11-15 Jun 2014 North Star Grand Prix

Miranda, Lizzie, Kate, me, Gillian, Amy, and Korina (not pictured) ready to race at North Star GP. Photo by Jono Coulter

Last week I headed north to southeastern Minnesota to join six teammates and director Jono Coulter for the North Star Grand Prix, a five day, six stage National Race Calendar race. A top-notch field jam-packed with talent guaranteed an exciting race. The tour marked for me excellent personal progress; for the team, historical results and monumental performances

Powered by Colnago. Photo by Jono Coulter

I came into the race with some degree of confidence moving forward as recent tests confirmed the lack of any obvious physical damage to my lungs from a nasty lung infection earlier this year. So, albeit more slowly than expected, my lungs are healing and I can push ahead without fear of doing further damage. Coincident with this knowledge came some degree of reduction in the tightness and burning in my lungs, which have for the past three months limited training. With the removal of these limitations was revealed a new restriction: crap fitness.

Fake it till you make it! Showing off my Vittoria shoes. Photo by Todd Fawcett

 The tour started with a rolly 5 mile (8 km) time trial along the Mississippi River. Time trials are a good reminder of my struggling fitness… In this game of pain, everyone hurts. Fitter, stronger riders hurt just the same as weaker riders, they just go faster. Ultimately, though, the rider who comes out on top is one who can really suffer, setting pain aside to dig still deeper. Alison Powers (UHC) has shown time and time again that she is a master of pushing past pain. The reigning US National TT Champion set a blistering pace to win the stage and take the leader’s jersey. Vanderkitten teammate Gillian Carleton was not far off the charge, finishing ninth, just 39 s down, with Amy Charity, Lizzie Williams, and Miranda Griffiths all within striking distance.

Me working hard following the Mississippi River in Stage 1.

Stage 2 that same evening was a fast, twisty-turny criterium in the heart of downtown St. Paul. A five-corner course—with four of the corners exceeding 90 degrees—a generous mix of brick and blacktop, and a crammed field of 106 riders made for a crash-fest with riders going down approximately every second lap over the 28-lap race.

One of many crashes in Stage 2, Photo by VeloNews

  

As someone who likes to line up about 2 minutes before the start, I was not particularly thrilled to roll to the line 30 min before kick off and find myself nearly at the back of the field. While starting at the back should be no encumbrance to a fit and skilled rider, I lack at least one if not both of those qualifications at the moment. I felt comfortable throughout the race, used some skills to avoid multiple crashes, but did not have the fitness to power through the sections that offered a chance to move up. As a result, I yo-yoed mid-field for most of the race, unable to make forward progress. With five laps to go, I and teammates Miranda and Amy were all caught behind a crash that split the field. The clear road gave me a chance to work hard to try to bring us back up, but my strength was lacking and we lost 55 s to the leaders. Vanderkitten Lizzie Williams rode like a legend to capture third place in an exciting sprint finish.

Crashes and corners spread out the field on the streets on St. Paul. Photo by Todd Fawcett

Winds were a huge factor in Stage 3 the following day. Gusty conditions splintered the field within the first hour of the 95 mile (153 km) road race in Cannon Falls, with only 27 riders making the front selection. The challenging conditions ensured that everyone on the road had a very hard day on the bike. Stand out riding by Gillian set up Lizzie for the finish where she powered to fourth place, moving her up the GC ladder. The stage also saw a change of race leader as bonus time on the line put stage winner Carmen Small (Specialized-Lululemon) into the leader’s jersey.

Race convoy. Photo by SkinnySki.com

Friday brought a criterium in Uptown Minneapolis for Stage 4. This time I started with slightly better position in the top third of the field. But again, I lost position quickly. With fewer crashes breaking up the rhythm of the race, I was able to slowly progress my way forward bit by bit each lap.  About halfway through the race I had finally made my way close to the front when a crash brought the race to a halt. Unfortunately several riders went down hard and the delay was nearly 20 min.

