Talk about ILLEGAL bike racing...

I thought this was the team time trial?

KSR Mayhem!

KSR Stage 1 Circuit. 53 miles, 3 laps. 6 miles into the race I was victim to a crash. Luckily I was not hurt, but I could not continue on my bike, due to the fact that when I mounted it again, the seat slammed completely down and was parallel with my seat-post. It was terrible! Also, my shoe buckle was gone and my shifter twisted. By the time the SRAM car was able to help me, the field was long gone. One other rider was fixing her wheel and we decided to just pedal easy together and finish. We wanted to save our legs for the next two days. We took turns pulling at a solid tempo pace. Before the 3rd lap to go, we picked up another rider who had never made it back on to the pack. At this point we were 20 minutes down from the group, so we just all wanted to stay happy and finish. Ended up 30 minutes behind the pack at 2:48. Completely out of GC contention but we all tried to stay positive and look forward to the next two days. Amy and Laura had a very strong finishes, placing 8th and 12th in the field sprint. KSR Stage 2 Time Trial 10.6 miles. It was very hot out. I used my water bottle mainly for my body! Luckily not a mass start, so I got to finish this one. I used men's elite team rider, Ben Carbonetti's, wheels from his road bike, that were over 300g lighter than my wheels and more aero. It helped some, considering that all the women I saw that placed in front of me had TT bikes and or really nice set ups for their bikes! I placed 23rd out of 64 starters. Laura placed 38th and Amy placed 47th. KSR Stage 3 RR 60 miles. I was unfortunately victim to another crash, completely ruining my spirit for the day and the entire weekend. What bad luck. It was only 20 miles in after the long decent, on rough pavement, before the sprint and first QOM climb. Juvederm-Specialized had been making very aggressive attacks and were violating the yellow line rule. One swerved on the pavement right in front of me, along with another rider in blue, causing me to rub on her back wheel and go down hard. I was able to get up, but my tire was flat...got Tom in the SRAM car to give me a new wheel, but as I started to ride away, I looked down to see my handlebars also turned 45 degrees. I waited for a few minutes, but he was busy helping a woman who had really hurt herself, so I rode back down to the car. I was going to toss my bike into the back of the car and call it quits at this point. Tom ended up just giving me another bike, but it was a 52 cm men's. He changed out the pedals and off I went, but again I had to stop and have him slam the seat all the way forward, and the reach was still way too long. What an uncomfortable 40 miles that was on the bike. I met up with a few other riders and worked a pace line. We were able to pass about 10 women, which was impressive. Only 3 of them were involved in the crash, but they did not have any mechanicals, so did not loose the 10 minutes+ of time like some of us had. The bike was much lighter than my bike by a long shot, but it did not have compact cranks so that killed me on the final climb, I could not turn over at a higher cadence like I am use to. Oh well, I at least stuck with it and was proud to finish. Maybe next year I won't have such bad luck and get to complete the race as a GC contender. Amy got stuck behind the crash and had to time trial it back on to the pack solo. She worked so hard that by the time she got to the final climb her legs blew up. Laura was able to avoid the crash, but saw it all go down. She was thankful not to get stuck in the mess and did NorEast proud finishing 10th out of 57 finishers. Technically there ended up being 49, due to the fact that all but one rider from Juvederm was disqualified from the days race, meaning they were taken out of GC results entirely. Karma. Laura ended up 13th GC, taking the last payout placement, way to go!!!!

Killington Mountain Stage Race 5/28-30

Headed to Killington VT Friday through Monday for 3 days of hard racing. Saturday is a 53 mile Circuit Race, Sunday is an 11 mile Time Trial Race, and Monday is a 66 mile Road Race. Getting the body and mind ready this week!

http://www.killingtonstagerace.com

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

/

Bikes Make LIFE BETTER!!!

"If there's one thing we all know as riders it's this: bikes make life better. Bikes keep us healthy and happy, and fill our lives with adventure and excitement.

In honor of National Bike Month, we created a short film that celebrates what we all love: bikes. Our video shows not only the ways that bikes transform the lives of people who ride them, but also how they help change and beautify the communities we call home.

Be one of the first to check it out and share it with your friends. Don't forget to ask them to take the peopleforbikes.org pledge. Every name gets us closer to more bike lanes, paths and trails - a better world for all who ride.

Thanks for your continued support of peopleforbikes.org. We hope you enjoy the video."

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO!

