2017 Episode 1: Mission Accomplished

     So I stalled posting this after Nationals.  I typed this up, and while trying to find pictures to post along with it (and realizing I can't actually find many) I kept delaying.  I got to the point that I wasn't sure that I should actually post it anymore since Nationals seems so long ago.  But here I am, convinced that maybe someone would like to read about it.  Plus there's some other things that I've been wanting to go on about that I feel like I can't without posting about this one!  So for those who aren't tired of hearing the story, or haven't yet and want to...

     Two years ago I never thought that I would actually ever win a National Championship and wear a Stars & Strips jersey.  Two years ago I also drove to Austin for my first ever National Championship race and got dead. f'ing. last.  It was a very humbling experience but a trip that I don't regret taking in the least.  Then last year I discovered that I didn't have to race the Elite race and train to try and get a top 25.  I discovered that I was just old enough to do the "Baby Masters" (30-34 age graded) race.  So I did that.  And I got third.  And I looked at the jersey while standing on the podium and realized that I really, really wanted one.

     I got in touch with Mike Stoop and after discussing my goal and race schedule with him, started to seriously focus on and train to achieve that goal.  I've had very consistent results this year, better than last year, and was really looking toward my goal.  After NCGP in December however, I started getting a little anxious about Nationals.  It was coming up really quickly and I don't think I was expecting the season to end so soon.  What if my training wasn't enough and what if I didn't put in enough effort during training to get it done.  I was hoping for a top 10 at NCGP and I didn't get it.  I tried to not be disappointed, after all it wasn't Nationals and wasn't my A race.  But it placed a seed of doubt in my head about whether my effort was going to pay off.  But Mike obviously knows what he's doing, otherwise I wouldn't have had some of my best results to date while working with him.

     I got sick the week before Christmas and had to miss a few workouts.  I couldn't believe that all the work that I put into the season was going to be meaningless because of a stupid cold.  I made sure to rest and hydrate as much as I could so I could recover as quickly as possible.  When I started feeling better I was on the bike making sure I had every workout in.  The van got an oil change, Zuma had her reservations for boarding, and I had a packing list that was two pages long for everything I could possibly imagine needing.

My 2 page packing list included 4 sets of tubulars and 2 sets of clinchers,
2 helmets, 3 pairs of riding shoes, a tent, propane heater (the forecast was 26 degrees!)
and of course my bikes!

I was as prepared as I could possibly be.  Nothing I did at this point (or weeks before at NCGP) would make me any more prepared.  Nevertheless I was so nervous I was almost sick.

Cyclocross Nationals Day 1... 2 days before my race.

The holeshot on Tuesday...it was way muddier by the end of Wednesday!

     Chris and I got to Hartford on Tuesday to rain and mud so deep that seemingly 50% of the course was unrideable.  I knew that Thursday everything would be frozen at 8am and the course would be completely different.  There was no point in pre-riding the course at all.  I did get to walk around and see how steep the levee was and where all the off-camber sections were so there was an advantage to getting there that early.  Chris and I went out to dinner with friends and I came home for one of my last trainer rides of the season.

Pre, Pre-Nats Dinner with the housemates!
Photo: Michael Carey

Tuesday night we received an email that the course had changed to shorten lap times.  On Wednesday Melissa Seek and I planned to get to the course early to pre-ride before the men's Masters fields and Collegiate fields started.  We were hoping for a slightly more frozen course so we get some idea of how the course was going to ride.  But alas, the ground was still sloppy muddy and gave us no idea of how much riding we would actually be able to do during the race.  I got one and a half laps in before they closed the course and I spent the rest of the day setting up the tent, riding the trainer, picking up my numbers, and relaxing.  I had no desire to pre-ride any more because I knew the course would be nothing like it was that day after a twenty plus degree temperature drop.  We ate dinner back at the house we rented for the few days, and received another email that the course may change for Thursday's races.  We would find out what the course was going to be when we lined up at the start.

