Hello sun!

I think it's safe to say that we made it through another winter! The weather has been absolutely phenomenal the last couple of days, and it's only going to get better. This Friday it's supposed to be 80 degrees!

I've been pretty busy at work this week, so my rides have been short. My legs feel really, really good though. I'm trying to hold it all in for this weekend, as I have a nice 3 day training block coming up.

My first big race of the season is fast approaching, and I have yet to update this blog with my 2010 schedule and sponsors. Not to mention that the pictures are practically archaic. Which brings me to my plans for this weekend. Eat peeps and work on my blog layout. Mallie was nice enough to design it in the past, but I think I'm going to have to take things into my own hands. All I can say is expect something very, very, very simple.

I'm also hoping to get out and ride the trail at yankee springs before the Velo City dirt ride. I'm thinking that it would probably be a good idea to reacquaint myself with singletrack before I try to show off. Because we all know what happens when I try to show off, right? Usually it involves me flying over my handlebars like superwoman :-)

Save the date!

Who: You

What: Group ride

When: April 10th at 11 a.m.

Where: Yankee Springs (meet at the trail head)

The Yankee Springs TT is right around the corner, so the Velo City bike shop and I are having a group ride out on the course. This is a NO DROP ride, and riders of all abilities are welcome. The ride pace will be very relaxed, and there may be some stopping and practicing lines. And did I mention that it's NO DROP???

It will be fun, I promise! And since Hydrapak is sponsoring my rides/clinics this year, there will be some sweet product being raffled off!

See you there!!!!!

Barry-Roubaix!

This was the second year of the Barry-Roubaix race, but my first year doing it. I signed up for it a few months ago, thinking that it would be good training, but didn't put much more thought into it after that.

The race started at 10 a.m., and Scott, Toni (she was doing the 35 miler) and I arrived with time to spare. It was so cold outside that we stayed in the truck with the heat blasting.

Toni wearing her "I am going to rip your legs off smile."

Even though temps outside were only in the 30's, it felt like a sauna in the truck! But don't worry, I put on more layers for the race!

Eventually it became absolutely necessary to go outside, and we joined hundreds of other racers at the start line. Yes, hundreds! When all was said and done there was close to 600 racers. Not too shabby for a race in March!

The race was 3 different lengths (25, 35, or 65 miles) and we were staged according to what race category we were doing. However, we all started at the same time. The first couple of miles were neutral, and I made sure to stay near the front. I had no clue how many women were in my class, but I knew that I was up against a few Cat 1 and 2 roadies, along with a few elite cyclocross and mountain bikers racers. It was a good mix.

The moment our escort peeled out of the way, there was a huge surge in the group. A few moments later I heard a crash and started to check around to see if I could spot Toni. I saw our friend Tara from the Farm Team on the ground and slowed down to see if she was OK. Apparently some guy rode right into her and took her out. She started to get back up but then went back down on the ground. Definitely hurt.

To tell you the truth I always wondered what I would do in a situation like this because I am uber-competitive when it comes to racing. Like you could enter me in a marathon and I would be at the start line trying to win it...and I don't even run. Anyways, once I saw that Tara was hurt I didn't even think about me or the race. The next thing I knew I was pulling my Mamasita through the weeds and backtracking to where Tara was.

I actually had a phone on me, which was a first. When we were getting ready to line up, Scott handed it to me and said that I should carry it because we were going to be on the road and in the middle of nowhere. The not so funny thing is that it's an iphone. And do you know how long it takes to turn one on? Basically an infinity! And then once the whole thing got booted up I realized that I didn't even have service. Thanks AT&T for being absolutely useless!

Eventually one of the medics arrived to help Tara and I took off to finish my race. I only had about 63 miles left, and was DFL on the course. DFL out of 600 people. Nothing challenging about that, right? The first 35 miles FLEW by, because I was catching so many people. I had no one to work with but kept a pretty consistent pace going. It wasn't until I headed out for my second lap that I realized that I was going to have to ride completely alone. Not only were all of the other 65 milers way ahead of me, but I knew that the majority would be working in groups. It was just going to be me, myself and I.

