Two days ago I lined up for my first European World Cup in Champery, Switzerland. I finished in 49th place out of a 110-some starters. I’ve never spent so much time off my bike–running, stumbling, slipping around in mud. I’ve also never had so many girls yell at me in languages I cannot understand. I raced hard, but a little apprehensive at times on the technical sections. Overall, I had a great time and am happy with a top-50 finish. Dave McElwaine (Trailwatch.net) took some good pictures of me which he published on Cyclingnews. I tried some of my own picture taking on this trip, which is pretty unusual these days. My parents loaned me a nice digital camera, which I am trying to put to use. The only problem is that it’s too big to fit in my jersey pocket…

Here’s my best action shot of Jack Hinkens during the men’s race. Nope, I couldn’t ride this part and didn’t even try. I prefer to keep my wheels grounded.

The crowds watching the race were impressive.

Champery, Switzerland is beautiful place in the heart of the Swiss Alps. On Monday, we drove through Milan and into the Dolomites.

Now, I’m resting up for the next round of world cup racing. I could get used to this…

For the final round of the Pro XCT in Colorado Springs this past weekend, I collected a trio of my best results to date. The race was a UCI format stage race, so for the first day we raced a time trial, day two was the standard cross-country and day three was an hour long short track race (the cross-country criterium). These events are also referred to as the XCT, XCO, XCC–not to be confusing. My results:

XCT – 4th
XCO – 7th
XCC – 5th
Overall – 7th
UCI points – 40

XCT

The time trial course was a 7.5 km loop that started up a 30 second paved climb, then turned onto some twisty packed granite singletrack. The course then climbed (and continued to twist) becoming more technical with some rocks and small boulders. Just before five minutes, the course squeezed around a boulder and hopped onto a rock outcrop before dropping down into a rocky stream bed. The climb out was the technical part, as the trail had to conform around some bushes, more boulders, and a slew of rocks. Very few smooth lines existed, although the big wheels meant there were some options. In practice (the morning of the XCT), I rode this section about ten times. While I may have only cleaned this section 50% of the time in my practice runs, I became pretty adept at salvaging my run. In the end, I figured a dab hardly lost time. Maybe the practice runs were a little overkill, but I had no doubts coming into that section during my race and it paid off since I had a clean run.

Photo: Michael Kane

The course opened up after the first few minutes and the race became more about short, all-out efforts, and not loosing control on the fine granite surface. I raced Maxxis Aspen 2.1 tires, which worked very well on the course. For pressure, I believe I ran 20 psi in the front, and 22 psi in the rear. With a clean and fast run-in to the finish, I managed to squeeze into fourth place just 2 seconds behind Heather Irmiger and 2 seconds ahead of Mary McConneloug.

XCO

The start of this race was not my finest. I had a front row call-up, a hard climb up a paved road ahead, and a good warm-up in my legs–so everything was aligned for a good start. And I blew it. Not entirely, but my first lap wasn’t as fast as it could have been. The question is whether I had more left in the tank on the fourth lap as a result. Who knows.

The course was very similar to the time trial course, was 7.9 km in length, but had a more extended climb and a rougher descent. We raced a total of four laps on the course, which I finished in just under two hours. My lap times showed consistency which doesn’t always happen with my racing.

Lap 1 – 28:25
Lap 2 – 29:11
Lap 3 – 28:56
Lap 4 – 29:51

Overall, it was one of the most solid XC races I’ve had. No mechanicals, no crashes, no melt-downs, and a turkey flock sighting on the first lap. The only thing I missed out on (maybe it was lucky miss) was a mountain lion that was sighted on course during our race.

