first race of the season!!!

wow so it started- the chaos of the season. again. its crazy how fast the seasons go by- i feel like i just finished racing cross a month or so ago- i suppose i am starting later than a lot of other racers- some have been racing since February. but, i am planning for a long season so i would rather wait for the weather to be a little better before digging too deep on the training aspect:)
the mountain states cup #1 was this past weekend in Fruita, CO. i have set my goals on local races this year since i am flat broke from years past of paying for airfare, hotel, car rental, entry fees, etc etc. la la la. and, since the local races are becoming just as expensive, i figured i would just save some cash and drive to all of them- after winning some decent prize money this past weekend, i am gonna try to have a goal of at least making part of my entry fees back at each race weekend- not saying that $70 is a lot, but it is something, and way more than expected for 3rd place in a 19 minute TT. i will take it!!!
so yeah- i got 3rd place on saturday- on a wicked hard TT course that included a steep climb that i thought i might puke at the top of, then some good techy type riding that weeded out the roadies from going too fast. i was way off of jenny smith's time, but still managed to pull off 3rd place behind her and jen gersbach, my new teammate. it made for a pretty funny podium of 3 jens... we got a few pics so hopefully i can post one if i can get a hold if any...
so i suppose i should insert a little blurb about my change of teams for the mountain bike season-i have decided to ride with the dale's pale ale/spot team this year( http://oskarbluesbrewsbikes.blogspot.com/2009/03/dales-pale-ale-spot-brand-bikes-team.html )
its gonna be a fun year if nothing else- i traveled with jen g, chad, megan and the rest of the crew for a few races last year and had a blast. this year i am taking a different approach- its called having fun and not taking anything too seriously- just racing my butt off and having a good time in between. thats the plan, and im sticking to it....
as far as sunday's race went, well it was quite a different story. i had my usual not so great start- but i didn't get too frustrated since i knew the race was 30 miles and it was long. i didn't preride it, but there were a few parts i had ridden during the co-motion training camp that i tagged along at. as the girls i should have been racing with disappeared in the distance, i started realizing that they were getting too far away. i needed to turn it on. but for some reason there was no gas in the tank. nope, i pressed on the gas, even drank and ate something, waited for my legs to power up, and nothing. i was totally flat. i have no idea what was going on. was it that i wasted myself in the week before riding too much? the TT the day before? who knows. i know! maybe my tire is flat! ha! actually it was pretty low, so i stopped and put a co2 in it. now i was way OTB. sweetness. riding alone, in no mans land, no motivation and flat legs. you can guess where this is going... yep, had a terrible finish, but i did finish. limping in, i went straight past everyone and spun around alone. dang. first xc race with the new team and didn't do so hot. perhaps its because i have forgotten how painful xc racing is- i have gotten spoiled by all these short cross races. i can't tell you the last time i did a 3 hour hard effort. prolly last xc race in the fall. ouch. i got done and wanted to puke so bad. i had to just sit there and not move too much- had to get out of the sun since my skin felt like it was burning in the 70F heat. ha! so sad- i better get used to this racing and sweating thing- perhaps my body went into shock from not being bundled up and inhaling 30F air during my training rideS. i suppose going from snow to heat is a shocker for the system...it was great seeing everyone again, although the turnout was kinda lame- i think a lot of peeps are boycotting these expensive msc races...
now its time to rest and recover a bit before enjoying the nice weather in boulder- FINALLY! its gonna be in the 70's this week- goodbye stupid snow! goodbye heavy tights and lobster gloves! until next year!!! nathrop is in 2 weeks- another flat power course- im planning on getting through it and looking forward to the climbing races :) hopefully my legs start coming around... perhaps i need to drink more of that beer... it obviously works for jen and chad who rocked the races all weekend...

what the heck have i been doing lately? well....

a few weekends ago, chris and i and a bunch of friends headed up towards aspen to stay at the lindley hut. our group consisted of nick and cara, kris lathrop, ed and linda, jess, and chris and i. an awesome group! everyone we went with had been on hut trips before- i was the newbie! and i made plenty of mistakes- and i have learned the hard way that less is more- especially when you're carrying it on your back for 4 hours uphill...i also got a 20 minute cram session on avalanche knowledge- first time wearing a beacon and we were in some crazy back country skiing- safety first! luckily no avalanches on our side of the mountain, and everyone in the group didn't mess around with the safety factor. i think i will take a class next time before going out again- its good to know that kinda stuff.