     We got to the course at 6:45 Thursday morning.  The sun was still not up all the way, and temperatures were several degrees below freezing.  I got onto the bike as soon as I could.  I needed to dial in tire pressure as quick as possible.  The ground was frozen solid.  The ruts from the previous days of racing were etched into the ground with what seemed like concrete.  They were deep, solid, and I was bottoming out my tires and slamming the carbon rims into everything.  I was very cautious going through on my first full pre-lap and started getting really nervous again.  Chris put 24-25 psi in my tires and I went off for a partial lap which made me feel a quite a bit more confident through a lot of corners I wasn't previously.  Amazing what a difference of two psi makes.  The morning went by much quicker than anticipated and I felt rushed getting changed and getting on the trainer and properly warmed up.  I got off the trainer, Chris helped me change front wheels on my race bike (after realizing that the wrong wheel was put on), double-checked tire pressure, and rushed off to staging.

Call-Ups
Photo: @usacycling

     I've never had the first call-up in this big of a race.  I rolled up to the start line, wherever I wanted, checked my starting gear, pulled my jacket off, checked my shoes, started my computer and looked down the starting straight.  The officials gave us final instructions and told us they were adding in a large piece of the course that had been previously removed.  A large section that although we had seen, had not had the opportunity to ride under these frozen conditions.  As soon as the whistle blew all my nervousness dissolved and I was focused on riding as smooth and hard as possible.  I got the hole shot and put my head down past the pit where Chris was yelling for me.  I got to the levee first and decided to take the low line before climbing diagonally up to the high line.  This whole section turned out to be like sightreading for me.  Remounting, I tried to pedal with both feet as much as I could, unclipping my left foot and "skateboarding" only when I felt like I may slide out.  This section of the course was really where I needed to be smooth if I wanted to stay in front.  The off-camber section had changed slightly from the morning's pre-ride, taking us into another off camber, and a steep, switch-back descent.  We headed into a wooded section that had the days before been a long pool of mud and standing water, but this morning was a frozen path.  The grounds crew had driven the gator on parts of the course to help pack it in before the freezing temps, this was a section that riders could benefit by riding its tire tracks.  Coming out of the woods the race took us straight up the levee, with a 180 degree turn back down to the right, another 180 degree turn this time to the left and back up, and the a 90 degree left turn that ran us off camber and back down the levee.  I tried to maintain my speed back into the woods and riding past the pit I yelled to Chris and assured him that the tire pressure was good.  I got through the barriers, over the flyover, and into the start without any issues.  I didn't know what kind of a gap I had, I just kept my head down and kept digging.

Riding the top of the levee.
Photo: @cxmagazine

     My second lap was a little messier than my first.  Laura van Gilder was yelling for me before I got to the levee.  Laura van Gilder was yelling for me!  How cool is that?!?  At the top of the levee some guy was riding beside the course on the road yelling for me to keep it up.  I started losing traction and he started yelling at me to relax and settle down.  On the off camber I reminded myself that smooth is fast and felt comfortable again on the descent and through the wooded section.  On the second half of the climb back up the levee I turned the bars too tight and I was on the ground so fast I didn't realize what happened until I jumped back up.  Heading past the pit my left knee was throbbing from where it hit a frozen rut.  Behind the boathouse my handlebars got caught in the tape.  I tried riding through it but they were pretty tangled and my shoe hit the post in a way that the BOA dial opened.  I couldn't go anywhere without my shoe falling off.  I didn't have an updated time gap and it felt like ages before I got clear again.  I think it ended up being only 5 seconds or so that I lost but at the time it certainly felt longer.  I found out later that Jared Nieters had gotten a video of it and posted it on Instagram.

     I collected myself after my shoe incident, finished out the lap, and put my head down through the start/finish with two laps to go.  People were yelling for me at the top of the levee, I heard my name from different spots of the course, and I stopped paying attention to what anybody was really saying.  Chris yelled something about champagne from the pit, I yelled back to remind him I still had a lap and a half and that I wanted a time gap.  Maybe I didn't yell...maybe I might have snapped a bit in my excitement...  He didn't give me one but instead said to just keep going.  My legs were feeling great and I had one lap to go.  I've had a lot of races where I tell myself at some point to not go backwards.  Don't get caught.  I don't know if there was any race where I was more focused on just going forward.  I finished up my final lap, came into the finish straight, and posted up.  I had finished my season, and accomplished my goal.  I am a National Champion!  Someone from USA Cycling stopped me after the line and got an interview with me.  A guy from CX Magazine took my bike so he could take pictures of it.  Another guy from CX Magazine wanted to interview me.

