Taking a break

(My daughter Lucinda on the podium at Wonder Lake Criterium--I was racing the men's race)

The big happening in women's cycling this weekend was the Tulsa Tough weekend. As a team we did not have these races on our schedule, and decided this weekend to take a little breather, race close to home, get some good rides in and face time with our families. We've got a huge month coming up and want to be mentally fresh. On Saturday I did the Flatlandia group ride. We got a sitter so Jason and I could both go. My first big group ride of the season and it was so nice to see friends and have a great group of guys and gals to ride with. We rode hard and we left crazy early in the morning and even though we had some flat tires we had a lot of fun. That afternoon I took the kids to a birthday party where the glow sticks they got in their goody bags inspired Jason to camp out with them in the backyard for the night. I stayed inside :).

Sunday we decided to go visit Grandma Sue out in Woodstock, IL and then ride over to the inaugural Wonder Lake Criterium. It was a fabulous day, sunny and 70's. Just gorgeous. We were able to leisurely get up and enjoy a lovely family breakfast before we jumped in the car and drove out to Woodstock. We dropped the kids off with Grandma, and she drove them over to the race so Jason and I could ride over together. Lovely ride. There's lots of new development out that way but there are still some really pristine country roads. It was a real treat to get to ride with Jason two days in a row!

When I got to the race it was a major bummer that no other 1/2 women were there. The cat 4 (but soon to be cat 3) racer Jannette Rho, who had soloed to victory earlier in the day in the cat 4 race, was still there and was game to jump in the race. We convinced another cat 4 woman from Get-a-Grip to race making our field 3. We asked the officials if we could race together with the men's 1/2 race and just score us separately, but they told us no because Janette and Get-a-Grip were cat 4's--I think that was a wise decision on their part--But they told me I could race with the men 1/2's directly after the women's race.

At the start of our race I told Janette I would not attack until the end of the race but would be game for riding hard. So we traded pulls during the race. Janette did her share and we did get a good hard ride in until 1 to go when I attacked and stayed away until the end. I did feel a little bad--I remember when I was a cat 4 never really enjoying having to race against cat 1/2 women. But sometimes it's just good to try to ride a little harder than you think you can handle...which is why I jumped in the men's 1/2 race directly following ours. It was a small field of maybe 15 or so riders. I went into the race with the goal of trying to actually race it rather than just hang on for dear life so early in the race when there was a break of two off the front I tried to bridge up solo. I was alone for about half a lap before I blew up and when the field caught me I could not catch back on. Instead of chasing, I rested and waited for them to lap me and then was able to jump back on. At this point I was just trying to ride around with the group. I thought about quitting but our old friend and cycling mentor Jon Grell was there watching. Not wanting to disappoint him I pressed on determined to finish the race. A couple times there were some hard accelerations where I blew up and thought "ok I'm dropped" but then I would look up and see the field slowing and think "oh $%*& now I have to keep going" :). So I would catch back on and managed to make it to about a half a lap to go when they accelerated and did not stop until the finish. Also being a lap down I didn't want to be anywhere near the sprint. I was happy with the effort, and definitely rode a lot harder than I wanted to.

On the whole it was a great family weekend. The Wonder Lake Crit was a great course. Nice sweeping corners and smooth roads. I hope they have this race again next year!

-Kristen

The Bike Shop, Glen Ellyn, IL

Anyone who rides or races know that cycling is one of the most expensive sports out there. The equipment is ridiculously costly: bikes, shoes, helmets, gloves, food, bottles, sunglasses; and with having to train and travel so much, working full-time can be a tricky thing to fit in. Many of us could not do this without the support of so many people who are keen on helping developing and talented riders reach their potential.

For Team BH USA so much of this support and help comes from THE BIKE SHOP, Glen Ellyn, IL. Rich is the owner and Leah is his right-hand (wo)man and without all the help and support they have given us, we would be lost. The very first day we all got together as a brand-new team, they gave us the full pro treatment. They custom built our bikes, professionally fit us with a high-tech camera system to make sure we were comfortable and powerful on our bikes. They provided us with wheels, powertaps, and Sram Red to make our bikes the lightest and most advanced possible to allow us to race for the win in every race we attend. They gave us helmets, sunglasses, shoes, waterbottles, cages, tires...you name it. The Bike Shop has been the cornerstone of allowing Team BH USA to be as successful as we've been this season and we are SO excited and grateful for all they've done.