I was a little shocked when I came to the first major intersection to see the police still working traffic. It was a little embarrassing to have all traffic stopped just for me. But I started to like it by the second intersection and by the third intersection I had to fight the urge to shake my fist at the cars and yell, "that's right suckers...you have to stop for ME!"

My training race ended up feeling like a training ride, but that's ok. I had a lot of fun out there. The course was awesome with a ton of good climbs, and I couldn't have asked for a better bike then my Mamasita. The majority of racers were on cross bikes because the course was all gravel or paved road, but I would choose my Mamasita again in a second. In fact, all day people were telling me that I had a cool bike, and all day I was nodding my head in agreement. I figured there was no point in pretending to be modest :-)

I eventually caught a few people on the course, and I know a few women in my class dropped out. That's all I know about the race though. When I crossed the finish line we left almost immediately for Mexican food. It's always a necessity after a long day in the saddle.

I will definitely be back next year and recommend this race to everyone. The promoters and volunteers did a great job.

PS. I refuse to believe that it was a coincidence that I got my lucky race number!

Attention, Please!

Introducing......my new bike!!!!

Words can't even begin to describe how sweet this bike is. I have to send a huge thanks to Jeremy and Aaron at Velo City for building it up so quickly! I also have to send a huge thanks to all of my sponsors this year. I seriously have two of the coolest bikes in the galaxy! Sometimes I go down to the basement just to stare at my bikes.

I think I'm in love :-)

I picked the bike up on Monday night, and Scott was running out of the house before I even pulled into the driveway. Not because he was excited to see me, mind you. It was all about my Mamasita! He whisked it away into the basement, and spent the next couple of hours drooling on it.

I was able to finally test it out on the Tuesday night ride with the Farm Team. The group consisted of Dan J., Shawn D., and Chambers.

We rode gravel and paved roads and did 34.25 miles in 1:40. The guy's rode a few more miles of hills, but I haven't graduated to that loop yet, I guess. And last night that was fine by me as it gave me a few moments to breathe. I was by far the weakest link on the ride, and got shot off the back repeatedly, but that's OK. My motto for these rides is "what doesn't kill me will make me faster!"

But back to the most important part of this whole blog post...my new bike! Words can't even describe it's awesomeness. As of now, I'm leaving it set up with a rigid fork and cross tires for the Barry-Roubaix race, which is this coming Saturday. I've never ridden the course, but I've heard that it's basically a gravel and paved road race. I hope I don't see any trail in the woods during the race, because it would be very tempting to veer off course to see how the Mamasita handles real dirt!

Sister versus Sister

Well, it finally happened. I got beat by my little sister at the Fisk Knob TT. I'm just surprised that I was able to hold her off until now...

Toni started riding/racing right when I did. She was only 11 at the time, and absolutely loved riding a bike. I can't stress enough how much she loved it. Every day my mom would call up and ask if Toni could go riding with me, so every day I had this little mini-me tagging along with a big old grin on her face and a ponytail so long it would almost get stuck in her back wheel. That smile would disappear really quickly if things got in her way though. Once my mom told Toni that she couldn't do a mountain bike race because it was pouring rain. I guess the thought of little toni racing in mud on wet roots was just too much for my mom to handle. Toni stormed upstairs and we later found a note saying, "I hate people who won't let me ride my bike."

Even at an early age it was obvious she meant business!

Anyways, the odds were against both of us at yesterday's time trial. Toni was just coming off of a peak from collegiate swim nationals, and it was only her 2nd time back on a road bike since last August. My legs were still kind of tired from my week's training, and it was only my 2nd time on a road bike in about a year.

We had a very serious stare down through my parents minivan before the race.

I was all, "bring it!"

and Toni was all, "oh, I brought it!" And then she started psyching me out with her aerobars and helmet and other roadie attire.

And then it was time to line up. Toni was starting about 4 minutes behind me, and anytime I would turn around while we were waiting she would give me the thumbs up sign. Yup, she was acting supportive but I know deep down she was thinking, "I'm going to rip your legs off!"