XCC

What is a cross-country criterium? Well, I’m not quite sure. The XCC we raced was a mini XC course (2.1km), which we raced around for 30 minutes plus five laps. In the first two laps, a group of seven or so separated from the field. Again, I was a little further back then ideal since there weren’t many passing opportunities on course. Two laps into the race, Georgia, Willow, and Katie separated from the rest of us. I was riding in the second group with Pua and Mary. A few laps later, Pua attacked and I was still recovering from the blazin’ fast first laps and couldn’t respond. So as Pua rode away, I settled into a comfortable pace behind Mary McConneloug. I admit, I let her pull through the windy, paved, climb, lap after lap. Once recovered, and once Mary sat up on the paved climb, I put in an attack and was able to hold off fifth place for the finish! Holy crap that was a fun race!

I’d like to thank all my sponsors, teammates, TJ, and my Mom and Dad for their incredible support. I will also add to this race report that my Mom helped out in the ‘Feed Zone’ during the XC race for the first time at one of these big races. She had some excellent coaching from Lorraine York, who was also a huge help during the XC race.

Thanks for checking in!

TJ and I just finished up a three weekend trip in the Midwest. To start, we loaded up the Taurus with four bikes, our gear, and took off to Wisconsin. To break up the drive we stayed with some friends in St. Peter, MN, where TJ added a Hypoxico Altitude Tent to his collection of training toys. Oh joy. All in all, the trip turned out to be about 2,600 miles.

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After St. Peter, we took a circuitous route through Minneapolis on our way to TJ’s mom’s house. We stopped by Calhoun Cycles and Dunn Bros Coffee, which conveniently had conjoined buildings (it’s usually raining). This was my first of three experiences in Minneapolis that involved tasty coffee and bikes next door. Not any bike shops, but utility bicyclist oriented bike shops. It’s no wonder that Minneapolis was picked as America’s #1 Biking City by Bicycling Magazine. No doubt I’d cast my vote for Minneapolis (and second Tucson–no bias here!).

Our first race was the Dirt Spanker Classic in Mt. Du Lac near Duluth, MN. It was a little muddy. Actually, it was the kind of mud that sticks to bike parts and tires and itself, which after about 10 minutes, makes pedaling a bike impossible. Then after 30 minutes, pushing the bike was even impossible. So after ‘racing’ a 3-mile course in about an hour–I gave up, quit, called it good.

After hours of bike washing and more hours of scrubbing mud from shoes and bike clothes, I started to pack for another trip. This one was for the Nature Valley Grand Prix where I raced with Specialized D4W/Bicycle Haus. I wrote a recap of the event for Women’s Bike Talk, here’s the link. I actually won something at a road race. We took home the Green Jersey which is the award for the Top Amateur competition. Here’s TJ’s nephew Mason modeling the jersey

Next, we packed up the Taurus (again) and drove to Mt. Morris, WI for the fourth round of the Subaru Cup Pro XCT. This event is a pretty big deal for the Midwest racing scene, which hasn’t seen a national-level event since 2001. WORS (Wisconsin Off-Road Series) is one of the most successful and the largest mountain bike series in the country. It’s very apparent from the couple WORS races I’ve been too. The spectators are dense, there’s energy, the fields are large (even the women’s), there’s 12 races a year, and the entry fees are sub $30! A huge thanks to Don Edberg for bringing the Subaru Cup to the Pro XCT and putting on a fantastic event.

Luckily, I had a good cross-country race and finished in 9th. I spent most the race in 7th, then crashed and lost some rhythm. Then I was 8th, racing neck-to-neck with Jenna Reinhart (which is where we always wind up at the end of a race). Unfortunately, in the last bit of downhill I flatted the front, rolled the tire in a corner, but I was able to get it to re-seal with a Big Air. Jenna got by me but luckily there was plenty of time before the next rider. So 9th it was. I’m feeling pretty strong on the bike again and am looking forward to the Pro XCT finals in Colorado Springs.

Photo credit: Dave McElwaine

The best part of the race weekend was that TJ’s family made the four-hour trek from Northern Wisconsin to watch. I think I had one of the best cheering sections at the race. Anyway, I hope the Subaru Cup becomes a regular stop for the Pro XCT.

Thanks for checking in!

