A Picture Report....the beginning of good times with Team Advil Chapstick 2008

TRAINING CAMP-

There we were...eleven women, finally coming together to get the season underway. Our training camp was in the beautiful town of Asheville, North Carolina, and although it was the most cold and the most snow (one little flurry!) this fair weather rider has seen in a long time...I have to say that it was also a very enjoyable and awesome trip. Of course...those who know me, know that Asheville is one of my favorite places on the planet, so it's probably no surprise to know that I just didn't want to leave when it came time to pack it up and head back home! The pictures above give you a little snapshot into our time together training, and enjoying the culture of Asheville!

Allow me to introduce to you the spectacular ladies of this sport that represent our team.

...this is not a palomares introduction by the way ;-)

2008 Team Advil-Chapstick
-Laura "super star, cowboy-boot wearin' spitfire" Bowles
-Sue "need i say more" Palmer-Komar
-Reem "one kick ass, dedicated, do it all woman" Jishi
-Kirsten "the voice of women cycling in the news" Robbins
-Heather "okay this woman just glows" LaBance
-Natalie "remember this name" Klemko
-Anna "more experience than most...and sure has the the legs to prove it" Milkowski
-Elisa "the most modest racer i have ever met" Gagnon
-Sarah "miss i love a life adventure and am always up for challenge" Tillotson
-Jen "yes, I can take you any day" McRae
...and me :)

Now..that's a line-up people. Look for us to get the ball rolling in late Spring! Cheers and as always....word to the bike :)

She's Fuji Fast!

Although I am definitely rooting for my American friends in the international peloton, I must admit it makes me smile to see Fuji on the podium!! Suzanne is an amazing rider.

A Mom's Life...

Times.....they are a changin'

Super Supreme

One of the million pics we took at camp. As for an update on our new team, well life is rolling along busy so I haven't had much time to pu together a report on things....

Get to it soon....

The joys of putting on cycling clinics...

It's emails like this that make my day :)

......"Anyway, I think it was your class that planted the seed of the idea to get a new shorter bike, and here it’s grown to real fruit, so thanks for the seed. Have a terrific racing season. And if you’re in town, you are welcome to go for a spin on my new toy."

paula

Team Advil Chapstick Training Camp 2008

Fresh (and chilly!!) beginnings.....
Update on camp coming soon (Martina!)

Advil Chapstick Training Camp

Asheville here I come......here we go here we go here we go!

Urban is urban.

These guys got it going on.

Bike Love.

FUJI on BICYCLING.COM

Did you know FUJI has a kick-ass mountain bike line? Betcha didnt....but now you do.

Check out this review....
Bicycling.Com
Fuji Reveal 2.0
Light enough to race and burly enough for endurance events, the Fuji Reveal 2.0 can handle it all

By David L'Heureux
Fuji Reveal 2.0

"The addition of the trail-oriented, 5-inch-travel Reveal 2.0 is a big step forward in Fuji's quest to reinvent itself as a player in the full-suspension mountain bike market. Like the go-to dish at your favorite restaurant, the new-for-2008 Reveal is a great entree with some fantastic sides."

I like David's analogy :)
Peep the link below to read the whole review, PLUS see an on-line video review of The REVEAL 2.0
http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s-1-384-16842-1,00.html

word to the bike.

DeGoede takes the first stage on a FUJI :)

Suzanne won the opening stage in New Zealand...Fuji is Fast!

Miss Carroll --one of my best friends

Now most of us in the cycling world are very familiar with the lady on the right, but for all of my non-cycling friends, please allow me to introduce Miss Katharine Carroll, member of The U.S. National Team and former teammate and roommate of mine. This woman is probably one of THE coolest ladies in the sport of cycling and look at her go over there in New Zealand.... contesting (and owning at the moment) the sprint classification. I will never forget how fun it was to ride with Kat during the Tour of Toona. She gave me the most amazing leadouts! It just makes me smile to see her on the podium! All of the American riders are mixing it up over there by the way... Katheryn Curi-Mattis won the World Cup (big news for the U.S.!), Lauren Franges has been getting up there in the sprints regularly, and well Tina Pic and Brooke Miller, they are always there duking it out with the other big guns.....and watch out for Kristen Armstrong....she will definitely be unleasing her terror soon, no doubt.

