A Return to Local Racing

Well this weekend was my first time racing in Indiana since the two races I did last season (not counting collegiate). It brought me back to the very first race I ever did three seasons ago where I got lapped by the breakaway, not once but three times at Eagle Creek. Fun times.

A break between Tulsa and the local races had led to a 20 hour week on the bike, and with summer classes being out and house sitting away from my roommates I had a little too much time to my own thoughts. This led to coming into this past week full of doubts, little self lies, as well as being physically exhausted from a big training block. It hit the point that on Tuesday I ended up taking an unplanned day off, struggling mentally and knowing that no power in the universe was going to get me on the bike. The week shaped up though and Thursday night I was up at the velodrome getting smashed by a couple guys who are Cat 2 on the road. Made the finals of the Win and In, but that was one of my few results of note. However, although it may not have been a successful night it proved to be the push I needed to clear my head and go into the weekend confidently as well as remember why I love cycling so much.

I’m currently taking care of a dog (Luxa) and cat (Peep). They are great animals but have an affinity for waking me up in the middle of the night, particularly Peep who seems to enjoy laying on my face. This, combined with the usual pre-race jitters led to a poor nights sleep Friday night. Combined with having to get up early to drive to South Bend I was not exactly in a great mood and the start list was making me nervous with some Cat 1/2 racers who I really look up to.

Katie and Rose from Melanzana (Little 500) in the Women's 4 field!

Race the Bend was on a course similar to the Notre Dame collegiate race as far as road quality (poor), and fairly wide open other than the second turn before the finishing straight where it went from four lanes wide to one (yikes!). I went for an early prime but was nabbed at the line by Sierra who I believe took every prime (I will never bet against her). Although I did a little work at the front I was conscious of the strength of the other riders in the pack and tried to save my matches. The last two turns into the finishing straight were making nervous and I was not looking forward to the idea of going through them with a group, knowing I would have to overcomes nerves as well as try and position myself well. With three to go and the pack still together I decided to test my luck, sprinting off the front to try and avoid a bunch sprint. I managed to hold it for the final laps, taking the win.

First time I've ever actually gotten a podium photo, I always seem to forget my phone after the fact.

I was really impressed with the level of support at the crit. For a local race Spinzone really did well with payouts for both men AND women, as well as providing perks that you don’t usually see at this level like a warm up tent, a women’s support area as well as gift bags for some of the female riders courtesy of 574 cycling. Huge thanks to the women who set that up, and I think that was part of why it was a larger field than in years past. People always ask what it will take to get more women racing and events like this are key.

Sunday was a shorter drive with a jump to Ohio for Tour d’Burg for the 1/2/3 race. It was a different situation in that most everyone had a teammate or two, with Secret, Riley as well as a few other programs showing up strong. A twisty course, featuring a cobble section, a funky s curve as well as seven actual turns, it became clear that nothing was going to get away although that didn’t stop several teams from trying. I went for an early cash prime, taking it before settling back into the front of the pack. This would prove to be a blessing as we came around for the final lap and a large wreck happened towards the front middle. Barely edging it out I tried to follow the Riley train but lost the wheel, coming in for 4^th.

Overall I’m very happy with the weekend, it was good to see some friends from Purdue, Notre Dame and Lindenwood, as well as see where I am on the local racing scene after two years of getting dropped and pummeled into a pulp. Next week I will be doing two of the Ohio races and I look forward to being in a consistent rhythm again.

Glencoe and Tulsa Tough

Well, it has been a few weekends. After the craziness that was the Memorial Day races in Iowa I headed back home and then to Chicago for the Glencoe Grand Prix. It would be my first time racing with teammates in a very long time and with Ashton of the Scholar’s Inn women having just achieved a three upgrade we were looking at a strong group of four in the race.

One thing I truly liked about the Glencoe course was staging. They set you up according to your race number and your race number was given in order of your USAC ranking. At the time I was ranked 4^th in the country and so had the lovely pleasure of wearing number two for the race, and the wonderful starting position that came with that. It was one of the larger fields I have been in for a 3/4 race and so it was nice to start at the front, a position which I easily maintained and was glad to see my teammate Emma join me at. About four laps in I had just started to attack off the front and gapped the field when the red paddle went out and the race was neutralized, then stopped. We were held at the start/finish for roughly twenty minutes due to a wreck on the backstretch.