The XC

The course at the Teva Mountain Games in Vail, CO was a true Colorado mountain bike race; which is a slow painful climb up a ski run followed by a blazin’ fast bone-jarring singletrack descent. Luckily, I had a Gary Fisher Superfly to take care of the worst bumps and ruts on the descent. It’s where the trail gets roughest that I appreciate the extra-large wheels the most.

The Teva Games are one of the highlights of my summer. The racing is competitive, there’s a hefty prize purse, jumping dogs, rocks climbers, mud runs, a road-event for mountain bikers, lots of free samples of all sorts of gourmet ‘energy’ foods, and the most amazing registration bag ever compiled for a two-wheeled event. Plus, my sister made the trip up to Vail for the weekend and took care of heckling and bottle feeds during the cross-country race. Really, the right elements were in place for a great weekend.

Then I flatted on lap two of the cross-country race, fumbled to seal the tire with a Big Air, then resorted to a tube since the cut in my tire was just too big for sealant. Bummer. I resumed the race ten-minutes back from where I flatted, but the race-vibe never really kicked back in. Up until that flat, the race was unfolding surprising well. I rode somewhat conservatively on lap one in seventh place, never letter fifth place out of sight. I believe I had somewhat of an advantage on the downhill with the Superfly. The singletrack was so rough and bumpy that big wheels helped lessen the abuse on my legs and back. Plus, I love that kind of riding (but who doesn’t?). On the lap 2 climb, I rode into sixth but lost a little time to fifth. And then I flatted. I came out of this race a bit more wiser about my flat-changing capabilities mid-race. But I was also happy about where my fitness was considering a long break from racing and a busy month of school and moving.

It was also pretty exciting to see Tokyo Joe’s teammates Matt Beaton, Mitch Hoke, Jungle Jay, and Erin Huck all in the top-ten. Plus Gretchen took home the super bad-ass ultimate mountain challenge title which required she compete in the mountain bike, hill climb, trail running, and kayaking events. And I thought two events were hard!

The HC

I like hill climbs, most of the time. But there’s something about a hill climb up Vail Pass that is just a bad idea. It’s usually cold, windy, and not to mention the elevation factor. But this year the conditions were perfect, the competition tough, and they were paying out the prize money one place deeper than previous years. This really worked out in my favor since I barely squeezed in a fourth place, the last paying spot on the podium. Overall, I was pleased with my race although my pacing strategy was not ideal. I was a little too gassed for the climb at the finish. Live and learn. Next year, I won’t go as hard on the flat and save a little for the climb.

Overall, it’s great to be back racing with the Tokyo Joe’s crew. Up next, I’m traveling to the Midwest for a Minnesota Series mountain bike race, the Nature Valley Grand Prix, and then the Subaru Cup in Mt. Morris, WI. Then I’ll be back for the Colorado Springs Pro XCT and Nationals in Sol Vista, CO. Thanks for checking in!

What a great weekend of racing, camping, and driving. Saturday was the High Desert Screamer in Gallup, NM which we followed up with the Mt. Graham Hill Climb near Safford, AZ. The riding in Gallup did not disappoint–30+ miles of singletrack. The following day I broke the Cat 2 record on Mt. Graham and won a hand-painted ceramic pony, plus there were cookies and subs for all the racers afterwards–one of the many things that made the weekend. Even the local press wrote a story on the race. So here’s the U of A mountain bike team and everyone who toughed out almost 1,000 miles of driving over the weekend:

Currently, we’re leading the “A” category points in the SWCCC (that is, the Southwest Collegiate Cycling Conference) which means we are on our way to qualifying our team for Nationals.

Other news? TJ is now back in Tucson and our little guesthouse is overflowing with bikes! We’ve got 2 in the living room, 1 in the bedroom, 2 in the office, 1 in the laundry room, 4+ in the shed, and my commuter in the courtyard. He had a pretty busy extended weekend as well: 1 wedding (Congrats John and Nora!), 2 cyclocross races, 2,000 miles of driving, and a visit with my parents. He also delivered a CD of pictures my Dad took in Canberra–so I’ll post those in a few days with a tardy race recap.

Some more pictures from the weekend: