US Stove-Trek presented by Vantaggio

Some more pictures from the weekend

2011-08-09T21:20:00.000-04:00

Kristi takes 3rd!

Short Track podium. Total domination.

Pro XC podium. Dang, that looks GOOD.

SERC Finals with a little bit of Georgia thrown in...

2011-08-08T20:43:00.000-04:00

Well, it has been a slow couple of weeks, just lots of training, training and more training in anticipation of cyclocross season which is just around the corner (YAY!!!!). The mountain bike season is winding down and so is the road bike season. We have a few more weekends of fun left but for the most part, we have kicked butt, taken names and are ready to move on to the fall season. We could not have done it without our awesome sponsors, especially US Stove and Trek/Trek Store Chattanooga. For anyone who needs killer awesome stoves, grills, etc., we have coupons for the hook up on the most kick butt stuff you can buy. remember, you don't buy cheap bikes, why would you buy a cheap grill?? Also, we have team friends deals at the Trek Store in Chattanooga so when you are ready to get the best bike out there... we have your ride.

Goats on the roof... only in the mountains of north Georgia!!!

Two weeks ago Kristi, Star, Emily and I met Catherine in Helen, GA for the GA series finals. This race was also the makeup race for the SERC series so we decided to go and pad the results a bit more. I hadn't been to Helen in years and all I remembered was that it was a Bavarian theme little town in the mountains and the race course was ALL uphill. Well, I got it half right. It was all up hill and a really REALLY fun trail. Helen the town was over priced and a "Bavarian meets Gatlinburg red-neck hell". We did see the craziest tourist attraction ever: a store called "Goats on the Roof". yep, you guessed it, there were goats on the roof. We had a really fun girl weekend and topped it off with some killer race results. I won the race and had an amazing ride. I was 12 minutes over second place (MY TEAMMATE!!!) and rode most of the way through then men's field. I guess the climbing was a good thing for me. All of my teammates rode well. Catherine was second, Emily was 5th, Star 6th. And Kristi, still crazy as always, raced her race on her single speed against geared bikes and took 3rd. A good time was had by all. And yes, the only picture I have is of goats on the roof.... ha!!!

Team time trial during the Short Track. Ouch, looks like it hurts!!!

This past weekend we were everywhere. We kicked butt and took names. It was the SERC series finals and the whole team came out to race. Paula decided to start out the weekend with a road race in Oak Ridge, TN. She started us off right with a WIN. Next Anina, Catherine and Shannon decided to race the Saturday night short track race, a SERC series finals weekend tradition. They finished 1,2,3... The domination was continuing.

Central Command for the day... you can almost feel the pre-race nerves.

Sunday was the big event. Fontana is NOT an easy race. It hurts even if you are feeling good. It is steep and slippery and sometimes technical. I LOVE it, but it has a way of taking no prisoners. I was nervous, which is rare for me. I had a good lead in the series and I wanted to win to cement my place in my head as the strongest cross country racer in the series. Carey has been such a great competitor to race against this season, I have the utmost respect for her and her talents. She is an ultra endurance racer and one of the best out there. These races are a sprint for her. It is not her forte and she still kicks butt and makes me work at my own discipline. The series has been a better place this year and I have become a better racer because she has been there. Hopefully we can talk her into another season of it next year!!!

Catherine shows off her stellar face-plant.

I was a bit of a wreck Sunday morning. My biggest fear was an untimely mechanical. I have not flatted in a LONG time. My tires are almost a season old and in need of replacement. A bit of ill planning on my part, I know better, but I was just caught up in life and didn't put new tires on the bike before leaving town. I raced the entire race with a bit higher air pressure than normal to avoid a pinch flat and I was a slow and tentative on all the descents but I kept air in the tires...

Shannon, Anina and Catherine are all smiles before the start of the Short Track.

The start of the race was straight uphill. I HATE uphill starts. I have never been good at them. This start scared the crap out of me. What if someone attacks?? I am a slow starter. I like to work into my pace and slowly ramp things up. The whistle blew and we were three wide at the front for a minute. Then I was alone. I rode my pace up the hill and I gapped the field. I rode off the front and never looked back. I need to remind myself once in a while that I am not the same girl that used to struggle so badly at the back of races. That was a LOT of miles ago and these days I am going along pretty well. I rode the race a bit on the conservative side to avoid any crashes or flat tires and I finished the race and the series in first place. It felt really good to win this one.... there were some really strong girls (mostly my teammates) and it was a really hard race. To top it off, we went 1,3,4,5. The podium looked GOOD. Kristi also made a podium appearance with a 3rd place, again on her single speed.

Kym and Carey on the final SERC podium; Pro Women's category.

The SERC series overall podium was as follows:

Pro women: Kym 1st
Cat 1 women: Catherine 1st, Emily 3rd.
Cat 2 women: Kristi 3rd

Of the top 8 women overall in the series, we were 4 of those places.

Whew, what a great season!!! Next up, some local racing (both road and mountain) and then a rest before the cross madness begins.

Thanks for reading...

State Champion, SERC #9 and the "Bad Idea Jeans" weekend.

2011-07-11T13:24:00.000-04:00

Kym and Paula celebrating the State Road Race WIN.

Well, I did it again. I put on my Bad Idea Jeans and went racing. What? You have never heard of my Bad Idea Jeans?? Well, let me explain... I come up with super fun ideas which are also logistically, physically and (sometimes) a bit emotionally "challenging". Mark has taken to calling these ideas many things over the years (crazy, demented, etc.) but in recent years he simply reminds me that I might be wearing my "bad idea jeans" and should reconsider. I rarely do. I like how the jeans fit.

Last week it was brought to my attention that the TN State Road Race Championships were this Saturday in Johnson City, TN. Sunday was race #9 in the SERC series in Huntsville, AL. Both races were withing day-trip driving distance of home and I have ridden the SERC course before; never mind that it is one of the most technical courses we races all season. I started thinking (which often leads to me putting on those infamous pants) that with some careful logistical planning we could do both races. Now that Paula has returned and is not only a fantastic mountain bike racer but also a kick butt road racer who has her goal set on Master Road Nationals next month, I figured I could sucker, I mean convince, her to join me.

It took no effort at all to convince Paula to join in the fun; I suspect she also owns a pair of bad idea jeans. Mark, being the incredibly supportive husband, volunteered to work the feed zone on Saturday for us and drive us all over the Southeast to our races. We decided to take Paula's new truck (which makes all other truck in the universe look small) and travel in style. The photo is the "before" shot. She looks even better with the US Stove car magnets on the doors and Trek bikes on the rack!!!

We departed Chattanooga at 7:30am on Saturday for Johnson City and a 12:20pm race. Travel was uneventful and we arrived with a plan and time to relax and prepare for the race. The goal of the day was to get Paula the win. There were some decent hills on the course and we hoped that we had the legs to get her away. Well, to quote my friend Steve "Even the best laid battle plan rarely survives contact with the enemy". We had a strong field of 15 ladies, including two teams with 4 riders each. Okay, so we were a bit out numbered but we hoped we had fitness and experience on our side. Paula and I have been racing as teammates for a LONG time and it showed. We set the pace, controlled the hills and created the eventual winning group of 6 rider. About halfway into the race Paula rolled up next to me and told me that she thought I had better legs today, she was going to work and lead me out at the finish. Okay, change of plans but we can adapt. And adapt we did. She killed it the second half of the race, wore out the field and was the PERFECT lead out. I took the win by over a bike length and am now the TN State Road Race Champion. I can't remember the last time I raced with such an incredible teammate. We were perfect together. And the first half of the weekend was complete. US Stove-Trek has a state title to add to the resume.

Now to get home. Of course the race and after effects took longer than planned and we had to eat so by the time we got moving we were behind schedule. Then we hit construction traffic. Mark drove like a rock star and I navigated and detoured us around the mess and we arrived back in Chattanooga about 7:45pm. Hmmm.... we still have to shower, pack and drive two hours to Huntsville tonight. We frantically got ready for the turn around (while watching the Tour de France... it is July) and were ready to roll by 8:45pm. And then it began to rain, just as we were going to load everything into the back of the truck. We decided that we should get to bed NOW and leave early in the morning for Huntsville instead. Again, the best laid plans....

Sunday morning came WAY too early (5am) and it was the first time all weekend that I thought MAYBE this whole thing was a bad idea. Oh well, too late to change the plans now. We made it to Huntsville without incident and although it was HOT, the sun was shining and we were ready to race. We met most of the rest of the team there (they all pre-rode and were well rested) and we were ready to get it done. My warm-up consisted of riding the first part of the course (I am glad I did, there were a couple of tricky turns I needed to see). My legs actually felt pretty good. Hmmm, maybe I was going to be able to pull this off. We lined up and I took the lead in the first pavement stretch before we hit the trail. I never looked back. One rider stayed with me for a short while but before I knew it I was off the front alone. I was feeling pretty good but I had no idea how long that was going to last and if the weekend's "fun" was going to catch up to me mid race.

About half of the course in Huntsville is fast and the other half is technical. Really, really technical for a race course. Nothing that is unrideable but enough that one wants to pre-ride (hint) and know the best lines and the kind of speed that one can carry into any given section. Well, I had raced there last year but a year is a long time ago. I mostly remembered the big obstacles and was doing well... and then it happened. Just as I was thinking "There is a tricky downhill coming up here soon" I was on top of it and out of control. It was one of those moments when all I could think was "Uh oh, this is not going to end well". Sure enough, it didn't. I ate it HARD and spent a frantic bit of time collecting bike, glasses and other gear, putting my chain back on the bike and checking to see where the other rides were. Damn Kym, SLOW DOWN. I rode a bit more apprehensively the rest of the race and crossed the finish line tired, bruised, bloody and in FIRST place. Whew. I did it. Two for two. The bad idea jeans fit well all weekend.

Kym and Paula on the SERC podium on Sunday.

My teammates also rocked the day. Paula took third, just behind Carey. Catherine was 4th, Emily 7th and Shannon 8th. Kristi had her best finish of the year in her category with 2nd on her single speed (against geared riders).

Mark drove us home and I collapsed on the couch for the rest of the night and watched other riders race (the Tour again...)

Whew. What a weekend. I guess Monday is what happens when you need a break from all the fun. I might need a couple of Mondays this week.

The bad idea jeans are back in the closet for now. I may have a date with them on Thursday. We are headed to the Cherohala Skyway...

Thanks for reading.

Paula's back!!!!

2011-07-11T11:44:00.000-04:00

For those who have known us for a while, you already know Paula. For those who don't, you have missed out all these year. Our good friend and former teammate Paula is back racing with us and we are a better group of ladies for having her return. She's super fun and a KICK BUTT bike racer. She took a couple of years off to explore other things and now she's ready to rip everyone's legs off again. WELCOME BACK.

Racing local and Rockin' it with US Stove

2011-07-05T16:40:00.000-04:00

The girls with the US Stove goods.

The Raccoon Mountain SERC is always one of my favorites. I love racing at home. I get to sleep in my own bed, cook my meals in my own kitchen (instead of a hotel microwave) and I know the trail like the back of my hand. I was excited. And a bit nervous. I always get a little worked up about the local races but I was mostly just excited.

Race day came and we all did great. I took the lead from the start and after about 5 minutes I had the trail to myself. Catherine spent the race in a heated battle with Carey for second, ultimately taking a strong third place. Carey is one tough competitor. It has been great having her race the series this year. Paula, our new old teammate (welcome back after a two year break!!!) took 4th and Emily rolled in for 5th. Kristi had a unfortunate flat tire but was all smiles cheering for us for the rest of the race. Shannon and Amy both finished in the top 10. A great team weekend for all of us!!!

Paula, Kym and Catherine on the podium.

The BEST part of the weekend was US Stove, our super awesome sponsor, came out and cooked hot dogs and cheered for everyone. There were a LOT of happy racers after the race. Hopefully it will translate into stove and grill sales. After seeing all of the awesome products, how could you not buy one. I can't even look at a grill at Home Depot anymore. I guess it's just like bikes, once you get something nice, there is just no comparison.

Thanks for reading...

BUMP and Grind

2011-07-05T16:05:00.000-04:00

This year marks a significant accomplishment for me. It is the year I finally won BUMP and Grind in Birmingham. This race has been my nemesis for many seasons. I LOVE the course. It is perfect for me. Fast, twisty, one good climb and a lot of sweet single track. It is also unforgiving. Over the years I have flatted, double flatted, TRIPLE flatted, blown up wheels, blown up myself, broken a free hub body, etc. You get the picture. It is the one race in the Southeast that I have never won. And it is a big one. This year was my year. I was really hoping for some decent legs, in spite of all the school work and heat, and I was mentally prepared.

The course is a LONG lap, 24 miles for the first one and another 8 for a second lap. We decided to pre-ride only a short section of it in order to save our legs. Even our "short" section ended up being a 2 hour pre-ride. Oops. I might have mis-calculated a little on the time it was going to take us. Fortunately we had a pool at the hotel to recover in. Mark, Catherine and I enjoyed a relaxing evening at the hotel and we went to sleep early, dreaming of the next day's race.

We awoke on race day to hot temperatures and sunny skies. It was going to be a long, hot day. I decided early that pacing myself was the best strategy and when they said "go" I went hard but not crazy. I took the lead early and never looked back. It was hot but I felt good. Actually, I felt GREAT. I just kept getting stronger the whole race and I had a blast. I was all smiles at the finish.

Catherine was a rock star and even after a flat tire raced back to take second place. Mark broke his frame. Enough said.

Whew. After that, how could we top things off???

How about a win the following weekend on my home trails??

Continuing our winning ways

2011-06-28T12:27:00.000-04:00

The season is flying by and we are rocking it as usual. Catherine has stepped it up this season and is nipping at my heels during the races. In fact, she took the win at Dauset a couple of weeks ago. I am always so proud to see my teammates do well. When I have a bad day, I want them to be the ones kicking my butt for sure!!! But let me start where I left off...

First, pictures from the Tanasi race. We are bike racers, not photographers... oh well. It still looks GOOD with all those US Stove kits everywhere!

Anina, Catherine and Kym on the podium at Tanasi.

After Tanasi we had the Trek Women's Weekend where we had a bunch of awesome ladies come out and learn to mountain bike. A grand time was had by all. We had perfect weather and killer bikes to ride, thanks to the Trek Ladies demo trailer.

And then we were back to our winning ways. We are dominating the SERC series again this year, with Catherine and I on the podium at every race and our other teammates sneaking in there occasionally as well. We are all focused and riding so well.

Around the time of women's weekend I was also finishing up a huge project for school. I was asked to author a textbook chapter. This was a huge compliment and will be a great addition to my resume BUT the timing was tight. I had a very short period of time to work with and I spent most of the month of May at my desk, not sleeping and not training. I got the chapter finished and I am very proud of it, but my riding suffered. The culmination of this was felt at the Dauset race. I had just finished the final re-write and I was exhausted. Spent. Done. I had no idea how I was going to race my bike, but I was looking forward to actually getting to ride it. Not to mention that we also had a heat wave and I was not ready for it. All of this added up to one of the worse races I have had in a long time. I started okay but faded fast. I was just not riding like myself. In fact, a think a little girl on a tricycle could have ridden better. I felt awful. Just about the time I thought I was done for Catherine caught me. I was so happy to see MY TEAMMATE instead of another racer. I could have kissed her. She very sweetly rode behind me for a bit before passing me to take the win. Meanwhile I was now concerned that Carey was going to catch me. Carey is an endurance racer and one strong competitor. I love racing with her because I know it is always going to be a good race. I also know I can not let my guard down or she'll catch me in the last lap of the race. She never seems to slow down, after all, for an endurance racer, cross country races are a sprint. About 10 minutes from the finish it happened. I heard someone behind me and it was Carey, about 10 seconds back. No. I was not going to let her catch me. I dug as hard as I could and felt like puking and passing out the entire time, but I did it. I hung on for second place. I was totally dehydrated and wrecked at the finish and I almost passed out but we went 1,2. Whew. I do not want to repeat that any time soon.

And that brings us to BUMP and Raccoon. I will write those reports separately, they are going to take a bit of time.

The 2011 Team

2011-06-08T21:20:00.000-04:00

So we have actually had the new team gear all spring but getting us all together long enough to take a picture has been a challenge; too much racing I guess. It is BY FAR the best looking stuff yet. Thanks to US Stove, Trek, Vantaggio Fitness and Nutrition and all of our other sponsors for making it such a great year!!!

Kristi, Catherine, Star, Amy, Anina, Emily, Kym, Shannon

Of course we were having so much fun it was hard for the camera man (Mark) to get us to stop laughing long enough for a picture...

Details for the women's weekend

2011-05-20T12:23:00.000-04:00

For those who are signed up and have not yet gotten the information, here it is:

Girl’s Getting Dirty: Women’s Mountain Bike Weekend

Chilhowee Campground, Cherokee National Forest

May 21^st to 22^nd, 2011

Weekend Agenda:

Friday: Check in 6-8pm at group camping area. See directions for details.

Saturday: Check in 8-10am, Lunch 12pm, Dinner 6pm

Sunday: Breakfast 8am, Lunch 12pm

Event schedule:

Time	Activity	Location
10am Saturday	Beginner skills clinic-Kym	Lower picnic area
11am Saturday	Your bike 101- Mike	Main camping field/Trek mechanic tent
10am Saturday	Mountain bike rides: beginner and intermediate- USSC-Trek team members	Registration area- main field
1pm Saturday	Intermediate skills clinic- Catherine	Lower Picnic area
2pm Saturday	The mystery of tubless tires unveiled- Mike	Main camping field/ Trek Mechanic tent
1pm Saturday	Mountain bike rides: beginner/intermediate and advanced- USSC-Trek team members	Registration area-main field
7pm Saturday	Campfire girl time-talk bikes, riding and racing with members of the USSC-Trek team and cycling coaches Kym& Mark	Main field
10am Sunday	Beginner skills clinic- Kym	Lower Picnic area
11 am Sunday	Intermediate skills clinic-TBA	Lower Picnic area
9am Sunday	Trailside repairs- Mike	Main camping field/ Trek mechanic tent
10am Sunday	Mountain bike rides: beginner, intermediate and advanced- USSC-Trek team members	Registration area- main field
1pm Sunday	Mountain bike rides: beginner, intermediate and advanced- USSC-Trek team members	Registration area- main field

Other information:

Cost: $50 for the weekend. This includes 4 meals and camping fees. Friday dinner is not included and neither are snacks and any other food. Please feel free to come for a portion of the weekend however we cannot pro-rate the costs. It is $50 whether you are there for 1 meal or all five. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

Pre-registration: Pre-registration is required so we can plan for meals. Registration can be done at the Trek Store of Chattanooga in person or by phone at 423-648-2100. Registration closes May 18^th. After that time registration will be done on a first come, first serve basis until we reach capacity.

Facilities: Chilhowee Campground is located in the scenic Cherokee National Forest about an hour from downtown Chattanooga. The camping area we are using is tent only, although there are campsites with RV hook-ups on the other side of the facility. There is running water, hot showers and a small lake with a beach. We will be staying in the group camping area. It is an area with room for multiple tents and cars.

Riding: We will have demo bikes if you want to try the latest Treks or are shopping around for a new steed. There will be rides for all ability levels so whether you are completely new to riding or a seasoned racer we promise you’ll have a great time.

What to bring: Bring your camping gear, cycling gear and the desire to pedal. The group camping area is a tent campsite area. Please plan accordingly.

Questions: Any questions can be directed to Kym Flynn Fasczewski at: xcgirl@vantaggiofitness.com

Directions: From I 75 North: take exit 20, US 64/74 bypass. Follow the bypass around Cleveland (there are signs to Cherokee National Forest and the Ocoee) take US 64E toward the Ocoee. From the Ocoee Ranger Station on US 64 turn left onto paved Forest road 77. Travel approximately 7.3 miles to the campground signs, turn right. The group camp area is past the day use picnic area and overflow camping field. We will have signs. GPS Directions use: 3171 Highway 64, Benton, TN 37307-5823 (US Forestry Department). This Address will take you to the Ocoee Ranger Station Turn onto FS 77. If you get lost: 423-400-3009.

The Boys: We have had a lot of questions about what to do with those pesky boys. They are welcome to camp with you however; they are not invited on any of the weekend girl rides, activities or meals.

See you there!!!!

Collegaite Nationals and SERC updates

2011-05-18T12:59:00.000-04:00

As part of my "giving back to the sport" philosophy I am racing for UTC in hopes of helping the school realize that:

1. we have a cycling team,
2. we are pretty good at cycling,
3. more money and resources should be put into the cycling program.

So far I think it is working. We got more money this semester than last and they even did an article about my win at cross nationals. With all this being said I made the decision to suck it up and race my road bike this spring. Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE my road bike, I just am not a huge fan of racing it. It is enjoyable once in a while and for those who know me, I have done my share of road racing over the years. I just prefer the dirt. Well the short version: collegiate season went well. I surprised myself (and everyone else) by kicking butt regionally, qualifying for nationals and getting on the podium in the CRIT!!!! The road race was the race I was hoping for a great performance in but team tactics (not mine) made that an impossibility. I was angry I had made the trip and missed the podium in the event I was aiming for. The finish for the crit was redemption time and I sprinted as well as a recovering roadie ever has. I managed a 4th place. Woohoo!!! And my parents got to see the whole thing. What a sweet day.

While I was racing the road bike I was longing for my mountain bike. I have managed to race it a couple of times with great success in the past month. Have I motioned how much I LOVE the big wheels??!! My Superfly Elite is the rockin'est bike ever. Winder GA SERC was right before Nationals and I rode to a convincing win. This past weekend I did it again at the Tanasi SERC race. Tanasi was almost perfect. We had the whole team out there (except Doctor Kristi who had a baby to deliver...) and we went 1,2,4,5 in the Pro/1 women's field. I won with the fastest lap times I have ever turned on that course. It has to be the bike because I know my fitness is not where I want it yet this year. I am doing a slow build for cross season in the fall. I'll be really fast when it counts!!!

Well, that is the update of the past month... I'll post some pictures soon.

Thanks for reading...

Baseball, US Stove Style

2011-05-18T12:34:00.000-04:00

Monday night I finally got to meet some of the men that are making our race season possible. Not only does US Stove make totally kick butt stoves and grills, they are great guys. American owned and American operated with totally made in the USA products; how can you go wrong??

Mark and I were invited to attend a Chattanooga Lookouts (AA baseball) game with the crew from US Stove. We had box seats, fun times and I cannot wait to go again. Thanks!!!!

Ps. Buy stoves. They rock.

Women's Weekend!!!

2011-04-13T16:58:00.000-04:00

Hey Ladies, Trek Store of Chattanooga is hosting a women's only mountain bike weekend May 21-22.

Details here.

Come join the fun... Pass the word on to everyone you know. This is going to be a ROCKIN' good time!!!

Race season is HERE.

2011-04-13T16:52:00.000-04:00

We've all been waiting and anticipating and after a long, wet, cold winter it is upon us. Ready or not!!!

I started off with the traditional trip to Florida for the opening round of the SERC series. Lucky me, it also coincided with spring break so we got to spend a few days in the warm weather. It was a really fun weekend, even with my pale winter legs blinding everyone as thy glowed in the sunlight. The Florida girls are always tough this time of year and this year was no exception. The first lap there was three of us off the front, the second lap there was one off the front (not me) and two chasing (myself and one other girl). The last two laps it was one off the front (still not me), one chasing (me!!) and one more chasing. It was an exciting race and I was very happy with second place. Florida in March is TOUGH!

The team started off the season with a debut of the new team kits- Yay US Stove!!!- at Tsali NC for the Knobschorcher. This is one of the longest running mountain bike races in the Southeast and the fields were going to be HUGE. There is always a ton of people here for this race. For some added excitement there was a time trial Saturday. Catherine, Amanda, Shannon, Emily Kristi and myself were all so excited to race.

The time trial was a bit dismal for me, I finished 3rd in the pro field. I finished the race and didn't feel like I had pedaled that hard. Kym, it is a time trial, if you don't feel like puking you didn't do it right. Nope. Sure didn't! Catherine kicked butt and won the Cat 1 time trial. Amanda was second. I am glad someone stepped up. Go team!!!

Sunday I was ready for a little redemption. I had a plan. I knew my competition and the course, and I was ready to race. This was also my debut on the 29er, a super sexy Trek Superfly Elite. After the whistle, I let one of the other girls set the pace and I patiently waited. And waited. I was second wheel and I was hoping for the right moment to make my move. And then it happened. At the top of the first climb the leader bobbled and I came around her and did my thing. My mind said "GO", my body said "OUCH, Kym you have been studying too much and not riding enough". Mind and body agreed to disagree and I raced. I rode hard but tried my best to stay within myself. The last 5 miles my legs were really feeling the lack of miles but somehow I did it. I WON!!!! Woohoo. Good start to the season.

I learned a couple of things about my riding at Tsali:

1. Grad school makes me slow.
2. Mind is stronger than body.
3. I need to train more.
4. Big wheel are fast.

Thanks for reading...

New name, same HOT team...

2011-03-23T15:47:00.000-04:00

We have a new title sponsor and the 2011 season is almost here. United States Stove Company, the largest manufacturer of wood burning stoves in the US, is based right here in TN about 30 miles from Chattanooga. We are really excited about the partnership we have formed with them and hopefully we can race bikes and help sell stoves, grills and furnaces for them at the same time. If anyone out there has heating or grilling needs, look for some great "team only" deals in the near future.

The new team kits should be here in a few weeks and the design is flamin' hot... wait until you see them.

We have added one team member for 2011, Kristi Hawken. Kristi is not only a badass single speed racer, she's a really cool chick too. We are so excited to have her join the fun for 2011 and we are looking forward to watching her school everyone with gear while riding her sexy new Superfly SS.

Bring on 2011.

Another cross season draws to a close.

2011-01-19T15:55:00.000-05:00

Cyclocross season goes by way too fast. It is now January and it is pretty much over. After an extended holiday trip to the "great white north" to see my family, I really have no race fitness left. Apparently cookies and wine are not the ideal training food. Fitness or not, we had a couple of races left this month; little things like the TN state championships, so I of course registered and hoped for the best.