If you're in IL, thank them for their support for women's cycling and for their support of us by stopping in; or check them out online. Their shop is beautiful and equipped with all things for your cycling needs. Not to mention their knowledgeably and friendly sales staff and mechanics who are experts in all things bikes.

So from our team, Team BH USA, and from each of us: Kristen, Madeleine, Devon, and Anne, to THE BIKE SHOP: THANK YOU so much for everything-we will continue to make you proud this season!

Memorial Weekend Fun!

Team BH was back together again for a second full weekend of racing fun traveling down to Iowa for three (or four days in Devon's case!) of racing.

Friday: Devon jumped into the super-fast Cat 3 Men's road race that ended in Burlingtion, IA and got a great 1hr+ motor pacing session to get her legs ready for the weekend.(Devon climbing "the snake" in a break of three)

Saturday: SNAKE ALLEY! Several of us have a love-hate relationship with "the snake" but we were all committed to finishing it. Devon was definitely more on the "love" side and she placed third for a podium finish despite dropping her chain on the last climb. Kristen had some wheel trouble and had to stop at the top of the hill and fix it, but she and Madeleine and Anne all finished strong.Sunday: HOT HOT HOT at Weed Park. We all found the legs were a bit peaked from the day before but we gave it our all. A long course with a fast descent, a scary speed bump, a decent uphill, and a twisty finish was the course-several more strong finishes made us happy but excitedly looking forward to Rock Island and a flat crit!

(Kristen working the break at Quad Cities)

Monday: Rain once again threatened the 8corner, flat, fast crit we were doing; but luckily only few drops fell during the race. It started out hot and heavy with Madeleine on the front and then Kristen, Devon, and Anne trading off chasing down riders or working the breaks. Kristen made the winning break and worked hard and took second to Tibco pro, Meredith Miller. Devon attacked with five to go and with Madeleine and Anne covering any attacks drove it home for 7th; Anne took fourth in the field sprint.

(Quad Cities Criterium Podium. Photo Credit: John Greenwood)

Here's what happened from Kristen's perspective:

I don’t even think I realized I was in a break until after it had been established for a while. My goal was just to stay near the front. When I did finally assess the situation, we had Tibco, two Lipsmackers, and one each of ABD and Kenda. I knew my teammates were back in the field covering everything, and that was a great feeling. I held my own and was able to cover a couple of really strong Tibco attacks. With one lap to go, ABD went for a prime and tried to hold it for the finish. It was a bold move and earned her the most aggressive rider award for the race. It also worked well strategically for me. I played it cool and finally Tibco chased hard and I fought for her wheel. We passed ABD on the back stretch and my plan was to ride Tibco’s wheel to the final corner, take the inside line, and come around her for the win. However somewhere around corner 7 I bumped into Kenda who was trying to do the same thing to me by coming up on my inside line. I lost some momentum but was able to hold on for 2nd. Afterwards I found out Devon had managed to break free from the field and had ridden solo for the final 5 laps of the race to hold on for 7th. We were thrilled to have two podiums for the weekend!
(Team BH USA patrolling the front of the field)

It was a great way to end a fun weekend that started out with a ride to Iowa on the super comfortable Cuttin Cruiser. I was also thrilled to have finished Snake Alley which I can honestly say was directly impacted by being wildly cheered for every single lap by the Cuttin Crew folks and tons of friends parked on the hill. Thanks guys!! Another highlight of the weekend was watching the women’s cat 4 race at Quad Cities. What an aggressive bike race! There were attacks, bridging, solo efforts and teamwork. It was great to see that we have a new group of good women bike racers coming up the ranks.

Thanks SO much to Anne's cousin, Rachel, who hosted us at her beautiful art gallery/studio and found us terrific local restaurants to gorge ourselves at post-race. Also thanks to Barry White for making the trek down to pump us up, motivate us, and cheer for us. Thanks to Jason Meshberg for being "the Voice" on our radios-always knew the right thing to say and when to say it!

MoM-WoW!

Team BH was back together again this weekend -- leading to good times, fun racing, and a taste of victory!

