods near by and ate some tasty salad bar stuff that night. the next morning we headed to the course to check it out- it was cloudy, windy and cold. the course was pretty flat and grassy with plenty of twists and turns. There was a long sand pit, which i almost made it through once, and a fly over which had really steep stairs on one side, a short platform to remount, and a steep ride on the backside. it was a little freaky to ride it the first time, especially since at the bottom the transition was not good, and 100% of the time i wasnt clipped in so it was sort of sketchy.
before saturdays race, i did a easy prelap to check out how the legs were feeling and make sure there were no changes in the course. i was pedaling around chatting with katerina nash behind me, and came up to the barriers- i guess i forgot how tall they were, and i carelessly tripped over the first barrier and fell flat on my face. i was so embarrassed, and katerina picked up my bike for me- i guess i was so concerned with whether or not someone saw me that i didn't realize how much i had hurt myself. i finished warming up and got lined up. it was really cold, and my body didn't feel like going hard in the beginning- i was also having pedal issues which prevented me from clipping in- the candies don't work well with wet sand i found. i got so frustrated with it that i basically stopped racing, and just rode around until the end of the race. needless to say i finished horribly. i was determined to have a better race on sunday.
i woke up sunday and i could hardly move. i had gotten some tape from the drug store and taped up my ribs which felt better. my dad was driving from hershey, PA to see me race, so i wanted to do well- but i was hurting pretty bad. the rain had started during the night, and soaked the course. the temps dropped and the wind was howling. perfect cross weather- the course turned out to be way better than the day before- only i couldn't breathe deep due to my stupid crash. i was determined to race anyway- i had more fun riding (yes, i said riding, not racing) on sunday- even though i did horribly, i got to see my dad, and play around in the mud. i did crash once on the last lap onto my bad side which knocked the wind out of me- that hurt. i think my teammate melonie thought i was dying- i was gasping for air and she kept looking back to see if i got up. i finished the race, and went back to the hotel to get warm. we all went out for dinner that night to celebrate the team's good work (amy d. rocked it sunday, getting most aggressive rider) and everyone else did really well. its always nice to have teammates around to get you through the rough patches of racing- it can be tough sometimes, especially when you're frustrated with mechanicals or injuries- and in my case i had both... overall it was not the weekend i was expecting, but i made the best of it, and now i am trying to heal up before portland. its nothing that a little percocet can't help...

boulder- the windy city...

Alright, so calling boulder the windy city doesn't seem quite right, but after my weekend of racing here thats what i am going to call it, at least until my wounds heal...
so this past weekend here in boulder held two UCI races- the redline cup and boulder cup, both within 10 minutes from my house- and that is something great- no bikes to pack, no airports/shuttles to deal with- fabulous.
after being really really sick from food poisoning and missing out on last weekends usgp, i really wanted to do well and grab some points. at least that was the goal. saturdays course wasn't my favorite, but ended up flowing better than i expected- more sand than i have ever ridden/ran through (more running than riding most of the time) which made it much harder. i was the last one called up (hence the reason to nab some points) and went aggro on the start, moving up to top 15 by the first part of the lap. i felt really good, and continued to reel in more spots throughout the race. i was happy since i didn't fade, which has been my problem since the beginning of the season. i was closing in on 10th, but as i was rounding the corner towards the last set of barriers and the last few minutes of the race, a barricade along my right side which held a banner decided to fall on top of me. a gust of wind had caused it to blow over right as i came by...talk about bad luck- it pinned me to the ground and spectators had to pry it off of me, while another guy straightened my bike out- i thought i broke my wrist, and was pretty pissed off. i finished the race in 11th place, right out of the points, again.
the next day i was determined to be top 10- i was really excited about the course too, since last year i had to watch everyone race it on the sidelines. the wind was strong, and i made a point to be no where close to the barricades this time... but alas, the wind would be the fall of me at this race too- and a bad cleat/pedal combo. Being called up at the back i had a plan to sprint crazy hard behind my teammate barb at the start. well, after pulling out of my pedal 3 times within the first minute, i knew i had to go through the pit to change bikes. i had decided to ride the new bike that i had put old pedals on. not a good decision on my part. but before getting to the pit, and trying to improve on my horrible start i was sprinting around some girls on the back side of the course, and as i was pulling up on the bars my wheel caught a bit of air (i was wearing my carbons) and a gust of wind got my wheel and threw me to the ground- hard. i laid there for a while, wondering if i should get up. now i really needed to go to the pit, since my bike was slightly off to one side from the crash. so, i cruised down, wandered around in the pit for a while looking for my second bike, and then decided to keep riding, since i needed a workout for the day anyway... i was way off the pace, a good 5 minutes. i did end up catching a few girls by the end, but my head wasn't into it- i mentally gave up after the crash. i knew i didn' t belong back there in 25th place. i thought about quiting the whole time, but thats not me. having a DNF next to my name is something i absolutely hate seeing. its only happened after major mechanicals in 2 races the past couple years at norbas, and i was very upset about it even though there was nothing i could have done to finish the race. so, since i had a working bike i was determined to cross the finish line. i did, but very far back in 17th. not one that i am proud of. there is always another race, and this coming weekend in durango i hope to get my revenge...