What is so amazing is that the U.S. is finally a very solid presence in international racing, fielding a whole host of potential champions instead of just a few. That's pretty damn awesome and says big things about this sport for the future ladies! We are witnessing and being part of history in the making here people....hope you are paying attention.

I know that ultimately these women are the competition at home, but there is definitely something very cool and unique about American women in cycling....somehow we are all part of this amazing movement called "women in sport". Ultimatley, we are the ones responsible to grow our sport in this country, and that makes us far more supportive of each other --however, when it comes down to the line, we all want our team to be there first! ;)

Anyway...back the to photo....GO Kat GO!...

compelling urge...

i'm a bike racer, but i still love to run. no music. no talking. no shifting. no gears. no brakes. just me, my body, my breath and my mind. its a great way to clear my head from all the specifics of training, focus, and goal setting. i like to run as the sun sets. today, just as night had fallen into the sky, i found a swing hanging from a tree in a yard along my path....and you can bet that i took the time get on. i lifted my bum up onto the tiny wood platform, feet dangling off the ground, and took a light little swing while gazing into the black of night specked with the twinkle of stars. i loved it. such a peaceful moment in a place that can be so fast paced, crazy, and chaotic......just goes to show what you can find when you're open to it.

Gotta love it when a FUJI gets there first!

Way to go Mr. Rollin....

SE BIKES + ROB and BIG = a match made in heaven!

How about that? Look at that super sweet "PK RIPPER".......
You can get a better looksie on The Rob and Big show, tonight on MTV (or next Tuesday).

Man...those bikes look hot!!!

That top picture gives you an idea of how "BIG" those bikes are --that little wheel in front is a 20-inch! Oh, and you can see my brother Todd in the background of the bottom picture wearing the Blue SE colors. Myles is up there too somewhere, and well...I was there also, but hanging out off-set just watching the shoot.

I think Myles and Todd will be both be on the show. Peep it and see.

Coolness.

Holding my tongue..

But if I weren't holding back I would get busy writing about how Velonews really drops the ball for women. Thank you Cycling News for the pictures and results on The Women's Amgen Race, maybe we'll get a write up too?!

Velonews...ugh. Inside Communications needs to look at their mission statement a little closer, and then apply those words to both sexes in the sport of cycling. The after statement of "oh...and the women raced too blah blah blah" just isn't cutting it anymore. ahem.

MUSICOVERY.COM

iLIKE IT.

Couldn't resist.

Too bad Myles isn't here to hide them from me!

In case some of you have been wondering...

Sometimes women leave the sport of road racing and everyone asks "where did they go?".
Truly when women leave the sport it's typically because some gals head into motherhood, some find a new career, some go off to school, and others move on to a different sport. And as for the ones who don't do any of these things...well i am sure they have moved on to another life adventure because most of the women I have met in this sport are quite adventurous!

Wouldn't it be nice if we had our own cyclingnews page for all things women?! I mean really...isn't it getting to be about that time? We could have racing news, life news, cycling tips for women...etc etc etc! Okay wait a minute..that's a whole different subject, I will not get off-topic. This post is all about one of those women who have moved on from our sport. This post is about Brooke Ourada -- one of the "names" in pro-cycling for the last few years.

For those of you who know Miss Ourada, you know that she is one talented athlete who has had her share of success as a road racer, so it will probably come as no surprise to see that she is now a superstar multi-sport gal (sponsored by FUJI!)....and she's already taking names.