on saturday, the group skinned up to star peak (about a 2.5 hr hike up from the hut) for a crazy decent down. i had a few difficulties on the snowboard, getting stuck when the terrain flattened out- but Chris was awesome and was always there to help me out-and very patient with me!

the weather was awesome- sunny and warm! no new snow, but there was plenty of it, and i had a great first hut trip- i am sure there will be many more- but i will probably ski next time... the split board was awesome, but skiing in back country with lots of crazy terrain is better when you have poles...

Colorado State Championships, Dec. 7th 2008.
The weather was sunny and warm, being a balmy 68 degrees for the last cross race of the season. All season this year the weather has been amazing, definitely not typical cross conditions...
it turned out to be a great race with a good turnout for the women. I ended up 4th with a sprint to the line. with it being one of my better races of the season, it was a great way to end the year. now its time to relax, spend some time on the snowboard and eat some good food!

24 hrs of MO-WIND-AB

jeez. where do i start. i decided to do the 24 hrs of Moab for the first time with a team of pro women, which the lineup switched around at least 3 times. finally by a week before (and even some doubts of doing it the week of) our team was set: Becca Blay, Nina Baum, Kristin Johnson, and me. Team SoBeBella. wicked. we were gonna be smok'en. i had heard horror stories about this race, about the weather being so awful that its not worth the physical and metal anguish.. but we pushed on, and got'er done.

i drove down friday and the weather was amazing- sunny, no wind, perfect temps. this was gonna be a great year. but then we overheard rumors of rain through the night, with temps dropping into the 30's. wow. suck-o-rama. i had brought all of my worst weather/cross racing stuff i could find and shoved it into my car along with 2 bikes (my hei hei supreme and my kula lisa HT-didn't end up using the HT but it was good to have just in case...)better to have extras than to fix broken stuff, especially when its that freak'en cold in the middle of the night...

i stayed in chris's camper with the other girls in tents scattered around near the cannondale tents. they had a sweet setup so we used to escape the torturous winds. and i have never been in a real sand storm before- this was nuts! my dog casey had tears running down his eyes from the sand and most people were walking around with surgical masks (i got one thanks to troy from cannondale) or hankies around their faces. EVERYTHING was covered in a fine, red sand that was so hard to escape from- it took 3 showers to get it out of my hair, no kidding. every crevice of everything was clogged, including the bikes. talk about crunchy drivetrains!

the race started with kristin on the line for the run. she got voted first, then nina, becca, and me bringing up the 4th racer. kristin unfortunately had a rough go, and double flatted and walked for a LONG time. which put us back almost a lap on the other team, Utah girls. dang. nina did an awesome lap, and so did becca to try to make up some time. my lap was going super well until i took a wrong turn (i have NO idea how..) and went off course 2 miles. so, that put me back about 15 minutes. we had some major time to make up over the night. we all rode as hard as we could but couldnt make up the hour we lost. but i did have a blast using my new light and motion lights- i got a Stella (lithium) for my helmet and a Seca Race for my handlebars. wow, they pretty much lit up the entire trail like a christmas tree! i needed that though, since i had never ridden such a technical course at night before. by my last lap, and the final lap for the team at 11:45am sunday morning, i could ride parts of the trail with my eyes closed. ok maybe not but i knew it better than before thats fursur. but we made up all but 20 minutes by the end. we got so close!! the whole team did awesome, had good consistant laps and was upbeat and cheery (as upbeat as you can be in crazy winds and freezing temps- oh it was snowing i guess early sunday am, i was taking a nap though..) but looking back now it was a good time. i would rather do a 24 hr race in warmer weather i think, all the clothes changing/drying/putting back on wet is not so fun. now that i have the lights, i better use them. perhaps some indurance racing might be in the cards.... :)

goLDen, CO cross'in it

CROSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS RACING IS HERE!!!!! first one of the season in Golden, CO

i did a cross race in golden, co a couple weekends ago- just as a warmup for vegas to see how i would do/get the cobwebs out of the lungs. it was put on by green mountain sports and they did a great job with the course- it was not cross weather though! 87F and sunny, i took a few handups from chris- that water was a lifesaver! i think he was getting a kick out of feeding all the girls in the field... :) i felt good, and ended up 4th overall. not bad for the first time going hard in a while...

