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If you haven't checked out the June issue of Bicycling Magazine, go to the grocery store and pick up a copy.  Inside front cover!

It's true, I do love SRAM :)

Speedweek 2013

I wasn't sure I was motivated to race speedweek this year but my Spidermonkey Teammate Sarah Rice very much wanted to go down to race--and it didn't take too much convincing until I agreed to go.

Speedweek is a series of crits that are part of USA Crits and some are part of our National Criterium Calendar.  The series starts in Athens, GA with the most widely spectated crit in the US.  There are over 30,000 people there to watch the race!  Mostly drunk college kids from University of GA, it's a crazy experience and very fun to race.  The series goes over SC, and NC and ends up back in Atlanta.  It's a challenge for people coming from colder climates to get the training needed beforehand this early in the year.  I've done the series a bunch of times and I like going down there because it provides motivation to train over the winter, and in the past, the weather is usually always 80 and sunny, a welcome change from our cold and rainy spring up here in Chicago.  The main reason I like doing these races in early spring is it lays the foundation for awesome results later in the summer.

I had done really well at Speedweek last year and vaguely thought that I was about where I was last year fitness wise, so I had high expectations.  Sarah had a great attitude and wanted to do well, but this was the first time she'd ever raced an NCC Crit, let alone an entire series.

Other than the weather and the great training, some other things that make this trip so great are:  My cousin Lynn comes along for the whole trip and acts as our professional Soigneur.  I get to hang out with my friend Brian and his wife Diane and stay at his awesome host housing.  I get to see and catch up with my Atlanta friend Zak.  And I also get to hang out and stay with my cousin Melanie and her husband Orrin.  This year, our other cousin Molly, would fly down and meet us at Melanie's house in order to help with the drive home.

It had all the makings for a great trip, except that this year the weather was nicer at home--while we were down there it was raining and cold!  And after the first race (Athens)  it was apparent my legs were garbage and I had no speed.  I realized I needed to readjust my expectations.  The next days race was in a torrential downpour.  I did not feel comfortable in this race and dropped out early.  Sarah on the other hand felt great and held on for a money finish! I changed my goal of the series from placing well to racing my way into shape.  Finally at the Walterboro race, I finally felt decent.  I saw the front of the race and even felt good enough to go for a prime.  Sarah continued to finish in the money.  Spartanburg, a great course for me, also went really well.  I felt confident even though it had rained and the course was slick causing multiple crashes throughout the race.  Sarah was feeling good too.  At 3 to go someone ran into Sarah and while she didn't go down, she had to take a minute to stabilize which ruined her finish.  At 2 to go I was in awesome position when two riders crashed directly in front of me and I had to slam on my brakes and ran into a hay bale. The officials gave me a finishing placing, but would not let me finish the race.  Of course I was happy to not be hurt and have my bike be ok but it was SO irritating.

This year there was a new race for the series in Belmont, NC.  It was a fantastic course with a very long uphill section and I would really like to come back and race it when I am more fit.  It looked fun!

Sarah and I and our SC Spidermonkey teammate Grace, who came out to cheer us on at the Belmont race

The final day was Sandy Springs.  It's a really fun course similar to the Belmont course with a long uphill section and a fast wide descent.  I finished the race  (just outside of the money) and was happy with that.  While I had originally hoped for some better results for the series, I definitely gained some fitness and got stronger.

Uncharacteristically we had to pull out our leg warmers and jackets ?!?! for the series,  but the other non bike racing events were awesome and it was another great year!

Cousins!  L-R Pro Soigner Lynn, Me, Molly & Melanie

UCI Para-Cycling Open, Greenville, SC April 20-21

When Kim asked if I wanted to do some road racing with her this year, I was thinking that our first event would be Nationals, in Madison, WI in July, so we'd have plenty of time to practice.  But when she asked if I'd like to do this event, which was a UCI selection for World Cup races, and would be the same course as the 2014 World Championships, of course I was game!  It just meant we wouldn't have a lot of practice beforehand, and the race itself would be the practice.

In Para events, visually impaired people compete on a tandem, with a sighted pilot.  We are a separate category, competing at the same events as other individuals with disabilities.

Traveling as a tandem team is no small amount of coordination, but the race venue could not have been easier to deal with.  The hotel was basically on the start of the course.  There was a Whole Foods across the street plus lots of restaurants.  It made everything so easy.