Sunday's race in Gloucester- i was a hurt'en puppy thats for sure...

Gloucester

i was really excited to do these races last weekend, since i had heard how great the course was- and its on the coast. i was definitely looking forward to seeing the ocean- being landlocked is rough sometimes..
so megan m and i found some plane tickets and headed toward boston- upon landing, the wind was blowing and the rain was coming down in sheets. i was thinking maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all, since i had come from 75 degrees and sunny in boulder-
but, my teammate anna picked me up and we headed toward rebecca wellen's house which was about 45 minutes away from the course. i went for a spin in the cold and actually felt ok considering i have been not feeling so hot since vegas...
we woke up saturday morning, met up with megan (who took the red eye- crazy girl) and the weather was amazing- sunny and no clouds or wind. it was gonna be a good day-
after spinning and doing some sprints i was ready. surprisingly there were 40+ women on the start line. got called up 15th or so, no bad considering i haven't done any races this year really that count. lynne was there, but she had already done the men's 3 race so she was tired- ha yeah right. my start was shitty again- i gotta work on that. so i spent the whole race picking off girls from about 30th- by 2 laps to go, i had made it to the top 10, with lynne only about a minute 20 sec in front of our chase group. too bad i hadn't started better- i would have saved some energy. i was in a group of about 4-5 girls- including my teammate melanie which was nice to have someone on my side instead of attacking me. i tried to get away a couple times but i had no power left- and on the last lap i got a leg cramp which forced me to fall off the group and finish alone, in 12th. good thing points were only top 10. sweet. i was determined for sunday to stay in the top 10, but things don't always work out how you want them-at the start after the first lap, i knew the race was going to be ugly- everyone was out for revenge it seemed, and racing faster than saturday. unfortunately for me it was windier and harder to jump alone through the girls. my legs were flat, and tired from all the work i did on saturday. i have to get better at starts...
overall it was a great course, beautiful weather and good competition- what more could i ask for? although i was a little disappointed in my finishes, it just motivates me to want to race that much harder for the next races- and the fact that i constantly had teammates around me was pretty cool too- the team did great, and i was proud of everyone who raced. im definitely looking forward to louisville..

interbike 2007

really really glad to be back home in CO. i think if i were to stay in vegas any longer, i would be permanently exhausted for the rest of my life, and broke.
i got back last night, and was very happy to see the snow capped mountains as the plane descended into denver. finally back to some sort of reality and realness- vegas was so surreal and fake that i couldn't take it...
on tuesday, met up with dave from vanderkitten and the rest of the crew to set up the booth. pretty exciting since its the first year for them at interbike, and i was there to help promote it- but also a little weird handing my photo out to everyone-
on wednesday night, i did the vegas cross race which started at 7:30pm in a park which contained some of the only grass in vegas, and we were about to tear it up, literally. sort of pathetic i think. the air was so dry; i am still having chest/throat issues from it. i got called up third row so pretty shitty, since i didn't race last year and had no points. i knew the parade lap was going to be ugly since the field was stacked. at the start, melissa thomas missed her pedal and screwed up my already horrible start- but once everyone settled a bit after the parade lap, i got the chance to weave my way through the girls to get up to a group that i was happy with-it was really similar to a crit since it was so fast and windy. i was able to work in well, and felt like maybe i should try to get away, since i felt good. but i stayed in the pack- which looking back, i wish i would have tried to... since with 2 laps to go, a girl crashed in front of me on the barriers, and i lost the group- and then the attacks started at the front and there was no way for me to get back on- so i cruised in with my teammate anna- i have no idea where i was- somewhere between 18th-25th so i heard. i am ok with it, but i think i could have placed better-
the race was over, and it was time to enjoy myself- i met up with a good friend from KU jed schneider who is responsible for getting me into this madness called racing way back in 1999. the rest of the week was filled with all kinds of craziness that i can't write about- i am glad to be back, and glad that the next interbike is a good year away...

