A little of this:
A little of that:
And a nice easy ride with some peeps on Monday.
Interested? Let me know!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
The Boarder Battle
Nice place to ride. . . . .kind of a tough place to race.
First of all, I have to appreciate the fact that I was able to enjoy this race instead of having to pull over 52 times throughout the race. That, I am grateful for. However, being dead last at the back of the start chute in a women's sport race is not a good place to be. . . . . .especially when you're a fast starter.
Don yelled go and I found myself in a very bad position. We funneled onto the start hill and suddenly there were women weaving everywhere in front of me. Tried as I might there was no way to get around them. . . . .I took the cheap seats giving it my all. I guess it just wasn't meant to happen. A couple women weaved together in front of me, and off I was. If you were at that race, you know that start hill was LONG. I, unfortunately, had to run a good portion of that start hill, just to try and get a better position. I popped out on top seeing how VERY far back I already was and I knew I had NO time to rest.
I jockied for a few more positions but wasn't able to clear another pack of girls in front of me as we ducked into the first set of single track. Big mistake. We rode the first set of single track slower on that first lap than I rode it in pre-ride. I now understand in even GREATER detail how frustrated those comp boys were at ME when I was racing elite. I know it was that gal's race too, but she slowed us down big time through that section with no place to get around. Combine that with my less than optimal start and I guess I should be happy I finished mid-pack.
On the brighter side, I didn't fall, I didn't make any seriously stupid mistakes, I rode everything. . . . . . . I just wasn't fast enough to make it a great finish.
First of all, I have to appreciate the fact that I was able to enjoy this race instead of having to pull over 52 times throughout the race. That, I am grateful for. However, being dead last at the back of the start chute in a women's sport race is not a good place to be. . . . . .especially when you're a fast starter.
Don yelled go and I found myself in a very bad position. We funneled onto the start hill and suddenly there were women weaving everywhere in front of me. Tried as I might there was no way to get around them. . . . .I took the cheap seats giving it my all. I guess it just wasn't meant to happen. A couple women weaved together in front of me, and off I was. If you were at that race, you know that start hill was LONG. I, unfortunately, had to run a good portion of that start hill, just to try and get a better position. I popped out on top seeing how VERY far back I already was and I knew I had NO time to rest.
I jockied for a few more positions but wasn't able to clear another pack of girls in front of me as we ducked into the first set of single track. Big mistake. We rode the first set of single track slower on that first lap than I rode it in pre-ride. I now understand in even GREATER detail how frustrated those comp boys were at ME when I was racing elite. I know it was that gal's race too, but she slowed us down big time through that section with no place to get around. Combine that with my less than optimal start and I guess I should be happy I finished mid-pack.
On the brighter side, I didn't fall, I didn't make any seriously stupid mistakes, I rode everything. . . . . . . I just wasn't fast enough to make it a great finish.
photo thanks to Mountaingoat
Time to let it go and focus on the next race. And hope for a better start. . . . . . .or at least a way around to MAKE it a better start.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Finally an update
First of all, I'm SO tired of hearing about STUPID drivers hitting innocent cyclists. It really pisses me off. And what's with all these DRUNK people out driving? It seems like most of the hit and runs we've heard about on the news lately have been DRUNK drivers. REPEAT offenders, mind you. Those people who were just hit in Illinois were apparently picked off by a woman who is a 4? time drunk driver offender. . . . . .she doesn't even have a license. Give me a break. I don't mean to be judgemental, but can you say that's just WRONG???
On a happier note, I'm almost ALL the way over the cold I seemed to develop the Monday after Sunburst. Woke up that day with a sore throat which just got worse and had me feeling like crap Tuesday. Most of last week was spend recovering and not training, but such is life. Now I'm feeling pretty strong, but still expelling a lot of mucus and getting tired a little faster than usual.
This past weekend we took time for some "fun" camping outside of racing. We headed up to WI Rapids to visit Bill's brother at their "camper".
They had mopeds and we took them out for a little joy ride.
Now we just need to get that piece of land up north. . . . . . . .
