25-27 May 2013 Quad Cities Weekend

Quad Cities Criterium podium: me, Madeleine Pape, Mia Loquai. Photo by Cathy Frampton

The Memorial Day weekend brought variable weather and mixed results at the Quad Cities races on the Illinois/Iowa border. Heavy rains and thundershowers dominated the weekend, adding to the already budging banks of local rivers and creating dangerous flooding in the area. Amazingly, my races were mostly dry, with all but a few drops here and there, and the weekend ended with an exciting podium finish, sunny skies, and ice cream with cool friends.

Heavy rains have meant flooding and closed road along the Mississippi River this spring.

Racing kicked off on Saturday afternoon with Snake Alley in Burlington, Iowa. For those unfamiliar with Snake Alley, the ‘snake’ is 84 m long (about a block) and has 5 switchbacks. Designed by German immigrants to resemble vineyard paths in France and Germany, the road was constructed in 1894 and took 4 years to complete. Bricks were laid at an angle to allow horses better footing as they descended. Because it was common for riders to lose control of horses at the top of the steep gradient, Snake Alley became and remains today a one-way street, with all traffic heading downhill—except for one day each year when cyclists take on the uphill climb.

Climbing Snake Alley. Photo by Leah Sanda

This was me third year tackling the snake. Two years ago, sleep-deprived and jet-lagged from just having arrived in the US, I suffered through the race for thirteeth. Last year, I just missed the win by a fraction in a sprint to the line. This year, I was hoping to come back for the win, but that was not to be. I started the day with a painful abdomen, my GI system remaining at a heightened sensitivity post-surgery. I got off to a poor start, diminishing chances for a good result with the first time up the snake being absolutely critical. I worked my way through the field over several laps, but over the twelve-lap race never caught the two leaders who disappeared from view on the first lap. I found myself in a group riding for third, but feeling uncomfortable and with my head not quite in the race, I settled for seventh.



Elephant hanging out in the Zoo Garden, Weed Park.

I thought perhaps I’d make up the result with a good finish on Sunday at the Melon City Criterium in Weed Park, Muscatine, Iowa. My abdominal pain had lessened off a bit, but a mechanical problem took me out of the race on the first lap. That’s racing. So I moved my focus to a good performance at Monday’s race, the Quad Cities Criterium in Rock Island, Illinois.

Presentation of the colors during the National Anthem. Photo by Louis Breme

Started in the 1960’s, Quad Cities is one of the longest running athletic events in the country. The course is nestled just one block from the Mississippi River and features a flat, fast, hourglass-shaped course with ten corners in three-quarters of a mile. The exciting course and excellent race management make this race a real attraction on the US race calendar.

Riding past the flags on Memorial Day. Photo by Louis Breme
 

The last two-years racing Quad Cities, I put all my efforts towards protecting breakaway efforts by teammates—winner Stacy Mosora (ABD) in 2011 and PSIMET teammate Kelli Richter and eventual winner Jessi Prinner (ABD) in 2012. This year, with no teammates present and my spirits in need of a positive boost, I concentrated on getting a top finish. I had a bit of external pressure as well since I was a featured for the race with an awesome write-up in the local paper on Sunday featuring an excellent photo from the Fox River Omnium taken by Bill Draper: http://qctimes.com/sports/kuhajek-bitten-by-cycling-bug/article_ef665224-b32c-5f0d-b572-f1802bc62bbf.html

Stringing out the field early in the race. Photo by Louis Breme



With seven strong riders from the Wisconsin-based ISCorp team completely dominating the race—and me not sprinting so hot—I knew a good result was going to be a challenge. I saw an opportunity for a breakaway following the last prime of the race with four laps left to go. I escaped with Aussie ISCorp rider Madeleine Pape, who, I just discovered online, represented Australia in the 2008 summer Olympic Games in the 800 m run. Pretty cool! We worked well together to stave off the field. I pulled pretty hard the last half-lap to keep us clear of her ISCorp teammates, now chasing in earnest. Madeleine came around me in the sprint to take the win with me finishing with nothing left in my legs just behind in second. Given the situation, I was pretty stoked with that! ISCorp riders Mia Loquai and Holly Mathews outsprinted the rest of the field for third and fourth with special mention to kiwi Hayley Giddens (ISCorp) for doing some hard yards controlling the field on the front for her teammates the whole race.

