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| Nicole, me, and Skylar with our Asheville host Andy McKenzie. |
Spring has arrived, and with it, the official start of racing for the ISCorp pb Smart Choice MRI Women’s Team. We kick things off tonight with the Sunny King Criterium in Anniston AL. Watch it live here: http://www.annistoncycling.com/videos/. To get our race legs in tune and escape the icy grips of winter, still strong upon the MidWest, five of us (Skylar, Yusse, Nicole, me, and team manager Dave), loaded up the team van and headed 12 hours south to Asheville NC for some warmer weather and good training before the National Criterium Calendar (NCC) opener Gasparilla, scheduled for 21 March in Tampa FL.
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| Home on the road: ISCorp pb Smart Choice MRI Women's Team van. |
The first few days in Asheville were wet and chilly -- and unseasonably warm in the MidWest -- the cold weather apparently having followed us south. But soon we had some beautiful warm days to tackle the picturesque rolling countryside of the Asheville area. We got in plenty of climbing, a real treat given the flat terrain of much of the MidWest. Plus, spring truly is breathtaking in the southeast.
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| Photo stop on the way up Mt. Pisgah. |
As we headed into the final week before the NCC launch, Gasparilla organizers announced the cancellation of the race. As one might imagine, the cancellation so close to the event was incredibly disappointing and disruptive to everyone involved. We chose to find the positive in the situation though. Enamored with the beauty and incredible riding of the area, not to mention our awesome Asheville host family the McKenzies, we rejoiced in the opportunity to spend an extra week exploring the roads around Asheville.
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| Stopping off for water at a curious little store on our beautiful ride around Lake Lure. |
The extended stay also allowed me a rare siting of a Brevard white squirrel -- three in fact! Although quite rare in the rest of the US, white squirrels are quite common in Brevard, a small city a bit southeast of Asheville. I didn’t know about white squirrels in the US, so the sightings were intriguing, the striking white fur in stark contrast against the brilliant blue sky of the day. Although white, these guys aren’t albino. They have a distinctive black cap and saddle and dark eyes. Apparently the whole population arose from two squirrels, released in the 1950s. Where the original squirrels came from is uncertain, but they’ve populated Brevard. Some have been spotted as far north as New York. Busy squirrels.
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| White squirrels of Brevard NC. |
Fortunately Sam, who had planned to meet us in Tampa, was able to change her travel plans and join us in Asheville for our second week there. Holly wasn't so lucky and wasn't able to join us. I think she had a fun time in Tampa sans race though! While in Asheville we had excellent visits with the local TREK dealer Liberty Bicycles and our headset manufacturer, Cane Creek.
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| Team visit to Liberty Bicycles. |
We enjoyed the opportunity to join Asheville riders on the weekly Saturday Bakery Ride and Tuesday Etowah Ride to make lots of new friends and help boost our fitness. On other days, figuring out where to ride was a breeze with expert guidance from Team NCCF/Specialized Racing rider and Asheville local Colton Brookshire who came out to ride with us every day. Thanks Colton!
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| Enjoying Asheville roads with Charlie McKenzie (black & orange jersey) and Colton Brookshire (red jersey). |
No doubt, two weeks hosting a cycling team can be quite trying. Our host Andy McKenzie and sons Charlie and Ben were endlessly welcoming and took it all in stride. We absolutely felt like part of the family and had some great times together. Come time to leave, we found it difficult to go. But racing calls. Off to Anniston AL for the 'new' start to the NCC series tonight with Sunny King. It's going to be cold, but this one is a go.
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| Cane Creek makes dreams into reality at their manufacturing facility in Fletcher NC. |
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