ahhhh! cross time!!!

yep, its that time of year again. i took some time off the bike, and that is why my blog has been seemingly left of dead. things are kicking up, time to get back in shape and begin the new season- the one full of racing your guts out, freezing your ass off, and drinking beer to celebrate! thats what you call.... cyclocross! woohooo!

i recently got back from interbike in vegas(last night) and i tried to refrain myself while i was there from becoming so overly exhausted, hung over and broke as i have in past years. i think the main reason this worked is because i was already sick (some sort of wicked cold that makes me cough like a goose) when i got there- which also meant that the cross racing wednesday night was going to be something i shouldn't be participating in, but i was there, and what the hell else was i gonna do? so i rested the best i could leading up to the wednesday night race and got called up 12th as, 'the always dangerous jen tilley!' ha! by richard freis. which i thought rather amusing. nevertheless, the race started, and i had a great first lap! top 12-15, hanging with teammate barb howe and then it happened- i couldn't breathe. i had no choice but to slow down, ride around by myself and try to salvage the race. i would rather not race sick anymore. now i am continuing to cough and hack today, still not recovered from doing an effort like that with no lung capacity. dang. live and learn....
thursday chris and i walked around the convention center, looking for all the new toys coming out for 2009- it was nice to enjoy the show and not work for a sponsor this year- of a few things to note, cliff is coming out with some very tasty 'protein malt balls' that were excellent! cliff rocks, i think they called them. i tested them at least 8-10 times, just to be sure i liked them... :)
vanderkitten has a few sweet new looks- a retro jersey, an 'REI' jersey, and the race kit which now comes in pink! sweetness. went by oakley to check out the new stuff, saw my most favorite rep, Andy who has graciously given me awesome glasses to race and hang in. Finally met Max from FSA who has been so patient with all the crazy ordering for the team and thanked him while checking out the hot new carbon wheels they have... sooo sweet.
lots and lots of new stuff, too much to list.. but there were definitely a few things that caught my eye- should be a good year for bikes in 2009!
now i just need to get healthy again, and build back up for the cross season and the upcoming 24 hours of Moab!!! 2 weeks away... its gonna be a hell of an adventure- our team of 4 pro women- we have been racing against each other all season, now racing together on a team! woohoo!

rocks in winham... perfectly laid out for us!!

this is one of the many bridges across the course that made the riding super fun- there was some major trail building done to make this race happen this year!

east coast chaos

over the past couple weeks, i attended the two norbas over on the east coast: windam, NY (which was a new venue) and mt. snow, VT. two races i was looking forward to and dreading at the same time...

i met up with my teammate allie who moved to NY (about 30 min. from the laguardia airport where she picked me up-where the chaos began) and we drove up to Windam on friday morning- i expected it to be muddy as all get out, but the course was dry, manicured and perfect- almost too good. the trails were newly built by local racers- there were plenty of rock sections, wooden bridges and fast fun descents (which is what i was doing in the pic- courtesy of dave m./cyclingnews.com). i knew i would have a good time racing it, even if i felt like total crap. which, after firecracker, i was wasted. i thought i could recover but as seen in the results over the last couple weekends, its evident i am wasted tired...

back to the story. so i got a preride in friday and then met up with my dad and sally at the local B&B- i have to admit, it was really nice. lacy window treatments and all... made to order breakfast, tea and cookies in the afternoon, and snacks at night. the rooms had VS on tv, and internet. doesnt get much better than that. what else could a bike racer want? ha!

saturday i woke up to a dry sunny day! even though it was hot and humid, i didnt mind- as long as the rain held off i was happy-i felt good in my warmup, and headed to the start line. i was really nervous, probably since my dad was there- it was sooo good to see him and sally again- and i knew they would be cheering like crazy for me no matter what place i was in. the race bottlenecked at the trailhead, which was expected. unfortunately i got a horrible placement once things panned out, and the race was short (i finished in 1hr 40 min) so there was little time to make up spots- i was not happy with my 25th, but i knew i was tired. perhaps too tired to be racing in the first place- im starting to learn this, and its taken me many years to figure it out...