The TN state race was accompanied by a UCI race the day before. There was an opportunity to actually make some money and get a killer result. I decided my cookie induced figure needed to get some miles in the legs and see what sort of miracle I could pull off. We got home from up north the 29th of December and I put in a big hard training block in hopes of reminding my body that we were in fact a bike racer. Ouch. I always forget how quickly fitness goes away. As part of my "shock it back into shape"approach I decided to head to Rome, Ga for their first January series race. Yes, it hurt even worse than I thought it would. I felt as if I was moving in slow motion the entire race and even though I won, I never felt good. Okay, mission accomplished. My butt was kicked!!!!

With a couple of weeks of training back in the legs we were suddenly treated to a "recovery week" last week. SNOW. It doesn't snow in Chattanooga. At least not 9 inches. This is a town that shuts down at the prediction of snow. We were non-functional for a week. There was a bunch of time on the rollers and a day or two of added recovery. I was fresh for the weekend, whether I wanted to be or not.

This past weekend was the UCI Kingsport Cup/ TN State Championship weekend. I went into it with NO expectations. There were some strong racers registered and I was skeptical of my fitness. All I could do was hold on and hope for the best. I had no excuses, Mike at the Trek Store of Chattanooga spent a LOT of time healing my poor bike from the damage I did to it at Nationals. the bike was working flawlessly, hopefully the body would step up to the challenge.

UCI win!!!!

photo courtesy of Bart Nave

The UCI weekend started with some drama with Shannon almost missing the start (her fantastic ability with directions was once again the culprit) and me walking her through the turns to the park 30 minutes before the start. Whew. Made it. At the gun, there were immediately 3 of us together off the front of the race. It was a flat, fast and unexpectedly (mostly) dry course. It was going to be a tactical race. After we attacked each other a few times with no success I determined it was time to sit in and let someone else make a mistake. The other two riders both tried a few more attacks and it looked like we were going to be in for a 3-way sprint when there was an attack and suddenly there was just two of us. Okay Kym, there is one lap to go, it is now or never. I did my thing. I attacked on the only mud on the whole course and I got a gap. Not a huge gap but big enough. I drilled it and never looked back. I won!!! I won a UCI race!!! Holy crap. I may never do that again but it was a killer feeling. My weekend (and my incredible season) was complete.

Sunday was the TN State CX race. I am the three time defending champion so it was time to step up. No relaxing on day two. Mark's race was the first one of the day for us and he started us off with a WIN. I am so proud of him. My husband has been my biggest supporter for many years; he is coach, mechanic, cook driver and emotional support. He has put his own racing second many times so I can live my dream. It was the highlight of my season seeing him cross that finish line. I think that was the most well deserved win of the weekend. Great job, babe!!!

After that inspiring ride it was time for me to go around the merry-go-round once more. They said go and my start was abysmal. I couldn't get clipped in and my focus was not there. Time to rally the troops. I had a quick discussion with my body, we agreed to disagree and I painfully took the lead. I never looked back. I added State CX Champion to my season's accomplishments.

I am ready for some play time. We have a few other "maybe" races coming up, all are small and local and will be done last minute if we feel like it. No more travel or stress for a while. My 2010 season is now officially over. What a ride!!!!

2011 racing starts in March.

A Wild Ride.

2010-12-13T16:45:00.000-05:00

Whew. Okay so I know I have slacked off a ton this fall with my posting but I have been racing, I promise. Grad school is awesome but all consuming; blame Statistics for my lack of timely posts.

This fall has been riddled with highs and lows in my racing. I had one incredible day in Ohio, two disappointing days in Ohio, some fantastic racing in Georgia and North Carolina and some challenging days at the USGP in Louisville. The short version of everything: I spent half the season battling a sinus infection that I did not know I had and another couple of weeks dealing with the aftermath of the flood caused by a broken pipe the weekend of Ohio. My Cross season was a roller coaster of ups and downs.

Even on the bad days I found some good things. At the USGP in Louisville I was on antibiotics (finally) from the sinus infection and was not at 100%. My goal was to work on bike handling and my starts. I had fantastic starts all weekend. I was top 5 going onto the dirt both days. I faded after that, but the initial effort was there. I learned how to push through the bad days and have fun just racing my bike.

In North Carolina I was healthy and ready to race. I had a great weekend. It was a UCI weekend and I rode as well as I ever have with 7th and 6th place finishes. WooHoo!!! I was finally starting to find my legs... hopefully this was going to be my year at Nationals. I finished the Georgia series strong, I remain undefeated in the Southeast. I sure do love the GA Cross scene. What an incredible group of women. And my teammates are also hooked. Look for more of the team in GA next fall.

This past week was Nationals in Bend, OR. Against my better judgement we loaded up a ridiculous amount gear and got on an airplane in hopes of glory; or at least a lot of fun. It is exam week so I had to do a little bit of sweet talking to make sure it was okay for me to be gone. I was registered for 3 races (plus a TT for start position in the Masters race); collegiate, masters and elite. As a full time student, I was eligible to race the collegiate race and I wanted to support my school and the cycling team by representing at nationals.

The TT was my first event and I rocked it. I took second and I was psyched. Unfortunately I rocked it a little bit too well and my legs had nothing the next day for the actual masters race. I had a horrible day. Grrr. Okay now I am just angry. After a day of recovery I was going to rip off some legs in the collegiate race. I wanted to come home with a medal so badly I could taste it.

The collegiate race and the elite race were the same day so we had some interesting logistics to contend with. The morning was a balancing act of eating, warming up, racing, cleaning up, eating, more warming up and racing again. We would be lucky if we pulled it off. I could have never done it without Mark's help. Thanks babe!!! My warm-up began before the sun came up (my first race was at 8am) and I was sleepy but excited. I was definitely the "old lady" of the collegiate ranks. I did not know a single person I was racing against so I was just going to have to take it as it came. UTC is Division 2 for cycling; both D1 and D2 were racing at the same time with a 1 minute gap between us. They sent off the D1 ladies and I was focused. It was show time. They blew the whistle and I was immediately at the front with three other girls. Okay, I am going to settle in and see where I stack up against them. After the fist minute or so I knew I was "on". My body felt good and everything was rolling perfect. I LOVE that feeling. I passed the front girls and never looked back. I floated over the mud and flew around the course. I crossed the finish line with my arms in the air. I had just won a national championship!!!!!!

The rest of the day was a blur. Somehow I cleaned up, ate and made it to awards before it was time to race the elite race. The elite race was my victory lap. I enjoyed every second of being out there and even though my legs were done I pushed hard and did okay. I know I could have raced a lot better had I not already raced that morning but I no longer cared where I finished. I just wanted to enjoy the race and the cheers. The fans were incredible. I still finished in the top half, almost top third (47th out of 111 starters) with tired legs and a tired (extremely MUDDY) bike. I collapsed that evening and didn't even get to celebrate. I was too exhausted.

We are now on the journey home. My season has been the most incredible one ever.

I raced for the US National Team at a World Cup.

I won a gold medal and a national championship jersey.

What a wild ride it has been.

Thanks for reading....

Georgia Cross

2010-10-27T17:06:00.000-04:00

Have I mentioned that I love Georgia Cyclocross?? They have a rockin' series and some of the coolest people around to race with. Unfortunately the series conflicts with some of the UCI races so I only get to do about half of the series, but I do love the races I get to do.

The first race of the GA series that I was going to attend was a combination of two of my favorite things; cross and wine! It was being held at a winery (during their fall tasting) and we raced through the vineyard. Fun times.

The course was not ideal but the racing was fun. It was a little too "mountain-bike-like" for me and my cross bike but it was still fun. It is always fun. I won the race and Amanda took 4th. Catherine made her cross debut and was looking to win the Category 4 Women's race handily until she lost a pedal. Oh well, next time. That's what happens when we let her work on her own bike. Mike, we need you!!!

Next up: USGP Louisville...

Cross Season starts with a bang

2010-10-13T12:55:00.000-04:00

Whew. I know, I have been delinquent again in my posting. I make no excuses, I am just really REALLY busy. School is great, I love it, but all my extra time is going to it instead of things like blogging. I apologize to all of you. I'll try to get things caught up here and stay a little more up to date.

As usual I decided to do things the hard way. After the WC I needed a break, my body was tired and I wanted to focus on school for a bit. We postponed my cross racing and early season training because of this so my season is going to be shifted a bit. I will hopefully be strong later (like around Nationals and State Championships) but the first few are going to be trial by fire. I knew it was going to hurt but WOW...

So my first race of the season was the Wisconsin USGP. Yes, I decided to start things off at the biggest race series in the US with some of the best riders in the world. It went about as well as one would expect it to. I suffered, tripped,crashed and fumbled my way through 2 days of racing. In the process I remembered how to race my bike. I had a blast. I still love cross.

The following weekend, taking my re-found ability to Alabama, I had a much better experience. I rode really well, won the women's 1,2,3 race and passed most of the men. Star rocked it with a second place finish in her very first race in the "big girl" field. It was a great day for the Grace Law-Trek p/b Vantaggio team.

This past weekend we were off to more UCI races. This time 3 days of racing in Ohio. The purse was big and the fields were HUGE. My initial goal was top 10 but after seeing our start list a top 15 would still be a huge accomplishment for my early season legs. Day 1 was one of the best races I have ever had. The course was technical and hilly, my two favorite things. I started really strong (top 5 on the dirt) and held my own. I took 7th!!!!! Holy crap. I am not even in race shape yet and I just raced WITH the best in the US. Saturday I got stuck behind a crash at the start and chased back to 14th; not what I had hoped for but I rode strong and some days that is all you can ask for. Sunday was not my day. My body very quickly informed me that two days of racing was enough. I pushed myself as hard as I could but 17th was all I could manage. Star rocked it all weekend in the 3/4 women's field and was 5th, 8th and 9th in fields of 50-60 girls. Mark was our one podium with a second place on Saturday.

After Ohio I am very optimistic about my cross season. I am still not in race shape but I have already shown glimpses of being strong. Even on my bad days I am finishing in the top half of the field at the UCI weekends. I feel like a bike racer. All of these are good signs.

Thanks for reading...

World Cup Finals

2010-09-06T20:52:00.000-04:00

All smiles after the race!!

Well, I did it. I raced for the US Natinal team at the World Cup Finals. It was everything I could have imagined and more. I felt like a rock star all weekend. But I guess I should start at the beginning...

Anina after the big race.

This week was one of the biggest in my life. Tuesday I started graduate school; I am pursuing a masters degree in sport psychology. It is part of my plan to continue to expand my professional career working with athletes. I am extemely excited. Wednesday Mark and I got in the car and drove to Windham, NY where I was racing the World Cup Finals and part of the US National Team. This was a "once in my lifetime" type experience. Wow, talk about a busy, exciting and stressful week!!

Kym and Anina showing off the Swiftwick socks before the big race.

We arrived in Windham (after much studying of stastics) to perfect weather. It had rained a lot earlier in the week but we were treated to a weekend of sunny skies and 70 degree temperatures. The trails were a bit slippery but not too muddy. Perfect! Just tthe way I like it.

Catherine is all nerves before her race.

Anina and Catherine were also racing in NY, Anina with me in the WC Finals and Catherine in the amature race. Anina's rockin' performance at the South Africa National Championships earned her a start position for the World Cup so I had a friendly face in the field. It was also nice to have a teammate to pre-ride with.

Catherine showing off her medal.

Saturday morning it was showtime. I was so excited!! I was lining up against the best in the world. Because I had no World Cup ranking and very few UCI points I was lining up at the back. Actually as far back as I could get. I was called up LAST. Okay, nowhere to go but up, right!!?? Anina was in the row in front of me and she had a great start. I was not quite so lucky. We got to the first single track section and suddenly there were 70 women all looking for the same peice of trail. When you are at the back of that group you might as well sit down and have a sandwich while you wait to try and get onto the trail. Although it was frustrating running, pushing, fighting and clawing my way back into the race, it was a thrill too! I learned that next time I will be much more agressive early on. You lose so much time early in the race in those type of situations, minimizing that is key. After the start, a few elbows and mishaps early on, and a strong pace I finished 57th. Higher than where I started and I gave it my all. I rode strong and technically well; it was not as fast as I was earlier in the season, but I only had 2.5 weeks to prepare for the race; I am pleased with my performance with what I had to work with. Anina rode strong and fast, she finished 56th. Sunday morning Catherine lined up against a strong field of Cat 1 women and tore it up. She rode strong and finished 2nd. It was the perfect end to the perfect race weekend.

Catherine takes second!!!

I cannot describe the awesomeness of the weekend and what it is like to wear the national team kit at a World Cup race in your own country. The fans were incredible. I have never been more happy about my chosen path in life. All the years of cold rides, miserable races and suffering were worth that one moment. I want to do it again!!!

This season has been the best of my cycling career. I have accomplished more than I ever thought I could. I would never have been able to do it without the love and support of my husband, my family and my friends. And of course all the incredible sponsors we have!!! A huge thanks to everyone.

...and then my Mojo returned.

2010-08-23T18:48:00.002-04:00

When one races bikes a lot (almost every weekend) there are times when you are fast and times when you just have to take a break. Mid-summer has been my break in anticipation for cross this fall. With the slightly unexpected trip to the World Cup next week we have had to accelerate my come back to race fitness. I am hoping to continually get faster until Cross Nationals in December, but I have also been hoping for my race Mojo to return to me before Windham.

Yesterday was the last tune-up race/workout before the journey to Windham. Last week was a tough week of training and I was tired but the legs were feeling strong. Booker T State Park is a local trail and the race was going to mostly be my teammates and myself. The goal was to beat the boys. And to race it in under 2:15.

The race was a pavement start and we rolled out easy up the first half mile climb. Once we hit dirt, it was time to rock and roll. I took the lead and pushed hard. Uh oh. My legs felt flat and didn't want to go hard. Okay, let's see if I can work into this a bit. I held a good hard pace and slowly kept ramping it up. I felt better and better with each hill. By 2/3 of the way through lap one I was feeling really strong. By the end of lap one I was catching the back of the men's race. I kept railing it. I felt better every lap. By the finish I had caught all but two of the guys. My lap times were consistent and other than my first lap, they were the same as the front of the men's field. And my finish time was 2:13!!! My Mojo has returned, just in time. I needed that. I am REALLY excited for Windham.

My teammates rocked it too. Amanda rode a strong second place and Star was only about a minute back from her for third. Amy took fourth in spite of her slightly crazy weekend plans. She raced the Fool's Gold 50 on Saturday. 50 miles of MUD and rain. She was 4th there too. Girl, you are an animal!!!

And now the journey begins. Stay tuned for travel and race updates...

Memphis. Hot.

2010-08-16T12:12:00.000-04:00

So instead of my mountain bike season being over after the SERC finals, I have the little matter of the World Cup Finals with the US National team to get ready for. That means a few more weeks of racing. We have had a horribly hot summer and I am looking forward to cyclocross but I am also super excited for Windham so I am prepared to suffer through a few more hot weekends on the mountain bike. This past weekend we had a choice of going to GA for their series finals or going to Memphis and doing a TN series race. I am winning the TN series (sort of a bonus from doing well at the TN SERC races, I wasn't planning on doing the TBRA series) so we decided to head to Memphis. One more weekend and I will no longer be able to be caught.

Memphis is an island. A hot island. One that you can't get to from Chattanooga. It is a 5-6 hour drive (closer to 6 when there are traffic jams). We got up really early Saturday and loaded up. There was a time trial Saturday so we figured as long as we were making the trip we'd do the whole weekend. We arrived in Memphis to 100 degrees and humid. The heat index was 114. Yep that's hot. The pre-ride was fun, it is a great trail and the promoter was out there marking the course and helping us find our way around. Everyone was really nice and helpful. We rode the 10 mile cross country loop and then went out for a lap on the time trial course (a portion of the cross country). We got a good hour and a half of trail riding before the start of the TT.

The TT was hot but bearable. The whole trail (including the TT) is a very twisty, flat trail. It is the kind of trail that screams home course advantage. I can only imagine how much faster I could have ridden the TT had I known what turns were coming up next. Even still, I turned a respectable time, beat a good portion of the boys and won the day. Okay, I lost the day too, as I was the only one but I did alright against the guys so that was my personal measure of things.

Saturday night we were lucky enough to be invited to stay with Kelsey's parents. She is already back in KY at school but Sue and Roger were so sweet to invite us to stay. We found out after we arrived that it was their anniversary. They cooked us an amazing dinner and we thoroughly enjoyed their company.

Sunday morning we awoke and it was already really hot. 83 degrees at 8am. This is not good. The race was 3 laps starting at 10:40am so it was going to be a long hot day. There were two Cat 1 women who showed up to race so although I was given my own category, I had ladies to start with. And the men started 4 minutes ahead of me so that was a goal too. On a flat fast course it was going to take me a lap or two to make up that much time but I was up for the challenge. Lap one went well. I rode strong and although it was hot, I didn't feel bad. I started catching men at the end of the lap. Lap two things started to get ugly. It was really hot and it started to feel like my body had a dimmer switch and someone was dimming things. The cool water at the mid-lap aid station woke me up for about 10 minutes but I then started to fade again. By the time I caught Mark at the end of the lap I was in bad shape. We had some communication issues over me passing him (I was trying to tell him to slow down and not worry about me, he was trying speed up and get out of the way) and he ended up crashing. Sorry babe. I stopped in the feed zone to grab my frozen bottle and shoved a handful of ice down my sports bra (I got cheers for that!!!) and headed out to lap three. It was a death march. I was hot, had stopped sweating, and felt like throwing up. Then the chills came. Uh oh. I was pretty sure i was rapidly approaching heat exhaustion and the only option was to slow down and keep pedaling while trying to not get any hotter. I stopped at the mid race aid station and filled my bottle with cold water, dumped some more on my head and continued on my way. I was actually getting worried the last 20 minutes that I wasn't going to make it. Somehow I did. They grabbed me at the finish and soaked me under a hose. I drank 6 bottles of water and after about an hour I started to feel like me again. It was officially 101 degrees in Memphis with a heat index of 118. I have found my limit.

I won the race. I beat some of the guys. I found my limits in the heat.

I would like to say a huge thank you to Stanky Creek Cycling and Larry in Memphis. You guys put on a class act event. Everything from the course to the food to the support to the prizes were awesome. Thanks!!! I will spread the word and hopefully be back next year with some teammates. But only if it isn't quite so hot...

Next up is Booker T here is Chattanooga, then on to Windham!!!!

SERC Finals, Fontana, NC

2010-08-16T11:27:00.000-04:00

Pro Women: Kym and Anina 1,2 on the SERC series overall podium.

It has been a long season. We started the SERC series in March down in Florida and we've been going non-stop since then. Whew. I have loved every minute of it. I love my team and I love racing my bike. That being said, I am ready for the series to be over. It is time to look to fall for Cross season and some other fun things. Mostly just to fall for some cooler weather but that is another story. I am not complaining about the heat but 100 degrees is hot. Enough said.

Fontana is always a great weekend. There is NOTHING there except for the village/resort and some trails so we are isolated with a whole bunch of other cyclists for the weekend. We took full advantage this year. Mark and I went up a day early and enjoyed some relaxation time. Complete with massages and lots of pool time. And maybe a beverage or two. Fontana was my "victory lap weekend" for the series. I just needed to finish the race in order to win the Pro Women's field for the series so I was going to enjoy the weekend and celebrate all of my hard work. And I was going to do it with all of my teammates!!!

Saturday morning was a pre-ride of the trails that were in great shape. It is rare that Fontana is dry but somehow we lucked out. It was not too hot and not too wet. Just right!!! The course was hard (it always is) but it is one of my favorites. I was excited about it. After the pre-ride we spent the afternoon at the pool (in the shade) and waited for the evening events...

A hard earned top step for Anina. Short track podium.

Short track: Anina was our lone star. She did not disappoint. She lined up with the non-pro men's field and held her own fabulously for the first three laps. And then it happened. She violently re-visited dinner. In front of a huge crowd at the bleachers. She got a ton of applause and even more when she got back on the bike and finished the race. AWESOME.

Sunday was sunny and boarding on hot. We raced at 11:30am so there was no escaping the heat. The race at the front was going to be a battle between Anina, Myself and my friend Carey. Carey is an endurance racer but she's fast at everything. And to make it worse, she was racing on her single speed. I knew that we'd drop her early if we started hard but she NEVER slows down. She has caught me a time or two late in a race. Anina took the lead and it was painfully clear to me immediately that my rest mid-season, although much needed, was still being felt. My legs are getting faster again but I need a couple more weeks before the top end is back. I dug deep and hung on up the hill and once we got to the fast rolling sections I knew that two things needed to happen. One, I needed to push the pace. This part of the course was my strength. Two, we needed to put a big gap into Carey if we wanted to ultimately finish 1,2 today. I passed Anina and for the next 20 minutes I buried myself and she hung on. And then I was done. Cooked. Finished. I told her to go and I settled into a pace that I hoped would hold Carey off through 2 more laps. It worked!!! Anina took the win and I was second. It felt really good to be able to work for my teammate and she ROCKED today. And second place to Anina is nothing to be ashamed of.

Final race podium. Anina 1st Kym second. Love those Swiftwick compression socks!!!

Amanda's weekend was a victory lap for her as well. She has ridden extremely well this season and had the Cat 1 women's overall sewn up. Catherine had the hardest day of all of us. She went into the finals with one point separating her and our friend Jen for the series Cat 1 podium. Whoever finished first between the two of them was going to take second and the other would be third. They battled the whole race and with Jen in sight on the climb to the finish Catherine gave it everything she had. It wasn't quite enough. They finished 2 seconds apart. Wow. Catherine still should be so proud of her season. In her first year racing as a Cat 1 she finished on the series podium and was contesting the front of the races. Amy, Emily, Star and Amanda all rode well and finished in the field. Fun times were had by all. The team finished the series with 6 of the top 10 positions and 4 of the top 5. I think we can officially call 2010 a huge success.

Final SERC podium for the Cat 1 Field. Amanda 1st, Catherine 3rd.

Thanks to Gone Riding for an awesome series and to every one of our sponsors for their support. we couldn't have done it without all of you. And a special thanks to my husband. You put up with a lot.

Thanks for reading....

World Cup Finals!!!

2010-08-16T11:12:00.000-04:00

I found out this past week that I will be racing the World Cup Finals as a member of the US National Team. WoooHooo!!!! I am so excited. There are only three ways that one can race a World Cup race: ride for a UCI trade team (nope), Have 20 or more UCI points (nope, not enough UCI races in the US that I could get to for that to be possible), or ride for your country's national team. Of the three, my only option this year was to somehow race as part of the national team. It became an early season goal and I raced well and kept my finger's crossed. I petitioned for a spot on the team and waited. And waited. I was notified last week and I am fired up!!!! Look out Windham, here I come.

Look for lots of pictures and updates soon. The race is in two weeks!!!

The hard way.

2010-07-26T16:19:00.000-04:00

I have always been one to do things the hard way. That might be why I love cycling so much, it is a challenge. Yesterday was a perfect example of me doing things the hard way. Although I will point out that a lot of yesterdays "challenges" were not my doing, just mine to deal with.

I have decided to chase the TBRA (TN Bike Racing Association) mountain bike series. I hadn't planned on it but after looking at the series standings, I currently have the lead. If I do a few more races I should be able to win the jersey. They are fun courses and places that I haven't gotten to race in a few years. And it will be good training. The fields are usually fairly small so I can use the races to experiment with both bike and body to dial in some things before cross season starts.

Star and I got up at the butt crack of dawn (5am) yesterday to drive to Oak Ridge TN for a series race. I've ridden the trails at Haw Ridge Park before but it's been a few years. Racing without a pre-ride is not ideal but it was just a training race anyway so I was not too concerned. The boss man (Coach Mark) had given me strict instructions to ride the race as a tempo ride, no harder. Okay, that is easier said than done but I was determined to do it. We arrived at Haw Ridge at 7:45am for a 9am start. Hmmm, where is the race director?? Don't you think that MAYBE registration would be set up an hour and 15 minutes before the start. Nope. However, that was not the most disturbing part of the day. We arrived in need of a restroom only to be told that there wasn't one. Really!!!??? Okay, it is race morning, there are things that need to happen. I love Mother Nature but there are just some times that I do not want to know her so well. That is all I am going to say about that. We eventually were told that there was a city port-o-let about a half mile from registration (after we had already visited the woods). One. A half mile away. Wow. This does not bode well for the rest of the day....

After the restroom "incident" we waited in line for registration for a while (during what is normally my warm-up time) and as soon as they had everyone registered they were ready to start us. It is a good thing I am just riding tempo today.... No warm up, no pre-ride, okay GO. Ha!!! We headed off and I took the lead at a (mostly) tempo pace. I slowly rode away from the rest of the field, all the while trying not to get lost. The trail was marked as well as I expected after experiencing the rest of the morning's events. Had I been going race pace I would have blown past a number of the turns. Near the end of the first of two laps I came to a steep rocky descent and there was a volunteer yelling something at me. I slowed to try and hear his urgent message. I promptly crashed and tore up my knee. Apparently he was telling me to be careful; if I had been paying attention to the trail instead of him I'd have been fine. I jumped back on the bike, yelled at myself for being a dumbass and kept going. About a half mile later I started to feel the back end of my bike slide around. Oh NO!!!! Flat tire. I continued to roll on through the feed zone/start finish area. A bit farther down I stopped and messed with the tire until I got it (mostly) holding air. Amanda, who was riding strongly in second place passed me as I was messing with it. Crap. I hate mechanicals. I was happy to see her doing well though. I eventually got rolling again (Thanks Troy) and the chase began (at tempo of course...). I caught Amanda and slowly distanced myself from her again. The remainder of lap two was cautious and definitely tempo. I was riding gingerly to keep upright and aired up. I rode flawlessly down the area where I crashed on lap one. I took the win, albeit not one of my better performances. Amanda rode strong for second, Star was 5th and Emily was 6th. Both Emily and Star got lost and ended up riding a longer race than us. They were not the only ones. About 1 in 3 of the riders I talked to had a similar story.

We waited 2.5 hours for results and awards.

Star and I laughed about our adventure all the way home.

Thanks for reading...

Redemption.

2010-07-26T15:40:00.000-04:00

After last weekend's drama at Raccoon we were all looking for a little redemption. We had a "divide and conquer" plan of attack for the weekend. We had riders going to 3 events in two countries. Anina was in South Africa and ready to go. The rest of us were divided between a Tennessee race in the Nashville area (Lock 4) and a Georgia race at Fort Mountain. We all had high hopes for the weekend.

No one disappointed.