Sprinting for the finish. Photo by Louis Breme

Thanks to awesome PSIMET riders Leah Sanda and Cathy Frampton for being cool travel companions and Bike Burlington, Melon City Bike Club, and Quad Cities Bicycle Club, especially Quad Cities race organized Donnie Miller, for putting on an excellent weekend of racing. Put it on your calendar for next year: http://www.memorialdayweekendbikeraces.com/



18-19 May 2013 PSIMET Fox River Omnium

 

After racing in St. Louis, Starla, Kate and I headed north to the northwest suburbs of Chicago for some training near my hometown of Crystal Lake.  On the weekend, we were joined by team captain Jenn Reither for the PSIMET Fox River Omnium. The race was a perfect opportunity to show support for two of our incredible sponsors, PSIMET custom wheels and ENZO’s Buttonhole chamois cream, embro, and chain lube. I am SO stoked to have these two awesome Chicagoland-based sponsors on board at Vanderkitten!

 

Me and Kelli Richter with Rob Curtis (PSIMET) on the start line at Fox River Grove.

 

The Omnium is a perfect pairing of two fabulous courses. Saturday the Elgin Cycling Classic covers a fast, rolling course with a fun technical slight downhill chicane, while Sunday the Fox River Grove Criterium, bearing the course description “a hill next to a ski jump”, encompasses a 450 m climb maxing out at 15% and a smooth, fast descent that meanders through a quiet residential area. PSIMET and ENZO’s have both been incredibly supportive of women’s racing, and it showed in the strong women’s fields in all six women’s races on offer for the weekend. Impressive was the number of masters women who raced both the 30+ and the open women’s races. Also noteworthy about the races was the bigger prize purse for the women’s open field relative to the men. Way to go PSIMET!

Women's Masters podium with Kelli Richter and Leah Sanda at Elgin Cycling Classic.

I tackled four races in the two days, winning both 30+ women’s races to earn the omnium jersey. The result didn’t come easily, however, with pressure from an in-form Kelli Richter (PSIMET) in all four races. It was awesome sharing the podium on Saturday with PSIMET teammies from last year, Kelli (2^nd) and Leah Sanda (3^rd). In the Open women’s races, I was joined by my Vanderkitten teammates where we took the opportunity to work on teamwork to make for an attack-filled and exciting race. Several riders, especially Sarah Rice (Spider Monkey), foiled any efforts for a breakaway, but in the sprint, Kate led out Starla to the line for a one-two finish. Watch footage of the race here.

 

Me, Kate, and Starla lining it up in the Open Women's race at Elgin.

 

Sunday, a fast start up the hill disintegrated the field. We launched Kate solo early on (which she didn’t particularly enjoy!) while Cady Chintis (LPV) showed some excellent climbing form to put in a valiant chase effort. With Kelli putting pressure on from behind, I put in an attack that saw me go solo for second while Starla and Jenn outsprinted Kelli to give Vanderkitten a one-two-three-four finish!

Kate on the attack on the hill at Fox River Grove.

Cady Chintis (LPV) chasing. 

Jenn, me, Kate, Starla and Kelli--Fox River Grove Podium.
 

Over the past three weekends of hard racing, I’m finding that I’m having to do a lot of relearning. As my fitness improves every time I get on the bike. I’m starting to be able to dig deeper and ask more of my cardiovascular system, which my intestines don’t particularly approve of. Intense efforts tend to induce a lot of GI distress, which means not much sleep after a hard race, but I’m learning that I need to eat earlier than usual before racing and that certain foods that were previously benign are best avoided when prepping to race. Importantly though, things are going in the right direction. Despite the challenges, I’m finding form, one pedal stroke at a time and getting better every day.

 

Climbing the hill at Fox River Grove.

Huge thank yous to Rob Curtis at PSIMET Wheels for the invitation to come race, to Karrie Ozyuk at Lucky Brake Cycles in Crystal Lake for hosting us for an fun evening at the shop, and to Leah & Scott Sanda and Wayne & Heidi Simon and of course my amazing parents Gene & Peggy Kuhajek for being excellent hosts. Next I head to the Quad Cities for more great racing in a perfect follow up to the Fox River Omnium with another perfect blend of flat and hills with multiple women’s races on offer each day.

In the leaders jersey, Masters womens race.

10-12 May 2013 Missouri Pro Cycling Series-Tour de Grove

 

After testing my fitness at Cat’s Hill, I stepped up my game a couple notches, heading east to race a challenging three-day weekend at the Missouri Pro Cycling Series. From NorCal I flew to Chicago to spend a few days with my parents in Crystal Lake before droving 5 hours south to St. Louis to join teammates Starla and Kate for a fun-filled weekend of racing in St. Louis.

St. Louis Gateway Arch at night.
 