The weekend started off at Monsters of the Midway.  The "chicago" contingent of Kristen and I showed up to a small field (but I was happy to see a large women's field in the Cat 3 and Cat 4 races!).  Since we were both in the mood to practice our cyclocross starts, we took off hard from the gun.  I think our tactic left the others surprised and only Francine from Alberto's hung on to our wheels.  We worked hard for several laps to try to get away on our own and eventually we both escaped and entered time trial mode for the rest of the race.  It was fun crossing the line 1-2 in our first race back together and in front of the great UofC crowd :)

Sunday we would have the whole BH squad out for Wheels on Willy up in Madison, WI which was good because we were up against a big and strong field.  Madeline started the race hard with another "cyclocross start" (she was sad that she missed out on the fun start at Monsters).  She immediately got a gap and set a high tempo that would start off a fun and fast paced race. (check out this sweet picture!)  With team Kenda in the field and several other strong women, Madeline wasn't going to get away easy.  Once the pack reeled her in, the race continued with attack after attack.  Our team worked well at either sending attacks off or reeling other's attacks in.  Madeline and Kristen also snagged some primes in the process.  Late in the race our teamwork came together beautifully.  Anne reeled in a strong Kenda attack and then I launched a late attack of our own.  I was away with a gap and 4 to go, but would soon get caught and "plan B" was put into action... Kristen was on my wheel yelling "allez allez" with one lap left... I tried to keep the pace high and pulled hard to the final straight where Kristen called on her "go-go gadget sprinter legs" and secured another "V" for Team BH USA!   A good all around team effort!

Joe Martin Stage Race--Do Over

Missing the time cut in the women’s race by 1.4 seconds really stung. Thankfully I was given another chance to race in the Men's cat 3 race. Their race started on Saturday morning with the exact same time trial, Saturday Road Race, and the same crit on Sunday. So the only thing I didn’t get to do was the Friday Road Race. Typically Men’s Cat 3 races are almost the same pace-wise, though not quite the same competitive-wise as the pro women. For the record I did knock a couple of seconds off of my tt time, enough to have made the cut in the women’s race. Would have been nice to post that time two days before….. but at least I know I can do it. Later that day I made the time cut in the men’s road race, and my time also would have made the cut in the women’s race. The crit on Sunday was super fun. It was a long course with an uphill side and a downhill side and lots of turns. Very Cool! I finished enough of it to get an overall GC placing. I finished the Men’s Cat 3 stage race 44th out of 67 starters. I was hoping for a GC finish in the women’s race, but I’m cool with a finish in a Men’s Cat 3 stage race.

Since the men’s crit on Sunday was later in the day, it moved my departure from Sunday afternoon to Monday morning. This meant I could attend the post-race all-you-can-eat tacos and all-you-can-drink beer party at a local Mexican restaurant in town with my super cool host Jennie, and housemate Amy from Hub Racing. I met some fellow-racers and socialized, something I am usually unable to do while racing!

I had a good experience at Joe Martin and can’t thank the people in charge enough—Stephen Ray Stafford our rider coordinator, Bruce Dunn the race director and Bonnie Walker, the chief referee. All of these people were sympathetic and supportive. Most of all thank you to our super-accommodating host Jennie Horton—who opened her home for as long as we needed, got on the phone and lobbied for us, and cracked a bottle of wine when all hope was lost. My plan is to come back next year and knock a minute off my tt time!!

Unfortunately my car did not like the trip and after driving almost 11 hours (by myself—after leaving at 4 am—after getting 3 hours of sleep—after doing a stage race) on Monday my transmission broke on I-55 in Plainfield, IL. I was able to find a good repair shop thanks to Jason’s Uncle Alan who lives in Plainfield. Since I was anxious to get home to see my monkeys after being away for so long I packed up my messenger bag, hopped on my bike and rode to meet Jason who drove the opposite way in rush hour from downtown Chicago to meet me. I’d be lying if I said he didn’t find me on the side of the road in a heap somewhere near the theaters on Woodward Rd., but I made it home in time to play with the kids before collapsing into bed.

-Kristen

Au Revoir France

My last week in France has been one of the best...

It started out with a trip to the track (the first and only track i've ever ridden -- it's amazing that you can ride on that steep bank and not fall off... weeee!)

On thursday, we road 100km over 13 hills to the Mediterranean Sea (my first time to the sea!)

so pretty...

ahh...