Gillian and Miranda keeping good position in corner 6. Photo by Todd Fawcett

The fast pace of the race was the biggest tax on my lungs thus far in the tour and I felt the muscles in my neck tensing up as a result. The pause in activity caused my lungs to tighten further and I lost a bit of mental focus. The restart allowed a reshuffle of the bunch and I found myself back to midfield, unable to progress forward as the race wound down to the final laps. Lizzie hung tough, keeping her head in the game to finish fifth, nudging her still forward in GC.

Friday the 13th Full moon over Minneapolis. Photo by Todd Fawcett

Stormy skies delivered rain within 45 min on the road in Saturday’s 82 mi (132 km) road race in Menomonie. The rain-soaked stage started out cruisey enough, with many weary bodies in the bunch. My job was to cover attacks in the early part of the stage, so the lack of activity was a relief for me. With thunder booming overhead, attacks started after about an hour of racing as riders positioned for the first sprint and subsequent first big hill climb of the stage. I was happy to find that I felt better than I had all week and did my best to cover everything that went off the front to give my teammates a chance to save their legs.

Cruising around Menomonie, before the rain. Photo by SkinnySki.com

Halfway through the stage, as raindrops continued to fall and the air temperature began to plummet, I made the only decision that made sense: to pull out.  With my immune system already pushed to the limit by my still-healing lungs, I figured that getting severely chilled twice in one week (the previous being the rainy road race in Galena last Saturday) was pushing the odds. So into the team car I went. In the finishing circuit, teammate Gillian slogged through the miserable and slippery conditions to power to Vanderkitten’s highest ranked win ever, with Lizzie on her heals in third.

A rain-soaked win for Gillian. Photo by Todd Fawcett

The final stage on Sunday, 14 times up the wall that is Chilcook Hill, was the most exciting yet! Under pressure to take back the leader’s jersey, UHC sent riders off the front every lap, forcing chase efforts from threatened riders. As riders began to tire, Lizzie put in a blistering attack late in the race. With 5 laps to go, the girl had her work cut out for her. In an amazingly exciting and dramatic stage, Lizzie held off the chase to take the stage win—Vanderkitten’s second historic victory in as many days—and moved into fourth place in GC. The gutsy effort also earned her most aggressive rider for the stage!

Lizzie getting in the zone for her stage win. Photo by Todd Fawcett

Thanks Jono for an amazing job directing the team! Huge thank you to our wonderful hosts Kelly, Kris, Miles, and Henry Newman for letting us take over their whole house, Kelli Richter for being an awesome travel partner (and for supplying me with yummy Kakookies!), and to Vanderkitten VIP Molly Brewer for dedicated team support. The tour marked the send off for VK rider Korina Huizar, who is off the Europe to ride with the US National team. Good luck Korina!

Our host family hanging out with Lizzie and Gillian. Photo by Jono Coulter

Blogs from some Vanderkitten teammates:

Amy Charity: amymcharity.blogspot.com

Gillian Carleton: gilliancarleton.com

Kate Chilcott: katechilcott.blogspot.com

Korina Huizar: korinahuizar.wordpress.com

Liza Rachetto: www.lizacoaching.blogspot.com

Lizzie Williams: lizzie-williams.squarespace.com/blog-lizzie-williams

Miranda Griffiths: www.mirandagriffiths.com

Tiffany Pezzulo: www.tiffanypezzulo.blogspot.com

6-8 Jun 2014 Tour of Galena

In its fourth year and already one of the best races in the Midwest, the Tour of Galena continues to get better and better every year! This year race organizers xXx Racing stepped things up once again by adding mountain and sprint competitions to the three-day, four-stage omnium, as well as putting up equal prize money for the women’s field. Good work xXx! 

 

Plus so cool custom carbon fiber medals for the omnium podiums!

Despite all the awesomeness going on in the racing world, this year for me has thus far been my most challenging yet. Mental and physical struggles continue to wear away at my confidence on the bike and each step forward is also a half a step back – but that’s still moving forward! So my new goal is relentless optimism. 

Shaking off uncertainty about my ability to handle the challenging terrain (i.e. hills), I eventually decided that the only choice that made sense was to jump in head first and support this awesome tour.

Picturesque variable terrain of Galena. Photo by John Cline

Intricately sculpted over millions of years by the Mississippi River, Galena is a perfect place for a stage race. Read more about Galena in my post about last year’s tour. The tour began with Stage 1 on Friday afternoon – the stage that I expected to be for me undoubtedly the most testing stage of the tour. The 30 mi (48 km) circuit race included four times up a significant climb with a grueling two-part 15% section – definitely a challenge for anyone’s lungs. The previous two years I have won this race solo. Definitely not this year. First time up the climb felt absolutely awful. Talk about lead weights. Fortunately, I actually felt a bit better each lap – but not well enough to stay in contact with eventual winner Diana Peñuela (ISCorp/Columbia Specialized) who disappeared over the crest of the climb on lap 3. I chewed on my handlebars a bit and stuck with the chase group of four to win the sprint for second from Chicago up-and-comer Daphne Karagianis (Chicago Cuttin Crew).

Sprinting for second in the circuit race. Photo by Rick LaCour

The next morning, Stage 2 brought us a 6 mi (10 km) time trial. I had trouble finding rhythm on the brutal out-and-back course. But I suppose finding rhythm on a rolly course with a steep sweeping technical decent, two steep lung-busting climbs, and an uphill finish is challenging even for a time trial specialist! My time – over 90 s slower than last year – was almost a minute behind winner Diana and only enough for fourth. Daphne’s second place performance moved her in front of me in the omnium competition.

Ready to start the time trial. Photo by Rob Curtis

Saturday afternoon’s road race turned out to be the real crux of the weekend for me. A smidge over 100 km, the course featured multiple climbs and long exposed ridges. I felt miserable. The hills were like absolute mountains and I was struggling, start to finish. The race started out hot and muggy, with endless bugs, but about an hour in, rain began to hammer down and the temperatures dropped sharply. Already questioning the intelligence of my decision to be racing, I found a very dark place. Soaked through, shoes sloshing, chilled to the bone, rain pelting straight into my eyes, and struggling to breathe, I got dropped badly on lap 2. 

Gloomy conditions descended on the road race. Photo by John Cline

After a bit I decided that pulling out would be pretty soft and riding a full lap alone would be even more miserable than being in the bunch, so I found some motivation to chase back on. I think everyone was pretty cold by the final lap and the pace stayed reasonable enough for me to stick with the field for the first bunch finish in the Tour of Galena’s women’s road race – a stage in the past won solo (2011-2012) or from a small group (2013). Thankfully everyone stayed upright in the slick conditions. Somewhere I found motivation to sprint, finishing third behind Cady Chintis (LPV) and Daphne.

Back in the race, starting on the final lap, pretty darn cold right now. Photo by John  Cline

Shivering uncontrollably, my travel companion Kelli Richter (PSIMET) and I went straight back to the hotel, scalded our insides by chugging hot chocolate that was waaay too hot to drink, and did a bee line for the hot tub, desperate for warmth . Once we finally stopped shivering, the water slide was our next designation! First time I’ve seen I water slide at a hotel. Couldn’t pass that up! Definitely put a happy spin on a miserable afternoon.

The tour ended with a 50-min crit in downtown Galena on Sunday afternoon. The race was aggressive and animated with multiple primes keeping the racing lively, and mid-race omnium points up for grabs to add extra spark and potential jumbling in the overall standings. 

Sarah Szefi (PSIMET) leading through the final corner of the crit, me in third wheel. Photo by John Cline

On the final lap, I was able to power my way to the front for the crucial final turn, but I just didn’t have enough gas left in the tank (nor oxygen in my lungs!) to hold it to the line. 

Daphne (Chicago Cuttin Crew) blowing past me on the line to take the win in the crit. Photo by Kyle Kershasky

I settled for another second behind an on-fire Daphne, giving me third in the omnium behind Diana in first and Daphne second. My results for the weekend are definitely far better than how I felt!

Omnium podium: me, Diana (ISCorp/Columbia), Daphne (Chicago Cutting Crew)

Thank you so much to all the organizers, officials, and supporters who braved the terrible conditions on Saturday to support the riders. Congrats to xXx for putting another excellent tour!

Not so happy supporters in the feedzone grateful for the PSIMET tent! Photo by John Cline

31 May – 1 Jun 2014 Glencoe & Cobb Park

Hanging out with our awesome wheel sponsor PSIMET: Liza, Rob Curtis, Korina, and me.