local scene

this past weekend, i headed down to the springs with megan m. and ann t. to test my skills at the first cross race of the season- i had no expectations other than getting the jitters out before vegas. so besides megan monroe and ann trombley, katie compton and kelli emmett decided to show up too- pretty good showing for a little local cross race- there were also another 15 or so women lined up, which i was surprised at since in kansas there are maybe 3...
the start was pretty tame, as we filed behind katie up the first hill. after a few shifting positions, we settled in- and it stayed that way for most of the race- katie up front (big surprise), megan and ann duking it out together as i fought behind them alone in the wind. kelli i think was tired from riding earlier, so she was behind me. i held the gap from megan and ann most of the race, but since i had no one to work with, i couldn't close it. i ended up a respectable 4th place, just out of the money. thats ok though, it was a good race and i was happy with it, and i feel good about going into vegas. now its time to rest up, and get on a plane- and head toward the chaos of ibike..

head'in to Vegas...

So, next week is the first cross race of the year- i will be getting ready for it by racing on the local cross scene this weekend in Colorado springs- if all goes well, i will be set for duking it out with the big dogs in vegas...
im a little nervous about cross vegas, mostly because i have no idea how i measure up to the other girls- having to sit out most of last cross season- but i have been training pretty hard, and doing those practice cross races in boulder for the last 4 weeks, so i have to have some fitness right now- i think my nervousness will change into excitement as soon as i get there, and preride the course. its on a golf course, and i am sure there will be some sand...

i am super excited to see everyone again- meeting new teammates and hanging out with the gang from xc. last year's interbike was really fun, so i am sure if nothing else it will be a good time. and of course, working for vanderkitten should be interesting...

Winter Park Point to Point

So, i raced this race not because i needed to or should have, since technically i am supposed to be resting. but i couldn't help myself- winter park has some of the most fun trails ever, and i couldn't pass up the opportunity to burn my lungs while experiencing some of the best mountain biking around.
i drove up saturday morning at 6am to get there in time to register. after drinking 2 cups of coffee on the drive up, i topped it off with a 3rd as i found a parking spot to unload and get ready. unfortunately i couldn't convince anyone else to come with me, since everyone is "resting." so i was flying solo, but there where plenty of girls who showed so it ended up being a pretty good race. i rode to the start line, which is about a 40 minute ride. the temp was about 50 degrees, so i had to peel off clothes as the sun came up and hide them behind a tree to get later.
the first 3 miles of the race is on a gravel road, and before long we had dwindled the group down to about 7 of us before the first climb. i paced myself pretty easy at the beginning, thinking back to the last time i did this race- and remembering how i blew pretty quick. to my surprise the climb was a lot easier than i remember- and that would apply to many other parts of the course too that i had thought were hard or tricky last year, but once i got to them it was no big deal. i guess thats a good sign- i must be getting better on technical stuff.
and then it happened again- i flatted. before the first rocky decent, which was pretty fast, i felt my tire bottoming out on the rocks. i rode it as long as i could, and finally stopped to put a tube in. i am pretty sure that tire is defective, so i am putting a new one on before keystone. i lost about 5 minutes, which was the gap that melissa thomas had on me at the end. suck. i ended up 5th- so i rode back to the car, cleaned the bike and headed to dillon lake to meet my brother Jay and his family for a little sailing. definitely a good way to end the afternoon- the weather was perfect, although we could have used a bit more wind- no complaints here though, the boat was a nice way to relax after the race, and surrounded by mountains, it doesn't get much better than that...

, originally uploaded by the earthling.

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

so, you would think that i was going so fast and thats why this pic is blurry, but actually i was trying to catch the back of the pack after crashing.... not going so fast.

Supa FAST!!!!!

Sara rock'en it to 9th place in snowmass...

here is Sara Johnson (wicked fast DH'er) and i getting our asses kicked in at foosball by Georgia Gould and Leah Davidson. had no idea Georgia was so good- she's gotta be bad at something...

