Me and Lara -- TEAmmates :) we both placed in the top five for the day.
Three hours of driving both ways for this one was well worth it..... and the conversation during the drive just couldn't be beat...
The Podium -- Brooke 2nd, Laura 1st, Me 3rd
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Indio Grand Prix
Me and Lara -- TEAmmates :) we both placed in the top five for the day.
Three hours of driving both ways for this one was well worth it..... and the conversation during the drive just couldn't be beat...
The Podium -- Brooke 2nd, Laura 1st, Me 3rd
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Life.... according to Myles
So Myles and I were having this "life" talk yesterday. The subject turns to girls, and he proceeds to tell me that he`s decided that girls have a Cinderalla side and a Damien side (Damien from the movie The Omen) ... he said "you know...one minute they are all innocent and pretty and then the next minute they go crazy". I had to laugh....
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Final Two Stages of Redlands:
I`m feeling a little lazy today, so I don`t have any big race reports for you even though we had two more hard races Saturday and Sunday. Here is a quick little recap: after it was all said and done, we earned three top ten finishes in the last two stages, Kori won the Sprinter`s Jersey, and our team placed 3rd overall in Team GC. The not so good news is that Kori crashed out really hard, right at the end of the last stage (in the break!) --and she broke her collarbone. We all know she will rest up, and heal up, and get back to racing before too long, but it`s certainly a bummer that she got hurt. Get well Kori!!
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
Tear my legs off in Redlands why don't ya?!
Stage One Redlands: Oak Glen 71 miles. Thankfully, the first QOM (queen of mountain) effort was not so tough... I`m not really sure why...but I am not complaining. It made the five mile climb leading up to it much more tolerable than I had anticipated.
Naturally, my role as a teammate is to cover attacks so that my "climbing teammates" can reserve their legs for the six mile climb at the end of the stage. Well..... somewhere between QOM #1 and #2, I cover this incredible attack, and suddenly find myself in some serious company. This break would basically be the decisive move of the day and man! -- I hurt so much after awhile in that break that I just fell right off. My legs started cramping something horrible and all I could do was watch the small group ride away from me as we headed toward the second QOM. The pack then caught me and the front portion of the main group passed me right by. I was able to connect with a small group that was just barely split from the main group and by the end of the descent after the QOM, we managed to attach to the main field.
I was still recovering and my legs were on the verge of cramping again, when I was instructed to go back for water bottles
--and although I had a sneaky suspicion that I would never see the field again if I dropped back for bottles, I went anyway.
By the time I was loaded up with bottles and heading back up to the field, the race ahead had strung out single file, not to mention that there was a fierce headwind. My teammate Lara, and I did everything thing we could to attach back on, but sure enough...right when we got onto the back of the field, we popped off!!
Soon after --every team car, the medical support and even the police escort all passed by. I just kept pedaling....Lara had dropped back and I was on my own.
You could have heard a pin drop it was so quiet...all the hubub of the race was well up the road, far out of site. I think that there were still 10-12miles left to go and six of those were climbing. I came to the base of the climb completely alone and with noone in sight. I just kept pedaling.
About halfway up the climb, I started to see the cars again and a little ways up from there I began to see a group of riders. That was a welcome sight for my eyes! And by the time it was all said and done I had climbed my way back into being only 45" seconds back from a group that was once clean out of sight. Thank goodness I saw those riders, because that is what kept me motivated to keep on going even though I had spent so much time all alone.....
Tomorrow is another day and I will live to see it. Kori is in the Sprinter`s jersey so we will have some work to do!
peace out.
Naturally, my role as a teammate is to cover attacks so that my "climbing teammates" can reserve their legs for the six mile climb at the end of the stage. Well..... somewhere between QOM #1 and #2, I cover this incredible attack, and suddenly find myself in some serious company. This break would basically be the decisive move of the day and man! -- I hurt so much after awhile in that break that I just fell right off. My legs started cramping something horrible and all I could do was watch the small group ride away from me as we headed toward the second QOM. The pack then caught me and the front portion of the main group passed me right by. I was able to connect with a small group that was just barely split from the main group and by the end of the descent after the QOM, we managed to attach to the main field.
I was still recovering and my legs were on the verge of cramping again, when I was instructed to go back for water bottles
--and although I had a sneaky suspicion that I would never see the field again if I dropped back for bottles, I went anyway.