Following a mixed bag of results in the Quad Cities, Liza joined me and Korina for a weekend of racing in Chicagoland. We started out with the Glencoe Grand Prix (GGP) on Saturday. GGP does an amazing job engaging the Glencoe community to raise money for the Glencoe Education Foundation. 

Very cool Glenoce Grand Prix Vanderkitten rider cards. Contact me if you want one!

As part of the GGP, we headed over on Friday to Glencoe Central Elementary School to talk with 5^th graders about cycling. I did this for the first time last year and find it one of the most rewarding parts of the weekend. These kids are switched on!

Visiting students at Glencoe Central Scholl.

Saturday morning brought us perfect weather, cool temps with clear skies. As part of the National Criterium Calendar (NCC), the race drew a star-studded field and top notch teams. I lined up with good position on the start line. 

Stacked front line at Glencoe Grand Prix. Photo by Jon Cline

On the gun, I got pinched out and immediately went backwards. The technical course at GGP means position is critical. Gaps began to form from lap one – and the being at the back meant a lot of extra work bridging gaps. Due to my poor start, I spent the first half the race fighting to get to the front – and getting very tired in the process. My lungs were definitely not handling the pace! 

Showing off my Colnago at Glencoe. Photo by Michael Kelber

Liza and Korina did an awesome job up front laying down attacks and making the race. With two laps to go, Pepper Palace started a lead out, keeping the pace high. I saw an opening on the left and took the chance to move in just behind the train, Korina on my wheel. We lost a bit of ground, getting pinched on corner 2. We would have to wait till corner 5 to move up. Then on corner 3, a rider slide out. I somehow snuck around, manoeuvring left in a narrow gap between fallen rider and curb, but poor Korina went directly into the haybale. 

Pepper Palace lining it up at the front. Photo by Elizabeth Rangel

The crash split the field with a group of about 20 racing on unhindered. The rest of the field was splintered, chasing in small groups. Liza was safely in the front 20. One lap to go. A horrible crash just before the final corner took out several of the race favorites, who went down hard. Liza made it through safely but lost position in the crash, finishing an admirable seventh.

Liza sprinting to seventh. Photo by Michael Kelber

Sunday we headed south to Kankakee for Cobb Park. Normally a small local race, the pairing with Glencoe meant that Cobb Park drew some quality international fields with over 100 riders in the men’s pro race! Vanderkitten started the race aggressively with successive attacks from Liza, me, and then Korina. 

Along the river at Cobb Park.

Within 15 min a break established with Liza, Kendall Ryan (TIBCO), Christy Keely (Pepper Palace), and Diana Peñuela (Columbia). Several riders made concerted efforts to bridge the gap, which kept me well occupied either neutralizing moves or trying to get across with one. The two remaining Pepper Palace riders worked well countering each other’s moves with successive attacks, pushing my already taxed lungs to the limit. In a photo finish, Liza pulled off an awesome second against top sprinters Kendall and Christy.

Cobb Park podium: Liza, Kendall, Christy, Diana

Thank you to the city of Glencoe, Jon Knous, Nikki Cyp, and the team at GGP, as well as the South Chicago Wheelmen for putting on excellent weekend on racing. We enjoyed amazing generosity from our incredible Glencoe host family, the Kelbers: Michael, Jenny, Jacob, Ava, Lyla, and Nola. We are grateful to Greg Bliss for a fabulous tour of the North Shore on Friday afternoon, John Cline for assistance with bike transport, Rob Curtis for amazing technical support, and my dad Eugene Kuhajek for providing transport.

Ice Cream with the Kelbers. Photo by Michael Kelber

To cap off the weekend I had the opportunity on Tuesday to head into the AMC Theater in Chicago to see the film Half the Road. Half the Road is a documentary by Kathryn Bertine about the inequality that women face in cycling. The film reveals the huge barriers that continue to limit the progress of society in general through inequality and oppression. Everyone needs to see this film - cycling enthusiast or not. The way forward is understanding the past. Half the Road is traveling around the US at the moment. Find out more at http://halftheroad.com/