We were started again with four laps to go and so about half way through the lap I went again on the incline. At this point the field was stretched and snapped, with me a few bike lengths off the front, a small group of four riders behind that and then the field. As we came around to the finish line though, they again stopped us due to a wreck in the back of the pack. In the end, the race went unfinished with twenty minutes of racing for an hour of time spent. However, I did get to stay and watch a good friend of mine, Beth, race and the two of us cheered on the guys as they dealt with mother nature through the Pro/1 race while she tried to convince me that track racing is the best thing ever. 

Beth at the start of the Pro/1/2 Race. 

The following Thursday was spent at the Velodrome, with a Chariot Race, Elimination Race and a final Points Race for the evening. I was murdered in the Chariot Race, pulled fairly early in the Elimination Race, but for the Points Race after taking the first points sprint pulled away for the remaining five laps, finishing about a half lap ahead of the field.

Neutral lap of the points race. Photo Credit Chris West.

Up next was Tulsa Tough, where my teammate Emma and I would be contesting the 3/4 race with 60+ riders both Saturday and Sunday. It would be the biggest race she had ever done and one of the larger ones for me. After the stupidity that was Glencoe I was looking for a few good finishes.

Tulsa Tough has to be one of the coolest venues I have raced at. The crowds were awesome, the races were well organized and the courses were amazing. Saturday’s course featured a wide open, six corner, L shaped course. I managed to get to the front easily and stay on the front for the entirety of the race. Stealing someone else's lead-out I was able to pull out of the field for the Saris crowd prime, and though I attempted to get away on the last lap ended up sprinting it out for 5^th.

Sunday’s course featured the infamous “Crybaby Hill” and after being in the sun all day Saturday both Emma and I were feeling a bit off and dehydrated. Although you could do it in your big ring by the end of the race I found myself needing to slip into smaller gears and spin up the climb. Both Emma and I stayed with the main pack and I again attempted to go for a prime, however I pulled a woman with me who then countered the attack. My legs were not there and I had to fall back to the pack where as she would stay away for the rest of the race and take the win. On the last time up the climb I was not geared right and did not have the pop I needed. Losing a few places I would spend the remainder of the last lap fighting to get back up to the front, again taking 5^th with Emma coming in with the pack as well for 12th.    

The crybaby hill insanity. Photo Credit: Emma Caughlin

Overall my impression of Tulsa Tough was wonderful, there were amazing levels of support, including ice cold water EVERYWHERE, neutral support, a Cycleops warm up zone (which Emma and I appreciated) as well as the insanity of Crybaby Hill (I felt like I was riding through a giant block party, and it only got more insane as the day went on). Although I was a bit disappointed with finishing off the podium both days, it was fun to do another set of big races and I look forward to returning next year. I really owe so much to Scholar's Inn Bakehouse for making it possible for me to travel to some of these amazing races, as well as a huge thanks to Ryan Shean for driving the entire way to Tulsa and most of the way back!

Emma in the Cycleops warm-up zone. 

Quad Cities and Murphy's Law

Something I have learned from this past weekend is that oftentimes, everything that can go wrong will go wrong, when it rains it pours, etc. Pretty much every cliche you can think of I have heard at this point. I woke up Sunday morning feeling battle weary and mentally drained from two days of racing in the rain. We got to the Crit course and walked it, noting the bricks in almost every single one of the eight turns on the course. As the morning started every single race leading up to mine had a crash, especially since the course was still drying out from the rain the night before.

As we started to line up there was a woman who I had noted in the races earlier this weekend as not being completely comfortable in the pack, a point that was further proved as she caused a wreck at the start line while people were lining up. Unfortunately this would not be the last crash she was involved in.

