Monday, November 28, 2011

SCX #7 Monroe

What a day! It rained all day and made the ground very wet and muddy. The way they laid out the course this year was my favorite so far. So much mud and so technical. Perfect!

I was 6th going into the series finals and Mel my teammate was in 4th. So our goal was to take off and try to move up a bit in the points. We started, and I had a great start. I was sitting around 3rd after the straight away. I stayed there for about a half lap then Natasha passed me. I tried to hang on, but lost her wheel.

Mel came up and we rode together for a half a lap and then she got a gap on me after the technical downhill. We both rode down it just fine but Mel could ride up the up hill section after the downhill and I had to run which gave her a little gap each lap.

I held on and finished in 5th, Mel in 4th on the day. What a fun course. Good news was that the 3rd place girl didn't race so Mel moved up to 3rd overall and I moved up to 5th overall! What a great season so far for the Cycle U-PopCap team.

Chad figured out that so far in 18 races we have had 31 top 5 placings! That is awesome.

Chad and Sean also had a great race. They rode together most of the race and finished 4th and 5th on the day.

Evan had a good race but finished 10th overall in his first Cat 1-2 field! Super awesome.

And lastly Holden had lne goal and that was to finish his race. And he did, he was so cold and muddy when he was done but he did it, he finished in those crazy cold, wet and muddy conditions. So proud of him!

Ok so on to State Champs this Sun. I hope for some fresh legs.

Thank you SCX for another great season!





Sunday, November 20, 2011

SCX #6 Sprinker

Well what can I say, another bad luck race for me. The bad part was I was feeling just about the best I have felt all season too!

I really liked the new course layout, it had more turns then before which slowed it down a bit and made it a little more technical. It was so cold today. I raced at 1:30 and it was only about 38 degrees. So I broke out the long sleeve thermal undershirt for this one.

We took off at the start and I decided to not go all out, to just sit on 2nd or 3rd wheel to see how I was going to feel and I felt good. I really felt good, I was so excited and about half way through the first lap I was in 2nd, right on 1st places wheel and not going all out. This was setting up to be my best race this season.

Then it happened, I shifted down to get ready for the 2nd run up and my chain fell into my rear wheel. I fixed it but realized my chain had come out of the bottom of the derailleur. I fixed it but 5th place had already gone by. I got to the pits, where Justin and Chad had my bike ready for me. Awesome bike change, thanks guys. So I got on the B bike and right away it felt wrong. My chain was popping in the middle of my cassette. So I still tried to bridge back up to the girls in front of me, but just couldn't do it.

Turns out my rear derailleur was broken so Justin took one off of Chad's bike and had my bike back running in 2 laps. Thank you Justin! You rock!

So back on the A bike and I gave it one good shot and tried to bridge back up. But after one lap I just faded out. It was just not my day. I am trying so hard to stay with it this season with all my injuries, illnesses and bike mechanicals. I am so mentally fried, but I just hung on and finished 7th behind Mel who was in 6th, who also had a bad day and had her chain drop off twice.

Oh well just another bad day. I was pretty frustrated when I finished but it is time to move on and focus on Monroe. Who knows what will happen there, but I will be there and give it my best for sure.

Holden crashed hard at the first set of barriers in his race and hurt his side and leg. He got back up and finished one lap and then bailed do to pain and a bad head cold. Poor guy, he will be back for Monroe.

Chad and Sean also had a rough day, they were sitting both in the top 5 after the first lap, looking good, when a rider crashed in front of them and they had to stop and wait to get by. Chad worked back up from almost last place to finish 8th and Sean in 11th. Evan also was in a crash, and he got up and finished in 18th.

So overall not a good race day for Cycle U-PopCap. But we will all shake it off this week and focus on Monroe.

Thank you again Justin for rushimg to get my bike fixed and back available to ride!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

MFG #6 Magnuson Park The Finals

Wow I got behind this week and never posted my race report from Woodland Park. It is so awesome to be able to race in Seattle and at Woodland Park.There were so many spectators and we hit a record with 970 registered racers! That is crazy, but so awesome.

We had 19 women on the Cat 1-2 start line. That is the biggest WA Cat 1-2 turn out yet. Super excited to see so many women upgrading.

Going into the race my team mate Mel Lewis was in first place overall with Jenni Geartner not coming to race. I was in 4th. I really wanted to move up into 2nd and thought if I finished 2 people in front of 3rd place, I could get enough points to move into 2nd.

We took off and I was in 2nd right on Mel's wheel going into the first turn. I stayed there and Courtney McFadden came up and around us. We went over the first set of barriers and we were all still really tight. Mel burped some air out of her tubeless tires and then dropped her chain and that set her back to around 15th place. I kept on the gas and tried to stay with Courtney. I couldn't hang on but was sitting in 2nd for awhile until Beth passed me. I decided to sit on Beth's wheel because she was in 3rd place overall and I needed to beat her.

So I sat on her for one lap then Jessica and Marsa came around and I jumped on their wheels and we dropped Beth. I stayed with Jessica and Marsa for the rest of the race. Marsa and I were swapping back and forth for the last 2 laps. I got ahead of her but she was able to kill me on the run up and the back side gravel hills. I blew up in the last lap but hung on to finish in 4th behind Marsa.

Mel killed herself to try to get in between me and Beth and she worked her way up to finishin 5th behind me and in front Beth. It was so awesome to see her do that, I was so happy and grateful for her efforts for me.

So I thought I had moved into 2nd overall but then starting doing the math and realized I had missed it by 1 point. Super frustrating but that is how it goes. Later in the week I found out that I was actually 4th overall, and that Jenni even though she wasn't at the last race had won enough races to hold onto 2nd place overall.

On Thursday we went to the MFG awards party at Hale’s Ales in Ballard to cheer on Mel and Sean who won the Cat 1-2 women, and the Master 35+ men's overall!! It was a good time with MFG holding a raffle with some awesome prizes and then the winner of each cat got to play musical chairs to determine their order for picking prizes from the prize table.

It was pretty funny watching all the adults and kids all play musical chairs. Then after that they went in order and picked out prizes, Mel got a Raleigh single speed cross bike!! And Sean won an awesome pair of Mavic shoes. MFG has amazing prizes!!

Thank you MFG for putting on such a great series and making it so much fun every weekend.

Monday, November 7, 2011

SCX #5 Steilacoom

SCX #5 brought us back to Fort Steilacoom in Tacoma.

This place I have a love hate relationship with. Sometimes I have my best races here and sometimes my worst.

This race was right in the middle. We started out with over 10 ladies in the 1-2 field. I am sitting 4th in the series so my goal was to try to break into the top 3 today.

I have another head cold. Frustrating, but what do you do. I started my warm up and felt off, I was even a bit light headed and considered not starting. But I took some Dayquil and that helped a lot.

We took off and Mel my team mate got the whole shot. I decided I wasn't going to go all out on the start since I wasn't feeling well. So I sat around 4th on the start. I hung there and thought for sure we would hit the first climb and I would get shelled off, but no. I actually felt ok. So I hung in and got to the run up. Which again, thinking I would get dropped. But no I felt ok again. So back on I went. I was sitting in 4th when Emily got by me. I stayed on her wheel and quickly knew that on the downhill’s I was a bit faster and used that to my advantage.

On the 3rd lap I got around Emily on the uphill and then hit it hard on the downhill and got a gap. I caught up with Jessica and sat on her wheel. Mel was in 2nd and I knew if I went around Jessica I would be pulling her back up to Mel. So I used some road tactics and sat on her wheel forcing her to work to try to catch Mel.

Mel noticed we were back there and she kicked it in. Every lap, she was getting closer and closer to 1st, and pulling away from 3rd. I tried to get around Jessica but just didn't have the strength. I held in for 4th, pretty happy with my race considering I was sick.

Mel caught up to Courtney who was in 1st and it came down to a sprint finish and Mel got the win! Super excited for her, her first win!

Chad and Sean had great races. Sean finishing in 5th and Chad in 7th.

Evan said he felt the best in this race so far. Great sign for him that he is healing up and getting regaining his fitness.

And Holden got a flat and was able to pit and get a new wheel and held on to finish in 15th.

Another great weekend for the Cycle U-PopCap team.



Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Halloween

The family all went out with the "RUM RUNNERS" crew. We met at Mandi's parents house in Glen Eagle in Arlington. There were a lot of kids and a lot of candy. Super fun.

In the picture, my mom is Santa, Holden is a turtle, I am a cow, my neice Alyssa is a lepard, and my dog Elvis is Super Dog.


SCX #4 Enumclaw

Wow what a different day. It rained all day, and this course was awesome. Super muddy and super technical. One of my favorites all season.

I just wish I would have had better legs. I think I took to much out of my legs yesterday and with my body still coming back from all my injuries I just didn't have that much left in my legs for today. Riding the course I was happy, loving it being so crazy and technical. But once we started racing that all changed.

We took off, I got the while shot and lead going into the run up. That first run up is where I died. It hurt so bad to get up that hill. I could barely move my legs, one step after another but it hurt so bad. By the time we got to the top I was back in 4th place. I rode the technical mud sections well but just couldn't get my legs turning.

I tried my hardest but every time up that hill I died a little more. By the last lap I had fallen into 6th behind Emily again. I could still see her but couldn't catch her. Craig passed me and Emily on lap 4 so we were done. I was actually happy about that, that is pretty rare for me. I don't like to be lapped.

Mel had a good race and finished in 3rd behind Courtney in 1st and Jessica in 2nd. Mel is sitting 3rd in the series, hope to get her up into the top 2 overall in both series.

Chad had the race if his season. Leading out team mate Sean and riding in 1st for the 1st two laps! It was so exciting to watch him lead a race. He fell back to 6th by the end but because of his work, Sean was able to move into first and win the race! First win of the season for the team. So awesome!

Holden had a little asthma attack and had to pull out again. A rough weekend for him. He will be back next week.

Off to Steilacoom this weekend. I will redeem myself.




MFG #5 Magnuson Park

What a beautiful sunny day. And a course at Magnuson Park, great combo for a great day.

The course was wet and slippery early in the am races. So I was excited, but overall it was a fast course again. I felt pretty good. I woke up with a lot of energy and was pretty excited for the race.

The 1-2 women lined up on the start. Like all the races this season our women's field is stacked with some really talented girls. The whistle blew and we were off. I got an ok start and was in 5th into the first hard turn. I punched it a bit and moved into 4th trying to hang onto my teammate, Mels wheel. I hung for a bit but fell off and tried to hang on in 4th. I sat in 4th for most of race, I could see every one ahead if me the whole race. The closest I have been to first place all season.

One the last lap I tried to attack Emily Eggers, who is riding super strong but couldn't stay ahead of her and she finished just ahead if me sprinting with Jessica Cutler at the line. I was only about 5sec behind them to finish in 5th.

Mel came down to a sprint finish with Jessica and finished in 2nd. So close, we will get her a win this season!

So far my best race based on my efforts and how close I was to the top 4 girls in front me. Overall a good race, I am getting stronger with every race.

In the elite master men, my teammate Sean was sitting in 1st in the series and needed to beat Rich to keep the lead. Unfortunatly he didn't have the legs and held in to finish in 8th. We will see now at Woodland Park how the series ends up. Chad had an ok race, he decided to sit up a bit and save energy for tomorrows race.

Holden crashed a few times and twisted his ankle so he had to pull out of the race. He was bummed out but ok.

So tomorrow is Enumclaw. It will be hard and wet.