On the way home from Rapids we hit Mt Morris for a ride. Yeah, I still hate that course. Other than the fact they're adding a ski run and there are a few areas you have to walk across this dug up dirt, the trail was very well maintained. Still harder then all get out. . . . .I thought I was going to DIE. . . . . .but a little fun anyway.
Now it's time to focus on the Boarder Battle. We'll have a full truck heading up there. Some return peeps, some new peeps. . . . .a possibility that someone might come out of retirement for this race. . . . . .a good time is guaranteed to be had by all. At least in OUR little hotel on wheels.
On a happier note, I'm almost ALL the way over the cold I seemed to develop the Monday after Sunburst. Woke up that day with a sore throat which just got worse and had me feeling like crap Tuesday. Most of last week was spend recovering and not training, but such is life. Now I'm feeling pretty strong, but still expelling a lot of mucus and getting tired a little faster than usual.
This past weekend we took time for some "fun" camping outside of racing. We headed up to WI Rapids to visit Bill's brother at their "camper".
They had mopeds and we took them out for a little joy ride.
Then we moved on to the 4-wheeler. Yeah, that was my first experience riding/driving a 4-wheeler. I now want one.
Now we just need to get that piece of land up north. . . . . . . .On the way home from Rapids we hit Mt Morris for a ride. Yeah, I still hate that course. Other than the fact they're adding a ski run and there are a few areas you have to walk across this dug up dirt, the trail was very well maintained. Still harder then all get out. . . . .I thought I was going to DIE. . . . . .but a little fun anyway.
Now it's time to focus on the Boarder Battle. We'll have a full truck heading up there. Some return peeps, some new peeps. . . . .a possibility that someone might come out of retirement for this race. . . . . .a good time is guaranteed to be had by all. At least in OUR little hotel on wheels.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Sunburst
Ok, finally I get around to writing up my race report. We all know it was great fun, but I'll see if I can recap it like a real competitor for you.
Being my first sport race I had definite pre-race jitters out on warm up. I know there are so many fast sport girls I was concerned as to how I would fit in. I haven't been watching the Sport races in terms of knowing who's who and who finishes where, I just knew a few of my "peeps" and how their finishes have been. Looking around at the start line didn't help. . . . .I had no idea who I should be looking to be behind.
Don yelled GOOOOOO and I realized I was WAY in the back. Yeah, there were only like 15 of us (and that's because no one likes this race), but being in the back of 15 women when you KNOW you should be towards the front isn't a good thing. I dodged a few and put the hammer down to get towards the front. In my experience where I start in a sport race is typically where I finish (or close to it) and I wasn't prepared to finish in the back.
Lap one I managed to settle in about 4th or 5th on the way up the bunny hill. I hopped on Ann's wheel when I heard her shift and drop her chain. The girls parted as she hopped off and put her chain back on. I wasn't looking forward to the climb in the woods. . . . . .I hyperventilate every single time I do that stupid climb. And I knew today would be even harder. Sure enough, we hit the steepest pitch going into the woods, and I started to hyperventilate. I continued that all the way through the single track climb until we popped out up top and I got a little break of downhill. I'm sure the gals around me thought I was going to pass out.. . . .even I thought I was going to pass out. But I popped out up top in decent shape. I think I was in 3rd or 4th.
It's all a blur now, but Regina and I traded places a number of times throughout the race. She'd pull away on the climbs, I'd catch her on the descents and the flatter stuff near the road on the north side of the hill. I knew if I could get in front of her in those areas, I could pull a tiny gap. But then we'd eventually pop back out on the bunny hill and she'd put the hurt on me big time. I'd pull to the side and watch her grind her way past me thinking "wow, she's strong". I could hear her breathing hard as well, so I knew we were pushing each other to our max. And for some strange reason. . . . . .it was fun. :-)
On our last lap up the bunny hill she over took me. I paced myself as I knew that 3rd time was going to REALLY hurt, but I also reminded myself it was my LAST time up that bitch, there was NO way I was going to walk. Regina, on the other hand, HAD to walk due to her gearing, but she stayed right on my tail up the climb. When she hopped back on she hadn't missed a beat and was right on my wheel. Again, she pulled ahead and we closed in on some more sport boys. I was gassed and couldn't muster up enough energy to put the hammer down to get in front of both of them, so one boy separated us. I rode his wheel through the "singletrack" and I saw her pull away a bit. We popped out and I put the hammer down again to try and catch back up, but I was never able to quite close that gap, no matter how hard I worked. We crossed the finish line 2nd and 3rd, with some gal who I never saw a minute+ out in front of us.