As the race started I was feeling pretty comfortable, staying in the pack easily, though without the hills to separate things out it was a much sketchier pack than I had seen all weekend with people grabbing brakes in almost every single turn. With about eight laps to go that same woman grabbed a fistful of brakes, her back wheel sliding out as she went down. I was able to dodge her but ended up going up a curb into a thorn bush on the sidewalk (I am still digging thorns out of my arms and legs). As Sarah (Lindenwood) said, she glanced over her shoulder and just saw the bushes moving, never a good sign. Rushing to try and get back to the wheel pit I made it as the pack came around for their 7th lap to go, the end of the free laps. Attempting to chase back on for the second time this weekend I went for about two more laps before my back tire went flat. End of race. Taking stock of my bike afterward showed a bent rear derailleur as well as frayed shifting cables. Unable to fully repair it we were able to get it to the point that I could shift between two gears in my big ring, it was going to be a rough second race.

IScorp was once again heavily represented in the Pro/1/2/3 race but I had my marching orders to sit in and not do work. Although I followed this rather carefully I still found myself constantly battling to stay towards the front whenever the pace slowed and the pack widened, expending more energy than I would have liked. About 15 laps in, back tire goes flat again (and yes we finally did find the minuscule tear in the tire... not sure when it happened though) but finally I got a free lap and was back in the pack without any chasing. With two laps to go though, a lady attempted a flyer off the front into a turn and somehow managed to take herself out by clipping a pedal. The pack split around her and I managed to dodge her bike as it slid towards me but at this point I shut down. Already exhausted and in the red I punched a one-way ticket to being mentally done. I rolled in with the back of the pack, just glad that I had made it through the weekend in one piece.

Looking back at the entire weekend I learned a lot of lessons, especially working on my patience and movements within the pack. It was some of the toughest racing I have done and provided some valuable lessons about racing with the elite level riders as well as some personal victories. My results were not what I had hoped, especially in the 2/3 races, but I also cannot discount my win on Saturday and I know it is still early in the summer racing season.

Next weekend is the Glencoe Grand Prix, where I will be racing with teammates which will be a nice change of pace. The following weekend I am hoping to head out for Tulsa Tough before submitting a Category 2 upgrade. My goals for the rest of the summer are really just to try some of the bigger regional races and keep getting the experience as well as the training that comes with getting beaten into a pulp by some pretty awesome women.

Snake Alley and Melon City Criteriums

It is interesting how rare it is for everything to come together perfectly right before a race, and even during a race. Weather, overtraining, mechanicals, injuries and illnesses, all these things can affect your race even before you get on the bike. Fortunately for me all dials were set for the first race of the weekend, Snake Alley.

The past two weeks had seen me finally kick the lingering cough from being sick, I had gotten some good interval training in, and had a much needed confidence boost from a Wednesday Worlds training session. Friday night dad and I went to climb Snake Alley a few times, especially focusing on doing it all in the saddle due to the forecasted wet conditions. I was ready, felt good and everything was coming together.

We woke up to rain, the kind that soaks you to the core and where the dampness seems to pervade everything. The course was slippery and with almost half of it being downhill sweeping turns bike control was going to be precarious as well as the uphill on the cobbles of Snake Alley. Entered into the 2/3 race I knew I had a shot at doing well and the plan was to mark the pack up and attack on the last time up the hill if I was feeling good.

The first time up the hill I was not geared properly and struggled to shift down quickly while moving up the climb, especially with the need to stay seated on the slippery cobbles. Although I had started in the front I quickly found myself in the back of the pack. I managed to move up a little through the rest of the course but truly found my momentum the second time up the hill, moving up to the second wheel. As we came around the start/finish I moved to the front and as the pack hit the little rise before Snake Alley I rolled up, glancing over my shoulder and realizing that no one was there. Seeing an opportunity I pushed it up Snake Alley, my back wheel fishtailing at one point due to a stupid move out of the saddle, leaving a nice bruise as a reminder not to try that again.

The pack the second time up snake alley.

I crested the hill with about 10 seconds on the leader. With no one to slow me down I was able to take better lines through the turns and increased my lead on the technical portion. The next three times up the hill the gap slowly increased to roughly 45 seconds as I got into a comfortable rhythm on the hill. In the end I took the win, my first of the season.

