Continuing our winning ways

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

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

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

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

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!!!

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.

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...