finals at snowmass

the season has finally come to an end. i just got back from snowmass, CO this morning and now its back to reality and work. It was a good season up until i got sick right after deer valley, and i am still taking antibiotics to help kill the stuff messing up my intestines.
i knew racing this past weekend was not going to be easy- the course had quite a bit of climbing in it, and some good technical single track thrown in. actually the course should have been good for me, only i haven't been training really and thats not good for a race like this. but thinking that its the last race, i went out super hard on the start of the xc- thats not what i usually do. i blew up pretty hard, and got passed all the way up the second climb. after the first hour, i started feeling better, and by the second lap i found my rhythm and began picking girls off. by this time though i needed to really make up some lost time, and i rode the decent on the second lap sloppy and burped my tire. i had one CO2 in my pocket, and decided to just put some air in instead of putting a tube in. bad idea. the tire went flat again, and i had to ride it down the entire decent flat. i am pretty sure i ruined my rim, and got passed by most of the girls i had worked to pass earlier. needless to say, it was my worst finish of the season.
for the short track the next day, i was ready to go- i had a great warm up and felt good considering the suffering i did the day before. i had a great line i was looking to take off the start on the inside corner. i got there alright, but instead of moving up, i was flipping over a kenda girl who wiped out in front of me. not cool. as i picked myself up and ripped my bike from the pile of carnage, my adrenaline took over. i looked up the climb and realized i was already almost a half a lap behind. thats not good. i sprinted up the hill and caught the tail end, and began passing girls while feeling like i was breathing through a tube. im not sure if i have ever heard myself breathe that hard before. anyway, i got pulled pretty quick since i was so far back. i got a good 12 minutes in- a good opener for super D in a couple hours.
i rode the chair lift up for a super D practice run for the first time in my life without a snowboard attached to my feet. after experiencing the beauty of the mountain and the ease of getting to the top, i might have to do that more often-
for super D, i rode my hard tail. only because that was the only bike i had. a dual would have been MUCH more comfortable to say the least. but whatever, i was doing it for fun- it was the last race of the season and why not show off my lack of downhilling skills. the start was interesting- we had to lay our bikes down about 20 ft away, then lay on our backs. when the guy said go, we jumped up, ran and grabbed our bikes, ran with them up a hill around some cones, set them back down, ran to touch a line about 30 ft away, then run back to the bikes and ride up a gravel road. i was tired just from that- i could have run faster, but i was laughing too hard. i suppose if i took the whole thing more seriously, i could have done better.
after all that racing, it was time to have a little fun. at a local restaurant in snowmass, there was a themed 80's party with a DJ where everyone who was staying that night in town attended. i haven't danced that much since college- it was a great way to end the season. it was sort of sad though since i probably wont see some teammates until next xc season. but, the end of xc means the beginning of cross, and thats something to look forward to. look out. here i come.

Here i am after the finish of NC- i was laughing at the pathetic decending i had just done on the last lap of that race. glad to have that one done. pretty fun though.

Mt Snow Vt Nationals

not even sure why i am writing about this race- i didn't do it. but, i flew out anyway since i was planning on seeing my dad in between VT and NC and i was really looking forward to that.
So basically i stood on the sidelines and watched my teammates suffer through the muddy course. I prerode the day before with the team, and actually really liked the course, but i felt like crap if i tried to go hard. watching from the feed zone wasn't fun, but it was kinda cool to see all the girls at the front suffering as much as i usually do. that was good to see. Mary won, which wasn't a big surprise, since she races well in those conditions.
we drove away that rainy monday morning towards Hershey, PA where my dad lives. Natasha drove, and Erika and i navigated. my two older brothers Jay and Lenny were there monday night, which was pretty cool since i hadn't seen lenny in years. tuesday we went for a great ride with my dad, who took us to some trails by his house. i was a bit worried since my dad hadn't been on the mountain bike in a year, but he totally tore it up- i was so proud of him. the trails were in great condition, and we played around on them for a good 2+ hours. we went to his favorite ice cream place after dinner, and i got a death by chocolate sundae. if your gonna go, go big. we stopped by the local farmers market and got a lesson from a local guy about picking the right watermelon. east coast people are definitely a little different..
my dad stuffed us full of good food (his famous pancakes, which were EXCELLENT!) and sent us on our way wednesday morning, headed down to NC for the next race. back in the car.. woohooooo!

Still sick

so, this whole sickness thing is really getting to me. I have to restart my antibiotics again since it didn't work the first time. So, i have another 10 days of drugs. suck-o-rama.
just got back a couple days ago from the last 2 norbas, nationals in VT and in NC.