after a horrible short track, i hopped in the car with the cannondale girls and drove over to the next venue, mt. snow VT. the plan was to rest up over the week in between, which was harder to do than i thought. i ended up riding the course everyday and then some, which looking back probably wasnt the best idea. the climbs were very steep, and going easy wasnt an option. so when race day came, i already felt like i had raced. i had no jump, no attack, no intensity in me. if i were at a home race, i probably would have sat it out. but it was the nationals and the course was fun- and that kept me motivated. the first lap was terrible. i flatted, rolled into the tech zone and morgan (our mechanic for the weekend) mistakenly ripped the valve out of the rim which made putting air in impossible. at this point, i knew my race was pretty much over. he threw on a heavy spare wheel and sent me off. i was way off the back, and had little motivation to push hard. but i figured i would put one last ditch effort in- go as hard as i could- just to see. well, this turned out for the worse as i puked at the top of the climb. i have never done that. i descended back down and had decided to stop after that point. i met up with my old teammate tasha (it was so good to see her again!) and we both struggled together on our last lap, laughing, chatting and catching up. it was as if we were back in boulder training together again. so maybe doing this at the national champs wasnt the best idea, but it made me finish the race, and we crossed the line together. at least it wasnt quite as embarrassing with her beside me. frosty was worried i guess, since we had been so far back. its good to know that people knew something probably had happened- a lot had happened- during those 2 hrs of racing. i am now back home and trying to catch up on sleep and get back to life in boulder. time for a break from the bike for a while, or at least until the next race... in 2 weeks. :)

FIRECRACKER!!!!!

Whats the best way to spend a holiday that most people relax, enjoy the weather, bbq, drink beer, and watch explosions? i know! climb 11,000ft at high altitude as fast as you can on a bike...

woohoo!

so thats what i did- along with lots of other crazy mountain bikers- it was the Marathon National Championships held in Breckenridge, CO. i was actually really excited about it, since the longer races seem to suit me better anyway- the pic was taken riding down main street while we all high fived the kids standing along the side cheering for us- definitely one of my favorite parts of the race! of course, this was before the pain started on the first climb...

i drove up thursday evening and met up with everyone at bretts house in dillon which was huge- 3 bedrooms with a loft- we all packed in and turned out to be an awesome weekend of racing and riding- oh and some wicked ping pong, Foosball, and a lot of relaxing-

we drove up to breck friday morning to start the race around 11am. i "warmed up" with becca- well we rode around a little to ease the pain of the first climb, which didnt help.. it was a classic tilley start- got blown off the back of the strung out group of pro women as we climbed up Boreas pass. i felt real bad. perfect- ha! just like the rest of my races have been this season. there were 2 laps of 25 miles each, and last year when i raced it i went too hard on the first lap. so this time, i sat back, paced myself and had fun on the first 25 miles. once i passed through the start finish after 2.5 hrs, i was ready to get things goin- i started on the climb for the second time and i felt awesome, being motivated both by lack of water in my water bottle (there were 4 feed stations on the course, one at the top of the first climb) and the fact that i could finally see some of the girls i was racing against- reeling them in. one by one. i went from being almost last up to 7th, making up about 8-10 minutes on the second lap. by the time i was finished though, i could barely stand. my brother jay had come up to spend the weekend in breck too, and met me at the finish line. it was great to see him- after some bbq and beer, i was returning to my normal state- well almost. nothing like getting close to drunk off of 2 pbrs! yeah!

it was back to the house for some relaxing... the next day brett took all of us out (keri b., jeff, megan m., brian fuentes, becca, brett, chris butler and me) for another epic ride in keystone- which was amazing, but i did struggle a little on the climbs... the thunderstorms rolled in and it was time for a nap! we ended the day with an amazing dinner- another perfect day. it was a great weekend filled with tons of riding, good food and good people- cant wait until next year!