We had 9 podium appearances in 2 days. Anina lead the way with a SECOND PLACE at the South Africa Nationals. Congrats girl, we are SO proud of you.

Georgia saw Amanda in 2nd and Catherine in 4th. Lock 4 had a time trial on Saturday with me winning, Emily 3rd and Kelsey 2nd in her race. On Sunday we went 1st (me), 2nd (Shannon), 4th (Emily) and 2nd Kelsey.

Whew. We've still got it. Redemption is good.

Home Turf Advantage??

2010-07-26T15:29:00.000-04:00

One of our biggest team weekends of the year was the SERC race here in Chattanooga. The Trek Store of Chattanooga was the round sponsor and it is our home trail. We were excited. After my rest and recovery after the June craziness I was once again ready to ease back into racing, albeit a bit slower than where I left off. I knew it was going to probably take the body a few weeks to get back to "race shape" after the time off, but I figured that with my knowledge of the trail I would be okay.

We had the whole team sans Anina and Amy signed up to race. Anina is on her way to South Africa to race her National Championships. We wish her the best and hope she brings us home a jersey. Amy was in Ohio with family obligations. They were both missed.

Saturday started with the Trek demo trailer and fun times talking about how awesome our bikes are to the local riders. I am sure our passion translated into some new bikes for people. It's easy to be passionate about the bikes you are riding when you are on the best bikes in the world.

Our pre-ride was a ton of fun. We had an AWESOME presence with 6 of us out there riding together. We definitey turned heads. We laughed and enjoyed having all of us in one location. Dinner that night was at Star's house, we did a pot luck of sorts with everyone bringing their favorite pre-race meal. Yummy!!!

Sunday was hot, as has been the case the past few weeks. We started out on the pavement and Shannon went to the front to be my "lead out man"... she was fabulous. She launched me into the single track in the lead and I never looked back. I wasn't "race fast" but I rode strong and consistent. It was enough to take the win in a large women's field. My teammates did not fare as well, although it was not for lack of trying. Amanda was riding strong and kicking butt in second place until the trail decided to kick her butt. She crashed hard and ended up walking out in search of bandages and possibly stitches. Fortunately she was ok and no stitches were needed. Catherine rode most of the race in 3rd place until her still frozen camel back didn't thaw and she got totally dehydrated. She lost tow spots in the last 30 minutes for 5th place. Still a strong finish but not what she was hoping for. Star's brakes got stuck on for the whole race and she cramped. Kelsey fell and re-injured her bad hand. Emily just had an off day.

It was a tough ride for us and one of the hardest days we've had as a team all season. In spite of it all we had a lot of fun, rode our bikes and took home the win. Even our bad days are ok. And I would rather have a bad day with my teammates than any other ladies on this planet. You girls are the BEST!!!!

LOVE the socks!!!!

2010-07-13T15:52:00.000-04:00

I just have to give a shout out to our awesome sock sponsor Swiftwick. We got a new order of socks this week and I can't wait to show them off. The Compression socks are a life saver, the Merino Wool socks are the sock of choice for my cyclocross season and the Olefin socks keep my feet dry and cool on the hot humid days of summer. Swiftwick has a sock for every season and every race (even my silly tall socks for cross!!!!)

Do your feet a favor, get some today.

Thanks to Swiftwick (and a shout out to Sam for helping us out). We never forget that our sponsors allow us to do what we do.

The June Whirlwind

2010-07-12T16:22:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it is July already. The mountain bike season is drawing to a close and I am looking forward to cross. And yes, it is still hot here.

After Dauset I had my favorite week of the year; camp. Mark and I run a development camp for USA Cycling, it is open to kids ages 14-22. Keeping up with a bunch of teenagers is exhausting but so much fun. The enthusiasm that these kids have for cycling is incredibly motivating. It reminds me of when I started riding and makes me remember why I love to ride. With that being said, do they ever sleep!!?? Camp is a lot of work. The week was a blur and I felt like I had been run over by a truck by the time it was over. I can't wait for next year.

After camp we had two days to re-group, re-pack and hit the road for Wisconsin for the Pro XCT series race. I was really excited to see my family, even if the timing of the race was not ideal. The race course was so much fun and even though I was a bit tired from camp and traveling, I was still hoping for a top 10. Well, to make a long story short, my bike had other plans. I learned a lesson about my own ability to work on my bike. Mechanics are indispensable. I wish mine would travel with me at all times. It was a frustrating race that saw me finish in a dismal placing. But I finished. I did not quit, which would have been the easy thing to do. I do not quit races.

After the crash and burn result of Wisconsin I needed some time both physically and mentally to recover from my long crazy month. It was time to take a step back and focus on my late season goals and CROSS. Yes, I am getting excited for cyclocross season to start and I am getting ready. Now that I have had a break it is time to finish the SERC series, ((hopefully) race the World Cup in Windham and then look forward to fall and my cross bike.

Thanks for reading...

Hot, Hot, Hot

2010-06-29T00:17:00.000-04:00

So yes, I have been slacking. Not in general, just in my posting on the blog. Life has been a whirlwind since Texas. We had BUMP and then barely enough time to recover before more racing, camp and more travel and racing. Whew. I have almost forgotten what my house looks like.

With that being said, I'll pick up with the reports where I left off. Dauset:

Jackson, GA and the Dauset trails are always a lot of fun and always seem to be HOT. Amanda, Emily and I decided to head to GA to see if we could battle the heat before Emily and I went to the USA Cycling Development camp; me as the lead coach, Emily as a camper. Mark and I run the camp every year and although it is one of my favorite weeks of the year, it is exhausting and takes me a few weeks to recover. I have not yet learned that going directly to camp from a race does not help my exhaustion level. The heat also does not help the situation. But I digress....

We arrived in GA and it was HOT. I realize that I keep mentioning the heat but it was miserable. 95 degrees and really humid. I don't ever complain about the heat, but if I did, I would have complained this weekend. Our pre-ride was awful. Afterwards I tried to cool off by swimming in the pond/beach at the park. It was as hot as bathwater and did nothing to cool me down. UGH.

Dauset was also the individual time trial for the series. I determined that I did not need the points toward the series overall so I decided to opt out and cheer for my teammates instead. They rocked it. Catherine won and Amanda was third. We were off to another great weekend.

Kym and Amanda on the podium

photo courtesy of Trish Albert/Southeasterncycling.com

Sunday morning was hot when we woke up and just kept getting hotter. The race director decided for safety reasons to shorten the laps. He took out a technical slow 2 mile section of the lap, making it an 8 mile loop instead of a 10 mile loop. Any other day I might have been bummed but today we were happy. I didn't hear anyone complain about the short race. I decided that I wanted it to be over quickly and I went for it. I took the hole shot and drilled it. I never looked back. Amanda rode hard to second place and Catherine was a strong 4th. WoooHooo!!!!! The heat got Emily but she still pushed hard and finished 8th. Sometimes the hard days tell more about you than the good days. Great job Emily!! She never quit.

After the awards, We hit the road FAST to get home, do laundry, re-pack, and head to camp. We were exhausted by the time we arrived. Camp was going to be a long week.

More soon, thanks for reading...

BUMP and Grind

2010-06-14T21:46:00.000-04:00

I'm tired. Extremely tired. I need a break. But wow, the last two weeks were worth it.

After Texas I had less than a week to get ready BUMP and Grind in Birmingham, AL. It is arguably the biggest race we have in the southeast and the fields are always big and strong. In the past few years it has been coupled with an Xterra race the following weekend so there are world class athletes from multiple areas of the sport in the mix. This year would prove to be more of the same. Our start list on Sunday included Shonny Vanladingham, Luna Team rider and former national mountain bike champion, and Melanie McQuade, multiple time Xterra world champion. These ladies were going to be tough. Anina and I had our work cut out for us. The other categories also had big fields and everyone was going to have to be on their "A game" this weekend.

I went into the weekend feeling wrecked. The racing and travel to Texas was still lingering and a busy week of work had not allowed me to recover. It was going to be tough. We did a short pre-ride and I had a great time hanging with the team Saturday night. The Emily quote of the weekend was: "I tell my left from my right because the left hand is the one that doesn't work as good." I love that girl!!! We all spent a lot of time laughing and it was a good, relaxing pre-race evening.

Sunday was an early start. Mark and I headed over early to get the team tent set up. We had a key location right on the course near the start finish. It rained Saturday evening so my warm-up was spent doing some recon on the course to see how it held up. The trail was a little slick but good, my legs were not so good. Ugh.

We lined up and I was as ready as I was going to be. They said go and I immediately knew that it was going to be a struggle. I managed to hit a cone that was covering an obstacle in the first section of sidewalk at the start. Rookie. Who does that!!?? Me. I chased back on and then had a horrible time getting into the woods. I got behind a rider who kept sliding out on the roots and the top three riders were gaping me. Damn. Anina was one of the three and I was psyched to see how strong she was riding today. At least someone from our team would have a good showing. I got around the slower rider and began my chase. I could see Shonny, Melanie and Anina about 10 seconds ahead of me but I could NOT get there. Stay steady Kym, it's a long race. We hit the fire road climb and I was still catching glimpses of the race in front of me. My body was screaming... it did not want to ride. This was the worst I have felt during a race in a long time. I continued to push and hoped for the best. After the climb and the long fire road I knew that Shonny was long gone but I was focused on trying to catch Anina and Melanie. My body was finally starting to cooperate a little. I still didn't feel great but I was feeling good enough to push a little bit faster. Shortly after that I passed Anina on the side of the trail with a flat. OH NO!!! I continued to push and suddenly I saw Melanie ahead of me. I was catching her. I passed her and realized that I was now in second place. Okay, I was having a crap day on the bike and still somehow managing to ride myself into second place at BUMP. I guess my fitness was going to carry me through even when my body didn't want to go. I pushed hard and suffered badly for the next hour and rolled in for second place. I was extremely happy with where I finished and that I suffered through but I am very disappointed in how I rode. I know that I am way stronger than what I did today. It is now time for some much needed recovery. I don't want to repeat this again.

Anina is one tough chick. She fixed her flat, flatted again fixed it again and eventually rolled in for 6th place. I hate that she had such bad luck today. In all honesty, I don't think I would have caught her. She was on fire. Unfortunately, sometimes that is racing. Some days it's your turn, some days it is someone else's. I am extremely proud that she didn't quit and that she's my teammate.

Kelsey came home with the only win for the team this weekend. She finished all smiles and didn't crash or end up in the hospital. This is a HUGE improvement. We are glad your hand has healed. We've missed you!!

Emily took second in the Junior Expert Women's category. Great ride today girl, you looked good.

Amanda, Catherine and Shannon all lined up in the Expert Women's field against some tough ladies. There was a mix up at the finish line as the ladies were supposed to head out for lap two and Amanda and a few others were told to stop when they were supposed to keep going. The mix up was eventually realized but Amanda lost a spot in the process to finish 3rd. Catherine took a wrong turn (we won't point out that is the second time this year...) and her and Shannon both finished mid field, 8th and 10th. It was good to have Shannon back out racing. She's working on her PhD and has been studying like a mad woman and not getting to ride as much as she'd like. We've missed you Shannon!!!

All in all it was a fabulous weekend. 5 podium spots and great times with the team. After some reflection I am still not happy with my performance but I am happy that I have good enough fitness to ride fairly strong even on the bad days. I am glad that I went to Texas, even though it meant a not so stellar ride in Birmingham. In the big picture, Texas will help get me to my goal and although this weekend was not ideal, it still turned out okay in the end.

Now I need a nap.

Thanks for reading...

I messed with Texas!

2010-06-04T17:25:00.000-04:00

I have had a ton of people asking about the trip to Texas. Thanks for all the good luck wishes and support.

So, here's the report:

Texas ROCKED!!!! I rode well and surprised even myself at how I stacked up. It was hot, technical and really an all around tough course. I did my thing and came out 8th against some of the best riders in the world. I couldn't have done it without my family, friends, sponsors and especially my husband. Thanks to all of you. My goal this season is to have good enough results to be able to race the World Cup Finals in Windham, NY. Ultimately, it will be up to USA Cycling to decide if I can go, but I think that I am on the right path currently.

The trip began with a LONG drive to Texas. Mark drove, I navigated and we arrived almost when we planned with very little drama. We stayed with our awesome friends Jason and Jill. It is always so nice to be able to stay at a house with friends instead of a hotel. And it was so fun to see them again.

We arrived in Austin at rush hour and after battling traffic, made it to Rancho Juan Pelota, Lance Armstrong's ranch, for our pre-ride. I am not a huge Lance fan (not that I am an anti-Lance person, he's done a ton for cycling, I just don't really get "star struck"), but it was cool to be racing there. I aired up the tires as I usually do and headed out to ride. FLAT. In the first 20 minutes of my ride. I walked to the car and changed out my tire and headed out again; this time with more air in my tires. The course was rocky and technical, I decided that bouncing with more air than I usually run was better than flatting. What a fun ride!!! Friday was another day of pre-riding and relaxing. I rode fairly well both days and felt ready to race. Other than the heat, it was a really good course for me.

Saturday was HOT. It has been so rainy in the Southeast that I was not ready for the heat yet. 95 and sunny was going to be miserable. Oh well, hopefully I could stay hydrated and do okay. All the "big girls" were here so it was going to be tough regardless of the weather. I was called up in the second row and when they said go we started FAST. My goal was to be strong and stay near the front and not blow up. I knew I was a good bike handler and that my ability to stay smooth and fast on the bike was going to be key. Well the bike handling thing worked well for about half a lap but as I got tired and hot I started riding a bit like a beginner. Things that I rode easily in the pre-ride were now forcing me to fall all over. That was my key to back it down a notch and settle into a pace that I could sustain. As I came through the feed zone the first time I had no clue where I was positioned and was hoping Mark would tell me. He was jumping all over and yelling that I was in 9th!!! Holy crap. I was having an incredible ride. I pushed as hard as I could for the rest of the race. It was so hot that I was forced to take some recovery in the shaded sections. I rode smart, listened to my body (a little bit anyway; had I listened too much it was screaming "stop this!!!"), and finished strong, passing one other rider in the process. My whole last lap I kept thinking "Don't mess up, and DON'T FLAT". I rolled in with 8th place, the first non-trade-team rider to finish. I made money and got UCI points. WoooHoooo!!!! Mark met me at the finish line with ice water and a cold wet towel, both of which nearly put my overheated body into shock. Wow.

The rest of the weekend was a blur. Mark raced Sunday in not-as-hot conditions and took 10th. He did awesome and I am so proud of him. He did have an unfortunate run in with a cactus that required me to remove cactus thorns from his ass but I guess that's all in a days work. Monday we rode some killer fun trails in Austin with Jason (instead of driving home) and left late Monday towards home. Tuesday was another LONG day in the car. We arrived home at about 11pm.

I am still exhausted from the trip and my legs have been sore all week. This weekend is BUMP and Grind in Birmingham, one of my favorite races. We should have big fields and strong racing. I am looking forward to it, even if I am tired. Texas was worth it.

Thanks for reading...

TBRA racing... a tune up in the mud before the journey west.

2010-06-01T01:06:00.000-04:00

Mark and I are headed to Texas next week for the Pro XCT series race in hopes of getting a few UCI points for me and some results racing with the "big girls". I haven't really lined up against anyone except the people I am really used to racing in the Southeast yet this year and I have no idea where I stack up at the national level. My big goal this summer is to get to race the UCI World Cup Final in Windham, NY. In order to do that I need UCI points and some good results at big races. Texas is to be the first step in that journey.

Before we headed to Texas we needed one more hard effort to get the body (and mind) ready to suffer. It was a weekend off from the SERC races so we decided to head to central TN for a TBRA race. It was going to be a sunny hot weekend so we figured we were finally in luck with the weather.

WRONG.

So apparently it rained (poured actually) the two days before we got there and the course was muddy and slick. It also had about 1100 feet of climbing per 7 mile lap. I felt like I was in the damn mountains!!! It was STEEP and slippery and one of the hardest courses I have raced in a long time. Talk about being caught off guard!!! To top it off, I didn't get to pre-ride (work) so all I had to go on was Star's description from her pre-ride.We were lucky that Star also made the journey up there with her husband Bryan; we all had a great time camping the night before the race and Bryan handed up bottles while we raced.

Race morning we were a bit apprehensive about ANOTHER muddy race. This was supposed to be a tune up for Texas, not a "destroy my bike three days before I leave". Oh well, I didn't drive here to talk about racing... let's do this and hope for the best.Wow, it was long, hot and really hard. I haven't used my little chainring that much in a LONG time. I won fairly convincingly. In fact, my time beat all but 4 of the Cat 1 men. I would have won Mark's category and the one below his. Now I feel ready for Texas.

Star was AWESOME today. Not only did she overcome her hesitation about the muddy course, she rocked it!!! She took a strong 3rd place, barely behind second after over 3 hours of racing. I am so proud of her. this was only her 3rd or 4th Cat 1 race and she made the podium!!!! GO STAR.

The people at Mousetail Landing State Park did a fabulous job. Thanks guys, we'll be back.

Look out Texas, here I come...

SERC #6 Tanasi

2010-06-01T00:41:00.001-04:00

All smiles after the racing was done.

Wow, what a fun whirlwind of a weekend!!! Almost the whole team was here (Shannon we missed you!!!), the weather held out, and we raced at one of my FAVORITE trails. Tanasi is just over an hour from my house and it is a "local" trail to me. I love riding there and I have been so excited (and a little bit nervous) about this race. It was definitely on my list of races I wanted to do well at this season. Not that I don't always want to do well, but there are definitely some races that are more of a focus.

I was thrilled that we were not only all going to get together, but that we were going to do it in NEW CLOTHING!!!!! I love the new stuff. And I really love that we are now able to properly promote all the sponsors that are supporting us this season.

Kym and Anina are 1,2 again!!!

We started the weekend on Friday with some car drama. Now I know NOTHING about keeping my truck running except that I ask Mark to fix it when something goes wrong. All 221,000 miles of my Xterra are doing great, it's an awesome team vehicle and it has seen more of this country than most people have. Thursday it stopped running. In my driveway. Okay, we'll use the car and some of my teammates cars and deal with it next week when we have time, right??? Nope. Mot Mark. Let's just see if we can get it running and put more gas in it just to be sure.... So, now instead of having a dead truck in my driveway, we have a dead truck parked down the street. This is after it died on Highway 153 and we had to coast/tow it into the neighborhood using the Scion XA as a tow vehicle. Yes, we got the redneck award of the week in our neighborhood. At least I can laugh at myself... a little drama is still better than a car payment.

Anina arrived shortly after the car drama was over and we had a nice relaxing dinner and then her and I went shopping for the feast I was cooking for the team the next night. She was very helpful and even offered to make us a yummy and very pretty dessert.

Saturday was the team pre-ride and we looked HOT in our new stuff. The course was in great shape. We beat the afternoon storms (barely) and all had a good time. We got out of there just in time, the skies opened up and we got HAILED on as we drove home. Good timing.

Saturday night was dinner like no other. We all converged at my house and started cooking. I made wild rice with cranberries, Emily and Catherine assembled salad, Star did the veggies and Anina made us a really yummy, (mostly except for the chocolate) healthy, and PRETTY dessert. After a short team meeting it was off to bed. The course was a drive in the morning and we had to be there early.

Amanda takes 3rd after an exciting sprint finish.

We awoke WAY too early and headed to Tanasi. From the roads appearance it had rained up there all night. Hmmmm, things were not going to be super fast. They might even be a little slick. Fun. I warmed up on the first part of the climb and my suspicions were confirmed, the trail was slippery. There was one section near the start that was all roots and was going to be a determining factor. We lined up a strong field, including my former teammate Paula. I love Paula and it was great to see her but her presence definitely meant that the bar was raised one more level.

We had a nuetral start and when the moto pulled off, I waited for Paula to take the lead. I think she was waiting for me to do the same. We rolled side by side to the trail head with Anina close on our wheel. As we approached the singletrack climb I decided that as long as no one was killing it, I was going to take the hole shot and set the pace. I jumped, got the lead and spun up at a reasonable pace. I cleared the slippery roots that I had practiced in my warm up and kept rolling. I looked back a minute later and the field was gone. Everyone was gone. I had the lead. Sweet. I just kept rolling and tried to remain smooth. I know this trail and I really wanted the win today. I helped build these trails, I ride them all the time, this one was MINE. My bike and body cooperated well. I rode strong and consistent and never saw anyone again. I won by over 7 minutes. I also took the fastest lap prize. WoooHooo!!!!

We LOVE the new kits.

Apparently Anina broke her saddle in the first 100 meters of the race and rode the whole thing with a broken saddle. She caught and passed Paula to take an impressive second place. Amanda had a 3 way sprint for the Cat 1 finish. Unfortunately she had to brake-check to keep from impaling a small child. Still a great race for her. The rest of the girls rode strong and finished well with the exception of Emily who flatted. Bummer. Better luck next time girl. All in all, a great weekend for the team.

Thanks for reading...

...and then the monsoons came. SERC #5

2010-05-10T18:15:00.000-04:00

Mother Nature is out to get us. That is all I can think of. She taunts us with beautiful week days and then unleashes all her fury in time for the weekend. It's getting old. My poor Trek Top Fuel WSD 9.8 (which is world's most awesome bike!!!) has been put to the test. She needs more lovin' after this weekend. My bike has performed flawlessly these past few muddy races, but even the best bikes needs a bunch of maintenance and replacement parts after the things we keep putting them through. Fortunately we've got the best mechanics, Mike, Taylor and Zach, at the Trek Store of Chattanooga to keep us rolling. Thanks guys!!!

For anyone who has had any contact with the outside world this past weekend you know that parts of Tennessee got more than a foot of rain in less than 24 hours. Nashville, Memphis and everywhere in between are flooded. Our thoughts are with all the people that are dealing with the floods.

We were in Huntsville, AL this past weekend to race SERC #5 at Monte Sano State Park. We were on the edge of the horrendous weather and spent most of the weekend battling 30+ mph winds and hoping the rain and hail would hold off. All in all we lucked out. It was not what I would describe as a "pleasant" weekend to be outside but it could have been so much worse. We very easily could have had to race canoes instead of bicycles.

Monte Sano is one of the best race courses I have raced in a long time. Not that I don't love all the trails we race, but this was a RACE course. It was fast, technical, had some climbs and even a bit of pavement. It was well designed and had a little of everything. It was a true test of skill and fitness. I loved it!! Anina, Emily, Mark and I got there early Saturday in an attempt to beat the rain for a pre-ride. I was immediately hooked. I hadn't ridden at Monte Sano in years and it was even more fun than I remembered. Catherine and Amanda rode it a little later in the day.

Saturday night was so much FUN. We got to have a birthday celebration for Anina. Her birthday was Friday so we of course had to have cake and ice cream. It was so awesome to see the look of suprise on her face when we came in with the cake. Girl, I hope you had a great birthday!!!

Sunday we awoke to the news of floods in Nashville and Memphis and the weather was headed towards us. It was going to be interesting. We arrived at the race and it was really windy (still about 30mph steady with gusts stronger than that); we determined that in the spirit of safetly and equipment preservation we were not going to set up our team tent and banners. I apologize to all of our sponsors but I think the stuff would have ended up in central Georgia before the race was over.

The women's field was given the choice of two or three laps for the race. Two laps was going to be short, but with the weather being what it was, we opted for short and sweet. The field was smaller than we were used to, only about 10 of us. People apparently stayed home when they saw the weather report. They said "go" and it was the same game that had played out the last few races. Anina and I were off the front. I really enjoy having a teammate that pushes me. We are both better riders because the other one is there. She really pushed me at the start of this race. We actually ended up drag racing down one section of trail before the technical singletrack. I completely threw an elbow at one point (totally did NOT mean to... I am really sorry) and she threw one right back!!! It was funny, we had a good laugh after the race over it.

FYI: I will drag race anyone down the trail but I am not one to ever BLOCK another rider from passing, especially a teammate. If we are ever in a position where any of my teammates (or any rider) has better legs than I do I will gladly let them pass. That is just good sportsmanship and I try my best at all times to practice it. That was not the case with our little drag race. We both had good legs and wanted that trail.

We hit the trail and were passing the guys that started ahead of us fairly quickly. We hit a rocky descent and Anina was suddenly gone. I found out later that she had crashed. Damn. Fortunately both her and bike were okay and she was rolling again quickly. There was $100 for the fastest lap of the day so I was rolling pretty hard for that first lap. Lap two was a bit more on auto-pilot. I settled into a comfortable pace and really enjoyed the trail. My poor bike was telling me it is time for a tune up, I dropped my chain a couple of times and had to stop and fix it. I guess all the abuse is starting to take it's toll. Even so, my bike was fabulous on the rocky trail. It rode like a dream. I was so glad I had the incredible suspension that my Top Fuel WSD offers. I used every bit of it today. I rolled in for the win and Anina was only about a minute and a half behind me. It was good timing because the rain was just starting. We quickly changed and packed up the car as we waited for the others to finish. Emily rode in to a 5th place finish. Her best ride this year. GREAT JOB!!! Catherine tackled her demons and took a respectable 8th. Amanda had some flat tire issues and was forced to abandon the race.

The podium was WET. The storms we had been hearing about all weekend arrived with a vengence. It was UGLY. The biggest bonus to being on the top step of the podium wasn't the win or the money; it was the fact that I didn't get poured on as long and 2nd and 3rd did!!! I think we might have gotten a picture or two but I am not sure. I will post them soon if we did. It was so wet no one's cameras wanted to work.

The drive home was awful and the lightening and thunder made me even more thankful for the timing of our finish.

This week is "bike rebuild week". More adventures to come soon...

SERC #4 Fort Yargo

2010-04-26T22:40:00.000-04:00

Showing off our HOT rain boots after the race.

Mother Nature has not been kind to us this season. She's been great for training but seems to unleash her fury on race weekend. I have done some really bad things to my poor bike this year and it is only April. Fortunately, we've got the BEST mechanics on the planet to keep us rolling. Mike and the rest of the guys at the Trek Store of Chattanooga are amazing. Thanks guys.

Yep, you guessed it, more rain this weekend. Sunday was supposed to be warm and sunny, but Saturday was forecasted to have severe thunderstorms, multiple inches of rain and possible tornadoes. All of which were going to result in less than "ideal" trail conditions. We loaded up early Saturday to beat the worst of it and hoped for the best.

Team tent and bikes after the race.