We did a Time Trial on Saturday, and a Road Race on Sunday.  The course for the RR was an extended version of the TT course.  It was technical, and while we struggled with it, we felt like we made significant improvements every lap we did.

The weather was awesome; for contrast, here's a pic of Kim and I riding in shorts and jerseys:

And here's what Jason and the kids were doing while I was away:

Kim and I gained a ton of valuable experience, which was our goal for the weekend.  Here's us hanging out with some other tandem teams and individual para athletes, some of which are olympians.  It was also cool to see our Chicago friends Joe Berenyi and Greta Neimanas compete after their London Olympics experience.  

L-R  Me, Kim, Greta Neimanas (Chicagoan/Olympian) Clark Rachfal (Olympian) Kara Vatthauer,  Mackenzie Woodring(Kara's Pilot), Mackenzie's partner, Dave Swanson (Clark's Pilot), Alison Jones (multiple Olympian in both Downhill Skiing and Cycling) and a friend.  

Jefferson Cup, Lincoln Park Criterium, and John Fraser Time Trial

So I've done a couple races and haven't blogged about them!  Here they are:

Jefferson Cup

I went out to PA and Washington, DC for my kids spring break.  The kids had an insanely long break and Jason was able to work a bit from the road so he didn't have to take the entire time off, and we had a great time.  I always get some great riding in when we head out that way, and just for kicks I decided to see if there were any races near DC, since we'd be there on the weekend.  Sure enough, in Charlottesville, VA there was a road race.  I'd heard that it was mountainous there so I wasn't sure what business I had as a crit rider from Chicago entering the race but I decided to give it a go.  We were supposed to do 5 laps of a 10 mile circuit.  I rode well and hung in just fine on the hills.  I covered any attacks and even threw down a few of my own.  They ended up shortening our race, which was a bummer.  I was pleased to finish with the front group, but really messed up the sprint.  So I chalked the day up to a nice training ride.  I missed sight seeing at Mt.Vernon, and I was pondering my choice as I sat in horrible traffic for 3.5 hours on the way home.

Lincoln Park Crit

I was excited to race a crit, as Sarah and I are heading to Speedweek and I haven't done any fast races yet! I love races that I can ride to!  Hometown races are the best, though I always feel pressure when people are there watching, and the entire Spidermonkey team was there to cheer us on.  I jumped in the men's 1/2 race, because the pace of that race would more simulate the pace of the races at Speedweek.  This course has hairpin turn in it and it's right on the lakefront, so it's always windy.  This year the wind was coming out of the west so you came out of the hairpin directly into the headwind.  I think of myself as a pretty good cornerer but I got dropped on the hairpin every time!  I rode with a chase group for a while, but still the hairpin would get me!  After about 45 minutes I just decided I'd had enough and dropped out.  Sarah had also raced a men's race earlier in the day met me to watch our Spidermonkey cat 4 teammates race.  We had 9!! It was awesome and they did great.  PWP's Lauren Wissmen and Kelly Clarke among them.  It was a very animated cat 4 race and looked super tough-really impressive.  Then it was time for us to race.  Sarah and I were psyched to be racing together!  We took turns attacking but nothing got away.  It was frustrating but in retrospect I should have just tried harder (isn't that always the case?).  In the end I really screwed up the finish (this is starting to be a pattern this year--did I forget how to race over the winter?) and waited too long to start my lead out.  Skylar Schneider took me by surprise by jumping early and  I wasn't able to get on her wheel.  The finish line got there before I could catch her.  Sarah and I finished 2/3. 

JFTT

The next day I met my tandem partner Kim in Maple Park, IL for the John Fraser TT.  It was very nasty weather, very windy and 40 degrees with intermittent rain. Good times!  Kim and I have ridden together on the track, but never on the road.  When Kim originally asked me if I would like to do some road stuff with her, I was thinking that our first event would be in July so we'd have plenty of time to practice.  However, next weekend we are going to SC for a UCI paralympic race, and we had not ridden together once!  We are super excited, but I was nervous since we would be doing a TT and a Road Race, and I don't know how a tandem would handle.  Everyone I spoke with said it would be fine, that the track tandem is harder and if we could do that and if I knew how to race a regular road bike we'd have no problem.  Still the JFTT was going to be our only chance to practice.  It was quite a relief to get on the bike and find that we were pretty comfortable!  The only thing we encountered was on the turn arounds (there were two) we had to come to a complete stop, unclip, turn the bike and then get up to speed again.  Next weekend, the turn arounds will be wider and we should be able to take them with out stopping.  On the whole I felt great on the bike and much more comfortable going into next weekend.