Dusty and Hot- Deer Valley 08

Another year at deer valley over- one of my favorite courses, since after 4 years i have memorized the course- which helps me quite a bit- as you can tell, not preriding at all is not good for me. knowing the course so well lets me adjust my efforts- which equals better races for me- usually...

i got in thursday evening to park city where my DH teammate Kimber (who wasnt racing due to her crash on barnie rubble i think it was called, which would later be taken out of the DH course since it was too dangerous.. she's so hard core) and her boyfriend live in a great house about 20 minutes outside of the venue- so nice to have a place that i can bring Casey to- he and i had some catching up to do- i feel bad sometimes that i leave him with friends every time i go race- this time he's with me! yeah!

i got up friday, wasted some time at the venue chatting it up with everyone, and about 2 hours later becca and i were preriding the course- yep, the same as last year. i can turn my brain off and just ride. afterward i drove by the whole foods (yeah i was hungry- bad idea) and spent $50 on a salad, slice of pizza, yogurt and cereal. how does that happen?
later that day my new wheel came in the mail at kimbers place replacing the one i had bent the week before- those Stans wheels are wicked light! i had alex rush me a new set just in time- thanks Alex! so i spent the afternoon sealing up tires, replacing bent rotors and doing other random prerace bike fixes- sort of a mental escape from thinking about the actual race itself...
i have no idea why, but i was really nervous for the xc- i think since i wanted to do really well- i got my bike checked over and started warming up- felt good, did 3/4 of a lap on the course and i was ready- the start wasn't good, again. i slipped out on some gravel and couldn't get going again on the first climb- i was laughing. not good. once i got going, i started passing girls ok- but got caught behind some traffic on the descents on the first lap, but once i got going on the 2nd i was good to go- i felt good- kept picking girls off- i got them in sight, and reeled them in. one by one. by the middle of the 2nd lap i was top 20, and then it happened- mechanical! my chain got stuck between my cassette and my spokes- i yanked it hard and couldnt get it out- i ran down the climb i had just mostly completed and shep was there in the tech zone- i got it out but by that time i had gotten passed by 6 girls. dang. so, started picking them off again. back up to 21st or so, then it happened again. i was really frustrated- i should have had the limits fixed but i was so anxious to get going again i wasnt thinking clear- i ended up 23rd. sigh. there's always next year...
i was determined to have a good short track on sunday- i have done a few of the boulder ST races and i felt better about it than i have in the past- i warmed up for about 1.5 hours, harder than i ever have for a ST, and i think thats what i needed. i felt great! i got stuck behind some traffic on the start, but then kept moving up through the race- i ended up 15th or so which i am happy about- i think i might be getting better at this ST thing...
i stayed to watch the guys battle it out and suffer on the hot dusty course- then it was off to clean up, pack and grab Casey to head back to boulderville. back home. i love racing my bike, but i have to admit, i do love coming home. to my house. my bed. a few days to rest (i mean, work) and think about the next race-the circus continues...

killin it in crested butte...

absolutely amazing views... oh and the race was good too.... ha!
thanks to megan monroe for the pic (who unfortunately missed registration, but was on the sidelines cheering and snapping photos of everyone- thanks megan!)

i had another rough start, don't know why i can't seem to get the motor running as quick as i need to- but once i did, i ended up catching some of the girls- a solid 7th place. i did take a bit of a crash at the end of the 2nd lap- i blame it on trying to hard to get down to the bottom faster... nothing like crossing up the bars on a loose steep corner- fun stuff. but i was ok other than my embarrassment of coming through the start/finish covered in dirt...

i think the mountain states cups are more enjoyable than norbas for several reasons: 1. the venues are in the best places-the moutains! 2. the courses are more technical 3. everyone racing is out to do it for fun- no team pressure 4. the girls racing are crazy fast anyway, so its always a good race 5. the afterparties are better... 6. all the people i like to hang with are always there, and no matter how the race goes, i always know its going to be a good time- and isn't that what its all about? yep. it is.

i headed back to boulder right after the race to hang with my sister, kristin who flew in from SF for the weekend. it was a perfect few days of relaxing, racing, and bbqing...

yeah check it

check it out- as you can see, i know what wheel to suck- i was hanging out with Ina Yoko-Teutenburg from High Road- she was the favorite to win, and super smart about her moves-
so yeah thats me, back behind her with the pink helmet. :)

8am- Liberty Classic, Philly. warming up, and i have NOT had coffee yet...

Mix'en it with the roadies in Philly...