Mark and I met Anina at Fort Yargo State Park about noon on Saturday and although it had rained already that morning, it wasn't raining when we got there and it looked like we might have a window to get out before the really bad storms rolled in. We quickly got dressed and hit the trails. Amazingly, they weren't too bad. There was standing water, and a few sections were slick, but the sandy soil drained really well. We MIGHT just luck out!! Of course, no sooner had we finished discussing our fortune when the skies opened up and the lightening and thunder started. Okaaayyyy, time to cut the pre-ride short and head to the car. FAST. So much for our pre-ride. We got about 3.5 of the 10.5 mile course in. Hopefully the trail would continue to weather the conditions and drain.

Not too muddy considering the 2+ inches of rain that fell the night before.

Catherine lives in Athens, GA which is only 20 miles from Fort Yargo. We were staying with her for the weekend so we headed to her house to clean up and get dry. Catherine was absent from the pre-ride because she was racing a crit. It was Athens Twilight weekend so there was much bike racing going on in the area. Catherine dominated her race with a win but I'll let her tell the details. Check out her blog for more....

After cleaning up, cleaning and drying the bikes and eating some lunch we decided that we wanted to head downtown to see some of the racing action. Twilight is an incredible weekend of crit racing in the streets of Athens. The best in the US come to race and in the rain it was sure to be exciting. The last couple of years it has been a little bit difficult to watch after having raced Twilight in the past but this year the rain made me glad to be a spectator. I don't do skinny tires and wet roads at high speed. We did do the girl thing and stop at Target to get rain boots before heading to the race. If nothing else, we were cute!!!!

This is my favorite picture from the weekend. Anina doing a happy dance in front of the port-o-potty??!! I think maybe it was just an unfortunate background. LOVE THOSE BOOTS!!!!

The one downfall to Twilight combined with a race weekend is that we inevitably get too little sleep, stand on our feet too much and are just generally tired by Sunday morning. This year was no exception. I was hoping to find my mojo somewhere on the trail because I certainly did NOT wake up with it. It doesn't help that we were the early start wave and had to be headed to the race by 7:15am. Ugh.

Catherine's third place Expert (5th overall). Congrats!!!

I was really off my game for the morning and could not seem to fully wake up. I didn't get enough of a warm-up and I felt very ill prepared, having not ridden the entire course during the pre-ride. Oh well, ready or not, it was race time. They said go and I took the hole shot hoping that things would improve. I felt slow and uncoordinated for the first 25-30 minutes. I definitely did not have my mojo. I could not seem to get the bike under me. Anina and I rode together and were off the front of the field so I was obviously not that slow, but it was not the riding that I am capable of. At around the 30 minute mark I started to feel a bit better and tried to push my body a bit. It seemed to work. Unfortunately, about the time I found my mojo Anina lost hers. She was riding so strong at the start of the race, I kind of figured it was going to be her day. I found myself in the lead solo and I pushed as hard as I could. That lasted for about 45 minutes. After that I went on auto pilot; I enjoyed the trail and gave up trying to push race pace. I rode in for the win at a nice tempo pace and decided that even though it was not one of my better physical performances, I really had FUN. The trail was a little wet and slippery with the occasional puddle, but it got drier every lap and was a roller coaster of fun. We really REALLY lucked out; so many places would have been horrible the day after the monsoons that we had Saturday. Anina rode in for a very strong second place. She never did find her mojo again but even without it she was fast. Catherine topped off her weekend with a 5th place finish. For someone who is in her first season racing with the big girls she rocked it. Especially after her crit win the day before. Great job ladies!!!!

Friends and teammates enjoying the pro podium....

We wore our AWESOME rain boots from the night before on the podium and they were a huge hit. I think they will have to be worn every race weekend. Anina's pink polka dot ones were definitely the favorites.

I also need to give a huge shout out to Amy for her EPIC race saturday at the Big Frog 65. Two flat tires, thunderstorms and freezing cold and she still finished 11th. Girl we are proud of you and cannot wait to read your race report.

Pro women's podium. Love the boots!!!!

We missed the rest of our teammates this weekend. Next weekend is the SERC in Huntsville, AL and I think we'll have most of the team there. It will be an adventure I am sure.

Thanks for reading....

Cherohala

2010-04-26T22:19:00.001-04:00

So a few weeks ago I did this awesome ride with Emily and I never posted the report. Sorry for the delay but here's the scoop on one kick butt day of training:

After the epic race at Chickasaw we had a weekend off before the next race. It was a perfect time to put in a huge training block. The sun was shining, it was finally warm outside and I had some time to ride. Perfect.

One of my favorite places to ride is the Cherohala Skyway. It is a 48 mile scenic road that goes over the mountains. It starts in Tellico Plains TN (900ft), climbs to 5300ft and then descends to Robbinsville, NC (1200ft). We usually climb to the top and then come back down again, although I have done it end to end and back once. That was a brutal ride. Friday we decided the weather was nice enough to go to the mountains and we headed to Tellico Plains for the first ride of the season. Mark's buddy Howell was coming down from Knoxville and Emily was catching a ride down with him. Our friend Steve rounded out the happy little group I had assembled to torture for the day.

We rolled out about 11am and headed up the river. The road that runs along the Tellico River is one of the prettiest rides anywhere ever. We enjoyed a nice easy warm up along the river and then cut up to the Cherohala. The road was busier that we are used to, due to the holiday traffic and closures on other, more heavily used roads, but it was still a great ride. We all climbed at our own pace and after I got to the top I went back down for the others. Emily was only about 3 miles behind me after climbing for an hour and a half. Wow. Her training is really starting to pay off. Her and I spun to the top and then enjoyed some "girl time"while we waited for the guys to get there. It was odd, there was still snow on top but even up there it was 70+ degrees.

After we re-grouped we enjoyed a 25 mile descent and rolled back to the car tired and happy. It ended up being almost 5 hours of riding. We all enjoyed a sandwich at my favorite deli and then Emily and I took a dip in the icy cold but very refreshing river.

Tsali

2010-04-14T18:44:00.000-04:00

Kym and Anina all smiles after a 1,2 finish.

This past weekend was the "Knobschorcher" at Tsali recreation area, just outside Bryson city, NC. Knobschorcher is one of the longest running races in the Southeast and always turns out a huge crowd. It is part of the SERC series, the US Cup, and the Souther Classic series. The weather was beautiful and the trails were in the best shape we have ever seen there. It was going to be HUGE. We had a cabin rented for the team and most of the girls were going to be there. Fun times; I could hardly wait.

There are two races in the Southeast that are "the monkey on my back". Races that for whatever reason I struggle with. One of them is Bump N Grind in Birmingham and the other is Tsali. For whatever reason I have had a string of bad luck, bad legs and bad attitude for Knobschorcher. I won it a few years ago but other than that one glimmer of hope, I always seem to have a lackluster performance. Last year my legs were strong but my head was not in the right place. This year I really wanted to maintain my winning streak and have a solid ride. I knew we were going to see a huge field of ladies show up, people we don't normally get to race against, so there was a lot of the unknown added to the mix. I was even a little nervous which is funny; I don't get nervous before races very often. I've been doing this long enough to know that there is always another race. Once race day rolls around, you can only do what you can do. But I digress... back to my race report.

Amanda on the Expert Women's podium.

Currently one cannot get to North Carolina from Tennessee. There are rock slides on THREE different highways, making the journey long and slow. We are hoping that things get opened up again soon. Because of this, Mark and I decided to leave on Friday and do a road ride on the way there. We had to take the scenic route anyways, we might as well enjoy it. We stopped in one of my favorite areas to road ride, Tellico Plains, and did a 2 hour ride along the Tellico River. What a gorgeous ride. We finally got to the cabin at about 7pm, ate dinner and went to sleep dreaming of a weekend of beautiful riding.

Saturday we set up our kick butt team area with the help of Anina and John (thanks a ton guys!!!). We have two big team tents this year, all kinds of sponsor banners, a bike stand, work area and even an air compressor. We definitely have support!!! It is also AWESOME that the Trek Store of Chattanooga is a sponsor for the SERC series so we get a rock star team set up area at every race. It helps us promote the team and our sponsors. After a short wait, Star arrived and we were ready to go ride. I was also so excited to see an old teammate and friend Diana that I haven't gotten to see in years. She's always a strong racer and super fun to ride with. We completed our little pre-ride crew with our friend and sponsor Scott Wagner who was down from Indiana for some racing and riding. Scott, it is always so fun to see you!!!

Anina showing off her Swiftwick Tshirt and Kym showing off her Trek Store Chattaonooga Tshirt on the podium. We LOVE our sponsors and thank them for their support!!!

The race course was long; one long loop and one partial loop for a total race of 29 miles. Yikes. I don't normally pre-ride for almost 2 hours but we wanted to do one loop. My legs were going to feel that on Sunday. Hopefully everyone else was in the same boat.

Dinner was INCREDIBLE. A huge thanks to Anina's husband John for cooking some extremely yummy grub. We ate like kings (queens) and had a ton of fun hanging out. Sometimes I think my favorite part of race weekend is the time I get to spend with my teammates; the racing is like the icing on the cake!!!

Sunday morning it was time to race. Yikes. I was a bit nervous. Where were the nerves coming from?? It's ME, I don't get worked up about races. This one apparently I do. My warm-up was okay, I was glad to have Anina to ride with, my legs felt like poo and her positive thoughts helped. Thanks girl, I needed a dose of reality. We lined up a LOT of women; 24 I think. Wow, that's a good size field for a regional race. Anina and I took a spot in the center of the front row. We had decided that we did not want to hit the single track behind anyone so we were determined to be 1, 2 into the trail. After that we'd work together and whoever had the legs had the legs... They said "go" and it was a mad sprint up the hill to the singletrack. I was on the front and I knew Anina was on my wheel. We got onto the trail with a small gap and I settled into my pace. After the first few rollers it was her and I with no one in sight. SWEET. Our plan was working. Now to hold it for the next two hours.... I eventually lost Anina on one of the steep climbs (sorry girl, I thought you were still with me) and I was solo off the front. I WAS SOLO OFF THE FRONT OF KNOBSCHORCHER!!!! The race that I usually struggle at. And to top it off my legs were feeling okay but not "race fast". I just held it steady and did my thing, passing a huge portion of the men's field in the process. I do love that, I have to say. In looking at my time I would have been on the podium of all of the Expert men's categories. Yes, that feels really good. I won and Anina took a commanding second place. We had no one else close to us. Once again, we dominated the race. Amanda took a solid 5th place overall, 3rd Expert. She's riding so well this year, she'll be up with Anina and I before we know it. Emily, Catherine and Star all had very solid rides for mid-field finishes and gave us a great team showing.

I know I keep saying it and I am sure everyone is getting tired of hearing it but WOW, I have an awesome team. Not only are they all extremely talented, they are such fun, positive women to spend my weekends with. I am so proud of my entire team. YOU LADIES ROCK!!!!!

Thanks for reading...

Mud, Mud and more Mud...

2010-04-05T11:41:00.000-04:00

Well it took almost a month but my new bike is officially not "new" anymore. It has been broken in and it stepped up to the challenge. Yes, as you may have gathered by now, it was muddy this weekend. Actually, muddy doesn't even begin to describe the conditions that we were racing in, but more on that later...

The second round of the SERC series was this past weekend in Columbia, TN. It was also the first weekend that the whole team was going to be together this year racing. We were so excited. To make it even better, Shannon lives less than an hour from the race course so we were going to have a team slumber party at her house the night before the race. Mark worked really hard all week getting all the last minute details for the team tent/feed zone area set. We've got banners, car magnets, two tents, tables, tools and even an air compressor. We were SET UP. Eventually we'll even get our team clothing in and we'll match all the other promotional stuff...

Saturday the weather was beautiful. We couldn't have asked for a better day for a pre-ride. Sunny, dry and warm. Catherine, Kelsey, Anina, Amanda and I did a pre-ride together after we "helped" Mark set up the team area (He doesn't let us touch too much of it...). We had so much fun and we all really excited about the race the next day. We then loaded up and headed back to Shannon's for dinner and good times. What a great night!!! I love my teammates. We all laughed, drank a little wine (not too much, we did have to race the next day...) and just enjoyed hanging out. A HUGE thanks to Steve Grace for providing dinner for the team. Grace Law is an amazing sponsor. I hope that none of you ever need an attorney for an injury, but if you do, he's the guy. Also thanks to Mark for cleaning all the bikes. That is a huge job, even after a nice dry ride like Saturday's.

We knew going into the weekend that the weather was not going to hold for the whole weekend. We knew the rain was coming, we just didn't know how much was coming. Late Saturday night it hit. Think monsoon. It poured. By Suday morning it was clearing up but the damage to the trail had been done. It was going to be wet.

Kelsey raced first and we were all excited to watch her. She's our developmental ride and although she's a great road racer, she's only ever raced the mountain bike a few times and had never ridden in the mud. She started strong and came through after her first lap all smiles. Because of the mud, the course was slower than anticipated and we didn't get to see her finish before our start. After I was done racing I found out that she had taken third. This was made even more impressive by the fact that she crashed on her second lap and finished with (what was later determined to be) a broken hand. HOLY CRAP Kelsey!!! You get the tough girl award for the day. Probably for the season. We are so proud of you. And we are even more glad that you are okay.

After watching the first races of the day I was REALLY glad I had put the mud tires on the bike for the weekend. Everyone was covered. We lined up a big field of women and there was a sea of blue jerseys. I have to admit, it was fun being "that team". We had 8 ladies on the starting line. FUN.

They said "go" and it was immediately a sloppy mess. We started across a water logged, muddy, nasty field and I didn't want any part of the spray that was coming off of everyone's wheels. I did the thing that I always laugh at mountain bikers for: I got on the front and pulled like a mad fool to the singletrack. In the conditions it was somewhat of a necessity. By the time we got to the trail it was Anina and I. We had gapped the rest of the field. AWESOME. I had sort of blown up a bit but the slow muddy trail gave me some time to recover. Anina rode incredible. There were numerous times in that first 30 minutes that I thought she was going to ride right on past me and keep going. I am so proud that she's my teammate!!! Somewhere in the mud she slid out and I lost her. It was now me off the front of what was going to be a LONG muddy race. I tried to stay steady and keep the bike upright. There were plenty of sections that I could have ridden faster but I decided that taking chances was not the smart move today. Slow and steady was the key. Just. Keep. Bike. Working. Easier said than done. Near the end of my second lap my bike was so caked in mud that the chain suck started. I could no longer pedal in anything but my big chainring. I lost a huge chunk of time figuring out what gears still worked. I grabbed a bottle of water to clean the drivetrain off with in the feed zone. That helped for a while but ultimately I was stuck in some really hard gears for the end of the race. The whole last lap was damage control. Just keep the bike rolling forward. I came into the finishing area and it was a tight turn into an uphill finish line. My bike chain sucked and I WALKED across the finish line to victory. Whew. Almost 3 hours of mud. My bike will never be the same. Anina rode in a couple of minutes later. She took a commanding second place. That girl is getting faster by the day. She is so talented, I know one of these days really soon it is going to be me chasing her. And she'll deserve every minute of that win. Amanda rode in to a 4th place finish and Shannon was 5th. So, in horrid conditions we took 4 of the top 5 places. What a great day.

Also a huge congrats to Emily who took 8th at 17 years old and Catherine, Star and Amy who survived their first Pro/Expert category race. Ladies, you picked an EPIC one to start with. They get easier after this.

I am so proud of my team and the way we all raced this weekend. I am extremely lucky to have such fun and talented ladies to train and race with. This year is going to ROCK!!!!!

Thanks for reading...

Ps. I have a few pictures that I will post soon; once the camera is located.

New Team Clothing

2010-03-25T12:59:00.000-04:00

We are still waiting on our new clothing but I though I'd give everyone a sneak peak of what it is going to look like. We are REALLY excited.

Thanks to all of our sponsors; especially Grace Law, Trek and Vantaggio Fitness!!!!

Hell of the South

2010-03-23T22:58:00.000-04:00

Any race named "Hell of the South" immediately gets my attention. As I put on my bad idea jeans I think, "this is my kind of course..." -Kym

Kym, Shannon and Kelsey on the starting line.

We made our 2010 forray into road racing this past weekend in Berlin, TN (no, I had never heard of it either), just south of Nashville and it was a blast. The Hell of the South was advertised as a Paris-Roubaix type road race with rough pavement and dirt roads. Those who train with me know that it sounded just like another day of riding with Kym. I was excited. Even better was the fact that Swiftwick, one of our sponsors, was a big sponsor to the event. Yep, we were going. We were not only excited to race our kick butt new Trek road bikes, we were also excited to meet Rachel and the rest of the Swiftwick gang.

Shannon, Kelsey and I headed to Berlin under cloudy skies with a forcast of 70 and sunny later in the day. Perfect. It was going to be an intersting day. They were only running 3 races, A, B, and C. The 1/2/3 women raced the B race with the Category 4 men but we had a $100 bonus for the first woman. Hmmm. I was not exactly thrilled to be thrown in with them. Nothing personal to the guys, but Cat 4's can be a bit sketchy and tend to have a bit more testosterone that I prefer to race with, especially in a sprint. There was no significant climbing on the course (my specialty) so I figured it was going to be a day of paying close attention and staying near the front of the pack. I was really excited that my friend Andrea from Memphis was racing too. She's always a tough competitor and has a way of owning me on the road in the same way I tend to own her on the dirt. I was hoping that her and I could hurt some boys together and then battle it out at the finish for the $100 women's bonus. I figured with two teammates to help, I had a pretty good chance.

After a COLD warm up (where was the sun that they promised us??), we were lined up and ready to go. I was at the front of the field and planned on staying there for the day. They said "go" and a rider put in a solo attack off the front. Everyone look as each other and decided we'd see him again soon enough. It was a full on battle to stay near the front. The roads were chip and seal, pot hole filled, narrow and gravely. Being a 125 pound girl in a field of big boys, it was a battle to hold my place. It was awesome. The first dirt section was 9 miles into the race and I knew that was where things were going to split up. We hit the dirt and the race was ON. Suddenly the cross racer/mountain biker in me took over and I took some hairy lines through the pack. I almost felt sorry for any true roadies that were on my wheel. We exited the gravel and I was at the front of the selection (and we had caught solo attack man...). I looked for teammates and didn't see any other women except Andrea. CRAP. Things were so sketchy in the gravel I hoped they were safe and still rolling. I found out after the race that Shannon got caught behind some slow boys and ended up in the first chase group. Apparently she worked those boys over. Kelsey (who is still waiting on her new Trek) dropped her chain and was chasing solo behind Shannon's group somewhere. I was on my own. Andrea then informed me that her ulnar nerve was giving her troubles and she was pulling out. CRAP. It was now me and about 25 boys. Yep, I am out numbered. I tried a couple of attacks (I did shell a few boys, hehe...) but I went nowhere and eventually resigned myself to the fact that I was sprinting with a group of big men. Not so good for me. As we turned to the 2 mile run in to the finish things got dicey. The testosterone came out in full force; there was a lot of bumping, close calls and yelling. I drifted to the back. It just wasn't worth it to try for the win; I already had the $100 women's purse and chances were good that this climber girl wasn't going to win a sprint against these boys anyway. As the guys blew up I picked my way through the field to a respectable 10th place finish. Shannon schooled the chase group and won the sprint and Kelsey rode solo for a lap and a half to be the third woman to finish. Great job ladies.

Grace Law- Trek p/b Vantaggio goes 1,2,3 in the women's field.

This event rocked. I can't express how much fun I had racing with my teammates and the Cat 4 guys (who were not nearly as scary as I was anticiapting...). Thanks to the boy who referred to me as "pretty lady" while we were racing; you made my day!! And a HUGE thanks to Swiftwick and all the other sponsors and individuals that made this race happen. The only request I have is MORE DIRT next year. But I think that is the mountain biker in me talking. And I definitely have my bad idea jeans on....

SERC #1- Look out Florida, here we come...

2010-03-18T17:07:00.000-04:00

Three of the top 5. What a great way to start the season!!

It has been a long COLD winter, the worst one the Southeast has seen in 15 years, and training has been less than "ideal". We are all excited for spring and race season but this year, we were also little unsure of the level of fitness we have maintained. It was with this sense of anticiaption that we loaded up and went in search of the warmth and sun of Florida for SERC (Southeast Regional Championship Series) #1. Florida is always tough for a few reasons; it is the first race of the year, it is hotter than our bodies are used to, and the trails are completely different than anything else we ever race. Think BMX track through the trees. It's a ton of fun but not my forte. This year the cold winter was going to compound the shock of racing in the warmth and sun. With all that being said, I was really just excited to race my new bike and get to do it without wearing a ton of clothing.

Emily, Mark and I loaded up Friday afternoon and began the long journey to FL where we were meeting up with Anina and Amanda. Our drive was plagued with Spring Break weekend traffic. It took FOREVER to get to our annual stop in Valdosta, Ga. We were hoping that Saturday's drive was going to be shorter (theoretically we were within 2 hours of the race course) and less traffic filled.

We woke up to perfect weather and good driving conditions. It took us almost no time to get to the course and it was so great to see all of our racing friends that we haven't seen since last fall. Everyone was worried about their fitness after such a harsh winter so at least I was not the only one who feels a bit "behind" in training. After saying our hello's and getting the tent up, it was time to RIDE.

Have I mentioned that I love my new bike?? My Trek Top Fuel WSD 9.8 is by far the fastest and lightest bike I've ever ridden. I was definitely not going to lose the race on Sunday because of the bike. The pre-ride reinforced this feeling of speed. I felt good and had a blast. The trail was tough but it flowed nicely. The hardest part was in the beginning of the lap; the end was more about fitness and even a little bit of climbing. Hmmm, this might me my year. About that, I have only won Florida once in all my years of racing and it was not against any of the Florida girls. Both Shelly and Caroline are strong competitors on any course but in their own back yard in March, they are almost unbeatable. Both of them were going to be there this weekend. They have been riding and racing all winter and they are so fast on the Florida trails anyway. Even on my fast new bike it was going to be a tough race.

Kym, Amanda, Anina and Emily model the new Tifosi glasses and Giro helmets.

Saturday night was full of two other race weekend rituals that we have missed, ice baths and hotel dinners. The ice bath is a must the night before the race, my legs always thank me the next day (although they are not so happy the night of...). Our non-heated hotel pool was perfect for the job. I am sure that the other hotel guests though we were crazy standing in the shallow end of the pool in swimsuit bottoms and sweatshirts in the 50 degree weather at 7pm. The dinner was our reward. I was "mom" for the weekend and before we left home I made individual serving pasta dishes for all of us. With Anina contributing the salad and Emily entertaining all of us we enjoyed a relaxing dinner in our room. No Saturday night waiting for a table, no suprises, just good times and good food. We did learn that our over priced hotel had a towel shortage and it paid to be one of the first to shower. Emily got to use two shower floor towels to dry off with. After a fun relaxing evening it was bedtime.

We awoke (after loosing an hour to daylight savings time) ready to race. The sun was shining and it was going to be warm, but not hot. Good, I might not melt. Fortunately we had the 11:30am start so it wasn't as bad getting up as it could have been. We had a strong field of women and the prize money was big, $1000 to the top 5 finishers plus $150 bonus for the fastest lap of the day. I wanted that money. I don't race to make money but it sure does help when I do.

They said "go" and I went on auto-pilot. Yep, I still know how to race. It was the same scene that played out last year a dozen times. Shelly got the hole shot and I was hot on her wheel. Damn that girl has a kick at the start. I settled into my pace and hoped for the best. I resigned myself to the fact that she was probably going to school me on her turf, but that never stops me from trying to win. About halfway through the first of our four laps it was Shelly and I still together. Hmmm, there are some hills at the end of the lap. I think I might be able to get that fastest lap prize if I attack in the right place. I went for it with everything I had. I attacked on the last climb out of the quarry and tried to make it look good. Ouch. It worked!!! I had about 10 seconds going into lap two and my fist lap was ended up as fastest lap of the day. Yay me!!! $150 in my pocket. Now, back to the task at hand, racing. I figured I was going to see Shelly pretty quickly after that attack but I never did. Apparetly my attack hurt her worse than it did me. I won!!! In Florida. In March. After a long cold winter. Against the locals. Every stinkin' trainer/roller ride I did in my living room was worth it. Yes, those days still sucked but it was worth it. My total paycheck for the weekend was $500. Race season is off to a great start.

Kym showing off the Swiftwick t-shirt on the podium. LOVE their socks!!!

Anina also had a hard fought battle with Caroline (another screaming fast Florida native) for 3rd. They beat each other up for all 4 laps and in the end Anina attacked like a mad woman and took the sprint. She looked super strong across the finish line and I was proud she was our teammate. She too has had a strong winter of training. Congrats girl, you are going to school us all this year.

Amnada was the first non-pro in the field and 5th overall, beating at least one of the pro riders. She was all smiles when she finished and is off to a stellar start to her 2010 season. It's not going to be long before she is racing as a pro if she keeps up those kind of races.

Emily, at 17 years old, is always impressive to watch. Not only is she racing against adults, she is doing it in a combined pro/expert field. And she does it well. She took 10th and looked strong the whole day. Emily, please remember the little people when you are winning the big ones someday.

Florida was a huge success for the team and a HUGE reminder of how great my teammates are. We have the best team ever this season. Not only are the girls all EXTREMELY talented, they are a ton of fun. Thanks ladies for making racing bikes so awesome.

Check out Emily, Anina and Amanda's race reports on their blogs.

Thanks for reading....

PARTY!!!!!

2010-03-03T17:58:00.000-05:00

Be there. Enough said.

NC Team Camp

2010-03-03T17:47:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was our second team camp of the season. We hold this camp in NC, just outside of Brevard at our great friend and sponsor Scott's cabin. Scott Wagner, of Wagner Research, is AWESOME. Thanks Scott, we had a wonderful weekend hanging with you.

As most of you know, this winter has not been kind to the Southeast. We have had more snow, cold and wet than the past 10 years combined. Not only has this made our winter training miserable, it has left our trails under lots of snow. Now one of the reasons we go to NC the end of February every year is to ride on some of our favorite trails. WE LOVE PISGAH. Well this year mother nature was having none of it. I arrived in North Carolina Thursday evening to snow. The mountains over there were even harder hit than Chattanooga. They were still under many inches of snow. And even if the trails were somehow miraculously rideable, there were so many trees down that there was just no way it was going to happen. We were not going to ride our favorite trails this year. Boo. I guess we've got to go to "plan B".