Hillsboro Roubaix

My new ride:  a Titanium Litespeed T5 from GetaGripCycles

I love the Hillsboro-Roubaix Road Race.  It's our first early season road race here in the midwest.  I was sad that they moved the race to March this year (due to conflicts with Easter) and I was going to have to skip it because it fell on the last day of Chicago's PWP. My teammate Sarah wouldn't be there, she was planning on being at the Spidermonkey training camp.  I also didn't have a bike to ride, but   Get-A-Grip Cycles was planning on having my new bike ready to go the following week.

For the last 3 weeks prior to the race, I was in what you could call a funk, and found it extremely difficult to get through my rides.  I felt sick like I was fighting a cold,  felt like I pulled a hamstring, and had a very severe case of being SICK OF THE TRAINER!  

When my teammate Sarah emailed earlier in the week to say she had changed her plans and would like to go to Hillsboro, that was all I needed to hear.  I felt terrible about missing the last day of the Chicago PWP, but we had already celebrated with our brunch the week before--and lots of the participants were skipping to head to the races.  My husband offered to cover for me, my friend Cathy Frampton offered a ride, and all I needed was a bike......  Get a Grip came through and built my bike just in time to hitch a ride with Cathy down to Hillsboro on Friday.  After moving mountains and calling in so many favors, when Sarah had something come up and said she wouldn't be able to make it after all--I already had a freight train of momentum going--so somehow I found myself in Hillsboro, IL on Friday night.  

The first midwest race of the year is really just a test of what you did over the winter.  It's fun to see all the familiar faces, and catch up with everyone.  We had about 30 women in our field, including Bri Clark, Sidney Brown, and Michelle Jensen. The Wisconsin IS Corp team fielded a nice sized team, as well as the Chicago teams of Cuttin Crew and Les Petite Victoires .  We were to do two laps of a 29 mile loop.  There were some fun turns, some rollers, a little gravel and a decent little climb at the end of the lap that lead into a fun descent onto cobblestones, and then turned onto the final straightaway.  Being 4  hours south of Chicago, the weather can either be quite a bit nicer, or it can be just as crappy as it is here.  This year, we lucked out and got a sunny and 50 degree day!  I was so happy to be out on the open roads.  But it made coming home to snow so much crazier. 

My goal for the race was just to see where my fitness was,  and of course, make the break.  I was so excited to ride my new titanium Litespeed T5, with Sram Red.  I have never ridden titanium and I had to admit I was curious how it would handle.  

There was lots of jitteriness in the field which seemed to last the whole race.  It was fairly obvious this was the first ride off the trainer for a lot of us.  I was excited to find that I had no trouble maintaining great position.  I was able to respond when there were attacks, bridge up when something looked promising, and the few times there were splits in the field I was on the right end of them.  When we hit the hill at the end of the first lap I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was right there at the top and felt just fine.  The fast descent was fun, and the cobble stones were scary but manageable--I knew that on the next (and final) lap it was going to be a lot faster, and I felt ready!  We got neutralized for a bit at the start of the second lap and when we restarted a woman directly in front of me completely crashed out.  I skidded and got around her unscathed.  This year would be the first (that I've ridden this race)where no break got away.  The field settled in crawling toward the finish.  As we approached the hill on our final lap, I started to entertain hopes of a good placing.  I hit the top with the leaders and then began the crazy mad descent into the cobblestones.  On the cobblestone stretch, Hayley from IS Corp and Bri were in front with me, Cady from LPV and another rider fighting for position.  I don't know what happened but the other woman completely flew up into the air and I swear I saw her carbon front wheel completely sideways.  All I know is that I got around her and never looked back.  It was my second narrow escape of the day.  Next thing I remember is that Bri and Hayley were up the road and I came around Cady for third.  Cady told me afterward that the woman had crashed on her, and Cady managed to shove her back upright, and nobody went down.  I was thrilled with a third place podium finish, and even more that I felt very comfortable on my bike and it handled well and got me out of some tight situations.  