By the time I was loaded up with bottles and heading back up to the field, the race ahead had strung out single file, not to mention that there was a fierce headwind. My teammate Lara, and I did everything thing we could to attach back on, but sure enough...right when we got onto the back of the field, we popped off!!
Soon after --every team car, the medical support and even the police escort all passed by. I just kept pedaling....Lara had dropped back and I was on my own.
You could have heard a pin drop it was so quiet...all the hubub of the race was well up the road, far out of site. I think that there were still 10-12miles left to go and six of those were climbing. I came to the base of the climb completely alone and with noone in sight. I just kept pedaling.
About halfway up the climb, I started to see the cars again and a little ways up from there I began to see a group of riders. That was a welcome sight for my eyes! And by the time it was all said and done I had climbed my way back into being only 45" seconds back from a group that was once clean out of sight. Thank goodness I saw those riders, because that is what kept me motivated to keep on going even though I had spent so much time all alone.....
Tomorrow is another day and I will live to see it. Kori is in the Sprinter`s jersey so we will have some work to do!
peace out.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
More Video News
www.deltavelo.com --- On this site you will find video footage of Redlands as well a bunch of other recent races here on the NRC circuit. The guy who's doing the shooting is really good. Enjoy.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
It wasn`t so nice in Redlands today--
It was so sunny and hot in San Dimas that we had to cover up with towels just to soak the legs in the pool. Here at our host house high up on the Sunset course in Redlands, we have a pool and great views to keep us relaxed and comfortable in between stages.....let`s just hope that we will be soaking the legs with the sun this weekend. Maybe I won`t be hoping for so much sun during that five-mile highway climb during the Oak Glen stage though........
Check it out--www.thebroadbandracer.com
Stay tuned .... the ladies of TEAm Lipton will be posting video blogs on Broad Band Racer sometime soon. Look for our first video blog to post while we are racing in Europe!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Is this the face of a Type A person?
My teammates have just informed that I am "Type-A" --- I am not so sure I agree. I will take the "Miss Particular" label....but really.... Type-A?????
Sunday, March 18, 2007
We Won --Everything......
All of us, having a little fun on the podium. Meredith`s first ever yellow jersey....way cool.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Not a good idea
Never attempt to change out cleats and shoes one hour before a time trial.....an uphill one at that.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
A little local news mixed with a little opinion...
So there is this epic, legendary regional race called Cat`s Hill.
Here is a little detail from www.catshill.org about the infamous climb:
The Nicholson Avenue hill (Cat's Hill) is a gut-wrenching 23% climb. A "wall" in bikie parlance. Being in the right gear and exactly in gear are critical. Once you are onto the hill, there is no chance to correct a sloppy shift. The hill is so steep that it's nearly impossible to change gears once you've started climbing. When you hit the hill, you are committed to climb in whatever gear you're in. You'll find several riders stopping each lap because of missed shifts or thrown chains on this hill. Even if the riders don't have problems with the shift, they still have to make it to the top, 100 meters away. Knowing that they have to do it many more times doesn't help.
How tough is it? Not bad if you only have to do it once. And if you take just the right line of approach, at speed. And if you shift into exactly the right gear, and don't have to avoid anybody on the way up. Unfortunately, the riders typically have to do it 12, 15, or 35 times. The field isn't exactly cooperative, and sometimes you're not in exactly the right gear, and somebody in front of you falls and you have to maneuver around. Then it's lung-searing misery. In the 1979 race, Jeff Stevenson ripped the head tube from his Schwinn Paramount in a final lunge at the Hill. The grade is sufficiently steep that the riders have to distribute their weight perfectly over the front and rear wheels. If there's not enough weight over the front, it will lift off the ground. Lean too far forward, and the rear wheel slips out. It's only about 25 pedal strokes, but each gets tougher than the last.
Hers is the story that`s making news on all sorts of women`s blogs and such:
The race organizer has decided not to offer a women`s category 4 event. There will be however, a Cat 1/2/3 race for women. The organizer claims that the event is becoming too expensive, and some categories needed to be cut. Evidently, the masters categories bring in more entries and more dollars. Not only is there a regular Pro 1/2 race, there are the usual Cat3 and Cat4 and Cat5 events for guys, then there are three different masters events to choose from for the men as well. All compared to one, count again...ONE race option for women. Hmmmm... sounds a little lopsided to me. In all fairness, I understand that the almighty dollar speaks volumes when it comes to planning a race event....but come on.... are we going backwards in time here. This is supposed to be Northern California, the land of the liberal and the free.... ahem. And besides, all money issues aside.....isn`t there something called the principle of the matter?