As I approached the city I was greeted by the towering Gateway Arch, and an excellent opportunity for a bit of history. The arch was built as a monument to the westward expansion of the United States, particularly President Jefferson, his aides Livingston and Monroe, the explorers Lewis and Clark, and the hunters, trappers, frontiersmen and pioneers who contributed to the territorial expansion and development of the US. The idea was born in late 1933, but with the country entering into the Great Depression, years of debate, land acquisitions, and initial preparations, construction on the arch did not begin until 1963. Currently, the Gateway Arch is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the world with over four million visitors annually. At 630 feet (192 m), it is the tallest man-made monument in the United States

The field spread across the road under the lights in the Midtown GP. Photo by Dan Singer
 

With the Arch in the backdrop, the MOPro Series started with The Midtown Twilight Criterium on Friday evening, in the heart of the St. Louis entertainment district. This being my first night crit, I felt a bit tentative as racing kicked off under the dim light of street lamps. The 8-corner, figure-eight-shaped course was challenging in the long shadows; 20 minutes in, a rider hooked a handlebar on one of the barriers and several riders tumbled into a knot and bicycles and bodies. The crash caused a 20 minute delay while OPTUM rider Annie Swart was treated for injuries.
 

Damage in Midtown GP crash. Photo by Matt James (Copyright 2013)
 

Starla went down hard in the crash, badly bruising her hip. We struggled to keep warm in the evening chill as we awaited the restart. I rode conservatively, putting in a couple of chase efforts to test my legs but keeping my exertion in check. I felt pretty decent heading into the last few laps, but lost position with one to go. With the poor light, I didn’t feel comfortable pushing the corners and was content to roll-in midfield. Starla recovered well from her crash to finish 9^th with Kate just behind in 11^th.

Starla sprinting for points at the Tour de Grove. Photo by Matt James (Copyright 2013)
 

Saturday we headed to The Grove, one of the first residential subdivisions of the city, for the Tour de Grove. As an NCC event, the Tour de Grove attracted the largest field for the weekend with 57 top-notch riders. But a straight-forward course with long, wide-open straights, strong cross winds, and high stakes on the finish meant slow speeds in the corners with no team willing to take control. I put in a couple of attacks to help Starla grab some valuable NCC points, but the winds took a toll and the race pushed the limits of my fitness. I finished well out of the sprint with nothing left in my legs while Starla and Kate both got swamped in a messy finish to take a disappointing 18^th and 22^nd.
 

Lining up for the start at Dutchton. Photo by Matt James (Copyright 2013)

Sunday the racing moved to a very cool 6-corner course with a 150 m 5% climb to the start-finish in Dutchtown—or Deutschtown rather—a German settlement south of the city. Spent from the previous two days, I was able to do little more than observe the race from the back, my legs feeling strong but my body unwilling to go any harder. Four riders escaped the field early, working well together to finish in front of the bunch. The chase made for an exciting race, with Starla riding aggressively, making multiple efforts to bridge and then finally putting in a gutsy late attack only to get caught just on the line for 12^th. Kate, experiencing GI upset from something she ate the previous day, suffered through the race with a giant bloated belly that made for seriously uncomfortable riding but fortunately resolved the next day.

Dutchtown Crit. Photo by Dan Singer

 
Huge thanks to Mike Weiss, MO Pro Series race manager and the team at Big Shark for taking care of us with excellent accommodation, and for putting on a great weekend of racing. Also to Chris Kreidle from Smart Stop-Mt Khakis for looking after our bikes.

 

Don’t forget, there’s still a few days left to get your company’s name on Vanderkitten’s new summer jerseys. Would your company or brand benefit from having a logo on the jersey of the most popular women’s cycling team in the world? Don’t delay, these babies are going to print soon. Info here and mail info@vanderkittenracing to find out more.

California Dreaming – Spring training in NorCal

 

Since my last update six weeks ago, I’ve been hanging out in the San Francisco Bay area in northern California. Despite starting the year with great form, my health took a dive due to complications following surgery in January. So, I redirected my training back to building base fitness, doing lots of long slow distance rides (which are great for exploring—ENZO’s essential!). Although I’ve been focused mostly on recovery, I tackled two races recently: the season’s first National Race Calendar race, Redlands Bicycle Classic in southern California near LA, and an iconic Bay Area race, Cat’s Hill in Los Gatos. Both races were exceptional for Vanderkitten with some exciting and impressive teamwork and results.