2017 USA Cycling Women's 30-34 Cyclocross National Champion!

     I was, and even months later still am, elated from that morning's events.  I set a goal an entire year before, focused and worked toward that goal, and finished the season off by achieving that goal.  I could not be more excited to have finished off the season on such a big high and I'm really looking forward to next season!

     Thank you, everyone, for being so supportive of me this last year.  Christopher, I am so very thankful to have you by my side through all of this.  To all my family and friends that I had to skip out on plans to go ride or race, thank you for putting up with me.  To my coach, Mike Stoop, thank you for focusing my training and helping me to reach my goal.  Thank you all again.  I think I may be my biggest critic and the encouragement and kind words that I received from everyone went further than anyone can imagine.

Thank you, also, for reading.  I'll have more later in the week!

2017 Episode 2

Capital 'Cross Classic

   I added this race onto my racing calendar a few weeks ago, when I realized that the end of the season was coming much quicker than I anticipated.  I've done a few local races, and a few UCI races, but no regional races, so I wanted to get one end before the end of the season, and to give me another opportunity with a larger field.

    I went into the weekend feeling that I could do well and was really looking forward to racing at the venue.  I haven't raced there in several years, and I have always thought that course was designed with a great mix of elements (both technical and power oriented).  This year it was changed a bit due to some work being done to the waterways in the park, and although I thought there were a bit more fast, straight, power spots than I was expecting, it was still a fun race, and one I'm going to try to keep on the schedule again for next season.

Thanks to the folks from Capital Cross for the barrier prime!
I think Chris deserves it though for working so hard for me
in the pit!

    The race started on a slight uphill paved section with some grassy 180s into a fast, paved downhill.  I took the holeshot, and bombed the downhill into the first off-camber section to take the "barrier prime" (the first rider to cleanly clear the barriers on the first lap).
Across the dam we went into the Capital 'Cross Stairs and the band kicked it into high gear.  The crowd was great, the music was loud, and I was realizing that I felt pretty good.  We went through the Mini-Chute, up the Zombie Killer climb which was short, steep, and soft, and into the campground climb.  The course took us into The Chute the was twice the length of the aforementioned Mini-Chute, with very fast, flowy corners that took you back to the bottom of the course and across the dam again.  Going down The Chute, my rear wheel skipped up and I drifted through one of the corners.  I knew I was taking those corners faster than I had planned to and ended up with a really wide line coming out of it, feeling like I was going to slide out in the one semi-slick section of the course.  Across the dam and past the second pit entrance there was one more off-camber section before we dropped into the pavement and up the start/finish hill.

    I knew I had only a few seconds on Allyson behind me in 2nd place so I was really trying to focus on being as smooth as possible and to push myself more than usual on the power sections.  I was heading under the finishing truss, stood to push the pace, and I started to notice the rim was hitting the pavement.  I couldn't believe it.  I got to the grass section and just started to go backwards while trying to ride it out to the pit.  Allyson came around me and I almost rolled my tubular through one of the corners.  I didn't have much further to go and I really didn't want to run downhill on pavement so I kept trying to ride it out.  But halfway down, for fear of ruining Chris' carbon rim, I got off and shouldered the bike.  I ran as hard as I could with my bike on my shoulder.  Ten more people passed me before I made it to the pit and as I grabbed my pit bike, I realized that I was going to have to dig to get anywhere near the podium, and I was quite certain that there was no way I'd be seeing Allyson again until the race was over.

