Cyclocross season

Whew. After the end of the mountain bike season in August we all needed a bit of a break. We didn't get to rest too long before it was time for my favorite part of the year: CYCLOCROSS.

I LOVE cross. It's my favorite bike to race. I love the thrill and excitement of racing all out for 40 minutes in crazy conditions at a time of year when most people are not even thinking about their bikes. The past two year have been a bit more challenging because I have been balancing my love of cross with my studies (6 weeks and counting until the MS is complete!!!) but the only thing that has truly suffered is timely blog posts... sorry.

Kym and Paula go 1,2 at the GA CX series race in Fort Yargo, GA

My cross focus this season was Nationals and a week later the Masters World Championships so I stayed a bit closer to home, had a blast in GA, and won every regional race I entered. Paula, Star, Kristi, and Catherine also joined me for some cross racing in GA and we often had a sweet looking podium with lots of US Stove representation.

Nationals was ALMOST perfect. I raced a killer age group race, taking second in a hard fought battle that saw myself and second place change the lead 4-5 times. I also raced the collegiate race where an untimely dropped chain at the start left me off the BACK chasing the entire race. I came all the way back to third and was told that I rode stronger than anyone else in the race. So, two podiums in tow days at National, not bad.

World's was the craziest mud I had seen in a while. I like the mud and even though I was exhausted from travel, starting the spring semester and being sick, I was so excited to race I could hardly stand it. It was one of the most exciting races I have ever raced, I was off the front with one other girl and we traded the lead, in slow motion through the mud, about 4-5 times a lap. I crashed on the last lap and ended up with a well earned second place. Not the result I was hoping for but a silver at the WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS is nothing to be bummed about.

The silver UCI medal was one of the coolest accomplishments of my cycling career. I couldn't have done it without my kick butt Trek Cronus CX, the support of the guys at the Trek Store of Chattanooga, our awesome sponsors like US Stove, and most importantly, my husband.

A silver from the CX National Championships



 The Silver at Nationals wasn't all bad either, and I have a bronze to match it!!! Next year we need to add a couple of gold medals to this collection.

 Just a little bit of mud on the pit bike. This was a training race before Nationals; I sure am glad I brought the old bike!!!



...and the coolest trophy of the season!!!! Gotta love a trophy that keeps on giving.

We are FAMOUS!!!

Check it out, the team has a great article in the February issue of "Get Out" magazine.

Here is the link to the digital copy of the article: http://media.timesfreepress.com/epaper/GetOut/February2012/index.html

Some more pictures from the weekend

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...

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.

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!!!!

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

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...