I still will never understand what it is with cyclists and bricks. 

The next day at Melon City I made the decision to enter not only the 2/3 race but also the Pro/1/2/3, knowing the latter would provide some good training against some pretty awesome ladies. The 2/3 race started in the pouring rain, with thunder and lightning in the area. I was feeling good and the lead pack quickly dropped to about seven women. The speed bump and the longer uphill were proving a challenge and were ultimately the reason for the selection that occurred.

About four laps in I came around the first turn and my tire went flat. With no free laps I cut the course and quickly changed it out, chasing the pack as the very last rider on the course. Ultimately I was caught but with two to go we came in sight of a group of seven riders up the road, and two other women in the field had already been lapped. With the pack going slower I leapfrogged ahead, passing the group, fighting my way back to a 9^th place finish.

The Pro/1/2/3 race was a hard pill to swallow. I made some moves that I had no business trying, lacking the patience to sit in the pack and do no work. I hung with the field for the finish, rolling in 16^th but I have to start being better about the matches I burn, especially with no teammates. More on the disaster that was Quad Cities later.

Velodrome and Coaching

The past few weeks and weekends have been a small break from racing before summer racing kicks into full gear, as well as providing some much needed recovery. I went into the doctor’s last week due to a lingering cough from the bronchitis in my lungs, and that seems to be coming around though my heart rate still doesn’t quite match my power output.

Off the bike I wrapped up with one job and started at a new one (as well as continuing to work at the two others), started a new summer class, celebrated my birthday and started dog sitting an amazing puppy named Luxa.

On the bike I have been using the break the past few weeks to become acquainted with the Major Taylor Velodrome. My freshman year on Wing It, Tom S. suggested I try track racing, but things never seemed to work out. However with dog sitting this summer I may not be able to travel as much for racing so the velodrome seemed like a good compromise so the Saturday after nationals I headed up for Track 101.

I truly had a blast, for me it was much more fun than going in circles on the Little 500 track, and it has been a nice break from the Bloomington cycling community (as much as I love it). So far I have taken a few of the Beyond Track 101 classes as well as participating in the training sessions on the track. Hopefully I can upgrade by the end of the summer and get pummeled into a pulp by the elite riders in the area.

My first track race was this past Thursday and I won my first two races (granted, it was the entry level group). That aside it was very low pressure and a very controlled, constructive environment something that provided a mental break from the way road racing has become. My teammate Emma is up in Indy and racing Thursday nights as well so it also provides a chance to catch up and talk about upcoming road races that are on our team schedules. Long-term I think it will help with the mental side of cycling as far as the cat and mouse and strategy portions, something I need help with. Shorterm however, it is providing some fun and a change of scene as well as a good reason to spend time in Indy, visit friends and go to the Whole Foods up there.

This past weekend has also been a bit outside of my normal training. I have been working as part of the coaching and ride leadership for a team and camp in from Ann Arbor, Michigan. It has provided a unique opportunity to put my coaching license to work doing something that I already do on a regular basis with the women on my Little 500 team, and get paid doing it. Overall it has been quite the experience working with everyone from competitive athletes to juniors just getting started as well as folks who just wanted to experience Bloomington riding.

The eclectic mix of people has made for some interesting situations as well as this constant feeling that I was herding cats, however I learned a lot, even from the riders who were just starting out. Coming from Michigan many were nervous about the hills, something that at first confused the crap out of me. However the more I thought about it the more I realized that they were going through the same thing I went through when I was in Tennessee and Utah and dealing with the mountains for the first time. For someone from Michigan, Firehouse is a mountain. Going downhill and hitting speeds over 40 miles an hour can be terrifying for someone who rarely goes downhill for more than 30 seconds, and never at speeds quite that high.

Anyways, it’s been a nice few weekends off but I am anxious to get back to racing my bike. Next up on my race schedule is the Snake Alley/ Melon City/ Quad Cities weekend, followed by Glencoe.