    I can honestly say I don't remember every single detail of the race after that.  Chris yelled time gaps and places to me every time I passed the pit.  The band seemed to be deafening at the top of the stairs, and there were bubbles...so many bubbles.  There was so much traffic with the shorter laps and big fields in a couple different racing categories that it was hard to tell who I was catching and who was being lapped.  I know I made some passes on some of the technical spots that were a little more risky than I usually do, especially when I was getting close to the two that Chris was telling me were sitting 3rd and 4th.  I know I caught Alex Campbell-Forte and Lyndsay Bayer at the Mini Chute and the Zombie Killer climb, and Lyndsay rode away from both of us on the campground climb.  I caught her again going down The Chute, she rode away from me again across the dam, I got close to her after the pit, she rode away from me through the finish truss, I caught her at the barriers.... we all see where this is going.  We did this accordion thing for the last two laps.  I caught Lyndsay where I excelled at all the technical features, but her road fitness is just unbelievable and she rode away from me as soon as the course opened up.  There is a reason that she is at a pro level on the road, and it showed Sunday.  Even if she hasn't been riding as consistent as usual, she is still amazingly strong.  (If you don't know who she is then you should probably check out her blog...)

Congrats to Allyson Tufano (Sportif Coaching Group/Patapsco Bicycles) on the win, Gabriella Stern (Vanderkitten CX) on 2nd, Lyndsay Bayer (Hagens Berman) on 3rd in one of her few cross races, and Alex Campbell-Forte (Vanderkitten CX) on rounding out the podium!

    I finished the fourth on the day, and although it was not the place I was hoping for, it was certainly a very beneficial race.  This turned out to be another weekend that I learned a lot about racing my bicycle.  Just goes to show that eighteen years of racing bicycles doesn't mean that you still can't discover something about yourself.  I took risks that I don't think I would've taken otherwise.  I know now that I can take those risks.  I also managed to not panic and get to the pit as fast as possible when I discovered my flat.  Something else that you don't know (or forget) you can do until you need to.  And staying focused after a mechanical is, I've discovered, much more important if you're digging to make time back up.  Always things that are great to know you're capable of, the unfortunate thing is there's only one way to figure out if you're capable of those things!

    All in all it was a fantastic day to race my bicycle and what a great event that was!  Thank you to everybody that put so much effort making it a great event and I look forward to doing it again!

    The NCGP UCI race weekend is coming up in Hendersonville, NC...stay tuned!

#mermaidwinery #tradewindsracing #super8cx #capitalcross #crossishere #cyclocross

#toomuchsuper

     Actually, as difficult as this weekend was, I had a blast and there wasn't enough "Super."  I went into the weekend really expecting a top 15 for both days.  I did not get it.  Neither day.

Bib # 15 represented my goal for the weekend.

     Saturday was an exceptionally beautiful day for the weekend before Thanksgiving.  Mid-60's with crystal clear skies.  The field was 45 deep, and everyone was fast off the line into the first corner and onto an off camber followed by a few more off camber 180's.  Every corner was followed by a climb that was longer than I wanted it to be and the downhills were shorter than I had hoped.  The technical features were few and far between.  Even the stairs that were in the middle of a long climb, did little to help separate those that rode them from those that dismounted and ran them.  At least that's how I looked at it.  Everyone around me seemed to be riding up these climbs without great effort and I was struggling with every pedal stroke.  I finished 16th on the day and was trying to find reasons for me not to be too disappointed.  I decided, though, that Sunday was a new day.  And if the weather forecast was correct, I would be getting a chance to play in the mud (which I love to do)!

Snow-capped mountains while driving to the course.

     I was pretty excited when I woke up Sunday and the ground was saturated from the rain (and snow) from early that morning.  However my dad (travel buddy and pit crew for the weekend) and I got to the course and the sub-freezing temps and howling wind made it a little less exciting than I had initially thought.

I kept reminding myself that Nationals are in Connecticut in January! #crossishere

I actually had the best start on Sunday that I've had all season.  On the same off camber as Saturday's start (except extra slick) everybody in the first 10 spots took the high line one after the other after the other.  I was the first person to take the low line, and found myself 6th wheel after a crash on the high line held a few people up.  The first few turns I felt great.  I was certain I could maintain the effort and get myself another top 10.  The next few turns I found myself spinning tires and going backwards.  It didn't matter who's wheel I followed, I couldn't stay on it.  I handled my bike in the corners well, but through the straights I was losing time.  There were people sliding out all over the place, but I still wasn't making up ground.  I changed bikes every lap and kept Dad busy with the pressure washer.  Two laps to go I had him drop the pressure in my tires and when I changed bikes half a lap later, it was night and day.  I finally felt like I could get somewhere.  Maybe it was mental, I don't know, but I managed to make up two spots after that.  Had I still had another half lap I could have maybe gotten another one or two; there just wasn't enough real estate at that point.  I finished Sunday at 19th place...barely squeaking into the top 20.