Oh man. what was i thinking? Vanderkitten dave calls me out of the blue 2 weeks before and asks if i want to ride at philly. umm, no way. i haven't been in a road race in years, and to go to the biggest one day race in the US and race? yeah funny joke. but after thinking about it, i figured it would be great training (haha) and it is a pretty big deal- i might not ever get the chance to do it again and just to race in it is awesome. so i said yes.
the team consisted of 5 other girls of whom i didn't really know (other than liz): melissa sandborn, flavia oliveira, liz hatch, leigh valletti and jen wilson. i think they were wondering why dave had picked me to be the 6th.. but they were all super nice and welcoming onto the team which was great- i know accepting a new teammate can be hard, especially since i had no experience racing with them- Mike hernadez was also there to keep things rolling with the team/media stuff- he was great and really supportive since i seemed a little out of my element all weekend- Vanderkitten dave and mark were also always there to make sure i was ok- it made the racing go a lot smoother-

ok on to the riding/racing- friday we prerode the course and i loved it- i thought the 'wall' was great, and excited to race it- but it turned out to be more of a sprint each time up it and not so much a 'climb' really... on saturday melissa, jen and i went for a spin around the host house and i felt good- rusty but good. so i was thinking everything would be ready for sunday. the race started at 9am so we were up at 5:30am eating. not hungry at 5:30am. eat anyway. uhh. thats the only part of racing that i don't like- stuffing food in because i have to- but i had bought a delicious crepe filled with egg and cheese the day before and it was mighty tasty...
we rode down to the course around 8am and i haven't had coffee yet- hopped on the trainer and started warming up- do you warm up for a road race? i dunno. so then i got off. hung out, drank coffee and put on my radio- which i had never wore before- don't laugh im a mtber- and it was soo cool! i wanted to talk in it the whole time but i figured the other girls would be pissed. just a few times :)
we rolled up to the start line behind the guys. wow what a crazy scene. sooo different from a mtb race. there were helicopters, news people, huge TV's with us on it, people everywhere! we basically shut down the middle of Philadelphia. this was way bigger than i expected- all i could think was, what the hell am i doing here? and then i laughed since there was no turning back- gotta do it. surprisingly the start wasn't as bad as i thought- even though we were supposed to protect melissa, my main goal was to keep moving up and tag my teammates- go where they go. and that was good. the thing that was hard was that i didn't know most of the girls, so who was protecting who, who were the girls that waste themselves for the team, who was trying to get off the front.. obviously i knew highroad had some major work to do, and aarons wanted to get off the front, and the only place to lay it down and split things up was on the hill. so that was wicked hard. but the thing that surprised me was how bad some of the girls descended- no cornering skillz at all! what the hell lines where they taking? not impressed. i almost got taken out once and skidded across the pavement, somehow i held it up- no idea how. my mad skillz i guess...
third lap, getting very very tired. came around for the hill, 3rd time, 1 more to go after this... umm, not shifting into the small ring- umm, going up in my big ring- not good-not good- going backwards- loosing the field- not good- chase, chase chase. nope. got dropped. i blew my legs out so bad going up that in the big ring- stupid shifter got stuck and couldn't do anything about it- i was really upset- i knew mike wanted us all to finish- and i did too. but the bike was an extra BH that they wanted me to race on and it wasn't adjusted properly- dang. but i am happy i stayed in and got to race with all those girls- yes i was very uncomfortable most of the time, but its a totally different race than what i do- its like in road you race other people's pace and the mtb you do a time trial basically- so that was the hardest part. going full blast, then cruising. full blast hard! then nothing. on off on off on on on off on-
sunday night was time to relax and have some drinks- we met up with a few of the other teams and it was really fun- the road scene isn't that bad i guess... in a roadie kind of way- ha! not sure if i will be doing any more road racing this season, but it is good to mix it up with some of my cross competitors on their turf-

get on the bus! woohoo!

ahh. the dale's pale ale bus. driving driving driving. we were on our way home from angel fire after the mountain states cup. chad was driving, mike, the 15 year old who acts like he's 25 and races like a manic on a singlespeed on the left, and the rest of us piled on the couches behind. such a fun trip...

Jen G. looking whipped on the drive home to boulder after the weekend of riding/racing. we were all a bit tired...