1st Hayley Giddens, 2nd Bri Clark, 3rd Kristen Meshberg, 4th Cady Chintis, 5th Jen Campbell

Half Acre Beginner Women's Road Racing Clinic

Last weekend my Spidermonkey teammate Sarah Rice and I lead a Beginner Women's Road Racing clinic sponsored by the Half Acre Cycling Team.  We spent the first part inside talking about my favorite topic: bike racing!!  Hopefully people got some questions answered, and have a better idea of what to expect in their first racing experience.  The second part of the clinic was spent practicing some skills outside.  It was tons of fun, and I was really impressed with the amount of enthusiasm we have from the women here in Chicago.   Good luck everyone--see you at the races!

PWP's Kelly Clarke's 2012 Gravel Metric race report

The Gravel Metric  is a gravel race in Dekalb, IL in May.   To get us started thinking about race season, (Barry-Roubaix, another gravel race in Michigan is just around the corner on March 23) here is Chicago PWP's (and my Spidermonkey Teammate) Kelly Clarke's race report from last year's Gravel Metric race:

In the midst of indoor training season and ice cold commutes, I am caught thinking back to warmer times. Much warmer times. The Gravel Metric was one of the hottest days this past summer. The Fahrenheit’s tapped out at about 105, but Garmins gave readings of up to 112 when the sun was beating off the pavement sections. The Gravel Metric is a 62 mile race put on by Axeltree in Dekalb, IL, out of the North Central Cyclery shop. There are three checkpoints, with water and support. The race starts and ends at the shop. Then there's a fun after party at Fatty's, a local bar with raffles and prizes.

2012 was my first go at this storied race. I remember wanting to do it in 2011, but I was busy with a friend's wedding activities and watched the horrific storm roll in from a hotel in St. Charles. While I knew another torrential downpour was unlikely, I hoped for a similar epicness. It was given in the record heat.

 Photo by Chad Gregory

Going into this race, I did not have a competitive mindset. I wanted to finish. I wanted to stay hydrated and not bonk in the heat. Seriously, group rides were a success if I drank from my water bottle twice. I hadn't gotten used to such maneuvers when riding so close to others. I tried to drink a lot of water on the way to the race, and decided 2 water bottles and one bottle of Gatorade in my jersey pocket could suffice, along with some shot blocks. The Gatorade bottle could be discarded at one of the three check points/rest stops. With the heat, I wanted to be hydrated, but I also didn't want anything extra to make the ride more difficult.

There was a mass start with a neutral roll out. I rolled out with Annette Stahlin, Jen Groen and Mike Abene. We tried to start at a decent spot without going all out to get there. I didn't feel good at the start. I was nervous. Cat 4 Women don't often get the opportunity to participate in a 62 mile race, let alone with gravel and questionable terrain. Our races are generally half that distance, if that. And there were heat advisories to boot!

I don't really remember what happened between then and the first checkpoint, but I arrived by myself. The wind and the gravel had broken our group apart. Just before the checkpoint, I had eaten some shot blocks. When I arrived, Erica Jeanne nicely told me I had some still left in my teeth. I wasn't not used to keeping up on nutrition during rides. But I promptly drank a bunch of water and made sure my teeth were not gross. She also told me I was in third place for the women at this point. I did not believe her at all. I saw five ladies pass me who I did not pass back, so this could not be true. I guess some might have been on tandems? Well, after a season of lusting after 20th place, I decided I should try to hold this fictitious third place. Maybe I could have my best finish ever in this race? Funny how a goal so close to reality could be so motivating. I could see Annette not far behind, but instead of waiting I picked up my cadence and tried to catch the women ahead of me. One I caught not one mile after. She was on the side of the road talking with a group of guys, resting.

I found myself riding near a pair of Pegasus guys and a Half Acre guy on some rolling hills. One said, 'Come with us.' I got on their wheels, tried to take my share of pulls. This was amazing. I had never working with a group of people in a race before, and here I was working with a group of guys. I told the Half Acre guy, " I owe you a beer after this," and I was serious. John Casey, I still owe you a beer. Then a loose gravel section came up. We were riding on the edge of the road, because the middle seemed to uncertain, and just beyond was tall grass and plants. I felt like I was riding at my max. It was scary. I wasn't used to riding this fast on gravel. I wasn't really used to riding on gravel at all. Maybe my fear was a self-fulfilling prophecy, but I crashed. My group of guys kept going. The guys hesitated, I yelled at them to keep going.