Friday we did a smaller race not too far from Limoux.  The course was a hilly 7.5km loop -- it had a steep kicker followed by a false flat into another hill... then a short down around a sharp turn and up once more before a final long twisty descent.  A fun fun course!  A teammate of mine was off in a break of two and one lap later, i got away solo... i rode alone for 6/10 laps and almost caught the initial break by the end (but not quite).  We ended up getting 2nd and 3rd -- a good ending to our French racing!

and lots of pretty flowers...

Saturday we went out on a beautiful 100km loop from Limoux... 

with pretty hills...

a castle...

and a breathtaking descent that i unfortunately don't have pictures of... it was so amazing that I almost fell off the road a few times by looking at the scenery

Today, we ended our french trip with the perfect ride -- a climb in the Pyrenees up the Col de Pailheres, an hors category climb from the Tour de France (and my first climb up a real big mountain!).  It was a long and steep climb, but the views riding up and the scenery at the top were well worth the hard work.

(a small) part of the climb...

riding up...

view from the top...

The bike is now packed up and I head home in another day.  It will be sad to leave France, but at the same time I can't wait to come back... i miss home.  

Joe Martin...one stage wonder

Our goals for Joe Martin were to use it as a training race to get ready for the other things we have on our calendar this year. We still did not expect to get Time Cut on the first day. It was a 2.5 uphill time trial so if you blink you miss the cut. We went into the stage with our eyes open and the officials have stated that next year they'll be eliminating the tc from day 1, but we are still pretty disappointed. The officials have decided to allow the tc women to race in the men's cat 3 stage race that starts tomorrow. We'll get to do the same tt again in the morning and then a 69 mile RR in the afternoon, and a crit on Sunday. While not what we'd hoped for our Joe Martin experience, we will be able to get some good training in which is after all why we are here.

-Kristen

Ups and Downs

This weekend was full of ups and downs.  I was invited to fill in for the national team at another UCI race that was not part of my original schedule (yay for more racing).  So Friday I went to race in Luxembourg at the Grand Prix Elsy Jacobs.  I was excited to have another opportunity at a big UCI level race since the last one ended prematurely in a crash.  Then Sunday I headed close to Paris for another French Cup race -- the Trophee des Grimpeurs.  Both courses contained a lot of climbing!  Friday's course went Up Up up - DOWN - up Up Up UP - doooowwwwwn and around (10 times!).  Sunday's course went up Up UP WALL! and then twisted its way downhill -- (for the midwest racers, the Wall kind of reminded me of Snake Alley steep or Stillwater steep and loooonger).  

Friday's race went well.  I was able to get to the front right away and tried to follow some early attacks up the first climb. A strong contingent went off at the top of the second climb and I was running low on gas by then, but a teammate of mine bridged to it. I was then able to stay near the front and tried to cover for a while. I worked pretty hard the first couple laps and it was fun being able to do work to try and help a teammate up the road.  The break was looking strong and when I started to fade on the next lap my other teammates in the pack moved up to the front. We all took turns guarding the front and we had a more experienced teammate in the pack to give us direction and make sure we were on the same page which was nice.  The race was one of attrition and as we worked, the pack dwindled in size from 110 to 50ish by the end while the break stayed off the front. I was able to hang on in the race and make it to the end with the field.  The sprint was wild and I was stuck in the middle of the pack trying to avoid getting my wheel chopped as people went every which way.  I was barely able to get in a sprint effort with all the commotion and finished midpack for 31st -- my first UCI finish!! (hopefully there will be lots more!)

Afterwards I refueled with strawberry waffles (if you can't have frozen custard or ice cream, this is a mmm mmm good alternative :)...

Sunday's race looked like a fun one with lots of climbing and a super steep hill. The crowds were out in force because our race was followed by a men's UCI race with big name teams. Despite my excitement for the race, it didn't go so well from the start... we had a "neutral start" to the course and once we got to racing I knew I needed to move my way up in the pack a little more before the "wall", but despite my efforts, i couldn't seem to pass anyone -- i felt like i was riding backwards.  By the time we were to the hill I was pretty far back in the pack and after the "wall" I was off the main pack. I decided to make the most of it and keep riding... it would at least be good training to climb the wall a few times.  And how often do you get to train with people cheering you along the whole way.  The crowd was fantastic and sometimes I even forgot I was off the back. I even got a "USA --- I love you!" cheer (lots of French actually seem to like the Americans -- at least in the cycling world).  So the race was a bummer, but I had just come off a good tough race and bad days happen.  I also discovered that my rear wheel was a disaster at the end of the race and rubbing the brakes... this does not help the tired legs :)

Racing can be tough because there will always be a down day... but the up days are so good and the bike is so fun that you have to keep loving the sport!  1 more race coming up - I can't wait!  