I don't have much to say about my race, except I don't think I could have been more INEFFICIENT on a road bike if I tried. Combine the inefficiency with tired legs and you get a long day in the wind, let me tell you! Before the race I kept trying to reassure myself that it didn't matter if I don't ride a road bike much, but now I'm thinking it might matter just a little bit. I felt out of control. Not to mention I think I managed to hit every single pothole on the road. If you look at my time you might think that I even veered off of the course for a coffee break or something. And next year I just might do that!

The end result? Toni beat me by a minute. My little sister finally beat me....wahhhhhhhh! I got beat by a lot of other people too, but she was the only one that mattered.

Of course I've been bragging about her all day, but there's no way I'm telling her that! This year she's entering the world of triathlons, something I know absolutely nothing about. I'm still sighing with relief that she's doing that instead of endurance mountain biking...phew! I can quit looking over my shoulder-for now!

PS. Thanks again to all the volunteers at Fisk Knob TT for being so great.

PPS. I'm happily retiring my road bike back to the basement until next year!

Happy St. Patty's Day!!!

Even Naomi was celebrating today...

I'm sure Scott will say, "you had the dog wearing my t-shirt?" when he sees these pictures.

Yes, yes I did....

The weather has been absolutely awesome these last couple of days. It seems like Michigan has sprung straight to spring. I went from wearing so many layers that I could barely move to riding in just a jersey and shorts!

This next week is going to be pretty busy as I am racing back-to-back weekends. I have the Fisk Knob TT this Sunday, and then the Barry-Roubaix next Saturday. Both are training races, and I'm excited to get some really hard efforts in. However, I am not excited for this weekends weather forecast. Snow AND rain! I guess the nasty weather will be an extra incentive to get back to the finish line ASAP. I just hope that I remember how to ride a road bike. I took it into Velo City for a tune-up and it had cobwebs on it. That's never a good sign!!!

Luckily the road that we race on for the Fisk Knob TT doesn't look like this one. I don't know how deep this is, but I'm guessing....deep enough that my little Focus would just disappear in it.

Pick me, Pick me!!!

As always, the first thing that popped into my head this morning when I woke up was....COFFEE NOW! Second thought? MAPLE SPICE OATMEAL!!! And then my third thought....CHEQUAMEGON!!!!

This is a race that I've been wanting to do for years. I finally worked it into my race schedule, and what happens? I almost missed the deadline! I actually went to the post office in my pajamas to send my entry fee off!

For anyone interested in doing this race, you better act now! The deadline is March 15th!

It cost a mere $19 for the post office to guarantee that my entry would arrive by Monday. But that's a lot cheaper then what it would cost for me to drive over to Wisconsin to hand deliver my envelope. And we all know about my little Focus by now. It does best when it's sitting in the driveway :-)

There is a lottery to get in, so I'm crossing my fingers and toes. The best case scenario is that Scott and I both get in. Worse case scenario? I bought a very expensive stamp. Now I have to wait until May to find out if we got in or not, but at least I know I have a chance.

Hopefully my subliminal messages will have an effect on the promoters...

Time to reevaluate...

Last night I found out that 24 hour Nationals was cancelled. What!!!??? I (along with a lot of other people I know) had pretty much planned my entire early season around that race. I purposely did not sign up for races that are now full because they were too close to Nationals.

And now there is no Nationals.

It feels kind of weird because 24 hour Nationals was always in the back of my mind. It was my A+++++ race of the season.

Now I don't have to go down to Big Bear in May to pre-ride. Now my whole month of June is wide open.

Oh the possibilities...... It's time to pick out some new races!!!

On a side note, I was also bummed out to find out that the same promoter cancelled 24 hours of 9 Mile in Wisconsin. I wasn't planning on doing it this year, but 9 Mile was one of my favorite races of all time. It had a different promoter back then, but the vibe was always so much fun, the race was really well run, and I liked the course. Not to mention cheese curds! I hope that someone else can keep that race going....

Beach Day

I always forget how lucky I am that I can just ride my bike to the beach. Granted, yesterday it took me 2.5 hours, but I got there!!!

I had the whole beach to myself...

As you can see, I'm getting more and more talented at self-portraits. Here I am gazing out at the water....ha, ha.

Overall I'm really happy with how my training has been going. I was able to get 80 miles in on both Monday and Tuesday, and now I'm taking a much needed rest day. Thank goodness, my legs are a little tired!