One happy team.

Camp "officially" started Friday night but Anina and I were there and ready to ride on Friday morning. Scott had been talking to the locals and the word was that if we wanted REAL, dry, rideable trails we needed to drive about 40 miles to South Carolina. Clemson was close, not in the mountains and had some fun trails. The same ones we race on mid-season. Ok. I'm game for the drive. We loaded up and off we went.

Happy brithday Emily.

What a great idea. It was so fun to FINALLY get to ride my new bike on actual trails. I felt like I was flying. I had to keep reminding myself that we were on a fun ride and I needed to slow down a bit. I was like a kid on Christmas. My new bike, a Trek Top Fuel WSD 9.8, totally ROCKS. I cannot wait to race her.

All smiles while the dirt was still frozen.

By Friday night, we were all there except for Catherine who was still recovering from wisdon tooth removal and was joining us in the morning. We played a really fun game that Emily had gotten for her birthday called Scrabble Slam. It is essentially speed Scrabble with cards. The whole game is played with four letter words (yep, we MIGHT have been a little inappropriate at times). We were all amazed at how good Shannon was at it until we realized that she had been cheating the whole night. To her credit is was unintentional.

Still calm and correctly spelled...

Saturday we awoke to cold temperatures but the sun was shining and the weather man said it was going to warm up. We decided to hit the "trails" (open fire roads) at DuPont State Forest before it thawed and got too muddy. We went on a nice 2 hour ride and saw some really pretty waterfalls. As things started to get muddy we were heading back for lunch and a swap to the road bikes. Catherine arrived mid-morning and her teeth (or holes where the teeth used to be) were feeling much better.

Emily enjoying the view atop Ceasar's Head Mountain.

The afternoon ride had been revised to a road ride up and over Ceasar's Head mountain. Wow, what a view. It was an awesome long climb and then we descended to South Carolina. We then turned around and headed back up and over the mountain again. Fun times. It was great to have Amy driving sag for us. She's still recovering from surgery and is not allowed to ride outside so she was our "support crew". Amy, you were AWESOME. Thanks so much for driving our food and warm clothing around behind us.

The Team with a view behind.

Saturday night was more yummy food, birthday cake to celebrate Emily's 17th birthday, (Amy and I had some "issues" hiding on the porch trying to get the candles lit. We accidentally blew it out about four times and laughed so hard we almost peed ourselves...), and good times playing more Scrabble Slam. Amy made up her own words and gave us definitions to go with them. She also somehow kept winning.... Hmm.

Amy, what does this word mean????

Sunday we did a four hour mountain bike "adventure" at DuPont State Forest. We actually pedaled our bikes for about 2 of the four hours we were out. It was still a great day with good friends. And you all know how I feel about ADVENTURE!!!! I am covered with bruises and scratches from hiking over a downed FOREST of trees, but it was worth it. Catherine also got the award for entertaining us for the day with the most "girlie" scream I have ever heard. And it lasted forever. She was riding over a frozed puddle and the ice slowly began to crack. As she started to fall through she screamed. And screamed. And screeeeeaaaaaamed. She never got wet or came off the bike. Impressive.

And then our weekend was over and it was time to go home. I had such a great time with my teammates. And such a great time seeing Scott. I am so excited for the season to start so I can spend more time with everyone. The racing is just an added bonus.

Some things we learned about everyone this weekend:

1. Amy is quirky.
2. Next year Scott is registering for Leadville as "Scottina" in hopes of getting in.
3. Shannon knows a lot of 4 letter words
4. Catherine had a lot of stuff stuck in her hole all weekend.
5. Anina determined that the 2 man luge is the "gayest" sport in the olympics. Watch it, she has a point.

6. Emily LOVES ice cream.
7. Emily HATES Withering Heights.
8. Kym is writing the list so we don't get to pick on her... :)

Thanks for reading...

My new ride!!

2010-02-15T11:50:00.000-05:00

Most of the new team bikes are here and they ROCK. Thanks Trek for the hook up on the killer bikes and thanks to Tyler, Mike and Taylor at Trek Store, Chattanooga for all the help getting them set up.

Here is a picture of my new road bike, a Madone 6.9. It is so fun to ride; it's fast, responsive and light weight (sub 15 pounds). in fact, it was so fun that I had to keep reminding myself to slow down coming off the mountain Saturday on the maiden voyage. It made a cold day fun.

Ride number 2 was even more of an adventure and the bike rose to the occasion. We rolled out in 35 degree weather with snow flurries. I assured Mark that the weather was going to hold as we'd be fine. About 30 minutes from home we encountered what could only be described as a blizzard. It was snowing so hard we couldn't see, there was ice sticking to the bikes and it was blowing like crazy. Fortunately it was still above freezing so the roads didn't freeze. It was an adventure and the bike did great. Mark, on the other hand, was not so thrilled with me. Happy Valentines Day, hon.

I am looking forward to more rides on my new road bike, hopefully in a little better weather. My new mountain bike arrived a few days ago too... I am DYING to ride her.

Thanks for reading...

New Sponsor, New Team Name, Same AWESOME girls!!!

2010-02-15T11:16:00.000-05:00

We are officially now Grace Law-Trek presented By Vantaggio, Elite Womens Mountain Bike Team. Yep, long name but with the incredible support we have this season, I'll scream that team name repeatedly from the roof tops.

As of February 12th Steve Grace, Grace Law, Nashville has become our title sponsor. Thanks Steve, you are our hero!!! I hope that we can promote your law firm like rock stars and bring you lots of business (not first hand, of course) this season. We will win lots of races with your name on our backs. And of course, we'll do it with a smile.

So, any of you out there reading this; if you need an attorney, we know a good one. Check him out for personal injury, employment law, and criminal defense.

Thanks for reading...

We are the Champions!!!

2010-02-01T21:59:00.001-05:00

Still clean, it must be the first lap!!!

The TN State Cyclocross Championships were this past weekend in Johnson City, TN. Of course, no one told Mother Nature of the event so she decided to unleash the worst winter storm that Tennessee has seen in 13 years on Friday. Neat. 5 inches of snow, freezing roads, closed roads, power outages, etc. Our friend Margaret is visiting from NY; I think the weather is her fault. As we watched the snow fall Friday afternoon, we anxiously awaited word as to wheather we needed to start packing the car or cancel the hotel. Finally the word came at about 4pm; the race was still happening. Okay, time to figure out how to get to Johnson City before Sunday. The plan was further complicated at about 10pm Friday night when my power went out. I had my fingers and toes crossed that EPB would get it back on before morning. I couldn't leave town for the weekend if it was still out. I tossed and turned all night long hoping for the best.

Passing the boys...

At 5am my power came back on so we loaded up the truck and headed to Johnson City. We had a full car with 4wd and a lot of bikes. Weather reports said the roads were questionable and there was a LOT of snow north of us. The drive that normally takes a little over 3 hours was going to be much longer today. If we were lucky, we'd get there in time to race today; if not, we would be there before Sunday's race and that was the important one. Saturday night was supposed to get REALLY cold and all the water and snow that was on the roads was going to be ice. As long as we were in Johnson City before that happened we were golden.

Star's podium. Congrats!!!

It took 5.5 hours to get there but we did it. We missed Mark and Star's races but got there in time for Margaret and I to race. What FUN!!!! The snow was soft and melty (techinical term) and it was a mixture of mud, slush and water. It was like riding in sand and skiing all at the same time. I won and Margaret took second. WooHoo!!!! I did have a funny moment on my last lap when I was thinking to myself "Hey, I haven't even crashed yet"... Yep, you guessed it. about a minute later I went sliding down a hill; taking out a couple of poles, tape and myself. I laughed out loud.

Riding the hill in the slop.

Saturday night was spent cleaning bikes (thanks Mark) eating a really YUMMY dinner, and relaxing. The anticipation for Sunday's Championships was never far from our thoughts. We went to bed early and slept well. While we were sleeping, it got cold. Not as cold as they predicted, but still well below freezing (20 degrees). The course that was fun and slushy Saturday was frozen and rutted on Sunday. At 9am when I went to pre-ride it, it was about 50% rideable. Yikes. Mark and Star raced at 10:30... it was not going to get much better by then.

Star making the best out of a bad situation.

They postponed the first race until 11am to let the pavement sections that were covered with ice thaw out but the frozen ruts were still abundent. Fat mountain bike tires might be an advantage today. Let's hope for the best, we've been planning for this one for way too long.

What kind of bike is it?? Funny, the tires are clean!!!

It became aparent very quickly that mountain bikes were faster on the frozed course. Star fought a valiant fight and was the first rider on a cross bike to finish, third overall in her field. She was disappointed until she realized that neither of the girls ahead of her were elligible for the state title. SHE HAD JUST WON THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!! It is so awesome to realize a goal like that after so many miles of hard work. Star is a true champion. She works harder than anyone I know and deserved the win. Congrats!! We are so proud of you. Mark struggled with frozen cleats and finished 8th. I know he was bummed but he had a great attitude and raced as well as he could with what he had to work with. Sometimes things just don't go as planned. That's racing...

Kym and Margaret all smiles after the race.

Margaret and I lined up two hours later in TOTALLY different conditions. The course was a muddy, mucky mess. The "Great Thaw" had begun. It was so sloppy that it was marginally rideable for a different reason. I took the hole shot and worked hard (at a comically slow speed) to get a seperation from the rest of the field. It worked. And then I got to the first non-rideable section. I ran. Unfortunately, there was still enough snow that when you ran, you got ice frozen hard in the cleats. Oh no!!! I suddenly could not clip into my pedals. SO I RAN. And ran. And ran. I got to the pavement and smacked the ice out of my shoes, got clipped in, and decided that I was NOT going to do that again. I still had a small lead and it was time to get back to the task at hand; winning the race. I rode the next three laps better than I could have imagined. I used every bit of mountain bike skill I possessed and rode almost everything. I was one of only three people all day to ride one of the steep, off camber sections. It's funny what riding scared can do for you. The one small uphill that was a run-up I ran on my toes. I looked silly but it worked. I won. State Champion for the third year. AWESOME!!! Margaret took third; it was a great ride for her.

Mark looking fast.

Our poor bikes were not recognizeable as bikes by the time we were done. Everything was frozen. In fact, after I stopped and looked at mine, my rear brake cable wasn't even attached... apparently I didn't need it. After all, brakes only slow you down...

A picture of cross at it's most extreme.

Dwayne in Johnson City put on a class act event in true "Euro Cross" conditions. Thanks for a great event. It was a blast, in spite of the weather. Instead of sitting at home all weekend being bummed that it was too nasty to ride outside, we raced in epic conditions. I LOVE CROSS!!!

Thanks for reading...

Team Training Camp, Chattanooga

2010-01-29T14:05:00.002-05:00

I have to say, I have the coolest teammates EVER. Every year things get better and this year we have taken another HUGE jump in both talent and fun factor. This weekend was the first team training camp of 2010 for the Vantaggio/Trek ladies and it was awesome; food, fun and lots of great riding.

The whole team looking good!!!

Our January team camp is a road riding camp. We use it as a way to catch up with old friends, get to know new ones, distribute cool new sponsor products, and work on team cohesiveness. Whew, it was a FULL weekend. We ate, rode, socialized, ate more, rode more and generally just had a great time.

All smiles...

We decided to start things out Friday night with a "Thanksgiving in January" at my house. Our good friends Karen, Rachel and Foye came up with the idea of hosting our little party in conjunction with the team weekend and it ROCKED. I spent Friday cooking, cleaning and running errands in anticipation of the fun. The food was incredible and the company was even better. No one lost any weight Friday night. Other than Amanda and Catherine, the whole team made it in time for dinner and the fun began.

Catherine, you are killing us with that gearing!!!

Saturday morning was breakfast at my house and then time to RIDE. January weather can be so unpredictable; we have had many a team weekend that was freezing, wet and miserable. We lucked out for Saturday's ride. It was mostly cloudy but 54 degrees. I'LL TAKE IT!!!! We had a really nice 4 hour ride with 5 flats (all mine... yes, I know, new tire time) and a kick butt support vehicle. It was all talking, catching up and fun.

Reily "team dog" supervises during the ride.

The flat tires put us behind schedule so we had to rush to get ready for the next part of our weekend.... sponsor relations at the Trek Store. There is nothing quite like 9 women on a schedule and ONE bathroom!!! Sponsor realtions involved pictures, socializing, picking up new bikes and BEER. Thanks again to Tyler and Mike; you guys rock. This is going to be one killer season with such a great shop supporting us!!!

The team with the guys from Trek Store- Front row: Catherine, Kelsey, Anina, Shannon, Star; Back row: Mike, Amy, Emily, Kym, Amanda, Tyler

From the shop we went to our dinner meeting that MIGHT have been not-so-productive due to the "socializing" we did earlier but we sure did have fun... After that it was bedtime. Whew, were we tired.

Anina mastering the rollers with Emily's help.

Sunday we awoke to rain. It was more of a monsoon really. Strong winds, 2-3 inches of rain. Yep, this is the January team weekend I remember. We WANTED to ride outside, really we did. There was just no way to do so and stay safe. So we did the next best thing; trainer ride in Star's basement. This isn't just any basement, it is a media room wit a projection screen, sound system and the works!!! It rocked. We rode for almost 2 hours and barely even noticed we were inside. Anina mastered the rollers and everyone had fun. We definitely made the best of a bad situation.

Enjoying a movie while getting our ride done.

After everyone left I went home and naped. WHEW. It was a really fun, really long weekend. I am super excited about this season. I really do have the best teammates EVER. It was so good to get to see everyone and get to know some of the new girls better. Watch out world, we are READY to race!!!

Thanks for reading...

Pictures from Chattanooga Cross

2010-01-18T21:22:00.004-05:00

Star leading the women's CX 4 field

That isn't a smile, it's a grimace of pain.

Is that SNOW on the ground??!!

Okay, that might be a little smile about making those boys work...

Kym making the barriers look easy.

Thanks to Prashant Rawate for the photos.

...and the boys chased the girl.

2010-01-18T11:16:00.000-05:00

So yesterday was one of those miserable TN winter days. Not too cold (55 degrees) but foggy, wet and just plain gloomy. Not a day that screams "training ride". I had no motivation to ride my bike. Now racing cross on the other hand, sounded like a blast. This is PERFECT cross weather!!!! We (Mark and I) packed up the truck and headed to Columbia, TN to see what other crazies were looking for some wet, muddy fun.

The turnout for the race was small, as expected. Mark and our friend Steve lined up with about 10 other guys and were the first race of the day. Mark won!!! Great job. Steve took 6th, which was a great ride for our "roadie" friend on a wet muddy day. It was exciting to watch. I was fired up for my race after watching them.

Unfortunately, I was the only woman who showed up. I was scheduled to race at the same time as the Masters 35+ and 45+ men and the Category 3 men. Okay, I'll just race them. I lined up on the front line (which always makes the boys look at me funny) and got the hole shot. That was fun... let's see if I can beat these boys today. Two of them passed me on the flat power section but I stuck with them and did my thing on the long hill. This used-to-be-sprinter-turned-climber, climbed away from the front of the men's field. Hehe.... I pushed hard every lap on the hill, taking my lead to over a minute by the finish. I have raced with the men many times and feel that I am fairly competitive near the front of their field. I have NEVER ridden aways from them in a race so completely. It was an awesome feeling. I lapped two of the riders at the back of the field and ended up having the BEST day in crappy, miserable conditions.

I guess it just goes to show, sometimes it's not the weather but what you do with it that matters....

Thanks for reading.

Chattanooga Cross and THE NEW BIKES ROCK!!!!!!

2010-01-10T21:57:00.001-05:00

This weekend was a double whammy of a weekend for us. Not only were we racing on our hot new bikes, we were doing it at home in front of everyone we knew. AND to top it off, Vantaggio Fitness and Scenic City Velo our sponsor and our sponsoring club, were the promoters. No pressure, but we REALLY wanted to win.

Star and I are the cross racers of the team so we took the reigns on the racing front with the rest of the girls acting as volunteers and cheering section. Let me tell you, it was a kick butt race. (And I am not just saying that because Mark was the race director.) We had music, an announcer, and host housing with a pot luck dinner Saturday night. It was so much fun. Don't get me wrong, I am exhausted and ready to DROP, but it was such a great weekend.

Back to the race report.... Star started off the weekend right with a win for the team (she only took one wrong turn on the course.... yes, she helped design it but "tunnel vision" can hit hard in the heat of battle). She took control of the race up the starting hill and never looked back. Star has become the girl to beat. Great job, we are SO proud of you! She was even more convincing with sunday's win, and it was minus the wrong turn too! That makes 6 wins in a row. Go Star.

Saturday I had no girls to race against. I started with the cat 3 men and it was fun. I got the hole shot off the start and made it look good for the crowd. I ended up 4th in the field and had a blast. I was reeling 2nd and 3rd in fast but they got me by about 10 seconds at the finish. Thanks for making me work boys....

Sunday we had a good strong field in the 1/2/3 Women's race. My biggest competition was my friend Andrea from Memphis. Andrea is a kick butt road racer and she kills me when we race crits. Historically I have beaten her fairly easily off road but Andrea has a new found love for all things dirt and has been riding her mountain and cross bikes a ton. I know how strong and talented she is and I NEVER underestimate my competition, especially someone as strong as her. I was going to have to be on my "A" game. It had been a very long tiring weekend (being married to the race director automatically give a person a TON of responsibilites and little sleep on race weekend), finding my legs was not as easy as I hoped. I got a good long warm-up in and I was as ready as I was going to be. They gave us a minute gap to the cat 3 men so we didn't have to worry about passing them early on, and we were off. I started hard and took the hole shot. I figured my best bet was to get a gap early and hope that my body held up for 45 minutes. It worked. And I held up better than I thought I would. I built a decent lead early on and then slowly continued to build on it. I won by a large margin and had a blast. The new bike rocked. I forgot I was riding something other than a trusted old friend. That is the biggest compliment I cna give to a new ride. Thanks Trek!!!!

Thanks to everyone that came out to the race this weekend. It took a ton of work to make it happen and all the volunteers, sponsors, racers and specatators made it possible. And especially thanks to Mark. He made it one of the best races in the state of Tennessee!!!

On that note, it's long past bedtime for me. Thanks for reading...

NEW BIKES!!!!

2010-01-08T09:20:00.000-05:00

Today I got the first of my new team bikes; a 2010 Trek XO2 cyclocross bike. Mine and Star's arrived yesterday and thanks to Mike at the Trek Store, and Shawn from Trek, we will be racing new bikes this weekend. I am SO excited. It is a really sexy red, white and black bike. I am looking forward to the first ride today.

I will post pictures here soon...

Starting out 2010 right

2010-01-08T09:16:00.000-05:00

So it is COLD here. Really cold. Wisconsin cold. Almost too cold to ride outside. My solution; race of course...

With that being said, last Sunday Star, Mark and I decided that there is still cross racing going on and we should give it a try. It was 21 degrees when we woke up and wasn't supposed to get above freezing all day. Time to pack the warm clothing. All of it. we loaded the car and headed to Columbia, TN.

The fields were small. Apparently the cold scared off a lot of racers. I would much rather race cross that do a long cold training ride this time of year but apparently everyone does not share my sentiments. Star had some girls to race with but I was alone in my quest in the 1/2/3 women's field. That's okay, I raced at the same time as the Cat 3 and the Masters men. I'll just race them!!!

Star continued her dominance and rode away from the cat 4 women's field. She's ready to race as a category 3; she's got two more weekends as a cat 4 then it is time for the State Championships and an upgrade. Great race girl!!! Star has really come into her own ths year with cross. She's the girl to beat right now in the southeast in the cat 4 women's field.

I lined up with about 15 men. Fun times. I started at the back; I didn't technically have anyone I was racing so I didn't want to get in their way. They said go and I threaded through the men quickly and soon found myself riding comfortably in the top 5. Okay, this is fun. And then I passed another one. And another one. I rode a very steady pace and as the guys started to fade I was catching them. In fact, all of my laps were within 10 seconds of each other. I finished 3rd overall. Jordan, a friend of ours and a cat 2 roadies was gone; I wouldn't have caught him on an open course like this one, regardless of how strong I rode. Second place however was one lap away from me catching him. I finished 15 seconds down and I was closing fast, I just ran out of real estate. So, me, 15 boys and I beat 13 of them. For a girl that has been traveling and not doing much since Nationals, I feel really good about that. Thanks guys for making me work!!!

We've got a few more weekend of cold weather and winter cross races. This weekend is the local race. Mark is the promoter and I am his helper. If the ground thaws long enough to get the course set up it is going to be fun times.

Thanks for reading...

Good bye to a great friend and hello to a new era.

2010-01-01T10:40:00.002-05:00

As of today, January 1, 2010, we say goodbye to an "old friend" and usher in a new era of the team. We have decided for 2010 to race with the support of Trek Bicycles. Specialized has been awesome to us over the years and makes incredible bikes, the guys were wonderful and it has been difficult to say good bye. Thanks for the years of help and support, WE LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!

As difficult as it was to end the relationship with Specialized, we are extremely crazy excited about the new relationship we are forming with Trek. As many of you know, a new Trek store opened up in Chattanooga this past year and I am employed there. They are GREAT guys. Killer service and outstanding mechanics. I have loved every minute of my employment there and am really excited to have the support of the shop and Trek for the team going forward. Tyler, Mike and all the guys are psyched to have the team and ready to support us any way they can. THANKS GUYS!!!!

Here's to 2010 being the best year yet...

Nationals: The world according to Mark

2009-12-17T14:35:00.005-05:00

Here is the race report according to Mark. I think his version is much more coherent than mine... I was too busy taking out spectators, course tape, my bike and myself all weekend. No, it did not go as planned. Yes, I am extremely lucky to have such a supportive husband.

Cross Nats review from the coach/husband point of view...

WARNING...THIS IS LONG!!!

This was a rough weekend...for many reasons. I knew we had Kym's fitness where it needed to be to reach her goals. Those were the podium in her Master's race and Top 20 in the Elite race. She has been racing strong all fall, and continually getting stronger. When we arrived in Bend, the temps were in the negatives in the morning, with mid-afternoon temps only getting to just above freezing. This was creating a problem. That was the snow was just melting enough to refreeze into ice by the following morning. This was not only going to be a handling course, but probably one of luck as you just couldn't tell where the ice was or where it was melted. The first day saw so many crashes it was crazy. One guy got a compound fracture of his tib/fib and I know some of those pics made the Internet. Because of that, the race promoters changed the course to try and take out some of the more dangerous areas.

By Friday, the course had melted a LITTLE bit by the women's race, but it was still a course that, in most spots, only had one true line on it. This became problematic because the fields this year were huge. That in itself wasn't SO bad, except USAC decided to run multiple age groups at the same time. In the 40+ fields, which there was 4 or 5 of them, they separated the fields out by 5-10 second starts. In the 30+, there were just two fields, and they separated them out by 30 seconds. In both cases, you had people integrating with other age group fields almost immediately in a race that was determining the National Champions. This was/is totally unacceptable as you now have people you aren't racing against possibly determining the outcome of your race. Not a big deal in your typical weekend races, but this was the National Championships. In Kym's race, for instance, the crash she had that put her chain and rear derailleur into the spokes was caused because she was forced to take a bad line to pass a slower rider walking up a hill that Kym had been riding. That rider was from the younger age group and Kym hit a patch of ice trying to make that pass. If that choice had been made because that girl was someone she was actually racing against, then that is fair game...it would have still sucked, but that happens. However, to have to pass someone walking up a hill in the only rideable line there is, and then crashing because you are forced into an ice patch is unacceptable when that rider wasn't even in your own race. This was common for the entire day. I have already had conversations with USAC officials while we were there and I believe they are going to try and add an additional day next year to fix this problem. Kudos to them for trying to address it going forward. I heard from one official they had literally hundreds of complaints on Thursday and Friday due to the mixed fields. This was made worse by the fact the course was just too short, time-wise. The master's women were turning 7 minute laps, with some of them faster than that. People were getting lapped within the third lap of the race. Chaos does not come close to the chaos that was out there.

By yesterday morning, the course had started to thaw out. That was both good and bad. It was good because on a lot of the course, the ice was gone, replaced by mud and water. The bad was you couldn't tell by looking at a section you were coming into which it was. The temps at 11:00 when the Elite women went off were around 34 degrees.

The women lined up over a 100 racers in their field...Kym was called up 23rd, I think. Third row regardless. Good call up. At the start she drilled it and came out of the first corner sitting 27th. That was a perfect position since anyone after about the top 30 was off their bike running the first big corner because they were so stacked up. I was doing pit duty again, so I only had a limited view of the course. Since it was a double pit, Kym would come past me twice each lap. By the time she came past the pit the next time on the lap, she had moved up to 25th and was in a group of about 14 girls and looking great. As she went out to the other side of the course I could only wait and hope. She was still holding strong the new few laps, moving up in the group. Then she came through and was back around 30th. I looked at her and the bike and she seemed ok, so I was perplexed and worried as to why she had slid back. Come to find out, she had slid out on an icy, off-camber patch that was claiming lots of riders at the front and the back of the field. She had lost about 10 places, but had fought her way back when she went past me.

With 2 laps to go, she suddenly didn't come through where she should have been....25,26,27,30,32,32,33..40, oh crap, where is she? She came through in 49th and I screamed at her if she was ok. She said no that she was hurt. Gulp...husband's worse nightmare to hear that in the pits. Especially knowing how high a pain threshold Kym has. She will race in extreme pain, regardless of how it may actually be hurting her physically, because she doesn't give up....EVER. This is one of the things I truly LOVE about my wife, but it scares me to death sometimes. She will put her well-being aside in order to finish or win a race.

Anyway, so she goes past, I can't see blood, but I can tell she is pedaling a bit erratic. When I get to the finish line, she about collapses in my arms and can't stand up. A definite tear moment...ouch...I don't do those so well. She had crashed, really hard, in that same, stupid off-camber section. Hard enough that she didn't move for a minute or so and spectators were trying to help her off the course. She had hit her hip and knee hard. Hard enough that she would have been justified in going to first aid and calling it a day. In fact, that was recommended to her. Again, she is hard headed and doesn't give up. She got back on her bike and dug deep for the last two laps, in spite of the fact her knee had now swollen to twice it's normal size. She told me it was the National Championships and she wasn't about to quit. She finished 41st.