Weeping Willow XC 5/22/11

Well, I woke up to a chilly morning, and it stayed that way in Ipswich Massachusetts for the EFTA Weeping Willow XC race. I had raced the day before on the road at Lake Sunapee, where our NorEast women's team placed 1,2,3 to clean up the podium! My legs were surprisingly not sore. The course was relatively flat, but it was pretty slick in the single track sections (considering it had been raining for a week straight!). There were several areas of standing water, where literally I would splash into it so hard that the water would fly above my head! I entered the Elite Category (which is the same as a Pro-Open Category). There were 8 racers. The course started with an ATV trail and I was riding in 3rd place for the first single track section. Coming up one of the climbs, I was passed on the inside and then again by another rider shortly after that. The first place women, Karen Potter, was already way out in front, but the 4 of us were riding strongly together for a while until I got wrapped up in a tree and slammed down on my drive train side. I got up and tried to get back on, but my shifting was all out of alignment. There was nothing I could do to adjust it though, the rear derailure was bent. I had lost my carrots to chase at this point and I tried to hang in there. My shifting was driving me crazy! My shifter had moved and it was hard to maneuver my thumb properly.  My knee was pretty banged up at this point too, but the pain was not bothering me 1/2 as much as the fact that each time I came to a short climb, the chain would get all caught up if I down-shifted and or it would drop off. I figured it would be better to just run up the climbs for the remainder of the second lap. I was within 2 miles of the finish, when this stick seriously jumped off the ground and into my spoke. It was the weirdest thing because I one minute was on my bike, the next minute face down in the dirt. This time I landed on the other side of my already banged up knee. My chain had come off and as I was putting it back on another elite rider came by me. Oh no! I quickly got back on the bike, but in the last mile I never was able to make up the 24 seconds that split us apart. The first 5 to place were Pro's. The rest of us were Cat. 1 riders. In the Expert Category (Cat. 1 riders) there were 3 women in the Senior division (my age group, 19-39) and I beat the first place rider by almost 16 minutes. I was less than 2 minutes behind the 4th place Pro rider. I placed 6th out of 17 women combined in the Elite and Expert divisions.


Results

NorEast PODIUM SWEEP!!!! Lake Sunapee RR 5/21/11

I think I am still blown away by the results for Saturday's race at Lake Sunapee. NorEast women took 1,2,3 out of 27 riders. I was on the front up the first pitch of the finishing climb when my team-mate Katie came off my wheel, looked back at me, and I yelled her on to "go!go!go!" So she did, and Amy came right around me to climb into 2nd place, while no one else was able to use my wheel (except for the P/1/2 men break away that was also finishing...quite confusing!), so I placed 3rd. An amazing result, one that I have never seen happen before in any men or women's field, even amongst the professional teams/races. We were ecstatic! There were lots of attempts from other riders and teams to break away, but they failed to do so. Amy and myself hunted down a few on the first lap (23 miles, 1370ft of elevation gain), and after that, one one tried to do so on the second lap. It was sunny and warm for the first half of the race, but then the skies opened up and we all got soaked. It felt refreshing though, and the sun was back out when we all crossed the finish line :)

Results

Weeping Willow & Sunapee Bike Races

Well, the rain keeps coming down here in New England. It looks like it is going to be another wet weekend of bike racing in the woods and on the road...

On Saturday I will be competing in the Lake Sunapee (NH) Road Race. The race is 46 miles for the P/1/2/3 Category. My NorEast team-mates, Amy, Kerry, Katie, Sam, and I will be going all out to podium.

On Sunday, I will be competing in the Elite Category at the Cross Country Weeping Willow E.F.T.A. (Eastern Fat Tire Association) Series Race for 17 miles.

The Greatest Show on Earth

This brilliant documentary film shows the majestic beauty that is the Giro d'Italia.
It's said that Eddy Merckx's Molteni boss wept like a child in the arms of his beaming star,
who later on in the year went on to win cycling's magical triple crown when he won the Tour de France and the World Championships.
Experience the riders' anguish and joy; the organizers' difficulties; and the adoring tifosi's passion.
With stunning cinematography, this epic film goes inside the Giro's heart and soul, from its opening sequence of the Pope blessing the riders through to the majestic power of Merckx.
Be amazed by his awesome battle with Gimondi to win his fifth Giro by a mere 12 seconds to equal the record held by Alfredo Binda and Fausto Coppi.
This cinematic masterpiece might be the greatest ever made on bicycle racing.

Tymor Park Mtn. Bike Race 5/15/11

Had an awesome mtn. bike race Sunday. Def. the most challenging I have ever done! Insane climbing and descending, winding-fast single track, tons of mud, slick rocks and roots; mtn. biking at its finest! I won for Cat 1 in my age group (19-29), 2nd Cat 1 overall, & 7th with Pro/Cat 1 women. combined (14 starters). I was in 4th place up until 1/2 way through the last lap when I got the nastiest hamstring cramp and bonked. I got passed by 2 Pro's & the other Cat 1 40+ rider (impressive!) so I was 0:4:35 to 4th place, 0:3:05 to 5th place, and 6th place was only 42 seconds ahead. I was pretty proud & full of smiles throughout! I received pay out, which just about covered the entry fee. This race was my first AMBC (American Mountain Bike Challenge) race, so I acquired some Pro upgrade points :) 

The Bottom Line!