thats all for now. kinda tired. write more later.
jen

Firecracker in Breckenridge

wow so, i really had no idea how hard the national marathon race in Breckenridge was going to be. I figured, i would ride it, and enjoy the awesome trails while getting a little training in. I didnt realize it was going to be one of the most mentally and physically challenging races i have done this year. actually, maybe ever.
the race was 2 laps of 25 miles each, with each lap consisting of around 5,500 ft of climbing. thats a lot of climbing.
the atmosphere of downtown main street was perfect for 4th of july- the hot sun shining, hundreds of people congregating, flags and plenty of red white and blue. behind us where we lined up to start racing, a parade was waiting to begin after us. the racers started in waves, being a neutral lead out through town, as kids lined the street extending their arms hoping to get a high five from us as we rode by. i think that was the highlight of my race. at the end of main street, the racing began. i knew it was going to be a long race, so i paced myself. and after not feeling so hot and being on antibiotics, this race was purely for fun. so i thought.
the first climb, which was over 5 miles, took longer than i thought. i had a really hard time figuring out what kind of pace to do in order to make it through the race. i backed off a bit at the top, and looking back, i think i could have gone a bit harder. it was hard to see everyone go passed me, but i knew i had to race my own race.
after the first lap, my arms and back hurt worse than i had ever felt. i really didnt think i could do another lap- the downhills were way more rocky than i remembered from preriding, and i wished i had ridden a soft tail since my back began to spasm and i had to stop before the first climb. i lost about 10 minutes as i waited for my back to stop piercing with pain. i rode up the first climb again, and i decided to divide the race up into sections- and i congratulated myself as i completed each climb and decent. these small personal motivations and accomplishments was all i had to get me through that last lap. i think i became a bit delirious toward the end, since i was mistaking stumps for other racers. pretty funny actually. there was plenty of aid stations to feed us, so i think i did an ok job of drinking. but now that i am home, and now that i have some sort of stomach virus that is causing me to be in the bathroom every hour and i can't keep any food or water in my body since the race, i am wondering if the volunteers where reusing the bottles that where thrown from other racers. i haven't had a real meal since before the race on the 4th. not so good for recovery. i was going to do a race in winter park tomorrow, but i think i am too weak. i may just have to stick around boulder and do some road riding to get myself back up and going.
i am glad i did it, and i think once i recover i will be fine. every race after this will seem so short!

Noel, me and kristin after the crested butte race. kristin did awesome, scoring a third place while Noel had a mechanical, and well, i wasn't feeling so hot. the views were amazing though, and some of the best trails i have ridden this year.

Deer Valley 07

I was really looking forward to Deer Valley, since its the first norba at altitude and finally some climbing. i was ready to test out my fitness and if doing all the climbing in boulder has helped- and i have to say i felt way better this year at this race than the past two years. i got the chance to drive to a race finally, and save the money of flying and packing the bike which i was glad to miss. i got in thursday night and met up with some teammates at kimber's house, who live about 10 minutes from the venue. the next day i prerode with kristin and shannon and the trail was faster than i remember- or maybe i just felt better. who knows. but i was pretty excited about it. yeah, there was quite a bit of climbing, but thats the part i usually like. but on this course, i liked every part of it- the downhills where so much more fun than last year. on saturday, we had the luxury of racing earlier, while the men's race didn't start until 2pm- they sweltered in the heat. it was hot for our race, but i was pretty glad we started at 11am, so we were done by the time it got sticky hot.
anyway, i had an ok start, and then i got caught behind some chaos (as usual in a women's field) that set me back a bit on the first lap. it was frustrating, but knowing that i had 3 laps i figured i could make up some time. as the race went on, i felt better and better. on the third lap though i think i settled into my rhythm too much and could have pushed a bit harder. but, i am happy with my result, which was 28th. although i had thought after finishing i was 26th, but oh well. i am feeling stronger at every race, so thats something.
the next day was short track, and i had a great start. i was second row behind chloe and shonny, and after discussing starts with Wendy, i felt like it was now or never- i went for it, and was top 10 for about 2 minutes- and then chaos found me, and i was stuck behind crashes and girls unable to ride their bikes in front of me. how do i always get stuck in that? needless to say, i had an ok finish of 30th. kinda sad since i knew i felt good, and i had the perfect hole shot.
afterward krisitin and i went and rode away our sorrows from another pitiful short track by riding some trails.
the next morning i drove back to broomfield, back to work and reality.

This pic is from the Teva games a few weeks ago.
that was a pretty fun race, with plenty of climbing.

so this is one of my favorite shirts.

Here's some pics from the vanderkitten photo shoot after sea otter. just found out they are up on the website. we were hanging out in this crazy Indian restaurant in san francisco. pretty fun- but my tan lines are definitely not flattering. i'm working on it...