Check out the link below...way to go Brooke :)

http://fujibikes.com/2008/blog/pt/blog/

...and props to FUJI for making an athlete blog page on their site :)

Gonna be a "no-show" at The TOC Race

sorta bittersweet.....

yep, i will be missing the TOC women's race in Santa Rosa.

in some ways i couldn't care less because i have too much going on right now to pay attention to starting my season. the thought of the travel is just too much. hell i was just in philly last week and vegas this past weekend, not to mention i will be heading to training camp in asheville soon.

i just need a few solid weeks here at my little homestead with my bicycle and the sunshine, so i can get my groove on to start my race season in march. and besides....i'm not really ready to have my legs torn off!! we californians are known to have some seriously good early-season form...so i am well aware of the racing i would be subject to should i attend the race up there.

honestly, it's all good for me to start my season a little late this year because i'm totally cool with, and loving my new job and all the new stuff i see and do --but i have to admit, it's truly bittersweet to miss out on an event that will hopefully set the tone for the women to have more races alongside the domestic tours for men...PLUS, the race goes RIGHT by my house in Santa Rosa...and on paper, i still live there at that little home on 3rd street. since when does an NRC race go right by your front door and have the finishing sprint a block from your house?!?!?!?!?!?

oh well....not meant to be hey. win some lose some i guess.....

two xmas's

the second one is when the kits come in :)

Muy Importante

Stylish ZipLock Baggies......now that's a novel idea for travel!
No, I am not a carrier of these fashionable little travel statements, but I bet they start creeping into the security line so keep your eyes open...isn't it truly amazing how suddenly important these little plastic inventions have become?
As a matter of fact, I forgot my "baggie" and forgot to put away my little day bag of cremes before I sent my luggage off with the check-in folks at the airport. So after a trip to the candy store just to get a clear plastic bag with purchase, I realized that my bag HAD to be seal-able! What an adventure....hunting for a seal-able plastic bag at the Las Vegas Airport amongst the bling-bling of all the slots, and shops and wary tourists! Finally, I spotted the First-Aid station, and thanked my lucky stars when the lady there sold me a "baggie for a buck". Breathing easy now...a small price to pay to keep all my little cremes safe from the trash!!!

Monday Morning Funnies

jeez...

sometimes travel is nothing but annoying.

after a hell of a long flight back from Philly (i spent five hours sitting in airports plus the flight itself), i finally get my luggage, catch a shuttle and get back to my car only to find a $50 ticket on my window for not displaying a front license plate. wtf! then...as i am leaving the parking lot with the clock having crept past midnight, rather exhausted from a day of meetings and flying...i am told "miss, do you know your taillights are out?" great. not a damn thing i can do but brave the drive home without rear lights. so i get on the highway. within two minutes i am flipped off and nearly ran off the road by a car full of saturday night partygoers, probably because the people in the car thought i was lame for driving in the night without back lights. trust me...i thought it was lame too, but there was nothing i was gonna do about it after midnight.

the only nice thing about the whole deal is that i didn't get pulled over on my way home from LAX. whew...no surprise that i slept like a rock.

WHAT?

Aug. 7-11: USA Cycling Elite, U23 & Junior Road National Championships - Orange County, Calif.

SE Bikes in SLB23

Are you a Melrose Avenue fan? Well if so, and you make your way there...be sure to check out SE Bikes at SLB on Fairfax. They got it going on for sure. Sal Barbier is one amazing dude(if you don't know who he is, go and and google him and you'll see what I mean). If you go in...say hi to Johnny B. ---he's rad too. These guys rock.

Peep the site at www.slb23.com

lovin' it.

flips are rad

ENVIROSAX

How can you not totally love these! This was a Christmas present well worth the wait! Notice that each row has a theme. They come in packets of five of the hippest eco-bags I have ever seen. Use 'em for grocery shopping/clothes shopping/beach/gym/pre-post race etc etc etc....whatever(!).
just use them. smart and hip. (although i have to admit...they could come out with a scheme for the dudes...most of these look to be for the chicks!)

Anyway....Thanks MOM. you're the best :)

One good way to compete with Starbucks

BRILLIANT.

Yo...peep this.

Get a good look at the bike....it's the PK Ripper (the one I sell!).
Word to the bike.

Just can't get over how rad this sculpture is!