Collegiate Nationals: Road Race and Wrap-up

Sunday morning rolled around, bringing with it 20 mph winds and wind advisories for 50 mph wind gusts. The course involved going around a small lake a couple times before heading out for a long pass through Ogden canyon and then the four mile climb at the end of the race. Fortunately in the valley area the wind was not too bad, lending to a flat, relatively easy 40 miles to start the race.

The road race was the even I had hoped to do well in coming into the weekend, but as I woke up the morning before I could tell it was going to be a rough day. My body was clearly still stressed from the day before and with the altitude my lungs seemed to be getting worse, not better. With Melissa injured I warmed up before taking my place in the callups, chatting with a few women from Lindenwood at the start.

Starting from the front of the pack was a major stress relief for me, and I instantly was able to find a group of MWCCC women as well as a few nice wheels. Within a mile or two I had found Kaitie (Marian) and settled onto her wheel for almost the entire first 20 miles or so. I knew she wasn't going to be doing any work but would be staying towards the front and so if I kept on her wheel I would be in generally good position. To my surprise, this worked rather well.

There were several minor attacks, but none that the pack deemed dangerous with mostly girls going solo off the front but never out of sight. Towards the middle of our second lap around there had been a rider from Florida off the pack for awhile. The pack had huddled to the right of the road and I saw an opportunity to stretch my legs a little, swinging left from the back of the pack and making a move up the far end. Once separated I looked back to find a rider from Lindenwood and one from Marian with me, no surprises there. I stayed with them a few minutes, working our way to the rider from Florida.

Decision time. I made the mistake of confusing the rider from Marian, and thinking it was someone else rather than Jackie Kurth, and the rider from Lindenwood was not someone I expected them to be working for. I had been in situations like this during the regular season where a rider from each of these teams would follow an attack just to bring it in and I suspected that Coryn and Kaitie would not let this go the entire race. This was not the winning move, and I knew that.

So I sat up.

In retrospect I probably should have stayed with that small group, especially given my mistake in who the riders were. It would have brought some attention to IU and I would have been stronger for it, but unfortunately the knowledge that there was still a lot of race to go weighed on me and I returned to the shelter of the pack, this may be my one regret from the weekend.

We came into the first feed zone and I missed my first bottle which had mix in it, I would have only water and some of the food in my back pocket the remainder of the race, something that may have factored into how dead I felt at the end. Ivy, from Marian, had picked up a neutral bottle and graciously gave that to me.

As the pack swung off the short loop it was a mad dash to be on the front going into the canyon which was going to be a tricky descent due to construction and sketchy roads. I found myself in the right place, surrounded by riders from Lindenwood, Wisconsin, Lindsey Wilson and Marian. Always nice to have familiar wheels in situations like that.

As we came into Ogden I started to notice the wind and we began to hit the rollers leading into the mountains. As we came into the final climb I began to fall off, unable to breath and my legs not willing to move any faster. The minute I was off the wind struck and I could tell that it was going to be a long climb.

Frustrating doesn't even begin to describe my experience going up the mountain. Having ridden it before I felt comfortable with it, perhaps even confident. However, I was not prepared for the 30mph headwind up the entire set and my lungs were giving out on me, the elevation and coughing proving a bit too much. I summited alone and rode the remaining 10k mostly by myself, rolling in for 55th in the field.

That evening saw me in the medical tent not just because one of our riders had gone down, but because my coughing was so bad I had trouble breathing after the race. A trip to the doctor's and the hospital confirmed that I had acute bronchitis and would be spending the next few days off the bike. Whoops.

Looking back at the race there were a few decisions I made that having hind sight I probably would have done differently. However, I have no regrets about my nationals experience. I have one more collegiate season ahead of me and I very much intend to make it count. Luke, Paul, John and I will all be returning for next year's season and this experience has taught us a lot in terms of communication, racing, and general team organization. As a team we finished 23rd out of 60 in the omnium, something that will help with call-ups for next year. I truly hope we can bring full, cohesive men's and women's squads out to Virginia.