Post-race pic with my pit crew.

     Dad did a great job as my pit crew keeping my bikes as clean as possible for me every bike change.  And considering we never practiced bike changes, actually pulled it off fairly seamlessly.  Supercross was not my A race for the season (actually not any of my B races either).  I was not training for this race specifically, and I can't expect to have a great race every time I toe the line.  Yes, I'm a little disappointed in my results, but for me not to take anything away from the weekend would be a wasted trip.

  So a few things I learned on the weekend:
-13 psi is not too low for some conditions.  Its really important to experiment with different pressures more during my pre-ride.  Especially when the conditions are the way they were.
-I raced with leg warmers for the first time in a UCI race and they didn't get in the way at all...extra clothing is not necessarily a bad thing when its warranted.
-Having your pit crew make changes to the bike in the middle of the race is something that should be done without hesitation.  If it will help then do what needs to be done.
-The race is not over until the line.  Keep making adjustments until something works and keep pushing.
-Longer toe spikes are a must for conditions like Sunday.
-Being able to feel your toes and the bottom of your feet is crucial, even more so when there is a lot of off the bike involved.  I should really keep that in mind when putting my kit on before a race.

I know I've learned more just by being there and getting the experience, so to come out of the weekend completely disappointed is not logical.  I'm going into a rest week and then I start looking towards Nationals.  Capital Cross, NCGP, and the final, Rustbucket Race, will be leading me into it.  Here's to looking forward!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

#ucicx #supercrosscx #toomuchsuper #mermaidwinery #mermaidwinecx #tradewindsracing #procx

2016 Cross Season - 2 Months In, 2 Months to Go

     I'm two months into my 2016 cross season and I can't believe that there's just under two more months until Nationals.  The sad part is there are much fewer races that I'll be able to get to in the last two months than the first two.  This season has definitely been one for me to remember.  And as bad as my memory is, I'm kicking myself a bit for not doing a post more often.  If no other reason than to help me remember!  So without further adieu, here's a brief recap of my cross season to date.

Kicking off the season at Nittany CX.
#cxishere
Photo: Marci Fulton

Nittany Cross

There was a stair run-up, some barriers,and a couple
off-cambers that made things just a little more interesting.
#ucicx #nittanycx
Photo: Marci Fulton

Race weekend number one for me.  This was a full weekend of racing, and also UCI level racing.  Of course the first race of the season you never know where you'll end up.  I've been much more focused with my training this year, but you still don't know.  The race predictor shows what "should" happen (which for me was a 21st and 23rd finish for the two days), but you always want to beat your race predictor.  I went in with a goal I truly felt I could accomplish, top 15 for both days.  The course was pretty much flat with a few VERY small, punchy climbs, with a great mix of technical and power sections.  I ended up achieving my goal for the weekend, with a 14th place both days.  Something I was really excited about.

Roanoke GoCross

Those who didn't make the drive missed out on a very well balanced course.
#vacx #gocross
Photo: Marci Fulton

     This was my first time heading out to Roanoke for the GoCross race and I really enjoyed the course.  Those guys from the Deschutes Brewery team did a fantastic job with that race.  I wish more people would make the trip out there.  We had some power sections, some technical sections, a small sand pit, a flyover, and plenty of beer to go around!  It was a fun race and my first win of the season!

Richmond Festival of Cross

Alex kept me chasing her wheel on the
pavement at Bryan Park. #vacx
Photo: Oscar Ruiz

     Chimborazo Park and Bryan Park are two local races of the season that I have a hard time missing.  They are two completely different courses that make for a great weekend of racing put on by Altius Cycling.  Chimborazo this year was a muddy mess, but since I don't race in the mud very often, sometimes I have to welcome it with open arms!  I decided to race back to back in the Women's 1/2/3 and the Men's 3/4 putting me into a deficit going into Sunday.  Bryan Park, unlike the much more technical Chimbo, is more power oriented and over half of it this year was on the pavement.  Alex Campbell-Forte came down from DC for the weekend and kept me in the red during the power sections.  We ended up going into the barriers and last few corners side-by-side, I managed to squeak out the W after a sprint finish (I still think Alex felt bad when I kicked the barriers and almost fell face first!)

Charm City CX

     I was really excited about my results at Nittany, but Charm City left me on an even bigger high after coming out of the weekend.  I went in thinking that the power course that Charm City usually is was completely opposite of what I'm comfortable with.  I was hoping for a top 20, but was expecting a top 25 against a stacked field.  One that included the US, French, and British National Champions (Katie Compton, Caroline Mani, and Helen Wyman).  The weekend started with rain, causing the course to be slick and much more technical than usual.  

Unlike past years, the sand pit was one of my favorite elements of the race.
#ucicx #charmcitycx #playinthesand
Photo: Jason Calderon

I finished with a 13th place Saturday and couldn't have been more pleased.  Sunday was much drier, and definitely more power oriented.  Because of the C1 status, more UCI points were on the line, and the field was stacked a little deeper than Saturday.  I finished with a 20th place, but still not disappointed one bit.

DCCX

     Coming off of Charm City I was feeling pretty good about where I would finish.  I knew top 15 was achievable, but I thought that top 10 was definitely possible.  DCCX is one of my favorite courses and is definitely more appealing to anyone that has a mountain bike background.  Barriers, stair run-ups, log crossing, off cambers all appeal to me as a rider.  Both days I felt great, focused, and after mixing it up with some ladies I never though I could, left with an 8th place on both days.  My best UCI results to date!

The 180 off camber turn helped get me my best uci result to date!
#ucicx #shebelievedshecouldsoshedid
Photo: Marci Fulton

Tidewater MTB Challenge

     I took the weekend off of cross for my favorite mountain bike race (although I may be biased because I've been doing this race off and on for 18 years, and Chris proposed to me there 3 years ago).  Saturday evening I raced the Women's Short Track race while Sunday I raced the Women's Pro/Expert race.  I ended up 2nd both days, behind an extremely strong rider named Andrea Dvorak.  Haven't heard of her?  Check her out!  Thank you Steve for putting on an exceptional race every year!  Looking forward to next year's 30th anniversary!

VCU/Sweet Spot Cross

     The race at Richmond's City Stadium was tight and twisty with some different features including a short, but steep, climb with a railroad tie across the course. Sam Park did a great job as always putting the race together at a very unique venue.  The Women's 1/2/3 race resulted with me on the top step of the podium and afterwards I beat up on some guys and got 4th in the Men's 3/4.

Plenty of technical sections to keep everybody focused.
#vacx #vcucx
Photo: Marci Fulton

RVR Weekend of CX

     Rogue Velo Racing put on a set of races at Bennett's Creek Park and Mt. Trashmore this weekend.  I wish the overall turnout were better for this race because the courses were laid out quite well and the weather was just perfect.  I got the case of the can't-help-its because I again signed up for the Women's 1/2/3 and the Men's 3/4 on Saturday, making sure I wasn't going to have anything left by the end of the weekend.  

Women's 1/2/3 start at Bennett's Creek.
#vacx #rogueveloracing
Photo: Erica Cline

I left Bennett's Creek Park with a 1st and 2nd place in the women's and men's races!  Sunday, Alex came down again from DC for the State Championships.  She came into the race at a disadvantage after racing earlier and winning the Women's 35+ state championships.  That gave me enough of an edge to pull away from her in lap 3 to bring home the state championship for the Women's 1/2/3!

     Thank you everyone for the great support and encouragement this year.  It's awesome when you realize that your hard work is paying off and I'm looking forward to the remainder of the season.  In case you're curious, I've been training with Mike Stoop since June of this year and I feel more fit on and off the bike than I have in a very long time.  I've had a coach in the past, but I'm far more disciplined than I was, getting my workouts uploaded and of course getting my workouts done.  Imagine that!  Having a specific plan and getting workouts in makes you feel fit and strong!  I realize though, that I could still tighten things up a bit, and since the season is over halfway done, now is a good time to start.

#cxishere #tradewindsracing #mermaidwinery #mermaidwinecx #cutawayusa #ucicx #vacx