I know I posted about my trip to MOCA to visit Takashi Murakami's exhibit,
but I am delighted to have found this image of his SECOND MISSION PROJECT ko2 ADVANCED sculpture....my favorite of his work.
To me, this sculpture series is just about as awesome and impressive as it gets. First off, she has wings on her legs (and what cyclist couldn't love that!), and then she crouches on over and transforms into a bad-ass jet airplane...wouldnt you love to see something like that flying the sky!

Miss ko2 is by far my favorite fantasy figurine!

Fuji Named Official Bike of Johan Bruyneel Cycling Academy

GO FUJI GO!

PHILADELPHIA, PA (01/14/08) – Fuji Bikes announced today its sponsorship of the newly created Johan Bruyneel Cycling Academy (JBCA). The relationship puts JBCA riders aboard Fuji Team Issue framesets for the 2008 season.

“We’re thrilled to be associated with not only one of the sport’s current icons – Johan Bruyneel – but also a premier academy that supports the development of U.S. riders,” says Karen Bliss, Director of Marketing for Fuji Bikes. “These kids, who wouldn’t necessarily get a chance to compete in Europe without this program, get to experience life as a pro – we’re happy to help them fulfill part of their dreams.”

The Fuji Team Issue frameset is made from C7 carbon fiber in a unique monocoque design. It is the same frame being ridden by riders on the Toyota-United Professional Cycling Team and select riders from Equipe Nurnberger and Advil-Chapstick teams this season.

The new JBCA Team will be announced in three weeks at the onset of a joint training camp in Albuquerque along side Bruyneel and his ASTANA Cycling Team. The academy will be tied into Bruyneel’s coaching approach and focus on a more broad-based cycling message of heath, wellness and energy conservation, with the kids working towards graduating to the pro peloton.

In addition to racing in Europe, the JBCA Team plans on racing their Fuji Team Issues in five U.S. events: the Tour de Gila, Valley of the Sun Stage Race, the Tour of PA, the Univest Grand Prix and the Commerce Bank International Pro Championships.

Based in Hertsberge, Belgium, the JBCA, formerly known as the Cycling Center is a development program run by veteran coach Bernard Moerman. The academy provides young, mostly American, riders a taste of European road competition. After successfully completing a rigorous application process, riders participate within the academy anywhere from a few months up to a year.

About Fuji / Advanced Sports, Inc.
Advanced Sports, Inc. (ASI), is a privately held corporation located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with distributors in over forty countries. Operating in the U.S. through the independent bicycle dealer network, ASI markets a full line of high performance bicycles including road, mountain, women’s, comfort, BMX and recreational bicycles under the Fuji, Kestrel and SE Bikes brands.

For more information, visit
www.advancedsports.com, www.fujibikes.com, www.kestrelbicycles.com, www.sebikes.com

Sticks and Berries :)

I'm talking about fruit here people. If you're not already up on this super fruit...you should be. The Black Currant movement is true that. Go on and google it. You will be pleasantly surprised....especially you folks called "athletes" ;-)
Cheers....

i miss my baby...

Found this video footage from a summer day last year:

ok...so these guys are going at least 25mph down this hill. (notice...no helmets!)checkout the two kids who almost overlapped each other! plus, notice the kid in black ---he almost ate it, but somehow he managed to stay upright. and just think...I offered to video these nuts! btw--thats my son sitting on his butt riding down last. i think he was the only one using his brain! also...take note of the dude who jumps out in front of the camera while i'm shooting. that guy lived on that hill and heard the swish of the boards and came running over to see the crazies! he said he thought he was gonna see some carnage...but thankfully those yahoos pulled it off. otherwise, i would have been "bad parent"! ;-)

Lala land

I have officially heard enough about Britney.

HOT...