So...not quite the weekend we had hoped or planned for, but her knee and hip have stabilized and it appears to be a soft tissue injury. She will recover. And she wasn't the only one who crashed hard this past weekend...there were lots of them. It's something that is out of a coach or non-racer's control when that person is out racing. You can't plan for it, and you just have to pick yourself up and try to keep going. That's all you can hope for. The same thing happened to Jeremy Powers in the Elite Men's race. He was off the front, looking incredible and it was his race to lose. He did just that...in the very exact spot Kym crashed. He hit the deck and was down for a bit. That took him all the way back to the high-30's or low-40's. He was able to fight back to the podium, I believe, but it happens. Sometimes, in order to be a champion, you have to be aggressive and take risks. That's what makes one a champion. You'll never be great sitting back and hoping for the best....you have to make your own luck in a race. When it works out, you're the hero....when it doesn't...well...it sucks, but at least you tried and gave it your best. That's all a coach can ever expect/want...and its the standard I get from my wife day in and day out...

And that's the look back on the weekend....I am happy we came out here and it was a great experience, minus the crashing part. We'll be back here next year for sure!! It is an experience you just can't describe well enough unless you experience it.

Kym and I both did presentations for USA Cycling and we got to see friends while out here. It was a super trip, but I'm ready to be back in TN.

Nationals: part 1, Masters

2009-12-17T09:09:00.004-05:00

After an uneventful but long trip to Bend, OR it was time for racing. Was I ready? Was the course going to cooperate? So many questions...

Bend had gotten a ton of snow the week before the race and the temperatures had been below zero until the day before we arrived. It was going to be interesting. Things were a bit snow covered. Thursday I pre-rode the course with about 1,000 other riders (not a lot was accomplished) and my assessment was that it was going to be slick. There was ICE and snow everywhere. I guess we'll see how race day goes.

I rode well after a not so stellar start and was riding in 5th when things got ugly. Things did not magically dry up by Friday. The course was snow/ice covered and although it was "almost" thawing during my race, there were some really slick areas. No one raced without a few slide outs. I was passing a girl from the field that started in front of mine and took a line that I had not ridden before. It was ice. the bike slid and I recovered fairly well... no big deal, run up the hill and keep going. WRONG. My derailleur had gotten smacked into my rear wheel and jammed into the spokes. It was NOT coming out. I was as far from the pit as I could be. So I ran. And ran. And then jogged. And then walked quickly. They announced me as I ran past the finish "And there's some bad luck, there goes Kimberly Flynn, who was riding in the front of the field earlier in the race, headed to the pit with a mechanical". Thanks.... I got to the pit, got my pit bike, and rolled around one more lap to the finish.

I have not finished a lap down in ANY race this year, not even when we start behind the men. Today I did. At Nationals. OUCH. Granted I ran a half of a lap and had really bad luck, but it still stings. I rode really well and I did not quit (I don't quit races EVER) but it was not what I came here for. Sunday is the Elite race and I am fired up. I have a score to settle with Bend. I will not be crashing and messing up my bike. I have a 28th place call up out of over 100 women. They had better be ready...

Thanks again to everyone who has helped me get here this season, especially Mark. He was a PHENOMENAL pit crew today. He got my bike back running again in 1/2 lap so I got to finish on my own steed.

As a side note: the promoter had TONS of complaints about how racers need their own race at Nationals. I was not the only woman whose race was determined by someone that was not in their category. Yes, I took the line that I crashed on, but I was forced to do so by someone that I was not racing against. I REALLY hope that problem is fixed by next year.

Thanksgiving to Nationals

2009-12-17T08:30:00.002-05:00

Whew. Talk about a whirlwind push to the end of cross season. After Mercer was the UCI NC Grand Prix and then two weekends in GA for the series finals.

North Carolina was tough. The course was flat and non-technical, not my favorite, but it's cross so it's always fun. And anything can happen. Saturday's race was challenging for me. I was still tired from the whirlwind drive to Mercer and it showed. I struggled to find my mojo and finished 8th. Not a bad UCI finish, but not what I was hoping for. It was way too much of a road race for me. Sunday it was cold and rainy and I was looking for redemption. I got it. The mud turned the course into something worth racing and I raced well. I was even in 3rd for two laps. An unplanned dismount took me back to 5th. Still a very respectable finish. The weekend was a success. As a side note, Mark was AWESOME Sunday, taking the win from a 7th row start. Killer!!

Also, a HUGE thanks to Scott Wagner, friend and team sponsor, for the cabin and fun times. Scott, it was so good to see you!!!

Thanksgiving weekend we went to GA and raced the "make-up" race for the series. It was a blast and we even got Amanda out on a cross bike. She rocked it. She won the Cat 4 women's race on her FIRST RIDE ever on a real cyclocross bike. You go girl!!!! I won the Elite women's field. A good time was had by all.

And then it was December...

Star and I did a girl's trip to Conyers, GA for the GA series final. She raced a really exciting race, coming from behind with tow laps to go to take the win. In my race I took the lead at the start and never looked back. Two more wins for Vantaggio. The win gave me enough points to take 3rd in the series, even after missing 3 of the races. Star was 5th having missed 4 races.

Now we are done in the Southeast and it is time to head WEST. Yikes. Let's see if all that hard work paid off.

Muddy Day 1: Mercer, NJ

2009-11-24T12:21:00.003-05:00

This photo was early in the race... the bike still mostly looks like a bike.

Video Clip: Ohio day 1

2009-11-23T22:10:00.002-05:00

Here is a link to the first day of racing in Ohio. It is worth the watch. I am "lucky 13".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7786OOS_yOs

Savannah

2009-11-23T13:32:00.004-05:00

Warm. Sunny. Dry. So much unlike everything we've done this season. I was really looking forward to Savannah. It was the Georgia State Championships so we were looking forward to some good racing. Star and I were headed south and there were two days of racing, Saturday night and Sunday to look forward to.

We arrived in Savannah to 70 degrees and sunny. The race was at a dirt track speedway and it was dusty and flat. Saturday's course was short and open, with a really cool fly-over. They had to keep it close enough to the infield to keep it "under the lights" for the later races. What a neat event. Some of the corners were DARK; I had pre-ridden in the day light so I almost killed myself on the first lap numerous times.

Star started off the weekend for us with a WIN. She rode confidently and never looked back. She was all smiles as she crossed the finish line. Not wanting to be out done in my race I also took the lead from the start and won the race. What a fun evening.

Sunday was the GA State race so the fields were bigger and faster on Sunday. Star's race was first again and she did a repeat of the night before with a convincing win. That's two for two on the weekend. Our self proclaimed "endurance queen" is rocking the cross scene!!! Great job girl.

I also won my race. Vantaggio tore it up; the only thing that really sucked was that we are not GA residents so although we both won the GA State Championships, neither of us got the winner's jersey. That's okay, we have our own state race in January.

USGP: Louisville, New Jersey and back again...

2009-11-23T12:37:00.011-05:00

... and the theme of my season; MUD!!!

Okay, here is the update on the last month of racing. I have been all over the Eastern US and it has been incredible. I have proven to myself that I am a competitive UCI racer in the Elite Field and I LOVE this sport!!!!!!

Our friend Andy sums up the day without words.

After the two weekends in GA and an incredible weekend in Ohio it was time for more USGP racing. The weekend after Ohio I had an unexpected weekend off. It was nice to stay home and get the bike cleaned up a bit. And sleep in my own bed for a few more days. And then the whirlwind began.

Kym climbing the "green monster" in Louisville. The steps got bigger each lap.

USGP #2 was in Louisville, KY. I was really excited to see where I stacked up now that I had some racing in my legs. We again headed to a race weekend in the rain; I am getting tired of destroying my bike every weekend. Oh well, this should be fun. We were staying with one of the kids that came to our camp this summer and his family and they were awesome. I have never eaten so well on a race weekend. Thanks again!!!!

It was another muddy weekend but I did well. I got 12th and 11th. Both great finishes. I was also called up 10th all weekend. That was really cool. It is really great being competitive in big races with the front part of the field.

Grrr....

After Louisville was a weekend of sunshine and warmth in Savannah for the GA state championships. I'll do a separate post on that. Star and I both went and it was AWESOME.

And then I put on my "bad idea jeans"....

So, the USGP #3 in Mercer, New Jersey was the weekend after Savannah. I decided that I could drive to NJ and back, and race, in just over 3 days. Yep. It somehow sounded like a good idea. Not sure how that happened. So...off I went. Going to NJ meant giving up any hope at winning the GA series (I would now miss too many races for an overall win) but my goal is Nationals and NJ was better preparation for that.

I left home Thursday evening and drove to Johnson City to stay with my friend Kim (who came with me). We got up Friday morning and drove. And drove. And sat in traffic in DC. And sat in traffic in Baltimore. And sat in traffic in Philly. You get the idea. It was a LONG day. I had strained my hamstring in Savannah and it was killing me by the time we got there. And it was RAINING. Bad idea jeans....

Saturday morning came REALLY early (Margaret and Kim raced at 8:45am) and I was tired. The rain had slowed to a drizzle. The first races of the day were muddy but the course was rideable. And then the rain stopped. The thing about mud is that sometimes it is worse when it starts to dry out. It turns to peanut butter. And it gets sticky. Really sticky. By the time my race started it was BAD. Bikes were caked with mud. Girls were taking a pit bike every half lap. I do not have a pit bike. I watched riders that I was riding way stronger than get a clean bike and ride away from me and my 50 pound steed. It was incredibly frustrating. I finished 20th with a bike that no longer shifted, had brakes or even rolled. But I finished. And I was still ahead of a lot of girls.

Sunday was better. The course dried out for us and I had found a pit bike to borrow "just in case". Unfortunately I got caught behind a crash at the start and was then LAST. I ran over a poor girl who went down. I spent the entire race chasing. I rode well, it just wasn't enough. I finish a disappointing 18th. Oh well, it was still a fun day of racing. And my wheels rolled so it's all good.

And then we got in the car and drove. And drove. We took a different way home; it was a bit longer but we avoided DC. We got to Kim's at about 2am and I was up again at 6am to drive to Chattanooga in time to be at work at 11am. I will not do that again.

So that is the brief update of where I've been. It's been a great season and I am really excited for Nationals. Only 3 weeks!!!!!

GA Cross #2

2009-11-13T22:59:00.002-05:00

Okay, obviously I am slacking again.... Cross season has kept me so busy that I barely have time to see myself going out the door again each weekend. I haven't unpacked my bag or the car since the end of September. My blog posts are a bit late. I will try to get caught up this week. And I'll post some pictures too.

The second GA Cross weekend combined two of my favorite things: a winery and cross. We raced on the property of a winery in Dahlonega, GA. The course was OK; not great but still fun. And it was surrounded by a beautiful setting and WINE. It had a killer run-up to the finish (it was rideable for one lap and then it was easier/faster to run...) and a LOT of climbing.

Saturday night was a one lap time trial, winner take all. I knew that the riding the run-up was going to be the key so I forced myself to save some for the end and nailed it. I won. Good start to the weekend!!!

Sunday we lined up a big competitive women's field. I wanted the hole shot so I nailed it from the gun. It worked, I took the lead and never looked back. I celebrated with some wine tasting and we stopped at an orchard on the way home for pie.... what a perfect weekend.

Thanks for reading.

Ohio UCI weekend

2009-10-19T14:59:00.004-04:00

The Elite Women's Field in the rain before the start of day 1.

Last year was my first real cross season. I've raced cross for a few years but last year I really started to see what I could do. In 2008 the Ohio UCI weekend was my first experience racing with the "big girls" and although I held my own, I was not competitive with the front of the race. That was a great first step and one that I was very proud of. This year, I wanted to step it up. I am ready to be a factor in these races. I want to be competing for the money and UCI points. After a year of training and trial and error, we were about to find out if I was ready. With that being said, we packed up and headed north for Ohio.

Is that a race course or a Slip-n-Slide??

Rain. It started raining on Monday and didn't stop. Ohio was wet. They got 2 inches the night before the race. Friday was going to be a mess. My poor bike....

I spent a LOT of time doing this during Friday's race.

Friday morning I made one of the smartest decisions I've made in a long time. I rode the course before the first race so I could see it before it got too muddy. The race was on a golf course. It was soggy and everything was off camber. After about two laps of the first race, it was going to be a muddy mess. Everyone was soaking wet, covered in mud and the course was completely torn up after the first 10 minutes of racing. Wow. Only 4 more races before I get to race.

We lined up in a drizzle with a feeling of impending doom washing over us. It was very apparent that this was going to be one HARD race. Even Katie and Sue were talking about how bad it was. They said "go" and it was crazy. The first wreck of the day was Katie Compton being taken out by Sue. They got moving again and there was a pile up right in front of me. I managed to get around it and after about 2/3 of a lap found myself in third!!! Holy CRAP. I could see the front of the race. At a UCI race. This is pretty awesome. Okay, so I went out a little too hard and didn't hold third but I did hold on to 7th and rode a killer race. Top 10. That is definitely where I wanted to be. The poor golf course will never be the same. Of course they might find shoes, bikes or even a stray racer once things dry out a bit...

Thank goodness for a sunny Saturday!!!

Saturday I woke up to sunny skies. After the horrendous mud from the day before it was much needed. I felt like I had gotten run over by a truck. Wow, Friday's race took it's toll on me. I was bruised and sore. And now it was time to get ready to do it all over again. My motivation was a little lacking but cross is always fun; I knew once I got out there I would be ready to go. This course was the hardest of the weekend for me. I'm not sure if it was the tired legs or the course but I really struggled. The course was a little slick but mostly tacky and fast. I pushed myself really hard and although I never felt great, I still finished 9th. It is pretty cool to not feel like you are riding at your best and still take top 10 at a UCI event. I also had some extra motivation, Scott Wagner, a good friend and team sponsor, stopped by with Tyson (his dog) to cheer for me. Thanks Scott!!!

Riding the sand; I loved this part!!!

Sunday was my favorite course of the weekend. It has long climbs and a "fun" sand pit. I like sand when it is rideable. We had the biggest field of the weekend (yikes, fresh legs to race against on day 3!!!) and I had a killer start. I was on Sue's wheel and it was a good one to be on. I never fell out of the top 10 and rode strong to finish 9th. It was a good end to a really great weekend. Oh, and it was my 6th wedding anniversary. I love that Mark understands me enough to "get" that it is okay to celebrate with racing.

I am finally getting there. After YEARS of hard work and struggling, I am starting to be really competitive in the big races. It is a great feeling. Thanks to everyone who has believed in me over the years; the sponsors, my friends and especially my family. And most of all to my husband.

And a big CONGRATS to Mark for winning all three of his races!!!

GA Cross #1

2009-10-10T21:09:00.003-04:00

After attending two of the Georgia Cross events last season I decided that was the regional series I was going to chase this year. They have great courses, good size fields for the women, and guaranteed payout that is very respectable. The series is 8 races plus a make-up race and I will be able to attend 7 of them so I figured I have a shot at the series podium. My time this fall is now officially booked. 4 UCI cross weekends, 7 Georgia Cross weekends, and Cross Nationals. I am "booked solid" until Christmas. FUN. The marathon started the first weekend of October.

Star, Mark and I got up at the crack of dawn Sunday morning to head to Macon. We arrived with plenty of time to get registered, warm-up and pre-ride. They had made full use of the beach at the park with not one but TWO sections of sand. I hate sand. I mostly just hate running in sand and then having my shoes full of it. Oh well, suck it up Kym, this is cross.

We had a good size women's field and I was a bit nervous. I didn't know all the girls there and I wasn't sure what to expect after a long week of travel and racing the week before. Star's race was the race before mine so I got to cheer for her as I warmed up on the trainer. She did GREAT!!! Star fought hard at the front of the field for the entire race... her and two other girls were in a heated battle. It was very exciting to watch. She eventually finished third. Great job Star.

Wow, there are women here racing!!! In TN, most of our women's fields were small so it was refreshing to line up in a good size, competitive field. I lined up and decided that I wanted the hole shot. Okay, let's hope for the best. I took it and never looked back. The Category 3 men started 1 minute ahead of us and I rode through most of their field as well. It was a great race. I won by a huge margin and finally feel as if my "cross legs" are coming back.

Thanks to the Georgia Cross series... you guys do an amazing job. I can't wait for the next one.

Next is the 3 day Ohio UCI weekend. Yikes. Talk about big fields and strong women. Looks like I'm racing with the "big girls" again next weekend.

Cross season starts with BANG!!!

2009-10-10T20:14:00.003-04:00

So after a short break cross season has begun. And it started off with a BIG one. This year my season started with the opening round of the US Gran Prix in my home state of WI. Nothing like trial by fire:

"Okay so you haven't raced cross since last year, so let's pick the BIGGEST series in the US and start there.... good plan Kym." Bad Idea Jeans??? Maybe.

It was going to be really fun seeing the family and getting back on the most FAVORITE of all my bikes (Thanks Specialized.... LOVE the S-Works Tricross!!!!), but I was pretty sure that it was going to hurt really badly.

Yep. I was right about that!!!!

Mark and I made the drive to my parent's house (which was 40 miles from the race... convenient) and we were as ready as we were going to be. After a pre-ride where we JUST missed the rain, we got a good night's sleep and were ready to go.

Saturday morning was dryish (it rained some the night before but other than some threatening clouds, it was okay) and we hit the road early to get a good spot. We were the THIRD car there. Thanks Mark. I decided that I was going to race the Master's Women's race in the morning to get my legs under me and then do the Elite race in the afternoon. I wasn't really sure if that was a good idea, but if not I could always opt to NOT race the early race on Sunday if it was too much.

My Master's race rocked. I took the hole shot and never looked back. I won. Cross season is off to a good start. Somehow, I think my day is about to get harder. Yep.

The Elite race was FAST. Not that I was surprised, but holy crap!!! All the big girls were there and we had a field of 34 of the best women in the country (and world). I struggled almost immediately, I was feeling the earlier race. I pushed myself hard and crossed the finish line in 14th place!!! Go me. That was a great ride for the first race of the year. I was also COMPLETELY exhausted.

So after day 1 I decided a few things:

1. Two races in one day is not a good idea.
2. I am stronger than last year and I need to ride like it.
3. This sport is still AWESOME.
4. This sport is still REALLY hard.
5. My bike ROCKS!!!

Sunday I slept in a bit and arrived in time to cheer for Mark's start. He had a better ride and finished 6th. He then decided to try the "two races in one day thing". It went as well as mine did but it was fun. His first race was the important one so it was just bonus training time.

I had a killer start. I found a great wheel and stuck to it. I gave it everything I had and I stayed strong the whole race. I took 12th!!!! I was as high up as 10th at one point and I think that I can ride there once I get my legs under me. Whew. What a great weekend.

A HUGE thanks also to my family. I could not have made it this far without all of you. I had the best cheering section out there and my own personal photographer. I'll get pictures up when I get the disc from Dad. I felt like a rock star all weekend!!!

River Gorge Omnium

2009-09-17T13:21:00.002-04:00

Chattanooga was full of racing the end of August. The weekend immediately following Booker T was a road race weekend here in town. This wasn't just any race, it was the mother of all climbing races, River Gorge. The short course (which everyone except the P1/2 and Cat 3 men race) was 48 miles with 4 good size climbs and a mountain top finish. I finished 2nd last year and was really hoping to win this one. After seeing the registration list, I had my work cut out for me. There were a number of really good climbers here to try out their legs on our mountains, including some of my teammates. Paula, Gina, Catherine and I all lined up and we were off.....

Women's road racing is annoying. One of the the big reasons that I don't do more of it is that everyone tends to wait for someone else to do something. When someone (read: me) finally does do something they chase it down and do nothing again. The mountain biker in me really hates that. I minimize that by picking races that have a lot of hills so we at least have to do some work. River Gorge proved to be the same old thing. The hills were hard but other than that it was SLOW. Everyone was saving themselves for the climb up Raccoon Mountain. There was a group of about 15 of us together at the base of the climb (3 miles to the finish, all steep uphill). We rolled into it slow and then the attacks started. I had a plan and I was going to stick with it. I knew exactly what kind of wattage I could hold up the mountain and I was going to look at my Power Tap and do my thing. That meant letting the early attacks go in hopes that I would reel them back in. The hard part about doing that was watching Ann, arguably one of the best climbers in the Southeast, go up the hill without me. Patience, Kym. I slowly started bringing her back. I was in second and had dropped everyone else. I had Ann in sight. I caught her right as the road flattened out for a minute. I held the power high instead of recovering on the flat area. It worked, I dropped her. Okay, about 1.5 miles left. Stay focused and stay strong. I refused to let myself look back. The race is ahead of me. As a came to the 1k to go sign I glanced over my shoulder. No one around!!! Kym, you have this; just keep pedaling. As I rounded the corner to the finish there were crowds SCREAMING and cheering for me. Wow. I was really going to win. I did it. I won a climbing race against climbers. This has been an amazing season. This one-time-sprinter has finally transformed herself into a climber!!!

My teammates also all did great. Paula rolled in for 4th, Gina was 5th and Catherine was 6th. Great job ladies.

After some quick lunch and a nap (I love racing at home....) it was time to head back for the time trial. I HATE time trials. I had borrowed a tt bike, (Thanks Carol!!) and was hoping for the best. As good of a bike handler as I am off road, I SUCK on a tt bike. Even worse when I can't stop because of a bad brake pad/wheel combo. Oh well, time to try and minimize my losses. I got 2nd by .24 seconds. Yep, less than a second. Wow. To the reigning state tt champion too. And it was all in bike handling. I lost tons of time on the corners. I guess maybe I should practice this skill once in a while. Catherine took 4th. Great job girlie.

After sleeping in my own bed it was time on Sunday to race the crit. Catherine and I had a nice commute/warm-up to the race and then it was time for one of the most boring crits I have done in a long time. Nothing happened. The plan was for me to lead out Catherine (she as tied for 3rd in the Omnium). I won a couple of mid race preems and made people work. It was fun, AND our plan worked. I led Catherine out for a beautiful 3rd place finish.

All in all it was a great weekend. My season is complete. I am focused more than ever on cross and it ended at home on a high note.

Thanks for reading...

Booker T

2009-09-11T15:53:00.002-04:00

Okay , I am slowly playing the "catch up" game with my reports. Today brings me to Booker T mountain bike race in Chattanooga on August 23rd. Booker T State Park is about 15 minutes from my house and I NEVER ride there. Not that it isn't a fun trail, it is, it's just short. If I am going to load up and drive somewhere to ride I typically want to ride a trail that is longer that 5.5 miles. At race pace it is about a 30 minute lap. That is a lot of riding in circles...

Catherine, Star, Shannon and I headed to Booker T on Sunday morning to unseasonably cool temperatures and perfect course conditions. My personal goal was to see if I could turn a time that would outright win the 40+ Expert Men's fields. That is Mark's field and I can usually get most of those guys but there are a few that I just can't quite catch. I knew the trail and I was feeling good. If there was any day it was going to happen, this was going to be it. This was also Catherine's last race as a Sport rider and Star's first as an Expert. My girls are all growing up!!!

Local races are always fun. There is a small amount of added pressure to do well but it is ALWAYS fun to race in front of the hometown crowd. We had "peeps" in almost every category and Chattanooga was poised to do really well.

Our race started pretty tame, it was a pavement start and no one was fired up to go too fast. I stepped up the pace and took the hole shot. I was the only pro woman, all the other girls were experts, so my goal was to see where I could finish in the men's field. The men all started in front of me so it was pretty much 2 hours of "go catch the boys". FUN!!! Secretly that is one of my favorite games. My other goal was to finish in under 2 hours. If I could do that i would take a SIGNIFICANT amount of time off of last year's time. The course was faster this year but that was still a lofty goal. I raced hard and paced myself well. I ended up coming in at 1:58!!! I did it. I took 12 MINUTES off my time. WOW. Most fields were about 2 minutes faster than last year. I know that I have gotten faster this year but that was a really great feeling. In the end, I was only beat by 5 expert men.

Star took 4th and Shannon was 5th in the pro/expert field. Great ride ladies. Catherine won, of course. Her career as a Sport rider is officially OVER. Welcome to the big girl races....

The best part about Booker T was that it was the final race in the TBRA (TN Bike Racing Association) series. We did a few other races in TN that were part of the series and although we were not chasing the series, Catherine, Helen and I all ended up on the podium. We each took second in our respective categories. What a great season this has been!!!!

SERC Banquet

2009-08-24T12:01:00.007-04:00

After the final race in Fontana we had some celebrating to do. Vantaggio put a rider on the podium in each of the three women's categories. The series finished as follows:

Pro/Expert: Kym 1st
Sport: Catherine 3rd (despite missing a bonus round to podium at Nationals)
Beginner: Helen 3rd

Other notes: Emily was 4th in the Pro/Expert category and was recognized as the top female expert rider of the series. We also finished 5 of the top 10 women in the pro/expert field.

Great season ladies!!!!

Catherine finshes GA series with a BANG.

2009-08-24T12:01:00.004-04:00

So Catherine did it again. I know, none of us are surprised but she won the final race in GA series, and in doing so won the series handily.

Great job Catherine, we are SO proud of you!!!!

GA Series final standings:

Catherine: 1st Sport
Kym: 3rd Pro/expert

I didn't do the finals, I was racing elsewhere, so I was ineligible for the series podium (more on my travels to race with the "Big Girls" later...) It is still cool to be in the overall standings!!

August has a been a LONG busy month so far!!

2009-08-24T12:01:00.002-04:00

Whew. I have been on a whirlwind tour of the east coast this month. I've hardly had time to sleep, let alone keep everyone updated on the travels and racing. I am going to try to get caught up on my postings this week. Last week was spent getting caught up on bills and work. Sorry, the blog post falls somewhere behind that.

So, where did I leave off???

SERC banquet.

Another SERC series in the books.

2009-08-03T16:29:00.004-04:00

And a WIN at the finals!!! Kym is all smiles.

Yesterday was the SERC finals in Fontana, NC. It is always a great weekend punctuated by a slight bit of sadness than we aren't going to see some of our race friends again until spring. The weekend is usually a bit of a party and a ton of racing. There is a Downhill race Saturday afternoon and a night Short Track (complete with costumes). We had girls racing in all the weekend's events and we were well represented. What a great time!!!