Finally, a race where I actually got to RACE with someone. THAT was great fun. I didn't get yelled at, I didn't have to pull over, I was pushed to ride as hard as I could and it felt wonderful. While I walked away with a decent finish, I also realize there were only 15 women in our field. I also realize this was a purely physical course. Technical ability played some factor, as you needed to be able to ride the small stretch of single track well, and stick the off camber turns and fast descents, but for the most part one's technical abilities weren't challenged at this course. That's one of the reasons it has such low turnout as well.
The Boarder Battle will be an interesting race. Lots of out of state women who are way faster than most of the WI sport women, but choose to race sport anyway. More technical riding, a longer race, more traffic to deal with. . . . . .I've got my work cut out for me. I can't wait. :-)
Being my first sport race I had definite pre-race jitters out on warm up. I know there are so many fast sport girls I was concerned as to how I would fit in. I haven't been watching the Sport races in terms of knowing who's who and who finishes where, I just knew a few of my "peeps" and how their finishes have been. Looking around at the start line didn't help. . . . .I had no idea who I should be looking to be behind.
Don yelled GOOOOOO and I realized I was WAY in the back. Yeah, there were only like 15 of us (and that's because no one likes this race), but being in the back of 15 women when you KNOW you should be towards the front isn't a good thing. I dodged a few and put the hammer down to get towards the front. In my experience where I start in a sport race is typically where I finish (or close to it) and I wasn't prepared to finish in the back.
Lap one I managed to settle in about 4th or 5th on the way up the bunny hill. I hopped on Ann's wheel when I heard her shift and drop her chain. The girls parted as she hopped off and put her chain back on. I wasn't looking forward to the climb in the woods. . . . . .I hyperventilate every single time I do that stupid climb. And I knew today would be even harder. Sure enough, we hit the steepest pitch going into the woods, and I started to hyperventilate. I continued that all the way through the single track climb until we popped out up top and I got a little break of downhill. I'm sure the gals around me thought I was going to pass out.. . . .even I thought I was going to pass out. But I popped out up top in decent shape. I think I was in 3rd or 4th.
It's all a blur now, but Regina and I traded places a number of times throughout the race. She'd pull away on the climbs, I'd catch her on the descents and the flatter stuff near the road on the north side of the hill. I knew if I could get in front of her in those areas, I could pull a tiny gap. But then we'd eventually pop back out on the bunny hill and she'd put the hurt on me big time. I'd pull to the side and watch her grind her way past me thinking "wow, she's strong". I could hear her breathing hard as well, so I knew we were pushing each other to our max. And for some strange reason. . . . . .it was fun. :-)
On our last lap up the bunny hill she over took me. I paced myself as I knew that 3rd time was going to REALLY hurt, but I also reminded myself it was my LAST time up that bitch, there was NO way I was going to walk. Regina, on the other hand, HAD to walk due to her gearing, but she stayed right on my tail up the climb. When she hopped back on she hadn't missed a beat and was right on my wheel. Again, she pulled ahead and we closed in on some more sport boys. I was gassed and couldn't muster up enough energy to put the hammer down to get in front of both of them, so one boy separated us. I rode his wheel through the "singletrack" and I saw her pull away a bit. We popped out and I put the hammer down again to try and catch back up, but I was never able to quite close that gap, no matter how hard I worked. We crossed the finish line 2nd and 3rd, with some gal who I never saw a minute+ out in front of us.
Finally, a race where I actually got to RACE with someone. THAT was great fun. I didn't get yelled at, I didn't have to pull over, I was pushed to ride as hard as I could and it felt wonderful. While I walked away with a decent finish, I also realize there were only 15 women in our field. I also realize this was a purely physical course. Technical ability played some factor, as you needed to be able to ride the small stretch of single track well, and stick the off camber turns and fast descents, but for the most part one's technical abilities weren't challenged at this course. That's one of the reasons it has such low turnout as well.
The Boarder Battle will be an interesting race. Lots of out of state women who are way faster than most of the WI sport women, but choose to race sport anyway. More technical riding, a longer race, more traffic to deal with. . . . . .I've got my work cut out for me. I can't wait. :-)
Sunday, August 10, 2008
My first Sport race
I know you're all on the edge of your seats wondering how today went for me. I'll give you the official "race report" at a later time. . . . .but right now I can tell you I can't remember the last time I've ever had that much fun racing. I can't say as I even remember racing "with" others all that much last year, much less trading places with some of the finest women in WORS. I finished with a smile so big, people didn't even need to ask whether I had fun.
It hurt like hell. . . . and it was a TON of hard work. . . . .but it was awesome. And it was absolutely the right choice for me.
That's the sappy update. Tomorrow I'll recap all the nitty gritty details. But right now I want to savor actually feeling like a mountain bike racer again. Thank you to everyone for their support. It's awesome to have such wonderful, supportive friends and competitors out there. . . . . .people who actually care.
Sweet. Thanks.
It hurt like hell. . . . and it was a TON of hard work. . . . .but it was awesome. And it was absolutely the right choice for me.
That's the sappy update. Tomorrow I'll recap all the nitty gritty details. But right now I want to savor actually feeling like a mountain bike racer again. Thank you to everyone for their support. It's awesome to have such wonderful, supportive friends and competitors out there. . . . . .people who actually care.
Sweet. Thanks.
Thursday, August 07, 2008
My puppy
My puppy is finally starting to grow up. 
THAT sure took a long time.
Oh well, I guess I should be happy that it hasn't taken 18 years. . . . . .
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Defeated
"Defeat is not the worst of failures. Not to have tried is the true failure."
-- George Woodberry, Poet
I haven't posted recently because I've been wrestling with where I fit into the whole WORS/racing picture. I wanted to make a clear decision, and have time to process that decision before I "announced" it to the "world", as I knew I'd likely receive some criticism. Seeing this quote today reminded me I shouldn't be ashamed of my decision, I tried and I failed. Time to move on. Time to remember what puts that smile on my face again.
Rather than become one of the "statistics" and simply stop racing, I've made the decision to "admit defeat" and go back to Sport for the rest of the year. This decision was actually made somewhat collectively, as I've had numerous supportive e-mails from friends over the past month concerned that I'm not in a good place in regards to racing. These e-mails really got me thinking, and after the race at Franklin, I realized I really am not having fun. I love to ride my bike, but I hate racing elite.
I knew it was going to be tough this year. . . . .but I hadn't anticipated just how tough. And I'm not talking about the fitness level, although that's surely part of it. More so (for me) is the HUGE speed differential between myself and the comp guys, who are on my ass pretty quickly. While I have to admit I've been overwhelmed by the support MOST of them have given me this year, especially these past few races, encouraging me, telling me to stay where I am and don't worry about them, even protecting me from other "less cordial" boys. . . . . .that speed difference is just too much for me. Try as I might, I feel an overwhelming desire to get out of their way so as to not be a "factor" in their race. And how can you let ONE go by, and not the string of 10 behind him? How fair is that? Now I've helped ONE guy's race, but hurt 10 others.
Couple that with the ONE guy who decides to be a jerk and snap at me every race (not the same person each time), and now I'm feeling like all I am is in the way. I'm already maxed out on heart rate, I'm trying to ride as fast and as clean as I possibly can, and now I'm being yelled at to get out of the way. It's like I'm being told "you're not doing a good enough job, just get out of the way". These are all the things that run through my mind during an elite race. THIS is why I'm not having fun.