Rainy day museum trip -- went up to MOCA to see the Takashi Murakami Exhibit

A night out ---a little out of the ordinary

Last night I attended the Anaheim 1 Superscross race. I have never been to any of these races before, so I am certainly no expert on the subject of this kind of racing. However --my vote for the "ride of the night" goes to this guy, James "Bubba" Stewart. What a stellar performance, and a true testament of skill and athleticism!! After a first lap crash, this guy came from dead last and rode his way all the way back through the pack to finish in 2nd place!! You really had to be there to see what I am talking about. The track was a complete mess from all the rain...actually it looked more like a mud wrestling venue than a dirt bike racing track! There were crashes and mishaps all night long, which makes Bubba's ride in the final, all that more impressive. You should have seen the size of the ruts that were cut in the track...some of them had to be over a foot deep! The riders with true skill were easy to see in these conditions.
Hats of to all those dudes out there, though. I can't even imagine what kind of confidence it takes to launch seventy foot jumps in mud like that!
Even though Chad Reed won (and yes he had an impressive ride too), Mr. Stewart is still my favorite on the night. And even though I will enjoy watching the guys duke it out on dry dirt...I have to say I'm glad I witnessed such an epic event :)

FUJI UNIVERSITY --

Fuji University is a new project by the Fuji Bicycles brand which aims to assist colleges and universities around the U.S. with their sustainability objectives. Together with school administrators, Fuji hopes to reduce automobile dependence and promote a healthy lifestyle of cycling and walking on and around campuses.

Visit bike.emory.edu to see Fuji University’s latest project at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

....now that's good juju

Wave of my future....Team Advil Chapstick

Well 2008 is almost here, and in case some of you were wondering... I WILL be racing!! Yippee :) When the new season comes along I will have traded in the beer and tea (Victory Brewing 2005-2006 /TEAm Lipton 2007)for some lip smacking chapstick and and the best ibuprofen on the market. uh-huh...good stuff!










and of course, we will be riding FUJI BIKES. We are riding that super awesome frame, pretty isn't it :)

happy me. what an awesome team!

interesting statistic

80% of the female executives at Fortune 500 companies identified themselves as former “tomboys” — having played sports.

gogirlgo

Holiday-isms

One of my favorite quotes from this season's holiday:

"I don't eat chocolate, my body is a temple designed to only hold whiskey and In and Out burgers."

just a few holiday side notes:

1.) I'm thinking it's a sign that the Wildman is growing up (Wildman is my baby brother), considering his Christmas present from me came from Crate and Barrel. I mean really, did anyone EVER think it would be appropriate for Todd to get gifts (that he wants!) from a place like that ;-)

2.) Moms with boys go absolutely nuts on girls for Christmas. After all the years of hot wheels and dinosaurs and action figures, it can finally be all about ribbons and bows and pink and princesses!

3.) The drive to family is ALWAYS worth it...even if it means missing out on a lingerie christmas party (yes...co-ed) ;-)

4.) No I don't feel guilty planning a bike ride for Christmas morning.... ahem.

bicycle pimp(ette)

Sorry about the broken camera, it means I don't have any live photos for you...
But let me tell ya, the 2008 Kestrels are looking hot. I've seen 'em myself.
And my dealers are liking them too. yep yep.

Changes

Have you ever noticed that when you head into new directions that there are always a few bumps along the path?
Long story short, I broke my phone and my camera...so no pictures for now :(

no fun......

so i'm driving in traffic and i'm on my cell with my dad. i tell him i better go so i can pay attention to the highway change coming up...on average i drive about 3-5 highways each time i head out for dealer visits. he says to me, "ok but honey please drive safe".. i promptly respond by saying that it's not hard to be safe when you're going 5mph!!! ughhh

More travel adventures...

Lets see... since I am now a traveling sales girl by day, and off-season racer in training by night....I have entered into a whole new realm in the workout world. In less than one month, I have done "gym time" in Temecula, Pacific Beach, Pasadena, Corona and Huntington Beach..

Gettin' around :)

Have to chuckle...

I've definitely had my share of trying out new eateries lately. Lets see...in the last week, I found great fish tacos in Pacific Beach, and awesome sushi in ummm where was I, oh yea Poway (ever heard of it? well there are a lot of people there)...then I had some darn good tasty tortilla soup right here in HB. I reckon by the end of this week I'll have eatery reports from San Diego, Lake Elsinore...and possibly Santa Barbara, but no way in Vegas...(that'll have to wait a few weeks).