Fontana had gotten about 3 inches of rain last week leading up to the race so it was going to be a little damp. Fontana is always slightly slick, but if the rain held off, it probably would be alright. Personally, I race well in the mud so I was secretly hoping for some mud. The forecast was iffy, I might just get my wish....

Catherine battled the mud and the competition for second place.

Our pre-ride was good. The trails were slick but not too muddy. Bike handling was going to be important but it wasn't sloppy. I had put the mud tires on for the weekend so if the rain didn't roll in I was going to be a little bit slow on Sunday. Come ON rain!!!!

Shannon started off the weekend for us by entering the Downhill race. She raced well, and did it with a smile, finishing 2nd. Great job Shannon!!! She then suited up in her angel wings (yes, actual wings that are part of a Halloween costume) and got ready for the Short Track that evening. She was definitely the cutest one out there and got a ton of cheers, even if her legs were really tired after the Downhill and pre-ride earlier in the day. She faded from 2nd to 4th but was smiling the entire race.

Saturday night my rain dance worked. It started to fall about 10pm and rained ALL night long. It finally stopped about 10am, just in time to warm-up. They shortened all the races by one lap and Dave Berger, the promoter asked me if I thought that 14.5 miles was too short for a pro women's race. I asked how bad the trail was; his response: "As bad as I've ever seen it". In that case, two laps will be plenty. The mud tires were a great choice and all of my bike handling skills were necessary. It was like riding in peanut butter.

The race started and in the first minute we were off the bikes running/pushing/slogging up the first climb. Anina ran at a fast pace and gapped Shelly and I. I tried to stay focused: "just be smooth and pedal once you get back on the bike". We re-mounted at the top of the first hill and I quickly caught Anina with Shelly right on my wheel. I passed her on a slight uphill and attacked at 6 mph. It was actually pretty comical to think about in retrospect. Three girls racing as hard as they could in slow motion in the sloppy mud. The rest of the field was nowhere to be found. We had dropped them on the first walking section. As it was so many times this year, the finals was going to come down to a battle between Anina the climber, Shelly the bike handler and me the all around-er. I took my chances at the front and slowly built a gap over the two of them. I didn't know if I was going to be able to hold it, but I figured it was now or never. I was feeling really good, the bike was floating through the mud with ease and I was pedaling over and through sections that I was watching everyone else struggle with. I was having a great ride on a seriously miserable day!!! I've never won Fontana so today was a day that I REALLY wanted to win. Not to mention that I wanted to show one last time why I was the one winning the series. I did it. I won with over a 5 minute gap on second place. Anina and Shelly had a tough battle for second and ended up very close, with Anina taking it. Great job ladies, it's been a really fun season and the competition has been intense.

Emily and Shannon also raced in the pro/expert field and they both had great days. Emily had an amazing ride to end an amazing season for her. She has been racing in a combined pro/expert field as a 16 year old all season and she's held her own. She finished the season as the top ranked expert in our category, besting a number of pros and taking 4th overall for the year. Sunday she capped of her dominance by finishing 5th, she was the first expert and was only 2 seconds behind 4th place. Shannon raced a great race even as tired as she was from all her racing the day before. She rolled in right behind Emily for 6th.

Catherine also rocked it in the mud for 2nd place in her race. She ended up 3rd overall this season due to her absence at one of the bonus point rounds. She was traveling to Nationals at the time where she stood on the podium so it was an acceptable trade off....

It has been a great series, one of the most competitive I can remember and we put a rider on the series podium for each women's catergory. Look for a complete report on the Series Banquet coming soon.

Thanks for reading...

Nationals

2009-07-23T14:14:00.003-04:00

Emily, Shannon and Catherine went to MTB Nationals in Granby, CO. It was a week mixed with emotion and saw each of them step on the podium once. They even came away with one stars and stripes jersey.

The week started with Emily's cross country race. She was lining up against the best junior women in the country and she was doing it at 9,000 ft. She raced a great race, trying to pace herself as best she could and finished a respectable 12th. I know she was a little bit bummed but she was the highest placed "sea level" rider.

Catherine was next and she rode an AMAZING race. Apparently altitude doesn't bother her (or she's really ready to race expert...). She rode away from the field and with a mile to go had the race won. Then catastrophe struck, she broke her chain!!! Catherine ran the last mile to finish a disappointing second place. Still a great result but a heart break at the same time.

Shannon's cross country race was a struggle from the start. She woke up with a miserable cold and abandoned the race half way through in hopes a salvaging something for the Super D on Sunday.

Super D was the last event of the weekend and the last chance for a jersey. Catherine was already on her way home but Shannon and Emily were hoping for that spot on the podium. Emily ROCKED. She demonstrated why she was the reigning Super D champion and won!!! Shannon took 4th in her race so both ladies ended their weekend with a podium appearance.

Congrats to all three of you; wish I'd have been there!!!

As a side note, I really hate it when they have something like Nationals somewhere where a certain group of riders have such a huge advantage. Altitude is debilitating for most sea level riders and takes us completely out of the race. In the Elite fields, riders that normally fight for the win were nowhere to be found but the high altitude racers were winning. It simply isn't fair. As bummed as I am that I missed out on the trip, I suck at altitude (years of trial and error have demonstrated this...) and I would have been frustrated at the wasted money. There are enough places to hold an event as important as Nationals that we shouldn't have it at 9,000 ft.

Okay, that is my rant. I'm done now.

Thanks for reading.

Amanda wins two in a row!!!

2009-07-23T14:05:00.004-04:00

The last two weekends Amanda has focused on the TBRA (TN Bicycle Racing Association) mountain bike series in hopes of a series win. We have had an overlap with some of the SERC races but there are enough weekends left in the series that she might be able to squeek out the overall series win.

She is off to a great start. She won two weeks ago at Big South Fork and then repeated the winning streak this past weekend one on of my favorite trails, Lock 4. Both races she rode away at the start and never looked back.

Congrats Amanda!!!!

SERC #9 Anniston

2009-07-23T13:22:00.005-04:00

We are nearing the end of the series and it has been a great ride. The battle for the front of my field has been very close. Every point had been hard earned and needed. The other fields have been just as close. It is great to see such good competition but I am mentally and physically exhausted.

Oh man, I have to go around again!!!???

Anniston was the last weekend before the finals. It was our last chance to make up some points in the series; the finals cannot be dropped from your overall score so after this weekend, we would know exactly where everyone stood. Yikes. No pressure...

Helen races in style.

Catherine was already on her way to Nationals and Amanda is looking for a spot on the podium of the TN series so they were missing from our ranks. Shannon, Helen, Emily and I were there and ready to race.

The pre-ride was a bit rough, Helen had a run in with a tree in the first 5 minutes and injured her other hip (the first one is still recovering from Raccoon). At least she was now balanced in the pain department. I was fighting a cold/sinus infection and felt like crap... great. It is a really fun trail but it's demanding, not the right place to not be on your "A game". Shannon was all smiles and made us all remember why we loved our bikes. Thanks girl, I was dragging after the pre-ride.

Sunday morning was cool and overcast, a pleasant surprise for July. I actually had to put on arm warmers while we watched Helen's race. Her hip was killing her but she raced like a pro. She limited her losses and got in a good training ride to finish a respectable fourth. It was a great ride and left her solidly in third for the series. Congrats Helen, you have done us proud as our developmental rider this season.

Kym and Shannon on the podium.

The sun decided to come out for our race and it suddenly got HOT. I was feeling worse than the day before and told Mark I was worried about being able to finish. He gave me the pep talk and told me to just go ride my bike and have fun. They said "go" and I was not really ready for it. Anina went like a rocket and Shelly quickly passed her and was gone. I managed to rally the troops and go around Anina before the single track. I was hurting but somehow making myself go. I soon passed Shelly; she had a flat. Not really how I want to beat her, but I have been climbing better than her and we had a long climb near the end of the lap where I was hoping to get her anyway. I was in the lead. I tried my hardest to use my handling skills to my advantage, knowing that Anina climbs really well and the hill was coming. I figured if I could hold her off on the hill the first time through I could win. I buried myself until I thought I was going to puke as I climbed but I did it. I went on to win by 9 minutes!!!! Holy crap. I flew around that trail, even sick. Shannon came in fourth and Emily was 6th.

The best thing was that I am now leading the series by a decent margin; 9 points. Assuming that nothing catastrophic happens (never say never), I should be able to come out on top. I didn't think I was going to do it two months ago but slowly my form has come around and I have won three in a row and I have moved into the lead. Emily has probably had the most impressive season in the Pro/Expert field this year. She, as a 16 year old Expert, is battling for 3rd place overall. Emily, we are so proud of you!!!!

Whew. One more and then it is time to play until cross season. Of course "play" is done on race courses with numbers on, but it is still fun...

Thanks for reading.

Some fun photos from the last few weeks.

2009-07-15T17:48:00.004-04:00

Shannon and "Junior" the kitten we rescued at camp.

Yes Shannon, we know you have your old shorts on but NO we can't see your crack...

Camp staff on the last day.

2009 Mid-South USA Cycling Development camp. Kym and Shannon are camp staff and Emily and Helen are campers.

Dauset was 97 degrees. After the race we all went swimming in the "team issue" pink sports bra to cool off.

Mark was horrified. At Dauset, due to the heat and small squad, Amanda and I set up a beach umbrella instead of the team tent. We were very popular.

Okay, I try my best to take photos and sometimes they even eventually end up on my computer. Here are a few shots of what we've been up to for the last month. I apologize for my lack of photographic talent...

Fireworks on the trail (or the SERC Make-up race...)

2009-07-15T17:28:00.003-04:00

Catherine is the winner again!!!

I love the 4th of July. I love fireworks, the concert in the park and picnics and pool parties. I also love winning races and the SERC series has been mine for the last three years. This year the competition has been TOUGH and my lead is very close. I love the competition but I want to win it. With that being said, I convinced Mark that instead of being festive we would go and race the make-up SERC race. The point of this race is to replace a lower score from earlier in the series. I had a couple of finishes that I wanted to replace so we were off to Eatonton, GA. Catherine was my only teammate this weekend and she was nice enough to invite us to stay at their house about an hour from the course.

It was hot and the trail was tight and twisty new cut singletrack. It was going to be a hard race but I liked the trail a lot. That always helps...

All smiles on the top step of the Pro podium!!

My main competition was going to be Anina. She was also looking for points toward the series so it was imperative that I beat her. No pressure but I was nervous. I knew I could out handle her on the tight trails but there was also a lot of climbing (1300 ft per lap) and she is a pure climber. I hoped I had my "A" game on.

At the start I got the hole shot and took that opportunity to really nail it. I attacked hard and caught Mark 12 minutes in. That was a good sign. I rode hard and tried to get the most out of my bike handling abilities. It worked, I WON!!!

Catherine also had a great race and came home with the win in her race.

It was a good day for Vantaggio and a great day for my quest towards number 4 for the SERC series...

Racing at HOME.

2009-07-06T17:06:00.005-04:00

Helen is all smiles in spite of her tumble.

I very rarely crash on my mountain bike. I have been doing this a long time and have figured out that falling off hurts and should be avoided. With that being said, when I do happen to crash, I do it BIG. I guess I make up for all the small "near misses" that I have.

3 of 4 on the Pro women's podium!!!

After camp I was really tired. Actually, that doesn't even begin to describe how one feels after a week of trying to keep 36 kids safe on the bikes and focused. I slept for as much as I could for the day and a half before the race but the underlying fatigue was still there. Oh well, it was my home trail so I KNOW it, I was just going to have to use my home field knowledge and hope it made up for the lack of sleep. Emily and Helen were in the same boat. we decided that it was "no expectations, just have fun" and that was the goal.

Amanda, Paula and Catherine finished off the squad for the weekend. I was hoping that if my body failed me I had a number of strong teammates that would be out front racing.

Catherine is getting used to that top step.

The race was a pavement start for about 2 minutes with a fast turn into the woods onto some technical rocks almost immediately. I knew I wanted to be in front going into those rocks so the plan was to get the hole shot. It worked. I nailed my start and was in the lead, hammering in my big chain ring and the WHAM!!!! I was on the ground, bike nowhere to be found. Paula slammed on her brakes and I yelled for her to keep going. It took me 3-4 minutes to collect myself, my bike, determine that the helmet was a total loss and decide to try and chase back to the leaders. At that point all the single speed racers had passed me and I had a LONG way to go to get back to where my race was. Great. From what I can tell, my tired brain, along with the dusty loose trails, allowed me to drift a little too far to the outside and I hit a tree. I was going to be sore as soon as the adrenaline wore off so I'd better start pedaling.

I was pretty shaken up and wasn't sure if I had it in me to finish but figured I'd pedal for a lap and see how it went. I hate quitting races so me and the dented helmet were off. It felt like it took forever to work my way through the singlespeed racers (who were all very nice, thanks guys!!). I eventually started seeing the back of my field again. For the first time I started believing that I had a chance of getting back to the front. I was pretty sure that Anina and Paula were long gone but I might be able to squeak into third if I could push myself. I passed Emily (who was really tired after camp) and then Amanda. Amanda looked great and was flying!!! After the first lap I had ridden myself into third place. I was also starting to feel the crash. I guess the adrenaline was wearing off. OUCH. About half way through the second lap I saw Paula ahead. Damn. I was really hoping she was winning. As I passed her she told me I was close to Anina. I ended up finishing in second three minutes down. Not bad for a girl who sat by the side of the trail for at least that much time. Paula was third and Amanda was 4th. AWESOME ride girls!! Emily finished in spite of her exhaustion. Great job sticking it out. Catherine won her race (no surprise there). Congrats. We are waiting for you in the Pro/Expert field next year...

Helen had a great race. She rode smart and strong (in spite of her exhaustion) and was poised for the win when she fell OFF the rock bridge 2 miles from the finish. OUCH. She lost the lead but collected herself and limped in for second. She was rashed from head to toe and her hip is very bruised but she rode a great race. CONGRATS!!!

I love racing at home. It is nice to sleep in my own bed and have friends out there cheering. Maybe next year we will be able to race without being so tired. I really want to win this race one of these years. This is two years in a row with second place...

Thanks for reading.

CAMP

2009-07-06T16:43:00.007-04:00

Every year in June Mark runs a USA Cycling Development camp on Monteagle Mountain. It is a really fun, completely exhausting week for us. Mark is the camp director and myself, along with a number of other awesome coaches, are the coaching staff. This year our camp ran from June 21st to 26th and it was the best one yet. Shannon and I represented the Vantaggio coaching staff and Helen and Emily both attended camp to help with their development in cycling.

We had too many fun times to recount accentuated by total exhaustion. The highlights included a "kitten save" (Shannon now has a new addition to her family...) and ice cream at St Andrews Sewanee (the high school up there). We had 36 kids and 7 staff member. Staff was SERIOUSLY outnumbered. Fortunately, we had great kids so although we were tired, we didn't ever have the urge to kill any of them. (Or at least the urge passed quickly; they are teenagers after all...) Emily did almost get strangled on day two when she informed Mark that camp was so much fun that it should be two weeks long.

Helen and Emily both did AWESOME and learned a ton. They were two of five girls and held their own even if they were outnumbered by the boys. Being one of only a few girls they were very popular....

We made it through the week without any real crashes; there were a couple of "unplanned dismounts" but no blood and no bruises so that doesn't count as a crash.

Mark, Helen, Emily and I had a day and a half after camp was over to get ready for the SERC race on our home trails at Raccoon Mountain. Things might be ugly for that one!!!

Wish us luck...

SERC #7 Dauset

2009-07-02T11:29:00.002-04:00

Development Camp started the same day at the #7 stop on the SERC series so Emily and Helen were unable to attend the race. Being that I am only camp staff, I could arrive a little late so Amanda and I decided to make the drive to a VERY HOT Jackson, GA for the race. We had a great weekend!!!

The pre-ride was hot but uneventful. With temperature hovering around 100 degrees and the humidity in the 90% range it was miserable. I drank two bottles in the hour I was on the trail and it was not enough. The excitement of the day was my friend Rachel tipping over and hitting her knee on a rock. She cut it about a half inch long and to the bone. Apparently Jackson, GA is not the place to go for emergency stitches. The exact quote from the doctor was "I don't really know how to do this..." Mental note: don't go there again!!! (And don't they typically learn how to do stitches in medical school??!!)

Sunday was going to be another showdown between Shelly and I. She took off fast and I wasn't going to let her go. After about 15 minutes we got to the "hill" and I did my thing. I was off the front again, just like at Clemson. Trying to not think about it, I kept pushing. I did it. I won!!! Finally.

Amanda took 4th and Catherine won the sport race. I am still trying to cool off but it was a great weekend.

Thanks for reading...

...and the "Bad Idea Jeans" finally PAY OFF!!!!!

2009-06-15T17:37:00.005-04:00

I was supposed to be in VT this weekend. Unfortunately, due to some bad timed scheduling, my USA Cycling Camp got cancelled. The kids are still in school up there. Oops. No wonder registration was so low. Next week is still the road camp we are running here in TN and we have 35 kids so I will get my camp fix, but I am bummed about VT.

Due to the oversight in school schedules, I suddenly had a free weekend with NO PLANS!!! Unthinkable. What to do??? Mark decided to go home to Michigan and visit his family and I figured I'd stay here, get in some good training and pick up some extra hours at work.

Saturday was a GREAT ride with some friends. 4 hours, 2 mountain climbs and the legs felt great. So great that I was a little bummed that I wasn't racing. Oh well, I do love long training rides when it is warm and sunny. It was a good hard workout and I was a happy woman.

Oh, as a side note did I mention that the TN State Criterium Championship was this weekend 30 minutes from my house??? I wasn't going to go. I needed the long miles. It was not in the plan; and then...

Okay, so Sunday morning at 11:30am I decided to go and race it. I had exactly 2 hours to: get dressed, pack the car, eat, find wheels for the pit, drive up there, register and warm up. I did not really have any expectations except that it would be fun to see people instead of riding alone. I made it there with a whole 25 minutes to spare for my warm up. It was a classic case of the "bad idea jeans".

We lined up 17 women in the Cat. 1-3 race and every one of them was looking for that state champion title. Nothing was getting away, that became apparent almost immediately. Surprisingly, my legs felt alright, even after the long day on Saturday. There were three of us on the front doing most of the work, trying to wear everyone else out on the hill. I know, I shouldn't do that much work, but I hate not racing hard. I guess it is the mountain biker in me. I'd rather use way more energy than I need to and get a good workout than win without feeling like I worked hard. And besides, I was here to finish my weekend of good workouts; I had no delusions of winning.

With 5 laps to go the field was still together and I decided I was feeling good. I suddenly WANTED that win. Forget the "get a good workout" thing, I wanted that state title. I was going to go for it. I knew what I had to do and I was going to do it from the front. With one lap to go the attacks started and I covered everything. In the second to last turn Mary came around me and as I jumped on her wheel she clipped her pedal in the turn.

YIKES!!!!!!

Whew. I swerved, missed her and was set up perfect for the sprint. I WON!!! By 2 bike lengths. I am thrilled. I am the TN State Crit Champion. It was so much fun and it was great to do it with the home crowd there. Chattanooga had an awesome weekend as a whole with us taking jerseys in 4 races.

Not bad for a mountain biker...

Catherine Wins Again!!!

2009-06-15T17:31:00.002-04:00

Catherine rocked it again this weekend in Georgia. She raced the Georgia State Series race in Athens, GA and won by a convincing margin; over 15 minutes!!! The race was on her "home" trails and it showed...

Congrats. We are so proud of you!!!!

SERC #6 Clemson, SC

2009-06-08T16:42:00.006-04:00

Summer is finally here. This weekend was two in a row that were hot and humid. I am not complaining; as long as it's not cold and wet, I am happy.

Clemson, SC was the sixth stop in the SERC series. We had a good team showing with six riders. Star, Helen and I drove down from Chattanooga, Emily and Amanda came from Knoxville and Catherine had the short drive from Athens, GA. The trail in Clemson is really fast fun single track accentuated by steep climbs that don't feel bad during the pre-ride but HURT on race day. The weekend was made more interesting by the time trial Saturday afternoon. There were bonus points up for grabs so the TT was a must for those of us in the hunt for the overall series. It was a fairly long TT, over half of the 11 mile race loop including the steepest long climb. GREAT.

We arrived Saturday in time to set up the team tent, have a picnic lunch and relax before our pre-ride. The pre-ride was less than ideal. Catherine and I rode the fast sections at a fairly fast pace in preparation for the afternoon's time trial while Star, Helen and Mark took it easy to save the legs for the overall. The excitement started when Star broke her chain and no one had a tool to fix it. Her pre-ride turned into a pre-walk. Helen, meanwhile, was finding out that she was NOT over the illness that she has been fighting for the past week. It took everything she had to finish the pre-ride loop. After some assessing we determined that it was not smart for her to race the TT or the cross country race. She was demoted to bottle girl for the weekend. Mark rescued Star with a chain tool and we were finally done with the pre-ride. Whew.

The afternoon was becoming really long and the time trial start was fast approaching. All I really wanted to do was relax and eat dinner but I needed the bonus points. I WANT to be on that final series podium. The first part of the course was downhill and twisty. Now I am a good bike handler, it is one of my big forte's while racing; I take pride in being able to handle a bike. As good as I am, Shelly is better (hands down one of the best bike handlers I know, male or female)and she was my big competition. I did not want her to catch sight of me in the time trial so I lined up after her. I knew I was a stronger climber than her, I wasn't worried about the second half of the course. I felt fairly certain that I would make up some time over her bike handling with my climbing ability, but I wanted the advantage of being out of sight. It worked!!! I raced what felt like a miserable, slow time trial (don't they all??) but I won!!! WHEW. I was actually 13th overall; take THAT boys... Catherine won the Sport women's category and posted the third fasted women's time of the day. Go girl!!! Emily soft pedaled to get her points and save her legs. It was a smart move.

Dinner was a picnic in our hotel room. Everyone brought something and we had taco/burrito/make-your-own-tex-mex dinner. It was WAAAAYYYY better than anything we could have gone out and eaten. After that it was bedtime; it was going to be an early morning.

As predicted, morning came way too soon and we were loaded and heading to the race before my body wanted to be awake. I really wish these things started later once in a while. While warming up I noticed some stiff competition had shown up; my friend Niki was here. Great. She's a phenomenal climber (not so good for me on a course that finishes with a mile long climb) AND she has fresh legs since she skipped the time trial. They said "go" and I stuck to Shelly's wheel like glue. I was NOT going to let her get away today. We rode away from Niki and off the front of the race. About half way through the first lap Shelly told me to go around her and before I knew it I was off the front alone!!! I rode that way for over a lap. Suddenly, at then end of lap two, my legs started to remind me of the time trial from the previous day. Just keep pedaling. About half way up the final climb Niki passed me. Damn. Keep pedaling. After a moment of really being bummed out over losing the lead, I rallied the troops and decided to start chasing. It took about 10 minutes and she was back in sight. Unfortunately, every time it went up my legs started screaming. Keep pedaling. We got to the last climb together and that was all I had. Niki rode away for a well deserved win and I was going to have to settle for second place. I rode a great race and was proud of what I did out there; even if in the end I lost by less than a minute in a 2:15 race. Amanda rode in for 4th place with Emily in 5th. Catherine took second in the Sport race. It was a good weekend for the team.

Thanks for reading...

BUMP

2009-06-01T11:38:00.014-04:00

Amanda and Emily with the Armadillo.... don't ask.

This past weekend was the annual BUMP N Grind mountain bike race at Oak Mountain State Park in Birmingham, AL. BUMP has been one of the biggest races in the Southeast for as long as I can remember and always offers tough fields, tougher trails and HUGE bragging rights if you finish well. This year it was going to be even bigger because it is now part of the US Cup Pro XC tour and therefore it was a UCI (international) race. YIKES!! That means that for the pro fields the competition was going to be extremely tough and the fields were going to be the who's who of mountain biking in North America.

The start of the pro women's race.

BUMP and I have a sorted history. It is my race; the one that is the "monkey" on my back. I have had one of the best races of my career there and I have also had some of the worst there. For whatever reason I am plagued by mechanicals and crashes when I race at Oak Mountain. Of the 10 times I have raced BUMP I have DNF'd 7 times. For the girl who NEVER quits races, this is a bit traumatic. If I can keep the rubber side down (and inflated) I tend to ride really well; these are my kind of trails. I was really hoping that this was going to be my year.

Kym waiting for the call-up.

Amanda, Emily, Catherine and I loaded up Saturday morning and headed to Birmingham to see how we stacked up. It was FINALLY supposed to be warm (actually HOT) and sunny. We were finally going to get a weekend without rain!! We rolled in and it was obvious immediately that it was going to be a tough weekend for me. WOW. Factory team trailers everywhere along with their riders, mechanics, etc. It was going to be a fun but really hard race.

Emily wins the Junior Expert Women's race.

We all went and rode our respective courses and decided to re-group after the pre-ride. BUMP has always been characterized by the long (17 mile) loop that we race two laps of. It is rocky, technical and tight; one of my favorites anywhere. This year, the pros had a different course. Because it was a UCI race, we had to have a shorter, UCI standard type course. It was a 6 mile loop that went up the last part of the trail everyone else finished on and then ended with a pavement section. It was a fast and fun course (good for me) with a bunch of high speed handling (also good for me) but still not the long loop that I love. The race was going to be fast. My pre-ride loop was only 35 minutes at a really easy pace. I compensated for the down time by hanging out at the beach while waiting for my team mates to finish their long pre-ride. Nothing like screaming kids to get you relaxed and in the mindset to race a bike....

Kym getting PAID at a UCI race!!!

One of the best things about BUMP weekend is getting to see our friend Phil (and his wonderful fiance Katherine) and eating his "to die for" cooking. Phil and Katherine did not disappoint. They were incredible hosts and we ate well both for dinner and an EARLY breakfast. They got up at 5am to make sure we all got fed before heading to the races. Thanks guys!!! You are awesome.

Coasting across the finish line with a smile.

Sunday was a LONG day but WOW is the best description of our experience. Emily and Amanda's races were at 8am so we were up early getting ready to race. It was sunny and cool but getting warmer by the second. Both ladies had great races with Emily winning her race by over 30 minutes. CONGRATS!! Amanda had a really tough field and took an impressive 5th. Catherine continued the trend with a win in the sport field. Great job ladies.

Kym focused in the feed zone.