A long gravel road. Photo by John Castro

I really wasn't hurt. I regrouped and kept going, albeit much slower, and now alone. When I got out of the gravel I stopped to assess. My saddle was turned almost 90 degrees. My shifter was also knocked out of balance. As I stood there defeated and fighting with my bike, PJ and Dave Loring came out of nowhere. They helped me get my shit back together and we were off again. More crazy terrain was in store for us. Once muddy roads were cooked with deep, hard tire tracks. There was no way to tell which line was best. High or low? Middle or edge? Pick and pray. PJ took some nasty falls. We all did.

PJ and Dave had passed me by the time I reached the second check point. I saw them there, and Jen Groen. Instead of taking my time to get water, I got my stamp and kept going. I didn't really think I needed rest, and I wanted to get as far ahead as possible. I figured I could make up some time not stopping and PJ and Dave would certainly catch up to me. I was able to pass another woman in the single track section. And PJ and Dave caught back up, so we started to ride together again. There was a water section that wasn't too deep but who really knew? I was really cautious upon approaching, but the three of us made it through. (We weren't all so lucky)

 Robert Higgins taking a spill. (Photo credit Chad Gregory)

I was keeping up with my water and nutrition. My knee ached slightly from the fall earlier, but it wasn't bad. I thought it was probably going to be sore the next day, and I should remember to stretch after this race. Some people were having definite issues with the heat and needing to stop. I kept thinking about Icarus. I wanted to do as well as I could, but not push myself to the brink like some people were. It's hard to gauge your body's limitations in excessive weather conditions. Shortly before the worst/best part of the race, I lost the dynamic duo again. So I faced the pin needle by myself.

I will call the worst/best part of the race the pin needle. The course turned right and headed for a couple miles on a steady incline. The checkpoint was at the top of this incline, then you headed right back down the same road. So as you're dying, trying to make it to the last checkpoint, all these people are flying down the hill in the other direction, having stopped and rested, on their way to the finish. It was so taunting! I dug in, caught up with a large group and hung on. I saw the first place lady headed downhill. At the check point, I saw PJ, Dave, and the second place girl. I got my stamp and kept on.

On the awesome downhill I caught up to an Iron Cycles guy, and we started exchanging pulls. It was difficult and fun trying to keep at his pace. We chatted a little about cyclocross, but not a lot, as the gravel roads warrented a lot of concentration. We passed the first place girl pretty quickly and were keeping a good pace. I was still trying to drink a lot of water. About 8 miles from the finish, one mile from the end of the gravel, I got a flat.

My new Iron Cycles friend, Dominick Casey, stopped with me. I was impatient, exhausted and slightly delirious. I thought maybe I could use a CO2 cartridge to see if it was just a pinch flat and the tube might hold air. The tire went flat right away. We grabbed our stuff and moved 100 feet down the road where Chris Jensen and some other people were hanging out in the shade. I slowly started to change my tire. It was one thing to keep a competitive mindset while pace lining, but a whole different story with the defeat of a flat. A woman rode by and Chris Jensen said, "There goes your first place finish." I agreed. Dominick was surprised. He had no idea. He said if he know he would have made me change my tire faster or do something more to help. I was so tired; I really just wanted to finish at this point. PJ and Dave stopped when they saw me, and the second place girl passed shortly after. We regrouped and headed towards the finish.

The last seven miles were terrible. It was on pavement, so it was easier to pedal (even though I am pretty everyone's legs felt like they were about to fall off at that point). But riding on the black asphalt was about 10-15 degrees warmer than riding on the white gravel. I finished the race with PJ, Dave, and Dominick. Third place - which didn't really matter in this race, but it meant a lot to me, because it was technically the best finish I had ever had. It helped me gain confidence for the rest of the season. And the race itself taught me a lot about keeping a positive mindset, staying hydrated and working with people. While the race was grueling, it was crazy amounts of fun, and will definitely be on the top of my To Do list.

PJ and I going through the water. Photo by Chad Gregory