Winter Park Hill Climb

Wow, so i guess i am not a climber- i just got my butt kicked at the hill climb in winter park. it starts at 9,000ft and it climbs up service roads for 5 miles to Mary jane ski area, to over 11,000ft. i heard the view up top was cool, but i just went through the finish, and immediately turned around and rode back down. i know, i shouldn't be such a sore looser, but i felt like i was going backwards and everyone passed me after the start. i pulled my way back up to 6th, but i didn't feel very good. i figured that i needed a good warmup for this, so i rode for about 2 hours before. didn't help. i am the kind of rider that always has a better second half of a xc race- so i am blaming it on the fact that if i had another 5 miles or 2,000ft, i could have won. just kidding. but seriously, i am hoping i was just having a bad day, and that i really am ok at climbing. really.

Teva Games

Last saturday i went up to Vail to meet up with a couple teammates and a climber for the teva games. i really had no idea what it was all about, other than there was a huge purse for the pro racers and i figured i would give it a shot since there is usually no money in mountain bike racing so what the hell. i drove down friday night and we all stayed in this nice but small condo- there were a set of bunk beds in a closet (no joke) that i had the honors of sleeping in- i called the bottom, in case i got too claustrophobic. it was pretty funny actually. barb got the room, which i figured, she did all the logistics of it, and Shannon G got the couch. Gabi claimed the top bunk, but she is so tiny i don't think it bothered her. by the way, she rocked the climbing competition- she's 16 years old and got 9th in the pros. crazy.
So the morning of the race, we got up and rolled down to the main event at the mountain. there were so many tents set up- so much free stuff to be had! i have never been to an event that gave out so much good stuff for free- t-shirts, running clothes, camelbaks, and the usual stuff like granola bars. there were good sponsors like VW (who also had a killer band playing), teva and Trek. Barb and I went to town getting everything we could- we went back to the hotel with 2 bags full of stuff. awesome.
so i suppose i should talk about the race- so i prerode the first small loop of the course, and i think i forgot how to ride technical stuff for a second- we haven't had to ride anything hard in the norbas yet, and my balance was way off. i was flopping around like a fish. so there ended up being like 25 girls on the start line, which was good but bad since they only pay 5 deep. so we start by climbing for about 10 minutes, and i didn't warm up at all. so that hurt pretty bad. probably one of my worst starts of the year. great. the first lap hurt so much and i was pretty far back from the front girls. i didn't think i would make it through the next 2 laps. but as the race went on, not only did i warm up but my skills got better- it was actually a fun race and after my body remembered how to descend technical stuff, was even more fun. i moved up 5 places on the last lap when i finally started getting my legs back. I caught up to Barb, and its always more fun to race with a teammate and keep each other going. its funny, the last couple races we have raced together finishing close- hopefully we will be able to do the same for cross this season too. it just proves how important a good warm up is. if i had more time, another lap maybe, i could have done even better. i was pretty sore the next day- and the day after that. yeah, its all about the warm up. seriously.
that night Barb and i celebrated by getting some ice cream and going to the bars in Vail. who knew that there was such a raging night life there? we met some interesting people and got our groove on at the Red Lion until pretty late. luckily i was not doing the hill climb the next day, which a few of the girls who did the mtb race did- overachievers. we woke up Sunday morning/afternoon, got more free stuff and said goodbye to the teva games. Gabi, Barb and i went back to boulder and hung out for the evening, rewarding ourselves again by getting some good burritos. tasty.

Quad Cities, 2007

Another weekend, another race. i was super excited to fly back to kc to see all my old training buddies and to drive up to one of my favorite races, quad cites up in Iowa. The first race was on Saturday- snake alley. this one is my favorite, since its almost like a mountain bike short track- nice steep brick climb and super fast decent. i was really hoping to do well since i have been working on my sprinting and descents in CO. as the women's race grew near, the black clouds and lightning started. great. i didn't really care since it was about 80 degrees, and most girls are scared of descending in the rain. perfect for me. so it poured before the start and drenched the course. as we began, i felt really good up the first climb. maybe in 7th or so. as i came around the corner for the second lap of 14, my chain broke. i couldn't believe it. third mechanical in the last 3 races. talk about bad luck. but then a bella who i had just met before the race stops, and hands me her bike. i was like, is this legal? i hopped on her bike and rode the rest of the race. considering i had almost gotten lapped after the chain thing, i managed to salvage my placing of 16th. i was so thankful i got to finish- that was so nice of her to do that for me, and sacrifice her own race. if you are reading this, thank you!
The next day, Melon City, i was on a mission. i was ready to finish a race. the crit course had a nice long hill before the finish which suited me just fine. i felt really good, and got to the front by the last climb. unfortunately i didn't sprint so well, but still ended up 5th. i'll take it. That was the best finish i had ever done at quad cities, so i was happy, and made a little money. sweet. Rock Island was on monday, and the course is flat and fast. i was concerned about being able to sprint all the corners, since i hadn't done a crit like that since last year. it turned out i felt really good, and placed myself top 10 most of the race. instead of power, this race was won on tactics- which i don't have much of. i ended up 7th, but i do think if i had used my head a little better and had more practice doing crits i think i could have been a bit better in the sprint. i was happy though since my friend Catherine Walberg won. all in all it was a great weekend, and good training for upcoming races. i am hoping to go again next year, and tackle that snake alley again..

