Beer, Bikes, and Snow

I woke up to that sound.  I was hoping it was just wind but I was wrong.  Rain.  I packed an extra set of everything and headed out in the dark to my race.  I got out on the course to pre-ride with my raincoat and hood up over my helmet.  The course was wet but not muddy.  I spent some time going over lines and made myself aware of roots in the woods.  As I headed to registration to pick up my number, the sky opened and was raining hard.  I opted to sit in my car and try to stay as warm as possible. I warmed up on the trainer for a bit but had no motivation to ride in the drizzle.  I headed over to the start to find my group.  The access driveway was muddy and I noticed the racers finishing had mud splattered on them.  We lined up, shed our jackets, and waited for the official to blow the whistle.  Off the start, I was hesitant on the first corner - conditions had changed since I pre-rode earlier.  More mud and greas...

Cooper River (CRCX) is flat.  And tends to have long stretches that require a lot of power.  Typically not my favorite type of CX course.  But I know what i need to work on.  So it's good training for me.  There were only a handful of the Master's women but some of my usual competition.  It was going to be a good race. As always, I arrived early enough to get out on the course before the first race.  Since the course was oriented east west, the sun glare made it difficult to see some of the turns and how the course flowed.  I worked on some different lines and watched the first race.  I've always hated the pavement to grass transition at the start of the CRCX.  This year was no different.  But while watching the grass to pavement transition before the finish also had me a bit nervous.  Plenty of men went down or crashed into the barrier on that corner.  Two things I wanted to be careful of. As our women's field lin...

As a teacher, my vacation is when school is out - and that's it. I don't get extra days during the year (especially after holidays) to take off. When USAC announced that the 2017 CX Nationals would be in Hartford, CT, I knew this may be my only chance to race Nationals during my CX career (BTW Bend, Louisville, Ogden, San Diego & Tacoma named finalists to host 2019-20 CX Nationals). So I'm going for it this year. And this is my plan. I thought a lot about what category to race this year. As a Cat 2 racer, the past two years I raced in the Elite fields. For the big races (Nittany, HPCX, Gloucester), I needed to purchase a UCI license in order to compete. I grumbled a lot about this. Mostly because of the cost - in addition to my annual USAC license , I needed to dish out an extra $130 to cover the total cost for the license ($200). And the registration fees for UCI races cost extra. So all of this extra money (and added mental stress) I was shelling out...

Day 1 I knew that the course would be similar to previous years - it was just a matter of where the barriers were and how dusty the course would be.  I still arrived early to get in few laps before the first race.  Just as I expected, but the barriers were in the infamous "mud" area (note: it was not muddy).  I picked up my number, watched the little Belgium's race, and got ready for my race. I'm starting to know who the ladies are in my group - we all hung out at the staging area, waiting for our call-ups.  I picked my spot and waited for the countdown.  I've always hated the "traffic light" starts at Nittany - but this year they said to start on the whistle. Day 1 Master's field - photo by .S. Roberts I heard the whistle blow and nailed my start.  I was third going into the first set of turns.  And then the leader went down on a turn I know well (I crashed on it a few years ago).  Somehow 2nd place and myself got around her without ...

Fair Hill has been one of my favorite MAC races.  Usually held in November, it was one of my peak races, nearing towards the end of the season.  This year they moved it to the first of the MAC series as well as a new venue (still on Fair Hill property). I watched the weather forecast the week leading into Saturday's race.  Hot hot hot.  This isn't CX weather.  All I could do was try to hydrate and hope that my summer camp riding acclimated me for the "excessive heat" day.  I was definitely happy to be racing at 10 am rather than later in the day. I arrived before the first race to pre-ride.  The course was flowy and wide open.  And no shade.  I got in two laps and surveyed the "technical area" (some short punchy climbs with tight turns), figuring out what the best lines would be.  It wasn't even 8:30 and I was soaked in sweat.  I grabbed my number and headed back to my car to find some shade.  I caught up with some friends,...

I've only raced Kutztown once, which was two years ago .  While the course doesn't have the elevation or technical features of other races, it is still challenging.  Last year the promoter added a few things to spice up the course.  With it being my last weekend of racing for 2015, I signed up. After pre-registration closed, I checked the list of ladies racing.  Sadly, there were only 9 of us registered.  Of which 2 would not be racing due to injuries.  That left us with 7.  And after racing most of these ladies all season,, I pretty much knew how my race would go. The course is on the grounds of a farmer's/flea market.  The wind was howling and skies were gray, making it one of the first real cross weather races this year.  I was wishing I packed warmer gloves.  I got in two laps just before the first ladies race started. The course was run in the opposite direction I raced two years ago.  Lots of turns and I loved th...