By the time it was my turn to race it was HOT. Not miserable hot, but hot enough for those of us that have been living in a rain cloud for the past 6 weeks. I decided that I was going to have a spectacular day one way or another. The plan was to go out super hard and either blow up in a huge manner or have a really good race. It worked!!! I felt like I was going to puke but I rode myself to 10th place in a field of REALLY fast pro women. Some of the best riders in the world were here and I raced with them. It was one of the best races I have ever had. My ultimate goal was 15th if everything was perfect. I didn't believe Mark when I crossed the finish line and he told me I was top 10. I put it all together and did it on a day that counted!!! My bike was spot on... it was the perfect machine for the technical fast single track and the steep pavement climbs. Specialized, your Era is the bomb!!!

AWESOME day....

Thanks to Mark for sitting in the feed zone and to all the cheers from all my friends and team mates. It was really fun being the "local girl" in the big race. You guys all made me push HARD. What an incredible day. We rocked BUMP this year. Great job to the entire team. You guys make it so much fun to do what we do....

Thanks for reading.

Part two.

2009-05-26T15:14:00.002-04:00

Okay, so with one more weekend before the big mountain bike races start up again, I decided to try the pavement out a second time. There was a big climbing road race in Oliver Springs (Knoxville area) Sunday morning. I guess it was time to go find out if I really could climb. I was also really excited because Amanda was coming out to race with me; it was going to be great to have a friendly face in the pack.

It was going to be a really busy day. I had a clinic I was teaching for the Krystal Chik's cycling team Sunday afternoon. It was a day of: get up early, race fast, drive fast, teach a clinic, and collapse in bed. I might have put on the bad idea jeans in hindsight.

We got to the race and there was a really strong women's field there with some really good climbers. I was going to find out fast if last weekend was a fluke or not. They were racing the Women's Field and the Masters 50/60 Field together so we also had the men to worry about. They were scoring us separately but the men still tend to chase us down, etc.

The field rolled out and it was a pretty uneventful ride to the base of the climb, 9 miles into the race. I worked my way to the front and waited. Jamie attacked (she always does on climbs) and Missy and I were the only two who responded. I made myself let her go a little and stayed within myself. I just needed to keep her in sight and hope that I could reel her back as the climb went on. I slowly passed Missy and then Jamie. With about a mile to go they were both on MY wheel as we went up the climb. No one else was in sight. About a half mile from the top I gapped them and I came over the top of the climb alone. I had just out climbed some of the best climbers in the Southeast!!! They quickly caught me on the descent; I knew I wasn't going to stay away solo and three of us might just be able to hold our gap. We worked together well for the next 15 miles and then we were at the second climb. Missy was off the pace immediately and it was just Jamie and I. I set my pace and near the top she fell off. It was once again just me over the top. Jamie quickly caught me on the descent and attacked. She is much more brave than I am on tight mountain descents and she gapped me by the bottom. I chased back on and it was the two of us. With 1k to go we started slowly ratcheting up the pace and I took the sprint. I won!!! Amanda raced well for a 6th place finish. Good job girl!!!

Two weekends of big climbing races and I won them both. I think I might be getting this climbing thing down. The funniest part of the whole thing is that Jamie and I are a couple of pro mountain bikers and we rode away from an entire field of men and women that focus on the road. I know they must really hate that. Next weekend it's back to the dirt. BUMP here we come.

Thanks for reading....

This is what happens when mountain bikers race the road...

2009-05-18T12:38:00.002-04:00

This weekend was yet ANOTHER wet weekend. I am SO over the rain, and racing in the rain, that I can hardly stand it. We had a weekend off of mountain bike racing so it was time to stretch our legs out on the road and see if we remembered how to race the skinny tires. The Highland Rim Classic was only an hour away and it is always a great event with big fields, strong racers, and great money. Even after watching the weather forecast grow worse as we got closer to the weekend, I registered for the whole omnium; road race (with a mountain climb), time trial (2 miles up hill) and crit. I am not a natural climber so I have always struggled a bit with this event but it is fun neverless.

Shannon, Paula, Gina and Helen were also coming up for all of the weekend (Shannon) or to help for part of it (Helen, Gina and Paula) so I was going to have some help climbing and controlling the race. Sometimes the stars are just not aligned!!! It was the weekend of mini-disasters for my team and I ended up solo for the duration. Helen woke up late and her truck had a flat tire. Shannon got sick on her drive there (breakfast did not agree). Gina and Paula were getting ready to go when a mishap with the dog on his leash landed Gina in the hospital with a dislocated shoulder. She's going to be fine but is NOT a happy girl right now. After a series of phone calls it appeared that I was on my own.

We pulled in Saturday morning under the threat of rain but so far, so good. It was going to be a tough race. There were some really strong girls there, including my friend Leigh that rides for Vanderkitten and Mary, a local bad ass road racer. We rolled out of the starting area and as we turned onto the course we could see the wall of water up the road. Great. That is not what I was hoping for today. Mary and I set tempo on the front, mostly just to stay warm in the steady rain that was now pelting us. As we got to the climb I moved to the front and set my pace. The plan was to ride my pace and hope that it was hard enough that no one would attack. I was soon on the front leading up the hill. I looked at the Power Tap and pedaled where I knew I could sustain it. After about 10 minutes it occurred to me that I was alone. I had dropped the field. ON A CLIMB. Wow. 8 years of working on climbing and it is FINALLY paying off. Leigh was the next rider back and I waited on her; 35 miles is a long way to ride solo. I figured I had a better chance to stay away if there were two of us. We worked well together and rode in a steady downpour for the next 30 miles. Just as we were coming to the descent and the finish the skies cleared. Leigh observed that it kind of felt like we'd just gotten out of the pool. Yep; that sums it up!! Coming into the finish I was in a dilemma. Leigh is a BAD ASS sprinter. I am not. I knew that if I waited to 200 meters I was not going to beat her. I also knew that I was riding stronger on the up hills and the finish was a slight incline for the last 1000 meters. I went early and although it was UGLY, I won. I still can hardly believe it. I won one of the biggest climbing races in our area. Me, the self proclaimed non-climber. Hmmm. Was it a fluke or has all that hard work finally paid off???

The sun shined bright all afternoon and we had a nice relaxing lunch while waiting for the time trial that started at 4pm. It was a two mile climb up the descent that we raced down at the end of the road race. Mark had modeled out the exact power that I would need to hold to match last years winning time. He has this really cool program that does the modeling. It was going to be tough but doable if I could get my legs to suffer. I got in a good warm up and rolled to the start. As they said go the skies again opened up and I was racing in the rain for the second time today. It was tough to start out at the pace I knew I needed; the adrenaline told me to go harder but I knew that the Power Tap was not lying to me. About half way up the climb I caught Leigh (she was my 30 second rider) and then the next girl. A few minutes later I caught another rider. I was not looking at the time. Just distance and power. I was REALLY suffering. I crossed the finish line and had no idea what I had done for a time. It felt really slow. I DID IT!!! I won the time trial by over a minute and matched my goal time EXACTLY. Thanks Mark. So, day one was now over and I had won a climbing road race and an uphill time trial. AWESOME.

Sunday was not wet. It was COLD. It was in the 50's cloudy and windy. It's the middle of MAY; where did summer go?? The crit was frustrating for me. I hate negative racing and I hate racing at 15 miles per hour but that is what everyone wanted to do. I would attack and everyone would chase me. Then we'd all sit up. They raced the juniors on the course at the same time as us and it was a mess when we got to the last lap. In the last turn there was a junior and a group of us all looking for the same piece of pavement. I sat up. It wasn't worth losing skin over. I took 4th.

I ended up having a great weekend. I haven't done much road racing in the past few years and I think I miss it. It is time to do some more of it. It was a nice change of pace. Hopefully the climbing thing wasn't a fluke and I am getting better at it.

Thanks for reading...

Mud, Mud and more MUD!!!

2009-05-18T12:36:00.005-04:00

This picture pretty much sums up the weekend. I am SO glad this isn't my bike!!!

Star, Lisa and Shannon braved the weather and the mud to race the Dirt Sweat and Gears 12 hour race in Fayetteville, TN last weekend. The course went from wet and muddy but rideable to "the worst conditions I have ever seen" over the course of the first lap. Wheels stopped rolling and the winning solo man (Jeremiah Bishop) won the race with a whopping 4 laps.

Star and Lisa raced on a two woman team and put forth a valiant effort, finishing ALMOST 2 laps in 12 hours. Apparently it is much more difficult than it sounds to carry one's bike 10 miles when it weighs approximately 75 pounds because of all the mud. (yes, people were weighing bikes and 75 pounds was the average weight after a lap). Their effort was good enough for 2nd place!!!

Shannon teamed up with a guy friend of hers and definitely gets the award for cutest looking in the mud. She even made Velo News. check out the link: http://www.cyclingnews.com/mtbphotos.php?id=/photos/2009/may09/dirtsweatgears09/dirtsweat138

Great job ladies!! Sorry I missed it (okay, not really....)

Podium Shots from SERC #5/ Kenda Cup East #1

2009-05-09T10:21:00.005-04:00

Paula stands on the second step with a smile.

"...so this is what the view is like up here; I could get used to this!!" - Helen

Gina and Catherine take 3rd and 5th.

Kym sharing the 2nd step with Shelley. We tied for the TT.

Okay, the pictures are few and far between from the weekend. Apparently it was too wet for anyone's cameras to work very well. I am still waiting on Gina for a couple of good "after" photos of the mud...

I am still doing laundry.

SERC #5/ US Cup East #1

2009-05-06T11:04:00.008-04:00

Helen on the (very wet) podium. Congrats!!!

Sometimes Mother Nature is a cruel woman...

Last weekend was the 5th round of the SERC series at our (almost) local trails at the Ocoee Whitewater Center. The Tanasi trail system is one of my favorites and I was definitely looking forward to the race. It was going to be a HUGE weekend, as the race was also the first round in the national Kenda Cup East series. We had 8 of the 10 of us registered to race and it was going to be a great weekend.

And then the rains came....

We have been in a drought for about a year and a half. Now with the mountains here, I have gotten plenty of rain at my house but at the airport, where they measure our rainfall, it NEVER rains. Therefore, we are in a drought. (I actually think that we need to go to the airport and ride on rainy days and we'll stay dry but that is another discussion...) It started raining about a week ago and it hasn't stopped. Even at the airport. We went from an almost 4" deficit to a surplus of rain in less than a week. The trail was going to be a river.

Saturday was the Time Trial and we awoke to what can only be described as a monsoon. Mark, Helen and I were headed to Tanasi as the thunder and lightening roared around us. Oh well, everyone has to race the same thing.

My day got off to a crazy start with Mark stranded in Shannon's driveway behind the mover's truck that was wedged in her very steep driveway. After a FRANTIC tire change at work, (I needed mud tires...sorry for the psycho behavior guys; I hate feeling late) we were finally going to the race. On our way there I got two calls. The first was from Emily; she was running late and was going to get there right as the time trail was starting. I told her to get dressed in the car and I'd meet her at the start with her number plate. The second call was from Catherine; her car broke down in Atlanta and she wasn't going to make the TT. The day was beginning to feel like the apocalypse.

I decided to try and relax during the warm up on the trail to see what the conditions were like. The trail was GONE and in it's place was a muddy river. It seriously was flowing. Fast. I didn't have the best TT but still ended up tied for second place in the pro field. Emily won the Expert TT and Helen won the beginner. Whew. The stress was worth it.

Sunday the weather was not any better and my bike was looking sadly at the mud it was about to be forced to endure. I LOVE my bike and she ROCKS on these conditions (thanks Specialized!!!) but mud does a number on everything. Even with the weather the fields were big; I think that the race being the first Kenda Cup East series race brought some riders down to the Southeast that would not have been here otherwise. It was fun to see new faces. It ended up being a great day for the team. I rode alright, my first lap was slow but then I got into a groove and rode myself into 4th in a very competitive pro field. Paula rocked the pro race from the start, taking 2nd. Emily was 5th in the Expert field. Gina, Catherine, Star and Lisa raced Sport and they went 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th. Helen was the star of the weekend winning her race in a sprint finish and making it a double with her TT win on Saturday. AWESOME!!!

Awards were done in the pouring down rain and we took our soggy muddy selves to dinner and then home. I am still trying to dry things out.

As an aside, I love the new look with the white/light blue team kits but WHAT WAS I THINKING??!!! I had to wash stuff 4 times to get the mud out.

SERC #4 Fort Yargo State Park, Winder GA

2009-04-28T11:14:00.007-04:00

Catherine models the new clothing on the 2nd place step.

Sunday was the 4th stop for the SERC series. While the endurance ladies were recovering from Cohutta on Saturday, the rest of us were screaming around the trails at Fort Yargo State Park. The trails are super fast and fun; kind of a roller coaster through the trees. Emily, Helen, Catherine and I represented Vantaggio for the weekend.

Let me just start by saying that the weekend had way too much stuff crammed into it. Winder, GA is only about 20 miles from Athens, GA where the famous Twilight Festival was going on. Twilight is a weekend of fun and fast NRC crit racing. Huge crowds and lots of good times. We were going to have to make an appearance and do some cheering. One of these years we'll even race it again but it is tough with so many mountain bike events the same weekend.... so much racing, so little time.

Catherine started the weekend off with the morning 3/4 womens crit (she took 5th) and then went and did a pre-ride of the mountain bike trail with Helen. Mark and I pre-rode the course and then did a second lap while teaching a beginner clinic. We then all went to Athens to watch the night racing... what a great time. Whew. It was a long day for everyone. We were EXHAUSTED by the time we finally got to bed.

Catherine claps for the competition.

Sunday morning came WAY too early. We were all a little bit tired after a long day on Saturday, but we were also all fired up after hearing about how well our teammates who raced Cohutta finished the day before. It was a really fun course and the sun was shining so the racing was going to be a blast....

The Pro/Expert women's field was one of the biggest and strongest we have had all year. 7 pros and a whole bunch of Experts (okay, USA Cycling is now calling them Category 1 racers). Emily and I lined up for what was sure to be a really fast race. Immediately upon "go" I could feel that I did too much on Saturday. Oh well, suck it up and pedal. It was still a really fun trail and my Specialized Era was the perfect bike for it. Fast and smooth.... just what was needed. I rode to a slightly disappointing 4th place finish; not a bad placing but personally frustrating. I know that because of my own doing I was slower than I should have been.

Emily, on the other hand, had the race of her life. She rolled to the start line and said to me "I feel good today, I'm going to have a great race". She did!! She took 6th, finishing ahead of 3 Pros and was the second Expert rider. At 16 years old, she schooled a lot of women twice her age. Congrats Emily, we are so proud of you!!!!

Catherine demonstrated her ability to suffer by taking a strong 2nd place in the Sport race. And as always, she did it with a smile.

Helen got the award for the most spectacular crash of the day and she did it while we were all watching. Right at the start of the race there was a sharp uphill 90 degree turn. Helen went into it third wheel and the girl in second came to a complete stop right in front of her. Helen grabbed her brakes only to do a SPECTACULAR endo in front of the entire field, causing everyone to stop. She got back up and chased the rest of the race to finish 9th. Good recovery Helen.

Helen after her race. "Please put the camera away..."

All in all it was a great weekend. Both at Fort Yargo State Park and Cohutta. This is already shaping up to be an incredible season.

Thanks for reading...

Cohutta 100

2009-04-28T11:00:00.004-04:00

The Cohutta 100 and 65 was this past Saturday. This race is the first stop on the national endurance 100 calendar and a number of the girls have been training and focusing on it. Paula, Gina, Star and Lisa have been training hard and doing a ton of course recon. They were as ready as anyone to mix it up. The biggest question on race day was going to be the sudden heat we are FINALLY experiencing. Hydration was going to be key.

Paula lined up for the 100 with the goal to make the podium. She definitely had the fitness and knew her competition. Our friend Carey was the girl to beat and Paula knew it. Paula was feeling good and riding strong until an unfortunate flat tire took her hopes for a win away; she did manage to ride a strong ride and finished an impressive second place even after the flat tire and a broken spoke. Congrats Paula. That is an awesome ride. Congrats also to Carey, she rode an incredibly strong race for a convincing win.

Gina, Star and Lisa lined up for the 65 mile version and were hoping for the best. Gina has been practically living out there on those trails for the last two months so she should have been ale to ride them in her sleep. All that recon paid off. She won!!! Congratulations to Gina. Star rode a VERY strong race to take 7th; finishing 45 minutes faster than her goal time and 15 minutes faster than her "if everything goes right" time. She lost a couple of spot due to some dehydration and cramping issues near the end, but still had a personal best on the day and rode like a rock star. Congratulations!!! Lisa rode a strong consistent race to finish in the top 10.

Great job ladies. That was a tough race and you all made it look easy. We are all so proud of you!!!

Catherine wins GSC #2

2009-04-28T10:56:00.002-04:00

Catherine raced the second race in the Georgia State Championship series last weekend and took the win!!! It was a rainy wet weekend of racing and she rose above to dominate the Sport women's category. Her husband Reid won the Expert race so it was a good weekend for the entire Peacock family.

Congrats Catherine!!! (and to you too Reid...)

Shannon gets on the Podium at Sea Otter!!!

2009-04-20T14:53:00.002-04:00

Shannon traveled to California to Sea Otter this year and did the team proud. She took 4th in the Super D and 5th in the Cross Coutry. Great job girl!!! We are proud of you....

Hopefully she'll get me a full race report with pictures... (HINT).

SERC #3 Knobschorcher

2009-04-06T11:49:00.002-04:00

Knobschorcher is one of the biggest, longest running events in the Southeast. EVERYONE seems to come out for the weekend. It is also my least favorite race course of the entire season. It is fast, non-technical (think super-highway), and usually has bike-swallowing mud holes. I have won there in the past but it is really NOT my type of course. I headed over there looking forward to a great weekend of hanging out with my teammates and hoped for the best.

We took a good squad over to race: Paula, Shannon, Amanda, Emily, Helen, Catherine and Myself. I rented a kick butt cabin about 30 miles away and we had a super fun weekend. We were once again spoiled by Sharron Jackson's cooking; she sent a huge dinner with Helen for all of us. She also sent chocolate chip muffins but they didn't make it to dinner time. Mark, Helen and I finished them off after the pre-ride. Mark was a bit concerned about his "girlish" figure but Helen reassured him by saying that it was race weekend, he could eat anything "except maybe soap" and be fine. So the Emily quote of the weekend came from someone else.....

Helen raced first on Sunday and she got the team off to a great start; Second place!!! Great job. The rest of us all raced at the same time which was really fun. I love being on the course and having teammates out there. A friendly face is great mid-race.

Paula and I lined up in a STOUT pro women's field that included Willow Koerber (yes, the rest of us were racing for second place...). It is great to have world class pros race our regional races but wow did that start hurt. I struggled for the first half of the race. My mind and body were having disagreements about both motivation and action. Finally, at the end of lap one when Paula caught me, I found my motivation and kicked it into gear. Thanks Paula for pushing me!!! you ROCK. Paula, who is focusing on endurance events this year, raced very well, even if it was about 70 miles too short for her tastes. I ended up 4th and Paula was 5th.

Amanda, Shannon and Emily were thrilled that they go their own expert race instead of having to race with the pros. It was so great to finally have Shannon out of retirement and racing again. We have missed her. She's had life get in the way of fun for about a year but it all changing now for the better. Welcome back!!! Amanda and Emily both had great races; with Amanda taking 2nd and Emily taking 4th. Shannon finished solidly in the field and was all smiles.

Catherine was her usual stellar self and finished solidly in 3rd place in the sport field. And she did it with a smile and only one giant crash. Catherine, we thought this was the year of NOT crashing?? So far you are off to a challenging start.... although you wear the bruises better than anyone I know!!

Fun weekend ladies. Thanks for the great racing and ton of laughs!!!

SERC #2 Chickasaw

2009-03-30T12:49:00.005-04:00

Yesterday was SERC #2. It true spring fashion, it was a COLD and windy day. It was warm and rainy all week so at least the wind dried things out a bit.

Mark, Helen and I went up there on Wednesday (in the rain) to pre-ride the course. It was a wet muddy mess but we had a ton of fun. The day was topped off by Mark's "shower" under the water spicket in the park.

Sunday was the race and Helen, Catherine, Amanda, Emily and I were ready to go. It was bitter cold. I spent most of the morning in the car with the heat on, occasionally jumping out to cheer as someone went by. At one point I think we were all huddled into the car on top of each other to keep warm. It was about 45 degrees outside but the wind was cold and blowing at about 25mph. That didn't seem to deter anyone from racing; all the fields were HUGE and extremely compititive. Fun!

Helen was first off and she had an amazing start. By the top of the field climb she had a huge gap and we were holding our breath that she's keep it. Unfortunately she suffered a bit of a mechanical issue half way through the race (her rear skewer was loose and the wheel came off) and she got passed by two girls. She took third in her second official race. GREAT JOB!!!! She made a podium appearance for the first time this year.

Catherine's race was next and they had a really tough group. It was a battle from the start and Catherine was right in there. She did great. The top five girls battled the entire race and Catherine eventually ended up 4th. Great job girl. Another podium appearance for the team on the day!!!

Emily, Amanda and I lined up in a FAST Pro/Expert field. About 1/3 of the field was pros so it is exceptionally challenging for the two of them as expert racers. Of the 5 pros that were there anyone could have won. It was a really hard start. I felt like I was racing cross again. Ouch!! Didn't anyone tell these girls we had a 2.5 hour race ahead of us?? Oh well, go with the flow. I had a great day. I took second place and rode as well as I am capable of. I also passed most of the local guys. Yay me!! Amanda rode great. She was the second expert woman, 7th overall. Emily took an impressive 8th place after being sick for a week and then off for another week for a spring break vacation. Great job ladies!!!

So, three races and we put riders on the podium for all of them. Great job ladies!!!

Catherine ROCKS again.

2009-03-23T17:56:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was the first race of the Georgia State Championship series and Catherine, being a GA resident, is focusing on the series. It was her first "official" Sport race and although she was nervous, we all knew she'd do just fine. She tore the MTB scene up last year and we knew that she was ready for another year of it.

She WON. I haven't heard the full race report yet but it was a sprint finish. YOU GO GIRL!!!! Looking at lap times, it was an exciting race to watch.

Catherine, we are proud of you.

I am glad she's on OUR team. :)

Pisgah.

2009-03-23T12:13:00.014-04:00

Life doesn't get any better...

I got to spend a beautiful spring weekend riding my bike at one of my favorite places with good friends. Life doesn't get any better.

Helen is all smiles as she climbs the mountain.

This past weekend we decided for Helen's spring break we were going to find her "balls" on the mountain bike. A camping weekend in Pisgah National Forest was just the ticket. In the spirit of a girls weekend in the dirt, we invited all the mountain bike chicks we knew and decided to make it a "girls get skills" weekend. Two of my athletes (and good friends) Kim and Karen joined us. We decided to not go completely "man free" and let Mark come along as our "dutch oven chef" and Dave came along as our "token boy toy". (It helps their egos if we give them titles like that...)

Reily and the ladies.

Helen and I were so excited to get there that we decided to leave Thursday night right after work and do most of the drive that night. We went to Greenville and slept on Dave's couch (free is good). Friday morning we loaded up and it was off to Pisgah. We quickly set up camp and then it was off to ride. It was sunny and warm and the trails were in AWESOME shape. We rode for about 2.5 hours; it was hard to head back to camp but dinner finally convinced us. Dave rode his bike up from Greenville and apparently had his own little "adventure" that included dirt roads and steep climbs. Everyone else rolled in about 8pm and it was off to the giant buffet and then good conversation around the campfire.

Our Master Chef enjoys the mountains.

Saturday was the big ride day and although it started cold, it quickly warmed into a perfect day for riding. We started our day with Mark's famous Mountain Man Breakfast. We all pigged out and were armed and ready for what the day was going to throw at us. The ride began with a 1.5 hour climb up the mountains. Everyone hung in there and did great. The next 2.5 hours were a mixture of technical climbs, gnarly descents, and sweet fast single track; all with a phenomenal view. We spent a good deal of time working on bike handling skills and all three girls were masters of the steep technical descent by the end of the day. The only notable crash was Mark doing a dance with his bike, a root and a tree. He was not leading. Dave did a long road ride up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and apparently found a great descent that went along with it. The highlight of the day was Kim talking to herself while she rode anything that scared her. It went like this: "Don't stop pedaling. Don't stop pealing....etc." It worked. She pedaled right through everything!!!

The ladies...

Saturday night was my turn to cook and after all day riding it was time for Jambalaya; in the dutch oven, of course. We all ate until we were ready to burst and then it was a relaxing evening around the campfire re-hashing the day's ride. Everyone dreamed of more sweet single track to come....

Karen climbs through the woods.

Sunday morning started (cold and sunny) with Mark again cooking breakfast for us; this time it was pancakes and scrambled eggs. By the time we were fat and happy the sun had warmed things up and it was another phenomenal day for a ride. Today was ladies only (plus one furry little black man...Reily the dog accompanied us for the first hour of our ride); the boys went for another road ride. It was one of the best rides I've done in a long time. Not only was the trail perfect, the three ladies that were so timid on Saturday were BOMBING down the trail and were invincible. It was so much fun. Helen was deemed "Princess Soggy Foot" and everyone spent some time laughing and rolling in the dirt. We decided that we'd pay the extra day campground fee so we could stay and ride longer. We didn't want to be packed up and on our way home at 2pm. The boys also had a great time and the weekend was over too soon.

Princess Soggy Foot!!!

Dinner was a restaurant in Brevard and then it was time for the long drive home. We stayed too long and it was a LATE night; arriving home at 12:30am. It was worth it.

Little English Chapel in the woods.

Next weekend it is back to racing. FUN.

Karen sums up how everyone felt by the end of the weekend. Happy and exhausted...

Thanks for reading...

Catherine ROCKS Snake TT

2009-03-14T17:27:00.002-04:00

Last weekend was the final Snake TT in Dalton, GA. The race series (3 weekends: January, February, March) takes a rider's best time and uses that for the overall awards. Catherine raced all three weekends and it payed off.

SHE WON!!!! Catherine won the 17 mile even convincingly. And of course, knowing Catherine, she did it with a smile. Congratulations girl, we are so proud of you. It is the first mtb victory in 2009 for the team.

Emily put up her time on the second weekend of Snake and even though the third weekend was SIGNIFICANTLY faster conditions, she still held on for third in in the 35 mile. Great job Emily.