Norba #3 Fontucky

I suppose that I should also write about the third norba, in Fontana, CA. This race was the next weekend after Santa Barbara, and I was not looking forward to it, since i had such a bad race there last year. All i remember is hot, super sandy and crashing. So the day we drove down, it was actually cloudy and about 65 degrees. nice.

I prerode with a few teammates, and it turned out that the course was actually sort of fun- i don't know what was wrong with me last year. anyway, i felt really good, so i was pretty excited to race again. we stayed with the host family in Redlands who we stayed with last year, and they are super nice and the house is awesome with plenty of room. definitely more relaxing than being stuffed into a hotel room.

anyway back to the race. so on saturday, the day of the cross country, i was warming up, doing some sprints, and my chain skipped and i almost went flying over the handlebars at 30mph. pretty scary, but my strong arms held me back (haha). i didn't think too much of it, or to tell our mechanic Tim about it. i felt really good, and definitely ready to race. my start was ok. i was able to get into a rhythm early on so not much pain- besides the part where i endoed over since i forgot to unlock my fork- i had sprinted up the pavement climb to get ahead of a bunch of girls, and maybe was 20th or so, and jumped onto the single track. i was totally gassed but i didn't care. i was completely into the course that i forgot to unlock the fork, and as i came up over a small berm and down the other side, instead of compressing, my fork pushed against me and i crashed pretty hard. i was ok, but the long line of girls that i had just worked so hard to pass were all passing me. suck. all i could do was get back on and hopefully catch them. as the race went on, i felt better and better. i started my second lap and i was actually enjoying it. weird. maybe i should have been going harder..

so before the last uphill (not sure if you could call it a climb) i stood up to get up a steep part, and it felt like my chain dropped, so i started pedaling to get it back on. not so much. it broke. double suck. and i was as far out on the course as you can be. figured. so i decided to ride the downhills, and run uphill. needless to say, i got pretty tired doing that. so, i cut the course and went back and dnf'd. i should have told Tim about the chain thing during warmup- that was a pretty big indicator that something was wrong. oh well, the race was good up until then.

sunday was the short track, and it was a beautiful day- i was happy to have another chance to race. i prerode the course, and tried to make it fun- but i knew it was gonna hurt- riding up the dual slalom course, you need quite a bit of upper body strength to make things easier. im trying to pump up at the gym, but im not quite there yet. so, it was a struggle in every way. i actually placed higher than i ever have- 27th, so thats something. i am slowly making my way to the front girls.. well, not quite.

Before the start of the short track- it was super HOT!!! Barb, Kristin, and me.

Santa Barbara Norba

I know its been a little while since i raced this one, but i figured i would at least get something down about it. Actually, it turned out to be a super fun race (the cross country anyway) and one of my better finishes, so thats good. So i flew into Ventura a few days before, and drove down with ryan on Friday. i have never done the race, so i hadn't ridden the course. I decided to just preride after the short track the next day (saturday). Saturday was one of the hottest days i have ridden this year. so needless to say, i melted on the short track race- i didn't have a bottle with me while racing, and that was a big mistake. i would have drank anything- even a sip from a bottle on the ground, or drool from the girl in front of me. ok, maybe not. thats kinda gross. so i stayed in longer than expected too, almost made it to the end- i didn't get to do the last 2 laps. so close...
sunday morning was beautiful- sunny skies, a cool breeze. things couldn't have been better. i decided not to preride after the short track since it was soooo hot and i figured it would do more harm than good. i am glad i didn't since the course was pretty straight forward. during my warmup for XC, i rode the first 15 minutes of the course including the first climb. i was really relaxed, and had a pretty good start. the first 30 minutes were pretty painful, but once i got things going i felt really good. i had the chance to catch up to a teammate, Barb, and we worked together for the second half of the race. i lost her on a steep climb, which is not my strong point, but i finished well, and was actually smiling as i crossed the finish line. i was happy with my finish, and looking forward to spending the next week hanging out in Ventura , doing some good riding in the sun.