While I'm not making excuses for my "defeat", I hope that reading what goes on in my mind during a race at least makes people a little more understanding of my decision. I've never won a Sport race, and given the kick ass women in that field this year, I doubt I'll have it easy to even TRY and be a competitor. Due to these factors, I certainly don't consider myself a "sandbagger".
Although I've already made my decision, I'm open to listening to what people have to say about this issue. In fact, I'd rather you voice your opinion here, rather than criticize me behind my back (if this is indeed what you feel the need to do). My decision is made, and interestingly enough, I made this decision only AFTER e-mailing with some of my sport & elite peeps, asking for their feedback on the issue. I was amazed at how supportive people were. . . . .. how they welcomed me back with open arms. How they told me they understood, and that racing was supposed to be fun. If I wasn't having fun, what's the point? I knew the WORS crowd was "different". . . . . .I guess I just didn't realize how absolutely awesome, caring and genuine these people truly are.
I would like to extend a big THANK YOU to those people who have been there for me this year. I'm glad I tried elite this year, but I'm even more glad I'm a big enough person to admit I just don't fit.
I'll see you on the SPORT start line at Sunburst.
-- George Woodberry, Poet
I haven't posted recently because I've been wrestling with where I fit into the whole WORS/racing picture. I wanted to make a clear decision, and have time to process that decision before I "announced" it to the "world", as I knew I'd likely receive some criticism. Seeing this quote today reminded me I shouldn't be ashamed of my decision, I tried and I failed. Time to move on. Time to remember what puts that smile on my face again.
Rather than become one of the "statistics" and simply stop racing, I've made the decision to "admit defeat" and go back to Sport for the rest of the year. This decision was actually made somewhat collectively, as I've had numerous supportive e-mails from friends over the past month concerned that I'm not in a good place in regards to racing. These e-mails really got me thinking, and after the race at Franklin, I realized I really am not having fun. I love to ride my bike, but I hate racing elite.
I knew it was going to be tough this year. . . . .but I hadn't anticipated just how tough. And I'm not talking about the fitness level, although that's surely part of it. More so (for me) is the HUGE speed differential between myself and the comp guys, who are on my ass pretty quickly. While I have to admit I've been overwhelmed by the support MOST of them have given me this year, especially these past few races, encouraging me, telling me to stay where I am and don't worry about them, even protecting me from other "less cordial" boys. . . . . .that speed difference is just too much for me. Try as I might, I feel an overwhelming desire to get out of their way so as to not be a "factor" in their race. And how can you let ONE go by, and not the string of 10 behind him? How fair is that? Now I've helped ONE guy's race, but hurt 10 others.
Couple that with the ONE guy who decides to be a jerk and snap at me every race (not the same person each time), and now I'm feeling like all I am is in the way. I'm already maxed out on heart rate, I'm trying to ride as fast and as clean as I possibly can, and now I'm being yelled at to get out of the way. It's like I'm being told "you're not doing a good enough job, just get out of the way". These are all the things that run through my mind during an elite race. THIS is why I'm not having fun.
While I'm not making excuses for my "defeat", I hope that reading what goes on in my mind during a race at least makes people a little more understanding of my decision. I've never won a Sport race, and given the kick ass women in that field this year, I doubt I'll have it easy to even TRY and be a competitor. Due to these factors, I certainly don't consider myself a "sandbagger".
Although I've already made my decision, I'm open to listening to what people have to say about this issue. In fact, I'd rather you voice your opinion here, rather than criticize me behind my back (if this is indeed what you feel the need to do). My decision is made, and interestingly enough, I made this decision only AFTER e-mailing with some of my sport & elite peeps, asking for their feedback on the issue. I was amazed at how supportive people were. . . . .. how they welcomed me back with open arms. How they told me they understood, and that racing was supposed to be fun. If I wasn't having fun, what's the point? I knew the WORS crowd was "different". . . . . .I guess I just didn't realize how absolutely awesome, caring and genuine these people truly are.
I would like to extend a big THANK YOU to those people who have been there for me this year. I'm glad I tried elite this year, but I'm even more glad I'm a big enough person to admit I just don't fit.
I'll see you on the SPORT start line at Sunburst.
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