Lining up. View from the back at Redlands

Although Redlands seems like ages ago now, it was such a pivotal race for VK, I’d better tell you about it! A four day, four stage tour, Redlands is part of the annual National Racing Calendar (NRC), the premier season-long domestic road cycling series held in the US. The NRC features the nation’s top pro road race events. In 2010, NRC series was won by none other than kiwi superstar Cath Cheatley.

Davide Cerutti, Elle, Liza, Starla, Kate, Amy, Rhae, me, and Jono at Redlands.

Notable in this year’s Redlands Classic was the opening stage, a high-altitude time trial in the city of Big Bear, known in cycling circles as twice the host of a grueling hilltop finish to a stage of the men’s Tour of California. The rolling 7.8 mile/12.5 km TT course followed Big Bear Lake’s north shore offering stunning views of the surrounding snow-capped San Bernardino Mountains reflected in the lake’s crystal blue waters. At 6,800 ft/ 2070 m the course held a challenge beyond the normal tribulations of time trialing -- altitude.

Big Bear Lake and the San Bernardino Mountains

The double hit was a bit much for my recovering body and I suffered for several days from the effort. Canadian Rhae Shaw got the team off to an excellent start, posting the third fastest time of the stage. Through a great show of teamwork, and true grit on Rhae’s part, we were able to hold position through the next three stages to finish with Rhae on the podium, Vanderkitten’s very first NRC GC podium!

Vanderkitten Rhae Shaw third GC at Redlands

For me the timing of Redlands was a bit early in my recovery for such a high-level stage race. My presence at the tour was focused on building character (been doing lots of that lately!) and doing reconnaissance on the technical stages to be better prepared for next year’s race. For those of you who know of the ‘honor’, Lanterne Rouge was my awesome result for my efforts. My first!

Lining up for the start of Redlands Stage 3

Four weeks on and lots more training in my legs, pain related to the surgery nearly gone, I started back with what I would consider my first ‘real’ race of the year—in terms of my ability to actually race—with Cat’s Hill. Known as one of the toughest races in NorCal, Cat’s Hill features a 1-mile/1.6-km course with a 400 ft/120 m long climb. No big deal, right? Did I mention the gradient  – 23%! Make that a wall. Twenty four times around this circuit was perhaps not the most gentle of reintroductions to racing. Nonetheless, I lined up alongside teammates Kate Chilcott and Ruth Winder to help defend Vanderkitten Cat’s Hill title.

Reflections on the start line, made possible by Smith Optics

In temps nearing 90 F/32 C, Vanderkitten was active during the race with me and Ruth putting in early attacks that saw Ruth go solo for several laps. The wind was too much to survive long alone, however, and the bunch reeled her in. The intensity was a bit ambitious for my fitness level with my lungs burning on the first lap. How did I feel racing? Nauseous. I was overcome with the wonderful sensation within 15 min of racing. I persisted despite better judgement and put in an attack up the hill with four laps remaining. Fiona Strouts (Folsom Bike/Cervelo) joined me, and we gained a clear gap on the field.

Climbing Cat's Hill -- all 23%!

My fitness not quite up to the effort, I wasn’t able to hold her wheel and began to tail off while Fiona charged on solo. With two laps to go Kate attacked to break clear of the field along with Mary Maroon (SBRacing). I slowed to wait for Kate who reached me at the top of the hill on the penultimate lap. I used what energy I had left to take Kate over the top and through the headwind section of the course. All but blown, I peeled off to leave her with the final chase. Half a lap remaining, Kate hunted down and passed Fiona and then attacked Mary to take a spectacular win for VK! Pushing to the line with not much remaining, I got caught by a group of five chasers in the final 100 m to finish 8^th with Ruth taking 5^th. Awesome result for VK! And even more awesome is my gradually improving form!

Kate powering to the win at Cat's Hill

Huge thanks to Katheryn and James Mattis and Cooper for being wonderful hosts and friends during my stay in NorCal. Next up Kate and I will be joined by teammate Starla Teddergreen for three days of crits at the MoPro Tour de Grove in St. Louis Missouri 10-12 May.

Ruth, Kate, me, and Jono after Cat's Hill

But we’re only just getting started! Vanderkitten has a new summer jersey in the works, with a debut planned soon. We have space on the jersey for interested sponsors! Would your company or brand benefit from having a logo on the jersey of the most popular women’s cycling team in the world? Email info@vanderkittenracing to find out more. Or if sponsorship’s not for you but you’d like to support the team with a donation, check out http://www.vanderkittenracing.com/#!fundraising/c1o15 to make a contribution of a set amount, or send a note to info@vanderkittenracing to donate an amount of your choice.