PS. I just signed up for two races. First up is my first and LAST road event of the season-the Fisk Knob TT. The race is only 17 miles, but when you are out there in the wind it seems like forever. In fact, every year that I do it I always feel like I'm not going to make it back to the finish line. It's funny how distance is all relative when you are feeling the burn!

The other race I signed up for is the Cascade Creampuff. It's not until July, but the creampuff seems to fill up almost every year. This will be my first time visiting Oregon, and Scott and I will be staying with friends in Portland for a few days. I've heard nothing but good things about both the race and the city, so I'm pretty excited for the entire trip!

The creampuff is still a long ways away though. For right now I need to focus on getting all aero-like for my time trial :-)

Weekend Recap

Even though I wasn't able to go down South this past weekend, I still got some good riding in.

On Friday I joined up with Scott, and a few of his teammates. They started a new team this year, called Farm Team. Two of their main sponsors are New Holland Brewery and Marinade's Pizza, so they are going to have a very good summer :-)

The Farm Team pain train...

Right now trails are still covered with snow, so we had to ride our mountain bikes on the road. I ended up getting 4.5 hours in, with a total of 77 miles. Most of that mileage happened while I was riding with the Farm Team, because I did an easy hour warm-up, and an easy hour cool down. And when I say easy hour cool down, I mean very little pedaling, and lots of coasting.

The overall pace of the ride wasn't that bad, but they would accelerate so much on the climbs that I felt like my quads were going to rip in half. During the last half hour of the ride I actually bailed!!! When we came to a stop sign I was like, "they are going straight, and I am going in whatever direction that they aren't." I think it's safe to say that the Farm Team put me in the hurt locker :-)

The moment I got home I sat down at my computer, and wrote my coach a really whiny email, basically telling her that I sucked and that I was slow.

Her response? That I should ride with the Farm Team MORE.

And it's true. Riding with them is the best way to simulate racing, that's for sure.

At least the back of their shorts are encouraging!!!!

I rebounded on Saturday for another road ride on my Dos Niner. The pace was much slower then the day before though. Trust me, I never tried to attack any hills. I ended up riding for 5.5 hours and got about 85 miles in.

On Saturday it was just me, myself and I...

Sunday was a much needed recovery day. Thank goodness because my legs were toast. In fact, I practically had to crawl up our stairs. Scott and I discovered that the rail trail up to Rockford is clear, which is a sign that Spring is finally here!

We stopped for coffee, which is a complete necessity during recovery rides, and then rode home. I think I got about 2 hours of riding in and my average speed was probably 5 mph.

Can you tell that we were tired?????

Where am I right now?

Not where I should be, which is in Atlanta, Georgia.

I jinxed myself, plain and simple. Remember my little Focus? After putting in a new alternator and a new ignition I happened to make the remark that "at least nothing could go wrong for awhile."

Why I would say such a thing I don't know, because the next day my car started stalling repeatedly every single time I came to a stop. OMG. I think I even heard my car laughing.

I should have been more surprised, but I wasn't. See, this wasn't the first time this has happened. Every great once in a while it would stall at a stop, but then always start right back up. I took it in to the dealership twice, but each time the car mechanics couldn't find anything wrong with it.

This time they finally found the problem, and it's totally lame. Lame is good though, because it's about half the price that I had to pay for a new ignition. The diagnosis?A cracked hose. It's a quick fix, but they have to order the part.

So, obviously there will be no Snake race for me, but that's OK. I was just doing the race for training anyways. To tell you the truth I'm not even that mad. I had a few moments where I was absolutely furious and disappointed, but then I started laughing. I mean, I have to keep things in perspective here.

My bags are still packed, and I'm still hoping to go down South, but I'm totally playing it by ear. Carey told me that the weather forecast for next week is for a lot of rain, and I'm not sure that I want to drive 12 hours for that. Hopefully it will turn around.

I almost don't dare say this, but I'm going to say it anyways. Nothing else had better go wrong with my car :-)

In the meantime, I'm still enjoying my vacation at home. Blueberry pancakes, coffee and now I'm going out for a 5 hour ride. Not so bad after all!