Teammate Kristin and I discussing the TT

This was warm up before short track-notice the pouring rain the the background..

another muddy sea otter short track...

Sea Otter

I was pretty excited to be going to another race, and hoping to get revenge from last year's bad race at sea otter. i arrived in monterey, CA on wednesday night, and got a chance to preride the course with Kristin D. and Wendy S. on Thursday. the course was in great shape, and the weather was beautiful. i had a good feeling about Sunday, and I was really looking forward to the super fast course.
The weekend started on Friday with the Time Trial. we were preriding it the day of the race, and it was taking us around 7 minutes to do. this was gonna be a lung burner-not exactly my best event. sure enough, i burnt the hell out of my lungs and finished in 5 minutes. i ended up around 35th-ish, which is fine, whatever. the next day was short track, and it was pouring rain, seriously. my sister kristin came to watch, and i felt bad that it was on the day with the worst weather. she braved it though, and cheered in the rain and mud. another event that ended up around 33rd. i seem to be stuck in the 30ies. i just wanted to get it done so i could look forward to what i came out for, which was the cross country.
the next day, sunday, i woke up to clear blue sunny skies. awesome. it was a tad windy, but whatever, its a mountain bike race, right? we got to the venue, and i started doing all my standard prerace stuff, hopped on the bike and warmed up. The pro guys went off before us, which is nice so we don't have to deal with them trying to pass us midrace. i got called up close to the back which i don't understand, but there was a long road section to start around the leguna seca raceway so i didn't care. my legs felt good, and i was ready. the race started and after a few close calls on the road, we crammed onto the gravel road to start the real race. i was so excited to be racing, and got a little ahead of myself coming up and over the hills. with the wind was at our backs, i launched up over and down a super fast decent and barreled down ruts from previous rain storms. my speed was a bit excessive for my own strength, and my left arm decided to give out as i was picking lines downhill. needless to say, i went down pretty hard. luckily no one else went down or ran over me, which was nice. i fell onto my shoulder, and i layed there for a while and thought about things- if i should keep going, if i broke it again, if i totally ruined the rest of the season.. i got up and decided to keep riding. i raced the rest of the race- well, more like i rode the course a couple times. i finished, not last suprisingly, and very sore. my shoulder was not broken, but holding onto the bars proved difficult through the race and i had to take every downhill very slow. suck. not a good race. but, there is always another one. so, i am recovering and taking lots of ibuprofen. i leave next week for the santa barbara norba, and then the fontana norba. i am staying in CA between them and hanging out with Wendy and Barb so that should be fun, and hopefully my shoulder will hold up.

training camp 2007, Norba #1

So the season has finally started. The first race is out of the way, the jitters and the question of "did i train enough this winter" are exposed. And, to be honest, it turned out better than expected.
The week began in Tucsan, AZ where our training camp was held. The team, consisting a few of us from last year's team (Kristin, Shannon H, and Rebecca) and many new faces (Barb, Shannon G, Natasha, Alex F, Erika, and Sara J) that made up our new team. I flew in Tuesday, and my first ride back on my mountain bike was on Wednesday with the team. i was pretty nervous since i hadn't ridden the mtb since my crash back in July. But, it was just like i remembered- super fun and lots of rocks. needless to say, my back and shoulder was sore for the entire week, but who cares. My physical therapist wasn't too happy though when i got back, but thats another story.
so after a few days of training with the new team, we got to the race venue in phoenix on friday. i got my new bike built up, a hot scandium kona that turned out to be 3 lbs lighter than last year's bike. sweet. i decided to do short track saturday night under the lights- it started at 7:30pm so it was dark which was interesting, since it was downtown Fountain Hills and we raced through a dusty parking lot. i got called up last (i was #72) but made my way to midpack within the whole 8 minutes i got to race. at least it opened up my legs a bit for sunday, but i coughed up one of my lungs after inhaling so much dust during the race. On sunday, i got called up 41st, which was a big improvement, and definitely helped my start. My first lap was pretty good, sitting in top 30 (~25th) which i didn't realize until later. by my last lap, i really didn't want to finish it. i was so hot, and my lungs hurt pretty bad. all i could think about was a big bowl of ice cream with some chocolate chunks in it. that movitivated me to get across the finish line, although i hit a wall that last 10 miles and lost about 6-7 places. i ended up 36th, which i am happy about since i have only trained about 6 weeks this entire winter, and had 2 surgeries. so, hopefully this will be a good year for me..