Get the picture?


By the way...I AM TRAINING.
(i just sell bikes between workouts now instead of surfing the web..hahaha)

Who was there?

Yes, it was a beautiful and sunny day out here in Southern California, and I absolutely cannot complain about the weather (heck...i didn't even wear knee warmers!), however today's training ride reminded me of the treacherous Oak Glen Stage at Redlands a few years back. No, not the climbing portion that we were all anticipating (and by the way...i am NOT doing big climbs like that right now hahaha!), but remember that crazy wind on that day that drew us out into a single file string for over twenty miles!! It was a horrendous day. It was God-awful bad. Today was just like that. Thank god this time there was no Ina Teutenberg dragging my ass along the gutter....whew...lucky me.

so, in case you are all wondering....yes i am training :)

IN CASE YOU HAVENT SEEN IT........

Allow me to introduce the 2008 PK RIPPER LOOPTAIL. I know where they are........

Back on track and slightly on the attack...

I have not forgotten my blogger life! I have just been VERY busy these days. Yes, I am now a Race Pro turned Sales Pro, but don't let that fool you --I will be kitting up and getting busy racing next year! More news to come on that ... but man, I got to say that I am not at all pleased with the "report" I read on Cycling News about the 2008 NRC racing schedule announcement (no offense to Mr. Mark Zalewski...because it's not his fault!)
It's just that the report reminds me how much the women in our sport are being left behind....and that totally gets me riled up people.

Totally........

Now now now.. you don't have to tell me, I know that there are plenty of way cool people out there doing their part support grow and enhance our sport for women, but it's time that the big daddy (USA Cycling) does it's part too. Make some dang requirements that these big time mens races, at the very least(!), add a one day women's criterium or circuit race to the schedule. Don't tell me it's too hard or that it costs too much money, please don't go there. It's not that hard!

Jeez....

People are accomplishing way more difficult tasks in this world.

puff puff puff...

Hopefully the fires are going to start settling down now.... it's been tough on everyone in SoCal -- no ifs ands or buts about it.

Yo Tony!

I wish these pictures would post larger in size!....this is about as cool as it gets when you are talkiing old school bike shops in the heart of L.A.! Check out the sign and check out the front window. The owner (his name is Joe..Tony has passed away) told me that the windows used to get rocks thrown through them all the time. The solution besides your typical bars? How about a cool piece of art?! LOve it. It was way cooler in person. This shop is something like 60 years old! And JOe?...well he was about the sweetest old man I've ever met :) ...he bought our bikes too.....even sweeter!

Well.... here it is.

First of all... I love my family. I love my friends. I love my job. I love my life. I love my world.

But, let me tell ya.....it's been a long couple of weeks! In the last ten days...my son got in a mother load of teen trouble, my dear grandmother passed away, my luck ran out on hwy 5 and I got a speeding ticket clocked at 90mph (hey... got it down from a hundred before the dude tagged me), I jammed the cd player in my car (very costly repair coming my way), I drove into a cement pillar and got my first scratch on my "new to me" car, and I even went the wrong way on a busy Huntington Beach Rd. ---only to have a bunch of cars come at me head on!!! ---yes, I survived to tell the story!
The good news is that I think I'm coming back around to Earth now.... thank the stars.

Love Birds...

Mike and Lauren tie the knot....congrats to them!

Live and in the flesh...and man that woman can sing!

..took a break from work and mama-hood and training and went to see PJ Harvey at the Orpheum Theater in L.A. last night. That woman is amazing. She's beautiful, sweet, modest, rough, talented, smart, etc etc..... get the picture? Plus... there were some famous peeps there watching the show, but I don't keep up on famous people very welll...so how was I supposed to know!

Track Nationals..

Why don't more people go to watch this stuff? It was SO impressive!!!

INTERBIKE 2007 ... OBEY TRACK BIKE.

I love my job. Look at this sweet fixed gear bike in our line. Shepard Fairy and Fuji.... making it happen.
Trust me when I say that this bike is even sweeter in person (just like me!! hahaha)