Anyway, I will not pass judgement on this guy, or the board that made this kind of decison -- I do feel sorry for the women who are Cat4 this year though, because I bet they feel regarded as unimportant in the race world and that just sucks --no matter how you slice it or dice it.
My suggestion to the women cat 4 racers --- sign-up for the men`s race an show the organizer that you want to race, no matter what. Who cares if you get dropped... your point will be made.
Here is a little detail from www.catshill.org about the infamous climb:
The Nicholson Avenue hill (Cat's Hill) is a gut-wrenching 23% climb. A "wall" in bikie parlance. Being in the right gear and exactly in gear are critical. Once you are onto the hill, there is no chance to correct a sloppy shift. The hill is so steep that it's nearly impossible to change gears once you've started climbing. When you hit the hill, you are committed to climb in whatever gear you're in. You'll find several riders stopping each lap because of missed shifts or thrown chains on this hill. Even if the riders don't have problems with the shift, they still have to make it to the top, 100 meters away. Knowing that they have to do it many more times doesn't help.
How tough is it? Not bad if you only have to do it once. And if you take just the right line of approach, at speed. And if you shift into exactly the right gear, and don't have to avoid anybody on the way up. Unfortunately, the riders typically have to do it 12, 15, or 35 times. The field isn't exactly cooperative, and sometimes you're not in exactly the right gear, and somebody in front of you falls and you have to maneuver around. Then it's lung-searing misery. In the 1979 race, Jeff Stevenson ripped the head tube from his Schwinn Paramount in a final lunge at the Hill. The grade is sufficiently steep that the riders have to distribute their weight perfectly over the front and rear wheels. If there's not enough weight over the front, it will lift off the ground. Lean too far forward, and the rear wheel slips out. It's only about 25 pedal strokes, but each gets tougher than the last.
Hers is the story that`s making news on all sorts of women`s blogs and such:
The race organizer has decided not to offer a women`s category 4 event. There will be however, a Cat 1/2/3 race for women. The organizer claims that the event is becoming too expensive, and some categories needed to be cut. Evidently, the masters categories bring in more entries and more dollars. Not only is there a regular Pro 1/2 race, there are the usual Cat3 and Cat4 and Cat5 events for guys, then there are three different masters events to choose from for the men as well. All compared to one, count again...ONE race option for women. Hmmmm... sounds a little lopsided to me. In all fairness, I understand that the almighty dollar speaks volumes when it comes to planning a race event....but come on.... are we going backwards in time here. This is supposed to be Northern California, the land of the liberal and the free.... ahem. And besides, all money issues aside.....isn`t there something called the principle of the matter?
Anyway, I will not pass judgement on this guy, or the board that made this kind of decison -- I do feel sorry for the women who are Cat4 this year though, because I bet they feel regarded as unimportant in the race world and that just sucks --no matter how you slice it or dice it.
My suggestion to the women cat 4 racers --- sign-up for the men`s race an show the organizer that you want to race, no matter what. Who cares if you get dropped... your point will be made.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Who else is gonna sport the shorties besides my brother?
I wonder if any heads were turning in Huntington Beach this weekend?
Monday, March 12, 2007
Quick Comment:
Two weekends of racing, and three podiums for TEAm Lipton....Pretty cool. Even cooler that we had three different racers represent on the podium. That says something about the cards we can play. Yep.
Spring has sprung here in NRC land--- that`s for sure.
Spring has sprung here in NRC land--- that`s for sure.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Remember this day Mom...
So last night I got the "Mom, I think I`m going to ask Brenna out" statement --if she says yes, Myles will officially have his first girlfriend. Deep breath Brenda, deep breath.
Monday, March 05, 2007
NRC Opener--
2007 NRC racing begins..
Let`s see what can I tell you about the weekened that that isn`t already reported on cyclingnews.com (btw--nice reporting Kirsten Robbins!). First off --Brooke Miller is showing the best form of anyone at this point, as she clearly had the strongest legs, claiming the top spot on the podium both days.