READ THIS! I contacted Kevin Hunt from the Hartford Courant about my Power Tap that was stolen in March. He wrote a GREAT ARTICLE :)

The Bottom Line: What Happens When FedEx Delivers A Package To The Wrong Home?

http://www.courant.com/features/live-smart/hc-bottom-line-fedex-0508-20110502,0,75789.column

I found some humorous pictures to share:

Mother's Day Bike Ride 5/8/11

So I think I was the only daughter to ride her bike 87 miles (round trip) to surprise her Mother on Mother's Day!  Ryan and I were lucky not to get hit my the luminous storm clouds. It remained sunny and warm for the majority of the ride.

Race Re-Cap Sterling Road Race

Despite driving through golf ball seized hail in Wochester Massechusetts on our way to the race, the skies held clear for everyone at the 17th Annual Sterling Classic Road Race held in Sterling MA. Only five minutes of showers cooled us off around 1:30pm and the rest of the race was perfect weather. For the women representing NorEast it was myself (Jena Greaser), Amy Miner, and Kerry Litka. The women's race was 48 miles long. We did 6 loops (each 8 miles long). There is only one challenging part to Sterling and that is a very very challenging, steep climb to the finish line. However, when you do it 7 times, it gets pretty tiring! The rest of the course is just 7 miles of flat roads and rolling hills. On the first lap Kerry rode off the front and no one decided to attack her. Amy and I moved to the front to block, but before the final 2 miles of the first loop, two Kenda riders moved around us on a turn and pulled Kerry in. After going up the climb for a second time, the pack had dropped the majority of the category 3 riders and a few 2's. However, on every lap they would catch back on because after the climb, everyone would just settle in to an easy tempo ride. A Sunapee rider blew off the front and since no one was doing anything, and I knew that this was a strong rider, I got out of the saddle, on the front, and sprinted her down. After that, there were no more attempts of breaking away because I think everyone realized the course was not designed for it and there were too many strong riders in the field. I orchestrated a team meeting on the start of the 3rd lap. We decided that we should do something on the last lap for Amy to get a lead out and hopefully the win. I was just using the race as training for the end of my build weeks and Amy had just come off a rest week, she let us know she was really fresh and ready to give it a go. In the final 2 miles of the last lap, I pulled into position on the front with Kerry to the inside of me and Amy behind us. As we rounded the corner to climb the hill to the finish, Amy took off behind our wheels and sprinted her legs off to a 3rd place finish, almost beating Pro rider, Mary Zider!!! My legs blew up as we started the final climb and I just let everyone else charge up the hill as I soft pedaled it to the finish line at the end of the pack. I had done what I needed to do and was satisfied enough with that. Kerry had passed me and placed a few riders further up, but what we were most proud of was our team work together in the race to help Amy to her amazing 3rd place finish!

17th Annual Sterling Classic Road Race 5/7/11

I am headed to Sterling Massachusetts tomorrow (Saturday May 7th) to par take in the Sterling Classic Road Race. This will be my first time doing the 48 mile race. Each loop is 8 miles long. There is a stair step hill at the start/finish line that the Women's P/1/2/3 field will pass through 6 times. The rest of the course is rolling hills, with a steep long climb in the middle. It is going to be beautiful weather!

Check out the race website:
http://www.minutemanroadclub.com/

The PINK Jersey

The Giro D'Italia starts this Saturday May 7th and continues through Sunday May 29th (yeah, that is a lot of riding!). We do not have cable, but plan to follow it online on universalsports.com, as well as http://www.steephill.tv/giro-d-italia/
Who will be covered in pink at the end of the 22 days this year?

Bike Structures

An obelisk, titled ‘cyclisk’ has been built by Mark Grieve and Ilana Spector, artists hailing from Northern California. The monumental sculpture, which is made out of recycled bicycles, stands 65 feet tall and weighs around 10,000 pounds. It is one of three other bicycle structures built by Grieve.

Toronto Canada Bike Arch

 Patrick Skingley and Lukas Barry's Bike Tower

 Bike Trees by Chun Yeug Cheng and Ka Fai Lee 

 Three Sisters Sanctuary: Rt. 112 Goshen MA (Taken by me!)

 Bicycle garages in Tokyo Japan

Bicycle parking garage Amsterdam 

Bike parking lot Niigata Japan