This season I had the privilege of representing IU both in conference and at nationals, as well as at team leader's meetings on the conference and national levels. I really look forward to taking comments and advice from other team leaders and coaches and applying it to the IU team next year. With as amazing as the Bloomington bicycling scene is, there is no reason why we can't have a cohesive program that stands on its own year to year.

Next on deck for me is summer racing, as well as stepping into some racing on the velodrome. However, that being said this past weekend was a little taste of something amazing, and I have high expectations for myself next collegiate season.

Collegiate Nationals: Criterium

Saturday was my first day of racing in Utah and on deck was a 60 minute, eight corner criterium with about 70 other women. Prior to this my largest race was 35 women, and to say I was nervous would be an understatement. Like I told a friend beforehand, this was my first rodeo.

Melissa and I got to the race site roughly two hours before our start. We were able to get in a few laps of the course and at the time I noticed a fairly large pothole on the small climb coming out of the finishing straight, as well as some major wind. Other than that the course seemed fairly wide open with nothing that made me terribly nervous.

A phone call with the coach confirmed that the race was going to be a crap-shoot. I had not done any hard riding or training in over a week and we really did not know how my legs were going to feel, let alone my lungs. My goal was to find a friendly wheel (preferably Marian or Lindenwood) stick too it, and HIDE.

Warm ups went well, but even before the race started I was having a hard time catching my breath and there was a lot of coughing. Melissa and I had agreed that she would take the better call-up in the Crit and I in the road race and so my start put me towards the back which was a bit rough. As we started I found myself fighting tooth and nail to get up to the front and having very little success doing so. I am 99% sure there was a small wreck in the first turn out of the start a few laps in, but no one else seems to remember it, so I may be crazy.

The big moment came a little less than halfway through. A rider in attempting to avoid that massive pothole moved abruptly, knocking into Mikayla from Lindsey Wilson. Mikayla stayed upright but it set of a chain reaction in the middle of the pack. I had been following a train of Coryn and Lindenwood up the right hand side and saw the wreck happen to my left. Initially I was safe but the Lindenwood rider went down in front of me. I ramped her wheel, knocking my chain off, but grace of god kept it upright. I was able to shift back on quickly enough that I remained with the pack, which at this point had been cut in half by the wreck.

As we moved through that lap I looked around the pack for Melissa, only to find that I was alone. Teammates began calling for their riders, and I heard one of the Marian coaches yelling "Jackie is out". Never a good thing to hear. As we came around to the start/finish I could see Melissa walking towards neutral wheel support and was glad to see she was moving. Riders came back in and soon enough Melissa was back in the pack.

At this point I had managed to work my way up to the front of the race, sitting comfortable around Lindenwood and Marian, but a few laps later found myself middle back again. Alarm bells going off I saw a line up the side and took it as we came into the start line. That launched me to the front, and I quickly found myself pulling away from the field just a points prime was called. Whoops.

Screen shot of my attack that my dad found. 

I was able to hold it for about a half lap but with 70 girls coming up behind me there was just no way to sustain it. Back in the pack I stayed in the front until about 5 to go at which point I quickly found myself moving backwards in the pack, my legs cashed out. I tried to stay close to Melissa and move up in the last five laps but I made absolutely no progress. Rolled in with the main field in 33rd, with Melissa taking 29th.

What was cool after the fact was a few women from the MWCCC telling me good job. I may not have felt it was a very good finish but it was kind of them to say, and good to hear that someone had noticed my feeble attack. I really think our conference has some of the best women in it as far as development of the sport is concerned.

Our men had a rough go of it with Turner getting pulled. Paul was in three wrecks in the crit, and although he had perfect positioning going into the last lap he was in a wreck on that first turn that took him out of the race, John rolling in with the main field. We would later find that Melissa was injured enough that she would not be contesting the road race.

That night was the banquet with the announcement that nationals the next year would be held in Richmond, Virginia on the same course as the 2015 Worlds. How legit is that?!? Huge shout out to Lindsey Wilson for adopting me for the evening, none of my teammates besides myself attended the banquet and it was kind of them to take me in. Fun group!