I started my double weekend with a trip down to Maryland.  I arrived in time to jump on the course before the 10 am ladies lined up.  The course had similarities to previous years, some off-camber sections and fun, flowy turns.  The run-up I dreaded was completely rideable but another set of barriers were waiting for me at the top of the hill.  As I finished up my early pre-ride, it started drizzling.  Enough to make things damp.  After watching a few of the 10 am race, I grabbed my number then headed to my car to try to dry out. I was wondering how the conditions may deteriorate as the rain continued.  The off-camber sections could get very slick.  And the hill I could ride earlier may become too slick to ride.  The rain stopped and I set up my trainer to watch others race.  I noticed a few people riding around the parking lot and field.  I finished up my warm-up, put my B-bike in the pit and decided to check out one last sect...

This year's location for Whirlybird was different than the previous few years.  I recognized "Bryn" in the location, and thought it was going to be at the same location as when Lance first raced in 2011.  I plugged in the address in my GPS the morning of the race.  Drove through beautiful Bucks County, PA but noticed some of the scenery was different.  As I pulled into the race venue, I realized I was at Bryn Athyn  College...and not Bryn Mawr  College.  Who knew there were so many "Bryn" colleges in PA? I arrived early enough to watch the other women's races, which I had a few friends to cheer for.  I got in a lap before I made my way out to the woods to watch the ladies tackle the log.  I did two more laps in between races and knew the straight-aways on the course would be tough for me.  I was excited for the switchbacks and woods, knowing that could be a plus for me. Our Elite field was small due to DCCX pulling a lot of ladies...

Since my start in UCI races is a lottery, I put off registering for HPCX.  I signed up midweek prior to the race, with only 20 ladies signed up at that time.  I recognized some of the names.  After registration closed, I checked again.  Now there were 40 women signed up - from all over and some really fast ladies.  I wondered if I made a mistake and was in over my head. The promoters stated that the first day of HPCX would be similar to previous years.  And it was.  I got out for a few laps to inspect the course.  I thought about whether I would ride the steps and what gear I wanted to be at the start.  Since I would be one of the last ladies to be called up, I knew I would have to fight my way up the paved climb. photo by B. White photo by B. White I heard the official give the warning of 30 seconds and before I knew it, we were charging up the hill.  As we approached the top, the group slowed down.  I found myself ...

It's been a long year of bike racing for me.  And I'm done.  With my first race (SSaP) in April to SCCX last week, I competed in 24 races . This year I never really had downtime between mountain bike racing, camp, and CX.  With MTB Nationals on my calendar, I continued to ride and train during camp.  In August, I dusted off the CX bike.  I really didn't want to put the mountain bike away, but CX was calling and now demanding all of my attention. With my upgrade last season, I knew I needed to prepare for the shock.  I would still be racing in the A-races at the smaller, local races.  However, in the "bigger" races, I would be racing UCI.  I did all I could to prepare for what I had coming in 2014. Looking back, I had some really great races.  I chased and got chased with some of the fastest ladies.  And I had some really bad races, and yes, got my a$$ handed to me.  But, I finished every race I started ( 14 races ).  And...

There's something about Fair Hill .  The mountain bike races and CX course tend to be my favorites. The promoters do a fantastic job and the people make it even better.  I only missed Fair Hill CX once since we started racing (due to Sandy).  I look forward to this CX race every year. Looking at the registration list, I had to be realistic about my goals.  Some of the fastest locals would be racing.  I saw some familiar names and thought about who's wheel would be my carrot.  I made that my goal. The course combines a little bit of everything - some climbing, tight corners, off-camber technical areas.  This year's course had the natural fly-over and two sets of barriers, one leading to a run-up.  I spent some time after I arrived on a few of the corners, looking at various lines.  Something I've learned is that the line that is burned into the grass isn't always the best line - especially when the beginner racers start the day. We b...

I registered for both UCI races at HPCX.  I checked the list of ladies registered in my class and knowing the names of the girls registered, I knew it was going to be a tough weekend.  I made my goal for Day 1 to not get pulled and finish on the leader’s lap.   I warmed up on the trainer while trying to watch Lance’s race.  I arrived at my start and rode around, chatting with the ladies.  I had a 3rd row start and picked a wheel I knew to line up behind.  The whistle blew and we charged up the paved hill.  And then I heard it.  That awful sound of carbon “crunching” next to me.  I didn’t know what was happening, whether it was a crash or something else, but I’ve learned is never look back.   photo by Barb Foley I stayed with the group for as long as I could.  And then girls started pulling away.  I was left riding by myself with a carrot ahead of me me to chase  I heard “2 laps to go ladies” and wondered...