As for the races: they were not only pretty fast, but also SUPER sketchy. Saturday`s criterium had a couple of nasty little crashes in the last few laps. The one with two laps to go effectively cost me my focus when it counted the most. I went from sweet spot, to very bad spot --in the blink of an eye. Too bad --because Lauren and Meredith had done an awesome job of setting tempo at the front in the final laps. I was probably as far back as 30th coming out of the shicain in the final lap, and the best I could do was get onto the tail end of the sprint and come home for eighth (which was a bummer because I had taken a couple of primes throughout the race and felt like I had a good sprint in my legs for the day!). From behind the sprint for first, I watched my teammate Lara put in a sweet finishing kick that placed her on the podium in third. Way to go Lara!
Sunday`s road race was interesting. Usually that course is plagued with strong winds that make the race much more tactical. Without the winds this year, and with a number of very motivated teams, it was hard to see a breakaway stick. Plenty of teams attempted to split the field, which caused the race to be aggressive, but nothing ever got going. Again, sketchy riding and crashes marred the race. I got knocked off the course and had to chase back on at one point, but thankfully I managed to miss the crash and ride the rutted dirt okay...as some girls didn`t fare so well from that one. As for the rest of the race, we were present with every move or making moves throughout the race, and when it came down to the finish, Lauren proved how much of an all-around rider she is by getting right up there and coming in for third in the sprint! As for me...the tank was empty empty empty when the jump went... I have no idea where I finished and all I could do was watch the sprint from the back. I feel like I have decent fitness at this point....but not the strength for that kind of finish yet...
Naturally, when we discussed the races in our post race team meeting, we were all pleased with Lipton being on the podium both days, especially because none of us claim to be on great early season form. We were also pleased with how we raced as a team. Merced was not an official race for our team, so we didn`t really have any major expectations, and we were able to feel things out a bit as we start into the 2007 season. It`s nice to back in action!!
Next up-- Central Valley Classic....and San Dimas Stage Race (then there is this little thing called REDLANDS).
Let`s see what can I tell you about the weekened that that isn`t already reported on cyclingnews.com (btw--nice reporting Kirsten Robbins!). First off --Brooke Miller is showing the best form of anyone at this point, as she clearly had the strongest legs, claiming the top spot on the podium both days.
As for the races: they were not only pretty fast, but also SUPER sketchy. Saturday`s criterium had a couple of nasty little crashes in the last few laps. The one with two laps to go effectively cost me my focus when it counted the most. I went from sweet spot, to very bad spot --in the blink of an eye. Too bad --because Lauren and Meredith had done an awesome job of setting tempo at the front in the final laps. I was probably as far back as 30th coming out of the shicain in the final lap, and the best I could do was get onto the tail end of the sprint and come home for eighth (which was a bummer because I had taken a couple of primes throughout the race and felt like I had a good sprint in my legs for the day!). From behind the sprint for first, I watched my teammate Lara put in a sweet finishing kick that placed her on the podium in third. Way to go Lara!
Sunday`s road race was interesting. Usually that course is plagued with strong winds that make the race much more tactical. Without the winds this year, and with a number of very motivated teams, it was hard to see a breakaway stick. Plenty of teams attempted to split the field, which caused the race to be aggressive, but nothing ever got going. Again, sketchy riding and crashes marred the race. I got knocked off the course and had to chase back on at one point, but thankfully I managed to miss the crash and ride the rutted dirt okay...as some girls didn`t fare so well from that one. As for the rest of the race, we were present with every move or making moves throughout the race, and when it came down to the finish, Lauren proved how much of an all-around rider she is by getting right up there and coming in for third in the sprint! As for me...the tank was empty empty empty when the jump went... I have no idea where I finished and all I could do was watch the sprint from the back. I feel like I have decent fitness at this point....but not the strength for that kind of finish yet...
Naturally, when we discussed the races in our post race team meeting, we were all pleased with Lipton being on the podium both days, especially because none of us claim to be on great early season form. We were also pleased with how we raced as a team. Merced was not an official race for our team, so we didn`t really have any major expectations, and we were able to feel things out a bit as we start into the 2007 season. It`s nice to back in action!!
Next up-- Central Valley Classic....and San Dimas Stage Race (then there is this little thing called REDLANDS).
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Local Flavor
Thanks to Priority Health ...I made it back to Santa Rosa after the weekend.
Thanks Glenn for being so helpful. Thanks Ben for driving. ...and Thanks Emile for sleeping most of the way ;-)
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