Baraboo RR and LaCrosse Criterium

(Baraboo Circus Musuem--Quality local attraction for the kids while they waited for our road race to end.)

(Start of the Women's Open RR--nice field!!)

All stateside BH teammates were present for the scenic, "must do", Circuit of Sauk RR in Baraboo, WI on Saturday and the LaCrosse Criterium on Sunday. The RR was only 30 miles but it had a nice sized hill, some rollers, and strong cross winds. The race lived up to it's reputation; beautiful scenery, lovely roads, and a fine day, just gorgeous. It was good to see some of our Chicago friends. The Cuttin Crew, Pegasus and XXX (congrats to Luke on his win!!) were "representin'". About 30 women lined up which is a nice sized field for us. We hit the hill for the first time about 5 minutes into the race. At the top of the hill there were 8 of us left including one of the best road racers in the midwest, Kristin Wentworth, from Kenda. At the top of the hill Wentworth kicked it up a notch for the rollers taking her teammate and 2 others making a break of 4. Both Madeleine and I as well as a few others were popped off the back of this group. I chased with fellow Chicagoan Heidi Sarna (XXX). I was holding out hope that someone would get popped from the break and we could race for 3rd or 4th, but it was not to be. Madeleine and another rider caught Heidi and I and we traded pulls until the fourth rider pulled off at the s/f with a mechanical. Our group of 3 finished uneventfully, well ahead of any other chasers. Madeleine took the sprint in our group and I followed giving us finishing places of 5th and 6th. My husband and kids had watched the start of our race and then spent a couple hours at the Baraboo circus museum. After the race they picked me up we headed out as a family to the Dells for a waterpark!!! Found a super deal on a cheap (only slightly scary) motel that gave us passes to one of the big waterparks. I’ve never “Done the Dells" before and I was a little suprprised at how Vegas-in-Wisconsin it was. But we had a super great time. Our kids are at just the right age and Jason and I really got a kick out of watching them. We were a tired family that night!

The next morning after an all-you-can-eat Encampment Family Style Breakfast at Paul Bunyan’s Lumberjack Shanty the family and I headed up to Anne’s hometown of LaCrosse. The team was really excited to race in front of our sponsor, the Washa Chiropractic Clinic, as well as all of Anne's hometown admirers. Not to mention LaCrosse is a wonderful place. I really could live there. We had over 25 riders lined up including several strong WI and MN riders. The Flanders rider who had ridden away from Anne and I at the RR a couple of weeks ago was there, and sure enough at the gun she strung it out seeming not to care who was on her wheel. After a couple of laps she went for a prime and only Kaitie from IS Corp and I were there and just like that we had a break of 3. The gap went up to 30 seconds indside of 3 laps. Flanders was driving it and I had nothing to lose by riding along, but I was hoping for more of my teammates to bridge up so I wasn't totally committed to the break sticking and didn't work too hard. Later I found out both Anne and Madeleine did not want to risk dragging any other riders up so they stayed in the field taking primes and getting some "sponsor love" every time they went by the s/f. At two to go Flanders cranked it up and I was feeling great and was ready for the finish line. Unfortunately she overcooked corner two and wiped out with me on her wheel. It was a tense moment but I managed to do a bike messenger skid and avoid running over her neck. Somehow IS Corp avoided crashing into me and the two of us rode fairly easy until a half a lap to go. Our Flanders break-mate was back on her bike and gaining. IS Corp attacked going into the final two corners. It was a perfect lead out for me and I was able to come around Katie for our first domestic win of the year!! Anne and Madeleine finished 5th and 7th overall after cleaning up on the primes. We also did some hot laps in the men's races later in the day as it is good training for the NRC racing we plan on doing this year. It was a great weekend of midwestern racing at it's finest.

(final sprint at the LaCrosse Criterium)